SPRAWL AND HUMAN MISERY: AN ECOMARXIST READING OF ARTHUR MILLER’S DEATH OF A SALESMAN

The study explores connection between emerging Markets and human misery in Death of a Salesman, focusing to prove Market reigns supremacy in the lives of Americans under the guise of ‘modernity’. The new Split in the personality of characters in the play is tallied to the ‘changing times’. The so-called progress has created an ‘industrialized world’ where the characters are unwillingly voyaging in the economic direction. The protagonists in the narrative are depicted as disconnected from the natural world, instead actively participating in market, pursuing marketecture, and contributing to the prevalence of consumerism within a society influenced by marketecture. The phenomenon emerges from urban sprawl disrupts the ecological equilibrium, leading to detrimental consequences for the individuals in United States. The phenomenon of urban expansion significantly impacts the development of characters and their outlook on life, exerting influences across many levels of society, ranging from private residences to larger communal spaces

HEMATOLOGICAL VARIATIONS AND ASSESMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN SINDH SPARROW (PASSER PYRRHONOTUS) AS A BIOINDICATOR IN PUNJAB AREAS OF PAKISTAN

Sindh sparrows, prevalent in Sindh region of Pakistan, are non-migratory birds abundant in human-inhabited areas globally, except Antarctica. Given their close association with human settlements, these birds serve as crucial indicators for biological monitoring in regions affected by pollution. This study focused on assessing the hematological parameters and heavy metal concentrations in various organs of Sindh sparrows in the Punjab regions of Pakistan. The collected blood samples underwent analysis for hematological indices and heavy metal concentrations. The results indicated variability in hematological analysis of sparrows. Fluctuations were observed in the concentrations of different heavy metals, with significant differences in zinc and iron, while chromium, cadmium, and nickel concentrations showed non-significant differences. The patterns of heavy metal accumulation revealed higher concentrations of chromium, nickel, and iron in the liver, contrasting with the cadmium and zinc in kidneys. In conclusion, significant correlations were observed among the concentrations of Zinc, Chromium, Cadmium, Nickel, and Iron in kidney, liver, and muscles of both male and female Sindh sparrows. The findings underscore the need for further comprehensive studies to assess heavy metal accumulation in birds, highlighting the urgency to address environmental pollution that poses risks to avian species and human populations worldwide

Determination of Crop Coefficient of Hybrid Wheat under Arid Climate: A Pot Study

Climate change increases vulnerabilities for crop productivity in Pakistan. Water crises are increasing with an increase in temperature and change in precipitation patterns due to climate change which ultimately imposed a threat to the food security of the country. Water is indispensable for all plants to complete life cycle as the unavailability of water at critical growth stages drastically affects the development of the plant. The present pot study was conducted for the estimation of crop coefficient of hybrid wheat for irrigation scheduling at Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan during two growing seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20. In this experiment, three wheat varieties were used were Hybrid-1 (R26-3-1/DH-16), Hybrid-2(AR 7-5 / ZWB-14), and Galaxy-2013 as treatment. The soil moisture content was maintained between 50 to 100 % available water content (AWC) during both growing seasons. The crop coefficient (Kc) and actual evapotranspiration (Eta) were maximum in galaxy-13 and minimum in hybrid wheat. The grain yield for Hybrid-1, Hybrid-2, and galaxy-13 was 1, 1.5, and 0.6 g plant-1, respectively while the straw output was 4.8, 4.3, and 3 g plant-1, respectively. The harvest index for Hybrid-1, Hybrid-2, and galaxy-13 were 20, 34, and 20% respectively. The water use efficiency (WUE) for Hybrid-1, Hybrid-2, and galaxy-13 was 0.2. 0.3 and 0.1 g plant-1mm-1, respectively. The Hybrid-1 and Hybrid-2 produced more grain yield, straw yield, more spikes, and more grains per spikes and showed more water use efficiency with short plant height as compared to galaxy-13. The results of the study revealed that Hybrid-2 is more water-efficient with low water requirement and it was followed by Hybrid-1. The growing of Hybrid-2 will enhance the wheat yield to meet the food requirements of the increasing population under the climate change scenario with less water

Effective extraction of cephalosporin C from whole fermentation broth of Acremonium chrysogenum utilizing aqueous two phase systems

The downstream processing of biotechnological products from fermentation broth is an important step of production and development of cost effective, efficient downstream processing of many biotechnological products. The present study was conducted by employing aqueous two phase systems (ATPSs) for the extraction of cephalosporin C (CPC) from whole fermentation broth of Acremonium chrysogenum. The biphasic system was prepared by mixing equal aliquots of 15% w/w polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 with 15% (NH4)2SO4. The effects of pH, neutral salts, temperature and centrifugal force on partitioning in ATPS to develop efficient extraction system for recovery of CPC from fermentation broth were also examined. The extraction efficiency was improved by enhancing the centrifugal force. Similarly centrifugation for 12.5 min also gave the maximum extraction. Improvement in the recovery yield was also observed by the addition of 0.1% NaCl. The concentration of CPC was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Slight modifications in the mobile phase from 10 to 5% MeOH improved CPC resolution. Further development of more inexpensive systems for extraction can be the future target of research.Keywords: Cephalosporin C, Acremonium chrysogenum, fermentation, aqueous two phase system (ATPS

Phytochemical and Biological Activities of Four Wild Medicinal Plants

The fruits of four wild plants, namely, Capparis decidua, Ficus carica, Syzygium cumini, and Ziziphus jujuba, are separately used as traditional dietary and remedial agents in remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The results of our study on these four plants revealed that the examined fruits were a valuable source of nutraceuticals and exhibited good level of antimicrobial activity. The fruits of these four investigated plants are promising source of polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins. These four plants' fruits are good sources of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and chromium. It was also observed that these fruits are potential source of antioxidant agent and the possible reason could be that these samples had good amount of phytochemicals. Hence, the proper propagation, conservation, and chemical investigation are recommended so that these fruits should be incorporated for the eradication of food and health related problems

Current challenges and potential solutions to the use of digital health technologies in evidence generation: a narrative review

Digital health is a field that aims to improve patient care through the use of technology, such as telemedicine, mobile health, electronic health records, and artificial intelligence. The aim of this review is to examine the challenges and potential solutions for the implementation and evaluation of digital health technologies. Digital tools are used across the world in different settings. In Australia, the Digital Health Translation and Implementation Program (DHTI) emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders and addressing infrastructure and training issues for healthcare workers. The WHO's Global Task Force on Digital Health for TB aims to address tuberculosis through digital health innovations. Digital tools are also used in mental health care, but their effectiveness must be evaluated during development. Oncology supportive care uses digital tools for cancer patient intervention and surveillance, but evaluating their effectiveness can be challenging. In the COVID and post-COVID era, digital health solutions must be evaluated based on their technological maturity and size of deployment, as well as the quality of data they provide. To safely and effectively use digital healthcare technology, it is essential to prioritize evaluation using complex systems and evidence-based medical frameworks. To address the challenges of digital health implementation, it is important to prioritize ethical research addressing issues of user consent and addressing socioeconomic disparities in access and effectiveness. It is also important to consider the impact of digital health on health outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of service delivery

The Semiotic Analysis of film Pinjar in Relation to Multiculturalism in Indian Subcontinent\u27s Society as Depicted in Films

A real portrayal of any society or geographic location at any point in time is what is meant when we talk about "culture." The Indo-Pakistani Subcontinent is home to a diverse collection of religious sects, linguistic subgroups, cultural practices, and ethnic communities. As a result of this, the Indo-Pak region is often referred to as having a multicultural society and the entire Indian Subcontinent is founded on the principle that diversity should be celebrated. The film Pinjar serves as a representation of today\u27s multicultural society because it shows people from a number of different ethnic groups and demonstrates their various cultures. This film or book has served as the primary source for the fundamental material that was compiled for this research article. The researcher came to the conclusion that the best way to do this data analysis was to make use of the Pierce model of semiotics. This was done in order to acquire credible results and locate the multiculturalism-related components that were present in the specific text and film in question. The appendix of the research report, which can be found at the very end, will direct you to the precise remnants of this particular term that can be found in the film that was picked and will provide them to you in the form of pictures

DECONSTRUCTING SOCIAL REFORMATION: AN ISLAMIC FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF MUHAMMAD HANIF’S A CASE OF EXPLODING MANGOS

The current research deconstructs the social reforms of Zia’s regime, depicted in Muhammad Hanif's A Case of Exploding Mangoes, notably the burning issue of Zinab’s stoning, which created chaos and unwanted debate. In contrast, the majority of the scholars are reluctant to reflect on the issue, leaving room for more vigilant and effective lenses to redress the matter, which is the central part of this research. The current study is qualitative. It focuses on an in-depth textual analysis of Muhammad Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes, which is also based on close reading and reading carefully rather than quickly, while Saad Al Sadhwi and Azhar Nafisi’s reflection of Islamic feminism with other Islamic teachings in the said have been used as the theoretical framework. In the research, Zinab’s case of rape has been re-evaluated with foremost and central references from the genesis of religion. It is found that rape cases or adulterous acts need more careful investigation beyond the witnesses, which also need materials grounds. In Zinab’s case, only one aspect has been redressed that is neither incorporated by the writer with expanded references from Islamic teaching for the said case nor Zia’s regime provided an effective and transparent investigation; if Zia could, the issue would not have been implicated as an unjust decision that can be deconstructed as the missing lenses or lack of exposition to Islamic teaching, was the primary factor at the time of the decision, though, the fact of dictatorial power was prominent that kept people zipped to remain silent to promote social reformation through Islam

APPROACHING SEAN O’CASEY’S JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK THROUGH SPEECH ACT THEORY

The current research deals with the analysis of Sean O'Casey’s Juno and Paycock (1988) from feminist perspective, applying Speech act theory as an objective tool, and analyze the character of Juno, the protagonist of the play. Our aim is to show the position of women in male dominated society, and how she is exploring herself in the patriarchal society by reflecting the male and female characters from the drama named as Juno and the Paycock (1988) to show bleak images of women. The current research is qualitative and descriptive in nature where the researchers selected the dialogues from the selected play in which Sean O’Casey gives importance to women and where he shows male dominance at peak that is used against the women to be oppressed and marginalized. It is difficult to describe and analyze a character but applying certain tools as the researches have applied using Speech act Theory which became easier to analyze and understand. The counted acts e.g. it can be assertive, directive speeches which have been uttered by male and female character to show the frequency of that act and speech, and the acts show how many dialogue present women’s representation in the play. Through this technique, the nature of the writer comes before us which is giving voice to women’s character in the play

Guilt and Transgression-Inner Suffering of Transgenders in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

The present study centers on the life of transgender which is full of distress experiences throughout her life in Arundhati Roy’s novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. The novel explores many narratives that focus on the exploitation and pain experienced by transgender individuals, particularly with reference to Guilt and Transgression-Inner Suffering. In South Asian civilization, transgender individuals are classified as a distinct third gender. Specifically, in Indian society, transgender individuals are deprived of their rights and subjected to exploitation and the perpetuation of many stereotypical portrayals led the characters to guilt and transgression-inner suffering. Therefore, they are subjected to ridicule and mockery, with people using various derogatory terms to simplify and categorize them. An identical representation has been given and undertaken in the present study to examine the mistreatment and anguish experiences of transgender individuals in Arundhati Roy’s novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Close textual analysis has been employed as a methodology to examine the primary text in order to investigate the exploitation and anguish experienced by transgender individuals leading to guilt and transgress-inner suffering. The researcher has determined that the suffering and exploitation of transgender individuals are the result of societal causes, as well as the strong presence of inner distress. The research indicates that transgender individuals are marginalized in Indian society, lacking both status and recognition. They are excluded from the traditional gender binary of male and female