Bees of subfamily Nomiinae (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Southern Punjab, Pakistan.

To date, 26 species of the subfamily Nomiinae are known to occur in Pakistan. Among these, most of the species have been reported from the northern parts of Punjab, particularly the Pothwar region. In this study, sweat bees from the subfamily Nomiinae were collected from six districts of southern Punjab, Pakistan, to identify their taxonomic diversity.

Climate Change: A Major Factor in the Spread of (Diptera: Culicidae) and Its Associated Dengue Virus.

Climate change is thought to be responsible for the spread of various vector-borne diseases. The current study was conducted to evaluate the impact of different temperature and relative humidity regimes on the developmental stages of the yellow fever mosquito, (Diptera: Culicidae). The study also evaluated the impact of larval density on the survival of .

Improved thermoelectric properties of α-phase CuSe thin films through multiphase nanostructuring.

Copper selenide (CuSe) has been extensively studied due to its promising thermoelectric properties in bulk form. However, the miniaturization of thermoelectric devices using thin films is highly desired for smart applications. To date, there are few reports on composite thin films of CuSe for thermoelectric applications, primarily due to their lower conversion efficiency.

Complexity of leaf trait covariation for mangrove species.

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) has been proposed as a framework for understanding leaf resource-investment and plant growth strategies, but it is scarcely examined in mangrove communities. This study investigates LES patterns in mangrove communities to examine whether the trait coordination spectrum, if it exists, is associated with plant growth strategies. By conducting a comprehensive sampling across a wide range of mangrove species in China, we confirmed the presence of LES across mangrove species, and found that true mangroves generally exhibit a more conservative strategy characterized by higher leaf mass per area (LMA) and lower leaf nutrient concentrations compared to mangrove associates.

Constructing oxygen-based multiple hydrogen bonding sites and delocalized π bonds for efficient oil-water-solid interfacial separation.

Separation of oil-water emulsions co-stabilized by solid particles and natural interfacially-active components has always been a challenge in petroleum and coal industry. Herein, we constructed and synthesized an interfacially-active nonionic material by esterification and polymerization, which contains multiple oxygen-containing groups (-COOH, -C-O, -COOR) and aromatic rings. The lab bottle tests show that this polymer (1000 mg/L) could completely break the silica-asphaltene co-stabilized water-in-heavy oil emulsions at 60 °C within 45 min, much faster and higher than those of commercial and reported demulsifers (>75 °C, >90 min).

Conv-MTD: A CNN Based Multi-Label Medical Tubes Detection and Classification Model to Facilitate Resource-constrained Point-of-care Devices.

Computer-aided detection through deep learning is becoming a prevalent approach across various fields, including detection of anomalies in medical procedures. One such medical procedure involves the placement of medical tubes to provide nutrition or other medical procedures in critically ill patients. Medical tube placement can be highly complex and prone to subjective errors.

Facile development of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based flexible thermoelectric materials for energy-harvesting applications.

In this study, we investigate the thermoelectric properties of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) dispersed over a flexible substrate through a facile vacuum filtration route. To improve their interfacial adhesion and dispersion, F-MWCNTs underwent hot-pressing. The heat-treatment has improved the nanotubes' connections and subsequently reduced porosity as well, which results in an increasing electrical conductivity upon increasing temperature of hot-pressing.

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in Metal Halide Perovskite: Current Status and Future Prospects.

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a non-radiative energy transfer process in a donor-acceptor system and has applications in various fields, such as single-molecule investigations, biosensor creation, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mechanics research. The investigation of FRET processes in metal halide perovskites has also attracted great attention from the community. The review aims to provide an up-to-date study of FRET in the context of perovskite systems.

Finite element modeling of stress distribution and safety factors in a Ti-27Nb alloy hip implant under real-world physiological loading scenarios.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful orthopaedic interventions globally, with over 450,000 procedures annually in the U.S. alone.

Towards classification and comprehensive analysis of AI-based COVID-19 diagnostic techniques: A survey.

The unpredictable pandemic came to light at the end of December 2019, known as the novel coronavirus, also termed COVID-19, identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus first originated in Wuhan (China) and rapidly affected most of the world's population. This outbreak's impact is experienced worldwide because it causes high mortality risk, many cases, and economic falls.

An improved technology for monitoring groundwater flow velocity and direction in fractured rock system based on colloidal particles motion.

The colloidal borescope, using colloidal particle motion, is used to monitor the flow velocities and directions of groundwater. It integrates advanced techniques such as microscopy, high-speed photography, and big data computing and enjoys high sensitivity at the micron level. However, In the same well, the groundwater flow velocity monitored by colloidal hole mirror is varies greatly from that obtained by conventional hydrogeological monitoring, such as pumping test.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is independently stratified in thermally stratified water bodies.

Thermal stratification often occurs in deep-water bodies, including oceans, lakes, and reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a critical role in regulating the dynamics of aquatic food webs and water quality in aquatic ecosystems. In the past, thermal stratification boundaries have been sometimes used exclusively to analyze the vertical distribution of DOM in thermally stratified water bodies.

Enhancement of Antibacterial Properties, Surface Morphology and In Vitro Bioactivity of Hydroxyapatite-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Coating by Electrophoretic Deposition Technique.

To develop medical-grade stainless-steel 316L implants that are biocompatible, non-toxic and antibacterial, such implants need to be coated with biomaterials to meet the current demanding properties of biomedical materials. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is commonly used as a bone implant coating due to its excellent biocompatible properties. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are added to HA to increase its antibacterial and cohesion properties.

Nesting Biology and Ecology of a Resin Bee, (Megachilidae: Hymenoptera).

We report the nesting biology and ecology of Smith, 1853 for the first time in Pakistan. Wooden and bamboo trap nests were deployed at three different locations in Bahawalpur district, Pakistan, from January 2020 to May 2021. A total of 242 nests of were occupied in all three locations with the maximum abundance in the Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies.

A Visual Servoing Scheme for Autonomous Aquaculture Net Pens Inspection Using ROV.

Aquaculture net pens inspection and monitoring are important to ensure net stability and fish health in the fish farms. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) offer a low-cost and sophisticated solution for the regular inspection of the underwater fish net pens due to their ability of visual sensing and autonomy in a challenging and dynamic aquaculture environment. In this paper, we report the integration of an ROV with a visual servoing scheme for regular inspection and tracking of the net pens.

Environmental-friendly extraction of Peepal (Ficus Religiosa) bark-based reddish brown tannin natural dye for silk coloration.

The present study aims to extract a natural reddish brown colorant from Peepal (Ficus religiosa) for silk dyeing using the microwave radiation process (MW). The colorant was isolated in aqueous and acidic media, and MW treatment for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 min has been given to both fabric and extract to observe changes in color intensity. The dye variables have been optimized, and for sustainable shade making process with good fastness, 1.

Effect of different fish feeds on water quality and growth of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) in the presence and absence of prometryn.

Few data are available regarding comprehensive or quantitative assessment of fish feed considering both the environmental and feeding impacts. Aiming to fill the gap, an experimental study to investigate the effects of three fish feeds on concentrations of nutrients and crucian carp (Carassius carassius) growth was conducted in laboratory aquariums in the presence and absence of prometryn. Results showed that weight gain rates of crucian carp treated with Tong Wei (TW) feed were 106.

Plant communities exhibit low resource partitioning for pollinator guilds under sub-tropical conditions of Pakistan.

Assessment of resource partitioning in pollinators at a particular place can be used to conserve plant communities by minimizing their inter-specific competition. Current study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of this phenomenon among plant communities under sub-tropical conditions for the first time in Pakistan. We considered the entire available flowering plant and floral visitor communities in the study area-Lal Suhanra forest of Bahawalpur, Pakistan- along with different variations among them based on morphology, color and symmetry (functional groups) i.

Effects of fish feed addition scenarios with prometryn on Microcystis aeruginosa growth and water qualities.

The number of undesirable environmental impacts of fish feed has been reported widely. Although repeated fish feed exposures are more prospective to occur in water, previous studies were mostly conducted as a single exposure of fish feed. In order to fill these gaps, a 40 days incubator experiment was conducted to explore the effects of fish feed addition scenarios during the lag phase with prometryn on both Microcystis aeruginosa growth and concentrations of nutrients.

Understanding youth participation to volunteer for child rights.

Background: Today, Pakistan has the highest percentage of young people in its history, who can become champions of child rights through channelizing their energy. Voices for Children's Aspirations and Needs (VCAN) student society at the University of Lahore is one such student body, working to promote child rights and eliminate violence against children.

Objectives: The study identifies factors contributing to young people's motivation to join VCAN student society working for children's rights and influence their participation in activities, along with attitudinal shift.

Characterization of PTFE Film on 316L Stainless Steel Deposited through Spin Coating and Its Anticorrosion Performance in Multi Acidic Mediums.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was coated on 316L stainless steel (SS) substrate through a spin coating technique to enhance its corrosion resistance properties in hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO) medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the morphology of the coated and uncoated substrates and showed a uniform and crack-free PTFE coating on 316L SS substrate, while a damaged surface with thick corrosive layers was observed after the electrochemical test on the uncoated sample. However, an increased concentration of HCl and HNO slightly affected the surface morphology by covering the corrosive pits.