Brain tumors (BTs) are deadly diseases that can strike people of every age, all over the world. Every year, thousands of people die of brain tumors. Brain-related diagnoses require caution, and even the smallest error in diagnosis can have negative repercussions. Medical errors in brain tumor diagnosis are common and frequently result in higher patient mortality rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used for tumor evaluation and detection. However, MRI generates large amounts of data, making manual segmentation difficult and laborious work, limiting the use of accurate measurements in clinical practice. As a result, automated and dependable segmentation methods are required. Automatic segmentation and early detection of brain tumors are difficult tasks in computer vision due to their high spatial and structural variability. Therefore, early diagnosis or detection and treatment are critical. Various traditional Machine learning (ML) techniques have been used to detect various types of brain tumors. The main issue with these models is that the features were manually extracted. To address the aforementioned insightful issues, this paper presents a hybrid deep transfer learning (GN-AlexNet) model of BT tri-classification (pituitary, meningioma, and glioma). The proposed model combines GoogleNet architecture with the AlexNet model by removing the five layers of GoogleNet and adding ten layers of the AlexNet model, which extracts features and classifies them automatically. On the same CE-MRI dataset, the proposed model was compared to transfer learning techniques (VGG-16, AlexNet, SqeezNet, ResNet, and MobileNet-V2) and ML/DL. The proposed model outperformed the current methods in terms of accuracy and sensitivity (accuracy of 99.51% and sensitivity of 98.90%).
Vending on the street is a worldwide fact and the most able to be seen component of the casual economy. Street vending, like other informal sectors, is characterised by low pay, ease of entrance, self-employment, and a huge number of individuals. Millions of individuals make a livelihood selling a variety of products and services on the street in cities and towns all over the globe. Despite the popular assumption that street selling would decline as the economy improves and wealth rises, it is on the rise in many areas. Because of their poor level of education and abilities, street sellers are often individuals who are not capable to get usual employment in the remunerative recognized sector. They attempt to address their financial issues by relying on their own limited financial resources. They are primary sharing route for a wide range of the daily-use goods, such as fruits, vegetables, ready-to-wear clothes, home appliances, stationery, toys, newspapers, magazines and shoes among others. If they be removed from the urban marketplaces, it would create serious problem for vegetable and fruit growers and small-scale businesses that couldn't afford to sell their goods via the formal sector's costly distribution networks. The significance of this industry can not be overstated, particularly given the government's inability to offer employment to India's millions of jobless and underemployed citizens. Even the corporate sector can only absorb a small part of our growing workforce. Overall, employment in the official sector is decreasing, leaving the majority of Indians to fend for themselves. If governments wish to decrease unemployment and poverty in our nation, they should support people in the informal sector to develop and thrive. They play an important part in the economic development and growth of local economy. Municipal authorities see street sellers as nuisances and the encroachers on sidewalks pavements and they are unappreciative of the important services that the street vendors offer to the world's common public. Vendors on the street offer essential services to urban people while surviving on their own business, limited resources, and labour. The state government and municipal authorities have been asked to provide security for street sellers so that they may make a living without fear.
Learning styles describe how individuals acquire, interpret, and assimilate knowledge differently. The effective use of learning styles is essential for effective classroom education. The three most popular learning styles are kinaesthetic, auditory, and visual. This study pursued to learn more about the preferred learning modes of college students. There were 152 respondents from Baneshwor Multiple Campus, Kathmandu Nepal. The data were collected from first year students of BBS, B.Ed. and BA. The researchers used a scale of learning styles (VAK) with 28 items to accomplish the study's goal, and after confirming its validity and reliability, it was applied to the sample. The results show that there are no statistically significant differences in the types of learning patterns preferred by students. Based on these findings, the study recommends that teachers are encouraged to diversify college teaching strategies and methods to suit the preferred learning styles of their students, particularly new students, in order to motivate them to learn in the college environment and to provide the training needs and requirements necessary to enable them to take individual differences among their students into account when identifying educational goals.
Introduction: Saliva is a crucial diagnostic tool to evaluate oral health. Chewing sugar-free gum is an effective method to increase salivary flow and can also be employed a medium for the administration of medicinal ingredients. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of chewing xylitol, herbal and probiotic chewing gums on salivary acidogenicity levels. Materials and Methods: A single centre, randomised, doubleblind, multiple arm parallel clinical trial was conducted on 60 children aged between 6-11 years. Baseline salivary pH was recorded with the pH meter and then the participants were asked to consume chocolate and salivary pH was recorded at an interval of 5, 30, and 60 minutes. Then children were randomly allocated to Group A-Xylitol chewing gum (control group, n=20), Group B-Herbal chewing gum (n=20), and Group C-Probiotic chewing gum (n=20) and instructed to chew gum according to their assigned group and salivary pH was again recorded at an interval of 5, 30, and 60 minutes. The change in salivary pH was evaluated using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Post-hoc Bonferroni’s test. Results: The mean age of the study population was 9.23±1.38 years. Statistically significant (p<0.001) increase in pH was recorded post consumption of probiotic, xylitol and herbal chewing gums and the mean salivary pH values recorded at 60 minutes were 7.20±0.21, 7.01±0.23 and 6.43±0.22, respectively. Conclusion: The observations of the study showed that xylitol, herbal and probiotic chewing gums reversed the fall in salivary pH, after an acidogenic challenge with probiotic being better among the three groups.
The aim of the present study was to explore the nature of visual representations in biology textbooks across five educational boards across Asia through quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Descriptive statistics was used during the quantitative analysis. Qualitative content analysis involved a deductive approach where visuals in these textbooks were examined and categorized into different categories based on a newly developed typology and taxonomy of visual representation (coding scheme). Under this newly developed typology and taxonomy (coding scheme), visuals in biology textbooks can be categorized into 19 different categories. The findings of the study summarized the characteristics of visual representation usage in these textbooks in terms of their prevalence, distributional differences and trends. Through this study, a new perspective on the taxonomy and classification of visual representations, especially for biology textbooks, has been proposed. Biology teachers and textbook authors can gain insights through the findings of the study. Subjects: General Science; Biology; Secondary Education
Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI merupakan lembaga yang ditunjuk oleh Kementerian Agama RI untuk melaksanakan Kurikulum 2013 atau yang disebut K13 baik pada pembelajaran tematik maupun pembelajaran agama sesuai dengan Keputusan Direktur Jendral Pendidikan Islam Nomor 3525 tahun 2017 tentang Penetapan Pelaksanaan Kurikulum 2013. Berdasarkan latar belakang tersebut, maka fokus penelitian adalah: 1) Bagaimana perencanaan pembelajaran kurikulum 2013 di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019? 2) Bagaimana pelaksanaan pembelajaran kurikulum 2013 di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019?, 3) Bagaimana evaluasi pembelajaran kurikulum 2013 di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019? Hasil penelitiannya adalah: 1) Perencanaan pembelajaran K13, guru di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo membuat perangkat pembelajaran berupa Kalender Pendidikan, RPE, Prota, Promes, Silabus, dan RPP. Dalam pembuatan perangkat pembelajaran ada guru yang membuat perangkat pembelajaran secara individu dan ada yang dengan bersama KKG (Kelompok Kerja Guru). (2) Pelaksanaan pembelajaran K13 di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo memiliki 3 kegiatan yaitu, kegiatan pendahuluan, inti, dan penutup. Pada kegiatan pendahuluan diawali dengan memberikan apersepsi, memberikan stimulus/motivasi, menyampaikan tujuan dan manfaat pembelajaran. Pada kegiatan inti guru telah melakukan kegiatan saintifik yang meliputi kegiatan mengamati, menanya, mencoba, mengasosiasi/mengumpulkan, dan mengkomunikasikan. Pada kegiatan penutup dilakukan dengan membuat kesimpulan dari materi yang telah dipelajari, merefleksikan materi yang diajarkan, dan memberikan tindak lanjut berupa penugasan. (3) Evaluasi pembelajaran K13 di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah KAHASRI Kota Probolinggo menggunakan model penilaian autentik yang meliputi 3 aspek yaitu: aspek sikap, aspek pengetahuan, dan aspek keterampilan.
Epithelial cells, lining the skin and internal organs, play a crucial role as protective barriers and regulators of substance transport. Traditionally, these cells were not considered to employ electrical signaling for communication. However, recent investigations have unveiled that epithelial cells generate slow electrical signals, termed the "silent scream," in response to injury, thus challenging conventional views of intercellular communication. A recent experimental investigation provided compelling evidence for this phenomenon, demonstrating the ability of these cells to transmit electrical signals over considerable distances within the epithelium. The research utilized microelectrode array chips to precisely detect subtle electrical events in keratinocytes and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells, revealing spiking activity characterized by slow propagation speeds, distinct from the rapid action potentials of neurons. The mechanisms underlying this novel signaling are explored, focusing on the involvement of mechanosensitive ion channels, calcium signaling, and Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release. Calcium ions, well-established intracellular messengers, appear to play a central role in this biological phenomenon. Integrating this newly discovered communication mode into the existing understanding of skin cell biology reveals a more intricate picture of how skin senses and responds to its environment. The implications of this finding extend to various facets of skin physiology and pathology, including wound healing, inflammation, and skin aging. In wound healing, where endogenous electric fields guide cell migration and promote repair, this unique type of electrical signaling potentially plays a crucial part. Furthermore, aberrant electrical signaling might contribute to chronic inflammatory conditions, and age-related changes in this signaling could underlie the functional decline observed in aged skin. The potential for other environmental stressors to trigger the epithelial-generated electric signals also warrants investigation. The exploration concludes by discussing potential technological applications, such as bioelectric sensors and enhanced wound healing therapies, and future research directions aimed at further elucidating the molecular mechanisms and functional roles of this non-excitable cell electrophysiology.
Patients’ knowledge of hypertension and treatment has been found to affect health outcomes of hypertension. This study aimed to assess the impact of therapeutic patients’ education on knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification among hypertensive patients in Nigeria. The study was conducted among 317 hypertensive patients randomized into controlled and intervention groups (158 vs 159, respectively) between March 2021 and February 2022. Baseline knowledge of the patients was assessed and intervention was provided for the intervention group with a structured educational program at a baseline and six months. Descriptive data were presented with a frequency table in percentage while the chi-square test and univariate logistic regression were used to determine the association between categorical variables. Out of the total number of 318 patients, 275 completed the study (response rate: 86.8%) with 136 in the control group and 139 in the intervention group. The mean age of the patients was 59.5 (±12.5) and patients > 60 years (49.5%) were the most frequent age category. The baseline knowledge score of hypertension was 9.8 (±2.6) and 9.3 (±2.6) on a scale of 16 points in the control group and intervention group, respectively (P = 0.060) while at six months 11.9 (±2.3) vs 10.8 (±2.4) (P < 0.001) and 12 months 12.6 (±2.5) vs 9.5 (±2.0) (P < 0.001), respectively. Knowledge of lifestyle/dietary modification in the control group and intervention group at baseline was 7.0 (±2.1) and 6.6 (±2.0), respectively, while at six months 7.5 (±1.5) vs 9.9 (±1.3) (P < 0.001) and at 12 months 7.2 (±1.5) vs 10.4 (±1.2), respectively. Marital status, body mass index, and family history of hypertension were associated with knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification (P < 0.001). The educational intervention provided was found to be associated with a significant improvement in knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification. The marital status of the patients, body mass index and family history of hypertension influenced patients’ level of knowledge.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is caused by the shortening of the median nerves in the wrist, resulting in hand pain and paralysis necessitating surgical operation for relief. Conventional open carpal tunnel release (CTR) procedures, involving long incisions, often lead to complications, delaying patients' recovery for weeks or months. Therefore, mini-incision surgery has emerged as a preferred option, offering reduced pain, smaller wounds, and improved appearance. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of modified mini-incision surgery for CTS before and after the operation. It was a retrospective study involving 80 patients, with data collected from medical records pre-and post-operation, specifically at the 2 nd week, 3 rd month, 6 th month, 12 th month, and 24 th month intervals. Variables included operation time, incision length, pinch strength, gripping strength, two-point discrimination (2-PD), visual analogue scale (VAS), Levine score, quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (Quick-DASH), wound pain, and pillar pain. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression, with a significant level of 0.05. The mean incision length was 11.54 mm. At the 2-week post-operative mark, the pinch strength was 5.43, gripping strength was 14.96, 2-PD was 5.84, the VAS score was 2.86, the Levine symptom was 3.84, and the DASH score was 69.43. There was a relationship (p-value<0.05) between preoperative and postoperative measures for pinch strength, gripping strength, 2-PD, and Levine symptom condition. The study on 80 patients who underwent modified mini-incision surgery for CTS at Naresuan University Hospital in Phitsanulok, Thailand, found that these parameters showed significant improvement postoperatively. Patients demonstrated good recovery and condition 2 weeks after the mini-incision surgery for CTS.
The present review shares updated data on the botany, distribution, traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc. All provided information was obtained through Google Scholar, Pubmed, SciFinder, Scirus, Web of Science and a library search.
Purpose Noise pollution is a common health hazard worldwide which is emitted along with chemical air pollutants, simultaneously from many sources. Some studies have been conducted to control these pollutants, simultaneously with promising results being achieved. Dielectric beads have been used in air pollution control technologies, successfully and probable effectiveness of them in noise reduction can be promising in dual use of them in the exhausts emitting noise and air pollution, simultaneously. Methods In order to investigate the effectiveness of dielectric beads in noise reduction, two types of them; namely glass and ceramic beads, were placed separately inside the connecting tube of a double-expansion chamber muffler. Then the transmission loss (TL) of muffler was examined using impedance tube. A factorial design was used to evaluate and optimize the effect of noise related parameters on TL of such a system. Results Results show that the presence of dielectric beads has significant effect on TL of muffler. The maximum TL was obtained as 74.76 dB for muffler with ceramic beads, under the optimal condition of 5250 Hz and 120 dB. Measurement of TL and sound absorption coefficient (SAC) of glass and ceramic beads showed that the noise reduction in muffler with ceramic and glass beads is probably due to SAC in ceramic beads and noise reflections in glass beads, respectively. Conclusion These results promise the dual use of dielectric beads in the exhausts emitting noise and air pollution simultaneously.
Dietary supplements are extensively consumed, but irrational use is a health hazard. Pharmacy students, being future healthcare providers, can facilitate rational use. The present study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacy students at Srinivas College of Pharmacy, Mangalore, about dietary supplements and their role as an advocate, in addition to mental health correlations. 250 students selected through stratified random sampling took part in a cross-sectional mixed-methods study. A 30-question instrument (Cronbach's alpha=0.85) measured demographics, dietary supplement usage, knowledge, attitude, practices, and mental health was evaluated with the depression, anxiety, and stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The data were collected during January-March 2025 and were analyzed with the chi-square test, logistic regression, and Pearson correlation tests. 35.0% (n=88) used dietary supplements regularly, with a preference for multivitamins (50%) and protein supplements (30%). Knowledge was moderate (60% risk aware), attitudes favorable (70% in favor of counseling), but practice restricted (25% informed peers). Everyday use of dietary supplements escalated stress probability (OR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.8-3.4, p<0.001), with correlation (r=0.38, p<0.01). In conclusion, students have promise as dietary supplement champions but require additional training to close knowledge-practice gaps and mitigate mental health risks. Curriculum and policy interventions are needed to enhance students' abilities in encouraging rational dietary supplement use and identifying potential mental health effects.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The paper reports the results collected from social work students (SW) and nonsocial work students (NSW) of Ho Chi Minh City Open University (OU) through attitudes toward poverty and poor people in Vietnam. The Attitude toward Poverty Short Form (ATP-SF) 21-item (ATP-SF) scale, developed by Yun & Weaver (2010), was used for the data collection. The sample of this study comprises 180 students enrolled in three disciplines: social work (n = 86), law (n = 34), foreign language (n = 30) and economics (n = 30). The questionnaire was used to collect the data for the study. Cronbach’s alpha and independent t-tests were run to compare means between two groups of students. All students voluntarily participated in the survey.
Several diseases affect maize plants and one among them is black bundle disease, causal organism of which is yet to be confirmed with conflicting reports appearing in literature. In the present work, an effort was made to record the disease incidence by carry out filed surveys in Southern most district of Karnataka state, India and also to isolate and identify the causal organism. The surface sterilized pith tissue from the infected plants was cultured on PDA medium to identify the organism in the affected vascular tissue. The isolated tissue produce Cephalosporium acremonium which was confirmed based on morphological characters. In addition, Simplicillium sp. and Macrophomina phaseolina were also isolated from the same infected plant material and suspected to have participated in the disease development. In accordance with several reports in literature, Cephalosporium acremonium was tested and confirmed as the causal organism of disease in green house experiments by following the Koch’s postulates. This is in contrast with some earlier reports, wherein the exact symptoms of black bundle disease were reported as barren stalks in corn caused by Fusarium sp. The simplicillium sp. which had morphological similarity with C. acremonium and had an ambiguous taxonomic status in literature was confirmed as a distinct species through PCR based diagnosis.
In the context of emerging sustainability challenges, demarketing has continued to draw the attention of academicians and practitioners globally over the past few years. It is interesting to note that demarketing is as old as marketing itself, yet its application and scope have grown from the past two decades only. Kotler and Levy, (1971) has defined demarketing as “that aspect of marketing which deals with discouraging customers in general or a certain class of customers in particular on a temporary or permanent basis”. This systematic literature review attempts to enrich the discussion on demarketing research through a systematic and comprehensive review of 64 articles published between 2000 and 2022. Using TCCM framework, we present relevant theories, research contexts, study characteristics, and methodologies used in demarketing research. Our review (1) Presents a systematic and comprehensive overview of the research in demarketing over the last two decades (2) Examines studies in demarketing within the framework of ‘triple bottom line’ approach for sustainability (3) Suggests a suitable definition of demarketing considering its exorbitant application within the sustainability context (4) Identify gaps and sets agenda for future research. Our systematic literature review found that research in demarketing has been growing considerably over the past two decades, twice as much in the last decade compared to the previous decade with spill-over to new sectors. The literature review, through the lens of ‘triple bottom line’ approach, is able to establish that demarketing can be employed to effectively address the sustainability challenges encountered by policymakers and practitioners.
Here, we report the draft genome sequences of Bacillus subtilis A1, Sphingobacterium sp. strain A3, and Pseudomonas sp. strain A29; Sphingobacterium sp. A3 and Pseudomonas sp. A29 were identified as Bacillus velezensis strain A3 and Bacillus subtilis strain A29, respectively, after a quality control check of the wholegenome sequences deposited in the NCBI database. These bacteria exhibit tremendous production of siderophores and significant antimicrobial potential. When inoculated on maize, these isolates increase its yield
The market for tertiary educational institutions, most especially for private universities, is highly competitive. The competitive nature of the market requires that Private Universities (PUs) step up their performance so as to remain competitive despite the major structural and market differences between them and public universities in the provision of tertiary education. The need for private universities to remain competitive in this turbulent market, calls for some careful examination of the factors that would enable private universities to enhance their performance. In this respect, this study sought to examine the effects of management competence, firm-level institutions, and human resource management (HRM) bundles on the performance of private universities in Ghana. Underpinned by the RBV and AMO theories, the study tested four hypotheses that sought to explain the relationships between the key variables of the study. The study was implemented using a quantitative research design. Out of the sixteen private universities sampled, thirteen private universities responded. The main research instrument was a structured questionnaire. Out of 230 questionnaires administered, 127 completed questionnaires were received and used for analysis. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (regression analysis) with the aid of SPSS software version 20 and AMOS version 23. Research findings from the tests of hypotheses established that management competence positively and significantly affected performance of private universities in Ghana. Though the study found that the composite variables of firm-level institutions and HRM bundles did not moderate the relationship between management competence and PU performance, the skills bundles (which is a component of the HRM bundles) significantly moderated the management competence – PU performance relationship in such a way that at high levels of skills bundle, management competence influences PU performance more than at low levels of skills bundle. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that PUs in Ghana institute competence acquisition and utilization policies, maintain appropriate firm-level institutions and HRM bundles and match these to their competence development strategies.
Natural products are a vital source of therapeutic agents due to their diverse chemical structures and wide range of biological activities. With the advancement of computational technologies, natural product databases have become essential tools in drug discovery, offering organized access to chemical structures, biological properties, and biosynthetic information. These databases support various stages of drug development, from target identification to lead optimization. This review outlines the essential features of Natural Products Databases and introduces the framework for the first Libyan Natural Products Database, a project designed to harness Libya’s unique biodiversity. This foundational work involves a detailed review of existing natural product databases to identify their core components, data architectures, and user interface designs. While acknowledging challenges such as data standardization, limited resources, and long-term sustainability, the creation of the Libyan Natural Products Database is expected to enhance local scientific capacity and contribute meaningfully to the global drug discovery landscape. This positions the Libyan Natural Products Database to play a foundational role in advancing pharmaceutical research and drug discovery.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
A 22-year-old Indonesian woman was admitted through the emergency department with a 10-day history of fever associated with chills. Other medical history was unremarkable. On examination, she appeared ill; BP 95/60 mmHg, pulse 105/min, and temperature 39.5°C. Abdominal examination showed splenomegaly; examination of the heart, lungs, and nervous system was unremarkable.
The very first recruitment for a public relations practitioner in Malaysia was encountered in 1948 and was advertised by the federal government of the British Colony in Malaya. This paper examines the subsequent advertisements after Malaya sought independence from the British colonial government. A total of eleven recruitment advertisements were found before the formation of Malaysia on the 16th September 1963. This paper outlines the advertisers, the titles of positions, as well as their qualifications and duties. The results show that the job requirement mainly came from the federal and local governments. Generally, the duties were related to information services and some specific responsibilities.