Determining Force behind Value Premium : The Case of Financial Leverage and Operating Leverage

The determining force behind the value premium is the matter of debate among the researchers. Some are of the opinion that the financial distress risk determines value premium whereas other theorize that value premium is basically the compensation for operating leverage (investment activity risk). This research provides empirical evidence on this theoretical contradiction by investigating the relationships of financial leverage (FL) and operating leverage (OL) with stock returns, the book to market ratio (B/M), and systematic risk on non-financial sector firms trading at the Pakistan stock exchange (PSE). This research empirically finds significant and direct influence of operating leverage on stock returns, the book to market ratio, and systematic risk respectively. Overall findings provide support for the theoretical models which have a linked book to market effect with operating leverage. Thus, we conclude that investment activity risk seems to be the major factor that determines value premium.publishedVersio

White Blood Cell to Platelet Ratio as a Marker of Adverse Outcome in Organophosphate Poisoning: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction: Organophosphorus compounds are pesticides commonly used for agricultural purposes. However, by nature they are poisonous, and administration either accidental or intentional is a medical emergency requiring prompt evaluation and treatment, and can even lead to death. In addition due to the ease of their availability, they are commonly used for self-harm/suicidal purposes. Many of the patients are initially managed at primary or secondary healthcare setups before being referred to tertiary care hospitals. The purpose of our study is to find a prognostic marker in the initial blood work of these patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 46 patients were included in this retrospective cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. Data were collected from patient files using specific questionnaires. Outcomes were defined in terms of Emergency Department disposition. Data were analysed using SPSS v25. A univariate analysis, followed by Spearman’s Correlation was used. Results: Patients with a higher WBC to Platelet ratio had worse outcomes. The Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was calculated and a moderately strong correlation (rho = .458, p < .001) was found. Conclusion: WBC to Platelet ratio is a hematological parameter determined to be most strongly correlated with adverse outcomes in Organophosphate Poisoning. It has a statistically significant stronger correlation than the WBC count alone. However, further extensive and focused studies are needed to corroborate these findings and substantiate them as a definite marker of prognostic significance. Keywords: Organophosphate Poisoning; Emergency Medicine; ED; White Blood Cells; Emergency Care; Patient Outcome Assessment

Interaction between Melatonin, Sleepiness-Alertness and Body Temperature

Circadian rhythms confer a biological clock of all living beings, comprising oscillations in a range of physiological variables, including body temperature and melatonin, that regulate the sleep/wake cycle rhythmically. Both variables have been marked to influence the sleep/wake cycle; even so, the interrelationship among the triad (body temperature, melatonin & sleepiness/alertness) is still unknown. The current literature review is envisioned to examine the contemporary details regarding the interaction between melatonin, body temperature, and sleepiness/alertness. All the included information is procured from the latest review articles, systematic & meta-analytical literature reviews, and original research reports. Findings revealed that melatonin and body temperature collectively contribute to the formation of sleep. An increase in melatonin induces fluctuations in body temperature. Both physiologic variables serve as close indicators of sleepiness/alertness. However, modulating factors such as light, environmental temperature, and timing of melatonin administration (with the circadian clock) may impact the overall outcomes. A significant number of studies are required to infer the underlying processes by which these factors influence the circadian clock

Assessment of Morphoanatomical Modifications in Cucurbita pepo L. in Response to Combined Drought and Nickel Stress

Background: Nickel (Ni) is a toxic heavy metal and causes human health risks as well as plant abnormalities. The present study aimed to determine morpho-anatomical features of Cucurbita pepo L. var. fastigata under combined drought and Ni stress in greenhouse experiment.Methods: Seedlings were treated with four irrigation levels to induce drought stress 14 ml, 11.2 ml, 8.4 ml and 5.6 ml (abbreviated as S0, S1, S2 and S3) along with 25 ppm of Nickel.Results: The results were analyzed after 5th and 10th days and data revealed that seed germination rate and stem diameter was significantly (P≤ 0.05) increased while stem length, root length, root diameter, the number of secondary roots, leaf area, fresh weight, and dry weight were decreased. Among anatomical characteristics epidermis, xylem, phloem tissues, cortex, trichomes, medullary rays, endodermis, pericycle, palisade, mesophyll cells, and stem mid rib were adversely affected under water stress (S1 and S2) while plants under combined Ni stress showed significant (P≤ 0.05) reduction in cortex diameter, and increase in epidermis thickness, vascular bundles size except for S3 treatment level.Conclusion: It was concluded that combined drought and Ni stress positively affected the morphological features (roots, stem length, and leaf area) of the Cucurbita pepo plant as compared to separate water and Ni stress, preventing plant wilting.Keywords: Nickel, drought stress, anatomy, morphology, Cucurbita pepo L.

What do adolescents perceive to be key features of an effective dementia education and awareness initiative?

The development of dementia friendly communities is a current global and national priority for the UK. As a response to policy, there have been a number of dementia awareness initiatives disseminated with the aim of reducing the stigma associated with a diagnosis of dementia. The inclusion of adolescents in such initiatives in imperative in order to sustain dementia friendly communities. With this is mind, the aim of this study was to establish the dementia education needs of adolescents and effective dissemination strategies to convey key messages. A total of 42 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years participated in eight focus group discussions. Key themes to emerge from discussions included: the importance of dementia awareness, topics of interest within dementia, preferred methods of learning, the inclusion of the person living with dementia and the use of social media. The findings of the study will enable the development of appropriate dementia awareness initiatives for adolescents and thus facilitate the sustainability of dementia friendly communities

Symplectic Effective Order Numerical Methods for Separable Hamiltonian Systems

A family of explicit symplectic partitioned Runge-Kutta methods are derived with effective order 3 for the numerical integration of separable Hamiltonian systems. The proposed explicit methods are more efficient than existing symplectic implicit Runge-Kutta methods. A selection of numerical experiments on separable Hamiltonian system confirming the efficiency of the approach is also provided with good energy conservation

Determining Force behind Value Premium : The Case of Financial Leverage and Operating Leverage

The determining force behind the value premium is the matter of debate among the researchers. Some are of the opinion that the financial distress risk determines value premium whereas other theorize that value premium is basically the compensation for operating leverage (investment activity risk). This research provides empirical evidence on this theoretical contradiction by investigating the relationships of financial leverage (FL) and operating leverage (OL) with stock returns, the book to market ratio (B/M), and systematic risk on non-financial sector firms trading at the Pakistan stock exchange (PSE). This research empirically finds significant and direct influence of operating leverage on stock returns, the book to market ratio, and systematic risk respectively. Overall findings provide support for the theoretical models which have a linked book to market effect with operating leverage. Thus, we conclude that investment activity risk seems to be the major factor that determines value premium

White Blood Cell to Platelet Ratio as a Marker of Adverse Outcome in Organophosphate Poisoning: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction: Organophosphorus compounds are pesticides commonly used for agricultural purposes. However, by nature they are poisonous, and administration either accidental or intentional is a medical emergency requiring prompt evaluation and treatment, and can even lead to death. In addition due to the ease of their availability, they are commonly used for self-harm/suicidal purposes. Many of the patients are initially managed at primary or secondary healthcare setups before being referred to tertiary care hospitals. The purpose of our study is to find a prognostic marker in the initial blood work of these patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 46 patients were included in this retrospective cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. Data were collected from patient files using specific questionnaires. Outcomes were defined in terms of Emergency Department disposition. Data were analysed using SPSS v25. A univariate analysis, followed by Spearman’s Correlation was used. Results: Patients with a higher WBC to Platelet ratio had worse outcomes. The Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was calculated and a moderately strong correlation (rho = .458, p < .001) was found. Conclusion: WBC to Platelet ratio is a hematological parameter determined to be most strongly correlated with adverse outcomes in Organophosphate Poisoning. It has a statistically significant stronger correlation than the WBC count alone. However, further extensive and focused studies are needed to corroborate these findings and substantiate them as a definite marker of prognostic significance. Keywords: Organophosphate Poisoning; Emergency Medicine; ED; White Blood Cells; Emergency Care; Patient Outcome Assessment