Apr 14, 2023 |6 Mins Read

Globally, March is recognized as the month of reading; which is fitting for this blog post. The 2023 month of reading on Zendy followed a pattern of natural and social sciences with a hint of engineering. Join us in discovering the research methods and techniques commonly used in social psychology, a study on human capital and its benefits within Africa, the formulation of a polyherbal soap and hand sanitiser, the next generation of obesity research and finally, the basics of development engineering.  Research Methods and Techniques Utilised in Social Psychology The objective of this study was to identify research methods utilised by researchers within the field of social psychology. This study was conducted between 2011 and 2012 with 545 psychologists globally; the methods had been divided into two groups, participative research which included life history, action research, in-depth interviews, discourse analysis and observational research. The latter was field & lab experiments which consisted of computer simulations and correlational studies.  Read more here: Social Psychology - Research Methods and Techniques The Importance of Human Capital in Africa This study argues and presents that countries that invest in human capital have improved economic development prospects. Utilising comparative analysis methods, it was observed that South Africa had better developmental outcomes than Nigeria because the nation spends an increased percentage of income on human capital. Read more here: Human as Capital - An Imperative for Africa Formulation of Poly Herbal Soap and Sanitizer This journal article dives into a soap and hand sanitiser being formulated using leaf and bark extracts of Cassia fistula, Ficus religiosa and Milletia pinnata. This concoction was then evaluated for various physiochemical parameters and depicted both good characteristics and antimicrobial effects. The researchers propose to standardize this formula for antiseptics and disinfectants.  Read more here: Formulation and Evaluation of Poly Herbal Soap and Hand Sanitizer The Next Generation of Obesity Research Arguing that science by itself cannot combat obesity in America, this journal article argues that while obesity is not the only epidemic within the United States, it does pose a significant challenge. Reducing the percentage of obese individuals requires changing two fundamental aspects of life: food consumption and physical activity. This article suggests that America needs effort in every aspect of society, like households, schools, community organisations, all government levels, transportation, agriculture, the food industry, media, medical practice, and biomedical research.  Read more here: The Next Generation of Obesity Research The Basics of Development Engineering Development engineering is an emerging field and this textbook serves as an introduction to the discipline’s theories, methods and applications. The book has a broad scope, covering everything from the development of mobile apps to hardware and software solutions to providing electricity and water. Furthermore, it is also interdisciplinary as it draws methods and theories from social and natural sciences along with different branches of engineering. Dive deep into the 6 sections which are energy and environment, market performance, education and labour, water sanitation and health, and digital governance and connectivity.  Read more here: Introduction to Development Engineering Discover millions of e-books, journal articles, proceedings and more on Zendy now.

Mar 22, 2023 |7 Mins Read

February 2023 has been great for Zendy. From launching new features and creating a smooth research discoverability process to attending the annual STEP conference and utilising the opportunity to showcase our fantastic online library, it has been a whirlwind of positives! This curated list of February 2023 top reads is an exciting one; join us in discovering the state of refugees globally, machine-learning diagnostics, the response healthcare professionals should have upon the spread of a celebrity’s cancer journey, the financial issues among farmers in Malaysia and the history of Mathematics. Uncovering the state of refugees around the world This journal article explores the state of refugees on a global scale. It was recorded that by the end of 2011, 42 million refugees had been forced to evacuate their homes due to ongoing or arising conflict. Analysing and differentiating between refugee populations in rural and urban areas in cities all around the world, this article identifies that urbanization plays a role in the delayed responses to forced displacement. Read more here: The State of the World’s Refugees Machine-learning diagnosis of EEG pathology Dissecting the potential of machine-learning diagnosis of EEG pathology, this journal article highlights and compares hand-crafted features to learned features by creating a comprehensive feature-based framework. This article argues that machine-learning methods possess the potential to automate clinical EEG analysis, the study conducted found that the proposed feature-based decoding framework can achieve accuracies on the same level as state-of-the-art deep neural networks. Read more here: Machine-learning and EGG Diagnosis How should celebrity cancer journeys be perceived? Due to the rise of celebrity culture in the 21st century, the general population relies on celebrity cancer experiences and journeys for their personal cancer care and treatment decision-making. This journal article focuses on how the media coverage of Angelina Jolie, John McCain and Jimmy Carter’s cancer journeys had consequences on individual patients. The piece further highlights that clinicians should be comfortable in having conversations regarding celebrity medical treatments and procedures with their patients. Read more here: How Should Clinicians Respond When Patients Are Influenced by Celebrities' Cancer Stories? Financial issues among farmers in Malaysia Dated to 2015, this journal article assesses how Islamic agricultural finance can potentially play a role in Malaysian agriculture development. Given the farmers’ financial issues and the government's efforts to resolve their agricultural sector, this study derives first-hand data from the farmers via interviews and questionnaires to identify the most suitable solution for the Malaysian agriculture sector. Read more here: Financial Problems among Farmers in Malaysia: Islamic Agricultural Finance as a Possible Solution An Episodic History of Mathematics This e-book will acquaint readers with mathematical language, thought, and mathematical life by uncovering the lives of historically important mathematical figures. An Episodic History of Mathematics has engaging stories and anecdotes about Pythagoras, Galois, Cantor and Poincaré. These mathematicians were complex individuals who led colourful and fascinating lives, and brought about thought-provoking mathematics. Read more here: An Episodic History of Mathematics : Mathematical Culture Through Problem Solving Discover millions of e-books, journal articles, proceedings and more on Zendy now.

Jan 30, 2023 |10 Mins Read

We are kicking off 2023 strong with January’s top reads! The new year’s resolutions that you have set are said to set the tone for the rest of your year. However, have you ever wondered where new year's resolutions stem from? The ancient Babylonians are the first recorded civilization to celebrate new year’s, although their new year fell mid-march after their crops were planted. It is said that they were the first people to make new year’s resolutions. This tradition was then modernized into the new years we know today. During the reign of Julius Caesar, Ancient Romans celebrated and recognized the New Year to be on January 1st. Ancient Romans selected this date in honor of the Greek God Janus, who they believed symbolically looked back into the previous year and ahead into the future. To celebrate the New Year, the Romans committed to good deeds for the coming year. If reading often was one of your resolutions, this run-down of top reads may inspire your new discoveries. To give you an idea of all the topics you can dive into on Zendy, we’ll be exploring why healthcare professionals should be more involved in combatting false beliefs on the internet and how WhatsApp can be used as a learning tool to pick up a new language, we also peek at color associated emotional and behavioral responses. We also discuss severe depression in late life and how to tackle it, and finally, the impact that sustainable labeling has on consumer behavior. The role healthcare professionals play outside of medical settings This journal article explores the thin line between freedom of speech and the spread of misinformation on the internet. In this technological age, information is always a click away. We’ve all received threads on certain weight-loss tips and steps we should be taking to improve our health. We tend to forget that many of these tips, experiences, and personal views are not regulated or accurate information. This article argues that the threat of misinformation lies beyond clinical settings, and therefore so do the obligations of healthcare professionals. This piece also highlights the types of speech the government can regulate and how healthcare discourse can potentially be governed and monitored without dabbling in the First Amendment rights. Read more: Why Healthcare Professionals Should Speak Out Against False Beliefs on the Internet Exploring WhatsApp as a learning tool This journal article discusses how WhatsApp can be used as an educational tool. This is interesting because WhatsApp’s features align well with the online tools one would need to grasp a new language. The study is aimed at English foreign language learners to significantly improve their conversational English using WhatsApp’s convenient features such as videos, voice notes, texting, and even the use of emojis. However, since this is a classroom setting, certain rules would need to be applied to using social media as a means of education. Read more: WhatsApp and its Use to Improve Student’s Pronunciation The psychology behind colors We come across a plethora of colors every day. Colors hold much more biological and psychological significance than we might think. According to this journal article, colors can trigger psychological, physical, biological, and metabolic reactions within humans. It explores whether the way we react to colors is a learned response or an innate one. Honoring psychology’s well-known nature vs. nurture debate, this article highlights the significance of each color and how literature supports and proves the emotions and feelings each color can invoke in human beings. It also carefully studies the effect of culture and religion and how those factors affect how an individual perceives certain colors. Read more: Color-associated emotional and behavioral responses: A study on the associations emerged via imagination Severe depression in late life This unique case study explores the severe depression that elderly people face. We follow Mrs. B’s journey into her medical and psychological treatments and dissect how clinicians should play a more active role in scanning depression in older adults. This study proved that signs of inactivity and feeling neglected should not be dismissed as the effects of aging but rather should be perceived as symptoms of depression. The depression that older adults face can be tackled through treatments such as psychotherapy, behavioral activation, and electroconvulsive therapy. While the elderly become more dependent, this study proves that therapy can, once again, have them thriving independently. Read more: Older Adults with Severe, Treatment-Resistant Depression: “I got my mother back.” How sustainable labeling affects consumer behavior As consumers become more aware of the products and transparency becomes the best marketing tool, this journal article discusses the impact green labeling has on consumer behavior. The researchers discuss how sustainable labeling may work for some products as consumers assign different levels of importance to them. For example, green labeling on dairy products might not grab consumer attention as the environmental issue comes from the very consumption of dairy. The article explores the variables that drive a consumer to attempt to shift to sustainable buying habits and willingly pay more to support these practices. Conscious consumers want to see how brands adapt their products and re-position themselves to be environmental-friendly. Read more: Hey, did you see that label? It’s Sustainable!: Understanding the role of sustainable labeling in shaping sustainable purchase behavior for sustainable development Discover millions of journals, proceedings, e-books, and more on Zendy.