18 research outputs found
Estimation of Distribution of Income in Pakistan, Using Micro Data
No full textIncome distribution entered the post war discussion of economic development fairly late. Until the 1960s much of the focus was on industrialisation and the need for capital accumulation. Pakistan was no exception as in the early 60s economic expansion became the main target and means to political identity. Rapid population growth associated with steep decline in mortality demanded acceleration of production to keep pace. Overall aggregate expansion was much faster than before but without benefit for the poor. In that context emerged a new professional interest in income distribution. Haq’s (1964) study was one of the oldest studies conducted to measure inequality in personal income distribution in the high income brackets in the urban areas of Pakistan. The main objective of the author was to present the income distribution pattern in terms of the relative shares of different income groups as well as in terms of Pareto coefficients and concentration ratio during the period 1948-49 to 1957-58 for which published tax data was available. While recognising the limitations of the data used, the author went on to calculate various measures of income inequality including Pareto coefficient and Lorenz curve. The author also made comparison of Pakistan’s income distribution with U.S.A. and U.K.
Population Policy Shifts and Their Implications for Population Stabilisation in Pakistan
No full textThe visible fast increase in the growth rate of world population occurred during the second half of the twentieth century due to the faster declines in mortality following the medical and public health advances made around the time of World War II. The global population growth rate after peaking of at around 1.7 to 1.9 percent per annum in the 1970s and 1980s has since started declining and is currently around 1.4 percent per annum. The world population more than doubled, recording 142 percent increase, from 2.51 billion in 1950 to around 6.07 billion in 2000 [Hakim (2000)]. Most of the increase has been in less developed countries, from 1.68 billion in 1950 to 4.88 billion in 2000, recording 190 percent. Compared to this, the more developed countries witnessed only a marginal increase of 43 percent from 0.83 billion in 1950 to 1.19 billion population in 2000.
Comparing AI and Specialist for Clinical Reasoning in Dentistry - A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol
No full textThis Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is aimed to compare effectiveness of ChatGPT Plus and Specialist in enhancing clinical reasoning skills of dental house officers.
The improvement in clinical reasoning skills will be the primary outcome in this research
Citizen's Assessment of Parliaments Performance
No full textThe author reports about the activities of PILDAT, an independent non-profit think tank dedicated to strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan. There are three key areas of PILDAT activities. One is Parliamentary Strengthening, which is an area in which we have worked since 2001 in Pakistan, from which we have organised briefings and over 85 courses. Secondly, the organisation has also moved into the area of Parliamentary Performance Assessment and thirdly, since 2003, when democracy was restored in Pakistan, it has produced the Annual State of Democracy Report, which covers how democracy is progressing - or not progressing
A COMPARISON OF ISLAMIC AND CAPITALIST CONCEPTION OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE
No full textEpistemological and metaphysical foundation of Islam is distinct from that of capitalism. Secular and liberal discourse defines the basis of capitalism rather. Due to this the conception of economic justice in the two discourses is expected to differ substantially. A significant amount of literature on Islamic economics, finance and banking doesn’t seem to explicitly highlight this difference. Due to this perhaps the Islamic financial industry is measuring its performance as per the standards of its mainstream financial industry. This study would emphasize and elaborate these differences so that the concerned can appropriately evaluate the outcome of their decisions and practices in the domain of Islamic economics and finance. The paper will compare the theory of justice and economic justice in the two respective discourses. A conceptual analysis which follows provides basis for policy recommendations. The ideals of justice of both ideologies are two poles apart, and no overlap exists between the two at least at conceptual levels due to their contradicting epistemological and metaphysical positions. The study is exclusively normative and discussion from pragmatic perspective is beyond its scope. Such a comparison doesn’t exist in literature as per the limited knowledge of author. This study would have implications for policy makers and practitioners while adapting structures, institutions, policies, frameworks, etc. from the western world as they would have to be altered to an extent to make them compatible to advance Islamic conception of justice in Muslim societies, if that by any means is possible
Graphene modified FTO/TiO2 interface photoelectrode for improved performance of dye sensitized solar cells
No full textExploring Challenges to the Students and Faculty in an Undergraduate Integrated Dental Curriculum; A Qualitative Study.
No full textOBJECTIVES
To explore challenges to the students and faculty in an Undergraduate Integrated Dental Curriculum.
METHODOLOGY
The qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in Peshawar Dental College, Peshawar from June to October 2023 (05 Months).Dentistry students and faculty who had experienced the integrated curriculum were recruited with consent, by purposive sampling. After the ethical approval, three focus group discussions were held where the interview guide was structured using Sanford’s theoretical framework featuring open-ended questions, validated by subject experts. The student’s focus group consisted of eight students of basic sciences, (first and second year), and clinical sciences, (third and final year) of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Whereas the two faculty focus groups consisted of basic sciences and clinical sciences faculty. The focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed, using Otter AI and transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic content analysis,
RESULTS
Out of 20, eight students and twelve faculty members belonging to the same institute participated in the focus group discussions. The identified themes were, (a) Challenges of an Integrated System (b) Strategic Assessment Reformation & feedback, (c) Supportive Measures and benefits of an Integrated Curriculum.
CONCLUSION
Several challenges were identified in the integrated dental curriculum. The students’ challenges included a heavy workload, rapid pace, and limited revision time. The faculty faced challenges like resistance to change, inadequate infrastructure, and assessment validity concerns. They required comprehensive training in integrated teaching methodologies and effective assessment strategies
Blue Light Therapy: A Skin Treatment Mask using Blue Light to cure Skin Disorders
No full textSkin acne and disease are the most common medical conditions that lead from mild to moderate if not treated in time. There are several treatments such as Chemical peel, Dermabrasion, and many others these hyped techniques have proven to be extremely beneficial for improving and smoothening the skin texture, through treatments with chemicals and devices. Unfortunately, such techniques have various side effects such as redness, scabbing, irritation, and swelling, which do not provide a better medical treatment. These treatments require continuous medical examination and an expert opinion. Light therapy can be used non-invasively to overcome such side effects and treat a large number of skin damages. Blue light exhibits tons of advantages to human skin by reducing sebaceous glands' activeness so that they produce low amounts of oil that ultimately hook into the pores of the skin and result in skin breakouts and acne popping. Blue light can cure severe skin conditions such as sun damage, fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, blemishes, and much more. Blue light therapies are generally used to treat the conditions, that are present superficial and under the skin surface. In this research, the face mask has been designed and incorporated with the Blue light strips to provide the blue light on the facial skin. The microcontroller has been programmed to control the intensity and time during the therapy session. This skin treatment mask has proven to be a pain-free and effective procedure to make the skin look healthy and beautiful. Statistical analysis of the results revealed promising outcomes: 60-70% success rates were observed in participants with mild to moderate skin conditions, while even in severe cases, significant improvements were noted with success rates ranging from 25-50%. The results have been incredible and satisfactory in improving the skin conditions of the user
Adaptation and modification of the professional identity formation scale for postgraduate trainees in basic health science: a mixed method study
No full textAbstract Background The professional identity formation (PIF) of postgraduate trainees in basic health sciences is critical to their educational journey. Yet, appropriate measurement tools are lacking. This research aimed to adapt and modify an existing PIF scale to assess the professional identities of postgraduate basic health sciences trainees. Methods A mixed-method study was conducted to validate a modified PIF scale. An instrument was developed following AMEE Guide 87 (A. R. Artino et al.) (1). Seven medical educationalists and basic health science postgraduate supervisors established its content validity and reliability. Cognitive interviews were conducted with 15 participants, and the tool was validated through the Delphi technique. Piloting was undertaken on a simple random sample of 500 postgraduate trainees. Psychometric analyses, including structure factor analysis, internal consistency testing, and qualitative content analysis, were used to evaluate the modified scale. Results Five factors related to professional identity formation were identified: “Commitment to Professional Identity, belonging and Values,” “Pursuit of Knowledge and Excellence,” “Professional Growth and Collaboration,” Personal Growth and Reflection,” and “Confidence and impact.” The modified PIF scale demonstrated robust psychometric properties, including a well-defined factor structure, significant reliability, and high internal consistency. With a Cronbach alpha 0.97, the PIF scale's five kept variables accounted for 99.99% of the variance. Conclusions The study found the modified PIF scale to be a reliable tool for assessing the professional identities of postgraduate trainees in basic health sciences. It developed a 50-item tool with five valid factors to evaluate professional identity for postgraduate trainees
The domperidone dilemma in Pakistan: Balancing access and safety concerns
No full textMadam,
Domperidone is used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting as an antiemetic and prokinetic drug. Its pro-kinetic effects mainly manifest in the upper gastrointestinal tract by acting as a dopamine receptor antagonist [1]. However, the drug has been banned by the FDA in the USA due to its association with cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. A recent meta-analysis has shown a statistically significant association between sudden cardiac death [2] and the use of domperidone which raises the question of drug usage in Pakistan as an over-the-counter medication.
The meta-analysis considers six different case-control studies, between 2005 and 2016, that have shown an increase in the risk of sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias associated with domperidone. The observational studies were conducted in North America, Asia, and Europe, proving that it is a global phenomenon, stemming from the use of the drug. The forest plot of the studies has been mentioned later in the abstract showing heterogeneity at 0%, OR ratio 1.69 with 95% CI (1.46-1.95).
To further highlight the risks associated with domperidone, another study has reported that the safety index of the drug is 5.25, which is remarkably lower than the international safety ratio of 30[3]. The safety index, or therapeutic index, is the ratio of the toxic dose in 50% of the population (TD50) and the effective dose in 50% of the population (ED50) with the same therapeutic effect. A wider safety index indicates more room for error in the drug's therapeutic effect; essentially a larger barrier before the drug is toxic. With a safety index of 5.25, the action potential duration is markedly increased, resulting in arrhythmias. The author also comments on restricting the drug only to patients where the potential benefit is proven to justify the risks.
In Pakistan, Domperidone is readily available as an over-the-counter drug. The casual availability raises the concern that the associated safety issues must be critically evaluated to determine whether the uses of the drug outweigh the risk of sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias [4] mentioned in these studies
