COVID-19 impact on Facebook-based social commerce in Bangladesh

Popular social media Facebook-oriented social commerce (S-commerce), commonly known as Facebook commerce (F-commerce) has progressed towards a bevy business in Bangladesh. Many young people, especially at the age of 20-28, are now in this industry. The pandemic situation due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forces people to buy more from the online market because of the safety issue. People are getting more interested in the new trend of buying from an online store. The current study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on F-commerce, particularly in Bangladesh. It uses the non-probability purposive sampling method and collects 181 usable responses through an online questionnaire. A research model is developed following the social commerce acceptance model (SCAM), and structural equation model partial least square (SEM-PLS) using SmartPLS 3.0 is applied to find out and justify the result. Likert five-point scale for determining the independent variables, including COVID-19 awareness (CA), consumer behavior (CB), and purchase intention (PI), is used. The study result confirms that these three variables have a positive impact on F-commerce. The survey covers other measurable items that indicate some assumptions, which reflect F-commerce consumers’ behavior. The researchers recommend that F-commerce businesspeople must emphasize on mitigating trust issues and provide enhanced home delivery service.

Biometric iris templates security based on secret image sharing and chaotic maps

Biometric technique includes of uniquely identifying person based on their physical or behavioural characteristics. It is mainly used for authentication. Storing the template in the database is not a safe approach, because it can be stolen or be tampered with. Due to its importance the template needs to be protected. To treat this safety issue, the suggested system employed a method for securely storing the iris template in the database which is a merging approach for secret image sharing and hiding to enhance security and protect the privacy by decomposing the template into two independent host (public) iris images. The original template can be reconstructed only when both host images are available. Either host image does not expose the identity of the original biometric image. The security and privacy in biometrics-based authentication system is augmented by storing the data in the form of shadows at separated places instead of whole data at one. The proposed biometric recognition system includes iris segmentation algorithms, feature extraction algorithms, a (2, 2) secret sharing and hiding. The experimental results are conducted on standard colour UBIRIS v1 data set. The results indicate that the biometric template protection methods are capable of offering a solution for vulnerability that threatens the biometric template.

A clinical reasoning curriculum for medical students: an interim analysis

Objectives Diagnostic error is a critical patient safety issue that can be addressed in part through teaching clinical reasoning. Medical schools with clinical reasoning curricula tend to emphasize general reasoning concepts (e.g., differential diagnosis generation). Few published curricula go beyond teaching the steps in the diagnostic process to address how students should structure their knowledge to optimize diagnostic performance in future clinical encounters or to discuss elements outside of individual cognition that are essential to diagnosis. Methods In 2016, the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine launched a clinical reasoning curriculum that simultaneously emphasizes reasoning concepts and intentional knowledge construction; the roles of patients, families, interprofessional colleagues; and communication in diagnosis. The curriculum features a longitudinal thread beginning in first year, with an immersive three week diagnostic reasoning (DR) course in the second year. Students evaluated the DR course. Additionally, we conducted an audit of the multiyear clinical reasoning curriculum using the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine-Macy Foundation interprofessional diagnostic education competencies. Results Students rated DR highly (range 4.13–4.18/5 between 2018 and 2020) and reported high self-efficacy with applying clinical reasoning concepts and communicating reasoning to supervisors. A course audit demonstrated a disproportionate emphasis on individual (cognitive) competencies with inadequate attention to systems and team factors in diagnosis. Conclusions Our clinical reasoning curriculum led to high student self-efficacy. However, we stressed cognitive aspects of reasoning with limited instruction on teams and systems. Diagnosis education should expand beyond the cognitive- and physician-centric focus of most published reasoning courses.

Handheld SERS coupled with QuEChERs for the sensitive analysis of multiple pesticides in basmati rice

Pesticides are a safety issue globally and cause serious concerns for the environment, wildlife and human health. The handheld detection of four pesticide residues widely used in Basmati rice production using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is reported. Different SERS substrates were synthesised and their plasmonic and Raman scattering properties evaluated. Using this approach, detection limits for pesticide residues were achieved within the range of 5 ppb-75 ppb, in solvent. Various extraction techniques were assessed to recover pesticide residues from spiked Basmati rice. Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERs) acetate extraction was applied and characteristic spectral data for each pesticide was obtained from the spiked matrix and analysed using handheld-SERS. This approach allowed detection limits within the matrix conditions to be markedly improved, due to the rapid aggregation of nanogold caused by the extraction medium. Thus, detection limits for three out of four pesticides were detectable below the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of 10 ppb in Basmati rice. Furthermore, the multiplexing performance of handheld-SERS was assessed in solvent and matrix conditions. This study highlights the great potential of handheld-SERS for the rapid on-site detection of pesticide residues in rice and other commodities.

Adaptation of Fire-Fighting Systems to Localization of Fires in the Premises: Review

Fire protection is a basic safety issue for all categories of buildings. The criteria for effective fire suppression and the characteristics of extinguishing systems in insulated areas depend on a combination of factors. The main influences include the type of combustible material, ambient temperature, type of spray extinguisher, air inflow and outflow conditions, and space geometry. This article analyzes the most widely used fire-extinguishing technologies in different locations. The main aspects of using the pulsed delivery technology of extinguishing liquid are considered. Based on the analysis of publications from the last decade, it is possible to develop intelligent systems for recording fires and extinguishing fires in the premises.

Analyzing Educational Methods Regarding Human Trafficking Awareness Preferred by Students

Human Trafficking is the emerging social-safety issue surrounding most communities across the globe. Unfortunately, due to it’s untraceable nature, and free victims fearing to go public with information, human trafficking is not often discussed or warned against. The purpose of this study is to target local students from Central Florida through analyzing their preferred approaches of education regarding the basis of human trafficking. The method involved a completely anonymous online survey with ten specific questions distributed to high school and college students from across six schools in addition to interviews with two adults actively engaged in the cause of human trafficking and three chosen student participants. The questionnaire sought to collect students’ passionate opinions on handling the teaching of difficult social troubles such as human trafficking. A total of 123 respondents completed the survey; 44.7% particularly desired annual presentations, 37.4% chose the inclusion of content in classes already required, and 9.8% selected mandated online courses. Interviews revealed that educational methods should not be prioritized, but instead the initiative or beginning force in means to widely spread accurate truths about human trafficking. Overall, these students from Central Florida demonstrated that in order to promote human trafficking awareness, productive conversations throughout schools as well as small incentives such as visual posters, pamphlets or resourceful packets are enough to secure an increase in knowledge of the dangers and commonality of human trafficking.

IL-2/JES6-1 mAb complexes dramatically increase sensitivity to LPS through IFN-γ production by CD25+Foxp3- T cells

Complexes of IL-2 and JES6-1 mAb (IL-2/JES6) provide strong sustained IL-2 signal selective for CD25+ cells and thus they potently expand Treg cells. IL-2/JES6 are effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and in protecting against rejection of pancreatic islet allografts. However, we found that IL-2/JES6 also dramatically increase sensitivity to LPS-mediated shock in C57BL/6 mice. We demonstrate here that this phenomenon is dependent on endogenous IFN-γ and T cells, as it is not manifested in IFN-γ deficient and nude mice, respectively. Administration of IL-2/JES6 leads to the emergence of CD25+Foxp3-CD4+ and CD25+Foxp3-CD8+ T cells producing IFN-γ in various organs, particularly in the liver. IL-2/JES6 also increase counts of CD11b+CD14+ cells in the blood and the spleen with higher sensitivity to LPS in terms of TNF-α production and induce expression of CD25 in these cells. These findings indicate safety issue for potential use of IL-2/JES6 or similar IL-2-like immunotherapeutics.