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This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of students regarding the various aspects of online education while studying at the Pakistani Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and universities that shifted to online modes of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of this study was to identify the level of satisfaction of students with the support being provided to them by their institutes and instructors; the use of different modes of communication and assessment methods; and their home study environment. It also explored the positively and negatively influencing factors affecting online education, as perceived by them. An online questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey research design was chosen for conducting this study. Data were collected from 707 respondents belonging to various Pakistani HEIs and universities and analyzed using the SPSS software. The results revealed a considerable dissatisfaction among the study population regarding online education being provided to them during the COVID pandemic. The participants raised concerns over the lack of institutional support and the quality of online instruction. Other issues raised included unsuitable study environments, unavailability of electricity, and connectivity issues. Overall, the majority of the students indicated that they would not like to opt for online classes in the future once the pandemic was over.

Test anxiety is the fear of students about negative results of the evaluative procedures. Low to moderate level of test anxiety is often thought beneficial for students. Test anxiety has two components worry and emotionality that are found in test anxiety research work. Academic Achievement encompasses students' academic potential. It is a common practice to promote students to next grades on the basis of their academic achievement scores. It aids in classifying students as pass or fail in examination. Present study was conducted to explore the effects of Test Anxiety on student's Academic Achievement at Secondary school level in Lahore. Causal Comparative research design was used to determine the causes of differences that were already therein the population. The population of study consisted of all secondary school students enrolled in district Lahore. A total of 840 students from 30 schools were selected as a sample from Lahore district. Test Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire was adapted and translated into Urdu in the study for data collection from secondary school students. The findings of the study indicate a negative relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement. Results showed that girls have higher test anxiety scores as compared to boys.

This paper examines students' attitude towards the use of Google Classroom for learning English as a Foreign Language. Generally, in the Middle East and Sub-continent the traditional approach is used in English Language Teaching. However, with the advancement in educational technologies online platforms are also used as they provide students with more learning autonomy, and freedom. Educators are moving towards online platforms, and Google Classroom (GC) is one of them. Teachers can create, share material, and conduct quizzes on GC. The present study is an attempt to examine the students' attitude towards the integration of GC in the Preparatory Year English Program at Yanbu English Language Institute. To examine students' attitude and acceptance of GC, the study uses Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM has widely been used in multiple research studies to investigate the attitude and perception of the users to certain technologies. The data has been collected during the 2018-19 academic session through questionnaires and the GC statistics. The findings of the study suggest that students had spent more time practicing English language while completing the assigned tasks, collaborating with teachers and peers, and teachers' feedback provided them with increased learning opportunities.

This scientometric study examines the overall research trends, publication and citation structures, authorship and collaboration patterns, bibliographic coupling, and productivity patterns in the field of social support in education. Bibliometric data consisting of 545 documents was retrieved from the Scopus database during a period of 43 years (1977-2020) on 1 January 2021. Data analysis was performed using various scientometric software including MS Excel, VOS Viewer, Biblioshiny, CiteSpace and ScientoPy. The results of the study revealed that the first publication on this topic appeared in 1977, however, the major increase was observed during 2017-2020, whereas the maximum number of publications (N = 57) in a single year was published in the year 2020. Similarly, the highest number of citations (n = 1002) were observed in the year 1995 with an average of 334 citations per document. The most productive countries were the United States (N = 194), the United Kingdom (N = 56), and Australia (N = 50 publications). Results further indicated that more than 50.7% of the research in the social support area was done in medicine. Overall, the findings of the study reveal that most of the research in the aforementioned field originated from the developed countries which can be related to the developments in the medical field. The study indicates the importance of social support in the educational context due to an increased trend of inclusion and diversity in the education field. This research is the first bibliometric study in the field of social support in education.

Gallic acid is recognized as a notable bioactive compound among secondary polyphenolic metabolites. In the current study, gallic acid-enriched extracts were obtained from mango peels using different solvents (ethanol or water) via ultrasound-assisted extraction, and optimized yields were compared with the conventional extraction technique (decoction). Independent variables for the optimization through response surface methodology were ethanol concentration (0–60%), solvent ratio (10–50 mL/g), temperature (30–60℃), and time (10–30 min) for ethanolic extraction. However, extraction carried out by using water had extraction conditions of pH (2–8), solvent ratio (20–0 mL/g), extraction temperature (40–70℃), and time (30–60 min). The optimized yield of gallic acid obtained through ethanol was 5.75 ± 0.21 mg/g, whereas 3.14 ± 0.24 mg/g of gallic acid was quantified in extraction through water. The results were compared with the aforementioned conventional method of decoction, and it was concluded that the ethanolic extracts of mango peels showed the highest gallic acid yield and total flavonoid contents. The obtained extracts could be a potential source of polyphenolics, especially gallic acid, for use in nutraceuticals as well as in other food applications.

Women library professionals are greatly underrepresented in key leadership positions, especially in the developing countries. This study explored the women academic library leadership in Pakistan and investigated the major challenges faced by women leaders during their ascending to the top, the key indicator of their success, as well as the community services and professional contributions made by them during the course of their careers. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews of 16 senior woman library leaders in Pakistan. The findings indicated that organizational challenges, family responsibilities, and gender discrimination were the major barriers that hindered the women leaders during their career progression. The key indicators of their success were effective use of technology, professional commitment, academic contributions, community services, family support, international exposure, and continuous learning. The implications of the study highlight the various areas of improvement for women library leadership.

This is the first qualitative phenomenological study to investigate the state of leadership in Saudi libraries. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 library leaders or section heads in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Library leadership was found to be strongly associated with management skills, visionary thinking, teamwork, and mentorship. While almost half the participants could not differentiate between library leadership and library management, "personal attributes and skills" emerged as top assets of a library leader. Identity crises and cultural issues were identified as major challenges. Possible solutions were creating and developing user-focused services and spaces, continued professional development programs for library staff, seeking new avenues for public-private partnerships, and promoting information literacy programs. The Saudi Library and Information Association, Saudi library schools, and deanships of library affairs in Saudi universities should increase collaboration and offer more continued professional development and higher education opportunities for senior and mid-career librarians. Such steps will help to align library services with the current and ever-changing needs of library users.

Salt stress is a serious problem, because it reduces the plant growth and seed yield of wheat. To investigate the salt-tolerant mechanism of wheat caused by plant-derived smoke (PDS) solution, metabolomic and proteomic techniques were used. PDS solution, which repairs the growth inhibition of wheat under salt stress, contains metabolites related to flavonoid biosynthesis. Wheat was treated with PDS solution under salt stress and proteins were analyzed using a gel-free/label-free proteomic technique. Oppositely changed proteins were associated with protein metabolism and signal transduction in biological processes, as well as mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi, and plasma membrane in cellular components with PDS solution under salt stress compared to control. Using immuno-blot analysis, proteomic results confirmed that ascorbate peroxidase increased with salt stress and decreased with additional PDS solution; however, H+-ATPase displayed opposite effects. Ubiquitin increased with salt stress and decreased with additional PDS solution; nevertheless, genomic DNA did not change. As part of mitochondrion-related events, the contents of ATP increased with salt stress and recovered with additional PDS solution. These results suggest that PDS solution enhances wheat growth suppressed by salt stress through the regulation of energy metabolism and the ubiquitin-proteasome system related to flavonoid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) is one of the most important water pollutant of global concern due to its extreme hazard. In the present study, B. subtilis synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were used for mitigation of harmful metalloid As from the aqueous solution. Initially, the arsenic removal efficiency was tested in a batch culture experiment across various concentrations (5, 10 and 15 ppm) of B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs at different pH, time interval and agitation speed. Optimal removal efficiency of As by using B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs was observed at pH 7, after 80 min, and with agitation at 200 rpm. Additionally, hydroponic culture experiment was designed to assess B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs efficiency in removal of As from As-contaminated water used to irrigate rice plants. Results revealed that B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs effectively removed As from the contiminated water and reduced its uptake by the different parts of rice plants (root, shoot and leaf). Furthermore, these B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs also reduced the bioaccumulation and enhanced plant tolerance to As, suggesting their potential in mitigating heavy metal toxicity, especially As and promoting plant growth. Thus, this study proposes B. subtilis synthesized Fe3O4 NPs as nano-adsorbents in reducing arsenic toxicity in rice plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]