Analysis of Landslides Triggered by October 2005, Kashmir Earthquake.

PubMed

Mahmood, Irfan; Qureshi, Shahid Nadeem; Tariq, Shahina; Atique, Luqman; Iqbal, Muhammad Farooq

2015-08-26

The October 2005, Kashmir earthquake main event was triggered along the Balakot-Bagh Fault which runs from Bagh to Balakot, and caused more damages in and around these areas. Major landslides were activated during and after the earthquake inflicting large damages in the area, both in terms of infrastructure and casualties. These landslides were mainly attributed to the minimum threshold of the earthquake, geology of the area, climatologic and geomorphologic conditions, mudflows, widening of the roads without stability assessment, and heavy rainfall after the earthquake. These landslides were mainly rock and debris falls. Hattian Bala rock avalanche was largest landslide associated with the earthquake which completely destroyed a village and blocked the valley creating a lake. The present study shows that the fault rupture and fault geometry have direct influence on the distribution of landslides and that along the rupture zone a high frequency band of landslides was triggered. There was an increase in number of landslides due to 2005 earthquake and its aftershocks and that most of earthquakes have occurred along faults, rivers and roads. It is observed that the stability of landslide mass is greatly influenced by amplitude, frequency and duration of earthquake induced ground motion. Most of the slope failures along the roads resulted from the alteration of these slopes during widening of the roads, and seepages during the rainy season immediately after the earthquake.  Landslides occurred mostly along weakly cemented and indurated rocks, colluvial sand and cemented soils. It is also worth noting that fissures and ground crack which were induced by main and after shock are still present and they pose a major potential threat for future landslides in case of another earthquake activity or under extreme weather conditions.

Updated earthquake catalogue for seismic hazard analysis in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sarfraz; Waseem, Muhammad; Khan, Muhammad Asif; Ahmed, Waqas

2018-03-01

A reliable and homogenized earthquake catalogue is essential for seismic hazard assessment in any area. This article describes the compilation and processing of an updated earthquake catalogue for Pakistan. The earthquake catalogue compiled in this study for the region (quadrangle bounded by the geographical limits 40-83° N and 20-40° E) includes 36,563 earthquake events, which are reported as 4.0-8.3 moment magnitude (M W) and span from 25 AD to 2016. Relationships are developed between the moment magnitude and body, and surface wave magnitude scales to unify the catalogue in terms of magnitude M W. The catalogue includes earthquakes from Pakistan and neighbouring countries to minimize the effects of geopolitical boundaries in seismic hazard assessment studies. Earthquakes reported by local and international agencies as well as individual catalogues are included. The proposed catalogue is further used to obtain magnitude of completeness after removal of dependent events by using four different algorithms. Finally, seismicity parameters of the seismic sources are reported, and recommendations are made for seismic hazard assessment studies in Pakistan.

Success in Kashmir: a positive trend in civil-military integration during humanitarian assistance operations.

PubMed

Thompson, Wiley C

2010-01-01

The modern cast of disaster relief actors includes host nations, non-governmental organisations, private volunteer organisations, military organisations and others. Each group, civilian or military, has valuable skills and experiences critical to disaster relief work. The goal of this paper is to supplement the study of civil-military relief efforts with contemporary anecdotal experience. The paper examines the interaction between US military forces and other disaster relief actors during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief effort. The author uses direct observations made while working in Pakistan to contrast the relationships and activities from that effort with other accounts in prevailing scholarly disaster literature and military doctrine. Finally, this paper suggests that the Kashmir model of integration, coordination and transparency of intent creates a framework in which future humanitarian assistance operations could be successfully executed. Recommendations to improve civil-military interaction in future relief efforts will also be addressed.

Morbidity pattern and impact of rehabilitative services in Earth quake victims of kashmir, India.

PubMed

Ali, Imtiyaz; Mir, Abid Ali; Jabeen, Rohul; Ahmad, Muzafar; Fazili, Anjum; Kaul, Rauf-Ur Rashid; Kumar, Ratenesh; Keshkar, S

2010-01-01

The Kashmir earthquake also known as South Asia earthquake, hit both sides of Jammu & Kashmir on October 8th 2005 and was quite devastating with official toll of deaths being 73,276 in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (POK) and 1,360 deaths in the Indian administered Kashmir. The injured registering on the two sides were around 100,000 and 6,300 respectively. This was followed by a series of aftershocks on both sides for another 3 weeks A follow up (retrospective) survey was conducted by the Department of Community Medicine SKIMS, Srinagar in collaboration with National Institute of Orthopedically Handicapped (NIOH), Kolkata, immediately after the devastating earthquake of October 2008 that hit Kashmir (Jammu & Kashmir- India) and northern parts of India with the objectives to know the nature of the injuries, magnitude of disabilities, rehabilitative services provided, and service satisfaction. Addresses of earthquake victims registered with various health institutions, Tertiary Care Centre, orthopaedic hospital, district hospital and Composite Regional Centre (CRC)(through which rehabilitative services were provided initially) were collected and referral details, if any, to various health institutions. They were visited at their residence and interviewed for the desired information as per proforma by a team comprising of a doctor, physiotherapist, prosthetist and orthotist by making house to house survey in the earthquake areas. An effort for non registered injured victims, if any in the locality, was also made with health or district authorities to trace non registered injured persons The study shows that majority of injured were young adults and adolescent females, and primarily upper extremities, cervical spine and head were injured. The severely injured were shifted within 12-24 hrs to referral hospitals. In 2/3rd of affected families, single member was injured, whereas in 1/3rd at least two were injured. The case fatality rate was <1% because of low prevalence

Static stress change from the 8 October, 2005 M = 7.6 Kashmir earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsons, T.; Yeats, R.S.; Yagi, Y.; Hussain, A.

2006-01-01

We calculated static stress changes from the devastating M = 7.6 earthquake that shook Kashmir on 8 October, 2005. We mapped Coulomb stress change on target fault planes oriented by assuming a regional compressional stress regime with greatest principal stress directed orthogonally to the mainshock strike. We tested calculation sensitivity by varying assumed stress orientations, target-fault friction, and depth. Our results showed no impact on the active Salt Range thrust southwest of the rupture. Active faults north of the Main Boundary thrust near Peshawar fall in a calculated stress-decreased zone, as does the Raikot fault zone to the northeast. We calculated increased stress near the rupture where most aftershocks occurred. The greatest increase to seismic hazard is in the Indus-Kohistan seismic zone near the Indus River northwest of the rupture termination, and southeast of the rupture termination near the Kashmir basin.

Source Parameters of the 8 October, 2005 Mw7.6 Kashmir Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Prantik; Chadha, R. K.; Kumar, N.; Raju, I. P.; Satyamurty, C.

2007-12-01

During the last six years, the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad has established a semi-permanent seismological network of 5 broadband seismographs and 10 accelerographs in the Kachchh seismic zone, Gujarat, with the prime objective to monitor the continued aftershock activity of the 2001 Mw7.7 Bhuj mainshock. The reliable and accurate broadband data for the Mw 7.6 (8 Oct., 2005) Kashmir earthquake and its aftershocks from this network, as well as from the Hyderabad Geoscope station, enabled us to estimate the group velocity dispersion characteristics and the one-dimensional regional shear-velocity structure of peninsular India. Firstly, we measure Rayleigh- and Love-wave group velocity dispersion curves in the range of 8 to 35 sec and invert these curves to estimate the crustal and upper mantle structure below the western part of peninsular India. Our best model suggests a two-layered crust: The upper crust is 13.8-km thick with a shear velocity (Vs) of 3.2 km/s; the corresponding values for the lower crust are 24.9 km and 3.7 km/sec. The shear velocity for the upper mantle is found to be 4.65 km/sec. Based on this structure, we perform a moment tensor (MT) inversion of the bandpass (0.05 0.02 Hz) filtered seismograms of the Kashmir earthquake. The best fit is obtained for a source located at a depth of 30 km, with a seismic moment, Mo, of 1.6 × 1027 dyne-cm, and a focal mechanism with strike 19.5°, dip 42°, and rake 167°. The long-period magnitude (MA ~ Mw) of this earthquake is estimated to be 7.31. An analysis of well-developed sPn and sSn regional crustal phases from the bandpassed (0.02 0.25 Hz) seismograms of this earthquake at four stations in Kachchh suggests a focal depth of 30.8 km.

Seismically reactivated Hattian slide in Kashmir, Northern Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Jean F.

2009-07-01

The Pakistan 2005 earthquake, of magnitude 7.6, caused severe damage on landscape and infrastructure, in addition to numerous casualties. The event reactivated Hattian Slide, creating a rock avalanche in a location where earlier mass movements had happened already, as indicated by satellite imagery and ground investigation. The slide originated on Dana Hill, in the upper catchment area of Hattian on Karli Stream, a tributary of Jhelum River, Pakistan, and buried the hamlet Dandbeh and several farms nearby. A natural dam accumulated, impounding two lakes, the larger one threatening parts of downstream Hattian Village with flooding. An access road and artificial spillways needed to be constructed in very short time to minimize the flooding risk. As shown by this example, when pointing out the risk of large-scale damage to population and infrastructure by way of hazard indication maps of seismically active regions, and preparing for alleviation of that risk, it is advisable to consider the complete Holocene history of the slopes involved.

Morbidity Pattern and Impact of Rehabilitative Services in Earth Quake Victims of Kashmir, India.

PubMed Central

Ali, Imtiyaz; Mir, Abid Ali; Jabeen, Rohul; Ahmad, Muzafar; Fazili, Anjum; Kaul, Rauf-ur Rashid; kumar, Ratenesh; Keshkar, S.

2010-01-01

Background: The Kashmir earthquake also known as South Asia earthquake, hit both sides of Jammu & Kashmir on October 8th 2005 and was quite devastating with official toll of deaths being 73,276 in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (POK) and 1,360 deaths in the Indian administered Kashmir. The injured registering on the two sides were around 100,000 and 6,300 respectively. This was followed by a series of aftershocks on both sides for another 3 weeks Method: A follow up (retrospective) survey was conducted by the Department of Community Medicine SKIMS, Srinagar in collaboration with National Institute of Orthopedically Handicapped (NIOH), Kolkata, immediately after the devastating earthquake of October 2008 that hit Kashmir (Jammu & Kashmir- India) and northern parts of India with the objectives to know the nature of the injuries, magnitude of disabilities, rehabilitative services provided, and service satisfaction. Addresses of earthquake victims registered with various health institutions, Tertiary Care Centre, orthopaedic hospital, district hospital and Composite Regional Centre (CRC)(through which rehabilitative services were provided initially) were collected and referral details, if any, to various health institutions. They were visited at their residence and interviewed for the desired information as per proforma by a team comprising of a doctor, physiotherapist, prosthetist and orthotist by making house to house survey in the earthquake areas. An effort for non registered injured victims, if any in the locality, was also made with health or district authorities to trace non registered injured persons Results: The study shows that majority of injured were young adults and adolescent females, and primarily upper extremities, cervical spine and head were injured. The severely injured were shifted within 12–24 hrs to referral hospitals. In 2/3rd of affected families, single member was injured, whereas in 1/3rd at least two were injured. The case fatality rate was

Landslides triggered by the October 8, 2005, Pakistan earthquake and associated landslide-dammed reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, Edwin L.; Crone, Anthony J.

2006-01-01

The October 8, 2005, Kashmir earthquake (M 7.6) triggered several thousand landslides, mainly rock falls and rock slides, in the epicentral area near the cities of Muzafarrabad and Balakot, Pakistan. Most of these were shallow, coalescing rock slides emanating from highly sheared and deformed limestone and dolomite of the Precambrian Muzafarrabad Formation. The largest landslide triggered by the earthquake is located approximately 32 kilometers southeast of Muzafarrabad in a tributary valley of the Jhelum River. This landslide is a debris avalanche of approximately 80 million cubic meters volume within the Miocene Murree Formation consisting of mixed sandstone, mudstone, shale, and limestone. The avalanche buried the village of Dandbeh and resulted in approximately 1,000 fatalities, according to local residents. The avalanche deposit traveled approximately 1.5 kilometers downslope and 300 meters or more up the opposite slope in the adjacent Karli stream drainage and also extended into the Tang stream drainage where the Tang stream joins the Karli drainage. The landslide mass has impounded two lakes within the blocked drainages. The lake in the Karli drainage was approximately 800 meters long and 20 meters deep as of December 19, 2005. The lake in the Tang drainage was approximately 400 meters long and 10 meters deep as of this same date. Downstream populations are at risk from possible flash flooding when these debris dams are overtopped by the reservoir water. The closest village, Hattian, is 2.8 kilometers downstream at the junction of the Jhelum River and the landslide-dammed Karli tributary. Other populations along the Jhelum River may also be at risk. Pakistan military engineers are preparing to construct a spillway within the landslide deposits to lessen the severity of the flood if the lake in the Karli stream drainage breaches the landslide dam catastrophically.

Seismic safety assessment of unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings in Pakistan and its neighbourhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korkmaz, K. A.

2009-06-01

Pakistan and neighbourhood experience numerous earthquakes, most of which result in damaged or collapsed buildings and loss of life that also affect the economy adversely. On 29 October, 2008, an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred in Ziarat, Quetta Region, Pakistan which was followed by more than 400 aftershocks. Many villages were completely destroyed and more than 200 people died. The previous major earthquake was in 2005, known as the South Asian earthquake (Mw=7.6) occurred in Kashmir, where 80 000 people died. Inadequate building stock is to be blamed for the degree of disaster, as the majority of the buildings in the region are unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings. In this study, seismic vulnerability of regionally common unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings was investigated using probabilistic based seismic safety assessment. The results of the study showed that unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings display higher displacements and shear force. Probability of damage due to higher displacements and shear forces can be directly related to damage or collapse.

Lessons from India’s Counterinsurgency Campaign in Jammu and Kashmir

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-10

counterproductive in reducing the overall violence in Kashmir. Figures compiled from data kept by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs by Indian journalist Praveen ...force would only gain more support for the 48Schofield, Kashmir in Conflict, 148-150. 49The 1990 fatality figures compiled by Praveen Swami (India...India, Pakistan, and the Unending War. New York: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd, 2003. Swami, Praveen . “Failed Threats and Flawed Fences: India’s Military

Parameterization of 18th January 2011 earthquake in Dalbadin Region, Southwest Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafiq-Ur-Rehman; Azeem, Tahir; Abd el-aal, Abd el-aziz Khairy; Nasir, Asma

2013-12-01

An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 Mw occurred on 18th January 2011 in Southwestern Pakistan, Baluchistan province (Dalbadin Region). The area has complex tectonics due to interaction of Indian, Eurasian and Arabian plates. Both thrust and strike slip earthquakes are dominant in this region with minor, localized normal faulting events. This earthquake under consideration (Dalbadin Earthquake) posed constraints in depth and focal parameters due to lack of data for evaluation of parameters from Pakistan, Iran or Afghanistan region. Normal faulting mechanism has been proposed by many researchers for this earthquake. In the present study the earthquake was relocated using the technique of travel time residuals. Relocated coordinates and depth were utilized to calculate the focal mechanism solution with outcome of a dominant strike slip mechanism, which is contrary to normal faulting. Relocated coordinates and resulting mechanism are more reliable than many reporting agencies as evaluation in this study is augmented by data from local seismic monitoring network of Pakistan. The tectonics in the area is governed by active subduction along the Makran Subduction Zone. This particular earthquake has strike slip mechanism due to breaking of subducting oceanic plate. This earthquake is located where oceanic lithosphere is subducting along with relative movements between Lut and Helmand blocks. Magnitude of this event i.e. Mw = 7.3, re evaluated depth and a previous study of mechanism of earthquake in same region (Shafiq et al., 2011) also supports the strike slip movement.

The 1945 Balochistan earthquake and probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment for the Makran subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höchner, Andreas; Babeyko, Andrey; Zamora, Natalia

2014-05-01

Iran and Pakistan are countries quite frequently affected by destructive earthquakes. For instance, the magnitude 6.6 Bam earthquake in 2003 in Iran with about 30'000 casualties, or the magnitude 7.6 Kashmir earthquake 2005 in Pakistan with about 80'000 casualties. Both events took place inland, but in terms of magnitude, even significantly larger events can be expected to happen offshore, at the Makran subduction zone. This small subduction zone is seismically rather quiescent, but a tsunami caused by a thrust event in 1945 (Balochistan earthquake) led to about 4000 casualties. Nowadays, the coastal regions are more densely populated and vulnerable to similar events. Additionally, some recent publications raise the question of the possiblity of rare but huge magnitude 9 events at the Makran subduction zone. We first model the historic Balochistan event and its effect in terms of coastal wave heights, and then generate various synthetic earthquake and tsunami catalogs including the possibility of large events in order to asses the tsunami hazard at the affected coastal regions. Finally, we show how an effective tsunami early warning could be achieved by the use of an array of high-precision real-time GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers along the coast.

Changes in gravitational parameters inferred from time variable GRACE data-A case study for October 2005 Kashmir earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Matloob; Eshagh, Mehdi; Ahmad, Zulfiqar; Sadiq, M.; Fatolazadeh, Farzam

2016-09-01

The earth's gravity changes are attributed to the redistribution of masses within and/or on the surface of the earth, which are due to the frictional sliding, tensile cracking and/or cataclastic flow of rocks along the faults and detectable by earthquake events. Inversely, the gravity changes are useful to describe the earthquake seismicity over the active orogenic belts. The time variable gravimetric data are hardly available to the public domain. However, Gravity Recovery and Climatic Experiment (GRACE) is the only satellite mission dedicated to model the variation of the gravity field and an available source to the science community. Here, we have tried to envisage gravity changes in terms of gravity anomaly (Δg), geoid (N) and the gravity gradients over the Indo-Pak plate with emphasis upon Kashmir earthquake of October 2005. For this purpose, we engaged the spherical harmonic coefficients of monthly gravity solutions from the GRACE satellite mission, which have good coverage over the entire globe with unprecedented accuracy. We have analysed numerically the solutions after removing the hydrological signals, during August to November 2005, in terms of corresponding monthly differentials of gravity anomaly, geoid and the gradients. The regional structures like Main Mantle Thrust (MMT), Main Karakoram Thrust (MKT), Herat and Chaman faults are in closed association with topography and with gravity parameters from the GRACE gravimetry and EGM2008 model. The monthly differentials of these quantities indicate the stress accumulation in the northeast direction in the study area. Our numerical results show that the horizontal gravity gradients seem to be in good agreement with tectonic boundaries and differentials of the gravitational elements are subtle to the redistribution of rock masses and topography caused by 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Moreover, the gradients are rather more helpful for extracting the coseismic gravity signatures caused by seismicity over the area

Earthquake Births New Island off Pakistan

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On September 24, 2013, a major strike-slip earthquake rattled western Pakistan, killing at least 350 people and leaving more than 100,000 homeless. The 7.7 magnitude quake struck the Baluchistan province of northwestern Pakistan. Amidst the destruction, a new island was created offshore in the Paddi Zirr (West Bay) near Gwadar, Pakistan. On September 26, 2013, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured the top image of that new island, which sits roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) offshore. Likely a “mud volcano,” the island rose from the seafloor near Gwadar on September 24, shortly after the earthquake struck about 380 kilometers (230 miles) inland. The lower image, acquired by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite, shows the same area on April 17, 2013. In the satellite images, lighter shades of green and tan in the water reveal shallow seafloor or suspended sediment. The water depth around the new island is roughly 15 to 20 meters (50 to 65 feet), according to marine geologist Asif Inam of Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography. “The floor in that area is generally flat, but the gradient in this area changes quite abruptly,” Inam said. The top image from ALI is also clear enough to show the parallel ripples of waves marching toward the shore. Read more: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82146 NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Major earthquakes of the past decade (2000-2010): a comparative review of various aspects of management.

PubMed

Kalantar Motamedi, Mohammad Hosein; Sagafinia, Masoud; Ebrahimi, Ali; Shams, Ehsan; Kalantar Motamedi, Mostafa

2012-01-01

This article sought to review and compare data of major earthquakes of the past decade and their aftermath in order to compare the magnitude, death toll, type of injuries, management procedures, extent of destruction and effectiveness of relief efforts. A retrospective study of the various aspects of management and aftermath of 5 major earthquakes of the past decade (2000-2010) was undertaken. This included earthquakes occurring in Bam Iran, Sichuan China, Port-au-Prince Haiti, Kashmir Pakistan and Ica Peru. A literature search was done via computer of published articles (indexed in Pubmed). The issues assessed included: 1)Local magnitude,2)Type of building structure 3)Time of the earthquake (day/time/season), 4)Time to rescue, 5)Triage, Transfer, and Treatment 6) Distribution of casualties (dead/ injured), 7)Degree of city damage, 8)Degree of damage to health facilities, 9)Field hospital availability, 10)International aid, 11)Air transfer, 12) Telecommunication systems availability, 13) PTSD prevalence, 14) Most common injury and 15) Most common disease outbreak. The Bam earthquake had the lowest (6.6 Richter's) and the Sichuan earthquake had the greatest magnitude (8.0 Richter's). Mortality in Haiti was 212,000 and it was the deadliest earthquake of the past decade. Collapse of heavy clay roofing structures was a major cause of death in Iran and Pakistan. Earthquakes occurring at night and nonworking days carried a high death toll. The time to rescue and treat was the lengthiest in Haiti (possibly contributing to the death to injured ratio). However, the worst dead to injured ratios were in Bam (51%) and in Pakistan (47%); the best ratio was in China (15%). Iran and Pakistan suffered the highest percentage of damage to the health facilities (90%). Field hospital availability, international aid and air transfer were important issues. Telecommunication systems were best in China and worst in Pakistan. PTSD prevalence was highest in Iran. Respiratory infection was

Some early astronomical sites in the Kashmir region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Naseer; Vahia, M. N.; Masood, Tabasum; Ahmad, Aijaz

2009-03-01

We discuss a number of early rock art sites in the Kashmir Valley in northern India and neighbouring Pakistan, and suggest that some of these contain depictions of astronomical objects or events. The sites are in the Srinagar and Sopore regions and in or near the Ladakh region, and date to Neolithic or Upper Paleolithic times. Our studies suggest that during this period some of the ancient astronomers recorded supernovae, meteorite impacts, the Sun, the Moon and the seasons in their rock art.

Maritime Issues between Pakistan and India: Seeking Cooperation and Regional Stability

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

release; distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words ) Since independence, relations between Pakistan and...the way for the resolution of more complex and substantive disputes in the future. In other words , peace in Kashmir may be wrought at sea...could pave the way for the resolution of more complex and substantive disputes in the future. In other words , peace in Kashmir may be wrought at sea

Comparative Analysis of Emergency Response Operations: Haiti Earthquake in January 2010 and Pakistan’s Flood in 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

Earthquake, Pakistan, Flood, Emergency Response Operations, International Community, HA/DR, United Nations , FRC, NDMA , ICT 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY...Registration Authority NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NDMA National Disaster and Management Authority NDMC National Disaster Management...complicates relief efforts. 6 NDMA Pakistan, “Pakistan Floods-Summary of Damages,” No Author. Accessed 24

Flexible kinematic earthquake rupture inversion of tele-seismic waveforms: Application to the 2013 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, K.; Yagi, Y.; Okuwaki, R.; Kasahara, A.

2017-12-01

The kinematic earthquake rupture models are useful to derive statistics and scaling properties of the large and great earthquakes. However, the kinematic rupture models for the same earthquake are often different from one another. Such sensitivity of the modeling prevents us to understand the statistics and scaling properties of the earthquakes. Yagi and Fukahata (2011) introduces the uncertainty of Green's function into the tele-seismic waveform inversion, and shows that the stable spatiotemporal distribution of slip-rate can be obtained by using an empirical Bayesian scheme. One of the unsolved problems in the inversion rises from the modeling error originated from an uncertainty of a fault-model setting. Green's function near the nodal plane of focal mechanism is known to be sensitive to the slight change of the assumed fault geometry, and thus the spatiotemporal distribution of slip-rate should be distorted by the modeling error originated from the uncertainty of the fault model. We propose a new method accounting for the complexity in the fault geometry by additionally solving the focal mechanism on each space knot. Since a solution of finite source inversion gets unstable with an increasing of flexibility of the model, we try to estimate a stable spatiotemporal distribution of focal mechanism in the framework of Yagi and Fukahata (2011). We applied the proposed method to the 52 tele-seismic P-waveforms of the 2013 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake. The inverted-potency distribution shows unilateral rupture propagation toward southwest of the epicenter, and the spatial variation of the focal mechanisms shares the same pattern as the fault-curvature along the tectonic fabric. On the other hand, the broad pattern of rupture process, including the direction of rupture propagation, cannot be reproduced by an inversion analysis under the assumption that the faulting occurred on a single flat plane. These results show that the modeling error caused by simplifying the

Major Earthquakes of the Past Decade (2000-2010): A Comparative Review of Various Aspects of Management

PubMed Central

Kalantar Motamedi, Mohammad Hosein; Sagafinia, Masoud; Ebrahimi, Ali; Shams, Ehsan; Kalantar Motamedi, Mostafa

2012-01-01

Objectives: This article sought to review and compare data of major earthquakes of the past decade and their aftermath in order to compare the magnitude, death toll, type of injuries, management procedures, extent of destruction and effectiveness of relief efforts. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of the various aspects of management and aftermath of 5 major earthquakes of the past decade (2000–2010) was undertaken. This included earthquakes occurring in Bam Iran, Sichuan China, Port-au-Prince Haiti, Kashmir Pakistan and Ica Peru. A literature search was done via computer of published articles (indexed in Pubmed). The issues assessed included: 1)Local magnitude,2)Type of building structure 3)Time of the earthquake (day/time/season), 4)Time to rescue, 5)Triage, Transfer, and Treatment 6) Distribution of casualties (dead/ injured), 7)Degree of city damage, 8)Degree of damage to health facilities, 9)Field hospital availability, 10)International aid, 11)Air transfer, 12) Telecommunication systems availability, 13) PTSD prevalence, 14) Most common injury and 15) Most common disease outbreak. Results: The Bam earthquake had the lowest (6.6 Richter’s) and the Sichuan earthquake had the greatest magnitude (8.0 Richter’s). Mortality in Haiti was 212,000 and it was the deadliest earthquake of the past decade. Collapse of heavy clay roofing structures was a major cause of death in Iran and Pakistan. Earthquakes occurring at night and nonworking days carried a high death toll. The time to rescue and treat was the lengthiest in Haiti (possibly contributing to the death to injured ratio). However, the worst dead to injured ratios were in Bam (51%) and in Pakistan (47%); the best ratio was in China (15%). Iran and Pakistan suffered the highest percentage of damage to the health facilities (90%). Field hospital availability, international aid and air transfer were important issues. Telecommunication systems were best in China and worst in Pakistan. PTSD

Surface Rupture and Slip Distribution Resulting from the 2013 M7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reitman, N. G.; Gold, R. D.; Briggs, R. W.; Barnhart, W. D.; Hayes, G. P.

2014-12-01

The 24 September 2013 M7.7 earthquake in Balochistan, Pakistan, produced a ~200 km long left-lateral strike-slip surface rupture along a portion of the Hoshab fault, a moderately dipping (45-75º) structure in the Makran accretionary prism. The rupture is remarkably continuous and crosses only two (0.7 and 1.5 km wide) step-overs along its arcuate path through southern Pakistan. Displacements are dominantly strike-slip, with a minor component of reverse motion. We remotely mapped the surface rupture at 1:5,000 scale and measured displacements using high resolution (0.5 m) pre- and post-event satellite imagery. We mapped 295 laterally faulted stream channels, terrace margins, and roads to quantify near-field displacement proximal (±10 m) to the rupture trace. The maximum near-field left-lateral offset is 15±2 m (average of ~7 m). Additionally, we used pre-event imagery to digitize 254 unique landforms in the "medium-field" (~100-200 m from the rupture) and then measured their displacements compared to the post-event imagery. At this scale, maximum left-lateral offset approaches 17 m (average of ~8.5 m). The width (extent of observed surface faulting) of the rupture zone varies from ~1 m to 3.7 km. Near- and medium-field offsets show similar slip distributions that are inversely correlated with the width of the fault zone at the surface (larger offsets correspond to narrow fault zones). The medium-field offset is usually greater than the near-field offset. The along-strike surface slip distribution is highly variable, similar to the slip distributions documented for the 2002 Denali M7.9 earthquake and 2001 Kunlun M7.8 earthquake, although the Pakistan offsets are larger in magnitude. The 2013 Pakistan earthquake ranks among the largest documented continental strike-slip displacements, possibly second only to the 18+ m surface displacements attributed to the 1855 Wairarapa M~8.1 earthquake.

US and Pakistan Relations: Muddling Towards Compelling Coincident Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-20

disputes and conflicts with India coupled 3 with the pursuit of their related competitive nuclear programs generated discord between the US and Pakistan...miles of a hostile India ; second there existed highly contentious border and territorial disputes with India with a focus on India ‟s annexation of the...largely Muslim populated princely state of Kashmir (the source of five key rivers flowing into and through Pakistan); and finally India (with

Pakistan: Summary Report. Education Financing and People's Aspirations in Pakistan. Asia-South Pacific Education Watch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lozada, Rebecca, Ed.

2008-01-01

This study was conducted across the country in a total of 23 districts, 5 districts each in the four provinces of Pakistan, i.e. Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), and 2 districts in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). The main purpose of the paper was to unravel the intricate budgeting process in the education sector,…

Plant diversity and conservation status of Himalayan Region Poonch Valley Azad Kashmir (Pakistan).

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Azam; Khan, Mir Ajab; Hussain, Mazhar; Mujtaba, Ghulam

2014-09-01

The plant diversity of Himalayan region has been reduced to greater extent due to environmental degradation and human exploitation. Anthropogenic disturbance was the major factor responsible for fragmentation of forest vegetation into small patches. Little research has been conducted in the Himalayan region of Poonch Valley of North eastern Pakistan with reference to plants biodiversity and its conservation. The present research was carried out to provide a checklist of vegetation for biodiversity conservation. A total of 430 vascular and 5 nonvascular plant species with 5 species of Bryophytes (5 families), 13 species of Pteridophytes (6 families), 4 species of Gymnosperms (1 family) and 413 species of angiosperms (95 families) were enumerated from the Poonch valley Azad Kashmir. The genera were classified into three categories according to the number of species. 25 plant communities with phytosociological parameters and diversity indices were reported. Present study revealed that there were 145 threatened, 30 endangered, 68 vulnerable and 47 rare species. It is recorded that extensive grazing, uprooting of plants and soil slope erosion intensify the environmental problems. Since there is maximum exploitation of vegetation, the valley showed a decline in plant diversity. The study was also indicated that the main threats to the biodiversity are expansion of settlement and army installations in the forest area of the valley. For sustainable use In-situ and Ex-situ conservation, controlled harvesting and afforestation may be the solution. Moreover, forest area should be declared prohibited for settlements and army installations.

U.S. Security Cooperation with India and Pakistan: A Comparative Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions, and resulted in further sanctions200 Pakistan spent the better part of the 1990s seething about the U.S. “abandonment... nuclear accident that happens in future. (From India’s perspective, the problem of liability has been exacerbated by the Fukushima disaster and anti...14. SUBJECT TERMS: United States, India, Pakistan, Security Cooperation, South Asia, Cold War, Defense Cooperation, Kashmir, Nuclear

Damselflies (Zygoptera: Odonata) of Pakistan: Part 1

PubMed Central

Zia, Ahmed; Naeem, Muhammad; Rafi, Muhammad Ather; Naz, Falak; Afsheen, Sumera; Ilyas, Muhammad

2011-01-01

The present study is an effort to document bio-geographical distribution for Zygoptera of Pakistan. Damselflies were collected throughout the country and territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir during 2004–2009. A total of 2692 specimens were collected yielding 9 families, 21 genera, and 48 species and subspecies. Three of these species, Libellago lineata lineata (Burmeister), Elattoneura atkinsoni (Selys), and Elattoneura souteri (Fraser), are recorded for the first time from Pakistan. Distribution, habitats, previous records, and Zoogeographic affiliation for all collected taxa are discussed. Help was also taken from published literature on Zygoptera of Pakistan, and specimens housed at National Insect Museum were also studied. In total, 53 species are accounted for providing an updated record for all modern taxa of damselfly fauna of Pakistan. PMID:22221175

Coseismic and postseismic deformation due to the 2007 M5.5 Ghazaband fault earthquake, Balochistan, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattahi, H.; Amelung, F.; Chaussard, E.; Wdowinski, S.

2015-05-01

Time series analysis of interferometric synthetic aperture radar data reveals coseismic and postseismic surface displacements associated with the 2007 M5.5 earthquake along the southern Ghazaband fault, a major but little studied fault in Pakistan. Modeling indicates that the coseismic surface deformation was caused by ~9 cm of strike-slip displacement along a shallow subvertical fault. The earthquake was followed by at least 1 year of afterslip, releasing ~70% of the moment of the main event, equivalent to a M5.4 earthquake. This high aseismic relative to the seismic moment release is consistent with previous observations for moderate earthquakes (M < 6) and suggests that smaller earthquakes are associated with a higher aseismic relative to seismic moment release than larger earthquakes.

Geological structures control on earthquake ruptures: The Mw7.7, 2013, Balochistan earthquake, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallage, A.; Klinger, Y.; Lacassin, R.; Delorme, A.; Pierrot-Deseilligny, M.

2016-10-01

The 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan earthquake, Pakistan, ruptured the Hoshab fault. Left-lateral motion dominated the deformation pattern, although significant vertical motion is found along the southern part of the rupture. Correlation of high-resolution (2.5 m) optical satellite images provided horizontal displacement along the entire rupture. In parallel, we mapped the ground rupture geometry at 1:500 scale. We show that the azimuth of the ground rupture distributes mainly between two directions, N216° and N259°. The direction N216° matches the direction of preexisting geologic structures resulting from penetrative deformation caused by the nearby Makran subduction. Hence, during a significant part of its rupture, the 2013 Balochistan rupture kept switching between a long-term fault front and secondary branches, in which existence and direction are related to the compressional context. It shows unambiguous direct interactions between different preexisting geologic structures, regional stress, and dynamic-rupture stress, which controlled earthquake propagation path.

Use of external fixators for damage-control orthopaedics in natural disasters like the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

PubMed

Awais, Syed; Saeed, Ayesha; Ch, Asad

2014-08-01

In the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, the great many injured with multiple fractures and open wounds provided a unique opportunity to practice damage-control orthopaedics. External fixators remain a time-tested tools for operating surgeons on such occasions. The locally manufactured, readily available Naseer-Awais (NA) external fixator filled such needs of this disaster with good outcome. This is a retrospective descriptive study of 19,700 patients that presented over seven months to the two centres established by the lead author (SMA) in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra just one night after the 2005 earthquake. A series of local and foreign orthopaedic surgeon teams operated in succession. The computerised patient data collection of 1,145 operations was retrospectively analysed. Of the 19,700 patients presenting to the SMA centres, 50% had limb injuries. Total fracture fixations were 1,145, of which 295 were external fixations: 185 were applied on the lower limb and 90 on upper limb, the majority were applied on tibia. External fixators are valuable damage-control tools in natural disasters and warfare injuries. The locally manufactured NA external fixator served the needs of the many limb injuries during the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

Unconventional Warfare and Counterinsurgency in Pakistan: A Brief History

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

inter-connected. Punjabi Pakistani militants with sophisticated asymmetric warfare training and experience fighting Indian forces in Kashmir...factions. These Punjabi Pakistani militants would prove to be some of the most dangerous opponents of the government after 2006. From 2003 to 2006, the...68 Khan. “Untangling the Punjabi Taliban Network”. CTC Sentinel, March 2010; Franco, “Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.” 69 Iqbal

Pakistan: A Nation at War with Itself

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

boundaries in India.13 As a recent Rand Corporation report argued, “the Use of militant groups, including the Taliban, has remained an important instrument...government at Dhaka in East Pakistan. Pakistan’s experiments with democracy have been marked by a “multi- layered trajectory of contrasts and...protect the city by destroying a large number of bridges on the canal that surrounded it. The Indian strategy of expanding the war beyond Kashmir was

Seismic Microzonation of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sarfraz; Khan, M. Asif

2018-01-01

Microzonation deals with classifying seismic hazards in terms of ground motions resulting from amplification of seismic waves by nature of soil profiles underlying a site, town or city. This paper presents the results of microzonation study for Islamabad metropolitan, the capital of Pakistan. Cumulative SPT- N values from geophysical borehole and microtremor (Tromino Engy Plus) data were used to classify the soils into classes C (very dense soil profile and soft rock) and D (stiff soil profile) as devised by the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP). Soil response analyses were carried out based on scaled time histories of Kashmir earthquake (2005, 0.02 g), Mangla earthquake (2006, 0.031 g) and Haripur earthquake (2010, 0.13 g) corresponding to return periods of 150, 475, 975 and 2475 years. Spectral accelerations on the ground surface are calculated by two different approaches (1) soil response analysis performed using one dimensional shear wave propagation method (equivalent linear approach); and (2) NEHRP and Borcherdt amplification factors. Microzonation maps are produced with respect to ground shaking intensity for the return periods of 150, 475, 975 and 2475 years taking into account the variation of the spectral accelerations calculated based on these two procedures. The results show that the accelerations at the ground surface in the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan are in the range of 0.40-0.48 g (for 150 years), 0.59-0.65 g (for 475 years), 0.71-0.77 g (for 975 years), and 0.92-0.94 g (for 2475 years). The amplification factors for these four hazard levels range from 0.96 to 1.38 (150 years), 0.90-1.14 (475 years), 0.85-1.04 (975 years) and 0.84-1.00 (2475 years).

JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia: Pakistan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-25

evident. These areas include: has left a trail of bitterness and created an atmosphere of • Internationalisation of the Kashmir issue with the...incubation funds appropriately. Recent years have been marked by an without hope of an early resuscitation, emphasis on the development of NGOs ...nongovernmental JPRS-NEA-91-073 25 October 1991 ECONOMIC 55 organizations]. In Pakistan, the genuine NGOs rendering the impact of the present government’s

Exposure of population from residential radon: a case study for district Hattian, Azad Kashmir, Sub-Himalayas, Pakistan.

PubMed

Rafique, M; Rahman, S U; Matiullah

2012-11-01

Indoor air quality has acquired considerable importance in recent years. Tighter buildings with poorer ventilation systems have led towards higher levels of indoor air pollution. Radon is considered to be most significant perilous gas among the various air contaminants found in the residential environment. To determine the risk posed by residential radon exposure, a survey was carried out in the Hattian district of the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. In this context, 160 houses were carefully selected for the installation of CR-39-based National Radiological Protection Board-type detectors installation. After exposing the CR-39 detectors for a period of 90 d, they were etched in 6 M chemical solution of sodium hydroxide at a temperature of 80°C for a period of 16 h. The detectors were read under an optical microscope and observed track densities were converted into the indoor radon concentration using a calibration factor of 2.7 tracks cm(-2) h(-1) per kBqm(-3). For the current study, observed radon concentrations ranged from 35 to 175 Bqm(-3), whereas the mean annual effective radon doses received by the inhabitants of the area ranged from 0.88 ± 0.12 to 4.41 ± 0.20 mSv with an average value of 2.62 ± 0.12 mSv. These reported values are less than the limits (standards) recommended by the different world organisations.

Ethnopharmacological studies of indigenous plants in Kel village, Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Ahmad, Khawaja Shafique; Hamid, Abdul; Nawaz, Fahim; Hameed, Mansoor; Ahmad, Farooq; Deng, Jiabin; Akhtar, Noreen; Wazarat, Ambreen; Mahroof, Sehrish

2017-12-01

This explorative study was undertaken for the first time in Kel village located in the Upper Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The purpose was to document the indigenous knowledge of the native people used in the preparation of herbal medicines. To get the data on traditional uses of medicinal plants, 20 informants were interviewed. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices, i.e., use value (UV), relative frequencies of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (Fic), fidelity level (FL), data matrix ranking (DMR), preference ranking (PR), and jaccard index (JI), were calculated for the recorded medicinal plants. A total of 50 medicinal plants belonging to 33 families used in 13 disease categories were documented. Leaves were the frequently used plant parts, and decoction was the commonly used method for herbal medicine. Plants with high use value were Berberis lycium (2.05), Impatiens glandulifera (1.95), Artemisia scoparia (1.75), Ageratum conozoides (1.75), and Achillea millefolium (1.7). The highest RFC value was calculated for Berberis lycium (0.75), Cynoglossum lanceolatum (0.65), and Impatiens glandulifera and Achillea millefolium (0.60 each). The maximum informant consensus factor was for urinary system, cardiac diseases, baldness, and abortion and miscarriage (1.00). Berberis lyceum (95%) used in jaundice, hepatitis, typhoid, fever, and tuberculosis disorders. Plants with maximum fidelity level (FL) were Berberis lycium (95%) followed by Dioscorea bulbifera, Impatiens glandulifera, and Artemisia vulgaris (90%). Olea ferruginea was the most multipurpose plant and exports (21.2%) was the leading threat in the area. The pearson correlation coefficient (0.500) showed a positive correlation between the use value and relative frequency of citation. The present study provides useful information about traditional uses of medicinal plants used by local communities in different ailments. The plants with the highest use values could be employed in pharmacological

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyce, Tucker

International trade and related economic activities in Central and South Asia are increasing as developing economies, particularly India and Pakistan, grow. China continues to emerge as a major regional and global power and has embarked upon numerous regional economic and political initiatives . A major development is the China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a host of infrastructure and trade projects worth over 40 billion American dollars . This report analyzes CPEC a nd its potential regional effects, including the trade security implications of the port and land infrastructure developments . As trade increase s in the reg ion andmore » the major CPEC infrastructure projects are completed, there will be numerous implications on trade security and geopolitics within South Asia. CPEC projects uniquely intersect numerous regional situations, including territorial disputes in Kashmir, the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and Chinese foreign policy a mbitions. A nuanced understanding of these effects can influence future policy adjustments in this region . The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sandia National Laboratories or the author's current and past institutions.« less

Prevalence of tuberculosis in Kotli, Azad Kashmir.

PubMed

Saleem, Mohammad; Ahmad, Waseem; Jamshed, Fareeda; Sarwar, Javed; Gul, Nasreen

2013-01-01

Tuberculosis is highly prevalent in Pakistan. It is a contagious disease and causes a lot of morbidity and mortality. Its treatment is costly especially for poor countries like Pakistan. But fortunately it is a preventable disease. Objective of this study was to analyse various epidemiological features of tuberculosis in District Kotli, a remote area of Northern Pakistan. This cross sectional study was conducted in District Kotli, Azad Kashmir from January to December 2009. Data was collected from eight national TB centres of District Kotli. It included all the diagnosed cases of tuberculosis, registered there during the study period. Various epidemiological aspects of these patients were analysed. Total number patients registered during the study period were 752. Of these 579 (76.99%) were pulmonary and 173 (23%) were extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPT). Total prevalence of tuberculosis was found to be 100.27 per 100,000. Prevalence of pulmonary TB was 77.2 while that of EPT was 23.07 per 100,000. There were 405 males (53.85%) and 347 females (46.14%). Most patients were 61-75 years of age (220, 29.25%). Overall 417 (55.44%) were 46-75 years. Housewives were affected most frequently (324, 43.08%). Labourers were also commonly involved (40.82%). All cause mortality was 29 (3.85%). Mortality due to tuberculosi as was 11 (1.04%). Among pulmonary tuberculosis, 259 (44.78%) were sputum smear positive and 320) (55.26%) were sputum smear negative. In EPT, most frequent was pleural effusion (74, 42%) and least frequent was skin involvement (3, 1.73%). Prevalence of tuberculosis in Kotli was lower than the overall prevalence in Pakistan. Male to female ratio was lower than that generally observed in Southeast Asia. It was more common in middle to old age population. Frequency was higher in housewives and labourers. Very significant proportion of pulmonary TB was sputum smear positive. Among EPT, pleural effusion was the most common mode of presentation.

Different styles of postseismic deformation after the 2013 M7.7 Balochistan earthquake in Pakistan and the 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fielding, E. J.; Yague-Martinez, N.; Motagh, M.; Gonzalez-Ortega, J. A.; Huang, M. H.; Burgmann, R.; Freed, A. M.; Samsonov, S. V.

2014-12-01

We study postseismic deformation after the Mw 7.7 earthquake in the Balochistan region of western Pakistan on 24 September 2013 and the Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah (EMC) earthquake in Baja California of northern Mexico on 4 April 2010. Pakistan InSAR measurements from the German TerraSAR-X (TSX) and Canadian RADARSAT-2 (RS2) satellites include TSX narrow stripmap beams on a descending track, RS2 wide strip modes, and TSX wide-swath ScanSAR images on an ascending track, specially acquired with interferometric alignment of ScanSAR bursts. For the EMC earthquake, InSAR includes Envisat, ALOS, and RS2 satellites and NASA/JPL UAVSAR airborne InSAR, with piece-wise time coverage. Plate Boundary Observatory acquires continuous GPS data and others collect campaign GPS. Interferograms show significant afterslip on both main ruptures in the first weeks and months, not masked by the atmospheric effects. Balochistan shallow afterslip reaches at least 10 cm in 2-4 months in the same area as the largest coseismic slip, but less near the aftershock activity. Rapid afterslip was observed primarily at the ends of the EMC mainshock rupture where the strike changes, with magnitudes up to 30 cm. Large variations of tropospheric water vapor complicate measurement of small long-wavelength deformation so we do time series analysis. We expect viscoelastic relaxation after these two strike-slip earthquakes to differ due to completely opposite tectonic settings: EMC earthquake in the Salton Trough rift and fast-moving strike-slip system, where crust and lithosphere are thin and hot with very shallow asthenosphere, and Balochistan earthquake in the shortening Makran accretional prism with much slower strike-slip deformation rates and cold and thick lithosphere of the subducting Arabian plate directly beneath it, so asthenosphere is much deeper. Studies have found rapid and large viscoelastic relaxation for the EMC quake, but we don't expect measurable relaxation in the Balochistan area in the

Inherited structures impact on co-seismic surface deformation pattern during the 2013 Balochistan, Pakistan, earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallage, Amaury; Klinger, Yann; Grandin, Raphael; Delorme, Arthur; Pierrot-Deseilligny, Marc

2016-04-01

The understanding of earthquake processes and the interaction of earthquake rupture with Earth's free surface relies on the resolution of the observations. Recent and detailed post-earthquake measurements bring new insights on shallow mechanical behavior of rupture processes as it becomes possible to measure and locate surficial deformation distribution. The 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan earthquake, Pakistan, offers a nice opportunity to comprehend where and why surficial deformation might differs from at-depth localized slip. This earthquake ruptured the Hoshab fault over 200 km; the motion was mainly left lateral with a small and discontinuous vertical component in the southern part of the rupture. Using images with the finest resolution currently available, we measured the surface displacement amplitude and its orientation at the ground surface (including the numerous tensile cracks). We combined these measurements with the 1:500 scale ground rupture map to focus on the behavior of the frontal rupture in the area where deformation distributes. Comparison with orientations of inherited tectonic structures, visible in older rocks formation surrounding the actual 2013 rupture, shows the control exercised by such structures on co-seismic rupture distribution. Such observation raises the question on how pre-existing tectonic structures in a medium, mapped in several seismically active places around the globe; can control the co-seismic distribution of the deformation during earthquakes.

Beyond Kargil: The technology of peace in India-Pakistan border relations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tahir-Kheli, S.; Biringer, K.L.

2000-01-12

The potential for cooperation between India and Pakistan is substantial. Topics as widely varying as national security, the environment and trade hold the potential for improved bilateral relations. This paper looks at a few areas in which monitoring technology could contribute to enhancing cooperative border agreements between the two nations. The goal of the paper is not to provide prescriptive solutions to regional problems, but to expand the number of options being considered for improving Indian-Pakistan relations. Many of the impediments to bilateral progress are a result of a history of conflict and mistrust. By utilizing technical monitoring and inspections,more » each side can begin to replace suspicion and doubt with knowledge and information useful in making informed political, economic and military decisions. At the same time, technical monitoring and inspections can build confidence through common interactions. India and Pakistan have pledged to resolve their disputes, including Kashmir, through dialogue. Implementation of that pledge is influenced by a number of factors, including changes in the political systems and the fortunes of the leadership. Events of the past year and a half have severely tested these two governments' ability to move forward along a constructive and positive path. Testing of new missile systems both preceded and followed testing of nuclear weapons in May 1998. Both countries disregarded subsequent international displeasure as they proceeded to openly declare their respective nuclear capability. Their brief engagement with each other in February 1999 and movement toward a rapprochement diluted international condemnation of their nuclear activity. Within a recent period of nine months however, progress in the dialogue has been stalled first by the Pakistani move in Kashmir in May 1999, then by the Indian election in the summer of 1999 and most recently by the military coup in Pakistan.« less

Landslides in everyday life: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding vulnerability in the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudmeier-Rieux, K.; Breguet, A.; Dubois, J.; Jaboyedoff, M.

2009-04-01

Several thousand landslides were triggered by the Kashmir earthquake, scarring the hillside with cracks. Monsoon rains continue to trigger landslides, which have increased the exposure of populations because of lost agricultural lands, blocked roads and annual fatalities due to landslides. The great majority of these landslides are shallow and relatively small but greatly impacting the population. In this region, landslides were a factor before the earthquake, mainly due to road construction and gravel excavation, but the several thousand landslides triggered by the earthquake have completely overwhelmed the local population and authorities. In Eastern Nepal, the last large earthquake to hit this region occurred in 1988, also triggering numerous landslides and cracks. Here, landslides can be considered a more common phenomenon, yet coping capacities amount to local observations of landslide movement, subsequent abandonment of houses and land as they become too dangerous. We present a comparative case study from Kashmir, Pakistan and Eastern Nepal, highlighting an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex interactions between land use, landslides and vulnerability. Our approach sets out to understand underlying causes of the massive landslides triggered by the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan, and also the increasing number of landslides in Nepal. By approaching the issue of landslides from multiple angles (risk perceptions, land use, local coping capacities, geological assessment, risk mapping) and multiple research techniques (remote sensing, GIS, geological assessment, participatory mapping, focus groups) we are better able to create a more complete picture of the "hazardscape". We find that by combining participatory social science research with hazard mapping, we obtain a more complete understanding of underlying causes, coping strategies and possible mitigation options, placing natural hazards in the context of everyday life. This method is

A comparison of the medium-term impact and recovery of the Pakistan floods and the Haiti earthquake: objective and subjective measures.

PubMed

Weiss, William M; Kirsch, Thomas D; Doocy, Shannon; Perrin, Paul

2014-06-01

The 2010 Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods were similar in their massive human impact. Although the specific events were very different, the humanitarian response to disasters is supposed to achieve the same ends. This paper contrasts the disaster effects and aims to contrast the medium-term response. In January 2011, similarly structured population-based surveys were carried out in the most affected areas using stratified cluster designs (80×20 in Pakistan and 60×20 in Haiti) with probability proportional to size sampling. Displacement persisted in Haiti and Pakistan at 53% and 39% of households, respectively. In Pakistan, 95% of households reported damage to their homes and loss of income or livelihoods, and in Haiti, the rates were 93% and 85%, respectively. Frequency of displacement, and income or livelihood loss, were significantly higher in Pakistan, whereas disaster-related deaths or injuries were significantly more prevalent in Haiti. Given the rise in disaster frequency and costs, and the volatility of humanitarian funding streams as a result of the recent global financial crisis, it is increasingly important to measure the impact of humanitarian response against the goal of a return to normalcy.

Reply to comments by Ahmad et al. on: Shah, A. A., 2013. Earthquake geology of Kashmir Basin and its implications for future large earthquakes International Journal of Earth Sciences DOI:10.1007/s00531-013-0874-8 and on Shah, A. A., 2015. Kashmir Basin Fault and its tectonic significance in NW Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, India, International Journal of Earth Sciences DOI:10.1007/s00531-015-1183-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, A. A.

2016-03-01

Shah (Int J Earth Sci 102:1957-1966, 2013) mapped major unknown faults and fault segments in Kashmir basin using geomorphological techniques. The major trace of out-of-sequence thrust fault was named as Kashmir basin fault (KBF) because it runs through the middle of Kashmir basin, and the active movement on it has backtilted and uplifted most of the basin. Ahmad et al. (Int J Earth Sci, 2015) have disputed the existence of KBF and maintained that faults identified by Shah (Int J Earth Sci 102:1957-1966, 2013) were already mapped as inferred faults by earlier workers. The early works, however, show a major normal fault, or a minor out-of-sequence reverse fault, and none have shown a major thrust fault.

Influence through Airpower Security Cooperation in Egypt and Pakistan: Lessons for Iraq

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

reengage the world’s primary arms suppliers (who happened to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council) in cooperative restrictions...billion over five years, the purpose of which was to give “Pakistan confidence in our commitment to its security and provide us with reciprocal...prospect of nuclear war.72 The ongoing dispute with India over Kashmir in particular is a “ tinder box” issue over which the positions of the United

Religious Extremism in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

selected ROs in Pakistan have adopted extreme views due to the political and social context in the country. They then use this socio-economic link to...political and social context in the country. They then use this socio-economic link to indoctrinate citizens with extremist ideologies, thus creating a...Pakistan Support to Recovery and Rehabilitation of Basic Social Services for the Earthquake-Affected Population 2007‒2008,” UNICEF, 1 September 2007

Education for peace through transformative dialogue: Perspectives from Kashmir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Shweta

2018-02-01

Research has shown that there has been severe disruption in the educational sector in Kashmir post-1989 (the year Kashmiri unrest erupted). Inhibiting problems include the destruction of school buildings, parents' fear of sending their children to school, the recruitment of youth into armed groups, the economic decline of households, and forced displacement. This article examines the challenge posed by conditions of protracted conflict for young people and national education systems, based on a case study of Kashmir, India. The article has a twofold objective. First, it analyses how ongoing conflicts such as that in Kashmir impinge on both youth and education, and considers why it is necessary to engage substantively with national educational systems (through frameworks like Education for Peace) to promote transformative dialogue and sustainable peace. Second, it explores how contact-based, participatory models of education for peace (such as the Hum Kadam programme spearheaded by the non-governmental organisation Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace [WISCOMP] in Kashmir) can play a transformative role in divided societies, specifically in Kashmir and broadly in all situations of protracted religious and cultural conflict. Most importantly, it supports the rationale that spaces for dialogue in situations of protracted conflict are critical for making and maintaining peace.

Tectonic implications and seismicity triggering during the 2008 Baluchistan, Pakistan earthquake sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, R. B. S.; Gahalaut, V. K.; Chopra, Sumer; Shan, Bin

2012-02-01

A damaging and widely felt moderate earthquake (Mw 6.4) hit the rural, mountainous region of southwestern Pakistan on October 28, 2008. The main shock was followed by another earthquake of identical magnitude (Mw 6.4) on the next day. The spatial distribution of aftershocks and focal mechanism revealed a NW-SE striking rupture with right-lateral strike-slip motion which is sympathetic to the NNW-SSE striking active mapped Urghargai Fault. The occurrence of strike-slip earthquakes suggests that along with the thrust faults, strike slip faults too are present beneath the fold-and-thrust belt of Sulaiman-Kirthar ranges and accommodates some of the relative motion of the Indian and Eurasian plates. To assess the characteristics of this sequence, the statistical parameters like aftershocks temporal decay, b-value of G-R relationship, partitioning of radiated seismic energy due to aftershocks, and spatial fractal dimension (D-value) have been examined. The b-value is estimated as 1.03 ± 0.42 and suggests the tectonic genesis of the sequence and crustal heterogeneity within rock mass. The low p-value of 0.89 ± 0.07 implies slow decay of aftershocks activity which is probably an evidence for low surface heat flow. A value of spatial fractal dimension of 2.08 ± 0.02 indicates random spatial distribution and that the source is a two-dimensional plane filled-up by fractures. The static coseismic Coulomb stress changes due to the foreshock (Mw 5.3) were found to increase stress by more than 0.04 bars at the hypocenter of the main shock, thus promoting the failure. The cumulative coseismic Coulomb stress changes due to the foreshock and mainshocks suggest that most of the aftershocks occurred in the region of increased Coulomb stress, and to the SE to the mainshock rupture.

Earthquakes, July-August 1992

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1992-01-01

There were two major earthquakes (7.0≤M<8.0) during this reporting period. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred in Kyrgyzstan on August 19 and a magnitude 7.0 quake struck the Ascension Island region on August 28. In southern California, aftershocks of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on June 28, 1992, continued. One of these aftershocks caused damage and injuries, and at least one other aftershock caused additional damage. Earthquake-related fatalities were reportred in Kyrgzstan and Pakistan. 

Earthquake Loss Scenarios in the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyss, M.; Gupta, S.; Rosset, P.; Chamlagain, D.

2017-12-01

We estimate quantitatively that in repeats of the 1555 and 1505 great Himalayan earthquakes the fatalities may range from 51K to 549K, the injured from 157K to 1,700K and the strongly affected population (Intensity≥VI) from 15 to 75 million, depending on the details of the assumed earthquake parameters. For up-dip ruptures in the stressed segments of the M7.8 Gorkha 2015, the M7.9 Subansiri 1947 and the M7.8 Kangra 1905 earthquakes, we estimate 62K, 100K and 200K fatalities, respectively. The numbers of strongly affected people we estimate as 8, 12, 33 million, in these cases respectively. These loss calculations are based on verifications of the QLARM algorithms and data set in the cases of the M7.8 Gorkha 2015, the M7.8 Kashmir 2005, the M6.6 Chamoli 1999, the M6.8 Uttarkashi 1991 and the M7.8 Kangra 1905 earthquakes. The requirement of verification that was fulfilled in these test cases was that the reported intensity field and the fatality count had to match approximately, using the known parameters of the earthquakes. The apparent attenuation factor was a free parameter and ranged within acceptable values. Numbers for population were adjusted for the years in question from the latest census. The hour of day was assumed to be at night with maximum occupation. The assumption that the upper half of the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) will rupture in companion earthquakes to historic earthquakes in the down-dip half is based on the observations of several meters of displacement in trenches across the MFT outcrop. Among mitigation measures awareness with training and adherence to construction codes rank highest. Retrofitting of schools and hospitals would save lives and prevent injuries. Preparation plans for helping millions of strongly affected people should be put in place. These mitigation efforts should focus on an approximately 7 km wide strip along the MFT on the up-thrown side because the strong motions are likely to be doubled. We emphasize that our estimates

Rupture Propagation of the 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan, Earthquake Affected by Poroelastic Stress Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, J.; Wang, W.; Xiao, J.

2015-12-01

The 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan, earthquake occurred on the curved Hoshab fault. This fault connects with the north-south trending Chaman strike-slip fault to northeast, and with the west-east trending Makran thrust fault system to southwest. Teleseismic waveform inversion, incorporated with coseismic ground surface deformation data, show that the rupture of this earthquake nucleated around northeast segment of the fault, and then propagated southwestward along the northwest dipping Hoshab fault about 200 km, with the maximum coseismic displacement, featured mainly by purely left-lateral strike-slip motion, about 10 meters. In context of the India-Asia collision frame, associating with the fault geometry around this region, the rupture propagation of this earthquake seems to not follow an optimal path along the fault segment, because after nucleation of this event the Hoshab fault on the southwest of hypocenter of this earthquake is clamped by elastic stress change. Here, we build a three-dimensional finite-element model to explore the evolution of both stress and pore-pressure during the rupturing process of this earthquake. In the model, the crustal deformation is treated as undrained poroelastic media as described by Biot's theory, and the instantaneous rupture process is specified with split-node technique. By testing a reasonable range of parameters, including the coefficient of friction, the undrained Poisson's ratio, the permeability of the fault zone and the bulk crust, numerical results have shown that after the nucleation of rupture of this earthquake around the northeast of the Hoshab fault, the positive change of normal stress (clamping the fault) on the fault plane is greatly reduced by the instantaneous increase of pore pressure (unclamping the fault). This process could result in the change of Coulomb failure stress resolved on the Hoshab fault to be hastened, explaining the possible mechanism for southwestward propagation of rupture of the Mw7

Pakistani Options for Resolution of the Kashmir Dispute.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-06-04

89) PrM @d by A• •Sd. 230-18 2W-102 MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Name of Candidiate: MAJ Ahmad Mahmood Hayat Thesis Title...53 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 72 6. LITERATURE REVIEW ...At about the same time Shah Mir, a Muslim from Swat , also came to Kashmir looking for work. The Mongols had invaded Kashmir in the absence of Sahadeva

Current distribution and status of Himalayan ibex in upper Neelum Valley, District Neelum Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Ali, Usman; Ahmed, Khawaja Bashrat; Awan, Muhammad Siddique; Asraf, Shaid; Basher, Mohammad; Awan, Mohammad Naeem

2007-09-15

Nine months field survey was conducted from July 2004 to August 2005 to take the data on the distribution and population status of Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex sibirica) in the upper Neelum valley of Azad Kashmir. Survey was carried out using direct (senses) as well as indirect (sampling) methods. 122 animals of different categories were recorded in the study area. Total average population was composed of 31.79% male, 32.79% female, 25.41% young and 9.84% yearling animals. Various threats to the population of ibex in the area were also studied.

Deformation of conjugate compliant fault zones induced by the 2013 Mw7.7 Baluchistan (Pakistan) earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Rishabh; Wang, Teng; Feng, Guangcai; Harrington, Jonathan; Vasyura-Bathke, Hannes; Jónsson, Sigurjón

2017-04-01

Strain localizations in compliant fault zones (with elastic moduli lower than the surrounding rocks) induced by nearby earthquakes have been detected using geodetic observations in a few cases in the past. Here we observe small-scale changes in interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements along multiple conjugate faults near the rupture of the 2013 Mw7.7 Baluchistan (Pakistan) earthquake. After removing the main coseismic deformation signal in the interferograms and correcting them for topography-related phase, we observe 2-3 cm signal along several conjugate faults that are 15-30 km from the mainshock fault rupture. These conjugate compliant faults have strikes of N30°E and N45°W. The sense of motion indicates left-lateral deformation across the N30°E faults and right-lateral deformation across the N45°W faults, which suggests the conjugate faults were subjected to extensional coseismic stresses along the WSW-ENE direction. The spacing between the different sets of faults is around 5 to 8 km. We explain the observed strain localizations as an elastic response of the compliant conjugate faults induced by the Baluchistan earthquake. Using 3D Finite Element models (FEM), we impose coseismic static displacements due to the earthquake along the boundaries of the FEM domain to reproduce the coseismic stress changes acting across the compliant faults. The InSAR measurements are used to constrain the geometry and rigidity variations of the compliant faults with respect to the surrounding rocks. The best fitting models show the compliant fault zones to have a width of 0.5 km to 2 km and a reduction of the shear modulus by a factor of 3 to 4. Our study yields similar values as were found for compliant fault zones near the 1992 Landers and the 1999 Hector Mine earthquakes in California, although here the strain localization is occurring on more complex conjugate sets of faults.

InSAR Analysis of Post-Seismic Deformation Following the 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, K.; Barnhart, W. D.

2017-12-01

On September 24th, 2013, a Mw 7.7 earthquake ruptured a 200 km portion of the Hoshab fault, a reverse fault in the Makran accretionary prism of southern Pakistan. This earthquake is notable because it ruptured a reverse fault with a predominantly strike-slip sense of displacement, and it ruptured a mechanically weak accretionary prism. Here, we present initial analysis of ongoing post-seismic deformation imaged with the Sentinel-1 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) mission with the goals of a) determining the dominant post-seismic deformation processes active, b) characterizing the rigidity and rheological structure of a flat-slab subduction zone, and c) elucidating whether post-seismic deformation may account for or exacerbate the 4-6 m fault convergence deficit left by the 2013 earthquake. We first present InSAR time series analysis of the post-seismic transient derived from ongoing Sentinel-1 SAR acquisitions, including a comparison of atmosphere-corrected and uncorrected time series. Interferograms spanning December 2014 to the present reveal an ongoing post-seismic deformation transient in the region surrounding the Hoshab fault. Additionally, fault creep signals on and adjacent to the Hoshab fault are present. Second, we present a suite of forward models that explore the potential contributions of viscoelastic relaxation and frictional afterslip to the recorded displacement signal. These models, conducted using the semi-analytical solutions of RELAX and compared to InSAR line-of-sight time series displacements, explore a range of candidate rheological descriptions of the Makran subduction zone that are designed to probe the rheological structure of a region where current knowledge of the subsurface geology is highly limited. Our preliminary results suggest that post-seismic displacements arise from a combination of viscoelastic deformation and frictional afterslip, as opposed to one single mechanism. Additionally, our preliminary results suggest

Seismic activity prediction using computational intelligence techniques in northern Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asim, Khawaja M.; Awais, Muhammad; Martínez-Álvarez, F.; Iqbal, Talat

2017-10-01

Earthquake prediction study is carried out for the region of northern Pakistan. The prediction methodology includes interdisciplinary interaction of seismology and computational intelligence. Eight seismic parameters are computed based upon the past earthquakes. Predictive ability of these eight seismic parameters is evaluated in terms of information gain, which leads to the selection of six parameters to be used in prediction. Multiple computationally intelligent models have been developed for earthquake prediction using selected seismic parameters. These models include feed-forward neural network, recurrent neural network, random forest, multi layer perceptron, radial basis neural network, and support vector machine. The performance of every prediction model is evaluated and McNemar's statistical test is applied to observe the statistical significance of computational methodologies. Feed-forward neural network shows statistically significant predictions along with accuracy of 75% and positive predictive value of 78% in context of northern Pakistan.

Environmental impact assessment of cottage industries of Kashmir, India.

PubMed

Wani, Khursheed Ahmad; Jaiswal, Y K

2011-07-01

Our objective was to carry out environmental impact assessment of small scale industries in Kashmir (India). A prepared questionnaire was circulated among the workers, owners and residents to assess the pros and cons of the small scale industries in Kashmir. The study revealed that most of the small scale industries in Kashmir valley have an impact on the quality of the environment and may cause discomfort to the people living very close to these industries. It has been observed that small scale industries lack efficient waste management system. However, the generated wastes from these units may be used effectively, as a raw material in various ways when managed properly and may minimize the impact on the quality of the environment and may also contribute in improving the economy of the State. The proliferation of small scale industries has caused an irreversible damage to the agricultural land of the area studied.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception in rural kashmir.

PubMed

Hayat, Humera; Khan, Parwez Sajad; Imtiyaz, Bhat; Hayat, Gazala; Hayat, Rehana

2013-12-01

Human fertility is determined by many factors such as customs, morals and habits of social groups with regard to marital obligation of life. Acceptance of family planning methods varies within and between societies and there are many factors which are responsible for such variation at community, family and individual level. Socioeconomic environment, culture and education are few of them that play a vital role. Jammu and Kashmir state in general and Kashmir valley in particular is a Muslim-dominated population with traditionally a conservative society. Apart from family customs and influence of the elders, religious background has always been behind the passive resistance, or at the best indifference towards contraception. This study makes an attempt to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception in rural Kashmir. To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception in rural Kashmir. Community-based Cross-Sectional study. December 2006 to May 2008. 1900 currently married women in the age group of 15-49 years of age. Rural households. 1900 currently married women, aged 15-49 years, selected by multi-stage random sampling technique from three districts of Kashmir valley who were interviewed at home using a pretested oral questionnaire. The assessment of various socioeconomic and other variables made as per the available standard procedures and scales. Percentage, Chi square test and Bivariate analysis. Knowledge of the contraceptive methods was fairly good especially for terminal methods i.e. female sterilization (97.7 %). Main source of information on contraception was obtained from mass media (60.4 %). Contraceptive practice was significantly related to number of living children, literacy, socioeconomic status and type of family. What is needed is to promote and stress contraceptive methods and their advantages using mass media approach and to explore more and more participation of private sector.

Genetic characterization of an alloalbumin, albumin Kashmir, using gene amplification and allele-specific oligonucleotides.

PubMed Central

Savva, D; Tárnoky, A L; Vickers, M F

1990-01-01

The molecular basis for albumin Kashmir was studied using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify a DNA fragment containing codon 501 in exon 12 of the human albumin gene. Southern blots of the amplified DNA were hybridized to oligonucleotide probes specific either for the normal allele of albumin or for albumin Kashmir. The results provide strong evidence that codon 501 in albumin Kashmir is AAG (lysine) instead of GAG (glutamic acid), thus confirming the protein sequences reported. This approach was used to characterize a bisalbuminaemic individual as a carrier for albumin Kashmir. Similar strategies may be devised to study the molecular basis and to identify carriers of other alloalbumins. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. PMID:2317208

Overestimation of the earthquake hazard along the Himalaya: constraints in bracketing of medieval earthquakes from paleoseismic studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arora, Shreya; Malik, Javed N.

2017-12-01

The Himalaya is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. The occurrence of several large magnitude earthquakes viz. 1905 Kangra earthquake (Mw 7.8), 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake (Mw 8.2), 1950 Assam earthquake (Mw 8.4), 2005 Kashmir (Mw 7.6), and 2015 Gorkha (Mw 7.8) are the testimony to ongoing tectonic activity. In the last few decades, tremendous efforts have been made along the Himalayan arc to understand the patterns of earthquake occurrences, size, extent, and return periods. Some of the large magnitude earthquakes produced surface rupture, while some remained blind. Furthermore, due to the incompleteness of the earthquake catalogue, a very few events can be correlated with medieval earthquakes. Based on the existing paleoseismic data certainly, there exists a complexity to precisely determine the extent of surface rupture of these earthquakes and also for those events, which occurred during historic times. In this paper, we have compiled the paleo-seismological data and recalibrated the radiocarbon ages from the trenches excavated by previous workers along the entire Himalaya and compared earthquake scenario with the past. Our studies suggest that there were multiple earthquake events with overlapping surface ruptures in small patches with an average rupture length of 300 km limiting Mw 7.8-8.0 for the Himalayan arc, rather than two or three giant earthquakes rupturing the whole front. It has been identified that the large magnitude Himalayan earthquakes, such as 1905 Kangra, 1934 Bihar-Nepal, and 1950 Assam, that have occurred within a time frame of 45 years. Now, if these events are dated, there is a high possibility that within the range of ±50 years, they may be considered as the remnant of one giant earthquake rupturing the entire Himalayan arc. Therefore, leading to an overestimation of seismic hazard scenario in Himalaya.

Active folding of fluvial terraces across a `blind' Himalayan deformation front in the Kashmir Himalaya, northwest India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavillot, Y. G.; Meigs, A.; Rittenour, T. M.; Malik, M. O. A.

2016-12-01

In Kashmir, the Himalayan Frontal thrust (HFT) is blind, characterized by a broad fold, the Suruin-Mastargh anticline, and displays no emergent faults cutting either limb. A lack of knowledge of the rate of shortening and structural framework of the Suruin-Mastargh anticline hampers quantifying the earthquake potential for the deformation front. Our study utilized the geomorphic expression of dated deformed terraces on the Ujh River in Kashmir. Six terraces are recognized, and four yield multiple optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and depth profiles terrigenous cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) ages between 53 ka and 0.4 ka. Vector fold restoration of long terrace profiles indicates a deformation pattern characterized by regional uplift across the anticlinal axis and back-limb, and by fold limb rotation on the forelimb. Differential uplift across the fold trace suggests localized deformation. Dip data and stratigraphic thicknesses suggest that a duplex structure is emplaced at depth along the basal décollement, folding the overlying roof thrust and Siwalik-Murree strata into a detachment-like fold. Localized faulting at the fold axis explains the asymmetrical fold geometry. Folding of the oldest dated terrace, suggests rock uplift rates across the Suruin-Mastargh anticline range between 1.8-2.5 mm/yr. Assuming a 25° dipping ramp for the blind structure on the basis of dip data constraints, the shortening rates across the Suruin-Mastargh anticline range between 3.8-5.4 mm/yr since 53 ka. Geodetic data indicate that an 11-12 mm/yr arc-normal shortening rate characterizes the interseismic strain accumulation across the plate boundary due to India-Tibet convergence. These data combined with rates of other active internal faults in the Kashmir Himalaya indicate that the Riasi fault accounts for the remainder 60% of the convergence not taken up by the Suruin-Mastargh anticline. We attribute a non-emergent thrust at the deformation front to reflect deformation controlled

Influence of southwest monsoons in the Kashmir Valley, western Himalayas.

PubMed

Jeelani, Ghulam; Deshpande, Rajendrakumar D; Shah, Rouf A; Hassan, Wasim

2017-08-01

The regional climate of the Himalayas is predominated by the southwest monsoons and the western disturbances. The uplift of the Pir Panjal to its present height is believed to restrict the southwest monsoons from entering into the Kashmir Valley in the western Himalayas. In the present study, monthly precipitation samples were collected across the Kashmir Valley from June 2013 to May 2014 for δ 18 O and δ 2 H analyses to constrain the influence of southwest monsoons in the valley. Except in August, the precipitation is enriched in 18 O and 2 H from June to September and depleted from October to May. The sharp depletion of 18 O in precipitation along with the decrease in d-excess in August confirm the maximum intrusion of southwest monsoons into the valley. A significant temperature - δ 18 O relationship was found during October and May (westerlies period) decreasing during June and September (southwest monsoon period). The local meteoric water line for the whole Kashmir Valley based on the precipitation-weighted monthly samples is [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Higher intercept of the regression equation suggested dominant contribution of precipitation from western disturbances. The study suggested that the southwest monsoons enter the Kashmir Valley from southwest through the mountainous passes.

Temporal evolution of surface rupture deduced from coseismic multi-mode secondary fractures: Insights from the October 8, 2005 (Mw 7.6) Kashmir earthquake, NW Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayab, Mohammad; Khan, Muhammad Asif

2010-10-01

Detailed rupture-fracture analyses of some of the well-studied earthquakes have revealed that the geometrical arrangement of secondary faults and fractures can be used as a geological tool to understand the temporal evolution of slip produced during the mainshock. The October 8, 2005 Mw 7.6 Kashmir earthquake, NW Himalaya, surface rupture provides an opportunity to study a complex network of secondary fractures developed on the hanging wall of the fault scarp. The main fault scarp is clearly thrust-type, rupture length is ~ 75 ± 5 km and the overall trend of the rupture is NW-SE. We present the results of our detailed structural mapping of secondary faults and fractures at 1:100 scale, on the hanging wall of the southern end of the rupture in the vicinity of the Sar Pain. Secondary ruptures can be broadly classified as two main types, 1) normal faults and, (2) right-lateral strike-slip 'Riedel' fractures. The secondary normal faults are NW-SE striking, with a maximum 3.3 meter vertical displacement and 2.5 meter horizontal displacement. Estimated total horizontal extension across the secondary normal faults is 3.1-3.5%. We propose that the bending-moment and coseismic stress relaxation can explain the formation of secondary normal faults on the hanging wall of the thrust fault. The strike-slip 'Riedel' fractures form distinct sets of tension (T) and shear fractures (R', R, Y) with right-lateral displacement. Field observations revealed that the 'Riedel' fractures (T) cut the secondary normal faults. In addition, there is kinematic incompatibility and magnitude mismatch between the secondary normal faults and strike-slip 'Riedel' fractures. The cross-cutting relationship, geometric and magnitude incoherence implies a temporal evolution of slip from dip- to strike-slip during the mainshock faulting. The interpretation is consistent with the thrust fault plane solution with minor right-lateral strike-slip component.

Postseismic deformation following the 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan (Pakistan) earthquake observed with Sentinel-1 Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, K.; Fialko, Y. A.

2017-12-01

The Mw 7.7 Balochistan earthquake occurred on September 24th, 2013 in southwestern Pakistan. The earthquake rupture was characterized by mostly left-lateral strike slip, with a limited thrust component, on a system of curved, non-vertical (dip angle of 45-75 deg.) faults, including the Hoshab fault, and the Chaman fault at the North-East end of the rupture. We used Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from Sentinel-1 mission to derive the timeseries of postseismic displacements due to the 2013 Balochistan earthquake. Data from one ascending and two descending satellite tracks reveal robust post-seismic deformation during the observation period (October 2014 to April 2017). The postseismic InSAR observations are characterized by the line of sight (LOS) displacements primarily on the hanging wall side of the fault. The LOS displacements have different signs in data from the ascending and descending tracks (decreases and increases in the radar range, respectively), indicating that the postseismic deformation following the 2013 Balochistan earthquake was dominated by horizontal motion with the same sense as the coseismic motion. Kinematic inversions show that the observed InSAR LOS displacements are well explained by the left-lateral afterslip downdip of the high coseismic slip area. Contributions from the viscoelastic relaxation and poroelastic rebound seem to be negligible during the observation period. We also observe a sharp discontinuity in the postseismic displacement field on the North-East continuation of the 2013 rupture, along the Chaman fault. We verify that this discontinuity is not due to aftershocks, as the relative LOS velocities across this discontinuity show a gradually decelerating motion throughout the observation period. These observations are indicative of a creeping fault segment at the North-East end of the 2013 earthquake rupture that likely acted as a barrier to the rupture propagation. Analysis of Envisat data acquired prior

Landslides and vegetation cover in the 2005 North Pakistan earthquake: a GIS and statistical quantitative approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peduzzi, P.

2010-04-01

The growing concern for loss of services once provided by natural ecosystems is getting increasing attention. However, the accelerating rate of natural resources destruction calls for rapid and global action. With often very limited budgets, environmental agencies and NGOs need cost-efficient ways to quickly convince decision-makers that sound management of natural resources can help to protect human lives and their welfare. The methodology described in this paper, is based on geospatial and statistical analysis, involving simple Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing algorithms. It is based on free or very low-cost data. It aims to scientifically assess the potential role of vegetation in mitigating landslides triggered by earthquakes by normalising for other factors such as slopes and distance from active fault. The methodology was applied to the 2005 North Pakistan/India earthquake which generated a large number of victims and hundreds of landslides. The study shows that if slopes and proximity from active fault are the main susceptibility factors for post landslides triggered by earthquakes in this area, the results clearly revealed that areas covered by denser vegetation suffered less and smaller landslides than areas with thinner (or devoid of) vegetation cover. Short distance from roads/trails and rivers also proved to be pertinent factors in increasing landslides susceptibility. This project is a component of a wider initiative involving the Global Resource Information Database Europe from the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Institute of Geomatics and Risk Analysis from the University of Lausanne and the "institut universitaire d'études du développement" from the University of Geneva.

Controls of earthquake faulting style on near field landslide triggering: The role of coseismic slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatard, L.; Grasso, J. R.

2013-06-01

compare the spatial distributions of seven databases of landslides triggered by Mw=5.6-7.9 earthquakes, using distances normalized by the earthquake fault length. We show that the normalized landslide distance distributions collapse, i.e., the normalized distance distributions overlap whatever the size of the earthquake, separately for the events associated with dip-slip, buried-faulting earthquakes, and surface-faulting earthquakes. The dip-slip earthquakes triggered landslides at larger normalized distances than the oblique-slip event of Loma Prieta. We further identify that the surface-faulting earthquakes of Wenchuan, Chi-Chi, and Kashmir triggered landslides at normalized distances smaller than the ones expected from their Mw ≥ 7.6 magnitudes. These results support a control of the seismic slip (through amplitude, rake, and surface versus buried slip) on the distances at which landslides are triggered. In terms of coseismic landslide management in mountainous areas, our results allow us to propose distances at which 95 and 75% of landslides will be triggered as a function of the earthquake focal mechanism.

Multifaulting in a tectonic syntaxis revealed by InSAR: The case of the Ziarat earthquake sequence (Pakistan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinel-Puysségur, B.; Grandin, R.; Bollinger, L.; Baudry, C.

2014-07-01

On 28-29 October 2008, within 12 h, two similar Mw = 6.4 strike-slip earthquakes struck Baluchistan (Pakistan), as part of a complex seismic sequence. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data reveal that the peak of surface displacement is near the Ziarat anticline, a large active fold affected by Quaternary strike-slip faulting. All coseismic interferograms integrate the deformation due to both earthquakes. As their causative faults ruptured close to each other, the individual signals cannot be separated. According to their focal mechanisms, each earthquake may have activated a NE-SW sinistral or a NW-SE dextral fault segment, which leads to four possible scenarios of fault orientations. A nonlinear inversion of the InSAR data set allows rejecting two scenarios. The best slip distributions on the two fault segments for the two remaining scenarios are determined by linear inversion. Stress-change modeling favors a scenario involving two abutting conjugate strike-slip faults. Two other fault segments accommodated left-lateral strike slip during the seismic sequence. The activated fault system includes multiple fault segments with different orientations and little surface expression. This may highlight, at a smaller scale, the distributed, possibly transient character of deformation within a broader right-lateral shear zone. It suggests that the activated faults delineate a small tectonic block extruding and subtly rotating within the shear zone. It occurs in the vicinity of the local tectonic syntaxis where orogenic structures sharply turn around a vertical axis. These mechanisms could participate in the long-term migration of active tectonic structures within this kinematically unstable tectonic syntaxis.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinally important shrubs and trees of Himalayan region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Rashid, Sofia; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Zafar, Muhammad; Sultana, Shazia; Ayub, Muhammad; Khan, Mir Ajab; Yaseen, Ghulam

2015-05-26

Present study was commenced with an aim to document the indigenous knowledge of medicinally important shrubs and trees of Himalayan region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. This is the first contribution to the quantitative ethnobotany of this region, as no reported data focusing on shrubs and trees from the area have been published. Study reported the ethnobotanical significance of medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases. Study was conducted during 2012-2014 following standard ethnobotanical methods. The ethnomedicinal data was collected through informed consent semi- structured interviews of 160 key informants. Documented data was analyzed by using quantitative indices of informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), use value (UV) and relative frequency citation (RFC). A total of 73 shrub and tree species belonging to 56 genera and 37 families were reported to be used ethnomedicinally for the treatment of various ailments. Medicinal plant diversity showed that Rosaceae was dominating family with (9 spp.) followed by Moraceae (7 spp.), Euphorbiaceae, Mimosaceae, Pinaceae, Rhamnaceae (4 spp. each), Oleaceae (3 spp.), Apocynaceae, Caesalpinaceae, Ebenaceae, Fagaceae, Lythraceae, Papilionaceae, Acanthaceae, Verbenaceae (2 spp. each) while remaining 22 families were represented by one species each. Leaves (23%) were highly utilized plant parts, followed by fruits (22%), bark (18%), seeds (10%), roots (9%), flowers (8%), whole plant and aerial parts (4% each) and stem (2%). Modes of preparation fall into 14 categories including powder (33 reports) followed by decoction (29 reports), paste (22 reports), juice (18 reports), infusion (12 reports), raw (8 reports), extract and latex (5 reports each), gum and oil (4 reports each), fresh part and pulp (2 reports each), chewed and cooked (1 report each). The highest FIC was recorded for Gastro-intestinal disorders (0.58) followed by nail, skin and hair disorders (0.44). Maximum fidelity level (FL

Variability, trends, and teleconnections of observed precipitation over Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Muhammad Farooq; Athar, H.

2017-10-01

The precipitation variability, trends, and teleconnections are studied over six administrative regions of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan or GB, Azad Jammu and Kashmir or AJK, Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa or KPK, Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan) on multiple timescales for the period of recent 38 years (1976-2013) using precipitation data of 42 stations and circulation indices datasets (Indian Ocean Dipole [IOD], North Atlantic Oscillation [NAO], Arctic Oscillation [AO], El Niño Southern Oscillation [ENSO], Pacific Decadal Oscillation [PDO], Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation [AMO], and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation [QBO]). The summer monsoon season received the highest precipitation, amounting to 45%, whereas the winter and pre-monsoon (post-monsoon) seasons contributed 30 and 20% (5%), respectively, of the annual total precipitation. Positive percentile changes were observed in GB, KPK, Punjab, and Balochistan regions during pre-monsoon season and in Balochistan region during post-monsoon season in second half as compared to first half of 38-year period. The Mann-Kendall test revealed increasing trends for the period of 1995-2013 as compared to period of 1976-1994 for entire Pakistan during monsoon season and on annual timescale. A significant influence of ENSO was observed in all the four seasons in Balochistan, KPK, Punjab, and AJK regions during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. This study not only offers an understanding of precipitation variability linkages with large-scale circulations and trends, but also it contributes as a resource document for policy makers to take measures for adaptation and mitigation of climate change and its impacts with special focus on precipitation over different administrative regions of Pakistan.

Crisis Stability and Long-Range Strike: A Comparative Analysis of Fighters, Bombers, and Missiles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

1947–1949 Crisis pakistan: Seize Kashmir hawker tempests , but not brandished or employed no India: Deny pakistan control of Kashmir hawker... tempests , but not brandished or employed no war Berlin 1948–1949 Crisis uSSR: Force western powers out of west Berlin Bombers and strike aircraft...resolution to border dispute B-24, B-57, hF-24, tempest , Mystère IV, Ouragan aircraft, but none brandished or employed no war Table C.1

Conservation of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants of Western Himalayan region Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Hussain, Sajjad; Murtaza, Ghulam; Mehmood, Ansar; Qureshi, Rizwana Aleem

2017-05-01

The aim of present was to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants traditionally used by inhabitants of Rawalakot Azad Kashmir and to screen selected medicinal plants for their antibacterial potential. Several field surveys were conducted to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants through interviews from local inhabitants during 2010-2013. During the study, 58 plant species, belonging to 37 families, were identified and their medicinal uses were recorded. Ethnobotanical data indicates that inhabitants of Rawalakot use medicinal plant mainly for the treatment of stomach, liver and sexual disorders. Usually fresh plant materials were used for medicinal preparations and administrated orally. Among all the species studied, three most frequently used medicinal plants Achillea millefolium, Berberis lycium and Zanthoxylum armatum were screened for their antibacterial potential by using disc diffusion method. The crude aqueous, petroleum ether and ethanolic extracts were found to be very active against selected bacterial strains. The present study contributes significantly to the medicinal plant knowledge and shows that medicinal plant knowledge is deteriorating among younger generations. Therefore, further research is needed to document indigenous knowledge, to find conservation status of medicinal plant species and to find antimicrobial compounds for more sophisticated usage of medicinal plants in future.

Demographic and clinical profile of Multiple Sclerosis in Kashmir: A short report.

PubMed

Zahoor, Insha; Asimi, Ravouf; Haq, Ehtishamul; Yousuf Wani, Irfan

2017-04-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). There have been only few population/hospital based studies on MS in India, and at the same time there is no data on its profile in Kashmir. A total of 41 MS patients diagnosed on the basis of 2010 Revised Mc Donald criteria were enrolled in this study from Kashmir region of India. Clinical, demographic, radiological and biochemical parameters were analyzed for most of the patients. Male to female ratio was found to be 1:3.1 with mean age at the time of analysis 32.26±7.54 (range 18-48) years. The mean disease duration was found to be 3.2±3.6 years. The most common course was relapsing-remitting (RR) present in 87.80% of cases followed by secondary progressive (SP) in 9.76% and primary progressive (PP) in 2.44%. Numbness, weakness of limbs, prickling and tingling sensations, muscle stiffness, and visual disturbances were most common manifestations. Condition of bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) and vertigo was rarely observed. Oligoclonal bands (OCB) were present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of majority of the patients. Symptomatic and steroidal treatment mode was given to majority of the patients (92.68%) and only 7.32% patients were given disease modifying drug. This is the first preliminary report on MS profile in Kashmir. The high prevalence of female patients and RR course of MS, low prevalence of progressive cases, predominance of OCB positive cases, insignificant family history in all cases, predominance of cases with low socio-economic status, and high rate of less educated and unemployed cases are the most important findings. By and large MS pattern in Kashmir was found to be relatively similar to West and rest of the Asia. Larger comprehensive studies are mandatory to completely understand MS pattern in Kashmir. There is utmost requirement to maintain a local MS registry in Kashmir so as to get an idea about the actual number of

Temperature and Precipitation trends in Kashmir valley, North Western Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafiq, Mifta Ul; Rasool, Rehana; Ahmed, Pervez; Dimri, A. P.

2018-01-01

Climate change has emerged as an important issue ever to confront mankind. This concern emerges from the fact that our day-to-day activities are leading to impacts on the Earth's atmosphere that has the potential to significantly alter the planet's shield and radiation balance. Developing countries particularly whose income is particularly derived from agricultural activities are at the forefront of bearing repercussions due to changing climate. The present study is an effort to analyze the changing trends of precipitation and temperature variables in Kashmir valley along different elevation zones in the north western part of India. As the Kashmir valley has a rich repository of glaciers with its annual share of precipitation, slight change in the temperature and precipitation regime has far reaching environmental and economic consequences. The results from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data of the period 1980-2014 reveals that the annual mean temperature of Kashmir valley has increased significantly. Accelerated warming has been observed during 1980-2014, with intense warming in the recent years (2001-2014). During the period 1980-2014, steeper increase, in annual mean maximum temperature than annual mean minimum temperature, has been observed. In addition, mean maximum temperature in plain regions has shown higher rate of increase when compared with mountainous areas. In case of mean minimum temperature, mountainous regions have shown higher rate of increase. Analysis of precipitation data for the same period shows a decreasing trend with mountainous regions having the highest rate of decrease which can be quite hazardous for the fragile mountain environment of the Kashmir valley housing a large number of glaciers.

Earthquake clouds and physical mechanism of their formation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doda, L.; Pulinets, S.

2006-12-01

The Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere (LAI) coupling model created recently permitted to explain some unknown phenomena observed around the time of strong earthquakes. One of them is formation of special shape clouds, usually presented as the thin linear structures. It was discovered that these clouds are associated with the active tectonic faults or with the tectonic plate borders. They repeat the fault shape but usually are turned in relation to the fault position. Their formation is explained by the anomalous vertical electric field generated in the vicinity of active tectonic structure due to air ionization produced by the radon increased emanation. The new formed ions through the hydration process do not recombine and growth with time due to increased water molecules attachment to the ion. Simultaneously they move up driven by the anomalous electric field and drift in the crossed ExB fields. At the higher altitudes the large ion clusters become the centers of condensation and the cloud formation. Examples for the recent major earthquakes (Sumatra 2004, Kashmir 2005, Java 2006) are presented. The size and the angle of the cloud rotation in relation to the fault position permit to estimate the magnitude of the impending earthquake.

Monitoring and descriptive analysis of radon in relation to seismic activity of Northern Pakistan.

PubMed

Jilani, Zeeshan; Mehmood, Tahir; Alam, Aftab; Awais, Muhammad; Iqbal, Talat

2017-06-01

Earthquakes are one of the major causes of natural disasters and its forecasting is challenging task. Some precursory phenomenon exists in theory in relation to earthquakes occurrence. The emission of radioactive gas named 'radon' before the earthquakes is a potential earthquake precursory candidate. The study aims to monitor and to analyze the radon in relation to seismic activity in Northern Pakistan. For this purpose RTM-2200 has been used to monitor the changes in radon concentration from August 01, 2014 to January 31, 2015 in Northern Pakistan. Significant temporal variations has been observed in radon concentration. The bivariate analysis of radon with other variables manifests its positive relationship with air pressure and relative humidity and negative relationship with temperature. 2σ upper control limit on monthly basis are computed for detection of anomalous trends in the data. Overall increasing trend is detected in radon concentration. Five earthquakes from August 01, 2014 to January 31, 2015 have been selected from earthquake catalogue, depending upon their magnitude and distance from monitoring station and out of which radon concentration can be associated with only two earthquakes correlated with tectonic effect of radon concentration. Both of events have same magnitude 5.5 and occurred on September 13 and October 14, 2014 respectively. Very large variations have been observed in radon for the last two months of the study period, which may be occurred due to some other geological and environmental changes, but are not related to the earthquake activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Women and Violence: A Study of Women's Empowerment and Its Challenges in Jammu and Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad

2015-01-01

The focus of this paper is to highlight the violence against women's in Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu and Kashmir Woman are the most vulnerable and worst hit section of the society especially under situations of violence caused by militancy and armed conflict. They don't only suffer from intense humiliation and harassment but also undergo traumatic…

Cosmetic ethnobotany practiced by tribal women of Kashmir Himalayas

PubMed Central

Shaheen, Hamayun; Nazir, Jaweria; Firdous, Syeda Sadiqa; Khalid, Abd-Ur-Rehman

2014-01-01

Objective: Himalayan mountain populations have been dependent upon indigenous plant resources for their health care for many years. Tribal women are interested in use of local herbs for cosmetic purposes. The present work is based on the results of research conducted on cosmetic uses of some important plants by the tribal women in District Poonch, Azad Kashmir Pakistan. Materials and Methods: An ethno botanical survey was carried out during summer 2012. The data were collected from 310 female informants from 16 villages using questionnaire method and semi structured interviews. Results: A total of 39 plants species belonging to 20 families, being used for various cosmetic purposes were recorded. Indigenous species are traditionally used by the locals for problems including acne (16%), hair growth (11%), bad breath (12%), facial spots (9%), allergy, (9%), fairness (8%), wrinkles (8%), eye and lip care (9%). Seventy different recipes were recorded to be practiced by locals using herbal parts. The major plant parts utilized in herbal recipes included fruit (32.8%), Leaves (25.2%), seeds (13.4%) and roots (8.9%). Women of older (>30 years) age group showed greater (67%) response regarding knowledge and practice of cosmetic herbs. Conclusion: This study was the 1st ever project focusing on cosmetic perspectives of ethno-botany in the area. Our study contributes to an improved understanding of ignored aspect of cosmetic ethnobotany among the local women. Further detailed investigations are recommended to record and preserve precious ethno-botanical knowledge of the area. PMID:25068138

Evidence for the recurrence of large-magnitude earthquakes along the Makran coast of Iran and Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Page, W.D.; Alt, J.N.; Cluff, L.S.; Plafker, G.

1979-01-01

The presence of raised beaches and marine terraces along the Makran coast indicates episodic uplift of the continental margin resulting from large-magnitude earthquakes. The uplift occurs as incremental steps similar in height to the 1-3 m of measured uplift resulting from the November 28, 1945 (M 8.3) earthquake at Pasni and Ormara, Pakistan. The data support an E-W-trending, active subduction zone off the Makran coast. The raised beaches and wave-cut terraces along the Makran coast are extensive with some terraces 1-2 km wide, 10-15 m long and up to 500 m in elevation. The terraces are generally capped with shelly sandstones 0.5-5 m thick. Wave-cut cliffs, notches, and associated boulder breccia and swash troughs are locally preserved. Raised Holocene accretion beaches, lagoonal deposits, and tombolos are found up to 10 m in elevation. The number and elevation of raised wave-cut terraces along the Makran coast increase eastward from one at Jask, the entrance to the Persian Gulf, at a few meters elevation, to nine at Konarak, 250 km to the east. Multiple terraces are found on the prominent headlands as far east as Karachi. The wave-cut terraces are locally tilted and cut by faults with a few meters of displacement. Long-term, average rates of uplift were calculated from present elevation, estimated elevation at time of deposition, and 14C and U-Th dates obtained on shells. Uplift rates in centimeters per year at various locations from west to east are as follows: Jask, 0 (post-Sangamon); Konarak, 0.031-0.2 (Holocene), 0.01 (post-Sangamon); Ormara 0.2 (Holocene). ?? 1979.

Impact of Insurgency on Education in Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganie, Rayees Ahmad; Din, Towseef Mohi Ud

2015-01-01

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India that has made education free to all its citizens at all levels. Nonetheless, literacy at 54% lags behind the all-India level of 65%. The discrepancy is slightly larger from women (42% compared to the national figure of 54%) and for men (66% compared with a national level of 76%). The census figures on…

An endemic of scabies in Kahuta, Azad Kashmir. The study shows a lack of awareness of scabies; mass treatment is needed.

PubMed

Ali, Afaque

2017-09-01

The study was planned to find the awareness of scabies in the Forward Kahuta area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. For this, a questionnaire related to scabies was distributed among the patients at different walk-in clinics in the region from June 2015 to May 2016. Of the 234 participants, 97(41.5%) were males and 137(58.5%) were females. All of them reported with itching, but 120(51.3%) of the participants didn't even know that itching may be due to scabies which was found in 157(67%) patients, and of them, 106(67.52%) knew that scabies was curable and preventable. Scabies was found in common school students (n=39(24.84%), farmers (n=32(2.38%) and laborers (n=31(19.74%). Due to poor awareness, a multi-dimensional approach is suggested to spread the awareness of skin diseases like scabies in the population under study and mass treatment of scabies in the area is recommended.

Foreign field hospitals in the recent sudden-onset disasters in Iran, Haiti, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

PubMed

von Schreeb, Johan; Riddez, Louis; Samnegård, Hans; Rosling, Hans

2008-01-01

Foreign field hospitals (FFHs) may provide care for the injured and substitute for destroyed hospitals in the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters. In the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters, FFHs have been focused on providing emergency trauma care for the initial 48 hours following the sudden-onset disasters, while they tend to be operational much later. In addition, many have remained operational even later. The aim of this study was to assess the timing, activities, and capacities of the FFHs deployed after four recent sudden-onset disasters, and also to assess their adherence to the essential criteria for FFH deployment of the World Health Organization (WHO). Secondary information on the sudden-onset disasters in Bam, Iran in 2003, Haiti in 2004, Aceh, Indonesia in 2004, and Kashmir, Pakistan in 2005, including the number of FFHs deployed, their date of arrival, country of origin, length of stay, activities, and costs was retrieved by searching the Internet. Additional information was collected on-site in Iran, Indonesia, and Pakistan through direct observation and key informant interviews. Basic information was found for 43 FFHs in the four disasters. The first FFH was operational on Day 3 in Bam and Kashmir, and on Day 8 in Aceh. The first FFHs were all from the militaries of neighboring countries. The daily cost of a bed was estimated to be US$2,000. The bed occupancy rate generally was < 50%. None of the 43 FFHs met the first WHO/Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) essential requirement if the aim is to provide emergency trauma care, while 15% followed the essential requirement if follow-up trauma and medical care is the aim of deployment. A striking finding was the lack of detailed information on FFH activities. None of the 43 FFHs arrived early enough to provide emergency medical trauma care. The deployment of FFHs following sudden-onset disasters should be better adapted to the main needs and the context and more oriented toward substituting for pre

Brain cancer and pesticide relationship in orchard farmers of Kashmir

PubMed Central

Bhat, Abdul Rashid; Wani, Muhammed Afzal; Kirmani, A. R.

2010-01-01

Background: The increasing trend in the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in orchard farmers and their families in Kashmir. Aim: To determine the relationship between the patients of primary malignant brain tumors and their occupation. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, case files along with death certificates of 432 patients of primary malignant brain tumors and 457 controls (non-tumor neurologic diseases), admitted for treatment simultaneously over a period of 4 years from January 2005 to December 2008, to the Neurosurgery, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Kashmir, were studied. Follow-up and family interaction was established. Results: Analysis revealed that 90.04% (389 out of 432) patients were orchard farm workers, orchard residents and orchard playing children exposed to the high levels of multiple types of neurotoxic and carcinogenic (chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, mancozeb and captan) chemicals for more than 10 years [relative risk (RR) = 10.6; odds ratio (OR) = >10; 95% confidence interval (CI) = >25-40]. The 9.96% (43 out of 432) patients were not exposed to pesticides. On the other hand, only 19 patients out of 457 controls had recorded history of pesticide exposure and 438 were unrelated to pesticides. Out of 389 patients, 71.7% (279 out of 389) were males and 28.3% (110 out of 389), including six members of three families, were females (one male child). Conclusion: All orchard-related 389 patients had high-grade tumors as compared to the non-pesticide tumors. Mortality in pesticide-exposed tumors was 12%. The higher or upper-normal levels of serum cholinesterase (AChE) were observed in 54.7% (213 out of 389) patients and decreased levels were found in only 45.3% (176 out of 389) orchard-related patients (RR = 19.4; OR = >5; 95% CI = >1-10). Although serum AChE levels were a routine investigation in malignant brain tumors, this was not a routine in other neurological conditions (hospitalized controls). The familial

Brain cancer and pesticide relationship in orchard farmers of Kashmir.

PubMed

Bhat, Abdul Rashid; Wani, Muhammed Afzal; Kirmani, A R

2010-09-01

The increasing trend in the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in orchard farmers and their families in Kashmir. To determine the relationship between the patients of primary malignant brain tumors and their occupation. Retrospectively, case files along with death certificates of 432 patients of primary malignant brain tumors and 457 controls (non-tumor neurologic diseases), admitted for treatment simultaneously over a period of 4 years from January 2005 to December 2008, to the Neurosurgery, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Kashmir, were studied. Follow-up and family interaction was established. Analysis revealed that 90.04% (389 out of 432) patients were orchard farm workers, orchard residents and orchard playing children exposed to the high levels of multiple types of neurotoxic and carcinogenic (chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, mancozeb and captan) chemicals for more than 10 years [relative risk (RR) = 10.6; odds ratio (OR) = >10; 95% confidence interval (CI) = >25-40]. The 9.96% (43 out of 432) patients were not exposed to pesticides. On the other hand, only 19 patients out of 457 controls had recorded history of pesticide exposure and 438 were unrelated to pesticides. Out of 389 patients, 71.7% (279 out of 389) were males and 28.3% (110 out of 389), including six members of three families, were females (one male child). All orchard-related 389 patients had high-grade tumors as compared to the non-pesticide tumors. Mortality in pesticide-exposed tumors was 12%. The higher or upper-normal levels of serum cholinesterase (AChE) were observed in 54.7% (213 out of 389) patients and decreased levels were found in only 45.3% (176 out of 389) orchard-related patients (RR = 19.4; OR = >5; 95% CI = >1-10). Although serum AChE levels were a routine investigation in malignant brain tumors, this was not a routine in other neurological conditions (hospitalized controls). The familial gliomas have shown an emerging trend in the orchard residents of

Multiple sclerosis in Kashmir: Where we stand.

PubMed

Zahoor, Insha; Haq, Ehtishamul; Asimi, Ravouf

2017-02-15

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling neurological disorder commonly diagnosed in young adults. Its causes still remain inexplicable and presently it can only be managed by different drug treatments. There has been a remarkable shift in MS perspective across world. One of its peculiar attribute is unstable (changing) prevalence rate across different parts of the world. Earlier MS was believed to be less prevalent in India, however, there has been growing evidence suggesting its increasing prevalence which has changed its perspective from being less prevalent to more prevalent. There is a complete lack of data on the prevalence rate and epidemiological basis of MS in Kashmir Valley of India. By and large MS research in this region seems to be hampered due to lack of proper research infrastructure, absence of MS registry, inadequate funding and more importantly by absence of active local and foreign collaborations between scientists and clinicians. This review tries to raise some key issues encountered while conducting MS research in Kashmir and at the same time highlighting the measures to be adopted for carrying out a large scale molecular epidemiological study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increasing incidence of injuries and fatalities inflicted by wild animals in Kashmir.

PubMed

Nabi, Dar G; Tak, Shafaat Rashid; Kangoo, K A; Halwai, Manzoor A

2009-01-01

To clarify the causes of the increased incidence of injuries inflicted by wild animals in Kashmir, and to suggest preventive measures. A retrospective study reviewed records of these injuries. Data were collected from the hospital in Srinagar and from the Wildlife Protection Department of Kashmir. A total of 203 attacks (26 deaths and 177 near-fatal injuries) were recorded from January 2005 to October 2007, involving 145 (71.5%) male and 58 (28.5%) female victims. The attacking animal was a black bear in 104 (51.2%), a leopard in 18 (8.8%), a wolf in 7 (3.4%) and unidentified in 74 (36.4%) cases; 130 (64%) of these attacks occurred in southern Kashmir. The steady increase in human population in areas close to jungle results in deforestation and destruction of wildlife habitat. The reduction in monkeys and deer (the staple food of leopards) causes these dangerous predators to search for food in the areas occupied by humans, who may then be attacked. Treatment of these cases requires a multidisciplinary approach, including an orthopaedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, microbiologist and psychiatrist, to achieve best cosmetic and functional results.

DefenseLink Special: U.S. Military Relief Aid After the 2005 Pakistan

Science.gov Websites

Websites Contact Us Banner Art - Military Support of Pakistan Earthquake Special U.S. Donates Mobile Hospital WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2006 - The United States today transferred the 212th Mobile Army Surgical * USS Pearl Harbor to Assist Victims * Globemaster Airlifts Mobile Hospital * Hercules Airmen Deliver

Probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment for Makran considering recently suggested larger maximum magnitudes and sensitivity analysis for GNSS-based early warning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamora, N.; Hoechner, A.; Babeyko, A. Y.

2014-12-01

Iran and Pakistan are countries frequently affected by destructive earthquakes, as for instance, the magnitude 6.6 Bam earthquake in 2003 in Iran with about 30 000 casualties, or the magnitude 7.6 Kashmir earthquake 2005 in Pakistan with about 80'000 casualties. Both events took place inland, but in terms of magnitude, even significantly larger events can be expected to happen offshore, at the Makran subduction zone. This small subduction zone is seismically rather quiescent, nevertheless a tsunami caused by a thrust event in 1945 (Balochistan earthquake) led to about 4000 casualties. Nowadays, the coastal regions are more densely populated and vulnerable to similar events. Furthermore, some recent publications discuss the possiblity of rather rare huge magnitude 9 events at the Makran subduction zone. We analyze the seismicity at the subduction plate interface and generate various synthetic earthquake catalogs spanning 100000 years. All the events are projected onto the plate interface using scaling relations and a tsunami model is run for every scenario. The tsunami hazard along the coast is computed and presented in the form of annual probability of exceedance, probabilistic tsunami height for different time periods and other measures. We show how the hazard reacts to variation of the Gutenberg-Richter parameters and maximum magnitudes.We model the historic Balochistan event and its effect in terms of coastal wave heights. Finally, we show how an effective tsunami early warning could be achieved by using an array of high-precision real-time GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers along the coast by applying it to the 1945 event and by performing a sensitivity analysis.

Socioeconomic status and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in Kashmir, India.

PubMed

Dar, Nazir A; Shah, Idrees A; Bhat, Gulzar A; Makhdoomi, Muzamil A; Iqbal, Beenish; Rafiq, Rumaisa; Nisar, Iqra; Bhat, Arshid B; Nabi, Sumaiya; Masood, Akbar; Shah, Sajad A; Lone, Mohd M; Zargar, Showkat A; Islami, Farhad; Boffetta, Paolo

2013-09-01

Studies have persistently associated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk with low socioeconomic status (SES), but this association is unexplored in Kashmir, an area with a high incidence of ESCC in the northernmost part of India. We carried out a case-control study to assess the association of multiple indicators of SES and ESCC risk in the Kashmir valley. A total number of 703 histologically confirmed ESCC cases and 1664 controls matched to the cases for age, sex, and district of residence were recruited from October 2008 to January 2012. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Composite wealth scores were constructed based on the ownership of several appliances using multiple correspondence analyses. Higher education, living in a kiln brick or concrete house, use of liquefied petroleum gas and electricity for cooking, and higher wealth scores all showed an inverse association with ESCC risk. Compared to farmers, individuals who had government jobs or worked in the business sector were at lower risk of ESCC, but this association disappeared in fully adjusted models. Occupational strenuous physical activity was strongly associated with ESCC risk. In summary, we found a strong relationship of low SES and ESCC in Kashmir. The findings need to be studied further to understand the mechanisms through which such SES parameters increase ESCC risk. © 2013 Japanese Cancer Association.

Evidence for slip partitioning and bimodal slip behavior on a single fault: Surface slip characteristics of the 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barnhart, William; Briggs, Richard; Reitman, Nadine G.; Gold, Ryan D.; Hayes, Gavin

2015-01-01

Deformation is commonly accommodated by strain partitioning on multiple, independent strike-slip and dip-slip faults in continental settings of oblique plate convergence. As a corollary, individual faults tend to exhibit one sense of slip – normal, reverse, or strike-slip – until whole-scale changes in boundary conditions reactivate preexisting faults in a new deformation regime. In this study, we show that a single continental fault may instead partition oblique strain by alternatively slipping in a strike-slip or a dip-slip sense during independent fault slip events. We use 0.5 m resolution optical imagery and sub-pixel correlation analysis of the 200+ km 200+km"> 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake to document co-seismic surface slip characteristics and Quaternary tectonic geomorphology along the causative Hoshab fault. We find that the 2013 earthquake, which involved a ∼6:1 strike-slip to dip-slip ratio, ruptured a structurally segmented fault. Quaternary geomorphic indicators of gross fault-zone morphology reveal both reverse-slip and strike-slip deformation in the rupture area of the 2013 earthquake that varies systematically along fault strike despite nearly pure strike-slip motion in 2013. Observations of along-strike variations in range front relief and geomorphic offsets suggest that the Hoshab fault accommodates a substantial reverse component of fault slip in the Quaternary, especially along the southern section of the 2013 rupture. We surmise that Quaternary bimodal slip along the Hoshab fault is promoted by a combination of the arcuate geometry of the Hoshab fault, the frictional weakness of the Makran accretionary prism, and time variable loading conditions from adjacent earthquakes and plate interactions.

Evidence for slip partitioning and bimodal slip behavior on a single fault: Surface slip characteristics of the 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnhart, W. D.; Briggs, R. W.; Reitman, N. G.; Gold, R. D.; Hayes, G. P.

2015-06-01

Deformation is commonly accommodated by strain partitioning on multiple, independent strike-slip and dip-slip faults in continental settings of oblique plate convergence. As a corollary, individual faults tend to exhibit one sense of slip - normal, reverse, or strike-slip - until whole-scale changes in boundary conditions reactivate preexisting faults in a new deformation regime. In this study, we show that a single continental fault may instead partition oblique strain by alternatively slipping in a strike-slip or a dip-slip sense during independent fault slip events. We use 0.5 m resolution optical imagery and sub-pixel correlation analysis of the 200 + km 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake to document co-seismic surface slip characteristics and Quaternary tectonic geomorphology along the causative Hoshab fault. We find that the 2013 earthquake, which involved a ∼6:1 strike-slip to dip-slip ratio, ruptured a structurally segmented fault. Quaternary geomorphic indicators of gross fault-zone morphology reveal both reverse-slip and strike-slip deformation in the rupture area of the 2013 earthquake that varies systematically along fault strike despite nearly pure strike-slip motion in 2013. Observations of along-strike variations in range front relief and geomorphic offsets suggest that the Hoshab fault accommodates a substantial reverse component of fault slip in the Quaternary, especially along the southern section of the 2013 rupture. We surmise that Quaternary bimodal slip along the Hoshab fault is promoted by a combination of the arcuate geometry of the Hoshab fault, the frictional weakness of the Makran accretionary prism, and time variable loading conditions from adjacent earthquakes and plate interactions.

Education for Peace through Transformative Dialogue: Perspectives from Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Shweta

2018-01-01

Research has shown that there has been severe disruption in the educational sector in Kashmir post-1989 (the year Kashmiri unrest erupted). Inhibiting problems include the destruction of school buildings, parents' fear of sending their children to school, the recruitment of youth into armed groups, the economic decline of households, and forced…

Subduction zone earthquake probably triggered submarine hydrocarbon seepage offshore Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, David; José M., Mogollón; Michael, Strasser; Thomas, Pape; Gerhard, Bohrmann; Noemi, Fekete; Volkhard, Spiess; Sabine, Kasten

2014-05-01

Seepage of methane-dominated hydrocarbons is heterogeneous in space and time, and trigger mechanisms of episodic seep events are not well constrained. It is generally found that free hydrocarbon gas entering the local gas hydrate stability field in marine sediments is sequestered in gas hydrates. In this manner, gas hydrates can act as a buffer for carbon transport from the sediment into the ocean. However, the efficiency of gas hydrate-bearing sediments for retaining hydrocarbons may be corrupted: Hypothesized mechanisms include critical gas/fluid pressures beneath gas hydrate-bearing sediments, implying that these are susceptible to mechanical failure and subsequent gas release. Although gas hydrates often occur in seismically active regions, e.g., subduction zones, the role of earthquakes as potential triggers of hydrocarbon transport through gas hydrate-bearing sediments has hardly been explored. Based on a recent publication (Fischer et al., 2013), we present geochemical and transport/reaction-modelling data suggesting a substantial increase in upward gas flux and hydrocarbon emission into the water column following a major earthquake that occurred near the study sites in 1945. Calculating the formation time of authigenic barite enrichments identified in two sediment cores obtained from an anticlinal structure called "Nascent Ridge", we find they formed 38-91 years before sampling, which corresponds well to the time elapsed since the earthquake (62 years). Furthermore, applying a numerical model, we show that the local sulfate/methane transition zone shifted upward by several meters due to the increased methane flux and simulated sulfate profiles very closely match measured ones in a comparable time frame of 50-70 years. We thus propose a causal relation between the earthquake and the amplified gas flux and present reflection seismic data supporting our hypothesis that co-seismic ground shaking induced mechanical fracturing of gas hydrate-bearing sediments

Delusions of Singularity: Aesthetics, Discomfort and Bewilderment in Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinesh, Nandita

2015-01-01

In Kashmir, where the act of performing a script-based play on a proscenium stage is still seen by many as a controversial gesture, "Cages" involved the devised creation of a site responsive and immersive performance that placed two spectators, literally, in the shoes of an(Other). The potential of these forms of spectatorship, as…

Neotectonics and structure of the Himalayan deformation front in the Kashmir Himalaya, India: Implication in defining what controls a blind thrust front in an active fold-thrust belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavillot, Y. G.; Meigs, A.; Yule, J. D.; Rittenour, T. M.; Malik, M. O. A.

2014-12-01

Active tectonics of a deformation front constrains the kinematic evolution and structural interaction between the fold-thrust belt and most-recently accreted foreland basin. In Kashmir, the Himalayan Frontal thrust (HFT) is blind, characterized by a broad fold, the Suruin-Mastargh anticline (SMA), and displays no emergent faults cutting either limb. A lack of knowledge of the rate of shortening and structural framework of the SMA hampers quantifying the earthquake potential for the deformation front. Our study utilized the geomorphic expression of dated deformed terraces on the Ujh River in Kashmir. Six terraces are recognized, and three yield OSL ages of 53 ka, 33 ka, and 0.4 ka. Vector fold restoration of long terrace profiles indicates a deformation pattern characterized by regional uplift across the anticlinal axis and back-limb, and by fold limb rotation on the forelimb. Differential uplift across the fold trace suggests localized deformation. Dip data and stratigraphic thicknesses suggest that a duplex structure is emplaced at depth along the basal décollement, folding the overlying roof thrust and Siwalik-Muree strata into a detachment-like fold. Localized faulting at the fold axis explains the asymmetrical fold geometry. Folding of the oldest dated terrace, suggest that rock uplift rates across the SMA range between 2.0-1.8 mm/yr. Assuming a 25° dipping ramp for the blind structure on the basis of dip data constraints, the shortening rate across the SMA ranges between 4.4-3.8 mm/yr since ~53 ka. Of that rate, ~1 mm/yr is likely absorbed by minor faulting in the near field of the fold axis. Given that Himalaya-India convergence is ~18.8-11 mm/yr, internal faults north of the deformation front, such as the Riasi thrust absorbs more of the Himalayan shortening than does the HFT in Kashmir. We attribute a non-emergent thrust at the deformation front to reflect deformation controlled by pre-existing basin architecture in Kashmir, in which the thick succession

Prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the Kashmir Valley

PubMed Central

Lenglet, Annick; Ariti, Cono; Shah, Showkat; Shah, Helal; Ara, Shabnum; Viney, Kerri; Janes, Simon; Pintaldi, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Background Following the partition of India in 1947, the Kashmir Valley has been subject to continual political insecurity and ongoing conflict, the region remains highly militarised. We conducted a representative cross-sectional population-based survey of adults to estimate the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley. Methods Between October and December 2015, we interviewed 5519 out of 5600 invited participants, ≥18 years of age, randomly sampled using a probability proportional to size cluster sampling design. We estimated the prevalence of a probable psychological disorder using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ-16). Both screening instruments had been culturally adapted and translated. Data were weighted to account for the sampling design and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for developing symptoms of psychological distress. Findings The estimated prevalence of mental distress in adults in the Kashmir Valley was 45% (95% CI 42.6 to 47.0). We identified 41% (95% CI 39.2 to 43.4) of adults with probable depression, 26% (95% CI 23.8 to 27.5) with probable anxiety and 19% (95% CI 17.5 to 21.2) with probable PTSD. The three disorders were associated with the following characteristics: being female, over 55 years of age, having had no formal education, living in a rural area and being widowed/divorced or separated. A dose–response association was found between the number of traumatic events experienced or witnessed and all three mental disorders. Interpretation The implementation of mental health awareness programmes, interventions aimed at high risk groups and addressing trauma-related symptoms from all causes are needed in the Kashmir Valley. PMID:29082026

Descriptive study of plant resources in the context of the ethnomedicinal relevance of indigenous flora: A case study from Toli Peer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Amjad, Muhammad Shoaib; Qaeem, Mirza Faisal; Ahmad, Israr; Khan, Sami Ullah; Chaudhari, Sunbal Khalil; Zahid Malik, Nafeesa; Shaheen, Humaira; Khan, Arshad Mehmood

2017-01-01

This paper presents the first quantitative ethnobotanical study of the flora in Toli Peer National Park of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Being a remote area, there is a strong dependence by local people on ethnobotanical practices. Thus, we attempted to record the folk uses of the native plants of the area with a view to acknowledging and documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge. The aims of the study were to compile an inventory of the medicinal plants in the study area and to record the methods by which herbal drugs were prepared and administered. Information on the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants was collected from 64 local inhabitants and herbalists using open ended and semi-structured questionnaires over the period Aug 2013-Jul 2014. The data were recorded into a synoptic table comprising an ethnobotanical inventory of plants, the parts used, therapeutic indications and modes of application or administration. Different ethnobotanical indices i.e. relative frequencies of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), use value (UV) and informant consensus factor (Fic), were calculated for each of the recorded medicinal plants. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 16 to check the level of association between use value and relative frequency of citation. A total of 121 species of medicinal plants belonging to 57 families and 98 genera were recorded. The study area was dominated by herbaceous species (48%) with leaves (41%) as the most exploited plant part. The Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (9% each) were the dominant families in the study area. Among different methods of preparation, the most frequently used method was decoction (26 species) of different plant parts followed by use as juice and powder (24 species each), paste (22 species), chewing (16 species), extract (11 species), infusion (10 species) and poultice (8 species). The maximum Informant consensus factor (Fic) value was for gastro-intestinal, parasitic and

Kashmir--The Key to Peace in Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Missile Crisis the U.S. had to learn similar lessons in the early years of it gaining nuclear weapons. Victoria Schofield and Praveen Swami reinforce...12 Praveen Swami, India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad (London: Routledge, 2007), 204. 13 Peter Lavoy, Asymmetric Warefare in South Asia: the...Swami, Praveen . India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad. London: Routledge, 2007. Talbot, Ian. Pakistan: A Modern History. New Delhi: Oxford University

Pakistan Earthquake Relief Operations: Leveraging Humanitarian Missions for Strategic Success

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

PRISM 2, no. 1 leSSoNS leaRNed | 131 On Christmas morning 2005, at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Auckland , New Zealand, a priest stepped up to... economically difficult to sustain. However, the HA/DR cam- paign in Pakistan, Operation Lifeline, provides a useful model of how humanitarian...35 The two field hospitals became symbols of the American-Pakistani military partnership and an asymmetric advantage for the United States as

Confidence building measures at sea:opportunities for India and Pakistan.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vohra, Ravi Bhushan Rear Admiral; ); Ansari, Hasan Masood Rear Admiral

2003-12-01

The sea presents unique possibilities for implementing confidence building measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan that are currently not available along the contentious land borders surrounding Jammu and Kashmir. This is due to the nature of maritime issues, the common military culture of naval forces, and a less contentious history of maritime interaction between the two nations. Maritime issues of mutual concern provide a strong foundation for more far-reaching future CBMs on land, while addressing pressing security, economic, and humanitarian needs at sea in the near-term. Although Indian and Pakistani maritime forces currently have stronger opportunities to cooperate with onemore » another than their counterparts on land, reliable mechanisms to alleviate tension or promote operational coordination remain non-existent. Therefore, possible maritime CBMs, as well as pragmatic mechanisms to initiate and sustain cooperation, require serious examination. This report reflects the unique joint research undertaking of two retired Senior Naval Officers from both India and Pakistan, sponsored by the Cooperative Monitoring Center of the International Security Center at Sandia National Laboratories. Research focuses on technology as a valuable tool to facilitate confidence building between states having a low level of initial trust. Technical CBMs not only increase transparency, but also provide standardized, scientific means of interacting on politically difficult problems. Admirals Vohra and Ansari introduce technology as a mechanism to facilitate consistent forms of cooperation and initiate discussion in the maritime realm. They present technical CBMs capable of being acted upon as well as high-level political recommendations regarding the following issues: (1) Delimitation of the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan and its relationship to the Sir Creek dispute; (2) Restoration of full shipping links and the security of ports and cargos; (3) Fishing within

Earthquake Potential in Myanmar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aung, Hla Hla

Myanmar region is generally believed to be an area of high earthquake potential from the point of view of seismic activity which has been low compared to the surrounding regions like Indonesia, China, and Pakistan. Geoscientists and seismologists predicted earthquakes to occur in the area north of the Sumatra-Andaman Islands, i.e. the southwest and west part of Myanmar. Myanmar tectonic setting relative to East and SE Asia is rather peculiar and unique with different plate tectonic models but similar to the setting of western part of North America. Myanmar crustal blocks are caught within two lithospheric plates of India and Indochina experiencing oblique subduction with major dextral strike-slip faulting of the Sagaing fault. Seismic tomography and thermal structure of India plate along the Sunda subduction zone vary from south to north. Strong partitioning in central Andaman basin where crustal fragmentation and northward dispersion of Burma plate by back-arc spreading mechanism has been operating since Neogene. Northward motion of Burma plate relative to SE Asia would dock against the major continent further north and might have caused the accumulation of strain which in turn will be released as earthquakes in the future.

In the line of duty: a study of ambulance drivers during the 2010 conflict in Kashmir.

PubMed

Dhar, Shabir Ahmed; Dar, Tahir Ahmed; Wani, Sharief Ahmed; Hussain, Shahid; Dar, Reyaz Ahmed; Wani, Zaid Ahmed; Aazad, Shah; Yaqoob, Suhail; Mansoor, Imtiyaz; Ali, Murtaza Fazal; Ahmed, Muzaffar; Mumtaz, Imran; Azhar, Idrees

2012-08-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the problems faced by ambulance drivers working in a conflict zone. This study was conducted on ambulance drivers working for the four major hospitals in Kashmir, India. The drivers were interviewed and asked a series of 30 work-related questions. The individual interviews were conducted over a three-month period in the valley of Kashmir that was affected by continuous violence, strict curfew, and strikes. A total of 35 ambulance drivers were interviewed. Drivers worked an average of 60 h/wk, and they drove an average of 160 km/d. Twenty-nine (83%) of the drivers experienced >1 threat of physical harm; 18 (54%) experienced physical assaults; and 31 (89%) reported evidence of psychological morbidity associated with their jobs. The atmosphere of conflict on the streets of Kashmir impacted the ambulance drivers adversely, both physically as well as mentally. The stress faced by these professionals in conflict zones during their duty hours should be recognized, and corrective measures must be put in place.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium species among HIV positive asymptomatic and symptomatic immigrant population in Kashmir, India

PubMed Central

Masarat, S; Ahmad, F; Chisti, M; Hamid, S; Sofi, B Ahmad

2012-01-01

Background and Objectives Cryptosporidiosis has not been reported as an endemic disease in Kashmir, but high prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp. has been found among asymptomatic (non-diarrheic) HIV positive immigrants in present study. Due to increasing number of HIV positive immigrants in Kashmir, Cryptosporidium may become a public health problem in Kashmir. Materials and Methods A total of 45 stool samples were obtained from symptomatic (diarrheic n = 9) and asymptomatic (non-diarrheic n = 36) patients infected with HIV. The stool samples were concentrated using formalin ethyl acetate concentration technique, stained with modified Kinyoun's cold stain and oocysts were identified by microscopy under 1000 x magnification. It was confirmed by detection of antigens in stool samples by ELISA. Results It was established that all the patients studied were carriers of Cryptosporidium. In present study though 80% of patients were asymptomatic (non-diarrheic) and HIV positive which involved non-Kashmiri army personals and travelers (immigrants) but were carriers of Cryptosporidium and 20% of HIV positive patients were emigrants (local Kashmiri traders) who travelled different states of India were having diarrhea (symptomatic) as well as carrier of Cryptosporidium. Conclusion Though Cryptosporidium infection causes chronic diarrhea but in present study all HIV positive patients screened whether diarrheic or non-diarrheic were positive for Cryptosporidium. To prevent the transmission of Cryptosporidium oocyst in environment and endemic spread of cryptosporidiosis as non-diarrheic HIV positive population may be potential source of infection, obligatory laboratory testing for Cryptosporidium in HIV positive immigrant population like traders and travelers is highly recommended in order to have a better understanding of the cause of spread Cryptosporidium infection in Kashmir. PMID:22783459

Pesticides and brain cancer linked in orchard farmers of Kashmir.

PubMed

Bhat, Abdul Rashid; Wani, Muhammed Afzal; Kirmani, A R; Raina, T H

2010-10-01

The atmosphere of valley of Kashmir is ideal for fresh and dry fruit production. Millions of tons of pesticides, insecticides and fungicides (chemicals like chlorpyriphos, mancozeb, captan, dimethoate, phosalone, etc.) are being used by the orchard farmers to spray the plants, fruits and the leaves every year. The increasing trend in the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in orchard farmers of Kashmir is alarming. To determine the relationship between the patients of primary malignant brain tumors and their occupation. Retrospectively case files along with death certificates of 432 patients of primary malignant brain tumors and 457 controls (non-tumor neurologic diseases), admitted for treatment simultaneously over a period of 4 years from January 2005 to December 2008, to the Department of Neurosurgery, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Kashmir, were studied. Follow-up and family contact was established. The serum cholinesterase activity was measured by kinetic/DGKC calorimetric method and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) samples were sent to the laboratory. The results are expressed in U/l which is U/l×1000. The laboratory at SKIMS, Srinagar, and Dr Lal PathLabs at New Delhi used a reference range for serum cholinesterase as 3167-6333 U/l. Analysis revealed that 90.04% (389 out of 432) patients were orchard-farm workers, orchard residents and orchard playing children exposed to the high levels of multiple types of neurotoxic and carcinogenic (chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, mancozeb and captan) chemicals for more than 10-20 years. About 31.9% (124 out of 389) of these from both sexes were younger than 40 years beginning exposure at an early age and had higher (<6334 U/l) serum cholinesterase (SCE) levels. The 9.96% (43 out of 432) patients were not exposed to pesticides. On the other hand, only 119 patients out of 457 controls had recorded history of pesticide exposure and 338 were unrelated to pesticides. Out of 389 patients, 71

Business closure and relocation: a comparative analysis of the Loma Prieta earthquake and Hurricane Andrew.

PubMed

Wasileski, Gabriela; Rodríguez, Havidán; Diaz, Walter

2011-01-01

The occurrence of a number of large-scale disasters or catastrophes in recent years, including the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the Kashmir earthquake (2005), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008), have raised our awareness regarding the devastating effects of disasters on human populations and the importance of developing mitigation and preparedness strategies to limit the consequences of such events. However, there is still a dearth of social science research focusing on the socio-economic impact of disasters on businesses in the United States. This paper contributes to this research literature by focusing on the impact of disasters on business closure and relocation through the use of multivariate logistic regression models, specifically focusing on the Loma Prieta earthquake (1989) and Hurricane Andrew (1992). Using a multivariate model, we examine how physical damage to the infrastructure, lifeline disruption and business characteristics, among others, impact business closure and relocation following major disasters. © 2011 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2011.

Tibet-Kashmir, looking northwest, photographed during MA-9 flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1963-05-16

S63-06444 (15-16 May 1963) --- Tibet-Kashmir, looking northwest, as photographed from the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) capsule by astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. during his 22-orbit MA-9 spaceflight. Lake Ch'in-Tzu-Hu is at upper right, Lake Yen-K'o-Ling-Ts is at lower left center. The Korakaram Range is at upper center portion of the picture. Photo credit: NASA

Descriptive study of plant resources in the context of the ethnomedicinal relevance of indigenous flora: A case study from Toli Peer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Amjad, Muhammad Shoaib; Qaeem, Mirza faisal; Ahmad, Israr; Khan, Sami Ullah; Chaudhari, Sunbal Khalil; Zahid Malik, Nafeesa; Shaheen, Humaira; Khan, Arshad Mehmood

2017-01-01

Background This paper presents the first quantitative ethnobotanical study of the flora in Toli Peer National Park of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Being a remote area, there is a strong dependence by local people on ethnobotanical practices. Thus, we attempted to record the folk uses of the native plants of the area with a view to acknowledging and documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge. The aims of the study were to compile an inventory of the medicinal plants in the study area and to record the methods by which herbal drugs were prepared and administered. Materials and methods Information on the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants was collected from 64 local inhabitants and herbalists using open ended and semi-structured questionnaires over the period Aug 2013-Jul 2014. The data were recorded into a synoptic table comprising an ethnobotanical inventory of plants, the parts used, therapeutic indications and modes of application or administration. Different ethnobotanical indices i.e. relative frequencies of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), use value (UV) and informant consensus factor (Fic), were calculated for each of the recorded medicinal plants. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 16 to check the level of association between use value and relative frequency of citation. Results A total of 121 species of medicinal plants belonging to 57 families and 98 genera were recorded. The study area was dominated by herbaceous species (48%) with leaves (41%) as the most exploited plant part. The Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (9% each) were the dominant families in the study area. Among different methods of preparation, the most frequently used method was decoction (26 species) of different plant parts followed by use as juice and powder (24 species each), paste (22 species), chewing (16 species), extract (11 species), infusion (10 species) and poultice (8 species). The maximum Informant consensus factor (Fic) value was for

Revisiting the November 27, 1945 Makran (Mw=8.2) interplate earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarifi, Z.; Raeesi, M.

2012-04-01

Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ) in southern Iran and southwestern Pakistan is a zone of convergence, where the remnant oceanic crust of Arabian plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate with a rate of less than 30 mm/yr. The November 27, 1945 earthquake (Mw=8.2) in eastern section of Makran followed by a tsunami, at some points 15 meters high. More than 4000 victims and widespread devastation along the coastal area of Pakistan, Iran, Oman and India are reported for this earthquake. We have collected the old seismograms of the 1945 earthquake and its largest following earthquake (August 5, 1947, Mw=7.3) from a number of stations around the globe. Using ISS data, we relocated these two events. We used the teleseismic body-waveform inversion code of Kikuchi and Kanamori to determine the slip distribution of these two earthquakes for the first time. The results show that the extent of rupture of the 1945 earthquake is larger than what previously had been approximated in other studies. The slip distribution suggests two distinct sets of asperities with different behavior in the west close to Pasni and in the east close to Ormara. The highest slip was obtained for an area between these two cities which shows geological evidence of rapid uplift. To associate this behavior with the structure of slab interface we studied the TPGA (Trench Parallel Free-air Gravity Anomaly) and TPBA (Trench Parallel Bouguer Anomaly) in MSZ. The results of TPGA does not show the expected phenomenon, which is the correlation of asperities with the area of highly negative TPGA. However, TPBA can make correlation between the observed slip distribution and the structure of slab interface. Using the topography and gravity profiles perpendicular to trench and along the MSZ, we could observe the segmentation in the slab interface. This confirms that we barely expect that the whole interface releases energy in one single megathrust earthquake. Current seismicity in MSZ, although sparse, can fairly

Special Data Collection System (SDCS) event report, Kashmir--Tibet border region, 19 May 1975

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, K.J.; Dawkins, M.S.; Baumstark, R.R.

1976-01-23

Seismic data are reported from the Special Data Collection System (SDCS) and other sources for the Kashmir-Tibet Border Region event on 19 May 1975. Published epicenter information from seismic observations is given.

Near real-time aftershock hazard maps for earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCloskey, J.; Nalbant, S. S.

2009-04-01

Stress interaction modelling is routinely used to explain the spatial relationships between earthquakes and their aftershocks. On 28 October 2008 a M6.4 earthquake occurred near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killing several hundred and causing widespread devastation. A second M6.4 event occurred 12 hours later 20km to the south east. By making some well supported assumptions concerning the source event and the geometry of any likely triggered event it was possible to map those areas most likely to experience further activity. Using Google earth, it would further have been possible to identify particular settlements in the source area which were particularly at risk and to publish their locations globally within about 3 hours of the first earthquake. Such actions could have significantly focused the initial emergency response management. We argue for routine prospective testing of such forecasts and dialogue between social and physical scientists and emergency response professionals around the practical application of these techniques.

Pesticides and brain cancer linked in orchard farmers of Kashmir

PubMed Central

Bhat, Abdul Rashid; Wani, Muhammed Afzal; Kirmani, A. R.; Raina, T. H.

2010-01-01

Background: The atmosphere of valley of Kashmir is ideal for fresh and dry fruit production. Millions of tons of pesticides, insecticides and fungicides (chemicals like chlorpyriphos, mancozeb, captan, dimethoate, phosalone, etc.) are being used by the orchard farmers to spray the plants, fruits and the leaves every year. The increasing trend in the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in orchard farmers of Kashmir is alarming. Aim: To determine the relationship between the patients of primary malignant brain tumors and their occupation. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively case files along with death certificates of 432 patients of primary malignant brain tumors and 457 controls (non-tumor neurologic diseases), admitted for treatment simultaneously over a period of 4 years from January 2005 to December 2008, to the Department of Neurosurgery, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Kashmir, were studied. Follow-up and family contact was established. The serum cholinesterase activity was measured by kinetic/DGKC calorimetric method and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) samples were sent to the laboratory. The results are expressed in U/l which is U/l×1000. The laboratory at SKIMS, Srinagar, and Dr Lal PathLabs at New Delhi used a reference range for serum cholinesterase as 3167–6333 U/l. Results: Analysis revealed that 90.04% (389 out of 432) patients were orchard-farm workers, orchard residents and orchard playing children exposed to the high levels of multiple types of neurotoxic and carcinogenic (chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, mancozeb and captan) chemicals for more than 10–20 years. About 31.9% (124 out of 389) of these from both sexes were younger than 40 years beginning exposure at an early age and had higher (<6334 U/l) serum cholinesterase (SCE) levels. The 9.96% (43 out of 432) patients were not exposed to pesticides. On the other hand, only 119 patients out of 457 controls had recorded history of pesticide exposure and 338

On- and off-fault coseismic surface deformation associated with the September 2013 M7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake measured from mapping and automated pixel correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, R. D.; Reitman, N. G.; Briggs, R. W.; Barnhart, W. D.; Hayes, G. P.

2014-12-01

The 24 September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake ruptured a ~200 km-long stretch of the Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan. We remotely measured the coseismic surface deformation field using high-resolution (0.5 m) pre- and post-event satellite imagery. We measured ~300 near-field (0-10 m from fault) laterally offset piercing points (streams, terrace risers, roads, etc.) and find peak left-lateral offsets of ~12-15 m. We characterized the far-field (0-10 km from fault) displacement field using manual (~250 measurements) and automated image cross-correlation methods (e.g., pixel tracking) and find peak displacement values of ~16 m, which commonly exceed the on-fault displacement magnitudes. Our preliminary observations suggest the following: (1) coseismic surface displacement typically increases with distance away from the surface trace of the fault (e.g., highest displacement values in the far field), (2) for certain locations along the fault rupture, as little as 50% of the coseismic displacement field occurred in the near-field; and (3) the magnitudes of individual displacements are inversely correlated to the width of the surface rupture zone (e.g., largest displacements where the fault zone is narrowest). This analysis highlights the importance of identifying field study sites spanning fault sections with narrow deformation zones in order to capture the entire deformation field. For regions of distributed deformation, these results would predict that geologic slip rate studies underestimate a fault's complete slip rate.

Earthquakes and Children: The Role of Psychologists with Families and Communities

PubMed Central

Margolin, Gayla; Ramos, Michelle C.; Guran, Elyse L.

2010-01-01

The 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake and 2005 Pakistan earthquake are examples of natural disasters that took an unimaginable toll on children. In such disaster management contexts, family members as well as health care and school personnel are the first-line responders and are natural sources of continued social support as children recover. Although psychologists have increasingly sophisticated understandings of post-disaster reactions and strategies for helping children and adolescents cope with trauma, models for responding to mass catastrophes are limited, particularly in geographically remote communities and in regions where mental health services are stigmatizing. With children's well-being subsequent to earthquakes inextricably linked to family and community, psychologists can make important contributions in three spheres: (a) coordinating and activating collaborations within children's existing social contexts to develop post-earthquake interventions; (b) designing prevention and preparedness programs focused on the emotional needs of children in earthquake-prone communities; and (c) conducting research on interventions and recovery with particular attention to developmental stage, socio-cultural-economic contexts, and the similarities versus differences across various types of disasters. PMID:20428504

Tectono-geomorphic indices of the Erin basin, NE Kashmir valley, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Shabir; Alam, Akhtar; Ahmad, Bashir; Afzal, Ahsan; Bhat, M. I.; Sultan Bhat, M.; Farooq Ahmad, Hakim; Tectonics; Natural Hazards Research Group

2018-01-01

The present study aims to assess the tectonic activity in the Erin basin (NE Kashmir) on the basis of several relevant geomorphic indices and field observations. We use Digital Elevation Model (SRTM) and Survey of India (SoI) topographic maps in GIS environment to compute the geomorphic indices. The indices i.e., convex hypsometric curve, high hypsometric integral value (Hi > 0.5), low basin elongation ratio (Eb = 0.17), low mountain front sinuosity values (Smf = 1.08 average), low valley floor width ratios (Vf < 1), topographic assymetric character (T < 1), uneven basin asymmetry factor (AF < 50), elongated shape (Bs > 4) suggest that the area is tectonically active. Moreover, prominent irregularities (knickpoints/knickzones) along longitudinal profile of the Erin River even in homogenous resistant lithology (Panjal trap) and anomalous stream gradient index (SL) values reflect that the Erin basin is dissected by two faults (EF-1 and EF-2) with NNW-SSE and SSW-NNE trends respectively. The results of this preliminary study further substantiate the recent GPS studies, which argue that the maximum strain is accumulating in the NE part of the Kashmir Himalaya.

A cross-cultural analysis of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh (India) medicinal plant use.

PubMed

Gairola, Sumeet; Sharma, Jyotsana; Bedi, Yashbir Singh

2014-09-11

Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is a predominantly Himalayan state in the north-western part of India. It has three geographically distinct divisions viz., Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, which are immensely rich in their biological and cultural diversity. Medicinal plants are an important element of indigenous medical system of the region. The main goal of the present article is to examine the use of ethnomedicinal plants in three divisions of J&K and to discuss cross-cultural consensus on the use of medicinal plants in these divisions. The article also discusses the gaps in the current state of knowledge on ethnomedicinal plants of the region and gives recommendations for the future studies. Scientific literature on ethnomedicinal field studies conducted in J&K state of India available in the journals, edited books and other scientific databases viz., CAB international, DOAJ, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science direct, SciFinder, Scopus and Web of Science were searched. Only field based ethnomedicinal surveys from last four decades up to December 2013 reporting first hand information on the medicinal plants used to treat human health related ailments by indigenous communities of J&K were included in this study. Venn diagram was used to analyze the cross-cultural consensus on the use of ethnomedicinal plants in the three divisions of J&K. A total of 948 plant taxa (923 angiosperms, 12 gymnosperms and 13 pteridophytes) belonging to 129 families, 509 genera, 937 species and 11 varieties have so far been reported to have a traditional medicinal use by indigenous communities of J&K. Asteraceae (60 genera, 132 spp.) was the most frequently used family followed by Fabaceae (32 genera, 50 spp.) and Lamiaceae (27 genera, 55 spp.). 514, 415 and 397 medicinal plants were used in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh divisions, respectively. Sixty eight plant taxa were used in all the three divisions, whereas 95 plants were common between Ladakh and Jammu, 127 plants between Ladakh and Kashmir, and 216

Myths and Realities of Tribal Education in Jammu and Kashmir: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad; Ganai, M. Y.

2016-01-01

Education is the key to developmental process and also influences demographic behaviour. Jammu and Kashmir is homeland to a number of tribal communities with diverse eco-cultural, socio-economic and geographical backgrounds. These Scheduled Tribes experience passive indifference that takes the form of exclusion from educational opportunities and…

Assessment and Understanding of Gender Equity in Education in Jammu and Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad; Khan, Zebun Nisa

2014-01-01

The focus of this paper is on the assessment and understanding of the gender equity in education in Jammu and Kashmir. Gender equity is the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, strategies and measures should be available to compensate for women's historical and social disadvantaged. The central government, state government,…

Religion-based social perception of natural disasters in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usman, M.

2017-12-01

Pakistan is a fascinating and important region for geological research, but formal field surveys in this region are scarce. Beyond political and logistical challenges, cultural tensions can greatly complicate research efforts. Ninety eight percent of the population of Pakistan are Muslims, and many see a link between natural disasters and divine power. For example, it is widely believed that when the cumulative sins of a society exceed a certain limit then the whole society is punished by God, in the form of earthquakes or other calamities. This perspective encourages a resistance to accepting scientific explanations related to a natural phenomenon. This resistance can extend to scientific research teams and even to disaster response teams. In remote regions of the country where formal education opportunities are limited and the literacy rate is quite low, people are strongly influenced by the views of their local religious leaders. Scientific and humanitarian relief activities greatly benefit from culturally competent dialogue with local religious and community leaders to establish trust and credibility, and (in the longer term) through introduction and discussion of relevant scientific ideas, concepts and practices.

IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANTS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR I. KESAR (SAFFRON)

PubMed Central

Srivastava, T. N.; Rajasekharan, S.; Badola, D. P.; Shah, D. C.

1985-01-01

Kesar has been an important ingredient of the recipes of our ancient physicians in the field of Indian systems of medicine and its cultivation is a monopoly of Jammu and Kashmir. This paper presents in detail the historical review, botanical description, vernacular names, distribution in India and world, cultivation, collection, preservation and storage, adulterants, purity tests, chemical composition, action and uses, folk – lore claims and markets with special reference to its medicinal utility. PMID:22557503

Gender Disparity at Elementary Education Level in Jammu and Kashmir: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad; Khan, Zebun Nisa

2014-01-01

This paper is based on a study to explore gender disparity at elementary education level in Jammu and Kashmir. Gender disparity in education refers to differences in outcomes observed between two sexes. Education disparities can be seen in different enrolment rates, dropout rates, and survival rates among the sexes. The central government and…

Earthquake Relocation in the Middle East with Geodetically-Calibrated Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brengman, C.; Barnhart, W. D.

2017-12-01

Regional and global earthquake catalogs in tectonically active regions commonly contain mislocated earthquakes that impede efforts to address first order characteristics of seismogenic strain release and to monitor anthropogenic seismic events through the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Earthquake mislocations are particularly limiting in the plate boundary zone between the Arabia and Eurasia plates of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey where earthquakes are commonly mislocated by 20+ kilometers and hypocentral depths are virtually unconstrained. Here, we present preliminary efforts to incorporate calibrated earthquake locations derived from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations into a relocated catalog of seismicity in the Middle East. We use InSAR observations of co-seismic deformation to determine the locations, geometries, and slip distributions of small to moderate magnitude (M4.8+) crustal earthquakes. We incorporate this catalog of calibrated event locations, along with other seismologically-calibrated earthquake locations, as "priors" into a fully Bayesian multi-event relocation algorithm that relocates all teleseismically and regionally recorded earthquakes over the time span 1970-2017, including calibrated and uncalibrated events. Our relocations are conducted using cataloged phase picks and BayesLoc. We present a suite of sensitivity tests for the time span of 2003-2014 to explore the impacts of our input parameters (i.e., how a point source is defined from a finite fault inversion) on the behavior of the event relocations, potential improvements to depth estimates, the ability of the relocation to recover locations outside of the time span in which there are InSAR observations, and the degree to which our relocations can recover "known" calibrated earthquake locations that are not explicitly included as a-priori constraints. Additionally, we present a systematic comparison of earthquake relocations derived from phase picks of two

Occupational Dermatoses among Cottage Industry Workers of Kashmir Valley in North India.

PubMed

Akhtar, Saniya; Hassan, Iffat; Rasool, Farhan; Bhat, Yasmeen J; Sheikh, Gousia

2017-01-01

Cottage industry is usually a small-scale industry operated from home by family members using their own equipment. Kashmir has a unique cottage industry of its own which deals with production of many handicrafts, which may lead to a peculiar pattern of skin diseases in these artisans. Aim: The aim of this study was to find out the pattern of skin disorders in the cottage industry workers of Kashmir valley, with primary focus on the occupation-related dermatoses and to identify the most common cutaneous manifestation in these workers. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 1062 cottage industry workers engaged in different crafts were screened. A detailed history taking and examination was carried out in each worker and the diagnosis was made on clinical grounds. Wherever deemed necessary, relevant investigations were done to establish the nature of the disease. A total of 1062 workers were evaluated for the presence of skin disorders. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.5. The mean age of the study group was 30.3 years ± 10.79 years, with maximum number of workers (164) belonging to the crewel embroidery industry. The mean duration of work was 6.4 ± 2.08 hours/day. A total of 953 workers (89.7%) had cutaneous manifestations, with callosities being the most common finding seen in 371 workers (35%), followed by cumulative insult dermatitis seen in 201 workers (19%). Cottage industry of Kashmir valley is a unique occupational group where a high percentage of workers had cutaneous manifestations related to their occupation, with callosities being the most common finding. Information and better knowledge regarding these dermatoses are important in devising strategies to improve the health scenario of these workers. Simple measures such as proper use of instruments, use of protective gloves, guarded use of chemicals, and hand washing may be very beneficial in reducing the burden of health problems in these workers.

Occupational Dermatoses among Cottage Industry Workers of Kashmir Valley in North India

PubMed Central

Akhtar, Saniya; Hassan, Iffat; Rasool, Farhan; Bhat, Yasmeen J.; Sheikh, Gousia

2017-01-01

Introduction: Cottage industry is usually a small-scale industry operated from home by family members using their own equipment. Kashmir has a unique cottage industry of its own which deals with production of many handicrafts, which may lead to a peculiar pattern of skin diseases in these artisans. Aim: The aim of this study was to find out the pattern of skin disorders in the cottage industry workers of Kashmir valley, with primary focus on the occupation-related dermatoses and to identify the most common cutaneous manifestation in these workers. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 1062 cottage industry workers engaged in different crafts were screened. A detailed history taking and examination was carried out in each worker and the diagnosis was made on clinical grounds. Wherever deemed necessary, relevant investigations were done to establish the nature of the disease. Results: A total of 1062 workers were evaluated for the presence of skin disorders. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.5. The mean age of the study group was 30.3 years ± 10.79 years, with maximum number of workers (164) belonging to the crewel embroidery industry. The mean duration of work was 6.4 ± 2.08 hours/day. A total of 953 workers (89.7%) had cutaneous manifestations, with callosities being the most common finding seen in 371 workers (35%), followed by cumulative insult dermatitis seen in 201 workers (19%). Conclusion: Cottage industry of Kashmir valley is a unique occupational group where a high percentage of workers had cutaneous manifestations related to their occupation, with callosities being the most common finding. Information and better knowledge regarding these dermatoses are important in devising strategies to improve the health scenario of these workers. Simple measures such as proper use of instruments, use of protective gloves, guarded use of chemicals, and hand washing may be very beneficial in reducing the burden of health problems in

Signal Processing for Indian and Pakistan Nuclear Tests Recorded at IMS Stations Located in Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gitterman, Y.; Pinsky, V.; Hofstetter, R.

- In compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) the International Monitoring System (IMS) was designed for detection and location of the clandestine Nuclear Tests (NT). Two auxiliary IMS seismic stations MRNI and EIL, deployed recently, were subjected to detectability, travel-time calibration and discrimination analysis. The study is based on the three recent 1998 underground nuclear explosions: one of India and two of Pakistan, which provided a ground-truth test of the existing IMS. These events, attaining magnitudes of 5.2, 4.8 and 4.6 correspondingly, were registered by many IMS and other seismic stations.The MRNI and EIL broadband (BB) stations are located in Israel at teleseismic distances (from the explosions) of 3600, 2800 and 2700km, respectively, where the signals from the tests are already weak. The Indian and the second Pakistan NT were not detected by the short-period Israel Seismic Network (ISN), using standard STA/LTA triggering. Therefore, for the chosen IMS stations we compare the STA/LTA response to the results of the more sensitive Murdock-Hutt (MH) and the Adaptive Statistically Optimal Detector (OD) that showed triggering for these three events. The second Pakistan NT signal arrived at the ISN and the IMS stations in the coda of a strong Afghanistan earthquake and was further disturbed by a preceding signal from a local earthquake. However, the NT signal was successfully extracted at EIL and MRNI stations using MH and OD procedures. For comparison we provide the signal analysis of the cooperating BB station JER, with considerably worse noise conditions than EIL and MRNI, and show that OD can detect events when the other algorithms fail. Using the most quiet EIL station, the most sensitive OD and different bandpass filters we tried in addition to detect the small Kazakh chemical 100-ton calibration explosion of 1998, with magnitude 3.7 at a distance approaching 4000km. The detector response curve showed uprising in the

Long- and short-term triggering and modulation of mud volcano eruptions by earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonini, Marco; Rudolph, Maxwell L.; Manga, Michael

2016-03-01

Earthquakes can trigger the eruption of mud. We use eruptions in Azerbaijan, Italy, Romania, Japan, Andaman Islands, Pakistan, Taiwan, Indonesia, and California to probe the nature of stress changes that induce new eruptions and modulate ongoing eruptions. Dynamic stresses produced by earthquakes are usually inferred to be the dominant triggering mechanism; however static stress changes acting on the feeder systems of mud volcanoes may also play a role. In Azerbaijan, eruptions within 2-10 fault lengths from the epicenter are favored in the year following earthquakes where the static stress changes cause compression of the mud source and unclamp feeder dikes. In Romania, Taiwan, and some Italian sites, increased activity is also favored where the static stress changes act to unclamp feeder dikes, but responses occur within days. The eruption in the Andaman Islands, and those of the Niikappu mud volcanoes, Japan are better correlated with amplitude of dynamic stresses produced by seismic waves. Similarly, a new island that emerged off the coast of Pakistan in 2013 was likely triggered by dynamic stresses, enhanced by directivity. At the southern end of the Salton Sea, California earthquakes increase the gas flux at small mud volcanoes. Responses are best correlated with dynamic stresses. The comparison of responses in these nine settings indicates that dynamic stresses are most often correlated with triggering, although permanent stress changes as small as, and possibly smaller than, 0.1 bar may be sufficient to also influence eruptions. Unclamping stresses with magnitude similar to Earth tides (0.01 bar) persist over time and may play a role in triggering delayed responses. Unclamping stresses may be important contributors to short-term triggering only if they exceed 0.1-1 bar.

Liquefaction Effects from the Bhuj earthquake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

surface. Field investigations have found abundant evidence of mud volcanos, sand boils, and fissures from which salty ground water erupted over an area exceeding 10,000 square kilometers. Evidence of the expelled water can also be seen on the MISR images.

Notice the delicate, dendritic pattern of stream channels throughout many of the salt-flats on the post-earthquake image, especially due north of the epicenter. These carried water brought to the surface by liquefaction during the earthquake. Areas where shallow surface water is present are much easier to see on the false-color multi-angle composite images. Wet areas are exhibiting a combination of enhanced forward-scattered light due to the reflection by the water, and enhanced backward scattering due to surface roughness or the presence of sediments. This combination results in blue to purple hues.

The region of sand dunes in the upper right and the Indus River valley and delta in the upper left are inside Pakistan. Near the top of the images, there is an east-west trending linear feature separating the Thar desert of Pakistan from the Rann of Kachchh. This is the Nagar Parkar Fault. On both pre-earthquake images, this feature is evident only from the contrasting brown colors on either side of it. On the post-earthquake images, a narrow ribbon defines the boundary between the two geologic provinces. However, only in the multi-angle composite do we see evidence that this ribbon may be a water-filled channel. Because this area is politically sensitive and fairly inaccessible, no field teams have been able to verify liquefaction effects or the presence of water there.

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

Linking bedrock exhumation, fluvial terraces, and geomorphic indices to constrain deformation rates at multiple timescales across the Himalayan deformation front in the Kashmir Himalaya, northwest India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavillot, Y. G.

2017-12-01

In Kashmir, the Himalayan Frontal thrust (HFT) is blind, characterized by a broad fold, the Suruin-Mastargh anticline, and displays no major emergent faults cutting either limb. A lack of knowledge of the rate of shortening and structural framework of the Suruin-Mastargh anticline hampers quantifying the earthquake potential for the deformation front. Our study combines bedrock exhumation, folded fluvial terraces, long-river profiles and river incision (specific stream power) analyses across the deformation front. At the core of the frontal fold, Apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) cooling ages of detrital grains from the Siwalik foreland sediments indicate significant resetting. AHe data and thermal modeling reveal rapid cooling and exhumation initiated ca. 4 Ma for the deformation front, at least 3 Ma earlier than is indicated from previously available data. Exhumation rates over the last 1 m.y. and 4 m.y. range from 0.5 - 2.4 mm/yr, and 0.5 - 1 mm/yr, respectively. Four fluvial terraces yield multiple OSL and depth profiles Be10 TCN ages between 53 ka and 0.4 ka. Vector fold restoration of long terrace profiles, calculated specific stream power values, bedrock dip data, and stratigraphic thickness indicate a deformation pattern controlled by a duplex structure emplaced at depth along the basal décollement, folding the overlying roof thrust and foreland strata into a detachment-like fold. Dated terraces across the frontal fold yield rock uplift and shortening rates that range between 1.8-2.5 mm/yr, and 3.8-5.4 mm/yr, respectively, since 53 ka. Similarly, a balanced cross section yields a long-term shortening rate of 5mm mm/yr since 4 Ma. Geodetic data indicate that an 11-12 mm/yr arc-normal shortening rate characterizes the interseismic strain accumulation across the plate boundary due to India-Tibet convergence. These data combined with rates of other active internal faults in the Kashmir Himalaya indicate that shortening occurs roughly at an equal rate between folding at

Geochemistry of loess-paleosol sediments of Kashmir Valley, India: Provenance and weathering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Ishtiaq; Chandra, Rakesh

2013-04-01

Middle to Late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sediments of Kashmir Valley, India, were analyzed for major, trace and REE elements in order to determine their chemical composition, provenance and intensity of palaeo-weathering of the source rocks. These sediments are generally enriched with Fe2O3, MgO, MnO, TiO2, Y, Ni, Cu, Zn, Th, U, Sc, V and Co while contents of SiO2, K2O, Na2O, P2O5, Sr, Nb and Hf are lower than the UCC. Chondrite normalized REE patterns are characterized by moderate enrichment of LREEs, relatively flat HREE pattern (GdCN/YbCN = 1.93-2.31) and lack of prominent negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.73-1.01, average = 0.81). PAAS normalized REE are characterized by slightly higher LREE, depleted HREE and positive Eu anomaly. Various provenance discrimination diagrams reveal that the Kashmir Loess-Paleosol sediments are derived from the mixed source rocks suggesting large provenance with variable geological settings, which apparently have undergone weak to moderate recycling processes. Weathering indices such as CIA, CIW and PIA values (71.87, 83.83 and 80.57 respectively) and A-CN-K diagram imply weak to moderate weathering of the source material.

Interventions for Promoting Gender Equity at Elementary Education Level in South Kashmir: An Evaluative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad; Khan, Zebun Nisa

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the interventions for promoting gender equity at elementary education level in South Kashmir. Descriptive survey method was used in this study to obtain pertinent and precise information. The sample of this study included 120 head teachers and 90 local community members selected by using purposive sampling…

Impact of Socio-Emotional Adjustment on Academic Achievement of Adolescent Girls in Jammu and Kashmir

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Showkeen Bilal Ahmad

2015-01-01

The study examined the impact of socio-emotional adjustment on academic achievement of adolescent girls of Jammu and Kashmir. The purpose of the investigation was to study the relationship and effect of socio-emotional adjustment on academic achievement among adolescent girls. The descriptive survey research method was used for the study and the…

Description of Loffienema dhanoriensis gen. n., sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) from Jammu and Kashmir State, India

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A new genus, Loffienema dhanoriensis gen. n., sp. n. is described and illustrated from soil mixed with mature compost of Biodiversity Park, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah (BGSB) University, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is characterized by medium-sized body, slightly offset labial region, weakly d...

Loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding in Kashmir red deer (Cervus elaphus hanglu) of Dachigam National Park, Jammu & Kashmir, India

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hangul (Cervus elaphus hanglu), the eastern most subspecies of red deer, is now confined only to the mountains in the Kashmir region of Jammu & Kashmir State of India. It is of great conservation significance as this is the last and only hope for Asiatic survivor of the red deer species in India. Wild population of free ranging hangul deer inhabiting in and around Dachigam National Park was genetically assessed in order to account for constitutive genetic attributes of hangul population using microsatellite markers. Results In a pool of 36 multi-locus genotypes, 30 unique individuals were identified based on six microsatellite loci. The estimated cumulative probability of identity assuming all individuals were siblings (PID sibs) was 0.009 (9 in 1000). Altogether, 49 different alleles were observed with mean (± s.e.) allelic number of 8.17 ± 1.05, ranging from 5 to 11 per locus. The observed heterozygosity ranged between 0.08 and 0.83, with mean 0.40 ± 0.11 and the inbreeding coefficient ranged between −0.04 and 0.87 with mean 0.38 ± 0.15. Majority of loci (5/6) were found to be informative (PIC value > 0.5). All loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except Ca-38 (P > 0.05) and none of the pairs of loci showed significant linkage disequilibrium except the single pair of Ca-30 and Ca-43 (P < 0.05). Conclusions The preliminary findings revealed that hangul population is significantly inbred and exhibited a low genetic diversity in comparison to other deer populations of the world. We suggest prioritizing the potential individuals retaining high heterozygosity for ex situ conservation and genetic monitoring of the hangul population should be initiated covering the entire distribution range to ensure the long term survival of hangul. We speculate further ignoring genetics attributes may lead to a detrimental effect which can negatively influence the reproductive fitness and survivorship of the hangul population in the

Pottery from Pakistan. A Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rammage, Alix

One of three handbooks dealing with pottery traditions from around the world, this packet draws together information about historical, ethnographic, and pottery traditions of Pakistan. The handbook begins with a brief discussion of Pakistan's land and people, a short history of Pakistan, Islamic pottery traditions, and Pakistan potters and…

Dengue fever virus in Pakistan: effects of seasonal pattern and temperature change on distribution of vector and virus.

PubMed

Bostan, Nazish; Javed, Sundus; Nabgha-E-Amen; Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah; Tahir, Faheem; Bokhari, Habib

2017-01-01

Dengue fever is regarded as one of the most prominent emerging arboviral infections in Pakistan since its first epidemic almost 2 decades ago. Interplay between potential vectors, susceptible host, and lax environmental conditions may promote the infection, leading to an epidemic. These factors may indeed have played a major role in the spread of the disease in the country, which was limited to Karachi till 2006. With recent natural disasters such as the earthquake in 2005 and flooding in 2010, 2011 and 2012, numbers of vector-borne diseases and outbreaks including dengue fever are on the rise in Pakistan. Therefore, it is a major concern for health sector workers and of utmost importance to have some understanding of the factors affecting disease outbreak for better risk assessment in the region. In the following report we review the climatic as well as host- and vector-associated factors involved in the outbreak of dengue epidemics in Pakistan and highlight high-risk zones in the country. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Studies of VLF radio waves for sudden ionospheric disturbances (SID) in Kashmir region

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wani, M. R.; Iqbal, Naseer; Sasmal, Sudipta

2010-10-20

It is recognized that the ionosphere may be sensitive to seismic effects, and the detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with seismicity would be useful for short term prediction of seismic events. To observe this effect, Indian Centre for Space Physics has installed an antenna and receiver system at Kashmir University to monitor the variation of the VLF signal transmitted from VTX. We present the preliminary results from this station.

Pakistan Flooding

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

article title:  Flooding in Pakistan     View Larger Image In late July 2010, flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains began in several regions of Pakistan, ... river is 23 kilometers (14 miles) wide or more in spots, and flooding in much of the surrounding region, particularly in the Larkana ...

2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Japan's Nuclear Disaster - Implications for Indian Ocean Rim countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chadha, R. K.

2011-12-01

The Nuclear disaster in Japan after the M9.0 Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 has elicited global response to have a relook at the safety aspects of the nuclear power plants from all angles including natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunami. Several countries have gone into safety audits of their nuclear programs in view of the experience in Japan. Tectonically speaking, countries located close to subduction zones or in direct line of impact of the subduction zones are the most vulnerable to earthquake or tsunami hazard, as these regions are the locale of great tsunamigenic earthquakes. The Japan disaster has also cautioned to the possibility of great impact to the critical structures along the coasts due to other ocean processes caused by ocean-atmosphere interactions and also due to global warming and sea level rise phenomena in future. This is particular true for island countries. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan will be remembered more because of its nuclear tragedy and tsunami rather than the earthquake itself. The disaster happened as a direct impact of a tsunami generated by the earthquake 130 km off the coast of Sendai in the Honshu region of Japan. The depth of the earthquake was about 25 km below the ocean floor and it occurred on a thrust fault causing a displacement of more than 20 meters. At few places, water is reported to have inundated areas up to 8-10 km inland. The height of the tsunami varied between 10 and 3 meters along the coast. Generally, during an earthquake damage to buildings or other structures occur due to strong shaking which is expressed in the form of ground accelerations 'g'. Although, Peak Ground Accelerations (PGA) consistently exceeded 2g at several places from Sendai down south, structures at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant did not collapse due to the earthquake. In the Indian Ocean Rim countries, Indian, Pakistan and South Africa are the three countries where Nuclear power plants are operational, few of them

Geospatial tools for assessing land degradation in Budgam district, Kashmir Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, Mehnaz; Lone, Mahjoor Ahmad; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad

2011-06-01

Land degradation reduces the ability of the land to perform many biophysical and chemical functions. The main aim of this study was to determine the status of land degradation in the Budgam area of Kashmir Himalaya using remote sensing and geographic information system. The satellite data together with other geospatial datasets were used to quantify different categories of land degradation. The results were validated in the field and an accuracy of 85% was observed. Land use/land cover of the study area was determined in order to know the effect of land use on the rate of land degradation. Normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and slope of the area were determined using LANDSAT-enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) data, advanced space borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer, and digital elevation model along with other secondary data were analysed to create various thematic maps, viz., land use/land cover, geology, NDVI and slopes used in modelling land degradation in the Kashmir Himalayan region. The vegetation condition, elevation and land use/land cover information of the area were integrated to assess the land degradation scenario in the area using the ArcGIS `Spatial Analyst Module'. The results reveal that about 13.19% of the study area has undergone moderate to high degradation, whereas about 44.12% of the area has undergone slight degradation.

Degradation of chlorpyrifos residues in apple under temperate conditions of Kashmir Valley.

PubMed

Mukhtar, Malik; Sherwani, Asma; Wani, Ashraf Alam; Ahmed, Sheikh Bilal; Sofi, Javid Ahmad; Bano, Parveena

2015-08-01

The present studies were carried out to observe the dissipation pattern of chlorpyrifos on apple in Kashmir Valley. Persistence of chlorpyrifos in apple was studied following two applications rates of chlorpyrifos (Dursban 20 EC) at 200 g a.i. ha(-1) (single dose T 1) and 400 g a.i. ha(-1) (double dose T 2). The average initial deposit of chlorpyrifos was found to be 1.61 and 1.98 μg g(-1) for T 1 and T 2 application rates respectively on apple. The residues dissipated to 0.09 and 0.06 μg g(-1) after 15- and 30-day post treatment with half-life periods of 3.34 and 5.47 days in T 1 and T 2 application rates, respectively. The residues of chlorpyrifos dissipated to below limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.04 μg g(-1) after 30 day at T 1 application rate. A waiting period of 6 days must be observed for chlorpyrifos on apple at recommended application rate for the safety of consumers. Theoretical maximum residue contribution (TMRC) values were found to be far less than maximum permissible intake (MPI) at 0 day in both the dosages suggesting chlorpyrifos on apple in Kashmir is unlikely to cause health risks.

To serve or to leave: a question faced by public sector healthcare providers in Pakistan.

PubMed

Mir, Ali Mohammad; Shaikh, Muhammad Saleem; Rashida, Gul; Mankani, Neha

2015-11-25

The availability of properly trained and motivated providers is a prerequisite for provision of easily accessible healthcare. Pakistan has been listed by the World Health Organization in its World Health Report 2006 as one of 57 countries with a critical health workforce deficiency. This study examines the factors associated with the willingness of public sector healthcare providers to leave government service and recommends measures that can be adopted to attract and retain staff in the country's public healthcare system. A stratified, random sampling methodology was adopted to recruit a nationally representative sample of 1,296 public sector healthcare providers, including paramedics, medical doctors, and specialists. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview these providers. Logistic regressions measured the association with determinants of their willingness to leave the public health sector for better prospects elsewhere. A third of all healthcare providers who were interviewed were of the view that, provided the opportunity, they would leave government service. The odds of willingness to leave service were highest among providers from the region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.33; 95% CI, 2.49-7.54) followed by the province of Balochistan (AOR = 4.21; 95% CI, 2.41-7.33), and the region of Gilgit Baltistan (AOR = 3.34; 95% CI, 1.67-6.67). Providers who expressed dissatisfaction in the manner their performance was evaluated and those who were dissatisfied with the current salary, each had higher odds of considering leaving government service (AOR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.18-2.40 and AOR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.47-2.81, respectively). Providers who reported experiencing interference in their work by influential politicians of the area were more inclined to leave (AOR = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.05-1.98). This study clearly highlights the need to implement more focused strategies in the public healthcare system in Pakistan in

Surface Deformation in Quetta Valley, Balochistan, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J.; Shuhab, K.; Wulamu, A.; Crupa, W.; Khan, A. S.; Kakar, D. M.; Kasi, A.

2015-12-01

In February 2011, several ground fissures up to ~1.8 km in length appeared in the Quetta Valley, Balochsitan, Pakistan. It is not clear what caused the sudden occurrence of these fissures. The region is tectonically active and bounded to the west by several regional strike-slip faults including the north-south striking left-lateral Chaman fault system that slips at ~10 mm per year. Several large earthquakes have occurred recently in this area, one fatal 6.4 magnitude (Mw) earthquake occurred on October 28th, 2008. Some parts of Quetta Valley are subsiding; GPS data from two stations in Quetta that span mid-2006 - 2009 recorded subsidence rates of ~10 cm per year. Although subsidence in urban areas is generally attributed to groundwater depletion, it is not clear whether ground fissures are caused by water withdrawal or related to tectonics of the region. This study is designed to quantify and assess the source of surface deformation in Quetta Valley using InSAR, GPS, seismic and earthquake centroid moment tensor data. To detect and map the spatial-temporal features of the processes that led to the surface deformation, we used two time series, i.e., 15 European Remote Sensing (ERS-1/2) satellite images from 1992 - 1999 and 27 ENVISAT images spanning 2003 - 2010. A Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) technique was used to investigate surface deformation. Eleven continuous-GPS stations within the InSAR antenna footprint were compared with the InSAR time series for quality control. Preliminary InSAR results revealed that the areas in and around the fissures are subsiding at 5 cm per year. Five seismic lines totaling ~60 km, acquired in 2003, were used to interpret faults beneath Holocene alluvium in the Quetta Valley. One of the blind faults is a north-south striking thrust fault mapped north into the Takatu range. However, a focal mechanism for the 2008 earthquake in this region indicated northwest

CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides, June 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cable News Network, Atlanta, GA.

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of June 2002, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Major topics covered include: the Kashmir conflict; the Pakistan and the Kazahkstan Summit;…

Seismotectonics of the Hindukush and Baluchistan arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, R. K.; Mukhopadhyay, M.; Bhanja, A. K.

1980-07-01

A seismicity map of that part of the Pakistan-Afghanistan region lying between the latitudes 28° to 38°N and longitudes 66° to 75°E is given using all available data for the period 1890-1970. The earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above were considered in the preparation of this map. On the basis of this map, it is observed that the seismicity pattern over the well-known Hindukush region is quite complex. Two prominent, mutually orthogonal, seismicity lineaments, namely the northvestern and the north-eastern trends, characterize the Hindukush area. The northwestern trend appears to extend from the Main Boundary Fault of the Kashmir Himalaya on the southeast to the plains of the Amu Darya in Uzbekistan on the northwest beyond the Hindukush. The Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges of Pakistan are well-defined zones of intermontane seismicity exhibiting north-south alignment. Thirty-two new focal-mechanism solutions for the above-mentioned region have been determined. These, together with the results obtained by earlier workers, suggest the pre-dominance of strike-slip faulting in the area. The Hazara Mountains, the Sulaiman wrench zone and the Kirthar wrench zone, as well as the supposed extension of the Murray ridge up to the Karachi coast, appear to be mostly undergoing strike-slip movements. In the Hindukush region, thrust and strike-slip faulting are found to be equally prevalent. Almost all the thrust-type mechanisms belonging to the Hindukush area have both the nodal planes in the NW-SE direction for shallow as well as intermediate depth earthquakes. The dip of P-axes for the events indicating thrust type mechanisms rarely exceeds 35°. The direction of the seismic slip vector obtained through thrust type solutions is always directed towards the northeast. The epicentral pattern together with these results suggest a deep-seated fault zone paralleling the northwesterly seismic zone underneath the Hindukush. This NW-lineament has a preference for thrust faulting, and

Fault source modeling of October 28, 2008 earthquake sequence in Baluchistan, Pakistan, on the basis of ALOS/PALSAR InSAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usman, M.; Furuya, M.

2014-12-01

The Quetta Syntaxis in the western Baluchistan, Pakistan, serves as a junction for different thrust faults. As this area also lays close to the left lateral strike slip Chaman fault, which is supposed to be marking the boundary between Indian and Eurasian plate, thus the resulting seismological behavior of this regime becomes much more complex. In the region of Quetta Syntaxis, below the fold and thrust belt of Suleiman and Kirthar ranges and on 28 October 2008, there stroke an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 (Mw) which was followed by a doublet on the very next day. In association with these major events, there have been four more shocks, one foreshock and three aftershocks that have moment magnitude greater than 5. On the basis of seismological, GPS and ENVISAT/ASAR InSAR data many researchers tried to explain the source of this sequence. The latest source modeling results, on the basis of ENVISAT/ASAR data has provided an insight about the complexity of tectonics in the study area. However, in comparison to ALOS/PALSAR InSAR data, ENVISAT/ASAR has lacked signals near the epicentral area because of the low coherence. Probably, it has led to different interpretations by different researchers even on the basis of same satellite data. By using ALOS/PALSAR data, we have suggested a four faults model, two left laterals and two right laterals, which also retains the most desirable features of previous models.

Indian Independence and the Question of Pakistan. [Student Text and] Teacher Resource Book. Choices for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Sarah Cleveland

This document includes a student text and a teacher resource book. The student booklet provides an overview of the history of the Indian subcontinent, focuses on key events leading up to partition, and explores the origins of the conflict in Kashmir. It notes that to understand the conflict in Kashmir, people must examine the period of British…

Cooperative Mmonitoring Center Occasional Paper/5: Propspects of Conventional Arms Control in South Asia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, Amit; Kamal, Nazir

1998-11-01

The intensely adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan is marked by military rivalry, mutual distrust, and suspicion. The most dividing disagreement has been over the Kashmir region. An inability to discuss the Kashmir issue has prevented discussion on other important issues. Since there is little prospect of detente, at least in the near-term, the question is whether this rivalry can be contained by other means, such as arms control approaches. Conventional arms control has been applied flexibly and successfully in some regions to reduce threat-perceptions and achieve reassuring military stability. Some lessons from other international models might be applied tomore » the India/Pakistan context. This paper discusses the status of conventional arms control in South Asia, the dominant Indian and Pakistani perceptions about arms control, the benefits that could be derived from arms control, as well as the problems and prospects of arms control. It also discusses existing conventional arms control agreements at the regional and global levels as well as the potential role of cooperative monitoring technology.« less

The vespid fauna of Pakistan.

PubMed

Rafi, Muhammad Ather; Carpenter, James M; Qasim, Muhammad; Shehzad, Anjum; Zia, Ahmed; Khan, Muhammad Rafique; Mastoi, Muhammad Ishaque; Naz, Falak; Ilyas, Muhammad; Shah, Mazafar; Bhatti, Abdul Rauf

2017-12-04

This study provides the first annotated check list of the Vespidae of Pakistan. It is based on the National Insect Museum collection and various studies in Pakistan. Among 105 identified taxa, 77 species and 28 subspecies are recorded in the four subfamilies Eumeninae, Masarinae, Polistinae and Vespinae. Three new records for the fauna of Pakistan are added, namely Anterhynchium mellyi, Antepipona ovalis and Eumenes coronatus coronatus. Among the total, 12 species/subspecies are endemic to Pakistan, namely Ancistrocerus pakistanus, Antepipona luteipes, Antodynerus flavescens karachiensis, Celonites nursei, Cyrtolabulus karachiensis, Eustenancistrocerus (Parastenancistrocerus) baluchistanensis, Katamenes dimidiatus watsoni, Knemodynerus lahorensis, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) hina, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) mirificus, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) umerolatus and Tachyancistrocerus pakistanus. Antepipona varentzowi (Morawitz, 1896) and Polistes rothneyi quatei van der Vecht, 1968 were incorrectly reported from Pakistan.

Region Hit by Large Pakistan Quake as Shown by NASA Spacecraft

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On September 24 at 11:29 GMT, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in south-central Pakistan at a relatively shallow depth of 20 kilometers. The earthquake occurred as the result of oblique strike-slip motion, consistent with rupture within the Eurasian tectonic plate. Tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi as well as Karachi in Pakistan. Even though the immediate area to the epicenter is sparsely populated, the majority of houses are of mud brick construction and damage is expected to be extensive. The perspective view, looking to the east, shows the location of the epicenter in Pakistan's Makran fold belt. The image is centered near 27 degrees north latitude, 65.5 degrees east longitude, and was acquired December 13, 2012. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on Terra. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance. The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. More information

Complex faulting in the Quetta Syntaxis: fault source modeling of the October 28, 2008 earthquake sequence in Baluchistan, Pakistan, based on ALOS/PALSAR InSAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usman, Muhammad; Furuya, Masato

2015-09-01

The Quetta Syntaxis in western Baluchistan, Pakistan, is the result of an oroclinal bend of the western mountain belt and serves as a junction for different faults. As this area also lies close to the left-lateral strike-slip Chaman fault, which marks the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates, the resulting seismological behavior of this regime is very complex. In the region of the Quetta Syntaxis, close to the fold and thrust belt of the Sulaiman and Kirthar Ranges, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 (Mw) occurred on October 28, 2008, which was followed by a doublet on the very next day. Six more shocks associated with these major events then occurred (one foreshock and five aftershocks), with moment magnitudes greater than 4. Numerous researchers have tried to explain the source of this sequence based on seismological, GPS, and Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT)/Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) data. Here, we used Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS)/Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) InSAR data sets from both ascending and descending orbits that allow us to more completely detect the deformation signals around the epicentral region. The results indicated that the shock sequence can be explained by two right-lateral and two left-lateral strike-slip faults that also included reverse slip. The right-lateral faults have a curved geometry. Moreover, whereas previous studies have explained the aftershock crustal deformation with a different fault source, we found that the same left-lateral segment of the conjugate fault was responsible for the aftershocks. We thus confirmed the complex surface deformation signals from the moderate-sized earthquake. Intra-plate crustal bending and shortening often seem to be accommodated as conjugate faulting, without any single preferred fault orientation. We also detected two possible landslide areas along with the crustal deformation pattern.

Regional Seismic Amplitude Modeling and Tomography for Earthquake-Explosion Discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, W. R.; Pasyanos, M. E.; Matzel, E.; Gok, R.; Sweeney, J.; Ford, S. R.; Rodgers, A. J.

2008-12-01

Empirically explosions have been discriminated from natural earthquakes using regional amplitude ratio techniques such as P/S in a variety of frequency bands. We demonstrate that such ratios discriminate nuclear tests from earthquakes using closely located pairs of earthquakes and explosions recorded on common, publicly available stations at test sites around the world (e.g. Nevada, Novaya Zemlya, Semipalatinsk, Lop Nor, India, Pakistan, and North Korea). We are examining if there is any relationship between the observed P/S and the point source variability revealed by longer period full waveform modeling. For example, regional waveform modeling shows strong tectonic release from the May 1998 India test, in contrast with very little tectonic release in the October 2006 North Korea test, but the P/S discrimination behavior appears similar in both events using the limited regional data available. While regional amplitude ratios such as P/S can separate events in close proximity, it is also empirically well known that path effects can greatly distort observed amplitudes and make earthquakes appear very explosion-like. Previously we have shown that the MDAC (Magnitude Distance Amplitude Correction, Walter and Taylor, 2001) technique can account for simple 1-D attenuation and geometrical spreading corrections, as well as magnitude and site effects. However in some regions 1-D path corrections are a poor approximation and we need to develop 2-D path corrections. Here we demonstrate a new 2-D attenuation tomography technique using the MDAC earthquake source model applied to a set of events and stations in both the Middle East and the Yellow Sea Korean Peninsula regions. We believe this new 2-D MDAC tomography has the potential to greatly improve earthquake-explosion discrimination, particularly in tectonically complex regions such as the Middle East.

Defeating Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, R. S.

2012-12-01

The 2004 M=9.2 Sumatra earthquake claimed what seemed an unfathomable 228,000 lives, although because of its size, we could at least assure ourselves that it was an extremely rare event. But in the short space of 8 years, the Sumatra quake no longer looks like an anomaly, and it is no longer even the worst disaster of the Century: 80,000 deaths in the 2005 M=7.6 Pakistan quake; 88,000 deaths in the 2008 M=7.9 Wenchuan, China quake; 316,000 deaths in the M=7.0 Haiti, quake. In each case, poor design and construction were unable to withstand the ferocity of the shaken earth. And this was compounded by inadequate rescue, medical care, and shelter. How could the toll continue to mount despite the advances in our understanding of quake risk? The world's population is flowing into megacities, and many of these migration magnets lie astride the plate boundaries. Caught between these opposing demographic and seismic forces are 50 cities of at least 3 million people threatened by large earthquakes, the targets of chance. What we know for certain is that no one will take protective measures unless they are convinced they are at risk. Furnishing that knowledge is the animating principle of the Global Earthquake Model, launched in 2009. At the very least, everyone should be able to learn what his or her risk is. At the very least, our community owes the world an estimate of that risk. So, first and foremost, GEM seeks to raise quake risk awareness. We have no illusions that maps or models raise awareness; instead, earthquakes do. But when a quake strikes, people need a credible place to go to answer the question, how vulnerable am I, and what can I do about it? The Global Earthquake Model is being built with GEM's new open source engine, OpenQuake. GEM is also assembling the global data sets without which we will never improve our understanding of where, how large, and how frequently earthquakes will strike, what impacts they will have, and how those impacts can be lessened by

Mapping 3D fault geometry in earthquakes using high-resolution topography: Examples from the 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah (Mexico) and 2013 Balochistan (Pakistan) earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yu; Walker, Richard T.; Elliott, John R.; Parsons, Barry

2016-04-01

Fault dips are usually measured from outcrops in the field or inferred through geodetic or seismological modeling. Here we apply the classic structural geology approach of calculating dip from a fault's 3-D surface trace using recent, high-resolution topography. A test study applied to the 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake shows very good agreement between our results and those previously determined from field measurements. To obtain a reliable estimate, a fault segment ≥120 m long with a topographic variation ≥15 m is suggested. We then applied this method to the 2013 Balochistan earthquake, getting dips similar to previous estimates. Our dip estimates show a switch from north to south dipping at the southern end of the main trace, which appears to be a response to local extension within a stepover. We suggest that this previously unidentified geometrical complexity may act as the endpoint of earthquake ruptures for the southern end of the Hoshab fault.

Efficacy of ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in Kashmir valley.

PubMed

Tramboo, S R; Shahardar, R A; Allaie, I M; Wani, Z A; Abbas, Maria

2017-06-01

The present work was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole under field conditions against Gastrointestinal Nematodes (GIN) of cross bred merino sheep in Budgam area of Kashmir Valley. A total of 115 sheep having Egg per gram of faeces (EPG) greater than or equal to 150 (mean EPG 258.89) were selected. The animals were randomly divided into four groups comprising of 30 animals each in three treatment groups (ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole) and twenty-five in fourth untreated infected control group. Faecal samples from the selected animals were collected on day '0' pre treatment and on days 8th and 14th post treatment. Based on Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT), ivermectin was found to be 98.80 % effective against strongyles on 8th day post treatment, however an efficacy of 100 % was seen against strongyle worms on 14th day post treatment. 98.80 and 100 % efficacy was observed on day 8th post treatment against strongyles in case of closantel and fenbendazole respectively, however efficacy decreased to 97.60 and 98.8 % respectively on 14th day post treatment. There was no evidence of development of resistance by GIN of cross bred merino sheep in District Budgam of Kashmir Valley to ivermectin, closantel and fenbendazole.

Maritime Strategy in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

69 Shamim Ahmed Rizvi, “New Measures in the Shipping Policy,” Pakistan and Gulf Economist (22- 28 April, 2002) http...2003. Rizvi, Shamim Ahmed. “New Measures in the Shipping Policy,” Pakistan and Gulf Economist (22-28 April, 2002) http

Hydrometeorological Variability Over Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashir, Furrukh

Pakistan, as an agriculture based economy, is vulnerable to various hydrometeorological hazards ranging from tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes, drought, rain, hail, snow, lightning, fog, wind, temperature extremes, air pollution, and climatic change. However, three of the most pressing challenges in terms of water resource availability, that are different in nature, but are inter-linked to each other are discussed over here. We begin with the Karakoram Anomaly that is considered as one of the most mysterious and most speculated phenomena on Planet Earth. Though, it is confined to the glaciers in the eastern Hindukush, western Karakoram and northwestern Himalayan mountain ranges of Northern Pakistan that are not responding to global warming in the same manner as their counterparts elsewhere, because, their retreat rates are less than the global average, and some are either stable or growing. However, the Karakoram Anomaly has baffled scientific society for more than a decade since its earliest discovery in the year 2005. The reasons of the Karakoram anomaly were mainly associated to physiography of the area and role of climate was considered marginal till now, as climate is influencing glaciers differently all over the globe. Here, for the first time, we present a hydro-meteorological perspective based on five decades of synoptic weather observations collected by the meteorological network of Pakistan. Analysis of this unique data set indicates that increased regional scale humidity, cloud cover, and precipitation, along with decreased net radiation, near-surface wind speed, potential evapotranspiration and river flow, especially during the summer season, represent a substantial change in the energy, mass and momentum fluxes that are facilitating the establishment of the Karakoram Anomaly. In turn, it is influencing the availability of glacier melt in River Indus in summer season. Secondly, we developed a hydrometeorological data sets for Pakistan as they

Barite in Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klinger, F.L.; Richards, R.L.

1973-01-01

Before 1953 almost no barite deposits were known in Pakistan. Discovery of such deposits relatively close to oil fields in northern Pakistan in 1953 led to increased barite production from 1957 to 1961 and to doubling of production in 1962, firmly establishing new industry for the country. During 1962 and 1963, most of the known barite deposits in Pakistan were geologically mapped, and minimum reserves were estimated to be 1,423,000 short tons. The largest single deposit, Ehuzdar, is estimated to contain more than 1,100,000 short tons of barite. Barite has been found in Pakistan principally in the Hazara, Khuzdar, and Las Bela districts. Although several vein deposits contain good quality barite, 90 percent of estimated reserves are in replacement deposits concordant to bedding in sedimentary rocks. Host rocks range in age from Precambrian to Pleistocene, but the periods of barite deposition are probably Jurassic or younger. Some barite concentrated in sandstone may be of detrital origin. In late 1962, demand for barite in Pakistan was estimated at about 8,000 tons annually. Although domestic barite resources exceed this figure, less than 40 percent of demand was being supplied by domestic nines in 1963. Transportation costs and limited production facilities are partly responsible for output, but the lack of quality control is a major obstacle. Producers are not generally familiar with commercial specifications for barite and have net recognized that their products are too impure to be successfully marketed without installing the necessarycontrol procedures of sampling and beneficiation.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Benefits For Pakistan And Comparison With Suez And Panama Canals

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): BENEFITS FOR PAKISTAN AND COMPARISON WITH SUEZ AND PANAMA CANALS by Hanif Ullah Khan December 2017 Thesis...DATE December 2017 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): BENEFITS FOR...The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative and joins two major economic corridors: The Silk Road

First record of myxozoan parasites from fresh water fishes of Jammu and Kashmir and their pathogenecity.

PubMed

Dar, Shoaib Ali; Kaur, Harpreet; Chishti, M Z

2017-04-01

The present study was aimed to isolate myxozoan parasites infecting the native carp Schizothorax esocinus (Heckel) and pond reared carp Labeo rohita (Ham.) collected from fresh water ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir from July 2013 to June 2014. Various organs such as eyes, gills, scales, fins, intestines, visceral organs and pericardial cavity of as many as 100 live specimens were examined. Results revealed that 14% of the examined L. rohita were infected with Myxobolus rocatlae (Ham.) and 6% of S. esocinus (Heckel) were infected with M. kashmirensis sp. nov. Clinical signs revealed mucous laden gills while the parasitological observation under stereozoom binocular microscope revealed multiple minute plasmodia on the gills. On rupturing these plasmodia with sharp needle 100-500 myxospores were liberated. The identification to species level was done on the basis of morphological and morphometric attributes of the myxospores. This is the first record of myxozoan parasites in fishes from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Histological observations of infected gills revealed plasmodia of two types (LV 4 intralamellar vascular type) in M. rocatlae and (LV 3 intralamellar vascular type) in M. kasmirensis causing necrosis, hyperplasia, hypertrophy and vacuolization of the epithelial and vascular endothelium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of the disease early warning system in responding to natural disasters and conflict crises in Pakistan.

PubMed

Rahim, M; Kazi, B M; Bile, K M; Munir, M; Khan, A R

2010-01-01

The disease early warning system (DEWS) was introduced in the immediate aftermath of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, with the objective to undertake prompt investigation and mitigation of disease outbreaks. The DEWS network was replicated successfully during subsequent flood and earthquake disasters as well as during the 2008-09 internally displaced persons' crisis. DEWS-generated alerts, prompt investigations and timely responses had an effective contribution to the control of epidemics. Through DEWS, 1360 reported alerts during 2005-09 averted the risk of disease outbreaks through pre-emptive necessary measures, while the 187 confirmed outbreaks were effectively controlled. In the aftermath of the disasters, DEWS technology also facilitated the development of a disease-surveillance system that became an integral part of the district health system. This study aims to report the DEWS success and substantiate its lead role as a priority emergency health response intervention.

Empirical Observations of Earthquake-Explosion Discrimination Using P/S Ratios and Implications for the Sources of Explosion S-Waves

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

stations at test sites around the world (e.g., Nevada, Lop Nor, Novaya Zemlya, Semipalatinsk , India, Pakistan, and North Korea). We show this pattern...regional P/S amplitudes tended to be dominated by frequencies around 1 Hz. As shown in Figure 2 at a number of major nuclear test sites , these...Figure 2. Bandpass filtered 1-2 Hz seismograms of earthquake (red) and explosion (blue) pairs at nuclear test sites show little consistent

The determinants of infant mortality in Pakistan.

PubMed

Agha, S

2000-07-01

This study examines factors associated with infant survival in Pakistan. It uses data from the Pakistan Integrated Household Survey 1991, a nationally representative sample survey of the Government of Pakistan, funded by the World Bank. The infant mortality rate was still very high in Pakistan until the early 1990s, at 100 deaths per 1000 live births. The study shows that there is no evidence of a secular decline in infant mortality during the 1980s. Large differentials in infant survival by socio-economic factors and access to water and sanitation indicate that social and gender inequities are the underlying cause of the stagnation of infant mortality in Pakistan. Economic and social policies of earlier decades have resulted in tremendous disparities in wealth and access to resources in Pakistan. The low social, economic and legal status of women is intimately tied to the well-being of their children. Health interventions in Pakistan should be designed to reach the most under-served: women and children. Systematic evaluations of health interventions will be necessary to make informed decisions about health investments in the future.

Hope or Despair? Learning in Pakistan's Primary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warwick, Donald P.; Reimers, Fernando

This book reports on the research findings of the Pakistan Study, a collaboration between the Harvard Institute for International Development and other organizations in Pakistan. The focus is primarily on what affects student learning in Pakistan's government-sponsored primary schools. Chapter 1 discusses primary schools in Pakistan and the…

Exploring the China-Pakistan Relationship. Roundtable Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Gwadar deep sea port, in Pakistan’s Balochistan province along Pakistan’s southwest coast (see figure 2), was built...Duddhar lead-zinc mining project in Lasbela district, Balochistan . As roundtable participants suggested, Pakistan seems to be the biggest beneficiary

Pakistan and Afghanistan Librarianship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, John F.

In March and April 1968, the author was a guest of the U.S. Information Service on a two week trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan. During this stay, 30 libraries in five cities were visited. This paper describes this trip and relates the library happenings in these countries. It was obvious that Pakistan librarianship had advanced beyond the…

Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes.

PubMed

Obara, Kazushige; Kato, Aitaro

2016-07-15

Slow earthquakes are characterized by a wide spectrum of fault slip behaviors and seismic radiation patterns that differ from those of traditional earthquakes. However, slow earthquakes and huge megathrust earthquakes can have common slip mechanisms and are located in neighboring regions of the seismogenic zone. The frequent occurrence of slow earthquakes may help to reveal the physics underlying megathrust events as useful analogs. Slow earthquakes may function as stress meters because of their high sensitivity to stress changes in the seismogenic zone. Episodic stress transfer to megathrust source faults leads to an increased probability of triggering huge earthquakes if the adjacent locked region is critically loaded. Careful and precise monitoring of slow earthquakes may provide new information on the likelihood of impending huge earthquakes. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pakistan: Frontline state again. Master`s thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivard, D.S.

1995-12-01

The objective of this study is to determine Pakistan`s place in contemporary U.S. national security strategy. Today, U.S.-Pakistan relations are strained due to the Pressler Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act. The Pressler Amendment prohibits arms transfers from the United States to Pakistan in response to Pakistani efforts to develop a nuclear weapon capability. This thesis provides a historical background to the current impasse by examining Pakistani foreign policy since 1947. Next, the study examines the evolution of U.S. interests and security objectives in South and Southwest Asia. Current security objectives analyzed are the U.S. strategies to contain Iran andmore » Iraq and to prevent nuclear proliferation in the region. In order to attain security objectives in the region, the author concludes that the U.S. needs a close cooperative relationship with Pakistan. Since the Pressler Amendment stands as the greatest obstacle to improved U.S.-Pakistan relations, the amendment should be repealed.« less

ASTER Maps Continued Pakistan Flooding

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-09-07

On Sept. 3, 2010, when NASA Terra spacecraft captured this image strip over the Indus River in Pakistan, severe flooding was still causing a major humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. The city of Hyderabad is near the middle of the image.

History as the Architect of the Present: What Made Kashmir the Nucleus of South Asia Terrorism? India-Pakistan Conflict and Its Impact on U.S. Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

by1929, 62% of the whole Indian Army was Punjabi , even though Punjab constituted only ten percent of British Indian population. The selective...army. Punjabi soldiers imbibed their colonial master’s attitudes and looked down upon Bengalis and considered them untrustworthy (Ali, 1983). When...military-rural elite complex (Racine, 2002). East Pakistan comprised 56 percent of Pakistan’s population; however, the Punjabi - dominated military

Impact of anthropogenic activities on water quality of Lidder River in Kashmir Himalayas.

PubMed

Rashid, Irfan; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad

2013-06-01

The pristine waters of Kashmir Himalaya are showing signs of deterioration due to multiple reasons. This study researches the causes of deteriorating water quality in the Lidder River, one of the main tributaries of Jhelum River in Kashmir Himalaya. The land use and land cover of the Lidder catchment were generated using multi-spectral, bi-seasonal IRS LISS III (October 2005 and May 2006) satellite data to identify the extent of agriculture and horticulture lands that are the main non-point sources of pollution at the catchment scale. A total of 12 water quality parameters were analyzed over a period of 1 year. Water sampling was done at eight different sampling sites, each with a varied topography and distinct land use/land cover, along the length of Lidder River. It was observed that water quality deteriorated during the months of June-August that coincides with the peak tourist flow and maximal agricultural/horticultural activity. Total phosphorus, orthophosphate phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, and ammoniacal nitrogen showed higher concentration in the months of July and August, while the concentration of dissolved oxygen decreased in the same period, resulting in deterioration in water quality. Moreover, tourism influx in the Lidder Valley shows a drastic increase through the years, and particularly, the number of tourists visiting the valley has increased in the summer months from June to September, which is also responsible for deteriorating the water quality of Lidder River. In addition to this, the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides in the agriculture and horticulture lands during the growing season (June-August) is also responsible for the deteriorating water quality of Lidder River.

Production of crude oils in Pakistan: Outlook for the future

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahmad, S.

1995-12-31

Pakistan`s sedimentary basins cover an area of 827,000 km{sub 2} that stretches from the Karakurum Mountains in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south. The first exploration well in the region was drilled near Kundal in 1866, just seven years after the Drake well in Pennsylvania. To date, 384 exploration wells have been drilled in Pakistan resulting in 45 oil and 55 gas discoveries, thus generating a highly favourable success ratio of 1:4. The drilling density in Pakistan is one well/1000 square kilometers. Pakistan has proven oil reserves of around 500 million barrels of oil, whereas proven gasmore » reserves are about 31 trillion cubic feet. However, Pakistan`s resource potential is estimated to be 40 billion barrels of oil and 200 TCF of gas. The purpose of this paper is to describe: (i) habitat and production of crude oil in Pakistan, (ii) Pakistan`s current energy needs and future outlook, and (iii) steps being taken by the Government of Pakistan to promote exploration for oil and gas.« less

Transition in Dental Treatment Utilization in Jammu And Kashmir, India - A 10 Year Retrospective Study

PubMed Central

Batra, Manu; Ishrat, A.

2016-01-01

Background: Utilization of health services is the actual attendance by the members of the public at health care facilities to receive care. Utilization, serves as an important tool for oral health policy decision-making. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively gauge and assess the utilization pattern of the dental treatments which was given in hospital for last 10 years. Materials and Methods: This retrospective infirmary based study was carried out at Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The yearly outpatient department (OPD) records for the utilization of specific dental treatment of a total of 103963 patients were assessed retrospectively from 2014 to 2003. Trend analysis was used to assess the trend of utilization of each speciality with best fitted linear trend lines. Results: The pattern of new patients has also shown a constant rise during the study period except for 2008 and 2009. The utilization of oral surgery speciality has shown a tremendous fall from 2003 to 2014 whereas the number of patients coming to periodontics and conservative dentistry has shown an increasing pattern. Conclusion: Utilization of oral health care has long been used as an indicator of oral health related behaviour of a population. In the present study it can be conclude that the outlook of the population under study has changed from blood and vulcanite dentistry outlook and is moving towards restorative dentistry. . PMID:28804675

Predominance of Central Asian and European families among Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Kashmir Valley, India.

PubMed

Bashir, Gulnaz; Wani, Tehmeena; Sharma, Pragya; Katoch, V M; Lone, Rubina; Shah, Azra; Katoch, Kiran; Kakru, D K; Chauhan, Devendra Singh

2017-10-01

As there are no data available regarding the strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in Kashmir Valley, India, the current study aimed at describing the genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis strains in this region, by spoligotyping and 12-locus-based MIRU-VNTR typing (Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable Number Tandem Repeat). Sputa from 207 smear positive cases with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis were subjected to culture for M. tuberculosis. Eighty-five isolates confirmed as M. tuberculosis were subjected to drug susceptibility testing and molecular typing by spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTRs. Drug susceptibility results of 72 isolates revealed 76.3% as fully sensitive while 5.5% as multidrug resistant (MDR). Spoligotyping of 85 isolates detected 42 spoligotypes with 50 isolates (58.8%) clustered into seven spoligotypes. SIT26/CAS1_Del was the major spoligotype (23, 27%) followed by SIT127/H4 (12, 14.1%); CAS lineage (37.6%) was predominant, followed by Haarlem (25.8%) and ill-defined T clade (23.5%). MIRU-VNTR analysis displayed 82 MIRU patterns from 85 strains, including 3 small clusters and 79 unique. MIRU 26 was found to be the most discriminatory locus. Kashmir Valley has CAS as the predominant lineage of M. tuberculosis similar to the rest of the Indian sub-continent, while it is peculiar in having Euro American lineages such as Haarlem and ill-defined T clade. Copyright © 2017 Tuberculosis Association of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan: A Study of the Educational System of Pakistan and a Guide to the Academic Placement of Students from Pakistan in Educational Institutions of the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeney, Leo J.

Written as a guide to be used in the admission and placement of students from Pakistan in U.S. institutions of higher education, this study discusses the education system of Pakistan. The first four chapters contain a summary of the development of Pakistan. These are followed by guidelines and suggestions for admissions officers and admissions and…

Use of pellet guns for crowd control in Kashmir: How lethal is "non-lethal"?

PubMed

David, Siddarth

2017-01-01

The use of pellet guns during the recent unrest in Kashmir as a method of crowd control has been questioned because of several deaths and numerous injuries. Across the world, these rubber pellets have been shown to inflict serious injuries, permanent disability, and death. The volatility of mob violence, inaccuracies in aim of the pellets, over-use of the pellet guns, and the perception of their harmlessness enhances the destructive potential of these so-called non-lethal weapons. There is also the larger ethical question whether any form of pain, however minimal, could be inflicted to control violent crowds.

Panel Analyzes Pakistan's Internal Water Concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2013-06-01

Although transboundary water issues between Pakistan and neighboring countries may be exciting and interesting, Pakistan's real water and security nexus is at the local level, according to Daanish Mustafa, coauthor of a new report, "Understanding Pakistan's Water-Security Nexus." Mustafa, a reader in politics and environment at King's College, London, U.K., was a panelist at a 30 May forum in Washington, D. C., sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace, which published the report.

The HayWired Earthquake Scenario—Earthquake Hazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Detweiler, Shane T.; Wein, Anne M.

2017-04-24

The HayWired scenario is a hypothetical earthquake sequence that is being used to better understand hazards for the San Francisco Bay region during and after an earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Hayward Fault. The 2014 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities calculated that there is a 33-percent likelihood of a large (magnitude 6.7 or greater) earthquake occurring on the Hayward Fault within three decades. A large Hayward Fault earthquake will produce strong ground shaking, permanent displacement of the Earth’s surface, landslides, liquefaction (soils becoming liquid-like during shaking), and subsequent fault slip, known as afterslip, and earthquakes, known as aftershocks. The most recent large earthquake on the Hayward Fault occurred on October 21, 1868, and it ruptured the southern part of the fault. The 1868 magnitude-6.8 earthquake occurred when the San Francisco Bay region had far fewer people, buildings, and infrastructure (roads, communication lines, and utilities) than it does today, yet the strong ground shaking from the earthquake still caused significant building damage and loss of life. The next large Hayward Fault earthquake is anticipated to affect thousands of structures and disrupt the lives of millions of people. Earthquake risk in the San Francisco Bay region has been greatly reduced as a result of previous concerted efforts; for example, tens of billions of dollars of investment in strengthening infrastructure was motivated in large part by the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake. To build on efforts to reduce earthquake risk in the San Francisco Bay region, the HayWired earthquake scenario comprehensively examines the earthquake hazards to help provide the crucial scientific information that the San Francisco Bay region can use to prepare for the next large earthquake, The HayWired Earthquake Scenario—Earthquake Hazards volume describes the strong ground shaking modeled in the scenario and the hazardous movements of

Serious fungal infections in Pakistan.

PubMed

Jabeen, K; Farooqi, J; Mirza, S; Denning, D; Zafar, A

2017-06-01

The true burden of fungal infection in Pakistan is unknown. High-risk populations for fungal infections [tuberculosis (TB), diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, asthma, cancer, transplant and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection] are numerous. Here, we estimate the burden of fungal infections to highlight their public health significance. Whole and at-risk population estimates were obtained from the WHO (TB), BREATHE study (COPD), UNAIDS (HIV), GLOBOCAN (cancer) and Heartfile (diabetes). Published data from Pakistan reporting fungal infections rates in general and specific populations were reviewed and used when applicable. Estimates were made for the whole population or specific populations at risk, as previously described in the LIFE methodology. Of the 184,500,000 people in Pakistan, an estimated 3,280,549 (1.78%) are affected by a serious fungal infection, omitting all cutaneous infection, oral candidiasis and allergic fungal sinusitis, which we could not estimate. Compared with other countries, the rates of candidaemia (21/100,000) and mucormycosis (14/100,000) are estimated to be very high, and are based on data from India. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis rates are estimated to be high (39/100,000) because of the high TB burden. Invasive aspergillosis was estimated to be around 5.9/100,000. Fungal keratitis is also problematic in Pakistan, with an estimated rate of 44/100,000. Pakistan probably has a high rate of certain life- or sight-threatening fungal infections.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan: country profile.

PubMed

Newcomb, L

1986-07-01

This discussion of Pakistan covers the following: regions and cities; the dominant Islamic sect; ethnicity and language; population growth; housing; households and families; the labor force; and information sources. Currently, Pakistan is in a period of transition. In 1985 Pakistan was ruled under martial law. On December 30, 1985, martial law was lifted, and a modified version of the 1973 constitution was adopted, restoring fundamental rights of Pakistanis and powers of the judiciary. Pakistan is divided into 4 provinces. The last census recorded the 1981 population at 84.3 million, nearly double the 1961 figure of 42.9 million. By 1983, the population had tripled to nearly 93 million, making Pakistan the world's 9th most populous country, although in area it ranked 34th. Its 3% annual growth rate placed it among the world's fastest growing countries. Although created as a sanctuary for followers of Islam, Pakistan suffers from periodic disputes between the members of Islam's various sects. Generally, ethnic groups and the use of their native languages divide along provincial boundaries. Punjabi, the native tongue of Pakistan's predominant group, is spoken in 48% of all Pakistani households and in about 80% of Punjab and Islamabad Federal Territory households. Pakistan's sixth 5-year plan recognizes the need for an additional 1.4 million dwellings to adequately house the current population. In 1980, Pakistan's 12.6 million housing units averaged nearly 7 people per unit. The ideal Pakistani household is an extended family consisting of a married couple, their sons, and their sons' wives and children. At the death of the patriarch, each son establishes a separate household. Marriage solidifes all social relationships. Single adults have little place in society. Women, although protected by law, often are deprived of their legal rights where marriage is concerned. Only 23% of the population aged 10 or older has completed primary school. Fewer than 1% hold university

A Pragmatic LDI Operational Network Model for Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikh, Roshan; Mirza, Zahir Abbas

2008-10-01

This paper describes some common components of contemporary designs for the Long Distance & International (LDI) License in Pakistan and identifies critical aspects needed to implement a commercial LDI network in any developing country like Pakistan. An extensive study is carried out to evaluate various methods through which a carrier can receive and transmit voice traffic and identify their respective merits and demerits. Deficiencies which can harm the growth of telecom market in Pakistan and which require redress by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) are highlighted. A pragmatic model is proposed which takes into consideration, the constraints of Pakistan Telecommunication market. The paper concludes that the proposed model be incorporated with specific suggestions and economic justifications.

Clinicoepidemiological and Mycological Study of Tinea Capitis in the Pediatric Population of Kashmir Valley: A Study from a Tertiary Care Centre.

PubMed

Bhat, Yasmeen J; Zeerak, Sumaya; Kanth, Farhat; Yaseen, Atiya; Hassan, Iffat; Hakak, Rubina

2017-01-01

Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal infection that predominantly affects the pediatric population. The etiological factors vary from region to region, and the exact incidence remains obscure. The clinicoepidemiological and mycological aspects of this dermatophytosis were studied in a tertiary care centre in Kashmir valley. To determine the clinicoepidemiological aspects and mycological findings of dermatophytes involved in tinea capitis cases in Kashmir valley. Wood's lamp examination, KOH examination, and fungal culture were performed in one hundred fifty clinically diagnosed cases of tinea capitis with patients' age upto 14 years over a period of 6 months. The epidemiological factors associated with the disease were also evaluated. Tinea capitis was predominant in the 3-6 and 6-9 years age groups with a male preponderance. Grey patch tinea capitis was the most common variant. KOH positivity was 76%, and Trichophyton tonsurans was the most common fungal isolate. Tinea capitis is a very common fungal infection in our setting. Early detection and diagnosis is mandatory to prevent its spread in the community as well as the development of scarring alopecia in the affected individual.

Earthquakes

MedlinePlus

... Search Term(s): Main Content Home Be Informed Earthquakes Earthquakes An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, ... by the breaking and shifting of underground rock. Earthquakes can cause buildings to collapse and cause heavy ...

Eradication of dracunculiasis from Pakistan.

PubMed

Hopkins, D R; Azam, M; Ruiz-Tiben, E; Kappus, K D

1995-09-02

In 1986 the World Health Organization targeted dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease), which seriously impairs socioeconomic development in 16 African countries, India, Pakistan, and Yemen, to be eradicated globally. The target date for eradication by the end of 1995 was established in 1991. Pakistan eradicated dracunculiasis from the country in October, 1993, after a national campaign which began in 1987 with a nationwide village-by-village search for cases. The infection, which is transmitted by drinking water from ponds containing infected water fleas, was eradicated by using health education, cloth filters, and the cyclopsicide, temephos; and in the later stages, by case containment. Methods pioneered in Pakistan's National Guinea Worm Eradication Program are now being applied in remaining endemic countries.

Altitudinal variation of soil organic carbon stocks in temperate forests of Kashmir Himalayas, India.

PubMed

Ahmad Dar, Javid; Somaiah, Sundarapandian

2015-02-01

Soil organic carbon stocks were measured at three depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm) in seven altitudes dominated by different forest types viz. Populus deltoides, 1550-1800 m; Juglans regia, 1800-2000 m; Cedrus deodara, 2050-2300 m; Pinus wallichiana, 2000-2300 m; mixed type, 2200-2400 m; Abies pindrow, 2300-2800 m; and Betula utilis, 2800-3200 m in temperate mountains of Kashmir Himalayas. The mean range of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks varied from 39.07 to 91.39 Mg C ha(-1) in J. regia and B. utilis forests at 0-30 cm depth, respectively. Among the forest types, the lowest mean range of SOC at three depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm) was observed in J. regia (18.55, 11.31, and 8.91 Mg C ha(-1), respectively) forest type, and the highest was observed in B. utilis (54.10, 21.68, and 15.60 Mg C ha(-1), respectively) forest type. SOC stocks showed significantly (R (2) = 0.67, P = 0.001) an increasing trend with increase in altitude. On average, the percentages of SOC at 0-10-, 10-20-, and 20-30-cm depths were 53.2, 26.5, and 20.3 %, respectively. Bulk density increased significantly with increase in soil depth and decreased with increase in altitude. Our results suggest that SOC stocks in temperate forests of Kashmir Himalaya vary greatly with forest type and altitude. The present study reveals that SOC stocks increased with increase in altitude at high mountainous regions. Climate change in these high mountainous regions will alter the carbon sequestration potential, which would affect the global carbon cycle.

Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication--Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2008.

PubMed

2009-03-06

Afghanistan and Pakistan, two of the four remaining countries where wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission has never been interrupted, represent one epidemiologic reservoir. During 2008, both countries continued to conduct coordinated supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) against type 1 WPV (WPV1) and type 3 WPV (WPV3) using oral polio vaccine (OPV). Much of Afghanistan remained polio-free in 2008, with the exception of the conflict-affected South Region. In Pakistan, however, WPV transmission increased, particularly after WPV1 reintroduction into polio-free areas of Punjab Province. In total, 149 WPV cases (31 in Afghanistan and 118 in Pakistan) were confirmed in 2008, compared with 49 cases in 2007. Serious security problems in areas along the common border limited access by vaccination teams to large numbers of children in the two countries. In Pakistan, continued managerial and operational problems impeded full implementation of SIAs and adversely affected vaccination coverage in areas not affected by security problems. This report updates previous reports and describes polio eradication activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan during January--December 2008. Further progress toward interruption of WPV transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan will require continued measures to overcome access problems in conflict-affected areas of both countries and improvements in the quality of SIAs and delivery of routine immunization services in Pakistan.

Earthquakes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Edward J.

1977-01-01

Presents an analysis of the causes of earthquakes. Topics discussed include (1) geological and seismological factors that determine the effect of a particular earthquake on a given structure; (2) description of some large earthquakes such as the San Francisco quake; and (3) prediction of earthquakes. (HM)

Population and population policy in Pakistan.

PubMed

Mauldin, W P

1963-02-01

Pakistan is a divided country with different religious groups represented. Since independence in 1941, the Muslim population has increased more rapidly than the Hindu population, the West Pakistan population more rapidly and steadily than the East Pakistan population. In the late 1950s the Pakistan government initiated a family planning program. The program has trained medical and paramedical personnel in family planning, added family planning services to existing medical centers, planned for a National Research Institute of Family Planning, employed mobile units to reach outlying areas, conducted limited clinical studies on some contraceptives, and used mass media advertising. Only India and Japan are doing more with government-sponsored family planning. A weak organizational structure and an inadequate number of trained personnel are the main weakness of the program. It is too early to assess the success of the program. A 10-point reduction in annual birth rates will be considered successful.

Earthquakes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pakiser, Louis C.

One of a series of general interest publications on science topics, the booklet provides those interested in earthquakes with an introduction to the subject. Following a section presenting an historical look at the world's major earthquakes, the booklet discusses earthquake-prone geographic areas, the nature and workings of earthquakes, earthquake…

2D Ball-and-Socket Tectonic Rotation in a Heterogeneous Strain Field: The 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnhart, W. D.; Hayes, G. P.; Briggs, R. W.; Gold, R. D.; Bilham, R. G.

2014-12-01

The September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan strike-slip earthquake ruptured a ~200 km long segment of the curved Hoshab fault within the Makran accretionary prism - the active zone of convergence between the northward subducting Arabia plate and overriding Eurasia. The Hoshab fault ruptured bilaterally with ~10 m of mean sinistral and ~1.7 m of dip slip along the length of the rupture, quantified jointly from geodetic and seismological observations. This rupture is unusual because the fault dips ~60o towards the focus of a small circle centered in northwest Pakistan, and, despite a 30o increase in obliquity along the curving strike of the fault with respect to Arabia:Eurasia convergence, the ratio of strike and dip slip remain relatively uniform. Static friction prior to rupture was unusually weak ( <0.05) as inferred from topographic and slab profiles, and friction may have approached zero during dynamic rupture, thus permitting in part this unusual event. In this presentation, we argue that the northward dipping Hosab fault defines the northern rim of a structural unit in southeast Makran. This unit rotates - akin to a 2-D ball-and-socket joint - counter clockwise in response to India's penetration into the Eurasia plate. According to this interpretation, the mechanically weak Makran accretionary prism is subjected to a highly heterogeneous strain and deforms in response to convergence from both the Arabia and India plates. Rotation of the southeast Makran block accounts for complexity in the Chaman fault system and, in principle, reduces the seismic potential near Karachi by accommodating some slip along the southern Ornach-Nal fault. At the same time, geological indicators and along-strike fault slip profiles indicate that the Hoshab fault may also slip as a reverse fault in response to Arabia:Eurasia convergence - indicating that a single fault may accommodate multiple components of strain partitioning in a heterogeneous strain field over several seismic cycles.

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-31

military exercises. Discussions of possi- ble sales to India of major U.S.-built weapons systems are ongoing. Continuing U.S. interest in South Asia ...India and Pakistan. The United States also seeks to curtail the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and...RL33515, Combat Aircraft Sales to South Asia .) ! Rates of separatist-related violence in India-controlled Kashmir have spiked following a May massacre of

Pakistan combats hidden AIDS menace.

PubMed

1996-05-20

The conservative Islamic society in Pakistan associates human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with prostitution, homosexuality, and drug abuse, activities which are prohibited in Pakistan. There are 1000 reported cases of HIV, 55 with advanced AIDS (53 have died) in Pakistan. Birjees Mazhar Kazi, head of the National AIDS Program, believes that, based on the computer model of the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of HIV cases in Pakistan can be 50,000 to 80,000. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's government has allocated $2 million for AIDS prevention. Although some officials argue that Islamic strictures and traditional social pressures discourage sexual license, the poor public health and education standards in Pakistan make it vulnerable to AIDS. Drug abuse has risen in the last 20 years; there are an estimated 1.5 million heroin users among an estimated 3 million addicts. According to Health Ministry Director General Naik Muhammad Shaikh, the government has established 30 HIV/AIDS screening centers and is sponsoring a law that would require all blood banks to provide only safe blood and blood products for transfusion. Marvi states that the reuse and poor disposal of needles, a common practice in Pakistan, could be responsible for most of the transmission there of AIDS and hepatitis C. Health experts acknowledge the obstacles placed in the way of AIDS awareness campaigns by sex taboos and religious sensitivities; condoms cannot be mentioned or displayed in shops, or used in electronic or print media campaigns. They can be mentioned in a recorded message on a 24-hr AIDS hotline. Community-based and nongovernmental organizations are being used to reach segments of society who cannot use the hotline. Eunuchs (hijras), who are much in demand as "female" entertainers at weddings, are particularly resistant to safe sex messages, according to Abid Atiq, head of the information and education section of the

Prevalence and pattern of traumatic limb amputations in female population of Bhimber District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

PubMed

Jabeen, Nazish; Malik, Sajid

2015-01-01

Traumatic limb amputations (TLA) are structural defects that cause mild-to-severe disabilities and have significant impact on the quality of life of subjects. A recent epidemiological study in Bhimber District, AJK, Pakistan, revealed that TLA had a very high incidence among the young/adult females. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence, pattern, causes and risk factors associated with TLA in that female sample. In a prospective door-to-door survey, 1731 females were randomly enrolled, and clinico-etiological investigations on 19 subjects with TLA were carried out in a follow-up study. Affected subjects were physically examined and phenotypic detail and restriction to normal function were documented. There were 19 subjects with TLA, hence the prevalence was estimated to be 10.98/1,000 (0.011%; CI=0.0061-0.0159). TLA mostly involved the upper limbs and right hand. Transphalangeal amputations were most frequent, followed by involvements of middle/upper arm and leg segments. These analyses further revealed that agriculture tools were the leading cause of trauma. TLA were witnessed to be higher in subjects originating from Samahni tehsil (OR:2.71), rural areas (OR:3.33), those who were illiterate (OR:2.65), married, spoke Pahari language (OR:1.73), those who fall in higher age category (OR:16.74), and had certain professions. Limb amputations had heavy bearings on the lives of subjects. Curiously, majority of these traumas could be avoided by adopting certain safety measures. Prevalence and risk estimate of TLA across various socio-demographic variables of Bhimber population would be useful in guiding further studies and the public health policy to mitigate the impact of these anomalies.

Micromorphological investigations of the Late Quaternary loess-paleosol sequences of the Kashmir Valley, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dar, Reyaz Ahmad; Chandra, Rakesh; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad; Kowser, Nazia

2015-11-01

The loess-paleosol sequences of the Karewa Group preserve a valuable repository of the Late Quaternary climatic changes and the landscape evolution history of the Karewa Basin of Kashmir Valley in their lithological and pedogenic records. Three representative loess-paleosol sections at Shankerpora (SP), Khan Sahib (KS) and Pattan (PT) localities were chosen for detailed lithostratigraphic fieldwork and micromorphological observations of thin sections. Lithostratigraphic analysis revealed lateral and vertical variation in thickness and number of paleosol profiles from south-west to north-west of the Karewa Basin suggesting the availability of land-surface for periodic loess deposition. The SP section is marked by 6 (SP-S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, S12), KS section by 3 (KS-S2, S4, S5) and PT section by 2 (PT-S1, S3) thick mature paleosol profiles. Theses paleosols have well developed 'Ah' and 'Btk' horizons representing prolonged land-surface stability when pedogenic processes outpace loess deposition. On the other hand comparatively thin to thick paleosol profiles represent weak to moderate pedogenic maturity indicating short stratigraphic breaks with rapid loess deposition. Micromorphological observations of thin sections suggested that clay illuviation and CaCO3 accumulation have operated within the paleosol profiles. CaCO3 features are often associated with clay coatings suggesting decalcification of carbonates followed by clay illuviation. Pedogenic CaCO3 probably resulted from the precipitation of the soil solution near the average depth of wetting front. The pedogenic CaCO3, illuvial clay, mottles, iron manganese features, pedal microstructure and blocky aggregates reveal variation in the pedogenic maturity among and within the loess-paleosol sections. The morphological (both micro- and macro-morphological) attributes of loess-paleosols suggest variation of climatic conditions during the Late Quaternary period in the Karewa Basin of Kashmir Valley, India.

Trace fossil evidence for late Permian shallow water condition in Guryul ravine, Kashmir, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parcha, Suraj; Horacek, Micha; Krystyn, Leopold; Pandey, Shivani

2015-04-01

The present study is focused on the Late Permian (Changhsingian) succession, present in the Guryul ravine, Kashmir Basin. The basin has a complete Cambro-Triassic sequence and thus contains a unique position in the geology of Himalaya. The Guryul Ravine Permian mainly comprises of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments deposited in a shallow-shelf or ramp setting. The present assemblage of Ichnofossils is the first significant report of trace fossils in the Guryul ravine since early reports in the 1970s. The Ichnofossils reported from this section include: Diplichnites, Dimorphichnus, Monomorphichnus, Planolites, Skolithos along with burrow, scratch marks and annelid worm traces?. The ichnofossils are mainly preserved in medium grain sandstone-mudstone facies. The Ichnofossils are widely distributed throughout the section and are mostly belonging to arthropods and annelid origin, showing behavioral activity, mainly dwelling and feeding, and evidence the dominant presence of deposit feeders. The vertical to slightly inclined biogenic structures are commonly recognized from semi-consolidated substrate which are characteristic features of the near shore/foreshore marine environment, with moderate to high energy conditions. The topmost layer of silty shale contains trace fossils like Skolithos and poorly preserved burrows. The burrow material filled is same as that of host rock. The studied Zewan C and D sequence represents the early to late part of the Changhsingian stage, from 40 to 5 m below the top of Zewan D member with bioturbation still evident in some limestone layers till 2 metres above. No trace fossils could be recognized in the topmost 3 m beds of Zewan D due to their gliding related amalgamated structure. The widespread distribution of traces and their in situ nature will be useful for interpretation of the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Permian in the Guryul ravine of Kashmir.

Clinicoepidemiological and Mycological Study of Tinea Capitis in the Pediatric Population of Kashmir Valley: A Study from a Tertiary Care Centre

PubMed Central

Bhat, Yasmeen J.; Zeerak, Sumaya; Kanth, Farhat; Yaseen, Atiya; Hassan, Iffat; Hakak, Rubina

2017-01-01

Background: Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal infection that predominantly affects the pediatric population. The etiological factors vary from region to region, and the exact incidence remains obscure. The clinicoepidemiological and mycological aspects of this dermatophytosis were studied in a tertiary care centre in Kashmir valley. Aim: To determine the clinicoepidemiological aspects and mycological findings of dermatophytes involved in tinea capitis cases in Kashmir valley. Materials and Methods: Wood's lamp examination, KOH examination, and fungal culture were performed in one hundred fifty clinically diagnosed cases of tinea capitis with patients’ age upto 14 years over a period of 6 months. The epidemiological factors associated with the disease were also evaluated. Results: Tinea capitis was predominant in the 3–6 and 6–9 years age groups with a male preponderance. Grey patch tinea capitis was the most common variant. KOH positivity was 76%, and Trichophyton tonsurans was the most common fungal isolate. Conclusion: Tinea capitis is a very common fungal infection in our setting. Early detection and diagnosis is mandatory to prevent its spread in the community as well as the development of scarring alopecia in the affected individual. PMID:28405548

Spatiotemporal Clustering Analysis of Malaria Infection in Pakistan.

PubMed

Umer, Muhammad Farooq; Zofeen, Shumaila; Majeed, Abdul; Hu, Wenbiao; Qi, Xin; Zhuang, Guihua

2018-06-07

Despite tremendous progress, malaria remains a serious public health problem in Pakistan. Very few studies have been done on spatiotemporal evaluation of malaria infection in Pakistan. The study aimed to detect the spatiotemporal pattern of malaria infection at the district level in Pakistan, and to identify the clusters of high-risk disease areas in the country. Annual data on malaria for two dominant species ( Plasmodium falciparum , Plasmodium vivax ) and mixed infections from 2011 to 2016 were obtained from the Directorate of Malaria Control Program, Pakistan. Population data were collected from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. A geographical information system was used to display the spatial distribution of malaria at the district level throughout Pakistan. Purely spatiotemporal clustering analysis was performed to identify the high-risk areas of malaria infection in Pakistan. A total of 1,593,409 positive cases were included in this study over a period of 6 years (2011⁻2016). The maximum number of P . vivax cases (474,478) were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The highest burden of P . falciparum (145,445) was in Balochistan, while the highest counts of mixed Plasmodium cases were reported in Sindh (22,421) and Balochistan (22,229), respectively. In Balochistan, incidence of all three types of malaria was very high. Cluster analysis showed that primary clusters of P . vivax malaria were in the same districts in 2014, 2015 and 2016 (total 24 districts, 12 in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 9 in KPK, 2 in Punjab and 1 in Balochistan); those of P . falciparum malaria were unchanged in 2012 and 2013 (total 18 districts, all in Balochistan), and mixed infections remained the same in 2014 and 2015 (total 7 districts, 6 in Balochistan and 1 in FATA). This study indicated that the transmission cycles of malaria infection vary in different spatiotemporal settings in Pakistan. Efforts in controlling P . vivax malaria in particular need to be

Surface deformation associated with the 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan earthquake: Geologic slip rates may significantly underestimate strain release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, Ryan; Reitman, Nadine; Briggs, Richard; Barnhart, William; Hayes, Gavin

2015-04-01

The 24 September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake ruptured a ~200 km-long stretch of the 60° ± 15° northwest-dipping Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan. The earthquake is notable because it produced the second-largest lateral surface displacement observed for a continental strike-slip earthquake. Surface displacements and geodetic and teleseismic inversions indicate that peak slip occurred within the upper 0-3 km of the crust. To explore along-strike and fault-perpendicular surface deformation patterns, we remotely mapped the surface trace of the rupture and measured its surface deformation using high-resolution (0.5 m) pre- and post-event satellite imagery. Post-event images were collected 7-114 days following the earthquake, so our analysis captures the sum of both the coseismic and post-seismic (e.g., after slip) deformation. We document peak left-lateral offset of ~15 m using 289 near-field (±10 m from fault) laterally offset piercing points, such as streams, terrace risers, and roads. We characterize off-fault deformation by measuring the medium- (±200 m from fault) and far-field (±10 km from fault) displacement using manual (242 measurements) and automated image cross-correlation methods. Off-fault peak lateral displacement values (medium- and far-field) are ~16 m and commonly exceed the on-fault displacement magnitudes. Our observations suggest that coseismic surface displacement typically increases with distance away from the surface trace of the fault; however, the majority of surface displacement is within 100 m of the primary fault trace and is most localized on sections of the rupture exhibiting narrow (<5 m) zones of observable surface deformation. Furthermore, the near-field displacement measurements account for, on average, only 73% of the total coseismic displacement field and the pattern is highly heterogeneous. This analysis highlights the importance of identifying paleoseismic field study sites (e.g. trenches) that span fault

Pakistan's Education Crisis: The Real Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naviwala, Nadia

2016-01-01

Pakistan suffers from an extensive education crisis. Millions of Pakistani children do not attend school, and those that do must deal with absent teachers and poor learning environments, among other challenges. While this crisis is frequently discussed in Pakistan and beyond, it is often misunderstood. This new Wilson Center report, based on…

Anatomy Education Faces Challenges in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Memon, Ismail K.

2009-01-01

Anatomy education in Pakistan is facing many of the same challenges as in other parts of the world. Roughly, a decade ago, all medical and dental colleges in Pakistan emphasized anatomy as a core basic discipline within a traditional medical science curriculum. Now institutions are adopting problem based learning (PBL) teaching philosophies, and…

Marine geology and oceanography of Arabian Sea and coastal Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haq, B.U.; Milliman, J.D.

This volume is a collection of papers presented at the first US-Pakistan workshop in marine science held in Karachi, Pakistan, in November 1982. Of the twenty-four contributions in this book, fourteen cover topics specific to the Arabian Sea-coastal Pakistan region. These include six papers on the geology, tectonics, and petroleum potential of Pakistan, four papers on sedimentary processes in the Indus River delta-fan complex, and four papers on the biological oceanography of the Arabian Sea and coastal Pakistan. The additional ten papers are overviews of shelf sedimentation processes, paleoceanography, the marine nutrient cycle, and physical and chemical oceanography.

Rapid estimation of the economic consequences of global earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jaiswal, Kishor; Wald, David J.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system, operational since mid 2007, rapidly estimates the most affected locations and the population exposure at different levels of shaking intensities. The PAGER system has significantly improved the way aid agencies determine the scale of response needed in the aftermath of an earthquake. For example, the PAGER exposure estimates provided reasonably accurate assessments of the scale and spatial extent of the damage and losses following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Mw 7.9) in China, the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake (Mw 6.3) in Italy, the 2010 Haiti earthquake (Mw 7.0), and the 2010 Chile earthquake (Mw 8.8). Nevertheless, some engineering and seismological expertise is often required to digest PAGER's exposure estimate and turn it into estimated fatalities and economic losses. This has been the focus of PAGER's most recent development. With the new loss-estimation component of the PAGER system it is now possible to produce rapid estimation of expected fatalities for global earthquakes (Jaiswal and others, 2009). While an estimate of earthquake fatalities is a fundamental indicator of potential human consequences in developing countries (for example, Iran, Pakistan, Haiti, Peru, and many others), economic consequences often drive the responses in much of the developed world (for example, New Zealand, the United States, and Chile), where the improved structural behavior of seismically resistant buildings significantly reduces earthquake casualties. Rapid availability of estimates of both fatalities and economic losses can be a valuable resource. The total time needed to determine the actual scope of an earthquake disaster and to respond effectively varies from country to country. It can take days or sometimes weeks before the damage and consequences of a disaster can be understood both socially and economically. The objective of the U.S. Geological Survey's PAGER system is

Development of agriculture biotechnology in Pakistan.

PubMed

Zafar, Yusuf

2007-01-01

Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy of Pakistan, where most of the rapidly increasing population resides in rural areas and depends on agriculture for subsistence. Biotechnology has considerable potential for promoting the efficiency of crop improvement, food production, and poverty reduction. Use of modern biotechnology started in Pakistan since 1985. Currently, there are 29 biotech centers/institutes in the country. However, few centers have appropriate physical facilities and trained manpower to develop genetically modified (GM) crops. Most of the activities have been on rice and cotton, which are among the top 5 crops of Pakistan. Biotic (virus/bacterial/insect) and abiotic (salt) resistant and quality (male sterility) genes have already been incorporated in some crop plants. Despite acquiring capacity to produce transgenic plants, no GM crops, either produced locally or imported, have been released in the country. Pakistan is signatory to the World Trade Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Cartagena protocols. Several legislations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been promulgated in the country. National Biosafety Guidelines have been promulgated in April 2005. The Plant Breeders Rights Act, Amendment in Seed Act-1976, and Geographical Indication for Goods are still passing through discussion, evaluation, and analysis phases. Meanwhile, an illegal GM crop (cotton) has already sneaked into farmer's field. Concerted and coordinated efforts are needed among various ministries for implementation of regulation and capacity building for import/export and local handling of GM crops. Pakistan could easily benefit from the experience of Asian countries, especially China and India, where conditions are similar and the agriculture sector is almost like that of Pakistan. Thus, the exchange of information and experiences is important among these nations.

Child health inequalities and its dimensions in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Murtaza, Fowad; Mustafa, Tajammal; Awan, Rabia

2015-01-01

Background and Objective: Poverty and inequality in health is pervasive in Pakistan. The provisions and conditions of health are very dismal. A significant proportion of the population (16.34%) of Pakistan is under 5 years, but Pakistan is in the bottom 5% of countries in the world in terms of spending on health and education. It is ranked the lowest in the world with sub-Sahara Africa in terms of child health equality. The objective of this study was to examine child health inequalities in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from Pakistan Integrated Household Survey/Household Integrated Economic Survey 2001–2002, collected by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan. Coverage of diarrhea and immunization were used as indicators of child health. Stata 11.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution and proportions for categorical variables and mean for continuous variables were computed. Results: Children under 5 years of age account for about 16.34% of the total population, 11.76% (2.5 million) of whom suffered from diarrhea in 1-month. The average duration of a diarrheal episode was 7 days. About 72% of the children who had diarrhea lived in a house without pipe-borne water supply. Around 22% children who had diarrhea had no advice or treatment. More than one-third of the households had no toilet in the house, and only 29% of the households were connected with pipe-borne drinking water. About 7.73% (1.6 million) children had never been immunized. The main reason for nonimmunization was parents’ lack of knowledge and of immunization. Conclusion: Child health inequalities in Pakistan are linked with several factors such as severe poverty, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, and awareness of child healthcare, singularly inadequate provision of health services, and poor infrastructure. PMID:26392798

Child health inequalities and its dimensions in Pakistan.

PubMed

Murtaza, Fowad; Mustafa, Tajammal; Awan, Rabia

2015-01-01

Poverty and inequality in health is pervasive in Pakistan. The provisions and conditions of health are very dismal. A significant proportion of the population (16.34%) of Pakistan is under 5 years, but Pakistan is in the bottom 5% of countries in the world in terms of spending on health and education. It is ranked the lowest in the world with sub-Sahara Africa in terms of child health equality. The objective of this study was to examine child health inequalities in Pakistan. We analyzed data from Pakistan Integrated Household Survey/Household Integrated Economic Survey 2001-2002, collected by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan. Coverage of diarrhea and immunization were used as indicators of child health. Stata 11.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution and proportions for categorical variables and mean for continuous variables were computed. Children under 5 years of age account for about 16.34% of the total population, 11.76% (2.5 million) of whom suffered from diarrhea in 1-month. The average duration of a diarrheal episode was 7 days. About 72% of the children who had diarrhea lived in a house without pipe-borne water supply. Around 22% children who had diarrhea had no advice or treatment. More than one-third of the households had no toilet in the house, and only 29% of the households were connected with pipe-borne drinking water. About 7.73% (1.6 million) children had never been immunized. The main reason for nonimmunization was parents' lack of knowledge and of immunization. Child health inequalities in Pakistan are linked with several factors such as severe poverty, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, and awareness of child healthcare, singularly inadequate provision of health services, and poor infrastructure.

Female Suicide Rates in Ghizer, Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Murad M.; Ahmed, Aziz; Khan, Sultan R.

2009-01-01

Suicide is an understudied subject in Pakistan. There are many social, legal, and religious sanctions against it. National rates of suicides are not known. We calculated suicide rates of women in the Ghizer District of the remote Northern Areas of Pakistan. During years 2000 to 2004, 49 women committed suicide. Taking average mean population for…

The 2004 Parkfield, CA Earthquake: A Teachable Moment for Exploring Earthquake Processes, Probability, and Earthquake Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kafka, A.; Barnett, M.; Ebel, J.; Bellegarde, H.; Campbell, L.

2004-12-01

The occurrence of the 2004 Parkfield earthquake provided a unique "teachable moment" for students in our science course for teacher education majors. The course uses seismology as a medium for teaching a wide variety of science topics appropriate for future teachers. The 2004 Parkfield earthquake occurred just 15 minutes after our students completed a lab on earthquake processes and earthquake prediction. That lab included a discussion of the Parkfield Earthquake Prediction Experiment as a motivation for the exercises they were working on that day. Furthermore, this earthquake was recorded on an AS1 seismograph right in their lab, just minutes after the students left. About an hour after we recorded the earthquake, the students were able to see their own seismogram of the event in the lecture part of the course, which provided an excellent teachable moment for a lecture/discussion on how the occurrence of the 2004 Parkfield earthquake might affect seismologists' ideas about earthquake prediction. The specific lab exercise that the students were working on just before we recorded this earthquake was a "sliding block" experiment that simulates earthquakes in the classroom. The experimental apparatus includes a flat board on top of which are blocks of wood attached to a bungee cord and a string wrapped around a hand crank. Plate motion is modeled by slowly turning the crank, and earthquakes are modeled as events in which the block slips ("blockquakes"). We scaled the earthquake data and the blockquake data (using how much the string moved as a proxy for time) so that we could compare blockquakes and earthquakes. This provided an opportunity to use interevent-time histograms to teach about earthquake processes, probability, and earthquake prediction, and to compare earthquake sequences with blockquake sequences. We were able to show the students, using data obtained directly from their own lab, how global earthquake data fit a Poisson exponential distribution better

Prevalence and pattern of traumatic limb amputations in female population of Bhimber District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Jabeen, Nazish; Malik, Sajid

2015-01-01

Objective: Traumatic limb amputations (TLA) are structural defects that cause mild-to-severe disabilities and have significant impact on the quality of life of subjects. A recent epidemiological study in Bhimber District, AJK, Pakistan, revealed that TLA had a very high incidence among the young/adult females. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence, pattern, causes and risk factors associated with TLA in that female sample. Methods: In a prospective door-to-door survey, 1731 females were randomly enrolled, and clinico-etiological investigations on 19 subjects with TLA were carried out in a follow-up study. Affected subjects were physically examined and phenotypic detail and restriction to normal function were documented. Results: There were 19 subjects with TLA, hence the prevalence was estimated to be 10.98/1,000 (0.011%; CI=0.0061-0.0159). TLA mostly involved the upper limbs and right hand. Transphalangeal amputations were most frequent, followed by involvements of middle/upper arm and leg segments. These analyses further revealed that agriculture tools were the leading cause of trauma. TLA were witnessed to be higher in subjects originating from Samahni tehsil (OR:2.71), rural areas (OR:3.33), those who were illiterate (OR:2.65), married, spoke Pahari language (OR:1.73), those who fall in higher age category (OR:16.74), and had certain professions. Conclusion: Limb amputations had heavy bearings on the lives of subjects. Curiously, majority of these traumas could be avoided by adopting certain safety measures. Prevalence and risk estimate of TLA across various socio-demographic variables of Bhimber population would be useful in guiding further studies and the public health policy to mitigate the impact of these anomalies. PMID:25878614

ASTER Captures New Image of Pakistan Flooding

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-20

NASA Terra spacecraft captured this cloud-free image over the city of Sukkur, Pakistan, on Aug. 18, 2010. Sukkur, located in southeastern Pakistan Sindh Province, is visible as the grey, urbanized area in the lower left center of the image.

A Review of Pakistan School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farooq, Muhammad Sabil; Kai, Yuan Tong

2017-01-01

It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to enhance adult literacy and quality education at primary level through provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years. The year 2015 was the deadline for the participants of Dakar declaration [Education for All (EFA) commitment] including Pakistan but they fail…

Earthquakes

MedlinePlus

An earthquake happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently, and without warning at any time of the day or night. If an earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause ...

Satellite image maps of Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1997-01-01

Georeferenced Landsat satellite image maps of Pakistan are now being made available for purchase from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The first maps to be released are a series of Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) color image maps compiled from Landsat scenes taken before 1979. The Pakistan image maps were originally developed by USGS as an aid for geologic and general terrain mapping in support of the Coal Resource Exploration and Development Program in Pakistan (COALREAP). COALREAP, a cooperative program between the USGS, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Geological Survey of Pakistan, was in effect from 1985 through 1994. The Pakistan MSS image maps (bands 1, 2, and 4) are available as a full-country mosaic of 72 Landsat scenes at a scale of 1:2,000,000, and in 7 regional sheets covering various portions of the entire country at a scale of 1:500,000. The scenes used to compile the maps were selected from imagery available at the Eros Data Center (EDC), Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Where possible, preference was given to cloud-free and snow-free scenes that displayed similar stages of seasonal vegetation development. The data for the MSS scenes were resampled from the original 80-meter resolution to 50-meter picture elements (pixels) and digitally transformed to a geometrically corrected Lambert conformal conic projection. The cubic convolution algorithm was used during rotation and resampling. The 50-meter pixel size allows for such data to be imaged at a scale of 1:250,000 without degradation; for cost and convenience considerations, however, the maps were printed at 1:500,000 scale. The seven regional sheets have been named according to the main province or area covered. The 50-meter data were averaged to 150-meter pixels to generate the country image on a single sheet at 1:2,000,000 scale

Ball-and-socket tectonic rotation during the 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnhart, W. D.; Hayes, G. P.; Briggs, R. W.; Gold, R. D.; Bilham, R.

2014-10-01

The September 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan earthquake ruptured a ∼200-km-long segment of the curved Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan with 10 ± 0.2 m of peak sinistral and ∼ 1.7 ± 0.8 m of dip slip. This rupture is unusual because the fault dips 60 ± 15° towards the focus of a small circle centered in northwest Pakistan, and, despite a 30° increase in obliquity along strike, the ratios of strike and dip slip remain relatively uniform. Surface displacements and geodetic and teleseismic source inversions quantify a bilateral rupture that propagated rapidly at shallow depths from a transtensional jog near the northern end of the rupture. Static friction prior to rupture was unusually weak (μ < 0.05), and friction may have approached zero during dynamic rupture. Here we show that the inward-dipping Hoshab fault defines the northern rim of a structural unit in southeast Makran that rotates - akin to a 2-D ball-and-socket joint - counter-clockwise in response to India's penetration into the Eurasian plate. This rotation accounts for complexity in the Chaman fault system and, in principle, reduces seismic potential near Karachi; nonetheless, these findings highlight deficiencies in strong ground motion equations and tectonic models that invoke Anderson-Byerlee faulting predictions.

Building Capacity for Earthquake Monitoring: Linking Regional Networks with the Global Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willemann, R. J.; Lerner-Lam, A.

2006-12-01

Installing or upgrading a seismic monitoring network is often among the mitigation efforts after earthquake disasters, and this is happening in response to the events both in Sumatra during December 2004 and in Pakistan during October 2005. These networks can yield improved hazard assessment, more resilient buildings where they are most needed, and emergency relief directed more quickly to the worst hit areas after the next large earthquake. Several commercial organizations are well prepared for the fleeting opportunity to provide the instruments that comprise a seismic network, including sensors, data loggers, telemetry stations, and the computers and software required for the network center. But seismic monitoring requires more than hardware and software, no matter how advanced. A well-trained staff is required to select appropriate and mutually compatible components, install and maintain telemetered stations, manage and archive data, and perform the analyses that actually yield the intended benefits. Monitoring is more effective when network operators cooperate with a larger community through free and open exchange of data, sharing information about working practices, and international collaboration in research. As an academic consortium, a facility operator and a founding member of the International Federation of Digital Seismographic Networks, IRIS has access to a broad range of expertise with the skills that are required to help design, install, and operate a seismic network and earthquake analysis center, and stimulate the core training for the professional teams required to establish and maintain these facilities. But delivering expertise quickly when and where it is unexpectedly in demand requires advance planning and coordination in order to respond to the needs of organizations that are building a seismic network, either with tight time constraints imposed by the budget cycles of aid agencies following a disastrous earthquake, or as part of more informed

REGIONAL SEISMIC AMPLITUDE MODELING AND TOMOGRAPHY FOR EARTHQUAKE-EXPLOSION DISCRIMINATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walter, W R; Pasyanos, M E; Matzel, E

2008-07-08

We continue exploring methodologies to improve earthquake-explosion discrimination using regional amplitude ratios such as P/S in a variety of frequency bands. Empirically we demonstrate that such ratios separate explosions from earthquakes using closely located pairs of earthquakes and explosions recorded on common, publicly available stations at test sites around the world (e.g. Nevada, Novaya Zemlya, Semipalatinsk, Lop Nor, India, Pakistan, and North Korea). We are also examining if there is any relationship between the observed P/S and the point source variability revealed by longer period full waveform modeling (e. g. Ford et al 2008). For example, regional waveform modeling showsmore » strong tectonic release from the May 1998 India test, in contrast with very little tectonic release in the October 2006 North Korea test, but the P/S discrimination behavior appears similar in both events using the limited regional data available. While regional amplitude ratios such as P/S can separate events in close proximity, it is also empirically well known that path effects can greatly distort observed amplitudes and make earthquakes appear very explosion-like. Previously we have shown that the MDAC (Magnitude Distance Amplitude Correction, Walter and Taylor, 2001) technique can account for simple 1-D attenuation and geometrical spreading corrections, as well as magnitude and site effects. However in some regions 1-D path corrections are a poor approximation and we need to develop 2-D path corrections. Here we demonstrate a new 2-D attenuation tomography technique using the MDAC earthquake source model applied to a set of events and stations in both the Middle East and the Yellow Sea Korean Peninsula regions. We believe this new 2-D MDAC tomography has the potential to greatly improve earthquake-explosion discrimination, particularly in tectonically complex regions such as the Middle East. Monitoring the world for potential nuclear explosions requires characterizing

Role of the VDR Bsm I and Apa I polymorphisms in the risk of colorectal cancer in Kashmir.

PubMed

Rasool, Sabha; Kadla, Showkat A; Rasool, Vamiq; Qazi, Falak; Khan, Tanzeela; Shah, Nisar A; Ganai, Bashir A

2014-01-01

A case-control study aiming to evaluate the relationship between Bsm I and Apa I restriction fragment gene polymorphisms and colorectal cancer (CRC) was carried out in Kashmir, including a total of 368 subjects (180 cases and 188 controls). DNA samples extracted from the blood of the subjects were analyzed for 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) Apa I and Bsm I polymorphisms using restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR). A statistically significant 2.7-fold increased risk was observed in individuals found homozygous for the presence of the 'b' allele, in comparison to subjects homozygous for the 'B' allele (odds ratio (OR) 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49-4.86 (Bsm I)), and a statistically insignificant 2-fold increased risk was found among individuals with the 'aa' genotype, as compared to subjects with the 'AA' genotype (OR 2.017, 95% CI 0.86-4.7). Our study also yielded statistically significant results when the Apa I polymorphism was stratified by age (≤ 50 years) and dwelling area (rural area), and the Bsm I polymorphism by gender (male gender), suggesting a possible role of Apa I and Bsm I polymorphisms in the etiology of CRC in Kashmir. We conclude that Apa I and Bsm I single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) might be associated with susceptibility to CRC among Kashmiris. © 2014 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

An overview of poultry industry in Pakistan.

PubMed

Hussain, J; Rabbani, I; Aslam, S; Ahmad, H A

2015-12-01

The poultry sector is an important and vibrant segment of agriculture in Pakistan with a significant contribution to the national GDP (1.3%). Commercial poultry production in Pakistan started in the 1960's and has been providing a significant portion of daily proteins to the Pakistani population ever since. During its evolution the industry enjoyed promotional policies of the Government, but has faced several challenges such as disease outbreaks and retail price fluctuations. Despite its important role in the country's economy, not a single scientific study is available on its evolutionary history. The data available in this regard are scattered and lack reliability. This review is an effort to encompass the history of the overall growth of the poultry industry in Pakistan, its present status (2012 statistics) and future directions and challenges. This article may serve as the basic source of information on Pakistan's poultry industry achievements. It will also guide poultry experts and policy makers for developing strategic planning for further growth of the industry.

Taxocoenosis and distribution of nektonic fauna in the rice fields of Kashmir (J and K) India.

PubMed

Bahaar, S W N; Bhat, G A

2011-04-15

Present study attempts to identify the taxocoenosis and distribution of nektonic fauna harbouring the rice field ecosystems of Kashmir. The main objective of the study was to provide an overview of the nektonic community composition and physicochemical characteristics of flood waters. 6 sites were selected in Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Srinagar, Pulwama and Anantnag districts of valley Kashmir. A total of 26 taxa belonging to 13 different orders were reported during the study which commenced through 2 consecutive crop cycles. The taxocoenosis was dominated by Coleoptera (10 taxa) followed by Hemiptera (3 taxa), Diptera (2 taxa), Diplostraca (2 taxa), Acarina, Anostraca, Anura, Amphipoda, Basommatophora, Cypriniformes, Cyprinodontiformes, Odonata and Pulmonata (1 taxa each). Diversity was calculated using Simpsons Index (D), Simpsons Index of Diversity (1-D), Simpsons Reciprocal Index (1/D), Shannon-Weiner Index (H'), Margalef Richness Index (d) and Evenness Index (e). Kupwara (34 degrees 02'N; 74 degrees 16'E) formed the most diverse site registering a total of 2384 individuals belonging to 24 taxa. A perusal of the primary data related to the physicochemical attributes of flood waters exhibited that average water temperature varied between 19-30 degrees C, average air temperature varied between 21 and 33 degrees C. pH depicted a variation between 6.0 and 9.0, Dissolved Oxygen varied between a minimum of 1.0 mg L(-1) and a maximum of 10 mg L(-1). Free CO2 ranged between 0 mg L(-1) and 6.1 mg(-1). The results pressed the need for recognizing and preserving rice fields as potential habitats for organisms that have successfully adapted to the highly manipulated and eutrophic conditions of rice paddies.

The 1868 Hayward Earthquake Alliance: A Case Study - Using an Earthquake Anniversary to Promote Earthquake Preparedness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brocher, T. M.; Garcia, S.; Aagaard, B. T.; Boatwright, J. J.; Dawson, T.; Hellweg, M.; Knudsen, K. L.; Perkins, J.; Schwartz, D. P.; Stoffer, P. W.; Zoback, M.

2008-12-01

Last October 21st marked the 140th anniversary of the M6.8 1868 Hayward Earthquake, the last damaging earthquake on the southern Hayward Fault. This anniversary was used to help publicize the seismic hazards associated with the fault because: (1) the past five such earthquakes on the Hayward Fault occurred about 140 years apart on average, and (2) the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault system is the most likely (with a 31 percent probability) fault in the Bay Area to produce a M6.7 or greater earthquake in the next 30 years. To promote earthquake awareness and preparedness, over 140 public and private agencies and companies and many individual joined the public-private nonprofit 1868 Hayward Earthquake Alliance (1868alliance.org). The Alliance sponsored many activities including a public commemoration at Mission San Jose in Fremont, which survived the 1868 earthquake. This event was followed by an earthquake drill at Bay Area schools involving more than 70,000 students. The anniversary prompted the Silver Sentinel, an earthquake response exercise based on the scenario of an earthquake on the Hayward Fault conducted by Bay Area County Offices of Emergency Services. 60 other public and private agencies also participated in this exercise. The California Seismic Safety Commission and KPIX (CBS affiliate) produced professional videos designed forschool classrooms promoting Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Starting in October 2007, the Alliance and the U.S. Geological Survey held a sequence of press conferences to announce the release of new research on the Hayward Fault as well as new loss estimates for a Hayward Fault earthquake. These included: (1) a ShakeMap for the 1868 Hayward earthquake, (2) a report by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasting the number of employees, employers, and wages predicted to be within areas most strongly shaken by a Hayward Fault earthquake, (3) new estimates of the losses associated with a Hayward Fault earthquake, (4) new ground motion

Geothermal areas in Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shuja, T.A.

1986-01-01

In this paper an attempt has been made to correlate the tectonic and geologic features with surface manifestations of geothermal activity in Pakistan to delineate prospective areas for exploration and development of geothermal energy. Underthrusting of the Arabian plate beneath the Eurasian plate has resulted in the formation of Chagai volcanic arc which extends into Iran. Quaternary volcanics in this environment, along with the presence of thermal springs, is an important geotectonic feature revealing the possible existence of geothermal fields. Geothermal activity in the northern areas of Pakistan, as evidenced by thermal springs, is the likely result of collision andmore » underthrusting of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate. Numerous hot springs are found along the Main Mantle thrust and the Main Karakorum thrust in Chilas and Hunza areas respectively. The concentration of hot springs in Sind Province is also indicative of geothermal activity. A string of thermal seepages and springs following the alignment of the Syntaxial Bend in Punjab Province is also noteworthy from the geothermal viewpoint. In Baluchistan Province (southwest Pakistan), Hamun-e-Mushkel, a graben structure, also shows geothermal prospects on the basis of aeromagnetic studies.« less

Country watch: Pakistan.

PubMed

Toll, K; Agha, S

1999-01-01

In Pakistan, which has a high fertility rate, affordable prices of condoms and family planning services attract low-income residents. This was shown by the two projects: the condom distribution scheme and the family planning franchise. A condom social marketing (CSM) program started by Population Services International (PSI) increased contraceptive use in urban areas and sold low-priced condoms. However, in 1991 the price doubled in order to recover the costs, which resulted in a decline in sales. Thus, in 1995 PSI and Social Marketing Pakistan franchised the Green Star project that aimed to raise the quality of private sector family planning clinics serving low-income women and to increase the availability and use of female-controlled contraception. By 1996, the CSM project was selling over 80 million condoms annually.

Girl child marriage and its effect on fertility in Pakistan: findings from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2006-2007.

PubMed

Nasrullah, Muazzam; Muazzam, Sana; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Raj, Anita

2014-04-01

Child marriage (before 18 years) is prevalent in Pakistan, which disproportionately affects young girls in rural, low income and low education households. Our study aims to determine the association between early marriage and high fertility and poor fertility health indicators among young women in Pakistan beyond those attributed to social vulnerabilities. Nationally representative data from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2006-2007, a cross-sectional observational survey, were limited to ever-married women aged 20-24 years (n = 1,560; 15% of 10,023) to identify differences in poor fertility outcomes [high fertility (three or more childbirths); rapid repeat childbirth (<24 months between births); unwanted pregnancy (any ever); pregnancy termination (any stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion ever)] by early (<18) versus adult (≥18) age at marriage. Associations between child marriage and fertility outcomes were assessed by calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) using logistic regression models after controlling for demographics, social equity indicators (education, wealth index, rural residence), contraception use, marriage duration and culture-specific factors (husband's desire for more children, son preference). Overall, 50% of ever-married women aged 20-24 years in Pakistan were married before the age of 18 years. Girl child marriage was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with low social equity indicators (poverty, rural residence, and no formal education). Adjusted logistic regression models showed that girl child marriage was significantly associated with high fertility (AOR 6.62; 95% CI 3.53-12.43), rapid repeat childbirth (AOR 2.88; 95% CI 1.83-4.54), unwanted pregnancy (AOR 2.90; 95% CI 1.75-4.79), and pregnancy termination (AOR 1.75; 95% CI 1.10-2.78). Girl child marriage affects half of all ever-married women aged 20-24 years in Pakistan, and increases their risk for high fertility and poor fertility health indicators, highlighting the need of

75 FR 51615 - Establishment of Pakistan and Afghanistan Support Office

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-23

... Establishment of Pakistan and Afghanistan Support Office By the authority vested in me as President by the... 3161 of title 5, United States Code, a temporary organization to be known as the Pakistan and... strengthening the governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan, enhancing the capacity of those governments to resist...

Flooding in Pakistan August 4, 2010

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired August 4, 2010 Though many areas in northwest Pakistan were bracing for heavy rain and additional flash flooding on August 4, 2010, the city of Kheshgi, in northwest Pakistan, had clear skies. This image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite reveals a city awash in flood water. Thick with mud, the Kabul River is pale green in this false color image. Clearer water is dark blue. The river flows through its usual channel, but in places, water seeps over the channel and across the landscape. The buildings and roads of Kheshgi are silver. Spots of turquoise blue—shallow, muddy water or water-logged ground—covers several sections of the city. On the south side of the Kabul River, water flows down the hills, washing over neighborhoods. The bare ground in the hills is brown and tan. Plant-covered land, red in this image, is divided into long, narrow rectangles, pointing to agriculture. Geometric shapes under the water near the river are probably submerged fields of crops. Thousands of acres of crops had been lost in floods throughout Pakistan, said the United Nations. Kheshgi is in the Nowshera district in the Khyber Pakhutnkhwa province. As of August 2, Khyber Pakhutnkhwa was the hardest hit province in Pakistan, said the United Nations, and Nowshera was the most impacted district in the province. Nowshera reported 500,000 people displaced with 161 dead, said the Government of Khuber Pakhtunkhwa. The floods affected communities throughout Pakistan. More than 1,100 people had died, 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and at least one million people were in need of emergency assistance throughout Pakistan, said the United Nations on August 2. The floods occurred as unusually heavy monsoon rains fell over Pakistan. NASA image courtesy NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: Terra - ASTER Credit: NASA’s Earth

Likely Human Losses in Future Earthquakes in Central Myanmar, Beyond the Northern end of the M9.3 Sumatra Rupture of 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyss, B. M.; Wyss, M.

2007-12-01

We estimate that the city of Rangoon and adjacent provinces (Rangoon, Rakhine, Ayeryarwady, Bago) represent an earthquake risk similar in severity to that of Istanbul and the Marmara Sea region. After the M9.3 Sumatra earthquake of December 2004 that ruptured to a point north of the Andaman Islands, the likelihood of additional ruptures in the direction of Myanmar and within Myanmar is increased. This assumption is especially plausible since M8.2 and M7.9 earthquakes in September 2007 extended the 2005 ruptures to the south. Given the dense population of the aforementioned provinces, and the fact that historically earthquakes of M7.5 class have occurred there (in 1858, 1895 and three in 1930), it would not be surprising, if similar sized earthquakes would occur in the coming decades. Considering that we predicted the extent of human losses in the M7.6 Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 approximately correctly six month before it occurred, it seems reasonable to attempt to estimate losses in future large to great earthquakes in central Myanmar and along its coast of the Bay of Bengal. We have calculated the expected number of fatalities for two classes of events: (1) M8 ruptures offshore (between the Andaman Islands and the Myanmar coast, and along Myanmar's coast of the Bay of Bengal. (2) M7.5 repeats of the historic earthquakes that occurred in the aforementioned years. These calculations are only order of magnitude estimates because all necessary input parameters are poorly known. The population numbers, the condition of the building stock, the regional attenuation law, the local site amplification and of course the parameters of future earthquakes can only be estimated within wide ranges. For this reason, we give minimum and maximum estimates, both within approximate error limits. We conclude that the M8 earthquakes located offshore are expected to be less harmful than the M7.5 events on land: For M8 events offshore, the minimum number of fatalities is estimated

An AOGCM based assessment of interseasonal variability in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmat, U.; Athar, H.; Nabeel, A.; Latif, M.

2018-01-01

The interseasonal variability of two basic climatic parameters (precipitation and temperature) is assessed, over vulnerable and data sparse region of Pakistan (23° to 37°N and 60° to 75°E), for two Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) based Atmospheric-Oceanic General Circulation Model (AOGCM) versions: CM2.0 and CM2.1 by Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), and two CMIP5 based AOGCM versions: CM2p1 and CM3.0. A recent historical 50-year period (1951-2000) is analyzed and compared with APHRODITE for precipitation and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) re-analysis based gridded datasets for temperature for the following four seasons: DJF, MAM, JJA, and SON. The study area is divided into three regions: all Pakistan, northern Pakistan, and southern Pakistan. The interseasonal variability of the precipitation and the temperature are derived from all three (five) runs of CM2.0 (CM2.1) and from all ten (five) runs of CM 2p1 (CM3.0). The bias, root mean square error (RMSE), one-sigma standard deviation (SD) and correlation coefficient (CC) are used as assessing metrics. The following individual runs have positive CC with respect to APHRODITE at ≤1% Confidence Level (CL). On seasonal basis for CMIP5 based GFDL models during DJF: CM2p1R5 (for all Pakistan), CM2p1R5 (for northern Pakistan), and during MAM: CM2p1R5 (for southern Pakistan; this run has the lowest centered RMSE of 0.11 mm/day), whereas on annual basis: CM3.0R3 (for all Pakistan). However, out of these four runs, only CM2p1 (for southern Pakistan) has SD < SDobs (0.08 < 0.12 mm/day). There are 13 other runs for which the positive CC is at ≤5% CL, both relative to observed precipitation or temperature. Out of these 13 runs, only the average of runs of GFDL-CM2.1 in CMIP3 in JJA in southern Pakistan has SD < SDobs (0.56 < 0.59 °C) with a centered RMSE value of 0.65 °C. These characteristics of GFDL-CM2p1 runs are

Awareness, knowledge and attitude toward informed consent among doctors in two different cultures in Asia: a cross-sectional comparative study in Malaysia and Kashmir, India.

PubMed

Yousuf, R M; Fauzi, A R M; How, S H; Rasool, A G; Rehana, K

2007-06-01

Informed consent is now accepted as the cornerstone of medical practice, with reasonable patient standards typically considered to be appropriate in the developed countries; however it is still challenged in many developing countries. The objective of this descriptive study was to evaluate the perceptions and practices among attending medical professionals in matters relating to informed consent in selected hospitals. A questionnaire-based cross sectional survey among doctors in the two tertiary care hospitals, one in Malaysia and the other in Kashmir, was performed. Awareness on informed consent was universal with "reasonable physician standard" as the most popular choice. As compared to doctors in Malaysia, doctors from Kashmir showed a tendency to reservedly disclose medical information (p-value equals 0.051) and withhold it, if it was deemed potentially harmful (p-value is less than 0.001) or requested so by relatives (p-value is less than 0.023). They also withheld some information from female patients (p-value is less than 0.001). When consent was refused despite needing lifesaving intervention, the majority of both respondents (73 percent versus 80 percent) considered intervention without consent to be justified. Respondents from Malaysia felt that parents could refuse treatment on their children's behalf on the basis of their beliefs (p-value is less than 0.001). Despite a very high awareness of informed consent, the model chosen reflected age-old medical paternalism. Doctors' opinions are accorded a larger role in clinical decision-making in Kashmir. The results emphasise the need for doctors to change their attitude and acknowledge the patient's autonomy, which is the basis of modern medical ethics, and yet still be aware of the cultural and religious views of the local population.

The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Earthquake Occurrence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coordinated by Bakun, William H.; Prescott, William H.

1993-01-01

Professional Paper 1550 seeks to understand the M6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake itself. It examines how the fault that generated the earthquake ruptured, searches for and evaluates precursors that may have indicated an earthquake was coming, reviews forecasts of the earthquake, and describes the geology of the earthquake area and the crustal forces that affect this geology. Some significant findings were: * Slip during the earthquake occurred on 35 km of fault at depths ranging from 7 to 20 km. Maximum slip was approximately 2.3 m. The earthquake may not have released all of the strain stored in rocks next to the fault and indicates a potential for another damaging earthquake in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the near future may still exist. * The earthquake involved a large amount of uplift on a dipping fault plane. Pre-earthquake conventional wisdom was that large earthquakes in the Bay area occurred as horizontal displacements on predominantly vertical faults. * The fault segment that ruptured approximately coincided with a fault segment identified in 1988 as having a 30% probability of generating a M7 earthquake in the next 30 years. This was one of more than 20 relevant earthquake forecasts made in the 83 years before the earthquake. * Calculations show that the Loma Prieta earthquake changed stresses on nearby faults in the Bay area. In particular, the earthquake reduced stresses on the Hayward Fault which decreased the frequency of small earthquakes on it. * Geological and geophysical mapping indicate that, although the San Andreas Fault can be mapped as a through going fault in the epicentral region, the southwest dipping Loma Prieta rupture surface is a separate fault strand and one of several along this part of the San Andreas that may be capable of generating earthquakes.

PAGER--Rapid assessment of an earthquake?s impact

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, D.J.; Jaiswal, K.; Marano, K.D.; Bausch, D.; Hearne, M.

2010-01-01

PAGER (Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response) is an automated system that produces content concerning the impact of significant earthquakes around the world, informing emergency responders, government and aid agencies, and the media of the scope of the potential disaster. PAGER rapidly assesses earthquake impacts by comparing the population exposed to each level of shaking intensity with models of economic and fatality losses based on past earthquakes in each country or region of the world. Earthquake alerts--which were formerly sent based only on event magnitude and location, or population exposure to shaking--now will also be generated based on the estimated range of fatalities and economic losses.

Higher Education and Women's Empowerment in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, Samina; Courtney, Kathy

2011-01-01

This paper summarises the findings of a 2005 doctoral study by Malik which explored to what extent participation in higher education offers empowerment to women in Pakistan. A survey instrument was used to question female faculty members and female students from 10 public universities in Pakistan; 1290 students and 290 faculty members responded.…

Staff Development Needs in Pakistan Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ullah, Muhammad Hameed; Khan, Muhammad Naeem Ullah; Murtaza, Ali; Ud Din, Muhammad Naseer

2011-01-01

Staff development is very significant for the achievement of overall goals of higher education in Pakistan. The success of innovations depends largely upon the skills of instructors; but in Pakistan, the people with a simple masters degree (without any pedagogical training) are inducted as teaching staff at the university level, so it is time to…

Profile of missile-induced cardiovascular injuries in Kashmir, India.

PubMed

Wani, Mohd Lateef; Ahangar, Abdul Gani; Lone, Gh Nabi; Hakeem, Zubair Ashraf; Dar, Abdul Majeed; Lone, Reyaz Ahmad; Bhat, Mohd Akbar; Singh, Shyam; Irshad, Ifat

2011-04-01

Missile cardiovascular injuries have taken an epidemic proportion in Kashmir valley since the eruption of militancy in 1990. Present study was undertaken to analyse the pattern, presentation and management of missile cardiovascular injuries. Three hundred and eighty-six patients with missile cardiovascular injuries since Jan 1996 to Oct 2008 were studied retrospectively. All patients of cardiovascular injuries due to causes other than missiles were excluded from the study. All patients of missile cardiac injuries were treated by primary cardiorrhaphy. Right ventricle was the most commonly affected chamber. Left anterior thoracotomy was most common approach used. Most of the patients of missile vascular group were treated by reverse saphenous vein graft or end-to-end anastomosis. Most common complication was wound infection (20.83%) followed by graft occlusion (1.94%) in missile vascular group. Amputation rate was 4.66%. Amputation rate was higher in patients with delay of >6 hours and associated fractures. Missile cardiac injuries should be operated early without wasting time for investigations. Clinical status at arrival, time interval till management, nature of injury and associated injuries, tell upon the mortality. Missile vascular injury needs prompt resuscitation and revascularization at the earliest. Time interval till revascularization and associated fractures has a bearing on mortality and morbidity.

Profile of missile-induced cardiovascular injuries in Kashmir, India

PubMed Central

Wani, Mohd Lateef; Ahangar, Abdul Gani; Lone, Gh Nabi; Hakeem, Zubair Ashraf; Dar, Abdul Majeed; Lone, Reyaz Ahmad; Bhat, Mohd Akbar; Singh, Shyam; Irshad, Ifat

2011-01-01

Background: Missile cardiovascular injuries have taken an epidemic proportion in Kashmir valley since the eruption of militancy in 1990. Present study was undertaken to analyse the pattern, presentation and management of missile cardiovascular injuries. Patients and Methods: Three hundred and eighty-six patients with missile cardiovascular injuries since Jan 1996 to Oct 2008 were studied retrospectively. All patients of cardiovascular injuries due to causes other than missiles were excluded from the study. Results: All patients of missile cardiac injuries were treated by primary cardiorrhaphy. Right ventricle was the most commonly affected chamber. Left anterior thoracotomy was most common approach used. Most of the patients of missile vascular group were treated by reverse saphenous vein graft or end-to-end anastomosis. Most common complication was wound infection (20.83%) followed by graft occlusion (1.94%) in missile vascular group. Amputation rate was 4.66%. Amputation rate was higher in patients with delay of >6 hours and associated fractures. Conclusion: Missile cardiac injuries should be operated early without wasting time for investigations. Clinical status at arrival, time interval till management, nature of injury and associated injuries, tell upon the mortality. Missile vascular injury needs prompt resuscitation and revascularization at the earliest. Time interval till revascularization and associated fractures has a bearing on mortality and morbidity. PMID:21769201

Palynology and detrital zircon geochronology of the Carboniferous Fenestella Shale Formation of the Tethyan realm in Kashmir Himalaya: Implications for global correlation and floristic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnihotri, Deepa; Pandita, Sundeep K.; Tewari, Rajni; Ram-Awatar; Linnemann, Ulf; Pillai, S. Suresh K.; Joshi, Arun; Gautam, Saurabh; Kumar, Kamlesh

2018-05-01

First palynological data, supplemented by detrital zircon U-Pb ages, from the Fenestella Shale Formation near the Gund Village in the Banihal area of Jammu and Kashmir State, India, provide new insights into the floristic evolution of Gondwana during the Late Palaeozoic, especially in India, from where the Carboniferous-Permian macro- and microfloral records are impoverished. We also present a first approach to the palynological correlation of the Carboniferous-Permian palynoassemblages described from the various Gondwana countries. The palynomorphs from the Fenestella Shale Formation are fairly well preserved and diversified and include 11 genera and 18 species. While the trilete spores and striate bisaccate pollen grains are scarce, monosaccate pollen taxa mainly - Parasaccites, Plicatipollenites and Potonieisporites are dominant. The assemblage is most similar to the Parasaccites korbaensis palynozone of the Lower Gondwana basins of the Indian peninsula and the Stage 2 palynozone of the late Carboniferous of east Australia. Besides, it is comparable with the known Carboniferous assemblages of Pakistan, Yemen and South America; Carboniferous-early Permian assemblages of South Africa and Permian assemblages of Antarctica. The sediment source of the siliciclastic shelf and delta deposits intercalated in the Fenestella Shale Formation is a hinterland in which Precambrian rocks dominantly were exposed and the Th-U ratios of detrital zircons suggest, that most rocks exposed on the erosion level in the hinterland had a felsic composition. The youngest U-Pb zircon age of the investigated fossiliferous strata is 329 ± 16 Ma (late Visean to early Serpukhovian), providing a maximum age of deposition of the studied succession. Based on the affinities of the palynofloral assemblage and earlier palaeontological records, a warm, temperate and arid climate has been inferred for the Fenestella Shale Formation.

Operational earthquake forecasting can enhance earthquake preparedness

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jordan, T.H.; Marzocchi, W.; Michael, A.J.; Gerstenberger, M.C.

2014-01-01

We cannot yet predict large earthquakes in the short term with much reliability and skill, but the strong clustering exhibited in seismic sequences tells us that earthquake probabilities are not constant in time; they generally rise and fall over periods of days to years in correlation with nearby seismic activity. Operational earthquake forecasting (OEF) is the dissemination of authoritative information about these time‐dependent probabilities to help communities prepare for potentially destructive earthquakes. The goal of OEF is to inform the decisions that people and organizations must continually make to mitigate seismic risk and prepare for potentially destructive earthquakes on time scales from days to decades. To fulfill this role, OEF must provide a complete description of the seismic hazard—ground‐motion exceedance probabilities as well as short‐term rupture probabilities—in concert with the long‐term forecasts of probabilistic seismic‐hazard analysis (PSHA).

On- and off-fault deformation associated with the September 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan earthquake: Implications for geologic slip rate measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, Ryan D.; Reitman, Nadine G.; Briggs, Richard W.; Barnhart, William D.; Hayes, Gavin P.; Wilson, Earl

2015-10-01

The 24 September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake ruptured a ~ 200 km-long stretch of the Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan and produced the second-largest lateral surface displacement observed for a continental strike-slip earthquake. We remotely measured surface deformation associated with this event using high-resolution (0.5 m) pre- and post-event satellite optical imagery. We document left lateral, near-field, on-fault offsets (10 m from fault) using 309 laterally offset piercing points, such as streams, terrace risers, and roads. Peak near-field displacement is 13.6 + 2.5/- 3.4 m. We characterize off-fault deformation by measuring medium- (< 350 m from fault) and far-field (> 350 m from fault) displacement using manual (259 measurements) and automated image cross-correlation methods, respectively. Off-fault peak lateral displacement values are ~ 15 m and exceed on-fault displacement magnitudes for ~ 85% of the rupture length. Our observations suggest that for this rupture, coseismic surface displacement typically increases with distance away from the surface trace of the fault; however, nearly 100% of total surface displacement occurs within a few hundred meters of the primary fault trace. Furthermore, off-fault displacement accounts for, on average, 28% of the total displacement but exhibits a highly heterogeneous along-strike pattern. The best agreement between near-field and far-field displacements generally corresponds to the narrowest fault zone widths. Our analysis demonstrates significant and heterogeneous mismatches between on- and off-fault coseismic deformation, and we conclude that this phenomenon should be considered in hazard models based on geologically determined on-fault slip rates.

Assessment of landslide hazards induced by extreme rainfall event in Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya, northwest India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Amit; Asthana, AKL; Priyanka, Rao Singh; Jayangondaperumal, R.; Gupta, Anil K.; Bhakuni, SS

2017-05-01

In the Indian Himalayan region (IHR), landslide-driven hazards have intensified over the past several decades primarily caused by the occurrence of heavy and extreme rainfall. However, little attention has been given to determining the cause of events triggered during pre- and post-Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) seasons. In the present research, detailed geological, meteorological, and remote sensing investigations have been carried out on an extreme rainfall landslide event that occurred in Sadal village, Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya, during September 2014. Toward the receding phase of the ISM (i.e., in the month of September 2014), an unusual rainfall event of 488.2 mm rainfall in 24 h took place in Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya in contrast to the normal rainfall occurrence. Geological investigations suggest that a planar weakness in the affected region is caused by bedding planes that consist of an alternate sequence of hard, compact sandstone and weak claystone. During this extreme rainfall event, the Sadal village was completely buried under the rock slides, as failure occurred along the planar weakness that dips toward the valley slope. Rainfall data analysis from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) for the preceding years homogeneous time series (July-September) indicates that the years 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014 (i.e., closely spaced and clustering heavy rainfall events) received heavy rainfalls during the withdrawal of the ISM; whereas the heaviest rainfall was received in the years 2003 and 2013 at the onset of the ISM in the study region. This suggests that no characteristic cyclicity exists for extreme rainfall events. However, we observe that either toward the onset of the ISM or its retreat, the extreme rainfall facilitates landslides, rockfall, and slope failures in northwestern Himalaya. The spatiotemporal distribution of landslides caused by extreme rainfall events suggests its confinement toward the windward side of the

Pakistan/USAID to start CSM project.

PubMed

1984-01-01

Pakistan, with the assistance of funds for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is about to start its novel approach to contraceptive social marketing (CSM). This new effort suggests a marked policy shift on the part of the Pakistan government toward intensifying its family planning activities. The program will be government-operated and supported by AID over the next 5 years with $20 million, more than double the cost of similar CSM projects elswhere. Distribution of a condom on a pilot project basis is expected to begin by December 1984. Sales of a low-dose oral contraceptive (OC) could begin in test market areas by mid-1985, with national launching of both products tentatively scheduled for January 1986. The Pakistan/USAID agreement represents the 1st time since the formation of India's Nirodh project in the late 1960s that a CSM program is being established without the involvement of either an international social marketing contractor or a country's family planning association. The Pakistan CSM program will be managed by a policy board composed of representatives from the government's Ministries of Planning, Health and Education; a resident advisor from USAID; and a local company responsible for product marketing and distribution. The approach has received a skeptical response among international social marketing experts about the program's chances for success. Their doubts extend to 2 other aspects of the proposed design: an official of the Ministry of Planning's Population and Welfare Division expects the CSM program to generate sufficient revenues to cover all operating costs following the 5-year subsidy period, while also providing attractive profit margins for the marketing/distribution company; and the government prohibits mass media advertising of contraceptives. According to AID, the issue of mass media contraceptive advertising has not yet been resolved, and a national survey will be conducted to determine what communication needs are

Surgery, public health, and Pakistan.

PubMed

Zafar, Syed Nabeel; McQueen, K A Kelly

2011-12-01

Surgical healthcare is rapidly gaining recognition as a major public health issue. Surgical disparities are large, with poorest populations receiving the least amount of emergency and essential surgical care. In light of recent evidence, developing countries, such as Pakistan, must acknowledge surgical disease as a major public health issue and prioritize research and intervention accordingly. We review information from various sources and describe the current situation of surgical health care in Pakistan and highlight areas of neglect. Pakistan suffers an annual deficit of 17 million surgeries. Surgical disease kills more people than infectious diseases inclusive of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal disease, and childhood infections. The incidence of trauma and maternal mortality ratio are staggeringly high. There is a severe dearth of surgical and anesthesia-related epidemiological data. Important information that would help to drive policy and planning is not available. Corruption and neglect have led to a dilapidated health care infrastructure. Surgical care is largely inaccessible to the poor, especially those living in rural areas. The country faces a dearth of healthcare professionals, especially paramedics, anesthetists, and surgeons. Unsafe surgery and anesthesia poses a significant risk to patients. There is no national policy on surgical illness and the preventive aspects of surgery are nonexistent. Consistent with other underdeveloped countries, surgical care in Pakistan is dismal. Neglecting surgery and safe anesthesia has led to countless deaths and disability. Physicians, researchers, policy makers, and the government health care system must engage and commit to provide access to emergency, essential, and safe surgical care.

Earthquakes for Kids

MedlinePlus

... across a fault to learn about past earthquakes. Science Fair Projects A GPS instrument measures slow movements of the ground. Become an Earthquake Scientist Cool Earthquake Facts Today in Earthquake History A scientist stands in ...

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Pakistan.

PubMed

Nadeem, Nighat Jahan

2016-11-01

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has significantly reduced the worldwide incidence of poliomyelitis. However, polio remains endemic in Pakistan which poses a threat to the success of the GPEI. Issues faced by Pakistan relate to politics, terrorism, war, natural disasters, funding constraints, misconceptions and inadequate infrastructure. These contribute in hampering the aims of the GPEI and allow the deadly poliovirus to maintain its reservoir in Pakistan. Until polio is completely eradicated, all countries remain at risk of its re-emergence and this is of grave concern as potentially it could reverse the polio-free certified status of a whole World Health Organisation (WHO) region. With the increase in global travel and international migration, even the smallest potential risk should not be taken lightly. Recommendations are made to help to improve the state of polio in Pakistan to make full use of the GPEI investment and move towards a polio-free world.

Ball-and-socket tectonic rotation during the 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barnhart, William D.; Hayes, Gavin P.; Briggs, Richard W.; Gold, Ryan D.; Bilham, R.

2014-01-01

The September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan earthquake ruptured a ∼200-km-long segment of the curved Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan with 10±0.2 m of peak sinistral and ∼1.7±0.8 m of dip slip. This rupture is unusual because the fault dips 60±15° towards the focus of a small circle centered in northwest Pakistan, and, despite a 30° increase in obliquity along strike, the ratios of strike and dip slip remain relatively uniform. Surface displacements and geodetic and teleseismic source inversions quantify a bilateral rupture that propagated rapidly at shallow depths from a transtensional jog near the northern end of the rupture. Static friction prior to rupture was unusually weak (μ<0.05), and friction may have approached zero during dynamic rupture. Here we show that the inward-dipping Hoshab fault defines the northern rim of a structural unit in southeast Makran that rotates – akin to a 2-D ball-and-socket joint – counter-clockwise in response to India's penetration into the Eurasian plate. This rotation accounts for complexity in the Chaman fault system and, in principle, reduces seismic potential near Karachi; nonetheless, these findings highlight deficiencies in strong ground motion equations and tectonic models that invoke Anderson–Byerlee faulting predictions.

Pakistan [Population education in countries of the region].

PubMed

1982-06-01

The scope of formal population education in Pakistan covers the entire academic system, beginning from the primary level to the university and professional colleges. The government initiated action in 1980 to integrate population education in the formal and nonformal education sectors. General as well as specific behavioral objectives for population education were developed by the National Committee on Population Education. These objectives were further broken down for primary, middle, and lower and higher secondary school levels. The National Committee on Population Education prepared a curriculum for the training of primary, middle, and lower secondary school teachers which was used in training the master trainers. Textbooks in Pakistan were written in 1975 following the concepts and guidelines provided in the new curricula. Curriculum development specialists prepared model lessons on the integration of population education with social studies, Pakistan studies, Urdu, health and physical education, and nursing and general science for the guidance of textbook writers and teachers. The Allama Iqbal Open University has developed a 24-unit course to orientate primary school teachers in the philosophy and content of new curricula provided for in the new education policy of Pakistan. The Population Planning Division of Pakistan and the Family Planning Association of Pakistan periodically develop materials which serve as supplementary readers; an orientation program for teachers began on a limited scale following the inception of population education in Pakistan. Some research and evaluation projects have been undertaken periodically to study the effectiveness of some of the family planning programs. To ensure systematic and comprehensive coverage of population education through the existing formal and nonformal education programs the government is planning to undertake in collaboration with the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and other bilateral and

Fractal Dimension and b-VALUE Mapping in the NW Himalaya and Adjoining Regions, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sushil; Sushil, Rama; Joshi, Deepika

2011-07-01

The northwest Himalayan region and the adjoining regions fall in the intense seismic zone. Earthquakes of varying intensities have hit the region in the past and similar threats remain imminent. In the last 105 years, the main earthquakes occurred in the North-Western (NW) Himalaya are as follows: the Kangra earthquake of 1905 (Ms = 8.0), the Kinnaur earthquake of 1975 (M = 6.8), Dharchula earthquake of 1980 (Mw = 6.5), Uttarkashi earthquake of 1991 (Mb = 6.6), Chamoli earthquake of 1999 (Mb = 6.8), and the Kashmir earthquake of 2005 (Mw = 7.6), which resulted in tremendous loss of life and property. The earthquake occurrence possesses non-linear relationship with respect to space and size. Fractal dimension and b-value are determined from 1221 well-located earthquakes, recorded at 10-19 WIHG seismic stations in NW Himalaya during 2004-2010 and at USGS stations during 1995-2003. A detailed study of the frequency-magnitude distribution and fractal dimension has been carried out and discussed in this paper.

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mian, Zia

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also formore » nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.« less

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mian, Zia

2014-05-01

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Women's Perspectives of Peace: Unheard Voices from Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habib, Zehra

2013-01-01

Pakistan is currently impacted by rampant terrorism and is simultaneously grappling with intrastate ethnic and sectarian violence. The focus of this dissertation was on examining grassroots Pakistani women's perspectives on peace and women's contributions to peace in Pakistan. The study was centered on grassroots women because their voices remain…

Stem cell research in pakistan; past, present and future.

PubMed

Zahra, Sayeda Anum; Muzavir, Sayed Raheel; Ashraf, Sadia; Ahmad, Aftab

2015-05-01

Stem cells have proved to have great therapeutic potential as stem cell treatment is replacing traditional ways of treatment in different disorders like cancer, aplastic anemia, stroke, heart disorders. The developed and developing countries are investing differently in this area of research so research output and clinical translation of research greatly vary among developed and developing countries. Present study was done to investigate the current status of stem cells research in Pakistan and ways to improve it. Many advanced countries (USA, UK and Canada etc.) are investing heavily in stem cell research and treatment. Different developing countries like Iran, Turkey and India are also following the developed countries and investing a lot in stem cells research. Pakistan is also making efforts in establishing this field to get desired benefits but unfortunately the progress is at very low pace. If Government plays an active role along with private sector, stem cell research in Pakistan can be boosted up. The numbers of publications from Pakistan are very less compared to developed and neighboring countries and Pakistan also has very less number of institutes working in this area of research. Stem cells research is at its initial stages in Pakistan and there is great need to bring Government, academia and industry together so they could make serious efforts to promote research in this very important field. This will help millions of patients suffering from incurable disorders and will also reduce economic loss.

Missing great earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hough, Susan E.

2013-01-01

The occurrence of three earthquakes with moment magnitude (Mw) greater than 8.8 and six earthquakes larger than Mw 8.5, since 2004, has raised interest in the long-term global rate of great earthquakes. Past studies have focused on the analysis of earthquakes since 1900, which roughly marks the start of the instrumental era in seismology. Before this time, the catalog is less complete and magnitude estimates are more uncertain. Yet substantial information is available for earthquakes before 1900, and the catalog of historical events is being used increasingly to improve hazard assessment. Here I consider the catalog of historical earthquakes and show that approximately half of all Mw ≥ 8.5 earthquakes are likely missing or underestimated in the 19th century. I further present a reconsideration of the felt effects of the 8 February 1843, Lesser Antilles earthquake, including a first thorough assessment of felt reports from the United States, and show it is an example of a known historical earthquake that was significantly larger than initially estimated. The results suggest that incorporation of best available catalogs of historical earthquakes will likely lead to a significant underestimation of seismic hazard and/or the maximum possible magnitude in many regions, including parts of the Caribbean.

Quality, Safety and Patient Centered Care--A Dream Come True in the Mountains of Northern Pakistan. An Award winning project of "2015 Quality, Safety & Patient Centered Care Award" at, Chicago USA.

PubMed

Jassani, Kashif; Essani, Rozina Roshan; Abbas, Syed Nadeem Husain

2016-01-01

Northern Pakistan remains very challenging terrain due to harsh weather all year round presenting an infrastructura, human resource and supply chain challenge of its own. Many times the facility had to move to different locations on emergency and ad hoc basis due to landslides, earthquakes affecting continuity of care. Providing quality healthcare to often resource constraint hard-to-reach areas has always been AKHS,P's unique forte. Breaking barriers for catchment population to access quality healthcare, AKHS,P embarked on an initiative of implementing, achieving and sustaining ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System international standards certification. This article shares the unique experience of AKHS,P in achieving and sustaining ISO 9001:2008 International Quality Management System Certification. After untiring efforts and the hard work of ground staff; AKHS,P achieved ISO 9001:2008 International Quality Management System Certification as well as 1st Surveillance Audit which itself proved that AKHS,P sustained quality systems and ensured continuous quality improvement in the Mountains of Northern Pakistan.

Daughter neglect, women's work, and marriage: Pakistan and Bangladesh compared.

PubMed

Miller, B D

1984-01-01

This article looks at juvenile sex ratios, juvenile mortality, women's work roles and marriage patterns in Pakistan and bangladesh in order to assess whether patterns previously observed in India, namely, daughter neglect in the northwest and equal juvenile sex ratios in the eastern part of the country, are carried over into the 2 adjacent nations, Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively. The Indian study indicates that nationwide sex ratio data, sample survey data on childhood mortality, longitudinal population records in several locations and ethonographic evidence all point to inequalities in mortality as the prime cause of unbalanced sex ratios. The juvenile sex ratios of Pakistan and Bangladesh are very different from 1 another. Whereas there are no regional contrasts among juvenile sex ratios within Bangladesh, it is greater within Pakistan. Sex ratio data correspond roughly to what the mortality data indicate in terms of the contrast between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The evidence on juvenile mortality in both countries is too scant to support an airtight argument that juvenile females in Pakistan have much higher mortality rates than boys, while mortality rates are more balanced in Bangladesh. But the existing evidence clearly points to that conclusion. The immediate causes of the greater sex-differential mortality in Pakistan cannot be documented in the available ethnographic literature. Biased allocation of food, medical care, and love might be operating. Looking at the economic and sociocultural complex that promotes much differences between Pakistan and Bangladesh, it is argued that, in both countries, class-based variations in both women's work and marriage patterns exist and are important. It is hypothesized that females in Pakistan are little valued for agricultural labor, and pose an economic liability on their families who need to provide a large dowry with her marriage to compensate for the daughter's low economic utility to the agrucultural workforce

Analog earthquakes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hofmann, R.B.

1995-09-01

Analogs are used to understand complex or poorly understood phenomena for which little data may be available at the actual repository site. Earthquakes are complex phenomena, and they can have a large number of effects on the natural system, as well as on engineered structures. Instrumental data close to the source of large earthquakes are rarely obtained. The rare events for which measurements are available may be used, with modfications, as analogs for potential large earthquakes at sites where no earthquake data are available. In the following, several examples of nuclear reactor and liquified natural gas facility siting are discussed.more » A potential use of analog earthquakes is proposed for a high-level nuclear waste (HLW) repository.« less

Effects of water quality and trophic status on helminth infections in the cyprinid fish, Schizothorax niger Heckel, 1838 from three lakes in the Kashmir Himalayas.

PubMed

Zargar, U R; Yousuf, A R; Chishti, M Z; Ahmed, F; Bashir, H; Ahmed, F

2012-03-01

Water quality greatly influences the population density of aquatic biota, including parasites. In order to evaluate the relationship between fish parasites and water quality in Kashmir Himalayas, we assessed helminth parasite densities in Schizothorax niger Heckel, 1838 (an endemic cyprinid fish of Kashmir) from three lakes, namely Anchar, Manasbal and Dal, which reflected the varied stages of eutrophication. The overall prevalence of helminth infections was higher in the hypertrophic Anchar Lake (prevalence = 18.6%) compared to Manasbal Lake, which was the least eutrophied (prevalence = 6.4%). Furthermore, mean prevalence of monoxenous and heteroxenous parasites was higher in lakes containing higher levels of water degradation (Anchar and Dal). The mean number of helminth species per fish host was the highest in the hypertrophic lake (1.3 ± 0.3) in comparison to the least eutrophic lake (0.2 ± 1.5). Variability of calculated infection indices (prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance) revealed that helminth parasite composition in the fish was affected by the lakes' environmental stress (degraded water quality). Therefore, data on the density of helminth parasites in fish can provide supplementary information on the pollution status of a water body.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in 8–18-year-old school-going children of Srinagar city of Kashmir India

PubMed Central

Andrabi, Syed M.S.; Bhat, Mohd H.; Andrabi, Syed R.S.; Kamili, Mohd M.A.; Imran, Ali; Nisar, Iqra; Nisar, Umara

2013-01-01

Aim: Obesity is the most common cause of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). These are the most important risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). No evidence exists regarding the prevalence of the MS in children in sSrinagar city of Kashmir India. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MS in 8–18-year-old school-going children of Kashmir, India. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 758 respondents in 8–18 years of age were randomly selected using a simple random sampling method. The self-designed questionnaire was individually completed after receiving a written informed consent. The weight, height, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure were measured using standard tools. Ten milliliters of blood was taken for measuring lipid profile and fasting blood sugar (FBS) of the school children. We determined MS according to the modified Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. Results: The prevalence of the MS was 3.8% (boys: 3.9%, girls: 3.8%) and the prevalence of obesity was 9.9% (boys: 9.9%, girls: 10.6%) among the studied children. Obese subjects had the highest proportion of MS compared with those at risk for overweight and those with normal weight (30.7% vs. 2.5% and 0.5%, respectively; P = 0.000). Conclusion: The MS is prevalent even in young children, so we suggest screening programs for children aged 8–18 years to control obesity and MS in the developing world. PMID:23776859

Probabilistic Appraisal of Earthquake Hazard Parameters Deduced from a Bayesian Approach in the Northwest Frontier of the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, R. B. S.; Tsapanos, T. M.; Bayrak, Yusuf; Koravos, G. Ch.

2013-03-01

A straightforward Bayesian statistic is applied in five broad seismogenic source zones of the northwest frontier of the Himalayas to estimate the earthquake hazard parameters (maximum regional magnitude M max, β value of G-R relationship and seismic activity rate or intensity λ). For this purpose, a reliable earthquake catalogue which is homogeneous for M W ≥ 5.0 and complete during the period 1900 to 2010 is compiled. The Hindukush-Pamir Himalaya zone has been further divided into two seismic zones of shallow ( h ≤ 70 km) and intermediate depth ( h > 70 km) according to the variation of seismicity with depth in the subduction zone. The estimated earthquake hazard parameters by Bayesian approach are more stable and reliable with low standard deviations than other approaches, but the technique is more time consuming. In this study, quantiles of functions of distributions of true and apparent magnitudes for future time intervals of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 years are calculated with confidence limits for probability levels of 50, 70 and 90 % in all seismogenic source zones. The zones of estimated M max greater than 8.0 are related to the Sulaiman-Kirthar ranges, Hindukush-Pamir Himalaya and Himalayan Frontal Thrusts belt; suggesting more seismically hazardous regions in the examined area. The lowest value of M max (6.44) has been calculated in Northern-Pakistan and Hazara syntaxis zone which have estimated lowest activity rate 0.0023 events/day as compared to other zones. The Himalayan Frontal Thrusts belt exhibits higher earthquake magnitude (8.01) in next 100-years with 90 % probability level as compared to other zones, which reveals that this zone is more vulnerable to occurrence of a great earthquake. The obtained results in this study are directly useful for the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment in the examined region of Himalaya.

Turkish Compulsory Earthquake Insurance and "Istanbul Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durukal, E.; Sesetyan, K.; Erdik, M.

2009-04-01

The city of Istanbul will likely experience substantial direct and indirect losses as a result of a future large (M=7+) earthquake with an annual probability of occurrence of about 2%. This paper dwells on the expected building losses in terms of probable maximum and average annualized losses and discusses the results from the perspective of the compulsory earthquake insurance scheme operational in the country. The TCIP system is essentially designed to operate in Turkey with sufficient penetration to enable the accumulation of funds in the pool. Today, with only 20% national penetration, and about approximately one-half of all policies in highly earthquake prone areas (one-third in Istanbul) the system exhibits signs of adverse selection, inadequate premium structure and insufficient funding. Our findings indicate that the national compulsory earthquake insurance pool in Turkey will face difficulties in covering incurring building losses in Istanbul in the occurrence of a large earthquake. The annualized earthquake losses in Istanbul are between 140-300 million. Even if we assume that the deductible is raised to 15%, the earthquake losses that need to be paid after a large earthquake in Istanbul will be at about 2.5 Billion, somewhat above the current capacity of the TCIP. Thus, a modification to the system for the insured in Istanbul (or Marmara region) is necessary. This may mean an increase in the premia and deductible rates, purchase of larger re-insurance covers and development of a claim processing system. Also, to avoid adverse selection, the penetration rates elsewhere in Turkey need to be increased substantially. A better model would be introduction of parametric insurance for Istanbul. By such a model the losses will not be indemnified, however will be directly calculated on the basis of indexed ground motion levels and damages. The immediate improvement of a parametric insurance model over the existing one will be the elimination of the claim processing

Khyber Pass, Afghanistan-Pakistan

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-08

The ASTER instrument onboard NASA Terra spacecraft imaged the Khyber Pass, a mountain pass that links Afghanistan and Pakistan. Throughout its history it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and South Asia.

Earthquake potential revealed by tidal influence on earthquake size-frequency statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ide, Satoshi; Yabe, Suguru; Tanaka, Yoshiyuki

2016-11-01

The possibility that tidal stress can trigger earthquakes is long debated. In particular, a clear causal relationship between small earthquakes and the phase of tidal stress is elusive. However, tectonic tremors deep within subduction zones are highly sensitive to tidal stress levels, with tremor rate increasing at an exponential rate with rising tidal stress. Thus, slow deformation and the possibility of earthquakes at subduction plate boundaries may be enhanced during periods of large tidal stress. Here we calculate the tidal stress history, and specifically the amplitude of tidal stress, on a fault plane in the two weeks before large earthquakes globally, based on data from the global, Japanese, and Californian earthquake catalogues. We find that very large earthquakes, including the 2004 Sumatran, 2010 Maule earthquake in Chile and the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake in Japan, tend to occur near the time of maximum tidal stress amplitude. This tendency is not obvious for small earthquakes. However, we also find that the fraction of large earthquakes increases (the b-value of the Gutenberg-Richter relation decreases) as the amplitude of tidal shear stress increases. The relationship is also reasonable, considering the well-known relationship between stress and the b-value. This suggests that the probability of a tiny rock failure expanding to a gigantic rupture increases with increasing tidal stress levels. We conclude that large earthquakes are more probable during periods of high tidal stress.

Understanding earthquake from the granular physics point of view — Causes of earthquake, earthquake precursors and predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Kunquan; Hou, Meiying; Jiang, Zehui; Wang, Qiang; Sun, Gang; Liu, Jixing

2018-03-01

We treat the earth crust and mantle as large scale discrete matters based on the principles of granular physics and existing experimental observations. Main outcomes are: A granular model of the structure and movement of the earth crust and mantle is established. The formation mechanism of the tectonic forces, which causes the earthquake, and a model of propagation for precursory information are proposed. Properties of the seismic precursory information and its relevance with the earthquake occurrence are illustrated, and principle of ways to detect the effective seismic precursor is elaborated. The mechanism of deep-focus earthquake is also explained by the jamming-unjamming transition of the granular flow. Some earthquake phenomena which were previously difficult to understand are explained, and the predictability of the earthquake is discussed. Due to the discrete nature of the earth crust and mantle, the continuum theory no longer applies during the quasi-static seismological process. In this paper, based on the principles of granular physics, we study the causes of earthquakes, earthquake precursors and predictions, and a new understanding, different from the traditional seismological viewpoint, is obtained.

Redefining Earthquakes and the Earthquake Machine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubenthal, Michael; Braile, Larry; Taber, John

2008-01-01

The Earthquake Machine (EML), a mechanical model of stick-slip fault systems, can increase student engagement and facilitate opportunities to participate in the scientific process. This article introduces the EML model and an activity that challenges ninth-grade students' misconceptions about earthquakes. The activity emphasizes the role of models…

In Pakistan, the Problems that Money Can Bring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neelakantan, Shailaja

2007-01-01

Over the past four years, Pakistan's higher-education budget has increased more than sevenfold, to about $449-million. While that amounts to only 0.5 percent of Pakistan's gross domestic product, it is a big improvement from the days of barely enough to pay "measly salaries and basic bills." But for students, along with many of…

Pakistan: Ascending a Path through Regional Turmoil

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Correspondingly, the US perceives that it is Pakistan’s unwarranted and paranoid fear of India (and mistrust of the reliability of the US) that is causing...For instance, Pakistan has welcomed the Iranian offer to overcome its energy crisis with the building of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline...mitigate its effects. It may have to look both inwards and outwards to overcome this emerging crisis. It will have to carefully develop a viable

Deconstructive Pedagogy and Ideological Demystification in Post-Colonial Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansoor, Asma; Malik, Samina

2016-01-01

With post-colonial Pakistan inheriting the British colonial ideological and governmental apparatus, the English literature curriculum implemented at the university level in Pakistan carried the interpellatory baggage of its colonial past. Our interdisciplinary exploration focuses on using deconstructive pedagogy to demystify and subvert the…

Regional Studies of the Potwar Plateau Area, Northern Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Wardlaw, Bruce R.

2007-01-01

The papers in this volume are products of a cooperative program between the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), sponsored by the Government of Pakistan and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The focus of the program, the Coal Resources Exploration and Assessment Program (COALREAP), was to explore and assess Pakistan?s indigenous coal resources. As part of COALREAP, GSP and USGS geologists conducted regional geologic studies from 1988 to 1991 of the coal-bearing areas in the Potwar region of northern Pakistan. A reference section was selected from which to obtain faunal and floral analyses. The composite sections at Nammal Pass and Nammal Dam served as the basis for this regional reference. Although this Bulletin 2078 is being released in 2007, the writing and technical reviews were completed in 1993, and the chapters reflect the work done until that time. During the long production process for the Bulletin, which ultimately resulted in the oversize plates being digitized, the scientific content of the chapters was not changed, and most reports published since 1993 were not cited. A change in the age of the Patala Formation is discussed below [in the full preface], but the age discussions and illustrations in the chapters were not updated.

OMG Earthquake! Can Twitter improve earthquake response?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earle, P. S.; Guy, M.; Ostrum, C.; Horvath, S.; Buckmaster, R. A.

2009-12-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is investigating how the social networking site Twitter, a popular service for sending and receiving short, public, text messages, can augment its earthquake response products and the delivery of hazard information. The goal is to gather near real-time, earthquake-related messages (tweets) and provide geo-located earthquake detections and rough maps of the corresponding felt areas. Twitter and other social Internet technologies are providing the general public with anecdotal earthquake hazard information before scientific information has been published from authoritative sources. People local to an event often publish information within seconds via these technologies. In contrast, depending on the location of the earthquake, scientific alerts take between 2 to 20 minutes. Examining the tweets following the March 30, 2009, M4.3 Morgan Hill earthquake shows it is possible (in some cases) to rapidly detect and map the felt area of an earthquake using Twitter responses. Within a minute of the earthquake, the frequency of “earthquake” tweets rose above the background level of less than 1 per hour to about 150 per minute. Using the tweets submitted in the first minute, a rough map of the felt area can be obtained by plotting the tweet locations. Mapping the tweets from the first six minutes shows observations extending from Monterey to Sacramento, similar to the perceived shaking region mapped by the USGS “Did You Feel It” system. The tweets submitted after the earthquake also provided (very) short first-impression narratives from people who experienced the shaking. Accurately assessing the potential and robustness of a Twitter-based system is difficult because only tweets spanning the previous seven days can be searched, making a historical study impossible. We have, however, been archiving tweets for several months, and it is clear that significant limitations do exist. The main drawback is the lack of quantitative information

On- and off-fault deformation associated with the September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan earthquake: implications for geologic slip rate measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gold, Ryan D.; Reitman, Nadine G.; Briggs, Richard; Barnhart, William; Hayes, Gavin; Wilson, Earl M.

2015-01-01

The 24 September 2013 Mw7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake ruptured a ~ 200 km-long stretch of the Hoshab fault in southern Pakistan and produced the second-largest lateral surface displacement observed for a continental strike-slip earthquake. We remotely measured surface deformation associated with this event using high-resolution (0.5 m) pre- and post-event satellite optical imagery. We document left lateral, near-field, on-fault offsets (10 m from fault) using 309 laterally offset piercing points, such as streams, terrace risers, and roads. Peak near-field displacement is 13.6 + 2.5/− 3.4 m. We characterize off-fault deformation by measuring medium- (< 350 m from fault) and far-field (> 350 m from fault) displacement using manual (259 measurements) and automated image cross-correlation methods, respectively. Off-fault peak lateral displacement values are ~ 15 m and exceed on-fault displacement magnitudes for ~ 85% of the rupture length. Our observations suggest that for this rupture, coseismic surface displacement typically increases with distance away from the surface trace of the fault; however, nearly 100% of total surface displacement occurs within a few hundred meters of the primary fault trace. Furthermore, off-fault displacement accounts for, on average, 28% of the total displacement but exhibits a highly heterogeneous along-strike pattern. The best agreement between near-field and far-field displacements generally corresponds to the narrowest fault zone widths. Our analysis demonstrates significant and heterogeneous mismatches between on- and off-fault coseismic deformation, and we conclude that this phenomenon should be considered in hazard models based on geologically determined on-fault slip rates.

Palliative care in Pakistan.

PubMed

Khan, Robyna Irshad

2017-01-01

Pakistan is a developing country of South East Asia, with all the incumbent difficulties currently being faced by the region. Insufficient public healthcare facilities, poorly regulated private health sector, low budgetary allocation for health, improper priority setting while allocating limited resources, have resulted essentially in an absence of palliative care from the healthcare scene. Almost 90% of healthcare expenditure is out of the patient's pocket with more than 45% of population living below the poverty line. All these factors have a collective potential to translate into an end-of-life care disaster as a large percentage of population is suffering from chronic debilitating/terminal diseases. So far, such a disaster has not materialised, the reason being a family based culture emphasising the care of the sick and old at home, supported by religious teachings. This culture is not limited to Pakistan but subsists in the entire sub-continent, where looking after the sick/elderly at home is considered to be the duty of the younger generation. With effects of globalisation, more and more older people are living alone and an increasing need for palliative care is being realised. However, there does not seem to be any plan on the part of the public or private sectors to initiate palliative care services. This paper seeks to trace the social and cultural perspectives in Pakistan with regards to accessing palliative care in the context of healthcare facilities available.

Pakistan embarks on new campaign to reduce fertility.

PubMed

1992-01-01

There was both international and domestic significance in a plea for population stabilization issued by Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his address at the recent Earth Summit conference in Rio de Janeiro. Speaking as both a national leader and chairman of the Group of 77, a coalition of developing countries, Sharif said that to eradicate the abject poverty under which more than a billion people in the world live today "developing countries must assume their full responsibility in limiting population growth to manageable levels." Those words may seem odd coming from the leader of a country that has been indifferent about population problems for the past 2 decades. Until Prime Minister Sharif made a public commitment to a population program last July, the last leader of Pakistan to take such action was the late President Ayub Khan in 1969. With an annual 3.1% growth rate, Pakistan's population of 122 million is projected to double in only 23 years. The average Pakistani woman has 6.1 children in her reproductive lifetime. Reduction of population growth was an issue in the October 1990 election campaign. After his Islamic Democratic Alliance won, the government named Syeda Abida Hussain, a prominent and popular politician, to the cabinet post of Minister of Family Welfare. Hussain, who is now Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, recalls that many experts felt that starting a population program would be "an impossible undertaking, "that" attitudes were not conducive to family planning and government would never support it." In a speech on World Population Day in Rio, organized by the Population Institute, she said she soon found that "the problems were managerial, not attitudinal." She maintained that the relatively low acceptance of contraception among the people of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India is not because of religion or ideology "but because they are too poor to have access to birth control." Shortly after Hussain was names Minister of Family Welfare, she

Twitter earthquake detection: Earthquake monitoring in a social world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Earle, Paul S.; Bowden, Daniel C.; Guy, Michelle R.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is investigating how the social networking site Twitter, a popular service for sending and receiving short, public text messages, can augment USGS earthquake response products and the delivery of hazard information. Rapid detection and qualitative assessment of shaking events are possible because people begin sending public Twitter messages (tweets) with in tens of seconds after feeling shaking. Here we present and evaluate an earthquake detection procedure that relies solely on Twitter data. A tweet-frequency time series constructed from tweets containing the word "earthquake" clearly shows large peaks correlated with the origin times of widely felt events. To identify possible earthquakes, we use a short-term-average, long-term-average algorithm. When tuned to a moderate sensitivity, the detector finds 48 globally-distributed earthquakes with only two false triggers in five months of data. The number of detections is small compared to the 5,175 earthquakes in the USGS global earthquake catalog for the same five-month time period, and no accurate location or magnitude can be assigned based on tweet data alone. However, Twitter earthquake detections are not without merit. The detections are generally caused by widely felt events that are of more immediate interest than those with no human impact. The detections are also fast; about 75% occur within two minutes of the origin time. This is considerably faster than seismographic detections in poorly instrumented regions of the world. The tweets triggering the detections also provided very short first-impression narratives from people who experienced the shaking.

Crustal earthquake triggering by pre-historic great earthquakes on subduction zone thrusts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherrod, Brian; Gomberg, Joan

2014-01-01

Triggering of earthquakes on upper plate faults during and shortly after recent great (M>8.0) subduction thrust earthquakes raises concerns about earthquake triggering following Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes. Of particular regard to Cascadia was the previously noted, but only qualitatively identified, clustering of M>~6.5 crustal earthquakes in the Puget Sound region between about 1200–900 cal yr B.P. and the possibility that this was triggered by a great Cascadia thrust subduction thrust earthquake, and therefore portends future such clusters. We confirm quantitatively the extraordinary nature of the Puget Sound region crustal earthquake clustering between 1200–900 cal yr B.P., at least over the last 16,000. We conclude that this cluster was not triggered by the penultimate, and possibly full-margin, great Cascadia subduction thrust earthquake. However, we also show that the paleoseismic record for Cascadia is consistent with conclusions of our companion study of the global modern record outside Cascadia, that M>8.6 subduction thrust events have a high probability of triggering at least one or more M>~6.5 crustal earthquakes.

Analysis of misoprostol and chlorhexidine policy gains in Pakistan: the advocacy experience of Mercy Corps Pakistan.

PubMed

Sarwar, Zahida; Cutherell, Andrea; Noor, Arif; Naureen, Farah; Norman, Jennifer

2015-11-25

While Pakistan has made progress toward achieving Millennium Development Goal 5 for maternal health, it is unlikely to achieve the target; further, it is also not on track for Millennium Development Goal 4 regarding child health. Two low-cost, temperature stable and life-saving drugs, misoprostol and chlorhexidine, can respectively avert maternal and newborn deaths, and are particularly pertinent for poor and marginalized areas which bear the brunt of maternal and newborn deaths in Pakistan. In response, Mercy Corps led focused advocacy efforts to promote changes in policies, protocols, and regulatory environments for misoprostol (2012-2014) and for chlorhexidine (2014). These short-duration advocacy projects facilitated significant policy gains, such as inclusion of misoprostol and chlorhexidine into province-specific essential drug lists, development and endorsement of clinical protocols for the two drugs by provincial health departments, inclusion of misoprostol into pre-service training curriculum for several health cadres, and application for registration of chlorhexidine (at the concentration required for newborn care) by two pharmaceutical companies. These results were achieved by a consultative and evidence-based process which generated feedback from community members, program implementers, and policymakers, and ultimately put the government in the driver's seat to facilitate change. Community Action Dialogue forums were linked with provincial-level Technical Working Groups and Provincial Steering Committees, who passed on endorsed recommendations to the Health Secretary. The key factors which facilitated change were the identification of champions within the provincial health departments, prioritization of relationship building and follow-up, focus on concrete advocacy aims rather than broad objectives, and the use of multi-stakeholder forums to secure an enabling environment for the policy changes to take root. While these advocacy initiatives resulted in

Regression in polio eradication in Pakistan: A national tragedy.

PubMed

Kanwal, Sumaira; Hussain, Abrar; Mannan, Shazia; Perveen, Shazia

2016-03-01

Polio is one out of 200 infections results to lasting paralysis, usually in the legs. The year 2014 has been the saddest year for the Pakistan when the World was about to eliminate Polio from all over the World. In year 1994 Pakistan took the initiative to eliminate Polio from the country. The efforts were going well until 2005, when Pakistan was on the wedge to overcome the Disease. The hopes were high that soon Pakistan will become a polio-virus-free country, but the drone strikes in FATA and the rise of different militant groups as a reaction of the drone attacks in FATA made it difficult for the health workers to continue their vaccination campaigns in these areas. However various factors ruined the efforts made to eradicate Polio. In Pakistan, polio is widespread to three sections. These are Karachi, Quetta block (Quetta, Pishin and Killah Abdullah district) and FATA and Peshawar district. Numerous things are accountable for polio flourishing in these regions. These comprise near to the ground socioeconomic rank of the families, not having the knowledge concerning hazard caused by polio and disinformation by limited significant people concerning how polio vaccines fabricate damage. In 2014, only 3 countries in the world remain polio-endemic: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. From year 2012-2014 the number of registered Polio cases is on rise contrary to rest of the other two Polio-endemic countries. In spite of the extensive work done by Polio workers the number of Polio cases has broken the 16 year record. The situation is getting worse because it can also be threatening to the rest of the World.

Streptomyces caldifontis sp. nov., isolated from a hot water spring of Tatta Pani, Kotli, Pakistan.

PubMed

Amin, Arshia; Ahmed, Iftikhar; Khalid, Nauman; Osman, Ghenijan; Khan, Inam Ullah; Xiao, Min; Li, Wen-Jun

2017-01-01

A Gram-staining positive, non-motile, rod-shaped, catalase positive and oxidase negative bacterium, designated NCCP-1331 T , was isolated from a hot water spring soil collected from Tatta Pani, Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The isolate grew at a temperature range of 18-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum 7.0) and with 0-6 % NaCl (optimum 2 % NaCl (w/v)). The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain NCCP-1331 T belonged to the genus Streptomyces and is closely related to Streptomyces brevispora BK160 T with 97.9 % nucleotide similarity, followed by Streptomyces drosdowiczii NRRL B-24297 T with 97.8 % nucleotide similarity. The DNA-DNA relatedness values of strain NCCP-1331 T with S. brevispora KACC 21093 T and S. drosdowiczii CBMAI 0498 T were 42.7 and 34.7 %, respectively. LL-DAP was detected as diagnostic amino acid along with alanine, glycine, leucine and glutamic acid. The isolate contained MK-9(H 8 ) as the predominant menaquinone. Major polar lipids detected in NCCP-1331 T were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and unidentified phospholipids. Major fatty acids were iso-C 16: 0 , summed feature 8 (18:1 ω7c/18:1 ω6c), anteiso-C 15:0 and C 16:0 . The genomic DNA G + C content was 69.8 mol %. On the basis of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analysis, it is concluded that strain NCCP-1331 T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces caldifontis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NCCP-1331 T (=KCTC 39537 T  = CPCC 204147 T ).

Drinking Water Quality Status and Contamination in Pakistan.

PubMed

Daud, M K; Nafees, Muhammad; Ali, Shafaqat; Rizwan, Muhammad; Bajwa, Raees Ahmad; Shakoor, Muhammad Bilal; Arshad, Muhammad Umair; Chatha, Shahzad Ali Shahid; Deeba, Farah; Murad, Waheed; Malook, Ijaz; Zhu, Shui Jin

2017-01-01

Due to alarming increase in population and rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is being deteriorated day by day in Pakistan. This review sums up the outcomes of various research studies conducted for drinking water quality status of different areas of Pakistan by taking into account the physicochemical properties of drinking water as well as the presence of various pathogenic microorganisms. About 20% of the whole population of Pakistan has access to safe drinking water. The remaining 80% of population is forced to use unsafe drinking water due to the scarcity of safe and healthy drinking water sources. The primary source of contamination is sewerage (fecal) which is extensively discharged into drinking water system supplies. Secondary source of pollution is the disposal of toxic chemicals from industrial effluents, pesticides, and fertilizers from agriculture sources into the water bodies. Anthropogenic activities cause waterborne diseases that constitute about 80% of all diseases and are responsible for 33% of deaths. This review highlights the drinking water quality, contamination sources, sanitation situation, and effects of unsafe drinking water on humans. There is immediate need to take protective measures and treatment technologies to overcome unhygienic condition of drinking water supplies in different areas of Pakistan.

Pakistan and Water: New Pressures on Global Security and Human Health

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Indus River is the major source of water for the more than 180 million people of Pakistan. A rapidly increasing population over the past 60 years has created new pressures on water that was once a plentiful resource for the health and development of the country. Rising tensions between India and Pakistan, which share the Indus flow, may lead to violent confrontation in an already volatile part of the globe. The recent flooding, which affected more than 20 million people, drew attention to poor management of the rivers of Pakistan. Public health has the scientific knowledge and professional capacity to help develop water management practices that could improve population health in Pakistan. PMID:21421956

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences: A bibliometric assessment 2001-2010

PubMed Central

Baladi, Zameer Hussain; Umedani, Loung V.

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the growth of scientific research, authors’ productivity, affiliation with the institute and geographic locations published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences during the period of 2001 – 2010. Methods: This numerical analysis was conducted during mid-August 2016 to mid-October, 2016. The data for the study was downloaded from websites of e-journal of Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences (PJMS) and Pak Medi-Net Com. Results: A total number of 1199 articled were covered by PJMS in 10 volumes and 40 issues with contribution of 3798 (3%) authors during 2001 – 2010. The average number of papers per issue is 30%. A gender wise contribution of males was higher 3050 (80%) than the females 748 (20%). A majority of articles were multi-authored 1052 (87%) as opposed to single author contribution 147 (13%). All 1199 articles were covered under four major disciplines i.e Basic medical sciences, medicine & allied, surgery & allied and radiological sciences and 39 sub-specialties according to medical subject headings (MeSH). It observed that 467 (39%) articles were published in Pakistan and 732 (61%) articles produced by other 32 countries. The Karachi city of Pakistan has produced 199 (16%) articles as highest as its national level and followed by Tehran (Iran) 77 (6%) as followed internationally. Conclusion: This study reveals that the participation of 32 countries in the PJMS publications proves it to be an internationally circulated journal to support research with the constant approach of publishing articles to each volume in basic medical sciences, biomedical, clinical and public health sciences. Abbreviations: DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals IMEMR: Index Medicus Eastern Mediterranean Region HEC: Higher Education Commission (Pakistan) PJMS: Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences MeSH: Medical Subject Headings PMDC: Pakistan Medical & Dental Council SCIE: Science Citation Index Expanded PMID:28811801

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences: A bibliometric assessment 2001-2010.

PubMed

Baladi, Zameer Hussain; Umedani, Loung V

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to measure the growth of scientific research, authors' productivity, affiliation with the institute and geographic locations published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences during the period of 2001 - 2010. This numerical analysis was conducted during mid-August 2016 to mid-October, 2016. The data for the study was downloaded from websites of e-journal of Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences (PJMS) and Pak Medi-Net Com. A total number of 1199 articled were covered by PJMS in 10 volumes and 40 issues with contribution of 3798 (3%) authors during 2001 - 2010. The average number of papers per issue is 30%. A gender wise contribution of males was higher 3050 (80%) than the females 748 (20%). A majority of articles were multi-authored 1052 (87%) as opposed to single author contribution 147 (13%). All 1199 articles were covered under four major disciplines i.e Basic medical sciences, medicine & allied, surgery & allied and radiological sciences and 39 sub-specialties according to medical subject headings (MeSH). It observed that 467 (39%) articles were published in Pakistan and 732 (61%) articles produced by other 32 countries. The Karachi city of Pakistan has produced 199 (16%) articles as highest as its national level and followed by Tehran (Iran) 77 (6%) as followed internationally. This study reveals that the participation of 32 countries in the PJMS publications proves it to be an internationally circulated journal to support research with the constant approach of publishing articles to each volume in basic medical sciences, biomedical, clinical and public health sciences. Abbreviations: DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals IMEMR: Index Medicus Eastern Mediterranean Region HEC: Higher Education Commission (Pakistan) PJMS: Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences MeSH: Medical Subject Headings PMDC: Pakistan Medical & Dental Council SCIE: Science Citation Index Expanded.

Impact of earthquakes on sex ratio at birth: Eastern Marmara earthquakes

PubMed Central

Doğer, Emek; Çakıroğlu, Yiğit; Köpük, Şule Yıldırım; Ceylan, Yasin; Şimşek, Hayal Uzelli; Çalışkan, Eray

2013-01-01

Objective: Previous reports suggest that maternal exposure to acute stress related to earthquakes affects the sex ratio at birth. Our aim was to examine the change in sex ratio at birth after Eastern Marmara earthquake disasters. Material and Methods: This study was performed using the official birth statistics from January 1997 to December 2002 – before and after 17 August 1999, the date of the Golcuk Earthquake – supplied from the Turkey Statistics Institute. The secondary sex ratio was expressed as the male proportion at birth, and the ratio of both affected and unaffected areas were calculated and compared on a monthly basis using data from gender with using the Chi-square test. Results: We observed significant decreases in the secondary sex ratio in the 4th and 8th months following an earthquake in the affected region compared to the unaffected region (p= 0.001 and p= 0.024). In the earthquake region, the decrease observed in the secondary sex ratio during the 8th month after an earthquake was specific to the period after the earthquake. Conclusion: Our study indicated a significant reduction in the secondary sex ratio after an earthquake. With these findings, events that cause sudden intense stress such as earthquakes can have an effect on the sex ratio at birth. PMID:24592082

Obesity, An Emerging Epidemic In Pakistan-A Review Of Evidence.

PubMed

Tanzil, Sana; Jamali, Tanzil

2016-01-01

In Pakistan, the disease pattern is facing a huge changeover from acute and communicable diseases to the non-communicable diseases. Moreover, an emerging epidemic of obesity is still under recognized in Pakistan. A detailed review and dissemination of the existing knowledge to determine the extent of burden of obesity can help understand this important public health issue. A detailed literature review was conducted through PubMed search engines, regarding obesity burden in Pakistan. The original peer reviewed research articles, reports of WHO in English language, non-government organizations reports were included in the review. "Obesity AND Pakistan" were used as a search terms. Pakistan is suffering from epidemic of obesity, affecting all age groups. Urban population, particularly women shows considerable higher burden of obesity as compared to men and women from rural population. However, among children and adolescents there is variation in prevalence of obesity. Girls from all age groups are predominantly more obese as compared to boys. Most of the studies have estimated child obesity among school going children of different age groups and need careful interpretation. Pakistan is currently suffering from an emerging epidemic of obesity. The rising burden of obesity is widespread among adults (man and women) and children. The burden of obesity is higher among females in all age groups as compare to males. Effective interventions are required at population level to prevent and control this emerging public health issue.

Returns to Schooling, Ability and Cognitive Skills in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aslam, Monazza; Bari, Faisal; Kingdon, Geeta

2012-01-01

This study investigates the economic outcomes of education for wage earners in Pakistan. This is done by analysing the relationship between schooling, cognitive skills and ability, on the one hand, and economic activity, occupation, sectoral choice and earnings, on the other. In Pakistan, an important question remains largely unaddressed: what…

Large-Scale Earthquake Countermeasures Act and the Earthquake Prediction Council in Japan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rikitake, T.

1979-08-07

The Large-Scale Earthquake Countermeasures Act was enacted in Japan in December 1978. This act aims at mitigating earthquake hazards by designating an area to be an area under intensified measures against earthquake disaster, such designation being based on long-term earthquake prediction information, and by issuing an earthquake warnings statement based on imminent prediction information, when possible. In an emergency case as defined by the law, the prime minister will be empowered to take various actions which cannot be taken at ordinary times. For instance, he may ask the Self-Defense Force to come into the earthquake-threatened area before the earthquake occurrence.more » A Prediction Council has been formed in order to evaluate premonitory effects that might be observed over the Tokai area, which was designated an area under intensified measures against earthquake disaster some time in June 1979. An extremely dense observation network has been constructed over the area.« less

Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication - Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2009.

PubMed

2010-03-12

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nigeria are the four remaining countries where indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission has never been interrupted. This report updates previous reports and describes polio eradication activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan during January-December 2009 and proposed activities in 2010 to address challenges. During 2009, both countries continued to conduct coordinated supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) and used multiple strategies to reach previously unreached children. These strategies included 1) use of short interval additional dose (SIAD) SIAs to administer a dose of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) within 1-2 weeks after a prior dose during negotiated periods of security; 2) systematic engagement of local leaders; 3) negotiations with conflict parties; and 4) increased engagement of nongovernmental organizations delivering basic health services. However, security problems continued to limit access by vaccination teams to large numbers of children. In Afghanistan, poliovirus transmission during 2009 predominantly occurred in 12 high-risk districts in the conflict-affected South Region; 38 WPV cases were confirmed in 2009, compared with 31 in 2008. In Pakistan, 89 WPV cases were confirmed in 2009, compared with 118 in 2008, but transmission persisted both in security-compromised areas and in accessible areas, where managerial and operational problems continued to affect immunization coverage. Continued efforts to enhance safe access of vaccination teams in insecure areas will be required for further progress toward interruption of WPV transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In addition, substantial improvements in subnational accountability and oversight are needed to improve immunization activities in Pakistan.

Introduction and evolution of dengue virus type 2 in Pakistan: a phylogeographic analysis.

PubMed

Akram, Madiha; Fatima, Zareen; Purdy, Mike A; Sue, Amanda; Saleem, Sana; Amin, Irum; Shahid, Muhammad; Idrees, Muhammad; Nawaz, Rabia

2015-09-22

Pattern of Dengue periodic epidemics through the years along with sporadic cases of Dengue hemorrhagic fever followed by a severe 2011 epidemic of Dengue fever in Pakistan make Pakistan a Dengue endemic country. To study the entry and evolution of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) in Pakistan, we sequenced three full length genomes and 24 complete envelope sequences of DENV-2 from the years 2010, 2011 and 2013 collected from Punjab province of Pakistan. Phylogenetic and Bayesian phylogeographic analyses was applied to three full genome sequences as well as 24 envelope sequences to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of DENV-2 in Pakistan. Most of the DENV-2 viruses from the years 2008 to 2013 formed a monophyletic Pakistani clade in IVb sublineage of cosmopolitan genotype except one 2008 DENV-2 strain. Phylogeographic analysis revealed that this 2008 DENV-2 strain was rooted to India 25.4 years ago with a location probability of 0.88. However Pakistani clade rooted back to Sri Lanka 12.6 years ago with a location probability of 0.57. DENV-2 genotype IV was introduced in Pakistan in two time events. First event was introduction from India to Pakistan in the late 1980s (around 1986), and second event was introduction from Sri Lanka to Pakistan around 2000. The later introduction event was responsible for major outbreaks in the Punjab region of Pakistan, including major 2011 outbreak. After the second Introduction event, DENV-2 circulated locally in the region forming a distinct Sublineage within the IVb cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2.

Foreshocks, aftershocks, and earthquake probabilities: Accounting for the landers earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Lucile M.

1994-01-01

The equation to determine the probability that an earthquake occurring near a major fault will be a foreshock to a mainshock on that fault is modified to include the case of aftershocks to a previous earthquake occurring near the fault. The addition of aftershocks to the background seismicity makes its less probable that an earthquake will be a foreshock, because nonforeshocks have become more common. As the aftershocks decay with time, the probability that an earthquake will be a foreshock increases. However, fault interactions between the first mainshock and the major fault can increase the long-term probability of a characteristic earthquake on that fault, which will, in turn, increase the probability that an event is a foreshock, compensating for the decrease caused by the aftershocks.

Pakistans Nuclear Weapons

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-12

not be subject to International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) safeguards have the potential to produce 280...PNRA states that Pakistan follows IAEA physical protection standards. Proliferation A fundamental aspect of nuclear security is ensuring that...related to the design and fabrication of a nuclear explosive device,” according to the IAEA (Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the

Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part B, historical earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, Russell L.

2014-01-01

Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax: the moment magnitude of the largest earthquake that is thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. The region specified in this report is the Central and Eastern United States and adjacent Canada. Parts A and B of this report describe the construction of a global catalog of moderate to large earthquakes that occurred worldwide in tectonic analogs of the Central and Eastern United States. Examination of histograms of the magnitudes of these earthquakes allows estimation of Central and Eastern United States Mmax. The catalog and Mmax estimates derived from it are used in the 2014 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey national seismic-hazard maps. Part A deals with prehistoric earthquakes, and this part deals with historical events.

Research productivity of Pakistan in medical sciences during the period 1996-2012.

PubMed

Meo, S A; Almasri, A A; Usmani, A M

2013-11-01

This study aimed to investigate the degree of research outcome in medical science subjects in Pakistan during the period 1996-2012. In this study, the research papers published in various global science journals during the period 1996-2012 were accessed. We recorded the total number of research documents having an affiliation with a Pakistan. The main source for information was Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science, Thomson Reuters and SCI-mago/Scopus. In global science, Pakistan contributed 58133 research papers in all science and social sciences both in ISI and non ISI indexed journals. However, in medical sciences the total number of research papers from Pakistan are 25604, citable documents 23874, citations 128061, mean citations per documents 6.45 and mean Hirsch index is 35.33. In Pakistan, the upward trend of articles published in global medical science was from the period 1996-2008. However, from 2008 the trend is markedly declined. Pakistan significantly improved its international ranking positions in research during the period 2000-2008. However, the upward trend of research papers published in global medical science could not be retained and from the year 2008 the trend started declining. This trend of research papers further declined in year 2012 compared to year 2011. It is suggested that, Pakistan must take strategic steps to enhance the research culture and increase the research and development expenditure in the country.

Earthquake and tsunami forecasts: Relation of slow slip events to subsequent earthquake rupture

PubMed Central

Dixon, Timothy H.; Jiang, Yan; Malservisi, Rocco; McCaffrey, Robert; Voss, Nicholas; Protti, Marino; Gonzalez, Victor

2014-01-01

The 5 September 2012 Mw 7.6 earthquake on the Costa Rica subduction plate boundary followed a 62-y interseismic period. High-precision GPS recorded numerous slow slip events (SSEs) in the decade leading up to the earthquake, both up-dip and down-dip of seismic rupture. Deeper SSEs were larger than shallower ones and, if characteristic of the interseismic period, release most locking down-dip of the earthquake, limiting down-dip rupture and earthquake magnitude. Shallower SSEs were smaller, accounting for some but not all interseismic locking. One SSE occurred several months before the earthquake, but changes in Mohr–Coulomb failure stress were probably too small to trigger the earthquake. Because many SSEs have occurred without subsequent rupture, their individual predictive value is limited, but taken together they released a significant amount of accumulated interseismic strain before the earthquake, effectively defining the area of subsequent seismic rupture (rupture did not occur where slow slip was common). Because earthquake magnitude depends on rupture area, this has important implications for earthquake hazard assessment. Specifically, if this behavior is representative of future earthquake cycles and other subduction zones, it implies that monitoring SSEs, including shallow up-dip events that lie offshore, could lead to accurate forecasts of earthquake magnitude and tsunami potential. PMID:25404327

Earthquake and tsunami forecasts: relation of slow slip events to subsequent earthquake rupture.

PubMed

Dixon, Timothy H; Jiang, Yan; Malservisi, Rocco; McCaffrey, Robert; Voss, Nicholas; Protti, Marino; Gonzalez, Victor

2014-12-02

The 5 September 2012 M(w) 7.6 earthquake on the Costa Rica subduction plate boundary followed a 62-y interseismic period. High-precision GPS recorded numerous slow slip events (SSEs) in the decade leading up to the earthquake, both up-dip and down-dip of seismic rupture. Deeper SSEs were larger than shallower ones and, if characteristic of the interseismic period, release most locking down-dip of the earthquake, limiting down-dip rupture and earthquake magnitude. Shallower SSEs were smaller, accounting for some but not all interseismic locking. One SSE occurred several months before the earthquake, but changes in Mohr-Coulomb failure stress were probably too small to trigger the earthquake. Because many SSEs have occurred without subsequent rupture, their individual predictive value is limited, but taken together they released a significant amount of accumulated interseismic strain before the earthquake, effectively defining the area of subsequent seismic rupture (rupture did not occur where slow slip was common). Because earthquake magnitude depends on rupture area, this has important implications for earthquake hazard assessment. Specifically, if this behavior is representative of future earthquake cycles and other subduction zones, it implies that monitoring SSEs, including shallow up-dip events that lie offshore, could lead to accurate forecasts of earthquake magnitude and tsunami potential.

Understanding earthquake hazards in urban areas - Evansville Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, Oliver S.

2012-01-01

The region surrounding Evansville, Indiana, has experienced minor damage from earthquakes several times in the past 200 years. Because of this history and the proximity of Evansville to the Wabash Valley and New Madrid seismic zones, there is concern among nearby communities about hazards from earthquakes. Earthquakes currently cannot be predicted, but scientists can estimate how strongly the ground is likely to shake as a result of an earthquake and are able to design structures to withstand this estimated ground shaking. Earthquake-hazard maps provide one way of conveying such information and can help the region of Evansville prepare for future earthquakes and reduce earthquake-caused loss of life and financial and structural loss. The Evansville Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project (EAEHMP) has produced three types of hazard maps for the Evansville area: (1) probabilistic seismic-hazard maps show the ground motion that is expected to be exceeded with a given probability within a given period of time; (2) scenario ground-shaking maps show the expected shaking from two specific scenario earthquakes; (3) liquefaction-potential maps show how likely the strong ground shaking from the scenario earthquakes is to produce liquefaction. These maps complement the U.S. Geological Survey's National Seismic Hazard Maps but are more detailed regionally and take into account surficial geology, soil thickness, and soil stiffness; these elements greatly affect ground shaking.

Continuing megathrust earthquake potential in Chile after the 2014 Iquique earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, Gavin P.; Herman, Matthew W.; Barnhart, William D.; Furlong, Kevin P.; Riquelme, Sebástian; Benz, Harley M.; Bergman, Eric; Barrientos, Sergio; Earle, Paul S.; Samsonov, Sergey

2014-01-01

The seismic gap theory identifies regions of elevated hazard based on a lack of recent seismicity in comparison with other portions of a fault. It has successfully explained past earthquakes (see, for example, ref. 2) and is useful for qualitatively describing where large earthquakes might occur. A large earthquake had been expected in the subduction zone adjacent to northern Chile which had not ruptured in a megathrust earthquake since a M ~8.8 event in 1877. On 1 April 2014 a M 8.2 earthquake occurred within this seismic gap. Here we present an assessment of the seismotectonics of the March–April 2014 Iquique sequence, including analyses of earthquake relocations, moment tensors, finite fault models, moment deficit calculations and cumulative Coulomb stress transfer. This ensemble of information allows us to place the sequence within the context of regional seismicity and to identify areas of remaining and/or elevated hazard. Our results constrain the size and spatial extent of rupture, and indicate that this was not the earthquake that had been anticipated. Significant sections of the northern Chile subduction zone have not ruptured in almost 150 years, so it is likely that future megathrust earthquakes will occur to the south and potentially to the north of the 2014 Iquique sequence.

Continuing megathrust earthquake potential in Chile after the 2014 Iquique earthquake.

PubMed

Hayes, Gavin P; Herman, Matthew W; Barnhart, William D; Furlong, Kevin P; Riquelme, Sebástian; Benz, Harley M; Bergman, Eric; Barrientos, Sergio; Earle, Paul S; Samsonov, Sergey

2014-08-21

The seismic gap theory identifies regions of elevated hazard based on a lack of recent seismicity in comparison with other portions of a fault. It has successfully explained past earthquakes (see, for example, ref. 2) and is useful for qualitatively describing where large earthquakes might occur. A large earthquake had been expected in the subduction zone adjacent to northern Chile, which had not ruptured in a megathrust earthquake since a M ∼8.8 event in 1877. On 1 April 2014 a M 8.2 earthquake occurred within this seismic gap. Here we present an assessment of the seismotectonics of the March-April 2014 Iquique sequence, including analyses of earthquake relocations, moment tensors, finite fault models, moment deficit calculations and cumulative Coulomb stress transfer. This ensemble of information allows us to place the sequence within the context of regional seismicity and to identify areas of remaining and/or elevated hazard. Our results constrain the size and spatial extent of rupture, and indicate that this was not the earthquake that had been anticipated. Significant sections of the northern Chile subduction zone have not ruptured in almost 150 years, so it is likely that future megathrust earthquakes will occur to the south and potentially to the north of the 2014 Iquique sequence.

First ever Evaluation of Atmospheric Lightning Activity in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahzad, M. I.; Qaiser, S.; Campbell, J. R.; Mahmud, S.

2016-12-01

In Pakistan, most of the atmospheric lightning occurs in monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons. To prevent or at least minimize the unforeseen property damages and human casuality, we need to identify the vulnerable locations to lightning in Pakistan. However, unfortunately, there has not been any study regarding the lightning hazards to date for Pakistan. In this study satellite based datasets of location and Time of Occurrence (TOA) along with ground data for subset of thunderstorms are used to identify lightning-prone locations in Pakistan for the years 2001-2014. This is the first study to compute climatologies for lighting activity, identifying locations that are susceptible to high, moderate and low lightning activities regionally. Results of the study indicate that lightning activity is comparatively higher over the mountain and sub-mountain regions in the Punjab, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa (KPK) provinces. Overall, there is a significant increase in lighting activity in Pakistan from 2001-2014 with more than a 138 % increase near Islamabad and Karachi, indicating the development a lightening dipole. Interestingly, lightning data shows a strong correlation between flashes-per-year and El Niño and La Niña conditions. Atmospheric lightning in Pakistan shows a seasonal pattern, with significant dependencies on Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Total Cloud Cover, Convective Precipitation, Soil Temperature and Total Column Ozone. Extreme lighting events are found significantly dependant on high surface temperatures, high CAPE and AOD values between 0-0.4 in pre monsoon and monsoon seasons that contribute to overall staggering high mean intra-seasonal value of 66832 flashes. The results surely demand urgent attention of the stakeholders and policy makers for proposing mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Economic Burden of Mental Illnesses in Pakistan.

PubMed

Malik, Muhammad Ashar; Khan, Murad Moosa

2016-09-01

The economic consequences of mental illnesses are much more than health consequences. In Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) the economic impact of mental illnesses is rarely analyzed. This paper attempts to fill the gap in research on economics of mental health in LMIC. We provide economic burden of mental illness in Pakistan that can serve as an argument for reorienting health policy, resource allocation and priority settings. To estimate economic burden of mental illnesses in Pakistan. The study used prevalence based cost of illnesses approach using bottom-up costing methodology. We used Aga Khan University Hospital, Psychiatry department data set (N = 1882) on admission and ambulatory care for the year 2005-06. Healthcare cost data was obtained from finance department of the hospital. Productivity losses, caregiver and travel cost were estimated using socio-economic features of patients in the data set and data of national household survey. We used stratified random sampling and methods of ordinary least square multiple linear regressions to estimate cost on medicines for ambulatory care. All estimates of cost are based on 1000 bootstrap samples by ICD-10 disease classification. Prevalence data on mental illnesses from Pakistan and regional countries was used to estimate economic burden. The economic burden of mental illnesses in Pakistan was Pakistan Rupees (PKR) 250,483 million (USD 4264.27 million) in 2006. Medical care costs and productivity losses contributed 37% and 58.97% of the economic burden respectively. Tertiary care admissions costs were 70% of total medical care costs. The average length of stay (LOS) for admissions care was around 8 days. Daily average medical care cost of admitted patients was PKR 3273 (USD 55.72). For ambulatory care, on average a patient visited the clinic twice a year. The estimated average yearly cost for all mental illnesses was PKR 81,922 (USD 1394.65) and PKR 19,592 (USD 333.54) for admissions and ambulatory care

Earthquakes: Predicting the unpredictable?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hough, Susan E.

2005-01-01

The earthquake prediction pendulum has swung from optimism in the 1970s to rather extreme pessimism in the 1990s. Earlier work revealed evidence of possible earthquake precursors: physical changes in the planet that signal that a large earthquake is on the way. Some respected earthquake scientists argued that earthquakes are likewise fundamentally unpredictable. The fate of the Parkfield prediction experiment appeared to support their arguments: A moderate earthquake had been predicted along a specified segment of the central San Andreas fault within five years of 1988, but had failed to materialize on schedule. At some point, however, the pendulum began to swing back. Reputable scientists began using the "P-word" in not only polite company, but also at meetings and even in print. If the optimism regarding earthquake prediction can be attributed to any single cause, it might be scientists' burgeoning understanding of the earthquake cycle.

Comparison of two large earthquakes: the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake and the 2011 East Japan Earthquake.

PubMed

Otani, Yuki; Ando, Takayuki; Atobe, Kaori; Haiden, Akina; Kao, Sheng-Yuan; Saito, Kohei; Shimanuki, Marie; Yoshimoto, Norifumi; Fukunaga, Koichi

2012-01-01

Between August 15th and 19th, 2011, eight 5th-year medical students from the Keio University School of Medicine had the opportunity to visit the Peking University School of Medicine and hold a discussion session titled "What is the most effective way to educate people for survival in an acute disaster situation (before the mental health care stage)?" During the session, we discussed the following six points: basic information regarding the Sichuan Earthquake and the East Japan Earthquake, differences in preparedness for earthquakes, government actions, acceptance of medical rescue teams, earthquake-induced secondary effects, and media restrictions. Although comparison of the two earthquakes was not simple, we concluded that three major points should be emphasized to facilitate the most effective course of disaster planning and action. First, all relevant agencies should formulate emergency plans and should supply information regarding the emergency to the general public and health professionals on a normal basis. Second, each citizen should be educated and trained in how to minimize the risks from earthquake-induced secondary effects. Finally, the central government should establish a single headquarters responsible for command, control, and coordination during a natural disaster emergency and should centralize all powers in this single authority. We hope this discussion may be of some use in future natural disasters in China, Japan, and worldwide.

Surface slip and off-fault deformation patterns in the 2013 MW 7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake: Implications for controls on the distribution of near-surface coseismic slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinke, Robert; Hollingsworth, James; Dolan, James F.

2014-12-01

Comparison of 398 fault offsets measured by visual analysis of WorldView high-resolution satellite imagery with deformation maps produced by COSI-Corr subpixel image correlation of Landsat-8 and SPOT5 imagery reveals significant complexity and distributed deformation along the 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake. Average slip along the main trace of the fault was 4.2 m, with local maximum offsets up to 11.4 m. Comparison of slip measured from offset geomorphic features, which record localized slip along the main strand of the fault, to the total displacement across the entire width of the surface deformation zone from COSI-Corr reveals ˜45% off-fault deformation. While previous studies have shown that the structural maturity of the fault exerts a primary control on the total percentage of off-fault surface deformation, large along-strike variations in the percentage of strain localization observed in the 2013 rupture imply the influence of important secondary controls. One such possible secondary control is the type of near-surface material through which the rupture propagated. We therefore compared the percentage off-fault deformation to the type of material (bedrock, old alluvium, and young alluvium) at the surface and the distance of the fault to the nearest bedrock outcrop (a proxy for sediment thickness along this hybrid strike slip/reverse slip fault). We find significantly more off-fault deformation in younger and/or thicker sediments. Accounting for and predicting such off-fault deformation patterns has important implications for the interpretation of geologic slip rates, especially for their use in probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, the behavior of near-surface materials during coseismic deformation, and the future development of microzonation protocols for the built environment.

The organisation, operational dynamics and structure of female sex work in Pakistan.

PubMed

Emmanuel, Faran; Thompson, Laura H; Athar, Uzma; Salim, Momina; Sonia, Altaf; Akhtar, Naeem; Blanchard, James F

2013-09-01

Pakistan is known to have large populations of female sex workers (FSWs) with considerable geographic heterogeneity in their characteristics. In this paper, we describe the social organisation and structural patterns of female sex work in different geographic regions of Pakistan. We report geographic and network mapping data collected among FSWs in 15 cities across Pakistan in 2011 as part of the Canada-Pakistan HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project. A total number of 89 178 FSWs were estimated in the target cities for an average of 7.2 FSWs per 1000 adult males. 55% of the estimated number of FSWs concentrated in Karachi and Lahore. Based on the operations of female sex work, two major typologies of FSWs were identified: establishment-based and non-establishment-based. FSWs were further subtyped into those operating through brothels, homes, kothikhanas, streets and by cell phone. Cities varied considerably in terms of predominance of different FSW typologies. There is considerable heterogeneity among FSWs in Pakistan, geographically and in terms of operational typology. Understanding the social organisation of sex work and the influence of social-cultural and legal factors in Pakistan is essential for the design of HIV prevention programmes and other services for FSWs.

Determinants of maternal health care services utilization in Pakistan: evidence from Pakistan demographic and health survey, 2012-13.

PubMed

Zakar, Rubeena; Zakar, Muhammad Zakria; Aqil, Nauman; Chaudhry, Ashraf; Nasrullah, Muazzam

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine the association between maternal utilisation of health-care services and socio-demographic factors among reproductive-age women in Pakistan. We used the sample of ever-married reproductive-age women (n = 7446) from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), 2012-13. We measured maternal utilisation of health-care services by using three dependent variables: number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, delivery assistance by a skilled health provider, and delivery in a health-care facility. Around 36.6% of women had made four or more ANC visits, 59% had received assistance from skilled health providers during delivery, and 55.3% had given birth in a health-care facility. On multivariable logistic regression, all three variables were positively associated with education and wealth, and negatively associated with birth order and women's autonomy. Policymakers and health planners may use our findings to develop efficient strategies, particularly for uneducated women and those with poor economic status, to improve the utilisation of maternal health-care services in Pakistan.

Drinking Water Quality Status and Contamination in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Nafees, Muhammad; Rizwan, Muhammad; Bajwa, Raees Ahmad; Shakoor, Muhammad Bilal; Arshad, Muhammad Umair; Chatha, Shahzad Ali Shahid; Deeba, Farah; Murad, Waheed; Malook, Ijaz

2017-01-01

Due to alarming increase in population and rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is being deteriorated day by day in Pakistan. This review sums up the outcomes of various research studies conducted for drinking water quality status of different areas of Pakistan by taking into account the physicochemical properties of drinking water as well as the presence of various pathogenic microorganisms. About 20% of the whole population of Pakistan has access to safe drinking water. The remaining 80% of population is forced to use unsafe drinking water due to the scarcity of safe and healthy drinking water sources. The primary source of contamination is sewerage (fecal) which is extensively discharged into drinking water system supplies. Secondary source of pollution is the disposal of toxic chemicals from industrial effluents, pesticides, and fertilizers from agriculture sources into the water bodies. Anthropogenic activities cause waterborne diseases that constitute about 80% of all diseases and are responsible for 33% of deaths. This review highlights the drinking water quality, contamination sources, sanitation situation, and effects of unsafe drinking water on humans. There is immediate need to take protective measures and treatment technologies to overcome unhygienic condition of drinking water supplies in different areas of Pakistan. PMID:28884130

COST OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN PAKISTAN.

PubMed

Malik, Muhammad Ashar; Gul, Wahid; Iqbal, Saleem Perwaiz; Abrejo, Farina

2015-01-01

Detailed cost analysis is an important tool for review of health policy and reforms. We provide an estimate of cost of service and its detailed breakup on out-door patient visits (OPV) to basic health units (BHU) in Pakistan. Six BHUs were randomly selected from each of the five districts in Khyber Pukhtonkhawa (KPK) and two agencies in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan for this study. Actual expenditure data and utilization data in the year 2005-06 of 42 BHUs was collected from selected district health offices in KPK and FATA. Costs were estimated for outpatient visits to BHUs. Perspective on cost estimates was district-based health planning and management of BHUs. Average recurring cost was PKR.245 (USD 4.1) per OPV to BHU. Staff salaries constituted 90% of recurrent cost. On the average there were 16 OPV per day to the BHUs. CONCLUDION: Recurrent cost per OPV has doubled from the previous estimates of cost of OPV in Baluchistan. The estimated recurrent cost was six times higher than average consultation charges with the private general practitioner (GP) in the country (i.e., PKR 50/ GP consultation). Performance of majority of the BHUs was much lower than the performance target (50 patients per day) set in the sixth five-year plan of the government of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan may use these analyses to revisit the performance target, staffinL and location of BHUs.

Injection-induced earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellsworth, William L.

2013-01-01

Earthquakes in unusual locations have become an important topic of discussion in both North America and Europe, owing to the concern that industrial activity could cause damaging earthquakes. It has long been understood that earthquakes can be induced by impoundment of reservoirs, surface and underground mining, withdrawal of fluids and gas from the subsurface, and injection of fluids into underground formations. Injection-induced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the production of oil and gas from previously unproductive formations. Earthquakes can be induced as part of the process to stimulate the production from tight shale formations, or by disposal of wastewater associated with stimulation and production. Here, I review recent seismic activity that may be associated with industrial activity, with a focus on the disposal of wastewater by injection in deep wells; assess the scientific understanding of induced earthquakes; and discuss the key scientific challenges to be met for assessing this hazard.

Satellite Monitoring of Pakistan's Rockslide-Dammed Lake Gojal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kargel, Jeffrey S.; Leonard, Gregory; Crippen, Robert E.; Delaney, Keith B.; Evans, Stephen G.; Schneider, Jean

2010-10-01

On 4 January 2010, a rockslide 1200 meters long, 350 meters wide, and 125 meters high dammed the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan, and formed Lake Gojal. The initial mass movement of rock killed 20 people and submerged several villages and 22 kilometers of the strategic Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan and China. Tens of thousands of people were displaced or cut off from overland connection with the rest of the country. On 29 May, the lake overflow began to pour through a spillway excavated by Pakistani authorities. On approximately 20 July, the lake attained a maximum depth of 119 meters and a torrent at least 9 meters deep issued over the spillway, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). To date, the natural dam is holding and eroding slowly. However, the threat of a catastrophic outburst flood remains.

Earthquakes; January-February 1982

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1982-01-01

In the United States, a number of earthquakes occurred, but only minor damage was reported. Arkansas experienced a swarm of earthquakes beginning on January 12. Canada experienced one of its strongest earthquakes in a number of years on January 9; this earthquake caused slight damage in Maine. 

Results of the Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models (RELM) test of earthquake forecasts in California.

PubMed

Lee, Ya-Ting; Turcotte, Donald L; Holliday, James R; Sachs, Michael K; Rundle, John B; Chen, Chien-Chih; Tiampo, Kristy F

2011-10-04

The Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models (RELM) test of earthquake forecasts in California was the first competitive evaluation of forecasts of future earthquake occurrence. Participants submitted expected probabilities of occurrence of M ≥ 4.95 earthquakes in 0.1° × 0.1° cells for the period 1 January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010. Probabilities were submitted for 7,682 cells in California and adjacent regions. During this period, 31 M ≥ 4.95 earthquakes occurred in the test region. These earthquakes occurred in 22 test cells. This seismic activity was dominated by earthquakes associated with the M = 7.2, April 4, 2010, El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake in northern Mexico. This earthquake occurred in the test region, and 16 of the other 30 earthquakes in the test region could be associated with it. Nine complete forecasts were submitted by six participants. In this paper, we present the forecasts in a way that allows the reader to evaluate which forecast is the most "successful" in terms of the locations of future earthquakes. We conclude that the RELM test was a success and suggest ways in which the results can be used to improve future forecasts.

Results of the Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models (RELM) test of earthquake forecasts in California

PubMed Central

Lee, Ya-Ting; Turcotte, Donald L.; Holliday, James R.; Sachs, Michael K.; Rundle, John B.; Chen, Chien-Chih; Tiampo, Kristy F.

2011-01-01

The Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models (RELM) test of earthquake forecasts in California was the first competitive evaluation of forecasts of future earthquake occurrence. Participants submitted expected probabilities of occurrence of M≥4.95 earthquakes in 0.1° × 0.1° cells for the period 1 January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010. Probabilities were submitted for 7,682 cells in California and adjacent regions. During this period, 31 M≥4.95 earthquakes occurred in the test region. These earthquakes occurred in 22 test cells. This seismic activity was dominated by earthquakes associated with the M = 7.2, April 4, 2010, El Mayor–Cucapah earthquake in northern Mexico. This earthquake occurred in the test region, and 16 of the other 30 earthquakes in the test region could be associated with it. Nine complete forecasts were submitted by six participants. In this paper, we present the forecasts in a way that allows the reader to evaluate which forecast is the most “successful” in terms of the locations of future earthquakes. We conclude that the RELM test was a success and suggest ways in which the results can be used to improve future forecasts. PMID:21949355

Induced earthquake during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (Mw7.0): Importance of real-time shake monitoring for Earthquake Early Warning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshiba, M.; Ogiso, M.

2016-12-01

Sequence of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes (Mw6.2 on April 14, Mw7.0 on April 16, and many aftershocks) caused a devastating damage at Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, Japan. During the Mw7.0 event, just after the direct S waves passing the central Oita, another M6 class event occurred there more than 80 km apart from the Mw7.0 event. The M6 event is interpreted as an induced earthquake; but it brought stronger shaking at the central Oita than that from the Mw7.0 event. We will discuss the induced earthquake from viewpoint of Earthquake Early Warning. In terms of ground shaking such as PGA and PGV, the Mw7.0 event is much smaller than those of the M6 induced earthquake at the central Oita (for example, 1/8 smaller at OIT009 station for PGA), and then it is easy to discriminate two events. However, PGD of the Mw7.0 is larger than that of the induced earthquake, and its appearance is just before the occurrence of the induced earthquake. It is quite difficult to recognize the induced earthquake from displacement waveforms only, because the displacement is strongly contaminated by that of the preceding Mw7.0 event. In many methods of EEW (including current JMA EEW system), magnitude is used for prediction of ground shaking through Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) and the magnitude is often estimated from displacement. However, displacement magnitude does not necessarily mean the best one for prediction of ground shaking, such as PGA and PGV. In case of the induced earthquake during the Kumamoto earthquake, displacement magnitude could not be estimated because of the strong contamination. Actually JMA EEW system could not recognize the induced earthquake. One of the important lessons we learned from eight years' operation of EEW is an issue of the multiple simultaneous earthquakes, such as aftershocks of the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku earthquake. Based on this lesson, we have proposed enhancement of real-time monitor of ground shaking itself instead of rapid estimation of

Earthquakes, September-October 1986

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1987-01-01

There was one great earthquake (8.0 and above) during this reporting period in the South Pacific in the Kermadec Islands. There were no major earthquakes (7.0-7.9) but earthquake-related deaths were reported in Greece and in El Salvador. There were no destrcutive earthquakes in the United States.

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater in Kashmir Valley, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeelani, G. H.; Shah, Rouf Ahmad; Hussain, Aadil

2014-06-01

Groundwater samples ( n = 163) were collected across Kashmir Valley in 2010 to assess the hydrogeochemistry of the groundwater in shallow and deep aquifers and its suitability for domestic, agriculture, horticulture, and livestock purposes. The groundwater is generally alkaline in nature. The electrical conductivity (EC) which is an index to represent the total concentration of soluble salts in water was used to measure the salinity hazard to crops as it reflects the TDS in groundwater ranging from 97 to 1385 μS/cm, except one well in Sopore. The average concentration of major ions was higher in shallow aquifers than in deeper aquifers. In general, Ca2+ is the dominant cation and HCO the dominant anion. Ca-HCO3, Mg-HCO3, Ca-Mg-HCO3, Na-HCO3 were the dominant hydrogeochemical facies. High concentration of HCO3 and pH less than 8.8 clearly indicated that intense chemical weathering processes have taken place in the study area. The groundwater flow pattern in the area follows the local surface topography which not only modifies the hydrogeochemical facies but also controls their distribution. The groundwater in valley flows into four directions, i.e., SW-NE, NE-W, SE-NW and SE-NE directions. The results suggest that carbonate dissolution is the dominant source of major ions followed by silicate weathering and ion-exchange processes. The concentrations of all the major ions determined in the present study are within the permissible limits of WHO and BIS standards. The results of Total Hardness, SAR, Na%, Kelly Index, USDA classification, Magnesium absorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, and PI suggested that groundwater is good for drinking, livestock, and irrigation purposes.

Food irradiation development in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, I.

The large scale trials were held to extend the storage life of potatoes, onions and dry fruits by gamma radiation. It was concluded that radiation preservation of potatoes and onions was much cheaper as compared to conventional methods. A dose of 1 kGy can control the insects in dry fruits and nuts. The consumers' acceptability and market testing performed during the last four years are also conducive to the commercialization of the technology in this country. The Government of Pakistan has accorded clearance for the irradiation of some food items like potatoes, onions, garlic and spices for human consumption. The Pakistan Radiation Services (PARAS), the commercial irradiator (200 Kci) at Lahore, has already started functioning in April, 1987. It is planned to start large scale sterilization of spices by gamma radiation in PARAS shortly.

mtDNA sequence diversity of Hazara ethnic group from Pakistan.

PubMed

Rakha, Allah; Fatima; Peng, Min-Sheng; Adan, Atif; Bi, Rui; Yasmin, Memona; Yao, Yong-Gang

2017-09-01

The present study was undertaken to investigate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences of Hazaras from Pakistan, so as to generate mtDNA reference database for forensic casework in Pakistan and to analyze phylogenetic relationship of this particular ethnic group with geographically proximal populations. Complete mtDNA control region (nt 16024-576) sequences were generated through Sanger Sequencing for 319 Hazara individuals from Quetta, Baluchistan. The population sample set showed a total of 189 distinct haplotypes, belonging mainly to West Eurasian (51.72%), East & Southeast Asian (29.78%) and South Asian (18.50%) haplogroups. Compared with other populations from Pakistan, the Hazara population had a relatively high haplotype diversity (0.9945) and a lower random match probability (0.0085). The dataset has been incorporated into EMPOP database under accession number EMP00680. The data herein comprises the largest, and likely most thoroughly examined, control region mtDNA dataset from Hazaras of Pakistan. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Post earthquake recovery in natural gas systems--1971 San Fernando Earthquake

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, W.T. Jr.

1983-01-01

In this paper a concise summary of the post earthquake investigations for the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake is presented. The effects of the earthquake upon building and other above ground structures are briefly discussed. Then the damages and subsequent repairs in the natural gas systems are reported.

Earthquakes; July-August, 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1979-01-01

Earthquake activity during this period was about normal. Deaths from earthquakes were reported from Greece and Guatemala. Three major earthquakes (magnitude 7.0-7.9) occurred in Taiwan, Chile, and Costa Rica. In the United States, the most significant earthquake was a magnitude 5.6 on August 13 in southern California. 

Improvements of the offshore earthquake locations in the Earthquake Early Warning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ta-Yi; Hsu, Hsin-Chih

2017-04-01

Since 2014 the Earthworm Based Earthquake Alarm Reporting (eBEAR) system has been operated and been used to issue warnings to schools. In 2015 the system started to provide warnings to the public in Taiwan via television and the cell phone. Online performance of the eBEAR system indicated that the average reporting times afforded by the system are approximately 15 and 28 s for inland and offshore earthquakes, respectively. The eBEAR system in average can provide more warning time than the current EEW system (3.2 s and 5.5 s for inland and offshore earthquakes, respectively). However, offshore earthquakes were usually located poorly because only P-wave arrivals were used in the eBEAR system. Additionally, in the early stage of the earthquake early warning system, only fewer stations are available. The poor station coverage may be a reason to answer why offshore earthquakes are difficult to locate accurately. In the Geiger's inversion procedure of earthquake location, we need to put an initial hypocenter and origin time into the location program. For the initial hypocenter, we defined some test locations on the offshore area instead of using the average of locations from triggered stations. We performed 20 programs concurrently running the Geiger's method with different pre-defined initial position to locate earthquakes. We assume that if the program with the pre-defined initial position is close to the true earthquake location, during the iteration procedure of the Geiger's method the processing time of this program should be less than others. The results show that using pre-defined locations for trial-hypocenter in the inversion procedure is able to improve the accurate of offshore earthquakes. Especially for EEW system, in the initial stage of the EEW system, only use 3 or 5 stations to locate earthquakes may lead to bad results because of poor station coverage. In this study, the pre-defined trial-locations provide a feasible way to improve the estimations of

Poverty and blindness in Pakistan: results from the Pakistan national blindness and visual impairment survey.

PubMed

Gilbert, Clare E; Shah, S P; Jadoon, M Z; Bourne, R; Dineen, B; Khan, M A; Johnson, G J; Khan, M D

2008-01-05

To explore the association between blindness and deprivation in a nationally representative sample of adults in Pakistan. Cross sectional population based survey. 221 rural and urban clusters selected randomly throughout Pakistan. Nationally representative sample of 16 507 adults aged 30 or above (95.3% response rate). Associations between visual impairment and poverty assessed by a cluster level deprivation index and a household level poverty indicator; prevalence and causes of blindness; measures of the rate of uptake and quality of eye care services. 561 blind participants (<3/60 in the better eye) were identified during the survey. Clusters in urban Sindh province were the most affluent, whereas rural areas in Balochistan were the poorest. The prevalence of blindness in adults living in affluent clusters was 2.2%, compared with 3.7% in medium clusters and 3.9% in poor clusters (P<0.001 for affluent v poor). The highest prevalence of blindness was found in rural Balochistan (5.2%). The prevalence of total blindness (bilateral no light perception) was more than three times higher in poor clusters than in affluent clusters (0.24% v 0.07%, P<0.001). The prevalences of blindness caused by cataract, glaucoma, and corneal opacity were lower in affluent clusters and households. Reflecting access to eye care services, cataract surgical coverage was higher in affluent clusters (80.6%) than in medium (76.8%) and poor areas (75.1%). Intraocular lens implantation rates were significantly lower in participants from poorer households. 10.2% of adults living in affluent clusters presented to the examination station wearing spectacles, compared with 6.7% in medium clusters and 4.4% in poor cluster areas. Spectacle coverage in affluent areas was more than double that in poor clusters (23.5% v 11.1%, P<0.001). Blindness is associated with poverty in Pakistan; lower access to eye care services was one contributory factor. To reduce blindness, strategies targeting poor people will

Megathrust earthquakes in Central Chile: What is next after the Maule 2010 earthquake?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madariaga, R.

2013-05-01

The 27 February 2010 Maule earthquake occurred in a well identified gap in the Chilean subduction zone. The event has now been studied in detail using both far-field, near field seismic and geodetic data, we will review this information gathered so far. The event broke a region that was much longer along strike than the gap left over from the 1835 Concepcion earthquake, sometimes called the Darwin earthquake because he was in the area when the earthquake occurred and made many observations. Recent studies of contemporary documents by Udias et al indicate that the area broken by the Maule earthquake in 2010 had previously broken by a similar earthquake in 1751, but several events in the magnitude 8 range occurred in the area principally in 1835 already mentioned and, more recently on 1 December 1928 to the North and on 21 May 1960 (1 1/2 days before the big Chilean earthquake of 1960). Currently the area of the 2010 earthquake and the region immediately to the North is undergoing a very large increase in seismicity with numerous clusters of seismicity that move along the plate interface. Examination of the seismicity of Chile of the 18th and 19th century show that the region immediately to the North of the 2010 earthquake broke in a very large megathrust event in July 1730. this is the largest known earthquake in central Chile. The region where this event occurred has broken in many occasions with M 8 range earthquakes in 1822, 1880, 1906, 1971 and 1985. Is it preparing for a new very large megathrust event? The 1906 earthquake of Mw 8.3 filled the central part of the gap but it has broken again on several occasions in 1971, 1973 and 1985. The main question is whether the 1906 earthquake relieved enough stresses from the 1730 rupture zone. Geodetic data shows that most of the region that broke in 1730 is currently almost fully locked from the northern end of the Maule earthquake at 34.5°S to 30°S, near the southern end of the of the Mw 8.5 Atacama earthquake of 11

Pakistan Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2016-01-01

Over the past few years, Pakistan has experienced a major energy crisis as a result of expensive fuel sources, chronic natural gas and electricity shortages, circular debt, and insufficient transmission and distribution systems. According to the Asian Development Bank, prolonged power shortages cut GDP by 2-3% in 2013.

Education and Gendered Citizenship in Pakistan. Postcolonial Studies in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naseem, M. Ayaz

2010-01-01

"Education and Gendered Citizenship in Pakistan" challenges the uncritical use of the long held dictum of the development discourse that education empowers women. Situated in the post-structuralist feminist position, it argues that in its current state the educational discourse in Pakistan actually disempowers women. Through a systematic…

Trends, Issues and Challenges in English Language Education in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shamim, Fauzia

2008-01-01

This paper aims to critically examine the trends, issues and challenges in policy and practice of English language education in Pakistan. This is done first by historically reviewing the English language education policies since Pakistan's independence in 1947, looking particularly at policy objectives, implementation strategies and outcomes, and…

Earthquakes; March-April 1975

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1975-01-01

There were no major earthquakes (magnitude 7.0-7.9) in March or April; however, there were earthquake fatalities in Chile, Iran, and Venezuela and approximately 35 earthquake-related injuries were reported around the world. In the United States a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the Idaho-Utah border region. Damage was estimated at about a million dollars. The shock was felt over a wide area and was the largest to hit the continental Untied States since the San Fernando earthquake of February 1971. 

Environmental impact assessment (EIA): an overlooked instrument for sustainable development in Pakistan.

PubMed

Saeed, Rashid; Sattar, Ayesha; Iqbal, Zafar; Imran, Muhammad; Nadeem, Raziya

2012-04-01

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a policy tool used for evaluating a project proposal from physical and socioeconomic environmental perspectives. Its aim is to reduce the impact of development on environment, hence, ensuring environmental sustainability. It is mandatory to submit an Environmental Impact Statement before starting a mega project as required by Environmental Protection Act of 1997 and Environmental Policy of Pakistan. Public consultation plays a key role in an EIA system, identifying the likely aspects and impacts of a development activity. This aspect has been ignored in effective enactment of environmental legislation in Pakistan. Sufficient legislative instruments are there to support EIA system in the country but the agencies responsible for the enforcement of environmental regulations have failed to do so. The current research gives an insight into the actual status of EIA system in Pakistan along with the feedback of EIA specialists and university teachers of the concerned departments. A new index has been devised on the basis of questionnaire response to work out the overall performance of EIA system in Pakistan or any other country. The weaknesses and deficiencies of each EIA stage have been worked out for Pakistan and elaborated with the help of the controversial Zero point Interchange Project in the capital city of Pakistan.

Protecting your family from earthquakes: The seven steps to earthquake safety

USGS Publications Warehouse

Developed by American Red Cross, Asian Pacific Fund

2007-01-01

This book is provided here because of the importance of preparing for earthquakes before they happen. Experts say it is very likely there will be a damaging San Francisco Bay Area earthquake in the next 30 years and that it will strike without warning. It may be hard to find the supplies and services we need after this earthquake. For example, hospitals may have more patients than they can treat, and grocery stores may be closed for weeks. You will need to provide for your family until help arrives. To keep our loved ones and our community safe, we must prepare now. Some of us come from places where earthquakes are also common. However, the dangers of earthquakes in our homelands may be very different than in the Bay Area. For example, many people in Asian countries die in major earthquakes when buildings collapse or from big sea waves called tsunami. In the Bay Area, the main danger is from objects inside buildings falling on people. Take action now to make sure your family will be safe in an earthquake. The first step is to read this book carefully and follow its advice. By making your home safer, you help make our community safer. Preparing for earthquakes is important, and together we can make sure our families and community are ready. English version p. 3-13 Chinese version p. 14-24 Vietnamese version p. 25-36 Korean version p. 37-48

An overview of poultry industry in Pakistan

PubMed Central

HUSSAIN, J.; RABBANI, I.; ASLAM, S.; AHMAD, H.A.

2015-01-01

The poultry sector is an important and vibrant segment of agriculture in Pakistan with a significant contribution to the national GDP (1.3%). Commercial poultry production in Pakistan started in the 1960’s and has been providing a significant portion of daily proteins to the Pakistani population ever since. During its evolution the industry enjoyed promotional policies of the Government, but has faced several challenges such as disease outbreaks and retail price fluctuations. Despite its important role in the country’s economy, not a single scientific study is available on its evolutionary history. The data available in this regard are scattered and lack reliability. This review is an effort to encompass the history of the overall growth of the poultry industry in Pakistan, its present status (2012 statistics) and future directions and challenges. This article may serve as the basic source of information on Pakistan’s poultry industry achievements. It will also guide poultry experts and policy makers for developing strategic planning for further growth of the industry. PMID:26696690

Geodetic Insights into the Earthquake Cycle in a Fold and Thrust Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingleby, T. F.; Wright, T. J.; Butterworth, V.; Weiss, J. R.; Elliott, J.

2017-12-01

Geodetic measurements are often sparse in time (e.g. individual interferograms) and/or space (e.g. GNSS stations), adversely affecting our ability to capture the spatiotemporal detail required to study the earthquake cycle in complex tectonic systems such as subaerial fold and thrust belts. In an effort to overcome these limitations we combine 3 generations of SAR satellite data (ERS 1/2, Envisat & Sentinel-1a/b) to obtain a 25 year, high-resolution surface displacement time series over the frontal portion of an active fold and thrust belt near Quetta, Pakistan where a Mw 7.1 earthquake doublet occurred in 1997. With these data we capture a significant portion of the seismic cycle including the interseismic, coseismic and postseismic phases. Each satellite time series has been referenced to the first ERS-1 SAR epoch by fitting a ground deformation model to the data. This allows us to separate deformation associated with each phase and to examine their relative roles in accommodating strain and creating topography, and to explore the relationship between the earthquake cycle and critical taper wedge mechanics. Modeling of the coseismic deformation suggests a long, thin rupture with rupture length 7 times greater than rupture width. Rupture was confined to a 20-30 degree north-northeast dipping reverse fault or ramp at depth, which may be connecting two weak decollements at approximately 8 km and 13 km depth. Alternatively, intersections between the coseismic fault plane and pre-existing steeper splay faults underlying folds may have played a significant role in inhibiting rupture, as evidenced by intersection points bordering the rupture. These fault intersections effectively partition the fault system down-dip and enable long, thin ruptures. Postseismic deformation is manifest as uplift across short-wavelength folds at the thrust front, with displacement rates decreasing with time since the earthquake. Broader patterns of postseismic uplift are also observed

Earthquake Triggering in the September 2017 Mexican Earthquake Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fielding, E. J.; Gombert, B.; Duputel, Z.; Huang, M. H.; Liang, C.; Bekaert, D. P.; Moore, A. W.; Liu, Z.; Ampuero, J. P.

2017-12-01

Southern Mexico was struck by four earthquakes with Mw > 6 and numerous smaller earthquakes in September 2017, starting with the 8 September Mw 8.2 Tehuantepec earthquake beneath the Gulf of Tehuantepec offshore Chiapas and Oaxaca. We study whether this M8.2 earthquake triggered the three subsequent large M>6 quakes in southern Mexico to improve understanding of earthquake interactions and time-dependent risk. All four large earthquakes were extensional despite the the subduction of the Cocos plate. The traditional definition of aftershocks: likely an aftershock if it occurs within two rupture lengths of the main shock soon afterwards. Two Mw 6.1 earthquakes, one half an hour after the M8.2 beneath the Tehuantepec gulf and one on 23 September near Ixtepec in Oaxaca, both fit as traditional aftershocks, within 200 km of the main rupture. The 19 September Mw 7.1 Puebla earthquake was 600 km away from the M8.2 shock, outside the standard aftershock zone. Geodetic measurements from interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and time-series analysis of GPS station data constrain finite fault total slip models for the M8.2, M7.1, and M6.1 Ixtepec earthquakes. The early M6.1 aftershock was too close in time and space to the M8.2 to measure with InSAR or GPS. We analyzed InSAR data from Copernicus Sentinel-1A and -1B satellites and JAXA ALOS-2 satellite. Our preliminary geodetic slip model for the M8.2 quake shows significant slip extended > 150 km NW from the hypocenter, longer than slip in the v1 finite-fault model (FFM) from teleseismic waveforms posted by G. Hayes at USGS NEIC. Our slip model for the M7.1 earthquake is similar to the v2 NEIC FFM. Interferograms for the M6.1 Ixtepec quake confirm the shallow depth in the upper-plate crust and show centroid is about 30 km SW of the NEIC epicenter, a significant NEIC location bias, but consistent with cluster relocations (E. Bergman, pers. comm.) and with Mexican SSN location. Coulomb static stress

Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part A, Prehistoric earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, Russell L.

2014-01-01

Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax, the maximum earthquake magnitude thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. This report is Part A of an Open-File Report that describes the construction of a global catalog of moderate to large earthquakes, from which one can estimate Mmax for most of the Central and Eastern United States and adjacent Canada. The catalog and Mmax estimates derived from it were used in the 2014 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey national seismic-hazard maps. This Part A discusses prehistoric earthquakes that occurred in eastern North America, northwestern Europe, and Australia, whereas a separate Part B deals with historical events.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Pakistan: National Trends and Global Perspective

PubMed Central

Hafeez Bhatti, Abu Bakar; Dar, Faisal Saud; Waheed, Anum; Shafique, Kashif; Sultan, Faisal; Shah, Najmul Hassan

2016-01-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks second amongst all causes of cancer deaths globally. It is on a rise in Pakistan and might represent the most common cancer in adult males. Pakistan contributes significantly to global burden of hepatitis C, which is a known risk factor for HCC, and has one of the highest prevalence rates (>3%) in the world. In the absence of a national cancer registry and screening programs, prevalence of hepatitis and HCC only represents estimates of the real magnitude of this problem. In this review, we present various aspects of HCC in Pakistan, comparing and contrasting it with the global trends in cancer care. There is a general lack of awareness regarding risk factors of HCC in Pakistani population and prevalence of hepatitis C has increased. In addition, less common risk factors are also on a rise. Majority of patients present with advanced HCC and are not eligible for definitive treatment. We have attempted to highlight issues that have a significant bearing on HCC outcome in Pakistan. A set of strategies have been put forth that can potentially help reduce incidence and improve HCC outcome on national level. PMID:26955390

Union Texas hopes to reproduce its Pakistan Badin experience

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petzet, G.A.

1997-11-03

Union Texas Petroleum Holdings Inc. has resolved to transplant elsewhere in the world the success of tis 20 year old grass-roots exploration effort on the Badin block in Pakistan. Union Texas Pakistan Inc. (UTP) is actively seeking exploration concessions in Pakistan, and the parent company is on an international bent aimed at finding other areas where it might reproduce its performance in Pakistan. The 104 exploratory wells drilled through April 1, 1997, resulted in 47 discoveries and 57 dry holes for a 45% success rate. Some oil and gas are produced from the Middle Sand units, and some gas ismore » produced from the Basal Sand units. The 1997 Badin exploration plan called for 11 exploratory wells, including one, Tarai Deep-3, that would test a new play concept in Jurassic Chiltan. It also called for Badin`s first 3D seismic surveys, at South Buzdar and Tangri fields on the northern part of the block, and 146 km of 2D seismic acquisition. The paper discusses Badin development, drilling status, operating challenges, oil price and sales, gas markets, local effects, and future developments.« less

The initial subevent of the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake: Is earthquake size predictable?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kilb, Debi; Gomberg, J.

1999-01-01

We examine the initial subevent (ISE) of the M?? 6.7, 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake in order to discriminate between two end-member rupture initiation models: the 'preslip' and 'cascade' models. Final earthquake size may be predictable from an ISE's seismic signature in the preslip model but not in the cascade model. In the cascade model ISEs are simply small earthquakes that can be described as purely dynamic ruptures. In this model a large earthquake is triggered by smaller earthquakes; there is no size scaling between triggering and triggered events and a variety of stress transfer mechanisms are possible. Alternatively, in the preslip model, a large earthquake nucleates as an aseismically slipping patch in which the patch dimension grows and scales with the earthquake's ultimate size; the byproduct of this loading process is the ISE. In this model, the duration of the ISE signal scales with the ultimate size of the earthquake, suggesting that nucleation and earthquake size are determined by a more predictable, measurable, and organized process. To distinguish between these two end-member models we use short period seismograms recorded by the Southern California Seismic Network. We address questions regarding the similarity in hypocenter locations and focal mechanisms of the ISE and the mainshock. We also compare the ISE's waveform characteristics to those of small earthquakes and to the beginnings of earthquakes with a range of magnitudes. We find that the focal mechanisms of the ISE and mainshock are indistinguishable, and both events may have nucleated on and ruptured the same fault plane. These results satisfy the requirements for both models and thus do not discriminate between them. However, further tests show the ISE's waveform characteristics are similar to those of typical small earthquakes in the vicinity and more importantly, do not scale with the mainshock magnitude. These results are more consistent with the cascade model.

Assessment Drives Student Learning: Evidence for Summative Assessment from Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qureshi, Rashida; Zahoor, Mahrukh; Zahoor, Mahwish

2017-01-01

Research studies from various parts of the world indicate that university students find research methodology courses among the most difficult subjects to grasp. Students in Pakistan display similar attitudes towards learning of research. Those of us who teach research at the institutions of higher learning in Pakistan continuously hear students…

Teaching Human Rights through Global Education to Teachers in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadruddin, Munir Moosa

2017-01-01

Pakistan is home to religious and cultural ideologies that greatly support the values of human rights. Nevertheless, the multilayered philosophies of human rights in Pakistan have at times heightened clashes and bred a culture of tension among higher education learners. Ideological filters in national education policies have removed human rights…

Anatomy of success in oil and gas exploration in Pakistan, 1915--94

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quadri, V.N.; Quadri, S.M.G.J.

1996-05-13

Pakistan, flanked by Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India, is the size of Texas and Louisiana combined. The Indus and Baluchistan basins cover 80% of Pakistan`s total area. The country also has 230,000 sq km of marine Exclusive Economic Zone. The law regarding E and P activity was promulgated in 1986, replacing the previous Petroleum (Production) Rules of 1949. As a result of the new Petroleum Policy implemented in March 1994 and streamlining of the bid review and award process, acreage leased including reconnaissance during 1994 was 355,541 sq km onshore and 120,640 sq km offshore, with the number of operatingmore » groups also a record high of 46. Although complex and disturbed as a result of collision tectonics, Pakistan`s geology is as fascinating as the surface geomorphology, from the complex compressional thrusted to the relatively simple extensional rifted, salt related to transform fault associated, the reefs, too, all impressive traps for petroleum, at times almost textbook examples. However, domestic oil production at yearend 1994 was about 53,251 b/d of oil and 1.7 bcfd of gas. Oil and gas have been found in the Potwar/Upper Indus basin and Lower Indus basin, and mainly gas with one gas/condensate discovery in the Sulaiman/Middle Indus basin. This article attempts to present brief case history outlines of typical, significant oil and gas discoveries of Pakistan 1915--94 with respect to the two main productive basins, their source and reservoir sequences, in order to determine the anatomy of success in exploration in Pakistan.« less

Conflict Bear Translocation: Investigating Population Genetics and Fate of Bear Translocation in Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India

PubMed Central

Mukesh; Sharma, Lalit Kumar; Charoo, Samina Amin; Sathyakumar, Sambandam

2015-01-01

The Asiatic black bear population in Dachigam landscape, Jammu and Kashmir is well recognized as one of the highest density bear populations in India. Increasing incidences of bear-human interactions and the resultant retaliatory killings by locals have become a serious threat to the survivorship of black bears in the Dachigam landscape. The Department of Wildlife Protection in Jammu and Kashmir has been translocating bears involved in conflicts, henceforth ‘conflict bears’ from different sites in Dachigam landscape to Dachigam National Park as a flagship activity to mitigate conflicts. We undertook this study to investigate the population genetics and the fate of bear translocation in Dachigam National Park. We identified 109 unique genotypes in an area of ca. 650 km2 and observed bear population under panmixia that showed sound genetic variability. Molecular tracking of translocated bears revealed that mostly bears (7 out of 11 bears) returned to their capture sites, possibly due to homing instincts or habituation to the high quality food available in agricultural croplands and orchards, while only four bears remained in Dachigam National Park after translocation. Results indicated that translocation success was most likely to be season dependent as bears translocated during spring and late autumn returned to their capture sites, perhaps due to the scarcity of food inside Dachigam National Park while bears translocated in summer remained in Dachigam National Park due to availability of surplus food resources. Thus, the current management practices of translocating conflict bears, without taking into account spatio-temporal variability of food resources in Dachigam landscape seemed to be ineffective in mitigating conflicts on a long-term basis. However, the study highlighted the importance of molecular tracking of bears to understand their movement patterns and socio-biology in tough terrains like Dachigam landscape. PMID:26267280

Conflict bear translocation: investigating population genetics and fate of bear translocation in Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

PubMed

Mukesh; Sharma, Lalit Kumar; Charoo, Samina Amin; Sathyakumar, Sambandam

2015-01-01

The Asiatic black bear population in Dachigam landscape, Jammu and Kashmir is well recognized as one of the highest density bear populations in India. Increasing incidences of bear-human interactions and the resultant retaliatory killings by locals have become a serious threat to the survivorship of black bears in the Dachigam landscape. The Department of Wildlife Protection in Jammu and Kashmir has been translocating bears involved in conflicts, henceforth 'conflict bears' from different sites in Dachigam landscape to Dachigam National Park as a flagship activity to mitigate conflicts. We undertook this study to investigate the population genetics and the fate of bear translocation in Dachigam National Park. We identified 109 unique genotypes in an area of ca. 650 km2 and observed bear population under panmixia that showed sound genetic variability. Molecular tracking of translocated bears revealed that mostly bears (7 out of 11 bears) returned to their capture sites, possibly due to homing instincts or habituation to the high quality food available in agricultural croplands and orchards, while only four bears remained in Dachigam National Park after translocation. Results indicated that translocation success was most likely to be season dependent as bears translocated during spring and late autumn returned to their capture sites, perhaps due to the scarcity of food inside Dachigam National Park while bears translocated in summer remained in Dachigam National Park due to availability of surplus food resources. Thus, the current management practices of translocating conflict bears, without taking into account spatio-temporal variability of food resources in Dachigam landscape seemed to be ineffective in mitigating conflicts on a long-term basis. However, the study highlighted the importance of molecular tracking of bears to understand their movement patterns and socio-biology in tough terrains like Dachigam landscape.

Human West Nile Virus Disease Outbreak in Pakistan, 2015-2016.

PubMed

Khan, Erum; Barr, Kelli L; Farooqi, Joveria Qais; Prakoso, Dhani; Abbas, Alizae; Khan, Zain Y; Ashi, Shanze; Imtiaz, Kehkashan; Aziz, Z; Malik, Faisal; Lednicky, John A; Long, Maureen T

2018-01-01

Like most of the world, Pakistan has seen an increase in mosquito-transmitted diseases in recent years. The magnitude and distribution of these diseases are poorly understood as Pakistan does not have a nation-wide system for reporting disease. A cross-sectional study to determine which flaviviruses were causing of arboviral disease in Pakistan was instituted. West Nile virus (WNV) is a cause of seasonal fever with neurotropic findings in countries that share borders with Pakistan. Here, we describe the active and persistent circulation of WNV in humans in the southern region of Pakistan. This is the first report of WNV causing neurological disease in human patients in this country. Of 997 enrolled patients presenting with clinical features suggestive of arboviral disease, 105 were positive for WNV IgM antibodies, and 71 of these patients possessed WNV-specific neutralizing antibodies. Cross-reactivity of WNV IgM antibodies with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) occurred in 75 of these 105 patients. WNV co-infections with Dengue viruses were not a contributing factor for the severity of disease. Nor did prior exposure to dengue virus contribute to incidence of neurological involvement in WNV-infected patients. Patients with WNV infections were more likely to present with altered mental status, seizures, and reduced Glasgow Coma scores when compared with JEV-infected patients. Human WNV cases and vector numbers exhibited a temporal correlation with climate.

Identification of Deep Earthquakes

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

discriminants that will reliably separate small, crustal earthquakes (magnitudes less than about 4 and depths less than about 40 to 50 km) from small...characteristics on discrimination plots designed to separate nuclear explosions from crustal earthquakes. Thus, reliably flagging these small, deep events is...Further, reliably identifying subcrustal earthquakes will allow us to eliminate deep events (previously misidentified as crustal earthquakes) from

A socioeconomic survey of kidney vendors in Pakistan.

PubMed

Naqvi, Syed Ali Anwar; Ali, Bux; Mazhar, Farida; Zafar, Mirza Naqi; Rizvi, Syed Adibul Hasan

2007-11-01

In recent years, Pakistan has emerged as one of the largest centres for commerce and tourism in renal transplantation. Kidney vendors belong to Punjab in eastern Pakistan, the agricultural heartland, where 34% people live below poverty line. We report results of a socioeconomic and health survey of 239 kidney vendors. The mean age was 33.6 +/- 7.2 years (M:F 3.5:1). Mean nephrectomy period was 4.8 +/- 2.3 years. Ninety per cent of the vendors were illiterate. Sixty-nine per cent were bonded labourers who were virtual slaves to landlords, labourers 12%, housewives 8.5% and unemployed 11%. Monthly income was $US15.4 +/- 8.9 with 2-11 dependents per family. Majority (93%), vended for debt repayment with mean debt of $1311.4 +/- 819. The mean agreed sale price was $1737 +/- 262. However, they received $1377 +/- 196 after deduction for hospital and travel expenses. Postvending 88% had no economic improvement in their lives and 98% reported deterioration in general health status. Future vending was encouraged by 35% to pay off debts and freedom from bondage. This study gives a snapshot of kidney vendors from Pakistan. These impoverished people, many in bondage, are examples of modern day slavery. They will remain exploited until law against bondage is implemented and new laws are introduced to ban commerce and transplant tourism in Pakistan.

The 1985 central chile earthquake: a repeat of previous great earthquakes in the region?

PubMed

Comte, D; Eisenberg, A; Lorca, E; Pardo, M; Ponce, L; Saragoni, R; Singh, S K; Suárez, G

1986-07-25

A great earthquake (surface-wave magnitude, 7.8) occurred along the coast of central Chile on 3 March 1985, causing heavy damage to coastal towns. Intense foreshock activity near the epicenter of the main shock occurred for 11 days before the earthquake. The aftershocks of the 1985 earthquake define a rupture area of 170 by 110 square kilometers. The earthquake was forecast on the basis of the nearly constant repeat time (83 +/- 9 years) of great earthquakes in this region. An analysis of previous earthquakes suggests that the rupture lengths of great shocks in the region vary by a factor of about 3. The nearly constant repeat time and variable rupture lengths cannot be reconciled with time- or slip-predictable models of earthquake recurrence. The great earthquakes in the region seem to involve a variable rupture mode and yet, for unknown reasons, remain periodic. Historical data suggest that the region south of the 1985 rupture zone should now be considered a gap of high seismic potential that may rupture in a great earthquake in the next few tens of years.

A Study of Students' Attitude Towards Virtual Education in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussain, Irshad

2007-01-01

Virtual education paradigm has been developing as a form of distance education to provide education across the boundaries of a nation and/or country. It imparts education through information and communication technologies. In Pakistan the Virtual University of Pakistan imparts it. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the students'…

Antioxidant Potential and DNA Damage Protection by the Slate Grey Saddle Mushroom, Helvella lacunosa (Ascomycetes), from Kashmir Himalaya (India).

PubMed

Shameem, Nowsheen; Kamili, Azra N; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Masoodi, F A; Parray, Javid A

2016-01-01

This study pertains to the radical scavenging potential of and DNA protection by Helvella lacunosa, an edible mushroom from Kashmir Himalaya (India). Different solvents, on the basis of their polarities, were used to extract all solvent-soluble bioactive compounds. Seven different antioxidant methods were also used to determine extensive radical scavenging activity. The mushroom ethanol extract and butanol extract showed effective scavenging activity of radicals at 95% and 89%, respectively. At 800 µg/mg, the ethanol extract was potent enough to protect DNA from degradation by hydroxyl radicals. It is evident from these findings that the presence of antioxidant substances signifies the use of H. lacunosa as food in the mountainous valleys of the Himalayan region.

Global Citizenship in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasha, Aamna

2015-01-01

This paper attempts to understand the value of the ideology of global citizenship in Pakistan by looking at students' values and attitudes. In particular, it explores students' understanding of the term "global citizen" and their attitude towards the concept. Using a case study approach, interviews were conducted with six students in a…

The relationship between earthquake exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in 2013 Lushan earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yan; Lu, Yi

2018-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between earthquake exposure and the incidence of PTSD. A stratification random sample survey was conducted to collect data in the Longmenshan thrust fault after Lushan earthquake three years. We used the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13) and the Earthquake Experience Scale. Subjects in this study included 3944 school student survivors in local eleven schools. The prevalence of probable PTSD is relatively higher, when the people was trapped in the earthquake, was injured in the earthquake or have relatives who died in the earthquake. It concluded that researchers need to pay more attention to the children and adolescents. The government should pay more attention to these people and provide more economic support.

Crowdsourced earthquake early warning.

PubMed

Minson, Sarah E; Brooks, Benjamin A; Glennie, Craig L; Murray, Jessica R; Langbein, John O; Owen, Susan E; Heaton, Thomas H; Iannucci, Robert A; Hauser, Darren L

2015-04-01

Earthquake early warning (EEW) can reduce harm to people and infrastructure from earthquakes and tsunamis, but it has not been implemented in most high earthquake-risk regions because of prohibitive cost. Common consumer devices such as smartphones contain low-cost versions of the sensors used in EEW. Although less accurate than scientific-grade instruments, these sensors are globally ubiquitous. Through controlled tests of consumer devices, simulation of an M w (moment magnitude) 7 earthquake on California's Hayward fault, and real data from the M w 9 Tohoku-oki earthquake, we demonstrate that EEW could be achieved via crowdsourcing.

Crowdsourced earthquake early warning

PubMed Central

Minson, Sarah E.; Brooks, Benjamin A.; Glennie, Craig L.; Murray, Jessica R.; Langbein, John O.; Owen, Susan E.; Heaton, Thomas H.; Iannucci, Robert A.; Hauser, Darren L.

2015-01-01

Earthquake early warning (EEW) can reduce harm to people and infrastructure from earthquakes and tsunamis, but it has not been implemented in most high earthquake-risk regions because of prohibitive cost. Common consumer devices such as smartphones contain low-cost versions of the sensors used in EEW. Although less accurate than scientific-grade instruments, these sensors are globally ubiquitous. Through controlled tests of consumer devices, simulation of an Mw (moment magnitude) 7 earthquake on California’s Hayward fault, and real data from the Mw 9 Tohoku-oki earthquake, we demonstrate that EEW could be achieved via crowdsourcing. PMID:26601167

Earthquakes, November-December 1992

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1993-01-01

There were two major earthquakes (7.0≤M<8.0) during the last two months of the year, a magntidue 7.5 earthquake on December 12 in the Flores region, Indonesia, and a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on December 20 in the Banda Sea. Earthquakes caused fatalities in China and Indonesia. The greatest number of deaths (2,500) for the year occurred in Indonesia. In Switzerland, six people were killed by an accidental explosion recoreded by seismographs. In teh United States, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake caused slight damage at Big Bear in southern California. 

Crowdsourced earthquake early warning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minson, Sarah E.; Brooks, Benjamin A.; Glennie, Craig L.; Murray, Jessica R.; Langbein, John O.; Owen, Susan E.; Heaton, Thomas H.; Iannucci, Robert A.; Hauser, Darren L.

2015-01-01

Earthquake early warning (EEW) can reduce harm to people and infrastructure from earthquakes and tsunamis, but it has not been implemented in most high earthquake-risk regions because of prohibitive cost. Common consumer devices such as smartphones contain low-cost versions of the sensors used in EEW. Although less accurate than scientific-grade instruments, these sensors are globally ubiquitous. Through controlled tests of consumer devices, simulation of an Mw (moment magnitude) 7 earthquake on California’s Hayward fault, and real data from the Mw 9 Tohoku-oki earthquake, we demonstrate that EEW could be achieved via crowdsourcing.

Earthquake Clusters and Spatio-temporal Migration of earthquakes in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau: a Finite Element Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Y.; Luo, G.

2017-12-01

Seismicity in a region is usually characterized by earthquake clusters and earthquake migration along its major fault zones. However, we do not fully understand why and how earthquake clusters and spatio-temporal migration of earthquakes occur. The northeastern Tibetan Plateau is a good example for us to investigate these problems. In this study, we construct and use a three-dimensional viscoelastoplastic finite-element model to simulate earthquake cycles and spatio-temporal migration of earthquakes along major fault zones in northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We calculate stress evolution and fault interactions, and explore effects of topographic loading and viscosity of middle-lower crust and upper mantle on model results. Model results show that earthquakes and fault interactions increase Coulomb stress on the neighboring faults or segments, accelerating the future earthquakes in this region. Thus, earthquakes occur sequentially in a short time, leading to regional earthquake clusters. Through long-term evolution, stresses on some seismogenic faults, which are far apart, may almost simultaneously reach the critical state of fault failure, probably also leading to regional earthquake clusters and earthquake migration. Based on our model synthetic seismic catalog and paleoseismic data, we analyze probability of earthquake migration between major faults in northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We find that following the 1920 M 8.5 Haiyuan earthquake and the 1927 M 8.0 Gulang earthquake, the next big event (M≥7) in northeastern Tibetan Plateau would be most likely to occur on the Haiyuan fault.

Promoting Primary Education for Girls in Pakistan. CDIE Impact Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for International Development (IDCA), Washington, DC.

This report details a field study to evaluate the efforts of Pakistan's Primary Education Development Program (PED) to improve the access, equity, and quality of primary education in Pakistan, especially for rural girls. A 3-week visit was conducted in 1997 by a team from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Center for…

Prototype operational earthquake prediction system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spall, Henry

1986-01-01

An objective if the U.S. Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 is to introduce into all regions of the country that are subject to large and moderate earthquakes, systems for predicting earthquakes and assessing earthquake risk. In 1985, the USGS developed for the Secretary of the Interior a program for implementation of a prototype operational earthquake prediction system in southern California.

Perception of earthquake risk in Taiwan: effects of gender and past earthquake experience.

PubMed

Kung, Yi-Wen; Chen, Sue-Huei

2012-09-01

This study explored how individuals in Taiwan perceive the risk of earthquake and the relationship of past earthquake experience and gender to risk perception. Participants (n= 1,405), including earthquake survivors and those in the general population without prior direct earthquake exposure, were selected and interviewed through a computer-assisted telephone interviewing procedure using a random sampling and stratification method covering all 24 regions of Taiwan. A factor analysis of the interview data yielded a two-factor structure of risk perception in regard to earthquake. The first factor, "personal impact," encompassed perception of threat and fear related to earthquakes. The second factor, "controllability," encompassed a sense of efficacy of self-protection in regard to earthquakes. The findings indicated prior earthquake survivors and females reported higher scores on the personal impact factor than males and those with no prior direct earthquake experience, although there were no group differences on the controllability factor. The findings support that risk perception has multiple components, and suggest that past experience (survivor status) and gender (female) affect the perception of risk. Exploration of potential contributions of other demographic factors such as age, education, and marital status to personal impact, especially for females and survivors, is discussed. Future research on and intervention program with regard to risk perception are suggested accordingly. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication - Afghanistan and Pakistan, January 2011-August 2012.

PubMed

2012-10-05

In 1988, the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate polio, which led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In 2012, however, the transmission of indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) continued uninterrupted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, leading the World Health Assembly to declare completion of polio eradication a programmatic emergency for global public health. This report updates previous reports and describes polio eradication activities and progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan during January 2011-August 2012, as of September 9, 2012. During 2011, 80 WPV cases were confirmed in Afghanistan, compared with 25 WPV cases in 2010; 17 WPV cases were confirmed during January-August 2012, compared with 34 WPV cases for the same period in 2011. In Pakistan, 198 WPV cases were confirmed in 2011, compared with 144 WPV cases in 2010; 30 WPV cases were confirmed during January-August 2012, compared with 88 WPV cases during the same period in 2011. During January 2011-August 2012, no WPV type 3 (WPV3) cases were confirmed in Afghanistan, and four confirmed WPV3 cases and one case with coinfection of WPV3 and WPV type 1 (WPV1) were reported in Pakistan. Violence targeting vaccinators has occurred previously in Afghanistan and recently in Pakistan. To progress further toward interruption of WPV transmission within their countries and across their shared border, the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan might consider reviewing the implementation of their national emergency action plans and determine how to enhance the safety of vaccination teams within conflict-affected areas of both countries.

Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-09

Nuclear Terrorism in Pakistan: Sabotage of a Spent Fuel Cask or a Commercial Irradiation Source in Transport ,” in Pakistan’s Nuclear Future, 2008...gave additional urgency to the program. Pakistan produced fissile material for its nuclear weapons using gas-centrifuge-based uranium enrichment...technology, which it mastered by the mid-1980s. Highly-enriched uranium (HEU) is one of two types of fissile material used in nuclear weapons; the other

Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-30

Pakistan: Sabotage of a Spent Fuel Cask or a Commercial Irradiation Source in Transport ,” in Pakistan’s Nuclear Future, 2008; Martellini, 2008. 79...that Pakistan’s strategic nuclear assets could be obtained by terrorists, or used by elements in the Pakistani government. Chair of the Joint Chiefs...that gave additional urgency to the program. Pakistan produced fissile material for its nuclear weapons using gas-centrifuge-based uranium

Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-10

2009. 143 Abdul Mannan, “Preventing Nuclear Terrorism in Pakistan: Sabotage of a Spent Fuel Cask or a Commercial Irradiation Source in Transport ,” in...Program.” Some analysts argue that spent nuclear fuel is more vulnerable when being transported . 144 Martellini, 2008. Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons...urgency to the program. Pakistan produced fissile material for its nuclear weapons using gas-centrifuge-based uranium enrichment technology, which it

Earthquakes in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haeussler, Peter J.; Plafker, George

1995-01-01

Earthquake risk is high in much of the southern half of Alaska, but it is not the same everywhere. This map shows the overall geologic setting in Alaska that produces earthquakes. The Pacific plate (darker blue) is sliding northwestward past southeastern Alaska and then dives beneath the North American plate (light blue, green, and brown) in southern Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Aleutian Islands. Most earthquakes are produced where these two plates come into contact and slide past each other. Major earthquakes also occur throughout much of interior Alaska as a result of collision of a piece of crust with the southern margin.

Causes of blindness and visual impairment in Pakistan. The Pakistan national blindness and visual impairment survey

PubMed Central

Dineen, B; Bourne, R R A; Jadoon, Z; Shah, S P; Khan, M A; Foster, A; Gilbert, C E; Khan, M D

2007-01-01

Objective To determine the causes of blindness and visual impairment in adults (⩾30 years old) in Pakistan, and to explore socio‐demographic variations in cause. Methods A multi‐stage, stratified, cluster random sampling survey was used to select a nationally representative sample of adults. Each subject was interviewed, had their visual acuity measured and underwent autorefraction and fundus/optic disc examination. Those with a visual acuity of <6/12 in either eye underwent a more detailed ophthalmic examination. Causes of visual impairment were classified according to the accepted World Health Organization (WHO) methodology. An exploration of demographic variables was conducted using regression modeling. Results A sample of 16 507 adults (95.5% of those enumerated) was examined. Cataract was the most common cause of blindness (51.5%; defined as <3/60 in the better eye on presentation) followed by corneal opacity (11.8%), uncorrected aphakia (8.6%) and glaucoma (7.1%). Posterior capsular opacification accounted for 3.6% of blindness. Among the moderately visually impaired (<6/18 to ⩾6/60), refractive error was the most common cause (43%), followed by cataract (42%). Refractive error as a cause of severe visual impairment/blindness was significantly higher in rural dwellers than in urban dwellers (odds ratio (OR) 3.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 11.7). Significant provincial differences were also identified. Overall we estimate that 85.5% of causes were avoidable and that 904 000 adults in Pakistan have cataract (<6/60) requiring surgical intervention. Conclusions This comprehensive survey provides reliable estimates of the causes of blindness and visual impairment in Pakistan. Despite expanded surgical services, cataract still accounts for over half of the cases of blindness in Pakistan. One in eight blind adults has visual loss from sequelae of cataract surgery. Services for refractive errors need to be further expanded and integrated into eye care services

Earthquakes, November-December 1973

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1974-01-01

Other parts of the world suffered fatalities and significant damage from earthquakes. In Iran, an earthquake killed one person, injured many, and destroyed a number of homes. Earthquake fatalities also occurred in the Azores and in Algeria. 

A Commentary on Telerehabilitation Services in Pakistan: Current Trends and Future Possibilities.

PubMed

Zahid, Zeshan; Atique, Suleman; Saghir, Muhammad Hammad; Ali, Iftikhar; Shahid, Amna; Malik, Rehan Ali

2017-01-01

A 2014 World Health Organization (WHO) study reported that almost 27 million people with disability live in Pakistan with fewer than one allied rehabilitation professional per 10,000 people. The current study sought to determine the attitudes toward telerehabilitation via a survey administered to 329 Pakistani rehabilitation professionals. Study results indicate that rehabilitation professionals in Pakistan are knowledgeable about telerehabilitation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and are receptive to employing telerehabilitation programs and applications. Therefore, we can infer that the future of telerehabilitation can be bright in Pakistan but requires the attention of policy makers and non-government organizations to launch an appropriate program nationwide. The authors suggest that a range of telerehabilitation services (e.g., consultation, assessment, and therapy) could alleviate the shortage of rehabilitation personnel in Pakistan.

Comparative study of earthquake-related and non-earthquake-related head traumas using multidetector computed tomography

PubMed Central

Chu, Zhi-gang; Yang, Zhi-gang; Dong, Zhi-hui; Chen, Tian-wu; Zhu, Zhi-yu; Shao, Heng

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The features of earthquake-related head injuries may be different from those of injuries obtained in daily life because of differences in circumstances. We aim to compare the features of head traumas caused by the Sichuan earthquake with those of other common head traumas using multidetector computed tomography. METHODS: In total, 221 patients with earthquake-related head traumas (the earthquake group) and 221 patients with other common head traumas (the non-earthquake group) were enrolled in our study, and their computed tomographic findings were compared. We focused the differences between fractures and intracranial injuries and the relationships between extracranial and intracranial injuries. RESULTS: More earthquake-related cases had only extracranial soft tissue injuries (50.7% vs. 26.2%, RR = 1.9), and fewer cases had intracranial injuries (17.2% vs. 50.7%, RR = 0.3) compared with the non-earthquake group. For patients with fractures and intracranial injuries, there were fewer cases with craniocerebral injuries in the earthquake group (60.6% vs. 77.9%, RR = 0.8), and the earthquake-injured patients had fewer fractures and intracranial injuries overall (1.5±0.9 vs. 2.5±1.8; 1.3±0.5 vs. 2.1±1.1). Compared with the non-earthquake group, the incidences of soft tissue injuries and cranial fractures combined with intracranial injuries in the earthquake group were significantly lower (9.8% vs. 43.7%, RR = 0.2; 35.1% vs. 82.2%, RR = 0.4). CONCLUSION: As depicted with computed tomography, the severity of earthquake-related head traumas in survivors was milder, and isolated extracranial injuries were more common in earthquake-related head traumas than in non-earthquake-related injuries, which may have been the result of different injury causes, mechanisms and settings. PMID:22012045

The context and limitations of female sterilization services in Pakistan.

PubMed

Khan, Adnan Ahmad; Khan, Ayesha; Abbas, Khadija; Tirmizi, Syed Farhan Ali; ul Islam, Zia

2013-04-01

Female sterilization has long been the most popular method of family planning (FP) in Pakistan, and yet most public health experts feel it contributes little to controlling family size or to population welfare. We used Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) data to understand the role female sterilization plays in the overall context of FP in Pakistan. We performed a secondary analysis of data from the PDHS 1990-1 and 2006-7 to study factors that lead to sterilization and trends in the use of the procedure. In addition, census data were multiplied by proportions from PDHS data to estimate the number of women availing sterilization services. Around 1.9 million women in Pakistan are currently sterilized--up from 0.55 million in 1990-1, and around 173,867 undergo the procedure, annually. Women usually receive sterilization after 30 years of age (mean = 39) and after six children. The probability of sterilization increases with age, family size, and urban residence, and is unaffected by poverty, province of residence, or the woman or her husband's education. Most sterilizationis conducted in public sector facilities. Sterilization in Pakistan may be common, but occurs too late to have any significant effect on family size or benefit public health. Future avenues to make this option more useful to women and society would be to improve the repertoire and access and quality of FP services that are available, and to address governance issues that limit the performance and utility of government facilities.

Reproductive health and access to healthcare facilities: risk factors for depression and anxiety in women with an earthquake experience

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The reproductive and mental health of women contributes significantly to their overall well-being. Three of the eight Millennium Development Goals are directly related to reproductive and sexual health while mental disorders make up three of the ten leading causes of disease burden in low and middle-income countries. Among mental disorders, depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent. In the context of slower progress in achieving Millennium Development Goals in developing countries and the ever-increasing man-made and natural disasters in these areas, it is important to understand the association between reproductive health and mental health among women with post-disaster experiences. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 387 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) randomly selected from the October 2005 earthquake affected areas of Pakistan. Data on reproductive health was collected using the Centers for Disease Control reproductive health assessment toolkit. Depression and anxiety were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, while earthquake experiences were captured using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. The association of either depression or anxiety with socio-demographic variables, earthquake experiences, reproductive health and access to health facilities was estimated using multivariate logistic regression. Results Post-earthquake reproductive health events together with economic deprivation, lower family support and poorer access to health care facilities explained a significant proportion of differences in the experiencing of clinical levels of depression and anxiety. For instance, women losing resources for subsistence, separation from family and experiencing reproductive health events such as having a stillbirth, having had an abortion, having had abnormal vaginal discharge or having had genital ulcers, were at significant risk of depression and anxiety. Conclusion The relationship between women's post-earthquake

Reproductive health and access to healthcare facilities: risk factors for depression and anxiety in women with an earthquake experience.

PubMed

Anwar, Jasim; Mpofu, Elias; Matthews, Lynda R; Shadoul, Ahmed Farah; Brock, Kaye E

2011-06-30

The reproductive and mental health of women contributes significantly to their overall well-being. Three of the eight Millennium Development Goals are directly related to reproductive and sexual health while mental disorders make up three of the ten leading causes of disease burden in low and middle-income countries. Among mental disorders, depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent. In the context of slower progress in achieving Millennium Development Goals in developing countries and the ever-increasing man-made and natural disasters in these areas, it is important to understand the association between reproductive health and mental health among women with post-disaster experiences. This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 387 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) randomly selected from the October 2005 earthquake affected areas of Pakistan. Data on reproductive health was collected using the Centers for Disease Control reproductive health assessment toolkit. Depression and anxiety were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, while earthquake experiences were captured using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. The association of either depression or anxiety with socio-demographic variables, earthquake experiences, reproductive health and access to health facilities was estimated using multivariate logistic regression. Post-earthquake reproductive health events together with economic deprivation, lower family support and poorer access to health care facilities explained a significant proportion of differences in the experiencing of clinical levels of depression and anxiety. For instance, women losing resources for subsistence, separation from family and experiencing reproductive health events such as having a stillbirth, having had an abortion, having had abnormal vaginal discharge or having had genital ulcers, were at significant risk of depression and anxiety. The relationship between women's post-earthquake mental health and

Maternal health and survival in Pakistan: issues and options.

PubMed

Khan, Yasir P; Bhutta, Shereen Z; Munim, Shama; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2009-10-01

Although its measurement may be difficult, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is a key indicator of maternal health globally. In Pakistan each year over five million women become pregnant, and of these 700,000 (15% of all pregnant women) are likely to experience some obstetrical and medical complications. An estimated 30,000 women die each year from pregnancy-related causes, and the most recent estimates indicate that the MMR is 276 per 100,000 births annually. In this review, we describe the status of maternal health and survival in Pakistan and place it in its wider context of key determinants. We draw attention to the economic and social vulnerability of pregnant women, and stress the importance of concomitant broader strategies, including poverty reduction and women's empowerment. Undernutrition for girls, early marriage, and high fertility rates coupled with unmet needs for contraception are important determinants of maternal ill health in Pakistan. Our review also examines factors influencing the under-utilization of maternal health services among Pakistani women, such as the lack of availability of skilled care providers and poor quality services. Notwithstanding these observations, there are evidence-based interventions available that, if implemented at scale, could make important contributions towards reducing the burden of maternal mortality in Pakistan.

Second-hand smoke in indoor hospitality venues in Pakistan.

PubMed

Zaidi, S M A; Moin, O; Khan, J A

2011-07-01

Second-hand smoke (SHS) constitutes a significant public health threat in countries with a high smoking prevalence. However, data assessing the quality of indoor air at public venues in Pakistan are limited. To measure mean concentrations of PM(2.5) (particulate matter ≤2.5 microns in diameter), a sensitive indicator of SHS, in hospitality venues in Pakistan. Data were collected discreetly from 39 indoor venues such as cafes, restaurants and shisha (water-pipe) bars from three major cities in Pakistan. Data were recorded using a portable air quality monitoring device. The overall mean PM(2.5) value for the visited venues was 846 μg/m(3) (95%CI 484-1205). The mean PM(2.5) value was 101 μg/m(3) (95%CI 69-135 μg/m(3)) for non-smoking venues, 689 μg/m(3) (95%CI 241-1138) for cigarette smoking venues and 1745 μg/m(3) (95%CI 925-2565) for shisha smoking venues. The significant levels of SHS recorded in this study, in particular from shisha smoking venues, could represent a major public health burden in Pakistan. Appropriate legislation needs to be enforced to protect the health of those exposed to the hazards of second-hand tobacco smoke.

Earthquakes, May-June 1991

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1992-01-01

In the United States, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake in southern California on June 28 killed two people and caused considerable damage. Strong earthquakes hit Alaska on May 1 and May 30; the May 1 earthquake caused some minor damage. 

Child Malnutrition in Pakistan: Evidence from Literature

PubMed Central

Asim, Muhammad; Nawaz, Yasir

2018-01-01

Pakistan has one of the highest prevalences of child malnutrition as compared to other developing countries. This narrative review was accomplished to examine the published empirical literature on children’s nutritional status in Pakistan. The objectives of this review were to know about the methodological approaches used in previous studies, to assess the overall situation of childhood malnutrition, and to identify the areas that have not yet been studied. This study was carried out to collect and synthesize the relevant data from previously published papers through different scholarly database search engines. The most relevant and current published papers between 2000–2016 were included in this study. The research papers that contain the data related to child malnutrition in Pakistan were assessed. A total of 28 articles was reviewed and almost similar methodologies were used in all of them. Most of the researchers conducted the cross sectional quantitative and descriptive studies, through structured interviews for identifying the causes of child malnutrition. Only one study used the mix method technique for acquiring data from the respondents. For the assessment of malnutrition among children, out of 28 papers, 20 used the World Health Organization (WHO) weight for age, age for height, and height for weight Z-score method. Early marriages, large family size, high fertility rates with a lack of birth spacing, low income, the lack of breast feeding, and exclusive breastfeeding were found to be the themes that repeatedly emerged in the reviewed literature. There is a dire need of qualitative and mixed method researches to understand and have an insight into the underlying factors of child malnutrition in Pakistan. PMID:29734703

Tinea capitis in Lahore, Pakistan.

PubMed

Hussain, I; Aman, S; Haroon, T S; Jahangir, M; Nagi, A H

1994-04-01

The causative fungi of tinea capitis vary with geography and time. This study was planned to identify the etiologic agents and determine clinicoetiologic correlations of tinea capitis in Lahore, Pakistan. From clinically suspected cases of tinea capitis, skin scrapings and hair samples were taken and subjected to microscopy and culture. Of 180 evaluable patients, 95% were children below 12 years of age with equal sex incidence. Noninflammatory lesions were seen in 62.2% of cases. Trichophyton violaceum was the most common etiologic agent responsible for 69.4% of infection, followed by T. tonsurans (16.7%), T. verrucosum (10%), Microsporum audouinii (2.2%), and T. mentagrophytes (1.7%). T. violaceum is the predominant pathogen causing tinea capitis in children and adults in this part of the world and gives rise to a varied clinical picture. Our findings agree with data from other parts of Pakistan and many countries abroad.

Nowcasting Earthquakes: A Comparison of Induced Earthquakes in Oklahoma and at the Geysers, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luginbuhl, Molly; Rundle, John B.; Hawkins, Angela; Turcotte, Donald L.

2018-01-01

Nowcasting is a new method of statistically classifying seismicity and seismic risk (Rundle et al. 2016). In this paper, the method is applied to the induced seismicity at the Geysers geothermal region in California and the induced seismicity due to fluid injection in Oklahoma. Nowcasting utilizes the catalogs of seismicity in these regions. Two earthquake magnitudes are selected, one large say M_{λ } ≥ 4, and one small say M_{σ } ≥ 2. The method utilizes the number of small earthquakes that occurs between pairs of large earthquakes. The cumulative probability distribution of these values is obtained. The earthquake potential score (EPS) is defined by the number of small earthquakes that has occurred since the last large earthquake, the point where this number falls on the cumulative probability distribution of interevent counts defines the EPS. A major advantage of nowcasting is that it utilizes "natural time", earthquake counts, between events rather than clock time. Thus, it is not necessary to decluster aftershocks and the results are applicable if the level of induced seismicity varies in time. The application of natural time to the accumulation of the seismic hazard depends on the applicability of Gutenberg-Richter (GR) scaling. The increasing number of small earthquakes that occur after a large earthquake can be scaled to give the risk of a large earthquake occurring. To illustrate our approach, we utilize the number of M_{σ } ≥ 2.75 earthquakes in Oklahoma to nowcast the number of M_{λ } ≥ 4.0 earthquakes in Oklahoma. The applicability of the scaling is illustrated during the rapid build-up of injection-induced seismicity between 2012 and 2016, and the subsequent reduction in seismicity associated with a reduction in fluid injections. The same method is applied to the geothermal-induced seismicity at the Geysers, California, for comparison.

The 1906 earthquake and a century of progress in understanding earthquakes and their hazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zoback, M.L.

2006-01-01

The 18 April 1906 San Francisco earthquake killed nearly 3000 people and left 225,000 residents homeless. Three days after the earthquake, an eight-person Earthquake Investigation Commission composed of 25 geologists, seismologists, geodesists, biologists and engineers, as well as some 300 others started work under the supervision of Andrew Lawson to collect and document physical phenomena related to the quake . On 31 May 1906, the commission published a preliminary 17-page report titled "The Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission". The report included the bulk of the geological and morphological descriptions of the faulting, detailed reports on shaking intensity, as well as an impressive atlas of 40 oversized maps and folios. Nearly 100 years after its publication, the Commission Report remains a model for post-earthquake investigations. Because the diverse data sets were so complete and carefully documented, researchers continue to apply modern analysis techniques to learn from the 1906 earthquake. While the earthquake marked a seminal event in the history of California, it served as impetus for the birth of modern earthquake science in the United States.

Long-Range Forecasting in Support of Operations in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

climate variation, respectively. ....... 11 Table 2. Schematic contingency table used to verify hindcasts of Jul-Aug Pakistan PR. The cells of the table...IRI is a component of Columbia University located in Palisades , NY. IRI’s mission is to increase society’s awareness of the impact of climate on...Jul-Aug Pakistan PR. The cells of the table represent the number and combinations of observed occurrences (obs Y), observed non- occurrences (obs N

On the relationship between Indian Ocean Dipole events and the precipitation of Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Mian Sabir; Kim, Sunyoung; Lee, Seungho

2017-10-01

This study investigated the relationship between the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and the precipitation of Pakistan using data for the period of 1958-2010. The long-term evolution of the IOD index did not show interannual patterns similar to those of the annual precipitation of Pakistan. No linkage between the co-occurring trends of the IOD and the precipitation was traced during the period of investigation. The correlation between the IOD and the precipitation of Pakistan indicated a noteworthy impact over the monsoonal regions, especially the coastal area and the western region of Pakistan, which showed a significant positive correlation between the IOD index and annual and summer precipitation. A significant positive relationship was also revealed between the precipitation of the Balochistan Plateau and the IOD index for the summer monsoon season. No connection was observed between the IOD and the precipitation of the northern regions and the upper Indus Plain of Pakistan. Positive phases of the IOD have been noted to occur along with surplus precipitation during active monsoon conditions. The southeasterly wind moves from the Arabian Sea and transports additional moisture from the Arabian Sea to the coastal and southwestern parts of Pakistan during positive phases of the IOD.

Earthquakes; January-February, 1979

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1979-01-01

The first major earthquake (magnitude 7.0 to 7.9) of the year struck in southeastern Alaska in a sparsely populated area on February 28. On January 16, Iran experienced the first destructive earthquake of the year causing a number of casualties and considerable damage. Peru was hit by a destructive earthquake on February 16 that left casualties and damage. A number of earthquakes were experienced in parts of the Untied States, but only minor damage was reported. 

Preliminary results on earthquake triggered landslides for the Haiti earthquake (January 2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Westen, Cees; Gorum, Tolga

2010-05-01

This study presents the first results on an analysis of the landslides triggered by the Ms 7.0 Haiti earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010 in the boundary region of the Pacific Plate and the North American plate. The fault is a left lateral strike slip fault with a clear surface expression. According to the USGS earthquake information the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system has not produced any major earthquake in the last 100 years, and historical earthquakes are known from 1860, 1770, 1761, 1751, 1684, 1673, and 1618, though none of these has been confirmed in the field as associated with this fault. We used high resolution satellite imagery available for the pre and post earthquake situations, which were made freely available for the response and rescue operations. We made an interpretation of all co-seismic landslides in the epicentral area. We conclude that the earthquake mainly triggered landslide in the northern slope of the fault-related valley and in a number of isolated area. The earthquake apparently didn't trigger many visible landslides within the slum areas on the slopes in the southern part of Port-au-Prince and Carrefour. We also used ASTER DEM information to relate the landslide occurrences with DEM derivatives.

Turkish Compulsory Earthquake Insurance (TCIP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdik, M.; Durukal, E.; Sesetyan, K.

2009-04-01

Through a World Bank project a government-sponsored Turkish Catastrophic Insurance Pool (TCIP) is created in 2000 with the essential aim of transferring the government's financial burden of replacing earthquake-damaged housing to international reinsurance and capital markets. Providing coverage to about 2.9 Million homeowners TCIP is the largest insurance program in the country with about 0.5 Billion USD in its own reserves and about 2.3 Billion USD in total claims paying capacity. The total payment for earthquake damage since 2000 (mostly small, 226 earthquakes) amounts to about 13 Million USD. The country-wide penetration rate is about 22%, highest in the Marmara region (30%) and lowest in the south-east Turkey (9%). TCIP is the sole-source provider of earthquake loss coverage up to 90,000 USD per house. The annual premium, categorized on the basis of earthquake zones type of structure, is about US90 for a 100 square meter reinforced concrete building in the most hazardous zone with 2% deductible. The earthquake engineering related shortcomings of the TCIP is exemplified by fact that the average rate of 0.13% (for reinforced concrete buildings) with only 2% deductible is rather low compared to countries with similar earthquake exposure. From an earthquake engineering point of view the risk underwriting (Typification of housing units to be insured, earthquake intensity zonation and the sum insured) of the TCIP needs to be overhauled. Especially for large cities, models can be developed where its expected earthquake performance (and consequently the insurance premium) can be can be assessed on the basis of the location of the unit (microzoned earthquake hazard) and basic structural attributes (earthquake vulnerability relationships). With such an approach, in the future the TCIP can contribute to the control of construction through differentiation of premia on the basis of earthquake vulnerability.

Limitation of the Predominant-Period Estimator for Earthquake Early Warning and the Initial Rupture of Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, T.; Ide, S.

2007-12-01

Earthquake early warning is an important and challenging issue for the reduction of the seismic damage, especially for the mitigation of human suffering. One of the most important problems in earthquake early warning systems is how immediately we can estimate the final size of an earthquake after we observe the ground motion. It is relevant to the problem whether the initial rupture of an earthquake has some information associated with its final size. Nakamura (1988) developed the Urgent Earthquake Detection and Alarm System (UrEDAS). It calculates the predominant period of the P wave (τp) and estimates the magnitude of an earthquake immediately after the P wave arrival from the value of τpmax, or the maximum value of τp. The similar approach has been adapted by other earthquake alarm systems (e.g., Allen and Kanamori (2003)). To investigate the characteristic of the parameter τp and the effect of the length of the time window (TW) in the τpmax calculation, we analyze the high-frequency recordings of earthquakes at very close distances in the Mponeng mine in South Africa. We find that values of τpmax have upper and lower limits. For larger earthquakes whose source durations are longer than TW, the values of τpmax have an upper limit which depends on TW. On the other hand, the values for smaller earthquakes have a lower limit which is proportional to the sampling interval. For intermediate earthquakes, the values of τpmax are close to their typical source durations. These two limits and the slope for intermediate earthquakes yield an artificial final size dependence of τpmax in a wide size range. The parameter τpmax is useful for detecting large earthquakes and broadcasting earthquake early warnings. However, its dependence on the final size of earthquakes does not suggest that the earthquake rupture is deterministic. This is because τpmax does not always have a direct relation to the physical quantities of an earthquake.

Sun, Moon and Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolvankar, V. G.

2013-12-01

During a study conducted to find the effect of Earth tides on the occurrence of earthquakes, for small areas [typically 1000km X1000km] of high-seismicity regions, it was noticed that the Sun's position in terms of universal time [GMT] shows links to the sum of EMD [longitude of earthquake location - longitude of Moon's foot print on earth] and SEM [Sun-Earth-Moon angle]. This paper provides the details of this relationship after studying earthquake data for over forty high-seismicity regions of the world. It was found that over 98% of the earthquakes for these different regions, examined for the period 1973-2008, show a direct relationship between the Sun's position [GMT] and [EMD+SEM]. As the time changes from 00-24 hours, the factor [EMD+SEM] changes through 360 degree, and plotting these two variables for earthquakes from different small regions reveals a simple 45 degree straight-line relationship between them. This relationship was tested for all earthquakes and earthquake sequences for magnitude 2.0 and above. This study conclusively proves how Sun and the Moon govern all earthquakes. Fig. 12 [A+B]. The left-hand figure provides a 24-hour plot for forty consecutive days including the main event (00:58:23 on 26.12.2004, Lat.+3.30, Long+95.980, Mb 9.0, EQ count 376). The right-hand figure provides an earthquake plot for (EMD+SEM) vs GMT timings for the same data. All the 376 events including the main event faithfully follow the straight-line curve.

Are Earthquakes Predictable? A Study on Magnitude Correlations in Earthquake Catalog and Experimental Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavrianaki, K.; Ross, G.; Sammonds, P. R.

2015-12-01

The clustering of earthquakes in time and space is widely accepted, however the existence of correlations in earthquake magnitudes is more questionable. In standard models of seismic activity, it is usually assumed that magnitudes are independent and therefore in principle unpredictable. Our work seeks to test this assumption by analysing magnitude correlation between earthquakes and their aftershocks. To separate mainshocks from aftershocks, we perform stochastic declustering based on the widely used Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model, which allows us to then compare the average magnitudes of aftershock sequences to that of their mainshock. The results of earthquake magnitude correlations were compared with acoustic emissions (AE) from laboratory analog experiments, as fracturing generates both AE at the laboratory scale and earthquakes on a crustal scale. Constant stress and constant strain rate experiments were done on Darley Dale sandstone under confining pressure to simulate depth of burial. Microcracking activity inside the rock volume was analyzed by the AE technique as a proxy for earthquakes. Applying the ETAS model to experimental data allowed us to validate our results and provide for the first time a holistic view on the correlation of earthquake magnitudes. Additionally we search the relationship between the conditional intensity estimates of the ETAS model and the earthquake magnitudes. A positive relation would suggest the existence of magnitude correlations. The aim of this study is to observe any trends of dependency between the magnitudes of aftershock earthquakes and the earthquakes that trigger them.

Promoting Space Education and Awareness in Pakistan- Initiatives, Achievements, Challenges and Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagirani, Aisha

With about 180 million inhabitants, Pakistan is the sixth most populous and the 34th largest country in the world in terms of area. Pakistan's economy, which is pre-dominantly based on agriculture, is the 26th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity and 45th largest in terms of nominal GDP. Pakistan is counted among the Next Eleven (N11) countries that have the potential to become the world's largest economies in the 21st century. Despite considerable potential to develop into a stable, moderate and democratic state, major challenges of internal security, poor agricultural productivity, inadequate infrastructure, food insecurity, insufficient health and educational facilities, depletion of natural resources, rapid environmental degradation and recurring natural disasters have burdened the country and have hampered sustainable development of Pakistan. Space technology applications offer a cost-effective means of addressing many of the above mentioned issues and have made impressive advances in the last few years in different countries in the region. Unfortunately, for various reasons, Pakistan has not been able to fully exploit the benefits of space technology and its applications to meet the challenges she faces. One of the reasons is lack of awareness and understanding by planners, decision-makers and users about the potential benefits of space technology in planning and implementation of developmental plans as well as good governance. Similarly, Pakistan's space program enjoys little public support due, primarily, to lack of awareness of the benefits space offers and the ubiquitousness of space applications in modern life. There is thus an acute need to create awareness and educate all segments of the society and stakeholders in Pakistan about the potential benefits of space technology and its applications. In the past ten years, many initiatives have been taken to promote space education and awareness for students as well as decision-makers in

The Importance of Enduring Partnership Between the US and Pakistan in Combating Terrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

Hundreds of Pakistanis including armed forces members have so far been killed in these terrorist attacks. The most high profile personality that has so...far been killed in such attacks was Mrs Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s ex Prime Minister. Pakistan has so far provided following assistance to the US: a...Pakistan Army conducted operation in South Waziristan in 2004, during which 302 militants were killed while 656 were detained. Some 80% of these

Putting down roots in earthquake country-Your handbook for earthquakes in the Central United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Contributors: Dart, Richard; McCarthy, Jill; McCallister, Natasha; Williams, Robert A.

2011-01-01

This handbook provides information to residents of the Central United States about the threat of earthquakes in that area, particularly along the New Madrid seismic zone, and explains how to prepare for, survive, and recover from such events. It explains the need for concern about earthquakes for those residents and describes what one can expect during and after an earthquake. Much is known about the threat of earthquakes in the Central United States, including where they are likely to occur and what can be done to reduce losses from future earthquakes, but not enough has been done to prepare for future earthquakes. The handbook describes such preparations that can be taken by individual residents before an earthquake to be safe and protect property.

The role of pharmacists in developing countries: the current scenario in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Azhar, Saira; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Ibrahim, Mohamed Izham Mohamed; Ahmad, Maqsood; Masood, Imran; Shafie, Asrul Akmal

2009-01-01

During the past few years, the pharmacy profession has expanded significantly in terms of professional services delivery and now has been recognized as an important profession in the multidisciplinary provision of health care. In contrast to the situation in developed countries, pharmacists in developing countries are still underutilized and their role as health care professionals is not deemed important by either the community or other health care providers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the role of pharmacists in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. The paper draws on the literature related to the socioeconomic and health status of Pakistan's population, along with background on the pharmacy profession in the country in the context of the current directions of health care. The paper highlights the current scenario and portrays the pharmacy profession in Pakistan. It concludes that although the pharmacy profession in Pakistan is continuously evolving, the health care system of Pakistan has yet to recognize the pharmacist's role. This lack of recognition is due to the limited interaction of pharmacists with the public. Pharmacists in Pakistan are concerned about their present professional role in the health care system. The main problem they are facing is the shortage of pharmacists in pharmacies. Moreover, their services are focused towards management more than towards customers. For these reasons, the pharmacist's role as a health care professional is not familiar to the public. PMID:19594916

Important Earthquake Engineering Resources

Science.gov Websites

PEER logo Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center home about peer news events research Engineering Resources Site Map Search Important Earthquake Engineering Resources - American Concrete Institute Motion Observation Systems (COSMOS) - Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan: Current prevalence and future forecast.

PubMed

Meo, Sultan Ayoub; Zia, Inam; Bukhari, Ishfaq A; Arain, Shoukat Ali

2016-12-01

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic health problem of all age groups, both gender, involves rural and urban areas and developing and developed countries globally. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan. Systematic bibliographic search of scientific databases including PubMed, ISI-web of science and Google Scholar was conducted with key words of "type 2 diabetes mellitus" "prevalence", "incidence", "occurrence". A total of 22 peer reviewed papers published in ISI and PubMed indexed journals were selected and examined. All the epidemiologic and experimental studies reporting the diabetes prevalence in Pakistan were included. Lastly, we analyzed 18 publications and remaining 04 papers were excluded. The current prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan is 11.77%. In males the prevalence is 11.20% and in females 9.19%. The mean prevalence in Sindh province is 16.2% in males and 11.70 % in females; in Punjab province it is 12.14% in males and 9.83% in females. In Baluchistan province 13.3% among males, 8.9% in females; while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) it is 9.2% in males and 11.60% in females. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in urban areas is 14.81% and 10.34% in rural areas of Pakistan. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan is11.77%. The prevalence is higher in males than females and more common in urban areas compared to the rural areas. Pakistan must include diabetes preventive measures in their national health policy to minimize the burden of the disease.

Repeating Earthquakes Following an Mw 4.4 Earthquake Near Luther, Oklahoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clements, T.; Keranen, K. M.; Savage, H. M.

2015-12-01

An Mw 4.4 earthquake on April 16, 2013 near Luther, OK was one of the earliest M4+ earthquakes in central Oklahoma, following the Prague sequence in 2011. A network of four local broadband seismometers deployed within a day of the Mw 4.4 event, along with six Oklahoma netquake stations, recorded more than 500 aftershocks in the two weeks following the Luther earthquake. Here we use HypoDD (Waldhauser & Ellsworth, 2000) and waveform cross-correlation to obtain precise aftershock locations. The location uncertainty, calculated using the SVD method in HypoDD, is ~15 m horizontally and ~ 35 m vertically. The earthquakes define a near vertical, NE-SW striking fault plane. Events occur at depths from 2 km to 3.5 km within the granitic basement, with a small fraction of events shallower, near the sediment-basement interface. Earthquakes occur within a zone of ~200 meters thickness on either side of the best-fitting fault surface. We use an equivalency class algorithm to identity clusters of repeating events, defined as event pairs with median three-component correlation > 0.97 across common stations (Aster & Scott, 1993). Repeating events occur as doublets of only two events in over 50% of cases; overall, 41% of earthquakes recorded occur as repeating events. The recurrence intervals for the repeating events range from minutes to days, with common recurrence intervals of less than two minutes. While clusters occur in tight dimensions, commonly of 80 m x 200 m, aftershocks occur in 3 distinct ~2km x 2km-sized patches along the fault. Our analysis suggests that with rapidly deployed local arrays, the plethora of ~Mw 4 earthquakes occurring in Oklahoma and Southern Kansas can be used to investigate the earthquake rupture process and the role of damage zones.

Earthquake Hazards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Neville

1979-01-01

Provides a survey and a review of earthquake activity and global tectonics from the advancement of the theory of continental drift to the present. Topics include: an identification of the major seismic regions of the earth, seismic measurement techniques, seismic design criteria for buildings, and the prediction of earthquakes. (BT)

Strategies for prevention of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Pakistan: situational analysis.

PubMed

Khan, Adeel Ahmed; Fatmi, Zafar

2014-05-01

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are one of the leading causes of death among productive age group. Using systems approach framework (SAF), current preventive strategies for RTI control were reviewed in Pakistan. A review of the literature was done using four international search engines. Only ten studies on preventive strategies for RTI stemming from Pakistan were found. The first Road Traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) surveillance system for road traffic injuries was established in urban city (Karachi) in Pakistan has shown promise for injury control and should be scaled up to other cities. Enforcement of traffic laws on seat-belt and helmet wearing is poor. National Highway and Motorway Police Ordinance (2000) was one of the few legislative measure so far taken in Pakistan. Using SAF, efforts are required to implement interventions targeting human, vehicle design and also making environment safer for road users.

Ancient Human Migrations to and through Jammu Kashmir- India were not of Males Exclusively.

PubMed

Sharma, Indu; Sharma, Varun; Khan, Akbar; Kumar, Parvinder; Rai, Ekta; Bamezai, Rameshwar N K; Vilar, Miguel; Sharma, Swarkar

2018-01-16

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the Northern most State of India, has been under-represented or altogether absent in most of the phylogenetic studies carried out in literature, despite its strategic location in the Himalayan region. Nonetheless, this region may have acted as a corridor to various migrations to and from mainland India, Eurasia or northeast Asia. The belief goes that most of the migrations post-late-Pleistocene were mainly male dominated, primarily associated with population invasions, where female migration may thus have been limited. To evaluate female-centered migration patterns in the region, we sequenced 83 complete mitochondrial genomes of unrelated individuals belonging to different ethnic groups from the state. We observed a high diversity in the studied maternal lineages, identifying 19 new maternal sub-haplogroups (HGs). High maternal diversity and our phylogenetic analyses suggest that the migrations post-Pleistocene were not strictly paternal, as described in the literature. These preliminary observations highlight the need to carry out an extensive study of the endogamous populations of the region to unravel many facts and find links in the peopling of India.

Earthquakes, May-June 1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1981-01-01

The months of May and June were somewhat quiet, seismically speaking. There was one major earthquake (7.0-7.9) off the west coast of South Island, New Zealand. The most destructive earthquake during this reporting period was in southern Iran on June 11 which caused fatalities and extensive damage. Peru also experienced a destructive earthquake on June 22 which caused fatalities and damage. In the United States, a number of earthquakes were experienced, but none caused significant damage. 

ViscoSim Earthquake Simulator

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollitz, Fred

2012-01-01

Synthetic seismicity simulations have been explored by the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Earthquake Simulators Group in order to guide long‐term forecasting efforts related to the Unified California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (Tullis et al., 2012a). In this study I describe the viscoelastic earthquake simulator (ViscoSim) of Pollitz, 2009. Recapitulating to a large extent material previously presented by Pollitz (2009, 2011) I describe its implementation of synthetic ruptures and how it differs from other simulators being used by the group.

Faunistic studies of the tribe Brachinini (Carabidae: Coleoptera) from northern Pakistan.

PubMed

Ullah, Mishkat; Naeem, Muhammad; Mahmood, Khalid; Rafi, Muhammad Ather

2017-02-15

A faunistic study of the tribe Brachinini from northern Pakistan was carried out including extensive fieldwork collections and specimens housed in the Insect Repository, Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Islamabad and the National Insect Museum, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad. Ten species belonging to three genera were identified from the study area, including four new records for Pakistan, Brachinus (Brachinus) ejaculans Fischer Von Waldheim, 1828, Brachinus (Neobrachinus) pallidipes Reitter, 1919, Pheropsophus (Stenaptinus) consularis (Schmidt-Goebel, 1846) and Pheropsophus (Stenaptinus) lineifrons Chaudoir, 1850. A key for these species is provided. A new combination is proposed for Brachinus (Brachynolomus) pallidipes Reitter, 1919, namely Brachinus (Neobrachinus) pallidipes Reitter, 1919, comb. nov.

Earthquake damage orientation to infer seismic parameters in archaeological sites and historical earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-González, Fidel

2018-01-01

Studies to provide information concerning seismic parameters and seismic sources of historical and archaeological seismic events are used to better evaluate the seismic hazard of a region. This is of especial interest when no surface rupture is recorded or the seismogenic fault cannot be identified. The orientation pattern of the earthquake damage (ED) (e.g., fallen columns, dropped key stones) that affected architectonic elements of cities after earthquakes has been traditionally used in historical and archaeoseismological studies to infer seismic parameters. However, in the literature depending on the authors, the parameters that can be obtained are contradictory (it has been proposed: the epicenter location, the orientation of the P-waves, the orientation of the compressional strain and the fault kinematics) and authors even question these relations with the earthquake damage. The earthquakes of Lorca in 2011, Christchurch in 2011 and Emilia Romagna in 2012 present an opportunity to measure systematically a large number and wide variety of earthquake damage in historical buildings (the same structures that are used in historical and archaeological studies). The damage pattern orientation has been compared with modern instrumental data, which is not possible in historical and archaeoseismological studies. From measurements and quantification of the orientation patterns in the studied earthquakes, it is observed that there is a systematic pattern of the earthquake damage orientation (EDO) in the proximity of the seismic source (fault trace) (<10 km). The EDO in these earthquakes is normal to the fault trend (±15°). This orientation can be generated by a pulse of motion that in the near fault region has a distinguishable acceleration normal to the fault due to the polarization of the S-waves. Therefore, the earthquake damage orientation could be used to estimate the seismogenic fault trend of historical earthquakes studies where no instrumental data are available.

Earthquakes, March-April, 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, Waverly J.

1993-01-01

Worldwide, only one major earthquake (7.0earthquake, a magnitude 7.2 shock, struck the Santa Cruz Islands region in the South Pacific on March 6. Earthquake-related deaths occurred in the Fiji Islands, China, and Peru.

2016 National Earthquake Conference

Science.gov Websites

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, California Earthquake Authority. What's New? What's Next ? What's Your Role in Building a National Strategy? The National Earthquake Conference (NEC) is a , state government leaders, social science practitioners, U.S. State and Territorial Earthquake Managers

The music of earthquakes and Earthquake Quartet #1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Michael, Andrew J.

2013-01-01

Earthquake Quartet #1, my composition for voice, trombone, cello, and seismograms, is the intersection of listening to earthquakes as a seismologist and performing music as a trombonist. Along the way, I realized there is a close relationship between what I do as a scientist and what I do as a musician. A musician controls the source of the sound and the path it travels through their instrument in order to make sound waves that we hear as music. An earthquake is the source of waves that travel along a path through the earth until reaching us as shaking. It is almost as if the earth is a musician and people, including seismologists, are metaphorically listening and trying to understand what the music means.

Earthquake triggering in southeast Africa following the 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neves, Miguel; Custódio, Susana; Peng, Zhigang; Ayorinde, Adebayo

2018-02-01

In this paper we present evidence of earthquake dynamic triggering in southeast Africa. We analysed seismic waveforms recorded at 53 broad-band and short-period stations in order to identify possible increases in the rate of microearthquakes and tremor due to the passage of teleseismic waves generated by the Mw8.6 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake. We found evidence of triggered local earthquakes and no evidence of triggered tremor in the region. We assessed the statistical significance of the increase in the number of local earthquakes using β-statistics. Statistically significant dynamic triggering of local earthquakes was observed at 7 out of the 53 analysed stations. Two of these stations are located in the northeast coast of Madagascar and the other five stations are located in the Kaapvaal Craton, southern Africa. We found no evidence of dynamically triggered seismic activity in stations located near the structures of the East African Rift System. Hydrothermal activity exists close to the stations that recorded dynamic triggering, however, it also exists near the East African Rift System structures where no triggering was observed. Our results suggest that factors other than solely tectonic regime and geothermalism are needed to explain the mechanisms that underlie earthquake triggering.

Toward real-time regional earthquake simulation of Taiwan earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S.; Liu, Q.; Tromp, J.; Komatitsch, D.; Liang, W.; Huang, B.

2013-12-01

We developed a Real-time Online earthquake Simulation system (ROS) to simulate regional earthquakes in Taiwan. The ROS uses a centroid moment tensor solution of seismic events from a Real-time Moment Tensor monitoring system (RMT), which provides all the point source parameters including the event origin time, hypocentral location, moment magnitude and focal mechanism within 2 minutes after the occurrence of an earthquake. Then, all of the source parameters are automatically forwarded to the ROS to perform an earthquake simulation, which is based on a spectral-element method (SEM). We have improved SEM mesh quality by introducing a thin high-resolution mesh layer near the surface to accommodate steep and rapidly varying topography. The mesh for the shallow sedimentary basin is adjusted to reflect its complex geometry and sharp lateral velocity contrasts. The grid resolution at the surface is about 545 m, which is sufficient to resolve topography and tomography data for simulations accurate up to 1.0 Hz. The ROS is also an infrastructural service, making online earthquake simulation feasible. Users can conduct their own earthquake simulation by providing a set of source parameters through the ROS webpage. For visualization, a ShakeMovie and ShakeMap are produced during the simulation. The time needed for one event is roughly 3 minutes for a 70 sec ground motion simulation. The ROS is operated online at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica (http://ros.earth.sinica.edu.tw/). Our long-term goal for the ROS system is to contribute to public earth science outreach and to realize seismic ground motion prediction in real-time.

Geophysical Anomalies and Earthquake Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, D. D.

2008-12-01

Finding anomalies is easy. Predicting earthquakes convincingly from such anomalies is far from easy. Why? Why have so many beautiful geophysical abnormalities not led to successful prediction strategies? What is earthquake prediction? By my definition it is convincing information that an earthquake of specified size is temporarily much more likely than usual in a specific region for a specified time interval. We know a lot about normal earthquake behavior, including locations where earthquake rates are higher than elsewhere, with estimable rates and size distributions. We know that earthquakes have power law size distributions over large areas, that they cluster in time and space, and that aftershocks follow with power-law dependence on time. These relationships justify prudent protective measures and scientific investigation. Earthquake prediction would justify exceptional temporary measures well beyond those normal prudent actions. Convincing earthquake prediction would result from methods that have demonstrated many successes with few false alarms. Predicting earthquakes convincingly is difficult for several profound reasons. First, earthquakes start in tiny volumes at inaccessible depth. The power law size dependence means that tiny unobservable ones are frequent almost everywhere and occasionally grow to larger size. Thus prediction of important earthquakes is not about nucleation, but about identifying the conditions for growth. Second, earthquakes are complex. They derive their energy from stress, which is perniciously hard to estimate or model because it is nearly singular at the margins of cracks and faults. Physical properties vary from place to place, so the preparatory processes certainly vary as well. Thus establishing the needed track record for validation is very difficult, especially for large events with immense interval times in any one location. Third, the anomalies are generally complex as well. Electromagnetic anomalies in particular require

Historical earthquake research in Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammerl, Christa

2017-12-01

Austria has a moderate seismicity, and on average the population feels 40 earthquakes per year or approximately three earthquakes per month. A severe earthquake with light building damage is expected roughly every 2 to 3 years in Austria. Severe damage to buildings ( I 0 > 8° EMS) occurs significantly less frequently, the average period of recurrence is about 75 years. For this reason the historical earthquake research has been of special importance in Austria. The interest in historical earthquakes in the past in the Austro-Hungarian Empire is outlined, beginning with an initiative of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the development of historical earthquake research as an independent research field after the 1978 "Zwentendorf plebiscite" on whether the nuclear power plant will start up. The applied methods are introduced briefly along with the most important studies and last but not least as an example of a recently carried out case study, one of the strongest past earthquakes in Austria, the earthquake of 17 July 1670, is presented. The research into historical earthquakes in Austria concentrates on seismic events of the pre-instrumental period. The investigations are not only of historical interest, but also contribute to the completeness and correctness of the Austrian earthquake catalogue, which is the basis for seismic hazard analysis and as such benefits the public, communities, civil engineers, architects, civil protection, and many others.

Molecular characterization of Hepatozoon canis from farm dogs in Pakistan.

PubMed

Ahmad, Abdullah S; Saeed, Muhammad A; Rashid, Imran; Ashraf, Kamran; Shehzad, Wasim; Traub, Rebecca J; Baneth, Gad; Jabbar, Abdul

2018-04-01

Hepatozoon canis is a tick-borne pathogen of canids, which is distributed worldwide. However, very little is known about this protozoan parasite in Pakistan. This study provides the first molecular evidence of H. canis from farm dogs from three agro-ecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan. A conventional PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene was used to characterize H. canis from farm dogs from three districts, namely Kasur, Rawalpindi, and Muzaffargarh, in Punjab. Of 341 blood samples tested, 155 (45.5%) were positive for H. canis, 73 (61.3%) from Kasur, 46 (42.5%) from Rawalpindi, and 36 (31.5%) from Muzaffargarh. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 18S rRNA sequences of H. canis from this study clustered in three clades with those of H. canis from previously published studies to the exclusion of all other Hepatozoon spp. included in the analysis. This study provides the first insight into H. canis from farm dogs in Pakistan. Furthermore, it lays a foundation for future studies of the parasite to assess the impact of canine hepatozoonosis in dogs from various agro-ecological zones in Pakistan where pet ownership of dogs is increasing.

Unraveling earthquake stresses: Insights from dynamically triggered and induced earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco, A. A.; Alfaro-Diaz, R. A.

2017-12-01

Induced seismicity, earthquakes caused by anthropogenic activity, has more than doubled in the last several years resulting from practices related to oil and gas production. Furthermore, large earthquakes have been shown to promote the triggering of other events within two fault lengths (static triggering), due to static stresses caused by physical movement along the fault, and also remotely from the passage of seismic waves (dynamic triggering). Thus, in order to understand the mechanisms for earthquake failure, we investigate regions where natural, induced, and dynamically triggered events occur, and specifically target Oklahoma. We first analyze data from EarthScope's USArray Transportable Array (TA) and local seismic networks implementing an optimized (STA/LTA) detector in order to develop local detection and earthquake catalogs. After we identify triggered events through statistical analysis, and perform a stress analysis to gain insight on the stress-states leading to triggered earthquake failure. We use our observations to determine the role of different transient stresses in contributing to natural and induced seismicity by comparing these stresses to regional stress orientation. We also delineate critically stressed regions of triggered seismicity that may indicate areas susceptible to earthquake hazards associated with sustained fluid injection in provinces of induced seismicity. Anthropogenic injection and extraction activity can alter the stress state and fluid flow within production basins. By analyzing the stress release of these ancient faults caused by dynamic stresses, we may be able to determine if fluids are solely responsible for increased seismic activity in induced regions.

Potential for Expatriate Involvement with Handicapped Children in the N.W.F.P. of Pakistan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, M.

The North West Frontier Province of Pakistan plans to improve services and facilities for handicapped children and is encouraging expatriates to bring their skills to Pakistan. Staff of current institutions are either untrained or have received short courses of training within Pakistan. There are currently about five expatriates working in the…

Nuclear nonproliferation: India Pakistan. Research report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fallon, J.S.

1997-04-01

As most of the world continues to seek ways to reduce or eliminate the spread of nuclear weapons, two countries seem intent on pursuing a path which is contradictory. India and Pakistan, two neighboring and frequently warring nations, condemn the use of nuclear weapons as they continue to develop the capability to deliver a nuclear payload. Additionally, India has stood against the Non-Proliferation Treaty, insisting that all nations must agree to eliminate nuclear weapons. It is against this seemingly hopeless situation that this report is focused. How can nuclear proliferation in South Asia be diffused while answering the security concernsmore » of both India and Pakistan. What I offer here is a review of the history, the current situation for the area, and a proposed solution to this nuclear stalemate.« less

Human West Nile Virus Disease Outbreak in Pakistan, 2015–2016

PubMed Central

Khan, Erum; Barr, Kelli L.; Farooqi, Joveria Qais; Prakoso, Dhani; Abbas, Alizae; Khan, Zain Y.; Ashi, Shanze; Imtiaz, Kehkashan; Aziz, Z.; Malik, Faisal; Lednicky, John A.; Long, Maureen T.

2018-01-01

Like most of the world, Pakistan has seen an increase in mosquito-transmitted diseases in recent years. The magnitude and distribution of these diseases are poorly understood as Pakistan does not have a nation-wide system for reporting disease. A cross-sectional study to determine which flaviviruses were causing of arboviral disease in Pakistan was instituted. West Nile virus (WNV) is a cause of seasonal fever with neurotropic findings in countries that share borders with Pakistan. Here, we describe the active and persistent circulation of WNV in humans in the southern region of Pakistan. This is the first report of WNV causing neurological disease in human patients in this country. Of 997 enrolled patients presenting with clinical features suggestive of arboviral disease, 105 were positive for WNV IgM antibodies, and 71 of these patients possessed WNV-specific neutralizing antibodies. Cross-reactivity of WNV IgM antibodies with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) occurred in 75 of these 105 patients. WNV co-infections with Dengue viruses were not a contributing factor for the severity of disease. Nor did prior exposure to dengue virus contribute to incidence of neurological involvement in WNV-infected patients. Patients with WNV infections were more likely to present with altered mental status, seizures, and reduced Glasgow Coma scores when compared with JEV-infected patients. Human WNV cases and vector numbers exhibited a temporal correlation with climate. PMID:29535994

Economics of tobacco control in Pakistan: estimating elasticities of cigarette demand.

PubMed

Mushtaq, Nasir; Mushtaq, Saghir; Beebe, Laura A

2011-11-01

Despite ongoing global efforts for tobacco control, low-income countries with struggling economies have challenges to effectively implement tobacco policies and programs. Due to the complexity of the tobacco control issue and lack of comprehensive policies, tobacco use is increasing in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of taxes on tobacco demand in Pakistan. Various surveillance indicators of tobacco use were assessed from 2001 to 2009. Price elasticities of cigarette demand in Pakistan were investigated. During 2003-2009, annual per capita cigarette consumption increased by 30%. Analysis of economic data indicated that a 10% increase in cigarette prices would lead to 4.8% decrease in cigarette consumption while controlling for per capita income in the short term. The long-term price elasticities of cigarette demand were estimated at -1.17. The estimations provided support for myopic addiction model for cigarette consumption in Pakistan. Increasing tobacco taxes would have a significant impact on tobacco consumption in Pakistan. Cigarette consumption could decrease by 11.7% in the long term if there was a 10% increase in its price. The results of this study should benefit policymakers as it provides information on the characteristics of the cigarette consumption and cigarette demand function that may help in planning tobacco control strategies in low-income and middle-income countries.

Physicochemical characteristics of various milk samples available in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Imran, Mohammad; Khan, Hamayun; Hassan, Syed Shah; Khan, Rasool

2008-01-01

We report physicochemical characteristics of various kinds of liquid milk commercially available in Pakistan in comparison with those of fresh natural milk from animals. Milk samples were collected from local markets at Peshawar, Pakistan, and analyzed for their physical features, including moisture, total solids, specific gravity, conductivity, viscosity and titratable acidity (lactic acid equivalent), and chemical components and macro-minerals, including total protein, casein, lactose, ash and minerals (Na, K and Mg). These items were compared with the physicochemical characteristics of the fresh natural milk samples from buffalo, cow and goat. The results were also compared with reported nutritional quality of milk from various countries and World Health Organization (WHO) standards. We found that all the physical features and chemical components of commercially available milk in Pakistan markets meet WHO’s requirements, except for Na, K, Ca and Mg, which are below the standards. PMID:18600784

Statistical Analysis of Factors Affecting Child Mortality in Pakistan.

PubMed

Ahmed, Zoya; Kamal, Asifa; Kamal, Asma

2016-06-01

Child mortality is a composite indicator reflecting economic, social, environmental, healthcare services, and their delivery situation in a country. Globally, Pakistan has the third highest burden of fetal, maternal, and child mortality. Factors affecting child mortality in Pakistan are investigated by using Binary Logistic Regression Analysis. Region, education of mother, birth order, preceding birth interval (the period between the previous child birth and the index child birth), size of child at birth, and breastfeeding and family size were found to be significantly important with child mortality in Pakistan. Child mortality decreased as level of mother's education, preceding birth interval, size of child at birth, and family size increased. Child mortality was found to be significantly higher in Balochistan as compared to other regions. Child mortality was low for low birth orders. Child survival was significantly higher for children who were breastfed as compared to those who were not.

Pakistan’s Afghanistan Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

from 1947 to 1989, all Afghan governments have sided with New Dehli . The military cooperation between both capitals and Moscow was also a concern for...Baluchistan (by inciting the groups in Pakistan) will be deliberated. Pakistan’s ability to manage the tension, while maintaining its legitimate right

Earthquake triggering by seismic waves following the landers and hector mine earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.; Reasenberg, P.A.; Bodin, P.; Harris, R.A.

2001-01-01

The proximity and similarity of the 1992, magnitude 7.3 Landers and 1999, magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine earthquakes in California permit testing of earthquake triggering hypotheses not previously possible. The Hector Mine earthquake confirmed inferences that transient, oscillatory 'dynamic' deformations radiated as seismic waves can trigger seismicity rate increases, as proposed for the Landers earthquake1-6. Here we quantify the spatial and temporal patterns of the seismicity rate changes7. The seismicity rate increase was to the north for the Landers earthquake and primarily to the south for the Hector Mine earthquake. We suggest that rupture directivity results in elevated dynamic deformations north and south of the Landers and Hector Mine faults, respectively, as evident in the asymmetry of the recorded seismic velocity fields. Both dynamic and static stress changes seem important for triggering in the near field with dynamic stress changes dominating at greater distances. Peak seismic velocities recorded for each earthquake suggest the existence of, and place bounds on, dynamic triggering thresholds. These thresholds vary from a few tenths to a few MPa in most places, depend on local conditions, and exceed inferred static thresholds by more than an order of magnitude. At some sites, the onset of triggering was delayed until after the dynamic deformations subsided. Physical mechanisms consistent with all these observations may be similar to those that give rise to liquefaction or cyclic fatigue.

Shake, Rattle, and Hopefully Not Fall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maltese, Adam

2009-01-01

Earthquakes occur across the globe, and their efforts can be felt by people regardless of location. However, a moderate earthquake in Pakistan or Turkey may cause much greater damage than a stronger earthquake in Tokyo. It is imperative to help students understand why this disparity exists--often due to both natural and human influences. Students…

The Role of Educational Technology in Upgrading Teacher Education in Pakistan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbasi, M. Hashim; Millar, Alex C.

This paper outlines a joint Asian Bank/Pakistan Ministry of Education project designed to upgrade the state of teacher education and to improve the quality, status, and professional self-esteem of Pakistan's teachers. The main strategies identified by the Project for priority attention include: structural changes through the creation of four new…

Handling the Cerebral Palsied Child: Multi-Level Skills Transfer in Pakistan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, M.; Frizzell, Yvonne

1990-01-01

The majority of children with cerebral palsy in developing countries have no access to trained therapists; for example, in Pakistan, there is less than one trained general physiotherapist per million population. In Pakistan, cerebral palsy handling skills were taught to a group of parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals in a series of practical…

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Challenges and the Way Forward

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD by Muzaffar Hussain June 2017 Thesis Advisor: Robert E. Looney Second Reader...DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD 5. FUNDING NUMBERS...is unlimited. 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—the latest venture in a history of bilateral economic

Assessment of A. I. D. environmental programs: Energy conservation in Pakistan. Technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Church, P.; Kumar, K.; Sowers, F.

1993-09-01

This report highlights a model of environmental management that appears to work in the current political and economic context of Pakistan. The model focuses on energy conservation. This evaluation examines how the U.S. Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) has assisted Pakistan in using market forces to promote the adoption of energy conservation practices and technologies. The central operating hypothesis of the evaluation is that the adoption of energy conservation practices and technologies responds to market incentives. The field study concludes that the Pakistani program of energy conservation activities, set in motion with A.I.D. support, cannot easily be reversed. With changesmore » in political and economic policies toward the environment in Pakistan, greater and more sustainable impact is possible. The experience of Pakistan energy conservation program raises three issues that merit careful examination both in the contexts of Pakistan's future program implementation and in other countries: The role of program subsidies; The role of nonproject assistance; and The involvement of nongovernmental organizations.« less

Analysis of pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies before the global M = 7.0+ earthquakes in 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Y. B.; Chen, P.; Zhang, S.; Chen, J. J.; Yan, F.; Peng, W. F.

2012-03-01

The pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies that occurred before the global M = 7.0+ earthquakes in 2010 are investigated using the total electron content (TEC) from the global ionosphere map (GIM). We analyze the possible causes of the ionospheric anomalies based on the space environment and magnetic field status. Results show that some anomalies are related to the earthquakes. By analyzing the time of occurrence, duration, and spatial distribution of these ionospheric anomalies, a number of new conclusions are drawn, as follows: earthquake-related ionospheric anomalies are not bound to appear; both positive and negative anomalies are likely to occur; and the earthquake-related ionospheric anomalies discussed in the current study occurred 0-2 days before the associated earthquakes and in the afternoon to sunset (i.e. between 12:00 and 20:00 local time). Pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies occur mainly in areas near the epicenter. However, the maximum affected area in the ionosphere does not coincide with the vertical projection of the epicenter of the subsequent earthquake. The directions deviating from the epicenters do not follow a fixed rule. The corresponding ionospheric effects can also be observed in the magnetically conjugated region. However, the probability of the anomalies appearance and extent of the anomalies in the magnetically conjugated region are smaller than the anomalies near the epicenter. Deep-focus earthquakes may also exhibit very significant pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies.

Modeling, Forecasting and Mitigating Extreme Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail-Zadeh, A.; Le Mouel, J.; Soloviev, A.

2012-12-01

Recent earthquake disasters highlighted the importance of multi- and trans-disciplinary studies of earthquake risk. A major component of earthquake disaster risk analysis is hazards research, which should cover not only a traditional assessment of ground shaking, but also studies of geodetic, paleoseismic, geomagnetic, hydrological, deep drilling and other geophysical and geological observations together with comprehensive modeling of earthquakes and forecasting extreme events. Extreme earthquakes (large magnitude and rare events) are manifestations of complex behavior of the lithosphere structured as a hierarchical system of blocks of different sizes. Understanding of physics and dynamics of the extreme events comes from observations, measurements and modeling. A quantitative approach to simulate earthquakes in models of fault dynamics will be presented. The models reproduce basic features of the observed seismicity (e.g., the frequency-magnitude relationship, clustering of earthquakes, occurrence of extreme seismic events). They provide a link between geodynamic processes and seismicity, allow studying extreme events, influence of fault network properties on seismic patterns and seismic cycles, and assist, in a broader sense, in earthquake forecast modeling. Some aspects of predictability of large earthquakes (how well can large earthquakes be predicted today?) will be also discussed along with possibilities in mitigation of earthquake disasters (e.g., on 'inverse' forensic investigations of earthquake disasters).

Extending earthquakes' reach through cascading.

PubMed

Marsan, David; Lengliné, Olivier

2008-02-22

Earthquakes, whatever their size, can trigger other earthquakes. Mainshocks cause aftershocks to occur, which in turn activate their own local aftershock sequences, resulting in a cascade of triggering that extends the reach of the initial mainshock. A long-lasting difficulty is to determine which earthquakes are connected, either directly or indirectly. Here we show that this causal structure can be found probabilistically, with no a priori model nor parameterization. Large regional earthquakes are found to have a short direct influence in comparison to the overall aftershock sequence duration. Relative to these large mainshocks, small earthquakes collectively have a greater effect on triggering. Hence, cascade triggering is a key component in earthquake interactions.

Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication - Pakistan, January 2016-September 2017.

PubMed

Elhamidi, Youness; Mahamud, Abdirahman; Safdar, Muhammad; Al Tamimi, Wasan; Jorba, Jaume; Mbaeyi, Chukwuma; Hsu, Christopher H; Wadood, Zubair; Sharif, Salmaan; Ehrhardt, Derek

2017-11-24

In 1988, the World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Among the three wild poliovirus serotypes, only wild poliovirus (WPV) type 1 (WPV1) has been detected since 2012. Since 2014, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria remain the only countries with continuing endemic WPV1 transmission. This report describes activities conducted and progress made toward the eradication of poliovirus in Pakistan during January 2016-July 2017 and provides an update to previous reports (1,2). In 2016, Pakistan reported 20 WPV1 cases, a 63% decrease compared with 54 cases in 2015 (3). As of September 25, 2017, five WPV1 cases have been reported in 2017, representing a 69% decline compared with 16 cases reported during the same period in 2016 (Figure 1). During January-September 2017, WPV1 was detected in 72 of 468 (15%) environmental samples collected, compared with 36 of 348 (9%) samples collected during the same period in 2016. WPV1 was detected in environmental samples in areas where no polio cases are being reported, which indicates that WPV1 transmission is continuing in some high-risk areas. Interruption of WPV transmission in Pakistan requires maintaining focus on reaching missed children (particularly among mobile populations), continuing community-based vaccination, implementing the 2017-2018 National Emergency Action Plan (4), and improving routine immunization services.

Earthquake Catalogue of the Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godoladze, T.; Gok, R.; Tvaradze, N.; Tumanova, N.; Gunia, I.; Onur, T.

2016-12-01

The Caucasus has a documented historical catalog stretching back to the beginning of the Christian era. Most of the largest historical earthquakes prior to the 19th century are assumed to have occurred on active faults of the Greater Caucasus. Important earthquakes include the Samtskhe earthquake of 1283 (Ms˜7.0, Io=9); Lechkhumi-Svaneti earthquake of 1350 (Ms˜7.0, Io=9); and the Alaverdi earthquake of 1742 (Ms˜6.8, Io=9). Two significant historical earthquakes that may have occurred within the Javakheti plateau in the Lesser Caucasus are the Tmogvi earthquake of 1088 (Ms˜6.5, Io=9) and the Akhalkalaki earthquake of 1899 (Ms˜6.3, Io =8-9). Large earthquakes that occurred in the Caucasus within the period of instrumental observation are: Gori 1920; Tabatskuri 1940; Chkhalta 1963; Racha earthquake of 1991 (Ms=7.0), is the largest event ever recorded in the region; Barisakho earthquake of 1992 (M=6.5); Spitak earthquake of 1988 (Ms=6.9, 100 km south of Tbilisi), which killed over 50,000 people in Armenia. Recently, permanent broadband stations have been deployed across the region as part of the various national networks (Georgia (˜25 stations), Azerbaijan (˜35 stations), Armenia (˜14 stations)). The data from the last 10 years of observation provides an opportunity to perform modern, fundamental scientific investigations. In order to improve seismic data quality a catalog of all instrumentally recorded earthquakes has been compiled by the IES (Institute of Earth Sciences/NSMC, Ilia State University) in the framework of regional joint project (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, USA) "Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) in the Caucasus. The catalogue consists of more then 80,000 events. First arrivals of each earthquake of Mw>=4.0 have been carefully examined. To reduce calculation errors, we corrected arrivals from the seismic records. We improved locations of the events and recalculate Moment magnitudes in order to obtain unified magnitude

Polio immunization in Pakistan: ethical issues and challenges.

PubMed

Basharat, Sarah; Shaikh, Babar Tasneem

2017-01-01

Immunization should be considered a basic human right to health and well-being. It is everybody's business, and it is everybody's responsibility: the individual, the community, the health system and the state. This paper attempts to review some of the literature that highlights the ethical and religious concerns surrounding polio vaccination and what approaches may be used to counter the problems faced in Pakistan. This paper is developed through a literature review on public health and polio in Pakistan, consulting local, regional and globally published peer reviewed articles focussing on religion, culture, ethics and public health. Human behaviour, including the utilization and acceptability of healthcare services, is greatly influenced by religious beliefs and dogmas. Immunization, specifically for the purpose of polio eradication, has been a topic under focus and in the news in Pakistan. The government is doing its best through a variety of interventions to increase access, inform the public and increase vaccination rates. Nevertheless, the country still faces a huge challenge from certain stern pockets of uncompromising populations who resist and refuse vaccination. Beliefs, practices and cultural norms overshadow public health priorities and ethics. Understanding of the context, therefore, is critical to determine the social hindrances in polio eradication and strategize thereon. Having programmatic, system-wide, socio-cultural and of course ethical dimensions, the policy makers and the programme managers in Pakistan must attempt to address the multitude of challenges to polio vaccination, whereby the plan of action developed within the ethical norms could potentially lead to an ultimate success.

Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of Mus musculus castaneus in Northern Punjab, Pakistan.

PubMed

Bibi, Shahnaz; Nadeem, Muhammad Sajid; Wiewel, Andrew Stephen; Beg, Mirza Azhar; Hameed, Khalid; Jabeen, Musarrat; Raja, Ghazala Kaukab

2017-12-01

Regions of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India have been proposed as the place of origin of Mus musculus castaneus. But despite the fact that Pakistan encompasses an important part of its range, M. m. castaneus populations in Pakistan have not been the subject of intensive genetic and biogeographic studies, except for a very small number of samples included in past studies. We studied genetic variation in M. m. castaneus (CAS) from northern Punjab Province, Pakistan, by using cytochrome b (Cytb) analysis in a sample of 98 individuals. Median-joining network revealed four well differentiated CAS sub-lineages coexisting within a small geographical region; these had previously been thought to have largely non-overlapping geographic distributions. Moreover, haplotypes from Pakistan occupied a central position in the network and all identified global haplotypes were also present in Pakistan. All identified CAS sub-lineages proved to be highly diverse on the basis of haplotype and nucleotide diversity indices. Tajima's D test and Fu's Fs tests of neutrality suggest recent population expansions in all sub-lineages. Expansion times were estimated as 21,760-134,930, 10,800-64,400 and 4950-30,665 ybp using substitution rates of 2.5%, 5% and 11%, respectively. Our results support the hypothesis that northern Punjab Province in Pakistan is the most likely source area for M. m. castaneus, and that the CAS sub-lineages in this region have undergone rapid population expansion events at different time periods, which appear to have benefitted from human-mediated transport, although one of them clearly predates the establishment of human settlements in this region.

Earthquakes: Recurrence and Interoccurrence Times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abaimov, S. G.; Turcotte, D. L.; Shcherbakov, R.; Rundle, J. B.; Yakovlev, G.; Goltz, C.; Newman, W. I.

2008-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the statistical distributions of recurrence times of earthquakes. Recurrence times are the time intervals between successive earthquakes at a specified location on a specified fault. Although a number of statistical distributions have been proposed for recurrence times, we argue in favor of the Weibull distribution. The Weibull distribution is the only distribution that has a scale-invariant hazard function. We consider three sets of characteristic earthquakes on the San Andreas fault: (1) The Parkfield earthquakes, (2) the sequence of earthquakes identified by paleoseismic studies at the Wrightwood site, and (3) an example of a sequence of micro-repeating earthquakes at a site near San Juan Bautista. In each case we make a comparison with the applicable Weibull distribution. The number of earthquakes in each of these sequences is too small to make definitive conclusions. To overcome this difficulty we consider a sequence of earthquakes obtained from a one million year “Virtual California” simulation of San Andreas earthquakes. Very good agreement with a Weibull distribution is found. We also obtain recurrence statistics for two other model studies. The first is a modified forest-fire model and the second is a slider-block model. In both cases good agreements with Weibull distributions are obtained. Our conclusion is that the Weibull distribution is the preferred distribution for estimating the risk of future earthquakes on the San Andreas fault and elsewhere.

Natural Time and Nowcasting Earthquakes: Are Large Global Earthquakes Temporally Clustered?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luginbuhl, Molly; Rundle, John B.; Turcotte, Donald L.

2018-02-01

The objective of this paper is to analyze the temporal clustering of large global earthquakes with respect to natural time, or interevent count, as opposed to regular clock time. To do this, we use two techniques: (1) nowcasting, a new method of statistically classifying seismicity and seismic risk, and (2) time series analysis of interevent counts. We chose the sequences of M_{λ } ≥ 7.0 and M_{λ } ≥ 8.0 earthquakes from the global centroid moment tensor (CMT) catalog from 2004 to 2016 for analysis. A significant number of these earthquakes will be aftershocks of the largest events, but no satisfactory method of declustering the aftershocks in clock time is available. A major advantage of using natural time is that it eliminates the need for declustering aftershocks. The event count we utilize is the number of small earthquakes that occur between large earthquakes. The small earthquake magnitude is chosen to be as small as possible, such that the catalog is still complete based on the Gutenberg-Richter statistics. For the CMT catalog, starting in 2004, we found the completeness magnitude to be M_{σ } ≥ 5.1. For the nowcasting method, the cumulative probability distribution of these interevent counts is obtained. We quantify the distribution using the exponent, β, of the best fitting Weibull distribution; β = 1 for a random (exponential) distribution. We considered 197 earthquakes with M_{λ } ≥ 7.0 and found β = 0.83 ± 0.08. We considered 15 earthquakes with M_{λ } ≥ 8.0, but this number was considered too small to generate a meaningful distribution. For comparison, we generated synthetic catalogs of earthquakes that occur randomly with the Gutenberg-Richter frequency-magnitude statistics. We considered a synthetic catalog of 1.97 × 10^5 M_{λ } ≥ 7.0 earthquakes and found β = 0.99 ± 0.01. The random catalog converted to natural time was also random. We then generated 1.5 × 10^4 synthetic catalogs with 197 M_{λ } ≥ 7.0 in each catalog and

Psychiatry in Pakistan: 1947-2006: a new balance sheet.

PubMed

Gadit, Amin A Muhammad

2007-09-01

This review deals with the evolution of psychiatry in Pakistan since its inception in 1947. It describes the situation of psychiatric services, education and research through the years 1947-2006, presenting a picture of existing mental health scenario, suggesting the ways for improvement and comment on possible future developments. It concludes with the prediction of a revolutionary change in the current shape of psychiatry throughout the world and especially in Pakistan whereby psychiatry will change to organic-based discipline of a wider "Neurosciences".

Earthquake and Tsunami booklet based on two Indonesia earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Y.; Aci, M.

2014-12-01

Many destructive earthquakes occurred during the last decade in Indonesia. These experiences are very important precepts for the world people who live in earthquake and tsunami countries. We are collecting the testimonies of tsunami survivors to clarify successful evacuation process and to make clear the characteristic physical behaviors of tsunami near coast. We research 2 tsunami events, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2010 Mentawai slow earthquake tsunami. Many video and photographs were taken by people at some places in 2004 Indian ocean tsunami disaster; nevertheless these were few restricted points. We didn't know the tsunami behavior in another place. In this study, we tried to collect extensive information about tsunami behavior not only in many places but also wide time range after the strong shake. In Mentawai case, the earthquake occurred in night, so there are no impressive photos. To collect detail information about evacuation process from tsunamis, we contrived the interview method. This method contains making pictures of tsunami experience from the scene of victims' stories. In 2004 Aceh case, all survivors didn't know tsunami phenomena. Because there were no big earthquakes with tsunami for one hundred years in Sumatra region, public people had no knowledge about tsunami. This situation was highly improved in 2010 Mentawai case. TV programs and NGO or governmental public education programs about tsunami evacuation are widespread in Indonesia. Many people know about fundamental knowledge of earthquake and tsunami disasters. We made drill book based on victim's stories and painted impressive scene of 2 events. We used the drill book in disaster education event in school committee of west Java. About 80 % students and teachers evaluated that the contents of the drill book are useful for correct understanding.

Earthquakes: hydrogeochemical precursors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ingebritsen, Steven E.; Manga, Michael

2014-01-01

Earthquake prediction is a long-sought goal. Changes in groundwater chemistry before earthquakes in Iceland highlight a potential hydrogeochemical precursor, but such signals must be evaluated in the context of long-term, multiparametric data sets.

Earthquakes, September-October 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1993-01-01

The fatalities in the United States were caused by two earthquakes in southern Oregon on September 21. These earthquakes, both with magnitude 6.0 and separated in time by about 2 hrs, led to the deaths of two people. One of these deaths was apparently due to a heart attack induced by the earthquake. 

Children's Ideas about Earthquakes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simsek, Canan Lacin

2007-01-01

Earthquake, a natural disaster, is among the fundamental problems of many countries. If people know how to protect themselves from earthquake and arrange their life styles in compliance with this, damage they will suffer will reduce to that extent. In particular, a good training regarding earthquake to be received in primary schools is considered…

Excel, Earthquakes, and Moneyball: exploring Cascadia earthquake probabilities using spreadsheets and baseball analogies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, M. R.; Salditch, L.; Brooks, E. M.; Stein, S.; Spencer, B. D.

2017-12-01

Much recent media attention focuses on Cascadia's earthquake hazard. A widely cited magazine article starts "An earthquake will destroy a sizable portion of the coastal Northwest. The question is when." Stories include statements like "a massive earthquake is overdue", "in the next 50 years, there is a 1-in-10 chance a "really big one" will erupt," or "the odds of the big Cascadia earthquake happening in the next fifty years are roughly one in three." These lead students to ask where the quoted probabilities come from and what they mean. These probability estimates involve two primary choices: what data are used to describe when past earthquakes happened and what models are used to forecast when future earthquakes will happen. The data come from a 10,000-year record of large paleoearthquakes compiled from subsidence data on land and turbidites, offshore deposits recording submarine slope failure. Earthquakes seem to have happened in clusters of four or five events, separated by gaps. Earthquakes within a cluster occur more frequently and regularly than in the full record. Hence the next earthquake is more likely if we assume that we are in the recent cluster that started about 1700 years ago, than if we assume the cluster is over. Students can explore how changing assumptions drastically changes probability estimates using easy-to-write and display spreadsheets, like those shown below. Insight can also come from baseball analogies. The cluster issue is like deciding whether to assume that a hitter's performance in the next game is better described by his lifetime record, or by the past few games, since he may be hitting unusually well or in a slump. The other big choice is whether to assume that the probability of an earthquake is constant with time, or is small immediately after one occurs and then grows with time. This is like whether to assume that a player's performance is the same from year to year, or changes over their career. Thus saying "the chance of

Do Earthquakes Shake Stock Markets?

PubMed

Ferreira, Susana; Karali, Berna

2015-01-01

This paper examines how major earthquakes affected the returns and volatility of aggregate stock market indices in thirty-five financial markets over the last twenty years. Results show that global financial markets are resilient to shocks caused by earthquakes even if these are domestic. Our analysis reveals that, in a few instances, some macroeconomic variables and earthquake characteristics (gross domestic product per capita, trade openness, bilateral trade flows, earthquake magnitude, a tsunami indicator, distance to the epicenter, and number of fatalities) mediate the impact of earthquakes on stock market returns, resulting in a zero net effect. However, the influence of these variables is market-specific, indicating no systematic pattern across global capital markets. Results also demonstrate that stock market volatility is unaffected by earthquakes, except for Japan.

New constraints on the magnitude of the 4 January 1907 tsunami earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia, and its Indian Ocean-wide tsunami

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, S. S.; Li, L.; Okal, E.; Kanamori, H.; Morin, J.; Sieh, K.; Switzer, A.

2017-12-01

On 4 January 1907, an earthquake and tsunami occurred off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, causing at least 2,188 fatalities. The earthquake was given an instrumental surface-wave magnitude (MS) in the range of 7.5 to 8.0 at periods of ≈40s. The tsunami it triggered was destructive on the islands of Nias and Simeulue; on the latter, this gave rise to the legend of the S'mong. This tsunami appears in records in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and as far as the island of La Réunion. In relation to published seismic magnitudes for the earthquake, the tsunami was anomalously large, qualifying it as a "tsunami earthquake." Relocations using reported arrival times suggest an epicentral location near the trench. However, unusually for a tsunami earthquake the reported macroseismic intensities were higher than expected on Nias (6-7 EMS). We present a new study of this event based on macroseismic and tsunami observations culled from published literature and colonial press reports, as well as existing and newly acquired digitized or print seismograms. This multidisciplinary combination of macroseismic and seismological data with tsunami modelling has yielded new insights into this poorly understood but scientifically and societally important tsunami earthquake in the Indian Ocean. With these new data, we discriminated two large earthquakes within an hour of each other with clear differences in seismological character. The first, we interpret to be a tsunami earthquake with low levels of shaking (3-4 EMS). For this event, we estimate a seismic moment (M0) between 0.8 and 1.2 x1021 Nm (≈MW 7.9 to 8.0) based on digitized Wiechert records at Göttingen in the frequency band 6-8 mHz. These records document a regular growth of moment with period and suggest possibly larger values of M0 at even longer periods. The second earthquake caused damage on Nias (6-7 EMS). We estimate MS 6 ¾ - 7 for the second event based on seismograms from Manila, Mizusawa, and Osaka. We also

Governance and Higher Education in Pakistan: What Roles Do Boards of Governors Play in Ensuring the Academic Quality Maintenance in Public Universities versus Private Universities in Pakistan?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usman, Sidra

2014-01-01

There are major structural issues in the higher education system in Pakistan leading to poor governance of institutions and questionable quality of education. This paper looks at the differences in the role of boards of governors in maintaining quality of education in both the public and the private sector universities in Pakistan. After having…

Toward real-time regional earthquake simulation II: Real-time Online earthquake Simulation (ROS) of Taiwan earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Shiann-Jong; Liu, Qinya; Tromp, Jeroen; Komatitsch, Dimitri; Liang, Wen-Tzong; Huang, Bor-Shouh

2014-06-01

We developed a Real-time Online earthquake Simulation system (ROS) to simulate regional earthquakes in Taiwan. The ROS uses a centroid moment tensor solution of seismic events from a Real-time Moment Tensor monitoring system (RMT), which provides all the point source parameters including the event origin time, hypocentral location, moment magnitude and focal mechanism within 2 min after the occurrence of an earthquake. Then, all of the source parameters are automatically forwarded to the ROS to perform an earthquake simulation, which is based on a spectral-element method (SEM). A new island-wide, high resolution SEM mesh model is developed for the whole Taiwan in this study. We have improved SEM mesh quality by introducing a thin high-resolution mesh layer near the surface to accommodate steep and rapidly varying topography. The mesh for the shallow sedimentary basin is adjusted to reflect its complex geometry and sharp lateral velocity contrasts. The grid resolution at the surface is about 545 m, which is sufficient to resolve topography and tomography data for simulations accurate up to 1.0 Hz. The ROS is also an infrastructural service, making online earthquake simulation feasible. Users can conduct their own earthquake simulation by providing a set of source parameters through the ROS webpage. For visualization, a ShakeMovie and ShakeMap are produced during the simulation. The time needed for one event is roughly 3 min for a 70 s ground motion simulation. The ROS is operated online at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica (http://ros.earth.sinica.edu.tw/). Our long-term goal for the ROS system is to contribute to public earth science outreach and to realize seismic ground motion prediction in real-time.

Sedimentary Signatures of Submarine Earthquakes: Deciphering the Extent of Sediment Remobilization from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and 2010 Haiti Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McHugh, C. M.; Seeber, L.; Moernaut, J.; Strasser, M.; Kanamatsu, T.; Ikehara, K.; Bopp, R.; Mustaque, S.; Usami, K.; Schwestermann, T.; Kioka, A.; Moore, L. M.

2017-12-01

The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Mw9.3 and the 2011 Tohoku (Japan) Mw9.0 earthquakes and tsunamis were huge geological events with major societal consequences. Both were along subduction boundaries and ruptured portions of these boundaries that had been deemed incapable of such events. Submarine strike-slip earthquakes, such as the 2010 Mw7.0 in Haiti, are smaller but may be closer to population centers and can be similarly catastrophic. Both classes of earthquakes remobilize sediment and leave distinct signatures in the geologic record by a wide range of processes that depends on both environment and earthquake characteristics. Understanding them has the potential of greatly expanding the record of past earthquakes, which is critical for geohazard analysis. Recent events offer precious ground truth about the earthquakes and short-lived radioisotopes offer invaluable tools to identify sediments they remobilized. In the 2011 Mw9 Japan earthquake they document the spatial extent of remobilized sediment from water depths of 626m in the forearc slope to trench depths of 8000m. Subbottom profiles, multibeam bathymetry and 40 piston cores collected by the R/V Natsushima and R/V Sonne expeditions to the Japan Trench document multiple turbidites and high-density flows. Core tops enriched in xs210Pb,137Cs and 134Cs reveal sediment deposited by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The thickest deposits (2m) were documented on a mid-slope terrace and trench (4000-8000m). Sediment was deposited on some terraces (600-3000m), but shed from the steep forearc slope (3000-4000m). The 2010 Haiti mainshock ruptured along the southern flank of Canal du Sud and triggered multiple nearshore sediment failures, generated turbidity currents and stirred fine sediment into suspension throughout this basin. A tsunami was modeled to stem from both sediment failures and tectonics. Remobilized sediment was tracked with short-lived radioisotopes from the nearshore, slope, in fault basins including the

Balancing U.S. Interests Amidst the India and Pakistan Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

yields caste violence, especially towards women and children. In addition, India suffers rifts between Christians, Muslims and Hindus that generates...USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT BALANCING U.S. INTERESTS AMIDST THE INDIA AND PAKISTAN CONFLICT by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Glardon United...Interests Amidst the India and Pakistan Conflict 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Thomas Glardon 5d

WGCEP Historical California Earthquake Catalog

USGS Publications Warehouse

Felzer, Karen R.; Cao, Tianqing

2008-01-01

This appendix provides an earthquake catalog for California and the surrounding area. Our goal is to provide a listing for all known M > 5.5 earthquakes that occurred from 1850-1932 and all known M > 4.0 earthquakes that occurred from 1932-2006 within the region of 31.0 to 43.0 degrees North and -126.0 to -114.0 degrees West. Some pre-1932 earthquakes 4 5, before the Northern California network was online. Some earthquakes from 1900-1932, and particularly from 1910-1932 are also based on instrumental readings, but the quality of the instrumental record and the resulting analysis are much less precise than for later listings. A partial exception is for some of the largest earthquakes, such as the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, for which global teleseismic records (Wald et al. 1993) and geodetic measurements (Thatcher et al. 1906) have been used to help determine magnitudes.

Equality or Equity: Gender Awareness Issues in Secondary Schools in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halai, Anjum

2011-01-01

This paper focuses on gender awareness issues as a dimension of addressing the wider issue of the quality of education in Pakistan from the perspective of social justice. In Pakistan classrooms, boys and girls learn separately and therefore teachers and others tend to think that there are no gender issues once access is achieved and the learners…

Earthquakes, September-October 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1979-01-01

The months of September and October were somewhat quiet seismically speaking. One major earthquake, magnitude (M) 7.7 occurred in Iran on September 16. In Germany, a magntidue 5.0 earthquake caused damage and considerable alarm to many people in parts of that country. In the United States, the largest earthquake occurred along the California-Nevada border region. 

Earthquakes, March-April 1991

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1992-01-01

Two major earthquakes (7.0-7.9) occurred during this reporting period: a magnitude 7.6 in Costa Rica on April 22 and a magntidue 7.0 in the USSR on April 29. Destructive earthquakes hit northern Peru on April 4 and 5. There were no destructive earthquakes in the United States during this period. 

Can We Predict Earthquakes?

ScienceCinema

Johnson, Paul

2018-01-16

The only thing we know for sure about earthquakes is that one will happen again very soon. Earthquakes pose a vital yet puzzling set of research questions that have confounded scientists for decades, but new ways of looking at seismic information and innovative laboratory experiments are offering tantalizing clues to what triggers earthquakes — and when.

Earthquake and Schools. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC.

Designing schools to make them more earthquake resistant and protect children from the catastrophic collapse of the school building is discussed in this videotape. It reveals that 44 of the 50 U.S. states are vulnerable to earthquake, but most schools are structurally unprepared to take on the stresses that earthquakes exert. The cost to the…

Earthquakes, September-October 1991

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, W.J.

1992-01-01

There were two major earthquakes (7.0-7.9) during this reporting period. the first was in the Solomon Islands on October 14 and the second was in India on October 19. Earthquake-related deaths were reported in Guatemala and India. Htere were no significant earthquakes in the United States during the period covered in this report. 

Earthquakes in Arkansas and vicinity 1699-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dart, Richard L.; Ausbrooks, Scott M.

2011-01-01

This map summarizes approximately 300 years of earthquake activity in Arkansas. It is one in a series of similar State earthquake history maps. Work on the Arkansas map was done in collaboration with the Arkansas Geological Survey. The earthquake data plotted on the map are from several sources: the Arkansas Geological Survey, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information, the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. In addition to earthquake locations, other materials presented include seismic hazard and isoseismal maps and related text. Earthquakes are a legitimate concern in Arkansas and parts of adjacent states. Arkansas has undergone a number of significant felt earthquakes since 1811. At least two of these events caused property damage: a magnitude 4.7 earthquake in 1931, and a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in 1967. The map shows all historical and instrumentally located earthquakes in Arkansas and vicinity between 1811 and 2010. The largest historic earthquake in the vicinity of the State was an intensity XI event, on December 16, 1811; the first earthquake in the New Madrid sequence. This violent event and the earthquakes that followed caused considerable damage to the then sparsely settled region.

Earthquake Forecasting System in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falcone, G.; Marzocchi, W.; Murru, M.; Taroni, M.; Faenza, L.

2017-12-01

In Italy, after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, a procedure was developed for gathering and disseminating authoritative information about the time dependence of seismic hazard to help communities prepare for a potentially destructive earthquake. The most striking time dependency of the earthquake occurrence process is the time clustering, which is particularly pronounced in time windows of days and weeks. The Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF) system that is developed at the Seismic Hazard Center (Centro di Pericolosità Sismica, CPS) of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) is the authoritative source of seismic hazard information for Italian Civil Protection. The philosophy of the system rests on a few basic concepts: transparency, reproducibility, and testability. In particular, the transparent, reproducible, and testable earthquake forecasting system developed at CPS is based on ensemble modeling and on a rigorous testing phase. Such phase is carried out according to the guidance proposed by the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP, international infrastructure aimed at evaluating quantitatively earthquake prediction and forecast models through purely prospective and reproducible experiments). In the OEF system, the two most popular short-term models were used: the Epidemic-Type Aftershock Sequences (ETAS) and the Short-Term Earthquake Probabilities (STEP). Here, we report the results from OEF's 24hour earthquake forecasting during the main phases of the 2016-2017 sequence occurred in Central Apennines (Italy).

The 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and the Rise and Fall of Earthquake Prediction in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Wang, K.

2009-12-01

Regardless of the future potential of earthquake prediction, it is presently impractical to rely on it to mitigate earthquake disasters. The practical approach is to strengthen the resilience of our built environment to earthquakes based on hazard assessment. But this was not common understanding in China when the M 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake struck the Sichuan Province on 12 May 2008, claiming over 80,000 lives. In China, earthquake prediction is a government-sanctioned and law-regulated measure of disaster prevention. A sudden boom of the earthquake prediction program in 1966-1976 coincided with a succession of nine M > 7 damaging earthquakes in the densely populated region of the country and the political chaos of the Cultural Revolution. It climaxed with the prediction of the 1975 Haicheng earthquake, which was due mainly to an unusually pronounced foreshock sequence and the extraordinary readiness of some local officials to issue imminent warning and evacuation order. The Haicheng prediction was a success in practice and yielded useful lessons, but the experience cannot be applied to most other earthquakes and cultural environments. Since the disastrous Tangshan earthquake in 1976 that killed over 240,000 people, there have been two opposite trends in China: decreasing confidence in prediction and increasing emphasis on regulating construction design for earthquake resilience. In 1976, most of the seismic intensity XI areas of Tangshan were literally razed to the ground, but in 2008, many buildings in the intensity XI areas of Wenchuan did not collapse. Prediction did not save life in either of these events; the difference was made by construction standards. For regular buildings, there was no seismic design in Tangshan to resist any earthquake shaking in 1976, but limited seismic design was required for the Wenchuan area in 2008. Although the construction standards were later recognized to be too low, those buildings that met the standards suffered much less

Earthquake impact scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, D.J.; Jaiswal, K.S.; Marano, K.D.; Bausch, D.

2011-01-01

With the advent of the USGS prompt assessment of global earthquakes for response (PAGER) system, which rapidly assesses earthquake impacts, U.S. and international earthquake responders are reconsidering their automatic alert and activation levels and response procedures. To help facilitate rapid and appropriate earthquake response, an Earthquake Impact Scale (EIS) is proposed on the basis of two complementary criteria. On the basis of the estimated cost of damage, one is most suitable for domestic events; the other, on the basis of estimated ranges of fatalities, is generally more appropriate for global events, particularly in developing countries. Simple thresholds, derived from the systematic analysis of past earthquake impact and associated response levels, are quite effective in communicating predicted impact and response needed after an event through alerts of green (little or no impact), yellow (regional impact and response), orange (national-scale impact and response), and red (international response). Corresponding fatality thresholds for yellow, orange, and red alert levels are 1, 100, and 1,000, respectively. For damage impact, yellow, orange, and red thresholds are triggered by estimated losses reaching $1M, $100M, and $1B, respectively. The rationale for a dual approach to earthquake alerting stems from the recognition that relatively high fatalities, injuries, and homelessness predominate in countries in which local building practices typically lend themselves to high collapse and casualty rates, and these impacts lend to prioritization for international response. In contrast, financial and overall societal impacts often trigger the level of response in regions or countries in which prevalent earthquake resistant construction practices greatly reduce building collapse and resulting fatalities. Any newly devised alert, whether economic- or casualty-based, should be intuitive and consistent with established lexicons and procedures. Useful alerts should

A post-Tohoku earthquake review of earthquake probabilities in the Southern Kanto District, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)