Emotional Exhaustion as Stressor agent for Job Stress in Call Centers: Empirical evidence from perspective of Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention as Work Outcomes

The purpose of the study is to analyze job burnout component emotional exhaustion as a probable stressor agent that causes job stress and their impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention as work outcomes. The scales were adapted from that measure to analyze the effect of emotional exhaustion causing job stress, also highlights the evidence in support of the conceptual model. Data was collected by the survey that generated 220 respondents. The sample chosen for this research are employees working in telecommunication call centers of Lahore city region in Pakistan. SPSS regression analysis was employed for data analysis. The results showed that emotional exhaustion carried negative and significant relation with job satisfaction (β= -.354,p<.05) and significant positive relation with turnover intention (β= .290, p<.05) also significant relation between dependent variables followed by mediating effect of two dimensions of job stress analyzed by PROCESS procedure of bootstrapping technique contained no and full mediation between emotional exhaustion in relation with job satisfaction and turnover intention respectively. Outcome from the conducted study depicted that stress did not affected the level of satisfaction of employees as they are well trained and informed that job stress is the part of their work activities in call centers and the stress in organizations is needed to be dealt with

Isolation of thymoquinone from Nigella sativa L. and Thymus vulgaris L., and its anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cancer cell lines

Purpose: To isolate thymoquinone (TQ) from Nigella sativa L. and Thymus vulgaris L., and investigate its anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cancer cells.Method: Pulverized dried samples of N. sativa seed (100 g) and aerial parts of T. vulgaris (1000 g) were subjected to Soxhlet extraction using methanol and n-hexane combined in different proportions. Thymoquinone (TQ) was then isolated from the extracts using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The isolated TQ was further subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to identify its functional groups. The anti-proliferative effect of TQ on HeLa cancer cells was evaluated using 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: Extract yield from N. sativa was significantly higher than from T. vulgaris, and also increased with increase in the proportion of methanol in the extraction solvent (p < 0.05). Methanol and n-hexane (4:1, v:v) yielded the highest amount of oil, with yields of 15.8 and 9.7 ml/25 g dry weight (d.wt.) from N. sativa and T. vulgaris, respectively. The results obtained from HPLC showed that the concentration of TQ isolated from N. sativa (388.61 μg/ml) was significantly higher than that from T. vulgaris (357.03 μg/ml, p < 0.05). The anti-proliferative effects of TQ standard and TQ isolated from N. sativa on HeLa cancer cells were dose-dependent, and was highest at the lowest concentration. The number of viable cells significantly decreased with increase in TQ concentration (p < 0.01). TQ from N. sativa significantly reduced the number of viable cells even at the lowest concentration when compared to TQ standard (p < 0.05). Cell death was significantly higher in TQ-treated groups than in untreated cancer cells.Conclusion: The results obtained in this study show that N. sativa is a potential source of TQ, with the yield enhanced by modifying the extraction procedure or solvent used. Furthermore, TQ isolated from N. sativa exerts a dose-dependent anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cancer cells.Keywords: Thymoquinone, Nigella sativa, Thymus vulgaris, Anti-proliferative effec

Anti-diabetic potential of aerial parts of Galium tricornutum (Dandy) Rubiaceae

Purpose: To evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of methanol extract of the aerial parts of Galium tricornutum (Dandy) in diabetic rats.Methods: The methanol extract of the aerial parts of Galium tricornutum was first subjected to acute toxicity studies. Thereafter, the effect of the extract on oral glucose tolerance was determined. In addition, the effect of the extract on fasting blood glucose, as well as serum lipid profile, urea, creatinine, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and protein were investigated in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.Results: No acute toxicity were observed in the rats after administration of the plant extract up to a dose of 2000 mg/kg. The effect of the extract on glucose tolerance test was significant from 30 to 180 min after treatment. In the diabetic rats, the extract showed significant (p < 0.05) anti-hyperglycemic activity at 400 mg/kg. It also led to significant increases in body weight and HDL-cholesterol, and significant reductions in serum LDL, triglycerides and transaminases (p < 0.05).Conclusion: These results indicate that the aerial parts of G. tricornutum possess significant antidiabetic potential.Keywords: Diabetes, Galium tricornutum, Glibenclamide, Glucose tolerance tes, Lipid profil

Green HRM and Sustainable Performance in Malaysian Hotels: The Role of Employees\u27 Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Green Behaviors

Due to the business complexity and competitive environment, hotels are paying great attention to improve their sustainability performance through greening their workforce. Thus, this study examines the role of Green HRM practices in attaining sustainable environmental performance in Malaysian hotels while considering the crucial role of employees\u27 pro-environmental attitudes, green behaviors, and green work climate perceptions. Data were collected from the employees who were directly engaged in implementing green practices in selected hotels. A survey questionnaire was used for data collection, and about 350 responses were received and applied for analysis through PLS-SEM. Findings revealed that Green HRM practices (green training and involvement, green performance management and compensation) positively and significantly influence employees\u27 pro-environmental attitudes, further promoting green behaviors. It was also found that employees\u27 green behaviors are the key contributors to spurring sustainable hotel performance. Therefore, this study might support decision-makers in understanding the role of Green HR practices in greening the workforce in the hospitality industry context

Emotional Exhaustion as Stressor agent for Job Stress in Call Centers: Empirical evidence from perspective of Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention as Work Outcomes

The purpose of the study is to analyze job burnout component emotional exhaustion as a probable stressor agent that causes job stress and their impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention as work outcomes. The scales were adapted from that measure to analyze the effect of emotional exhaustion causing job stress, also highlights the evidence in support of the conceptual model. Data was collected by the survey that generated 220 respondents. The sample chosen for this research are employees working in telecommunication call centers of Lahore city region in Pakistan. SPSS regression analysis was employed for data analysis. The results showed that emotional exhaustion carried negative and significant relation with job satisfaction (β= -.354,p<.05) and significant positive relation with turnover intention (β= .290, p<.05) also significant relation between dependent variables followed by mediating effect of two dimensions of job stress analyzed by PROCESS procedure of bootstrapping technique contained no and full mediation between emotional exhaustion in relation with job satisfaction and turnover intention respectively. Outcome from the conducted study depicted that stress did not affected the level of satisfaction of employees as they are well trained and informed that job stress is the part of their work activities in call centers and the stress in organizations is needed to be dealt with

Serial population-based serosurveys for COVID-19 in two neighbourhoods of Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To determine population-based estimates of COVID-19 in a densely populated urban community of Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in April, June and August in low- and high-transmission neighborhoods. Participants were randomly selected to provide blood for Elecsys® immunoassay for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Bayesian regression model was used to estimate seroprevalence after adjusting for the demographic characteristics of each district RESULTS: We enrolled 3005 participants from 623 households. In Phase 2, adjusted seroprevalence was estimated as 8.7% (95% CI 5.1-13.1) and 15.1% (95% CI 9.4 -21.7) in low and high transmission areas respectively, compared to 0.2% (95% CI 0-0.7) and 0.4% (95% CI 0 - 1.3) in Phase 1. In Phase 3, it was 12.8% (95% CI 8.3 - 17.7) and 21.5% (95% CI 15.6-28) in low and high transmission areas, respectively. CRI was 0.31 (95% CI 0.16-0.47) and 0.41(95% CI 0.28-0.52) in low and high transmission neighborhoods respectively in Phase 2. Similar trends were observed in Phase 3. Only 5.4% of participants who tested positive for COVID-19 were symptomatic. IFR was 1.66%, 0.37% and 0.26% in Phases 1, 2 and 3 respectively.Conclusion: Continuing rounds of seroprevalence studies will help us better understand secular trends and extent of infection during the course of the pandemic

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Chakwal, Pakistan

CCHF, tick, livestock, diagnostics, геморрагическая лихорадка Крым-Конго, клещи, домашний скот, диагностика, клинические симптомы, летальный исходCrimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most fatal viral disease with extensive geographical distribution. In Pakistan it is being reported with sporadic outbreaks in cattle rearing areas. The authors in this study presented a clinical case of CCHF in one of cattle rearing district Chakwal of Punjab rovince. The serums and plasma samples from suspected patients along with Hyalomma ticks from reported area were collected and diagnosed for CCHF antigen and IgG antibodies by two step sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using Vector BEST Company, Crimean-CHF-antigen kit, Novosibirsk, Russia. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was suspected in three patients among which two patients died. The only survived patient was diagnosed for CCHF by detecting IgG. Out of 62 Hyalomma ticks collected from livestock of endemic area, 9.67% (6/62) were positive for the CCHF virus. This confirms the emergence of CCHF virus in new areas and the potential risk of its wide spread in different areas of Punjab, Pakistan.Геморрагическая лихорадка Крым-Конго (CCHF) является наиболее смертельным вирусным заболеванием с обширным географическим распространением. В Пакистане сообщается о спорадических вспышках в районах, где интенсивно выращивается крупный рогатый скот. Авторы данного исследования представили клинический случай CCHF в одном из районов, специализирующемся на разведении крупного рогатого скота - район Чаквал провинции Пенджаб. Сыворотки и образцы плазмы у подозреваемых пациентов вместе с клещами Hyalomma из сообщаемой области были собраны и диагностированы на антиген CCHF и IgG-антител с помощью двухступенчатого сэндвич-фермент-связанного иммуносорбентного анализа (ELISA) с использованием Vector BEST Company, набора крымских-CHF-антигенов, Новосибирск, Россия. Геморрагическая лихорадка Крым-Конго (CCHF) подозревалась у трех пациентов, из которых умерли два пациента. Единственный выживший пациент был диагностирован на CCHF по обнаружению IgG. Из 62 клещей Hyalomma, обнаруженных на крупном рогатом скоте эндемического района, 9,67% (6/62) дали положительный результат на наличие вируса CCHF. Это подтверждает появление вируса CCHF в новых областях и указывает на потенциальный риск его широкого распространения в разных районах Пенджаба, Пакистан

Serial population-based serosurveys for COVID-19 in two neighbourhoods of Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To determine population-based estimates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a densely populated urban community of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in April, June and August 2020 in low- and high-transmission neighbourhoods. Participants were selected at random to provide blood for Elecsys immunoassay for detection of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 antibodies. A Bayesian regression model was used to estimate seroprevalence after adjusting for the demographic characteristics of each district. Results: In total, 3005 participants from 623 households were enrolled in this study. In Phase 2, adjusted seroprevalence was estimated as 8.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.1-13.1] and 15.1% (95% CI 9.4-21.7) in low- and high-transmission areas, respectively, compared with 0.2% (95% CI 0-0.7) and 0.4% (95% CI 0-1.3) in Phase 1. In Phase 3, it was 12.8% (95% CI 8.3-17.7) and 21.5% (95% CI 15.6-28) in low- and high-transmission areas, respectively. The conditional risk of infection was 0.31 (95% CI 0.16-0.47) and 0.41 (95% CI 0.28-0.52) in low- and high-transmission neighbourhoods, respectively, in Phase 2. Similar trends were observed in Phase 3. Only 5.4% of participants who tested positive for COVID-19 were symptomatic. The infection fatality rate was 1.66%, 0.37% and 0.26% in Phases 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Conclusion: Continuing rounds of seroprevalence studies will help to improve understanding of secular trends and the extent of infection during the course of the pandemic. &nbsp;</p

Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

BACKGROUND: Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific mortality, represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target interventions to specific populations. Understanding how all-cause mortality has changed with respect to development status can identify exemplars for best practice. To accomplish this, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) estimated age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality between 1970 and 2016 for 195 countries and territories and at the subnational level for the five countries with a population greater than 200 million in 2016. METHODS: We have evaluated how well civil registration systems captured deaths using a set of demographic methods called death distribution methods for adults and from consideration of survey and census data for children younger than 5 years. We generated an overall assessment of completeness of registration of deaths by dividing registered deaths in each location-year by our estimate of all-age deaths generated from our overall estimation process. For 163 locations, including subnational units in countries with a population greater than 200 million with complete vital registration (VR) systems, our estimates were largely driven by the observed data, with corrections for small fluctuations in numbers and estimation for recent years where there were lags in data reporting (lags were variable by location, generally between 1 year and 6 years). For other locations, we took advantage of different data sources available to measure under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) using complete birth histories, summary birth histories, and incomplete VR with adjustments; we measured adult mortality rate (the probability of death in individuals aged 15-60 years) using adjusted incomplete VR, sibling histories, and household death recall. We used the U5MR and adult mortality rate, together with crude death rate due to HIV in the GBD model life table system, to estimate age-specific and sex-specific death rates for each location-year. Using various international databases, we identified fatal discontinuities, which we defined as increases in the death rate of more than one death per million, resulting from conflict and terrorism, natural disasters, major transport or technological accidents, and a subset of epidemic infectious diseases; these were added to estimates in the relevant years. In 47 countries with an identified peak adult prevalence for HIV/AIDS of more than 0·5% and where VR systems were less than 65% complete, we informed our estimates of age-sex-specific mortality using the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP)-Spectrum model fitted to national HIV/AIDS prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance systems. We estimated stillbirths, early neonatal, late neonatal, and childhood mortality using both survey and VR data in spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression models. We estimated abridged life tables for all location-years using age-specific death rates. We grouped locations into development quintiles based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and analysed mortality trends by quintile. Using spline regression, we estimated the expected mortality rate for each age-sex group as a function of SDI. We identified countries with higher life expectancy than expected by comparing observed life expectancy to anticipated life expectancy on the basis of development status alone. FINDINGS: Completeness in the registration of deaths increased from 28% in 1970 to a peak of 45% in 2013; completeness was lower after 2013 because of lags in reporting. Total deaths in children younger than 5 years decreased from 1970 to 2016, and slower decreases occurred at ages 5-24 years. By contrast, numbers of adult deaths increased in each 5-year age bracket above the age of 25 years. The distribution of annualised rates of change in age-specific mortality rate differed over the period 2000 to 2016 compared with earlier decades: increasing annualised rates of change were less frequent, although rising annualised rates of change still occurred in some locations, particularly for adolescent and younger adult age groups. Rates of stillbirths and under-5 mortality both decreased globally from 1970. Evidence for global convergence of death rates was mixed; although the absolute difference between age-standardised death rates narrowed between countries at the lowest and highest levels of SDI, the ratio of these death rates-a measure of relative inequality-increased slightly. There was a strong shift between 1970 and 2016 toward higher life expectancy, most noticeably at higher levels of SDI. Among countries with populations greater than 1 million in 2016, life expectancy at birth was highest for women in Japan, at 86·9 years (95% UI 86·7-87·2), and for men in Singapore, at 81·3 years (78·8-83·7) in 2016. Male life expectancy was generally lower than female life expectancy between 1970 and 2016, an

Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Population estimates underpin demographic and epidemiological research and are used to track progress on numerous international indicators of health and development. To date, internationally available estimates of population and fertility, although useful, have not been produced with transparent and replicable methods and do not use standardised estimates of mortality. We present single-calendar year and single-year of age estimates of fertility and population by sex with standardised and replicable methods. Methods: We estimated population in 195 locations by single year of age and single calendar year from 1950 to 2017 with standardised and replicable methods. We based the estimates on the demographic balancing equation, with inputs of fertility, mortality, population, and migration data. Fertility data came from 7817 location-years of vital registration data, 429 surveys reporting complete birth histories, and 977 surveys and censuses reporting summary birth histories. We estimated age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs; the annual number of livebirths to women of a specified age group per 1000 women in that age group) by use of spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and used the ASFRs to estimate total fertility rates (TFRs; the average number of children a woman would bear if she survived through the end of the reproductive age span [age 10–54 years] and experienced at each age a particular set of ASFRs observed in the year of interest). Because of sparse data, fertility at ages 10–14 years and 50–54 years was estimated from data on fertility in women aged 15–19 years and 45–49 years, through use of linear regression. Age-specific mortality data came from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 estimates. Data on population came from 1257 censuses and 761 population registry location-years and were adjusted for underenumeration and age misreporting with standard demographic methods. Migration was estimated with the GBD Bayesian demographic balancing model, after incorporating information about refugee migration into the model prior. Final population estimates used the cohort-component method of population projection, with inputs of fertility, mortality, and migration data. Population uncertainty was estimated by use of out-of-sample predictive validity testing. With these data, we estimated the trends in population by age and sex and in fertility by age between 1950 and 2017 in 195 countries and territories. Findings: From 1950 to 2017, TFRs decreased by 49\ub74% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 46\ub74–52\ub70). The TFR decreased from 4\ub77 livebirths (4\ub75–4\ub79) to 2\ub74 livebirths (2\ub72–2\ub75), and the ASFR of mothers aged 10–19 years decreased from 37 livebirths (34–40) to 22 livebirths (19–24) per 1000 women. Despite reductions in the TFR, the global population has been increasing by an average of 83\ub78 million people per year since 1985. The global population increased by 197\ub72% (193\ub73–200\ub78) since 1950, from 2\ub76 billion (2\ub75–2\ub76) to 7\ub76 billion (7\ub74–7\ub79) people in 2017; much of this increase was in the proportion of the global population in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The global annual rate of population growth increased between 1950 and 1964, when it peaked at 2\ub70%; this rate then remained nearly constant until 1970 and then decreased to 1\ub71% in 2017. Population growth rates in the southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania GBD super-region decreased from 2\ub75% in 1963 to 0\ub77% in 2017, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, population growth rates were almost at the highest reported levels ever in 2017, when they were at 2\ub77%. The global average age increased from 26\ub76 years in 1950 to 32\ub71 years in 2017, and the proportion of the population that is of working age (age 15–64 years) increased from 59\ub79% to 65\ub73%. At the national level, the TFR decreased in all countries and territories between 1950 and 2017; in 2017, TFRs ranged from a low of 1\ub70 livebirths (95% UI 0\ub79–1\ub72) in Cyprus to a high of 7\ub71 livebirths (6\ub78–7\ub74) in Niger. The TFR under age 25 years (TFU25; number of livebirths expected by age 25 years for a hypothetical woman who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) in 2017 ranged from 0\ub708 livebirths (0\ub707–0\ub709) in South Korea to 2\ub74 livebirths (2\ub72–2\ub76) in Niger, and the TFR over age 30 years (TFO30; number of livebirths expected for a hypothetical woman ageing from 30 to 54 years who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) ranged from a low of 0\ub73 livebirths (0\ub73–0\ub74) in Puerto Rico to a high of 3\ub71 livebirths (3\ub70–3\ub72) in Niger. TFO30 was higher than TFU25 in 145 countries and territories in 2017. 33 countries had a negative population growth rate from 2010 to 2017, most of which were located in central, eastern, and western Europe, whereas population growth rates of more than 2\ub70% were seen in 33 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, less than 65% of the national population was of working age in 12 of 34 high-income countries, and less than 50% of the national population was of working age in Mali, Chad, and Niger. Interpretation: Population trends create demographic dividends and headwinds (ie, economic benefits and detriments) that affect national economies and determine national planning needs. Although TFRs are decreasing, the global population continues to grow as mortality declines, with diverse patterns at the national level and across age groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide transparent and replicable estimates of population and fertility, which can be used to inform decision making and to monitor progress. Funding: Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation