Different Levels Of Knowledge Research Articles

Conflict-resilience framework for critical infrastructure peacebuilding

Apart from security issues, war-torn societies and countries face immense challenges in rebuilding damaged critical infrastructure. Existing post-conflict recovery frameworks mainly focus on social impacts and mitigation. Also, existing frameworks for resilience to natural hazards are mainly based on design and intervention, yet, they are not fit for post-conflict infrastructure recovery for a number of reasons explained in this paper. Post-conflict peacebuilding can be enhanced when resilience by assessment (RBA) is employed, using standoff observations that include data from disparate remote-sensing sources, e.g. public satellite imagery, forensics and crowdsourcing, collected during the conflict. This paper discusses why conflicts and warfare require a new framework for achieving post-conflict infrastructure resilience. It then introduces a novel post-conflict framework that includes different scales of resilience with a focus on asset and regional resilience. It considers different levels of knowledge, with a focus on standoff observations and data-driven assessments to facilitate prioritisation during reconstruction. The framework is then applied to the transport network of the area west of Kyiv, Ukraine to demonstrate how resilience by assessment can support decision-makers, such as governments and multilateral financial institutions, to address infrastructure needs and accelerate financial and humanitarian assistance, absorb shocks and maximise infrastructure recovery after conflict.

Study the Morphological and Physiological Disciplines in Pedagogical Universities with the Use of Information and Communication Technologies

The directions of the educational process organization in the pedagogical university for studying biological courses “Morphology and Physiology” are presented in the paper. Various forms of organization of this process with the use of information technologies are proposed. They include the following forms: electronic textbooks, videos with lectures and experimental practical works, histological preparations, atlas of embryology and histology, electronic manuals and workbooks, electronic dictionaries, tests for self-controlling knowledge. The use of the above components allows to individualize the learning process, to increase the interest of students in the study of these disciplines and the efficiency of the educational process; to eliminate the psychological barrier among students with different level of knowledge; to provide students with modern necessary learning material, and by this way to prepare them for future pedagogical work.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНА ТЕХНОЛОГІЯ ОЦІНКИ ЯКОСТІ ЗНАНЬ ФАХІВЦІВ В ІТ-ГАЛУЗІ

Urgency of the research. The topic of the research is the quality of the specialist's training and knowledge. The sources do not have a single definition of the terms "quality of specialist training" and "quality of specialist knowledge", but theyall mean general "quality". The quality of a specialist means that they have properties that allow them to perform their professional work in accordance with their specialty, to be an active citizen, to constantly improve their qualifications and, if necessary, to change their profession.Target setting. In the modern IT labor market, there are many areas, such as UX/UI designers, Front-End, Back-End specialists, network specialists and cyber security specialists. In Ukraine, there are more than 212 thousand IEs working in the field of IT. In 2021, the increase in the number of IEs increased by 16%. Currently, the growth in the number of IEs has decreased compared to 2018-2020. Ukraine has many CTEAs related to IT, including computer programming, informatization consulting, data processing, publishing of computer games and other software.Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. In his research, P.I. Kanivets defined the quality of a specialist as a setof properties and characteristics that defines them as a specialist of a certain profession and specialty. The skills of a specialist can be divided into technical and communication skills, and they are determined by the level of productivity and the ability to do a job well. In the field of IT, there are many different levels of technical specialists with different levels of knowledge, skills and experi-ence. Differences between levels determine the ability to solve various problems and the ability to learn and improve oneself.Uninvestigated parts of generalmatters defining. There are general skills that IT professionals need, but there are also many other skills that have different levels of value depending on the position. At the moment, there is no universal way to automatically detect the level of specialists' skills, which concerns both "hard skills" (technical skills) and "soft skills" (inter-personal skills).The research objective. The purpose of the work is to study the general skills and abilities of an IT specialist and an attempt to derive a universal formula for calculating the reference model of the competencies of an IT specialist. The statement of basic materials. In particular, a methodology has been developed that allows to assess the compliance of the level of training of graduates with the requirements of vacant positions in the design department. A survey of managers and leading employees of UX/UI design departments from various organizations was also conducted in order to determine the most important qualities of employees in UI/UX design.Conclusions. On the basis of the opinion of the heads of the IT industry, the dominant professionally significant and personal qualities necessary for specialists to successfully implement professional activities in the field of UX design wereidentified.Based on the requirements of the reference competency model of an IT specialist, a methodology that allows to assess the level of training of candidates for the position with the requirements of IT department managers, as well as to provide assistance in supporting decision-making when choosing the most suitable employee has been created.

Prevalence, Self-Medication Practices, and Knowledge Levels on Analgesic Among Residents of Nalut, Libya: A Cross – Sectional Study

Self-medication (SM) has become an increasingly important symptom management option for common conditions today. Irrational SM practice leads to incorrect diagnosis and a risk factor for disease exacerbation and serious health consequences. Hence responsible SM is vital for better health outcomes. In the present community- based study, we explored the prevalence the SM practice among residents, frequency, outcome, distribution of different level of knowledge about Paracetamol, aspirin, and ibuprofen analgesics. Cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 1218 participants depending on multi-stage random sampling technique. The sample was taken among the consumers of community facilities in Nalut- Libya. Data were analyzed using SPSS; Chi-square test was performed to indicate significance, frequency, percentage. A total of 1218 residents completed the survey, prevalence of SM practiced was 12.95%, The mean age of participants was 25±30, ranged from 18 to 41 and above years. Most of residents 834 (68.5%) were in undergraduate level, 725 (59.5%) were employing and 559 (45.9%) were in low income level and 170 (14%) had chronic diseases. There is no statistically significant deference between the level of knowledge to paracetamol, Aspirin and ibuprofen analgesics among participants and their age (X² =0.954, P= 0.812). Most the participants had poor knowledge toward paracetamol, Aspirin and ibuprofen analgesics.

Optimization of preventive replacements dates and covariate inspections for repairable systems in varying environments

This study investigates the issue of optimal preventive replacement scheduling for a repairable system, considering its failure/repair history and its environment or degradation, as characterised by covariates. The proposed approach is developed within a recurrent event modelling framework, in which the failure behaviour of the system is defined by its failure intensity, and perfect preventive replacements and imperfect corrective repairs are integrated following a virtual age assumption. The observed heterogeneity between systems is integrated through covariates by following a proportional hazard assumption. These covariates are assumed to be either fixed and represent, for example, the manufacturer origin, or to be dynamic and represent the monitored degradation process.The contributions of this study are twofold. First, a dynamic condition-based preventive replacement policy is developed. The maintenance decision rule integrates the available information on both the corrective repair history and covariate behaviour to determine the optimal preventive replacement time. This policy extends the state-of-the-art model of Gilardoni et al. (2016), which considers only the corrective repair history without integrating covariates. Second, the results of this study demonstrate how different levels of knowledge and information regarding the covariates can be integrated into the maintenance decision and lead to different optimal replacement times that are associated with different cost performances of the preventive replacement policy. This performance evaluation enables the optimisation of the monitoring policy and inspection frequency of the covariates. The proposed approach, which follows steps of increasing complexity, is developed and investigated first on static and then on dynamic covariates, considering minimal and imperfect repairs.

Obstetrician-gynecologists' perspectives towards medication use during pregnancy: A cross-sectional study.

A vast majority of studies evaluated pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes towards using medications during their pregnancy, with few global and lack of regional studies conducted to spot obstetrician-gynecologists practices in this regard. This study aims to assess Obstetrician-gynecologists' knowledge of medication teratogenicity potential, their frequently used resources, and their residency training contribution to medication use during pregnancy. This is a cross-sectional, survey-based study targeting licensed Obstetrician-gynecologists who are practicing in Saudi Arabia using a validated self-administered web-based questionnaire developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A total of 60 obstetrician-gynecologists were included in the study. Most participants were female (72%) with median age and clinical experience of 42 and 13 years, respectively. The majority (87%) agreed that Isotretinoin is contraindicated, while around 60% of respondents were unsure about the safety of herbal remedies use. Online databases (e.g., Lexi-Comp and Micromedex) were chosen as the top utilized medication resources (45%). Around 48% strongly agreed that liability is a concern if there were adverse pregnancy outcomes following the use of medications. Regarding their training assessment, obstetrician-gynecologists who had been in practice for more than 15 years were significantly more likely to rate themselves as well qualified (P value < .05). The majority adequately and significantly rated their training on prescribed medications (58.3%), OTC medications (45%) and dietary supplements or herbal remedies (32%) (P value < .05). Obstetrician-gynecologists showed a different level of knowledge about the risks and safety of medications when used during pregnancy. More efforts are needed to optimize medication selection, herbal avoidance, and training performance.

Innovative models for teaching reproduction in small animals: The experience at DIMEVET of Bologna University

For a long time, the main way to acquire the skills necessary for good veterinary practice has been the traditional apprenticeship model (observe, assist, and perform under supervision). However, in the last years, more creative and innovative teaching models have been adopted by academic institutions and, parallelly, the opportunities to gain hands-on experience for clinical and surgical procedures are becoming more limited. For that reason, the introduction of the models can provide a potential solution to the ethical and legal implications related to the use of live animals for educational purposes and the biosafety risks deriving from the manipulation of human/animal cadavers. The activity on this topic at DIMEVET and, in particular, the experience about teaching reproduction includes in-house production and use of models for learning skills both for degree (fifth and third years of course) and post-graduate courses. Our models are designed on the basis of two fundamental aspect: the student level and the teacher target. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time in literature, how much the use of simulators impacts on practical teaching in degrees and post graduate courses at DIMEVET, considering different learners with different levels of knowledge and skills. Namely, effectiveness, adequacy and quality of simulators have been checked assessing students' learning experience and teacher's opinion by specific satisfaction questionnaires and considering the attendance at the training sessions and the results of a final examination (PHY group) and an in vivo test (POST group). The rate of satisfaction was high among the three groups considered and the participants that had used the models had a higher success, both in the final examination and in vivo test.Data collected have been useful in order to show an improvement in teaching at DIMEVET in the field of reproduction, despite the relatively short years of experience using simulation. With this study we demonstrate that the adequacy of the models is not correlated to how simulators is built, whether with basic materials or not faithfully in terms of anatomical appearance, but it is important that it is realistic in terms of psychomotor procedure. In conclusion, the use of models permits the student to gain the hand-eye coordination and dexterity necessary to perform certain skills and the models proposed are meeting the desired educational goals.

Innovative training modality for sacral neuromodulation (SNM): Patient-specific computerized tomography (CT) reconstructed 3D-printed training system: ICS School of Modern Technology novel training modality.

Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is an effective treatment of urinary and bowel dysfunction, including secondary to neurological disorders. The learning curve for the optimal electrode placement for SNM is steep, expensive, and limited by patient factors such as obesity and previous injuries. We aim to create a patient specific 3-dimensional (3D) model for successful SNM training. A total of 26 urology residents who had different level of knowledge and experience were enrolled to the 3D SNM training program. The creation of 3D sacrum model has been started with evaluation of real patient computerized tomography images and creation of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicinefiles. The segmented anatomic structures from the files then edited and stereolithographicfiles were generated for 3D-model prints via Mimics© software. The 3D-printed models were used for training and evaluation of participants during the SNM intervention was performed. The evaluation of 3D SNM model training was led by one mentor who is expert on SNM. On the preprinted 3D sacrum model all 26 participants were requested to perform the essential steps to complete a SNM procedure and individual procedure time was recorded. The mean and median scores were 18.8 and 19, respectively according to Likert scores (min 11 max 28). SNM is increasing in popularity as a treatment option with physicians and patients with refractory symptoms. Few experienced specialists exist, and more effective training methods are needed to tackle the increasing demand, and individual patient anatomy.

АНАЛИЗ РЕЗУЛЬТАТОВ АНКЕТИРОВАНИЯ СТУДЕНТОВ СТАРШИХ КУРСОВ МЕДИЦИНСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА ПО ВОПРОСАМ РАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ АНТИБИОТИКОТЕРАПИИ ИНФЕКЦИЙ ВЕРХНИХ ДЫХАТЕЛЬНЫХ ПУТЕЙ И ЛОР-ОРГАНОВ У ДЕТЕЙ

Despite the availability of clinical guidelines, the issues of choosing the optimal first-line antibiotic therapy in the treatment of infections of the upper respiratory tract and ENT organs in children still remain relevant. Knowledge of the etiology of infections and the rational apply of systemic antibiotics are formed in senior medical students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the knowledge of 6th year students of a medical university on the etiology and antibiotic therapy of upper respiratory tract infections and ENT organs in children, as well as comparing the results with knowledge on these issues of pediatricians. The article presents the results of a survey among the 350 volunteer students of the 6th year of the pediatric faculty on the etiology and antibacterial treatment of upper respiratory tract infections and ENT organs in children. These data have been compaired with the results of the large-scale multicenter study «PATRIOT» (2011-2013) among the pediatricians from 18 cities of Russia. It was revealed that most students overestimate the role of Staphylococcus aureus as the main pathogen in acute otitis media and acute tonsillopharyngitis (tonsillitis) in children. The main group of empirical antibiotic therapy were called aminopenicillins, often inhibitor-protected, whereas the role of natural penicillins in streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis and amoxicillin in acute otitis media and acute sinusitis was underestimated. Among district pediatricians, the frequency of correct answers to questions regarding the etiology and antibiotic therapy of these diseases was significantly higher than among students. It was found that only 9.4% of students and 6.1% of doctors would prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated acute respiratory infection (ARI), but in real clinical practice they were prescribed in 59.6% of cases. These data indicate a different level of knowledge between students and doctors, as well as the difference in approaches to rational antibiotic therapy in theory and in real practice.

The Silent Nature in the Noble Prophetic Hadith: A Rhetorical Study in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim

The research aims to reveal the role of the silent nature elements and their informative role in the noble Prophetic hadith, which aims to stick the greatest heavenly message in the minds and hearts of the recipients to the fullest. All these constants were employed by the noble Prophetic statement to bring different meanings to the minds of the addressees, from different parts of the world and at different levels of knowledge.

EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE ON RESPIRATORY DISEASES AMONG PHARMACY STUDENTS OF CHITRADURGA: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Objective: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the basic knowledge and attitude regarding Respiratory Diseases among Pharmacy students of Chitradurga and to analyze and assess the level of attitude regarding Respiratory Diseases. Methods: This was a Prospective Observational study that was conducted among the Pharmacy students of Chitradurga for six months. Statistical analysis was done using the Descriptive method to obtain the frequency and percentage; one sample and paired sample T-test were applied to determine any significant difference between quantitative variables. Results: A total of 250 participants from Pharmacy College were enrolled in the study. All the subjects were in the range of 16-27 y old with which 129 (51.6%) students were from the 16-21 age group and 121 (48.4%) students were from the 22-27 age group from the total subjects. Out of 250 participants, 159 (63.3%) were females and 91 (36.4%) were males. The study showed a correlation of age with knowledge i.e. Age group 22-27 y was made based on knowledge and attitude, which revealed that females (mean ≈ 9.6) had a better level of knowledge and also better attitude compared to the age group 16-21 y. It also shows that female individuals (9.6) are having higher knowledge and attitude toward respiratory diseases than males (9.05) regarding Respiratory Diseases. Conclusion: The assessment individuals had higher knowledge and awareness of respiratory diseases than males (mean ≈ 9.05). It also revealed that individuals in the age group of 16-21 and 22-27 had different levels of knowledge of the respiratory disease in which 22-27 (mean ≈ 9.7) age group individuals are having high knowledge and awareness of respiratory diseases than 16-21 (mean ≈ 9.2) age group.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF STUDENTS OF THE ZHYTOMYR PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE 20-30S OF THE XX CENTURY: PRACTICES, FINAL CERTIFICATION

The purpose of the article is to show the place of pedagogical and industrial practices, internships, and diploma projects in the life of students of Zhytomyr Institution of Higher Education in the 20-30s of the twentieth century based on available scientific literature, archival sources, and materials from the periodicals of that time, to find out the number of graduates of this institution. The research methodology is based on the principles of concrete-historical approach or historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness and integrity, systematicity, as well as the use of the method of analysis and synthesis, historical-genetic, historical-typological, and problem-chronological methods. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time such directions of educational activity of students of the Zhytomyr Pedagogical Institution of Higher Education as practical training, annual internship, excursion activities, thesis writing, etc. are comprehensively demonstrated. Conclusions. During the 20-30’s of the twentieth century, in the Zhytomyr Pedagogical Institution of Higher Education attention was paid to students’ pedagogical and industrial practices, internships, excursions, and quality training of graduate students. Pedagogical practice was a vital component of teacher training. The authors note that an important component in teacher training was pedagogical practice. It reflected the peculiarities of Soviet pedagogical education, which focused on training "labor" intelligentsia. Foremost, it concerned such a component as experience/acquaintance with industrial and agricultural production. The trainees got acquainted with the work of different types of educational institutions, worked as assistants to teachers and educators, and in the third year independently conducted pedagogical work. An integral part of the students' educational activities was conducting general and educational excursions, students undergoing a one-year practical internship, during which they demonstrated the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. As in our time, graduates demonstrated different levels of knowledge and skills. This fact did not stop the government from encouraging an increase in the number of graduates. Higher pedagogical education in the period under study gradually acquired signs of mass, which could not but affect its quality. The introduction of distance learning also benefited from the growing number of graduates. The best graduates were invited to teach. Further research is needed in the humanities programs of the outlined educational institutions, the topics of term papers, and graduate works, which will expand the understanding of the mechanisms of formation and education of the "real Soviet man".

Awareness And Knowledge Of MRI Safety Among Radiological Students, Interns, Fresh Graduates And Trainees

Background — Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe imaging technique that provides superior soft tissue contrast compared to other radiological imaging modalities. The main objective of this study was to measure awareness and knowledge of radiology students, interns, new graduates, and trainees regarding the safety of MRI. Material and Methods— To measure awareness and knowledge of the safety of MRI use, data was collected using a questionnaire from 166 subjects (age: 20-60 years) from August to September 2020 at Najran University and all hospitals and dispensaries in Najran region. Results — A total of 166 participants (45.2% male and 54.8% female) were included in the study. The participants were students (44%) from multiple levels (level 3-9), interns (17%), new graduates (19%), and trainees (20%). Our results showed that MRI is a safe method of evaluation and is superior to other tests in terms of safety and accuracy. Pregnant women can do the MRI scan after the end of the first 3 months. Conclusion — The MRI scan is safe but it has some risks that must be considered. There are different levels of knowledge and awareness regarding the safety of MRI use among the students, interns, fresh graduates, and trainees from all hospitals.

Implementation of an Online Poster Symposium for a Large-Enrollment, Natural Science, General Education, Asynchronous Course

Asynchronous online courses are popular because they offer benefits to both students and instructors. Students benefit from the convenience, flexibility, affordability, freedom of geography, and access to information. Instructors and institutions benefit by having a broad geographical reach, scalability, and cost-savings of no physical classroom. A challenge with asynchronous online courses is providing students with engaging, collaborative and interactive experiences. Here, we describe how an online poster symposium can be used as a unique educational experience and assessment tool in a large-enrollment (e.g., 500 students), asynchronous, natural science, general education (GE) course. The course, Introduction to Environmental Science (ENR2100), was delivered using distance education (DE) technology over a 15-week semester. In ENR2100 students learn a variety of topics including freshwater resources, surface water, aquifers, groundwater hydrology, ecohydrology, coastal and ocean circulation, drinking water, water purification, wastewater treatment, irrigation, urban and agricultural runoff, sediment and contaminant transport, water cycle, water policy, water pollution, and water quality. Here we present a is a long-term study that takes place from 2017 to 2022 (before and after COVID-19) and involved 5,625 students over 8 semesters. Scaffolding was used to break up the poster project into smaller, more manageable assignments, which students completed throughout the semester. Instructions, examples, how-to videos, book chapters and rubrics were used to accommodate Students’ different levels of knowledge. Poster assignments were designed to teach students how to find and critically evaluate sources of information, recognize the changing nature of scientific knowledge, methods, models and tools, understand the application of scientific data and technological developments, and evaluate the social and ethical implications of natural science discoveries. At the end of the semester students participated in an asynchronous online poster symposium. Each student delivered a 5-min poster presentation using an online learning management system and completed peer reviews of their classmates’ posters using a rubric. This poster project met the learning objectives of our natural science, general education course and taught students important written, visual and verbal communication skills. Students were surveyed to determine, which parts of the course were most effective for instruction and learning. Students ranked poster assignments first, followed closely by lectures videos. Approximately 87% of students were confident that they could produce a scientific poster in the future and 80% of students recommended virtual poster symposiums for online courses.

The body in the noble hadith of the Prophet, a rhetorical study in Sahih al-Bukhari

The research reveals the rhetorical role of the human body as one of the methods used by the Messenger in communicating his call to the religion of truth. Polluted concepts, his heart and mind got a great deal of them, for the noble Prophetic hadith has given the human body a new artistic value represented in its reporting role in expressing precise meanings with which the Messenger - Peace be upon hi- addressed different nationalities and for all generations and at different levels of knowledge. The research reveals the rhetorical role of the human body as one of the methods used by the Messenger in communicating his call to the religion of truth. Polluted concepts, his heart and mind got a great deal of them, for the noble Prophetic hadith has given the human body a new artistic value represented in its reporting role in expressing precise meanings with which the Messenger - Peace be upon him- addressed different nationalities and for all generations and at different levels of knowledge

HOW DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION THROUGH TV MATERIALS IMPROVES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LESSON

The article discusses the problem of using a differentiated approach in teaching a foreign language to future teachers. The purpose is defined and the main methods of differentiated training are carried out. The role of digital technologies in the modern world and their use in the educational process is outlined. The use of television video materials will reveal the skills and abilities of students, as well as increase the independence of learning. The organization of differentiated education of children provides an opportunity for each student to understand the educational material. The main ways to study the individual characteristics of students are systematic observations of the student, individual and group conversations on a pre-planned topic, additional learning tasks and analysis of the student’s reasoning methods, special tasks. The main thing is the correct selection of teaching methods for students with different levels of knowledge. This approach will improve the quality of education received, and deepen students’ knowledge of the culture of a foreign language.

A Microlearning path recommendation approach based on ant colony optimization

This paper presents the technical proposal of a novel approach based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) to recommend personalized microlearning paths considering the learning needs of the learner. In this study, the information of the learner was considered from a disciplinary ICT perspective, since the characteristics of our learner correspond to those of a professor with variable characteristics, such as the level of knowledge and their learning status. The recommendation problem is approached as an instance of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), the educational pills represent the cities, the paths are the relationships between educational pills, the cost of going from one pill to another can be estimated by their degree of difficulty as well as the performance of the learner during the individual test. The results prove the approach proposal capacity to suggest microlearning path personalized recommendation according to the different levels of knowledge of the learners. The higher the number of learners, the behavior of the algorithm benefits in terms of stability.

Language Contacts in the Field of Bilingualism in Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, as a multinational country, the problem of language contacts has always been topical. It was related to the functional possibilities of the Russian and Kyrgyz languages and the language policy of the country. In this regard, bilingualism is an integral feature of the Kyrgyz society. The bilingualism of the ethnic Kyrgyz is associated with different levels of knowledge of the Russian language, and it also demonstrates the different nature of self-control of speakers over the languages, in which there are both conscious control of language use and spontaneous one. It has been established that the above factors have a significant influence on the nature of code-switching in the speech of bilinguals.

A cross-sectional study to assess the knowledge and awareness regarding thyroid disorder among university students, Chandigarh, India

Background: Globally, despite being the most prevalent chronic medical condition, thyroid disorder is one of the most under-diagnosed and overlooked health problems which account for a significant number of complaints in adolescents, and adults. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and awareness among students related to the spectrum of thyroid diseases.Methods: This was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study conducted at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India between February 2020 and August 2020. Purposive sampling was employed. The nature of the data was quantitative and was analyzed through statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) (version 20.0).Results: Out of 224 students enrolled, of which 60.7% were females, 38.9% were males, and 0.4% transgender with a mean age of 23.52±2.47 (max-min=18-32 years). Around 45.2%, 55.7%, and 46.1% students had incorrect/no knowledge that irregular menstrual cycles, swelling in the neck, and stress/depression were manifestations of thyroid disorder, respectively. Students had poor knowledge regarding various risks associated with thyroid such as infertility (56.2%), hereditary disorder (46.1%), and medications causing thyroid (58%). 65.7% were not aware that thyroid disorder affects the level of IQ. 43.4% respondents undergone thyroid screening on the suggestion of a doctor (50.5%), while 7.4% self-prescribed themselves after reading on online portals. Significant associations were found between gender and the different levels of knowledge and awareness.Conclusions: This study identified significant lacuna in the knowledge and awareness about the symptoms, factual statements, and fallacies associated with the thyroid disorder.

Farmers’ Attitudes and Perceptions and the Effects of the Grain for Green Project in China: A Case Study in the Loess Plateau

The Grain for Green Project (GGP) aims to protect and improve the ecological environment, end farming on sloping farmland, and plant trees and restore forest vegetation. China’s GGP has been widely implemented, but its impact on the environment is rarely evaluated from farmers’ perspectives. This study took place in Zhidan and Yanchang Counties, Shaanxi Province. Farmers’ attitudes towards the GGP were investigated through semi-structured interviews to understand their perceptions of changes in ecosystem services and their level of ecological awareness, as well as analyzing which factors had the greatest impact on them. Our results indicate that some farmers are not satisfied with the GGP and are unwilling to participate in future GGPs, which is not only due to the dissatisfaction with subsidies offered but also because the needs of the farmers have been ignored. From the perspective of farmers, the GGP has greatly reduced soil erosion and air pollution but has had no effect on improving water quality and protecting biodiversity. More male farmers are willing to participate, and farmers with higher levels of education are more satisfied with the GGP. We also found that the level of understanding of ecological cognition affected farmers’ attitudes, and farmers with different levels of knowledge differ in their willingness to participate. Our research found that many farmers were dissatisfied with the GGP. To improve this situation, it is necessary to improve the ecological awareness of farmers. At the same time, policy makers should also further understand the needs of farmers in order to make reasonable management strategies.