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Kadanwari is a major gas-producing field in Pakistan's Lower Indus Basin (LIB), extensively explored for optimized production. However, the reservoir sands of the Lower Goru Formation (LGF), deposited in a complex river-dominated delta, bear severe variability and hinder accurate facies approximation for optimal production. Furthermore, the regionally extended NNW-SSE directed horst and graben structures significantly compartmentalized these reservoir facies. The main E-sand interval is analyzed for its geological properties, depositional environment, and distribution. The integration of various approaches, including seismic interpretation, attribute extraction, well-based facies modeling, and petrophysical evaluation, proved significant in evaluating the heterogeneous and tectonically influenced E-sands. The discontinuity attribute substantially highlighted the structural style and aided in analyzing the geometries of faults. The low values of the frequency attribute (< 10 Hz) signified the entrapped gas-bearing sands along the faulted zones. The high responses of instantaneous amplitude and sweetness profoundly illuminated the gas-significant deposits throughout the field in association with the well-identified gas-prone sand facies. The outcomes of the neutron-density crossplot depicted gas-bearing sands having low density (< 2.3 g/cc) and good porosity (12%) with the assessment of various cements. The facies modeling distinguished between clean and intermixed sand-shale reservoir zones. Petrophysical analysis revealed a net pay of 14 m within E-sand having gas saturation of about 68%. The adopted approach is robust and efficient, employing a limited data set for developing well-associated seismic responses for potential zone delineation within structural arrangements. The techniques can be optimistic about the LGF's complex potential sands demarcation throughout the Indus Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poliomyelitis is a condition of great concern and is endemic in only two countries of the world: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Community mobilization plays a vital role in raising awareness and can help reduce polio vaccine refusals. The objective of this study will be to decrease polio vaccine refusals and zero-dose vaccines by motivating behavior change through the provision of conditional–collective–community-based incentives (C3Is) based on a reduction in polio vaccine refusals. The project will adopt a pretest/post-test quasi-experimental design with two intervention high-risk union councils (HRUCs) and two control union councils (UCs) of peri-urban (Karachi) and rural (Bannu) settings in Pakistan. A participatory community engagement and demand creation strategy with trust-building community mobilization with C3Is, to reduce vaccine refusals and improve polio immunization coverage in two HRUCs, will be used. These UCs will be divided into clusters based on the polio program framework and community groups will be formed in each cluster. These community groups will carry out awareness activities and will be given serial targets to reduce vaccine refusals and those who qualify will be provided C3Is. The project intends to create a replicable model that the government can integrate within health systems for long-term sustainability until the goal of eradication of poliovirus is achieved. The evaluation will be carried out by an independent data collection and analysis team at baseline and endline (after 12 months of intervention). The trial is registered with linicalTrials.gov with number NCT05721274. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lower Goru Formation (LGF) has produced from E-sand in Kadanwari gas field, composed of sand and shale. The estimation of reservoir properties, including porosity, mineralogy, and thickness, which could help to identify new possible drilling sites, is hindered by the heterogeneous nature of LGF, and intermix shale, and sand. Integration of elastic and petrophysical properties worked as an effective tool for evaluating reservoir properties, especially for handling the heterogeneities of sand reservoirs associated with pores and their fluids. The probabilistic neural networking (PNN) technique has been proven the most effective and is a widely applied algorithm for predicting petrophysical parameters away from control points. It can create nonlinear correlations between input and estimated properties by efficiently handling the intermix shale. For this study, PNN prediction demonstrated a reliable statistical approximation. The trends of the actual and predicted properties such as effective porosities (PHIE = ∅e) and water saturation (Sw) for E-sand level exhibited an excellent correlation of 0.98 and 0.99 with an error rate of 0.006 and 0.03 respectively, which is also evident through the regression lines. The promising zones of the reservoir are further assessed by the multivariate seismic attributes, i.e., amplitudes, sweetness, and RGBA blending of appropriate frequency bands, which illuminated the potential channelized sands. The methodology applied in this study eventually minimized the uncertainty associated with petrophysical properties such as ∅e and Sw of the producing sands in LGF. The findings suggest that when dealing with heterogeneous reservoirs, a similar approach could be employed to locate feasible prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study conducted to estimate under graduate students' satisfaction level and its associated factors in University of Malakand, Pakistan. A structure questionnaire was developed for collection of data. Cluster random sampling method was used to select students from various academic departments. Data were collected by questionnaire which were distributed among under graduate students consisting both gender, male and female. Subsequently, 110 students responded (62 male, 49 female), whose response were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and ordinal logistic regression model. The model indicated factors significantly associated to the student's satisfaction which were; campus support facilities, experiences provided by the institute to the students, environmental factors, and sports programs. In order to increase the satisfaction level these factors should be improve. The present research can provide a guideline for educational leaders in focusing their resources for the best satisfaction of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the combustion efficiency of high moist coal, it is important to reduce its moisture contents. For reduction of moisture contents, the selection of efficient and low-cost drying technique based on the coal characteristics is helpful to convert the high moist coal to good quality fuel. A total of 18 Thar coal (Pakistan) samples were crushed and sieved at following size fractions (355, 500, 710 µm). These samples were dried using different techniques, namely, solar-drying, hot air-drying, oven-drying, microwave oven-drying, and flue gases drying. The morphological, physical, and chemical changes were investigated for the effectiveness of different techniques to make the Thar coal as a value-added fuel. The applied drying techniques showed a significant reduction in moisture contents from the Thar coal samples (38.11 to 7.78%). However, the flue gases drying and air-drying techniques showed highest reduction in moisture content (29–31%). Similarly, 35% increase in heating value (HV) J/kg was observed in case of flue gases drying technique. These results indicated that the flue gases and air-drying techniques may be used to reduce the moisture contents and enhance the HV of high moist Thar coal that can be used as value-added fuel in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Chronic subdural hematoma is a neurosurgical condition that represents degradation of liquefied blood collected abnormally beneath the dura that typically forms within three weeks. The recurrent rates of chronic subdural hematoma after surgery varies from 5% to 30%. However, different risk factors that lead to recurrent chronic subdural hematoma remain debatable. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the incidence and different risk factors for recurrent chronic subdural hematoma. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted on 206 chronic subdural hematoma patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar Pakistan for the duration from 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2022. Prior to study conduction, ethical approval was taken from the institute ethical committee. Demographic details, trauma history, surgical intervention types, antithrombotic therapy, surgical drain usage, preoperative symptoms, postoperative symptoms, and clinical outcomes were retrieved from the medical record. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. Results: Out of 206 chronic subdural hematoma patients, there were 164 (79.6%) males and 42 (20.4%) females. The overall mean age was 62.9±16.2 years. The prevalence of recurrent chronic subdural hematoma was 28 (13.6%). The incidence of previous head trauma was found in 138 (67%) patients. The prevalence of left-side, right-side, and bilateral hematoma was 82 (39.8%), 58 (28.2%), and 66 (32%) respectively. In terms of hematoma density, the incidence of homogeneous hypo-dense, homogenous isodense, homogeneous hyperdense type, laminar type, separated type, and trabecular type were seen in 40 (19.4%), 46 (22.3%), 16 (7.8%), 10 (4.9%), 36 (17.4%), and 58 (28.2%) respectively. The overall mean of drainage time after initial intervention was 1.6± 0.8 days. All the patients underwent successful chronic subdural hematoma surgery. Conclusion: The present study found that the prevalence of recurrent chronic subdural hematoma was 13.6%. Male patients are more susceptible to chronic subdural hematoma recurrence compared to female patients. Post-surgery subdural drainage duration and homogeneous hyper-dense hematoma were the independent prognosticator of recurrent chronic subdural hematoma. The risk of recurrence was lower in cases where postoperative drainage of the subdural had longer duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pab Formation of Zamzama block, lying in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan, is a prominent gas-producing sand reservoir. The optimized production is limited because of water encroachment surrounding the gas-producing wells, thus it is required to distinguish the gas-sand facies from the remainder of the wet sands and shales for additional drilling zones. An approach is adopted based on the relation between petrophysical and elastic properties to characterize the prospect locations. Petro-elastic models (PEMs) for the identified facies were generated to distinguish lithologies in their elastic ranges. Several elastic properties, including p-impedance (11,600-12,100 m/s*g/cc), s-impedance (7,000-7,330 m/s*g/cc), and Vp/Vs ratio (1.57-1.62), were calculated from the simultaneous prestack seismic inversion (SPSI), allowing the identification of gas sands in the field. The inverted elastic attributes and well-based lithologies were incorporated into the Bayesian framework to evaluate the probability of gas sands. To determine the reservoir quality, bulk volumes of PHIE and clay were estimated using elastic volumes trained on well logs by employing Probabilistic neural networking (PNN), which effectively handles heterogeneity effects. The results showed that the channelized gas sands passing through the existing well locations exhibited reduced clay content and maximum effective porosities of 9%, confirming the reservoir's good quality. Such approaches can be widely implemented in producing fields to completely assess lithofacies and achieve maximum production with minimal risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to study the association of Klotho gene G395A and C1818T single nucleotide polymorphisms with glycemia, serum, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Pashtun population of Pakistan. Methods: In this study, 195 normal individuals and 217 T2DM patients were enrolled. All subjects were divided into three groups, namely overall subjects (control + T2DM patients), control individuals and T2DM patients, and their fasting glucose, HbA1c level, lipid profile and C1818T and G395A polymorphisms were determined. Results: The allele frequencies of G395A in overall subjects were 0.568 for A and 0.432 for G. Similarly, allele frequencies for G395A in overall subjects were 0.597 and 0.403 for C and T alleles, respectively. The AA genotype of G395A was observed to be a risk factor for T2DM. In normal individuals, no significant (p > 0.05) association was observed between klotho C1818T and G395A polymorphisms and hyperglycemia. In overall subjects, the C1818T polymorphism was associated (p < 0.05) with high fasting glucose and HbA1c levels in female subjects only. In T2DM patients, both C1818T and G395A polymorphisms were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) associated with high fasting glucose and HbA1c levels both in males and females. Conclusion: The G395A polymorphism was observed to increase the risk of T2DM. Both C1818T and G395 were associated with high fasting glucose and HbA1c levels in T2DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, political parties have widely adopted social media for their party promotions and election campaigns. During the election, Twitter and other social media platforms are used for political coverage to promote the party and its candidates. This research discusses and estimates the stability of many volumetric social media approaches to forecast election results from social media activities. Numerous machine learning approaches are applied to opinions shared on social media for predicting election results. This paper presents a machine learning model based on sentiment analysis to predict Pakistan's general election results. In a general election, voters vote for their favorite party or candidate based on their personal interests. Social media has been extensively used for the campaign in Pakistan general election 2018. Using a machine learning technique, we provide a five-step process to analyze the overall election results, whether fair or unfair. The work is concluded with detailed experimental results along with discussion on the outcomes of sentiment analysis for real-world forecasting and approval of general elections in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the recent newspaper coverage patterns about CPEC through different frames and then focuses on investigating the consequent perception about CPEC among the newspaper readers. The research has been conducted in the light of “Framing Analysis” by Goffman to explore the representation of CPEC in mainstream newspapers of Pakistan in the years 2020 and 2021. News stories about CPEC published on front and back pages of the daily Dawn and Jang have been explored. For this purpose, adopted methodology was Content Analysis. In the second part of this research, the public perception about CPEC has been analyzed with the help of Survey Method on a purposive sample of (n = 300) newspaper readers. The study indicates that since January 2020, the selected newspapers have been framing positive image of CPEC through their news stories. Moreover, frames of news categorization were mainly in a favorable tone, admiring and appreciating CPEC. Dawn was in leading position to publish news about CPEC as compared to Jang. Moreover, majority of newspaper readers find CPEC as a very positive project for the progress of Pakistan. Hence, media has evoked a sense ofcontentment among the audience through a favorable coverage of CPEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the post-operative outcomes in pregnant patients with appendicitis undergoing laparoscopic versus open appendicectomy. Study Design: Comparative prospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Surgery Department, Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, Nowshera Pakistan, from Jan 2018 to Dec 2019. Methodology: This study consisted of patients with acute appendicitis during pregnancy who were presented to Surgery Department or referred to it from Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A had patients who underwent Laparoscopic appendicectomyand Group B had patients who underwent Open appendicectomy. Postoperative outcomes in both groups including fetal loss, preterm delivery, operative time and surgical complications were observed. The p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Total of 90 pregnant women were included. Group A consisted of 44 cases and 46 patients were in Group B. The mean maternal age was 24.5 ± 5.2 year (Group A) and 23.5 ± 4.2 years (Group B). About 30 patients (33.33%) were in the first trimester, 38 (42.22%) in second while 22 (24.44%) patients were in the third trimester. Wound infection occurred in two patients in Group B (p=0.08). Fetal loss occurred in one patient in Group A and in 3 patients in Group B (p=0.09). Hospital stay was significantly shorter in Group A (1.4 ± 1.9 days). Conclusions: Laparoscopic appendectomy is safe with low incidence of post operative maternal as well as fetal complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the neutrosophic cubic graphs are further developed. We discussed and explored the open and the closed neighborhood for any vertex in neutrosophic cubic graphs, regular and totally regular neutrosophic cubic graphs, complete neutrosophic cubic graphs, balanced and strictly balanced neutrosophic cubic graphs, irregular and totally irregular neutrosophic cubic graphs, complement of a neutrosophic cubic graph, neighborly irregular and neighborly totally irregular neutrosophic cubic graphs, and highly irregular neutrosophic cubic graphs. It has been demonstrated that the proposed neutrosophic cubic graphs are associated with specific conditions. The comparison study of the proposed graphs with the existing cubic graphs has been carried out. Eventually, decision-making approaches for handling daily life problems such as effects of different factors on the neighboring countries of Pakistan and selection of a house based on the notions of proposed graphs are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan is amongst the top ten onion-producing countries in the world. Though in Pakistan, most of the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produce onions, Malakand division lonely contributes 60% of the total onion production of the country. In onion farming, bolting is an insidious phenomenon that occurs in onion plants due to fluctuations in environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light intensity. Due to bolting, the flowering stem of an onion plant is produced before the crop is harvested, resulting in a poor-quality harvest and yield. Therefore, from a farmer's perspective, it is highly desirable to monitor and control the environmental factors to avoid bolting. In this paper, we propose and design a new prototype, namely, a smart farming monitoring system (SFMS) for bolting reduction, which is based on the generic three-layered IoT architecture. By using IoT (Internet of things) technology and careful remote monitoring, a more favorable environment can be provided to reduce and avoid onion bolting. To analyze the efficacy and performance of the proposed SFMS, a real test-bed implementation was carried out. The SFMS prototype was installed both in the open and in a greenhouse environment to monitor onion crops. Based on the data received via sensors, the percentage of onion bolting was recorded as 16.7% in the open environment while 3% in the closed environment. In the closed environment, optimal temperature, humidity, and light intensity were provided to the onion crops using the SFMS. For this reason, the percentage of onion bolting was reduced from 16.7% to 3%, consequently yielding better onion production. Moreover, the SFMS is a low-cost, easy-to-install solution that is developed with locally available hardware and resources, and we believe that this new solution can transform conventional onion farming into a more productive and convenient smart farming in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a pilot flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although this project has been received in a relatively positive manner by actors regionally and worldwide, it has also been subject to serious criticisms in domestic and international publications. These criticisms include the claims that Pakistan might become a colony or province of China, and that Pakistan is faced with a debt-trap as a result of Chinese loans. This article outlines these claims and proceeds to show that neither stands up to close scrutiny. Moreover, the article approach is alienated into two parts; first, looks at how the distinctive criticism propagated by critics whilst secondly, a critical approach is used to debunk all these criticism with the help of respondents' reactions. Consequently, it may provide few policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater (WW) volume generated from both domestic and industrial sectors has increased due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. WW is increasingly used on farms because it is cheap and easily available all year, causing various environmental and health implications. In order to evaluate Multan WW, this study characterizes 154 WW samples collected from 11 disposal stations. These samples were analysed for 23 parameters related to organic matter, nutrients, inorganic matter, and pathogens to determine pollution extent distribution, agricultural reuse potential, and WW treatment database. A major contamination concern was found regarding biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total coliform, and E-Coli. The average values of BOD and COD were found to be 2.7 and 3.8 times higher than the permissible limits respectively. The microbiological parameters such as total coliform and E-Coli were found to be 10.6 and 36 times higher than the permissible limits, respectively. However, heavy metals and nutrients were found within the permissible limit except phosphorus. Here, the correlation study on selected WW parameters indicated the direct or indirect relationship among WW constituents and the impact of different sources of pollution on WW characteristics. The present study also presents a critical review of different treatment options according to contamination strength in disposal stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High efficiency irrigations systems (HEIS) are considered the most efficient technologies to apply water to the crops because these technologies use less irrigation water and produce more yield as compared to conventional irrigation methods. However, the most burning issue of these systems is their non-adoptability or low adoptability by the farming communities, despite their proven benefits. It was highly desirable to analyze and evaluate certain parameters which keep systems functional as well as ensure adoptability of these systems at farmer's fields. A total of 30 sites were selected randomly in Punjab province of Pakistan where HEIS were installed. Twelve parameters were selected based on the survey conducted that influenced the HEIS functionality as well as adoptability. The selected parameters were also ranked based on their influencing order such as net economic return, deployment of operator, literacy status, farming mode, pumping mechanism, backup support, system type, energy source, tenancy status, farm location, groundwater quality and farming experience because these parameters have significance coefficient values of 0.471, 0.342, 0.169, 0.163, 0.142, 0.110, 0.076,0.071,0.046, -0.037, -0.116, -0.212, respectively. The analysis indicated that parameters such as farm location near the head reach, groundwater quality and long farming experience showed negative impact on adoptability of HEIS in the study area. It was also observed that high economic returns, deployment of operator, farmer's training and presence of farmer at his farm are the gateway towards the success of these systems. The present study provides guidelines for the policy makers as well as farmers for sustainability of installed HEIS and up-scaling of these water saving techniques for the welfare of mankind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed knowledge about soil characteristics and site-specific final steady infiltration rate could help to increase the irrigation water use efficiency and decrease water losses in agricultural system. The experiments were conducted on Agricultural Research Farm of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan during 2016. The cumulative infiltration depth was measured using double ring infiltrometer at selected six points of the study area. Most commonly used infiltration models such as Kostikov's, Philip's and Horton's were fitted to the field infiltration data for determination of model parameters and to find the best fit model for the study area. Kostikov's infiltration model's parameters such as empirical constant 'c' and infiltration decay constants 'k' were obtained in the ranges of 0.140-0.290 and 0.307-0.433, respectively. Philip's infiltration model's parameters such as sorptivity 'S' and conductivity constant 'A' were found in the ranges of 0.167-0.288 cm/min1/2 and -0.001 to -0.009 cm/min, respectively. Similarly, the Horton's model's 'parameter 'k' was obtained in the range of -1.619 to -1.238. The value of infiltration capacity at onset of infiltration (fo) was obtained as 1.744 to 3.491 for all the six points. The analysis showed that the infiltration models using the estimated parameters have satisfactory prediction capability at all the selected points. Horton's model provided the lowest mean values for RMSE (0.235) and highest mean values for ME (94%); and the lowest mean values for MPD (0.127). This indicated that infiltration can be well-described by the Horton's model at the selected site. [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]

Detailed knowledge about site-specific aquifer characteristics, subsurface lithology, and groundwater potential can help to determine the depth and location of fresh groundwater quality. The present research study was carried out by conducting 80 vertical electrical sounding surveys (VESs) in Rahim Yar Khan District (RYK), Punjab, Pakistan to distinguish the fresh groundwater aquifer from saline groundwater and to evaluate the aquifer protective capacity (APC) of overburden. 1XID software (Interpex, USA) was used to accomplish the interpretation of VES data. The VES interpreted data was used to prepare spatial distribution maps of aquifer apparent resistivity (AR), layer thickness, longitudinal conductance (LC), and transverse resistance (TR) for the second, third, and fourth subsurface layers using ArcGIS 10.1. The results showed that the greater part of the study area (65%) had four subsurface geo-electric layers. The spatial distribution maps for AR showed that the fresh groundwater quality was present on the northwestern and northeastern sides of the study area for all the layers. The results also indicated that the APC of overburden increased with the increase of depth from the ground surface. Layer 4 with thickness of 57.09 m showed good APC in the northern and central parts with LC values of >0.7 mhos. Similarly, the higher values of TR showed higher yield potential in the north-eastern part as compared to the southern part. Overall analysis indicated that the spatial distribution maps of AR, layer thickness, LC, and TR should be helpful for future groundwater development in terms of quality and quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper identifies significant fault-lines both within the policy making and policy implementation which obstruct the much desired virtue of national harmony and integration in Pakistan. Normally, it appears that most of the federating units, socio-cultural entities and groups offer a very strong sense of nationalism and patriotism with the state of Pakistan but there are some gray areas which need serious consideration. Nevertheless, a level of uneasiness and frustration on the part of some groups and units in respect of the mode and method of governance and policy directions can be felt in one way or another. For example, Balochis, Sindhis, Saraikis of South Punjab, and Pakhtuns question the policies of federation and seek their due shares and rights as enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan. The history of the centre-province relations in Pakistan does contain some bitter memories, where the rights of the smaller provincial unites were compromised and subjugated in favour of the stronger entity. It's high time to learn some lessons from the past and lead the process of nation-building and integration by taking such steps in policy-making which may help bring the fragmented pieces together cementing a stronger, prosperous and integrated Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the relationship among income, consumption and remittances in Pakistan. Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) technique is used to analyze the impact of international remittances upon consumption during the period of 1973-2010. Specification of the model is based upon the two sectors Keynesian National Income Model. Results of the study suggest that international remittances positively affect the consumption level in Pakistan. The results explain that one per cent increase in the average annual amount of remittances in the country would yield a 0.95 per cent increase in the average annual aggregate consumption in the country. The Co-integration analysis shows the log-run stable relationship between consumption, remittances, income and investment. It is believed that remittances increase the money supply and stimulate demand for consumption and investment in the country. Hence remittances play imperative role in the improvement of the well being of the people in aggregate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the development of the Iranian Port of Chahbahar by India and the Pakistani Port Gwader by China, which fosters geo-strategic and economic competition between India and China. It analyzes the impact of the competition on Pakistan-Iran relations and the cooperation of Iran and India in creating trade between Chahbahar and Central Asia. Also discussed are the conflicting interests of China and India in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Objective: To analyze early complications after simple anterior cervical discectomy. Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted at the department of Neurosurgery, Post-graduate medical institute, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from January 2009 to December, 2010. Ninety five (95) consecutive patients who underwent single level anterior cervical discectomy without bone grafting for degenerative cervical disc herniation were included in the study irrespective of their age and gender. The patients were observed for post-operative complications for a period of 8weeks after surgery. The patients were observedfor complications during hospital stay, 1stfollow up at 2 weeks and 2ndfollow up after 8 weeks of surgery. Results: Out of 95 cases, 67.4% (n=64) were malesand 32.6% (31) females. Majority (n=29, 30.5%) patients were in the age range of 41-50years, 24.2% (n=23) in the age group of 31-40 years and 20% (n=19)in the age range of 21-30 years. Almost 70.5% (n=67) of the patients presented within 6 months of onset of their symptoms. The commonest complication after surgery was transient hoarseness in 3.2% (n=3) cases. We had post-op dysphagia and discitis each in 2.1% (n=2) patients. The overall morbidity was 8.5% (n=8). One patient died because of anesthesia complication and not because of surgery complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the relationship among income, consumption and remittances in Pakistan. Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) technique is used to analyze the impact of international remittances upon consumption during the period of 1973-2010. Specification of the model is based upon the two sectors Keynesian National Income Model. Results of the study suggest that international remittances positively affect the consumption level in Pakistan. The results explain that one per cent increase in the average annual amount of remittances in the country would yield a 0.95 per cent increase in the average annual aggregate consumption in the country. The Co-integration analysis shows the log-run stable relationship between consumption, remittances, income and investment. It is believed that remittances increase the money supply and stimulate demand for consumption and investment in the country. Hence remittances play imperative role in the improvement of the well being of the people in aggregate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper mainly focuses on Balochistan, the only western Province of Pakistan which shares direct border with Iran. Due to its geographical location the Province of Balochistan occupies a special place in the friendly relations and mutual collaboration between Pakistan and Iran, especially, in the context of socio-cultural and economic interactions. But, despite of its paramount significance in Pak-Iran relations, there are also certain discouraging and disappointing factors which are equally responsible for creating misunderstanding, doubts and tension in the friendly bilateral relations between these two countries. The paper addresses these factors which make this province a destabilizing factor in Pak-Iran relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post 9/11 scenario, bilateral relations between India and Israel in general, and, their defense relations in particular, have strengthened tremendously. The most striking commonality is their perception of Pakistan as their common enemy and a main obstacle, impeding the realization of their ambitions. India needs the friendship and cooperation of Israel in maintaining qualitative and quantitative superiority of defence capabilities over its enemy, Pakistan. For India, friendship of Israel would make her more powerful and strong to play an effective and significant role in the South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia with a sole object to undermine the rising influence of Pakistan in these regions. Israel is primarily interested in a meaningful and constructive relations with India not because of its huge market for Israel's defense industry, but to suppress Pakistan's strong commitment to help the Middle Eastern states against Tel Aviv. It apprehends that Pakistan's nuclear program can be a source of strength for the Arab world, and Iran (Israel's worse and bitter adversaries).The emerging Delhi-Jerusalem-defence collaboration poses major challenges to the security and territorial integrity of Pakistan. Such relationship has the potential to make a significant impact on global politics by altering the balance of power, not only in South Asia but also in the entire Asian continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Arsenic concentrations above acceptable standards for drinking water have been detected in many countries and this should therefore is a global issue. The presence of arsenic in subsurface aquifers and drinking water systems is a potentially serious human health hazard. The current population growth in Pakistan and other developing countries will have direct bearing on the water sector for meeting the domestic, industrial and agricultural needs. Pakistan is about to exhaust its available water resources and is on the verge of becoming a water deficit country. Water pollution is a serious menace in Pakistan, as almost 70% of its surface waters as well as its groundwater reserves have contaminated by biological, organic and inorganic pollutants. In some areas of Pakistan, a number of shallow aquifers and tube wells are contaminated with arsenic at levels which are above the recommended USEPA arsenic level of 10ppb (10μgL−1). Adverse health effects including human mortality from drinking water are well documented and can be attributed to arsenic contamination. The present paper reviews appropriate and low cost methods for the elimination of arsenic from drinking waters. It is recommended that a combination of low cost chemical treatment like ion exchange, filtration and adsorption along with bioremediation may be useful option for arsenic removal from drinking water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rapidly changing climatic scenario is demanding periodic evaluation of groundwater quality at the temporal and spatial scale in any region for its effectual management. The statistical, geographic information system (GIS), geostatistical, and map overlay approaches were applied for investigating the spatio-temporal variation in groundwater quality and level data of 242 monitoring wells in Punjab, Pakistan during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of the years 2015 and 2016. The analysis indicated the higher variation in data for both the seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon) as coefficient of variation (CV) values were found in the range of 84–175% for groundwater quality parameters. Based on the t-test values, the marginal improvement in groundwater electrical conductivity (EC), sodium absorption ratio (SAR) and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and decrease in groundwater level (GWL) were observed in 2016 as compared to 2015 (p = 0.05). The spatial distribution analysis of groundwater EC, SAR and RSC indicated that the groundwater quality was unfit for irrigation in the lower south-east part of the study area. The groundwater level (GWL) was also higher in that part of the study area during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in 2015 and 2016. The overlay analysis also indicated that the groundwater EC, RSC and GWL values were higher in south-east parts of the study area during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of 2015 and 2016. Hence, there is an instant need to apply groundwater management practices in the rest of the region (especially in the lower south-east part) to overcome the future degradation of groundwater quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, experimental apparatus of desiccant dehumidification was developed at lab-scale, using silica gel as a desiccant material. Experimental data were obtained at various ambient air conditions, while focusing the climatic conditions of Multan (Pakistan). A steady-state analysis approach for the desiccant dehumidification process was used, and thereby the slope of desiccant dehumidification line on psychrometric chart (ϕ*) was determined. It has been found that ϕ* = 0.22 in case of silica gel which is lower than the hydrophilic polymeric sorbent, i.e., ϕ* = 0.31. The study proposed two kinds of systems, i.e., (i) standalone desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) and (ii) Maisotsenko-cycle-assisted desiccant air-conditioning (M-DAC) systems. In addition, two kinds of desiccant material (i.e., silica gel and hydrophilic polymeric sorbent) were investigated from the thermodynamic point of view for both system types, using the experimental data and associated results. The study aimed to determine the optimum air-conditioning (AC) system type, as well as adsorbent material for building AC application. In this regard, perspectives of dehumidification capacity, cooling capacity, and thermal coefficient of performance (COP) are taken into consideration. According to the results, hydrophilic polymeric sorbent gave a higher performance, as compared to silica gel. In case of both systems, the performance was improved with the addition of Maisotsenko cycle evaporative cooling unit. The maximum thermal COP was achieved by using a polymer-based M-DAC system, i.e., 0.47 at 70 °C regeneration temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future climate change and the temporal variability of water availability may cause the deterioration of groundwater quality and increase depths to water tables. In this study, groundwater quality data of 347 monitoring sites from 2003 to 2016 from a region in Pakistan were used to analyze the spatiotemporal variability in different water quality parameters using the Mann–Kendall and Sen's slope estimator tests. The results indicated a significant increasing trend (SIT) at 23% sites in pre-SAR (sodium adsorption ratio during the pre-monsoon season) and at 22% sites in pre-EC (electrical conductivity during the pre-monsoon season) over the entire study period. The spatial distribution modeling of groundwater quality trends indicated that a significant increasing trend was observed in EC at most of the monitoring sites during the pre-monsoon season (α = 0.05). The area with significant increasing trend of groundwater EC and SAR values increased during the pre-monsoon season and decreased during the post-monsoon season. A continuous significant increasing trend in EC and SAR was observed in the northern part of the study area during the period 2003–2016. This trend indicates that excessive groundwater abstraction in the area is causing adverse impacts on groundwater quality, and that management measures need to be urgently implemented to limit further degradation of groundwater quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lower Goru Formation (LGF) sand intervals are prolific producers in the Central Indus Basin (CIB), Pakistan. The B-Interval of LGF is a proven reservoir of the Rehmat gas field, having heterogeneous and thin sand layers (14–17 m) below seismic tuning thickness. To quantify these potential layers, a petro-elastic relationship is developed using seismic and well data. Well data although having high resolution, lacks in many aspects, such as poor density logs due to bad boreholes along with the missing shear sonic (Vs), adding more challenges to characterize a complex reservoir. Therefore, an extended cemented sandstone model is established by incorporating the petro-elastic models (PEMs) of the reservoir's litho-fluid facies in the rock physics modeling (RPM) framework. RPM compensated for the lithological variability, quartz cementation impact, missing and bad density logs. The missing low and high frequencies of band-limited seismic data are retrieved through constraining wells by geostatistical parameters for enhanced visualization of thin-bedded heterogeneous sand. Bayesian stochastic seismic inversion (BSSI) addressed reservoir challenges by incorporating the PEMs responses along with consigning the frequencies limitation, through a low-frequency model and variograms from the sparse well data for high frequencies. For optimized reservoir characterization, a 3D seismic dataset is inverted in a fine-scale stratigraphic grid of 0.1 ms interval yielding high-resolution elastic properties. These enhanced elastic attributes are integrated with petrophysical relationships simulated through probability density functions that permit elastic attributes to be translated into reservoir characteristics (geological facies). So, an integrated technique of rock physics modeled logs with BSSI successfully identified thin heterogeneous gas sands through several high-resolution realizations with associated uncertainty. • Reservoir characterization by integrating petrophysics, rock physics & Bayesian stochastic seismic inversion. • Petro-elastic relationship via advance rock physics modeling with optimization and prediction of logs. • The high-resolution elastic properties populated via variogram and simulated using the MCMC.. • Thin gas sand facies classified using the Kernel PDF's and estimated after results validation. • Heterogeneous, below seismic resolution, gas sands successfully highlighted with delineation of new prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency and clinical presentation of cerebellopontine (CP) angle tumors in Department of Neurosurgery, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. Methodology: Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from July 2014 to June 2015(one year) in Department of Neurosurgery, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. All patients having primary CP Angle tumors were included. patients having recurrent CPA tumor, vascular pathology and CP angle tumors managed conservatively were excluded. Data of the target population was then collected on a designed profarma from the hospital charts, radiology and histopathology reports. Patients were analyzed on the basis of age and gender. Data was entered into statistical program SPSS 16 and was expressed in percentages. Data was presented in different tables. Results: 14 patients (53.85%) out of 26 were female and 12 patients (46.15%) were male with male to female 1:1.7. Eight cases (30.77%) were below 40 years and 18 cases (69.23%) were above 40 years with mean age of 42 years. Eighteen (18) cases (69.23%) were acoustic neuroma and 4 cases (15.38%) were meningioma, 3 cases (11.54%) were epidermoid and 1 case (3.85%) was arachnoid cyst. The most common presenting symptom was hearing loss which accounts for 69.23%. It is followed by headache (53.85%), tinnitus and disequilibrium (38.46%) each, papilledema (30.77%), vomiting, visual impairment and facial weakness (23.08%) each, diplopia and nystagmus (15.38%) each and focal deficit (7.69%). Conclusion: The most common cerebellopontine angle tumor is acoustic neuroma which is followed by meningioma, epidermoid and arachnoid cyst. The most common presenting symptom is hearing loss which is followed by headache, tinnitus and disequilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VP shunt) failure cases in hydrocephalic patients, in a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: This descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, from June 2009 to May 2010 (one year).The medical record of all cases operated in last one year was checked from record room. Documentation was done according to proforma designed indicating age, sex, clinical features, investigations with findings on X-rays, CT and MRI and per operative findings. Complications related to upper end, lower end and shunt track were noted. Data was analyzed to assess the causes for shunt failure in hydrocephalus patients. Results: A total of 56 patients were included in this study. There were 43 children and 13 adults. Among children, 26 were males and 17 were females while in adults, 5 were males and 8 were females. Out of these, 28 patients were having blocked shunt, 20 cases with infected shunt, 6 patients had eroded and 2 patients displaced shunt. Conclusion: Although shunt surgery is a common procedure performed for hydrocephalus, different complications were associated in our study where shunt failure was mainly due to shunt dysfunction, infection or breakage of shunt system. Complications were more with upper end. Infection was common in pediatric age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a phytosociological study and urbanization in Regi Model Township (RMT) in Peshawar, Pakistan. The study was conducted during spring 2015 and a total of 32 plant species were identified belonging to 19 families. The Asteraceae family had the highest number of species 5 spp. while Fabaceae, Polygonaceae, and Brassicaceae had 3 spp. each. Poaceae and Solanaceae had 2 spp. each, while Plantiginaceae, Malvaceae, and Caryophyllaceae had 1 spp. each. In zone 1, a total of 27 plant species were reported in which the Cynodon-Carthamus-Datura community was established on the basis of the importance value index. The soil of this zone was silty clay loamy in texture with a pH of 8.3, nitrogen 0.017%, phosphorus 7.4%, and organic matter (OM) was (0.34 ppm). In zone 2, a total of 23 plant species were reported, and the Xanthium-Parthenium-Cyperus community was established. The soil in this zone was loamy sandy with pH of 8.1, nitrogen 0.020%, phosphorus 3.1%, and OM 0.04. In zone 3 a total of 21 plants species were reported and the Cynodon-Prosopis-Xanthium community was established. The soil in this community was silty clay loamy having a pH of 8.1, nitrogen 0.034%, phosphorus 4.1%, and OM of (0.068 ppm)%. In zone 4, a total of 13 plant species were recorded and the Xanthium-Lepidium-Amaranthus community was established. The soil in this zone was silty clay loamy with a pH of 8.3, nitrogen 0.029%, phosphorus 6.2%, and OM 0.058%, and similarly in zone 5, a total of 11 plant species were recorded in the area where the Cynodon-Parthenium-Cyperus community was established. The soil in this community was loamy sand having a pH of 8.1, nitrogen 0.002%, phosphorus 3.1%, and OM (0.03 ppm). The construction work at RMT was causing the extinction of vegetation and there would be no more wild vegetation in the near future in that particular area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important pathogen of both community and hospital acquired infections, and a major threat to public health for continuous emergence of multi-drug resistance. Current prevalence and pattern of multidrug resistance in the clinical isolates of P . aeruginosa is reported here. Samples were collected from September 2013 to January 2014 tertiary care hospital, Peshawar. Samples were subjected to phenotypic and molecular based detection of P . aeruginosa and were further processed for multidrug resistance pattern. Out of 3700 samples, 102 were identified as MDR P . aeruginosa . Prevalence of MDR isolates were found in pus (34.3%), wounds (28.4%), urine (19.6%), blood (14.7%) and sputum (2.9%) respectively. Isolates were more resistant to Sulphamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (98.04%), Amoxycillin/Clavulanic acid, Doxycycline and Chloramphenicol (95.1%) each, while least resistant to Imipenem (43.1%), Cefoperazone/Sulbactam (50.98%) and Amikacin (53.9%). Extensive MDR pattern was observed in P . aeruginosa was found as (n = 17, 16.6%) isolates were resistant to all four classes of antibiotics. Increased burden of MDR P . aeruginosa was documented in the study. Moreover, some isolates were even resistant to four classes of antibiotics. Findings of the study will be helpful to devise an appropriate antibiotic treatment strategy against MDR P . aeruginosa to cope the chances of evolving resistant pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Migrants and refugees are at a disadvantage in accessing basic necessities. The objective of this study is to assess the inequity in access, needs and determinants of COVID-19 vaccination among refugees and migrant populations in Pakistan., Design: We conducted a mixed-method study comprising a cross-sectional survey and a qualitative study. In this paper, we will only report the findings from the cross-sectional survey., Setting: This survey was conducted in different cities of Pakistan including Quetta, Karachi and Hyderabad., Participants: A total of 570 participants were surveyed including refugees and migrants, both in regular and irregular situations., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome of the study was to estimate the proportion of refugees and migrants, both in regular and irregular situations vaccinated against COVID-19 and assess the inequity. The χ 2 test and Fisher's exact test were used to determine the significant differences in proportions between refugees and migrants and between regions., Results: The survey showed that only 26.9% of the refugee and migrant population were tested for COVID-19, 4.56% contracted coronavirus, and 3.85% were hospitalised due to COVID-19. About 66% of the refugees and migrants were fully vaccinated including those who received the single-dose vaccine or received all two doses, and 17.6% were partially vaccinated. Despite vaccination campaigns by the government, 14.4% of the refugee and migrant population remained unvaccinated mostly because of vaccines not being offered, distant vaccination sites, limited access, unavailability of COVID-19 vaccine or due to a difficult registration process. Vaccination rates varied across provinces, genders and migrant populations due to misconceptions, and several social, cultural and geographical barriers., Conclusion: This study highlights the COVID-19 vaccine coverage, access and inequity faced by refugees and migrants during the pandemic. It suggests early prioritisation of policies inclusive of all refugees and migrants and the provision of identification documents to ease access to basic necessities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Human interventions and rapid changes in land use adversely affect the adequate distribution of water resources. A research study was conducted to quantify the gap between demand and supply for irrigation water in Multan, Pakistan, which may lead to sustainable water management. Two remotely sensed images (Landsat 8 OLI and Landsat 5 TM) were downloaded for the years 2010 and 2020, and supervised classification method was performed for the selected land use land cover (LULC) classes and basic framework. During the evaluation, the kappa coefficient was found in the ranges of 0.83-0.85, and overall accuracy was found to be more than 80% which indicated a substantial agreement between the classified maps and the ground truth data for both years and seasons. The LULC maps showed that urbanization has increased by 49% during the last decade (2010-2020). Reduction in planting areas for wheat (9%), cotton (24%), and orchards (46%) was observed. An increase in planting areas for rice (92%) and sugarcane (63%) was observed. The changing LULC pattern may be related to variation in water demand and supply for irrigation. The irrigation water demand has decreased by 370.2 Mm 3 from 2010 to 2020, due to the reduction in agricultural land and an increase in urbanization. Available irrigation water supply (canals/rainfall) was estimated as 2432 Mm 3 for the year 2020 which was 26% less than that of total irrigation water demand (3281 Mm 3 ). The findings also provide the database for sustainable water management and equitable distribution of water in the region., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Industrial revolution and rapid population growth are responsible for alteration of land into different settlements. These changes may lead to change in land use (LU) and land cover (LC). The LULC changes have impact on hydrological regimes including streams flow pattern and allocated irrigation water (water allocation through Warabandi system). The present study aimed to identify the LULC changes and settlement impact on allocated water using the unsupervised classification and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of Landsat images for the years of 1990 to 2020 in Multan District. The accuracy assessment and Kappa coefficient were also investigated to evaluate quality of results derived from the classified images. The results show that the reduction in waterbody, spare, and dense vegetation was -7.6, -1.7, and -30.7%, respectively. The settlements, barren, and crop lands have increased to 25.2, 10.1, and 4.6%, respectively, from 1990 to 2020. The values of kappa coefficient (0.84-0.85) showed very good level of classification. In addition, the volume of water loss due to change of LULC from waterbody into settlements, barren land, crop land, spare, and dense vegetation was found approximately 472, 44, 133, 54, and 85 m 3 , respectively, in last 30 years. This volume of water is not reaching equitably to the farming community because of the LU and LC changes and urban settlements. The results indicated that remotely sensed image interpretation technique may be a useful for reallocation of water among farmers in an equitable and efficient way., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most prevalent component of metabolic syndrome. Environmental factors and various complex genes like transcription factor 7-like 2 ( TCF7L2 ) gene have involved in the disease development., Objective: To determine TCF7L2 genetic association (rs7903146C/T and rs12255372G/T) in T2DM patients of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population of Pakistan., Subjects and Methods: This study comprised of 176 subjects including 118 T2DM patients and 58 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted and genotype of common variants (rs7903146 C/T and rs12255372 G/T) was carried out by amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR of sequence specific oligonucleotides., Results: The distribution of genotype of TCF7L2 SNPs (rs7903146 C/T and rs12255372 G/T) was significantly associated with T2DM as compared to the controls (p <0.0001). The genetic models of the rs7903146 (C/T) and rs12255372 (G/T) SNPs were significantly associated between cases and controls (p <0.0001). On the other hand, the significant association was observed between the two SNPs and different biochemical parameters like serum fasting glucose, lipid profile, creatinine and blood HbA1c levels (p <0.05)., Conclusion: It is concluded that the SNPs of the TCF7L2 gene are significantly associated with T2DM disease susceptibility in the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan., (© 2021 Hameed T et al.)

The present research was conducted to assess the feasibility of biological treatment of a typical wastewater (WW) stream in Multan, Pakistan, using daily trends of WW characteristics and to design a wastewater treatment (WWT) system for that stream. The pH (5.8-6.2), temperature (24-30 °C), biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 : 128-265 mg/L), ultimate BOD (BOD u : 227-438 mg/L), BOD/total Kjeldahl nitrogen (BOD 5 /TKN:5.9-11.2), BOD u /BOD 5 (1.6-2.0), carbonaceous BOD u /nitrogenous BOD u (CBOD u /NBOD u :1.6-2.8) of the WW was found to support the biological WWT. The inclusion of NBOD also indicated the need for nitrification-denitrification. The linear regression analysis of volatile suspended solids (VSS) with total suspended solids (TSS) indicated the high content of organic solids, which also made the WW suitable for biological treatment. The BOD/COD (chemical oxygen demand) <0.8 indicated the requirement for biomass acclimation. The major process units of the WWT system developed included a primary clarifier, cascade aeration, trickling filter, adsorption filter and chlorination contact tank. During the validation of design procedures, considerable removal of TSS (91%), TDS (46%), BOD 5 (88%), COD (87%) was observed over the 15 week operational period of the secondary WWT system. The WWT system developed was appropriate as a sustainable WWT system that consumed less energy and had lower operational costs.

Background: Childhood Tuberculosis remains one of the major public health concerns in developing countries like Pakistan and is responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality in children. Although tuberculin skin test is very commonly used by physicians all over the world, its interpretation always remains difficult and challenging. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of positive tuberculin skin test in vaccinated and unvaccinated children suffering from tuberculosis., Methods: This Cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of Paediatric Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad from 1st February 2015 to 30th April 2016. A total of 150 patients were observed in this study. Children of either gender who were aged 1-15 years admitted in ward with tuberculosis were included in the study by using nonprobability convenient sampling technique. We injected 0.1 ml (10 units) of tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) into the anterior surface of the forearm and induration was read at 72 hours after administration. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 10., Results: Out of 150 children, 84 (56%) were males and 66 (44%) were females. The mean age was 7.8±3.84 years. Of these 75 (50%) were vaccinated and 75 (50%) were unvaccinated. In vaccinated Group 5.3% children had positive tuberculin skin test while in unvaccinated Group 2.7% children had positive tuberculin skin test and this difference was found statistically insignificant (pvalue= 0.40). Pulmonary TB was the diagnosis in 67 (44.7%), TBM in 65 (43.3%), abdominal TB in 7 (4.7%), disseminated TB in 4 (2.7%) and military TB in 7 (4.7%) patients., Conclusions: The positivity of tuberculin skin test in vaccinated and unvaccinated children suffering from tuberculosis was found to be insignificant in our study. We conclude that Tuberculin Skin Test should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool for diagnosing the disease in children of our region..

Background: Bone stress injuries are common among army cadets during training period and these injuries give rise to morbidity and loss of training hours. Some cadets with stress fractures re-join their duties while some are kept out of services resulting in attrition and economic loss. A retrospective analysis of bone stress injuries of one hundred and twenty cadets between June 2006 and Dec 2007 was conducted from the case documents available at Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy (INOR) Abbottabad., Results: The occurrence of stress fractures among cadets at Pakistan Military Academy, presenting with exercise induced pain was 68.3% amongst these cadets. Seventy fours percent of the fractures were labelled grade-I. High grade fractures were confined to tibia. Tibia was the commonest site of stress fractures in both sexes, accounting for about 73% of all stress fractures. Fifty percent of these patients were labelled as having shin splints and 3% as thigh splints., Conclusions: Most of the stress injuries were confined to the tibia. The referral was considered early as most of the stress injuries were of low grade.