Level Of Formal Education Research Articles

Phenotypic Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci Isolated from Wounds and Nasal Swabs in Selected Hospitals Across some Northwestern States, Nigeria

Study’s Novelty/Excerpt This study provides a comprehensive analysis of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRS) from wounds and nasal swabs in Northwestern Nigeria, focusing on the phenotypic characteristics, antibiotic susceptibility, and socio-demographic profiles of the isolates. The novelty lies in its extensive sampling across nine facilities in four states and its detailed examination of the correlation between educational and economic status and MRS occurrence, which has not been previously reported. These findings offer critical insights for healthcare policy-making in antibiotic usage and infection control in a region-specific context, highlighting socio-demographic factors influencing MRS prevalence. Full Abstract Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRS) remain important opportunistic pathogens most frequently identified worldwide. The study aimed to determine the phenotypic characteristics of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci, their antibiotic susceptibility patterns, and the socio-demographic characteristics of the isolates from wounds and nasal swabs in selected hospitals across some states in Northwestern Nigeria. A total of 806 wounds and nasal swabs were collected from patients admitted at nine facilities in 4 states of Northwestern Nigeria. All samples underwent analysis using standard bacteriological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was conducted using the Kirby-Bauer technique. Out of 806 samples, 652 (80.3%) were culture positive, while 154 (19.1%) were culture negative. A total of 704 (87.3%) isolates were obtained, out of which 418 (59.4%) were identified as Staphylococci isolates, comprising 144 (17.7%) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 124 (15.4%) Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), 89 (11%) Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci (MRCoNS), and 61 (7.6%) Methicillin susceptible coagulase-negative Staphylococci (MSCoNS). The Staphylococci isolates showed the highest susceptibility to Vancomycin 408 (97.6%), while the lowest was penicillin 24 (5.7%). The isolation rate of MRS was highest among patients aged 11-30, while the 71-90 age group had the lowest rate. The occurrence was higher (37%) in male patients than in female patients (18.6%). Moreover, there was no statistically significant association found between the distribution of MRS among different age groups, gender, and occupational affiliations, but it exists in the educational levels, and economic statuses of the research participants. The occurrence of MRS was lower among patients with a high level of formal education but higher among those without or with a low level of education. These findings will aid healthcare workers in establishing policies for antibiotic usage, surveillance, and infection prevention and control measures.

Optimizing animal care through compound feed management in Saudi Arabia

Proper animal feeding practices play a fundamental role in enhancing livestock health and maximizing output. Given the governmental restrictions on green fodder cultivation in Saudi Arabia (SA) due to water conservation efforts, the use of compound feed could serve as a viable alternative for livestock farmers. This study aimed to investigate livestock farmers' farming objectives, their feeding management strategies, and the uptake of compound feed in the country. Data from 650 randomly selected livestock farmers were collected through an online survey with the assistance of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. The findings showed that most farmers raised sheep and goats for trade purposes using specialized farms and desert grazing. Alfalfa hay was widely used as a fodder along with barley grain. While approximately 47% of the farmers did not utilize compound feed, 44% reported its usage. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that formal education, farming experience, and income level significantly influenced the adoption of compound feed among livestock farmers. These results underscore the critical role of education and financial resources in promoting the use of compound feed among livestock farmers in SA. It is recommended that government institutions should develop initiatives to educate farmers on proper animal nutrition practices and provide financial support to make compound feed more affordable for low-income farmers. The widespread use of compound feed has the potential to enhance livestock health and productivity, thereby positively contributing to the food security of SA.

Consumer attitudes in the ecological sociotechnical transition: a comparative study between Argentina, Brazil, China, France and Italy

PurposeThis article investigated how consumer choices guided by their underlying microfoundations can either facilitate or hinder socio-technical transitions in the agri-food system. To this end, consumers from five countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, France and Italy) were asked to choose products common to the food basket of these five countries (coffee, yogurt and chicken) with different sensorial and ecological attributes.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, 1,417 interviews were carried out in these countries. Data were collected on four choices (from the most sustainable to the least sustainable) as well as sociodemographic elements and whether or not the price was mentioned. These choices were observed using two logit models (A and B).FindingsThe article provides evidence that the propensity to choose ecologically beneficial foods is affected by country, gender, income and level of formal education as well as by the microfoundations of choice, such as individual values and attitudes.Practical implicationsTo offer truly sustainable products, it is essential to take into account the role of countries and the microfoundations of their inhabitants’ food choices. By recognizing this crucial element, we can raise the probability of successful eco-friendly products, reducing their impact on the environment and enhancing welfare.Social implicationsAccording to the results observed in this paper, to truly offer sustainable products, we must take into account the microfoundation and the sociotechnological transition elements. By doing so, we hope that efforts toward sustainability not only benefit the environment but also the surrounding communities. So, paying attention to consumers' food choice process helps to create products that are truly sustainable in every sense of the word and will benefit very much the society, in other words, will have a greater social implication.Originality/valueThis article makes a significant contribution to the theory by revealing how micro-foundations driving consumers' choices toward sustainable food products can accelerate the ecological sociotechnical transition in agri-food systems. By shedding light on this crucial aspect, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future.

Upaya Guru dalam Mengatasi Masalah Permasalahan Pembelajaran IPS Pada Era Digital

In research focused on all social studies learning problems at the high school level, where these problems were found based on the journal "Finding social studies learning problems at all levels of formal education (elementary school, middle school, high school) several problems were found that were felt by high school students (SMA) such as teachers center, learning centered on textbooks, social studies learning which is considered second grade, and also technological developments. The research method used is a qualitative research method using subjects from SMA Negeri 1 Percut Sei Tuan and the data collection techniques used are interviews and documentation studies. The results obtained from this research are that the teacher concerned overcomes existing problems, namely by providing motivation and advice to his students. The advice given does not seem to be bringing down, but rather building. Apart from that, the teacher who was interested also made a few jokes while the lesson was taking place. Teachers also implement several rules in their classes, such as not being allowed to use cell phones during teaching and learning activities.

Perceptions and knowledge of ecosystem services in urban river systems, Eastern Cape, South Africa

The ecosystem services concept has been studied in rural contexts but not as much in urban landscapes, particularly for aquatic ecosystems in Africa. There is little knowledge of how people perceive ecosystem services (ES) supplied by rivers in urban centres and the factors influencing their perceptions. To fill this gap, the research presented here addresses two objectives: 1) to assess local communities’ perception and knowledge of different types of ecosystem services of an urban river in South Africa, 2) to assess the influence of particular demographic characteristics (age and gender), socio-economic characteristics (education, housing type, income, and years of residence), and prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept on people’s perception of the ecosystem services provided by the Swartkops River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. To address these objectives, a team of ten trained field staff collected 181 surveys between May–June 2021 in communities within the river catchment. We used multinomial logit models to analyse the relationships between demographic and socio-economic variables, and people’s perception of ecosystem services. For the majority of the ecosystem services, there was almost an equal split between the perception “sometimes” and “never” that the river provides a particular ecosystem service, and people were less likely to say that the river always provide a particular service. Prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept, years of residence, age, income and housing type significantly influence people’s perception of ecosystem services. Prior knowledge, was important for the intangible services, whereas years of residence was more important for tangible services with direct use value. Level of formal education was not a significant variable. An important implication of this study is that ecological interventions can be designed through an understanding of factors influencing people’s perceptions of ecosystem services.

Linguistic Variability across Four Generations of Basque Spanish Speakers

Abstract The present study uses the apparent-time construct to analyze cross-generational variability of the preverbal double negation construction (i.e., yo tampoco no voy a la fiesta ‘I’m not going to the party either’), traditionally cited as a regional characteristic of the Spanish spoken in the Basque Country. An acceptability judgment task and a semi-structured interview were carried out among four different age groups. The results show that speakers of the two older generations tend to accept and produce the regional construction significantly more than speakers of the two younger generations, who favor the Standard Spanish variant (yo tampoco voy a la fiesta ‘I’m not going to the party either’). It is suggested that this trend is mainly due to the participants’ different language contact situations (Thomason and Kaufman, 1988) and levels of formal education. Since older speakers grew up in a situation of shift via interference and with lower levels of formal education, they prefer the preverbal double negation construction, which was already a norm in the regional Spanish. However, younger speakers grew up in a language maintenance situation and have relatively high formal education levels, factors that have conditioned dialectal leveling in this case.

EXPLORING STAFFING PATTERNS AND MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS IN TEACHING JAPANESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Multilingual classrooms are becoming more common worldwide due to increasing mobility. Teaching foreign languages using the mother tongue in multilingual classrooms has become problematic; some of the significant concerns in Japanese language acquisition – such as the high contextuality of the language, vocabulary and kanji learning – make the direct teaching method confusing for many students, especially at the beginner and elementary levels. This article provides the preliminary results of a study carried out as a component of a more extensive empirical research project on instructional languages in classrooms teaching Japanese as a foreign language. It aims to gather, analyse and synthesise data from a survey conducted at a supranational level. The results of the first two sections of a questionnaire containing closed and open-ended questions were used for a quantitative analysis of the profile of Japanese language instructors with a focus on finding possible connections. The wide geographic distribution of the respondents (274 teachers from fifty-seven countries and regions) made it possible to collect data from a more representative sample and draw meaningful conclusions about the spread of multilingual classrooms that would be impossible in smaller-scale research. The study’s primary results show the proportion of multilingual classrooms among countries in different regions and across different educational stages, the distribution of Japanese language instructors in various educational stages depending on the highest level of formal education attained, and the proportion of part-time instructors working in different academic institutions.

Survival and predictors of adult patients admitted to intensive care unit in Yekatit 12 Hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background In hospitals, one of the main service components is an intensive care unit (ICU) that provides aggressive therapy for critically ill and high-risk patients. The availability of ICU beds has been progressively growing in Africa, but many studies show that the ICU mortality rate is very high. However, many of those studies are only descriptive and focus on medical or surgical patients. This study includes patients from all wards except pediatrics. Methods A retrospective cohort study was carried out in the intensive care unit at Yekatit 12 Hospital, Ethiopia. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to describe the probability of survival in ICU stay. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for the multivariate analysis to determine the possible associations of predictor variables and to obtain the adjusted hazard ratios. A statistically significant association was declared at p <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Results The survival rate was 69.7% with a mortality rate of 30.3%. This study confirmed that the risk of mortality among ICU patients was the education status of the study participants, attending primary education was twice that of patients attending higher education with an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) (AHR=2.097, 95% CI:1.081,4.067). Patients admitted to ICU because of shock were more than four times at risk of death compared to other causes (AHR= 4.51, 95% CI: 2.41, 8.45). The risk of mortality among ICU patients admitted because of brain injury was more than two times compared to other patients (AHR=2.77, 95% CI: 1.18, 6.47). Patients with respiratory failure were more than two times at risk of mortality (AHR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.19, 4.87). Conclusions The survival of ICU patients was low. Formal education level, patients admitted for shock, brain injury, and respiratory failure were found to be significantly associated with the survival of ICU patients.

New forms of employment: development of take-away delivery and urban–rural wage inequality

PurposeSince smartphones became ubiquitous, online grocery and food purchases through take-away delivery platforms have steadily increased in China. Nevertheless, whether the development of take-away delivery can ameliorate urban–rural wage inequality still requires further analysis. The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether this positive effect exists.Design/methodology/approachThis paper makes estimations based on city and individual levels combining the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) 2008, CHIP 2013, CHIP2018 survey data and the take-away delivery site data. At the city level, the Oaxaca-Blinder (O-B) decomposition method is employed to construct wage inequality index of urban and rural labors. At the individual level, this paper analyzes urban–rural wage differentials with high or low formal education level.FindingsThe rapid establishment of take-away delivery sites has resulted in an increase of 52.425 yuan on average in the annual wage of rural labors with low formal education level. When the cumulative number of sites increases by 1 unit, the annual wage inequality index decreases by 0.007 on average. Labors with the characteristics of rural household registration and low education can enjoy more dividends. Through inter-/within-industry decomposition, this paper elaborates formal education, age and cross-industry transfer as the main factors for the improvement of urban–rural wage inequality. Narrowing effect of wage differences between different groups in multiple sample slices also contributes to the mechanism analyses.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze the impact of take-away delivery development on the urban–rural wage inequality from the perspective of the establishment of take-away delivery sites. This empirical study will enrich the existing theoretical perspectives on urban–rural divide under the emergence of new forms of employment. The results indicate that new forms of employment represented by take-away delivery can not only promote economic growth, but also eliminate urban–rural inequality.

Factors associated with hepatitis B knowledge among people of Vietnamese ethnicity in Australia

ABSTRACT Despite high hepatitis B (HBV) prevalence among people of Vietnamese ethnicity in Australia and elsewhere, there is limited research on levels of HBV knowledge and factors associated with such knowledge. The aim of this study was to examine HBV knowledge and associated demographic and attitudinal factors among people of Vietnamese ethnicity in Australia. People of Vietnamese ethnicity (n = 966) were recruited through community events and social media groups to complete online surveys measuring HBV knowledge, attitudes towards HBV, levels of mistrust in Western medicine, and demographic characteristics. Findings of this study indicate that levels of knowledge are mixed, with gaps in knowledge related to transmission and treatment of the virus. Those with greater knowledge of HBV tended to be older, have higher levels of formal education, have been tested for HBV, and know someone living with HBV. Those with lower levels of knowledge tended to have more negative attitudes towards the virus and greater levels of mistrust in Western medicine. Given that health literacy is connected to effective communication from health providers, we suggest that there is a need for the development of health promotion and education resources targeted at people of Vietnamese ethnicity and translated into Vietnamese. We propose that such resources be developed in consultation with Vietnamese communities and health providers to ensure that they are culturally appropriate and sensitive to people of Vietnamese ethnicity living in Australia.

Epidemiological Distribution of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Residents of Port Harcourt Metropolis in Rivers State Nigeria

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lentivirus, a member of Retroviridae family that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Globally, it was estimated that about 0.7% adult, aged 15- 49 years are living with HIV, with a prevalence of about 1.4% in Nigeria. However, a challenge lies in the insufficient and unreliable data present in much of the epidemiological research conducted in various countries and states. Therefore, this study aims to tackle this issue by focusing on gathering comprehensive demographic data and examining the distribution's impact of HIV among the subjects. Aim: To examine the Epidemiological Distribution of HIV among Residents of Port Harcourt Metropolis in Rivers State, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Port Harcourt metropolis, involving adult participants aged 20 years and above selected by simple randomized method among outpatients attending the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. A total of 392 individuals provided consent and were recruited at the hospital. The study investigated variables such as age, gender, marital status, education level and occupation. Samples were collected and examined using the ELISA method under aseptic conditions. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 28, including the calculation of Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis test values. Results: The overall study revealed a prevalence of 1.02%, with only 4 individuals testing positive. Participants were grouped based on various demographics: age (P= .503), gender (P= .142), educational levels (P= .028), marital status (P= .000), and occupation (P= .733), with corresponding p-values indicating significance levels (P<0.05=Significant, P>0.05=Not Significant). Two demographic categories showed statistical significance: marital status, with higher prevalence among singles than married individuals, and educational level, with higher prevalence among those with no formal education. Conclusion: This study showed low HIV prevalence in Port Harcourt. Marital and educational demographics impacted infection distribution such that married, single, and formal education level increases HIV risk. Health education, community HIV testing, consistent monitoring, and regular data updates are strongly advised as crucial measures in the fight against HIV infection.

Eliciting risk preferences in an artefactual field experiment via replication and an alternative approach

AbstractThis paper investigates risk preferences using an artefactual field experiment conducted with a non-standard subject pool of farmers in Ghana. I introduce an alternative methodology for studying preferences following replication of a seminal risk elicitation procedure by Binswanger (Am J Agric Econ 62(3):395407, 1980). An important feature of both approaches is that they are easy to understand and, hence, are particularly suitable for eliciting preferences among subjects with low levels of formal education. I successfully replicate Binswanger’s study, documenting how his original result of the moderate level of risk aversion for an average farmer can be generalized to a different country. However, using my alternative approach, whereby lotteries are presented in the loss domain, I find that half of my experimental subjects violated expected utility theory. This approach is of relevance to the current literature on studying risk preferences among subjects with poor literacy skills.

Differences in Achievement in Physical Education Learning Outcomes for High School Students Based on Parental Occupation: Analysis of Differences in Parental Social Status in Providing Learning Motivation

This research aims to determine the achievement of Physical Education (PE) learning outcomes based on parents' work and its relationship to differences in parents' social status in providing learning motivation to students. The sample in this research was high school students in DI Province. Yogyakarta Indonesia. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and inferential factorial one-way ANOVA. One-way anova test results Sig. 0.000 < 0.05 so there is a significant difference in the average of the three PE learning outcomes between students whose parents are civil servants, farmers and entrepreneurs. First Post Hoc follow-up test Sig. 0.000 < 0.05, so that there is a difference in the PE learning achievement of students with their parents' jobs as civil servants and farmers. Post Hoc follow-up test for both Sig. 0.375 > 0.05 so that there is no difference in the PE learning achievement of students with their parents' jobs as civil servants and entrepreneurs. Post Hoc follow-up test for the three Sig. 0.001 < 0.05 so that there is a difference in the PE learning achievement of students whose parents are farmers and entrepreneurs. The conclusion of this research is that there is a significant difference in the average achievement of PE learning outcomes for high school students based on the social status of parents' jobs as civil servants, farmers and entrepreneurs. The social status of parents' work has an influence on the PE learning achievements of high school students in relation to providing learning motivation for students. Working as a civil servant requires a person to have a formal education of at least a bachelor's degree, while for farmer and self-employed jobs it is not required to have a formal bachelor's degree. Parents who work as civil servants and have formal educational experience of at least a bachelor's degree, at least have a tendency to motivate their children to achieve good learning outcomes in compulsory subjects such as PE or other compulsory subjects. However, the farming profession could be stronger and higher in providing learning motivation to their children, with the hope that their children who are still studying at high school level will not become farmers like their parents and can continue at a higher level of formal education. Keywords: Learning Outcomes, Physical Education, Social Status, Parental Employment, Learning Motivation.

ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION AND THE LEVEL OF USE OF IMPROVED PROCESSING AND STORAGE FACILITIES AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA.

This research was carried out to assess the perception and the level of use of improved processing and storage facilities among rural women in Kwara State. Specifically, the study described socio-economic characteristics of rural women, assessed the frequency of use and ascertained perception of women on the use of improved processing and storage facilities. A three stage sampling procedure was used to select 160 rural women from who data was collected using structured interview schedule. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Findings revealed that 60.6% were aged above 50years, 79.4% were married, 48.8% had no formal education while 62.5% were non-member of cooperative society. PPMC analysis between socio-economic characteristics and the use of improved processing/storage facilities among rural women indicated that level of formal education (p=0.002, r=0.240) and membership of agricultural society (p=003, r=0.237) showed positive significant relationship while age (p=0.000, r=-0.299) and marital status (p=0.000, r=-0.308) showed negative significant relationship at p<0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that women in the study area were low users of improved processing and storage facilities despite having favourable perception towards using them. It was therefore recommended that extension service should engage in training women and dissemination of affordable processing and storage technologies to the rural communities.

Early Postnatal Care Utilization and Associated Factors Among Women Who Give Birth in the Last Six Weeks in Hosanna Town, Southern Ethiopia, 2022.

Background: The early postnatal period is defined as the first 48 h to 7 days after delivery. The early postnatal visit is especially the most critical time for the survival of mothers and newborns, particularly through early detection and management of postpartum complications. Despite the benefits, most mothers and newborns do not receive early postnatal care services from healthcare providers during the critical first few days after delivery. Objectives: This study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of early postnatal care utilization and associated factors among mothers who gave birth within the last 6 weeks in Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia, from April 20 to May 30, 2022. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Hadiya Zone, Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia. A simple random sample technique was used to recruit 403 mothers who had given birth in the previous 6 weeks from a family folder. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between outcomes and explanatory variables, and the strength of the association was interpreted using an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. In our study, p values of 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of early postnatal care utilization among mothers who gave birth within 1 week of the study area was 25.8% (95% CI: 21.7-30.0). No formal and primary educational level of husband (AOR = 0.05, 95% CI: [0.02, 0.16]), antenatal care follow-up (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI: [1.11, 4.1]), length of hospital stay before discharge (≥24 h) (AOR = 0.3, 95% CI: [0.16, 0.55]), and information about early postnatal care utilization (AOR = 3.08, 95% CI: [1.72, 5.52]) were factors significantly associated with early postnatal care utilization. Conclusion: In comparison to World Health Organization standards, the study's overall prevalence of early postnatal care utilization was low. Early postnatal care use was significantly associated with antenatal care follow-up, the husband's educational level, knowledge of early postnatal care use, and length of stay at the health institution following birth. As a result, the strength of health facilities is to improve service provision, information education, and communication.

Increases in regional brain volume across two native South American male populations

Industrialized environments, despite benefits such as higher levels of formal education and lower rates of infections, can also have pernicious impacts upon brain atrophy. Partly for this reason, comparing age-related brain volume trajectories between industrialized and non-industrialized populations can help to suggest lifestyle correlates of brain health. The Tsimane, indigenous to the Bolivian Amazon, derive their subsistence from foraging and horticulture and are physically active. The Moseten, a mixed-ethnicity farming population, are physically active but less than the Tsimane. Within both populations (N = 1024; age range = 46–83), we calculated regional brain volumes from computed tomography and compared their cross-sectional trends with age to those of UK Biobank (UKBB) participants (N = 19,973; same age range). Surprisingly among Tsimane and Moseten (T/M) males, some parietal and occipital structures mediating visuospatial abilities exhibit small but significant increases in regional volume with age. UKBB males exhibit a steeper negative trend of regional volume with age in frontal and temporal structures compared to T/M males. However, T/M females exhibit significantly steeper rates of brain volume decrease with age compared to UKBB females, particularly for some cerebro-cortical structures (e.g., left subparietal cortex). Across the three populations, observed trends exhibit no interhemispheric asymmetry. In conclusion, the age-related rate of regional brain volume change may differ by lifestyle and sex. The lack of brain volume reduction with age is not known to exist in other human population, highlighting the putative role of lifestyle in constraining regional brain atrophy and promoting elements of non-industrialized lifestyle like higher physical activity.

Relationship between depression and sex steroid hormone among women with epilepsy.

Sex steroid hormones are emerging significant biomarkers of depression among Women with Epilepsy (WWE) with promising prognostic potential and therapeutic end point. Therefore, the study is aimed at exploring the association between sex steroids hormones, Anti-seizure Medication (ASM) and depression among WWE. A baseline questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographics and clinical characteristic from one hundred and twelve (112) WWE and 50 age matched healthy control. The diagnosis of epilepsy and Electroencephalography (EEG) description was based on 2017 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) criteria. Blood samples were collected from cases and control during Luteal Phase (LP) and Follicular Phase (FP). The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSRDS) was used to assess depression. The prevalence of depression among WWE is 18.8%, with a significant difference between the level of formal education (p0.000), age (p0.000), and mean ZSRDS (p0.000) among cases and control. There is a statistical difference in hormonal levels between cases and control with regards to higher testosterone [3.28 ± 9.99 vs. 0.31 ± 0.30; p0.037], lower FP prolactin [16.37 ± 20.14 vs. 17.20 ± 7.44; p0.778], and lower LP prolactin [15.74 ± 18.22 vs. 17.67 ± 7.27; p0.473]. Testosterone (p0.024), FP Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) (p0.009), FP Estradiol (p0.006), LP FSH (p0.031), LP Progesterone (p0.023), and LP Prolactin (p0.000) were associated with depression. However, only prolactin (p0.042) and testosterone (p0.000) predicts depression among WWE. There was higher mean depression score, lower prolactin and higher testosterone level among cases compared to control. Furthermore, there was lower prolactin and higher testosterone level in Carbamazepine (CBZ) group compared to Levetiracetam (LEV) groups.

Literatur Review: Strategi Blended Learning dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Pembelajaran di Sekolah Menengah Atas (Studi Kasus pada SMA N 9 Binsus Manado)

The purpose of this study is to find out how the Blended Learning strategy in improving the quality of learning at SMA N 9 Binsus Manado. This research uses the method of literature study. The results showed that the presence of the industrial revolution era 4.0 is a challenge for the field of education. Entering the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, educators (teachers) at all levels of formal education, including junior and senior high schools, are required to master the ability or expertise to adapt to new technology. This is intended to improve the quality of existing learning by utilizing growing technology. Blended Learning is one of the concepts of education 4.0 that can be used as a form of educator strategy in improving the quality of learning in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, especially in fulfilling mastery of technology. Several blended learning models that have currently been implemented by SMA N Binsus Manado in order to improve the quality of learning include Google Classroom; Social Media Whatsapp, Facebook and Telegram; Moodle; Zoom Meeting; Edmodo and Microsoft Education Office 365.

Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines, associated factors and reasons for not taking a vaccine: a cross sectional study among persons aged 13–80 years in Wakiso, Central Uganda

BackgroundVaccination has been recommended as one of the approaches for the control of COVID-19 pandemic. However, adequate vaccine coverage is critical to the effectiveness of the vaccine at population level. Data on acceptability of the vaccine in Ugandan urban areas are limited. This study examined the prevalence, factors associated with willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine including reasons for not taking COVID-19 vaccine in a predominantly urban population of Wakiso, central Uganda.MethodsData were obtained from a cross-sectional study conducted between March 1st, 2021 and September 30th, 2021 in the urban population-based cohort of the Africa Medical and behavioral Sciences Organization (AMBSO). A Multivariable modified Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals of willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine.ResultsA total of 1,903 participants were enrolled in this study; 61% of whom were females. About 63% of participants indicated their willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Persons aged 13–19 years (aPR = 0.79; [95% CI: 0.74, 0.84]) or 20-29years (aPR = 0.93; [95% CI: 0.88, 0.98]) were less likely to accept the vaccine compared to persons aged 40–49 years. Persons with post-primary level of education (aPR = 1.05; [95% CI: 1.02, 1.09]) were more likely to accept the vaccine compared to persons with primary level of education. Additionally, students or individuals working in government (aPR = 1.13; [95% CI: 1.04, 1.23]) were more likely to accept the vaccine compared to individuals doing construction and Mechanic work as their main occupation. Reported reasons for not taking a COVID-19 vaccine included; concerns about side effects of the vaccine 154(57.0%), 64(23.7%) did not think the vaccines were effective, while 32(11.9%) did not like the vaccines.ConclusionA substantial proportion of individuals were not willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Health education campaigns on vaccination within urban communities could help reduce COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions in the urban populations more especially the young and persons with low levels of formal education.

Possible Risk Factors and Their Potential Associations with Combined Heavy Metal Exposures in Pregnant Women in the Republic of Suriname.

The exposure of pregnant women to multiple environmental pollutants may be more disadvantageous to birth outcomes when compared to single-compound contaminations. This study investigated the mixed exposures to mercury, manganese, or lead in 380 pregnant Surinamese women. The factors that might be associated with the heavy metal exposures and the relative risk of the potential factors to cause the mixed exposures were explored. The influencing factors of exposures to mixed contaminants assessed were living in Suriname's rural regions, several parts of which are contaminated with heavy metals emitted from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and agricultural activities; the consumption of potentially contaminated foods; advanced maternal age; as well as a relatively low formal educational level and monthly household income. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequency distributions and χ2-contingency analyses to calculate associations and relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Blood levels of two or three of the heavy metals above public health limits were observed in 36% of the women. These women were more often residing in the rural regions, primarily consumed potentially contaminated food items, were 35 years or older, were lower educated, and more often had a lower household income. However, only living in the rural regions (RR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.23-1.77) and a low household income (RR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.15-1.66) significantly increased the risk of exposure exceeding levels of concern to two or three of the heavy metals (by 48% and 38%, respectively). More comprehensive pharmacological, ecological, and epidemiological studies about exposures to mixed heavy metal contaminations in pregnant women are warranted.