Sultan Zainal Abidin University

Physical exercise is an effective treatment for depression, yet little is known about the temporal dynamics of symptom improvement during exercise interventions. In this randomized controlled trial, 64 adults with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were allocated to a 10-week supervised Nordic walking (NW) program (n=48) or a non-active control condition (n=16). The NW group completed two weekly training sessions at moderate intensity (65-75% HRmax). Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention (Week 5), and post-intervention (Week 10) using the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Primary analyses examined Group × Time effects on symptom severity. Secondary analyses explored (via a Group × Depression intensity × Time ANOVA) whether baseline depression intensity moderated treatment response. A significant Group × Time interaction indicated greater reductions in depressive symptoms in the NW group compared with controls. Symptom improvement was most pronounced during the first half of intervention (Hedges's g=-0.98), with smaller changes thereafter (Hedges's g=-0.40 from mid- to post-intervention). In addition, a significant Group × Depression intensity × Time interaction suggests that participants with severe baseline depression experienced larger and more rapid improvement than those with moderate symptoms in the first five weeks. Supervised Nordic walking was found to be associated with substantial reductions in depressive symptoms within five weeks, particularly among individuals with severe depression. Implications of our findings and study's limitations are discussed.

The health and well-being of young adult building artisans are germane because of their critical role in infrastructure development. There is a perceived increase and paucity of studies regarding young adult building artisans' involvement in illicit substances, which threatens the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 8. This study investigated the underlying causes and recommended feasible measures to prevent or mitigate the use of illicit substances among young adult artisans on construction sites in Nigeria, and, by extension, to improve the achievement of Goals 3 and 8. This research employs a face-to-face interview to collect data in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. Findings reveal that there is a prevalent issue of increasing young adult building artisans' illicit substance intake on building sites. This poses a significant threat to occupational health (SDG 3) and workplace safety (SDG 8). Findings also identified 17 underlying causes, including a lack of awareness among artisans, a low educational background and lax safety and management policies. This research contributes to the existing literature on preventing or mitigating illicit substance use among young adult building artisans. It also recognises that preventive or mitigative measures can be useful for mental health stability and, by extension, for achieving the SDGs.

One of the topical global challenges that jeopardises achieving sustainable future is the increasing carbon emission from many developing countries due to poor environmental regulations, resources shortages and inadequate clean technology to derive an energy transition process, which reduces longevity. This study examines the effect of energy transition on life expectancy in low and lower-middle income developing countries heavily affected by numerous environmental calamities due to weak institutions and resource shortage. Also, the study examines the moderating role of institutional quality and income growth on the energy transition-longevity nexus. This study uses the Cross Section Autoregressive Distributive Lag (CS-ARDL) estimator, and the Dynamic Common Correlated Effect (DCCE) as a robust estimator. The study uses data from 60 countries, with available data from 1996 to 2022. The findings revealed that energy transition promotes an increase in life expectancy; higher institutional quality and income growth significantly enhance the positive effect of energy transition on longevity in the selected developing countries. The results from the robust estimator confirmed our result, except for the magnitude of the coefficients being higher in the CS-ARDL estimator. To increase the life expectancy in developing countries, policymakers should adopt energy transition wholistically as an important policy option so that to reduce environmental pollution and achieve a higher life expectancy.

Enhancing the heat and mass transfer performance of working fluids remains a critical challenge to pursue sustainable and energy-efficient technologies. Although regular working fluids have superior thermo-physical properties to pure base fluids, they often face limitations that hinder their adoption in multifunctional applications. To overcome these challenges, this study develops a novel, comprehensive and physically consistent mathematical model for an unsteady, electrically conducting ternary hybrid nanofluid composed of graphene oxide (GO), cerium oxide (CeO[Formula: see text], and hexagonal boron nitride ([Formula: see text]-BN) suspended in an environmentally friendly ionic liquid (Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) [EMIM][BF 4 ]. The model integrates magnetic effects, radiation heat transfer, viscous dissipation, Joule heating, and coupled thermo-diffusion effects. A fractal–fractional derivative operator is employed to generalize the governing equations, while the local radial basis functions (RBF) scheme is used to solve them numerically. Computational and graphical results reveal that CeO 2 suppresses the fluid velocity due to increased inertial resistance, while the dispersion of [Formula: see text]-BN significantly enhanced the thermal profile, resulting in a higher Nusselt number. Furthermore, higher values of Dufour and Soret numbers enhance the coupled heat and mass transfer rates, indicating the model’s potential to design advanced heat exchangers and smart cooling devices. These findings provide valuable guidelines for designing compact heat exchangers and thermal energy storage systems for applications in renewable energy and microelectronics cooling.

Nerve injury often results in neuropathic pain, marked by spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia, and allodynia. Current treatments have moderate efficacy and have side effects, prompting interest in alternative approaches. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has shown promise in preclinical studies for reducing neuropathic pain and inflammation. However, the precise mechanisms underlying MSC-mediated pain reduction remain unclear. Investigating these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing MSC-based therapies for neuropathic pain. This article provides a brief overview of the MSC administration, animal models of neuropathic pain, and treatment regimens used in 25 preclinical studies, focusing on the potential mechanisms of action underlying the neuropathic pain-reducing effect of MSCs. Importantly, 23 out of the 25 studies demonstrated a reduction in neuropathic pain following MSC therapy, despite differences in MSC sources and treatment regimens. Neuropathic pain relief was associated with decreased inflammation, suggesting that MSCs may act through immune modulation. However, the resolution of inflammation does not always correlate with complete neuropathic pain relief, indicating the involvement of additional mechanisms.

The current research elaborates on the effect of the human organization technology fit model, which consists of human, organizational, and technological dimensions, on e-learning readiness in an elementary school teacher education program. The main dataset, comprising 416 student teachers, was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling procedures. The study tested hypotheses linking various factors to e-learning readiness and usage. Statistically significant results demonstrated that knowledge (p = .008), relative advantage (p < .05), compatibility (p < .05), complexity (p <.001), quality (p <.05), and innovation awareness (p < .05) significantly affect e-learning readiness and actual use of e-learning. Specifically, knowledge, relative advantage, compatibility, quality, and innovation awareness exhibit positive impacts, whereas complexity exerts a negative influence. Conversely, the findings indicated no significant relationships (p > .05) between certain correlations, such as computer self-efficacy and e-learning readiness, innovation and actual use of e-learning, and quality and actual use of e-learning. The findings contribute to the development of e-learning, providing practical and theoretical recommendations for its improvement regarding sustainable development goal 4, quality education.