Consumer Willingness to Use Digital Coupons: A Case of Karachi Market in Pakistan

The coupon concept since its emergency in 1887 in US as marketing tool has gained lot of popularity in US market and emerged as effective marketing tool in South Asian Market. Unlike Indian and US Markets, the uptake of coupons has been very slow in Pakistan. This study aimed to check consumer willingness to use mobile coupons in Pakistan revealed that the interest and usage of mobile applications is growing with each day. People are willing to convert from traditional to digital platforms, similar to what we have noticed in the secondary research. Hi-Tec HHD devices are expanding throughout along with the usage. This research showed that the people are fond of downloading free mobile apps, which are mainly social, and gaming apps and a very small portion of the audience downloads paid apps (high-end market). It has been analyzed that the 50% of the audience would like to download a paid coupons app, which offers buy one get one free but there is a small portion of the population who is willing to spend Rs.4500 on purchasing the coupons book like Vouch365. There is a great potential for a business in Pakistan for the companies like Entertain Asia to penetrate into the market

Incivility Within and Beyond Classrooms: Exploring the Perceptions of Targets, Instigators, and Observers

This study aimed at understanding the perceptions of female students who had experienced or witnessed incivility by faculty, and instigated incivility in or out of the classroom and how it affected them. Through the application of a phenomenological and qualitative approach, data were collected from eight (8) female business administration students from public sector universities of Quetta, Pakistan. The findings of the study revealed that female students experienced and witnessed faculty incivility within and beyond the classrooms, which included harassment, character assassination, and humiliation characterized as intense behaviors of faculty. These encounters of faculty incivility resulted in psychological distress like depression, interrupted sleeping patterns, and fear. Furthermore, the findings concerning instigated incivility exhibited that those female students who misbehaved with their instructors were distressed and wanted to quit their studies. The results of this study would be helpful for the university administration to develop policies to combat incivility in educational institutions

Lipoma at Conus Medullaris without Spinal Dysraphism causing Neurological Deficit: A Rare Occurrence

It's uncommon to have an intradural lipoma without spinal dysraphism. The majority are asymptomatic, however, neurological impairments might occur. For the past six months, a 35-year-old man had been experiencing growing weakening in both lower limbs. The L1 intradural space-occupying lesion was detected during a clinical examination and radiological workup. The patient underwent surgery to address a worsening neurological impairment. The patient had fully recovered neurologically after a six-month follow-up. If the neurological damage is progressive, intradural lipomas should be surgically removed. The surgical treatment produces positive results

Expectations in a Marriage Proposal: A Gender-Based Comparison in Pakistan

To determine the differences in expectations of males and females regarding marriage proposals. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in Karachi. Young people aged between 18 and 45 years were enrolled in the study. An online questionnaire was circulated through a convenience sampling technique. Our sample had 456 participants with n=294 64.5% females. N=387 84.9% were between 18-25 years of age. N=292 64% did not have a preference regarding spouse’s skin tone but n=269 59.0% preferred a taller spouse. Body type was a considerable factor for n=227 49.8%. N=309 67.8% preferred their partner to have a job, own a business and have a career. Love marriage was preferred by n=194 42.5%. Majority of the sample (58.1%) did not have a preference in terms of ethnicity but n=193 42.2% wanted a spouse from the same sect, denomination or caste. N=357 78.3% were against dowry. 52% of the participants said their choices were influenced by societal norms and culture to some extent. Four most important personality traits in a potential spouse were loyalty (75.7%), respect (62.7%), maturity (49.3%) and honesty (46.5%). The findings of this study are reflective of our community and culture as the majority of individuals are under societal influence. Moreover, their preference in traits emphasizes mutual understanding as opposed to physical characteristics. An adequate understanding of an individual's expectations from a marriage proposal decreases the risk of psychological distress associated with the relationship

Pattern of Thrombocytopenia In Pregnancy At Teaching Hospital Of Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

Background:  Platelet count less than 150 × 109 / L is referred to as thrombocytopenia, which is the second common blood disorder in pregnancy after anemia. Although pregnancy is related with physiological variations in platelet count, however, several pathological conditions also cause thrombocytopenia showing significant impact on health of mother and her baby. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy is 7 to 11%. The physiological thrombocytopenia is multifactorial, related to hemodilution, increased platelet consumption and increased platelet aggregation. Objective: To determine the pattern of thrombocytopenia during third trimester of pregnancy in Rahim Yar Khan. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Teaching Hospital of Rahim Yar Khan with effect from May 16, 2022 to September 30, 2022. Five hundred (500) pregnant females in their third trimester were the part of this study. All the study subjects were selected from the department of gynecology and obstetrics at Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan which is a renowned teaching hospital of the region attached with Sheikh Zayed Medical College. Data collection was done on a pre-designed questionnaire. Sample of blood was taken in EDTA and Gel containing vacutainers by convenient sampling technique. Results: The frequency of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy was found 10.4%. Gestational thrombocytopenia was the most common type among thrombocytopenic pregnancies with frequency of 63.46% in comparison to pre-eclampsia 30.76%, HELLP Syndrome 3.80% and immune thrombocytopenic purpura 1.90%. The mean age of pregnant women was observed 27.53±5 years. There is no significant difference in number of thrombocytopenic patients from rural and urban areas (p=0.2). Conclusion: The frequency of thrombocytopenia during the third trimester of pregnancy is observed high, so the regular screening is necessary to avoid any adverse outcome. Specially the patients with Pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome should be monitored critically.   Key words: Platelet Count, Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy, Types of Thrombocytopenia, Pre-Eclampsi

Predictors of Surgical Outcome Following Cerebral Contusion in Severe Head Injuries

Objective:  There are controversies regarding the management of Cerebral Contusion. The study sought to identify parameters influencing the surgical outcome of individuals suffering from a brain contusion. Methods:  A quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Hospital Lahore, and 37 patients were included. The information on the mode/mechanism of injury, time of presentation, clinical presentation, and contusion type/location was collected. GCS (at 1st, 2nd and 6th weeks) and GOS were used for the neurological assessment of pre-operative and post-operative status. Results:  The average age of presentation was 42.57 years. There were 21.6% female and 78.4% male patients. 64.9% presented with road traffic accidents. 4% of patients presented to the hospital within 12 hours of injury, 16.2% between 12 to 24 hours, and 5.4% between 24 to 48 hours. 29% had seizures and upgoing plantar. 18% had hemiparesis or hemiplegia. Light reflex was absent in 40.5% of patients. The GCS kept improving postoperatively. GCS at admission was averaging 8 which improved to 10, 12, and 13 after surgery. The presenting mean GCS at 1st-week, 2nd-week, 6th-week, and mean GOS at 30th PAD. Counter coup injury improved to 15/15 right in 1st week. Mean GOS was 5 at 30th PAD. The most improvement was seen in the frontoparietal, temporoparietal, and fronto-temporo-parietal locations. The mean GOS at 30th PAD was 4. Conclusion:  The outcome following cerebral contusion depends upon the initial presenting GCS and GOS. Therefore, the better the presenting GCS and GOS better is the prognosis of the patient

Consumer Willingness to Use Digital Coupons: A Case of Karachi Market in Pakistan

The coupon concept since its emergency in 1887 in US as marketing tool has gained lot of popularity in US market and emerged as effective marketing tool in South Asian Market. Unlike Indian and US Markets, the uptake of coupons has been very slow in Pakistan. This study aimed to check consumer willingness to use mobile coupons in Pakistan revealed that the interest and usage of mobile applications is growing with each day. People are willing to convert from traditional to digital platforms, similar to what we have noticed in the secondary research. Hi-Tec HHD devices are expanding throughout along with the usage. This research showed that the people are fond of downloading free mobile apps, which are mainly social, and gaming apps and a very small portion of the audience downloads paid apps (high-end market). It has been analyzed that the 50% of the audience would like to download a paid coupons app, which offers buy one get one free but there is a small portion of the population who is willing to spend Rs.4500 on purchasing the coupons book like Vouch365. There is a great potential for a business in Pakistan for the companies like Entertain Asia to penetrate into the market

Attitude, awareness and recommendations regarding fortified food usage amongst Health Care Professionals of Punjab.

Introduction: Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of one or more micronutrients i.e., vitamins and minerals in a food or condiment to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. As well as increasing the nutritional content of staple foods, the addition of micronutrients can help to restore the micronutrient content lost during processing. Objectives: To assess attitude about fortified foods, awareness regarding usage of fortified food and related recommendations amongst health care professionals of Punjab. Place and duration of study: All districts of Punjab (Total of 36 districts). The study was carried out from 1st September 2019 to 1st March 2020. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross sectional study in which total 360 MBBS doctors, nurses, mid wives, lady health care workers from 36 districts of Punjab were taken as sample. A questionnaire highlighting attitude and awareness regarding fortified food consumption amongst health professionals and their recommendations for selection of vehicle and fortificants were used as data collection tool. Data was entered in SPSS version 26.0. For demonstration of attitude related to fortified food, preferred fortificants along with their vehicle and recommended vehicles for fortification, bar chats were used. For quantitative variables frequency and percentages were applied. Results: Supplements were preferred over consumption of fortified foods by most of the health care professionals i.e.  MBBS doctors, nurses and lady health workers. Whereas, midwives were of the opinion that fortified food should be used rather than supplements. Furthermore, probiotics, calcium, iodine, iron, omega three, vitamin A and vitamin C were least known fortificants amongst health care professionals. Conclusion: Food fortification is one of the best tools to prevent micro and macronutrients related diseases and illnesses. Most of the health professionals were only aware about fortification of calcium, iodine, vitamin D and iron and their most preferred vehicle for fortification were oil/ghee, juices, bread and water. It is recommended to opt mandatory fortification approaches to be launched legally and strict check and balance regarding their implementation to minimize the disease burden and to improve the immunity of our population.  Keywords: Attitude, Awareness, Fortified food, Fortificants, Fortification vehicles, Health Care Professionals

Role of Anterior Cervical Decompression Fusion (ACDF) and Plating in Patients with Lower Cervical Caries Spine

Objective:  We assessed the neurologic status of patients with cervical spine caries after anterior cervical decompression fusion and plating in terms of muscle power measured by MRC (medical research council) grade and functional status measured by Nurick grade. Materials and Methods:  A descriptive case series study was conducted and 36 subjects with lower cervical spine (C3 – C7) were included with cervical spine caries who needed anterior cervical decompression and plating operated by the department of Neurosurgery, KEMU/Mayo Hospital. The cervical spine TB was confirmed using an MRI plain and contrasted cervical spine. Post-surgical neurological examinations were performed on the 1st, 7th, 21st, and 42nd days and the 3rd and 6th months after surgery. The neurological state was measured in terms of muscle power measured by MRC grades and functional outcome was assessed from Nurick grades. Results:  The mean age of the patients was 37.0 ± 14.4 years. The majority of patients had C5 caries spine (28%) and the least had C7 caries spine (14%). Most of the patients had pre-operative MRC grade 3 (41.7%). The majority had Nurick’s grade 5 (55.6%). 17% of patients had post-operative hoarseness of voice. 31% of the patients had post-operative dysphasia which improved by 3 weeks. 3% developed a new neurological deficit in the form of deterioration of muscle power measured by MRC grade during 6 months’ follow-up time. Conclusion:  All follow-up improvements were statistically significant in terms of pre-operative status

Remote Sensing Assessment of Small Dam Sites in Swat District, Pakistan: Inferences from Water Resource Scenarios

In a world where water is indispensable, Pakistan grapples with the challenge of ensuring its availability. Freshwater demand from domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses has strained the country's reservoirs.  Financial and political barriers have hindered the construction of large dams, making it imperative to seek alternative solutions. However, small dams have the potential to address Pakistan's water security concerns. This study uses advanced technology, engineering expertise, socioeconomic factors, and environmental awareness to find multi-purpose small dam sites in Swat District, Pakistan. Water storage and community and economic development are goals. This study examines criteria using RS and GIS. Dam site selection considers rainfall patterns, slopes, land use, soil types, and drainage density. The study uses Elevation Area Capacity (EAC) curves to view potential reservoirs. The map divides areas into High, Moderate, and Low suitability. This analysis yields some sites where R4 is impressive for its suitability and storage capacity of 358,237 at 2080 m. R1 and R2 are promising with moderate suitability and large storage capacities of 121,346 and 271,964, respectively. These sites are more than numbers on a map they represent local aspirations. Their benefits include electricity, flood protection, irrigation, and drinking water. Small dams are progress catalysts with low maintenance and political support. This study concludes that socioeconomic and environmental factors should be considered when engineering small dams. This small dam can store water and provide essential services to local communities and economies. These multi-purpose small dams advance water security