Estimating Standard Error of Inflation Rate in Pakistan: A Stochastic Approach

“The answer to the question what is the mean of a given set of magnitudes cannot in general be found, unless there is given also the object for the sake of which a mean value is required. There are as many kinds of average as many purposes; and we may almost say in the matter of prices as many purposes as many writers.” Edgeworth (1888). We estimate standard errors (S.Es.) of month on month and year on year inflation in Pakistan based on data for the period of July 2001 to June 2010 using the stochastic approach as well as extended stochastic approach to index numbers. We develop a mechanism to estimate S.E. of period average headline inflation (rate) using these approaches. This mechanism is then applied to estimate S.Es. of 12-month average rate of inflation in Pakistan for July 2003 to June 2010. The systematic changes in the relative prices of different groups in the CPI basket for Pakistan are also estimated. The highest (positive) relative price inflation occurred in ‘food, beverages and tobacco’ group and the lowest (negative) for ‘recreation and entertainment’ group, during fiscal years 2001 to 2010. JEL classification: C13, C43, E31 Keywords: Estimation, Index Numbers, Inflation Rate, Standard Erro

In vitro regeneration, detection of somaclonal variation and screening for mosaic virus in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) somaclones

Three sugarcane accessions susceptible to sugarcane mosaic virus; HSF-240, S-2000-US-359, and S-2003-US-704 were evaluated for callogenesis and regeneration ability. For callogenesis, five different concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was used. The best callogenesis was obtained when Murashige and Skoog (MS) was portified with 3 mg/L 2,4-D and the highest regeneration was obtained on media containing MS + kinetin 0.5 + 0.5 mg/L naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). After succesful regeneration and rooting on half strength MS medium, with 1.5 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid supplementation, plantlets were shifted to green house. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was performed to detect the presence of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) in the regenerated plantlets and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to evaluate the genetic variation at DNA level between the parent’s plants and regenerated somaclones of the accession HSF-240. A total of 26 parent plants and 64 somaclones, among the regenerated plants were selected for the screening of virus through double antibody sandwich (DAS-ELISA) test. Four (4) parent plants out of the 26, showed negative reaction to the virus test. Ten (10) somaclones showed positive reaction to the disease, 9 somaclones showed mild reaction to virus and 45 somaclones showed negative reaction. For the detection of somaclonal variation, 38 primers pair were used and 15 simple sequence repeats (SSR) primer pairs were found to be polymorphic with 51.61% polymorphism. The study demonstrates that SSR genetic markers are the best tool for the investigation of genetic variation in sugarcane.Keywords: Callogenesis, somaclones, simple sequence repeats (SSR), genetic marker

A Novel Energy-Efficient Reservation System for Edge Computing in 6G Vehicular Ad Hoc Network

The roadside unit (RSU) is one of the fundamental components in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), where a vehicle communicates in infrastructure mode. The RSU has multiple functions, including the sharing of emergency messages and the updating of vehicles about the traffic situation. Deploying and managing a static RSU (sRSU) requires considerable capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX), leading to RSUs that are sparsely distributed, continuous handovers amongst RSUs, and, more importantly, frequent RSU interruptions. At present, researchers remain focused on multiple parameters in the sRSU to improve the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication; however, in this research, the mobile RSU (mRSU), an emerging concept for sixth-generation (6G) edge computing vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), is proposed to improve the connectivity and efficiency of communication among V2I. In addition to this, the mRSU can serve as a computing resource for edge computing applications. This paper proposes a novel energy-efficient reservation technique for edge computing in 6G VANETs that provides an energy-efficient, reservation-based, cost-effective solution by introducing the concept of the mRSU. The simulation outcomes demonstrate that the mRSU exhibits superior performance compared to the sRSU in multiple aspects. The mRSU surpasses the sRSU with a packet delivery ratio improvement of 7.7%, a throughput increase of 5.1%, a reduction in end-to-end delay by 4.4%, and a decrease in hop count by 8.7%. The results are generated across diverse propagation models, employing realistic urban scenarios with varying packet sizes and numbers of vehicles. However, it is important to note that the enhanced performance parameters and improved connectivity with more nodes lead to a significant increase in energy consumption by 2%

Clinical study on the use of nozovent in a tertiary care setting

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the Nozovent device in Pakistani subjects at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore from 15 January 2001 to 15 January 2002.Methods: Sixty males and 40 females were selected by non probability purposive sampling, from OPD of ENT Department, complaining of nasal obstruction due to various reasons, e.g. vasomotor rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, congestion during pregnancy and menstruation, common cold, traumatic nose and nasal valve problem.Results: All patients benefited subjectively but the degree of relief varied in individuals.CONCLUSION: The Nozovent provides a unique method to relieve nasal obstruction with no side effects

Impact of Fiber Duplication on Protection Architectures Feasibility for Passive Optical Networks

Adaptability of high capacity passive optical network (PON) requires the provision of an efficient fault detection and restoration mechanism throughout the network at an acceptable cost. The readily adapted pre-planned protection strategy relies on component duplication, which significantly increases the cost of deployment for PON. Therefore, it is imperative to determine a suitable component that requires high redundancy and determine the impact of protection for that component on feasibility of PON. Five protection architecture including ITU-T 983.1 Type C, single ring, dual ring, tree- and ring-based architectures with hybrid star-ring topology at the optical distribution network (ODN), are considered to evaluate the impact of fiber duplication in terms of capital expenditure (CAPEX), operation expenditure (OPEX), reliability, and support for maximum number of subscribers. Reliability block diagram (RBD) based analysis shows that desirable 5 nines connection availability is provided by each protection architecture and utilization of ring topology avoids duplication of the fiber but effects the number of subscribers. Furthermore, it is observed that OF duplication at ODN is the main contributor to CAPEX. Collectively hybrid protection architectures provide efficient performance and proves to be a feasible solution for the deployment of survivable PONs at the access domain

Biocontrol Potential of Novel Emerging Multiacting Bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NC6 against Brevicoryne brassicae in Brassica rapa ssp. Pekinensis

The emerging elicitor protein PeBA1, extracted from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NC6, was tested against the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) for its biocontrol potential. Its effects on the survival, lifespan, immature development, adult reproductive performance, and pest–pathogen interaction were assessed using electrical penetration graphs (EPGs) against B. brassicae. Furthermore, the direct effects of PeBA1 with temperature and climate change in Brassica rapa ssp. Pekinensis plants were investigated by the characterization of active compounds in B. amyloliquefaciens with multi-acting entomopathogenic effects. Compared with controls, PeBA1 treatments decreased (second- and third-generation) B. brassicae population growth rates. In a host selection test, control plants were colonized faster by B. brassicae than PeBA1-treated B. rapa plants. The B. brassicae nymphal development was extended by PeBA1 concentrations. Likewise, fecundity was reduced in PeBA1-treated seedlings compared with control, with fewer offspring produced. The trichomes and wax production on PeBA1-treated leaves resulted in a hostile environment for B. brassicae. PeBA1 altered the surface structure of the leaves, reducing B. brassicae reproduction and preventing colonization. Systemic defensive processes also included the activation of pathways (JA, SA, and ET). Based on these findings against B. brassicae, integrated pest management and bio control with PeBA1 in the agroecosystem appears to be suitabl

4-[(Z)-(2-Eth­oxy-4-oxochroman-3-yl­idene)methyl­amino]benzene­sulfonamide monohydrate

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, C18H18N2O5S·H2O, the heterocyclic ring adopts a twisted conformation, while the aromatic rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 45.46 (3)°. Intra­molecular C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O inter­actions result in the formations of planar five- and six-membered rings. In the crystal structure, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the NH2 and SO2 groups through R 2 2(8) ring motifs, while C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in the formation of R 2 1(7) ring motifs. N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the uncoordinated water mol­ecules, forming a polymeric network. A weak C—H⋯π inter­action is also present

2-Carboxy­anilinium chloride monohydrate

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, C7H8NO2 +·Cl−·H2O, an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond results in the formation of a non-planar six-membered ring adopting a flattened boat conformation. In the crystal structure, inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules. There is a C=O⋯π contact between the carbonyl unit and the centroid of the benzene ring. There is a C=O⋯π contact [C⋯Cg = 3.5802 (18), C—O⋯Cg = 89 (1)°] between the carbonyl unit and the centroid of the benzene ring

Intrinsic Inflation Persistence in a Developing Country

This study estimates degree of intrinsic inflation persistence in Pakistan using aggregate price index, group level price indices, and individual commodity prices. We find no evidence of a unit root in (MoM) inflation at any level, except for house rent. Using monthly data from 1959 to 2011 we find that the estimate of (overall) inflation persistence is 0.16, which is low but significant. During 2001-2011 (overall) inflation persistence is insignificant. Food inflation does not exhibit any persistence during the last decade. However, the degree of persistence is very high (0.80) and significant for core inflation (NFNE), which weakens slightly (to 0.69) when we account for commodities price shock of 2008. At micro level, the estimated degree of inflation persistence for various groups is found to be relatively higher, in almost 60 percent of the cases, compared to corresponding degree of persistence at aggregate level. This may be because in micro analysis we consider only those commodities for which the estimated degree of inflation persistence is significant