Impact of Working Memory on Academic Achievement of University Science Students in Punjab, Pakistan

Work­ing mem­ory is the abil­ity to keep infor­ma­tion cur­rent in mind for a short period, while using this infor­ma­tion for the task at hand. It is the ‘workbench’ the ‘screen’ of computer where current thinking takes place. Students with working memory difficulties take a much longer time to process information. They are unable to cope with timed activities and fast presentation of information. As a result, they often end up abandoning the activities all together out of frustration. Research studies conducted previously point to that in general working memory was linked with academic achievement. In Pakistan, perhaps little research has yet been done in this field. The study was therefore; designed as working memory and academic achievement of science university students. The main objectives of the study were, to find out difference in working memory of male and female university science students and difference among working memory and academic achievement. The population of the study comprised of 300 male and female students studying in universities of Punjab, Pakistan. The sample consisted of 150 male and 150 female students of universities selected through multistage sampling procedure. In order to measure working memory of students, questionnaire was used. Academic achievement of students was measured through their university results. The results of the study revealed no gender difference. Both male and female were found to be equal in working memory and academic achievement.Key words: working memory, academic achievement, science

Smart monitoring and controlling of frequency deviation by using MATLAB GUI and ARDUINO DAQ card

Electricity transmission and distribution in most of the countries are needed to be improved by the construction of new networks. These improvements are not that much cost effective and if cost is tried to be reduced then the quality and efficiency of the system is compromised which is not suitable at all for the current system. In addition obtaining planning permission and carrying out construction is so much difficult in busy cities. The main objective of this research is to monitor and control frequency deviation. A simple MATLAB controlling and monitoring system is being developed and the ARDUINO DAQ card is used to calculate the frequency deviation. The purpose of respective research is basically based on a dummy load which is used to show the usage of particular equipment’s used in a home such as fridge, freezer, oven, lighting system, and domestic wet appliances such as washer dryer which are attached these to a DAQ and then to a controlling and monitoring GUI MATLAB based. However, this research is focused on the monitoring and controlling of the frequency deviation

Blood pressure and 10-year cardiovascular risk profile of young hypertensives in Malaysia; a single centre study

: Introduction: Hypertension is being identified in younger population and the need for earlier diagnosis and intervention has resulted in the introduction of prehypertension in the classification of hypertension. Hypertension prevalence is at 33% and they contribute to a rising incidence of cardiovascular disease. The objective of the study is to assesses the 10-year cardiovascular risk profile of young hypertensieves from a single centre in Malaysia. Methodology: A total of 484 subjects were screened at a primary health care clinic in Kuantan, Malaysia. 57 subjected between the ages of 20 and 40 with systolic and diastolic blood pressure ranges of between 120-159 mmHg and 80-99 mmHg respectively were enrolled into a cross-sectional observational study. The cardiovascular risk-factor profile was assessed and the 10-year cardiovascular risk determined. Results: The mean age of the subjects were 32.74 ± 5.78 years. The mean systolic arterial pressures were 132.38 ± 10.34, 87.17 ± 7.55 and 102.06 ± 7.37 mmHg respectively. The mean fasting blood sugar 4.67 ± 0.75 mmol/L, total cholesterol 5.82 ± 0.96 mmol/L , low-density lipoprotein 3.73 ± 0.86 mmol/L, high-density lipoprotein 1.40 ± 0.37 mmol/L and body mass index 28.72 ± 5.24 kg/m2. The mean cardiovascular risk point was 4.07 ± 5.35 wherein 91.23% were in the low 10-year Coronary Artery Disease risk category ( Framingham CV Risk Score ) Conclusion: A great majority of young subjects within the prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension range had a low 10-year Coronary Artery Disease risk. They did however show higher than normal total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and body mass index levels

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Cadastral Mapping and Urban Planning: A Spatial Approach to Automate Land Parcel Extraction

Effective urban planning covers a range of elements such as the allocation of land use, the development of infrastructure, implementation of a Land Information System (LIS). Pakistan faces significant challenges in land management due to the lack of an advanced and precise LIS. For this purpose, this study proposes an approach that utilizes Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing technology for automated land parcel extraction in the Askari VII. Drone images are systematically organized into mosaic dataset, creating Digital Surface Model (DSM), Digital Ter- rain Model (DTM) and thus computing absolute heights. The proposed method saves time, cost, and reliance on manual labor. These advancements have potential benefits such as streamlined land management, enhanced transparency, informed decision-making leading to sustainable urban de- velopment and improved governance

Factors Affecting Career Choices of Newly Admitted and Graduating Medical Students

To assess factors affecting career choices of newly admitted and graduating medical students .Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in four private medical colleges of Islamabad. Two hundred students of first and final year were selected for this study. Data was collected by using self-developed questionnaire after extensive literature review by the researchers. Questionnaire was pilot tested. Data was analyzed by using SPSS v. 16.0.Results: Study results indicated mean age 21.13 years (± 2.48), 101 (53.72%) males and 87 (46.28%) female. Majority (96.80%) were unmarried., 51.10% (96) MBBS first year and 48.90% (92) in final year students. Although medical specialties remain of overall highest preference of all medical students but male students preferred surgical specialty as first choice as compared to female students. Study results revealed that interest and motivation to help others were main factors to affect choice of a particular specialty. Students of both gender and years agreed with the influence from a mentor/teacher, however male students thought expected income (51) and good working atmosphere (74) are main factors affecting careers. Among social factors parent’s choice or wish, having doctor in the family and personal interest were highly associated with career choice (p-value less than 0.05).Conclusion: Factors affecting on career choice should be identified and managed timely

Prehypertensive state, mild hypertension, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors among young adults in rural Malaysia

Introduction: Prehypertension precedes overt hypertension and has been acknowledged by many guidelines. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Malaysia. Hypertension prevalence is at 42.6% and population-based control is poor at 26.8%. The objective of the study is to ascertain the cardiovascular risk profile of prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive young adults against age-matched controls in rural Malaysia. Methods: 484(four hundred and eighty four) subjects attending primary care clinic were screened. 91 (Ninety one) young adults with pre/mild hypertension and normotensive, age-matched controls were enrolled. The blood pressure and biochemical profiles for both groups were assessed and compared. Results: Fifty-four subjects and 37 controls were enrolled. Amongst subjects, 46.3% had prehypertension and 53.7% had mild hypertension. Mean values compared to age- matched controls for MAP were 102.68 ± 7.48 vs 83.25 ± 6.08 mmHg (p< 0.001), LDL 3.75 ± 0.95 vs 3.32 ± 0.93 mmol/L (p=0.03), FBG 4.65 ± 0.54 vs 4.33 ± 0.42 mmol/L (p=0.03), BMI 28.81 ± 5.16 vs 24.12 ± 4.91 (p< 0.001). The mean BP was significantly associated with BMI, FBG, triglycerides, HDL and the TC/HDL ratio. Conclusions: Greater BMI, FBG, HDL, triglyceride levels and TC/HDL ratio characterised the young adults with pre/mild hypertension. The data suggests that hypertension in young adults is secondary to metabolic syndrome

Integration of Data Driven Technologies in Smart Grids for Resilient and Sustainable Smart Cities: A Comprehensive Review

A modern-day society demands resilient, reliable, and smart urban infrastructure for effective and in telligent operations and deployment. However, unexpected, high-impact, and low-probability events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes make the design of such robust infrastructure more complex. As a result of such events, a power system infrastructure can be severely affected, leading to unprecedented events, such as blackouts. Nevertheless, the integration of smart grids into the existing framework of smart cities adds to their resilience. Therefore, designing a resilient and reliable power system network is an inevitable requirement of modern smart city infras tructure. With the deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities infrastructures have taken a transformational turn towards introducing technologies that do not only provide ease and comfort to the citizens but are also feasible in terms of sustainability and dependability. This paper presents a holistic view of a resilient and sustainable smart city architecture that utilizes IoT, big data analytics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and smart grids through intelligent integration of renew able energy resources. In addition, the impact of disasters on the power system infrastructure is investigated and different types of optimization techniques that can be used to sustain the power flow in the network during disturbances are compared and analyzed. Furthermore, a comparative review analysis of different data-driven machine learning techniques for sustainable smart cities is performed along with the discussion on open research issues and challenges

Governance and Risk Management: Empirical Evidence from Malaysia and Egypt

The perceptions of Islamic banking professionals are surveyed through a questionnaire to explore whether the process of risk management mediates board involvement in risk management and risk management practices of Islamic banks in Malaysia and Egypt. The findings of this study identified that the Islamic banks in the selected countries are somewhat efficient in their risk management process. It was noticed that board involvement in risk management, process of risk management and risk management among Islamic banks in Malaysia are significantly higher than their counterparts in Egypt. Furthermore, high involvement of boards in risk management significantly increases the risk management process, and in turn, leads to significantly higher riskmanagement practices in Islamic banks. Hence, boards should take formal responsibility for setting, managing and periodically assessing the risk management culture of the banks. It is expected that the outcomes of this study would help policy setters in the selected countries to develop a well-structured and harmonized risk management process that enhance risk management practices, with emphasis on the effective involvements of the board of directors and Shari’ah supervisory boards in risk management practices