Trends in Polarisation in Pakistan

This study analyses the trends in polarisation in Pakistan, in its rural and urban segments and its provinces, at the micro level during the period 1992-93 to 2001-02. Estimations are made by using the Bossert-Schworm measure (2006). The study finds fluctuating trends. In general, polarisation declined in all regions of Pakistan during 1996-97 and 2001-02, while 1998-99 is the period of maximum polarisation. Incorporating the household size reduces the extent of polarisation, implying that ignoring the household size overestimates polarisation. The comparison of trends in polarisation and income inequality shows that generally the trends in inequality and polarisation are similar.Polarisation, Income Inequality, Poverty, Welfare

Trends in Inequality, Welfare, and Growth in Pakistan, 1963-64 to 2004-05

The present study investigates the trends in inequality, welfare, and growth based on per capita household income/consumption in Pakistan, both its rural and urban areas, from 1963-64 to 2004-05. It employs Gini coefficient to measure inequalities and the Sen welfare index to estimate welfare. Real per capita mean incomes/consumption are worked out to analyse growth. The study finds fluctuating trends in inequality, and rising trends in both welfare and growth. In general, inequality, welfare, and growth remain higher in the urban areas. The study finds income inequality to be more severe as compared to consumption inequality.Income Distribution, welfare, Per Capita Income, Gini Coefficient, Pakistan

How Does Family Ownership and Cash Holding Effects the Firm Value? Evidence from Pakistan

This study is conducted with an aim to investigate the impact of family ownership and cash holding on the firm value in Pakistan. For such purpose, the study selected non financial firms that are listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange from year 2005 to 2014. As the sample data set of the study is panel data so that is why panel data regression model are applied. Study uses OLS regression as well as the random effect model. From these tests, results suggested that family ownership is having negative as well as significant relation with firm value. whereas the cash holding is also having the negative as well as significant relation with the firm value. Whereas for interaction term cash*family, the random effect model showed positive but insignificant relation with the firm value. Control variables of the study are having different results as the Ebit is significant negative relationship with the firm value whereas net assets are having positive as well as significant relation with the firm value. Interest expense is also having positive as well as significant relation with firm value while dividend paid in cash is having negative as well as insignificant relation with the firm value. Industry dummy also showed negative as well as significant relation with firm value. Keywords: Family ownership, Firm value, Non-financial firms, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Cash holding,  Interaction ter

Model the System from Adversary Viewpoint: Threats Identification and Modeling

Security attacks are hard to understand, often expressed with unfriendly and limited details, making it difficult for security experts and for security analysts to create intelligible security specifications. For instance, to explain Why (attack objective), What (i.e., system assets, goals, etc.), and How (attack method), adversary achieved his attack goals. We introduce in this paper a security attack meta-model for our SysML-Sec framework, developed to improve the threat identification and modeling through the explicit representation of security concerns with knowledge representation techniques. Our proposed meta-model enables the specification of these concerns through ontological concepts which define the semantics of the security artifacts and introduced using SysML-Sec diagrams. This meta-model also enables representing the relationships that tie several such concepts together. This representation is then used for reasoning about the knowledge introduced by system designers as well as security experts through the graphical environment of the SysML-Sec framework.Comment: In Proceedings AIDP 2014, arXiv:1410.322

Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Genetic Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in Gram-Negative Rods Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Pakistan

The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes has increased remarkably, resulting in multidrug-resistant gram-negative rods (GNRs) in clinical specimens. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of ESBL-producing GNRs and its correlation with corresponding genes. Two hundred and seventy-two (n = 272) samples were evaluated for the molecular identification of ESBL genes by polymerase chain reaction after confirmation with the modified double-disc synergy test. E. coli 64.0% (n = 174) was the most prevalent ESBL producer, followed by Klebsiella species 27.2% (n = seventy-four), Acinetobacter species 6.6% (n = eighteen) and others 2.2% (n = six). These ESBL-producing isolates showed resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., sulbactam/cefoperazone (41.5%), piperacillin/tazobactam (39.3%), meropenem (36.0%), imipenem (34.2%) and non- β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., nalidixic acid (89.0%), co-trimoxazole (84.9%), ciprofloxacin (82.4%), gentamicin (46.3%), nitrofurantoin (24.6%), amikacin (19.9%) and fosfomycin (19.9%). The incidences of the ESBLs-producing genes blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaOXA and blaSHV were 91.2%, 61.8%, 39.3% and 17.6%, respectively. Among nine multiple-gene combinations, blaCTX-M + blaTEM (30.5%) was the most prevalent combination, followed by blaCTX-M + blaOXA + blaTEM (14.0%), blaCTX-M + blaOXA (13.6%), blaCTX-M + blaTEM + blaSHV (7.0%), blaCTX-M + blaSHV (2.2%), blaCTX-M + blaOXA + blaSHV (2.2%) and blaOXA + blaTEM (1.8%). ESBLs producing GNRs carrying blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaOXA and blaSHV showed resistances to β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., ampicillin, amoxillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime and ceftazidime but were susceptible to carbapenems (meropenem and imipenem), β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combination (piperacillin/tazobactam) and non-β-lactam antibiotics i.e., aminoglycoside (amikacin and gentamicin), nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin. These antibiotics that demonstrated activity may be used to treat infections in clinical settings.</p

Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Genetic Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in Gram-Negative Rods Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Pakistan

The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes has increased remarkably, resulting in multidrug-resistant gram-negative rods (GNRs) in clinical specimens. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of ESBL-producing GNRs and its correlation with corresponding genes. Two hundred and seventy-two (n = 272) samples were evaluated for the molecular identification of ESBL genes by polymerase chain reaction after confirmation with the modified double-disc synergy test. E. coli 64.0% (n = 174) was the most prevalent ESBL producer, followed by Klebsiella species 27.2% (n = seventy-four), Acinetobacter species 6.6% (n = eighteen) and others 2.2% (n = six). These ESBL-producing isolates showed resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., sulbactam/cefoperazone (41.5%), piperacillin/tazobactam (39.3%), meropenem (36.0%), imipenem (34.2%) and non- β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., nalidixic acid (89.0%), co-trimoxazole (84.9%), ciprofloxacin (82.4%), gentamicin (46.3%), nitrofurantoin (24.6%), amikacin (19.9%) and fosfomycin (19.9%). The incidences of the ESBLs-producing genes blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaOXA and blaSHV were 91.2%, 61.8%, 39.3% and 17.6%, respectively. Among nine multiple-gene combinations, blaCTX-M + blaTEM (30.5%) was the most prevalent combination, followed by blaCTX-M + blaOXA + blaTEM (14.0%), blaCTX-M + blaOXA (13.6%), blaCTX-M + blaTEM + blaSHV (7.0%), blaCTX-M + blaSHV (2.2%), blaCTX-M + blaOXA + blaSHV (2.2%) and blaOXA + blaTEM (1.8%). ESBLs producing GNRs carrying blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaOXA and blaSHV showed resistances to β-lactam antibiotics, i.e., ampicillin, amoxillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime and ceftazidime but were susceptible to carbapenems (meropenem and imipenem), β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combination (piperacillin/tazobactam) and non-β-lactam antibiotics i.e., aminoglycoside (amikacin and gentamicin), nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin. These antibiotics that demonstrated activity may be used to treat infections in clinical settings.</p