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Global concern over socioeconomic activities' environmental impact is undeniable, given their implications for climate and human welfare. In our study, we analyze Pakistan's landscape, with emphasis on the effects of electricity generation and consumption (both symmetric and asymmetric), energy trade, and the role of information and communication technology (ICT). We harnessed data from 1993 to 2020, sourced from World Development Indicators, Climate Watch, and the USA EIA. Our analysis involved application of the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag model and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing methods. Our results reveal that electricity consumption, whether experiencing positive or negative shocks, exhibits a tendency to elevate emissions over the long term. Similarly, shocks in electricity generation from fossil fuels, whether positive or negative, have adverse environmental consequences both in the short and long run. A negative shock in electricity generation from renewable and alternative sources triggers environmental degradation. Remarkably, nuclear energy plays a pivotal role in bolstering environmental sustainability in Pakistan. Conversely, we identified factors contributing to ecological degradation, including imports of coal, crude oil, metallurgical coke, and ICT usage, in the long run. Equally, trade and natural resources rent emerge as mitigating factors over time. Ultimately, our study underscores the importance of diversifying the energy mix, with a particular emphasis on expanding the renewable sources for reducing emissions and fostering environmental sustainability in Pakistan. Additionally, our research suggests that leveraging natural resources rent and trade capabilities can pave the way for an eco-friendlier future in the country. This study assesses the environmental impact of electricity generation by source, electricity consumption, energy trade, and ICTs in Pakistan. The findings confirm that both positive and negative shocks in fossil fuel electricity generation and consumption detrimentally affect the environment. Coal, crude oil, metallurgical coke imports, and ICTs degrade the environment, while nuclear electricity generation, natural resources rent, and trade improve it. Integrating energy diversification with focus on promoting renewable energy sources has the potential to significantly reduce emissions and advance long-run environmental sustainability. Strategically utilizing natural resources rent and trade capabilities can aid in establishing an environmental sustainability in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate Quantum Long Short-Term Memory and Quantum Gated Recurrent Unit integrated with Variational Quantum Circuits in modeling complex dynamical systems, including the Van der Pol oscillator, coupled oscillators, and the Lorenz system. We implement these advanced quantum machine learning techniques and compare their performance with traditional Long Short-Term Memory and Gated Recurrent Unit models. The results of our study reveal that the quantum-based models deliver superior precision and more stable loss metrics throughout 100 epochs for both the Van der Pol oscillator and coupled harmonic oscillators, and 20 epochs for the Lorenz system. The Quantum Gated Recurrent Unit outperforms competing models, showcasing notable performance metrics. For the Van der Pol oscillator, it reports MAE 0.0902 and RMSE 0.1031 for variable x and MAE 0.1500 and RMSE 0.1943 for y; for coupled oscillators, Oscillator 1 shows MAE 0.2411 and RMSE 0.2701 and Oscillator 2 MAE is 0.0482 and RMSE 0.0602; and for the Lorenz system, the results are MAE 0.4864 and RMSE 0.4971 for x, MAE 0.4723 and RMSE 0.4846 for y, and MAE 0.4555 and RMSE 0.4745 for z. These outcomes mark a significant advancement in the field of quantum machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector faces the dual challenge of enhancing crop productivity and mitigating environmental impacts. Optimizing nutrient management is vital for sustainable agriculture, particularly in sloping terrains like the Himalayan region, where damaged soils require restoration. This study explores the synergistic effects of urea, poultry manure, and zeolite on wheat growth and yield in degraded mountainous soils. A total of twelve treatments were implemented in a randomized complete block design, replicated three times. The treatments included a control (T1); urea nitrogen at 120 kg N ha−1 (UN120) (T2); poultry manure (PM) at 120 kg N ha−1 (T3); zeolite-1 (Z1) at 5 t ha−1 (T4); zeolite-2 (Z2) at 5 t ha−1 (T5); UN120 + Z1 (T6); PM + Z1 (T7); UN120 + Z2 (T8); PM + Z2 (T9); ½ UN + ½ PM + Z1 (T10); ½ UN + ½ PM + Z2 (T11); and ½ UN + ½ PM + ½ Z1 + ½ Z2 (T12). The UN120 treatment demonstrated significant improvements in wheat growth, with notable increases in shoot length (79.7%), shoot fresh weight (50.8%), root length (50.6%), chlorophyll content (53.6%), and leaf area (72.5%) compared to the control. Wheat yield and its components experienced significant improvements when treated with urea nitrogen (UN) and zeolites. Among these treatments, UN120 exhibited the highest efficacy. Nutrient content analysis revealed substantial increases in shoot nitrogen (70.6%), phosphorus (33.3%), and potassium (15.6%) with UN120 treatment compared to the control. The concoction of UN and PM with zeolites further enhanced nutrient levels. Integrating mineral nitrogen sources with organic amendments and zeolites proved effective in enhancing wheat productivity in degraded mountainous soils. Despite positive results, further research is essential for widespread recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated nutrient management is an environment friendly approach of plant nutrition being used for crop productivity and improvement in soil quality on sustainable basis. A three-year multi-location experiment was conducted to estimate the spice quality of saffron subjected to the integration of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources. At each location, the experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design. The treatments were T1 = control (without organic/inorganic N source/amendment); T2 = Full recommended nitrogen (i.e. urea fertilizer @ equivalent to 100 kg N ha−1; UN100); T3 = Poultry manure (PM) @ equivalent to 100 kg total N ha−1 (i.e. PM100); T4 = Farm yard manure (FYM) @ equivalent to 100 kg total N ha−1 (i.e. FYM100); T5 = PM50+FYM50; T6 = UN75 + PM25; T7 = UN50 + PM50; T8 = UN25 + PM75; T9 = UN75 + FYM25; T10 = UN50 + FYM50; T11 = UN25 + FYM75 and T12 = UN50 + PM25+ FYM25. Among treatments, poultry manure (100%) and urea nitrogen with poultry manure (UN50 + PM50) significantly affected the quality attributes of saffron. On the other hand, among sites, the crocin, picrocrocin and saffranal contents were in order of Khaigala (23.81% crocin, 20.01% picrocrocin and 0.27% saffranal) >Trarkhel (19.04% crocin, 16.99% picrocrocin and 0.25% saffranal) and > Abbaspur (17.80% crocin, 15.45% picrocrocin and 0.23% saffranal). Similarly, among years, the crocin, picrocrocin and saffranal contents were significantly higher in the third year compared to the first and second year. In conclusion, the integration of organic nitrogen sources with inorganic nitrogen has the potential to improve saffron quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify sugareane genotypes that eombine high yield and stability aeross environments to identify best potential eultivars of sugareane for a region during the years 201718 and 2018-19. Fourteen sugareane genotypes under varietal development programme of Sugareane Research Institute, Faisalabad were evaluated in two different loeations of northern region in Punjab, Pakistan for their yield response and stability in that eeology, The research trials was earried out in randomized eomplete bloek design with three replieates. The sugareane genotype S2005-US-54 stand best performer by aehieving eane yield of 122 t/ha and sugar yield of 15.52 t/ha at Bhalwal, while sugareane genotype CPF-253 and CPF-252 produeed high eane yield of 129 t/ha, 125 t/ha and sugar yield of 16.69 t/ha, 15.25 t/ha at Chelianwala respeetively. The adaptability and stability studies of fourteen genotypes eoneluded that CPF-253, S2005-US-54, CPF-252 produeed the highest eane yield of 123.5 t/ha, 121.5 t/ha, 115t/ha respeetively and most of the produetive genotypes being high yielding ability was best suited for planting in northern agro-eeologies in Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial neural networks have changed many fields by giving scientists a strong way to model complex phenomena. They are also becoming increasingly useful for solving various difficult scientific problems. Still, people keep trying to find faster and more accurate ways to simulate dynamic systems. This research explores the transformative capabilities of physics-informed neural networks, a specialized subset of artificial neural networks, in modeling complex dynamical systems with enhanced speed and accuracy. These networks incorporate known physical laws into the learning process, ensuring predictions remain consistent with fundamental principles, which is crucial when dealing with scientific phenomena. This study focuses on optimizing the application of this specialized network for simultaneous system dynamics simulations and learning time-varying parameters, particularly when the number of unknowns in the system matches the number of undetermined parameters. Additionally, we explore scenarios with a mismatch between parameters and equations, optimizing network architecture to enhance convergence speed, computational efficiency, and accuracy in learning the time-varying parameter. Our approach enhances the algorithm's performance and accuracy, ensuring optimal use of computational resources and yielding more precise results. Extensive experiments are conducted on four different dynamical systems: first-order irreversible chain reactions, biomass transfer, the Brusselsator model, and the Lotka-Volterra model, using synthetically generated data to validate our approach. Additionally, we apply our method to the susceptible-infected-recovered model, utilizing real-world COVID-19 data to learn the time-varying parameters of the pandemic's spread. A comprehensive comparison between the performance of our approach and fully connected deep neural networks is presented, evaluating both accuracy and computational efficiency in parameter identification and system dynamics capture. The results demonstrate that the physics-informed neural networks outperform fully connected deep neural networks in performance, especially with increased network depth, making them ideal for real-time complex system modeling. This underscores the physics-informed neural network's effectiveness in scientific modeling in scenarios with balanced unknowns and parameters. Furthermore, it provides a fast, accurate, and efficient alternative for analyzing dynamic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil productivity and fertility tends to decline if the nutrient requirement of an intensive cropping system is not managed prudently. Long term use of sole chemical fertilizers exhausts the indigenous pools of carbon and non-applied nutrients. It was a two factorial quadruplicated in randomized complete block design (RCBD) field experiment. Factor-1 treatments were cultivation of sole sugarcane and sugar beet, along with intercropping of both. Factor-2 included organic amendments, viz., farmyard manure (FM), press mud (PM) and compost (CP) used at (10 t/ha) with fertilizer rates (100, 250 Kg/ha) each of N-P2O5-K2O. Crop yield attributes and sugar yield data gave non-significantly difference between intercrops and cultivation of sugarcane and sugar beet sole, although there were slightly higher values for planting sole. Higher dose of NPK viz., 250 Kg/ha combined with FM gave better response regarding crop and sugar production and maximum economic returns. Sugarcane sugar beet intercropping proved financially higher to outdatedfarming system through integrated plant nutrient management. Among organic amendments, CP performed lower, while FM rendered upper values of crop and sugar production at both rates of fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen peroxide acts as a byproduct of oxidative metabolism, and oxidative stress caused by its excess amount, causes different types of cancer. Thus, fast and cost-friendly analytical methods need to be developed for H2O2. Ionic liquid (IL)-coated cobalt (Co)-doped cerium oxide (CeO2)/activated carbon (C) nanocomposite has been used to assess the peroxidase-like activity for the colorimetric detection of H2O2. Both activated C and IL have a synergistic effect on the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites to catalyze the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The Co-doped CeO2/activated C nanocomposite has been synthesized by the co-precipitation method and characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR, SEM, EDX, Raman spectroscopy, and XRD. The prepared nanocomposite was functionalized with IL to avoid agglomeration. H2O2 concentration, incubation time, pH, TMB concentration, and quantity of the capped nanocomposite were tuned. The proposed sensing probe gave a limit of detection of 1.3 × 10−8 M, a limit of quantification of 1.4 × 10−8 M, and an R2 of 0.999. The sensor gave a colorimetric response within 2 min at pH 6 at room temperature. The co-existing species did not show any interference during the sensing probe. The proposed sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity and was used to detect H2O2 in cancer patients' urine samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundedness nature and persistence, global and local behavior, and rate of convergence of positive solutions of a second-order system of exponential difference equations, is investigated in this work. Where the parameters A , B , C , α , β , γ , δ , η , and ξ are constants that are positive, and the initials U − 1 , U 0 , V − 1 , V 0 , W − 1 , and W 0 are non-negative real numbers. Some examples are provided to support our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a two dimensional partial differential integral equation (PDIE) model for pricing American option. A nonlinear rationality parameter function for two asset problems is introduced to deal with the free boundary. The rationality parameter function is added in the PDIEs used for pricing American option problems under multi‐state regime switching with jumps. The resulting two dimensional nonlinear system of PDIE is then numerically solved. Based on real poles rational approximation, a strongly stable highly efficient and reliable method is developed to solve such complicated systems of PIDEs. The method is build in a predictor corrector style which makes it linearly implicit, therefore, avoids solving nonlinear systems of equations at each time step in all regimes. The method is seen to maintain the stability and convergence for large jump sizes and high volatility in each regime. The impact of regime switching on option prices corresponding to different values interest rate, volatility, and rationality parameter is computed, illustrated by graphs and given in the tables. Convergence results in each regime are presented and time evolution graphs are given to show the effectiveness and reliability of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a rational difference equation with positive parameters and non-negative conditions is used to determine the presence and direction of the Neimark–Sacker bifurcation. The neimark–Sacker bifurcation of the system is first studied using the characteristic equation. In addition, we study bifurcation invariant curves from the perspective of normal form theory. A computer simulation is used to illustrate the analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research manifesto has a comprehensive discussion of the global dynamics of an achievable discrete-time two predators and one prey Lotka–Volterra model in three dimensions, i.e., in the space R 3 . In some assertive parametric circumstances, the discrete-time model has eight equilibrium points among which one is a special or unique positive equilibrium point. We have also investigated the local and global behavior of equilibrium points of an achievable three-dimensional discrete-time two predators and one prey Lotka–Volterra model. The conversion of a continuous-type model into its discrete counterpart model has been completed by adopting a dynamically consistent nonstandard difference scheme with the end goal that the equilibrium points are conserved in twin cases. The difficulty lies in how to find all fixed points O , P , Q , R , S , T , U , V and the Jacobian matrix and its characteristic polynomial at the unique positive fixed point. For that purpose, we use Mathematica software to find the equilibrium points and all of the Jacobian matrices at those equilibrium points. Moreover, we discuss boundedness conditions for every solution and prove the existence of a unique positive equilibrium point. We discuss the local stability of the obtained system about all of its equilibrium points. The discrete Lotka–Volterra model in three dimensions is given by system (3), where parameters α , β , γ , δ , ζ , η , μ , ε , υ , ρ , σ , ω ∈ R + and initial conditions x 0 , y 0 , z 0 are positive real numbers. Additionally, the rate of convergence of a solution that converges to a unique positive equilibrium point is discussed. To represent theoretical perceptions, some numerical debates are introduced, including phase portraits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofortification in crops is an effective and sustainable approach to reduce global malnutrition. Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) is inherently low in micronutrients, especially iron. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the effect of siderophore producing bacterial strains (SPBs) on growth, yield and iron content of groundnut. Three efficient SPBs identified as Bacillus subtilis and their consortia were used alone and with soil or foliar applied iron. The results revealed that the inoculation of SPBs alone and combination with soil applied Fe, showed maximum relative increase of 63 and 86 percent in shoot fresh and dry weight respectively. Likewise, the number of pods plant−1, pod weight plant−1, 20 pod length and 100 kernel weight of groundnut were increased significantly in response to sole application SPBs and their combinations with soil applied (SA) or foliar applied (FA) iron. Moreover, nutrient (N, P, K, Zn & Fe) concentrations in kernel and straw were also showed significant differences in all treatments. Findings further revealed that the combined application of SPBs + Fe-SA increased total Fe-uptake of groundnut between 24.14 to 49.75 percent while for SPBs + Fe-FA treatment this increase varied between 14.73 to 45.72 percent (over to the SPBs alone) The overall results indicated that SPBs have the potential to increase growth, yield and nutrient contents of groundnut which advocate that microbial-mediated Fe biofortification of groundnut could be a promising strategy to ameliorate Fe deficiency-induced disordering in human beings especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we deal with the form and the periodicity of the solutions of the max-type system of difference equations u n + 1 = max A n / v n − 1 , u n − 1 , v n + 1 = max B n / w n − 1 , w n + 1 = max C n / u n − 1 , w n − 1 where the initial conditions u − 1 , u 0 ∈ 0 , ∞ , v − 1 , v 0 ∈ 0 , ∞ , w − 1 , w 0 ∈ 0 , ∞ and A n n ∈ N 0 , B n n ∈ N 0 , C n n ∈ N 0 are positive two-periodic sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gasses are proposed and analyzed as solar heat transfer fluids in a commercial PTSC. • Energetic and exergetic modeling of the proposed system is presented. • Output is increased from 1148.86 kW to 1442.66 kW by rise of SHTF from 525 to 645 °C. • Exergy efficiency is increased from 5.74% to 8.39% when x rises from 0.5 to 0.9. • System produces 34.07% exergy with 64.01% exergy destroyed and 1.92% exergy loss. This communication develops a novel cooling-power cogeneration system consisting of a parabolic trough collector utilizes gasses as the medium for solar to heat conversion, and the Kalina cycle integrated series-flow double effect LiBr-H 2 O absorption chiller to generate electricity and large cooling, simultaneously. By developing a thermal model, a simulation through EES is conducted to investigate the influence of internal tube diameter of absorber and solar irradiation on the exit temperature of SHTF and flowing mass of the working fluid of Kalina cycle. It is determined that for the given inlet temperature and solar irradiation, the outlet temperature of SHTF is declined when the internal diameter of absorber tube is increased. The effect of change in SHTF, pressure at expander entry, and the concentration of ammonia-water basic solution on electrical power produced, refrigeration capacity, exergy of refrigeration, efficiencies of the cogeneration cycle are investigated. The cogeneration cycle with helium operated PTSC indicates better results than the use of air and CO 2 as SHTF. Increase in the outlet temperature of SHTF (helium) leads to considerable increase in electrical power, refrigeration capacity, and exergy of refrigeration. The breaking down of solar exergy supplied to developed configuration reveals an exergy destruction of the order of 64.01% along with the exergy loss to environment of 1.92%, and exergy of refrigeration of 4.65% with generated power exergy of 29.42%, respectively. The computational results of present investigation are compared with the theoretically published data and a good agreement is found between these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor postharvest handling, microbial infestation, and high respiration rate are some the factors are responsible for poor storage life of perishable commodities. Therefore, effective preservation of these commodities is needed to lower the damages and extend shelf life. Preservation is regarded as the action taken to maintain desired properties of a perishable commodity as long as possible. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is perishable fruit with high nutritive value; however, has very short shelf-life. Therefore, effective preservation and drying is needed to extend its storage life. Drying temperature and preservatives significantly influence the quality of perishable vegetables and fruits during drying. The current study investigated the effect of different temperatures and preservatives on drying kinetics and organoleptic quality attributes of persimmon. Persimmon fruits were treated with preservatives (25% honey, 25% aloe vera, 2% sodium benzoate, 1% potassium metabisulfite, and 2% citric acid solutions) under different drying temperatures (40, 45, and 50°C). All observed parameters were significantly affected by individual effects of temperatures and preservatives, except ash contents. Similarly, interactive effects were significant for all parameters except total soluble sugars, ash contents, and vitamin C. Generally, fruits treated with citric acid and dried under 50°C had 8.2% moisture loss hour-1, 14.9 drying hours, 0.030 g H2O g-1 hr-1, 1.23° Brix of total soluble solids, 6.71 pH, 1.35% acidity, and 6.3 mg vitamin C. These values were better than the rest of the preservatives and drying temperatures used in the study. Therefore, treating fruits with citric acid and drying at 50°C was found a promising technique to extend storage life of persimmon fruits. It is recommended that persimmon fruits dried at 50°C and preserved in citric acid can be used for longer storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present studies on maintaining, effective energy providers and storage systems have developed because of problems with energy limitations, fossil fuel depletion and pollution. Spinel oxide nanocomposite electrode material is a superior remedy for supercapacitors (SC s). Herein, we synthesized MnAl 2 O 4 and MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposites using the sonication method for energy storage devices. The manufactured material's morphology, interfacial area and structural features were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer Teller Emmett analyses (BET) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The crystalline nature of MnAl 2 O 4 and MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanosheets was observed by the XRD analysis. The electrochemical performance of the manufactured material was determined utilizing nickel foam (NF) as a conductive surface and 2.0 M KOH electrolyte, galvanostatic charging-discharging (GCD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) study. Electrochemical outcomes showed that MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposite exhibits specific capacitance (C s) of 1490.07 F/g at 1.0 A/g with high cyclic stability over 5000th cycles. Furthermore, an energy and power density of 55.96 Wh/kg and 260 W/Kg, correspondingly, were exhibited by MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposite pseudocapacitors. Compared to MnAl 2 O 4 (0.47 Ω) the charge transfer resistance (R ct) value for MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO (0.12 Ω) was smaller calculated via Nyquist plot and exhibited steady behaviour for 50 h. The outstanding potential of the electrode material MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO was highlighted in this work, along with a novel method for producing multi-element composite materials at a reasonable cost and with excellent performance that could find use in a variety of supercapacitor and upcoming energy storage applications. [Display omitted] • MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized via sonication method for supercapacitor applications. • The charge transfer resistance (R ct) value 0.12 Ω of MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposite was notably low. • MnAl 2 O 4 /ZnO nanocomposite demonstrated exceptional high cyclic stability over 5000th cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biggest problems encountered by the world right now are energy demand and environmental damage because of the exploitation of fossil fuels. Producing and storing energy in an environment-friendly way is increasingly crucial due to the exhaustion of non-renewable resources. Developing a robust energy storing system is essential for efficient energy storage, specifically for renewable energy sources. In this study, tin selenide and manganese telluride (SnSe–MnTe) nanocomposite was synthesized via a sonication method for supercapacitor application. Different physical techniques confirmed the enhanced structural and morphological attributes observed for the SnSe–MnTe nanocomposite. During electrochemical investigations, the SnSe–MnTe nanocomposite exhibited specific capacitance, specific energy (S E) and specific power (S P) of 1502 F/g, 61.05 Wh/kg and 270.5 W/kg at 1.0 A/g, correspondingly. Furthermore, it exhibited outstanding cyclic stability, maintaining its performance across 5000th cycles in an electrolyte (2.0 M KOH). Compared to SnSe (1.25 Ω) and MnTe (0.69 Ω), the charge transfer resistance (R ct) value for SnSe–MnTe (0.3 Ω) was smaller calculated via Nyquist plot. Therefore, transition metal chalcogenide-based nanocomposite has an excellent potential as electrode material for supercapacitor (SC s) and it can also be utilized in different energy storage devices. [Display omitted] • A simple sonication method was used for manufacturing of SnSe/MnTe nanocomposite • SnSe/MnTe nanocomposite displayed higher specific capacitance. • SnSe, MnTe and SnSe/MnTe nanocomposite exhibited R ct of 1.25, 0.69 and 0.30 Ω, correspondingly. • The fascinated electrochemical results were attributed to greater electronic conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrete models are versatile and effective tools for assessing and addressing a wide range of scientific and practical problems. As a type of discrete model, the difference equation model has been widely employed in domains such as algorithm analysis, signal processing, biology, economics, and computer science. The global dynamical behavior of a class of discrete models known as the max-type difference equation model is the subject of the research. The purpose of this work is to look into the behavior of the solution of the following four-order max-type difference equation: z i + 1 = max A i / z i , z i − 3 , i = 0,1,2 , .... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although women's activism has existed in Pakistan since its inception, the country witnessed a new type of activism in the shape of the "Aurat March" in 2019 and 2020 onwards. This study investigates the history, aspirations, and outcomes of Western feminism. Using discourse analysis, this study investigates women's activism in Pakistan, the 'Aurat March, and the public hostility met by organizers and supporters as a result of the event's strange chants and comical signs. Pakistan is more than just a Muslim country; it is also a Third World country with a brief postcolonial history and this inquiry delves into the intricate web of Islamic culture and feminism at work there. This article examines the 'Aurat March' movement in Western civilization for social, cultural, and religious transformation, as well as its relationship to feminism. Instead of focusing on minor issues, the study also emphasizes the need of women's rights advocates raising a rational and effective public voice with widespread support if we are to finally abolish social evils. Women's rights in the context of western feminism have been compared with limits on women's emancipation in the Islamic context, and a framework has been proposed to clarify this distinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, the Riesz derivative and the fractional Laplacian are equivalent on ℝ. But they generally are not equivalent with each other on any proper subset of ℝ. In this paper, we focus on the difference between them on the proper subset of ℝ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across many fields, such as engineering, ecology, and social science, fuzzy differences are becoming more widely used; there is a wide variety of applications for difference equations in real-life problems. Our study shows that the fuzzy difference equation of sixth order has a nonnegative solution, an equilibrium point and asymptotic behavior. y i + 1 = D y i − 1 y i − 2 / E + F y i − 3 + G y i − 4 + H y i − 5 , i = 0,1,2 , ... , where y i is the sequence of fuzzy numbers and the parameter D , E , F , G , H and the initial condition y − 5 , y − 4 , y − 3 , y − 2 , y − 1 , y 0 are nonnegative fuzzy number. The characterization theorem is used to convert each single fuzzy difference equation into a set of two crisp difference equations in a fuzzy environment. So, a pair of crisp difference equations is formed by converting the difference equation. The stability of the equilibrium point of a fuzzy system has been evaluated. By using variational iteration techniques and inequality skills as well as a theory of comparison for fuzzy difference equations, we investigated the governing equation dynamics, such as its boundedness, existence, and local and global stability analysis. In addition, we provide some numerical solutions for the equation describing the system to verify our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New design of central receiver is proposed to enhance the rate of solar to heat conversion. • Energetic and exergetic modeling is presented for the combined power and refrigeration system. • DNI and coil diameter have a significant effect on variation of temperature of oil in the receiver. • Performance of the system is influenced at large by the change in type of ORC working fluid. This communication presents the implementation of a central receiver where helically coiled tubes are employed in order to enhance the rate of solar to heat conversion, which is the energy source that drives a cogeneration cycle which consists of organic Rankine cycle and the ejector-absorption refrigeration cycle. A numerical simulation with the application of computational fluid dynamics using the ANSYS-FLUENT package was conducted to examine the effect of the coil diameter and inlet oil (Duratherm 600) temperature on the pressure and temperature of solar heat transfer fluid (SHTF) which leaves the receiver. It is found that for inlet temperature of 92°C and direct normal irradiations of 850 W/m2, the outlet temperature of solar heat transfer fluid is raised by 9% when the coil diameter increased from 150 to 400 mm. Further, cogeneration cycle response to altering operating parameters is also investigated. From 100% radiative solar energy supplied to cogeneration cycle, it is revealed that fluids of organic Rankine cycle; R141b, R600a, and R143a produce the energetic output as 20.64%, 15.04%, and 8.33%, respectively, and the remaining solar input energy is lost to environment through temperature difference. The exergy distribution shows that for R141b operated cycle out of 100% solar exergy, 16.79% is produced as exergetic output, 81.94% is the exergy destroyed, and the remaining 1.27% is the exergy loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress during the crop growing season is one of the major threats to higher productivity of maize. The present study was conducted to evaluate the role of beneficial fungus and antioxidants for improving drought tolerance of maize under field conditions. Treatments comprised of three different factors including (1) two levels of available moisture contents (70% and 30% available moisture contents; AMC), (2) seed treatment (untreated seeds and 20 μl g-1 fungus treated seeds) and (3) foliar application of antioxidants (glutathione, ascorbic acid) and fungal suspension. Drought stress decreased the morphological, growth and yield related attributes of maize compared with well-watered treatments. Averaged across the years, the reduction in root and shoot length was 30.5% and 20% respectively and the yield was reduced up to 48% under stress. Rate of lipid peroxidation as well as the production of antioxidants was generally increased under drought, however, seed treatment and foliar spray was effective in enhancing the maize growth and yield under stress condition by suppressing the production of reactive oxygen species. Averaged across the years, maize plants emerged from fungus treated seeds recorded significantly lower activities of SOD (79%), POD (41%) and CAT (84%) and enhanced the yield of maize by 48%. All the foliar spray treatments (fungal suspension, glutathione and ascorbic acid) triggered or at least helped in maintaining the antioxidant defense system of maize plants. Averaged across the years; increase in yield of maize due to foliar spray of fungal suspension, glutathione and ascorbic acid was 69%, 53% and 31%, respectively under drought. In crux, seed treatment with fungus, and foliar spray of glutathione were effective in enhancing the maize drought tolerance and such effects were attributed to alleviate the oxidative damage and maintenance of photosynthetic pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Under current scenario of High cost of Production of Sugarcane crop, it is need of time to decide specific seed rate for individual varieties. Sugarcane seed contributes to 10-20% of cost of production and farmers invests about Rs. 20000/- per acre on planting material. The costs of seed can be curtailed by optimizing seed rate. Similarly, seed rate varies with different varieties. In this view, a field experiment was carried out to optimize the seed rate of promising sugarcane clones. Methods: A field experiment was carried using randomized complete block design with factorial arrangements having three replications at Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad during 2016-17 and 2017-18. Result: The results revealed that maximum cane diameter was recorded for S2008-AUS-133 at seed rate of 25000 and 50000 triple budded setts/ha. However; maximum number of canes/ha were recorded for S2008-AUS-133 at seed rate of 75000 setts/ha followed by HSF-240 at 75000 setts/ha. Maximum cane yield was noted for HSF-240 at seed rate of 75000 followed by S2008-AUS-133 at seed rate of 50000 and lowest can yield was recorded in S2003-US-127 at seed rate of 25000 triple budded setts/ha. Genotypic and phenotypic variances were higher for plant height (381.63, 133.91 cm) and cane yield (406.50, 330.65 kg/plot). Genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variances were moderate for number of tillers (11.6%, 15.44%) and higher for cane yield (20.24%, 22.44%). It means that variability in 4 genotypes for cane yield was higher. Thus variety S2008-AUS-133 showed better performance at seed rate 75000 while during selection, number of tillers and height should be considered for further breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional fumigants, used to control stored grain insect pests, have not only led to environmental and health concerns, but also raised insecticide resistance development in insect pests. Their efficiency is diminishing owing to variable degree of application, accuracy, exposure time, conditions and frequency of usage. Red Flour Beetle (RFB), Tribolium castaneum, is pest of high economic importance in stored grain products. It was trialed for evaluation of entomotoxicity of plant essential oils (Calotropis procera, Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Datura stramonium and Nicotiana tabacum) and phosphine gas at various concentrations alone and synergistically. Results depicted that essential oil of N. tabacum and phosphine gas caused the highest mortality (65% and 80%, respectively) at their highest concentrations (15% and 500 ppm). The highest synergistic toxic effect was observed for N. tabacum and A. indica essential oils at 500 ppm + 15% combination while the least synergistic toxic effect was observed in E. camaldulensis (37% mortality) with respect to the control treatment. Progeny development in the treated RFB females was significantly suppressed by the higher concentrations of plant essential oils and phosphine gas. Similarly, Phosphine combinations with N. tabacum and C. procera significantly suppressed the F1 progeny multifold as compared to control treatment. Eco-friendly biopesticides based on plant extracts or oils, with affirmative synergism, can be integrated as part of management module to control stored grain insect pests for a safer food storage and supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the trends of precipitation and temperature extremes for the historical observations (1961–1990) and future period (2061–2090) in the Jhelum River Basin. Future trends are estimated by using ensemble mean of three general circulation models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Therefore, statistical downscaling model has been used to downscale the future precipitation and temperature. A total of 15 precipitation and temperature indices were calculated using the RClimdex package. Man-Kendall and Sen's slope tests were used to detect the trends in climate extreme indices. Overall, the results of study indicate that there were significant changes in precipitation and temperature patterns as well as in the climate extremes in the basin for both observed as well as projected climate. Generally, more warming and increase in precipitation were observed, which increases from RCP4.5 to RCP8.5. For all the stations, increasing trends were found for both precipitation and temperature for twenty-first century at a 95% significance level. The frequency of warm days (TX90p), warm nights (TN90p), and summer days (SU25) showed significant increasing trends, alternatively the number of cold nights (TN10p) and cold days (TX10p) exhibited opposite behaviors. In addition, an increasing trend of warmest day (TXx) and coldest day (TNn) was observed. Our analysis also reveals that the number of very wet days (R90p) and heavy precipitation days (R10 mm) will likely increase in the future. Meanwhile, the Max 1-day (RX1-day) and 5-day (RX5-day) precipitation indices showed increasing trends at most of the stations of basin. The results of the study is of potential benefit for decision-makers to develop basin wide appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures to combat climate change and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weeds are one of major threats to crop yield and quality. Weeds compete with cane crop and reduce the yield significantly in a very short period. Planned use of all available farm resources leads to integrated control strategy. The current study aimed to study the use of inter row rotary weeder for integrated weeds management to control population dynamics of weeds in sugarcane crop. The objective of experiment is to find out economical, feasible and easy to use approach to minimize the weed density below the threshold level in sugarcane crop and to minimize the use of chemicals for weeds control to promote organic farming. Methods: In this research experiment, at Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad during 2017 and 2018, the treatment includes viz. Application od Click (atrazine and acetochlor) @ 3.75 Liter per hectare as Pre-emergence, Ametryn + Atrazine 80 W.P @ 2.50 kg per hectare as post-emergence, Machanical Inter-culture with Rotary weeder and cultivator plough and earthing up. These treatments in different combinations were compared with control. Result: The application of Pre-emergence weedicide Click (atrazine and acetochlor) @ 3.75 Liter per hectare + Inter culture with Rotary weeder 50 days after planting (DAP) + Inter culture with cultivator plough before earthing up (100 DAP) produced significantly higher cane yield of 105 t. ha-1 and highest net benefits per hectare of Rs. 156250/-. The lowest cane yield of 70 t. ha-1 was noted from the experimental units with Weedy check / control. If farmers use this approach, the use of post emergence weedicides will be minimized and will encourage organic farming with safe and healthy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the boundedness character and persistence, local and global behavior, and rate of convergence of positive solutions of following system of rational difference equations x n + 1 = α 1 + β 1 e − y n a 1 + b 1 x n , y n + 1 = α 2 + β 2 e − z n a 2 + b 2 y n , z n + 1 = α 3 + β 3 e − x n a 3 + b 3 z n , wherein the parameters α i , β i , a i , b i for i ∈ { 1 , 2 , 3 } and the initial conditions x 0 , y 0 , z 0 are positive real numbers. Some numerical examples are given to verify our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the equilibrium points, local asymptotic stability of equilibrium points, global behavior of equilibrium points, boundedness and periodicity of the rational recursive sequence w n + 1 = w n − p α + β w n / γ w n + δ w n − r , where γ w n ≠ − δ w n − r for r ∈ 0 , ∞ , α , β , γ , δ ∈ 0 , ∞ , and r > p ≥ 0. With initial values w − p , w − p + 1 , ... , w − r , w − r + 1 , ... , w − 1 , and w 0 are positive real numbers. Some numerical examples are given to verify our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is indispensable for the growth and metabolism of all living organisms but its availability in soil is limited due to very low solubility of dominant ferric iron (Fe3+). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) have the ability to synthesize low molecular weight siderophores having high affinity for iron. Considering the siderophore-producing ability of PGPRs, a study was designed to isolate potential siderophore-producing bacteria from the rhizosphere of groundnut grown in the Potohar region. A total of 120 (MGS-1 to MGS-120) different bacterial isolates were obtained and screened for siderophore production. Under the quantitative estimation of siderophores, the maximum (73%) siderophore production was observed in MGS-14 followed by MGS-11 (69%) and MGS-91 (68%). Furthermore, these isolates were used for the incubation study which was conducted to evaluate the effect of SPB isolates on iron release in the soil. The soil was incubated at 28°C for 96 days and field capacity was maintained with distilled water from time to time. The results of the study revealed that the three SPB isolates (MGS-11, MGS-14, and MGS-91) which produced maximum siderophore units (>60% SU) showed an increase in iron release and 82%, 71%, and 69% over control on 32nd day of incubation, respectively. Moreover, the efficient bacterial isolates were characterized through 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The identified bacterial isolates were Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus halotolerans, and Bacillus safensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic amendments in the soil perform better than synthetic fertilizers in regards to soil fertility and sustainable crop productivity. Experiments were conducted to compare the effects of organic and synthetic fertilizers on soil fertility and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity. Soil fertility and protein contents of wheat grains (13.2% and 13.3% during 2005–06 and 2006–07, respectively) were improved by organic amendments. However, synthetic fertilizer (at the rate of 150, 100, and 60 kg ha−1 N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively) applications resulted in the maximum grain yield (4.05 and 4.46 t ha−1 during 2005–06 and 2006–07, respectively). The observed and simulated soil organic carbon (SOC) reasonably agreed during RothC model validation (R2 = 0.99). Economic analysis showed the maximum net profit and relative increase in income ($729 US ha−1 and 309%, respectively) from inorganic treatment. Application of synthetic fertilizers increased grain yield and farm profit while organic manure enhanced grain quality. The RothC model had potential for determining the SOC in organic farming under arid environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variety identification assists the imperative goals such as alleviating legal claims and indorsing intellectual property rights and maintenance of genetic purity. The study was undertaken to appraise sugarcane clones for morphological physical characteristics for their use in breeding program, selection, identification and seed production. Experiment consisting of nine clones was sown at experimental area, Sugarcane Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad during 2017 and 2018. The trial was replicated thrice. Data were documented on morphological features at ten months’ age of crop. There were important differences among the clones for stalk height, cane diameter, leaf blade width and leaf length. The growth habit of S-2008-FD-25 was erect and others were semi erect. Maximum height of 455 cm was seen in S-2009-SA-8. Maximum number of leaves per plant was observed in S-2008-AUS-133. Leaf colour of all clones was green and semi erect attitude. Spines were present on sheath of S-2008-AUS-134 only. The shape of dewlap of all clones were deltoid. Splits were present in S-2005-US-54, S-2011-FD-18 and M-2238-89. Bud grooves on internodes were present on S-2011-SL-62 and PSR-97-41. The internodes were of cylindrical shape. Flowering was absent in all the clones. The morphological descriptors presented for identification of the nine sugarcane clones are twenty-eight, that are distinctive and can be used for proof of identity, variety selection breeding and commercial seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A split-step predictor-corrector method, based on Adams-Moulton formula, is presented for the solution of nonlinear distributed-order space-fractional reaction-diffusion equations with time-dependent boundary conditions. The distributed-order space-fractional equation is first discretized to a multi-term space-fractional equation by applying a quadrature rule. Multi-term space-fractional equation is spatially discretized by matrix transfer technique and a linearly implicit split-step predictor-corrector method is applied for time-stepping to avoid solving nonlinear systems at each time step. The method is shown to be unconditionally stable and second order convergent. Numerical experiments are performed to confirm the stability and second order convergence of the method. The split-step predictor-corrector method is also compared with a second order IMEX predictor-corrector method. The IMEX predictor-corrector method is found to incur oscillatory behavior when implemented on problems with nonsmooth initial conditions or with mismatch between the initial and boundary conditions. Our method, which is an L -stable method, produces reliable and oscillation free results for such problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tau-leaping is a family of algorithms for the approximate simulation of the discrete state continuous time Markov chains. A motivation for the development of such methods can be found, for instance, in the fields of chemical kinetics and systems biology. It is known that the dynamical behavior of biochemical systems is often intrinsically stiff representing a serious challenge for their numerical approximation. The naive extension of stiff deterministic solvers to stochastic integration often yields numerical solutions with either impractically large relaxation times or incorrectly resolved covariance. In this paper, we propose a splitting heuristic which helps to resolve some of these issues. The proposed integrator contains a number of unknown parameters which are estimated for each particular problem from the moment equations of the corresponding linearized system. We show that this method is able to reproduce the exact mean and variance of the linear scalar test equation and demonstrates a good accuracy for the arbitrarily stiff systems at least in the linear case. The numerical examples for both linear and nonlinear systems are also provided, and the obtained results confirm the efficiency of the considered splitting approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a strategy to reduce the driving electric field of the relaxor 0.72Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 TiO 3 –0.28SrTiO 3 (BNT–28ST) by introducing ferroelectric plate–type Bi 1/2 (Na 0.78 K 0.22) 1/2 TiO 3 (BNKT) particles. Consequently, 10 vol.% BNKT added BNT–28ST/BNKT (relaxor/ferroelectric) composite has delivered large normalized strain (S max / E max = 650 pm/V) under relatively low applied field of 2.5 kV/mm with the reduction in the poling field value to 36% compared to that of pure BNT–28ST ceramics. We demonstrated that such behavior comes from the stress induced effect at the boundary of the ferroelectric and relaxor materials due to their different nature (relaxor/ferroelectric). The generation of stress is expected from the ferroelectric (BNKT) to the relaxor (BNT–28ST) at the boundary. Thereby, field–dependent stress at relaxor/ferroelectric phase boundary is monitored proposing the reduction of the poling field due to the strain coupling mechanism. Our findings provide a pathway for reducing the poling field in BNT–based incipient piezoelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this paper is to study the global stability character and the periodic nature of the solutions of the difference equation ... where the initial conditions x-r, x-r+1, x-r+2, ..., x0 are arbitrary positive real numbers, r = max{l, k, s, t} is nonnegative integer and a, b, c, d, e are positive constants. Finally, some numerical examples are presented and graphed by Matlab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this paper is to study the global stability character and the periodic nature of the solutions of the difference equation xn+1 = axn-l + b + cxn-k/dxn-s + exn-t, n = 0, 1, ..., where the initial conditions x-r, x-r+1, x-r+2, ..., x0 are arbitrary positive real numbers, r = max{l, k, s, t} is nonnegative integer and a, b, c, d, e are positive constants:Finally, some numerical examples are presented and graphed by Matlab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical exercises are considered as the most effective tool which has good effect on diverse illness behaviors of individuals. The aim of this research is to check effect of physical exercises on illness behavior. For this purpose, this research examined views of 100 psychiatric patients from services hospital, Lahore which were selected randomly. The results of study show that “physical exercises” has positive significant effect on illness behavior. This result is same result as propose in previous research. In future, this kind of research will also conduct on the other departments of different hospitals. This research can help the policy-makers of heath department to formulation of batter policies for promoting thoughts of physical exercises especially in psychiatric patients of the country. For generalizing the results, more researches on the other sectors like education sector, telecom sector may also have conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A novel solar powered trigeneration energy system is proposed. • The superiority of hydrocarbons and NH 3 -LiNO 3 as working fluid is debated. • The system performance is theoretically evaluated by energy and exergy methods. • High irreversibility rate occurs in the heliostat field, HRVG, and process heater. Abstract The present study focuses on energy and exergy analyses of the trigeneration system consisting of heliostat field, organic Rankine cycle with the heat exchanger, and ejector-absorption chiller which has the merits of refrigerating a thermal load of below than 0 °C with solar energy more efficiently along with the generation of process heat and electric power in an eco-friendly manner. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of varying the influencing operating variables on trigeneration system output, and its energy and exergy efficiencies. It is found that the exergetic output of isobutane operated system increases from 2562 kW to 4314 kW while for propane operated system it is raised from 1203 kW to 2028 kW when the direct normal irradiations are increased from 600 to 1000 W/m2. Results of energy and exergy utilization show that for isobutane ORC fluid, out of 100% solar energy supplied to the system 65.42% can be produced as energetic output and rest 34.58% is lost via thermal exhaust to ambient. On the other hand, out of 100% solar exergy supplied only 13.98% is the produced exergy, 84. 89% is the exergy destroyed due to irreversibilities, and rest 1.13% is the exergy loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this paper is to study the global stability character and the periodic nature of the solutions of the difference equation xn+1 = axn-l + b + cxn-k/dxn-s + exn-t, n = 0, 1, ..., where the initial conditions x-r, x-r+1, x-r+2, ..., x0 are arbitrary positive real numbers, r = max{l, k, s, t} is nonnegative integer and a, b, c, d, e are positive constants:Finally, some numerical examples are presented and graphed by Matlab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the antipyretic and cold sponging versus only antipyretic for treatment of fever. Material and Methods: This Randomize control trial was conducted at pediatrics department Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar - Pakistan, from August 2017 to December 2017.Total sample of 100 patients were selected randomly for study, written informed consent were taken from parents. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A was given only paracetamol while group B was given paracetamol and cold sponging was also applied, then temperature was checked at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes, discomfort was also noted at these intervals. Data was collected by predesigned questionnaire and processed by SPSS 17. Results: Out of total 100 patients 53(53%) were males while 47(47%) females. Mean age was 6.4±2.8 years with minimum of 2 and maximum of 13 years. We had noted that in group B i.e. those who were given antipyretics and applied cold sponging, the decrease of temperature was rapid than those who were given only antipyretics ie. Group A especially in first 30 minutes. Moreover after 2 hours the temperature reached to normal range in both groups but the decrease was more rapid in group B than group A. Conclusion: Fever treated with antipyretic and cold sponging fall faster in the first 30 mint and those treated with only antipyretic the temperature drop was a bit slower but at the end of two hours both reached the same level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The energetic and exergetic performance of a solar thermal power and ejector-absorption refrigeration system is investigated. R141b, R600a, R290, R717 and R143a were employed as the working fluids for ORC and NH 3 -LiNO 3 was utilized in the ejector-absorption cycle for cooling production. The energetic and exergetic output of PTC driven combined power and refrigeration cycle were evaluated along with the calculation of thermodynamic irreversibility. The distribution of solar exergy input to the cycle in term of exergy produced, destroyed due to irreversibility, and loss due to thermal exhaust to the ambient was computed and compared with the traditional energy distribution. The maximum exergy was destroyed in the PTC where it amounts to 79.61% of the overall exergy destruction. The conversion of solar exergy input to the cycle exergy output was best (14.6%) for R141b fluid and worst (3.9%) for R143a fluid. Parametric analysis of the results reveals that Solar beam radiation (SBR), turbine inlet pressure (TIP), ORC pump inlet temperature, heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperature at the inlet of PTC, and the selection of ORC working fluid have the significant effect on the energetic and exergetic outputs of solar thermal power and ejector-absorption cooling system. Highlights • A relatively new solar based combined power and cooling cycle is proposed. • Proposed cycle is analysed from both energy and exegy point of view. • The effect of sum influencing operating parameters was ascertained on the cycle performance. • Maximum thermodynamic irreversibility was found in solar field followed by HRVG and condenser of ORC cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A second–order exponential time differencing scheme using the method of lines is developed in this article for the numerical solution of the Burgers and the modified Burgers equations. For each case, the resulting nonlinear system is solved explicitly using a modified predictor‐corrector method. The efficiency of the method introduced is tested by comparing experimental results with others selected from the available literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 -based piezoelectric ceramics have attracted great interest in actuator applications due to their high strain response; however, high driving field and large hysteresis of these materials are long-lasting obstacles for their commercial applications. Here, we use a strategy to overcome these hurdles by reducing poling field of the relaxor 0.96Bi 0.5 (Na 0.78 K 0.22 ) 0.5 TiO 3 -0.04Bi(Mg 0.5 Ti 0.5 )O 3 (BNKT-0.04BMT) matrix introducing ferroelectric (BNT, BKT and BNKT) seeds (10, 15 and 20 wt%). The poling field decreases with increasing ferroelectric seeds accompanied by the transformation from ergodic relaxor to ferroelectric phase. Consequently, large normalized strains (d * 33 = S max /E max = 560, 469 and 450 pm/V) were recorded for BNT (15 wt%), BKT (10 wt%) and BNKT (15 wt%) seeded composites under a reduced driving field of 2.5 kV/mm. These findings indicate that ferroelectric seeds are more effective in reducing the field for strain activation which can be appropriate for actuator devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fourth-order time-discretization scheme based on the exponential time differencing approach with Fourier spectral method in space is proposed for the space-fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The stability and convergence of the numerical scheme are discussed. It is shown that the proposed numerical scheme is fourth-order convergent in time and spectral convergent in space. Numerical experiments are performed on one-, two-, and three-dimensional fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equations and systems of two-, and three-dimensional equations. In addition, a realistic two-dimensional example with the solution of a singularity occurring in finite time is included. The results demonstrate accuracy, efficiency, and reliability of the scheme. Computational results arising from the experiments are compared with relevant known schemes, such as the fourth-order split-step Fourier method, the fourth-order explicit Runge–Kutta method, and a mass-conservative spectral method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medium voltage direct current (MVDC)-based power distribution scheme DC faults can cause instant disruption in service continuity to various connected loads. Many integrated power systems (IPS) found MVDC as a better replacement of MVAC for detection, isolation as well as protection against DC faults. DC fault protection strategy for developed MVDC-IPS system (which is accompanied by LVDC subsystem), is proposed here by introducing a modified series Z-source breaker circuitry which minimize fault or transient current that reflects back at the DC source by keeping its common ground return path and to re-energize the DC load after fault clearance. The versatility of the proposed idea also include to energize the loads after the fault clearance. The main problem is that a large value of fault/transient current 0 that reflects back at the source and SCR (when it stops commutation). This large reflective current value is much greater than the value of the SCR peak cycle surge value and can damage the SCR permanently. To overcome this problem in the developed technique, an addition of series resistance is made with capacitors which minimize the effect of transient level on SCR and source. Furthermore, due to this resistance the other component size or value is decreased which helps in minimizing the effect of transient current at SCR and source. Another aim is to build the breaker structure in such an optimize way so that to minimize dissipation and weight as compared to its classic structure along with enhancement of efficiency. The proposed strategy of DC fault for IPS is validated through two case studies done in PSCAD simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provided an insight on improving soil-plant micronutrients availability in response to poultry manure (PM), wheat milling residues (WMR) and urea N (UN) and their integration in wheat-soybean cropping system. The treatments were: control; poultry manure full, PM100; wheat milling residues full, WMR100; urea N full, UN100; PM half and WMR half, PM50+WMR50; UN50+PM50; UN50+WMR50; UN50+PM25+WMR25. All amendments were added at the rate or equivalent to 100 kg total N ha-1. Results indicated that the integrated treatments increased Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn uptake of wheat by 35.7-103%, 48.4-111.1%, 85.2-267.0% and 33.8-128.2%, respectively over control. In soybean the corresponding increase in micronutrient uptake (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) was 18.3-60.3%, 27.5-87.4%, 14.1-54.6% and 13.2-58.0% in integrated treatments. The post-harvest soil analysis indicated 2 to 3-fold increase in micronutrient content with highest values in PM100 i.e., 2.66 mg kg−1 for Cu, 14.41 mg kg−1 for Fe, 18.58 mg kg−1 for Mn and 2.44 mg kg−1 for Zn, respectively. The results showed that the PM either alone or in integrated with WMR and UN can be an effective management strategy for improving micronutrient content of soil-plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To rise the thermal efficiency of power generation systems and to meet stricter environmental regulations, improved system integration based on renewable energy is a viable option. In this context, a syngas fuelled Brayton/Rankine combined power cycle integrated with the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is proposed and analysed from both energetic and exergetic point of views. A thermo-chemical model was developed to predict the composition of syngas produced after biomass gasification, and also, a thermodynamic model was developed, to determine the energetic and exergetic performance of the proposed triple cycle power generation system. We show that both first-law and second-law efficiencies of triple power cycle decreases with the increase in pressure ratio and increases with higher gas turbine inlet temperature. It is further shown that first-law and second-law efficiencies of solid-waste-derived syngas fuelled triple power cycle are considerably higher than the rice husk derived syngas fuelled cycle. The worst performing components from irreversibility point of view in the proposed triple cycle are the combustor, Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG), and gasifier, respectively. Our results show that integration of ORC with the Biomass-Fuelled Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (BIGCC) is very effective in improving the thermal performance of the power plant and in reducing external waste emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pakistan has received a total of 23 loan packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between 1958 and 2023, and recurrent indebtedness has hindered structural transformation. Recent crises, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, surging commodity prices, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and diplomatic tensions between the United States and China, have exacerbated Pakistan's indebtedness. This debt has geopolitical importance given the rivalry between the US and China. Multilateral support for restructuring has been complicated by Pakistan's unique alliance with China through the China‒Pakistan Economic Corridor, pivotal to the Belt and Road Initiative. This analysis of Pakistan's debt crisis explores this complexity by considering the Pakistani government's attempts to resist the IMF, particularly between 2018 and 2022, when the potential of China as an alternative source of financial support looked increasingly viable. Unlike less critical political analyses on debt, which tend to be preoccupied with endogenous governance failures and fiscal profligacy, this article focuses on the external drivers of debt. In doing so, it highlights the role of a hostile international legal system, standard‐setting arrangements, rating agencies and arbitrary charges that impose huge economic burdens and undermine financial stability, as well as the constraints embedded in the global investment and financial architecture that persistently limit Pakistan's policy space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]