Stimulating environmental performance via green human resource management, green transformational leadership, and green innovation: a mediation-moderation model.

This study aims to evaluate the environmental performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through green human resource management (GHRM), green transformational leadership (GTFL), and green innovation (GI). This study is based on resource-based view theory and ability-motivation-opportunity theory. We collected data from 315 manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises using a survey questionnaire. We applied structural equation modeling using Smart partial least squares to analyze the collected data. Results of the study indicate that green ability and green motivation have a significant impact on environmental performance and green innovation mediates the relationship between GHRM practices and environmental performance. Findings also revealed that green transformational leadership's moderation strengthens the relationship between green ability and green innovation, but surprisingly weakens the relationship between green motivation, green opportunity, and green innovation. The paper provides a valuable understanding and novel approach for directors of SMEs in developing countries to improve their environmental performance through GHRM and green innovation.

An integrated model of UTAUT2 to understand consumers' 5G technology acceptance using SEM-ANN approach.

It has been a decade since the first extensive study on the internet's adoption and use was conducted. Circumstances have changed in the last decade internet has become an essential need for every human being. Socio-psychological, economic, and personal factors play a significant role in shaping human behaviour. But their role in shaping consumer behaviour toward 5G is still unexplored. In order to determine the impact of socio-psychological elements on 5G technology adoption intention, the study integrated curiosity, perceived value, functional value, and environmental awareness into UTAUT2 and analyzed how they interact. Instead of relying on linear models, this study employed a dual-stage SEM-ANN approach because customers' decision-making process to adopt new technology is complex. Valid responses from 840 respondents were collected, investigated, and ranked using the deep learning ANN approach. All predictors were found statistically significant except social influence. ANN sensitivity analysis revealed that newly integrated predictors (environmental awareness, curiosity) are surprisingly the most important predictors, followed by facilitating conditions and perceived satisfaction. SEM-ANN hybrid two-step deep learning approach explained 83.6% variance higher than the baseline model (UTAUT2). The study improved UTAUT2 by adding new variables and expanding its canvas to predict user technology adoption. This will show how consumers react to 5G services and help telecoms grow into new markets.

Does Public Awareness Matter to Achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water for Everyone?

United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal to provide clean water for everyone (SDG 6). The successful implementation of SDG 6 is still miles to go. Public awareness's role as a key factor in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 is vital but received less attention from researchers in the past. To understand the role of public awareness and other relevant factors in achieving SDG 6, we have collected a cross-sectional dataset from a developing country and applied a partial least square structural equation modelling approach. The results revealed that willingness to pay for clean water, social influence, and facilities provided by the government, public awareness, and knowledge about contaminated water positively influence the households' intentions to use clean water. We also found that public awareness partially mediates relationships. Study results have useful policy implications for governments, NGOs, and other stakeholder organizations working on achieving SDG 6 in developing countries.

Elongating Nexus Between Workplace Factors and Knowledge Hiding Behavior: Mediating Role of Job Anxiety.

PURPOSE: The study objective is to investigate the relationship between workplace ostracism, workplace incivility, and knowledge hiding behavior (evasive hiding, playing dumb, rationalized hiding) while considering the mediating role of job anxiety. METHODS: The study collected data through structured questionnaires from 275 participants (ie, employees) working in the small to medium-sized enterprise of five big cities of Pakistan. The study adopted a structured equation modeling technique for data analysis. RESULTS: Significantly, the study results suggest a positive effect of workplace ostracism and workplace incivility on employees' knowledge hiding behavior, and job anxiety significantly mediates the relationship between workplace ostracism, workplace incivility, and knowledge hiding behavior of employees. CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the need to examine the personality disposition for understanding the relationship between the variables (eg, workplace ostracism, workplace incivility, knowledge hiding behavior). Employees' inappropriate behavior had suppressed by initiating a campaign for a realistic job preview, setting an exceptional example. The study significantly contributes to the current literature on knowledge hiding behavior by presenting valuable insight into organizational and individual variables, subsequently influencing the knowledge hiding behavior of individuals. Indeed, this study is the first to investigate the predictive effect of the proposed variables.

Impact of Role Conflict on Intention to Leave Job With the Moderating Role of Job Embeddedness in Banking Sector Employees.

This study investigates why some employees intend to leave their jobs when facing conflict between family responsibilities and job routines. The present study also reveals the moderating role of on-the-job embeddedness between role conflict and intention to leave the job. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the paper investigates the buffering effect of the three on-the-job embeddedness components (fit, links, and sacrifice). Data were collected from banking officers because most of the employees have to face role conflict between family and job responsibilities, as banking is considered among the most stressful jobs. Collected data were analyzed by applying structural equation modeling. Results indicate that the role conflict significantly influences intention to leave the job. Furthermore, the study shows that on-the-job embeddedness moderates the relationship between role conflict and intention to leave. The results suggest that organizations can reduce turnover intention during times of work and life conflict by developing employee on-the-job embeddedness. This study provides some insights to managers on why many employees leave their jobs and how to overcome this problem. Management should also offer extra and available resources in periods of greater tension to minimize early thinking regarding quitting.

Role of Social Media Marketing Activities in Influencing Customer Intentions: A Perspective of a New Emerging Era.

The aim of this study is to explore social media marketing activities (SMMAs) and their impact on consumer intentions (continuance, participate, and purchase). This study also analyzes the mediating roles of social identification and satisfaction. The participants in this study were experienced users of two social media platforms Facebook and Instagram in Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. We used an online community to invite Facebook and Instagram users to complete the questionnaire in the designated online questionnaire system. Data were collected from 353 respondents, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Results show that SMMAs have a significant impact on the intentions of users. Furthermore, social identification mediates the relationship between social media activities and satisfaction, and satisfaction mediates the relationship between social media activities and the intentions of users. This will help marketers how to attract customers to develop their intentions. This is the first novel study that used SMMAs to address the user intentions with the role of social identification and satisfaction in the context of Pakistan.

Abusive Supervision and Its Impact on Knowledge Hiding Behavior Among Sales Force.

The purpose of this study is to test the relationship between abusive supervision and employee's knowledge hiding behavior (evasive hiding, playing dumb, rationalized hiding) among sales force of insurance companies in Pakistan. The paper also strives to theoretically discuss and then seek empirical evidence to the mediational paths of psychological contract breach that explain the focal relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge hiding. To test the proposed hypotheses, the study draws cross-sectional data from sales force of insurance companies working in Pakistan. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and using convenient sampling technique. The final sample of 340 valid and complete responses analyzed using structured equation modeling (partial least square) approach. Results showed that abusive supervision is positively related to employee's knowledge hiding behaviors. Also, mediating variable psychological contract breach partially mediates the abusive supervision-knowledge hiding behavior linkage. Current study has tested the positive relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge hiding behaviors unlike most of the previous investigations that have focused on knowledge sharing behavior. The study also empirically investigated the mediational route of psychological contract breach, that explains the blame attributed by the beleaguered employee that led to covert retaliatory behavior, such as knowledge hiding. This paper contributes to knowledge hiding literature which is an important part of knowledge management from the perspective of abusive supervision based on both reactance theory and SET theory.

Mediating Role of Green Supply Chain Management Between Lean Manufacturing Practices and Sustainable Performance.

Manufacturing companies in today's industrial world are seeking to use the new manufacturing process methods. The primary goal of corporations is to achieve optimum production while deploying minimal capital. The fundamental purpose of this study is to examine the influence of various lean manufacturing practices on the sustainability performance of companies and the mediating role of green supply chain management (GSCM). The data was gathered using questionnaires from 250 Pakistani manufacturing firms and analyzed using AMOS 25. Results demonstrate that process and equipment, product design, supplier relationships, and customer relationships significantly affect sustainable performance. It is also recognized that Green Supply Chain Management mediates the interaction between HR processes, product design, supplier relationship, customer relationship, and environmental performance. The findings of this study will enable managers and decision-makers of manufacturing companies to increase sustainable efficiency and reduce waste through the use of lean manufacturing and GSCM implementation.

Design and Development of a Wideband Planar Yagi Antenna Using Tightly Coupled Directive Element.

In this paper, a novel concept on the design of a broadband printed Yagi antenna for S-band wireless communication applications is presented. The proposed antenna exhibits a wide bandwidth (more than 48% fractional bandwidth) operating in the frequency range 2.6 GHz-4.3 GHz. This is achieved by employing an elliptically shaped coupled-directive element, which is wider compared with other elements. Compared with the conventional printed Yagi design, the tightly coupled directive element is placed very close (0.019λ to 0.0299λ) to the microstrip-fed dipole arms. The gain performance is enhanced by placing four additional elliptically shaped directive elements towards the electromagnetic field's direction of propagation. The overall size of the proposed antenna is 60 mm × 140 mm × 1.6 mm. The proposed antenna is fabricated and its characteristics, such as reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and gain, are compared with simulation results. Excellent agreement between measured and simulation results is observed.

Identification and growth optimization of a Marine Bacillus DK1-SA11 having potential of producing broad spectrum antimicrobial compounds.

Control of harmful bacteria in food, aquaculture, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, hospitals and recreation water pools are of great global concern. Marine bacteria are an enormous source of bio-controlling agents. The aim of this study was to identify and optimize the growth conditions including effect of different biotic and abiotic factors on antimicrobial activity of strain DK1-SA11 isolated from Qingdao Bay of China Yellow Sea. Microscopic characterization, API® 20E and 50 CHB kit base carbohydrates utilization, 16S rDNA and DNA gyrB gene sequencing studies identified the bacterium as Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii DK1-SA11. Antimicrobial spectrum of cell free supernatant (CFS) has shown antimicrobial activities against all test strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli O157:H7, Candida albicans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, E. coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae. Among all the media tested, Marine Broth 2216 was found to be the best medium for bacterial growth and production of antibacterial compounds. The other optimum conditions for growth were pH:7 and incubation temperature: 25°C with < 180 rpm for 60-72 h. Out of 49 different carbohydrates tested, D-mannose increases the antibacterial activity by 33.3% while D-arabitol decreases it by 44.4%. Crude CFS showed activity even after three months of storage below -20°C and boiling for 10 min, whereas it loses 100% of its antimicrobial activity after enzymatic treatments of lipase, trypsin and papain. The production of antimicrobial compounds and broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against all tested pathogens suggested that the strain DK1-SA11 can be used as a source for probiotics, synbiotics and antibiotics.

World Health Organisation Global Disability Action Plan 2014-2021: Challenges and perspectives for physical medicine and rehabilitation in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an update on disability and outline potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization Global Disability Action Plan (GDAP) in Pakistan. METHODS: A 6-day workshop at the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad facilitated by rehabilitation staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. Local healthcare professionals (n = 33) from medical rehabilitation facilities identified challenges in service provision, education and attitudes/approaches to people with disabilities, using consensus agreement for objectives listed in the GDAP. RESULTS: Respondents agreed on the following challenges in implementing the GDAP: shortage of skilled work-force, fragmented healthcare system, poor coordination between acute and subacute healthcare sectors, limited health services infrastructure and funding, lack of disability data, poor legislation, lack of guidelines and accreditation standards, limited awareness/knowledge of disability, socio-cultural perceptions and geo-topographical issues. The main facilitators included: need for governing/leadership bodies, engagement of healthcare professionals and institutions using a multi-sectoral approach, new partnerships and strategic collaboration, provision of financial and technical assistance, future policy direction, research and development. CONCLUSION: The barriers to implementing the GDAP identified here highlight the emerging priorities and challenges in the development of rehabilitation medicine and GDAP implementation in a developing country. The GDAP summary actions were useful planning tools to improve access and strengthen rehabilitation services.

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography method with post-column derivatization for the detection of aflatoxins in cereals and grains.

A novel, reliable and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with post-column derivatization was developed and validated. The HPLC method was used for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) in various cereals and grains. Samples were extracted with 80:20 (v/v) methanol:water and purified using C18 (40-63 µm) solid-phase extraction cartridges. AFs were separated using a LiChroCART-RP-18 (5 µm, 250 × 4.0 mm(2)) column. The mobile phase consisted of methanol:acetonitrile:buffer (17.5:17.5:65 v/v) (pH 7.4) delivered at the flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1) The fluorescence of each AF was detected at λex = 365 nm and λem = 435 nm. All four AFs were properly resolved within the total run time of 20 min. The established method was extensively validated as a final verification of the method development by the evaluation of selectivity (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.9994), precision (average SD ≤ 2.79), accuracy (relative mean error ≤ -5.51), robustness (p < 0.0080), ruggedness (p < 0.0100) and average recoveries (89.2-97.8%). The limits of quantification of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 were 0.080, 0.073, 0.062 and 0.066 ng g(-1), respectively. Finally, the developed method was applied for the analysis of AFs in 45 samples comprising rice (n = 20), wheat (n = 15) and maize (n = 10). The results showed that 65% of rice, 20% of wheat and 80% of maize samples were found contaminated with AFs. Thus, according to the achieved results, it is suggested that the newly developed HPLC method could be effectively applied for the routine analysis of the AFs in different cereals and grains.

Binding effect of proline-rich-proteins (PRPs) on in vitro antimicrobial activity of the flavonoids.

The interaction of the cyanidin, pelargonidin, catechin, myrecetin and kaempferol with casein and gelatin, as proline rich proteins (PRPs), was studied. The binding constants calculated for both flavonoid-casein and flavonoid-gelatin were fairly large (10 (5) -10 (7) M (-1) ) indicating strong interaction. Due to higher proline content in gelatin, the binding constants of flavonoid-gelatin (2.5 × 10 (5) -6.2 × 10 (7) M (-1) ) were found to be higher than flavonoid-casein (1.2 × 10 (5) -5.0 × 10 (7) M (-1) ). All the flavonoids showed significant antibacterial activity against the tested strains. Significant loss in activity was observed due to the complexation with PRPs confirming that binding effectively reduced the concentration of the free flavonoids to be available for antibacterial activity. The decline in activity was corresponding to the values of the binding constants. Though the activities of free catechin and myrecetin were higher compared to pelargonidin, cyanidin and kaempferol yet the decline in activity of catechin and myrecetin due to complexation with casein and gelatin was more pronounced.

Binding effect of proline-rich-proteins (PRPs) on in vitro antimicrobial activity of the flavonoids

The interaction of the cyanidin, pelargonidin, catechin, myrecetin and kaempferol with casein and gelatin, as proline rich proteins (PRPs), was studied. The binding constants calculated for both flavonoid-casein and flavonoid-gelatin were fairly large (105–107 M−1) indicating strong interaction. Due to higher proline content in gelatin, the binding constants of flavonoid-gelatin (2.5 × 105–6.2 × 107 M−1) were found to be higher than flavonoid-casein (1.2 × 105–5.0 × 107 M−1). All the flavonoids showed significant antibacterial activity against the tested strains. Significant loss in activity was observed due to the complexation with PRPs confirming that binding effectively reduced the concentration of the free flavonoids to be available for antibacterial activity. The decline in activity was corresponding to the values of the binding constants. Though the activities of free catechin and myrecetin were higher compared to pelargonidin, cyanidin and kaempferol yet the decline in activity of catechin and myrecetin due to complexation with casein and gelatin was more pronounced.

Evaluation of nutritional and sub-acute toxicological study of plant based supplement of Achyranthes aspera.

The present study was conducted for the nutritional, microbiological and toxicological evaluation of test compound having main ingredient Achyranthes aspera. Nutritional value assessment, microbiological analysis and toxicological studies were conducted according to the standard reported methods which exhibited that A. aspera contains moisture 4.05%, proteins 20.54%, fats 0.903%, ash 20.25%, carbohydrates 54,26% and energy 294 Kcal. Vitamin profile was found to be B(1) 0.27mg/100g, B(2) 0.28mg/100g, B(3) 0.58mg/100g, B(6) 0.27mg/100g and B(9) 39µg/100g. The content of sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chloride and phosphorus was found to be 1119.67, 5385.23, 5446.08, 1343.6, 675880.73 and 1447.5mg/kg respectively and trace metals i.e. iron, copper, zinc, manganese and aluminum were detected as 283.05, 8.062, 48.37, 16.12 and 9.853 mg/kg respectively. The microbiological result indicated that the compound qualifies the international standards of microbial limit and was found free from Salmonella species. The toxicological study was conducted to find safe use of Achyranthes aspera compound in human as a nutritive supplement in blood disorders. The toxicity studies exhibited that the test compound has a good effect on general health as an increase in body weights of animals of test group was noticed as compared to that of control group. Blood parameters before and after the study were monitored which confirms our hypothesis by showing an increase in hemoglobin from 9.133 to 10.96, RBC count from 3.11 to 3.6, WBC count from 5.68 to 5.73 and platelets from 245 to 319.

Aflatoxins contamination in Pakistani brown rice: a comparison of TLC, HPLC, LC-MS/MS and ELISA techniques.

Advancement in the field of analytical food-chemistry has explored various experimental techniques for aflatoxins (AFs) quantification. The present study was aimed to compare four different techniques; thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) in brown rice (n = 120) being collected from Karachi, Pakistan. All the four assays provide precised, accurate and comparable results. However, some differences were observed. For instance, TLC, HPLC and LC-MS/MS methodologies offered the advantage of the quantification of individual toxins in contrast to ELISA technique. The contamination ranges of AFB1/AFB2 as determined by TLC, HPLC and LC-MS/MS were 1.18-9.97/0.59-1.52, 0.16-10.54/0.26-1.35 and 0.11-10.88/0.38-1.48 µg/kg, respectively. However, AFG1 and AFG2 were not detected in any tested samples. Furthermore, owing to low-detection limit and sensitivity, HPLC and LC-MS/MS methodologies have identified greater number of contaminated samples in comparison to TLC and ELISA techniques. The overall average results of total AFs as provided by HPLC (3.79 µg/kg) and LC-MS/MS (3.89 µg/kg) were found higher in comparison to TLC (3.68 µg/kg) and ELISA (3.70 µg/kg). On the basis of achieved results, it was concluded that TLC, HPLC, LC-MS/MS and ELISA techniques are valuable tool for the quantification of AFs in cereals and grains. Furthermore, HPLC and LC-MS/MS techniques offer an added advantage for the detection of AFs in diminutive levels.

Separation of polyhydroxyalkanoates-producing bacterial strains using PHA synthase gene and their evaluation for PHA deposition

In this study, a variety of samples were screened for the presence of PHA synthase gene. Results showed that 16 out of 102 isolated were positive for PHA respective genes. The highest prevalence was observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The capability of PHA production was also shown by growing these strains on the defined medium and subsequent analysis using intracellular granules staining and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The microscopic analysis showed that the positive strains accumulated PHA in the cell. The FT-IR analysis showed the presence of PHA peaks in the dried cells as well as in extraction product. P aeruginosa strain P7 showed higher concentration of PHA compared to the others as demonstrated by the highest respective peaks in FT-IR.

Study to evaluate the impact of heat treatment on water soluble vitamins in milk.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of domestic boiling practice on the contents of water soluble vitamins of loose milk and quantitative comparison of these vitamins in Ultra High Temperature (UHT) treated packaged milk with that of boiled loose milk. METHODS: Loose milk samples were collected from various localities of Karachi city (Pakistan). These samples were boiled in simulated household conditions for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. Ultra High Temperature (UHT) treated packaged milk samples of various brands were obtained from the local market. The aliquots were analyzed for water-soluble vitamins using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique. The mean values and standard deviations for data were computed and compared as well as level of variations were also determined. RESULTS: Conventional boiling caused destruction of water soluble vitamins in milk i.e. vitamin 81 content in fresh milk decreased from 0.037 mg/100 g to 0.027 mg/100 g after 15 min boiling, whereas vitamin B2 from 0.115 to 0.084 mg/100 g, vitamin B3 0.062 to 0.044 mg/100 g, vitamin B6 0.025 to 0.019 mg/100 g and folic acid 3.38 to 2.40 microg/100 g. This accounted for a post-boiling decrease of about 27, 27, 29, 24 and 36% in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and folic acid respectively. The values for vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and folic acid determined in boiled milk were significantly lower than UHT treated packaged milk samples by 25.9, 75.0, 54.5, 63.16 and 38.1% respectively. CONCLUSION: Conventional boiling caused drastic reduction in vitamin levels of loose milk samples. In comparison to this, UHT milk retained high levels of water soluble B-vitamins. Thus it could be envisaged that UHT treated milk provides better water soluble vitamins' nourishment than conventionally boiled milk (JPMA 60:909; 2010).

Anti-allergic effects of ethanol extracts from brown seaweeds / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Ethanol extracts of brown seaweeds from Pakistan and China were isolated and compared for their antiallergenic activities. They included Sargassum tennerimum (ST) and Sargassum cervicorne (SC) from Pakistan, and Sargassum graminifolium turn (SG), Sargassum thunbergii (STH), and Laminaria japonica (LJ) from China. The ethanol extracts of these brown seaweeds were optimized at 85% (v/v) ethanol for the maximum yield of phlorotannin, an inhibitor against hyaluronidase. Total phlorotannins contained in the crude extracts were measured as 1.71% (SG), 0.74% (STH), 0.97% (LJ), 3.30% (SC), and 5.06% (ST). The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of Pakistani SC and ST were 109.5 and 21 microg/ml, respectively, lower than those of Chinese SG, STH, and LJ (134, 269, and 148 microg/ml, respectively). An antiallergic drug, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), had an IC(50)=39 microg/ml, and a natural inhibitor of hyaluronidase, catechin, had an IC(50)=20 microg/ml. The IC(50) of ST extract was found similar to that of catechin (21 vs 20 microg/ml) and lower than that of DSCG (21 vs 39 microg/ml). This suggests that ST is a potent inhibitor of hyaluronidase, indicating a promising future development of natural antiallergic medicines or functional foods.

Brain death and related issues.

Concerns about the erroneous diagnosis of death and premature burial have been expressed from times immemorial. Patients with brain stem death have absolutely no chance of recovery. brain death is considered at par with death in most of the countries. General public in most parts of the world shows reluctance to accept this concept due to different social, cultural and religious backgrounds and state of literacy and awareness. The criteria for the diagnosis of brain death have been established which include certain pre-conditions, exclusions and tests of the brain stem function. These criteria are universally accepted. The criteria in children are somewhat different from the adults. The subject is intimately related with organ transplantation. If the patient is registered as organ donor or the family consents, organs can be harvested from brain dead patients for transplantation. Pakistan is amongst the few countries where no legislation exists to accept brain death as being at par with death of an individual, and to facilitate and regulate, cadaveric organ donation and transplantation.