Impact of War on Terror in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Beyond

Terrorism, in all its shape and manifestation, is intolerable and condemned, not only in local and international laws, but also in all religions. The world is still continuously infested with the virus of terrorism. In this article, an effort has been made to examine terrorism from different aspects and dimensions including the historical perspective of different terrorist organizations. Prior to 1979, a bipolar world witnessed a cold war for a long period of time, which finally resulted in a war against USSR troops in Afghanistan by the United States and its allies, including Pakistan. The United States and its allies, chiefly Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, orchestrated throngs of the so-called of Mujahideen and Jihadees. Politico-Islam was exploited to its maximum, which recruited these Mujahideen and Jihadees from scores of Muslim countries and launched them into the territory of Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan to fight against the Soviet troops. As a result, the Soviet Union was dismembered, reshaping the globe into a unipolar world led by the United States. Post 9/11 Pakistan had to face the brunt of terrorism by the same very Mujahideen and the people of their mindset, which resulted into devastation of its demography, economy, and human capital, and terrorism became an uncontrollable phenomenon in the entire region and beyond. DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/74-05 Publication date:July 31st 201

THE IMPACT OF ENDORSER'S CREDIBILITY ON CONSUMER RESPONSES: AN EMPIRICAL ENDEAVOR

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of endorser's credibility on consumer responses. It also explores the mediating role of attitude towards advertisement (ATA) and moderating role brand awareness (BA). Data were collected from two hundred and sixty-three educated consumers to test the proposed hypotheses. The results suggested that the endorser's credibility (attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness) positively impacts ATA and purchase intention (PI). Moreover, ATA mediates between endorser's credibility and PI. It was also found that brand awareness moderates the relationship between ATA and PI. The findings of this study imply that advertisers should carefully consider the endorser's credibility before the selection. In contrast, ignoring these factors could lead to adverse effects on consumer responses. Theoretical implications are also discussed, which are presented in the proceeding sections

THE IMPACT OF ENDORSER'S CREDIBILITY ON CONSUMER RESPONSES: AN EMPIRICAL ENDEAVOR

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of endorser's credibility on consumer responses. It also explores the mediating role of attitude towards advertisement (ATA) and moderating role brand awareness (BA). Data were collected from two hundred and sixty-three educated consumers to test the proposed hypotheses. The results suggested that the endorser's credibility (attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness) positively impacts ATA and purchase intention (PI). Moreover, ATA mediates between endorser's credibility and PI. It was also found that brand awareness moderates the relationship between ATA and PI. The findings of this study imply that advertisers should carefully consider the endorser's credibility before the selection. In contrast, ignoring these factors could lead to adverse effects on consumer responses. Theoretical implications are also discussed, which are presented in the proceeding sections

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

Confirmatory Analysis of the Factors of Competitiveness in the Textile Industry of Pakistan

This paper is focused on confirmatory analysis of  key determinants of competitiveness in the textile sector, with special reference to Pakistan. Researchers have conducted a survey that is designed to use financial side, productivity side, supply side, and demand side determinants to measure firms’ level Competitiveness. Primary data was collected at seven point scale from 354 respondents representing145 Listed Textile Companies at KSE. Collected data was then analyzed by using the confirmatory factor analysis to find out the rate of interdependency between the dependent and independent variables. The result shows that highest impact is being shown by the demand side determinants followed by financial side determinants. While the impact of productivity side and supply side determinants remained comparatively low

Confirmatory Analysis of the Factors of Competitiveness in the Textile Industry of Pakistan

This paper is focused on confirmatory analysis of  key determinants of competitiveness in the textile sector, with special reference to Pakistan. Researchers have conducted a survey that is designed to use financial side, productivity side, supply side, and demand side determinants to measure firms’ level Competitiveness. Primary data was collected at seven point scale from 354 respondents representing145 Listed Textile Companies at KSE. Collected data was then analyzed by using the confirmatory factor analysis to find out the rate of interdependency between the dependent and independent variables. The result shows that highest impact is being shown by the demand side determinants followed by financial side determinants. While the impact of productivity side and supply side determinants remained comparatively low

The functional outcome of direct lateral approach for fixation of proximal humeral fractures: A case series from a tertiary care hospital

Displaced proximal humeral fractures warrant surgical fixation for early rehabilitation and better functional outcome. These fractures are traditionally fixed by delto pectoral surgical approach. Direct lateral approach has recently gained interest as it involves less soft tissue dissection and is particularly helpful in certain fracture patterns. However, there have been concerns of axillary nerve damage with this approach. We report a case series of proximal humerus fractures fixed by direct lateral approach from our institution. All displaced Type 2 and 3 fractures were included in our study. Pathological and comminuted Type 4 fractures and fractures with ipsilateral clavicle or elbow fractures were excluded. Oxford Shoulder Score was done at regular intervals for assessment of functional outcome. We did not observe any axillary nerve damage in our case series and the outcomes of 70.5% of our patients were excellent while in 29.5% it was good. We recommend direct lateral approach for specific pattern of proximal humerus fractures

Estimation of Toxicity of Spinosad Using Two Different Bioassay Methods Against Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.)

Abstract.-Two different bioassay methods; larval dip bioassay and surface diet bioassay were tested for the contact/ingestion toxicity and to see the advantage of one method over the other using spinosad against second instar Helicoverpa armigera. Little difference was observed in LC 50 values which were 170 and 130ppm for both the methods, however ingestion/contact toxicity (surface diet bioassay) as compared to contact toxicity only (larval dip bioassay) remained comparatively but not significantly different. Results also proved that surface diet bioassay had advantage over larval dip bioassay as it provided better estimate of potential toxicity

Micronutrients and Anaemia

Micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia remain as major health concerns for children in Bangladesh. Among the micronutrient interventions, supplementation with vitamin A to children aged less than five years has been the most successful, especially after distribution of vitamin A was combined with National Immunization Days. Although salt sold in Bangladesh is intended to contain iodine, much of the salt does not contain iodine, and iodine deficiency continues to be common. Anaemia similarly is common among all population groups and has shown no sign of improvement even when iron-supplementation programmes have been attempted. It appears that many other causes contribute to anaemia in addition to iron deficiency. Zinc deficiency is a key micronutrient deficiency and is covered in a separate paper because of its importance among new child-health interventions

Medical students in Karachi and COVID-19: Myths and facts

Objectives: COVID-19 pandemic brought mortalities, morbidities, fear, and financial despair among people around the world. As it advanced, misinformation and myths about it caught wildfire, contributing to misbelief among the already shocked population. Medical students are the building blocks of the medical community and can provide a pivotal role in combating COVID-19 misinformation by delivering correct knowledge and awareness to the non-medical population of the country. Hence, it is important to assess their knowledge and perception of COVID-19 myths. Therefore, this study evaluates medical student\u27s knowledge regarding myths and misinformation related to COVID-19 infection and its vaccine. The study also assesses the belief of medical students on various conspiracy theories of COVID-19.Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 401 undergraduate medical students of Karachi in June-August 2021. A validated, structured, and self-administrated questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were entered on an open EPI version 3.01 and Statistical Package of Social Science version 26 for analysis. A chi-square test was performed to identify determinant factors. All p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: Overall knowledge score of participants about myths and misinformation related to COVID-19 and its vaccine was as follows: 166 (28.9) participants possess good knowledge, while 167 (41.6) and 118 (29.4) had moderate to poor knowledge, respectively. Senior students, vaccinated, and participants infected by COVID-19 had good to moderate knowledge. Overall, 139 (34.7) participants strongly disagree and 103 (25.7) participants somewhat disagree with conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. Absence of belief in the conspiracies is associated with vaccinated participants.Conclusion: The study shows that most medical students possess adequate knowledge of misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines, and have low belief in conspiracy theories of COVID-19