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The intended research aims to explore the convection phenomena of a hybrid nanofluid composed of gold and silver nanoparticles. This research is novel and significant because there is a lack of existing studies on the flow behavior of hybrid nanoparticles with important physical properties of blood base fluids, especially in the case of sidewall ruptured dilated arteries. The implementation of combined nanoparticles rather than unadulterated nanoparticles is one of the most crucial elements in boosting the thermal conduction of fluids. The research methodology encompasses the utilization of advanced bio-fluid dynamics software for simulating the flow of the nanofluid. The physical context elucidates the governing equations of momentum, mass, momentum, and energy in terms of partial differential equations. The results are displayed in both tabular and graphical forms to demonstrate the numerical and graphical solutions. The effect of physical parameters on velocity distribution is illustrated through graphs. Furthermore, the study's findings are unique and original, and these computational discoveries have not been published by any researcher before. The finding implies that utilizing hybrid nanoparticles as drug carriers holds great promise in mitigating the effects of blood flow, potentially enhancing drug delivery, and minimizing its impact on the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research conducts a detailed analysis of a nonlinear mathematical model representing COVID-19, incorporating both environmental factors and social distancing measures. It thoroughly analyzes the model’s equilibrium points, computes the basic reproductive rate, and evaluates the stability of the model at disease-free and endemic equilibrium states, both locally and globally. Additionally, sensitivity analysis is carried out. The study develops a sophisticated stability theory, primarily focusing on the characteristics of the Volterra–Lyapunov (V–L) matrices method. To understand the dynamic behavior of COVID-19, numerical simulations are essential. For this purpose, the study employs a robust numerical technique known as the non-standard finite difference (NSFD) method, introduced by Mickens. Various results are visually presented through graphical representations across different parameter values to illustrate the impact of environmental factors and social distancing measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on investigating the solutions of the mathematical model in the form of special functions. The phenomenon is described by a set of partial differential equations, which are then transformed into non-dimensional form. In order to improve the rheology of the Casson fluid, a fractional model is developed by using a new fractional operator Constant Proportional Caputo (CPC) approach to investigate and formulate the dynamics of Casson fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena subjected to ramped wall temperature. The fluid flow is elaborated near an infinitely vertical plate with characteristics velocity u 0 . We began by introducing appropriate variables to transform the mathematical model into non-dimensional form. Laplace transformation operator applied to gain the solution from fractional model, then obtained results expressed in the form of well-known special functions. The influence of various pertinent parameters involving in the solution was carefully examined to unveil intriguing findings. Upon comparison, we observed that the CPC approach yielded better results, after comparison with classical models documented in the literature, with graphical representations provided to illustrate these outcomes. To comprehensively analyze the dynamics of the proposed problem, physical influence of various parameters is studied and repercussions are graphically highlighted and discussed. Additionally, we derived results in a limiting sense, including Casson and viscous fluid models transitioning from the classical form to the fractionalized fluid model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskite materials belong to a fascinating novel class, and recently captured incredible attention as a leading aspirant for next-generation photovoltaic technology, because of their flexible chemistry and extraordinary optoelectronic properties, they also deliver a pattern for designing new materials for energy conversion and energy storage applications. In this study, we thoroughly explore the structural, electronic, optical and mechanical properties of the inorganic halide cubic perovskites (CsInX3; X = Br, Cl) for solar cell (SC) application, simulated under density functional theory (DFT) based WIEN2k code with PBE-GGA approximation. The optimized lattice parameters were found to be 11.67 Ǻ for CsInBr3 and 11.16 Ǻ for CsInCl3, respectively. The variation in the structural parameters with changing the halogen atom from Br to Cl was observed. The electronic and optical properties were computed by TB-mBJ method. These halide perovskites reveal an indirect energy bandgap quantified as 1.22 and 2.2 eV, high absorption coefficient and low reflectivity. The elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) followed the Born stability condition, and confirmed the mechanical stability. According to the Poisson ratio (ν) and Pugh's ratio (B/G), materials endorsed ductile behaviour as well exhibit anisotropic nature. Moreover, our theoretical findings suggested that the investigated materials have high absorption coefficients, high conductivity and low reflectivity, which makes them promising contender for SC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanolubricants fall among the newly evolved and emerged technologies used in lubrication and heat transfer systems due to their unique thermo-physical properties. They are crucial to the industry because they enhance surface performance, reduce maintenance and fuel costs and boost engine efficiency. They are also used in mechanical systems to efficiently minimize friction and surplus heat. The present investigation focuses to analyze Darcy–Forchheimer flow of magnetized ZnO-SAE50 nanolubricant across Riga plate. Riga plate is poised of an electromagnetic equator that consists of an everlasting magnet and a span-wise collection of irregular electrodes mounted over a planner surface and is utilized in achieving proficient flow. The flow takes place in the presence of viscous dissipation, heat source–sink and chemical reaction of higher order. Newtonian heating and thermophoretic particle deposition effects are also investigated in this study. The role of viscosity is quite important and dynamical in various engineering and industrial fields. The viscosity variation highly fluctuates the thermal systems. The present work also highlights the role of variable viscosity, owing to its importance. A novel micro-nano-convection model called the Patel model is invoked in perspective of the enhancement in thermal conductivity of nanolubricant. The use of ZnO-SAE50 nanolubricant (a brand-new form of nanolubricant) over Riga plate, variable viscosity effects and the application of Patel model are novel features of this study. The application of selected transformations causes the modeled PDEs to change into ODEs. The modeled problem is executed numerically with MATLAB bvp-4c solver. The alterations in the concerned profiles corresponding to various emerging parameters of interest are presented graphically in order to develop better understanding and make analysis. The outcomes reveal that larger modified Hartmann number significantly favors the velocity of nanolubricant ZnO-SAE50, while solid volume fraction, magnetic parameter and variable viscosity parameter halt it. The heat source–sink parameter, Eckert number and solid volume fraction are found to be helpful agents in improving temperature of nanolubricant ZnO-SAE50. In comparison with Newtonian heating (NH), common wall temperature condition (CWT) yields better thermal enhancement. The enhancing chemical reaction order ameliorates the concentration profile but it gets minified for chemical reaction parameter and thermophoresis parameter. The increasing values of magnetic parameter, variable viscosity parameter and inertial parameter tend to enhance the skin friction, while the modified Hartman number reduces it. The enhancing values of Eckert number, magnetic parameter and heat source–sink parameter increase the value of Nusselt number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuzzy sets, soft sets and N-soft set are essential concepts for fuzzy modeling, decision making under uncertainty and computational intelligence. Nevertheless, all these models have some limitations imposed on the alternatives and attributes. These mathematical models were unable to handle the situations whenever decision makers need to assign non-binary evaluations to both attributes and alternatives. To overcome these problems, Riaz et al. (Symmetry 13(5):1–31, 2021) proposed the idea of M-parameterized N-soft set (MPNSS), through examining independent non-binary evaluations to both parameters and alternatives. MPNSSs are highly convenient in representation of ambiguous and uncertain data in decision analysis during ranking, rating and grading the objects. The proposed model has greater efficiency to handle the imprecision rather than existing mathematical models. Additionally, we develop multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) techniques on account of M-parameterized N-soft sets (MPNSSs), M-parameterized N-soft aggregation operators (MPNSAO) and M-parameterized N-soft weighted aggregation operators (MPNSWAO). For these objectives, we define fundamental operations on MPNSSs and their properties. Meanwhile, several related results are well proven and some algorithms for MADM are also developed. Moreover, the applications of MADM techniques corresponding to proposed algorithms are explained by illustrative material. To explain the presumption, authenticity and effectiveness of the suggested course of actions, we compared the techniques with few existing MADM methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depositional period of the early Miaolingian Maozhuang Formation in the North China Platform (NCP) is characterized by sediments of a restricted tidal-flat facies zone, i.e., transgressive red bed (sabkha facies) and highstand dolostone, and by sediments of an open tidal-flat facies zone, i.e., transgressive red bed and highstand limestone. The Maozhuang Formation at the Jinzhouwan section is composed of sediments of an open tidal-flat facies in which highstand limestone is marked by a set of bioherms that represent rare examples of microbial carbonates in the NCP. They consist of stromatolites and leiolites with intercalations of oolitic grainstones that can be categorized into four units: Unit [1] encompasses large-scale columnar stromatolites, small quartz grains and trilobite fragments; Unit [2] consists of structureless leiolites that contain trilobite fragments, quartz grains, and few dark and dense clumps of micrite dominated by calcified sheaths of filamentous cyanobacteria which probably grew in relatively thick cyanobacterial mats; Unit [3] comprises radial ooids that contain abundant fossils of calcified sheaths of filamentous cyanobacteria that might be genetically involved in the formation of ooids; Unit [4] contains small columnar stromatolites and small-scale micritic clumps dominated by filamentous cyanobacteria. The filamentous fossils in units [3] and [4] provide useful information regarding the origin of radial ooids and stromatolites in normal marine environment. Further, the large and small columnar stromatolites of early Miaolingian age in units [1] and [4] represent a unique example because they belong to the first episode of cyanbacterial calcification at the base of Phanerozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southwestern foothills of the Himalayan Mountain range have been experiencing a surge of catastrophic landslides in the last two decades, as a tragic result of the adverse effects of climate change. This research is about the landslide risk assessment (LRA) which has not been explored yet in the landslide-prone district Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Landslide susceptibility (spatial probability) was analyzed using random forest model while landslide hazard (temporal probability) was analyzed using Poisson probability model. A random forest-based landslide susceptibility map depicts an accuracy of 0.90. A landslide hazard map was generated by multiplying the temporal probability with the spatial probability and classified as well. Semi-quantitative danger pixels and a fuzzy set theory approach for LRA have been adopted to estimate future landslide risks in the region. The pixel-based LRA approach indicates that 14, 18 and 20 km2 area of settlement while, the fuzzy set theory-based approach depicts that 15, 19 and 21 km2 area of the settlement are under very high landslide risk for 1-, 3-, and 5- year return period respectively. Both approaches produced risk maps that designated various risk zones with almost the same area coverage and results. The LRA maps were classified into five classes including very high (1.99%, 2.33%, 2.80%), high (2.16%, 2.53%, 3.04%), moderate (8.02%, 9.79%, 11.22%), low (17.76%, 22.94%, 23.20%), and very low (70.08%, 62.40%, 59.74%) risk zones for 1, 3 and 5 years return period respectively. This research will assist planners and scientists in developing high-precision management strategies for landslide-affected natural resources, especially in the context of the increasing impact of geomorphic hazards on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes vector many infectious diseases and pose a serious threat to public health in developing countries. A wide array of synthetic insecticides is employed against these vectors. As the mosquitoes have got resistance to most of these chemical insecticides, there is a dire need to explore alternative control strategies such as entomopathogens. This laboratory study was aimed at isolating, purifying and evaluating the insecticidal proteins from indigenous strains of soil-inhabiting pathogenic bacteria against the larvae of southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) and to identify the larval midgut receptor of bacterial toxin. One hundred bacterial isolates were isolated and screened. Only two isolates (AA-11 and AA-19) exhibited considerable larval mortality (> 80%) and were further identified by sequencing and blasting their 16 S rDNA gene fragments. Isolate AA-11 was identified as Pseudomonas sp. with 96% similarity, while AA-19 as Lysinibacillus sphaericus with 98% similarity. Microscopic analysis and gram staining of AA-19 confirmed its rod-shape structure and gram positive nature, respectively. It is likely that the bacterial isolate AA-19 was L. sphaericus. Furthermore, protein purification of this bacterial isolate revealed two proteins of approximately 51 and 43 kDa which reduced to 43 and 39 kDa respectively after digestion with trypsin indicating that these were Bin B and Bin A toxin proteins respectively of L. sphaericus. Results of toxicity bioassay revealed that the purified and activated toxin was highly toxic to C. quinquefasciatus larvae with a LC50 value of 191 ppb. Pull-down assays demonstrated that one protein of 66.5 kDa was pulled down by CNBr-beads conjugated with insecticidal proteins (Bin B and A). The pulled down protein was considered as C. quinquefasciatus maltase 1 (Cqm1), a receptor of Bin toxin in the midgut of mosquito larvae. After binding with its receptor, it is probable that Bin toxin induced vaculation, pore formation, autophagy and apoptosis in the midgut cells of C. quinquefasciatus larvae to cause septicemia. Conclusively, the purified and activated insecticidal protein (Bin toxin) can be a key part of integrated vector management and has potential to be developed as commercial microbial formulation against mosquito larvae with a low risk to environment and non-target insects. The present study can be helpful to control the vectors of important diseases by understanding the interaction and binding of toxin and receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study scrutinizes heat and mass transfer features of magnetized flow of ZnO - S A E 50 nanolubricant over Riga plate in a Darcy Forchheimer medium. The effects of variable viscosity, thermal radiation, variable thermal conductivity, viscous dissipation and uniform heat source/sink are examined in this study. The diffusion model presented by Cattaneo–Christov is incorporated in this study to enclose heat and mass transport phenomenon. Additionally, the mass transfer rate is inspected subjected to the effects of variable solutal diffusivity and higher order chemical reaction. Heat and mass transfer phenomena have significant applications in the disciplines of science and technology that can be seen everywhere in nature. This simultaneous transportation phenomenon indicates a variety of applications in manufacturing processes, aerodynamics, cooling systems, environmental sciences, oceanography, food industries, biological disciplines, and energy transport systems etc. The modeled system of PDEs is metamorphosed to nonlinear ODEs with the introduction of appropriate transformations. An eminent bvp4c method in MATLAB has been incorporated to execute the resulting system of ODEs numerically. The outcomes of velocity, temperature and concentration profiles corresponding to various emerging parameters have been exposed graphically. The motion of ZnO - S A E 50 nanolubricant tends to enhance significantly with larger modified Hartmann number, whereas converse behavior is reported by increasing porosity parameter and variable viscosity parameter. The greater heat transfer rate is observed for variable thermal conductivity parameter. The rates of heat and mass transfer slow down for thermal and solutal time relaxation parameters respectively. The concentration profile gets enriched by growing the order of the chemical reaction and variable mass diffusivity parameter. It is concluded that by increasing solid volume fraction up to 1.5 % , the viscosity of the nanolubricant enhances up to 12 % which consequently slows down motion of the nanolubricant but increases temperature and concentration profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Heavy metal, particularly cadmium (Cd) is toxic to rice growth. Studies showed that nano-silicon particles (SiNPs) can alleviate Cd toxicity. However, underlying mechanisms especially cell wall adsorption and different forms of pectin are rarely investigated. Methods: In this experiment, the impacts of foliar application of SiNPs (2.5 mM) were investigated to alleviate Cd stress (50 μM) in rice and to study the role of SiNPs in reducing Cd-induced inhibition of plant growth, antioxidant defense systems, Cd translocation, and cell wall adsorption. Results: The results exhibited that Cd toxicity inhibited rice growth and biomass accumulation, meanwhile leaves had high concentrations of Cd. However, foliar application of SiNPs improved root and shoot growth. Moreover, Cd concentration was reduced in the leaves of rice seedlings. The results of Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that SiNPs enhanced peak values of polysaccharides. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed high Cd contents in the roots of rice seedlings. Cell wall showed high concentrations of Cd, moreover, enhancement of antioxidant defense mechanism and the alleviation of oxidative stress symptoms in leaves by SiNPs may be directly related to the decrease of Cd concentration in leaves. Conclusion: Altogether, our study results show that SiNPs can alleviate Cd toxicity in rice seedlings by reducing Cd uptake and enhancing cell wall Cd adsorption and antioxidant defense system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In natural free surface flows, sediment particles in the surface layer of a sediment bed are moved and entrained by the fluctuating hydrodynamic forces, such as lift and drag, exerted by the overlying flow. Accurate prediction of near-bed hydrodynamic forces in rapidly varied flows is vital for coastal sediment transport and morphodynamics. Directly measured hydrodynamic forces within the rapidly varied flows over rough bed layer have been limited by previous spatial averaging shear force studies. Therefore, the direct measurements were designed and adapted to estimate tidal bore forces, including longitudinal (drag) and vertical (lift) force on near-bed sediment particle. Specially designed experiments were conducted to measure the instantaneous forces using a highly sensitive force sensor assembled with a target sphere. A novel 1D-CNN model (i.e. SedimentNet) has been developed for the prediction of hydrodynamic forces and compared with existing machine learning models (i.e. Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Support Vector Regressor (SVR), XGBoost, k -Nearest Neighbour (k -NN)). The parameters affecting near-bed hydrodynamic forces are also analysed. In the context of machine learning, both conventional dataset split and fivefold cross-validation approaches were implemented. The results indicated that the proposed SedimentNet was able to achieve marginally better cross-validation performance (i.e. R 2 score of 0.77 for drag force, R 2 score of 0.96 for lift force) for the prediction of drag and lift forces. RF and XGBoost were the second best models with R 2 score of 0.73 and 0.95 for drag and lift force prediction, respectively. Results also showed the potential of machine learning models for the efficient prediction of complex hydrodynamic forces in a coastal environment. A use-case edge computing solution for the reported machine learning-based prediction of hydrodynamic forces has also been proposed and discussed to demonstrate the practical implementability of the presented research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family of halide perovskite materials is extremely large and has gained huge attention because of their low manufacturing cost and extraordinary structural, optical, electrical, and optoelectronic properties. These materials also deliver a pattern for designing new materials for energy conversion and energy storage applications. Here, we synthesized potassium cadmium chloride KCdCl3-based halide perovskite nanocomposites with rGO and fullerene-C60 by facile solvothermal method and studied their physical and electrochemical properties. The orthorhombic phase of KCdCl3 was confirmed from XRD spectra, and the existence of constituent elements (K, Cd, Cl, and C) was confirmed from EDX analysis. SEM images evident the successful anchoring of KCdCl3 particles over rGO and C60. BET results revealed the high surface area, pore radius, and pore volume of the KCdCl3/C60 electrodes. Furthermore, the electrochemical measurements demonstrated that KCdCl3/C60-based electrodes have a higher specific capacitance of 1135 F/g at 5 mV/s and cyclic stability (97.6% retention over 3000th cycles) than other grown electrodes. Also, GCD measurement results revealed that KCdCl3/C60 electrode has a high specific capacitance of 1420 F/g, an energy density of 2052 Wh/kg, and a power density of 4.19 W/kg at 1.0 A/g than other electrodes. Finally, intensive discussion proposed that halide perovskite nanocomposite electrodes can be used efficiently as supercapacitors electrode materials for future development in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work examines the analytical solutions of the double duffusive magneto free convective flow of Oldroyd-B fluid model of an inclined plate saturated in a porous media, either fixed or moving oscillated with existence of slanted externally magnetic field. The phenomenon has been expressed in terms of partial differential equations, then transformed the governing equations in non-dimensional form. On the fluid velocity, the influence of different angles that plate make with vertical is studied as well as slanted angles of the electro magnetic lines with the porous layered inclined plate are also discussed, associated with thermal conductivity and constant concentration. For seeking exact solutions in terms of special functions namely Mittag–Leffler functions, G-function etc., for Oldroyd-B fluid velocity, concentration and Oldroyd-B fluid temperature, Laplace integral transformation method is used to solve the non-dimensional model. The contribution of different velocity components are considered as thermal, mass and mechanical, and analyse the impacts of these components on the fluid dynamics. For several physical significance of various fluidic parameters on Oldroyd-B fluid velocity, concentration and Oldroyd-B fluid temperature distributions are demonstrated through various graphs. Furthermore, for being validated the acquired solutions, some limiting models such as Newtonian fluid in the absence of different fluidic parameters. Moreover, the graphical representations of the analytical solutions illustrated the main results of the present work and studied various cases regarding the movement of plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to investigate the exact solution by using a new approach for the thermal transport phenomena of second grade fluid flow under the impact of MHD along with exponential heating as well as Darcy's law. The phenomenon has been expressed in terms of partial differential equations, then transformed the governing equations in non-dimentional form. For the sake of better rheology of second grade fluid, developed a fractional model by applying the new definition of Constant Proportional-Caputo hybrid derivative (CPC), Atangana Baleanu in Caputo sense (ABC) and Caputo Fabrizio (CF) fractional derivative operators that describe the generalized memory effects. For seeking exact solutions in terms of Mittag-Leffler and G-functions for velocity, temperature and concentration equations, Laplace integral transformation technique is applied. For physical significance of various system parameters on fluid velocity, concentration and temperature distributions are demonstrated through various graphs by using graphical software. Furthermore, for being validated the acquired solutions, accomplished a comparative analysis with some published work. It is also analyzed that for exponential heating and non-uniform velocity conditions, the CPC fractional operator is the finest fractional model to describe the memory effect of velocity, energy and concentration profile. Moreover, the graphical representations of the analytical solutions illustrated the main results of the present work. Also, in the literature, it is observed that to derived analytical results from fractional fluid models developed by the various fractional operators, is difficult and this article contributing to answer the open problem of obtaining analytical solutions the fractionalized fluid models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskites with carboneous materials put magical foundation for energy concern, specifically for supercapacitor electrodes, because of their flexible chemistry and high electronic/ionic conductivity. Here, the inorganic halide perovskite composites with rGO and PANI, i.e.; (KNiBr3, KNiBr3/rGO, and KNiBr3/PANI) were synthesize by employing facile hydrothermal approach. The physio-chemical characteristics of these composites were investigated in detail by using various advance characterization tools, including XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, I-V, CV, GCD, and EIS, respectively. XRD confirmed the phase purity and high crystallinity. Whereas FE-SEM attached with EDX, revealed the porous nature and confirmed the presence of the desired elements. I-V measurements represents the ohmic behavior, resulting to higher conductivity. In electrochemical measurements, CV confirmed the pesudocapacitive behavior of all the fabricated electrodes. GCD analysis showed that the electrode incorporated with PANI exhibited superior specific capacitance (944.25 F/g), power density (1374.31 W/kg), and energy density (79.087 Wh/kg) at 1 A/g. EIS confirmed that KNiBr3/PANI electrode showed small semi-circle, indicating the small polarization and solution resistance, support the FE-SEM and I-V analysis. In addition, stability test was performed over 3000th charging/discharging cycles at 5 mV/s, indicate that PANI-based electrode retained 94% of original capacitance. Based on these findings, it is confidently suggested that studied halide perovskite materials can be effectively used for next generation supercapacitor electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armyworm Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a voracious pest with a wide host plants range. Synthetic insecticides are employed widely to control this pest leading to many ecological consequences. This necessitates looking for some biorational approaches to control this pest such as entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and differential-chemistry insecticides which have different mode of action than the conventional insecticides. This study evaluated the insecticides (chlorantraniliprole, emamectin benzoate and lufenuron) and EPF (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae) against 3rd instar larvae of S. litura using diet-incorporation and immersion methods respectively, alone and in binary combinations of the most effective treatments. Among differential-chemistry insecticides, chlorantraniliprole exhibited maximum larval mortality (24–100%) with minimum LC50 and LT50 values, followed by lufenuron (0–100%), while emamectin benzoate showed minimum larval mortality (0–68%) recorded at 24–96 h intervals. Among EPF, M. anisopliae showed significantly higher entomopathogenicity and caused 20–53% larval mortality than B. bassiana (5–35%) in 3–10 days post-exposure. Moreover, the binary combinations of M. anisopliae and chlorantraniliprole exhibited synergistic effect on S. litura larvae. It is concluded that chlorantraniliprole and M. anisopliae are effective biorational options exhibiting compatibility with each other which can be employed together against S. litura infestations and it will also aid to mitigate the insecticide resistance. However, field evaluations of these differential-chemistry insecticides along with EPF strains against insect pests and their impact on natural enemies constitute future perspectives of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study presents results on depositional and diagenetic environments of the glauconite-bearing oolitic carbonates of the upper part of the basal third-order depositional sequence (DS6) of the Cambrian Fengshan Formation at Kelan in the North China Platform. The Fengshan Formation comprises calcareous mudstone and shale of shelf environment followed by calcareous mudstone, micritic limestone of deep ramp to oolitic limestones of shallow ramp environments. The glauconite-bearing oolitic carbonates are restricted in the upper part of the sequence which was deposited during the forced regressive event. Petrographic study revealed that the sediments comprised of both carbonate and non-carbonate framework constituents. These constituents are mostly comprised of rounded to elliptical, radial-concentric ooids, dolomitized ooids, bioclasts (trilobites, brachiopod, and echinoderms), glauconitic pellets with fibro-radiating rims, and pyrite crystals. The radial-concentric structure of ooids suggests high-energy shallow water deposition conditions. Also, the presence of glauconite along with oolitic grainstone in the restricted upper portion of the Fengshan Formation provides credible evidence of its deposition under high-energy conditions during relative sea-level fall. It is therefore inferred that the glauconite was precipitated on or in close proximity to the Cambrian calcite seafloor during the forced regressive event prior to calcite cementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cambrian oncoids were deposited in the upper part of the Miaolingian Xuzhuang Formation at the Wuhai Section, Inner Mongolia, China in the late highstand systems tract of the third-order depositional sequence. Microscopic studies show an abundance of dark micrite in the dolomitic, bioclastic and micritic oncoids that possibly indicate the presence of microbes such as filamentous cyanobacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria either in the cortices and/or nuclei of these oncoids. These rounded to elliptical oncoids, forming packstone-to-grainstone facies in the Xuzhuang Formation, existed in a high energy setting with an abundance of filamentous fossils of cyanobacteria. These observations demonstrate a complicated mechanism of oncoid formation associated with calcification of extracellular polymeric substances in the cyanobacteria dominated microbial mats. The present work provides evidences about the active mediation of cyanobacteria in the formation of the Cambrian oncoids in the Xuzhuang Formation. It offers a reference example for the development of microbial carbonates in the North China Platform during the Cambrian period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adaptive CUSUM (ACUSUM) control chart got special attention against classical CUSUM control chart to detect a shift of different sizes in the process location. Similarly, an ACUSUM based on classical EWMA statistic and score function, denoted as a ACUSUM E control chart, is improved form of classical CUSUM control chart and can identify different sizes of shift. Classical EWMA statistic in ACUSUM E control chart fails to offer clear instruction for parameter values to identify a precise shift as the classical CUSUM statistic does. To address this issue, this study proposed two ACUSUM control charts, symbolized as ACUSUM C 1 and ACUSUM C 2 to further improve detection ability of shift in the process location. Novelty of the proposed control charts is to initially adaptively renew reference parameters values based on classical CUSUM statistic and then to assign a weight on it using score functions. An algorithm is developed in MATLAB using Monte Carlo simulation method to obtain numerical results. Based on numerical results, performance measures such as average run length for a specific shift, extra quadratic loss, relative average run length, and performance comparison index for overall performance are calculated for comparison purpose. Comparison based on visual presentation and numerical results reveals the proposed control charts performed quite effective against some existing control charts. It is worthy to mention, classical CUSUM control chart is special cases of proposed ACUSUM C 1 control charts at specific values of parameter. Finally, proposed control charts are also implemented on real-life data to show practical significance to users and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a new approach is taken to find the exact solutions for generalized unsteady magnetohydrodynamic transport of a rate-type fluid near an unbounded upright plate and is analyzed for ramped wall temperature and velocity with constant concentration. The vertical plate is suspended in a porous medium and encounters radiation effects. Solutions based on special functions are obtained using an integral transform for an unsteady MHD Maxwell fluid in the presence of ramped velocity, temperature and constant concentration. The relations for Nusselt number and skin-friction coefficient are efficiently computed to precisely estimate the rate of heat transfer at the boundary and the shear stress. Results are also discussed in detail and demonstrated graphically using software to comprehensively analyze the dynamics of the proposed problem, and the physical impact of several system parameters, such as magnetic field M, Prandtl number Pr, the relaxation time λ, dimensionless time τ, Schmidt number Sc, Mass and Thermal Grashof numbers Gm and Gr, respectively, is studied. Furthermore, solutions for some recently published work are compared with the current study that endorses the authenticity of our derived results and proves that those investigations are limiting or special cases of the current problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of mathematical methods have been developed to determine the complex rheological behavior of fluid's models. Such mathematical models are investigated using statistical, empirical, analytical, and iterative (numerical) methods. Due to this fact, this manuscript proposes an analytical analysis and comparison between Sumudu and Laplace transforms for the prediction of unsteady convective flow of magnetized second grade fluid. The mathematical model, say, unsteady convective flow of magnetized second grade fluid, is based on nonfractional approach consisting of ramped conditions. In order to investigate the heat transfer and velocity field profile, we invoked Sumudu and Laplace transforms for finding the hidden aspects of unsteady convective flow of magnetized second grade fluid. For the sake of the comparative analysis, the graphical illustration is depicted that reflects effective results for the first time in the open literature. In short, the obtained profiles of temperature and velocity fields with Laplace and Sumudu transforms are in good agreement on the basis of numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work tackles the Heisenberg ferromagnet-type integrable Akbota equation. The Akbota equation is significant model to visualize and study the surface geometry and curve analysis. The Akbota equation is an integrable coupled system of differential equations with soliton solutions. It is a crucial tool for researching nonlinear phenomena in differential geometry of curves and surfaces, magnetism, and optics. The generalized projective Riccati equation method, the Sardar sub-equation method, and the G ′ G 2 -expansion method are the three separate analytical techniques used in this work. By using these approaches, exact analytical solutions for soliton waves are obtained, including dark, bright, singular, singular periodic, trigonometric, and hyperbolic waves. The creation of theoretical frameworks and the generalization of findings are made possible by analytical solutions. Researchers can frequently find patterns and relationships that apply more broadly by developing analytical solutions to particular cases, which results in the development of new theories and principles. The manuscript includes graphical representations, such as contour plots and two- or three-dimensional visualizations, in addition to theoretical derivations. These examples examine the propagation properties of the obtained soliton solutions and provide a promising basis for further research. Before this study, there is not existing any study in which, someone used these approaches and found solitons solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An illumination normalization algorithm for face images is proposed. For preprocessing of the input image, low light is enhanced to improve image quality. The reflection layer of image is normalized for edge preservation and to remove the artifacts, which is added to a small-scale image. Noise is removed, and details are enhanced to improve the quality of the image. Contrast is corrected by histogram truncation. Shape from shading is extracted and passed through a guided filter to acquire a face image having illumination normalized. Simulation outcome on Multi-PIE, CAS-PEAL, and Extended Yale B face dataset shows the strength of the suggested approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of heat and mass transfer in Maxwell fluid is carried out near a vertical plate. It is proven in many already published articles that the heat and mass transfer does not really or always follow the classical mechanics process that is known as memoryless process. Therefore, the model using classical differentiation based on the rate of change cannot really replicate such dynamical process very accurately; thus, a different concept of differentiation is needed to capture such process. Very recently, new classes of differential operators were introduced and have been recognized to be efficient in capturing processes following the power law, the decay law and the crossover behaviors. For the study of heat and mass transfer, we applied the newly introduced differential operators to model such flow. The Laplace transform, inversion algorithm and convolution theorem were used to derive the exact and semi-analytical solutions for all cases. The obtained analytical solutions were plotted for different values of fractional order α , Maxwell fluid parameter λ , thermal Grashof number Gr, mass Grashof number Gm, Prandtl number Pr and Schmidt number Sc on concentration and velocity fields. In comparison, velocity of Atangana–Baleanu fractional derivative is greater than that of Caputo and Caputo–Fabrizio for α , λ , Gr and Gm. With the increase in Pr and Sc, there is a decrease in velocity. For fractional parameter, the effect of concentration field for ABC model is more than for C and CF. Moreover, from the present solutions already published results were found as limiting cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, fabrication and characterization of Cu/PTB7-Th (35 mass%)/PC 61 BM (35 mass%)/graphene (30 mass%)/Ag thin-film composite cells are given. First of all, Ag and Cu electrodes were deposited on flat glass substrate by vacuum evaporation with 130- μ m inter-electrode gap. The PTB7-Th (35 mass%) composite and PC 61 BM (35 mass%) composite in chlorobenzene and graphene (30 mass%) were deposited on the inter-electrode gap by drop-casting technique, and film thickness of 8–12 μ m was achieved. The dependence of forward and reverse bias resistance of the cells versus temperature in the range of 25–75 ∘ C, humidity in the range of 47–90 %RH and pressure in the range of 0–7.7 kN m - 2 was measured. The average temperature resistance coefficients were equal to (− 1.03)% ∘ C - 1 and (- 1.14) % ∘ C - 1 for forward and reverse bias resistances, respectively. The reverse and forward bias resistances decreased 1.29 and 1.27 times due to % RH , and due to pressure, it decreased by 9.0–9.2%. Impedance (Z) of the sample was also measured at different frequencies (100 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz) which decreased from 1.23 to 1.04 times. The obtained results are explained, firstly, by transfer of charges between donors and acceptors molecules and effect of water molecules on the PTB7-Th (35 mass%):PC 61 BM (35 mass%):graphene composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, silver nanoparticles were prepared by using the extract of Camellia Sinensis. The extract contains phytochemicals which are mainly polyphenols acting as the natural reducing and stabilizing agents leading to the formation of uniformly dispersed and stabilized silver nanoparticles. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles was significantly influenced by the impact of the pH, as well as temperature conditions. It was found that at pH 5 and 25 °C, nanoparticles of different morphologies (spherical, polygonal, capsule) and sizes were formed. However, with the increase in temperature from 25 °C to 65 °C but at the same pH, these particles started attaining the spherical shape of different sizes owing to an increase in the reduction rate. Furthermore, for the reaction of the mixture at 65 °C, an increase in pH from 5 to 11 led to an increase in the monodispersity of spherically shaped nanoparticles, attributed to the hydroxide ions facilitated reduction. The prepared nanoparticles were investigated for their antibacterial activity using Nathan's Agar Well-Diffusion method. It was found that AgNPs prepared at pH 9 and 65 °C demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against gram-negative Escherichia coli in contrast to gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. In reference to the cytotoxic potency, the prepared AgNPs showed clear cytotoxicity for HeLa cells and showcased a close relationship between activity and concentration as evidenced by the decrease in the percentage (100 to 30%) of metabolically active cells up to 25 µM–75 µM concentration of silver nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical process control provides package of statistical tools applied for improving quality of manufacturing, production and services processes. Cumulative sum, exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and progressive mean charts belong to family of memory-type charts which effectively spot small and persistent shifts in the process parameter(s). EWMA chart requires normality and a proper choice of smoothing parameter to perform efficiently. Any deviation from these conditions affects its performance in terms of efficacy and robustness. For the said concerns, progressive exponentially weighted moving average (PEWMA) chart is developed to monitor the shifts in the process location. The performance of the proposed PEWMA chart is evaluated in terms of average run length and some other metrics of run length distribution. The assessment of the proposed chart has been made under standard normal, Student's t, gamma, Laplace, logistic, exponential, contaminated normal and lognormal distributions. The performance of the proposed PEWMA chart is also compared with some existing competitors including the classical EWMA, classical CUSUM, HWMA, MEC, MCE and DEWMA charts. The analysis reveals that the proposal offers a design structure which has high sensitivity to small and persistent drifts in the process mean and has advantage of robustness under non-normal scenarios. An application from substrates manufacturing process (in which flow width of the resist is the key quality characteristic) is also provided for practical implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rough set theory introduced by Pawlak (Int J Comput Inf Sci 11:341–356, 1982), multi-set theory proposed by Blizard (Notre Dame J Form Log 30:36–65, 1989) and soft set theory introduced by Molodtsov (Comput Math Appl 37(4–5):19–31, 1999) are fundamental concepts in computational intelligence, which have a myriad of applications in modeling uncertainties and decision making under uncertainty. In this paper, the idea of soft multi-rough set (SMRS) is introduced as a hybrid model of soft set, multi-set and rough set. The SMRS provides roughness of a multi-set in terms of soft multi-approximation space. The novel concept of soft multi-rough topology (SMR-topology) is defined to discuss topological structure of SMRSs by using pairwise SMR-approximations. The proposed models of SMRS and SMR-topology are suitable for modeling uncertainties in the real-life circumstances. SMR-topology is the generalization of crisp topology, soft topology and soft rough set topology. Some fundamental properties of SMR-topology and their related results are studied. Some algorithms for are developed for multi-criteria decision making based on soft multi-sets, soft multi-rough sets and soft multi-rough topology. Based on proposed algorithms, the applications of SMRSs and SMR-topology toward diagnosis of depression and diabetes are illustrated by the numerical examples. A comparison analysis of proposed methods with some existing methods is also given to justify their reliability, feasibility and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we bring out the idea of bipolar fuzzy soft topology (BFS-topology) based on bipolar fuzzy soft set (BFS-set). BFS-topology is the generalization of the crisp topology. We discuss certain properties of BFS-topology including, BFS-closure, BFS-interior, BFS-exterior and BFS-frontier by utilizing BFS-points. We study the concept of BFS-subspace, BFS-neighbourhoods and BFS-base for BFS-topology with the help of detailed examples. Furthermore, we use BFS-topology in decision-making by applying an algorithm to deal with unpredictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research study is to extend the multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) methods to hesitant fuzzy soft set (HFS-set), hesitant fuzzy soft topology (HFS-topology) and HFS-Hausdorff spaces in group decision-making environment, as HFS-set is more superior tool to capture vagueness, hesitancy and incompleteness in individual evaluations. In order to obtain optimal decisions in MAGDM, we present two algorithms based on hesitant fuzzy soft set and hesitant fuzzy soft topology. Lastly, we present MAGDM method by using HFS-Hausdorff space to deal with hesitancy and uncertainty. The developed methods have the ability to solve MADGM problems in which the assessment information on available alternatives, provided by the experts, is presented by hesitant fuzzy soft sets. Furthermore, the efficiency of proposed algorithms is shown by applying them to the real-world problems. We use reduct, optimum reduct, aggregate HFS-sets and weight vector according of given alternatives, priority of the attributes and customer demand for best MAGDM in the selection of car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar irrational emotions are implicated in a broad variety of individual actions. For example, two specific elements of decision making are the benefits and adverse effects. The harmony and respectful coexistence between these two elements is viewed as a cornerstone to a healthy social setting. For bipolar fuzzy characteristics of the universe of choices that rely on a small range of degrees, a bipolar fuzzy decision making method utilizing different techniques is accessible. The idea of a simplistic bipolar fuzzy set is ineffective in supplying consistency to the details about the frequency of the rating due to minimal knowledge. In this respect, we present cubic bipolar fuzzy sets (CBFSs) as a generalization of bipolar fuzzy sets. The plan of this research is to establish an innovative multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) based on cubic bipolar fuzzy set (CBFS) by unifying aggregation operators under geometric mean operations. The geometric mean operators are regarded to be a helpful technique, particularly in circumstances where an expert is unable to fuse huge complex unwanted information properly at the outset of the design of the scheme. We present some basic operations for CBFSs under dual order, i.e., P -Order and R -Order. We introduce some algebraic operations on CBFSs and some of their fundamental properties for both orders. We propose P -cubic bipolar fuzzy weighted geometric (P -CBFWG) operator and R -cubic bipolar fuzzy weighted geometric (R -CBFWG) operator to aggregate cubic bipolar fuzzy data. We also discuss the useability and efficiency of these operators in MCGDM problem. In human decisions, the second important part is ranking of alternatives obtained after evaluation. In this regard, we present an improved score and accuracy function to compare the cubic bipolar fuzzy elements (CBFEs). We also discuss a set theoretic comparison of proposed set with other theories as well as method base comparison of the proposed method with some existing techniques of bipolar fuzzy domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder and different environmental toxicants including heavy metals have been involved in diabetes induction. Therefore, assessment of the environmental risk factors and heavy metals induced toxicity have become critical for reducing the consequences of metals pollutants. Previously, we reported heavy metals induced nephrotoxicity in non-diabetic and diabetic rats. Here, we extended our analysis by examining the heavy metals induced organs (heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, and spleen) damage in diabetic and non-diabetic Wistar rats using histopathology and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Following the generation of the diabetic rat model, the animals were exposed to heavy metals including lead (Pb), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd). Both non-diabetic and diabetic rats were exposed to heavy metals for 30 days and subsequently, the heart, kidney, liver, pancreas and spleen tissues were examined. Heavy metal treatment resulted in irregularly arranged myofibrils and vacuolization in the heart tissue of metal treated groups as evident from hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining. The kidney tissue of rats treated with heavy metals showed tubular degeneration, fibrosis, hemorrhage, and vacuolation. The liver of the heavy metals treated rats exhibited cellular degeneration and necrosis. The pancreatic tissue of streptozotocin injected untreated and metal treated rats revealed severe degeneration, necrosis, degranulation, shrinkage, and depression in the islets of Langerhans. Increased red pulp area and congestion were observed in the spleen of the metal mixture treated non-diabetic and diabetic rats. In line with the histological data, the qRT-PCR analysis showed downregulated expression of Bcl2 and upregulation of Caspase-3 in non-diabetic and diabetic metal treated rats as compared to the non-diabetic untreated rats. In conclusion, the present study revealed, diabetic rats are more prone to metal alone as well as metal mixture induced organ damage as compared to non-diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical quality control is an integral part of modern manufacturing, and control charts are widely used to improve and control the performance of a process. However, much of the work related to process monitoring has been done using frequentist approaches, whereas the Bayesian methodology has a practical advantage in process monitoring; that is, it can be used with a small phase-I dataset. In this article, we considered different symmetric and asymmetric loss functions for designing Bayesian control charts and noticed that the performance of the Bayesian charts is biased, i.e., in-control performance of the charts is not equal to the desired value for some loss functions and comparison among different Bayesian charts can be misleading. Therefore, to get the desired in-control performance under different loss functions, we propose a corrected design of the Bayesian control charts. In addition to posterior charts, we also discuss a predictive control chart to monitor the future observations in this study. Besides a simulation study, we also present two real data examples: the first example is to monitor the surface roughness of reamed holes in a particular metal part while the second is about monitoring the measurements of a diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pilot-randomised controlled trial (RCT) examined the effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on persistent pain patients and assessed the feasibility of conducting a definitive RCT. A brief (15 min) mindfulness body-scan audio was compared with an active control administered in a clinic and then used independently over 1 month. Immediate effects of the intervention were assessed with brief measures of pain severity, distraction and distress. Assessments at baseline, 1 week and 1 month included pain severity and interference, mood, pain-catastrophizing, mindfulness, self-efficacy, quality of life and intervention acceptability. Of 220 referred patients, 147 were randomised and 71 completed all assessments. There were no significant immediate intervention effects. There were significant positive effects for ratings of intervention 'usefulness' at 1 week (p = 0.044), and pain self-efficacy at 1 month (p = 0.039) for the MBI group compared with control. Evidently, it is feasible to recruit persistent pain patients to a brief MBI study. Strategies are needed to maximise retention of participants. Trial registration Current controlled trials ISRCTN61538090. Registered 20 April 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current communication deals with the flow impact of blood inside cosine shape stenotic artery. The under consideration blood flow is treated as Newtonian fluid and flow is assumed to be two dimensional. The governing equation are modelled and solved by adopting similarity transformation under the stenosis assumptions. The important quantities like Prandtl number, flow parameter, blood flow rate and skin friction are attained to analyze the blood flow phenomena in stenosis. The variations of different parameters have been shown graphically. It is of interest to note that velocity increases due to change in flow parameter gamma and temperature of blood decreases by increasing nanoparticles volume fraction and Prandtl number. In the area of medicine, the most interesting nanotechnology approach is the nanoparticles applications in chemotherapy. This study provides further motivation to include more convincing consequences in the present model to represent the blood rheology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curve-shaped Chaman transform fault between Pakistan and Afghanistan demarks the western boundary of the Indian plate, which is the locus of many catastrophic earthquakes, and this is poorly studied region to understand the earthquake/fault interaction and hazard assessment. Based on earthquake triggering theory, we investigate a sequence of earthquakes comprising five earthquakes that occurred in the Chaman Fault System since 1892. Our results elucidate that three out of four earthquakes are triggered by the preceding earthquakes. The 1935 earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.7 is somewhat an independent earthquake in this sequence, slightly influenced by the 1892 event. The 1935 earthquake significantly loaded either terminus of its rupture with positive stress, which later triggered the 1975 earthquake with 35% of its rupture length where ΔCFS is above triggering threshold value, and 1990 earthquake with 44% of its rupture length in positive stress lobe, on Ghazaband Fault, in the south lobe. Since the 1935 earthquake significantly increased the ΔCFS on either terminus of its rupture, the 2013 earthquake with magnitude Mw 7.7 occurred on Hoshab Fault in the positive stress zone with 23% of its rupture length where ΔCFS is positive. Moreover, the northern locked segment of CF, the southern segment of GBF, southeastern segment of HF and PAF demonstrate a high value of ΔCFS. It could trigger seismicity in these regions, thus requiring arrangements to mitigate any seismic hazards in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivariate autoregressive (MAR) models are an attractive choice for applications in the processes related to finance, medical, and industry. For the monitoring of such processes, control chart is the most important and widely used tool of statistical process control tool kit. Moreover, the presence of auxiliary information helps in better estimation of different process parameters. The literature on use of auxiliary variables in control charts assumes independence of observations. In practice, we may come across processes dealing with autocorrelated outcomes. In such situations, a control chart usually produces high false alarms and exhibits slow detection of shifts when the process is out-of-control. This study intends to suggest some auxiliary information-based Shewhart charts for autocorrelated univariate and bivariate AR(1) processes. The proposed structures take into account the autocorrelation structure and offer more effective designs of control charts for efficient process monitoring. The performance measures used in this study are based on run length measures such as average run length, extra quadratic loss, relative average run length and performance comparison index. A detailed performance analysis is carried out to sort out the best performing charts. In addition, we have considered an application from a manufacturing process to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed charting structures in real scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the recent chronostratigraphic division of Cambrian, the Cambrian strata in the Kelan section can be subdivided into seven third-order sequences (DS1-DS7) based on cyclicity in sedimentary facies stacking patterns. The calcareous mudstone forming condensed section, micritic limestone comprising deep to middle ramp facies and the oolitic-grain bank facies in Series 3 and Furongian series represent the basic depositional fabric of Cambrian in northwestern part of Shanxi Province, North China Platform. These massive oolitic grainstones demonstrate that the oolitic-grain bank facies constitute the late-highstand systems tract or forced-regressive systems tract. The grains occupy upper parts of the third-order depositional sequences in response to relative sea-level fall. Furthermore, this forming pattern of oolitic-grain bank facies does not follow the standard model of sequence stratigraphy, in which deposition is believed to occur principally during sea-level rise, rather a continuous erosional unconformity develops during sea-level fall. Moreover, the microscopic analysis of oolitic grainstone shows the development of concentric and radial, rounded or elliptical, with or without nuclei, monocrystalline or polycrystalline, Girvanella or micritic ooids. The occurrence of diversified ooids in varying proportions provides a new dimension for studying evolution of the oolitic-grain bank in the North China Platform. The forming pattern of oolitic-grain bank controlled by their sequence-stratigraphic position in the Kelan section in the Shanxi province provides an important clue and a research direction for the regional correlation, as well as the paleogeographical reconstruction of the Cambrian Series 3 and Furongian series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the volume of waste generated by human activities continues to rise, the need for effective and sustainable solid waste management methods becomes increasingly important. Traditional approaches, such as landfilling and incineration, can have negative impacts on the environment and human health. Waste management sustainability research can benefit from the use of cosine similarity, a mathematical technique that measures the similarity between two vectors. To address this issue, innovative approaches, such as the use of cubic m-polar fuzzy cosine similarity measures (CmPF), are being explored. In this scenario, the membership grade (MG) is represented by a fuzzy interval, while the non-membership grade (NMG) is stated by a fuzzy number. An m-polar fuzzy set (mPFS) allots m different numbers of MGs to each of the possibilities that assist compensate for the universal set. A CmPF similarity can deal directly with single and multipolar data in an environment that is cubical. There are numerous distinct uses for similarity measures (SMs) in a range of domains. As a result, three unique cosine similarity metrics for CmPFSs are shown in each SM. These measurements utilize the cosine angle between two vectors, a unique distance measure and the cosine function. Additionally, a TOPSIS technique based on cosine SMs has been developed for application in multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) situations. An example of selecting a solid waste recycling technique is offered to demonstrate how effective the MCGDM approach to waste management can be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural gas industry faces significant challenges in implementing industrial filtration systems that are both sustainable and maintainable. These are complex issues that necessitate a thorough and pragmatic evaluation to ensure that the technology is both effective and efficient. Due to the increasing importance of environmental sustainability and the need to reduce waste and emissions, the deployment of filtration technology must be carefully evaluated to ensure that it meets these objectives. The goal of this study is to develop a decision-making approach based on Aczel–Alsina (AA) operations, which provide a variety of advantages when dealing with real-world issues. To begin, we’ll go over some new hesitant q-rung orthopair fuzzy set operations such the Aczel–Alsina product, sum, exponent, and scalar multiplication. The suggested AOs are based on AA operations and are used to prioritize industrial filtering technologies while keeping sustainability and maintainability in mind. Several solutions are studied for managing impurities produced by Pakistan’s natural gas sector. After careful evaluation, it has been determined that the cyclo-filter technology is the most viable solution for the natural gas industry. This technology has been chosen due to its adaptability with the regional and local conditions of the study area. By utilizing this technology, policymakers can gain practical insight into process energy and environmental systems and effectively control contamination in the natural gas industry. This decision-making framework offers a new and innovative approach to address sustainability and maintainability challenges in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha-cypermethrin interacts with the sodium channel and causes nerve blockage in insects. It is used to manage Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae), a primary vector of dengue worldwide. It not only affects both target and non-target organisms, but overuse of this insecticide increases the chances of resistance development in insect pests. In this study, resistance development, biological parameters, and stability of alpha-cypermethrin resistance were studied in a laboratory-selected strain of Ae. aegypti. The alpha-cypermethrin selected strain (Alpha Sel) developed an 11.86-fold resistance level after 12 rounds of alpha-cypermethrin selection compared to the unselected strain (Unsel). In biological parameters, Alpha Sel and Cross1 (Unsel ♂ and Alpha Sel♀) had shorter larval durations compared to Unsel and Cross2 (Unsel ♀ and Alpha Sel ♂) populations. The pupal duration of Alpha Sel and both crosses was shorter than that in the Unsel strain. The relative fitness of Alpha Sel, Cross1, and Cross2 was significantly less than that of the Unsel strain. These results indicate that alpha-cypermethrin resistance comes with fitness costs. Moreover, the frequency of alpha-cypermethrin resistance decreased when the Alpha Sel population was reared without further selection pressure for four generations. So, resistance was unstable and reversed when insecticide pressure ceased. We concluded that the judicious and rotational use of different insecticides with different modes of action and the adoption of other IPM-recommended practices would suppress resistance development for more extended periods in Ae. aegypti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a new framework for five-dimensional spherical symmetry anisotropic stars that admits conformal motion. The behaviour of model characteristic pressure, stress, density profile and surface tension is investigated with the inclusion of a particular density profile for the higher dimensional Einstein's field equations. All the physical parameters are well-behaved for the presented solution in higher dimensions. The analysis predict the possible existence of compact stars in five dimensions, more likely strange quark star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many industrial processes, the quality characteristic of interest has a relation (linear or non-linear) with other supporting variable(s). Simple linear profile is a well-known term used for the quality characteristic, which is linearly associated with another descriptive variable, and the monitoring of simple linear profile parameters (i.e., slope, intercept, and error variance) is known as linear profiling. In the literature, a well-known approach named as EWMA_3 chart is used for the simultaneous monitoring of intercept, slope, and error variance. This approach is very efficient as compared to EWMA/R, Hotelling T2, and Shewhart_3 charts but it is a tedious method, since distinct pair of control limits require individual charting constant for each parameter. In this study, new methods are designed for the simultaneous monitoring of simple linear profile parameters, which requires single charting constant and have several advantages such as simplicity, efficiency, and ease of applicability. The findings of this study reveal that newly designed control charts such as the Max − EWMA − 3 and SS − EWMA − 3 have almost similar performance with EWMA_3 chart. Specifically, Max − EWMA − 3 − C chart shows superiority among all other control charts. Further, importance of the stated proposals is highlighted by the real example from the field of chemical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many manufacturing processes, study variable is not the only quality characteristic, but there may exist some explanatory variable(s) that are associated with the study variable. This association may be linear or nonlinear depending on the nature of variables. The term profiling is used for such relationships among study and explanatory variables. Linear profiles are more common options because of their simplicity and coverage of more common scenarios. A popular proposal for the monitoring of linear profiles is EWMA − 3 chart that detect shifts in the profile parameters including slope, intercept, and error variance. The said chart is designed under simple random sampling. In this study, we have designed and investigated EWMA − 3 chart under the different ranked set sampling strategies ( τ) such as ranked set sampling (RSS), median ranked set sampling (MRSS), extreme ranked set sampling (ERSS), double ranked set sampling (DRSS), double median ranked set sampling (DMRSS), and double extreme ranked set sampling (DERSS). We have used average run length (ARL), extra quadratic loss (EQL), relative average run length (RARL), and performance comparison index (PCI) as performance measures for the aforementioned designs of EWMA − 3 chart under different sampling schemes. The computational results of run length properties revealed that the ranked set based EWMA − 3 chart offers better detection ability. More specifically, EWMA − 3 and EWMA − 3 serve the purpose in a more efficient way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) charts are used to detect smaller shifts in process parameters. The usual EWMA and CUSUM charts depend on the normality assumption for a better detection ability. This study proposes an efficient EWMA control chart based on the spirit of Tukey control chart, especially designed for skewed distributions. The performance of the proposed and the competing charts is measured using different length properties such as average run length (ARL), standard deviation of run length (SDRL), and median run length (MDRL). We have observed that the proposed chart is quite efficient at detecting process shifts of smaller magnitude, especially for skewed distributions. For practical considerations, the proposed chart is implemented at aerospace manufacturing data on industrial production index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and idiopathic clubfoot are both common paediatric orthopaedic conditions. There is conflicting evidence in the literature as to whether the prevalence of DDH is higher in children with idiopathic clubfoot. The aim of our study was to systematically review the literature and determine the prevalence of DDH in idiopathic clubfoot. Methods: We searched several databases from 1946 to 2014 for observational studies that reported the prevalence of DDH in idiopathic clubfoot. We performed a meta-analysis using random effects model to pool the prevalence of DDH in idiopathic clubfoot. We also investigated the imaging modality utilised to diagnose and treat DDH in idiopathic clubfoot. Descriptive, quantitative and qualitative data were extracted. Results: Twelve studies (ten case series, one retrospective cohort and one retrospective case-control) were eligible for the meta-analysis, with a total of 2,549 children with idiopathic clubfoot including 83 with DDH. The pooled prevalence estimate of DDH in children with idiopathic clubfoot was 4.1 % (95 % CI, 2.1-7.7 %). There was a substantial amount of between study heterogeneity ( I = 87.1 %, p < 0.001) due to variability between studies rather than chance variability. Sensitivity analyses showed that the pooled prevalence estimate was 3.5 % (95 % CI, 1.1-10.8 %) and 3.8 % (95 % CI, 1.0-13.7 %) for studies utilising ultrasound as the imaging modality of diagnosis and treatment with a Pavlik harness respectively. Conclusions: The overall pooled prevalence of DDH in idiopathic clubfoot is similar to the normal population. The cumulative evidence at present does not indicate an association between DDH and idiopathic clubfoot. Therefore, we do not recommend routine screening for DDH in children with idiopathic clubfoot. However, future retrospective and/or prospective cohort studies of better quality will be able to answer this question with more certainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control charts are popular tools in statistical process control (SPC) and artificial neural network (ANN) technique is an attractive alternative for efficient monitoring of process parameters. This study uses the artificial neural network technique with back propagation method to process control system for dispersion parameter. We have trained an artificial neural network to be used in statistical control charts using varying runs rules schemes. By investigating the performance of trained artificial neural network under normal and bootstrapping environments we have made comparisons of the usual ANN and three runs rules-based schemes for ANN to gain the precision of process. We have used average run length (ARL), extra quadratic loss (EQL), relative ARL (RARL), and performance comparison index (PCI) measures and explored the said structures of trained artificial neural network under bootstrapping by implementing runs rules schemes. We have also suggested a modification in the trained ANN for variance change detection. An example with real data is also given for practical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiologically significant epidural hematomas are generally treated with craniotomy and evacuation. However, pediatric patients with such hematomas may have normal neurological examinations. We aim to report the presenting features, management, and outcomes of pediatric patients who underwent conservative management of such hematomas at our center and also show that serial neurological examinations are a safe and effective way of managing these patients. Methods: A retrospective review of pediatric patients with extradural hematoma (EDH) thickness of at least 1 cm and who were conservatively managed was performed. All patients were followed up in neurosurgery outpatient clinics after discharge at 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year intervals. Detailed neurological examination was performed at each visit, and a standardized questionnaire was also used to document the parent's subjective opinion of the patient's quality of life. Results: A total of 17 patients satisfied the study criteria and were included. Conservative management was successful in 15 patients, while a craniotomy with evacuation of hematoma had to be performed in two patients. All patients had a GOS score of 5 on 1-year follow-up, had normal schooling, and reported complete satisfaction with the management protocol. Conclusion: Conservative treatment is an optimal treatment option, and patients can be followed safely using a protocol of serial neurological examinations. A center must have resources to perform a craniotomy with evacuation of EDH in case of neurological worsening and be able to provide trained staff to carry out serial neurological examinations before treating these patients conservatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control charts act as the most effective statistical process control (SPC) tools for the monitoring of manufacturing processes. In this study, we propose and investigate a set Shewhart-type variability control chart based on the utilization of auxiliary information for efficient phase II process monitoring. The design parameters of the proposals are derived under correlated setups for the monitoring of variability parameter. The properties of these charting structures are evaluated in terms of average run length and some other related measures. The performance abilities of these charts are compared with each other and also with some existing counterparts. The comparisons revealed that the proposed charts are very efficient at detecting shifts in the variability parameter and have the ability to perform better than the competing charts in terms of run length characteristics. We have also used real datasets to illustrate the application of the proposed structures in practical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]