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Background: Pakistan is one of the nations with the worst statistics for pregnancy-related outcomes. Health programmes in underdeveloped nations frequently ignore the role of partners in maternal health, which is a crucial contributing factor in these worst situations. This research study aims to explore the role of husbands in maternity care and safe childbirth in Pakistan. Methods: The data for this study comes from the Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey 2019. The k-Modes clustering algorithm was implemented to generate clusters from the dataset. Cluster profiling was used to identify the problems in pregnancy-related outcomes in cases where women live away from their partners. The chi-square test and logistic regression model were fitted to identify the significant factors associated with women's health and safe childbirth. Results: The finding of the study reveals that the partner's support during and after pregnancy plays a vital role in maternal health and safe child-birth. It was revealed that the women living away from their partners have certain health problems during pregnancy. These problems include Vaginal bleeding, Excessive vomiting, Chest pain, Cough, High B.P, Excessive weight gain, Body aches, Swelling of feet, and Swelling of the face. This also leads to complications and health problems in the postpartum period. Due to a lack of antenatal care from the spouse during pregnancy, the women who lived away from their partners lost their pregnancies. Conclusion: The study concludes that the husband's emotional and financial support substantially impacts the overall health of expecting mothers and the safety of delivery in Pakistan. Given its potential advantages for mother and child health outcomes, male engagement in health education must be acknowledged and addressed. The finding of the study is of immense importance, as it guides the policymakers to arrange various awareness programs for the male partners to support their pregnant spouse and provide proper antenatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study determines the nexus between spiritual leadership and psychological safety (PS). The authors explore the mediating role of PS and knowledge sharing to offer insights on how spiritual leadership can be advanced to better understand and support intellectual capital. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using convenience sampling from the Pakistani automobile manufacturing industry. SPSS statistical software was used for descriptive analysis and hypotheses were tested by using the partial least square-structural equation modeling method. Findings: The results demonstrate that spiritual leadership has a significant positive impact on PS; PS has a positive impact on knowledge sharing (KS) and KS has a positive impact on intellectual capital. Furthermore, PS mediates between spiritual leadership and KS. KS mediates between PS and human, social and organizational capital. Spiritual leadership also affects outside the boundaries of the organization and builds strong social relations with suppliers, buyers, etc. Research limitations/implications: This study provides a deeper understanding of spiritual leadership in the context of KS and intellectual capital in the automobile sector of Pakistan. Practical implications: This study encourages managers to nurture a philosophy of altruistic love that exerts a positive influence on employees. It will enrich their experience and promote a culture of KS. Social implications: This study has social implications for organizations seeking to situate their inclusive goals in society. The findings of this study can help promote harmony as employees who feel psychologically safe are more willing to spread it in society. Originality/value: This study theoretically contributes the big picture that how spiritual leadership contributes to intellectual capital and adds to the literature on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern business world, manufacturing entities seek the modern way of production, which can help them to minimize the wastage of material. To minimize the wastage of materials in manufacturing entities, use different modern techniques, and one of the modern techniques is lean manufacturing. This study aims to explore the relationship between lean manufacturing and the sustainable performance (SP) of the firm. For this purpose, data were collected from SMEs working in Pakistan. Results elaborate that four lean manufacturing practices, that is, process and equipment, product design, supplier relationship, and customer relationship have a positive and significant impact on SP, but the impact of planning and control and HR practices could not be verified. Moreover, green supply chain management (GSCM) found a mediator between HR practices, product design, supplier relationships, customer relationships, and SP. Outcomes of this study provide the higher management of SMEs with a way forward to implement modern techniques within their organizations to minimize the wastage of material during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, this study will cover the deficiency in the literature about the mediating role of GSCM between lean manufacturing and sustainable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed polymer brushes coating based on poly (2-methyl-2-oxazoline)/ poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PMOXA/P4VP) was prepared by simultaneously grafting amine-terminated PMOXA and thiolterminated P4VP onto poly(dopamine) (PDA)-modified substrates in this work. The coatings were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, zeta potential measurements, and the static water contact angle tests. The results indicated that it is feasible to control the components of the coating by adjusting the feed ratio of PMOXA to P4VP. Moreover, the zeta potential and the water contact angle of mixed brushes modified surfaces could be tuned by changing the environmental pH value and surface compositions. Finally, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled pepsin assay and surface plasmon resonance were performed to investigate the responsive adsorption/desorption of pepsin by PMOXA/P4VP mixed brushes. The results showed that by adjusting the fraction of PMOXA or P4VP, the PMOXA/P4VP mixed brushes coated surfaces could adsorb a high amount of pepsin at pH=3, and achieve a desorption efficiency of over 92% at pH=7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt, from industrial waste and nuclear laundry, possess health risk to human beings, animals and plants. Number of methods, other than adsorption, have been reported in literature for Co removal from waste water. In this research walnut shell powder after modification has been utilized for Co adsorption. First step of modification involved chemical treatment by four different organic acids for 72 h. Samples were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h. Second step involved thermal treatment of 72 h samples. Unmodified and modified particles have been analyzed by chemical methods and instruments i.e. UV spectrometer, FTIR, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and microscopic imaging. Thermally treated samples have shown augmented Co adsorption. CV analysis showed thermally treated samples with better capacitance. Particles modified by oxalic acid presented better Co adsorption. Oxalic acid treated particles activated for 72 h with thermal treatment provided maximum adsorption capacity 1327 ± 20.6 mg/g against Co(II) at pH 7, stirring 200 rpm, initial concentration 20 ml, adsorbent dosage (5 mg) and contact time 240 min at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution reduction is one of the important challenges confronting contemporary business and society. Firms are largely responsible for undertaking sustainable business practices and initiatives as they are major contributors to global pollution. This study empirically examines how sustainable investment influences firm energy and carbon performance. Using a sample of 23,501 firm‐year observations from 2440 unique firms over the period of 2002 to 2018 in G‐6 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States), we demonstrate that sustainable investment leads to better energy and carbon performance without compromising financial return. Our findings are robust to alternative variables, sub‐samples, and different estimation techniques. This study contributes to the global discussion on sustainability and a low‐carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) are susceptible to the toxic drug effects if given unadjusted doses. Although Pakistan harbors a high burden of CKD patients, there is limited information available on the frequency, pattern and factors associated with unadjusted drug doses among CKD patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted at Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta included 303 non-dialysis ambulatory CKD patients (glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml/min/1.73m2). The patients' data were collected through a purpose designed data collection form. The appropriateness of doses was checked against the renal drug handbook-2018, Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines, British National Formulary-2022, and manufacturer leaflets. Data were analysed by SPSS 23 and multiple binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the factors associated with receiving inappropriate high doses. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The patients received a total of 2265 prescription lines, with a median of eight different drugs per patient (interquartile range: 6–9 drugs). A total of 34.5% (783/2265) drugs required dose adjustment. Of these, doses were not adjusted for 56.1% (440) drugs in 162 (53.4%) patients. The most common pharmacological class of drugs requiring dose adjustment were antibiotics (79.1%), followed by antidiabetics (59.2%), diuretics (57.0%), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (56.9%), beta blockers (56.9%), analgesics (56.0%), angiotensin receptor blockers (55.2%), domperidone (53.9%) and antihyperlipidmics (46.1%). Patient's age of 41–60 (OR = 5.76) and > 60 years (OR = 9.49), hypertension (OR = 2.68), diabetes mellitus (OR = 3.47) and cardiovascular diseases (OR = 2.82) had statistically significant association (p-value < 0.05) with inappropriate high doses. Conclusion: The high frequency of inappropriate high doses suggests an important quality gap in medication dosing for patients with ND-CKD at the study site. Special attention should be paid to the drugs and patients with identified risk factors for receiving inappropriate high doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensification of municipal-solid-waste (MSW) production, energy usage, and the curb of the landfill have developed the need for our society to use MSW under the vision of a waste-to-energy (WTE) approach to eradicating MSW as well as to address the energy issues across the world. The WTE alteration is an environment-friendly way of disposing of MSW. This study examines the usage of plastic, wood, and paper for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production. The RDF is solitary of MSW energy yields, whose dependability and superiority are analysed in the current work. Two different RDF have been obtained from diverse waste streams at the plant site to find the finest RDF based on energy efficiency. Plastics, wood, and paper are the principal constituents in the method of occupied RDF. The results exhibited that the RDF-PA holds a high amount of carbon as-well-as hydrogen content and a decent calorific value, which leads to better fuel quality. The retention time under combustion and pyrolysis, the volatile matter portion of RDF, has increased accordingly. As per obtained results, RDF-PA is a good option for energy applications and fuel for combustion and pyrolysis reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the anti-arthritic potential of novel mannich-based derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (AK7 and AK9) in rats. The compounds were characterized by NMR and FTIR spectroscopies and their acute anti-inflammatory effects were measured by carrageenan (CRG)-induced paw edema model. The most potent doses of AK7 and AK9 were subsequently evaluated in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)–induced inflammatory arthritis model. AK7 and AK9 inhibited CRG-induced inflammation in a dose-dependent fashion and a similar reduction in CFA-induced paw inflammation was observed. Moreover, X-ray and histopathological analyses of AK7-treated animals displayed normal joint structure whereas AK9, despite of its anti-inflammatory effects, failed to protect against cartilage destruction. Interestingly, biochemical analysis revealed a better safety profile for AK7 than for AK9 and methotrexate. Both compounds suppressed mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (IRAK1, NF-κB1, TNF-α, IL1B) while only AK7 reduced the transcript levels of interstitial collagenase (MMP1). Molecular docking analysis of AK7 and AK9 with TNF-α and MMP1 also supported the experimental data. These findings clearly highlight the beneficial effects of AK7 in the prevention and/or treatment of inflammatory arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clustering approach is widely accepted as the most prominent unsupervised learning problem in data mining techniques. This procedure deals with the identification of notable structures in unlabeled datasets. In modern days clustering of dynamic data, streams play a vital role in policy-making, and researchers are paying particular attention to monitoring the evolution of clustering solutions over time. The data streams evolve continually, and different sources generate data items over time. The clustering solution over this stream is not stationary and changes with the influx of new data items. This paper presents a comprehensive study of algorithms related to tracing the evolution of clusters over time in cumulative datasets. To demonstrate the applications and significance of the tracing cluster evolution, we implement the MONIC algorithm in R-software. This article illustrates how the data segmentation of dynamic streams is done and shows the applications of monitoring changes in clustering solutions with the help of real-life published datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]