Effect of Conflict Handling Approaches on Team Performance: A Study on Higher Educational Institutes of Pakistan

Educational Institutions intend to undergo multiple transformational alterations, hence, it is important to recognize and hold a grip specifically on those organizational factors that impact an employee’s performance. The purpose of this study is to develop a model of conflict handling approaches and its impact on team performance. By specifically focusing on education sector employees of Pakistan, the present study attempts to analyze the how team members mingle with the conflict through appropriate conflict handling approach and how the particular approach employed by team members effect the overall team performance. Data and individuals’ opinions collected from 240 employees in public and private education sector of Pakistan were analyzed. The sampling technique used is available sample approach. Findings show that conflict handling approaches in public and private education sector has a great influence on team performance and it shakes the performance of employees at a significant level. Key Words: Conflict Handling approaches, Team Performance, Higher Educational Institutes

Effect of zinc in tablet and suspension formulations in the treatment of acute diarrhoea among young children in an emergency setting of earthquake affected region of Pakistan

A longitudinal cohort study was conducted at Camp Hospital Batagram in August 2006 to ascertain the effect of Zinc utilization in tablet and suspension formulations on the frequency and recovery rates of diarrhoea among young children in the emergency settings of earthquake affected region of Pakistan. Two hundred patients were recruited and followed up, the patients were allocated either of the 2 groups i.e. A (zinc in tablets form) and B (zinc in suspension form). Both groups also received WHO recommended treatment for diarrhoea. Most of the cases recovered from the illness within 3 days after presentation. Significant p-values were established among Zinc use and reduction in frequency of stools on Day 2 and 3, with better outcome in group B. The study supports the notion that zinc reduces the frequency and improves recovery rates of diarrhoea in any form and has better compliance and outcomes with the use in suspension form

Eradicating polio in Pakistan: A systematic review of programs and policies

Introduction: Established in 1994, Pakistan\u27s polio program demonstrated early success. However, despite over 120 supplementary immunization activities in the last decade, polio eradication efforts in Pakistan have been unable to achieve their objective of halting polio transmission. Variable governance, and inconsistent leadership and accountability have hindered the success of the polio program and the quality of the campaigns. Insecurity and terrorism has interrupted polio activities, and community fears and misbeliefs about polio vaccinations continue to persist.Areas covered: The article consists of a systematic review of the barriers and facilitators associated with the delivery of polio eradication activities in Pakistan. We also provide a comprehensive review of the policy and programmatic decisions made by the Pakistan Polio Programme since 1994. Searches were conducted on Embase and Medline databases and 25 gray literature sources.Expert opinion: Polio eradication efforts must be integrated with other preventive health services, particularly immunization services. Addressing the underlying causes of polio refusals including underdevelopment and social exclusion will help counteract resistance to polio vaccination. Achieving polio eradication will require building health systems that provide comprehensive community-centered care, and improving governance and systems of accountability

Hip replacement for femur neck fracture in the elderly, effects of delayed surgical intervention on morbidity and mortality, a retrospective comparative study

Hip fracture is one of the most common injuries in the elderly population. Delay in operating on patients with hip fracture is associated with greater mortality and morbidity. A retrospective review of medical charts of patients who underwent primary total hip replacement (THR) for neck of femur fractures at our tertiary care level 1 trauma was carried out. Data was collected from the patients\u27 charts and analysed for 30-day mortality and morbidity. A total of 96 patients were included in the study. Out of the 36 patients in the delayed THR group, mortality within 30 days was observed in 4 (11.1%) patients while none was noted in the early THR group. The difference was statistically significant with a P-value of 0.008. With regards to post-operative complications, significantly higher percentage of patients were noted to have developed electrolyte imbalances (P = 0.003), postoperative psychosis (P = 0.02), and acute kidney injury (AKI) (P = 0.02) in the delayed THR group compared to the early THR group. Delay in surgery for neck of femur fracture is associated with increased 30-day mortality and postoperative complications

Adaptive single-layer aggregation framework for energy-efficient and privacy-preserving load forecasting in heterogeneous federated smart grids

Federated Learning (FL) enhances predictive accuracy in load forecasting by integrating data from distributed load networks while ensuring data privacy. However, the heterogeneous nature of smart grid load forecasting introduces significant challenges that current methods struggle to address, particularly for resource-constrained devices due to high computational and communication demands. To overcome these challenges, we propose a novel Adaptive Single Layer Aggregation (ASLA) framework tailored for resource-constrained smart grid networks. The ASLA framework mitigates data heterogeneity issues by focusing on local learning and incorporating partial updates from local devices for model aggregation in adaptive manner. It is optimized for resource-constrained environments through the implementation of a stopping criterion during model training and weight quantization. Our evaluation on two distinct datasets demonstrates that quantization results in a minimal loss function degradation of 0.01% for Data 1 and 1.25% for Data 2. Furthermore, local model layer optimization for aggregation achieves substantial communication cost reductions of 829.2-fold for Data 1 and 5522-fold for Data 2. The use of an 8-bit fixed-point representation for neural network weights leads to a 75% reduction in storage/memory requirements and decreases computational costs by replacing complex floating-point units with simpler fixed-point units. By addressing data heterogeneity and reducing storage, computation, and communication overheads, the ASLA framework is well-suited for deployment in resource-constrained smart grid networks

UNVEILING THE NEXUS BETWEEN LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS AND INNOVATION CAPABILITIES IN DRIVING GREEN CREATIVITY: THE CRUCIAL MODERATING ROLE OF GREEN MOTIVATION AMONG SMES IN PAKISTAN

Objective: This study aims to explore the under-investigated area of green creativity within Pakistani SMEs by examining the influence of leadership dynamics (transformational and transactional leadership) and innovation practices.   Theoretical Framework: The research builds upon the concepts of green creativity, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, innovation practices, and green motivation.   Method: A survey methodology was employed with a sample of 191 managers and owners of SMEs in Pakistan. Data analysis was conducted using SmartPLS software.   Results and Discussion: The findings reveal positive relationships between transformational leadership, transactional leadership, innovation practices, and green creativity. However, green motivation was identified as a negative moderator in the relationship between innovation practices and green creativity. The study emphasizes the significance of leadership styles (transformational and transactional) and fostering a culture of innovation for driving green creativity within SMEs. Green motivation, while positive in itself, seems to hinder the impact of innovation practices on green creativity, requiring further investigation.   Research Implications: This research contributes to the understanding of green creativity in SMEs by highlighting the facilitating role of leadership dynamics and innovation practices. It underscores the need for future research to delve deeper into the moderating effect of green motivation.   Originality/Value: This study offers a valuable contribution to the existing environmental sustainability literature. It delves into green creativity within Pakistani SMEs, a previously unexplored area.  By examining leadership styles, innovation practices, and the surprising moderating role of green motivation, the research offers valuable insights for both businesses and policymakers to cultivate environmentally friendly practices within SMEs

Effect and feasibility of district level scale up of maternal, newborn and child health interventions in Pakistan: A quasi-experimental study

Introduction: Pakistan has a high burden of maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality. Several factors including weak scale-up of evidence-based interventions within the existing health system; lack of community awareness regarding health conditions; and poverty contribute to poor outcomes. Deaths and morbidity are largely preventable if a combination of community and facility-based interventions are rolled out at scale.Methods and analysis: Umeed-e-Nau (UeN) (New Hope) project aims is to improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in eight high-burden districts of Pakistan by scaling up of evidence-based interventions. The project will assess interventions focused on, first, improving the quality of MNCH care at primary level and secondary level. Second, interventions targeting demand generation such as community mobilisation, creating awareness of healthy practices and expanding coverage of outreach services will be evaluated. Third, we will also evaluate interventions targeting the improvement in quality of routine health information and promotion of use of the data for decision-making. Hypothesis of the project is that roll out of evidence-based interventions at scale will lead to at least 20% reduction in perinatal mortality and 30% decrease in diarrhoea and pneumonia case fatality in the target districts whereas two intervention groups will serve as internal controls. Monitoring and evaluation of the programme will be undertaken through conducting periodical population level surveys and quality of care assessments. Descriptive and multivariate analytical methods will be used for assessing the association between different factors, and difference in difference estimates will be used to assess the impact of the intervention on outcomes.Ethics and dissemination: The ethics approval was obtained from the Aga Khan University Ethics Review Committee. The findings of the project will be shared with relevant stakeholders and disseminated through open access peer-reviewed journal articles

Prevalence and predictors of iron deficiency anemia in children under five years of age in Pakistan, a secondary analysis of national nutrition survey data 2011–2012

Background: Iron deficiency Anemia (IDA) in children is a recognized public health problem that impacts adversely on child morbidity, mortality and impairs cognitive development. In Pakistan information on the true prevalence and predictors of IDA is limited. This study sought to investigate IDA in children under five years of age using data from a nationally representative stratified cross-sectional survey. Methods: Secondary analysis was performed on the National Nutrition Survey in Pakistan 2011–2012. We used a pre-structured instrument to collect socio demographic and nutritional data on mothers and children. We also collected Anthropometric measurements and blood samples for micronutrient deficiencies. IDA was defined as having both haemoglobin levels of \u3c110 g/L and ferritin levels of \u3c 12 μg/L. Data analysis was performed by applying univariate and multivariate techniques using logistic regression through SPSS. Findings: A total of 7138 children aged between 6–59 months were included in the analysis. The prevalence of IDA was 33.2%. In multivariate regression analysis adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were calculated. Age \u3c 24 months (AOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18–1.55 p \u3c0.05), stunting (AOR 1.42 CI 1.23–1.63 p\u3c0.05), presence of clinical anemia (AOR 5.69 CI 4.93–6.56 p\u3c0.05), having a mother with IDA (AOR 1.72 CI 1.47–2.01 p\u3c0.05) and household food insecurity (AOR 1.20 CI 1.10–1.40 P\u3c0.05) were associated with IDA. Living in a rural area (AOR 0.77 CI 0.65–0.90 p\u3c0.05) and being a female child (AOR 0.87 CI 0.76–0.98 p\u3c0.05) were associated with reduced odds of IDA. Conclusion: The prevalence of IDA amongst Pakistani children represents a moderate burden that disproportionately affects the youngest, growth retarded children, affected children are more likely to have mothers with IDA and live in areas where food security is lacking. National efforts to alleviate the burden of IDA should involve both short term vertical programs such as iron supplementation and long term horizontal programs including wheat flour fortification

Contextual challenges in the implementation of the alliance for maternal and newborn health improvement, prospective cohort study, an experience from rural Pakistan

Introduction: Improving maternal and newborn survival needs robust data on patterns of morbidity and mortality from well-characterized cohorts. It is equally important for researchers to document and understand the contextual challenges of data collection and how they are addressed. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study implemented from December 2012 to August 2014 in Matiari, Pakistan. A total of 11,315 pregnancies were enrolled. Participants were approached at home for sequential data collection through the standard pretested structured questionnaires. Some indicators were sourced through health facility records. Information on field challenges gathered through field diaries and minutes of meetings with field staff. Results: Inaccurate reporting of last menstrual period (LMP) dates caused difficulties in the planning and completion of antenatal data collection visits at scheduled gestational weeks. We documented ultrasound reports wherever available, relied on quickening technique, and implemented a seasonal event calendar to help mothers’ recall their LMP. Health system coordinators of public sector and private healthcare providers were individually approached for maximum data collection. But an unregulated private health system with poor record maintenance and health care providers’ reluctance for cooperation posed a greater challenge in data collection. Conclusions: Within a broader understanding of the health systems and socio-cultural environment, temporal and spatial feasibility of data collection should be considered thoroughly at the early stages of study designing, planning, resource allocation, and implementation. Pre-defined regular and need-based meetings with each tier of data collection teams and study managers help to reinvigorate field execution plans and optimize both quantity and quality of study data