Search results for: features engineering methods for forecasting

Authors: Josué Alfredo Tomas Machaca Fajardo, Jhon Elvis Chahua Janampa, Pedro Rau Lavado

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A flood vulnerability index was developed for the Piura River watershed in northern Peru using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to assess flood risk. The official methodology to assess risk from natural hazards in Peru was introduced in 1980 and proved effective for aiding complex decision-making. This method relies in part on decision-makers defining subjective correlations between variables to identify high-risk areas. While risk identification and ensuing response activities benefit from a qualitative understanding of influences, this method does not take advantage of the advent of national and international data collection efforts, which can supplement our understanding of risk. Furthermore, this method does not take advantage of broadly applied statistical methods such as PCA, which highlight central indicators of vulnerability. Nowadays, information processing is much faster and allows for more objective decision-making tools, such as PCA. The approach presented here develops a tool to improve the current flood risk assessment in the Peruvian basin. Hence, the spatial analysis of the census and other datasets provides a better understanding of the current land occupation and a basin-wide distribution of services and human populations, a necessary step toward ultimately reducing flood risk in Peru. PCA allows the simplification of a large number of variables into a few factors regarding social, economic, physical and environmental dimensions of vulnerability. There is a correlation between the location of people and the water availability mainly found in rivers. For this reason, a comprehensive vision of the population location around the river basin is necessary to establish flood prevention policies. The grouping of 5x5 km gridded areas allows the spatial analysis of flood risk rather than assessing political divisions of the territory. The index was applied to the Peruvian region of Piura, where several flood events occurred in recent past years, being one of the most affected regions during the ENSO events in Peru. The analysis evidenced inequalities for the access to basic services, such as water, electricity, internet and sewage, between rural and urban areas.

Keywords: assess risk, flood risk, indicators of vulnerability, principal component analysis

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Authors: Mike Yaw Osei-Atweneboana, John Asiedu Larbi, Edward Jenner Tettevi

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Background: The lymphatic filariasis (LF) control programme has been on-going in Ghana since 2000. This community-wide approach involves the use of ivermectin (IVM) and albendazole (ALB). Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections control is augmented within this programme; however, in areas where LF is not prevalent, albendazole alone is administered to school children. The purpose of this study was therefore, to determine the efficacy of albendazole against soils transmitted helminths and the impact of mass drug administration of albendazole and ivermectin on the health status of children of school going age and pregnant women. Material/Methods: This was a twelve months longitudinal study. A total of 412 subjects including school children (between the ages of 2-17 years) and pregnant women were randomly selected from four endemic communities in Kpandai district of the Northern region. Coprological assessment for parasites was based on the Kato–Katz technique in both dry and rainy seasons at baseline, 21 days and 3 months post-treatment. Single-dose albendazole treatment was administered to all patients at baseline. Preserved samples are currently under molecular studies to identify possible single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the beta tubulin gene which is associated with benzimidazole resistance. Results: Of all the parasites found (hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Hymenolepis nana, and Taenia sp.); hookworm was the most prevalent. In the dry season, the overall STHs prevalence at pre-treatment was 29%, while 9% and 13% prevalence was recorded at 21 days, and three months after treatment respectively. However, in the rainy season, the overall STHs prevalence was 8%, while 4% and 12% was recorded at 21 days and three months respectively after ALB treatment. In general, ALB treatment resulted in an overall hookworm egg count reduction rate of 89% in the dry season and 93% in the rainy season, while the T. trichiura egg count reduction rate was 100% in both seasons. Conclusions: STH infections still remains a significant public health burden in Ghana. Hookworm infection seems to respond poorly or sub-optimally to ALB, raising concerns of possible emergence of resistance which may lead to a major setback for the control and elimination of STH infections, especially hookworm infections.

Keywords: hookworm, sub-optimal response, albendazole, trichuriasis, soil-transmitted helminths

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Authors: Stephanie Yun Yu Law

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Background: This study aims to investigate into communication between trainee doctors and patients, especially how doctor’s reaction to patient’s emotional issues expressed in the consultation affect patient’s satisfaction. Objectives: Thus, there are three aims in this study, 1.) how do trainee doctors react to patients emotional cues in OSCE station? 2.) Any differences in the respond type to emotional cues between first year students and third year students? 3.) Is response type (reducing space) related to OSCE outcome (patient satisfaction and expert rating)? Methods: Fifteen OSCE stations was videotaped, in which 9 were stations with first-year students and 6 were with third-year students. OSCE outcomes were measured by Communication Assessment Tool and Examiners Checklist. Analyses: All patient’s cues/concerns and student’s reaction were coded by Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequence. Descriptive data was gathered from Observer XT and logistic regression (two-level) was carried out to see if occurrence of reducing space response can be predicted by OSCE outcomes. Results: Reducing space responses from all students were slightly less than a half in total responses to patient’s cues. The mean percentage of reducing space behaviours was lower among first year students when compared to third year students. Patient’s satisfaction significantly (p<0.05) and negatively predicted reducing space behaviours. Conclusions: Most of the medical students, to some extent, did not provide adequate responses for patient’s emotional cues. But first year students did provide more space for patients to talk about their emotional issues when compared to third year students. Lastly, patients would feel less satisfied if trainee doctors use more reducing space responses in reaction to patient’s expressed emotional cues/concerns. Practical implications: Firstly, medical training programme can be tailored on teaching students how to detect and respond appropriately to emotional cues in order to improve underperformed student’s communication skills in healthcare setting. Furthermore, trainee doctor’s relationship with patients in clinical practice can also be improved by reacting appropriately to patient’s emotive cues in consultations (such as limit the use of reducing space behaviours).

Keywords: doctors-patients communication, applied clinical psychology, health psychology, healthcare professionals

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Authors: Oxana Lukoshus

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The methods of corpus linguistics, a well-established field of research, are being increasingly applied in cognitive linguistics. Corpora data are especially useful for different quantitative studies of grammatical and other aspects of language. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate how present-day corpora can be applied in semantic studies in general and in semantic studies of adjectives in particular. Polysemantic adjectives have been the subject of numerous studies. But most of them have been carried out on dictionaries. Undoubtedly, dictionaries are viewed as one of the basic data sources, but only at the initial steps of a research. The author usually starts with the analysis of the lexicographic data after which s/he comes up with a hypothesis. In the research conducted three polysemantic synonyms true, loyal, faithful have been analyzed in terms of differences and similarities in their semantic structure. A corpus-based approach in the study of the above-mentioned adjectives involves the following. After the analysis of the dictionary data there was the reference to the following corpora to study the distributional patterns of the words under study – the British National Corpus (BNC) and the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). These corpora are continually updated and contain thousands of examples of the words under research which make them a useful and convenient data source. For the purpose of this study there were no special needs regarding genre, mode or time of the texts included in the corpora. Out of the range of possibilities offered by corpus-analysis software (e.g. word lists, statistics of word frequencies, etc.), the most useful tool for the semantic analysis was the extracting a list of co-occurrence for the given search words. Searching by lemmas, e.g. true, true to, and grouping the results by lemmas have proved to be the most efficient corpora feature for the adjectives under the study. Following the search process, the corpora provided a list of co-occurrences, which were then to be analyzed and classified. Not every co-occurrence was relevant for the analysis. For example, the phrases like An enormous sense of responsibility to protect the minds and hearts of the faithful from incursions by the state was perceived to be the basic duty of the church leaders or ‘True,’ said Phoebe, ‘but I'd probably get to be a Union Official immediately were left out as in the first example the faithful is a substantivized adjective and in the second example true is used alone with no other parts of speech. The subsequent analysis of the corpora data gave the grounds for the distribution groups of the adjectives under the study which were then investigated with the help of a semantic experiment. To sum it up, the corpora-based approach has proved to be a powerful, reliable and convenient tool to get the data for the further semantic study.

Keywords: corpora, corpus-based approach, polysemantic adjectives, semantic studies

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Authors: Yen Ling Liu, Shu-Fen Wu, Chen-Fuh Lam, I-Ling Tsai, Chia-Yu Chen

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Purpose: Nurse anesthetists are confronting extraordinarily high job stress in their daily practice, deriving from the fast-track anesthesia care, risk of perioperative complications, routine rotating shifts, teaching programs and interactions with the surgical team in the operating room. This study investigated the influence of work stress on the burnout and turnover intention of nurse anesthetists in a regional general hospital in Southern Taiwan. Methods: This was a descriptive correlational study carried out in 66 full-time nurse anesthetists. Data was collected from March 2017 to June 2017 by in-person interview, and a self-administered structured questionnaire was completed by the interviewee. Outcome measurements included the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and nursing staff turnover intention. Numerical data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t test, or one-way ANOVA. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test (x²). Datasets were computed with Pearson product-moment correlation and linear regression. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: The average score for job burnout was 68.7916.67 (out of 100). The three major components of burnout, including emotional depletion (mean score of 26.32), depersonalization (mean score of 13.65), and personal(mean score of 24.48). These average scores suggested that these nurse anesthetists were at high risk of burnout and inversely correlated with turnover intention (t = -4.048, P < 0.05). Using linear regression model, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were the two independent factors that predicted turnover intention in the nurse anesthetists (19.1% in total variance). Conclusion/Implications for Practice: The study identifies that the high risk of job burnout in the nurse anesthetists is not simply derived from physical overload, but most likely resulted from the additional emotional and psychological stress. The occurrence of job burnout may affect the quality of nursing work, and also influence family harmony, in turn, may increase the turnover rate. Multimodal approach is warranted to reduce work stress and job burnout in nurse anesthetists to enhance their willingness to contribute in anesthesia care.

Keywords: anesthesia nurses, burnout, job, turnover intention

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Authors: R. Nandhini, Gaurab Mudbhari

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Ranging from the field of health care to self-driving cars, machine learning and deep learning algorithms have revolutionized the field with the proper utilization of images and visual-oriented data. Segmentation, regression, classification, clustering, dimensionality reduction, etc., are some of the Machine Learning tasks that helped Machine Learning and Deep Learning models to become state-of-the-art models for the field where images are key datasets. Among these tasks, classification and clustering are essential but difficult because of the intricate and high-dimensional characteristics of image data. This finding examines and assesses advanced techniques in supervised classification and unsupervised clustering for image datasets, emphasizing the relative efficiency of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Vision Transformers (ViTs), Deep Embedded Clustering (DEC), and self-supervised learning approaches. Due to the distinctive structural attributes present in images, conventional methods often fail to effectively capture spatial patterns, resulting in the development of models that utilize more advanced architectures and attention mechanisms. In image classification, we investigated both CNNs and ViTs. One of the most promising models, which is very much known for its ability to detect spatial hierarchies, is CNN, and it serves as a core model in our study. On the other hand, ViT is another model that also serves as a core model, reflecting a modern classification method that uses a self-attention mechanism which makes them more robust as this self-attention mechanism allows them to lean global dependencies in images without relying on convolutional layers. This paper evaluates the performance of these two architectures based on accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score across different image datasets, analyzing their appropriateness for various categories of images. In the domain of clustering, we assess DEC, Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), and conventional clustering techniques like k-means, which are used on embeddings derived from CNN models. DEC, a prominent model in the field of clustering, has gained the attention of many ML engineers because of its ability to combine feature learning and clustering into a single framework and its main goal is to improve clustering quality through better feature representation. VAEs, on the other hand, are pretty well known for using latent embeddings for grouping similar images without requiring for prior label by utilizing the probabilistic clustering method.

Keywords: machine learning, deep learning, image classification, image clustering

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Authors: Tadele Araya, Tsehaye Asmelash, Girmatsion Fiseha

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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) constitute serious healthcare problems worldwide. Blood-borne pathogens HBV, HCV and HIV are commonly associated with infections among substance or Injection Drug Users (IDUs). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV infections among substance users in Mekelle Substance users Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used from Dec 2020 to Sep / 2021 to conduct the study. A total of 600 substance users were included. Data regarding the socio-demographic, clinical and sexual behaviors of the substance users were collected using a structured questionnaire. For laboratory analysis, 5-10 ml of venous blood was taken from the substance users. The laboratory analysis was performed by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) at Mekelle University, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology Research Laboratory. The Data was analyzed using SPSS and Epi-data. The association of variables with HBV, HCV and HIV infections was determined using multivariate analysis and a P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: The overall prevalence rate of HBV, HCV and HIV infections were 10%, 6.6%, and 7.5%, respectively. The mean age of the study participants was 28.12 ± 6.9. A higher prevalence of HBV infection was seen in participants who were users of drug injections and in those who were infected with HIV. HCV was comparatively higher in those who had a previous history of unsafe surgical procedures than their counterparts. Homeless participants were highly exposed to HCV and HIV infections than their counterparts. The HBV/HIV Co-infection prevalence was 3.5%. Those doing unprotected sexual practices [P= 0.03], Injection Drug users [P= 0.03], those who had an HBV-infected person in their family [P=0.02], infected with HIV [P= 0.025] were statistically associated with HBV infection. HCV was significantly associated with Substance users and previous history of unsafe surgical procedures [p=0.03, p=0.04), respectively. HIV was significantly associated with unprotected sexual practices and being homeless [p=0.045, p=0.05) respectively. Conclusion-The highly prevalent viral infection was HBV compared to others. There was a High prevalence of HBV/HIV co-infection. The presence of HBV-infected persons in a family, unprotected sexual practices and sharing of needles for drug injection were the risk factors associated with HBV, HIV, and HCV. Continuous health education and screening of the viral infection coupled with medical and psychological treatment is mandatory for the prevention and control of the infections.

Keywords: hepatitis b virus, hepatitis c virus, HIV, substance users

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Authors: Gobinathan Devathasan, Kezia Devathasan

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Objective: To improve the current modified Broca-Wernicke-Lichtheim-Kussmaul speech schema and provide insight into autism. Methods: We reviewed the pertinent literature. Current findings, involving Brodmann areas 22, 46, 9,44,45,6,4 are based on neuropathology and functional MRI studies. However, in primary autism, there is no lucid explanation and changes described, whether neuropathology or functional MRI, appear consequential. Findings: We forward an enhanced model which may explain the enigma related to autism. Vowel output is subcortical and does need cortical representation whereas consonant speech is cortical in origin. Left lateralization is needed to commence the circuitry spin as our life have evolved with L-amino acids and left spin of electrons. A fundamental species difference is we are capable of three syllable-consonants and bi-syllable expression whereas cetaceans and songbirds are confined to single or dual consonants. The 4 key sites for speech are superior auditory cortex, Broca’s two areas, and the supplementary motor cortex. Using the Argand’s diagram and Reimann’s projection, we theorize that the Euclidean three dimensional synaptic neuronal circuits of speech are quantized to coherent waves, and then decoherence takes place at area 6 (spherical representation). In this quantum state complex, 3-consonant languages are instantaneously integrated and multiple languages can be learned, verbalized and differentiated. Conclusion: We postulate that evolutionary human speech is elevated to quantum interaction unlike cetaceans and birds to achieve the three consonants/bi-syllable speech. In classical primary autism, the sudden speech switches off and on noted in several cases could now be explained not by any anatomical lesion but failure of coherence. Area 6 projects directly into prefrontal saccadic area (8); and this further explains the second primary feature in autism: lack of eye contact. The third feature which is repetitive finger gestures, located adjacent to the speech/motor areas, are actual attempts to communicate with the autistic child akin to sign language for the deaf.

Keywords: quantum neuronal paradigm, cetaceans and human speech, autism and rapid magnetic stimulation, coherence and decoherence of speech

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Authors: J. Vitku, L. Kolatorova, T. Chlupacova, J. Heracek, M. Hill, M. Duskova, L. Starka

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Background: 7β-hydroxy-epiandrosterone (7β–OH-EpiA) is an endogenous steroid, that has been shown to exert neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro as well as in animal models. However, to the best of our knowledge no information is available about concentration of this androgen metabolite in human population. The aim of the study was to measure and compare levels of 7β–OH-EpiA in men and pregnant women in different biological fluids and evaluate the relationship between 7β–OH-EpiA in men and their sperm quality. Methods: First, a sensitive isotope dilution high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for measurement of 7β–OH-EpiA in different biological fluids was developed. Validation of the method met the requirements of FDA guidelines. Afterwards 7β–OH-EpiA in plasma and seminal plasma of 191 men with different degree of infertility (healthy men, lightly infertile men, moderately infertile men, severely infertile men) was analysed. Furthermore, the levels of 7β–OH-EpiA in plasma of 34 pregnant women in 37th week of gestation and corresponding cord plasma that reflects steroid levels in the fetus were measured. Results: Concentrations of 7β–OH-EpiA in seminal plasma were significantly higher in severely infertile men in comparison with healthy men and lightly infertile men. The same trend was observed when blood plasma was evaluated. Furthermore, plasmatic 7β –OH-EpiA negatively correlated with concentration (-0.215; p < 0.01) and total count (-0.15; p < 0.05). Seminal 7β–OH-EpiA was negatively associated with motility (-0.26; p < 0.01), progressively motile sperms (-0.233; p < 0.01) and nonprogressively motile sperms (-0.188; p < 0.05). Plasmatic 7β –OH-EpiA levels in men were generally higher in comparison with pregnant women. Levels 7β–OH-EpiA were under the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) in majority of samples of pregnant women and cord plasma. Only 4 plasma samples of pregnant women and 7 cord blood plasma samples were above LLOQ and where in range of units of pg/ml. Conclusion: Based on available information, this is the first study measuring 7β–OH-EpiA in human samples. 7β–OH-EpiA is associated with lower sperm quality and certainly it is worth to explore its role in this field thoroughly. Interestingly, levels of 7β–OH-EpiA in pregnant women were extremely low despite the fact that steroid levels including androgens are generally higher during pregnancy. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the project MH CR 17-30528 A from the Czech Health Research Council, MH CZ - DRO (Institute of Endocrinology - EU, 00023761) and by the MEYS CR (OP RDE, Excellent research - ENDO.CZ).

Keywords: 7β-hydroxy-epiandrosterone, steroid, sperm quality, pregnancy

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Authors: Navid Mirzaei Varzeghani, Mahmoud Saffarzadeh, Ali Naderan, Amirhossein Taheri

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Countries are progressing, and the world's busiest airports see year-on-year increases in travel demand. Passenger acceptability of an airport depends on the airport's appeals, which may include one of these routes between the city and the airport, as well as the facilities to reach them. One of the critical roles of transportation planners is to predict future transportation demand so that an integrated, multi-purpose system can be provided and diverse modes of transportation (rail, air, and land) can be delivered to a destination like an airport. In this study, 356 questionnaires were filled out in person over six days. First, the attraction of business and non-business trips was studied using data and a linear regression model. Lower travel costs, a range of ages more significant than 55, and other factors are essential for business trips. Non-business travelers, on the other hand, have prioritized using personal vehicles to get to the airport and ensuring convenient access to the airport. Business travelers are also less price-sensitive than non-business travelers regarding airport travel. Furthermore, carrying additional luggage (for example, more than one suitcase per person) undoubtedly decreases the attractiveness of public transit. Afterward, based on the manner and purpose of the trip, the locations with the highest trip generation to the airport were identified. The most famous district in Tehran was District 2, with 23 visits, while the most popular mode of transportation was an online taxi, with 12 trips from that location. Then, significant variables in separation and behavior of travel methods to access the airport were investigated for all systems. In this scenario, the most crucial factor is the time it takes to get to the airport, followed by the method's user-friendliness as a component of passenger preference. It has also been demonstrated that enhancing public transportation trip times reduces private transportation's market share, including taxicabs. Based on the responses of personal and semi-public vehicles, the desire of passengers to approach the airport via public transportation systems was explored to enhance present techniques and develop new strategies for providing the most efficient modes of transportation. Using the binary model, it was clear that business travelers and people who had already driven to the airport were the least likely to change.

Keywords: multimodal transportation, demand modeling, travel behavior, statistical models

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Authors: Mariola Głowacka

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Aim: The aim of this study was to present the assessment of dyspnea and anxiety in seniors staying in the hospice in the context of the nurse's tasks. Materials and methods: The presented research was carried out at the "Hospicjum Płockie" Association of St. Urszula Ledóchowska in Płock, in a stationary ward, for adults. The research group consisted of 100 people, women, and men. In the study described in this paper, the method of diagnostic survey, the method of estimation and analysis of patient records were used, and the research tools were the numerical scale of the NRS assessment, the modified Borg scale to assess dyspnea, the Trait Anxiety scale to test the intensity of anxiety and the sociodemographic assessment of the respondent. Results: Among the patients, the greatest number were people without dyspnoea (38 people) and with average levels of dyspnoea (26 people). People with lung cancer had a higher level of breathlessness than people with other cancers. Half of the patients included in the study felt anxiety at a low level. On average, men had a higher level of anxiety than women. Conclusion: 1) Patients staying in the hospice require comprehensive nursing care due to the underlying disease, comorbidities, and a wide range of medications taken, which aggravate the feeling of dyspnea and anxiety. 2) The study showed that in patients staying in the hospice, the level of dyspnea was of varying severity. The greatest number of people were without dyspnea (38) and patients with a low level of dyspnea (34). There were 12 people experiencing an average level of dyspnea and a high level of dyspnea 15. 3) The main factor influencing the severity of dyspnea in patients was the location of cancer. There was no significant relationship between the intensity of dyspnea and the age, gender of the patient, and time from diagnosis. 4) The study showed that in patients staying in the hospice, the level of anxiety was of varying severity. Most people experience a low level of anxiety (51). There were 16 people with a high level of anxiety, while there were 33 people experiencing anxiety at an average level. 5) The patient's gender was the main factor influencing the increase in anxiety intensity. Men had higher levels of anxiety than women. There was no significant correlation between the intensity of anxiety and the age of the respondents, as well as the type of cancer and time since diagnosis. 6) The intensity of dyspnea depended on the type of cancer the subjects had. People with lung cancer had a higher level of breathlessness than those with breast cancer and bowel cancer. It was not found that the anxiety increased depending on the type of cancer and comorbidities of the examined person.

Keywords: cancer, shortness of breath, anxiety, senior, hospice

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Authors: Stephens Oluyemi Adetunji, Nel Norma Margaret, Naidu Narainsamy

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Empathy has been identified by researchers to be a crucial factor in helping adolescents to refrain from delinquent behavior. Adolescent delinquent behavior is a social problem that has become a source of concern to parents, psychologists, educators, correctional services, researchers as well as governments of nations. Empathy is a social skill that enables an individual to understand and to share another’s emotional state. An individual with a high level of empathy will avoid any act or behavior that will affect another person negatively. The need for this study is predicated on the fact that delinquent adolescent behavior could lead to adult criminality. This, in the long run, has the potential of resulting in an increase in crime rate thereby threatening public safety. It has therefore become imperative to explore the level of empathy of delinquent adolescents who have committed crime and are awaiting trial. It is the conjecture of this study that knowledge of the empathy level of delinquent adolescents will provide an opportunity to design an intervention strategy to remediate the deficit. This study was therefore designed to determine the level of empathy of delinquent adolescents. In addition, this study provides a better understanding of factors that may prevent adolescents from developing delinquent behavior, in this case, delinquents’ empathy levels. In the case of participants who have a low level of empathy, remediation strategies to improve their empathy level would be designed. Two research questions were raised to guide this study. A mixed methods research design was employed for the study. The sample consists of fifteen male adolescents who are between 13-18 years old with a mean age of 16.5 years old. The participants are adolescents who are awaiting trial. The non-probability sampling technique was used to obtain the sample for the quantitative study while purposive sampling was used in the case of the qualitative study. A self–report questionnaire and structured interview were used to assess the level of empathy of participants. The data obtained was analysed using the simple percentages for the quantitative data and transcribing the qualitative data. The result indicates that most of the participants have low level of empathy. It is also revealed that there is a difference in the empathy level on the basis of whether they are from parents living together and those whose parents are separated. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the level of empathy of participants be improved through training and emphasizing the importance of stimulating family environment for children. It is also recommended that programs such as youth mentoring and youth sheltering be established by the government of South Africa to address the menace of delinquent adolescents.

Keywords: adolescents, behavior, delinquents, empathy

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Authors: Li (Claudia) Chen

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With the rapid development of the global economy, the growing prevalence of customer health consciousness has arisen over the last decade. Consumers are considered more healthy lifestyles and wellness routines in their daily life, and likewise, they are inclined to invest disposable incomes in enhancing their health and wellness, beauty, and social identity. Nowadays, visiting spas has become a popular activity; particularly, millennials are increasingly prone to visiting spas. It has now become one of the major places for relaxation, rejuvenation, revitalization, and enjoyment by providing various types of spa services such as hotel and resort spas, destination spas, mineral, and thermal spring spas, medical spas, and so forth. The hotel and resort spa has been becoming increasingly popular among other spas, which is the largest number of spas and revenue over the last five years, and has now surpassed day/salon spas as the industry revenue leader. In the hotel and resort spa industry, sensory experience plays a vital role in the customer journey, and it encompasses all aspects of the sense that can affect the overall experience. Consumers use senses-sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste to gather the information that contributes to the establishment of an experience, and all senses interacting together form the foundation of sensory experiences. Sensory marketing as a marketing strategy engages consumers' senses and affects their behaviour, yet consumers are often unaware of the way senses interact with their day-to-day experiences. Indeed, it is important to understand consumer sensory experience in terms of how it influences consumer consumption behaviour. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the sensory experiences of consumers and the ways that sensory experiences shape consumer behaviour in the hotel and resort spa industry. This paper consists of in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant-observation methods to collect data from different stakeholders. The findings reveal that multisensory experiences play vital roles in consumer spa experiences and are highly influential in consumer perception, cognition, and behaviour. Moreover, the findings also demonstrate that sensory stimuli bring positive or negative effects on consumer experience in the hotel spa industry. Ultimately, the findings also offer additional insight to managers on sensory marketing strategy to stimulate brand experience that can establish customer loyalty.

Keywords: sensory marketing, senses, consumer behaviour, multi-sensory marketing, hotel and resorts spa industry, qualitative research

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Authors: Diea Gamal Abo El-Hassan, Salwa Ahmed Aly, Abdelrahman Mahmoud Abdelgwad

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The major conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers have anticancer effect, especially breast cancer cells, inhibits cell growth and induces cell death. Also, CLA has several health benefits in vivo, including antiatherogenesis, antiobesity, and modulation of immune function. The present study aimed to assess the safety and anticancer effects of milk fat CLA against in vivo Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in female Swiss albino mice. This was based on acute toxicity study, detection of the tumor growth, life span of EAC bearing hosts, and simultaneous alterations in the hematological, biochemical, and histopathological profiles. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty adult female mice were equally divided into five groups. Groups (1-2) were normal controls, and Groups (3-5) were tumor transplanted mice (TTM) inoculated intraperitoneally with EAC cells (2×106 /0.2 mL). Group (3) was (TTM positive control). Group (4) TTM fed orally on balanced diet supplemented with milk fat CLA (40 mg CLA/kg body weight). Group (5) TTM fed orally on balanced diet supplemented with the same level of CLA 28 days before tumor cells inoculation. Blood samples and specimens from liver and kidney were collected from each group. The effect of milk fat CLA on the growth of tumor, life span of TTM, and simultaneous alterations in the hematological, biochemical, and histopathological profiles were examined. Results: For CLA treated TTM, significant decrease in tumor weight, ascetic volume, viable Ehrlich cells accompanied with increase in life span were observed. Hematological and biochemical profiles reverted to more or less normal levels and histopathology showed minimal effects. Conclusion: The present study proved the safety and anticancer efficiency of milk fat CLA and provides a scientific basis for its medicinal use as anticancer attributable to the additive or synergistic effects of its isomers.

Keywords: anticancer activity, conjugated linoleic acid, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, % increase in life span, mean survival time, tumor transplanted mice.

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Authors: Jagadish Rao Padubidri, Mehak Bhandary, Sowmya J. Rao

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Introduction: The significance of the human foot and its measurements in identifying an individual has been proved a lot of times by different studies in different geographical areas and its association to the stature and gender of the individual has been justified by many researches. In our study we have used different foot measurements including the length, width, malleol height and navicular height for establishing its association to stature and gender and to find out its accuracy. The purpose of this study is to show the relation of foot measurements with stature and gender, and to derive Multiple and Logistic regression equations for stature and gender estimation in South Indian population. Materials and Methods: The subjects for this study were 200 South Indian students out of which 100 were females and 100 were males, aged between 18 to 24 years. The data for the present study included the stature, foot length, foot breath, foot malleol height, foot navicular height of both right and left foot. Descriptive statistics, T-test and Pearson correlation coefficients were derived between stature, gender and foot measurements. The stature was estimated from right and left foot measurements for both male and female South Indian population using multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis for gender estimation. Results: The means, standard deviation, stature, right and left foot measurements and T-test in male population were higher than in females. LFL (Left foot length) is more than RFL (Right Foot length) in male groups, but in female groups the length of both foot are almost equal [RFL=226.6, LFL=227.1]. There is not much of difference in means of RFW (Right foot width) and LFW (Left foot width) in both the genders. Significant difference were seen in mean values of malleol and navicular height of right and left feet in male gender. No such difference was seen in female subjects. Conclusions: The study has successfully demonstrated the correlation of foot length in stature estimation in all the three study groups in both right and left foot. Next in parameters are Foot width and malleol height in estimating stature among male and female groups. Navicular height of both right and left foot showed poor relationship with stature estimation in both male and female groups. Multiple regression equations for both right and left foot measurements to estimate stature were derived with standard error ranging from 11-12 cm in males and 10-11 cm in females. The SEE was 5.8 when both male and female groups were pooled together. The logistic regression model which was derived to determine gender showed 85% accuracy and 92.5% accuracy using right and left foot measurements respectively. We believe that stature and gender can be estimated with foot measurements in South Indian population.

Keywords: foot length, gender, stature, South Indian

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Authors: Cherrie Mae S. Sia, Noel J. Belonguel, Jarungchai Anton S. Vatanagul

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Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive, neurodegenerative disorder known for its motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, muscle rigidity, and postural instability. Patients with PD also experience non-motor symptoms (NMS) such as depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances that are most of the time unrecognized by clinicians. This may be due to the lack of spontaneous reports from the patients or partly because of the lack of systematic questioning from the healthcare professional. There is limited data with regards to these NMS especially that of Filipino patients with PD. Objectives: This study aims to determine the non-motor symptoms of Filipino patients with Parkinson’s disease. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, cohort study involving thirty-four patients of Filipino-descent diagnosed with PD in three out-patient clinics in Cebu City from April to September 2014. Each patient was interviewed using the Non-Motor Symptom Scale (NMSS). A Cebuano version of the NMSS was also provided for the non-English speaking patients. Interview time was approximately ten to fifteen minutes for each respondent. Results: Of the thirty-four patients with Parkinson’s disease, majority was noted to be males (N=19) and the disease was noted to be more prevalent in patients with a mean age of 62 (SD±9) years old. Hypertension (59%) and diabetes mellitus (29%) were the common co-morbidities in the study population. All patients presented more than one NMS, with insomnia (41.2%), poor memory (23.5%) and depression (14.7%) being the first non-motor symptoms to occur. Symptoms involving mood/cognition (mean=2.21), and attention/memory (mean=2.05) were noted to be the most frequent and of moderate severity. Based on the NMSS, the symptoms that were noted to be mild and often to occur were those that involved the mood/cognition (score=3.84), attention/memory (score=3.50), and sleep/fatigue (score=3.00) domains. Levodopa-Carbidopa, Ropinirole, and Pramipexole were the most frequently used medications in the study population. Conclusion: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are common in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). They appear at the time of diagnosis of PD or even before the motor symptoms manifest. The earliest non-motor symptoms to occur are insomnia, poor memory, and depression. Those pertaining to mood/cognition and attention/memory are the most frequent NMS and they are of moderate severity. Identifying these NMS by doing a questionnaire-guided interview such as the Non-Motor Symptom Scale (NMSS) before they can become more severe and affect the patient’s quality of life is a must for every clinician caring for a PD patient. Early treatment and control of these NMS can then be given, hence, improving the patient’s outcome and prognosis.

Keywords: non motor symptoms, Parkinson's Disease, insomnia, depression

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Authors: Behnam Jay

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In this study, the phenomenon called “Strengthening” in human language refers to the strategic use of multiple linguistic elements to intensify specific grammatical or semantic functions. This study explores cross-linguistic evidence demonstrating how strengthening appears in various grammatical structures. In French and Spanish, double negatives are used not to cancel each other out but to intensify the negation, challenging the conventional understanding that double negatives result in an affirmation. For example, in French, il ne sait pas (He dosn't know.) uses both “ne” and “pas” to strengthen the negation. Similarly, in Spanish, No vio a nadie. (He didn't see anyone.) uses “no” and “nadie” to achieve a stronger negative meaning. In Japanese, double honorifics, often perceived as erroneous, are reinterpreted as intentional efforts to amplify politeness, as seen in forms like ossharareru (to say, (honorific)). Typically, an honorific morpheme appears only once in a predicate, but native speakers often use double forms to reinforce politeness. In Turkish, the word eğer (indicating a condition) is sometimes used together with the conditional suffix -se(sa) within the same sentence to strengthen the conditional meaning, as in Eğer yağmur yağarsa, o gelmez. (If it rains, he won't come). Furthermore, the combination of question words with rising intonation in various languages serves to enhance interrogative force. These instances suggest that strengthening is a cross-linguistic strategy that may reflect a broader cognitive mechanism in language processing. This paper investigates these cases in detail, providing insights into why languages may adopt such strategies. No corpus was used for collecting examples from different languages. Instead, the examples were gathered from languages the author encountered during their research, focusing on specific grammatical and morphological phenomena relevant to the concept of strengthening. Due to the complexity of employing a comparative method across multiple languages, this approach was chosen to illustrate common patterns of strengthening based on available data. It is acknowledged that different languages may have different strengthening strategies in various linguistic domains. While the primary focus is on grammar and morphology, it is recognized that the strengthening phenomenon may also appear in phonology. Future research should aim to include a broader range of languages and utilize more comprehensive comparative methods where feasible to enhance methodological rigor and explore this phenomenon more thoroughly.

Keywords: strengthening, cross-linguistic analysis, syntax, semantics, cognitive mechanism

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Authors: Caroline Provost, Francois Dumont

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Production of insects for human and animal consumption is an increasingly important activity in Canada. Protein production is more efficient and less harmful to the environment using insect rearing compared to the impact of traditional livestock, poultry and fish farms. Insects are rich in essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and trace elements. Thus, insect-based products could be used as a food supplement for livestock and domestic animals and may even find their way into the diets of high performing athletes or fine dining. Nevertheless, several parameters remain to be determined to ensure efficient and profitable production that meet the potential of these sectors. This project proposes to improve the production processes, rearing diets and processing methods for three species with valuable gastronomic and nutritional potential: the common mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), the small mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), and the giant mealworm (Zophobas morio). The general objective of the project is to acquire specific knowledge for mass rearing of insects dedicated to animal and human consumption in order to respond to current market opportunities and meet a growing demand for these products. Mass rearing of the three species of mealworm was produced to provide the individuals needed for the experiments. Mealworms eat flour from different cereals (e.g. wheat, barley, buckwheat). These cereals vary in their composition (protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, antioxidant, etc.), but also in their purchase cost. Seven different diets were compared to optimize the yield of the rearing. Diets were composed of cereal flour (e.g. wheat, barley) and were either mixed or left alone. Female fecundity, larvae mortality and growing curves were observed. Some flour diets have positive effects on female fecundity and larvae performance while each mealworm was found to have specific diet requirements. Trade-offs between mealworm performance and costs need to be considered. Experiments on the effect of flour composition on several parameters related to performance and nutritional and gastronomic value led to the identification of a more appropriate diet for each mealworm.

Keywords: mass rearing, mealworm, human consumption, diet

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Authors: Hamad Almebayedh, Chuxia Lin, Yu wang

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The environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be improved, assessed, and quality checked for human and environmental health and safety. Soil contamination is expanding, and sites and soil remediation activities proceeding around the word which simplifies the answer “quality soil characterization” will lead to “quality EIA” to illuminate the contamination level and extent and reveal the unknown for the way forward to remediate, countifying, containing, minimizing and eliminating the environmental damage. Spatial interpolation methods play a significant role in decision making, planning remediation strategies, environmental management, and risk assessment, as it provides essential elements towards site characterization, which need to be informed into the EIA. The Innovative 3D soil mapping and soil characterization technology presented in this research paper reveal the unknown information and the extent of the contaminated soil in specific and enhance soil characterization information in general which will be reflected in improving the information provided in developing the EIA related to specific sites. The foremost aims of this research paper are to present novel 3D mapping technology to quality and cost-effectively characterize and estimate the distribution of key soil characteristics in contaminated sites and develop Innovative process/procedure “assessment measures” for EIA quality and assessment. The contaminated site and field investigation was conducted by innovative 3D mapping technology to characterize the composition of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soils in a decommissioned oilfield waste pit in Kuwait. The results show the depth and extent of the contamination, which has been interred into a developed assessment process and procedure for the EIA quality review checklist to enhance the EIA and drive remediation and risk assessment strategies. We have concluded that to minimize the possible adverse environmental impacts on the investigated site in Kuwait, the soil-capping approach may be sufficient and may represent a cost-effective management option as the environmental risk from the contaminated soils is considered to be relatively low. This research paper adopts a multi-method approach involving reviewing the existing literature related to the research area, case studies, and computer simulation.

Keywords: quality EIA, spatial interpolation, soil characterization, contaminated site

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Authors: Flora Tajiki

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Undoubtedly, the desire to experience the beauty of motherhood is a dream for every woman, and delays in achieving this can have significant psychological consequences. Endometriosis, which is the presence of endometrial tissue in organs other than the uterus, can cause infertility through adhesion and inflammation. The fallopian tubes play a crucial role in transferring the egg to the uterus; if adhesions are present, the chances of natural pregnancy decrease, while the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage increases. In cases of mild adhesions observed during hysterosalpingography or laparoscopy, the tubes may open, but in severe adhesions, this is usually not possible. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle combined with massage of the uterine and ovarian areas in relieving adhesions in the fallopian tubes and treating the complications of endometriosis. This case study focuses on a 33-year-old woman, who married at 20, and experienced a miscarriage five years ago that required curettage. Following this, a hysterosalpingography revealed blockages in both fallopian tubes. A laparoscopic examination also indicated endometriosis and specialists in infertility ruled out the possibility of natural pregnancy. Three years ago, she underwent an unsuccessful IVF procedure. Two years ago, she began a lifestyle modification program that included improving sleep patterns, eliminating sugar and preservatives, avoiding red meat and gluten, eating a balanced diet, walking, exercising, and incorporating beneficial foods like olive oil, almonds, and nutritious vegetables, along with abdominal massage using chamomile oil. She also took vitamin C and vitamin D supplements. After approximately twenty weeks of these methods, and given that infertility centers had indicated that surgery and repeated IVF were the only options for her to conceive, she became pregnant naturally and had a successful pregnancy and delivery. Endometriosis is one of the significant factors contributing to infertility and adhesions in the fallopian tubes and uterus, and unfortunately, it has no definitive cure and can recur even after surgery. The treatment of similar cases emphasizes lifestyle modifications, and this approach has proven to be both cost-effective and harmless. Therefore, it seems essential to focus on this treatment strategy.

Keywords: infertility, endometriosis, adhesions, fallopian tubes, healthy lifestyle, lifestyle modifications, abdominal massage, case study, natural pregnancy, ivf, psychological consequences, uterine health, complementary treatments, nutrition, women's health.

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Authors: Sara Ataei, Molouk Hadjibabaie, Amirhossein Moslehi, Maryam Taghizadeh-Ghehi, Asieh Ashouri, Elham Amini, Kheirollah Gholami, Alireza Hayatshahi, Mohammad Vaezi, Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh

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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is associated with increased mortality. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol compound with antioxidant and vasodilatory properties that has been investigated for the prevention of AKI in several clinical settings. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of intravenous NAC on the prevention of AKI in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted, and 80 patients were recruited to receive 100 mg/kg/day NAC or placebo as intermittent intravenous infusion from day -6 to day +15. AKI was determined on the basis of the Risk-Injury-Failure-Loss-Endstage renal disease and AKI Network criteria as the primary outcome. We assessed urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) on days -6, -3, +3, +9, and +15 as the secondary outcome. Moreover, transplant-related outcomes and NAC adverse reactions were evaluated during the study period. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric methods including Kaplan–Meier for AKI and generalized estimating equation for uNGAL. At the end of the trial, data from 72 patients were analyzed (NAC: 33 patients and placebo: 39 patients). Participants of each group were not different considering baseline characteristics. AKI was observed in 18% of NAC recipients and 15% of placebo group patients, and the occurrence pattern was not significantly different (p = 0.73). Moreover, no significant difference was observed between groups for uNGAL measures (p = 0.10). Transplant-related outcomes were similar for both groups, and all patients had successful engraftment. Three patients did not tolerate NAC because of abdominal pain, shortness of breath and rash with pruritus and were dropped from the intervention group before transplantation. However, the frequency of adverse reactions was not significantly different between groups. In conclusion, our findings could not show any clinical benefits from high-dose NAC particularly for AKI prevention in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.

Keywords: acute kidney injury, N-acetylcysteine, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, randomized controlled trial

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Authors: Trenton Hubbard, Kenneth Soyemi, Emily Siffermann

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Introduction: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) there are different weight-based recommendations for the treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in patients who are being evaluated for sexual assault. Current AAP Red Book guidelines recommend that uncomplicated C. trachomatis anogenital infection in prepubertal patients weighing less than =<45 kg be treated with oral erythromycin 50 mg/kg/day QID for 14 days with no alternative therapies, and for patients whose weight => 45 kg are Azithromycin 1 gm PO once. Our study objective was to determine the efficacy of single-dose Azithromycin therapy for the treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis in patients weighing less than 50 kg who were evaluated for child sexual abuse in an urban setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of historical medical records (paper and electronic) patients weighing less than 50 kg who were evaluated for child sexual abuse and subsequently treated for C. trachomatis infection with Azithromycin (20 mg/kg PO once up to a maximum 1 gm) and received a Test of Cure (TOC) from 2006-2016. Qualitative variables were expressed as percentages. Quantitative variables were expressed as mean values (+/- standard deviation [SD]) if they followed a normal distribution or as median values (interquartile range[IQR]) if they did not. Wilcoxson two-sample test was used to compare means of Azithromycin Dose, mg/kg, and TOC timing between treatment responders and non-responders. Results: We reviewed records of 34 patients, average age (SD) was 5.4 (2.0) years, 33 (97%) were treated for CT and 1(3%) for both GC and CT. 25 (74%) were females. Urine PCR was the most commonly used test at evaluation and as TOC with 13 (38%) patients completing both tests. The average (SD) dose of Azithromycin at treatment was 470 (136) mg and average (SD) mg/kg dose of 20 (1.9) mg/kg for all patients. Median (IQR) timing for TOC testing was 19 (14-26) days. Of the 33 with complete data 25 (74%) had a negative TOC. When compared with treatment non-responders (TOC failures), treatment responders received higher doses (average dose (SD) received 495 (139) vs 401(110), P 0.06)); similar average (SD) weight base dosing received (20.8(2.0) vs 19.7 (1.5), P 0.15)), and earlier average (SD)TOC test timing (18.8 (5.6) vs 32 (28.6) P 0.02)). Conclusion: Azithromycin dosing appears to be efficacious in the treatment of CT post sexual assault as majority of patients responded. Although treatment responders and non-responders received similar weight based doses, there is need for additional studies to understand variances and predictors of response.

Keywords: child sexual abuse, chlmaydia trachmotis infection, single-dose azithromycin, weight less than or equal to 45 kilograms

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Authors: Wong Siew Ngan, Lee Chie Tsang, Lee See Ling, Lim Ho Yi

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The selection of Tonewood is critical in defining tonal and acoustic qualities of string instruments, yet limited research exists on indigenous instruments utilizing tropical woods. This gap is addressed by analyzing the "multi-sonic timbre" of the Biula (Bajau Sama Dilaut), crafted by rainforest indigenous communities using locally accessible tropical species such as jackfruit and coconut, whose distinctive grain patterns, density, and moisture content, significantly contribute to the instrument’s rich harmonic spectrum and dynamic range. Unlike Western violins that utilize temperate woods like Maple and Spruce, the Biula's sound is shaped by the unique acoustic properties of these tropical tonewoods. To further investigate the impact of tropical tonewoods on the biula’s acoustics, frequency response tests were conducted on instruments constructed from various local species using SPEAR (Sinusoidal Partial Editing Analysis and Resynthesis) software for spectral analysis, measurements were taken of resonance frequencies, harmonic content, and sound decay rates. These analyses reveal that jackfruit wood produces warmer tones with enhanced lower frequencies, while coconut wood contributes to brighter timbres with pronounced higher harmonics. Building upon these findings, the materials and construction methods of biula bows were also examined. The study found that the variations in tropical hardwoods and locally sourced bow hair significantly influence the instrument's responsiveness and articulation, shaping its distinctive 'multi-sonic timbre.' These findings deepen the understanding of indigenous instrument acoustics, offering valuable insights for modern luthiers interested in tropical tonewoods. By documenting traditional crafting techniques, this research supports the preservation of cultural heritage and promotes appreciation of indigenous craftsmanship.

Keywords: multi-sonic timbre, biula (bajau sama dilaut bowed lute), tropical tonewoods, spectral analysis, indigenous instrument acoustics

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Authors: Carla Palencia-Aguilar

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In order to attain the 2050’s zero emissions goal, it is necessary to know the carbon dioxide changes over time either from pollution to attenuations in the mining industry versus at green zones to establish real goals and redirect efforts to reduce greenhouse effects. Two methods were used to compute the amount of CO2 tons in specific mining zones in Colombia. The former by means of NPP with MODIS MOD17A3HGF from years 2000 to 2021. The latter by using MODIS MYD021KM bands 33 to 36 with maximum values of 644 data points distributed in 7 sites corresponding to surface mineral mining of: coal, nickel, iron and limestone. The green zones selected were located at the proximities of the studied sites, but further than 1 km to avoid information overlapping. Year 2012 was selected for method 2 to compare the results with data provided by the Colombian government to determine range of values. Some data was compared with 2022 MODIS energy values and converted to kton of CO2 by using the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator by EPA. The results showed that Nickel mining was the least pollutant with 81 kton of CO2 e.q on average and maximum of 102 kton of CO2 e.q. per year, with green zones attenuating carbon dioxide in 103 kton of CO2 on average and 125 kton maximum per year in the last 22 years. Following Nickel, there was Coal with average kton of CO2 per year of 152 and maximum of 188, values very similar to the subjacent green zones with average and maximum kton of CO2 of 157 and 190 respectively. Iron had similar results with respect to 3 Limestone sites with average values of 287 kton of CO2 for mining and 310 kton for green zones, and maximum values of 310 kton for iron mining and 356 kton for green zones. One of the limestone sites exceeded the other sites with an average value of 441 kton per year and maximum of 490 kton per year, eventhough it had higher attenuation by green zones than a close Limestore site (3.5 Km apart): 371 kton versus 281 kton on average and maximum 416 kton versus 323 kton, such vegetation contribution is not enough, meaning that manufacturing process should be improved for the most pollutant site. By comparing bands 33 to 36 for years 2012 and 2022 from January to August, it can be seen that on average the kton of CO2 were similar for mining sites and green zones; showing an average yearly balance of carbon dioxide emissions and attenuation. However, efforts on improving manufacturing process are needed to overcome the carbon dioxide effects specially during emissions’ peaks because surrounding vegetation cannot fully attenuate it.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, MODIS, surface mining, vegetation

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Authors: Om Kalthoum Sallem, Saidakilani, Kamiliya Ounaissa, Abdelmajid Abid

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Introduction and purposes: Olive oil is the main oil used in the Mediterranean diet. Virgin olive oil is valued for its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics and is resistant to oxidation due to its high monounsaturated fatty acid content (MUFAs), and low polyunsaturates (PUFAs) and the presence of natural antioxidants such as phenols, tocopherols and carotenoids. The fatty acid composition, especially the MUFA content, and the natural antioxidants provide advantages for health. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of method of extraction on the chemical profiles of ‘Chemchali’ olive oil variety, which is cultivated in the city of Gafsa, and to compare it with chetoui and chemchali varieties. Methods: Our study is a qualitative prospective study that deals with ‘Chemchali’ olive oil variety. Analyses were conducted during three months (from December to February) in different oil mills in the city of Gafsa. We have compared ‘Chemchali’ olive oil obtained by continuous method to this obtained by superpress method. Then we have analyzed quality index parameters, including free fatty acid content (FFA), acidity, and UV spectrophotometric characteristics and other physico-chemical data [oxidative stability, ß-carotene, and chlorophyll pigment composition]. Results: Olive oil resulting from super press method compared with continuous method is less acid(0,6120 vs. 0,9760), less oxydazible(K232:2,478 vs. 2,592)(k270:0,216 vs. 0,228), more rich in oleic acid(61,61% vs. 66.99%), less rich in linoleic acid(13,38% vs. 13,98 %), more rich in total chlorophylls pigments (6,22 ppm vs. 3,18 ppm ) and ß-carotene (3,128 mg/kg vs. 1,73 mg/kg). ‘Chemchali’ olive oil showed more equilibrated total content in fatty acids compared with the varieties ’Chemleli’ and ‘Chetoui’. Gafsa’s variety ’Chemlali’ have significantly less saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Whereas it has a higher content in monounsaturated fatty acid C18:2, compared with the two other varieties. Conclusion: The use of super press method had benefic effects on general chemical characteristics of ‘Chemchali’ olive oil, maintaining the highest quality according to the ecocert legal standards. In light of the results obtained in this study, a more detailed study is required to establish whether the differences in the chemical properties of oils are mainly due to agronomic and climate variables or, to the processing employed in oil mills.

Keywords: olive oil, extraction method, fatty acids, chemchali olive oil

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Authors: Simona Dostalova, Dita Munzova, Ana Maria Jimenez Jimenez, Marketa Vaculovicova, Vojtech Adam, Rene Kizek

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The boom of nanomedicine in recent years has led to the development of numerous new nanomaterials that can be used as nanocarriers in the drug delivery. These nanocarriers can either be synthetic or natural-based. The disadvantage of many synthetic nanocarriers is their toxicity in patient’s body. Protein cages that can naturally be found in human body do not exhibit such disadvantage. However, the release of cargo from some protein cages in target cells can be problematic. As a special type of protein cages can serve the capsid of many viruses, including phage. Phages infect bacterial cells; therefore they are not harmful to human cells. The targeting of phage particles to cancer cells can be solved by producing of empty phage capsids during which the targeting moieties (e.g. peptides) can be cloned into genes of phage capsid to decorate its surface. Moreover, the produced capsids do not contain viral nucleic acid and are therefore not infectious to beneficial bacteria in the patient’s body. The protein cage composed of viral capsid is larger than other frequently used apoferritin cage but its size is still small enough to benefit from passive targeting by Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect. In this work, bacteriophage λ was used, both whole and its empty capsid for delivery of different cytotoxic drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, etoposide and doxorubicin). Large quantities of phage λ were obtained from phage λ-producing strain of E. coli cultivated in medium with 0.2 % maltose. After killing of E. coli with chloroform and its removal by centrifugation, the phage was concentrated by ultracentrifugation at 130 000 g and 4 °C for 3 h. The encapsulation of the drugs was performed by infusion method and four different concentrations of the drugs were encapsulated (200; 100; 50; 25 µg/ml). Free molecules of drugs were removed by dialysis. The encapsulation was verified using spectrophotometric and electrochemical methods. The amount of encapsulated drug linearly increased with the amount of applied drug (determination coefficient R2=0.8013). 76% of applied drug was encapsulated in phage λ particles (concentration of 10 µg/ml), even with the highest applied concentration of drugs, 200 µg/ml. Only 1% of encapsulated drug was detected in phage DNA. Similar results were obtained with encapsulation in phage empty capsid. Therefore, it can be concluded that the encapsulation of drugs into phage particles is efficient and mostly occurs by interaction of drugs with protein capsid.

Keywords: cytostatics, drug delivery, nanocarriers, phage capsid

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Authors: Dhritilekha Deka, Deepak Patwa, Ravi K., Archana M. Nair

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Bioaccumulation of heavy metal contaminants due to intense anthropogenic interference degrades the environment and ecosystem functions. Conventional physicochemical methods involve energy-intensive and costly methodologies. Phytoremediation, on the other hand, provides an efficient nature-based strategy for the reclamation of heavy metal-contaminated sites. However, the slow process and adaptation to high-concentration contaminant sequestration often limit the efficiency of the method. This necessitates natural amendments such as biochar to improve phytoextraction and stabilize the green cover. Biochar is a highly porous structure with high carbon sequestration potential and containing negatively charged functional groups that provide binding sites for the positively charged metals. This study aims to develop and determine the synergy between sugarcane bagasse biochar content and phytoremediation. A 60-day pot experiment using perennial tussock vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) was conducted for different biochar contents of 1%, 2%, and 4% for the removal of cadmium and zinc. A concentration of 500 ppm is maintained for the amended and unamended control (CK) samples. The survival rates of the plants, biomass production, and leaf area index were measured for the plant growth characteristics. Results indicate a visible change in the plant growth and the heavy metal concentration with the biochar content. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) in the plant improved significantly for the 4% biochar content by 57% in comparison to the control CK treatment in Cd-treated soils. The Zn soils indicated the highest reduction in the metal concentration by 50% in the 2% amended samples and an increase in the BCF in all the amended samples. The translocation from the rhizosphere to the shoots was low but not dependent on the amendment content and varied for each contaminant type. The root-to-shoot ratio indicates higher values compared to the control samples. The enhanced tolerance capacities can be attributed to the nutrients released by the biochar in the soil. The study reveals the high potential of biochar as a phytoremediation amendment, but its effect is dependent on the soil and heavy metal and accumulator species.

Keywords: phytoextraction, biochar, heavy metals, chrysopogon zizanioides, bioaccumulation factor

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Authors: Richard Okyere Boadu, Judith Obiri-Yeboah, Kwame Adu Okyere Boadu, Nathan Kumasenu Mensah, Grace Amoh-Agyei

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Routine health information system (RHIS) quality assurance has become an important issue, not only because of its significance in promoting a high standard of patient care but also because of its impact on government budgets for the maintenance of health services. A routine health information system comprises healthcare data collection, compilation, storage, analysis, report generation, and dissemination on a routine basis in various healthcare settings. The data from RHIS give a representation of health status, health services, and health resources. The sources of RHIS data are normally individual health records, records of services delivered, and records of health resources. Using reliable information from routine health information systems is fundamental in the healthcare delivery system. Quality assurance practices are measures that are put in place to ensure the health data that are collected meet required quality standards. Routine health information system quality assurance practices ensure that data that are generated from the system are fit for use. This study considered quality assurance practices in the RHIS processes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in eight health facilities in Tarkwa Sub-Municipal Health Service in the western region of Ghana. The study involved routine quality assurance practices among the 90 health staff and management selected from facilities in Tarkwa Sub-Municipal who collected or used data routinely from 24th December 2019 to 20th January 2020. Results: Generally, Tarkwa Sub-Municipal health service appears to practice quality assurance during data collection, compilation, storage, analysis and dissemination. The results show some achievement in quality control performance in report dissemination (77.6%), data analysis (68.0%), data compilation (67.4%), report compilation (66.3%), data storage (66.3%) and collection (61.1%). Conclusions: Even though the Tarkwa Sub-Municipal Health Directorate engages in some control measures to ensure data quality, there is a need to strengthen the process to achieve the targeted percentage of performance (90.0%). There was a significant shortfall in quality assurance practices performance, especially during data collection, with respect to the expected performance.

Keywords: quality assurance practices, assessment of routine health information system quality, routine health information system, data quality

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Authors: Lindsey Carruthers, Alexandra Willis, Rory MacLean

Abstract:

Introduction: It has been proposed that distractibility, a key diagnostic criterion of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), may be associated with higher creativity levels in some individuals. Anecdotal and empirical evidence has shown that ADHD is therefore beneficial to creative problem-solving, and the generation of new ideas and products. Previous studies have only used one or two measures of attention, which is insufficient given that it is a complex cognitive process. The current study aimed to determine in which ways performance on creative problem-solving tasks and a range of attention tests may be related, and if performance differs between adults with and without ADHD. Methods: 150 adults, 47 males and 103 females (mean age=28.81 years, S.D.=12.05 years), were tested at Edinburgh Napier University. Of this set, 50 participants had ADHD, and 100 did not, forming the control group. Each participant completed seven attention tasks, assessing focussed, sustained, selective, and divided attention. Creative problem-solving was measured using divergent thinking tasks, which require multiple original solutions for one given problem. Two types of divergent thinking task were used: verbal (requires written responses) and figural (requires drawn responses). Each task is scored for idea originality, with higher scores indicating more creative responses. Correlational analyses were used to explore relationships between attention and creative problem-solving, and t-tests were used to study the between group differences. Results: The control group scored higher on originality for figural divergent thinking (t(148)= 3.187, p< .01), whereas the ADHD group had more original ideas for the verbal divergent thinking task (t(148)= -2.490, p < .05). Within the control group, figural divergent thinking scores were significantly related to both selective (r= -.295 to -.285, p < .01) and divided attention (r= .206 to .290, p < .05). Alternatively, within the ADHD group, both selective (r= -.390 to -.356, p < .05) and divided (r= .328 to .347, p < .05) attention are related to verbal divergent thinking. Conclusions: Selective and divided attention are both related to divergent thinking, however the performance patterns are different between each group, which may point to cognitive variance in the processing of these problems and how they are managed. The creative differences previously found between those with and without ADHD may be dependent on task type, which to the author’s knowledge, has not been distinguished previously. It appears that ADHD does not specifically lead to higher creativity, but may provide explanation for creative differences when compared to those without the disorder.

Keywords: ADHD, attention, creativity, problem-solving

Procedia PDF Downloads 456

Authors: Kiran Nawaz, Ahmad Ali Shahid, Sehrish Iftikhar, Waheed Anwar, Muhammad Nasir Subhani

Abstract:

Chili (Solanum annum L.) attacks by many fungal pathogens, including members of Oomycetes which are responsible for root rot in different chili growing areas of the world. Oomycetes pathogens cause economic losses in different regions of the Pakistan. Most of the plant tissues, including roots, crowns, fruit, and leaves, are vulnerable to Phytophthora capsici. It is very difficult to manage the Phytophthora root rot of chili as many commercial varieties are tremendously vulnerable to P. capsici. The causal agent of the disease was isolated on corn meal agar (CMA) and identified on a morphological basis by using available taxonomic keys. The pathogen was also confirmed on the molecular basis through internal transcribed spacer region and with other molecular markers.The Blastn results showed 100% homology with already reported sequences of P. capsici in NCBI database. Most of the farmers have conventionally relied on foliar fungicide applications to control Phytophthora root rot in spite of their incomplete effectiveness. In this study, in vitro plate assay, seed soaking and foliar applications of 6 fungicides were evaluated against root rot of chili. In vitro assay revealed that significant inhibition of linear growth was obtained with Triflumizole at 7.0%, followed by Thiophanate methyl (8.9%), Etridiazole (6.0%), Propamocarb (5.9%) and 7.5% with Mefenoxam and Iprodione for P. capsici. The promising treatments of in vitro plate bioassay were evaluated in pot experiments under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. All fungicides were applied after at 6-day intervals. Results of pot experiment showed that all treatments considerably inhibited the percentage of P. capsici root rot incidence. In addition, application of seed soaking with all six fungicides combined with the foliar spray of the same components showed the significant reduction in root rot incidence. The combine treatments of all fungicides as in vitro bioassay, seed soaking followed by foliar spray is considered non-harmful control methods which have advantages and limitation. Hence, these applications proved effective and harmless for the management of soil-borne plant pathogens.

Keywords: blastn, bioassay, corn meal agar(CMA), oomycetes

Procedia PDF Downloads 242