Purpose: The aim was to document the prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression 5 years after stroke, across four European centres. Method: A cohort of 220 stroke patients was assessed at 2, 4 and 6 months and 5 years after stroke. Patients were assessed on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and measures of motor function and independence in activities of daily living. Results: At 5 years, the prevalence of anxiety was 29% and depression 33%, with no significant differences between centres. The severity of anxiety and depression increased significantly between 6 months and 5 years. Higher anxiety at 6 months and centre were significantly associated with anxiety at 5 years, but not measures of functional recovery. Higher depression scores at 6 months, older age and centre, but not measures of functional recovery, were associated with depression at 5 years. Conclusions: Anxiety and depression were more frequent at 5 years after stroke than at 6 months. There were significant differences between four European centres in the severity of anxiety and depression. Although the main determinant of anxiety or depression scores at 5 years was the level of anxiety or depression at 6 months, this accounted for little of the variance. Centre was also a significant predictor of mood at 5 years. There needs to be greater recognition of the development of mood disorders late after stroke and evaluation of variation in management policies across centres.

In the Big Data age, businesses in every industry must deal with vast volumes of data. Several experts and practitioners have lately emphasized the need of understanding how, why, and when Big Data Analytics (BDA) applications may be a valuable resource for businesses seeking a competitive edge. However, BDA pays off for some firms while failing to pay off for others due to the fact that investment in Big Data continues to present significant challenges due to the missing link between analytics capabilities and firm performance. According to a recent survey, many businesses spend the bulk of their time analyzing data, with only a tiny fraction employing Big Data Analytics to forecast outcomes and even fewer utilizing analytics apps to enhance processes and strategies. As a result, BDA is not widely used, and only a few companies have seen any benefit from it. To address this issue in the telecommunications domain and in light of the paucity of research on the subject, this study focused on the BDA Pillars (BDAP) in order to achieve benefits through increased revenues and cost savings. For the purpose of this research we have adopted qualitative approach with case study method, and technique of data collection includes semi-structure interview and document analysis. The Delphi technique and in-depth interviews conducted confirmed the existence of five critical elements that contribute to the sustainability of BDAPs and their impact on firm performance.

This study for the first time provides insight into the bacterial community in the benthic region of the Off‐Terengganu Coastline, which is considered to be anthropogenically polluted due to heavy fishing vessel commotion. Subsurface bacteria were randomly collected from two locations at different depths and were examined using the 16S rDNA V3‐V4 marker gene on the Illumina^™ Miseq platform. In addition, the physiochemical parameters of the sediment were also measured. Surprisingly, the results show a high diversity of sulfur‐oxidizing bacteria in the surveyed area, where Sulfurovum sp. was identified to predominate the overall bacterial community. The physiochemical parameters reveal insufficient evidence of hydrothermal vents in the surveyed area. However, there are traces of hydrocarbon pollutants such as gasoline, diesel, and mineral oil in this area. It is assumed that sediment accumulation in the lee of breakwater plays an important role in trapping the runoff from the nearby harbor, which includes oil spills. Based on the common knowledge, Sulvurofum sp. is a native bacterium that exists in deep hydrothermal vents and volcanic territories. Although the reason for the abundance of Sulfurovum sp. in the surveyed area is still unclear, there is a possibility that metabolic adaptation plays an important role in regulating hydrocarbon pollutants for survival. The work presented in this paper therefore has profound implications for future studies on Sulfurovum sp. versatility. However, future research is needed to strengthen the findings of this study and to provide a better evidence regarding the metabolic response of this bacterium toward hydrocarbon pollutants.

The study of organic matter characterisation in coastal sediment is useful for understanding how dissolved organic matter (DOM) reactivity influences the fate of pollutants in the aquatic environment. However, there is little information available on the structural properties of DOM in coastal sediment. Chemical analysis, UV-Visible (UV-Vis) absorbance, fluorescence, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used in this work to characterise and compare the components of water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) fractions from sediment from an estuary, a coastal area, and a port in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia. The elemental analysis (H/C and C/N ratios) of the three samples differed, which coincided with the findings of optical indices estimated from UV-Visible and fluorescent spectroscopy analyses. WEOM had an average output of 7.05 to 8.47 mg/L and was very dominating with heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC). In DOM-KS and DOM-K sediments, the allochthonous component with a high degree of condensation and the aromatic compound was the dominating composition. Meanwhile, the DOM-KT possessed a high autochthonous composition as well as carboxylic and phenolic content. Correlation analysis indicates that the aromaticity index SUVA₂₅₄ and humification index (HIX) have positive correlations. The combined results of the chemical and spectroscopic analyses indicate that different coastal ecosystems, with the integration of various human and land activities, produce variations in DOM in the coastal area.

A Malaysian state of Sabah is blessed with natural deep sea water (DSW). The presence of these DSW's offers a potential for OTEC power plant to be installed and operated using warm surface sea water (SSW) as a heat source and the cold DSW as a heat sink. In the operation, the power plant may need to spend a considerable amount of power to pump up the DSW. The cold DSW, after serving its function as coolant to the condenser of the power plant, apparently appears as cold waste-water and may pose a disposal problem to the environment. However, being very rich in nutrients, the used DSW instead create another valuable potential for secondary commercial activities in industries like mariculture, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medicinal, temperate crop farming, district cooling, etc. all of which, if fully developed could offer a real economic transformation for the state of Sabah, as that experience by the Japanese Kumejima of Okinawa prefecture. This paper focuses on the discussion on the potential of DSW in enhancing the development of Sabah mariculture industry, party contribution towards accelerating the socioeconomic transformation of the state and the people.