The unprecedented global effort to develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines has highlighted remarkable scientific achievements and persistent inequities in access across populations. Analyzing of regional vaccine deployment patterns reveals critical insights into pandemic response dynamics, shaped by manufacturing capacity, regulatory frameworks, procurement strategies, and regional health priorities. Data from WHO regions (Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, and Western Pacific) demonstrate significant disparities in vaccine types and suppliers, underscoring the complexity of global vaccination efforts. (Figure 1) illustrates this regional vaccine distribution by WHO regions.
In this paper, we propose a deep learning approach for visual recognition of bird species in noisy environments. Bird species recognition has been a challenging task due to the high variation in bird appearances and the presence of noise and clutter in natural environments. Our approach utilizes a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn discriminative features from bird images and classify them into different species. We also incorporate data augmentation techniques to increase the diversity of the training data and improve the robustness of the model. To address the issue of noisy environments, we introduce a novel noise-robust loss function that penalizes the model for incorrect predictions caused by noise. We evaluate our approach on a dataset of bird images collected from diverse environments and compare it with state-of-the-art methods. Our results demonstrate that our approach achieves superior performance in both clean and noisy environments, highlighting the effectiveness of our noise-robust loss function. Our approach has the potential to be applied in real world scenarios for bird species recognition and conservation.
Various quality control tests are employed for solid dosage forms such as uniformity, dissolution and drug contents in order to assess their pharmaceutical equivalence. The objective of the current study was to assess and contrast five distinct metformin hydrochloride brands that are offered for sale in the Libyan market. The physicochemical equivalence of the five brands of metformin hydrochloride tablets (500 mg) were determined through the evaluation of official and non-official standards according to the USP including uniformity of weight, friability, hardness, dissolution rate and drug content. All the examined brands available in the Libyan market passed the official weight variation, friability, dissolution and disintegration tests and were equivalent. The friability test was found within the specified limit. All the formulations were disintegrated within 09 - 15 min. The tested brands were non-equivalent to the innovator Glucophage® according to their dissolution evaluation. The percentage content of the active ingredient of five brands of metformin tablets showed values within the monograph specifications (95% - 105%). In conclusion, all the five brands available in the Libyan market which were evaluated in this study cannot be substituted with the innovator product in clinical practice.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Ketorolac tromethamine, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was formulated into mucoadhesive films to overcome the limitations in the currently available dosage and routes of administration which in sequence will increase patients’ compliance. Films were cast from organic and aqueous solvents using various bioadhesive polymers namely: HPMC E-15, Eudragit RLPO, Eudragit RSPO, Carbopol 934P. The prepared films were subjected to investigation for their physical and mechanical properties, swelling behaviors, in vitro bioadhesion, drug permeation via bovine buccal mucosa, and in vitro drug release. These properties were found to vary significantly depending on the preparation methods, the type of the polymers, and the ratio of addition of both plasticizers (i.e. polyethylene glycol and film forming agent. Formulation F4 is selected for best formulation because it shows the 98.85% drug release at time 6 hr. In addition, this film was subjected to in vitro and in vivo release. The obtained results indicate that the concentration of ketorolac in the oral cavity was maintained above 4.0 µg/ml for a period of at least 6 h. This film shows promising results for using the ketorolac mucoadhesive route of administration topically and systemically, and thus it will be subjected to clinical evaluation in future work.
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an embryonic interatrialdefect potentially associated withischemic cerebralstrokes. One option is the occlusion of the atrial shunt byendovascular means. This procedure is recommendedfor patients with a history of cryptogenic strokes.Patent foramen ovales (PFOs) are common in the general population (prevalence 20-30%) and do not constitute a pathology in their own terms. Nevertheless, a association has been established between the occurrence of certain cryptogenic ischemic strokes and the presence of a PFO. The risk appears higher when septal patency is associated with atrial septal aneurysm (ASA). The aim of this presentation is to study the association between the PFO and the occurrence of ischemic stroke, and the benefits of its closure.
This dissertation aimed to critically investigate how UK manufacturing companies can employ 3PL services to enhance business profitability. A simple, cross-sectional sequential mixed methods research methodology was implemented with the qualitative phase being used to explain the findings of the quantitative phase, which was performed first. Data for the quantitative period were collected using an online questionnaire that was designed and administered through a Google survey (N= 416). At the same time, semi-structured interviews were performed via Zoom calls with senior executives and managers of UK manufacturing firms (N= 5). Descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, and stepwise regression were used for quantitative data analysis using SPSS while manual analysis of interview data was performed in Microsoft Excel. The results showed that transportation and fleet management were the services that UK manufacturing companies outsourced to the most significant extent while clearing and forward and inventory management were the services that were outsourced to the lowest degree. The reasons behind this trend included the level of risk involved in outsourcing a particular service, availability of 3PL providers offering the outsourcing service, and the cost involved. In terms of feasibility, all items were scored highly, although increased operational flexibility and significant reduction of operational costs ranked highest. Finally, the stepwise regression test revealed four statistically significant models with an overall prediction power of 20.1% on business profitability. The statistically significant predictor variables were a reduction of operational costs, increased operational flexibility, reduced fixed asset costs, and the gaining of external resources from 3PL service providers.
Background: Quality of life (QOL) is an important determinant in assessing the health status. It includes physical, psychological, and social well being. The aim of this research was to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of QOL; and the association of QOL with socio-demographic, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Tamil Nadu among 327 adults during July 2020 through online using standardized WHOQOL-BREF tool to assess the quality of life along with socio-demographic variables, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables. Principal component analysis method was used to identify the factors which influence the QOL of adults. The association between socio-demographic variables, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables with quality of life was also assessed. Among the selected samples 165 were female and 162 were male. The structured questionnaire included Section A- socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, occupation, educational qualification, place of residence, marital status; Section B - anthropometric variables such as height, weight and BMI; Section C lifestyle variables such as type of diet and physical activity pattern; and Section D -consisted of Standardized WHO-BREF tool to assess the quality of life. Results: The identified intrinsic factors include Life style approach, Emotional stability and Health status; Safety & accomplishment, Financial support with societal information were identified as extrinsic factors. These factors played an influential role in QOL of the adults during pandemic crisis. The association between the type of residence (p=0.001), occupation (p=0.000) and marital status (p=0.022) with QOL was highly significant at 1 % and 5 % respectively. Conclusion: The identified factors during covid-19 pandemic had influenced the quality of life domains namely physical health, psychological, social relationship and environment. Intrinsic factors were dependent on individual’s perception towards accepting the new normal during the pandemic. Whereas, extrinsic factors were greatly influenced by the environment and society in which the study participants were exposed. One of the identified extrinsic factors (residence), showed high significant association with QOL.
Conservation of Biodiversity is an activity must carry out by all individuals in the world to share the benefits derived from biodiversity. It is a critical task to conduct the biodiversity census and conservation (Biodiversity C & C or Biodiversity C2). Throughout the world several Governament and Non-Governamental organizations work together as a unit to maintain our biodiversity in safe mode. India is a mega diverse country with rich biodiversity. The development of modern science and technologies have increased the value of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge. To save valuable biodiversity and traditional knowledge of our country, National biodiversity board and State biodiversity board constantly involved in this approach and biodiversity law's support to conserve the living diversity.
Background: Avicenna, as the Persian physician, made a significant contribution to the field of medical sciences, especially surgery, in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. Methods: In the present paper, Avicenna's translated quoted words were shared about his surgical practice. Indexing databases of PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using keywords like Avicenna, surgery, and anesthesiology to find related papers and documents. Results: The first portion comprises some of the most commonly used simple and compound herbal preparations to produce general and local anaesthetics before the surgery and as dental anaesthetic agents. In the second portion, practices regarding surgical management for skull fractures, spinal trauma, bone fractures, cataracts, incurable urinary retention, bladder calculi, haemorrhoids, cancer, as well as endotracheal intubation and tracheostomy, have also been incorporated. Finally, it ends up with practices regarding the use of natural products as postoperative dressing for traumatic and surgical wounds and after cataract surgery. Conclusion: Based on the recent investigations, the findings of this review study will provide a brief insight into Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine and the sciences of anesthesiology and surgery.
The core of the current study is to find out a different source of diet that stimulates better growth rate and low-cost feed for commercial fish milkfish Chanos chanos. This study was to assess the impact of partial replacement of fish meal by soybean meal in the diet of juvenile milkfish, Chanos chanos (initial weight 25 ± 0.6 g). The juveniles were fed with two types of isonitrogenous diets (40% crude protein). Plant protein source diet (D1) comprised of soybean meal 45% and 10% fish meal, while animal protein source diet (D2) contained fish meal 25% and soybean meal 30%. The trial was conducted with two replications for 60 days. Fish juveniles (10 each) were stocked in outdoor fiberglass seawater tanks (5000 Liters). Results revealed that final weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR) were significantly lower in fish fed D2 diet. Fish fed D1 had better feed efficiency, weight gain (21.88 ± 1.9 g), and SGR (1.05 ± 0.3), while D2 had a lower growth rate, WG (18.71 ± 2.3 g) and SGR (0.93 ± 0.2). The maximum growth rate found on plant diet which is significantly higher weight gain than D2. In D2 feed conversion ratio (0.54 ± 0.21) was significantly higher (P≤0.05). Condition factor among both treatments did not differ significantly (P≥0.05). The survival rate remained constant (100%) in both treatments. Based on the obtained results, it is recommended that 45% soybean meal with addition of 10% fishmeal (40% protein) is more effective than 30% soybean meal with addition of 25% fish meal to the omnivorous milkfish for aquaculture.
Researchers have developed several authentication techniques for route predictions based on user requirements. These techniques estimate the shortest path and available resources in vehicular communication networks. In the current research, the existing authentication techniques for vehicular communication are compared and their inadequacies are identified. Then, new authentication technique based on route forecasting are presented for vehicular communication networks, with the service provider anticipating alternate routes for customers if the current routes have more network traffic congestion. By presenting the most efficient route, the suggested model allows users to maximise their time efficiency. Using A* algorithm, VCN agent seeks path with less network traffic congestion. This algorithm determines the shortest path between a source and a destination. Users are provided with several options by the service provider. User accepts the finest option that meets their needs. This method allows the service provider to deliver at least 15 routes within three seconds. This strategy is beneficial when a significant number of vehicles are stuck in traffic and consumers require network resources to utilise their time effectively.
Management accounting refers to the process of collecting, organising, and recording financial transactions with the aim of providing information for the management to make informed decisions about the operation of an organisation (Ameen, Ahmed, and Abd Hafez, 2018). Management accounting allows organisations to conform to the expectations of various financial agencies, such as tax agencies, by ensuring that all transactions that take place within an organisation are done correctly (Järvinen, 2016), thus enabling the organisation to meet its goals and objectives.
Potato starch extraction is a critical process with implications across various industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, and bioplastics. This review explores current techniques, challenges, and future opportunities in potato starch extraction. Traditional methods such as compression or wet grinding, enzymatic processes, and microwave-assisted extraction are examined for their efficiency, advantages, and limitations. The paper emphasizes the importance of quality control measures to ensure the purity and safety of the extracted starch. Critical quality control aspects include raw material inspection, monitoring during processing, purity and composition analysis, and adherence to national and international standards. Innovations in extraction methods, including enzymatic and green solvent extraction, ultrasonic and microwave-assisted techniques, and advancements in nanotechnology and biotechnological approaches, are highlighted as trends driving the industry towards greater sustainability and efficiency. The clean label movement also reflects a consumer-driven shift towards natural, minimally processed ingredients, influencing industry practices and regulatory compliance. The future of potato starch extraction holds significant promise, with the integration of sustainable practices and technological innovations to meet evolving market demands and regulatory standards, underscoring the need for continuous research and development in the field.
Analgesic activity on two Cleome scaposa and Cleome brachycarpa by applying pressure-induced pain model
The Atlas of Shear Zone Structures in Meso-Scale illustrates the morphological characteristics of shear zones within the Himalayas that have been gathered by the author’s intensive field observations over the last decade. The book deals with various shear zone-related structures, produced in brittle and/or ductile regimes. The shear sense indicators and associated microstructures are also described.
Foreign bodies (FBs) in the scalp are a common incident following head trauma, especially in traffic accidents, and are detected in the early post-traumatic period. The persistence of these FBs may cause pain and paresthesia. We report a case of 41 years old man, whose victim it’s been 20 years of physical aggression, in which the victim was hit by a brick occasioning a frontal wound stitched at the time without sufficient exploration. Months later, the patient presented several episodes of a frontal scalp nodular lesion with pus leakage (Fig. 1). The lesions were only treated with local antibacterial agents. Four years before the patient consults at our level, he consulted a dermatologist who performed a removal of the skin lesion. Months later, the lesion reappeared. At our level the clinical examination suspected a bone lesion, so CT was performed. Brain imaging was strongly evoking bone tumors or osteitis (Fig. 2). The patient was operated on under general anesthesia. First, a carcinogenic removal of the scalp lesion was performed; then, when reaching the bone, hard red friable bodies well separated from proportionally healthy bone were found. Those findings raise suspicion of the presence of FBs nested in the bone from the first head trauma. Hence, a carcinologic removal of the affected bone was postponed, and simple curettage was performed (Fig. 3). The post-operative course was without complications. The histological study confirmed per-operative findings: Multiple stony FBs associated with inflammatory reaction especially lymphocytes around vessels and the FBs.
The research paper has addressed the issues related to the usage patterns of the social media by the college students. The demographic profile of the students is also been studied in order to identify the relationships. The most used social media, duration of the use of social media, time spent on the social media, the reliability of the information shared on the social media, number of friends and the groups students have on social media their preferred time of using social media are the major issues discussed in the paper. Primary data is used for the calculations and analysis which is collected through the questionnaire circulated among 500 students studying in graduate level pharmaceutical science course. The study is descriptive in nature and qualitative as well as quantitative research methods are used to study the objectives. The study presents new data on Internet use among male and female college students, as well as trends in use of social media. The findings of the paper indicate that there exists a strong link between the gender of the respondents and most used social media. The data analysis gives a clear picture about the typical pattern of using social media in terms of the time, occasion, number of friends and groups they belong to on social media.
Giving stimulus from educators in the form of giving appreciation and punishment will greatly affect the way of thinking and behavior of students in achieving the goals of character education that have been set. This study aims to describe the implementation of reward and punishment in shaping the character of students' discipline. This research uses a qualitative approach with the type of case study. Methods of data collection using interviews, observation and documentation. The validity of the data used source triangulation and technical triangulation. The results of this study indicate: (1) The implementation of rewards in shaping the discipline character of students is done by giving rewards in the form of praise and giving appreciation in the form of gifts. (2) The implementation of punishment in shaping the disciplinary character of students is carried out by giving gradual warnings, giving spontaneous warnings and written warning letters. (3) Evaluation of the implementation of rewards and punishments in shaping the character of students' discipline is using process evaluation, which is an assessment carried out during the learning process by observing the attitudes of students everyday when they are in the madrasa environment.. Pemberian stimulus dari pendidik berupa pemberian apresiasi dan hukuman akan sangat mempengaruhi cara berpikir dan tingkah laku peserta didik dalam mencapai tujuan pendidikan karakter yang sudah ditetapkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan implementasi reward dan punishment dalam membentuk karakter disiplin peserta didik. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis studi kasus. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan wawancara, observasi dan dokumentasi. Keabsahan data menggunakan triangulasi sumber dan triangulasi tehnik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan: (1) Implementasi reward dalam membentuk karakter kedisiplinan peserta didik dilakukan dengan memberikan reward dalam bentuk pujian serta memberikan apresiasi dalam bentuk hadiah. (2) Implementasi punishment dalam membentuk karakter kedisiplinan peserta didik dilakukan dengan cara memberi peringatan secara bertahap, memberi teguran spontan dan surat peringatan tertulis. (3) Evaluasi implementasi reward dan punishment dalam membentuk karakter kedisiplinan peserta didik adalah menggunakan evaluasi proses, yaitu penilaian yang dilakukan di saat proses pembelajaran berlangsung dengan mengamati dari sikap peserta didik sehari-hari ketika berada di lingkungan madrasah.
The subjective experience of consciousness, a cornerstone of human existence, is profoundly disrupted in disorders of consciousness (DOC) arising from severe brain injuries, spanning-states from coma to the minimally conscious state. A significant challenge in clinical practice is the phenomenon of covert consciousness, in which individuals may retain awareness despite the absence of overt behavioral responsiveness. Diagnosis based solely on observable behavior is inherently limited by factors such as co-occurring motor impairments, the fluctuating nature of consciousness, and subjective interpretation, potentially leading to misclassification. To overcome these limitations, neuroscientific methodologies have advanced significantly. To address these limitations, neuroscientific methods have advanced considerably. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide objective evidence of preserved brain activity and cognitive processing, enabling detection of willful modulation and offering prognostic insight. Electrophysiological techniques—including electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with EEG (TMS-EEG), and advanced downstate analysis—further reveal dynamic neural patterns indicative of residual awareness. The detection of covert consciousness has profound ethical, clinical, and societal implications. It necessitates a re-examination of patient rights, end-of-life decision-making, the use of brain-computer interfaces, and societal conceptions of personhood. This evolving understanding mandates a shift towards integrating objective neuroscientific assessments with compassionate, person-centered care, aiming to preserve dignity and navigate the complex ethical landscape of severe brain injury.
Pada awal terjadinya pandemi COVID 19, telah terjadi banyak hal yang mengakibatkan perubahan di tengah masyarakat. Salah satunya adalah di kegiatan belajar mengajar. Berangkat dari hal tersebut maka pada pertengahan Agustus 2020 dimulailah satu kegiatan untuk membantu para guru yang ada di daerah untuk bisa beradaptasi dengan perubahan terkait kegiatan belajar mengajar pada masa pandemi. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan dalam beberapa bulan dengan dua kegiatan utama dilaksanakan secara daring dan kegiatan pendampingan juga secara daring. Pada April 2021 didapatkanlah hasil dari kegiatan ini yang sebagian besar menilai kegiatan positif dan membantu dalam aplikasi kegiatan belajar mengajar. Hanya saja yang disayangkan kegiatan ini tidak menjangkau banyak peserta.
Augustine University Ilara Epe, Lagos, Nigeria
Jntua, Aicte
Banasthali Vidyapith