The resilience of ethical assets against different uncertainty shocks.

The focus of this research is to examine the safe-haven properties of seven ethical and conventional asset classes using two sophisticated techniques: quantile coherence and Wavelet coherence. We analyze data ranging from October 3, 2011, to September 30, 2021, that encapsulates several global risk events. The results exhibit either positive or neutral associations between most assets and the Geopolitical Risk (GPR), indicating their safe haven capabilities against the GPR shocks.

Energy choices to health outcomes: A multidimensional analysis of risk in BRICS via PMG-ARDL approach.

This article employs a Panel Mean Group Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PMG-ARDL) approach to investigate the interaction between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fossil fuel, renewable energy consumption, trade, and their collective impact on life expectancy within the BRICS nations. The research reveals compelling findings. Notably, CO2 emissions and trade openness exhibit negative and statistically significant impact on life expectancy.

Correction: Cigarette smoking and associated factors among men in five South Asian countries: A pooled analysis of nationally representative surveys.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Men's perception and participation in maternal and child health care in the field practice area of a teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study from rural Bengal.

Introduction: Participation of men in maternal and child health (MCH) is crucial for the reduction of infant and maternal mortality. MCH care services have been focused on providing information and services to women, but males' behaviour and decisions affect the health of the child and mother.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the perception and participation of males in MCH care as well as, to identify the association of their perception and participation with socio-demographic characteristics and to find out the correlation between perception and participation regarding MCH care.

COVID-19 Pandemic Increases the Risk of Anxiety and Depression among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rural West Bengal, India.

About 14% of adolescents experience mental illnesses globally. The rate increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of COVID-related major mental illnesses (depression and anxiety) and their predictors among adolescents.

CD33 and SHP-1/ Interaction in Alzheimer's Disease.

Large-scale genetic studies have identified numerous genetic risk factors that suggest a central role for innate immune cells in susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD). CD33, an immunomodulatory transmembrane sialic acid binding protein expressed on myeloid cells, was identified as one such genetic risk factor associated with Alzheimer's disease. Several studies explored the molecular outcomes of genetic variation at the locus.

Perceptions and expectations of an artificially intelligent physical activity digital assistant - A focus group study.

Artificially intelligent physical activity digital assistants that use the full spectrum of machine learning capabilities have not yet been developed and examined. This study aimed to explore potential users' perceptions and expectations of using such a digital assistant. Six 90-min online focus group meetings (n = 45 adults) were conducted.

Cushion hypothesis and credit risk: Islamic versus conventional banks from the MENA region.

Conventional banks are 'indirectly' allowed to take more risk under the shadow of sovereign guarantees. Banks commit moral hazards as any major banking crisis will be 'cushioned' by deposit insurance and bailed out using the taxpayer's money. This study offers an alternative explanation for the determinants of banks' credit risk, particularly those from the Islamic regions.

Capital structure and public corruption among non-financial firms in the MENA region: The impact of the Arab spring.

This study investigated the determinants of financing decisions of firms from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly the effect of public corruption on financing decisions and the effect of disorder following the Arab Spring on public corruption-financing structure relationship. The study encompasses a total of 800 business entities from 14 different countries, spanning the time frame of 2005-2018. Data is analyzed through the application of static fixed effects and dynamic GMM-System models.

Religiosity, Financial Risk Taking, and Reward Processing: An Experimental Study.

The present study investigated the extent to which financial risk-taking (FRT) perspectives and religiosity influenced an individual's performance on financial decision-making tasks under risk and/or uncertainty. It further investigated the potential to measure this interaction using electro-encephalogram (EEG) assessments through reward-related event-related potentials (P3 and FRN). EEG data were collected from 37 participants undergoing four decision-making tasks comprising the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), Iowa Gambling Test (IGT), Mixed-Gamble Loss-Aversion Task (MGLAT), and MGLA-Success Task (MGLAST).

Autonomous Triboelectric Smart Textile Sensor for Vital Sign Monitoring.

Wearable smart textile sensors for monitoring vital signs are fast, noninvasive, and highly desirable for personalized health management to diagnose health anomalies such as cardiovascular diseases and respiratory dysfunction. Traditional biosignal sensors, with power consumption issues, constrain the use of wearable medical devices. This study introduces an autonomous triboelectric smart textile sensor (AUTS) made of reduced graphene oxide/manganese dioxide/polydimethylsiloxane (RGO-M-PDMS) and polytetrafluoroethylene (TEFLON)-knitted silver electrode, offering promise for vital sign monitoring with self-powering, flexibility, and wearability.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) omicron sub-variants in Bangladesh cause mild COVID-19 and associate with similar antibody responses irrespective of natural infection or vaccination history.

Objective: Genomic surveillance and seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) in Bangladesh is paramount for COVID-19 pandemic preparedness yet lagging the high-income countries due to limited resources.

Methods: SARS-CoV-2 variants, COVID-19 symptoms, and serology were prospectively evaluated in a cross-sectional study of Bangladeshi adults testing RT-PCR positive in 2021 and 2022.

Results: SARS CoV-2 Omicron variants of asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 in 2022 replaced Delta variant infections requiring hospitalization and oxygen support.

Determinants of low birth weight and its effect on childhood health and nutritional outcomes in Bangladesh.

Background: The high incidence of low birth weight (LBW) is associated with an increased risk of infant mortality, adverse pregnancy outcomes for mothers, and a decline in overall health and well-being. The current study aimed to identify the various determinants of LBW and its effect on adverse health and nutritional outcomes of children aged 0-23 months in Bangladesh.

Methods: Bangladesh Demography and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18 data was used.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices among residents of different slum settlements in a ward of Kolkata: A mixed-methods study.

Background: Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is the most basic need for mankind. Poor WASH practices are associated with various waterborne diseases, especially in developing countries such as India. The aim of the study was to assess WASH practices among residents of different slum settlements in a ward of Kolkata, identify the factors associated with WASH practice, and explore the barriers faced by the families and municipal staff in providing adequate WASH services to the community.

Annual risk of hepatitis E virus infection and seroreversion: Insights from a serological cohort in Sitakunda, Bangladesh.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute jaundice in South Asia. Gaps in our understanding of transmission are driven by non-specific symptoms and scarcity of diagnostics, impeding rational control strategies. In this context, serological data can provide important proxy measures of infection.

Clinical surveillance systems obscure the true cholera infection burden in an endemic region.

Our understanding of cholera transmission and burden largely relies on clinic-based surveillance, which can obscure trends, bias burden estimates and limit the impact of targeted cholera-prevention measures. Serological surveillance provides a complementary approach to monitoring infections, although the link between serologically derived infections and medically attended disease incidence-shaped by immunological, behavioral and clinical factors-remains poorly understood. We unravel this cascade in a cholera-endemic Bangladeshi community by integrating clinic-based surveillance, healthcare-seeking and longitudinal serological data through statistical modeling.

Exploring the therapeutic potential of edible vegetables, fruits, and spices against cancer in various cell lines.

Cancer is rapidly becoming the leading cause of death globally. This study aimed to identify edible foods with cytotoxic and/or antioxidant activities that can prevent cancer when consumed in a regular diet. Sixty-eight edible foods were purchased from the local market, and the materials were extracted with 80% methanol.

Industrially Scalable Piezoresistive Smart-Textile Sensor for Flexible Electronics Application.

Industrially scalable pressure-sensitive smart textile sensors have been developed using graphite-polyurethane (G-PU) composite materials by the plasma-assisted dip-pad-dry-cure method. The advantage of this technique is that it is easy, simple, and suitable for high-volume production with industrially available machinery. The sandwich structure sensor has been constructed with the pressure-sensitive textile semiconductor and embroidery electrodes for manufacturing a single sensor and sensor matrix, which can detect touch, pressure, movement, etc.

Urban-rural difference in factors associated with childhood functional difficulty in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Early childhood functional difficulty poses a substantial worldwide public health challenge, leading to adverse effects on children's quality of life and overall productivity. Moreover, it represents a significant social and economic problem in Bangladesh. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify factors contributing to childhood functional difficulty in Bangladesh within the context of urban-rural areas.

Prevalence and Determinants of Diarrhea, Fever, and Coexistence of Diarrhea and Fever in Children Under-Five in Bangladesh.

Diarrhea and fever are prevalent childhood illnesses with potentially severe consequences, especially when they co-occur. This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of diarrhea, fever, and their coexistence among children under-five in Bangladesh. Data from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demography and Health Survey (BDHS) were analyzed using multivariable stepwise logistic regression with backward selection.