Factors Affecting Secondary School Principals’ Time Management Practices in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

This study sought to investigate whether principal’s age, gender, administrative experience, training in time management area, school’s nature, level, location and complexity has any effect on the time management practices. Six time management practices used by secondary school principals i.e. scheduling contacts, managing meetings, delegating tasks, setting priorities, managing paperwork, handling interruptions were incorporated in a questionnaire. A questionnaire was designed, validated and administered to respondents for collecting data having Cronbach Alpha value of 0.864. Data were collected from 344 secondary school principals selected through stratified random sample from seven divisional headquarter districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Results show that principal’s administrative experience and school’s level have significant effect on principals’ time management practices. Whereas principal’s age, gender, training in time management area, school’s nature, location and complexity have no significant effect on principals’ time management practices. It was recommended that introductory courses, refresher courses, workshops, and seminars on time management practices should be included in in-service training program for principals to equip them with skills, knowledge and attitude on adequate time management practices regardless of their personal characteristics and school’s level, location, nature and complexity

An Efficient and Secure Cluster-Based Architecture for AMI Communication in Smart Grid

ABSTRACT Smart Grid has revolutionized Traditional Grid System by merging bi-directional communication network and information technology. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is an integral part of Smart Grid used to measure power consumed and demands at consumer-end. In this article, we propose an efficient and secure cluster-based architecture for AMI in Smart Grid, which fulfills the primary security requirements like confidentiality, authentication and integrity. Analysis shows that the proposed secure architecture for AMI in Smart Grid is efficient in terms of resource utilization

Association of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs7975232) with risk of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia has a multifactorial-yet-elusive etiology. Recent reports suggest a link between preeclampsia and vitamin D (VD) metabolic axis. Genetic variations like single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene can alter the metabolic role of VD, which have been shown by several genetic association studies. However, there is discordance among these studies

Microwave-vacuum extraction technique as a green and clean label technology: kinetics, efficiency analysis, and effect on bioactive compounds

Grape pomace is a rich source of bioactive compounds and dietary fiber. This study aims to valorize the grape pomace by microwave-vacuum-assisted drying and extraction, which is a novel, green, and clean label technology. The drying and extraction of bioactive compounds from the grape pomace was optimized using response surface methodology. Box-Behnken design was used for three process variables, i.e., time, power, and vacuum levels. The highest drying rate was observed (5.53 g/100 g min after 10 min of drying) at the combination of 80 W and 20 inHg. This combination significantly reduced the drying time (25%) and resulted in the highest yield (64.5%) of bioactive compounds. Equally, changes in moisture ratio behavior were rapid under these processing conditions. Furthermore, Midilli model (R2 = 0.999, RMSE = 0.002, SSE = 3.71 × 10−6) was the best to justify the fitness of experimental values with predicted values. In addition, the diffusion coefficient, activation energy, and extraction yield were increased with increase in power and pressure. The concentration of bioactive components was higher in dried pomace compared to the extract. The extraction was successfully achieved without the use of solvent and the characteristics of extracted phenolics remained unaltered. Based on these findings, the microwave-vacuum-assisted drying and extraction process can be claimed as a sustainable approach.Universidade de Vigo/CISUGAxencia Galega de Innovación | Ref. IN607A2019/0

Key Adoption Factors for Collaborative Technologies and Barriers to Information Management in Construction Supply Chains: A System Dynamics Approach

Construction processes are complex and dynamic. Like its other components, the construction supply chain (CSC) involves multiple stakeholders requiring varying levels of information sharing. In addition, the intensity and diversity of information in CSCs require dexterous management. Studies reveal that information complexity can be reduced using collaborative technologies (CTs). However, the barriers to information management (IM) hinder the CTs’ adoption process and cause complexity in CSCs. This research identifies barriers to IM and factors affecting the adoption of CTs in developing countries. In order to understand and address complexity, the system dynamics (SD) approach is adopted in this study. The aim is to investigate if SD can reduce information complexity using CTs. Causal loop diagrams (CLDs) were developed to understand the relationship between the IM barriers and CT adoption factors. The SD model, when simulated, highlighted three main components, i.e., complexity, top management support, and trust and cooperation, among others, as factors affecting the adoption of CTs. Addressing these factors will reduce information complexity and result in better IM in construction projects

The burden of stroke and transient ischemic attack in Pakistan: a community-based prevalence study.

BACKGROUND: The burden of cerebrovascular disease in developing countries is rising sharply. The prevalence of established risk factors of stroke is exceptionally high in Pakistan. However, there is limited data on the burden of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in South Asia. We report the first such study conducted in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: Individuals 35 years of age or older were invited for participation in this investigation through simple random sampling. A structured face-to-face interview was conducted using a pre-tested stroke symptom questionnaire in each participant to screen for past stroke or TIA followed by neurological examination of suspected cases. Anthropometric measurements and random blood glucose levels were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association of vascular risk factors with prevalence of stroke. RESULTS: Five hundred and forty five individuals (49.4% females) participated in the study with a response rate of 90.8%. One hundred and four individuals (19.1%) were observed to have a prior stroke while TIA was found in 53 individuals (9.7%). Overall, 119 individuals (21.8% with 66.4% females) had stroke and/or TIA. Female gender, old age, raised random blood glucose level and use of chewable tobacco were significantly associated with the prevalence of cerebrovascular disease. CONCLUSION: This is the first study demonstrating an alarmingly high life-time prevalence of cerebrovascular disease in Pakistan. Individual and public health interventions in Pakistan to increase awareness about stroke, its prevention and therapy are warranted.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Enhancement of solubility and dissolution rate of ebastine fast-disintegrating tablets by solid dispersion method

Purpose: To investigate the efficiency of different solubilizing agents in improving solubility as well as dissolution rate of ebastine (a BCS class II drug) by incorporating prepared solid dispersion into fast disintegrating tablets.Method: The solubility of ebastine was determined in distilled water, lipids and solubilizing agents. Subsequently, the binary solid dispersions were prepared by kneading method using varying weight ratios of ebastine and solubilizing agents. The solid dispersions were then incorporated into fast disintegrating tablets (SD-FDT). Central composite rotatable design (CCD) was used to determine the impact of super disintegrating agents on disintegration time and friability of tablets. The solubility and dissolution rate of developed SD-FDT were compared with a marketed brand. The solid dispersion particles were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder x-ray diffraction (P-XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Results: The saturated solubility of pure ebastine in water was 0.002 ± 0.041 mg/ml while the aqueous solubility of EBT/poloxamer solid dispersion SET3 (P) was 0.018 ± 2.510 mg/ml; on the other hand, EBT/soluplus solid dispersion SET1(S) has an aqueous solubility of 0.242 ± 1.390 mg/ml. Within 30 min, drug release was 14.00 ± 1.77, 78.00 ± 2.31 and 98.70 ± 2.54 % from pure EBT, SET3 (P) and SET1(S), respectively.Conclusion: The solubility and dissolution rate of ebastine has been successfully enhanced by incorporating its solid dispersion in fast-disintegrating tablets (SD-FDT). Keywords: Ebastine, Solid dispersion, Poloxamer 188, Soluplus, Solubility, Dissolutio

Shonjibon cash and counselling: a community-based cluster randomised controlled trial to measure the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers and mobile behaviour change communications to reduce child undernutrition in rural Bangladesh.

BackgroundUndernutrition is strongly associated with poverty - levels of undernutrition are higher in poor countries than in better-off countries. Social protection especially cash transfer is increasingly recognized as an important strategy to accelerate progress in improving maternal and child nutrition. A critical method to improve nutrition knowledge and influence feeding practices is through behaviour change communication intervention. The Shonjibon Cash and Counselling study aims to assess the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers combined with a mobile application on nutrition counselling and direct counselling through mobile phone in reducing the prevalence of stunting in children at 18 months.MethodThe study is a longitudinal cluster randomised controlled trial, with two parallel groups, and cluster assignment by groups of villages. The cohort of mother-child dyads will be followed-up over the intervention period of approximately 24 months, starting from recruitment to 18 months of the child's age. The study will take place in north-central Bangladesh. The primary trial outcome will be the percentage of stunted children at 18 m as measured in follow up assessments starting from birth. The secondary trial outcomes will include differences between treatment arms in (1) Mean birthweight, percentage with low birthweight and small for gestational age (2) Mean child length-for age, weight for age and weight-for-length Z scores (3) Prevalence of child wasting (4) Percentage of women exclusively breastfeeding and mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding (5) Percentage of children consuming > 4 food groups (6) Mean child intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and micronutrients (7) Percentage of women at risk of inadequate nutrient intakes in all three trimesters (8) Maternal weight gain (9) Household food security (10) Number of events for child suffering from diarrhoea, acute respiratory illness and fever (11) Average costs of mobile phone BCC and cash transfer, and benefit-cost ratio for primary and secondary outcomes.DiscussionThe proposed trial will provide high-level evidence of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of mobile phone nutrition behavior change communication, combined with unconditional cash transfers in reducing child undernutrition in rural Bangladesh.Trial registrationThe study has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ( ACTRN12618001975280 )

Diagnosed hematological malignancies in Bangladesh - a retrospective analysis of over 5000 cases from 10 specialized hospitals

Background The global burden from cancer is rising, especially as low-income countries like Bangladesh observe rapid aging. So far, there are no comprehensive descriptions reporting diagnosed cancer group that include hematological malignancies in Bangladesh. Methods This was a multi-center hospital-based retrospective descriptive study of over 5000 confirmed hematological cancer cases in between January 2008 to December 2012. Morphological typing was carried out using the “French American British” classification system. Results A total of 5013 patients aged between 2 to 90 years had been diagnosed with malignant hematological disorders. A 69.2% were males (n = 3468) and 30.8% females (n = 1545), with a male to female ratio of 2.2:1. The overall median age at diagnosis was 42 years. Acute myeloid leukemia was most frequent (28.3%) with a median age of 35 years, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia with 18.2% (median age 40 years), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (16.9%; median age 48 years), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (14.1%; median age 27 years), multiple myeloma (10.5%; median age 55 years), myelodysplastic syndromes (4.5%; median age 57 years) and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (3.9%; median age 36 years). The least common was chronic lymphocytic leukemia (3.7%; median age 60 years). Below the age of 20 years, acute lymphoblastic leukemia was predominant (37.3%), followed by acute myeloid leukemia (34%). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma had mostly occurred among older patients, aged 50-over. Conclusions For the first time, our study presents the pattern and distribution of diagnosed hematological cancers in Bangladesh. It shows differences in population distributions as compared to other settings with possibly a lower presence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There might be under-reporting of affected women. Further studies are necessary on the epidemiology, genetics and potential environmental risk factors within this rapidly aging country

Shonjibon cash and counselling : a community-based cluster randomised controlled trial to measure the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers and mobile behaviour change communications to reduce child undernutrition in rural Bangladesh

Background: Undernutrition is strongly associated with poverty - levels of undernutrition are higher in poor countries than in better-off countries. Social protection especially cash transfer is increasingly recognized as an important strategy to accelerate progress in improving maternal and child nutrition. A critical method to improve nutrition knowledge and influence feeding practices is through behaviour change communication intervention. The Shonjibon Cash and Counselling study aims to assess the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfers combined with a mobile application on nutrition counselling and direct counselling through mobile phone in reducing the prevalence of stunting in children at 18 months. Method: The study is a longitudinal cluster randomised controlled trial, with two parallel groups, and cluster assignment by groups of villages. The cohort of mother-child dyads will be followed-up over the intervention period of approximately 24 months, starting from recruitment to 18 months of the child’s age. The study will take place in north-central Bangladesh. The primary trial outcome will be the percentage of stunted children at 18 m as measured in follow up assessments starting from birth. The secondary trial outcomes will include differences between treatment arms in (1) Mean birthweight, percentage with low birthweight and small for gestational age (2) Mean child length-for age, weight for age and weight-for-length Z scores (3) Prevalence of child wasting (4) Percentage of women exclusively breastfeeding and mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding (5) Percentage of children consuming > 4 food groups (6) Mean child intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and micronutrients (7) Percentage of women at risk of inadequate nutrient intakes in all three trimesters (8) Maternal weight gain (9) Household food security (10) Number of events for child suffering from diarrhoea, acute respiratory illness and fever (11) Average costs of mobile phone BCC and cash transfer, and benefit-cost ratio for primary and secondary outcomes. Discussion: The proposed trial will provide high-level evidence of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of mobile phone nutrition behavior change communication, combined with unconditional cash transfers in reducing child undernutrition in rural Bangladesh. Trial registration: The study has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12618001975280)