Investigating factors affecting loyalty to learning through social media

Background and Objectives: Today, with the development of mass communication tools and computers, the penetration and expansion of the Internet in various areas of life is undeniable. One of the most pervasive phenomena that has emerged on the Internet in recent years is the emergence of social media. Social media has affected social and economic life. The spread of social media has attracted the attention of various segments of society, including educational administrators. From the perspective of educational administrators, social media provides unique opportunities for teaching and learning. Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that rely on the basics of Web technology to create and share user-generated content. Social media, in addition to the entertainment aspect, is used to access and disseminate learning information, and their use to achieve educational goals has been studied in detail. One of the applications of social media is learning, in which the learning process takes place through knowledge sharing. With the development of social media, proper and efficient use of it is inevitable. Social media is a good tool for learning. In order to have a better and more advanced society, special attention should be given to the role of learning through social media. One of the issues that promotes the development of learning through social media is the loyalty of users to learning through social media. Therefore, in the present study, the antecedents of learning loyalty through social media have been studied. Methods: The present study is a descriptive study in terms of objective and applied in nature. The data gathering instrument was a questionnaire and the population of this research was the users of the Telegram group of Qom IT Centre. In the current study, convenience sampling was used to collect 364 questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS and LISREL software. Findings: The findings of the study showed that more than 95% of the statistical population were university educated and all the research hypotheses were confirmed. Conclusion: The results of the research show that two indicators for measurement of learning loyalty through social media (behavioral intention to continue using and willingness to recommend to others) are affected by satisfaction, and satisfaction is also affected by self-efficacy of learning and interest to learning through social media. The results also showed that the cognitive disability of the Internet has disadvantages and causes a decrease in self-efficacy and interest in learning through social media. When a person feels the self-efficacy of learning through social media, they find interest and satisfaction in learning through it. Also, the interest in learning through social media leads to the satisfaction of learning through it, and finally, if a person finds satisfaction in learning, they have a behavioral tendency to continue using social media and a tendency to advise others.Through the above, the development of social media as a learning tool is possible, and this brings many benefits, including reducing learning costs, reducing learning time, expanding learning fairly, and improving learning.   ===================================================================================== COPYRIGHTS  ©2020 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, as long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.  ====================================================================================

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic

Her2/neu Expression in Wilms' Tumor and Correlation With Histopathologic Findings

BACKGROUND: Wilms' tumor is an emberyonal tumor arising from remnants of immature renal tissue. Her2/neu is an onco-protein which mediates cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival. METHODS: In the current study, we analyzed Her2/neu expression in 40 Wilms' tumors. The clinico-demographic data of 40 patients with Wilms' tumor were retrieved. Immunohistochemical staining for HER2/neu was performed. Her2/neuimmunoreactivity was evaluated by Canadian Consensus 2007 scoring system. RESULTS: Among the 38 specimens with epithelial component, 68.5 were positive for Her2/neu, whereas there was immunoreactivity in 37 of 38 blastemal, and 12 of 31 stromal components. The Her2/neu expression was significantly higher in early stages (81.5) than in advanced stages (36.4) in epithelial component, but not in other components. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that Her2/neuexpression is associated with epithelial cell differentiation accompanied by lower stages of tumor. No significant relationship was found between Her2/neu positivity and tumor size and patient's age and gender

Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Diabetes Self-Management Behaviors on the Association Between Social Support and Glycemic Control

Glycemic control is considered the primary therapeutic goal for management of diabetes. This study confirmed the mediating role of self-efficacy and self-management behaviors on the association between social support and glycemic control. Social support should be recognized as a key element in new interventions to improve glycemic control in routine practice. © 2021, Anthony J. Jannetti Inc.. All rights reserved

The Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiency among Referred to Clinical Laboratories in Eyvan City during 2015 and 2016- Ilam province, Iran

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) causes same diseases such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and fractures, and also it is shown that Vitamin D deficiency could lead to some cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many types of cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency among referring to laboratories in Eyvan city during 2015 and 2016. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 and 2015 on patients who were referred to the laboratories at Eyvan city. Serum levels of 25OHD were determined using a ELISA assay. The data were analyzed SPSS 17 software using descriptive and analytical tests. Results: Out of 2 919 participants, 2053 patients were women. The average age was 36.25±17.1 (range 1-92) yrs. The overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the patients admitted to the medical laboratories was estimated that approximately 62%. The prevalence severe and moderate vitamin D deficiency was calculated 10.4 and 51.5, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the ages 1-6, 7-18, 19-60 and over 60 years was estimated 45%, 59%, 64% and 58%, respectively. The mean vitamin D concentration was 36.25±18.79 ng/ml. The relationship between deficiency of vitamin D with age and gender was statistically significant (P=000). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency prevalence is high, so the intervention plan seems essential to avoid complications of vitamin D deficiency such as medication treatment and establishing nationally-mandated food fortification programs to enhance the intake of vitamin D