Academic student satisfaction and perceived performance in the e-learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence across ten countries.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shaped higher education and seen the distinct rise of e-learning as a compulsory element of the modern educational landscape. Accordingly, this study highlights the factors which have influenced how students perceive their academic performance during this emergency changeover to e-learning. The empirical analysis is performed on a sample of 10,092 higher education students from 10 countries across 4 continents during the pandemic's first wave through an online survey. A structural equation model revealed the quality of e-learning was mainly derived from service quality, the teacher's active role in the process of online education, and the overall system quality, while the students' digital competencies and online interactions with their colleagues and teachers were considered to be slightly less important factors. The impact of e-learning quality on the students' performance was strongly mediated by their satisfaction with e-learning. In general, the model gave quite consistent results across countries, gender, study fields, and levels of study. The findings provide a basis for policy recommendations to support decision-makers incorporate e-learning issues in the current and any new similar circumstances.

Mental Health of Physicians During COVID-19 Outbreak in Bangladesh: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey.

There have been numerous studies about the health implication of COVID-19 on patients, but little attention has been paid to the impacts of the pandemic on physicians. Our paper attends to this gap by exploring the mental health of physicians in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly important since the mental health of physicians impacts not only on themselves, but also their professional performance and hence the care of patients. This study examined physicians' mental health outcomes by evaluating the prevalence and associated potential risk factors of anxiety and depression. Using a web-based cross-sectional survey, we collected data from 114 physicians. Seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and Nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to measure the anxiety and depression, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the potential risk factors related to anxiety and depression. The prevalence of anxiety and depression were 32.5 and 34.2%, respectively. Findings revealed that marital status, work per day and current job location were the main risk factors for anxiety while sex, age, and marital status were the main risk factors for depression. Our results highlight the need to implement policies and strategies for positively impacting the mental health of physicians during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telepresence Mobile Robots Design and Control for Social Interaction.

Human-robot interaction has extended its application horizon to simplify how human beings interact with each other through a remotely controlled telepresence robot. The fast growth of communication technologies such as 4G and 5G has elevated the potential to establish stable audio-video-data transmission. However, human-robot physical interactions are still challenging regarding maneuverability, controllability, stability, drive layout, and autonomy. Hence, this paper presents a systematic design and control approach based on the customer's needs and expectations of telepresence mobile robots for social interactions. A system model and controller design are developed using the Lagrangian method and linear quadratic regulator, respectively, for different scenarios such as flat surface, inclined surface, and yaw (steering). The robot system is capable of traveling uphill (30 ∘ ) and has a variable height (600-1200 mm). The robot is advantageous in developing countries to fill the skill gaps as well as for sharing knowledge and expertise using a virtual and mobile physical presence.

A clinical evaluation of the alterations in the level of serum zinc, copper, iron, and manganese in the ischemic heart disease patients of Bangladesh - A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major cause of death globally. Countries vary in their rates, and changes have occurred over time. Nowadays, developing countries pose new public health challenges. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to appraise the alterations in the levels of serum Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn that occur in patients with ischemic heart disease and to depict the correlations of the effects of these changes that lead to the pathogenesis of IHD. METHODS: Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn in the IHD patients were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). RESULTS: This study evaluated 52 patients with IHD, and 61 healthy volunteers served as controls. The primary outcomes of interest were explored regarding the correlations of the serum levels of these trace elements in patients with IHD. The secondary outcomes were explored in terms of inter-element relations to connect them with the pathogenesis of IHD. Our study found significantly reduced levels of Zn and Cu (2.50 ± 0.19 mg/L and 2.52 ± 0.17 mg/L, respectively) and an elevated level of Fe (148.97 ± 17.25 mg/L) in the patient group with IHD. The level of Mn (7.32 ± 1.23 mg/L) was elevated in the sera of the patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) compared to healthy control subjects. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate strong associations of the pathogenesis of IHD with depleted serum levels of Zn and Cu and elevated Fe and Mn levels, which may provide a prognostic tool for the treatment of this concerning the disease.

Etiologies and posttreatment conditions of thyrotoxic patients in Sylhet division, Bangladesh: A clinical series.

OBJECTIVE: The endeavor of the study was to analyze the posttreatment (postradioactive iodine therapy [RAI]) conditions of thyrotoxic patients in a tertiary level hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 186 patients was conducted from 2012 to 2014 in Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Campus. Patients' information regarding the etiologies and their disease status after getting RAI therapy was recorded. RESULTS: In this study, 29.57% patients were male and 70.43% were female where the mean ages were 44.57 and 43.46 accordingly. The most vulnerable group was in between 41 and 50 years of age, which is 25.81%. The patients were categorized according to the etiologies as Graves' disease (GD), multinodular goiter (MNG), and single toxic nodule (STN). In primary stage, 60.22% patients had GD, 26.88% had MNG, and 12.90% had STN. After 6 months of RAI therapy, the disease status of 51.61% patients became euthyroid, 19.35% became hypothyroid, and 29.03% remained thyrotoxic. Thus, a second dose of RAI therapy was given to those patients for next 6 months. After 12 months from the beginning of the therapy of each patient, the total recovery was found to be 72.04%. However, though all the GD patients improved to either euthyroid or hypothyroid state after 6 months, on a 12-month observation, 17.86% of them regained the thyrotoxicosis due to discontinuation of the treatment. CONCLUSION: The findings show an overall significant recovery of thyrotoxic patients taking RAI therapy in INMAS and important points to improve the rate.