Utilizing Militia Forces in Modern Warfare: Role and Challenges

The militia as an informal pro-government irregular force helps government forces through a range of asymmetric security threats. Since 9/11, the employment of militia forces has been on the rise. Although the informal Pro-Government Militias (PGMs) operate in juxtaposition with the regular land forces, they are loosely aligned with them. Given the nativity of its members to the battlefield, a militia is best suited to comprehend the operational and tactical situation and, making itself a viable option for state-led forces both from the perspective of low-cost force or its flexibility to deal with irregular threats. Most informal PGMs maintain a stronger ideological and political base, they do not often care about the limitation of their sponsoring state's sovereignty and the legitimacy of their actions. They may even develop linkages with the terrorist outfits for their immediate goals. This puts national security in grave danger. Given the risks, weaker states become vulnerable at the hands of their sponsored militants. Still, the state-led forces will remain inclined to exploit such paramilitary forces to let them shoulder the burden of national security against asymmetric threats. </p

An Empirical Study on the Effect of Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use on Purchase Intention Through Mobile Devices in Pakistan: A Mediating Role of Online Trust

In Pakistan, electronic commerce market is in developing phase, and people are not much familiar with technology. Customers feel fear for providing debit/credit card information to online retailers. This research proposes a theoretical model in which online trust is used as a mediator among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention to purchase through mobile devices. In this study Smartphone, cellular phones and tablets with internet connection conceived as mobile devices. Data were collected through questionnaire from the students and employees of different universities in Pakistan and analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Results suggest that PEOU have an insignificant effect while PU has a positive effect on online trust and purchase intention through mobile devices. Also, online trust does not mediate between PEOU and purchase Intention through mobile devices while it partially mediates between PU and purchase intention through mobile devices. Keywords: Electronic Commerce, Online trust, Intention to purchase through mobile devices, Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness

Gastroprotective potential and mechanisms of action of Hedera nepalensis

Hedera nepalensis (H. nepalensis)&nbsp;, belonging to the family Araliaceae, is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat stomach problems. The current study investigated the gastroprotective potential and the mechanism of action of&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;in diclofenac-and ethanol-induced ulcer models. Anti-oxidant and lipid peroxidation inhibitory prospects of&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;were checked out by free radical scavenging assay and UV spectrophotometer respectively. Effect of&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;on the pH, gastric total acidity of gastric juice and protective effects of&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;against ulcer models have been examined. Histopathological studies have been carried out. The aqueous methanol extract of&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;(100 µg/mL) showed anti-oxidant (83.55%) and lipid peroxidation inhibitory (70.88%) potential at 1000 µg/mL; the extract had no buffer potential. The extract (400 mg/kg) significantly (81.12% and 63.46%) showed gastroprotective effect in diclofenac and ethanol-induced rat ulcer models respectively. Histopathological studies confirmed the biochemical findings. FTIR analysis showed the presence of carboxylic acid, alkanes, conjugated alkanes, aldehydes and alkyl-aryl ethers. Gallic acid, M-coumaric acid and quercetin were found by HPLC analysis.&nbsp;H. nepalensis&nbsp;exhibited significant protection against diclofenac and ethanol induced gastric damage by anti-oxidant and lipid peroxidation suppression effects suggesting potential broad utility in treatment of diseases characterized with gastric damage

Investigation of the cardiac depressant effect of Caralluma tuberculate N.E.Br on isolated rabbit heart

Purpose: To investigate the histopathological and cardiac depressant effect of the aqueous methanol extract of Caralluma tuberculata N.E. Br (AMECT) (family: Asclepiadaceae)’ and to determine if there is a scientific basis for its cardiovascular diseases-related folkloric use. Methods: The effect of AMECT in different concentrations ranging from 0.00001 to 1.0 mg/mL were evaluated in isolated perfused rabbit heart to assess their effect on the force of contraction and heart rate using Langendorff’s apparatus. Atropine and adrenaline were used to identify the underlying mechanism of response produced by AMECT. The extract was studied for its possible mechanism in the absence and presence of atropine and adrenaline. In addition, sub-chronic toxicity and histopathological study of heart tissues in rats were assessed by administering 500 mg/kg of extract. Results: At all concentrations, AMECT produced significant (p &lt; 0.001) negative ionotropic and negative chronotropic effects. The most significant effect was observed at 0.001 mg/mL and higher concentrations hence 0.001 mg/mL was selected for further studies. Pre-incubation with atropine did not significantly inhibit the effects of AMECT. However, AMECT significantly (p &lt; 0.01) blocked the cardiac stimulant effect of adrenaline. In the histopathological studies, AMECT did not produce any significant cellular changes or signs of toxicity in the sub-chronic toxicity study. Conclusion: The cardiac-depressant responses of AMECT may involve the β-adrenergic receptors in the myocardium of isolated rabbit heart thus confirming the rationale for its use in ethnomedicine for cardiac diseases

Effect of once-a-day milk feeding on behavior and growth performance of pre-weaning calves

Objective The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of once-a-day milk feeding on growth performance and routine behavior of preweaning dairy calves. Methods At 22nd day of age, twenty-four Holstein calves were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (n = 12/treatment) based on milk feeding frequency (MF): i) 3 L of milk feeding two times a day; ii) 6 L of milk feeding once a day. The milk feeding amount was reduced to half for all calves between 56 and 60 days of age and weaning was done at 60 days of age. To determine the increase in weight and structural measurements, each calf was weighed and measured at 3 weeks of age and then at weaning. The daily behavioral activity of each calf was assessed from the 22nd day of age till weaning (60th day of age) through Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek (NEDAP) software providing real-time data through a logger fitted on the calf’s foot. Results There was no interaction (p≥0.17) between MF and sex of the calves for routine behavioral parameters, body weight and structural measurements. Similarly, there was no effect of MF on routine behavioral parameters, body weight and structural measurements. However, the sex of the calves affected body weight gain in calves. Male calves had 27% greater total body weight and average daily gain than female calves. There was no effect of the sex of the calves on behavioral measurements. Collectively, in the current study, no negative effects of a once-a-day milk feeding regimen were found on routine behavioral and growth parameters of preweaning calves in group housing. Conclusion Once-a-day milk feeding can be safely adopted in preweaning calves from 22nd day of age