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The role of transformational leadership is vital in engaging employees to perform for the betterment of organization. This study intends to predict hospitality industry frontline managers work engagement, innovative work behavior, sustainable employability, and organizational citizenship behavior. Limited empirical research conducted on these behaviors in the context of hospitality industry. Two hundred and nine frontline managers of four and five-star hotels in six tourists' city of Pakistan participated. The study results revealed that transformational leadership has positive influence on managers' work engagement. Further, work engagement significantly mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior, sustainable employability, and organizational citizenship behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable long-term precipitation estimation data holds immense hydrometeorological value due to its extensive spatial coverage and extended temporal records. Its availability is indispensable for managing critical aspects such as drinking water supply, agriculture, and various socioeconomic activities. However, in mountainous and arid regions, where the sustainable use of water resources is pivotal due to freshwater scarcity and erratic rainfall patterns, the suitability and performance of available precipitation datasets remain a pertinent question. The arid region of Balochistan, Pakistan, exemplifies this challenge, where more than 85% of the population resides in rural areas and relies heavily on farming and livestock for income. This study endeavors to assess the spatiotemporal characteristics of rainfall in Balochistan from 1980 to 2016 using multi-source data. Employing point-to-pixel techniques and statistical indicators at various temporal scales (daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual), we evaluated the performance of satellite-based datasets. Furthermore, categorical statistical indices, including Probability of Detection (POD), False-Alarm Ratio (FAR), and Critical Success Index (CSI), were employed to gauge each dataset's precipitation detection capabilities. Results of the study reveal that Aphro and Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP) datasets exhibit the highest correlation coefficients (0.96 and 0.92, respectively), while the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) dataset yields the lowest correlation (0.77). Notably, the maximum precipitation intensity was observed in Barkhan, whereas Nokkundi recorded the lowest. Spatially, the monsoon influence led to a shift in rainfall distribution from the southeast to the northeast. Balochistan experiences precipitation primarily during two distinct seasons: the summer monsoon (July to August) and the winter western disturbance (November to January). The monthly rainfall volume is predominantly contributed by rainfall events with an intensity exceeding 10 mm. This research underscores the critical significance of judiciously selecting precipitation data sources for informed water management policies in arid regions, addressing the pressing need for reliable water resource allocation and sustainability planning in areas highly vulnerable to climate variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and Afghanistan share deep commonalties-social, cultural, religious, and political; which increases interdependency. This study deeply investigates the security implications for Pakistan since the Taliban regime 2.0. Afghan Taliban have strong connections with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), such deep-rooted ties between the TTP and Afghan Taliban; thus, directly impacting bilateral ties. Regional Security Complex theory and Constructivism has been applied to explain the whole situation. Pakistan's security and stability greatly depend on Afghanistan's internal political and security environments. The Neo-Taliban takeover of Afghanistan poses several challenges to Pakistan. In the aftermath of August 2021, Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militancy. Various articles, research papers, and books regarding the mentioned issue have been reviewed to explain it. In order to counter said challenges, this paper highlights various ways forward for Pakistan such as pragmatic and proactive foreign policy, regional cooperation comprehensive joint plan of action with the Afghan official [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow avalanches are a type of serious natural disaster that commonly occur in snow-covered mountains with steep terrain characteristics. Susceptibility analysis of avalanches is a pressing issue today and helps decision makers to implement appropriate avalanche risk reduction strategies. Avalanche susceptibility maps provide a preliminary method for evaluating places that are likely to be vulnerable to avalanches to stop or reduce the risks of such disasters. The current study aims to identify areas that are vulnerable to avalanches (ranging from extremely high and low danger) by considering geo-morphological and geological variables and employing an Analytical Hierarchy Approach (AHP) in the GIS platform to identify potential snow avalanche zones in the Karakoram region in Northern Pakistan. The Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) was used to extract the elevation, slope, aspect, terrain roughness, and curvature of the study area. This study includes the risk identification variable of land cover (LC), which was obtained from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) satellite. The obtained result showed that the approach established in this study provided a quick and reliable tool to map avalanches in the study area, and it might also work with other glacier sites in other parts of the world for snow avalanche susceptibility and risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is caused by different species of a protozoa.1 The disease is endemic in some areas of Pakistan like Baluchistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.2 There are many treatment options including meglumine antimoniate, rifampicin, tetracyclines, sodium sitbogluconate and itraconazole etc.3 Objective The objective of our study was to compare the efficacy of injection meglumine antimoniate with cap Itraconazole as 1st line treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Methods This study on cutaneous leishmaniasis was conducted in the Dermatology Department at Punjab Ranger Teaching Hospital Lahore. All 20 male patients referred to us from the endemic area (Kashmore) were divided into two groups A and B after positive Slit Skin Smear test. Group A were given meglumine antimoniate 400mg/day intramuscular injection, group B were given Cap Itraconazole 200 mg per day for 4 weeks. Patients assessment was done on three criteria; 1: clinical resolution of lesions 2: side effects seen during the treatment 3: report of slit skin smear at 4 weeks. Results According to study results Slit Skin Smear test was 100% positive for all 20 patients before treatment, but came negative for all 10 patients of group A and negative for only 2 patients of group B after 4 weeks. Some side effects were observed during treatment in both groups but they were more in group A patients. Clinical resolution of lesions was 100% in Group A as compared to group B 20%. Conclusion Injection meglumine antimoniate is the preferred treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis regards to its efficacy as compared to oral Itraconazole based on the clinical resolution & negative slit smear at the end of the course but the limitations to treatment are the poor patient tolerance & the increased side effects seen in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on examining the role of leaders' Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits in their mentoring quality and mentees' job satisfaction. It has also examined how leaders' mentoring quality impacts mentees' job satisfaction, leading to their job performance at the workplace. The study used an explanatory research methodology to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between mentors' FFM personality characteristics, mentoring quality, and mentees' job satisfaction and job performance. The study was based on path-goal theory and the Big Five-Factor Model of personality characteristics, and a questionnaire was utilized to collect information on the model's constructs. Following the non-probability convenience sampling technique, the empirical data were collected from the academic and nonacademic staff of public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) located within Pakistan on five-point Likert scale. The proposed hypotheses were tested by using PLS software. Four main conclusions were derived from this study. First, the leaders' openness to new experiences, agreeableness, and emotional stability substantially influenced the mentees' job satisfaction. Surprisingly, the leaders' conscientiousness and extraversion qualities did not affect the job satisfaction of the mentees. Second, the findings demonstrated that the openness to experience, conscientiousness, and extroversion has a considerable influence on leaders' mentoring quality, but agreeableness and emotional stability have a negligible impact. Third, the mentoring quality of the leader had a substantial effect on the job satisfaction and work performance of the mentees. Fourth, this study confirmed the belief that mentees' job satisfaction has a favorable influence on their job performance within the context of Pakistan's educational sector. The current study's findings provided valuable insights to the educational institutions about which personality traits they need to foster in their leaders, making them an excellent leader to enhance their mentees' job satisfaction and job performance within their organizational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between mindfulness, gratitude, and psychological wellbeing of young individuals in Pakistan with the potential role of hopefulness as a mediator between mindfulness, gratitude, and wellbeing. Data were collected from young individuals (18-40 years old) from Pakistan. A total sample of 500 participants was collected by employing the online survey questionnaire, and 374 questionnaires were duly filled and returned. The PLS-SEM technique was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of the study found that there is a strong direct relationship between gratitude, mindfulness, and hopefulness, and mindfulness is also strongly correlated with wellbeing. However, the relationship between gratitude and wellbeing was not statistically significant. Moreover, the mediation results reveal that the relationship between mindfulness, gratitude, and wellbeing is significantly mediated by hopefulness. This shows that gratitude and mindfulness are crucial in enhancing wellbeing through hopefulness. This study is an important contribution to validating the broaden-and-build theory, which suggests that hopelessness is a significant factor of a depressive state. It can be indicated that inducing hopefulness could be a significant element of the treatment plan of professional clinical psychologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use/land cover (LULC) changes due to urban growth on the regional scale affect land surface temperature (LST). The present study aims to assess the LULC changes and their impact on LST over Mardan and Charsadda districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, in the period from 1990 to 2019. Landsat satellite (TM& ETM +) datasets in the period from 1990 to 2010 and Sentinel-2 images from 2016 to 2019 were used in this study. All the datasets were pre-processed and the LULC types were classified by maximum likelihood classification algorithm. The vegetation degradation was computed from normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the LST was derived based on the LULC changes. The results showed that the overall accuracy of LULC classification was 87.84%. Dramatic LULC changes were observed during the last three decades, where the vegetation degradation area was decreased from 1307.8 (59.27%) to 1147.6 km2 (52.1%) and the barren land area increased from 816.6 (37.07%) to 961.4 km2 (42.64%). Similarly, the built-up area has also increased from 57.2 (2.5%) to 104.3 km2 (4.73%) in the years 1990 and 2019, respectively. These variations in LULC types have significantly influenced the LST from 1990 to 2019; specifically, the LST of built-up area, barren land, and vegetation cover increased from 20.1 to 32.1 °C, 21.5 to 35.5 °C, and 17.1 to 28.2 °C, respectively. The regression line plotted defines that the LST has a negative correlation with NDVI and a positive correlation with normalized difference of built-up index (NDBI). In particular, the vegetation and land covers dramatically transformed to barren land and/or to urban development over the study area in the period from 1990 to2019, which has severely affected the LST and the natural resources of the study area. Therefore, our study will be very helpful for managing the rapid environmental changes and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of Enoxaparin in preventing pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction in women with the history of pre-eclampsia and IUGR in an earlier pregnancy. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Mar to Sep 2019. Methodology: In this study, a total of 186 pregnant females of age 20-40 years with >6 ± 0 and <16 ± 0 weeks gestation were included. They were divided into two groups. In the study group, injection Enoxaparin 40 mg s/c OD was started from 6 weeks to 36 weeks of gestation along with Aspirin 75 mg OD. In the control group, only Aspirin 75mg OD was given. An antenatal check-up was performed, and patients were followed for liquor volume, fetal growth and doppler ultrasound. Study outcomes were noted in terms of pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Results: The majority of the patients 100 (53.76%), were between 20-30 years of age. The mean gravidity in the study group was 3.84 ± 1.20 and in the control group was 3.83 ± 1.22. In this study, pre-eclampsia was found in 6 (6.45%) patients in the Enoxaparin group and in 17 (18.28%) patients of control group (p-value 0.014). Intrauterine growth restriction was observed in 9 (9.68%) patients of Enoxaparin group and in 28 (30.11%) patients of control group (p-value 0.001). Conclusion: This study concluded that Enoxaparin effectively prevents pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction in patients with a previous history the history of pre-eclampsia and IUGR in an earlier pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common type of Leishmaniasis, which annually affects 1.5 million people worldwide. About 90% of cases are reported from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the present study was to fabricate transdermal patches of Nigella sativa (NS), characterize, and to check its in vitro/in vivo anti-Lieshmanial activity. Hydroalcoholic extract was analyzed for preliminary phytochemicals. Five formulations of transdermal patches (NS1, NS2, NS3, NS4, and NS5) were prepared by solvent evaporation method. The optimized formulation NS5 was characterized for Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), smoothness, brittleness, clarity, thickness, folding endurance, uniformity of weight, percent moisture content, in vitro drug release, release kinetics, ex vivo drug permeation, and in vitro anti-Lieshmanial activity. In vivo anti-Lieshmanial activity was assessed in 30 patients (n = 30) suffering from CL. The FTIR studies showed no incompatibility among the active extract and polymers. In vitro anti-Lieshmanial assay was 194.6% ± 1.88% as compared with standard drug (p > 0.05) and in vivo anti-Lieshmanial activity was 75%. The drug release after 24 h was 87.0% ± 0.94% in NS5, which showed non-Fickian diffusion mechanism while drug permeation across rabbit skin after 24 h was up to 80.0% ± 0.91%. The results concluded that problems related to the parenteral medications used for Lieshmanial treatment can be managed by applying extract of NS seeds in the form of transdermal patch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous development of technology (e.g. camera traps) and statistical methods, particularly spatially capture–recapture (SCR), has improved monitoring of large mammals in recent years. SCR estimates are known to be sensitive to sampling design, yet existing recommendations about trap spacing and coverage are often not achieved, particularly for sampling wide-ranging and rare species in landscapes that allow for limited accessibility. Consequently, most camera trap studies on large wide-ranging carnivores relies on convenience or judgmental sampling, and often yields compromised results. This study attempts to highlight the importance of carefully considered sampling design for large carnivores that, because of low densities and elusive behavior, are challenging to monitor. As a motivating example, we use two years of snow leopard camera trapping data from the same areas in the high mountains of Pakistan but with vastly different camera configurations, to demonstrate that estimates of density and space use are indeed sensitive to the trapping array. A compact design, one in which cameras were placed much closer together than generally recommended and therefore have lower spatial coverage, resulted in fewer individuals observed, but more recaptures, and estimates of density and space use were inconsistent with expectations for the region. In contrast, a diffuse design, one with larger spacing and spatial coverage and more consistent with general recommendations, detected more individuals, had fewer recaptures, but generated estimates of density and space use that were in line with expectations. Researchers often opt for compact camera configurations while monitoring wide-ranging and rare species, in an attempt to maximize the encounter probabilities. We empirically demonstrate the potential for biases when sampling a small area approximately the size of a single home range—this arises from exposing fewer individuals than deemed sufficient for estimation. The smaller trapping array may also underestimate density by significantly inflating σ . On the other hand, larger trapping array with fewer detectors and poor design induces uncertainties in the estimates. We conclude that existing design recommendations have limited utility on practical grounds for devising feasible sampling designs for large ranging species, and more research on SCR designs is required that allows for integrating biological and habitat traits of large carnivores in sampling framework. We also suggest that caution should be exercised when there is a reliance on convenience sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The motive of this research paper is to investigate the teachers' adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in Pakistan and the application of extended UTAUT model in a new context. A number of factors can cause changes in intention towards the usage of ICT including social, behavioral, and psychological factors, but this study, using the UTAUT model, is limited to examining the behavioral determinants of teachers' acceptance of ICT. To achieve the objective, a quantitative approach was adopted where questionnaire‐based data were obtained for analysis. The analyses were conducted on 341 valid responses that were collected from the teachers of high secondary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Getting the data analyzed through SPSS and AMOS, our results show that performance expectancy, efforts expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and information technology capabilities play a significant role in shaping teachers' adoption of ICT. Moreover, behavioral intentions mediate the relationship between the predictors and ICT usage. Based on the findings of this paper, administrators and government are recommended to spend additional efforts and money by launching programs for their teachers to increase the usage of ICT in their teaching and schools. The study provides numerous insights for teachers, school administrators, and government ICT‐based smart teaching and learning institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the outbreak of an epidemic, it becomes significantly essential to monitor the effects of containment measures and forecast the outbreak, including the epidemic peak. Many countries have either implemented strict lockdown to counter the spread of coronavirus disease or taken necessary preventive measures across the world to reduce the outbreak of this epidemic war. Several epidemic models have been presented across the world to examine the effects of public health-related strategies on mitigating the spread of current infectious disease, yet no reputable model has been presented for Pakistan as well as other South-Asian developing countries as per the authors' knowledge. In this research, an actual coronavirus prediction in Pakistan is presented, which may guide the decision-makers as to how this pandemic has spread across the country and how it can be controlled. Furthermore, in the absence of targeted medicines, the analysis helps to develop a precise plan for the eradication of the outbreak by adopting the calculated steps at the right time. The mathematical phenomenological models have been adopted in this study to predict, project, and simulate the overall affected cases reflected due to the recent outbreak in Pakistan. These models predict the expected growth, and the estimated results are almost well matched with the real cases. Through the calibration of parameters and analyzing the current situation, forecast for the appearance of new cases in Pakistan is reported till the end of this year. The constant level of number of patients and time to reach specific levels are also reported through the simulations. The drastic conditions are also discussed which may occur if all the preventive restraints are removed. This research quantitatively describes the significant characteristics of the spread of corona cases. It acknowledges and provides an understanding of a short-term and long-term transmission of coronavirus outbreak in the country as three evolutionary phases. Therefore, this research provides a pathway to cope with the emerging threat of a severe outbreak in developing and nondeveloping countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the characteristics of women in consanguineous marriage and their effects on reproductive behavior, adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Jan 2017 to Oct 2017. Methodology: After fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, patients were divided into two groups, consanguineous and non-consanguineous group. Data was collected at the time of delivery, whether vaginal delivery or cesarean section. It included demographic profile and clinical factors. Then all the newborn babies were followed up to discharge from the hospital for neonatal outcomes. Results: There were 1381 participants included in the study. First cousin marriages accounted for 31.1%, second cousin marriages 14.3% and those not in relation were 54.6%. Consanguinity had significant association with age (p=0.03) and ethnicity (p=006). Significant association with consanguinity was found for threatened preterm labour (p=0.04), preterm delivery (p=0.04), nursery admissions (p<0.01), and neonatal outcomes (p<0.01). Low education was found to be 2.46 times more likely to be with consanguinity. Pathan ethnicity gave 1.75 times positive association. Amongst neonatal outcome measures, early neonatal deaths were found two times more likely for consanguinity as compared to non-consanguinous cases. Conclusion: Consanguinity is very common in Pakistan especially in some ethnic groups. Despite targeting a homogenous group, consanguineous marriages were associated with much higher risk of neonatal intensive care unit admission, stillbirth, perinatal mortality and congenital abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliable forecast of imminent future earthquakes is still questionable due to uncertainties regarding the complex phenomena of earthquake occurrence and the hierarchical nature of the lithosphere. However, numerous retrospective studies suggest the implications of earthquake-accompanying processes within the context of earthquake forecasting. In this connection, an attempt is made here to verify the enhancement in thermal IR emissions associated with the extraordinary major (M 7.7) and shallow (depth ≈ 15 km) Awaran earthquake (Sep 24, 2013). The satellite thermal imagery record is analyzed to identify the possible effect of pre- and post-seismic changes around the epicentral region (latitude 25–29°N; longitude 63–67°E) for a suitable selected time window (July 27, 2013 to Nov 16, 2013). The pre-earthquake satellite imagery records reveal a very clear and distinct thermal anomaly developed within the earthquake preparation zone almost 6–10 days earlier, while the analysis of post-earthquake imagery record shows a decreasing trend of thermal anomaly as a function of time. The daily land surface temperature (LST) shows an anomalous rise of 7–9 °C on Sep 18, 2013, almost 6 days prior to the event occurrence, which is further authenticated by the statistical criterion (x ¯ ± 2 σ) with a confidence interval of 95%. Furthermore, the comparative and percentile analysis of daily and 5-year-averaged LST also exhibits abnormal increase associated with this particular event. In addition to all above, the present study is also consistent with the earlier findings and suggests a multi-precursory strategy for earthquake forecasting research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific progress in space research indicates earthquake-related processes of surface temperature growth, gas/aerosol exhalation and electromagnetic disturbances in the ionosphere prior to seismic activity. Among them surface temperature growth calculated using the satellite thermal infrared images carries valuable earthquake precursory information for near/distant earthquakes. Previous studies have concluded that such information can appear few days before the occurrence of an earthquake. The objective of this study is to use MODIS thermal imagery data for precursory analysis of Kashmir (Oct 8, 2005; M w 7.6; 26 km), Ziarat (Oct 28, 2008; M w 6.4; 13 km) and Dalbandin (Jan 18, 2011; M w 7.2; 69 km) earthquakes. Our results suggest that there exists an evident correlation of Land Surface Temperature (thermal; LST) anomalies with seismic activity. In particular, a rise of 3–10 °C in LST is observed 6, 4 and 14 days prior to Kashmir, Ziarat and Dalbandin earthquakes. In order to further elaborate our findings, we have presented a comparative and percentile analysis of daily and five years averaged LST for a selected time window with respect to the month of earthquake occurrence. Our comparative analyses of daily and five years averaged LST show a significant change of 6.5–7.9 °C for Kashmir, 8.0–8.1 °C for Ziarat and 2.7–5.4 °C for Dalbandin earthquakes. This significant change has high percentile values for the selected events i.e. 70–100% for Kashmir, 87–100% for Ziarat and 84–100% for Dalbandin earthquakes. We expect that such consistent results may help in devising an optimal earthquake forecasting strategy and to mitigate the effect of associated seismic hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent scientific progress in the context of earthquake forecasting reveals some key physical processes related to seismic activity. The lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling model provides a comprehensive mechanism to understand the underlying key physical processes. In this study, a precursory analysis was conducted for the shallow, moderate-magnitude Haripur earthquake (Oct 2010; M w 5.2) bounded by two major water reservoirs, highlighting its significance. This precursory analysis was performed using the land surface temperature (LST) extracted from satellite (MODIS) thermal infrared data and atmospheric radon concentration recorded at Islamabad and Murree stations using radon monitors. A significant change in LST (4–8 °C) was observed in the epicentral region 6 days prior to this event. In addition, a comparison was made between daily and five-year-averaged LST that further supports our results. The radon concentration also showed anomalous behavior 3–4 days prior to this particular event with crucial meteorological indicators in the safe limit. This abnormal behavior of both precursors prior to this event proposes a possible correlation with the local seismic activity. Moreover, the higher amplitude of radon anomaly at the nearest station (Islamabad) is also validating its local cause. The results presented in this study are very encouraging and stimulate the idea of earthquake forecasting using multi-precursory approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report medication adherence among ambulatory patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) using Morisky 8-item medication adherence MMAS-8 scale and assess current standard of knowledge regarding their disease using a especially developed Patient 10-item Knowledge Assessment PKA-X scale. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional study was conducted for 3 months in Karachi, Pakistan using Morisky 8-item medication adherence scale® documenting the medication adherence of ambulatory patients with DM and to find out their knowledge regarding the disease using a newly developed Patient 10-item knowledge assessment PKA-X scale. Results: The mean MMAS-8 score of the total sample was 4.69 (1.9 SD) which was interpreted as 'Low medication adherence' (P value<0.01). Majority of patients (N=204, 79.4%) had low adherence (P value<0.01). The mean score reported by PKA-X scale was 9.0 (SD 1.4) which was interpreted as 'Excellent knowledge'. Bulk of patients (N=202, 78.6%) had excellent knowledge (P value<0.01). No significant association existed between patient knowledge and their medication adherence (P value>0.05). Conclusion: The medication adherence of the patients is very low and adequate measures are the need of the hour to address this issue though the standard of knowledge has greatly improved. However, having good knowledge about the disease does not guarantee adherence to medication regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Fever and pain management is a very challenging job for the clinician as the available synthetic agents are causing serious side effects. The present research article deals with the antipyretic and antinociceptive activity of extract/fractions of Potentilla evestita and acacetin isolated from the chloroform fraction of the plant. Methods Various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques were used for the isolation and characterizion of compound. In-vivo yeast induced fibrile mice were used for antipyretic activity while acetic acid induced writhing and formalin tests were used for antinociceptive. Results The extract/fractions of P. evestita caused marked antipyretic effect during various assessment times in which chloroform was the most prominent followed by ethyl acetate. When acacetin was injected, it produced marked effect with maximum activity of 33.28% and 55.01% at 5 and 10 mg/kg i.p respectively. When studied in acetic acid induced writhing test, the extract/fractions evoked significant antinociceptive effect in which chloroform was the most effective fraction followed by ethyl acetate. Acacetin showed significant antinociceptive effect with 44.77% and 67.03% reduction in abdominal constriction at 5 and 10 mg/kg i.p., respectively. Similarly, it evoked significant dose dependent reduction in noxious stimulation with 42.07% and 64.57% pain attenuation at 5 and 10 mg/kg i.p., respectively in initial phase. In the late phase, it illustrated more dominant effect with 46.32% and 67.29% reduction of painful sensation. Conclusions In conclusion, the extract/fractions of P. evestita as well as the isolated compound, acacetin showed strong antipyretic and antinociceptive activity in various animal models possibly mediated through both peripheral and central mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With financial assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), BACIP implemented a project on the “Promotion of Market-Based Mechanism for Adoption and Replication of Energy Efficient and Home Improvement Products and Technologies in Northern Pakistan”. This project was aimed at improving the socio-economic and environmental well-being of poor communities inhabited in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral, Pakistan. These products mainly include including Energy Efficient Stoves (EES), Water Warming Facilities (WWF), Roof Hatch Windows (RHW), Floor Insulation (PE Foam), Double Glazed Windows (DGW) and Wall Insulation Techniques (WIT). Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) [1–3] was carried out in 40 households of 18 villages at altitudes ranging from 6000 ft to 13,000 ft. using paired sample method. KPT was consist of the collection of baseline data, firewood monitoring through developing inventories and recording the daily wood consumption and consumer satisfaction survey to collect the feedback on the efficiency of the installed products from the households. The Kitchen Performance Test results show plausible reduction in the consumption of fuel wood that varies due to product type and altitude of the village. Floor Insulation, installed in 15 houses show 29% reduction in fuel wood consumption. Similarly with the help of RHW and WWF, firewood acna be saved 32% and 28% respectively. Altitude wise the daily wood savings are 31% at 6000 ft. and 29% at 8000 and 9000 ft. To meet the Firewood requirement, the main fuel of all households, 50% households chopped down yearly 1–2 trees, 19% 3–4 and remaining 50% chopped down 5+ trees yearly. The wall in 50% households is built with cement, which has a high coefficient of heat loss and cold transmission resulting in high amount of firewood to be used for heating the house. Indoor smoke and air pollution is another issues identified during the test, which shows that 95% households get smoke while cooking in winters. This contributes to heat loss since doors are kept open during cooking. This study concludes that there is substantial reduction in Firewood consumption due to BACIP EE & HI products. Firewood is the second highest expenditure followed by food in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Grasshoppers are polyphagous insect pest. They cause considerable damage to many precious crops. Amongst these pest species Oxya is reported as severe pest to rice in many countries of world including Pakistan. The immature stages of Oxya velox, (F.) has been studied in this paper. Oxya comprises on sixth nymphal instars. These hoppers appear to be more epidemic than the adults, because they have no functional wings and are unable to fly and all the time they eat; hence cause more damage than the adult. In addition to this, morphological description of various nymphal instars, identification key and measurements of different body parts are also provided. This will, hopefully be useful in plants protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 6 x 6 complete diallel mating design was used to study the inheritance of different plant traits in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Six genotypes viz., BJA-592, ACALA-SJ-4, 4-F, CP-15/2, CIM-497 and PB-899 were included in diallel crosses. Results revealed that over-dominance type of gene action was controlling the inheritance of monopodial and sympodial branches plant height number of bolls and boll weight. The line CP-15/2 possessed maximum dominant genes for monopodial branches, plant height and boll weight, BJA-592 for sympodial branches and ACALA-SJ-4 has maximum dominant genes for bolls per plant. However the cultivar CIM-497 carried maximum recessive genes for monopodial branches and plant height, PB-899 for bolls per plant and sympodial branches while ACALA-SJ-4 has maximum recessive genes for boll weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in people 40 years of age and older in Budni, Peshawar, Pakistan. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out involving 1,106 men and women 40 years of age and older in a rural area in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). All subjects with a presenting visual acuity <6/18 in either eye were referred to a centralized clinic for a standardized eye examination that included refraction and dilated fundal examination. The main outcome was blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60 in the better eye) and low vision (presenting VA <6/18-3/60 in the better eye). Results: Of 1,106 people examined, 21 (1.9°Io; 95°Io CI: 1.1-2.7°Io) were blind, while another 27 (2.4%) and 62 (5.5°Io) subjects had severe visual impairment (<6/60-3/60) and visual impairment (<6/18-6/60), respectively. Women, as compared to men, had a higher prevalence of visual impairment and severe visual impairment; but they had a lower prevalence of blindness (1.6 vs. 2.2%); however, the difference was not statistically significant (0.6%; 95% CI: -0.9- 2. 1%). Similarly farmers had the highest prevalence of blindness. The leading cause of blindness and low vision was cataract, which accounted for 14 of 21 (66.6%) cases of blindness and 49 of 89 (55.5%) cases of low vision. The second leading cause of blindness was uncorrected aphakia. Conclusion: Much of the blindness was due to unoperated cataract and uncorrected aphakia. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop ways in which cataract surgical output could be increased, and glasses provided to those who need them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the relationship between churches and states in an ideological islamic state. Definition of modern state to understand the church-state relationship; Participation of christians in the expanding role and function of state; Detailed discussion on church-state relations in the muslim ideological state of Pakistan.

The temporal variability of soil radon concentration of tectonically active origin is considered a potential earthquake precursor. However, the reliable identification of radon anomilies possibly induced by earthquake activity is still enigmatic. The present study applies intelligent algorithms such as artificial neural networks (ANN), multiple linear regressions (MLR) and decision trees (DT) for an improved and more reliable identification of radon anomalies of the tectonically active origin in northern Pakistan. The dataset utilized in the present investigation includes the soil radon concentration and associated meteorological parameters recorded at a seismically active location in northern Pakistan. The recorded dataset is subdivided into seismically active (SA) and stable (NSA) periods using a time window of ±7 days around the time of earthquake. The NSA dataset is utilized for the training/cross-validation of intelligent algorithms using three input (meteorological factors) and one output parameter (radon). The trained intelligent models are then used to simulate the expected radon level during the SA periods based on the measured environmental parameter. The discrepancy (Q) between the simulated and measured radon is utilized to identify statistically significant (x ¯ ± 2 σ) radon anomalies. Our results reveal that all the employed intelligent algorithms show a significant deviation in Q values around the time of earthquake occurrence. Furthermore, comparative analysis suggests that ANN performs better than the other techniques. In conclusion, our study paves the way for the possible use of radon in designing an optimized strategy for earthquake forecasting. Unlabelled Image • Temporal variability of radon flux can serve as an indicator of seismic activity. • The CI systems provide a way for discrimination of earthquake radon anomalies. • Present investigation reveals the implications of CI for earthquake surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A supervised trial was conducted in guava orchards during 2001 and 2002 to study residue dissipation rates of two organophos insecticides, trichlorfon and dimethoate at Kohat, NWFP, Pakistan. The insecticides were sprayed at recommended doses of 80 and 120ga.i./100l water on the fruits of guava when the fruits were semi ripe. The treated guava fruits were randomly sampled in triplicates (2kg per field replicate) at 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21days intervals after insecticide application. The samples were extracted in ethyl acetate and were cleaned up through Florisil column with ethyl acetate as eluent. The cleaned up extracts were analyzed for residues by HPLC method. The residues were found to have half-lives of 2.8–3.3days for dimethoate and 1.7–2.0days for trichlorfon. Based on the dissipation pattern of the insecticide residues in relation to their respective prescribed maximum residue limits, withholding periods of 3 and 9days are suggested for guava after treatment with dimethoate and trichlorfon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mineral production is the mainstay of the global economy. Pakistan has huge mineral resources potential, but the contribution of minerals to the gross domestic product is not commensurate with its potential. The main reasons for the unregulated nature of the mining sector are poor organizational structure, inadequate implementation of legislation, insufficient investment, and lack of technology. Due concerns and priority of introducing advanced and safe mining methods are still awaited in Pakistan. Therefore, the role of policy makers at this stage is crucial for assessing and reviewing the current strategies for developing future strategies in order to overcome these problems. This article reviews the current situation of the mining industry in standards of statutory compliance, highlights the key issues in health and safety practices, and analyses loopholes in policies. In addition, some future implications are also put forward for the steady development of the mining sector in Pakistan. This study will help the government and mining enterprises from different perspectives in order to ensure mine safety and steady development. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog: e12041 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Despite higher loss due to disease, human–carnivore conflicts over livestock depredation is one of the major problems in carnivore conservation, both locally and globally. Locals share negative attitudes towards the wolf due to conflicts over livestock depredation. Using semi-structured questionnaires, we found that grey wolf is in a serious conflict with the locals, causing economic loss to them at the expanse of its own life. The locals considered the species a serious threat to their livestock, causing them economic losses, and wanted to reduce or even eliminate it from their area. Respondents having larger herd size and higher dependency on livestock for earning livelihoods shared more negative attitudes towards the wolves. In our study area the economic loss of the locals due to livestock mortalities from diseases was higher than that from wolf depredation. Therefore, we suggested that vaccination of the livestock and compensation schemes will help to change the perception of locals towards wolf. Pastoralist–wolf conflict over livestock depredation is the main factor affecting conservation of grey wolf worldwide. Very limited research has been carried out to evaluate the pattern and nature of livestock depredation by wolf. This study aims to determine the status and nature of human–wolf conflict across different villages in the Hind Kush region of Pakistan during the period January 2016–December 2016. For this purpose, a total of 110 local male respondents from all walks of life were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The grey wolf was declared as a common species in the area by 51.3% of the locals with an annual sighting rate of 0.46 each. During the year (2016), a total of 358 livestock were lost to grey wolf predation and disease. Of the total livestock loss, grey wolf was held responsible for a total 101 livestock losses. Goat and sheep were the most vulnerable prey species as they accounted for 80 (79.2%) of the total reported depredations. Out of the total economic loss (USD 46,736, USD 424.87/household), grey wolf was accountable for USD 11,910 (USD 108.27 per household), while disease contributed 34,826 (USD 316.6 per household). High depredation was observed during the summer season 58.42% (n = 59) followed by spring and autumn. Unattended livestock were more prone to grey wolf attack during free grazing in forests. Most of the respondents (75.45%) showed aggressive and negative attitudes towards grey wolf. The herders shared more negative attitude (z = −3.21, p = 0.001) than businessman towards the species. Herders having larger herd size displayed more deleterious behavior towards wolves than those having smaller herd size. Active herding techniques, vaccinating livestock, educating locals about wildlife importance, and initiating compensating schemes for affected families could be helpful to decrease negative perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to an unfortunate oversight the author name "Nabeel Ahamd" has been misspelt. It should be read: "Nabeel Ahmad". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the complexity of soil radon time series (RTS) recorded from March 2017 to April 2018 in Pakistan via RTM 1688-2 monitor, in direct linkage to parallel series of temperature, relative humidity, and pressure. Several complexity measures are employed. The normalized Lempel Ziv Complexity (LZC) of the complete RTS is 0.30 and 0.14, 0.22, and 0.14 for the complete time series of temperature, relative humidity and pressure respectively. LZC ranges between 0.3 and 0.5 for RTS and between 0.1 and 0.3 for temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and pressure (P). Hurst exponent (HE) values via rescaled range (R/S) analysis show an inverse relationship with LZC. HE ranges between 0.60 ≤ HE ≤ 0.98 for RTS, 0.60 ≤ HE ≤ 0.92 for T series, 0.61 ≤ HE ≤ 0.93 for RH series, and 0.87 ≤ HE ≤ 0.98 for P series. Permutation Entropy (PE) is 1.7809 for complete RTS with a minimum of 1.7668 in August 2018. Highest value of Sample Entropy (SE) is 1.3716 for February 2018. The highest symbolic Normalized Corrected Shannon Entropy (NCSE) value is found in January 2018 with a value of 0.7864. Finally, the Fractal Dimensions varied significantly for calculation with the Sevcik's, Higuchi's and Katz's methods. Common dates of below threshold areas are reported. The different aspects of the derived results are discussed. [Display omitted] • Complexity, Hurst exponents and fractal dimensions of soil radon (RTS) in Pakistan. • Normalized LZC are between 0.3 and 0.5 and Hurst exponents between 0.60 ≤ HE ≤ 0.9. HE show inverse relationship with LZC. • Minimum Permutation Entropy was 1.7668 on August 2018, maximum Sample Entropy was 1.3716 on February 2018. • Common dates of minimum fractal dimensions via Sevcik's, Higuchi's and Katz's methods are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population-based seroepidemiological surveys provide accurate estimates of disease burden. We compare the COVID-19 prevalence estimates from two serial serological surveys and the associated risk factors among women and children in a peri-urban area of Karachi, Pakistan., Methods: The AMANHI-COVID-19 study enrolled women and children between November 2020 and March 2021. Blood samples were collected from March to June 2021 (baseline) and September to December 2021 (follow-up) to test for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using ROCHE Elecsys®. Participants were visited or called weekly during the study for recording symptoms of COVID-19. We report the proportion of participants with anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and symptoms in each survey and describe infection risk factors using step-wise binomial regression analysis., Results: The adjusted seroprevalence among women was 45.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 42.6-47.9) and 82.3% (95% CI = 79.9-84.4) at baseline and follow-up survey, respectively. Among children, it was 18.4% (95% CI = 16.1-20.7) and 57.4% (95% CI = 54.3-60.3) at baseline and follow-up, respectively. Of the women who were previously seronegative, 404 (74.4%) tested positive at the follow-up survey, as did 365 (50.4%) previously seronegative children. There was a high proportion of asymptomatic infection. At baseline, being poorest and lacking access to safe drinking water lowered the risk of infection for both women (risk ratio (RR) = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.7-0.9 and RR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.1-1.4, respectively) and children (RR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5-1.0 and RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0-1.8, respectively). At the follow-up survey, the risk of infection was lower for underweight women and children (RR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3-0.7 and RR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5-0.8, respectively) and for women in the 30-39 years age group and children who were 24-36 months of age (RR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4-0.9 and RR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5-0.9, respectively). In both surveys, paternal employment was an important predictor of seropositivity among children (RR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.6-0.9 and RR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.7-1.0, respectively)., Conclusion: There was a high rate of seroconversion among women and children. Infection was generally mild. Parental education plays an important role in protection of children from COVID-19., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2022 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: Knowledge of gestational age is critical for guiding preterm neonatal care. In the last decade, metabolic gestational dating approaches emerged in response to a global health need; because in most of the developing world, accurate antenatal gestational age estimates are not feasible. These methods initially developed in North America have now been externally validated in two studies in developing countries, however, require shipment of samples at sub-zero temperature., Methods: A subset of 330 pairs of heel prick dried blood spot samples were shipped on dry ice and in ambient temperature from field sites in Tanzania, Bangladesh and Pakistan to laboratory in Iowa (USA). We evaluated impact on recovery of analytes of shipment temperature, developed and evaluated models for predicting gestational age using a limited set of metabolic screening analytes after excluding 17 analytes that were impacted by shipment conditions of a total of 44 analytes., Results: With the machine learning model using all the analytes, samples shipped in dry ice yielded a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.19 weeks compared to 1.58 weeks for samples shipped in ambient temperature. Out of the 44 screening analytes, recovery of 17 analytes was significantly different between the two shipment methods and these were excluded from further machine learning model development. The final model, restricted to stable analytes provided a RMSE of 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-1.37) weeks for samples shipped on dry ice and RMSE of 1.28 (95% CI = 1.15-1.39) for samples shipped at ambient temperature. Analysis for discriminating preterm births (gestational age <37 weeks), yielded an area under curve (AUC) of 0.76 (95% CI = 0.71-0.81) for samples shipped on dry ice and AUC of 0.73 (95% CI = 0.67-0.78) for samples shipped in ambient temperature., Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrate that machine learning algorithms developed using a sub-set of newborn screening analytes which are not sensitive to shipment at ambient temperature, can accurately provide estimates of gestational age comparable to those from published regression models from North America using all analytes. If validated in larger samples especially with more newborns <34 weeks, this technology could substantially facilitate implementation in LMICs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors completed the ICMJE Unified Competing Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To develop and validate a method on Dissociation Enhanced Lanthanide Fluorescence Immunoassay for neonatal heel prick blood human thyroid stimulating hormone and the establishment of its reference value in the local population., Methods: The multi-centre cross-sectional validation study was conducted from September 2016 to September 2018 at Zahra Beau Naqvi Foundation Welfare Trust laboratory, Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised samples related to newborns aged 1 month or less taken from neonatal units of 39 hospitals based in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Samples were collected after 24 hours of birth using the heel prick test. The samples were dried and sent to the laboratory for assessment where Dissociation Enhanced Lanthanide Fluorescent Immunoassay was used to estimate thyroid stimulating hormone levels. Data recorded included age, gender, and birth detail, like gestational age, mode of delivery etc. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Method validation and reference value were manually calculated., Results: Of the 14,147 samples received, 8,207(58%) related to boys and 5,940(42%) to girls. Most samples 4903(34.6%) came from Peshawar. The overall mean age of the newborns was 5.6±4.8 days. Thyroid stimulating hormone data was divided into three groups; positive with median value 27.8±36.6 uIU/ml, negative with median 1.42±1.60 uIU/ml, and borderline with median 11.4±4.12uIU/ml. Prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism in high-risk population in the positive group was 39(0.3%), negative 14,012(99.0%) and borderline 96(0.7%). Reference cut-off was calculated as 7.06uIU/ml for screening of healthy and positive cases of congenital hypothyroidism. Method Validation results showed limit of detection -0.5uU/ml, limit of quantitation LOQ 0.8uU/ml, accuracy 100±5%, precision coefficient of variation at each level of calibrators -4, 8.8, 1.2, 11.3, 7.2 and 4.3% respectively, and linearity from to 0.8uU/ml to 254.1uU/ml., Conclusions: Neonatal human thyroid stimulating hormone by heel prick blood was found to be an affordable and highly sensitive method of screening for congenital hypothyroidism.