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This study investigates the challenges faced by Pakistani and Chinese English language instructors in developing communicative competence among senior high school students, and highlights the fundamental loopholes. Employing a thematic analysis within a qualitative comparative case study, the findings reveal learners' substandard prior knowledge as the biggest loophole in both Pakistan and China, which causes instructors to overuse local languages. There exists misalignment in curriculum, instruction, and assessment; consequently, the instructional practices are drastically examination-oriented producing rote-learners, and significantly hamper the development of communicative competence. Pakistani syllabi appear to be outdated. There is unavailability of modern linguistic resources in Pakistan while the Chinese instructors evade using them despite their availability. Chinese teacher-student interaction and Pakistani parental involvement are bleak. Findings suggest that respective governments should pay attention to their junior high school systems for developing students' prerequisite knowledge and implement leaner-centered instruction. Pakistani senior high school syllabi should be modified.

This study examines Pakistan's youth, who comprise more than 64% of the population, and their capacity for change and the implications for the country's future. It examines the current demographic trends, problems like the lack of meaningful employment opportunities, education and skill gaps, unemployment, and the potential benefits of this demographic boom. To maximize youth potential as a catalyst for economic growth, social progress, and innovation and avoid the youth bulge becoming a sociopolitical strain, the article emphasizes the urgent need for strategic interventions and comprehensive reforms in education, employment, health, and civic participation. The study offers suggestions and measures to turn the growing youth population into a significant asset for national development and draws lessons from international examples, particularly China. To make the rising population of youth an asset for Pakistan, several measures are required. Firstly, investing in quality education is crucial. By implementing policies that guarantee equal educational opportunities for all young individuals, irrespective of their socioeconomic status, we can effectively provide them with the essential competencies and information required to navigate the challenges of the forthcoming era. This includes promoting technical and vocational training programs to address the needs of the job market. Secondly, creating employment opportunities is essential. The government and private sector should work together to generate jobs and promote entrepreneurship. This can be achieved through supportive policies, incentives for businesses, and fostering a conducive environment for innovation and growth. Lastly, focusing on healthcare and social services is vital. By prioritizing the well-being of the youth, we can address issues such as malnutrition, healthcare access, and mental health support. This will not only improve their quality of life but also enable them to contribute effectively to the development of the nation. By implementing these measures, Pakistan can harness the potential of its growing youth population and transform them into an asset for the country's progress and prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine the co-movement between the two economic powers, namely the USA and China. The authors are mainly interested in examining the dynamics of co-movements during, and in the pre-covid periods. Additionally, they have aimed to examine the volatility spillover between USA and China, during and in the pre-covid periods. In order to achieve the research-based objectives, advanced econometrics models have been applied to the data from July1, 2010, to April 30, 2021. The results show that the sample market is integrated in the long run. The results also indicate that the behaviour of the Chinese market is same as the US market, and offers negligible opportunities for investors for diversification during this time. The findings indicate that the Ganger Causality between the stock markets during crisis is significantly higher than the pre-crisis period. The results of EGARCH model confirm the presence of asymmetric volatility spillover effects between the US and Chinese markets, during the considered time periods. This study also examines the co-movement in China, grounded upon the robust approach that facilitates examining the dependence structure between the sample variables. The findings offer valuable understanding for investors who are looking for investment diversification opportunities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in improving soil quality, however, how long-term fertilization influences SOC and contrasting active C (AC) and passive C (PC) pools at large scale remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of long-term fertilization on SOC, including AC and PC, across four typical croplands in China and to explore the potential relationships and mechanisms. Methods: We assessed the effect of chemical fertilizer and manure amendment (standard rate and 1.5 × standard rate of inorganic fertilizer (NPK) with or without manure (M), with a Control for comparison) at three soil depths (0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm) on SOC, AC and PC. Results: We found that SOC, AC and PC increased in the order NPK < NPKM < 1.5NPKM. 1.5NPKM resulting in a significant increase in SOC, AC and PC, of 76.3%, 53.0% and 108.5% respectively across the soil profile (0–60 cm) compared with Control. The response ratio of PC to long-term fertilization was 2.1 times greater than that of AC across four sites on average. In addition, clay was identified as the most important factor in explaining the response of AC and PC to different fertilization application. Conclusions: Long-term fertilization enhanced both AC and PC, but the greater response of PC suggests that fertilization application could enhance the stability of C and thus the potential of cropland for SOC accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was signed between China and Pakistan in the year 2013. This mega project connects the two countries to enhance their economic ties and give them access to international markets. The initial investment for the project was $46 billion with a tentative duration of fifteen years. Being an extensive project in terms of cost and duration, many factors and risks affect its performance. This study aims to investigate the effects of political (PR), social safety (SR), and legal risks (LR) on the project performance (PP) of the CPEC. It further investigates the significance of the host country's attitude towards foreigners (HCA). A research framework consisting of PR, SR, and LR as independent variables, PP as the dependent variable, and HCA as moderator is formulated and tested in the current study. In this quantitative study, the Likert scale is used to measure the impact of the assessed risks. A questionnaire survey is used as a data collection tool to collect data and test the research framework and associated hypotheses. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to perform the empirical test for validation of the study, with a dataset of 99 responses. The empirical investigation finds a negative relationship between PR, SR, LR, and PP. It is concluded that PR, SR, and LR negatively influence the PP of CPEC. Furthermore, HCA negatively moderates the PR, LR, and PP of CPEC. In contrast, the value of SR and PP is positive in the presence of the positive HCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Contemporary migrant workers from rural areas demonstrate high turnover behaviors in China and pose substantial threats to China's economic growth. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the causes of this short-term employment from the perspective of individual dispositions in terms of career adaptability. This study investigated organization embeddedness and organizational identification as underpinning mechanisms linking career adaptability to turnover intention. The hypotheses explanations were provided according to the Conservation of Resources theory. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 379 migrant workers from rural areas in the manufacturing sectors of China, and the structural equation modeling technique was used to find the range of outcomes. RESULTS: The empirical results demonstrate that career adaptability does not meaningfully predict turnover intention but is positively and significantly related to organization embeddedness and organizational identification. Organization embeddedness and organizational identification both negatively and significantly predicted turnover intention and also played as a conciliator in the association between career adaptability and turnover intention. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest management and human resource specialists can directly influence the turnover intention of contemporary rural migrant workers via paying attention to these two critical factors, namely, organization embeddedness and organizational identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic needs immediate solution before inflicting more devastation. So far, China has successfully controlled transmission of COVID-19 through implementing stringent preventive measures. In this study, we analyze the effectiveness of preventive measures taken in thirteen regions of China based on the feedback provided by 1135 international students studying in China. The study uses factor analysis combined with varimax rotation of variables. It was found that awareness raising and dispersing actionable knowledge regarding trust and adapting measures remained significantly important. Therefore, recognition of information gaps, improvements in the level of alertness, and development of preventive measures in each sector are imperative. The findings of this study revealed that trust, students' health, waste disposal, and the efforts of the Chinese government/international institute of education to prevent this pandemic were significantly and positively associated with preventive measures. The results showed that prior knowledge, global pandemics, and food and grocery purchases were firmly related to the preventive measures of COVID-19. Moreover, anxiety, transportation, and economic status were negatively related to the preventive measures. During this epidemic situation, international students suffered various types of mental stresses and anxiety, especially living in most affected regions of China. The study adopted a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) approach where the findings can act as a set of guidelines for governmental authorities in formulating, assisting in the preparation, instructing, and guiding policies to prevent and control the epidemic COVID-19 at national, local, and divisional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequence of pneumonia-causing diseases from the Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 spread quite rapidly. Just as we write this report, almost two and a half million verified cases were reported globally, and almost 180,000 people died.1 Experience from China reveals that COVID-19 outbreaks can be brought under control within 3 months, with highly efficient touch tracking and case isolation.2 Healthcare staff are at the forefront of treatment for COVID-19 cases and have a very large chance of exposure to the infection.3 Cuts in disposable gear and COVID-19 awareness are triggering infections in healthcare workers. 4 As of February 11, 2020, China has contaminated more than 1,700 health-care workers. In Italy, 2026 (9 percent) of the COVID-19 incidents happened in healthcare professionals (as of March 15). 5 But, 31 medical teams containing more than 42,000 nurses and doctors sent by the Hubei from other provinces did not have a reported infection. It indicates that sufficient information about the transmission of disease and the use of protective equipment and procedures to manage infections is necessary to avoid the spread of infection among health care staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important parameter determining soil fertility and sustaining soil health. How C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometric ratios (C/N/P) regulate the nutrient availability, and SOC stabilization mechanisms have not been comprehensively explored, especially in response to long-term fertilization. The present study aimed to determine how the long-term mineral and manure fertilization influenced soil C/N/P ratios and various protection mechanisms underlying the stabilization of OC along with profile in a cropland soil. Materials and methods: The soil was sampled from five depths, viz., 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm, 60–80 cm, and 80–100 cm, from plots comprising wheat-maize-soybean rotation system subjected to the long-term (35 years) manure and mineral fertilizer applications. Results and discussion: Results revealed that the soil C, N, P stoichiometry and their contents in topsoil depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) and subsoil depths (40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm) varied significantly (p < 0.01) among the soil layers. Compared with CK, the C, N, and P contents were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in NPKM in the topsoil layers, while M alone increased these contents throughout the subsoil. Overall, the C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometry decreased with the increase in depth. Regression analysis showed that C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios associated significantly with the OC fractions in the topsoil layers only. These negative correlations indicated that these ratios significantly influence the C stabilization in the surface layers. However, the results warrant further investigations to study the relationship between soil and microbial stoichiometry and SOC at various depths. Conclusions: Long-term manure applications improved the C sequestration not only in the topsoil but also in the deep layers; hence, these facts can be considered relevant for fertilizer recommendations in cropping systems across China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the dynamic interactive associations among sustainable investment in the energy sector, air pollution, and sustainable development. To this end, it employs a "one-step" system-generalized method of moments (GMM) and "one-step" differential-GMM estimators, covering the period between 1996 and 2017. In this context, it utilizes the simultaneous equations of the dynamic panel data model for panel data of 27 Chinese provinces and municipalities. We have developed a new model of sustainable development, which incorporates sustainable investment in the energy sector and air pollution to offer a robust theoretical foundation for considering the underlying relations. The system-GMM estimator is used for the full data set; however, differential-GMM is utilized for the subsets of data, in order to tackle the small sample bias problem. The empirical outcomes provide several vital insights in that they yield mixed findings for the aggregated sample and subsets of data. For example, a two-way causal relationship occurs for all the panels, except the central part (medium development regions), between sustainable investment in the energy sector and sustainable development. Contrary to this, causality runs from air pollution to sustainable investment in the energy sector in a full data set and the central part (medium dev.). Nevertheless, the opposite is true in the case of the eastern part (most developed regions) of China. Still, the same relationship runs in either direction in the case of the western part (least developed regions). On the other way around, the feedback hypothesis of causality is confirmed, across all the samples, between air pollution and sustainable development. Hence, sustainable development and air pollution are overwhelmingly interdependent, in the country as well as the province and municipality level of the Chinese economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial blight of cotton (BBC), which is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm), is a destructive disease in cotton. Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), encoded by tal-genes, play critical roles in the pathogenesis of xanthomonads. Characterized strains of cotton pathogenic Xcm harbor 8–12 different tal genes and only one of them is functionally decoded. Further identification of novel tal genes in Xcm strains with virulence contributions are prerequisite to decipher the Xcm-cotton interactions. Results: In this study, we identified six tal genes in Xss-V2–18, a highly-virulent strain of Xcm from China, and assessed their role in BBC. RFLP-based Southern hybridization assays indicated that Xss-V2–18 harbors the six tal genes on a plasmid. The plasmid-encoded tal genes were isolated by cloning BamHI fragments and screening clones by colony hybridization. The tal genes were sequenced by inserting a Tn5 transposon in the DNA encoding the central repeat region (CRR) of each tal gene. Xcm TALome evolutionary relationship based on TALEs CRR revealed relatedness of Xss-V2–18 to MSCT1 and MS14003 from the United States. However, Tal2 of Xss-V2–18 differs at two repeat variable diresidues (RVDs) from Tal6 and Tal26 in MSCT1 and MS14003, respectively, inferred functional dissimilarity. The suicide vector pKMS1 was then used to construct tal deletion mutants in Xcm Xss-V2–18. The mutants were evaluated for pathogenicity in cotton based on symptomology and growth in planta. Four mutants showed attenuated virulence and all contained mutations in tal2. One tal2 mutant designated M2 was further investigated in complementation assays. When tal2 was introduced into Xcm M2 and expressed in trans, the mutant was complemented for both symptoms and growth in planta, thus indicating that tal2 functions as a virulence factor in Xcm Xss-V2–18. Conclusions: Overall, the results demonstrated that Tal2 is a major pathogenicity factor in Xcm strain Xss-V2–18 that contributes significantly in BBC. This study provides a foundation for future efforts aimed at identifying susceptibility genes in cotton that are targeted by Tal2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is among the serious insect pests attacking citrus plants in Pakistan. The study was conducted to quantify the leaf area damage of eight citrus cultivars caused by mining activity of CLM during summer 2016. The total leaf area and mine area per leaf were calculated by the image analysis method using Sigma Scan Pro 5.0 software. The results of the present study showed that CLM generated larger mines; 1.64 cm2 on Grapefruit, 1.44 cm2 on Kinnow and 1.40 cm2 on Succari compared to other five cultivars. However, the percent leaf damage due to the feeding of CLM larvae was observed higher 44.2% on Fairchild, 36.5% on seedless Kinnow, 36.3% on Feutrell's early and 35.8% on Kinnow that showed great susceptibility to CLM. Smallest mines generated by CLM larvae were found on China Lemon and Succari showing the lowest damage percentage compared to other cultivars. Conclusively, the C. tangerines and C. mandarins were the most preferred cultivars by CLM larvae for feeding on the leaf surface. The image analysis method was accurate, relatively simple, easy and inexpensive to calculate the leaf area damage caused by CLM larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines stock market reaction to the announcement of various forms of seasoned issues in China. Our empirical evidence demonstrates that market reactions differ in ways that suggest a difference between management's internal assessment and the market's assessment of the stock price. The market responds unfavourably to the announcement, notably in the case of rights issues and also with regard to open offers. Private placements experience an unfavourable pre-announcement reaction, which contrasts with the favourable reaction after the event. Convertible bond issues generate positive excess returns consistent with the market's confidence that they can help to align management and shareholders' interests. Further investigation shows that market reaction is related to factors specific to the issuer and issue by reference to the period immediately surrounding the issue. Specifically, ownership concentration, agency matters connected with equity offerings, investor protection connected with fund allocation and security pricing, and the influence of powerful moneyed interests together provide an instructive insight into market reaction. Institutional inefficiency pertaining to underwriting, auditing, analysts' forecasts and credit ratings are found to have a weak association with market price, consistent with due public scepticism concerning management and their gatekeepers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalation of risks associated with environmental and climatic aspects has accelerated the introduction of voluntary personal carbon trading (PCT), a policy instrument for promotion and facilitation of low-carbon behavior in the domestic sector. This paper examines participants' motivation in the Guangdong pilot project, which aims to develop the first voluntary PCT scheme (Carbon Generalized System of Preferences, CGSP) in China to reduce the domestic sector's emissions and increase the liquidity of the Guangdong pilot emission trading scheme. The CGSP acceptance model is based on the technology acceptance model and explores the drivers of the public's participation willingness (PW) in the CGSP scheme. Further, the structural equation model has been adopted to explore the influence paths of each driver by using survey data (N = 1190) collected from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. The empirical results demonstrated that the strong and direct drivers are associated with the institutional technical environment, perceived usefulness and participation risk. However, other drivers affect PW through the mediation effect of perceived usefulness. Notably, implementation cost had no significant effect on PW. • An innovative voluntary personal carbon trading scheme in China was introduced. • A conceptual model was proposed to study the determinants of public acceptance. • Structural equation model was used to study the influence path of each determinant. • Both the direct and indirect paths of each determinant have been analyzed in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term fertilization has been recognized as a key factor controlling soil organic carbon (SOC) and crop yields at various scales. Therefore, the impact of long-term nutrient management on SOC contents, fractional distribution, C-mineralization, and crop productivity under maize mono-cropping was investigated in the present work. For this, a typical black soil in northeast China was collected and analysed to measure the organic carbon (OC) content in the bulk soil, the distribution and OC contents of the different SOC fractions including, coarse particulate organic carbon (cPOC) and free particulate organic carbon (fPOC), intra-aggregate particulate organic carbon (iPOC), free silt plus clay (s + c_f) and micro-aggregate derived silt plus clay (s + c_m), and the SOC mineralization dynamics under different fertilizer treatments. Treatments included: 1) unfertilized control (CK), 2) balanced mineral fertilization (NPK), 3) NPK combined with manure (MNPK), 4) NPK combined with high dose (1.5 times) of manure (1.5MNPK), and 5) NPK combined with crop straw (NPKS). Manure treatments (1.5MNPK and MNPK) led to the largest increase in the SOC content of bulk soil (97% for 1.5MNPK and 41% for MNPK respect to CK). In addition, the long-term fertilization improved the proportions of the cPOC, fPOC and iPOC, especially in the case of manure treatments. In this same way, in comparison to CK, manure treatments (1.5MNPK and MNPK) significantly increased the SOC contents in cPOC (by 96 and 57%, respectively), fPOC (by 146 and 91%, respectively), iPOC (by 160 and 113%, respectively), s + c_f (by 51 and 39%, respectively) and s + c_m (by 56 and 50%, respectively) fractions. Similarly, higher values of SOC mineralization were associated with the 1.5MNPK and MNPK treatments as compared to CK, NPKS, and NPK alone. Finally, the application of 1.5MNPK and MNPK resulted in the highest increase in maize grain yield and in straw biomass yield. Therefore, the results obtained clearly indicate that long-term fertilization using manure combined with mineral fertilizer is the best choice to improve the SOC sequestration and mineralization, as well as the crop yields. All these facts can be considered relevant from points of view related to environmental management, soil fertility, and cleaner crop production. [Display omitted] • 28 Years of organic and inorganic fertilization enhanced C-mineralization, corn biomass and physical protection of SOC. • cPOC was the primary fraction and physical protection was the main mechanism of SOC sequestration. • Manure application was the most influential strategy for enhanced crop biomass, C-mineralization and soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]