Pakistan being an agricultural country is raising 146.5 million commercial and domestic poultry birds which generate around 544,831 tons of waste. This waste finds its final disposal in agricultural land as soil fertilizer or disposal site amendment. The uncontrolled use of poultry litter for this purpose results in environmental impacts such as the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas. However, other options like thermochemical conversion of this waste can offer a better solution wherein poultry litter can be used as low-cost carbon sources for the synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs). In this study, efforts have been made to utilize this cheap and plenty of available carbon source for synthesis of CNTs in the presence of Ni/Mo/MgO as a catalyst, through pyrolysis. The optimum mole ratio of catalyst (4:0.2:1) was found to yield more carbon product. Furthermore, process parameters such as temperature, time, polymer & catalyst weight were also optimized. The best possible process parameters that resulted (pyrolysis time (12 min), temperature (825◦C), and catalyst weight (100 mg) good yield of CNTs . The structure and morphology of produced nanotubes were confirmed through X-ray Diffractometer (X-RD) & Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The environmental application of the nanotubes was tested in synthetic chromium solution in the lab using a batch experiment. Different experimental conditions (pH, adsorbent dosage and contact time) were optimized to enhance the adsorption of Cr (VI) by carbon nanotubes and UV-Visible spectrophotometer was used at 540nm to measure the absorbance of Cr (VI). Results show that up to 81.83% of Cr (VI) removal was achieved by using 8 mg of CNTs at pH 3 with 400 rpm at 180 min of contact time. Thus, it was concluded that poultry litter can be a useful source for the synthesis of CNTs and thereby removal of Cr (VI) from industrial tanneries wastewater.

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is the largest distance learning institute of Pakistan and providing education to 1.4 million students. This is fairly a large setup across the country where students are geographically distributed. Currently the system works on a manual approach which is not efficient. Allocation of tutors and study centers to students plays a key role in distance learning for a better learning environment. Assigning tutors and study centers to distance learning students is a challenging task when there is huge geographical spread. The utilization of geospatial technologies in open and distance learning can fix allocation problems. This research analyzes the real data of twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The results show that the geospatial technologies can be used for efficient and proper resource utilization and allocation, which in turn can save the time and money. The overall idea fits into improved distance learning framework and related analytics.

In recent years, the digital economy has played an increasingly important role in enhancing productivity, fostering growth, and facilitating the emergence of digital banking. With the widespread adoption of digital financial services for financial inclusion, the banking sector is experiencing a demand for digital transformation. It is important to note that despite the many advantages of this change, it also disrupts the familiar banking experience that customers have grown to expect, as well as introducing potential risks to maintaining customer protection at previous levels. Many critics have raised concerns regarding customer protection and potential exposure to various risks that may arise from digital financial services, which may result in both financial and non-financial losses. These risks can impact customer retention as dissatisfied customers may switch to alternative service providers. Additionally, reputation can be affected since merely offering digital financial services may not sufficiently safeguard customers. To remain competitive, financial institutions must deliver a secure experience that aligns with customer expectations while considering economic factors and societal needs. This is why it is essential to comprehend the severity of the risk factors that influence the protection of customers in the realm of digitalized banking services and products. In this study, five factors have been identified that influence customer protection when using digital financial services in Pakistan. Based on the analysis conducted using SmartPLS, it appears that all the factors proposed in this study have a significant and positive impact on the protection of customers. In particular, the information provided remains of paramount importance when it comes to determining the level of protection that a customer is entitled to within digital financial services, followed by responsiveness, privacy, authentication, and encryption mechanisms. Due to these findings, the implementation of enhanced information security management principles becomes imperative for the development and progress of the Pakistani digital banking industry.

Water stress (WS) and heat stress (HS) have a negative effect on soybean plant growth and crop productivity. During WS, soybean plants opt for survival through ion homeostasis and the conformations of proteins are disconcerted as plant cells lose water while HS leads to difficulties in flowering and fruiting. Some of these changes include oxidative stress leading to the destruction of photosynthetic apparatus, macromolecules within cells and the onset of complex signaling cascades. Changes in the physiological characteristics, proteome, and certain metabolites investigated on molecular and cellular functions were studied in two soybean cultivars exposed to different heat and water stress conditions independently and in combination. Leaf protein composition was studied using 2-DE and complemented with MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. While two cultivars displayed genetic variation in response to water and heat stress, thirty-nine proteins were significantly altered in their relative abundance in response to WS, HS and combined WS+HS in both cultivars; a majority of them involved in metabolism, response to heat and photosynthesis showing significant cross-tolerance mechanisms. Functional analysis revealing a majority of heat responsive-proteins were more abundant during HS and combined stress (WS+HS) whereas these proteins were low to WS in cultivar PI 471938 and heat shock proteins were in low abundance to water, heat and combined stresses in cultivar R95-1705. Most protein abundances were not correlated with their expression at mRNA levels in PI cultivar, however, in cultivar R 95, the expression levels of transcript follow their relative abundance in proteins. Our systems bioinformatics analyses revealed that MED37C, a probable mediator of RNA polymerase transcription II protein showed potential interacting partners in Arabidopsis and our studies signifies the marked impact of this protein in PI cultivar. Elevated activities in antioxidant enzymes indicate that the PI-371938 cultivar has the ability to restore the oxidation levels and sustain the plant during the stress. Our study hypothesizes the plant’s development of cross-stress tolerance which will help foster the ongoing ventures in genetic modifications in stress tolerance.

In Pakistan, 2018 National Nutrition Survey reported 40% of under five children were stunted. This study assesses the effectiveness of nutritional supplementation in reducing stunting among under-five children in two rural districts in Sindh, Pakistan. This was a mixed-method quasi-experimental study with intervention and control population. 3397 and 3277 under-five children participated in the baseline and end-line surveys. Both study areas were matched for demographic and economic circumstances. The participants received nutrient supplements underpinned by nutrition behaviour change communication for appropriate complementary feeding practices and hand hygiene targeted at primary caregivers during the first 1000 days of an infant's life. The impact was assessed using the difference in difference analysis with kernel propensity score matching to adjust the differences among control and intervention populations.