Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of Virtual Simulation-Based Diabetes Foot Care Education in Patients with Diabetes in Ethiopia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction Diabetes mellitus is a rapidly growing global public health problem; the number of adults with diabetes is expected to increase from 424.9 million in 2017 to 628.6 million in 2045. Approximately 80% of diabetic patients live in low- and middle-income countries where access to care may be limited. For example, in Ethiopia, diabetes care is often rudimentary, and formal, structured diabetes education is almost non-existent. One potential solution to the lack of diabetes management education for patients could be virtual simulation-based diabetes education incorporating the contextual realities of patients in Ethiopia. Despite its great potential to improve glycemic control, delay diabetes-related complications and reduce mortality associated with diabetes, the feasibility of virtual simulation-based diabetes self-management education has not been studied in low- and middle-income settings. Objective The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility of a virtual simulation-based Diabetes Foot Care Education (DFCE) program among adult patients with diabetes in Ethiopia. Methods A randomized controlled feasibility study including participants from University of Gondar Referral Hospital (UoGRH) will be conducted. A sample of 40 participants will be recruited, of which 20 participants will receive the virtual simulation-based education program, and the other 20 participants will continue with their usual diabetes care. After the education program, a questionnaire and structured interview will be used to explore the feasibility (acceptability, practicality) and the potential impact of virtual simulation-based DFCE intervention in patients with diabetes. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 25 using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, paired sample t-test, and factorial ANOVA at significance levels of less than 0.05. Discussion Our study seeks to understand the perceived usefullness and usability of virtual simulation-based diabetes foot care education on behavioural (diabetes foot-care knowledge, foot self-care practices, and foot self-care efficacy). Furthermore, the study will provide insight to assist in the development of technologically assisted and contextually designed DFCE programs. Trial Registration Number NCT04841291 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier).
Antioxidant and Anti-Atherogenic Activities of Essential Oils from Myrtus communis L. and Laurus nobilis L. in Rat

Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic and medicinal plants, such as myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) and Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.), are gaining popularity as a potential ingredient in functional foods and nutraceuticals. This study aims to investigate whether the essential oils (EOs) could be effective in weight control, antioxidative and antilipidemic status of rats by affecting microbiota and its enzymes activity and whether changes in intestinal enzyme activity affect the health of rats. The intragastric application of laurel and myrtle EOs to rats for two weeks affects weight loss, reduces glycolytic activity, lipid parameters (cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C)) and atherogenic indicators, leading to cardiovascular protection. Laurel EO can be an excellent candidate for the treatment of drug-induced obesity and related diseases, since it affects lipid metabolism in the liver and inhibits the enzymes responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates into glucose in the digestive tract, leading to weight loss. In contrast, myrtle EO shows a better antioxidant capacity in most tissues, except kidneys, where it causes a pro-oxidative effect, compared to laurel EO. Myrtle EO increases the permeability and instability of the erythrocyte membrane, resulting in a loss of selectivity for the entry of toxic substances into the cell. On the other hand, myrtle EO leads to intestinal inflammation by reducing the number of probiotic bacteria and increasing Enterobacter.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Dengue Fever among University Students of Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Dhaka has become the worst affected city in Bangladesh regarding dengue fever (DF). A large number of university students are residing in this city with a high DF risk. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the DF status and responses among these students through their Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) survey. A total of 625 students participated in an online self-reported survey. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the status and KAP regarding DF. University students from the city perceived their living places as moderately safe (45.28%) against DF, whereas about 20% reported their DF infection history. Some of these students had exemplary DF knowledge (66.72%), attitude (89.28%), and practices (68.32%). However, many of them were also observed with a lack of knowledge about this disease’s infectious behavior, recognizing Aedes mosquito breeding sites, multiple infection cases, and the risk of DF viral infection during pregnancy. Fair correlations (p < 0.001) were determined in the KAP domain. Gender, residential unit, major, and dengue-relevant subjects were found to be significant predictors (p < 0.05) of KAP level in the univariate analysis. Major subject and residential units remained significant predictors of overall KAP level in further multiple analysis. This study revealed the urgency of infectious disease-related subjects and the relevant demonstration into the university curriculum. The study’s findings can assist the university, government and non-governmental organizations, and the health and social workers to prepare a comprehensive dengue response and preparedness plan.
Performance Evaluation of User Selection Protocols in Random Networks with Energy Harvesting and Hardware Impairments

In this paper, we evaluate performances of various user selection protocols under impact of hardware impairments. In the considered protocols, a Base Station (BS) selects one of available Users (US) to serve, while the remaining USs harvest the energy from the Radio Frequency (RF) transmitted by the BS. We assume that all of the US randomly appear around the BS. In the Random Selection Protocol (RAN), the BS randomly selects a US to transmit the data. In the second proposed protocol, named Minimum Distance Protocol (MIND), the US that is nearest to the BS will be chosen. In the Optimal Selection Protocol (OPT), the US providing the highest channel gain between itself and the BS will be served. For performance evaluation, we derive exact and asymptotic closed-form expressions of average Outage Probability (OP) over Rayleigh fading channels. We also consider average harvested energy per a US. Finally, Monte-Carlo simulations are then performed to verify the theoretical results.
The link between knowledge sharing connections and employee time savings: A social network analysis

Abstract Social network research has shown that knowledge sharing connections facilitate access to valuable resources. However, little is known about which knowledge sharing connections save knowledge seekers the most time on their daily tasks. To address this gap, this research analyses knowledge sharing connections that provide time savings, measured as the time individuals saved on daily tasks as a result of receiving knowledge from other employees. The research evaluates time savings based on the strength of connection, the network distance between the seeker and provider and the provider’s centrality in the network. To conduct this study, the research team analysed a data-set of 10,849 knowledge sharing dyads reported through a survey administered in one department in a large construction and engineering organization. Data were analysed using social network analysis and multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure. Results showed that stronger connections were assessed as more beneficial for time savings, especially when the connections were with central actors who had higher closeness centrality scores. Knowledge seekers also had a higher assessment of time savings when they were closer (in terms of network distance) to the knowledge provider. These results show that knowledge network reach and strong knowledge connections are essential for achieving everyday work efficiency. Furthermore, the results add to theories of strong and weak connections by showing that strong ties are favourable for achieving time savings in the context of construction and engineering organizations.
A Performance Assessment Study of Different Clinical Samples for Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Diagnosis Tests

Accurate diagnosis to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the clinical management of this lethal infection. Recently, many low-cost and easy-to-use rapid test kits (RTK) have been developed in many countries for the massive screening of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, evaluating the accuracy and reliability of an RTK is critical. The current study was conducted on 157 individuals to evaluate the performance accuracy of rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection kits using different clinical samples compared with qRT-PCR results. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients for qRT-PCR and RTK tests, and then buccal and nasal, and nasal swabs were collected for RTK tests separately. The nasal and buccal swabs showed high sensitivity (98%) and specificity (100%) compared with the qRT-PCR results. Meanwhile, for nasal, the sensitivity was 96% with 98% specificity, and nasopharyngeal swabs showed 98% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Fisher’s exact test revealed statistical significance (p < 0.05) between nasopharyngeal, nasal and buccal, and nasal swabs compared with qRT-PCR results. The study concludes that different clinical samples used for the rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 showed high sensitivities and specificities compared with qRT-PCR. The RTKs using nasal and buccal, nasopharyngeal, and nasal swabs are valuable tools for the early detection of SARS-CoV-2, especially when molecular detections are available with limited access and a high infectivity rate, when the timely detection of virus cases is urgently needed. These types of clinical samples are effective to be used by RTKs for surveillance among community and healthcare workers.
Cultural Awareness, Listening Comprehension, Listening Motivation, and Attitude among EFL Learners: A Gender-Based Mixed Method Study

The current research investigated the effects of cultural awareness on listening comprehension and listening motivation of EFL learners. Also, this research investigated the perspectives of EFL students towards having English cultural awareness. Seventy-five EFL learners from three English intact classes were chosen as the subjects of this study. After that, a listening motivation test and a listening comprehension test were given to the three classes. Then, five audio files containing the English cultural-based issues were taught in one class and five audio files containing the Persian cultural contents were instructed to the other experimental class. The third class or the control class was instructed five audio files that did not include any specific cultural-based materials. After teaching all audio files, a listening motivation posttest and a listening comprehension posttest were given to the three groups and an attitude questionnaire was given to the experimental classes to determine their attitudes toward using the effectiveness of cultural awareness on their language learning development. The results of one-sample t -test, one-way ANOVA, and the post hoc Sceffe test showed that the experimental classes outflanked the control class in the posttest of listening motivation and listening comprehension. The results indicated that the subjects showed a positive attitude toward having cultural awareness in their English learning process. The outcomes of the study provide some implications for teachers to increase the students’ cultural awareness and to enhance their positive attitudes about the integration of culturally based resources into language education.
Extending the UTAUT2 Model with a Privacy Calculus Model to Enhance the Adoption of a Health Information Application in Malaysia

This study validates and extends the latest unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) with the privacy calculus model. To evaluate the adoption of healthcare and e-government applications, researchers have recommended—in previous literature—the application of technology adoption models with privacy, trust, and security-related constructs. However, the current UTAUT2 model lacks privacy, trust, and security-related constructs. Therefore, the proposed UTAUT2 with the privacy calculus model is incorporated into four constructs: privacy concern, perceived risk, trust in the smart national identity card (SNIC), and perceived credibility. Results from a survey data of 720 respondents show that habit, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and price value are direct determinants that influence behavioral intentions to use. Results also revealed that behavioral intentions, facilitating conditions, habits, perceived risks, and privacy concerns are direct predictors of ‘use behavior’. The authors also analyzed the interrelationships among the research constructs. The extended model may lead toward establishing better innovative e-health services to cover the desires of the citizens through the use of health information applications embedded in an all-in-one card.
Molecular Mechanism Underlying Effects of Wumeiwan on Steroid-Dependent Asthma: A Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Experimental Verification Study

Background Steroid-dependent asthma (SDA) is characterized by oral corticosteroid (OCS) resistance and dependence. Wumeiwan (WMW) showed potentials in reducing the dose of OCS of SDA patients based on our previous studies. Methods Network pharmacology was conducted to explore the molecular mechanism of WMW against SDA with the databases of TCMSP, STRING, etcetera. GO annotation and KEGG functional enrichment analysis were conducted by metascape database. Pymol performed the molecular docking. In the experiment, the OVA-induced plus descending dexamethasone intervention chronic asthmatic rat model was conducted. Lung pathological changes were analyzed by H&E, Masson, and IHC staining. Relative expressions of the gene were performed by real-time PCR. Results A total of 102 bioactive ingredients in WMW were identified, as well as 191 common targets were found from 241 predicted targets in WMW and 3539 SDA-related targets. The top five bioactive ingredients were identified as pivotal ingredients, which included quercetin, candletoxin A, palmidin A, kaempferol, and beta-sitosterol. Besides, 35 HUB genes were obtained from the PPI network, namely, TP53, AKT1, MAPK1, JUN, HSP90AA1, TNF, RELA, IL6, CXCL8, EGFR, etcetera. GO biological process analysis indicated that HUB genes were related to bacteria, transferase, cell differentiation, and steroid. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the potential mechanism might be associated with IL-17 and MAPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking results supported these findings. H&E and Masson staining proved that WMW could reduce airway inflammation and remodeling of model rats, which might be related to the downward expression of IL-8 proved by IHC staining and real-time PCR. Conclusion WMW could be a complementary and alternative therapy for SDA by reducing airway inflammation.
Intrinsic Work Motivation of Leisure Pedagogues in All-Day Schools in Styria/Austria: Focus on Age

In 2013, a newly formed group of pedagogical staff (leisure pedagogues) graduated from Austrian University Colleges. These individuals are responsible for two aspects of extended education in all-day schools: care and education. The research topic of this article is the working motivation of leisure pedagogues and its possible relationship to age. Drawing on the Job Characteristics Theory by Hackman and Oldham, a questionnaire was used to find out the influence of socio-demographic variables and work conditions on intrinsic work motivation of leisure pedagogues. A survey was conducted in 2020, in which 227 leisure pedagogues participated. The findings highlight a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and age among leisure pedagogues and underline the intrinsic motivational potential of this job.
Motives and strategies of CEOs for stimulating sharing and application of knowledge in the care and support for people with intellectual disabilities

Purpose Within intellectual disability care organizations (IDCOs), it is vital that professionals share and apply knowledge to improve the quality of care for their service users. Given that chief executive officers (CEOs) play a pivotal role in enabling these processes, this paper aims to investigate both the underlying motives and strategies behind CEOs’ organizational knowledge leadership and their contribution to improving these knowledge processes. Design/methodology/approach In this exploratory qualitative study, 11 CEOs from IDCOs in the Netherlands who are actively involved in knowledge management within their organizations were interviewed. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Findings CEOs’ motives for stimulating knowledge processes among professionals in IDCOs arise from the internal (e.g. the CEOs themselves) and external (e.g. policy) contexts. This study also identified four strategies adopted by CEOs to stimulate sharing and application of knowledge: providing organizational conditions for effective knowledge processes; focused attention on talent development; acknowledgment and deployment of knowledge holders; and knowledge-driven participation in collaborative partnerships. These strategies are used in combination and have been shown to reinforce one another. Practical implications An overview of strategies for stimulating knowledge processes is now available. Originality/value The results display the leadership of CEOs in knowledge strategies. Insights into their perceptions and values are provided while elaborating on their motives to take this role.
C/EBPα Regulates PxTreh1 and PxTreh2 Trehalase-Related Bt Resistance in Plutella xylostella (L.)

Simple Summary The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a major agricultural pest of cruciferous vegetables and crops worldwide, causing economic losses of up to USD 5 billion annually. The long-term use of insecticides leads to the rapid evolution of resistance in insects, which greatly increases the difficulty of controlling pests. Trehalase regulates energy metabolism in insects by converting trehalose into two glucose molecules. The existence of trehalase is critical for insect flight and larval stress resistance. However, whether trehalase participates in the development of pesticide resistance remains unclear. In this study, we found that the activity of trehalase and the levels of gene expression in Bt-resistant and field populations of P. xylostella were significantly higher than they were in the susceptible strains. By analyzing the promoter sequences of PxTreh1 and PxTreh2, we confirmed the interaction between C/EBPα and the PxTreh2 promoter. The findings of this study suggest that C/EBPα mediates the adaptability of P. xylostella to adverse environmental stressors by regulating the expression of trehalase. Abstract Trehalase regulates energy metabolism in insects by converting trehalose into two glucose molecules. High amounts of trehalase are critical for insect flight and larval stress resistance. However, whether trehalase participates in the development of pesticide resistance remains unclear. In this study, we explored this phenomenon and the mechanism that underlies the regulation of Trehalase transcription. We found that overexpression of PxTreh1 and PxTreh2 induced Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) resistance in Plutella xylostella. The promoter sequences of PxTreh1 and PxTreh2 were also cloned and identified. The dual-luciferase reporter system and RNA interference technology revealed that the expression of PxTreh1 and PxTreh2 genes is possibly regulated by the CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPα). A yeast one-hybrid experiment confirmed the interaction between C/EBPα and the PxTreh2 promoter. The findings of this study suggest that C/EBPα mediates the adaptability of P. xylostella to adverse environmental stressors by regulating the expression of trehalase.
Application of ELM to predict the coagulant dosing in water treatment plants

Predicting the coagulant dosage is especially crucial to the purification process in water treatment plants, directly affecting the quality of the purified water. Nowadays, several mathematical methods have been adopted for the purification process, but their predictive precision and speed still need to be improved. This study applies a novel neural network called the extreme learning machine (ELM) to predict the coagulant dosage based on certain signification factors of the raw water. Performances are compared between ELM and back-propagation neural networks in this paper. The results show that both neural network algorithms perform well in this application and ELM can realize online prediction due to its short time consumption.
Field Efficacy of Newer Insecticides against Tomato Fruit Borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)

Comparative field performance of spinosad 45SC @ 100, 125 and 150 mL ha−1 and indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 250, 375 and 500 mL ha−1 is reported against tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera during 2010 and 2011 in comparison with flubendiamide 480 SC @ 75 mL ha−1 and profenophos 50 EC @ 1500 mL ha−1 as standard checks. The population of larvae before treatment varied from 2.40 to 3.10 and 2.89 to 3.08 per plant during 2010 and 2011, respectively. During 2010, all the treatments were on a par with each other but significantly superior than the untreated control after 7 and 10 days of spray. During 2011, significantly lower larval population was observed in indoxacarb @ 500 mL ha−1 followed by spinosad @ 150 mL ha−1, flubendiamide @ 75 mL ha−1 and profenophos @ 1500 mL ha−1. During 2010, significantly lower fruit infestation was observed in indoxacarb @ 500 mL ha−1 than that of all other insecticidal treatments after 3 days of spray, however, during 2011, significantly lower fruit infestation was observed in flubendiamide @ 75 mL ha−1. In both the years, after 7 days of spray, fruit infestation in spinosad @ 150 mL ha−1, indoxacarb @ 500 mL ha−1 and flubendiamide @ 75 mL ha−1 was significantly lower than all other insecticidal treatments. The highest yield was obtained in spinosad @ 150 mL ha−1 during both the years. The highest increase in yield over control and maximum avoidable losses were also obtained in spinosad @ 150 mL ha−1 during both the years. Overall, spinosad @ 150 mL ha−1 and indoxacarb @ 500 mL ha1 can be used for the management of H. armigera on tomato.