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In developing countries like Pakistan, the preservation of the environment, as well as people's economies, agriculture, and way of life, are believed to be hampered by climate change. Understanding how people perceive climate change and its signs is essential for creating a variety of adaptation solutions. In this study, we aim to bridge the gap in current research within this area, which predominantly relies on satellite data, by integrating qualitative assessments of people's perceptions of climate change, thereby providing valuable ground-based observations of climate variability and its impacts on local communities. Field-based data were collected at different altitudes (upstream (US), midstream (MS), and downstream (DS)) of the Upper Indus Basin using both quantitative and qualitative assessments in 2017. The result shows that these altitudes are highly variable in many contexts: socioeconomic indicators of education, agriculture, income, women empowerment, health, access to basic resources, and livelihood diversifications are highly variable in the Indus Basin. The inhabitants of the Indus Basin perceive the climate changing around them and report impacts of this change as increase in overall temperatures (US 96.9%, MS 97%, DS 93.6%) and erratic rainfall patterns (US 44.1%, MS 73.3%, DS 51.0%) resulting in increased water availability for crops (US 38.6%, MS 39.7%, DS 54.8%) but also increasing number of dry days (US 56.7%, MS 85.5%, DS 67.1%). Communities at these altitudes said that agriculture was their primary source of income, making them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and the dangers that go along with it. The insights are useful for determining what information and actions are required to support local climate-related hazard management in subtropical climate regions. Moreover, it is vital to launch a campaign to raise awareness of potential hazards, as well as to provide training and an early warning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acidogenic fermentation is an emerging biotechnology that allows for the utilization of food waste as a feedstock to produce high-value products such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), effectively offering a tangible solution for food waste management as well as resource recovery. The objectives of the current study were to identify the ideal inoculum, waste-activated sludge (WAS) or anaerobic digester sludge (AD), for the acidogenic fermentation of food waste at room temperature, as well as to evaluate the impact of heat pretreatment of these inoculums on fermentation performance. The maximum hydrolysis yield of 399 g sCOD/kg VS added was obtained when untreated AD was used as the inoculum, whereas the pretreated AD inoculum provided the highest SCFA yield and conversion efficiency of 238 g sCODSCFA/kg VS added and 71%, respectively. Heat pretreatment had a detrimental impact on the WAS inoculum, leading to lower hydrolysis and SCFA yields, but exerted a positive influence on the AD inoculum. The microbial community showed that heat pretreatment negatively impacted the abundance of non-spore-forming hydrolytic and acidogenic microorganisms. Overall, this study demonstrates the critical role of inoculum type and heat pretreatment in optimizing the acidogenic fermentation process, laying the groundwork for future refinements in SCFA production from food waste through inoculum design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of hydropower projects is increasingly prevalent worldwide, particularly in the context of climate change mitigation. Community displacement resulting from the construction of these projects raises significant questions about the post-resettlement welfare and satisfaction of the individuals subjected to project-associated relocation and resettlement processes. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of physical resources, locational characteristics, the resettlement area, health facilities, housing facilities, communication, and the socio-cultural environment on the satisfaction of resettled people, along with two mediators: sustainable development and cultural resilience in the resettlement of the project-affected communities of the Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP) in Pakistan. In this cross-sectional study, data are collected from 223 resettlers from three villages (Barotha, Eassa, and Feroze). The researchers examined sustainable development and cultural resilience as mediating factors that play a role in resettlers' satisfaction. The physical resource results indicate that, in the GBHPP, resettled people are unsatisfied, while other variables such as locational characteristics, resettlement area, health facilities, housing facilities, communication, and socio-cultural environment play a significant role in resettlement satisfaction. The role of both mediators, sustainable development and cultural resilience, strengthen the relationship between the predictors and criteria in terms of their value and their contribution to the resettlers' satisfaction. Through the analysis of these variables, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of these factors, which contribute to the satisfaction of resettlers. Additionally, the study seeks to provide insights that can inform the development of strategies that foster the creation of resilient and prosperous resettlement communities. The research conclusions will also aid in developing policies and community initiatives that support the happiness and wellbeing of resettled communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the potential of hybrid nanofluids to improve the thermal efficiency of a car's louvered fin flat-tube radiator. Hybrid nanofluids were prepared by combining distilled water with a 0.1% vol. concentration of SiO2 and MWCNT nanoparticles, using different ratios of nanoparticles: 80:20, 50:50, and 20:80. The experimental analysis focused on examining the heat-transfer performance of the radiator. The results clearly demonstrated a significant improvement in the radiator's thermal performance when using hybrid nanofluids. These nanofluids effectively enhanced the rate and coefficient of heat transfer. Notably, an increase of 15.6% in the Nusselt number was observed with the SiO2-MWCNT 20:80 water containing a 0.1% volumetric concentration of nanoparticles. Overall, the findings highlight the promising application of hybrid nanofluids in boosting the thermal efficacy of car radiators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cool roof coatings are being applied on rooftops to reflect solar irradiance back into the atmosphere. Bifacial photovoltaic modules can receive solar irradiance from the front and rear side. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of reflected irradiance caused by cool roof coating (CRC) on the performance of bifacial photovoltaic (bPV) modules and monofacial photovoltaic (mPV) modules. According to the experiments, cool roof coating is an efficient way to increase the output and efficiency of solar modules. Experimental results show that for cool roof coating based on TiO2 and FC resin with an average albedo of 0.63, the peak power output of the bifacial photovoltaic module is increased by 3.29% and its highest peak power efficiency is 18.1%. A peak power bifacial gain of 15.6% is seen. Due to a 1.3 °C decrease in temperature, the monofacial photovoltaic module power output also increased by 0.24%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current era, economic growth is inevitable for global prosperity but achieving sustainable economic development is one of the significant challenges for the developing world. The present study explores the impacts of foreign direct investment, energy use, and technological innovations on the economic growth and environmental quality of BRICS countries for the period 1990–2018. We used the augmented mean group (AMG), the common correlated effects mean group estimator (CCEMG), and several other modern-day empirical techniques to analyze data. The findings show that foreign direct investment increases economic growth but harms the environmental sustainability of BRICS countries. Moreover, we have seen that energy use is directly proportional to economic growth and CO2 emissions. This confirms that energy use is one of the factors which harms the environmental quality in BRICS economies. Likewise, economic growth increases CO2 emissions. On the other hand, technology innovation has a direct relationship with economic growth but an inverse relationship with CO2 emissions as it improves the environmental sustainability of the BRICS region. This research adds to the existing literature by exploring the interplay between FDI, innovation, energy use, economic growth, and environmental outcomes in the context of major emerging economies. The study's findings provide empirical evidence on the role of these factors in shaping the environmental outcomes in the BRICS economies, and they have implications for policymakers and stakeholders in addressing environmental challenges such as global warming and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change and environmental trends are enormously influencing the globe. Businesses, societies, and people are all attempting to do their part to safeguard the environment. This study examines the impact of supportive leadership on organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE) and the mediating effect of psychological empowerment and affective commitment. The survey method was utilized. Data were gathered from 362 employees of the banking and pharmaceutical sectors for the present research. This research employed AMOS-SEM to analyze data and test the formulated hypotheses. The empirical results established that supportive leadership significantly influences workers' OCBE. The results further corroborate that psychological empowerment and affective commitment mediate between supportive leadership and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. These findings have vital implications for managers and enterprises that seek to increase their sustainability and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. This research highlights the significant role of supportive leadership in stimulating psychological empowerment and affective commitment, which in turn affect organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. The present research broadens our understanding of leadership style and its influence on OCBE. The theoretical and managerial implications of organizational environmental sustainability and future research prospects are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the hydrolysis and acidogenesis of food waste at different operating pHs (uncontrolled, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5) in a leachate bed reactor (LBR) at room temperature. LBR operation at pH 6.5–8.5 resulted in a hydrolysis yield of 718–729 g SCOD/kg VSadded, which was statistically (p ≤ 0.05) higher than that obtained at pH 5.5 (577 g SCOD/kg VSadded) and the uncontrolled pH (462 g SCOD/kg VSadded). The hydrolysis rate at pH 6.5 was the highest amongst all the pH values. Stabilization at pH at 6.5 also resulted in a high fatty acid (FA) yield of 643 g CODFA/kg VSadded. Butyrate was the main FA at the pH of 5.5–6.5, while acetate was the main FA at the pH of 7.5–8.5. At the uncontrolled pH, lactate production was the highest, indicating a shift in the microbial community from fatty-acid-producing bacteria to lactate-producing bacteria. The compositions of medium-chain fatty acids, such as caproate, were the highest at pH of 5.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since China holds a critical geographical status, it harbors an immense tourist attraction. This research aims to investigate service quality, which determines electronic word of mouth, tourist satisfaction, and loyalty to visiting China's tourist places. This study collected 443 questionnaires comprising tentative sampling from sightseers in China. This research examined how electronic word of mouth affects how far tourists are satisfied with their trip and how much loyalty they demonstrate toward the destination places. The SPSS, AMOS, and structural equation modeling techniques were used for analysis. Our findings illustrate the connection between electronic word of mouth, service quality, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty. This study also demonstrated that both tourist satisfaction and electronic word of mouth exercise an intermediary impact on service quality and the destination loyalty relationship. In this way, service quality may be attributed to tourist satisfaction (TS) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM), which explicitly influences destination loyalty (DL) when visiting China. These findings have practical implications for the tourism sector of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to high heat generation within closely packed smart electronic devices, some efficient thermal management systems are required for their reliable performance, avoid overheating, long lifecycle and safety. In this study, a novel thermal management system based on forced air cooling having three airflow configurations is developed to explore the thermal characteristics of each configuration. A customized cavity is designed to have provision for three airflow configurations (axial, cross, and reverse flow) and temperature profiles are investigated within the cavity for each configuration. The experiments are performed at three heat generation rates, i.e., 10 W, 20 W, and 30 W to analyze the cooling effectiveness at a variable heat generation rate. It was observed that the maximum temperature within the setup increases with the increase in heat generation rate. In axial flow air configuration, cavity temperature has been reduced remarkably by 69 and 82.4% at 10 W and 30 W, respectively. Second to axial flow, cross flow configuration performs better than reverse flow and an overall 65.7~78.6% temperature drop is obtained compared with enclosed cavity from 10 W to 30 W, respectively. Furthermore, a similar cooling rate trend in the cavity is obtained for an increased heat generation rate in the cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research is focused on the chemical process and characterization of Co-based Y-type hexaferrite, electrochemically active polypyrrole doped with dodecylbenzene sulphonicacid (PPy-DBSA) and their composites. The microemulsion technique was used to produce hexaferrite with the formula Sr2Co2Fe12O22. The resistivity of pure ferrite specimens was 103 ohm-cm, which was lower than the 106 ohm-cm resistivity of the monomer utilized in the polymerization operation. As the temperature increases, the DC resistance decreases, revealing the specimens' semiconductor nature. The cole-cole plots have been used to assess whether significant grain boundaries were involved in the dielectric relaxation process. By increasing the frequency, the electrochemical performance of all specimens was enhanced. Using the rate equation, ionic conductivity demonstrates that polarons are responsible for conduction. Because of the characteristics of the polymer PPY-conducting DBSA, the composites PPY/DBSA + Sr2Co2Fe12O22 exhibit a higher dielectric loss of 35 at 1 MHz. This specimen is perfect for electrical radiation shielding (EMI).These ferrites are widely used as permanent magnets, in microwave devices, high-density perpendicular media, and rigid disk media without lubricant and protective layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for high-performance and compact electronic devices has been increasing day by day. Due to their compactness, excessive heat is generated, causing a decrease in efficiency and life. Thermal management of electronic components is crucial for maintaining excessive heat within the limit. This experimental research focuses on the combined effect of nano-enhanced phase-change material (NePCM) with different configurations of heat sinks for cooling electronic devices. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are used as nanoparticles with concentrations of 3 wt% and 6 wt%, RT-42 as the phase-change material (PCM), and aluminum as the pin fin heat sink material. Different configurations of the heat sink, such as circular, square, and triangular pin fins, are used against the fixed volume fraction of the fins. It is found that the square configuration has the highest heat transfer with and without PCM. A maximum base temperature reduction of 24.01% was observed in square pin fins with RT-42 as PCM. At 6 wt% of NePCM, the maximum base temperature lessened by 25.83% in the case of a circular pin fin. It is concluded from the results that a circular pin fin with NePCM is effective for base temperature reduction, and all fin configurations with NePCM collectively reduce the heat sink base temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal management of electronic components is critical for long-term reliability and continuous operation, as the over-heating of electronic equipment leads to decrement in performance. The novelty of the current experimental study is to investigate the passive cooling of electronic equipment, by using nano-enriched phase change material (NEPCM) with copper foam having porosity of 97 %. The phase change material of PT-58 was used with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles (NPs), having concentrations of 0.01 wt.% and 0.02 wt.%. Three power levels of 8 W, 16 W, and 24 W, with corresponding heating inputs of 0.77 kW/ m 2 , 1.54 kW/ m 2 and 2.3 kW/ m 2 , respectively, were used to simulate the heating input to heat sink for thermal characterization. According to results, at 0.77 kW/ m 2 heating input the maximum base temperature declined by 13.03% in 0.02 wt.% GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam case. At heating input of 1.54 kW/ m 2 , the maximum base temperature reduction of 16% was observed in case of 0.02 wt.% GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam and 13.1% in case of 0.02 wt.% MgO-NEPCM/copper foam. Similarly, at heating input of 2.3 kW/ m 2 , the maximum temperature of base lessened by 12.58% in case of 0.02 wt.% GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam. The highest time to reach the set point temperature of 50 ° C, 60 ° C, and 70 ° C was in case of GNPs-NEPCM/copper foam composites, while at all power levels MgO-NEPCM/copper foam gave comparable performance to GNPs based composite. Similar trend was observed in the study of enhancement ratio in operation time. From the results, it is concluded that the copper foam incorporation in NEPCM is an effective measure to mitigate the heat sink base temperature and can provide best cooling efficiency at low and higher heating loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, searching and retrieving relevant images from large databases has become an emerging challenge for the researcher. Hashing methods that mapped raw data into a short binary code have attracted increasing attention from the researcher. Most existing hashing approaches map samples to a binary vector via a single linear projection, which restricts the flexibility of those methods and leads to optimization problems. We introduce a CNN-based hashing method that uses multiple nonlinear projections to produce additional short-bit binary code to tackle this issue. Further, an end-to-end hashing system is accomplished using a convolutional neural network. Also, we design a loss function that aims to maintain the similarity between images and minimize the quantization error by providing a uniform distribution of the hash bits to illustrate the proposed technique's effectiveness and significance. Extensive experiments conducted on various datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method in comparison with state-of-the-art deep hashing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has increased human-animal interaction and consequently enhanced the chances to acquire zoonotic diseases. The current investigation is focused to uncover the genetic diversity of multidrug-resistant E. coli strains between different ecologies (i.e., humans, livestock, and environment) at the molecular level by employing antimicrobial resistance profiling, virulence genes profiling, and microbial typing approach using ERIC PCR. Based on multiple antibiotic resistance, overall, 19 antibiotic resistance patterns (R1–R19) were observed. Most of the strains (49/60) were detected to have the combinations of stx, eaeA, and hlyA genes and considered STEC/EPEC/EHEC. A total of 18 unique genetic profiles were identified based on ERIC-PCR fingerprints and most of the strains (13) belong to P1 whereas the least number of strains were showing profiles P7 and P8-P11 (one member each profile). The calculated values for Shannon index (H) for human, animal, and environment are 1.70, 1.82, and 1.78, respectively revealing the highest genetic diversity among the E. coli strains of animal origin. The study revealed that drug-resistant pathogenic E. coli strains could be transmitted bidirectionally among the environment, humans, and animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geostatistical estimation methods rely on experimental variograms that are mostly erratic, leading to subjective model fitting and assuming normal distribution during conditional simulations. In contrast, Machine Learning Algorithms (MLA) are (1) free of such limitations, (2) can incorporate information from multiple sources and therefore emerge with increasing interest in real-time resource estimation and automation. However, MLAs need to be explored for robust learning of phenomena, better accuracy, and computational efficiency. This paper compares MLAs, i.e., Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Random Forest (RF), with Ordinary Kriging (OK). The techniques were applied to the publicly available Walkerlake dataset, while the exhaustive Walker Lake dataset was validated. The results of MLR were significant (p < 10 × 10−5), with correlation coefficients of 0.81 (R-square = 0.65) compared to 0.79 (R-square = 0.62) from the RF and OK methods. Additionally, MLR was automated (free from an intermediary step of variogram modelling as in OK), produced unbiased estimates, identified key samples representing different zones, and had higher computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development is mainly dependent on fossil fuels. The massive use of fossil fuels has led to changes in the climate environment, in which the deterioration of air quality has affected people's daily lives. This paper introduces the green growth level as a control variable to explore the connection between carbon dioxide emissions and the level of economic growth. It uses the EKC algorithm and VEC model to analyze Nanjing city's data from 1993 to 2018. Given the data availability, the ARIMA algorithm was used to project carbon emissions for 2019–2025. It is found that the EKC curve of Nanjing City shows an N-shape, and the growth of economic level will cause the enhancement of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon emissions will reach 7,592,140 tons in 2025. At present, we are in an essential stage of transition from N-shape to inverted U-shape, and this paper makes several recommendations based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural pathogen pressure is an important factor that shapes the host immune defense mechanism. The current study primarily aimed to explore the molecular basis of the natural immune defense mechanism of a sporadic pest, Gryllus bimaculatus, during swarming by constructing cDNA libraries of the female mid-gut, male mid-gut, testes, and ovaries. The Illumina HiSeq platform generated an average of 7.9 G, 11.77 G, 10.07 G, and 10.07 G bases of outputs from the male mid-gut, female mid-gut, testes, and ovaries and libraries, respectively. The transcriptome of two-spotted field crickets was assembled into 233,172 UniGenes, which yielded approximately 163.58 million reads. On the other hand, there were 43,055 genes in common that were shared among all the biological samples. Gene Ontology analysis successfully annotated 492 immune-related genes, which comprised mainly Pattern Recognition Receptors (62 genes), Signal modulators (57 genes), Signal transduction (214 genes), Effectors (36 genes), and another immune-related 123 genes. In summary, the identified wide range of immune-related genes from G. bimaculatus indicates the existence of a sophisticated and specialized broad spectrum immune mechanism against invading pathogens, which provides, for the first time, insights into the molecular mechanism of disease resistance among two-spotted field crickets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival and foraging of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki in a microbe-rich environment reflect the adaptation of an extraordinary, sophisticated defense mechanism by the nest-mates. We aimed to explore the host pathogen interaction by studying caste-specific volatile chemistry and genes encoding the antioxidant defense of winged imagoes, nymphs, soldiers and workers of Formosan subterranean termites. Qualitative analyses of C. formosanus Shiraki performed by HS-SPME/GC-MS showed considerable variations in the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their proportions among all the castes. Winged imagoes produced the most important compounds such as naphthalene and n-hexanoic acid. The antifungal activity of these compounds along with nonanal, n-pentadecane, n-tetradecane, n-heptadecane and methyl octanoate against the conidial suspensions of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana isolates enable us to suggest that the failure of natural fungal infection in the nest is due to the antiseptic environment of the nest, which is mainly controlled by the VOCs of nest-mates. In addition, conidial germination of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana isolates evaluated on the cuticle of each caste showed significant variations among isolates and different castes. Our results showed that the conidia of M. anisopliae 02049 exhibited the highest germination on the cuticle of all the inoculated castes. Moreover, we recorded the lowest germination of the conidia of B. bassiana 200436. Caste-specific germination variations enabled us to report for the first time that the cuticle of winged imagoes was found to be the most resistant cuticle. The analysis of the transcriptome of C. formosanus Shiraki revealed the identification of 17 genes directly involved in antioxidant defense. Expression patterns of the identified antioxidant genes by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed the significantly highest upregulation of CAT, GST, PRXSL, Cu/Zn-SOD2, TXN1, TXN2, TXNL1, TXNL2, TXNL4A and TPx genes among winged imagoes upon infection with the most virulent isolate, M. anisopliae 02049. Furthermore, soldiers showed the least expression of genes encoding antioxidant defense. Our findings indicated that the volatile chemistry of nest-mates and genes encoding antioxidant defense greatly contribute to the survival and foraging of Formosan subterranean termites in a microbe-rich habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased industrialization has introduced a lot of hazardous materials into ecosystems. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most toxic and persistent organic pollutants emanating from petrochemical industrial areas. Remediation of PAHs-contaminated soil has been a particularly big challenge. Photochemical oxidation-reduction processes have gained attention because of their high efficiency and robustness for PAH removal from contaminated soils. In this study, the efficacy of Fe-based and Zn-based Fenton reagents for remediating soil contaminated with pyrene (Pyr) and fluoranthene (Flr) is evaluated. UV treatment (2-h exposure) at 254 nm resulted in 21.6 and 28.5% degradations of Pyr and Flr, respectively. The Zn-based Fenton reagent performed better than the Fe-based reagent by degrading 99.9% of Pyr. The Fe-based Fenton reagent (under UV light) resulted in 97.1-99.7% and 95.1-98.9% Pyr and Flr degradations, respectively, in 0.5-2 h. Notably, the temperature increase during UV irradiation facilitated the enhanced degradation of Pyr and Flr, as observed from negative correlations (r = (-)0.902-0.961 and p = 0.039-0.098) between the temperature and PAH concentrations. The newly tested Zn-based Fenton reagent was equally effective as the Fe-based Fenton reagent in degrading Pyr and Flr in soil. Hence, it can be used as a new alternative reagent to remediate PAH-polluted soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neglected and underutilized food crops (NUFCs) have high nutritional value, but their role in achieving nutrition security is not adequately understood, and they do not feature in food and nutrition policies and programs of the countries of the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Drawing examples from Pakistan and Nepal, this study investigates the importance of NUFCs in achieving nutrition security in the mountains and identifies key underlying reasons for the decline in their cultivation and use. The study found that the prevalence of malnutrition is significantly higher in the mountains than nationally in both Pakistan and Nepal and identifies the decline in the cultivation and use of micronutrient-rich NUFCs as one of the key reasons for this. The deterioration of local food systems, changing food habits, lack of knowledge about the cultivation, use and nutritional value of NUFCs and lack of attention to NUFCs in programs and policies are the key reasons for the abandoning of NUFCs by mountain communities. There is an urgent need to mainstream these crops into national programs and policies and to integrate them into local food systems. This will not only improve the nutrition security of mountain areas, but also biodiversity and local mountain economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects infected with entomopathogenic fungi, experience physiological changes that influence their growth and immune defence. The potential of nine isolates of entomopathogenic fungi was evaluated after determining percent germination and relative conidial hydrophobicity. However, nutritional indices were evaluated after immersing eighth-instar Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae into each isolate suspension (1 × 107 conidia/mL). The results showed that isolates B6884 and M9374 had 44.51% and 39.02% higher conidial hydrophobicity compared with isolate I03011 (least virulent). The results of nutritional index assays revealed a significant reduction in growth indices after infection with different isolates. Compared with control, B6884 and M9374 greatly decreased larval growth by reducing the efficacy of conversion of ingested food (36%-47%) and Efficacy of conversion of digested food (50%-63%). Furthermore, only isolate B6884 induced 100% mortality within 12 days. Compared with control, isolate I03011, possessing the lowest conidial hydrophobicity, only reduced 0.29% of the efficacy of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and 0.48% of the efficacy of conversion of digested food (ECD). Similarly, transcriptomic analysis of genes related to the Red palm weevil (RPW) immune response, including pathogen recognition receptors (C-type lectin and endo-beta-1,4-glucanse), signal modulator (Serine protease-like protein), signal transductors (Calmodulin-like protein and EF-hand domain containing protein) and effectors (C-type lysozyme, Cathepsin L., Defensin-like protein, Serine carboxypeptidase, and Thaumatin-like protein), was significantly increased in larval samples infected with B6884 and M9374. These results suggest that for an isolate to be virulent, conidial hydrophobicity and germination should also be considered during pathogen selection, as these factors could significantly impact host growth and immune defence mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze early age malnutrition on a gender basis in Pakistan. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012–2013 data related to households' characteristics that affect the nutrition of children less than 5 years of age are used for the estimation of results. Gender disparity (measured by girl malnourished in household/boy malnourished in a household) is constructed for the measurement of gender disparity in early age child nutrition. After synthesizing the PDHS data set, 2119 observations are used for regression results of gender disparity. Regression results are analyzed at the level of 5% confidence interval otherwise insignificant. egression results for gender disparity show that households in good socioeconomic status, a greater number of household members, a mother's higher level of education, mother employment, and the male head of the household, causes a decrease in gender disparity in nutrition intake of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically examines the effect of economic development on carbon emissions and revisits the environmental Kuznets curve in Suzhou, China. The study made use of the Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (GDPPC) of Suzhou, China as an indicator of economic development as it depicts the entire developmental ecosystem that indicates the level of production activities and total energy consumption. Bearing this in mind, the authors postulate that economic development directly increases carbon emissions through industrial and domestic consumptions. For this purpose, linear and non-linear approaches to cointegration are applied. The study finds the existence of an inverted U-shape relationship between economic development and carbon emission in the long run. Trade openness and industrial share are positively contributing to increasing carbon emissions. Energy use shows a positive sign but an insignificant association with carbon emissions. The study concludes that carbon emissions in Suzhou should be further decreased followed by policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food Loss and Waste (FLW) that entail substantial economic, environmental, and social cost is of great concern for a country fulfilling > 80% of food demands through the import of agricultural commodities. The current study mainly aimed at bringing together a wide range of perspectives on FLW by multi-stakeholder engagement in order to enhance cooperation and network building with respect to sharing knowledge and experiences on FLW prevention activities along the entire food supply chain for a country located at the geographic frontier facing stubborn challenges of desertification, water scarcity, and harsh climatic conditions. These challenges are not only being addressed at the national level but have also been made the focus of multilateral activities in 2020 as part of the Saudi G20 Presidency. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture under the umbrella of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) hosted a regional workshop on FLW in collaboration with the Thünen Institute, Germany, to raise awareness among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The present paper provides insights into the current status of FLW by revealing that, overall, 33.1% of the total available food in the Kingdom is lost and wasted during the entire food supply chain. Overall, the GCC countries witnessed higher percentages of food waste compared with food losses. Environmental conditions prevailing in the region necessitate the development of adequate and appropriate cold chain storage facilities for balanced distribution through cold storage transportation facilities along the food supply chain to minimize food losses. However, campaigns and activities to raise awareness with a view of changing attitudes towards reducing FLW by the adoption of good practices, promoting the concept of circular economy practices, and the establishment of food banks for surplus food redistribution are important to mitigate FLW in the Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the mountain food systems in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL) in Pakistan. It analyzed the impacts of climate change on agriculture and livestock and identified key opportunities which can be tapped into to improve sustainability in food systems. The study applied a "multiple case studies approach" and collected data from four study sites at different altitudes, using the method of slow focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and non-participant observation. Findings revealed that the contribution of local agriculture and livestock to people's food consumption has gradually declined, increasing their dependence on external food items. Local food systems are losing diversity, which has negatively impacted people's dietary diversity. The youth has lost interest in agriculture due to low productivity and profitability in a high altitude village—Misgar (≈3200 m above sea level). In all sites, local people perceived mixed impacts (both positive and negative) of climate change on food systems. Climate change together with enhanced use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, high yielding seed, and improved farm management have positive, and climate-attributed increase in crop pest attacks has negative impact on crop productivity. Moreover, local people perceived negative impacts of climate change on pastures and water availability in traditional irrigation systems without significant influence on crop and livestock productivity. In food systems, these are needed to maximize benefits from the local potential for organic production, livestock integration, value chain development, traditional food crops, medicinal plants, and protected vegetables cultivation to reduce the vulnerability of food systems to climactic and economic shocks, and improve the sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction and crosstalk of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is an established pathway in which the innate immune system recognises and fights pathogens. In a single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis of an Indian cohort, we found evidence for both TLR4-399T and TRL8-1A conveying increased susceptibility towards tuberculosis (TB) in an interdependent manner, even though there is no established TLR4 ligand present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is the causative pathogen of TB. Docking studies revealed that TLR4 and TLR8 can build a heterodimer, allowing interaction with TLR8 ligands. The conformational change of TLR4-399T might impair this interaction. With immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we precipitated TLR4 with TLR8-targeted antibodies, indicating heterodimerisation. Confocal microscopy confirmed a high co-localisation frequency of TLR4 and TLR8 that further increased upon TLR8 stimulation. The heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 led to an induction of IL12p40, NF-κB, and IRF3. TLR4-399T in interaction with TLR8 induced an increased NF-κB response as compared to TLR4-399C, which was potentially caused by an alteration of subsequent immunological pathways involving type I IFNs. In summary, we present evidence that the heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 at the endosome is involved in Mtb recognition via TLR8 ligands, such as microbial RNA, which induces a Th1 response. These findings may lead to novel targets for therapeutic interventions and vaccine development regarding TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The diamondback moth is a major destructive pest of cruciferous plants with a worldwide global distribution. Biological control, especially the use of insect pathogenic fungi as a novel control measure, remains the subject of intensive experimentation. The goal is to develop an efficient and eco-friendly alternative to chemical insecticides. The current study successfully explored and compared in-depth infection events between highly pathogenic and less pathogenic fungal strains. Our study for the first time provides new insights into the mechanisms by which fungal conidia parasitize diamondback moth larvae and ultimately aid in the development of the highly pathogenic strain into an effective biopesticide for the eco-friendly management of the diamondback moth. The entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps fumosorosea is a potential eco-friendly biocontrol agent. The present study revealed the entire course of infection of P. xylostella by C. fumosorosea with particular reference to cuticular penetration. Comparative studies on the infection of Plutella xylostella larvae by two strains of C. fumosorosea with different pathogenicity were carried out using light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. We found that C. fumosorosea tended to adhere to the cuticle surfaces containing protrusions. Although conidia of the lower pathogenic strain IFCF-D58 germinated, they failed to penetrate and complete the development cycle. In contrast, the higher pathogenic strain IFCF01 began to germinate within 4 h and attached to the cuticle by a thin mucilaginous matrix within 8 h post-inoculation. After 24 h post-inoculation, germ tubes and penetrating hyphae reached the cuticular epidermis and began to enter the haemocoel. Within 36 h post-inoculation, the hyphal bodies colonized the body cavity. Hyphae penetrated from inside to outside of the body after 48 h and sporulated the cadavers. After 72 h post-inoculation, numerous conidia emerged and the mycelial covered the entire cuticular surface. The two strains showed similarities in terms of conidial size and germination rate. However, IFCF-D58 exhibited significantly fewer appressoria and longer penetrating hyphae compared to the more infective IFCF01 on all surface topographies. The current pathogen invasion sequence of events suggested that the aggressive growth and propagation along with rapid and massive in vivo production of blastospores facilitate the conidia of IFCF01 to quickly overcome the diamondback moth's defense mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work effect of embedment of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the physical and mechanical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF) have been investigated. The MWCNTs were embedded in urea formaldehyde resin (UF) at 0, 1.5%, 3% and 5% concentrations by weight for the manufacturing of nano-MDF. The addition of these nanoparticles enhanced thermal conductivity by 24.2% reduced curing time by 20% and controlled formaldehyde emission by 59.4%. The internal bonding (I.B), modulus elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), thickness swelling (Ts) and water absorption (WA) properties were improved significantly by 21.15%, 30.2%, 28.3%, 44.8% and 29% respectively as compared to controlled MDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the inception of high voltage (HV), requisites on the insulating permanence of HV equipment is becoming increasingly crucial. Mineral/synthetic oil liquid insulation—together with solid insulation materials (paper, pressboard)—is the fundamental insulation constituent in HV apparatuses; their insulation attributes perform a substantial part in a reliable and steady performance. Meanwhile, implications on the environment, scarcity of petroleum oil supplies and discarding complications with waste oil have stimulated investigators to steer their attention towards sustainable, renewable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly insulating substances. The contemporary insulating constituent's evolution is driven by numerous dynamics—in particular, environmental obligations and other security and economic issues. Consequently, HV equipment manufacturers must address novel specifications concerning to these new standards. Renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly insulating materials are continuously substituting conventional insulating items in the market place. These are favorable to traditional insulating materials, due to their superior functionality. The also offer explicit security and eco-friendly advantages. This article discusses cutting-edge technology of environmentally friendly insulating materials, including their fabrication, processing and characterization. The new renewable, insulating systems used in HV equipment are submitted and their fundamental gains stated in comparison with conventional insulating materials. Several experimental efforts carried out in various parts of the world are presented, offering an outline of the existing research conducted on renewable insulating systems. The significance of this article lies in summarizing prior investigations, classifying research essence, inducements and predicting forthcoming research trends. Furthermore, opportunities and constraints being experienced in the field of exploration are evidently reported. Last but not least, imminent research proposals and applications are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date palm dust mites are important pests severely infesting valuable nutritious fruits (dates) of date palm. In search of an alternative to acaricides, joint action of Metarhizium anisopliae EBCL 02049 spores and 1-Chlorooctadecane was evaluated as a potential candidate for the management of Oligonychus afrasiaticus through natural products. In this regard, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the interaction of M. anisopliae spores with multiple doses of 1-Chlorooctadecane (0.8, 1.6, 2.4, 3.2, and 4.0 mg/mL). Compatibility bioassay results evidenced from vegetative growth (77.7–84.40 mm), sporulation (5.50–7.30 × 106 spores/mL), and germination (96.70–98.20%), revealed that all the tested doses are compatible (biological index > 82) with the spores of M. anisopliae. The impact of combined treatment of spores with 1-Chlorooctadecane in different proportions (Scheme I, II, III, and IV) compared to their sole application against O. afrasiaticus was evaluated by concentration–mortality response bioassays. Results showed that all the combined treatments revealed high mortality compared to the sole application, which showed relatively slow mortality response over time. Toxicity recorded from Scheme IV combinations (80% 1-Chlorooctadecane: 20% Spores), exhibited strong synergistic interaction (joint toxicity = 713). Furthermore, potent interactions have overcome the host antioxidant defense at the final stage of infection by tremendously reducing catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities. These experiments demonstrated fungal–toxin joint synergistic interaction as a promising date palm dust mite management option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pakistan, as in other developing countries, rural women make ample contributions to the economy through vital productive and reproductive roles. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of women's traditional economic activities that supplement their household economy directly through earning income and indirectly through savings expenditure and to assess the factors that influence their productivity performance. For this purpose, six rural areas from Khyber, which is located in the Pukhtoonkhwah province, were chosen to represent the south, north, and the central plain regions. About 480 women responded out of 600, which were selected using a snowball sampling technique from the entire three regions. The data was collected by conducting face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). About 68.33% respondents were illiterate, 47.71% were 31 to 40 years old, and 47.92% lived in a joint family system. Due to the strict Purdah (veil) culture, about 71.88% of the women's economic activities were confined indoors, such as stitching; embroidery; basket and candle making; preparing pickles, jams, and squash; dairy products; apiculture; sericulture; livestock; poultry; nursery raising; and some agriculture-related off-farm activities. It was reported that the major decisions in the household are made by the male members due to the strong patriarchal norms and values. Development projects by the NGOs and the government have played a significant role to provide credit, training, and awareness that has arisen specifically in the north and the south regions. All of the women were aware of the positive effects of economic independence, but some of them also revealed the negative effects on their physical and psychological health as well as the social ties within the households and communities due to the extensive workload and time issues. The study concluded that many demographic social, cultural, religious, and economic factors negatively influence the women's productive potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruption in chitin regulation by using chitin synthesis inhibitor (novaluron) was investigated to gain insights into the biological activity of chitinase in red palm weevils, an invasive pest of date palms in the Middle East. Impact of novaluron against ninth instar red palm weevil larvae was examined by dose-mortality response bioassays, nutritional indices, and expression patterns of chitinase genes characterized in this study. Laboratory bioassays revealed dose-dependent mortality response of ninth-instar red palm weevil larvae with LD50 of 14.77 ppm of novaluron. Dietary growth analysis performed using different doses of novaluron (30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 ppm) exhibited very high reduction in their indexes such as Efficacy of Conversion of Digested Food (82.38%) and Efficacy of Conversion of Ingested Food (74.27%), compared with control treatment. Transcriptomic analysis of red palm weevil larvae characterized numerous genes involved in chitin degradation including chitinase, chitinase-3-like protein 2, chitinase domain-containing protein 1, Endochitinase-like, chitinase 3, and chitin binding peritrophin-a domain. However, quantitative expression patterns of these genes in response to novaluron-fed larvae revealed tissue-specific time-dependent expression patterns. We recorded overexpression of all genes from mid-gut tissues. Growth retarding, chitin remodeling and larvicidal potential suggest novaluron as a promising alternate for Rhynchophorus ferrugineus management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foremost purpose of this article is to investigate the effect of electronic-government (e-government) on public trust and the moderating impact of corruption on this relationship. The data was obtained through a structural questionnaire involving 800 Pakistani citizens at the local level. The true response rate was 58.3%. The data was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, multiple regression and stepwise hierarchal regression. The results showed there is an empirically significant association among e-government practices and public trust in local self-government and a negative moderating role of corruption. The findings suggest that e-government can develop a procedure-based trust by advancing connections with people and their insights of responsiveness. The individuals' viewpoints about the state, including trust, are fundamental concerns for the governance and administrative system. Testing these above associations via a moderation technique is a novel process which contributed to the current study on e-government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan holds an important geographical status, but extremism and sabotage have severely damaged the tourism industry. In the present study, we examined the impact of destination image (DI) on tourist loyalty (TL) and intension to visit (IV) in Pakistan. Additionally, the study analyzed the mediation effects of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and tourist satisfaction (TS) on these relationships. Data was collected from 780 tourists in Pakistan. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to obtain the results. Our results demonstrated the positive relationships among DI, eWOM, TS, TL, and IV. This study also disclosed that eWOM has a partial mediation effect on the DI–TL relationship, and both eWOM and TS fully mediate the association between DI and IV. Hence, tourist satisfaction can be enhanced by eWOM and destination image, which directly effect tourist loyalty and intention to visit in Pakistan. The proposed framework and research findings will help stakeholders significantly to recognize the multi-facet association in the tourism industry of Pakistan. Testing the above relationships through multiple mediators is a relatively novel idea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to assess the potential of traditional food crops (TFCs) to be 'future smart foods' through the lens of sustainability. Our study mainly relied on the primary data collected from farm households (n = 89) in the high mountains of Nepal and the hills of Bangladesh. The study found that farmers are gradually abandoning the cultivation of TFCs. In the last decade, cash crops such as mustard and cardamom in study villages in Nepal (SVN) and fruits and coffee in study villages in Bangladesh (SVB) were adopted to replace TFCs. In overall calorie intake at the household level, TFCs contributed only 3% and 7% respectively, in SVN and SVB. A sustainability analysis showed that TFCs have a huge potential to be 'future smart foods' because they are socially acceptable, have high nutritional values (social sustainability), and are key to the agrobiodiversity and resilience of farming systems (environmental sustainability). They also have the potential to improve famers' income and are more efficient in energy use during production cycles (economic sustainability). To promote TFCs as a sustainable solution for local farming systems and nutrition security, there is the need for a behavior change of both farmers and consumers, respectively, through the favorable policy environment and public awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural biopesticide development for invasive populations of red palm weevils is mainly responsible for the destruction of date palms and demands an extensive screening program of plant secondary metabolites. In the current study, the pesticidal potential of sesquiterpenes (C15 H24), an important class of plant secondary metabolites primarily composed of three isoprene units, was evaluated by laboratory toxicity, feeding performance bioassays, and host detoxification gene expression patterns. Dose-mortality response bioassays performed against mid-aged eighth-instar red palm weevil larvae revealed dose-dependent mortality. Only three sesquiterpenes, including Farnesol (LD50 = 6559 ppm) and Farnesyl acetate (LD50 = 7867 ppm), are considered to have significant toxicity, with Picrotoxin (LD50 = 317 ppm) being the most toxic. Furthermore, highly toxic sesquiterpene (Picrotoxin) established in the current study tremendously reduced the feeding performance indices, including the efficacy of conversion of digested food (ECD) (81.74%) and the efficacy of conversion of ingested food (ECI) (73.62%). The least toxic sesquiterpenes, including β-Caryophyllene, (+)-Cedrol, Nerolidol, (+)-Nootkatone, and Parthenolide, observed in the current study failed to impart significant reductions of ECI and ECD indices. Lethality of the least toxic sesquiterpenes was overcome by greatly inducing gene expressions of Glutathione S transferase (GST) and Cytochrome P450. These encouraging results enabled us to suggest Picrotoxin as a promising biopesticide for the control of red palm weevil infestations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]