Occurrence of a Likely Tuff Bed between the Middle and Upper Siwaliks, Taunsa area, Dera Ghazi Khan, Eastern Sulaiman Range, Pakistan

A likely tuff bed lies along the gradational contact of the Middle and Upper Siwaliks in eastern Sulaiman Range, Taunsa area of Dera Ghazi Khan district, Pakistan. This tuffaceous unit is 0.5–3 m thick and extends for 10 km along the north-south strike in the eastern limb of the Zindapir anticline. It is greyish white to white on fresh surface, fine-grained to silty at the bottom and clayey at the top and thus shows a fining upward grain-size grading. The lower part of the ash bed shows a prominent lamination defined by megascopically visible abundant biotite, while the central and upper parts are so fine-grained that the individual minerals cannot be seen in hand sample. Unlike the lower well-laminated part, the central and upper parts are crudely laminated to apparently massive. The bulk samples analysed with X-ray diffraction consist of quartz, feldspar (plagioclase), biotite, clays, calcite and some ore mineral likely spinel, while the clay-size fractions contain illite, chlorite, biotite and probably their mixed-layered varieties. The colour, texture, presence of abundant biotite and stratigraphic position of the Taunsa tuff correlate with those reported from Potwar plateau and from Kashmir basin. However, the apparent absence of smectite from the XRD pattern makes the Taunsa ash bed different from both Potwar and Kashmir tuffs. The present stratigraphic position of the tuff bed corresponds to shallow diagenetic zone, while the absence of smectite in the tuff and crystallinity of illite suggest that the tuff is probably derived upon reworking from a deeper diagenetic zone belonging to a lower stratigraphic level. The Eocene or other older pre-Siwalik units in Pakistan may have or had some primary ashfall deposits as reported in the northwestern Himalayas of India. This older volcanic ash may have been reworked to its present site of occurrence along the gradational contact of the Middle and the Upper Siwaliks in Taunsa area of Dera Ghazi Khan. However, the primary source of the Taunsa tuff may belong more likely to Chagai arc in Pakistan than to Dacht-e-Nawar volcanic complex in Afghanistan

Management of Chili leaf curl disease (ChiLCD) through resistant germplasm and Nutrients in relation to Environmental Factors

Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important commercial spicy crop grown in many regions across the world. Six chili varieties such as Zinia F1, Desi (Jalalpuri), Desi (Jalalpuri 2), Wonder Hot, Summer Queen F1, and Faisalabad Selection was evaluated against the most devastating and catastrophic Chili’s leaf curl disease caused by Begomovirus Chili leaf curl virus (ChiLCV). Out of all six varieties, Wonder Hot and Summer Queen F1 showed moderately resistant (MR) response whereas three varieties including Zinia F1, Desi (Jalalpuri) and Desi (Jalalpuri 2) had a moderately susceptible (MS) response, and only one variety namely Faisalabad Selection, expressed resistant (R) response. Four varieties; Desi (Jalalpuri), Desi (Jalalpuri 2), Zinia F1, and Wonder Hot, were used for management purposes with four micronutrients in combinations, namely T1 (ZnSO4 + CuSO4), T2 (MnSO4 + CuSO4), T3 (Boric Acid + CuSO4) and T4 (ZnSO4 + CuSO4 + MnSO4 + Boric Acid). When compared to control (58.14%), only T4 demonstrated minimum disease severity (11.63%). In the case of disease incidence, T4 gave the best results with minimum disease incidence (35.65%) as compared to control (92.59%). Treatments were able to decrease the disease progression even in the existing of favorable environmental factors.There was significant (p˂0.05) but positive correlation between wind speed and disease severity. Wind speed was highly correlated with the disease severity of variety Wonder Hot (r=0.91). We concluded that the application of micronutrient activate the plant defense system and at the same time suppress the vector populations

Ethical leadership in project-based organizations of Pakistan : the role of psychological empowerment and Islamic work ethics

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between ethical leadership and project success directly and indirectly through psychological empowerment along with the moderating role of Islamic work ethic. Design/methodology/approach: Using a time-lagged design, data were gathered from 202 employees working in project-based organizations of Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the distinctiveness of variables used in the study. Findings: Consistent with the cognitive evaluation theory, the findings supported the hypotheses other than the moderating role of Islamic work ethics between psychological empowerment and project success. The results confirmed that ethical leadership promotes project success directly and indirectly via psychological empowerment. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications are also discussed highlighting the importance of ethical leadership for researchers and practitioners. Originality/value: Literature is insufficient on the topic of ethical leadership in the project management domain with the effect of Islamic work ethics and psychological empowerment. Therefore, the current study explored unanswered research questions in the project management domain. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

Between life and death: How do Muslim terminal patients in Pakistan cope with hepatitis c utilizing their beliefs and social support?

Life-threatening events including terminal illness intensify the search for meaning and incite individuals to get closer to religion. Terminal patients can often find religious practices as helpful as medical therapy for bettering both physical and mental health. The present research aims to explain the interaction between religion, spirituality, and social support in coping with terminal illness among Muslim hepatitis C patients in Pakistan. A semi-structured open-ended interview guide was utilized to collect the data. Participants expressed that the deployment of religious and spiritual beliefs along with socio-emotional support during illness fostered medical therapy. Participants also revealed that belief in God provided them the strength to be steadfast during the terminal stage of the disease. Religious beliefs enabled terminal participants to accept death as an eventual reality and a normal part of their lives. Furthermore, participants put forward their longing for those kinds of religious practices that terminal diseases usually restrained them from receiving. The emotional support stemming from social relationships also improved resilience to cope with the terminal stage of illness. The study concludes that the interplay of religion, spirituality, and social support normalizes the fear of death, lessens pain, and improves resilience among Muslim hepatitis C patients in Pakistan

Challenges and prospects for weed management in Pakistan: A review

Weed management has become increasingly important in the backdrop of sustainable crop production, uncertain climatic patterns and food security concerns in Pakistan. Due to diverse agro-climatic conditions, 267 weed species have been identified to be responsible for causing monetary loss worth 3 billion USD annually. Weed competition for resources, interference with crops, weed-related increased incidence of pests and diseases in different crops, and high management costs incurred in controlling weeds make weed management a critical task for the farmers. Moreover, herbicide resistant weeds, labor shortage, higher wages, weed population shifts, changing climatic optima, unavailability of proper and timely inputs, ever increasing threats of invasive weeds, lack of knowledge and training regarding herbicides, and the poor financial resources of the small land holders are major hurdles towards effective weed management in Pakistan. These multi-dimensional problems need holistic line of action with multi-disciplinary collaboration. Improved knowledge of weed ecology, biology, genetics and molecular biology is essential for developing sustainable weed control practices. Some advances are already commercialized, and others are in the process of development. Advancements like vision guided machines for site-specific weed management, recognition and application modules, development of air inclusion nozzles, nanoherbicides, water based formulations with fewer hydrocarbons, herbicide-resistant transgenic crops, robotics to monitor and spray weeds, decision support systems and predictive modeling can be adopted to foster modern weed management in the country. Various conventional weed management approaches like narrow row spacing, row orientation, increased crop density, use of cover crops, intercropping, development of weed-competitive crop cultivars, and their integration can help reduce herbicide input under a given scenario. There is dire need to establish regional weed research institutes under various cropping systems to carry out strategic and applied research in weed science. Innovative teaching and training practices are needed to tackle complex weed management challenges. Effective linkages between academia-research-industry-extension services could play a pivotal role to reframe technological advancements and legislation and to advocate innovations to the farmers. Capacity building, more research fund allocation, and reorienting educational system seem indispensable. Here, we have presented a broad review to summarize the current state of knowledge about the problems and prospects of sustainable weed management approaches in Pakistan. Advanced weed management approaches keeping in view the local agro-ecological conditions have also been discussed in this review to improve the scientific knowledge so that the discipline gets stronger and more focused than ever before

Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use in Selected Tertiary Care Hospitals of Pakistan Using WHO Methodology: Results and Inferences

Background and objectives: The inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals can potentially lead to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance, increased mortality, and high economic burden. The objective of the study was to assess current patterns of antibiotic use in leading hospitals of Pakistan. Moreover, the information collected can support in policy-making and hospital interventions aiming to improve antibiotic prescription and use. Methodology and materials: A point prevalence survey was carried out with data abstracted principally from patient medical records from 14 tertiary care hospitals. Data were collected through the standardized online tool KOBO application for smart phones and laptops. For data analysis, SPSS Software was used. The association of risk factors with antimicrobial use was calculated using inferential statistics. Results: Among the surveyed patients, the prevalence of antibiotic use was 75% on average in the selected hospitals. The most common classes of antibiotics prescribed were third-generation cephalosporin (38.5%). Furthermore, 59% of the patients were prescribed one while 32% of the patients were prescribed two antibiotics. Whereas the most common indication for antibiotic use was surgical prophylaxis (33%). There is no antimicrobial guideline or policy for 61.9% of antimicrobials in the respected hospitals. Conclusions: It was observed in the survey that there is an urgent need to review the excessive use of empiric antimicrobials and surgical prophylaxis. Programs should be initiated to address this issue, which includes developing antibiotic guidelines and formularies especially for empiric use as well as implementing antimicrobial stewardship activities