Researchers in the field of sustainable management have recently dedicated significant efforts to understand why organizations exhibit diverse responses to environmental responsibilities. Ethical ...scholars assert that internal management plays a pivotal role in promoting sustainability because of its attitude toward sustainable issues. In alignment with this perspective, our study formulates a framework for internal monitoring that underscores the significance of independent, female, international, and politically connected directors. We investigate how these internal monitors influence a company's commitment to promote sustainable investments for pollution prevention. By employing fixed effect model and generalized method of moments (GMM) on a dataset obtained from the largest emerging market-China over the period 2012 to 2019, our findings indicate that the mentioned monitors demonstrate a stronger commitment to pollution prevention by promoting corporate sustainable investments. In addition, our analysis reveals that when the government withdraws its involvement in enterprises, it has a notable negative impact on the connection between internal monitors and a company's efforts in pollution prevention. Our results imply that implementation of sustainable policies for pollution prevention fundamentally result from not only internal management, but also from powerful stakeholders (like government involvement). Moreover, our study educates the policy makers regarding the social consequences of governmental withdrawal.
Assessing donor site pain after Iliac Crest Bone Graft Khan, Alamzeb; Jan, Asad Ullah; Ullah, Farman ...
Annals of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Karachi Medical & Dental College,
05/2022, Letnik:
27, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intensity of donor site pain after autogenous iliac crest bone graft harvest for arthrodesis of joints and non-union of fractures.
...Methodology: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Orthopedics Department of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital in Bannu. A total of 156 patients who underwent iliac crest bone graft harvest were included in the study. The frequency and intensity of donor site pain were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) after one month of postoperatively.
Results: Out of 156 patients, the majority were males (61.5%). The mean age and pain score observed in the enrolled patients was 34.7 ± 9.5 years and 2.24 ± 2.01, respectively. Mild pain was present at one-month follow-up postoperatively in 50.6% of the patients. The pain intensity was assessed in relation to gender and age; there was no significant difference in the mean VAS scores between males and females (p=0.45). Furthermore, stratification with respect to age also displayed no significant variation in the pain scores with respect to age (p=0.99).
Conclusion: Donor site pain remains significant morbidity associated with iliac crest bone graft, mild pain was observed in half of the enrolled cases, and only 23% were pain-free after one month of the surgery.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of ethical leadership in determining the organizations' individual-type ethical climate (self-interest, friendship, and personal morality ...ethical climate) in reducing employee turnover intention. It seeks to identify the role of individual-type climate in mediating the association between ethical leadership and employee turnover intention. Moreover, the moderation effect of emotional exhaustion among employees on the relationship between ethical leadership and turnover intention has been researched to establish the ethical degree of leadership. Using a sample of 260 questionnaires from employees working full-time in the banking sector, the results were analyzed in PLS-SEM. The results of the social exchange theory indicated that ethical leadership is vital in shaping the workplace's individual-type ethical climate and reducing employees' turnover intention. The findings demonstrate that the relationship between ethical leadership and turnover intention is mediated by an individual-type ethical climate, which means that employees in a positive ethical climate do not wish to leave immediately. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion was found to moderate the association between ethical leadership and employees' turnover intention under high emotional exhaustion, where low ethical leadership is experienced, reporting higher levels of turnover intention.
Power prediction is important not only for the smooth and economic operation of a combined cycle power plant (CCPP) but also to avoid technical issues such as power outages. In this work, we propose ...to utilize machine learning algorithms to predict the hourly-based electrical power generated by a CCPP. For this, the generated power is considered a function of four fundamental parameters which are relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, ambient temperature, and exhaust vacuum. The measurements of these parameters and their yielded output power are used to train and test the machine learning models. The dataset for the proposed research is gathered over a period of six years and taken from a standard and publicly available machine learning repository. The utilized machine algorithms are K-nearest neighbors (KNN), gradient-boosted regression tree (GBRT), linear regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), and deep neural network (DNN). We report state-of-the-art performance where GBRT outperforms not only the utilized algorithms but also all the previous methods on the given CCPP dataset. It achieves the minimum values of root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.58 and absolute error (AE) of 1.85.
Purpose
Islamic banking has undergone significant adaption since its inception. This study aims to investigate why and how Islamic banks adapt their services, using participatory financing as ...evidence.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study is designed, using working capital financing and commodity operations financing in Pakistan as analytical units. The data for each analytical unit is analyzed using a qualitative content analysis, while the findings are synthesized using a cross-case synthesis method.
Findings
Findings suggest that participatory financing has undergone extensive adaptation in the Islamic banking industry of Pakistan, in the wake of resolving constraints to participatory financing and increasing its viability. Consequently, participatory finance has emerged as an attractive and viable option in Pakistan. These findings suggest that unlike in the past, where Islamic banks used to buffer themselves from the environment and ignore the market demands, they have learned to respond effectively to the market demands and the challenges posed by the environment.
Research limitations/implications
Findings suggest that the adaptation strategy is more effective than the migration strategy, because it enables the financial service systems to reduce the underlying risks by avoiding emergent threats and eradicating the inherent weaknesses.
Originality/value
The extant literature provides a generalized view on the adaptation process that Islamic banks undergo to comply with their environment. However, it is limited in terms of conceptualizing the adaptations and innovations in their products and the underlying structural variations. The present study fills this gap.
Nonea micrantha Boiss. & Reut . being an unexplored member of Boraginaceae was investigated for GC/MS analysis, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory and antioxidant ...activities in an attempt to find its effectiveness in neurological disorders.
The AChE and BChE inhibitory activities of crude methanolic extract (Nm.Cr), subsequent fractions; n-hexane (Nm.Hex), chloroform (Nm.Cf), ethyl acetate (Nm.EtAc), aqueous (Nm.Aq) and crude saponins (Nm.Sp) from N. micrantha were conducted using Ellman's assay. The antioxidant activity of the plant samples using DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging potential following quantitative spectrophotometric and qualitative TLC method were also studied. Moreover the total reducing power (TRP) of all the samples was also figured out.
The GC/Ms analysis confirmed that the plant is rich in bioactive molecules. Among different fractions, Nm.Hex, Nm.EtAc and Nm.Cf exhibited highest AChE inhibitory activities causing 75.51 ± 0.73, 68.54 ± 0.59 and 63.48 ± 0.59% enzyme inhibition respectively and IC
of 44, 100 and 144 μg/mL respectively. In BChE inhibiton assay, Nm.Aq, Nm.Sp and Nm.Cr showed highest activity causing 83.49 ± 0.27, 81.49 ± 0.89 and 75.31 ± 0.56% enzyme inhibition with IC
of 90, 110 and 44 μg/mL respectively. In DPPH assay, Nm.Aq, Nm.Cf, Nm.Hex and Nm.Cr were most potent exhibiting IC
values of 3, 5, 93 and 120 μg/ml respectively. In ABTS assay Nm.EtAc, Nm.Aq, Nm.Sp and Nm.Cr showed IC
values of 60, 95, 100 and 150 μg/mL respectively. Likewise ABTS inhibition was most prominent for Nm.Sp, Nm.EtAc and Nm.Aq causing 78.26 ± 0.49, 67.67 ± 0.73 and 63.58 ± 0.45% inhibition respectively at 1 mg/mL. These results were further confirmed by qualitative screening using DPPH and ABTS staining.
Our anticholinesterase and antioxidant results signify the N. micrantha as a potential source of natural bioactive compounds. Moreover isolation of natural bioactive compounds from this plant may lead to novel drug candidates against neurodegenerative disorders.
The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), is one of the major crop pests and is a target for current pest control approaches using insecticides. In this study three cuticular protein genes ...CPG316, CPG860 and CPG4855 have been cloned from 0 h pupal integument of S. exigua through race PCR Strategy. The deduced amino acid sequences were found to contain the RR-2 consensus region of other insect cuticular proteins and construct phylogenetic trees for each protein. Using quantitative RT-PCR, the developmental expression of the three genes through several larval and the early pupal stages was studied. All three genes contribute to the endocuticle although CPG316 may have a different role from the other two genes. All three newly isolated genes were analyzed and their functions were determined by using direct injection of the dsRNA into early 5
instar larvae. All genes are expressed in the larvae and early pupae but in different patterns. Furthermore, phenotypic results show that these genes have differing effects on the development of cuticle, its flexibility and a big role in metamorphosis in both larval and pupal stages.
Display omitted
•Degradation of diclofenac was assessed successfully in water by gamma irradiation.•OH played important role in degradation of diclofenac.•Second order rate constants of diclofenac ...with OH was measured.•Organic and inorganic degradation by-products of diclofenac were detected.
Degradation of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac from aqueous media by means of gamma irradiation has been investigated. The results showed that concentration of diclofenac gradually decreased with increasing absorbed dose. When 4.5mgL−1 aqueous solution of diclofenac was irradiated for an absorbed dose of 1015Gy, nearly 97% degradation of diclofenac was achieved. The kinetic studies containing 4.5, 10.5, 14.0 and 18mgL−1 of diclofenac showed that degradation of diclofenac decreased with increase in initial concentration of diclofenac and follows pseudo – first order kinetics. The initial pH value of the solution also affected the degradation efficiency of diclofenac. The degradation efficiency was higher in N2O – saturated solution compared to aerated and N2 – saturated solutions. The radical scavengers like tert-butanol, iso-propanol as additives showed negative effect on the deagrdation of diclofenac. The quantitative role of reactive radical towards degradation of diclofenac was found to be in the order of OH>eaq−>H. The second order rate constant of OH radical with diclofenac was calculated to be 2.5×109M−1s−1. The addition of various water parameters as additives like nitrite, nitrate, carbonate and bicarbonate restrained the degradation efficiency of diclofenac. The removal of total organic carbon (TOC) was higher in case of N2O-saturated media than aerated and N2-saturated media. The organic and inorganic byproducts like 2,6-dicholorophenol, 4-chlorcatechol, hydroquinone, Cl−, NH4+, CH3COO− were qualitative and quantitavely determined.
Aphid infestations pose a significant threat to wheat production worldwide, leading to substantial yield losses. Understanding the variation in wheat genotype response to aphids’ infestation across ...different sowing dates is crucial for effective insect pest management approaches. In this study, we investigated the relative resistance of various wheat genotypes to aphid infestations under varying sowing dates over multiple growing seasons 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Cereal Crops Research Institute, Pirsabak, Nowshera, Pakistan. The objectives were to assess the impact of sowing date on aphid infestations and to identify wheat genotypes that exhibit consistent resistance to aphids. The results revealed significant variations in aphid infestations across different sowing dates, with early-sown (October) wheat genotypes; Khaista-17 and PR-123 having 5.53 and 5.22 aphids/tiller, respectively, experiencing higher aphid pressure among all sowing dates, while lower aphid infestation 1.91 and 2.30 aphids/tiller observed on PR-125 and PR-127 respectively in late-sown (January). In contrast, Khaista-17 and PR-126 sown in October attained higher yield (4041 and 3639 kg ha−1), while the same genotypes attained 448 and 441 kg ha−1 respectively, that late-sown at January 2019–20. Similarly, these genotypes, Khaista-17 and PR-131 with 4.44 and 4.31 aphids/tiller not only sustained lower aphid populations but also demonstrated minimal yield loss due to aphid damage during 2020–21. This research highlights the importance of considering sowing date as a critical factor in wheat-aphid interactions. Furthermore, this study offers valuable insights for pest management strategies aimed at mitigating aphid-related yield losses and improve overall wheat production sustainability.
PDF
