The Contemporaneous Correlation of Structural Shocks and Inflation— Output Variability in Pakistan

Monetary policy has changed in a number of ways during the last two decades . Along with the other characteristics, modern monetary policy is forward-looking, and the central banks respond contemporaneously to structural shocks that are expected to make inflation deviate from the future targets. This study aims at investigating this aspect of the monetary policy for Pakistan. Using a modified version of Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) developed by Enders and Hurn (2007), we have found a weak response of policy to supply-side shocks as the correlation coefficient between the demand and supply shocks is only 0.041. Moreover, the results show that the demand shocks have no significant contribution to output variability. On the other hand, both the demand and supply shocks, along with the foreign supply shocks, significantly contribute to inflation variability.Monetary Policy, Contemporaneous Correlation, Pakistan, Structural Shocks, Vector Autoregression

Collection of Departmental Information by Utilizing Computer Technology: Evidence from Schools of Karachi

This paper is an analysis of Collection of Departmental Information (CDI) of Education Department of Karachi, but the concept of the paper is general in nature and applicable to every department of any country for the purpose of computerization of all the related records and CDI. The Paper examines the existing manually run infrastructure of CDI for onward submission to concerned departmental authorities. With the advent of information technology, the transformation and collection of information is analyzed for comparison between traditional source code and computer based working system. Trend of introducing computer in Government Departments has been examined and recorded with positive results. The Governor of Sindh seems to be very serious and has much emphasized the need of using computer technology for easy access, efficient, diligent and versatile functioning of the departments. In the light of results based on interviews, literature review and their analysis, policy implications are made for better Management of CDI for concerned authorities.Manual Information, Computer Technology, Versatile, Diligent, Acceleration, Access and Management

Juxtaposition of micro and macro dynamics of dividend policy on stock price volatility in financial sector of Pakistan : (comparative analysis through common, fixed, random and GMM effect)

The purpose of this study is to analyze the dividend policy dynamics in context to firm specific and macroeconomic variables with stock price volatility in the financial sector of Pakistan. Panel data is used for the period 2006-2014 to identify the common, fixed, random and GMM effect. It is concluded that dividend payout ratio, market value, interest volatility and inflation volatility have positive significant correlation with price volatility. Common effect model shows that dividend payout and interest volatility has a significant positive impact on the share prices. Whereas fixed effect model is more appropriate and good fit than random effect model and model indicate that dividend payout ratio has significant positive impact and market volatility has significant negative impact on stock prices. GMM results also support the fixed and random effect outcomes with more robustness. This study significantly contributes in dividend policy decisions and elaborates the dynamic roll of micro and macro variables on stock price volatility in financial sector of Pakistan.peer-reviewe

Biomarkers for diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and endometriosis

Gynecological disorders are leading public health problems in developing countries with substantial impact on women&#39;s quality of life. Significant proportion of maternal mortality and reproductive morbidity is attributed to misdiagnosis andmismanagement of pregnancy related lethal pathological conditions and affect women&#39;s health. Timely diagnosis is necessary to prevent maternal deaths and to manage complications. Biomarker development will create a wide window of opportunity for early diagnosis. This review discusses the current status of biomarkers and recent advances in &#39;omics&#39; technology for early screening of endometriosis and pre-eclampsia because of significant global bioburden associated with these disorders. This review will also give baseline data for future biomarker development strategies.</p

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension; three case reports with similar clinical manifestations, treated successfully using different management techniques.

Spontaneous Intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a rare neurological disorder, characterized by orthostatic headaches. Due to the complicity of its diagnosis and lack of awareness amongst physicians, SIH remains an under-diagnosed disease and its true prevalence remains unknown. It is a reversible condition, if diagnosed early. Delay in diagnosis can result in life threatening complications.Case Reports:We present a case series of three patients who presented with typical symptoms of SIH. But management course of each patient varied. The first patient responded well to the EBP (epidural blood patch) while the second improved with conventional symptomatic treatment. The third patient needed a surgical intervention for complication developed due to SIH. This case series hence covers a variety of treatment options for patients with SIH.Conclusion:SIH is an emerging challenge for neurologists worldwide. Awareness amongst physicians regarding this disease along with a high level of suspicion and good history skills will allow early diagnosis of the disease and prevent delay in treatment and hence complications

The Cost of Unserved Energy: Evidence from Selected Industrial Cities of Pakistan

This study is an attempt to explore the cost of unserved energy due to power outages in Pakistan that started in 2007. The study is based on a survey conducted for four major industrial cities of Punjab—Gujrat, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot. In addition to quantification of output losses, the effect on employment, cost of production, and delay in supply orders are also examined. The output loss is quantified using two-dimensional analyses, controlling for variations in the duration of outages and in the shift hours. The survey data reveal that employment has not suffered any significant drop due to alternative energy arrangements. These arrangements, nevertheless, have increased the production cost of the firms. Delays in the delivery of supply orders are also due to energy shortage. The study reports that the total industrial output loss varies between 12 percent and 37 percent, with Punjab as the major affected province.Energy Crises, Output Loss, Pakistan

Irritable bowel syndrome and health seeking behaviour in different communities of Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and health seeking behaviour in patients belonging to different ethnic groups and their squatter settlements in two cities of Pakistan. METHODS: Questionnaire based on Rome II criteria for the diagnosis of IBS was sent to 1167 persons living in, Karachi and Bahawalpur and their squatter settlements in Baloch Colony and Tibba Badar Sher respectively. About 90% (1048) completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall frequency of IBS was 14% with a mean age of 30 +/- 12.5 years and range of 16-85 years. Of the IBS positive patients, 56% (82/146) were males. IBS was significantly more common (p = 0.05) in males belonging to age group 16-30 years. The most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain (100%), altered bowel habits (51%), and diarrhoea (54%). There was no difference in the prevalence of IBS in Karachi and Baloch Colony as compared to Bahawalpur and Tibba Badar Sher. IBS patients seeking health care advice were 17.6% as compared to 12.6 % non healthcare seekers. Of the healthcare seekers there were 29 (35.4%) males (p = 0.002). The overall mean age of health care seeking IBS patients was 32.8 +/-13.8 years (p \u3c 0.001). All IBS patients seeking healthcare advice had abdominal pain (p \u3c 0.001), while 61% had altered stool consistency (p \u3c 0.001) and 46% had stool frequency (p \u3c 0.001) as compared to IBS non healthcare seekers. CONCLUSION: IBS is seen in both urban and suburban communities. Health seeking behaviour is common in males and with abdominal pain

Frequency of irritable bowel syndrome in college students.

Background: This study was carried out to investigate the presence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in college students and compare its distribution in the non-medical college and medical college students. Methods: We collected data from 508 students by inviting them to fill out a questionnaire based on Rome II criteria for the diagnosis of IBS from November 2001 to February 2004. Two major cities Karachi and Bahawalpur were selected and it was coordinated by the section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur. Results: A total of 508 subjects with males 43 %(220/508) and female 57 % (288/508) mean age 22 ± 2.8 years responded to the questionnaire.The overall frequency of IBS among college students was 34 % (171/508).There were 41 % (107/263) non-medical college and 26 % (64/245) medical college students with IBS. Abdominal pain was present in 100 % (171/171) with altered frequency of stool in 58 % (100/171) (p\u3c 0.001,OR 12.5, CI 7.9-20.0) of students with IBS. The medical advice was sought by 38 % (65/171) in IBS group with 46 % (30/65) non-medical college school and 54 % (35/65) medical student (p=0.001, OR 1.9, CI 1.3-2.8). Conclusion IBS is common in younger adult population of Pakistan. Its prevalence is higher in non-medical college students but health care seeking behavior was more common in medical students

Changing trends of Hepatitis B seromarkers amongst pakistani population: a laboratory-based review

Objective: To study the changing trends of hepatitis B markers tested at Aga Khan University Hospital clinical laboratory according to the internationally recognised classification of hepatitis B profile. Methods: The retrospective study involved analysis of laboratory records of hepatitis B profiles of all patients collected from January 2001 to December 2008 at the Aga Khan University Hospital\\u27s clinical laboratory. Patients with complete profile tested were categorised according to the Centre for Diseases Control classification of hepatitis B profile. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis. R Results: A total of 185,825 patients had serological markers for hepatitis B tested. Mean-age of reactive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) patients was 30±12.5 years. HBsAg reactivity was significantly higher in males than females (34% vs 12%; p Conclusion: The study substantiated the general perception that levels of HBsAg is showing a decreasing trend, while levels of HBsAb are increasing perhaps due to better vaccination of population