The impact of governance and institutions on education and poverty alleviation: a panel study of SAARC economies

The present study examines the impacts of governance and institutions on education and poverty alleviation in South Asia. Poverty, illiteracy and poor quality education are the major problems of developing world. As depraved education and poverty are the main problems of developing nations. Good governance provides a platform for inquiring the long menu of institutional changes and proper initiatives which are currently considered as essential for development. Institutions affect both poverty and education directly and indirectly through number of channels which in turn affect government policies for making decisions regarding poverty reduction and quality education. However, poor governance and weak institutional structure also remained the pressing issue of developing economies. This study endeavors to identify the relationship between these two areas and try to dig out the impacts of governance and institutions on education and poverty in the south Asian economies through econometric techniques

The impact of governance and institutions on education and poverty alleviation: a panel study of SAARC economies

The present study examines the impacts of governance and institutions on education and poverty alleviation in South Asia. Poverty, illiteracy and poor quality education are the major problems of developing world. As depraved education and poverty are the main problems of developing nations. Good governance provides a platform for inquiring the long menu of institutional changes and proper initiatives which are currently considered as essential for development. Institutions affect both poverty and education directly and indirectly through number of channels which in turn affect government policies for making decisions regarding poverty reduction and quality education. However, poor governance and weak institutional structure also remained the pressing issue of developing economies. This study endeavors to identify the relationship between these two areas and try to dig out the impacts of governance and institutions on education and poverty in the south Asian economies through econometric techniques

Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis of PbSe Nanostructures Deposited by Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Approach

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-08-21, pub-electronic 2021-10-23Publication status: PublishedFunder: Higher Education Commision, Pakistan; Grant(s): 7363This research endeavor aimed to synthesize the lead (II) diphenyldiselenophosphinate complex and its use to obtain lead selenide nanostructured depositions and further the impedance spectroscopic analysis of these obtained PbSe nanostructures, to determine their roles in the electronics industry. The aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique was used to provide lead selenide deposition by decomposition of the complex at different temperatures using the glass substrates. The obtained films were revealed to be a pure cubic phase PbSe, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. SEM and TEM micrographs demonstrated three-dimensionally grown interlocked or aggregated nanocubes of the obtained PbSe. Characteristic dielectric measurements and the impedance spectroscopy analysis at room temperature were executed to evaluate PbSe properties over the frequency range of 100 Hz–5 MHz. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss gave similar trends, along with altering frequency, which was well explained by the Koops theory and Maxwell–Wagner theory. The effective short-range translational carrier hopping gave rise to an overdue remarkable increase in ac conductivity (σac) on the frequency increase. Fitting of a complex impedance plot was carried out with an equivalent circuit model (Rg Cg) (Rgb Qgb Cgb), which proved that grains, as well as grain boundaries, are responsible for the relaxation processes. The asymmetric depressed semicircle with the center lower to the impedance real axis provided a clear explanation of non-Debye dielectric behavior

Psychological Impact of Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Across the Globe-A Review

The recent outbreaks of novel coronavirus disease have unprecedent impact on mental health of patients, front-line healthcare workers and local population. However, the impact is not fully documented. This review explores stress-driven factors, stress-vulnerable groups and stress management interventions. Repetitive exposure to mass media and inappropriate health protective measures has heightened stress responses. Fear of not getting recovered from COVID-19 and disaffection has profound impact of infected individuals and their families. They may experience fear, anxiety, anger, sleep deprives and anorexia which may weakens their immune system thus making them vulnerable to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored potential gaps in mental health services during emergencies. Remote (telephone and internet) and onsite medical services with self-help coping strategies should be introduced. Although psychological interventions may overburden health care facilities and tax available resources but for effective prevention of COVID-19 both physical and mental fitness are mandatory. Effective risk communication in public health emergency is fundamental to prevent or reduce the crisis

Bioaccumulation of Some Heavy Metals: Analysis and Comparison of Cyprinus carpio and Labeo rohita from Sardaryab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

We examined and compared heavy metals bioaccumulation in Cyprinus carpio and Labeo rohita netted from Sardaryab, a tributary of River Kabul. By using atomic absorption spectrometry we assessed different organs including livers, gills, and muscles. Metals studied were chromium, iron, zinc, lead, and copper. Livers of both species showed higher concentrations of metals while muscles showed the least amount. Chromium and iron were the highly concentrated metals in the gills and livers of both species. A quantity of 0.154 ± 0.011, 0.199 ± 0.0079, and 0.024 ± 0.008 μg/g of chromium was found in the gills, livers, and muscles of Cyprinus carpio, respectively. Similarly, the gills, liver, and muscles of Labeo rohita contained 0.133 ± 0.008, 0.165 ± 0.01, and 0.019 ± 0.006 μg/g of Cr, respectively. Iron was highest in carp in the range of 0.086 ± 0.01 in gills and 0.067 ± 0.011 μg/g in muscles, comparatively. All the studied metals were found within the US recommended daily dietary allowances (RDA) limits; hence no immediate risk in their consumption for human was found. The data showed that Cyprinus carpio being omnivorous and bottom feeder stored higher concentrations of metals as compared to Labeo rohita

Antioxidant potential and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds from a medicinal plant Colebrokea oppositifolia Sm

Colebrookea oppositifolia is a highly used medicinal plant and an enriched source of essential oils. Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim to extract the chemical constituents and to evaluate its antioxidant potential. Fresh plant parts were subjected to the extraction of volatile chemical constituents by maceration using n-hexane as the menstruum. The resulting n-hexane fractions were purified and then subjected to GC-MS and FTIR analysis. in-vitro antioxidant abilities were evaluated by, DPPH, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) method against the standard solutions of (Gallic acid, Quercetin) as a positive control. The GC-MS analysis of leaves, stem and inflorescence showed a total of 100, 98 and 48 components out of which 47, 16 and 17 peaks were identified representing the 67.64 %, 73.16 % and 61.93 % of the total oily fractions, respectively. The FTIR spectrum indicated the presence of various functional groups. in-vitro antioxidant results exhibited that leaves showed the highest antioxidant potential by DPPH (3.365 +/- 0.002), and the highest total phenolic content by FC method (203.00 +/- 0.091). Foliar micromorphological features were found significant in the authentication of C. oppositifolia. Further pharmacognostic studies of this plant are recommended to evaluate its therapeutic potential

Intrinsic Workforce Diversity and Construction Worker Productivity in Pakistan: Impact of Employee Age and Industry Experience

Worker productivity is critical within construction projects as it is the measure of the rate at which work is performed and, more importantly, helps to know how to motivate them to perform at high levels. This research aimed to examine the impact of employee age and industry experience on the intrinsic workforce diversity factors influencing construction worker productivity. Sieving through the previous research and models and theories of analysis, the intrinsic workforce diversity was modeled into the following set of factors, i.e., income, motivation, psychosocial factors, and technical skills. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire survey and examined for the employees having different ages and experiences using the Mann–Whitney U test through SPSS. The results show that employees of varied ages do not concur over motivation-, psychosocial, and technical skills-related workforce diversity factors, whereas employees of varied industrial experiences are in disagreement over some income and motivation related workforce diversity factors. In order to overcome intrinsic workforce diversity, firm support is direly needed for old and mature employees in terms of financial incentives leading to motivation, less supervised scheduling, opportunities for firm advancement, and reporting back every time work is completed. Furthermore, support is required for young employees who are more susceptible due to psychosocial stresses like unevenly distributed work, communication gaps, and technical skills like knowledge of technological equipment and advancement in construction technology which has reduced the skills of workers

Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis of PbSe Nanostructures Deposited by Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Approach

This research endeavor aimed to synthesize the lead (II) diphenyldiselenophosphinate complex and its use to obtain lead selenide nanostructured depositions and further the impedance spectroscopic analysis of these obtained PbSe nanostructures, to determine their roles in the electronics industry. The aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique was used to provide lead selenide deposition by decomposition of the complex at different temperatures using the glass substrates. The obtained films were revealed to be a pure cubic phase PbSe, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. SEM and TEM micrographs demonstrated three-dimensionally grown interlocked or aggregated nanocubes of the obtained PbSe. Characteristic dielectric measurements and the impedance spectroscopy analysis at room temperature were executed to evaluate PbSe properties over the frequency range of 100 Hz–5 MHz. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss gave similar trends, along with altering frequency, which was well explained by the Koops theory and Maxwell–Wagner theory. The effective short-range translational carrier hopping gave rise to an overdue remarkable increase in ac conductivity (σac) on the frequency increase. Fitting of a complex impedance plot was carried out with an equivalent circuit model (Rg Cg) (Rgb Qgb Cgb), which proved that grains, as well as grain boundaries, are responsible for the relaxation processes. The asymmetric depressed semicircle with the center lower to the impedance real axis provided a clear explanation of non-Debye dielectric behavior