IoT based intelligent pest management system for precision agriculture.

Despite seemingly inexorable imminent risks of food insecurity that hang over the world, especially in developing countries like Pakistan where traditional agricultural methods are being followed, there still are opportunities created by technology that can help us steer clear of food crisis threats in upcoming years. At present, the agricultural sector worldwide is rapidly pacing towards technology-driven Precision Agriculture (PA) approaches for enhancing crop protection and boosting productivity. Literature highlights the limitations of traditional approaches such as chances of human error in recognizing and counting pests, and require trained labor.

ANN-Assisted Beampattern Optimization of Semi-Coprime Array for Beam-Steering Applications.

In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) has been proposed to estimate the required values of the adjustable parameters of a Semi-Coprime array with staggered steering (SCASS), which was proposed recently. By adjusting the amount of staggering and the sidelobe attenuation (SLA) factor of Chebyshev weights, SCASS can promise a quite small half-power beamwidth (HPBW) and a high peak-to-side-lobe ratio (PLSR), even when the beam is steered away from broadside direction. However, HPBW and PSLR cannot be improved simultaneously.

ANN-based swarm intelligence for predicting expansive soil swell pressure and compression strength.

This research suggests a robust integration of artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting swell pressure and the unconfined compression strength of expansive soils (PUCS-ES). Four novel ANN-based models, namely ANN-PSO (i.e.

Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength, Enamel Microfracture, and Adhesive Remnant Index of APC Flash-Free System Versus Traditional Bonding: An In-Vitro Study.

Introduction: In orthodontics, shear bond strength plays an important role because it provides a good bond between the brackets and tooth surface; it avoids fracture of the tooth surface and prevents debonding of brackets from the tooth surface. All of these allow sufficient treatment time. Many factors, including the adhesive, its thickness, its strength, the bonding procedure, the clinician's ability, the base design, the geometry of the bracket, the material, and the kind of bracket all contribute to the shear bond strength.

Comparative Evaluation of Sorption and Solubility of Core Buildup Materials in Different pH Media: An In-Vitro Study.

Aim: To evaluate and compare the sorption and solubility of two different core buildup materials in different pH media for periods of one day, one week, and one month.

Materials And Method: Sixty samples were prepared and divided into Group A (30 resin-based samples) and Group B (30 glass ionomer cement (GIC)-based samples). The sorption and solubility of the different materials were calculated by weighing the samples before and after desiccation and media immersion for periods of one day, one week, and one month.

Analyzing vegetation health dynamics across seasons and regions through NDVI and climatic variables.

This study assesses the relationships between vegetation dynamics and climatic variations in Pakistan from 2000 to 2023. Employing high-resolution Landsat data for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) assessments, integrated with climate variables from CHIRPS and ERA5 datasets, our approach leverages Google Earth Engine (GEE) for efficient processing. It combines statistical methodologies, including linear regression, Mann-Kendall trend tests, Sen's slope estimator, partial correlation, and cross wavelet transform analyses.

Comparative Effect of High-Frequency Nasal Cannula and Noninvasive Ventilation on the Work of Breathing and Postoperative Pulmonary Complication after Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Various forms of commonly used noninvasive respiratory support strategies have considerable effect on diaphragmatic contractile function which can be evaluated using sonographic diaphragm activity parameters.

Objective: To compare the magnitude of respiratory workload decreased as assessed by thickening fraction of the diaphragm and longitudinal diaphragmatic strain while using high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) modes [nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP)] in pediatric patients after cardiothoracic surgery.

Methodology: This prospective randomized controlled trial was performed at a tertiary care surgical intensive care unit in postcardiac surgery patients aged between 1 and 48 months, who were randomly allocated into three groups: 1) HFNC (with flows at 2 L/kg/min), 2) NIPPV via RAMS cannula in PSV mode (pressure support 8 cmH2O, PEEP 5 cmH2O), and 3) BiPAP in nCPAP mode (CPAP of 5 cmH2O).

Semi-Coprime Array with Staggered Beam-Steering of Sub-Arrays.

A split-aperture array (SAA) is an array of sensors or antenna elements in which the array is split into two or more sub-arrays (SAs). Recently proposed SAAs, namely coprime and semi-coprime arrays, offer to attain a small half-power beamwidth (HPBW) with a small number of elements, compared to most conventional unified-aperture arrays, at the cost of reduced peak-to-side-lobe ratio (PSLR). To reduce HPBW and increase PSLR, non-uniform inter-element spacing and excitation amplitudes have proven helpful.

A comparative surface evaluation of orthodontic mini-implants before and after en masse retraction-A SEM study.

Objective: To evaluate the changes in surface morphology of two different types of mini-implants after clinical en masse retraction using scanning electron microscopy.

Material And Methods: Fifty mini-implants of Dentos (Korea, Absoanchor, BH-1817-08) and Orlus (Korea, Yesanchor, C-1817) were inserted in patients in a split-mouth design who required en masse anterior retraction and absolute anchorage. Surface characteristics of mini-implants such as pitch (distance between consecutive threads), flank width (distance between root and crest), and taper were studied using scanning electron microscope (FEI nanosem450) before and after clinical use.

Parasitological, molecular, and epidemiological investigation of Trypanosoma evansi infection among dromedary camels in Balochistan province.

Surra is a zoonotic disease caused by Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi), which affects a wide variety of animals worldwide. The disease has a severe impact on the productivity, health, and working capacity of camels and causes mortality and extensive economic losses if not diagnosed early.

Community well-being dimensions in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.

The local communities living around national parks or areas like World Heritage Site (WHS) are crucial stakeholders to such settings. Their well-being needs to be unraveled so that the holistic management of the national park is in good condition to stabilize its status as WHS through the support and empowerment of the community. Numerous studies have been conducted on the biodiversity and geology of Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP), but the community psychology aspect that is the foundation of conservation efforts has not been addressed.

Community-Acquired Skin and Soft Tissue Infections: Epidemiology and Management in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background: Skin and soft tissue infections are one of the most common diseases presenting to the emergency department (ED). There is no study available on the management of Community-Acquired Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (CA-SSTIs) in our population recently. This study aims to describe the frequency and distribution of CA-SSTIs as well as their medical and surgical management among patients presenting to our ED.

Demographic, social and economic factors affecting the adoption of green toilets among rural households in India.

This study investigates the demographic, social and economic factors as key determinants of green toilet adoption among rural households in India. The Rural Impact Survey data of the World Bank have been used for this study, covering 2731 rural households from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The chi-square test and regression analysis with marginal estimate have been used to analyze the data.

Thermal Analysis of Radiative Darcy-Forchheimer Nanofluid Flow Across an Inclined Stretching Surface.

Nanofluids have unique features that make them potentially valuable in a variety of medicinal, technical, and industrial sectors. The widespread applications of nanotechnology in modern science have prompted researchers to study nanofluid models from different perspectives. The objective of the current research is to study the flow of non-Newtonian nanofluid over an inclined stretching surface immersed in porous media by employing the Darcy-Forchheimer model.

Nephrocurative Effect of Parthenium hysterophorus (Carrot Grass) in Paracetamol Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rabbits.

Parthenium hysterophorus is conventionally used to treat urinary tract infections, joint pain, and hyperglycaemia. This study evaluates the reno-curative effects of methanolic extract of P. hysterophorus (MEPH) in paracetamol-induced nephrotoxic rabbits.

Antidiabetic and pancreas-protective potential of Parthenium Hysterophorous (Carrot grass) in Alloxan induced diabetic rabbits.

Parthenium hysterophorus has been used to cure cancer, fever, malaria, diarrhea, dysentery, and neurologic disorders. This study evaluates the anti-diabetic effects of methanolic extract of P. hysterophorus (MEPH) in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits.

Elemental Composition of Above and Belowground Mangrove Tissue and Sediment in Managed and Unmanaged Compartments of the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve.

Mangrove productivity depends on the storage of nutrients and elements. Elemental concentrations were examined in leaves, roots, and sediments for three age stands (15, 25 years, and VJR) of Rhizophora apiculata in the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR). Six compartments with two compartments each for each age group were used to analyze sixteen elements.

Risk assessment in livestock supply chain using the MCDM method: a case of emerging economy.

The purpose of the study is to identify and assess the risks related to the livestock supply chain. The major risk related to the livestock supply chain are identified through the comprehensive literature review and finalized with the help of the expert's feedback. Initially, seventeen major livestock supply chain risks are finalized, and these risks are categorized into four major dimensions.

An Efficient Deep Learning-Based Skin Cancer Classifier for an Imbalanced Dataset.

Efficient skin cancer detection using images is a challenging task in the healthcare domain. In today's medical practices, skin cancer detection is a time-consuming procedure that may lead to a patient's death in later stages. The diagnosis of skin cancer at an earlier stage is crucial for the success rate of complete cure.

Identification, kinetics and thermodynamic analysis of novel β-galactosidase from Convolvulus arvensis seeds: An efficient agent for delactosed milk activity.

The β-galactosidase was extracted and purified from 100 g of C. arvensis seeds using a variety of protein purification procedures such as ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration, and finally chromatography on a cationic ion exchanger. The effects of metal ions, kinetics parameters, and glycoprotein nature were determined, as well as the optimal pH and temperature of the purified enzyme.

Health awareness of rural households towards COVID-19 pandemic in India: Evidence from Rural Impact Survey of the World Bank.

This paper aims at analysing the level of awareness of the symptoms and the methods of protection from COVID-19 based on the Rural Impact Survey of the World Bank, collected from 5200 households belonging to six states in India that is, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Data has been analysed using chi-square test and regression analysis. Results of the analysis indicate that about 70.