Punjab Province Of Pakistan Research Articles

Evaluation of hydraulic efficiency of lined irrigation channels – A case study from Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) in Pakistan is the backbone of agriculture in the country. The IBIS provides irrigation support to agricultural lands across the country; however, hydraulic efficiency of the water conveyance system is impacted due to seepage losses. The lining of irrigation channels is considered a potential solution for improving hydraulic efficiency. Therefore, this study explores the impact of canal lining on the hydraulic efficiency of the canals in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Overall, 14 channels/distributaries/minors (total length 226 km) were monitored in terms of hydraulic performance in different irrigation zones. Hydraulic, geometrical, and socioeconomic parameters of channel/distributaries/minors including roughness coefficient, sediments, flow velocity, wetted parameter, breaches, theft cases, bed, side slope, water surface profile, hydraulic radius, crop yield, and vegetation growth area have been experimentally observed. Obtained results have been compared with the design and pre-lining data. Ten seepage tests using the inflow -outflow method and eight seepage tests using the ponding method were conducted to estimate seepage losses. Results indicate that almost all the parameters varied from the design values. A detailed comparison of the socioeconomic parameters has been carried out. Results from seepage tests show an approximately 78% reduction in losses.

First Report of Fruit Rot Caused by Diaporthe amygdali on Papaya in Punjab, Pakistan.

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is grown widely in tropical and sub-tropical regions (Ahmed et al. 2008). In Pakistan, papaya production and consumption are increasing due to its medicinal, nutritional, pharmacological properties and a rich source of antioxidant, vitamin B, potassium, and magnesium. In November 2021, 26 to 35% incidence of fruit rot was observed in 15 fields of Lahore, a district of Punjab, Pakistan. Affected fruit developed circular, gray-to-brown lesions (8 to 10 mm in diameter) with white mycelia forming on the surface of lesions. In advanced stages of the disease, the lesions enlarged in size and led to the rot of entire fruit. To isolate the causal agent, small tissue segments (1 to 2 cm) were excised from 15 symptomatic fruit, surface disinfected with 1% NaClO for 30 s, rinsed with sterile distilled water three times, air dried in laminar flow hood, aseptically transferred onto petri dishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25℃ for 5 days with a 12-h photoperiod. Eleven isolates were obtained that produced white mycelia on PDA. Flask-shaped, dark-pigmented pycnidia formed on PDA after 18 days of incubation at 25°C, which produced α-conidia measuring 4.1 to 7.2 × 1.5 to 3.0 μm and β-conidia measuring 16.4 to 25.5 × 1.0 to 1.6 μm (n = 40). α-conidia were hyaline, fusiform, and single-celled, whereas β-conidia were one-celled, hyaline, and filiform. The morphological characteristics of the fungus were compatible with a Diaporthe species (Gomes et al. 2013). The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) (OM865414 and OM865415), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) (OM831226 and OM831229), and histone H3 (HIS) (OM831227 and OM831228) of two representative isolates (UO02 and UO03) were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), and CYLH3F/H3-1b (Chaisiri et al. 2021), respectively. Blast searches showed 99 to 100% nucleotide identity with reference sequences of several Diaporthe amygdali deposited in NCBI GenBank, including the ex-type strain CBS 126679. A pathogenicity test was also performed on harvested fruit of papaya cv. Bombay using isolates UO02 and UO03. Ten mature and healthy papaya fruit were surface disinfected with 1% NaClO solution for 1 min, rinsed with sterile water and dried. Each fruit was wounded twice with a sterile scalpel (4 to 5 mm incision on the peel) and a 5-mm agar disc with mycelia of each isolate was separately placed in each wound. The wounds were wrapped with Parafilm following inoculation. Sterile PDA plugs were used in separate inoculated controls. All wounds were sealed with parafilm. All fruit were maintained in plastic boxes at 25°C with 80% relative humidity. After 6 days of incubation, rot symptoms similar to those appearing on naturally-infected fruit were observed on inoculated fruits while controls remained asymptomatic. The experiment was repeated twice with similar findings. Diaporthe amygdali was re-isolated (100%) from inoculated fruit and the pathogen identification was confirmed by morphological and molecular analysis, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. Previously, the pathogen has been reported as a causal agent of canker and shoot blight disease in other countries (Ko and Sun, 2003; Beluzan et al. 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. amygdali on papaya in Punjab Province of Pakistan. Papaya is an emerging fruit crop in Punjab Province and it is important to further investigate the presence of this pathogen in other papaya orchards of the province since D. amygdali may cause rapid disease outbreaks resulting in severe losses.

Artistic portrayal of the rats of Shah-Daula in Pakistan: a visual analysis through portrait painting

This research aims to explore microcephaly disorder which is an abnormality that is treated as a taboo in Gujrat, a city in Punjab province in Pakistan. The making of Shah Daula rats is a Taboo in which new-born babies are abused with an iron cap placed on their heads to stop their natural development. Their physical growth is manipulated, and they are unable to spend life like a normal person. All of this is done for the purpose of begging, and this ritual abuse in Pakistan has humiliated humanity for ages and is still practiced under the name of religion. This research is descriptive and qualitative in its nature. The study investigates the survival strategies as well as the living conditions of Shah Daula. The findings of the study show that microcephalic children suffer from alienation, child abuse, lack of fundamental rights, self-respect, and various disappointments. The study concludes that Shah Daula, in Pakistani society, is compelled to live as an abnormal human being.

Pre-service competence of agricultural officers (extension) in the Punjab, pakistan: policy implications for eligibility criteria

Agriculture Officers working in Agriculture Department (Extension) are perceived lacking in professional competencies. One of the root causes of this problem lies in the mismatched eligibility criteria for the post of Agriculture Officer (Extension). The purpose of this paper was to discuss the relevancy of the Extension Agents’ competencies with their job responsibilities for policy implications. The universe of the study was Punjab Province of Pakistan. The cross-sectional design was used for the study. All Agriculture Officers (public extension agents) work in the Agriculture Department (Extension), Government of Punjab were the population of the study. Multistage simple random sampling technique was used for drawing the sample. A sample of 60 respondents was drawn from sampling frame by using simple random sampling technique. A desktop study was also conducted to analyze the contents offered to the currently eligible agricultural graduates during their pre-service training at the university level. Results showed that only 3.3% of the respondents had relevant pre-service training. About 58% of the Agriculture Officers (Extension) were not satisfied with their jobs and most of them were thinking to change their jobs. This study has practical implications for Punjab Public Service Commission, Lahore and Agriculture Department (Extension) Government of Punjab, Pakistan in particular. The research theorized that the duties of extension work should only be entrusted to the professionals having per-service training in agricultural extension. Otherwise, the efficiency of the agricultural extension system would be compromised. This is the first study of its kind in which the eligibility criteria of the Agriculture Officers (Extension) have been questioned in the Punjab, Pakistan. The finding and discourse of the study would initiate the debate among stakeholders to place right person for the right job. The materialization of study findings would enhance the efficiency of Agricultural Extension system.

Factors Affecting the Criminal Behavior among Pakistani Youth: A Case Study of Punjab Province Pakistan

Crime is one of the major problems in Pakistan. Increased incidences of crime across the country are becoming a matter of great concern. It is popular to associate criminal behavior with the poor physical, psychological, social, and economic conditions of the impoverished segment of the population. Poverty, unemployment, and corruption are Pakistan's most significant drivers of youth crimes. Keeping in view all these facts, the main objective of this study was to investigate the factors affecting youth criminal behavior in Punjab, Pakistan. In this research quantitative research approach was used. Primary data was collected through field surveys. A multistage random sampling technique was used for data collection. In the first stage, two districts were selected randomly from central Punjab. In the second stage, district jail Faisalabad and district jail Pakpattan were selected purposively. In the third stage, a sample size of 300 respondents was chosen purposively. A questionnaire was designed as a data collection tool, and collected data were analyzed by using SPSS 25 version. The study's findings indicated that most of the respondents who were involved in crimes were married and between 21 to 25 years old. Univariate analysis revealed that poverty, unemployment, poor socialization, and peer pressure were major causes of crime among youth. Bivariate analysis showed that excessive social media usage and youth unemployment contributed to criminal behavior. So, the present study suggested that Governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should collaborate to enhance awareness and youth empowerment to guarantee that individuals have the necessary skills and training to participate in the labor market and become productive members of society.

Assessment of Long-Term Rainfall Variability and Trends Using Observed and Satellite Data in Central Punjab, Pakistan

This study explores the spatio-temporal distribution and trends on monthly, seasonal, and annual scales of rainfall in the central Punjab districts of Punjab province in Pakistan by using observation and satellite data products. The daily observed data was acquired from the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) between 1983 and 2020, along with one reanalysis, namely the Climate Hazard Infrared Group Precipitation Station (CHIRPS) and one satellite-based daily Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks climate data record (PERSIANN-CDR) using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) web-based API platform to investigate the spatio-temporal fluctuations and inter-annual variability of rainfall in the study domain. Several statistical indices were employed to check the data similarity between observed and remotely sensed data products and applied to each district. Moreover, non-parametric techniques, i.e., Mann–Kendall (MK) and Sen’s slope estimator were applied to measure the long-term spatio-temporal trends. Remotely sensed data products reveal 422.50 mm (CHIRPS) and 571.08 mm (PERSIANN-CDR) mean annual rainfall in central Punjab. Maximum mean rainfall was witnessed during the monsoon season (70.5%), followed by pre-monsoon (15.2%) and winter (10.2%). Monthly exploration divulges that maximum mean rainfall was noticed in July (26.5%), and the minimum was in November (0.84%). The district-wise rainfall estimation shows maximum rainfall in Sialkot (931.4 mm) and minimum in Pakpattan (289.2 mm). Phase-wise analysis of annual, seasonal, and monthly trends demonstrated a sharp decreasing trend in Phase-1, averaging 3.4 mm/decade and an increasing tendency in Phase-2, averaging 9.1 mm/decade. Maximum seasonal rainfall decreased in phase-1 and increased Phase-2 during monsoon season, averaging 2.1 and 4.7 mm/decade, whereas monthly investigation showed similar phase-wise tendencies in July (1.1 mm/decade) and August (2.3 mm/decade). In addition, as district-wise analyses of annual, seasonal, and monthly trends in the last four decades reveal, the maximum declined trend was in Sialkot (18.5 mm/decade), whereas other districts witnessed an overall increasing trend throughout the years. Out of them, Gujrat district experienced the maximum increasing trend in annual terns (50.81 mm/decade), and Faisalabad (25.45 mm/decade) witnessed this during the monsoon season. The uneven variability and trends have had a crucial imprint on the local environment, mainly in the primary activities.

Analysis of production and economic losses of cash crops under variable drought: A case study from Punjab province of Pakistan

The current study assesses the impact of drought severity on major cash crops, i.e., wheat and rice, and monetizes crop yield losses at a disaggregated level under variable drought conditions in Punjab province, Pakistan. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is used to calculate drought severity in Kharif (May–October) and Rabi (November–April) during 2000–2020. SPEI, with a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°, is calculated using Weighted Averaged Least Square-based merged satellite precipitation dataset and temperature data interpolated from ground measurement using the topographically and climatically informed interpolation method. Results show severe drought events occurred in 2000–2003, 2006–2008, 2013, 2017, and 2018. The severity of drought increases from northern Punjab to southern Punjab, where temperature is the key factor for drought onset. Layyah, D.G. Khan, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh, Multan, Faisalabad, Jhang, and Lahore districts are prone to severe drought. Results showed highest wheat losses in Attock, Bahawalpur, Chakwal, Pakpattan, and Sargodha. During the severe drought period (1998–2003), wheat yield losses in Bahawalpur, Attock, and Chakwal were 1.665 t/ha, 1.114 t/ha, and 1.028 t/ha, respectively. Similarly, highest loss in rice yield (0.67 t/ha) was observed in Mandi Baha Uddin. The monetary losses under variable drought severity are calculated using least square multiple linear regression. SPEI coefficients are estimated for all districts while controlling for precipitation and maximum/minimum temperatures. Monetary losses are proportional to SPEI coefficient, i.e., higher the SPEI coefficient, higher the production losses for wheat and rice. The highest monetary losses are observed in southern Punjab, especially in D. G Khan. Results of regression models revealed that drought significantly contributed to crop yield losses.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STATISTICS OF FMD VIRUS SEROTYPES A, O AND ASIA-1 IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN DURING 2014-2019

Foot and Mouth Disease is an endemic disease and three serotypes (A, O, Asia-1) are prevalent in Pakistan. The present study shows the frequency of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) serotypes (A, O, Asia-1) in Punjab Province of Pakistan by using antigenic Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). This study was conducted from 2014-2019 by using a total of 184 epithelial samples from field. Out of 184 samples, 106 samples showed positive results. Out of three serotypes, serotype „A‟ was the most prevalent (39.62%) followed by serotype „O‟ (33.96%) while the least prevalent was serotype Asia-1 (26.41%). It was marked that no other serotype of FMD reported during this study. This study also described the year wise prevalence of three prevailing FMD serotypes (A, O, Asia-1). During year 2014, the serotype „A‟ was more prevalent (95.83%) followed by serotype „Asia-1‟ (4.16%) while no case of serotype „O‟ was found. During year 2015, the prevalence trend was almost the same as in 2014. In this year, serotype „A‟ was 55.55% while serotype „Asia-1‟ 37.03% followed by the least prevalent serotype „O‟ as 7.40%. During year 2016, 19 positive cases were reported from which the maximum prevalence was serotype „O‟ and „Asia-1‟ (42.10%) followed by serotype „A‟ (15.78%) as least prevalent. During year 2017, the positive cases for FMD increased remarkably i.e. 29 in number. This year serotype „O‟ was highest in number with prevalence 75.86%, and serotype „Asia-1‟ 20.68% whereas only one case reported for serotype „A‟ with only 3.44% prevalence. During year 2018 and 2019, only 7 cases described with no evident case ofserotype „A‟. During these two years 4 cases of serotype „O‟ were observed followed by 3 cases of serotype „Asia-1‟.

Impact of organizational characteristics on employees' entrepreneurial orientation with mediating role of knowledge process capabilities and moderating role of psychological factors in the era of COVID-19.

The study aims to investigate the impact of organizational characteristics and knowledge process capabilities on the entrepreneurial orientation among the manufacturing industry employees in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Additionally, this study has examined the mediating role of knowledge process capabilities in the relationship between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation among those employees and the moderating effect of psychological factors on the relationship between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation. The study has employed the survey-based methodology and data are collected with the aid of self-administered questionnaires. This study utilized the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to establish the validity and reliability of the measurement model and test the relationships. The response rate of the current study is 64.66%. The study findings have shown mixed results as one of the organizational characteristics, namely, resource and time availability is an insignificant determinate of entrepreneurial orientation among the manufacturing industry employees in Punjab province of Pakistan. Whereas management support, rewards, work discretion, and knowledge process capabilities appear as significant determinates of employees' entrepreneurial orientation. The results indicated that knowledge process capabilities have a mediating role in the relationship between organizational characteristics and employees' entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, psychological factors, namely, propensity to take risk and locus of control have a significant moderating role on the relationship of management support, rewards, and work discretion with employees' entrepreneurial orientation. The empirical insights on the study are valuable for policymakers and managers in manufacturing sectors of developing countries, such as Pakistan, to enrich their work performance through the understanding impact of organizational characteristics and knowledge process capabilities on the entrepreneurial orientation with moderating role of psychological factors. Studies on the mediating impact of knowledge process capabilities on the linkage between organizational characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation with the moderating role of psychological factors remain limited. This study is one of the earliest studies that investigate these inter-relationships.

Pakistani secondary students’ learning performance and satisfaction amidst COVID-19 outbreak: Sequential explanatory research

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected educational system and left some implications for the world of education, one of which is online learning activity. However, as a new habit of learning in post COVID-19 era nowadays, online learning should be taken as a serious consideration for conducting an effective learning environment, particularly in the context of secondary schools in Pakistan. Addressing this issue, the present study aims to explore Pakistani secondary students’ performance and satisfaction toward the practice of online learning activity in post COVID-19 era. Creswell’s Sequential explanatory research, in which qualitative data were gathered to support the finding of quantitative data, was adopted in this study. A set of questionnaires measured using five-point Likert scale and three open-ended questions were employed to collect the data from 335 secondary students in Federal Government Schools of Wah Cantt, a district in Punjab province Pakistan. The data were further analyzed using descriptive statistics by means of SPSS version 24 and thematic analysis. The results depicted that the outbreak of COVID-19 has extremely affected the students’ academic performance during the online learning activity. In terms of satisfaction, the results further demonstrated that the students possessed low level of satisfaction toward the online learning activity. Notwithstanding this fact, a strong positive correlation was proven between students’ academic performance and the level of learning satisfaction toward online learning in post COVID-19 era. Drawing on the results, this study provides implication that teachers and education stakeholders should offer dynamic and comprehensive online services, as well as supportive assistance and offensive feedback to enhance students’ performance and satisfaction toward online learning activity.

The Impact of Farmers’ Adaptation to Climate Change on Rice Yields: Implications for Sustainable Food Systems

Remarkable agricultural productivity gains have been achieved during the last several decades as a result of green revolution (GR) technologies that have greatly increased food production and reduced hunger. However, climate change threatens to reverse the progress made so far in the fight against food insecurity. The agricultural sector in many developing countries, including the rice and wheat producers such as in Punjab (Pakistan and India), is highly vulnerable to climate change, which has serious implications for rural livelihoods and food security. Adaptation is considered a key tool to tackle climate challenges at the farm level and is, therefore, the focus of this study in terms of its impact on rice yields. A household survey was conducted in the Punjab province of Pakistan, and farmers were interviewed face-to-face. We employed a simultaneous equations model to assess the differential impacts of climate change adaptation on adapting and non-adapting farmers’ rice yields. Using the cross-sectional data of 480 rice growers, an endogenous switching regression model provided a means to estimate the selection bias of farmers’ attributes. The results show a significant positive impact of adaptations on rice yields. Specifically, the yield of farmers who adapted to climate change was 24% higher than the non-adapting farmers. The results further indicate that non-adapters can also benefit from the adaptation strategies if they decide to adapt. We also found a significant positive effect of farmers’ climate risk perceptions, literacy level, access to irrigation, ownership of livestock, and availability of farm advisory services on their adaptation decisions. These results, therefore, suggest that policymakers should take into account farmers’ local adaptation knowledge and farming practices when formulating adaptation policies.

Incidence of dog bite injuries and its associated factors in Punjab province of Pakistan

Dog bites are a major cause for transmission of rabies virus to humans. Pakistan ranks fifth among most rabies affected countries in the world. There are a few regional (ecological) studies that investigated factors that explain geographic disparities in incidence of dog bite injuries. The main objective of this research was to document findings of spatial exploratory data analysis of incidence of reported cases of dog bite in Punjab province of Pakistan (2016–2019). In addition, we have quantified the association between incidence of dog bites and a set of selected socio-economic and demographic variables. District-wise data about reported cases of dog bites from 2016 to 2019 were used to map annual crude incidence per 100,000 of population. There was an obvious spatial variation in incidence of dog bites but there was no evidence of spatial autocorrelation. The risk of dog bite attacks was relatively higher in districts with low human population density (per sq. km), poor literacy rate, more rural population (% of total population), and lower median nighttime lights.

Frequency and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) in Uncomplicated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

To determine the frequency and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of CA-MRSA in patients with uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections reporting to the dermatology outpatient of a tertiary health care hospital. A descriptive study. Dermatology outpatient of a tertiary care hospital in Punjab province of Pakistan, from September 2020 to August 2021. Patients of all age groups and both genders reporting during the study period with community-associated uncomplicated bacterial skin and soft tissue infections were enrolled in the study. Samples were collected from skin lesions and cultured on blood agar and MacConkey agar plates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the modified Kirby Baur disc diffusion technique was performed. A total of 157 patients were included in the study. Impetigo was most common infection (n=80, 51%), followed by Furunculosis (n=47, 29.9%). The frequency of MRSA isolates was 54.1% (n=85). MRSA was significantly more frequently isolated from patients with furunculous, carbuncle and cutaneous abscesses as compared to impetigo. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to linezolid, teicoplanin, and vancomycin. 97.6%, 84.7%, and 72.9% of MRSA isolates were sensitive to rifampicin, minocycline, and fusidic acid respectively. 89.4% of MRSA were sensitive to amikacin and clindamycin. 63.5% were sensitive to doxycycline and 58.8% were sensitive to co-trimoxazole. Only 20% of MRSA were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The antibiotics active against CA-MRSA including rifampicin, minocycline, amikacin, and clindamycin may be used empirically in patients with furunculosis, cutaneous abscess, and carbuncles. Linezolid, teicoplanin, and vancomycin should be reserved for severe infections. Uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections, Community-associated Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), Antibiotic susceptibility pattern.

Technical Efficiency Analysis of Layer and Broiler Poultry Farmers in Pakistan

Achieving high production with limited resources is a major challenge faced by poultry farmers in countries with developing economies, such as Pakistan. Optimization of the technical efficiency (TE) of poultry business operations is a promising strategy. A representative sample of 210 poultry farms in the province of Punjab in Pakistan was analyzed for TE. The studied sample comprised 105 layer chicken farms (battery cage system, egg production) and 105 broiler chicken farms (environmental control shed system, meat production). A Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier production analysis approach with the inefficiency effect model was used to simultaneously estimate TE levels and identify factors that influence efficiency. The results indicated that flock size, labor, feed, and water consumption are positively related to egg production, whereas vaccination was found to be insignificant. For broiler businesses, flock size, feed, and water consumption were positively related to the output, whereas labor and vaccination were found to be insignificant. The results of the TE inefficiency effect model revealed that farmer age, education, experience, access to credit, and access to extension services all had a significant and positive influence on the technical efficiency of both layer and broiler farmers. The estimated mean TE level of layer and broiler poultry farmers was 89% and 92%, respectively, evaluated against the benchmark of the identified frontier of efficient production with prevailing systems. The study concludes that it is possible to increase egg production by 11% and meat production by 8% by making more efficient use of the available resources and technology. To improve poultry farmers’ efficiency, policy interventions should focus more on the pronounced effects of variables such as education, farmer experience, credit access, and extension services.

Development of Medical Social Work Practices in Pakistan: Role Perception and Performance

The current study is a quantitative study to understand the connotation of medical social work set up in Pakistan. The analysis is conducted through survey method by considering all medical social services units established in healthcare settings across Pakistan. The structured questionnaire has been devised to apply as a tool for data collection. The study found that the setup of medical social work is mainly established in the province of Punjab in Pakistan, whereas, only a few projects were working in the other regions of Pakistan. However, male medical social workers are more than female medical social workers in this profession. Further majority of medical social workers were of age less than 40 years and the majority of medical social workers were married. The analysis has established that the majority of medical social workers did not have to enrich their background of specialization, research, and training in the field of medical social work. The medical social work setup is mainly established in government hospitals in Pakistan. The job experience of the majority of the medical social workers in the field of medical social work was 5 years or below. Further nature of the appointment of the majority of medical social workers was permanent. The infrastructure like staff, furniture, and contingent is provided by the administrative department in the majority of the cases, however, the office is provided by hospital administration. The hospital administration has not integrated the services of medical social work into the service delivery mechanism of health care settings. However, the majority of the medical social workers were satisfied with respect to their job and have adequate facilities to perform their official duties. The findings of the analysis have asserted that the medical social workers that vigorously adopt the social casework practices had more beneficiaries of their services in comparison to those who did not adopt these practices.

Effect of asthma on the English-speaking and reading comprehension ability of dusty allergy affected school children

Background: This study examines the effect of Asthma on the English-speaking time of school children. The study was investigated systematically in 34 patients with a history of asthma from the Cholistan desert of Punjab province in Pakistan, who attended an emergency department of a hospital in Bahawalpur city having dust allergy with asthma for an acute aggravation. Each patient listened to an educational audiotape on the appropriate counting technique before inhaling maximally and counting until a second breath was mandatory. This indicated the "speech time" of the patient in seconds. The researcher collected a total of 250 pairs of pretreatment and posttreatment PEFR and speaking time measurements. The results of speaking time discovered that the PEFR may be statistically anticipated by speaking time [P .0001]. Conclusions of the study also showed that aggravation of acute asthma badly affects the students’ English-speaking ability.

Spatiotemporal analysis of having been sick or injured and having sought health consultation by district in Punjab province of Pakistan - 2010-2015.

To analyse the geospatial and temporal distribution of disease and injury burden and factors that influence health care seeking behaviour in thirty-six districts of Punjab in Pakistan. Utilizing the district level-Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement survey data for 2010-2015 from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and Human Development Index (HDI) data for the years 2011-2015 from the United Nations Development Programme; choropleth maps were created based on the district level proportions of population reporting having been sick or injured and having sought health consultations for all three waves of PSLM surveys and based on HDI for the years 2011, 2013 and 2015 for the Punjab districts. Spatial cluster analysis of having been sick or injured and having sought health consultations for three waves of PSLM was conducted. For the years (2010-11), (2012-13) and (2014-15) respectively; the mean proportions of population that reported being sick or injured were (7.36±2.23), (6.99±2.33), and (5.70±1.72). The corresponding mean proportions that sought health consultation were (96.11±2.92), (96.05±2.26) and (96.82±2.15) respectively. Having sought health consultation in years (2010-11) and (2012-13), having been sick/injured in (2010-11), and human development index of 2013 as well as 2015 were statistically significant determinants of having sought consultation in the last wave of (2014-15) (p<0.05). Findings show a decline in the reported disease and injury burden between 2010 and 2015 but constant rates of seeking health care. HDI and having sought care previously are the major determinants of subsequent health consultation in Punjab. Future studies need to focus on how these results can be utilized to health inequalities in Pakistan.

Epidemiology of Human Adenovirus in Pakistani Children Hospitalized with Community-Acquired Gastroenteritis under the Age of Five Years.

Acute gastroenteritis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among infants and children around the globe. Along with other enteropathogens, human adenovirus (HadV) is a major etiological agent associated with diarrhea in young children. However, information about the epidemiology of Adenoviruses in Pakistan is limited or has not been reported. A total of 1082 stool samples were collected from patients with acute gastroenteritis under the age of five years with symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal cramps who visited Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi and Children’s hospital in Lahore of Punjab Province in Pakistan. Of this, 384 cases with no blood in their stool, negative for Rotavirus, and under the age of five years were recruited in this study. Human Adenoviruses were isolated in the human epithelial HEp-2 cell line. Furthermore, adenovirus antigen detection was carried out by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and then all positive and negative samples were confirmed by nested PCR. After inoculating a clear stool supernatant on HEp-2 cell lines, we observed a positive cytopathic effect in 65 (16%) cases. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, HAdV antigens were detected in 54 (14.06%) of the clear supernatant from gastroenteritis cases. However, HAdV hexon coding regions were amplified in 57 (14.80%) fecal samples, mainly from patients ≤24 months of age. The findings of this study suggest that adenovirus circulates significantly in the children population under the age of five years and may be the potential etiological factor of acute gastroenteritis in the mentioned cities. This study provides baseline data about the possible role of adenovirus in causing viral diarrhea in children. Further large-scale epidemiological surveys are recommended to better understand disease burden, etiological agents, and its clinical impact across the country.

Groundwater Contamination by Wastewater–A Threat for Human–Heath in Punjab Pakistan

Increasing population and rapid industrialization are causing continuous increase in wastewater generation. Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers is also a major threat for land and water pollution. In Punjab province of Pakistan, domestic, industrial, and agricultural effluents are big challenges for many developing countries.

Investigating the impact on learning outcomes through the use of EdTech during COVID-19: Evidence from an RCT in the Punjab province of Pakistan

The objective of the current study is to test the impact of low-tech solutions during COVID-19 school closures on maths, Urdu, and English scores for students in the underdeveloped district of Bahawalnagar, which is situated in the southern part of Punjab in Pakistan. The target population for this study is Grade 8 students attending private schools. Simple random sampling technique is adopted for the selection of participants in the study. We have tested the impact of three interventions, namely: Teaching at the right level (TaRL), Fortnightly assessments (FAS), and Digital teacher training sessions (DTS). Our findings show a significant and positive ‘Intention to Treat’ (ITT) impact on Urdu and English scores of the students in the TaRL treatment group. The students increased their English and Urdu scores by 0.56 SD. However, we found no significant impact of the intervention on maths scores in the TaRL treatment group. Fortnightly assessments and digital teacher training sessions were also found to contribute to higher English scores of the students. However, we found no ITT impact on the maths and Urdu scores for these treatment groups. The Local Average Treatment Effect (LATE) analysis revealed positive and significant improvement in Urdu and English scores of the students in the TaRL treatment group. Key stakeholders whom we interviewed suggested that redesigning the curriculum and incorporating TaRL within this approach could facilitate enhancement in learning outcomes in students in deprived areas. Our findings are important to help inform policymakers on the importance of designing and implementing cost-effective, low-tech solutions to help reduce learning gaps.