The Kurds in Turkey: EU Accession and Human Rights

Book review of Kerim Yildiz\u27s The Kurds in Turkey: EU Accession and Human Right

Use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to improve radiation dosimetry for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

The purpose of this work is to enhance dosimetry for BNCT by incorporating positron emission tomography (PET) into treatment planning. Currently, the INEEL code, BNCT Radiation Treatment Planning Environment (BNCT_RTPE) is used by some research institutions to determine patient specific dose to and around the tumor. Non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) geometry with Monte Carlo techniques are used to generate the three dimensional geometry and to determine dosimetry based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computed tomography (CT) [9,13]. During treatment planning homogeneous distribution of boron concentration in tumor cells and normal brain cells is assumed to be constant throughout the brain in BNCT_RTPE. A technique has been developed that allows for the incorporation of detailed patient specific boron biodistribution provided by PET to post process the dose based on the homogeneous distribution used in BNCT_RTPE. The method allows for three dimensional geometrical reconstruction with PET in BNCT_RTPE followed by peak to average scaling of the boron dose. Differences between the BNCT_RTPE boron dose and PET adjusted boron dose are presented. Results of the dose adjustment indicate remarkable differences between the conventional way of determining the dose and the PET adjusted boron dose, especially around the boundaries of the tumor. Based on data in 3 patients and the analysis done using BNCT_RTPE, the differences between conventional approach of radiation treatment planning and PET based treatment planning are as much as 20 - 80 %. Much of the differences indicate an over prediction by conventional methods in the amount of dose predicted in and around the tumor boundary regions. In conclusion, the use of PET data is shown to enhance existing methods for predicting the dosimetry for BNCT in existing codes. Improvements in dosimetry and the pharmacokinetic information provided by PET taken together with better boron compounds can significantly improve the efficacy of BNCT

Impact of Parental Involvement on Academic Performance of Students

The present study was undertaken to examine the relationship between parental involvement and academic performance of students at higher secondary classes. Two research questions and two hypotheses were developed. For this study sequential explanatory mixed method design was used. Population was students of higher secondary classes studying in Karachi. Quota sampling was used because population was comprised three group of students including arts, commerce and science. Two hundred students of higher secondary classes studying arts, commerce and science and two senior faculty members were chosen as sample of the study from a women college working in Karachi. In depth interview was conducted with the ample faculty members to collect data. A questionnaire was developed for data collection from sample students. Questionnaire was comprising two sections. Section one was meant to collect demographic information. Section two was based on four point rating scale comprising twenty statements for the chosen variables. Data collected for the study analyzed by using descriptive statistics, and Anova. On the basis of the results of the study it was concluded that two factors of parental involvement i.e.  Moral and financial do affect academic performance of students of higher secondary classes. It is recommended that the parents should spend time with their children and do discuss their academics at home. Parents should have frequent interaction with teachers and management of institutions in order to know that how they can add more towards academic betterment of their children. Government should take measures to encourage capable children of less affluent class specially to have quality addition to manpower of the country. Keywords: Parental Involvement, Academic Performance. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-12-13 Publication date: April 30th 201

Association of work-life balance and job satisfaction in commercial pilots: a case study of Pakistan

The premise of this research was to investigate the state of work-life balance in commercial pilots of Pakistan. The objective was to investigate the impact of family-work conflict and work-family conflicts on job satisfaction. This study focused on commercial pilots of Pakistan that are currently employed by the four commercial aviation organizations of Pakistan. The sampling method utilized will be convenience sampling specifically focusing on chief pilots, captains and first officers who are flying commercially. The research was conducted on 192 pilots. It was concluded that Family-work conflict results in a higher level of job satisfaction, Work-family conflict leads to a lower level of job satisfaction and amid family-work conflict and work-family conflict; Work-Family conflict has a stronger correlation with job satisfaction

The role of islamic work ethics in the relationship between perceived organizational support, organizational justice and job performance

The study of ethics is attracting the attention of management researchers because ethical practices are being viewed as fundamental to the success of contemporary organizations. However, most studies involving ethics have been mostly revolved around the concept of Protestant Work Ethics (PWE) and have been conducted in the Western settings, thus largely ignore the paradigm difference between PWE and Islamic Work Ethics (IWE) as well as between the Western and the Eastern settings. This study was conducted in an Eastern and Muslim majority country which is Pakistan. It explored the relationship of IWE with the Job Performance (JP) and the Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) as well as finding the moderating impact of IWE on the relationships of Procedural Justice (PJ) and Distributive Justice (DJ) with JP and OCB and between Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and JP and OCB. Based on a comprehensive literature review and an understanding of the relationships among these variables, research questions were formulated and a conceptual model was developed. The petroleum industry was selected as the data source. Using a time lagged of two waves cross-sectional studies with a gap of six weeks between the two data collection phases, data from the management employees was collected and useable responses (N=340) were analysed to draw the results. The findings revealed that POS is significantly positively related to OCB - Organizational (OCB-O) but was not related to OCB - Individual (OCB-I) and JP while IWE was significantly positively related to JP and OCB-O but was not related to OCB-I. There was also no direct relationship between dimensions of justice between DJ and PJ. For the moderation of IWE this study supported the moderating role of IWE on POS-OCB-O, POS-OCB-I, POS-JP, PJ-JP and the relationship PJ-OCB-O. Nevertheless, this study did not support IWE as the moderator on PJ-OCB-I, DJ-JP, DJ-OCB-O and the relationship between DJ-OCB-I. This thesis ends with discussion on implications for managers and theoretical contribution of the study along with limitations and future directions of the study. Theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge and managerial implications of the findings have also been discussed

Impact of Road Pavement Condition on Vehicular Free Flow Speed, Vibration and In-Vehicle Noise

Road infrastructure in good condition is a key requirement for efficient transportation systems which leads to economic prosperity and improved quality of life. However, road surface conditions deteriorate over time according to traffic loads and environmental factors. Poor road conditions lead to congestion, accidents, lost productivity, and driver fatigue. This work considers the relationship between road pavement condition and vehicle speed, vibration, and in-vehicle noise. A 7 km section of the Grand Trunk Road, Peshawar, Pakistan divided into 280 segments (140 for each lane), of length 50 m was observed and the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of each segment was determined based on the recurrent distress type and density according to ASTM D6433-011 guidelines. The number of very good, satisfactory, fair, poor, and very poor conditions are 51, 52, 81, 48, and 42, respectively. The mobile app BotlnckDectr was employed to measure vehicle speed, RPM, noise, vibration, GPS location, and time. Statistical analysis was employed to determine the relationship between PCI and vehicle speed, vibration, and in-vehicle noise. The results obtained indicate that noise and vibration increase by 3.3% and more than 30%, respectively, as the pavement condition changes from good to very poor, and vehicle speed decreases by 8.8%