A study of government expenditure with special reference to economic development in Pakistan

The main object of the present research has been to carry out a study of government expenditure policy in the context of an underdeveloped economy. What has been attempted is not an abstract study of government expenditure nor an exhaustive study of economic development, but a study of government expenditure with special reference to economic development in Pakistan. The main hypothesis of the study is that in a mixed and underdeveloped economy like that of Pakistan, government expenditure policy - if properly formulated and implemented - can help not only to raise the investment-ratio but also to achieve a higher rate of growth, given the investment-fund. The approach of the study may be presented in question-form, as follows: What should be the proper role of government expenditure policy given the development strategy of the economy? In an attempt to answer the question we have first examined the development strategy of Pakistan and the theoretical rationale of investment allocation. Next, we have tried to see the growth of government expenditure. The effectiveness of government expenditure policy is then viewed in relation to other policies such as direct administrative controls and taxation policy. A three-fold classification based on government development expenditure is of use in illustrating the three main facets of government expenditure policy - infrastructural development, direct undertaking and direct assistance. The three functional groups have been dealt with in some detail. The main aim has been to examine conditions and measures which will produce self-sustained growth. In this connection we have examined the role of private investment. The relationships thus found enable an analysis to be made of the role that government expenditure policy can play in achieving the objectives of the economy. A basic assumption of the study is that there exists some form of central authority and planning. Such an assumption will undoubtedly invite criticism, particularly when the "one-country-one-economy" approach has already faced a serious challenge in Pakistan. In the present thesis it is not implied that there is no basis for such a challenge. Instead, the growth process has been examined, taking the central pattern as it has been working since Independence in 1947. It is true that if the "one-country-one-economy" approach is abolished, most of the regional and part of the sectoral aspect of the study will break down. But this does not invalidate the basic criterion of investment allocation - that resources be allocated on the basis of social profitability and not on private profitability. A note on the time period of the study may be added. Although 1949-50 is taken as the start, 1950-51 makes a convenient beginning when talking in terms of the I950's as well as the pre-First Plan period (1950-55). In an attempt to make the study as up-to-date as possible we have tried to extend it, where possible, to 1969-70 which is the last year of the Third Five-Year Plan. This gives us two decades - 1950's and I960's - and four five-year periods - the pre-First Plan (1950-55), the First Plan (1955-60), the Second Plan (1960-65) and the Third Plan (1965-70) - which form the basis of the study. Pakistan being a very poor country, the Government has resorted to economic planning in an attempt to raise the standard of living of the people in the shortest possible time with the minimum possible sacrifice. The present study tries to view the role that government expenditure policy can effectively play in achieving this aim, given the development strategy of the economy

The outcome of loop electrosurgical excision procedure following treatment of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia 2 and 3

Background: In Bangladesh, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is an ongoing program of government health service for the management of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 and 3. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of loop electrosurgical excision procedure following treatment of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia 2 and 3. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatient department (OPD), gynaecology and obstetrics department, Rangpur Medical College Hospital, Rangpur, Bangladesh during the period from July 2011 to June 2012. In total 75 patients, underwent LEEP following treatment of CIN 2 and 3 were selected for this study as study subjects. Data analysis was done by using statistical package for social science (SPSS) 16 version. Results: In this study, majority of the participants were from 30-39 years’ age group which was 57%. Besides this 23%, 19% and 1% patients were from <30, 40-49 and ≥50 age groups respectively. The mean parity of the patients was 3.68 with standard deviation of ±1.31 and range was 1 to 7. In analyzing the parity of the participants, we observed that, in 47% and 24% patients the party were 2 and 3 respectively which were noticeable. Besides these in 11%, 8%, 7%, 1% and 3% cases the parity were found as 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively. In analyzing the histopathology among patients, we found, 76% cases were with CIN-1 whereas the rest 24% cases were with CIN-2. Conclusions: Cervical cancer is the most common malignancy and a major cause of cancer death among Bangladeshi women. This may be due to lack of awareness, scarce of screening facility, poverty and illiteracy. The LEEP procedure has many advantages including high success rate, low cost and ease of use

The stress factors and pattern of psychiatric disorders among patients with deliberate self-harm: a study in a tertiary care hospital, Rangpur, Bangladesh

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a complex behavior of maladaptive response to acute and chronic stress, and likely to be suffering from mental health problems as well as co-morbid general medical conditions, including several non-suicidal intentions to suicide. DSH is previously included in suicide. Sir Thomas Browne first used the word ‘suicide’ in 1642 in his religion Medici. The word suicide originated from SUI (of oneself) and CAEDES (murder). According to WHO ‘suicide’ refers to the act of killing oneself intentionally, performed by the person with full knowledge or expectation of the fatal outcome. This study aimed to analyze the stress factors and pattern of psychiatric disorders among patients with DSH. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the department of medicine; emergency and OPD, Rangpur medical college, Rangpur, Bangladesh. Study conducted for 1 year; July 2008-June 2009. A total of 116 DSH cases included in study as per inclusion criteria. Convenience sampling technique was undertaken in this study. Result: The majority of patients are in the age group of 20-39 years, with 70% in a psychiatric disorder, and in the 40-59 years age group 7.778% have a psychiatric disorder. Age has a significant relationship with DSH (p<0.001). The 90 patients were suffering from psychiatric disorders among them 61 (67.778%) were suffering from depressive episodes, 12 (13.333%) were suffering from a personality disorder, 8 (8.889%) were suffering from mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance abuse, 7 (7.778%) were suffering from schizophrenia, 1 (01.111%) were suffering from adjustment disorder, 1 (1.111%) suffering from bipolar disorder. Conclusions: Out of 116 responders 90 (77.586%) were suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Among the patients with psychiatric disorders, 61 (67.778%) patients were found to be suffering from a depressive episode, which was 52.568% of total DSH cases and is an almost treatable disorder.

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity from Lasia spinosa and isolated lignan

Studies were carried out on the rhizome of Lasia spinosa (L.). The petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and the methanolic extract revealed moderate activities against Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Vibrio parahemolyticus test organisms. The crude extracts and purified compound, meridinol (1) were screened for antimicrobial activity against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and fungi by the disc diffusion method. The cytotoxic potential of the extractives and meridinol was also determined by using brine shrimp lethality bioassay, where the extractives demonstrated significant cytotoxic activities. The petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol extracts, one column fraction and compound 1 demonstrated LC90 of 11.22 μg/ml, 12.3 μg/ml, 13.49 μg/ml, 11.57 μg/ml and 15.85 μg/ml, respectively.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Quorum Regulated Resistance of Vibrio cholerae against Environmental Bacteriophages

Predation by bacteriophages can significantly influence the population structure of bacterial communities. Vibrio cholerae the causative agent of cholera epidemics interacts with numerous phages in the aquatic ecosystem, and in the intestine of cholera patients. Seasonal epidemics of cholera reportedly collapse due to predation of the pathogen by phages. However, it is not clear how sufficient number of the bacteria survive to seed the environment in the subsequent epidemic season. We found that bacterial cell density-dependent gene expression termed “quorum sensing” which is regulated by signal molecules called autoinducers (AIs) can protect V. cholerae against predatory phages. V. cholerae mutant strains carrying inactivated AI synthase genes were significantly more susceptible to multiple phages compared to the parent bacteria. Likewise when mixed cultures of phage and bacteria were supplemented with exogenous autoinducers CAI-1 or AI-2 produced by recombinant strains carrying cloned AI synthase genes, increased survival of V. cholerae and a decrease in phage titer was observed. Mutational analyses suggested that the observed effects of autoinducers are mediated in part through the quorum sensing-dependent production of haemaglutinin protease, and partly through downregulation of phage receptors. These results have implication in developing strategies for phage mediated control of cholera

Intermediate structure in calcium

Thèse de doctorat -- Université catholique de Louvain, 196

Long-term (2001-2012) trends of carbonaceous aerosols from a remote island in the western North Pacific: an outflow region of Asian pollutants

The present study reports on long-term trends of carbonaceous aerosols in total suspended particulate (TSP) samples collected at Chichijima in the western North Pacific during 2001-2012. Seasonal variations of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentrations showed maxima in winter to spring and minima in summer. These seasonal differences in the concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols were associated with the outflows of polluted air masses from East Asia, which are clearly distinguishable from pristine air masses from the central Pacific. The higher concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols during winter to spring are associated with long-range atmospheric transport of East Asian continental polluted air masses, whereas lower concentrations may be due to pristine air masses from the central Pacific in summer. The annual trends of OC/EC (+0.46% yr(-1)), WSOC (+0.18% yr(-1)) and WSOC/OC (+0.08% yr(-1) showed significant (p < 0.05) increases during the period of 2001-2012, suggesting that photochemical formation of WSOC and its contributions to secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) have increased over the western North Pacific via long-range atmospheric transport. We found a significant increase (+0.33% yr(-1))in nss-K+/EC ratios, demonstrating that concentrations of biomass-burning-derived carbonaceous aerosols have increased, while those of primary fossilfuel-derived aerosols have decreased over the western North Pacific. Further, secondary biogenic emissions are also important over the western North Pacific as inferred from a significant increase (+0.14% yr(-1))in the concentrations of methanesulfonate (MSA(-), a tracer for biogenic sources). This point was further supported by a moderate correlation (r = 0.40) between WSOC and MSA. We also found a significant increase in OC/TC (total carbon) and WSOC/TC ratios, further suggesting that photochemical formation of WSOC and its contributions to SOAs have increased over the western North Pacific during 2001-2012 via long-range atmospheric transport from East Asia