Resilient event-triggered observer-based control of non-linear systems under denial-of-service attacks with actuator saturation.

This paper studies the control problem for a continuous-time networked system with non-linearity in the state equation as well as in the input, as saturation. The system is considered under denial-of-service (DoS), attacks which cause the blockage of input and/or output components in the overall closed-loop model. An event-triggering scheme that is resilient in nature, along with an observer-based control, has been considered under DoS attacks. The resultant scheme ensures efficient network resources and excludes Zeno behavior naturally due to the presence of a minimum positive interevent delay. Then, an event-based switched non-linear model is presented to address both the event-triggering scheme and the presence of DoS blocking attacks. A piece-wise Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method on the described non-linear model, resulting in the switched system, is considered for achieving an exponentially stable response by driving the required feasibility conditions. In the presence of a non-linear system with saturation in the actuator, the presented design establishes quantitative relationships among the exponential decay rate, active/sleeping intervals of attacks, parameters of the event-triggering condition, and sampling period of the system. After that, linear matrix inequalities are presented for designing an event-triggered controller with an observer, while the design also includes the region of convergence for dealing with the input non-linearity. Finally, comparative results for an offshore structure model with non-linearity in states as well as in actuator, are demonstrated to verify the results of the control scheme that is developed. It has been verified that our design is less conservative than the previous designs, and can handle the non-linearities in the dynamics of plant and actuator saturation more efficiently, while DoS attacks are also present. By applying our proposed method, the overshoot and undershoot are less than ±2.5 percent, while system states converge to the origin within 55 s.

Transgenerational effects of pyriproxyfen in a field strain of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae).

Musca domestica L. (Muscidae: Diptera) is a human and livestock pest especially in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Different insecticides have been used to control this pest that pose serious harmful effects on humans and the environment. The current study was planned to investigate the effects of two concentrations (LC25 and LC50) of pyriproxyfen on biological and population parameters of a field strain of M. domestica. The exposed parents (F0) and their progeny (F1) were studied to examine the transgenerational effects. The results indicated that preadult duration was higher in control (13.68 days) compared to LC50 treated individuals (12.44 days). The male and female longevity was relatively lower in the LC25 treated population i.e. 24.62 and 26.62 days, respectively. The adult pre-oviposition period (APOP) and total pre-oviposition period (TPOP) values were higher in the LC25 treated individuals than those of control. Moreover, oviposition days and fecundity were reduced in the treated individuals as compared to the control treatment. A gradual decrease in the net reproductive rate (R0) was observed (8.46-14.07 per day) while the value of R0 was significantly higher in control. The results suggested that pyriproxyfen can be effectively utilized and incorporated in the management programs of M. domestica.

Machine and Deep Learning: Artificial Intelligence Application in Biotic and Abiotic Stress Management in Plants.

Biotic and abiotic stresses significantly affect plant fitness, resulting in a serious loss in food production. Biotic and abiotic stresses predominantly affect metabolite biosynthesis, gene and protein expression, and genome variations. However, light doses of stress result in the production of positive attributes in crops, like tolerance to stress and biosynthesis of metabolites, called hormesis. Advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled the development of high-throughput gadgets such as high-resolution imagery sensors and robotic aerial vehicles, i.e., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. These High throughput (HTP) gadgets produce accurate but big amounts of data. Significant datasets such as transportable array for remotely sensed agriculture and phenotyping reference platform (TERRA-REF) have been developed to forecast abiotic stresses and early detection of biotic stresses. For accurately measuring the model plant stress, tools like Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML) have enabled early detection of desirable traits in a large population of breeding material and mitigate plant stresses. In this review, advanced applications of ML and DL in plant biotic and abiotic stress management have been summarized.

Tunable random laser based on hybrid plasmonic enhancement.

This research investigates the hybridized plasmonic response of silver film combined with dispersed silver (Ag) nanowires (NWs) to random laser emission. The mixture of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix is taken as the gain medium for random lasing, and the silver combination provides feedback mechanisms for light trapping. Importantly, film roughness and the coupling between localized and extended (delocalized) surface plasmons play a vital role in RL performance evaluation. The laser threshold is strongly influenced by film thickness attributed to surface roughness. Furthermore, the variation in film thickness also supports the wavelength modulation of 9 nm (597 nm to 606 nm), which results from the reabsorption of RhB. Additionally, the intriguing capability of emission wavelength tuning under the variation of temperature facilitates exciting prospects for precise wavelength control in plasmonic devices.

Exploration of natural colourant of (Solanum melongena L.) brinjal plant residues for fabric dyeing: a novel approach towards textile processing.

Natural products have become the main focus of mankind due to increasing environmental pollution. The current study was concerned with brinjal plant residues as a source of bio colourant for cotton dyeing. Various media have been employed for the extraction of colourant. Present studies illustrated that excellent colourant yield was obtained in 4% acidified methanol. Cotton fabric was dyed at 50 °C, for 55 min and showed optimised dyeing conditions. Varying chemicals and bio-mordants have been used to achieve elegant shade. Chemical mordanting results revealed that 2% FeSO4as pre-mordant, and 6% TA as post-mordant while in bio- mordanting, 8% of pomegranate peel extract as pre-mordant and 2% pomegranate peel extract as post-mordant indicated a darker shade to mordanted fabrics. Bio-mordanting gave darker shade, and fastness which revealed that bio-mordants have improved the fastness characteristics. FTIR results revealed the confirmation of flavonoids as a colourant for cotton dyeing.

Transgenerational effect of Afidopyropen on Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae).

Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) is the most devastating insect-pest in cotton crop. It is vector of the cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) and is responsible for huge losses to cotton industry in Pakistan and worldwide. It is mainly controlled by insecticides but the injudicious use of insecticides has resulted in insecticide resistance and population resurgence in addition to various harmful effects on the humans, non-target organisms and the environment. Transgenerational studies are very helpful to choose a best insecticidal option. In the current study, age-stage two-sex life table analysis was used to identify transgenerational effects of sublethal doses of afidopyropen. The adults of B. tabaci were treated with three concentrations of afidopyropen i.e., LC10, LC30 and LC50. The results indicated significant changes in the progeny i.e. the fecundity decreased in treated population; and female and male longevity of their progeny were more in control as compared to treated populations. Similarly, population parameters like intrinsic rate of growth (r), net reproductive rate (R0) and limiting rate of growth (λ) were significantly decreased in the treated adult progeny with values of 0.08-0.11, 4.85-7.46 and 1.09-1.12 per day, respectively. Based on the reduced biotic potential, afidopyropen can be suggested as an effective alternative option for the management of B. tabaci.

Transferable microfiber laser arrays for high-sensitivity thermal sensing.

Functional microfibers have attracted extensive attention due to their potential in health monitoring, radiation cooling, power management and luminescence. Among these, polymer fiber-based microlasers have plentiful applications due to their merits of full color, high quality factor and simple fabrication. However, developing a facile approach to fabricate stable microfiber lasing devices for high-sensitivity thermal sensing is still challenging. In this research, we propose a design of a stable and transferable membrane inlaid with whispering-gallery-mode plasmon hybrid microlaser arrays for thermal sensing. By integrating plasmonic gold nanorods with polymer lasing microfiber arrays that are embedded in the polydimethylsiloxane matrix, whispering-gallery-mode lasing arrays with high quality are achieved. Based on the thermo-optical effect of the membrane, a tuning range of 1.462 nm for the lasing peak shift under temperature variation from 30.6 °C to 38.7 °C is obtained. The ultimate thermal sensing sensitivity can reach up to 0.181 nm °C-1 and the limit of detection is 0.131 °C, with a high figure of merit of 2.961 °C-1. Moreover, a stable laser linewidth can be maintained within the tuning range due to plasmon-improved photon confinement and PDMS-reduced scattering loss. This work is expected to provide a facile approach for the fabrication of high-sensitivity on-chip thermometry devices.

Tunable random lasers via phase transition for information encryption.

Introducing phase transition materials to random systems provides a promising route to create new optoelectronic functionalities of random lasers. Here, a phase transition random laser with switchable lasing modes is reported, which is designed with a thermoresponsive hydrogel as scattering medium. By manipulating the phase transition in hydrogel, random lasing modes can be switched reversibility between incoherent and coherent random lasing. The phenomenon derives from the changing of light scattering properties in different phase states, thus affecting the optical feedback path of random lasing. Besides, based on its controllable and easily detectable time-domain characteristics, the phase transition random laser is applied in information encoding and transmission. It is the first time that the transition from coherent to incoherent random lasing is observed by varying the sample phase states. This work will inspire the design and application of novel random lasers in photoelectric device.

Soil Amendments and Foliar Melatonin Reduced Pb Uptake, and Oxidative Stress, and Improved Spinach Quality in Pb-Contaminated Soil.

Amending Pb-affected soil with biochar (BH) and magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKC) reduces Pb uptake in plants. Moreover, foliar applications of melatonin and proline are also known to reduce plant oxidative stress and Pb uptake. However, little is known about combining both techniques, i.e., adding a combo immobilizing dose (CIA = mixture of BH and MKC at 50:50 ratio) in Pb-polluted soil and foliar application of proline and melatonin for reducing Pb uptake and oxidative stress in spinach. Control, proline, melatonin, CIA, CIA+proline, and CIA+melatonin were the treatments utilized in this pot study to see their effects on reducing plant oxidative stress, Pb uptake, and improving spinach quality in Pb-polluted soil. Moreover, Pb bioavailability, enzymatic activities, and numbers of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes in the soil were also evaluated. The effect of CIA on reducing Pb in the soil-plant system and improving soil enzymes and microbial numbers was more pronounced than melatonin alone. The most effective treatment was CIA+melatonin reducing Pb availability in soil (77%), shoots (95%), and roots (84%), alleviating oxidative stress, and improving plant biomass (98%) and nutrients. Soil enzymatic activities and the number of microorganisms in the rhizosphere were also highest with CIA+melatonin. Results highlight the significance of CIA+melatonin, as an inexpensive approach, in remediating Pb-polluted soil and improving spinach quality. However, further research is needed to understand the significance of CIA+melatonin on different crops and various soil Pb concentrations before employing this technique commercially in agriculture and environment sectors.

Silicic and Ascorbic Acid Induced Modulations in Photosynthetic, Mineral Uptake, and Yield Attributes of Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) under Ozone Stress.

Most of the world's crop production and plant growth are anticipated to be seriously threatened by the increasing tropospheric ozone (O3) levels. The current study demonstrates how different mung bean genotypes reacted to the elevated level of O3 in the presence of exogenous ascorbic and silicic acid treatments. It is the first report to outline the potential protective effects of ascorbic and silicic acid applications against O3 toxicity in 12 mung bean {Vigna radiata (L.) Wilken} varieties. Under controlled circumstances, the present investigation was conducted in a glass house. There were four different treatments used: control (ambient O3 concentration of 40-45 ppb), elevated O3 (120 ppb), elevated O3 with silicic acid (0.1 mM), and elevated O3 with ascorbic acid (10 mM). Three varieties, viz. NM 20-21, NM 2006, and NM 2016, showcased tolerance to O3 toxicity. Our findings showed that ascorbic and silicic acid applications gradually increased yield characteristics such as seed yield, harvest index, days to maturity, and characteristics related to gas exchange such as transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic activity, and water-use efficiency. Compared to the control, applying both growth regulators enhanced the mineral uptake across all treatments. Based on the findings of the current study, it is concluded that the subject mung bean genotypes responded to silicic acid treatment more efficiently than ascorbic acid to mitigate the harmful effects of O3 stress.

A New Method for Determination of Optimal Borehole Drilling Location Considering Drilling Cost Minimization and Sustainable Groundwater Management.

Drilling boreholes for the exploration of groundwater incurs high cost with potential risk of failures. However, borehole drilling should only be done in regions with a high probability of faster and easier access to water-bearing strata, so that groundwater resources can be effectively managed. However, regional strati-graphic uncertainties drive the decision of the optimal drilling location search. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of a robust solution, most contemporary solutions rely on physical testing methods that are resource intensive. In this regard, a pilot study is conducted to determine the optimal borehole drilling location using a predictive optimization technique that takes strati-graphic uncertainties into account. The study is conducted in a localized region of the Republic of Korea using a real borehole data set. In this study we proposed an enhanced Firefly optimization algorithm based on an inertia weight approach to find an optimal location. The results of the classification and prediction model serve as an input to the optimization model to implement a well-crafted objective function. For predictive modeling a deep learning based chained multioutput prediction model is developed to predict groundwater-level and drilling depth. For classification of soil color and land-layer a weighted voting ensemble classification model based on Support Vector Machines, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, and Gradient Boosted Machine is developed. For weighted voting, an optimal set of weights is determined using a novel hybrid optimization algorithm. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. The proposed classification model achieved an accuracy of 93.45% and 95.34% for soil-color and land-layer, respectively. While the mean absolute error achieved by proposed prediction model for groundwater level and drilling depth is 2.89% and 3.11%, respectively. It is found that the proposed predictive optimization framework can adaptively determine the optimal borehole drilling locations for high strati-graphic uncertainty regions. The findings of the proposed study provide an opportunity to the drilling industry and groundwater boards to achieve sustainable resource management and optimal drilling performance.

Morpho-physiological characterization and metabolic profiling of rice lines for immunity to counter Helminthosporiumoryzae.

Heliminthosporium oryzae is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen that effect rice crops grown on millions of hectares. We evaluated nine newly establishing rice lines and one local variety for resistance against H. oryzae. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences in response to pathogen attack were recorded in all rice lines. Maximum disease resistance was recorded in Kharamana under pathogen attack as compared to uninfected plants. A comparison of decline in shoot length revealed that Kharamana and Sakh experienced minimum lost (9.21%, 17.23%) in shoot length respectively against control while Binicol exhibited highest reduction (35.04%) in shoot length due to H. oryzae attack. Post-infection observations of shoot fresh weight revealed 63% decline in Binicol and declared it as the most susceptible rice line. Sakh, Kharamana and Gervex exhibited minimum fresh weight decrease (19.86%, 19.24% and 17.64% respectively) as compared to other lines under pathogen attack. Maximum chlorophyll-a contents were recorded in Kharamana under control and post pathogen attackconditions. Following the inoculation of H. oryzae, SOD was increased up to 35% and 23% in Kharamana and Sakh. However, minimum POD activity was recorded in Gervex followed by Swarnalata, Kaosen and C-13 in non-inoculated and pathogen-inoculated plants. Significant decrease in ascorbic acid contents (73.7% and 70.8%) was observed in Gervex and Binicol that later contributed in their susceptibility to H. oryzae attack. Pathogen attack caused Significant (P ≤ 0.05) changes in secondary metabolites in all rice lines but minimum total flavonoids, anthocyanin and lignin were observed in Binicol in uninfected plants and attested its susceptibility to pathogen. In post-pathogen attack conditions, Kharamana showed best resistance against pathogen by exhibiting a significantly high and maximum value of morpho-physiological, and biochemical attributes. Our findings suggest that tested resistant lines can be further explored for multiple traits including molecular regulation of defense responses to breed immunity in rice varieties.

Sudden Gross Visual Deterioration: Importance of Examining the Whole Eye.

A 75-year-old caucasian female presented with sudden severe visual deterioration in one eye reduced from 6/9 to counting fingers (CF), with second eye reduction in vision from 6/9 to CF three months later. Past medical history included a background of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, uncontrolled blood pressure, and a 44-year history of poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Previous ocular history included bilateral pan-retinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, followed by bilateral vitrectomies, with subsequent bilateral cataract surgery with intraocular lens implants. A diagnosis of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) was thought to be the most likely diagnosis due to sudden visual loss, pale discs, and previous long-term history of diabetes and blood pressure with variable control in the absence of a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). However, at the time of the second eye visual loss, the inferior peripheral retina examination revealed bilateral pseudophakic intraocular lens dislocations. With spectacle correction of +11.50/-1.00 x 75 right eye and +11.50/-1.00 x 65 left eye, her visual acuities were 6/12 right eye and 6/9 left eye, and subsequent secondary intraocular lens insertion was planned. This case highlights the importance of a careful review of the whole eye to ensure that remediable causes of visual loss are not missed.

Microwave-assisted sustainable exploration of cocklebur leaves (Xanthium strumarium L.) as a novel source of distinct yellow natural colorant for dyeing cotton fabric.

During current times, the use of bio-colorants attained public acceptance as a sustainable alternative to synthetic ones which in turn reduced the environmental contamination. The present study focused on the green, safe, and clean technology for the resurgence of natural colorant from cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) leaves and their application to cotton fabric. Natural colorants were extracted by employing an eco-friendly microwave-assisted extraction process using an aqueous and alkaline medium. Dyeing of cotton fabric was carried out using irradiated and unirradiated cotton fabric with irradiated and unirradiated natural dyes of cocklebur leaves. The results of extraction experiments revealed that 4 min microwave-assisted alkaline extract exhibited significantly outstanding color strength onto microwave-treated cotton fabric compared to aqueous one. Further to investigate the optimum dyeing conditions for cotton fabric, various dyeing variables such as dyeing time, dyeing temperature, dye concentration, and exhausting agent were monitored and found a superior result using a dye concentration of 45 ml, for dyeing cotton fabric at 75 °C for 50 min in the presence of 4 g/100 ml of table salt. For improvement in color strength and color fastness properties, the effects of various bio-mordants, such as eucalyptus bark, acacia bark, turmeric rhizome, and onion shells, and chemical mordants (aluminum and copper) on dyed cotton fabric were also evaluated. It was also observed that cotton fabric dyed with alkaline extract of cocklebur leaves using bio-mordants as pre-mordants (4% acacia, 4% eucalyptus, 2% onion) and post-mordants (3% onion, 3% eucalyptus, 4% acacia) exhibited the highest color strength and various hues with acceptable colorfastness properties against light, washing, and rubbing in comparison to chemical mordants. The ISO standard for fastness also revealed that bio-mordanting has enhanced the rating from good to excellent in comparison to chemical mordants. The results provide ample scope for the extraction of yellow natural dye from the cocklebur leaves for eco-friendly coloration of fabrics using bio-mordants.

Construction of a Pentacyclic Framework Enabled by Nickel Catalysis.

We present a novel nickel-catalyzed reaction of indole-tethered 2-alkynylphenol esters with various (hetero)aryl boronic acids, resulting in the synthesis of diversely functionalized pentacyclic benzofurocyclohepta[b]indole derivatives. This unprecedented cascade reaction involves the arylative cyclization of alkynes, nucleophilic attack of the indole moiety on the oxonium ion intermediate, 1,2-alkyl group migration, and aromatization. The synthesized molecules exhibit exceptional cytotoxicity against multiple cancer cell lines while maintaining biocompatibility toward healthy cells.

Congenital Corneal Opacity in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the deep phenotype of congenital corneal opacities (CCO) in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) and to identify putative regions or genes that could explain the CCO. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify patients with 22q11.2 DS seen in the ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary referral children's hospital. Thirty patients were identified, with molecular confirmation. Twenty-six did not show structural anterior segment anomalies aside from posterior embryotoxon (n = 4), whereas 4 had bilateral CCO, of which 3 had preoperative images. We reviewed medical, operative, and pathology reports; anterior segment optical coherence tomography; high-frequency ultrasound; histopathologic slides; and genetic testing. To identify putative genes responsible for CCO, chromosomal breakpoints in patients with and without CCO were compared. RESULTS: In the 3 patients with preoperative imaging and CCO, a pattern of paracentral corneal opacification with central clearing accompanied by iridocorneal or keratolenticular adhesions was observed. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and histopathologic images showed central stromal thinning with a residual structure consistent with Descemet membrane. One patient presented at birth with unilateral corneal perforation, suggestive of likely stromal thinning. A comparison of the breakpoints across all cases failed to reveal unique regions or genes in patients with CCO. CONCLUSIONS: 22q11.2 DS can rarely be associated with CCO. We describe a consistent pattern of central clearing related to posterior stromal thinning, with or without ICA/KLA. Possible candidate genes for corneal opacification in 22q11.2 DS remain elusive.

A Prospective Audit Comparing Optos Widefield Imaging to Fundus Examination for Von Hippel-Lindau Retinal Screening.

Background Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder caused by germline mutations at chromosome 3p25-26 in the VHLtumour suppressor gene. Retinal manifestations include capillary haemangiomas that develop in up to 80% of gene carriers. Lifelong retinal surveillance involves yearly assessment usually by fundoscopy and often as part of a VHL multidisciplinary clinic. Optos ultra-widefield retinal imaging is now becoming more widely used in virtual retinal screening clinics. We aimed to assess discrepancies in the pickup rate of angioma and angiomatous-associated disease between slit-lamp fundoscopy and Optos ultra-widefield imaging. Methodology A total of 49 patients had both Optos ultra-widefield retinal imaging and slit-lamp fundoscopy over 16 months in VHL retinal surveillance clinics at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK. Optos images were analysed for image quality and presence of angioma(s) by a Consultant Ophthalmologist who was masked to the fundoscopy findings. The pickup rate was compared between slit-lamp fundoscopy and Optos imaging. Results In total, data on 94 eyes were collected. Of the total Optos retinal images, 12.8% were positive for angiomas compared to 11.7% from the slit-lamp examination. There was a discrepancy of 1.1% (one value) where the Optos image analysis suggested a possible angioma, which was not identified on slit-lamp examination. Optos imaging identified all angiomas in this cohort. Conclusions Optos imaging was non-inferior to slit-lamp examination in this sample of 94 eyes. In the current COVID-19 climate, reducing clinician-patient interaction is important. This research supports providing retinal imaging as an acceptable alternative to the yearly slit-lamp fundus examination.

Transgenerational effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae).

The hormetic effect may cause disease control measures to fail due to inadequate treatment of human disease vectors such as houseflies. Age-stage, two-sex life table is used for accurate estimation of the hermetic impacts on insects as it allows to study sub-lethal or transgenerational effects. Pyrethroids insecticides are primarily used for the management of houseflies. This study used lambda-cyhalothrin (a pyrethroid insecticide) to quantify its transgenerational impacts on houseflies. Life table parameters of a progeny of adult houseflies exposed to LC10, LC30, and LC50 of lambda-cyhalothrin were computed. Statistically higher fecundity (71.31 per female) was observed in control treatment, while it was the adults exposed to LC50 recorded the lowest progeny. Significantly higher values for intrinsic rate of growth (r), limiting rate of growth (λ), and net reproductive rate (Ro) (0.16, 1.16, and 31.38 per day, respectively) were recorded for the control treatment of the study. Contrarily, lower values for λ, Ro, and r were (0.10, 1.10, and 9.24 per day, respectively) were noted in the LC50 treatment. Decreased population parameters suggest that lambda-cyhalothrin can be successfully used in indoor environments to control houseflies.

Enhanced Harmonics Reactive Power Control Strategy Based on Multilevel Inverter Using ML-FFNN for Dynamic Power Load Management in Microgrid.

The shift of the world in the past two decades towards renewable energy (RES), due to the continuously decreasing fossil fuel reserves and their bad impact on the environment, has attracted researchers all around the world to improve the efficiency of RES and eliminate problems that arise at the point of common coupling (PCC). Harmonics and un-balance in 3-phase voltages because of dynamic and nonlinear loads cause a lagging power factor due to inductive load, active power losses, and instability at the point of common coupling. This also happens due to a lack of system inertia in micro-grids. Passive filters are used to eliminate harmonics at both the electrical converter's input and output sides and improve the system's power factor. A Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF) control method is used to overcome the problem related to grid synchronization. The sine pulse width modulation (SPWM) technique provides gating signals to the switches of the multilevel inverter. A multi-layer feed forward neural network (ML-FFNN) is employed at the output of a system to minimize mean square error (MSE) by removing the errors between target voltages and reference voltages produced at the output of a trained model. Simulations were performed using MATLAB Simulink to highlight the significance of the proposed research study. The simulation results show that our proposed intelligent control scheme used for the suppression of harmonics compensated for reactive power more effectively than the SRF-based control methods. The simulation-based results confirm that the proposed ML-FFNN-based harmonic and reactive power control technique performs 0.752 better in terms of MAE, 0.52 for the case of MSE, and 0.222 when evaluating based on the RMSE.

Toxicity and sublethal effects of diafenthiuron on life table parameters of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae).

Housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), is an important insect-pest owing to its disease transmitting capability in both humans and animals e.g. diarrhea, gastroenteritis diseases, lumpy skin disease, cholera. Residual insecticides are widely used to control houseflies that pose serious threat to human and animal health as well as to the environment. The population resurgence after insecticidal spray is also a common problem in many cases. Transgenerational studies can be very helpful to see the fate of insecticidal sprays. In the current study, we determined transgenerational effects of sublethal doses of diafenthiuron using Age-stage two-sex life table analysis, while focusing on potential use of diafenthiuron in baits. After treating adult flies with three different doses of diafenthiuron viz. LC10, LC20 and LC50, the progeny depicted significant changes regarding pre-adult duration (shorter in control), male and female longevity of their progeny were observed (more adult longevity in control). Additionally, population growth parameters viz. intrinsic rate of growth (r) (-0.03-0.12 per day), net reproductive rate (R0) (0.50-9.98), limiting rate of growth (λ) (0.96-1.13 per day) were also significantly reduced in the progeny of treated adults. Based on the decreased biotic potential i.e. intrinsic rate of growth and other population parameters, diafenthiuron can be recommended as an effective insecticide even at lower doses.