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Several orthodox approaches, such as empirical methods and deterministic methods, had earlier been used for the prediction of path loss in wireless communication systems. These approaches are either inefficient or complex. Robustness and performance motivated the adoption of machine learning for modeling path loss in wireless communication systems in place of traditional modeling schemes. Surveys on modeling path loss in communication systems exist in the literature; however, emerging deep learning architectures in-depth analysis, machine learning taxonomies related to path loss, and in-depth analysis on feature engineering in modeling path loss are missing in the already published surveys. To fill this existing gap, a survey of machine learning modeling for path loss in wireless communication systems is conducted to resolve the outlined issues, hence making this survey unique. Synthesis and analysis of deep learning architectures to solve path loss problems in communication systems are hereby presented. New taxonomy – deep learning, nature-inspired meta-heuristic algorithms, and shallow algorithms approach to path loss modeling have been created. Analysis of feature engineering in path loss modeling is exploited. Lastly, challenges militating against the full potential of modeling path loss based on machine learning are highlighted and discussed. Alternative approaches for resolving the outlined challenges are also presented in the survey to help in designing more practical applications in the future.

The vibrational spectroscopy (FT-IR/Raman) and X-ray diffraction techniques are combined alongside the principal component analysis (PCA) as novel integrated analytical techniques to comparatively investigate latent chemical information and quality discrepancies regarding twelve (12) commercialized paracetamol (APAP) brands. This research aim is to present an advanced computational screening approach using spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction techniques with PCA as a tool to investigate the structural properties of pharmaceutical solid drugs by vibrational mode and diffraction pattern analyzes. Herein, the acquired vibrational, absorption, and diffraction datasets of APAP functionalities were collected at spectra and diffraction regions of intense peaks to develop predictive PCA models. Interestingly, the PCA models invalidate drug falsification in all the brands and predicted dissimilarities arising from observed differences in the vibrational/absorption modes of APAP form (I) in some brands due to excessive use of cheap (fillers and hydrocolloid alternatives) excipients. The PCA-PXRD model unveils discrepancies regarding the contrasting diffraction patterns (structure-property relationships) observed for APAP form (I) in the brands, which suggests differences in their pharmacokinetic properties cause an unapparent structural modification. Nevertheless, the comparative drug release studies present a%CDR between 93 and 98% in 30 min for all the brands, thus, structural modifications of APAP form (I) as observed in some brands show no serious effects on the%CDR and/ or solubility. Finally, it is expected that this work will contribute to the advances in screening techniques toward addressing the global drug challenges, especially in developing countries.

Olufemi O Desalu,1 Olutobi B Ojuawo,1 Adeniyi O Aladesanmi,1 Adekunle O Adeoti,2 Christopher M Opeyemi,1 Taofeek Oloyede,3 Oluwafemi J Afolayan,4 Ademola E Fawibe1 1Department of Medicine University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria; 2Department of Medicine, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria; 3Department of Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria; 4Department of Medicine, Goulburn Valley Health, Shepparton, Victoria State, AustraliaCorrespondence: Olufemi O Desalu, Department of Medicine, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, Tel +2348187143391, Email femuy1967@yahoo.co.ukPurpose: The burdens of chronic cough are mostly reported from Western and Asian countries. We aimed to determine the etiology and clinical patterns of chronic cough (CC) in the chest clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Patients and Methods: This survey was a cross-sectional study of 218 patients. Chronic cough was defined as cough > 8 weeks duration. The evaluation and diagnosis of patients was based on a diagnostic protocol developed from the international respiratory societies cough guidelines and a previous study.Results: The median age of patients was 50 years (interquartile range 30– 68). One etiology was identified in 96.3% of cases; dual etiologies in 2.3%, and 1.4% had an unexplained cough. The most frequent causes of cough were COPD (33.5%), PTB (27.1%), and asthma (21.1%) which included 3 cases of cough variants of asthma (CVA). Other causes were post-tuberculosis lung disease (bronchiectasis and fibrosis) in 6.9%, lung cancer in 4.7%, and interstitial lung disease (ILD) in 3.2%. Gastroesophageal-related cough (GERC) accounted for < 1.0%. Before the age of 45, the chronic cough was more frequent in the females than in the males, and the commonest cause was asthma, whereas, beyond age ≥ 45, the occurrence in males surpasses that of the females, and the commonest cause was COPD. Eighty-six percent reported shortness of breath as the most associated symptom. Systemic hypertension (15.6%) was the most frequent comorbidity, followed by HIV infection (3.7%). Chest radiograph, sputum GeneXpert MTB/RIF for TB, spirometry, and detailed history and trial of treatment, were enough to identify the cause in 72% of cases.Conclusion: The etiology and clinical patterns of chronic cough in this study are different from the western countries. When evaluating and managing chronic cough, clinicians in sub-Saharan Africa and TB endemic countries should consider these geographical variations in etiologies and clinical presentation.Keywords: chronic cough, asthma, COPD, pulmonary tuberculosis, etiology, pattern, Nigeria

Abstract Objective The objective of the study is to explore the long-term effectiveness and tolerability of metoclopramide in the treatment of CIH. Method This study is a retrospective, observational cohort study of patients prescribed metoclopramide for CIH at the South London & Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. Results Of the 96 patients identified, 14 patients were eligible for inclusion in our study. Five patients continued treatment with a mean duration of 27 months (SD = 17.8), and one patient continued until transfer with a duration of 3 months. Eight patients discontinued treatment after a mean duration of 8 months. Conclusion Metoclopramide may be an effective and tolerated drug in CIH, but more data is required to establish its place in the pharmacotherapy of this condition.

Rapid and uniform seed germination and seedling emergence have been associated with grain yield under diverse environmental conditions. Twenty-one (21) mung bean accessions were evaluated at Ile-Ife and Kishi out-stations of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR & T), Nigeria, to identify the emergence parameter(s) that could be selected for improvement of mung bean for yield. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications. Data were collected on emergence and yield parameters and analysed using the Statistical Analysis Software (SAS). Mean, heritability, and correlation coefficient were estimated. Path coefficient analysis was used to partition correlations into direct and indirect effects using seed yield as the dependent variable. Heritability estimate was moderate to high for most of the traits. Accessions 3, 6, 14 and 15 with high pod and seed yield had also high values of coefficient of velocity of emergence (CVE) and emergence percentage (E%). All emergence parameters except emergence energy had significant correlation with yield traits. CVE and Emergence Index (EI) had strong positive correlation with number of seeds.pod-1 and pod yield. When only the emergence parameters were considered, CVE had highest direct effect (0.74) on seed yield followed by E% (-0.73) and EI (0.70). Total indirect effects of EI and CVE accounted for only 6.06% and 11.9% of the total correlation, respectively. It therefore suggests that EI and CVE are emergence parameters that could be selected for at early stage in improvement of mung bean for yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In patients with multiple myeloma (MM) not‐eligible for autologous haematopoietic cell transplantation (autoHCT), a simplified frailty index (SFI) identifies frail patients at risk for poor outcomes, but data are limited for transplant‐eligible patients. In this registry‐based retrospective study, we used an adapted version of the SFI to determine the prevalence of frailty in patients ≥65 years of age with MM undergoing autoHCT. Out of 5563 patients, 37.9% of patients were classified as frail and although they had increased non‐relapse mortality (NRM) and inferior overall survival, the NRM at 100 days remained low (<2%) compared with non‐frail patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical sensors based on self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) were synthesized using metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), quantum dots (QDs) and their composite (QDs@MOFs) to modify gold electrode (AuE) that was used as electrochemical sensors for bisphenol A detection. The molecular layer was assembled on the surface of the gold electrode by adsorption and provide a highly flexible method to tailor the interfaces between analyte and the electrode. Single crystal X‐ray of the MOF revealed a six‐coordinate copper(II) ion that bidentately coordinate two molecules of p‐anisic acid and two molecules of 1H‐benzimidazole to form a distorted octahedral geometry around the copper(II) ion. Electrochemical studies revealed that under optimal conditions, the modified gold electrode sensors show excellent sensing of bisphenol A, however, QDs@MOFs modified electrode is the best sensor with the highest oxidation peak current of 8.43E‐05 μA and the lowest charge transfer resistance of 19.4 Ω within a wide concentration range of 0.1–1 μM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.252 μM. This could be attributed to the electrocatalytic activity of the composite (QDs@MOFs) modified sensor, and the synergistic effect of the MOFs and QDs in the composite. The LOD is comparable to other electrochemical methods of sensing BPA which indicates that QDs@MOFs modified gold electrode could be develop as sensor for BPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between developmental disorders, specifically ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is examined in this study. The National Survey of Children's Health was utilized to generate odds ratios using logistic regression. Children with developmental disorders had higher odds of all ACEs compared to neurotypical children. ASD diagnosis had the strongest correlation with Community ACEs, while ADHD diagnosis was more strongly correlated with household ACEs. Co-occurring ASD/ADHD correlated strongly with abuse/neglect ACEs. These findings indicate the need for targeted interventions to reduce experiences of ACEs and support access to and navigation of healthcare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a known fact that the public depends largely on the media for information. However, such information might not have been perceived rightly as sent by the media. Hence, the objective of this study is to examine the extent to which information on the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic containment policy flows from the government to the public through the pages of newspapers. Aside from examining how these policies were framed, it seeks to also find out if Nigerians perceived the coverage by newspapers as relevant for them to comply with them. Adopting a descriptive methodological approach which systematically differs from most previous studies because substantial studies on the subject matter use qualitative methods. Findings reveal that Newspapers' framing of COVID-19 stories does not correlate with public adherence to the government's containment policy and the volume of newspaper coverage of COVID-19 stories does not correlate with public perception of the importance of the government containment policy on the disease. The study concluded that even though advancement in technology has given rise to the use of other media such as social media, the efficacy/potency and relevance of the newspaper cannot be brushed aside despite this advancement. It is, however, recommended that further studies should be conducted to examine the challenges faced by press through Key Informant Interview (KII) in the carrying coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic in other to strike balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, effective and efficient healthcare is critical to the wellbeing and standard of living of any society. Unfortunately, several distant communities far from the national grid do not have access to reliable power supply, owing to economic, environmental, and technical challenges. Furthermore, unreliable, unavailable, and uneconomical power supply to these communities contributes significantly to the delivery of substandard or absence of qualitative healthcare services, resulting in higher mortality rates and associated difficulty in attracting qualified healthcare workers to the affected communities. Given these circumstances, this paper aims to conduct a comprehensive review of the status of renewable energy available to rural healthcare clinics around the globe, emphasizing its potential, analysis, procedures, modeling techniques, and case studies. In this light, several renewable energy modeling techniques were reviewed to examine the optimum power supply to the referenced healthcare centers in remote communities. To this end, analytical techniques and standard indices for reliable power supply to the isolated healthcare centers are suggested. Specifically, different battery storage systems that are suitable for rural healthcare systems are examined, and the most economical and realistic procedure for the maintenance of microgrid power systems for sustainable healthcare delivery is defined. Finally, this paper will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and experts in rural power supply to remote healthcare centers globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family quality of life (FQL) in Nigeria has significantly been compromised by the combined effects of economic hardship, insecurities and other uncertainties. The general objective of this study was to evaluate efficacy of a health literacy intervention (HLI) in promoting FQL in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti state. Specifically, the study determined extent HLI could improve the following indicators of FQL among study participant: adequate sleep, good nutritional behavior, physical activities and proper hygiene. It was a quasi-experimental research involving pretest, intervention, posttest and comparison of pretest and posttest scores. Participants included community-dwelling parents with at least one child (n = 82) in Oye Local Government, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Family Quality of Life scale was used for assessing FQL participants before (pre-test) and three months after (post-test) treatment. Mean, standard deviation, and t-tests were utilized for data analysis. Cohen's d was calculated to establish the effect size of the difference in FQL between pre-test and post-test mean scores, while multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses of no significant interaction effect of socio-demographic parameters on the outcomes of HLI. Significant improvements in adequate sleep (p < 0.05), healthy nutritional choices (p < 0.05), regular physical activities (p < 0.05), and proper hygiene (p < 0.05). It was recommended that further research is required to determine whether gains can be sustained over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-efficacy reflects the extent to which students believe that they can successfully perform in school. It usually positively correlated with outcome expectations but it is possible that a student's has high self-efficacy does not transform into a high academic achievement. This study sought to find out the relationship between chemistry students' self-efficacy and their academic achievement in senior secondary schools in North-central, Nigeria. The study is an ex-post facto research and is a descriptive survey. The subjects of the study were one thousand one hundred and fifty (1150) senior secondary school III chemistry students selected from Kogi, Kwara and Niger States of Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of mean, percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings revealed that no significant relationship existed between self-efficacy and the academic achievement of the chemistry students. The study concludes that students' self-efficacy needs to be complemented with a host of other factors to achieve high academic achievement in Chemistry. It is therefore recommended that attention be paid to other factors necessary for better students' achievement in chemistry to complement students' high self-efficacy, so that a combination of these factors could result in high academic achievement in Chemistry.

This research was designed to investigate the effect of media usage, religiosity and gender on performance in chemistry subject. This study employed survey research design. Two hundred participants (66 males and 134 females) drawn from public Senior Secondary Schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State constituted the study's sample. The instruments used to collect data included four structured questionnaires--Academic Performance Questionnaire in Chemistry (APQC) (a = 0.914), Media Questionnaire (MQ) (a = 0.792), Religiosity Questionnaire (RQ) (a = 0.735), and Gender Questionnaire (GQ) (a = 0.899). Chemistry Achievement Test (CHAT) was used to determine performance level and ability difference between male and female. Four research questions were answered and three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 Alpha level of significance. Data were analyzed using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analyses. The findings of this study showed that media (r = 0.119, df = 199, P< 0.05) is a significant correlate of academic performance in chemistry while religiosity (r = 0.057, df = 199, P> 0.05) and gender (r = 0.032, df = 199, P> 0.05) are not. It was also revealed that the three independent variables (media, religiosity and gender) are not joint predictors of academic performance in chemistry (R = 0.125, R square = 0.016, p<0.05). It was evident from the findings that media (beta = 0.112, 11.2%, t = 1.552, p<0.05) had the highest significant contribution to academic performance in chemistry. The results also showed that there is no statistical difference in the ability of male (x = 3.89, SD = 1.609) and female (x = 4.01, SD = 1.573) even though 59.5% of the students scored less than 50 in Chemistry Achievement test. The study, therefore, concluded that media is a potent correlate and significant determinant of performance in public Senior Secondary Schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria while religiosity and gender are not.

In this study, a novel integral operator that extends the functionality of some existing integral operators is presented. Specifically, the integral operator acts as the inverse operator to the widely recognized Opoola differential operator. By making use of the integral operator, a certain subclass of analytic univalent functions defined in the unit disk is proposed and investigated. This new class encompasses some familiar subclasses, like the class of starlike and the class of convex functions, while some new ones are introduced. The investigation thereafter covers coefficient inequality, distortion, growth, covering, integral preserving, closure, subordinating factor sequence, and integral means properties. Furthermore, the radii problems associated with this class are successfully addressed. Additionally, a few remarks are provided, to show that the novel integral operator and the new class generalize some existing ones.

The low achievement of chemistry students in Nigerian Colleges of Education has been attributed to a number of factors including a lack of indigenous computer software for enhancing course teaching. This study therefore sought to develop and validate an instructional computer package on organic chemistry for Colleges of Education in Nigeria. The development of the package involved the use of Macromedia Flash and Macromedia Time Line and Frames on HTML platform. CorelDraw and Microsoft Word programs were used for texts and graphics, Macromedia Fireworks was used for some texts, buttons, and graphics, while Macromedia Flash was utilised for animations. In the end, an organic chemistry computer instructional package (OCIP) has been produced and validated. It is recommended among others that lecturers teaching organic chemistry to first year College of Education students should make use of the developed package to improve the understanding of the course by the students.

It has been generally established that the global food system needs to be transformed urgently, in order to meet the growing demand for food, feed and fodder. Agroforestry is a type of farming system that combines trees/shrubs with crops with the objective of enjoying a mutual benefit that enhances productivity, profitability and biodiversity, which at the moment is unpopular in Nigeria. Therefore the objective of this paper is to provide relevant information on the role of agroforestry in transforming the Nigerian food system. Some of the agroforestry technologies which can be used to achieve its mutual benefit include taungya system, home garden, alley cropping, improved fallow, woodlots, live fences, fodder banks, orchards or tree gardens, windbreaks, shelterbelts, trees on pasture and apiculture with trees. Planting trees as a component of crop farming is a smart way to achieve multiple purposes with a single enterprise. Planting multipurpose trees in a world affected by climate change can decelerate the negative impact of anthropogenic cause of climate change, while providing food for humanity. Hence, the paper also review the roles of agroforestry in the global fight against climate change, while also ensuring food security through food system transformation.

Weather pattern anomalies and climate change have greatly impacted human activities and the environment in varying ways. Whether induced naturally or by anthropogenic activities, it remains a menace to global public health. A foreknowledge of the weather/climate change can help in mitigating the impact of disasters emanating from these changes. Upper-air meteorological data play an exceptionally large role in weather and climate prediction. However, there is a paucity of ground truth meteorological data in Nigeria and many parts of Africa. Consequently, the need to measure and archive these data. Internet of things and blockchain technologies are employed to build a system that captures and records meteorological data at up to 9,000 metres above sea level. Spanning between January 18, 2021 and July 26, 2021, in Uyo local government area, upper air pressure, temperature, dew point, time and the elevation at which they were captured, are the meteorological data presented in this data article.

IntroductionThe burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is huge due to its associated morbidity, mortality and adverse socio-economic impact. Environmental pollution as a risk factor contributes significantly to the burden of CVD, especially in the low and middle income countries. One of the effective strategies to reduce CVD burden is to prevent or detect cardiovascular risk factors early in at-risk population. This study determined some cardiovascular risk factors, kidney function, and their association with heavy metals among automobile mechanics.MethodThis was a cross-sectional study involving 162 automobile mechanics and 81 age and sex matched controls. Serum levels of lead, cadmium and some cardiovascular risks were assessed and compared in the two groups. Associations between serum lead, cadmium and some cardiovascular risks were determined using correlation analysis. P value of ResultsThe mean ages of the automobile mechanics and controls were 47.27±9.99 years and 48.94±10.34 years, respectively. The prevalence of elevated serum cadmium was significantly higher in the automobile mechanics (25.9% vs 7.9%; p = ConclusionAutomobile mechanics have notable exposure to heavy metals and a higher prevalence of some cardiovascular risk factors. Health education and sensitisation as well as policies that would regulate exposure of persons to heavy metals should be implemented in Nigeria.

Aluminum (Al) is known to be a nephrotoxic metal that can cause renal toxicity in both humans and animals. The use of functional foods has been reported to have significance in managing the toxic effects associated with such metals. This study aimed to assess the potential protective effects of caffeine, vanillin, and their combination in mitigating AlCl3-induced renal toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. A total of thirty (30) adult male Wistar rats weighing between 150 and 200 g were randomly divided into five groups, each consisting of six rats (n = 6). Group 1 served as the control, while the remaining treatment groups received a daily oral dose of 100 mg/kg AlCl3 for a duration of 21 days. In addition, groups 3–5 were coadministered 50 mg/kg body weight (bw) of caffeine, vanillin, and a combination (50/50 mg/kg bw) of both substances, respectively. In the results, AlCl3-treated showed a significant (p

Abstract Biodiesel is an economical and nonpolluting green fuel produced from the transesterification of oil and alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. Transesterification of vegetable oils with conventional (homogeneous) catalysts for biodiesel production is considered to have a promising future but they are nonrenewable and hazardous. The major setback is the increase in cost of production. High production cost, in terms of feedstock oil and catalyst acquisition is one of the major challenges facing the global commercialization and acceptance of biodiesel. Heterogeneous solid catalysts are currently replacing homogeneous catalysts because of their ability to overcome hurdles associated with homogeneous catalysts. This study discussed the development and feasibility of calcined ash from agricultural residues as a solid green heterogeneous base catalyst for biodiesel production without chemical degradation. Solid‐calcined ash based catalysts are being developed primarily via calcination at suitable temperatures and have been used as catalysts without mixing with carrier compounds. The various agricultural residues used and the corresponding biodiesel yields were also discussed. The study also looked at some agricultural residues that could be targeted for high catalytic output. It was found that high biodiesel yields (80%–98%) were achieved with most of the crude oil raw materials used. The catalyst could be reused at least five (5) times. From the discussed literature, it was found that the current state of biodiesel production can be improved by using heterogeneous base catalysts made from agricultural residue calcined ash.

Background: The period of adolescence confers significant vulnerability to mental health problems that may persist into adulthood, causing significant mental health problems to the individual and to society at large However, the majority of what is known about adolescent mental health is rom developed countries. Objective: This study sought to fill the knowledge gap by investigating the influence of peer pressure and substance use on the mental health of in-school adolescents. Methodology: A cross-sectional research design was adopted for this study alongside purposive method for sampling of the participants The sample size was made up of 288 in-school adolescents between the ages of 13 to 22 years, with an average age of 17.02±1.92 drawn from three government schools in Oyo state's capital city. Results: The findings of this study revealed that peer pressure and substance use have a negative impact on mental health. Furthermore, both variables predicted mental health jointly, but only substance use predicted mental health independently. We also discovered no significant gender variation in adolescent mental health. Conclusion: We concluded that substance use is a risk factor for adolescent mental health, as revealed by the outcome of this study. Key Recommendation: As a result, it was recommended that timely and comprehensive mental health interventions should target this population's substance use.

Background: Clozapine is the only medication licenced for patients with psychosis that is resistant to conventional antipsychotic treatment. However, despite its effectiveness, it remains widely underutilised. One contributory factor for this may be clinicians’ lack of confidence around the management of clozapine. Objective: We conducted a survey of clinicians working in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services to determine their training needs for clozapine management in EIP services. Methods: An electronic survey was made available to all clinicians working in EIP services in England. The survey assessed confidence and training needs regarding managing clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant psychosis. Quantitative data were analysed using total mean scores and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: In all, 192 (27%) of approximately 700 clinicians from 35 EIP services completed the survey. Approximately half (54%) had not received training on treatment with clozapine. Experience of training was higher in prescribers than non-prescribers, and among medical than non-medical clinicians. Previous training was associated with significantly higher confidence in offering clozapine and managing treatment-resistant psychosis ( p

OBJECTIVE: To explore the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among frontline health workers in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional multi-centre survey was conducted among 115 randomly selected frontline health workers in two tertiary health facilities; Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta (South -Western, Nigeria) and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (North Central, Nigeria). The inclusion criteria were Frontline Healthcare Workers over the age of 18 years who gave consent for the study, while other hospital workers were absent from work and those unwilling to participate in the study. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Accordingly, 59.1% of respondents accepted to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. The level of acceptance increased with the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. More respondents were also willing to wait 6 months to receive the vaccine than those willing to accept the vaccine at the moment. The age of respondents was statistically significant in the willingness to accept the vaccine. CONCLUSION: The acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine among health workers increased with the effectiveness of the potential vaccines as well as the duration of vaccine usage. Trusted policymakers can be used for advocacy in combatting the misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines.

This paper aims to improve the image scrambling and encryption effect in traditional two-dimensional discrete Arnold transform by introducing a new Residue number system (RNS) with three moduli and the New Arnold Transform. The study focuses on improving the classical discrete Arnold transform with quasi-affine properties, applying image scrambling and encryption research. The design of the method is explicit to three moduli set {2n, 2n+1+1, 2n+1-1}. These moduli set includes equalized and shapely moduli leading to the effective execution of the residue to binary converter. The study employs an arithmetic residue to the binary converter and an improved Arnold transformation algorithm. The encryption process uses MATLAB to accept a digital image input and subsequently convert the image into an RNS representation. The images are connected as a group. The resulting encrypted image uses the Arnold transformation algorithm. The encrypted image is used as input at decryption using the anti-Arnold (Reverse Arnold) transformation algorithm to convert the picture to the original RNS (original pixel value). Then the RNS was used to retransform the original RNS to its binary form. Security analysis tests, like histogram analysis, keyspace, key sensitivity, and correlation coefficient analysis, were administered on the encrypted image. Results show that the hybrid system can use the improved Arnold transform algorithm with better security and no constraint on image width and size.

Abstract Background Benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN) is the most common cause of chronic neutropenia seen in individuals of African, Middle Eastern and West Indian descent. This phenotype is broadly defined by an absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) below 1.8 × 109 cells/L in the absence of other causes, without an increased risk of infection. BEN has been implicated as a potential source of disparity in patients treated with clozapine, the antipsychotic of choice in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Our main objective was to examine the current level of BEN recognition in a cohort of patients treated with clozapine and the potential impact of unidentified BEN on the initiation and maintenance of clozapine treatment. Methods This was an observational, retrospective analysis of patients registered with clozapine haematological monitoring systems in two large mental health trusts, chosen because they serve an ethnically diverse population. The first objective was to establish certified BEN prevalence in current users of clozapine. The second objective was to explore the stage of treatment at which BEN was identified. The third objective was to evaluate the extent of unrecognised BEN in patients registered on the Central Non-Rechallenge Database (CNRD), a database for patients whose haematological parameters fall below set thresholds when receiving clozapine treatment, meaning they cannot ordinarily be prescribed clozapine again. Results The study population comprised of 2020 patients on the clozapine register. 111 patients were monitored under BEN criteria. BEN was mostly identified after a below threshold haematological result or clozapine rechallenge (68%) compared to at clozapine initiation (32%). Eight of the 18 (42%) black patients registered on the CNRD were classified as BEN after assessment by a haematologist. Of these 8 patients, none would have met CNRD criteria again if monitored with BEN criteria at clozapine initiation. Conclusions Current evidence suggests that BEN remains an uncommonly recognised haematological phenotype. Improved timely identification of BEN will reduce unnecessary interruption or discontinuation of clozapine treatment. Our results suggest consideration should also be given to determining BEN status prior to initiating clozapine. Moreover, adoption of current FDA BEN monitoring criteria in the UK may further reduce clozapine discontinuation due to perceived neutropenia as drug toxicity, particularly in treatment-refractory schizophrenia patients.