Historical Evolution of Shia Urdu Majalis in Pakistan

Shia majalis is a broad term which encompasses variety of religious gatherings adorned with diversity of speech acts. In Pakistan, Shia majalis are performed into different lingual and cultural backgrounds. Urdu majalis surpass the rest of lingual expressions in the popularity and number of performances. This paper, after describing the language based ontological and epistemological differences in the performance of majalis, argues that a remarkable change has been occurred in the composition and commencement of Urdu Shia Majalis over a period of time. It intends to bring the language in majalis discourse by analytically explaining the historical evolution of Urdu majalis. It maintains that Urdu majalis have gone through existential changes over the course of time. These changes can be periodically categorized in the reformatory, polemical and excommunicative trends in Urdu majalis in an evolutionary manner. During this course both genre and language are reflecting the surrounding social process. Argument is verified by analyzing the transitional behavior of structural components of majalis which include content, space and personalities</p

Association between a single nucleotide polymorphism in neuregulin-1 and schizophrenia in Pakistani patients

Objective: To determine the association of single-nucleotide polymorphism8nrg433E1006 in the neuregulin-1 gene associated with schizophrenia.Methods: This case-control study was conducted at the Fountain House, Lahore, and the psychiatric clinics at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, from 2010 to 2013.The total genomic deoxyribonucleic acid was isolated and single-nucleotide polymorphism8nrg433E1006 was screened by nested polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing. These sequences, from patients and controls, were aligned with the human neuregulin-1-glial growth factor 2 gene sequence, which served as a reference sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism genetic algorithm was characterised at position 433 in the neuregulin-1 gene by aligning test and control sequences with the neuregulin-1-glial growth factor 2reference sequence using ClustalW algorithm, implemented in the BioEdit software.Results: Of the 630 samples, 321(51%) were of cases and 309(49%)of controls. Moreover, 99(30.8%) cases and 79(25.6%) controls rendered correct neuregulin-1 gene frames. Of them, the single-nucleotide polymorphism8nrg433E1006 was present in 62(62.6%) cases and 24(30.4%) controls. The analysis showed that the odds ratio of having schizophrenia is 3.8 times higher in the presence of this single-nucleotide polymorphism at the 92 bp of neuregulin-1 gene with the 95% confidence interval(p=0.0001).Conclusions: There was a strong association of single-nucleotide polymorphism8nrg433E1006 in the neuregulin-1 gene with schizophrenia

Real time vision-based implementation of plant disease identification system on FPGA

Plant diseases have turned into a dilemma as it can cause significant reduction in both quality and quantity of agricultural products. To overcome that loss, we implemented a computer vision based real time system that can identify the type of plant diseases. Computer vision-based applications are computationally intensive and time consuming, so FPGA-based implementation is proposed to have a real time identification of plant diseases. In this paper an image processing algorithm is proposed for identifying two types of disease in Potato leaves. The proposed algorithm works well on images taken under different luminance conditions. The hardware/software-based implementation of the proposed algorithm is done on Xilinx ZYNQ SoC FPGA. Results show that our proposed algorithm achieves an accuracy of up to 90%, whereas the hardware implementation takes 0.095 seconds achieving a performance gain of 76.8 times as compared to the software implementation

Incidence and etiology of omphalitis in Pakistan: a community-based cohort study

Introduction: Although omphalitis (umbilical infections) among newborns is common and a major cause of neonatal deaths in developing countries, information on its burden and etiology from community settings is lacking. This study aimed to determine the incidence and etiology of omphalitis in newborns in high neonatal mortality settings in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: Trained community health workers surveyed all new births in three low-income areas from September 2004 to August 2007. Pus samples from the umbilical stumps were obtained from babies with pre-defined signs of illness and subjected to culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: Among 6904 births, 1501 (21.7%) newborns were diagnosed with omphalitis. Of these, 325 (21.6%) were classified as mild, 1042 (69.4%) as moderate, and 134 (8.9%) as severe, 141 (9.3%) were associated with clinical signs of sepsis. The incidence of omphalitis was 217.4/1000 live births, moderate-severe omphalitis 170.3 per 1000 live births, and associated with sepsis 20.4 per 1000 live births. Of 853 infants with purulent umbilical discharge, 64% yielded 583 isolates. The most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus, of which 291 (95.7%) were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and 13 (4.2%) methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Streptococcus pyogenes 105 (18%), Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci 59 (10 %), Pseudomonas spp., 52 (8.9 %), Aeromonas spp. 19 (3.2%), and Klebsiella spp. 12 (2%). Conclusions: A high burden of omphalitis can be associated with sepsis among newborns in low-income communities in Pakistan. S. aureus is the most common pathogen isolated from umbilical pus. Appropriate low-cost prevention strategies need to be implemented

Government revenue and child and maternal mortality

Funding: The Global Challenges Research Fund, the Scottish Funding Council and the Professor Sonia Buist Global Health Research Fund.Most maternal and child deaths result from inadequate access to the critical determinants of health: clean water, sanitation, education and healthcare, which are also among the Sustainable Development Goals. Reasons for poor access include insufficient government revenue for essential public services. In this paper, we predict the reductions in mortality rates — both child and maternal — that could result from increases in government revenue, using panel data from 191 countries and a two-way fixed-effect linear regression model. The relationship between government revenue per capita and mortality rates is highly non-linear, and the best form of non-linearity we have found is a version of an inverse function. This implies that countries with small per-capita government revenues have a better scope for reducing mortality rates. However, as per-capita revenue rises, the possible gains decline rapidly in a non-linear way. We present the results which show the potential decrease in mortality and lives saved for each of the 191 countries if government revenue increases. For example, a 10% increase in per-capita government revenue in Afghanistan in 2002 ($24.49 million) is associated with a reduction in the under-5 mortality rate by 12.35 deaths per 1000 births and 13,094 lives saved. This increase is associated with a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio of 9.3 deaths per 100,000 live births and 99 maternal deaths averted. Increasing government revenue can directly impact mortality, especially in countries with low per- capita government revenues. The results presented in this study could be used for economic, social and governance reporting by multinational companies and for evidence-based policymaking and advocacy.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A Theoretical Model for Predicting Axial Compressive Strain of FRP-Confined Concrete

The axial compressive strength and strain of structural elements made of reinforced concrete are enhanced by the external confinement provided by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets. There is still a need for more research into estimating axial compressive strain even though numerous studies have suggested analytical approaches to predict the axial compressive strength of concrete structural elements. This is a result of earlier strain models’ inadequate accuracy. Furthermore, rudimentary modelling techniques and small, noisy databases were used in the development of these models. To suggest a more realistic strain model and compare it with earlier models, a more rigorous methodology is therefore required. The goal of this study is to present a strain model for FRP-confined concrete members by analytical modeling based on a large database containing 570 sample points. When the models were assessed using statistical parameters, it was discovered that the estimations of the freshly proposed models were more accurate than those of the previous models. The estimations’ relative study provides significant support for the recommended analytical model’s applicability and accuracy in forecasting the axial-strain of CFRP-confined concrete compression members

Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-19, and a novel framework for quantifying optimal child survival. Methods We completed all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality analyses from 204 countries and territories for detailed age groups separately, with aggregated mortality probabilities per 1000 livebirths computed for neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-5 mortality rate (USMR). Scenarios for 2030 represent different potential trajectories, notably including potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of improvements preferentially targeting neonatal survival. Optimal child survival metrics were developed by age, sex, and cause of death across all GBD location-years. The first metric is a global optimum and is based on the lowest observed mortality, and the second is a survival potential frontier that is based on stochastic frontier analysis of observed mortality and Healthcare Access and Quality Index. Findings Global U5MR decreased from 71.2 deaths per 1000 livebirths (95% uncertainty interval WI] 68.3-74-0) in 2000 to 37.1 (33.2-41.7) in 2019 while global NMR correspondingly declined more slowly from 28.0 deaths per 1000 live births (26.8-29-5) in 2000 to 17.9 (16.3-19-8) in 2019. In 2019,136 (67%) of 204 countries had a USMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold and 133 (65%) had an NMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold, and the reference scenario suggests that by 2030,154 (75%) of all countries could meet the U5MR targets, and 139 (68%) could meet the NMR targets. Deaths of children younger than 5 years totalled 9.65 million (95% UI 9.05-10.30) in 2000 and 5.05 million (4.27-6.02) in 2019, with the neonatal fraction of these deaths increasing from 39% (3.76 million 95% UI 3.53-4.021) in 2000 to 48% (2.42 million; 2.06-2.86) in 2019. NMR and U5MR were generally higher in males than in females, although there was no statistically significant difference at the global level. Neonatal disorders remained the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years in 2019, followed by lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, congenital birth defects, and malaria. The global optimum analysis suggests NMR could be reduced to as low as 0.80 (95% UI 0.71-0.86) deaths per 1000 livebirths and U5MR to 1.44 (95% UI 1-27-1.58) deaths per 1000 livebirths, and in 2019, there were as many as 1.87 million (95% UI 1-35-2.58; 37% 95% UI 32-43]) of 5.05 million more deaths of children younger than 5 years than the survival potential frontier. Interpretation Global child mortality declined by almost half between 2000 and 2019, but progress remains slower in neonates and 65 (32%) of 204 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, are not on track to meet either SDG 3.2 target by 2030. Focused improvements in perinatal and newborn care, continued and expanded delivery of essential interventions such as vaccination and infection prevention, an enhanced focus on equity, continued focus on poverty reduction and education, and investment in strengthening health systems across the development spectrum have the potential to substantially improve USMR. Given the widespread effects of COVID-19, considerable effort will be required to maintain and accelerate progress. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-19, and a novel framework for quantifying optimal child survival. Methods We completed all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality analyses from 204 countries and territories for detailed age groups separately, with aggregated mortality probabilities per 1000 livebirths computed for neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-5 mortality rate (U5MR). Scenarios for 2030 represent different potential trajectories, notably including potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of improvements preferentially targeting neonatal survival. Optimal child survival metrics were developed by age, sex, and cause of death across all GBD location-years. The first metric is a global optimum and is based on the lowest observed mortality, and the second is a survival potential frontier that is based on stochastic frontier analysis of observed mortality and Healthcare Access and Quality Index. Findings Global U5MR decreased from 71·2 deaths per 1000 livebirths (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 68·3–74·0) in 2000 to 37·1 (33·2–41·7) in 2019 while global NMR correspondingly declined more slowly from 28·0 deaths per 1000 live births (26·8–29·5) in 2000 to 17·9 (16·3–19·8) in 2019. In 2019, 136 (67%) of 204 countries had a U5MR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold and 133 (65%) had an NMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold, and the reference scenario suggests that by 2030, 154 (75%) of all countries could meet the U5MR targets, and 139 (68%) could meet the NMR targets. Deaths of children younger than 5 years totalled 9·65 million (95% UI 9·05–10·30) in 2000 and 5·05 million (4·27–6·02) in 2019, with the neonatal fraction of these deaths increasing from 39% (3·76 million [95% UI 3·53–4·02]) in 2000 to 48% (2·42 million; 2·06–2·86) in 2019. NMR and U5MR were generally higher in males than in females, although there was no statistically significant difference at the global level. Neonatal disorders remained the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years in 2019, followed by lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, congenital birth defects, and malaria. The global optimum analysis suggests NMR could be reduced to as low as 0·80 (95% UI 0·71–0·86) deaths per 1000 livebirths and U5MR to 1·44 (95% UI 1·27–1·58) deaths per 1000 livebirths, and in 2019, there were as many as 1·87 million (95% UI 1·35–2·58; 37% [95% UI 32–43]) of 5·05 million more deaths of children younger than 5 years than the survival potential frontier. Interpretation Global child mortality declined by almost half between 2000 and 2019, but progress remains slower in neonates and 65 (32%) of 204 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, are not on track to meet either SDG 3.2 target by 2030. Focused improvements in perinatal and newborn care, continued and expanded delivery of essential interventions such as vaccination and infection prevention, an enhanced focus on equity, continued focus on poverty reduction and education, and investment in strengthening health systems across the development spectrum have the potential to substantially improve U5MR. Given the widespread effects of COVID-19, considerable effort will be required to maintain and accelerate progress

Modelling and Forecasting Energy Intensity, Energy Efficiency and CO₂ Emissions for Pakistan

The aim of this thesis is to examine the significant environmental issues, especially, Green House Gases (GHGs) emissions and specifically Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions which are mainly caused by energy use. This thesis consists of three core chapters. Chapters 2 and 4 discuss how to stabilize and forecast CO₂ emissions for Pakistan while chapter 3 discusses the energy efficiency of Asian developing countries. Exogenous Technical Change (TC) and endogenous TC models are considered in the chapter 2 for the stabilization of CO₂ emissions. Specifically, the estimated results show that endogenous TC model (which is estimated by following the Kalman Filter (KF) technique) does a better job in comparison. The results also point out the existence of a trade-off between GDP growth and fuel prices. Inter-fuel substitutions are estimated using the Almost Ideal Demand System (AID). Results suggest that stabilization can be achieved just in short run but it needs too much time for the implementation in the long run plans. In chapter 3, a parametric Stochastic Frontier model Approach (SFA) is used for a panel of 19 countries including Pakistan over the period of 1980 to 2013. The individual and relative energy efficiency over time of all counties is estimated. The focus is to find either energy intensity a good indicator of energy efficiency or not. According to the estimated results, energy intensity is not a good indicator of energy efficiency but the energy efficiency estimated using SFA after controlling for some of the economic factors (fuel prices, population, income, etc.) it is. In chapter 4, the relationship between CO₂ emissions and income, and energy consumption and income are found to support the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Univariate (Grey Prediction Model (GM), Exponential Smoothing (ES), Holt-Winter (H-W)) and multivariate model solving techniques are used to predict CO₂ emissions and their forecasting abilities are compared. A new technique, Out Of Sample Grey Prediction (OOSGP), is introduced after providing a critique of the GP model to get better forecast results. The findings of this study provide a valuable reference with which Pakistan’s government could formulate measures to reduce CO₂ emissions by curbing the unnecessary consumption of energy