Cassia tora Linn. – A Pharmacological Review

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Cassia tora Linn. is one of the widely  used plants  in ethnic and traditional systems of medicine. A popular species in the genus Cassia, its therapeutic effects on ocular system, integumentary system, hepato pancreatic disorders, gastric system have been documented since centuries and demonstrated through pharmacological experiments. The efficacy of the seeds and leaves may be attributed to presence of anthraquinones glycosides phenolic glycosides, sennosides and flavonoids.  Cassia tora need to evaluated for its unexplored health benefits through new scientific investigations in tackling emerging diseases and life style disorders.

Challenges of Teaching and Learning English at Undergraduate Level: A Case Study

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This paper is an attempt to investigate the challenges or problems regarding teaching and learning English as a compulsory subject at the undergraduate level of Panjab University Constituent College Dharamkot (PUCCD). The study discusses both the perspective of teachers and learners using case study model. Classroom observation, questionnaire, and textbook analysis are used as methodology. The triangulation of data results out the challenges of teaching and learning English language which is faced by both the students and teachers in this college and points out some basic solutions regarding that.

Human Capital Readiness in Facing Industry 4.0 – Study Case Shared Services Finance in Energy Company, PT Perminyakan

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PT Perminyakan established a new organization named Shared Service Center (SSC) in 2018 as one of the embodiment of digital transformation of the company. SSC consist of four functions called multitower, they are Finance, IT, Human Capital and Asset Management. Shared Service Finance (SSF) provide services to stakeholders (customers, suppliers, and other function inside PT Perminyakan) in finance operation activities. In the daily job, SSF face many challenges, high volume and repetitive jobs are occurs every day. SSF helped by the management team that provide technologies industry 4.0 based to help and assist them in doing their daily activities. But the utilization of the tools is still low. Based on these problems, in this final project a research was conducted using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods using questionnaire and equipped with semi-structured interviews to obtain data and information that will be included in the concept of Human Capital Readiness. Human Capital Readiness seen from four aspects: Knowledge, Hard Skill, Soft Skill, and Attitude. Furthermore, interviews were conducted to determine and give deeper information about the questionnaire result and gain insight about how company respond to the condition. SSF also has SIERA, it is an industry 4.0 based tool that develop by SSF itself. It uses Artificial Intelligence based technology. Writer also use the quantitative and qualitative method to find out the Human Capital Readiness of SSF in implementing SIERA. Furthermore, from Human Capital Readiness assessment that provide Human Development Index (HDI), a gap was used to determine some aspects that defined as ready, optimal, not ready. From the questionnaire and interviews that validate the questionnaire result, writer also give some recommendation of implementation plan to the company. The findings in this study are divided into two scopes. The first is about readiness to face the industrial 4.0, and the second is about the readiness in implementing SIERA. First scope give result that Knowledge and Soft Skill are not ready, but Hard Skill and Attitude are optimal. By this result, writer give recommendation to increase digital literation, upskilling and re-skilling, and culture development (digital leadership and digital mindset). Second scope give result that Hard Skill and Attitude are not ready, meanwhile Knowledge is optimal and Soft Skill is ready. Writer give three recommendations: upskilling, solve application issues and update, and aggressive branding for SIERA.

The Internationalization of SMEs: Motives and Barriers

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This study answers questions about the motives and barriers to the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A literature review was conducted to identify relevant research findings on the motives and barriers to the internationalization of SMEs. The finding of the study is consistent with the Resource-Sector Model of SME Internationalization, that the internationalization motives of SMEs are classified into internal motives, namely increasing profits, availability of resources, creating market power, and business growth. While external motives are limited domestic market, competition, and proximity to customers and suppliers. In addition, the study shows that resource strength and owner-manager competence are the driving factors for the internationalization of SMEs. SMEs entering the international market will face internal barriers: human resources, product quality, and financial resources, and external barriers: business environment, government barriers, and socio-cultural barriers. This study contributes to providing new insights into consideration of opportunities and threats for the internationalization of SMEs.

Sustainable Overall Social Transformation: The Problem of Transition

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The paper is devoted to the interdisciplinary item of sustainable development. As follows from the argumentation, it is advisable to expose a concept of universal sustainability, which capturing on a whole the interconnected processes of sustainable changes in society, to the entire process of transformation of society as a social system. It can be named sustainable overall social transformation (SOST), the main criteria attributes of which are defined. In the near future applying described fundamental approach may open the door for ripen implementation the strategy of sustainable transformation at national and supranational levels. In this case the recognized goals/ targets of sustainable development (SDG), including those related to neutralizing climate deterioration, can be achieved at relatively acceptable costs for most modern countries.

Earning Management of Corporate Social Responsibility Mediation and Corporate Governance on Financial Performance (An Empirical Study on Idx Mining Corporates 2016-2020)

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This study aims to examine and analyze corporate social responsibility and corporate governance on financial performance and, through earning management as a mediating variable. Financial performance is the dependent variable which is proxied by ROA and MVA. The independent variables in this study were corporate social responsibility as proxied by 91 GRI 4.0 indicators and corporate governance as proxied by independent commissioners and institutional ownership. Earning management as a mediating variable proxied by discretionary accruals. This study uses a sample of 35 mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2016 to 2020. The data used in this study is secondary data analyzed using a multiple linear regression analysis path models with the help of SPSS 25 software, and corporate governance has a positive and significant effect on financial performance. Meanwhile, earning management has a negative and significant effect on financial performance. Corporate social responsibility has a positive and significant effect on earning management, while corporate governance has a negative and significant effect on earning management. Earning management mediates full corporate social responsibility on financial performance, while the board of commissioners partially mediates on financial performance.

Cerebro-Soft Skills of Higher Secondary Students

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This study aimed to investigate the Cerebro-soft skill of higher secondary students which leads to whether the brain dominance of the students influences their thinking or thinking pattern and which leads to show, the problem-solving skills of the individual or not?  This may have the possibility of predicting the creation of unified thinkers or a unique pattern of the people on its own.  Cerebro-soft skills (Brain dominance, thinking styles and problem-solving skills) among higher secondary students do have an impact on their academic achievements.  This study targeted the higher secondary students as population and Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thuthukudi and Virudhunagar districts of Tamilnadu, India as the areas from which the data was collected.  In this research, the above-mentioned population consisted of 135 subjects for this study.  Three unique questionnaires were used to collect the data i.e., the Cognitive style questionnaire (1989) by Loren D. Crane, thinking styles by Robert J Sternberg (2009) and Problem-solving skills by Vengo Regis and Annaraja (2010).  The result of the study revealed that the significant impacts found with the residence of the students in their intuitive problem-solving skills and medium of instructions of the students in their right brain dominance, and type of schools of the students in their right brain dominance, sensing problem-solving skills and thinking problem-solving skills, the significant positive correlation co-efficient found between oligarchic thinking style and anarchic thinking style, hierarchic thinking style and anarchic thinking style, monarchic thinking style and anarchic thinking style which was 64.4%, 46.9%, 44% and 35.8% respectively.

Association of Adiponectin Levels with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

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Objective: To measure the levels of adiponectin in women with PCOS having high body mass index.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study including 96 study participants was conducted in Services Hospital, Lahore in December 2020 out of 96 study participants 48 were enrolled as cases having polycystic ovarian syndrome compared with 48 healthy women as controls. Detailed information about age, duration of menstrual cycle, body mass index (BMI), and clinical features like obesity, infertility, acne and hairs on face were noted. A total 5ml venous blood was collected by using aseptic techniques and then centrifuged immediately; serum was separated and stored at -20 °C after proper labeling.  Samples were analyzed for estimation of serum adiponectin by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was carried out by statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21. The p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: In this study level of adiponectin was decreased in PCOS women as compared to healthy women. Mean ± SD of adiponectin in PCOS women was 2.08±0.70µg/ml which was lower than in control group 9.71±5.35µg/ml. Median/Inter Quaitel Range of PCOS women was 2.00/0.78 which is lower in comparison with the Median/IQR of adiponectin in healthy women 8.60/9.63, p-value of   adiponectin was significant (p = 0.00).

Conclusion: Adiponectin is important variable present in circulation. Its levels are changed in response to disease process as occurs in PCOS.

Outcomes of Intraplaque Verapamil Injection for Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease

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Objective: To determine the outcomes of intraplaque verapamil injection for treatment of Peyronie’s disease.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes & efficacy of intraplaque verapamil injection in Peyronie’s disease management.

Methods: The quasi experimental study was conducted from July 2018 to July 2019 on a group of 26 subjects suffering from Peyronie’s disease. After detailed history, complete physical and genital examination, the diagnosis was confirmed. After informed consent, questionnaires regarding pain and sexual satisfaction of patients were filled. All patients received verapamil injections on weekly basis for a period of 10 weeks.  After that, all necessary variables were recorded and data analyzed using SPSS version 16.

Results: Most of the patients in our study were in the age group of 30-65 years. 26.9 % patients were in the range of 51-55 years old. 53.8% patients got no effect of intralesional injection of verapamil on pain while pain relieved in 38.5% of patients  & 7.7% patients experienced an increased in pain intensity after 10 weeks of intralesional injection of verapamil. 61.5%of patients satisfied with their sexual life after 10 week of injections & 30.8% of patients remained unsatisfied with their sexual life while in 7.7%of patients symptoms aggravated. 53.8% of patients experienced no change in size of lesion and curvature of penis, while 30.8% got less than 50% reduction in size of lesion while 15.4% of patients got more than 50% reduction in size after 10 weeks.

Conclusion: This study concluded the efficacy of Verapamil injection for management of Peyronie’s disease.

Finding the Relationship of Smoking and Survival Rate in Oral Submucous Cancer Patients

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Introduction: Cancer is a global public health issue, causing approximately 8.8 million deaths per year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the countries that suffer most from the disease are low-income and middle-income countries. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to finding the relationship of smoking and survival rate in oral submucous cancer patients.

Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Services Hospital, Lahore during 2021. The data was collected from 204 patients. From this sample socio-demographic data such as age, sex, education, marital status, smoking status, and method of hospital admission were analyzed.

Results: The data was collected from 204 patients. Most patients were up to 65-year-old, with no difference in age distribution between the groups. Regarding the type of treatment, nonsmoking patients complied with no treatment, surgery or surgery plus radiotherapy (RT), with RT associated with chemotherapy (CT) being the most common treatment.

Conclusion: It is concluded that we found the significant positive dose-response relationship among smokers on clinical outcome in OSCC patients and that non-smokers were worse prognosis than light smokers. In addition, this effect might differ by treatment method.