Demography and predatory potential of on eggs of at two temperatures.

Background: The polyphagous predatory bug Poppius (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is an active predator used to control many insect pests of agricultural crops. species are significantly affected by the type of food and temperature.

Method: A study of feeding on L.

Background radioactivity level estimation and passive shield optimization using adjoint Monte Carlo method.

The current study proposes a procedure to estimate the activity concentration of natural radionuclides and to optimize passive shielding solutions for HPGe detectors using adjoint Monte Carlo (MC) simulation technique of Geant4 for the first time. The background spectrum is acquired for 1.56 × 10 s using an HPGe detector model (GC3020), set inside a shielding solution, during 2021-2022 to estimate the activity concentration of natural radionuclides inside the shielding.

Development and characteristics study of compact Penning ion source.

A compact-size Penning ion source with a small discharge volume (1.24 cm3) is developed. It consists of two concentric cylinders of different heights that act as cathodes and one hollow cylindrical anode.

Clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Pakistan. A single-center experience.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021.

A novel method to estimate the dead layer of HPGe detector for Monte Carlo FEPE computation.

In this study, a novel method to determine the surface and lateral dead layers of p-type HPGe detector is proposed to compute the full energy peak efficiency (FEPE). The method employed standard radioactive point sources Am, Ba and FEPE measurement at low energies to estimate the thickness of frontal and lateral dead layers. The method is simple to apply, requires only two standard radioactive sources to estimate the optimum thickness of frontal and lateral dead layers.

Dosimetric properties of thermoluminescent NaCl pellets from Khewra Salt Mines, Pakistan.

Thermoluminescence (TL) and extended dosimetric characteristics of naturally occurring sodium chloride (NaCl) salt were studied. Pellets were prepared from mined crystalline salt obtained from Khewra Salt Mines, Pakistan and irradiated from 1 mGy to 10,000 mGy using cobalt-60 gamma source. The TL response showed two dominant peaks around 125°C and 230°C, respectively, at low doses, with an additional peak in between at doses beyond 300 mGy.

Thermoluminescence (TL), kinetic parameters and dosimetric features of Pakistani limestone.

Thermoluminescence (TL), kinetic parameters and dosimetric features of Pakistani limestone (CaCO) is reported in this study. Both compositional and structural analyses reveal that the material has a crystalline nature with rhombohedral structure and non-uniform crystallite size having major content of CaCO. A powdered limestone sample of 30 mg is found to be the optimized weight for TL and other dosimetric studies.

Computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD): A comparison using asymptotic vs rational approximation in thermoluminescence kinetic models.

In this study an open-source tool GCD Analyzer, based on Microsoft® Excel, for Computerized Glow Curve Deconvolution analysis (CGCD) of thermoluminescence (TL) glow peak has been developed using a more accurate rational approximation. It is capable of deconvolution of glow curves having discrete or continuous trap distribution and can be used for routine as well as emergency radiation dosimetric analysis. This tool has a unique feature of TL glow curve analysis by combining discrete and continuous energy distributions for crystalline, amorphous, and mixed materials.

Frequency of hearing impairment in children between the ages of 2 and 10 years with middle ear infection.

This study was conducted on children between 2 and 10 years age to determine the frequency of hearing impairment in middle ear infection. It was a cross-sectional survey, done at Riphah International University from August 2018 to January 2019. Data was collected from the ENT Department of Children's Hospital Lahore through convenience sampling technique and included 52 patients with middle ear infection.

Thermoluminescence study of pellets prepared using NaCl from Khewra Salt Mines in Pakistan.

In this study, the thermoluminescence characteristics of naturally occurring salt (NaCl) were assessed for the development of a radiation dosimeter. For this purpose, mined crystalline samples of salt were procured directly from Khewra salt mines in Pakistan. The samples were hand crushed, sieved, and compressed to pellets comparable in size to standard TLD chips, and irradiated to gamma radiation doses in the range of 5 mGy and 5000 mGy.

Reorganising for COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Structural Modifications by the Department of Internal Medicine in Low to Middle-income Countries.

Scientists classified the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a novel coronavirus on January 7, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the SARS-CoV-2 outburst a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. Since its origin, this virus has disrupted the best healthcare systems, economies, and strained financial resources; and for underdeveloped countries' healthcare systems, the virus has become a crisis.

Predatory functional response and fitness parameters of Poppius when fed and as determined by age-stage, two-sex life table.

Background: The polyphagous predatory bug is an active predator used to control thrips and aphids. The whitefly species and are voracious pests of different economic agricultural crops and vegetables.

Method: In this study, the Holling disc equation and the age-stage, two-sex life table technique were used to investigate the functional response and biological traits of third instar nymphs and adult female when presented third instar nymphs of both whitefly species as prey.

Temperature-Dependent Functional Response of (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on the Eggs of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Laboratory.

(Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a major pest of several economically important crops with worldwide distribution. Use of insecticides is the principal strategy for its management, which has subsequently led to insecticide resistance and control failures. Functional response of (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) at larval and adult stages was evaluated in this study, using eggs as the prey at various temperatures varying between 15 and 35 °C.

Determination of fitness traits of Poppius (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) on (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) using two-sex life table analysis.

Background: Pink bollworm () is a destructive insect pest of cotton crops in China and globally, which is actively predated on by . Studies on the fitness or survival of fed on at different temperatures have not been reported. The fitness of may be well explained using two-sex life table parameters.

Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Biological Traits and Feeding of the Aphidophagous Predator .

Except of pest control, insecticides have shown adverse effects on natural enemies as well. Thus, risk assessment of pesticides for biological control agents is critical for effective use in integrated pest management (IPM) schemes. In the present study, the lethal and sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos, a commonly used insecticide that may negatively affect biological control agents, were evaluated on a non-target predator, the Asian ladybeetle .

Study of CdTe detection efficiency for medical applications using Geant4-based stochastic simulations.

The determination of detection efficiency and peak-to-total ratios has been performed for rectangular CdTe detectors for various x-ray and low-energy γ-ray source configurations including parallel beams, point, and cylindrical sources. The dependence of efficiency values on axial and off-axial distances, detector thickness and area, and source dimensions has been studied. The detector model developed in this work has been validated by comparing the Monte Carlo simulated values of detector efficiency for a parallel incident beam with the available published data and good agreement has been found with discrepancies remaining within 2% throughout the energy range.

Estimation of peripheral dose from Co beam in water phantom measured in Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, Pakistan.

Background: Peripheral or scatter dose harms neighbouring normal tissues during administration of dose to cancerous tissues, therefore, knowledge of peripheral dose is an important consideration in radiotherapy.

Aim: In present study, absorbed dose measurements in a water phantom were performed for three field sizes, 7 × 7 cm, 10 × 10 cm and 15 × 15 cm.

Materials And Methods: For each field size, dose was measured at six depths below the front surface of the water phantom; 2.

6Li atom percentage determination by atomic absorption-emission spectrometry using a natural lithium hollow cathode lamp.

A simple method has been developed for the determination of 6Li atom % using combined atomic emission-absorption spectrometry employing a commonly available natural lithium hollow cathode lamp. Unlike in previous practice, there is no need for specially fabricated and high cost 6Li and 7Li monoisotopic lamps in this method. The method requires adjustment of total lithium contents of the sample, i.

Differences between Cheddar cheese manufactured by the milled-curd and stirred-curd methods using different commercial starters.

Traditionally, Cheddar cheese is made by the milled-curd method. However, because of the mechanization of cheese making and time constraints, the stirred-curd method is more commonly used by many large-scale commercial manufacturers. This study was undertaken to evaluate quality differences during ripening (at 2 and 8 degrees C) of Cheddar cheese made by the milled-curd and stirred-curd methods, using 4 different commercial starters.

Mass spectrometric determination of 234U/238U ratio with improved precision.

A new mass spectrometric method is proposed for measurement of 234U/238U ratio with a single Daly electron multiplier detector using the general peak jump method. The method is based on precise measurement of the 235U/238U ratio and 234U/235U ratio, which are used to calculate the 234U/238U ratio using the equation 234U/238U = 235U/238U x 234U/235U. The results show a significant improvement, i.

Measurement of radioactivity in the soil of Bahawalpur division, Pakistan.

Bahawalpur is the largest division of the Punjab province in Pakistan. It is larger than many countries of the world. Gamma activity from the naturally occurring radionuclides namely 226Ra, 232Th, the primordial radionuclide 40K and the artificial radionuclide 137Cs was measured in the soil of the Bahawalpur division using gamma spectrometry technique.

Use of dry milk protein concentrate in pizza cheese manufactured by culture or direct acidification.

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) contains high concentrations of casein and calcium and low concentrations of lactose. Enrichment of cheese milk with MPC should, therefore, enhance yields and improve quality. The objectives of this study were: 1) to compare pizza cheese made by culture acidification using standardized whole milk (WM) plus skim milk (SM) versus WM plus MPC; and 2) compare cheese made using WM + MPC by culture acidification to that made by direct acidification.

The effect of application of cold natural smoke on the ripening of Cheddar cheese.

The present study was undertaken to study the effects of application of natural wood smoke on ripening of Cheddar cheese, and to determine the effects of smoking before or after ripening on cheese quality. A 20-kg block of Cheddar cheese obtained immediately after pressing was divided into six approximately 3-kg blocks and ripened at 8 degrees C for up to 270 d. One 3-kg block was taken after 1 d, 1, 3, 6, or 9 mo and smoked for 20 min, then returned to the ripening room for further ripening.

Effects of standardization of whole milk with dry milk protein concentrate on the yield and ripening of reduced-fat cheddar cheese.

Commercial milk protein concentrate (MPC) was used to standardize whole milk for reduced-fat Cheddar cheesemaking. Four replicate cheesemaking trials of three treatments (control, MPC1, and MPC2) were conducted. The control cheese (CC) was made from standardized milk (casein-to-fat ratio, C/F approximately 1.

A preliminary study on the effect of adding yeast extract to cheese curd on proteolysis and flavour development of reduced-fat Cheddar.

Yeast extract was used as a nutrient for growing lactobacilli in reduced-fat Cheddar cheese as early growth of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) in Cheddar cheese is suppressed by pasteurization of milk and the hostile environment of the cheese. Reduced-fat Cheddar cheese was manufactured from 100 kg standardized milk on two occasions. After milling, the curd was divided into two portions, C and E.