Financial Misgivings of Married Working Women in Lahore

In Pakistan, the financial issues of married working women are rarely discussed. There is an absence of literature on the subject. Nevertheless, the social sciences literature has been debating financial aspect of gender, either from the perspective of employer or employee; ignoring the working women’s reservations regarding their financial contribution in their marital life, particularly with reference to spouse and in-laws expectations. This issue becomes more acute when it comes to patriarchal conservative developing societies. This study is a delicate attempt to understand the magnitude of financial support of Pakistani married working women for spouse and in-laws, in the city of Lahore. In routine, the husband as well as the in-laws expect that a working wife should surrender her income, in entirety or partially towards the household budget, thus taking the financial responsibility of her spouse along with his extended family. Such financial misgivings create tensions and pressure for the already burdened woman having a disadvantaged status. In certain cases, the contribution is by free will of the wife, as well. This research will make an attempt through a survey with 50 married working women of different social classes, residing in Lahore. The purpose is to understand the rationale of approval or disapproval of this practice. Refusal for cooperation often create problems for the earning woman, even at the risk of separation or divorce, or at the least, tensions in the married life. At the end, the study will debate over possible adjustments and compromises, which could reduce tense situation for the married working woman, and at the same time maintaining her financial independence.

Biotechnological Manipulations of Chitosan Polymer for Biomedical Applications

Chitosan is a deacetylated derivative of chitin found in a wide range of natural sources. Chitosan as a natural polymer has been modified into a number of formulations based on its important characteristics such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, antibiotic activity and antitumor activity etc. Naturally available chitosan of high molecular weight has limited the efficiency of these polymers for antimicrobial activities. One of the techniques for improving chitosan antimicrobial efficiency is reducing its molecular weight. In this regard, irradiation is a widely used method for achieving reduction in molecular weight of polymers, which may improve some of its characteristics. In this study, chitosan was extracted from crab shells and irradiated by gamma radiations at different doses. Effect of radiation dose on chitosan structure was analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Furthermore, un-irradiated and irradiated chitosans were blended with poly(vinyl alcohol) and crosslinked with tetraethylorthosilicate to form membranes. The membranes were found to be transparent and crosslinked macroporous in structure, exhibiting high tensile strength (TS: 27- 47MPa) and elongation at break (EB: 292.6-407.3%). The response of membranes towards water absorption capacities at different temperatures, pHs and salt solutions were studied. Chitosan membranes were found to be temperature and pH responsive. So, chitosan membrane was used for controlled release of insulin as a model drug at intestine’s pH value (6.8). Un-irradiated and irradiated chitosan and their membranes were studied for their antibacterial properties against bacterial pathogens i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa (SS29), Escherichia coli (SS1, SS2, and SS9), Proteus mirabilis (SS77), Staphylococcus aureus (LM15) and Bacillus subtilis. Irradiated low molecular weight chitosan and its membranes showed higher antibacterial activities. Analysis of bacterial metabolites by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) exhibited the suppression of virulence factors by chitosan in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The production of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 by Aspergillus flavus was considerably reduced by irradiated chitosan (CHI50) as validated by LC-MS analysis. It was found that low molecular weight chitosan inhibited the production of aflatoxin and Aspergillus flavus which increased with increasing concentrations of chitosan.