Impact of rational and experiential thinking styles on interpersonal conflict resolution among young adults

This research aimed to find the relationship between thinking styles (rational or experiential) and interpersonal conflict resolution (ICR) in young adults. A sample of 99 females and 103 males, age range 18 to 40 years, was selected via convenient and snow-ball sampling. Thinking styles were assessed using Rational-Experiential Inventory-40, and ICR was measured using Conflict Resolution Questionnaire. Regression analysis was used to predict ICR based on thinking style covariates and several relevant demographic covariates, including gender and family birth order. Rational thinking style (RTS) was most prevalent among young adults and was the strongest predictor of ICR. In addition, gender was a significant predictor. These findings may help in coaching young adults toward a well-integrated personality by using rational thinking for effective ICR

Confusion is the first step towards understanding: Fixing the problems of E-learning in COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced institutions worldwide to adopt online learning, which opened a new era of challenges. Our research was designed to explore the effect of the pandemic on teaching and learning and identify the solutions to the problems based on participants’ perspectives. Methods: A qualitative study of the phenomenological design was conducted at a medical institute in Pakistan. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling technique. Semi-structured interviews were done which were later audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to manual thematic analysis. Credibility was ensured by using multiple data collection sources. Results: The 20 participants selected as interviewees were faculty with more than 5 years teaching experience in the medical institute and had gone through online teaching and learning during COVID-19 pandemic.  The thematic analyses of the data generated six themes which were: 1. “I see what you mean”; Re-exploration of educational psychology, 2. Reorganization of curriculum, 3. Mentoring and coaching, 4. Technology: as ubiquities as oxygen, 5. Constructive feedback: a stimulus in pearl formation and 6. Turn the tables: fixing the problem. Conclusion: Online education has emerged as an important mechanism in delivering medical education to undergraduate medical students. Instead of shying away, efforts are needed to restructure the curricula, incorporating various online innovative teaching, and learning tools that are at par with the changing global demands of medical education. Keywords: E-learning, COVID-19, Challenges                                                                                                          

Pattern of unnatural deaths during COVID-19 lockdown in comparison with deaths reported during 2019 in Sahiwal city

Background:  Lockdown, a social isolation restriction measure has a direct impact on covid-19 transmission but its effect on unnatural deaths remains unknown. Objective:  This study has been designed to observe the effects of covid-19 lockdown on unnatural deaths in Sahiwal by comparing with the same period in 2019. Study design: Descriptive retrospective study. Setting: The study was conducted in mortuary of DHQ Teaching Hospital Sahiwal attached with the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology Sahiwal medical college, Sahiwal. Study Duration: Covid-19 lockdown period from 24th March 2020 to 9th May 2020 and the same period in 2019. Materials and Methods: This study includes 62 cases of unnatural deaths, out of which 23 Cases in 2019 and 39 cases in 2020. We have included age, sex, marital status, area of belonging, manner of death, and cause of death as variables in our study. Results: In total 62 cases, in 2019 there were 15 males and 8 females with a mean age of 37.30±19.55 years and in 2020, there were 27 males and 12 females with a mean age of 32.85±15.16 years. The age group in which most number of deaths occurred was 30-59 years (46.8%). In 2019 majority of victims died due to homicide 15(65.2%) while during the lockdown period 14 (35.9%) victims lost their lives in accidents. Firearm injuries were the cause of death in 11(47.8%) cases in 2019 while in the COVID 19 lockdown period the majority of cases 13 (33.3%) were those who died due to roadside accidents. Conclusions: We could not detect significant difference in the two periods examined with respect to sociodemographic factors, but manner of death was significantly affected

Exposure of Soil Microbial Communities to Chromium and Arsenic Alters Their Diversity and Structure

Extensive use of chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) based preservatives from the leather tanning industry in Pakistan has had a deleterious effect on the soils surrounding production facilities. Bacteria have been shown to be an active component in the geochemical cycling of both Cr and As, but it is unknown how these compounds affect microbial community composition or the prevalence and form of metal resistance. Therefore, we sought to understand the effects that long-term exposure to As and Cr had on the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities. Soils from three spatially isolated tanning facilities in the Punjab province of Pakistan were analyzed. The structure, diversity and abundance of microbial 16S rRNA genes were highly influenced by the concentration and presence of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and arsenic. When compared to control soils, contaminated soils were dominated by Proteobacteria while Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria (which are generally abundant in pristine soils) were minor components of the bacterial community. Shifts in community composition were significant and revealed that Cr (VI)-containing soils were more similar to each other than to As contaminated soils lacking Cr (VI). Diversity of the arsenic resistance genes, arsB and ACR3 were also determined. Results showed that ACR3 becomes less diverse as arsenic concentrations increase with a single OTU dominating at the highest concentration. Chronic exposure to either Cr or As not only alters the composition of the soil bacterial community in general, but affects the arsenic resistant individuals in different ways

Biochemical Markers of Liver Toxicity among Coal Mine Workers of Punjab, Pakistan Suffering from HCV

Hepatitis C is among the leading hepatic disorders in current period through which about 3 % world population has been anguish among them 170 million were diagnosed as persistent carriers. A great range of alteration in liver biochemical parameters were found to be allied with HCV infestation. Current study was designed to evaluate the extent of HCV mediated abnormalities in liver biochemical markers which includes ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate transaminase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and serum bilirubin. The study was conducted on coal miners of Punjab province, Pakistan. HCV was primarily diagnosed through one step rapid test device after which positive samples were confirmed through ELISA. Biochemical markers were determined through Autoanalyzer by using standard procedure provided with spinreact kits. Simple linear regression analysis significantly explained 24 %, 56.2 %, 68.8 % and 56 % variance in ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate transaminase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and serum bilirubin level among HCV positive coal mine workers respectively. Results have clearly indicated significant correlation between HCV seropositivity and liver biochemical markers. Findings of present study conclude monitoring of liver biochemical markers is crucial during HCV infectivity as it represents the degree of impairment in liver functioning. In addition to this elevation in these diagnostic markers could points toward the presence of HCV in respective individual