Using Social Media to Reduce Language Barrier among Foreign Students in Pakistan

Social networking is rapidly changing the communication environment of contemporary social media. Social media's growth has had a profound effect on students' academic lives. Institutions and researchers are actively playing with social networking technologies with the expectation of stimulating strategic thinking, collaboration, and knowledge rising. Today's higher education establishments have adopted social media to communicate for students with teachers, fellow students, and other higher authorities. This necessitated the investigation and analysis of the impact of social media on students' academic lives in this report. The study argued for a qualitative approach to assessing these effects. Thirty international students enrolled at Karachi's university were randomly chosen and questioned over four weeks. Following an examination of the phenomena that motivated the study and transcription of the participants' comments, the results suggest that students in higher education often use social networking and that participants believe that social media plays a major role in their academic success. Social networking applications can augment classroom content and have a beneficial effect on conversations, community service, and authoring. However, since these media are inherently accessible, it is critical to closely understand the advantages, consequences, and pitfalls of transparency, as well as the critical nature of ongoing contact with students in order to discuss their concerns and resolve any problems that arise as a result of social media use. The analysis concludes that as an international student studying in Pakistan, social media contributes to academic creativity

Developing a Sensor for the Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine, Acetaminophen and Tryptophan in Pharmaceutical Samples Using a Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube and Oxadiazole Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

The present study describes the electrochemical characteristics of an electrodeposited oxadiazole derivative on multi-walled carbon nanotubes glassy carbon electrode (OMWCNT-GCE) and its role as highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the electrocatalytic oxidation of dopamine (DA). The surface charge transfer rate constant (k s) and the charge transfer coefficient (α) for the electron transfer between GCE and electrodeposited oxadiazole were calculated. OMWCNT-GCE exhibited suitable electrocatalytic properties for DA oxidation in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) solution. The modified electrode exhibited low limit of detection (0.12 µmol L-1) for DA. In differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements, OMWCNT-GCE could separate the oxidation peak potentials of DA, acetaminophen (AC) e tryptophan (Trp) present in the same solution, while the bare GCE gave two broad responses. The analytical performance of this sensor was evaluated to determine DA and AC in real samples

Switchable-hydrophilicity solvent liquid-liquid microextraction

Since their introduction by Philip G. Jessop and co-workers in 2005, switchable-hydrophilicity solvents (SHS), have gained a wide acceptance among scientists working in the field of separation sciences for large- and small-scale extractions due to their greenness, ease of applicability, cost-effectiveness and rapidness of separation, among other advantages. This article presents a review of switchablehydrophilicity solvent liquid-liquid microextraction (SHS-LLME) of metal ions and organic compounds which are of special interest in environmental, food, industrial, pharmaceutical and biological research. Types of SHS, their synthesis, chemistry and applications in liquid-liquid microextraction are reviewed. Factors affecting the extraction efficiency of SHS-LLME, combination of the method with other sample preparation techniques as well as trends and future aspects are discussed. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care. We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care