Diversity and Conservation of Avian Fauna in Daphar Forest Sanctuary, Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan | Author : Roheela Yasmeen | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Biodiversity is representative of a healthy ecosystem. Anthropogenic activities, including habitat degradation, hunting, and fragmentation, are major circumstances which results in species extinction. The present study was conducted to explore avian fauna and role of Daphar Forest Sanctuary, Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan, in its conseration. Study was carried out for 12 months, and 12 visits were made during 1st January 2020 – 31st December 2020. The visits were paused during periods of rain or high wind. Sampling was done by direct count method. A total of 2999 avian population were observed during the study. An overall population was composed of 12 orders, 20 families, 28 genera, and 32 species. Relative Abundance was calculated highest for family Sturnidae, 12.94% (N = 388) of birds, and order Passerine 54.95% (N = 1648). Simpson Diversity index (SDI) value was 0.95, Shannon Weiner Diversity Index value was 3.224 that, showed high diversity of avian fauna. However, evenness was 0.78, which showed an even distribution was found among birds population. It was noticed that Sanctuary faces drastic pollution which results in complications for the native wildlife. It was concluded scientific activities and researches were legalized in the respective wildlife sanctuary so that more information is gathered about the wildlife thriving in these areas.
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| Empirical Assessment for the Domestic Worker Housing: A Case Study of Lahore | Author : Haroon Gulzar | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :house is considered a basic human need. It provides identity, security, belonging, and privacy. Regrettably, Pakistan is facing a housing backlog of almost 10 million units. This research aims to diagnose the problems related to accommodation that domestic workers are facing and to assess the pragmatic options for housing the labor class groups. Data for this research was collected from the residents, domestic workers, and relevant authorities through a structured questionnaire survey in selected case study areas. The dependent variable in the study is the provision of accommodation to the domestic workers, which needs to be calculated. The predictors or independent variables are affordability of domestic workers’ residence, salary, housing provision, financial status, and role of government. The results reveal that when “provision of housing allowance” to the domestic workers will help in overcoming the problem of housing available to the workers Its value goes up by 1, “provision of residence to domestic workers at nearby places” increases by 0.518 Similarly, “provision of nearby residence increases the work efficiency” goes up to 1, “provision of residence to domestic workers at nearby places” goes up by the value 0.118.
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| Diastolic Dysfunction Prediction with Symptoms Using Machine Learning Approach | Author : Muhammad Shoaib Anjum | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Cardiac disease is the major cause of deaths all over the world, with 17.9 million deaths annually, as per World Health Organization reports. The purpose of this study is to enable a cardiologist to early predict the patient’s condition before performing the echocardiography test. This study aims to find out whether diastolic function or diastolic dysfunction using symptoms through machine learning. We used the unexplored dataset of diastolic dysfunction disease in this study and checked the symptoms with cardiologist to be enough to predict the disease. For this study, the records of 1285 patients were used, out of which 524 patients had diastolic function and the other 761 patients had diastolic dysfunction. The input parameters considered in this detection include patient age, gender, BP systolic, BP diastolic, BSA, BMI, hypertension, obesity, and Shortness of Breath (SOB). Various machine learning algorithms were used for this detection including Random Forest, J.48, Logistic Regression, and Support Vector Machine algorithms. As a result, with an accuracy of 85.45%, Logistic Regression provided promising results and proved efficient for early prediction of cardiac disease. Other algorithms had an accuracy as follow, J.48 (85.21%), Random Forest (84.94%), and SVM (84.94%). Using a machine learning tool and a patient’s dataset of diastolic dysfunction, we can declare either a patient has cardiac disease or not.
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| Floristic Composition, Biological Spectrum and Distribution Pattern of Floral Biodiversity in Jalalabad Taisot Valley, Gilgit Baltistan | Author : Sobia Arif | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Jalalabad is a small village in Gilgit District in Pakistan, located around 20 km east of Gilgit city. Jalalabad village is one of the beautiful valleys located at 35°53.921 N latitude, 074°29.382 E longitude at an altitude of 1500. The present study was carried out from July-August 2021-2022 and was comprised of two main parts. The first part was floristic diversity, the second part was phytosociological studies. The collected specimens consist of (156) plant species that belonged to 119 genera and 49 families. The life forms of the collected species were 62 (72%) where Hemicryptophyte were dominant, 33 (22%) Therophytes, 14 (9%) Chaemophyte, 42 (27%) Phanerophyte and Geophytes were 4 (2%). The breakup of the habit categories shows that the herbs with 103 (66%) species were dominant to show the flora of the study area, followed by shrubs with 17 (10%) species which shows the flora of the study area. Subshrubs by 9 (6%) and trees 27 (22%) contained the flora of the study area. We studied three stands and in each stand, we placed twenty quadrate to recognize the dominant flora based on IVI. We recognized the dominant lifeform Hemicryptophytes and dominant taxa Thaymus linearis held at the highest value (64.259) based on IVI. The phytosociological studies provided all required information from each stand like dominant habit categories, dominant life forms, and dominant taxa in the study area.
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| Molecular characterization of Deciphering Fungal Community structure in Zea mays L. and Triticum Aestivum L | Author : Waseem | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Rhizosphere fungi are strongly associated with plant growth and health by providing nutrients and antagonizing pathogens. Commercially, fungus has multipurpose applications in several sectors including beverages, food items and in medicines. Current study aimed to reveal the core fungal community structure of the two leading cereal crops that are Zea mays L. and Triticum aestivum L. The rhizosphere fungal community was explored via morphology, biochemistry and internal transcribe spacer (ITS) metagenomics. On the basis of morphology, the retrieved fungal strains were imprecisely classified into Ascomycota and Zygomycota. The species including Yeast, Botyritis californica, Rhizopus stolonifer, Alternaria tenuissima, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus niger and Microsporum canis were identified on the basis of macroscopy and microscope. Moreover, the biochemical characterization depicted the role of fungi in promotion of plant growth. Majority of the isolates depicted catalase activity, indole production, phosphate solubilization, ammonia production, nitrogenase activity and urease activity. Metagenomics using amplicon sequencing of ITS region revealed the presence of 805 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with 647 OTUs in Zea mays and 620 OTUs in Triticum aestivum. The fungal phyla found in the rhizosphere of Zea mays L. and Triticum aestivum L. were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, Chytridiomycota, Incertae sedis fungi. Ascomycota accounted for 93% and 95% of classified fungi in rhizosphere of Zea mays L. and Triticum aestivum L. respectively. The dominant species found in the rhizosphere soil of Zea mays were Gibberella intricans, Curvularia lunata, Lepidosphaeria nicotiae, Edenia gomezpompae and Myrothecium verrucaria.
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| Adaptive clustering in energy efficient routing protocol for mobile nodes in WSNs | Author : Zawar Khan Khattak | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Introduction: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is a collection of large number of small sensor nodes which communicate sensed data over a radio channel covering wide geographical region.
Problem statement: A number of algorithms have been developed to enhance the network lifetime of WSN by efficiently utilizing the sources of energy. The most commonly used approach is clustering that is prone to uneven load balancing and instability issues. Furthermore, topological changes in WSN structure especially with mobile nodes significantly effect network lifetime.
Methodology: In this study, we have proposed an Adaptive-Cluster-based Energy Efficient Routing Protocol (A-EECBRP), which employs a novel geometrical Voronoi-based configuration to solve load balancing and mobility issues while maintaining network stability and coverage. Furthermore, energy cost function and Energy Harvesters (EH) devices were implemented to reduce energy consumption and increase network life. Moreover, the concept of handshaking and random waypoint model for nodes movement between cluster groups was examined to define mobile nodes.
Results: Simulation results obtained from network analysis performed on MATLAB® showed that A-EECBRP reduced energy consumption by almost 1500 rounds as compared to LEACH-M. This significantly improved the network lifetime of WSN as compared to the LEACH-M routing protocol. Therefore, our proposed scheme provides a huge potential for implementing energy-efficient routing protocols in mobile wireless sensor networks. |
| Role of Geospatial Technology in Crime Mapping & Analysis: A Case Study of District Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan | Author : Mudassar Khushi | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Crime is a social stigma that needs to be addressed beyond talks. The use of geospatial information technology has become well recognized within the fields of forensic sciences and criminology, especially in the developed world. The current study is an attempt to analyze the distribution and trends of various crime types, including rape, murder, baby kidnapping, vehicle theft, and dacoity in district of Kasur Punjab, Pakistan during the year 2021. (Police station wise crime data) was collected from the District Police Office (DPO), Kasur and interpolation technique was applied and several maps were generated, including crime type, crime rate, and crime density with in study area and statistical illustrations were down users Microsoft Excel software suite. Murder crimes were found highest in the vicinity of Sadar Kasur police station whereas lowest in the vicinity of City Pattoki police station. Alla abad police station reported the highest rape crimes, whereas the lowest crime rate was found in the jurisdiction of Theh Sheikham. Kidnapping were highest in Sadar Kasur and Kot Radhakishen police stations’ vicinity, while it was found to be the lowest in the The Sheikham police station’s jurisdiction. Ganda Singh Wala, Kangan Pur, and Sadar Chunian had the lowest number of vehicle theft, whereas the city Pattoki and Sadar Kasur police stations recorded the highest dacoity crime. The present study suggests that the use of geospatial technology within the study area and beyond by the law enforcement departments can effectively enhance crime control and can help to maintain law and order situations.
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| A Review on Impacts, Resistance Pattern and Spoilage of Vegetables Associated Microbes | Author : Saif Ud Din | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Vegetable spoilage produces various microbes of different origins like parasites, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. This causes infections and diseases in vegetables, and later on, when humans eat these vegetables; diseases induce in humans. So, to prevent human diseases, the symptoms of various infections in vegetables must be known. Moreover, the conditions supporting the infections in vegetables must be understood. So that spoiled vegetable consumption can be prevented. Sometimes spoiled vegetables are regarded as disease free and suitable for consumption. These misconceptions sometimes lead to lethal human diseases, which in history led to major outbreaks. The antimicrobial resistance is faced by microbes which deteriorate the situation and make the cure of diseases.
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| Service oriented Architecture for Agriculture System Integration with Ontology | Author : Muhammd Fahad | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Ontology is becoming a famous technique for converting unstructured data into meaningful data which acts as a key factor for decision-making, planning, and implementation in many areas, and agriculture is one of them. There are a lot of issues in agriculture practices e.g., farming, application of pesticides, and provision/ distribution of water to crops. However, some of the issues are critical and need to be resolved urgently to save cultivation from big hazards. In this paper, we have analyzed a few issues based on available literature. A variety of issues are faced in agriculture constantly and need to be resolved on an urgent basis. We have discussed the various ontology systems to acquire more precise results. Since ontology is based on a relation of data through which a user can get the maximum efficiency. Among all the challenges in agriculture, the lack of context-aware agriculture employs ontology with high concerns. This paper proposes a model to fill the gap in a service-oriented architecture.
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| Meteorological Monitoring of Smog in Lahore Metropolitan Using GIS Technology | Author : Ali Imam Mirza | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Smog, a combination of polluted gasses or smoke with fog, brings a harmful breathing environment that mostly exists during the pre-winter season in Lahore. The smog episodes are prevailing over the city which are getting aggregated by smoky fumes, impurities, and dust particles. Severe smog episodes were observed over Lahore mainly during November and December 2019, resulting in adverse environmental conditions e.g., eye irritation, breathing difficulty, and creating very low visibility in and around Lahore. This study is based on eighty-five sample sites from all over Lahore city, to measure the Particulate Matter during smog season. In this study, the risk zones are demarcated based on land use and land covers during pre-winter seasons. It has been revealed through geospatial technology and the evaluation of weather data that local pollution has a greater contribution towards deteriorating the quality of air as compared to the contributions which are regionally active during the smog season. Spatial dispersion of smog has shown the local industrial and vehicular emissions as the major contributor of smog rather regional diffusion of pollutants.
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| How to Combat Against Upcoming Varients of Covid-19 | Author : mahnoor zamir ansari | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :New variant of Covid 19 poses a threat to re-imagine and re-design our cities, which will result in to reduced transportation and a brighter sky. The key objective of the study intends to enlighten how the new variant of COVID-19 may effect cities and their residents socially, economically, psychologically and to suggest measures to combat the effects of a pandemic. Cities are growth engines, and policymakers can help them become more sustainable by creating jobs, reducing poverty, and assisting in the resilience of cities. This is especially relevant for developing countries, which, in comparison to developed ones, are rapidly urbanizing. The researcher carried out a detailed survey in the case study area (Lahore) to gather the facts regarding the impacts of COVID-19. The reliability analysis technique was used to analyze the results. The variables/factors were reliable at the value of 0.8, and 0.7. The analysis shows that residents faced problems in mobility, daily commute, and unavailability of hospitals and health care units. Residents were affected psychologically as well. The most significant impact of the lockdown which proved itself a blessing was the improvement in air quality and the environment of Lahore. The researcher concluded that the epidemic will have a significant impact on Pakistani city administration and governance. Future decisions will determine if post-COVID cities are more environmentally friendly to construct and manage. However, in addition to economic growth, it is vital to address the social and environmental aspects of long-term sustainability.
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| Monitoring of Cortisol Levels in Hog Deer with Varying Environment Exposure | Author : Muhammad Hassan Ali Shah | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :Hog deer (Axis porcinus) is one of the least studied animal species in Pakistan. It belongs to Order Artiodactyla and the family Cervidae. IUCN classified Axis porcinus as an endangered species in 2008. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of varying environmental exposure, genders, and seasonal changes on captive hog deer (A. porcinus) at Lahore Zoo, Safari Zoo, and Jallo Park in Lahore, Pakistan. Non-invasive techniques were used to monitor stress levels in hog deer. For sample collection, four definite months belonging to two seasons’ winter and summer were considered. A total of 48 urine and faecal samples were collected from both male and female hog deer. Seasonal fluctuations have been found to have a significant impact on faecal and urinary cortisol levels. Higher cortisol levels were found in both male and female hog deer in the summer season at all three visited sites. Fluctuations in environmental exposure at three research sites had a significant impact on faecal and urinary cortisol levels. Higher levels of cortisol were found in both male and female hog deer at Jallo park and Lahore Zoo, as compared to Safari Zoo. It was concluded that lower cortisol levels at Safari Zoo might be due to better environmental conditions and more flexible enclosure size and interaction of various species of deer. Temperature affected hog deer cortisol levels in summer, as higher levels were measured in summer compared to winter. In addition, sex did not predict any stress levels in hog deer. It has been suggested that a large enclosure size can control levels of cortisol in hog deer.
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| Inventory and Altitudinal Distribution of Plant Biodiversity Along the Nalter Expressway in Nalter Valley Gilgit Baltistan | Author : Hera Sajid | Abstract | Full Text | Abstract :The present study was conducted in 2020-2021 to record the inventory and altitudinal distributions of plants and biodiversity in Nalter valley. The study area is situated at 36 N and 74 E, with 27,206 ha area in the Karakoram highlands. It is 40km away from Gilgit city. The purpose was to explore the natural floral inventory, life-form structure, and the biological spectrum of the plant biodiversity. This study recorded 126 species belonging to 106 genera and 48 families. The life forms of the collected species were 40 Hemicryptophytes (H), 8 Therophytes, 50 Chaemephyte, and geophytes 3 species, and 25 phanerophytes. While the habit categories of the recorded flora were analyzed with the help of Theophrastus classification. The categories of the recorded flora were 88 herbs, 113 shrubs,9 subshrubs, and 18 trees which contribute to the flora of the study area. The phytosociological studies were also carried out to recognize the dominant taxa, habit category, and the dominant life form in the study area. For this study, we divided the study area into three stands. In each stand, we placed 20 quartets to recognize the dominant taxa based on IVI. The phytosociological studies provided the required information from each stand like dominant habit categories, life forms, and dominant taxa along the Nalter expressway.
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