Cardiac arrest is a sudden loss of heart function with serious consequences. In developing countries, healthcare professionals use clinical documentation to track patient information. These data are used to predict the development of cardiac arrest. We published a dataset through open access to advance the research domain. While using this dataset, our work revolved around generating and utilizing synthetic data by harnessing the potential of synthetic data vaults. We conducted a series of experiments by employing state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques. These experiments aimed to assess the performance of our developed predictive model in identifying the likelihood of developing cardiac arrest. This approach was effective in identifying the risk of cardiac arrest in in-patients, even in the absence of electronic medical recording systems. The study evaluated 112 patients who had been transferred from the emergency treatment unit to the cardiac medical ward. The developed model achieved 96% accuracy in predicting the risk of developing cardiac arrest. In conclusion, our study showcased the potential of leveraging clinical documentation and synthetic data to create robust predictive models for cardiac arrest. The outcome of this effort could provide valuable insights and tools for healthcare professionals to preemptively address this critical medical condition.

Normalization of urinary biomarkers of kidney injury is a common practice in clinical and research settings to account for variations in urine concentration, and urinary creatinine is often used as a reference. However, to date, there is no consensus on the adjustment of urinary biomarkers with creatinine, and both absolute and creatinine-adjusted biomarker levels are adopted for making interpretations of kidney health. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the associations of urinary creatinine with three widely used kidney injury biomarkers, KIM-1, NGAL, and cystatin C, to validate the applicability of urinary creatinine as a reference for normalization. A cross-sectional study was performed with 2100 students, 10-18 years of age in the Children's Kidney Environmental Exposure Study (C-KidnEES) cohort established in Sri Lanka. As identified in linear regression analyses, normalization of urinary KIM-1, NGAL, and Cys-C to urinary creatinine did not result in significant under-adjustment or over-adjustment to the absolute urinary concentrations, giving no specific rationale for creatinine adjustment. Hence, absolute urinary concentrations of the above biomarkers can be adopted for the characterization of subclinical kidney injury in adolescents in community studies where early morning urine sampling is practiced. However, for spot urine samples, consideration of both absolute and creatinine-adjusted biomarker levels would be a better approach.

The Audit Expectations Gap (AEG) is a well-known phenomenon in the private sector, and it has developed into an emergent issue that has gotten minimal attention from public sector researchers. Consequently, the AEG in the public sector has been the subject of only a small number of studies, all of which have been carried out pertaining to the financial or performance audit contexts. Subsequently, numerous scholars have defined and assessed the AEG in a variety of ways in a variety of studies using a variety of parameters. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a new synthesis of the extensive literature on the AEG concerning the public sector. Moreover, this study examines the literature on AEG definitions and meanings, diverse dimensions employed to measure AEG, various methodologies used, the reasons for AEG, and mechanisms for narrowing the gap. The relevant articles were mainly selected using related keywords namely “audit expectation gap” and “audit expectation-performance gap” blended with “public sector”, “government sector” or “performance audit” from the Google Scholar search engine and three selected databases from 1974 to 2021, as suggested by Quick (2020). The dominance of the quantitative method within the positivistic approach was found in the examination of the AEG in the Public Sector. Moreover, the Mann-Whitney U test was found to be the predominant analytical method in empirical studies that primarily utilized questionnaire surveys for data collection. The "society" side in the samples has been extraordinarily diverse, whereas the "auditor" end has always been dominated by the Auditor Generals. Further, AEG in the public sector is a multifaceted concept. Multiple causes for the AEG and various approaches to minimizing it in the public sector have been presented. As far as the originality of the study is concerned, this is the first time a literature review on AEG was performed in the public sector context. Further, all of the facets of AEG have been addressed, and research gaps and potential issues for future studies in the public sector are highlighted. Eventually, a novel definition was developed, contributing originality to the existing public sector literature on AEG.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a critical indicator for bridging corporately responsible behavior and stakeholder inclusion towards achieving long-term development. While stakeholder and reputation-building theories suggest that CSR can affect organizational performance, slack resource theory proposes organizational performance can affect CSR. Accordingly, it indicates that CSR initiatives and firm performance have a bidirectional relationship. Despite many unidirectional studies conducted to examine CSR and firm performance interplay in diverse contexts, studies on bidirectional analyses to test contrasting theoretical standpoints in a single study are rare. However, examining the bi-directional role of CSR is crucial as it provides insights into using CSR as a strategic investment decision within the competitive organizational context. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between CSR and market-based performance as a bidirectional study from an emerging country perspective. Study data was collected from the sustainability/CSR disclosures in annual reports published between 2011 and 2020 by the top hundred companies (identified based on market capitalization) listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in Sri Lanka using judgmental sampling. The CSR was measured using a weighted CSR score assessed based on a comprehensive CSR index with thirty sub-dimensions. Market-based performance was measured using earnings per share (EPS) and firm value, and the control variables were firm size and leverage. The data was analyzed in two phases to examine the two-way linkage between CSR and market-based performance using the fixed effect panel regression technique. The findings concluded that CSR positively impacts market-based performance, confirming the role of CSR as a strategic driver to enhance future profitability. However, the study could not find any bidirectional impact of market-based performance on CSR in an emerging context. Although higher CSR affects higher external performance, higher market-based performance does not affect increased CSR in Sri Lanka. It may be because external performance indicators represent only the future profitability of firms, and these indicators are generally highly volatile over a long period, especially in emerging countries like Sri Lanka.

The present study elucidates the socio-ecological status of the marine ornamental reef fish (MORF) fishery in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, through strategic SWOT analysis. Data were collected through interviews with full-time fishers (n = 49) fishing at Pulmodai, Sampur, and Kuchchaweli reef sites, focus group discussions (n = 3), and participant observations during 2019–2020. Data gathered in-situ were further investigated in detail, analyzed, and grouped into attributes of SWOT analysis. Results revealed higher fishing income (90–900 USD) by 91.84% of respondents as the major strength of the fishery, followed by low production costs (24–240 USD), a low labor force, and others. Seasonality of the fishery, multiple ownership of reefs, and the limited number of fishing hours (4-6 hrs.) were the main weaknesses identified in the system. High global demand, the fish-to-order concept, and the intervention of local buyers were the major opportunities for the fishery. Long market chains, bopyrid isopod infection on Pacific cleaner shrimp, and poor monitoring systems were the major threats to the industry. The MORF fishery in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, results in higher living standards for fisher communities and empowers them. The present study has policy implications for the MORF fishery and the long-term sustainability of the industry.

AbstractNanoencapsulation is a promising strategy for the development of novel therapeutic agents from crude aqueous extracts derived from Gmelina arborea Roxb. and Spondias pinnata (L.f) Kurz stem bark against type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, G. arborea and S. pinnata aqueous extracts encapsulated chitosan−tripolyphosphate nanoparticles (GAE−CS−TPP, SAE−CS−TPP) were prepared following the ionic gelation method and were characterized via various methods. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for their in vitro antidiabetic activity following the reported procedures. The antidiabetic potential of the GAE−CS−TPP and SAE−CS−TPP nanoparticles were evaluated against α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase, DPP‐IV enzymes, glucose uptake, and glucose adsorption assays. SEM analysis revealed that the GAE−CS−TPP and SAE−CS−TPP were spherical‐shaped with an average diameter of 138±30 nm and 129±19 nm respectively. The encapsulation efficiencies and the loading capacities of GAE−CS−TPP and SAE−CS−TPP were (57.64±2.38 % and 0.25±0.07 %) and (68.21±0.66 % and 0.79±0.17 %) respectively. The α‐glucosidase, DPP‐IV enzyme inhibitory activities (8.09±0.99 and 7.95±0.68 mg/mL,) of GAE−CS−TPP nanoparticles were more potent than that of G. arborea aqueous extract by 3.89 and 3.12 folds respectively. In conclusion, GAE−CS−TPP and SAE−CS−TPP nanoparticles exert antidiabetic activity to be used in pharmaceutical formulations to combat hyperglycemia in diabetes.