A Rough Set-Based Decision Process for Evaluating and Promoting Green Community Sustainability

This study explores the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of urban women homemakers in Lucknow regarding sustainable kitchen gardening. The research aims to understand the factors influencing the adoption of sustainable gardening practices and to identify barriers to their implementation. Using a self-structured questionnaire, data were collected from 125 respondents, revealing that the majority were middle-aged, post-graduate educated, full-time homemakers with moderate family incomes. Findings show that while 44% of respondents were somewhat familiar with sustainable gardening, composting was the most widely recognized practice. However, awareness of other sustainable practices, such as using drought-tolerant plants, remained limited. Most respondents had positive attitudes toward sustainable gardening, driven by personal interest rather than community or family traditions. Key challenges identified included space limitations, time constraints, and pest management, while water availability was not a significant concern. Notably, 76% of respondents had established kitchen gardens, with many relying on online resources and social media for information. Organic pest control was the most common practice, while techniques like companion planting were less prevalent. The study found significant correlations between socio-demographic factors, such as occupation and homeownership, with respondents’ understanding of sustainable gardening practices. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational initiatives and digital outreach to promote sustainable gardening practices, addressing barriers to further adoption among urban women in Lucknow. Article highlights Socioeconomic influence on gardening practices The study reveals that middle-aged, educated, and married urban women homemakers with moderate income levels are more likely to adopt sustainable kitchen gardening. Factors such as homeownership and flexible schedules contribute to their active participation, highlighting the influence of socio-demographic stability on gardening adoption. Knowledge gaps and adoption of sustainable practices While 44% of respondents were moderately familiar with sustainable gardening, practices like composting were widely adopted, whereas techniques such as using drought-tolerant plants and companion planting were less common. This underscores the need for targeted educational interventions to bridge knowledge gaps and promote diverse sustainable practices. Barriers and opportunities in promoting sustainability Space limitations, time constraints, and pest management were identified as major barriers to sustainable kitchen gardening, despite positive attitudes and long-term engagement (76% of respondents had gardens for over six years). Leveraging digital platforms and social media as primary sources of information can play a pivotal role in overcoming these challenges and expanding outreach.

P89 BACKGROUND:Cluster-randomized community trials are critically important to cardiovascular (CVD) epidemiology. While studies evaluating the effect of community education programs report favorable risk factor changes, including the Pawtucket Heart Health Program (PHHP), changes in hard CVD endpoints have been less common. Few have examined the effect of neighborhood on endpoints, especially controlling for individual characteristics. In short, overall effects may be confounded with neighborhood. METHODS:In the first study of this type, we geocoded PHHP neighborhoods to 1990 Census tracts, and randomly sampled 50% (n=521) of the observations from the 6th PHHP cross-sectional survey. Endpoints included CVD knowledge (number of correct risk factors mentioned), and total serum cholesterol. Income and percent working poor (households in a tract with income < 150% of the poverty-line) served as individual- and neighborhood-level SES, respectively. SAS Proc Mixed was used to fit multilevel models. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods map empirical Bayes estimates. RESULTS:Choropleth maps show variation in CVD knowledge and cholesterol across the 22 tracts of Pawtucket. Multilevel models reveal that income accounts for most of this neighborhood-level variation. However, a significant negative interaction between individual- and neighborhood-level SES (p < 0.10) was observed for CVD knowledge. Predicted values for CVD knowledge show that persons with a moderate income (level 5) living in a neighborhood with a large proportion (65%) of working poor would be expected to have a knowledge score of 2.34. This same person living in a neighborhood with a small proportion of working poor (15%) would be expected to have a knowledge score of 3.19. This represents a 14% difference due to the neighborhood effect. COMMENT: These results suggest that having more individual-level income is positively related to CVD knowledge; such effects are muted if one resides in a neighborhood with a larger proportion of working poor. It may be that future community trials for CVD may benefit by targeting, or concentrating more heavily on, not only poor persons but persons living in poor neighborhoods.

This project was being implemented by the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), aimed to support sustainable rural development in Mindanao through the improvement of the well-being of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) through increased income, living conditions, and regional peace building contributions. Addressing infrastructure development in Mindanao's major agricultural regions, the project aimed at local development priorities to increase community productivity. It was piloted in Barangay Baras and Barangay Upper Katungal in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, where its effect was evaluated through a survey of 353 randomly chosen ARBs and community members carried out during the period of calendar year 2024–2025. Data collection employed a flexible, descriptive questionnaire method to capture varied community experiences. The majority of the respondents were from small households, possessed college education, and were at a moderate income level. Evidence indicated that important infrastructure elements—farm-to-market roads, water systems, and post-harvest facilities—were greatly implemented, while social services were given big support. The interventions resulted in very satisfactory improvements in community productivity, with good gains in business partnerships, economic growth, and rural infrastructure. The success of the program was supplemented by best practices embraced by LGU Tacurong such as financial sustainability, efficient use of local resources, integrated delivery of public services, participatory planning, and transparency. Strong positive correlation resulted from the quality of Italian-supported projects and enhanced productivity of communities, highlighting the high effectiveness of support and the promise of increased potential impact.

Aim: The study was completed with a descriptive design with the aim of determining the effect of preoperative stress on pain beliefs and used a relationship seeking design with the aim of revealing whether there is a significant correlation between pain beliefs and surgery anxiety levels among patients about to undergo surgical procedures in the urology clinic. Material and method: With descriptive and relationship seeking type, the study was completed with 112 patients admitted to the urology clinic for surgical procedures. For collection of data, a personal information form, pain beliefs scale and preoperative anxiety scale were used. Results: The majority of volunteers participating in the research were male (62.5), married (74.1%), aged 51 years or older (56.3%), primary school graduates (28.6%) and retired (38.4%) with moderate income levels (48.2%). Most patients had spinal anesthesia (48.1%) administered. There was a significant difference found between the surgery anxiety levels and pain beliefs with the anesthesia type administered. There was a negative, low power and statistically very advanced correlation between surgery anxiety and pain beliefs (r: -0.445; p˂0.05). Additionally, among the pain belief subdimensions psychological beliefs were mostly correlated with surgery anxiety ( r: -0.546; p˂0.05) Conclusion: The research found a correlation between anxiety levels and pain beliefs of patients and concluded that researching this in different samples and nurses assessing the pain beliefs of patients will reduce anxiety. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 21 No. 02 April’22 Page : 271-278

This study examines the differences in quality of life between the Smart City of Faridabad and the Non-Smart City of Rohtak in Haryana, focusing on socio-economic, environmental, and infrastructural aspects. Using selected indicators such as education, income, housing, sanitation, air quality, and health, the research assesses how urban governance models influence living standards. Faridabad, as part of the Smart Cities Mission, exhibits improved income levels and enhanced access to sanitation and housing facilities, reflecting the benefits of planned urban development. However, it also faces challenges such as rising pollution and urban congestion, with its air quality often falling into the “poor” category, affecting public health and livability. Rohtak, although not a smart city, offers a more community-focused lifestyle with moderate income levels, stronger social cohesion, and a relatively healthier environment in certain aspects. Yet, limitations in healthcare infrastructure and employment opportunities remain. The comparison reveals that smart city initiatives improve infrastructure and economic growth but do not automatically guarantee social and environmental well-being. The study concludes that quality of life depends not only on technological or infrastructural progress but also on social inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and equitable access to basic amenities, highlighting the need for a more human-centred approach to urban development.

The increasing concern over environmental degradation and the need for sustainable consumption have directed attention toward eco-friendly products. This study examines the factors influencing consumer behavior toward eco-friendly products in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. The research identifies green consumer segments—Active Greens, Potential Greens, Latent Greens, and Non-Greens—using environmental variables. A sample of 90 respondents from rural areas was analyzed through a descriptive research design using convenience sampling. The data were evaluated using percentage analysis and Garret Ranking. The findings reveal that consumers with higher levels of environmental knowledge and eco-friendly product awareness exhibit stronger purchasing intentions. Among the key factors influencing purchasing decisions, product attributes and brand reputation emerged as the most significant, followed by eco-labeling, environmental concern, health reasons, energy-saving potential, and quality-of-life enhancements. Cost benefits, although considered, were ranked lowest in importance. Furthermore, the study indicates that younger, married, and well-educated consumers with moderate income levels are more inclined toward eco-friendly product consumption. It also highlights that perceived trust, product value, and credible green claims play a pivotal role in shaping purchase behavior. To promote eco-friendly product adoption, marketers should focus on enhancing consumer awareness, building brand credibility, and offering transparent product information. This research contributes valuable insights into the eco-friendly product market, assisting marketers in developing effective segmentation strategies and tailoring green marketing initiatives. By addressing the barriers to purchase, businesses can stimulate sustainable consumption and contribute to environmental conservation. The findings serve as a foundation for further research in consumer behavior and green marketing within the region.

Interactions between drugs and food are a critical public health issue, as they can cause unwanted side effects or reduce the effectiveness of treatments. Unfortunately, awareness of these potential interactions among the Indonesian population remains low, while existing platforms generally focus only on drug–drug interactions. This study aims to develop an intelligent platform for analyzing drug–food interactions by combining fuzzy logic and certainty factor (CF) methods. Fuzzy logic is employed to handle uncertainty in interaction data, while the certainty factor enhances confidence levels based on clinical literature and expert knowledge. Drug–food interaction data were collected from validated sources and modeled using fuzzy membership functions, IF–THEN rule-based reasoning, defuzzification processes, and integration with CF. The web-based system was evaluated through accuracy testing and usability assessment using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Accuracy tests conducted on 50 interaction scenarios demonstrated a 100% match with clinical references, while the SUS evaluation involving 100 respondents yielded an average score of 77.44, falling into the “Acceptable” category and approaching “Good Usability.” These results indicate that the platform has the potential to serve both as an educational tool and as a practical aid for the public to enhance self-management of health, while also supporting government health programs.

A superior family background often provides children with more educational resources and a better learning environment, while poor or educationally deficient families may put children at a disadvantage on the starting line of education. This difference is not only related to the fate of individuals, but also to the fairness and justice of the whole society. Therefore, this study explores the influence mechanism of family background on children's education level and the moderating effect of socioeconomic status. Based on the data of China General Social Survey in 2021, a total of 4592 samples were selected. Principal component analysis model, hierarchical regression model and hierarchical linear model were used to verify the relationship between family background, socioeconomic status and children's education level. (1) Family background has a significant positive impact on children's education level (β=1.266; p < 0.001). (2) Socioeconomic status positively regulates the influence of family background on children's education level (β=0.274; p < 0.001). Specifically, even if the parents' education level is low, families with high socioeconomic status can make up for their disadvantages through economic investment, or obtain scarce educational resources through social relations. On the contrary, even if parents are highly educated, they are limited by economic constraints or lack of social capital, and it is difficult to translate family cultural advantages into actual educational investment (such as inability to bear the cost of extracurricular training or inability to obtain admission to prestigious schools), which limits the improvement of children 's education level. (3) Regional and urban-rural differences significantly affect the allocation of educational resources. Family background affects children's education level and is regulated by socioeconomic status. At the same time, regional and urban-rural differences affect the distribution of educational resources. We call for attention to the construction of family background and encourage families to create a good educational environment for their children. Increase investment in education for families and regions with lower socioeconomic status, and promote the balanced distribution of educational resources in different regions and between urban and rural areas to promote educational equity.

Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate the extent to which strategy implementation affects organizational performance in Kenyan pharmaceutical manufacturers, Methodology: A census sample of all 20 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies registered in Kenya at the time of this research was used. Questionnaire data was used to collect data from 74 respondents sampled purposively from to ensure they met the pre-defined inclusion criteria. A linear regression model comprising resource allocation, effective communication, employee support and training, and strategic leadership as the constructs of the independent variable strategy implementation was the basis of statistical analysis to estimate influences of strategy implementation factors on the dependent variable, organizational performance. Findings: Effective communication (p-value = 0.000) and resource allocation (p-value = 0.001) significantly impact organizational performance. Employee support and training (p-value = 0.044) also contribute, but less so. Strategic leadership (p-value = 0.260) was not significant, suggesting leadership effectiveness depends on contextual factors like culture, size, and structure. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on these findings, it is recommended that pharmaceutical manufacturing firms in Kenya prioritize effective communication and strategic resource allocation as key drivers of organizational performance. They should consider adopting targeted communication strategies for clarity and alignment, besides robust financial planning to direct resources toward high-impact initiatives. Moreover, the firms should ensure that employee support and training complement communication and resource allocation strategies. Lastly, companies should evaluate their strategic leadership structures, based on the realization that their impact may vary based on contextual factors such as organizational culture and structure.

A census-based socio-economic status (SES) index as a tool to examine the relationship between mental health services use and deprivation

A framework for modelling the safety of an engineering system using a fuzzy rule-based evidential reasoning (FURBER) approach has been recently proposed, where a fuzzy rule-base designed on the basis of a belief structure (called a belief rule base) forms a basis in the inference mechanism of FURBER. However, it is difficult to accurately determine the parameters of a fuzzy belief rule base (FBRB) entirely subjectively, in particular for complex systems. As such, there is a need to develop a supporting mechanism that can be used to train in a locally optimal way a FBRB initially built using expert knowledge. In this paper, the methods for self-tuning a FBRB for engineering system safety analysis are investigated on the basis of a previous study. The method consists of a number of single and multiple objective nonlinear optimization models. The above framework is applied to model the system safety of a marine engineering system and the case study is used to demonstrate how the methods can be implemented.

Commentaries on health services research

Effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of black and brown racialized populations in the U.S.

The association between socioeconomic status and acute ischemic stroke treatments remain uncertain, particularly in countries with universal health care systems. This study aimed to investigate the association between neighborhood-level material deprivation and the odds of receiving IV thrombolysis or thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke within a single-payer, government-funded health care system. We conducted a population-based cohort study using linked administrative data from Ontario, Canada. This study involved all community-dwelling adult Ontario residents hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke between 2017 and 2022. Neighborhood-level material deprivation, measured in quintiles from least to most deprived, was our main exposure. We considered the receipt of thrombolysis or thrombectomy as the primary outcome. We used multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for baseline differences to estimate the association between material deprivation and outcomes. We performed a sensitivity analysis by additionally adjusting for hospital type at initial assessment. Furthermore, we tested whether hospital type modified the associations between deprivation and outcomes. Among 57,704 patients, those in the most materially deprived group (quintile 5) were less likely to be treated with thrombolysis or thrombectomy compared with those in the least deprived group (quintile 1) (16.6% vs 19.6%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.93). The association was consistent when evaluating thrombolysis (13.0% vs 15.3%, aOR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.96) and thrombectomy (6.4 vs 7.8%, aOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.59-0.90) separately. There were no statistically significant differences between the middle 3 quintiles and the least deprived group. These associations persisted after additional adjustment for hospital type, and there was no interaction between material deprivation and hospital type (p interaction >0.1). We observed disparities in the use of thrombolysis or thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke by socioeconomic status despite access to universal health care. Targeted health care policies, public health messaging, and resource allocation are needed to ensure equitable access to acute stroke treatments for all patients.

POS-798 THE HISTOPATHOLOGY OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING RENAL BIOPSY IN ROYAL DARWIN HOSPITAL FROM THE YEAR 2007 TO 2020