Impact of antiepileptic drugs therapy on thyroid profile in epileptic patients of Punjab origin

Background: Epilepsy requires lifelong therapy with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and having medical and psychological consequence. So, the present study was conducted to evaluate the role of different AEDs on thyroid profile in epileptic patients.Methods: 50 epileptic patients receiving AEDs for minimum 1 year were recruited as study group and 50 healthy subjects considered as control group. These subjects were recruited from general (rural or urban) community of Punjab. Fasting blood samples were drawn from patients and healthy subjects for the evaluation of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels.Results: Significant increase in TSH levels were recorded in epileptic patients while no significant change was found in T3 and T4 epileptic patients treated with different AEDs with respect to healthy controls. Maximum increase in TSH was seen in phenytoin, treated epileptic patients and maximum fall in TSH was recorded in levetiracetam treated epileptic patients. Maximum increase in T3 and T4 levels was found in phenytoin while a maximum decrease was recorded T3 and T4 levels in carbamazepine treated epileptic patients in comparison to other drugs treated patients.Conclusions: Aforementioned observations suggested that epileptic patients treated with phenytoin, valproic acid, carbamazepine and levetiracetam for long time could cause initiation of subclinical hypothyroidism further could leads to overt hypothyroidism which in turn responsible for pathophysiology of various coronary heart disease. Routine screening of thyroid profile during chronic use of AEDs is recommended

Human capacity building through the recognition of prior learning : implications for higher education

The conviction that education is fundamental to employment, and that productive employment is central to improved livelihood, underlies several global initiatives. In order to enhance enterprise competence among the employed workforce, and to cater for the human resource needs in a country, education must respond to global changes and economic developments (Gopinathan, 2005). To support the growing need for human capacity building, such a response would include lifelong education, formal and nonformal education and training, as well as inter-institution collaboration. Central to this perspective is the recognition of prior learning (RPL), that is, the acknowledgement of competencies accrued through worklife skills, experiential learning and non-formal training against academic learning outcomes and competence standards. However, given the traditionalist posture taken by most Malaysian institutions of higher education, an emerging issue with regards to the provision of prior learning credit through RPL is ensuring institutional capacity in prior learning assessment and the provision of learning support for students wishing to express prior learning for RPL. This paper discusses a number of issues related to the implementation of RPL, as well as to the mechanisms used to harness the competence, experience and abilities of employed adults seeking further education

Improving work flow management in an order fulfillment organization

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-76).Amazon.com is experiencing dramatic growth in customer demand through increasingly diversified product offerings and from introduction of Amazon Prime Shipping. As the volume of customer orders increases and a higher number of orders placed are single unit orders, labor and work management at the fulfillment centers must be improved to increase the throughput while fulfilling orders on time. Managing outbound work flow and labor at Amazon fulfillment centers is a complicated process that is controlled manually through limited tools, but has large implications on operational performance and customer experience. The six month LGO project focused on improving the outbound flow management process at the RNOI Fulfillment Center located in Fernley, Nevada. This thesis analyzes the current workflow management process, identifies major concerns with this process, and outlines the solutions implemented to improve flow 'management. The project was approached using lean principles and methodologies, especially when identifying and implementing solutions. Specifically, the concepts of Genchi Gembutsu, PDCA (Plan/Do/Check/Action) and effective change management were used heavily. The major changes implemented were flow management structure change, standardized training and tools to make flow decisions, optimal local settings for work in progress, inclusion of charge forecast into labor planning and hourly tracking of shift performance. The results demonstrated an annual cost savings of $353,000 at RNOI. The concepts described in this thesis extend beyond a fulfillment center setting to planning labor in manufacturing, service operations like customer service centers and healthcare facilities.by Kuldip Sandhu.S.M.M.B.A

Teacher Survival in a Web-based Constructivist Learning Environment: A Malaysian Experience

Educators are well aware of teacher support as a form of scaffold that helps learners reach their “zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky, 1978). An online case study conducted over 4 weeks in an elementary school in Malaysia showed that teacher support came in six multiple forms. However, the nature of an online constructivist learning environment presents a difficult task for the lone teacher in supporting all students reach their desired learning level. This paper will discuss the need for intelligent agent technology to support the teacher reach his/her ‘zone of proximal support’

Structural Changes in Indian Economy: An Empirical Analysis using Input-Output Structural Decomposition Analysis

The present study is an attempt to decompose the changes in output growth in India since 1983-84 For analysis purpose study has bifurcated the whole period into two parts i e pre 1983-84 to 1993-94 and post 1993-94 to 2006-07 reforms period Input-Output tables for the year 1983-84 1993-94 and 2006-07 have been utilized for this purpose Due to non-availability of recent Input-Output table the analysis of the recent years 2007-08 to 2012-13 has been done using the data from different Economic Surveys provided by the Ministry of Finance Government of India The study utilized structural decomposition analysis to categorize the different sources of output growth While comparing the two study periods results show that for the primary sector 1 to 11 there is rise in private consumption and government consumption expenditure However percentage share of exports and investment expenditure in primary sector have declined over two periods In secondary sector 12 to 44 there is a sharp increase in percentage share of all demand categories For tertiary sector 45 to 58 the increase has been shown in investment expenditure imports and exports only Further it is the average growth of final demand which holds the largest share in change of output growth over the study period Among the five categories of final demand domestic demand sum of private consumption government consumption and investment expenditure is the dominant source of output growth in both the periods It shows that Indian economy has a very strong domestic marke

An assessment of e-learning readiness at Open University Malaysia

E-learning readiness is an important part of distance education as it is conceivably related to the success of e-learning initiatives. Policy makers and regulatory bodies have to be cognizant of the degree of e-readiness of a populace in order to design and implement efficient e-learning programmes. This paper reports on a study that was carried out to determine the e-readiness of a group of Open University Malaysia receivers (learners) and enablers (tutors) to provide significant information to the respective teaching-learning community. Data were gathered with the use of the e-learning Readiness Research Tool from a sample of 93 receivers and 35 enablers. The findings related to learner readiness are discussed in this paper. (Authors' abstract

Reproducing Ladino Dominance: An Anthropological Study of a Guatemalan Ladino Town

This thesis provides an ethnography of the non-indigenous, provincial middle class of Salamá, the capital of Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. It questions the prevalence of the ladino and Indian dichotomy that has characterised Guatemala’s ethnic relations for more than a hundred years. It explores the meaning of identity labels among members of three identity groups that constitute Salamá’s dominant social and economic sector – los pueblo/mestizos, ladinos puros, and a local elite, and discusses their identities. Firstly, it addresses Salamateco narratives about who they are in terms of origins and trajectory, exploring what the ethnic category of “ladino” meant to them. Second, it correlates their narratives with historical data to examine why specific events, processes and/or persons are invoked to the detriment of others. Third, it explores how their relationship with indigeneity, both with indigenous peoples around them as well as indigeneity within them, informs practice in relation to marriage, kinship and relatedness and interactions with domestic workers. A focus on narrative, history and practice not only allows for an appreciation of dichotomy – that is, on ladino/Indian relations – but also hierarchy and heterogeneity – namely relations between Salamateco ladinos themselves. This research seeks to contribute to a revitalised anthropological study of dominant groups and to a growing literature on Guatemala’s ladinos and on mestizaje in Latin America. The thesis contains six ethnographic chapters. Chapter two provides a historical account on the different economic trajectories of Salamá’s contemporary middle class and discusses their political affinities over the twentieth century. Chapters three and four attend to pueblos/mestizos, chapter five to los puros, chapter six to the town’s historical planter class, and relations of fluidity that characterise relations between “illegitimate” children and their legitimate kin. The final ethnographic chapter discusses relations between my informants and domestic workers

Cybersafety in education for the 21st century: A comparative study of Malaysia and Thailand

Education for the 21st Century must recognise cybersafety issues faced by students in schools. Cybersecurity threats are everywhere and students must be able to cope with an environment where cyber threats and risks persist. What are these threats and risks and how do students in Malaysia and Thailand handle them? This paper attempts to compare and contrast cybersafety issues among school students in Malaysia and Thailand. The sample for this survey comprised 1,896 students from Malaysia and 1,336 students from Thailand. The quantitative research approach was used to explore and confirm relationship among variables. Four important factors influencing cybersafety among students in Malaysia comprise i. availability of help through significant others, parents and teachers (including counsellors), ii. accessing negative sites, iii. tendency to hide things from parents, and iv. feeling of discomfort when surfing negative sites. On the other hand, factors in Thailand include: i. ready availability of help if bullied or proper avenues are available, ii. victim of cyberbullying, iii. experiences of cyberbullying, and iv. experiences with accessing negative websites. The findings showed high construct reliability and high construct validity which was confirmed through Structural Equation Modeling. The study showed that Malaysia and Thailand’s cybersafety issues differed significantly (p < .05) in 6 constructs, i.e. i. existence of problematic situations or negative experiences, ii. peer pressure, iii. parent-children gap, iv. sexting, v. cyber-bullying, and vi. dealing with negative experience or mediation strategies. The study recommended the following: i. parents in both Malaysia and Thailand should play a pivotal role in their children’s well-being in cybersafety issues, ii. Malaysia and Thailand should develop local-based strategies to suit local contexts in cybersafety issues, and iii. overcoming new cyber risks in Malaysia and Thailand should follow best practices in other countries which have successfully overcome them. (Abstract by authors

Correlates of Academic Achievement for Master of Education Students at Open University Malaysia

This study focused on the relationship between demographic variables and academic achievement among adult distance learners has received considerable attention

Instructional Design Principles in the Development of an E-Learning Graduate Course

The paper reports the application of the science of instruction in the design and development of an e-Learning graduate course at Open University Malaysia (OUM) for the Masters of Education programme. Focus is on the principles applied to print material (content, learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment tasks) and its use in engineering face-to-face interaction, online collaboration, enhancing higher order thinking, utilisation of resources from the digital library, digital content bank, video and audio lectures. The learning and instructional theories underlying the design process of the graduate course are explicated