The subjective experience of consciousness, a cornerstone of human existence, is profoundly disrupted in disorders of consciousness (DOC) arising from severe brain injuries, spanning-states from coma to the minimally conscious state. A significant challenge in clinical practice is the phenomenon of covert consciousness, in which individuals may retain awareness despite the absence of overt behavioral responsiveness. Diagnosis based solely on observable behavior is inherently limited by factors such as co-occurring motor impairments, the fluctuating nature of consciousness, and subjective interpretation, potentially leading to misclassification. To overcome these limitations, neuroscientific methodologies have advanced significantly. To address these limitations, neuroscientific methods have advanced considerably. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide objective evidence of preserved brain activity and cognitive processing, enabling detection of willful modulation and offering prognostic insight. Electrophysiological techniques—including electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with EEG (TMS-EEG), and advanced downstate analysis—further reveal dynamic neural patterns indicative of residual awareness. The detection of covert consciousness has profound ethical, clinical, and societal implications. It necessitates a re-examination of patient rights, end-of-life decision-making, the use of brain-computer interfaces, and societal conceptions of personhood. This evolving understanding mandates a shift towards integrating objective neuroscientific assessments with compassionate, person-centered care, aiming to preserve dignity and navigate the complex ethical landscape of severe brain injury.
This study was conducted to proposea hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) approach for fault detection in the Onitsha-Alaoji transmission line in Nigeria. Using a mixed research method, the study employed the Hawkins HTM model with two objectives and their corresponding research questions. The study gathered primary and secondary data to detect and evaluate faults in the Onitsha-Alaoji transmission line in Nigeria using HTM and compares its efficacy to current fault detection methods. With the use of simulation and descriptive methods of data analysis, results showed that partial discharge (PD) is the fault type that is being detected and it is commonly found as a fault leading to transmission line errors. More so, fault detection simulations were conducted at 40 km using typical power spectral density analysis. The first fundamental shifted from about 10 kHz to roughly 13 kHz during a fault. The HTM model outperformed sequence learning methods, resulting in a 90% mean test classification accuracy (CA) over extreme learning machine(ELM) and online sequential learning–extreme learning machine (OS-ELM), with OS-ELM performing poorly.The study concluded and recommended that the proposed HTM model be used to identify various PD fault types that plague the Onitsha-Alaoji transmission line in Nigeria. With the increased efficacy and reliability of the proposed model compared to existing methods, it is recommended for future implementation in this transmission line and potentially other fault-prone power transmission lines in Nigeria.
Monosodium urate monohydrate crystals are deposited in peripheral joints, causing gout and eliciting an intense localized inflammatory attack. In contrast, collecting ducts and medullary interstitium is a urinary calculus, which causes dysuria, nausea and hematuria. The purpose of the present study is to observe possible growth patterns of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. The crystals were grown in test tubes using a single diffusion gel technique and were observed on the 7th,14th, 21st, 28th, and 40th days. Needle and spherulite-type crystals were observed on the 14th day, while arboresque, crystal sheaves, densely branched, dumbbell, mushroom-type spherulites, plumose and hexagonal prismatic crystals were observed for the first time. After the 40th day, complete spherulites were observed with their aggregates. The crystals were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopies. The pattern of MSUM will help determine the role of different natural products in the modulation, inhibition or promotion of these crystals by affecting the shape, size, transparency, approximate number and total mass of growing crystals. In case of inhibition or modulation, it will help evaluate prophylactic management. In contrast, the promotion of the crystal will give an idea about the risk factors of gout and kidney stones.
Tidal and riverine flows are viable energy sources for consistent energy production. Installing and operating marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbines requires assessing any potential impact of debris accumulation on turbine performance and sediment transport. More specifically, MHK devices may alter the natural sediment transport processes and cause debris accumulation, disrupting the natural sediment dynamic. In turn, these processes could affect the turbine’s performance. We carried out a series of large-eddy simulations coupled with bed morphodynamics, introducing various debris loads lodged on the upstream face of a utility-scale turbine tower. The objective is to systematically investigate the impact of debris accumulation on the performance and hydro-and morpho-dynamics interactions of the horizontal-axis MHK turbine under rigid and mobile bed conditions. To that end, we (1) employed the actuator line and surface methods for modeling turbine blades and the nacelle, respectively,(2) directly resolved individual logs, and (3) solved the Exner equation to obtain the instantaneous bed deformation of the mobile bed. Our analysis revealed that while the spinning rotor amplifies scour around the pile, debris accumulation modifies the sediment dynamics of the system. Also, it found that morphodynamic processes accelerate the wake recovery, slightly enhancing the turbine's performance.
The present study reveals that the enriched aerobic cultures of indigenous microbes can be used successfully for decolorizing dye effluents. Physico-chemical analysis of dye effluent revealed high load of pollution indicators. Textile dye effluent and contaminated soils were collected and analyzed for selection of suitable bacteria for dye degradation. The residual bacterial load was found to be in the range of 108 cfu/mL. Six bacterial strains viz., two species of Bacillus, two species of Klebsiella,, one species each of Planococcus and Micrococcus luteus were isolated. The best two dye degraders namely species of Planococcus and Bacillus were further optimized for the effect of carbon and nitrogen source, pH, temperature and percentage of inoculum. The optimized conditions for both the isolates of Planococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. were used in bio-decolorization studies of textile effluent. More than 50% of decolorization was achieved within 4 d of incubation. After 6 d of incubation, decolorization was achieved above 80%. The isolates Planococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. exhibited maximum decolorization ability at pH between 5-8 and temperature 37C. Moreover, 10% (v/v) inoculums, glucose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources were found to be the optimum for decolorization. Both the isolates showed highest decolorization percentage of Coractive Blue 3R dye effectively during optimization and more interestingly showed consistent decolorization of textile dye throughout the study.
Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) owing to their very open characteristics are being very attractive and adaptive. With the openness comes security issues to be dealt. The most usual attack in mobile ad-hoc network is the black-hole attack. It advertises false path as shortest and newest to the destined node. On gathering packets containing data will drop them and does not send it to the destination. This paper proposes an algorithm to overcome such an attack under Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol in MANETs. The proposal aims to detect and avoid black-hole attack by using the parameters of AODV routing protocol in its enhanced form of route recovery. The proposed algorithm has two different scenarios, where first comes the detection then the avoidance. The simulation results are obtained from NS -2 to authenticate the effectiveness of proposed technique in comparison with the existing protocols in the existence of black-hole attack with respect to change in simulation end time and active number of attackers. The implementation is assessed based on delay, delivery ratio, drop, overhead, throughput and packet forwarding ratio. The results obtained from network simulator are mapped to form a dataset, which is then validated on a modelled fuzzy inference system using MatLab software.
This paper investigated the variation in the multidimensional competencies and professional development needs of kindergarten teachers using a cross-sectional research design. It involved 54 purposively selected kindergarten teachers and collected the data using the self-assessment tool adopted by the Department of Education from the National Research Center for Teacher Quality in the Philippines. These data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. As found, kindergarten teachers have a high level of competencies across dimensions. Also, they have a very high extent of professional development needs in content knowledge and pedagogy and the learning environment and diversity of learners. Moreover, they have a high extent of professional needs in two dimensions. The reported high priorities for training imply more emphasis on providing them professional development activities. Results found no significant difference in the competencies of kindergarten teachers in terms of age, position, civil status, degree, and years of teaching. On the contrary, significant differences revealed in their competencies in content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and learners’ diversity, and curriculum and planning between those with masters and without a master’s degree. Lastly, results show no significant difference in their professional development needs. These results have implications for future research and planning for a more responsive and cost-effective professional development initiatives in the locale.
Introduction: The university experience often brings various personal and academic challenges that can negatively impact students’ mental health. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction among university students. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 128 participants, divided into experimental and waiting list control groups. The experimental group participated in a mindfulness meditation program consisting of 12 weekly sessions. Pre-test and post-test measurements were performed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) to assess the variables. Results: The experimental group showed statistically significant differences between the study phases and the groups after the intervention for all the variables examined (p < 0.05). The effect sizes calculated using the HC3 model were stress (η2 = 0.376), anxiety (η2 = 0.538), depression (η2 = 0.091), sleep quality (η2 = 0.306), social support (η2 = 0.704), and life satisfaction (η2 = 0.510). The mindfulness program was shown to be effective in reducing levels of stress, anxiety, and depression while also improving sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction in college students. Conclusion: These findings indicate that mindfulness meditation may be valuable for enhancing psychological well-being in educational settings.
Cardiovascular drugs constitute one of the largest and most widely used among other diseases and cardiovascular drug market has largely been exploded . Although these drugs have the potential to significantly improve the treatment of various cardiac diseases. They are potent agents with potential for serious adverse effects, toxicity and drug interactions. Newer agents are considerably costly than older drugs and, therefore, cost-effective strategies must be developed. Thrombolytics are pharmacological agents come from bacterial origin as streptokinase and staphylokinase or from human origin as urokinase or t-PA. Thrombolytics are used to restore blood flow to infracted artery quickly. Only streptokinase, alteplase, reteplase and tenecteplase are approved by US-FDA for treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infraction (ST-EMI) [3]. This reopens blood vessels after their occlusion and prevents tissue necrosis. Although, the safe and effective use of each of these drugs requires a thorough understanding of appropriate patient selection, drug timing, dosing regimens and monitoring parameters. The greatest benefit to risk ratio for specific drugs is seen in certain subsets of patients the complexities of cardiovascular drug therapy illustrate the need for an in depth current knowledge of clinical trial evidence.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Objective: Pyrazolopyrimidines are heterocyclic molecules containing nitrogen as the main composition, and hence, they exhibit pharmacological efficacy. They are analogs of purines so that possessing wide applications in the field of medicinal chemistry. The main objective of this study is to synthesize different derivatives of pyrazole-pyrimidine classes by adopting simple methodology as well as by employing green chemistry. The purpose of the synthesis of these molecules is to study the antitumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell lines. Methods: After literature studies, it makes us to involve in the research of synthetic organic chemistry, especially to synthesize new compounds of pyrazolopyrimidines. We are reported solvent-free synthesis of pyrazolo [3,4-d]-pyrimidine-thiones through ethyl acetoacetate, hydrazine hydrate, thiourea, and different benzaldehydes. An ionic liquid 2-methyl-imidazolium-oxalate catalyzed the reactions under ultrasonication bath. Both conventional and ultrasonic methods were employed and comparison studies have been made. It was found that ultrasonic method completed the reaction quicker than the conventional method. All the synthesized compounds were confirmed their structures by 1 HNMR, Fourier transform infrared, 13C-NMR, and elemental analysis spectra. The compounds were tested for in vitro anticancer activity against EAC cell lines. Most compounds revealed significant anticancer activity relative to doxorubicin as a positive control with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. Results: Ultrasonication method is a simple method under which all the reactions were completed at faster time (<7 min) compared to the convention method. Among eight molecules, 8a and 8d completed the reactions at a faster rate. We reported IC50 values of all the molecules, in which 8e and 8g were exhibited excellent potency against EAC cell lines at different concentrations .
In India, the campaign to legitimise community radio began in mid-1990s, soon after the Supreme Court of India ruled in its judgment of February 1995 that “airwaves are public property. Though the approval for setting up of Community radio stations in India was granted in 2002, it is yet to develop in the valley of Kashmir. Till now, the valley has not established any community radio station, but the first effort to use radio for the development of the community was made in 2009 when Panos South Asia, in collaboration with the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), a rural University in Awantipora (Kashmir) started a community radio program in the Awantipora community. The program named “Pesh Kadam” meaning “Step Forward” started in 2009 and completed 350 episodes in 2018. This paper is aimed to study the reasons for absence of community radio stations in Kashmir. It also documents the efforts made to bring this medium to Kashmir and understand the evolution and challenges of first ever community radio program in Kashmir, study its content, analyse its popularity and efficacy. Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques are deployed in this study.
Developing automated systems with a reasonable cost for long-term care for elders is a promising research direction. Such smart systems are based on realizing activities of daily living (ADLs) to enable aging in place while preserving the quality of life of all inhabitants in smart homes. One of the research directions is based on localizing items used by elders to monitor their activities with fine-grained details of the progress. In this paper, we shed the light on this issue by presenting an approach for localizing items in smart homes. The presented method is based on applying machine learning algorithms to Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tags readings. Our approach achieves the required task through two stages. The first stage detects in which room the selected object is located. Then, the second one determines the exact position of the selected object inside the detected room. Additionally, we present an efficient approach based on gradient boosted decision trees for detecting the location of the selected object in a real-world smart home. Moreover, we employ some techniques of over- and under-sampling with data clustering for improving the performance of the presented techniques. Many experiments are conducted in this work to evaluate the performance of the presented approach for localizing objects in a real smart home. The results of the experiments have shown that our approach provides remarkable performance.
Education in India is losing its relevance. This seems much more applicable to the situation in the present day of legal education. This essay aims to focus on two aspects of legal education. Whilst, on one hand, it aims to provide details of the existing legal education system on the other, it aims to drive more attention to the various improvements and developments that are needed. The essay firstly shall describe the existing legal education system. It shall analyze and assess the curricula that are available for the various undergraduate law degrees available in India. It aims to provide an understanding of the perceived distinctions between the three-year law degree and the five-year law degree. As a second aspect, the essay aims to explore options to further the quality of legal education in India by considering examples of various law schools or colleges of law across the world that have consistently proven themselves as a cut-above not legal education and research in their global scale. Also, from the learnings of the gaps in the curricula of the law degrees as discussed previously, the essay shall provide suggestions on the various plausible collaborations with foreign law schools and universities for the benefit of the Indian law schools and colleges of law. As a third and final aspect, as a measure to curb fake or bogus law schools or colleges of law within India and to enhance the employability of law graduates in India at par with those across the globe, the essay aims to provide suggestions applicable for the present-day legal education scenario.
Evidence demonstrates that inappropriate drug disposal creates a significant risk to global environmental safety. Study participants' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the disposal of unwanted and expired medications were assessed. The study was carried out at Sebha city, in southwestern Libya, from October 2021 to April 2022. A self-administered questionnaire designed explicitly to be completed by a respondent without an interviewer's assistance was used. Out of 650, only 500 completed questionnaires was returned. The majority of the respondents admitted they have at least one medication stored at home (71.6%). Keeping expired drugs were reported by 28.2% of the respondents compared with unused medications in their house (51.2%). Almost half of the respondents (47.4%) declared that their medication were taking from the private pharmacies. “I’ll need it in the future” (48.8%), "Medicines change" (37.2%) and "Symptoms improve and recover" (32.6%) were the top three explanations given by participants. The majority of drugs reported were antibiotics (41.0%). This is followed by antipyretic and analgesic drugs, which were used by 29.8% and 27.8% of respondents, respectively. 52.2% of the respondents agreed that disposing of medicines in the garbage is the most appropriate method. Concordantly, the majority of them indicated they discarded unused or expired medicines whether they were solid (82.6%), liquid (58.4%), or semisolid (79.6%). The majority of participants indicated they were aware of the negative impact of drug waste on the environment (80.6%). More than three quarters of the participants said they had never been given instructions on how to properly dispose of medications and 60.8% thought a medical team would be the best source of knowledge. Despite acknowledging being aware of the harmful effects on the environment, the majority of participants admitted to keeping unneeded pharmaceuticals in their homes and throwing them out in the trash. The government should support the pharmacists' role in educating the public about how to properly dispose of their medications and establish the Return Unwanted Medicines Project in order to raise awareness and create cost-effective medication waste management programs.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The aim of the paper is to develop Indian economy growth and its impact of upcoming scenario. In the modern world education is becoming the most important resource for economic and social development of countries, improving well-being and individual development of citizens. Education in every sense is one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches people's understanding of themselves and world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people's productivity and creativity and promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances. In addition it plays a very crucial role in securing economic and social progress and improving income distribution. Our higher education institutions serve and enrich society in many ways and their role in modern Ireland is multi-faceted
It is virtually impossible to mention the phrase ‘project management’ without introducing the concept of risk management. As Hillson (2016, p.11) states, “risks [are] particularly relevant to projects” suggesting that effective management of risk is an integral ingredient for project success. The close link that exists between projects and risks may be deduced by the definition of the word ‘project’. In simple terms, projects refer to unique endeavours undertaken with the aim of achieving desired outcomes. These endeavours typically specific start and completion dates, and involve resource, time and cost constraints. These characteristics imply that projects are intended to deliver identifiable benefits to the organisation; these benefits, however, are not enjoyed immediately even if the project is completed. On the contrary, projects commonly create capabilities that call for operation or utilisation for the actual gains to be generated (Hillson, 2016 p.11). The interpretation of this is that projects have a risk element in that they contain a potential reward and possibility of loss. For this reason, project managers must be well-versed with risk management.
Diaspora groups across the world have been known for adopting and inventing processes and forms of ‘homemaking’ in their host lands. This article brings into focus the methods of homemaking assumed by the Indo-Surinamese Hindustani diaspora in the Netherlands, which owes its origin to colonial dispersal. Considering their status as a ‘twice-migrant’ diaspora, the process may appear to be distinctly difficult for the Hindustanis, a position this article seeks to examine. The article interrogates the notion of homemaking in the case of the Hindustanis through ethnographic conversational interviews of Indo-Surinamese interlocutors—a unique perspective based on personal histories and everyday experiences.
Background: Information on Bleomycin pulmonary toxicity (BPT) in Qatar is scarce. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of BPT and to describe its clinical significance and outcome in germ cell tumor (GCT) patients who received bleomycin-containing regimens.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research. It included all patients diagnosed with GCT and treated with a bleomycin-containing regimen between January 2002 and December 2008 Results: We identified fourteen patients with GCT who received bleomycin containing regimen. Four of them (28.5%) had developed BPT, and they were males with mean age of 39.3±8.3 years (range: 25-46 years). The calculated creatinine clearance before treatment was normal in the 4 cases. Evaluation of the chest computed tomography scan before starting bleomycin containing regimens revealed that none of our patients had pre-existing parenchymal lung disease. The mean cumulative bleomycin dose was 187.5± 153.7 U, while the mean time to onset of BPT was 3.5±2.1 months. Once the diagnosis of BPT was established, bleomycin was discontinued in the four patients and short courses of dexamethasone were administered. Two patients (50%) died, while one patient survived with a fibrosis sequel, and the fourth patient recovered without a fibrosis sequel. Conclusion: BPT is one of the life-threatening side effects of this drug that every doctor should be aware of when treating GCT, therefore, a high index of suspicious is needed for early recognition of BPTs.
The main aim of rehabilitation is vocational independence and community integration. Rehabilitation is complete with the person being a productive member within the community. But this is quite a challenging task as can be vouched by any of the professionals working in this field. What are the barriers and facilitators towards employment or return to work in case of persons living with mental illness? Literature shows that multiple factors are governing the ability to take up gainful employment. Most of this literature is about the western world where the social fabric is more supportive of individual autonomy. India lags in its rehabilitation efforts for mental illness. There is still stigma and lack of awareness about mental illnesses. This increases the problem of unemployment within persons living with mental illness manifold. There are very few detailed investigations into the vocational status of persons with mental illness and almost negligent literature existing in the Indian context. Hence, the current review article tries to examine the factors prevailing in the Indian scenario that influences the employment status.
One of the most important challenges for a company is to manage its supply chain efficiently. One way to do this is to control and minimize its various logistics costs together to achieve an overall optimization of its supply network. One such system that integrates two of the most important logistics activities, namely inventory holding and transportation, is known as the inventory routing problem. Our replenishment network consists of a supplier that uses a single vehicle to distribute a single type of item during each period to a set of customers with independent and deterministic demand. The objectives considered are the management of supplier and customer inventories, the assignment of customers to replenishment periods, the determination of optimal delivery quantities to avoid customer stock-outs, the design and optimization of routes. A genetic algorithm (GA) is developed to solve our IRP. Different crossover structures are proposed and tested in two sets of reference instances. A comparison of the performance of different crossover structures was established. Then, it was used to find the most appropriate crossover structure that provides better results in a minor computation time. The obtained results prove the competitiveness of GAs compared to literature approaches, demonstrate the performance of our approach to best solve large scale instances and provide better solution quality in fast execution time.