Understanding a Big Elephant and its Small Chains: SWOT Analysis of Pakistan’s Economy

‘What we Foreign Direct Investors need is a level playing field.’ This was claimed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a multinational corporation (MNC) operating in Pakistan for more than 50 years, on two separate occasions during 2015-18. This idiom motivated the authors to understand business nuances associated with Pakistan’s economy not being captured by indices such as the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’ (EDBI) and ‘Global Competitiveness Index’ (GCI) primarily because of their measurement in quantitative terms. By conducting a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the country’s business environment, with the help of in-depth interviews with the CEOs of 19 MNCs and three national corporations (NCs), this study tries to capture some of these nuances. The respondents, based on their availability, were drawn from ten different industries. Based on the analysis, it can be inferred that ‘enduring’, ‘flimsy’, ‘enormous’ and ‘manageable’ are the four words which may be used to define the strengths and weaknesses associated with the opportunities and threats to Pakistan as a market. The scope of this article is related to the following SDG / SDGs

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

Board demographic, structural diversity, and eco-innovation: International evidence

Research question/issue: We examine whether and how board diversity, measured by demographics (i.e., board gender, cultural diversity, tenure, social capital, expertise, and age) and structural diversity (i.e., board independence, size, board seat accumulation-chair, board compensation, and board meeting frequency), influence corporate eco-innovation. Research findings/insights: Utilizing a global sample of publicly listed companies for the period 2004–2019, we find that a one-standard deviation increase in demographic and structural diversity translates into 4.66% and 7.11% higher corporate eco-innovation, respectively. Furthermore, we discover that demographic and structural diversity promotes eco-innovation by offsetting the negative effects of political risk. In an additional analysis, we find evidence that, in the absence of greater external monitoring (institutional investors and analyst following), organizations benefit more from the monitoring role of board diversity. Theoretical/academic implications: By adopting the concept of “bundling the governance mechanisms,” our study adds to the ongoing discourse about the function of board diversity in addressing corporate climate footprints by offering original evidence that board diversity heterogeneity—demographic and structural diversity—matters for corporate eco-innovation. Practitioner/policy implications: Given the increasing pressure on companies to manage their environmental impacts and carbon footprints, our paper has significant ramifications for those involved in promoting eco-innovative business practices, such as policymakers, regulators, and practitioners

Role of Modern Technologies in Tissue Engineering

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field with numerous applications spread in different fields, especially medicine. It plays a role in tissue engineering, tissue regeneration, drug delivery, and regenerative medicine. The present brief review summarizes the role of nanotechnology in tissue engineering and tissue regeneration. The CRISPR/Cas9 system in tissue engineering is playing an important role, as CRISPR is a revolutionary genome-editing technology that is being used for tissue engineering where it emphasizes to address tissue architecture formation, immune response circumvention, cell differentiation, and disease model development. Moreover, the development and research expenses for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are too high and there is a need for making these systems cost-effective. Thus, the advanced approach of applications of nanotechnology to regenerative medicine and CRISPR will definitely revolutionize the basis of treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of various diseases

Microbial Contamination in Drinking Water of Saggiyan-Lahore, Pakistan

The present study was carried to evaluate the physico-chemical parameters and microbial contamination of drinking water in the area of Saggiyan, Lahore. The tested water samples (S1-S30) were found to contain 199.6-402 mg/L TDS, 196-260 ppm EC, 196-260 ppm Hardness, 0.8-17 NTU turbidity, 169-290 mg/L alkalinity, 0-0.1 ppb arsenic and 0-0.1 ppm fluoride contents. 95% of the water samples were found contaminated with fecal coliforms while 27% of the samples had shown the presence of E. coli. Though the physico-chemical parameters of most water samples were found in the safe limits of WHO, however, the presence of microbial contamination rendered it non-suitable for drinking purposes

COMBINING ABILITY ANALYSIS IN WHEAT

A 4 x 4 diallel cross of wheat were evaluated for combining ability at Wheat Research Institute, Faisalabad during 2004-05. Data were recorded from F, generation for plant height, number of tillers plant", biomass plant", 1000-:: grain weight, harvest index, number of grains spike" and grain yield plant". The additive gene effects were operating in plant height, biomass plant", number of grains spike" and grain yield plant' while number of tillers plant" and 1000-grain weight were controlled by non-additive gene effects. The genotypes of "Uqab 2000" proved to be good general combiner for grain yield, 1000-grain weight, biomass plant", number of tillers plant" and plant height. While V-00055 was found good general combiner for grain yield, biomass plant", plant height and number of grains spike". The cross "SH-02 x Uqab 2000" and its reciprocal and "V-00125 x V-00055" were the best specific combiners for grain yield plant" and yield components

Understanding the role of metal supported on TiO2 in photoreforming of oxygenates

To achieve net-zero targets regarding GHG emissions by 2050, the identification of sustainable energy vectors is critical. In this context, photoreforming presents a potential candidate for recycling and transforming widely available biomass-derived wastes into clean hydrogen fuel, such as crude glycerol from biodiesel and a potential future H2 production opportunity from bioethanol. Many years of work has proved that TiO2 is an excellent material for photoreforming of organics due to its stability, availability, and environmentally friendly characteristics as compared to other semiconductors. However, photoreforming faces several obstacles, including the comparatively low hydrogen generation under Sun-equivalent light sources and the need of expensive noble metals. Efforts have been made in several directions, such as extending light absorption by TiO2 to the visible range, reducing the recombination rate of charge carriers, and preventing back reactions. To overcome these challenges, many methods have been proposed, such as controlling the phase and morphology of TiO2 nanoparticles, decoration with various metal co-catalysts, doping with metal and non-metal ions, plasmonic enhancement, and preparation of composite systems. Although each approach has its own merits, metal loading has proven to be the most effective among them all. This review provides a deep insight into the underlying role of metal towards the enhancement of TiO2 catalytic activity, focusing on the findings of recent published work. We discuss in detail the effect of various metals on TiO2 electronic structure, preparation methods, role in light absorption (surface Plasmon resonance) and chemical changes during various photoreforming steps. Following this we extend our discussion to dye sensitized systems and catalyst testing benchmarking. At the end of the review, we provide possible future research directions to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 based photocatalysts for photoreforming

Climate, population, and vulnerability in Pakistan: Exploring evidence of linkages for adaptation

The global discussion of climate change and its impacts and causes has changed completely in the past quarter century. Scientific opinion now accepts that rapid warming is occurring and that greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted as a result of human activities are largely to blame. The consequences of taking no action will be catastrophic. Unfortunately, the burden of impact will fall disproportionately on the poor and most vulnerable people who rely heavily on agriculture in countries where average temperatures are already high. Climate change is particularly harmful because it increasingly threatens food security in these countries. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. This monograph uses diverse data sources to initiate an interdisciplinary conversation on the interlinkages of climate change and demography through contributions from national experts in meteorology, migration, and agriculture. The aim is to provide a regionally nuanced perspective of the climatic changes to which the population is exposed; the key demographic and socioeconomic trends that have a bearing on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation; internal migration; and the expected combined impact of these dynamics on the country’s food and economic mainstay—agriculture

Post-Flood Rehabilitation of Affected Communities by NGOs in Punjab, Pakistan-Learning Lessons for Future

Flood is one of the most frequently occurring disasters in the world which causes loss of thousands of human lives and properties worth millions of dollars. Pakistan faced severe flood during the year 2010. Most of the damage occurred in Punjab, the most populous province of the country. The federal and provincial governments attempted to rescue people and to restore/provide shelter. But both could not meet public expectations due to lack of institutional capacity and financial resources. In this situation, several NGOs took part in rehabilitation of affected communities on existing as well as new sites. Two of such communities have been taken as case studies. A detailed investigation reveals that NGOs played very effective role in improving living conditions and quality of life in affected communities. Resultantly, a vast majority of residents is satisfied. Some issues pertaining to the rehabilitation process and maintenance of settlements have also surfaced. Nevertheless, the experience of NGOs in this regard demonstrates many attributes of good rehabilitation strategy which are worth considering by other countries.    &nbsp