Legislation for child labor and compulsory schooling in Pakistan: some issues

The lack of proper legislation about child labor and compulsory schooling, and its enforcement sustains child labor and a bulk of out of school children in Pakistan. This is manifested in different ways. In this paper we have discussed the issues of legislation and its implementation. Since child labor legislation do not cover informal sector, it is further hampered by the collusion of parents with employers in violating the law. There are also inconsistencies in legislation, which may pose problems. For example, there is no uniform definition of child labor in different Acts of legislation, and the penalties for offenders are generally too light to have a deterrent effect. Statutory provisions clearly defining the nature of work do not accompany a legal ban on child labor. Moreover child legislation is not done according to the ratifications of international conventions.child welfair,national legislation pakistan,child labour

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PYELOPLASTY IN CHILDREN WITH POORLY FUNCTIONING KIDNEYS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Background: Pediatric pyeloplasty in ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is indicated in renal impaired drainage or renal function deterioration. The improvement of renal function after pediatric pyeloplasty is still controversial in poorly functioning kidneys. Past studies on poorly functioning kidneys had a variable SRF specification, and these studies often had a limited number of patients so that they did not achieve statistical significance. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and long-term results of pyeloplasty in children with poorly functioning kidneys. Method: Patients who underwent pyeloplasty at Department of Urology, Rajendra Institute of Medical Science, Ranchi for last twelve years were the subject of a retrospective data study. Postoperative outcome was the parameter under study. Success was measured by either symptom improvement or better drainage on postoperative Tc-99m DTPA renography, which was performed after two months and then yearly after that. Results: 60 individuals were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 8.5 years (3 months to 12 years), a male-to-female ratio of 2:1, and poor function on the isotope renogram (31%). The ratio of left to right sides was 1.2:1. All patients had dismembered pyeloplasty procedures. 37 patients (66.8%) underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty, whereas 23 (33.2%) underwent open surgery. 35 patients had follow-up renograms available; of these, 30 showed improved drainage and no further decline in renal function, while 5 displayed an obstructed pattern; of these, 3 patients had noticeably worsened split function, and the other two underwent a second open pyeloplasty. A mean follow-up of 21.5 months revealed a 91% overall success rate. Conclusion:  In the pediatric age group, pyeloplasty provides satisfactory intermediate results in kidneys with inadequate function

The impact of online vs. offline acculturation on purchase intentions: A multigroup analysis of the role of education

The aim of this research is to determine the extent of online and offline acculturation preferences affecting purchase intentions within a minority ethnic community. This study investigates the role of social media as an agent in terms of how it influences acculturation and consumption. It also investigates the moderating role of education level. The findings highlight the significance of investigating language and friendship orientations and subsequent acculturation preferences. Empirical results confirm the impact of language and friendship orientations on enculturation/acculturation, which in turn impact purchase intentions. The results suggest differences among three groups in terms of their education level. The study discusses contribution to theory and provides future research directions, while offering useful practical implications for marketers

Monoclonal antibodies, gene silencing and gene editing (CRISPR) therapies for the treatment of hyperlipidemia-The future is here

Hyperlipidemia is a significant risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Undertreatment of elevated lipids persists despite existing therapies. Here, we provide an update on monoclonal antibodies, gene silencing therapies, and gene editing techniques for the management of hyperlipidemia. The current era of cutting-edge pharmaceuticals targeting low density lipoprotein cholesterol, PCSK9, lipoprotein (a), angiopoietin-like 3, and apolipoprotein C3 are reviewed. We outline what is known, studies in progress, and futuristic goals. This review of available and upcoming biotechnological lipid therapies is presented for clinicians managing patients with familial hyperlipidemia, statin intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, or elevated lipoprotein (a) levels

The Gamma Power Half-Logistic Distribution: Theory and Applications

In this paper, we propose a new three-parameter distribution on the positive real line, called the gamma power half-logistic distribution. This new distribution is derived to the gamma-G family of distributions pioneered by Zografos and Balakrishnan (2009) and the power half-logistic distribution introduced by Krishnarani (2016). Among its advantages, the corresponding hazard rate function has various kinds of shapes, which constitutes a positive point in the context of statistical modelling. A part of the paper is devoted to some of its main mathematical features, including quantiles, skewness, kurtosis, moments, incomplete moments, mean deviations, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, stochastic ordering, reliability parameter and distribution of order statistics. Then, the gamma power half-logistic model is investigated in view of data analysis. We use the maximum likelihood method for estimating the model parameters, with a simulation study attesting the good performance of the method. The practical aspect is discussed with the help of two real life data sets

The impact of social networking sites on socialization and political engagement: Role of acculturation

YesThis research examines the extent to which immigrant consumers' use of social networking sites affect their socialization and political engagement in the Netherlands. The study uses self-administered questionnaires to collect data from 514 Turkish-Dutch respondents of various ages, occupations, levels of education and locations in the Netherlands. The study finds that the propensity to share information, the intensity of use, and privacy concerns positively impact socialization on online social networking sites. In addition, a significant positive relationship between socialization and political involvement positively impacts voting intentions. The study also examines the interaction effects of enculturation and acculturation orientations on the relationship between socialization and political involvement. The study's findings point to a positive moderating role of acculturation in this relationship but a negative one for enculturation. The study is the first to investigate simultaneously the drivers of socialization on social networking sites in the context of immigrant consumers and the impact of their socialization on political involvement and voting intention. The research further contributes to the scholarly work by exploring the interaction effects of acculturation and enculturation orientation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Uncertainty in Cost Estimating for Syrian Building Projects

It has been observed that the local construction companies have several problems, which resulting from underestimate of initial cost ,and that force them to charge with additional works within the contract  or to organize additional contract - Addendums  which confuse  the financing policy of the company , obstruct organization work of the project , continue working and achieve the works in the exact date . Statistical methodology was adopted to estimate the initial cost of the project, taking into account the risk arising from deviations in the appreciation of the method of calculating the estimate and the cost driver, so we were able to put the values of an initial contract for the project in close enough to final values, as well as to determine the reserve that was required to ensure not to exceed the final cost and an acceptable degree of accuracy. It has been reached on a set of models that reflect the relationship between cost and specific cost, by examining a sample of 86 schools were constructed between 1998-2007 and by taking advantage of statistical methods, and the analysis and reduce the impact of uncertainty in each model , which resulting from estimation method and model inputs statistically

US Filipino Adults Have Elevated Prevalence of Hypertension Across the Adult Lifespan: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Electronic Health Record Study

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of hypertension increases with age and differs by race and ethnicity. Among U.S. Asian adults, prevalence is higher for Filipino adults than for other major Asian subgroups, but whether this disparity exists across the adult lifespan is unknown. This study examined hypertension prevalence by age decade, comparing Filipino adults with South Asian, Chinese, Black, Hispanic, and White adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used 2015-2016 electronic health record data from a Northern California integrated healthcare delivery system for 1,839,603 adults aged 30-79 years, including 128,124 Filipino adults. Hypertension was defined by diagnosis codes. Sex-specific prevalence was calculated by race and ethnicity overall and by 10-year age decade from ages 30-39 years to 70-79 years. The prevalence of hypertension among 5 racial and ethnic groups was compared within each decade (with Filipino as the reference), adjusting for age, English language, diabetes, smoking, and weight category. RESULTS: Decade-specific prevalence of hypertension among Filipino men and women, respectively, was 9.7% and 8.5% for ages 30-39 years, 26.0% and 23.9% for ages 40-49 years, 45.9% and 44.4% for ages 50-59 years, 65.4% and 63.9% for ages 60-69 years, and 82.1% and 82.9% for ages 70-79 years. Across all age decades, hypertension prevalence among Filipino adults largely tracked with Black adults and was much higher than among South Asian, Chinese, White, and Hispanic adults. This pattern remained after adjusting for covariates, with the largest differences observed for adults aged \u3c60 \u3eyears. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to Black adults, Filipino adults have persistently higher hypertension prevalence than South Asian, Chinese, Hispanic, and White adults across the adult lifespan. These findings underscore the importance of surveillance and prevention efforts for this high-risk Asian group beginning in early adulthood

Measuring the Performance of Construction Firms, using Data Envelopment Analysis

Our attempt in this paper is to develop a performance benchmarking system for construction firms. This is widely known as one of the first steps in any improvement process. We use the Data Envelopment Analysis model (DEA), which is a recognized modern approach to the assessment of performance of organizations and their functional units.. It accomplishes this by identifying overall performance through benchmarking economical, technical, environmental, and social performance for construction firms. The benchmarking model is developed using field data collected from 37 Syrian construction firms. The analysis using the DEA software seems to show that 29 of  the 37 firms are functionally inefficient, and provides each firm with projected values .This model can be used as an improvement tool to help guide firms in understanding how to adjust their policies and practices to improve their overall performance.

Defining the Areas and Priorities of Performance Improvement in Construction Companies Case Study for General Company for Construction and Building

. Performance improvement in Construction companies is a complex task, which requires great effort and care. The research aims to analyze the status of work at the general company for building and construction, in order to determine the available management problems and then determine the priorities that will be areas of possible improvement of the performance of the company. There used three tools to asses inputs ,processes and outputs , The result of evaluating the maturity (inputs) of project management showed weakness in performance as The rate of project management maturity reached 2.3 out of 5. Quality indicators (outputs) , where rates were less than the average, were identified, as it was the results of questionnaire of measuring customer satisfaction for a sample of projects implemented by the company and the mean of customer satisfaction was 2.73 out of 5. Finally main processes of the company were drown and then the “FMEA " was used to identify the processes which face trouble which were 41 process. As a result of this comprehensive analysis the priority areas and procedures for the performance improvement were proposed