Unconditional cash transfers, health and savings.

This paper examines the relationship between a national unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) program, health and savings. We theoretically and empirically show that motives to save can be strong when cash transfers promote health outcomes. We first present a theoretical model that considers lifecycle-consumption savings decisions, where households derive utility from consumption and leisure time at working age, as well as old-age consumption and old-age longevity that positively depend on health spending. We then empirically examine the impact of Pakistan's Benazir Income Support Programme on various indicators of savings and provide suggestive evidence on how UCTs influence savings via health. We find that in the short and medium term, UCTs increase the probability that a household decides to save and have significant positive effects on the rates and amounts of household savings. The effects of UCTs are more pronounced on informal compared to formal savings. The results present exploratory and suggestive evidence that health is a mechanism through which UCTs transmit to savings. These findings are consistent with our theoretical predictions.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) along with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) utilized to enhance the capacitance of conducting polymers (PANI and PPy).

Hybrid composites of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and polyaniline (PANI)/polypyrrole (PPy) have been synthesized as cost-effective electrode materials for supercapacitors. We have produced MoS2 from molybdenum dithiocarbamate by a melt method in an inert environment and then used a liquid exfoliation method to form its composite with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and polymers (PANI and PPy). The MoS2 melt/GNP ratio in the resultant composites was 1 : 3 and the polymer was 10% by wt. of the original composite. XRD (X-ray diffraction analysis) confirmed the formation of MoS2 and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) revealed the morphology of the synthesized materials. The electrochemical charge storage performance of the synthesized composite materials was assessed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCCD) measurements. Resultant composites showed enhanced electrochemical performances (specific capacitance = 236.23 F g-1, energy density = 64.31 W h kg-1 and power density = 3858.42 W kg-1 for MoS2 melt 5 mPP at a current density of 0.57 A g-1 and had 91.87% capacitance retention after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles) as compared to the produced MoS2; thus, they can be utilized as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Polyaniline inside the pores of high surface area mesoporous silicon as composite electrode material for supercapacitors.

Mesoporous silicon (mSi) obtained by the magnesiothermic reduction of mesoporous silica was used to deposit polyaniline (PANI) in its pores, the composite was tested for its charge storage application for high performance supercapacitor electrodes. The mesoporous silica as confirmed by Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) has a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 724 m2g-1 and mean pore size of 5 nm. After magnesiothermic reduction to mSi, the BET surface area is reduced to 348 m2g-1 but the mesoporousity is retained with a mean pore size of 10 nm. The BET surface area of mesoporous silicon is among the highest for porous silicon prepared/reduced from silica. In situ polymerization of PANI inside the pores of mSi was achieved by controlling the polymerization conditions. As a supercapacitor electrode, the mSi-PANI composite exhibits better charge storage performance as compared to pure PANI and mesoporous silica-PANI composite electrodes. Enhanced electrochemical performance of the mSi-PANI composite is attributed to the high surface mesoporous morphology of mSi with a network structure containing abundant mesopores enwrapped by an electrochemically permeable polyaniline matrix.

Cash transfer program and willingness to pay for environmental services among the ultra-poor in Pakistan.

This study examines the impact of cash support from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) on willingness to pay for environmental services (WTPfES) among the ultra-poor in Pakistan using a quasi-experimental approach. We conduct empirical analysis using cross-sectional data of 1200 households by applying the regression discontinuity design (RDD) approach. The RDD-based empirical results show that BISP cash support positively impacts the willingness to pay for environmental services such as drinking water, sanitation, and waste disposal management services. The empirical analysis further depicts that cash assistance has a positive and significant impact on the willingness to participate in environmental services at the household and community levels. In addition, the additional income from the BISP helps families achieve better living standards and improve environmental services. The use of environmental services ultimately leads to better health among the target groups. The government may expand unconditional cash support to increase the use of quality environmental services.

A spatial-temporal decomposition of carbon emission intensity: a sectoral level analysis in Pakistan.

We examine the relative performance of the industry, services, and agriculture sectors in energy conservation and reduction in CO2 emissions in Pakistan using the "spatial-temporal decomposition" method by taken data from 2006 to 2016. An efficient way to achieve low-carbon economy targets is to decompose different factors contributing to CO2 emissions, including structure effect, intensity effect, GDP gap effect, energy use efficiency effect, and economic efficiency. We classify economic sectors into three groups based on performance, i.e., sectors performing below, average, and above-average performing. Our results indicate that the economic efficiency and energy use efficiency effects in the industry sector have remained above average. In contrast, the GDP gap effect has remained below average. In the case of structure effect and intensity effect, the agriculture sector has performed on average. In contrast, the service sector has shown mixed results in all factors. The government should pay special attention to energy use structure and innovation to improve desirable output technical efficiency to achieve the target carbon emission level.

Cash transfers and residential demand for electricity: insights from BISP, Pakistan.

We examine the causal impacts of the cash transfer program, namely the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), on residential demand for electricity among ultra-poor in Pakistan. We also analyze the effects of BISP cash transfers on a household's decision to acquire electrical appliances. The empirical analysis is based on the fuzzy regression discontinuity design (RDD) using primary data collected from 1200 households. We find that BISP cash transfer has a significant positive impact on electricity demand among the target group. The cash transfer positively affects the use of few essential electric appliances, such as a washing machine and refrigerator, but not all electrical appliances. The electricity demand mainly stems from the additional use of existing electrical devices. Therefore, the extra income from BISP may not allow the recipients to move up the electric appliances ladder. The provincial analysis shows that the impact of BISP cash transfers on electricity demand varies across provinces and the development level, signifying the importance of regional heterogeneities, such as electricity supply. The findings suggest that cash transfers may facilitate the transition from traditional to modern energy to overcome the rising pollution problem and protect health. The expansion in the cash transfer program demands continuous investment in the power sector to fulfill the growing need for electricity.

Simple, mild, one-step labelling of proteins with gallium-68 using a tris(hydroxypyridinone) bifunctional chelator: a 68Ga-THP-scFv targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen.

BACKGROUND: Labelling proteins with gallium-68 using bifunctional chelators is often problematic because of unsuitably harsh labelling conditions such as low pH or high temperature and may entail post-labelling purification. To determine whether tris(hydroxypyridinone) (THP) bifunctional chelators offer a potential solution to this problem, we have evaluated the labelling and biodistribution of a THP conjugate with a new single-chain antibody against the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), an attractive target for staging prostate cancer (PCa). A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) of J591, a monoclonal antibody that recognises an external epitope of PSMA, was prepared in order to achieve biokinetics matched to the half-life of gallium-68. The scFv, J591c-scFv, was engineered with a C-terminal cysteine. RESULTS: J591c-scFv was produced in HEK293T cells and purified by size-exclusion chromatography. A maleimide THP derivative (THP-mal) was coupled site-specifically to the C-terminal cysteine residue. The THP-mal-J591c-scFv conjugate was labelled with ammonium acetate-buffered gallium-68 from a 68Ge/68Ga generator at room temperature and neutral pH. The labelled conjugate was evaluated in the PCa cell line DU145 and its PSMA-overexpressing variant in vitro and xenografted in SCID mice. J591c-scFv was produced in yields of 4-6 mg/l culture supernatant and efficiently coupled with the THP-mal bifunctional chelator. Labelling yields > 95% were achieved at room temperature following incubation of 5 µg conjugate with gallium-68 for 5 min without post-labelling purification. 68Ga-THP-mal-J591c-scFv was stable in serum and showed selective binding to the DU145-PSMA cell line, allowing an IC50 value of 31.5 nM to be determined for unmodified J591c-scFv. Serial PET/CT imaging showed rapid, specific tumour uptake and clearance via renal elimination. Accumulation in DU145-PSMA xenografts at 90 min post-injection was 5.4 ± 0.5%ID/g compared with 0.5 ± 0.2%ID/g in DU145 tumours (n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: The bifunctional chelator THP-mal enabled simple, rapid, quantitative, one-step room temperature radiolabelling of a protein with gallium-68 at neutral pH without a need for post-labelling purification. The resultant gallium-68 complex shows high affinity for PSMA and favourable in vivo targeting properties in a xenograft model of PCa.

A 99mTc-labelled scFv antibody fragment that binds to prostate-specific membrane antigen.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is an extensively studied antigen for imaging prostate cancer. We prepared a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) of J591, a monoclonal antibody that recognises an external epitope of PSMA, incorporating a His-tag for labelling with Tc tricarbonyl, and evaluated its binding using human PCa cell lines. METHODS: J591(scFv) was expressed in HEK-293T cells and purified by metal ion affinity chromatography, followed by size exclusion chromatography. Stability and monomer/dimer ratios of purified scFv under different storage conditions were analysed by SDS-PAGE and analytical size exclusion chromatography. J591(scFv) was labelled with (Equation is included in full-text article.)at 37°C for 60 min. The stability of Tc-scFv in human serum was analysed by SDS-PAGE with autoradiography. Cell-binding studies were carried out using PC3LN3 (PSMA negative) and PC3LN3-PSMA (a variant engineered to express PSMA) cell lines. RESULTS: J591(scFv) was most stable to dimerisation on storage at -80°C compared with -20 and 4°C. Radiochemical yields of 85-90% were obtained with the final radiochemical purity of more than 99% after purification by gel filtration. In these small-scale studies, the maximum specific activity achieved was 7 MBq/µg. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed the formation of Tc-J591(scFv), which was radiochemically stable in serum, with no dissociation of Tc over 24 h. Cell-binding assays showed specific binding to PSMA-positive cells. CONCLUSION: J591(scFv) can be radiolabelled with (Equation is included in full-text article.)conveniently and efficiently. The labelled product was stable in serum. It showed selective binding to PSMA-positive cells compared with PSMA-negative cells. This potential radiotracer warrants evaluation in PCa xenograft models.

Efficient bifunctional gallium-68 chelators for positron emission tomography: tris(hydroxypyridinone) ligands.

A new tripodal tris(hydroxypyridinone) bifunctional chelator for gallium allows easy production of (68)Ga-labelled proteins rapidly under mild conditions in high yields at exceptionally high specific activity and low concentration.