bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of livestock diseases in North Eastern Region of India
Authors: Barman Nagendra Nath , Patil Sharanagouda S. , Kurli Rashmi , Deka Pankaj , Bora Durlav Prasad , Deka Giti , Ranjitha Kempanahalli M. , Shivaranjini Channappagowda , Roy Parimal , Suresh Kuralayanapalya P.
Published: January 2020

Aim: The study aimed to determine the overall prevalence of livestock diseases in North Eastern Region (NER) of India, through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data. Materials and Methods: The articles used for the study were retrieved from PubMed, J-Gate Plus, Indian Journals, and Google scholar, R open-source scripting software 3.4.3. Metafor, Meta. The Chi-square test was conducted to assess for the heterogeneity, forest plot (confidence interval [CI] plot) is a method utilized to present the results of meta-analysis, displaying effect estimate and their CIs for each study were used for searching and retrieval of livestock diseases prevalence data in India using a search strategy combining keywords and related database-specific subject terms from 2008 to 2017 in English only. Results: The prevalence of various livestock diseases are foot-and-mouth disease (21%), bluetongue (28%), brucellosis in bovine (17%), brucellosis in caprine (2%), brucellosis in porcine (18%), brucellosis in sheep and goat (3%), babesiosis (6%), theileriosis (26%), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (1%), porcine cysticercosis (6%), classical swine fever (31%), Porcine circovirus (43%), and Peste des petits ruminants (15%). This information helps policymakers to take appropriate measures to reduce the disease burden. Conclusion: This study indicates that the overall prevalence of various livestock diseases in NER of India.
Institution und Organisation
Authors: Brunsson Nils
Published: January 2020

Die frühe Organisationstheorie hob Entscheidungen als Merkmal formaler Organisationen und als Unterschied zwischen Organisationen und ihrer »Umwelt« hervor. Die institutionelle Perspektive, die spätere Organisationsanalysen dominierte, kann als fundamentale Kritik am Entscheidungsfokus und an der Unterscheidung zwischen Organisation und Umwelt gesehen werden. Denn Institutionen sind Verhaltensmuster und Bedeutungsstrukturen, die unhinterfragt übernommen werden und über die genau nicht entschieden wird, und die Unterscheidung zwischen Organisation und Umwelt wird problematisch, weil soziale Institutionen sowohl »innerhalb« als auch »ausserhalb« von Organisationen existieren - ein Sachverhalt, der auch die Idee in Frage stellt, dass formale Organisationen sich von anderen sozialen Kontexten unterscheiden. Die früheren Konzeptualisierungen haben jüngst eine alternative Perspektive inspiriert, in der Organisation als eine decided order verstanden wird. Die grundlegende Unterscheidung ist dabei jedoch nicht zwischen Organisation und Umwelt, sondern zwischen organisierten und nicht-organisierten Aspekten sozialen Lebens. Organisation kann demnach in formalen Organisationen, aber auch in anderen Kontexten gefunden werden. Die meisten sozialen Kontexte sind partiell organisiert und teils das Resultat von anderen Ordnungsprozessen. Dieses Konzept der Organisation erweitert das Feld der Organisationsanalyse auf andere Bereiche als lediglich formale Organisationen.
Rationalisierung und Individualisierung
Authors: Arnold Nadine , Hasse Raimund , Mormann Hannah
Published: January 2020

Nadine Arnold, Raimund Hasse und Hannah Mormann fragen, wie institutionentheoretische Konzepte für die Untersuchung von Wertephänomenen mobilisiert werden können. Dafür unterscheiden sie zwischen gesellschaftlichen Werten und Rationalisierung und Individualisierung als universell geltende Prinzipien des Organisierens. Diese begriffliche Unterscheidung ermöglicht es, die Rolle von Organisationen bei der Umsetzung gesellschaftlicher Werte wie Menschenrechte und Umweltschutz empirisch zu beschreiben. Diversity Management dient als Beispiel für eine prinzipiengeleitete Verarbeitung von Chancengleichheit. Auf der Grundlage von Rationalisierungs- und Individualisierungsprinzipien integrieren Organisationen einen abstrakten gesellschaftlichen Wert wie Chancengleichheit in ihre Arbeitsabläufe. Einen vorläufigen Schlusspunkt dieser Integration stellt die Transformation von Chancengleichheit in ein System von Kennzahlen und Indikatoren für das Controlling von Diversity Management dar.
Nachhaltige Nicht-Nachhaltigkeit
Authors: Blühdorn Ingolfur , Butzlaff Felix , Deflorian Michael , Hausknost Daniel , Mock Mirijam
Published: January 2020

Auch wenn Umweltbewegungen »Weiter so ist keine Option! Wende oder Ende!« fordern und der Begriff der Nachhaltigkeit voll im Mainstream angekommen ist - die moderne Gesellschaft verteidigt ihren Wohlstand und Lebensstil entschiedener denn je. Beharrlich wird eine Politik der Nicht-Nachhaltigkeit betrieben, und die Konjunktur des Rechtspopulismus signalisiert zudem eine deutliche Abkehr vom ökologisch-demokratischen Projekt vergangener Jahrzehnte. Dieser Band stellt grundlegende Annahmen der Nachhaltigkeitsdebatte in Frage und skizziert neue sozialwissenschaftliche Forschungsperspektiven, um die eigenartige Fortdauer der Nicht-Nachhaltigkeit zu erhellen.
Making Diabetes
Authors: Liggins Arlena Siobhan
Published: January 2020

Diabetes is regarded as one of the most challenging global health issues of the 21st century. Especially countries with weak health infrastructure are struggling to deal with the increased demands this chronic disease entails. Tracing the effects of a diagnostic device, the glucometer, this book examines how it contributes to the making of diabetes in contemporary Uganda. Arlena S. Liggins demonstrates that depending on who uses the glucometer, the outcomes may go far beyond diagnosis. The book draws a complex picture of hopes and misplaced expectations, of trust and mistrust in a technology to which access in the first place is all but a given.
"Partizipation" - Marginalisierte Gruppen in Museum und Ausstellungen
Authors: Traska Georg
Published: January 2020

Den Ausgangspunkt bilden zwei Forschungs- und Ausstellungsprojekte, in denen unterschiedliche Aspekte von Migration eine zentrale Rolle spielen, die »Migration« aber nicht zum bestimmenden oder titelgebenden Fokus machten: das Projekt »Bringing Together Devided Memory. Czechoslovakia, National Socialism and the Expulsion of the German Speaking Population« (mit der Ausstellung »Vertriebene und Verbliebene erzählen«, 2014-16) und das Projekt »Junge MuslimInnen in Österreich. Eine sozialanthropologisch-kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung an Wiener Schulen« (2017-19). Die konzeptuellen Überlegungen und Erfahrungen aus den eigenen Projekten werden um Gespräche mit AusstellungskuratorInnen ergänzt. Auf dieser Grundlage wird nach den diskursiven und institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen sowie nach den makro- und mikrohistorischen, nationalen oder transnationalen Perspektiven gefragt, unter denen das Konzept »Migration« im Museums- und Ausstellungsbereich erstens einen allgemeinen kognitiven Gewinn verspricht und zweitens im Interesse der als »MigrantInnen« oder »Personen mit Migrationshintergrund« angesprochenen Gruppen liegt - und wann nicht. Welche unterschiedlich motivierten und erzwungenen Bewegungen werden unter dem Begriff »Migration« auf einer ersten (anscheinend neutralen) begrifflichen Ebene zusammengefasst? Welche Berechtigung hat diese Zusammenfassung - für wen? Wann ist jemand MigrantIn? Wann hört jemand auf - in wessen Wahrnehmung - MigrantIn zu sein?
Jüdische Museen - Europäische Museen - Postdiasporische Diaspora
Authors: Loewy Hanno
Published: January 2020

Wenn Peter Sloterdijk Museen allgemein als »Schule der Befremdung« erkennt, wie ergeht es dann erst Besucherinnen und Besuchern von jüdischen Museen? Gehört jüdische Geschichte »zu uns« oder nicht? Ist jüdische Kultur Teil des »Eigenen« oder des »Anderen«? Jüdische Museen sind, um eine Formulierung von Zygmunt Baumann zu verwenden, konstitutiv »auf dem Zaun«, in einer prekären Lage der Ambivalenz, der Zweideutigkeit situiert. In Zeiten, in denen Identitätsdebatten in Europa mehr und mehr im Zeichen des Ausschluss des »Anderen« - und heute vor allem im Zeichen des Ausschlusses von Muslimen - stehen, werden Juden und jüdische Geschichte - aber auch der Staat Israel - auf andere Weise relevant als noch vor zwanzig Jahren. Der politische Mainstream, aber auch wachsende Teile der populistischen Rechten, sehen im »Jüdischen« nun offenbar das »gute Andere« Europas, das sich im neuen rassistischen Diskurs trefflich instrumentalisieren lässt. Der Druck auf jüdische Museen wächst, sich einer scheinbaren Eindeutigkeit zu verschreiben, die die neuen europäischen Identitätsdiskurse nicht länger stört.
Childcare Allowances and Public Pensions: Welfare and Demographic Effects in an Aging Japan
Authors: Okamoto Akira
Published: January 2020

In this study, reforms on childcare allowances and public pensions are examined in an extended lifecycle simulation model with endogenous fertility. A slight increase in family policies such as childcare allowances leads to increases in the total population but the magnitude of change is not large. As childcare allowances increase, however, the total population is cumulatively and progressively augmented, resulting in substantial growth in the total population and national income in the long run. Furthermore, from a long-term perspective, increases in childcare subsidies or decreases in public pension benefits are potentially Pareto-improving.
Non-invasive drug delivery technology: development and current status of transdermal drug delivery devices, techniques and biomedical applications
Authors: Akhtar Naseem , Singh Varsha , Yusuf Mohammad , Khan Riaz A.
Published: January 2020

Pay-load deliveries across the skin barrier to the systemic circulation have been one of the most challenging delivery options. Necessitated requirements of the skin and facilitated skin layer cross-over delivery attempts have resulted in development of different non-invasive, non-oral methods, devices and systems which have been standardized, concurrently used and are in continuous upgrade and improvements. Iontophoresis, electroporation, sonophoresis, magnetophoresis, dermal patches, nanocarriers, needled and needle-less shots, and injectors are among some of the methods of transdermal delivery. The current review covers the current state of the art, merits and shortcomings of the systems, devices and transdermal delivery patches, including drugs’ and other payloads’ passage facilitation techniques, permeation and absorption feasibility studies, as well as physicochemical properties affecting the delivery through different transdermal modes along with examples of drugs, vaccines, genes and other payloads.
Procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic stewardship in Asia-Pacific countries: adaptation based on an expert consensus meeting
Authors: Lee Chien-Chang , Kwa Andrea Lay Hoon , Apisarnthanarak Anucha , Feng Jia-Yih , Gluck Eric Howard , Ito Akihiro , Karuniawati Anis , Periyasamy Petrick , Pratumvinit Busadee , Sharma Jeetendra , Solante Rontgene , Swaminathan Subramanian , Tyagi Niraj , Vu Dien Minh , Zirpe Kapil , Schuetz Philipp
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Recently, an expert consensus on optimal use of procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic stewardship was published focusing mainly on Europe and the United States. However, for Asia-Pacific countries, recommendations may need adaptation due to differences in types of infections, available resources and standard of clinical care.

Methods

Practical experience with PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship was discussed among experts from different countries, reflecting on the applicability of the proposed Berlin consensus algorithms for Asia-Pacific. Using a Delphi process, the group reached consensus on two PCT algorithms for the critically ill and the non-critically ill patient populations.

Results

The group agreed that the existing evidence for PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship in patients with acute respiratory infections and sepsis is generally valid also for Asia-Pacific countries, in regard to proposed PCT cut-offs, emphasis on diagnosis, prognosis and antibiotic stewardship, overruling criteria and inevitable adaptations to clinical settings. However, the group noted an insufficient database on patients with tropical diseases currently limiting the clinical utility in these patients. Also, due to lower resource availabilities, biomarker levels may be measured less frequently and only when changes in treatment are highly likely.

Conclusions

Use of PCT to guide antibiotic stewardship in conjunction with continuous education and regular feedback to all stakeholders has high potential to improve the utilization of antibiotic treatment also in Asia-Pacific countries. However, there is need for adaptations of existing algorithms due to differences in types of infections and routine clinical care. Further research is needed to understand the optimal use of PCT in patients with tropical diseases.
Suitability of a lignin-derived mono-phenol mimic to replace phenol in phenol-formaldehyde resin for use in wood treatment
Authors: Biziks Vladimirs , Fleckenstein Marco , Mai Carsten , Militz Holger
Published: January 2020

The goal of this study was to assess the suitability of a single mono-aromatic for substitution of petroleum-based phenol for phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin synthesis and the usage of a new resin for wood treatment. After proper thermal decomposition of wood-based lignin, pyrolysis oil can be obtained. Due to the heterogeneity of the lignin macromolecule, oil contains large variety of organic-based compounds, mainly mono-aromatics, which are proposed to be used for replacement of phenol during PF resin synthesis. Therefore, for this purpose, nine of the most abundant mono-aromatic compounds in bio-oil were selected: ortho-, meta-, para-cresol, guaiacol, catechol, 4-methylcatechol, resorcinol, syringol, 4-ethylphenol and resol-type resin from each mono-aromatic were synthesized. Relevant features of the resin such as pH, viscosity, average molecular weight and curing behavior of resins using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood samples were used to evaluate the suitability of resin for wood treatment in terms of dimensional stability and were compared with the PF resin-treated wood. From all tested resins, those made of guaiacol or ortho-, or meta-, or para-cresol and/or 4-ethylphenol proved to be suitable for wood treatment, whereas resins made of catechol or 4-methylguaiacol and syringol did not. Suitability of mono-aromatics for synthesis of resol-type resin depends on chemical structure, where the reactivity of the mono-aromatic (derivative of hydroxybenzene) is defined by the type, location and number of substituents.
The morphological characteristics and classification of vascular parenchyma cells in bamboo, Phyllostachys edulis (Carr.) J. Houz
Authors: Lian Caiping , Liu Rong , Luo Junji , Yang Feng , Zhang Shuqin , Fei Benhua
Published: January 2020

Vascular parenchyma cells (VPCs) provide a critical metabolic and energetic link for xylem transport of water and mineral nutrients and phloem transport of photoassimilates. Understanding the morphology of these cells is required to understand their function. This study describes the morphology and classification of VPCs of moso bamboo by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The key results revealed that vascular parenchyma could be divided into three categories according to cell geometric morphology: cells with two transverse end walls, cells with one oblique end and one transverse end walls, and cells with two oblique end walls. Additionally, there were two types of thickening patterns of the secondary wall, uniform and reticulate thickening, and both diffuse pitting and opposite-alternate pitting were observed. The average length, width, lumen diameter, double wall thickness, and area of the VPCs were 139.0 μm, 17.3 μm, 10.4 μm, 6.9 μm, and 51.1 μm2, respectively. Most VPCs were slender and thin-walled, and growth of the VPCs was not correlated in either the length or the width directions.
Machine learning as new promising technique for selection of significant features in obese women with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Lotfi Hajie , Pirmoradi Saeed , Mahmoudi Rasoul , Teshnehlab Mohammad , Sheervalilou Roghayeh , Fekri Aval Sedigheh , Zarghami Nosratollah
Published: January 2020

Background

The global trend of obesity and diabetes is considerable. Recently, the early diagnosis and accurate prediction of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients have been planned to be estimated according to precise and reliable methods, artificial networks and machine learning (ML).

Materials and methods

In this study, an experimental data set of relevant features (adipocytokines and anthropometric levels) obtained from obese women (diabetic and non-diabetic) was analyzed. Machine learning was used to select significant features [by the separability-correlation measure (SCM) algorithm] for classification of women with the best accuracy and the results were evaluated using an artificial neural network (ANN).

Results

According to the experimental data analysis, a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and visfatin level in two groups. Moreover, significant correlations were determined between HbA1c and FBS, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and insulin, total cholesterol (TC) level and body mass index (BMI) in non-diabetic women and insulin and HOMA, FBS and HbA1c, insulin and HOMA, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), BMI and TC and HbA1c and TC in the diabetic group. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations between adipocytokines except for the resistin and leptin levels for both groups. The excellent (FBS and HbA1c), good (HOMA) and fair (visfatin, adiponectin and insulin) discriminators of diabetic women were determined based on specificities and sensitivities level. The more selected features in the ML method were FBS, apelin, visfatin, TC, HbA1c and adiponectin.

Conclusions

Thus, the subset of features involving FBS, apelin, visfatin and HbA1c are significant features and make the best discrimination between groups. In this study, based on statistical and ML results, the useful biomarkers for discrimination of diabetic women were FBS, HbA1c, HOMA, insulin, visfatin, adiponectin and apelin. Eventually, we designed useful software for identification of T2DM and the healthy population to be utilized in clinical diagnosis.
Increased blood lead level induces oxidative stress and alters the antioxidant status of spray painters
Authors: Kshirsagar Mandakini S. , Patil Jyotsna A. , Patil Arun
Published: January 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to know the present scenario of blood lead level and its effect on serum lipid peroxide and antioxidant parameters of spray painters.

Methods

We included 42 male spray painters and 50 control subjects with an age range of 20–45 years. Blood lead level, serum lipid peroxide and antioxidant parameters, i.e. erythrocyte catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), plasma ceruloplasmin, nitric oxide, uric acid and bilirubin, were quantified by standard methods.

Results

We observed the significant elevated blood lead (p < 0.001, 458%), lipid peroxide (p < 0.001, 170%), uric acid (p < 0.001, 25.6%) and bilirubin (p < 0.01, 24.5%) and the significant decrease in antioxidant enzymes like SOD (p < 0.001, −50.4%), catalase (p < 0.001, −34.33%), ceruloplasmin (p < 0.001, −32.7%) and nitric oxide (p < 0.001, −39.58%) in the study group as compared to control. A significant positive correlation coefficient (r) of blood lead level with lipid peroxide (r = 0.44, p < 0.001), uric acid (r = 0.33 p < 0.05) and bilirubin (r = 0.35, p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with SOD (r = −0.32, p < 0.05), catalase (r = −0.33, p < 0.05), ceruloplasmin (r = −0.27, p < 0.05) and nitric oxide (r = 0.30, p < 0.05) were observed.

Conclusions

Elevated blood lead level induces serum lipid peroxide and alters the antioxidant enzymes of spray painters. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the blood lead level by taking proper precautions while spraying the paints, and additional antioxidant supplementation like vitamin C, multivitamin and multiminerals will be useful in reducing oxidative stress.
Melatonin ameliorates some biochemical alterations following ketoconazole administration in rats
Authors: Olayaki Luqman , Adeyemi Wale , Alabi Quadri , Okeleji Lateef , Shoyoye Adeola , Sampson Elshaddai , Sulaiman Fatima , Abdul-Azeez Abdul-Rahman , Omoniyi Julius
Published: January 2020

Background

Ketoconazole (Keto), an antifungal drug and a common therapeutic option in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, is known to cause reproductive dysfunctions. Like Keto, melatonin has antifungal and anticarcinogenic actions. Moreover, the hormone has been used to reverse the damaging effects of different toxicants on the reproductive system. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of Keto with/without melatonin on selected biomarkers in rats.

Methods

Forty rats of 10 animals per group were used in this study, which lasted for 6 weeks. The control group was administered with saline (0.1 mL/day), while group 2 was administered with Keto during the last 3 weeks of experiment; however, in groups 3 and 4, Keto was administered during the first 3 weeks; thereafter, they were administered with saline and melatonin, respectively, during the subsequent 3 weeks. Keto and melatonin were administered at 100 and 10 mg/kg b.w./day (p.o.), respectively.

Results

The central effects of Keto are independent of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and prolactin; however, relative to the control group, the drug significantly decreased the gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GNRH) and the luteinizing hormone (LH), substantiated by the corresponding significant decreases in sperm count and sperm morphology. Keto caused significant elevations in malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and a significant decrease in catalase (CAT) compared with the control group. Moreover, the drug triggered pro-inflammatory events. In group 3 (Keto recovery), MDA and uric acid levels were returned to the baseline (i.e. control), but not GNRH, LH, C-reactive protein (CRP), LDH, and CAT. Treatment with melatonin after Keto administration caused significant increases in FSH, LH, superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), sperm count, and sperm morphology but significant decreases in MDA and CRP, relative to groups 2 and 3.

Conclusions

Melatonin ameliorates some biochemical alterations following ketoconazole administration.
Toxicological, anticholinesterase, antilipidemic, antidiabetic and antioxidant potentials of Grewia optiva Drummond ex Burret extracts
Authors: Zahoor Muhammad , Bari Wasim Ul , Zeb Alam , Khan Irfan
Published: January 2020

Background

In this study, Grewia optiva Drummond ex Burret root extracts were assessed for use as a remedy for oxidative stress, diabetes mellitus and neurological disorders.

Methods

The antioxidative potentials of the extracts were determined using DPPH and ABTS assays, whereas their enzyme inhibitory potentials were determined against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-glucosidase and α-amylase. In the in vivo experiments, methanol extract was orally administered to mice (n = 5) at four doses of 200, 300, 400 and 500 mg kg–1 for 30 days and its effect on glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, etc. were investigated.

Results

The highest free radical scavenging activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals were recorded for the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts, and their respective IC50 values were 75 and 88 μg/mL. In addition, these two fractions were highly active in inhibiting AChE and BChE, with IC50 values of 120 and 185 μg/mL, respectively. Moderate inhibition (μg/mL) was recorded against α-glucosidase (69.02 ± 1.02 and 64.29 ± 2.41) and α-amylase (65.12 ± 2.02 and 63.29 ± 1.41) and these were comparable to the inhibitory activities exhibited by the standard, acarbose. All the extracts showed high phenolic and flavonoid contents, which correlated with their antioxidant, anticholinesterase, α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities. The phenolic compounds in the crude extract and fractions were determined using the standard HPLC method and bioactive compounds, namely, morin, ellagic acid, kaempferol-3-(p-coumaroyl-diglucoside)-7-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-(caffeoyl-diglucoside)-7-glucoside, etc., which were detected at various retention times. Significant decrease in cholesterol, triglyceride and blood glucose levels were observed.

Conclusion

G. optiva is a good source of antioxidants and other phytochemicals, some of which possess anticholinesterase, anti-glucosidase, and anti-amylase activities, and can be used to treat different health conditions such as oxidative stress, neurological disorders, and diabetes mellitus.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacists towards management of hypertension in primary care centers
Authors: Wijaya I Nyoman , Athiyah Umi , Fasich  , Hermansyah Andi
Published: January 2020

Background

Hypertension is one of the major health problems of the world and one of the most important causes of death in Indonesia. Complication due to hypertension leads to myocardial infarction, stroke, and renal failure. Pharmacist in primary care centers (Puskesmas) plays an important role in the management of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of pharmacists working in Puskesmas in Surabaya, Indonesia, towards the management of hypertension.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to July 2019 in 63 Puskesmas in Surabaya. A questionnaire was developed from the literature to assess KAP and administered to the pharmacists. Data was analyzed using SPSS version-17 and presented in terms of descriptive variables. The mean age of the participants was 34.6 ± 4.9 years (24–45 years old), and 82.5% were females. Majority of the respondents (74.6%) had more than 5 years of experience in Puskesmas.

Results

Overall, pharmacists had moderate knowledge, and the majority had good attitude and showed satisfactory practice in the management of hypertension.

Conclusions

There is still a need for continuing education, workshops, and seminars for pharmacists in order to maintain their performance.
Can we effectively predict the occurrence of cerebral edema in children with ketoacidosis in the course of type 1 diabetes? – case report and literature review
Authors: Jeziorny Krzysztof , Waszczykowska Arleta , Barańska Dobromiła , Szadkowska Agnieszka , Młynarski Wojciech , Zmysłowska Agnieszka
Published: January 2020

Background

Cerebral edema (CE) is one of the most serious complications of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and can result in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and even lead to death of the patient.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 11-year-old boy with severe DKA in the course of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (T1D). The delay in the diagnosis of DKA and some therapeutic problems contributed to the development of CE and direct life-threatening conditions. Early diagnosis of CE development in the course of DKA using non-invasive methods such as pachymetry or transorbital ultrasound seems to be a very important prognostic factor.

Conclusions

This case highlights the importance of appropriate treatment according to the newest recommendations and presents the usefulness of new diagnostic methods to assess the risk of CE in children with newly diagnosed T1D.
Going deep: models for continuous-time within-play valuation of game outcomes in American football with tracking data
Authors: Yurko Ronald , Matano Francesca , Richardson Lee F. , Granered Nicholas , Pospisil Taylor , Pelechrinis Konstantinos , Ventura Samuel L.
Published: January 2020

Continuous-time assessments of game outcomes in sports have become increasingly common in the last decade. In American football, only discrete-time estimates of play value were possible, since the most advanced public football datasets were recorded at the play-by-play level. While measures such as expected points and win probability are useful for evaluating football plays and game situations, there has been no research into how these values change throughout the course of a play. In this work, we make two main contributions: First, we introduce a general framework for continuous-time within-play valuation in the National Football League using player-tracking data. Our modular framework incorporates several modular sub-models, to easily incorporate recent work involving player tracking data in football. Second, we use a long short-term memory recurrent neural network to construct a ball-carrier model to estimate how many yards the ball-carrier is expected to gain from their current position, conditional on the locations and trajectories of the ball-carrier, their teammates and opponents. Additionally, we demonstrate an extension with conditional density estimation so that the expectation of any measure of play value can be calculated in continuous-time, which was never before possible at such a granular level.
Healthcare, language and a free-trade agreement: Institutional logics of on-the-job Japanese language training for migrant healthcare workers
Authors: Otomo Ruriko
Published: January 2020

Faced with a pressing demand for eldercare workers, Japan signed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) to recruit workers from Southeast Asian countries. The EPA limits the employment period for migrant workers, unless they successfully pass the healthcare licensure examination in Japanese. Therefore, they receive on-the-job training and prepare for the examination, making their host institutions partly responsible for assisting the training and exam preparation. In this system, migrants’ Japanese ability, tested against a strict standard, is the key to their being successfully accepted as good workers. Migrant workers and their employers are thus important actors in a neoliberal logic in which mastering a specific language practice and demonstrating it on standardized tests is deemed important for one’s social mobility. To analyse how this logic is realised in a healthcare workplace, this paper draws on fieldwork data in an eldercare home employing EPA workers. The operation scheme of the EPA and institutional policy will be highlighted as underlying mechanisms for the creation of neoliberal subjects. I argue these measures primarily support the hierarchical relationships between Japanese and non-Japanese, and between employer and employee. I also discuss consequential ways in which on-the-job training has differentially impacted employment trajectories of the migrant workers.
Language regrets: mixed-ethnic children’s lost opportunity for minority language acquisition in Japan
Authors: Nakamura Janice
Published: January 2020

Mixed-ethnic children in Japan do not usually acquire the language of their non-Japanese parent. This study looks at their lost opportunity to acquire their minority parent’s language through a retrospective investigation of their language experiences from childhood to young adulthood. Transcripts of interviews with ten mixed-ethnic children (ages 18 to 23) were analyzed based on the constructive grounded theory approach (Charmaz 2014Constructing grounded theory, 2nd edn. London: Sage). Analysis of codes which emerged from the interviews revealed that family relations, parents’ reluctance to speak the minority language and the prioritization of English were some of the factors perceived by the mixed-ethnic children to have contributed to the non-transmission of the minority language. Many of the children described their lost opportunity to acquire the minority language as regretful. Questions posed by Japanese people about their identity and language reminded some participants of their mixed-ethnicity and inability to speak the minority language. These findings suggest that the non-transmission of the minority language has long-term implications on the social and emotional well-being of mixed-ethnic children in Japan.
Transnational migrant students between inclusive discourses and exclusionary practices
Authors: Li Jia
Published: January 2020

Transnational migrant students have been found to experience marginalization in educational contexts around the world. This critical sociolinguistic ethnography explores the incorporation and learning outcomes of an as yet under-researched group: transnational migrant students from Myanmar in a border high school in China. This context is unique in that migrant students are celebrated as part of China’s soft power project to extend its international reach. Despite these welcoming discourses of diversity, transnational migrant students experience significant exclusion as a result of practices such as military-style school regulations, a Gaokao-centered curriculum, and streamed segregation. Overall, the paper highlights the necessity to pay attention to the ways in which schools reproduce social stratification of migrant students through implicit and explicit institutional practices despite celebratory diversity discourses.
Malaysia: country report on children’s environmental health
Authors: Abdullah Rozaini
Published: January 2020

Children’s environmental health (CEH) has become a main agenda in the National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP) 2019 in Malaysia. Children are affected by exposure to many environmental hazards because they are uniquely vulnerable due to their immature immune systems and organs. This country report aims to review the environmental threats to CEH in Malaysia. There are a few key issues that have been identified, including air pollution, pesticides in food and water pollution. However, air pollution has been recognized as one of the major concerns in CEH, coming from both localized and transboundary sources. The localized sources include traffic-related air pollutants, industrial waste incinerators, land clearing and open burning. In addition, due to the tropical climate, children are exposed to fungal toxins, mycotoxins, endotoxins and allergens from classroom dust. Transboundary pollutants from neighboring countries result in recurring haze episodes in Malaysia, causing a negative impact on public health, especially in children. All in all, improving CEH in Malaysia requires all stakeholders and related agencies to recognize the issue as a problem, to develop a harmonized action plan and to work together to promote the protection of human health, specifically of children.
Botswana: country report on children’s environmental health
Authors: Erick Patience
Published: January 2020

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5.9 million children under age 5 died in 2015, and globally, the main causes of child deaths are pneumonia, prematurity, intrapartum-related complications, neonatal sepsis, congenital anomalies, diarrhoea, injuries and malaria. In 2012, it was reported that one quarter of childhood deaths and disease burden could have been prevented by reducing environmental risks. Children are vulnerable to environmental risks such as air pollution, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene, hazardous chemicals and waste, radiation, climate change, as well as emerging threats like e-waste. They are particularly vulnerable to these threats due to their developing organs and immune systems, smaller bodies and airways. In 2010, there were 132,989 in-patient morbidities. This number represents a 5.2% increase from the 126,381 registered in 2009. The major causes of infant morbidity and morbidity in children under 5 years old were diarrhoea and pneumonia. Although morbidity cases increased in 2010, there was a 6% decline in in-patient mortality from 6952 registered deaths in 2009 to 6535 deaths in 2010. Pneumonia and diarrhoea were the major causes of both infant and child mortalities. In Botswana, various environmental risk factors such as contaminated water, air and soil pollution and poor waste management have been associated with children’s environmental health (CEH). The outbreaks of diarrhoea in the country have always been associated with contaminated water. In the recent outbreak of diarrhoea in August 2018, laboratory investigations attributed the outbreak of diarrhoea to rotavirus. Children (1–6 years) living in areas with high levels of traffic congestion (living near a busy road) had higher levels of lead in their blood than those who lived in areas with less traffic. Poor waste management may lead to contamination of air, soil and water. CEH has not been given the attention it deserves in Botswana. It is, therefore, time to raise awareness on the subject. Health care workers, for example, need to be trained on diseases affecting children that are due to environmental exposures. Communities as well need to be trained on environmental factors that are prevalent in their areas and the effects of those on children’s health. It is important that research should be conducted on CEH in Botswana. At the time of compiling this report, the author was not aware of any CEH network in the country or networks in the region. To raise awareness and advocacy of CEH, there is a need for the establishment of a CEH network in the country or to participate in networks in the regions.
The cultural semiotics of African encounters: Eighteenth-Century images of the Other
Authors: Dunér David
Published: January 2020

This a contribution to the cultural semiotics of African cultural encounters seen through the eyes of Swedish naturalists at the end of the eighteenth century. European travellers faced severe problems in understanding the alien African cultures they encountered; they even had difficulty understanding the other culture as a culture. They were not just other cultures that they could relate to, but often something completely different, belonging to the natural history of the human species. The Khoikhoi and other groups were believed by Europeans to be, from their perspective, the most distant culture. The Linnaean disciple Anders Sparrman and others, however, tried to transcend this cultural gap, and used their cognitive resources, such as empathy and intersubjectivity, in order to understand the alien culture they encountered.

The aim of this paper is to unearth the cultural semiosis of African encounters and the intersubjective challenges that human interactions provoke. These encounters not only changed the view the travellers had of the Other, but also changed themselves and their self-perception. The encounter between the Ego and the Other is, however, not static, something predestined by the differences in their cultures, but dynamic, changing according to individual encounters and the actual intersubjective interplay that transform and change the perception of the Other. There are in particular four meaning-making processes and challenges within cultural encounters that are in focus: recognizing cultural complexity; invoking intersubjectivity; determining similarities and dissimilarities; and identifying the Other as a mirror of oneself.

The triad of cultures – Ego, Alter, and Alius – can be understood as gradual and changing aspects depending on the actual situation of the encounter and the personal perspectives, interpretations, and behaviour of the thinking subjects involved. Using concrete examples from Southern and Western Africa in the 1770s and 1780s, this study aims to explore this dynamic semiosis. One of the conclusions is that the relation between the Ego and the Alter/Alius is not something only predetermined by the cultures involved and their ideologies, but also depends on the individual thinking subjects and how they use their specific cognitive and semiotic resources, not least their intersubjective abilities, within specific temporal and spatial contexts.
Mao’s Homeworld(s) – A comment on the use of propaganda posters in post-war China
Authors: Ranta Michael
Published: January 2020

Within cognitive science, narratives are regarded as crucial and fundamental cognitive instruments or tools. As Roger Schank suggests, the identity of (sub-)cultures is to a considerable extent based upon the sharing of narrative structures (Schank. 1995.Tell me a story: Narrative and intelligence. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.). According to Schank, culturally shared stories, as do many other stories, occur frequently in highly abbreviated form, as “skeleton stories” or “gists.” Collective identities are conveyed in and between cultures not only through verbal discourse, but also by pictorial means. Many pictures and visual artworks have indeed been produced in order to establish and to consolidate a home-culture and to demarcate it from conceived extra-cultural counterparts.

Some of my previous work on these lines has been concerned with demarcation efforts in visual media of “Jews” as extra-cultural, since the Middle Ages onwards, in the Third Reich’s iconography, as well as in modern, radicalized forms of anti-Semitic picturing in Arab media (Ranta. 2016. The (pictorial) construction of collective identities in the Third Reich.Language and Semiotic Studies2(3). 107–124, Ranta. 2017. Master narratives and the (pictorial) construction of otherness: Anti-semitic images in the Third Reich and beyond.Contemporary Aesthetics15.https://contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php?articleID=765(accessed 17 November 2019.). In building upon and extending this work, I shall focus in the current paper upon attempts of creating cultural and political cohesion by means of pictorial propaganda in post-war China from the early 1950’s onwards, as promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the leadership by Mao Zedong. Some concrete pictorial examples indicating these attempts will be discussed from a narratological and cultural semiotic perspective.
The Determination of Electrochemical Active Surface Area and Specific Capacity Revisited for the System MnOx as an Oxygen Evolution Catalyst
Authors: Connor Paula , Schuch Jona , Kaiser Bernhard , Jaegermann Wolfram
Published: January 2020

In the last decades several different catalysts for the electrochemical water splitting reaction have been designed and tested. In so-called benchmark papers they are compared with respect to their efficiency and activity. In order to relate the different catalyst to each other the definition of well-defined procedures is required. Two different methods are mainly used: Either the normalization with respect to the geometric surface area or to the catalyst loading. Most often only one of these values is available for a sample and the other one cannot be estimated easily. One approach in electrocatalysis is to determine the Helmholtz double layer capacitance (DLC) and deduce the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA). The DLC can be obtained from two different methods, either using differential capacitance measurement (DCM) or impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The second value needed for the calculation of the ECSA is the specific capacitance, which is the capacitance for a perfectly flat surface of given catalyst material. Here, we present the determination of the different capacitance values using manganese oxide as the exemplary model for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We determine the capacitance by DCM and EIS to calculate the ECSA using literature values for the specific capacitance. The obtained values are comparable from the two methods, but are much larger than the surface areas obtained by atomic force microscopy. Therefore, we consider the possibility of using the measured AFM area together with the Helmholtz capacitance to determine the specific capacitances for this material class. The comparison of these results with literature values illustrates the actual limits of the ECSA method, which will be discussed in this paper.
Measuring system for testing electrical parameters of EMCCDs of various formats
Authors: Zabudsky V. , Golenkov O. , Rikhalsky O. , Reva V. , Korinets S. , Dukhnin S. , Mytiai R.
Published: January 2020

This article describes the developed equipment that allows measuring the photoelectrical parameters of multielement photodetectors, specifically various formats of EMCCD (electron multiplying charge-coupled device) chips. The authors present the measuring techniques and test results on dark currents, output amplifier sensitivity, charge transfer efficiency, charge capacity and other parameters. The studies were conducted, both on the wafer and in the body, on samples of the following formats: 576×288, 640×512, 768×576, 1024×1024, and 1280×1024.
Cost-effectiveness of Platelet Function-Guided Strategy with Clopidogrel or Ticagrelor
Authors: Lomakin Nikita , Rudakova Anna , Buryachkovskaya Liudmila , Serebruany Victor
Published: January 2020

Some patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can still exhibit heightened residual platelet reactivity (HRPR), which is potentially linked to adverse vascular outcomes. Better tailored DAPT strategies are needed to address this medical need. Aim: To assess the cost-effectiveness of guided DAPT with clopidogrel or ticagrelor in addition to aspirin when using VerifyNow P2Y12 testing in post-ACS patients. Methods: The costs were calculated per 1,000 patients aged >55 years. It was assumed that all patients received either generic clopidogrel or ticagrelor for 1 year, and underwent VerifyNow P2Y12 assay testing before DAPT maintenance. Results: Guided DAPT will prevent five more MIs and six more deaths per 1,000 patients than a standard prescription of generic clopidogrel. The total predictive value of costs per patient is 32% lower if a guided strategy is used than if ticagrelor is given to all patients. Conclusion: Assessment of heightened residual platelet reactivity with P2Y12 assay in triaging DAPT post-ACS patients for 1 year is a cost-effective strategy that would reduce financial burden compared to routine administration of more expensive antiplatelet agents.
Increasing and Evolving Role of Smart Devices in Modern Medicine
Authors: Massoomi Michael R , Handberg Eileen M
Published: January 2020

Today is an age of rapid digital integration, yet the capabilities of modern-day smartphones and smartwatches are underappreciated in daily clinical practice. Smartphones are ubiquitous, and smartwatches are very common and on the rise. This creates a wealth of information simply waiting to be accessed, studied and applied clinically, ranging from activity level to various heart rate metrics. This review considers commonly used devices, the validity and accuracy of the data they obtain and potential clinical application of the data.
Deciphering the Riddles in Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Carro Amelia , Panisello Josefa María
Published: January 2020

Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death in Western countries, and its development is largely associated with unhealthy dietary patterns. A large body of scientific evidence has reported that nutrition might be the most preventive factor of cardiovascular disease death and could even reverse heart disease. Processes of chronic inflammation and oxidative distress share triggers that are modifiable by nutrition. This review aimed to identify potential targets (food patterns, single foods or individual nutrients) for cardiovascular disease prevention, and analyse the mechanisms implicated in their cardioprotective effects.