Need of Counselor for the Assessment of Psychological Problems of the Students’ at University Level

The aim of the present study is to investigate the need of counselor for the assessment of the psychological problems of students at university level. The study was descriptive in nature. The population of the study was all the public-sector universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The study was delimited to undergraduate students and faculty of social science. The total 343 students from Rawalpindi and Islamabad universities were selected through stratified random sampling technique. One self-developed questionnaire were constructed which include four areas, i.e. educational, vocational, social, personal problems of the students. The data was collected through questionnaire they were tested and validated before a well- designed test and interview is conducted on Head of Department(HOD).  The collected data were analyzed with the help of SPSS were interpreted through frequency, mean, standard deviation and chi- square. The finding revealed that students have counseling needs in all area of life. The results of this study show that students face more problem related to vocational and educational process at university stage. So, they need counseling more in vocational and educational areas. Students need a professional counsellor’s guidance to develop their career. Student services should be available on campus to help them develop self-awareness (personal interests, skills, potentials, weaknesses) and assess occupational opportunities such as, employment trends, expected competencies in the field, requirements for employment and job descriptions related to the area. Keywords: need of counselor, psychological problems, university student

Cultural Problem Being Faced By International Students in the University of the Punjab

The aim of this research is to identify the “cultural problems being faced by international students studying in the University of the Punjab.” It was descriptive in nature and survey research technique was use to identify the Cultural problems being faced by the said students. All international students of university of the Punjab were population of the study, random sampling strategy was used for sample selection. The sample size of the research was 40 international students, which were 50% of total population. The quantitative approaches were used for data collection. Questionnaire was used as research instrument. After the data collection, the data were entered in SPSS for study and analyzed using ANOVA test, sample t-test, frequency analysis, graphic investigation.&nbsp

Growth and yield enhancement of carrot through integration of NPK and organic manures

A pot experiment was conducted at Horticulture Experimental Area, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan to investigate the combined effects of NPK and organic manures on growth and yield of carrot, for two consecutive years. The experiment was laid out in CRD with six treatments and four replications. Five different organic manures such as poultry manure (PM), sewage sludge (SS), farmyard manure (FYM), press mud (PrM) and goat manure (GM) were applied in combination with NPK, each at recommended levels for two successive years. A fertilizer check (control) was also included as treatment where no fertilizer and manure were used. The study revealed significant improvements in almost all growth and yield attributes by combined application of NPK and organic manures. Among different combinations, NPK + PM surpassed all other treatments by giving maximum leaves per plant (8.73 and 8.13), leaf length (38.17 and 36.77cm), root length (29.30 and 24.83cm), root diameter (3.10 and 3.27cm), root weight per plant (142.40 and 142.00g), total biomass per plant (169.33 and 166.67g) and root yield (56.67 and 56.83 t/ha), during both the experimental years. Similarly, NPK combination with green manure and sewage sludge also produced better results pertaining to carrot growth and production for two consecutive years. It was also observed during the study that control treatment showed poorest findings and placed at lowest levels

Motivation and resistance: A case study of a change process

Casestudien undersøker følgende problemstillinger: - Hvordan påvirker en endringsprosess ansattes motivasjon? - Hvordan viser de ansatte sin motstand mot endring? Studien analyserer en endringsprosess i en av Hafslunds avdelinger som nedlegges der ansatte blir fordelt i andre avdelingene. Oppgaven studerer endringsprosessens kortsiktige effekter på de ansattes motivasjon og hvordan de viser motstand, samt hvordan ledelsen styrer endringsprosessen for å motvirke demotivasjon og motstand. Det ble gjennomført dybdeintervjuer og observasjon av de ansatte i denne avdelingen og ledelsen som styrer endringen. Temaene som studeres er svært objektive og sensitive, der informantene har vært anonyme. Studien legger til rette for at informantene både skal avklare årsak-virknings effekter og svare på om de har opplevd endringer i deres egen motivasjon i hverdagen, og på hvilken måte de viser motstand mot endring. Studien viser at det er samme elementer som fremmer Hafslunds ansattes motivasjon og ved mangel fører til motstand. Hovedfunnene i denne studien er at endringen på kort sikt har gitt noe negative effekter på motivasjon og motstand hos Hafslunds ansatte. Dette skylder ledelsens mangel på ansattes involvering og lite informasjon. Dette har ført til at ansatte viser usikkerhet rundt endringen. God informasjon fra ledelsen og kontinuerlig samarbeid med ansatte kunne ha hjulpet til å opprettholde motivasjon hos ansatte på kort sikt, og bearbeide motstand fra ansatte. Ledelsen kan bruke funnene fra studien til å forbedre endringsprosesser på lang sikt. Abstract: Case study examines the following research question: - How does a process of change affect employee’s motivation? - How does the employees show resistance to change? The study focuses on changes in one of Hafslund´s departments, which is shutting down, where employees are distributed in other departments. The study shows short-term effects on employee motivation and how they show resistance, and how management deals with this change to prevent these effects in employees. It was conducted in-depth interviews and observation of the employees in this department and management that drives the change. The topics studied are very objective and sensitive, where informants have been anonymous. The study paves the way for that informants will both clarify cause-effect and answer whether they have experienced changes in their own motivation in everyday life, and in what way they show resistance to change. The study shows that the same elements that promote motivation in Hafslunds employees, when absent leads to resistance. The main findings of this study are that the change has given some negative impact on Hafslund´s employee’s motivation and resistance. This is because of management's lack of involvement with the employees and provision of less information. This has lead to employees showing uncertainty about the change. Better information and continuous cooperation with employees could have helped to maintain motivation among employees and prevent resistance as well. Management can use the findings from this study to improve change processes in the long term.M-Ø

The importance of actual use in defining and measuring innovative behaviour: Comparison of e-book reader users and non-users

This study introduces the concept of personal innovative behaviour and demonstrates its validity in the context of e-book reader adoption and use. Personal innovative behaviour, unlike measures of consumer innovativeness, amalgamates decisions about product adoption with reports of the product’s actual use. Quantitative methodology was used, and probability proportional stratified sampling technique was used to obtain the proportionate sample. Items to measure personal innovative behaviour for e-book readers were included in a questionnaire distributed to students at a Malaysian university. Of the 386 participants, 79% used the e-book reader, half of them for academic purposes. Confirmatory factor analysis using Amos tested the concept of personal innovative behaviour for both users and non-users. The results indicated that the underlying dimensions, (intended Adoption Behaviour and actual Use Behaviour), could be measured and combined in a structural model only for users, i.e. innovators. Good model fit confirmed the validity and reliability of the framework. The redefined construct and scale validation will be helpful to researchers to measure the individual personal behaviour in terms of their final decision to adopt and actual usage of the novel product. The personal innovative behaviour scale presented here can be used by researchers and practitioners to measure adoption and use of personal information products and devices. The two dimensional conceptualization of personal innovative behaviour (intended Adoption Behaviour and actual Use Behaviour) reconciles similarities and differences between the decision and action variables in innovation diffusion theory and the technology acceptance model

Perceived learning outcomes from Moodle: An empirical study of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors

This study explores the intrinsic and extrinsic features of Moodle learning managements system and how these features motivate students to use an e-learning portal, which subsequently influences their perceived learning effectiveness and academic performance. Theoretical underpinning of motivation theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and cognitive evaluation theory (CET) is used to design the framework. The quantitative empirical research to test the hypothesized relationships was conducted on 276 online students in Pakistan who use Moodle for online learning. By analysing the responses using AMOS, the findings reveal that both the intrinsic motivators (communication module features, course content module features and course delivery module features) and extrinsic motivator (assignment module feature) significantly influence the students’ perceived learning effectiveness, which results in improve academic performance

Ecology and management of range edge populations : the case of toothfish species at the South Sandwich Islands

Current theory suggests that the life history of a species will vary in a predictable way from the range centre where habitat is likely to be optimal, to range peripheries where it is not. Moving towards cold water, high-latitude range edges, life history theory contends that individuals should exhibit reduced growth rates to an increased average maximum length, with delayed maturation and reduced somatic condition. In addition, increased recruitment variability should be observed towards range edges. Toothfish species Dissostichus eleginoides and D. mawsoni are large deep-water finfish predators of the Southern Ocean region. Both are found at the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, where they are situated on the edge of their distributional range. In this study, data collected on board commercial fishing vessels were used to describe the ecology, life history and dispersal patterns of range-edge toothfish populations, compared with those of range centre populations (South Georgia D. eleginoides and Ross Sea D. mawsoni). Two main research questions were addressed: 1. What limits the distribution of toothfish species populations at the South Sandwich Islands and how do range edge life history and population dynamics differ from those of range centre populations? 2. How can we use this information to more effectively manage the toothfish fishery at the South Sandwich Islands and other fisheries on range edge populations? A bioregional analysis made use of commercial longline data to resolve the position of the ecotone between the Antarctic and Subantarctic bioregions at the South Sandwich Islands. An abrupt transition was observed between the two bioregions around Saunders Island and this was spatially coincident for finfish and invertebrate communities, indicating a dramatic change in habitat type at this location. A correlative modelling analysis suggested that the formation of toothfish species range edges is influenced by the extent of sea ice cover and winter seawater temperature near the surface. However, differences between threshold values of ice and temperature at the South Sandwich Islands and the Ross Sea suggest that regional patterns in hydrography and topography may lead to the formation of range edges that do not necessarily correspond with niche requirements, with implications for studies evaluating species redistributions in response to climate change. Some, though not all of the hypothesised high latitude range edge life history traits were observed in South Sandwich Islands D. eleginoides. Increased maximum size was observed, though initial growth rates were similar to those of individuals at South Georgia and growth is clearly not a factor limiting productivity towards the high latitude range edge. There was no evidence at all for gonad maturation to spawning condition and this appears to relate to improved somatic condition, which would not normally be expected in range edge individuals. Highly episodic recruitment, also assumed to be a feature of range edge populations, was observed in South Sandwich Islands D eleginoides population and this is unlikely to be self-sustaining. This appears to be confirmed by an analysis of the otolith chemistry of D. eleginoides, where a similar chemical signature was observed at the cores of otoliths extracted from individuals captured at South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. In addition a mark-recapture model was developed to estimate the migration rates of postrecruitment D. eleginoides between South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Sexbiased migration of males away from the cold water range limit were also evident from an analysis of the sex ratio of the South Sandwich Islands population and have a considerable impact on resident population age structure. Accounting for the emigration of males greatly improved the accuracy of estimates from a CASAL assessment of the South Sandwich Islands D. eleginoides population. However the episodic nature of recruitment negatively impacted on the sustainable yield that could be taken according to CCAMLR harvest decision rules, which do not appear to be appropriate for this and other range edge toothfish stocks. Some aspects of range edge life history, including decreased growth rates, delayed maturation and episodic recruitment will impact on the productivity of a population such that it will be increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of exploitation. Where generalised patterns in range position effects on life history can be discerned, this information can be used to make predictions about the life history of exploited stocks that are otherwise data poor and also will allow for improved predictions as to how species will respond to changes in the environment such as those arising from climate change.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Morbidity and mortality associated with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infection in a tertiary care kidney hospital

Malaria is a disease of tropical regions and both types of plasmodia, i.e. Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, cause significant morbidity and mortality. P. vivax was thought to be benign and cause less morbidity and mortality. Many reports showed the devastating effect of vivax malaria too. We compared the clinical symptoms, laboratory markers, treatment and outcome of both the plasmodia. This is a retrospective analysis of 95 patients admitted to The Kidney Center, Karachi in a duration of 15 years (1997-2012); 45 patients with falciparum malaria and 50 patients with vivax malaria, and compared the clinical presentation, laboratory workup, treatment and outcome in both groups. The two groups constitute a mixed population of diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis patients. Both plasmodia have an equal clinical impact in terms of fever and rigors, anorexia, nausea, feeling of dyspnea, change in the mental status, changes in the urine color, diarrhea, volume depletion and pedal edema. However, patients with falciparum had significantly more vomiting (P = 0.02), oliguria (P = 0.003) and jaundice (P = 0.003). Laboratory parameters also showed a severe impact of falciparum, as there was more severe anemia and kidney and liver dysfunction. More patients were treated with dialysis and blood transfusion in the falciparum group. The outcome in the two groups was not significantly different in terms of death and days of hospitalization. Falciparum malaria has a higher clinical impact than the vivax malaria, but vivax is not as benign as it was once thought to be. It also has devastating effects on vulnerable populations like patients with CKD and diabetes

Assessment of musculoskeletal disorders among cricketers playing in domestic clubs of Lahore

Objective: To assess musculoskeletal disorders among male cricketers in an urban centre. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2020 in Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised male cricket players aged 10-25 years playing in four domestic clubs. Data was collected about musculoskeletal disorders experienced during the preceding 12 months using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 89 players with a mean age of 19.24+3.12 years, 35(39.3%) were bowlers, 26(29.2%) were batsmen, 17(19.1%) were all-rounders, and 11(12.4%) were wicketkeepers. The anatomical distribution of disorder was lower-back 68(76.4%), shoulder 40(44.9%), neck 39(43.8%), upper-back 37(41.6%), knees 31(34.8%), ankle/feet 29(32.6%), thighs 27(30.3%), wrist/hands 18(20.2%), and elbows 17(19.1%). There were 22(24.7%) players who had at any time seen a doctor or a physiotherapist, while 24(27%) players had a history of taking sick leave. Conclusion: The most affected anatomical segments were lower-back, shoulder, knee, ankle and upper-back. Key Words: Musculoskeletal disorders, MSDs, Occupational health, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire extended version, NMQ-E