Information and Communication-Based Collaborative Learning and Behavior Modeling Using Machine Learning Algorithm

Rapid growth of smart phone industries has led people to use more technology and thus aided in adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in educational purposes for enhancing students? performance. This chapter shows that students use social media platform or virtual environment for learning, especially in Open University or online learning system. In such environment, the students? drop rate is extremely high. This work primarily aims at reducing students? dropout or students? fails to finish course within prerequisite time using student behavior styles. For addressing research problems, this research aims in building efficient student behavior learning model for improving the performance of student applying machine learning (ML) models. The behavior extraction and study have been carried utilizing decision tree (DT) ML algorithm. Further, a model has been proposed for provisioning student contextual information to different students utilizing VLE platform interaction (collaborative learning) using DT algorithm which considered bagging. The DT with bagging is an ensemble learning (EL) model that depicts bootstrap aggregating (BA), which is modeled for enhancing accuracies and stabilities of every distinct predictive trees. Bagging aids DT in influencing overfitting problems and minimizes its variance. The proposed method is efficient in extracting learning styles and intrinsic behavior of students

Comparative study of oral PGE 1 and intracervical PGE2 gel for pre-induction cervical ripening in prelabour rupture of membranes >37 weeks gestational age

Background: Active induction of labour in prelabour rupture of membranes resulted in a lower risk of maternal and fetal sepsis as compared to conservative management. Pre-induction cervical ripening helps in successful induction of labour.in this study we have compared the efficacy of low dose 25 mcg oral misoprostol versus intracervical PGE2 gel for cervical ripening in term PROM patients.Methods: Women with pregnancies between 37 and 41 weeks gestational age presenting with PROM at term and a Bishop score of 4 or less were randomly assigned to receive either a 25-mcg oral misoprostol every 4-hourly interval or 3 applications of intracervical PGE2 gel at a 6-hour interval for effective cervical ripening. Oxytocin was initiated if labor had not started after 6 hours of last effective dose of prostaglandin.Results: Fifty-three women (75.73%) (n = 70) in the oral misoprostol group with 2 doses, 4 hours apart had successful cervical ripening within 8 hours in comparison to sixty-two women (88.58%) (n = 70) in the intracervical PGE2 gel group with 2 doses, 6 hrs apart approximately 12 hrs for successful ripening. (p = 0.021). Oral misoprostol group needed shorter mean duration interval for the Bishop score 6 than intracervical PGE2 gel group, 7.84±3.64 hours and 9.39±4.20 hours respectively (p = 0.022). Similarly, the mean time duration interval from ruptured membranes to vaginal delivery in oral misoprostol was shorter i.e. 12.60±3.78 hours versus 14.66±4.08 hours (p = 0.005).Conclusions: Low dose 25 mcg oral misoprostol is a safe, efficacious and better tolerated alternative to intracervical PGE2 gel for pre-induction cervical ripening in especially in PROM patients at term

Knowledge Regarding Secondary Prevention Lifestyle Practices Among Patients with Ischaemic Heart Disease in Oman : Pilot study

Objectives: Secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is very important. This study aimed to assess knowledge of necessary lifestyle changes among Omani patients diagnosed with IHD. Methods: This cross-sectional pilot study took place between October 2015 and February 2016 at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman. A total of 30 random patients with IHD from the Cardiology Outpatient Clinic of SQUH were included. A 30-item survey was used to determine patients’ knowledge of necessary lifestyle practices following their IHD diagnosis, with scores of <70% indicating poor knowledge. Results: Overall, 21 patients (70.0%) had low knowledge levels. Scores ranged from 38.9−94.4% (mean: 60.7% ± 14.1%). No demographic factors were found to predict low scores, although there were some differences in individual questions. Conclusion: Low knowledge levels regarding lifestyle changes were observed among IHD patients in Oman. More efforts should be made to educate these patients for the secondary prevention of IHD

Монетизация научных исследований

Academic research plays a pivotal role in advancing knowledge and driving innovation. However, the dissemination and utilization of this research often face challenges, particularly in terms of financial sustainability. This paper explores the various strategies and considerations for monetizing academic research papers, aiming to foster a more effective and sustainable knowledge ecosystem. It also focuses on increasing the economy of publishing academic research papers for author and free to read for audience.Академические исследования играют ключевую роль в развитии знаний и стимулировании инноваций. Однако распространение и использование этих исследований часто сталкиваются с проблемами, особенно с точки зрения финансовой устойчивости. В этой работе рассматриваются различные стратегии монетизации научных исследований с целью создания более эффективной и устойчивой экосистемы знаний

The Yield of Cardiac Investigations in Patients Presenting with an Acute Ischemic Stroke: A single tertiary centre experience

Objectives: Strokes are a major source of morbidity and mortality. The Aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of routine cardiac investigations in identifying a cardioembolic aetiology for ischemic strokes. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who had presented with a stroke to our institution between January and December 2019. Results: A total 183 patients (mean age 66.2+13.5 years, 109 or 59.6% male) were included in the final analysis. The common risk factors were hypertension (74.9%) diabetes (61.7%), and hyperlipidaemia (54.6%). The Middle cerebral artery (MCA) was the commonest artery affected (44 or 24%). On admission, 14(7.6%) patients were in atrial fibrillation with the rest being in sinus rhythm. On 24-hour ECG holter monitoring, no abnormalities were noted in 135 patients. Atrial fibrillation was seen in 15(8.1%) patients (inclusive of the 14 who had AF on resting ECG). 32 (17.4%) patients had evidence of non-sustained atrial arrhythmia and 9(4.9%) had non sustained ventricular tachycardia. Thirty patients(16.3%) were also noted to have frequent supraventricular ectopics (>30/hour) while 5(2.7%) patients had a high ventricular ectopic burden (>10% burden). No significant abnormalities were noted in the echocardiograms of the patients, but 10 out of 132 (7.5%) patients had a positive bubble echo. Twenty-four (13.1%) patients had enlarged left atria. Conclusion: The overall diagnostic yield of abnormalities from routine cardiac testing for patients with stroke appears to be low. Targeted screening of patients with crytogenic stroke as suggested by newer guidelines is recommended. Keywords: Cerebrovascular Accidents; Echocardiography; Atrial Fibrillation; Oman

Educational intervention improves anticoagulation control in atrial fibrillation patients:the TREAT randomised trial

Background: Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF), most commonly with warfarin, requires maintenance of a narrow therapeutic target (INR 2.0 to 3.0) and is often poorly controlled in practice. Poor patient-understanding surrounding AF and its’ treatment may contribute to patient’s willingness to adhere to recommendations. Method: A theory-driven intervention, developed using patient interviews and focus groups, consisting of a one-off group session (1-6 patients) utilising an ‘expert-patient’ focussed DVD, educational booklet, self-monitoring diary and worksheet, was compared in a randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN93952605) against usual care, with patient postal follow-ups at 1, 2, 6, and 12-months. Ninety-seven warfarin-naïve AF patients were randomised to intervention (n=46, mean age (SD) 72.0 (8.2), 67.4% men), or usual care (n=51, mean age (SD) 73.7 (8.1), 62.7% men), stratified by age, sex, and recruitment centre. Primary endpoint was time within therapeutic range (TTR); secondary endpoints included knowledge, quality of life, anxiety/depression, beliefs about medication, and illness perceptions. Main findings: Intervention patients had significantly higher TTR than usual care at 6-months (76.2% vs. 71.3%; p=0.035); at 12-months these differences were not significant (76.0% vs. 70.0%; p=0.44). Knowledge increased significantly across time (F (3, 47) = 6.4; p<0.01), but there were no differences between groups (F (1, 47) = 3.3; p = 0.07). At 6-months, knowledge scores predicted TTR (r=0.245; p=0.04). Patients’ scores on subscales representing their perception of the general harm and overuse of medication, as well as the perceived necessity of their AF specific medications predicted TTR at 6- and 12-months. Conclusions: A theory-driven educational intervention significantly improves TTR in AF patients initiating warfarin during the first 6-months. Adverse clinical outcomes may potentially be reduced by improving patients’ understanding of the necessity of warfarin and reducing their perception of treatment harm. Improving education provision for AF patients is essential to ensure efficacious and safe treatment

Patients' perspectives on taking warfarin: qualitative study in family practice

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-documented benefits of using warfarin to prevent stroke, physicians remain reluctant to initiate therapy, and especially so with the elderly owing to the higher risk of hemorrhage. Prior research suggests that patients are more accepting of the risk of bleeding than are physicians, although there have been few qualitative studies. The aim of this study was to employ qualitative methods to investigate the experience and perspective of individuals taking warfarin. METHODS: We conducted face-to-face interviews with 21 older patients (12 male, 9 female) who had been taking warfarin for a minimum of six months. Participants were patients at a family practice clinic situated in a large, tertiary care teaching hospital. We used a semistructured interview guide with four main thematic areas: decision-making, knowledge/education, impact, and satisfaction. Data were analysed according to the principles of content analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Participants tended to have minimal input into the decision to initiate warfarin therapy, instead relying in great part on physicians' expertise. There appeared to be low retention of information received regarding the therapy; half the patients in our sample possessed only a superficial level of understanding of the risks and benefits. This notwithstanding, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the care provided and a low level of impact on their day-to-day lives. CONCLUSIONS: Minimal patient involvement in the initial decision and modest knowledge did not appear to diminish satisfaction with warfarin management. At the same time, care providers exert a tremendous influence on the initiation of warfarin therapy and should strive to incorporate patient preferences and expectations into the decision-making process