EMA Implementation and Corporate Environmental Firm Performance: A Comparison of Institutional Pressures and Environmental Uncertainty

Environmental management accounting (EMA) practices guide a firm’s response to perceived environmental uncertainty (EU) and various institutional pressures (IP). Drawing upon institutional theory, this study explores the relative effects of institutional pressures and environmental uncertainty on the implementation of EMA, an environmental strategy (ES), and the resulting environmental performance (EP) of firms under the influence of top-management support (TMS) and perceived benefits (PB). Based on data collected from 243 firms operating in Suzhou, one of the busiest business hubs in China, this research used the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings reveal that environmental uncertainty exerts a stronger influence on the adoption of EMA practices than institutional pressures; however, the choice of a firm’s environmental strategy is more influenced by institutional pressures. Likewise, the serial-mediation effect of environmental strategy and EMA practices is observed to be the strongest in the case of coercive pressures, with some notable moderation effect for perceived benefits and top-management support. The study concludes with theoretical and managerial implications

Computational analysis and chaos control of the fractional order syphilis disease model through modeling

In this paper, we present a dynamic model of syphilis. The goal of this work is to provide a mathematical model for syphilis disease that contains information about the suspect, infected, recovered, and exposed. Boundedness, positivity, and unique solutions at equilibrium points are used in the qualitative and quantitative study of a proposed model using the power law kernel. The Routh-Hurwitz stability criteria are used to address the model's local and global stability. Chaos control will use the regulate for linear responses approach to bring the system to stabilize according to its points of equilibrium. Using Lyapunov function tests, the global stability of free and endemic equilibrium points is confirmed. The Lipschitz condition and fixed point theory are utilized to satisfy the requirements for the existence and uniqueness of the exact solution. The generalized form of the power law kernel is solved using a two-step Lagrange polynomial method to investigate the impact of the fractional operator using numerical simulations that illustrate the effects of various parameters on the illness

Study of device instability of bottom-gate ZnO transistors with sol-gel derived channel layers

In this paper, the authors report the device instability of solution based ZnO thin film transistors by studying the time-evolution of electrical characteristics during electrical stressing and subsequent relaxation. A systematic comparison between ambient and vacuum conditions was carried out to investigate the effect of adsorption of oxygen and water molecules, which leads to the creation of defects in the channel layer. The observed subthreshold swing and change in field effect mobility under gate bias stressing have supported the fact that oxygen and moisture directly affect the threshold voltage shift. The authors have presented the comprehensive analysis of device relaxation under both ambient and vacuum conditions to further confirm the defect creation and charge trapping/detrapping process since it has not been reported before. It was hypothesized that chemisorbed molecules form acceptorlike traps and can diffuse into the ZnO thin film through the void on the grain boundary, being relocated even near the semiconductor/dielectric interface. The stretched exponential and power law model fitting reinforce the conclusion of defect creation by oxygen and moisture adsorption on the active layerScopu

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of BiVO4 nanomaterials for degradation of industrial waste

Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO4) has been synthesized using simple hydrothermal technique while varying the pH of concentrated H2SO4. With the increase of pH values (from 06 to 10), the morphology of the synthesized material tuned in the form of nano-spheres and cubes in the range from 50 to 60 nm. The lateral affect tuned the bandgap of BiVO4 from 2.47 eV to 2.50 eV which is significant in the context of present study. It is worth mentioning that desirous bandgap corresponds to the visible spectrum of the solar light being abundantly available and finds many applications in real life. The synthesized nanomaterial BiVO4 has been characterized through UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The synthesized BiVO4 has been tested as photocatalyst for degradation of industrial pollutant from Leather Field Industry. Said catalyst (BiVO4) successfully degraded the industrial pollutant after 3 h under solar light irradiation. Therefore, the BiVO4 can be regarded as potential photocatalyst for degradation of industrial waste which is highly needed

Genetic Diversity of Some Tomato Cultivars and Breeding Lines Commonly Used in Pakistani Breeding Program

Genetic diversity present in gene pool is an important determination for breeding programs, and characterization is useful of building crop plant collections primarily based on the knowledge of the presence of valuable genes and traits. Developing successful varieties for increasing the future yield and quality of tomato depend mainly on the genetic diversity of parents used in the breeding program. Molecular characterization of 21 tomato genotypes used in in Pakistani breeding program was studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Total 102 bands were amplified among 21 genotypes using 20 RAPD primers. Overall 73.5% polymorphism was shown as 75 out of 102 loci were polymorphic. High degree of divergence between varieties was indicated by low level of monomorphic bands. The number of PCR products per primer varied from 2-8 with an average of 5.1 bands per primer. Primer GL J-20 and GL C-09 produced maximum number of bands whereas the primers GL A-09 produced the lowest. The polymorphism per RAPD primer ranged from 50% to 100% with an average of 73.5%. The accumulative analysis of amplified products generated by RAPD’s was enough to assess the genetic diversity among the genotypes. The information would be helpful for formulating future breeding and genome mapping programs. This study will also work as an indicator for tomato breeders to evolve varieties with genetic diverse back ground to achieve sustainability in tomato production in the country

Alleviation of Salt Stress in Wheat Seedlings via Multifunctional Bacillus aryabhattai PM34: An In-Vitro Study

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria play a substantial role in plant growth and development under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. However, understanding about the functional role of rhizobacterial strains for wheat growth under salt stress remains largely unknown. Here we investigated the antagonistic bacterial strain Bacillus aryabhattai PM34 inhabiting ACC deaminase and exopolysaccharide producing ability to ameliorate salinity stress in wheat seedlings under in vitro conditions. The strain PM34 was isolated from the potato rhizosphere and screened for different PGP traits comprising nitrogen fixation, potassium, zinc solubilization, indole acetic acid, siderophore, and ammonia production, along with various extracellular enzyme activities. The strain PM34 showed significant tolerance towards both abiotic stresses including salt stress (NaCl 2 M), heavy metal (nickel, 100 ppm, and cadmium, 300 ppm), heat stress (60 °C), and biotic stress through mycelial inhibition of Rhizoctonia solani (43%) and Fusarium solani (41%). The PCR detection of ituC, nifH, and acds genes coding for iturin, nitrogenase, and ACC deaminase enzyme indicated the potential of strain PM34 for plant growth promotion and stress tolerance. In the in vitro experiment, NaCl (2 M) decreased the wheat growth while the inoculation of strain PM34 enhanced the germination% (48%), root length (76%), shoot length (75%), fresh biomass (79%), and dry biomass (87%) over to un-inoculated control under 2M NaCl level. The results of experiments depicted the ability of antagonistic bacterial strain Bacillus aryabhattai PM34 to augment salt stress tolerance when inoculated to wheat plants under saline environment

Correlation of Soil Characteristics and Citrus Leaf Nutrients Contents in Current Scenario of Layyah District

Soil with low fertility is a big problem for achieving citrus productivity. In this regard, the management of macro and micronutrients is essential. Macro and micronutrient deficiency decreased the yield and the quality of citrus fruit. It is the need of the hour to classify the soil fertility status under changing climatic scenarios. The current soil fertility survey was conducted to examine the macro and micronutrient status in the citrus production area. In soil, three depths (0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm) were taken for sampling. For leaves, 4–6-months-old non-bearing twigs were sampled from 20 trees per orchard at breast height. Results showed that soil pH (7.1–8.4) was slightly alkaline, electrical conductivity (EC) was non-saline (<4 dSm−1), soil organic matter (SOM) was deficient (<0.86%), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was slight calcareous (<8%), at 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm depths. The majority of soil samples were low in nitrogen (N) contents at all depths, i.e., (<0.043) 0–15 (85%), 15–30 (97%), and 30–45 (100%) cm depths. Phosphorus (P) was medium (7–15 mg kg−1) at 0–15 cm (60%) but low (<7 mg kg−1) at 15–30 (63%) and 30–45 cm (82%) depths. Potassium (K) was medium (80–180 mg kg−1) at 0–15 (69%), 15–30 (69%), and 30–45 cm (10%) depths. Boron (B) and manganese (Mn) were medium, and Cu was high in 0.15 cm, but all were low at 15–30 and 30–45 cm depths. Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were low at depths of 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm. Most citrus leaves were deficient in N (94%), Fe (76%), Zn (67%), and B (67%). In conclusion, soil fertilization is not sufficient for optimum citrus yield because of alkaline pH and slight calcareous soil conditions in this region. Foliar application of nutrients is suggested instead of only soil fertilization, for better nutrient management in citrus orchards

Correlation of Soil Characteristics and Citrus Leaf Nutrients Contents in Current Scenario of Layyah District

Soil with low fertility is a big problem for achieving citrus productivity. In this regard, the management of macro and micronutrients is essential. Macro and micronutrient deficiency decreased the yield and the quality of citrus fruit. It is the need of the hour to classify the soil fertility status under changing climatic scenarios. The current soil fertility survey was conducted to examine the macro and micronutrient status in the citrus production area. In soil, three depths (0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm) were taken for sampling. For leaves, 4–6-months-old non-bearing twigs were sampled from 20 trees per orchard at breast height. Results showed that soil pH (7.1–8.4) was slightly alkaline, electrical conductivity (EC) was non-saline (−1), soil organic matter (SOM) was deficient (3) was slight calcareous (−1) at 0–15 cm (60%) but low (−1) at 15–30 (63%) and 30–45 cm (82%) depths. Potassium (K) was medium (80–180 mg kg−1) at 0–15 (69%), 15–30 (69%), and 30–45 cm (10%) depths. Boron (B) and manganese (Mn) were medium, and Cu was high in 0.15 cm, but all were low at 15–30 and 30–45 cm depths. Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were low at depths of 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm. Most citrus leaves were deficient in N (94%), Fe (76%), Zn (67%), and B (67%). In conclusion, soil fertilization is not sufficient for optimum citrus yield because of alkaline pH and slight calcareous soil conditions in this region. Foliar application of nutrients is suggested instead of only soil fertilization, for better nutrient management in citrus orchards