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This study investigates evolving corporate governance mechanisms within the context of an emerging economy. Addressing a literature gap, this study analyses the influence of corporate governance and earnings quality on idiosyncratic risk in an emerging economy. In particular, this research explores the impact of corporate governance practices and earnings quality on idiosyncratic risk. For this purpose, this research utilises a sample of 75 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistani equity market over nine years from 2010 to 2018. Employing the generalised method of moments, the findings of our empirical analysis reveal that firms with robust governance mechanisms and higher earnings quality experience minimal idiosyncratic risk. These outcomes provide valuable insights for standard setters, regulatory authorities, policymakers, and other stakeholders, emphasising the importance of governance mechanisms and earnings management in mitigating idiosyncratic return volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poultry market is troubled by Salmonellosis infections which has a large negative impact due to morbidity and decreased productivity. Salmonella pullorum causes a disease named Salmonellosis which affects the poultry industries and has long been a significant obstacle to the development of nations. Due to the occurrence of resistance to most of the antibiotics in the poultry, treatment of infection now becomes difficult and challenging. So, alternative therapy is needed to reduce the burden of bacterial load and to treat the infection. The main objectives of this study were to isolate Salmonella pullorum from the layer poultry birds with to check antibiotic resistance of Salmonella pullorum and to isolate lytic phages against Salmonella pullorum. Poultry fecal samples were collected from poultry farms in different areas. For isolation and purification of Salmonella pullorum, Salmonella Shigella agar (SS-agar) was used. Black centered colonies were observed on SS agar and non-lactose fermenter on MacConkey's agar. For the confirmation of bacterial isolates, gram staining yielded pink-red rods as observed microscopically. For citrate utilization isolates also +ve test, catalase production and methyl red reaction and negative for VP and indole reaction. The disk diffusion method on Mueller Hinton was performed to check the susceptibility pattern of Salmonella pullorum. Bacterium showed resistance to amoxicillin followed by tetracycline and ceftazidime, while sensitive to chloramphenicol and kanamycin. Sewage water was collected for the isolation of phages from different sewage lines of poultry farms. Bacteriophages against Salmonella pullorum were isolated through agar overlay method. Clear plaques were observed on petri plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing ubiquity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices within smart homes demands the use of advanced strategies in IoT implementation, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and security. The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the IoT framework improves the overall efficiency of the network. An inefficient mechanism of parent selection at the network layer of IoT causes energy drain in the nodes, particularly near the sink node. As a result, nodes die earlier, causing network holes that further increase the control message overhead as well as the energy consumption of the network, compromising network security. This research introduces an AI‐based approach to parent selection of the Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy networks (RPL) at the network layer of IoT to enhance security and energy efficiency. A novel objective function, named Energy and Parent Load Objective Function (EA‐EPL), is also proposed that considers the composite metrics, including energy and parent load. Extensive experiments are conducted to assess EA‐EPL against OF0 and MRHOF algorithms. Experimental results show that EA‐EPL outperformed these algorithms in improving energy efficiency, network stability, and packet delivery ratio. The results also demonstrate a significant enhancement in the overall efficiency of IoT networks and increased security in smart home environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of the flight-to-liquidity (FTL) phenomenon on the excess stock return by applying the previously developed generalised method of moments (GMM) framework. For this purpose, we use the data covering the period from 2004 to 2018 for 122 public companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). This study uses six proxies to measure the expected and unexpected illiquidity. The empirical investigation reveals that expected and unexpected illiquidities greatly influence smaller firms more notably than larger ones, which induces FTL phenomena into the market. Moreover, a FTL phenomenon triggered the Pakistani equity market during the financial crisis, when a significant decline appeared and the less liquid stocks were strongly affected. The results reveal that FTL risk is priced in the Pakistan equity market, making large stocks relatively more attractive in times of dire liquidity. These findings further suggest that the market participants in the Pakistan equity market, including policymakers, regulators and investors, should not ignore FTL phenomena while designing their portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores fiscal consolidations' impact on non-performing loans (NPLs) in highly indebted countries (HICs) following the global financial crisis (GFC) and subsequent sovereign debt crisis. A dynamic panel data estimator was applied to obtain the unbiased estimator due to NPLs' time persistence. The findings reveal that fiscal consolidation measures increase NPLs since they limit the household and business loan-serving capacity. Extended analysis categorises fiscal consolidation episodes into (1) the fiscal consolidation weak form (FCWE) and (2) the fiscal consolidation strong form (FCSE). The extended analysis results reveal that the FCWE and FCSE improve NPLs by 1.55% and 31.10%, respectively. The weak-to-strong form transition of the fiscal consolidation analysis resulted in improving NPLs by 28.55 percentage points. NPL definition challenges, the potential influence of loan restructuring and regulatory restrictions, and implications for policymakers and financial institutions in managing NPLs in highly indebted economies were explored. Investigating the potentially different effects of both forms of fiscal consolidation (FCWE and FCSE) on NPLs in countries with different definitions of NPLs, including a comparison study between different definitions, was identified as an implication for future research. Finally, future studies should examine how restrictions on IFRS 9 may affect the FCWE and NPL as well as FCSE and NPL associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Lactococcus contains Lactic acid bacteria within the family Streptococcaceae. These bacteria are micro aerophilic, homo fermentative, Gram-positive that ferment hexoses to produce lactic acid. They are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and used in dairy fermented products like yogurt and cheese. The objective of the study was to assess the probiotic ability of Lactococcus species that help reduce cholesterol. Garlic and Ginger were collected from the local market. De Man Rogosa agar was used for isolation of Lactococcus lactis cream to white colonies were showed on MRS agar Gram positive cocci- shaped bacteria were found under the microscope after microscopic investigation. The bacteria were further confirmed by biochemical and carbohydrate fermentation tests. All the biochemical tests were negative for Lactococcus except Methyl Red which was positive. Then the antibiotic susceptibility was determined using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. It exhibited an intermediate range towards Amoxicillin Clavulanic Acid, Piperacillin / Tazobactam, Clindamycin, and Kanamycin while sensitive toward Chloramphenicol, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Levofloxacin. The cholesterol reduction potential of Lactococcus lactis was determined by spectrophotometer at 620nm. The cholesterol degradation results were recorded by the percentage of cholesterol that has assimilated. The results showed that the Lactococcus lactis isolated from garlic has degraded more cholesterol 12.97% at concentration of 600μg/ml as compared to ginger which showed 7.62% at the same concentration. The present study showed that the cholesterol degrading potential of Lactococcus lactis sp. Isolated from garlic could be utilized in the field of synthetic medicines in treating cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the effects of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) on the investment activities of the Pakistani insurance sector. First, we analyse the impact of GATS on the overall and company-wise return on investment of the insurance sector of Pakistan. In a panel data setting, the traditional fixed and random effect models are unsuitable for dealing with the possible issues, including endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, profit persistency, and the correlation between lagged dependent variables and independent variables. Therefore, we apply the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) system estimator to the panel data from 1984 to 2018. In the Arellano-Bond framework, the estimated results indicate that the overall investment returns of the Pakistani insurance sector have increased after the GATS membership. However, company-wise analysis reveals mixed evidence. The average returns of IGI Insurance Limited and EFU General Insurance Limited have increased significantly after the GATS membership. These results support one of our empirical conjectures that a rising tide lifts some boats more than it does others. Then, we apply Markowitz's Portfolio Theory to estimate the portfolio returns and the associated risk using the financial statements data from 1984 to 2018. The estimates of portfolio analysis reveal that the portfolio returns of the Pakistani insurance sector improve by 6.70 percentage points after the membership. However, the associated portfolio risk also increases by 11.13 percentage points, 7.40 times higher than the Pre-GATS risk. Despite the better returns, there is an intensive increase in investment volatility after GATS membership. This study provides a valuable reference for insurance managers and the Ministry of Finance and Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan to control and improve the insurance sector's performance in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates intrahousehold risk preferences in household portfolio decision-making. Most household finance data are collected at the household level, and it is challenging to come up with an explanation of risk-taking decisions and have a direction on the within-household bargaining mechanisms. We provide these challenging pieces of evidence by applying a Tobit model on panel data taken from waves 2 to 6 of HILDA surveys. Overall, the results indicate that the risk-taking attitude of partners matters in household portfolio allocations. Risk-averse males and their female counterparts invest less in risky assets. Compared with the no-conflict (identical risk preferences) group, male partners with risk-loving behaviour tend to invest more in risky assets. Further, individual risk preferences are sensitive to fluctuations in equity and housing markets in Australia. Taken together, one of the crucial implications of our findings for future research is that household-bargaining models should, perhaps, give more bargaining power to risk-loving males, offering an additional explanation for the determinants of risk-taking behaviour of households. Understanding the risk-taking attitudes of households is important for future work to understand the fraction of households that end up with a negative net worth in recessions or crisis conditions, such as financial crises, pandemics, and wars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compare to dehydration enthalpy in Section 3.1 the first cyclic step enthalpy for MgSO SB 4 sb /zeolite and ZnSO SB 4 sb /zeolite composites are 20 and 22% lower than dehydration enthalpy. Finally, the tentative of a quantitative comparison among pure salt hydrates and the as-prepared zeolite-based composites to attain the heat storage requirement for a real application is reported, and highlighted that zeolite-based composites are very suitable materials to be applied in building heating systems. Keywords: energy storage; renewable resources; salt hydrate; thermal properties; zeolites EN energy storage renewable resources salt hydrate thermal properties zeolites 1481 1497 17 01/27/22 20211101 NES 211101 1 Introduction Currently, the global society is working on replacing fossil fuels to more renewable energy sources for energy utilization to decrease the global pollution and high cost of fuels [[1]], [[2]], [[3]]. [Extracted from the article]

Fiscal vulnerability, like a contagion, poses a threat to financial sector stability, which can lead towards sovereign default. This study aimed to assess fiscal vulnerability to crisis by investigating the Australian economy's gross public debt, net public debt, and net financial liabilities. We used a threshold regression model and compared results with the baseline deficit-debt framework of analysis. The results of the base model suggested that the economy is fiscally sustainable, and that the primary surplus remains unaffected by increasing levels of public debt. In contrast, the threshold regression model indicated that the increasing level of debt has eroded primary surplus below the threshold level of 30.89% of public debt to GDP. These results need further investigation. Therefore, we modified our basic threshold model to capture budget deficit and surplus as a threshold in response to changes in public debt. The results from the sequential threshold regression model using the debt to GDP ratio and primary budget surplus identifying the periods of 1991, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019 as times of likely vulnerability to fiscal crisis. The overall results confirmed that the primary surplus remained sustainable over the estimated threshold level of public debt in all other sample periods and these findings persisted across alternative measures of public debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization has warned about the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases especially in the developing countries. The COVID-19 has also emerged as one of the most challengeable pandemics of the whole world. In current medical emergency, the virtual health education is much vital for handling alerts and outbreaks of diseases for a community of users. The Information and Communication Technology provide an opportunity to deal with the challenges related to handling alerts and outbreaks of diseases. The technology infrastructure in the developing countries is surging rise and can be used to develop Technology Enabled Learning Solutions for the basic health issues. This paper presents a technology model for virtual education of the masses during the recent era of pandemic diseases like COVID-19. The paper focuses on the health issues both in the developed and the developing countries. It also examines the technology options available for basic health education. Based on the literature review, opinion of health professionals and survey results on ICT accessibility, this paper presents a model of virtual online education on basic health issues for a rural community of users. A pragmatic approach (from literature) has been employed with constructivism theory in order to build the model. We have restricted our study to the geographical location of District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suggested sampling level of basic health education to address the research problems. A prototype with basic health education modules was also developed to demonstrate and test the model. The feedback has been found encouraging to develop a complete basic health education portal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychiatric disorders are the most substantial contributions to global disease burden, yet psychiatric patients and mental health professionals remain subjected to deep-seated stigma. These negative attitudes are also imbedded in the medical community which has implications for the future of mental health globally. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Aziz Fatimah Medical & Dental College, Faisalabad over a period of two months in 2019. The students enrolled in the M.B.B.S program were included in the study. Demographic details were collected using a specially designed proforma. A modified version of the Attitude Towards Psychiatry questionnaire (ATP-30) was used to assess the attitude and perception towards psychiatry. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and chi-square test was applied to assess significant associations. Results: A total of 413 students participated in the study. Most of the students displayed a positive outlook towards psychiatry. 80.4% (n=332) considered psychiatry to be a respected branch of medicine and94.7% (n=391) thought that psychiatric illnesses deserve as much attention as physical illnesses. Students with a first-degree relative suffering from a psychiatric illness were more likely to score higher on the ATP-30 and displayed more positive outlook. Conclusion: Most medical students have a favourable attitude towards mental illness and psychiatry; however, some areas of concern remain. Understanding these perceptions can inform future educational initiatives targeted at both medical students and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the impact of naphthalene acetic Acid (NAA) on the growth and yield of Okra cv. Sabz Pari at Agricultural Research Institute, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A field experiment was set out in randomised complete block design with NAA application as a main factor. Different NAA concentrations were obtained by dissolving NAA in distilled water at the rate of 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, 70, 90 and 110 mg/L. NAA treatments along with control were foliar applied to okra plants after 30 days of sowing. Lower concentration of NAA (30-50 mg/L) stimulated maximum increase in plant height (59.5-57.2%), number of leaves/plant (50.4-45.5%,), total plant leaf area (113.9-119.4%), internodes/plant (72.5-61.6%), internode length (53.2-44.5%), pod diameter (53.5-49.9%), pod fresh weight (126.8-111.8%), pod yield (271.2-255.8%) compared to control (0 mg NAA/L). NAA at higher concentrations (>50 mg/L) had a supressing effect on most parameters. It was inferred that yield production in okra is influenced by multiple yield-determining component traits and their mutual interactions which could be manipulated by the application of NAA. Foliar application of NAA (30-50 mg/L) have a beneficial impact on plant characters and yield of Okra, hence recommended in Okra cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effects of lower limb compression stockings and control in terms of frequency of bradycardia, hypotension and hypotensive symptoms in a group of obstetric patients undergoing lower segment cesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anesthesiology Combined Military Hospital, Multan Pakistan, from Aug 2020 to Feb 2021. Methodology: One hundred women undergoing cesarean section under spinal anaesthesia from 18-45 years were included. Obstetric patients between 18-45 years of age, Non-labouring parturient, ASA Status I / II planned for Caesarean section were included. Patients were randomly divided into two treatment groups, i.e., Mechanical pump Group (Group M) and the Control Group (Group C), with Consecutive Non-probability sampling. The frequency of hypotensive symptoms, hypotension and bradycardia in both groups was noted. Results: Frequency of hypotensive symptoms, hypotension and bradycardia in the compression stockings group was found in 18(36.0%), 8(16.0%) and 11(22.0%) patients while in 38(76.0%), 32(64.0%) and 30(60.0%) patients in the control group (p-value = 0.0001). Conclusion: We concluded that the frequency of hypotensive symptoms, hypotension and bradycardia is less after lower limb compression stockings given to obstetric patients undergoing lower-segment cesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment to find out the pre-sowing seed treatment of muskmelon with NaCl for various durations was carried out in the greenhouse of Plant Physiology Section National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan during the year 2012. Completely randomized (CR) design with three replications was used. Two muskmelon genotypes (T-96 and Bukhara) were assessed regarding their growth parameters, chlorophyll contents and ions accumulation in response to different salinity levels viz; 0, 50, 100 mMNaCl. Seeds were primed with 100 mMNaCl, for 12, 24 and 36 hours in comparison to control. Results indicated that 24 hours priming duration resulted in maximum shoot length (35.19 and 32.76 cm), root length (20.60 and 18.58 cm), shoot fresh weight (7.66 and 7.31 g), root fresh weight (0.83 and 0.69 g); leaf area (32.13 and 31.41 cm2) and total chlorophyll contents (1.43 and 1.32 mg g-1 FW) for T-96 and Bukhara respectively as compared to other priming durations and control. Maximum K+ concentration (2.80 and 2.62 %), K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ratios were achieved at 24 hours priming duration for both T-96 and Bukhara respectively. The instant results suggests that NaCl priming for 24 hours was effective for both T-96 (salt tolerant) and Bukhara (salt sensitive) by improving plant biomass, chlorophyll contents and mineral composition under salt stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance disclosure and profitability, highlighting the significant differences between the financial and non-financial sectors. This study uses an extensive Australian sample during the 2007–2017 period from Bloomberg's database. A panel regression model is used to evaluate the association between the corporate ESG performance disclosure and profitability to conduct an industry analysis. The robustness of the results is rigorously assessed using several robustness tests to evaluate the methodological, sample selection, endogeneity and causality issues associated with corporate ESG performance disclosure. This study finds that higher corporate ESG performance disclosure is associated with higher company profitability. However, the industry comparison analysis shows significant differences between financial and non-financial industries. This study finds that for companies operating in non-financial sectors, except for corporate governance, there is no significant association between corporate environmental and social elements and a company's profitability. Therefore, this study has implications for regulators and corporations. The empirical results of this study show that improving corporate ESG performance disclosure is beneficial to shareholders and other stakeholders in the long run. However, the enforcement of environmentally and socially responsible conduct improves profitability only in the financial industry. This study recommends that the regulators create a conducive institutional environment to promote ESG performance in the financial industry. Therefore, it enhances ESG awareness for the borrowers as well as helps economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study control of noxious weed (A. tenuifolius) in chickpea cv. Shinghar through different weed management practices, an adaptive research trial was conducted at farmer's field in village Mela Mandra Khel, District Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan during winter 2007-08, using RCB design having four replications. The experiment comprised of five treatments viz., two herbicides, hand weeding (thrice), weeds free and weedy check. The herbicides included were Topik @ 0.2 kg a.i ha-1, and Puma super @ 2 kg a.i ha-1. The data were recorded on weed density m-2, number of pods plant-1, plant height (cm) and grain yield (kg ha-1), which were significantly affected by different weed management practices. Maximum grain yield and its components (plant height and number of pods plant-1) were obtained in weeds free plots, followed by plots, where noxious weeds were uprooted three times during crop growing period. Minimum grain yield and its components were recorded in weedy check, where noxious weed was left free to grow. Both herbicides showed no significant effect on number of pods plant-1 and grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weeds compete with garlic crop for nutrients, moisture, space, and light, ultimately decreasing the bulb yield. Proper weed management is considered a key to get higher yields. A field experimental trial was conducted to compare the effect of different weeding intervals on garlic yield and yield related components. Randomized complete block design, having six treatments and five replications was used in the experiment. The data recorded in different plots, where weeds were uprooted manually at intervals of 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 days, were compared with control, where weeds were left free to grow through out the crop season. The major weeds were Avena fatua, Chenopodium album, Chenopodium murale, Convolvulus arvensis, Coronopus didymus, Euphorbia helioscopia, Medicago denticulata, Phalaris minor, Rumex dentatus, and Melilotus indica. Garlic bulb yield and yield related parameters i.e. bulb diameter, bulb height and bulb weight were highly significantly (p=0.01) influenced by different weeding intervals as compared to control (no weeding). The maximum bulb yield was found in plot with 15 days weeding interval whereas, minimum bulb yield was recorded in control. Similarly weed density, weed fresh and dry biomass reduced significantly (p=0.01) with decrease in weeding intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrorism is an act of violence that stands for creating havoc through loss of human lives and property. Usually it has twin objectives, such as, i). To destabilize the existing order & frustrate the invading armies from consolidating their position; ii). To gain public attention with a view to realizing certain political ends and objectives. The current decade has witnessed severe waves of terrorism all over the world. However, the continent of Asia has suffered more than any other part of the world. There seems to be no end to the devastating activities carried out by the miscreants. If these activities are not managed, I am afraid, they will take the entire world in to its wake wherefrom there will be no point of return. War on terrorism, fought with full vigor, is resulting only in loss of lives of innocents instead of mitigating the miseries of the suffering humanity. Rather killing of innocents have added to the hatred of those who for long has been sustaining losses of lives as well as of living. It is therefore, of utmost importance to explore the causes, dynamics of terrorism and finally suggest practicable solution to the problem so that the world may return to peace and tranquility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) investment and diffusion on Pakistan's economic growth by proposing the threshold level of ICT investment. At our proposed level, the ICT imports significantly enhance the intermediate inputs to capital goods, ultimately enhancing economic growth. For this empirical investigation, we use the maximum available data on technological innovation and investment, ranging from 2003 to 2018. Incorporating the structural breaks, the results of regression analysis reveal that Pakistan's economic growth is unaffected by ICT development. However, we observe the mixed shreds of evidence on the ICT investment. Following existing literature, we use ICT goods exports and imports as a proxy for ICT investment. Interestingly, the economic growth of Pakistan is again unaffected by the ICT goods exports. However, we observe that a one percent increase in ICT goods imports enhances economic growth by 1.73 percent. Then, we extend this analysis to the threshold approach, which reveals that ICT imports affect the overall economic growth when the ICT goods imports reach the level of 4.13 percent of the total imports. At this threshold, the ICT goods import significantly enhances the intermediate input to the capital goods, leading to higher economic growth. Therefore, the policymakers should ensure that the ICT goods import must be greater than the 4.13 percent of Pakistani imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of energy consumption, globalization, and economic growth on the CO2 emission of the BRICS (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) region. Using annual data from 1989 to 2019, this research applies a panel cointegration approach. In this framework, we use Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) methods to examine the long-run relationship between the selected variables. This empirical investigation reveals that there is a long-run association between these variables, and energy consumption positively and significantly affects the carbon emission in these countries. These results indicate that energy consumption is the primary source of environmental degradation in the region. In contrast, the globalization (KOF Index of Globalization) negatively and significantly affects the carbon emission, implying the improvement of environmental quality. Further, this research could not find the presence of environmental Kuznets curve in the region. Policy guidelines are suggested in the line of findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the effect of the bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of profitability for the banking sector of Pakistan. To incorporate the issues of endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and profit persistence, we apply a generalised method of moments (GMM) technique under the Arellano–Bond framework to a panel of Pakistani banks that covers the period 2003–2017. The results of a dynamic panel data approach reveal that capital adequacy accelerates the profitability of the banking sector in Pakistan. Capital adequacy helps the financial system to absorb any negative shock by reducing the number of bank failures and losses. Conversely, our empirical investigation reveals that the liquidity ratio, business mix indicators, interest rates, and industrial production deteriorates the bank profitability. Liquidity risks enhance the probability of default risks and transmit into the unpaid loans and hence the lower return. Our empirical evidence further reveals that Pakistani banks are not getting any benefit of the economies of scale in terms of financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Homoptera: Diaspididae) is a quarantine pest of mango (Mangifera indica L.; Sapindales: Anacardiaceae) and many other tropical crops. Irradiation was examined as a potential phytosanitary treatment to control A. destructor. Dose response tests were conducted with eggs, 1st and 2nd instars, pre-ovipositing adult females and ovipositing females with a series of radiation doses between 100 and 300 Gy to determine the most tolerant stage. The egg was found to be the most susceptible and adult the most tolerant stage. From probit analysis a dose of 217.7 Gy was estimated as the effective dose to completely stop scale development to subsequent stages. In large-scale validation tests 40,531 ± 79 scales in all stages were tested with 200 Gy and 51,101 ± 117 scales in all stages with 220 Gy (total = 91,633 scales). Scales did not develop to the subsequent stage when exposed to a dose of 220 Gy. We therefore propose a dose of 220 Gy for complete inhibition of development of all life stages of A. destructor that would provide quarantine security for A. destructor on exported commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cleft lip and palate is a relatively common condition presenting a considerable technical challenge, especially the wide cleft (>8 mm), for the surgeons. Pre-surgical orthodontics, which reduces the cleft width and facilitates definitive repair, is expensive and not universally available, especially in the third world. Lip adhesion could be a cheaper alternative to pre-surgical orthodontics., Methods: This six-year prospective observational study, from 2010 to 2016, was conducted at the paediatric surgical units of PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi and Military Hospital Rawalpindi. All children with wide (8 mm or more gap in the alveolus) complete ULCP (unilateral cleft lip and palate) were included in the study. Lip adhesion with concomitant vomer flap palatal repair was followed by definitive lip repair once the desired moulding, i.e., alveolar gap <5 mm or adequate narrowing as per surgeon's subjective assessment during the 3 and 6 monthly follow up, had been achieved., Results: A total of 53 children with the mean age 4.5±1.5 months were subjected to surgery, 32 (60.4 %) were males and 21 (39.6%) were females. The mean gap in the cleft alveolus was 11.1±1.7 mm, which was reduced to a mean of 3.2±1.3 mm, after a follow up of 4.3±1.1 months. The outcome of the lip repair, based on parental satisfaction, was excellent in 41 (77.3%), good in 10 (18.9%) and poor in 2 (3.8%) cases., Conclusions: Lip adhesion is a safe and effective substitute for pre-surgical orthodontics in wide ULCP.