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Recommender systems have gained significant attention as powerful tools for supporting decision-making processes in various domains. However, the understanding of their impact and application in the field of academic choices in higher education remains limited. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the current knowledge regarding recommender systems utilized in the context of academic choices and advising in higher education. The study is based on the systematic analysis of a set of primary studies (N = 56 out of 1578, published between 2011 and 2023) included according to defined criteria. The articles were categorized based on specific criteria, and their findings were analyzed and synthesized. Results show that the hybrid strategy has been the most effective method for producing recommendations. Evaluation measures such as offline experiments and case-study validation were prominently observed in the empirical studies, providing insights into the effectiveness of recommender systems. The findings reveal that the design of recommender systems in higher education is context-specific, with researchers considering various parameters to tailor recommendations to individual needs. However, most of the selected articles relied on lab-based studies rather than real-world applications, indicating a need for further research in practical settings. This systematic review also identifies future research directions, including the incorporation of deep learning technologies and the analysis of personality traits. By providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of recommender systems for academic choices in higher education, this review offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners, guiding the development of more effective and personalized recommendation systems to unlock the full potential of individuals in their academic journey.

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health crisis and around the last decade, newspapers were one of the main sources of public dissemination of information for so. This study highlights how Bangladeshi mainstream newspapers represented AMR-related news and how they created the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on 275 AMR-related news articles published in the twelve highest circulated dailies (January 2010 to September 2021). We divided the articles into report, opinion, and editorials and analyzed how their contents built the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh.ResultsBangladeshi newspapers reported misuse of antibiotics by the consumers the most (32.2%), followed by selling without prescriptions (29%), and over-prescription by the health providers (26.1%). There were hardly any news reports describing the impact of pharmaceutical companies in prescribing and selling antibiotics. Around 45% of the news articles were event-oriented. Moreover, they suggested inadequate recommendations to battle AMR.ConclusionValid, consistent, and reliable AMR news coverage can play a crucial role in creating mass awareness, making providers accountable, and supporting national action plan in mitigating AMR threat. The Bangladeshi journalists interested in reporting AMR-issues should focus on disseminating more Bangla articles with scientific information, and reporting causes and recommendations responsibly.

Journalism is a highly technology-dependent profession, and students, educators, and professionals must develop specific digital skills. This study uses the theory of disruptive innovation to examine how journalism educators adapt their programs in response to changing media environments. A survey of accredited journalism and mass communication programs identified three key challenges: the need for long-term investment, the ability to predict future change and demand, and difficulty in hiring faculty expertise. When asked which technologies will affect journalism curricula in the next 3 to 5 years, artificial intelligence (AI) topped the list, followed by drone journalism, virtual reality, and augmented reality.

Environmental dissemination of multidrug resistance (MDR) has emerged as a global concern worldwide, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh where the waste disposal system is inadequate. The present investigation was intended to comprehend the drug resistance and virulence pattern of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) in surface water samples of Bangladesh, which are adjoining poultry farms, agricultural fields, pharmaceutical companies, and textile industries. A total of 61 E. coli with ESBL production were identified from 16 water samples based on phenotypic and genotypic approaches. MDR was observed in 96% (n =59) of the isolates with the multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index in the range of 0.3–0.9. The most prevalent MDR phenotype was non-susceptible to Ampicillin–Azithromycin–Nalidixic acid, with the highest percentage in the isolates from samples near agricultural fields. The frequencies of three ESBL resistance genes were detected as blaTEM (63%), blaCTX-M-13 (60%), and blaSHV (14%). Approximately 11% of the E. coli isolates were revealed as virulent gene positive, with the predominant one (eagg) specific for Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). This study implies that the aquatic environment could be a potent means of exposure and transmission of bacterial antibiotic resistance and their genetic determinants in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides and heavy metals are considered as potent contaminants in aquatic environment. Both contaminants are sourced into the aquatic ecosystems by various types of anthropogenic as well as natural practices. Such types of aquatic contamination drastically affect the normal activity of associated living organisms particularly fish. Both the pesticides and heavy metals toxicity cause several negative effects on fish growth, physiology, immune response, reproduction, embryonic and larval development as well as different histopathology of major organs including fish gill, kidney, liver, gonads, and intestine. Besides, the consumption of contaminated fish poses a serious health concern to associated consumers. Considering these serious issues, the current review is designed to investigate the toxic effects of pesticides and heavy metals on different aspects of fishes along with their possible sources, major types, and mode of action as well as role of medicinal herbs to mitigate their toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper innovatively defines the structure of human capital based on existing theories and use the heterogeneous stochastic frontier model to test the relationship between various types of human capital and innovation. It is found that with the progress of technology, the structure of human capital and the mechanism of promoting innovation have undergone profound changes. Together with commercial leasing human capital, financial human capital, and entrepreneurs, information human capital and transportation human capital participate in innovation activities and create a new collaborative space, which in turn helps to spread the value of innovation and influence the effectiveness of the entire innovation system. This study enriches the theoretical research on the mechanism of human capital promoting innovation in the information age and provides new insight to explain the imbalance between human capital input and innovation output. Based on the theory of innovation chain value and flow space, this study redefines the connotation of innovative human capital structure by distinguishing the nature of innovation activities. This study also reveals the difference in the influence of human capital structure on different types of innovation activities. This study partly explains the problem of increasing human capital input but decreasing innovation efficiency in developing countries. Therefore, from a macro perspective, our research provides guidance for understanding the transformation of innovation under the background of technological progress and formulating effective urban innovation strategies for managers. Plain language summary: Existing studies show that human capital is the core element of innovation activities, and the more human capital investment a country has, the stronger its innovation ability will be. However, there is still no consistent explanation of who promotes innovation and how. This makes it difficult for researchers to explain the problem of increasing human capital investment but decreasing innovation efficiency in some developing countries. This paper innovatively considers the impact of technological progress on innovation activities, and holds that technological progress changes the structure of human capital for innovation, thus affecting the efficiency of innovation. The analysis based on stochastic frontier model proves this view. The conclusion of empirical analysis shows that the total human capital input is not the more the better, but must pay attention to the structure, especially the information human capital and transportation human capital in innovation activities. But at the same time, this paper also believes that whether these two types of human capital will have a threshold effect on other types of human capital needs to be further discussed beyond this paper. This paper provides an enlightening perspective to explain the profound changes of innovation mechanism under the background of technological progress and promote the improvement of regional innovation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health crisis and around the last decade, newspapers were one of the main sources of public dissemination of information for so. This study highlights how Bangladeshi mainstream newspapers represented AMR-related news and how they created the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on 275 AMR-related news articles published in the twelve highest circulated dailies (January 2010 to September 2021). We divided the articles into report, opinion, and editorials and analyzed how their contents built the narrative of AMR in Bangladesh. Results: Bangladeshi newspapers reported misuse of antibiotics by the consumers the most (32.2%), followed by selling without prescriptions (29%), and over-prescription by the health providers (26.1%). There were hardly any news reports describing the impact of pharmaceutical companies in prescribing and selling antibiotics. Around 45% of the news articles were event-oriented. Moreover, they suggested inadequate recommendations to battle AMR. Conclusion: Valid, consistent, and reliable AMR news coverage can play a crucial role in creating mass awareness, making providers accountable, and supporting national action plan in mitigating AMR threat. The Bangladeshi journalists interested in reporting AMR-issues should focus on disseminating more Bangla articles with scientific information, and reporting causes and recommendations responsibly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines four key areas affecting child well-being in Bangladesh: child marriage, violence against children, child education, and child health. The research for this article was conducted through fieldwork, including surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and expert consultations. Despite the prevailing perception that religion hinders progress, this article argues that social and economic factors play a more significant role as the primary drivers of children's misfortunes. Nonetheless, Islamic values indirectly impact issues such as early marriage, co-education, physical punishment, and seeking gynecological services. The article emphasizes the need for further training of faith leaders to enable them to play nuanced roles in promoting children's well-being on a larger scale in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper innovatively defines the structure of human capital based on existing theories and use the heterogeneous stochastic frontier model to test the relationship between various types of human capital and innovation. It is found that with the progress of technology, the structure of human capital and the mechanism of promoting innovation have undergone profound changes. Together with commercial leasing human capital, financial human capital, and entrepreneurs, information human capital and transportation human capital participate in innovation activities and create a new collaborative space, which in turn helps to spread the value of innovation and influence the effectiveness of the entire innovation system. This study enriches the theoretical research on the mechanism of human capital promoting innovation in the information age and provides new insight to explain the imbalance between human capital input and innovation output. Based on the theory of innovation chain value and flow space, this study redefines the connotation of innovative human capital structure by distinguishing the nature of innovation activities. This study also reveals the difference in the influence of human capital structure on different types of innovation activities. This study partly explains the problem of increasing human capital input but decreasing innovation efficiency in developing countries. Therefore, from a macro perspective, our research provides guidance for understanding the transformation of innovation under the background of technological progress and formulating effective urban innovation strategies for managers.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a blood cancer caused by uncontrolled growth of clonal plasmacells. Bone disease is responsible for the severe complications of MM and is caused by myeloma cells infiltrating the bone marrow and inducing osteoclast activation. To date, no treatment for MM is truly curative since patients relapse and become refractory to all drug classes. Cannabinoids are already used as palliative in cancer patients. Furthermore, their proper anticancer effect was demonstrated in many cancer models in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. Anyway, few information was reported on the effect of cannabinoids on MM and no data has been provided on minor phytocannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabidivarin (CBDV). Scientific literature also reported cannabinoids beneficial effect against bone disease. Here, we examined the cytotoxic activity of CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV in vitro in MM cell lines, their effect in modulating MM cells invasion toward bone cells and the bone resorption. Subsequently, according to the in vitro results, we selected CBN for in vivo study in a MM xenograft mice model. Results showed that the phytocannabinoids inhibited MM cell growth and induced necrotic cell death. Moreover, the phytocannabinoids reduced the invasion of MM cells toward osteoblast cells and bone resorption in vitro. Lastly, CBN reduced in vivo tumor mass. Together, our results suggest that CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV can be promising anticancer agents for MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on glochidia larval occurrence and release time from the brooding mussels are crucial for the development of larval rearing system or commercial collection of juveniles from the wilds. We report monthly changes in glochidia larval occurrence and condition index (CI) in freshwater mussel, Lamellidens marginalis, collected from a wetland in Bangladesh. Specimens were drawn monthly over a year from October 2021 to September 2022. Lamellidens marginalis females displayed glochidia larvae in the supra-branchial chamber over ten months from March to December. No glochidia larva was reported in females during January and February when the water temperature remained below 18°C. All females carried glochidia larvae during March and April, indicating no larval shedding at this time. The percentage of females containing glochidia larvae dropped suddenly in May (22.22%), suggesting that glochidial release from the gill chamber to the environment was initiated by May. Larval presence in only some females (22% to 86%) at each sampling date from May to September implied an extended glochidial discharge period till September when the water temperature was above 24°C. The CIs varied from 0.36 to 0.79, with two distinct peaks in December and March when all females carried glochidia larvae. In conclusion, monthly changes in larval occurrence and discharge could be primarily related to temperature and the existence of larvae in mussels could affect the CIs in L. marginalis.

Global wheat production faces a severe threat from drought stress, necessitating innovative strategies for enhanced crop resilience. This study examined the synergistic impact of biochar and potassium co-application on the growth, physiological attributes, and antioxidant defense system of wheat under water deficit conditions at crown root initiation (CRI), anthesis, and grain development stage. Drought-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, particularly pronounced at the CRI stage, adversely affected all growth stages. At CRI, co-application of biochar and foliar potassium delivered significant improvements in growth parameters, including increased plant height (15.4%), spike length (50%), grain yield (43.0%), photosynthetic performance (chlorophyll content 125.8%), and relative water content (11.2%), compared to untreated drought-exposed counterparts. The combined application of biochar and potassium effectively reduced hydrogen peroxide production, electrolyte leakage, proline accumulation, and malondialdehyde generation, while increasing relative water content and glutathione levels under both well-irrigated and drought stress conditions. Furthermore, the combined biochar and potassium treatment was effective in mitigating oxidative stress and enhancing physiological resilience in wheat, particularly during the anthesis stage of drought stress. Specifically, the combined treatment ameliorated the effects of drought by reducing ROS levels through enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and elevating osmoprotectants levels. The synergistic modulation of tissue osmotic balance and relative water content holds promise for mitigating drought-induced stress, offering an innovative and practical strategy for resilient wheat production in water-limited environments.

Salinity stress is a major factor affecting the nutritional and metabolic profiles of crops, thus hindering optimal yield and productivity. Recent advances in nanotechnology propose an avenue for the use of nano-fertilizers as a potential solution for better nutrient management and stress mitigation. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of conventional and nano-fertilizers (nano-Zn/nano-Si) on maize and subcellular level changes in its ionomic and metabolic profiles under salt stress conditions. Zinc and silicon were applied both in conventional and nano-fertilizer-using farms under stress (100 mM NaCl) and normal conditions. Different ions, sugars, and organic acids (OAs) were determined using ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The results revealed significant improvements in different ions, sugars, OAs, and other metabolic profiles of maize. Nanoparticles boosted sugar metabolism, as evidenced by increased glucose, fructose, and sucrose concentrations, and improved nutrient uptake, indicated by higher nitrate, sulfate, and phosphate levels. Particularly, nano-fertilizers effectively limited Na accumulation under saline conditions and enhanced maize’s salt stress tolerance. Furthermore, nano-treatments optimized the potassium-to-sodium ratio, a critical factor in maintaining ionic homeostasis under stress conditions. With the growing threat of salinity stress on global food security, these findings highlight the urgent need for further development and implementation of effective solutions like the application of nano-fertilizers in mitigating the negative impact of salinity on plant growth and productivity. However, this controlled environment limits the direct applicability to field conditions and needs future research, particularly long-term field trials, to confirm such results of nano-fertilizers against salinity stress and their economic viability towards sustainable agriculture.