9 research outputs found
Teachers Perceptions of Gender Differences in Learning Styles in Pakistan
No full textThe purpose of the study is to explore the preferred language learning styles of the undergraduate students based on their gender. In Pakistan, the traditional lecture method is most commonly used at the undergraduate level which is teacher centred (Hussain, Azeem & Shakoor, 2011), and does not account for the learner and learning style differences. The difference in learning styles varies from one individual to another; thus, influencing the overall language learning process and performance (Manochehr, 2006). The present study used a mixed method approach, with Kolb’s learning style model (1986) as the basis of the theoretical framework to determine individual learning styles. The sample of the study was selected through purposive sampling technique and comprised of 60 undergraduate students and 10 teachers who were teaching English to these students. Data was collected from the students studying English at the undergraduate level and their teachers by using survey questionnaire and semi structured interviews respectively. Data collected from the survey questionnaire and interviews was analysed in the form of descriptive statistics. The findings of the study confirmed that gender differences had a direct influence on the learning style preferences of the students. Moreover, both male and female students showed a tendency for Active Experimentation (AE) style of learning, indicating that they want to be actively engaged in their own learning process, instead of merely listening to the lectures being delivered in the traditional method. In addition, although the findings indicated that the teachers were aware of the differences in the learning styles based on gender, but their teaching practices did not account for the preferred learning styles of the students. These results can be further utilized to improve the teaching and learning styles for the students at the undergraduate students. Keywords: Learning styles, English Language learning, Gender differences. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-19-06 Publication date:October 31st 202
Analysis of the Urduization Trend in Bapsi Sidhwa’s Novels
No full textThe study investigated the trend of Urduization in Bapsi Sidhwa’s novels; “The Crow Eaters” (1978) and “Water” (2006), with a focus on the use of Urduized nouns in the two novels. Urduization is the process of adding words from Urdu into the English language (Ali & Ijaz, 2009). Pakistani literature in English began to make its presence felt both nationally and internationally in the 1970s. A significant feature of this literature was the language used by the Pakistani writers. The unrestrained use of local words and expressions, reflected a new confidence in the use of the English language by the Pakistani writers. Pakistani English (PE) as a non-native variety displayed the unique characteristics and features of cultural influence of the society. The borrowing of words from Urdu and the regional languages and incorporating them into structures and expressions signified the independent development of PE. A mixed method approach was employed and data was collected from a corpus of Urduized nouns, developed following the research pathway of Ahmed and Ali (2014), by creating contextualized categories of the nouns used in the two novels. Documentary evidence in the form of author interviews also formed part of the analysis. Findings showed that the extent of urduization remained the same with the author’s use of urduized words in both her novels very nearly following similar trends. Most words were added to provide contextual clarity and create interest, demonstrating a consistency in her writing style over three decades. Keywords: Urduization; Pakistani English; Cultural influence; Contextualized categories; Writing Style DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-11-06 Publication date: April 30th 2021
Dynamic roles of neutrophil extracellular traps in cancer cell adhesion and activation of Notch 1-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in EGFR-driven lung cancer cells
No full textIntroductionNeutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are complex structures released by activated neutrophils that may modulate different steps of the metastatic cascade. The aim of our study was to investigate how NETs can modulate the adhesion properties of cancer cells and whether cell exposure to NETs can activate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program thus enhancing the migratory and invasive properties of tumor cells.Materials and methodsDifferent cancer cell lines were subjected to a solid-phase adhesion assay using NET-coated plates with or without the addition of antibodies against α5β1 or CCDC25 receptor. After 1-4 h of incubation, adherent cells were expressed as the percentage of total cell number. To test EMT occurrence, cells were treated with NETs for up to 48 h and then the levels of E-cadherin, vimentin, Snail, Slug, Zeb 1 and Twist 1 along with levels of Notch 1 and cleaved Notch 1 were determined by western blotting. Untreated and NET-treated cells were subjected to migration assays using 24-multiwell plates with transwell and FBS as chemoattractant.ResultsCancer cell adhesion to NET-coated plates varied between 30% and 92.7% and was significantly higher than that obtained in uncoated plates. The addition of antibodies against α5β1 or CCDC25 caused a strong reduction of cell adhesion to NETs. The prolonged exposure of EGFR-driven cancer cell lines to NETs caused the activation of the EMT program through the upregulation and cleavage of Notch 1 and was confirmed by the enhanced expression of EMT markers. The consequent loss of the epithelial phenotype induced a strong reduction of the expression of the oncogene driver. Cell migration was significantly enhanced in NET-treated cells as compared to untreated cells.DiscussionOur findings reveal the dynamic role of NETs that may provide a DNA and fibronectin rich environment for binding of many cancer cells at distant sites where the prolonged exposure to NETs triggers the EMT through the activation of Notch 1 signaling pathway with the subsequent enhancement of migratory and invasive properties of cancer cells. Furthermore, our findings provide an example of how an immune/inflammatory microenvironment may directly modulate the sensitivity of cancer cells to oncogene targeted agents
Frequency of Chemotherapy-Induced Myalgia in Cancer Patients using The Visual Analogue Scale
No full textAbstract
Objective: The aim of the study was to find the frequency of chemotherapy-induced myalgia in
patients with cancer in Lahore.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of six months after ethical
approval from February to July 2021. Using a non-probability convenient sampling technique,
seventy eligible patients between 45-55 years of age with cancer were included in this study from
both public and private hospital settings on the basis of predefined eligibility criteria. A self
structured questionnaire including a visual analogue pain scale was used for data collection. Data
was analyzed using SPSS version 21. The qualitative variables were presented with pie charts and
quantitative variables are tabulated with frequencies and percentages.
Results: Mean age±SD of participants was 53±6.9 years. Out of 70 participants, 90% were females. The
significant outcome variables included the presence of myalgia, painful girdle, intensity of pain
(visual analogue scale), duration of treatment with the chemotherapy drug, dose of chemotherapy
drug and chemotherapy sessions. Chemotherapy-induced myalgia was 94.3% among target cancer
patients in Lahore.
Conclusion: In our study, chemotherapy-induced myalgia is alarmingly high in patients with
cancers. The pain is mostly moderate in nature and affects the shoulder region. Measures should be
adopted to mitigate the chemotherapy-induced myalgia as it adversely affects the patient's already
deteriorating quality of life
MODERATED MEDIATION MECHANISM OF FAMILY MOTIVATION ON WORK ENGAGEMENT
No full textTo have competitive advantages, it is necessary for organizations to retain and develop motivated employees. The main objective of this study is to explore the impact of family motivation on employee work engagement through intrinsic motivation, investigate the conditional effect of emotional exhaustion between family motivation and intrinsic motivation, and examine the indirect effect of family motivation on work engagement via intrinsic motivation as a mediator in media firms. The data is collected through a survey questionnaire from the media firm’s employees. These media firms are located in Lahore, Pakistan, in the province of Punjab. By using Process Macros (Model 7) on an actual sample of 240 employees and using a convenience sampling technique. The finding of this study shows that family motivation is positively associated with intrinsic motivation, which in turn is positively linked with employee work engagement. The study\u27s findings also showed that intrinsic motivation mediates family motivation and work engagement relationships. Furthermore, results showed that emotional exhaustion negatively moderates the relationship between family motivation and intrinsic motivation as well as the mediating relationship of intrinsic motivation between family motivation and work engagement. Moreover, the study offers consequences for theory and practice
Impact of Personality Characteristics on Innovative Work Behavior through Emotional Labor in Education Sector of Pakistan
No full textThe aim of this study is to examine the role of big five personality characteristics (Extraversion, Openness to change, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism) in predicting the innovative work behavior of teachers, with mediation of emotional labor. Self administered questionnaires were distributed to 350 teachers at public and private sector universities in Lahore. The study uses the spss 24 and structural equation modeling 24 to test the hypotheses among 350 respondents. The results specify that big five personality characteristics showed positive relationship with innovative work behavior while two characteristics of big five personality i.e. Extraversion and openness to change showed insignificant relationship with innovative work behavior through mediated effect of emotional labor. The other personality characteristics i.e. agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism were significantly related to innovative work behavior through mediated effect of emotional labor. Prior studies have recognized teachers as vital sources of innovation, thus managers can develop new emotional strategies to make their teachers free from psychological problems and to boost innovative work behavior among teachers in universities, a personality characteristics without a suspicion a critical contributor in making innovative teachers
Estimation of the global prevalence of dementia in 2019 and forecasted prevalence in 2050: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textBACKGROUND: Given the projected trends in population ageing and population growth, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase. In addition, strong evidence has emerged supporting the importance of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Characterising the distribution and magnitude of anticipated growth is crucial for public health planning and resource prioritisation. This study aimed to improve on previous forecasts of dementia prevalence by producing country-level estimates and incorporating information on selected risk factors. METHODS: We forecasted the prevalence of dementia attributable to the three dementia risk factors included in the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 (high body-mass index, high fasting plasma glucose, and smoking) from 2019 to 2050, using relative risks and forecasted risk factor prevalence to predict GBD risk-attributable prevalence in 2050 globally and by world region and country. Using linear regression models with education included as an additional predictor, we then forecasted the prevalence of dementia not attributable to GBD risks. To assess the relative contribution of future trends in GBD risk factors, education, population growth, and population ageing, we did a decomposition analysis. FINDINGS: We estimated that the number of people with dementia would increase from 57·4 (95% uncertainty interval 50·4-65·1) million cases globally in 2019 to 152·8 (130·8-175·9) million cases in 2050. Despite large increases in the projected number of people living with dementia, age-standardised both-sex prevalence remained stable between 2019 and 2050 (global percentage change of 0·1% [-7·5 to 10·8]). We estimated that there were more women with dementia than men with dementia globally in 2019 (female-to-male ratio of 1·69 [1·64-1·73]), and we expect this pattern to continue to 2050 (female-to-male ratio of 1·67 [1·52-1·85]). There was geographical heterogeneity in the projected increases across countries and regions, with the smallest percentage changes in the number of projected dementia cases in high-income Asia Pacific (53% [41-67]) and western Europe (74% [58-90]), and the largest in north Africa and the Middle East (367% [329-403]) and eastern sub-Saharan Africa (357% [323-395]). Projected increases in cases could largely be attributed to population growth and population ageing, although their relative importance varied by world region, with population growth contributing most to the increases in sub-Saharan Africa and population ageing contributing most to the increases in east Asia. INTERPRETATION: Growth in the number of individuals living with dementia underscores the need for public health planning efforts and policy to address the needs of this group. Country-level estimates can be used to inform national planning efforts and decisions. Multifaceted approaches, including scaling up interventions to address modifiable risk factors and investing in research on biological mechanisms, will be key in addressing the expected increases in the number of individuals affected by dementia. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Ventures
Estimation of the global prevalence of dementia in 2019 and forecasted prevalence in 2050: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textBackground: Given the projected trends in population ageing and population growth, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase. In addition, strong evidence has emerged supporting the importance of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Characterising the distribution and magnitude of anticipated growth is crucial for public health planning and resource prioritisation. This study aimed to improve on previous forecasts of dementia prevalence by producing country-level estimates and incorporating information on selected risk factors.
Methods: We forecasted the prevalence of dementia attributable to the three dementia risk factors included in the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 (high body-mass index, high fasting plasma glucose, and smoking) from 2019 to 2050, using relative risks and forecasted risk factor prevalence to predict GBD risk-attributable prevalence in 2050 globally and by world region and country. Using linear regression models with education included as an additional predictor, we then forecasted the prevalence of dementia not attributable to GBD risks. To assess the relative contribution of future trends in GBD risk factors, education, population growth, and population ageing, we did a decomposition analysis.
Findings: We estimated that the number of people with dementia would increase from 57·4 (95% uncertainty interval 50·4-65·1) million cases globally in 2019 to 152·8 (130·8-175·9) million cases in 2050. Despite large increases in the projected number of people living with dementia, age-standardised both-sex prevalence remained stable between 2019 and 2050 (global percentage change of 0·1% [-7·5 to 10·8]). We estimated that there were more women with dementia than men with dementia globally in 2019 (female-to-male ratio of 1·69 [1·64-1·73]), and we expect this pattern to continue to 2050 (female-to-male ratio of 1·67 [1·52-1·85]). There was geographical heterogeneity in the projected increases across countries and regions, with the smallest percentage changes in the number of projected dementia cases in high-income Asia Pacific (53% [41-67]) and western Europe (74% [58-90]), and the largest in north Africa and the Middle East (367% [329-403]) and eastern sub-Saharan Africa (357% [323-395]). Projected increases in cases could largely be attributed to population growth and population ageing, although their relative importance varied by world region, with population growth contributing most to the increases in sub-Saharan Africa and population ageing contributing most to the increases in east Asia.
Interpretation: Growth in the number of individuals living with dementia underscores the need for public health planning efforts and policy to address the needs of this group. Country-level estimates can be used to inform national planning efforts and decisions. Multifaceted approaches, including scaling up interventions to address modifiable risk factors and investing in research on biological mechanisms, will be key in addressing the expected increases in the number of individuals affected by dementia.
Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Ventures.ope
Estimation of the global prevalence of dementia in 2019 and forecasted prevalence in 2050: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textEstimation of the global prevalence of dementia in 2019 and forecasted prevalence in 2050: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 201
