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During unusual times involving discontinued face to face sessions in formal education settings, mobile learning (m-learning) involving social networking sites has become a popular alternative since students are always in possession of handheld electronic devices. When connection through technology was the only option due to social distancing in current pandemic, students who were already active extensive users of social networks found online learning as a new way of getting formal education. The objective of this study was to explore how the state of student's behavioral intention for social media based online learning is driven by external factors like subjective norm and self-efficacy. To fulfill this aim, this study uses a quantitative approach to study the factors that mediate the decision behavior of students towards social media employed as a learning platform and use of m-learning involving social networks. A sample of management science students (n= 255) from four universities participated in the research. Analysis of data suggested that subjective norm and self-efficacy were significant predictors for student participation in e-learning initiatives involving social media and networks. The proposed serial mediation model revealed that self-efficacy and perceived usefulness in that order were playing a positive significant role in student use of social networking for learning. No significant differences were observed between either gender when self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and use of social media in education were considered.

Purpose: Coworker relationships are important in every organization and especially in higher educational institutions (HEIs); however, ostracism is one of the factors that deteriorate these relationships. This study aims to analyse the impact of coworker ostracism on coworker directed knowledge hiding through the mediating role of relational identification and the moderating role of perceived harming intention. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 241 teaching faculty members working in HEIs of Lahore were surveyed. By using the bootstrapping technique, mediation and moderated mediation analysis was conducted via PROCESS models 4 and 7. Findings: The results concluded that perceived harming intention moderates the indirect relationship between coworker ostracism and coworker-directed knowledge hiding through relational identification with coworkers. Such that when more harmful intention is perceived the impact of coworker ostracism on coworker-directed knowledge hiding through reduced relational identification would be stronger. Practical implications: This study offers managerial implications for HEIs management and faculty for reducing coworker ostracism, improving relational identification and training about attribution techniques to minimize the impact of ostracism on knowledge hiding. Originality/value: This study has complimented and augmented the research strand of ostracism and knowledge hiding research from emphasizing lateral workplace relationships. Intertwining the Conservation of Resources Theory with Attribution theory a novel insight into the above-stated association is illuminated through the mediating role of relational capital and moderating role of perceived harming intention.

Identifying scientific collaborations helps in establishing new research policies and linkages among academic institutions. Geographical information system (GIS) research is relatively new in higher education in developing countries. Investigating scholarly communication is challenging for GIS research due to its broad application. Therefore, the main objective is to evaluate the current trends of GIS research in higher education in Pakistan. For this, we analyzed patterns of published literature using data from the Web of Science databases for 2000-2019. We used interactive visual exploration of the scientific literature organized in a fine-grained manner to mining research patterns in the field. Results show that international collaborations are highest with China, followed by the USA. We identified 29 academic institutes in Pakistan who made intensive research collaborations with the Chinese Academy of Science. GIS techniques were mostly studied to solve problems in the domains of water, atmospheric, and environmental sciences. GIS research output increased remarkably during the last decade, which we attribute to the availability of scholarships from the Higher Education Commission, the Chinese Government, and US Fulbright initiatives. The research output will help to strengthen the academic exchange on GIS research between higher education institutes.

This article aims at investigating the relevance of a gender perspective in societies where women are mainly responsible for the household and childcare. For this purpose, the activities of two environmental and women's empowerment--related nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from Pakistan, Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) and Aurat (woman) Foundation, have been investigated with the help of a case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 12 females. Through a feminist approach, this study analyzes the goals, scope, and programs of the selected NGOs in environmental education, ecofeminism, and women's empowerment. Empirical results suggest that when a woman is environmental-aware, she has the potential to make more sustainable choices, and thus educate other members of the family.

This study aimed to discuss a better understanding of existing levels of Islamic environmental behavior in the perspective of eco-feminist environmental activism in Pakistan with the analysis of existing literature, media reports, NGOs' environmental movements, and the environmental activists' campaigns. Women, in the world generally and Pakistan particularly, have the most appropriate pro-environmental behavior concerning the cultural eco-feminist dimensions. This study will address the radical reasons for climate change as demographic changes, deforestation, pollution, and population growth along with their solutions from the Islamic perspective. Women as the ecofeminism activists must be the part of policy matters and their implementation structure as the first-hand companions of nature and social culture.

Purpose: Students' satisfaction is termed as their subjective evaluation of the fulfillment of expectations and pleasure experienced from the teaching services. This study intends to examine the role of teachers' work engagement in inculcating students' satisfaction from their teachers taking a self-determination perspective. It moreover highlights the underlying mechanisms of teacher-student interaction and teachers' sensitivity. Design/methodology/approach: We used 278 valid and matched responses from teachers and students of higher secondary/intermediate/degree colleges operating in Pakistan through multi-stage sampling. The data were gathered in three waves and multiple mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS model 4 to analyze the data and infer results. Findings: The results revealed that college teachers' work engagement (i.e. vigor, dedication and absorption) is required to create their willingness and motivation to invest in effective pedagogical decisions and inculcate students' satisfaction. This engagement, in turn, improves their interaction with students and makes them more sensitive in meeting the needs of students that causes students to have satisfying educational experiences. Originality/value: This research has taken a unique standpoint of considering teachers' engagement as a precursor of students' satisfaction, in contrast to the prior focus on assessing the role of institutional dynamics, demographics and teachers' competence. It has also unraveled the role of teachers' sensitivity and student-teacher interaction in the above-mentioned association based on self-determination theory (SDT). Moreover, it has emphasized the teaching dynamics and its outcomes in the college sector instead of the much-examined university and school settings.

Purpose: The combination of action and process has remained the attention of the psychology of entrepreneurship research. Moreover, special attention has also been paid to the whens and hows of entrepreneurial psychological training. Keeping this in view the current study has tested the impact of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) training on small business entrepreneurial career resilience. Using action regulation theory (ART), a serial mediation model of IEO behaviour and entrepreneurial career adaptability is hypothesised. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a longitudinal randomised controlled field experiment in which the data were collected at four points. A total of 546 small business owners from Lahore, Pakistan, participated in this research (training group = 265, control group = 281). The data were analysed using ANCOVAs and PROCESS Model 6. Findings: The research has found that IEO training impacts the entrepreneurial career resilience of small business owners through the development of IEO behaviour and career adaptability. Originality/value: This experimental inquiry is a novel attempt to extend the career-related outcomes of IEO training (career resilience) based on ART through the mediating role of IEO behaviour and career adaptability. In addition, it has tested the IEO training in the developing country of Pakistan, which is a relevant context for enhancing its socio-economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major purpose of the research was to compare the management aspects in public and private schools. All the heads of secondary schools of public and private sector of the Punjab province, Pakistan constituted population of the study. A sample of 216 head teachers (fifty percent from public sector schools and fifty percent private schools) was selected from nine districts. The questionnaire prepared and validated through pilot-testing, was used as the research instrument of the study. The data obtained was tabulated and analyzed by using simple percentage and two way chi square tests. Main conclusions of the study were: that private sector schools had actually less number of students and teachers at secondary level as compared to public sector schools. In public sector schools student-teacher ratio was higher than that of private sector schools. Regarding involvement of subordinate staff in decision making, keeping themselves as a part of team while leading them and carrying out the well-organized tasks, heads of private sector secondary schools were better than heads of public sector secondary schools. The heads of public sector secondary schools were more qualified academically as well as professionally, having more administrative experience as compared to private sector secondary schools' heads.

This paper aims to examine the adverse effects to public health due to sand mining in residential areas. It is inalienable right of every citizen to be dealt with strictly in accordance with law as enshrined in Articles 4, 9, 24, and 25 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 and no action is detrimental to life, liberty, reputation, and property of the citizen is called for even otherwise one of most precious fundamental rights that all the persons shall be dealt no discrimination by the statutory functions but unfortunately these basic fundamental rights are being infringed because of sand mining. In this study mixedmethod approach is used, incorporating a literature review, policy document analysis, and statistical data publically available. The significant correlation between respiratory health issues experienced by local residents and dust pollution from mining activities has been observed for which policy recommendations has been given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse tomato production is a growing business worldwide, and it is strongly promoted by bumblebee pollination. Although there are over 250 bumblebee species worldwide, very few species have been reared successfully for greenhouse tomato pollination. Those successfully managed species, especially Bombus terrestris, are shipped around the world for commercial use. However, managed bumblebees are known to escape greenhouse facilities, have established local populations, spread disease to local bumblebees, and are blamed for the declines of some indigenous bee species. An alternative to shipping exotic bumblebees around the world is to develop local species for greenhouse pollination. Such an approach has the dual benefits of creating a new industry of insect rearing while reducing threats to local bee communities. In this study, we successfully reared Bombus haemorrhoidalis, which is the most common bumblebee species in Northern Pakistan, in a laboratory and compared its effectiveness as a tomato pollinator with that of commercial B. terrestris in a greenhouse. We found that the effectiveness of B. haemorrhoidalis in tomato pollination in a greenhouse is very similar to that of B. terrestris when it comes to the fruit size, number of seeds, and fruit weight. Our study provides an example of how to rear a native bumblebee species to pollinate local crops, which is a method that could potentially substitute the importation of non-ingenious bumblebees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the effects of disinformation campaigns and importance of strategic communication by creating public awareness to counter disinformation campaigns in Pakistan. Neglecting strategic communication can leave room for external powers to influence narratives and divert attention from important social, economic, and political issues and creates a threat to human and national security in the country. By examining the impact of these campaigns on public sentiment and internal matters, the research offers suggestions for addressing disinformation through strategic communication. This research incorporates exploratory research because it deals with the casual relationship between disinformation campaigns and Strategic Communication. The Secondary form of research was conducted through articles, journals, books and newspaper for the fulfilment purpose of this study. The results emphasize the requirement for a holistic strategy in strategic communication, encompassing media literacy, public knowledge, and policy actions to nurture an informed and resilient society in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This is a retrospective cohort analysis of diabetes and its associated factors from Electronic Medical Record (EMR) of 2020-2022 of Indus Hospital Health Network (IHHN), Korangi campus Karachi. Methods: Retrospective cohort study was conducted at Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), Korangi Karachi. Out-patient records of adult patients of 2020-2022 were extracted from EMR of IHHN in March 2023. Descriptive statistics were presented as median (IQR) and frequency and percentage. Chi-square test determined association of risk-factors with diabetes and Wilcoxon-sign-rank test compared change in HbA1C from baseline. Results: Data of 460,799 adult patients were extracted and analyzed. Median age of patients was 38.71 (27.87-52) years. Female preponderance was observed in our study. Out of 460,799, HbA1C was seen in 42,638 (9.25%) patients. Among these 29,596 (69.4%) had a HbA1C = 6.5% while 13,042 (30.6%) had a HbA1C in the pre-diabetes range. Significant association was found between age, baseline creatinine, LDL and diabetes with no association depicted between gender, BMI, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL and diabetes status. Patients in general had higher HbA1C at baseline as compared to last visit (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: High blood pressure, obesity, increased creatinine, micro albuminurea, high LDL and Triglycerides were important risk factors for diabetes. This study reports a snap shot of the status of diabetes and associated risk-factors in the Pakistani population. This was the first time that a large data was extracted and analyzed from a healthcare institution in Pakistan, which would guide physicians and public health practitioners to take evidence-based decisions for prevention and management of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening illness induced by a change in the host's reaction to various infections. Objectives: To study the antimicrobial resistance patterns and outcomes in patients with sepsis admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Peshawar. Methodology: In this prospective study sepsis patients were followed till an outcome was assigned to them. The data was collected and independent samples t- test, chi square test and multivariate logistic regression was used to study the effect of various dependent variables on mortality using SPSS version 25. A p-value of less than 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: In 106 patients with sepsis the mean age was 44.5 years (SD=19.2 years) and 60.3% (n=64) were males. The overall mortality was 21.3% (n=23). Presence of DM (aOR: 6.1 CI:1.31-29.27.8, p-value=0.02), increasing age (aOR: 1.05, CI 1.007- 1.104 p-value=0.025) and rising days of hospitalization (aOR:1.08, CI:1.003-1.16, p- value=0.041) had the strongest statistically significant relation with mortality. As compared to those admitted in the ICU, which was taken as reference, the chances of worst outcome were extremely low in those admitted to surgical unit (aOR: 0.027, CI:0.001-0.625, p-value=0.023). Hypertension (aOR:, CI:, p-value=0.74) and gender (aOR: 0.68, CI: 0.087-4.5, p-value= 0.62) had no positive correlation with mortality. Conclusion: Our result demonstrates that the growth of rare organisms like B Cepacia and multi-resistant E. coli. The creation of a local antibiogram at the institutional, provincial, and national levels can aid in the prompt administration of culture sensitive antibiotics, allowing for better management of such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the barriers affecting teacher performance in e-learning public sector universities, aiming to propose solutions aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 2030. The global impact of COVID-19 necessitated technological interventions to facilitate education and development, with e-learning emerging as a crucial strategy. However, challenges persist, especially in Pakistan's public-sector universities. Using qualitative methods, nine participants were interviewed to uncover different internal (motivation, teaching methods, assessment) and external (technical assistance, financial crises) barriers face by teaching faculty. Recommendations include investing in technical infrastructure, collaborating with policymakers and developers, and prioritizing technology integration at the different level according to need of modern globe. These suggestions aim to promote inclusive and quality education, leveraging technology for improved outcomes. By addressing these barriers, universities can contribute to universal access to education and empower learners in the digital age. Strategic investments and collaborative efforts are vital to advancing educational equity and lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to uncover how peer ostracism (POS) elicits knowledge hiding directed towards ostracizing peers through the intervening role of peer contact quality (PCQ). Moreover, the authors aim to highlight the role of the need to belong (NTB) as a first-order boundary condition in direct and indirect hypothesized paths. Design/methodology/approach: The research opted for a three-wave time-lagged survey design. The data were obtained from the 234 teaching and non-teaching employees working in Higher Educational Sector in Pakistan through random sampling. Mediation and moderated mediation analysis was done by using PROCESS Models 4 and 7. Findings: The results embraced the mediation, moderation and moderated mediation hypotheses. It was noted that POS creates negative exchange relationships. As a result, the ostracized employees withhold knowledge from the predating peer. NTB served as a buffering agent between POS and PCQ, as well as, in the indirect POS, PCQ and peer-directed knowledge hiding relationship. Practical implications: This research serves as a guideline for management and faculty of Higher Educational Institutions for minimization of POS to promote effective collegial contact quality and curb knowledge hiding. Originality/value: Although the research in workplace ostracism and knowledge hiding is not new, yet how this association emerges from the viewpoint of peers is not known. This study has added to the literature by answering who is more likely to reciprocate ostracism from peers by having poor quality contact and directing knowledge hiding towards the predator. By this, the authors have added to the limited stream of moderated mediation mechanisms underlying ostracism and knowledge hiding behaviour. In addition, the authors have drawn attention to the importance of peer relationships in higher educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars in the 21st century debate the impact of talent management on quality education and research in universities, particularly in non-Western countries like Pakistan, where institutions face pressure to adapt and compete amid challenges in talent scarcity. This research aimed to assess the impact of talent management on creativity & innovativeness in public universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The study's quantitative approach utilized a survey alongside descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to evaluate and test the formulated hypotheses. In this research, distributed questionnaires were 475, of which 378 were usable questionnaires, and a 79.57% response rate was calculated for the required study. The results depict that there is a positive relationship among the variables. Further, it was also confirmed from Hierarchical Multiple Regression that organizational culture has a significant moderating impact on the relationship between Creativity & innovativeness, and talent management. The findings have significance for researchers and academics in terms of aligning talent management strategies with organizational strategic goals and developing employee engagement standards to overcome the challenges of implementing talent management techniques at public universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A detailed exploration of the study's practical and theoretical implications is undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 results in respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Elderly patients are at high risk. Preventive measures like avoiding contact with COVID-19 patients and wearing N95 masks can contribute to reducing the risk of infection, but vaccination remains crucial. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among the elderly population (= 50 years) in Pakistan. A 16-items questionnaire explored the socio-demographic profile of the participants, including questions about their age, gender, etc. The other sections included questions regarding vaccine registration, vaccine acceptance, and hesitation and fears towards vaccines. The items were developed to collect the data on the basis of the Likert scale. Results: There was a total of 3059 respondents. The majority of the participants (n = 2726, 89.1%) were aged below 70 years, while 10.9% (n = 333) were aged above 70 years. Many participants (47.1%) expressed their concerns about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. Despite their willingness to vaccinate with the cOVID-19 vaccine, 24.7% female participants expressed concerns related to the safety of the vaccine. Among all the respondents, 23.1% participants had no concerns about the cOVID-19 vaccine booster dose. The study identified a reluctance and lack of confidence in the efficiency of the COVID-19 booster dose. Conclusions: The alarming situation is rigidity towards vaccination among the elderly population. Necessary measures must be taken by the health department of Pakistan to manage this reluctant behavior and increase confidence on the efficiency of the COVID-19 booster dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings consume a significant 40% of global energy, where, reducing the building energy consumption to a minimum, virtually zero, has become a thriving research area. Accordingly, this research aimed to determine and portray the huge potential of energy conservation in existing structures by making a retrofit at relatively low costs in finance strained economies. A walk-through of the survey of energy consuming appliances determined the energy consumption based on the power rating; the appliances were then virtually replaced and the reduced energy consumption was determined in terms of the cooling loads. Modelling these intervention using the hourly analysis program (HAP) showed significantly positive results. The pre- and post-retrofit model analysis of an institutional building in Pakistan exhibited significant potential for reducing the cooling load of 767 kW (218 TON) to 408 kW (116 TON) with an investment payback period of 2.5 years. The additional benefit is the reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which reduce the overall energy requirements. The study continues with the design of a solar energy source using the system advisor model (SAM) for the reduced energy demand of a retrofitted building. It is then concluded that using the available area, a solar energy source with a capital payback period of 5.7 years would bring an institutional building within its own energy footprint making it a net-zero building, since it will not be consuming energy from any other source outside of its own covered area. The study has the limitation to exposure and climate related conditions. In addition, the decline in heating and cooling loads represents model values which may vary when calculated after an actual retrofit for the same structure due to any site related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The transformation of firms from resource-based-view to knowledge-based-view has extended the importance of organizational learning. Thus, this study aims to develop an organizational learning model through transformational leadership with indirect effect of knowledge management process capability and interactive role of knowledge-intensive culture. Design/methodology/approach: Different statistical analyses were done to check the direct, indirect and interactive effects on 204 valid responses. Findings: The results are clearly depicting that transformational leadership has significant positive impact on organizational learning and knowledge management process capability, and partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational learning. Additionally, knowledge-intensive culture has strengthened the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management process capability. Originality/value: This is an overarching and unique conceptual model. After examining the importance of organizational learning in the context of innovative ability, competitive advantage, creativity and organizational performance, management has to initiate steps to induct transformational leaders, develop knowledge-intensive culture and introduce knowledge management processes to boost learning environment in organizations.

Pakistan has been facing terrorism for the last two decades, especially after 9/11 and the start of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. The core objectives of this study are to analyse terrorism spread geographically, and variation in attack intensity values over time using existing and modified attack intensity equations and the impact of different weapons in collateral damage assessment. Moreover, this research proposes a modified equation for attack intensity or collateral damage assessment using Exploratory Regression Analysis. The geographical spread of attack intensity values over time was measured for the 2004–2016, period and their respective levels of violence. Spatial autocorrelation using Global Moran's I statistic and cluster and outlier analysis using Anselin Local Moran's I statistic were performed to locate high and low attack intensity clusters in the study area. Results reveal that from 2004 to 2016, terrorism peaked in Pakistan, especially in the Northern, North–West, and Southern regions. Cities like Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, and Khyber Agencies witnessed maximum attacks and fatalities. During 2004–16 districts having the highest attack intensity values were randomly distributed across the study area. Using Exploratory Regression Analysis, the modified attack intensity equation resulted in a smooth pattern with fewer outlier effects and abrupt changes. Data analysis of 2004–16 reveals that maximum collateral damage occurred due to suicide attacks in one-by-one relationships. In one-by-two relationships, suicide attacks plus firearms had maximum collateral damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argyrolobium roseum (Camb.) Jaub & Spach (Papilionaceae) is a medicinal plant, cultivated in northern areas of Pakistan. The consumption of trace minerals (lead) is very toxic to the vital organs of the body, therefore the overcome of these minerals is very necessary. In this regard, this study aimed to assess the potential pharmacological effect of aqueous and ethanolic extract of Argyrolobium roseum (Camb.) Jaub & Spach against pb‐induced oxidative stress, histological changes in Pb‐induced rats' liver and kidney, and anti‐inflammatory effect. The metal concentrations in liver and kidney homogenates were measured through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activity was measured through DPPH and FRAP assay. Pb concentrations were significantly higher in liver and kidney homogenates after injection of Pb acetate was given intraperitoneally (45.2 ± 6.8 and 58.8 ± 7.9, respectively; p <.0001). The level of Pb in liver and kidney homogenates was significantly reduced by aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Argyrolobium roseum (Camb.) Jaub & Spach. The Pb + Aq‐600 mg/kg‐treated rats exhibited a protective effect on hepatocytes cells against Pb‐induced liver injury and restored the cells of the kidney. Pb + Aq‐600 mg/kg showed higher antioxidant activity as compared to other treated groups. The highest decreased MDA level was found in liver and kidney homogenate of Pb + Aq‐600 mg/kg rats (11.2 ± 1.51 nmol/mg; p <.001) and GSH and CAT levels tended to normal after treatment of Pb + Aq‐600 mg/kg in rats. The ALAD, ALT, AST, and ALP level were enhanced and tended to be normal after the Aq‐400 and Aq‐600 mg/kg treatment in Pb‐exposed rats. The result showed that 600 mg/kg Aq + Pb exhibited significant (p <.001) anti‐inflammatory activity. The findings of this study concluded that treatment of the aqueous extract of Argyrolobium roseum (Camb.) Jaub & Spach reduces the renal and hepatic damage in Pb‐induced rats and it also decreases oxidative stress via improving antioxidant components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is deliberated comprehensively as a gadget for growing financial development, authorizing people, valuing individual incomes, and humanizing a satisfying and elastic atmosphere that concretes the way for a well-off economy. It also offers suggestions gearing the new generations to contract with the contests of markets in the future. Deprived of a vigorous education curriculum, neither economic nor social development is conceivable in Pakistan. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of curriculum of higher education for fostering the economic development and find out relationship between curriculum and economic development. The subjects of this research were university students and sample of 600 university students were selected via stratified and simple random procedure. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics frequency percentage and correlation on SPSS version 28.0. The results exposed the low indications that the Pakistani curriculum is teaching the techniques of financial learning, financial intelligence to its youth. The results found that participants were incapable to capitalize and grasp businesses in the global market to revel in financial independence. Positive descriptions for educational institutes entails to update their curriculum with acquaint practical courses for youth with boosted job scenarios in the marketplace. A robust positive correlation between financial knowledge and job opportunities as an apprise in the curriculum with modern-day mandatory subjects can resulted to enhance opportunities for graduates in the job market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation is a significant global problem for multiple infrastructures with negative commercial and ecological influences. The loss of productive soil is frequently triggered by surficial land depletion, farming escalation, erosion, and poor anthropogenic land-use practices. In watershed analyses, estimating soil erosion is useful for future planning and development. It is also important in designing hydropower projects as it yields sedimentation influx in the dam reservoirs. The manual assessment of soil loss is always challenging due to serious safety issues and limited resources; therefore, Geographical Information System and Remote sensing techniques are considered the best tools for this purpose. Current research applies an empirical method, namely the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model, to compute the Mohmand Dam watershed soil loss represented by A in tonnes per hectare per year. The parameters of the RUSLE model are empirically calculated using a raster calculator, and the final map shows an aggregated impact on soil loss. The study revealed that the maximum annual soil loss of the study area was approximately 30–1913 tonnes h−1 year−1 which covers only 1.5% of the total watershed area. However, the frequent erosion values lie between 0 and 10 tonnes h−1 year−1. The soil loss is almost negligible in 75% of the Watershed, less than 5 tons h−1 year−1. This comprises about 11179.22 sq. km or 2,762,440 acres area of the Watershed. This study revealed that the area is not hazardously prone to soil erosion with a low sedimentation rate indicating a prolonged storing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenteeism, the phenomenon in which individuals are physically present at work but fail to perform to their full capacity for a variety of reasons, has received substantial attention in recent years, particularly in healthcare industry. While considerable amount of research has focused on sicknessrelated presenteeism, there is scarcity of studies exploring non-job-related presenteeism, which encompasses behaviors such as disengagement from work or engaging in personal activities during work hours. Understanding the dynamics of non-work-related presenteeism is critical in Pakistan, a developing country with fast-expanding healthcare industry. This study aims to investigate impact of workplace incivility on non-work-related presenteeism and explore the moderating role of emotional intelligence in this relationship. A questionnaire-based survey was carried out with 315 health sector employees from various districts in Pakistan. The regression analysis was used to analyses data. The findings show a positive association between. This study adds to the limited body of knowledge on non-workrelated presenteeism and gives useful insights for healthcare organizations in Pakistan and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a bacterial zoonosis worldwide and a potential health risk in Pakistan due to socio-economic reasons and lack of awareness, veterinary health and modern dairy-processing facilities. The aim of this study was to determine the burden of brucellosis in hospitalized patients of selected districts of Punjab, Pakistan. To this end, a total of 280 serum samples were collected from suspected patients in districts Lahore, Okara and Khushab between 2016 and 2018. Anti-Brucella antibodies were detected in 89 (31.8%) sera by Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and Brucella abortus DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 42 (15%) samples. In univariable analysis, the seroprevalence varied significantly (p < 0.05) between districts with Lahore indicating 41/101 (40.6%) Odds ratio (OR) = 53.98 (7.22–403.67; 95% CI), Okara 47/99 (47.5%) OR = 71.4 (9.55–533.65; 95% CI) and Khushab 1/80 (1.3%) as reference. Similarly, exposure to aborted materials and a history of blood transfusion did associate significantly (p < 0.05), posing OR = 2.91 (1.58–5.36; 95% CI) and OR = 4.48 (2.56–7.84; 95% CI) risk. However, consumption of raw milk and history of blood transfusion did associate significantly (p < 0.05) in multivariable analysis indicating OR = 1.91 (1.09–3.34; 95% CI) and OR = 4.92 (2.76–8.75; 95% CI), respectively. The association of history of blood transfusion as a brucellosis risk factor underscores the need to create brucellosis awareness programs both at public and institutional levels in the medical and veterinary fields, as well as facilities and capacity building to delve deeper into the epidemiology of brucellosis in the country. Particular attention should be paid to chronically infected patients. Therefore, laboratory modernization, standardization and validation of the diagnostic tests, and staff trainings are required. Finally, pasteurization of the milk is recommended before consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global epidemiological significance of bats and their blood-sucking ectoparasites is increasingly recognized. However, relevant data are scarce from Pakistan where the Palearctic and Oriental zoogeographic regions meet. In this study, 200 bats belonging to five species were examined for the presence of ectoparasites in Pakistan. Bat flies were found only on Leschenault's fruit bat (Rousettus leschenaultii). The prevalence of infestation did not correlate with habitat type and host traits including age, reproductive status, and sex. All bat flies represented the same Eucampsipoda species which was shown to be morphologically different from all species of its genus with known south Asian distribution and belonged to a separate phylogenetic group. These results highlight the existence of a hitherto undescribed bat fly species in southern Asia, which is not shared by the fruit bat species (R. leschenaultii) and insectivorous ones (e.g., Rhinopoma microphyllum) thus probably playing a role only in intraspecific transmission of pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the nebulized salbutamol alone with combination of nebulized salbutamol and ipratropium for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in terms of mean length of stay. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan. Study was carried out over a period of six months from May to Nov 2017. Methodology: A total of 300 patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (150 in each group) were recruited in the study. Group A received nebulized salbutamol (5mg) alone and Group B received a combination of nebulized salbutamol (5mg) and ipratropium bromide (0.5mg). Results: Mean age of the patients was 66.4±6.4 years and 65.7±6.8 years in Group-A and B, respectively. In Group-A, there were 136(90.7%) and in Group-B 134(89.3%) were males while 14(9.3%) and 16(10.7%) were females in Group-A and B, respectively. Mean duration of disease in Group-A was 5.2±2.4 years and in group-B 6.0±1.6 years. Comparison of mean length of stay (days) revealed in hospital between nebulized Salbutamol alone 5.0±0.5 days with combination of nebulized Salbutamol and Ipratropium 4.3±0.6 days with p-value <0.001. Conclusion: In conclusion, the routine addition of nebulized ipratropium bromide to salbutamol appears to be of benefit in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and in terms of mean length of hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) is endemic to Northern Punjab, Pakistan, and is categorized as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The urial population has declined by 30% over the last 3 generations. We used non‐invasive fecal samples to identify individuals and estimate population size of Punjab urial in the Kalabagh Game Reserve, Pakistan. We genotyped samples using 12 microsatellite markers to assess genetic variation, population structure, and demographic changes. Microsatellite analysis revealed high levels of genetic variation in urials in terms of expected and observed heterozygosity and allelic diversity. The population structure of the Punjab urial in the Kalabagh Game Reserve, based solely on microsatellite variation using Bayesian clustering, indicated 3 different clusters in the reserve. Results revealed that the urial population may be facing inbreeding pressure because its ancestral effective population size has declined from between 20,000 and 50,000 to ≤1,000 animals today. This reduction has partly occurred because of a bottleneck that occurred about 10,000 years ago. Results also indicate that 1 urial population cluster has the signature of a bottleneck, which may be due to population isolation. The 3 urial clusters are small and broadly dispersed in a large territory, meaning they could be extirpated without any opportunity for natural re‐population through dispersion. The results of our study support a management strategy that encourages maintaining connectivity between urial localities within the Kalabagh Game Reserve, increased diversity so the effective population size may recover from the historical decline, and the use of data generated here as a baseline of urial genetic diversity in the reserve for monitoring diversity over the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, forages, and soil contamination with potentially toxic metals (PTMs) through anthropogenic activities has become a significant environmental concern. It is crucial to find out the level of PTMs in water, soil, and forages near industrial areas. The PTMs enter the body of living organisms through these sources and have become a potential risk for humans and animals. Therefore, the present study aims at the health risk assessment of PTMs and their accumulation in soil, water, and forages of three tehsils (Kallar Kahar, Choa Saidan Shah, and Chakwal) in district Chakwal. Samples of wastewater, soil, and forages were collected from various sites of district Chakwal. PTMs detected in the present study were cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni), and their levels were measured through atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAs GF95 graphite furnace auto sampler). Pollution load index (PLI), bio concentration factor (BCF), soil enrichment factors (EF), daily intake value (DIM), and health risk index (HRI) in sheep, cow, and buffalo were also analyzed. The results revealed that the mean concentration (mg/L) of Cd (0.72–0.91 mg/L), Cr (1.84–2.23 mg/L), Pb (0.95–3.22 mg/L), Co (0.74–2.93 mg/L), Cu (0.84–1.96 mg/L), and Ni (1.39–4.39 mg/L) in wastewater samples was higher than permissible limits set by WHO, NEQS, WWF, USEPA, and Pakistan in all three tehsils of district Chakwal. Similarly, in soil samples, concentrations of Cd (1.21–1.95 mg/kg), Cr (38.1–56.4 mg/kg), and Ni (28.3–55.9 mg/kg) were higher than their respective threshold values. The mean concentration of PTMs in forage samples (Parthenium hysterophorus, Mentha spicata, Justicia adhatoda, Calotropis procera, Xanthium strumarium, Amaranthaceae sp.) showed that maximum values of Cd (5.35–7.55 mg/kg), Cr (5.47–7.51 mg/kg), Pb (30–36 mg/kg), and Ni (12.6–57.5 mg/kg) were beyond their safe limit set for forages. PLI, BCF, and EF were > 1.0 for almost all the PTMs. The DIM and HRI for sheep were less than < 1.0 but for cows and buffalo were > 1.0. The current study showed that soil, water, and forages near coal mines area are contaminated with PTMs which enter the food chain and pose significant harm to humans and animals. In order to prevent their dangerous concentration in the food chain, regular assessment of PTMs present in soil, forages, irrigating water, and food is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrorism prosecution has become a significant challenge for the criminal justice system (CJS) in Pakistan as the acquittal rate is very high while the conviction rate is extremely low. During the past few decades, increasing terrorist attacks in Pakistan and the failure of law enforcement to prosecute the accused has contributed to this issue. Due to the delay and flawed process of producing and constructing evidence, the dismissal rate is high when these cases are finally brought to the court. As a result, most "hard-core terrorist" cases are acquitted and seldom go to the higher courts to face trial. Police officers have been considered as the main contributor for the failure of Pakistan's CJS due to their weak investigation and procedural mistake during registration of the first information report, but in fact, two other actors are also responsible; prosecutors and judiciary of Pakistan. This article finds that the three basic pillars of CJS, the police, prosecution and judiciary play a blame game considering each other responsible for these flaws instead of being supportive and to complement each other through institutional coordination. The situation is also worsened by all three pillars operating in isolation despite having the same goals. This article concludes with suggestions for overcoming the weaknesses in the CJS of Pakistan particularly the police force, prosecutor and judiciary and thus ensuring successful prosecution of terrorists in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is a key element in water resources management and crop water requirement which, in turn, affects irrigation scheduling. ETo is subject to the influence of various climatic parameters including minimum temperature (Tmin), maximum temperature (Tmax), relative humidity (RH), windspeed (WS), and sunshine hours (SH). Usually, the influence of the climatic parameters and a dominating climatic factor influencing ETo is estimated on yearly basis. However, in diverse climatic regions, ETo varies with the varying climate. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the spatiotemporal variation in the influence of the climatic parameters on ETo in Punjab, Pakistan, for the period 1950–2021, specifically focusing on decennial, annual, and monthly patterns. The study area was divided into five agroclimatic zones. The Penman–Monteith model was used to estimate ETo. The influence was assessed using geographic weighted regression (GWR) and multiscale geographic weighted regression (MGWR) as the primary methods. As per results from MGWR, ETo in Punjab was highly influenced by the Tmin, Tmax, and WS. Additionally, annual ETo exhibited a higher value in southern Punjab in comparison to northern Punjab, with a range of 2975 mm/year in the cotton–wheat zone to 1596 mm/year in the rain-fed zone. Over the course of the past seventy years, Punjab experienced an average increasing slope of 5.18 mm/year in ETo. Tmin was the highest monthly dominant factor throughout the year, whereas WS and SH were recorded to be the dominant factor in the winters, specifically. All in all, accurate estimation of ETo, which serves as an essential component for crop water requirement, could potentially help improve the irrigation scheduling of crops in the agroclimatic zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide study suggested that Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common endemic ailments having the great causing factor of mortality and morbidity. As compare to general population the Diabetes Mellitus (DM patient has high risk factor for getting Tuberculosis (TB).The main purpose of the current research is to investigate the frequency rate of Tuberculosis among Patient with Diabetes Mellitus at PIMS Hospital Islamabad Pakistan from April, 2021 to July, 2021.in the current study the patient was examined from the age of 20 to 60 which is already treated for Diabetes Mellitus as well. The patient was asking for the sign and symptoms of Tuberculosis (TB). When the Tuberculosis (TB) sign and symptoms found positive than after that Sputum analysis were done. There are three Sputum sample (morning-spot) were collected to examine AFB. For Statiscal Data analysis we Used SPSS version 20. A total of 412 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was found as 45.63 ± 10.33 years. Among these, 240 patients (59.3%) were female. Also 112 patients (21.7%) had type 1 DM while 247 (78.3%) had type 2 DM. When asked about the TB symptoms, they were positive in 51 patients (11.0%) while negative in remaining 381 patients (89%). However, further sputum analysis showed confirmed TB in 22 patients (4.1%) only. After adjustment of confounding factors, age, gender and type of DM were not found having significant role for development of TB among these patients. From the current research we conclude that there is high prevalence rate in Tuberculosis (TB) among diabetics Patient which is the main causing factor of mortality and morbidity in Pakistan and globally as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intake of toxic metals from cooking utensils through food is of growing concern to the medical community. This intake poses serious risk to human health. In many developing countries, different types of contaminated metals scraps are used to make cooking utensils. The leaching of both nutritionally essential and toxic metals in significant quantities from cookware during the cooking process results in food contamination and poses a substantial health risk. In the present study, the leaching of some toxic and potentially toxic metals from cooking utensils into different solutions and food was investigated. A preliminary survey indicated that the majority of individuals tend to use aluminum cookware due to its affordability, overlooking the potential health risks associated with these inexpensive and lower-quality cooking utensils. XRF analysis revealed that aluminum, steel, and copper cookware had K, Ca, Pb, Cd, Ni, V, Sn Mo, Zn, Bi, and Tb as contaminants. In addition, aluminum (3.2 ± 0.25 to 4.64 ± 0.20 g/kg) and copper cookware (2.90 ± 0.12 g/kg) were highly contaminated with lead. The time and pH-dependent study revealed that leaching of metals (Al, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cd, Cu, and Fe, etc.) into food was predominantly from anodized and non-anodized aluminum cookware. More metal leaching was observed from new aluminum cookware compared to old. Acidic food was found to cause more metals to leach during cooking. Blood metal analysis of the local population revealed the presence of high concentrations of Al, Pb, Cd, and Ni. In conclusion, leaching of toxic or potentially toxic metals from cookware into food, especially from anodized and non-anodized aluminum cookware, poses a potential public health risk. Practical applications: Cooking utensils are routinely used for the preparation of food. However, the harmful impact posed by these essential items is largely unknown. The current research briefly explains the toxic metals leaching from cookware in a pH-dependent manner and leaves a message to the public, especially in developing countries like Pakistan, regarding the type of cookware suitable for cooking purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental health is critical for the economy's social welfare and environmental sustainability. Using time series data from 1975 to 2020, the research examines the short- and long-run relationship between environmental pollutants and healthcare costs in the context of Pakistan. The study's results reveal that short-term and long-term efforts towards cleaner development in terms of carbon emissions, coal combustion, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, and industrial value-added have resulted in significant reductions in healthcare expenses due to improved management of industrial emissions. However, in the long run, particulate matter (PM2.5) has a detrimental effect on a country's sustainable healthcare agenda, leading to increased healthcare costs. Furthermore, the increased use of coal-fired power plants that release polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and revenue generated by contaminated production lead to higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs, increasing a country's risk of morbidity and mortality. The study's Granger causality estimations demonstrate that carbon emissions are responsible for emissions-driven healthcare expenses in a nation. Additionally, economic growth leads to increased carbon emissions and industrial toxins, which are also emission-led. Through variance decomposition analysis (VDA), the study finds that carbon emissions have the highest variance shock of 32.702% on healthcare expenditures in the next ten years. This is followed by polluted income and continued economic growth, which have a variance shock of 13.243% and 8.858%, respectively, over the same period. The findings indicate that the maximum healthcare benefits may be acquired by mitigating environmental pollutants via stringent environmental regulations, reducing industrial toxins through solid waste management techniques, and minimizing coal combustion reliance through renewable fuels. Environmental research is still required to provide more sustainable solutions to the sustainability of the global healthcare agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial data is one of the core components in all information retrieval processes for decision-making. Spatial data acquisition consumes enormous monetary resources and time. The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) provides a basis and guide for developing, integrating, strengthening, and maximizing geospatial information management and related resources in all countries. To this, governments all over the world are establishing national spatial data infrastructures (SDIs). However, such initiatives face a considerable amount of resistance as organizations often do not want to share their data assets. The present study investigates these barriers in the establishment of national SDI in Pakistan. The constraints studied through the IGIF pathways and past studies were adapted via a pilot study and conceptualized in a hypothesized model. We collected primary data via the administration of 520 questionnaire surveys to 280 public and private organizations. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to statistically confirm the conceptual model of the barriers to disseminating spatial data. The results indicate institutional barriers from the absence of national data policy, lack of specified roles of stakeholders, poor inter-organizational coordination, missing data-sharing policy, and weak organizational partnerships, with coefficients 0.26, 1.555, 1.305, 8.288, and 0.136, respectively, at the p < 0.001 significance level. The PLS-SEM R2 0.65 indicates a good explanatory power of the model. The methodology developed in the present study will allow devising more sustainable policies for spatial data management and dissemination in Pakistan and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) are responsible for significant losses in terms of treatment costs, decreased productivity (such as milk and meat), reduced reproductive ability, and financial crisis to livestock owners. In Pakistan, it is crucial to periodically assess the risk of TTBDs and ecological factors, potential causes of acaricidal resistance in tick fauna, and the intensive increase in the spread of TTBDs. Participatory epidemiological approaches are key to assessing the livestock owners' and stakeholders' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) about TTBDs. The current study determined the KAP about ticks and tick-borne diseases of respondents from Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 240 respondents were interviewed from different ecological zones: among them, 42.5% (n = 102) of the respondents practiced the manual removal of ticks from animals, while acaricide usage was indicated by 137 respondents (57.0%) as occurring sometimes, 50 (20.8%) monthly, 41 (17.0%) fortnightly, and 12 (5%) weekly, during the peak infestation season. Ticks were 2.6 times [OR = 2.5 (95% Cl = 1.47–4.06)] and viruses were 1.89 times [OR = 188 (95% Cl = 1.09–2.9)] more likely to cause the development of disease in animals than any other pathogen. Despite the appropriate usage of acaricides, the knowledge of participants was inadequate. The findings of this study emphasize the need to take into account identified knowledge gaps and to take the initiative in carrying out appropriate education activities and extension programs to enhance the adoption of effective tick prevention and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the level of effective ethical leadership practices of primary school heads from the perspective of teachers serving in Karachi schools. It also compared the effective ethical leadership practiced by primary school head from the perspective of teachers serving in Karachi schools in terms of their various demographics including gender, academic qualification, professional qualification, and locality of their schools. Using a quantitative exploratory method, it targeted the primary schools in each district of Karachi to approach the teachers currently serving in the respective primary schools. The findings of the study revealed that teachers perceive the effective ethical leadership practiced by primary school heads. However, this perception of teachers changed frequently based on their different demographic characteristics that led the study to infer a potential biasness displayed by the primary school heads while practicing their leadership. The study recommends awareness sessions and training programs for primary school heads to avoid their potential biasness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community participation in planning and managing for increased educational opportunity is necessary. To ensure the involvement of local community, the government of Pakistan experimentally launched a scheme in 1994 by establishing School Management Committees (S.M.Cs). The major purpose of the present study was to observe the functions and performance of S.M.Cs in Promoting Education in Pakistan. The government schools of Punjab Province were considered to be the target population. The study sample consisted of SMCs. of eight government higher secondary schools, 34 government high schools and 34 government elementary schools the Punjab. A survey-type study questionnaire was used to gather the data which were collected and interpreted by using simple statistical techniques of percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Tentative conclusions are drawn with regard to observations of head teachers and members of SMCs. (Contains 2 tables.)

The commonly occurring haemoparasites in pigeons include Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus which cause decrease in production and performance of the birds. Due to the dearth of knowledge on prevalence of these parasites in pigeons in Pakistan, current survey-based study was planned to assess the prevalence of above-mentioned parasites in pigeons in selected rural areas of District Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. The morphological identification of parasites was done under microscope by comparing it with standard keys. Out of 384 samples, 56.51% were found positive for haemoparasites. According to town-wise distribution, Jinnah town, Iqbal town, Madina town and Lyallpur town prevalence was 61.24, 48.86, 55.56, and 59.26%, respectively. According to genus-wise distribution, 48.14, 48.21, and 64.92% prevalence of mixed infection, genera Plasmodium/Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon were observed, respectively. The prevalence was found high in female birds (65.9%) as compared to male birds (51.18%). The prevalence was higher in Cheena (69.02%) and Golden breeds (76.57%) as compared to Sialkoti (32.89%) and Dub wali (37.17%). The prevalence was found higher in squabs (74.15%) as compared to adults (49.6%) and growers (52.56%), in scavengers feeding pattern (77.31%) as compared to feeders (35.78%), and in open coop type (76.68%) as compared to closed coop type (36.12%). The values of Hb, PCV, and RBC's count were lower, while WBC's counts were higher in infected pigeons. The values of uric acid, creatinine, albumin and bilirubin were lower while gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and glucose were higher in infested birds as compared to non- infected birds. The study indicated the impact of haemoparasites on the hematological parameters of the birds and the data generated could help in formulating effective control strategies against haemoparasites particularly Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the entire scenario of Pakistan citrus sector, kinnow (Citrus reticulata Blanco) right from its introduction and successful acclimatization continues to dominate both in area and production besides an exportable commodity. Presence of large seed number in Kinnow is big issue for fresh consumption and as well as for processing industry in the international markets. Visualizing such compulsions of international markets, a systematic study was undertaken by Horticultural Research Station, Sahiwal with identification of five less seeded kinnow strains (1-6 seeds). Results depicted that less seeded kinnow strain, encoded LSKS-2, produced superior external and internal quality attributes. Average fruit weight and size outstripped other contestant strains. It produces average weight per fruit as 170.58gms with length/breadth, as 70.68mm and 68.08 mm respectively. Maximum juice recovery as 46.22% with glucose 48.08gms per liter, fructose 27.72gms per liter was obtained significantly high in less seeded strain LSKS-2. Total soluble solids as 11.70% remained in the same strain (LSKS-2). Vitamin C was18.43 mg/100gms besides total phenolic compounds 94.78 µgms in LSKS-2. However, somewhat tenacious fruit with more peel thickness was observed in LSKS-4 which was 3.31 mm. Highest firmness remained 2.48kg in LSKS-1 of less seeded kinnow. Conclusively less seeded strain LSKS-2 proved best of all the five strains of less seeded kinnow. The study is worthwhile for exploiting natural mutant kinnow strains bearing less seeded fruit of high quality characters through vegetative method of propagation thereby avoiding inevitable heterozygosity and polyembyonic nature of citrus fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is a significant stage to develop responsible generations. Holistic child development may be possible through a plan of early childhood education (ECE) and early learning. This study is planned to explore the role of school leadership in promoting ECCE in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. This research study may play a significant role in sensitizing the educationist, practitioners, pedagogical leadership in early learning centers, and political leadership. The study was quantitative in nature. In the first step, a stratified sampling technique was used to select the districts among the three divisions of AJK. In the second step, a simple random sampling technique was used. Self-developed a five-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. The study concluded that leadership plays a significant role in promoting ECCE. It is encouraging that educational leadership involves parents in the process of teaching-learning. Learners are happy in the school activities, and academic leadership is planning to minimize the workload of kids. It is recommended that children may be facilitated with better infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated the hydrogeochemical behavior of groundwater quality attributes including arsenic (As) and their associated health risks in unexplored groundwater aquifers of Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. The groundwater samples were collected from 40 colonies of Bahawalnagar city from electric/hand pumps, tube wells and turbines installed at varying depth (20 to > 100 m). The groundwater possessed the highest concentrations of PO4 (0.5 mg/L), HCO3 (425 mg/L), Cl (623 mg/L), NO3 (136.68 mg/L) and SO4 (749.7 mg/L) concentrations. There was no difference in concentration of As in shallow and deep aquifers. Interestingly, none of the water samples showed As concentration higher than the WHO limit of 10 µg/L for drinking water with groundwater As concentration spanning from 2.5 to 7.9 µg/L. The HQ values for As were less than 1 and there was no apparent non-carcinogenic risk from the long-term consumption of As contaminated water. The questionnaire survey indicated that 82% respondents believe that drinking water quality affects human health and 55% of respondents considered that groundwater in the area is not suitable for drinking. Survey results revealed that 29.11, 22.78, 17.08, 15.19, 7.59, 5.06 and 3.16% respondents/family members suffered from hepatitis, skin problems, diabetes, tuberculosis, kidney disorders, muscular weakness and gastro, respectively. However, the data cannot be correlated with As contamination and disease burden in the local community and it can be anticipated that the groundwater may contain other potentially toxic ions that are deteriorating the water quality and compromising human health. The hydrogeochemical analysis revealed Na-Cl/SO4, K-SO4 type of groundwater suggesting the potential role of sulfate containing minerals in releasing As in the groundwater aquifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperatures worldwide continue to climb, while carbon emissions have exceeded previous records. To achieve environmental sustainability, countries with the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement (COP26) demonstrate sophisticated technical expertise and deploy environmentally driven technologies, such as greenfield investment and renewable energy infrastructure. This proposal presents an intriguing opportunity for policymakers to identify the distinct characteristics of institutional reforms and green energy sources that may be used to mitigate carbon emissions. Governance regulatory factors, foreign direct investment (FDI), renewable energy consumption (REC), research and development expenditures, urbanization, and carbon emissions are examined in Pakistan. The study estimated the short- and long-run association between the variables using the ARDL bounds testing method for 1996Q1 to 2020Q4. In the short run, in terms of carbon emissions and economic output, the country has an upturned cord environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). The race-to-the-bottom concept holds for countries with U-shaped EKCs in the long term. The negative correlation between overseas investment and environmental damage supports the environmental halo hypothesis. Investment in research and technology may reduce emissions, even though urbanization increases them. Future and present REC are often intertwined with carbon footprints. Carbon emissions are also strongly connected with indicators of institutional quality (IQ), such as procedural efficiency, administrative effectiveness, and political unrest. The research findings demonstrated unidirectional Granger causality running from urbanization, government effectiveness, economic growth, and R&D expenditures to carbon emissions to validate urban-led emissions, institutional-led emissions, growth-led emissions, and innovation-led emissions in a country. Furthermore, R&D expenditure Granger causality was linked to inbound FDI, while government effectiveness Granger causality was linked to REC and R&D expenditures. Following the COP26 guidelines for achieving shared prosperity, the study concluded that good governance reforms, R&D expenditures, greenfield investment, and REC promote environmental sustainability and maintain air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern means of communication, economic crises, and political decisions play imperative roles in reshaping political and administrative systems throughout the world. Twitter, a micro-blogging website, has gained paramount importance in terms of public opinion-sharing. Manual intelligence of law enforcement agencies (i.e., in changing situations) cannot cope in real time. Thus, to address this problem, we built an alert system for government authorities in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The alert system gathers real-time data from Twitter in English and Roman Urdu about forthcoming gatherings (protests, demonstrations, assemblies, rallies, sit-ins, marches, etc.). To determine public sentiment regarding upcoming anti-government gatherings (protests, demonstrations, assemblies, rallies, sit-ins, marches, etc.), the alert system determines the polarity of tweets. Using keywords, the system provides information for future gatherings by extracting the entities like date, time, and location from Twitter data obtained in real time. Our system was trained and tested with different machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), multinomial naïve Bayes (MNB), and Gaussian naïve Bayes (GNB), along with two vectorization techniques, i.e., term frequency–inverse document frequency (TFIDF) and count vectorization. Moreover, this paper compares the accuracy results of sentiment analysis (SA) of Twitter data by applying supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms. In our research experiment, we used two data sets, i.e., a small data set of 1000 tweets and a large data set of 4000 tweets. Results showed that RF along with count vectorization performed best for the small data set with an accuracy of 82%; with the large data set, MNB along with count vectorization outperformed all other classifiers with an accuracy of 75%. Additionally, language models, e.g., bigram and trigram, were used to generate the word clouds of positive and negative words to visualize the most frequently used words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the self-control perspective, this study investigated the buffering effect of emotional suppression in reducing the harmful influence of workplace ostracism on employee performance. The research also studied the mediating role of employee silence and voice behaviors based on social exchange theory. We performed moderated mediation analysis on responses received from 159 employees working in the financial industry of the Southern Punjab region of Pakistan. The results showed that workplace ostracism harms employee performance via employee silence and voice behaviors. Furthermore, emotional suppression moderated the mediated relationship between workplace ostracism and employee performance. The results indicated that if ostracized employees adopt voice behavior, emotional suppression cannot aid them in performing better as compared to those who remain silent and regain their self-esteem. Our findings highlight the importance of emotional suppression capability in reducing the damaging outcomes of ostracism in organizational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political instability has become a significant worldwide threat in recent years, especially in the world's poorest and most unstable countries. This is a major problem that is stunting the development of these countries. Politics must be kept stable if society remains united and the government retains its legitimacy. It is necessary for a country's economy to thrive, society to come together, and rule of law to be upheld. The political system's stability has a direct impact on the nation and state-building processes. Political stability is essential for both of them to develop successfully. Political stability is crucial to the efficient running of government. Foreign diplomacy and international trade are both hampered by political instability because investors are reluctant to risk their money in countries with uncertain leadership. As a result of breakdown in law and order and rise in illicit activity, the public becomes increasingly worried and insecure when there is political insecurity in a country. Only political maturity and stability will be able to handle these challenges in the nation's best interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration is an important hydrological parameter that takes place due to water bodies and many physical features (plants, soil) on earth. Punjab lies in the zone of Pakistan that is mostly affected by climate change. A decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperature and potential evapotranspiration (PET) tend toward a more disastrous situation particularly in the southern region of Punjab. MODIS satellite imagery (MOD16) and climatic data over the 16 and 23 years' time periods (1993–2016) were utilized in this study. Firstly for the estimation of the average spatial and temporal trend of rainfall patterns. Maximum of 2000 mm annual rainfall was estimated in 1997, while in 2016 about 1300 mm of annual rainfall was estimated. A declining trend of annual rainfall has been observed both in satellite imagery and observed data results from 1993 to 2016. Modified Penman–Monteith equation was used to estimate PET and moisture index. Thornthwaite Moisture Index was applied on different scales for moisture observation. It was estimated that from 1993 to 2016 the trend of PET increased while that of moisture content decreased in the study area. Results obtained from both datasets showed that southern Punjab having less amount of rainfall and a gradually increasing trend in potential evapotranspiration as compared to the northern part of the province Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]