Resumen Deben resolverse los deberes diarios, las tareas, las diversas situaciones y las decisiones. Sin embargo, con frecuencia postergamos las actividades críticas para más tarde debido a una sobrecarga de información de diversas fuentes, un número excesivo de tareas, el ritmo de vida rápido, etc. El comportamiento de procrastinación impide el desarrollo de todas las organizaciones. El objetivo principal es identificar las posibles diferencias en la procrastinación y el uso adecuado de la policronicidad en un contexto transcultural. Se consideró una muestra de 281 empleados de industrias manufactureras en Pakistán. Las hipótesis propuestas en este estudio fueron probadas mediante la técnica de Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales (SEM). Los hallazgos indicaron que la policronicidad aumentó el comportamiento de procrastinación, el papel de la influencia de la mediación de conflictos. Además, la autonomía laboral actúa como un moderador negativo de la influencia de la policronicidad en el papel de los sucesos de conflicto, debilitando así todo el proceso de mediación entre la policronicidad y la conducta procrastinadora individual. Finalmente, los resultados se utilizan para mostrar las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas del modelo.

Abstract Daily duties, tasks, various situations, and decisions must be resolved. However, it is frequently the case that we defer critical activities till later due to an overload of information from many sources, an excessive number of duties, the quick pace of life, and so on. Procrastination behavior impedes the development of every organization. The main objective is to identify possible differences in procrastination and the proper use of polychronicity in a cross-cultural context. A sample of 281 employees of manufacturing industries in Pakistan was considered. A study proposed hypotheses were tested through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The findings indicated that polychronicity increased procrastinating behavior, the role of conflict mediation influence. Furthermore, job autonomy acts as a negative moderator of polychronicity influence on the role of conflict occurrences, therefore weakening the entire mediating process between polychronicity and individual procrastinating behaviour. Finally, the results are used to show the model's theoretical and practical implications.

Abstract Antibiotic resistance is more challenging in third world countries due to irrational use of antibiotics and poor antimicrobial resistance surveillance. The current study is aimed to determine the molecular characterization and mutational analysis of antibiotic resistant genes of E. coli isolated from UTIs patients. A total of 112 E. coli isolates were recovered from UTI suspected patients from Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Peshawar. The collected samples were identified phenotypically by API-10S strips and confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction. The selected antibiotic resistant genes were detected by PCR and subsequently sequenced by Next Generation Sequencing. The results of antibiogram revealed that the E. coli isolates were resistant to various antibiotics; Ampicillin, Cotrimoxazole and Ciprofloxacin while showed good results against Tigecycline, Meropenem and Cefoperazone-Sulbactam. Molecular analysis showed that 72 isolates were positive for GyrA gene, GyrB gene 46, tetB 28 and tetR gene 6. The results of mutational analysis revealed that gyrA gene have 3 amino acid substitutions (S83L, D87N and A828S), gyrB have 2 amino acid substitutions (E185D and Q554K), tetB also have 2 amino acid substitutions (H204R and R334S) while only one amino acid substitution in tetR gene (L108P) was observed. The current study reported the novel mutation in gyrB gene at codon554, due to which Glutamine (Q) is substituted by Lysine (K). The high frequency of GyrA gene was observed in 72 E. coli isolates followed by GyrB gene 46, tetB 28 and tetR gene 6 while novel mutation was detected in gyrB gene at codon554.

RESUMO CONTEXTO: A hepatite viral é um fenômeno global, com a intensidade da doença variando diariamente. Entre as infecções crônicas, o vírus da hepatite B e o vírus da hepatite C (VHC) estão fortemente ligados a complicações graves relacionadas à saúde, com prevalência mundial de 248 milhões e 71 milhões, respectivamente. Entre o mundo em desenvolvimento, uma quantidade de países está exibindo um declínio bruto na prevalência de infecção viral crônica, tal como Bangladesh. Embora países como a Índia tenham uma prevalência consistente, o Paquistão tem uma das maiores proporções globais de hepatite viral crônica, com tendências crescentes mostradas ano a ano. Vários textos da menos recentes têm declarado uma taxa de prevalência nacional aproximada em torno de 2,6% e 5,3% da hepatite B e C, respectivamente. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as atuais taxas de soroprevalência da hepatite viral crônica entre a população geral do Sindh rural utilizando um programa de triagem para determinar a carga atual da doença. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma pesquisa observacional e transversal baseada em um programa de triagem combinada em cinco distritos com população de mais de 6,5 milhões. A triagem foi realizada por meio da administração de diversos acampamentos com o auxílio de assistentes sociais locais e organizações de assistência social. Um total de 24.322 indivíduos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão e foram examinados através do teste rápido (HBsAg/VHC) Imu-Med em uma etapa. RESULTADOS: Hepatite B positiva foi encontrada em 964 (3,96%) indivíduos incluindo 421 (43,67%) homens e 543 (56,32%) mulheres, enquanto hepatite C foi positiva em 2.872 (11,80%) indivíduos incluindo 1.474 (51,32%) homens e 1.398 (48,67%) mulheres. A prevalência entre os distritos variou entre 0,97% e 9,06% para hepatite B, e 1,61% e 29,50% para hepatite C, respectivamente. Umerkot foi encontrado como o distrito mais prevalente entre Sindh rural, enquanto Badin tinha o menor número de pessoas soropositivas. O segundo distrito mais prevalente da população de estudos foi encontrado como Tando Allahyar, seguido por Mirpur Khas. A soroprevalência combinada de 15,76% foi calculada para hepatite B e C em conjunto entre os cinco distritos estudados do Sindh rural e periurbano. CONCLUSÃO: As taxas de prevalência alarmantemente reveladas em nosso estudo justificam a necessidade urgente de gerar múltiplas estratégias efetivas na região para aumentar a conscientização da população em geral sobre rastreamento, prevenção e tratamento rápido da doença.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Viral hepatitis is a global phenomenon, with the disease burden varying on a daily basis. Amongst chronic infections, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are egregiously linked to severe health-related complications, with a worldwide prevalence of 248 million and 71 million respectively. Amongst the developing world, a hand full of countries are exhibiting a gross decline in chronic viral infection prevalence, like Bangladesh. While countries such as India have a consistent prevalence, Pakistan bears one of the largest proportions of chronic viral hepatitis globally with increasing trends shown year-by-year. Various old literature texts have stated an approximate national prevalence rate around 2.6% and 5.3% of hepatitis B and C respectively. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the current seroprevalence rates of chronic viral hepatitis amongst the general population of rural Sindh using a screening program to determine the current disease burden. METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional survey based on a screening program was conducted in 5 districts with a combined population of over 6.5 million. The screening was carried out via the administration of various camps with the assistance of local social workers and welfare organizations. A total of 24,322 individuals met the inclusion criteria and were screened through (HBsAg/HCV) rapid test cassette (WC) Imu-Med one-step diagnostic test. RESULTS: Hepatitis B was found positive in 964 (3.96%) individuals including 421 (43.67%) males and 543 (56.32%) females, while hepatitis C was positive in 2872 (11.80%) individuals including 1474 (51.32%) males and 1398 (48.67%) females. The prevalence amongst the districts varied between 0.97% and 9.06% for hepatitis B, and 1.61% and 29.50% for hepatitis C, respectively. Umerkot was found to be the most prevalent district amongst rural Sindh, while Badin had the least number of seropositive people. The second most prevalent district of the study population was found to be Tando Allahyar followed by Mirpur Khas. The combined seroprevalence of 15.76% was calculated for hepatitis B and C together amongst the five studied districts of rural and peri-urban Sindh. CONCLUSION: The alarmingly high prevalence rates revealed in our study warrant the urgent need to generate multiple effective strategies in the region to enhance awareness amongst the general population regarding screening, prevention, and prompt treatment of the disease.

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever dois casos de variantes raras da hemoglobinopatia falciforme. Descrição do caso: Apresentamos aqui dois casos de hemoglobinopatias variantes das células falciformes, de famílias não relacionadas, no estado do Baluchistão (Paquistão), sendo um diagnosticado como doença da hemoglobina SD na eletroforese de hemoglobina, enquanto o outro com doença da hemoglobina SE. Ambos foram diagnosticados a partir da apresentação de osteomielite. Comentários: Hemoglobina SD (Hb SD) e hemoglobina SE (Hb SE) são hemoglobinopatias raras no mundo. A escassez de literatura disponível sugere que ambas são variantes da doença falciforme (DF) com natureza heterogênea. A prevalência de hemoglobinopatia falciforme com heterozigosidade composta foi encontrada com frequência variável na população do sudeste asiático. A frequência de osteomielite na DF é de 12 a 18%, mas sua ocorrência entre as hemoglobinopatias falciformes variantes é pouco relatada. Os dois casos reportados apresentaram osteomielite como característica de apresentação da doença.

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe two cases of unusual variants of sickle cell disease. Case description: We present two cases of sickle cell disease variants (haemoglobinopathies), from unrelated families, in the state of Balochistan (Pakistan). One was diagnosed with sickle cell disease in the haemoglobin electrophoresis, whereas the other was diagnosed with sickle cell SE disease. Both were diagnosed based on the presentation of osteomyelitis. Comments: Haemoglobin SD disease (Hb SD) and haemoglobin SE disease (Hb SE) are rare haemoglobinopathies in the world. The lack of available literature suggests that both are variants of sickle cell disease (SCD), with heterogeneous nature. The prevalence of sickle cell disease with compound heterozygotes was found at a variable frequency in the population of the Asian Southeast. The frequency of osteomyelitis in SCD is 12 to 18%, but its occurrence among variant haemoglobinopathies is little reported. Both reported cases presented with osteomyelitis as a characteristic of the disease presentation.

In this article we report on the association between teacher feedback and scholastic attainment at Secondary School Certificate (SSC) level in Pakistan. The study was conducted with data collected from Pakistani secondary school teachers and students through a survey study using multistage sampling. The objectives of the study were (1) to explore the possible differences in the effect of feedback by male and female teachers on the academic achievement of students in large, medium, and small secondary schools; (2) to compute the relationship of teacher feedback on the scholastic accomplishment at secondary level. The research instrument (questionnaire) with 14 closed-ended statements was developed, validated through experts in the field of education, and internal consistency of the tool was measured using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) - the calculated Cronbach Alpha was 0.814. Two hypotheses for the study were formulated and tested by using non-parametric statistical tests in order to achieve the objectives of the study. The results show that teachers' feedback during the teaching-learning process has a positive association with academic achievement of students. Furthermore, formative feedback, diagnostic feedback, gestural feedback, immediate feedback and feedback on classroom discussion are used to overcome the behavioural and learning issues of low and high achievers. The findings of the study suggest that variety in teacher feedback techniques during the teaching-learning process should be promoted to enhance the quality of students' academic achievement.

Abstract Streptokinase (SK) is an enzyme that is used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The current study focused on the enhanced production of SK by inducing mutation in Streptococcus agalactiae EBL-20 and optimization of medium components and culture conditions for the maximum growth of mutant derived strain. S. agalactiae EBL-32 was selected as a potent mutant after exposure of S. agalactiae EBL-20 to EMS for 180 minutes. SK activity obtained from mutant derived strain was found to be 1.6 fold higher as compared to the activity achieved by wild strain. Nutritional requirements of the mutated strain were optimized by single factor analysis method suggesting glucose as the optimum carbon source; yeast extract and peptone as a suitable nitrogen sources and corn steep liquor (CSL) as an appropriate substrate for the maximum SK production. The culture conditions determined by response surface methodology (RSM) suggested that a temperature value of 37.5⁰C and pH 7 of the fermentation medium with 2.50 mL inoculum size for 36 hours of incubation was optimum for maximum yield of SK. Hence the optimization studies resulted into 1.92 fold increase in the yield of SK suggesting the new isolate suitable for commercial scale production of SK.

Abstract Biotic stress (wilt) caused by Fusarium oxysporium is the most devastating soil born stress in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) and breeding for host resistance is the best method to control wilt. Three distinct sets comprising of eight variable populations (segregating generations, their parents and standard varieties) of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) were evaluated to observe their responses against Fusarium wilt of lentil in a nested design. This study was carried out at the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), at Faisalabad, Pakistan. The results revealed that the parents, standard varieties and plant progenies in segregating populations were developed through selection of single plants and showed resistance against Fusarium wilt disease. Among all sets, the populations of Set-2 and Set-3 were a good source of variation for resistance against Fusarium wilt disease, which may be evaluated and utilized for the selection of disease resistant plants. The mutated populations (AM, BM and ABM) showed more resistance in comparison with recombinant populations thus implying that using induced mutation is effective for developing resistance in lentil. Such type of resistant breeding material can minimize the impact of this disease on lentil production and would be an aid to the lentil breeders in developing high yielding and disease resistant varieties.

Resumen El estrés biótico (marchitez) causado por Fusarium es el estrés producido en el suelo más devastador de la lenteja (Lens culinaris Medik) y el mejoramiento para la resistencia del huésped es el mejor método para controlar la marchitez. Tres conjuntos diferenciados, cada uno de ocho poblaciones variables (generaciones segregantes, sus progenitores y variedades estándar) de lenteja (Lens culinaris Medik), se evaluaron para observar sus respuestas contra la marchitez por Fusarium de la lenteja en un diseño anidado. Este estudio se realizó en el Instituto Nuclear para la Agricultura y la Biología (NIAB), en Faisalabad, Pakistán. Los resultados revelaron que los progenitores, las variedades estándar y las progenies de plantas en poblaciones segregantes fueron desarrolladas por medio de la selección de plantas individuales, y mostraron resistencia contra la enfermedad de marchitez por Fusarium. Entre todos los conjuntos, las poblaciones del Conjunto-2 y el Conjunto-3 fueron una buena fuente de variación para la resistencia contra la enfermedad de marchitez por Fusarium, lo cual se puede evaluar y usar para la selección de plantas resistentes a enfermedades. Las poblaciones mutadas (AM, BM y ABM) mostraron mayor resistencia en comparación con las poblaciones recombinantes, lo cual implica que el uso de la mutación inducida es efectiva para desarrollar resistencia en la lenteja. Este tipo de material con mejoramiento a resistencia puede minimizar el impacto de esta enfermedad en la producción de lentejas y sería una ayuda para que los mejora- dores de lentejas desarrollen variedades con rendimiento alto y resistentes a las enfermedades.

A simple, sensitive and validated HPLC method has been developed to determine gemfibrozil and simvastatin simultaneously in synthetic mixture form. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C-18 column using a mixture of 0.1 M ammonium acétate pH 5.0 and acetonitrile in the ratio of 15:85 (v/v) at a wavelength of 237 nm. Linearity of the method was found to be in the concentration range of 60-420 µg/ml forugemfibrozil and 1-7 µg/ml for simvastatin with correlation coefficient greater than 0.9999. The total eluting time for the two components is less than ten minutes. The method can be used for simultaneous determination of gemfibrozil and simvastatin