Comprehensive Assessment of Flood Hazard, Vulnerability, and Flood Risk at the Household Level in a Municipality Area: A Case Study of Nan Province, Thailand

Estimating flood hazard, vulnerability, and flood risk at the household level in the past did not fully consider all relevant parameters. The main objective of this study is to improve this drawback by developing a new comprehensive and systematic methodology considering all relevant parameters and their weighting factors. This new methodology is applied to a case study of flood inundation in a municipal area of Nan City in the Upper Nan River Basin in Thailand. Field and questionnaire surveys were carried out to collect pertinent data for input into the new methodology for estimating flood hazard, vulnerability, and risk. Designed floods for various return periods were predicted using flood simulation models for assessing flood risk. The flood risk maps constructed for the return periods of 10–500 years show a substantial increase in flood risk with the return periods. The results are consistent with past flood damages, which were significant near and along the riverbanks where ground elevation is low, population density is high, and the number of household properties are high. In conclusion, this new comprehensive methodology yielded realistic results and can be used further to assess the effectiveness of various proposed flood mitigation measures.

Prescription audit of antihypertensive drugs used in stroke patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Stroke is considered as one of the important reasons of death and disability worldwide. A rational use of medications is needed to prevent the recurrence and the disease related complications.Methods: The current study is a prospective observational study. All stroke cases, with patients above the age of 25 and treated with antihypertensive agents were included in the study. A total of 189 patients were found suitable for inclusion in the study. Using a suitably designed data collection form, all pertinent data such as patient demographics, prescribed medicines, drug interactions and adverse drug reactions were collected from the patient’s case file, nurses’ charts, and medication charts. Prescription pattern of antihypertensive drugs were obtained. The causality of the ADR was assessed using the Naranjo causality assessment scale and reported in the institution where the study was conducted.Results: Majority of patients included in the study were in the age group of 61-70 years. The incidence of stroke in this study was more in males than in the females. Ischemic stroke (72%) was more prevalent when compared to Hemorrhagic stroke. Among the antihypertensive agents, calcium channel blockers (32%) were the most commonly prescribed class of drugs. In our audit, drug related problems were observed in 27% of the cases which included cases with improper dose (3 cases), contraindications (4 cases), major drug interactions (20 cases), and adverse drug reactions (17 cases). Most of the prescriptions were legible. Drug related problems had a great impact on the overall stroketherapy.Conclusions: The drug related problems are a relevant aspect to be considered when treating patients with stroke and it can arise irrespective of adherence to guidelines.

Various Approaches to the Quantitative Evaluation of Biological and Medical Data Using Mathematical Models

Biomedical data (structured and unstructured) has grown dramatically in strength and volume over the last few years. Innovative, intelligent, and autonomous scientific approaches are needed to examine the large data sets that are gradually becoming widely available. In order to predict unique symmetric and asymmetric patterns, there is also an increasing demand for designing, analyzing, and understanding such complicated data sets. In this paper, we focused on a different way of processing biological and medical data. We provide an overview of known methods as well as a look at optimized mathematical approaches in the field of biological data analysis. We deal with the RGB threshold algorithm, new filtering based on the histogram and on the RGB model, the Image J program, and the structural similarity index method (SSIM) approaches. Finally, we compared the results with the open-source software. We can confirm that our own software based on new mathematical models is an extremely suitable tool for processing biological images and is important in research areas such as the detection of iron in biological samples. We study even symmetric and asymmetric properties of the iron existence as a design analysis of the biological real data. Unique approaches for clinical information gathering, organizing, analysis, information retrieval, and inventive implementation of contemporary computing approaches are all part of this research project, which has much potential in biomedical research. These cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques will enable the detection and retrieval of important symmetric and asymmetric patterns, as well as the faster finding of pertinent data and the opening of novel learning pathways.

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PURCHASE OF LIFE INSURANCE AMONG THE FACULTY MEMBERS OF A STATE UNIVERSITY

Life insurance companies in the Philippines are active contributors to the country’s social and national development. This study aimed to assess the purchase of life insurance among the faculty members of the Visayas State University-Main Campus in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to gather pertinent data from 195 participants. Descriptive measures, correlation analysis, and binary logit regression analysis were used to examine the socio-demographic data and the level of knowledge and attitude in regards to the faculties’ decision to purchase life insurance. Results showed that educational attainment and knowledge on life insurance significantly influence the purchase of life insurance. Furthermore, purchase on life insurance increases as the faculty becomes more knowledgeable about the benefits of having life insurance coverage. Hence, life insurance companies should conduct a thorough orientation in view to their procedure, policy, and benefits to increase their purchase.

Breaking New Ground: Incentivizing Innovative Caregiving Programs

Caring for someone with chronic illness is a demanding job, and as a result 46% of caregivers caring for adults with chronic illnesses report a significant level of burden (AARP and National Alliance of Caregiving, 2015). Recent reviews note a prevalence rate of 31.2% for depression (Collins & Kishita, 2019) and 32.1% for anxiety (Kaddour & Kishita, 2020). In addition, most caregivers also report high levels of negative emotions including frustration, guilt, and a sense of hopelessness regarding the future (Schulz & Eden, 2016). This symposium will focus on innovative programming to address caregiver needs and concerns. The first presenter will set the foundation as she explores her caregiver journey and the issues she experienced as a caregiver. Using her personal experience, this healthcare professional will explore her interactions with the medical system as a caregiver, including the unique issues experienced during the pandemic. The second presenter will examine why are caregiver program needed, what benefits can be expected, and what is considered best practices when addressing the unmet needs of family caregivers in caregiver programs. The third and fourth presenters will discuss two exemplar caregiving programs - Caregiver Clinic at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Caregiver Initiative from the Rush University Medical Center. They will describe the program, the process of creation, funding, barriers experienced, and working solutions. Pertinent data regarding the integration of the programs within the medical systems, the programs scope, and the effects of the pandemic on the programs will be shared.

A New Demotic Horoscope from Medinet Habu

The relatively small set of Demotic astrological texts from Medinet Habu may be increased by a newly identified horoscope recorded on an ostracon held at the Cairo Museum. Despite the lack of pertinent data in the official records, the origin of this sherd seems to be certain thanks to some telling palaeographical and textual indications. The date recorded on this potsherd indicates the late first century AD and refers explicitly to the Alexandrian calendar. With regard to the content, it preserves the general format and layout of the Demotic horoscopes on ostraca from Medinet Habu, albeit with some small differences in the type and arrangement of the data. This horoscope leaves out some astronomical data common to other Medinet Habu horoscopes which, along with some other Theban horoscopic ostraca, might confirm a trend among Theban astrologers going from more detailed and complicated compositions to less elaborate and more simplified ones.

Factors associated with acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among University health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria

Students of the health sciences are the future frontliners to fight pandemics. The students’ participation in COVID-19 response varies across countries and are mostly for educational purposes. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability is necessary for a successful vaccination program. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria. The study was an online self-administered cross-sectional study involving a survey among students of health sciences in some selected universities in Northwest Nigeria. The survey collected pertinent data from the students, including socio-demographic characteristics, risk perception for COVID-19, and willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. A total of 440 responses with a median (interquartile range) age of 23 (4.0) years were included in the study. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 40.0%. Factors that independently predict acceptance of the vaccine were age of 25 years and above (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.44–5.16; p = 0.002), instructions from heads of institutions (aOR, 11.71; 95% CI, 5.91–23.20; p<0.001), trust in the government (aOR, 20.52; 95% CI, 8.18–51.51; p<0.001) and willingness to pay for the vaccine (aOR, 7.92; 95% CI, 2.63–23.85; p<0.001). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students of health sciences was low. Older age, mandate by heads of the institution, trust in the government and readiness to pay for the vaccine were associated with acceptance of the vaccine. Therefore, stakeholders should prioritize strategies that would maximize the vaccination uptake.

Purpose Driven Internet Use and Its Impact on Academic Performance of College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine how students in Middle-Level Colleges use the internet, with a special focus on the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS). The study was conducted using a descriptive research approach. The student population was determined using a purposive sample strategy, while the stratified sampling approach was utilized to divide the population into distinct subgroups (strata) based on the eight courses that students took. Both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect relevant data. The questionnaire was tested for validity and reliability in a group of randomly selected students. Following data collection, descriptive statistics were used to examine pertinent data. To summarize the data and report the research findings, descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies, bar graphs, and pie charts were used. This research focused on the NIBS College, which has approximately 3000 regular students. A total of 138 people were sampled from the population to participate in the study. The majority of students, according to the report, use the internet for entertainment. For communication and pleasure, students utilize social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter at nearly the same rates. The respondents also stated that using the internet has expanded their access to more up-to-date educational information and has had a good impact on their academic efficiency. When compared to traditional materials, respondents found the Internet to be more informative. The respondents also said that the internet saved time and provided reliable information. To access the internet, most students possess and use smartphones (iPhones). They use the internet in their dorms compared to other locations on campus or at home, where internet access was unreliable. The majority of students preferred Google to other Internet services. This demonstrated that students rely extensively on Google to find current and relevant information. The vast majority believed that people do not need to be trained on how to use the internet to find information. The trial-and-error method was the most prevalent strategy for obtaining relevant Internet skills. Others sought advice from their peers or took official training given by several computer colleges to learn how to utilize the internet.

Towards data warehouse from open data: Case of COVID-19

Since December 2019, we have detected the appearance of a new virus called COVID-19, which has spread, throughout the world. Everyone today, has given major importance to this new virus. Although we have little knowledge of the disease, doctors and specialists make decisions every day that have a significant impact on public health. There are many and various open data in this context, which are scattered and distributed. For this, we need to capitalize all the information in a data warehouse. For that, in this paper, we propose an approach to create a data warehouse from open data specifically from COVID-19 data. We start with the identification of the relevant sources from the various open data. Then, we collect the pertinent data. After that, we identify the multidimensional concepts used to design the data warehouse schema related to COVID-19 data. Finally, we transform our data warehouse to logical model and create our NoSQL data warehouse with Talend Open Studio for Big Data (TOS_BD).

Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Reproductive Health among Adolescent Girls in Selected Higher Secondary Schools in Kollam, District

The adolescent stage of life marks the transition from childhood to maturity. These are the formative years, when the most physical, psychological, and behavioural changes occur. The primary goal of the current study was to examine the effects of PTP on knowledge of sex education among teenage females. The study's objectives are to examine adolescent girls' awareness of specific elements of sex. To create and carry out a structured teaching programme on certain parts of sex education for teenage females. To assess the efficacy of the intended educational programme. To determine the relationship between pre-test knowledge scores and specified demographic characteristics. The study used an evaluative research technique with a one-group pretest-post-test design. The study's sample size was set at 50 teenage females. The study's sample approach was simple random sampling, which is a sort of probability sampling. A standardised questionnaire on sex education knowledge was utilised to collect pertinent data. Following the administration of PTP, there was a noticeable rise in knowledge scores in all categories considered in the research. Thus, it was proved that PTP was effective teaching method for creating awareness on importance of sex education and STI, STD and HIV/ AIDS transmission and focusing the reproductive health hazards like preventing sexual violence among youths.