Factors Affecting Cotton Production in Pakistan:Empirical Evidence from Multan District

This paper attempts to examine the factors affecting cotton production in Multan region using primary source of data. A sample of 60 small farmers, 25 medium and 15 large farmers was randomly selected from two Tehsils namely Multan and Shujabad of district Multan. The Cobb-Douglas Production Function is employed to assess the effects of various inputs like cultivation, seed and sowing, irrigation, fertilizer, plant protection, inter-culturing / hoeing and labour cost on cotton yield. The results depicted that seed, fertilizer and irrigation were found scarce commodity for all category of farmers in district Multan. The Cobb-Douglas Production Function results revealed that the coefficients for cultivation (0.113) and seed (0.103) were found statistically significant at 1 percent level. The Cost-Benefit Ratio for the large farmers was found higher (1.41) than that of small (1.22) and medium (1.24) farmers. There is a dire need to ensure the availability of these scarce inputs by both public and private sectors as these inputs were major requirement of the cotton crop.Cotton; Cobb- Douglas Production Function; Cost Benefit Ratio; Marginal Value Product; Allocate Efficiency of Critical Inputs; Multan District; Pakistan

Unilateral Facial Neuralgia A management Dilemma

Objective:  The objective of the study was to assess the significance of clinical examination in   Diagnosis and management of Patient with unilateral facial neuralgia. Study Design:  Observational study. Place and Duration of study:  Out patient clinic and department of ENT and Neurosurgery PGMI LRH Peshawar from IST Nov 2005---31 Oct 2007 (2 years). Material and methods:  Patients presented with unilateral facial neuralgia were assessed in out patient clinic, record keeping about data was assessed during compiling of study. Related investigations were performed to exclude secondary causes of neuralgia. Results:  A total of 1207 patients who presented with unilateral facial pain in two years duration were scrutinized for idiopathic facial neuralgia. 182 (15.07%.) patient were referred to neurosurgeon who were suffering from trigeminal neuralgia.43(3.56)%) patient were subjected to microvascular decompression (MVD).Rest of the patients were treated accordingly.   &nbsp

Neurological Improvement after Decompression for Dorsal Spine Tuberculosis (TB)

Objectives:  To assess the neurological improvement after decompression for dorsal spine tuberculosis in terms of Frankel grading. Materials and Method:  Prospective study was done in the Neurosurgery department, Prime Teaching Hospital Peshawar from 2018 to 2021. Patients of both genders aged between 18 to 60 years were selected while those unfit for surgery or requiring conservative management were excluded from the study. After clinical examination and radiological findings, the patients were diagnosed with dorsal spine tuberculosis requiring surgery. All patients were followed for 3 months post-operatively. Neurological improvement was measured by comparing pre and post-op Frankel grading. Complications were also documented. Results:  Out of 38 patients included in the study, 16 (42%) were male and 22 (58%) were female. The mean age of presentation was 34 ± 5. The distribution for age groups was 18 – 30 (08), 31 – 40 (13), 41 – 50 (11), and 51 – 60 (06). Level of disease D4 – D8 were 17 (44.8%) and D9 – D12 was 21 (55.2%). Pre-operative neurological status of the patients was (5.2%) Frankel A, (10.5%) Frankel B, (47.3) Frankel C, (22%) Frankel D, and (7.8%) Frankel E while Post-operative grading was (2.6%) Frankel A, (5.2%) Frankel B, (23.6%) Frankel C, (47.3%) Frankel D and (18.4) Frankel E. 3 patients experienced worsening of neurology, 2 patients bleeding and CSF leak and 1 patient died as a complication of the surgery. Conclusion:  Surgical option involving decompression of spine TB followed by stabilization is utilized in a majority of patients with neurological deficits. It is very effective and the results are good. The main advantage is thorough debridement and achievement of spinal stabilization. Keywords:   Dorsal Spine Tuberculosis, Frankel Grading, Spinal Stabilization

Sustainability in South Asian city

South Asia is one of most densely populated region in the world. Currently, 28.33% of the South Asian population lives in urban areas, with an annual growth rate of 2.92%. Shifting of jobs from agriculture to industry and the concentration of economic opportunities in urban areas are causing tremendous increase in urbanisation in the region, which is seriously affecting the environment, and poses strong challenges to governments in terms of the infrastructure and services. In this article, we will give an overview of urbanisation problems in South Asia. We will also suggest some key interventions for sustainable development in the region. Urbanisation problems in South Asia are manifested in the form of lopsided urbanisation and faulty urban planning with poor economic base. Urban poverty has been increasing in the region, resulting in the growth of a massive number of slums. As a manifestation of social injustice and the social divide, slums exclude the poor from accessing the basic amenities. South Asia has the highest regional urbanisation of poverty at any given overall urbanisation. Concerted government efforts with long-term commitment at the highest political levels are required to reduce urban poverty and deprivation. The way cities are growing in the region is not at all sustainable, with a clear imbalance between economic, environmental, socio-political and technological aspects. Sustainable communities can be established by focusing on social and human development programmes to develop intangible assets in the community such as inclusion, tolerance, public participation, and democratic governance, which do not depreciate through use but rather become more valuable the more they are used. Place matters in different ways, which have yet to be fully appreciated and incorporated into how planners teach place. But it needs to directly adopt the Bottom-up Approach to provide solutions for the problems going on in the cities of the region. More participatory methodologies need to be adopted, while taking decisions about urban space. The future of urban sustainability can only succeed when there is integration of environmental thinking into mainstream economic and development decisions with knowledge based strategic urban planning as well as urban pedagogy

Study of environmental biodegradation of LDPE films in soil using optical and scanning electron microscopy

An outdoor soil burial test was carried out to evaluate the degradation of commercially available LDPE carrier bags in natural soil for up to 2 years. Biodegradability of low density polyethylene films in soil was monitored using both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After 7-9 months of soil exposure, microbial colonization was evident on the film surface. Exposed LDPE samples exhibit progressive changes towards degradation after 17-22 months. SEM images reveal signs of degradation such as exfoliation and formation of cracks on film leading to disintegration. The possible degradation mode and consequences on the use and disposal of LDPE films is discussed

Prevalence and Levels of Information Seeking Anxiety among Business Students

This research assessed the prevalence and levels of information seeking anxiety among business students at Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, Pakistan so that remedial measures could be taken to reduce anxiety. The data were collected from 283 students using a survey questionnaire, containing an Information Seeking Anxiety Scale along with certain demographic and academic variables, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated the prevalence of information seeking anxiety among these students across different dimensions and overall scale at mild to moderate levels. There was no significant relationship between nature of MBA program, gender, school background, geographical origin, ICT skills, English language competency, and information seeking anxiety. However, gender appeared to predict the dimension of search anxiety as female students were more anxious than males when searching for information. The results are very useful to inform policy and practice for development of information capabilities in the digital information landscape. These findings could be used as a guide for developing and designing information literacy programs aimed to reduce information seeking anxiety resulting in the improvement of students’ academic performance. This study has made a reasonable contribution to the existing literature on information seeking anxiety as a limited number of studies appeared focusing specifically on information seeking anxiety

Comprehensive Account of Inoculation and Coinoculation in Soybean

This chapter elaborates dependency of leguminous plants on rhizobia to carry out dynamic process of nitrogen fixation. Soybean, an extensively grown leguminous crop with 30% share in world’s vegetable oil, is taken into account to understand its symbiotic relationship with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs). This chapter narrates colonization of PGPRs on soybean roots and single and mixed inoculation and coinoculation of certain strains of specialized bacteria with rhizobia. PGPRs’ coinoculation seemed more effective than mono-inoculation and is discussed in Ref. to nodulation rate. Moreover, dynamic linear models for quantification of leguminous biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) are reviewed. This chapter further uncoils the relevance of foliar application to the release of phytohormones by PGPRs, resulting in situ biosynthesis of active metabolites in phyllosphere. Inoculation of phytohormones is compared to their exogenous application for nodule organogenesis. Finally, the influence of coinoculation on enhanced micronutrient bioavailability is relayed. The chapter is concluded with technical and economic aspects of coinoculation in soybean

Enhancing Knowledge of Family Caregivers and Quality of Life of Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Objectives:  A Quasi-Experimental study was conducted to determine the impact of Attend-trial-based interventions on the knowledge of the caregivers and the quality of life of Ischemic stroke survivors. Material and Methods:  The study was conducted in the acute care hospital located in the rural area, Khyber Pukhtoonkha. A sample of 115 patients and informal caregivers participated in a multifaceted intervention including educational sessions, training and demonstration, and post-training discussion via WhatsApp. A pre-post evaluation of the quality of life, stroke knowledge, functioning, and activities of daily living was completed using validated tools. All information was collected using predesign pro forma and questionnaire. Results:  The interventions significantly improved all four outcomes in caregivers and patients. The mean score for the WHOQOL-BREF pre-intervention was 2.91 ± 1.10 which was increased to 4.18 ± 0.86. The pre-knowledge scores were 34.00 which increased to 39.95. There was a statistically significant change between pre and post knowledge scores [t (114) = -3.394, p = 0.001]. Conclusion:  The study contributed towards the usefulness of multifaceted education intervention to enhance the rehabilitation efforts of patients and their caregivers in community settings