The Impact of Changes in Exchange Rate on Prices: A Case Study of Pakistan

Rapid changes in prices are of concern in almost all countries since the 1970s. However, the issue is of serious concern in developing countries where imported inflation is seen to be driving domestic inflation resulting in limited effectiveness of domestic policies to control inflation. Like most developing countries, in Pakistan also, the domestic price level started rising from the mid-1970s. The exchange rate started depreciating continuously from the early 1980s.1 Continuous devaluation of currency and inflation in the 1980s seems to suggest a correlation between the two variables. The empirical studies, like Rana and Dowling (1983) suggest that foreign inflation was the most significant factor in explaining changes in the domestic price level in nine Asian less developed countries during 1973–79. This suggests that, while, these countries could do little to control inflation, the policies of other countries, particularly their major trading partners, had a significant impact on their domestic prices. A simultaneous relationship between the inflation rate and the exchange rate changes is viewed by certain researchers to exist. [Cooper (1971) and Krugman and Taylor (1978).] In most of the developing countries flexibility of exchange rate is favoured on the ground that it depoliticises the problem of devaluation and creates less disruption in the economy. In the empirical literature, the exchange rate regimes are also linked to domestic prices, trade patterns and current account balance.

The Impact of Changes in Exchange Rate on Prices: A Case Study of Pakistan

Rapid changes in prices are of concern in almost all countries since the 1970s. However, the issue is of serious concern in developing countries where imported inflation is seen to be driving domestic inflation resulting in limited effectiveness of domestic policies to control inflation. Like most developing countries, in Pakistan also, the domestic price level started rising from the mid-1970s. The exchange rate started depreciating continuously from the early 1980s.1 Continuous devaluation of currency and inflation in the 1980s seems to suggest a correlation between the two variables. The empirical studies, like Rana and Dowling (1983) suggest that foreign inflation was the most significant factor in explaining changes in the domestic price level in nine Asian less developed countries during 1973-79. This suggests that, while, these countries could do little to control inflation, the policies of other countries, particularly their major trading partners, had a significant impact on their domestic prices. A simultaneous relationship between the inflation rate and the exchange rate changes is viewed by certain researchers to exist. [Cooper (1971) and Krugman and Taylor (1978).

ChatGPT and Death of an Author

The proposed piece seeks to critically explore pedagogical implication of ChatGPT, especially on students’ capacities to author a text. The piece suggests that increased reliance on the ChatGPT, while provide short term solution to produce a text, in the long term it is likely to lead to ‘death of an author’. Here the usage of the phrase is a twist to earlier usage by Barthes- which refers to ‘death of an author’ where once the text is written, it gets re-created in readers’ reception and through interpretive act and imagination. The overarching argument of the paper emphasizes that technology is not neutral, especially in a context where its opacity has risen concerns about surveillance, control, and manipulation of human behavior, and therefore its infiltration in education begs critical questioning and sensitive e-value-ation. The discussion argues that rise of AI in education should be checked and not embraced uncritically, but rather it should be critically scrutinized, debated, and scaffolded through critical theoretical, pedagogical, and ethical references to counter its hegemonic and de-humanization of learning. For empirical part, the analysis draws upon reflections generated through a focus group discussion with four undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelors degree in Computer Science who employed use of ChatGPT in preparing their speeches in context of a humanities course. The students found ChatGPT useful in terms of composing a text/speech and saving time and efforts. However, they realized that its use caused them loss of authentic learning, imagination and suppressed self’s voice. Based on the analysis, the piece shares further insights into pedagogic implications, and suggest a pedagogical scaffolding using critical pedagogical references of relationship between technology and human/learners’ values, distinction between information, knowledge, and wisdom, application and experiential learning references, and praxis in learning

Holt-Oram syndrome in an infant presenting with heart failure

Holt-Oram syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by morphological abnormalities of upper limbs andcongenital cardiac defects. We report a case of 6-week-old infant with morphological alterations of upper limbs (absent radiusand hypoplastic ulna) since birth and multiple congenital cardiac defects (atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects), whopresented with congestive cardiac failure. This case report illustrates that neonates with anomalies of thumb or upper limbs shouldbe evaluated for possible congenital heart defects

N-Saccharinylmethyl ether

In the title mol­ecule [systematic name: 1,1,1′,1′-tetra­oxo-2,2′-(oxydimethyl­ene)bi(1,2-benzothia­zol-3-one)], C16H12N2O7S2, the benzisothia­zole ring systems are individually planar [maximum deviations of 0.0497 (13) and 0.0195 (19) Å] and their mean planes are inclined at a dihedral angle of 62.76 (4)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions. Two O atoms bonded to two S atoms and four aryl H atoms belonging to two symmetry-related mol­ecules lying about an inversion center form a hydrogen-bonded 10-membered ring with graph-set notation R 4 2(10)

In vitro study of antibacterial activity of Kanocha seeds (Phyllanthus maderaspatensis) against some gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains

320-326Kanocha is the dried seeds of Phyllanthus maderaspatensis of family Phyllanthaceae. It has been long utilising in Unani system of medicine to cure many ailments including genitourinary infectious diseases. In the current investigation, the aqueous, alcoholic and hydroalcoholic extracts of Kanocha seeds were screened for their antibacterial actions against both gram-positive (Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Corynebacterium xerosis and Bacillus cereus) and gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris) bacterial strains compared with the standard Drug: Ciprofloxacin (SD060) 5 µg/disk for gram-positive bacterial strains and Gentamicin (SD016) 10 µg/disk for gram-negative bacterial strains using Zone of Inhibition (ZOI) with the help of Agar well method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) & minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) with the help of Nutrient Broth method. The data was analysed using Gpad INSTAT programming, one-way ANOVA and post-test Bonferroni. Alcoholic and hydroalcoholic extract showed significant antibacterial activity than the aqueous extract but not up to the mark as compared to standard group indicating that the alcoholic and hydroalcoholic extract has the capability of extracting more phytochemicals than aqueous extract which are responsible for their antibacterial activity. It could be concluded that the present drug possesses antibacterial property

2,2′-(4-Methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-di­yl)dibenzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C15H15N5O4S2, the dihedral angles between the central 1,2,4-triazole ring and the pendant benzene rings are 55.61 (10) and 68.59 (10)°; the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 63.66 (9)°. Intra­molecular N—H⋯N and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate S(7) and S(12) rings, respectively. In the crystal, sheets extending in the (101) plane arise, with the mol­ecules linked by C—H⋯O, N—H⋯N and N—H⋯O inter­actions. A C—H⋯π inter­action further consolidates the structure

A headspace-gas chromatography method for isopropanol determination in warfarin sodium products as a measure of drug crystallinity

Coumadin® and several generic products of warfarin sodium (WS) contain the crystalline form (clathrate) in which WS and isopropanol (IPA) are associated in a 2:1 molar ratio. IPA is critical in maintaining the WS crystalline structure. Physicochemical properties of the drug and drug product may change when the crystalline drug transforms to amorphous form. A headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) method was developed and validated for IPA determination in the WS drug product. n-propanol (NPA) was used as internal standard and the method was validated for specificity, system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limits of detection and quantification, and robustness. The method was specific, with good resolution between IPA and NPA peaks. Chromatographic parameters (retention time, IPA/NPA area ratio, tailing factor, theoretical plates, USP symmetry, capacity factor, selectivity and resolution) were consistent over three days of validation. The analytical method was linear from 2–200 µg mL–1 (0.1–10 % IPA present in the drug product). LOD and LOQ were 0.1 and 2 µg mL–1, respectively. Accuracy at low (2 µg mL–1) and high (200 µg mL–1) IPA concentrations of the calibration curve was 103.3–113.3 and 98.9–102.2 % of the nominal value, resp. The validated method was precise, as indicated by the RSD value of less than 2 % at three concentration levels of the calibration curve. The method reported here was utilized to determine accurately and precisely the IPA content in in-house formulations and commercial products. In summary, IPA determination by HS-GC provides an indirect measure of WS crystallinity in the drug product. Nevertheless, it should be confirmed by another analytical method since IPA from the drug substance is not distinguishable from IPA that may be present outside the drug crystals in a dosage form when prepared by wet granulation with IPA