Mediterranean University Research Articles

Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practice Competency among Greek Undergraduate Nursing Students.

For several years, the global scientific community has accepted and recognized the importance of evidence-based practice for nursing science. The main factor for the implementation of evidence-based practice is the competence of undergraduate nursing students towards evidence-based practice, so that they as active nurses are ready for its application in their clinical practice, in order to provide better care for their patients. The aim of the present study is to examine the level of evidence-based practice competency evaluated with the self-reported Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire. It is important to mention that such a study has not been conducted on nursing students in Greece, but only on registered nurses. A quantitative study based on cross-sectional design was conducted from February to June 2022 in a convenience sample of Greek undergraduate nursing students. The SPSS 26.0 program was used to perform descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. A total of 175 undergraduate students participated at the Hellenic Mediterranean University Department of Nursing (Greece), specifically from the 2nd and 3rd academic years. The mean score of the Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire for nursing undergraduate students was 3.03 ± 0.26, indicating moderate evidence-based practice. Among the Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire dimensions, mean scores of 3.03 ± 0.32 for attitude toward evidence-based practice, 3.01 ± 0.49 for skills in evidence-based practice, and 3.03 ± 0.49 for knowledge in evidence-based practice were obtained. Significant differences among participants' mean Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire scores regarding gender (p = 0.766), age (p = 0.400), academic year (p = 0.153), and training in the field of research methodology (p = 0.538) were not found. It appears that the level of readiness towards evidence-based practice is mediocre among undergraduate nursing students at a university in Greece. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out new studies in the future, so that there is a correct approach of all the elements that contribute to the readiness of nursing undergraduate students regarding evidence-based practice.

Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Health-Related Quality of Life in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis Treatment in Northern Cyprus.

Introduction Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) is recognized as an important predictor of mortality and morbidity in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). The goal of this study was to obtain HR-QoL scores using the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life questionnaire (KDQOL-36TM) (RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA) and to assess the factors affecting HR-QoL in ESRD patients receiving HD. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed using the KDQOL-36TM for the assessment of HR-QoL of ESRD patients receiving HD in Northern Cypriotstate hospitals. Alongside KDQOL-36TM scores for assessing HR-QoL, sociodemographic as well as relevant laboratory data were collected. Spearman Correlations and multiple linear regression analyses using the 'stepwise' method were carried out to identify predictors of HR-QoL. Nonparametric tests were used to determine significantly (p<0.05) associated variables. Ethical approvals were received from the Northern Cypriot Ministry of Health and Eastern Mediterranean University Research and Publication Ethics Boards. Results One hundred and thirty-eight participants were recruited in this study, corresponding to 85.1% of the total study population. Participants had a mean age of 66.49 ± 13.35. 65.2% of the participants were males. Participants had low scores on most dimensions of quality of life, namely, Burden of Disease, Physical Component Summary (PCS), and Mental Component Summary (MCS) subscales. Particularly, females, unemployed patients, and patients with more comorbidities had significantly lower scores (p=0.003, p<0.001, and p=0.005, respectively). Spearman correlation analyses revealed multiple significant moderate correlations between sociodemographic data, laboratory variables, and scores. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis identified gender (p=0.006), total number of comorbidities (p=0.005), age (p<0.001), and patient care (p=0.019) as significant predictors of KDQOL-36TM scores. Conclusion This study has shown that the quality of life of hemodialysis patients was highly impaired. Gender, current employment status, and presence of comorbidities were all significant independent factors affecting HR-QoL mean scores. Lastly, further studies regarding the implementation of routine HR-QoL surveillance and targeted interventions are required to better understand their potential therapeutic benefits.

Exploring University Students' Perspectives on Animal Experimentation: Insights From a Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Attitudes toward animal experimentation are rapidly evolving with time. This cross-sectional study intends to assess the attitudes of university students at Eastern Mediterranean University toward animal research based on different factors and lifestyle choices. Materials and methods Stratified random sampling was used. A total of 215 participants were chosen from the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, and the Department of Psychology (Faculty of Arts and Sciences). An open-access, self-administered, 14-question questionnaire was used. Mann-Whitney U tests were used for score comparisons. Results The response rate was 213 (99.07%). Eighty-eight (41.31%) of the participants were male. The mean age was 21.72 ± 2.23. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significant differences for Q4, Q10, and Q14 (p = 0.012, 0.020, and 0.016, respectively) with respect to gender. Being a pet owner significantly affected the mean scores of Q7 and Q10 (p = 0.046 and p = 0.000, respectively). Conclusion The present study reveals nuanced student attitudes toward animal experimentation, balancing concern for animal welfare with the necessity of research. Gender and pet ownership significantly influence these views. The findings underscore the need for continued education on humane and ethical research practices. Future studies should broaden the demographic scope to better understand and track these attitudes over time.

Exploring the Collaboration Skills among Architecture Students: A Quantitative Study in North Cyprus

This research investigates the collaboration competencies among architecture students at Eastern Mediterranean University, in North Cyprus, highlighting the necessity for curricular enhancements to foster teamwork skills essential for professional practice. A structured questionnaire was administered to 77 final-year students, evaluating their knowledge, abilities, and experiences in collaborative settings. Factor analysis revealed twelve key components of collaboration, indicating moderate skill levels overall. Notably, students excelled in work quality, self-reflection, and time management yet exhibited deficiencies in team learning, role adaptability, and equitable idea contribution. This study identified five critical dimensions of teamwork: interpersonal facilitation, collaborative leadership, engagement contribution, active listening, and transparent information exchange. A strong correlation emerged between students’ perceived readiness for collaborative work and their self-rated leadership and interpersonal skills. Comparative analysis showed distinct collaboration skill sets between international and domestic students and across different academic years. These insights emphasize the imperative for architectural education to progressively incorporate specific learning activities and interventions to cultivate teamwork competencies systematically. The development of such skills is vital for preparing graduates to effectively navigate and lead within the multidisciplinary contexts they will face. Recommendations include curriculum redesign to integrate explicit teamwork instruction, faculty development programs, and fostering an educational culture that consistently values collaboration. Future studies should investigate effective pedagogical strategies for nurturing collaboration skills and examine how individual variances affect the acquisition of these critical abilities.

The effects of ankle mulligan mobilisation in children with cerebral palsy: A randomized single blind control study.

To assess the impact of range of motion changes before and after Mulligan mobilisation with ankle movement interventions on the daily lives of children with diplegic cerebral palsy. The single blind randomised controlled study was conducted from July 30, 2022, to January 10, 2023, at 3 rehabilitation centres in Hebron, Palestine, after approval from the ethics review committee of Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus, and comprised children with cerebral palsy, who were randomised into intervention group IG and control group CG. All the subjects received regular physiotherapy sessions, overseen by their parents, while those in group IG received mobilisation with ankle movement treatment 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Post-intervention assessment of ankle range of motion, balance, functional performance and quality of life was done using a goniometer, the timed up and go test, 88-item gross motor function measure, 6-minute walk test and the cerebral palsy quality of life questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. Of the 64 patients, 40(63%) were girls, and 24(37%) were boys. The overall age range was aged 4-12 years. There were 32(50%) patients in each of the two groups. Mobilisation with movement had a significant effect on active and passive range of motion for the left and right ankles (p<0.05) as well as on balance, gross motor function and quality of life (p>0.05). However, mobilisation with movement had no significant effect on the the distance covered during the 6-minute walk test (p>0.05). Mobilisation with movement had a significant impact on active and passive ankle range of motion, balance and quality of life in diplegic children with cerebral palsy, but it had no impact on gait function. The study was registered at the United States National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) with registration number NCT05500924.

How Do Creativity and Social Support Affect the Resilience of Mediterranean University Students? A Cross-National Study in the Post-Pandemic Period

How Do Creativity and Social Support Affect the Resilience of Mediterranean University Students? A Cross-National Study in the Post-Pandemic Period

Assessing climate change awareness among mediterranean university students: a comparative study of french and greek universities

Assessing climate change awareness among mediterranean university students: a comparative study of french and greek universities

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Education in a Joint Medical Program from the Students’ Perspective

Aim: In the 21st century, despite advanced technology, pandemics and natural disasters have forced universities to evacuate their classrooms. As a result, there has been a shift from conventional to online education. This study aimed to examine the advantages and disadvantages of online education for preclinical medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021. The study population comprised preclinical medical students of the Marmara University–Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Joint Medical Program. The survey form used in the study was prepared using Google Forms, and a special link was sent to all students via the Microsoft Teams platform used for distance education. The survey included four sections, namely, demographic characteristics, advantages of online education, disadvantages of online education, and references of students. Results: The survey was sent to all students (n = 155) enrolled in the preclinical program, and 112 students (72%) participated in the study. Of the participants, 63.4% were women; moreover, 38.4% were Turkish, 31.3% were Turkish Cypriot, and 30.3% were international students. The number of students in the first, second, and third years were 35, 51, and 26, respectively. The most common advantages of online education were a chance to review missed parts of the lesson (97.3%), an opportunity to plan the study time (59.8%), and increased comfort (54.5%). The majority of the students indicated that they faced numerous challenges during online education. The most common issues were the difficulty in learning practical lessons, lack of socializing, ineffective communication, technical issues during online classes, less interactive lectures that resulted in concentration loss, and difficulty in obtaining answers from lecturers. Of the surveyed students, 48.2% preferred conventional education, only 9.8% favored online education, and 42% preferred hybrid education. Conclusions: Preclinical students at Marmara University–EMU Joint Medical Program prefer conventional education over online education. Although rewatching a lecture is a key advantage of online education, it is associated with several disadvantages for medical students. However, distance education seems to have become inevitable owing to factors such as diseases, natural disasters, and wars in the region as well as advancements in information technology. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research to overcome the limitations.

Towards a Supervised Remote Laboratory Platform for Teaching Microcontroller Programming

As it concerns remote laboratories (RLs) for teaching microcontroller programming, the related literature reveals several common characteristics and a common architecture. Our search of the literature was constrained to papers published in the period of 2020–2023 specifically on remote laboratories related to the subject of teaching microcontroller programming of the Arduino family. The objective of this search is to present, on the one hand, the extent to which the RL platform from the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU-RLP) for Arduino microcontroller programming conforms to this common architecture and, on the other hand, how it extends this architecture with new features for monitoring and assessing users’ activities over remote labs in the context of pervasive and supervised learning. The HMU-RLP hosts a great number of experiments that can be practiced by RL users in the form of different scenarios provided by teachers as activities that users can perform in their self-learning process or assigned as exercises complementary to the theoretical part of a course. More importantly, it provides three types of assessments of the code users program during their experimentation with RLs. The first type monitors each action users perform over the web page offered by the RL. The second type monitors the activities of users at the hardware level. To this end, a shadow microcontroller is used that monitors the pins of the microcontroller programmed by the users. The third type automatically assesses the code uploaded by the users, checking its similarity with the prototype code uploaded by the instructors. A trained AI model is used to this end. For the assessments provided by the HMU-RLP, the experience API (xAPI) standard is exploited to store users’ learning analytics (LAs). The LAs can be processed by the instructors for the students’ evaluation and personalized learning. The xAPI reporting and visualization tools used in our prototype RLP implementation are also presented in the paper. We also discuss the planned development of such functionalities in the future for the use of the HMU-RLP as an adaptive tool for supervised distant learning.

Research in the Department of Music Technology and Acoustics of the Hellenic Mediterranean University: An Overview and Prospects

The Department of Music Technology and Acoustics of the Hellenic Mediterranean University offers a unique higher education program in Greece, addressing the growing demand for specialists in music technology, sound technology, and acoustics. It aims to educate specialized professionals in the rapidly advancing scientific fields of music technology and acoustics, mainly driven by the swift progress in electronic technology. The Department aims to address a gap in the professional market by producing highly skilled graduates, capable not only of keeping up with the latest scientific and technological developments but also of leading the way by introducing innovative approaches and methods. The Department combines art, science, and technology, focusing on sound recording, analysis, synthesis, and music production. Music technology encompasses various cutting-edge fields such as network music performance, artificial intelligence in music, and music embodiment. Acoustics refers to fundamental aspects of sound as well as its generation, transmission, and related phenomena. It includes research fields such as physical acoustics, optoacoustics, and vibroacoustics. This overview presents the research activities, methodologies, and results. A discussion of future research works and pointers to future technological evolution towards real-world music and acoustics applications is also provided.

Tıp Öğrencilerinin Yapay Zeka Konusundaki Bilgi ve Tutumları: Kesitsel Bir Araştırma

Background:&#x0D; Artificial intelligence (AI) may be explained as robotic systems that are made by humans. These robotic systems are designed based on statistics and used for executing functions of human-like behavior. AI is used in medical fields such as surgical areas and medical education. The purpose of this study was to analyze the knowledge and attitude of medical students at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) about AI in medicine.&#x0D; Methods:&#x0D; A cross-sectional study was conducted among all the medical students in the EMU Faculty of Medicine by using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included 3 parts; participant demographics, knowledge about AI, and attitudes toward AI. The results were collected and inspected via Microsoft Excel. The data from the survey were analyzed by chi-square tests using SPSS v26. &#x0D; Results:&#x0D; 88 medical students responded online survey. Most of the survey responders (77%) were already aware of information related to AI in medicine. The majority of the participants acquired this information from mainly social media and media. Only 26.1% of students indicated that they learned something about AI from lectures. 29.5% of preclinic phase students believe that the human physician will be replaced by AI in the foreseeable future, but the percentage is decreased to 18.5% among clinic phase students. Male students significantly stated that they have a basic understanding of AI (p

Implicit and Explicit Modelling: Case Study of EMU (Eastern Mediterranean University) Teacher Educators’ Perceptions and Practice

The broad purpose of this qualitative study is three-fold. One, to gain Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) teacher educators’ views on the significance of the teaching methods of implicit and explicit modelling. Two, to ascertain aspects of practice they modelled and, three, benefits and challenges associated with using the methods. To achieve the purpose all 11 teacher educators from the faculty were asked three broad questions via a semi-structured interview protocol. Interviews were audio recorded then transcribed. The data was analysed using content analysis and the three questions as pre-set categories. Examples of the findings include the fact that all the participants have a favourable attitude towards both implicit and explicit modelling. All regarded modelling as important for personal and professional growth. Time is the main constraint to their use of the methods, and critical friendship based on a collaborative relationship is considered to be of central importance to their engagement with the methods. Implications of the findings for teacher education and educators include the need to encourage open discussion, reflection, the use of the methods among teacher educators, the development of a supportive environment, and the provision of continued professional development opportunities.

Implicit and Explicit Modelling: Case Study of EMU (Eastern Mediterranean University) Teacher Educators’ Perceptions and Practice

Implicit and explicit modeling are two approaches commonly used by university teacher educators in their perspective and practice (Kavanagh, S. S., &amp; Grant, T., 2019). These approaches aim to enhance the teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes of pre-service and in-service teachers. Implicit modeling refers to the teacher educators' practice of embodying effective teaching strategies and behaviors in their own instructional practices. Rather than explicitly teaching these strategies, teacher educators demonstrate them through their actions and interactions with students. This approach relies on the power of observation and imitation, allowing aspiring teachers to internalize effective teaching practices without explicitly being told what to do. Teacher educators who adopt implicit modeling often create a positive learning environment, establish respectful relationships with students, demonstrate effective communication skills, and employ instructional strategies that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection (Schutz, P. A., &amp; Davis, H. A., 2020). By observing and engaging with these practices, pre-service and in-service teachers learn to emulate and apply them in their own classrooms. Explicit modeling, on the other hand, involves the direct and intentional instruction of specific teaching strategies and techniques. Teacher educators explicitly teach and explain effective teaching practices to aspiring teachers, breaking them down into smaller components and providing step-by-step guidance. This approach is particularly useful when introducing new or complex teaching strategies that may require explicit instruction and practice. When employing explicit modeling, teacher educators might use various methods such as demonstrations, guided practice, and simulations. They might explicitly explain the rationale behind each strategy, provide examples, and engage in collaborative discussions to deepen the understanding of the concepts being taught. Through this explicit instruction, aspiring teachers gain a clear understanding of effective teaching practices and how to implement them in their own classrooms. In practice, many teacher educators use a combination of both implicit and explicit modeling approaches to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of their learners. They may begin with implicit modeling to establish a foundation of effective teaching practices, followed by explicit modeling to provide a deeper understanding and step-by-step guidance for complex strategies. This combination allows teacher educators to create a comprehensive and scaffolded learning experience for pre-service and in-service teachers (Tejada, F. M., &amp; Leander, K. M., 2022). Overall, implicit, and explicit modeling are valuable approaches employed by university teacher educators. These approaches enhance the professional development of teachers by providing them with real-life examples, demonstrations, and explicit instruction to develop their pedagogical skills and knowledge.

Investigation of Ganciclovir Resistance in Cytomegalovirus Isolates by Phenotypic and Genotypic Methods

Ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) strains are reported following long-term antiviral agent use, especially for immune-suppressive patients. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the mutations in the UL97 gene of CMV, which causes ganciclovir (GCV) resistance by genotypic and phenotypic methods in patients who developed CMV infection following hematopoietic cell (HCT) or solid organ transplantation (SOT). Thirty patients who had HCT or SOT in Mediterranean University Hospital and developed CMV infection during routine follow-up with a viral load of CMV over 1000 copies/mL were included in the study. CMV DNA was analyzed by an automated system (Cobas Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test, Roche Diagnostics, Germany) quantitatively. DNA sequence analysis of the regions including codons 420-664 in the UL97 gene region was done by the Sanger sequencing method to detect mutations causing antiviral resistance and compared with defined mutations. In order to investigate antiviral resistance by phenotypic methods, heparinized blood samples of the patients were collected, 'buffy coat (leukocyte layer)' was inoculated into MRC-5 cells by centrifugation method and CMV growth in these cells was controlled with monoclonal antibodies when growth was detected, virus titer was determined and plaque reduction test was applied as recommended. It was determined that 22 of the 30 patients were HCT recipients and eight were SOT (five kidney, three liver) recipients. When the CMV serology pattern of the patients was evaluated before transplantation, 29 (96.7%) patients were found to be seropositive and one (3.3%) patient was found to be seronegative. Totally, nine CMV UL97 mutations were detected in seven (23.3%) pediatric patients who had HCT, including six seropositive and one seronegative case. In addition, one mutation (D605E) not known to cause GCV resistance was detected in a seronegative recipient and three previously unidentified mutations were detected (1474T, F499S, V559A) in a seronegative recipient. Five of the mutations defined were UL97 mutations with a defined clinical resistance against GCV in each of the five recipients (C603W, C592G, H520Q, M460V, A594T). In the plaque reduction test using 3 µM, 12 µM, 48 µM and 96 µM concentrations of GCV in CMV strains, the IC50 value was determined to be ≥ 8 µM for the five CMV strains, and the phenotypic presence of GCV resistance was shown. Clinical resistance associated with CMV UL97 mutation was detected in five (22.7%) of 22 patients who had HCT. GCV resistance was also demonstrated in these patients by phenotypic methods. No UL97 mutation was detected in the patients who had SOT.

Preface

The first International conference on Design Innovations and Management for Sustainable Environment (ICDIMSE) was conducted on 15th and 16th March 2022 jointly by Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, India and Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus held online in Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference aimed to bring together academicians, scientists, practitioners, researchers and students from a range of different disciplines to explore and share their experiences and research work in Sustainable Design of Built Environment. To prevent technical issues that can arise during the virtual mode of presenting, all the presentations of the accepted research papers were compiled beforehand which ensured a seamless conduct of the event by the participants who were from different parts of the world.Day 1 began with an opening session, which was followed by the keynote presenters Prof. DR. Shaleen Singhal, Dean (Research & Partnerships), TERI School of Advanced Studies, and Prof. Ali A. Alraouf (Associate AIA, Middle East and Gulf Chapter, Professor at HBK University in Qatar). Four parallel sessions that were moderated and chaired by DR. Monsingh David Devdas, Prof. Polat Hançer, Ar. Milon Dutta, and Prof. Illiona Outram followed the inaugural session.DR. Steffen Lehmann (Assoc. AIA, RIBA) and Prof. DR. Rohinton Emmanuel (Director of the BEAM Research Centre, Professor in Sustainable Design and Construction in Glasgow Caledonia University) delivered the keynote address on Day II of the conference. This was followed by four parallel sessions moderated and chaired by Tokie Laotan-Brown, DR. Abdul Razak, Yonca Hürol and DR.Swetha Madhusudhan. For all the eight sessions, best papers were awarded.Seventy nine research papers were presented during the conference under the themes: Design Innovations, Building Design and Performance Evaluation, Smart Materials and Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability in Architectural Design, Sustainable Design and Construction Processes, Urban Resilience, Safety, Disaster and Risk Mitigation, Sustainable Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Policy and Governance. The online conference was of great success having a diverse group of expertise and backgrounds with participants around the globe. This enabled a rich knowledge sharing environment with enthusiastic discussions.Forty of the conference papers were accepted for publication in the IOP EES Conference Proceedings. We express our gratitude to all the members who were a part of the peer review process and spent their valuable time in reviewing the papers.We express our deep gratitude to the Management of the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology and Eastern Mediterranean University, invited speakers, reviewers, and session chairs for their hard work along the series of conference events until this proceeding publication. We also thank all participants and authors for taking excellent opportunity for discussing and publishing the papers. We thank all the committee members and all those who have contributed for the success of ICDIMSE 2022 and publications of the Proceedings.List of Organising Committee, Executive Committee, Advisory Committee, Scientific Committee, Peer Review Committee, Technical Committee is available in the pdf.

A CASE STUDY OF A GERMAN LANGUAGE LEARNING PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS ON ANDROID SYSTEMS AT THE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY

At the present time, with the advancement of technology in mobile phones and tablets which have equipped people with mobile computers, and because of students’ preferences for convenient and low-cost approach of learning, the idea of using mobile applications for educational purposes is gradually getting stronger. Hence, it is essential to investigate about the benefits and drawbacks of using applications in education and develop this idea in order to improve and prosper the future of pedagogy and expand it beyond classrooms. The aim of this research is to analyze the viewpoint of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) students, who are registered to the German Language Learning course (ELT502) which is given by the School of Foreign Languages. In this research, a quantitative approach was used, and the required data was gathered through questionnaires which were responded to by the students at the School of Foreign Languages and has been analyzed by SPSS 25. The results of this research illustrated that students were satisfied by using this type of education and are willing to utilize it again in order to improve their language learning skills. Along with the results, this research has provided some recommendations like applying the efficient methods in M-Learning in order to improve the learners’ language learning process.

Tourism Growth: A Bibliometric Analysis from the Web of Science (WoS) Database

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of published studies related to tourism growth. Based on the titles of publications with the phrase "tourism growth" in the title, it was scanned from the Web of Science database. The research findings are limited to the Web of Science database since this is the preferred database. The scanning process did not include any field filtering; therefore a total of 941 publications were found. The source countries of the publications were found to be primarily China, the United States of America, and Turkey. Tourism development, economic growth, and tourism growth are the three most frequently used keywords. Eastern Mediterranean University has the highest average number of citations, while Turkey has the highest number of studies and citations. Furthermore, studies often employ the panel co-integration method. Tourism and economic growth do not appear to have a clear relationship. Based on the sample and time period selected, the findings vary. The study recommends the use of regime-switching models in this area, apart from cointegration and causality analysis.

Trend Research Of Rural Broadcasting On Communication Science Based On Bibliometric Approach

Rural broadcasting is an important tool for providing development-focused messages to rural populations. Research on this topic is necessary for creating informed proposals for rural broadcasting legislation. According to a bibliometric study by Evangelos M. Pallis of Hellenic Mediterranean University, the most common sources of research on rural broadcasting are M/C Journal, IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, and Media Culture &amp; Society Journal. The most frequently cited phrase in the titles of these studies is "UHF," although it appears only four times. Research on rural broadcasting is most common in China, Thailand, and Nigeria, as indicated by the appearance of these countries in the titles of research studies. According to a word cloud analysis, the most common terms in the titles of these studies are "rural broadcasting" and "radio." These terms appear 62 times in total. Recent research on rural broadcasting has covered a range of topics, including radio, digital, and TV. The most common focus of research in this field is TV.

Mediterranean university campuses enhance butterfly (Lepidoptera) and beetle (Coleoptera) diversity

Human population growth is causing an expansion of urban areas, a phenomenon known to deeply impact on the Earth’s biodiversity. Therefore, it is key to understand how to conceal urban development with biodiversity conservation. In this context, university campuses can play an important role as they usually present a large array of different environments and green areas, crucial aspects for promoting urban biodiversity as well as human-nature interactions. Several studies have analyzed the biodiversity of university campuses, however, there are still important taxonomic (e.g., insects) and geographical biases (e.g., Mediterranean hotspot) in our current understanding of these urban areas. Insects are fundamental in many ecosystems as pollinators, prey, pest controllers or decomposers among others. This further increases the need to study this group in the urban context. In this study, we have investigated diurnal Lepidoptera and ground-dwelling Coleoptera in three university campuses and three non-campus areas of the city of Granada (Spain). We used spatial and temporal replicates for each area in order to explore whether university campuses hold higher levels of insect biodiversity (e.g., species richness or common species) than other nearby urban areas. In addition, we investigated the potential influence of several additional predictors on insect diversity such as type of land cover, vegetation origin, management intensity, and distance to the outskirts. Our results suggest that Lepidoptera species and Coleoptera families are more diverse in university campuses than in other urban areas, showing also a positive association with the proportion of bare soil and herbaceous cover. Furthermore, they also seem to be benefited from low vegetation management intensity whereas Coleoptera are favored by native vegetation providing clear management recommendations in order to promote such animal groups in cities. Our study indicates that university campuses are important urban areas to preserve insect biodiversity but also highlights the heterogeneity of response among insect groups.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding proton pump inhibitors among community pharmacists and pharmacy students.

There are concerns about inappropriate use and insufficient knowledge of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) use among medical staff. This study was designed to examine pharmacy students' and community pharmacists' knowledge, attitude, and practices toward PPIs and their relationship with specific sociodemographic characteristics. This descriptive study was conducted on the pharmacy students (first and last year) at Eastern Mediterranean University and community pharmacists in North Cyprus Data were collected by a validated questionnaire, which assessed knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding PPI use. Students were included without sampling in a volunteer-based manner. Registered community pharmacists were selected randomly. First-year pharmacy students (n = 77) showed significantly lower knowledge levels than last-year students (12.00 vs. 13.65; P < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between last-year students (n = 111) and community pharmacists (n = 59). First-year pharmacy students were significantly less aware of PPIs' "dosage and administration" than the other two groups. Last-year students and community pharmacists exhibited significantly higher attitude scores regarding PPI use (24.7 and 24.6 vs. 22.7; P < 0.001). Omeprazole was found to be the most preferred PPI among the three studied populations. Community pharmacists used PPIs mainly to treat acid reflux. Gender, nationality, and pharmacy education program type did not influence pharmacy students' knowledge, attitude, or practices. There was not a significant difference regarding knowledge and attitude between the last-year pharmacy students and community pharmacists. The practices of community pharmacists were significantly different from the pharmacy students. It was concluded that certain essential topics regarding PPI use should be emphasized in pharmacy education and during pharmacy practice. Further, it is essentially important for community pharmacists to continue their education through training programs after graduation to enhance their knowledge of PPI use.