University Of Sargodha Research Articles

Impact of information credibility on social media information adoption behavior: a systematic literature review

PurposeThe purpose of this systematic literature review was to collect and review the studies published worldwide in English language presenting the persuasive role of information/content credibility (IC) on the information adoption behavior (IAB) of social media users.Design/methodology/approachThe relevant literature was searched by the reviewers from two specialized databases, i.e. Library, Information Science and Technological Abstract (LISTA) and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), whereas five general databases, i.e. Emerald, Springer Link, Taylor and Francis Online, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global and Google Scholar, using the Internet (portal) services available at the two Pakistani universities, i.e. University of Sargodha and the University of the Punjab. The search was updated in February 2022.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that there was a significant impact of IC over the IAB of social media users.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its nature that aims to collect and present a systematic review of the literature based on empirical evidence of the influential role of IC on the IAB of social media users.

The Impact of Theoretical and Practical Guidance Regarding Metered Dose Inhaler Technique on Asthma Patients

Published on:August 2022Journal of Young Pharmacists, 2022; 14(3):327-332Original Article | doi:10.5530/jyp.2022.14.64 Authors: Sara Shahid1,2,*, Fahad Ahmed3, Gul Shahnaz1, Muhammad Saqlain1, Muhammad Ans4, Anosh Sana1, Abdul Nazer Ali5, Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Abdul Jamil6, Asma Fareed Khan7,8, Saba Naeem9, Shakeel Ahmad9, Aiman Mahmood4,9, Qandeel Rafi9, Asifa Anwar2, Rabeel Khan2, Naeem Mubarak2 1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, PAKISTAN. 2Department of Pharmacy Practice, Lahore Pharmacy College, Lahore Medical and Dental College, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, PAKISTAN.3Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, PAKISTAN.4University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, PAKISTAN.5Department of Pharmacy Practice, Geethanjali College of Pharmacy, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.6Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, UniSZA, Besut, Terengganu, MALAYSIA.7Disciplines of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, MALAYSIA. 8Children’s Hospital & University of Child Health Sciences, Lahore, PAKISTAN. 9Department of Pharmaceutics, Lahore Pharmacy College, Lahore Medical and Dental College, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, PAKISTAN. Abstract: Background: Asthma is rapidly increasing globally. Inhalation therapy is the backbone for asthma management due to localized delivery and rapid onset of action. Currently, metered dose inhalers (MDIs) are the most widely prescribed and dispensed inhaler devices worldwide due to the advantage of portability, multiple dose delivery and better efficacy. Objectives: The current study aimed to access the effect of educational intervention on asthma patients’ competency regarding pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) technique. Methods: Asthma patients were recruited from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad, Pakistan. Inhaler technique steps based upon “National Asthma Education and Preventive Program” (NAEPP) criteria was set as evaluating tool to evaluate competency of asthma patients regarding MDI appropriate technique. Intervention involved educating study subjects (asthma patients) practically through placebo inhaler and theoretically through inhaler technique directed literature brochures. Pre intervention and post intervention inhaler technique competency was accessed and evaluated statistically. Results: Among 207 asthma patients, majority were never instructed by healthcare professional regarding inhaler technique (78.8%). However, most of the patients were observed to have inadequate inhaler technique (76.3%) at baseline. As the result of educational intervention, the competency of patients regarding inhaler technique was significantly enhanced from 11.6% pre-intervention to 34.8% post-intervention (p<0.001), statistically analyzed by McNemar testing. Conclusion: Originally, inhaler technique competency of majority of asthma patients was observed to be inappropriate. However, educational intervention proved to be effective in substantially enhancing the competency of study subjects regarding MDI technique. Keywords: Asthma, Inhalation therapy, Metered-dose inhalers, Educational intervention, National Asthma Education and Preventive Program.

Development and Validation of Students' Learning Experiences (SLE) Scale at Higher Education Level

This study aimed at the development and validation of a research instrument for students learning experiences (SLE) at the higher education level in the public sector universities of Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected on three constructs as students learning experiences inside the classroom,outside the classroom and on-campus. The factors in students learning experiences inside the classroom factors like teacher interaction, assessment and feedback, and peer group discussion were measured. The factors of outside classroom learning experiences as cultural diversity, library and learning resources and conferences, seminars and webinars were measured. The simple random sampling technique was applied in the department of education,psychology and sociology in six public universities in Punjab to collect data.The tryout of the instrument was conducted on 200 students' samples to measure the content validity and reliability. The expert opinion was sought from the University of Sargodha and the University of Punjab Lahore. The Cronbach alpha reliability was .95, which showed the instrument is reliable.Having pilot tested the instrument. Data were collected from 1024 male and female students. The questionnaire comprised 42 items. Structure Equation Model (SEM) was used to validate the instrument using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Cronbach alpha and SEM results indicated that students learning experiences resulted in fit indices as an acceptable model.

Political Campaigns on Social Media and Users’ Behavior in the Context of Spiral of Silence

The current research was conducted to study Political Campaigns on social media (Facebook) and the spiral of silence effect on youth. The objectives of the study were to explore how youth use Facebook to determine the climate of opinions related to politics; to examine the implementation of the spiral of silence theory on the issue of politicians’ accountability process in the current regime in Pakistan. The purposive sampling technique was use for the collection of samples from the University of Sargodha and comprised of (N= 300) youth participants,including (n=150) males and (n=150) females. A questionnaire was Well-designed for assessing opinion climate and inclination to share their views on controversial political issues. Results of the current study revealed that individuals are more likely to speak out on controversial topics through Facebook than other communication channel. Findings indicate that social media plays an important role in setting up the direction of the public opinion climate beside the group of close friends, which also important role in the assessment of opinion climate on controversial political issues,including politicians’ accountability process. In Pakistan, political polarization is on the rise. It this context spiral of silence for deviant opinion is evident from the findings.

Social Media in Teaching Learning Process: Exploring the use of WhatsApp in Teaching and Learning Process in University of Sargodha

The role of technology and communication in modern times is eminent. The world is moving towards globalization. Communication has become faster and easier. Social Media is yet another tool to communicate across the globe. Social Media platforms are playing a vital role in all the fields of life. WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media tool, it is not only being used for the purpose of sending and receiving messages but it has also been used for educational purposes. Many universities across the globe are using WhatsApp as a tool for online instructions. It offers students enhanced opportunities and choices from the perspective of online education. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of WhatsApp in the teaching and learning process at the University of Sargodha. The study also tried to find out what ratio of students and teachers is using WhatsApp for instant messages and how many of them are actually using it for educational purposes. This research is descriptive in nature, the population of the study comprises 35 teachers and 166 students. The research questionnaires from both teachers and students were filled online and thus analyzed, using statistical measures to answer the required research questions. The results showed that the majority of teachers and students are using WhatsApp for the purpose of instant messages and for educational purposes as well. It is also revealed that teachers have been assigning tasks to students through WhatsApp and sharing research papers and other study material.

Genotype by environment interaction and association of yield contributing traits in sunflower genotypes under the environmental condition of Sargodha, Pakistan

Abstract Oil content and other yield contributing metric traits are highly influenced by environmental conditions hence, the phenotype of a trait is a response of interaction between environment and genetic makeup of crop. Climate change is one of the major challenge faced by growers nowadays because it adversely affects the growth and development of sunflower and ultimately reduce oil content. Therefore, keeping in view the challenge of climate change, the present research was conducted during 2019, to evaluate the performance of 28 sunflower hybrids under normal and terminal heat stress conditions at the research farms of the College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha-Pakistan. Pakistan. Data were recorded on days to 100% flowering, stem girth (cm), head diameter (cm), 100-achene weight (g) and oil contents (%). Analysis of variance revealed the presence of genetic diversity among 28 hybrids for all the traits under consideration. Irrespective of traits, the mean square revealed the role of experimental error was minimum than the environment, genotype and their interaction (G × E). The environmental influence was found to be 68.94, 49.99, 53.94% for days to 100% flowering, stem girth (cm) and 100-achene weight (g), respectively. However, genotypes play a major source of variation for head diameter (cm) and oil content (%). Oil content has a significant positive correlation with traits under study. Based on mean performance under normal and terminal heat stress conditions hybrid SF-19033 and SF-19028 performed best for yield contributing traits and adoptable under the environmental conditions of Sargodha-Pakistan.

Competitive ability of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) breeding material under Cyperus rotundus infestation

Abstract Weed infestation induces intense competition with the sunflower crop for soil nutrients, space and light causing significant yield losses of the sunflower. Therefore, study was undertaken during the year 2013–15 at College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan to determine the effect of Cyperus rotundus infestation on various morphological and biochemical traits. Initially a screening experiment was carried out to screen against C. rotundus infestation. Later on, cross combinations of selected cytoplasmic male sterile and restorer lines were attempted to develop F1 progenies which were compared with commercial hybrids along with parents. There were 6 parental lines (3 A and 3 R lines) along with 9 single cross combinations obtained from these parents. Experiment was carried out in complete randomized design having factorial arrangement with three replications. Weed in one of regime latter called as control were completely absent, while in weed infestation regimes 5 and 10 plants of C. rotundus were maintained. Results showed that C. rotundus infestation causes significant damage to the sunflower plants. Generally cross combination showed a decrease of leaf area by 440% and 264%, 61% and 49% for chlorophyll contents, 133% and 191% for head weight under low and high weed infestation regime respectively. However, antioxidant activity increased by 44% and 49% under low and high infestation regime induced by C. rotundus. Sunflower genotypes also showed variability in competitive ability against C. rotundus weed. Cross combinations coded as (A10, A7 and A2) showed lower comparative decrease for seed yield and oil contents when compared with standard hybrids under the presence of C. rotundus. Development of sunflower hybrids with better competitive ability under the presence of weeds such as C. rotundus may able to enhance plant development and lower yield losses in sunflower field with minimum the use of herbicide.

Effect of E-Teaching on Students' Moral Development at University Level

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of e-teaching on the moral development of students at the university level. The objectives of the study were (i) to explore the availability of e-teaching at universities. (ii) To investigate the effect of e-teaching on students' moral development. The hypotheses of the study were (i) there is no availability of e-teaching at universities. (ii) There is no effect of e-teaching on the moral development of students at the university level. The study was descriptive in nature, and a survey technique was adopted for the collection of data. All the one lac eighteen thousand six hundred sixty-seven (118667) students studying in public and private general universities of Lahore and Sargodha districts were the population of the study. The study was delimited to the only university of Sargodha, Sargodha. The researcher selected only one hundred (100) students of BS education by using a random sampling technique. One questionnaire was developed for university students. It was found that e-teaching effect students' moral development at the university level. It is recommended better internet connectivity 4G/5G, e-gadgets and e-environment may be provided in universities. It is also recommended that the study may be connected to the normal situation for generalization and rectification of the effect of e-teaching on the moral development of students.

Students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): Viability of Digital Media Literacy in Pakistan

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the dynamics of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. The dependency of students on ICTs increased significantly and it considered requisite for modern higher education. Adverse impacts of ICTs studied by scholars on students of higher education that reflect ICTs are influencing social interaction pattern, cognition, academics and bring addiction. However, little work is done in HEIs to create curricula of digital media literacy which may reflect the demography of students and direct training and utility of ICTs that may mitigate adverse effect. This article argues that how students of HEIs use ICTs and what are the plausible actors that can contribute in the digital media literacy in Pakistan. For this purpose, a structured questionnaire is designed to collect the data from 640 respondents of two major public sector universities of Pakistan i.e. University of Sargodha and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan through online survey on google form by distributing it to various online WhatsApp groups by convenience sampling technique. Actor Network Theory (ANT) is the conceptual framework of this study. The findings of the study reveal that significant respondents spent their large amount of time on ICTs for pleasure instead of necessity drive. However, findings reflect that ICTs are using by youth for various purposes that are education, political and religious information, and entertainment. Moreover, the significant respondents use ICTs for connect themselves with Internet, gaming consoles, movies, audio/video players and sharing of documents. The gender is also significant factor that contributes in the utility of ICTs. This article argues on digital media curriculum development in the universities of Pakistan..

An Analysis of Spoken proficiency during Oral presentations of Pakistani ESL Undergraduate Students

The spoken proficiency, considering the speaking skills in English of ESL learners, needs close attention. For the purpose of improving the speaking skills of students, oral presentation is the most common method used in academics to improve their spoken proficiency. The previous works are abundant with descriptions of ideal presentations. No specific study is seen on the oral presentation, its role in spoken proficiency, and the reasons behind it. This paper not only talks about the oral presentations of the language learners but also explores the needs of the learners, the reasons, factors, and possible solutions. For this purpose, the presentations of the twenty Undergraduate students of the BS English program at the University of Sargodha were recorded both in audio and video for analysis. However, the structured rubrics reflect all the important factors and components explained by (Dornyei &amp; Scott, 1995) model for oral presentation skills. The results of the present study reveal a long list of the lacks and needs of the learners' presentation skills and speaking skills. The research opens a vast field for future research, more practical in nature, concerning the needs of the learners.

ANOTHER PIECE OF BEAUTIFUL CORRUPTION MOCKING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE HONORABLE CHANCELLOR/ GOVERNOR PUNJAB, HEC’S QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU (NAB) PAKISTAN

Widespread corruption in developing countries is extended to every sector from government to judiciary, health services, police and education.9,10,11 The problems are become more conventional and despite ongoing calls for reform and attempts to improve, there is little or no evidence of progress in all major areas and departments. 7,8 Thus, in continuation of the cases/ information filed already in the offices of the Governor (Pb)/ Chancellor University of Sargodha given; Higher Education Commission (HEC), H-9, Islamabad; National Accountability Bureau NAB (L), NAB Complex, Multan Road, Lahore; Vice Chancellor, University of Sargodha; and the Research Articles highlighting the corruption of the Dean Pharmacy, university of Sargodha, author of this editorial article like to share another piece of beautiful corruption; mocking the system, institutions, administration and quality assurance practices. The tenure of Dean Pharmacy, University of Sargodha has been expired/ terminated on June 15, 2022 as per Notification No.SU/Acad/666 dated June 14, 2019

THE EMOTIONAL WORK OR EMOTIONS AT WORK: A STUDY ABOUT THE DEMANDS OF EMOTIONAL LABOR AMONG UNIVERSITY TEACHERS IN PUNJAB

Teaching is based on face-to-face interaction and teachers are required to show certain emotions and suppress others in order to teach their students well and motivate them. The present study was aimed to find out the nature and extent of the emotional labor among university teachers. The universe of the study was Universities from Punjab, Province &amp; multistage sampling technique was used for the selection of the Universities as well as for the respondents. At 1st stage, three universities i.e., University of Sargodha, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and University of Lahore were selected randomly. At second stage, the faculties and departments were selected randomly and at third stage the respondents were selected conveniently. The sample size was comprised of 120 respondents. The data was analyzed by the help of statistical software SPSS and descriptive statistic was applied (Frequencies, Percentages, mean and Std. Deviation values), whereas, Correlation and ANOVA test was applied for hypotheses testing. Results showed that teachers do the surface acting for managing their personal emotions at the workplace. Their job demands to express the positive emotions and hide the negative emotions. The emotional labor is directly influencing the personal wellbeing of the teachers and their work productivity and sometime, may leads toward the condition of emotional exhaustion. Keywords: Emotional labor, Surface Acting, Deep acting, Display rules, Job performance, Job Satisfaction.

Conversation Analysis and the Negotiation of Gender Identity in Pakistani Multilingual Context

The current study attempts to address the negotiation of gender identity in the Pakistani multilingualcontext to explore the gender identity of male and female speakers through conversation features ofopening, topic shifting, interruptions, and silence. The recorded and transcribed data of six peers in anacademic setting in the University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, is analyzed in the light of the list ofcommonly occurring features of masculine and feminine talk suggested by Holmes (2006). The studyreveals that men and women exhibit varied verbal behavior and negotiate their identities throughdiscourse. The stance taken in this paper is that of respecting the differences among genders withoutlabeling their talk as inferior or superior. The paper lays an early brick to the present repository ofresearch in gender and language because the conversation analysis in the Pakistani multilingual contextis still an area that needs further exploration.

Interactive effect of different salinity sources and their formulations on plant growth, ionic homeostasis and seed quality of maize

Soil salinity is one of the most pernicious environmental hazards affecting crop growth and productivity in arid and semi-arid climates. In saline soils, the crop plants encounter nutrients deficient conditions mainly due to antagonistic affinity of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−). The accumulation of salts in the rhizosphere restricts plant growth, the severity of which depends on the source and concentration of the salt. Therefore, we hypothesized that sodium containing salts could have toxic effects on maize plants either in a single or in combined form. To evaluate the interactive effect of sodium salts on plant growth, ionic homeostasis, and seed quality attributes, a pot study was performed using maize as a test plant at the research area of the College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha. Selected salts including, NaCl, Na2SO4 and their combination (NaCl + Na2SO4), were applied in equal ratio for different salinity levels (7, 10, 13 and 16 dS m−1) and the untreated control. The results show that all the measured growth, yield, biochemical and quality attributes of maize were negatively affected with increasing concentration of all the salt sources; however, severity of these effects were more intense when NaCl was applied at all salinity levels. It is concluded that all salts (NaCl, Na2SO4 and NaCl + Na2SO4) had negative effects on biochemical, qualitative, growth and yield characteristics of maize plant. Most importantly, NaCl was found to be more harmful compared to Na2SO4 and mixtures of both salts due to the dominance of Na+ and Cl-ions. Among all salinity levels, the more detrimental effects of NaCl occurred at salinity level of 16 dS m−1.

Transformation of Organic Waste Materials as H2O Gel and Its Influence on Growth of Maize (Zea mays L.)

ABSTRACT Water is an essential component for healthy plants and a limiting factor of global crop production. Recently, use of water absorbent compounds (nontoxic hydrocarbons) is rapidly increasing for optimum crop growth under water stress environment. These polymers absorb water and release it slowly as per crop requirement to mitigate water scarcity. This research study was carried out at College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, during year 2018. In this experiment, first, water absorbent gel was formulated from different organic wastes (waste activated sludge and rice husk) under controlled conditions (temperature 28 ± 2 °C and relative humidity 55 ± 5%) in the laboratory. Then, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate its efficiency on maize. The experiment comprised three treatments (water gel at 0 (T1), 1.5% (T2) and 2.5% (T3) of total soil bulk mass, respectively, along with recommended nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) doses at 160, 80, and 60 kg ha−1, respectively, with 12 replications using completely randomized design. The crop was grown for 90 days after sowing. Exogenous application of water gel at 1.5% of total soil mass (150 g) along with recommended dose of NPK (T2) significantly (P ≤ 0.05) enhanced plant growth traits including plant height (120.58 cm), stem diameter (18.42 mm), shoot fresh (40.42 g), and dry biomass (21.25 g), root fresh (23.50 g), and dry biomass (6.75 g), and chlorophyll (8.65 mg g−1 leaf Fwt) and relative leaf water contents (75.10). The morphological parameters of maize were significantly affected by T2 with reference to T3 and control treatments. Yield and yield-related traits of maize were significantly enhanced at T2. It is plausible to conclude that these eco-friendly super absorbent polymers (water gel) are capable to minimize the water deficiency to a great extent. Abbreviations: Relative water content (RWC); Shoot fresh weight (SFW); Shoot dry weight (SDW); Root fresh weight (RFW); Root dry weight (RDW); Chlorophyll (Chl); Germination percentage (%); Control (CK); Nitrogen (N); Phosphorus (P); Potassium (K); Hydrogel (HG)

A the Low Doses of Atrazine Cause Hormesis in Tribulus terrestris

Growth stimulation anticipated to ultra-low doses of various herbicides in some crop species has been observed equally in under control and field conditions; however available data of hermetic affects on growth of weeds is extremely restricted. This study explores the promotive impact of low doses of atrazine on Tribulus terrestris growth. Pot experiments were trialed at Agronomic Research Area, collage of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, during 2019. Six different concentrations of atrazine [0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 g active ingredient ha-1] were employed as post emergence herbicides at weeds stages having 3- 4 leaves under two different water regimes (60 % and 100 % water concentrations). Results revealed that increase in plant chlorophyll content, fresh and dry weight, root and shoot length were observed after spraying of atrazine @ 5, 10 and 20 g active ingredient ha-1 at 100 percent (%) water concentration. Atrazine doses exceeding 20 g active ingredient ha-1 destructively disturb the growth of Tribulus terrestris.

Moderation role of proactive coping between psychological place attachment and its mental health consequences in sojourners.

To investigate the interaction effect of psychological place attachment and proactive coping on psychological distress and mental well-being in sojourners. The cross-sectional study was conducted from July 12, 2019 to July 12, 2020 at University of Sargodha, Pakistan and comprised academic sojourners who stay in a place for a limited period of time. Data was collected using four self-reporting tools: Psychological Place Attachment Scale, Proactive Coping Inventory, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and Kasler Psychological Distress Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. Of the 300 subjects, 181(60.3%) were females; 164(54.7%) were from Punjab; and 261(87%) were aged 17-22 years. Proactive coping, preventive coping and reflective coping significantly moderated the relationship between affective and psychological distress (p<0.05). Proactive coping and reflective coping significantly moderated the relationship between affective bonding and mental well-being (p<0.05). Proactive coping, preventive coping and avoidance coping significantly moderated the relationship between home meaning and psychological distress (p<0.05). Proactive coping moderated the relationship between home meaning and psychological distress. Proactive coping and reflective coping moderated the relationship between place identity and psychological distress (p<0.05). Proactive coping moderated the relationship between place identity and mental well-being (p<0.05). Instrumental support-seeking moderated the relationship between place dependence and psychological distress (p<0.05). Preventive coping and reflective coping moderated the relationship between psychological place attachment and psychological distress (p<0.05). Reflective coping, strategic planning and preventive coping significantly moderated the relationship between psychological place attachment and mental well-being (p<0.05). Positive coping strategies were effective in re-educating the negative impacts of place attachment on well-being and buffering against psychological distress.

Acoustic Investigation of Back Vowels of Pakistani English

The present research investigates the acoustic features of back vowels of Pakistani English (PakE). The vowels are acoustically analysed to see whether PakE is different from Standard British English (SBE), and whether PakE merges the back vowels like some Asian varieties of English. The study also investigates the total number of back vowels of PakE. The subjects (20 male and 20 female) are selected from among the undergraduate students enrolled in BS English (University of Sargodha) with Punjabi as their mother tongue. Monosyllabic words with /hVd/ context, containing the selected vowels are recorded using a carrier-phrase. For acoustic measurement of the formants (F1-F2) and durational properties, PRAAT has been used. The formant values (F1- F2) are compared with those of SBE to find out similarities and differences. For statistical analysis, ANOVA along with Tukey’s HSD test is performed to see whether the results are significant. The results show that PakE has four back vowels, i.e. two long and two short. It does merge /?/ and /?:/ like other varieties of Asian Englishes, but it does not merge the high back vowels, i.e. /u/ and/u:/. So, it can be concluded that PakE is a different variety of English on the basis of the idiosyncratic features of back vowels.

Potentially toxic metal accumulation in grains of wheat variety Galaxy-2013 irrigated with sugar industry wastewater and human health risk assessment

Wheat plays a major role in feeding the global population. Therefore, given its potential impact on human health, it is very important to determine toxic metal accumulation in the various varieties of wheat. This study was carried out to investigate potentially toxic metal accumulation in the wheat variety Galaxy-2013 following various industrial wastewater irrigation treatments, and to examine various indices such as the bioconcentration factor, enrichment factor, and health risk index in order to better understand how metals are transported and accumulate throughout the food chain. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to evaluate the concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and cobalt (Co) in the wheat. A multipurpose pot experiment was conducted to determine metal accumulation in wheat samples irrigated with industrial wastewater in the Botanical Garden of the Botany Department at the University of Sargodha. The concentrations of the potentially toxic metals Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Fe in the harvested wheat samples ranged from 0.720 to 1.075, from 0.316 to 0.526, from 0.111 to 0.950, from 0.603 to 0.665, and from 1.617 to 1.884 mg/kg, respectively. These concentrations were higher than the safe levels specified by WHO, FAO, and US EPA, except for Cd. However, the health risk index for Cd was found to be above the permissible limit. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that there were correlations between the potentially toxic metal contents in the soil and those in the plants: a significant positive correlation was observed for Cd, while the correlations for Cr, Cu, and Fe were positive and nonsignificant.

Multilingualism as a Tool of Marginalization or Empowerment in Pakistan: A Classroom Perspective

Pakistani educational system is dominated by multilingual phenomenon at all stages. The students with different levels of language proficiency enter university education where classrooms are dominated by multilingual phenomenon with the main adherence to English language. The major concerns of this study are: does multilingualism in Pakistani university classrooms transfer or inculcate any sense of marginalization or empowerment amongst the students at BS level; whether this sense of marginalization or empowerment can be related to their socioeconomic background and to their private and public schooling. The data were collected through a self-developed questionnaire from BS 3rd semester students enrolled in University of Sargodha. The questionnaire included close ended as well as open ended items which were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results revealed that students with low socio-economic background and public schooling were on the verge of marginalization and demotion which have developed a sense of low confidence in them. Students from private sector English medium schools were more confident, interactive, and participative in the classroom, hence empowered. The study concluded with some suggestion that universities may organize a zero semester for students to teach them a deficiency course of communication skills in English.&#x0D; Keywords: Multilingualism, Marginalization. Empowerment, University students&#x0D;