Impacts of economic crises and reform on the informal textile industry in Karachi

"To date, no empirical research has examined the local impacts of economic crises and reform on cities in Pakistan, including Karachi. This study addresses this gap by examining how the textile industry – as one of Pakistan’s most productive economic sectors – has been impacted, with a focus on the informal power loom sub-sector. The factors that have contributed to the decline of the textile industry and the repercussions for this sub-sector, including one of the settlements in which it operates, are discussed. The conclusions contemplate the challenges of formulating urban policy responses to an economic problem that is shaped simultaneously by local, regional and global pressures.

Contributors’ Preference in Open Source Software Usability: An Empirical Study

The fact that the number of users of open source software (OSS) is practically un-limited and that ultimately the software quality is determined by end user’s experience, makes the usability an even more critical quality attribute than it is for proprietary software. With the sharp increase in use of open source projects by both individuals and organizations, the level of usability and related issues must be addressed more seriously. The research model of this empirical investigation studies and establishes the relationship between the key usability factors from contributors’ perspective and OSS usability. A data set of 78 OSS contributors that includes architects, designers, developers, testers and users from 22 open source projects of varied size has been used to study the research model. The results of this study provide empirical evidence by indicating that the highlighted key factors play a significant role in improving OSS usability

Addressing User Requirements in Open Source Software: The Role of Online Forums

User satisfaction has always been important in the success of software, regardless of whether it is closed and proprietary or open source software (OSS). OSS users are geographically distributed and include technical as well as novice users. However, it is generally believed that if OSS was more usable, its popularity would increase tremendously. Hence, users and their requirements need to be addressed in the priorities of an OSS environment. Online public forums are a major medium of communication for the OSS community. The research model of this work studies the relationship between user requirements in open source software and online public forums. To conduct this research, we used a dataset consisting of 100 open source software projects in different categories. The results show that online forums play a significant role in identifying user requirements and addressing their requests in open source software

Validity of capital asset pricing model: evidence from Karachi stock exchange

This study investigates the validity of Capital Asset Pricing (CAP) Model in Karachi stock exchange (KSE). The data of 387 companies of 30 different sectors on monthly, quarterly and semiannual basis are used. The Paired sample t- test is applied to find the difference between actual and expected returns. Results show that capital asset pricing model (CAPM) predict more accurately the expected return on a short term investment as compare to long term investment. It is recommended that the investors should more focus on CAPM results for short term as compare to long term investments in KSE.Portfolio choice, Investment Decisions, Capital Assets Pricing Model, Risk

SPINDLE CELL CARCINOMA OF LARYNX- A DISTINCT CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL ENTITY

Spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is a variant of squamous cell carcinoma with biphasic components and more aggressive behaviour. Its rarity and histopathological pattern pose a diagnostic challenge. Early diagnosis and treatment result in a decrease in local and distant metastasis. Case 1 is a 71-year-old female presented with hoarseness of voice and dyspnoea for 2 years without any risk factors. Fibre-optic laryngoscopy (FOL) revealed smooth polyp hanging from anterior two-third of the left vocal cord. Microlaryngoscopic excision revealed SpCC followed by post-operative radiotherapy and is currentlyalive. Case 2 is a 72-year-old male presented with worsening stridor for 2 years post-excision of laryngeal nodule and history of smoking and hookah use for >20 years. He developed dysphonia after a few months with fixed hard level 3 nodes at the right side. FOL showed a polypoid mass extending from the left vocal cord into the supraglottis. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the neck swelling confirmed the diagnosis of SpCC. Computerised tomography (CT) chest/abdomen showed distant metastasis. Palliative radiotherapy was given, but the patient died after 3 months due to locoregional failure. Case 3 is a 35-year-old male presented with a history of hoarseness for 3 years with no risk factors. FOL showed a 1.2-cm polypoid growth on the right vocal cord. Total laryngectomy was performed and histopathology showed SpCC. Radiotherapy was given and the patient is alive without disease with regular follow-ups. Smoking and alcohol are thought to be the contributing factors causing this disease. Biphasic nature of the tumour requires pathological sampling for diagnostic confirmation. Surgery combined with radiotherapy has a better survival outcome. SpCC is a rare tumour with a tendency for locoregionalrecurrence. Surgery should remain the mainstay of treatment followed by post-operative radiotherapy for a better control.Key words: Larynx, radiotherapy, spindle cell carcinom