Exploring the contribution of teaching and learning processes : Constructing students’ gender identity in an early years classroom of a government girls primary school in Pakistan

The construction of gender identity is a complex process which begins at a very early formative age. In these formative years, children begin making sense of how men and women are positioned in society. Schools as important institutions play a significant role in this process particularly with reference to students’ understanding of the gender relationships around them. This article reports on a study which explored how gender identity construction takes place in a single sex (girls) classroom for early years. The study investigated the teacher-student interactions and student-student interactions in the real environment of the classroom. Qualitative research guided the study design which was conducted in a public sector school in Karachi, Pakistan. The data was collected through observations, focus group discussions with children, and semi-structured interviews with the female teacher. The study found that teaching and learning is gendered in single sex settings of the school as gender messages are passed on to the girls, playing an important role in their gender identity construction. The study indicated that the teacher’s personal experiences greatly influenced her perceptions regarding gender identities. There was also evidence that the teacher acquired insights from girls. Additionally, children brought certain perceptions from home which contributed to the gender discourse in the context of a school. Schools were, hence, found to promote those stereotypes regarding gender roles and responsibilities in a social context. All the participants were found to have views and practices around gender positioning which was approved by the larger society

EMOTIONAL CONTAGION AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG TEACHERS OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN PAKISTAN

The Objective of current study was to investigate the relationship between emotional contagion, job satisfaction and different demographic variables among special education teachers. A sample of 80 special education teachers with age range of 20 to 50 years, from all kinds of learning disabilities, more than six months teaching experience were recruited from different special education centers of federal and Punjab. Emotional contagion was measured by Emotional Contagion Scale developed by Doherty (1997) and job satisfaction of teachers was measured by Teaching Satisfaction Scale (TSS) developed by Ho and Au (2002). Result showed that happiness is positively associated with job satisfaction and anger and sadness are negatively associated with job satisfaction, whereas emotions of love and fear were not associated with job satisfaction. Moreover, it has been found that different demographic variables of special education teachers such as education and pay scale are associated with job satisfaction whereas gender, age, job experience and marital status are not associated with job satisfaction. Results suggest that in order to improve job satisfaction of teachers, emotional contagion should be considered.   Article visualizations

Exploring the Causes of Foreign Language Anxiety in an EFL Classroom: A Study of Public Sector University, Sindh Pakistan

As the English language has got high prestige and has become the means of better employment. Therefore it has become dire need of career oriented youth to learn English. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of language learners on the causes of language learning anxiety in EFL classroom. Quantitative method was applied in this study. FLCAS scale with some modification was applied and data was collected from undergraduate engineering students. Data was run through SPSS software. The results reveal that test anxiety is the main cause followed by nervousness and fear of negative evaluation as other sources of anxiety. Results also show that motivational intensity of learners is high. Some suggestions and pedagogical implications have been given on the basis of results. Keywords: Anxiety, EFL learners, perception

Cost allocation for the problem of pollution reduction: a dynamic cooperative game approach

This paper studies CO2 emissions at a global level. The authors use Dynamic Optimisation to derive the minimum penalty cost on countries every single time. They then use an Imputation Distribution Procedure to allocate the minimum penalty cost among countries. Their work provides the extension of the Shapley value cost allocation as a penalty to reduce CO2 emissions. The paper has implications for how to provide initiatives to improve cooperation on reducing CO2 emissions at an international level. Results show that a reduction in cost of only one country can be harmful for other countries. In this way, some countries can end up or worse off in a case where all countries experience a uniform decrease in their penalty cost. Therefore, the findings of this work suggest a low penalty-cost scenario that helps the countries fight for pollution reduction and provide fruitful links for policy-makers. They show that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol could be implemented by the Shapley value cost allocation

New material of polyacrylic acid-modified graphene oxide composite for phenol remediation from synthetic and real wastewater

In this study, new material of polyacrylic acid-modified graphene oxide (GO-PAA) composite for phenol remediation from synthetic and real wastewater was investigated. The graphene oxide (GO) and GO-PAA were physically and chemically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET). The effects of various experimental factors including pH, temperature, and initial phenol concentration were examined. Results showed that the optimum adsorption occurred at pH 2 and temperature 25 °C. The adsorption capacity of GO-PAA was double of the case of un-modified GO, indicating the importance of surface modification and the introduction of (C=O) groups in the enhancement of the adsorption process. Moreover, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to be the most suitable isotherm to describe the adsorption process of phenol, and thermodynamics studies confirmed the spontaneity and the exothermic nature of the adsorption process. GO-PAA was capable of removing 75% and 18% of phenol from synthetic and real wastewater, respectively under optimum conditions of pH 2 and 25 °C. These results indicate that adsorption of phenolic compounds using GO-PAA could be an effective and simple method to remediate pollution, especially in acidic conditions.This report was made possible by Qatar University graduate assistantship program. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author(s)

Essential oil of Eucalyptus citriodora: Physio-Chemical analysis, Formulation with Hand Sanitizer Gel and Antibacterial Activity

Background: The essential oil-bearing plants are extensively being used in traditional systems of medicine due to the occurrence of the diversity of phytochemical constituents. The emerging crisis of developing resistance to conventional drugs has increased public health awareness and reliance on natural compounds as safer alternatives.Methods: The essential oil extracted from Eucalyptus citriodora (Hook.) leaves was characterized for physicochemical attributes, formulated with hand sanitizer gel, tested for organoleptic parameters, and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis.Results: E. citriodora essential oil (EEO) had a camphorous scent, and dark yellow coloration, while exhibiting 0.60% yield (v/w, 97% pure), 0.94 density, 1.47 refractive index, 11.10 viscosity, 0.92 specific gravity, 0.0-9.98º optical rotation, 11.20 acid number, 50.60 ester number, which satisfy the standards specified by ISO (The International Organization for Standardization). The chromatographic analysis of oil identified eucalyptol as the most abundant compound (80.08%) followed by α-terpinyl acetate, isopinocarveol, and globulol as the moderately abundant compounds (4.46-4.81%), while viridiflorol and terpinen-4-ol as less abundant compounds (3.06 and 2.69%, respectively). Formulated hand sanitizer with EEO exhibited physical and microbiological properties that were comparable with the market products. It also had a pleasant scent, was compatible with the skin, was easy to apply, and is acceptable to the users.Conclusion: The current study clearly shows that EEO could be utilized as a potential ingredient in alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer formulation for giving a pleasant smell, acceptable physical appearance and microbial quality parameters.Keywords: Essential oil; Eucalyptol; Hand sanitizer; Gel Formulation; Antimicrobial effect

PHYLLOIDES TUMOUR: REVIEW OF AN UNCOMMON BREAST PATHOLOGY AT A SPECIALIZED CANCER CENTRE

Purpose: Phyllodes tumours are rare breast tumours that comprise almost 1% of breast tumours. The outcome for these tumours is generally considered better than breast cancers. We review the cases of phyllodes tumour presenting to a specialised cancer centre over a 14 year period. Materials and Methods: All case records with the diagnosis of phyllodes tumour between 1999 and 2012 were retrieved from the cancer registry. Patient demographics, tumour site, size, axillary lymph node status, whether primary or recurrent, metastatic status, histological type, type of surgery, any complication, margin positivity, post-operative radiation therapy, local or distant recurrence, morality and follow-up duration were recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS. Results: A total of 77 cases of phyllodes tumour were seen between 1999 and 2012. All patients were female with a mean age of 39.9 years. All patients presented with a breast lump with median duration of 8 months. Almost two-thirds (65%) of the patients presented with primary tumour compared to 10% recurrent tumours and the rest were referred after surgery outside. Median size on histopathology was 5 cm (IQR 3.5–8.5 cm). Over a median follow-up duration of 31 months (IQR 9–48 months), 69 patients (89.6%) were alive, while 3 patients (3.9%) did not survive and 5 patients (6.4%) were lost to follow-up. Recurrence was seen in 10 (13%) patients with median time to recurrence of 12 months (IQR 7–24). Involved axillary lymph nodes and borderline or malignant histopathology were found to be signi cantly associated with recurrence (P = 0.04), while margin positivity, post operative radiation therapy and histopathology were not signi cantly associated with recurrence. Conclusion: Phyllodes tumour is an uncommon breast tumour that is predominantly treated with surgical excision. Although survival with these tumours is better compared to breast cancers, involvement of axillary nodes and borderline or malignant histopathology confer an increased risk of recurrence in these patients. Key words: Breast cancer, phyllodes tumours, survival

Feeding Ecology of Reintroduced Blackbucks in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur

The study was conducted in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur, in June 2021. This study aimed to explore the food habits and dry matter intake of reintroduced blackbuck in Lal Suhanra. The critical methods employed in this study were the direct observation of food, bite rate, and fecal output of blackbuck aided with binoculars (8 × 50). A total of 3840 bites in the RD 65 enclosure and 3929 edges in the RD 65 enclosure were recorded, accounting for the average bite rates of 43.5 bites/min in RD 25 and 44.03 bites/min in RD 65. The average dry weight of the bite was 0.067 g in the enclosure RD 25 and 0.081g in RD 65. Total dry matter intake for an adult blackbuck was 1.07 kg/day in RD 25 and 1.09 kg/day in RD 65. The average daily defecation rate was 7.34 times and 7.89 times in both enclosures. Daily fecal output in average dry weight was 362g for RD 25 and 340 g for RD 65. Dry matter digestibility was, on average, 66.32 % for RD 25 and 68.97 % for RD 65. The blackbuck at RD 65 are more healthy, with a high birth rate and less mortality. The blackbuck preferred 8 plant species and 10 plant species for feeding at RD 25 and RD 65 respectively. For their long-term survival in LSNP, control of diseases, cultivation of seasonal food, plantation of edible plants, habitat extension, and proper management should be considered

Molecular analysis of mucopolysaccharidosis type I in Tunisia: identification of novel mutation and eight Novel polymorphisms

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by a genetic defect in alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) which is involved in the degradation of dermatan and heparan sulfates. The disease has severe and milder phenotypic subtypes. The aim of this study was the detection of mutations in the IDUA gene from 12 additional MPS I patients with various clinical phenotypes (severe, 8 cases; intermediate, 3 cases; mild, 1 case)

Identification of novel and safe fungicidal molecules against fusarium oxysporum from plant essential oils: in vitro and computational approaches.

Phytopathogenic fungi are serious threats in the agriculture sector especially in fruit and vegetable production. The use of plant essential oil as antifungal agents has been in practice from many years. Plant essential oils (PEOs) of Cuminum cyminum, Trachyspermum ammi, Azadirachta indica, Syzygium aromaticum, Moringa oleifera, Mentha spicata, Eucalyptus grandis, Allium sativum, and Citrus sinensis were tested against Fusarium oxysporum. Three phase trials consist of lab testing (MIC and MFC), field testing (seed treatment and foliar spray), and computer-aided fungicide design (CAFD). Two concentrations (25 and 50 μl/ml) have been used to asses MIC while MFC was assessed at four concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 μl/ml). C. sinensis showed the largest inhibition zone (47.5 and 46.3 m2) for both concentrations. The lowest disease incidence and disease severity were recorded in treatments with C. sinensis PEO. Citrus sinensis that qualified in laboratory and field trials was selected for CAFD. The chemical compounds of C. sinensis PEO were docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain of F. oxysporum by AutoDock Vina. The best docked complex was formed by nootkatone with -6.0 kcal/mol binding affinity. Pharmacophore of the top seven C. sinensis PEO compounds was used for merged pharmacophore generation. The best pharmacophore model with 0.8492 score was screened against the CMNP database. Top hit compounds from screening were selected and docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain. Four compounds with the highest binding affinity and hydrogen bonding were selected for confirmation of lead molecule by doing MD simulation. The polyketide synthase-CMNPD24498 showed the highest stability throughout 80 ns run of MD simulation. CMNPD24498 (FW054-1) from Verrucosispora was selected as the lead compound against F. oxysporum