Month: April 2024

Abstract

Background

Reducing malnutrition is a key priority for governments in low- and middle-income countries given its lasting effects on child development, health, income, and economic growth. Strategies to improve recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, especially during the first two years of life, are considered among the most effective.

Methods

In this paper, we evaluate the long-run impacts of an innovative education strategy based on interactive play and performing arts implemented in El Alto, Bolivia on caregivers’ IYCF knowledge and practices. Two thousand and fifteen households were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Two rounds of data were collected approximately 30 and 42 months after baseline. We estimate short-term (30 month) and longer-term (42 month) intent-to-treat effects using multivariate linear regression analysis, with and without controlling for covariates.

Results

The program significantly increased caregiver IYCF knowledge by 0.13 SDs in the short run, and this effect grew over time. The program also improved adherence to recommended IYCF practices by 0.23 standard deviations (SDs) in the short term, but the effect on practices dissipated over time, and no longer-term impacts were detected. Caregivers with above median baseline knowledge, number of children, and age appear to have benefited most from the program.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that entertainment-education interventions are a promising model for improving and maintaining IYCF knowledge. However, their ability to sustain more permanent changes in IYCF practices is less certain. Further evidence is needed to identify other avenues for producing long-term, sustainable behavior change, especially among indigenous populations in Latin America, where literature on education and behavior-change interventions related to IYCF practices is limited.

Abstract

The question of how education research can be ‘useful’ is an enduring and challenging one. In recent years, this question has been approached by universities through a widespread ‘impact’ agenda. In this article, we explore the tensions between usefulness and impact and present six stories that reflect on research use with communities. These stories engage issues of the risk of usefulness, the time that is needed to work collaboratively for research usefulness, whether theories developed in universities can be useful to communities for understanding the problems they face, who has the power to steer research to serve their purposes, and how community collective action can enhance the usefulness of research. The article concludes with a section that reflects on the importance of continuing to engage with the debates about research use in often highly commercially oriented university environments. This article brings together diverse voices that wrestle with the politics of research use beyond the neat, linear narratives of change that impact agendas tend to portray. These illustrations of the ethical dilemmas encountered through navigating research use with communities contribute to an ongoing conversation about refusing capitalist and colonialist logics of research extraction while working within institutions often driven by such logics.

Abstract

Climate change has appeared as a major issue in recent years, and its impacts are seen multi-dimensionally. The local people are the key eyewitnesses of climate change, although the discourse is disciplinary, geographic, and gender biased. In this context, this paper documents the perceptions and narratives of the Tamang, an Indigenous people, who live on the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley. This is an ethnographic study and applied quantitative and qualitative data. The data of the study were gathered using triangulation methods, i.e., household questionnaire survey (HQS), key informant interview (KII), and focus group discussion (FGD). A total of 94 HQS, nine KII, and three FGD were carried out in 2018 in three sample sites in the outskirts of the valley. The station-based observed climatic data from 1969 to 2022 were collected from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The observed data shows increasing annual rainfall and temperature in Kathmandu; however, the rate of temperature increase is much larger. Seasonal precipitation shows decreasing rainfall in post-monsoon, which enhances the winter drought. The Tamang are the key eyewitness of the changes in climate and this knowledge is inbuilt with their memories which are closely bound to the place. Hence, the life history of elderly people can be an appropriate way of understanding the micro-climatic changes in the local context, which largely failed or ignored to document in scientific or macro-level assessments.

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus is a globally distributed pathogen and the history of HBV infection in humans predates 10000 years. However, long-term evolutionary history of HBV in Eastern Eurasia remains elusive. We present 34 ancient HBV genomes dating between approximately 5000 to 400 years ago sourced from 17 sites across Eastern Eurasia. Ten sequences have full coverage, and only two sequences have less than 50% coverage. Our results suggest a potential origin of genotypes B and D in Eastern Asia. We observed a higher level of HBV diversity within Eastern Eurasia compared to Western Eurasia between 5000 and 3000 years ago, characterized by the presence of five different genotypes (A, B, C, D, WENBA), underscoring the significance of human migrations and interactions in the spread of HBV. Our results suggest the possibility of a transition from non-recombinant subgenotypes (B1, B5) to recombinant subgenotypes (B2 - B4). This suggests a shift in epidemiological dynamics within Eastern Eurasia over time. Here, our study elucidates the regional origins of prevalent genotypes and shifts in viral subgenotypes over centuries.

Abstract

Children living in regional and rural areas report poorer mental health than metropolitan children, however, there are few, if any, evidence-based school well-being programs tailored for this group. This study aimed to elicit the views of stakeholders about what should be included in well-being programs for these young people and how they should be delivered. Nine online focus groups were conducted with 29 participants including children, teachers, parents/caregivers, school leaders, and school well-being staff. Thematic analysis was conducted, and findings revealed several unique aspects of rural life that should be included in school well-being programs for these communities. These included the losses and isolation experienced in these communities, the cumulative risk and impact of disasters in rural areas, and inadequate access to mental health and support services. The results can be used to justify further investment and delivery of targeted well-being programs for students living in regional and rural locations.

Abstract

Background

Gay, bisexual, and cis-gender men who have sex with men (GBMSM) face severe consequences, especially within stigmatized environments. However, very little is known about the experiences of GBMSM living in slums in SSA and Ghana. This study investigates the experiences of stigma, victimization, and coping strategies and proposes some interventional approaches for combating stigma facing GBMSM in slum communities.

Methods

We engaged GBMSM living in slums in two major Ghanaian cities. We used a time-location sampling and collected data through in-depth individual interviews. Two major themes emerged from the study: (1) insecurities and criminalization of GBMSM activity, and (2) GBMSM coping strategies.

Results

Findings show GBMSM experienced negative attitudes from the community due to their sexual behavior/orientation. GBMSM also developed coping strategies to avert negative experiences, such as hiding their identities/behavior, avoiding gender non-conforming men, and having relationships with persons outside their communities.

Conclusion

We propose interventions such as HIV Education, Empathy, Empowerment, Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy as possible measures to improve the experiences of GBMSM living in Ghanaian slum communities.

Abstract

Background

This study aims to conduct a scientometric analysis and thematically-based narrative review of a century of Taraxacum officinale research (TOR), uncovering patterns, trends, themes, and advancements in the field to provide insights for future investigations. The study followed PRISMA guidelines and utilized the Scopus database with MeSH terms for bibliographic data retrieval. Scientometric mapping employed VOSviewer and R-package-based Bibliometrix, while extracted themes were reviewed narratively. A detailed analysis of TOR was achieved by including only original studies.

Results

The findings include the extensive duration of TOR since 1908 and its significant growth, particularly in the last two decades. China emerges as the most productive country, but the United States leads in recognizable and collaborative TOR. The thematic map displays dynamic and diverse themes, with a rich knowledge structure revealed through the analysis of term co-occurrence. The year 2016 represents a turning point in the thematic map, marked by numerical growth and thematic bifurcation. The study extracted several main research topics within the field of TOR, including germination, antioxidant activity, bioherbicide, oxidative stress, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, and heavy metals. These topics represent key areas of investigation and provide insights into the diverse aspects of research surrounding T. officinale. Additionally, emerging topics in TOR encompass toxicity, metabolomics, dandelion extract, and diabetes mellitus.

Conclusions

The study consolidated knowledge, highlighted research gaps, and provided directions for future investigations on TOR.

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic survey of artificial intelligence (AI) models that have been proposed over the past decade to screen retinal diseases, which can cause severe visual impairments or even blindness. The paper covers both the clinical and technical perspectives of using AI models in hosipitals to aid ophthalmologists in promptly identifying retinal diseases in their early stages. Moreover, this paper also evaluates various methods for identifying structural abnormalities and diagnosing retinal diseases, and it identifies future research directions based on a critical analysis of the existing literature. This comprehensive study, which reviews both the conventional and state-of-the-art methods to screen retinopathy across different modalities, is unique in its scope. Additionally, this paper serves as a helpful guide for researchers who want to work in the field of retinal image analysis in the future.

Abstract

The teaching profession profoundly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether these changes were for the better or worse depends on individual teachers’ perceptions. Pre-service teachers watched from the sidelines and their perceptions of the profession changed too, potentially implicating future career outcomes including career commitment, value of belongingness, teaching efficacy, and career anxiety. We used a person-centred analysis to cluster pre-service teachers (n = 146) based on their perceptions of changes to job demands and returns during the pandemic using the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale. Three clusters emerged: a Neutral Group, a Valued Group, and a Busy Group. We used ANOVA to determine mean level differences between these groups on our career outcome variables. Significant mean differences emerged only for the value of belongingness and career anxiety variables. There were no significant differences between clusters on the commitment, right career decision, and efficacy variables, which is encouraging from a teacher retention perspective. Pre-service teachers generally remained committed to the teaching profession with the same career plans that they had pre-pandemic. We discuss the implications of this study for teacher education programs, policy, and research.

Abstract

Climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, and many other reasons have motivated countries worldwide to change energy systems to move toward low-carbon energy systems; however, the low-carbon energy transition has faced many challenges that motivate the present study to identify the challenges and evaluate the performance of the EU according to challenges. To this end, seventeen challenges were identified through a systematic literature review and classified into five groups: economic, institutional, technical, social, and environmental. Subsequently, fifty-three indicators were selected to measure the performance of the EU in dealing with challenges. Furthermore, a Fermatean “Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis” method was applied to determine the subjective weight of identified challenges, while the method based on the removal effects of criteria was applied to determine the objective weight of selected indicators. Afterward, the “Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution” method was applied to evaluate the performance of the EU in dealing with the challenges of the low-carbon energy transition for 2015 and 2020. The results indicated that energy justice, mitigation costs, land use, and lack of infrastructure are the most significant social, economic, environmental, institutional, and technical challenges. Also, the Netherlands had the best performance in 2015, followed by Germany; in contrast, Germany improved its energy system and took first place in 2020.