National Finance Commission Awards in Pakistan : A Historical Perspective

This study explores the evolution of fiscal resource distribution in Pakistan. Pakistan is a federation comprising four provinces, federallyadministered areas, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Being a central type of government, most of the revenues are collected by the centre and then redistributed vertically between the federal and the provincial governments, and horizontally among the provinces. Provinces then also redistribute revenues among lower tiers of the government, through a revenue-sharing formula. A thorough look at the history indicates that this process has been complex and has a far-reaching impact. A less systematic approach has been adopted to decentralise the financial matters. Over time, the divisible pool has expanded due to heavy reliance on indirect taxes as well as improvement in the collection. Population is the sole distribution criteria, adopted in all NFC awards from the divisible pool. This has raised friction among the provinces, necessitating inclusion of other potential variables evolved from international best practices. In addition to that, absence of technical experts and permanency of the NFC is another impediment. The NFC is supposed to provide the framework for amicable distribution of resources between the federal and the provincial governments for the joint goal of development and prosperity.NFC, Pakistan, fiscal federalism, Rule and Discretion, political economy, Population, Subventions, Doing the Business of Government

National Finance Commission Awards in Pakistan: A Historical Perspective

This study explores the evolution of fiscal resource distribution in Pakistan. Pakistan is a federation comprising four provinces, federally-administered areas, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Being a central type of government, most of the revenues are collected by the centre and then redistributed vertically between the federal and the provincial governments, and horizontally among the provinces. Provinces then also redistribute revenues among lower tiers of the government, through a revenue-sharing formula. A thorough look at the history indicates that this process has been complex and has a far-reaching impact. A less systematic approach has been adopted to decentralise the financial matters. Over time, the divisible pool has expanded due to heavy reliance on indirect taxes as well as improvement in the collection. Population is the sole distribution criteria, adopted in all NFC awards from the divisible pool. This has raised friction among the provinces, necessitating inclusion of other potential variables evolved from international best practices. In addition to that, absence of technical experts and permanency of the NFC is another impediment. The NFC is supposed to provide the framework for amicable distribution of resources between the federal and the provincial governments for the joint goal of development and prosperity.NFC, Pakistan, Fiscal Federalism, Rule and Discretion, Political Economy, Population, Subventions, Doing the Business of Government

National Finance Commission Awards in Pakistan: A Historical Perspective

This study explores the evolution of fiscal resource distribution in Pakistan. Pakistan is a federation comprising four provinces, federallyadministered areas, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Being a central type of government, most of the revenues are collected by the centre and then redistributed vertically between the federal and the provincial governments, and horizontally among the provinces. Provinces then also redistribute revenues among lower tiers of the government, through a revenue-sharing formula. A thorough look at the history indicates that this process has been complex and has a far-reaching impact. A less systematic approach has been adopted to decentralise the financial matters. Over time, the divisible pool has expanded due to heavy reliance on indirect taxes as well as improvement in the collection. Population is the sole distribution criteria, adopted in all NFC awards from the divisible pool. This has raised friction among the provinces, necessitating inclusion of other potential variables evolved from international best practices. In addition to that, absence of technical experts and permanency of the NFC is another impediment. The NFC is supposed to provide the framework for amicable distribution of resources between the federal and the provincial governments for the joint goal of development and prosperity.NFC; Pakistan; Fiscal Federalism; Rule and Discretion; Political Economy; Population; Subventions; Doing the Business of Government

Image enhancement in wavelet domain based on histogram equalization and median filter

During the acquisition of a new digital image, noise may be introduced as a result of the production process. Image enhancement is used to alleviate problems caused by noise. In this work, the purpose is to propose, apply, and evaluate enhancement approaches to images by selecting suitable filters to produce improved quality and performance results. The new method proposed for image noise reduction as an enhancement process employs threshold and histogram equalization implemented in the wavelet domain. Different types of wavelet filters were tested to obtain the best results for the image noise reduction process. Also, the effect of canceling one or more of the high-frequency bands in the wavelet domain was tested. The mean square error and peak signal to noise ratio are used for measuring the improvement in image noise reduction. A comparison made with two related works shows the superiority of the methods proposed and implemented in this research. The proposed methods of applying the median filter before and after the histogram equalization methods produce improvement in performance and efficiency compared to the case of using discrete wavelet transform only, even with the cases of multiresolution discrete wavelet transform and the cancellation step

Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting Technology and Women Time Allocation in District Bagh and Battagram Pakistan.

Water is essential requirement of life and its accessibility is the basic right of all human beings. Safe drinking water is an essential component of primary health. It plays a vital role in livelihood, food security and sustainable development. Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Technology (RRWH) is a best alternative approach to conserve and supply water. Especially, it is crucial in seismically sensitive, geographically uneven, and countryside areas. A large majority of population in Pakistan is living in areas, where access to safe drinking water is very serious issue. In these areas most vulnerable segment of population is women because they are the ones who have to fetch water from far flung areas for their daily consumption. In order to resolve the issue of water in Pakistan, a number of public and private agencies are working in this field. Different approaches, techniques, and practices are being adopted to address this issue. Present study evaluates the impact of RRWH technology with special reference to women time allocation in Bagh and Battagram districts of Pakistan. Analyses were carried out using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) technique to quantify the results. The results reveal that RRWH technology is viable, time saving, women friendly, and sustainable source of safe drinking water supply, especially in seismically sensitive, geographically uneven, and countryside areas of Pakistan. JEL classification: O13, Q25, Q56, Q58, R28 Keywords: Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting: Safe Drinking Water, Seismically Sensitive, Geographically Uneven, and Countryside: Women, AJK and KP, Pakistan

The Liminality of Temporary Agency Work: Exploring the Dimensions of Danish Temporary Agency Workers’ Liminal Experience

The concept of liminality refers to the experience to be betwixt-and-between social structures and the associated positions, statuses, and roles. We advance the original use of the concept by introducing the various meanings that the experience of being in a liminal state can take. Drawing on political anthropology we identify the dimensions of ‘types of subjects,’ ‘time,’ ‘space,’ and ‘scale’ in order to analytically unlock the liminal experience. Exemplifying our concept we present the findings from an own study of temporary agency workers in Denmark. Exploring the workers’ interpretations allows us to illustrate to what extent their employment situation constitutes a multi-dimensional liminal experience between established social structures and employment categories. The article emphasizes the complexity of the liminal experience. Theoretically and empirically, we show the many meanings along which liminality can unfold in organizational and work-related contexts. We argue that future studies should explore the various dimensions in other contexts of passages from one relatively stable state to another. In doing so, similarities and differences between various liminal experiences and the role the various dimensions play could be identified

The Liminality of Temporary Agency Work: Exploring the Dimensions of Danish Temporary Agency Workers’ Liminal Experience

The concept of liminality refers to the experience to be betwixt-and-between social structures and the associated positions, statuses, and roles. We advance the original use of the concept by introducing the various meanings that the experience of being in a liminal state can take. Drawing on political anthropology we identify the dimensions of ‘types of subjects,’ ‘time,’ ‘space,’ and ‘scale’ in order to analytically unlock the liminal experience. Exemplifying our concept we present the findings from an own study of temporary agency workers in Denmark. Exploring the workers’ interpretations allows us to illustrate to what extent their employment situation constitutes a multi-dimensional liminal experience between established social structures and employment categories. The article emphasizes the complexity of the liminal experience. Theoretically and empirically, we show the many meanings along which liminality can unfold in organizational and work-related contexts. We argue that future studies should explore the various dimensions in other contexts of passages from one relatively stable state to another. In doing so, similarities and differences between various liminal experiences and the role the various dimensions play could be identified

Spontaneous renal subcapsular hematoma; a case report and reviewing management options

Spontaneous subcapsular renal hematoma is a rare complication with potentially fatal effects in clinical practice. We discuss a case of a patient who arrived at the emergency room with abrupt onset flank discomfort and hematuria. The damaged kidney was effectively embolized by interventional radiology, and the patient quickly recovered. Follow-up tests revealed that the hematoma had shrunk in size. We believe that early arterial embolization should be explored in the care of patients with renal bleeding because it may enhance outcomes

Patient satisfaction in outpatient medical care: the case of Iraq

  Background: Healthcare providers are increasingly interested in patient satisfaction as an indicator to assess the quality of health services. This study investigates the level of satisfaction among Iraqi patients attending the outpatient (OP) clinic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from October to December 2019 among outpatient attendees in two busiest centers in Iraq. A convenience sample of 235 (response rate of 88.0%) completed the self-administered short-form patient satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ-18). The independent variables included socio-demographic, economic, and self-perceived health status. Data were analyzed in SPSS, where descriptive analysis (mean ± standard deviation) and univariate (independent sample t-test, ANOVA test) and multivariate linear regression “Enter technique” was done at 0.05 level of significance and 95% confidence interval. Results:  The mean age of respondents was 39.3 (±14.8). The sample was mostly women (55.3%), and 37.4% in the age group of 30-49 years.  More than half of participants residing in the urban regions (54.5%) from families of monthly household income less than 500,000 Iraq Dinars (USD 400). However, the majority (70.6%) have the first visit to the OP clinic, and 53.6% self-perceived health as good or very good. Results of multiple linear regression showed that patients residents in rural regions (B= 5.4 , P <0.001), married (B= 4.8, P <0.001), unemployed (B= 4.7, P <0.001)  and low educated (B= 1.5, P <0.051)  exhibited higher service satisfaction score compared to urban residents, single, employed and high educated participants respectively. However, patients aged fifty years and more (B= -2.1, P <0.001) and those with poor health (B=-2.5, P <0.001) exhibited lower service satisfaction scores compared to young age patients and the healthy participants, respectively. Conclusion: The high demand for the use of health resources in metropolitan cities by the rural population indicates inequality in the distribution of health services and an increase in the rural-to-urban displacement

Performance Analysis of Open Steam Power Cycle Powered by Concentrated Solar Energy

This study aims to develop a concentrated solar receiver designed to directly generate steam for driving a steam turbine within the steam power cycle of a carbon-free system. The solar power system consists of parabolic dishes, evaporation tanks, and a steam turbine, and the experimental setup was tested on different days, analyzing the measured parameters with the EES software. Results from the investigation indicate that, under the optimal conditions with a maximum recorded temperature and pressure of 143 ℃ and 2.5 bar, respectively, and a vaporized water mass of 100 grams, the manufactured turbine achieved a maximum isentropic efficiency of 92.48% and a power of 1.76 W. Notably, the evaporation tank and the mini steam turbine demonstrated the capability to generate steam and mechanical power, respectively, without relying on conventional energy