Environmental Degradation, Quality of Institutions and Tourism: New Evidence from Pakistan

This study explores the effects of tourism, quality of institutions and FDI on environmental degradation inPakistan for the two time periods i.e. 1996-2017 and 2000-2017. Quality of institutions is included in the time period2000-2017 which is adopted from world governance indicators but due to lack of the data it has not been included insecond time (1999-2017). To find out the relationship among given variables, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressionwas carried out, moreover, Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation LM test, Heteroscedasticity Test and HistogramNormality test were also applied to diagnose the econometric issues in the given models. The findings of the studyrevealed that tourism is significant and influential factor of environmental degradation in Pakistan. Similarly, foreigndirect investment is also contributing in environmental degradation but its effect is insignificant for both time periods.On the other hand, an inverse relationship is observed between quality of institution and environmental degradation.The outcomes of the study suggest that environmental degradation can be overcome by increasing the quality of theinstitutions. Moreover, the government initiatives to attract foreign tourists by introducing new visa policy, whichincludes; electronic visa, on arrival visa and opening new avenues for tourists (e.g. Kartarpur Corridor and CPECinitiatives etc.) will have tremendous impact on the national economy. However, environmental degradation is theoutcome of tourism, therefore, policy maker’s needs to consider the negative effects of tourism in addition to itspositive effects on the economy

Uncertainty assisted robust tuberculosis identification with Bayesian convolutional neural networks

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that can lead towards death if left untreated. TB detection involves extraction of complex TB manifestation features such as lung cavity, air space consolidation, endobronchial spread, and pleural effusions from chest x-rays (CXRs). Deep learning based approach named convolutional neural network (CNN) has the ability to learn complex features from CXR images. The main problem is that CNN does not consider uncertainty to classify CXRs using softmax layer. It lacks in presenting the true probability of CXRs by differentiating confusing cases during TB detection. This paper presents the solution for TB identification by using Bayesian-based convolutional neural network (B-CNN). It deals with the uncertain cases that have low discernibility among the TB and non-TB manifested CXRs. The proposed TB identification methodology based on B-CNN is evaluated on two TB benchmark datasets, i.e., Montgomery and Shenzhen. For training and testing of proposed scheme we have utilized Google Colab platform which provides NVidia Tesla K80 with 12 GB of VRAM, single core of 2.3 GHz Xeon Processor, 12 GB RAM and 320 GB of disk. B-CNN achieves 96.42% and 86.46% accuracy on both dataset, respectively as compared to the state-of-the-art machine learning and CNN approaches. Moreover, B-CNN validates its results by filtering the CXRs as confusion cases where the variance of B-CNN predicted outputs is more than a certain threshold. Results prove the supremacy of B-CNN for the identification of TB and non-TB sample CXRs as compared to counterparts in terms of accuracy, variance in the predicted probabilities and model uncertainty

NiSe₂/Ag₃PO₄ Nanocomposites for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation Applications

This study investigated the use of NiSe2/Ag3PO4 nanocomposite catalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and BPA pollutants. Samples of pure NiSe2, Ag3PO4, and NiSe2/Ag3PO4 composites with varying NiSe2 (10%, 20%, and 30%) proportions were synthesized using hydrothermal techniques. The 20% NiSe2/Ag3PO4 composite showed the greatest photocatalytic efficiency for both RhB and BPA degradation. The study also examined the impact of various factors, such as the initial concentration of dye, catalyst amount, pH, and reaction time, on the photodegradation process. The 20% NiSe2/Ag3PO4 catalyst effectively degraded 10 ppm RhB in 20 min and 20 ppm BPA in 30 min. The physical properties of the samples were examined using SEM, PXRD, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The cycling runs of 20% NiSe2/Ag3PO4 also exhibited improved stability compared to Ag3PO4, with a degradation rate of 99% for RhB and BPA. The combination and synergistic effect of NiSe2 and Ag3PO4 played a vital role in enhancing the stability of the photocatalysts. Both the RhB and BPA photodegradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetic models with rate constants of 0.1266 min−1 and 0.2275 min−1, respectively. The study also presented a Z-scheme reaction mechanism to elucidate the process of photodegradation exhibited by the composites after active species capture experiments, which showed that superoxide anion radicals and holes were responsible for the photodegradation

Unmasking the Viral Veil: Exploring the Cardiovascular Intrigue of Pathogenic Infections

The intricate interplay between viral infections and cardiovascular complications has garnered significant attention from 2018 to 2023. Extensive research during this period has unveiled substantial connections between various viruses and cardiovascular diseases. Notable examples include Cytomegalovirus (CMV), coxsackievirus, influenza, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as coxsackievirus A and B, enteroviruses, adenovirus, and parvovirus B19. These viruses exert diverse influences on cardiovascular health through various pathways, contributing to endothelial dysfunction, inflicting direct damage on cardiac tissue, and triggering inflammatory responses. The intricate interplay between viral infections and cardiovascular health underscores the importance of considering viral pathogens within the framework of cardiovascular disease development, clinical management practices, and future research initiatives. This systematic review comprehensively scrutinizes the cardiovascular impacts stemming from various viral infections, casting a revealing light on their underlying mechanisms and associated clinical implications. These valuable insights can guide clinical management strategies, preventive measures and further investigations into the complex connection between viral infections and cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing the necessity for ongoing research and vigilance in comprehending and managing these pathogen-induced cardiac manifestations