Financial Sector Reforms and International Trade Competitiveness: A Case Study of Pakistan

This paper explores the relationship between financial development and international trade competitiveness in the case of Pakistan. An earlier study on this issue, Hanif and Jafri (2008), has some empirical limitations as it is based on Engle-Granger (1987) two steps procedure while dealing with multiple variables regressions. In this study we have used ARDL model by Pesaran, Shin and Smith (1999). We have also applied Johansen test for cointegration and checked the robustness of results established by the ARDL model. We have estimated the cointegration vector using Stock and Watson (1993) dynamic OLS method. We find a stable long run positive relationship between international trade competitiveness of Pakistan and its financial sector development. The estimated external finance elasticity of international trade competitiveness of textile sector in Pakistan is found to be 0.26 which is significantly higher than 0.17 estimated by Hanif and Jafri (2008).Financial Development, Competitiveness

Injuries and Socioeconomic Status in Iganga and Mayuge, Uganda: Inequities, Consequences and Impacts

Injuries pose a major threat to international public health, as they have led to the deaths of over 4.8 million people in 2013, accounting for nearly ten percent of global mortality, and to the loss of 276 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which was 11% of all DALYs lost around the world. Despite the magnitude of this disease burden, evidence on the relationship between injuries and socioeconomic status (SES) in sub-Saharan Africa has been limited to date. To explore the socioeconomic disparities and consequences of injuries in rural Uganda, this study utilized population-based data from the Iganga-Mayuge Demographic Surveillance Site (IM-DSS) in eastern Uganda and injury surveillance data from the Johns Hopkins University International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU), as well as conducted a follow-up of individuals who reported an injury and implemented a household-based survey. The first paper is entitled “Socioeconomic Status and Injuries in Uganda: Disparities in a Demographic Surveillance Site.” This paper presents the socioeconomic disparities in injury occurrence with a specific focus on sex of the injured, sex of the household head and household wealth. The second paper is entitled “Direct Socioeconomic Consequences of Injuries in a Demographic Surveillance Site.” This paper examines the direct socioeconomic outcomes occurring as a result of an injury, including the loss of time, money, and productivity. The third paper is entitled “Household Socioeconomic Consequences of Injuries in a Demographic Surveillance Site.” This paper delves further into the socioeconomic consequences to detect post-injury changes in household socioeconomic outcomes, including income, food production, and food consumption, and to identify and describe the employment of coping strategies

Multiple Myeloma as the Underlying Cause of Thrombotic Microangiopathy Leading to Acute Kidney Injury: Revisiting a Very Rare Entity

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) describes a pathological process of microvascular thrombosis, consumptive thrombocytopenia, and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, leading to end-organ ischemia and infarction, affecting particularly the kidney and brain. TMA is a pathological feature of a number of clinical disorders including thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Rare but important, TMA may also occur in malignancy, connective tissue disease, malignant hypertension, and renal transplantation (rejection or drug toxicity). We present a very rare case where the patient developed acute kidney injury from TMA but found to have multiple myeloma as the possible underlying etiology

Asymmetric Flexible Supercapacitor Stack

Electrical double layer supercapacitor is very significant in the field of electrical energy storage which can be the solution for the current revolution in the electronic devices like mobile phones, camera flashes which needs flexible and miniaturized energy storage device with all non-aqueous components. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition technique over hydrogen decrepitated Mischmetal (Mm) based AB3alloy hydride. The polymer dispersed MWNTs have been obtained by insitu polymerization and the metal oxide/MWNTs were synthesized by sol-gel method. Morphological characterizations of polymer dispersed MWNTs have been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM and HRTEM). An assymetric double supercapacitor stack has been fabricated using polymer/MWNTs and metal oxide/MWNTs coated over flexible carbon fabric as electrodes and nafion®membrane as a solid electrolyte. Electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor stack has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Sonographic detection of fetal extrathoracic pulmonary sequestration.

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135413/1/jum198655283.pd

Molecular confirmation of the causes of inherited visual impairment in Northern Pakistan

Families with inherited visual impairment were identified and examined from January 2000 to December 2005 and given a clinical diagnosis. Known genes and loci were screened for mutations or linkage at Institute of Ophthalmology and Neurosciences, University of Leeds, in order to provide molecular confirmation. Inherited retinal disease was the most common cause of inherited visual impairment in 38 of 57 families (66.6%) with Leber\u27s congenital amaurosis, rod-cone dystrophy and cone-rod dystrophy being the most common diagnoses in 22, 8 and 3 families respectively. Anterior segment dysgenesis was diagnosed in 8 families (14%). Mutations in known genes or linkage to known loci were identified in 23 of 57 families (40%). All families had molecular confirmation of autosomal recessive inheritance or a pedigree consistent with this mode of inheritance, with evidence of first-cousin marriage. Knowledge of carrier status and genetic counseling may allow families to make an informed decision regarding marriage, and thus begin to plan a way of reducing the incidence of inherited visual impairment

Financial Sector Reforms and International Trade Competitiveness: A Case Study of Pakistan

This paper explores the relationship between financial development and international trade competitiveness in the case of Pakistan. An earlier study on this issue, Hanif and Jafri (2008), has some empirical limitations as it is based on Engle-Granger (1987) two steps procedure while dealing with multiple variables regressions. In this study we have used ARDL model by Pesaran, Shin and Smith (1999). We have also applied Johansen test for cointegration and checked the robustness of results established by the ARDL model. We have estimated the cointegration vector using Stock and Watson (1993) dynamic OLS method. We find a stable long run positive relationship between international trade competitiveness of Pakistan and its financial sector development. The estimated external finance elasticity of international trade competitiveness of textile sector in Pakistan is found to be 0.26 which is significantly higher than 0.17 estimated by Hanif and Jafri (2008)

Tropospheric Scintillation with Rain Attenuation of Ku Band at Tropical Region

Tropospheric scintillation can become a significant impairment in satellite communication systems, especially in tropical regions with frequencies higher than 10 GHz, the attenuation is dramatically affecting the scintillation. This work concentrates on those aspects in equatorial Johor Bahru, Malaysia, based on a one-year Ku-band propagation measurement campaign, utilizing the equipment of Direct Broadcast Receiver (DBR) and Automatic Weather Station (AWS). This study investigates the relationship between wet scintillation and rain attenuation using experimental measurement and concentrate on the probability density function (PDF) of different scintillation parameters. From the results, it is concluded that wet scintillation intensity increases with rain attenuation. Thus, the relationship can be phrased by linear equations or power-law. The PDFs of wet scintillation intensity, adapted to a given rain attenuation level, are found lognormally distributed, leading to selection of method for determining the relation between conditional PDFs and rain attenuation

Financial Sector Reforms and International Trade Competitiveness: A Case Study of Pakistan

This paper explores the relationship between financial development and international trade competitiveness in the case of Pakistan. An earlier study on this issue, Hanif and Jafri (2008), has some empirical limitations as it is based on Engle-Granger (1987) two steps procedure while dealing with multiple variables regressions. In this study we have used ARDL model by Pesaran, Shin and Smith (1999). We have also applied Johansen test for cointegration and checked the robustness of results established by the ARDL model. We have estimated the cointegration vector using Stock and Watson (1993) dynamic OLS method. We find a stable long run positive relationship between international trade competitiveness of Pakistan and its financial sector development. The estimated external finance elasticity of international trade competitiveness of textile sector in Pakistan is found to be 0.26 which is significantly higher than 0.17 estimated by Hanif and Jafri (2008)