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,

Minding the Design Reality Gap

This paper focuses on evaluating an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention promoted as a pro-poor telecentre initiative in rural Ghana. Our evaluative tool is the Design Reality Gap (DRG) framework used to analyse the Community Information Centre (CIC) initiative in Ghana. Data were collected through a qualitative multi-site case study. By tracing the linkages between the investment and outcomes, we found a worrying trend of failed implementations and sustainability, although implementers did sustain efforts at planning new initiatives. Based on the findings, we argue that the CIC initiative in Ghana is a failing ICT intervention. We also found that the tailored DRG approach allowed us to tease out the nuances that account for the CICs' status. We conclude by proposing gap closure measures for the failing intervention. This paper contributes to ICT evaluations by demonstrating the utility of the DRG framework in evaluating one of the most significant pro-poor ICT initiatives in lower-to-middle-income communities: telecentres. This research also contributes to the current ICT literature by enhancing our current knowledge about publicly accessible ICT facilities in an under-investigated setting, and further offers an approach to telecentre evaluations in similar contexts inspired by the DRG model.

Prospective Plants with Corroborated Antimalarial Actions: A Review

Malaria is a serious illness resulted from parasites that are communicated to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria is still in a worrying trend, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates although it is curable and preventable. In spite of a noteworthy abetment in incidence and death rates caused by malaria, even in 2017, a big number of people (219 million) have been affected by it along with 435 thousand confirmed death cases. Though a lot of synthetic drugs have been commercialized to treat malaria, those are compromised with some serious side effects. On the contrary, plant sources are always getting a big focus to develop novel and effective therapeutics in the treatment of different ailments i.e. quinine and artemisinin to treat malarial complications. The usage of herbal plants against malaria has also a very ancient root. Several families of plant species have showed potential antimalarial activities in previous research works. In this review work, families of these plants have been compiled so that prospective researchers can find a hint to discover more effective and safer plant-derived therapeutic options against malaria. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 24(2): 180-193, 2021

Necessity and Proportionality and Armed Attacks by Non-State Actors

Chapter 4 builds on the analysis of the previous chapters by considering how necessity and proportionality are adapted to apply to defensive action against NSAs. With a particular focus on international terrorism, including the ongoing Global Coalition intervention in Syria against Daesh and other terrorist groups, the potential and limitations of necessity and proportionality are brought to the fore. In particular, this chapter examines the position of the ‘host state’ (being the state in whose territory military action is taken), which includes a review of the controversial ‘unwilling or unable’ doctrine. The duration and geographical scope of the right of self-defence are also considered in this context. A worrying trend is identified regarding how states appear to take a more permissive attitude towards anti-terrorist operations. This state practice has serious implications for the meaningful application of proportionality, whilst highlighting the potential for specific necessity to act as a restraint on state action.

Mobile Devices and the Prevention of Human Rights Violations

With mobile devices always in their possession, users can report breaking events, including the violation of human rights perpetrated by states. Mobile devices have given ordinary people the power to acquire and produce any information, which in turn make power more dispersed than before, reducing the power of the states. However, there is a worrying trend, namely, the increasing number of human rights violations by ordinary people. Since human rights violations by a mob are difficult to stop and the violations of human rights have grown out of prejudices, it is better to prevent the spread of prejudices as early as possible. It can be done by counter-mobilization of alternative narratives, and promotion of public awareness that anyone has multiple categories. Promoting mutual interdependence between groups will also reduce prejudices.

A Semiotic Examination of the Security Policy Lifecycle

Major security breaches continue to plague organizations decades after best practices, standards, and technical safeguards have become commonplace. This worrying trend clearly demonstrates that information systems security remains a significant issue within organizations. As policy forms the basis for practice, a major contributor to this ongoing security problem is a faulty security policy lifecycle. This can lead to an insufficient or worse, a failed policy. This chapter is aimed at understanding the lifecycle by analyzing the meanings that are attributed to policy formulation and implementation by the stakeholders involved in the process. A case study was carried out and a “snapshot in time” of the lifecycle of IS security policy lifecycle at the organization revealed that a disconnect is evident in the security policy lifecycle.

Image of the Republic of Mordovia: Impressions, Symbols, Stereotypes

Introduction. In a competitive environment, the image of a modern region is an instrument of “soft power”, capable of enhancing the effectiveness of the territory's development, provided it is associated with positive impressions. In this regard, analyzing perception of the symbolic component of a region's image by various target groups is of particular importance. The purpose of the study is to reveal the symbols, impressions, stereotypes most prevailing among the respondents that form the image of the Republic of Mordovia, which are the factors in developing the regional identity. Materials and Methods. The Republic of Mordovia was chosen for a case study: the region’s development is a vivid example of contradictoriness, the Republic being a leader in some indicators (it is among the safest regions of the country, it actively develops the innovative infrastructure, etc.) is a complete outsider in others (in the quality of life and average wages compared to other regions, etc.). Symbolic interactionism, emphasizing communication through symbols the meaning of which is set by the communicants, established the theoretical framework of the study. The method of focused interview provided the applied basis of the research. Discussions were held in 3 groups, formed according to the place of residence of the respondents: “foreigners”, “non-residents”, “residents”. Results. Unique data on the specific features of the perception of the image of the Republic of Mordovia, promoted by various agencies involved in image-making, have been obtained. The dependence of assessments and emotional attitudes to various symbols on the territorial affiliation of the recipients has been revealed. It has been noted that associations between a number of symbols (fox, octagonal rosette, red color, etc.) and Mordovia are unclear to non-residents, i. e., the mechanism of explanation, fixation and consolidation in the row of “region – symbol” is broken. Discussion and Conclusion. The authors have come to the conclusion that at present there are no images presenting unambiguously positive stable associations with the Republic of Mordovia, especially among “non-residents” and “foreigners”. The gap between the primary and secondary images is a rather worrying trend is, which can lead to dissonance, negative emotional response and negative assessments of the territory. The results of the study may be used to adjust the image-making policy of a region: to emphasize strengths and level weaknesses.

Enacting the Pandemic

This article has two objectives: First, the article seeks to make a methodological intervention in the social study of algorithms. Today, there is a worrying trend to analytically reduce algorithms to coherent and stable objects whose computational logic can be audited for biases to create fairness, accountability, and transparency (FAccT). To counter this reductionist and determinist tendency, this article proposes three methodological rules that allows an analysis of algorithmic power in practice. Second, the article traces ethnographically how an algorithm was used to enact a pandemic, and how the power to construct this disease outbreak was moved around through by an algorithmic assemblage. To do this, the article traces the assembling of a recent epidemic at the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention—the Zika outbreak starting in 2015—and shows how an epidemic was put together using an array of computational resources, with very different spaces for intervening. A key argument is that we, analysts of algorithms, need to attend to how multiple spaces for agency, opacity, and power open and close in different parts of algorithmic assemblages. The crux of the matter is that actors experience different degrees of agency and opacity in different parts of any algorithmic assemblage. Consequently, rather than auditing algorithms for biased logic, the article shows the usefulness of examining algorithmic power as enacted and situated in practice.

Children, seen and heard: a descriptive study of all children (aged 12 years and under) referred for acute psychiatric assessment in Tallaght University Hospital over a 10-year period

Objectives: A review of the literature demonstrates that relatively little is known about acute psychiatric presentations in children (0–12 years), compared with adolescents or young adults (12 years+). This study aims to review psychiatric presentations of children to a CAMHS Liaison Service at Children’s Hospital Ireland (CHI) at Tallaght University Hospital over a 10-year period. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken of case notes of all children aged 12 years and under who were referred to the CAMHS Liaison Service between January 2009 and December 2018 (n = 318). Data were anonymised and inputted into SPSSv25 for analysis. The relationships between presentations and methods of self-harm over time were measured using Pearson’s correlation. Associations between categorical variables were analysed using chi-squared tests. Results: There was a significant increase in presentations of under-12s over the 10-year period (r(8)=0.66, p = 0.02). There was also a significant increase in children presenting with a disturbance of conduct and/or emotions over time (r(8) = 0.79, p < 0.001). There was a significant association between female gender and ingestion (X2 = 12.73, df = 1, p < 0.05) and between male gender and ligature as a method of self-harm (X2 = 5.54, df = 1, p < 0.05). Over half (53%) of children presented with suicidal thoughts and 22% presented with suicidal behaviours. The reported use of ligature as a method of self-harm emerged only from 2012 among cases studied. Conclusions: Children aged 12 years and under are presenting in increasing numbers with acute mental health difficulties, including suicidal thoughts and behaviours. There is a worrying trend in methods of self-harm, particularly in high lethality behaviours such as attempted strangulation.