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Abstract Background One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the increased level of food insecurity, especially during the first wave. Food insecurity is an indication of poverty and results in serious health and social effects. Even though several studies have been conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19, there is a paucity of information on the role of individual community members and local organizations in addressing food insecurity in the province of Ontario, Canada. Consequently, the objective of this study is to examine the role of individuals and community organizations in addressing food insecurity challenges among the Black population in Scarborough in the Greater Toronto Area. Methods This qualitative study recruited 20 Black participants from the TAIBU Community Health Center (CHC) located in Scarborough. Furthermore, the study recruited eight nurses and two Black doctors in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) but only one affiliated with TAIBU. In-depth interviews were used to gather information for analysis. The study used manual coding and NVivo software to analyze the qualitative data. Results The study found that there was a reported incidence of food insecurity among the population but new local food aid organizations sprang up to assist the existing ones in tackling food insecurity. However, the study found that the operations of food aid organizations are not sustainable. Conclusions Despite the reported cases of food insecurity, local community organizations and individual community members volunteered to support people to boost their resiliency to food insecurity. The findings of the study highlight the role of community organizations in addressing food insecurity during crises including pandemics. Based on the health effects of food insecurity, the study recommends that both federal and provincial governments prioritize food insecurity as a major public health issue.

Abstract Background In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), malnutrition coupled with rising rates of undernutrition and the burden of overweight/obesity remains one of the most significant public health challenges facing the region. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture can play an important role in reducing malnutrition by addressing the underlying causes of nutrition outcomes. Therefore, we aim to assess the nutrition-sensitivity of food and agriculture policies in SSA and to provide recommendations for identified policy challenges in implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture initiatives. Methods We assessed past and current national policies relevant to agriculture and nutrition from Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa. Thirty policies and strategies were identified and reviewed after a literature scan that included journal articles, reports, and policy documents on food and agriculture. The policies and strategies were reviewed against FAO’s Key Recommendations for Improving Nutrition Through Agriculture and Food Systems guidelines. Results Through the review of 30 policy documents, we found that the link between agriculture and nutrition remains weak, particularly in agriculture policies. The review of the policies highlighted insufficient attention to nutrition and the production of micronutrient-rich foods, lack of strategies to increase farmer market access, and weak multi-sectoral collaboration and capacity building. Conclusion Nutrition-sensitive agriculture has received scant attention in previous agricultural and food policies in SSA that were riddled with implementation issues, lack of capacity, and ineffective methods for multi-sector collaboration. Recognition of these challenges are leading countries to revise and create new policies that prioritize nutrition-sensitive agriculture as a key driver in overcoming malnutrition.

Background: Globally, Africa is one of the continents that uses the lowest quantity of agrochemicals in farming. However, unsafe chemical use practices are high among farmers in Africa, posing serious health and environmental consequences. This study seeks to address three questions: (1) What factors motivate/compel smallholder farmers in Ghana to use agrochemicals? (2) What safety precautions or unsafe chemical use practices can be found in the communities? (3) What are the health implications of agrochemical use among smallholder farmers in Ghana? Methodology: The study used purposive and simple random sampling techniques to select 136 individuals for the survey, out of which 31 individuals were eliminated, and 105 participants were selected for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Additionally, participants’ observations were collected, workshops were facilitated, and documents analyses were conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software and the quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Findings: The study found that environmental challenges, activities of NGOs, government policy, lack of or high cost of labor, and competition among farmers were major factors influencing farmers’ decisions to use agrochemicals. Present agrochemical use in Ghana poses a risk to health and the environment. Finally, the study discovered chemical poisoning and low self-reported health quality as major health implications of agrochemical use in the communities.

Mobbing and burnout are phenomena that can be observed in many organizations. The effect of mobbing behavior on athlete burnout in this study was examined on university students in the Universities League (UNILIG) futsal competitions. The data were obtained from futsal players (n=72) who participated in the UNILIG, East Anatolian Group Futsal Competitions, in Turkey, during the 2017-2018 season. This study used the NAQ-F (Negative Acts Questionnaire--Football) scale developed by Yildiz (2015b) to measure mobbing and the ABQ (Athlete Burnout Questionnaire) scale developed by Raedeke and Smith (2001) to measure burnout. The football terms in the NAQ-F scale and the sports terms in the ABQ scale have been converted into futsal terms. A five-point Likert scale was used for both scales. First, validity and reliability analysis of the scales were performed, then hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the effect of mobbing behavior on burnout. Reliability of the scales was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. The values of Cronbach's alpha obtained for NAQ-F (a=0.770) and ABQ (a=0.871), indicating very good reliability scores and exceeding the 0.70 threshold cited in the literature. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that mobbing behavior significantly and positively influenced burnout of futsal players (ß=0.489; P<0.001).

Due to their important roles in organizational performance, internal marketing and organizational citizenship behavior have become more interesting subjects among researchers and practitioners. However, empirical research is limited in the literature, and the relationship between these two variables in higher educational institutions is not clear. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of internal marketing on organizational citizenship behavior of academic staff in higher educational institutions. The data for the study was collected from academic staff who worked in the faculty of sport sciences in Turkey. The findings showed a statistically significant positive effect of internal marketing on organizational citizenship behavior. As a result, this study revealed that internal marketing is an effective tool for organizational citizenship behavior of academic staff.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of patient-centered care competence of palliative care nurses on the quality of care. Methods: The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between June and August 2023 in health institutions affiliated to Izmir Provincial Health Directorate. The study was conducted with 130 nurses actively working in palliative care units of health institutions. Data were collected using “Personal Information Form”, “Patient-centered Care Competency Scale” and “Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale”. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between quantitative variables. Results: The mean age of the nurses participating in the study was 36.69±7.5 years and 94.6% of them were female. The mean total scores of the nurses on the Patient-centered Care Competency Scale were 4.02±1.04; the mean scores for the sub-dimensions of respecting patient perspectives, promoting patient involvement in care processes, providing for patient comfort and advocating for patients were 4.01±1.05, 4.01±1.05, 4.08±1.11 and 3.98±1.08, respectively; and the mean total score on the Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale was 74.80±11.98. In the study, a positive moderate statistically significant relationship was found between the mean total scores of the Patient-centered Care Competency Scale and the Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale (r=0.319; p

Purpose: HEdPERF (Higher Education PERFormance) is one of the most recently developed scales in the literature to measure service quality in higher education. However, HEdPERF is designed to measure service quality at a macro level (university level) and may be considered as a more generic measurement instrument. In higher education, new scales with a much narrower focus may need to be developed for micro levels within a university because of the unique nature of different academic units. The purpose of this paper is to develop an instrument for measuring service quality in the School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, PESPERF (namely Physical Education and Sports Sciences PERFormance). Design/methodology/approach: A 30-item questionnaire on service quality in higher education was developed and tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In total, 320 physical education and sports sciences students participated in the study in a classroom setting. Findings: Study results indicate that three dimensions (academic aspects, empathy, and access) capture the determinants of service quality in the School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (PESS). Research limitations/implications: Sample size, cultural factors and the complex nature of university customers limits one's ability to generalize these results to broader populations. Practical implications: Through the use of service quality dimensions presented in this study, PESS administrators can successfully measure and monitor service quality perceptions in their institutions. Having identified the areas of service quality improvement priorities, administrators can allocate appropriate resources to encourage continuous service quality improvements. Originality/value: This paper uses existing literature on service quality and develops an instrument that provides insights into measuring service quality for a specific academic unit within a university. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

Copyright of CBÜ Beden Eğitimi & Spor Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of CBU Beden Egitimi & Spor Bilimleri Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACTThe surge in recommended vaccinations for child’s has spurred the development of combination vaccines, notably hexavalent vaccines, which provide multiple immunizations in a single dose. These vaccines offer various advantages, such as streamlining vaccination schedules, minimizing injection-related pain and exposure to preservatives, expanding vaccine coverage, and reducing administration costs. However, the intricate and expensive development of these vaccines presents substantial challenges, requiring increased investment and healthcare provider education to optimize their utilization and sustain high vaccination rates. Turkey, known for its robust vaccine coverage, strategic geographic location, and the influx of refugees, is at a critical juncture for integrating hexavalent vaccines into national programs. This transition is especially relevant given the rising vaccine hesitancy and the potential resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. This review assesses the deployment of hexavalent vaccines, examining their benefits and challenges through clinical trials and global experiences, with a specific emphasis on Turkiye’s public health context.

Bu çalışma, yöneticilerde ve çalışanlarda erteleme eğiliminin farklı olup olmadığını saptamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu temel amaç dışında, çeşitli kişisel özelliklere göre erteleme eğiliminin farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığını ortaya koymak da amaçlanmaktadır. Bu amaçla, İzmir İl Sağlık Müdürlüğü’ne bağlı olarak çalışan 350 yönetici ve 555 çalışan olmak üzere toplam 905 kişiden veri toplanmış ve veriler analiz edilmiştir. Verilerin analizinde frekans, açıklayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi, bağımsız tek örneklem t testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizlerinden yararlanılmıştır. Yapılan analizler sonucunda, erteleme eğiliminin genel olarak düşük düzeyde olduğu, bununla birlikte yöneticiler ve çalışanların erteleme eğiliminin farklı olduğu saptanmıştır. Yönetici olmayan çalışanların erteleme eğilimi daha yüksektir. Yöneticiler arasında ise alt düzey yöneticilerde erteleme eğilimi daha yüksektir. Erteleme eğilimi yaş, medeni durum, çocuk sahibi olup olmama, meslek ve meslekte çalışma süresine göre farklılaşmakta iken cinsiyete göre farklılaşmamaktadır.

Arterial pulse waves contain a wealth of parameters indicative of cardiovascular disease. As such, monitoring them continuously and unobtrusively can provide health professionals with a steady stream of cardiovascular health indices, allowing for the development of efficient, individualized treatments and early cardiovascular disease diagnosis solutions. Blood pulsations in superficial arteries cause skin surface deformations, typically undetectable to the human eye; therefore, Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) can be used to measure these deformations and thus create unobtrusive pulse wave monitoring devices. Miniaturized ultrathin and flexible Aluminium Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric MEMS are highly sensitive to minute mechanical deformations, making them suitable for detecting the skin deformations caused by cardiac events and consequently providing multiple biomarkers useful for monitoring cardiovascular health and assessing cardiovascular disease risk. Conventional wearable continuous pulse wave monitoring solutions are typically large and based on technologies limiting their versatility. Therefore, we propose the adoption of $29.5 ~\mu \text{m}$ -thick biocompatible, skin-conforming devices on piezoelectric AlN to create versatile, multipurpose arterial pulse wave monitoring devices. In our initial trials, the devices are placed over arteries along the wrist (radial artery), neck (carotid artery), and suprasternal notch (on the chest wall and close to the ascending aorta). We also leverage the mechano-acoustic properties of the device to detect heart muscle vibrations corresponding to heart sounds S1 and S2 from the suprasternal notch measurement site. Finally, we characterize the piezoelectric device outputs observed with the cardiac cycle events using synchronized electrocardiogram (ECG) reference signals and provide information on heart rate, breathing rate, and heart sounds. The extracted parameters strongly agree with reference values as illustrated by minimum Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of 0.81 for pulse rate and 0.95 for breathing rate.

Copyright of Journal of Sports Sciences Research / Spor Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Journal of Sport Sciences Researches / Spor Bilimleri Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of CBÜ Beden Eğitimi & Spor Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of CBU Beden Egitimi & Spor Bilimleri Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The seismic design of structures is an emerging practice in earthquake-resistant construction. Therefore, using energy-dissipation devices and optimizing these devices for various purposes are important. Evolutionary computation, nature-inspired, and meta-heuristic algorithms have been studied more in recent years for the optimization of these devices. In this study, the development of evolutionary algorithms for seismic design in the context of multi-objective optimization is examined through bibliometric analysis. In particular, evolutionary algorithms such as genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization are used to optimize the performance of structures to meet seismic loads. While genetic algorithms are used to improve both the cost and seismic performance of the structure, particle swarm optimization is used to optimize the vibration and displacement performance of structures. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of 661 publications is performed on the Web of Science and Scopus databases and on how the research in this field has developed since 1986. The R-studio program with the biblioshiny package is used for the analyses. The increase in studies on the optimization of energy dissipation devices in recent years reveals the effectiveness of evolutionary algorithms in this field.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2004.10.039 Byline: Abdullah Dogan, Mustafa Ozgul, Mehmet Ozaydin, Suleyman M. Aslan, Omer Gedikli, Ahmet Altinbas Abstract: Current reperfusion strategies may fail to achieve optimal tissue perfusion in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We investigated the effect of clopidogrel plus aspirin on tissue perfusion and coronary flow in infarct patients treated with fibrinolytic agents. Author Affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sevket Demirel Heart Center, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey Article History: Received 12 May 2004; Accepted 15 October 2004

Laboratory incubators are used to maintain and cultivate microbial and cell cultures. In order to ensure suitable growing conditions and to avoid cell injuries and fast rise and settling times, minimum overshoot and undershoot performance indexes should be considered in the controller design for incubators. Therefore, it is important to build proper models to evaluate the performance of the controllers before implementation. In this study, we propose an approach to build a model for a laboratory incubator. In this approach, the incubator is considered a linear time-invariant single-input, single-output system. Four different model structures, namely auto-regressive exogenous, auto-regressive moving average exogenous, output error and Box–Jenkins, are applied for modeling the system. The parameters of the model structures are estimated by using prediction error methods. The performances of the model structures are evaluated in terms of mean squared error, mean absolute error and goodness of fit. Additionally, residue analysis including auto-correlation and cross-correlation plots is provided. Experiments are carried out in two scenarios. In the first scenario, the identification dataset is collected from the unit-step response, while in the second scenario, it is collected from the pseudorandom binary sequence response. The experimental study shows that the Box–Jenkins model achieves an over 90% fit percentage for the first scenario and an over 95% fit percentage for the second scenario. Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that the Box–Jenkins model can be used as a successful model for laboratory incubators.

This paper examines the roles of two post-Soviet republics: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and their foreign policies in the context of wider world politics. The author discusses that, when examined without the agenda of examining the world's great powers' (i.e. the US and Russia) politics, it can be better understood that these republics in fact follow their ow agendas, and that their policies are not mere extensions of the policies of the superpowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]