The current study was conducted to appraise the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration in Dalian-China and Faisalabad-Pakistan. Study was conducted for the period of one year at different stations in both cities and the results were compared according to set standards of NEQS(Pakistan), CNAAQS(China), NAAQS(USEPA) and WHO (World Health Organization). The PM2.5 concentrations in Faisalabad is variable from 22 to 49 μg/m 3 (Average 36.5 μg/m 3), whereas PM10 variation is from 109 to 164.3 μg/m 3 (148.3 μg/m 3). The PM2.5 concentrations in Dalian varied from 5.5 to 93.3 μg/m 3 (29.1 μg/m 3), whereas PM10 values varied from 10.5 to 101.1 μg/m 3 (Average 45.9 μg/m 3). Both the average PM2.5 concentration in Faisalabad, in winter season is higher than the dry summer season. Both PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were found significantly different in winter and summer seasons. The variations were considerably higher in Dalian comparing to those of Faisalabad. On average basis Faisalabad showed more PM concentrations comparing to Dalian, even higher than permissible limits set by NEQS and USEPA. Whereas the values representing Dalian are within the limits set by CNAAQS and WHO.

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The present study considers evaporative cooling and desiccant unit-based air-conditioning (AC) options for livestock AC application. In this regard, proposed systems are investigated by means of experiments and thermodynamic investigations. Air-conditioning requirements for animals are theoretically investigated and temperature-humidity index (THI) is estimated. A lab-scale heat mass exchanger based on the Maisotsenko-cycle evaporative cooling conception (MEC) is set up and its performance is evaluated at different ambient air conditions. In addition, a desiccant-based air-conditioning (DAC) unit is thermodynamically evaluated using a steady-state model available in the literature. The study focuses on the ambient conditions of Multan which is the 5th largest city of Pakistan and is assumed to be a typical hot city of southern Punjab. The study proposed three kinds of AC combination i.e., (i) stand-alone MEC, (ii) stand-alone desiccant AC, and (iii) M-cycle based desiccant AC systems. Wet bulb effectiveness of the stand-alone MEC unit resulted in being from 64% to 78% whereas the coefficient of performance for stand-alone desiccant AC and M-cycle based desiccant AC system was found to be 0.51 and 0.62, respectively. Results showed that the stand-alone MEC and M-cycle based desiccant AC systems can achieve the animals’ thermal comfort for the months of March to June and March to September, respectively, whereas, stand-alone desiccant AC is not found to be feasible in any month. In addition, the ambient situations of winter months (October to February) are already within the range of animal thermal comfort.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important legume which is consumed globally for protein intake, particularly in Asian states. It is a well-known source of dietary fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins. The cowpea grains are stored after harvest and used till the next harvest. However, the grains are infested by storage pests, primarily Callosobruchus maculatus. Hence, effective management strategies are needed to protect the stored grains form the pests. This study assessed the efficacy of some edible oils in suppressing C. maculatus infestation in stored cowpea grains. Four different botanical oils (i.e., mustard, neem, poppy, and pumpkin) at four different concentrations (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 ml per 100 g grain) were included in the study. A control treatment without any botanical oil was also included for comparison. The relevant concentrations of botanical oils were poured into plastic containers containing 100 g cowpea grains and ten C. maculatus adults were released. The jars were sealed and placed at room temperature. Data relating to mortality, oviposition, F1 adult emergence, and seed weight loss were recorded. The tested botanical oils and their concentrations significantly affected mortality after one day. Mortality after 2nd and 3rd days remained unaffected by botanical oils and their different concentrations. The highest mortality was recorded in neem oil-treated grains followed by poppy, pumpkin, and mustard oils. Increased oviposition rate was observed in the grains treated with mustard and pumpkin oils, while those treated with neem and poppy oil recorded decreased oviposition. The control treatment had increased oviposition rate compared to tested botanical oils. All botanical oils significantly inhibited egg laying percentage. The highest germination was recorded for the grains treated with mustard oil followed by pumpkin, poppy, and neem oils, respectively. The lowest germination was recorded for control treatment. Significant differences were noted for C. maculatus repellency among botanical oils. No emergence of adults (F1 progeny) was recorded in all tested botanical oils; thus, F1 progeny was inhibited by 100%. Weight loss, damage percentage, and holes in the grains were not recorded since F1 progeny did not emerge. It is concluded that tested botanical oils are promising and could be utilized to control C. maculatus in cowpea grains during storage.

Drought is a natural phenomenon caused by extreme and persistent precipitation shortage. This shortfall causes impacts on hydrology, agriculture, and the economy of a country. Secondly, drought/dryness has certain unique characteristics (severity, duration) among the natural hazards which makes it difficult to classify the persistent and subjective network of impacts. Drought classification is important to manage drought, allowing both quantitative evaluation and potential risk assessment planning. The simpler approach of drought indices made it easier for various researchers and organizations to classify drought. Several drought indices have been proposed at the national and global level to characterize hydrological, meteorological and agricultural droughts. Until now, there has been no widely agreed drought index among researchers. Therefore, researchers are trying to modify and reconstruct a simple, complete, and robust drought index for effective use and planning of the management of water resources. Due to the complex terrestrial ecosystem, researchers used to integrate multiple drought indexes for evaluation and monitoring of regional drought conditions. The reviewed composite or aggregated indices revealed that the researchers are mainly focused on regional climatic and environmental conditions, and differences of theoretical backgrounds while integrating a drought index. There is a lack of performance evaluation of these indices because usually the comparative analysis between the integrated index and earlier developed composite indices is not performed. Secondly, the developer researchers did not mention limitations such as data, which is considered a paramount issue while applying these indices in other regions. Therefore, there is still comprehensive work needed for the simple integration of drought indexes for general applications.