Interpersonal Problems in Arranged and Love Marriages

Marriage is often considered to be the cornerstone of a healthy social structure. The stronger the quality of a marriage, the healthier the social structure of society. The present research investigated the interpersonal problems among arranged and love marriages. The sample of this study comprised 100 couples who had married for love, and 100 couples whose marriage had been arranged by their families. The age range of participants was 20 to 40 years (Mean = 28, SD = 5.2). Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-32 (Horowitz, Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000) was administered to assess the nature of interpersonal problems experienced by the sample. The findings of present study revealed that the couples whose marriage was arranged by their families were more domineering and vindictive, compared to couples who had married for love.. However, couples in love marriages were more socially inhibited, non-assertive and intrusive when compared to arranged marriage couples. This research has important implications for social psychologists, marital counsellors and families

Management reference for nature reserve networks based on MaxEnt modeling and gap analysis: a case study of the brown–eared pheasant in China

Referencia para la gestión de las redes de reservas naturales basada en la creación de modelos MaxEnt y el análisis de deficiencias: un estudio del faisán orejudo pardo en China La planificación de reservas naturales y la creación de redes son importantes para la conservación de los hábitats y la fauna silvestre. Los análisis de las deficiencias son instrumentos eficientes y fiables para establecer un orden de prioridad entre las iniciativas de conservación de hábitats, en especial por lo que respecta a las especies en peligro de extinción. Proponemos un plan de conservación para el faisán orejudo pardo, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, mediante la determinación de las zonas con una protección insuficiente en las 14  reservas naturales existentes. En total, se seleccionaron 45  localidades y 11  variables ambientales en función de las características del uso del hábitat del faisán orejudo pardo, y se utilizó un modelo de máxima entropía (MaxEnt) para obtener la distribución de la especie. Los resultados del modelo MaxEnt mostraron una elevada precisión de predicción. Los resultados del análisis de las deficiencias revelaron que en las montañas Luliang, en Shanxi, y las montañasXiaowutai, en Hebei, la protección era insuficiente. Encontramos 458  km2 de hábitat óptimo y 1.390  km2 de hábitat moderadamente adecuado dentro de los límites de la reserva natural nacional. No obstante, casi 1.861  km2 del hábitat óptimo y 17.035  km2 del hábitat moderadamente adecuado no estaban protegidos, lo que equivale al 9,0% y el 82,1%, respectivamente, del hábitat adecuado total. La mayor parte de la superficie sin protección estaba formada por hábitat moderadamente adecuado para el faisán orejudo pardo y debería considerarse prioritaria en las iniciativas futuras de conservación. Hay nueve reservas naturales a lo largo de un eje norte–sur en las montañas Luliang que forma un pasillo ecológico. Para mantener la integridad, originalidad y continuidad de estos hábitats y, por tanto, proteger el faisán orejudo pardo, deberían reforzarse los departamentos locales de conservación con miras a mejorar la gestión de la reserva natural a escala provincial y poner en práctica eficazmente las iniciativas de conservación.Referencia para la gestión de las redes de reservas naturales basada en la creación de modelos MaxEnt y el análisis de deficiencias: un estudio del faisán orejudo pardo en China La planificación de reservas naturales y la creación de redes son importantes para la conservación de los hábitats y la fauna silvestre. Los análisis de las deficiencias son instrumentos eficientes y fiables para establecer un orden de prioridad entre las iniciativas de conservación de hábitats, en especial por lo que respecta a las especies en peligro de extinción. Proponemos un plan de conservación para el faisán orejudo pardo, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, mediante la determinación de las zonas con una protección insuficiente en las 14  reservas naturales existentes. En total, se seleccionaron 45  localidades y 11  variables ambientales en función de las características del uso del hábitat del faisán orejudo pardo, y se utilizó un modelo de máxima entropía (MaxEnt) para obtener la distribución de la especie. Los resultados del modelo MaxEnt mostraron una elevada precisión de predicción. Los resultados del análisis de las deficiencias revelaron que en las montañas Luliang, en Shanxi, y las montañasXiaowutai, en Hebei, la protección era insuficiente. Encontramos 458  km2 de hábitat óptimo y 1.390  km2 de hábitat moderadamente adecuado dentro de los límites de la reserva natural nacional. No obstante, casi 1.861  km2 del hábitat óptimo y 17.035  km2 del hábitat moderadamente adecuado no estaban protegidos, lo que equivale al 9,0% y el 82,1%, respectivamente, del hábitat adecuado total. La mayor parte de la superficie sin protección estaba formada por hábitat moderadamente adecuado para el faisán orejudo pardo y debería considerarse prioritaria en las iniciativas futuras de conservación. Hay nueve reservas naturales a lo largo de un eje norte–sur en las montañas Luliang que forma un pasillo ecológico. Para mantener la integridad, originalidad y continuidad de estos hábitats y, por tanto, proteger el faisán orejudo pardo, deberían reforzarse los departamentos locales de conservación con miras a mejorar la gestión de la reserva natural a escala provincial y poner en práctica eficazmente las iniciativas de conservación.Nature reserve designs and networks are important for wildlife and habitat conservation. Gap analyses are efficient and reliable tools for prioritizing habitat conservation efforts, especially when considering endangered species. We propose a conservation plan for the brown–eared pheasant, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, by identifying protection gap areas based on 14 existing nature reserves. A total of 45 locality sites and 11 environmental variables were selected according to the characteristics of habitat use of the brown–eared pheasant and applied to a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model to obtain the species distribution. The MaxEnt model results showed a high prediction accuracy. The gap analysis results revealed that the Luliang Mountains in Shanxi and the Xiaowutai Mountains in Hebei had protection gaps. We found 458 km2 of optimum habitat and 1,390 km2 of moderately suitable habitat within the national nature reserve range. However, almost 1,861 km2 of the optimum habitat and 17,035 km2 of the moderately suitable habitat were unprotected, equivalent to 9.0% and 82.1%, respectively, of the total suitable habitat. Most of the unprotected area comprised moderately suitable habitat for brown–eared pheasant and should be prioritized in future conservation efforts. There are nine nature reserves along a north–to–south range in the Luliang Mountains that form a wildlife habitat corridor. To maintain the integrity, originality, and continuity of these habitats and thus protect brown–eared pheasants, local conservation departments should be strengthened to improve provincial nature reserve management and successfully carry out conservation efforts

Ten-Year Change in the Scientific Literacy of Primary Science Teachers in China: Reflections on Training Programs and Personnel Policies

Using two rounds in 2003 and 2013 of large sample longitudinal surveys of science teachers in primary schools from 21 provinces and autonomous regions of China, results suggest that Chinese teachers’ basic scientific literacy was still low with only a slight increase in the procedural knowledge of science. The evidence also suggests little increase in epistemological knowledge of science among teachers, especially concerning with the classic nature of science. Chinese teachers\u27 non-scientific teaching behavior remained unchanged. This phenomenon associated with the relative ineffectiveness of in-service training teachers\u27 received and with the discriminative personnel policy of recruitment and promotion for primary science teachers. The implicit cultural impact of these findings is also discussed

Understanding Traffic Accidents among Young Drivers in Qatar

Young drivers are generally associated with risky driving behaviors that can lead to crash involvement. Many self-report measurement scales are used to assess such risky behaviors. This study is aimed to understand the risky driving behaviors of young adults in Qatar and how such behaviors are associated with crash involvement. This was achieved through the usage of validated self-report measurement scales adopted for the Arabic context. A nationwide cross-sectional and exploratory study was conducted in Qatar from January to April 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey was conducted online. Therefore, respondents were selected conveniently. Hence, the study adopted a non-probability sampling method in which convenience and snowball sampling were used. A total of 253 completed questionnaires were received, of which 57.3% were female, and 42.7% were male. Approximately 55.8% of these young drivers were involved in traffic accidents after obtaining their driving license. On average, most young drivers do have some risky driving behavior accompanied by a low tendency to violate traffic laws, and their driving style is not significantly controlled by their personality on the road. The older young drivers are more involved in traffic accidents than the younger drivers, i.e., around 1.5 times more likely. Moreover, a young male driver is 3.2 times less likely to be involved in traffic accidents than a female driver. In addition, males are only 0.309 times as likely as females to be involved in an accident and have approximately a 70% lower likelihood of having an accident versus females. The analysis is complemented with the association between young drivers' demographic background and psychosocial-behavioral parameters (linking risky driving behavior, personality, and obligation effects on crash involvement). Some interventions are required to improve driving behavior, such as driving apps that are able to monitor and provide corrective feedback. 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This research and APC was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), grant number NPRP12S-0129-190017.Scopu

Improved salinity tolerance in early growth stage of maize through salicylic acid foliar application

Soil salinity threatens agricultural production worldwide by constraining plant growth and final crop yield. The early stages are most sensitive to salinity, in response to which salicylic acid (SA) has demonstrated beneficial effects in various plant species. Based on this, a maize (Zea mays L.) pot experiment was set up combining three levels of soil salinity (0, 6 and 12 dS m–1), obtained through NaCl addition, with three levels of SA (0, 300 and 600 mM), applied by leaf spraying 20 days after seedling emergence. Fifteen days later, the following traits were assessed: morphology (plant height, leaf number), growth (root and shoot dry weight), leaf water status [relative water content (RWC), elec-trolyte leakage (EL)], pigments (chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, anthocyanin), antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, ascor-bate peroxidase, vitamin C), oxidative stress markers (H2O2, mal-ondialdehyde), osmo-regulating compounds (free amino acids, soluble proteins and sugars, proline), hormones [indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene], ele-ment (Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl) concentration and content in roots, stem and leaves. Salinity severely affected maize growth (–26% total dry weight), impaired leaf water status (–31% RWC), reduced photosynthetic pigments, enhanced all antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers, two osmo-regulating compounds (soluble sugars and proline) out of four, and all hormones except GA. SA was shown effective in containing most of the stress effects, while supporting plant defences by upgrading anti-oxidant activities (reduced oxidative stress markers), increasing cell membrane stability (–24% EL) and leaf water status (+20% RWC), and reducing plant stress signalling (–10% ABA and –20% ethylene). Above all, SA contrasted the massive entry of noxious ions (Na+ and Cl–), in favour of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ accumulation. Lastly, salicylic acid was shown beneficial for maize growth and physiology also under non-saline condition, suggesting a potential use in normal field conditions

Combined effects of Bacillus sp. M6 strain and Sedum alfredii on rhizosphere community and bioremediation of cadmium polluted soils

Concerns regarding inevitable soil translocation and bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd) in plants have been escalating in concomitance with the posed phytotoxicity and threat to human health. Exhibiting a Cd tolerance, Bacillus sp. M6 strain has been reported as a soil amendment owing to its capability of reducing metal bioavailability in soils. The present study investigated the rhizospheric bacterial community of the Cd hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Additionally, the Cd removal efficiency of strain Bacillus sp. M6 was enhanced by supplementing with biochar (C), glutamic acid (G), and rhamnolipid (R) to promote the phytoremediation effect of hyperaccumulator S. alfredii. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the amendments such as C, G, and R together with the plant-microbe system S. alfredii-Bacillus sp. M6 has been used for Cd bioremediation. The results showed that soil CaCl₂ and DTPA (Diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid) extractable Cd increased by 52.77 and 95.08%, respectively, in all M6 treatments compared to unamended control (CK). Sedum alfredii with Bacillus sp. M6 supplemented with biochar and rhamnolipid displayed a higher phytoremediation effect, and the removal capability of soil Cd (II) reached up to 16.47%. Moreover, remediation of Cd polluted soil by Bacillus sp. M6 also had an impact on the soil microbiome, including ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and cadmium transporting ATPase (cadA) genes. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed the Bacillus sp. M6 strain increased the abundance of AOB and cadA in both low Cd (LC) and high Cd (HC) soils compared to AOA gene abundance. Besides, the abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria was found to be highest in both soils representing high tolerance capacity against Cd. While Firmicutes ranked third, indicating that the additionof strain could not make it the most dominant species. The results suggested the presence of the hyperaccumulator S. alfredii and Cd tolerant strain Bacillus sp. M6 supplemented with biochar, and rhamnolipid, play a unique and essential role in the remediation process and reducing the bioavailability of Cd

Financial crises and economic growth in Pakistan: a time series analysis

The purpose of this research is to investigate causal relationship between economic growth and major indicators of financial crisis -- inflation rate, interest rate and the volume of foreign debt-- in Pakistan. This study also highlights the stability of the relationship between indicators of financial crisis and economic growth. The annual time series data ranging from 1972 to 2010 is used for the analysis. Johansen's co-integration test is used to check the stability of long run equilibrium relationship between the variables used in the study. The results indicate that is long run stable equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the three components of financial crisis in Pakistan. The estimates based on pair-wise Granger Causality test show that bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and the each indicator of financial crisis considered in this study

Financial crises and economic growth in Pakistan: a time series analysis

The purpose of this research is to investigate causal relationship between economic growth and major indicators of financial crisis -- inflation rate, interest rate and the volume of foreign debt-- in Pakistan. This study also highlights the stability of the relationship between indicators of financial crisis and economic growth. The annual time series data ranging from 1972 to 2010 is used for the analysis. Johansen's co-integration test is used to check the stability of long run equilibrium relationship between the variables used in the study. The results indicate that is long run stable equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the three components of financial crisis in Pakistan. The estimates based on pair-wise Granger Causality test show that bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and the each indicator of financial crisis considered in this study

Modulation of Sn concentration in ZnO nanorod array: intensification on the conductivity and humidity sensing properties

Tin (Sn)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays (TZO) were synthesized onto aluminum-doped ZnO-coated glass substrate via a facile sonicated sol–gel immersion method for humidity sensor applications. These nanorod arrays were grown at different Sn concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the deposited TZO arrays exhibited a wurtzite structure. The stress/strain condition of the ZnO film metamorphosed from tensile strain/compressive stress to compressive strain/tensile stress when the Sn concentrations increased. Results indicated that 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO, which has the lowest tensile stress of 0.14 GPa, generated the highest conductivity of 1.31 S cm− 1. In addition, 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO possessed superior sensitivity to a humidity of 3.36. These results revealed that the optimum performance of a humidity-sensing device can be obtained mainly by controlling the amount of extrinsic element in a ZnO film