International Journal of Emerging Multidisciplinaries: Social Science

Menstrual-Cycle-Aware Training: A Synthesis of the Performance, Symptom, and Health Evidence Base (2024–2026)

Gul Sanobar Ikhlas Khan — 2026-09-04

There is still a debate surrounding how the menstrual cycle (MC) affects female athletes and a growing number of high-quality studies have been published in the last three years (2024-2026). The purpose of this paper is to review the latest (2024-2026) peer-reviewed literature and summarize the evidence regarding the link between MC phase, hormonal contraceptive use, athletic performance, symptom burden, and injury risk, as well as applied training practice. Methods: A structured narrative and scoping review was performed across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and Frontiers, using a framework similar to that used in PRISMA screening and restricting publications to January 2024 to the early part of 2026. The findings: When high methodological standards are applied to systematic reviews, the effect of MC phase on objectively measured strength, power and endurance performance is trivial-to-small and mostly inconsistent. In contrast, symptom prevalence, perceived exertion, and self-reported performance impact are large, consistent, and athlete-relevant and impact a majority of surveyed athletes. The use of hormonal contraceptives is a unique and different physiological profile, making the pooled analyses difficult. Variations in injury-risk surrogates, in particular for anterior cruciate ligament, are phase linked and iron deficiency is under-recognized as a performance limiting factor associated with heavy menses. Conclusion: The evidence base still supports individualized, symptom-driven management of athletes over the use of strict phase-based training protocols, and shows continued methodological weaknesses; notably, the lack of consistent hormonal verification of the primary literature.

Burgeoning Public Debt and Unemployment in Pakistan

Nabeela Shaheen — 2026-09-04

Public Debt and Liabilities of Pakistan has approached 99.4 trillion rupees by the end of FY 2026 causing serious macroeconomic implications for the economy. More than half of annual revenues go to debt servicing, leaving scarce resources for development and employment creation. This study has empirically evaluated the impact of public debt on unemployment in Pakistan using the annual time series data from 1991 to 2025. Among the control variables, per capita income, workers remittances inflows and inflation rate were included. Along with estimating the relationship for total public debt, the study has also estimated impact of domestic and external public debt on unemployment in Pakistan. Based on stationarity tests applied on the variables included in the models, ARDL estimation technique was selected to test the hypotheses. The results showed that public debt has a significant and positive effect on unemployment in Pakistan during the data period of the study. Further, domestic and external debt separately incorporated as independent variables showed that domestic debt is worsening unemployment rate more than external debt in Pakistan. The control variables per capita income and workers' remittances showed the negative and significant effect on unemployment, whereas, the coefficient of inflation was found insignificant. To support the validity of empirical findings the relevant diagnostic tests were performed. The policy recommendation of the study is that prudent debt management along with its developmental use for enhancing the efficiency of the economy through investing in human development and physical infrastructure is important for curtailing the unemployment rate in Pakistan. The workers remittances through formal channels need to be promoted along with its purposeful use for investment and job creation. Inflation has insignificant but real per capita income has significant and negative effect on unemployment which allows policy makers to bring balance between pro-growth and stabilization policies in Pakistan.

Cross-Sectional Nexus of Fomo, Self-Esteem, and Social Anxiety Across Generations in Peshawar, Pakistan

Jayeshah Rafia Tariq — 2026-09-03

The present study explored the association of FM, SE and SA among generational groups. A cross-sectional sample of 190 adults was collected by physical visit and digitally from Peshawar, Pakistan by hybrid distribution method. It was hypothesized that the subjects having more FOMO would be having a lower degree of self-esteem; and those having high Social Anxiety would be having a higher degree of FoMO. Individuals having high self-esteem would be having low levels of Social Anxiety. Furthermore, to investigate if the relationship between FoMo and Social Anxiety is mediated by self-esteem. Three sets of standardized scales were used for the subjects namely, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Fear of Missing out Scale.

The study focused on the relationships among Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Social Anxiety and Self-esteem among generational groups. The correlational analysis showed a significant positive correlation between FOMO and Social Anxiety (r = .30, p < .01) and a significant negative correlation between Social Anxiety and Self-esteem (r = -.34, p < .01). Interestingly, there was no significant correlation between Self-esteem and FOMO.

The results showed that there was no interaction effect between FOMO and Social Anxiety as the effect of FOMO on Social Anxiety did not vary with the level of Self-esteem. The results of a comparison of gen Z (n = 95) and Millennials (n = 70) revealed that there were no significant differences between the FOMO levels of the two generations (t(163) = .43, p = .09). The findings indicated, however, that Social Anxiety (t(163) = .23, p < .001) was not the same for both cohorts, indicating that social distress varies significantly between these two cohorts. This study offers unique insights to the FOMO, Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety of the generations.

Future studies are encouraged to use qualitative interviews and follow up studies to investigate why self-evaluation does not have a mitigating effect on FoMo and how self-evaluation changes over time across generations of social anxiety. Furthermore, employing stratified sampling and platform-specific analysis will improve result generalizability and shed light onto the effects of the different digital environments on such psychological outcomes.

Factors Associated with the Ethical Use of Generative AI in Academic Content Development while Maintaining Academic Integrity: Evidence from Distance Learning

Muhammad Tanveer Afzal — 2026-09-03

While the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in academic work offers benefits such as increased efficiency and improved content development, it has also raised concerns regarding academic integrity, source and content verification, and the ethical use of AI in academic contexts. Empirical evidence examining these factors collectively within distance-learning contexts remains limited. This study examined factors associated with the ethical use of GenAI in academic content development while maintaining academic integrity among distance-learning content developers. A quantitative approach was employed at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan. Data were collected from 121 distance-learning content developers using a validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to examine the levels, relationships, and predictors of ethical practice. Participants reported high levels of perceptions toward AI and academic integrity (M = 4.01), knowledge (M = 3.91), and ethical practice (M = 3.69), while AI capabilities and skills were at a moderate level (M = 3.30). Pearson correlations showed significant positive relationships among all study variables. Multiple regression indicated that knowledge (β = .380, p = .003) and AI capabilities and skills (β = .324, p = .001) significantly predicted ethical practice, whereas perception did not make a significant independent contribution (β = .111, p = .257). The model explained 50.2% of the variance in ethical practice (R² = .502). The findings indicate that ethical GenAI use in distance-learning content development is more strongly associated with knowledge of academic integrity and practical AI capabilities and skills than with positive perceptions alone. The study highlights the need for intentional professional development in AI literacy and academic integrity, supported by human oversight, verification, continuous learning, and clear institutional guidance.

Socio-Demographic Patterns of Eunuchs in Pakistan: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Amara Ajmal — 2026-09-03

The current paper investigated socio-demographic features of eunuchs (Khwaja Sira/transgender people) in Pakistan with the assistance of the cross-sectional survey design. Although there has been an upsurge in the appreciation of transgender rights in the country, there is a paucity of empirical studies to organize the patterns of demographics into a systematic pattern that influences the psychological aspects of existence like emotional control and healing. Purposive sampling and community based sampling were used for the recruitment of 200 participants from big cities of Punjab in Pakistan. A survey pro forma was used to gather the necessary data in which variables of importance were measured on age, gender identity, education, occupation, marital status, area of residence, level of income, living arrangements, and trauma related variables. Descriptive statistical analysis of demographic distributions was done using SPSS.

The findings revealed that the sample was mostly Khwaja Sira and trans women, the level of formal education was relatively low and early school dropout was high. This is one of the expressions of the still lasting economic marginalization, with the majority of participants residing in cities, and engaged in informal occupations, such as dancing during ceremonies, offering beauty services, or begging. Cohabitation among transgender community networks was the norm and most subjects were single. The demographic risk factors for trauma including the age at which the youth left home and verbal, physical and sexual abuse were prevalent in the sample. The outcomes show the social, cultural and structural inequalities that shape the lives of eunuchs in Pakistan.

The study contributes to the existing literature by providing an extensive demographic profile in Pakistan and provides a foundation for future studies on emotional regulation, adverse childhood experiences and healing processes in gender-diverse groups. Policy implications are discussed, as are implications with regards to culturally sensitive mental health interventions.

Sunspot Theory and Agricultural Decision Making: Implications for Rural Development (A Thematic Review and Critical Synthesis)

Qamar Ul Islam — 2026-09-03

Sunspot theory’s role in agriculture is an intriguing concept that could benefit farmers facing climate challenges. The present article has reviewed numerous studies on solar physics and its indirect effects on agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods, with a particular focus on Pakistan. This article discusses how the sunspot cycle affects climate patterns, crop production, commodities, and individual farmers. In turn, these impacts are reviewed in-depth in the final section of the article. The sunspot-related variations in climate could have a noticeable effect on regional crop production. The changes in rainfall patterns associated with solar cycles leads to many agricultural issues. This study explores these connections and applies them to South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Pakistan. The study notes that many factors beyond solar activity, such as land ownership, gender-specific challenges, and government policies can contribute to food shortages in Pakistan. By organizing studies into thematic structures rather than cataloguing individual contributions, this review identifies research gaps and policy pathways for embedding solar-cycle intelligence into agricultural decision-making.

Technology Tetheredness and Employees Innovative Work Behavior and Adaptive Performance During and After COVID-19

Khurram Shahzad — 2026-09-03

The modern workplace demands new work patterns and employee adaptability to stay competitive; the less dependent employees are on technology, the more they can achieve in innovative work behavior, particularly in technology-driven industries. Thus, this study emphasizes the need to explore and identify factors that negatively affect the innovative work behavior and adaptive performance of employees in the IT industry. This dissertation aimed to contribute to the body of knowledge on IWB and employee adaptive performance by examining the factors that can hinder IWB and adaptive performance, how this can happen, and the boundaries within which it can flourish. This was done by employing a mediation mechanism. To gather primary data, 800 survey questionnaires were distributed to software companies and software developers. A total of 504 survey questionnaires were returned, of which 462 were considered valid after removing incomplete questionnaires and outliers. The present study used pre-existing measures, and we assessed their validation and reliability through various procedures. To further investigate the indirect relationship of tetheredness to technology and IWB and employee adaptive performance, mediation analysis was also performed. The data show a strong (negative) relationship between tetheredness to technology and IWB and employee adaptive performance. According to my model, emotional factors (i.e., emotional exhaustion and restlessness) mediate the relationship between IWB and employee adaptive performance, and between tetheredness to technology and employee adaptive performance. Additionally, emotional factors (emotional exhaustion and restlessness) moderate the relationship between IWB and entrepreneurial leadership. Moreover, family background mediates the association between emotional factors (emotional exhaustion and restlessness) and employee adaptive performance. The study also discussed its limitations, possible implications, and future research directions in the context of the findings. Studies indicate that IT managers and professionals can help staff think outside the box by implementing policies that reduce the impact of being "tethered" to technology.

Healthcare Spending, Institutional Quality and Economic Growth: A Panel Study of East Asian Countries

Nadeem Shahzad — 2026-09-02

The study investigates the short- and long-run relationships among health spending, institutional quality, domestic investment, and foreign direct investment and their effects on the economic prosperity of East Asian countries from 2002 to 2020. Using data from 21 East Asian countries, we explore the relationship between healthcare expenditure and institutional frameworks and their impact on economic growth. Pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and random-effects (RE) models are used. Relationships between the variables are estimated by using the Johansen-Fisher cointegration and Granger causality tests. The results reveal that health expenditure has a positive relationship with economic growth in the East Asian region in the RE model (0.2137, p<0.05), meaning that a 1% increase in health expenditure would lead to an increase in GDP per capita of around 0.21%. Furthermore, the cointegration test result shows the relationship between the variables in the long run. Moreover, there is also a bidirectional relationship between healthcare spending and economic development. Moreover, the quality of institutions can be shown to have unidirectional causality with health expenditure. The most important institutional dimensions that contribute to growth in the region are Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption, with no statistically significant influence observed for Government Effectiveness and Rule of Law. The results reveal that countries in East Asia have been able to use their institutional arrangements effectively to convert health investments into productive human capital and continue to enjoy economic growth.

Energy Poverty and Economic Development in South Asia: A Panel Data Analysis

Hafiza Rumaisa — 2026-09-01

This study examines the impact of energy poverty on economic development in six South Asian countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan, using panel data from 2001 to 2025. Economic development is measured through GDP per capita growth, while energy poverty is proxied by access to electricity (AELC) and access to clean cooking fuels and technologies (ACFT). The study also incorporates ICT imports (ICTM), inflation (INF), urbanization (URB), and foreign direct investment (FDI) as control variables. To investigate the long-run and short-run relationships among the variables, the Panel Mean Group Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PMG-ARDL) model, panel cointegration analysis, is employed. The empirical findings confirm a significant long-run relationship between energy poverty and economic development. Improved access to electricity and clean cooking technologies positively and significantly enhances economic growth. Moreover, ICT imports and foreign direct investment contribute positively to economic development. The study concludes that reducing energy poverty through improved access to modern energy services is essential for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth in South Asia.

Revisiting the Financial Development-Inflation Nexus: The Role of Institutional Quality in Pakistan

Fatima — 2026-09-01

This study examines the relationship between financial development and inflation in In the context of Pakistan, institutional quality, one of the aspects which is under-researched in Pakistan's empirical literature is addressed as moderator. The ARDL bounds testing methodology is used in the estimation of two different specifications using annual data from 1984-2023. The first model captures the direct effect of financial development in addition to other important control variables such as money supply, real effective exchange rate, trade openness and GDP per capita. The second specification uses an institutional quality index and the interaction between it and financial development to determine the impact of institutional quality in determining the relationship between the two. The findings indicate that there are substantial impacts of money supply and financial development to economic outcomes.

The findings indicate that the higher the per capita GDP, the higher the inflation, and the lower the trade openness the lower the inflation. Nevertheless, the consideration of the quality of the institutions changes these relations, suggesting a less direct inflationary impact. The positive impact of money supply, GDP per capita and financial development remains the same. However, trade openness, real effective exchange rate and institutional quality and the interaction term has negative relationship with inflation that could help to mitigate the inflationary pressure. These results suggest the double effect of the financial development in the process of inflation. The required monetary expansion and credit growth is always inflationary, but can be kept in check by a massive improvement in institutions. This study offers empirical evidence specific to Pakistan and hence, it validates the importance of institutional quality as a pathway for financial development to achieve disinflationary results. Policies wise, the findings highlight the importance of complementing the institutional measures with greater countries' openness to trade and exchange rate stability in order to be successful in controlling inflation.

Knowledge and Practices of Family Planning Among Staff Nurses of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro/Hyderabad- Sindh

Suhail Ahmed Gadhi — 2026-09-01

Family planning is an important component of reproductive health and contributes to healthy birth spacing, informed reproductive decision-making, and improved maternal and family well-being. Nurses have an important role in family-planning services because of their direct contact with women, couples, and families and their responsibilities for health education, counselling, referral, and clinical support. This study assessed knowledge and practices of family planning among married staff nurses at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro/Hyderabad. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A structured questionnaire was administered to 100 married staff nurses selected through simple random sampling. The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics, knowledge of family-planning methods, sources of information, communication with spouses, contraceptive practices, access to services, partner support, and barriers to utilization. The findings showed that 98% of respondents knew at least one family-planning method, 91% considered birth spacing important, and 89% could identify at least two modern methods. Health-care providers were the main source of information for 64% of respondents. Forty-seven percent were currently using a family-planning method, while 53% were not currently using any method. Withdrawal, oral pills, injectables, male condoms, IUCDs, and permanent methods were reported among current users. The major reasons for non-use were desire for more children, concern about side effects, social and cultural stigma, partner or family preference, and concerns related to sexual satisfaction. Professional experience was associated with knowledge, while age was associated with practice. The findings indicate that awareness of family planning is high among staff nurses, but important barriers remain between knowledge and sustained practice. Strengthening counselling, confidentiality, follow-up, partner communication, and continuing professional education may improve family-planning service utilization.

The Scope of Statutory and Non-Statutory Rules to Maintain Constitutional Petitions in Service Matters: A Judicial Perspective

Farhana Aziz Rana — 2026-09-01

In the past, the courts observed that where the services of a government servant or an employee of a statutory body are terminated, the civil courts have jurisdiction to examine whether their services were validly terminated. In this regard, the primary limitation was that the enforcement of the contract of appointment must not involve the personal service of an employee or servant. The presence of adequate monetary compensation in cases of non-performance of the contract was taken as another limitation. Thus, the courts enforced the contracts in terms of the relevant provisions of the Specific Relief Act, 1877, for which the major determining aspects were the nature of the contract and the existence of some statutory office. In this regard, the question to be determined was whether functions assigned to an employee under a contract have some statutory backing. Subsequently, constitutional protection was extended to the prescribed categories of posts, while excluding the category of employees working in public corporations or entities, who were divested of such protection. To fill this gap, the courts held that if the terms and conditions of service are statutory, the same can be set aside through constitutional petitions. However, where such terms and conditions were found to be non-statutory or governed by such regulations, instructions or directions, which were meant for the internal use of an institution or body, any violation thereof was held not enforceable through constitutional petitions as the principle of master and servant was applied in such case. The judicial perspective again took another diversion when statutory limitations upon employers were considered as an extended protection to employees, entitling them to maintain their constitutional petitions. Subsequently, to limit such a perspective, the function test was adopted as an approach to consider whether a statutory body is a ‘Person’ under Article 199 of the Constitution, to maintain a writ petition in service matters. Thus, the function test gradually replaced various limitations for maintaining constitutional petitions as a preferred approach to address the need for statutory rules of service. The development of the case law relevant to maintaining constitutional petitions needs to be studied to assess the judicial perspective for better legal and professional understanding.

Greening Growth in the Digital Age: The Role of Green Finance and ICT in Reducing Carbon Emissions in Developed Economies

Aqsa Ramzan — 2026-09-01

The transition toward a low-carbon development requires economies to balance financial and technological advancement with the growing imperative of environmental sustainability. Despite increasing scholarly attention to green finance (GFI) and digitalization, their joint implications for carbon emissions, particularly in the context of economic growth (GDP), industrialization (IND), and trade openness (TO), remain insufficiently explored across developed economies. This study investigates the effects of GFI, ICT, GDP, IND, and TO on CO₂ emissions in 12 developed economies from 2015–2024. Using a balanced panel of 120 observations, the study applies second-generation panel diagnostic tests and PCSE as the main estimator, with FGLS used for robustness checks. The findings indicate that GFI, ICT, and TO significantly mitigate CO₂ emissions, emphasizing the potential of green financial development, digital transformation, and trade integration to enhance environmental sustainability. In contrast, GDP and IND are found to significantly raise emissions, signifying that conventional growth and industrial expansion continue to exert substantial environmental pressures. The FGLS results support these findings, although the positive effect of industrialization is no longer statistically significant. Collectively, the evidence underscores the importance of expanding green finance, accelerating digital transformation, and fostering environmentally responsible trade while instantaneously decoupling economic and industrial growth from carbon-intensive activities. These procedures can help developed economies strengthen their pathway toward sustainable development and long-term carbon neutrality.

AI Adoption in the Aviation Sector of Pakistan: A TAM based analysis of Air Traffic Control and Meteorology Domains

Nayar Rafique — 2026-09-01

Artificial Intelligence and its related technologies in recent decade emerged as one of the most dominating transformative forces, restructuring economies, reshaping industries, and broadly influencing every other domain of life. This analysis, by deploying Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), attempted to analyze the adoption pattern of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Meteorology (MET) segments in the aviation sector of Pakistan. The study comprehensively analyzed the main constructs of technology acceptance model and their interaction towards adoption of artificial intelligence in the two critical domains of Pakistan’s aviation sector. 180 professionals with varying roles associated with ATC and MET departments under the broader umbrella of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) were surveyed using a standard questionnaire concerning usefulness, usability, behavioral attributes, and actual adoption of AI technologies. The survey responses obtained were then used to construct indices related to Perceived Usefulness(PU), Perceived Ease of Use(PEOU), Behavioral Intentions(BI), and AI Adoption, the key inputs for the further mediation analysis conducted in the light of Preacher and Hayes's bootstrapping method. Study findings reveal that mediated by BI, both PU and PEOU significantly affect AI adoption in the MET department. Whereas in the ATC segment the relationship is found to be less significant, depicting a likely prevalence of institutional resistance or contextual constraints. The outcomes obtained in this study emphasize the greater policy role of user centric strategies to facilitate acceptance and influence positive behavioral intention towards AI technologies, contributing both practically as well as theoretically towards policy and technology adoption discourse.

Socio-Economic Determinants of Labor Productivity in Developed and Developing Countries

Saima Shakeela — 2026-09-01

This study empirically examines the determinants of labor productivity (GDP per worker) among a balanced panel of 24 developing and 22 developed countries over the period of 1990-2024. Adopting comprehensive panel framework, including Random Effects (GLS), Fixed Effects, cross sectional- dependence tests, second generation unit root test, Westerlund cointegration analysis, long run estimates (FMOLS/DOLS) and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality for ensuring robustness and eliminate endogeneity. Descriptive statistics reveal significant productivity lags between developed and developing countries with a vital difference in human capital, and structural capabilities. Long run analysis reveals that Life expectancy and gross capital formation significantly positive effect on productivity in both panel groups while gross capital formation shows strong positive effect on productivity in developed countries. Financial development reveals a key role for developing countries, whereas income inequality negatively effects, particularly in developing countries. Pupil-teacher ratio statistically effects productivity for developed countries, whereas the trade openness identifies the minimal long-term effect. The findings of cointegration and causality validate a sustainable long-run relation and bidirectional and unidirectional dynamics between variables. Generally, role of productivity growth is formed by human capital, income inequality and structural changes. The study suggests that policy systems focus on the context specific: enhance financial inclusion and promoting equality in developing countries while reinforcing human capital development and capital efficiency in the developed countries.