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Although workplace bullying is a well-researched phenomenon, the specific way it unfolds in higher education institutions (HEI) remains largely underdiscussed. Based on the outcomes of a survey conducted across HEI in Pakistan, by reference to structural equation modeling, using Amos-20, this paper not only adds to our understanding of the scope and features of bullying in HEI, but also suggests strategies employers and victims could employ to cope with the adverse implications of bullying. The key findings of this research are: (i) a positive correlation exists between the degree of workplace bullying and strain levels; (ii) more frequently than not, female employees, younger employees, and employees in junior positions are victims of bullying; (iii) bullying and strain can be fully mediated only when both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies are employed in synergy. In brief, although research findings elaborated in this paper draw from the specific case of HEI in Pakistan, this paper makes a case for more research, vigilance and action to understand the scale of the phenomenon in academia and to undertake concerted action to mitigate its adverse impact on specific individuals and HEI themselves.

We report here biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extracts of (i) Azadirachta indica leaves and (ii) Citrullus colocynthis fruit and their larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti. The UV–Vis spectroscopy absorption peaks occurred in the range of 412–416 nm for A. indica AgNPs and 416–431 nm for C. colocynthis AgNPs indicating the silver nature of prepared colloidal samples. The scanning electron microscopy examination revealed the spherical morphology of both types of NPs with average size of 17 ± 4 nm ( A. indica AgNPs) and 26 ± 5 nm ( C. colocynthis AgNPs). The X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the face-centred cubic (FCC) structure with crystallite size of 11 ± 1 nm ( A. indica AgNPs) and 15 ± 1 nm ( C. colocynthis AgNPs) while characteristic peaks appearing in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated the attachment of different biomolecules on AgNPs. The larvicidal activity at different concentrations of synthesized AgNPs (1–20 mg l −1 ) and extracts (0.5–1.5%) against Aedes aegypti was examined for 24 h. A concentration-dependent larvicidal potential of both types of AgNPs was observed. The LC 50 values were found to be 0.3 and 1.25 mg l −1 for C. colocynthis AgNPs and A. indica AgNPs, respectively. However, both extracts did not exhibit any notable larvicidal activity.

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This study focuses on isolation of pathogenic bacteria from external and internal surfaces of cockroaches collected from houses and hospitals in Lahore. In total, 240 adult cockroaches were collected from houses and hospitals by hand or using sticky traps and food-bait traps. Cockroach species were identified, and microbial screening was done for external surfaces and gut tracts of cockroaches. Jaccard's index of similarity, Bray-Curtis' index of dissimilarity, and Shannon-Wiener's diversity index were used to measure the bacterial community diversity (all species of bacteria) in each habitat. Relative abundance and frequency were measured for each bacterial species on external and internal surfaces of cockroaches. Among human habitations, two major species of cockroaches were isolated, i.e., Periplaneta americana (P. americana) and Blattella germanica (B. germanica). Out of 240 cockroaches collected, 167 were P. americana and 73 were B. germanica. In total, 11 bacterial species were isolated, but no different bacterial load in each habitat was observed. The most common diagnostic bacterium isolated from the external surface of cockroaches was found to be Escherichia coli (10.31%). In contrast, the most common isolate from the internal gut tract of cockroaches was found to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with relative frequency of 19.96%. Jaccard's index of similarity of bacterial species found on cockroaches was highest (0.3125) in houses, whereas Bray-Curtis' index of dissimilarity was highest for hospitals (0.2174). The highest Shannon-Wiener's diversity index value was found in bacteria on cockroaches collected from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (2.610632). No Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Streptococcus pneumonia were found in the digestive tract of any cockroach.