The meanings attributed to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) are shaped through complex negotiations within religious and socio-cultural frameworks, including those observed in Indonesia. Using a combined qualitative and quantitative (mixed methods)-ethnographic and survey approach, data from 109 students of religious tertiary institutions in East Kalimantan on their perspectives on FGM/C practices can be more comprehensively explored. The results of the study, which were analysed using the three principles of symbolic interactionism, showed that 72.5 per cent of religious college student families still practice FGM/C and 53.2 per cent stated that FGM/C practices are beneficial for women.  However, they are also willing, if

In the field of civil engineering, the adoption and use of Falling Weight Deflectometers (FWDs) is seen as a response to the ever changing and technology-driven world. Specifically, FWDs refer to devices that aid in evaluating the physical properties of a pavement. This paper has assessed the concepts of data processing, storage, and analysis via FWDs. The device has been found to play an important role in enabling the operators and field practitioners to understand vertical deflection responses upon subjecting pavements to impulse loads. In turn, the resultant data and its analysis outcomes lead to the backcalculation of the state of stiffness, with initial analyses of the deflection bowl occurring in conjunction with the measured or assum

Background: The excessive use and abuse of antibiotics contribute to bacterial resistance, raising the risk of complications and treatment failures. This study investigates adherence to antibiotic prescriptions among Iraqi dental patients, highlighting implications for antimicrobial resistance.Objective: To assess adherence levels and identify factors influencing antibiotic therapy compliance among dental patients.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in which adult dental patients aged 18 and older, who had been prescribed antibiotics within the past year, participated. The modified Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 items was used to evaluate adherence, and data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics software V26.Results: Amon

A prey-predator interaction model has been suggested in which the population of a predator consists of a two-stage structure. Modified Holling's disk equation is used to describe the consumption of the prey so that it involves the additional source of food for the predator. The fear function is imposed on prey. It is supposed that the prey exhibits anti-predator behavior and may kill the adult predator due to their struggle against predation. The proposed model is investigated for existence, uniqueness, and boundedness. After determining all feasible equilibrium points, the local stability analyses are performed. In addition, global stability analyses for this model using the Lyapunov method are investigated. The chance of occurrence of loc

           In this paper, the homotopy perturbation method (HPM) is presented for treating a linear system of second-kind mixed Volterra-Fredholm integral equations. The method is based on constructing the series whose summation is the solution of the considered system. Convergence of constructed series is discussed and its proof is given; also, the error estimation is obtained. Algorithm is suggested and applied on several examples and the results are computed by using MATLAB (R2015a). To show the accuracy of the results and the effectiveness of the method, the approximate solutions of some examples are compared with the exact solution by computing the absolute errors.

    The Love Creek Nature Center, one of the three nature centers located within the boundaries of Berrien County, is owned and operated by the county for public enjoyment and instruction of nature. The 44.5 ha study area, located seven km east of Berrien Springs, and two km southwest of Berrien Center, on Huckleberry Road, in T6S, R17W, sections 16, 17 (Lat. 41° 56' N; Long. 86° 18' W) is made up of deciduous woods and abandoned fields at various stages of succession. It is bounded on the east by the Berrien County Dog Pound and Huckleberry Road, to the north by cultivated Berrien County land and the Berrien General Hospital, to the west by the recently closed Berrien - Oronoko Township Landfill Dump; and to the south b

This study is pointed out to estimate the effectiveness of two solvents in the extraction and evaluating the active ingredients and their antioxidant activity as well as anti-cancer efficiency. Therefore, residues from four different Brassica vegetables viz. broccoli, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, and red cherry radish were extracted using two procedures methods: methanolic and water crude extracts. Methanol extracts showed the highest content of total phenolic (TP), total flavonoids (TF), and total tannins (TT) for broccoli and Brussels sprouts residues. Methanolic extract of broccoli and Brussels sprouts residues showed the highest DPPH· scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 15.39 and 18.64 µg/ml). The methanol and water ex

Background: Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease with high morbidity and mortality. It is caused by mutations in the CTNS gene that encodes the cystine transporter, cystinosin, which leads to lysosomal cystine accumulation. It is the major cause of inherited Fanconi syndrome, and should be suspected in young children with failure to thrive and signs of renal proximal tubular damage. The diagnosis can be missed in infants, because not all signs of renal Fanconi syndrome are present during the first months of life. Elevated white blood cell cystine content is the cornerstone of the diagnosis. Since chitotriosidase (CHIT1 or chitinase-1) is mainly produced by activated macrophages both in normal and inflammator