EXPLORING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF PROTOTYPE RURAL LANDSCAPES IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA: A SURVEY-BASED STUDY

The present study delves into the public perceptions concerning prototype rural landscapes in China, aiming to unravel respondents’ varied layers of appreciation, concerns, and aspirations. Employing a quantitative approach through a structured questionnaire, the survey collected insights from a diverse demographic to unveil compelling facets of rural landscape perceptions. The findings revealed a collective admiration for cultural heritage preservation, natural beauty, and traditional architectural styles within rural settings. However, amidst this appreciation, concerns regarding infrastructural deficiencies, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic disparities emerged. These insights underscore the necessity of integrating public perceptions into future landscape planning endeavors to develop culturally resonant, sustainable and community-centric rural landscapes. Recommendations for future research highlight avenues for deeper exploration, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to bridge infrastructural gaps, enhance environmental sustainability, and empower communities in shaping the future of rural landscapes in China. Keywords: prototype rural landscapes; public perception; landscape design; community development.   Explorando as percepções públicas dos protótipos de paisagens rurais na China contemporânea: um estudo baseado em pesquisas   RESUMO: O presente estudo investiga as percepções do público sobre os protótipos de paisagens rurais na China, com o objetivo de desvendar as diversas camadas de apreciação, preocupações e aspirações dos entrevistados. Empregando uma abordagem quantitativa, através de um questionário estruturado, recolheu-SE informações de um grupo demográfico diversificado para revelar facetas convincentes das percepções daS paisagens rurais. As descobertas revelaram uma admiração coletiva pela preservação do património cultural, pela beleza natural e pelos estilos arquitetônicos tradicionais em ambientes rurais. No entanto, no meio desta apreciação, surgiram preocupações relativas às deficiências infra-estruturais, à sustentabilidade ambiental e às disparidades socioeconômicas. Estas percepções sublinham a necessidade de integrar as percepções do público nos futuros esforços de planeamento paisagístico para desenvolver paisagens rurais culturalmente ressonantes, sustentáveis e centradas na comunidade. As recomendações para pesquisas futuras destacam caminhos para uma exploração mais profunda, enfatizando a necessidade de estratégias inovadoras para colmatar lacunas infra-estruturais, melhorar a sustentabilidade ambiental e capacitar as comunidades na definição do futuro das paisagens rurais na China. Palavras-chave: protótipo de paisagens rurais; percepção pública; projeto paisagístico; desenvolvimento comunitário.The present study delves into the public perceptions concerning prototype rural landscapes in China, aiming to unravel respondents’ varied layers of appreciation, concerns, and aspirations. Employing a quantitative approach through a structured questionnaire, the survey collected insights from a diverse demographic to unveil compelling facets of rural landscape perceptions. The findings revealed a collective admiration for cultural heritage preservation, natural beauty, and traditional architectural styles within rural settings. However, amidst this appreciation, concerns regarding infrastructural deficiencies, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic disparities emerged. These insights underscore the necessity of integrating public perceptions into future landscape planning endeavors to develop culturally resonant, sustainable and community-centric rural landscapes. Recommendations for future research highlight avenues for deeper exploration, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to bridge infrastructural gaps, enhance environmental sustainability, and empower communities in shaping the future of rural landscapes in China. Keywords: prototype rural landscapes; public perception; landscape design; community development.   Explorando as percepções públicas dos protótipos de paisagens rurais na China contemporânea: um estudo baseado em pesquisas   RESUMO: O presente estudo investiga as percepções do público sobre os protótipos de paisagens rurais na China, com o objetivo de desvendar as diversas camadas de apreciação, preocupações e aspirações dos entrevistados. Empregando uma abordagem quantitativa, através de um questionário estruturado, recolheu-SE informações de um grupo demográfico diversificado para revelar facetas convincentes das percepções daS paisagens rurais. As descobertas revelaram uma admiração coletiva pela preservação do património cultural, pela beleza natural e pelos estilos arquitetônicos tradicionais em ambientes rurais. No entanto, no meio desta apreciação, surgiram preocupações relativas às deficiências infra-estruturais, à sustentabilidade ambiental e às disparidades socioeconômicas. Estas percepções sublinham a necessidade de integrar as percepções do público nos futuros esforços de planeamento paisagístico para desenvolver paisagens rurais culturalmente ressonantes, sustentáveis e centradas na comunidade. As recomendações para pesquisas futuras destacam caminhos para uma exploração mais profunda, enfatizando a necessidade de estratégias inovadoras para colmatar lacunas infra-estruturais, melhorar a sustentabilidade ambiental e capacitar as comunidades na definição do futuro das paisagens rurais na China. Palavras-chave: protótipo de paisagens rurais; percepção pública; projeto paisagístico; desenvolvimento comunitário

Proposed Educational Strategies for A Reformed Pharmacy Curriculum Based on Graduate’s Self-Perceived Assessment of Pre-Service Education

Introduction: Pharmacy practice witnessed dramatic significant changes over the past years worldwide. The traditional role of the pharmacist involving preparation, dispensing and selling of medications is no longer adequate. This has evolved into direct involvement of the pharmacist in the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic plans to produce specific care outcomes. The Bachelor degree in pharmacy at the University of Aden, Yemen, witnessed scarce reviews or evaluation studies on graduates and curriculum introduced in 1995 and unchanged till 2018. Objectives: To (1) assess perception of pharmacists, working in Aden, of their pre-service education and its relevance to current work and (2) analyze the available benchmarks and propose educational strategies that could be addressed in designing and adopting a reformed pharmacy pre-service curriculum in light of results of the study. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire distributed to 220 pharmacists working in urban Aden city with response rate 86% (n=189). Questions covered general personal information; perception of pre-service educational subjects/courses and their relevance to current job; status of respondents’ practice of skills and attitudes acquired during their study. Analysis of the 7-star role of pharmacist is done based on results of the study. Results: Practicing pharmacists work in 5 different settings in Aden, in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industrial pharmaceutics, management of medicines and medical supplies and academic pharmacy. Majority marked existence of weak linkage between preservice curriculum and daily work demands. 16 out of the 17 basic sciences were not used in work and to a lesser degree, similar results of pharmaceutical sciences, skills and attitudes. Accordingly, seven educational strategies are proposed. Conclusion: The study showed that pharmacists working in Aden, Yemen, need different knowledge, skills and attitude to be able to perform the current job demands. The results also showed weak link between education and job practice. One of the main challenges facing pharmacy education is the adoption of educational strategies that respond to lack of active acquisition of the needed competencies to produce a “fit-for-purpose pharmacy graduate.” Keywords: pharmacy, pre-service, education, reform, strategies DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/76-01 Publication date:June 30th 202

Foreign body aspiration in adults.

Foreign body aspiration is not an uncommon problem, particularly in children, the elderly, and those with predisposing factors like neurological impairment. In adults, regional differences exist in the type of foreign body aspirated. We report four cases of foreign body aspiration in South Asian adults, three of which were related to the widespread habit of chewing stimulant seeds such as betel nuts (two) and tamarind seed (one). It is important for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for the diagnosis of foreign body inhalation in the appropriate clinical setting. Bronchoscopy is necessary not only for the diagnosis but also for the removal of foreign body from the bronchial tree. Once the foreign body is removed, the improvement in symptoms is usually dramatic, making it rewarding for any physician to manage. Keywords: betel nut, bronchoscopy, foreign body aspiration, stimulant seeds, tamarind see

Symptoms versus problems (SVP) in household high speed broadband (HSBB): regaining momentum for Unifi, Malaysia

Problem identification is a talent and skill set required in all leaders. The objective of this study is to reveal an improved research method by integrating mixed-method research combined with problem identification method (using symptoms versus problems (SVP) framework) for telco service providers. The SVP framework discovers the primary causes to the decrease in revenue growth rates. Malaysia’s household broadband penetration rate grew from 15.2% (2007) to 67.1% (2013). Meanwhile, the growth rate for Unifi, offered by Telekom Malaysia (TM), decreased from 104% (2012) to 30% (2013). Why? There are eight causes, specifically; not prioritizing 4G LTE license; obligating social services to rural areas; providing 20-30 Mbps wireless broadband packages by the competitors; offering less competitive price; not covering all zones; offering less favorable service contracts; offering limited packages; and receiving customer complaints. The sequential methodology process began with semi-structured interviews, analysis of unpublished company data, customer survey on 164 respondents and field observation which were all summarized into a root-cause analysis tool called symptoms versus problems framework (SVP). The SVP indicates TM acquired Packed One to overcome HSBB issues; revamp its strategies to product content offering instead of head-on price war; establishing bureaucracy busting team, competitors busting teams on product innovation; collaborating with local broadcasting companies; and developing talent. Interestingly, this study discovers another framework on critical success factors for telco service providers through development of “House of Pillars for Rapid Growth” of TM in Malaysia

Trends in hospital-based management of acute asthma from a teaching hospital in South Asia.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the hospital-based management of acute asthma in south Asia and to compare practices over a 10-year period. Adult patients (n = 102) admitted at a teaching hospital with acute asthma were studied. Documentation of precipitating factors, family history and physical signs were inadequate in more than half of patients. Pulse oximetry was documented in 95 (93%) patients, but peak flow monitoring was performed only in 50 (49%) patients. Ten-year trend showed deterioration in history and physical examination skills, under use of peak flow readings, and poor pre-discharge instructions. Some aspects of improved care included frequent use of pulse oximeter, preference of inhaled over systemic bronchodilators and increased use of systemic steroids. Significant deficiencies were identified in hospital-based management of acute asthma. Most aspects of asthma care continued to fall short of asthma guidelines

Metal Ion-Binding Properties of the Diphosphate Ester Analogue, Methylphosphonylphosphate, in Aqueous Solution

The stability constants of the 1:1 complexes formed between methylphosphonylphosphate (MePP3-), CH3P(O)-2-O-PO32-, and Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, ​ or Cd2+ (M2+) were determined by potentiometric pH titration in aqueous solution (25 °C; l = 0.1 M, NaNO3). Monoprotonated M(H;MePP) complexes play only a minor role. Based on previously established correlations for M2+-diphosphate monoester complex-stabilities and diphosphate monoester β-group. basicities, it is shown that the M(Mepp)- complexes for Mg2+ and the ions of the second half of the 3d series, including Zn2+ and Cd2+, are on average by about 0.15 log unit more stable than is expected based on the basicity of the terminal phosphate group in MePP3-. In contrast, Ba(Mepp)- and Sr(Mepp)- are slightly less stable, whereas the stability for Ca(Mepp)- is as expected, based on the mentioned correlation. The indicated increased stabilities are explained by an increased basicity of the phosphonyl group compared to that of a phosphoryl one. For the complexes of the alkaline earth ions, especially for Ba2+, it is suggested that outersphere complexation occurs to some extent. However, overall the M(Mepp)- complexes behave rather as expected for a diphosphate monoester ligand

Flexural behaviour of concrete-filled double skin aluminium alloy tubes

Concrete-filled double skin structural members, comprising of two metal tubes and concrete infill between them, have been gaining popularity in structural engineering because of their high strength, large stiffness, good ductility and easy maintenance. The use of aluminium tubes in these members can further enhance their performance, as aluminium alloy offers lightweight and good corrosion resistance. This study presents experimental and numerical investigations on the flexural behaviour of concrete-filled double skin aluminium alloy tubular (CFDSAT) members under in-plane bending. A total of 10 CFDSAT beams, including 3 specimens with square outer and inner tubes, 2 specimens with square outer and circular inner tubes and 5 specimens with circular outer and inner tubes, were tested. The failure modes, flexural strength and bending moment versus mid-span deflection curves obtained from the experiments are reported. Finite element (FE) models of the CFDSAT beams were developed and validated against the experimental results. The validated FE models were adopted to carry out a parametric study to examine the influence of cross-section slenderness of inner and outer tubes, hollow ratio, concrete compressive strength, cross-section shape and composite action on the flexural behaviour of CFDSAT beams. In the absence of design rules for CFDSAT beams, a design methodology, which is based on the Eurocode 4 framework, is proposed to determine the flexural strength of square and circular CFDSAT members. Moreover, slenderness limits for square and circular CFDSAT cross-sections are proposed based on the data obtained from the experiments and FE analyses

Flexural buckling behaviour of concrete-filled double skin aluminium alloy columns

Concrete-filled double skin steel tubular columns consisting of two hollow steel tubes and concrete infill between their interspace, have become popular in modern construction owing to their high ultimate load, less self-weight and good ductility. The weight of these columns can be reduced further by using lightweight aluminium alloy hollow tubes instead of steel ones. This paper experimentally and numerically studied the flexural buckling behaviour of the concrete-filled double skin aluminium tubular (CFDSAT) columns subjected to axial compression. A total of 8 CFDSAT columns were tested using a pin-ended set-up. The test results are presented in terms of failure modes, ultimate load and load versus mid-height lateral displacement curves. Non-linear finite element (FE) models of the specimens were developed and their accuracy was evaluated by comparing the FE and test results. A numerical parametric investigation was conducted to study the influence of the hollow ratio, the member slenderness, the cross-sectional slenderness of the hollow tubes and the concrete strength on the structural behaviour of CFDSAT columns. The parametric study results revealed that the cross-sectional dimensions of outer section, the member slenderness and the concrete compressive strength have a significant effect on the flexural buckling response of the columns, while the influence of the cross-sectional dimensions of inner section is less prominent. In the absence of design standards for CFDSAT members, a design methodology is proposed with a design buckling curve to predict the ultimate load of CFDSAT columns based on the Eurocode 4 framework. Moreover, a revised concrete correction factor is suggested to determine the effective flexural rigidity of CFDSAT columns according to Eurocode 4

Self-organizing hierarchical particle swarm optimization of correlation filters for object recognition

Advanced correlation filters are an effective tool for target detection within a particular class. Most correlation filters are derived from a complex filter equation leading to a closed form filter solution. The response of the correlation filter depends upon the selected values of the optimal trade-off (OT) parameters. In this paper, the OT parameters are optimized using particle swarm optimization with respect to two different cost functions. The optimization has been made generic and is applied to each target separately in order to achieve the best possible result for each scenario. The filters obtained using standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) and hierarchal particle swarm optimization (HPSO) algorithms have been compared for various test images with the filter solutions available in the literature. It has been shown that optimization improves the performance of the filters significantly

Yield of esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy in cancer of unknown primary

Objectives: Carcinoma of unknown primary origin (CUP) is heterogeneous group of cancers. Role of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy in this entity is under investigated. Aim of this study was to evaluate yield of Colonoscopy and Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in localizing primary tumor in patients with CUP. METHODOLOGY: Patients with histopathologically proven CUP who underwent colonoscopy / EGD to find the primary tumor from December 2009 to December 2011 were included in the study. Abdominal symptoms and cytokeratin (CK) 7 and 20 markers were correlated with presence of primary in GI tract. Results: After giving informed consent 86 patients were included in final analysis. All patients underwent colonoscopy while 60(70%) got EGD along with colonoscopy. Mean age was 55.10 +/-11.94 years with 52(60%) male. Abdominal symptoms were present in 50%. CK7+/CK20- in 34(40%); CK7-/CK20+ in 2(2%) while CK7+/20+ in 7(8%) of metastatic tumor samples. Liver was metastatic site in 47(55%), Lymph node 12(14%) and Ascites in 8(9%). Endoscopy detected primary in 6 (7%) patients with 3 each in stomach and colon. No association of abdominal symptoms and cytokeratin markers was found with presence of GI primary site. CONCLUSION: Yield of localizing primary lesion in the GI tract by pan-endoscopy was limited. Abdominal symptoms and cytokeratin markers do not predict presence of gastrointestinal malignancies