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Abstract This pilot study measured Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) and calculated the corresponding Air Quality Index (AQI) in Peshawar. Using Libelium wireless sensors, the research measured outdoor TRAP and monitored indoor air quality for 48 days. The maximum outdoors daily mean concentration was 47 µg m−3 for PM1, 90 µg m−3 for PM2.5, 356 µg m−3 for PM10, 258 ppb for SO2, and 219 ppb for NO2, respectively. This corresponds to PM2.5 AQI of 158 (Unhealthy), PM10 AQI of 148 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups; USG), SO2 AQI of 181 (Unhealthy), and NO2 AQI of 123 (USG). The maximum daily average concentration for the indoor condition was 31 µg m−3 for PM1, 49 µg m−3 for PM2.5, 78 µg m−3 for PM10, 465 ppb for SO2, and 247 ppb for NO2, respectively. The corresponding AQI was 135 (USG) for PM2.5, 62 (Moderate) for PM10, 254 (Very Unhealthy) for SO2, and 129 (USG) for NO2. Data analysis shows that about 73% of the overall indoor AQI falls in the category of “USG”, while SO2 was the largest contributor to overall AQI. The study concludes that indoor AQI was slightly better than outdoor AQI because of the distance and height from the outdoor location. Moreover, Pakistan’s AQI for PM2.5 exceeds WHO’s 24-hours limit; however, it was relatively better by 23%, 65%, and 170% compared to China, India, and Bangladesh, respectively. In contrast, AQI for SO2 and NO2 was poor as compared to the same countries. The concentration and AQI for traffic-related air pollutants remain unhealthy and sometimes becomes hazardous, which means the sensitive groups are at greater risk.

Since the fossil reserves are depleting day by day, the trend of modern energy sector is going towards renewable energy. The demand of solar power plants is therefore at the peak nowadays across the globe. However, the construction of these plants is extremely dependent on feasibility study to estimate the real solar potential before installing it in any region. To evaluate the solar energy potential of Peshawar region in Pakistan, Ground-based global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct normal irradiance (DNI) were compared with satellite-based model SUNY. Ground measurements were done at the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UET Peshawar) with the help of pyranometer and shadowband irradiometer. Comparison of the data showed that there was a maximum difference of 42.90% in ground and satellite-based GHI in the month of December. Minimum difference in GHI was found for the month of March that was −3.83%. Moreover, ground-based GHI was overestimated in the month of February, March, and April, while in rest of the months, satellite values of GHI exceeded the ground measurements. Similarly, maximum difference of 55.86% was found in the month of November between ground and satellite-based DNI while minimum difference of −3.34% was seen in DNI in the month of March between the two data. Furthermore, satellite-based DNI was underestimated in the months of February, March, and April while in rest of the months it was overestimated compared to ground measurements. In addition to this, correlation of ground and satellite-based GHI and DNI showed R2 value of 0.8852 and 0.4139, respectively. The results of this study revealed that the difference between ground measurements and satellite values was considerable and hence real time measurements are necessary to properly estimate solar energy resource in the country.

Nanoparticles obtained from physical and chemical methods are uniformly sized having long term stabilities. However, their syntheses usually involve expensive chemicals which are toxic, carcinogenic and require high temperature and pressure. These issues can be addressed by facile and eco-friendly green synthesis. This study focuses on to synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Cymbogobon Citratus aqueous extract with zinc acetate. The prepared particles were calcined at 450°C. The synthesized NPs were categorized using FTIR, UV-Visible, XRD and SEM techniques. FTIR verified zinc oxide vibrational frequency at 551 cm-1. UV-Visible spectrum displayed the ZnO absorption peak at λmax of 370 nm. XRD studies showed average particle size about 4.96 nm much smaller as compared to most of the ZnO NPs reported earlier. SEM image demonstrated crystalline and porous nano-sheets for the prepared NPs. These NPs were also evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Microsporum cannis, Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium solani. The synthesized ZnO NPs exhibited highest antibacterial and antifungal potential against S. Aureus and A. flavus, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial crises and the geopolitical issues around the world have caused much volatility in returns and market uncertainty. This trend of higher uncertainty in risk and return causes vast changes in stock and investment values, which caused investors scrabbling to maintain the value of their wealth. It is therefore vital that investors understand and compare investment alternatives in order to maximize return. The purpose of this research is to analyze the performance of Islamic and conventional mutual funds and provide a comparison of fund performances to enable investors to make informed decisions. Mutual fund data from 2013 to 2017 for Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, the two largest Islamic fund markets are compiled and risk-adjusted performance statistics applied to arrive at measurement of performances. Although fund performance comparison is a well-researched area, this study contributes to the literature in terms of a comprehensive investigation of various types of Islamic funds with an in-depth evaluation of different investment time horizons. Empirical evidence on risk-adjusted performance comparison indicates that Malaysian conventional equity, mixed asset and money market funds for all 1, 3 and 5-year horizons outperform their Islamic counterparts. Similarly, Saudi Arabian equity and mixed asset funds also outperform their Islamic counterparts for all time horizons. On the contrary, the Saudi Islamic money market funds outperform their conventional partners. Cross country comparison confirms that Malaysian funds achieve superior performance except for money market funds which underperform their Saudi counterparts. In summary, current evidence concludes that, depending on the investment horizon and risk appetite, investors are better off investing in the appropriate fund. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]