Empirical Evidence of Co-Movement between the Canadian CDS, Stock Market And TSX 60 Volatility Index: A Wavelet Approach

Purpose- The prime objective of this study was to find the co-movement between the Canadian credit default swaps market, the Stock market and volatility index (TSX 60 Index) Design/ Methodology- To achieve this purpose, daily data containing 2870 observations starting from the 1st of January 2009 to the 30th of December 2019 were analyzed. This study employed the wavelet approach to present results in short-term, medium-term, long-term, and very long time. Findings- The findings of this study showed a negative correlation between the CDS market, stock market, and the TSX 60 index in the short-term as well as in the long-term term, while in medium-term and very long-term period correlation is strongly positive. The wavelet co-movement results in the short-term and long-term were negative, while this relationship in the medium-term and very long-term period was strongly positive. Practical Implications- This research provides simultaneous valuable information for investment decisions in the short, medium, and long term time horizons, as well as for the policymakers in the Canadian credit default swaps market, stock market, and the volatility index (TSX 60 Index)

Families of Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan Their Paramount Support or Dreadful Obstacle

Purpose: This research aims to identify some female entrepreneurs and their relationship profiles with their families, which are categorized by families having a prominent part in influencing their decisions, activities, and behavior. Methodology: The qualitative technique was used as it is well suited to examining the experiences of different people. Open-ended Interviews with Pakistani female entrepreneurs using a semi-structured questionnaire were used to obtain data. The research allowed us to focus on one of the most pressing concerns affecting female entrepreneurs: integrating life with family, work, and their goals related to their profession. Findings: Evidently, knowing and understanding the importance of the household in the entrepreneurial experiences of women is critical to deciphering the reasons why enterprises that are owned by women thrive or crash, as family relations will invariably influence their performance. Conclusion: The research revealed that female entrepreneurs and their families have a significant linkage with their entrepreneurial experiences i.e., individual decisions of women to become entrepreneurs and the features of their businesses cannot be fully comprehended unless the family dimension is also considered

Fabrication and in vitro evaluation of chitosan-gelatin based aceclofenac loaded scaffold

Scaffold development is a nascent field in drug development. The scaffolds mimic the innate microenvironment of the body. The goal of this study was to formulate a biocompatible and biodegradable scaffold, loaded with an analgesic drug, aceclofenac (Ace). The bioscaffold is aimed to have optimum mechanical strength and rheology, with drug released in a sustained manner. It was prepared via chemical cross-linking method: a chitosan (CS) solution was prepared and loaded with Ace; gelatin (GEL) was added and the mixture was cross-linked to get a hydrogel. 20 formulations were prepared to optimize different parameters including the stirring speed, drug injection rate and crosslinker volume. The optimal formulation was selected based on the viscosity, drug solubility, homogeneity, porosity and swelling index. A very high porosity and swelling index were attained. In vitro release data showed sustained drug delivery, with effective release at physiological and slightly acidic pH. SEM analysis revealed a homogeneous microstructure with highly interconnected pores within an extended polymer matrix. FT-IR spectra confirmed the absence of polymer-drug interactions, XRD provided evidences for efficient drug entrapment within the scaffold. Rheological analysis corroborated the scaffold injectability. Mathematical models were applied to in-vitro data, and the best fit was attained with Korsmeyer-Peppas

Comparison of haemoglobin level between high altitude people and low altitude people

Background: Hemoglobin is the iron holding and oxygen carrying protein found inside the red blood cells. Studies have been done on Hb level variations in gender, race and region but no comparative study on different altitude effects in Pakistan is reported. Comparison of Hemoglobin level between people living at high altitude and low altitude was done in this study. Samples from district Skardu Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan were used as high-altitude samples and samples from district Lahore, Pakistan were utilized as low altitude samples. Samples were obtained from those people who don’t have any haemoglobinopathies.Methods:  50 blood samples were collected for this study; 25 individuals were from low altitude level and 25 of high-altitude level. Estimation of hemoglobin concentration was done by Cyanmethemoglobin method to compare the individuals HB from low altitude with high altitude.Results: All the blood samples were properly analyzed, and the results extracted from the samples, living at low altitude were compared with those living at high altitude. Mean and standard deviation values were calculated, and they found to be different for both populations, people at high altitude and the people living at low altitude. 25 residents of high altitude showed following results of hemoglobin: mean=15.0 and SD=0.632. On the other hand, 25 individuals of low altitude revealed these results: mean=14.53 and SD=0.633.Conclusion: There was a significant difference in Hb level in blood at high altitude (7500 feet) and low altitude (711 feet from sea level) P=0.004.  Keywords: Hemoglobin, Standard Deviatio

Axial Load-carrying Capacity of Steel Tubed Concrete Short Columns Confined with Advanced FRP Composites

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) have wide applications in the field of concrete construction due to their superior performance over conventional materials. This research focuses on the structural behavior of steel tube FRP jacket–confined concrete (STFC) columns under axial concentric loading and proposes a new empirical equation for predicting the axial load-carrying capacity of STFC columns having thickness of FRP-fabric ranging from 0.09 mm to 5.9 mm. A large database of 700 FRP-confined concrete specimens is developed with the detailed information of critical parameters, i.e. elastic modulus of FRPs (Ef), compressive strength of unconfined concrete (fc’o), diameter of specimen (D), height of specimen (H), total thickness of FRPs (N.tf), and the ultimate strength of confined concrete (fc’c). After the preliminary evaluation of constructed database, a new empirical model is proposed for the prediction of axial compressive strength of FRP-confined specimens using general regression analysis by minimizing the error functions such as root mean squared error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2). The proposed FRP-confinement strength model presented higher accuracy as compared with previously proposed models. Finally, an equation is proposed for the predictions of axial load carrying capacity of STFC columns. For the validation of proposed equation, an extensive parametric study is performed using the proposed nonlinear finite element model (FEM). The FEM is calibrated using the load-deflection results of STFC columns from literature. A close agreement was observed between the predictions of proposed finite element model and proposed capacity equation

Introduction of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque) in Pakistan and its performance during acclimatization and pond culture.

Abstract.-Two thousand fingerlings of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were imported from Thailand in a bid to introduce this fish in Pakistan. Five percent mortality occurred during transportation. Experiments were designed to observe catfish acclimatization in tanks or raceways for which five hundred fingerlings (average weight 10.86±1.20g) were placed in five tanks of 2000-liter water capacity and another 500 fingerlings (average weight, 10.56±0.68g) were kept in five raceways of 5000-liter water capacity each. The fish were fed on imported diet for a period of 75 days. Mean weight gain of 27.22±1.75 g and 31.5±1.04 g and surv~7.5% and 95.9% were recorded in tanks and raceways, respectively. For studying growth of fish two stocking densities (3,000 and 3,500/ha) were maintained in ponds (0.04 ha) from December 2003 -November 2004. The weight gain was significantly higher in low stocking density (1,263.3 ± 60.9 g) compared with high stocking density (1,184.9±57.1 g). Fish production and survival between two stocking densities was not different (P>0.05)

Prevalence of HCV in β-thalassemia major patients visiting tertiary care hospitals in Lahore – Pakistan

Post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) is majorly caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). So, recipients of blood/blood products, post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH), renal dialysis patients and intravenous drug users all represent high-risk groups for infection. The aim of the present research was to determine the prevalence of HCV antibody in β-thalassemia major patients visiting different tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. HCV seroprevalence and risk factors were studied in 200 β-thalassemia major patients (24 females, 176 males) with different age groups by second generation ELISA during January 2013 to May 2013. Confirmed β-thalassemia major patients from three different tertiary care hospitals were selected with special reference to age, age at the time of diagnosis, frequency of transfusion and present clinical status. Among 200 patients, 82 (41%) were found reactive for HCV antibody with age range of 2 to 18 years with mean age of 8.5 years. This study showed that hemodialysis patients and β-thalassemia sufferers were at higher risk of having HCV infection; the prevalence being 41%

Phylogenetic relationships and morphological variation of gymnures (Galericidae: Hylomys) from Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Gymnures from the genus Hylomys are widely distributed across Sundaland and the Indochinese region. However, the relationships among its members in Peninsular Malaysia especially from Genting Highlands are still lacking. This study aims to examine the morphology and genetically analyse of the Hylomys specimens collected from the new isolated population of Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. Morphometric analyses showed that morphological variation exists among the Hylomys lineage. The external morphology and the skull measurements of the taxa studied coincide with those of Hylomys maxi from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra based on descriptive statistics and principal component analysis (PCA). The differences within the Hylomys taxa are also evident in the phylogenetic tree and K2P genetic distances analyses inferred from cyt b. Hylomys samples from Genting Highlands formed a clade with H. maxi from Cameron Highlands and Fraser’s Hill, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. However, they were separated from Hylomys parvus (Sumatra), Hylomys suillus (Java) and Hylomys dorsalis (Borneo). Relatively, low genetic distances were detected among the studied taxa with other H. maxi (<6% K2P distance) while high genetic distances were observed when compared to other Hylomys taxa (>18.0% K2P distance). Based on these facts, we confirm that the gymnures from Genting Highlands belong to a valid species, Hylomys maxi along with other Peninsular Malaysia samples based on genetics and morphological data which probably originated from Sumatra a long time ago