RE-CLOSED BORDER AS AN EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE. EXPLORATORY RESEARCH OF POLISH-GERMAN TWIN CITIES IN THE FIRST MONTHS OF A COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Borders’ closure during the COVID-19 pandemic had a particular impact on the everyday life of borderland residents. As part of the research on bordering processes carried out since a few years, during the closure of the state borders in 2020, qualitative interviews on everyday life in the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted. In this paper, we present the results of the exploratory study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Polish-German border twin cities. We indicate at what levels borders’ closure affected the border landscape, border practices of the inhabitants of the researched territories, and their notion of the border. We also suggest how border relations were shaped due to differences in the management and perception of the pandemic situation in two countries. The results obtained indicate that the closure of borders has made life more difficult in an area under examination and has also affected the identity and specificity of the place. This issue is worth exploring further to establish the true extent of the impact of the pandemic in the borderlands.

Familial and Socio-Cultural Factors Contributing to the Rising Trend of Drug Addiction in Youth in Pakistan

Aim: To know about the major familial and socio-cultural factors contributing to the rising trend of drugs and substance use in youth in twin cities i.e. Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Methods: The study was conducted in July-September 2021 in Twin Cities i.e. Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Data was collected from 150 young drug addicts (between the age group of 15 to 40 years). Snow ball and purposive sampling techniques were used to collect the data. A pre devised interview schedule having close and open ended questions was used. Frequency analysis method was used to represent the basic demographic data whereas a 4-points Likert Scale was used to know the extent of factors contributing to the rising trend of drug addiction in youth. Results: Results showed that slightly more than one third of the respondents (34%) were quite young (21-25 years). Peer group/ bad company was found responsible factor to great extent (71%), To increase sexual pleasure was also found responsible (45.8%), Lack of knowledge about harms of drugs was found responsible to great extent (49.3%). Another factor i.e. curiosity to use / taste drugs was also found responsible to great extent (77.3%). Conclusion: Problem of drug addiction in youth in Pakistan is rising at a worrying trend. Numerous familial as well socio-cultural factors in the etiology of drug abuse and addiction have been found responsible. Keywords: Drug, Substance, Addiction, youth, familial, social-cultural, factors, Pakistan,

Urban Growth Patterns and Forest Carbon Dynamics in the Metropolitan Twin Cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan

The unchecked and unplanned expansion of urban areas has led to the conversion of millions of green areas to gray areas. The recent urban growth patterns of Pakistan’s metropolitan twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, is a matter of concern for the surrounding green areas. The present study aimed to categorize and quantify the land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) patterns and the corresponding impacts on the forest carbon dynamics around Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Multispectral satellite images for the year 1990 (Landsat 5 TM) and 2020 (Landsat 8 OLI) were used to determine, quantify, and compare the LULCC inside and around the twin metropolitan cities. Field inventory surveys in the reserved forests of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were also conducted to determine the amount of stored carbon in these forests. Our results showed an accelerated annual urban expansion (i.e., an increase in the built-up area) of 16.49% and 26.72% in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, respectively, during the study period. Similarly, the amount of barren land and agricultural land was reduced at an annual rate of 2.08% and 2.18%, respectively, in Rawalpindi and 0.25% and 1.04% in Islamabad. A reduction in the area of barren mountains also occurred at an annual of 2.26% in Islamabad, while it increased by 4.16% in Rawalpindi. The amount of carbon stored in the reserved forests of Islamabad stood at 139.17 ± 12.15 Mg C/ha while that of Rawalpindi was 110.4 ± 13.79 Mg C/ha. In addition, total stored forest carbon was found to have decreased from 544.70 Gg C to 218.05 Gg C in Rawalpindi, while in Islamabad it increased from 2779.64 Gg C to 3548.16 Gg C. Investment in ecological urban planning, sustainable cities, and appropriate land-use planning is recommended to curb the degradation and conversion of the surrounding green areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Demographic Attributes of Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, and One Health Perspective Regarding Diarrhea in Pakistan

Background: Loose bowels is a clinical sign of gastrointestinal transport channel proteins, channels, and physical and chemical boundaries being harmed, prompting issues of water and electrolyte transport in the intestinal system. It is still considered as a major reason for emergency visits to hospitals in low-middle income countries. Zinc is a suitable treatment along with ORS for diarrhea. KAP surveys are usually conducted to collect information about general or specific topics of a particular population. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and one health perspective regarding diarrhea among the participants from urban and rural populations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Methods: Data was collected by conducting a survey among residents of twin cities over a period of 6 months (from July 2020 to December 2020). The questionnaire compromised socio-demographic features and the degree of KAP with respect to diarrhea management and control. One way ANOVA tests were applied to observe the demographic relationship and various factors influencing knowledge, attitude, practices, and one health perspective about diarrhea.Results: A total of 338 subjects participated in the study. Female subjects were in the majority with 63% while the rest were male. A majority of the participants were between 15–25 years of age and 79.6% participants were un-married. The leading ethnic group was Punjabi with 52.7%; the lowest ethnic group were of Sindhi ethnicity with 8.6%. Age has a significant association with respect to knowledge and attitude. Religion has a significant association with respect to knowledge, practices, and one health, while education/qualification has an association with knowledge. The rest of the variables found no association with each other.Conclusion: It is concluded from the recent study that most residents of the twin cities of Pakistan knew about diarrhea and had a good attitude and practices toward it. Age, religion, and education have different roles regarding different diseases in the population of Pakistan. The current study has its limitations as well. Parts of the study were conducted in the capital of Pakistan which is more developed as compared to other areas of Pakistan. It would be better to explore the remote areas of Pakistan where basic amenities of life such as education, wealth, and unemployment are not available. It is important to create more awareness among community members. They should be aware how dangerous these viruses and bacteria can be. Other parts of Pakistan should also be explored for better understanding that will help in making a nationwide health policy.

Antecedents and Outcomes of Corporate Reputation Customer-based Analysis

For any organization its image and reputation is the level of affectionateness in the minds of employees, customers, expected candidates, and competitors, Reputation is the most critical and strategic asset that a corporation possess (Cravens et al., 2003). The objectives of the study was to examine the antecedents and outcomes of corporate reputation. The study was quantitative in nature. Data were collected by using convenient sampling technique from twin cities (i.e. Islamabad and Rawalpindi) of Pakistan. Respondents were asked to answer the questions keeping in mind the mobile company whose connection they use frequently or on permanent basis. Simple correlation and regression methods were used for analysis of data. Results revealed that if a customer is satisfied with the products and services offered by the company than the reputation of the company in the eyes of the customer will increase. In the same way, when customer has trust on the services offered by the company his confidence level will increase on the future offers and service quality of company resulting an increase in the reputation of the firm and this company reputation will influence customer loyalty and positive word of mouth. Managerial implications and recommendations for future research are given at the end.

Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture in Dental Hospitals in the Twin cities, Pakistan

Objective: The purpose of our research is to evaluate the patient safety culture at Islamabad and Rawalpindi teaching hospitals. Materials and methods: A validated and slightly modified questionnaire was sent as a google forms link via WhatsApp and email to different teaching dental hospitals in the twin cities. The returned questionnaires were examined with IBM's statistical package for social sciences (version 22).). Results: 139 complete questionnaires were analyzed and results were calculated as average positive and average negative responses. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated that degree of patient safety in general in the Hospitals of Pakistan was acceptable. The number of incident reports were very low. Many participants also stated that the hospital is only concerned about patient safety after an unfavorable incident occurs., but they also reported that mistakes always lead to positive outcomes and the departments coordinate well with each other. Key words: Patient safety, incident reports, dental teaching hospital.

Exploring the interaction effect of poverty concentration and transit service on highway traffic during the COVID-19 lockdown

During COVID-19 lockdowns, transit agencies need to respond to the decline in travel but also maintain the essential mobility of transit-dependent people. However, there are a few lessons that scholars and practitioners can learn from. Using highway traffic data in the Twin Cities, this study applies a generalized additive model to explore the relationships among the share of low-income population, transit service, and highway traffic during the week that occurred right after the 2020 stay-at-home order. Our results substantiate that transportation impacts are spread unevenly across different income groups and low-income people are less able to reduce travel, leading to equity concerns. Moreover, transit supply influences highway traffic differently in areas with different shares of low-income people. Our study suggests that transportation agencies should provide more affordable travel options for areas with concentrated poverty during lockdowns. In addition, transit agencies should manage transit supply strategically depending on the share of low-income people to better meet people’s mobility needs.

Screen Time Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Survey in Twin Cities

Background: The objectives were to evaluate the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms related to screen time and to determine the mostly affected body parts with musculoskeletal symptoms Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was conducted on 150 students from February to May 2018 selected via convenience sampling technique. Data was collected from students of twin cities having screen time more than 3 hour’s using validated questionnaires including The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to assess musculoskeletal symptoms and self-structured questionnaire for screen time and demographics. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.21. Results: Mean age of the population was 15±2.7 years. Mean screen time score was computed as 6.45 hours with 10 hours highest screen time observed of 6 participants. Mean musculoskeletal involvement was computed as 85.3 % (n=128) in last 12 months of which 28.9% (n=66) had neck pain, 21.9% (n=50) had lower back pain whereas 14.9%, 11.4% had shoulder and upper back involvement. In last 7 days 25.7%, participants had pain in neck area and 18.3% in lower back. 83.5% participants didn’t visited physicians for their respective condition. significant relation of screen time was observed with the musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusion: Screen time severely influence musculoskeletal symptoms especially neck and lower back muscle, presence of high number of musculoskeletal symptoms among adolescent is alarming and shows the need of adequate measures to address these problems