Sleep Quality and Its Possible Predictors Among University Students of Islamabad, Pakistan

Objective: To assess sleep quality among Islamabad university students and find predictors of poor sleep quality. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytic study Place and Duration of Study: Capital University of Science and Technology ,Islamabad Pakistan, from Feb to Jun 2019 Methodology: The study population (n=397) was undergraduate students from all eight semesters of four faculties. The dependent variable sleep quality was measured through a standard validated tool, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: Out of 397 participants, 158(40%) were hostelities and 239(60%) were day scholars. There were 134(33.5%) students having a good sleep, and 263(66.5%) were having a bad sleep, according to PSQI scores obtained. Association analysis showed a statistically significant association between sleep quality and heavy meals, gadget use, drinking beverages before bedtime,sleeping in a noisy room, and type of residence (p ≤ 0.001). Study findings showed gadget use before bedtime (AOR=4.472,95% CI=2.674-7.478), residence type (AOR=2.323,95% CI=1.4-3.855), sleeping in a noisy room (AOR=2.241,95% CI=1.369-3.665)and heavy meal before bedtime (AOR=1.985,95% CL=1.142-3.451) were significant predictors of poor sleep quality. Conclusion: It was concluded that two out of three students need better sleep quality. Universities should give preparatory assistance for developing and executing health promotion and educational curricula

Janitorial Services of Pak Army Hospitals, a Critical Analysis

Objective: To identify the existing system of janitorial services in the army hospitals, and to give recommendations for standardized policy formulation in military hospitals. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Tertiary Care Hospitals, namely Hospital A, B and C, at Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Oct 2019 Jan 2020. Methodology: Responses from 401 Healthcare Administrators (HCAs), Nurses and Janitorial staff were collected through a validated questionnaire, and hospitals' documents/ SOPs, cleaning audit reports, feedback process documents, communication mechanisms and training schedules were reviewed. Results: Out of 401 respondents, the majority were females (54.4%, 5 were HCAs, 143 were Nurses, and 70 were Janitorial staff). The availability of SOPs was associated with cleaning functional areas of hospitals (p=0.001). Awareness of the risk of infection among healthcare workers was associated with Hepatitis B vaccination (p=0.03). Knowledge of hospital areas regarding cleanliness among hospital workers was linked to providing cleanliness training according to job requirements (p=0.001). Conclusion: Hospital A performed admirably in most areas but was found to need more human resources, with staff shortages, high turnover, and a lack of adherence to SOPs. To achieve optimum performance, existing and emerging technology must be integrated with sanitary worker preparation and career development; costs must be reduced. Keywords: Hospital environment, Infection control and disinfectants, Janitorial service, Training

Hedge and safe haven role of commodities for the US and Chinese equity markets

We examine the hedge and safe‐haven properties of four commodity classes (precious metals, energy, agriculture and livestock) for the overall and sectoral equity markets of the US and China. In doing so, we employ two quantiles‐based approaches, quantile regression and cross‐quantilogram, using daily data from 25 September 2014 to 06 July 2020. The hedging effectiveness (HE) and time‐varying conditional diversification benefits (CDB) are estimated. Our findings indicate that precious metals and agricultural commodities are weak safe havens for all equity sectors of China and the United States. In contrast, energy and livestock commodities are weak safe havens only for the information technology and healthcare sectors. Precious metals show better HE, whereas all commodities offer strong CDB. Our findings may be helpful for sectoral investors offsetting equity losses by investing in various commodity classes

UV-vis data

UV-vis dat

XRD Data

XRD Dat

Data from: Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles decorated cobalt nanocomposites (Co@AgNPs) and their density-dependent antibacterial activity

Magnetic cores loaded with metallic nanoparticles can be promising nano-carriers for successful drug delivery at infectious sites. We report fabrication, characteristic analysis and in vitro antibacterial performance of nanocomposites comprising of cobalt cores (Co-cores) functionalized with varied concentration of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). A two-step polyol process synchronized with transmetallation reduction method was used. Co-cores were synthesized by cobalt acetate and decoration of AgNPs was carried out by silver acetate. The density of AgNPs was varied by changing the amount of silver content as 0.01 g, 0.1g and 0.2 g in the synthesis solution. Both AgNPs and Co-cores were spherical in shape having size range of 30-80 nm and 200 nm to more than one micron respectively as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The metallic nature and face centred cubic crystalline phase of prepared nanocomposites were confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Biocompatibility analysis confirmed high cell viability of MCF7 at low concentrations of tested particles. The antibacterial performance of nanocomposites (Co@AgNPs) against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis was found to be AgNPs density dependent and nanocomposites with the highest AgNPs density exhibited the maximum bactericidal efficacy. We therefore, propose Co@AgNPs as effective drug-containers for various biomedical applications

VSM Data

VSM Dat