Impact of Financial Literacy and Parental Socialization on the Saving Behavior of University Level Students

This is an explanatory study on the impact of financial literacy and parental socialization on the saving behavior of university level students. Using primary data collection method, 400 questionnaires were distributed to the students of universities across Pakistan. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis are employed by using SPSS. Our results demonstrate that financial literacy and parental socialization positively influence the saving behavior of students. Our result revealed that the students who have financial literacy exhibit more saving behavior as compared to others who do not have financial knowledge. It is also concluded that the student willingness to save increased due to receiving financial education from their parents

Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Technique based Prevalence of Surra in Equines

This project was carried out to find the prevalence of trypanosomiasis in equine in District Gujranwala by using indirect fluorescent antibody technique and thin smear method. Blood samples were collected from a total of 200 horses and donkeys of different ages and either sex. Duplicate thin blood smears were prepared from each sample and remaining blood samples were centrifuged to separate the serum. Smears from each animal were processed for giemsa staining and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Giemsa stained smears revealed Trypanosome infection in 4/200 (2.0%) samples and IFAT in 12/200 (6.0%) animals

Prevalence of Black Quarter in Association with Patho-Morphological Alterations in Affected Tissues at Different Zones of Punjab-Pakistan

Background: Blackleg or Black Quarter (BQ) is a serious bacterial disease caused by Clostridium chauvoei. It causes edematous and gaseous changes in skeletal muscles of animals. The study was designed to find prevalence of BQ in 6 districts of Punjab, Pakistan from June 2018 to June 2019.Methods: Animals were randomly monitored, and selected in each union council regardless of age, sex and species, but lameness and hyperthermia were the selection parameters. A proforma was used to record the experimental readings of each animal. A total of 1500 swab samples from bovines (cattle and buffaloes) were processed through conventional PCR and culture sensitivity tests to examine the comparative diagnostic efficacy and suitability of the test.Results: Sensitivity and specificity of culture tests were 87.6% and 34.19% respectively, whereas PCR demonstrated 81% and 47.3% results for the said aspects, respectively. Alpha toxin gene (Ccta) was amplified at 52.2oC yielding an amplicon size of 1400 base pairs. Area wise and season wise prevalence of each animal was also determined. The prevalence of BQ in cattle was significantly higher (P 0.05) in Lahore (0%) and Nankana Sahib (8%) which belonged to the canal irrigated zones.Conclusion: There was higher prevalence of BQ in different areas of Punjab, Pakistan that show the higher risk of disease transmission. A systematic surveillance system is essential to regularly monitor the disease incidence and prevalence in these areas of Pakistan.Keywords: Black Quarter; Prevalence; Pathological; Ruminants;  Zone

Comparative Evaluation of Parasitological, Serological and DNA Amplification Methods for Diagnosis of Natural Trypanosomal Infection in Equines

Abstract.-The study was conducted to evaluate and compare the parasitological (micro-haematocrit method, MHCT), serological (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA) and molecular (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) methods for diagnosis of trypanosomal infection in equines. Blood samples, taken from 500 animals (horses and donkeys), were primarily screened with formol gel test. Of 500 samples examined, 120 samples were found positive with formol gel test. Later, these samples were further processed for the parasitaemia with MHCT, detection of antibody against trypanosmal antigens positive ELISA and trypanosomal DNA using PCR. Results showed that higher number of positive samples (p < 0.05) were detected with PCR (30.8%) compared to either ELISA (21.6%) or MHCT (17.5%). The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 85.7% and 79.5%, respectively compared to PCR which were found to be 100% and 58.97%, respectively. To conclude PCR test was found to be a superior test over MHCT and ELISA for the diagnosis of trypanosome in equines and can be used in field conditions

Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53–2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI −0.02–0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI −0.49–0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.publishedVersio

Financial Leverage, Distress, and Firms Performance: Global and Local Perspective

Purpose: This study examined the effect of financial leverage on firms’ performance. The study examined the phenomenon in the background of financial crisis. Methodology: For detailed investigation, the study selected 1879 firms from different countries of the world. In the meantime, the study selected a sample of 263 firms from domestic economy of Pakistan. Firm level secondary data of 2005-2012 were used for analysis purposes. Panel regression model is applied, and interactive dummy were added to probe the effect of leverage in crisis period. Findings: The study found a negative effect of leverage on firms’ performance. During the crisis period, leverage remained helpful to absorb the negative effect of crisis on firms selected from different countries. The similar trend for firms in Pakistan was, however not observed. Based on study results, it is concluded that the leverage plays a substantial role in firms and extreme care is needed in its adjustment. Furthermore, behaviour and dynamics of firms in Pakistan are different from many other countries. Implications: The local dynamics and circumstances should be considered in designing the capital structure of the firms.             

Effect of Oxytocin Administration before Milking on Milk Production, Somatic Cells Count and fat Contents in Milk of Nili-Ravi Buffaloes

This study was escorted to know the effect of oxytocin administration before milking on milk production, somatic cells count and fat contents in milk of buffaloes. Twenty lactating Nili-Ravi buffaloes were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (n = 10) buffaloes were treated intramuscularly with 30 IU of oxytocin daily before the start of milking for the period of 7 days, whereas group B (n = 10) buffaloes were given no treatment and served as control. Milk samples were collected from all buffaloes 7 days before (Phase I), during (Phase II) and after (Phase III) the treatment. There were significantly higher (P<0.05) milk production (liters) during phase-II in group A (8.57±0.07 liters) buffaloes as compare to group B (8.40±0.04 liters) whereas non-significant differences were recorded in the mean milk production between group A and B during phase-I (8.46 vs 8.43 liters) and III (8.54 liters). Somatic cells count varied from 72.96 to 97.01 × 103 and 71.86 to 77.14 × 103 cells per ml in group A and B, respectively. Mean somatic cells count were significantly higher (P<0.05) in group A as compared to group B during phases II of study. During phase I, II and III, there were non-significant differences in fat percentage between two groups of buffaloes. It was concluded that milk production and somatic cells count in milk of Nili-Ravi buffalo were affected by oxytocin injection before milking whereas there was no effect of oxytocin on milk fat percentage

Table_1_Outcomes with mismatched unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.docx

BackgroundAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for various hematologic disorders. Alternative donor strategies such as mismatched unrelated donors (MMUD) offer the option of HSCT to patients lacking a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donor. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate outcomes after MMUD-HSCT.MethodsA literature search was performed on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from the inception date through April 6, 2022. After screening 2477 manuscripts, 19 studies were included. Data was extracted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Pooled analysis was done using the meta-package by Schwarzer et al. Proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed.ResultsA total of 3336 patients from 19 studies were included. The median age was 52.1 years, and 53% of recipients were males. The graft source was bone marrow in 19% and peripheral blood stem cells in 81% of recipients. The median time to transplant from hematologic diagnosis was 10 (1-247) months. Hematologic diagnoses included myeloid (82.9%), lymphoid (41.1%), and other disorders (3%). The reduced intensity and myeloablative conditioning were used in 65.6% and 32% of recipients, respectively. In-vivo T-cell depletion was performed in 56.7% of the patients. Most patients had one (87.9%) or two (11.4%) antigen HLA-mismatch. The pooled 1-year overall survival (OS) was 63.9% (95% CI 0.57-0.71, n=1426/2706), and the pooled 3-year OS was 42.1% (95% CI 0.34.2-0.50, n=907/2355). The pooled progression-free survival was 46.6% (95% CI 0.39-0.55, n=1295/3253) after a median follow-up of 1.8 (range 1-6) years. The pooled relapse rate was 26.8% (95% CI 0.22-0.32, n=972/3253) after a median follow-up of 2.25 (1-3) years. The pooled incidence of acute (grade II-IV) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and chronic GVHD was 36.4% (95% CI 0.31-0.42, n=1131/3030) and 41.2% (95% CI 0.35-0.48, n=1337/3228), respectively. The pooled non-relapse mortality was 22.6% (95% CI 0.17-0.29, n=888/3196) after a median follow-up of 2.6 (1-5) years.ConclusionMMUD-HSCT has demonstrated favorable outcomes with an acceptable toxicity profile. It represents a promising option in patients lacking an HLA-matched or haploidentical donor and may expand HSCT access to underrepresented racial and ethnic populations.</p