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Cooking, Digestion, and In Vitro Colonic Fermentation of Nigerian Wholegrains Affect Phenolic Acid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Composition
No full textViolence against women and girls in Mexico. A perspective from readers of online news
Get PDFViolence against women and girls (VAWG) represents
a serious social problem in Mexico is still limited understanding of how online platforms contribute to a social understanding of VAWG. This study used an inductive thematic analysis of the comment section of 16 online articles covering news of VAWG. e findings revealed the following main themes: 1) Distancing from some forms of VAWG, while normalising others, 2) Denial of VAWG a matter of blame, and 3) Resisting abuse as an invitation for abuse. e study concludes that for people commenting on virtual news platforms, there is a tendency to justify the actions of aggressors while blaming the victims for the crimes committed against them. At the end of the study, the implications of the study and further recommendations are offered
Resilience Assessment in Urban Water Infrastructure: A Critical Review of Approaches, Strategies and Applications
Get PDFUrban water infrastructure (UWI), comprising the main systems including water supply systems (WSS), urban drainage/stormwater systems (UDS), and wastewater systems (WWS). The UWI need to be resilient to a wide range of shocks and stresses including structural failures such as pipe breakage and pump breakdown and functional failures such as unmet water demand/quality, flooding and combined sewer overflows. However, there is no general consensus about resilience assessment of these systems widely presented by various research works. This study aims to critically review the approaches, strategies and applications of the resilience assessment for the complex systems in UWI. This review includes examining bibliometric analysis, developed frameworks related to resilience assessment to help comprehend resilience concepts for the specified UWI systems in urban settings, strategies for improving resilience, resilience indicators and the common tools used for modelling resilience assessment in UWI. The results indicate that resilience assessment has primarily been conducted in developed countries, underscoring the macroeconomic significance of UWI. Three key areas have been identified for analysing resilience in UWI: system design, development of resilience concepts, and implementation of green infra-structure. Moreover, it has been discovered that although resilience is commonly defined using technical approaches, a more comprehensive understanding of resilience can be gained through a holistic approach. Furthermore, while strategies such as system upgrade, decentralisation, digi-talisation, and nature-based solutions can enhance the UWI resilience, they may be insufficient to fulfil all resilience indicators. To address the challenge of effectively comparing different resilience options, it is crucial to extensively examine comprehensive and sustainability-based indicators in future research
Using reflection to increase student engagement with feedback
No full textThere is a plethora of research into effective forms of feedback in higher education, yet student engagement with feedback remains low. This could be partly explained by the low levels of feedback literacy among students. The purpose of the project is therefore to engage students in critical reflection through dialogue with academic staff in a structured environment, thereby increasing feedback literacy and student engagement with feedback
Understanding Multimorbidity of Older Adults in Niger State North Central Nigeria.
Get PDFBackground: Multimorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of at least two chronic
diseases in the same person. With advancing epidemiological and demographic
transitions, the burden of multi-morbidity is expected to increase globally, and Nigeria is
not an exemption.
Overall objectives: The aim of the study was to develop a better understanding of
multimorbidity among elderly Nigerians.
Methods: A multi-methods (systematic literature review, quantitative and qualitative)
survey was conducted. The systematic review was preceded by a designed priori protocol
following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) checklist and the PRISMA Protocols statement. Data for the quantitative, and
qualitative were administered on a cross-section of 734 and 12 multimorbid participants
selected from 4 secondary hospitals and the communities respectively in Niger state over
5 months. SPSS and NVivo were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative phases
data respectively.
Results: The prevalence of multimorbidity in Niger state north central Nigeria was 51.9%
with multimorbidity prevalence ranging from 27% to 74% across Nigeria. Chronic disease
conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and acid peptic diseases were the commonly
occurring clusters of multimorbidity. A positive association between adverse childhood
experiences (AECs) and multimorbidity was observed. The study also observed an
association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and behavioral risk factors.
A Positive moderate association was observed between age and multimorbidity and a
negative association was found between multimorbidity and levels of education and
income. Using Donabedian’s model of healthcare quality revealed the process
component of the model to be the primary component in determining the perceived quality
of healthcare services among elderly multimorbid patients in Niger state north central
Nigeria.
Conclusion: There is a need to recognize ACEs and their consequences as a public
health problem in Nigeria and commence the practice of public health surveillance to
reduce the occurrence of ACEs and their effects. The prevention of multimorbidity should
begin from childhood by preventing ACEs through the creation of a positive setting for
both children and families and a system that supports healthy families. Additionally,
identifying the common pattern of multimorbidity will provide insight to develop more
integrative multidisciplinary preventive and better management approach for
multimorbidity. Finally, access to and quality of health care can be improved by improving
patient-physician relationships, reducing waiting times for seeing physicians and reducing
financial cost of medical treatment. improving the These findings are important to better
inform policymakers and related stakeholders, in order to ensure equitable access and
improve the health outcomes of multimorbid patients and the overall population’s health.
Although the result of this study has the potential to illuminate some of the weaknesses
of the current multimorbidity care among the elderly, the sample selection is limited to 4
hospitals and some communities in Niger state, thus the findings cannot be generalized
for the country. Nevertheless, the study can be replicated elsewhere in the country to
increase its impact
UAV Automated Charging Station and Charging Network in Smart Cities for Telemedicine Delivery
No full textThis paper presents a novel solution to improve Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) flight time within the context of telemedicine delivery in smart cities. Our primary research questions addressed are (1) “How can UAV flight time limitations be extended to facilitate deliveries in smart cities?” and (2) “How can the proposed solution revolutionise the future of telemedicine?”. To address the first question, a wireless charging station is presented, capable of automatically detecting and charging UAVs when they land in its designated charging area. This charging station effectively eliminates the issue of coil misalignment, which has been identified in previous research publications. To efficiently manage the charging stations and UAVs, a charging network is proposed, responsible for routing UAVs to the nearest charging station, scheduling charging times, and maintaining charging statistics for analytical purposes. The latter question is addressed through an exploration of existing telemedicine delivery systems, accompanied by a discussion on how the proposed solution can significantly contribute to the advancement of telemedicine. It is essential to emphasise that this innovative solution enhances UAV technology for telemedicine delivery and holds broader applicability within smart cities
Evaluation of ceramic water filters’ performance and analysis of managerial insights by SWOT matrix
No full textFiltration is a crucial step in the water treatment process, typically preceding disinfection. Filters trap microorganisms and suspended solids, reducing their amount in the environment. The latest technology in filtration is ceramic filters, and in this study, the performance of silicon carbide ceramic filters (SIC) is evaluated. These filters were installed at three different locations within a water treatment plant (entrance storage, raw water, and backwash water), and changes in physical and chemical water parameters were measured. Results indicate high efficiency in turbidity removal, effectively clarifying volatile suspended solids (VSS) and fixed suspended solids (FSS). The turbidity removal efficiency was 99% for entrance storage and 65% for raw water. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) matrix was used to analyse the results of the SIC and highlight its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Prevalence, determinants and consequences of problematic smartphone use among preschoolers (3–5 years) from Dhaka, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional investigation
Get PDFThe problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been becoming a challenging health issue for preschoolers aged 3–5 years as it has severe adverse effect on their psychological, physical, and cognitive development. The scarcity of scientific research on this issue in the context of Bangladesh motivated the authors for conducting this cross-sectional study to explore the prevalence of PSU with its influential factors and adverse effects on preschooler's psychological and physical development based on primary data collected from 400 mothers. The multivariable ordinal logistic regression (OLR) was used to compute the adjusted likelihoods. The estimated prevalence of PSU was approximately 86 %, where about 29 % were severely problematic user. The likelihood of preschoolers' PSU was observed to increase with >1 h/day usage of smartphone by children (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 3.92). Other important factors were parental smartphone use, education, profession, family income, and mother's age. Both of moderate and severe PSU had adverse effect on preschoolers' health- severe PSU was found to increase the likelihood of psychological and physical problems by 6.03 and 3.29 times, respectively. The preschoolers with PSU reported to suffer from many physical and mental health problems such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotional instability, aggressiveness, depression, lack of control, impaired vision and hearing, obesity, body imbalance, and lack of brain development. It is now prime time to undertake strategic policies considering the findings for limiting the preschoolers' usage of smartphone, which will make Bangladesh susceptible to protect its future generation from harmful effects of PSU
Developing a smart and clean technology for bioremediation of antibiotic contamination in arable lands
Get PDFThis study presents a smart technological framework to efficiently remove azithromycin from natural soil resources using bioremediation techniques. The framework consists of several modules, each with different models such as Penicillium Simplicissimum (PS) bioactivity, soft computing models, statistical optimisation, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, and Decision Tree (DT) control system based on Removal Percentage (RP). The first module involves designing experiments using a literature review and the Taguchi Orthogonal design method for cultural conditions. The RP is predicted as a function of cultural parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and three ML algorithms: Instance-Based K (IBK), KStar, and Locally Weighted Learning (LWL). The sensitivity analysis shows that pH is the most important factor among all parameters, including pH, Aeration Intensity (AI), Temperature, Microbial/Food (M/F) ratio, and Retention Time (RT), with a p-value of < 0.0001. AI is the next most significant parameter, also with a p-value of < 0.0001. The optimal biological conditions for removing azithromycin from soil resources are a temperature of 32°C, pH of 5.5, M/F ratio of 1.59 mg/g, and AI of 8.59 m3/h. During the 100-day bioremediation process, RP was found to be an insignificant factor for more than 25 days, which simplifies the conditions. Among the ML algorithms, the IBK model provided the most accurate prediction of RT, with a correlation coefficient of over 95%
A qualitative investigation of service providers’ experiences supporting raped and sexually abused men
Get PDFSubstantial gaps remain in our understanding of the risks and barriers that exist for men affected by rape and sexual abuse. The present research utilised semi-structured interviews with twelve service providers from specialist organisations in the UK. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) revealed three superordinate themes: i) survivors’ needs for agency, safety, and control as functions of their masculinity, ii) the impact of rape myths and their challenge to therapeutic intervention, and iii) survivors’ expectations around reporting and the police. The role of masculinity and social stigma permeated participants’ accounts, with negative stereotypes and male rape myths influencing reporting, access to services, and survivors’ coping mechanisms. Results are discussed in relation to current service provision within the UK, and avenues for improvement are suggested