Essential Concepts Research Articles

Addressing childhood malnutrition in low-income communities in northern Nigeria

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a critical public health issue in Northern Nigeria, significantly affecting the survival, development, and growth of children. This project in Kano State aimed to combat the high malnutrition rates in low-income communities. Factors contributing to malnutrition include food insecurity, poverty, and limited access to healthcare, compounded by cultural norms. This initiative required collaboration with various stakeholders, including government health departments, NGOs, and community leaders, to effectively address the root causes and promote health equity. Methods and Materials: A comprehensive needs assessment and literature review were conducted to identify nutrition-related issues and knowledge gaps among caregivers. Partnerships with local organizations facilitated resource sharing and program implementation. Baseline surveys assessed caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding childhood nutrition. The intervention included a nutrition education program, a long-term food supplementation initiative, and capacity-building for healthcare providers. Pilot testing and observational studies were used to refine the program and gather data on malnutrition patterns and trends. Results: The intervention significantly improved caregivers' knowledge and practices related to child nutrition. There was a 30% increase in caregivers' nutrition knowledge and a 40% increase in appropriate nutrition practices from baseline to post-intervention. Caregivers' attitudes towards nutrition also improved, with a 25% increase in positive attitudes. The program effectively addressed malnutrition by enhancing knowledge about essential nutrition concepts, promoting exclusive breastfeeding, and improving complementary feeding practices and hygiene. Conclusion: The results highlight the necessity of a multifaceted approach to reduce childhood malnutrition in Northern Nigeria. Successful strategies included community-based initiatives, caregiver support, and targeted nutrition education. Addressing underlying causes such as poverty and food insecurity is crucial for sustainable progress. Future efforts should focus on scaling the program, engaging healthcare providers, and advocating for policy changes to ensure long-term child nutrition and health improvements.

What Drives Millennials' and Gen Z's Intentions to Participate in Cash Waqf Linked Sukuk? Perspectives from Islamic Altruism

Waqf, in its conceptual essence, has the potential to enhance social and economic mobility, thus alleviating poverty. Nevertheless, the effective collection of waqf faces numerous challenges, particularly in adapting to the needs of Millennials and Generation Z. The objective of this research attempt is to examine how Islamic altruism moderates the impact of crucial determinants of cash waqf linked sukuk (CWLS) on fund collection. By employing the Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) method, data were collected from 283 respondents belonging to the Indonesian millennial and Gen Z demographics via a self-structured questionnaire. The results emphasize that Islamic altruism does not play a substantial role in moderating the determinants of CWLS among the economic variables associated with Islam. Regarding domain-based economic decisions, individual contributions to CWLS are not reliably moderated by Islamic altruism. Despite adhering to the waqf principle, Islamic altruism, which entails the voluntary provision of assistance to others without personal gain, does not exert any influence on economic motivations for participating in CWLS. Furthermore, this research indicates that income level, religiosity, sharia financial literacy, and a strong inclination towards CWLS significantly influence the intention of Millennials and Generation Z to participate. Indonesia, being a Muslim-majority nation, could potentially witness significant progress in the field of financial waqf, specifically in the area of CWLS. The research's practical implications offer significant insights and direction for stakeholders, aiding in the formulation of efficacious policies and initiatives that promote CWLS fundraising among Millennials and Generation Z. This is novel research, and from the perspective of Islamic altruism theory, there has been a dearth of studies examining the critical factors that determine individual contribution in CWLS.

Methods for Medical Device Design, Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

Despite the evolution of design controls and compliance as critical elements in the medical device development process, as stipulated by both domestic and international regulations and standards, a comprehensive model describing the comprehensive approach to medical device design is needed. This gap exists because design controls and regulatory compliance have become integral to the medical device design process, mandated by regulations and standards at both national and international levels. The medical device sector prioritizes design controls and compliance with regulatory requirements in isolation. On the other hand, the integration of design controls and compliance, such as those associated with projects involving complex medical device designs, have not been considered nearly enough. This review focuses on the integration of design controls and compliance in the medical device sector. Initially, the definition of a medical device and the different phases of medical device development are introduced. Afterwards, medical device development using the basic safety and essential performance concepts outlined in the IEC 60601-1 standard is discussed. The role of risk management practices about medical devices is also elaborated upon.

Are we ready for the genomic era? Insights from judges and lawyers

Genetic advances have brought new opportunities to society, with new powers of polygenic prediction, genetic engineering and gene-based environmental interventions. Judges and lawyers influence interpretations and attitudes towards complex societal issues and develop regulation. Therefore, their genetic literacy and views are an important part of society’s readiness for the genomic era. The study explored judges’ and lawyers’ (N = 117) genetic literacy, as well as views on the use of genetic advances. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed insufficient knowledge of essential genetic concepts, including striking cases of over- and under-estimation of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. Participants’ views on every issue were widely varied, from strong agreement to strong disagreement. The majority of the participants thought that current laws are not sufficient to protect individuals from misuses of genetic data. The results suggest that society is not ready for the genomic era and call for multidisciplinary efforts to increase the readiness.

Can We Design Spontaneity? Hayek, Design, and the Normative Appeal of Spontaneous Orders

Spontaneous orders are an essential concept in political theory and political economy. Such orders entail the impossibility of predicting outcomes in detail and hence controlling and directing social processes. Many phenomena characterizing contemporary societies can be depicted as spontaneous orders, from the housing and financial markets to the evolution of norms and trends. Yet, it is well known that not every spontaneous order is beneficial. Therefore, what form of political framework is compatible with recognizing such orders? In this article, I address this problem through the example of the work of Friedrich Hayek, a prominent liberal theorist of spontaneous orders. His work shows the necessity to theorize a government of spontaneous orders based on maximizing reasonable expectations and individual freedom. I finally emphasize what such a theory implies for political power, which is not abolished but should handle complexity appropriately.

Implementing Linked Art in a Multi-Modal Database for Cross-Collection Discovery

Yale University has implemented a knowledge graph based discovery system that brings together the various art, natural history, archival, conservation and bibliographic collections using Linked Open Usable Data standards such as Linked Art and IIIF. This system comprises more than 41 million records, which would expand to more than 2 billion RDF triples, and is thus at a similar scale to Europeana. This paper presents the lessons learned from the five year effort around the usability of linked data structures across the organization, the technologies needed to make use of the knowledge in a performant way, and the appropriate design paradigms for front end applications which make the graph easily and intuitively accessible to researchers and the public, including the necessity of consistency in data modeling, that records are an essential concept to maintain through multi-modal systems, and the use of hypertext and web caches to maintain the separation between systems.

Bayesian inference for multivariate probit model with latent envelope.

The response envelope model proposed by Cook etal. (2010) is an efficient method to estimate the regression coefficient under the context of the multivariate linear regression model. It improves estimation efficiency by identifying material and immaterial parts of responses and removing the immaterial variation. The response envelope model has been investigated only for continuous response variables. In this paper, we propose the multivariate probit model with latent envelope, in short, the probit envelope model, as a response envelope model for multivariate binary response variables. The probit envelope model takes into account relations between Gaussian latent variables of the multivariate probit model by using the idea of the response envelope model. We address the identifiability of the probit envelope model by employing the essential identifiability concept and suggest a Bayesian method for the parameter estimation. We illustrate the probit envelope model via simulation studies and real-data analysis. The simulation studies show that the probit envelope model has the potential to gain efficiency in estimation compared to the multivariate probit model. The real data analysis shows that the probit envelope model is useful for multi-label classification.

A Finding Aid of Archives: the Concept Content and Features of its Presentation on the Websites of Central State Archives of Ukraine

The aim of the article is to highlight the content of the concept “a finding aid” of archives, and peculiarities of its presentation on the websites of central state archives of Ukraine. Research methods: scientific analysis, synthesis, generalisation. The terminological analysis helps to clarify the essence of concepts related to the archive finding aid. Structural and systemic approaches allow to consider the finding aid of archives as a system of interconnected archival directories. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the fact that different definitions of the finding aid as a set of archival directories and an auxiliary element of any archival directory are revealed; the conducted analysis of the websites of the central state archives of Ukraine shows a number of shortcomings; recommendations regarding the presentation of the finding aid on the websites of the central state archives of Ukraine are offered. Main conclusions. The war in Ukraine and the optimisation of the system of central state archives led to their reduction (7 archives were created o ut of 9). Reducing the number of archives should improve the organisation of their websites, but we have to note the lack of standardisation in the presentation of the archives’ finding aid. The concept of “the finding aid” can be considered, firstly, as a set of archival directories in any form, and secondly, as an auxiliary element of any archival directory. The analysis of the websites of the central state archives of Ukraine proved the following: the absence of a unified representation of the finding aid apparatus on the websites; the dispersion of elements of the finding aid on the website; collections of archival documents often do not have an explanation of what kind of collection they are, as well as for what purpose they were created. Such a situation does not improve search capabilities of archive users, and makes it difficult to find the necessary information. In our opinion, it is necessary: to unify the presentation of the finding aid apparatus (to separate printed and electronic ones); submit short abstracts for document collections.

Focusing on foundational Calculus ideas to understand the derivative concept via problem-solving tasks that involve the use of a Dynamic Geometry System

The aim of this paper is to review recently calculus curriculum reforms and research studies that document what types of understanding students develop in their precalculus courses. We argue that it is important to characterize what difficulties students experience to solve tasks that include the use of foundational calculus concepts and to look for possible ways for students to develop a way of reasoning to work on problems that involve variational phenomena. Thus, we identified tasks in which calculus students exhibit limited understanding of essential concepts to approach and solve those tasks. The purpose is to illustrate and discuss how the systematic use of a Dynamic Geometry System (DGS) could provide a set of affordances for students to develop ways of thinking to grasp calculus foundational ideas and to study the derivative concept. Here, we relied on Thurston’s seminal work that emphasizes the relevance for learners to identify, connect, and coordinate different dimensions and meanings (intuitive, symbolic, algorithmic, geometric, physical, and formal) to construct, understand, and apply the concept of derivative.

Psychopolitics in Martin Crimp's No One Sees the Video

Byung-Chul Han is a contemporary South Korean-German philosopher known for his work on the intersection of philosophy, culture, and technology. Along with the burnout society, the transparency society, the palliative society, and the infocracy, one of his essential concepts is psychopolitics, which refers to the methods and strategies employed by ruling classes to exert political and economic control over human psychology to better understand individual behaviour within a community. It explores how capitalism, emphasizing personal responsibility and productivity, has led to the internalization of oppressive structures and the erosion of collective resistance. Martin Crimp's theatre is at the confluence of late twentieth-century capitalism and early twenty-first-century neoliberalism. In No One Sees the Video, one of the most distinguished plays ever written in the post-wall period on late capitalism, Martin Crimp portrays a world in decay under the control of psycho-power, as Byung-Chul Han pinpoints. He carefully shows the impact of consumerism addiction on individuals imposed by capitalism, highlighting the role of the human psyche. The purpose of this study is to investigate Martin Crimp's portrayal of psychopolitics in No One Sees the Video.

Enhancing Biology Education through Hydroponics: A Practical Approach in High School Classes

Hydroponics, the practice of growing plants without soil, presents an engaging method for teaching biology. By visually demonstrating essential plant biology concepts and sustainable agricultural techniques, hydroponics provides students with an interactive learning experience. This study explores the integration of hydroponics into high school biology curricula, assessing its influence on student engagement, understanding of plant science, and practical skills. The findings reveal that students show greater curiosity and enthusiasm for biology through exposure to hydroponics, understand complex biological processes more effectively, and develop critical scientific inquiry skills through hands-on experimentation. However, challenges include the initial investment required for implementation, the need for consistent care and monitoring, and the necessity for specialized training for educators to effectively incorporate hydroponics into their lessons. While hydroponics offers significant potential, further research is needed to explore its scalability across different educational settings. Refining implementation strategies will make hydroponics a more accessible and valuable tool for high school biology classes.

‘안도다다오 건축에서 나타난 기하학적 공간 특성’에 관한 연구

This study is a research paper that derives the geometric design characteristics that appear in Tadao Ando's architecture. The purpose of this study is to theoretically analyze Tadao Ando's architecture and geometry and derive those characteristics through examples of recent domestic buildings since 2010 by Tadao Ando. . The method of this study is to study literature related to theory and analyze cases through architectural collections. Based on Tadao Ando's architectural concept and the meaning of geometry, the characteristics of combined geometry, disconnected geometry, and independent geometry were derived. In addition, a building case analysis was conducted based on geometric spatial characteristics. Tadao Ando's architecture is composed of six methods: juxtaposition, separation, expansion, overlap, transformation, and absorption, and the substantial form of space becomes existential meaning through spatial recognition and becomes essential architecture. Based on this study, we hope to develop research into the essential concepts of geometric space characteristics that appear in architectural space.

What About the Indigenous Languages of the Plains?: The Case of Kurukh in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT More than 30 indigenous linguistic communities live in Bangladesh. Many of these languages are at risk of endangerment as the speakers see the functionality of their mother tongues diminish gradually. The purpose of the study is to examine the linguistic scenario of Kurukh, one of the indigenous languages spoken in the north-western parts of Bangladesh, with references to some of the essential concepts in relation to language shift and vitality. The author conducted a sociolinguistic survey with five groups of adult community members and four school-going children. Four notable community members were separately interviewed on a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were thematically analysed to understand the factors at play in shaping the status of Kurukh in Bangladesh. In a context of language endangerment, the study has significant implications for the policymakers as well as the community members as it provides insights into the language dynamics and the community aspirations.

Integrated shelf-life rules for multi-level pharmaceutical tablets manufacturing processes

This paper discusses the multi-level capacitated lot-sizing problem with linked lot sizes and backorders (MLCLSP-L-B) considering deterministic product shelf-life applied to pharmaceutical tablets manufacturing processes. This paper's motivation, essential concepts, and conclusions for the pharmaceutical industry were already presented and discussed in the International Workshop on Lot-Sizing (IWLS), see Simonis and Nickel (2023a. International Workshop on Lot-Sizing-IWLS'2023, Vol. 13, 30–33). Material's shelf-life depends on the remaining shelf-life of issued ingredients in tablets manufacturing processes. This particular shelf-life behaviour is named integrated shelf-life rules. The MLCLSP-L-B is extended by integrated shelf-life rules (MLCLSP-L-B-SL). Moreover, an exact mathematical problem formulation is provided. First In-First Out (FIFO) and First Expire-First Out (FEFO) heuristics are developed for the MLCLSP-L-B. The MLCLSP-L-B-SL, FIFO, and FEFO heuristics are evaluated based on anonymised real-world data of five multi-level tablets manufacturing problem instances. Additionally, proposed solutions regarding manufacturing costs and shelf-life conflicts are compared. Finally, planning rules and managerial insights are derived for tablets manufacturing processes.

MolPLA: a molecular pretraining framework for learning cores, R-groups and their linker joints.

Molecular core structures and R-groups are essential concepts in drug development. Integration of these concepts with conventional graph pre-training approaches can promote deeper understanding in molecules. We propose MolPLA, a novel pre-training framework that employs masked graph contrastive learning in understanding the underlying decomposable parts in molecules that implicate their core structure and peripheral R-groups. Furthermore, we formulate an additional framework that grants MolPLA the ability to help chemists find replaceable R-groups in lead optimization scenarios. Experimental results on molecular property prediction show that MolPLA exhibits predictability comparable to current state-of-the-art models. Qualitative analysis implicate that MolPLA is capable of distinguishing core and R-group sub-structures, identifying decomposable regions in molecules and contributing to lead optimization scenarios by rationally suggesting R-group replacements given various query core templates. The code implementation for MolPLA and its pre-trained model checkpoint is available at https://github.com/dmis-lab/MolPLA.

Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire for Coaches and Athletes.

In the world of sports, motivation is an essential concept that can affect the sporting performance of athletes and help them accomplish their goals. The coach is regarded as an important individual with the ability to significantly influence the athlete's motivation. To assess the impact of the coach-athlete relationship on motivation, the objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) for coaches and athletes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the coaches and athletes in Malaysia. Data were collected using a convenience sampling approach over a 6-month period. The study was carried out in two phases using two independent samples of coaches and athletes to assess the construct validity and internal consistency of the Malay version of the CART-Q. The CART-Q consisted of 11 items measuring three constructs: i) closeness (four items), ii) commitment (three items) and iii) complementarity (four items). In phase 1, the subjects consisted of 211 coaches (21 years old-65 years old) from both sexes and from individual and team sports, ranging from levels 1 to 5. In phase 2, the subjects consisted of 362 athletes (12 years old-39 years old), also from both sexes and from individual and team sports. The statistical analyses performed included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the translated version scale, composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). In phase 1, the sample of coaches, with 190 males (90.0%) and 21 females (10.0%), had a mean age of 38.6 (SD = 8.74) years old. The major sport type was archery (19.0%). The CFA revealed adequate fit indices with all 11 items retained (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.059, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.964, Tucker and Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.950, standardised root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.037). The CR values were closeness = 0.874, commitment = 0.566 and complementarity = 0.757. The AVE values were closeness = 0.357, commitment = 0.194 and complementarity = 0.275. The Cronbach's alpha values were closeness = 0.867, commitment = 0.553 and complementarity = 0.794. In phase 2, the sample of athletes, with 175 males (48.1%) and 189 females (51.9%), had a mean age of 20.2 (SD = 3.35) years old. The major sport type was archery (11.5%). The CFA revealed satisfactory fit indices with all 11 items retained (RMSEA = 0.092, CFI = 0.948, TLI = 0.924, SRMR =.038). The CR values were closeness = 0.893, commitment = 0.786 and complementarity = 0.949. The AVE values were closeness = 0.401, commitment = 0.253 and complementarity = 0.418. The Cronbach's alpha values were closeness = 0.900, commitment = 0.772 and complementarity = 0.900. Overall, the study findings supported the conclusion that the Malay version of the CART-Q has adequate psychometric properties to assess the perceptions of coaches and athletes regarding their relationship.

Contextual similarities in psychological flexibility: the Brazil-Portugal transcultural adaptation of Psy-Flex

Psychological Flexibility is an essential concept in Contextual Behavioural Sciences. The development of instruments is vital for its study, and it is an opportunity to reflect on this concept. Among the measures of this construct, Psy-Flex shows promise due to comprehensiveness in assessing the six facets of psychological flexibility and its pragmatic value. In the present study, we sought to translate Psy-Flex to Portuguese and adapt it transculturally for use in Portugal and Brazil. The translation was done independently by Brazilian and Portuguese researchers, and a consensus procedure was done to identify a synthesis. A total of 873 adults from Portugal and Brazil were involved in this study. The participants completed several questionnaires with ACT-related measures (e.g., cognitive fusion, mindful attention) and instruments measuring conceptually related variables (e.g., positive mental health). The results show good psychometric properties of PsyFlex. The one-factor structure of the original instrument was confirmed in both the Portuguese and Brazilian samples. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit of the model to the data (CFI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.055) of both countries. Furthermore, the Psy-Flex showed convergent validity with related measures in a conceptually expected way. As a transcultural instrument, we argue that both the similarities and differences across samples suggest the broad human nature of psychological flexibility while retaining its context sensitivity.

Construction of a conceptual framework on Influencer Marketing based on a literature review

A result of the research project "Innovative Strategies in Influencer Marketing: Development and Application to Drive Business Competitiveness" is presented. It responds to a framework of essential concepts and principles on influencer marketing, based on the review and analysis of academic works; the main objective is to create a comprehensive conceptual framework that provides guidance on objectives, strategies, performance metrics and best practices in the field. A mixed type of research was carried out, where the sample was theses and scientific papers related to the topic, literature review and bibliographic analysis were used as a technique, the instrument was the bibliographic record for data collection that allowed the creation of a conceptual framework. The conclusion of this study allows us to establish a solid conceptual framework for influencer marketing, providing a guide that will lead us to meet the general objective.

Exploring gender dynamics in cybersecurity education: A self-determination theory and social cognitive theory perspective

The cybersecurity industry is facing two major challenges as cyber threats get more serious: a shortage of skilled workers to defend against these attacks and a noticeable underrepresentation of women in the field, underscoring the critical need for diversity and skill development. This research explores variations in cybersecurity learning based on gender using the frameworks of self-determination and social cognitive theories. Conducted over two years, the research utilized a Capture The Flag (CTF) platform to facilitate learning and assess outcomes. This study explores the gender disparities in key areas such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, conceptual grasp, and performance across five distinct cybersecurity subdomains: web exploitation, cryptography, cyber forensics, binary exploitation, and reverse engineering. The comprehensive evaluation included participant interaction with learning materials, their adeptness in practical exercises, and their achievements in a comprehensive contest covering five essential cross-domain cybersecurity concepts. Pre- and post-study surveys were instrumental in tracking shifts in motivation and self-efficacy levels. Findings pointed to notable gender-based differences in motivational aspects and self-belief following the learning phase, with conceptual understanding and the ability to replicate challenges also varying significantly between genders, highlighting disparities in educational outcomes. Domain-based analysis reveals notable gender differences: male participants excelled in solving reverse engineering and cryptography problems, whereas female participants performed better in cyber forensics and web exploitation challenges. These findings underscore the importance of tailored educational strategies in cybersecurity training to bridge the gender gap and foster a more diverse and capable workforce, addressing both the skill shortage and the need for broader representation in the field.

Recent Advances in Poly‐Heptazine Imide and Based Materials for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

AbstractThis review presents an overview of recent developments and advancements in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using poly(heptazine imide) (PHI) and based materials. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) has received great amount of attention because of its potential as a clean and sustainable energy source and PHI based materials have emerged as promising candidates for this purpose due to their distinct structural properties, improved light absorption, charge separation and reduced recombination. This review discusses the essential concepts of PHE and the potential of poly(heptazine imide) materials and their derivatives as photocatalysts and also the limitations of these materials in photocatalytic activity. It addresses the synthetic routes and strategies adopted to enhance the photocatalytic activity of these materials including surface modifications, band engineering, doping, loading co‐catalysts and composites & heterojunction construction. Furthermore, the recent works in photocatalytic H2 evolution using PHI and based materials have been summarized and discussed. Additionally, we examined the challenges and future outlooks in this field, emphasizing the need for scalable and cost‐effective production methods.