‘Self-Sustainability’ and ‘Performance’ in Microfinance – The Contextual Relevance of the Terms

The microfinance sector’s Paradigm Shift (PS) of the 1990s caused a drastic shift in how Microfinance Organizations (MFOs) ensured their long-term survival and sustainability. The PS required MFOs to adopt a commercial approach in all their operations and pursue profitability and self-sustainability rather than depending on the provision of subsidized funds. Resorting to Schatzki’s (2002) ‘site of the social’ theoretical construct and DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) institutional theory, this empirical paper aims to evaluate the real performance of Pakistan’s microfinance sector, following the PS, in terms of its strict adherence to its founding objectives of eradicating poverty and serving the extreme poor. This qualitative empirical research paper resorts to the Case Study approach to investigate the pre- and the post-Paradigm Shift eras of Pakistan’s microfinance sector for evaluating the sector’s real ‘success’ in accomplishing its founding aim of eradicating poverty at the grass root level. Analysis of the data reveals that the microfinance sector, in its pursuit of profitability and self-sustainability, following the PS, is compromising its founding commitment to its target beneficiaries – the extreme poor. The study contributes a theory, literature and empirical evidence-informed conceptual framework to help guide organizational change initiatives in the peculiar context of a social service/not-for-profit sector and predict the outcome quality of such a change for all stakeholders. The study outcomes apprise policy-makers and practitioners of the possible negative consequences of the microfinance sector’s gradual transition from a ‘social service’ to a ‘commercial’ model for the poor

Awareness of diabetes mellitus among the non-diabetic young population of various universities of Lahore

Background: Diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in the world with a considerably higher rate of mortality and morbidity. The lack of awareness regarding signs and symptoms and the impact of a sedentary lifestyle on the onset of diabetes is a major reason why young people are developing diabetes nowadays. This study will help to identify the gaps in the knowledge of diabetes in the young population. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of diabetes mellitus among the non-diabetic young population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was completed in 6 months from 1st January 2019 to 1st July 2019. In this survey 157 participants were selected through convenience sampling from the University of Lahore, University of South Asia, and Comsat University. Data was collected after taking informed written consent. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding demographic data, general knowledge, risk factors, symptoms, complications, precautions, lifestyle, and non-medical measures. Data analysis and coding were done through SPSS version 25. Result: The research shows that out of a total of 157 participants 64% of non-diabetics had poor knowledge, 34% had medium knowledge and 2% of participants had good knowledge regarding awareness of diabetes mellitus. 33 (21%) were male and 124 (79%) were female. The participants had a mean age of 25.5 years. 103 (65.6%) belong to the urban area while the remaining 54 (34.4%) belong to the rural area. The current research reveals that the mean score regarding diabetes knowledge in the young population is 9.78 ± 4.78 out of a total score of 24. Conclusion: In the presenting research serious level of unawareness was found in the young population regarding diabetes. More than 1/3rd of the participants answered that they don’t know about the general knowledge, risk factors, symptoms, complications, precautions, lifestyle, and non-medical measures of diabetes. Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Awareness, young population, non-diabetics

Electrochemical Measurement of Annealed and Normalized Mild Steel in the Presence of Lime of Milk Solution

Mild steel have been widely used in production industries, particularly in engineering structure. This is because of its economical cost and easy formation. Various microstructures have a different performance with environmental effect. In this paper the electrochemical properties of various microstructure of mild steel in lime of milk solution Ca(OH)2 has reported. Different grain sizes were obtained by heat treatment, and the Jeffries Planimetric method was applied to measure the average grain diameter. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was applied to study the surface characteristics, with addition of chemical composition by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical behavior of mild steel was investigated at ambient temperature using potentiodynamic polarization. The result shows that lower grain size has a higher corrosion resistance as compared with higher grain size

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Microcredit: Assessing the Role of Sarhad Rural Support Program in Pakistan

Microcredit has been recognized as an effective tool to foster entrepreneurship among the rural women. Traditionally, women entrepreneurs in Pakistan are handicapped in the matter of organizing and running their businesses due to absence of capital and fear of failure. With the efforts of state-owned and private microcredit instructions, many Pakistani women are now establishing new businesses with ideas to start micro and small enterprises. This paper intends to examine the role of Sarhad Rural Support Program (SRSP) in empowering women entrepreneurs through microcredit in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The study was undertaken in six villages from three selected districts to examine the effect of microcredit on social and economic empowerment of the rural women entrepreneurs. The field data was collected by applying multistage sampling techniques from the sample size of 300 women entrepreneurs. However, social and economic empowerment index was developed for the assessment of socioeconomic empowerment of the women entrepreneurs. The study found significant improvement in the social and economic status of the women entrepreneurs and concludes that the overall effect of SRSP’s microcredit was positive in empowering women entrepreneurs and promoting entrepreneurship in the study area. However, to effectively address the gender-related constraints and cultural sensitivity that limit equitable access of women entrepreneurs to the local markets, support services are required by the SRSP to create linkages between the women entrepreneurs and local markets.Mikrokredyt jest uważany za skuteczne narzędzie wspierania przedsiębiorczości wśród kobiet wiejskich. Tradycyjnie, pakistańskie kobiety byłyby niechętne do uruchomienia nowej działalności gospodarczej z powodu braku kapitału i strachu przed porażką. Wspólnie z agencjami państwowymi i prywatnymi firmami wprowadzającymi programy kredytowe dla kobiet o niskich dochodach i przy niskich stopach procentowych, wiele pakistańskich kobiet zakłada obecnie nowe firmy. Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu zbadanie roli Programu Wsparcia Obszarów Wiejskich (SRSP) we wzmocnieniu pozycji kobiet-przedsiębiorców poprzez mikrokredyty w prowincji Khyber Pakhtunkhwa w Pakistanie. Badanie zostało przeprowadzone w sześciu wsiach z trzech wybranych regionów w celu zbadania wpływu mikrokredytów na wzmocnienie pozycji społecznej i ekonomicznej z obszarów wiejskich kobiet-przedsiębiorców. Dane zebrano poprzez zastosowanie techniki wielostopniowego doboru z próby liczącej 300 kobiet-przedsiębiorców. Zostały opracowane indeksy społecznego i ekonomicznego upodmiotowienia dla oceny społeczno-gospodarczego upodmiotowienia kobiet. Badania wykazały znaczną poprawę statusu społecznego i gospodarczego kobiet przedsiębiorców. Ogólny efekt mikrokredytów SRSP był dodatni we wzmocnieniu pozycji i przedsiębiorczości kobiet w badanym obszarze

Formulation design and characterization of a non-ionic surfactant based vesicular system for the sustained delivery of a new chondroprotective agent

A diacereína é usada para o alívio sintomático e para a regeneração da cartilagem na osteoartrite. Devido aos efeitos adversos gastrointestinais, baixa solubilidade aquosa e biodisponibilidade, o seu uso clínico tem sido restrito. O objetivo do presente estudo foi melhorar o perfil de dissolução deste fármaco e obter liberação prolongada através do planejamento de um novo sistema de liberação designado de niossoma. Cinco formulações distintas de niossomas (F1 a F5) contendo tensoativos não iônicos (monoestearato de sorbitano) e colesterol, em diferentes proporções, de 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, 8:2 e 9:1, foram desenvolvidas através da técnica de evaporacão de fase reversa. Os tamanhos e índices de polidispersibilidade (PDI) obtidos variam entre 0,608 e 1,01 µm e entre 0,409 e 0,7781, respectivamente. Imagens de microscopia electrônica de varrimento (SEM) da formulação selecionada (F3) revelaram vesículas esféricas. Obteve-se encapsulação de 79,8% com a formulação F3 (7:3). Estudos de dissolução usando o método de diálise demonstraram padrão de liberacão prolongada para todas as formulações. A proporção de tensoativo e colesterol (7:3) na formulacão F3 prolongou o tempo de liberação do fármaco (T50%) até 10 horas. Estudos de modelação cinética demonstraram ordem de liberacão zero (R2=0,9834) e o expoente de liberação "n" do modelo de Korsmayer-Peppas (n=0.90) confirmou a liberação não-fickiana e anômala. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que a diacereína pode ser encapsulada com sucesso no interior de niossomas, utilizando monostearato de sorbitano, o qual tem potencial para liberar, eficientemente, a diacereína no local de absorção.Diacerein is used for symptomatic relief and cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis. Due to gastrointestinal side effects, poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability, its clinical usage has been restricted. The objective of the present study was to enhance its dissolution profile and to attain sustained release by designing a novel delivery system based on niosomes. Five niosomal formulations (F1-F5) with non-ionic surfactant (sorbitan monostearate) and cholesterol in varying ratios of 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, 8:2 and 9:1 were developed by the reverse-phase evaporation technique. The size and polydispersivity index (PDI) were found in the range of 0.608 µm to 1.010 µm and 0.409 to 0.781, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the selected formulation (F3) revealed spherical vesicles, and 79.8% entrapment was achieved with F3 (7:3). Dissolution studies using the dialysis method showed sustained release behaviour for all formulations. The optimized surfactant-to-cholesterol concentration (7:3) in formulation F3sustained the drug-release time (T50%) up to 10 hours. Kinetic modelling exhibited a zero-order release (R2=0.9834) and the release exponent 'n' of the Korsmayer-Peppas model (n=0.90) confirmed non-fickian and anomalous release. The results of this study suggest that diacerein can be successfully entrapped into niosomes using sorbitan monostearate and that these niosomes have the potential to deliver diacerein efficiently at the absorption site

Efficient and sustainable extraction of uranium from aquatic solution using biowaste-derived active carbon

Efficient and cost-effective biosorbents derived from biowaste are highly demanding to handle various environmental challenges, and demonstrate the remarkable synergy between sustainability and innovation. In this study, the extraction of uranium U(VI) was investigated on biowaste activated carbon (BAC) obtained by chemical activation (phosphoric acid) using Albizia Lebbeck pods as biowaste. The biowaste powder (BP), biowaste charcoal (BC) and BAC were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) with nitrogen adsorption for thermal properties, chemical structures, porosity and surface area, respectively. The pHPZC for acidic or basic nature of the surface and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed for BAC. The morphological and elemental analysis were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The extraction of uranium U(VI) ions from aqueous solutions using BAC as sorbent was investigated by using different variables such as pH, contact time, initial uranium U(VI) concentration and BAC dose. The highest adsorption (90.60% was achieved at 0.5 g BAC dose, 2 h contact time, pH 6, 10 ppm initial U(VI) concentration and with 200 rpm shaking speeds. The production of this efficient adsorbent from biowaste could be a potential step forward in adsorption of uranium to meet the high demand of uranium for nuclear energy applications

N-[4-(p-Toluenesulfonamido)phen­ylsulfon­yl]acetamide

In the title compound, C15H16N2O5S2, the dihedral between the two aromatic rings is 81.33 (6)°. In the crystal, pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into centrosymmetric dimers, which are further connected via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a chain running along [01]

Modeling induction and routing to monitor hospitalized patients in multi-hop mobility-aware body area sensor networks

In wireless body area sensor networks (WBASNs), energy efficiency is an area of extreme significance. At first, we present a mathematical model for a non-invasive inductive link which is used to recharge the battery of an implanted biomedical device (pacemaker). Afterwards, we propose a distance-aware relaying energy-efficient (DARE) and mutual information-based DARE (MI-DARE) routing protocols for multihop mobility-aware body area sensor networks (MM-BASNs). Both the routing protocols and the non-invasive inductive link model are tested with the consideration of eight patients in a hospital unit under different topologies, where the vital signs of each patient are monitored through seven on-body sensors and an implanted pacemaker. To reduce energy consumption of the network, the sensors communicate with a sink via an on-body relay which is fixed on the chest of each patient. The behavior (static/mobile) and position of the sink are changed in each topology, and the impact of mobility due to postural changes of the patient(s) arms, legs, and head is also investigated. The MI-DARE protocol further prolongs the network lifetime by minimizing the number of transmissions. Simulation results show that the proposed techniques outperform contemporary schemes in terms of the selected performance metrics. © 2016, Javaid et al