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.

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

Hybrid composites of molybdenum disulfide (MoS), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and polyaniline (PANI)/polypyrrole (PPy) have been synthesized as cost-effective electrode materials for supercapacitors. We have produced MoS 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 MoS melt/GNP ratio in the resultant composites was 1 : 3 and the polymer was 10% by wt.

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 mg and mean pore size of 5 nm. After magnesiothermic reduction to mSi, the BET surface area is reduced to 348 mg but the mesoporousity is retained with a mean pore size of 10 nm.

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.

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 CO 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 CO 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.

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.

Simple, mild, one-step labelling of proteins with gallium-68 using a tris(hydroxypyridinone) bifunctional chelator: a Ga-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.

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.

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.