Amyloidosis is a systemic disorder produced by the deposition of insoluble protein fibrils that fold and deposit in the myocardium. Patients with amyloidosis and cardiac involvement have higher mortality than patients without cardiac involvement. The two most prevalent forms of amyloidosis associated with cardiac involvement are AL amyloidosis, due to the deposition of immunoglobulin light chains, and ATTR amyloidosis, due to the deposition of the transthyretin (TTR) protein in mutated or senile form. This article aims to review the different cardiac imaging modalities (echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine and tomography) that allow to determine the severity of cardiac involvement in patients with amyloidosis, the type of amyloidosis and its prognosis. Finally, we suggest a diagnostic algorithm to determine cardiac involvement in amyloidosis adapted to locally available diagnostic tools, with a practical and clinical approach.
Cassava’s adaptability to different agroecological conditions, high yield, as well as its ability to thrive under harsh climatic conditions, makes it an essential food security crop. In South Africa, the cassava value chain is currently uncoordinated and underdeveloped, with a couple of smallholder farmers growing the crop for household consumption and as a source of income. Other farmers regard it as a secondary crop and hardly any producers grow it for industrial purposes. Hence, this study sought to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa. The study employed the multivariate probit model to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa, using a primary dataset collected through a simple sample method from smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces. Results show that livestock ownership has a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of farmers participating in the value chain by growing cassava for household food consumption. Also, findings reveal that hiring labour in cassava production and an increase in the yield during the previous season increases the probability of farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers along the value chain. Hence, the positive and statistically significant influence of hiring labour during cassava production in driving the farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers and cuttings implies that the development of the cassava value chain presents great opportunities for creating jobs (employment) in the country. Also, policy interventions that ensure land tenure security and empower farmers to increase their cassava yields are bound to encourage further participation in the value chain with an interest in selling fresh tubers, among other derived products to generate income. Lastly, programmes that empower and encourage youth participation in the cassava value chain can increase the number of farmers interested in selling cassava products.
Background: In an increasingly globalized world, public health is a challenge in the future of health systems. Nursing is a fundamental profession in health systems and the purpose of the study is to quantify the scientific production in global public health carried out by nursing to demonstrate its competence, capacity and specialization in this subject. Methods: A bibliometric study was carried out to understand the scientific production of public health nursing in WoS. A total of 17,545 documents were analyzed using Bibliometrix software in version 4.0.5. Results: A notable increase in production is observed over time, a sign of specialization and capacity. The theme focuses on three stages: hygiene and sanitation, infectious diseases and quality, prevention and non-communicable diseases coinciding with the real social needs of each moment. Most of the production is in English and produced by countries with developed economies. Nursing is aligned with current public health needs. Conclusions: Bibliometrics is a good method to quantify scientific production. The results show extensive scientific production in public health nursing, which translates into extensive knowledge of public health by nursing. There is a growth in production in accordance with time as well as an adaptation to the most current themes in accordance with population needs. Public health is an area of concern to countries and nursing can actively participate in studies, planning and leadership of health systems. Public health nursing should not be considered relegated to medicine but independent and of crucial importance to the “Onehealth” concept. Public, private and educational administrations must promote and support nursing research in public health, and it is not advisable to reduce the teaching load of global public health in nursing studies, in favor of the family and community environment.
Infrastructure investment has long been held as an accelerator or a driver of the economy. Internationally, the UK ranks poorly with the performance of infrastructure and ranks in the lower percentile for both infrastructure investment and GDP growth rate amongst comparative nations. Faced with the uncertainty of Brexit and the likely negative economic impact this will bring, infrastructure investment may be used to strengthen the UK economy. This study aims to examine how infrastructure funding impacts economic growth and how best the UK can maximize this potential by building on existing work.
The research method is based on interviews carried out with respondents involved in infrastructure operating across various sectors. The findings show that investment in infrastructure is vital in the UK as it stimulates economic growth through employment creation due to factor productivity. However, it is critical for investment to be directed to regional opportunity areas with the potential to unlock economic growth and maximize returns whilst stimulating further growth to benefit other regions. There is also a need for policy consistency and to review UK infrastructure policy to streamline the process and to reduce cost and time overrun, with Brexit likely to impact negatively on infrastructure investment.
The construction industry is responsible for over 40% of global energy consumption and one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Generally, 10%–20% of energy is consumed in the manufacturing and transportation stages of materials, construction, maintenance, and demolition. The way the construction industry to deal with these impacts is to intensify sustainable development through green building. The author uses the latest Green Building Certification Standard in Indonesia as the Green Building Guidelines under the Ministry of Public Works and People’s Housing (PUPR) Regulation No. 01/SE/M/2022, as a basis for evaluating existing office buildings or what is often referred to as green retrofit. Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) is used by the authors to detail the factors influencing the application of green building by analyzing several variables related to the problem studied, which are used to build and test statistical models of causal models. From this study, it is concluded that the most influential factors in the implementation of green retrofitting on office buildings are energy savings, water efficiency, renewable energy use, the presence of green building socialization programs, cost planning, design planning, project feasibility studies, material cost, use of the latest technology applications, and price fluctuations. With the results of this research, there is expected to be shared awareness and concern about implementing green buildings and green offices as an initiative to present a more energy-efficient office environment, save operating costs, and provide comfort to customers.
This research presents an in-depth examination of the emotional effects of synchronous hybrid education on undergraduate university students at a pioneering private institution in educational innovation. The study had encompassed all courses that were delivered in a synchronous hybrid format, covering 16 courses and involving 241 students. Each student had been observed and recorded on two separate class sessions, with each recording lasting approximately 30 min. This comprehensive data collection had resulted in 409 recordings, each approximately 30 min in duration, translating to nearly an hour of observation per student across the classes, totaling close to 205 h of recordings. These recordings were subsequently processed using neuroscience software tools for advanced statistical analysis, effectively serving as a comprehensive survey of courses within this modality. The primary focus of the research was on the emotions experienced during both face-to-face and online classes and their subsequent influence on student behavior and well-being. The findings reveal higher emotional time ratios for positive emotions such as joy and surprise in face-to-face students. Notably, both groups exhibited comparable ratios for negative emotions like anger and sadness. The research underscores the emotional advantages of face-to-face interactions, which elicit stronger emotions, in contrast to online students who often feel detached and isolated.
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