Biology of Spodoptera litura on natural and artificial diet under laboratory conditions

Armyworm, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) is one of the most economically significant insect pests in global agriculture. The current study was performed to study the biology of S. litura under laboratory conditions. In the current study, the biological parameters of pests i.e., egg, larva, pupa and adult along with the duration were determined. The mean incubation period of pests on cabbage, maize and artificial diet was 2.86±0.33, 3.09 ± 0.12 and 3.97±0.77 days, respectively. S. litura had five instars. The mean developmental period of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth larval instar on cabbage was 3.44±0.11, 2.09±0.12, 4.11±0.12, 3.00±0.20, 6.68±0.23 and 5.94±0.18 days, respectively while 2.81±0.77, 3.55±0.33, 3.64±0.45, 4.43±0.71, 6.55±0.21 and 5.98±0.19 days on the maize, respectively. The mean developmental periods were 3.85±0.54, 3.45±0.63, 3.67±0.67, 4.37±0.82, 6.55±0.23 and 5.30±0.38 days of first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth larval instars on artificial diet, respectively. The mean total life period of S. litura was 33.43±5.86 days on cabbage and 34.79±6.95 days on maize while 35.98±7.86 days on an artificial diet. The longest developmental period of S. litura was recorded on the artificial diet while the minimum was on cabbage. The mean developmental period of pupa was 7.50±0.71 days on cabbage, 9.87±0.94 days on maize and 11.63±0.99 days on an artificial diet. Females were short-lived as compared to males. The pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-ovipositional period of S. litura on cabbage were recorded as a minimum while maximum on an artificial diet. The maximum number of eggs laid by females with the highest hatchability on cabbage followed by maize and artificial diet. An artificial diet was not good for pest development and growth as compared to a natural diet i.e., cabbage and maize. The findings will provide basic information about food pests which help in pest management

Non-Volumetric Pricing is a Threat to Water Reserves

Pakistan is a country having the world largest irrigation system but despite that, it is facing several droughts and floods. The storage capacity of the country is only 30 days whereas the required standard capacity is 120 days. The major source of water for the country is surface water and in many areas, groundwater is also used in a large quantity for domestic as well as agricultural use. Pakistan has large water reservoirs but still, it is facing serious challenges in providing safe drinking water due to the mismanagement of natural water resources. The major cause behind the depletion of water resources of the country is over-use of water. The main objective of this study is to find the behavior of people by comparing volumetric and nonvolumetric water use and the price they pay for both. There is a need to compare volumetric and nonvolumetric water pricing scenarios and its impact on water conservation for the district of Hyderabad. The study was conducted through questionnaire surveys, from three administrative units of the Hyderabad namely Qasimabad, Latifabad, and City. Three types of water utilities, namely Tapped water (water supplied by WASA), groundwater and tankered water were found as major sources for domestic use. The domestic use of groundwater is found to be mostly unpaid, while people having lined water services pay an average of Rs 300 (USD 2.2) but the percentage of these people is only 60%. On the other hand, people who consume tankered water (volumetric based charging) are paying on average Rs 5000 (USD 35.7) per month. The main finding of this study is that the households which were using tanker water were more careful in optimizing the use of water as compared to those who were using tapped water. Therefore, considering the economic worth of water, if it is charged on a volumetric basis then the misuse of water can be reduced noticeably

Differentiation of Small Hepatic Hemangioma from Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Tri-Phasic Helical Computed Tomography Method

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks second amongst all causes of cancer deaths globally. It is on a rise in Pakistan and might represent the most common cancer in adult males. Among women, HCC is the 7th most common cancer and 6th most common cancer related death. In Pakistan prevalence of HCC varies from 3.7%-16% of malignant tumors and most common cause of HCC is viral hepatitis B, C and D related cirrhosis. Pakistan contributes significantly to global burden of hepatitis C, which is a known risk factor for HCC, and has one of the highest prevalence rates (>3%) in the world. Objective: To find out the difference of small hemangioma from small hepatic cellular carcinoma by using tri- phasic helical Computed Tomography method. Methodology: In this descriptive study, among 81 patients of suspected hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatocellular hemangioma were selected with age and gender discrimination by convenient sampling, at Department of Radiology, UOL Teaching hospital Lahore Pakistan. 128 slice Computed Tomography Toshiba Aquilion machine was used. Results: Out of 81 patients collected with the suspicion of hepatic hemangioma and hepatocellular carcinoma , 41 were females and 40 were males who visited radiology department. It shows 50.6% were females and males were 49.4%. Out of 81 patients, 25 patients came with HHS and 31 were with HCC. 25.9% develop carcinoma on left side, 32.1% on right side, 6.2% on R/L side and remaining 35.8% were Nill. Out of 81 patients 8 develop carcinoma on anterior, 5 on both, 3 on caudate, 5 on lateral,13 on both 4 on middle, 7 on posterior, 6 on segment eight, 1 on segment 4, 1 on segment 7, 1 on segment 2 and remaining 36 sites were nill. 27.5% males develop HCC and 48.8% females develop HCC. Out of 81 patients 36.6% female patients develop HHS and 25.0% male patients develop HHS. Conclusion: In this study we conclude that females develop a large number of HCC and HHS than males. Hepatocellular carcinoma shows enhancement in early arterial and early washout phase while post-contrast images showing capsule-appearance which is relatively specific for HCC. On the other hand, HHS shows uniform enhancement in arterial phase and iso- or hyper-attenuating to liver parenchyma on delayed phase. Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatocellular hemangioma, Computed tomography DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/73-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Time Complexity of Color Camera Depth Map Hand Edge Closing Recognition Algorithm

The objective of this paper is to calculate the time complexity of the colored camera depth map hand edge closing algorithm of the hand gesture recognition technique. It has been identified as hand gesture recognition through human-computer interaction using color camera and depth map technique, which is used to find the time complexity of the algorithms using 2D minima methods, brute force, and plane sweep. Human-computer interaction is a very much essential component of most people's daily life. The goal of gesture recognition research is to establish a system that can classify specific human gestures and can make its use to convey information for the device control. These methods have different input types and different classifiers and techniques to identify hand gestures. This paper includes the algorithm of one of the hand gesture recognition “Color camera depth map hand edge recognition” algorithm and its time complexity and simulation on MATLAB

Adoptability of Lean Construction Techniques in Pakistan’s Construction Industry

There is a philosophy in the construction industry to reduce the cost of a project by reducing construction waste and improving productivity. With lower expenses, lean construction emphasizes the cost of the project at a minimum cost. Globally, the philosophy has gained a wide range of popularity in the construction sector. The Lean Construction has helped practitioners with several tools and techniques to implement at different stages of a construction project. Following global trends, this study has investigated lean practices in Pakistan. With the potential advantages experienced by its implementation in Pakistan's construction projects and the level of implementation of various types of tools and techniques has been analyzed. To achieve the goal, the study had tried to capture construction projects in which four shareholders are being represented, which are clients, consultants, contractors and material suppliers. Overall 34 completed questionnaires were collected and then analyzed. The results of the analysis have indicated that pull approach, standard of work, time consuming, visualization tools, the integrated project delivery methods and the quality failure in safe limits are common lean techniques which are being implemented to the local construction industry. While there are major benefits of waste reduction, client satisfaction, better communication, visual control and proper task management to build appropriate work are the key benefits of lean construction

Comparison of effectiveness of various treatment strategies in COVID-19 patients: A Systematic Review

Background: The purpose of this study is to systematically review the effectiveness of various drugs and therapies by assessing already conducted studies on COVID-19 patients. Methods: The eligibility criterion for this systematic review was to include the observational and experimental studies including case reports; conducted on the possible treatments of COVID-19. Only those studies were included that were written in the English language either published or unpublished from December 2019 to April 10, 2020. Quality of articles was assessed and flawed studies were excluded based on incomplete outcome data. Treatment strategies experimented on animals or those assessed through artificial intelligence were also excluded. The databases searched were PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and bioRxiv. The last date to search the databases was April 10, 2020. Results: We selected 25 articles which include 12 case studies, 10 retrospective studies, one randomized controlled trial, one non-randomized Controlled trial, and one prospective observational study. Hydroxychloroquine proved to be effective in all three studies under consideration especially when it was used in a combination with azithromycin. Antivirals showed significant results in eleven out of sixteen studies. The remaining five studies showed antiviral therapy to be ineffective. Lopinavir/ritonavir did not show satisfactory results in most of the COVID-19 patients. Both of the studies regarding convalescent plasma therapy showed significant improvement in patients undergoing treatment. Two studies regarding treatment with immunoglobulins also showed good results. A study on the use of Mesenchymal stem cell transplant for treatment of COVID-19 patients also proved to be effective. Likewise, a study on the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine along with Western Medicine also showed good results. In patients of organ transplant, withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs, and the use of methylprednisolone along with antivirals had shown significantly good results. Among all these therapeutic approaches we found convalescent plasma therapy to be most effective. Conclusion: So far, a small number of studies have been conducted on the treatment of COVID-19 patients and most of them were conducted on the Chinese population. More randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment strategies at a broader level

Motivational Factors for the Implementation of ISO-9001 in Construction Firms of Pakistan

Motivating public and private construction firms to implement various management systems in their firms is not a simple job. Especially in Pakistan, management system is a new practice, most of the construction firms are not aware about the benefits of management system and what will be achieved after the implementation of management system. The implementation of ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) in the construction industry is a continuing development method, particularly in small construction firms. On the other hand, the awareness level and readiness level of construction industry firms in Pakistan is yet very low as associated to other countries of Asia and Europe where ISO 9001 initiated. The purpose current study is to determine most responsible factors which will motivate the public and private construction firms of Pakistan to adopt the QMS (ISO 9001). A questionnaire survey was conducted and a total of 337 out of 553 questionnaires were received from public and private construction firms of AZBAGIKHPUSI areas. The analysis results depict 3 significant factors, which will motivate construction firms of Pakistan to implement ISO 9001 are (1) to qualify for bidding (2) to improve quality management system of company (3) to reduce wastage. Hence, based on these results and findings, the construction companies require ISO 9001 certification system and registration with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) as a constitution passed for the construction firms then to qualify for the bidding

Rearing of Trilocha varians (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) on Ficus benjamina and its Parasitization with Trichogramma chilonis

Ficus benjamina commonly known as weeping fig is an ornamental that planted alongside the road to increase the aesthetic value. Leaf eating caterpillar, Trilocha varians was observed on Ficus benjamina and many other ornamental plants in the surrounding area of Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University. Large larval population was recorded on fig plants with 100 % defoliation. The rearing of Trilocha varians on F. benjamina was carried out under controlled conditions and parasitism of Trichogramma chilonis on eggs were checked. Incubation period was 5-6 days while single female laid 150-210 eggs in her whole life period. With five larval instars, duration period of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th was 2.0 days, 3-5 days, 2-4 days, 3-6 days and 3-7 days, respectively. Pupa was obtect in nature. Mated and unmated female were long lived as compared to male, 7.50 and 9.25 % egg parasitization was recorded at 16 and 24 hours of exposure, respectively. The coefficient variations were 89.50, 55.92, 42.21 and 29.59 at 12, 16, 20 and 24 h. To determine the larval damage, five different host plants belonging to moraceae family were used. The moderate damage of larvae was observed on Ficus religiosa. The severe feeding damage was observed on F. benjamina and F. virens, while M. alba and F. elastica were found not favorable hosts of T. varians. The study concluded that Trichogramma chilonis was recorded the most suitable parasitoid of T. varians and further need to record the natural enemies of the pest in the country