Venture Capital Sector in Pakistan: Ratio Analysis Approach for Financial Performance Assessment

The purpose of study is to rank the venture capital companies operating in Pakistan during the period of 2006-2009 on the base of their financial performance. Ratio analysis technique was used to rank the venture capital companies using profitability / efficiency ratios and total assets as proxies of financial performance. This study concludes that TRG Pakistan Limited is at first in ranking on the bases of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and total assets, and at second on the base of earnings per share (EPS). AMZ Ventures Limited is at first on the base of earnings per share (EPS), at second in ranking on the bases of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and total assets. TMT Ventures Limited is third on the bases of all ratios, and total assets. This is the first attempt that was made with an objective to facilitate the students, investors and management of company with useful information regarding financial performance of all venture capital companies operating in Pakistan

Empirical Analysis of Determinants of Economic Growth: Evidence from SAARC Countries

This study investigates the factors that determine and enhance economic growth. The factors to determine the economic growth of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries are foreign direct investment, total debt, gross domestic investment and inflation. Simple ordinary least square is applied to analyze the determinates of economic growth with the help of panel data for 39 years with annual frequency from 1971 to 2009. The economic growth may gain boost by the factors not only by these but also many others. In this study foreign direct investment and inflation are found having inverse relationship with economic growth while gross domestic investment and total debt are found positively associated with economic growth. This study may prove useful contribution for policy making for South Asian countries

Unit Interval Time and Magnitude Monitoring Using Beta and Unit Gamma Distributions

Quick detection of an assignable cause is necessary for process accuracy with respect to the specifications. The aim of this study is to monitor the time and magnitude processes based on unit-interval data. To this end, maximum exponentially weighted moving average (Max-EWMA) control chart for simultaneous monitoring time and magnitude of an event is proposed. To be precise, beta and unit gamma distributions are considered to develop the Max-EWMA chart. The chart’s performance is accessed using average run length (ARL), the standard deviation of run length (SDRL), and different quantiles of the run length distribution through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Besides a comprehensive simulation study, the proposed charting methodology is applied to a real data set. The results show that the proposed chart is more efficient in detecting small to medium-sized shifts. The results also indicate that simultaneous shifts are detected more quickly as compared to the pure shift

COLLISION OF DEMOCRATIC COACHING LEADERSHIP STYLE TO IMPROVE TECHNICAL SKILLS OF BADMINTON PLAYERS

This research study was carried out on the game technique of badminton players during the tournament educational organizational structure for developing successful inter-collegiate and inter-department level badminton players of Sukkur region, Sindh. The study was conducted on 200 male players of Badminton. The student-players of 20 affiliated colleges (N=100) and 20 teaching departments (N=100) of Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur participated in the study through a survey questionnaire was applied for the collection of data. The results show that the majority of students were with the higher impact of democratic coaching on technical skills of the badminton players. The frequencies, percentages were differently found with the overall means such as; 2.51, 2.55, 2.41, 2.39 and 2.48, respectively which were significantly different to each other. It is concluded that this information will help the coaches to improve the techniques of badminton players. Therefore, it is suggested that the University or College level inter-collegiate and inter-department badminton tournaments should be arranged and encouraged.  Article visualizations

Rare Complication of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: Nephrostomy Tube in Renal Vein and Inferior Vena Cava

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is considered as the gold standard treatment for renal stones > 2cm. We encountered a patient who underwent PCNL and inadvertently placement ofpercutaneous nephrostomy tube in the inferior vena cava through the left renal vein from the left Kidney.There was profuse bleeding during the procedure (PCNL), and the procedure was abandoned by placing a nephrostomy tube. PNT was removed after 04 days in two steps without any bleeding

Consumer Protection in India – Need for Structured Reforms

The lifestyle changes and the dynamics of consumer need made the manufacturers produce extraordinary products, resulting in complexity. The emergence of complex items or products in the market gave the consumers less information or even no information about the product. Technological innovations have also created a space for people to expect more from the buyer’s side. Consumer protection is one of the primary function in a welfare state. India enacted the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (hereinafter referred to as CPA, 1986) and established a separate mechanism for resolution of consumer disputes. Even after three decades of the Act, the Act is yet to be implemented fully. People lack consumer education and the number of people approaching the forums established is very low. This paper tries to explore the current level of consumer protection in India while analysing the effectiveness of redressing system established under the CPA, 1986

Botanical biopesticides have an influence on tomato quality through pest control and are cost-effective for farmers in developing countries

This research article was published by plos one,2023Synthetic insecticides heavily applied to manage agricultural pests are highly hazardous to the environment and non-target organisms. Their overuse through repeated treatments in smallholder farming communities is frequent. Botanical biopesticides are ideal for sustainable pest management in agricultural environments by keeping synthetic insecticide use at a minimum. Here we evaluated a locally prepared neem seed extract (NSE) alongside emamectin benzoate against both lepidopteran pests Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) on tomato Lycopersicon esculentum Mill under natural field conditions in Pakistan. We compared pest severity, fruit injury, quality, marketability, and cost:benefit ratio (CBR) between treatments. The concentration of azadirachtin A in the NSE was 26.5 ppm. NSE at 2% (20 mL/L) and the emamectin benzoate at the recommended field rate in Pakistan were sprayed weekly throughout the fruiting stage. The pest larvae were significantly more abundant on fruits than on flowers and leaves. Fruit injury and losses were significantly more important in untreated control compared to NSE and emamectin benzoate treatments. NSE efficacy varied with respect to the cultivars used and the seasons. Cultivar Eden harboured more pests than Adventa, and emamectin benzoate suppressed more pest individuals than NSE. Both the insecticidal treatments were comparable in terms of marketable yield productions as well as unmarketable, uninjured, and recovered fruit yields. NSE generated a higher CBR (1: 9.26) than emamectin benzoate (1: 3.23). NSE suppressed pests by acting as an antifeedant, similar to its synthetic counterpart. Smallholder growers can thus use NSE as a cost-effective solution in tomato pest management in Pakistan

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030