CSR Practices of a Company Toward Stakeholders: The Case of Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC)

The performance of the companies in corporate sector is reliant greatly on the practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); therefore in today’s business environment companies are paying more attention to the sense of CSR. These companies also consider the aspects of socio-culture environment into business practices and compliance with other regulatory and ethical issues. However, it has been found that CSR is being practiced in Pakistani firms in tobacco industry because the concept is new for the emerging economies like Pakistan. The paper consists of brief study about the CSR practices on stakeholder dimension of Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC). The basic aim of this paper is to examine that how companies engage their stakeholders in CSR activities and what is the role of stakeholders in CSR policies. This research was conducted by using a qualitative method and the case study of PTC.  Data has been collected from relevant scientific articles, research books, and online resources regarding CSR and stakeholders theoretical framework while empirical data was gathered through interviews and company annual reports. However, PTC products are injurious for customers’ health but their efforts for the environment and community make a good image of the company in the minds of customer and stakeholders. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Stakeholder, Health & Safety Environment (HSE), Community Involvement, Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC)

Yield potential study of Capsicum annuum L. under the application of PGPR

Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) play an important role in the healthy growth and yield improvement of different crops. The use of PGPR includes various groups of bacteria that live freely in the soil and has ability to enhance the growth of various crops through diverse mechanisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the yield enhancing effect of PGPR on Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum). This study was conducted in the experimental fields of FMC United (Pvt) Limited at Sahiwal, Pakistan during the winter under controlled tunnel in the cropping season 2013-14. The various formulations of PGPR (Klebsiella sp. + Burkholderia sp. + Panibacillus sp. + Bacillus sp.) was applied after every 20-30days interval in the field of Bell Pepper to study their effects on per acre yield. Data was recorded and statistically analyzed to evaluate effects of PGPR on bell pepper yield. Results showed consistent per acre yield increase with the increase of PGPR formulations. Significant genotypic and phenotypic correlations were also found between yield per treatment and yield per acre. Higher yield per treatment and yield per acre was recorded at 6-litre/acre application of PGPR formulation. It was concluded that use of PGPR could be helpful to improve the health of crop with increased yield of this important vegetable. It is proposed that further evaluation at multiple locations and compositions will help to chalk out a comprehensive application protocol of PGPR bacteria on vegetable as well as field crops

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING THE LEAF EXTRACT OF PUTRANJIVA ROXBURGHII WALL. AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY.

 Objective: This study deals with the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP's) from the extract of the leaves of the plant Putranjiva roxburghii wall.Using biological method, i.e., green synthesis.Methods: The extract from the leaves acts as a reducing and stabilizing agent for the AgNP's. Further characterization was done using varioustechniques like ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrophotometry, which shows surface plasmon resonance, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopyanalysis shows formation of various bonds, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis depictsthe distribution and average size of nanoparticles. The antimicrobial activity was also checked against various bacteria and fungi using minimuminhibitory concentration and well diffusion assay.Result: UV analysis shows strong plasmon resonance between 420 and 480 nm SEM analysis shows the distribution of synthesized nanoparticles,whereas TEM analysis shows the average particle size to be near about 5 nm and well diffusion assay proved that these nanoparticles are effectiveagainst different microorganisms.Conclusion: P. roxburghii wall. shows strong potential for the reduction of silver from Ag+ to Ag0 and nanoparticles so formed are strongly activeagainst various microorganism.Keywords: Putranjiva roxburghii, Fourier transform infra-red, Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscope

Characterization and efficiency assessment of PGPR for enhancement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield

Background: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in phosphorous solublization, nutrient uptake and crop productivity. A variety of PGPR and their combinations were supplemented to rice crop for evaluation of their effects on plant height, filled grain per panicle, tillers per plant, 1000 grain weight, panicle length and yield per acre.    Methods: Roots of sugarcane plants and their adhering soil samples were used as an isolation source for PGPR. The nursery plant roots of local rice varieties i.e. Super Basmati and Basmati-515 were inoculated with isolated PGPR formulation. Data was recorded and statistically analyzed to determine analysis of variance, genetic correlation, path coefficient and principle component. Results: 5 out of 11 bacterial strains produced high indole acetic acid (IAA). Other 6 were either average or low producers of the acid. The strains selected for maximum amount of phosphorous solublization were CEMB-22 (Klebsiella sp.) and CEMB-15 (Burkholderia sp.) with best IAA production. It was found that higher genetic advance, heritability, genotypic and phenotypic correlation have positive direct effects on yield properties of rice.Conclusion: Yield of rice can be enhanced by the application of CEMB-22+CEMB-15 PGPR in combined formulation

Does the Specific Matrix of Cultural Values and Ethnic- Religious Diversity Hinder Economic Development in African Region?

Abstract This study empirically probes the role of culture in fostering or hindering economic performance in Africa. Our results show that cultural values appear to some extant have statistically significant and operationally meaningful economic effects. We also test the effect of ethnic and religious diversity which discourage economic growth. Using the OLS method, we appraised the baseline endogenous economic growth model to incorporate cultural variables. Cultural attitudes toward trust and self-determination were found to affect economic development significantly. However, respect was associated with unexpected signs of an inverse relationship with economic growth. Further, the cultural motivational index (CMI) was also negatively associated with growth. This implies that the traditional values of African culture do not lend support to economic growth. While the ethnic and religious fractionalization may not be harmful to development, ethnic and religious polarization affects the development more adversely

The Constitutional Politics Heller Launched

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria causing disease is an ever growing threat to the world. Recently, environmental bacteria have become established as important both as sources of antibiotic resistance genes and in disseminating resistance genes. Low levels of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals are regularly released into water environments via wastewater, and the concern is that such environmental contamination may serve to create hotspots for antibiotic resistance gene selection and dissemination. In this study, microcosms were created from water and sediments gathered from a lake in Sweden only lightly affected by human activities. The microcosms were exposed to a mixture of antibiotics of varying environmentally relevant concentrations (i.e., concentrations commonly encountered in wastewaters) in order to investigate the effect of low levels of antibiotics on antibiotic resistance gene abundances and dynamics in a previously uncontaminated environment. Antibiotic concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Abundances of seven antibiotic resistance genes and the class 1 integron integrase gene, intL1, were quantified using real-time PCR. Resistance genes sulI and ermB were quantified in the microcosm sediments with mean abundances 5 and 15 gene copies/10(6) 16S rRNA gene copies, respectively. Class 1 integrons were determined in the sediments with a mean concentration of 3.86x10(4) copies/10(6) 16S rRNA gene copies. The antibiotic treatment had no observable effect on antibiotic resistance gene or integron abundances

Cytotoxicity, In vitro anti-Leishmanial and fingerprint HPLC- photodiode array analysis of the roots of Trillium govanianum.

Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D. Don (Melanthiaceae alt. Trilliaceae), commonly known as 'nagchhatry' or 'teen patra', distributed from Pakistan to Bhutan about 2500-3800 m altitude is indigenous to Himalayas region. In folk medicine the plant has been reported for the treatment of wound healing, sepsis and in various sexual disorders. This paper reports, for the first time, to evaluate the cytotoxicity, in vitro anti-leishmanial (promastigotes) and fingerprint HPLC-photodiode array analysis of the MeOH extract of the roots of T. govanianum and its solid phase extraction fractions. Reverse phase HPLC-PDA based quantification revealed the presence of significant amount of quercetin, myrecetin and kaemferol ranging from 0.221to 0.528 μg/mg DW. MeOH extract revealed distinguishable protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E strain with 18 mm bald phenotype. The remarkable toxicity profile against brine shrimps and leishmanial was manifested by MeOH extract with LC50 10 and 38.5 μg/mL, respectively

Newer Horizon of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy in the Management of SARS-CoV-2-Associated Mucormycosis: A Safe Hope for Future Medicine

SARS-CoV-2-infected patients are reported to show immunocompromised behavior that gives rise to a wide variety of complications due to impaired innate immune response, cytokine storm, and thrombo-inflammation. Prolonged use of steroids, diabetes mellitus, and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) are some of the factors responsible for the growth of Mucorales in such immunocompromised patients and, thus, can lead to a life-threatening condition referred to as mucormycosis. Therefore, an early diagnosis and cell-based management cosis is the need of the hour to help affected patients overcome this severe condition. In addition, extended exposure to antifungal drugs/therapeutics is found to initiate hormonal and neurological complications. More recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used to exhibit immunomodulatory function and proven to be beneficial in a clinical cell-based regenerative approach. The immunomodulation ability of MSCs in mucormycosis patient boosts the immunity by the release of chemotactic proteins. MSC-based therapy in mucormycosis along with the combination of short-term antifungal drugs can be utilized as a prospective approach for mucormycosis treatment with promising outcomes. However, preclinical and in mucormyIn mucormycosis, the hyphae of clinical trials are needed to establish the precise mechanism of MSCs in mucormycosis treatment

Novel VPS13B Mutations in Three Large Pakistani Cohen Syndrome Families Suggests a Baloch Variant with Autistic-Like Features.

BackgroundCohen Syndrome (COH1) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, principally identified by ocular, neural and muscular deficits. We identified three large consanguineous Pakistani families with intellectual disability and in some cases with autistic traits.MethodsClinical assessments were performed in order to allow comparison of clinical features with other VPS13B mutations. Homozygosity mapping followed by whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing strategies were used to identify disease-related mutations.ResultsWe identified two novel homozygous deletion mutations in VPS13B, firstly a 1 bp deletion, NM_017890.4:c.6879delT; p.Phe2293Leufs*24, and secondly a deletion of exons 37-40, which co-segregate with affected status. In addition to COH1-related traits, autistic features were reported in a number of family members, contrasting with the "friendly" demeanour often associated with COH1. The c.6879delT mutation is present in two families from different regions of the country, but both from the Baloch sub-ethnic group, and with a shared haplotype, indicating a founder effect among the Baloch population.ConclusionWe suspect that the c.6879delT mutation may be a common cause of COH1 and similar phenotypes among the Baloch population. Additionally, most of the individuals with the c.6879delT mutation in these two families also present with autistic like traits, and suggests that this variant may lead to a distinct autistic-like COH1 subgroup