Energy, Emissions and the Economy: Empirical Analysis from Pakistan

It is now an established fact that the most important environmental problem of our era is global warming.1 The rising quantity of worldwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions seems to be escalating this problem. As the emissions generally result from consumption of fossil fuels, decreasing energy spending seems to be the direct way of handling the emissions problem. However, because of the possible negative impacts on economic growth, cutting the energy utilisation is likely to be the “less preferred road”. Moreover, if the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis applies to the emissions and income link, economic growth by itself may become a solution to the problem of environmental degradation [Rothman and de Bruyn (1998)]. Coondoo and Dinda (2002), however, argue that both developing and developed economies must sacrifice economic growth. Still, countries may opt for different policies to fight global environmental problems, mainly depending on the type of relationship between CO2 emissions, income, and energy consumption over the long run [Soytas and Sari (2006)]. Hence, the emissions-energy-income nexus needs to be studied carefully and in detail for every economy, but more so for the developing countries. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between energy consumption, CO2 emissions and the economy in Pakistan from a long run perspective, in a multivariate framework controlling for gross fixed capital, labour and exports by employing ARDL bounds testing approach

A study on tuberculosis in buffaloes: some epidemiological aspects, along with haematological and serum protein changes

The study was conducted to ascertain the epidemiology, together with effects of bovine tuberculosis, on certain haematological parameters and serum proteins at two Livestock Experiment Stations in Pakistan. The results on prevalence of tuberculosis in buffaloes on the basis of comparative intradermal tuberculin test revealed it to be from as high as 8.48% (14/165) to as low as 2.45% (4/163) on the basis of positive reaction to bovine PPD. However, a doubtful reaction was observed in 8.58% (14/163) of buffaloes at farm 2 with low prevalence. It was also observed that the reaction to bovine or avian PPD was much stronger in buffaloes compared with indigenous cattle. The result on certain epidemiological factors studies revealed higher positive reactors of greater than 6 years of age and the majority were between 6-8 years old (P = 0.03). Results also revealed that a significantly higher number of animals had a body mass of less than 550 kg (P = 0.005), had less than three parturitions (P = 0.001) and milk production of 5-7 litres. The number of animals present at the farm, number of species, the nearby village, etc., played a significant role in the prevalence of the disease, rather than the condition of the farm. The results on haematological studies revealed a considerable decrease in RBC, while the decrease in ESR in a significantly (P = 0.05) greater number of buffaloes showed a positive or doubtful reaction to mammalian PPD. Total leukocyte count and lymphocyte percentages were higher in a considerably greater number of buffaloes. However, while changes in monocyte and eosinophil count were less significant, combined monocyte count in both positive and doubtful reactors was higher in a considerable number of buffaloes. While the results on serum proteins revealed an increase in serum total proteins and globulins in a significantly greater number of buffaloes, they had a positive reaction to mammalian PPD. A significant, positive relationship of serum total proteins with globulins in positive (r = 0.918; P = 0.0001) and doubtful reactors (r = 0.691; P = 0.0015)

Knowledge, attitude and practices towards eye care, among primary health care workers in District Ckakwal.

Introduction: Despite the fact, that an estimated 80% of worldwide blindness is preventable or treatable, the number of individuals living with blindness or impaired vision is on a rise. According to epidemiological data, worldwide over 2.2 billion people are blind or have impaired vision and 90% of them live in underdeveloped countries. A large number of people consult primary health care workers for their health issues, whether it is general illness or eye problems. Objectives: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of Primary Health Care workers with regard to Primary Eye Care (PEC) in District Chakwal, Pakistan. Methodology: A Quantitative Cross-sectional study design, using a Random Sampling technique was employed. Participants in the study were given a standardized semi-structured questionnaire to fill out. The questionnaire included questions on primary health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about PEC. The data were analyzed by using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26. Results: Among the total of 232 Primary Health Care workers 73.7% were below 40 years of age. The majority of primary health care workers were female (60.8%). About 40.9% were having diplomas. The majority of workers (58.6%) had less than 5 years of experience as a Primary Health Care worker. Most of them (60%) had sufficient knowledge about the causes of eye diseases or injuries and (40.8%) had knowledge about conditions that may result in eye illnesses or injuries. The attitude toward referral of patients to medical doctors was 51.2%. The practices regarding method and approach for the treatment of eye diseases, of the majority of workers (58.9%) were not satisfactory. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding causes of eye diseases, diagnosis, and methods of treatment were not satisfactory amongst the primary health care workers. A positive attitude was noted for the will to improve the knowledge of eye care. The research revealed, the requirement for a training program for primary health care workers regarding modern primary eye care

Monetary Policy Channels and Industrial Production in Pakistan: Evidences based on ARDL Approach

Monetary policy is a significant component of economic management, with which we can control higher inflation, boost the economic growth and stabilize the other macroeconomic activities. This study investigates the channels of monetary policy affecting the industrial production using monthly data of Pakistan. In this regard, we have applied Bound test for co-integration to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the variables. Our results indicate that the consumer prices, money supply and money market rates are negatively effective for industrial production in the short-run. On the other hand, exchange rate has positive effect in short-run. The results also indicate that there is statistically significant and positive relationship between industrial output and money supply in the long-run, too. The adjustment mechanism suggests stability in the system and is statistically significant. Our results imply that the authorities should use expansionary monetary stance through money supply channel to boost the industrial sector

Immobilization of Rose Waste Biomass for Uptake of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Rosa centifolia and Rosa gruss an teplitz distillation waste biomass was immobilized using sodium alginate for Pb(II) uptake from aqueous solutions under varied experimental conditions. The maximum Pb(II) adsorption occurred at pH 5. Immobilized rose waste biomasses were modified physically and chemically to enhance Pb(II) removal. The Langmuir sorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models fitted well to the adsorption data of Pb(II) by immobilized Rosa centifolia and Rosa gruss an teplitz. The adsorbed metal is recovered by treating immobilized biomass with different chemical reagents (H2SO4, HCl and H3PO4) and maximum Pb(II) recovered when treated with sulphuric acid (95.67%). The presence of cometals Na, Ca(II), Al(III), Cr(III), Cr(VI), and Cu(II), reduced Pb(II) adsorption on Rosa centifolia and Rosa gruss an teplitz waste biomass. It can be concluded from the results of the present study that rose waste can be effectively used for the uptake of Pb(II) from aqueous streams

Parental Effects on Primary School Enrolment under Different Types of Household Headship: Evidence from Pakistan

Previous studies in Pakistan have established the number of pupil, parents, household, and community characteristics as determinants of primary school enrolment. However, treatment of the role of the household power structure in these studies is limited to the inclusion of a single dummy variable for female headship. Present study estimates separate probit regressions for different types of headships, hence allowing for an analysis of the power structure of the household and its impact on other explanatory variables. In addition to confirming the findings of previous studies, this study concludes that mother‘s headship results in greater positive influence of her own education and the economic status of the household on child‘s primary school enrolment. Father‘s headship in this regard has only limited influence. JEL Classification: C25, J16, I21 Keywords: Probit Models, School Enrolment, Gender Issue

The Dynamic Relation between Technology Adoption, Technology Innovation, Human Capital and Economy: Comparison of Lower-Middle-Income Countries

The advent of technologies has stimulated the economic growth of western countries, however, some Asian and African countries are among the Lower Middle Income Countries due to lack of technology adoption and digitally skilled human capital. The use of technologies produces digital competent human capital stock that accelerates economic growth. The prime goal of this article is to explore dynamics of technology adoption, technology innovation, human capital and skill development for Lower Middle Income Countries region over the period 2000-2016 by Generalised Method of Moments and cross sectional dependence. New technology adoption, technology innovation and human capital & skill development indices are formulated. The empirical findings indicate that human capital development & skill and investment have positive linkage with Lower Middle Income Countries economic growth while technology adoption and innovation have different linkage across the Lower Middle Income Countries regions. The panel error correction method was applied to estimate short run dynamics and convergence rate. The fully modified ordinary least square was applied to authenticate whether the long run estimates are consistent and valid for policy implications. The findings propose policy implications for advance technology adoption and innovation with the focus on human capital development & skill and investment in Lower Middle Income Countries region

Fulminant invasive aspergillosis of the mediastinum in an immunocompetent host: a case report

Introduction: Invasive aspergillosis is a serious complication in immunocompromised patients. It is an opportunistic disease, which predominantly occurs in the lungs, although dissemination to virtually any organ is possible. Invasive aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient with extension to the mediastinum has rarely been reported. Here, we present the case of a patient with no apparent immunodeficiency state, who presented with Aspergillus endocarditis and fulminant invasive aspergillosis with extensive involvement of the mediastinal structures, which ultimately was responsible for her death. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the literature on fulminant invasive mediastinal aspergillosis with extension to the pulmonary vasculature and concomitant Aspergillus endocarditis in an apparently immunocompetent patient without pre-existing lung disease. Case presentation: Our patient was a previously healthy 47-year-old Asian woman, who presented to our emergency room with severe progressive shortness of breath of one month’s duration, associated with orthopnea and unstable vital signs. Conclusion: Invasive aspergillosis has been described in the presence of pulmonary disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and one case has been reported in a patient without preexistent disease, but none of these have been fatal. Our case is therefore the first reported case of its kind. Our case shows that fulminant aspergillosis can occur in an immunocompetent host and can be fatal. We conclude that invasive aspergillosis should not be excluded from the differential diagnosis on the basis of immunocompetency

Employee engagement for sustainable organizations: keyword analysis using social network analysis and burst detection approach

The issue of sustainability is a vital long-term goal for organizations and as such has formed the basis of much academic research over the last two decades. Organizational sustainability is defined as the ability for an organization to accomplish a range of economic, environmental, and human performance objectives. As one of the most studied topics in organizational science, employee engagement at work is seen as a critical component to achieving sustainable organizational success. In order to better understand the employee engagement discourse, this study examined the keywords that appear in the titles and abstract of the employee engagement research domain using the burst detection and social network analysis techniques. A total of 1406 employee engagement relevant articles that were published from 1990 to 2015 were included and investigated in the study. The results revealed the fading, emerging, and central themes within the employee engagement domain