Aviation Demand and Economic Growth in the Czech Republic: Cointegration Estimation and Causality Analysis

The main purpose of the paper is to empirically examine the aviation-led growth hypothesis for the Czech Republic by testing causality between aviation and economic growth. We resort to econometric tests such as unit root tests and test of cointegration purposed by Johansen (1988). Fully Modified OLS, Dynamic OLS and Conical Cointegration Regression are used to estimate the cointegration equation for time span of 42 years from 1970 to 2012. Empirical results reveal the existence of cointegration between aviation demand and economic growth. Graphic methods such as Cholesky impulse response function (both accumulated and non-accumulated) and variance decomposition have also been applied to render the analysis rigorous. The positive contribution of aviation demand to economic growth is similar in all three estimation techniques of cointegration equation. Finally, Granger causality test is also applied to find the direction of causal relationship. Findings help in lime-lighting the importance of aviation industry in economic growth for a developing country like the Czech Republic

Mass spectrometry captures off-target drug binding and provides mechanistic insights into the human metalloprotease ZMPSTE24.

Off-target binding of hydrophobic drugs can lead to unwanted side effects, either through specific or non-specific binding to unintended membrane protein targets. However, distinguishing the binding of drugs to membrane proteins from that of detergents, lipids and cofactors is challenging. Here, we use high-resolution mass spectrometry to study the effects of HIV protease inhibitors on the human zinc metalloprotease ZMPSTE24. This intramembrane protease plays a major role in converting prelamin A to mature lamin A. We monitored the proteolysis of farnesylated prelamin A peptide by ZMPSTE24 and unexpectedly found retention of the C-terminal peptide product with the enzyme. We also resolved binding of zinc, lipids and HIV protease inhibitors and showed that drug binding blocked prelamin A peptide cleavage and conferred stability to ZMPSTE24. Our results not only have relevance for the progeria-like side effects of certain HIV protease inhibitor drugs, but also highlight new approaches for documenting off-target drug binding

Examining the Level of Information Literacy among First-Year English Majors at the University of Sargodha

The main goal of this study was to look into the information literacy (skills and standards) of English Language majors at Sargodha University. A total of 160 undergraduates, both men, and women, took part in the research. To get to their end goal, researchers had to fill out a questionnaire created by Mittermeyer and Quirion (2003). The results of this study showed that undergraduates at UOS don\u27t know enough about how to use information. Because of this outcome, it was suggested that students from UOS take part in the research

Enhanced electrocatalytic performance of cobalt oxide nanocubes incorporating reduced graphene oxide as a modified platinum electrode for methanol oxidation

Herein, we report a facile hydrothermal method for the preparation of cobalt oxide nanocubes incorporating reduced graphene oxide (rGO–Co3O4 nanocubes) for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol. The synthesized rGO–Co3O4 nanocubes were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman techniques. The electrochemical behavior of an rGO–Co3O4 nanocube modified electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The electrocatalytic performances of rGO–Co3O4 nanocube-modified electrodes with different wt% of GO were investigated in relation to methanol oxidation in an alkaline medium. The rGO–Co3O4 nanocube modified electrode showed enhanced current density due to oxidation of methanol when compared to the bare Pt, rGO, and Co3O4 nanocube modified electrodes. The optimal GO content for an rGO–Co3O4 nanocube-modified electrode to achieve a high electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol was 2 wt%, and it showed an anodic peak current density of 362 μA cm−2

Laboratory Testing to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Caprocks for CO2 Storage

The increased anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a serious concern due to its effects on global climate change. Capture of CO2 from point sources and storage in the porous rocks of deep saline reservoirs is considered a practical choice for reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. A fundamental necessity for long-term storage of CO2 in saline reservoirs is the integrity of non-permeable rock called the caprock. The caprock overlies the porous saline reservoir and prevents migration of CO2 upwards out of the reservoir. As such, the primary focus of this research is to test the effectiveness of caprock as a seal or barrier to fluid migration under representative conditions of a geological storage site. Additionally, a secondary focus is the assessment of the rock thermal properties and geomechanical modeling of CO2 injection. This is because thermally induced stress changes resulting from the injection of relatively cold CO2 can lead to the creation of leakage paths (e.g., formation fracturing or reactivation of existing discontinuities). The study area of this research is the proposed CO2 injection location of Project Pioneer (TransAlta) in Alberta. The caprock and storage reservoir in the study area are the Calmar and Nisku Formations, respectively. An experimental setup was developed to measure the permeability of intact and fractured caprock samples exposed to CO2-rich brine under representative temperature and pressure conditions of the injection site. The objective of determining the permeability of fractured caprock samples exposed to CO2-rich brine was to examine how caprock seal effectiveness may evolve over time in the presence of fractures which either preexisted or are generated during CO2 injection. The outcomes were used to assess the collective effects of chemical and physical processes that could lead to caprock leakage. Geomechanical modeling was conducted in this work to investigate injection-induced stress changes and to see whether their effects (deformation) within the storage reservoir are observed on the ground surface. The models incorporate the thermal, geomechanical and geometrical parameters of the saline reservoir and surrounding rocks. The permeability of intact samples of the Calmar Formation (primary seal/caprock) were measured as 0.3 nd (0.3·10-21 m2), and measured permeability of fractured caprock samples ranged between 10 to 40 µd (10·10-18 to 40·10-18 m2). The intact rock permeability is very low, hence, the rate of leakage would be very low (7.4·10-7 m3s-1). Potential leakage rates could be up to four orders of magnitude higher if the caprock is fractured from base to top. The geomechanical deformation model predicted that CO2 injection in the Nisku zone is not likely to cause any significant surface heave (< 2 mm), and it likely too small to be measured effectively using standard surface deformation monitoring techniques. Numerical modeling conducted by a research collaborator using results generated in this research suggests that thermally induced fracturing may occur at the study site if the injection rate is not carefully chosen

Effect of compost addition on arsenic uptake, morphological and physiological attributes of maize plants grown in contrasting soils

Contamination of soils with arsenic (As) represents a global environmental and health issue considering the entrance of toxic As in the human food chain. Although partially understood, addition of compost for the remediation of As-contaminated soils may result in distinct effects on plant growth and physiological attributes depending on compost-mediated potential mobility/sequestration of As in soils. This study explores the role of compost addition (C; 0, 1 and 2.5%) on morphological and gas exchange attributes and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll contents) of maize plants under As stress (0, 40, 80, 120 mg kg− 1), as well as soil As immobilization/mobilization in a pot experiment, using two contrasting soils. Results revealed that, in Narwala (sandy loam) soil, the addition of compost decreased shoot As concentration of maize plants (p < 0.05; 4.01–13.7 mg kg− 1 dry weight (DW)), notably at C2.5 treatment, with significant improvement in shoot dry biomass, gas exchange attributes and chlorophyll (a and b) contents, i.e., 1.33–1.82, 1.20–2.65 and 1.34–1.66 times higher, respectively, over C0 at all As levels. Contrastingly, in Shahkot (clay loam) soil, C2.5 treatment increased shoot As concentration (p < 0.05; 7.02–17.3 mg kg− 1 DW), and as such reduced the shoot dry biomass, gas exchange attributes and chlorophyll contents, compared to the control – rather C1 treatment was more effective and exhibited positive effect than C2.5. Considerably, at C2.5 treatment, phosphate extractable (bioavailable) soil As concentration was also found to be greater in the (post-experiment) Shahkot soil than that of Narwala soil (0.40–3.82 vs. 0.19–1.51 mg kg− 1, respectively). This study advanced our understanding to resolve the complex compost-As interactions in As-contaminated soils, which are imperative to understand for developing the effective and soil-specific remediation strategies

Information Literacy Programs and the Public Library: Users’ Views on Information Literacy

The primary goal of this study is to learn about the challenges and problems that information literacy programs face from the perspective of library users and how these programs might be improved for the benefit of library users. There are two main aspects to this study: one focuses on user perceptions, and the other focuses on the planning of library information programs that fulfill the needs and wants of users

Calendar Anomalies in Stock Market: A Case of KSE 100 Index

This paper aims to investigate the calendar anomalies in Karachi Stock exchange by using KSE 100 index during the period of 2008 to 2012. The study examined the existence of week days, weekend and monthly seasonal anomalies. These calendar effects are examined by applying different statistical techniques. First of all series of daily and monthly returns were calculated. Then mean and standard deviation of daily and monthly returns were calculated. The values of mean and standard deviation have rejected the first two null hypothesis and accepted the third one. The results provide an evidence for the existence of calendar anomalies at KSE 100 index. The results showed that there is significant difference among the returns of days of the week, and Friday has highest mean average return which makes it confirm that weekend effect exists at KSE. Finally monthly anomaly in stock returns is also present because there is highest positive return in the month of March.     Keywords. Stock Market, Anomalies, weekday effect, weekend effect, monthly effect, Return

Drug overdose: a wake up call! Experience at a tertiary care centre in Karachi, Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of patients admitted with drug overdose caused either by accidental overdose of the prescribed medications or as an act of deliberate self harm (DSH) at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.METHODS: A retrospective case series review was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital from January 2002 to October 2006. Three hundred and twenty four adult patients admitted with drug overdose were included in the study.RESULTS: Our sample group revealed mean age of 36.2 +/- 17.0 years, more females (59%), housewives (34%), and students (20%). Fifty six percent of patients committing DSH were married (p = 0.001), 81% needed in-patient psychiatric services (p = 0.016) of whom a significantly high number (38%) refused it. Domestic and social issues were rated highest among DSH group (p = 0.003), depression among females was common (p = 0.028) and Benzodiazepines (41%) was the most frequently used drug (p = 0.021). Sub-group analysis of accidental overdoses revealed mean age of 45.6 +/- 19.6 years, single (75.4%) and males (54.1%). Drugs used were mainly Benzodiazepines (18%) followed by Opioids (11%), Antiepileptics (10%) and Warfarin (10%).CONCLUSION: Our study showed that depressed housewives are at greater risk for DSH. Domestic and social issues were rated highest and Benzodiazepines were the most commonly used agents. Most of our patients refused inpatient psychiatric treatment leading us to believe that general awareness of psychiatric illnesses is imperative in our community. High number of accidental overdoses is alarming in older, single males convincing us to believe that existing pharmacy system needs further evaluation and modification