Service Quality in the Open and Distance Learning

The purpose of this paper is to examine the learner’s perceptions of the service quality in an open and distance learning institution in Malaysia. Focus group sessions and structured questionnaires were used to collect the relevant information from the respondents. A total of 44 respondents participated in the focus group and 1197 participated in the self-administered questionnaire survey. The results of the study showed that service quality in the open and distance learning has several characteristics different from traditional higher institutions. As such new perspectives on service quality was proposed and subsequently tested in a Malaysian institution. It was also found that the overall satisfaction was related to each of the key dimensions of service quality. The results of the t-tests and ANOVA showed that gender, ethnicity, type of academic programs, and location of learning centers have an effect on perceived service quality in the open and distance learning. The implications of the study are also discussed. (Authors' abstract

Security & Privacy Issues of Big Data in IOT based Healthcare System using Cloud Computing

The increasing popularity of IOT based technology in healthcare arena using cloud computing immensely emphasizes on using big data as a service for facilitating a proper structure for collected healthcare data and accommodating such ample number of diverse data for better diagnosis, medication and prediction of human health. The recent revolution brought in healthcare by internet of things allows us to experience the gigantic figure of data with more complexity, diversity and timeliness. Hence, the question rises in the researcher’s den about the security and privacy of such enormous data. Therefore, nowadays the limelight has been shifted questioning on how much secure and private those data which are generated from IOT devices and being stored in cloud environment? In this paper we have drafted a survey on most probable security as well as privacy problems related to healthcare which needs to grab the attention for enabling the healthcare system more reliable, more effective in terms of advancement of medical science and curing more patients at a time predicting the possible diseases

Association between air pollution and ventricular arrhythmias in high-risk patients (ARIA study): a multicentre longitudinal study

Summary Background Although the effects of air pollution on mortality have been clearly shown in many epidemiological and observational studies, the pro-arrhythmic effects remain unknown. We aimed to assess the short-term effects of air pollution on ventricular arrhythmias in a population of high-risk patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) or cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillators (ICD-CRT). Methods In this prospective multicentre study, we assessed 281 patients (median age 71 years) across nine centres in the Veneto region of Italy. Episodes of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation that were recorded by the diagnostic device were considered in this analysis. Concentrations of particulate matter of less than 10 μm (PM 10 ) and less than 2·5 μm (PM 2·5 ) in aerodynamic diameter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone were obtained daily from monitoring stations, and the 24 h median value was considered. Each patient was associated with exposure data from the monitoring station that was closest to their residence. Patients were followed up for 1 year and then scheduled to have a closing visit, within 1 more year. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01723761. Findings Participants were enrolled from April 1, 2011, to Sept 30, 2012, and follow-ups (completed on April 5, 2014) ranged from 637 to 1177 days (median 652 days). The incidence of episodes of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation correlated significantly with PM 2·5 (p 10 . An analysis of ventricular fibrillation episodes alone showed a significant increase in risk of higher PM 2·5 (p=0·002) and PM 10 values (p=0·0057). None of the gaseous pollutants were significantly linked to the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. In a subgroup analysis of patients with or without a previous myocardial infarction, only the first showed a significant association between particulate matter and episodes of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Interpretation Particulate matter has acute pro-arrhythmic effects in a population of high-risk patients, which increase on exposure to fine particles and in patients who have experienced a previous myocardial infarction. The time sequence of the arrhythmic events suggests there is an underlying neurally mediated mechanism. From a clinical point of view, the results of our study should encourage physicians to also consider environmental risk when addressing the prevention of arrhythmic events, particularly in patients with coronary heart disease, advising them to avoid exposure to high levels of fine particulate matter. Funding There was no funding source for this study

Realization of resistorless floating inductor using modified CDTA

This paper briefly introduces a modified current differencing trans-conductance amplifier (M-CDTA) and its application in the simple realization of floating inductors. The proposed inductor is positive floating and lossless type offering the advantage of wider frequency bandwidth. The resulting equivalent inductance has been realized using one M-CDTA and one grounded capacitor and its inductance value can be adjusted electronically by proper tuning of the bias current. Results demonstrating the behavior of the circuit and its application confirming the theoretical analysis are verified through PSPICE simulations

Development and validation of a stability indicating RP-HPLC method for determination of flucytosine and its process related impurities in injectable pharmaceuticals

A simple, sensitive reproducible and cost effective reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) method coupled with a photodiode array detector was developed and validated for determination of Flucytosine and its related substances in pharmaceutical dosage forms, especially for injectable solution. The separation was achieved from octadecylsilyl silica gel, C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5) column with a mobile phase consisting of HPLC grade Water and Methanol (95:5) at a flow rate of 1ml/min with UV detection at 260 nm at 30 C column temperature. Total run time was 10 min within which main compound and other known (Fluorouracil) and unknown impurities were separated. Stability indicating capability was established by force degradation experiments and separation of known degradation products. This chromatographic method was optimized using the samples generated from forced degradation studies and the impurity spiked solution. Good resolution between the peaks corresponds to process-related impurities and degradation products from the analyte were achieved. The method was validated for Accuracy, Repeatability, Reproducibility and Robustness, Linearity, LOQ and LOD were established for Flucytosine and its impurities in a single RPHPLC method. Therefore, this method can be used as a more convenient and efficient option for the analysis of Flucytosine assay and its related substances in injectable pharmaceutical dosage form to establish the quality of the drug product during routine analysis with consistent and reproducible results

The influence of organizational culture on attitudes toward organizational change

This study investigates the influence of organizational culture on attitudes toward organizational change in Malaysia. Based on the work of Goffee and Jones and Dunham et al., a structured questionnaire was developed and self-administered to 258 companies listed in the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing directory. The results showed that there is an association between organizational culture and the affective, cognitive, and behavioral tendency of attitudes toward organizational change. The findings also showed that different types of organizational culture have different levels of acceptance of attitudes toward organizational change. This means that certain type of organizational culture could facilitate the acceptability of change, while other types of culture could not accept it. The implications of this research are also discussed. (Authors' abstract

Buyer Paying Lower Price of Bangladeshi Apparel: An Empirical Investigation on Causes

In the last few decades RMG sector has been acted as backbone of economy of Bangladesh. It consumed about 80% of foreign earning. In the recent time, it has been noticed that buyers are not interested to pay the equal price of garments from Bangladesh and from other countries although the quality remains same. For instance, per square meter priced $7.38 the products of Turkey$ 5.37 from Malaysia where $ 2.79 from Bangladesh. The main aim of this study is to find the causes of this. For this descriptive research method was followed and data were collected from secondary sources like case studies, journals, thesis papers, online newspapers, research articles, garments manufacturing industries annual reports, newspapers, survey reports, and BGMEA yearly report. After the study, it was observed that due to lack of diversified products, image crisis, poor negotiation techniques, labor and political unrest are the main reason behind this

Symptom Oriented Pain Management- A review

ing specialty. It is defined as a “discipline of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, treatment of pain and its related disorders”. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage”. Melzack and Wall’s “Gate Control Theory” has opened new avenues for pain management. The neuropathic pain is “pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system”

Turning Performance and Factors Related to Turning in Mild And Moderate Phase Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Background/aim: The purpose of study is to determine the turning performance and other factors related to turning in mild and moderate phase Parkinson’s disease patients (PD).Methods: Ninety two patients were followed up for observation. After passing neurological examinations, the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn / Yahr Scale (H&Y), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Tinetti test, Berg Balance test, 6 m walking test, step count, 360° turning duration, and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were applied. All cases were evaluated according to the “on” period.Results: Forty one females and 51 males participated in the study. The duration of time it took to turn right was 8.22 ± 6.26 seconds, and the time it took to turn from left was 8.51 ± 6.63 sec. There appeared to be no statistical difference in the turn times of patients either in terms of the socio-economic factors of gender, education level, or employment status. But, statistically significant relationships were found when it came to in both directions, age, duration of illness, UPDRS, FIM, Tinetti, the Berg Test, the walking test, and the number of steps taken.Conclusion: Our results suggest that 360 degree turning performance in mild and moderate stage PD is strongly associated with patient’s age, disease duration and disease severity

ARTICLE IN PRESS Turkish Journal of Psychiatry 2013 Clinical and Cognitive Predictors of Psychosocial Functioning During the Euthymic Period in Bipolar Disorder Type II 2

SUMMARY Aim: Review of clinical and cognitive predictors of psychosocial functioning during the euthymic period period in patients with bipolar disorder type II (BD II) was aimed in this paper. Psychosocial functioning status, clinical and cognitive predictors of psychosocial functioning and assessment of psychosocial functioning during the euthymic period in patients with BD-II were discussed. Method: Studies investigated psychosocial functioning and its clinical and cognitive predictors were reviewed. Studies conducted between 1990 and 2013 were scanned. Results: It's been seen that there were limited studies investigating psychosocial functioning and predictors of psychosocial functioning. Findings from these limited studies indicated that patients with BD-II experienced psychosocial disability as much as BD-I did. It was reported that subclinical depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment were the prominent predictors of psychosocial functioning during the euthymic periods in patients with BD-II. Conclusion: There are limited studies conducted in euthymic BD-II patients. There are various findings among the studies. Nevertheless, subclinical depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments are the prominent predictors of psychosocial functioning in euthymic BD-II patients. However, follow-up and cross-sectional studies are needed in this area