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Introduction: Endotracheal intubation often triggers a sympathetic response, leading to an increase in Heart Rate (HR) and blood pressure. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) and lignocaine have shown the potential to mitigate cardiovascular changes secondary to intubation. Aim: To compare the efficacy of 0.25 mcg/kg and 0.5 mcg/kg DEX with 1.5 mg/kg lignocaine in attenuating haemodynamic responses during the peri-intubation period. Materials and Methods: This randomised double-blind study included 90 patients classified as American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) I and II, aged 16-65 years. Patients were divided into three groups: Group A received lignocaine (1.5 mg/kg); Group B received DEX (0.25 mcg/kg); and Group C received DEX (0.5 mcg/kg). Haemodynamic parameters were recorded at various intervals before and after laryngoscopy. Data were checked for normality before statistical analysis using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Normally distributed continuous variables were compared using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), while categorical variables were analysed using the Chi-square test. For all statistical tests, a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered indicative of a significant difference. Results: All groups were found to be comparable in terms of age, weight, and gender distribution. The mean age in Group A was 36.10±12.60 years, in Group B was 36.10±13.47 years, and in Group C was 37.37±11.49 years. Inter-group comparisons between Group A and Group C showed statistically significant lower HR values in Group C (79.23±10.37 vs. 90.7±17.68) at T0 as well as T1 (90.07±14.65 vs. 99.93±17.02, p-value 0.019). The comparison between Groups A and C revealed significantly lower Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) values in Group C at T0, T1, T3, and T5. Inter-group comparisons between Groups A and B showed that Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) values were significantly lower at T5 in Group B (69.33±10.09 vs. 62.33±9.11, p-value 0.006). Between Groups A and C, significant differences were noted at T0, T1, T3, and T5 in Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP). Conclusion: DEX at a dose of 0.5 mcg/kg appears to be a more effective option for managing haemodynamic responses compared to lignocaine. Nevertheless, the haemodynamic stability achieved with 0.25 mcg/kg of DEX is nearly equivalent to that observed with both 0.5 mcg/kg of DEX and 1.5 mg/kg of lignocaine.

Polusi udara menjadi salah satu ancaman bagi lingkungan, khususnya di kawasan perkotaan yang memiliki tingkat emisi tinggi gas berbahaya seperti karbon dioksida (CO2) dan karbon monoksida (CO). Penelitian ini mengembangkan sistem pemantauan kualitas udara berbasis sensor MQ-135 yang berfokus pada deteksi gas CO2 dan CO secara real-time. Sensor ini diintegrasikan dengan mikrokontroler dan kalibrasi untuk meningkatkan akurasi pengukuran. Penelitian ini menawarkan pendekatan yang lebih efisien dan ekonomis dibandingkan dengan perangkat monitoring komersial. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa sistem yang dikembangkan mampu mendeteksi konsentrasi gas dengan presisi yang dapat diterima untuk aplikasi lingkungan. Pengujian menunjukkan bahwa sistem yang dikembangkan mampu mendeteksi konsentrasi CO2 hingga 520 ppm dan CO hingga 20 ppm dengan tingkat akurasi 2,21% untuk CO2 dan 0,26% untuk CO dibandingkan alat monitoring komersial. Studi ini berkontribusi terhadap pengembangan teknologi monitoring udara yang lebih terjangkau untuk aplikasi perkotaan.

Abstract This article is devoted to the synthesis of a new magnetic palladium catalyst that has been immobilized on A-TT-Pd coated-magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Such surface functionalization of magnetic particles is a promising method to bridge the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis approaches. The structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties of the particles were characterized through different analytical techniques, including TEM, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, TGA-DTG, ICP, and VSM techniques. The obtained Fe3O4@SiO2@A-TT-Pd performance can show excellent catalytic activity for the synthesis of diaryl ethers and oxidation of sulfides, and the corresponding products were obtained with high yields. The advantages of this catalyst include a simple test method, green reaction conditions, no use of dangerous solvents, short reaction time, low catalyst loading, and reusability. Also, the nanocatalyst was easily separated from the reaction mixture with the help of a bar magnet and recovered and reused several times without loss of stability and activity.

Abstract H. pylori infects approximately 50% of the world’s population that causes chronic gastritis, and may lead to peptic ulcer disease (PUD). H. pylori-induced chronic infections are associated with gastric adenocarcinoma and low-grade gastric lymphoma. In Egypt, H. pylori strains are widespread and became resistant to antimicrobial agents, thus advanced typing methods are needed to differentiate infectious strains that are resistant to antibiotics, and therefore earlier prognosis and infection control. The main objectives were (i) to determine susceptibility of infectious H. pylori strains to some antimicrobial agents that are currently used in eradication therapy in Egypt; (ii) to identify diverse strains commonly detected in the gastrointestinal (GIT) endoscopy units in Egypt through phenotypic and genotypic analyses. In this observational study we isolated 167 isolates from 232 gastric biopsies (antrum and corpus) of patients who were admitted to the upper GIT endoscopy units in five governmental Egyptian hospitals. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were investigated using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion and agar dilution Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) methods. Phenotypic characterization was based on biotyping and antibiogram typing techniques. Genotypic characterization was carried out using PCR-based Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC)-PCR analyses. H. pylori isolates were highly resistant to diverse antimicrobial agents including Metronidazole, Fluoroquinolones, Macrolides, Amoxycillin, Tetracycline and Gentamicin. Two factors contributed to the increased resistance of H. pylori to the conventional therapy seen in Egypt: (i) Metronidazole and Amoxycillin are inexpensive and available drugs being abused by patients; (ii) the regional prescribing practice of Macrolids commonly used to treat upper respiratory and urinary tract infections. Five different biotypes were identified depending on the ability of the isolates to synthesize different enzymes. Nine antibiogram types were identified. PCR-RFLP analysis revealed fifteen different fingerprints while ERIC-PCR revealed 22 fingerprints. Biotyping alone or in combination with antibiogram typing are highly useful molecular tools in the prognosis of strain relatedness. PCR-RFLP and ERIC-PCR acquired good discriminatory power for identifying H. pylori infectious sub-types.

This study aims to analyse teachers' understanding of realistic mathematics education (RME) through a blended workshop on designing an RME-based learning trajectory. Data was collected via online pre-test and post-test, involving mathematics teachers of junior high schools in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The tests were accompanied by interviews, chats on WhatsApp groups, and video recording. A descriptive analysis of the various sources of data indicated that the teachers made varying shifts in understanding the principles of RME. The teachers slightly altered their understanding of the intertwinement and level principles. However, their comprehension of the reality principle remained the same; they considered real problems as daily life problems only, even though some teachers had already written the meaning of real problems as problems that students can imagine. They also have already possessed a satisfactory understanding of the activity principle before the workshop. Moreover, nearly half of the teachers showed a good understanding of RME-based learning trajectories. The findings reported that teachers benefited from the blended workshop and obtained knowledge of the RME-based learning trajectory after participation. Finally, the implications for further research were discussed in this paper.

Hate speech refers to sentences or words that aim to demean or insult individuals, groups, or communities based on factors such as ethnicity, religion, race, or social class. In this study, Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques were employed using FastText feature extraction and SVM algorithm for text classification. The evaluation was conducted using F1 Score as the performance metric. The data was divided using the Cross-Validation method with 10 folds, and the experiment was performed with four SVM kernels: RBF, Linear, Polynomial, and Sigmoid. The results of this research, based on the effectiveness of the FastTextSVM method combination, demonstrate a strong performance in hate speech classification. By adopting FastText parameters from previous studies and involving four SVM kernels, this research achieved a satisfactory average F1 Score. The results obtained for the Polynomial kernel showed the best performance with an F1 Score of 0.813, followed by the Linear kernel with 0.809, the RBF kernel with 0.808, and the Sigmoid kernel with 0.805. This indicates that the F1 Score results do not show significant differences in outcomes.

Ghana's schools face a severe teacher retention crisis, with only 36 percent of teachers in a district survey planning to stay in their roles. Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of 138 teachers to investigate their reasons for wanting to leave the profession. Common themes emerged, including low pay, poor working conditions, and overwhelming workloads. Additionally, concerns about teacher well-being and the declining status of the teaching profession were highlighted as significant issues. The study sought to identify strategies to keep teachers engaged, employing a theory about employee turnover to guide the analysis. Researchers carefully examined the survey responses and pinpointed key strategies to address the crisis. These included reducing teacher workloads, improving working conditions, and enhancing the prestige and status of the teaching profession. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers seeking effective solutions to Ghana's teacher retention problems. The findings underscore the urgent need to address the factors driving teachers away and implement strategies to maintain a stable, motivated, and highly skilled teaching workforce, which is crucial for advancing Ghana's educational system. Abstrak Sekolah-sekolah di Ghana sedang menghadapi krisis retensi guru yang parah, dengan hanya 36 persen guru dalam survei distrik yang berencana untuk tetap menjabat. Peneliti melakukan survei komprehensif terhadap 138 guru untuk mendalami alasan mereka ingin meninggalkan profesinya. Tema-tema umum muncul, termasuk gaji rendah, kondisi kerja yang buruk, dan beban kerja yang sangat berat. Selain itu, kekhawatiran mengenai kesejahteraan guru dan menurunnya status profesi guru juga disoroti sebagai permasalahan yang signifikan. Studi ini berusaha mengidentifikasi strategi untuk menjaga keterlibatan guru, dengan menggunakan teori tentang pergantian karyawan untuk memandu analisis. Melalui pemeriksaan yang cermat terhadap respons survei, para peneliti menunjukkan strategi utama untuk mengatasi krisis ini. Hal ini termasuk mengurangi beban kerja guru, memperbaiki kondisi kerja, dan meningkatkan prestise dan status profesi guru. Penelitian ini memberikan wawasan berharga bagi para pembuat kebijakan yang mencari solusi efektif terhadap masalah retensi guru di Ghana. Temuan-temuan ini menggarisbawahi kebutuhan mendesak untuk mengatasi faktor-faktor yang mendorong guru menjauh dan menerapkan strategi yang dapat mempertahankan tenaga pengajar yang stabil, termotivasi, dan berketerampilan tinggi, yang sangat penting bagi kemajuan sistem pendidikan Ghana. Kata Kunci: pergantian karyawan; pengurangan guru; retensi guru

Background and Aims: Optimal patient positioning and operating table height are essential for an ergonomic posture of an anesthesiologist in which there is minimal or no strain on thewrist during mask ventilation. It also avoids flexion of the neck, lower back, and knee bending at the time of laryngoscopy and intubation. Material and Methods: One hundred eighty patients were randomly allocated to three groups based on different table heights. The height of the table is kept at the mid-sternum level of an anesthesiologist in group 1, at the xiphoid process in group 2, and at the level of umbilicus in group 3. Laryngoscopic view with or without postural changes (exertion at wrist joint, flexion of the neck, lower back, or knee bending) was graded as per Cormack Lehane’s (CL) grading. The degree of discomfort experienced by the anesthesiologist during mask ventilation or tracheal intubation was graded subjectively (1 = no discomfort, 2 = mild discomfort, 3 = moderate discomfort, and 4 = severe discomfort) at different table heights. Postural changes required to obtain the best glottic view and quality of endotracheal (ET) intubation (intubation time and attempts required) were also noted. For analysis, quantitative variables were expressed as mean ± SD and compared using unpaired t or analysis of variance test. Qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies/percentages and compared using the Chi-square test. Results with P value

Background: Post-operative sore throat (POST) is a very common anesthesia-related event which may hamper patient satisfaction and increase treatment cost. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of nebulization with dexamethasone and lignocaine to prevent POST. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled study involved 135 patients randomly divided into three equal groups: Group D – (n=45) received 8 mg (2 mL) dexamethasone plus 3 mL of distilled water, Group L – (n=45) received 80 mg (4% lignocaine 2 mL) plus 3 mL distilled, and Group S – (n=45) received nebulization with 5 mL normal saline. Results: At 4 h postoperatively, the incidence of POST was 15.6% in the dexamethasone group, 33.3% in the lignocaine group, and 73.3% in the saline group. The score was significantly higher in the saline group (P=0.001) compared to the dexamethasone and lignocaine group, while it was comparable between dexamethasone and lignocaine group (P=0.188). Similarly, dexamethasone and lignocaine groups were comparable at immediately post-operative, 2, 8, 12, and 24 h post-operative time points. Post-operative hoarseness scores of all three groups were comparable at all-time points. A significant increase in the heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) after intubation was observed in the saline and dexamethasone group as compared to the lignocaine group (P=0.001) while HR and MAP were comparable in dexamethasone and saline group (P=1.000). Conclusion: Dexamethasone and lignocaine nebulization are both effective and comparable prophylaxis for POST and lignocaine nebulization has added advantage of blunting pressor response to endotracheal intubation over dexamethasone nebulization.

This scholarly study investigated the physicochemical characteristics of soil in the Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar forest, Libya, with a specific focus on the influence of elevation and slope aspects. Fifty-six sample plots were established across varying elevations, each subdivided into four subplots, totaling 224. Soil samples were collected from each subplot at 0-15 cm depth. Results demonstrate significant variations in clay, silt, and sand content with elevation, indicating lower clay and higher sand content at higher elevations. Available water capacity (AWC) increased with altitude on the northern slope, while consistently lower values were observed on the southern slope. Bulk density (BD) decreased with increasing altitude, suggesting less compacted soils at higher elevations. Available phosphorus (Pav), available potassium (Kav), and pH values decreased with increasing altitude on both slopes. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) values varied at altitudes on the northern slope, with higher values observed at mid to high altitudes. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) decreased with increasing altitude on the northern slope while showing inconsistent trends on the southern slope. Soil organic matter (SOM) content increased with altitude on both slopes. Pearson's correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) examined relationships among soil properties, elevations, and aspects. Elevation positively correlated with AWC and SOM and negatively correlated with clay content, Kav, BD, and pH. PCA identified elevation, aspect, silt content, CaCO3, and electrical conductivity (EC) as primary influencers. SOM exhibited positive correlations with AWC and negative correlations with BD. Soil pH showed a negative correlation with SOM and a positive correlation with CaCO3. Additionally, CaCO3 content was positively correlated with the cation exchange capacity (CEC). These findings contribute to understanding soil property relationships, elevation, and aspect, emphasizing their role in shaping soil ecosystems and nutrient dynamics. Further research is warranted to explore additional factors influencing soil properties and to develop effective nutrient management strategies.