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The southwestern foothills of the Himalayan Mountain range have been experiencing a surge of catastrophic landslides in the last two decades, as a tragic result of the adverse effects of climate change. This research is about the landslide risk assessment (LRA) which has not been explored yet in the landslide-prone district Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Landslide susceptibility (spatial probability) was analyzed using random forest model while landslide hazard (temporal probability) was analyzed using Poisson probability model. A random forest-based landslide susceptibility map depicts an accuracy of 0.90. A landslide hazard map was generated by multiplying the temporal probability with the spatial probability and classified as well. Semi-quantitative danger pixels and a fuzzy set theory approach for LRA have been adopted to estimate future landslide risks in the region. The pixel-based LRA approach indicates that 14, 18 and 20 km2 area of settlement while, the fuzzy set theory-based approach depicts that 15, 19 and 21 km2 area of the settlement are under very high landslide risk for 1-, 3-, and 5- year return period respectively. Both approaches produced risk maps that designated various risk zones with almost the same area coverage and results. The LRA maps were classified into five classes including very high (1.99%, 2.33%, 2.80%), high (2.16%, 2.53%, 3.04%), moderate (8.02%, 9.79%, 11.22%), low (17.76%, 22.94%, 23.20%), and very low (70.08%, 62.40%, 59.74%) risk zones for 1, 3 and 5 years return period respectively. This research will assist planners and scientists in developing high-precision management strategies for landslide-affected natural resources, especially in the context of the increasing impact of geomorphic hazards on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curve-shaped Chaman transform fault between Pakistan and Afghanistan demarks the western boundary of the Indian plate, which is the locus of many catastrophic earthquakes, and this is poorly studied region to understand the earthquake/fault interaction and hazard assessment. Based on earthquake triggering theory, we investigate a sequence of earthquakes comprising five earthquakes that occurred in the Chaman Fault System since 1892. Our results elucidate that three out of four earthquakes are triggered by the preceding earthquakes. The 1935 earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.7 is somewhat an independent earthquake in this sequence, slightly influenced by the 1892 event. The 1935 earthquake significantly loaded either terminus of its rupture with positive stress, which later triggered the 1975 earthquake with 35% of its rupture length where ΔCFS is above triggering threshold value, and 1990 earthquake with 44% of its rupture length in positive stress lobe, on Ghazaband Fault, in the south lobe. Since the 1935 earthquake significantly increased the ΔCFS on either terminus of its rupture, the 2013 earthquake with magnitude Mw 7.7 occurred on Hoshab Fault in the positive stress zone with 23% of its rupture length where ΔCFS is positive. Moreover, the northern locked segment of CF, the southern segment of GBF, southeastern segment of HF and PAF demonstrate a high value of ΔCFS. It could trigger seismicity in these regions, thus requiring arrangements to mitigate any seismic hazards in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene Kuldana Formation (KF) in the Yadgar area of Pakistan, comprises a diverse range of sedimentary facies, including variegated red beds of shales, mudstones, and sandstones, as well as interbedded limestone and marl. In this study, we conducted an integrated micropaleontological, sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical investigation to determine the depositional setting, biochronology, provenance, and paleoclimate of the KF. The study identified six lithofacies and six microfacies, which indicate a variety of environments ranging from floodplains and channels to the margins and shallow marine settings. The nannofossil biostratigraphy places the KF in the Early Eocene, more precisely the NP10 zone (Ypresian), and the fossil zone of benthic foraminifera classifies the study section as the Shallow Benthic Zone SBZ-8 (Middle Ilerdian 2). In terms of petrography, the KF sandstone was classified as litharenite and feldspathic litharenite, while the QtFL diagram suggests a recycled orogen. Geochemical proxies indicate an oxidizing environment, a high-to-low regular sedimentation rate, moderate-to-intense chemical weathering in the source region, and a warm-humid to dry climate during the deposition of KF. Overall, the findings suggest that the deposition of KF marks the end of Neo-Tethys due to the Early Eocene Indian–Kohistan collision and that the uplifting of the Himalayas provided the source for the deposition of KF in the foreland basin. The study provides new insights into the depositional environment, biochronology, provenance, and paleoclimate of KF, and highlights the potential for red beds as reliable indicators of oxygenation levels in proximity to mineral deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory infections incur significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Nebulization therapy is an excellent option for these conditions because it delivers the drugs directly into the lungs. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effects of a pharmacist-led educational intervention on the skills of nurses dealing with nebulization therapy. Methods: A pre–post interventional study was conducted among nurses from three district headquarters hospitals in Punjab province, Pakistan, from August to October 2020. The nurses attended a structured training session on good nebulization practice that included lectures, illustrations, videos, and hands-on training. Nurses completed a self-administered assessment questionnaire before and after the intervention. Results: Of the 136 registered nurses invited to take part in the current study, 103 participated (response rate 76%). Most nurses were aged 26–30 years and had 2–5 years of working experience. Around one-third of the nurses reported performing the nebulization process more than ten times per day. The pharmacist-led educational intervention significantly improved (p < 0.001) participants' knowledge of good nebulization practices according to results from the self-administered questionnaire in the post-training assessment. Practices related to infection prevention and disinfection of nebulizing accessories also significantly improved (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The current study demonstrated a potential positive impact of a pharmacist-led educational intervention on complex medication processes related to nurses' awareness of good nebulization practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Eocene succession of the Salt Range from base to top comprises the Nammal Formation, Sakesar Limestone and Chor Gali Formation. The Nammal Formation of Ypresian age is well exposed throughout the Salt Range. Detailed sedimentological and palaeontological analyses of the Nammal Formation were carried out, based on six stratigraphically important measured sections in the Salt Range. Lithologically, the formation is predominantly composed of interbedded nodular limestone, marl and shale. Wackestone, packstone, wackestone to packstone, dolomitic limestone and grainstone facies dominate the Nammal Formation in a fine-grained bioclastic matrix with abundant grains of larger benthic foraminifera. The diagnostic larger benthic foraminifera are recorded, which includes Nummulites mamillatus, Assilina spinosa, Assilina subspinosa, Assilina granulosa, Assilina laminosa, Discocyclina dispansa, Alveolina dolioliformis, Alveolina pasticillata, Alveolina globula, Lockhartia tipperi, and Lockhartia conditi. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic signatures of the Nammal Formation designate shallow marine depositional environment. During Eocene a carbonate sequence developed in the Salt Range, lower boundary of which is marked as SB-II at the base of the Nammal Formation overlying the Palaeocene Patala Formation. The Nammal Formation presents the retrogradational facies suggesting the transgressive system tracts. The Sakesar Limestone shows agradational to progradational pattern of facies, which developed in highstand system tracts. The Chor Gali Formation possesses shallowing-upward trend by forming progradational shift of facies, and represents the falling stage system tracts. Early Eocene carbonate sequence is terminated by a regional sub-aerial unconformity SB-I marked between marine carbonate sequence of the Chor Gali Formation and the overlying non-marine clastic Miocene Kamlial Formation. Overall, the Nammal Formation presents shallow water neritic carbonate deposits containing larger benthic foraminifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fungal endophytes produce a variety of secondary metabolites which can be explored for herbicidal activities. Parthenium is a very aggressive and fast-spreading weed in Pakistan. The endophytes of Parthenium made it superior over other weeds. Those endophytes can be isolated, identified, and incorporated in sustainable agriculture to biologically control other severe weeds. Main body: The present study was conducted to isolate and identify the endophytic fungi from the roots of Parthenium hysterophorus (Family: Asteraceae) and evaluate their cultural filtrate against the growth of three selected weed species, i.e., Chenopodium album, Avena fatua, and Convolvulus arvensis. Moreover, pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of cultural filtrates of these endophytic fungi against the germination, growth, and other physiological parameters (cellular contents, respiration, and cellular leakage) of the abovementioned three weed species. Three endophytic fungi, i.e., Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Drechslera spp., were isolated from the roots of P. hysterophorus. Among these endophytic fungi, cultural (hyphal) filtrate of Alternaria spp. exhibited the strongest phytotoxic effect, followed by Drechslera spp. and Aspergillus spp. against the selected weeds. Moreover, all the three endophytic fungi showed significant reduction in the germination as well as other physiological parameters of the weed species. Conclusion: It is concluded that the utilization of endophytic fungi could be a non-chemical, effective, ecofriendly, and low-cost biological control method that can be used for the biomanagement of fast-spreading and aggressive weeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]