Rising fuel prices can affect driver behavior and thus the number of accidents, which is a key road safety issue. The aim of this paper was to assess and quantify the relationship between fuel prices (FP) and the number of road accidents in Europe. Content analysis of statistics from the countries was used to collect data, which were examined using Ramsey resets and Poisson distributions and then processed using negative binomial regression (NB), cluster analysis and visualization using contour plots. The results show that in Germany and Poland there is a statistically significant low negative correlation between fuel price and the number of traffic accidents, while in the Czech Republic and Denmark the relationship is weaker and statistically insignificant. In Iceland, no significant correlation was found. The contribution of this paper is to provide important insights that can be used in the development of transport policies and regulations to improve road safety. The main limitations include the difficulty of data collection, as many countries do not publish detailed statistics, and the low number of accidents in Iceland, which makes it impossible to perform a robust analysis for this country and may cause generalization of the results.
The achievement of sustainable development in Kenya has been hindered by the prevalence of HIV. The effects of HIV on sustainable development have been given less academic attention. HIV prevalence prevents people from achieving good health and well-being, which then makes them unable to conduct activities that lead to sustainable economic growth. The paper found that the prevalence of HIV causes economic hardship, destroys human capital development and human resources by reducing life expectancy and increasing mortality rates. It was equally found that the prevalence of HIV undermines social stability and mobility, reduces economic investments, influences food insecurity and makes people vulnerable. The paper found that the prevalence of HIV reduces labor supply and productivity, increases the cost of health services, promote inequality and poverty. The paper found that the prevalence of HIV was caused by the failure to integrate religion, culture and science infrastructure to achieve a holistic treatment acceptance and adherence that would overcome all misconceptions people have towards the disease. The paper found that while science provides effective HIV treatments, religious and cultural perspectives often shape community attitudes toward the disease. It was found that engaging religious and cultural as well as health workers or health advocates can help reduce stigma and promote ART adherence by aligning treatment messages with faith-based principles. The paper found that the integration that incorporates religion, culture, and science into HIV interventions would promote a more inclusive healthcare system that respects diverse beliefs while ensuring evidence-based treatment is accessible and widely accepted. The study was conducted through a qualitative methodology. Data was collected from secondary sources that included published articles, books and occasional papers as well as reports. Collected data was interpreted and analyzed through document analysis techniques.
The expanding adoption of artificial intelligence systems across high-impact sectors has catalyzed concerns regarding inherent biases and discrimination, leading to calls for greater transparency and accountability. Algorithm auditing has emerged as a pivotal method to assess fairness and mitigate risks in applied machine learning models. This systematic literature review comprehensively analyzes contemporary techniques for auditing the biases of black-box AI systems beyond traditional software testing approaches. An extensive search across technology, law, and social sciences publications identified 22 recent studies exemplifying innovations in quantitative benchmarking, model inspections, adversarial evaluations, and participatory engagements situated in applied contexts like clinical predictions, lending decisions, and employment screenings. A rigorous analytical lens spotlighted considerable limitations in current approaches, including predominant technical orientations divorced from lived realities, lack of transparent value deliberations, overwhelming reliance on one-shot assessments, scarce participation of affected communities, and limited corrective actions instituted in response to audits. At the same time, directions like subsidiarity analyses, human-cent
Rural sub-Saharan Africa faces limited medical access, healthcare worker shortages, and inadequate health information systems. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer potential solutions but remain underdeveloped in these settings. This review aims to explore the sociocultural context of mHealth adoption in rural sub-Saharan Africa to support sustainable implementation. A comprehensive Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) search was conducted in databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, and African Journals Online, covering peer-reviewed literature from 2010 to 2024. Qualitative studies of mHealth interventions were included, with quality assessed via the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist and data synthesized using a meta-ethnographic approach. Out of 892 studies, 38 met the inclusion criteria. Key findings include sociocultural factors like community trust influencing technology acceptance, local implementation strategies, user empowerment in health decisions, and innovative solutions for infrastructure issues. Challenges include privacy concerns, increased healthcare worker workload, and intervention sustainability. While mHealth can reduce healthcare barriers, success depends on sociocultural alignment and adaptability. Future interventions should prioritize community co-design, privacy protection, and sustainable, infrastructure-aware models.
This study examined the impact of aluminium doping on the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of Li(0.5)Co(0.75)AlxFe(2−x)O4 spinel ferrites (x =0.15 to 0.60). The samples were synthesised using the sol-gel auto-combustion technique, and they were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dielectric measurements, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). All samples possessed a single-phase cubic spinel structure with Fd-3m space group, according to XRD analyses. SEM images showed the creation of homogeneous particles with an average size of about 21 nm. All samples had spinel ferrite phases, confirmed from FTIR spectra. DC electrical conductivity studies showed that the conductivity increased with increasing aluminium content up to x = 0.45 before dropping at x = 0.60. The maximum saturation magnetization value was found at x = 0.45, according to VSM measurements, which demonstrated that the magnetic characteristics were strongly correlated with the amount of aluminium.
Stress has evolutionary roots that help human beings evolve and survive. Existing workplace mental health models typically view stress as the direct cause of poor mental health. Such models focus on strategies to eliminate it. Guided by O’Connor and Kirtley’s integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) model, we posit that demanding jobs and high-stress environments do not directly impact an individual’s mental health but trigger a “sense of self” moderator (SSM), which then leads to mental health outcomes. This moderator is modified by the workplace’s organizational design and individual’s traits. We propose a Workplace Mental Health (WMH) Model, which suggests that by addressing these SSM modifiers through evidence-based interventions at organizational and individual levels, even in high-stress environments, organizations can have mentally healthy workforces and build high-performance workplaces. This paper assumes that stress is an inalienable part of any work environment and that a secular reduction in stress levels in modern society is infeasible. Although some individuals in high-stress job environments develop mental illness, many do not, and some even thrive. This differential response suggests that stress may act as a trigger, but an individual’s reaction to it is influenced more by other factors than the stress itself.
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