Development and validation of an instrument for assessment of professional behaviour during laboratory sessions

Objective: To develop an instrument to assess professional behaviour among medical students, and to determine its validity, reliability, feasibility and acceptability.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, from July to September 2017, and comprised of medical students in years 1 and 2 of their academic programme. The instrument was developed for the Physiology laboratory sessions using nominal group technique and was tested for validity, reliability, feasibility and acceptability by two assessors through validity and reliability statistics. Data was analysed using SPSS 23.Results: Of the 250 students enrolled, 232(92.8%) had their assessment completed. Applicability of the scale was indicated by exploratory factor analysis. Two factors were isolated which explained 57.65% of the variation. The first factor, comprising of 7 sub-factors, was labelled as \u27practical performance\u27, and the second factor, consisting of 5 sub-factors, as \u27personal interactions\u27. A final 12-item instrument was retained. Cronbach\u27s alpha was determined to be high at 0.863. Intra class correlation was 0.863 for both years 1 and 2 combined.Conclusions: It was possible to develop an instrument for professional behaviour assessment in Physiology laboratory skills session which could indicate valid, reliable, feasible and acceptable results

Design and Development of a Low-Cost Multi-Channel Re-Programmable Electro-Pneumatic Actuator Kit

The objective of the research was to develop a low-cost, multi-channel electro-pneumatic actuator kit that would be conveniently accessible for students' learning experiences, trainings, and research at the individual and academic level. The essential feature of this kit was the inclusion of multi-channel outputs, which implies that the student may not only examine the behavior of basic pneumatic actuators but also train their minds to operate complicated actuation systems. With this electro-pneumatic actuation kit, a student can build and utilize it in a variety of research areas, as well as regulate a system synchronously or asynchronously with greater efficiency. The device is portable, inexpensive, and simple to use. It has a power source of 12 VDC for the electrical circuit and can provide a maximum pressure of 90 kPa as well as vacuum of -40 kPa. Relays were being integrated to satisfy the smooth automation of the kit. It features the MPX700 differential pressure sensor, which allows the user to measure and manage the needed pressure. All of the components were controlled by the Arduino Board, which is affordable and can be programmed to do the required function. With this research, academic institutions will be able to create their own kits for their students, allowing them to discover numerous new inventive concepts

Design and Development of a Low-Cost Multi-Channel Re-Programmable Electro-Pneumatic Actuator Kit

The objective of the research was to develop a low-cost, multi-channel electro-pneumatic actuator kit that would be conveniently accessible for students' learning experiences, trainings, and research at the individual and academic level. The essential feature of this kit was the inclusion of multi-channel outputs, which implies that the student may not only examine the behavior of basic pneumatic actuators but also train their minds to operate complicated actuation systems. With this electro-pneumatic actuation kit, a student can build and utilize it in a variety of research areas, as well as regulate a system synchronously or asynchronously with greater efficiency. The device is portable, inexpensive, and simple to use. It has a power source of 12 VDC for the electrical circuit and can provide a maximum pressure of 90 kPa as well as vacuum of -40 kPa. Relays were being integrated to satisfy the smooth automation of the kit. It features the MPX700 differential pressure sensor, which allows the user to measure and manage the needed pressure. All of the components were controlled by the Arduino Board, which is affordable and can be programmed to do the required function. With this research, academic institutions will be able to create their own kits for their students, allowing them to discover numerous new inventive concepts

Impact of Public-Private-Partnership Programmes on Students’ Learning Outcomes: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

Learning outcomes refer to the performance of the students in academic tests pertaining to the respective grade level. In Pakistan, survey evidences from Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) show a significant dispersion in learning outcomes of public schools as compared with private sector counterpart. The perceived results of learning outcomes in private schools very clear but less evidence is found for educational outcome of schools run under public-private partnership programs. This becomes especially relevant when status of curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities is compared between public school, private schools, and schools run under public private partnership. In recent literature, it is found that schools taken up by public-private partnership have been providing a better learning environment—Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Development, Administrative changes, Academic Innovation and Planning, Teacher Reform and Student Affairs—is perceived to have a positive impact on learning outcomes. It is to investigate and document that the investments in these areas are justifiable. To promote this fact, we conduct a quasi-experiment to examine the profiles of students in a public-private partnership school at Karachi (running under Zindagi Trust program) and a public school (as counterfactual) in the same neighbourhood. We also recorded the household and socioeconomic characteristics to create a good set of control variables. The propensity-score results show that public-private school is performing better than that of comparison group in attaining learning outcomes thus showing positive effects of PPP. Finally, the study probed into household and parental covariates of student's educational outcomes to enhance internal validity of results. JEL Classification: I21, C21, L32. Keywords: Educational Learning Outcomes, Public-Private Partnership, Quasi-experiment

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Coastal Region a Case Study of Qayyumabad, Karachi, Pakistan

The aim of present study is to assess groundwater quality of Qayyumabad area for drinking purpose. Groundwater samples (n = 20) were collected from wellbores from variable depths (12-300 feet) occurring on both banks of the Malir River near study area. Water quality was assessed through estimation of physical parameters including, pH, Eh, TDS, EC, hardness, temperature, aesthetic character (taste, color and odor) and chemical parameters including major cations (Na, K, Ca, Mg), anions (Cl, NO₃, SO₄, HCO₃) and minor/trace elements (Fe, As). Data revealed that groundwater of study area has very high TDS content (range: 805-40340 mg/l) and positive Eh (-180 to +125 mV), suggesting the recent recharge. The pH varies in the range of 6.55-7.75 which comply with WHO limit (6.5-8.5) for drinking water. Major solutes varied in the order of Na (mean: 2587 mg/l) > Mg (433mg/l) > Ca (231mg/l) > K (91 mg/l) while anions in the order of Cl (mean: 3385 mg/l) > SO₄ (mean: 580 mg/l) > HCO₃ (mean: 343 mg/l) > NO₃ (11.43 mg/l). Both arsenic and iron contents occur within the WHO permissible limits except two samples which showed elevated Fe (4950 ppb) and As (100 ppb) respectively. These results suggest that groundwater in study area is unfit for drinking purpose. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained four factors where F1 suggests the salts leaching mechanism and F2 indicated anoxia prevalence due to organic matter decomposition. On the other hand, F3 confirmed water rock interaction and F4 supported the prevalence arsenic release associated with anoxia

Clinical Decision Support System for Unani Medicine Practitioners

Like other fields of Traditional Medicines, Unani Medicines have been found as an effective medical practice for ages. It is still widely used in the subcontinent, particularly in Pakistan and India. However, Unani Medicines Practitioners are lacking modern IT applications in their everyday clinical practices. An Online Clinical Decision Support System may address this challenge to assist apprentice Unani Medicines practitioners in their diagnostic processes. The proposed system provides a web-based interface to enter the patient's symptoms, which are then automatically analyzed by our system to generate a list of probable diseases. The system allows practitioners to choose the most likely disease and inform patients about the associated treatment options remotely. The system consists of three modules: an Online Clinical Decision Support System, an Artificial Intelligence Inference Engine, and a comprehensive Unani Medicines Database. The system employs advanced AI techniques such as Decision Trees, Deep Learning, and Natural Language Processing. For system development, the project team used a technology stack that includes React, FastAPI, and MySQL. Data and functionality of the application is exposed using APIs for integration and extension with similar domain applications. The novelty of the project is that it addresses the challenge of diagnosing diseases accurately and efficiently in the context of Unani Medicines principles. By leveraging the power of technology, the proposed Clinical Decision Support System has the potential to ease access to healthcare services and information, reduce cost, boost practitioner and patient satisfaction, improve speed and accuracy of the diagnostic process, and provide effective treatments remotely. The application will be useful for Unani Medicines Practitioners, Patients, Government Drug Regulators, Software Developers, and Medical Researchers.Comment: 59 pages, 11 figures, Computer Science Bachelor's Thesis on use of Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Decision Support System for Unani Medicine

Pharmaceutical Activity of Medicinal Plant Amaranthus viridis Linn. Due to Its Chemical Constituents: A Review

Background: Amaranthus viridis, a herbal plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae, has gained significant attention in the field of traditional medicine due to its rich chemical composition. This plant is known to contain various bioactive components that contribute to its pharmaceutical value. With its extensive range of chemical compounds, Amaranthus viridis has found applications in therapeutic, pharmaceutics, and cosmetic industries. In this study, we aim to explore the medicinal potential of Amaranthus viridis and investigate its various pharmaceutical activities. Methods: The process of writing this review involved conducting comprehensive electronic research using reputable sources, including international and national article databases, along with books accessed through platforms like Google Scholar, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect and others. The gathered data is subsequently analyzed, followed by employing synthetic approaches with narrative methods to derive meaningful conclusions and interpretations. Results: Amaranthus viridis displays potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, attributed to its rich composition of flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and zinc. Its diverse pharmaceutical activities make it a promising contender for medicinal use, addressing labor pain, skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, and respiratory issues, while also exhibiting antimicrobial effects against bacteria, fungi, and parasites. It can be accomplished by Extraction with solvent, Phytochemical screening and Isolation and purification. Conclusion: Amaranthus viridis, a herbal plant, shows significant potential in therapeutic, pharmaceutics, and makeup industries. Its bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and zinc, contribute to its diverse pharmaceutical activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, and antihelmintic properties

Stringent Internal Quality Control Procedures in Chemical Pathology Lead to Better Performance in External Proficiency Testing

Objective: To assess impact of stringent Internal Quality Control (IQC) checks on performance of proficiency testing Material and methods: This was a Prospective study conducted between September 2020 and April 2021 at Chemical pathology lab of Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi. External quality control data (EQC) from the month of September was evaluated. As part of corrective action plan IQC checks were enforced, internal quality control (IQC) data of the month of September 2020 and April 2022 were assessed. Performance characteristics of routine chemistry analytes coefficient of variance (CV), standard deviations (SD)and Bias were calculated and compared using paired –T- test. Results:  Proficiency testing report (NEQAPP) of cycle 10 round 1 showed 11% External Quality Control (EQC) failure among 18 biochemical parameters. Serum Creatinine and Total Protein failed acceptability criteria with Z-score of greater than 2. As part of corrective action IQC checks were done, which led to improvement in CV (SD) of these parameters. The next EQC lab report for routine chemistry analytes met the acceptability criteria with z-scores of all anaytes being less than 2. Conclusion: Precise & accurate IQC results lead to better performance in EQC result