PAKISTAN’S TRADE WITH AFRICA: PECULIARITIES AND ROAD AHEAD

Pakistan's Look Africa Policy Initiative is required to take benefit from the African region in these times when African states want to establish good economic and diplomatic relations and create for themselves a comfortable niche in the African trade and development. Pakistan should not overlook the pre-eminence of action courses (functionalism and federalism) to adequately proceed with economic prospects and opportunities. The buck must stop here so that concrete and palpable genuine initiatives can be clutched. While expediting ahead on this economic nexus, it is necessary to shed light on the role of Morocco in CPEC and the possibility of investment in Pakistan. The paper explores the history of Pak-Africa relations positively in the search for a better future together. This is a research of the kind and nature of relations that can be potentially developed between Pakistan and Africa to reveal the natural potential of both.   Bibliography Entry Rashid, Asma, and Anjum Ghouri. 2020. "Pakistan’s Trade with Africa: Peculiarities and Road Ahead." Margalla Papers 24 (1): 122-131

In vitro propagation of some promising genotypes of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)

Nodal segments (1.5 - 3.0 cm long) of six promising jojoba genotypes were cultured in vitro on solidified MS medium supplemented with BA in combination with different concentrations of NAA, IAA or IBA forshoot formation. The plant growth regulators combination of 5.55 ìM BA + 7.1 ìM IAA proved the best for shoot initiation and subsequent growth. Some explants of the jojoba genotypes, PKJ-3 and PKJ-6,developed thick rootlets when BA (5.55 ìM) was used in combination with IBA (6.1 ìM) or NAA (6.7 ìM). Many explants developed callus on the medium containing BA (11.1 ìM) in combination with NAA (13.4ìM), IAA (14.3 ìM) or IBA (12.2 ìM). In vitro derived shoots were rooted by culturing on solidified MS medium containing IBA (6.1 ìM), IAA (7.1 ìM) or NAA (6.7 ìM). The plantlets which developed roots inresponse to IBA had the maximum survival percentage (63.33) during acclimatization in greenhouse. However, survival of the plantlets in field conditions was independent of the genotypes and the time ofplanting. Among the genotypes, PKJ-3 performed the best in all the parameters studied

Frequency of erectile dysfunction in COPD patients

Objective: Objective of study was to investigate the frequency of erectile dysfunction in COPD patients. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in pulmonology department of Nishtar Hospital Multan. 336 outpatients diagnosed as COPD according to Global Initiative of Chronic Lung Disease criteria, were included by non-probability consecutive sampling from February 2016 to august 2016 after taking the approval from ethics committee of the institution. Written consent of the study was signed by all patients. All patients were divided in mild, moderate, severe and very severe form of COPD on basis of FEV1. All patients completed International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire. Data was analyzed by using SPSS vol 23. Numerical variables like age, BMI and duration of COPD were statistically analyzed by using their mean and standard deviation and t-test was used to check their significance. Non numerical variables like area of living, income status, smoking status and different stages of COPD were statistically analyzed by using their frequency and chi square test was applied to check the significance. P value <0.05 was taken as significance. Results: Overall, 100% (n=336) male patients were included, in this study. The main outcome variable of this study was Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Classification of erectile dysfunction was noted as no, mild, moderate and severe as 32.7% (n=110), 23.5% (n=79), 16.4% (n=55) and 27.4% (n=92) respectively. Classification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was observed as mild, moderate, severe and very severe as 5.1% (n=17), 45.8% (n=154), 32.1% (n=108) and 17% (n=57) respectively. No association was found between erectile dysfunction and area (p=0.484), stratified age (p=0.970), stratified BMI (p=0.283), except income (p=0.000) and smoking status (p=0.000) Conclusion: Erectile dysfunction is hidden and under discuss comorbidity in COPD patients. There is significant prevalence of erectile dysfunction in COPD patients. All respiratory physicians should ask and investigate erectile dysfunction in COPD patients. All patients of COPD should be encouraged to share their sexual problems. Key words: COPD, Erectile dysfunction, sexual functio

Indications of enucleations and eviscerations performed at a tertiary eye care unit: a case series.

Abstract The retrospective study was planned to look at the indications of eye enucleations and eviscerations, and comprised all such procedures done at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2006 to December 2015. Data was collected regarding age at the time of procedure, gender, procedure type, indication for enucleation or evisceration, type of implant if used and complications. Of the 66 eyes of 65 individuals, 47 (71.2%) underwent evisceration and 19 (28.8%) enucleation. The mean age at the time of the procedures was 37.86±23.09 years. The indication for enucleation or evisceration were keratitis 14(21.2%), introcular tumours 13(19.7%), trauma 10(15.2%), endophthalmitis 10(15.2%), cosmesis 10(15.2%) and painful blind eye 9(13.6%). Only 5(7.5%) procedures had postoperative complications such as wound dehiscence, infected socket, loose suture, or stich abscess. Most of causes of enucleation and evisceration in this case series could have prevented through the application of evidence-based safety practices

The employment challenges for Pakistan in the 1990s

The principal focus of this paper is on how to meet the challenge arising from the high growth rate of the labour force and its implications for the development strategy for the 1990s. The basic thrust of this paper is that the employment strategy must be seen within the context of an overall strategy for integrated human resources development (HRD) which combines investment in human capital, the “supply side “, with the creation of productive employment, the “demand side”, so as to lead to a fuller utilization of human resources and minimize skill mismatch in the labour market

The employment challenges for Pakistan in the 1990s

The principal focus of this paper is on how to meet the challenge arising from the high growth rate of the labour force and its implications for the development strategy for the 1990s. The basic thrust of this paper is that the employment strategy must be seen within the context of an overall strategy for integrated human resources development (HRD) which combines investment in human capital, the “supply side “, with the creation of productive employment, the “demand side”, so as to lead to a fuller utilization of human resources and minimize skill mismatch in the labour market

Patients\u27 satisfaction and spectacle independence after cataract surgery with multifocal intraocular lens implantation in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract This single group cohort study, undertaken at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from Jan 2012 to September 2013, assessed patients\u27 satisfaction, spectacle independence and visual disturbance after implantation of multifocal IOLs. A total of 39 patients who underwent bilateral cataract surgery with multifocal IOL implantation were included for telephonic interviews. The mean age of participants was 55.5 ± 8.1 years. The mean follow up time was 9.60 ± 3.19 months. The overall satisfaction rate after surgery was found to be 84.6% and there was no statistically significant association of satisfaction with gender, age or education. In all 84.6%, 94.9% and 84.6% people had spectacle independence for far, intermediate and near, respectively. More than half of participants (59%) had some degree of visual disturbance. In this study, multifocal IOL implantation provided high levels of satisfaction and spectacle independence despite notable risk of halo or glare symptoms at night. Therefore, careful patient selection and preoperative counselling regarding possible risks and benefits is recommended

Continuous dynamic sliding mode control strategy of PWM based voltage source inverter under load variations

For closed-loop controlled DC-AC inverter system, the performance is highly influenced by load variations and online current measurement. Any variation in the load will introduce unwanted periodic error at the inverter output voltage. In addition, when the current sensor is in faulty condition, the current measurement will be imprecise and the designed feedback control law will be ineffective. In this paper, a sensorless continuous sliding mode control (SMC) scheme has been proposed to address these issues. The chattering effect due to the discontinuous switching nature of SMC has been attenuated by designing a novel boundary-based saturation function where the selection of the thickness of boundary is dependent to the PWM signal generation of the inverter. In order to remove the dependency on the current sensor, a particle swarm optimization(PSO) based modified observer is proposed to estimate the inductor current in which the observer gains are optimized using PSO by reducing the estimation errors cost function. The proposed dynamic smooth SMC algorithm has been simulated in MATLAB Simulink environment for 0.2-kVA DC-AC inverter and the results exhibit rapid dynamic response with a steady-state error of 0.4V peak-to-peak voltage under linear and nonlinear load perturbations. The total harmonic distortion (THD) is also reduced to 0.20% and 1.14% for linear and non-linear loads, respectively

Immature Platelet Fraction in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease, A Marker for Evaluating Cirrhotic Changes.

Objective: To evaluate the role of Immature platelet fraction in patients with chronic liver disease, a marker for evaluating cirrhotic changes. Methodology: This case control study was conducted at department of Pathology, Aziz Fatima Medical and Dental College, Faisalabad, over a period of Seven months from June 2020 to January 2021. A total of 126 participants were included in the study consisting of 63 patients with chronic liver disease in group A and 63 participants without any known disease in group B as control. The IPF master program in combination with XE-2100 multiparameter automatic hematology analyzer was used to measure the immature platelet fraction. Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid was used to collect the blood sample for IPF measurement and was maintained till analysis on room temperature. Ten repeated analyses, immediately and after 24 hours were done for reproducibility of IPF%. Results: The mean age of liver disease patients was 52.35 ± 13.64 years and in control group the mean age was 51.62 ± 11.27 years. There was no significant (p-value > 0.05) difference between both groups based on age and gender. The hemoglobin level and red cell count was found to be significantly (p-value < 0.05) reduced in cases group. While white blood cells count was comparable in both groups. The mean platelet count was significantly (p-value < 0.05) less in cases group (163.5 ± 90.4 vs 233.4 ± 54.5 (x10*3/µl). The mean value of immature platelet fraction (IPF%) was significantly (p-value < 0.05) raised in cases group (5.62 ± 2.92 vs 3.06 ± 1.87). The multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA) score showed a significant (p-value < 0.05) association with chronic hepatis as compared to other liver related diseases. Conclusions: In chronic liver disease patients, there is an inverse relationship between platelet count and IPF% with decreased platelet count and increased IPF%. The proposed MDA function can be used to identify the cirrhotic changes in liver disease patients

Thrombolytic, Membrane Stabilizing, Analgesic activities along with Phytochemical Screening of the Methanolic Extract of Xanthium indicum Koenig Fruits

Objective: This study aimed to assess the thrombolytic, membrane stabilizing, and analgesic activities of the methanolic extract of the fruits of Xanthium indicum Koenig and undertook a phytochemical screening.Material and Methods: A qualitative analysis method to evaluate phytochemicals was adopted. Analgesic efficacy was assessed in vivo using the acetic acid-induced writhing method in a mouse model. Membranestabilizing and thrombolytic tests were done in vitro measuring the percentage of inhibition of hypotonic solution-produced hemolysis and running a clot disruption assay, respectively.Results: Crude methanolic extract was used for phytochemical screening, confirming the presence of reducing sugars, tannin, saponin, protein, phenol, and diterpenes. In the analgesic activity test, a 500 mg/ kg dose of crude extract showed 40% inhibition of writhing, while 200mg/kg showed a reduction of 22.64%. In the membrane stabilizing activity test, 10 mg/ml extract resulted in the highest inhibition rate of hemolysis with a value of 51.79%, while for acetyl salicylic acid (0.10 mg/ml), this value was 71.35%. In the thrombolytic activity test, 10 mg/ml plant extract showed 27.11% clot-lysis, which was the maximum among our tested concentrations; however, 40.08% lysis was achieved by the standard drug streptokinase. In all cases, we found a dose-dependent response. Tannin and flavonoid are known to be responsible for analgesic and thrombolytic response.Conclusion: As the methanolic extract of the fruits of X. indicum possesses potential pharmacological effects, the plant should be scrutinized comprehensively to detect the bioactive components present and the exact mechanism of their action in view of a drug development program