KRITERIA PENDIDIK PERSPEKTIF BUYA HAMKA (Analisis Tafsir Al-Azhar dan Pemikirannya Tentang Pendidik)

This research raises the issue of Hamka's thoughts regarding the criteria for educators in terms of his tafsir book. The book of exegesis written certainly contains tendencies and influences from the thoughts of the author. In this case the author wants to make relevance between his thoughts and his interpretation of Qs. Yūsuf/12:4-6 in Tafsir Al-Azhar. This research is useful to know the various criteria of educators, their perspectives on the interpretation of Qs. Yūsuf/12:4-6 and their relevance to their thoughts about educators. This research is based on literature studies and includes qualitative types (descriptive analysis that is useful for dismantling and finding educator criteria on Hamka's interpretation). The result of this study is in the form of seven criteria educators perspective Hamka in his interpretation of the verse has a relationship with his thoughts about educators.Penelitian ini mengangkat permasalahan tentang pemikiran Hamka terkait kriteria pendidik ditinjau dari kitab tafsir yang dimilikinya. Kitab tafsir yang ditulis tentu memuat kecenderungan dan keterpengaruhan dari pemikiran penulisnya. Dalam hal ini penulis ingin merelevansikan antara pemikirannya tersebut dengan penafsiran beliau pada Qs. Yūsuf/12:4-6 dalam Tafsir Al-Azhar. Penelitian ini berguna untuk mengetahui pelbagai kriteria pendidik perspektif Hamka pada penafsiran Qs. Yūsuf/12:4-6 dan merelevansikannya dengan pemikiran Hamka tentang pendidik. Penelitian ini berbasis studi Pustaka dan termasuk jenis kualitatif (analisis deskriptif yang berguna untuk membongkar dan menemukan kriteria pendidik pada penafsiran Hamka). Hasil penelitian ini berupa adanya tujuh keriteria pendidik perspektif Hamka dalam penafsirannya pada ayat tersebut dan memiliki hubungan dengan pemikirannya tentang pendidik. Kata kunci:  Buya Hamka; Kriteria Pendidik; Tafsir al-Azhar; Tafsir Tarbawī

Factors influencing utilisation of services provided by community midwives and their non-retention in district Thatta, Pakistan: A qualitative study protocol

Introduction: Drawing on the well-acknowledged evidence of community midwives services to address the issue of high maternal mortality, the Government of Pakistan initiated the Community Midwifery (CMW) programme in 2006 to provide skilled birth attendance to pregnant women living in rural areas. Despite a large investment in CMW programme, the availability of community midwives in rural areas following their training is a constant struggle. The concerns related to the training, support and acceptability of community midwives need to be studied in order to identify gaps in the provision of skilled maternal and newborn healthcare. Therefore, this study aims to explore factors influencing the utilisation of services provided by community midwives and their non-retention in district Thatta, Pakistan.Methods and analysis: The study will use a qualitative exploratory research design. The data will be collected through semistructured interviews and an approach of purposive sampling for the selection of participants for interviews. The study will be conducted in one of the rural districts Thatta of Province Sindh, Pakistan. The data will be collected through key informant interviews (KIIs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs). The KIIs will be conducted with officials of the health department (Thatta), the provincial maternal and newborn child health programme, and the Midwifery Association of Pakistan. The IDIs will be conducted with midwifery students, community midwives working and not working in the district, and community women of district Thatta. Data will be analysed through qualitative data analysis software NVivo V.10 and the thematic analysis approach.Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for this study has been obtained from the Aga Khan University Ethical Review Committee (2020-3391-11138). The results of the study will be disseminated to the scientific community, to policy-makers involved in CMW programme training and implementation, and to the research subjects participating in the study

Computational Study of Hydrogel Ring Device for Ocular Drug Delivery

Researchers have developed many different kinds of ocular drug delivery devices. However, most address anterior eye disorders—very few are designed specifically for the treatment of posterior eye diseases. A recently-developed hydrogel ring device is capable of delivering therapeutic quantities of the drug Ofloxacin to treat ocular infections at the back of the eye—a region typically difficult to access via systemic (e.g. ingestion of pills) and topical (e.g. eye drops) methods. Despite promising preliminary in vivo test results, much remains unknown about the precise drug transport pathway from the hydrogel ring to the posterior segment of the eye, as well as how design parameters may be altered to increase drug delivery efficiency. The aim of this work is to fully characterize the drug release and transport characteristics from the hydrogel, to ocular tissues (anterior and posterior), as well as provide a quantitative method for the optimization of various hydrogel ring design parameters. To achieve the abovementioned goals, we built a computational model using COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the release of Ofloxacin from the hydrogel ring and to obtain the resulting drug distribution in ocular tissues at various time points. Using the model, we monitored the transient Ofloxacin concentration profile over the entire eye, for a treatment period of ten hours. Our results showed that while Ofloxacin diffuses to the anterior region much more quickly than to posterior tissues, Ofloxacin concentrations do successfully accumulate to therapeutic levels in the posterior tissues during the simulated ten-hour treatment period. This finding supports the therapeutic potential of the hydrogel ring for the treatment of posterior eye diseases. We also performed optimization analyses to determine the ideal set of hydrogel ring design parameters for the treatment of infections caused by three bacterial species commonly associated with ocular disorders: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Preliminary findings suggest that the combination of an initial mass of 3 mg/m3 of Ofloxacin in the hydrogel and an Ofloxacin diffusivity of 3.11X10−9 m2/s in the hydrogel provide the best possible therapeutic outcome (from the range of values tested) for the treatment of E. coli and S. aureus infections. To our best knowledge, there is no existing computational model that simulates drug transport through the entire human eye from an ocular drug delivery device. We believe that our computational model will be highly useful for quantitative device characterization of the hydrogel ring, as well as in the optimization of the hydrogel ring design for the treatment of posterior eye disorders. This work may also serve as a model and reference for future computational work on ocular pharmacokinetics and/or ocular drug delivery devices

Drive (Quantum) Safe! – Towards PQ Authentication for V2V Communications

We tackle a challenging problem at the intersection of two emerging technologies: post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication with its strict requirements. We are the first to devise and evaluate a practical, provably secure design for integrating PQ authentication into the IEEE 1609.2 V2V security ecosystem. By theoretically and empirically analyzing the three PQ signature algorithms selected for standardization by NIST, as well as XMSS (RFC 8391), we propose a Partially Hybrid design—a tailored fusion of classical cryptography and PQC—for use during the nascent transition period to PQC. As opposed to a direct substitution of PQC for classical cryptography, our design meets the unique constraints of standardized V2V protocols

Robust composite nonlinear feedback for nonlinear Steer-by-Wire vehicle’s Yaw control

Yaw control is a part of an Active Front Steering (AFS) system, which is used to improve vehicle manoeuvrability. Previously, it has been reported that the yaw rate tracking performance of a linear Steer-by-Wire (SBW) vehicle equipped with a Composite Nonlinear Feedback (CNF) controller and a Disturbance Observer (DOB) is robust with respect to side wind disturbance effects. This paper presents further investigation regarding the robustness of the combination between a CNF and a DOB in a nonlinear environment through a developed 7-DOF nonlinear SBW vehicle. Moreover, in contrast to previous studies, this paper also contributes in presenting the validation works of the proposed control system in a real-time situation using a Hardware-in-Loop (HIL) platform. Simulation and validation results show that the CNF and DOB managed to reduce the influence of the side wind disturbance in nonlinearities

A Narrative Review of Chronic Kidney Disease in Clinical Practice: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex disease which affects approximately 13% of the world's population. Over time, CKD can cause renal dysfunction and progression to end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Complications associated with CKD may contribute to the acceleration of disease progression and the risk of cardiovascular-related morbidities. Early CKD is asymptomatic, and symptoms only present at later stages when complications of the disease arise, such as a decline in kidney function and the presence of other comorbidities associated with the disease. In advanced stages of the disease, when kidney function is significantly impaired, patients can only be treated with dialysis or a transplant. With limited treatment options available, an increasing prevalence of both the elderly population and comorbidities associated with the disease, the prevalence of CKD is set to rise. This review discusses the current challenges and the unmet patient need in CKD

You light up my life!

It is often misconstrued that communication can only be done by macro-organisms including the common man. This is the central dogma that is circulated universally. Organisms like Alivibrio fischeri, or what was once known as Vibrio fischeri has challenged this theory. Microorganisms are able to communicate through a mechanism called quorum sensing

Concomitant deletion of Ptpn6 and Ptpn11 in T cells fails to improve anticancer responses

Anticancer T cells acquire a dysfunctional state characterized by poor effector function and expression of inhibitory receptors, such as PD-1. Blockade of PD-1 leads to T cell reinvigoration and is increasingly applied as an effective anticancer treatment. Recent work challenged the commonly held view that the phosphatase PTPN11 (known as SHP-2) is essential for PD-1 signaling in T cells, suggesting functional redundancy with the homologous phosphatase PTPN6 (SHP-1). Therefore, we investigated the effect of concomitant Ptpn6 and Ptpn11 deletion in T cells on their ability to mount antitumour responses. In vivo data show that neither sustained nor acute Ptpn6/11 deletion improves T cell-mediated tumor control. Sustained loss of Ptpn6/11 also impairs the therapeutic effects of anti-PD1 treatment. In vitro results show that Ptpn6/11-deleted CD8(+) T cells exhibit impaired expansion due to a survival defect and proteomics analyses reveal substantial alterations, including in apoptosis-related pathways. These data indicate that concomitant ablation of Ptpn6/11 in polyclonal T cells fails to improve their anticancer properties, implying that caution shall be taken when considering their inhibition for immunotherapeutic approaches

Patients as qualitative data analysts: developing a method for a process evaluation of the ‘Improving the Safety and Continuity Of Medicines management at care Transitions’ (ISCOMAT) randomised controlled trial

Background How to meaningfully partner with patients as data analysts remains obscure. A process evaluation of the ‘Improving the Safety and Continuity Of Medicines management at care Transitions’ (ISCOMAT) cluster randomised control trial of an intervention for improving medicines use for people living with heart failure is being conducted. The intervention includes patient held information on heart medicines and care, enhanced communication between hospital and community pharmacists, and increased engagement of community pharmacists with patient care post‐hospital discharge. ISCOMAT patients living with heart failure were interviewed about experiences with the intervention. We sought to gain insights from patients on data collected to enhance our understanding of experiences with the intervention. Objective To develop a method for involving patients as analysts of qualitative data in a process evaluation. Design Patients and researchers co‐analysed qualitative data. A framework method was applied involving; familiarisation, coding, developing an analytical framework and interpretation. The process was facilitated through home working and a workshop with a training component. Results The co‐designed framework enabled researchers to map all further patient interview data. Patients' specialist knowledge enhanced understanding of how the ISCOMAT intervention can be best implemented. Conclusions Patients’ unique experiences can enhance validity and rigour in data analysis through sharing their interpretations of qualitative data. The involvement process is crucial in elucidating knowledge and avoiding tokenism. As analysts, patients gain an appreciation of research processes, building trust between researchers and patients. Group dynamics and involving patients throughout the whole research process are important considerations

Short durations of corticosteroids for hospitalised COVID-19 patients are associated with a high readmission rate.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe the characteristics of patients admitted, discharged and readmitted, due to COVID-19, to a central London acute-care hospital during the second peak, in particular in relation to corticosteroids use. METHODS: We reviewed patients admitted from the community to University College Hospital (UCH) with COVID-19 as their primary diagnosis between 1st-31st December 2020. Re-attendance and readmission data were collected for patients who re-presented within 10 days following discharge. Data were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: 196 patients were admitted from the community with a diagnosis of COVID-19 and discharged alive in December 2020. Corticosteroids were prescribed in hospital for a median of 5 days (IQR 3-8). 20 patients (10.2%) were readmitted within 10 days. 11/20 received corticosteroids in the first admission of which 10 had received 1-3 days of corticosteroids. Readmission rate in those receiving 1-3 days of corticosteroids was 25%. CONCLUSIONS: Most international guidelines have recommended providing up to 10 days of corticosteroids for severe COVID-19 but stopping on discharge. Our findings show shorter courses of corticosteroids during admission are associated with an increased risk of being readmitted and support continuing the course of corticosteroids after hospital discharge monitored in the virtual ward setting