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Problem statement: Teaching not only involves the transmission of information/knowledge from teachers to students, but it is a job which involves multidimensional human interaction to achieve the desired goals of an educational organization. The education sector has become very diverse and demanding. Professional liabilities of teachers in Pakistan have increased day by day. These liabilities have made the work environment more difficult to adjust to, resulting into low organizational commitment in teachers. Interaction with colleagues, students and work-family pressure are all increasing the emotional labour of the teachers, and many of them are unable to strike a balance between job demands, relationships at school and family liabilities. When teachers lack commitment to their jobs, they tend to get lousy results. When they are clear about what they want and commit themselves to achieve it, they usually get there in some fashion. The organizational commitment of teachers is a significant area to be investigated in relation to emotional intelligence in the Pakistani scenario where most of the teachers do not join the teaching profession as their primary choice, but rather as a last resort. The low level of teacher commitment to their organization has resulted in a poor sense of responsibility and poor standards for education. Purpose of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment of college teachers in the Pakistani context. Method: The study was a descriptive survey in nature. Data were collected from 494 college teachers in Pakistan. Schutte's Assessing Emotions Scale and Allen & Mayer's three components of organizational commitment measures were used to collect the data. Pearson Product Moment Formula was applied to test the hypotheses. Regression Analysis was also applied to determine the effect of emotional intelligence on organizational commitment. Results and Findings: Findings of the research revealed a significant relationship of emotional intelligence to organizational commitment. EI also displayed significant positive relationships with three components of organizational commitment which are denoted by affective, continuance and normative commitment, respectively. Emotional intelligence reflects a reasonable power of predictability toward the organizational commitment of teachers. Conclusions and Recommendation: The study recommended emotional intelligence be included in the criteria for selection and recruitment of teachers, and that it be utilized as an intervention to enhance the level of organizational commitment of prospective and in-service teachers in Pakistani colleges.

Strategic interdependence between China and Pakistan increased in the post‐9/11 period due to various regional and international developments. The strategic partnership between the two states which was evolved in 1960s due to Indian factor has now been transformed especially in the post‐Cold period where new factors have been added in their relationship. Some of the factors identified in this study include enhancement of the strategic value of these states for each other especially closer collaboration in the defense and security, Cooperation in regional connectivity, cooperation in the regional organizations, mutual consensus on core political issues of Kashmir and Taiwan and China's support to Pakistan stance on the India's membership of Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG). China‐Pakistan strategic cooperation has raised concerns in India which on its part is devising counter‐strategies. Although, the study is qualitative and based on content analysis, but at the same time it is empirical as it also explains the correlations between independent and dependent variable i.e China‐Pakistan strategic cooperation versus India's counter‐strategies. In this backdrop, the main argument of the study is that the strategic partnership between China and Pakistan is not just India centric but in the post‐Cold War period several other factors have been added and one of the prominent factor is the construction of CPEC. The study moreover finds out that these new developments in China‐Pakistan strategic partnership have implications for India due to India's unresolved border issues with both Pakistan and China. The study is significant in terms of its relevance to policy makers, politicians, academia, and think tanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep medicine is an under‐recognised medical specialty in Pakistan and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) often goes unnoticed. Final year medical students and junior doctors are the primary medical contact to elicit patient history and physical examination. We aimed to measure the current knowledge of OSA amongst the final year medical students and junior doctors at four university teaching hospitals across three large Pakistani cities. Methods: Cross‐sectional survey of final year medical students and junior doctors rotating through medical wards of four university teaching hospitals were conducted during August–October 2019. The knowledge section of the OSA knowledge and attitude (OSAKA) questionnaire was used. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data with Chi‐Square test and independent samples student t‐test to compare the differences between individual items and mean scores of the participants, respectively. Results: A total 282 final year medical students and 204 junior doctors completed the survey yielding a response rate of 53% for medical students and 97% for junior doctors. The knowledge of sleep apnoea was poor in both groups of participants with a mean score of 7.6 (42%) on the knowledge scale of OSAKA questionnaire. Medical students scored higher on the item related to snoring as the most prevalent symptom in OSA patients when compared to the junior doctors (χ2 = 8.92, P = 0.003). More junior doctors responded correctly about the role of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in the management of OSA when compared to the medical students (χ2 = 5.14, P = 0.02). Differences in scores of both groups of participants on other items were small and did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Final year medical students and junior doctors from a sample of four university teaching hospitals in three large cities of Pakistan have limited knowledge about the diagnosis and management of OSA. The observed limited knowledge of OSA may contribute towards under‐diagnosis of this increasingly prevalent medical condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of monetary policy on house prices in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses monthly time-series data of house prices, monetary policy, inflation and stock market index ranging from January 2011 to December 2016. All the series were checked for stationarity by using augmented Dickey–Fuller test, and lag length of 11 was decided on the basis of Schwert'z rule of thumb. Vector autoregressive (VAR) model was used because the series were not co-integrated. Findings: The analysis revealed that monetary policy significantly affects house prices in Pakistan. Tight monetary policy results in lower house prices and vice versa. The relationship between monetary policy and house prices is unidirectional. The study also finds that higher inflation also leads to soaring house prices, but the variation in stock market index does not affect house prices. Originality/value: To the best of authors' knowledge, none of the existing studies explores the impact of monetary policy on house prices in Pakistan. The findings help investors and policy makers to understand the relationship between monetary policy and house prices to make better decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, there have been several discussions on the mainstreaming of Madrassas in Pakistan with their main focus to provide career opportunities to their students by reforming curriculum, removing hate speeches and adding some additional subjects such as Mathematics, IT and English. The issue of Madrassa reforms particularly came to lime light in the backdrop of post-9/11 developments especially the global war on terror. The terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 provided further impetus for a 20-Points National Action Plan (NAP) for countering terrorism and extremism of which one the important points was that Madrassas would be regularized and reformed. The present study is aimed to highlight the importance of Madrassa reforms by discussing the challenges and sensitivities involved in this process. It also discusses the perceptions and ground realities about the role of the Madrassas in the society by highlighting its various dimensions. The discussion begins with an analytical overview of the history and background of these institutions. It also analysis the prevailing administrative structures controlling the working of various Madrassas. The analysis concludes on presenting various options and strategies for introducing reforms in the Madrassa system in Pakistan by offering some policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been a source of enmity between Pakistan and India since 1947. Though the incident of 9/11 pushed Kashmir issue to backburner, the year 2016 proved as a turning point for the youth of Kashmir when martyrdom of Burhan Wani imparted a new dimension to freedom struggle and gave birth to a novel identity and philosophy of 'wanism'. This article aims to review human rights violations in J&K and Pakistan's dilemma of Kashmir policy in the post 2016 era. The study highlights trouble spots while analyzing policies of PML-N and PTI governments towards Kashmir conflict. It also sheds light on Prime Minister Modi's coercive Kashmir policy and the response of key world countries about human rights violations in J&K, followed by conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the U.S. President Donald Trump's new Afghanistan strategy. It argues that the policy is flawed as it focuses on a military approach rather than a political solution for Afghanistan. It also does not address the internal vulnerabilities of Afghanistan, especially reconstruction and nation building. Afghanistan's turmoil is essentially a product of internal dynamics of the country, which comprises of a burgeoning insurgency, ethnic and sectarian fault lines, religious extremism, rampant corruption and fragile governance institutions. The prevailing scenario is the result of more than 16 years of various military strategies employed by the US which failed to stabilise the war-ravaged country. Furthermore, suspicion and mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan have obstructed the peace efforts. Under the U.S. South Asia Policy, India has been given a larger role in Afghanistan while taking a dim view of Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts. It has raised serious concerns in Pakistan. Against this backdrop, the paper examines the limitations of Trump's South Asia policy, for Pakistan and what strategic adjustments the country needs to make in this scenario. It suggests dialogue among all stakeholders including the Taliban which is necessary for peace in Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of trees in urban environment is now widely recognized as they cleanse the particulate air pollution and help to make cities and towns more agreeable places to dwell upon. A detailed survey was conducted to study the size of Alstonia scholaris, Azadirachta indica, Bombax ceiba, Cassia fistula, Eucalyptus sp., Ficus benghalensis, Ficus religiosa and Guaiacum officinale trees in the urban environment of Karachi, Pakistan. Results showed a wide range of variation in tree diameter breast height (17.12-65.50 cm) at M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square), North Nazimabad and Karachi University Campus, respectively. A. indica, Eucalyptus sp., and F. benghalensis showed less dbh (tree diameter breast height) at M. A. Jinnah Road as compared to University Road (near Hassan Square), North Nazimabad and Karachi University Campus, respectively. G. officinale growing at University Road (near Hassan Square) showed less tree dbh as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road and Karachi University campus. Similarly, the tree size of B. ceiba and A. scholaris was recorded less at Nazimabad as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. C. fistula growing at North Nazimabad site showed low tree dbh as compared to University Road (near Hassan Square) site. A. scholaris growing at Karachi University Campus site showed highest dbh value as compared to all studied sites. The tree size of G. officinale was recorded highest at M. A. Jinnah Road as compared to North Nazimabad, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. Whereas, Eucalyptus sp. and F. benghalensis recorded highest dbh at North Nazimabad site as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. More research is needed on these trees for healthy environment of city. The present study recommends for the complete documentation of tree species growing in city. Such information will be useful to identify characteristics that can be used to select tree species that are better suited for planting on other areas of the city. These findings can be helpful for arboriculturists, environmental scientists and town planners when working on plantation in the selected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the asymmetric impact of oil supply and demand shocks on the sectoral stock market returns of Pakistan. For this purpose, the study uses the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach based on monthly time series data for four sectors in the Pakistan Stock Exchange over the period 2005–2018. First, the findings of the unit root tests identified that all data series are stationary at first difference. Second, the F-bound test explored that oil supply and demand shocks have a cointegration relationship with sectoral stock market returns. Third, the study explored the asymmetric impact of oil supply shocks (OSS) and oil-specific demand shocks (OSDS) on sectoral returns of commercial banking and the symmetric impact of oil demand shocks (ODS) on sectoral returns of commercial banking. In addition, the asymmetric impact of oil supply shocks (OSS) and oil demand shocks (ODS) on sectoral returns of the power generation, chemical and fertilizer sectors was found. Moreover, the symmetric impact of oil-specific demand shocks (OSDS) on sectoral returns of the power generation, chemical and fertilizer sectors was explored. The study suggests important policy implications for policymakers and investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted during 2010-2011 at the nursery of hill fruit plants at Tret (Tehsil Murree) (33°-34/ North latitude and 72°, 42/ to 73°, 30/East longitude), in order to determine the occurrence/preference of snails (Helix spp.) on hills fruit nursery plant viz Apple, plum, apricot, peach and avocado. Observations were taken from 10 randomly selected plants replicated thrice in each treatment. Results showed that the occurrence of snails on different fruit plants found to be non significant (F= 1.13, P>F= 0.4075).The mean no of snails on plum have been found (X=6.65) and apricot ( X=4.65 ), peach contributed (X=4.50 ) and apple (X=3.77) respectively while contribution of avocado is (X=1.03). The occurrence of snails on different treatments was not significantly different from each other indicating that snails' presence on different plants almost same, however maximum numbers found on plum (6.38/plnat) while minimum on Avocado (1.03/plant). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies were carried out on thymol as a controlling agent for bee mites. In this study thymol powder (5mg hive-1) was compared with formic acid 65% and fluvalinate (strip) as standard control measure against Varroa mite. The mite mortality rate was recorded in honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera during 2011-12 at research farm of Beekeeping and Hill Fruit Pests Research Station, Rawalpindi. Analysis of variance for different treatments indicated (F=3.64, F>P=0.15) significantly different effect among treatments as well as for the control of mite. The average efficacy of thymol was 73.72% as compared to 69.21% by fluvalinate, 72.23% by formic acid and 13.1% in control. The reduction in the effectiveness of fluvalinate may be attributed to the development of resistance against fluvalinate strip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted in the Directorate of Land Reclamation, Lower Chenab Canal Circle, Faisalabad, Pakistan to assess the suitability of ground water of 106 villages of district Jhang for irrigation. Water sampling, one sample from each village, was done four times i.e. pre-monsoon 2009, post-monsoon 2009, pre-monsoon 2010 and post-monsoon 2010. Chemical analysis was done for electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and residual sodium carbonate (RSC). According to results, 30 samples (28.3% of total samples) were found unfit while remaining 76 samples (71.7%) were observed as fit for irrigation purposes. Eighteen samples (16.98%) had electrical conductivity higher than permissible limit (≥1.50 dS/ m), 7 samples (6.6%) were found having high SAR (>10m mol/L)0.05 and 19 samples (17.92%) had high RSC (≥2.5 me/L). It can be inferred from data that quality of available ground water in some of the villages is not suitable for sustainable crop production and soil health. Installation of private tubewells in the area under study must be site- specific, keeping in view the groundwater quality data. Also farmers of locality may be aware of the existing situation of groundwater for irrigation purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Punjab-2008 is a bold seeded, wilt resistant and high yielding variety of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). It was developed from a cross between two genotypes (90065 × ICC 12231). The hybridization work was started at Pulses Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan during the year 1993-94 using pedigree method of selection. The segregating population was evaluated for desirable traits and advanced to F5 generation. The pure line was selected from F5 generation during 1997-98 and tested in yield nursery during 1998-99. It was tested for two consecutive years in station yield trials from 1999-00 to 2000-01 before moving forward to micro yield trials in 2001-02 to 2002-03. It was then tested simultaneously in adaptation yield trials and national uniform yield trials during 2003-07. The variety produced 10-45 percent more seed yield in different yield trials over respective checks with a yield potential of 4516 kg per hectare. It stood first in 2005-06 and 2006-07 in national uniform yield trials. Its plant is semi-erect with 65-70 cm plant height. Number of primary branches varies from 4-5 whereas secondary branches range from 7-10 depending upon abiotic and biotic factors. It takes 100-105 days to 50 percent flowering after sowing while flowering duration is 40-45 days. Number of pods varies from 60-70 with 2-3 seeds per pod while pod shattering is absent. Its seed is bold in size having higher 1000-seed weight (300 g). It performs better at seed rate of 60 kg per hectare with 15 cm plant spacing and 24-60-0 kg NPK per hectare. Tolerance against wilt, bold seededness, high yield potential and suitability for both irrigated and rainfed conditions are major attributes of new chickpea variety Punjab-2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted on a sandy clay loam soil to monitor the response of rice crop to model based applied B fertilizer. For this purpose, B adsorption isotherm of the soil was constructed at the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during 2006-07. Adsorption process was executed by equilibrating 2.5g soil in 0.01M CaCl2 solution containing different B concentrations (0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 and 15 mg). Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were applied to the data to check the sorption of B on sandy clay loam soil. Freundlich model showed better fit of the sorption (r2=0.99) data than Langmuir model (r2= 0.88). Ten B treatments (0, 0.28, 0.79, 1.27, 1.74, 2.21, 2.64, 3.10, 3.32, 3.54 kg/ha) were applied with recommended N, P and K doses. Boron was applied at rice transplanting time as basal dose. The data indicated that grains per panicle, 1000-grain weight and paddy yield responded positively to fertilizer B but vegetative growth i.e. plant height, tillering and total biomass did not respond significantly to B application. B rate of 1.74 kg per hectare (T4) proved better for numbelr of grains (164.7/panicle), 1000-grain weight (21.07 g) and paddy yield (3.2 Mg/ha). Concentration of boron in both rice straw and paddy increased with B application but there was no effect of B on NPK concentration of straw and paddy. These results are very encouraging suggesting that for a particular soil, B adsorption isotherm need to be constructed for site specific fertilizer B application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical evidence suggests that the implementation of Demand-Side Management (DSM) in developing countries falls short of its potential. This study aims at exploring the challenges to DSM development in a developing country by applying Q-methodology. The opinions of Pakistan's power system experts are analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. From the analysis, three statistically different rationales, namely "inadequate policy and financial infrastructure," "lack of institutional commitment," and "low consumer motivation," are responsible for modest DSM implementation. Based on the results, we recommend policy, institutional, and consumer engagement measures to foster DSM implementation in Pakistan. • The Q-methodology is used to explore expert perspective on challenges to DSM in Pakistan. • Inadequate policy and financial infrastructure, lack of institutional commitment, and low consumer motivation are the reasons for modest DSM implementation. • There exists consensus on the difficulty to frame a unified DSM policy considering DISCOs' regional dynamics. • Differed opinion on institutional interests and private sector participation in fostering DSM implementation. • The study posits that the governmental commitment is essential to drive institutional ownership and consumers' participation in fostering DSM implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amplified energy demand due to technologically advanced electrical and electronic appliances has accentuated the importance of energy efficiency to overcome energy shortage and environmental concerns. As adoption of energy efficient appliances depends on perception of the consumers, this study focuses on behavioral exploration of the consumers' intentions towards the purchase of energy efficient appliances using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study is based on a survey comprising 289 respondents. Partial least square (PLS) method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the attitude, perceived behavioral control, policy information campaigns, and past-purchase experiences significantly impact behavioral intentions of the consumers, whereas subjective and moral norms are insignificant in shaping behavioral intentions. Based on analyses, policy implications emphasizing (i) strong awareness campaigns, (ii) energy efficiency incentives, and (iii) replacement initiatives are proposed to help policy makers and administrators in achieving required goals of energy efficiency and conservation. The proposed research model and policy initiatives are a blueprint for synergies among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and shaping consumers' behaviors towards the purchase of energy efficient products, particularly, in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]