The changing nature of university teaching: students' learning experience during the Covid-19 pandemic

Brief background/rationale: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic challenged higher education (HE) institutions across the globe, mainly through necessitating an urgent shift of their teaching and learning activities to a hybrid approach. Universities came up with several technological challenges, amongst others, in securing a smooth delivery of their hybrid approach, yet major obstacles and challenges were also experienced by all university students owing to this urgent shift. With hybrid teaching and learning to becoming the new pedagogical norm of the higher education sector globally, this research seeks to assess, evaluate and compare the students’ new learning experiences of hybrid teaching delivery within two diverse/distinct teaching environments, and to outline the main impediments and challenges associated with their learning experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research Aim(s): This study seeks to identify the impediments and challenges faced by university students in two distinct educational institutions (i.e., British and Bangladeshi), and to evaluate and compare their learning experiences of online / hybrid teaching and learning. Research findings: So far, 548 students completed the questionnaire (e.g., 285 British and 263 Bangladeshi). The vast majority from both cohorts are undergraduate students (214 UG / 71 PG British – 168 UG & 95 PG Bangladeshi), with an equal representation of male and female students. Research findings highlight students’ dissatisfaction of hybrid teaching and learning, mainly because of the lack of fulfilling their university life experience due to self-isolation, limited social interaction, lockdown restrictions, technology challenges (e.g., bandwidth, connectivity, familiarity with tools, right equipment etc.). Contribution: This research contributes to the existing International HE literature by providing important insights relating to the adoption of online / hybrid teaching and learning in two distinct educational institutions. Our research findings and discussion further offer recommendations to policymakers to understand, assess and evaluate better key aspects of the hybrid provision, and accordingly to suggest innovative e-learning solutions post-pandemic. Further research is called to examine the challenges identified by students, and thus to allow HE institutions to offer better teaching and learning solutions to enhance their students’ learning experience. Although this working paper is limited by the selection criteria being employed, it could set the foundational point of future research

COVID-19 infection and vaccine status in patients with chronic kidney diseases

Background: The COVID-19 virus has had a great effect globally, changing many commonalities. The incidence of COVID-19 had weakened the immune system, leading to more severe outcomes of various common diseases. Since its early development, the vaccination of COVID-19 has also had mixed responses. The aim of the study was to observe the incidence rate of COVID-19 infection and vaccination status among chronic kidney disease patients. Methods: In this study 50 (27 male and 23 female) adult skulls were investigated to determine the type of asterion, its distance from important bony landmarks and also the nearby venous sinuses were measured. Results: Majority (41.61%) of the participants had been between the ages of 41-55 years old, and 64.84% male prevalence was observed. 60.65% of the participants had been from rural areas. A large portion of the participants (38.06%) did not have any comorbidities, while multiple comorbidities were present among many of the remaining participants. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, observed in 56.45% of the participants. 72.26% of the present study participants had been asymptomatic, while 13.23% had a fever as their symptom of COVID-19. COVID-19 test was done on 81 patients, among whom 64 had tested positive. Among the total 310 participants, 29.03% had not received any vaccinations, while 14.19% had received only 1st dose of vaccination, 47.2% had received up to their 2nd dose, and 9.35% had received their booster dose. Conclusions: The present study observed a low incidence rate of COVID-19 positive patients among those affected by chronic kidney disease. However, the study also observed a significant positive relation between COVID-19 positive patients and the need for additional medical support, leading to the conclusion that COVID-19 can significantly affect the severity of CKD.

Positional Isomers of Isocyanoazulenes as Axial Ligands Coordinated to Ruthenium(II) Tetraphenylporphyrin : Fine-Tuning Redox and Optical Profiles

Two isomeric ruthenium(II)/5,10,15,20-tetraphe-nylporphyrin complexes featuring axially coordinated redox-active, low-optical gap 2- or 6-isocyanoazulene ligands have been isolated and characterized by NMR, UV-vis, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopic methods, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The UV-vis and MCD spectra support the presence of the low-energy, azulene-centered transitions in the Q band region of the porphyrin chromophore. The first coordination sphere in new L2RuTPP complexes reflects compressed tetragonal geometry. The redox properties of the new compounds were assessed by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical means and correlated with the electronic structures predicted by density functional theory and CASSCF calculations. Both experimental and theoretical data are consistent with the first two reduction processes involving the axial azulenic ligands, whereas the oxidation profile (in the direction of increasing potential) is exerted by the ruthenium ion, the porphyrin core, and the axial azulenic moieties.Peer reviewe

Low Resistance Polycrystalline Diamond Thin Films Deposited by Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition

Polycrystalline diamond thin films with outgrowing diamond (OGD) grains were deposited onto silicon wafers using a hydrocarbon gas (CH4) highly diluted with H2 at low pressure in a hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) reactor with a range of gas flow rates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SEM showed polycrystalline diamond structure with a random orientation. Polycrystalline diamond films with various textures were grown and (111) facets were dominant with sharp grain boundaries. Outgrowth was observed in flowerish character at high gas flow rates. Isolated single crystals with little openings appeared at various stages at low gas flow rates. Thus, changing gas flow rates had a beneficial influence on the grain size, growth rate and electrical resistivity. CVD diamond films gave an excellent performance for medium film thickness with relatively low electrical resistivity and making them potentially useful in many industrial applications

A hop-count based positioning algorithm for wireless ad-hoc networks

We propose a range-free localization algorithm for a wireless ad-hoc network utilizing the hop-count metric’s ability to indicate proximity to anchors (i.e., nodes with known positions). In traditional sense, hop-count generally means the number of intermediate routers a datagram has to go through between its source and the destination node. We analytically show that hop-count could be used to indicate proximity relative to an anchor node. Our proposed algorithm is computationally feasible for resource constrained wireless ad-hoc nodes, and gives reasonable accuracy. We perform both real experiments and simulations to evaluate the algorithm’s performance. Experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms similar proximity based algorithms utilizing received signal strength and expected transmission count. We also analyze the impact of various parameters like the number of anchor nodes, placements of anchor nodes and varying transmission powers of the nodes on the hop-count based localization algorithm’s performance through simulation

Prevalence and risk of hepatitis e virus infection in the HIV population of Nepal

Background: Infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause acute hepatitis in endemic areas in immune-competent hosts, as well as chronic infection in immune-compromised subjects in non-endemic areas. Most studies assessing HEV infection in HIV-infected populations have been performed in developed countries that are usually affected by HEV genotype 3. The objective of this study is to measure the prevalence and risk of acquiring HEV among HIV-infected individuals in Nepal. Methods: We prospectively evaluated 459 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive individuals from Nepal, an endemic country for HEV, for seroprevalence of HEV and assessed risk factors associated with HEV infection. All individuals were on antiretroviral therapy and healthy blood donors were used as controls. Results: We found a high prevalence of HEV IgG (39.4%) and HEV IgM (15.3%) in HIV-positive subjects when compared to healthy HIV-negative controls: 9.5% and 4.4%, respectively (OR: 6.17, 95% CI 4.42-8.61, p < 0.001 and OR: 3.7, 95% CI 2.35-5.92, p < 0.001, respectively). Individuals residing in the Kathmandu area showed a significantly higher HEV IgG seroprevalance compared to individuals residing outside of Kathmandu (76.8% vs 11.1%, OR: 30.33, 95% CI 18.02-51.04, p = 0.001). Mean CD4 counts, HIV viral load and presence of hepatitis B surface antigen correlated with higher HEV IgM rate, while presence of hepatitis C antibody correlated with higher rate of HEV IgG in serum. Overall, individuals with HEV IgM positivity had higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) than IgM negative subjects, suggesting active acute infection. However, no specific symptoms for hepatitis were identified. Conclusions: HIV-positive subjects living in Kathmandu are at higher risk of acquiring HEV infection as compared to the general population and to HIV-positive subjects living outside Kathmandu

Optimization of facade design based on the impact of interior obstructions to daylighting

Overcrowding in the perimeter zone is an inevitable issue in residential rooms with limited space. Obstructions, such as furniture and household items, may block the existing windows, and therefore affect interior daylight conditions. A facade design approach is needed that simultaneously takes into account daylighting and the volume of usable space for obstructions in the perimeter zone of such rooms. This study simulates daylight distributions in a typical small residential room with obstructions in front of windows. The simulation consists of two parts. First, the effects on horizontal illuminances caused by different positions and shapes of obstructions are examined under an overcast sky. Second, the maximum usable space volumes for obstructions of 51 optimized facade configurations are calculated in terms of four window-to-wall ratios (WWRs). The results of this study show that optimizing the forms of facade design can increase the usable interior space volume and meet the daylighting requirements of Chinese standards for small residential rooms. Additionally, by using the optimized facade forms, a facade with a WWR value of 50% provides the maximum usable space for obstructions. Based on the above results, this paper presents two matrices that can help architects in selecting the appropriate fenestration methods and confirming the size of usable space and allocation for residents

The prevalence of HBV infection in the cohort of IDPs of war against terrorism in Malakand Division of Northern Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis B is an important public health problem in the Pakistani population and is the major cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. High prevalence of HBV infections has been observed especially in areas of low economic status. In spite of effective immunization programs, no significant change has been observed in the epidemiology of HBV in the rural areas of Pakistan (~67.5% of the total population) mainly due to lack of interest from government authorities and poor hygienic measures. The current study was aimed at estimating the prevalence and risk factors associated with HBV infection within internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to war against terrorism in the Malakand Division of Northern Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples from 950 IDPs suspected with HBV infection (including both males and females) were collected and processed with commercial ELISA kits for HBsAg, Anti HBs, HBeAg, Anti HBe antibodies. The samples positive by ELISA were confirmed for HBV DNA by real-time PCR analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall prevalence of HBV observed was 21.05% of which 78.5% were males and 21.5% were females. Most confirmed HBV patients belong to the Malakand and Dir (lower) district. High-risk of infection was found in the older subjects 29.13% (46-60 years), while a lower incidence (11.97%) was observed in children aged <15 years. Lack of awareness, socioecomic conditions, sexual activities and sharing of razor blades, syringes and tattooing needles were the most common risk factors of HBV infection observed during the cohort of patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study, revealed for the first time a high degree of prevalence of HBV infection in rural areas of Northern Pakistan. The noticed prevalence is gender- and age-dependent that might be due to their high exposures to the common risk factors. To avoid the transmission of HBV infection proper awareness about the possible risk factors and extension of immunization to the rural areas are recommended.</p

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome associated DDX11 helicase resolves G-quadruplex structures to support sister chromatid cohesion

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome (WABS) is a rare disorder related to cohesinopathies and Fanconi anemia, caused by bi-allelic mutations in DDX11. Here, we report multiple compound heterozygous WABS cases, each displaying destabilized DDX11 protein and residual DDX11 function at the cellular level. Patient-derived cell lines exhibit sensitivity to topoisomerase and PARP inhibitors, defective sister chromatid cohesion and reduced DNA replication fork speed. Deleting DDX11 in RPE1-TERT cells inhibits proliferation and survival in a TP53-dependent manner and causes chromosome breaks and cohesion defects, independent of the expressed pseudogene DDX12p. Importantly, G-quadruplex (G4) stabilizing compounds induce chromosome breaks and cohesion defects which are strongly aggravated by inactivation of DDX11 but not FANCJ. The DNA helicase domain of DD