Evaluation of the Living Conditions and Health Perceptions of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Handlers in the Informal Sector in Dakar

Electrical and electronic devices are becoming an increasingly important part of our society. In Africa, and in Senegal in particular, the handling and management of electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) that has reached the end of its life is mainly informal. This professional environment is characterized by the disintegration of the sector and the social heterogeneity that can be found there. The objective of this study is to assess the standard of living of electrical and electronic equipment waste handlers in the Dakar region, as well as their perception of their health. A survey was used to obtain information on sociodemographic background, living arrangements, perception of health status, and good practices to be implemented in case of work-related health problems. Life style, perception of general health and health problems were ranged as excellent, very good, good, average and poor. Informal recyclers in the Dakar region lived mainly in rooms and buildings as tenants (49.1%), or in family homes (48.4%) before starting this activity, and 51.2% continue to live in rooms and buildings as tenants compared to 41.4% who still live in a family home. The perception of health status ranged from poor to excellent, and 4.9% believe that they are limited in work due to a disability or health problem. Informal work is a heterogeneous phenomenon that makes research and policymaking particularly complex. There are several external factors within informal WEEE re-cyclers that can cause health problems or functional disability. However, the living conditions and the perception they have of their state of health are contradictory to the working conditions and the social environment to which they belong. A biomedical approach would consolidate these achievements by confirming or invalidating them.

Perceptions of Mothers with Preterm Babies towards Donor Breast Milk at Women and Newborn Hospital,Lusaka Zambia

Breast milk offers essential nutrients crucial for the development of the preterm immune system, thus reducing the incidence of infection and mortality often associated with prematurity. In the absence of breast milk, the preferred option is donated breast milk, the best alternative for hospitalized neonates whose mothers have insufficient breast milk or are unavailable. In Zambia, donor breast milk is unavailable. Instead, the protocol recommends the administration of formula milk. However, the use of formula milk in preterm babies is associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis. Zambia needs to establish a donor milk bank, hence the need to understand the perception of mothers towards donated breast milk. A qualitative descriptive case study utilized 10 focus group discussions with in-depth interviews, purposively selected using a variation strategy. Data was thematically analysed. Participants demonstrated potential acceptance to donor breast milk utilization, as more nutritional compared to formula despite lack of awareness. Concerns related to safety, quality, fear of disease transmission and discomfort feeding from a different bloodline were identified as hinderance to possible utilisation. These perceptions underscore the importance of educational initiatives aimed at dispelling myths and misconceptions surrounding donor breast milk and establishing donor breast milk programs. Therefore, the study recommends educational initiatives tailored to raise awareness to mothers about donor breast milk.

Clinical competency:perceptions of nursing interns and clinical mentors

Objective:To assess the clinical competency of nursing interns and the perception of clinical nurse mentors toward student nurses'clinical competency.Methods:A study was carried out among 104 nursing interns and 26 clinical nurse mentors using the purposive sampling technique.A self-repor ted perception scale was used to collect the data.Results:In general,most nursing interns perceived themselves as clinically competent during the internship.The clinical nurse mentors too repor ted that the current internship is helping the nursing interns in becoming competent.Conclusions:Frequent clinical evaluation,buddy system,provision of stipends,good leadership,and coordination between the academic institute and hospital are repor ted as the critical motivating factors for improving the clinical competency of student interns.

Longitudinal Studies on Illness Perceptions in Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

Objective:To conduct a scoping review of longitudinal studies related to disease perception in cancer patients and to provide a reference for the improvement of disease perception in cancer patients.Methods:Using the scoping method,PubMed,Web of Science,The Cochrane Library,Medline,CNKI,Wanfang Database,VIP Chinese Scientific and Technical Journals Database,and China Biomedical Literature Database were searched up to July 2023 for analysis and discussion of the included literature.Results:A total of 19 articles were included,distributed across 9 countries including China,the Netherlands,and the United Kingdom,with 8 articles published in China.The study subjects included patients with breast cancer,colorectal cancer,laryngeal cancer,lung cancer,esophageal cancer,and bladder cancer.The content covered dynamic changes in disease perception,the impact of disease perception,and the influencing factors of disease perception.Conclusion:The number of longitudinal studies on disease perception in cancer patients is gradually increasing and becoming more diverse.However,issues such as a small total number of studies,single research methods,and short observation periods persist.In the future,it is necessary to conduct in-depth longitudinal research on disease perception in cancer patients,expand the scope of research fields,and provide more comprehensive theories to guide clinical treatment and nursing practices,ultimately improving the treatment outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.

多感官视角下城市居民滨江空间景观感知偏好

中国城镇化迈入人口城镇化的“下半场”,多感官下的居民景观感知与规划设计是近年空间感知分析与规划设计的热点。然而,现有研究多集中于视觉、听觉单一感官分析或双重感官分析,存在着对嗅觉、触觉等感官缺乏关注,以及对多感官结合分析关注很少的理论不足。本文以多感官感知为视角,以广州市滨江公共空间景观作为研究对象,将其分为“自然、人类/人类活动、人造/机械”3种景观要素及33个景观因素,通过构建感知增长率指数,对视觉、听觉、嗅觉和触觉4种感官下的不同类型滨江空间的居民景观感知特征进行评价。结果表明:不同景观要素下4种感官的感知相对敏感度不同,自然景观中嗅觉敏感,人类活动景观中听觉敏感,人造景观中触觉敏感。相对视觉和触觉而言,听觉和嗅觉下居民景观感知需求更容易被忽视。居民对自然声音和自然气味的景观要素感知期待仍需加强,而人类活动声和机械气味则不受欢迎。多感官下的景观要素感知特征在不同类型的公共空间下存在差异,广场和桥下/码头是重点改造空间,需特别关注避免电子设备声和交通噪声的干扰。最后形成了各滨江空间相应的感知设计指引。本文提出,集成多感官的居民景观感知分析可为城市滨江空间规划和设计提供实质性的参考。

Bioinspired Passive Tactile Sensors Enabled by Reversible Polarization of Conjugated Polymers

Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors consume less power,but lack the capability to resolve static stimuli.Here,we address this issue by utilizing the unique polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers for the first time and propose a new type of bioinspired,passive,and bio-friendly tactile sensors for resolving both static and dynamic stimuli.Specifically,to emulate the polarization process of natural sensory cells,conjugated polymers(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophen e):poly(styrenesulfonate),polyaniline,or polypyrrole)are controllably polarized into two opposite states to create artificial potential differences.The controllable and reversible polarization process of the conjugated polymers is fully in situ characterized.Then,a micro-structured ionic electrolyte is employed to imitate the natural ion channels and to encode external touch stimulations into the variation in potential difference outputs.Compared with the currently existing tactile sensing devices,the developed tactile sensors feature distinct characteristics including fully organic composition,high sensitivity(up to 773 mV N^(−1)),ultralow power consumption(nW),as well as superior bio-friendliness.As demonstrations,both single point tactile perception(surface texture perception and material property perception)and two-dimensional tactile recognitions(shape or profile perception)with high accuracy are successfully realized using self-defined machine learning algorithms.This tactile sensing concept innovation based on the polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers opens up a new path to create robotic tactile sensors and prosthetic electronic skins.

Chinese physicians' perceptions of fecal microbiota transplantation

AIM: To explore Chinese physicians' perceptions towards fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) and to provide information and an assessment of FMT development in China.METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was developed according to the FMT practice guidelines and was distributed to physicians in hospitals via Internet Research Electronic Data Capture(REDcap) software and electronic mails to assess their attitudes toward and knowledge of FMT. The questionnaire included a brief introduction of FMT that was followed by 20 questions. The participants were required to respond voluntarily, under the condition of anonymity and without compensation. Except for the fill-in-the-blank questions, all of the other questions were required in the REDcap data collection systems, and the emailed questionnaires were completed based on eligibility.RESULTS: Up to December 9, 2014, 844 eligible questionnaires were received out of the 980 distributed questionnaires, with a response rate of 86.1%. Among the participants, 87.3% were from tertiary hospitals, and there were 647(76.7%) gastroenterologists and 197(23.3%) physicians in other departments(nongastroenterologists). Gastroenterologists' awareness of FMT prior to the survey was much higher than non-gastroenterologists'(54.3 vs 16.5%, P < 0.001); however, acceptance of FMT was not statistically different(92.4 vs 87.1%, P = 0.1603). Major concerns of FMT included the following: acceptability to patients(79.2%), absence of guidelines(56.9%), and administration and ethics(46.5%). On the basis of understanding, the FMT indications preferred byphysicians were recurrent Clostridium difficile infection(86.7%), inflammatory bowel disease combined with Clostridium difficile infection(78.6%), refractory ulcerative colitis(70.9%), ulcerative colitis(65.4%), Crohn's disease(59.4%), chronic constipation(43.7%), irritable bowel syndrome(39.1%), obesity(28.1%) and type 2 diabetes(23.9%). For donor selection, the majority of physicians preferred individuals with a similar gut flora environment to the recipients. 76.6% of physicians chose lower gastrointestinal tract as the administration approach. 69.2% of physicians considered FMT a safe treatment. CONCLUSION: Chinese physicians have awareness and a high acceptance of FMT, especially gastroenterologists, which provides the grounds and conditions for the development of this novel treatment in China. Physicians' greatest concerns were patient acceptability and absence of guidelines.

Gastroenterologist perceptions of faecal microbiota transplantation

AIM: To explore gastroenterologist perceptions towards and experience with faecal microbiota transplantation(FMT).METHODS: A questionnaire survey consisting of 17 questions was created to assess gastroenterologists' attitude towards and experience with FMT. This was anonymously distributed in hard copy format amongst attendees at gastroenterology meetings in Australia between October 2013 and April 2014. Basic descriptive statistical analyses were performed.RESULTS: Fifty-two clinicians participated. Twenty one percent had previously referred patients for FMT,8% more than once. Ninety percent would refer patients with Clostridium difficile infection(CDI) for FMT if easily available,37% for ulcerative colitis,13% for Crohn's disease and 6% for irritable bowel syndrome. Six percent would not refer any indication,including recurrent CDI. Eighty-six percent would enroll patients in FMT clinical trials. Thirty-seven percent considered the optimal mode of FMT administration transcolonoscopic,17% nasoduodenal,13% enema and 8% oral capsule. The greatest concerns regarding FMT were: 42% lack of evidence,12% infection risk,10% non infectious adverse effects/lack of safety data,10% aesthetic,10% lack of efficacy,4% disease exacerbation,and 2% inappropriate use; 6% had no concerns. Seventy seven percent believed there is a lack of accessibility while 52% had an interest in learning how to provide FMT. Only 6% offered FMT at their institution.CONCLUSION: Despite general enthusiasm,most gastroenterologists have limited experience with,or access to,FMT. The greatest concerns were lack of supportive evidence and safety issues. However a significant proportion would refer indications other than CDI for FMT despite insufficient evidence. These data provide guidance on where education and training are required.

Consumers' perceptions on GM food safety in urban China

The debate about the safety of genetically modified （GM） food has attracted public attention in concurrence with the rapid development of agricultural biotechnology. This paper examines the consumers＇ perceptions on the safety of GM food in China. Based on a unique survey dataset, this study shows that consumers in urban China have significantly changed their perceptions on GM food safety. The percentage of consumers who perceived such food as unsafe for consumption increased by more than 30% in the 2002-2012 period. Approximately half of the consumers did not have an opinion on this issue. Major shifts have been occurred after 2010, likely because of the increasing influence of negative media reports on GM technology in recent years. Several individual and household＇s characteristics are shown to significantly affect consumers＇ perceptions on GM food safety, such as gender, education, food allergy experience and resident city size. The paper concludes with policy implications.

Factors influencing hybrid maize farmers' risk attitudes and their perceptions in Punjab Province,Pakistan

Hybrid maize farmers have to face diverse kinds of climate, biological, price and financial risks. Farmers＇ risk perceptions and risk attitudes are essential elements influencing farm operations and management decisions. However, this important issue has been overlooked in the contemporary studies and therefore there is a dearth of literature on this important issue. The present research is therefore, an attempt to fill this gap. This study aims to quantify hybrid maize farmers＇ perceptions of disastrous risks, their attitudes towards risk and to explore the impacts of various farm and farm household factors on farmers＇ risk attitudes and risk perceptions. The present study is conducted in four hybrid maize growing districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan, using cross-sectional data of 400 hybrid maize farmers. Risk matrix and equally likely certainty equivalent （ELCE） method are used to rank farmers＇ perceptions of four catastrophic risk sources including climate, biological, price and financial risks and to investigate farmers＇ risk aversion attitudes, respectively. Furthermore, probit regression is used to analyze the determinants affecting farmers＇ risk attitudes and risk perceptions. The results of the study showed that majority of farmers are risk averse in nature and perceive price, biological and climate to be potential sources of risks to their farm enterprise. In addition, analysis divulges that distance from farm to main market, off-farm income, location dummies for Sahiwal and Okara, age, maize farming experience, access to extension agent, significantly （either negatively or positively） influence farmers＇ risk attitudes and risk perceptions. The study delivers valuable insights for farmers, agricultural insurance sector, extension services researchers and agricultural policy makers about the local understanding of risks to hybrid maize crop in developing countries, like Pakistan, and have implications for research on farmers＇ adaptation to exposed risks.

FUZZY SYNTHETIC EVALUATION ON RESIDENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF TOURISM IMPACTS——Case of Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan Province, China

Tourism can have both positive and negative outcomes for residents in tourism destinations, It is a good method to analyze the status of tourism impact by means of investigating residents＇ perceptions of it. Various methods have been used in previous authoritative studies. However, owing to inherent imprecision, difficulties always exist in some conventional methodologies when describing the interpretation of linguistic or measured uncertainties for real-world randoln phenomena. The purpose of this research is to present the fuzzy synthetic evaluation method to investigate residents＇ perceptions of tourisln impacts. At first, basic attributes and a hierarchical framework of tourism impacts are defined and formed. Secondly, the weighted vectors are determined according to the knowledge and experience of experts. Thirdly, the weighted evaluation matrices are aggregated to get the fuzzy sets of tourism impacts. In the last stage, the final fuzzy sets are defuzzified to get the rank of the residents＇ perceptions of tourism impacts. A case study in Jiuzhaigou National Park of China is provided to demonstrate the application of this method.

Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity,Associated Behaviors,and Weight-related Perceptions in a National Survey of Primary School Children in China

Objective To in vestigate potential gender differences in the odds of overweight/obese, weight-related perceptions, and behaviors among Chinese school children. Methods Height, weight, and a survey of weight-related perceptions and behaviors were measured in a nationally representative survey of 12,811 children in primary schools in China. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess gender differences, adjusting for confounders. Results Boys had higher odds of being overweight/obese compared to girls within both urban [adjusted odds ratio （OR） 2.30, 95% CI 2.00 to 2.65] and rural areas （OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.20）. Girls reported healthier diets （e.g., daily vegetables OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.85） whereas boys consumed fried food （OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.38） and sugar-sweetened drinks more often （OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.65）. Gender differences included higher odds of boys perceiving themselves as overweight if they had more highly educated mothers （OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.68）, less educated fathers （OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.99）, and if they frequently consumed carbonated drinks （OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.05）. Conclusion Childhood obesity prevention in China should be gender-focused, particularly for boys who reported an unhealthier diet but were less likely to see they were fat, even though more boys were overweight or obese than girls.

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge of aging, attitudes toward and perceptions of working with older adults in Kathmandu Nepal

Objectives: This study aims to examine Nepalese undergraduate nursing students' knowledge of aging,attitudes towards older adults and perceptions of working with older adults,and to assess differences in these outcomes by socio-demographic characteristics as well as type of nursing program.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 385 undergraduate nursing students in six nursing colleges located in the Kathmandu Valley,Knowledge of aging,attitudes toward older adults and perceptions of working with older adults were assessed using standardized tools,the Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz,Kogan's Attitudes towards Older People Scale,and Nolan's Intent to Work with Older People Questionnaire,respectively.Results: The mean knowledge scores on older adults and aging were relatively low;participants scored an average of 26.9 out of 50.Scores assessing attitudes towards and perceptions of working with older adults were more favorable.Compared to students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN),students pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) had a significantly higher score on the knowledge,attitudes and perception of aging scales.Linear regression analyses showed that the students' knowledge of aging (β =0.55;95% CI =0.25-0.86) and perceptions of working with older adults (β =0.22;95% Cl =0.05 -0.38) had a significant positive association with their attitudes toward older adults.Conclusions: Undergraduate nursing students in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal displayed a relatively low level of knowledge,but a positive attitude towards older adults,and a positive perception of working with older adults.Observed differences in knowledge,attitude,and perception scores between students in BSN and BN programs needs further investigation;closing this gap may be important for bolstering undergraduate gerontological preparation in Nepal.

Analysis of Climate Variability, Perceptions and Coping Strategies of Tanzanian Coastal Forest Dependent Communities

Climate variability and change are among the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Like in many other areas globally, the coastal communities of Tanzania have always been facing climatic variability at various time scales. Using focus group discussion and a household survey, this study analyzes the perceptions of climate variability and change and the strategies for coping and adaptation by the selected coastal rural and peri-urban communities in Tanzania. The perception of climate variability and change is complemented with the time-series analysis of rainfall and temperature data from Julius Nyerere International Airport Met. station and Kisarawe using Instant Statistical Software. Results indicate that households are aware of climate variability and identify indicators of climate change and variability as being decreasing rainfall trends, increasing incidences of droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns, disappearance of wetlands and failure to predict on-set of rainy season using traditional knowledge. Households primarily attribute reduced crop yields to changes in rainfall pattern and increasing incidences of drought leading to soil moisture stress. The implications are that the agriculture dependent households are now food insecure. As a way of coping to the observed changes, the coastal communities among others have shifted to production of high value horticultural crops and use of forest resources. Nevertheless, the increased use of forest resources is threatening the existence of coastal forests and contributes to the decline of forest resources and disappearance of wildlife in the forest reserves. It is concluded that the communities studied are aware of climate issues as revealed from perceived indicators of climate variability and changes. The results from statistical analysis of 30 years climatic data are consistent with community’s perception of climate variability and change. The study recommends examining the present coping strategies for the sustainability of the coastal forests and in designing of alternative adaptive strategies such as alternative energy options, crop diversification and environmental friendly activities such as beekeeping.

Early mobilization implementation for critical ill patients:A cross-sectional multi-center survey about knowledge,attitudes,and perceptions of critical care nurses

Objective To explore critical care clinicians’knowledge,attitudes and perceptions toward early mobilization of critically ill patients in ICUs.Design A cross-sectional national survey was conducted.From January to August 2020,ICU nurses in 11 hospitals were surveyed by using a questionnaire on the knowledge,attitudes and perceptions of ICU early mobilization.Results Totally 512 nurses completed the questionnaire.The respondents’mean score for knowledge of early mobilization was 6.89±2.91.The level of knowledge was good in 2.5%(13/512),fair in 52.3%(268/512).The attitudes toward early mobilization were positive in 31.4%(161/512).In terms of perceived implementation of ICU early mobilization,42.9%(220/512)of nurses did not believe that this should be a top priority in intensive care.The attitudes of nurses from different ICUs were significantly different(F=3.58,P<0.05).The knowledge(7.34±2.78 vs.6.49±2.97,t=3.37,P<0.001)and attitudes(3.82±0.58 vs.3.52±0.56,t=5.63,P<0.001)of nurses who had early mobilization related training were higher than those of nurses who had no training.Conclusions The importance of early ICU early mobilization is increasingly recognized by critical care providers.However,there is still a gap in the knowledge,attitudes and perceptions of ICU early mobilization among nurses.In future studies,it is necessary to further systematically identify the reasons leading to the gaps in these aspects and implement targeted interventions around these gaps.Meanwhile,more nurses should be encouraged to participate in decision-making to ensure the efficient and quality implementation of ICU early mobilization practices.

Perceptions of Generic Drugs in the Pharmacists of Public Hospitals:A Cross-sectional Survey in Hubei Province of China

Objective:Generic drugs provide an opportunity for savings in drug expenditure since they are available at a lower cost and do not affect patients’health.A better understanding of pharmacists’knowledge,attitudes,and perception can promote the quality use of generic drugs.The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge,attitudes,and perception of pharmacists from tertiary hospitals in China regarding generic drugs.Methods:A cross-sectional survey using a postal questionnaire was conducted,which was sent to 200 hospital pharmacists randomly selected from tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province.A total of 125 questionnaires out of 200 were received.Of the respondents,80 were female and 45 were male.Results:The majority of respondents(87.2%)could clearly distinguish between original and generic drugs.Pharmacists agreed that generic drugs were less effective(52.8%)and produced more side effects(52%).Forty-nine respondents thought that generic drug products were not adequately tested.Approximately 78% and 60% of the pharmacists indicated that generic substitution was not feasible for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows and drugs for critical diseases,respectively.Most of them supported the recommendation of generic drugs based on professional judgment.Conclusion:Our study showed that a considerable portion of Chinese hospital pharmacists hold negative perceptions of generic drugs.Interventions to improve pharmacists'knowledge of generic drugs are needed.

Local perceptions of the conversion of cropland to forestland program in Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, China

Numerous land-use policies have been implemented in China in recent decades for ecological restoration and conservation to reduce environmental disasters and promote environmental sustainability.Many of these policies follow a top-down approach to implementation and as such,emphasize the hierarchical control within government structures.An understanding of local perceptions of land-use policies is important if the disconnect between policy makers and the target population is to be reduced and if program support is to improve.This study aimed to help improve local implementation,attitude toward,and engagement by examining the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the target population’s(local farmers)perception of the conversion of cropland to forestland program(CFPP)land use policy in Jiangxi,Sichuan,and Shaanxi provinces.It uses logistical regression models,with robust aspects of perception including confidence,support,transparency,prospects,fairness,and willingness to participate.Results indicate that social aspects as well as economic aspects are most important in influencing farmers’perceptions towards the CFPP.The farmers who have received technical support,rural male habitants,educated,and non-middle-aged farmers exhibit more positive perceptions of the program and are much more likely to support it,whereas farmers without any technical support or formal education,and female and middle-aged farmers are less likely to support the program.Importantly,this study also reveals the differences in responses,experiences and perceptions of the farmers living across different provinces.These empirical results provide insight into the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the perception of farmers towards land-use policies,which has important implications for designing targeted policy instruments and increasing farmer support for these policies.This knowledge can be harnessed and further evaluated in future research to improve citizen engagement,support,and understanding in order to help ecological restoration and conservation objectives be more effectively achieved.

Perceptions about preventing hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with chronic hepatitis in Taiwan

AIM: To measure patient perceptions about preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to predict the factors that influence patient willingness to receive therapy. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at an outpatient clinic of a medical institution in southern Taiwan. Four hundred patients with chronic hepatitis B/C were recruited as participants. Two structured questionnaires based on the health belief model were utilized in this study, including the scales of perceptions about preventing HCC and knowledge of hepatitis B/C. RESULTS: The statistical results demonstrated that the participants' perceived susceptibility (r = -0.22, P < 0.001), benefits (r = -0.11, P = 0.028) and cues to action (r = -0.12, P = 0.014) about the prevention ofHCC was significantly correlated with their age. The participants' perceptions were also associated with their educational levels, household incomes and knowledge of hepatitis. Older patients and those with a lower socioeconomic status tended to have negative perceptions and less knowledge of hepatitis. Multivariate logistic regression further indicated that the participants' age (B = -0.044, SE = 0.017, odds ratio = 0.957, P = 0.008, 95%CI: 0.926-0.989) and perceived barriers (B = -0.111, SE = 0.030, odds ratio = 0.895, P < 0.001, 95%CI: 0.845-0.949) were correlated with their willingness to receive antiviral therapy. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals should provide appropriate and effective guidance to increase their patients' awareness and to decrease the perceived barriers for continuing surveillance and antiviral therapy.

Patient perceptions of stool DNA testing for pan-digestive cancer screening:A survey questionnaire

AIM: To explore patient interest in a potential multi-organ stool-DNA test (MUST) for pan-digestive cancer screening.

Farmers' perceptions of and adaptations to drought in Herat Province, Afghanistan

Drought is a significant natural hazard in Herat Province, Afghanistan. The objective of this study was to explore farmers' perceptions of the drought's prevalence and characteristics, its socioeconomic and environmental impacts, their strategies for coping with and mitigating it, and types of conflicts and resolution mechanisms. A questionnaire was completed by 147 farming households. The results indicate that farmers' perceptions regarding drought are in line with the results obtained using the precipitation data. Even though the respondents have religious belief in interpreting the weather related issues, they also perceived drought as the climatic and environmental factors such as increased temperature, decreased precipitation, and other factors like war, financial weakness, deforestation, over-exploitation of groundwater, lack of electricity supply etc. The results show that drought has had serious economic impacts, including loss of employment and reduction in crop yield and livestock production, which have reduced farmers' livelihood options and weakened their financial situation. Social impacts have included migration, a sense of hopelessness and loss, conflicts over water, health problems, impacts on the schooling of children, malnutrition, and limits to food options. Significant environmental impacts such as an increase in temperature, pasture and forest degradation, deterioration of water quality, damage to fish and wildlife habitats, and groundwater depletion were also reported. Farmers used local techniques to adapt to drought and lessen its effects. Farmers perceived irrigation water to be a major source of conflict. Local elders, water-user associations, and formal courts were reported to be the most successful conflict resolution methods. It is expected that the results of this study will support policy makers within government and development agencies in Afghanistan to develop future drought adaptation policies.