Quantum Computing: Algorithms,Architectures, and Applications

Cryptography, optimization, simulation, and machine learning are just a few of the industries that might be completely transformed by quantum computing. This abstract gives a thorough introduction to quantum computing with an emphasis on its algorithms, architectures, and applications. In conclusion, this abstract offers an in-depth analysis of quantum computing, including its algorithms, structures, and applications. It highlights the revolutionary potential of quantum computing in tackling difficult issues that are beyond the scope of conventional computers, laying the groundwork for further research and understanding of this quickly developing topic

Data Privacy and Security in Cloud Computing Environments

The globe has adopted the cloud computing environment, which organizes data and manages space for data storage, processing, and access. This technical development has brought up questions regarding data security and privacy in cloud computing environments, though. The purpose of this abstract is to offer a thorough review of the issues, solutions, and future developments related to data privacy and security in cloud computing. Keeping data private and secure while it is being processed and stored in outside data centres is the main difficulty in cloud computing systems. The abstract discusses the dangers of insider threats, data breaches, and illegal access to sensitive information. It digs further into the legal and compliance criteria that businesses must follow in order to protect user data in the cloud. In result, data privacy and security in cloud computing environments remain critical concerns for organizations and individuals alike. In the survey the overview of how to use cloud storage globally and its challenges, solution and future innovation is well explained. It underscores the importance of robust encryption, access controls, user awareness, and emerging technologies in safeguarding data in the cloud. By addressing these concerns, organizations can leverage the power of cloud computing while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their data

Assessment of Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes During the Global Mpox Outbreak in June 2022: A Cross-Sectional Study From the United Arab Emirates

Objectives: To examine knowledge, worry, anxiety, and vaccine acceptance for mpox among UAE adults.Methods: An online survey, advertised on academic and social media platform in June 2022 collected data from 959 participants (aged 18 and above) on mpox beliefs, risks, knowledge, worry, anxiety, COVID-19 infection, vaccination, and willingness to receive the mpox vaccine. Bivariate and logistic regression analysis identified associations and predictors between variables.Results: 56% had optimal knowledge of mpox transmission and symptoms. 54% were worried, and 27% experienced anxiety related to the outbreak. Knowledge scores were higher among women, healthcare workers, and those with reliable information sources. High perceived infection risk, changes in precautionary measures, and belief in difficult treatment predicted more worry and anxiety. Higher worry and two or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine predicted higher likelihood of taking the mpox vaccine.Conclusion: The UAE population showed low knowledge and high worry and anxiety during the global mpox outbreak. Increasing public awareness through targeted educational campaigns is vital. Promoting better understanding of infectious diseases, addressing concerns, and encouraging vaccine uptake can prepare for future outbreaks

Simulation of Drug Release in Expanding Hydrogels Containing Chitosan and Gelatin

Utilizing mathematical modeling of drug release is one method for accelerating the rate of drug diffusion and penetration in hydrogel-based systems. This method facilitates a greater comprehension of drug control mechanisms and their release. Hydrogels are expanding biomaterials that necessitate regulation for use in drug release. The current study's objective is to model drug release in swelling hydrogels containing combinations of chitosan and gelatin polymers; with the aid of this simulation, the release time and concentration of the drug can be predicted. This modeling examined changes in the concentration of drugs in various hydrogels. For this simulation, the governing equations of the drug release system in Python and the numerical solution method were utilized to determine the drug release mechanism in the hydrogel. Then, the graphs of the changes in drug concentration in each hydrogel were examined to evaluate the performance of hydrogels in drug release. Observations revealed that the swelling rate of the hydrogel increases as the concentration of chitosan relative to gelatin in the hydrogel composition rises and that the drug release rate in hydrogels with more significant swelling was also accelerated. Compared to Cs-Gel (1:4) hydrogel, the drug release time in Cs-Gel (4:1), Cs-Gel (3:2), Cs-Gel (2.5:2.5) and Cs-Gel (2:3) hydrogels decreased by 52, 44, 37, and 18%, respectively. In hydrogels with a high swelling rate, the drug concentration decreased rapidly, whereas in hydrogels with a low swelling rate, the duration of drug release increased. This is due to the significance of mass transfer via mass movement and inflation rate

The what and where of adding channel noise to the Hodgkin-Huxley equations

One of the most celebrated successes in computational biology is the Hodgkin-Huxley framework for modeling electrically active cells. This framework, expressed through a set of differential equations, synthesizes the impact of ionic currents on a cell's voltage -- and the highly nonlinear impact of that voltage back on the currents themselves -- into the rapid push and pull of the action potential. Latter studies confirmed that these cellular dynamics are orchestrated by individual ion channels, whose conformational changes regulate the conductance of each ionic current. Thus, kinetic equations familiar from physical chemistry are the natural setting for describing conductances; for small-to-moderate numbers of channels, these will predict fluctuations in conductances and stochasticity in the resulting action potentials. At first glance, the kinetic equations provide a far more complex (and higher-dimensional) description than the original Hodgkin-Huxley equations. This has prompted more than a decade of efforts to capture channel fluctuations with noise terms added to the Hodgkin-Huxley equations. Many of these approaches, while intuitively appealing, produce quantitative errors when compared to kinetic equations; others, as only very recently demonstrated, are both accurate and relatively simple. We review what works, what doesn't, and why, seeking to build a bridge to well-established results for the deterministic Hodgkin-Huxley equations. As such, we hope that this review will speed emerging studies of how channel noise modulates electrophysiological dynamics and function. We supply user-friendly Matlab simulation code of these stochastic versions of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations on the ModelDB website (accession number 138950) and http://www.amath.washington.edu/~etsb/tutorials.html.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, review articl

Exploring the influence of management information systems on strategic planning: The mediating role of business intelligence

This quantitative study investigates the relationships between Management Information Systems (MIS), Business Intelligence (BI), and Strategic Planning (SP) within Jordanian Public Listed Companies, with a focus on the mediating role of BI. The target population comprises employees from the 108 public shareholding companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange, totaling an estimated 1,080 senior managers involved in strategic planning. A random sample of 285 employees was surveyed to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with multi-item scales adapted from prior studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the conceptual framework and hypothesized relationships, utilizing the two-step SEM approach with AMOS software. The results reveal significant positive relationships among MIS, BI, and SP. Specifically, MIS exhibits a statistically significant positive effect on SP, supporting previous research indicating MIS provides comprehensive data for informed planning. Furthermore, MIS significantly influences BI capabilities, underscoring the importance of robust MIS infrastructure for advanced BI analytics. BI, in turn, positively impacts SP, aligning with literature suggesting BI tools enhance planning agility and effectiveness through data-driven insights. Bootstrapping analysis demonstrates that BI partially mediates the relationship between MIS and SP. While BI acted as a significant mediating variable, MIS had a significant direct impact on SP, implying that though MIS has a direct impact on SP, it has an indirect impact, through BI, as well. Further analysis revealed that the constructs are interconnected, and that the mediation of BI is a necessary part of the process in Jordanian Public Listed Companies. As such, acknowledging the relevance of MIS, BI, and SP and the mediating role of BI, organizations can adapt their decision-making to achieve sustained competitive advantage within the dynamic business environment in Jordan

Digital transformation and the challenges associated with applying digital technologies in achieving strategic flexibility in public administration: a case study in Jordan

The study aimed to identify the impact of digital transformation and analyze the obstacles and complexities facing the integration of digital technologies into Jordanian Customs and their subsequent impact on achieving strategic flexibility. The study aims to uncover challenges, evaluate their effects, and suggest recommendations to enhance adaptive strategies within Jordanian Customs considering digital transformations. The study included employees in Jordanian General Customs, including customs officials, IT staff, and administrative staff working on digital initiatives. A population of 670 individuals was identified, from whom a purposive sample of (465) directly involved in digital transformation efforts was selected to participate in the study. The study used the descriptive analytical approach to comprehensively investigate the challenges of digital transformation within Jordanian Customs. Surveys, interviews, analysis of regulatory documents formed data collection methods. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis and regression modeling, while qualitative insights were thematically analyzed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced. The analysis revealed the results, the most important of which is that digital transformation has a positive, statistically significant impact in its four dimensions (strategy, organizational culture, transformational leadership, and human resources) in achieving strategic agility in Jordanian Customs, and reveals multi-faceted challenges prevailing within Jordanian Customs, including structural constraints. Infrastructure, resistance to change, cyber security vulnerabilities, and skills gaps among the workforces. The regression analysis highlighted the significant impact of these challenges in hindering the achievement of strategic flexibility within the Customs Department. Based on the results of the study, Jordanian Customs is recommended to take proactive measures to confront the challenges identified. This includes investing in a robust technology infrastructure, implementing targeted training programs to improve employee skills, promoting a culture of innovation, and establishing cross-departmental collaboration to enhance adaptability and strategic flexibility. The study recommended increasing attention to training workers and raising their capabilities to deal with digital transformation positively and improve services

Barriers to formal healthcare utilisation among poor older people under the livelihood empowerment against poverty programme in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana

Abstract: Background: Even though there is a growing literature on barriers to formal healthcare use among older people, little is known from the perspective of vulnerable older people in Ghana. Involving poor older people under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, this study explores barriers to formal healthcare use in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana. Methods: Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 30 poor older people, 15 caregivers and 15 formal healthcare providers in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana. Data were analysed using the thematic analytical framework, and presented based on an a posteriori inductive reduction approach. Results: Four main barriers to formal healthcare use were identified: physical accessibility barriers (poor transport system and poor architecture of facilities), economic barriers (low income coupled with high charges, and non-comprehensive nature of the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS]), social barriers (communication/language difficulties and poor family support) and unfriendly nature of healthcare environment barriers (poor attitude of healthcare providers). Conclusions: Considering these barriers, removing them would require concerted efforts and substantial financial investment by stakeholders. We argue that improvement in rural transport services, implementation of free healthcare for poor older people, strengthening of family support systems, recruitment of language translators at the health facilities and establishment of attitudinal change programmes would lessen barriers to formal healthcare use among poor older people. This study has implications for health equity and health policy framework in Ghana

The Love of Money and Pay Level Satisfaction: Measurement and Functional Equivalence in 29 Geopolitical Entities around the World

Demonstrating the equivalence of constructs is a key requirement for cross-cultural empirical research. The major purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to assess measurement and functional equivalence or invariance using the 9-item, 3-factor Love of Money Scale (LOMS, a second-order factor model) and the 4-item, 1-factor Pay Level Satisfaction Scale (PLSS, a first-order factor model) across 29 samples in six continents (N = 5973). In step 1, we tested the configural, metric and scalar invariance of the LOMS and 17 samples achieved measurement invariance. In step 2, we applied the same procedures to the PLSS and nine samples achieved measurement invariance. Five samples (Brazil, China, South Africa, Spain and the USA) passed the measurement invariance criteria for both measures. In step 3, we found that for these two measures, common method variance was non-significant. In step 4, we tested the functional equivalence between the Love of Money Scale and Pay Level Satisfaction Scale. We achieved functional equivalence for these two scales in all five samples. The results of this study suggest the critical importance of evaluating and establishing measurement equivalence in cross-cultural studies. Suggestions for remedying measurement non-equivalence are offered