China and Regional Security in South and Southeast Asia: A Comparative Analysis of ASEAN and SAARC

Asian regionalism is largely represented by economic cooperation at sub-regional levels, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is seen as a prominent example of that. In contrast, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has failed to take off as a platform for economic cooperation and has been hostage to the India-Pakistan rivalry. While ASEAN was established as a forum to address members' security apprehensions concerning China, SAARC was created to focus on regional cooperation in non-controversial matters like trade and human security. Hence, ASEAN has engaged more deeply with China through various mechanisms. Conversely, SAARC-China relations remain limited because India, the most dominant actor in the organization and the region, views China as a threat to its security and hegemony in South Asia. The research, therefore, aims to answer the following question: How does one region successfully manage security challenges/threats while the other remains ensnared by them? Resolving this puzzle necessitates a nuanced understanding of the role of regionalism in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the significance of comprehending the process and evolution of regionalism in this context. To address this inquiry, the research employs a comparative-historical analysis grounded in archival data encompassing both primary and secondary sources. The investigation reveals that SAARC's limited engagement with China is a consequence of India's opposition, a dynamic absent in ASEAN, where Indonesia actively supports cooperation with China. The research underscores the critical importance of unraveling the complexities of regionalism in Southeast Asia to grasp the underlying factors contributing to divergent outcomes in these regional organizations

Governing the Labour Market: The Impossibility of Corporatist Reforms

This paper argues that a return to corporatist governance structures is impossible in Pakistan. Section 1 outlines neo-classical labour market regulation rationalities presented by Hayek, Wieser, and Sen. Section 2 compares and contrasts Fordist and Post-Fordist modes of labour market regulation. And Section 3 seeks to establish the impossibility of institutionalising corporatist governance structures in the labour markets of Pakistan. Neo-classical theory sees relations between labour and the representatives of capital (‘managers’) as relations created spontaneously by individuals in the pursuit of their rational self-interest. The capitalist individual, be he labourer or manager, defines ‘maximisation of utility’ as his ‘rational self interest’, and order within the labour market requires a reconciliation of individual (the labourer’s) and aggregate (the manager’s) utility maximisation (with aggregate utility maximisation being represented by shareholders value). Labour market order is thus impeded if

Cardiac electrophysiology studies and ablations for treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias--an initial experience from Karachi

OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical experience, complications and outcome of Cardiac Electrophysiology Studies and Catheter Radiofrequency Ablation in treatment of supraventricular tachycardias in Karachi. METHODS: A retrospective review of records of all patients who underwent an electrophysiological study and radiofrequency ablation at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Aga Khan University Hospital from 2005 to 2007 was performed. Patient\u27s demographics, disease and procedural data were collected and analyzed using SPSS.V.II. RESULTS: We enrolled 168 patients, 150 (89%) from National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and 18 (11%) from Aga Khan University Hospital. Sample had 86 (51%) male participants. The mean age was 43 +/- 15 years. Indications for procedure were recurrent supraventricular tachycardias (89.9%), Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome with atrial fibrillation (5.9%), syncope (2.4%), and wide QRS tachycardia (1.8%). Final diagnosis was Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome in 80 (48%) and Atriovetricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia in 88 (52%). The accessory pathway in Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome was located on left side in 61% of cases and on right side in 39% of cases. Overall acute success rate for Radio Frequency ablation was 90%. Success rate for ablation of accessory pathway in Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome was 85% while that for ablation of slow pathway in AV node re-entrant tachycardia was 95%. Complications occurred in one case. CONCLUSION: Electro Physiology Studies and Radiofrequency ablation proved to be a safe and effective method for diagnosis and treatment of supraventricular tachycardias in our patients

“COVID-19” and its Cardiovascular Complications – Review

By the end of December in 2019, the world got trapped under the dark shadow of the deadly novel virus that was given the name as “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome‐coronaVirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)”. Due to its rapid spread in all the continents, “Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)” was announced as the pandemic due to its high potential of infecting the human beings. This viral infection not only become the reason of mortality, but it also lethally effected the the infrastructure of public health care system and the global economic situation. “COVID-19” generally maifestated as the “viral pneumonia”, sporadically leading to “acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)” and death. Frequent clinical studies have depicted an interrelation between this deadly virus and cardiovascular diseases. Precedent cardiovascular disease in a person seems to be linked with adverse consequences and high chances of mortality in patients with (COVID-19 infection), whereas this virus itself has a potential of inducing the arrhythmia, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial injury and venous thromboembolism. One of the most significant point of concern is the drug & disease interactions that affect the patients with viral infection and comorbid cardiovascular diseases. By integrating the data and information regarding the biological features of this contagious novel virus, this review has summarized the pivotal cardiac manifestations, their management, and future implications. By correlating the facts and figures related to the biological conditions of this lethal virus with the reported clinical findings, we can ameliorate our conceptions regarding the significant mechanisms underlying (COVID-19), ultimately leading towards the control of this viral infection by the progressive development in preventions and treatments

Hemoptysis secondary to rupture of infected aortic aneurysm- a case report

BACKGROUND: Massive hemoptysis is a life-threatening condition and can arise as a complication of various conditions. It rarely occurs as a complication of a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm. Even rarer are conditions where pseudoanurysms of aorta result due to infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30 year-old female patient presented with left sided chest pain, intermittent fever, cough and massive hemoptysis. A pseudo-aneurysm of proximal descending thoracic aorta at the level of the left Subclavian artery was noted over CT scan. Upon performing a left posterolateral thoracotomy, the aneurysm was seen to have ruptured into the apical segment of left upper lobe, contained mainly by a thrombus. The anterior wall of the pseudoaneurysm was debrided and a bovine pericardial patch was used to repair the aortic defect. Cultures of the tissue obtained showed Enterobacter species, therefore the patient was prescribed 6 weeks of IV antibiotics following surgery. Post-operative CT scan revealed reduced diameter of the aorta. She was discharged in good health and remains well at follow up evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: We present a case of hemoptysis caused by a ruptured descending aorta aneurysm into left lung. The aneurysm was secondary to infection by Enterobacter. Surgical repair of the concerned region of aorta was effective, without any major sequelae. To the best of our knowledge, no such cases have been reported previousl

Reccurent Reversible Encephalopathy with Ataxia and D-Lactic acidosis in Short bowel Syndrome

The short gut syndrome can lead to multiple metabolic disorders along with chronic malnutrition. Such patients can develop changes in mental status due to metabolic alterations. We present a case of eleven years old male who presented to the hospital with an altered mental state. There were repeated admissions to the hospital with a similar complain with non-conclusive cerebrospinal fluid analysis and normal neuroimaging findings. The patient suffered from chronic malnutrition and multiple hospitalizations with altered mental status, encephalopathy. However, he responded well to bicarbonate therapy and prophylactic metronidazole treatment

Anticoccidial Effect of Cinnamomum verum Essential Oil and Its Impact on Hematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters in Broilers

Background: There are various synthetic anticoccidial drugs available in the market for the control and treatment of coccidiosis in broilers. However, their extensive usage has resulted in the development of drug resistance as well as the presence of drug residues in meat, thus urging scientists to find alternatives for coccidiosis control. Hence, the current research was aimed at the evaluation of the anticoccidial potential of Cinnamomum verum essential oil through the application of both the in-vitro and in-vivo methods.Methods: The bark of C. verum procured from the market was subjected to hydro-distillation procedure for extraction of the essential oil. The extracted essential oil was subjected to in-vitro evaluation in terms of percent sporulation and oocysts damage at six different concentrations (0.31, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10% v/v). Similarly, for the in-vivo trial, 72 broiler chicks were randomly divided into six equal groups (A, B, C, D, E and F). The first five groups were infected with oocysts of mixed Eimeria species while the sixth group was kept as non-infected. When the chicks were 14 days old, the infected groups were orally given 55000 oocysts per bird. On the same day 14, the groups A, B and C were given C. verum essential oil at concentrations of 1, 2 and 3% respectively in feed whereas groups D, E and F served as positive control (Toltrazuril® treated), negative control and the normal control respectively.Result: The results revealed C. verum oil to have an effect on the percent sporulation and oocysts damage. The oil also improved the FCR, lesion score, oocysts score, fecal score and serum biochemical parameters in the treated broilers. However, it had no significant positive effect on the hematological parameters like Hb, PCV and blood cells count, and the weight of internal organs in broilers. For most of the parameters, C. verum essential oil showed a dose-dependent effect.Conclusion: In nutshell, C. verum essential oil possesses significant anticoccidial potential as demonstrated by the results of both the in-vitro and the in-vivo experiments. However, further studies are required for its validation and commercialization in the poultry sector

A methodology for flexibility analysis of pipeline systems

Pipeline systems serve a crucial role in an effective transport of fluids to the designated location for medium to long span of distances. Owing to its paramount economic significance, pipeline design field have undergone extensive development over the past few years for enhancing the optimization and transport efficiency. This research paper attempts to propose a methodology for flexibility analysis of pipeline systems through employing contemporary computational tools and practices. A methodical procedure is developed, which involves modeling of the selected pipeline system in CAESAR II followed by the insertion of pipe supports and restraints. The specific location and selection of the inserted supports is based on the results derived from the displacement, stress, reaction, and nozzle analysis of the concerned pipeline system. Emphasis is laid on the compliance of the design features to the leading code of pipeline transportation systems for liquid and slurries, ASME B31.4. The discussed procedure and approach can be successfully adjusted for the analysis of various other types of pipeline system configuration. In addition to the provision of systematic flow in analysis, the method also improves efficient time-saving practices in the pipeline stress analysis