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Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are the haemotophagous arthropods causing livestock and public health threats. Among various control methods of ticks, chemical control remains the cornerstone especially in the resource-poor communities; however, their extensive or inappropriate use leads to the development of acaricidal resistance. In this regard, efficacy of the commonly used acaricides used in the field must be evaluated and alternate methods should be considered to overcome the prevailing resistance. Thus, the present study was aimed to investigate the acaricidal efficacy of over-the-counter i.e., ivermectin (IVM) in comparison with that of entomopathogenic fungus (EPF); Metarhizium (M.) anisopliae against adults of Hyalomma (H.) anatolicum ticks collected from the selected districts of southern Punjab, Pakistan. The tick specimens appropriately collected in pre-labelled screw-capped plastic bottles, with holes created for aeration, transferred to laboratory for further processing where the ticks were washed and dried over tissue paper. Various doses of the treatments viz.,1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% of IVM and 1×105, 1×106, 1×107 and 1×108 of M. anisopliae were prepared. Sham treatment was made through 1% Triton-X for IVM and 0.1% (v/v) Tween ® 80 for M. anisopliae. A total of 900 partially fed female hard ticks in 10 batches and three repeats were subjected to in vitro Adult Immersion Test (AIT). The best dose of IVM against H. anatolicum was 2.5%, a higher dose, and M. anisopliae gave best results at 1×108. The LC50 (107 spores/ml) and LC90 (108 spores/ml) of M. anisopliae were proved more effective as compared to all IVM concentrations. The results conclude M. anisopliae can be a potential as an augmentative strategy to control hard ticks. However, toxicity trials of M. anisopliae are needed to be done for safety check before their recommendation in the practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caesarean section was one of the major issues in worldwide both in developed and developing countries. In Punjab, high prevalence of C-section had been perceived. Objective: To assess the prevalence, socio-demographic and socio-economic factors of caesarean section in the Punjab. Methodology: The study was based on the data of Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey 2017-18 (MICS Punjab). Two-stage, stratified cluster sampling technique was adopted. Almost 53,840 households were selected to obtain the data from Punjab. Target population was currently and ever married women (15,656) who have given birth in last two years. From these women, a question was asked whether the delivery was normal or by C-section. We gave value 1 if delivered by C-section and 2 otherwise by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: The prevalence of C-section was 28.9% in the Punjab with 95% C.I (28.9%, 29.7%) and odds ratio (OR) 3.13. Out of ten, three women delivered baby by C-section. Area of residence, number of antenatal care visits, mother's age at time of marriage, education, wealth index quintile, and tetanus toxoid injection during last pregnancy were highly associated with the C-section. Educated and rich women were more attracted to deliver by C-section as compare to a women who were uneducated and belonged to poor socioeconomic group. In Central Punjab higher cases were found as compare to the South Punjab and Northern Punjab. Conclusion: The prevalence of C-sections is very high in Punjab when compared with WHO standard. The contributing factors to this rising trend of increased rate of C-section, higher education, improvement of socioeconomic status and easy accessibility of C-section facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • (Co-)pyrolysis prcesses are modeled and optimized using SuperPro designer software. • Lowest capital cost is estimated for rice straw plant and highest of co-feed plant. • Highest OPEX for tire plant (M $77.185) due to hgihest procurement and utility cost. • Co-feed plant is most viable due to highest revenue generation from oil and power. • Selling price of oil and feedstock procurement cost are most sensitive parameters. In this study, three pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis plants processing rice straw (RS) and scrap rubber tire (SRT) to produce oil and power (i.e., electricity) at 30 t/hr capacity are simulated using SuperPro Designer software. The objective of the study is to comparatively evaluate the techno-economic performance of hypothetical (co-)pyrolysis plants at commercial scale. The RS production is estimated in 36 districts of Punjab, Pakistan through GIS mapping and the location and capacity of the plants are selected accordingly. The RS plant has the lowest capital and annual operating costs of $53.70 million and $43.70 million, respectively however, it is not economically feasible under current conditions due to its low quantity and quality of the produced oil. The base cases of SRT and co-feed (RS and SRT) plants are found to be viable with capital costs of $66.90 million and $68.30 million, and annual operating costs of $77.20 million and $70.30 million respectively. The co-pyrolysis plant produces the highest oil (main product) yield of 74 kilotons annually and power of 4801 KWe with the lowest unit production cost of $950/tonne. Consequently, the co-pyrolysis plant offers the highest economic performance with $35.55 million of net present value (NPV) estimated at a discount rate of 15% over 20 years of plant life. The payback period (PBT), internal rate of return (IRR) and gross margin (GM) are 5.08 years, 34.67% and 21.35% respectively. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the NPV is sensitive to the oil selling price, feedstock cost, and capital investment for all plants. Moreover, economy of scale analysis quantified the effects of different processing capacities on the economic metrics such as NPV, PBT, capital cost, and operating cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]