Exploring the Link Between Socially Responsible HRM and Affective Commitment of Employees in Ethiopian Context

This investigation focuses on the impacts of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) methods on affective commitment (AC) as well as the intervening impact of perceived organizational support (POS) for this association. Primary data depending on 555 respondents owned by various socially responsible companies within in Ethiopia were gathered. The data were analyzed with Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) techniques using SmartPLS to determine the hypothesized connections concerning socially responsible -HRM and affective commitment.The outcomes have uncovered that the employees’ perceptions of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) practice impact affective commitment indirectly via perceived organizational support in Ethiopian setting. This research enhances the literature by analyzing the causal association concerning socially responsible HRM practices and employees' affective commitment in developing country context. Keywords: Socially responsible human resource management, affective commitment, perceived organizational support. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-9-16 Publication date:March 31st 201

Effect of Employee Oriented Human Resource Management Practices on Employees' Counterproductive Work Behaviors

This research investigated the link between employee-orientated human resource management (EOHRM) counterproductive work behaviors targeted at individual members and organization in Ethiopia. Relaying on  social exchange theory, organizational support theory, signaling theory and relevant literatures we examined how employee-oriented HRM practice affects counterproductive work behaviors by using perceived organizational support  as a mediator. Data had been obtained from 555 workers and 150 supervisors from eight companies in Ethiopia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methods via SmartPLS has been used  to determine the hypothesized links pertaining to employee-oriented HRM and counterproductive work behavior directed towards individual members and the organization. Final results confirmed that perceived organizational support fully mediated the relationship between employee-oriented HRM and counterproductive work behaviors. The impact of employee-oriented HRM on counterproductive work behavior -organizational via perceived organizational support were stronger than the impact of employee-oriented HRM on counterproductive work behavior- individual (interpersonal). These findings suggest that organizations may minimize(reduce) employees' counterproductive work behavior by putting into action employee-oriented HRM practices that would uplift perceived organizational support that finally prevent the tendency to act against the organization and its members. Keywords: Employee-oriented human resource management, perceived organizational support, counterproductive work behavior DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/56-02 Publication date:June 30th 201

Anti-Biofilm Forming Activity of Natural Products Extract Punica Granatum L. and Magnifera Indica L

OBJECTIVES o evaluate the biofilm activity of Escherichia coli and the anti-biofilm forming activity of Pomegranate peels Punica granatum L. and Mango leafs Mangifera Indica L. extracts against Escherichia coli and their combined synergistic effect using 96 well microtiter plate. METHODOLOGY The study design was a cross-sectional study. The sample size was 150. The samples were collected from patients at PNS Shifa Hospital Karachi. The age group of the individuals included was from 15 to 50 years. The specimens received in the lab were inoculated on CLED agar, Blood agar, and MacConkey’s agar culture plates. Escherichia coli was identified by colony morphology, gram staining, TSI, and further biochemical test analysis. After identification, the samples were processed for biofilm activity on 96 well microtiter plate method and using serial dilution method to assess the anti-biofilm activity of natural product extracts. Patient's age, gender, and hospital number of patients were recorded on specially designed proforma with ERC approval no 83/2021.  RESULTSAmong 150 patients, 64% were males, and 36% were females. Overall mean age was (33.79±9.94) and (34.02±10.59) years. 90% of samples showed biofilm formation. We found a significant relationship between culture and examination (p-value 0.000), while no significant association was found between gender (p-value 0.69), age (p-value 0.44) and biofilm formation (p-value 0.57). Anti-biofilm forming activity of pomegranate peel extract against Escherichia coli was (24.46±19.09) with mean and standard deviation. Anti-biofilm forming activity of Mango leaf extract against Escherichia coli was (14.90±9.56). Significant synergistic relation was observed in both extracts, Punica granatum L. and Mango leaf extract Mangifera Indica L. used in combination. CONCLUSION It was concluded that a novel combination of natural product extracts had shown higher effectiveness against the rapid emergence of biofilm-forming pathogens

An Empirical Study on the Effect of Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use on Purchase Intention Through Mobile Devices in Pakistan: A Mediating Role of Online Trust

In Pakistan, electronic commerce market is in developing phase, and people are not much familiar with technology. Customers feel fear for providing debit/credit card information to online retailers. This research proposes a theoretical model in which online trust is used as a mediator among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention to purchase through mobile devices. In this study Smartphone, cellular phones and tablets with internet connection conceived as mobile devices. Data were collected through questionnaire from the students and employees of different universities in Pakistan and analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Results suggest that PEOU have an insignificant effect while PU has a positive effect on online trust and purchase intention through mobile devices. Also, online trust does not mediate between PEOU and purchase Intention through mobile devices while it partially mediates between PU and purchase intention through mobile devices. Keywords: Electronic Commerce, Online trust, Intention to purchase through mobile devices, Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness

Frequency and Risk Factors of Depression among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Karachi

OBJECTIVES The study aimed to determine the frequency of depression among medical students and to identify the different risk factors associated with depression. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at a private medical college in Karachi. The study was initiated after approval was taken from the ethical committee. Consent was taken before the data collection after explaining the details of the study. Students were selected for this study as per inclusion criteria. They were provided with the PHQ-9 questionnaire in which they were inquired about the factors for depression. The total students with depression positive were presented by their frequencies with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTSThree hundred seventy medical students participated, and 207 (56%) tested positive for depression. Notably, depression was more prevalent among final-year students, with 80% affected. Additionally, the severity of depression gradually increased with advancing medical years, reaching the highest level in the final year, where 61 students (80%) reported significant depression. The most frequent causes of depression were living away from home and facing the challenges of a demanding curriculum. CONCLUSION The study findings revealed a higher likelihood of depression among medical students, particularly in their final year. This vulnerability was exacerbated by the stress associated with extensive coursework and peer pressure to achieve excellent exam grades

A Short Communication on Exploring the Rearing, Breeding, and Future Outlook of Damani Sheep in Pakistan

The intentional production of animals is predicated on their genetic proficiency, which is dependent on optimal resource utilization and manipulation of biotic and abiotic environmental components to increase production for societal sustenance. The annual global consumption of sheep meat is approximately 2.5 kilograms per individual, out of a total of 41.6 kilograms. Three management systems are used to rear sheep: extensive wool and meat production, intensive milk production, and traditional pastoralism. Possessing adequate resources for sheep husbandry contributes to positive welfare outcomes. This review examined the rearing, breeding, and future potential of Damani sheep in Pakistan. Damani sheep are a composite, meat-specialized breed with thin tails, tiny to medium bodies, white heads, and camel-colored legs. They are native to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu and are predominantly raised for their meat and wool. Damani sheep have well-developed teats and udders, small ears, and a mature body height and weight of 53-61 cm and 27-28 kg, respectively. They are robust, well-adapted, and successful in their native environment. Damani ewes produce high-quality milk with an average fat content of 5.8 % and average lactation period of 120 days. Despite their potential, the breed\u27s per-unit meat and wool production has decreased due to cross-breeding, disease, malnutrition, improper management, and a lack of agricultural knowledge. Pakistan recognizes between 28 and 33 categories of sheep, but sheep continue to be an undervalued species with low productivity per animal unit

Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-19, and a novel framework for quantifying optimal child survival. Methods We completed all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality analyses from 204 countries and territories for detailed age groups separately, with aggregated mortality probabilities per 1000 livebirths computed for neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-5 mortality rate (USMR). Scenarios for 2030 represent different potential trajectories, notably including potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of improvements preferentially targeting neonatal survival. Optimal child survival metrics were developed by age, sex, and cause of death across all GBD location-years. The first metric is a global optimum and is based on the lowest observed mortality, and the second is a survival potential frontier that is based on stochastic frontier analysis of observed mortality and Healthcare Access and Quality Index. Findings Global U5MR decreased from 71.2 deaths per 1000 livebirths (95% uncertainty interval WI] 68.3-74-0) in 2000 to 37.1 (33.2-41.7) in 2019 while global NMR correspondingly declined more slowly from 28.0 deaths per 1000 live births (26.8-29-5) in 2000 to 17.9 (16.3-19-8) in 2019. In 2019,136 (67%) of 204 countries had a USMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold and 133 (65%) had an NMR at or below the SDG 3.2 threshold, and the reference scenario suggests that by 2030,154 (75%) of all countries could meet the U5MR targets, and 139 (68%) could meet the NMR targets. Deaths of children younger than 5 years totalled 9.65 million (95% UI 9.05-10.30) in 2000 and 5.05 million (4.27-6.02) in 2019, with the neonatal fraction of these deaths increasing from 39% (3.76 million 95% UI 3.53-4.021) in 2000 to 48% (2.42 million; 2.06-2.86) in 2019. NMR and U5MR were generally higher in males than in females, although there was no statistically significant difference at the global level. Neonatal disorders remained the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years in 2019, followed by lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, congenital birth defects, and malaria. The global optimum analysis suggests NMR could be reduced to as low as 0.80 (95% UI 0.71-0.86) deaths per 1000 livebirths and U5MR to 1.44 (95% UI 1-27-1.58) deaths per 1000 livebirths, and in 2019, there were as many as 1.87 million (95% UI 1-35-2.58; 37% 95% UI 32-43]) of 5.05 million more deaths of children younger than 5 years than the survival potential frontier. Interpretation Global child mortality declined by almost half between 2000 and 2019, but progress remains slower in neonates and 65 (32%) of 204 countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, are not on track to meet either SDG 3.2 target by 2030. Focused improvements in perinatal and newborn care, continued and expanded delivery of essential interventions such as vaccination and infection prevention, an enhanced focus on equity, continued focus on poverty reduction and education, and investment in strengthening health systems across the development spectrum have the potential to substantially improve USMR. Given the widespread effects of COVID-19, considerable effort will be required to maintain and accelerate progress. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Role of amaltas and dandasa in controlling biofilm formation of streptococcus sangius

Objective: To analyze the anti-biofilm activity of naturally occurring substances dandasa (juglans regia) and amaltas (Cassia fistula) against streptococcus sangius. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was carried out at Bahria University Medical and Dental College(BUMDC) Karachi from December 2013 to March 2014.A total of fifty streptococcus sangius samples were taken from oral biofilm and identified using conventional, biochemical, cultural and molecular methods.Biofilm forming activity of these isolates was recorded and then exposed to dandasa and amaltas. Results: Amaltas and Dandasa both in a concentration of 12.5mg/ml and 3.2mg/ml respectively showed good anti-biofilm forming activity against streptococcus sangius. Combination of dandasa with amaltas did not showed more effective inhibitory effect against biofilm formation suggesting an indifferent activity with anti-adhesive index of 0.75 against Streptococcus sangius Conclusion Streptococcus sangius in oral biofilm exhibited biofilm formation which is the cause for antibiotic resistance and provides shelter to other organisms. Amaltas and dandasa provide a good antibiofilm activity individually against Streptococcus sangiu