Development of Threshold Levels and a Climate-Sensitivity Model of the Hydrological Regime of the High-Altitude Catchment of the Western Himalayas, Pakistan

Water shortages in Pakistan are among the most severe in the world, and its water resources are decreasing significantly due to the prevailing hydro-meteorological conditions. We assessed variations in meteorological and hydrological variables using innovative trend analysis (ITA) and traditional trend analysis methods at a practical significance level, which is also of practical interest. We developed threshold levels of hydrological variables and developed a non-parametric climate-sensitivity model of the high-altitude catchment of the western Himalayas. The runoff of Zone I decreased, while the temperature increased and the precipitation increased significantly. In Zone II, the runoff and temperature increased but the precipitation decreased. A two-dimensional visualization of the Pardé coefficient showed extreme drought events, and indicated greater sensitivity of the hydrological regime to temperature than to precipitation. The threshold levels of runoff for Zones I and II were 320 and 363 mm using the Q80 fixed method, while the mean runoff amounts were estimated to be 79.95 and 55.61 mm, respectively. The transient threshold levels varied by month, and the duration of droughts in Zones I and II ranged from 26.39 to 78.98 days. The sensitivity of the hydrological regime was estimated based on a modified climate-elasticity model (εp = 0.11–0.23, εt = −0.04–2.39) for Zones I and II, respectively. These results highlight the sensitivity of the hydrological regime to temperature, which influences the melting process. However, it is important to establish thresholds for hydrological variables and understand the climate sensitivity of the hydrological regime of the entire basin, so that policy makers and water managers can make sustainable water-resource-management decisions for this region

Modeling Wastewater Evolution and Management Options under Variable Land Use Scenarios

The development of a reliable decision support system and predictions for water quantity and quality often require a reasonable level of environmental and hydrological simulations at various geographic scales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model offers distributed parameter and continuous time simulation, and flexible watershed configuration and with the adoption of geographic information system (GIS) technology, a user-friendly and interactive decision support system can be developed for wastewater management. In this chapter, we evaluated the spatio-temporal evolution of wastewater contaminants in an environmentally degraded watershed through integrated field-based investigations and modeling approach. Later, management options were identified to improve the watershed health and agro-environment. The results of the modeling study exhibited variable responses of surface runoff and water quality to different scenarios of land use change. Temporal wastewater analysis indicated a significant impact of seasonality on the contaminants’ population levels. The adopted approach would prove effective in evaluating better management options to reduce negative impacts of wastewater and contaminants for sustainable agro-environment in future

The Impact of Financial Leverage on Firm Performance in Fuel and Energy Sector, Pakistan

This research is finds the effect of financial leverage on firm performance of the fuel and energy sector in Pakistan. For this purpose 10 listed public limited firms out of 16 form fuel and energy sector listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). The main objective of the study is investigate the financial leverage has an effect on financial performance of the firm by taking evidence from listed fuel and energy companies of Pakistan. There is a positive relationship between the financial leverage and financial performance or not?  The main plan of this study is to examine the simplification that the firms get work with high profits may choice high leverage by using different statistical tools. Keywords: Financial leverage, Firm Performance, Financial ratio, Fuel and Energy Sector in Pakistan Paper type: Research pape

Evaluation of Toxicity on Ctenopharyngodon idella Due to Tannery Effluent Remediated by Constructed Wetland Technology

Aquatic pollution caused by industrial effluents is an environmental issue, imposing deleterious impacts on the overall environment, specifically, on humans, by disrupting the balance of the ecosystem. Among all the industries, tanneries are considered some of the most polluting due to heavy use of toxic organic and inorganic compounds during leather processing, most of which find their way into rivers, lakes, and streams, thus exerting adverse effects on aquatic life, particularly on fish. Considering the huge concentrations of pollutants present in tannery effluents, toxicity evaluation is of prime importance. Therefore, bioassays are usually employed to assess the acute toxicity of industrial effluents and efficiency of effluent clean-up technologies as they provide a thorough response of test species to the substances present in the tested media. In the present study, the toxic effects of tannery effluent on common grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were studied for 96 h in laboratory conditions. The effluent was added at different concentrations, before and after treatment by constructed wetlands (CWs). During this period, mortality data was collected to calculate the 96 h-LC50 (lethal concentration inducing 50% mortality) and acute toxicity of C. idella. In addition to this, observations on change in morphological, physiological, and behavioural patterns were also made every 24 h. The present toxicity assay revealed that the raw tannery effluent changed the morphology, physiology, and behavioural response of fish. Moreover, fish exposure to raw/untreated effluent caused high acute toxicity and 100% mortality, due to the presence of high concentrations of salts and chromium (Cr) metal. While treatment of tannery effluent by CWs vegetated with different plants (B. mutica, L. fusca, and T. domingensis) significantly reduced its toxicity and fish mortality as well, and inoculation of salt and Cr-tolerant endophytic bacteria (Enterobacter sp. HU38, Microbacterium arborescens HU33, and Pantoea stewartii ASI11) further reduced (up to 90%) its toxicity level. Hence, the use of CWs for tannery effluent treatment can be recommended to favour public health and promote the overall safety of the environmentThis research was conducted under the grant number, No. 20-3854/R&D/HEC/14., of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), PakistanS

Cerebral deep venous thrombosis: case report and literature review

The case of a 28 years old woman presenting with headache, drowsiness and vomiting of a short duration, is presented. She was diagnosed as deep cerebral venous thrombosis on the basis of MRI findings. Treatment with heparin gave completed recovery

Determinants of Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change by Farmers in District Sargodha, Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the most affected countries vulnerable to climate change. Additionally, being a predominantly agricultural economy, farming community is more at risk and climate change is predicted to decrease crop yields in Pakistan as a result of higher temperature, variability in rainfall and floods. Understanding the perception and adoption strategies to climate is important to preparing farming community for climate change impact. The present study was aimed to explore determinants of adaptation strategies to climate change by farmers. The data were collected through interview schedule. Logit regression model was used to explore the factors influencing the decision of farmer adaptation strategies to climate change. The study explored that education, farming experience, annual farm income, access to television, access to extension services, access to climate change information and membership in community based organization are main factors influencing the decision of farmers to climate change adoption. The study recommends that Government must ensure extension service, climate information and credit schemes to farmers to alter the production strategies in response to climate change

Optimized PID Controller of DC-DC Buck Converter based on Archimedes Optimization Algorithm

This research assesses the suitability of the Archimedes Optimization Algorithm (AOA) as a metaheuristic technique to fine-tune a PID controller in a closed-loop DC-DC buck converter. The converter's core function is to regulate output voltage, ensuring stability despite load fluctuations and input voltage changes.  The operational effectiveness of the converter hinges significantly on the gain settings of the PID controller and determining the optimal gain setting for the PID controller is a non-trivial task. For robust performance, the PID controller necessitates optimal gain settings, attainable through metaheuristic optimization. The algorithm aids in identifying ideal proportional, integral, and derivative gains based on varying load conditions. Leveraging the metaheuristic algorithm, the PID controller is optimized to minimize voltage errors, reduce overshoot, and enhance response time. The proposed PID controller, optimized using AOA, is contrasted with PID controllers tuned via alternative algorithms including the hybrid Nelder-Mead method (AEONM), artificial ecosystem-based optimization (AEO), differential evolution (DE), and particle swarm optimizer (PSO). Performance evaluation involves injecting a voltage disturbance into the buck converter with load changes of up to 20%. Results demonstrate the superiority of the AOA-optimized PID controller in voltage recovery.  It demonstrates a faster response time and outstanding voltage regulation performance, while also exhibiting minimal performance degradation during load changes. This study concludes that the AOA optimization algorithm surpasses other methods in tuning the PID controller for closed-loop DC-DC buck converters

Bromidobis(N,N′-diphenyl­thio­urea-κS)copper(I) monohydrate

In the title compound, [CuBr(C13H12N2S)2]·H2O, the CuI atom adopts a slightly distorted trigonal-planar coordination arising from two S atoms of two diphenyl­thio­urea ligands and a bromide ion. There are two intra­molecular N—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds completing twisted six-membered rings with R(6) motifs. The dihedral angles between the aromatic rings in the ligands are 62.11 (13) and 85.73 (13)°. In the crystal, components are linked by N—H⋯O, O—H⋯S and O—H⋯π inter­actions. There also exist π–π inter­actions with a distance of 3.876 (2) Å between the centroids of benzene rings of two different ligands. Together, the inter­molecular inter­actions lead to a three-dimensional network