Impact of Test Anxiety on Paper Management and Students’ Performance

The current study was conducted to explore the impact of test anxiety on paper management and performance of students. The main objective of the study was to investigate the test anxiety impact on paper management indicators with respect to their performance. All the students enrolled in the department of Education and directorate of distance learning at GC University Faisalabad were the population of the study. Three hundred and fifty six students participated in this study. Data were collected with the help of self-developed instrument, Paper Management and Anxiety Scale [PMAS] with Alpha reliability 0.836. Mean, Standard deviation, t- test, and ANOVA were applied to analyze the data on five indicators (time management, physical environment, content clarity, content mastery, and anxiety) of paper management and anxiety. Results revealed that students were less satisfied with the indicators of physical environment and content mastery. Female students were less satisfied with the paper management techniques, so, they performed poor with higher anxiety when compared with male students. Further studies may be conducted to train the students regarding paper management and anxiety reduction techniques

A Comparative Study of Process, Product and Process Genre Theory in Writing of Essay at Intermediate Level

Different approaches are introduced by number of researchers and scholars to improve writing skill of second language learner. The most prominent of them are product approach, process approach and genre process approach; these approaches 01 paved an instructional environment for learners in class room. The basic purpose of researcher to conduct this study is to investigate the effectiveness of these approaches on the writing skill of students at intermediate level. A quasi experimental study was conducted where one hundred and five students of Govt. college of Samnabad had participated in three and half month writing session, in this session different activities had been applied. To figure out the results pre and post- test were conducted. It is found that the genre process approach has more affirmative effect on the writing skill of students

A Comparative Study of Process, Product and Process Genre Theory in Writing of Essay at Intermediate Level

Different approaches are introduced by number of researchers and scholars to improve writing skill of second language learner. The most prominent of them are product approach, process approach and genre process approach; these approaches 01 paved an instructional environment for learners in class room. The basic purpose of researcher to conduct this study is to investigate the effectiveness of these approaches on the writing skill of students at intermediate level. A quasi experimental study was conducted where one hundred and five students of Govt. college of Samnabad had participated in three and half month writing session, in this session different activities had been applied. To figure out the results pre and post- test were conducted. It is found that the genre process approach has more affirmative effect on the writing skill of students

Effect of Teachers’ Competencies on Scholars’ Academic Achievement and Satisfaction

The current research paper is an attempt to investigate the effect of teachers’ competencies on academic achievement and satisfaction of MPhil students. Effect is a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause. Obtaining students’ satisfaction and academic achievement as a result of teachers’ competencies is one of the prime objectives of higher educational institutions. Institution failing to get the desired competencies among the learners effect their reputation and students’ intake in future. The academic performance of low performer scholars resulted in quitting the degree. This study employed quantitative approach to test the hypotheses. Forty MPhil scholars from GC University Faisalabad were the sample of the study using census survey. Self-developed research instrument, Teachers’ Competencies and Scholars’ Satisfaction Scale (TCSSS) with Alpha value .954 were used for survey to collect data. The achievement score was scholars’ final test score in the semester. The teachers’ competence indicators were teacher’s content knowledge, presentation skills, students’ teacher interaction and modes of assessment. T-test, Pearson r, and ANCOVA were used for data analysis. The results showed that teacher’s knowledge of subject contributed to scholars’ satisfaction and achievement. Female scholars rate the teachers more competent than their male fellows. It was recommended that the scholars’ performance may be improved by using additional class tests and worksheets

Relationship between Parental Involvement and Students’ Performance in Secondary Schools

The study was an intention to find out the correlation between students’ performance and parental involvement at secondary level. The population includes all the public sector secondary schools in district Faisalabad. Fifty schools were selected randomly. Data were collected from parents of the 9th class students with the help of questionnaire Parental Involvement Inventory [PII]. The six factors of PII were also correlated with the academic performance of students. The performance of students was taken from the results of the 9th class. Data were analyzed by applying Pearson r. The results revealed that there was strong positive and significant relationship between parental involvement and academic performance of students. All the indicators were also positive and strongly correlated with the academic performance. It was evident that the parents of female students had strong association with their studies as compared with parents of male students. In the same way, parents of urban areas and science students had great influence on the progress of their students as compared with parents of rural and arts students

Effect of Teachers’ Competencies on Scholars’ Academic Achievement and Satisfaction

The current research paper is an attempt to investigate the effect of teachers’ competencies on academic achievement and satisfaction of MPhil students. Effect is a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause. Obtaining students’ satisfaction and academic achievement as a result of teachers’ competencies is one of the prime objectives of higher educational institutions. Institution failing to get the desired competencies among the learners effect their reputation and students’ intake in future. The academic performance of low performer scholars resulted in quitting the degree. This study employed quantitative approach to test the hypotheses. Forty MPhil scholars from GC University Faisalabad were the sample of the study using census survey. Self-developed research instrument, Teachers’ Competencies and Scholars’ Satisfaction Scale (TCSSS) with Alpha value .954 were used for survey to collect data. The achievement score was scholars’ final test score in the semester. The teachers’ competence indicators were teacher’s content knowledge, presentation skills, students’ teacher interaction and modes of assessment. T-test, Pearson r, and ANCOVA were used for data analysis. The results showed that teacher’s knowledge of subject contributed to scholars’ satisfaction and achievement. Female scholars rate the teachers more competent than their male fellows. It was recommended that the scholars’ performance may be improved by using additional class tests and worksheets

Lifestyle changes and glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus: A trial protocol with factorial design approach

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been increasing globally over the past three decades. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is a challenge in both developed as well as developing countries. Self-management guidelines include maintaining logbooks for blood glucose, physical activity, and dietary intake that affect glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and a multitude of life-threatening acute complications. Innovative, cost-effective interventions along with beneficial lifestyle modifications can improve home-based self-monitoring of blood glucose in T1D patients. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between maintaining log books for blood glucose levels, reinforcement by e-messages, and/or daily step count and changes in HbA1c.Methods/design: A randomized controlled trial will enroll participants aged 15 years and above in four groups. Each group of 30 participants will be working with a newly designed standard log book for documenting their blood glucose. The first group will be entirely on routine clinical care, the second group will be on routine care and will receive an additional e-device for recording step count (fit bit), the third group will receive routine care and daily motivational e-messages to maintain the log book, and the fourth group along with routine care will receive an e-device for measuring step count (fit bit) and e-messages about maintaining the log book. Patients will be enrolled from pediatric and endocrine clinics of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. All groups will be followed up for a period of 6 months to evaluate outcomes. Log book data will be obtained every 3 months electronically or during a patient\u27s clinic visit. HbA1c as a main outcome will be measured at baseline and will be evaluated twice every 3 months. A baseline questionnaire will determine the socio-demographic, nutritional, and physical activity profile of patients. Clinical information for T1D and other co-morbidities for age of onset, duration, complications, hospitalizations, habits for managing T1D, and other lifestyle characteristics will be ascertained. Behavioral modifications for maintaining daily log books as a routine, following e-messages alone, fit bit alone, or e-messages plus using fit bit will be assessed for changes in HbA1c using a generalized estimated equation.Discussion: The proposed interventions will help identify whether maintaining log books for blood glucose, motivational e-messages, and/or daily step count will reduce HbA1c levels

Volumetric analysis of the piriform cortex in temporal lobe epilepsy

The piriform cortex, at the confluence of the temporal and frontal lobes, generates seizures in response to chemical convulsants and electrical stimulation. Resection of more than 50% of the piriform cortex in anterior temporal lobe resection for refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was associated with a 16-fold higher chance of seizure freedom. The objectives of the current study were to implement a robust protocol to measure piriform cortex volumes and to quantify the correlation of these volumes with clinical characteristics of TLE. Sixty individuals with unilateral TLE (33 left) and 20 healthy controls had volumetric analysis of left and right piriform cortex and hippocampi. A protocol for segmenting and measuring the volumes of the piriform cortices was implemented, with good inter-rater and test-retest reliability. The right piriform cortex volume was consistently larger than the left piriform cortex in both healthy controls and patients with TLE. In controls, the mean volume of the right piriform cortex was 17.7% larger than the left, and the right piriform cortex extended a mean of 6 mm (Range: -4 to 12) more anteriorly than the left. This asymmetry was also seen in left and right TLE. In TLE patients overall, the piriform cortices were not significantly smaller than in controls. Hippocampal sclerosis was associated with decreased ipsilateral and contralateral piriform cortex volumes. The piriform cortex volumes, both ipsilateral and contralateral to the epileptic temporal lobe, were smaller with a longer duration of epilepsy. There was no significant association between piriform cortex volumes and the frequency of focal seizures with impaired awareness or the number of anti-seizure medications taken. Implementation of robust segmentation will enable consistent neurosurgical resection in anterior temporal lobe surgery for refractory TLE.

Biological activity of synthesized 5-{1-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfonyl]piperidin-4- yl}-2-mercapto-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives demonstrated by in silico and BSA binding studies

We synthesized a series of compounds bearing pharmacologically important 1,3,4-oxadiazole and piperidine moieties. Spectral data analysis by 1 H-NMR, 13C-NMR, IR and EI-MS was used to elucidate the structures of the synthesized molecules. Docking studies explained the different types of interaction of the compounds with amino acids, while bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding interactions showed their pharmacological effectiveness. Antibacterial screening of these compounds demonstrated moderate to strong activity against Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis but only weak to moderate activity against the other three bacterial strains tested. Seven compounds were the most active members as acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors. All the compounds presented displayed strong inhibitory activity against urease. Compounds 7l, 7m, 7n, 7o, 7p, 7r, 7u, 7v, 7x and 7v were highly active, with respective IC50 values of 2.14±0.003, 0.63±0.001, 2.17±0.006, 1.13±0.003, 1.21±0.005, 6.28±0.003, 2.39±0.005, 2.15±0.002, 2.26±0.003 and 2.14±0.002 µM, compared to thiourea, used as the reference standard (IC50 = 21.25±0.15 µM). These new urease inhibitors could replace existing drugs after their evaluation in comprehensive in vivo studies

Therapeutical and medicinal properties of Neem (Azadirachta indica) in context of Unani system of medicine: a review study

Neem is very important medicinal plant which is used to treat different diseases in Unani System of Medicine as well as traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda, Homeopathic Chines and European “Materia Medica”). The use of traditional medicine and medicinal plants in most developing countries, as a normative basis for the maintenance of good health, has been widely observed. In the last century, approximately 130 pharmaceutical products have been discovered based on the information obtained from the traditional scientist and physician. The importance of the neem tree has been recognized by the US National Academy of Sciences, which publish a report in 1992 entiteled ‘Neem- a tree for solving global problems’. The scientific name of neem, Azadirachta indica, is derived from the Persian, Azad means “Free” dirakht means “tree” I-Hindi means “of Indian Origin” .Hence it literally means “the free tree of India”. The Chemical principles from natural sources have become much simpler and have contributed significantly to the development of new drugs from medicinal plants and because of these facts the domain market for plant derived chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, flavor’s, and color ingredients, alone exceeds several billion dollars per year. The present review highlights a Unani medicine literature as well as scientific on taxonomical, botanical, and pharmacological discussion on Neem. Keywords: Neem, Azadirachta indica, Unani Medicine, Nim