Trade Finance by Islamic Banks and Exchange Rates: A Study of Pakistan's Exports between 2010-2022

This study examines the factors that can affect the Exports of Pakistan, by paying particular attention to letter of credit financing by Islamic banks in Pakistan and exchange rate. Sample data of Islamic listed Banks is selected from last twelve years i.e. 2010 to 2022 with 975 observations. Study measures export performance using exports figures of Pakistan as the proxy for export performance while external factors namely letter of credit financing by Islamic banks and exchange rate used as an influencing factor. Applying panel data analysis, the results provide positive association Pakistan’s export with Islamic banks' letter of credit financing and exchange rate, indicating that easy availability of trade financing and favorable exchange rate can help increase Pakistan’s exports. The findings can aid policy managers, banking professionals, particularly those hoping to boost exports and foreign exchange through them. The study may also benefit managers seeking to broaden their knowledge of the key elements influencing export performance

Prevalence of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak in Traumatic Head Injury at a Tertiary Care Center

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid circulates around the surface of brain and spinal cord and through the brain’s ventricles. CSF leak is a condition that occurs when the CSF leaks through a defect in the dura or skull and out through the ear or nose. The most common causes of CSF leak include head injury, brain and sinus surgery. The objective of this study was to determine the frequencies of post-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leak in traumatic head injury. Material and Methods: A descriptive case series was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar for a period of 1 year, from 1st February 2016 to 31st January 2017. A total of 422 patients presenting within 48 hours of acute trauma to the head were included in a consecutive manner and followed up till 7th day to determine the CSF leak. Results: The mean age group of our sample was 37.37 + 12.3 years of which 79.6% were male patients and 20.4% female patients. Most of the patients (55.5%) were ≤ 40 years of age. CSF leak was observed in 5.2% of patients, with otorrhea seen in 2.1% patients and rhinorrhea in 3.1% patients, respectively. Conclusion: CSF leak is quite common in our population after acute trauma to the head. The high prevalence may be due to high frequency of accidents in our society with high velocity impact and more commonly seen in the younger age group (≤ 40 years)

The impact of silicon nano-texture morphology on solar cell integration, performance, and degradation

Silicon nano-texture, also referred to as black silicon, has excellent light trapping properties and is a potential solution to overcome optical losses in silicon solar cell. However, integrating nano-textures into solar cells is challenging due to their altered behaviour when subjected to key fabrication steps resulting in lower energy conversion efficiencies. This thesis aims to identify the role of nano-texture morphology on solar cell fabrication process interaction, modify processes for improved cell performance, and study how nano-textures suppress cell degradation. A literature review highlights the processes that are affected by nano-textures: emitter formation, surface passivation, and metal contact formation. Furthermore, it is identified that nano-texture may suppress light-induced-degradation (LID), however, the root cause of this behaviour is not understood. While fast diffusing species have been identified as playing a critical role, the role of vacancies and interstitials is identified as requiring further study. The effect of reactive ion etching (RIE) texture morphology on optical and electrical performance is evaluated by fabricating passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) solar cells. RIE texture morphology is varied with increasing etch time which increases texture height and surface area. It is shown that post-diffusion sheet resistance increases, surface recombination increases, and screen-printing metal contact performance decreases, with increasing etch time. To address these issues, the emitter formation is modified, and a laser doped selective emitter (LDSE) solar cell process is optimized for RIE textures. The RIE based LDSE solar cells performed poorly as compared to the planar control cells and the remaining physical and electrical issues are discussed. The role of nano-textures in LID suppression is investigated for RIE textures as well as for chemically formed nano-textures. The reduction in LID is shown with increasing texture surface area. It is concluded that the increase in surface area may cause point defects to disappear on the surface. To verify this, electron radiation is used on samples to create vacancies and test their role in LID. The radiation induced defect (RID) cause a large reduction in lifetime but are found to be significantly different from the LID causing defect. However, the RIDs are passivated with thermal processing only in the presence of hydrogen

Investigaciones sobre los muros de Moen-Jo-Daro usando propiedades mecánicas

[EN] This investigation is based on the event that occur in 2000 and 2012 at Moen-Jo-Daro the extensive decay of Moen-Jo-Daro wall that replacement of bricks with new over damaged bricks. Damaged bricks due to the formation of various generated forces, continutiy of thrust resulted in the progressive instability of the lateral wall and formation of minor and major cracks. There are several walls which are facing similar problem, hence, a cubical clay model in 1/4-scale was built and investegated under service conditions. Finite-element FE, Models were generated to simulate the response of the structure, behaviour and safety of the prototype.[ES] Esta investigación se basa en los eventos que afectaron a Moen-Jo-Daro entre los años 2000 y 2012, pues por el deterioro en la pared de Moen-Jo-Daro tuvieron que reemplazarse ladrillos dañados por nuevos. Varios fueron los factores que produjeron el deterioro de los ladrillos que, junto al continuo empuje producido por el comportamiento estructural, dieron como resultado una progresiva inestabilidad en la pared lateral asi como la formación de grietas de menor y mayor envergadura. Hay varias paredes que se enfrentan a problemas similares, por lo tanto, un modelo cúbico de arcilla a escala 1/4 fue construido e investigado en condiciones de servicio. Usando elementos finitos FE, se generaron modelos para simular la respuesta de la estructura, el comportamiento y la seguridad del prototipo.Umair Khan, SM.; Park, JS. (2014). An Investigation of Shear Wall of Moen-Jo-Daro Using Mechanical Properties. Virtual Archaeology Review. 5(10):127-139. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2014.4226OJS127139510GOUDIE, A.S. (1977): "Sodium sulphate weathering and the disintegration of Moenjodaro, Pakistan", Earth Surface Processes, Vol. 2, pp. 75-85. Pakistan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290020108HUGHES, R. (1995): "Moenjodaro mission report", unpublished document, UNESCO, Paris. Shaikh, K.H. and Ashfaque, S.M. (1981), Moenjodaro: A 5000-year-old Legacy, UNESCO, Paris.QADIR BHATTI, A. (2012): Diagnosis, Monitoring and Repair Analysis of Historical Construction Material and Conservation Techniques in MohenjoDaro Islamabad, Pakistan.MEMON SINDHI M.A (2001): ڙڪاٹو لا Mohen Jo Daro publishing agency, Pakistan.MORTIMER, W. (1953): The Indus Civilization The Cambridge History of India, India.MORYANI, J. موهنجودڙو (2011): Sindh adbi academy Karachi, Pakistan.PANWAR, M.H. (2011): Six Thousand years of History of Irrigaction in Sindh. Pakistan.SULTAN ARYANE, A. (1972): Moenjo Daro, Preservation Plan (ground water control) Pakistan.TEUTONICO, J.M. (Ed.) (1985): International Architectural Conservation Course Laboratory Manual, ICCROM, Rome

Characteristics of Critically ill Obstetric Patients Admitted to the ICU at a Tertiary Care Centre

Objective: To ascertain the characteristics, admission indications, interventions, and outcomes of obstetric patients admitted to ICU.Methodology: A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted at Lady Reading Hospital's ICU in Peshawar, Pakistan (January 1 to December 31, 2022). During this time, a total of 1560 patients were received in the ICU, out of which 132 full filled our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Characteristics of patients, reasons for admission, interventions, demographic information, obstetric history, length of stay, and outcomes were collected through a retrospective review of medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 21.0.Results: Among the 1,560 admissions in ICU, 132 were obstetric cases (8.5% of all ICU admissions). Majority of these patients had a mean age of 27.05 ± 6.23 years, with mean ICU stay duration of 6.55 ± 7.05 days. Among these, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were identified in 47 patients (35.6%). Obstetric hemorrhagic disorders accounted for admission in 40 patients (30.3%). Out of the 132 patients, 26 (19.6%) did not survive. Highest mortality rates were of those admitted with fulminant hepatic failure (2 patients, 66.7%). Among patients admitted for direct obstetric reasons, post-natal septicemia caused the highest mortality (3 patients, 37.5%). Ventilatory support was required by 113 patients (85.6%) and vasopressor support was administered to 87 patients (65.9%) of the patients. Conclusions: To decrease maternal mortality and improve healthcare for pregnant individuals, it is crucial to focus on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and obstetric hemorrhage. Addressing these issues, along with providing effective post-natal sepsis treatment, can contribute to a reduction in mortality rates.Keywords: Obstetric hemorrhage, Pre-Eclampsia, Post-natal septicemia, Mortalit

Phytochemical Analyses for Antibacterial Activity and Therapeutic Compounds of Convolvulus arvensis L., Collected from the Salt Range of Pakistan

Background: Pharmaceutical world is currently facing a major issue of bacterial resistance against antibiotics. For the past few years, plants being an excellent source of phytochemicals have replaced many traditional antibacterial agents. Keeping this in view, the current study was conducted to detect the antibacterial activity and the presence of various phytochemicals in Convolvulus arvensis leaves and stem extracts.Methods: Eight different organic and aqueous extracts of Convolvulus arvensis L. (C. arvensis) leaves and stem were prepared and their antimicrobial activity against 13 clinically important bacterial species was investigated using the disc diffusion assay. Phytochemical screening of the aqueous extracts of C. arvensis was performed using qualitative tests.  Results: All the thirteen bacterial species tested in this study were found sensitive to the stem and leaf extracts of C. arvensis. Highest antimicrobial activity was observed against   Escherichia coli while among all the extracts butanol extract was the most effective antimicrobial agent. Phytochemical analyses using organic and aqueous extracts confirmed the presence of various secondary plant metabolites of therapeutic value i.e. saponins, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, phlobatannins, cardiac glycosides and coumarins.Conclusion: Our results indicate that C. arvensis plant contains some phytochemicals with antimicrobial affects. These chemicals possess great potential to be used as advanced therapeutic compounds against broad range of pathogenic bacteria

Cotton Export Potential: A Case Study of Pakistan

The study highlights the issues of export potential faced by Pakistan’s cotton industry regarding the competitiveness in the international perspective. The methodology of Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage is used to determine the comparative advantage at 3-digit level of Standard International Trade Classification using United Nation Commodity Trade Statistics of Import and Export. The paper discusses the changing patterns of the Pakistan’s cotton trade with its comparison with the world. In the end analysis of the recent years shows that, especially the time period from 2002 to 2012. The study indicates that if government does not make major changes to increase the cotton yield this sector will lose its potential beyond repair and Pakistan will lose a great source of income. Study suggests that there is need to strengthen the competitiveness of cotton by exports encouraging trade policy, research and development in cotton production and proactive disaster management policy. Keywords: Trade, Revealed comparative advantage, Exports, Agriculture.

31 Years Intra-Industry Trade of Pakistan

This study investigates intra-industry trade (IIT) of Pakistan for 31 years with eleven selective major trading economies and country-specific determinants of IIT of Pakistan using gravity model. OLS technique is used on panel data of 341 observation and UN COMTRADE and World Development Indicator (WDI) as data source the result shows 24.93% of IIT of Pakistan with its selective trading partners and R-square is 88%. This study provides 31 years average levels of IIT of Pakistan, both one-digit SITC commodity wise and country wise. More specifically the average levels are of three decades, first 1982 to 1991, second 1992 to 2001 and third 2002 to 2012. Results are highly significant and are as expected. Commodity wise the highest IIT level was found to be in Crude materials, inedible, except fuels (SITC-code 2), within this Pakistan IIT with Kuwait reported to be 80%. While Country wise highest IIT level of Pakistan is with Singapore.  This study suggests specific strategy proposal for the encouragement of IIT of Pakistan. Keyword(s): Intra Industry Trade (IIT), Standard International Trade Classification (SITC