Peer Mentoring: Exploring the Impact on the Learning Culture of a Business Institute in Pakistan

University education is a new transition from school to undergraduate programs for underprivileged students. Recruiting students from rural areas of Pakistan challenge teachers to teach at a Higher Education while teaching underprivileged students struggling for a better future. The aim of this paper was to introduce peer mentoring between the Business and Professional Speech (BPS) students and the freshmen. The researcher being course faculty of both the Business and Professional Speech and Foundation English students undertook the experiential learning project. The initiative for the project was to explore the impact of peer mentoring on the learning culture of a Business Institute in Pakistan, subsequently, highlighting the skills of lifelong learners in the 21st century of global citizenship. The aim of this paper was also to investigate the strength of mentors in keeping the course objectives aligning with students’ interpersonal, intrapersonal and public communication abilities, at developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Kolb’s experiential learning model (1984) was implemented to carry out the project; whilst, students direct data of interviews, video clips, pictures, questionnaires and documents were used to validate the research. Findings demonstrate the benef icial impact on the cyclical learning between the faculty, BPS and freshmen in terms of their improved results, retention of reading tasks and exposure to the real-life challenges of the diverse groups at the university. Peer mentoring could be the possibility of bringing about a change in society if introduced at universities in Pakistan

The socio-psychological problems among Malay youth around flat housing in Kuala Lumpur: a case study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the socio-psychological problems among Malay youth around flat housing (low cost housing) in Kuala Lumpur. This qualitative study carried out interview on five Malay males as respondents aged 15-25 in four flat housing areas around Kuala Lumpur. The results from content analysis show that the factors that contribute to social problems in that area are the influence from the surrounding, low self-control and lack of attention from the parents. Factors that contribute to social problems include negative influence from friends, ignorant society and poverty while low self control is driven by a high negative desire and has no 'consciousness' to retreat from it. Parents fail to mould a happy family because of their ignorance to the needs of their children and too busy with daily work. The psychological applications concluded in the discussion and suggestion to overcome the social problems in the flat housing area is included for the purpose of further studies

Medicolegal Evaluation of Suspected Alcohol Consumption

Background: To note diagnostic methodology employed by medicolegal officer for evaluation of subjects brought by Police for confirmation of suspected alcohol consumption. Methods: In this cross sectional, observational study,. data of subjects evaluated for suspected alcohol intake was retrieved. Police statement regarding reason for suspecting alcohol consumption, statement of the subjects accused of alcohol consumption, examination findings of medicolegal officer (MLO), details regarding chemical evaluation of body fluids, and conclusion or final report of MLO were sought. Results: 3253 subject’s details were available. 97% (n=3165) of these were making noise with or without din, when apprehended. Standard procedure for evaluation of suspected alcohol was not followed by MLO in most of cases. MLO gave a positive final opinion for alcohol consumption in 95.2% (n=3099) subjects. In 93.12% (n=2887) of these subjects, it was substantiated by laboratory report, while in 6.84% (n=212) subjects no laboratory evaluation was sought. A negative opinion about alcohol consumption was given in 3.50% (n=114) of the subjects. Police suspicion of alcohol consumption and positive final opinion by MLO correlated significantly(p value <0.00001). Conclusion: Police suspicion of alcohol intake and positive medicolegal opinion (clinical and laboratory) of alcohol intake correlate significantly. Medicolegal officers do not comply with standard operating procedures in most of cases

Peer Mentoring: Exploring the Impact on the Learning Culture of a Business Institute in Pakistan

University education is a new transition from school to undergraduate programs for underprivileged students. Recruiting students from rural areas of Pakistan challenge teachers to teach at a Higher Education while teaching underprivileged students struggling for a better future. The aim of this paper was to introduce peer mentoring between the Business and Professional Speech (BPS) students and the freshmen. The researcher being course faculty of both the Business and Professional Speech and Foundation English students undertook the experiential learning project. The initiative for the project was to explore the impact of peer mentoring on the learning culture of a Business Institute in Pakistan, subsequently, highlighting the skills of lifelong learners in the 21st century of global citizenship. The aim of this paper was also to investigate the strength of mentors in keeping the course objectives aligning with students’ interpersonal, intrapersonal and public communication abilities, at developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Kolb’s experiential learning model (1984) was implemented to carry out the project; whilst, students direct data of interviews, video clips, pictures, questionnaires and documents were used to validate the research. Findings demonstrate the beneficial impact on the cyclical learning between the faculty, BPS and freshmen in terms of their improved results, retention of reading tasks and exposure to the real-life challenges of the diverse groups at the university. Peer mentoring could be the possibility of bringing about a change in society if introduced at universities in Pakistan

A survey of searching and information extraction on a classical text using ontology-based semantics modeling: a case of Quran

Quran is the religious text of Islam. Followers of Islam believe that it is the verbatim word of Allah (God). In the last few years, the Quran has become a target of interest for researchers in the field of computer science, for exploring the divine knowledge encapsulated in it. Since the last few years ontologies have gained significant importance in computer science research because of its machine understandable and semantic nature. Ontologies play an important role in supporting the notion of the semantic web. Some work has been done on the Quran exploiting the platform of ontologies. This paper presents a survey based on recent works which uses ontologies as a means of representing and encapsulating the knowledge of the Quran. In order to compare the reviewed literature, an authentic framework is used which is applicable to any ontology application. Furthermore, the paper includes a comprehensive comparison table based on the framework which allows the readers to understand the details of all works in a glance. At the end of the paper, the conclusion and future work section highlights the shortcomings of the existing works and give a sense of direction to aspiring researchers in order to contribute to the domain of the Quran

The nucleolar related protein Dyskerin pseudouridine 1 synthase 1 (DKC1) predicts poor prognosis in breast cancer

BackgroundHypertrophy of the nucleolus is a distinctive cytological feature of malignant cells and corresponds to aggressive behaviour. This study aimed to identify the key gene associated with nucleolar prominence (NP) in breast cancer (BC) and determine its prognostic significance.MethodsFrom The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, digital whole slide images identified cancers having NP served as label and an information theory algorithm was applied to find which mRNA gene best explained NP. Dyskerin Pseudouridine Synthase 1 (DKC1) was identified. DKC1 expression was assessed using mRNA data of Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC, n = 1980) and TCGA (n = 855). DKC1 protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in Nottingham BC cohort (n = 943).ResultsNuclear and nucleolar expressions of DKC1 protein were significantly associated with higher tumour grade (p [less than] 0.0001), high nucleolar score (p [less than] 0.001) and poor Nottingham Prognostic Index (p [less than] 0.0001). High DKC1 expression was associated with shorter BC-specific survival (BCSS). In multivariate analysis, DKC1 mRNA and protein expressions were independent risk factors for BCSS (p [less than] 0.01).ConclusionDKC1 expression is strongly correlated with NP and its overexpression in BC is associated with unfavourable clinicopathological characteristics and poor outcome. This has been a detailed example in the correlation of phenotype with genotype

The state of ambient air quality in Pakistan—a review

Background and purpose: Pakistan, during the last decade, has seen an extensive escalation in population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, together with a great increase in motorization and energy use. As a result, a substantial rise has taken place in the types and number of emission sources of various air pollutants. However, due to the lack of air quality management capabilities, the country is suffering from deterioration of air quality. Evidence from various governmental organizations and international bodies has indicated that air pollution is a significant risk to the environment, quality of life, and health of the population. The Government has taken positive steps toward air quality management in the form of the Pakistan Clean Air Program and has recently established a small number of continuous monitoring stations. However, ambient air quality standards have not yet been established. This paper reviews the data being available on the criteria air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead. Methods: Air pollution studies in Pakistan published in both scientific journals and by the Government have been reviewed and the reported concentrations of PM, SO2, O3, CO, NO2, and Pb collated. A comparison of the levels of these air pollutants with the World Health Organization air quality guidelines was carried out. Results: Particulate matter was the most serious air pollutant in the country. NO2 has emerged as the second high-risk pollutant. The reported levels of PM, SO2, CO, NO2, and Pb were many times higher than the World Health Organization air quality guidelines. Only O3 concentrations were below the guidelines. Conclusions: The current state of air quality calls for immediate action to tackle the poor air quality. The establishment of ambient air quality standards, an extension of the continuous monitoring sites, and the development of emission control strategies are essential. © Springer-Verlag 2009

Short-acting β2-agonist prescription patterns and clinical outcomes in Malaysia: A nationwide cohort of the SABINA III study

Introduction: SABINA III assessed short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) prescription patterns and their association with asthma-related outcomes globally. Herein, we examined SABA prescription and clinical outcomes in the Malaysian cohort of SABINA III. Methods: In this observational, cross-sectional study, patients (≥12 years) were recruited between July and December 2019 from 15 primary and specialty care centres in Malaysia. Prescribed asthma treatments and severe exacerbation history within 12 months prior and asthma symptom control during the study visit were evaluated. Associations of SABA prescription with asthma control and severe exacerbation were analysed using multivariable regression models. Results: Seven hundred thirty-one patients (primary care, n=265 [36.3%]; specialty care, n=466 [63.7%]) were evaluated. The prevalence of SABA over-prescription (≥3 SABA prescriptions/year) was 47.4% (primary care, 47.1%; specialty care, 47.6%), 51.8% and 44.5% among all patients and patients with mild and moderate-to-severe asthma, respectively. Altogether 9.0% (n=66) purchased SABA without a prescription; among them, 43.9% (n=29) purchased ≥3 inhalers. The mean (standard deviation) number of severe asthma exacerbations was 1.38 (2.76), and 19.7% (n=144) and 25.7% (n=188) had uncontrolled and partly controlled symptoms, respectively. Prescriptions of ≥3 SABA inhalers (vs 1–2) were associated with lower odds of at least partly controlled asthma (odds ratio=0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.27–0.67) and higher odds of having severe exacerbation(s) (odds ratio=2.04; 95% CI=1.44–2.89). Conclusion: The prevalence of SABA over-prescription in Malaysia is high, regardless of the prescriber type, emphasising the need for healthcare providers and policymakers to adopt latest evidence-based recommendations to address this public health concern

Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10–24 years during the past three decades. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2019 Study, we analysed mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to transport and unintentional injuries for adolescents in 204 countries. Burden is reported in absolute numbers and age-standardised rates per 100 000 population by sex, age group (10–14, 15–19, and 20–24 years), and sociodemographic index (SDI) with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We report percentage changes in deaths and DALYs between 1990 and 2019. Findings: In 2019, 369 061 deaths (of which 214 337 [58%] were transport related) and 31·1 million DALYs (of which 16·2 million [52%] were transport related) among adolescents aged 10–24 years were caused by transport and unintentional injuries combined. If compared with other causes, transport and unintentional injuries combined accounted for 25% of deaths and 14% of DALYs in 2019, and showed little improvement from 1990 when such injuries accounted for 26% of adolescent deaths and 17% of adolescent DALYs. Throughout adolescence, transport and unintentional injury fatality rates increased by age group. The unintentional injury burden was higher among males than females for all injury types, except for injuries related to fire, heat, and hot substances, or to adverse effects of medical treatment. From 1990 to 2019, global mortality rates declined by 34·4% (from 17·5 to 11·5 per 100 000) for transport injuries, and by 47·7% (from 15·9 to 8·3 per 100 000) for unintentional injuries. However, in low-SDI nations the absolute number of deaths increased (by 80·5% to 42 774 for transport injuries and by 39·4% to 31 961 for unintentional injuries). In the high-SDI quintile in 2010–19, the rate per 100 000 of transport injury DALYs was reduced by 16·7%, from 838 in 2010 to 699 in 2019. This was a substantially slower pace of reduction compared with the 48·5% reduction between 1990 and 2010, from 1626 per 100 000 in 1990 to 838 per 100 000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, the rate of unintentional injury DALYs per 100 000 also remained largely unchanged in high-SDI countries (555 in 2010 vs 554 in 2019; 0·2% reduction). The number and rate of adolescent deaths and DALYs owing to environmental heat and cold exposure increased for the high-SDI quintile during 2010–19. Interpretation: As other causes of mortality are addressed, inadequate progress in reducing transport and unintentional injury mortality as a proportion of adolescent deaths becomes apparent. The relative shift in the burden of injury from high-SDI countries to low and low–middle-SDI countries necessitates focused action, including global donor, government, and industry investment in injury prevention. The persisting burden of DALYs related to transport and unintentional injuries indicates a need to prioritise innovative measures for the primary prevention of adolescent injury. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation