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Background This study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to identify the gaps in the existing literature related to Online marketing and brand awareness strategies for HEI. It has evaluated the current state of the literature on the given topic showing the pivotal role of online marketing and brand awareness in higher education for enrollment. Methods The study used a web-based application, Biblioshiny, which comes in the bibliometrix package. The study used the Scopus database to create the data set, given its conventional construction and quality of the sources. The analysis done is descriptive. By using the bibliometrix software, the study showed the authors name, articles, sources, citations, relevant journals and co-citation from the year 2017 to 2022. The time period selected by the study was five years which means that articles published from 2017 to 2022 have been taken for the study. Results We found that HEI online marketing and brand awareness have not been explored much as it has not reached the stage of maturity. Most of the publication was done during the time of Covid-19. Also, the role of brand awareness in student enrollment decisions for HEI requires more investigation. Top most publications their sources and top authors are identified. Conclusions Bibliometric analysis has provided valuable insights into the seminal work, emerging trends, and the gap in the study. This area of study has been explored but not as much as challenges, and the effectiveness of online marketing tools like seo, sem,ppc and more has not been measured. Further, this paper allows researchers to study by examining the pattern of publications by seeing the different authorships, co-authors, collaborations, relevant sources, and citations. The insights of this paper will help education policymakers devise more creative strategies to increase enrollment, ensuring sustained relevance and competitive advantage in higher education institutions .

Authors' rebuttal letters (ARLs) in response to journal reviewers critically affect whether a paper is accepted or rejected. However, the genre is traditionally "occluded" from the public view, and its linguistic or rhetorical features are seldom examined in the literature. Using Hyland's (2005) model, this study analyzes stance markers, i.e., expressions of the speaker's attitudes towards or commitment concerning a proposition, in 50 ARLs from five high-impact Nature Portfolio journals, which started publishing ARLs as supplements to manuscripts in 2020. The analysis shows that authors' stance deployment differs markedly between different sections of the ARL, i.e., Opening Statement, Point-by-Point Response, Additional Changes, and Closing Remarks. Attitude markers, boosters, and self-mentions are more frequent in ARLs than in research articles, serving to advocate the paper, highlight improvements, and show gratitude towards reviewers. Only 6 % ARLs fully accommodate all reviewer suggestions. When rejecting a criticism, authors rarely express total disagreement with reviewers, choosing instead to hedge the No Revision claims, use expressions of agreement and gratitude as buffers, and boost positive aspects of the paper. Findings of this study may be of interest to those who seek a better understanding of the language of ARLs, including ESP teachers and novice researchers. • 94 % authors' rebuttal letters (ARLs) contain No/Partial Revision responses. • Replies to criticisms contain fewer self-mentions than replies to positive comments. • Attitude markers showing gratitude and merits of paper are common throughout ARLs. • Hedging is most prevalent in No Revision responses, serving to soften disagreement. • Boosters reinforce self-praise, especially in No/Partial Revision responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This article aims to study the research outcomes of five Nordic countries in terms of research publications, spend on R&D, outcomes and collaborations as these are important parameters to understand research thrust of the countries/regions, in addition to their innovation capability. Methods The research outcomes of the Nordic countries in terms of the total number of publications, coauthored publications, publications with corporate collaborators, citations, the Field Weighted Citation Index (FWCI) and publications in different subject areas were retrieved using Scopus and its associate SciVal. The research outcomes were extracted for five years from 2016-2020. In addition, total population, researcher population and research spend of these countries have been obtained from World Bank data available for the year 2021. Results The analysis showed that Sweden has the highest population and the highest number of researchers in this region. All countries have the highest number of coauthored publications with the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, except Iceland, which has the second highest number of coauthored publications with Sweden. Denmark, followed by Iceland, stands prominent with reference to having publications with corporate collaborations. Denmark and Sweden have a high percentage of articles in first quartile journals, which is above the average for Nordic countries. Iceland stands at the top with the highest citations, which is depicted by high FWCI. Across subject areas, the Nordic countries have maximum publications in life sciences. Other prominent subject areas include technology and natural sciences. Conclusion On analysing the research landscape of Nordic countries, maximum research output is in the field of life sciences and medicine, and most of the coauthored publications of these countries are with the United States. Denmark, with its exemplary research output, excels with maximum papers in top quartile journals and with maximum corporate collaborations and the highest FWCI.

Fondrakö is the local wisdom of the Nias ethnic community and has two functions. First are the oral religious holy book teaching ancestors' values and philosophy. Second is the highest consensus institution of the traditional society formulating and making decisions on the socio-religious law to guarantee the order of the community. This paper explains that social differentiation has happened in the modern era; philosophical values of fondrakö remain to live up to this day and experience the proliferation of rites. The argumentation built through this paper is that primitive culture will not simply disappear in the modern community just because it experiences accommodation and the decrease of emotional intensity into new forms. Social laws of primitive religion are not always contradictory and can run parallel with civilization.

Background Religion and its exercise are among the most sensitive discourses in different parts of the world, especially in Nigeria. The constitution and other laws ensure citizens are afforded basic human rights of which religious rights are included and yet regulated. There are questions of interpretation as to the extent to which such rights can be enjoyed and the efficacy of both the legal and institutional frameworks protecting religious rights in Nigeria. Methods This article utilises a doctrinal legal research approach utilising existing literature, statutes, and laws enacted towards the protection of religious rights in Nigeria with the consideration of primary and secondary sources of statutes including the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), judicial precedents, International Conventions, law textbooks, and peer-reviewed journals. A comparative analysis of Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and Kazakhstan was done to gain perspectives on balancing conflicting interests in light of Nigeria’s heterogeneous status. As part of the contribution to knowledge, a hybrid model for mitigating the socio-legal effect of the usage of hijab in Nigeria’s public institutions is presented to further enrich Nigeria’s jurisprudence. A hybrid model is an approach that combines different sources or methodologies by integrating two or more distinct frameworks to leverage their strengths and effectively address specific needs or challenges. It is utilized to achieve synergy and maximize outcomes by blending diverse legal approaches in law. Results Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state, demonstrates that the government must protect the public interests as it relates to religious rights regardless of faith or religion. The study reveals that the current legal approach without further legislative intervention on religious issues will be inadequate to address the problem. Therefore, this study presents a hybrid model for mitigating the socio-legal effect of the usage of hijab in Nigeria’s public institutions to avoid harm and further enrich Nigeria’s jurisprudence. Conclusions This study concludes by emphasizing the inadequacy of Nigeria’s legal and institutional frameworks regarding the protection of religious rights and the right to wear hijab in public institutions. Consequently, reform is deemed necessary.

Background The aim of this paper was to explore how the Fourth Industrial Revolution shapes teaching and learning during COVID-19 in some of the schools located in the Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa. This paper employed qualitative interpretative multiple case study design. Purposive sampling was used to sample our participants. Methods We selected four teachers who separately taught at the early childhood development stage, intermediate phase, senior phase, and further education and training phases. Data was collected telephonically through semi-structured interviews with teachers from Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. Data was collected from their experiences of COVID-19 from 2019 to 2021. Collected data was analysed using a typology approach whereby themes that derived from the literature reviewed and research questions were used. Results We inferred from the results of the paper that teachers had challenges with teaching and availability of learning resources, such as limited access to internet and socio-economic backgrounds, which hindered the integration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the teaching and learning process. There were also challenges related to teachers’ background on the usage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the lack of school management teams support. The paper revealed that the integration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in teaching and learning was affected negatively by the existence of the above-mentioned challenges, which needs to be addressed. Conclusions Therefore, we recommended that the government and stakeholders within the education sector provide resources such as smart-boards, computers, and network access in schools lacking such facilities, as well as providing professional development interventions and training teachers to have an in-depth understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution within the teaching and learning context.

Background In this paper we analyse the novel The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis. The motivation for this paper is Bourdeau’s (2020) observation that Louis’s book explores working class politics, sexuality, and masculinity. Methods We analysed the amendment through narrative content analysis, the application of which allows us to answer the following question: Édouard Louis’s novel The End of Eddy: A representation of hegemonic masculinity? Results We conclude that this narrative is built on contradictions that can be summarized as a conflict between a socio-cultural norm anchored in a French village and a person who does not fulfil this concept, who is outside of it. We believe that hegemonic masculinity, that is, one part of the cultural norm of a given village, causes Eddy’s inclination or consciousness of homonationalism. Thus, on the one hand, hegemonic masculinity is undoubtedly present in this novel; on the other hand, it forms a kind of background or socio-cultural environment which, although it defines itself against the given, unconsciously causes the “birth of the conscious homosexual”. Conclusions Thus, we dare to claim that the narrative under analysis is not only a representation of hegemonic masculinity, but also an accentuation of its external and internal influence on one’s own perception of (sexual) difference.

In this study, English agricultural science research articles (RA) Introductions published in China and internationally have been examined in order to discover, whether the presence of move/step in each context are similar or different. The two corpora, comprising of 45 English Introductions, published in China and 45 international Introductions in agricultural science were analyzed using Kanoksilapatham's (2005) model as the analytical tool, revealing that both sets of RAs were similar in their presence of move, namely 3 moves for each. However, due to a number of factors, discrepancies between the two corpora have given rise to the choices of steps. Perhaps, the presence of step within Move2 is the most striking difference between the two corpora. For example, the two groups of writers shared the step of indicating a research gap, but the Chinese researchers used the additional step of research problem and their international counterparts used the additional step of making a hypothesis. The finding of the present study can provide much insight into the rhetorical structure of RAs in this particular field and help those novice researchers, particularly Chinese novice researchers, who want to write for international publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Co-infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has an impact on high HBV replication and progression to liver cancer. These may lead to cross-resistance of drugs due to therapeutic pressure or liver toxicity. These require continuous monitoring of HBV variants for better diagnosis and treatment strategies. Methods Convenience sampling was used to collect fifty archival sera from Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. The Sera were subjected to HBsAg screening using ELISA, DNA extraction, PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing, phylogenetic and mutation analysis. A correlation test was performed to measure the association between polymerase and surface mutations. Results Of the 50 samples, 86% (N= 43/50) were HBsAg positive; 82% (N=41/50) PCR positive and 92% (N=38/41) sequenced. The HBV sequences showed similarity to genotype A (73% [N=19/26]) and (24% [N=7/26]) as genotypes B, C, D, E, F, and G. Prevalence of the mutations in the Surface region was (47% [N=18/38]); including diagnostic failure (K122R and T143S) and vaccines escape mutations (P127T, G145R, S207N, Y200T, E164D, Y206H and L209V). The mutations in the RT was at (36% [N=14/38]) with drug resistance mutations (DRM) at (50% [7/14]). Mutations showed resistance to lamivudine (LMV) at (35% [5/14]), telbivudine (LdT) at (29% [4/14]), (14% [2/14]) for entecavir (ETV) and (21% [3/14]) for adefovir (ADV). One sample had a combination of L180M, M204V, S202K, and M250I mutations. There was no statistical significance between S and RT mutations at P>0.005 and the statistical correlation between RT and SHB mutations was weak at 0.877. Conclusions Our findings highlight the prevalence of HBV genotype A in HIV-infected patients in South Africa. We provide evidence of mutations linked to immune evasion and drug resistance. Mutations have no statistical significance but can have clinical Implication on the diagnosis and treatment of HBV in HBV/HIV co-infected individuals.

Background Bibliometric analysis plays an essential role in scientific research. However, some research areas still have several gaps. This is also the case in the animal sciences. Therefore, the status of current studies can be analyzed to provide guidance for future research through scientific studies that will be conducted. The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of goat breeding to evaluate current trends, gaps in knowledge, and future perspectives. Methods A large dataset was extracted from the Web of Science (WoS), a popular database for scientific studies. According to the WoS, we used 1000 scientific papers (1991–2023) that contained articles, book chapters, data papers, proceedings papers, meeting abstracts, and notes. All bibliometric analyses were performed using the bibliometrix package. Results and Conclusions In 2023, there were 34 studies available. Average citations per year showed that the highest average citation count occurred in 2006 (31.35). In total, 265 scientific journals in the WoS database have published goat breeding studies. Small Ruminant Research led to the remaining 145 articles. In conclusion, scientific studies on goat breeding have become popular in recent years. The authors may gravitate towards popular journals in the future.

Introduction Traumatic spinal spondyloptosis, though rare, harbingers a high risk of mortality as well as permanent and disabling neurological deficits. They invariably become socially aloof and marginalized in most parts of our subcontinent owing to the lack of dedicated rehabilitation units amid their poor economic status. There is a paucity of studies pertaining to such rare epiphenomenon within our region. Materials ad Methods A retrospective study of 16 patients presenting with spinal spondyloptosis in a tertiary care center in Nepal was undertaken. The clinical records of the patients were retrieved from the hospital record section to study the demographic variables, modes of injury, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grades, salient radiological characteristics, management strategies, and the resultant clinical outcomes. Result The mean age of the cohorts in our study was 40 years with an age range of 25-80 years. Most of the patients presented in ASIA ‘A’ neurological grade (75%). The cervical spine was involved in the majority (68.75%) of cases. 8 (50%) patients left against medical advice, 2 (12.5%) were managed conservatively, and 6 (37.5%) were operated. The posterior-only approach was undertaken in 4(66.67%) cases. Tracheo-oesophageal fistula occurred in 2 (33.33%) patients. And cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak occurred in 2 (33.33%) patients. The overall hospital mortality was 3(37.5%). Conclusion Traumatic spinal spondyloptosis on our center mostly involved cervical spine (68.75%). 75% of the patients presented with ASIA ‘A’ neurological grade. 50% of them left against medical advice. 37.5% were operated. The overall hospital mortality was 37.5%. This study emphasizes the implementation of a national spinal trauma data bank and the systematic implementation of dedicated neuro-rehabilitation units. This will thereby help improve the clinical outcome among these ‘socially aloof’ and marginalized subsets of neurosurgical patients.

Background Families, friends and support networks are key to managing bereavement. COVID-19 social restrictions prevented families and friends from being with the dying and participating in usual rituals to honour the dead. This resulted in social disconnection, feelings of guilt, and difficulty in making sense of the death and reconstructing relationships. In response to this context a theoretically informed, co-produced web-resource to facilitate meaning-making, which situates bereavement in the context of family and friends, was developed. This paper describes the development of the web-based intervention. Study aims To co-produce a web-based intervention theoretically informed by the family level extension Dual Process Model and Family Sense of Coherence, and pilot the intervention gaining user feedback to inform refinements in readiness for adoption and implementation. Methods Following a scoping review, a mixed methods study was undertaken using an online survey via questionnaire and virtual co-production workshop with bereaved people and bereavement professionals. Results Survey respondents (n=32) reported the pandemic negatively affected bereavement (guilt, isolation, inability to bear witness) but also presented new opportunities to celebrate the deceased and support the bereaved (new funeral rituals, technology, remote contact, social acknowledgement of grief). Sense-making and managing bereavement were helped through information-giving, support networks, and relocating the person within the family context. A web-resource to facilitate collective grief was viewed positively and endorsed. Key content including family activities to stimulate support, information regarding the range of grief experience and dealing with the practicalities, along with other sources of support was agreed by workshop participants (n=5) to form the basis of the intervention. Conclusion The publicly accessible Families and Friends in Bereavement intervention encourages consideration of bereavement in the context of close social networks. It enables grief to be understood and managed within a shared experience by promoting communication and meaning-making.

Background The enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene is a reporter gene that can be used to optimize protein isolation procedures and the functional working of a transduction protein. EGFP, with the addition of eleven arginine residues, has been engineered to functionally improve the protein transduction process, which can later be used for cell reprogramming like induced pluripotent stem cells. The addition of six histidine amino acid residues at its C-terminal is intended for the protein isolation process using the His-tag antibody. Methods The study aimed to investigate the optimization of the EGFP polyarginine protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sufficient quantities for the protein isolation stage. This study also analyzed EGFP expression without polyarginine to analyze the polyarginine addition effect on expression processes. Protein expression was qualitatively measured by looking at expression fluorescence and protein levels of EGFP and EGFP - PolyR proteins. Results The addition of a PolyR group to the C-terminal of EGFP carrying C-terminal 6×His-tag showed similar fluorescence expression levels compare to EGFP without addition of PolyR as well. Moreover, yeast with plasmid insertion showed decrease S. cerevisiae growth curve but still preserving the fluorescence EGFP. Conclusions The expression of the EGFP modified protein in S. cerevisiae is not affected by the addition of arginine.

Background Active participation of stroke survivors during robot-assisted movement therapy is essential for sensorimotor recovery. Robot-assisted therapy contingent on movement intention is an effective way to encourage patients’ active engagement. For severely impaired stroke patients with no residual movements, a surface electromyogram (EMG) has been shown to be a viable option for detecting movement intention. Although numerous algorithms for EMG detection exist, the detector with the highest accuracy and lowest latency for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) remains unknown. Methods This study, therefore, investigates the performance of 13 existing EMG detection algorithms on simulated low SNR (0dB and -3dB) EMG signals generated using three different EMG signal models: Gaussian, Laplacian, and biophysical model. The detector performance was quantified using the false positive rate (FPR), false negative rate (FNR), and detection latency. Any detector that consistently showed FPR and FNR of no more than 20%, and latency of no more than 50ms, was considered an appropriate detector for use in robot-assisted therapy. Results The results indicate that the Modified Hodges detector – a simplified version of the threshold-based Hodges detector introduced in the current study – was the most consistent detector across the different signal models and SNRs. It consistently performed for ~90% and ~40% of the tested trials for 0dB and -3dB SNR, respectively. The two statistical detectors (Gaussian and Laplacian Approximate Generalized Likelihood Ratio) and the Fuzzy Entropy detectors have a slightly lower performance than Modified Hodges. Conclusions Overall, the Modified Hodges, Gaussian and Laplacian Approximate Generalized Likelihood Ratio, and the Fuzzy Entropy detectors were identified as the potential candidates that warrant further investigation with real surface EMG data since they had consistent detection performance on low SNR EMG data.

Stance markers, serving as the primary discursive category of interactional metadiscourse, function as a reliable measure for evaluating how authors of research articles authoritatively foreground their research within disciplinary communities. Stance research primarily focuses on how authors or speakers adjust the certainty level of their assertions, both epistemically and emotionally. This study examined the occurrences of stance markers in each rhetorical move within the Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections of forestry research articles. The corpus comprised 40 research articles randomly selected from five ISI journals in the forestry discipline. This study utilized Hyland's (2005) model of academic interactions and Kanoksilapatham's (2005) framework as analytical tools for identifying stance markers and the rhetorical structure of forestry research articles. The findings revealed differences in the distribution of these markers across the different sections and constituent rhetorical moves within the research articles. Overall, hedges and self-mentions emerged as the most prevalent stance markers in this study. Across sections, attitude markers and hedges predominated in the Introductions, while self-mentions and hedges were pervasively applied in the Methods sections. Boosters and attitude markers were common in the Results, and boosters along with self-mentions were notable in the Discussions. Finally, stance markers appear to play a fundamental role in shaping distinct argumentations across discourse communities, while effectively reflecting disciplinary voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background (Pop/Rock is experiencing deep transformations caused by the emergence of Web 2.0 and the online social networks, streaming services and the proliferation of TV contests. Cover songs afford the opportunity to explore how these changes would result in a new revalorization of Pop and Dance music. The aim of this paper is to find evidence of a changing pattern in cover songs by 21st-century artists. To this end, over 76,000 covers performed by artists who grew up in the 2000s were quantitatively analyzed. Methods SecondHandSongs.com was crawled to extract the cover relationships, and Allmusic.com to obtain the genre and starting decade of each performer. Results The results show that the current music panorama is dominated by Pop/Rock music and, for the first time since the 1960s, artists from the 2010s generation prefer to cover more songs by contemporary artists than by classic figures from the 1960s. Pop and Dance are the emerging sub-genres with the largest proportion of covered musicians, while Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran are responsible for this changing trend. Conclusions These results provide an interesting opportunity to introduce quantitative studies in cultural studies about music, cinema and arts.

Background As part of the transition of every higher education institution into an intelligent campus here in the Philippines, the Commission of Higher Education has launched a program for the development of smart campuses for state universities and colleges to improve operational efficiency in the country. With regards to the commitment of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges to improve the accreditation operation and to resolve the evident problems in the accreditation process, the researchers propose this study as part of an Integrated Quality Assurance System that aims to develop an intelligent model that will be used in categorizing and automating tagging of archived documents used during accreditation. Methods As a guide in modeling the study, the researchers use an agile method as it promotes flexibility, speed, and, most importantly, continuous improvement in developing, testing, documenting, and even after delivery of the software. This method helped the researchers design the prototype with the implementation of the said model to aid the file searching process and label tagging. Moreover, a computational analysis is also included to understand the result from the devised model further. Results As a result, from the processed sample corpus, the document labels are faculty, activities, library, research, and materials. The labels generated are based on the total relative frequencies, which are 0.009884, 0.008825, 0.007413, 0.007413, and 0.006354, respectively, that have been computed between the ratio of how many times the term was used in the document and the total word count of the whole document. Conclusions The devised model and prototype support the organization in file storing and categorization of accreditation documents. Through this, retrieving and classifying the data is easier, which is the main problem for the task group. Further, other clustering, modeling, and text classification patterns can be integrated into the prototype.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for mask production which has caused the problem of mask waste generating in the environment without being managed. This research was conducted to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and sociodemographic factors with college student behaviours in managing household mask waste in Daerah Khusus Ibukota (DKI) Jakarta Province. Methods This study used a quantitative approach and cross-sectional study design. Data collection was carried out using an online questionnaire consisting of the respondents’ sociodemographic, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. Results The majority of students had high knowledge (63.3%), positive attitudes (52.5%), and good behaviours (50.6%). Statistically, there was a significant relationship between knowledge and behaviours (p = 0.022), but there was no significant relationship between attitudes and behaviours (p = 0.269). In addition, the sociodemographic factor variables showed a significant relationship between place of residence and behaviours (p = 0.008). However, there was no significant relationship between age, gender, education, and study program groups and behaviours (p > 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that living with family was a dominant factor for bad behaviours (OR 1.664, 95% CI=1.124-2.464), and the second risk factor was the low level of knowledge has a significant relationship with the behaviours of mask waste management at home (OR=1.559, 95% CI=1.044-2.330). Conclusions Students who live alone also show better behaviour compared to students who live with their families. The place of residence variable has the greatest influence on the behaviour of mask waste management at the household, followed by the knowledge variable.

Background Insufficient and above WHO-recommended levels of iodine intake during pregnancy can lead to serious health outcomes. This study aimed to assess median urine iodine concentration and its associated risk factors among pregnant women in the Mbeya region, Tanzania. Method A cross sectional survey involving 420 pregnant women (n=420) aged 15-49, registered in Reproductive and Child Health Clinics was conducted. Socio-demographic and dietary factors were assessed by structured questionnaire and the urine samples were analyzed using the ammonium persulfate digestion method. Results Median urinary iodine concentration (mUIC) was 279.4μg/L and it ranged from 26.1 to 1915μg/L. Insufficient mUIC (below 150μg/L) was observed in 17.14% of participants, sufficient mUIC was 24.29% and 58.57% had mUIC above the recommended level (>250μg/L). Sample women who reported consuming fish in the last 24 hours had an increased risk of insufficient mUIC [Adjusted OR= 2.60 (95%CI 1.31-5.15)] while the risk was lower for those who attended at least primary education [AOR= 0.29 (CI 0.08-0.99)]. Further, sample women resident in Mbarali district, in the oldest age group (35-49) and having a higher socio-economic status were associated with an increased risk of having MUIC above recommended level [AOR=4.09 (CI 1.85-9.010], [AOR=2.51 (CI 0.99-6.330] and, [AOR=2.08 (CI 0.91-4.71) respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrated a significant association between geographical, age and socio-economic factors and median urine iodine concentration above the WHO-recommended level. Further, this study found association between inadequate iodine in diet and insufficient median urine iodine concentration. Therefore, educational programs on iodine intake should be strengthened.

Background Dental caries is a common chronic oral disease, posing a serious public health issue. By analyzing large datasets, machine learning shows potential in addressing this problem. This study employs bibliometric analysis to explore emerging topics, collaborations, key authors, and research trends in Southeast Asia related to the application of machine learning in dental caries management. Methods A comprehensive selection using the Scopus database to obtain relevant research, covering publications from inception to July 2024 was done. We employed the Bibliometric approaches, including co-authorship networks, yearly publishing trends, institutional and national partnerships, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and citation analysis, for the collected data. To explore the visualization and network analysis, we employed the tools such as VOSviewer and Bibliometrix in R package. Results The final bibliometric analysis included 246 papers. We found that Malaysia became the top contributor with 59 publications, followed by Indonesia (37) and Thailand (29). Malaysia had the highest Multiple Country Publications (MCP) ratio at 0.407. Top institutions including the Universiti Sains Malaysia led with 39 articles, followed by Chiang Mai University (36) and the National University of Singapore (30) became the leader. Co-authorship analysis using VOSviewer revealed six distinct clusters. A total of 1220 scholars contributed to these publications. The top 10 keywords, including ‘human’ and ‘dental caries,’ indicated research hotspots. Conclusion We found growing evidence of machine learning applications to address dental caries in Southeast Asia. The bibliometric analysis highlights key authors, collaborative networks, and emerging topics, revealing research trends since 2014. This study underscores the importance of bibliometric analysis in tackling this public health issue.

Background Research waste has become an increasing issue for research institutions and researchers due to poor research reproducibility and replicability. Interventions to improve research quality at research institutions are important to reduce research waste. This review aims to identify and classify possible interventions to improve research quality, reduce waste, and improve reproducibility and replicability within research-performing institutions. Methods Steps to develop the taxonomy were 1) Use an exemplar paper looking at journal-level interventions to improve research quality, 2) Adapt intervention titles to align with Michie’s behaviour change wheel, 3) Conduct a 2-stage search in PubMed using seed articles and reviews, and a forward and backward citation search to identify articles that evaluated or described the implementation of interventions to improve research quality, 4) Pilot draft taxonomy with researchers at an openscience conference workshop, and 5) Iterative drafting and revisions by the research team. Results Overall, 93 individual interventions were identified through the peer-review literature and researcher reporting. Eleven peer-reviewed articles were identified. Interventions identified covered research stages from before, during, and after study conduct, and whole of institution. Types of intervention included: Tools, Education & Training, Incentives, Modelling and Mentoring, Review & Feedback, Expert involvement, and Policies & Procedures. The taxonomy identified areas for research institutions to focus on to improve research quality, reproducibility, and replicability. Conclusions Areas of focus and future research include improving incentives to implement quality research practices, evaluating current interventions, encouraging no- or low-cost and high-benefit interventions, examining institution culture and individual research ethos, and encouraging researcher mentor-mentee relationships.

Aims There is minimal research on the duration of biofield experiences. This preliminary study used the experiential learning practice of Master Choa Kok Sui's hands sensitisation to determine the duration to experience biofield sensations in between hands and to find the relationship between learning style preferences and biofield sensations. Methods This randomized placebo controlled, single blinded trial included 88 male and female pre-service teachers, aged 22.8±1.2 years. Participants completed a ruler drop test for reaction time, and Six Letter Cancellation test for measuring attention, learning style questionnaire for preferred method of learning, before randomization. The experimental (hands facing each other as introduced by Master Choa Kok Sui) and sham (hands facing opposite) groups practiced hands sensitisation. A semi-structured questionnaire was provided to gather information about biofield sensations and the time it took to experience these sensations between the hands. Results All (N=44) the participants in the experimental group and 13 participants in the sham group reported experiencing biofield sensations. A significant difference was noticed in experiencing magnetic (X 2 = 38.247, p ≤ .001), physical sensations of energy (X 2 = 12.02, p ≤ .001) and pain (X 2 = 62.259, p ≤ .001) among the experimental and sham group . In the experimental group, the average time taken to first experience magnetic sensation, other biofield sensations and temperature variation was 34.84±12.97seconds, 40.28±20.96 seconds and 42.50±19.79 seconds, respectively. Minimum time taken to first experience biofield sensation was 5 seconds and lasted up to study duration of 120 seconds. There was no correlation found between reaction time, sustained attention, and the time needed to experience biofield sensations. Conclusions This study highlights importance of Master Choa Kok Sui hand sensitization in controlled setting revealing differences in experiences of various biofield sensations, showing valuable time-related insights and variability of sensation based on preferred learning.

Background Scientific publishing is a critical part of scientific enquiry; individual excellence is often measured by the number of publications, and the journals in which these publications appeared count enormously. Open Science practices, such as open access, open review, random gatekeeping and shared governance, are implemented in various journals and publishing platforms, providing alternative ways of publishing. But how are these practices trusted? Methods We have created a theoretical framework for trust in the context of academic publishing and investigated to what extent Dutch researchers find these ways of publishing trustworthy. We have performed a survey to compare the trustworthiness of novel and classical ways of publishing and conducted multiple interviews to figure out why scientists find certain publishing practices more attractive than others. Results In the academic publishing system, we have identified various interdependent relationships between stakeholders in which there is a certain level of uncertainty; therefore, we can assume that trust plays a relevant role here. Based on the literature review and interview results, trustworthiness turned out to be one of the most important factors in choosing journals to read relevant scientific discoveries and to publish papers. The survey results suggest that some aspects of open publishing, such as open access, open peer review and shared governance are well-known and widely accepted and trusted amongst the participants, while others, like participatory peer review or random gatekeeping, were less known. In these cases, many researchers formulated concerns about the competence of the randomly assigned gatekeeper and the reviewers coming from the wider community. Conclusions Our results highlight a shift in social norms within the Dutch scientific community, formulating critical voices towards the profit-oriented nature of classical scientific publishing and highlighting the importance of open access to scientific results, supporting open peer review and publishers with shared governance.

Background Urban slums are hotspots of infectious diseases like COVID-19 as was seen in the waves of 2020 and 2021. One of the primary reasons why slums are disproportionately affected is their location in inaccessible and uninhabitable zones, crowded and poorly ventilated living spaces, unsanitary conditions and common facilities (water taps, common toilets, etc.). Staying at home during pandemics is hardly an option for slum dwellers as it often means giving up work and even basic necessities. Methodology This paper aims to understand the habitat vulnerabilities of slums in the two Indian megacities of Pune and Surat which were the worst hit during both waves. The study is done at the level of wards, which is the smallest administrative boundary, taking the habitat vulnerability (congestion and access to basic services). To identify the explanatory variables which increase the vulnerability of slums to infectious diseases, literature study is done on the triggering factors which affect habitat vulnerability derived from common characteristics and definitions of slum. Results The aim of the research is to categorize the slums into 3 levels of risk zones and map them subsequently. Conclusion This study will help in formulating a model to prioritize the allocation of sparse resources in developing countries to tackle the habitat vulnerabilities of the slum dwellers especially during health emergencies of contagious diseases like COVID-19.

Background COVID-19 has heavily impacted the financial and economic well-being of the world’s population. Various national relief programs and initiatives have been carried out to address society’s financial difficulties, especially the issue of poverty among the vulnerable, like refugees and immigrants. Consequently, being one of the main elements in Islamic social finance, waqf has been emphasised and proven throughout Islamic history as one of the practical tools for poverty reduction. However, recent waqf initiatives towards poverty reduction focused more on aiding the micro and small entrepreneurs, whilst limited waqf initiatives were available to help low-income households, refugees, and immigrants during this critical time in Malaysia. Methods This study introduces a novel waqf model, specifically designed to contribute to poverty reduction in society. It is tailored for low-income households, refugees, and immigrants, aiming to sustain their financial independence. By combining the elements of waqf and crowdfunding, this model proposes an innovative agriculture-based microfinance programme. It utilizes undeveloped waqf lands and equity-based crowdfunding to reach its objective of poverty reduction. This study has adopted a secondary research approach using the existing scholarly literature. Results This paper also discusses the potential of the proposed model to deliver more than its primary objective, as the framework illustrates that waqf institutions will have a continuous inflow of funds that will allow them to initiate other waqf-based projects, job creation through the microfinance programmes, and financial return for the investor of equity-based crowdfunding projects. Conclusion This study not only underscores the sustainability of the proposed model, but also its alignment with the increasing awareness of value-based and social impact objectives. It further explores the potential of waqf to be integrated with other financing instruments during the pandemic to help the vulnerable, specifically refugees and immigrants. This research thus contributes to the true purpose of Islamic social finance, highlighting the significance of its findings.

Background Determinant and characteristic polynomials are important concepts related to square matrices. Due to the absence of additive inverse in max-plus algebra, the determinant of a matrix over max-plus algebra can be represented by a permanent. In addition, there are several types of square matrices over max-plus algebra, including triangular and diagonal strictly double ℝ -astic matrices. A special formula has been devised to determine the permanent and characteristic max-polynomial of those matrices. Another algebraic structure that is isomorphic with max-plus algebra is min-plus algebra. Methods Min-plus algebra is the algebraic structure of triple ( ℝ ε ′ , ⊕ ′ , ⊗ ) . Furthermore, square matrices over min plus algebra are defined by the set of matrices sized n × n , the entries of which are the elements of ℝ ε ′ . Because these two algebraic structures are isomorphic, the permanent and characteristic min-polynomial can also be determined for each square matrix over min-plus algebra, as well as the types of matrices. Results In this paper, we find out the special formulas for determining the permanent and characteristic min-polynomial of the triangular matrix and the diagonal strictly double ℝ -astic matrix. Conclusions We show that the formula for determining the characteristic min-polynomial of the two matrices is the same, for each triangular matrix and strictly double ℝ -astic matrix A , χ A ( x ) = ⨁ r = 0 , 1 , … , n ′ δ n − r ⊗ n r .

Background The study investigates the influence of antecedents of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and personality traits on entrepreneurial intention and behaviour among engineering students in an emerging economy. It employs the extension of the TPB model by focusing on the intention-behaviour gap, an under-researched area in research. Furthermore, it investigates the moderating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the relationship between intention and behaviour to improve conceptual model predictability. Methods A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 1,564 engineering students, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with Amos software. Results The results revealed that subjective norms were the strongest predictor of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour, followed by entrepreneurial alertness, perceived behavioural control, attitude towards entrepreneurship, need for achievement, and risk tolerance. Moreover, the moderation analysis showed that entrepreneurial motivation was crucial in moderating the relationship between intention and behaviour. Conclusions The present conceptual model contributes to the existing TPB model by improving predictive power to understand the intention-behaviour relationship. The results of the study will assist policymakers, academicians of higher education institutions, and universities in developing policies, strategies, and curricula to engage more students in entrepreneurial activities.

Background Statistical process control (SPC) is utiled in manufacturing and service applications. It is used to monitor the behavior of the process, also to discover and solve the issues in internal systems. SPC allows immediate corrective actions to prevent defects and maintain process stability. There are two types of control charts are available in the literature: variable control charts and attribute control charts. Methods The use of attribute control charts for two positively skewed distributions such as power function distribution and weighted power function distribution is discussed in this research paper. We compared the behavior of both types of control charts and presented the results in form of tables. Results We conclude that control charts under a weighted power function distribution perform better than control charts using a power function distribution. Furthermore, these results will help in the early detection of errors that enhance the process reliability of the telecommunications and financing industries.

Background Food insecurity is a historical global human challenge, but has yet remained a burning development agenda. The capacity to withstand and recover from food insecurity shocks and stresses refereed as resilience, which is determined by a strand of factors. This paper deals with measuring and; identifying major determinants of household resilience to food insecurity among weaving-based livelihood system in Chencha district. Methods Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to generate data from 303 sample households through household survey, focus group discussion, and key informant interviews. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, household resilience index, chi-square test, one-way ANOVA and econometric model (probit regression). Results The household survey revealed that 59.04% households were non-resilient, 24.42% were moderately resilient, 10.89% resilient and 4.95% highly resilient. The Chi-square and one-way ANOVA tests have shown a meaningful and statistically significant difference among resilience categories. Finally, probit model analysis indicated that access to credit, average years of family education, crop diversity, income diversity, landholding size, TLU, expected crop harvest, expected cash income from fruit trees, frequency of extension contact, FCS, annual food expenditure, ownerships of Radio, Jewelry, furnished bed, membership in local associations, and distance to local market have positively influenced the likelihood of attaining higher household resilience at CI 95% or P Conclusions Therefore, improving household access to credit, education, income diversification, livestock and land, agricultural extension services, membership to local associations, mobile service, and income diversification would enhance household income and food security, which could in turn improve household resilience to food insecurity.

Background Despite the relaxation of fertility restrictions, China’s birth rate continues to decline. The Universal Two-Child Policy encourages couples to consider having a second child, often leading to a bargaining process between spouses with differing preferences. Additionally, the skewed sex ratio has increased Chinese women’s bargaining power, highlighting the importance of analyzing fertility decisions through marital bargaining. Methods This paper investigates second-child fertility decisions using data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies and employs Ordinary Least Squares regression. The study examines assortative matching based on fertility preferences and uses the 2020 provincial-level sex ratio for individuals aged 20–39 as a proxy for women’s bargaining power in the marriage market. Results The study shows that achieving consensus on having a second child requires cooperation between spouses, particularly when their fertility preferences differ. The study also reveals that marriage matching is not random; individuals are more likely to partner with those who share the same second-child preference. Additionally, women with greater bargaining power positively influence their husbands’ desired family size, a correlation not observed in males. Conclusion The study concludes that second-child fertility decisions in China are significantly influenced by marital bargaining and the increased bargaining power of women due to the skewed sex ratio. Cooperation between spouses with differing fertility preferences is crucial for reaching a consensus on having a second child.

Background Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology has changed how energy is distributed, allowing power to be transmitted without using wires. Despite being used in devices like cell phones, electric cars, and medical devices; people are worried about the safety and health effects of wireless power transfer. Methods Here this concern research work has used a survey method to gather information from a diverse group of people, focusing on various demographic factors and educational aspects. The research has analysed the knowledge of people regarding the application of wireless power transfer (WPT) technology. Further it has accumulated the safety aspects of using it in public or private places. However, the concerns of propel perspectives basing on their age, gender or other factors about safety of WPT is inducted within this survey. Results the finding from the survey within this research has demonstrated that many people are not much aware of WPT technologies, and some are worried about safety aspects of this concern technology within public places. From this result it has been seen that groups considering the age, education and gender has different perspective regarding the application and safety of WPT. The results have shown that people need to be taught more about it and to be made more aware of it. In addition, survey has showed that about 38% of respondent has some concerns about WPT technologies, which means that a significant number of people know about it. Conclusions From this analysis it has been interpreted that it is important to talk about safety worries and false facts about WPT. This concern paper has the potential to develop awareness about this technology. However, it is expected that future studies should look at more types of people and explore their personal experiences to figure out why people have different opinions about WPT.

Background Tissue engineering research aims to address the global shortage of donated corneal tissue, yet challenges persist in clinical translation. This study assesses the pathway from basic research to clinical adoption in corneal tissue engineering. Methods Bibliometric and patent analyses were conducted using the Web of Science-Core Collection and Lens databases to identify top authors, countries, journals, publication trends, inventors, patent statuses, and affiliated companies. A quality-adjusted life year (QALY) analysis compared engineered corneal endothelium to full keratoplasty. A pilot study surveyed thirty ophthalmologist surgeons from eight Latin American countries. Results A strong upward publication trend (R2 = 0.89, p = 1.53x10^-9) in corneal endothelium engineering was observed over the past decade, led by the USA, China, and Japan. Among 614 research papers, 26 patents and 10 companies were identified. Engineered corneal endothelium showed a QALY gain of 0.74 versus 0.07 of corneal transplants. Most survey respondents (97%) expressed interest in adopting engineered corneal endothelium for transplantation if affordability, biocompatibility, and functionality were assured. Conclusions While tissue engineering offers promise in alleviating corneal scarcity, a significant gap remains between scientific advancements and clinical adoption, presenting “death valleys.” Addressing this requires more efficient navigation of the interplay between scientific progress, technology adoption, and clinical practice.

Background This paper explores α-ψ-ϕ contractive mappings, extending the field of self-map and fixed-point theorems. Methods We analyze α-ψ-ϕ contractive mappings using rigorous mathematical proofs and logical deductions. Results A key main result is established, supported by intuitive corollaries and practical examples, highlighting the applicability of our findings. Conclusions Our work provides a fresh perspective on contractive mappings, simplifying complex mathematical concepts and enriching the literature on fixed-point theorems.

Background This paper identifies the determinant factors of Portuguese investment in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. We assume that investment abroad is motivated by business opportunities, and the quality-price ratio of the workforce. Methods To this end, we used a qualitative methodology composed of 6 case studies, based on interviews and surveys with the managers of the Portuguese firms investing in those three economies. Results Despite the business opportunities, Portuguese investment directed towards these economies is negligible, due, in part, to the geographic and cultural distance. However, the economic and political stability, combined with market size and growth potential are undeniable attraction factors for Portuguese investors. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), due to their flexible conditions that allow changes in the activity, and the strong trend towards outsourcing, to the detriment of the manufacturing industry, are the primary focus of international investment. This trend, although common to several sectors, has shown greater dynamism in the banking and financial sector. Conclusions The results suggest market-oriented investments aiming at growth and expansion. The vast Polish market is the one that most attracted Portuguese investors. The hybrid feature of some strategies can align with the cautious attitude towards the investment translated into cooperation agreements with financial institutions for funding, the market learning process, and the training of the personnel. The anticipation of the installation over potential competitors, the experience in production and international markets, the price-quality ratio, the capacity of product adaptation and the design were considered important sources of competitive advantage that motivated the investment. The greatest difficulties during this process were language and the complexity of legislation.

Background A proper and adequate school environment is important for an effective learning process and maintaining the health of the students as they spend most of their time in schools. The physical school environment includes the physical structures; presence of chemicals and biological agents; and the surrounding environment, including air, water, and materials. This study aimed to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) in governmental girls’ schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods Seventeen girls’ schools were randomly selected in the Eastern Province of KSA. The indoor levels of PM 10 and PM 2.5, volatile organic compounds, CO, NO 2, and CO 2 were measured at different sites inside each school during four months of the year 2020. Results Levels of the six air pollutants were higher inside schools adjacent to roads with moderate traffic activity than schools with low and very low traffic activity. However, the mean level of CO 2 inside the selected schools was higher than its outdoor level, suggesting the predominance of an indoor source of CO 2. The levels of all measured air pollutants inside governmentally constructed school buildings were higher than those inside the rental type. Conclusion The average levels of air pollutants inside the selected schools were much lower than their air quality guidelines (AQGs), while some CO 2 and NO 2 levels exceeded their AQGs at some schools.

This article attempts to explore the synthetic relationship between group identities and their effects on cultural memory in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. It will investigate how Atwood’s dystopian fiction conspicuously weaves threads of cultural identity in the totalitarian society. While examining the work, the researchers found three forms of Memory Figures channelizing society: Architecture and time, Identical groupings, and Language. With significant attention to the prequel, The Handmaid’s Tale, this article will consider The Testaments for the dissection of hard-wired cultural memory formation. This article focuses on how a politically unsettled society of Gilead, through its Memory Figures, inscribes a cultural narrative while instructing individual memories. Atwood’s usage of these Memory Figures to achieve a theocratic regime has been scrutinized in this article. The Architecture of Gilead was given an intrusive wall of glass, where the symbol of eyes prevails, to externalize the surveillance of God on each one of its citizens, thereby forming a cultural memory of subjectivity. To make the citizens identify with groups, this theocratic regime specifies roles to citizens according to their rank for men and according to reproductive efficiency for women. Keeping in view the relevance of language in forming cultural memory, Atwood prescribed a set of greetings such as ‘under his eyes,’ and ‘praise be’ to make profound imprints on the individual memory of citizens, which has been discussed in the study. These three Memory Figures simultaneously form collective memory imprints on the citizens of Gilead, which in time became inherent cultural memories. This article explores how, by politicizing the issue of cultural memory in The Testaments, Atwood taps into the agency of people and establishes language control (communicative) to form the cultural memory narrative.

* Background Moldova strives for universal health coverage (UHC) and considers health technology assessment (HTA) an important policy instrument to inform the choice of services that should be covered to progressively realize UHC. It plays a key role in determining which technologies are coved, considering various dimensions often including cost-effectiveness, budget impact, and feasibility. This paper reports on work undertaken to develop a roadmap for HTA implementation, using evidence-informed deliberative processes (EDPs) as the guiding framework. Methods Between 2020 and 2022, we undertook several activities that informed the roadmap. We conducted a needs assessment and an assessment of European HTA best practices using a combination of desk research, interviews and surveys. We then conducted a document review of six selected HTA systems, complimented by expert interviews from three neighbouring countries. Results The roadmap provided a suggested HTA process, which included instructions on how to execute the different steps of the EDP framework to enhance the legitimacy of HTA-informed decision-making. The roadmap encompasses several aspects such as how to organize stakeholder involvement, how to identify and operationalize decision criteria, and how to make the decision process transparent. Guidance was given to the country on establishing a legal framework for HTA; a communication strategy; strengthening capacity and leveraging HTA expertise. The country was also given tailored advice on the positioning of the HTA-agency, first as an entity within the Ministry of Health or the National Agency of Public Health but with the long-term vision for it to be independent of any state institution. Conclusions Despite several challenges, including a partial disruption because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of the roadmap for HTA implementation was completed and agreed upon by the Ministry of Health in Moldova. This work has helped motivate and support the country in HTA institutionalization.

Background Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of structures surrounding the teeth. Its etiology is multifactorial. The primary etiological factor is the microbial component; the other factors are systemic, behavioral, environmental, and psychological. Conventional management includes routine periodontal therapy involving prophylactic and surgical management. In developing countries like India, complementary medicine and alternative medicines like yoga are gaining popularity for improving systemic health. Hence this pilot study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of a structured questionnaire that can assess knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding the impact of yoga on oral and periodontal health in Indian population. Methods The KAP questionnaire was developed (Stage One) using a deductive approach, and a psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire was performed to evaluate it’s reliability and validity (Stage Two). Initial content validation and test re-test reliability were assessed using kappa statistics with binary responses. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the questions in the practice and attitude category with categorical variables. Further assessment of psychometric properties of the questionnaire was done using item response theory. The developed questionnaire had four principal sections: demography of participants; knowledge regarding yoga and oral health; attitude towards yoga and oral health; and practice towards implementing yoga for oral health. Results The ICC for all the assessed questions was greater than 0.60 suggesting satisfactory stability. Internal consistency measured using Cronbach’s alpha for knowledge, attitude, and practice items were reported to be 0.632, 0.923, and 0.591 respectively and that of the KAP total was 0.632. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that the questionnaire had an acceptable psychometric property for measuring KAP regarding yoga and it’s role in oral and periodontal health among Indian adults. The analysis of participant responses revealed that they had a medium level of knowledge regarding yoga and periodontal disease.

Three parameters are important to characterize a circadian and in general any biological clock: period, phase and amplitude. While circadian periods have been shown to correlate with entrainment phases, and clock amplitude influences the phase response of an oscillator to pulse-like zeitgeber signals, the co-modulations of amplitude and periods, which we term twist, have not been studied in detail. In this paper we define two concepts: parametric twist refers to amplitude-period correlations arising in ensembles of self-sustained, limit cycle clocks in the absence of external inputs, and phase space twist refers to the co-modulation of an individual clock’s amplitude and period in response to external zeitgebers. Our findings show that twist influences the interaction of oscillators with the environment, facilitating entrainment, speeding upfastening recovery to pulse-like perturbations or modifying the response of an individual clock to coupling. This theoretical framework might be applied to understand the emerging properties of other oscillating systems.

Background Active participation of stroke survivors during robot-assisted movement therapy is essential for sensorimotor recovery. Robot-assisted therapy contingent on movement intention is an effective way to encourage patients’ active engagement. For severely impaired stroke patients with no residual movements, a surface electromyogram (EMG) has been shown to be a viable option for detecting movement intention. Although numerous algorithms for EMG detection exist, the detector with the highest accuracy and lowest latency for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) remains unknown. Methods This study, therefore, investigates the performance of 13 existing EMG detection algorithms on simulated low SNR (0dB and -3dB) EMG signals generated using three different EMG signal models: Gaussian, Laplacian, and biophysical model. The detector performance was quantified using the false positive rate (FPR), false negative rate (FNR), and detection latency. Any detector that consistently showed FPR and FNR of no more than 20%, and latency of no more than 50ms, was considered an appropriate detector for use in robot-assisted therapy. Results The results indicate that the Modified Hodges detector – a simplified version of the threshold-based Hodges detector introduced in the current study – was the most consistent detector across the different signal models and SNRs. It consistently performed for ~90% and ~40% of the tested trials for 0dB and -3dB SNR, respectively. The two statistical detectors (Gaussian and Laplacian Approximate Generalized Likelihood Ratio) and the Fuzzy Entropy detectors have a slightly lower performance than Modified Hodges. Conclusions Overall, the Modified Hodges, Gaussian and Laplacian Approximate Generalized Likelihood Ratio, and the Fuzzy Entropy detectors were identified as the potential candidates that warrant further investigation with real surface EMG data since they had consistent detection performance on low SNR EMG data.

Background In Indonesia, malaria incidence is at a high rate despite maximum preventive efforts. Therefore, this study aims to determine the possibility of a Plasmodium reservoir among domestic animals in malaria-endemic areas. Methods Animal blood was collected using EDTA tubes, then smeared and stained with Giemsa for Plasmodium microscopic identification. About 10 μl of blood was dropped on to a filter paper to capture Plasmodium DNA. Nested PCR was used for parasite molecular detection, while Plasmodium species were identified using the sequenced DNA. Results A total of 208 and 62 animal blood samples were collected from Gaura village, West Sumba and Fakfak village, West Papua, Indonesia respectively. In total, 32 samples from Gaura contained P. falciparum or P. vivax, while the Plasmodium percentage in buffalo, horse, goat, and dogs were 20.7%, 14.3%, 5.8%, 16.7%, respectively. P. knowlesi was not found in any of the samples, and no other species were detected in 18 pig blood samples. Conclusion Human Plasmodium existence among domestic animals in Indonesia partly explains the high prevalence and persistence of malaria in some endemic areas due to a reservoir host presence. Therefore, future studies need to ascertain the cause.

Background The oceans are teeming with a diverse range of marine organisms that offer unique health benefits, such as seagrass which is one of many key marine products that have garnered attention for their potential therapeutic properties. However, until now there have been few successful reports of seagrass’s metabolites profile and biological activity. Therefore, this work aims to profile metabolites or chemical constituents and assess the potential antioxidants and anti-obesity effects of two seagrasses, Thalassia hemprichii and Zostera marina. Methods Once authenticated, T. hemprichii and Z. marina were extracted with two different solvents, polar (ethanol) and nonpolar (hexane). Metabolite profiling was performed using untargeted metabolomic profiling via liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry method analysis, and then antioxidant and anti-obesity capabilities were assessed by molecular docking and in vitro studies on selected receptors. Results A total of 9 and 11 metabolites were observed from T. hemprichii and Z. marina and continued molecular docking. Some of the observed compounds have promising potential as inhibitors of human inducible nitric oxide synthase, reactive oxygen species (ROS) 1 kinase, human pancreatic lipase, and fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) proteins, including luteolin, 6-hydroxy compounds luteolin O-glucoside, luteolin-O-sulphate, Thalassiolin A, Thalassiolin C, kaempferol-7,4′-dimethylether-3-O-sulfate, apigenin, and diosmetin. T. hemprichii ethanol extract (THE) EC 50 value shows antioxidant capabilities via ABTS radical scavenging activity of 76.00 μg/mL, a smaller value than standard antioxidant controls (Trolox, 76.54 μg/mL) and followed by EC 50 of lipase inhibition activity by THE which has the same pattern (EC 50 THE < EC 50 Orlistat). Conclusions This concludes that the two seagrasses have promising biological activity as candidates for functional food and/or drugs in combating free radicals and obesity.

Background Glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are the leading causes of irreversible retinal damage leading to blindness. Early detection of these diseases through regular screening is especially important to prevent progression. Retinal fundus imaging serves as the principal method for diagnosing glaucoma and DR. Consequently, automated detection of eye diseases represents a significant application of retinal image analysis. Compared with classical diagnostic techniques, image classification by convolutional neural networks (CNN) exhibits potential for effective eye disease detection. Methods This paper proposes the use of MATLAB – retrained AlexNet CNN for computerized eye diseases identification, particularly glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, by employing retinal fundus images. The acquisition of the database was carried out through free access databases and access upon request. A transfer learning technique was employed to retrain the AlexNet CNN for non-disease (Non_D), glaucoma (Sus_G) and diabetic retinopathy (Sus_R) classification. Moreover, model benchmarking was conducted using ResNet50 and GoogLeNet architectures. A Grad-CAM analysis is also incorporated for each eye condition examined. Results Metrics for validation accuracy, false positives, false negatives, precision, and recall were reported. Validation accuracies for the NetTransfer (I-V) and netAlexNet ranged from 89.7% to 94.3%, demonstrating varied effectiveness in identifying Non_D, Sus_G, and Sus_R categories, with netAlexNet achieving a 93.2% accuracy in the benchmarking of models against netResNet50 at 93.8% and netGoogLeNet at 90.4%. Conclusions This study demonstrates the efficacy of using a MATLAB-retrained AlexNet CNN for detecting glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. It emphasizes the need for automated early detection tools, proposing CNNs as accessible solutions without replacing existing technologies.

Background Piezoceramic materials have unique property which enables direct and bilateral conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. This ability facilitates significant miniaturisation of technology and opens many opportunities in design of new actuators and energy harvesters. Mathematical modelling of piezoelectric modules is notoriously hard due to complex constitutive equations defining mechanical and electrical energy conversion. Methods The article presents research on a new synthesis method based on the Cauer’s method. Mechanical damping is introduced with the use of Rayleigh’s approximation. A discrete electromechanical model is formed based on the Mason’s piezoelectric model. The proposed approach allows modelling of piezoelectric systems based on a set of characteristic frequencies. The method allows a more general approach to the problem of modelling new systems, as opposed to application-oriented methods seen in literature. A non-standard model analysis method using edge graphs and structural numbers is also verified as a potential alternative for matrix-based method. The authors compare their precision and computation requirements. Results The structural method of mechanical model analysis gave identical results as the reference matrix method. However, the non-classical algorithm took much longer to calculate and was using more memory. The electromechanical model analysis has shown an error of 5% in comparison to resonance frequencies taken from a reference plate specification. The calculated magnitude of displacement was well above the capability of a 3.5mm thick piezoelectric plate. Conclusions The synthesis method presented in this paper allows synthesizing piezoelectric cascade models based on limited information in form of characteristic frequencies. Currently this method allows a coarse approximation of the real piezoelectric parameters with limited number of inputs. The additional method of analysis based on structural numbers offers a promising alternative to matrix calculations but requires a more thorough investigation of the computational power required to determine whether it can compete with existing algorithms.

Background This paper presents an optimized clustering approach applied to image segmentation. Accurate image segmentation impacts many fields like medical, machine vision, object detection. Applications involve tumor detection, face detection and recognition, and video surveillance. Methods The developed approach is based on obtaining an optimum number of clusters and regions of an image. We combined Region-based and contour-based approaches. Initial rough regions are obtained using edge detection. We have used Gabor wavelets for texture classification and spatial resolutions. Color frequencies are also used to determine the number of clusters of the Fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm which gave an optimum number of clusters or regions. Results We have compared our approach with other similar wavelet and clustering techniques. Our algorithm gave better values for segmentation metrics like SNR, PSNR, and MCC. Conclusions Optimizing the number of clusters or regions has a significant effect on the performance of the image segmentation techniques. This will result in better detection and localization of the segmentation-based application.

Background The paper describes lead ion adsorption on variable charge oxidic calcined substrates with chemically modified surfaces. Amphoteric oxides of iron, aluminum, titanium, and manganese, change their surface electric charge after acid or alkaline treatment, letting cationic or anionic adsorption reactions from aqueous solutions. This property allows using them as adsorbing substrate for heavy metals retention in water treatment systems. Methods Substrate was prepared by extruding cylindrical strips from a saturate paste of the oxidic lithological material-OLM; dries it up and thermally treated by calcination. The study was performed by triplicated trial, on batch mode, using 2 grams samples of treated with NaOH 0.1N and non-treated substrate. Lead analysis was performed by AAS-GF. Freundlich and Langmuir models were used to fit results. Comparing differential behavior between treated and non-treated substrates showed the variable charge nature of the OLM. Results Results show L-type isotherms for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions on the activated substrate, suggesting good affinity between Pb(II) ions and OLM’s surface. Average value of adsorption capacity ( K) for activated substrate (1791.73±13.06), is around four times greater than the non-activated substrate (491.54±31.97), during the adsorption reaction, 0.35 and 0.26 mmolH + of proton are produced on the activated and non-activated substrate respectively using a 1 mM Pb(II) solution and 72.2 and 15.6 mmolH + using a 10 mM Pb(II) solution. This acidification agrees with the theoretic model of transitional metals chemisorption on amphoteric oxides, present in lithological material used for the preparation of adsorbent substrates, confirming the information given by the L-type isotherms. Conclusions Results suggest that these variable charge oxidic adsorbent substrate show great potential as an alternative technique for water treatment at small and medium scale using granular filtration system. The easiness and low price make them suitable to apply in rural media where no treating water systems is available.

Background Water is the lifeblood of river networks, and its quality plays a crucial role in sustaining both aquatic ecosystems and human societies. Real-time monitoring of water quality is increasingly reliant on in-situ sensor technology. Anomaly detection is crucial for identifying erroneous patterns in sensor data, but can be a challenging task due to the complexity and variability of the data, even under typical conditions. This paper presents a solution to the challenging task of anomaly detection for river network sensor data, which is essential for accurate and continuous monitoring. Methods We use a graph neural network model, the recently proposed Graph Deviation Network (GDN), which employs graph attention-based forecasting to capture the complex spatio-temporal relationships between sensors. We propose an alternate anomaly threshold criteria for the model, GDN+, based on the learned graph. To evaluate the model’s efficacy, we introduce new benchmarking simulation experiments with highly-sophisticated dependency structures and subsequence anomalies of various types. We also introduce software called gnnad. Results We further examine the strengths and weaknesses of this baseline approach, GDN, in comparison to other benchmarking methods on complex real-world river network data. Conclusions Findings suggest that GDN+ outperforms the baseline approach in high-dimensional data, while also providing improved interpretability.

Background There is increasing concern about the quality, integrity, and accessibility to research published in the developing world. This study explores the editorial practices and editors’ perspectives to gain insight into the standard of scholarly publishing in Libya. Methods Between 21 st January and 12 th February, 2022, the editors-in-chief (EC) of Libyan academic journals were invited to complete a questionnaire on editorial practices, degree of satisfaction with submitted and published manuscripts, review processes, and journal performance, as well as challenges facing the journals. Journal websites were examined for quality, and indexation coverage and citations were assessed. We examined the number of citations in Google Scholar for all 2019 articles published in each journal. Descriptive statistics were used to quantitatively summarize the data and thematic analysis was used for the narrative text. Results 48 EC completed the questionnaire. The EC was affiliated with the institution that owns the journal in 92% of cases. Most EC (83%) were satisfied with the peer-review quality, 69% believed that most of their published papers add new ideas or findings, and 96% were satisfied with their journal’s performance. However, despite the high degree of satisfaction, only one journal was indexed in Web of Science or Scopus and only 17% of the journals were indexed in Google Scholar. A qualitative assessment of journal websites revealed shortcomings in publishing practices in a large proportion of the journals. Conclusions The discordance between the satisfaction of the journal editors and the journal quality indicators points to a break in the quality system of Libyan academic publishing. Similar expedient publishing practices might exist in other countries as well. A comprehensive action plan led by academic institutions to enforce high standards for scholarly publishing is needed to advance research and high-quality scholarly publications in developing countries.

Background This paper aims to examine the efficiency of Mexico’s dairy farms within its four regions of Tlaxcala Stated. Methods The Envelopment Data Analysis (DEA) applied to the variable returns to a scale model (VRS) for the year 2020. Also, Examine the statistical accuracy of efficiency estimation using bootstrap resampling techniques. The results reveal that Tlaxcala’s dairy farm efficiency, on the other hand, was adversely influenced by three inputs (costs): cost of investment in livestock, the total annual cost for feeding, reproduction, diseases and treatments, preventive medicine, sanitation, milking, fuel, and total labor. Results The efficiency distribution among farms using VRS, CRS, and FDH technologies reveals varying patterns. Under VRS and CRS, the majority of farms exhibit high efficiency within the 0 to less than 0.2 range, while FDH displays a broader distribution, with notable efficiency at 1 and across various ranges. These findings highlight the diverse landscape of efficiency levels across different technological approaches within the agricultural sector, offering valuable insights for optimization strategies and resource allocation. Conclusions The utilization of Bootstrap methodology enhances the reliability of efficiency assessments by providing robust statistical techniques that accommodate non-normal data distributions. By incorporating Bootstrap, decision-makers can obtain more accurate estimates of efficiency levels and confidence intervals, thereby making informed decisions regarding resource allocation and optimization strategies within the agricultural sector. As part of the study, provided The Policy suggestions.