OBJECTIVE: To assess the public perception of the role of hospital pharmacists, their satisfaction with the pharmacy service provided, and the factors associated with their perception and satisfaction.
METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey was conducted on adults older than 18 years who utilized public pharmacy services. A self-developed, validated questionnaire consisting of three parts was used, i.e., demographic data, perception, and satisfaction. The questionnaire was tested in a pilot study of 50 study participants and demonstrated good reliability results of 0.900 for the perception section and 0.836 for the satisfaction section. Therefore, all items were used in the final questionnaire.
RESULTS: Four hundred and seventy-nine completed questionnaires were collected with a response rate of 91.6%. The Cronbach\'s α for perception and satisfaction scores were 0.938 and 0.841, respectively. The median total score for public perception was 83 (interquartile range [IQR]: 15), whereas the median total score for public satisfaction was 38 (IQR: 33). The level of public perception was significantly associated with the age groups (P = .009), ethnic groups (P < .001), respondents\' locality groups (P < .001), the level of education achieved group (P = .017), and the income groups (P = .006). Satisfaction was not significantly associated with any sociodemographic factors.
CONCLUSIONS: This study has found that the general public had a favorable perception of the role of hospital pharmacists, and they were generally satisfied with the pharmacy service provided.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases are an increasing threat in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and overweight and obesity are affecting people across all socioeconomic groups. Some studies suggest that big body sizes may be perceived as desirable among women in SSA and that high prevalence of obesity and overweight are especially present in low socioeconomic societies. This study explores the role of socioeconomic factors in the perception of the ideal body among Kenyan women and whether perceptions and beliefs about the ideal body should be considered relevant when targeting the prevention of obesity and overweight.
METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 8 Kenyan women with varying educational backgrounds, aged between 21 and 48, using a qualitative study design. The interviews were conducted in December 2022 and January 2023 in Nairobi, audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed through qualitative content analysis and a coding system using deductive and inductive codes.
RESULTS: The participants reported that conclusions about a person\'s health and wealth status are drawn based on different body sizes. Furthermore, traditional views about the ideal body size, societal pressure, as well as the women\'s own experience with their body size play a role in the perception of an ideal body.
CONCLUSIONS: Small-sized women desire to gain weight as society may view them as weak and sick. Big-sized women aim to reduce weight primarily due to health complications. Nevertheless, traditionally, a big-sized woman is considered strong and wealthy, creating external pressure on women to fulfil this body image-these findings emphasise traditional aspects in designing culturally sensitive prevention and intervention methods to address overweight and obesity.

The agricultural sector in Bangladesh is currently facing numerous challenges. The country is currently endeavoring to adopt modern biotechnological tools, such as genetic engineering, to modify crops with the aim of ensuring food security. Notably, Bt Brinjal represents a significant milestone as the first genetically engineered (GE) food crop commercially cultivated in South Asia. Public perception and awareness are crucial steps forward for accepting and commercializing GE crops within society. The study discussed here aims to assess public perception and awareness regarding modern biotechnology and GE crops, focusing mainly on Bt Brinjal in Bangladesh. A random survey considered demographic factors such as age, gender, hometown, educational qualification, and occupation to explore the public attitudes towards Bt Brinjal and modern biotechnology. Approximately one-third of those surveyed considered Bt Brinjal safe for consumption, and a third expressed a willingness to buy Bt Brinjal, while nearly two-thirds believed it would gain popularity in the market alongside other crops. Most respondents recognized the necessity of utilizing modern biotechnology for crop improvement beyond Bt Brinjal, and respondents with science backgrounds displayed higher awareness and a more positive attitude than those with limited education or non-science backgrounds. This study explores the public perceptions of Bt Brinjal and the adoption of modern biotechnology in Bangladesh by examining factors such as knowledge dissemination, acceptance levels, and concerns related to GE crops, and offers a meaningful perspective that can shape decision-making processes to promote agricultural sustainability and achieve relevant sustainable development goals in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Health care is an indispensable element for economic growth and development of individuals and nations. Healthcare service quality is associated with patient satisfaction, ensuring the safety and security of patients, reducing mortality and morbidity, and improving the quality of life. Patient satisfaction with health service is linked to increased utilization following contendness with healthcare received from health providers. There is an increasing public perception of poor quality of care among patients visiting public health facilities in Ghana which translates into service dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, patient dissatisfaction will more likely result in poor utilization, disregard for medical advice, and treatment non-adherence. The study was conducted to assess patients\' satisfaction with quality of care at the outpatient departments of selected health facilities in Kumasi, Ghana.
METHODS: An institutional-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among patients (aged ≥ 18 years) visiting outpatient departments of selected health facilities in Kumasi from October - December, 2019. A systematic sampling technique was adopted to collect quantitative information from 385 respondents using a structured questionnaire. At 95% confidence interval and 5% alpha level, two-level logistic regression models were performed. Model I estimated the crude associations and the effect of covariates was accounted for in Model II. The results were presented in odds ratio with a corresponding 95% confidence interval. All analysis were performed using STATA statistical software version 16.0.
RESULTS: Out of the 385 participants, 90.9% of the participants were satisfied with the services they received. Being married [AOR = 3.06, 95%CI = 1.07-8.74], agreeing that the facility is disability-friendly [AOR = 7.93, 95%CI = 2.07-14.43], facility has directional signs for navigation [AOR = 3.12, 95%=1.92-10.59] and the facility has comfortable and attractive waiting area [AOR = 10.02, 95%CI = 2.35-22.63] were associated with satisfaction with health service among patients. Spending more than 2 h at the health facility [AOR = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.04-0.93] and having perceived rude and irritating provider [AOR = 0.14, 95%CI = 0.04-0.51] had lower odds of satisfaction with health service received.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a high patient satisfaction with services received at out-patient departments which is influenced by a multiplicity of factors; being married, and agreeing that the facility is disability-friendly, has directional signs for navigation, and the waiting area is comfortable and attractive. The study findings call for the need to develop and implement health delivery interventions and strategies (i.e. patient-centered interventions, disability-friendly facilities, and sustainability and improvement of quality service) to improve and sustain patient satisfaction levels with health care service. These strategies must be directed towards addressing inequalities in infrastructural development and inputs needed for healthcare delivery in the health system.

We compare public perceptions of restoring different ecosystems to increase CO2 uptake in Germany, through focus groups and a general population survey. Among focus group participants forests were highly popular, peatlands evoked negative associations, and seagrass was largely unknown. Nevertheless, the restoration of all ecosystems was viewed positively. We contrast these reactions to those of survey respondents who had not received additional information on restoration. They voiced narrower, less diverse opinions centering around afforestation. Further, focus group participants preferred expert-led restoration decisions, citing low trust in politicians\' technical competence. Contrary to common policy recommendations, also beyond the German context, participants did not emphasize the need of citizen participation and were not strongly concerned about land use conflicts or compensation of affected user groups. The results imply that the public underestimates the political complexity of negotiation processes in ecosystem governance, which are becoming increasingly relevant in the international policy landscape.

UNASSIGNED: As alternative replacement products for tobacco-derived nicotine, synthetic nicotine products have recently emerged and gained increasing popularity. This study analyzes public perception and discussion of synthetic nicotine products on Twitter (now \"X\").
UNASSIGNED: Through Twitter streaming API (Application Programming Interface), we have collected 2,764 Twitter posts related to synthetic nicotine from December 12, 2021, to October 17, 2022, using keywords related to synthetic nicotine. By applying an inductive approach, two research assistants manually determined the relevance of tweets to synthetic nicotine products and assessed the attitude of tweets as positive, negative, and neutral of tweets toward synthetic nicotine, and the main topics.
UNASSIGNED: Among 1,007 tweets related to synthetic nicotine products, the proportion of negative tweets (383/1007, 38.03%) toward synthetic nicotine products was significantly higher than that of positive tweets (218/1007, 21.65%) with a p-value <0.05. Among negative tweets, major topics include the concern about addiction and health risks of synthetic nicotine products (44.91%) and synthetic nicotine as a policy loophole (31.85%). Among positive tweets, top topics include alternative replacement for nicotine (39.91%) and reduced health risks (31.19%).
UNASSIGNED: There are mixed attitudes toward synthetic nicotine products on Twitter, resulting from different perspectives. Future research could incorporate demographic information to understand the attitudes of various population groups.

This study examines the public\'s perceptions of the ecological restoration of the Congost River over the past thirty years, focusing on the period between 2010 and 2022. We conducted a survey of 112 river users across five key zones identified through a pilot study for their high pedestrian density, aiming to analyse how different sociodemographic groups perceive the river\'s ecological state. A structured questionnaire was distributed along both sides of the river to engage a diverse range of individuals typically utilizing the river environment. The collected data were analysed using regression models and Mann-Whitney U tests to assess differences between groups, with Bonferroni adjustments applied to control for multiple comparisons. The results reveal a broad increase in appreciation for the river since 2010, alongside measurable ecological improvements supported by scientific data. Despite these positive changes, a majority of surveyed users remain sceptical about the river\'s recovery, with less pronounced scepticism among older respondents, those with higher education, and environmental volunteers. These groups\' perceptions align more closely with empirical evidence, highlighting the influence of sociodemographic factors on environmental awareness. Individuals living closer to natural settings and frequent river visitors were found to be more attuned to changes in the river\'s environment, particularly in aesthetic and sensory aspects. The study underscores the persistence of a perceptual gap between scientific assessments of ecological health and public sentiment, emphasizing the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators. These insights underline the complex relationship between community perceptions and objective environmental indicators, reflecting a broader trend in environmental awareness and the importance of factual communication in ecological issues.

UNASSIGNED: Kidney diseases are considered silent killers due to the lack of well-defined symptoms. Public knowledge about chronic kidney disease (CKD) management has been shown to decrease the risk of CKD onset and progression to end-stage renal disease and renal failure. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of kidney function, CKD symptoms, etiology, prevention and treatment in the general population.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire was conducted in Jordan to assess public knowledge of CKD. Public knowledge of CKD was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of 32 knowledge questions, including risk factors, symptoms, treatment, protective measures and kidney function. The knowledge level was classified according to the total score: poor (0-50%), intermediate (51-70%) and good/high (71-100%). Multiple regression analysis was performed to compare knowledge scores (KS) and predict associations with the participants\' baseline characteristics.
UNASSIGNED: The level of knowledge about CKD among the 2181 participants was intermediate. The KS was significantly higher among participants with health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and heart problems, first-degree relatives working in the medical field, majors relevant to health, married, employed, highly educated, high-income and smokers. The main sources of knowledge about CKD were health professionals, TV shows, books and magazines. Multiple regression analysis showed an association between KS and age, sex, functional status, educational level and field, income, smoking status, having a family member/spouse work in the medical field, and knowledge source.
UNASSIGNED: The public level of knowledge about CKD management is greatly influenced by participants\' health and social factors. Thus, improving public knowledge and perception through education and the media will significantly reduce CKD prevalence and incidence.
Public awareness and educating the public about chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) is essential because of the high prevalence, and increased awareness can contribute to early detection, management and potentially slow down the progression of CKD.Creating awareness of the risk factors for CKD enables health policy developers to adopt preventive measures.CKD can significantly affect quality of life, and public awareness campaigns can emphasize the impact of CKD on overall well-being, motivating individuals to prioritize kidney health.

Music has always been thought of as a \"human\" endeavor- when praising a piece of music, we emphasize the composer\'s creativity and the emotions the music invokes. Because music also heavily relies on patterns and repetition in the form of recurring melodic themes and chord progressions, artificial intelligence has increasingly been able to replicate music in a human-like fashion. This research investigated the capabilities of Jukebox, an open-source commercially available neural network, to accurately replicate two genres of music often found in rhythm games, artcore and orchestral. A Google Colab notebook provided the computational resources necessary to sample and extend a total of 16 piano arrangements of both genres. A survey containing selected samples was distributed to a local youth orchestra to gauge people\'s perceptions of the musicality of AI and human-generated music. Even though humans preferred human-generated music, Jukebox\'s slightly high rating showed that it was somewhat capable at mimicking the styles of both genres. Despite limitations of Jukebox only using raw audio and a relatively small sample size, it shows promise for the future of AI as a collaborative tool in music production.

BACKGROUND: Lay perceptions of persons who download and distribute Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) is an underexplored subject. There is a need for understanding the factors that influence perceptions as the public perceptions have implications for endorsement of sex offender rehabilitation that in turn can influence the availability of treatment programs and stigma for help-seeking.
OBJECTIVE: To explore public perceptions of individuals that commit child sexual abuse offences, to compare the results to those obtained in a large US sample, and to explore associations between demographic variables, general perceptions and endorsement of imprisonment and treatment for individuals that commit CSAM offences.
METHODS: An online survey were distributed in Norway in February 2023. 618 individuals responded, 76 % were female, mean age 34.99 (SD = 14.23), the majority (>70 %) had higher education, and 44 % had children.
RESULTS: Consistent with prior research, the public perceptions overestimated the risk of future contact offences and recidivism. Women overestimated the percentage of risk of contact offences and pedophilic interest more than men. The overestimation was significantly less in this sample compared to the US sample (d = 0.39-0.96). Those working with online child abuse had perceptions of persons committing CSAM offences that were more aligned with empirical findings. Demographic variables were only marginally associated with endorsement for treatment and imprisonment, except for having children, which was associated with endorsement of imprisonment. Perceived risk of contact offences, pedophilic preference, and assumed childhood sexual victimization were associated with perceptions of individuals committing CSAM offences as different than those committing physical sexual abuse and both endorsement of treatment and imprisonment.
CONCLUSIONS: The perceptions of those who commit CSAM offences showed a stronger association with endorsement for treatment and imprisonment than demographic variables.