SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG EDUCATED YOUTH: CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS FACED BY THE FAMILIES IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

This paper intended to determine the impact of the contributory factor of substance use and its collision on the family of the educated user in Pakistan. This study used a quantitative research methodology for data collection. The target population for this study is based on higher education students at Karachi, Pakistan. The sample size was 316 responses which were analyzed using regression analysis via PLS-SEM. The results have shown that the availability of substances is positive and important with respect to substance use. Peer influence has a positive and significant effect on substance use. Substance use has a positive and significant impact on family avoidance and family conflict. Finally, addictions have a positive and significant impact on the plight of families

Reflection on learning about forces

Force is a basic concept in the physical sciences. It is included in Pakistan’s national curriculum from the primary level through the higher levels. Because of the abstract nature of the concept of force, both students and teachers have alternative frameworks in this area. This was revealed in our classroom discussions on force during the Lower Secondary Science Module of the M.Ed. program at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in Karachi, Pakistan. In-depth discussions and a variety of activities we carried out while teaching about forces challenged our previous concepts and allowed us to think critically about the teaching and learning of forces. In this article, we reflect on our teaching and learning experiences and possible ways, in light of our new learning, to make the concept of force understandable to students

Factors Leading to Acute Pancreatitis in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Pakistan – A Multicenter Study

Background: To determine the prevalence,etiological spectrum and outcomes of acutepancreatitis patients .Methods: In this was descriptive, observational,study patients presenting with clinical features ofacute pancreatitis, increased serum amylase and/orlipase levels and/or CT scan abdomen with featuressuggestive of acute pancreatitis were included.Ranson’s scoring was done over the first 48 hours.Contrast- enhanced CT scan abdomen withpancreatic protocol was done in selected patients.Cochrane-Armitage trend test was used to determinesignificance of correlation between complicationsand severity indices.Results: Out of 154 patients 59.1% were female.Gall stones (74%) was the commonest aetiology,followed by idiopathic ( 13%). Same admissioncholecystectomy was done in 44.7% of patients withgallstone pancreatitis. On admission, 14.9% of serumamylase and 18.8% (n=29) of serum lipase levelswere within 3 times the upper limit of normalvalues. Higher Ranson’s score and modified CTseverity index were associated with highercomplication and mortality rates. The complicationrate was 21.4 % and mortality was 7.1 % .Conclusion: Gallstone pancreatitis was found tobe the most common cause. The higher rate ofidiopathic pancreatitis in our study, along withhigher mortality in this subgroup, could be partiallyexplained due to lack of advanced diagnostics suchas MRCP and EUS. Overall complication andmortality rate was higher for which healthcareinfrastructure needs to be improved

Exploring the Link between Poverty-Pollution-Population (3Ps) in Pakistan: Time Series Evidence

The relationship between poverty, population growth and environment has been widely debated inside the academic circles. There is a general consensus that poverty is a major cause of population growth and environmental degradation and reversely population growth is the major cause of poverty and environmental degradation. The present study examines the impact of poverty on environment (air pollution) and population and reversely the impact of population on environment (air pollution) and poverty in the specific context of Pakistan during a period of 1975-2009. Data is analyzed using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression method and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach to examine the linkage. The results of the OLS test show that rapid population and air pollution has a significant contributor to poverty in Pakistan. However, the results nullify the conventional view that poverty is a major cause of environmental degradation (or air pollution), while the result supports the hypothesis that population have a deleterious impact on increasing poverty. The results of bounds test show that there is a stable long-run relationship between population, poverty and pollution in Pakistan. On the other hand, results of the causality test show that there is a unidirectional causal flow from population to carbon dioxide emission. The post reform period is observed with the estimated coefficient of the poverty dummy variable (POVDUM) which shows that poverty in Pakistan has increased due to deprived performance of federal policies on pro-poor reforms in Pakistan. The post reform period is observed with the population dummy variable (POPDUM) reflecting that population growth has increased significantly during the said reform period. Keywords: Population, Air Pollution, Poverty, Headcount Ratio, Population Dynamics, Carbon Dioxide Emission, Time Series, Bounds Test, Pakistan

Comparison of One vs. Two Burr Hole Craniostomy in Chronic Subdural Hematoma Recurrence

Introduction/Objective:  Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is most frequent neurosurgical conditions. To find the recurrence rate of chronic subdural hematoma in patients who underwent one vs. two burr craniostomy. Material And Methods:  A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Neurosurgery department, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. In the current study, a total of 76 (38 in each group) patients were observed. ASA-I, ASA-II, ASA III patients, symptomatic radiologically proven Chronic subdural hematoma. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 38 patients each. randomization with blocks. Group A was treated with intraoperative epidural methylprednisolone while Group B was treated with normal saline only. Clinical information was recorded on a pre-designed proforma. Results:  Mean age was 54 years in group A, and 56 years in group B. In group A, 74% were male and 26% of patients were female. In Group B, 76% were male and 24% were female. The group A, 5% of patients had recurrence while in Group B, 13% of patients had a recurrence. There existed a significant difference between effectiveness and not-effectiveness of one/two burr hole craniostomy among patients who were less than 40 years. Conclusion:  The recurrence rate of chronic subdural hematoma is higher in patients undergoing two burr hole craniostomy as compared to one burr craniostomy

Clinical outcomes of sirolimus with eluting stent implantation in coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate post procedure, thirty-days, and six-months clinical outcomes of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) implantation in patients with single and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: A case series of all consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with SES implantation at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, were evaluated at early post-procedure, 30-days and six-months clinical follow-up for the incidence of major adverse cardiac event (MACE). This included death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and repeat revascularization. RESULTS: Out of 206 consecutive patients, 324 had SES implanted. Cumulative MACE rate was 2.93% and 6% at 30-days and six-months follow-ups respectively. Five patients developed ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). One patient developed non-STEMI. Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) was done in two patients. Repeat (PCI) was carried in three (1.46%) patients for acute in-stent thrombosis. Diabetes Mellitus and multivessel stenting were found to be the independent predictors for acute in-stent thrombosis (P-value \u3c 0.02 and 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: SES implantation in coronary artery disease can be safe and effective MACE at one and six months follow-ups

A journey of transformation : A reflective recount of the evolution of AKES,P

This paper presents an overall picture of the evolution of the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P) over a century. Reaching out to the remotest areas of Pakistan, AKES,P, has been providing quality education for over a hundred years. The first school of AKES,P, was established in 1905 in Gwadar, Balochistan. Over a century later, AKES,P, now operates 179 schools and 5 hostels in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Punjab and Sindh, mostly in rural areas. These represent very diverse schools, ranging from a rural school with less than 30 children to a large urban school with over 3000 children. AKES,P, places special emphasis on improving educational practice; leadership and management in diverse and challenging settings; child-centred teaching methods; increasing use of ICT; female education; school-based teacher development; and working in partnership with the government and communities. The paper elucidates the institution’s journey since its inception, under five major themes, which include: Institutional Development, History of Teacher Development, Evolution of Teaching and Learning Practices, Creating a Child Friendly Environment, and Community Development

A novel driver emotion recognition system based on deep ensemble classification

Driver emotion classification is an important topic that can raise awareness of driving habits because many drivers are overconfident and unaware of their bad driving habits. Drivers will acquire insight into their poor driving behaviors and be better able to avoid future accidents if their behavior is automatically identified. In this paper, we use different models such as convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and multi-layer perceptron classification models to construct an ensemble convolutional neural network-based enhanced driver facial expression recognition model. First, the faces of the drivers are discovered using the faster region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) model, which can recognize faces in real-time and offline video reliably and effectively. The feature-fusing technique is utilized to integrate the features extracted from three CNN models, and the fused features are then used to train the suggested ensemble classification model. To increase the accuracy and efficiency of face detection, a new convolutional neural network block (InceptionV3) replaces the improved Faster R-CNN feature-learning block. To evaluate the proposed face detection and driver facial expression recognition (DFER) datasets, we achieved an accuracy of 98.01%, 99.53%, 99.27%, 96.81%, and 99.90% on the JAFFE, CK+, FER-2013, AffectNet, and custom-developed datasets, respectively. The custom-developed dataset has been recorded as the best among all under the simulation environment

The Role of Organization Culture in Predicting Organizational Effectiveness: A Case from Developing Countries

This study aims to extend cross-cultural research in examining the potential influence of organizational culture on organizational effectiveness in the context of higher education institutions of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A non-experimental and cross sectional perceptual data was collected using survey questionnaire through the senior faculty members and administrators. Selection of the subjects was made on one of the most efficient probability sampling techniques namely disproportionate stratified random sampling.Further, the measurement instruments based on a competing values framework of renowned scholars in the field were adopted to tape both of the study variables. Grounded on collected data for direct effect of organizational culture on organizational effectiveness was empirically tested via multiple regression analysis. Overall, the resultant information of regression model revealed organizational culture as a significant predictor of organizational effectiveness. Moreover, out of four traits of organizational culture, two traits i.e., clan, adhocracy showed significant positive relationships to organizational effectiveness, while bureaucratic type of culture exhibited as inverse association and seemed in line of prior research.Contrarily, exception is noticed for market type of culture. Discussion of these findings followed by implications, limitations, direction for future research and conclusion are given subsequently in the article.Key words: Organizational culture; Competing Values Framework (CVF); Organizational effectiveness; Higher education institution

Investigando a degradação fotocatalítica aprimorada do azul de bromofenol usando nanopartículas de óxido de Estrôncio co-dopadas com Ni/Zn sintetizadas pelo método hidrotérmico

Excessive exposure of human to organic contaminants from industrial effluents calls for the implementation of effective pollutants removal techniques. This article investigates the photocatalytic degradation of bromophenol blue dye using Strontium oxide nanoparticles co-doped with Nickel and Zinc. Hydrothermal synthesis produced the nanoparticles, which were subsequently characterized using various analytical techniques. UV/Visible revealed absorption peaks at 294 nm, 306 nm, 311 nm, and 318 nm, while FTIR spectroscopy identified stretching peaks at 416 cm-1, 588 cm-1, and 856 cm-1 for Ni-O and Sr-O bonds. The nanoparticles displayed diameters ranging from 30.50 nm to 36.97 nm. EDX analysis confirmed the elemental composition, with Sr and O comprising of approximately 82.02 %, and Ni and Zn approximately 3.21%. Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated that SrO nanoparticles 85.42% degradation efficiency, while co-doped SrO nanoparticles achieved an impressive 97.97% degradation efficiency. This work highlights the potential co-doped SrO nanoparticles as a promising solution for the efficient removal of organic pollutants from the industrial wastewater, addressing environment contamination concerns.La exposición humana excesiva a los contaminantes orgánicos de los efluentes industriales requiere la implementación de técnicas efectivas de eliminación de contaminantes. Este artículo investiga la degradación fotocatalítica del colorante azul de bromofenol utilizando nanopartículas de óxido de estroncio co-dopadas con níquel y zinc. La síntesis hidrotermal produjo las nanopartículas, que luego se caracterizaron utilizando diversas técnicas analíticas. UV/Visible reveló picos de absorción a 294 nm, 306 nm, 311 nm y 318 nm, mientras que la espectroscopia FTIR identificó picos de elongación a 416 cm-1, 588 cm-1 y 856 cm-1 para Ni-O y Sr- Los títulos. Las nanopartículas tenían diámetros que oscilaban entre 30,50 nm y 36,97 nm. El análisis EDX confirmó la composición elemental, con Sr y O comprendiendo aproximadamente el 82,02 %, y Ni y Zn aproximadamente el 3,21 %. Los experimentos de degradación fotocatalítica mostraron que las nanopartículas de SrO mostraron una eficiencia de degradación del 85,42 %, mientras que las nanopartículas de SrO co-dopadas lograron una impresionante eficiencia de degradación del 97,97 %. Este trabajo destaca las posibles nanopartículas de SrO co-dopadas como una solución prometedora para la eliminación eficiente de contaminantes orgánicos de las aguas residuales industriales, abordando los problemas de contaminación ambiental.A exposição excessiva de humanos a contaminantes orgânicos de efluentes industriais exige a implementação de técnicas eficazes de remoção de poluentes. Este artigo investiga a degradação fotocatalítica do corante azul de bromofenol usando nanopartículas de óxido de Estrôncio co-dopadas com Níquel e Zinco. A síntese hidrotérmica produziu as nanopartículas, que foram posteriormente caracterizadas usando várias técnicas analíticas. UV/Visível revelou picos de absorção em 294 nm, 306 nm, 311 nm e 318 nm, enquanto a espectroscopia FTIR identificou picos de alongamento em 416 cm-1, 588 cm-1 e 856 cm-1 para Ni-O e Sr-O títulos. As nanopartículas apresentaram diâmetros variando de 30,50 nm a 36,97 nm. A análise EDX confirmou a composição elementar, com Sr e O compreendendo aproximadamente 82,02%, e Ni e Zn aproximadamente 3,21%. Experimentos de degradação fotocatalítica demonstraram que as nanopartículas de SrO apresentam 85,42% de eficiência de degradação, enquanto as nanopartículas de SrO co-dopadas alcançaram uma impressionante eficiência de degradação de 97,97%. Este trabalho destaca os potenciais nanopartículas de SrO co-dopadas como uma solução promissora para a remoção eficiente de poluentes orgânicos de águas residuais industriais, abordando as preocupações de contaminação do meio ambiente