Dynamic Properties of an Aggregate Econometric Model of Pakistan's Economy

The use of econometric models for policy planning and decision-making is wide-spread in many developed as well as developing countries. One of the most vexing problems of such an exercise is to construct a model that could adequately reproduce the dynamic behaviour of an economy. The recent experience in modelling has shown that policy objectives could be achieved only by recognising the complex relationship between real and monetary variables. Such an integrated framework .could be used not only to compute impact and dynamic multipliers and to determine the stability of the model, but also to evaluate the relative importance offiscal and monetary policies. In the present paper, this objective is achieved by constructing a linear yet dynamic macro-econometric model of Pakistan's economy.' This model although has a Keynesian structure, but it could easily and meaningfully be solved to determine the values of endogenous variables especially income in terms of pure exogenous variables. In order to establish the dynamic stability of the model, we seek to present the "necessary conditions" that will depend not only on the structure of the model, but also on the estimated paramters of structural equations. After establishing the stability of the model, the next step is policy evaluation. In this regard the impact and the dynamic multipliers will be computed. These multipliers will then be used to assess the relative importance of fiscal and monetary policy variables on income and other dependent variables such as consumption and investment. The time period under consideration ranges between 1959-60 and 1987-88 which includes dramatic events like two wars with India, nationalisation, the oil price hike, recession and floods

Perceptions of teachers on government school privatization in Punjab, Pakistan

The educational privatization is the global phenomenon with far-reaching implications, and its impact on teachers in government schools within the context of Punjab, Pakistan, is a subject of dominant importance. Research investigates the effects of privatization upon teachers' job security, salaries, and job satisfaction. Study includes a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data from 430 teachers with in-depth interviews of 25 teachers. The results reveal that educational privatization in Punjab presents uncertainties about teachers' job security and contractual terms, reduces their autonomy and creates financial stress. Thus, on the positive side, teachers experience improvements in resources and teaching environments. However, impact of privatization on the teachers' job satisfaction is complex, with a blend of positive & negative emotions. The study underlines the need for balanced approach in the privatization policies, recognizing the teachers' multifaceted experiences. The policymakers must ensure that teachers' well-being and economic stability are not compromised. Findings donate to understanding of the impact of privatization on teachers in a specific context and call for further research to explore long-term effects and the perspectives of other stakeholders

Tritrophic Association between Bt Cotton, Arthropod Pest and Natural Enemies

Benefits and harmful effects of Bt adoption technology are mainly related with cotton production where lot of insecticides are needed for management of arthropod herbivory and possible negative impact of crystalline Bt protein on parasitoids and predators is real. Therefore, current review information was focused that Bt should be selective for natural enemies and information was collected from different sources especially CAB abstracts as well as citations from many review articles and books. Usefulness of integrated pest management was highlighted with updated literature to cover the contents

Prevalence of LBP in male factory workers of Nishat Mills limited, Sheikhupura, Pakistan

Low back pain is common problem in factory worker. However there is a lack of evidence related to work related to LBP in factory workers in Pakistan. This study is conducted to identify the prevalence of Low back pain in factory workers and identify the need for awareness in workers about the working postures and safety measures in Nishat mills limited, Sheikhupura. A survey was conducted with sample size of 170 subjects, collected through non probability sampling technique. Nordic questionnaire (part 1) was used with addition of some questions related to research topic. Self-reported questionnaire Performa was filled. Study population included only male workers aged between 20-45 years with career duration of one or more than one year and working duration of 8 hours. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 17.00. According to results 75 out of 170 workers reported low back trouble. The intensity of the low back ache varied from mild to severe. 21 (28%) workers reported mild category of pain, 40 (53.3%) had moderate pain and 14 (18.7%) were having severe pain. Majority (77.3%) workers felt pain for 1-7days during last 12 months. The results showed that there is statistically significant (p<0.05) association between Low back pain and type of work. The workers who do job related to Weight lifting were suffering more frequently from backache comparatively to the workers of manufacturing department. No statistically significant (p>0.05) association between Low back pain and working Posture was found. It was concluded from the study that prevalence of LBP was higher in weight lifting workers. And low back pain was also prevalent in those workers who are engaged with static work like in prolong standing; LBP founds to affect their work activity and reduces the work efficiency

Efecto inmunomodulador de Pimpinella anisum L. (anís) en pollos de engorde contra la Enfermedad de Newcastle y la enfermedad viral de la Bursitis infecciosa)

Pimpinella anisum L. (Anís) se utiliza principalmente como un estimulante inmunológico, promotor del crecimiento, antifúngico, y antibacteriano, en muchos países durante siglos. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el efecto inmunomodulador de anís contra la enfermedad de Newcastle (ND) y la enfermedad de la bursitis infecciosa (IBD). El efecto inmunomodulador de anís contra los virus ND y e IBD se determinaron mediante la modificación del ensayo de inhibición de la migración de células del bazo y recuento diferencial de leucocitos de la inmunidad celular. La inhibición de la hemaglutinación y hemaglutinación indirecta se utilizaron para la medición de la respuesta inmune humoral contra el virus de ND e IBD, respectivamente. El presente estudio sugiere que la adición de anís a la dieta basal a la tasa de 0,5 g/kg y 1 g/kg de alimentación tuvo una mejor actividad inmunomoduladora tanto para las respuestas inmunes humorales como celulares. Sin embargo, a dosis más altas de anís tuvo efectos adversos. El anís posee una importante actividad inmunomoduladora cuando se añade en dosis más bajas, es decir, 0,5 g/kg y 1 g/kg

VITAMIN A DERIVATIVES USE IN THE TREATMENT OF SKIN CONDITIONS

Retinoids are used to treat various skin diseases. They add valuable impact of when used early in the treatment of dermatological conditions. Overall vitamin A derivatives are underused, with isotretinoin is the most used. This paper aims to develop prescribers’ knowledge about their benefits, to improve their usability and aids in alleviating patient concerns to improve therapeutic outcomes in dermatological conditions. In acne vulgaris, adapalene gel and tretinoin cream showed equal efficacy. In psoriasis the combination of acitretin and PUVA was superior to PUVA alone. Acitretin showed a reduction of 41% in the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index and similar efficacy to potent steroids and calcipotriol. In chronic hand eczema, alitretinoin showed 50% improvement in patient’s refractory to steroid treatment. In photoaging and aging, retinoids were shown to increase the synthesis and decrease the degradation rate of collagen and hyaluronate, reducing the impact of aging. In rosacea, topical and systemic isotretinoin showed complete remission in 24% of the patients compared to only 14 % with antibiotics (metronidazole and doxycycline). In lichen planus, isotretinoin demonstrated clinical and histopathological efficacy. In cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, bexarotene used alone or with PUVA or narrow band UVB, showed a response between 80.0% to 84.0%. Lastly in Kaposi sarcoma alitretinoin gel showed superiority to all other agents and better tolerance. This review highlights the benefit of timely use of vitamin A derivatives to encourage wider use

Determination and Extraction of Acetamiprid Residues in Fruits and Vegetables

<p align="center"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">  <span style="font-size: medium;">Vegetables (chilies, tomato, cauliflower and cucumber) and fruits (mango and apple) samples were spiked with known quantity (0.50 mg kg-1) of acetamiprid reference standard for testing the retrieval percentage of acetamiprid residue in those vegetables and fruits. The efficiency of different extracting (ethyl acetate and dichloromethane + acetone 8:2) and eluting (ethyl acetate and dichloromethane + acetone 8:2) solvents and adsorbents (activated charcoal and florisil) for clean up purpose was calculated using HPLC. Amongst the extracting solvents ethyl-acetate was observed an effective extracting solvent alone which produced maximum 90-96%  </span><span style="font-size: medium;">recovery for acetamiprid residues while among the eluting solvents a combination of dichloromethane and acetone ( ratio 8:2) produced superior recoveries i.e. 87-95%. Similarly, between the adsorbents used for clean up purpose activated charcoal and florisil in tandem (first from charcoal and then through florisil) yielded recoveries 82-90 % whereas adsorbents used alone in form of activated florisil and charcoal recovered only 70 to 78 % and 71 to 73% acetamiprid residues, respectively in all vegetables and fruits.</span></span></p

Determination and Extraction of Acetamiprid Residues in Fruits and Vegetables

  Vegetables (chilies, tomato, cauliflower and cucumber) and fruits (mango and apple) samples were spiked with known quantity (0.50 mg kg-1) of acetamiprid reference standard for testing the retrieval percentage of acetamiprid residue in those vegetables and fruits. The efficiency of different extracting (ethyl acetate and dichloromethane + acetone 8:2) and eluting (ethyl acetate and dichloromethane + acetone 8:2) solvents and adsorbents (activated charcoal and florisil) for clean up purpose was calculated using HPLC. Amongst the extracting solvents ethyl-acetate was observed an effective extracting solvent alone which produced maximum 90-96%  recovery for acetamiprid residues while among the eluting solvents a combination of dichloromethane and acetone ( ratio 8:2) produced superior recoveries i.e. 87-95%. Similarly, between the adsorbents used for clean up purpose activated charcoal and florisil in tandem (first from charcoal and then through florisil) yielded recoveries 82-90 % whereas adsorbents used alone in form of activated florisil and charcoal recovered only 70 to 78 % and 71 to 73% acetamiprid residues, respectively in all vegetables and fruits

Efecto promotor del crecimiento de Pimpinella anisum (semilla de anis) en pollos broiler

Se realizó el presente estudio para evaluar el efecto promotor del crecimiento de Pimpinella anisum L. (anís) en pollos de  engorde en términos de ganancia de peso corporal, peso de los órganos, el consumo de alimento y conversión alimenticia (FCR). Para este  propósito, cuatro niveles (0,5, 1,0, 1,5 y 2,0 gramos por kg de alimento) de anís en polvo se administraron en el pienso desde el día 0 hasta  el final del experimento (42 días de edad). La ganancia de peso corporal, consumo de alimento y FCR fueron registrados en forma semanal.  Las aves mostraron un buen rendimiento (mejor ganancia de peso, un mejor consumo de alimento y FCR) cuando el anís se alimentó en  dosis más bajas, sin embargo, las aves mostraron malos resultados en los niveles más altos de anís. Del mismo modo, se observó casi el  mismo patrón de peso de los órganos. Este estudio sugiere que el buen efecto del anís en el rendimiento de pollos de engorde en dosis más  bajas que sugiere la necesidad adicional de experimentos de la serie para conocer los niveles de seguridad mínimos de anís que se  incorporarán en la ración de pollos de engorde para obtener los resultados deseados