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Abstract Pandemics like COVID-19 have illuminated the significant disparities in the performance of national healthcare systems (NHCSs) during rapidly evolving crises. The challenge of comparing NHCS performance has been a difficult topic in the literature. To address this gap, our study introduces a bi-criteria longitudinal algorithm that merges fuzzy clustering with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). This new approach provides a comprehensive and dynamic assessment of NHCS performance and efficiency during the early phase of the pandemic. By categorizing each NHCS as an efficient performer, inefficient performer, efficient underperformer, or inefficient underperformer, our analysis vividly represents performance dynamics, clearly identifying the top and bottom performers within each cluster of countries. Our methodology offers valuable insights for performance evaluation and benchmarking, with significant implications for enhancing pandemic response strategies. The study’s findings are discussed from theoretical and practical perspectives, offering guidance for future health system assessments and policy-making.

Abstract Sand control is an ongoing challenge in numerous hydrocarbon-producing wells in sand-rich reservoirs. Sand production in these wells can cause damage to equipment, reduce production rates, and lead to erosion that can damage subsea equipment, production equipment, well completions, and surface facilities. This problem can compromise the mechanical integrity of the well, resulting in reduced hydrocarbon production and increased operating expenses. This review evaluates various sand production mechanisms, including geological and mechanical production methodologies, and fluid-related aspects, which are thoroughly investigated to offer a thorough understanding of the complexity of the issue and the state of sand prediction approaches. Empirical correlations, numerical simulations, and analytical models are among the sand production prediction techniques critically assessed in this study. The benefits, drawbacks, and suitability of these techniques for various reservoir environments are discussed. Furthermore, the potential benefits of combining Fiber optic (FO) technologies and machine learning (ML) for real-time monitoring and mitigation are highlighted. This integrated strategy has the potential to transform sand control practices of the industry, as demonstrated by case studies and new research that highlights its effectiveness. The future vision outlined in this review includes developments in automation, data processing methods, and sensor technologies, which should improve the precision and dependability of sand production predictions and mitigation. In conclusion, this review paper provides an extensive analysis of the current level of prediction techniques, as well as the mechanisms behind sand production in oil and gas wells. This highlights how real-time, data-driven solutions for monitoring and addressing sand production problems may be provided by FO and ML, which can ultimately lead to safer and more effective hydrocarbon recovery operations.

Abstract Over the past few years, the use of machine learning has gained considerable momentum in many industries, including exploration seismic. While supervised machine learning is increasingly being used in seismic data analysis, some obstacles hinder its widespread application. Seismic facies classification—a crucial aspect in this field—particularly faces challenges such as the selection of appropriate input attributes. Plethora of seismic attributes have been created over the years, and new ones are still coming out. Yet, several have been deemed redundant or geologically meaningless. In the context of machine learning, it is crucial to avoid these redundant and irrelevant attributes as they can result in overfitting, building unnecessary complex models, and prolonging computational time. The current study incorporates an attribute selection approach to seismic facies classification and evaluates the importance of several available seismic attributes. Two datasets from the AN Field and the Dangerous Grounds region offshore Malaysia were utilized. Several attribute selection techniques were evaluated, with most of them yielding perfect attribute subsets for the AN dataset. However, only the wrapper and embedded methods could produce optimal subsets for the more complex Dangerous Grounds dataset. In both datasets, distinguishing the targeted seismic facies was mainly dependent on amplitude, spectral, and gray-level co-occurrence matrix attributes. Furthermore, spectral magnitude components played a significant role in classifying the facies of the Dangerous Grounds broadband data. The study demonstrated the importance of attribute selection, established a workflow, and identified significant attributes that could enhance seismic facies classification in Malaysian basins and similar geologic settings.

Today the world of social media has immersed in the world of education and influencing the world of the students' activities. It is inevitable that students in many levels of education have been using social media in their life either as students or as interactants in the certain community. Therefore, it is interesting to see the existence of social media among the students. In this study, the researchers highlight the use of social media among the students in the university. This research applied a qualitative research design taking 60 students of English in the universities in Makassar. The data of this research were collected by employing a survey of Google Form and analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The result of the research shows that the English students in the universities in Makassar gave their positive perceptions about the use of social media. The informants have been using social media in their daily life and also nowadays has applied the social media as a tool of learning English. Some advantages and strategies in using social media in learning English were displayed in this study. Findings from this study will become important input for students themselves in the university context and also as beneficial information among the university practitioners in order to make use the social media in the university not only as communication tool but also as learning and teaching tools.

This study aims to figure out the difference in perceptions of female and male students of gender equity in education by determining quantitative and qualitative approaches. To measuring the three-domain of gender equity in education (1) equity of access, (2) equity of opportunity in the learning process, and (3) equity of opportunity in educational achievement. We used questionnaires and distributed them to 111 students which are categorized into two genders; 59 female students, and 52 male students. Subsequently, depth interviews were carried out with 10 male students who were randomly chosen to investigate why male students did not accept fully gender equity in education. The independent t-test analysis was utilized to pointed out empirical facts. There was a significant difference in perception between female students and male students of gender equity in education. Gender equity have been coveted by many communities of society including the government. It is supposed to include gender equity material in the curriculum so that stakeholders and all school elements have awareness and are proactive in promoting gender equity in education.

Physics learning in universities utilized the Moodle-based e-learning media as an online learning platform. However, the effectiveness of remediating misconception using online media has not been widely researched. Therefore, this study was set to determine the level of misconception percentage reduction through the use of narrative feedback, the e-learning modules, and realistic video. The study was a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental method involving 281 students who were taking basic physics courses in the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology Education. The data collection used a three-tier diagnostic test based on e-learning at the beginning of the activity and after the treatment (posttest). The results of the data analysis with descriptive statistics show that the most significant treatment in reducing misconception percentage on the topic of free-fall motion was in the following order: narrative feedback, e-learning modules and realistic video. The misconception percentage reduction in the sub-concept of accelerated free-fall was effective for all types of the treatments.

The phenomena of language use in the class still become the object of study ever since the languages are essential aspects in classroom interaction. It cannot be denied that in the classroom interaction, the communicative styles of the lecturers and students will be influenced by many aspects. One of them is the social status differences which lead to the occurrence of code-crossing in the class. For that purpose, the study in this paper is directed to explore the occurrence of code-crossing in the class and the factors influencing it. This research applied a qualitative research design taking two English classes and their students at one university in Makassar as the subject. The data of this research were collected by employing classroom observation and audio recording. The data were analyzed descriptively by adopting Discourse Analysis approach which relies on data recording, data transcription, data selection, and data interpretation. The result of the research shows that the lecturers and the students employed code-crossing in EFL classroom interaction which can be seen from the use of low and high code. This study also found that the use of that high and low code in the form of code-crossing of the lecturers and the students is influenced by the power of social status, age differences, the social distance or familiarity, and intimacy between the lecturers and the students. Findings from this study are worthy of reading for English language teaching practitioners in their effort to create effective classroom interaction.

The recent development in the field of science, technology and commerce has revived the significance of English language teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi educational policies are envisioned to configure the students' communicative competence in English to the demands of the specific professional disciplines as well as the global market. Engineering undergraduates studying at Saudi public universities rely on the Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) to meet their English language needs. However, it seems that no empirical study to date has been conducted to analyse the English language needs of the engineering undergraduates. This study aims at analysing the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) needs of engineering undergraduates studying at a Saudi university. It intends to identify what academic tasks they often carry out in English. The researcher adopted a mixed-methods approach by employing a questionnaire and interviews to collect data from 257 engineering undergraduates and 32 content-subject teachers. Quantitative data analysis was performed using SPSS, while qualitative data were analysed through NVivo software. The participants' perceptions of target tasks were compared and examined to see if there are significant differences between the groups based on the specialty of department or year of study. Overall, 27 tasks were identified as most frequently performed by undergraduates across all engineering departments at the university. The findings also revealed significant differences in the undergraduates' responses across all four levels of study. The findings suggest incorporating those tasks into the current ESP syllabus which are aligned to the immediate needs of undergraduates of engineering departments.

Living on Bangladesh’s riverine islands (Char lands) puts one at the disadvantage of underdevelopment. Hence, this study focused on the sociodemographic peculiarities and livelihood practices of farmers in the Char lands of Bangladesh. Convergent mixed methods research design was adopted to generate the required data. The quantitative data were analyzed using Statistix 10 software, while the qualitative data were analyzed by collecting themes relative to the study objectives and describing them accordingly. Results revealed that, the sociodemographic peculiarities of the respondents were low and vulnerable, being majority illiterate, having small farm size on which they predominately depend, poor housing, and a population dominated by ≥ 30 years old persons. The mean income (%) from on-farm livelihood practices was superior to that from off-farm livelihood practices, and a big proportion of the mean annual expenditure coverage was split between food and agricultural inputs/implements. Farm size contributes significantly to income, but, natural disaster, illiteracy, riverbank erosion, and lack of improved agriculture knowledge were the foremost livelihood problems in the Char lands. Consequently, the present study deduces that an all-inclusive masterplan is inevitable for sustainable development of the Bangladesh Char lands.

Data on formal sector employment in DKI Jakarta shows a significant and negative relationship between investment and employment. Now, industries are more capital-intensive and prefer to implement automation, IoT robotics, and artificial intelligence. The purpose of this study was to build a model of the relationship between character, work ability, organizational commitment, and organizational culture as they relate to the performance of formal sector employees. The research method was descriptive quantitative. The sampling technique was non-probability sampling. Samples were determined by accidental sampling and were collected from 151 respondents who were formal sector employees of DKI Jakarta. Structural Equation Model applied in data processing. The results of the research indicated that Character factor and workability have a significant direct influence on employee performance on formal sector employees in DKI Jakarta. Only the organizational commitment factor is not significantly correlated directly to performance. Indirect relationship analysis states that organizational culture through organizational commitment correlates with character and workability factors which ultimately have an impact on performance. The implication of this research shows that the creativity factor and environmentally friendly work behavior need to be improved by employees.

The advent of fiber optic technology in geophysics exploration has grown in its use in the exploration, production, and monitoring of subsurface environments, revolutionizing the way data are gathered and interpreted critically to speed up decision-making and reduce expense and time. Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) has been increasingly utilized to build relationships in complex geophysics environments by utilizing continuous measurement along fiber optic cables with high spatial resolution and a frequency response of up to 10 KHz. DAS, as fiber optic technology examining backscattered light from a laser emitted inside the fiber and measuring strain changes, enables the performance of subsurface imaging in terms of real-time monitoring for Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP), reservoir monitoring, and microseismic event detection. This review examines the most widely used fiber optic cables employed for DAS acquisition, namely Single-Mode Fiber (SMF) and Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF), with the different deployments and scopes of data used in geophysics exploration. Over the years, SMF has emerged as a preferred type of fiber optic cable utilized for DAS acquisition and, in most applications examined in this review, outperformed MMF. On the other side, MMF has proven to be preferable when used to measure distributed temperature. Finally, the fiber optic cable deployment technique and acquisition parameters constitute a pivotal preliminary step in DAS data preprocessing, offering a pathway to improve imaging resolution based on DAS measurement as a future scope of work.

Purpose: Specialist doctors are the indispensable human resource asset of the healthcare industry due to their unique expertise built over time. They are the industry leaders in medical research and play a crucial role in providing specialized care producing better outcomes in overall patients’ treatment. Therefore, the increasing number of specialists leaving government health services has been concerning. In this regard, most research in specialist retention has focused on individual and job factors. However, there is scant research exploring the individual differences that may influence the intention to stay of specialists. Hence, this paper looks to contribute to the literature on specialist doctors’ retention by focusing on the role of equity sensitivity. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study first establishes the problem of specialist doctors’ retention thru analysis of current reports, secondly investigates the past literature in the constructs relationship and theoretical underpinning to establish the theoretical basis and direction of this study. Proposition: This paper heeds the limited theoretical precision of social exchange theory highlighted by previous studies to further specify the distinction between hedonically positive and negative values within equity sensitivity construct and in its relations with employee retention. Implications/Originality/Value: This paper presents the theoretical ambiguity of social exchange theory suggested by prior studies in articulating the bipolarity within equity sensitivity and employee retention research and presents a proposal for the way forward from the challenges in this area of study

Purpose: This paper presents a conceptual framework to ameliorate the retention of specialist doctors in the Ministry of Health (MoH) Malaysia, facilities underpinned by social exchange theory (SET) and equity sensitivity theory. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study establishes the issues of specialist attrition from MoH facilities thru analysis of current reports and developments. Followed by an investigation of past literature to develop relationships and hypothesize based on SET tenets of reciprocity. Findings: The framework establishes relationship and guidance for the development of specialist doctors’ retention in MoH facilities in Malaysia. From the findings of the study, the framework suggests that equity sensitivity, availability of training and opportunities for promotion have a significant impact on employee retention of specialist doctors in Malaysia. Organizational trust acts as a capable moderator of the relationship between availability of training, opportunities for promotion and employee retention in the framework. Implications/Originality/Value: The paper presents a plausible model if validated can provide an invaluable insight in understanding the needs and expectations of specialist doctors’ retention in public hospitals. The framework also addresses the theoretical concerns put forth by previous studies concerning the ambiguities of the broad concepts of SET. Finally, the paper presents the context specific nature of employee retention among a scarcely studied occupation group, i.e., specialist doctors in the Malaysian public sector cultural setting.

Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatments impact the economic burden and psychological distress faced by end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients and their caregivers. This review aimed to discuss the concept of an economic burden and the economic burden of different treatment options, and to highlight research gaps regarding the scarcity of previous studies relating economic burden to psychological well-being. We searched five electronic databases for papers published in 2010–2020. Papers focusing on measures of the economic burden from the government’s perspective and diseases other than ESKD were excluded. Out of the 6635 publications identified, 10 publications were included. Three categories of economic burden were identified, namely, direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, and indirect costs. Direct medical costs required the highest expenditure, whereas the lowest economic burden was for indirect costs. HD patients incurred a higher economic burden than PD patients. Most of the studies were carried out in Asia. The results of the research suggest that the economic burden may affect patients and caregivers, but it is unclear whether the economic burden affects the psychological well-being of the patients and caregivers. Very few studies have assessed the relationship between economic burden and psychological well-being, and further research is needed to gain further insight into the relationship between these two variables.

Abstract Background Nasopharyngeal tuberculosis constitutes 1% of the head and neck manifestation of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. The rarity of the disease along with its non-specific presentation may pose a challenge in diagnosis. Case presentation We present a case of a 33-year-old patient who presented with a gradual onset of unilateral hearing loss. Endoscopic examination revealed leukoplakic lesions over the bilateral torus tubarius with audiological assessment revealing a mixed hearing loss in the left ear. Patient completed a 6-month course of anti-tuberculous therapy with a complete resolution of nasopharyngeal lesions and hearing loss. Conclusion We hypothesize that tuberculosis of the nasopharynx may not only lead to impaired middle ear ventilation but also damage to the ossicular chain and inner ear structures.