bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Metaphoric Perceptions of Primary Mathematics Teachers on the Concept of Game
Authors: Yazici Nurullah
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this research is to examine the meanings that primary school mathematics teachers attribute to the concept of "game" by using metaphorical expressions. In this study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used to examine the metaphorical perceptions of primary school mathematics teachers about the concept of game. The study group of the research consists of 329 primary school mathematics teachers. In order to collect the data of the research, the participants were asked the question “the game is similar to …, because…”. In addition, the participants were asked to draw pictures suitable for their answers to the questions. The data obtained within the scope of the research were subjected to content analysis and Chi-square tests. When the metaphors developed by primary school mathematics teachers regarding the concept of play were examined, it was seen that most of the teachers perceived the game as "a child-specific activity (41%)". On the other hand, it has been observed that approximately one fifth of the teachers see the game as a "teaching method (18%)". In the study, it was determined that the professional seniority of the mathematics teachers had an effect on the metaphors they developed regarding the concept of game. In addition, it was observed that the level of mathematics teachers' involvement in the game in their professional lives had an effect on their development of metaphor as a teaching method.
On Intuition of the Concept of Limit: Real-life Examples Given by Secondary Mathematics Teachers
Authors: Rathnayake Rovini , Jayakody Gaya
Published: February 2023

In Sri Lankan advanced level mathematics curriculum, teachers are required only to provide the intuitive idea of the concept of limit. The purpose of this study is to explore the strategies used by mathematics teachers to achieve this. Twelve in-service secondary mathematics teachers working in government and private schools participated in the study. Data was collected through lesson observations and field notes. Video recorded lessons were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed. Teaching-With-Analogy model was used as a guiding framework to evaluate how teachers integrate real-life examples in classrooms. The analysis revealed few appealing approaches as well as various flaws and misconceptions. In fact, seven teachers took deliberate efforts to link the concept to real-life and among them, four teachers gave an intuition on how x approaches a specific value, through real-life scenarios. However, many were not successful in mapping features of the real-life example to the features of the concept. Few teachers superficially and negligently applied irrelevant metaphors, analogies and colloquial terms. There were gaps in teacher knowledge when incorporating real-life connections to the limit concept. We emphasize the importance of teachers being mindful when using real-life examples in fostering intuition since inappropriate choices of examples could contribute to misconceptions.
Critical Issues in the English Language Classroom: ICT and Online Learning in Language Education
Authors: Canese Valentina , Paez Roberto , Amarilla Jessica
Published: February 2023

A critical issue in education since 2020 has been the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the teaching and learning process. The pandemic has affected all areas of education and foreign language teaching has not been the exception. The study presents key aspects of teacher experience and training in relation to their use of ICT, which has become ubiquitous for teaching and learning during the last two years. For this study, a mixed methodology approach was used with a semi-structured questionnaire that was administered through social networks as well as WhatsApp and emails. A total of 184 responses were recorded from English teachers from all educational levels, public and private schools as well as language institutions. The results showcase that the main aspects affecting the development of classes are teachers’ experience using ICT tools, training received, and technology appropriation. Moreover, the availability of a variety of tools for synchronous and asynchronous instruction, communication, and evaluation allowed teachers to rapidly transition into Emergency Remote Teaching. These results inform education stakeholders of the difficulties and opportunities brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Effects of Instant Messages on Distance Education Students’ Perception of Transactional Distance
Authors: Onat Oğuz , Bertiz Yasemin
Published: February 2023

In this study, effects of instant messages that are sent on a regular basis to the distant education students on how they perceive transactional distance were investigated. These text messages are designed to have either an informative or a remindful nature. Participants were undergraduate students that were randomly assigned to four groups (N=99). Participants in this study who attended distance education classes online regularly received instant messages. The impact of these text messages on students' perceptions of transactional distance was assessed using Perceived Transactional Distance Scale in Distance Education Environments (Horzum, 2011).  Dialogue, Structure Flexibility, Content Organization, Control, and Learner Autonomy were the five subscales that made up the survey. The instant messages were intended to have little to no effect on the dynamics and content of the class. The students received all of the texts over WhatsApp.  The hypothesis which those students receive instant messages periodically will have lower score of perception of transactional distance was largely supported.
Revisiting Unified Theory of Technology and Use of Technology Using Meta-analytic Structural Equation Modelling
Authors: Or Caleb
Published: February 2023

The Unified Theory of Technology and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has been widely used in information system studies since its introduction in 2003. The current study synthesizes 40 empirical studies based on UTAUT in educational contexts using the one-stage meta-analytic structural equation modelling method. While the study confirmed the initial findings by Ventakesh et al. (2003), the model in this study underperformed in the explained variance of behavioral intention. However, the explained variance of usage behavior performed better than the original UTAUT. After introducing new direct relationships between the UTAUT constructs, it was found that the construct, facilitating conditions, was a new predictor of behavioral intention. At the same time, effort expectancy and social influence were new predictors of usage behavior. There have been studies on the UTAUT model with many diverse findings since its inception in 2003. The method introduced in this study, a One-Stage combined Meta-Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (OSMASEM), offers an approach for researchers to use past empirical data to examine the UTAUT framework without relying on replicating similar studies. As more empirical data from UTAUT research are added to train the data model using OSMASEM, researchers can now study how educational technology trends change over time.
Student Perceptions on the Use of Flip in Higher Education: Learning Strategies and Classroom Community
Authors: Wissman Kathryn T.
Published: February 2023

Finding creative and effective ways to support student experiences and student learning in the classroom is an important goal for instructors, especially as remote and hybrid formats become more common and new, educational technologies are recommended. The current work involved the creation and implementation of a curricular innovation using Flip to encourage the use of evidence-based learning strategies and promote a sense of community in a college classroom. A survey was developed and administered as extra credit in a large Introduction to Psychology class in Spring 2021, with questions focused on examining student perceptions of using Flip in the classroom. Results revealed that students enjoyed using Flip for assignments, believed that Flip assignments helped their learning of class content, and recommended the instructor keeping using Flip in future semesters. The current work highlights the versatility and benefit of using Flip as an instructional tool in the classroom.
Understanding the Relevance of Digital Media in Higher Education
Authors: Klein Christian
Published: February 2023

In higher education, new teaching and learning behaviors have been observed over the past few years, mainly driven by digital transformation. The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated this process, with higher education institutions as well as students often having to change their behavior virtually from one day to the next. Digital media is a widely used term in the academic literature. It can refer to components such as social media, smartphones or tablets, videos, wikis, and search engines. Online-based technologies and the consumption of digital media content became more prevalent during the COVID-19 crisis. The present study reviewed scholarly databases in an attempt to ascertain current knowledge of the use and relevance of digital media in higher education. Several studies have discussed the advantages of using digital media in higher education institutions, but a framework supporting the application of digital media components is lacking. The present study used content analysis to examine these studies. It recommends that examination preparation, instructional content assistance, and student self-study enhancement would benefit most from the use of digital media.
Marital Infidelity and Paternity Dispute in Nigeria: an Islamic Perspective
Authors: Obalowu Issah Abeebllahi , Abdul Rahim Adibah
Published: February 2023

According to the statistics revealed by the geneticists, there is a rapid and drastic increment in the number of parents that carry out a DNA test to determine the real biological father of their children, whom they have been nurturing for many years.  The phenomenon is said to have resulted from the rampant marital infidelity among Nigerians. So, this paper is an attempt to explore the reason for such widespread marital infidelity, the means of curbing it and investigate the Islamic perspective on a DNA test for affirming paternity, and the extent to which the father under whose roof the child was born is compelled with the result of such test. So, the qualitative method is being employed to carry out the research by revisiting the classical literature related to the issue and collecting the data from relevant sources with adequate analysis. After a thorough investigation, the result of the study shows that the major reason for the widespread marital infidelity can be related to the prevailed un-Islamic system of establishing affairs between both sexes by having premarital relationships and intimacy with the opposite sex which usually continues after legal marriage. It also reveals that, based on Islamic jurisprudence, neither a DNA test nor other means of proof can deny the legal husband paternity of a child born under his matrimonial custody and give fatherhood to an adulterer.
معهد الإيمانية الدالويَّة النشأة والأهداف والدور الدعوي
Authors: Hayeemasa Hasan , Sayed Emam Sallam Amr Mohammed
Published: February 2023

ملخص

هذه الدراسة تبحث عن الدعوة الإسلامية التي يقوم بها معهد الإيمانية الدالوية بفطاني جنوب تايلاند. ومن أهم الأسباب التي من أجلها تم اختيار هذا العنوان هو البحث عن الدور الذي قام به علماء هذا المعهد ومن ينتمي اليه من الدعاة في الدعوة الإسلامية ،كما أن هذا البحث يكون مرجعا مهما في نشر الدعوة الإسلامية في مجال التربية والمجتمع في جنوب تايلاند. وهذا البحث يهدف إلى عرض كيفية طرق الدعوة الإسلامية التي قام بها الدعاة في نشر العلوم وتعاليم الإسلام في جنوب تايلاند خصوصا في هذا المعهد العريق. وهذا البحث يسير على عدة مناهج وهي المنهج الوصفي والمنهج التحليلي مع الدراسة الميدانية ، وقد تبين من خلال البحث أن العلماء الذين قاموا بالدعوة الإسلامية قد بذلوا جهودهم في إصلاح المجتمع والوطن خصوصا في مجال التعليم ، وهذا المعهد قد نجح في صناعة رجال الدعوة أو الدعاة في جنوب تايلاند والبلاد المجاورة لها.

 

Abstract

This study aimed mainly at the Islamic da’wah carried out by the Al-Imaniyyah Ad-Dalawiyyah Faith Institute in Pattani, southern Thailand. One of the most important reasons for which i chose the title for the role played by the scholars of this institute and the preachers belonging to it in the Islamic da’wah. Also, this research is an important reference in spreading the Islamic call in the field of education and society in southern Thailand. This research aims to show how the methods of Islamic da’wah carried out by the preachers in spreading the sciences and teachings of Islam in southern Thailand, especially in this ancient institute. This research is based on several approaches, namely the descriptive approach and the analytical approach, with a field study. It was found through the research that the scholars who carried out the Islamic da’wah have made efforts to reform society and the nation, especially in the field of education. This institute has succeeded in making da’wah men or preachers in southern Thailand and the neighboring countries.
Rectopexia laparoscópica con malla para tratamiento del prolapso rectal (Video)
Authors: Chinelli Javier , Ximenez Valentina , Brandolino Soledad , Rodriguez Gustavo
Published: February 2023

Introducción: Existen múltiples alternativas para el tratamiento quirúrgico del prolapso rectal, mediante procedimientos de fijación, resección o combinados. Si bien el abordaje perineal evita el acceso a la cavidad peritoneal, se acompaña de una tasa de recidiva mayor en relación al abordaje abdominal.

 

Descripción: Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 66 años, histerectomizada por via laparotómica, con un prolapso rectal externo y reductible de 1 año de evolución, sin incontinencia fecal ni constipación previas. La endoscopia preoperatoria descartó la presencia de patología colónica asociada. Se realizó un abordaje laparoscópico, en posición Trendelenburg lateralizado a derecha. Como es habitual en estos casos, presenta un dolicosigmoides y un fondo de saco de Douglas profundo, evidenciándose también la cicatriz de la cesárea. El procedimiento comienza con la apertura peritoneal a nivel del promontorio y la movilización de la unión rectosigmoidea, identificando el uréter izquierdo. Se continua la disección circunferencial tras la apertura de la reflexión peritoneal hasta la altura de la cúpula vaginal. La rectopexia con malla se realiza según la técnica de Orr-Loygue, mediante la fijación a cada lado de ambos extremos con polipropileno 2-0, por una parte a la cara lateral del recto y por otra al promontorio sacro, con cuidado de no lesionar los vasos ilíacos y los uréteres. Finalmente se cierra la reflexión peritoneal con poliglactina para aislar las mallas protésicas del contenido visceral.

La paciente tuvo una buena evolución postoperatoria, otorgándose el alta a las 48 hs. Tras 8 meses de seguimiento se encuentra asintomática, con un tránsito digestivo bajo y continencia fecal sin alteraciones.

 

Conclusiones: El abordaje laparoscópico para el tratamiento del prolapso rectal es seguro y ofrece las ventajas de la cirugía mini-invasiva. La rectopexia con malla protésica es un procedimiento técnicamente desafiante, aunque con mejores resultados alejados
Seismic Fragility Analysis of Hollow Concrete Block Infilled Reinforced Concrete Buildings
Authors: Awayo Daniel Dibaba
Published: February 2023

Masonry infills are usually treated as nonstructural elements in buildings, and their interaction with the bounding frame is often ignored in analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. The main aim of this study is to develop a seismic fragility curves showing the probability of exceeding a damage limit state for a given structure type subjected to a seismic excitation. For the purpose of this study, three distinct buildings namely, seven-story, eleven-story and sixteen-story, with typical floor plan were proposed as the case study. Each building cases are explicitly modeled as a bare frame and HCB infilled model with varying percentage of infill configurations. All building models under the case study were analyzed using Seismo-Struct software to assess seismic vulnerabilities. Non-linear dynamic time history and pushover analysis were employed to generate fragility curves. 30 generated artificial accelerograms were employed in the nonlinear dynamic time history analysis. Accordingly, for developing a fragility curve, nonlinear dynamic analyses of 30 building models for each case are conducted and the maximum roof displacement (ID) for each ground motion is recorded. Results of the study showed that bare frame has a highest probability of failure and building models with a larger percentage of infill configurations have lesser failure probability than slightly infilled building models. Basically these infills have significant contribution in arresting large lateral deflections and results in lower and most tolerable story displacements under excited earthquake motion and eventually reducing the structure’s probability of failure at life safety and collapse prevention limit states
E-Procurement and Supply Chain Performance in the Construction Industry of Pakistan
Authors: Ahmed Zubair , Memon Nafees Ahmed , Vighio Anees Ahmed , Shaikh Jazib Bashir , Kori Abdul Rehman
Published: February 2023

Technology-based service is no longer an afterthought for public and commercial businesses in today's dynamic, competitive, global economic climate; rather, it is a need. It has become essential for businesses to offer their clients a comprehensive, cost-effective solution that also improves customer happiness. Eprocurement has played a significant role globally. It has so far entirely dominated Pakistan in terms of displaying a stepped-wise technique for its adoption at each stage of projects. After achieving success across the board in different projects, e-procurement began to attract the interest of numerous researchers in its application to construction projects. The literature study, however, reveals that many of the studies conducted in this field are limited to particular regions. Thus, there aren't many observational studies on the role of IT in the supply chain cycle. The aim of this study is to identify the eprocurement factors that effect the performance of supply chain management in Pakistan's construction industry. The study adopted the use of questionnaires and interview schedules to collect primary data. The research also adopted a descriptive design to collect quantitative and qualitative data that describes the effects of e-procurement factors on supply chain performance. For this, a questionnaire was designed and collected data from experienced workers. Data were analyzed in SPSS 25. The data of the questionnaire survey showed the importance of factors that affect the supply chain performance and ranked them according to mean and standard values. From the analysis results, the top e-procurement factors have been identified for construction industry of Pakistan.
Bitcoin Price Prediction and NFT Generator Based on Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Lade Mitali , Rashmi Welekar  , Charanjeet Dadiyala
Published: February 2023

Twitter sentiment has been found to be useful in predicting whether the price of Bitcoin will rise or fall will climb or decline. Modelling market activity and hence emotion in the Bitcoin ecosystem gives insight into Bitcoin price forecasts. We take into account not just the emotion retrieved not just from tweets, but also from the quantity of tweets. With the goal of optimising time window within which expressed emotion becomes a credible predictor of price change, we provide data from research that examined the link among both sentiment and future price at various temporal granularities. We demonstrate in this study that not only can price direction be anticipated, but also the magnitude of price movement with same accuracy, and this is the study's major scientific contribution. Non-Fungible Token (NFT) has gained international interest in recent years as a blockchain-based application. The most prevalent kind of NFT that can be stored on many blockchains is digital art. We did studies on CryptoPunks, the most popular collection on the NFT market, in examine and depict each and every major ethical challenges. We investigated ethical concerns from three perspectives: design, trade transactions, and relevant Twitter topics. Using Python libraries, a Twitter crawler, and sentiment analysis tools, we scraped data from Twitter and performed the analysis and prediction on bitcoin and NFTs.
An Approach for generating best possible questions from the given text using Natural Language Processing
Authors: Neha Bhagwatkar  , Kimaya Vaidya  , Aditi Singh  , Sneha Borikar  , Hirkani Padwad
Published: February 2023

A crucial ability for every person is the capacity to ask pertinent questions. By automating the process of question formation, an automatic question generator is able to decrease the time and effort needed for manual question creation. Along with benefitting educational institutions like schools and colleges, automated question generation can be used in chatbots and for automated tutoring systems. Question Generation is an area in NLP that is still under research for greater accuracy. Research work has been done in many languages too. The goal of an automatic question generator is to generate syntactically and semantically correct questions, valid according to the given input. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model is one of the pre-trained models adopted to implement the same. Additionally, we used Python packages, including NLTK, Spacy, and PKE. To test our findings, we evaluated the validity and relevance of generated questions using human-level cognition and evaluation. We were successful in creating inquiries that adequately reflected several of the peculiarities of English so that a person might comprehend them.
Facial Emotion Recognition through Neural Networks
Authors: Abhijeet R. Raipurkar  , Pravesh Dholwani  , Atharva Pandhare  , Rishabh Mittal  , Aniket Tawani
Published: February 2023

Humans often express themselves through facial expressions. Deep learning techniques are used as an efficient system application process in research on the advancement of artificial intelligence technology in human-computer interactions. As an illustration, let’s say someone tries to communicate by using facial expressions. Some people who see it occasionally cannot foresee the expression or emotion it may evoke. Psychology includes study and evaluation of inferences in interpreting a person’s or group of people’s emotions when interacting in order to recognize emotions or facial expressions. Indeed, a convolutional neural networks (CNN) model may be learned to assess images and recognize facial expressions. This study suggests developing a system that can classify and forecast facial emotions using feature extraction and real-time Convolution Neural Network (CNN) technology from the OpenCV library. We have chosen FER 2013 Dataset as the main dataset for our study. Face detection, extraction of facial features, and facial emotion categorization are the three key procedures that make up the research that was implemented.
Incorporating Transfer Learning in CNN Architecture
Authors: Gurjar Aparna , Voditel Preeti
Published: February 2023

Machine learning (ML) is a data intensive process. For training of ML algorithms huge datasets are required.There are times when enough data is not available due to multitude of reasons. This could be due to lack ofavailability of annotated data in a particular domain or paucity of time in data collection process resulting innon-availability of enough data. Many a times data collection is very expensive and in few domains data collectionis very difficult. In such cases, if methods can be designed to reuse the knowledge gained in one domain havingenough training data, to some other related domain having less training data, then problems associated with lackof data can be overcome. Transfer Learning (TL) is one such method. TL improves the performance of the targetdomain through knowledge transfer from some different but related source domain. This knowledge transfer canbe in form of feature extraction, domain adaptation, rule extraction for advice and so on. TL also works withvarious kinds of ML tasks related to supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning. The ConvolutionalNeural Networks are well suited for the TL approach. The general features learned on a base network (source)are shifted to the target network. The target network then uses its own data and learns new features specific toits requirement.
Perancangan Prototype Sistem Informasi Pusat Satu Data DPR RI Berbasis Mobile di SEKJEN DPR RI
Authors: Budi R Erick Harlest , Munawar Achmad , Puspitasari Elsa
Published: February 2023

Abstrak: Data memiliki peran penting dalam pengambilan keputusan strategis. Oleh karenanya, pihak yang mampu mengolah dan memanfaatkan data-data yang tersedia dalam volume besar, keragaman variatif, kompleksitas tinggi dan kecepatan penambahan data yang tinggi, dapat mengambil keuntungan yang besar. Penggunaan metode prototyping di dalam penelitian ini bertujuan agar peneliti mendapatkan gambaran aplikasi yang akan dibangun melalui tahap pembangunan aplikasi prototype terlebih dahulu yang akan dievaluasi oleh user. Aplikasi prototype yang telah dievaluasi oleh user selanjutnya akan dijadikan acuan untuk membuat aplikasi yang dijadikan produk akhir sebagai output dari penelitian ini. Merancang sistem informasi pusat satu data tersebut. Oleh sebab itusangat diperlukan sebuah aplikasi Mobile menggunakan UML, Web Based, dan pemrograman JAVA agar menghasilkan sistem informasi yang cepat, tepat, dan akurat. Teknologi informasi dan komunikasi menjadi keniscayaan untuk dimiliki sebuah parlemen modern. Dan Big Data menjadi sangat krusial dalam mendukung semua kerja dan fungsi parlemen. Parlemen modern dalam konteks mendukung fungsi parlemen, maka peran Big Data menjadi hal sangat penting untuk segera diimplementasikan. Dengan adanya sistem pusat satu data DPR RI ini diharapkan mampu memberikan kontribusi yang bagi bagi perusahaan khususnya dalam perjalanan sidang-sidang anggota DPR RI.Kata kunci: Prototype, Big Data, Parlemen ModernAbstract: Data has an important role in strategic decision-making. Therefore, parties who can process and utilize the data available in large volumes, varied diversity, high complexity, and high data addition speed, can take great advantage.  The use of the prototyping method in this study aims for researchers to get an overview of the application that will be built through the prototype application development stage first which will be evaluated by the user.  The prototype application that has been evaluated by the user will then be used as a reference for making applications that are used as the final product as the output of this research. Designing a single data center information system is therefore very necessary for a mobile application using UML, Web Based, and JAVA programming to produce a fast, precise, and accurate information system. Information and communication technology are a necessity for a modern parliament to have. And Big Data is very crucial in supporting all parliamentary work and functions. In modern parliaments in the context of supporting parliamentary functions, the role of Big Data is very important to be implemented immediately. With the DPR RI's one data center system, it is hoped that it will be able to make a significant contribution to the company, especially in the course of the sessions of members of the DPR RI.Keywords: Prototype, Big Data, Modern Parliament
Is prescribing medicine with generic formula the practical solution to control price?
Authors: Jameel Maria , Rehna Tasnim
Published: February 2023

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) recently sent a letter to all provincial health departments advising their health professionals to prescribe a drug’s generic formula instead of its generic name. The decision was taken to control the price of drugs and break the nexus between pharmaceutical companies and doctors 1who prescribe the company-promoted branded medication. The Prime Minister's Performance delivery unit took this initiative in response to several complaints received regarding doctors prescribing brand names of expensive medicines despite the cheaper available alternatives in the market.
The matter rose to prominence, particularly during the pandemic of COVID-19 when pharmaceutical companies suddenly overpriced different medicines crucial for the sufferers of the pandemic. People started complaining and questioning on the agreement between the doctors and pharmaceutical companies regarding this malpractice of prescribing drugs.
The irresponsible attitude of using medicines by the consumers and unnecessary prescription of drugs by doctors has been a global problem,,2 moreover, it has been observed that healthcare costs in general and drug costs are rising everywhere, largely because of new medicines. But the overpricing in last years was due to the DRAP policies.3
The whole idea of using the generic formula on prescription is not the only way to control medicine’s price. Still   it involves other serious issues, such as an agreement between pharmacy and pharmaceutical companies to give their brand when the doctor does not prescribe the drug by name. The suggestion is not workable because the doctor decides a medicine to be given to a patient based on his disease, needs and condition. The doctor selects a particular brand based on his experience and confidence in that brand. So, his expertise and brand reputation play an essential role in his prescription decisions. Moreover, there is a shortage of qualified, trained pharmacists so implementing the suggestion could be harmful to patients’ health because it would encourage substandard drugs.4
The government can control the price by using more practical andless uncomplicated strategies. The high cost and inaccessibility of essential medicine across Pakistan are related to weak quality assurance regulations, poor affordability, and irrational use.3 One of the critical solutions to the problem of price control is to set the price of generic brands in respect to the average price of the similar generic drugs available in the market.
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The gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis, a rare entity: case report and review of literature
Authors: Hashmi Kanza Huma Zia , Zujajah Hameed  , Nadira Mamoon
Published: February 2023

Gastrointestinal basisdiobolomycosis is a rare fungal infection prevalent in the tropical and subtropical regions. It has variable clinical manifestations that present a challenge for timely diagnosis. Herein, we present a case of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis in a 34-year-old male. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first reported case of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis from Pakistan. The patient presented with abdominal pain and was first operated for perforated appendix and then for a mesenteric mass based on the findings of CT scan. Histopathologic examination showed broad septate fungal hyphae surrounded by eosinophilic proteinaceous material (Splendore-Hoppeli phenomenon), neutrophils, and histiocytes. Diagnosis of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis was established on the basis of this morphology.
Keywords: Fungus, Abdominal pain, Basidiobolomycosis.
COVID-19 related risk perception and altruistic response amongst undergraduates on reopening of educational institutes
Authors: Bushra Rabbani  , Faisal Ahmed  , Ammarah Saeed  , Syed Muhammad Zulfiqar Hyder Naqvi  , Mariam Tariq  , Mehrunnisa Umar
Published: February 2023

Objective: To determine the coronavirus disease-2019-related risk perception and altruistic response among undergraduate medical students post-lockdown.
Method: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, at the Baqai Medical University, Karachi, and comprised undergraduates aged 16 and above, studying in medical, dental, physiotherapy, pharmacy and Information technology departments. Data was collected using a structured and standardised online questionnaire.  Positive responses led to a perceived risk score ranging 0-9, with a higher score indicating a greater perception of risk. The score was corelated with demographic variables. Data was analysed using SPSS 21.
Results: Of the 743 subjects, 472(63.5%) were females. The overall mean age of the sample was 21.34±1.8 years. The mean risk perception score was 3.8±2.5, and it was significantly associated with disease exposure (p<0.001). Altruism had a strong association with the perceived risk score (p<0.001), indicating lower risk perception.
Conclusion: The risk perception among the students was low, pointing towards a need of psychological assistance program for the students.
Key Words: COVID-19, Risk, Perception, Students, Academics, Institutes.
Diagnostic evaluation of myeloperoxidase and Cardiac Troponin I in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Riaz Muhammad
Published: February 2023

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of myeloperoxidase and cardiac troponin-I in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Method: The validity study was conducted from January to November 2018 at the Emergency and Pathology departments of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, and the Department of Pathology, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised adult patients of either gender who presented with complaint of constrictive pericarditis for testing the myeloperoxidase MPO and cardiac troponin-I concentrations. Data was obtained related to age, gender and electrocardiogram, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were determined. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.
Results: Of the 62 patients with mean age 56.40+11.39 years, 49(79%) were males, 15(42%) were aged 51-60 years, 24(38.7%) had ST elevation, and 21(33.9%) had normal electrocardiogram. For myeloperoxidase, there were 13(21%) true positive, 39(63%) false negative and 10(16%) true negative cases. For cardiac troponin-I, there were 52(84%) true positive and 10(16%) true negative cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy values were 25%, 100%, 100%, 20.4% and 37%, respectively.
Conclusion: Early prognostic assessment is necessary for application of proper treatment and management.
Key Words: Diagnosis, Myeloperoxidase, Cardiac troponin-I, Acute coronary syndrome.
Investing in mental health during the first 1,000 days of life: now and future
Authors: Bhamani Shelina , Syed Areeba , Sheikh Lumaan , Mian Ayesha
Published: February 2023

Covid-19 has disrupted the mental health services in 93% of the countries worldwide. Approximately 130 countries are affected catastrophically by Covid-19, which limits access to mental health services. Most vulnerable are children, pregnant women, and adults with limited access to mental healthcare. In highlighting the importance of mobilising resources, the WHO has given leaders around the world an opportunity to galvanise efforts. Maternal and children’s mental health are crucial factors that may have a lifelong impact. In a post-pandemic world, a renewed focus is required to develop sustainable policies and action plans to support new mothers and new-borns in the first 1,000 days of life. This viewpoint shares a reflective discourse on contextualising the need of investment in mental health in times of crisis and global pandemic and what needs to be catered to in the near future.
Keywords: First 1,000 days of life, Maternal health, Women’s health.
Current clinical practice of orofacial contracture management in head and neck burn patients among physical therapists of Hyderabad
Authors: Shaikh Rabia , Fakhrah Safdar  , Hussain Shujaat
Published: February 2023

Objective: To evaluate the current clinical practices of orofacial contracture management among physical therapists dealing with head and neck burn patients.
Method: The cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hyderabad, Pakistan, from May 14 to December 31, 2021, and comprised physical therapistsworking in different hospitals and clinics and having clinical experience >1 year. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on literature which included questions related to demographics, service provision, clinical training, orofacial burn wound assessment, orofacial contracture intervention and outcome measurement in multiple choice, dichotomous or open response formats. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 100 subjects, 38(38%) were males and 62(62%) were females, while 71(71%) were aged 20-30 years, 22(22%) were aged 31-40 years, and 7(7%) were aged 41-50 years. Besides, 57(57%) physical therapists used stretching/exercise in the management of superficial-partial thickness burn, while 49(49%) used it in deep-partial thickness burn, and 44(44%) in full-thickness burn. Also, 43(43%) therapists used presence or maturation of the scar tissue as the indicator to escalate/reduce the intensity of the treatment. Regarding splinting, 49(49%) therapists used it on the 5th day of grafting and 35(35%) used it after complete healing.
Conclusion: There was minimal knowledge regarding the use of specific interventions and specific regimes at particular stages.
Key Words: Head burn, Neck burn, Orofacial contracture, Contracture management, Physical therapist.
A morphological study comparing heart size measurement on chest radiograph with echocardiography in local population
Authors: Ahmed Ali Khan  , Aisha Qamar
Published: February 2023

Objectives: To investigate heart size on chest X-ray via cardiothoracic ratio, and to correlate it with echocardiographic measurements.
Method: The comparative analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pakistan Navy Station Shifa Hospital, Karachi, between January 2021 and July 2021. The radiological parameters were measured on chest X-rays posterior-anterior view, and the echocardiographic parameters were measured using 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. The absence or presence of cardiomegaly on both imaging modalities was modelled as a binary categorical variable and compared.  Data was analysed using SPSS 23.
Results: Of the 79 participants, 44(55.7%) were males and 35(44.3%) were females. The mean age of the sample was 52.71±14.54 years. There were 28(35.44%) enlarged hearts on chest X-ray and 46(58.22%) on echocardiography. The sensitivity and specificity of chest X-ray were 54.35% and 90.90%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 89.28% and 58.82%, respectively. The accuracy of chest X-ray in identifying an enlarged heart was 69.62%.
Conclusion: The cardiac silhouette on a chest X-ray could demonstrate heart size through simple measurements with high specificity and reasonable accuracy. However, a normal heart size on chest X-ray may not have a normal function.
Key Words: Heart size, Cardiomegaly, Cardiothoracic ratio, Chest X-ray, PA view, Transthoracic echocardiography.
Morphological variations in malleus among the male and female
Authors: Azam Khattak Mariya , Usmani Ambreen , Aslam Sohail , Khaliq Saneed , Ayesha Mehwish  , Ahmed Rida Rubab
Published: February 2023

Objective: To determine gender-based morphological variations in malleus.
Method: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Ear-Nose-Throat and Radiology departments of a public-sector hospital in Karachi, from January 20 to July 23, 2021, and comprised subjects of either gender aged 10-51 years who had intact ear ossicles. They were divided into equal male and female groups. After history and a thorough examination of the ear, high-resolution computed tomography scan of petrous temporal bone was done. The images were studied for malleus, to measure the parameters of its head width, length and shape of manubrium, and total length of malleus for possible morphological variations along gender lines. Data was analysed using SPSS 23.
Results: Of the 50 subjects, 25(50%) were males with mean width of the head 3.04±0.34mm, mean length of manubrium 4.47±0.48mm, and mean total length of malleus 7.76±0.60mm. The corresponding values in 25(50%) females were 3.00±0.28mm, 4.31±0.45mm and 7.41±0.51mm. The total length of malleus between both genders was significantly different (p= 0.031). The shape of manubrium was straight in 10(40%) males and 8(32%) females, and curved in 15(60%) males and 17(68%) females.
Conclusion: Width of head, length of manubrium and total length of malleus were different in gender terms, but the total length of malleus was significantly different.
Key Words: Ear, Malleus, Computed tomography.
A derivation of factors influencing homeopaths to promote quackery in Sindh
Authors: Khan Rehan
Published: February 2023

This article provides multifaceted information as well as an assessment of how and why homoeopaths engage in quackery, which is neither safe, effective, or legal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the majority of homeopaths in Sindh to promote quackery through allopathic medical system, which is outside the boundaries of a homeopath’s practice license and competency. The study also explains why homeopathy has remained popular in Sindh, Pakistan, despite its limitations and waning popularity in the United States (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Russia, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain over the last decade, based on major national clinical research studies claiming that homeopathic medicines are no more effective than a placebo.
Keywords: Homeopathy, Quackery prone homeopaths, Aiding & abetting quackery.
Anatomical insight into the variable terminal branching pattern of brachial artery: a narrative review
Authors: Quratulain Javaid
Published: February 2023

Blood to the arm is mainly supplied by the brachial artery, which arises at the termination point of the axillary artery at the level of inferior margin of the teres major muscle. The artery ends by dividing into two terminal branches: radial and ulnar. The bifurcation normally takes place at the cubital fossa or around a finger’s width below elbow at the level of the neck of the radius bone. For the current narrative review, literature published from 2016 to 2022 was searched on PubMed, Google and Google Scholar databases. Across the globe, variation in terminal branching pattern of the brachial artery was observed. In most cadavers, higher termination was observed in the right upper limb. The variability can have adverse effects on the diagnostic, therapeutic and interventional procedures.
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High-riding innominate artery in the neck – a hazardous presentation during surgery
Authors: Akhtar Sareema Eman , Shakil Saad , Dhanani Rahim , Wasif Muhammad
Published: February 2023

Aberrant innominate artery lying high in the neck is a rare entity that can be encountered intraoperatively during midline neck surgeries such as thyroidectomy and tracheostomy. Surgeons should be mindful of this entity as injury to the artery can lead to life-threatening haemorrhage. We report a case of a 40 year old female in whom an aberrant innominate artery was identified high in the neck, while performing a total thyroidectomy.
Keywords: Aberrant innominate artery, Thyroidectomy, Tracheostomy, Aorta.
Monkeypox virus: a potential pandemic?
Authors: Daniya Tarique  , Ayesha Ahmed Siddiqui  , Gati Ara
Published: February 2023

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Novel Surgical Procedure for Punctal Stenosis: Advantages of Implementation in Pakistan
Authors: Aleenah Mohsin  , Syeda Rabab Fatima  , Aiman Idrees
Published: February 2023

Dear Editor,
Punctal stenosis is the occlusion of the external opening of the lacrimal canaliculus. It is clinically diagnosed using fluorescein dye in addition to other methods. Over half of the population coming to ophthalmology centres for routine checkups are found to have punctal stenosis [1]. Research revealed that punctal stenosis could be caused by multiple factors such using topical anti-glaucoma medications, ectropion and chronic blepharitis. The latter, in turn, has many unknown causes, with the clinical presentation being increased lacrimation, redness and discomfort of the eyes [2]. Moreover, advancing age increases the risk of punctal stenosis [3].
The treatment of punctal stenosis can be carried out by various stenting procedures (including perforated punctal plugs), balloon dilatation and multiple punctal snip  procedures differing based on the  number of incisions (one snip, two snips, three snips and four snip punctoplasty [4]), with each new procedure better than the previous one. A study published in 2018 presented a novel, modified rectangular three snips punctoplasty procedure involving three interrupted suture placements in the posterior wall of the ampulla, which decreased the chances of restenosis. The surgery showed improved subjective symptoms, with anatomical and functional success rates of 94% and 92%, respectively. It also showed a significant decrease in mean tear meniscus height (TMH) and recurrence rate in comparison with conventional three snip punctoplasty (TSP) [5].
The introduction of this surgery in Pakistan could be used as a panacea, given the country’s current state.  The high recurrence rate of punctal stenosis after the conventional TSP calls for a second surgery which not only alarmingly increases the odds of disruption of the normal anatomy and physiology of the lacrimal system but also causes prolongation of hospital stay, leading to increasing exhaustion for the patient. Moreover, a second surgery after the first jeopardizes the doctors’ credibility as the patient expects complete recovery after the first surgery. There is an increased incidence of punctal stenosis due to infection and inflammation in the rural areas of Pakistan, where more than half of the population resides, with few or no ophthalmology centres. People from these areas travel a long distance to resolve their ophthalmic issues. These setbacks slim the chances of seeking a second surgery in case of recurrence. Reluctance stemming from financial restrictions to seek a second surgery in case of recurrence can complicate the patient’s condition by causing excessive lacrimation and hence a lot of discomforts.
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