Novel Bioactive Compound Production by Microbial Biota: Potential Antimicrobials Potential antimicrobials produced by microbial biota

Man is always trying to make his life easier and accomplished. He has faced mass destruction in history due to epidemics like small pox, malaria and plague. In order to combat diseases, exploration of man led him to search for causative agents and their control. A time reached when it was found that microbes are themselves a source of potent metabolites which have proved to be effective as drugs and medicines showing great antibiotic activity. It is necessary to find out new sources for potential new antimicrobial compounds. Several hundred important compounds have been isolated which have antibiotic activities and diverse chemical nature. But these compounds should have minimum toxicity to be useful clinically. Because of the increasing resistance of pathogens, there was a never ending desire and need to search for more. Bioactive Compounds have been extracted from microbes which are produced as secondary metabolites. Day by day, new compounds are being discovered giving a hope of golden future of drug industry. The current article emphasizes the importance and need to search for new bioactive compoundsto overcome infections caused by multiple drug resistant (MDR) and biofilm forming pathogens irrespective of the previously present knowledge. 

The Effect of Emotional Literacy on Academic Achievement and Emotional Intelligence of Students at Secondary Level

The study reported in this thesis has the following major objectives: (i) to find out effect of emotional literacy on academic achievement in terms of experimental group and control group (ii) to find out the difference of treatment effect between the students of low achievers group and high achievers group (iii) To find out difference regarding treatment effect in terms of students of experimental group and control group on the basis of variable emotional intelligence. The researcher selected 60 students of 10th class of Government Boys High School, Isa Khel (Mianwali District). The sample was equally divided into the experimental group and the control group. Both the groups were equated on the basis of the scores of 9th class in the Board examination (treated as pre-test). A pre-test for emotional intelligence was also administered to find out emotional quotient (EQ) of the experimental and the control group. A curriculum of emotional literacy consisted of Chapters 4-9 taken from Goleman’s book entitled: “Working with Emotional Intelligence” was taught as treatment to the experimental group. A short syllabus (Appendix-D) from Urdu Book (Part II) for 10th class was taught to both experimental and control groups in a combined class by the same teacher. The study lasted for twelve weeks. After twelfth week, two separate post-tests (one for academic achievement and other for emotional intelligence) were administered to the both experimental and control groups. Data were collected, tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted in the light of the objectives of study. Data were analyzed by applying t-test and (2x2) ANOVA. The findings of the study revealed that there is a considerable effect of emotional literacy on the academic achievement of the students at secondary level. It was also found that emotional literacy has improved emotional intelligence of the students. Moreover, it was found that emotional literacy was equally helpful and effective for both high achievers and the low achievers. Finally, on the basis of the findings of the study, the researcher put forward some feasible and practicable suggestions/ recommendations in this area. It is recommended to include emotional literacy in the curriculum as a compulsory subject, particularly at secondary level. Emotional education may be utilized in solving the issues of problematic behaviors of the children in the schools. The managers of educational institutions may monitor teaching learning process with a view to implementing emotional literacy policy. A special curriculum model suitable for the subject of emotional literacy may be devised. Moreover, public awareness regarding the importance of emotional literacy should be increased by using mass media. Emotional literacy should be made an important element of professional training of teachers, managers, curriculum developers. For further research it is recommended that the present study needs to be replicated with students and schools at larger scale and context. The association of Emotional Quotient (EQ) with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is another aspect which needs to be addressed.