The Relationship Between Fundamental Analysis and Stock Returns Based on the Panel Data Analysis; Evidence from Karachi Stock exchange (KSE)

Fundamental analysis has gained huge popularity among capital markets researchers in last decades. It uses current and past financial reports (Piotroski 2000, 2004; Fama and French, 2004; Elleuch 2009, Seng 2012), along with political and economic data in order to assign intrinsic value to firms and help to identify mispriced securities (Kothari, 2001). Both fundamental and technical analyses are used to forecast stock returns with the aim to buy stock when they are under-priced and sell when they are overpriced.Our study aimed to investigate the ability of the historical accounting data in predicting future stock returns using fundamental analysis especially in emerging economy i.e. Pakistan. Data were collected for the eleven-year period from 2007 to 2017 for 115 non-financial companies listed on Karachi stock exchange (KSE) with available ten years consecutive data. This paper utilizes five indicators from multiple areas i.e. profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, and market-based ratios. For analysis, this study used penal data analysis (common effect model, fixed effect model, and random effect model). The results indicates that the fundamental analysis can predict future stock returns in Pakistani listed companies and end up with the implications and future directions. Keywords:  Fundamental analysis, Penal data analysis, emerging economy i.e. Pakistan

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF ROLE OVERLOAD AND RESOURCES ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AMONG OPERATIONAL EMPLOYEES OF RESCUE-1122: A PARTIAL LEAST SQUARE APPROACH

The basic purpose of this study is to explore the relationship of role overload (RO) and resources (R) with employee engagement (EE) among the operational employees of Rescue (1122), District Mardan. The role overload and resources have not been studied with the relationship of employee engagement in emergency services (Rescue-1122) in Pakistan. Data was collected from 154 employees using adopted questionnaire. The respondents are Fire Rescuers (FR), Lead fire rescuers (LFR), DERT (Disaster emergency response team) Rescuer, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Divers only of district Mardan. The WarpPLS was used for data analysis and concluded the negative impact of role overload on employee engagement, while positive impact of resources on employee engagement in Rescue-1122, Mardan. Thus, the present study provides help to top brass of the organization during formulation of strategy in order to overcome the problem of role overload which eventually affects employee engagement

A Design for Proprioceptive Force in 3D Agility Robot Through Use of AI

For robots to be considered effective, they should be able to maneuver through 3D environments. To achieve such mobility, robots needs to be designed in such a way that would span various topographies. So, artificial intelligence algorithms have been developed to ensure agility of the robots when walking on murky topographies. In the current state of the art legged robots, there is still much progress need to be made in research to turn them into automobiles with great agility to be used in the real world utility and provide mobility in rough. GOAT leg as a means of artificial intelligence is still a new phenomenon. There still exists a number of preliminary tests that need to be done in accessing and in the characterization of the leg’s current performance and its implications in the future. This study seeks to develop and agility model which would be useful in ensuring that the robots remain agile in such complex environments. To do this, a simulation has been through Matlab analysis. Results of the current study showed that, 3-RSR was designed to ensure that a high fidelity proprioceptive force control would enable legs with the mechanically spring stiffness. Implications and future recommendations also discussed

Post tuberculosis radiological sequelae in patients treated for pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis at a tertiary center in Pakistan

Treating tuberculosis (TB) is not the end of the disease because of the wide spectrum of post TB sequelae associated with the disease. There is insufficient data on post TB radiological sequelae. The aim of this study is to evaluate the post TB radiological sequelae on chest x-rays in patients who had completed the treatment for pulmonary and pleural TB at a tertiary care hospital of a high TB burden country. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted on patients treated for pulmonary and pleural TB. Adult patients (18 years or above) with a clinical or microbiological diagnosis of pulmonary or pleural TB were included. Patients were classified on the basis of site of TB into pulmonary and pleural TB. Post-treatment radiological sequelae on chest x-ray were evaluated and divided into three main types i.e. fibrosis, bronchiectasis and pleural thickening. During the study period a total of 321 patients were included with a mean age of 44(SD±19) years. Only 17.13% (n=55) patients had normal chest x-rays at the end of treatment and 82.87% (n=266) patients had post-TB radiological sequelae with fibrosis being the most common followed by pleural thickening. The post TB radiological sequelae were high in patients who had diabetes mellitus (78.94%), AFB smear-positive (90.19%), AFB culture-positive (89.84%), Xpert MTB/Rif positive (88.40%) and with drug-resistant TB (100%). As a clinician, one should be aware of all the post TB sequelae so that early diagnosis and management can be facilitated

Clinico-epidemiological Characteristics of Children with Infectious Meningitis at Nishtar Medical Hospital

Objective: This study aims to determine the common Clinico-epidemiological Characteristics of Patients suffering from infectious meningitis presenting at Nishtar medical university hospital Multan, Pakistan. Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional study Place and duration of study: Pediatric department, Nishtar Hospital Multan the duration of the study was February 01, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Method The study comprised of 172 patients. All the children of age 1 month to 12 years with suspected meningitis presenting to Pediatric Department Nishtar Hospital, Multan were included in our study. The patients who were critically ill or immune compromised were not included in the study. The cases in which the parents did not give consent were also excluded. The written informed consent was taken from the parents. All these cases were evaluated by detailed history, thorough physical examination and the necessary investigations. All the demographic data and other variables related to clinico-epidemiological features were measured and recorded using a specifically designed performa. The data were analyzed by using computer program SPSS 21 version. Result Of the 154 patients included in the final analysis, 98 (63.6%) were females and 56 (36.4%) males. The age ranged from 1 month to 12 years with a median of 31 months (6.00 - 72.50). Seventy-five percent of them were below 5 years. On the basis of investigations, bacterial meningitis was diagnosed in 91, viral meningitis in 27, tuberculous meningitis in 21 and cryptococcal meningitis in 15 patients. The most common clinical presentations of meningitis were fever, vomiting, headache, irritability, neck stiffness and altered level of consciousness. While the photophobia and fits were less common. The GCS score was more than 13 in 109 patients (70.8%) while less than eight GCS score was observed in 45 children (29.2%). Most of the complications were observed in the initial 36 hours of admission. The commonly observed complications were an altered level of sensorium, seizure, and shock. The minimum length of hospitalization was one day and the maximum was 36 days with median (IQR) of 12 days (4-15). The mortality was observed in 22 patients (14.3%) of Pediatric Medicine Department. Conclusion Meningitis is a highly morbific and fatal central nervous system infection in children population. It is associated with life-threatening complications and exhibits highly diverse clinical course with a very non-specific sign and symptoms. Younger children of rural areas are highly prone to fall a victim to this lethal disease. By vaccinating the children population against causative agents of meningitis, we can reduce the burden of disease. Keywords: Meningitis.  Children. Clinico-epidemiological features

Clinico-Epidemiological Study of Dengue Fever in Nishtar Medical University Hospital Multan, Pakistan

Introduction: Dengue fever is a common vector borne disease caused by dengue virus. In developing tropical countries, it is considered as one of the major public health problems. Consequently, this disease is highly associated with increased morbidity, mortality and economic burden to poorly resourced health system of less privileged countries. Aim and objectives: The current work is intended to assess the incidence, signs, symptoms, and epidemiological characteristics of cases of Dengue fever presenting in Nishtar Medical University Hospital Multan Pakistan. Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional study Place and duration of study: Department of Infectious Diseases, Nishtar Medical University Hospital Multan Pakistan. The time span of study was from January 01, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Method: The present work was a prospective cross –sectional study conducted in our centre.  A total 876 fever cases, fulfilling WHO criteria for dengue suspicion were included as target population of the study. For each individual case, detailed history and thorough physical examination was performed. In addition to routine baseline investigations, the disease-specific investigations such as rapid immuno chromatographic card test were also performed to confirm the diagnosis. A specifically predesigned proforma was used to collect socio- demographic profile, signs and symptoms of serologically diagnosed cases. The data were analyzed by using computer program SPSS 21. Results: The results of our study exposed that out of 576 suspected cases, 254 patients were serologically positive for Dengue fever. The highest number of cases (110 cases) was reported in the 3rd week of September. Maximum number of dengue cases reported were males belonging to 31-40 years age group from urban area. Fever was the main complaint in all the cases followed by vomiting, headache, and abdominal pain. Conclusion: Dengue is one of the major public health problems in developing countries like India. A large number of cases are reported in the monsoon and post-monsoon period in the month of September and October. Measures can be taken both at personal and government level to reduce morbidity and mortality from dengue. Keywords: Dengue, Epidemiology, Fever, Signs, Symptom

Lumbar morphometry: A study of lumbar vertebrae from a Pakistani population using computed tomography scans

Study design: A cross-sectional study.Purpose: To describe the characteristics of lumbar vertebrae of Pakistani patients reporting at a tertiary care hospital and compare with studies from other populations.Overview of literature: Several studies have been conducted to determine morphometry of lumbar vertebrae. Most of the studies involve Caucasian populations, still data on other populations still sparse. This is the first study describing lumbar morphometry of a Pakistani population.Methods: An observational study was conducted based on a review of thin-cut (3 mm) computed topographic images of lumbar vertebrae. Two-hundred and twenty vertebrae from forty-nine patients were studied, and various dimensions were analyzed.Results: Generally, the size of the vertebrae, vertebral canals and recesses were found to be greater in male patients. The difference was statistically significant for transverse and anteroposterior diameters of the vertebral bodies and sagittal diameter of pedicles on the left side (p\u3c0.05). Comparison of populations revealed statistically significant differences in pedicle dimensions between Pakistani population and others.Conclusions: This study provides anatomical knowledge of the lumbar region in a sample population of Pakistan. There were significant differences in various dimensions of lumbar vertebrae between female and male patients. This would prove to be critical for performing a safe operation

Role of neurosurgery in the management of stroke

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. The aim of treatment in stroke patients is to prevent further neurologic deterioration and prevent recurrence. Despite all advances in medical treatment, morbidity and mortality in stroke patients is still very high. The other alternative is surgical treatment, which still lacks class 1 evidence. However there is recent reconsideration of this form of treatment and ongoing trials are showing some promising results. In this review the recent advances in surgical treatment of stroke will be discussed along with recommendations from the latest randomized trials

PHYSICIAN’S PERCEPTION TOWARDS CONTEMPORARY PHARMACEUTICAL ADVERTISEMENTS IN PAKISTAN

The aim of this survey research was to study the perceptions of public and private sector physicians toward Direct to Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertisements (DTCPA) with the help of triangulated study approach. Using cluster sampling technique, the primary data was collected via adapted questionnaire and, 389 completely filled questionnaires were compiled out of 400 questionnaires distributed. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS by using descriptive statistics and t-test. Results revealed that private sector physicians are more inclined towards DTCPA; they believe that DTCPA can help to improve physician patient relationship, diagnosis and treatment plans. However, self medication and undesirable interventions from patients can increase the healthcare hazards and cost. Moreover, the public sector physician’s tendency towards DTCPA is comparatively less than private sector, even though majority of public sectors physicians have also favored the stance to achieve better healthcare outcomes