Saving Lives Under Fire: The Extraordinary Efforts of ICU Health Professionals in the Ukrainian War

Amid the Ukrainian War, the heroes of the intensive care unit (ICU) - doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and many others - valiantly confront unprecedented challenges, showcasing resilience and dedication in the face of adversity. Despite limited resources and electricity backup issues, these health professionals worked tirelessly to provide life-saving care to critically ill patients, including those with gunshot wounds, shrapnel injuries, burns, and traumatic brain injuries. The article highlights the need to denounce attacks on medical personnel during conflicts, and strategies for supporting ICU health professionals in war zones are suggested, including hazard pay, comprehensive insurance coverage, safety training and equipment, support networks and mental health services, and ongoing education and professional development. The heroic efforts of ICU health professionals during times of war highlight the crucial role they play in healthcare systems worldwide

Exploring native speaker and non-native speaker accents: The English as a Lingua Franca perspective

The relevance of the ideology of the native–speaker (NS) as a model and target in English language teaching (ELT) has over the recent years been increasingly questioned with the emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF).Accents that do not conform to NS standards are termed as ‘foreign’ and are usually considered to be something to get rid of by training.This study examines how non-native speakers (NNS) of English view NNS accents in relation to NS accents.The findings show that the respondents consistently ranked NS accents higher than NNS in terms of correctness, acceptability, pleasantness and familiarity

A Comprehensive Review on Speech Recognition and Its Techniques

Abstract: This paper provides a review on speech recognition system and its techniques. And provide the advancement in the field of speech recognition system. As speech is a way for the communication between the sender and receiver. A speech recognition system takes speech signal as the input and gives the output in the form of text. This paper describes the basic Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) System. Provide various Speech recognition techniques such as speech analysis, feature extraction techniques, and matching techniques. This paper gives brief description of feature extraction techniques such as Linear Prediction coding (LPC), Mel frequency Cepstral coefficient (MFCC) and Perceptual Linear Predictive (PLP) technique

An evaluation of i-Tutorial: a multimedia learning material in Open University Malaysia

In distance learning both the instructor and students are separated, thus learning material plays a vital role in filing the gap which is not only a source of disseminating knowledge and information but also for motivating the learner to learn independently. As an open and distance learning institution, Open University Malaysia (OUM) provided a suite of learning materials for its learners which includes print and digital material. i-Tutorial is one of the digital learning material that is used in some of the courses in the university. It is a visual clip of a lecturer presenting content by using pen device on power point slides, digital movie/pictures or digital tablet. This research aims to investigate the perceived effectiveness of i-Tutorial by evaluating four major aspects of multimedia materials, they are: design, elements, instructional messages, and interactivity. A well-designed media-rich i-Tutorial will not only enhance learning and translate into better learning outcomes but provides a stimulating environment for learning and retaining information delivered. The research data was collected via an online survey and a focus group. The findings from the survey and discussion indicated that i-Tutorial was well received by the students for all the four multimedia factors and also regarded supportive in their learning. (Authors' abstract

Facebook as a collaborative and communication tool: A study of secondary school students in Malaysia

This study discusses the acceptance of the utilization of Facebook as a communication tool and collaborative educational tool amongst secondary school students.This study is based on the four constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.The respondents were 150 secondary school students who were randomly selected. The data for this study was elicited through questionnaires adapted from Venkatesh et al. (2003). The findings showed that performance expectations and effort expectations do not have a significant positive impact on behavioral intentions.On the other hand, the coefficients for social influence and facilitating conditions had a significant positive effect on behavioral intentions

An analysis of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related awareness among masses

Background: Prevention is better than cure. This age-old phrase holds very true in the case of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). So, adequate HIV and AIDS related education for young people is considered as an important prevention strategy. The main aim of the study was to analyze the awareness regarding HIV/AIDS among masses. The other objectives were to review and analyze the existing awareness campaigns regarding the need for establishment of new awareness campaigns.Methods: The study was conducted among a total of 80 subjects through a questionnaire comprising of questions about HIV/AIDS.Results: It was observed that the awareness among subjects with the non-scientific educational background was less than those with the scientific educational background. The analysis of attempted questionnaires showed that the knowledge of Indian subjects lacked considerably in certain basic areas related to HIV/AIDS. This indicates that the awareness measures and strategies running in India are ineffective and inadequate. Furthermore, it was observed that counseling by teachers, friends, and parents/families in Indians was lesser than that of subjects from the USA.Conclusion: Lack of awareness among masses has pointed toward the need to promote more awareness campaigns. It has been concluded that there is a need of providing comprehensive and detailed information regarding the preventive measures to masses, especially young people not only through educational institutions but also through families and friends

A Review on Pharmacological Profile of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha)

ABSTRACT Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is a plant used in medicine from the time of Ayurveda, the ancient system of Indian medicine. The dried roots of the plant are used in the treatment of nervous and sexual disorders. this review article is presented to compile all the updated information on its phytochemical and pharmacological activities, which were performed by widely different methods. Studies indicate ashwagandha possesses antioxidant, anxiolytic, adaptogen, memory enhancing, antiparkinsonian, antivenom, antiinflammatory, antitumor properties. Various other effects like immunomodulation, hypolipidemic, antibacterial, cardiovascular protection, sexual behaviour, tolerance and dependence have also been studied. These results are very encouraging and indicate this herb should be studied more extensively to confirm these results and reveal other potential therapeutic effects. Clinical trials using ashwagandha for a variety of conditions should also be conducted

In silico bioprospection analysis for identification of herbal compound targeting Clostridium difficile

655-661Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), the occurrence has been increasing in the community as well as hospital-care facilities, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality rate. C. difficile, anaerobic pathogen greatly associated with antibiotic resistance and majorly linked to the irrational antibiotic use, which accelerate the alarming situation causing endemic as well epidemic globally. It is the budding menace and one of the major sources of nosocomial infection, i.e., hospital-acquired infection. The prevailing risk to public health by the antibiotics and their resistance majorly has driven the urge for utilizing the traditional herbal medicine into a sophisticated approach as a Modern/Ayurvedic Medicinal System (AMS). The current study aims to find out the promising herbals to combat the threat caused by C. difficile by applying herbal informatics as a holistic approach. Total 44 plants were elucidated against the virulence factors of the bacterium using the systematic bioprospection approach, out of which 5 plants were optimized that may be futher validated at the preclinical level

Effect of mixing paddy straw with molasses and urea on fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of maize silage

The present investigation was aimed at studying the improvement of fermentation and nutritive quality of rice straw-maize silage by the inclusion of different additives. In the experiment, paddy straw and green maize fodder were mixed in ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 for silage preparation. These combinations were made in a triplicate and added with no additive (C), 2% urea (T1), 1% molasses (T2) and a mixture of 2% urea and 1% molasses (T3) in completely randomized design (CRD). The silages were harvested after 45 days and then analyzed for chemical composition, fermentation characteristics and anti-nutritional factors. Results revealed that dry matter (DM), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), crude fibre (CF), ash and pH increased with an increase in the proportion of paddy straw in all combinations. Addition of 2% urea increased in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), crude protein (CP) and total gas production (TGP) of paddy straw and maize fodder silage. Urea treatment considerably reduced the oxalate content and increased the tannin content of paddy straw and maize fodder silage. In the present study, silage prepared by combining paddy straw and maize fodder in ratio of 25:75 had good aroma and fermentation characteristics which can be, therefore, utilized for effective silage making