Globalization and the Sociolinguistic Challenge of the 21st Century Critical Pedagogy: A Case for Language/Culture Minority Students

In spite of the fact that ours is a world of immigration, deepening ethnic textures, globalization, transnational histories, ethnolinguistic diversity, socioecono-mic rivalries, and intercultural complexities, the role and significance of bilingual and multicultural education are far from being adequately realized. These demographic imperatives and a host of other cross-cultural and transnational praxis are bringing about a growing percentage of students who speak a first language other than English. All over the world, classrooms are experiencing a radical transformation due to an unparalleled intercultural diversity which is spreading its tentacles all across the globe including Pakistan which, of late hit by the CPEC spectacle, is likely to experience an unprecedented influx of foreign students. These are paradigm shifting questions and call for a radical re-conceptualization not just of classrooms but also of the entire pedagogic space and curricular habitus. The paper makes a coherent appraisal of these questions and advances a plea for the greater inclusion of a broad-based, bilingual, and multicultural education by laying down key guidelines for teachers, administrators, policy-makers, educators, and parents at large

Advances in Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs)-Based Mixed-Matrix Membranes for CO2 Capture

Membrane technology promises a highly economical and efficient solution for CO2 separation. Many polymeric membranes have been reported in the past for the separation of gases specially to remove CO2 from natural gas and low-pressure flue-gas streams. The performance of membranes can be tailored by dispersing nanofillers in a polymeric matrix to produce mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs). This not only adds mechanical strength to membranes but also reduces compaction of the polymeric layer at high pressure and maintains high performance. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) gained attention in gas separation technology and due to their tubular structure have been used in a variety of applications in biomedical, coating, composite, and electronic industries. However, very little but conclusive literature and reviews are available to indicate that functionalized and non-functionalized HNTs can improve the performance of MMMs for efficient CO2 capture. The current status and gaps for potential applications of HNTs-based membranes for gas separation are identified and reviewed

Enhancing the catalytic activity of eggshell-derived CaO catalyst and its application in biodiesel production from waste chicken fat.

The comparatively greater cost of producing biodiesel in comparison to petroleum diesel is one of the key drawbacks. Eggshells and leftover chicken fat are examples of poultry wastes that can be used to produce biodiesel at a low cost as catalysts and oil, respectively. In this study, eggshell-derived CaO and its doping with sodium methoxide catalyst for enhancing catalytic activity was synthesized for the transesterification of waste chicken fat and characterized by FT-IR and XRD analyses. XRD studies confirmed the crystalline structure of the developed catalyst and doping of sodium with eggshell-derived CaO. The transesterification reaction was performed at different reaction parameters such as the catalyst loading, the methanol to oil ratio, the reaction temperature, and the reaction time. The biodiesel produced at the maximum yield was evaluated by gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. A maximum yield of 96% biodiesel was obtained with catalyst loading of 2 wt% of oil, as well as a methanol to oil ratio of 13:1 at 60 °C in 1 h. The output demonstrates that eggshell waste is a potentially accessible source of biomass-derived nano catalyst for the synthesis of biodiesel using chicken fat as a feedstock

Evaluation of conventional and industry 4.0 manufacturing work design factors for performance based on personal characteristics

Performance of workers can be improved by effective design of work. Several work design factors, physiological, psychological, technological, organizational and social, have been identified in research literature. These factors influence the work in different forms, especially in combination with personal characteristics of workers. Manufacturing technologies are also changing with adoption of industry 4.0 practices. The objective of the research was to test whether workers with different personal characteristics had different relationships with work design factors in the conventional setting. The findings for the current conventional setup are extrapolated on an industry 4.0 work design model with important insights and observations. Managerial implications were inferred from the results which indicated age, education and family size as important variables affecting supervision (Mea

Impact of worker demographics and shift rotation on work stress factors in manufacturing

Work Stress is a barrier towards productivity and efficiency in manufacturing sector. Various factors of stress interact with the demographics such as age, education, experience, marital status and smoking habits of workers. Different workers exhibit different reactions towards work stress. To enhance productivity, manufacturing industry is utilizing night shift. However, night shift work is against the natural tendency of humans. The impact of rotating shift in context of work-stress of the workers is an area of concern. To understand the impact of demographics and shift rotation on work-stress of the workers, a quantitative study was undertaken in a medium sized automotive organization. The case organization was explored through a survey questionnaire administered to both day and night shift workers and analysed through Non parametric Spearman correlation and Mann Whitney U Test. The study highlights the need for effective reward and gratification scheme (Young Worker Avg 3.12 – Old Worker Avg 3.82), taking care of old age workers (Muscle Pain Old Avg 4.47 – Young Avg 3.84), reducing the smoking habit (Depression Smoking Avg 3.79 – Non Smoking Avg 3.12) (Fatigue Smoking Avg 3.92 – Non Smoking Avg 3.06), fostering social community and teamwork. Night shift may enhance production but should not be accepted as an ideal solution. The downsides and ill effects of the unnatural night shift work in the form of work stress are identified and should be reduced by management

Bovine Theileriosis: Prevalence, Estimation of Hematological Profile and Chemotherapy in Cattle in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Theileriosis in cattle is one of the major constraints to the development of livestock enterprise in Pakistan and in most parts of the world. The disease causing agent is transmitted by Ixodid ticks having complicated life cycle. Prominent signs exhibited by cattle are; anorexia, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, occulonasal discharges and diarrhoea. The current study was planned to investigate the prevalence of theileriosis in cattle in and around district Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. For the determination of prevalence of theileriosis, a total of 384 animals, as calculated through statistical method, of different age and sex groups were screened. For detection of Theileria parasite, blood samples were collected from peripheral veins and microscopic examination of Giemsa stained blood smears revealed 14.32% (55/384) prevalence of Theileria parasite in cattle.For hematological investigations, blood samples were collected from jugular veins of 55 affected animals in ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) coated vacutainers and complete blood count (CBC) was estimated through standard procedures. The hematology revealed significant (p<0.05) reduction in the RBCs count, haemoglobin level and packed cell volume i.e. 3.28x106/μL, 5.32 g/dL and 20.98%, respectively. For chemotherapy, positive animals were treated with the combination of buparvaquone @2.5mg/Kg and oxytetracycline @10mg/kg body weight. The efficacy of the treatment was estimated in terms of number of positive animals 5 days post treatment showing 92.72% (51/55) treatment efficacy

Co-combustion of blends of coal and underutilised biomass residues for environmental friendly electrical energy production

This study investigated the co-combustion of the blends of coal and biomass residues from poplar sawdust, rice husk, pine nut shells, and sunflower residues for ecofriendly energy production. Proximate and ultimate analyses and calorific values of the coal and biomass residues were also carried out to evaluate the properties of the coal and biomass residues. The volatile matter in coal was reported as 43.38 wt% and ranged from 56.76 wt% to 80.95 wt% in the biomass residues. The ultimate analysis reported the carbon and sulfur content of coal as 68.7 wt% and 5.5 wt%, respectively. The coal and biomass blends were prepared using different ratios on the thermal basis of coal and biomass given as 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 by weight percentage. The consequent stoichiometric air requirements for all the blends were also calculated. The results revealed that the combustion of 60:40 of coal and sunflower residue blend was the most efficient blend, resulting in less emission of NOx, SOx, and CO2 in the flue gas compared to the combustion of pure coal. The study revealed a great perspective of the selected biomass residues to blend with coal for environmentally friendly and sustainable energy production

Online Customer Experience Leads to Loyalty via Customer Engagement: Moderating Role of Value Co-creation

With the increasing growth of online shopping, businesses are intertwining to establish new shopping antecedents. Customer experience has steadily become the most important source of retailers’ long-term competitive advantage via difference. To preserve long-term and sustained consumer loyalty, retailers must continually improve the customer experiences. This study presents a framework for online retailing in a digital environment called the Online Customer Experience-Engagement Context model in the presence of value co-creation (VCC). Data was gathered from 189 people who purchased products online. For additional analysis, testing the hypothesis, and model construction, SPSS 26 and Smart-PLS were used. The data was then evaluated further using descriptive statistics, path analysis, measurement, and structural model. The findings show that the online customer experience (measured as shopping environment, shopping procedure, staff service experience, and product experience) substantially influenced customer engagement, which improved customer loyalty. The VCC strengthened the link between online customer experience and customer engagement. It suggests that including consumers in co-creating a delightful online customer experience from time to time may be a valuable strategy for online retailers to increase customer engagement and loyalty. To create an overarching outcome, information integration theory (IIT), multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT), and the attitude-behavior-context theory (ABC) theories are converged to explain the proposed model in the study

Revamping of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) endure an asymmetrically high burden of worldwide disease and death caused by chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), i.e., asthma, emphysema, bronchiectasis, and post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD). CRDs are firmly related with indigence, infectious diseases, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and add to complex multi-disease with great impact on the lives and livelihood of those affected. The pertinence of CRDs to health and demographic wellbeing is relied upon to increment in the long time ahead, as expectations of life rise and the contending dangers of right on time youth mortality and irresistible infections level. The WHO has distinguished the counteraction and control of NCDs as an earnest improvement issue and crucial for the sustainable development goals (SDSs) by 2030. In this review, we center on CRDs in LMICs. We examine the early life roots of CRDs, challenges in their avoidance, identification and administration in LMICs, and the pathways to resolve for accomplish valid widespread wellbeing inclusion