Search Results (17)

This study examined the effects of information literacy (IL) on entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial skills among business students in Sargodha, Pakistan. A quantitative research design was employed along with a survey method. The data were gathered using a structured and self-administered questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 277 students, recruited through a convenient sampling process. Data analysis involved the application of descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS (Version 21). The results suggested that the business students’ IL levels were not optimal, with no significant differences noted based on age, gender, semester, and academic disciplines. However, IL skills showed a positive correlation with students’ CGPA. The results also showed that IL had a positive effect on entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial skills. In essence, students with higher levels of IL tended to exhibit better entrepreneurial intention and skills compared to those with lower IL levels. These results inform educators and policymakers in shaping policies and practices for business education in general and entrepreneurial education in particular. This research would be a valuable addition to the existing body of knowledge on IL research in the context of academia in general and business and entrepreneurial education in particular, as a limited number of studies have appeared in the existing literature. Full article

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae, is an important insect pest responsible for significant yield losses in vegetables. Conventional control methods, like pesticide applications, have certain limitations, including environmental contamination. This study evaluated the chemosterilant potential of five new insect growth regulators (IGRs)—Pyriproxyfen; Novaluron; Lufenuron; Buprofezin; and Flubendiamide—at concentrations ranging from 50 to 300 ppm in a 5 mL diet against B. cucurbitae. Laboratory trials identified Lufenuron as the most effective IGR, which reduced fecundity by 68.4% and adult emergence by 70.97% at a 300 ppm concentration. Other IGRs, Pyriproxyfen; Novaluron; Buprofezin; and Flubendiamide, also significantly reduced fecundity and adult emergence at higher concentrations. Based on laboratory performance, Lufenuron was selected for field trials using six bait traps per 0.4 hectares. The field trials demonstrated a higher number of B. cucurbitae adult captures in Lufenuron-based bait traps compared to the control and reductions in crop damage, with fruit fly damage decreasing by 7.01% in August and 4.25% in September. This study highlights the potential of chemosterilant baited traps as a promising approach for integrated fruit fly management programs in cucurbitaceous vegetables. Full article

Globally, optimized doses of exogenously applied growth regulators hold the potential to sustainably boost the growth and productivity of leguminous crops, including green gram. A field investigation was undertaken at the Agronomy Farm of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan in 2021–2022 to determine the highest-performing doses of foliar-applied salicylic acid (S₁ = 0 and S₂ = 75 ppm) and gibberellic acid (G₁ = 0, G₂ = 30, G₃ = 60, G₄ = 90 and G₅ = 120 ppm) for green gram (cv. NIAB-MUNG 2011) sown under irrigated conditions in a semiarid climate. The response variables included physiological growth traits (CGR and net assimilation rate (NAR)), yield attributes (plant height (PH), PBs and the number of pods per plant⁻¹ (NP), pod length (PL) and SW, grain (GY) and biological yields (BY), the biosynthesis of pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll along with carotenoids) and protein (P) contents. The results revealed that S₂G₅ remained unmatched in that it exhibited the highest crop growth rate, while it remained on par with S₂G₄ and S₂G₃ in terms of its net assimilation rate. Additionally, S₂G₅ maximized plant height, the number of pod-bearing branches and pods per plant, pod length, seed number per pod⁻¹ and 1000-seed weight, which led to the highest grain yield and biological yield (104% and 69% greater than those of the control, respectively). Moreover, the same treatment combination also surpassed the rest of the treatments because it recorded the largest amounts of chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, and the P content was increased to 24% greater than that observed for the control treatment. Thus, the exogenous application of salicylic acid (75 ppm) and gibberellic acid (120 ppm) might be recommended to green gram growers to sustainably increase the plant’s yield and nutritional value, and these findings may serve as a baseline for conducting more studies to test higher doses of these growth regulators. Full article

Crop wild relatives contain a greater variety of phenotypic and genotypic diversity compared to their domesticated counterparts. Trifolium crop species have limited genetic diversity to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses due to artificial selection for consumer preferences. Here, we investigated the distribution and evolution of nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR) genes in the genus of Trifolium with the objective to identify reference NLR genes. We identified 412, 350, 306, 389 and 241 NLR genes were identified from Trifolium. subterraneum, T. pratense, T. occidentale, subgenome-A of T. repens and subgenome-B of T. repens, respectively. Phylogenetic and clustering analysis reveals seven sub-groups in genus Trifolium. Specific subgroups such as G4-CNL, CCG10-CNL and TIR-CNL show distinct duplication patterns in specific species, which suggests subgroup duplications that are the hallmarks of their divergent evolution. Furthermore, our results strongly suggest the overall expansion of NLR repertoire in T. subterraneum is due to gene duplication events and birth of gene families after speciation. Moreover, the NLRome of the allopolyploid species T. repens has evolved asymmetrically, with the subgenome -A showing expansion, while the subgenome-B underwent contraction. These findings provide crucial background data for comprehending NLR evolution in the Fabaceae family and offer a more comprehensive analysis of NLR genes as disease resistance genes. Full article

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is anticipated to be a practical alternative to the activated sludge technique for treating domestic and industrial effluents. The relevant literature mainly focuses on developing the systems and materials for maximum power output, whereas understanding the fundamental electrochemical characteristics is inadequate. This experimental study uses a double-chamber MFC having graphite electrodes and an anion-exchange membrane to investigate the electrochemical process limitations and the potential of bioelectricity generation and dairy effluent treatment. The results revealed an 81% reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in 10 days of cell operation, with an initial COD loading of 4520 mg/L. The third day recorded the highest open circuit voltage of 396 mV, and the maximum power density of 36.39 mW/m² was achieved at a current density of 0.30 A/m². The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis disclosed that the activation polarization of the aerated cathode was the primary factor causing the cell’s resistance, followed by the ohmic and anodic activation overpotentials. Full article

The pandemic outbreak of human coronavirus is a global health concern that affects people of all ages and genders, but there is currently still no effective, approved and potential drug against human coronavirus, as many other coronavirus vaccines have serious side effects while the development of small antiviral inhibitors has gained tremendous attention. For this research, HE was used as a therapeutic target, as the spike protein displays a high binding affinity for both host ACE2 and viral HE glycoprotein. Molecular docking, pharmacophore modelling and virtual screening of 38,000 natural compounds were employed to find out the best natural inhibitor against human coronaviruses with more efficiency and fewer side effects and further evaluated via MD simulation, PCA, DCCR and MMGBSA. The lead compound ‘Calceolarioside B’ was identified on the basis of pharmacophoric features which depict favorable binding (ΔGbind −37.6799 kcal/mol) with the HE(5N11) receptor that describes positive correlation movements in active site residues with better stability, a robust H-bond network, compactness and reliable ADMET properties. The Fraxinus sieboldiana Blume plant containing the Calceolarioside B compound could be used as a potential inhibitor that shows a higher efficacy and potency with fewer side effects. This research work will aid investigators in the testing and identification of chemicals that are effective and useful against human coronavirus. Full article

The electrochemical treatment of canal water was investigated in a batch-wise system in the presence of stainless steel 316-grade electrodes. Three effective process parameters, including current density, reaction time, and electrode spacing, were evaluated in the range of 0.25–2.5 mA/cm², 1–10 min, and 0.5–2.5 cm, respectively. Operational variables of electrochemical disinfection are optimized in response surface methodology (RSM) using Box–Behnken design. Before electrochemical disinfection, a pretreatment process of coagulants mixing for turbidity removal was conducted. Results revealed that a 10 ppm dosage of Ferric chloride (FeCl₃.6H₂O) and alum (Al₂(SO₄)₃·16H₂O) at neutral pH is appropriate. Furthermore, the RSM analysis shows that interelectrode spacing is the most prominent factor affecting the disinfection performance, and increasing electrode spacing inversely affects the disinfection efficiency. Results revealed that 1.52 mA/cm² current density, 6.35 min reaction time, and 1.13 cm of electrode spacing are the optimum conditions, resulting in a statistically 98.08% disinfection of the total coliform. The energy required for electrochemically disinfection of water at optimum conditions was 0.256 kWh/m³. Full article

In order to solve issues that arise in various branches of mathematical analysis, such as split feasibility problems, variational inequality problems, nonlinear optimization issues, equilibrium problems, complementarity issues, selection and matching problems, and issues proving the existence of solutions to integral and differential equations, fixed point theory provides vital tools. In this study, we discuss topological structure and several fixed-point theorems in the context of generalized neutrosophic cone metric spaces. In these spaces, the symmetric properties play an important role. We examine the existence and a uniqueness of a solution by utilizing new types of contraction mappings under some circumstances. We provide an example in which we show the existence and a uniqueness of a solution by utilizing our main result. These results are more generalized in the existing literature. Full article

Employee performance is the backbone of achieving competitiveness and sustainability. This study aims to examine the impact of workplace incivility on employee performance. In addition, trust in supervisors is examined as a mediator. The conservation of resources (COR) theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory provided the grounds for developing the framework. The data were collected through closed-ended questionnaires and were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS. The results affirmed that incivility is harmful to the performance of employees, and that trust in supervisors helps employees to perform well. The trust in the supervisor significantly mediates the incivility–performance relationship. The examination of the proposed model through the lens of two theories as well as the study of low-intensity deviant workplace behavior in a collectivist and developing economy are the contributions of this study to the growing body of literature. However, the use of a single sector was one of the limitations of this study. Full article

The knowledge about the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) helps in sustainable land-use management and ecosystem functioning. No such study has been attempted in the complex topography and land use of Himalayas, which is associated with great spatial heterogeneity and uncertainties. Therefore, in this study digital soil mapping (DSM) was used to predict and evaluate the spatial distribution of SOCS using advanced geostatistical methods and a machine learning algorithm in the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Eighty-three soil samples were collected across different land uses. Auxiliary variables (spectral indices and topographic parameters) derived from satellite data were used as predictors. Geostatistical methods—ordinary kriging (OK) and regression kriging (RK)—and a machine learning method—random forest (RF)—were used for assessing the spatial distribution and variability of SOCS with inter-comparison of models for their prediction performance. The best fit model validation criteria used were coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) with resulting maps validated by cross-validation. The SOCS concentration varied from 1.12 Mg/ha to 70.60 Mg/ha. The semivariogram analysis of OK and RK indicated moderate spatial dependence. RF (RMSE = 8.21) performed better than OK (RMSE = 15.60) and RK (RMSE = 17.73) while OK performed better than RK. Therefore, it may be concluded that RF provides better estimation and spatial variability of SOCS; however, further selection and choice of auxiliary variables and higher soil sampling density could improve the accuracy of RK prediction. Full article

Medical outcomes must be tracked in order to enhance quality initiatives, healthcare management, and mass education. Thoracic surgery data have been acquired for those who underwent major lung surgery for primary lung cancer, a field in which there has been little research and few reliable recommendations have been made for lung cancer patients. Early detection of lung cancer benefits therapy choices and increases the odds of a patient surviving a lung cancer infection. Using a Hybrid Genetic and Support Vector Machine (GA-SVM) methodology, this study proposes a method for identifying lung cancer patients. To estimate postoperative life expectancy, ensemble machine-learning techniques were applied. The article also presents a strategy for estimating a patient’s life expectancy following thoracic surgery after the detection of cancer. To perform the prediction, hybrid machine-learning methods were applied. In ensemble machine-learning algorithms, attribute ranking and selection are critical components of robust health outcome prediction. To enhance the efficacy of algorithms in health data analysis, we propose three attribute ranking and selection procedures. Compared to other machine-learning techniques, GA-SVM achieves an accuracy of 85% and a higher F1 score of 0.92. The proposed algorithm was compared with two recent state-of-the-art techniques and its performance level was ranked superior to those of its counterparts. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world population adversely, posing a threat to human health. In the past few years, various strains of SARS-CoV-2, each with different mutations in its structure, have impacted human health in negative ways. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutations influence the virulence, antibody evasion, and Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) affinity of the virus. These mutations are essential to understanding how a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 has changed and its possible effects on the human body. This review provides an insight into the spike mutations of SARS-CoV-2 variants. As the current scientific data offer a scattered outlook on the various type of mutations, we aimed to categorize the mutations of Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.612.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529) systematically according to their location in the subunit 1 (S1) and subunit 2 (S2) domains and summarized their consequences as a result. We also compared the miscellany of mutations that have emerged in all four variants to date. The comparison shows that mutations such as D614G and N501Y have emerged in all four variants of concern and that all four variants have multiple mutations within the N-terminal domain (NTD), as in the case of the Delta variant. Other mutations are scattered in the receptor binding domain (RBD) and subdomain 2 (SD2) of the S1 domain. Mutations in RBD or NTD are often associated with antibody evasion. Few mutations lie in the S2 domain in the Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants. However, in the Omicron variant many mutations occupy the S2 domain, hinting towards a much more evasive virus. Full article

Height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) curves are widely used for detecting children with stunting. The aim of this study was to provide smoothed HAZ growth reference values and their curves for Pakistani children and adolescents aged 2–18 years. The prevalence of stunting in Pakistani children was determined. A total of 10,668 healthy Pakistani participants were included. Information related to age, sex, city of residence and height (cm) was used. Age- and sex-specific smoothed HAZ growth reference values and associated graphs were obtained using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method. The prevalence of stunting was calculated by applying WHO 2007 and USCDC 2000 height-for-age references and local reference of the study population. In both sexes, the smoothed HAZ curves increased with age. For 2 and 3 years of age, the height values of the girls were greater than those of the boys. The boys were then taller than the girls. Comparing our median height (z = 0) growth reference data from WHO, USCDC and corresponding data from other countries, Pakistani children and adolescents have significantly different reference values than their counterparts in the reference group. A marked overestimation of the prevalence of stunting was observed (10.8% and 17.9% according to WHO and USCDC, respectively) compared to the local reference (3.0%). It is recommended that the prevalence of stunting in children and adolescents is determined by applying local height growth references to plan health strategies and treatments in the local population. Full article

Sufficient deformability can be achieved in concrete while maintaining segregation resistance either by using a chemical viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA) or increasing the fine content in the concrete. Using VMA, the initial cost of self-compacting concrete (SCC) increases, making it unsuitable for general construction. As a result, alternative methods for lowering the cost of SCC must be investigated. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of fly ash (FA) as a viscosity-modifying agent in the production of cost-effective and durable SCC. We also forge new pathways for sustainable development. The percentage of FA, superplasticizer dose, and water/binder ratio were varied, whereas the amounts of cement and water, as well as fine/coarse aggregate content were kept constant. Fresh properties, such as flow, filling and passing abilities, viscosity, and segregation resistance, were measured. Compressive/flexural strength, density, water absorption, and rate of water absorption of hardened SCC were also determined. The test results showed that fly ash can be used as an alternative to a VMA to produce cost-effective, self-compacting concrete. The slump flow of the various fresh-state concrete mixes ranged from 200 to 770 mm, with an L-box ratio of 0 to 1 and a flow time of 2.18 to 88 s. At 28 and 56 days, the compressive strengths of the concrete mixes with fly ash were found to be comparable to those of the control concrete mixes with VMA. The cost of ingredients for a specific SCC mix is 26.8% lower than the price of control concrete, according to a cost comparison assessment. Full article

(1) Background: Enterococcus faecium DO is an environmental microbe, which is a mesophilic, facultative, Gram-positive, and multiple habitat microorganism. Enterococcus faecium DO is responsible for many diseases in human. The fight against infectious diseases is confronted by the development of multiple drug resistance in E. faecium. The focus of this research work is to identify a novel compound against this pathogen by using bioinformatics tools and technology. (2) Methods: We screened the proteome (accession No. PRJNA55353) information from the genome database of the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and suggested a potential drug target. I-TASSER was used to predict the three-dimensional structure of the protein, and the structure was optimized and minimized by different tools. PubChem and ChEBI were used to retrieve the inhibitors. Pharmacophore modeling and virtual screening were performed to identify novel compounds. Binding interactions of compounds with target protein were checked using LigPlot. pkCSM, SwissADME, and ProTox-II were used for adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties. (3) Results: Novel selected compounds have improved absorption and have better ADMET properties. Based on our results, the chemically identified inhibitor ZINC48942 targeted the receptor that can inhibit the activity of infection in E. faecium. This research work will be beneficial for the scientific community and could aid in the design of a new drug against E. faecium infections. (4) Conclusions: It was observed that novel compounds are potential inhibitors with more efficacy and fewer side effects. This research work will help researchers in testing and identification of these chemicals useful against E. faecium. Full article