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"Asif, Muhammad"
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Controlling air pollution by lowering methane emissions, conserving natural resources, and slowing urbanization in a panel of selected Asian economies
The destruction of the earth’s ecosystems is the most pressing issue globally. Carbon emissions account for nearly half of global air pollution. Methane is the primary source of ground-level ozone and a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs), with greater warming potential than carbon dioxide emissions. The study examines the impact of the different methane emissions (released by agriculture, energy, and industrial sectors), urbanization, natural resource depletion, and livestock production on carbon emissions in the panel of selected Asian countries for the period of 1971 to 2020. The results show that energy associated methane emissions, livestock production, natural resource depletion, and urbanization are the main detrimental factors of environmental degradation across countries. The causality estimates show the unidirectional relationship running from livestock production and agriculture methane emissions to carbon emissions, from total methane emissions and carbon emissions to urbanization and from urbanization to energy methane emissions and livestock production. The forecasting estimates suggest that total methane emissions, natural resource depletion, and urbanization will likely increase carbon emissions over the next ten years. The study concludes that the energy sector should adopt renewable energy sources in its production process to minimize carbon emissions. Urbanization and excessive resource exploitation must be curtailed to attain carbon neutrality.
Journal Article
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs), Structural Characterization, and their Antibacterial Potential
Background
In the field of nanotechnology, the metallic nanoparticles are of remarkable interest because of their unique electronic, magnetic, chemical, and mechanical properties.
Purpose:
In the present work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using bio-reduction method.
Research Design:
Silver nitrate was used as metallic precursor and the extract of Moringa oleifera leaves with different concentrations was used as reducing as well capping agent. The extract exhibited strong potential in rapid reduction of silver ions for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques.
Results:
The absorption SPR peaks appeared in the range of 415 to 439 nm. SEM analysis exhibited that particles were spherical in shape with size distribution range from 10 nm to 25 nm. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were pure crystalline in nature as confirmed by the XRD spectra with average crystallite size 7 nm. In vitro antibacterial activity of the prepared silver nanoparticles colloidal samples as well the extract was studied using different concentrations of AgNPs (C1 = 100 μg/ml, C2 = 50 μg/ml, C3 = 25 μg/ml) by well diffusion method against Gram negative Escherichia coli. The antibacterial performance was assessed by measuring the zone of inhibition (ZOI).
Conclusions
The results suggested that AgNPs prepared by green approach can be considered as an alternative antibacterial agent.
Journal Article
Carbamazepine as a Possible Anthropogenic Marker in Water: Occurrences, Toxicological Effects, Regulations and Removal by Wastewater Treatment Technologies
Carbamazepine (CBZ), a pharmaceutical compound, has been proposed as an anthropogenic marker to assess water quality due to its persistence in conventional treatment plants and widespread presence in water bodies. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review on sources and occurrences of CBZ in water bodies, as well as toxicological effects and regulations of the drug. Given the documented side effects of CBZ on the human body when taken medicinally, its careful monitoring in water is recommended. CBZ residues in drinking water may provide a pathway to embryos and infants via intrauterine exposure or breast-feeding, which may cause congenital malformations and/or neurodevelopmental problems over long term exposure. An in-depth technical assessment of the conventional and advanced treatment technologies revealed the inadequacy of the standalone technologies. Compared to conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor processes, effective removal of CBZ can be achieved by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. However, recent studies have revealed that harsh chemical cleaning, as required to mitigate membrane fouling, can often reduce the long-term removal efficiency. Furthermore, despite the efficient performance of activated carbon adsorption and advanced oxidation processes, a few challenges such as cost of chemicals and regeneration of activated carbon need to be carefully considered. The limitations of the individual technologies point to the advantages of combined and hybrid systems, namely, membrane bioreactor coupled with nanofiltration, adsorption or advanced oxidation process.
Journal Article
Molecular prevalence and phylogeny of Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma ovis and Theileria ovis in goats and sheep enrolled from a hill station in Punjab, Pakistan
Anaplasma marginale ( A . marginale ), Anaplasma ovis ( A . ovis ) and Theileria ovis ( T . ovis ) are among the most commonly reported intracellular tick borne pathogens that infect ruminants across the globe causing huge economic losses. This study aims to report the prevalence and phylogenetic evaluation of these three pathogens infecting sheep and goats (n = 333) that were enrolled from Fort Munro region in Pakistan by using msp1b , msp4 and 18S rRNA genes for A . marginale , A . ovis and T . ovis respectively. Results revealed almost similar infection rates in sheep and goats with an overall prevalence of 11% for A . marginale , 28% for A . ovis and 3% for T . ovis . Concurrent infection was also recorded, however, the number of animals infected with two pathogens (n = 24; 7.2%) was higher than infection with three pathogens (n = 2; 0.6%). Risk factor analysis revealed that sheep reared in small herds had higher A . marginale (P = 0.03) and A . ovis (P = 0.04) infection rates compared to those from large herds. In addition, it was observed that bucks (P ≤ 0.05) and tick-free goats (P ≤ 0.05) exhibited higher A . ovis infection rates than nannies. Phylogenetic analysis of all three pathogens showed that Pakistani isolates were clustered together and were closely related to previously deposited Pakistani isolates as well as with those that were reported from worldwide countries. In conclusion, we are reporting that Pakistani sheep and goats have A . marginale , A . ovis and T . ovis mediated infections and control measures should be taken against them to improve the productivity of the livestock sector.
Journal Article
Exploring the impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in public sector organizations: the mediating role of psychological empowerment
This study aims to investigate the effect of ethical leadership on employee attitudes (affective commitment and job satisfaction) and to examine the role of psychological empowerment as a potential mediator of these relationships. In total, 467 employees in Chinese public sector completed surveys across three separate waves. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test hypotheses. The paper found a positive relationship between ethical leadership and both employee attitudes and further reveals that psychological empowerment fully mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment while partially mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction. Testing of above relationships via a mediated approach is novel and contributes to the research on ethical leadership.
Journal Article
Numerical investigation for rotating flow of MHD hybrid nanofluid with thermal radiation over a stretching sheet
This research investigates the heat and mass transfer in 3-D MHD radiative flow of water based hybrid nanofluid over an extending sheet by employing the strength of numerical computing based Lobatto IIIA method. Nanoparticles of aluminum oxide (Al
2
O
3
) and silver (Ag) are being used with water (H
2
O) as base fluid. By considering the heat transfer phenomenon due to thermal radiation effects. The physical flow problem is then modeled into set of PDEs, which are then transmuted into equivalent set of nonlinear ODEs by utilizing the appropriate similarity transformations. The system of ODEs is solved by the computational strength of Lobatto IIIA method to get the various graphical and numerical results for analyzing the impact of various physical constraints on velocity and thermal profiles. Additionally, the heat transfers and skin friction analysis for the fluid flow dynamics is also investigated. The relative errors up to the accuracy level of 1e-15, established the worth and reliability of the computational technique. It is observed that heat transfer rate increases with the increase in magnetic effect, Biot number and rotation parameter.
Journal Article
Problem-Based Learning in Blended Classrooms: An Approach in Covid 19 Emergency Situation
This research paper, reports the findings of using problem-based learning approach in Blended Learning (BL) environment, while practicing grade 9 mathematical problems by fifty grade 9 students. This three week program was framed in contrast of traditional schooling, intending as enrichment and not remediation, for science group students’ practices in mathematics. The study was framed through formative experiment research method and practiced at public sector Higher Secondary School Jehangira district Swabi, aiming to explore the advantages and hazards of PBL model when applied in BL environment. The data was collected through an open ended self-developed questionnaire and was analyzed by using simple frequency distribution. The results achieved were mostly positive such as students found productive PBL approach through WhatsApp application like solving examples helped them in solving other problems, course work was completed timely, and using smart phone with peers in groups helped in better understanding the problems. But showed some concerns such as poor availability of network/internet services or non-affordability of having smart phone or internet packages, and parents showed unwillingness for using smart phone/internet. On the basis conclusion, it was suggested that these issues can be resolved by teaming up with parents alongside convincing head of the institute.
Journal Article
A Comprehensive Systematic Review: Advancements in Skin Cancer Classification and Segmentation Using the ISIC Dataset
The International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) datasets are pivotal resources for researchers in machine learning for medical image analysis, especially in skin cancer detection. These datasets contain tens of thousands of dermoscopic photographs, each accompanied by gold-standard lesion diagnosis metadata. Annual challenges associated with ISIC datasets have spurred significant advancements, with research papers reporting metrics surpassing those of human experts. Skin cancers are categorized into melanoma and non-melanoma types, with melanoma posing a greater threat due to its rapid potential for metastasis if left untreated. This paper aims to address challenges in skin cancer detection via visual inspection and manual examination of skin lesion images, processes historically known for their laboriousness. Despite notable advancements in machine learning and deep learning models, persistent challenges remain, largely due to the intricate nature of skin lesion images. We review research on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in skin cancer classification and segmentation, identifying issues like data duplication and augmentation problems. We explore the efficacy of Vision Transformers (ViTs) in overcoming these challenges within ISIC dataset processing. ViTs leverage their capabilities to capture both global and local relationships within images, reducing data duplication and enhancing model generalization. Additionally, ViTs alleviate augmentation issues by effectively leveraging original data. Through a thorough examination of ViT-based methodologies, we illustrate their pivotal role in enhancing ISIC image classification and segmentation. This study offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners looking to utilize ViTs for improved analysis of dermatological images. Furthermore, this paper emphasizes the crucial role of mathematical and computational modeling processes in advancing skin cancer detection methodologies, highlighting their significance in improving algorithmic performance and interpretability.
Journal Article
Idolization and ramification between globalization and ecological footprints: evidence from quantile-on-quantile approach
Globalization persists the tendency to alter numerous aspects of today’s world including religion, transport, language, living styles, and international relations; however, its potential to influence quality of environment is the prime concern for trade and environmental policies guidelines (Audi and Ali
2018
). In response to the growing interest for identifying the dynamic relationship between globalization and environmental performance, the present study seeks to investigate the critical link between globalization and ecological footprints in top 15 globalized countries between 1970 and 2016. Applying the novel methods of quantile-on-quantile regression (QQ) and Granger causality in quantiles, the findings examine the manners in which quantiles of globalization affect the quantiles of ecological footprints and vice versa. The empirical results suggest that globalization has a long-term positive effect on ecological footprint and vice versa in case of Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Canada, and Portugal. On the other hand, the estimated results indicate a negative effect between globalization and ecological footprint in the case of France, Germany, the UK, and Hungary. These results extend the recent findings on the globalization–environment nexus implying that the magnitude of relationship among both variables varies with countries demanding individual focus and cautions for postulating environmental and trade policies.
Journal Article