136 research outputs found
Ramadan-specific nutrition education improves cardio-metabolic health and inflammation—a prospective nutrition intervention study from Pakistan
Full text linkThere are recent reports that Ramadan fasting (RF) results in weight gain instead of weight loss. In addition, the data on the efficacy of brief nutrition education on healthy eating practices in Ramadan for better health are scarce. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of brief nutrition education before the start of RF on healthy eating practices during RF. For this purpose, a prospective observational study focused on “Dietary Education and Awareness for Ramadan (DEAR)” as an intervention was carried out. The participants (n = 74) were recruited and divided into two groups, i.e., intervention and control groups (n = 37 each). As an intervention, nutrition education lessons were given before and during RF month. The control group did not attend these nutrition education lessons. Data on anthropometrics, dietary intake, and other parameters were collected at three time points: before, in the end, and 4 weeks after RF. Weight was measured in kg; height, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) were measured in cm; and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was calculated by dividing the waist value by the hip value. Body composition analysis was performed by the body composition analyzer (BF-907). Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a validated automated blood pressure. A 3–5 ml of venous blood was collected, and plasma and serum were separated. Serum and plasma samples were processed for general blood chemistry (blood lipid profile, glucose, and CRP) within 2 h. CRP was determined by the immunoturbidimetry method using an auto-analyzer. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine cytokine/chemokines. Adherence to nutrition education (intervention) was assessed. The results show that nutrition education has positive effects on overall nutrition. Significant improvement in dietary adherence to dietary advice in the intervention group was noted. Significant BW loss (mean loss: 1.21 kg) in the intervention group was observed. The majority (63.3%) had lost BW ≥ 1.0 kg. Other changes observed as a result of the intervention included improvements in blood glucose, cholesterol, CRP levels, and systolic and diastolic BP. There was a notable shift in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations: IL-7, IL-4, and TGF-α decreased, while IL-2, TNF-α and resistin, IL-1 RA, IL-17 A, and sCD40 increased. In conclusion, RF resulted in a loss in mean BW and an improvement in related blood chemistry and cytokine profiles. Furthermore, nutrition education before RF resulted in better nutrition practices during RF and a desirable healthy BW, blood lipid, and cytokine profiles
Certificate in Project Preparation and Project Management
No full textCertificate in Project Preparation and Project Management : a customized program for KP Revenue Mobilization & Public Resource Management Program (KPRMP).
Front Row- Left to Right: Ashfaq Ahmed, Ikhlaq Ahmed, Rida Haroon, Yusra Shoukat, Mohsin Chandna, Sarah Rehman, Sana Imtiaz, Aamir Bashir, Muhammad Ayaz Khan, Said Ul Amin, Javed Khilji
Middle Row- Left to Right: Aftab Ahmad, Yar Muhammad, Muqtida Bin Syed Gillani, Atta ur Rehman, Muhammad Riaz, Naveed Alam, Naveed Khan, Syed Hammad Haider, Muhammad Shiraz
Last Row: Left to Right: Saba Hameed, Kehkashan Mazhar, Munawar Jamal, Abdul Rehman, Zahid Ahmed, Jaydeephttps://ir.iba.edu.pk/training-events-gallery/1004/thumbnail.jp
PEDAGOGY AT FLUX: CHALLENGES FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN A MIXED-ABILITY CLASS
No full text<p><span>This research aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions regarding how they meet students’ needs in a mixed-ability context as it involves various pedagogical challenges for language teachers while teaching students of various proficiency levels in heterogeneous groups. Tomlinson's </span><span>(2001) <span>framework is utilized for this research. Teachers aim to reach all the students by monitoring them in a variety of ways to achieve effective teaching. This study adopts a qualitative and quantitative research design to investigate the challenges faced by language teachers in mixed-ability classes. The participants of this study are language teachers and learners at three language institutes in Sukkur, Pakistan. Purposeful sampling was used to achieve participants’ diversity in terms of gender, years of teaching experience, and educational qualification. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with language teachers to explore their perceptions regarding the challenges faced in mixed-ability classes. The interviews were audio-recorded with permission from the participants and then transcribed verbatim for analysis. Classroom observation was conducted to witness the teaching practices, teachers’ class management, and teacher-student interactions. This research sheds light on the variety of challenges that language teachers face while teaching mixed-ability classes; these challenges encompass students’ individual needs and requirements as well as the necessity to create a supportive and inclusive environment. Our findings reveal that varied instruction is the best way to meet all pupils’ needs and use additional material for both advanced and average learners.</span></span></p>
TAFSIR EKOLOGIS: NILAI INTRINSIK ALAM DALAM TAFSIR AL-JAWAHIR
Full text linkPenelitian ini hendak mengupayakan penemuan kembali pemahaman Islam akan nilai intrinsik alam dalam produk penafsiran, yakni Tafsir al-Jawa>hir. Dewasa ini, dampak dari kerusakan alam terasa semakin nyata. Hal ini juga diperparah dengan persoalan kesadaran manusia yang terus menerus mengesampingkan nilai-nilai ekologis. Menurut Sayyed Hossein Nasr, hal ini terjadi karena hilangnya pemahaman mengenai nilai intrinsik dari alam sebagai sesama ciptaan tuhan. Padahal, al-Qur’an sebagai teks suci pada dasarnya telah menampakkan tanda atas adanya kualitas hidup pada alam. Namun, produk-produk penafsiran atas teks-teks keagamaan tidak banyak menjadikan isu ekologi sebagai bagian dari pertimbangan penafsirannya. Tantawi Jauhari, seorang mufassir modern nampaknya memiliki kecenderungan akan alam. Namun, selama ini tafsir ini lebih dikenal sebagai tafsir ilmi, jarang sekali ada yang mengkaji dari perspektif ekologi. Oleh karenanya, penelitian ini mencoba melihat sisi-sisi ekologis dalam tafsir al-Jawa>hir dengan mengungkap bagaimana penafsiran Tantawi Jauhari terhadap ayat-ayat alam dan bagaimana nilai intrinsik alam pada penafsiran tersebut.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kepustakaan (library research) yang mendudukkan ayat-ayat Al-Qur’an yang memuat nilai intrinsik alam dengan meminjam kerangka berfikir Ghazi ibn Muhammad, Reza Shah-Kazemi, dan Aftab Ahmed dalam melihat niai intrinsik alam pada Tafsir al-Jawa>hir sebagai objek materiil yang hendak dikaji secara analitis. Adapun sumber data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini terbagi menjadi dua kategorisasi, yakni sumber data primer dan sumber data sekunder. Sumber data primer dalam penelitian ini yaitu Tafsir al-Jawa>hir, sedangkan sumber data sekunder dalam penelitian ini meliputi literatur-literatur lain yang berkaitan dengan objek penelitian ini. Dalam pengolahan data, penulis menggunakan pendekatan deskriptik-analitik, yakni dengan menjelaskan dan memberikan analisis kritis terhadap data-data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini.
Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penafsiran Tantawi Jauhari memiliki kecondongan perhatian pada aspek-aspek ekologi. Pada aplikasinya, penafsiran Tantawi terkait penciptaan alam berfokus untuk menguatkan argumen bahwa alam diciptakan dengan kebenaran. Selain itu, penafsirannya tentang konsep a>ya>t ia maksudkan sebagai bukti yang jelas tentang keberadaan Allah, keesaan-Nya, kesempurnaan ilmu-Nya, dan kemampuan-Nya. Sementara dalam menafsirkan tentang tasbihnya alam semesta terdapat beberapa pandangan dalam penafsirannya. Pertama, tasbih alam semesta berupa tasbih praktis. Kedua, ciri dan fungsi makhluk yang tidak berguna bagi selain makhluk tersebut merupakan bentuk tasbih mereka. Ketiga, ia memaksudkan tasbih dan tahmid menjadi kebaikan dan keburukan. Penafsiran-penafsiran tersebut menunjukkan adanya nilai intrinsik pada alam sesuai dengan kerangka berpikir al-Ghazi, dkk. Dari pembacaan tersebut, terlihat benang merah bahwa pada dasarnya, penafsiran Tantawi Jauhari memiliki spirit ekologi
A Research Study on Guidance from The Teachings and Life Practices of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to Cure from Corona and other Pandemics
No full textHuman history has faced numberless pandemics; however, the contemporary pandemic Covid-19 proved the most fatal and dangerous amongst all. Although vaccines have been prepared, launched, and injected in almost all around the world but according to the medical experts, human life seems to be vulnerable to its new expected waves and novel variants. The only suggested solution is advised to follow its SOPs. Public must change their lifestyle and behaviors forever according to these SOPs for survival of humanity. The basic question of this research is whether we found any role model, instructions, or example from The Prophet (S.A.W). The paper elaborates the aspects of Sīrat-un-Nabi (S.A.W) in this regard. He (S.A.W) indicated the reasons of pandemics, their remedies, and their spiritual and practical solutions. He (S.A.W.) not only stated the status of the victims and expired individuals due to the pandemics but also taught the humanity more than the SOPs recommended by medical experts for saving lives from corona infection. Humanity can be saved from the pandemics and losses can be reduced by acting upon and following the precautionary measures and SOPs recommended by the Prophet (S.A.W), like the social distancing, lockdown, covering the mouth (mask), quarantine, avoiding the hand shaking and hugging with the patients and the strict instructions of regular cleanliness
Scaling the Aircrew Risk-Taking Behavior in Aviation Accidents: The Moderating Role of Phase of Flight
No full textOpen innovation ecosystems: a mixed methods study on the strategic management of inter-organisational openness
No full textInter-firm trust and openness have been the subject of considerable attention in business innovation research. However, the strategic role of trust-based openness in innovation ecosystems is not as well understood. Moreover, while the concept of open innovation ecosystems is the mantra of contemporary innovation research, no-one has attempted to develop a validated measurement model for this construct. Finally, while debate continues about inter-firm collaborations and participatory modes of innovation, business strategy researchers have focused almost exclusively on the competitive advantage resulting from a firm’s inflow openness, i.e., obtaining and controlling valuable resources. A firm’s outflow openness strategy is rarely reflected on. To address these issues, this mixed methods research (conducted in Australia and USA) presents four analyses regarding (1) the role of trust-based openness in a firm’s ecosystem strategy, (2) the process of inter-firm trust-based openness in innovation, (3) the measurement of open innovation ecosystems, and (4) the competitive advantage of interdependent firms in open innovation ecosystems.
This dissertation synthesises resource dependence theory, social exchange theory, and the resource-based view. It first develops a conceptual model for strategising in ecosystems from a systematic review of relevant literature. Then, using the grounded theory method, it conducts three rounds of 54 interviews with senior managers in Macquarie Business Park, Australia, to theorise the process of inter-firm openness. A new scale is developed and validated against four survey samples of managers, two from Silicon Valley, USA (n=370; 412), and two from Macquarie Business Park, Australia (n=205; 424). Finally, the theorised model is empirically tested in two countries using hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modelling. Results reveal (1) a significant role for trust-based openness in a firm’s ecosystem strategy, (2) four overarching dimensions of inter-firm openness which, occurring in chronological order – realisation, socialisation, strategic alignment, and two-way openness –explain how firms systematically adopt openness and migrate from traditional Egosystems to open innovation ecosystems, (3) the newly developed five-dimensional open innovation ecosystem-scale replicated across samples and exhibited strong psychometric properties, and (4) a firm’s outflow openness (i.e., allowing resource outflows) represents a gainful strategy of resource-building and of shaping innovation advantages in ecosystems.
The thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge in four ways. First, it extends the traditional two-dimensional (cognition and action) strategy formulation model by integrating the neglected third relational dimension. Second, it develops a theory of inter-firm, trust-based openness in innovation. Third, it develops and validates a scale for measuring an open innovation ecosystem, which is the first measurement model of this construct. Last, contrary to the traditional wisdom, it demonstrates that allowing resource outflows even at a lower price (to benefit ecosystem partners) can positively impact a firm’s competitive advantage in ecosystems. The thesis refines and extends the scope and application of the resource-based view to open innovation ecologies. Implications of the findings are discussed and directions for future research are recommended.</p
Emerging stronger from challenging times: How servant leaders manage workplace spirituality and employee flourishing
Full text linkBusiness leaders, particularly in challenging times like the post-COVID era, grapple with fostering employee well-being and addressing spiritual needs. Our research explores the link between workplace spirituality—marked by meaningful work, community, and value alignment—and employee flourishing, with a focus on the role of servant leadership. Using self-determination theory, we analyzed survey data from SMEs in Iran and India, where employees navigated challenging times amid COVID-related difficulties. Study 1 (303 employees in 128 Iranian firms) found meaningful work and a sense of community positively influence employee flourishing, while value alignment has a curvilinear effect. Study 2 (215 senior Indian employees) replicated these findings, highlighting servant leadership’s role in amplifying positive outcomes and mitigating negatives. This research advances self-determination theory and provides practical insights for leaders to foster positive employee outcomes.JEL Classification: D23, M0
High-pressure Solubility of Carbon Dioxide in Aqueous Sodium L- Prolinate Solution
No full textAbstractAn experimental evaluation of CO2 solubility in aqueous sodium L-prolinate (SP) solution was carried out using high-pressure solubility equipment at three different temperatures, 303.15, 313.15, and 333.15K. The study was conducted over the pressure range from 2 to 60bar for 30wt. % SP solution. It was found that, the CO2 loading (mole of CO2 / mole of SP) decreases with increasing temperature, while it increases with increasing the pressure of gas. ANOVA analysis was carried out to determine the statistical significance of the solubility data with respect to temperature and pressure. The CO2 loading of aqueous SP solution was also compared with MEA and aqueous sodium glycinate (SG) solution. It was observed that the aqueous SP solution has higher CO2 loading capacity as compared to 30wt. % MEA, and comparable with aqueous 30wt. % SG solution
Colonial legacy of the British: a narrative analysis of police service of Pakistan
Full text linkThe colonial legacy remains visible in the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP). The PSP officers identify themselves as something different and superior to the public. It is common for PSP to view the public how the colonial master viewed the subjects of colonial rule. The study adopted an interpretivist approach with a constructivist ontological stance using thematic analysis on in-depth interviews conducted with the respondents. The study found that PSP has retained its colonial imprint. As an institution, the PSP identifies itself as above the law and disconnected from the public. The narrative of “us” and “them”. The xenocentric attitude, viewing the public as inferior and savage people and, most importantly, thinking that the main job of the police as an organization is to maintain order rather than prevent crime, serves as evidence that the police service of Pakistan has kept its colonial legacy intact. It treats the public as “subjects” to be suppressed rather than served. The 1861 Police Act and colonial legislations help the PSP keep the colonial legacy alive. The PSP as an institution serves as an example of the persistence of colonial institutions with resistance to change and reform
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