The Status of Resources and Services in the Public Libraries of Sindh, Pakistan: A Study

Purpose: This study assessed the public libraries of Sindh in terms of information and human resources, services and the problems faced by the libraries in the delivery of services. Methodology: The study was quantitative in nature and survey research method was used to achieve the desired objectives. There were 30 public libraries, which constituted the study’s population and data was collected from heads/incharge of libraries through the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Results: The heads of most libraries were non-professionals, and some libraries were worked with very few staff. The availability of information resources was found inadequate and resources such as maps, reports, theses & dissertations, rare books, and e-books were found in very few libraries. The services such as open shelf, circulation, reference and current awareness services were offered by most libraries; however, SDI, audiovisual, document reservation, interlibrary loan, orientation and scanning services were offered by few libraries. The major problems faced by the libraries were lack of training opportunities, non-availability of integrated library software, insufficient information, human and financial resources, limited e-resources and lack of commitment from the management. Implications: The study\u27s findings could be beneficial to the concerned authorities. The key points to be considered include 1) information resources should be procured both in printed and electronic formats, 2) the existing facilities and services should be upgraded and extended to other libraries and, 3) sufficient funds should be provided to acquire information resources, develop proper infrastructure and launched new services. Originality: This is the first study in the province to assess the various aspects of public libraries. It will fill the literature gap and guide the researchers to explore the other aspects of public libraries. Keywords: Information Resources, Library Services, Public Libraries, Human Resources, Sindh, Pakista

Farmakokinetika i optimalno doziranje kanamicina u domaćih preživača.

Pharmacokinetics and optimal dosage of kanamycin were investigated in domestic ruminant species. In indigenous female adult Nili/Ravi buffaloes, Sahiwal cattle, Lohi sheep and Teddy goats, values of elimination half-life (t1/2β)volume of distribution (Vd) and total body clearance (ClB) have been found to be greater than most respective values in their foreign counterparts. Elimination halflife values in domestic ruminants correspond to their respective glomerular filtration rate (GFR) values: the higher the GFR, the shorter the half-life. Comparison of half-life values in domestic ruminants with corresponding total body clearance values showed that shorter half-life should not be equated with higher clearance. To maintain the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 μg/ml of plasma, an optimal dosage regimen of 10.9, 10.2, 12.7 and 15.4 mg/kg body mass for priming and 9.31, 7.79, 11.7 and 14.7 mg/kg body mass for maintenance to be repeated at 12 hour interval have been suggested in buffaloes, cattle, sheep and goats, respectively.Istražena je farmakokinetika i optimalno doziranje kanamicina u domaæih preživača. Poluvrijeme eliminacije lijeka iz plazme (t1/2β), prividni volumen raspodjele (Vd) i ukupni klirens lijeka iz organizma (ClB) bio je veći u odraslih ženki bivola Nili/Ravi, goveda Sahiwal, ovaca Lohi i koza Teddy od odgovarajućih vrijednosti drugih autora. Vrijednosti poluvremena eliminacije lijeka u domaćih preživača odgovarale su vrijednostima stupnja glomerularne filtracije. Što je bio veći stupanj glomerularne filtracije to je bilo kraće poluvrijeme izlučivanja. Usporedba vrijednosti poluvremena izlučivanja s odgovarajućim ukupnim klirensom pokazala je da kraće poluvrijeme izlučivanja ne bi trebalo izjednačiti s većim klirensom. Za održavanje minimalne inhibicijske koncentracije od 2 μg/ml plazme kao optimalna početna doza preporučuje se za bivola 10,9 mg/kg, za govedo 10,2 mg/kg, za ovcu 12,7 mg/kg te za kozu 15,4 mg/kg tjelesne mase. Za održavanje koncentracije lijeka preporučuje se ponovno davanje u razmaku od 12 sati za bivola 9,31 mg/kg, za govedo 7,79 mg/kg, za ovcu 11,7 mg/kg te za kozu 14,7 mg/kg tjelesne mase

Assessment of ICT Facilities in the Public Libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Descriptive Study

Purpose: This study aimed to review the ICT facilities in the public libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The specific objectives were to see the status of ICT resources, check the ICT tools used in delivering services, and point out problems faced by the public libraries in developing ICT infrastructure. Research Design and Methodology: The study\u27s population consisted of public libraries in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The census-based approach was employed, and data was gathered from library heads via questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Findings: It was found that most of the libraries did not have electronic information resources like e-books, theses and dissertations and access to the HEC database. Most libraries lacked ICT equipment, including microfilming machines, barcode readers, external hard drives, digital cameras, television and multimedia projectors. The majority of libraries did not use ICT applications like Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and RSS for library services. The key problems identified by libraries while developing ICT infrastructure were inadequate e-resources, limited staff, lack of financial resources, insufficient IT staff and non-availability of standard library software. Implications: The study\u27s findings are beneficial to the government and higher library authorities. The critical point to be considered includes 1) LIS professionals and IT staff be recruited and trained in modern learning, education and communication skills, 2) sufficient funds should be provided to libraries to develop ICT infrastructure 3) digital resources should be acquired, and 4) the librarians should have the power and freedom to spend the budget based on the users\u27 needs. Originality: The study is unique because this is the first study in the country to assess the ICT facilities of public libraries. It will fill the literature gap and guide the researchers to do similar studies across the country. Keywords: ICT Infrastructure, ICT tools and applications, ICT Facilities, Public Libraries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakista

Information Resources in the Public Libraries of Pakistan: An Analytical Study

Purpose: This study examined the printed and electronic information resources of public libraries of Pakistan, and to know the budget allocated by the libraries for the procurement of information resources. Methodology: The study was quantitative in nature and the questionnaire-based survey was conducted to collect data from 119 public libraries of the country. The collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Results: It was found that the heads of the majority of libraries were LIS professionals; however significant number of libraries were being run by non-professional staff. The availability of information resources in libraries was inadequate, 40.5% of libraries had only up to 3,000 books, 87% of libraries did not subscribe any research journal, 32.1% of libraries were not procuring any magazine and very few libraries had collections of maps, reports, theses & dissertations and rare books. It was found that most of the libraries did not have electronic information resources and access to the HEC database. Most libraries were facing financial problems because significantly less or no amount was allocated books and periodicals. Implications: The study\u27s findings could be beneficial to the concerned authorities. The key points to be considered include 1) information resources should be procured both in printed and electronic formats, 2) seminars or workshops on open-access databases be organized for library staff and, 3) sufficient funds should be provided to libraries for the acquisition of information resources. Originality: The study is unique because this is the first study in the country to study the information resources of public libraries. It will fill the literature gap and guide the researchers to study the other aspects of public libraries. Keywords: Information Resources, Library Collection, Public Libraries, Pakista

Comparative study of chemical treatments in combination with extrusion for the partial conversion of wheat and sorghum insoluble fiber into soluble

Dietary fiber has gained greater attention owing to their positive and potential health perspectives. Cereals are the most important and enriched source of dietary fiber with more insoluble dietary fiber than soluble. For dietary fiber modification, chemical treatment with various techniques is considered as significant approach owing to its safety point of view and involves less damage to the molecular structure of the dietary fiber through chemical reagents and content of soluble dietary fiber is increased more efficiently. The current study was aimed to nutritionally characterize the cereal grains and to partially convert insoluble dietary fiber into soluble dietary fiber through chemical treatments in combination with extrusion. For the purpose, two varieties of each cereal were characterized for their chemical composition, mineral profile, and dietary fiber content according to the respective methods. Then, dietary fiber ratio in cereals was modified through chemical treatments, that is, acid, alkaline, and consecutive acid–alkaline followed by extrusion. Results regarding dietary fiber content of cereal grains exhibited that wheat (12.03–12.20 g/100 g) contained higher total dietary fiber followed by sorghum (6.70–6.90 g/100 g). Additionally, modification of SDF (1.97%) and IDF (11.48%) ratio in wheat and SDF (1.19%) and IDF (24.25%) ratio in sorghum through extrusion processing was nonsignificant while acid–alkaline treatment showed highly significant results, that is, 768.2% increase in SDF and 56.5% decrease in IDF in wheat and 952.38% increase in SDF and 71.17% decrease in IDF in sorghum. Among chemical treatments, higher result was given by acid–alkaline method and the lower outputs were observed in case of extrusion in both cereals. Conclusively, soluble dietary fiber was significantly increased through chemical treatments alone or in combination with twin‐screw extrusion