Development of improved estimators of finite population mean in simple random sampling with dual auxiliaries and its application to real world problems.

In general, the incorporation of supplementary information reduces the Mean Square Error (MSE) and, consequently, enhances the precision of estimating a population parameter. This improvement relies on the appropriate application of a suitable function, with careful consideration. This study introduces two innovative families of estimators for the finite population mean, both of which exhibit superior performance in scenarios involving dual auxiliary information in simple random sampling. Expressions up to the first-order approximation, for bias, and Mean Square Error were derived, and the conditions under which these proposed families surpassed the existing estimators. Our evaluation involved the use of both real and simulated data to compute the Mean Square Error and Percent Relative Efficiency (PRE) of the estimators. A comparative analysis revealed that under the specified conditions, both proposed families yielded more precise results.

Orchestration and Management of Adaptive IoT-centric Distributed Applications.

Current Internet of Things (IoT) devices provide a diverse range of functionalities, ranging from measurement and dissemination of sensory data observation, to computation services for real-time data stream processing. In extreme situations such as emergencies, a significant benefit of IoT devices is that they can help gain a more complete situational understanding of the environment. However, this requires the ability to utilize IoT resources while taking into account location, battery life, and other constraints of the underlying edge and IoT devices. A dynamic approach is proposed for orchestration and management of distributed workflow applications using services available in cloud data centers, deployed on servers, or IoT devices at the network edge. Our proposed approach is specifically designed for knowledge-driven business process workflows that are adaptive, interactive, evolvable and emergent. A comprehensive empirical evaluation shows that the proposed approach is effective and resilient to situational changes.

Dietary replacement of soybean meal with black soldier fly larvae meal in juvenile Labeo rohita and Catla catla: Effects on growth, nutritional quality, oxidative stress biomarkers and disease resistance.

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of partial substitution of crude protein from soybean meal (SBM) with black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (BSFLM) in juvenile rohu (Labeo rohita) and catla (Catla catla). Four isonitrogenous diets (23% crude protein) were formulated to replace 0% (T0), 40% (T40), 80% (T80) and 100% (T100) crude protein from SBM with BSFLM. Triplicate groups of each species (10 fish per replicate) were fed in an eight week growth experiment. After final sampling (n = 20 fish per dietary group), the remaining fish were exposed to bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus) challenge (0.80 CFU/ml) for 15 days. Rohu fed with BSFLM substituted diets showed significantly higher growth and feed conversion ratio as compared to those in T0. Catla fed with BSFLM substituted diets showed slightly higher growth indices. The growth response of rohu to BSFLM substitution was better than that noted in catla in all groups. The chemical composition, amino acids and fatty acids profile, haematological and biochemical parameters, levels of liver function enzymes measured in T0, T40, T80 and T100 were similar between four dietary groups in both species. However, the maximum value of cholesterol and triglycerides were noted in T100 both in catla and rohu. The values of lauric acid, α-linolenic acid, decosahexanoic acid, n3:n6 fatty acids ratio progressively increased with dietary increase of BSFLM in both species. At end of the growth experiment, the levels of catalase, superoxide dismutase and lysozyme increased linearly with the inclusion of BSFLM in both species while malondialdehyde showed similar values between different groups. However, catalase, and superoxide dismutase increased (T0

Evaluating The Protective Effects Of Lovastatin Against Doxorubicin Induced Cardiotoxicity In Balb-C Mice.

BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin is one of the most commonly used anti-cancer drugs that treat a large number of haematological and solid malignancies. Its usage in dose and duration is nevertheless restricted by dose related organ damage, particularly cardiotoxicity. Lovastatin is a commonly prescribed drug for hypercholesterolemia and possesses remarkable antioxidant potential. Our study was aimed at evaluating and comparing its cardioprotective effect in two pre-treatment schedules against doxorubicin-induced cardiac damage. METHODS: In this lab-based randomized controlled experiment, 40 BALB/c mice were randomly grouped into five groups (n=8). Group 1 served as control whereas Group 2 was given doxorubicin intraperitoneally at a dose of 10mg/kg. Group 3 received 10mg/kg of oral lovastatin for five days. Groups 4 and 5 were administered lovastatin for five and ten consecutive days correspondingly and doxorubicin was given on 3rd and 8th experimental days of these groups. RESULTS: Doxorubicin caused a significant rise in cardiac enzymes; Creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) (p value ≤0.0001) whereas cardiac histological alterations were ranked as moderate. The damage was significantly attenuated by lovastatin in the ten-day study design with a p-value of ≤0.001 for both LDH and CK-MB whereas a slightly less efficient restoration was observed in the five-day design with a p value of ≤0.001 for LDH and 0.012 for CK-MB. Histological preservation in both pre-treatment schedules was in accordance with the biological markers. CONCLUSIONS: In doxorubicin-based regimens, pretreatment for at least seven days with an easily available and safe statin can effectively prevent its potentially life threatening cardiotoxicity.

Nexus between FinTech, renewable energy resource consumption, and carbon emissions.

An increase in energy crises and environmental degradation has pushed countries to adopt more sustainable practices. In this situation, financial technology has played an important role to lower carbon emissions by integrating renewable energy resources that can help increase renewable energy resource consumption (REC) and lower carbon emissions (CE). To better understand this transmission mechanism, this study has collected a panel dataset of 26 Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) developing countries for the 2011-2021 period. Furthermore, a proxy indicator for financial technology (FinTech) was developed by extracting relevant data from CrunchBase. Pooled ordinary least square and robust fixed effects technique was adopted to analyse the influence of FinTech on renewable energy and carbon emissions for robustness. Results of the study show that FinTech development promotes renewable energy resource consumption (REC) and discourages carbon emissions (CE), moreover, economic growth positively impacts, and carbon emissions (CE). This research emphasizes the importance of adopting financial technology as an important deterrent of further environmental damage. Additionally, in line with the results of this study, policymakers should design and implement an industrial policy which promotes sustainable economic growth which can pave the path for a circular economy model in the future.

The influence of green finance availability to retailers on purchase intention: a consumer perspective with the moderating role of consciousness.

As the global warming crisis is increasing daily, it is crucial to find ways to reduce the carbon footprint generated by activities like the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services. This empirical study has looked at one approach through which environment-friendly production and consumption can be encouraged. The developed model has studied the relationship between retailers' access to green finance and consumer purchase intention of green products by incorporating the role of environmental, status, and future consciousness. Theoretical foundations for this model have been taken from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and theory of reasoned action (TRA), which have extensively discussed the role of consciousness and societal norms while making purchase intentions. To gain insights about the purchasing behaviour of consumers, this study collected data from the Jiangsu province of China, where a non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to distribute a questionnaire to 400 respondents between February 2022 and August 2022. The collected data was analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SmartPLS in order to study the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results of this study show that retailers' access to green finance positively impacts consumer purchase intention towards green products, and adding a consciousness perspective in the model strengthens this relationship. Moreover, the theory of planned behaviour and the theory of reasoned action were validated through this study, providing insights for policymakers on the importance of promoting green finance to influence green product purchase intention. Overall, this study shows that policymakers should give green financing to retailers and environmental and future awareness to consumers to encourage environment-friendly behaviour.

Virulence of entomopathogenic fungi against fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under laboratory conditions.

Maize is an essential crop of China. The recent invasion of Spodoptera frugiperda, also known as fall armyworm (FAW), poses a danger to the country's ability to maintain a sustainable level of productivity from this core crop. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Metarhizium anisopliae MA, Penicillium citrinum CTD-28 and CTD-2, Cladosporium sp. BM-8, Aspergillus sp. SE-25 and SE-5, Metarhizium sp. CA-7, and Syncephalastrum racemosum SR-23 were tested to determine their effectiveness in causing mortality in second instars, eggs, and neonate larvae. Metarhizium anisopliae MA, P. citrinum CTD-28, and Cladosporium sp. BM-8 caused the highest levels of egg mortality, with 86.0, 75.3, and 70.0%, respectively, followed by Penicillium sp. CTD-2 (60.0%). Additionally, M. anisopliae MA caused the highest neonatal mortality of 57.1%, followed by P. citrinum CTD-28 (40.7%). In addition, M. anisopliae MA, P. citrinum CTD-28, and Penicillium sp. CTD-2 decreased the feeding efficacy of second instar larvae of FAW by 77.8, 75.0, and 68.1%, respectively, followed by Cladosporium sp. BM-8 (59.7%). It is possible that EPF will play an important role as microbial agents against FAW after further research is conducted on the effectiveness of these EPF in the field.

Sublethal and transgenerational effects of synthetic insecticides on the biological parameters and functional response of Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) under laboratory conditions.

Synthetic insecticides have been an inevitable part of plant protection throughout the world. Sublethal effects of these chemicals on beneficial insect species are one of the contemporary issues these days. Using the age-stage, two-sex life table model, this study evaluated the sublethal and transgenerational effects of six synthetic insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos and profenofos) commonly applied to winter vegetables, on the fitness and predation of the seven-spotted ladybeetle, Coccinella septempunctata, which is an efficient predator of aphids worldwide. According to results, all insecticides at their sublethal doses (LC30) significantly suppressed the emergence of adults, adult weight, fertility and fecundity of the parental generation compared to control treatment. The larval stage was prolonged and oviposition, fecundity and total longevity of the adult beetles were decreased in unexposed progeny whose parents were exposed to sublethal doses of all insecticides. Moreover, the biological parameters of adults, including the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ) and net reproductive rate (R 0) were significantly reduced when exposed to sublethal doses of insecticides. The predation rate of the F1 generation adults was also decreased after exposure to the sublethal doses of insecticides. However, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin exhibited more deleterious effects on the fitness and population parameters of beetles than imidacloprid and thiamethoxam.

Collaborative Business Process Fault Resolution in the Services Cloud.

The emergence of cloud and edge computing has enabled rapid development and deployment of Internet-centric distributed applications. There are many platforms and tools that can facilitate users to develop distributed business process (BP) applications by composing relevant service components in a plug and play manner. However, there is no guarantee that a BP application developed in this way is fault-free. In this paper, we formalize the problem of collaborative BP fault resolution which aims to utilize information from existing fault-free BPs that use similar services to resolve faults in a user developed BP. We present an approach based on association analysis of pairwise transformations between a faulty BP and existing BPs to identify the smallest possible set of transformations to resolve the fault(s) in the user developed BP. An extensive experimental evaluation over both synthetically generated faulty BPs and real BPs developed by users shows the effectiveness of our approach.

An Integrated Framework for Fault Resolution in Business Processes.

Cloud and edge-computing based platforms have enabled rapid development of distributed business process (BP) applications in a plug and play manner. However, these platforms do not provide the needed capabilities for identifying or repairing faults in BPs. Faults in BP may occur due to errors made by BP designers because of their lack of understanding of the underlying component services, misconfiguration of these services, or incorrect/incomplete BP workflow specifications. Such faults may not be discovered at design or development stage and may occur at runtime. In this paper, we present a unified framework for automated fault resolution in BPs. The proposed framework employs a novel and efficient fault resolution approach that extends the generate-and-validate program repair approach. In addition, we propose a hybrid approach that performs fault resolution by analyzing a faulty BP in isolation as well as by comparing with other BPs using similar services. This hybrid approach results in improved accuracy and broader coverage of fault types. We also perform an extensive experimental evaluation to compare the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a dataset of 208 faulty BPs.

BP-DEBUG: A Fault Debugging and Resolution Tool for Business Processes.

Cloud computing and Internet-ware software paradigm have enabled rapid development of distributed business process (BP) applications. Several tools are available to facilitate automated/ semi-automated development and deployment of such distributed BPs by orchestrating relevant service components in a plug-and-play fashion. However, the BPs developed using such tools are not guaranteed to be fault-free. In this demonstration, we present a tool called BP-DEBUG for debugging and automated repair of faulty BPs. BP-DEBUG implements our Collaborative Fault Resolution (CFR) approach that utilizes the knowledge of existing BPs with a similar set of web services fault detection and resolution in a given user BP. Essentially, CFR attempts to determine any semantic and structural differences between a faulty BP and related BPs and computes a minimum set of transformations which can be used to repair the faulty BP. Demo url: https://youtu.be/mf49oSekLOA.

The influence of big data analytic capabilities building and education on business model innovation.

As organizations are benefiting from investments in big data analytics capabilities building and education, our study has analyzed the impact of big data analytics capabilities building and education on business model innovation. It has also assessed technological orientation and employee creativity as mediating and moderating variables. Questionnaire data from 499 managers at enterprises in Jiangsu, China have been analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SmartPLS. Big data analytics capabilities building and education strengthen technological orientation and increase business model innovation. Technology orientation increases business model innovation and plays a mediating role. Employee creativity also boosts innovation. These findings show that business managers should adopt and promote a technological orientation. They should hire and train employees with big data education and training. Organizations can try to select and support employees who show creativity.

Lethal, Sub-Lethal and Trans-Generational Effects of Chlorantraniliprole on Biological Parameters, Demographic Traits, and Fitness Costs of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797)] was first reported in the Americas, then spread to all the continents of the world. Chemical insecticides are frequently employed in managing fall armyworms. These insecticides have various modes of actions and target sites to kill the insects. Chlorantraniliprole is a selective insecticide with a novel mode of action and is used against Lepidopteran, Coleopteran, Isopteran, and Dipteran pests. This study determined chlorantraniliprole's lethal, sub-lethal, and trans-generational effects on two consecutive generations (F0, F1, and F2) of the fall armyworm. Bioassays revealed that chlorantraniliprole exhibited higher toxicity against fall armyworms with a LC50 of 2.781 mg/L after 48 h of exposure. Significant differences were noted in the biological parameters of fall armyworms in all generations. Sub-lethal concentrations of chlorantraniliprole showed prolonged larval and adult durations. The parameters related to the fitness cost in F0 and F1 generations showed non-significant differences. In contrast, the F2 generation showed lower fecundity at lethal (71 eggs/female) and sub-lethal (94 eggs/female) doses of chlorantraniliprole compared to the control (127.5-129.3 eggs/female). Age-stage specific survival rate (Sxj), life expectancy (Exj) and reproductive rate (Vxj) significantly differed among insecticide-treated groups in all generations compared to the control. A comparison of treated and untreated insects over generations indicated substantial differences in demographic parameters such as net reproduction rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), and mean generation time (T). Several biological and demographic parameters were shown to be negatively impacted by chlorantraniliprole. We conclude that chlorantraniliprole may be utilized to manage fall armyworms with lesser risks.

Biotic Potential Induced by Different Host Plants in the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous insect pest of many important crops. To evaluate the influence of host plants on the biology and survival of the Pakistani population of S. frugiperda, we examined life table parameters of S. frugiperda raised on maize, sorghum, wheat, and rice. The development rate was significantly higher on the maize crop than on the other three host plants. Different larval diets affected development time and fecundity. S. frugiperda attained the fastest larval development (16 days) on maize and the slowest development (32.74 days) on rice. Adult females from maize-fed larvae laid 1088 eggs/female, those from sorghum-fed larvae laid 591.6 eggs/female, those from wheat-fed larvae laid 435.6 eggs/female, and those from rice-fed larvae laid 49.6 eggs/female. Age stage-specific parameters also indicated the higher fecundity, higher life expectancy, and higher survival of S. frugiperda on maize plants than on the other three hosts. Larval diets had a significant varying effect on the finite and intrinsic increase rates, reflecting that maize was the most suitable diet. The findings of the present study are useful for predicting population dynamics especially in areas cultivating Poaceae crops, except maize, to develop sustainable integrated pest management strategies for this pest.

A Framework for Dynamic Composition and Management of Emergency Response Processes.

An emergency response process outlines the workflow of different activities that need to be performed in response to an emergency. Effective emergency response requires communication and coordination with the operational systems belonging to different collaborating organizations. Therefore, it is necessary to establish information sharing and system-level interoperability among the diverse operational systems. Unlike typical e-government processes that are well structured and have a well-defined outcome, emergency response processes are knowledge-centric and their workflow structure and execution may evolve as the incident unfolds. It is impractical to define static plans and response process workflows for every possible situation. Instead, a dynamic response should be adaptable to the changing situation. We present an integrated approach that facilitates the dynamic composition of an executable response process. The proposed approach employs ontology-based reasoning to determine the default actions and resource requirements for the given incident and to identify relevant response organizations based on their jurisdictional and mutual aid agreement rules. The Web service APIs of the identified response organizations are then used to generate an executable response process that evolves dynamically. The proposed approach is implemented and experimentally validated using an example scenario derived from the FEMA Hazardous Materials Tabletop Exercises Manual.

RNAi-Mediated Silencing of Putative Halloween Gene Phantom Affects the Performance of Rice Striped Stem Borer, Chilo suppressalis.

The physiological and biochemical characterization of the "Halloween" genes has fundamental importance in the biosynthesis pathway of ecdysteroids. These genes were found to catalyze the final phases of ecdysteroid biosynthesis from dietary cholesterol to the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone. We report the characterization of the Cs-Phm in a major insect pest in agriculture, the rice striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (C. suppressalis). A full-length transcript of Cs-Phm was amplified with an open reading frame (ORF) of 478 amino acids through 5' and 3' RACE. Cs-Phm shows five insect-conserved P450 motifs: Helix-C, Helix-I, Helix-K, PERF, and heme-binding motifs. Phylogenetic analysis clearly shows high similarity to Lepidoptera and evolutionary conservation in insects. The relative spatial and temporal transcript profile shows that Cs-Phm is highly expressed in the prothoracic glands and appears throughout the larval development, but with low expression at the start of the larval instar. It seems to peak in 3-4 days and decreases again before the larvae molt. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) injection of Cs-Phm at the larval stage efficiently knocked down the target gene and decreased its expression level. The dsRNA-treated group showed significantly decreased ecdysteroid titers, which leads to delayed larval development and higher larval mortality. Negative effects of larval development were rescued by treating 20E in the dsRNA-treated group. Thus, in conclusion, our results suggest that Cs-Phm is functionally conserved in C. suppressalis and encodes functional CYP that contributes to the biogenesis of 20E.

Bioassays of Beauveria bassiana Isolates against the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda.

The control of Spodoptera frugiperda, the key invasive pest of maize, is a serious concern due to its biology and the current global restriction on applying synthetic pesticides. Entomopathogenic fungi are considered to be a potential biological control strategy. The pathogenicity of 12 isolates of Beauveria bassiana in the immature stages and feeding efficacy of S. frugiperda were evaluated. The B. bassiana isolates QB-3.45, QB-3.46 and QB-3.428 caused the highest egg mortality rates of 87.3, 82.7 and 79.3%, respectively, when applied at a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia/mL and measured at 7 days post-treatment. Neonate mortality rates of 45.6 to 53.6% were observed with the same isolates. The B. bassiana isolates caused significant cumulative mortality rates ranging from 71.3 to 93.3% at 14 days post-treatment and reduced larval feeding efficacy from 69.4 to 77.8% at 48 h post-treatment. This study supports using the effective B. bassiana isolates as a biological control agent against S. frugiperda. The significant mortality of the eggs and neonatal larvae and the reduction in the feeding efficacy of the second instar larvae of the S. frugiperda that were treated with isolates of B. bassiana supports the application of entomopathogenic fungi as a biocontrol agent for the effective control of the S. frugiperda population.

Economic Boom and Busts Lead to Human Capital Changes? Evidence From Health Expenditure Changes in Emerging Economies.

This paper assesses data from 16 emerging economies between 2000-and 2020 to assess the relationship between business cycles and healthcare expenditure alongside other control variables. Using the Gaussian mixture model, this study analyses the relationship between healthcare spending and business cycles, urbanization, population age, environmental quality, and the gender ratio. The paper finds that there exists a counter-cyclical relationship between economic booms/recessions and healthcare expenditure such that spending decreases during booms and goes up during recessions. The study also finds evidence that environmental quality plays a vital role in influencing healthcare expenditure.

Role of lidocaine and its effect on postoperative outcomes in abdominal cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of pre- and intra-operative lidocaine infusion on post-operative pain management. METHODS: The interventional, prospective study was conducted from September 2019 to June 2020 at the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Hospital, Wah Cantt, Pakistan, and comprised patients aged 18-60 years undergoing elective cholecystectomy who were randomised into intervention group A and control group B. Group A was given a bolus dose of lidocaine hydrochloride 2 mg/kg in addition to the standard anaesthesia protocol, while group B was given continuous intravenous infusion of 0.9% normal saline along with the standard protocol. Blood samples for interleukins 6 and 8 were taken at baseline, and then at 2, 6 and 8 hours Post-operatively. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients, 20(50%) were in each of the two groups. There was a marked decrease in interleukins 6 and 8 levels group A compared to group B (p<0.05). Interleukin 8 level showed a marked decline compared to that of interleukin 6 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in interleukins 6 and 8 levels highlighted the anti-inflammatory role of lidocaine and resulted in a decrease in post-operative opioid consumption.

Laboratory efficacy of selected synthetic insecticides against second instar invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae.

Maize is the most essential crop of China and its productivity has been recently endangered by the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. Chemical pesticides are one of the most important strategies for managing FAW on a short-term basis. The seven synthetic insecticides including novel and conventional belong to four chemical group, spinetoram and spinosad (spinosyns), lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin and bifenthrin (pyrethroids), abamectin (avermectins), broflinilide (diamides), were assessed for their efficiency in causing mortality to second instar S. frugiperda larvae at 24, 48 and 72 h post-treatment at five different serial concentrations (10 to 0.625 mg liter-1). The second instar S. frugiperda larvae were susceptible to the tested synthetic insecticides, however, the toxicity index of synthetic insecticides was estimated based on lethal concentration 50 (LC50), while, LC50 was calculated from the data of larval mortality. The broflanilide and abamectin proved to be the most toxic having the highest toxicity index of 100 and 78.29%, respectively, followed by cypermethrin and bifenthrin were showed toxicity index of 75.47 and 66.89%, respectively. The LC50 values were 0.606 and 0.774 mg liter-1 for broflanilide and abamectin, respectively, followed by cypermethrin and bifenthrin were showed LC50 values of 0.803 and 0.906 mg liter-1 at 72 h post-treatment. Rest of the other synthetic insecticides were showed moderate toxicity index of 42.11 to 62.09%, based on LC50 values were 1.439 to 0.976 mg liter-1 at 72 h post-treatment. The efficiency of synthetic insecticides was increased by increasing concentration level and exposure time. The screened synthetic insecticides among seven insecticides perhaps, provide basis for the development of novel insecticides for controlling S. frugiperda population after further research to evaluate and validate the laboratory results in the field.