Impact of Distance Learning Education System on Education Standards

Conventional Learning & Distance based learning are the two systems prevailing in higher education. These systems affect the level of education standard. This research was conducted to highlight the impact of distance learning education system on education standard. The education standards were Institutional support, Course development, Learning Process, Student support, Faculty support, evaluation and assessment. A well-developed questionnaire was administered and distributed among 206 faculty members of Virtual University of Pakistan. Data was analyzed through correlation and regression analysis. Results confirmed that there is a significant relationship and impact of DLE system on education standards. The research further helped to evaluate Distance learning education (DLE) system with reference to higher education standards. The study will also add value in better understanding of standards and its pre-requisites. This will also provide baseline for future research. It will add value in existing body of knowledge. Key Words- Distance Learning Education, Higher Education, Education Standard

A privacy-preserving framework for smart context-aware healthcare applications

Smart connected devices are widely used in healthcare to achieve improved well-being, quality of life, and security of citizens. While improving quality of healthcare, such devices generate data containing sensitive patient information where unauthorized access constitutes breach of privacy leading to catastrophic outcomes for an individual as well as financial loss to the governing body via regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation. Furthermore, while mobility afforded by smart devices enables ease of monitoring, portability, and pervasive processing, it introduces challenges with respect to scalability, reliability, and context awareness. This paper is focused on privacy preservation within smart context-aware healthcare emphasizing privacy assurance challenges within Electronic Transfer of Prescription. We present a case for a comprehensive, coherent, and dynamic privacy-preserving system for smart healthcare to protect sensitive user data. Based on a thorough analysis of existing privacy preservation models, we propose an enhancement to the widely used Salford model to achieve privacy preservation against masquerading and impersonation threats. The proposed model therefore improves privacy assurance for smart healthcare while addressing unique challenges with respect to context-aware mobility of such applications. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Sex difference effects of acute starvation on excitatory and inhibitory synapses on dopamine neurons

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the influence of acute fasting on synaptic properties in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with regards to the sex-dependent differences by use of male and female mice. The study aimed to unravel the intricate interplay between fasting, synaptic plasticity, and behavioural changes to enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Methods: This study carried out at a tertiary care centre, employed a 16-hour overnight fasting protocol in female rodents and male rodents to examine the effects on physiological parameters, feeding behaviour, and neuronal attributes in the VTA. Various assays, including measurements of blood glucose, ketones, corticosterone (CORT) levels, locomotor activity, and electrophysiological recordings of synaptic currents, were conducted to assess the physiological and synaptic responses to acute fasting. Results: The study found that acute fasting induced significant metabolic changes, including body mass decrease by about 10%. Altered food-seeking behaviour was evident, with male mice exhibiting a pronounced increase. Moreover, neuronal attributes in the midbrain or VTA showed gender-dependent responses: males displayed substantial 20% increase in the frequency of mEPSC onto the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain post fasting, while females exhibited a 13% elevation in CORT levels, accompanied by a transient period of depression at stimulatory synapses onto dopaminergic neurons which was mediated by endocannabinoids. Notably, no significant changes were observed at restraining synapses in rodents of both genders. These findings highlight the nuanced influence of short-term fasting/starvation on the VTA's synaptic plasticity, emphasizing sex-specific responses and providing valuable insights into potential mechanisms influencing gender differences in neuropsychiatric conditions. Conclusions: The study reveals that acute fasting induces sex-specific synaptic changes in the VTA, shedding light on the intricate relationship between metabolism, food-seeking behaviour, and neural plasticity. These findings emphasize the importance of considering gender-specific responses in studies exploring the neurobiological effects of fasting and their relevance to mental health

Process Model For Information Retrieval Environment For Hearing Impaired

  As the Internet usage has exponential increased and the embedding of multimedia content on the Web, some of the Internet resources still remain inaccessible for disable people with disabilities. Mostly, people who are Hard of Hearing or deaf experience inaccessible Web sites because of a lack of Closed Captioning for multimedia content on the Web, there is no sign language equivalent for the content on the Web, and an unsatisfactory evaluation framework for determining that if a Web page is accessible to the Hearing Impaired society. A number of opportunities for accessing web content are needed to be rectified in order to make the Hearing Impaired community to access the full benefits of the information repository on the Internet. This research paper contributes to resolve few of the Web accessibility problems that are being faced by the Hearing Impaired community. The objectives are to generate an automated Closed Captioning for multimedia content the for Web, to develop a framework for the Hearing Impaired community in order to evaluate Web accessibility. Moreover, to build a social network for the deaf community and to embed sign language equivalent for content available on the Web

A privacy‐preserving framework for smart context‐aware healthcare applications

Internet of things (IoT) is a disruptive paradigm with wide ranging applications including healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and retail. Within healthcare, smart connected wearable devices are widely used to achieve improved wellbeing, quality of life and security of citizens. Such connected devices generate significant amount of data containing sensitive information about patient requiring adequate protection and privacy assurance. Unauthorized access to an individual’s private data constitutes a breach of privacy leading to catastrophic outcomes for an individuals personal and professional life. Furthermore, breach of privacy may also lead to financial loss to the governing body such as those proposed as part of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. Furthermore, while mobility afforded by smart devices enables ease of monitoring, portability and pervasive processing, it also introduces challenges with respect to scalability, reliability and context-awareness for its applications. This paper is focused on privacy preservation within smart context-aware healthcare with a special emphasis on privacy assurance challenges within the Electronic Transfer of Prescription (ETP). To this extent, we present a case for a comprehensive, coherent, and dynamic privacypreserving system for smart healthcare to protect sensitive user data. Based on a thorough analysis of existing privacy preservation models we propose an enhancement for the widely used Salford model to achieve privacy preservation against masquerading and impersonation threats. The proposed model therefore improves privacy assurance for cutting edge IoT applications such as smart healthcare whilst addressing unique challenges with respect to context-aware mobility of such applications

Comparison of neonatal respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered at term by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid

Introduction:Performing elective caesarean section prior to 39 completed weeks,it can lead to breathing problems in neonates as compare to those, who are born through caesarean section without antenatal Corticosteroid. WHO recommends the administration of intramuscular corticosteroids either dexamethasone or betamethason (total 24mg in divided doses) in the antenatal period, when there is a risk of preterm birth. The advantages and disadvantages of a similar regimen given after 37 weeksof pregnancy prior to elective caesarean section (LSCS) to prevent respiratory morbidity in a newborn is yet a topic of discussion.In Pakistan still,many clinicians are doing caesarean section at 37 or 38 weeks without antenatal Corticosteroids. The rationale is to emphasize the use of steroidsbefore caesareanat 39 weeks. Objective:To compare neonatal respiratory distress in neonates delivered between 37 --38+6 weeks of gestation by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid. Study design:Randomized controlled trial. Setting:Department of Gynae & Obstetrics, unit 2, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore. Duration:Six months from 12th September 2018 to 12th March 2019. Materials and Methods:The study included women who were, planned for elective LSCS at 37-38+6 weeks, divided into two groups .The sample size was 140 (70 in each group),recruited by non-probability consécutive sampling. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, at 37 to 38+6 weeks for elective LSCS due to indications like primi breech, previous caesarian scar/scars, and maternal wish. All eligible participants were allocated to one of the following groups. Group (A) received an injection of dexamethasone 48 to 72 hours before elective LSCS. Group (B), did not receive an injection of dexamethasone. The outcome to be measuredinthis study were the Apgar score at 1& 5 minutes, the incidence of transient tachpnea of the neonate (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborns,and the need for mechanical ventilation among neonates from two different groups. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS version 20.Descriptive statistic were applied to calculate the mean and SD for age, gestation age & BMI. Student T-test was used to compare the continuous outcome measures. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was compared in two groups by using the chi-square test at the level of significance of 0.05.Results:Mean age in Group-A was 28.12± 5.6 and in Group-B was 28.97± 6.3 years. There was no statistically significant difference in these groups in termsof Body mass index, gestational age at the time of delivery, age of mother, birth weight, Apgar score at 1 and 5 min,and indications for cesarean section. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was higher in Group-B as compared to Group-A (30% vs.12.9%)p-value-0.013. Conclusion:Antenatal dexamethasone administration significantly reduces the respiratory morbidity among neonates delivered at 37 to 38+6by elective cesarean section. But further studies are required to assess the beneficial role of dexamethasone in the reduction of neonatal respiratory morbidity with a large sample size.Keywords:Neonatal respiratory morbidity, transient tachypnea of newborn, elective caesarean section, antenatal corticosteroids

Comparison of neonatal respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered at term by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid

Introduction:Performing elective caesarean section prior to 39 completed weeks,it can lead to breathing problems in neonates as compare to those, who are born through caesarean section without antenatal Corticosteroid. WHO recommends the administration of intramuscular corticosteroids either dexamethasone or betamethason (total 24mg in divided doses) in the antenatal period, when there is a risk of preterm birth. The advantages and disadvantages of a similar regimen given after 37 weeksof pregnancy prior to elective caesarean section (LSCS) to prevent respiratory morbidity in a newborn is yet a topic of discussion.In Pakistan still,many clinicians are doing caesarean section at 37 or 38 weeks without antenatal Corticosteroids. The rationale is to emphasize the use of steroidsbefore caesareanat 39 weeks. Objective:To compare neonatal respiratory distress in neonates delivered between 37 --38+6 weeks of gestation by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid. Study design:Randomized controlled trial. Setting:Department of Gynae & Obstetrics, unit 2, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore. Duration:Six months from 12th September 2018 to 12th March 2019. Materials and Methods:The study included women who were, planned for elective LSCS at 37-38+6 weeks, divided into two groups .The sample size was 140 (70 in each group),recruited by non-probability consécutive sampling. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, at 37 to 38+6 weeks for elective LSCS due to indications like primi breech, previous caesarian scar/scars, and maternal wish. All eligible participants were allocated to one of the following groups. Group (A) received an injection of dexamethasone 48 to 72 hours before elective LSCS. Group (B), did not receive an injection of dexamethasone. The outcome to be measuredinthis study were the Apgar score at 1& 5 minutes, the incidence of transient tachpnea of the neonate (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborns,and the need for mechanical ventilation among neonates from two different groups. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS version 20.Descriptive statistic were applied to calculate the mean and SD for age, gestation age & BMI. Student T-test was used to compare the continuous outcome measures. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was compared in two groups by using the chi-square test at the level of significance of 0.05.Results:Mean age in Group-A was 28.12± 5.6 and in Group-B was 28.97± 6.3 years. There was no statistically significant difference in these groups in termsof Body mass index, gestational age at the time of delivery, age of mother, birth weight, Apgar score at 1 and 5 min,and indications for cesarean section. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was higher in Group-B as compared to Group-A (30% vs.12.9%)p-value-0.013. Conclusion:Antenatal dexamethasone administration significantly reduces the respiratory morbidity among neonates delivered at 37 to 38+6by elective cesarean section. But further studies are required to assess the beneficial role of dexamethasone in the reduction of neonatal respiratory morbidity with a large sample size.Keywords:Neonatal respiratory morbidity, transient tachypnea of newborn, elective caesarean section, antenatal corticosteroids

Multicenter fresh frozen tissue sampling in colorectal cancer: does the quality meet the standards for state of the art biomarker research?

The growing interest in the molecular subclassification of colorectal cancers is increasingly facilitated by large multicenter biobanking initiatives. The quality of tissue sampling is pivotal for successful translational research. This study shows the quality of fresh frozen tissue sampling within a multicenter cohort study for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Each of the seven participating hospitals randomly contributed ten tissue samples, which were collected following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) using established techniques. To indicate if the amount of intact RNA is sufficient for molecular discovery research and prove SOP compliance, the RNA integrity number (RIN) was determined. Samples with a RIN < 6 were measured a second time and when consistently low a third time. The highest RIN was used for further analysis. 91% of the tissue samples had a RIN ≥ 6 (91%). The remaining six samples had a RIN between 5 and 6 (4.5%) or lower than 5 (4.5%). The median overall RIN was 7.3 (range 2.9–9.0). The median RIN of samples in the university hospital homing the biobank was 7.7 and the median RIN for the teaching hospitals was 7.3, ranging from 6.5 to 7.8. No differences were found in the outcome of different hospitals (p = 0.39). This study shows that the collection of high quality fresh frozen samples of colorectal cancers is feasible in a multicenter design with complete SOP adherence. Thus, usin