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This article delineates the process through which a quantitative study in the context of Pakistan was adapted into emergent mixed methods research due to COVID-19-related complexities. The in-process data collection was halted abruptly as schools were closed and lockdowns were imposed across Pakistan in the early 2020s due to COVID-19. In response, the quantitative research design was adapted to adjust the research design by adding further research questions and introducing qualitative interviews. COVID-19 increased the complexity in the research context. We argue that mixed methods offer adaptive approaches in disruptive situations which help to deal with the complexities. The paper further suggests that disruption during research occurs in various forms and adaptive procedures should be described as part of the research rather than ignoring them. This article provides a practical example for researchers on using adaptive approaches to mixed methods in a developing country context where the possibilities of disruptions are more rampant.

The authority of the nation states and their capacity to govern their education policy has been reconfigured by the processes of globalisation. This paper examines recent education policy in Pakistan in order to reveal the nature of national authority in education policy-making in a challenging context. The central piece of analysis is the pre-policy text issued by the Ministry of Education, Pakistan--the White Paper. This analysis is further supported through interviews with senior policy actors and other significant policy texts. The paper identifies several tensions caused by the interaction of global and national education policy priorities and explores how the national government of Pakistan seeks to expand its SoA through "soft" governance approaches despite the material and financial constraints within which it operates.

This article tries to respond to a basic question: "can in-service teachers of public sectors in Pakistan be reformed?" The authors' response to this question is: "yes, public teachers can be reformed, if contextual possibilities are exploited efficiently". Although a straightforward and simplistic response to the question, this was felt necessary to counter an unfavourable bias against public sector teachers in Pakistan without recognizing the challenges that they face, and without recognizing the potential of many of the public teachers who continuously strive to change these negative perceptions. This article recognizes the potential of public teachers and shares a relatively successful example of improving competencies among public teachers to support the response--the Cluster-Based Mentoring Programme (CBMP). Important features of the programmes are described along with discussion on its effectiveness and sustainability. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)

This article contextualises "Education in Pakistan, a White Paper" (2007), an influential education policy paper in Pakistan. The focus is on the ways the White Paper constructs its own contexts as a complement to the policy solutions proffered. Here we recognise Seddon's point about the discursive work of policy in constructing context. We focus on the way the White Paper constructs its political/ideological context and its global/national context. The White Paper works with the trope of a binary construction of Islam--fundamentalist or moderate--which rearticulates Orientalist Western constructions. The analysis of the construction of the global/national contexts demonstrates the framing of the policy by the Millennium Development Goals, and the Washington and post-Washington consensus. (Contains 18 notes.)

Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD) remains the top among Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). Variations in Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and Paroxonase 1 (PON1) have been associated with Myocardial Infarction (MI) in several populations. However, despite the high prevalence of CAD, no such study has been reported in the Pashtun ethnic population of Pakistan. We have conducted a two-stage (i.e., screening and validation) case-control study in which 200 cases and 100 control subjects have been recruited. In the first stage, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) was used to screen for pathogenic variants of Myocardial Infarction (MI). In the second stage, selected variants of both APOE and PON1 genes (rs7412, rs429358, rs854560, and rs662) were analyzed through MassARRAY genotyping. Risk Allele Frequencies (RAFs) distribution and association of the selected SNPs with MI were determined using the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. WES identified a total of 12 sequence variants in APOE and 16 in PON1. Genotyping results revealed that APOE variant rs429358 (ɛ4 allele and ɛ3/ɛ4 genotype) showed significant association in MI patients (OR = 2.11, p value = 0.03; 95% CI = 1.25–2.43); whereas no significant difference (p˃ 0.05) was observed for rs7412. Similarly, the R allele of PON1 Q192R (rs662) was significantly associated with cases (OR = 1.353, p value = 0.048; 95% CI = 0.959–1.91), with particular mention of RR genotype (OR = 1.523, p value = 0.006; 95% CI = 1.087–2.132). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that rs429358 (C allele) and rs662 (R allele) have a significantly higher risk of MI after adjustment for the conventional risk factors. Our study findings suggested that the rs429358 variant of APOE and PON1 Q192R are associated with MI susceptibility in the Pashtun ethnic population of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic characterization of maize genotypes is of great importance in maize breeding program to identify diverse populations and divergent genotypes. Divergence and genetic diversity were assessed in a set of 20 maize genotypes representing popcorn, white corn, sweet corn and yellow corn, through morphological characteristics and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Field experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications. Morphological data revealed that sweet corn genotype SCLY-1 was earlier in days to 50% pollen shedding than other genotypes while white corn genotype WL-3 was earlier in days to 50% silking. Maximum plant height was recorded for PCLY-5 (133.3 cm) while lowest for WL-4 (92.8 cm), whereas highest ears height was recorded for popcorn PCLY-1 (64.4 cm) and lowest (29.4 cm) for SCLY-5. The yellow corn had maximum (4.5 kg) grain yield at harvest as compared to sweet and popcorn (3.0 kg). Negative but weak correlation was recorded between ear height and grain yield. Cluster analysis based on yield related parameters grouped all the studied genotypes in to five sub clusters. Molecular genotyping based on four primers amplified 37 loci which were (100%) polymorphic. Maximum elven loci were identified by primer GLA-04, while minimum was reported for primer GLA-03. The loci GLD-18B1000, GLA-04B300 recorded highest gene diversity (0.500) followed by loci GLE-05B750, GLE-05B650 and GLE-05B550. The loci of primer GLD-18 (GLD-18B1000) detected highest alleles evenness and Simpson's diversity index of 1.00 and 0.526, respectively. Maximum gene diversity (0.354) among populations were recorded for yellow corn, while the minimum was detected for white corn (0.254), while genotypic diversity was same for all maize types. Cluster analysis based on molecular genotypic data grouped the maize genotypes into four distinct groups. Lack of concordance was observed while comparing the clustering based on phenotypic and molecular data. The overall diversity among the studied maize genotypes could be used in future maize breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1948 Kashmir issue is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Both the states fought three wars and many battles on the line of control due to this issue. Both the countries are now nuclear power and if again war broken then it would not be a conventional war but would be a nuclear war. Therefore, this issue is a serious threat to international peace and security. The illegitimate and unilateral actions of Indian government of 5th August 2019 and its subsequent developments like domicile laws etc. are triggering war once again between the two countries. International community should compel India for acting upon on the UN resolution to resolve the issue peacefully otherwise it will continuously threatening international peace and stability and will cause huge losses. The main objective of this study is to assess the impacts of illegitimate Indian actions in Kashmir on peace and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The duty of a doctor to take care presumes the person who offers medical advice and treatment to unequivocally possess the skills and knowledge to do so. However, a sense of responsibility cannot be guaranteed in the absence of accountability, which in turn requires a comprehensive medical law system to be in place. Such a system is almost non-existent in Pakistan. Keeping the above in mind, we designed this study to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of surgeons regarding malpractice at a tertiary care center in Pakistan. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted during a three month period from 31st March, 2012 to 30th June, 2012 at Civil Hospital, Karachi. Surgeons who were available during the period of our study and had been working in the hospital for at least 6 months were included. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed after seeking informed, written consent. The specialties included were general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, pediatric surgery, orthopedic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery and gynecology and obstetrics. The study questionnaire comprised of four sections. The first section was concerned with the demographics of the surgeons. The second section analyzed the knowledge of the respondents regarding professional negligence and malpractice. The third section assessed the attitudes surgeons with regard to malpractice. The last section dealt with the general and specific practices and experiences of surgeons regarding malpractice. Results Of the 319 surgeons interviewed, 68.7% were oblivious of the complete definition of malpractice. Leaving foreign objects inside the patient (79.6%) was the most commonly agreed upon form of malpractice, whereas failure to break news in entirety (43.9%) was most frequently disagreed. In the event of a medical error, majority (67.7%) were ready to disclose their error to the patient. The most common perceived reason for not disclosing the error was threat of a claim or assault (90.9%). Majority (68.3%) believed that malpractice had a negative effect on reputation. Only 13(4.1%) had received at least one legal claim for damages. Only about three-fourths (75.5%) had the habit of frequently obtaining informed consent from the patients. 83(26.0%) expressed reluctance in accepting a case that was deemed to be difficult. Financial gains and liabilities were responsible for biased approach in 8.5% and 12.2% of the respondents respectively. Conclusion There is a dire need of programs aimed at increasing awareness among practicing surgeons in our setup. Proactive measures are required for the formulation of an efficient system of litigation. Physician accountability will not only arouse a greater sense of responsibility in them, but will also augment the confidence placed by patients on the healthcare system.

Abstract Hepatitis C is a fatal liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. In this study, blood donors, from various districts of the KPK province and the federally administered tribal area (FATA) of Pakistan were tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA by ICT (Immuno-chromatographic test), ELISA and RT-PCR. Out of the 7148 blood donors, 224 (3.13%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies by ICT, 135 (1.89%) by ELISA while 118 (1.65%) blood donors had active HCV infection as detected by RT-PCR. We suggest that ELISA should be used for anti-HCV screening in public sector hospitals and health care units.

Objectives: To determine the frequency and associated factors of anxiety and depression among type-2 DM patients. Material and Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in outpatient department (OPD) of single public sector hospital of Karachi. Calculated sample size was 323. Subjects were approached by systematic random sampling method. Data was collected by adapted questionnaire. Chi-square test applied to identify the associated factors. P-value less than 0.05was counted as significant. Results: Out of 323 participants, 290 (89.8%) were males. The mean age was 42.14±7.24 years. The incidence of diabetics with comorbid anxiety and depression was reported 36.5%. Statistically association of anxiety and depression was established with gender (p-value<0.001), age (p-value<0.001), educational status (p-value<0.001), occupation (p-value<0.006), monthly family income (p-value<0.001) and smoking status (p-value<0.001). Anxiety and depression related to diabetes is affected by age groups, it is observed that middle age-group patients suffering more than younger age-group. Conclusion: Diabetic patients are facing more psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. Moreover, significant association of anxiety and depression was found with age, gender, educational status, occupation, monthly income and smoking history of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germplasm evaluation is of great importance in breeding and crop improvement. Common bean accessions grown by the farming community in Himalaya region are an important source of genetic diversity. A total of 96 indigenous accessions of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were collected from three different areas of Himalaya region of Pakistan. In all accessions, 78.1% were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while 11.5% from Kashmir and 10.4% from Gilgit Baltistan. Primary evaluation of seed characteristics was done according to International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) descriptors. Significant variation was observed for seed color, seed shape and seed coat pattern. Twenty-nine different colours of common beans were observed in these 96 accessions with pre-dominance of red colour. Four different seed shapes were observed i.e., Cuboid, oval, truncate fastigiated and kidney shape. Cuboid seed shape was predominant with a frequency of 46.8%. Seed coat pattern was absent in 51% accessions. Five different seed coat patterns i.e., constant mottled, stripped, circular mottling, rhomboid spotted and speckled were recorded in remaining 49% accessions. Cluster analysis was performed and 96 accessions were grouped in four clusters (G1, G2, G3 and G4) based on primary seed characters. The G4 was further divided into two sub groups i.e., G4-A and G4-B. G4-A comprised 25 accessions whereas G4-B contained 30 accessions. The G3, G2 and G1 had 17, 16 and 8 accessions, respectively. Considerable variation was found among all the groups. Conservation and characterization of this diverse germplasm is recommended for future breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germplasm evaluation is of great importance in breeding and crop improvement. Common bean accessions grown by the farming community in Himalaya region are an important source of genetic diversity. A total of 96 indigenous accessions of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were collected from three different areas of Himalaya region of Pakistan. In all accessions, 78.1% were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while 11.5% from Kashmir and 10.4% from Gilgit Baltistan. Primary evaluation of seed characteristics was done according to International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) descriptors. Significant variation was observed for seed color, seed shape and seed coat pattern. Twenty-nine different colours of common beans were observed in these 96 accessions with pre-dominance of red colour. Four different seed shapes were observed i.e., Cuboid, oval, truncate fastigiated and kidney shape. Cuboid seed shape was predominant with a frequency of 46.8%. Seed coat pattern was absent in 51% accessions. Five different seed coat patterns i.e., constant mottled, stripped, circular mottling, rhomboid spotted and speckled were recorded in remaining 49% accessions. Cluster analysis was performed and 96 accessions were grouped in four clusters (G1, G2, G3 and G4) based on primary seed characters. The G4 was further divided into two sub groups i.e., G4-A and G4-B. G4-A comprised 25 accessions whereas G4-B contained 30 accessions. The G3, G2 and G1 had 17, 16 and 8 accessions, respectively. Considerable variation was found among all the groups. Conservation and characterization of this diverse germplasm is recommended for future breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth in agricultural production along with low variability is highly desirable. The objective of this study was to investigate growth and variability in area, production and yield of selected fruit crops including apple, peach, pear, and plum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The study is based on secondary data from 1975-76 to 2011-12 which is further bifurcated into three periods; period-I (from 1975-76 to 1990-91), period-II (from 1991-92 to 2011-12), and period-III (from 1975-76 to 2011-12). Cuddy-Della Valle index has been used for variability analysis. The findings of the study revealed that growth in production of selected fruit remained positive with area under fruit as a major contributor during period-I. Period-II witnessed either low or negative growth in fruit production except peach. Variability in fruit production was higher in period-II as compared to period-I. Main contributor to fluctuations in fruit production during period-I was variability in area under fruit, whereas, both area and yield variability were mainly responsible for variability in fruit production during period-II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the acreage response of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco to its own price and area under maize crop in three major FCV producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa i.e., Swabi, Mardan, and Charsadda. Data used in the study cover time series data for 1971-2011. The newly developed Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model for cointegration was used to estimate the short-run and long-run elasticities. The study found a long-run price elasticity of 0.33, thereby revealing that FCV acreage response to its own price is relatively inelastic. The short-run acreage response was also low (0.13) and therefore relatively inelastic. This implies that price policy could not be used as the sole instrument to affect area under FCV. The provision of some other non-price incentives may also play a significant role in increasing area under FCV in the study area. The results also show that area under maize crop negatively affect area under FCV, thereby indicating that maize crop could be considered as competing crop to FCV in the study area. The results of this study could help policy makers in identifying important determinants of acreage response of FCV tobacco crop in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of human capital formation in economic growth in Pakistan by using the secondary data for the period of 1972- 73 to 2010-11. The results implied that education enrollment (proxy for human capital), health and physical capital are important to boost the economic growth in Pakistan. Human capital, fixed capital and employed labor force affect the GDP and result in unidirectional and non-unidirectional causality. After estimating the model, we concluded that education enrollment index, gross fixed capital formation and Gini coefficient have positive and significant impact on gross domestic product, while head count ratio, infant mortality rate, CPI inflation and investment growth rate have negative and significant impact on gross domestic product in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kalabagh Fault Zone in the western Sub-Himalayas is a dextral strike slip fault zone that exhibits a push-up block in the stepover zone of the two fault segments. The inception of the push-up block occurred along the restraining faults that form two morphotectonic bends along the mountain front at Zaluch and in the South of Thathi. The landform was further developed by en-echelon fold and thrust sequence up to Khairabad in the North and Ghundi village in the South. The aseismically moving fault zone has experienced earthquakes during late Quaternary forming surface expressions in the West of the push-up block at Khairabad, Larkakki and Ghundi. The Khairabad and Ghundi sections are the active tectonic fronts of the stepover zone. Displacements caused by these seismic activities has deformed Quaternary sediments creating stream deflections, surface ruptures, pressure ridges, uplifted sediments at the mountain front, foreland ridges and uplifted alluvial fan. Offsets in the late Quaternary sediments indicate the Kalabagh Fault is active and seismic events of M w ≥ 6 has formed these ground effects. Furthermore, stratigraphic correlations of fluvial sediments indicate the Indus River has been flowing in the NS direction along the northern segment of the Kalabagh Fault. Uplift of the push-up block in the Kalabagh Fault Zone and subsequent deposition of the alluvial fans has caused westward diversion of the Indus River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is the top death causing disease in the world, due to its occurrence through various mechanism and form. Medicinal plants have been extensively used for the purifications and isolations of phytochemicals for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Consequently, this research was designed to document the traditional practices of anti-cancer plants and its phytochemical essay across the districts of KP, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 24 districts from the informants mostly the traditional herbalists (key informants). The information were compared with the publish data using various authentic search engines including, google, researchgate, google scholar and NCBI. One hundred and fifty-four (154) anti-cancer plants were recognized belonging to 69 families among all, Lamiaceae (13 sp.), Asteraceae (12 sp.) and Solanaceae (9 sp.) were the preferred families. The local inhabitants in the area typically prepare ethnomedicinal recipes from leaves (33.70%) and whole plants (23.37%) in the form of decoction and powder (24.67%), respectively. Herbs stayed the most preferred life form (61.68%) followed by shrub (21.4%). Similarly, breast (29.22%) and lung cancer (14.83%) was the common disease type. Literature study also authorize that, the medicinal plants of the research area were rich in phytochemical like quercetin, coumarine, kaempferol, apigenin, colchicine, alliin, rutin, lupeol, allicin, berbarine, lutolin, vanilic acid, urocilic acid and solamargine have revealed significant activates concerning the cancer diseases, that replicating the efficacy of these plants as medicines. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rural area and the local inhabitants have very strong traditional knowledge about the medicinal plants for different diseases like cancer. The medicinal plants for significant ranked disorder might be pharmacologically and phtyochemicaly explored to demonstrate their efficacy. Moreover, the local flora especially medicinal plants facing overgrazing, overexploitation and inappropriate way of collection, however, proper management strategies like reforestation, controlled grazing, proper permission from concerned department and rangeland strategies among others may be assumed to enhance the proper usage of medicinal plants. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted at Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during 2011-12 to evaluate eight mango cultivars (Almas, Collector, Pope, Neelum, SS-II, Shahpasand, Alphonso and Sindhri) for sensitivity to malformation and their differences relating to morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. Among these cultivars Sindhri and Shahpasand were found comparatively resistant against malformation having only 6.33 and 9.0 malformed branches, respectively. Leaf chlorophyll was found maximum (47.17 SPAD) in Pope and stomatal conductance was found highest (0.26 mmol/m-2/sec) in Neelum. Whereas, photosynthesis (11.32 μml/m²/sec) and transpiration rates rates were maximum (10.22 μml/m²/ sec) in Shahpasand. In biochemical attributes, total soluble solids (TSS) were found maximum (17 °Brix) in Almas, while, SS-II exhibited least TSS (9.3 °Brix). Titratable acidity was found minimum (0.19%) in Collector, whereas, SS-II exhibited lowest (26.57) sugar acid ratio. Maximum ascorbic acid (43.5 mg/100 g) was observed in Neelum, while, in case of sugars, maximum reducing sugars (6.18%), non-reducing sugars (9.21) and total sugars (11.33) were found in Pope and reducing sugar was found maximum Almas (6.18%), respectively. Sindhri and Pope exhibited maximum total carotenoids (3.43 µg/mL FW) and antioxidants (79.0 mM Trolox/g), whereas, total phenolic contents were found maximum (0.95 mg/100g) in Sindhri. Likewise, non-commercial mango cultivars, Alphonso and Almas exhibited highest fruit (281.21 g and 244.60 g) and pulp weight (172.10 g and 210.21 g). Hence, results suggested that Almas, Neelum and Pope exhibited good fruit physical and biochemical attributes and have tremendous potential for commercial cultivation in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]