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Due to the lack of symmetry property for the quasi metrics, we have considered left and right versions of best proximity points of multivalued mappings of quasi metric spaces. Further we consider the problem of existence of semi (left and right) best proximity points of generalized multivalued contractions of quasi metric spaces via various versions of so called p-property. Some examples are given to explain the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological footprint (EF) is created by human demands for water, infrastructure, energy and food, among other things, resulting in pollution, depletion of resources and ecological disturbance. The sustainability goal in relation to EF is to reduce the impact of climate change on natural resources for long‐term growth. Pakistan is a country facing an ecological deficit and has difficulty striking a balance between economic development and environmental protection worldwide. As a result of its significant role in achieving sustainability, which is essential for human life, EF has become a global phenomenon. The study considered the nexus of economic growth, EF and its subcomponents for the economy of Pakistan. The Johansen co‐integration technique was used to analyse the short‐run (ECM) and long‐run relationship. The results showed that urbanisation, financial development, economic growth and temperature have positive effects on EFs, whereas rainfall and carbon dioxide emissions have a negative effect on EFs. The ECM test demonstrates that studied variables are responsible for 46% of disequilibrium in EF, which is less than the moderate threshold. On the contrary, in the model of EF, the coefficient of temperature in the long‐run speed is negative, indicating that the system is diverging from equilibrium and correcting its prior period disequilibrium at a rate of 663% a year, while that of CO2 emissions is positive, indicating that the system is converging towards equilibrium and correcting its prior period disequilibrium at a rate of 77.2% a year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The household dependency ratio on young or old family members is considered a major determinant in poverty when human capital cannot support the family income. Since the elderly suffer a significant risk of poverty and make up an increasing percentage of the population, the country's economic inequality is quite sensitive to population ageing. Family size adversely affects household well-being when focusing on children under 15 and adults over 65. The dependency increases the burden on bread earners and reduces consumption expenditure. The current study uses family reliance and the multidimensional poverty concept to analyse how poverty is distributed throughout different provinces. The current study intends to provide poverty analysis across all four provinces of Pakistan using the Alkire and Foster method of multidimensional poverty indexes from Household Integrated Economic Survey data. The study found that increasing child dependence significantly reduces consumption and exacerbates poverty. The Seniors Dependency Indicator demonstrates that as the elderly population in Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa (KPK) declines, poverty decreases. All provinces saw an increase in the prevalence of child poverty, with the highest KPK rates in Punjab (6%) and Sindh (4%), respectively. Since the functional sector does not have to shoulder the full load, the government should set up safety support mechanisms for these segments to lessen the burden on wage workers. According to the survey, access to clean water and literacy rates are the other leading indicators of poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for clean energy increases around the globe and for that purpose the need for new renewable installations increases. Floating photovoltaic power plants are being increased to accommodate the extraordinary usage of active land. These solar plants offer new investment opportunities for clean energy producers, but the rise of floating photovoltaic power plants is impacting marine ecosystems. This study aims to gauge the growth of green algae that is affected due to floating power plants by using a mathematical decay model and experimental results. A mathematical model is applied that consists of an ordinary differential equation for green algae decay estimation due to the unavailability of a light source. Additionally, an experimental chamber is constructed to create an artificial environment with an absence of high irradiance to determine the algal growth. Different sensors are installed that include temperature, humidity, and lux for data logging on each instance. The fresh green algae were kept in the experimental chamber to measure the decay rate. The result shows that the weight of fresh green algae drops from 40.9 to 37.7 g and the color transformed from green to dark brown, which shows the decrement in chlorophyll level in the period of 7 days. The mathematical model is simulated in MATLAB that validates the experimental results which show the decrement in NADPH concentration at minimum irradiance. Linear regression analysis was applied to the quantitative data obtained during the experimentation process that shows a linear relationship between a number of days and the decay of algae in the chamber. The experimental results also concluded that not only green algae were affected, but underwater oxygen levels were also reduced. Therefore, it is recommended to have a complete marine environmental analysis before the installation of a huge floating photovoltaic power plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the existence of non-empty fixed point sets of newly introduced generalized set-valued F-contractions of b-metric spaces. Some illustrative examples show that the new results in this paper generalize properly, unify and extend some related results in the existing literature. Moreover, we extract some important consequences of the results in b-metric spaces. Particularly, by setting b-metric constant equal to one, we obtain some specific cases showing notable enhancement of existing results yet in metric spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study “The Role of Religion in the Prevention of Drug Addiction in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ” tends to evaluate and analyze the role of religion as a barrier to drugs and drug addiction. The main objectives of the study are to know about the role of religion in the reformation of drug addicts, to evaluate the perception of respondents about religious beliefs, to measure the level of their religiosity. This research has been conducted in district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.A sample size of 375 from a population of 6000 has been calculated through Yamane formula. Simple random sampling technique has been used for data collection through interview schedule. The collected data was analyzed through SPSS-2021 for prevalence and association measurement. Univariate for prevalence, bi variate chi square for association while multivariate analyses by controlling background variables were carried out. At univariate level majority of the respondents were knowing about religion, prohibition of drugs in religion, knowing that drug use is a sin and spiritual healing has a role.. Similarly, at bivariate level the variable “religion” had a highly significant and positive association at (P = <≤ ≥> 0.05) confidence level and (Tb± 0-1) showed strength and direction with effects of drugs addiction on other family members (EDAFM). At multivariate level all background variables results were checked for spuriousness and nonspuriousness based on significance (P = <≤ ≥> 0.05) and Tb (Tb± 0-1) values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Several phases of zinc vanadates having different morphologies have been investigated recently for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), where they suffer from poor electronic conductivity and low mechanical stability resulting in short cycle life, low specific capacity and unsatisfactory rate performance. The issues are resolved here, by directly growing Zn3V2O8 sheets on two dimensional (2D) holey graphene oxide (hGO) nanosheets making an open framework of Zn3V2O8 that allows suitable spacing for Li+‐ions for (de) intercalation and the holey graphene provides the necessary mechanical strength, permeability and electronic conductivity across the Zn3V2O8 sheets. Consequently, the sheet on sheet morphology has resulted in an impressive rate capability of 851.2 mAh g−1 at 5000 mA g−1 with 67% retention after a 10‐fold increase in the current rate, high specific capacity (1465.9 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1) and long‐term stability (88% retention after 200 cycles). This is due to the crystalline structure of Zn3V2O8/hGO, with a large surface area that can provide more reaction sites and facilitate the fast Li+‐ion transport as verified by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. The ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer reveals the involvement of multiple reaction mechanisms (conversion, (de) insertion and (de) alloying) showing Zn2+/Zn0 and V4+/V3+/V2+ redox couples during the electrochemical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore a phase engineering strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of transition metal sulfides (TMSs) in anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A one-pot hydrothermal approach has been employed to synthesize MoS2 nanostructures. MoS2 and MoO3 phases can be readily controlled by straightforward calcination in the (200–300) °C temperature range. An optimized temperature of 250 °C yields a phase-engineered MoO3@MoS2 hybrid, while 200 and 300 °C produce single MoS2 and MoO3 phases. When tested in LIBs anode, the optimized MoO3@MoS2 hybrid outperforms the pristine MoS2 and MoO3 counterparts. With above 99% Coulombic efficiency (CE), the hybrid anode retains its capacity of 564 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, and maintains a capacity of 278 mAh g−1 at 700 mA g−1 current density. These favorable characteristics are attributed to the formation of MoO3 passivation surface layer on MoS2 and reactive interfaces between the two phases, which facilitate the Li-ion insertion/extraction, successively improving MoO3@MoS2 anode performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]