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Women’s empowerment is an important goal of the educational processes around the world. Women in developing countries need support and motivation for attaining higher education and empowerment. This qualitative-exploratory study sought to explore the perceptions of Pakistani female university academics living inside predominantly patriarchal social structures regarding their motivation for and issues in attaining higher education and empowerment. The study also aimed at understanding the notion of empowerment and areas where women academics have achieved empowered status. The study also investigated women academics’ access to higher education, and its impact on their current social positioning in a traditional social setup. A total of 30 purposefully selected women academics from public sector universities in Northwest Pakistan constituted the study sample. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that patriarchal social structures in and outside workplaces influence women academics’ motivation for higher education and empowerment. However, some motivational factors, including economic stability, professional identity in society, intellectual fulfilment and support of fathers and husbands seemed instrumental in contributing to women academics’ pursuits of higher education and attainment of positions in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodologyFindingsPractical implicationsOriginalityThe research on social media adoption and use is on the rise in Pakistan. However, researchers did not focus on investigating the risks associated with social media use for library services. So, this study examines perceived risks of library services through social media in the university libraries of Pakistan. Also, suggest possible solution to overcome the observed risks.Using a structured questionnaire, a national-level survey was conducted. Respondents of the study were professional librarians designated as Head or Chief or University librarian representing their organization. The study was conducted in an organizational perspective and required a single response from each organization. The questionnaire was distributed among 181 university librarians working both in public and private sector university libraries in Pakistan. However, valid responses were 124 (69%).The Pakistani university libraries are using social media platforms for library services. However, the research findings reveal that there are several risks to offering library services through social media. Among the responded libraries, the libraries that do not use social media platforms for service delivery feel riskier compared to the libraries that offer library services through social media. It is also found that there is no formal policy on social media usage in the libraries.The research findings provide valuable insight to university administration, library social media users, and developers on how to consider the identified risks while designing state-of-the-art library services through social media. Also, the study findings may be easily generalized at national level due to the coverage of the whole population.This is a novel study that explores the perceived social media risks associated with using social media to offer library services. Also, the study is first attempt that covers whole population through a census survey in an organizational perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research has focused on the role of philanthropy in the socio-economic development of western countries, but little is known about the role of indigenous voluntary organisations in bridging social divides in the developing world. To help redress this imbalance, we present findings on the motivations, strategies, methods, and impact of five large philanthropically funded voluntary organizations in Pakistan. We ask how and why such organizations are formed and gain traction to provide valuable services for large numbers of poor people in a society riddled with inequalities. Although differing considerably in their relations to markets and philanthropy, we find that success in all cases followed from commitment to Islamic philanthropy and the ideal of social inclusion, social innovation, exploitation of social capital, and scaling-up. Our contribution is to demonstrate how in developing countries philanthropy and social entrepreneurship together can play a decisive role in realizing a more just society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catastrophic floods that hit Pakistan in summer 2022 represent the latest example of climate change-induced extreme events occurring in South Asia. In addition to the dramatic impact on population and infrastructures, this event threatened UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS) and properties of national interest. However, while a wealth of national and international mapping initiatives were conducted based on satellite imagery to assess damage to people, buildings and economic goods, the impact caused to archaeological sites and monuments has not been fully unveiled yet. To bridge this gap and provide an integrated approach that can be used by local end-users to assess damage and, in turn, collect evidence to inform and improve risk management plans, the present paper integrates Sentinel-1 and 2 imagery and mapping products derived from them (e.g., Copernicus Emergency Management Service Global Flood Mapping) with ground-truthing and geospatial datasets. Through a multidisciplinary collaboration between geologists, archaeologists, remote sensing and satellite image analysts, the integration methodology was tested on UNESCO and other heritage sites of national relevance located in the two mostly affected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh that were intentionally selected to represent different typologies of cultural heritage and governance in Pakistan. Finally, the information extracted from the present analysis was assessed in relation to the current national and international legislations, the official state of conservation reports and the activities conducted at each site to protect them against flood events. Given the accessibility to ready-to-use Copernicus products and that the present analysis can be replicated over time and other sites, the proposed methodology provides a feasible means to exploit satellite data in post-disaster mapping situations and contribute to the decision-making process for risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The science of hydrological modeling has continuously evolved under the influence of rapid advancements in software and hardware technologies. Starting from simple rational formulae for estimating peak discharge and developing into sophisticated univariate predictive models, accurate conversion of rainfall into runoff and the assessment of inherent uncertainty has been a prime focus for researchers. Therefore, alternative data-driven methods have gained widespread attention in hydrology. Moreover, scientists often couple conventional machine learning models with data pre-processing techniques, i.e., wavelet transformation (WT), to enhance modelling accuracy. In this context, this research work attempts to explore the latent linkage between rainfall and runoff in Pothohar region of Pakistan by developing a novel linkage of five streamline techniques of machine learning, including single decision tree (SDT), decision tree forest (DTF), tree boost (TB), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and gene expression modeling (GEP), with a more sophisticated variant of WT, i.e., maximal overlap discrete wavelet transformation (MODWT), for boundary correction of the transformed components of timeseries data. This study also implements these machine learning models in a stand-alone mode for a more comprehensive comparative analysis of performances. Furthermore, the study uses a combined-basin approach that divides Pothohar region into two basins to compensate for the complex topographic division of the study area. The results indicate that MODWT-based DTF outperformed other stand-alone and hybrid models in terms of modeling accuracy. In the first scenario, considering the Bunha-Kahan River basin, MODWT-DTF yielded the highest NSE (0.86) and the lowest RMSE (220.45 mm) and R2 (0.92 at lag order 3 (Lo3)) when transformed with daubechies4 (db4) at level three. While in the Soan-Haro River basin, MODWT-DTF produced the highest accuracy modeling at lag order 4 (Lo4) (NSE = 0.88, RMSE = 21.72 m3/s, and R2 = 0.91). The highly accurate performance of 3- and 4-days lagged models reflects the temporal consistency in hydrological response of the study area. The comparison of simple and hybrid model performance indicates up to a 55% increase in modeling accuracy due to data pre-processing with wavelet transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Dengue virus (DENV) genomic study is crucial for understanding how it spreads and presents and becomes dangerous. Three structural and seven non-structural proteins are encoded by the positive-stranded RNA DENV. Capsid protein (C) is one of the structural proteins which helps in the encapsidation of viral RNA. The objective of the study is to identify the DENV serotypes and the most common geographic specific mutations in the C protein circulating in the Punjab province of Pakistan. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional study in which about 120 DENV isolates were selected by the procedure of temporal sampling done in the peak season of dengue fever in 2022 from the major tertiary care hospitals for whole genomes sequence analysis. Among these only 23 whole genome sequences were performed after virus isolation, quantification, and cDNA synthesis. RESULTS: All the samples were found to be of genotypes 1 and 2, in which 44 non-synonymous mutations were detected in the C protein. The most common mutations were; N90S (n=11) and G70S (n=11) followed by V26G (n=5) and R10Q (n=4), in which G70S is novel. CONCLUSION: Mutations in the current study are of particular interest to the design of DENV vaccine projects in the future. Genomic epidemiology during each outbreak of DENV in different locations is critical for better public health and for designing new policies for future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traveling in search of healing is quite common in Pakistan, where people gravitate toward large urban tertiary-care centers. In this article the authors explore psychodynamic aspects of the therapeutic journey, with respect to the traveler, the healer, and other symbolic aspects of the doctor-patient relationship in the multicultural nation of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based conservation is promoted as a strategy for improving resource management through community engagement, while traditional management approaches rely on customary laws and practices to regulate the natural resource use. However, there is little research directly comparing these approaches. We used surveys and interviews to examine attitudes and perceptions of resource management in a traditional use (TU) area and a community-based conservation (CBC) area in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Respondents in the CBC area more consistently cited communal benefits, showed greater willingness to conserve natural resources, and observed greater presence of management. However, these differences were contingent on communal benefits generated in the CBC area that have helped influence attitudes about management. The CBC approach may also be more adaptable to technological and socioeconomic changes that are taxing traditional systems. This comparative analysis demonstrates how CBC may support conservation goals in the face of limited governance capacity and changing socio-economic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the factors associated with early rehospitalization among patients with chronic kidney disease. Methods: This was a case-control study conducted at the Department of Nephrology, The Kidney Centre, Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi, Pakistan. Each group (rehospitalization and no rehospitalization) had 63 subjects. The subjects were deemed eligible if they were known cases of chronic kidney disease, above 30 years of age, either gender, cases with rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge from the hospital, and controls with no rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge from the hospital. Odds ratio was calculated to observe the strength of association between factors and rehospitalization. Results: A total of 126 patients were enrolled. The mean age of patients in cases and controls was 69.5 ± 6.7 and 62.0 ± 9.6 years, respectively. Diabetes mellitus and heart failure were more common in the cases cohort in comparison with controls (69.8% vs. 34.9% and 50.8% vs. 7.9%, respectively). Among cases, mean serum hemoglobin and albumin levels were statistically lower in contrast to controls (10.0 ± 0.8 vs. 12.2 ± 1.0 g/dL, P < .0001 and 3.0 ± 0.6 versus 3.9 ± 0.5 mg/dL, respectively, P < .0001). Serum creatinine level was significantly higher in cases than in controls (2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 1.7 ± 0.3 mg/dL, respectively, P < .0001). The multivariate association of comorbidities with rehospitalization of chronic kidney disease patients was studied and found significant for diabetes mellitus (OR 7.07, CI 2.73-18.29, P < .0001) and heart failure (odds ratio 18.72, CI 5.72-61.25, P < .0001). Conclusion: The study showed that serum hemoglobin and albumin were significantly lower in rehospitalized cases. Furthermore, diabetes mellitus and heart failure were observed as significant risk factors for early rehospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To find out the problems associated with the clinical utilization of Chapter 6 related to Mental & behavioural disorders of International Classification of Diseases 11(ICD-11) by the psychiatrists of Pakistan and also to understand the basic description of its utilization in clinical practice. STUDY DESIGN It is a cross-sectional descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The study was conducted through an online survey which was circulated to psychiatrists across the country during a period of two months. SUBJECT AND METHOD: A sample size of 130 Participants including psychiatrists and postgraduate trainees (psychiatry) responded to the e-mail and WhatsApp messages. The survey was on Google Docs, and it was an online survey with responses of "yes, no and don't know". The ethical approval for the survey was taken from the Pakistan psychiatric research centre(xxx). RESULTS Out of 130 psychiatrists, 65.4% were the residents who heard about ICD-11 mostly from academic activity conducted by the authors. 48.5% of psychiatrists believe that it is difficult to adjust to the new classification system. CONCLUSION ICD-11 is a new classification system. It requires training from the seniors and workshops related to its utility through the online mortality and morbidity statistics by WHO across various countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, the leafhopper genus Exitianus Ball is reviewed based on around 200 specimens sampled from various regions of Pakistan during 2019-2021. The study revealed the presence of two species, Exitianus nanus (Distant) and Exitianus indicus (Distant) in the region. Their morphological descriptions, an identification key, and photographs are given. Specimens of all examined materials are deposited at the department of Entomology, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate variations have lot of the financial, medical and economic consequences. Studies showed that climate plays the vital role in virus transmission. This study analyzed the impact of climate indicators on COVID-19 concerning Pakistan. The secondary data is used for analysis as obtained from world health organization, ministry of health Pakistan and Pakistan meteorological department. The results show that all the research variables like temperature maximum, temperature minimum, humidity, and wind flow are positively and significantly correlated to COVID-19. Findings show that temperature maximum, temperature minimum, and wind flow have the positive and significant association with COVID-19, while the humidity has a positive impact on COVID-19 transmission. The study show that minimum temperature is favorable for the virus transmission. Thus, the study provides significant results in reaching the decision and concluding the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article determines the role of Islamic banking in development of agricultural sector, and also indicates hitches and suggests solutions to enhance agricultural financing. The research method is qualitative. A review of the existing literature was conducted for accumulating statistics. The outcomes of field survey and industry opinions with sufficient information were also added. The data analysis was presented in tabularized form to make it easy to analyze. This paper finds that the Islamic banking sector has inadequate participation in agriculture finance which can be promoted with a satisfactory input, although the IBIs are offering an bunch of products of different natures and SBP has also provided sufficient guidelines and regulation that may fulfil the requirement, but there are some complication and technical hitches along with the unsystematic and unplanned nature of agriculture sector that makes the potential unproductive and the offerings remain decorated at websites of IBIs Only. This paper suggests the government to come forward and resolve the issues faced by IBIs in financing agriculture sector, and also call on the IBIs to drag their attention towards this sector and promote product development wing in the light of the instructions of State Bank of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the technology that enables machine-based intelligent behavior. This descriptive article gives an overview of the implementation of artificial intelligence in the following disciplines within the field of clinical medicine: Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Histopathology, and Radiology. In this article, we will discuss the employment of artificial intelligence in anesthesiology and provide an analysis of the several areas in which it is being utilized. We will also evaluate the current status of AI and its future in Pakistan. The importance of this manuscript is to highlight the benefits of artificial intelligence so that the benefits can be realized in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: University libraries playing pivotal role in developing and delivering education among university community by providing authentic information resources in terms of books, magazines, academic research journals etc. Collection development policies adopted to select and purchase the library print and electronic resources which worked as a guide for decision making. The purpose of this study is to propose the collection development policy which will help the acquisition librarians in selecting, evaluating and purchasing the materials for academic/universities libraries. Methodology: The trends of collection development practices were identified through the intensive literature review. Then, the university libraries of Lahore were personally visited to understand their collection development policies and practices. Moreover, the acquisition librarians from outside of Lahore were contacted via phone call to understand and discuss the collection development process in their libraries. Findings: The study findings revealed that there is no systematic written policy for assessment, selection, evaluation and deselection of library material at the universities libraries of Pakistan. Even, the acquisition process of books in universities libraries vary from university to university and even province to province. However, the proposed collection development policy revealed that the automatic receiving of books and other library materials via gifts, donations, exchanging library materials, resource sharing, and subscribing memberships of other organizations will be helpful to enhance the library collection and also reduce the cost to purchase the library materials. The proposed steps for collection development will act as a segment of complete collection development policy and may work as a guide line of collection development procedure to the universities libraries. Originality/Value: The study is first attempt to draw holistic approach of collection development at national level and it will also provide guideline to select user centered resources and also beneficial in terms of saving finances by practicing the proposed steps for developing academic libraries collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred and fifty genotypes of Mungbean were screened against two major diseases of Mungbean prevailed in Pakistan namely, Yellow Mosaic Disease (YMD) and Leaf Spot Disease (CLSD) at two different locations in Faisalabad. Germplasm screening was conducted under inoculum pressure at Faisalabad region during Kharif season 2017-18. Out of these One hundred and fifty genotypes, seventy-six were highly resistant (HR), forty-three were resistant (R), twelve were moderately resistant (MR), fifteen were moderately susceptible (MS), three were susceptible (S) and one was highly susceptible (HS) for Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) based on rating scale. Seventy-six genotypes having highly resistant disease reaction can be used for breeding after further screening. No accession was found highly resistant, resistant and moderately resistant for Cercospora Leaf Spot Disease. However, 75 genotypes were found moderately susceptible, 57 genotypes were suspectable and 18 genotypes were highly susceptible against Cercospora leaf spot disease on the basis of rating scale and Percent Diseases Intensity (PDI%). Twelve genotypes were moderately susceptible for both the diseases, thirty-eight genotypes were highly resistant for MYMV and moderately susceptible for CLS. Similarly, fourteen genotypes were resistant to MYMV and moderately susceptible for CLS, seven genotypes were moderately resistant to MYMV and moderately susceptible to CLS. Five genotypes (MPP-15038, MPP-15039, MPP-15024, MPP-15002 and MPP-15003) were higher yielding as compared to other genotypes studied. These five genotypes can be used as a source of higher yield and can be bred with other genotypes having good disease resistance and other desirable characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major limiting factor for rainfed sorghum production as it occurs at different growth stages such as seedling, post-anthesis, and maturity. Evaluation of genotypes at various growth stages is required to get drought-tolerant genotype. In this regard, a study was conducted in 2018 and 2019 at Barnai Agricultural Research Station, Fatehjang, Pakistan using thirty approved sorghum genotypes. These genotypes were assessed for drought tolerance at seedling, post-anthesis, and maturity by using morpho-physiological traits as selection criteria. The experimental layout design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications. The experimental unit of each replication consisted of four rows which were 45 cm apart and 5 meters long. The results indicated that some of the sorghum genotypes performed better in response to moisture stress at different growth stages. Moreover, 17FS01 showed higher performance regarding traits such as seedling vigor index (413.11), root length (4.12 cm), shoot length (2.34 cm) root and shoot lengths ratio (1.76) and fodder yield (28.33 tonnes/ ha). Furthermore 17FS04 showed higher performance in respect of flag leaf area (102.33 cm), leaf dry matter (0.59 g), relative dry weight (0.58 g) and relative water contents (56.60%). The highest cell membrane stability (60.34%) and grain yield (16.24 kg/ha) was recorded in 18FS03. By cluster analysis, 17FS01, 18FS03, Higari, JS-2002 and 17FS04 were identified as drought tolerant genotypes. Besides, correlation studies also indicated that traits like seedling vigor index, root and shoot length ratio, flag leaf area, leaf dry matter, relative water content, fodder and grain yield had a significant positive correlation. So, using these traits as selection criteria, fruitful results could be obtained regarding the sorting of drought-tolerant genotypes in sorghum at different growth stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current study was conducted at Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha, Pakistan during 2020 to determine the effectiveness of different fruit bagging materials to reduce the fruit fly infestation and also to check their impact on skin color of developing fruits and also upon the fruit quality in citrus variety "kinnow mandarin". The fruits were covered with four types of bagging materials such as perforated polyethylene, butter paper, muslin cloth bag and brown paper. No fruit fly infestation was observed in fruits covered with different types of bags as compared with unwrapped fruits. However, 12.43% fruit fly infestation was recorded in non wrapped bags. Fruits covered with brown paper bags and butter paper bags did not show any blemish problem and were also free from citrus canker. Bagging with perforated polyethylene, brown paper and butter paper materials also resulted in improving the fruit colour. None of the bagging material resulted in increase in fruit size (length x width) and fruit weight in citrus fruits. Statistically, the highest amount of juice weight (54.22 g) was detected in fruits enveloped in brown papers followed by butter paper bag (53.31 g), perforated polyethylene bags (50.89 g), muslin cloth bag (48.43 g) and non-bagged (47.43 g) fruits. The highest amount of TSS was found in fruits wrapped in brown paper bags (11.67%) followed by muslin cloth bag (11.41%) and were statistically at par with each other but significantly different with perforated polyethylene bags (11.11%), butter paper bags (10.35%) and un-wrapped fruits (10.60%). Lowest (0.87%) and highest (1.02%) acidity was observed in fruits wrapped with brown paper and muslin cloth bags, respectively was observed. In short bagging material could be used to protect citrus from fruitfly attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This is the first comprehensive report on the traditional and novel uses of medicinal plants practiced by the indigenous communities of the Sudhnoti district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. The area is rich in folklore and indigenous medicinal knowledge due to a unique tribal composition and socioeconomic conditions. This study aimed to document traditional knowledge of native plant use by the local communities, particularly those used for therapeutic purposes. Methods: Field surveys were conducted from September 2015 to March 2017. Interviews with 125 local inhabitants of different tribes, age groups, genders, and occupations were conducted using structured and semi-structured questions along with group discussions. Data gathered on plant uses, local names, and modes of application of each plant species were organized in tables. Ethnobotanical indices such as use value (UV) and cultural significance index (CSI) were used to produce quantitative information on the plant use category, frequency, and cultural preference of species. Reports on therapeutic uses of medicinal plants were compared with previous studies. Results: In all, 88 plant species from 45 families were reported, out of which 67 (77%) were used in ethnomedical applications. Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae were the dominant families. Berberis lycium was the most valued plant species, followed by Zanthoxylum armatum and Taraxacum officinale. Mentha arvensis had the highest cultural significance, followed by Mentha longifolia, Punica granatum, and Zanthoxylum armatum. Leaves were the most preferred plant parts in the preparation of medicine exclusively or mixed with other parts. The most frequently used process of crude preparation of medicinal plants was cooking. Oral intake was the predominant route of administration. Conclusions: Our comparative analysis confirmed that most of the plants documented have uses that match those previously reported for the region and other parts of the world, with the exception of novel medicinal uses for 11 plant species, including Verbascum thapsus for earache, Elaeagnus umbellata for hepatitis, Achillea millefolium for oral care, Dicliptera roxburghiana to prevent sunstroke in cattle, Rumex hastatus for allergy antidote, Pyrus pashia for hepatitis, and Nerium oleander for diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the last six decades, extensive use of antibiotics has selected resistant strains, increasing the rate of fatal infectious diseases, and exerting an economic burden on society. This situation is widely accepted as a global problem, yet its degree is not well elucidated in many regions of the world. Up till now, no systemic analysis of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Pakistan has been published. The current study aims to describe the antibiotic-resistance scenario of Pakistan from human samples of the last 10 y, to find the gaps in surveillances and methodology and recommendations for researchers and prescribers founded on these outcomes.Methods: Original research articles analyzed the pattern of Antibiotic resistance of any World Health Organization (WHO) enlisted priority pathogens in Pakistan (published onward 2009 till March 2020), were collected from PubMed, Google scholar, and PakMedi Net search engines. These articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data about the study characteristics and antibiotic-resistance for a given bacterium were excluded from literature. Antibiotic resistance to a particular bacterium was calculated as a median resistance with 95% Confidence Interval (CI).Results: Studies published in the last 10 y showed that Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is the most reported clinical diagnosis (16.1%) in Pakistan. E. coli were reported in 28 (30.11%) studies showing high resistance to antibiotics' first line. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found in 49% of S. aureus' total reported cases. Phenotypic resistance pattern has mostly been evaluated by Disk Diffusion Method (DDM) (82.8%), taken Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) as a breakpoint reference guideline (in 79.6% studies). Only 28 (30.11%) studies have made molecular identification of the resistance gene. blaTEM (78.94% in Shigella spp) and blaNDM-1 (32.75% in Klebsiella spp) are the prominent reported resistant genes followed by VanA (45.53% in Enterococcus spp), mcr-1 (1.61% in Acinetobacter spp), and blaKPC-2 (31.67% in E. coli). Most of the studies were from Sindh (40.86%), followed by Punjab (35.48%), while Baluchistan's AMR data was not available.Conclusion: Outcomes of our study emphasize that most of the pathogens show high resistance to commonly used antibiotics; also, we find gaps in surveillances and breaches in methodological data. Based on these findings, we recommend the regularization of surveillance practice and precise actions to combat the region's AMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian government repealed Article 370 from the constitution on 5 August 2019. Revoking of article 370 ended the autonomous and special status of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Not only this, India has built-up massive military in the area coupled with a shutdown and curfew in the valley in order to cut it off from the whole world both virtually and physically. It is argued that there is a continuous violation of internationally accepted human rights in the valley of Indian-occupied Kashmir. The authors have examined the violations of UDHR-1948, ICCPR-1966, and CRC-1990 especially after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. In this article, interpretivist approach has been applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Violence against healthcare personnel is a major public health problem. Healthcare personnel are at the frontline dealing with people in stressful and unpredictable situations. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated factors of violence against health care personnel.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the district Peshawar. Healthcare personnel from public and private sectors working in both the primary and tertiary levels of healthcare were invited to participate. Violence was assessed through a structured questionnaire previously used in Pakistan and was defined as experiencing and/or witnessing any form of violence in the last 12 months. Mental health was assessed through the General Health Questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of violence against healthcare personnel with psychological distress and demographic characteristics. Data entry and analysis were conducted in STATA 14.Results: A total of 842 healthcare personnel participated in the study. The prevalence of violence experienced and/or witnessed by healthcare personnel in Peshawar was 51%. Verbal violence remained the predominant form of violence and almost half of the healthcare personnel (45%) were exposed to it. A quarter of the respondents (24%) reported physical violence alone or in combination with other forms of violence. In almost two third of the incidents the perpetrators were either attendants, relatives or the patients. The emergency unit and wards within healthcare facilities were the most common places where violent events took place. The major factors responsible for the violent incidents were communication failure, unreasonable expectations and perceived substandard care. No uniform policy/procedure existed to manage the incidents and the healthcare personnel adopted different responses in the wake of violent events targeting health care. Working in public healthcare facilities and having a larger number of co-workers/colleagues significantly increased the risk of violence in the healthcare settings while being a paramedic significantly reduced the risk as compared to physicians.Conclusions: Violence against healthcare personnel is a serious public health issue and the prevalence is quite high. A holistic effort is needed by all stakeholders including healthcare community, the administration, lawmakers, law enforcement, civil society, and international organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan economy mainly depends upon agriculture sector as agriculture is main contributor in the poverty alleviation and almost all the industries based upon this sector. Agriculture is divided into many sub sectors called livestock, forestry and fisheries. As a subsector livestock have bigger contribution in Pakistan economy and it is playing a key role to raise the life standards of people living in rural areas. Major purpose of the study was to "analysis of effectiveness and challenges regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for livestock farmers in tehsil Faisalabad. The present study was conducted in two union councils (UC-153 Jalandar, UC-178 Shakera) of Tehsil Faisalabad, Pakistan during 2019. Sample sizes of 147 respondents were taken from these two union councils. Purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from the respondents (livestock farmers have more than 15 livestock animals). A well-prepared questionnaire was developed for data collection. The collected data were statistically analyzed by using computer software statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistical measures i.e. percentages, frequencies, mean, rank order and standard deviation was calculated to draw the conclusion and suggest appropriate recommendations. Results showed that majority of the livestock farmers were using simple mobile phone to contact with their fellow livestock farmers (weighted score 335), private (weighted score 310) and government veterinary doctors (weighted score 321) for obtaining information for their livestock. There was unavailability of internet facility in the study area and very few farmers were using internet (weighted score 347) and android mobiles (weighted score 554) for the sake of social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at to ascertain the relationship between education of head of the households and their financial vulnerability using data comprising of 17,031 households obtained from Household Integrated Economic Survey 2015–2016 in Pakistan. We have compiled three measures of financial vulnerability at household level i.e. financial margins excluding and including the rental payments and Financial Vulnerability Index (FVI). According to the results, proportion of financially vulnerable households in both measures of financial margin declines along with increase in level of education of the head of households and stands at 66% and 77% for no formal education of the head, 56% and 70% for primary, 42% and 61% for secondary, 27% and 44% for higher secondary, 14% and 32% for graduate and 13% and 24% for post graduate levels of education. FVI results indicate that out of 2504 highly vulnerable households i.e. falling in the bottom 10% of the distribution, 63.8% were those with no formal education of their heads followed by 19.3% with primary, 14.3% with secondary and 1.9% with higher secondary level of education. Further, various levels of education and individual characteristics such as marital status, gender, region, province and employment status of the heads, have been emerged as significant determinants of financial vulnerability in all three estimated measures along with household's income, consumption, savings and rental payments. Findings of the study calls for greater human capital investment both by households and the government of Pakistan in order to stabilize the financial conditions of the households at micro level, which in turn can promote stability and resilience at macro level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides contamination is a global environmental and public health concern due to their carcinogenic and highly toxic nature for all kind of living organisms including plants, animals and humans. Pakistan as an agriculture-based country, annually use a huge amount of organochlorine pesticides (OC) to control insect pests and different diseases of crops, resulting in environmental contaminations and their subsequent exposure to humans. Unfortunately, more than half million people are endured annually from OC pesticides and other agro-chemicals poisoning in Pakistan. However, recent data on the uses, contamination and exposure of pesticides in Pakistan are largely unavailable. This review summarizes the recent information and provides data on consumption and contamination of pesticides with a particular focus on their exposure to humans in Pakistan. Studies must be conducted to precisely determine the current use, contamination level and exposure of pesticides in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were carried out in field and controlled conditions at Plant Breeding Institute- Cobbitty, the University of Sydney, Australia. The objective of the study was to determine the relationship of carbon isotope discrimination (CID) with wheat biomass and morphological traits. Results showed significant (P = 0.05) variation between evaluated wheat advanced lines for flag leaf CID and morphological traits. Correlation and principal component analysis revealed close relationships between the traits such as CID and wheat whole plant biomass obtained under green house. In field conditions CID was showed correlations with grain yield per plant and morphological traits such as plant height and harvest index. Correlation between the CID, grain yield and harvest index was not consistent across environment, it was significantly negative under green house and positive under field conditions. In short, development of high yielding genotypes for stress environment is possible through selection of higher CID. The results further showed that total biomass (TB) and yield (Y) were significantly affected by the environment while plant height and vegetative biomass showed medium heritability. It was concluded that CID was promising criteria for the discrimination of production, wheat germplasm under stress condictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in population has led to the rise in the construction and manufacturing of bricks. Bricks are manufactured in brick kilns that emit very harmful gases which in turn affect the human health, environment and economy. In Pakistan, the diseases related to skin, and respiratory system have created a lot of problems for the humans and animals. According to experts and professionals, one of the main causes of the environment and health related problems is brick kiln. It is very important to identify the brick kilns and emissions that are extremely harmful for the environment and human health. Therefore, the objective of this research paper is threefold. Firstly, to identify and rank the emissions from brick kilns based on their harmful impact on human health and environment. Secondly, to rank the three types of brick kilns i.e. Traditional Brick Kilns (TBK) with coal as a fuel, Traditional Brick Kilns (TBK) with rubber as a fuel and Contemporary Brick Kilns (CBK) (technologically advanced brick kilns) based on their impact on human health and environment. Thirdly, to identify the relation of three alternative brick kilns with health and environmental problems, respectively. DEMATEL and Fuzzy-TOPSIS have used for achieving the objectives. The results show that CO 2 , CO and SO 2 have the most harmful effects on the environment. Similarly, carcinogenic dioxin, SO 2 and PM have the adverse effects on the human health. TBK in which rubber is used as a fuel is the most harmful and CBK is the safest types of brick kilns, respectively. In the light of the results, it is recommended to the government of Pakistan to formulate and implement the rules and regulations for minimizing the negative impacts of brick kilns on human health and environment. Moreover, new technologies should be used in order to reduce the harmful impacts. Unlabelled Image • Impact assessment of the brick kiln emissions on environment and human health. • Analysis of emissions and their impact on environment and human health. • Ranking of types of brick kilns based on their impact the environment and human health. • Recommendation of policies to government of Pakistan and owners of brick kilns for controlling the harmful emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the impact of different nutrient sources viz., bio-fertilizer (effective microorganisms) with or without organic manure (Farmyard Manure) and inorganic fertilizer (NPK) on the quality characteristics of tomato. The pot experiment was conducted by combining 7 treatments in completely randomized design with 3 replications. The results revealed that nutrient sources significantly affected different quality parameters including; physicochemical (vitamin C, lycopene, total soluble solids and pericarp thickness); sensory (fruit color, fruit flavor and fruit firmness) and shelf life. It was concluded that bio-fertilizer integrated with Farmyard Manure emerged as better nutrient source over other treatments. Benefits of bio fertilizer application were more in the presence of Farmyard Manure on quality of tomato in comparison with NPK. No work has been previously published to study the effect of effective microorganisms on taste active components of vegetable or fruit crops, and their correlation with physicochemical attributes and shelf life. Data are provided for the researchers for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate governance is considered as environment of trust, set of processes, policies and laws affecting the way corporations are administrated and directed. The previous literature in context of the corporate governance relationship with firm financial performance shows controversial findings; similarly literature shows lack of studies in context of developing countries as Pakistan. Therefore, this research explores the relationship of the corporate governance and the firm financial performance in context of developing country as Pakistan. The data has been collected from the sugar sector listed in KSE (Pakistan Stock Exchange), 20 corporations are selected as sample from sugar sector on basis of outstanding shares. Corporate governance taken as independent variable and measured as CEO biformity (CB), board size (BS), firm age (FA), firm size (FS). Financial performance of firms taken as dependent variable and measured as return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE), net profit margin (NPM). Data is collected for period of 2000-2013 from reports of the sugar companies listed in KSE (Pakistan Stock Exchange) issued annually and analysis of balance sheet given by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Result shows that CEO biformity significantly affecting firm financial performance. Board size (BS) shows partially significant impact on firm financial performance. Firms age (FA) show partially significant impact on firm financial performance. Firm size (FS) shows partially significant impact on firm financial performance. Therefore, conclusion has been drawn based on the results of analysis that this study adds new knowledge to the existing body of knowledge of corporate governance impact on firm financial performance and in context of developing countries as Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study area is situated between the latitudes of 21°N and 39°N and the longitudes of 59°E and 77°E. The objective of this study is to estimate seismic hazard in Pakistan as a whole, northern Pakistan and southern Pakistan using cumulative frequency-magnitude distribution and strain energy release methods. The results are in the form of seismicity parameters of a and b-values (zone dependent constants), M1 (the annual mode maxima), M2 (the mean annual rate of energy release), M3 (the maximum credible earthquake), WT (the waiting time for M3 to occur and DT is the delay time. The results indicate that, in general, Pakistan and surrounding region is seismically active (e.g. north Pakistan has b < 1.0). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aimed to examine the relationship of education and poverty (wealth index). The secondary data is utilized to find the theoretical relationships among the research variables while statistical procedures have been used to examine statistical relationships among the variables. Tor this purpose, current research utilizes the following tests likewise the correlation analysis, multiple comparison test and Chi square to examine statistical connection and to reach conclusion. In this regard, the results described that males attain more money as compare to the females and education is more critical factor for the elimination of poverty. The people who belong to middle and above standard of the education are richer than the people of who belongs to primary or below level. Moreover, the results indicate that uneducated people are suffering lowest level of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and Russia are in close collaboration for the last decade or so due to the changed regional and global geo-political scenarios. However understanding and respecting each other's interests as well as convergence of Pak-Russian interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia is the main driving force behind this development which guarantee a permanent need for each other. Both Pakistan and Russia emphasised on a negotiated settlement for Afghanistan imbroglio addressing concerns of regional states. The Russia-Central Asia-South Asia integration via Afghanistan and Pakistan is in the minds of Russia and Pakistan. Russia controls the northern corridor to the contiguous areas of Afghanistan and Central Asia while Pakistan provides an outlet in the south. The close cooperation between Pakistan and Russia has also encouraged Central Asian Republics for greater interaction with Pakistan. Sino-Russian close cooperation on Central Asia and Pak-China close liaison on Afghanistan also solidifies Pak-Russia collaboration. Thus Russia, China, Pakistan axis will be a symbol of peace and prosperity for Afghanistan and Central Asia. In post US/NATO Afghanistan, maintaining regional peace and stability will be a shared responsibility of regional states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study heterogeneity of effects between maize and potatoes contract farming schemes. • We also study spillover effect of contract farming towards labor market. • Potato contract farming has significant association with price and income. • Maize contract farming scheme does not have income or productivity implications but involves an attractive payment system. While the positive income effect of contract farming is well established in the literature, the heterogeneity of effects for different crops has not been widely investigated. This study compares the income and productivity effects of large-scale contract farming under contract schemes for potatoes and maize in Pakistan. In the area of the study, maize is a common staple crop, widely available in the market, while the potatoes produced by contract farmers are a special variety not sold in the market. We find that potato contracting is associated with significantly higher income for participating farmers, while maize contracting has no association with either income or productivity. We found no negative association between contract participation and income from other sources. Taken together, these results show a higher total household income for potato contract farmers. We also show unique evidence that potato contract farmers tend to employ more skilled workers under a salary system for the management of farms, which implies that contract farming may have positive spillover effects in the skilled labor market. Neither scheme, however, is associated with larger employment of agricultural labor for simple tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction in cost of production to make agriculture profitable is a major challenge and all out efforts have been made by successive government in Pakistan to pass benefits to the farmers by reducing input prices through reduction in GST, providing cash subsidy and supplying inexpensive feed gas for fertilizer industry. Currently, cash subsidy on urea is costing Rs. 12 billion to national exchequer and total tax relief (all products inclusive) costing around Rs. 40 billion to the national exchequer, respectively. Thus, total financial implication of subsidy and tax relief is Rs. 52 billion. In the existing tax regime tax rates vary greatly from 3.55% (SSP) to 11.73% (NPK). Due to these distortions farmers prefer to use higher dosages of Urea and low grade P-based fertilizers. This anomaly is negatively affecting productivity of major crops in general and high value crops in particular. Presently average weighted tax rate on all fertilizers is 5.83 percent. The imposition of uniform tax rate of 5% on all fertilizers, without cash subsidy on urea will reduce financial implication to Rs. 43 billion and at 2% tax rate financial implication will be Rs. 53.7 billion per annum. Imposition of uniform tax rates will result into decrease in market prices of fertilizers, consequently their use will be higher and balance among nutrients application will improve. The Imposition of uniform tax rate of 2% will reduce fertilizer cost for production of major crops by; 18% for wheat, 13% for rice, 20% each for cotton and sugarcane. Modest increase in crop productivity by just 5% could result in additional production of major crops (wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and maize) of worth Rs. 111.57 billion. While, existing production levels of major crops can be obtained by reducing area under these crops by 859 thousand hectares, and spared area can be brought into cultivation under high value crops to diversify the cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction in cost of production to make agriculture profitable is a major challenge and all out efforts have been made by successive government in Pakistan to pass benefits to the farmers by reducing input prices through reduction in GST, providing cash subsidy and supplying inexpensive feed gas for fertilizer industry. Currently, cash subsidy on urea is costing Rs. 12 billion to national exchequer and total tax relief (all products inclusive) costing around Rs. 40 billion to the national exchequer, respectively. Thus, total financial implication of subsidy and tax relief is Rs. 52 billion. In the existing tax regime tax rates vary greatly from 3.55% (SSP) to 11.73% (NPK). Due to these distortions farmers prefer to use higher dosages of Urea and low grade P-based fertilizers. This anomaly is negatively affecting productivity of major crops in general and high value crops in particular. Presently average weighted tax rate on all fertilizers is 5.83 percent. The imposition of uniform tax rate of 5% on all fertilizers, without cash subsidy on urea will reduce financial implication to Rs. 43 billion and at 2% tax rate financial implication will be Rs. 53.7 billion per annum. Imposition of uniform tax rates will result into decrease in market prices of fertilizers, consequently their use will be higher and balance among nutrients application will improve. The Imposition of uniform tax rate of 2% will reduce fertilizer cost for production of major crops by; 18% for wheat, 13% for rice, 20% each for cotton and sugarcane. Modest increase in crop productivity by just 5% could result in additional production of major crops (wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and maize) of worth Rs. 111.57 billion. While, existing production levels of major crops can be obtained by reducing area under these crops by 859 thousand hectares, and spared area can be brought into cultivation under high value crops to diversify the cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of how work-family conflict affect working mothers in traditional societies has been one of the foci of research during recent decades. This area of academic interest has mainly been explored in corporate organizational contexts but is less investigated in the context of women educational leadership in traditional cultural milieu. The current qualitative study explored the work-family interface: conflict and balance regarding women school heads in a traditional society i.e. Peshawar, Pakistan. Data was collected from 15 female school heads using semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that most of the women school heads experienced conflict in keeping a balance between workplace responsibilities and their family obligations. The problems women school heads encountered in keeping a balance between workplace and family centered responsibilities included the dual burden of responsibilities and the resultant socio-psychological tensions, a sense of frustration and guilt resulting from neglect of responsibilities regarding care for family and children, and an overall mental and psychological stress as a result of coping with the dual nature of their undertaking as working women. This study has important implications for women school heads, their employers and policy makers dealing with school education?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and Malaysia have a significant bilateral economic relationship. The Pakistan–Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in 2007, and was implemented in 2008. Pakistan’s volatile exports to Malaysia never achieved a sustainable period of growth. Trade balance has not achieved significant changes even after 9 years of implementation of the agreement. With this backdrop, this study first quantifies the current FTA between Pakistan and Malaysia and then suggests changes that could be made to improve the outcome for Pakistan. A new global economic trade model is adapted to include more detailed information on Pakistan’s labor and household groups into the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database. This allows for a more detailed analysis of the impact of the FTA on Pakistan at the household level. The results show that there is win–win scenario for both Pakistan and Malaysia if both are able to renegotiate the current FTA to get the same tariff concession as awarded to each other’s trading partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) remain a major constraint associated with the profitable production of goats under grazing conditions. The present study was planned to determine the comparative susceptibility of Dera Din Panah (DDP) and Nachi breeds of goats towards artificial infection with Haemonchus (H.) contortus. To this end, a total of 24 goats of each breed were administered with third stage infective larvae of H. contortus through early and late infection protocols. The differences in faecal egg count (FEC), post necropsy worm count, rate of establishment of infection, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), eosinophils, total serum protein (TSP) and serum albumin (SA) were compared to check breed susceptibility to worms. Both breeds reflected significant (P<0.05) differences in aforementioned parameters at different time intervals post infection. However, Nachi breed showed a compromised response towards artificially infection with H. contortus as compared to DDP breed. Overall, higher FEC, higher number of adult worm recovery along with significant reduction in PCV and Hb depicted that Nachi is comparatively more susceptible to H. contortus infection as compared to DDP. In conclusion, difference in response towards H. contortus infection may formulate the base of selective breeding of resistant goat breed (DDP) in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers argued that increasing global temperature will result in waning glacier based freshwater availability in future. River Indus fed by glaciers is critical for Pakistan as it is irrigating its 80% of agricultural land. Shigari Kalan watershed is one of the water sheds located in Skardu, Northern Pakistan, which also contributes to River Indus flowing to Pakistan. The aim of instant research is to evaluate the correlation amid temperature and the rate of glacier/snow melt which could have future implications for water availability in the River Indus flowing into Pakistan for which data pertaining to snow/glacier melt from the Shigari Kalan watershed was regularly monitored during the period spread over September 2015 to November 2015 and March 2016 to September 2016. Results showed that in the flow discharges of the stream during summer months was much higher with peak in June. The snow/glacier melt increases with air temperature from 12.5 C onwards and at 20C onwards it gets exponential rate. From the results it transpires that the effect of global warming in Himalaya and Karakorum Mountains has already set in. Any further increase in global temperature as predicted in many studies will further increase glacier melt rate which could result in extinction of glaciers in the long run. Such a situation will have serious implications for Skardu and water availability in River Indus and thus for Pakistan whose major water requirements are met from snow/glacier melt from the River Indus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers argued that increasing global temperature will result in waning glacier based freshwater availability in future. River Indus fed by glaciers is critical for Pakistan as it is irrigating its 80% of agricultural land. Shigari Kalan watershed is one of the water sheds located in Skardu, Northern Pakistan, which also contributes to River Indus flowing to Pakistan. The aim of instant research is to evaluate the correlation amid temperature and the rate of glacier/snow melt which could have future implications for water availability in the River Indus flowing into Pakistan for which data pertaining to snow/glacier melt from the Shigari Kalan watershed was regularly monitored during the period spread over September 2015 to November 2015 and March 2016 to September 2016. Results showed that in the flow discharges of the stream during summer months was much higher with peak in June. The snow/glacier melt increases with air temperature from 12.5 C onwards and at 20C onwards it gets exponential rate. From the results it transpires that the effect of global warming in Himalaya and Karakorum Mountains has already set in. Any further increase in global temperature as predicted in many studies will further increase glacier melt rate which could result in extinction of glaciers in the long run. Such a situation will have serious implications for Skardu and water availability in River Indus and thus for Pakistan whose major water requirements are met from snow/glacier melt from the River Indus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify the latest trends in the clinical picture and severity of the disease, which will help better understand and manage dengue. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study performed in the tertiary care hospitals of Punjab from August 21 to December 2022, in which serologically and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed patients with dengue infection, were enrolled. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded on a pre-tested Performa, processed and presented in frequency and percentages, and graphs were generated. Mean and standard deviation was used to present continuous variables. Results: Out of a total of 580 patients, 472 were diagnosed with Dengue Fever (DF) and 108 with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). About 79.31% of the patients were male and 20.69% were females. The mean age of patients was 32.5±9 years. Among the clinical features the percentage of high-grade fever, body aches, and vomiting were the highest. The liver function profile showed that serum bilirubin, Serum aspartate transaminase (AST), serum alanine transaminase (ALT,) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels were markedly raised. Conclusion: This study showed that with time the trends in the presentation of dengue are slowly shifting, which will help us better manage the disease burden in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in district Buner. Material and Method: This was retrospective data review of patients record. Data was collected from patient's record register from January 2016 till December 2018. A total of 203 patients were included in this study. Data was collected and entered and analyzed in IBM SPSS 23. Results: Out of 203 cases, 135(66.5%) were males and 68 (33.5%) were females. The main cause of cirrhosis was HCV (n=163, 80.3%) and HBV (n=27, 13.3%). Cryptogenic cirrhosis occurred in 9 cases (4.4%) while others were only 1% (n=2). HCV positivity was more in males (n=108, 66.25%) than in females (n=55, 33.7%) with a p value .022. Conclusion: HCV is major cause of Liver Cirrhosis in our patients. HCV is more common in males than in females. Cirrhosis occurs most commonly in 4th, 5th and 6th decades of life after being infected with HBV and HCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insight heterodox genetics of mtDNA infer new perspectives at the level of human mitochondrial control region heteroplasmy, which is substantial in evolutionary as well as forensic interpretation. The main goal of this study is to interrogate the recurrence and resolve the ambiguity of blurry spectrum of heteroplasmy in the human mtDNA control region of 50 Baluchi and 116 Sindhi unrelated individuals. Sanger sequencing was employed classically, that was further investigated by minisequencing. Only 20% Baluchi and 25.8% Sindhi were homoplasmic, whereas rest of 80% Baluchi and 74.1% Sindhi exhibited at least one heteroplasmy within the specimen. In total, 166 individuals have length heteroplasmy (LH) found at positions 16189, 303-315, 568-573, and 514-524, whilst point mutation heteroplasmy (PMH) was detected at positions 73, 16093, 16189, and 16234, respectively. Overall LH was observed albeit high frequency in Sindhi ethnic group (82%) rather than Baluchi’s (37%), whereas PMH accumulation was relatively extensive (24%) in Baluchi’s than Sindhi’s (11.2%). The obtained results ascertained that growing knowledge of heteroplasmy assisted to develop consciences in the forensic community that heteroplasmy plays a pivotal role in the legal interpretation on a regular basis and knowledge of its biological underpinnings has a vital niche in the forensic science. Limited studies have focused on heteroplasmy, yet scientific attention should be given, in order to determine its magnitude in different ethnic boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, we examined the relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance and tested the role of affective commitment foci – namely, affective coworker commitment, affective supervisor commitment, and affective organizational commitment – as parallel mediators in the relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. Second, we tested the moderating role of culture on the interrelationships between workplace romance, affective commitment foci, and employee job performance. Methods: A two-wave (3-month interval) survey data were collected from 312 paramedics – 162 and 150 from Pakistani and Chinese public-sector hospitals, respectively. The first and second waves of data collection took place in January and May 2017, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM), bootstrapping technique, and multigroup analysis were used to test the interrelationships between workplace romance, affective commitment foci, and employee job performance and to examine the cross-cultural differences in these interrelations. Results: Results obtained using SEM show that workplace romance positively influences employee performance. Importantly, the study revealed that the three foci of affective commitment – namely, coworker affective commitment, supervisor affective commitment, and organizational affective commitment – as parallel mediators fully mediate the relationship between workplace romance and employee performance. Moreover, national culture moderates the indirect relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance, where workplace romance is stronger for the Chinese data sample. Conclusion: It is concluded that workplace romance is positively related to employee job performance and that affective commitment foci fully mediate the positive relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. Moreover, culture moderates the indirect relationship between workplace romance and employee job performance. The study contributes to theory and practice by studying an essential but largely ignored aspect of the workplace and portraying it as a constructive influence on employee job performance and their affective commitment to coworkers, supervisor, and organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) among Health Care Providers in major cities of Pakistan. Methods: A knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire based study was conducted in major cities in Pakistan from health care providers in public and private hospitals and clinics. Questionnaires were provided to the health care providers regarding screening, diagnosis and management of patients with GDM. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS 20. Results: A total of 210 doctors took part in the study. 55(26%) reported using fasting blood glucose as screening test for GDM whereas 129(61.4%) respondents used Oral Glucose Tolerance based WHO criteria for diagnosing GDM. Thirty six (17%) and 98(46.7%) doctors referred their patients to Gynecologists. For treating GDM, 64(30.5%) doctors prescribed insulin (NPH/Regular, 70/30 Mix). 112(53.5) doctors used combination of capillary glucose by glucometer and plasma blood glucose tests for monitoring of glycemic control of patients with GDM. Conclusion: There is lack of agreed screening tests and criteria for diagnosis and management of GDM patients. Doctors need to be educated to follow evidence based diagnostic and management guidelines so that GDM patients can be effectively managed. Recently released South Asian Federation Societies and Pakistan Endocrine Society guidelines could be much needed consensus guidelines for doctors to apply in their daily practice to improve GDM diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is embarking on its mega project CPEC, in partnership with China, which is a part of the larger One Belt One Road project and it brings with it great promise for both China and Pakistan. Due to the enormous planned development and energy-generation activities, primarily through coal, the danger of damage to the environment is equally enormous. Whereas China is moving away from coalbased energy and is implementing stricter pollution-control laws, Pakistan is initiating such projects now, despite its international commitments, and that too without strictly undertaking environmental assessments or without having a very good history of implementing its environmental protection laws. If Pakistan does not take timely action to ensure the prevention of environmental degradation, its people could suffer greatly due to the resulting adverse effects to the environment; the fallout of which could also impact the rest of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great depression of the 20th century raised serious concerns and had undisputable impacts over the management of the world financial system. The recent past 2008 financial meltdown in the U.S and 2010 Eurozone financial crisis was not just a reminiscence of the great depression, but exposes the risks associated with the conventional financial system. Policymakers, financial experts and nonprofessionals are grappling with how best to mitigate the risks or develop a less-risky system to complement the conventional banking system, which in turn could save the world from further unforeseen global financial trauma. The current study paves the way to gauge the propensity of credit risk especially after the world financial crisis-2008 in Islamic and conventional banks of Pakistan. Methodologically, the research employs Z-Score, Altman's Z-Score, NPL ratio, Distance to Default and Default Probabilities to gauge the magnitude and the enormity of the credit risk. The findings of the study postulate the conventional banking in Pakistan felt more credit risk in realization with Islamic banking. However, the chances to go into bankruptcy prevails both banking systems but the conventional banks have more sound financial position to absorb trauma in near future. The more integrated paradigm of conventional banks of Pakistan with the world banking system needs to curb more risk over the passion to earn more profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and China all-weather friends have strengthened their economic, political and strategic relations with the passage of time. Both of them emphasize their economic relation that remains neglected through the ages. In the year 2013 a milestone was achieved when the agreement of China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), stimuli to economic relations was concluded. The project would not only connect Pakistan and China, but is potential enough to integrate Asian countries. It will contribute to the improvement of strategic and economic environment of the region. There are some challenges as the project has some diverse effects on the political interests of some actors. The major objective of the study is to expose the economic and strategic importance of CPEC and to find out its impacts on Pakistan's development. To achieve the mentioned objective, empirical, analytical and predictive methodology is applied. This research concludes that the project would be a game changer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glanders is an infectious and contagious bacterial disease of equines. A little is known about its seroprevalence and risk factors in working equines in countries where the disease is endemic. Also, there are no reports on prevalence of the disease in areas where there is a prior evidence of Burkholderia (B.) mallei detection in soil. A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected districts (n = 09) of Punjab province of Pakistan during 2014–2015. A total of 1008 serum samples were screened for detection of antibodies to B. mallei with complement fixation test followed by western blot. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 3.17% (95% CI: 2.25–4.44). The seropositivity was significantly higher from the sampling sites where B. mallei was detected in soil [OR: 10.66 (95% CI: 4.42–31.66), p = 0.00]. Other risk factors significantly associated with animal seropositivity were: age group [OR: 1.78 (95% CI: 4.58–15.56), p = 0.00], location in urban area [OR: 2.99 (95% CI: 1.46–6.51), p = 0.00],body condition [OR: 3.47 (95% CI: 1.64–7.99), p = 0.00], presence of farcy lesion[OR: 7.71 (95% CI: 3.47–19.50), p = 0.00], proximity to water bodies [OR: 7.71 (95% CI: 3.47–19.50), p = 0.00]; domestic animal population [OR: 3.20 (95% CI: 1.24–10.87), p = 0.03] and number of households in sampling area [OR: 4.18 (95%CI: 1.82–11.30), p = 0.00]. The study provides an estimate of prevalence of glanders and a potential link between animal seropositivity and presence of B. mallei in soil. The risk factors identified in this study can be used in surveillance and disease awareness. The high prevalence of disease in draught horses and contact of infected animals with their care-takers in developing countries signify need to initiate progressive control of the disease using one health approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data regarding flame retardants (FRs) in indoor and outdoor air and their exposure to population are scarce and especially unknown in the case of Pakistan. The current study was designed to probe FR concentrations and distribution pattern in indoor and outdoor air at different altitudinal zones (DAZs) of Pakistan with special emphasis on their risk to the exposed population. In this study, passive air samplers for the purpose of FR deposition were deployed in indoor and outdoor air at the industrial, rural, and background/colder zones/sites. All the indoor and outdoor air samples collected from DAZs were analyzed for the target FRs (9.30–472.30 pg/m 3 ), showing a decreasing trend as follows: ∑NBFRs > ∑PBDEs > ∑DP. However, significant correlations among FRs in the indoor and outdoor air at DAZs signified a similar source of FR origin that is used in different consumer goods. Furthermore, air mass trajectories revealed that movement of air over industrial area sources influenced concentrations of FRs at rural sites. The FR concentrations, estimated daily intake (EDI) and the hazard quotient (HQ), were recorded to be higher in toddlers than those in adults. In addition, indoor air samples showed higher FR levels, EDI and HQ, than outdoor air samples. An elevated FR concentrations and their prevalent exposure risks were recorded in the industrial zones followed by rural and background zones. The HQ for BDE-47 and BDE-99 in the indoor and outdoor air samples at different industrial and rural sites were recorded to be >1 in toddlers and adults, this further warrants a health risk in the population. However, FR investigation in indoor and outdoor air samples will provide a baseline data in Pakistan to take further steps by the government and agencies for its implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]