Baluchistan Province Of Pakistan Research Articles

Balochi Text Segmentation for Establishing Balochi OCR

OCR is considered the fastest way of data entry; the smart conversion of the text data is called handwritten text recognition. Many of the languages possess OCRs and there are still some languages lacking the OCR. Balochi is one of the national languages of the Pakistan country and the most of speakers live in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. Balochi computing is at its infancy and require attention to its many of the approaches to accumulate the level of other languages especially pertaining to the matter of computation. This paper investigates the relation between other Arabic adopting languages and proposes a segmentation algorithm to segment Balochi text paragraphs into lines, lines into words and words into characters. The algorithm has been adopted and fine tuned to produce the accuracy of 95%. The segmentation algorithm will play a role in developing a complex OCR and handwritten recognition of Balochi language.

Incidence of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in humans during the COVID-19 pandemic in Baluchistan Province, Pakistan.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the neglected tropical diseases that affects impoverished communities throughout the world. In Pakistan CL is an endemic disease. This study aimed to determine the incidence of CL infection in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan from January 2020 to March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1047 clinically suspected cases of CL from Bolan Medical College Hospital, Quetta, were followed up in the study. The data regarding the epidemiological characterstics, pathological information, and treatment of patients was collected. Out of 1047 probable cases of CL, 594 (56.73%) cases were found to be positive for CL. Females had the highest infection rate, with the majority of reported cases being in the 0-9-year age group. Most CL cases were reported in April in the year 2020, with a few cases reported in June. But in the year 2021, the highest number of cases were reported in December. The number of overall cases has gradually increased in the year 2022, most likely because of the reduction in COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The p value for the positive as compared to suspected cases in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 was calculated as 0.8925, 0.8763, and 0.8535 respectively. Further epidemiological studies and health education campaigns are recommended to increase public awareness. It is strongly advised that local, provincial, and national health authorities establish and maintain effective leishmaniasis surveillance systems to promptly identify disease outbreaks and implement timely control measures.

Tidal Range Energy Resource Estimation of Khor Kalmat using Geostatistical Modeling

Electrical power generation by tidal energy provides various advantages. The energy is highly predictable, has less impact on ecological pollution and provides an indefinite amount of renewable energy. The countries like Canada, China, Russia, South Korea and France are extensively utilizing tidal sources of energy for the generation of electrical energy. A suitable site (where less construction is required), adequate tidal range and sufficient bathymetry; are the basic requirements for the installation of a tidal power plant however sometimes there is no tidal data available for suitable sites, like Khor Kalmat tidal lagoon in Pakistan. Therefore, the first time study is conducted to assess the tidal energy resources of the naturally blessed lagoon, Khor Kalmat, which is located in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, by using geostatistical modeling. A geostatistical model is developed to estimate the tidal energy potential at Khor Kalmat by using observed data of five available locations along with the coastal belt of Pakistan. Models are designed by integrating several layers into ArcGIS. These layers include tidal data, satellite metaphors and other physical and socioeconomic layers. After processing of data, digitized models and layers are generated. Five different models have been compared and the best model is carefully chosen to predict the tidal data of Khor Kalmat after validation of the individual model, During the study, it was observed that low head hydro tidal turbine of Venturi-Enhanced Turbine Technology (VETT) is best suited for harnessing tidal energy due to adequate tidal range. Consequently, by means of a bi-directional VETT device, the output power is assessed to be 269.93 MW.

Epidemiological and pathological characteristics of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis from Baluchistan Province of Pakistan.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is considered a neglected tropical disease which in Pakistan can now be considered as a growing public health problem. The exact figures on the magnitude of the disease are lacking both at the national and regional level and only a few health centres are available for diagnosis of CL. The present study was designed to identify the epidemiology of CL infection from August 2018 to December 2019 and to assess clinical aspects of CL in Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. A total of 4072 clinically suspected CL cases were analysed statistically. The highest number of CL cases were reported in May, followed by April, January and then July, February and June and the lowest number of cases were observed in March and November. The highest prevalence rate was found in males where 38% of reported cases were aged 0-9 years. The majority (24.4%) of lesions were found on the hands followed by the face in which cheeks, ears and nose were the effected organs. About 50% of the participants have single lesion while 14% of the participants had two and nearly 3% of the participants have six lesions. The atypical clinical presentations were observed in Baluchistan and common unusual presentations were lupus erythematosus. The study findings suggest that more epidemiological studies and health education campaigns are needed for the population awareness regarding CL in Baluchistan. It is recommended that risk factors should be evaluated to establish control and management strategies to prevent disease at the individual and community level.

GALVANIZING DEVELOPMENT IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA THROUGH CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC COORIDOR PROJECTS

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a $ 60+ billion plan between China and Pakistan to build a network of highways, trains, and pipelines between these regions. It is a key project for China's One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR) project, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and New Silk Road. This is a 2,000-mile route from China, across Pakistan, to the newly built Gawadar port, located on the Arabian Sea in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, connecting from Asia Minor to the Arabian Sea and the Channel of Hormuz. . Several energy and infrastructure development projects will boost economic growth on roads from north to south. This paper is an analysis of the implications of CEPEC projects on KPK.

Ascaris Lumbricoides Infestation as an Unexpected Cause of Acute Pancreatitis

Ascariasis is the most common helminthic infection. It is most common in children of tropical and developing countries where the transmission is by contamination of soil by human feces or use of untreated feces as fertilizer. Transmission in most endemic areas is via person to person contact. We hereby present a case report of acute pancreatitis due to ascariasis. Twenty-five-year-old male patient presented to us with chief complaint of acute epigastric pain radiating to back and associated with vomiting. Initial lab investigations revealed increased serum amylase and lipase. Probable diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was made. CT scan was done and report revealed bulky pancreas, and significant peri-pancreatic fat stranding. He was managed symptomatically with intravenous fluids, analgesics, anti-emetics and enteral nutrition. However, the cause remained undetermined as we ruled out the possible etiologies of acute pancreatitis until one day the patient vomited a 15-cm round worm. Thereafter, his condition improved dramatically. This is one of the first few case reports of ascariasis-induced pancreatitis from Pakistan and the first one from Baluchistan province of Pakistan. Thus it highlights ascariasis as possible etiology of acute pancreatitis in regions where ascariasis is geographically endemic.

Risk Factorsfor Construction Workforce Safety towardsSustainability

This research article is based on the identification of safety risk factors associated with construction projects in Pakistan related with the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). In this paper, four construction sites have been targeted from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The research was based on quantitative mode where the questionnaire survey was adopted for data collection and analysed statistically. The targeted respondents were 400 CPEC construction workforces from four different targeted sites in Pakistan. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistical methods of Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0 software. According to the findings, it has been specified that the respondents fromall four targeted construction sites in Pakistan has considered three major safety risk factors such as administrative, personal protective equipment (PPE) and workforce safety. Risk factors for administrative is between 1.06 and 2.65 (low level to moderate level), for PPE is between 1.06 and 2.65 (low level to moderate level) and for workforce safety is between 2.4 and 3.60 (moderate level to high Level). Meanwhile, the safety experts have been indicated the lack of proper training & PPE equipment’s, falling from height and falling object hazardsare as the major cause of injuries at Pakistani construction sites related with CPEC projects.The findings of this study will be the catalyst for the CPEC projects in Pakistan to minimize the safety and health concern among construction industry workforce.

Identification and assessment of sites for solar farms development using GIS and density based clustering technique- A case of Pakistan

Site selection plays a vital role in the entire life cycle of solar farm and merits further consideration. Current studies for the site selection have several limitations. First, application of criteria related to infrastructure in the initial phase can screen out prospective solar farms or make them less desirable. Second, infrastructure criteria are less significant in circumstances where new cities and town are to be planned. Lastly, clustering is often ignored in site selection problem to classify farms and determine their sizes. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a methodology that focuses primarily on areas that has maximum energy potential and excludes the infrastructure requirements initially from the analysis. The methodology uses Geographical Information System (GIS) for data acquisition and mapping, whereas a novel density-based clustering approach is employed to identify and group sites with high solar potential. The methodology is applied to the geographic boundaries of Pakistan. However, the methodology can be applied to any spatial context subject to the availability of similar data. The paper concludes with recommendations to energy policy makers by providing a list of potential clusters, with their sizes ranging between 10−289km2 located in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan.

An initial assessment of tidal energy resources using GIS for Miani Hor, Baluchistan province, Pakistan

An attempt is made for the first time to assess tidal energy resources at Miani Hor tidal lagoon of Baluchistan province of Pakistan by applying an innovative approach using Geographical Information System (GIS) tools/techniques to develop different geo-statistical models. Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan and fortunate to have a natural tidal lagoon called Miani Hor. The potential of harnessing tidal energy in Miani Hor tidal lagoon is considered to provide great benefits for future energy resource in Baluchistan province of Pakistan, but no relevant research has been carried out to estimate potential of tidal energy at Miani Hor tidal lagoon; the main reason seems to be unavailability of tidal data at said site. Therefore, a study is required to estimate and exploit energy resources of Miani Hor tidal lagoon. For this purpose, tidal data of five different locations was acquired along the coast, predictions were made for tidal data at Miani Hor, and validation was performed. To estimate the energy resources at Miani Hor, best-fitted method was selected for the model development. Based on the results of model, consideration of tidal lagoon impoundment and location for the sluices is discussed. Finally, with an impoundment area of 161.50 km2 and sluices’ width of 1.72 km, 121.1 MW power generation is estimated with proposed turbine array.

Evaluation of treatment outcomes and factors associated with unsuccessful outcomes in multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients in Baluchistan province of Pakistan

BackgroundEvaluating treatment outcomes of a cohort of patients is an effective way for analyzing the effectiveness of a program. Information regarding drug resistance pattern, detailed management, treatment outcomes and factors associated with unsuccessful outcomes in multidrug resistant (MDR-TB) patients is missing from Baluchistan province of Pakistan. MethodsThis study was carried out at Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB unit at Fatimah Jinnah General and Chest Hospital Quetta. All eligible 186 MDR-TB patients enrolled at the study site from January 1, 2012 to April 30, 2016 were retrospectively followed until the treatment outcomes were reported. Data was abstracted through a standardized data collection form and analysed by SPSS 20. Multivariate binary logistic regression (MVBLR) analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with i) death and treatment failure and ii) lost to follow up. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. ResultsThe study participants were resistant to a median of four drugs (range 2–8) with majority being resistant to any second-line anti-TB drug (SLD) (55.5%). Among SLD, resistance was highest for ofloxacin (52.2%). The study site had an overall treatment success rate of 71.6%. A total of 129 (69.4%) patients were cured, four (2.2%) completed treatment, 37 died (19.9%), 14 (7.5%) were lost to follow up and two (1.1%) were declared treatment failures. In MVBLR analysis, patients’ age of >40 years (OR = 4.249, p-value = 0.001) had statistically significant positive and baseline body weight of >40 kg (OR = 0.256, p-value = 0.002) had statistically significant negative association with death and treatment failure. No factor had statistical significant association with lost to follow up. ConclusionOverall treatment success rate was promising but did not achieve the target success rate (>75%) set by World Health Organization. It can be further improved by paying special attention and providing enhanced management to the patients with risk factors for unsuccessful outcomes.

Gwadar Port: As an Economic hub for Maritime Trade in the World Corridor (CPEC)

Gwadar port, deep-sea port, is used and operated as a mean to serve the supply and import requirements of a well prominent hinterland, as other harbors of Pakistan has been working. Gwadar port is situated in the Arabian Sea, at Gwadar in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The economic prediction of Gwadar port is the trump card for economy and trade routes for Central Asian States and the world, which holding trade from the western part of China and assume as reasonable interchange transshipment to another desire ports of the region. The port features prominently in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan, and is considered to be a crucial link between the ambitious One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Road projects. The proposed paper through the empirical and inductive research approach tries to identify the importance of Gwadar port in the economic and maritime trade of in the world. Gwadar port has an eminent status in the trade of China and Pakistan throughout the world. In future, it will be a keystone in the economic development of Baluchistan as well as Pakistan. Furthermore, China is also investing in the development of Gwadar port to make it the center of maritime trade of Chinese products. Thus, in a short span it becomes a center of maritime trade of the world.

Multi-objective Linear Programming for Optimal Water Allocation Based on Satisfaction and Economic Criterion

In this study, a simple deterministic water allocation model was developed to optimally allocate limited available water resources among different water-use sectors. The model considers two single-objective functions and one multi-objective function. The first single objective (B0W1) optimizes the satisfaction levels among various water demand sectors, whereas the second single objective (B1W0) maximizes net economic benefits. The multi-objective (B1W1) combines the first two single objectives. For the multiobjective function, the model considers two optimization techniques, a simultaneous compromise constraint technique and a weighting technique to optimize both the satisfaction level and economic benefits. The model is applied to the Hingol River basin in the Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. To evaluate the model’s applicability under different situations, different schemes are applied to consider variations in the minimum satisfaction level and to assign priorities to various water-use sectors. The results indicate that the value of economic benefits obtained by B1W1 lies between B0W1 and B1W0. This is a compromise between the two individual objectives. The model is easy to adopt under different conditions, because of its simplicity and flexibility.

Statistical Downscaling of Rainfall in an Arid Coastal Region: A Radial Basis Function Neural Network Approach

Downscaling Global Circulation Model (GCM) output is important in order to understand the present climate as well as future climate changes at local scale. In this study, Radial basis function (RBF) neural network was used to downscale the mean monthly rainfall in an arid coastal region located in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The RBF model was used to downscale monthly rainfall from National Center for environmental prediction (NCEP) reanalysis dataset at four observation stations in the area. The potential predictors were selected using principal component analysis of NCEP variables at grid points located around the study area. Power transformation method was used to remove the bias in the prediction. The results showed that the RBF model was able to establish a good relation between NCEP predictors and local rainfall. The power transformation method was also found to perform well to correct errors in prediction. It can be concluded that RBF and power transformation methods are reliable and effective methods for downscaling rainfall in an arid coastal region.

Determinant Factors for Implementing Polio Eradication Activities under Security Compromised Settings of Pakistan

Background: Today, the world is nearer than it has ever been to polio eradication. However, ongoing Wild Polio Virus 1(WPV1) transmission in parts of Pakistan remains a substantial threat to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative goal of a polio-free world. In Pakistan, the security environment puts polio workers in danger and makes some areas inaccessible. This research made experts on polio program reach a consensus on key determinant factors for the successful implementation of polio eradication activities while considering the context of the security compromised setting of Pakistan. Method: The Delphi expert panel discussion method was applied. Experts in the field of polio eradication who worked in Baluchistan province of Pakistan were invited. Two rounds of expert panel discussion were conducted. Key challenges and recommendations from the first round were assessed and incorporated to the second round Likert scale questionnaire to arrive at a consensus. The Expert’s consensus was defined to be obtained if 75% or more of the experts agreed on an issue. Result: During the first round, 16 experts responded, out of the 18 invited (88% response rate). The second round questionnaire was sent to the 16 experts, of which 15 experts responded (93% response rate). The majority of experts (93%) agreed that the health department did not take part actively in pre-campaign activities. All experts (100%) agreed that teams and Area in Charges (AIC), who supervise vaccinator teams, were not incorporating the required changes that were happening on the ground to their micro-plan. All experts (100%) agreed that the AICs had no accountability attached to their roles. Most (86%) experts agreed that teams who attended training didn’t participate during campaign days. The majority (86%) of experts agreed that the campaign compilation data was not genuine. There was a lack of contingency and smart planning for the evolving security situation (80% of experts).The majority of experts (86%) agreed that the polio campaign was highly linked with making money. The majority of experts (93%) agreed that sweeping method was prone to miss houses and children. Conclusion: It was deemed that the major factors affecting the polio eradication program in a security compromised setting were found to be poor preparation during the pre-campaign phase, low skilled polio teams involvement, and poor campaign monitoring and reporting. It was indicated that proper micro-planning and security planning, increasing the number of campaign monitors and the receipt of timely feed-back of intra and post-campaign monitoring results improves polio campaign achievements.

Genetic analysis and epidemiology of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses in Baluchistan province of Pakistan

BackgroundPakistan is considered as an endemic country for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever with numerous outbreaks and sporadic cases reported during the past two decades. Majority of cases are reported from Baluchistan province with subsequent transmissions to non-endemic regions mainly through infected animals directly or via infested ticks. We hereby describe the molecular investigations of CCHF cases reported during 2008 in Quetta city of Baluchistan province.MethodsSerum Samples from 44 patients, with clinical signs of hemorrhagic fever attending a tertiary care hospital in Quetta city, were collected and tested for CCHF virus antigen and genomic RNA, using capture IgM EIA kit and standard RT-PCR assay, respectively. The partial S-gene fragments were directly sequenced to get information related to the prevailing CCHFV genotypes and their molecular epidemiology in Pakistan.ResultsOut of the total forty four, sixteen (36%) samples were found positive for CCHF IgM. Similarly, viral RNA was detected in six (16%) samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all study viruses belong to genotype Asia-1 with closest similarity (99-100%) to the previously reported strains from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.ConclusionWe conclude that CCHF virus remains endemic within Baluchistan and its neighboring regions of Afghanistan warranting a need of incessant surveillance activities.

Natural radioactivity in soil in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan

The measurements of natural radioactivity and the assessment of radiological hazards in the soil samples of Baluchistan province of Pakistan have been carried out using HPGe detector. The soil gas radon activities in these areas have also been measured using lucas cell technique. The measured activities of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were found in the range of 15-27, 20-37 and 328-648 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The calculated absorbed dose rate in air and the annual effective dose were in the range of 35-59 nGy h(-1) and 0.17-0.29 mSv, respectively. Radon activity in the soil gas was found in the range of 357-2476 Bq m(-3).

Unusual clinical variants of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan and poses a great risk to non-immune visitors to the area. The wide spectrum of clinical variants of this common disease is at times a diagnostic challenge. A total of 1709 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were recorded over a 1-year period. In 37 (2%) patients the lesions were very unusual, and therefore worth reporting. These included acute paronychial, chancriform, annular, palmoplantar, zosteriform and erysipeloid forms. The zosteriform and erysipeloid forms have rarely been reported previously, but to the best of our knowledge, acute paronychial, chancriform, annular and palmoplantar lesions are being reported for the first time. The morphologically unusual lesions may be attributed to an altered host response or involvement of an atypical strain of parasite in these lesions.

Detection and characterization of a glutenin subunit with unusual high Mr at the Glu-A1 locus in hexaploid wheat

A hexaploid wheat landrace collected from the Baluchistan province of Pakistan was found to possess a novel high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS). The subunit has a very slow electrophoretic mobility as revealed by SDS-PAGE, and its molecular weight is comparable to that of the highest molecular weight glutenin subunit ("2.2" encoded in the D-genome) reported so far in hexaploid wheat varieties and landraces of Japanese origin. Evidence obtained from (PCR) gene amplification studies using the primers specific for Glu-1 loci proved that the gene coding for this novel subunit belongs to the Glu-A1 locus located on the long arm of chromosome 1A. Digestion of the amplified gene (PCR product) with restriction enzymes indicated that the novel gene differs from prevailing Glu-A1 alleles (null, 1 and 2(*)) by an extra DNA fragment of approximately 600 base pairs. The results also indicated that the novel subunit is most probably a derivative of subunit 2(*) that has very likely incorporated the 600-bp fragment following a process of unequal crossing over. The present findings were further substantiated by reserved phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis.

‘Passive-roof’ duplex geometry in the frontal structures of the Kirthar and Sulaiman mountain belts, Pakistan

Exploration for hydrocarbons over the past few years has greatly improved our understanding of the geometry of frontal mountain belt structures. In this study we introduce and discuss the concept of the ‘Passive-roof duplex’, using as the main example the Kirthar and Sulaiman Ranges in the Baluchistan Province of Pakistan. Structures similar to those described here have been recognized previously in other mountain belts, and they appear to exist as a common feature in many more frontal regions of mountain belts. Our example of a Passive-roof duplex which we describe from Pakistan is compared briefly with similar structures reported by others. The Passive-roof duplex is here defined as a duplex whose roof thrust has backthrust sense ( Passive-roof thrust) and whose roof sequence (those rocks lying above the roof thrust) remains relatively ‘stationary’ during foreland directed piggy-back style propagation of horses within the duplex.

Ecology of Karez irrigation: a case of Pakistan

Though hard to construct, difficult to maintain, and yet limited in scope, the karez irrigation system has been an integral part of agricultural landscape in Baluchistan province of Pakistan for the last 2500 years, if not earlier. The irrigation system is well adjusted with the social and political institutions in Baluchistan and synchronizes with the local economies.