Time and frequency domain causality Testing: The causal linkages Revisited betweenFiscal Policy and Economic Growth in Pakistan

Research on the impact of fiscal policy is a dire need in today’s economic world. In this investigation, fiscal policy effectson economic growth have been explored.In this analysis,the researcher examined the relationships using the secondary data source for the 1972-2019 data series by employing Auto-Regressive Distributed Lagged Model (ARDL) and frequency domain causality Testing to investigate the causal linkages between Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth in Pakistan. The variables have been used as the budget deficit and economic growth as the core variables of theresearch and concluded the negative association between the fiscal policy (budget Deficit) and economic growth

Nonlinear control of two-stage single-phase standalone photovoltaic system

This paper presents a single-phase Photovoltaic (PV) inverter with its superior and robust control in a standalone mode. Initially, modeling and layout of the Buck-Boost DC-DC converter by adopting a non-linear Robust Integral Back-stepping controller (RIBSC) is provided. The controller makes use of a reference voltage generated through the regression plane so that the operating point corresponding to the maximum power point (MPP) could be achieved through the converter under changing climatic conditions. The other main purpose of the Buck-Boost converter is to act like a transformer and produce an increased voltage at the inverter input whenever desired. By not using a transformer makes the circuit size more compact and cost-effective. The proposed RIBSC is applied to an H-bridge inverter with an LC filter to produce the sinusoidal wave in the presence of variations in the output to minimize the difference between the output voltage and the reference voltage. Lyapunov stability criterion has been used to verify the stability and finite-time convergence of the overall system. The overall system is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink to test the system performance with different loads, varying climatic conditions and inverter reference voltages. The proposed methodology is compared with a back-stepping controller and Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller under rapidly varying climatic conditions. Results demonstrated that the proposed technique yielded a tracking time of 0.01s, a total harmonic distortion of 9.71% and a root means square error of 0.3998 in the case of resistive load thus showing superior control performance compared to the state-of-the-art control techniques

Corporate Governance and Corporate Financing Decisions Impact on Firm Performance a Cement Industry Perspective of Pakistan

This paper empirically examines the impact of corporate governance and corporate financing decisions on the performance of cement industry of Pakistan. Multiple regression analysis is used in estimating the impact of corporate governance and corporate financing decisions on firm performance measures such as return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), earning per share (EPS) and net profit margin (NPM) by using sample of 19 cement industry listed in Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) for the  period 2006-2016 and E-views technique used to apply the correlation and regression analysis. The data are collected from annual reports of cement industry of Pakistan. The results of this study indicate that firm with larger board size (BS) and managerial ownership (MO) leads higher return on assets (ROA). CEO duality (CD), firm size (FS), short term debt ratio (STDR) and debt equity ratio (DER) negatively influence the return on equity (ROE). Larger firm size, long term debt (LTD), dividend policy (DP) positively influence the earning per share (EPS) and net profit margin (NPM). In short these results indicate that corporate governance and corporate financing decision impact the performance of cement industry of Pakistan.The result of this study may be helpful for investors, financial management consultants, financial managers and overall management of the company to understand the effect of board size, CEO duality, managerial ownership, board meeting, firm size, capital structure, debt maturity structure and dividend policy on the performance of firms. This study add value to the literature by exploring the impact of corporate governance and corporate financing decisions and on the factors that have impact on firm performance

Diagnostic Accuracy of Endovaginal Scan in Detection of Retained Products of Conception after Incomplete Abortion

Background : To determine diagnostic accuracy of Endo-vaginal Scan (EVS) in detection of retained products of conception (RPOC) in patients with incomplete abortion. Methods: In this prospective study 200 pregnant females, with gestational age <20 weeks and with persistent vaginal bleeding, diagnosed clinically with retained products of conception, were included. Endo-vaginal ultrasound scan pelvis was done in real time in axial and saggital planes. Imaging of the examination was directed towards evaluation of the uterus and any intrauterine contents. Endometrial thickness of >12mm on EVS was considered positive for diagnosis of RPOC which was later on confirmed with histopathology(HP) . Comparisons was then made between EVS and HP findings. Results: Mean age of selected patients was 30.8 years age ± 3.9 and mean gestational age 17.2 weeks ± 1.8 SD . Patients positive on EVS were 63.0% and patients positive on HP were 72.5%. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were found to be 71.7%, 60.0%, 82.5%, 44.6% and 68.5% respectively. Conclusion: Endovaginal ultrasonography allows detection of RPOC with reasonable accuracy

Determinants of overall knowledge and health behaviours in relation to hepatitis B and C among ever-married women in Pakistan: evidence based on Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18

Background: In 2019, around 5 million and 10 million people were affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) respectively in Pakistan. On World Hepatitis Day 2019, Pakistan's Government announced the Prime Minister's Plan to eliminate HBV and HCV from the country by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, adequate knowledge about HBV and HCV regarding mode of transmission, symptoms of the disease, and awareness about available treatments and vaccines is imperative. The present study aims to investigate the determinants related to overall knowledge about and behaviour in relation to HBV and HCV amongst married women in Pakistan. Methods: Secondary data analysis was carried out using the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017-18. A series of questions regarding women's knowledge about how to avoid HBV and HCV and their health behaviour in relation to HBV and HCV were posed to 12,364 ever-married women of reproductive age (15-49 years). Bivariate and multivariable logistic and linear regression was applied to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics and covariates on women's overall knowledge and health behaviour regarding HBV and HCV. Results: The findings highlight that the majority of women (88.3%) have heard of HBV and HCV. Nonetheless, only 34.8% had comprehensive knowledge about how to avoid HBV and HCV. Few women (11.3%) had been tested for HBV or HCV during the year preceding the survey. Furthermore, the results indicate that women living in urban areas, being older, and having more than 10 years of schooling, reported better knowledge and health behaviours regarding HBV and HCV. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that women's sociodemographic characteristics create differences in their overall knowledge about and attitudes towards HBV and HCV. This research emphasized that there is a need to create awareness about the causes and prevention of HBV and HCV in order to achieve the goal of eliminating these diseases in Pakistan by 2030

Meropenem-induced pancytopenia in a preterm neonate: A case report

Background: A post-marketing surveillance study has reported an association between meropenem use and the incidence of hematologic abnormalities, including leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis, and neutropenia, but the precise incidence in neonates is unknown. Here, we report meropenem-induced pancytopenia in a preterm neonate.Case presentation: A preterm newborn Pakistani received intravenous meropenem 40 mg/kg every 8 hours to treat Klebsiella pneumoniae in blood cultures and suspected meningitis. The baby developed severe thrombocytopenia, with a platelet count of 22 × 103 cells/mm3, low hemoglobin level of 9.7 g/dl, and low absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 816 cells/mm3 on days 3, 14, and 17 of meropenem therapy, respectively. Based on the blood culture and institutional guidelines, meropenem treatment was continued with monitoring and supportive care for a total of 19 days. After discontinuation of meropenem, the baby was monitored continuously for hematological changes, and low counts persisted for 3 days. ANC improved to \u3e 1500 cells/mm3 on the fourth day, and the platelet count reached \u3e 150 × 103 cells/mm3 for the first time on the seventh day of meropenem discontinuation. All subsequent complete blood count (CBC) reports showed improving trends. The baby was discharged on the 48th day of life (DOL), with follow-up monitoring of CBC. The baby was kept on iron supplements, and hemoglobin level of 11.2 g/dl was observed on the 59th DOL.Conclusion: Neonatal pancytopenia may lead to serious health complications; therefore, clinicians and pharmacists need to vigilantly monitor CBC in this vulnerable population, even when administering meropenem in septic doses for the recommended duration

Phytochemical Analysis and Antibacterial Activity of Berberis vulgaris Extract

Background: Plants are main source of various bioactive compounds that possess great medicinal importance and have gained much popularity for therapeutics due to their less side effects. A diverse category of plants is present to be explored and evaluated for the treatment of different bacterial infection. In the current work, Berberis vulgaris extract in various solvents was evaluated for its phytochemical properties and antimicrobial potential against six different pathogenic bacterial strains.Methods: Different phytochemical tests were carried out to analyze the plant for active biocomponents. The disc diffusion method was used to screen the plant for different pathogenic bacterial strains. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of various plant bioactive compounds (alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, carbohydrates, and proteins) in variable amount.Results: Among all solvents extracts, butanoic and aqueous fraction showed abundant presence of bioactive compounds, while n-hexane showed least intensity of various phytochemicals. For antimicrobial potential, methanolic and butanoic fractions showed maximum growth inhibition against all strains tested at 1.5mg disc-1. Ethyl acetate and n-hexane also showed better activity against all tested bacteria at all concentrations. The most susceptible microbe was Bacillus subtilis. These results further revealed that least activity was recorded by water extracted solvent and showed no activity against Staphylococcus aureus at all concentrations.Conclusion: The current work highlights the apparent antimicrobial potential of extract derived from of Berberis vulgaris. This plant may be explored for further activities and can be used for the production of antibiotics