EVALUATION OF THE GENETIC AND STRUCTURAL VARIATIONS OF CAMEL HEMOGLOBIN

The single-humped Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) thrives in the hot arid Arabian desert. Many unique adaptations permit it to accomplish this. Camel erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs) have a peculiar elliptical shape and are amenable to large variations in physical conditions resulting from dehydration and rehydration cycles. The oxygen transport protein hemoglobin is found abundantly in RBCs and is also believed to behave differently in camels. While several physiological and biochemical studies have been performed on camel hemoglobin, very little is known about genetic and structural adaptions in this protein. The camel genome harbors several unique variations which are being investigated for the treatment of several disorders such as diabetes, cancer, and hepatitis. In this study, several aspects of camel hemoglobin were investigated from genetic, pharmacological, and molecular modeling perspectives. Genetic analysis of camel hemoglobin revealed that camels harbor a unique variation in the region of hemoglobin that harbors a peptide called hemorphin. Hemorphins are endogenous bioactive peptides produced during proteolytic cleavage of hemoglobin and are highly conserved among mammals. Several therapeutic properties of mammalian hemorphins have been reported. However, their precise molecular binding behavior remains elusive. This study extensively investigated the binding behavior and pharmacologic effects of human and camel hemorphins, with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), mu-opioid receptor (MOR), and insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) receptor using in silico and in vitro approaches. Camel hemorphins produced more potent activity, better binding affinity, and more stable interactions with critical residues of ACE, MOR, and IRAP receptors when compared to human hemorphins. This study also identified, for the first time, a G protein-coupled receptor angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) that is a target of hemorphins. In silico and in vitro data demonstrated that LVV-hemorphin-7 binds to the intracellular side of AT1R and allosterically potentiated the potency of AngII as well as its downstream signaling. Lastly, 1000 nanosecond (ns) comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed using camel and human hemoglobin protein structures to see how these molecules differ in varying conditions of osmolarity and temperature. Camel hemoglobin demonstrated limited fluctuations, especially near the heme-binding regions at higher salt and temperature conditions, compared to human hemoglobin. Additionally, the binding pose, energetics, and interaction stability of oxygen-affinity determining energy molecules, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and 2,3- bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG) were determined in silico. 2,3-BPG is abundantly present in erythrocytes and plays a significant role in the unloading of oxygen molecules in peripheral tissues, compared to ATP. In simulations, 2,3-BPG formed more stable interactions with camel hemoglobin at severe dehydrated conditions compared to human hemoglobin. In summary, this study provides insights into the overall stability of camel hemoglobin as well as the binding behavior of ATP and 2,3-BPG at different dehydrated conditions, along with the pharmacological and therapeutic activity of the hemoglobin-derived hemorphin peptides

Perceptions, difficulties and working memory capacity related to mathematics performance

There is a general view that students of not have a positive attitude towards mathematics. In general, mathematics is considered a ‘difficult’ subject and sometimes there is a lack of enjoyment. Mathematics is often portrayed as being abstract and unrelated to life. In the light of the key role mathematics has in the curriculum, the aim of this study is to explore the difficulties and self-perceptions of students aged about 10-12 in Pakistan as they undertake their studies in mathematics. The study uses a survey of student perceptions, working with samples of students drawn from both Urdu and English medium schools (N = 813). In addition, working memory capacity of those in grade 5 (age about 10) was measured and information was gained about their performance in mathematics examinations. The data is analysed to consider how their self-perceptions related to their experiences in learning mathematics which varies with age, language background and gender. Any relationships between these self perceptions, mathematics marks and measured working memory capacity are explored as well. The observed outcomes can be used to inform the agenda for action or further study. It was found that the vast majority (English medium and Urdu medium) appreciate the role and the importance of studies in mathematics although topics like geometry, fractions, topics with life applications, statistics are causing problems. It is almost certain that these topics place demands on working memory which make understanding very difficult. In the Urdu medium schools, the curriculum in grade 6 is clearly causing major problems while, in both systems, pressures for success based on examination performance have generated a complete industry of private tutors. Many of the gender differences can be interpreted in terms of the social roles in Pakistani society. However, girls do seem more positive and more committed in relation to their studies in mathematics. The study has revealed two major issues which need careful consideration. One is the whole issue of memorisation and understanding. The goal of meaningful learning must be stressed more if positive attitudes are to be retained. The whole issue of making the mathematics studied become related in some way to the lifestyle of the learner seems very important but this is not easy without overloading working memory. In considering both of these issues, the critical role of assessment has to be addressed: if assessment offers rewards almost entirely for the recall and correct execution of mathematical procedures, then this will be reflected in textbooks and teaching approaches. Along with curriculum design and teaching approaches which are consistent with the known limitations of working memory, assessment is perhaps the single most important issue to be considered. Very significant correlations were found for grade 5 students when their measured working memory capacity was related to their mathematics examination performance. Indeed, the correlation value for Urdu medium students is the highest such correlation which has been found in any discipline. This suggests major curriculum design problems in the national syllabus for Urdu medium schools as well as assessment problems. The study has pinpointed many areas of success along with specific areas where there are serious problems. In this way, an agenda for future research and action has been described

Thrombocytopenia in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Role of Platelet Transfusion

Background: To determine frequency of thrombocytopenia in NICU and to find outcome of neonates receiving multiple platelet transfusion Methods: In this cross sectional study, neonates with thrombocytopenia , admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were included. Two milliliter of blood was collected in EDTA bottle and kept on a roller mixer for mixing until a platelet count done by automated haematology analyzer. Stained film was examined under light microscope to rule out platelet clumps and to ensure that platelets had been spread evenly before actual count was done. At least two platelet readings were taken during admission. Platelets were transfused to neonates at platelet count less than 50,000. Any mortality in neonates receiving platelet transfusion was recorded during hospital stay. Results:The mean age of neonates was 2.92±2.20 days, 63.2% were male and 36.8% were females. Thrombocytopenia was present in 41.4%, percentage of neonates. Platelet transfusions were administered to 12.7% and recorded mortality was 4.5%. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia in neonates at NICU is higher while the outcome of neonates receiving platelet transfusion is appreciable

OCCUPATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: A STUDY IN PAKISTAN

The work engagement and job burnout are rapidly emerging areas in research on human resources management and occupational psychology in Pakistan. This study is conducted to investigate and estimate the work engagement its relationship with organization commitment and burnout among the faculty of higher education institutions. The population for this study comprised faculty members of higher education institutions employing approximately 100 or more than 100 faculty members. All the male and female faculty members working in different departments are included in the sample of the study. In this study, convenient sampling method applied to collect the data. UWES (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale), MBI-GS (Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey) and organizational commitment scale. The relationship between the dimensions and the study constructs are significant. All the dimensions of burnout are significantly and negatively predicting work engagement among the respondents. Two dimensions of work engagement are positively and significantly predicting organizational commitment among the respondents. Two dimension of burnout are negatively predicting organizational commitment among the respondents

THE ROLE OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR GLOBALIZATION OF PAKISTANI COMPANIES

This study explors the assistance of government institutionsthrough technical capacity-building and financial assistance toward global expansion of Pakistani companies in different sectors. Many companies globalize their operations to enhance their export trade share in the world market. In Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) uphold them in various ways. This exploratory probe employs interviews from MoC and TDAP. The feedback is cross checked from globally operating/ expanding companies from top-five export sectors in Pakistan including textile, leather, rice, seafood, and wheat. The findings indicate that the role of public bodies remains limited and undermined

Asymmetric Effects of Economic Growth on Carbon Emissions of Developed Countries: Evidence From Nonlinear Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model

This study explores the asymmetric impact of economic growth on carbon emissions in developed countries by utilizing the panel data for the period 1990 to 2019. The current investigation considers the growth of developed countries to be an essential determinant of CO2 emissions. This study is the first of its kind to reveal the asymmetric connections between GDP and CO2 emissions by using the Westerlund panel co-integration and nonlinear panel auto-regressive distributive lag model. The findings support the fact that the impact of economic growth on CO2 emissions is significantly asymmetric. In the long run, positive GDP shocks will increase CO2 emissions in developed economies. Also, the positive shocks to GDP are correlated with CO2 emissions and other variables in a unidirectional way, except for renewable energy. Based on the given results quite a few policy recommendations were proposed in the concluding portion

Quality of Institutional Indicators and Income Inequality: A Global Panel Data Analysis of 114 Economies

This paper corroborates the importance of institutional quality for the eradication of income inequality and also evaluates the efficacy of institutions for ameliorating inequality in different political regimes. To establish an empirical relationship, we have exploited the panel data of 114 countries from 1984 to 2018 and employed 2SLS, pooled OLS and System of Generalized Method of Moments to cope with the problem of endogeneity among regressors and to obtain consistent parameter estimates. The analysis is based on a diverse and broad array of institutional measures that are government stability, corruption, bureaucratic quality, law and order and democratic accountability. In addition, this study uses the indicators of civil liberties and political rights to measure the strength of institutions. Finally, we use ‘governance index’ and its different dimensions to proxy the quality of institutions. Our empirical results indicate that an improvement in indicators of institutional quality lowers income inequality; however, the strength of negative effect varies depending upon the measures of institutions. Moreover, the impact of ‘governance index’ and its different forms on income inequality is also negative and significant except voice and accountability. Finally, we allowed institutional quality to depend on the political regime and found that whereas income inequality moves negatively with strong institutions in democracies, it moves positively in autocracies. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first study of its kind that provides comprehensive and deeper understanding of institutional-inequality nexus using diverse institutional measures, allowing heterogeneity of political regimes and conducting Principal Component Analysis

Corruption, Trade Openness, and Environmental Quality: A Panel Data Analysis of Selected South Asian Countries

The second half of the twentieth century emerged with two important concepts of the economic world. In the start of the second half, economists, developmentalists, etc., introduced the idea of “development”, while; latter it was replaced by a more meaningful and attractive term “sustainable development”. Sustainable development is defined as “balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also in the indefinite future” [Wikipedia (2007)]. Or “Sustainable development means that pattern of development that permits future generations to live at least as well as the current generation” [Todaro and Smith (2005)], eighth edition]. The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into four constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, social sustainability and political sustainability. Although, the word sustainable development is very vast and deep, but the main emphasis of our study will be on environmental sustainability

Use of Chorionic Villous Sampling for Prenatal Diagnosis of Beta Thalassaemia: Attitudes and Practices of Parents

To assess the attitudes and practices of parents of Beta-Thalassaemia Major children regarding Chorionic Villous Sampling (CVS), as prenatal diagnosis in subsequent pregnancies.Methods: In this cross-sectional study a pre-designed questionnaire was used to evaluate the socio-demographic profile and attitudes of parents of 210 registered thalassaemic children, regarding CVS.Only those parents who had one or more pregnancies after the index case were included in the study. Results were entered and analyzed on SPSS version 20.Results: After the index case, 36.2% parents underwent CVS in all subsequent pregnancies . The common reasons not to utilize this facility were lack of knowledge (47.7%), careless attitude (41.7%), family pressure (4.4%) and financial issues (1.5%). Religious reason was not found in any of the cases. Majority of the families (54.3%) belonged to lower middle class financial status. There was a significant association between CVS practice and educational level of the mother and genetic counselling at the time of diagnosis of index case. In future pregnancies, 52.8% parents had no planning, while 15.7% showed interest in undergoing CVS in next pregnancies.Conclusion: Despite the availability of CVS in the country, very few families had opted for it; the major reasons being lack of knowledge, careless attitude and family pressure. As against the common thought, religious reason was not a significant factor