bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meditations on Western Philosophy
Authors: Bakker Charles
Published: March 2024

In this paper I shall explain how I came to realize that for as long as I believed that there exists an epistemic gap, or veil of perception, separating the world into that which is subjective and internal to the mind from that which is objective and external to the mind, I was unable to provide a compelling argument for the existence of this same Epistemic Gap ontology.
A Spicy Take on Working Memory: A Review of Field Specific Conceptualizations, Use and Misuse, and Paths Forward
Authors: Miller-Cotto Dana , GORDON REBECCA
Published: March 2024

As trained educational and developmental psychologists who study the role of working memory in educational outcomes, we know the various assumptions made about definitions and measurements of this cognitive ability. Considering the popularity of the multi-component working memory model in these fields, we describe the considerable overlap of the central executive with executive function and how this has a downstream problematic effect on measurement. We further consider that working memory tasks are an outcome of research with adult populations and, as such, do not consider points of development in children concerning the numerous abilities involved in working memory task completion. Limitations in our understanding of which cognitive abilities are essential in education and development are discussed in the context of how we can capture students’ capabilities and support challenges. Recommendations are made as to how we might more precisely measure working memory, and we argue there is value in investigating the feasibility of a developmental model to facilitate a more detailed understanding of the roles of working memory and related factors in learning.
Goal-directed behaviour is associated with decreased temporal discounting
Authors: Kinley Isaac
Published: March 2024

Reinforcement learning models are broadly classified as model-based algorithms, which use an internal model of the environment to plan and carry out goal-directed behaviour, or model-free algorithms, which lack such a model and behave in a more habitual manner. Humans differ in the extent to which their decision making resembles that of model-based or model-free algorithms; the degree of this resemblance is related to individual differences in compulsivity, and is also argued to be related to the ability to imagine and make decisions about the future. Here, we demonstrate that individuals who exhibit more model-based decision making tend to more frequently choose larger rewards later over smaller rewards sooner in an intertemporal choice task. However, surprisingly, model-free decision making was correlated with the specificity of personal future event narratives in an episodic future thinking task. Participants who provided more specific narratives had slower response times across all tasks, and may therefore have been more affected by time pressure in the reinforcement learning task, resulting in increased model-free decision making. We comment on the role of time pressure in behavioural tasks of the type used here. Future self-continuity, a construct conceptually related to imagining and making decisions about the future, was not found to be related to temporal discounting, model-based or model-free decision making, or episodic future thinking.
The Malleability of Memory of Emotion for First Dates
Authors: Patihis Lawrence , Carter Harry
Published: March 2024

Previous research found memories of emotions are malleable, and that extended to autobiographically important memories of emotions. It was unclear whether this would generalize to memories of emotions towards former date partners. In this experiment, we examine whether memories of emotion towards a first date partner can be biased with changing cognitive appraisals. Participants were 201 UK residents of average age 37. After randomly assigning participants to different writing prompt conditions to nudge their current appraisals of their first-date-partner, we found subsequent recall of emotion was biased accordingly. Those reappraising their partner in a downward direction remembered more negative emotion, including distress, compared to comparison conditions. Reappraising downwards biased memories of how unsafe they felt on their first date, and of feeling forced to do something. A few years after #MeToo, that these biases might be important to take into account when people reappraise past dating experiences.
The influence of movement on perceptions of aliveness: a replication and extension of Goldberg & Thompson-Schill (2009)
Authors: Shatek Sophia M. , Carlson Thomas A.
Published: March 2024

Children often mistake things that appear to move without visible external intervention, such as clouds, for being alive. Interestingly, these mistakes are still made by adults under time pressure. Goldberg and Thompson-Schill (2009) demonstrated this using a rapid classification task, and showed that adults make more errors when judging if plants and moving natural things are alive (compared to animals, and still or artificial things). Over four experiments, we explored Goldberg and Thompson-Schill’s (2009) proposal that connections formed in childhood between movement and aliveness are used in adulthood to make decisions about aliveness. Our findings replicated Goldberg and Thompson-Schill’s (2009) results, that plants and moving natural things were more difficult to classify by aliveness. In addition, we showed that plants and natural things used in their study were also less familiar and harder to visualise than other categories. Interestingly, participants intuitively believed that moving natural things can move without external intervention, suggesting that associations between movement and aliveness influence decisions made without time pressure. These results suggest that movement is an important part of our conceptual understanding of aliveness, and how we encode objects in our environment.
Deep neural network models of emotion understanding
Authors: Thornton Mark Allen
Published: March 2024

Deep neural networks provide a useful computational framework for constructing cognitive models of emotion understanding. This paper introduces readers to this modeling approach. It begins by providing a brief primer on artificial neural networks. It then discusses the advantages of using deep learning to model the mind and brain – particularly the flexibility and scalability of these models. Next, it considers the limitations of deep neural networks as cognitive models, including their biological (im)plausibility, difficulty solving compositional problems, and challenges to explainability. Mitigation measures for each of these limitations are discussed. The paper then focuses on how to match neural network architectures with different components of emotion understanding. Three different components are discussed: emotion perception, emotion prediction, and (social) emotion regulation. The paper closes by considering applications and future directions of deep learning models of emotion understanding.
Memory’s pulse: episodic memory formation is theta-rhythmic
Authors: Biba Thomas Matthew , Decker Alexandra , Herrmann Bjorn , Fukuda Keisuke , Katz Chaim , Valiante Taufik , Duncan Katherine
Published: March 2024

Why do some experiences endure in memory better than others? Here, we explore the possibility that learning fluctuates rhythmically several times per second, with fortuitously timed experiences being more memorable. Although such fleeting opportunities for encoding would evade our awareness, they are predicted by a prominent model describing how theta rhythms in the brain coordinate memory – the SPEAR (Separate Phases for Encoding and Retrieval) model. In a pre-registered study, we adapted a dense sampling approach to reconstruct the time-course of how well 125 people formed memories across milliseconds. We found that memory formation fluctuated at a theta rhythm (3-10 Hz), that these rhythms were not a byproduct of rhythmic attention, and that—like theta rhythms in the brain—memory rhythms were modulated by putative markers of acetylcholine. Critically, our findings provide behavioral evidence for the SPEAR model and reveal the finest timescale at which experience is carved up into memories.
Missing Data Handling via EM and Multiple Imputation in Network Analysis using glasso and atan Regularization
Authors: Nehler Kai Jannik , Schultze Martin
Published: March 2024

The existing literature on missing data handling in psychological network analysis using cross-sectional data is currently limited to likelihood based approaches. In addition, there is a focus on convex regularization (the graphical lasso), with the missing handling implemented using different calculations in model selection across various packages. To address these shortcomings in the current literature, we (1) implement a direct EM approach to handle missing values in network analysis using nonconvex regularization (specifically using the atan penalty) and a stacked multiple imputation approach suited for atan as well as graphical lasso, (2) standardize model estimation and selection to (3) facilitate evaluating the specific performance of missing data handling techniques. Simulated conditions vary network size, number of observations, and amount of missingness. Evaluation criteria encompass the recovery of the edge set, partial correlation bias, and correlation of network statistics. Overall, missing data handling approaches exhibit similar performance under many conditions. Using graphical lasso with EBIC model selection, the two-step EM method performs best, closely followed by stacked multiple imputation. For atan regularization using BIC model selection, stacked multiple imputation proves most consistent across all conditions and evaluation criteria.
Knowability predicts curiosity and learning
Authors: Recht Samuel , Yeung Nick
Published: March 2024

Curiosity – defined as the urge to know and understand – is a fundamental driver of human cognition and behaviour throughout the lifespan. Distinct from the instrumental value of information in helping to achieve a pre-defined goal, curiosity can be defined as an intrinsic taste for information itself. Although existing research has suggested a role for curiosity in enhancing learning outcomes, questions remain regarding the mechanisms underlying the curiosity-learning relationship. In the current work, we explored the interplay between curiosity, confidence, and learning in relation to the perceived “knowability” of information. Drawing on Loewenstein's information gap theory and the classical observation that curiosity is maximum at intermediate states of knowledge, we propose that curiosity is influenced by the availability of potential answers, reflecting the subjective perception of information's knowability. We conducted an online experiment using trivia questions, wherein participants estimated the number of candidate answers they had in mind for each question, reported their curiosity and confidence regarding the correct answer, and their surprise when told it. Five days later they completed a memory test for those answers. Results indicate that greater availability of candidate answers predicted heightened curiosity, moderate confidence, and enhanced memory retention. This finding suggests that curiosity is not solely triggered by an information gap but also by the perception that information is retrievable. Our study highlights the significance of subjective perceptions of information accessibility in understanding curiosity and its impact on learning. These findings contribute to the growing body of research elucidating the cognitive processes underpinning curiosity and its implications for effective learning strategies.
Reflective thinking predicts disbelief in God across 19 countries
Authors: Ghasemi Omid , Yilmaz Onurcan , Isler Ozan , Terry Jenny , Ross Robert M
Published: March 2024

In the present study, we tested three hypotheses about relationships between reflective thinking, intuitive thinking (both measured using the Cognitive Reflection Test; CRT) and belief in God or gods (BiG) across 19 culturally and geographically diverse countries (n = 7,771). In support of our first hypothesis, we found an overall negative relationship between reflective thinking and BiG; and in support of our second hypothesis, we found an overall positive relationship between intuitive thinking and BiG. Contrary to our third hypothesis, we found no evidence that completing the CRT before eliciting BiG influenced BiG scores by priming reflective thinking. Given that this is the first large cross-cultural test of these hypotheses to have a preregistered analysis plan, to hold education constant across countries, and to use both Bayesian and frequentist methods, these results considerably bolster the evidence in support of the first two hypotheses and against the third hypothesis.
A Case for Bayesian Statistics in Critical Quantitative Research in Education
Authors: Frisby Michael Blake
Published: March 2024

Over the last two decades, two frameworks have emerged that combine critical theories with quantitative methodology. These frameworks are QuantCRiT – a quantitative instantiation of Critical Race Theory – and CritQuant, a more critical theory-neutral framework grown out of quantitative criticalism. Both frameworks offer ways in which quantitative scholars can strengthen the criticality of their research by incorporating critical theories such as Critical Race Theory into their research questions, design, data, analysis, and interpretation. Yet, as long as these frameworks continue to use traditional quantitative approaches to analysis, neither escapes the philosophical, methodological, or historical challenges that plague the traditional framework. This paper argues that adopting a Bayesian statistical framework, as opposed to traditional framework may provide some useful inroads. To the extent that Bayesian statistics address these challenges, it is suggested that a Bayesian approach may be more suitable for critical quantitative research in education.
Social worth as a source of subjective well-being: Empirical evidence and theoretical explanations
Authors: Rothers Adrian , Cohrs Christopher
Published: March 2024

This chapter presents an integrative review of theories and empirical findings of how feeling socially valued by others affects a person’s subjective well-being and life satisfaction. We start by clarifying the involved constructs, namely social worth on the one side and subjective well-being and lifesatisfaction on the other. Next, we try to answer the question of whether being credited with social worth increases subjective well-being by reviewing the empirical evidence for causal relationships between them. The evidence turns out to be suggestive but inconclusive. We then discuss three theoretical pathways via which an effect of social worth on subjective well-being might occur: A self pathway, a needs pathway, and a social capital pathway. We end with a discussion of avenues for future research.
Justifications of Moral Responsibility Attribution towards a Humanoid Robot
Authors: O'Reilly Ziggy , Marchesi Serena , Wykowska Agnieszka
Published: March 2024

As robots increasingly participate in society it is crucial to understand which factors influence the degree to which individuals attribute moral responsibility towards them. In a previously reported study, participants read vignettes about a humanoid robot causing either a negative or a positive consequence. Participants rated the moral responsibility and intentionality of the robot, and explained the reasoning behind their ratings. In this paper we (1) conducted an exploratory cluster analysis on their textual justifications of their moral responsibility ratings using word-embeddings and (2) investigated the correlation between moral responsibility ratings and the proportion of words participants use from each cluster. We found that participants who used more words from the “event detection” cluster were more likely to attribute higher moral responsibility to the humanoid robot. Conversely, those who used more words from the “mechanistic properties” cluster tended to attribute less moral responsibility to the humanoid robot. These findings illustrate that moral responsibility attributions could be influenced by the proportion to which individuals refer to events and mechanistic properties.
Open(ing up) for the future: Practising open strategy and open innovation to cope with uncertainty
Authors: Heimstädt Maximilian , Reischauer Georg
Published: March 2024

A common assumption in management studies is that organizations try to reduce the uncertainty of the future by accurate prediction and planning. This assumption is increasingly challenged by the much broader research on temporal and especially future-oriented practices. We build upon this line of research and argue that organizational practices of openness present paradigmatic examples of future-oriented practices. Using the two most prominent bundles of organizational practices of openness, open innovation (which includes crowdsourcing and corporate incubating) and open strategy (which includes transparent and inclusive strategizing), we demonstrate how opening up for the future helps organizations to develop new and uncertainty-reducing links between present and future. We close with a discussion on the limits of openness as a practice to address uncertainty.
Ikääntyvien kotihoidossa käytettävien teknologioiden oltava toimivia ja käyttäjäystävällisiä
Authors: Salmensuu Olli , Sihto Tiina
Published: March 2024

Teknologian käyttöönottoon on ladattu runsaasti erilaisia toiveita niin kotihoidon asiakkaiden lääkehoidon kuin kotihoidon työntekijöiden työn sujuvoittajana. Teknologisoitumisen toivotaan tuovan mukanaan julkisen talouden kustannussäästöjä, korjaavan alan työvoimapulaa sekä tehostavan työn tekemisen tapoja. Kotihoidon lääkeannosteluteknologioita kartoittava tutkimus tukee toivotun suuntaisia vaikutuksia potilasterveyteen sekä terveyspalvelujen käyttöön ja kustannuksiin. Onnistunut teknologisoitumiskehitys kuitenkin edellyttää sen käyttäjien näkökulman huomioimista.
Do procedurally just interactions increase police legitimacy? Evidence from a representative vignette experiment in Colombia
Authors: Abril Veronica , Perez-Vincent Santiago , Tobon Santiago , Vanegas-Arias Martin
Published: March 2024

Objectives: We examine whether procedurally just police--citizen interactions increase police legitimacy in high-crime environments. Methods: We conducted an in-person representative survey of residents across five Colombian cities that comprise about 7 million people, including a vignette experiment. We presented each respondent with one of four scenarios that result from combining two sources of variation: whether the police officer was respectful---communicating her intentions, and whether she was neutral. Results: Our results suggest that when officers are respectful, citizens perceive the police as more legitimate. Neutrality, on the other hand, does not change citizens' perceptions of legitimacy---neither alone nor in combination with respect. Conclusions: Our analysis reinforces prior positive findings from vignette experiments assessing procedural justice theory, albeit adding uncertainty to the value of some of its individual components. We do so by using a representative sample of citizens, in a high-crime environment while including the interactions between different components of procedural justice.
Bhubaneswar Through the Lens of Invisible Cities: Exploring Geometrical Narratives
Authors: Chauhan Yash
Published: March 2024

A detailed examination of Bhubaneswar’s architectural and urban planning evolution reveals the city as a living canvas that reflects the confluence of past and present, tradition and modernity. Drawing parallels with the imaginative realms portrayed in Italo Calvino’s ”Invisible Cities” and their thematic categorization, Bhubaneswar is experienced with its ancient temples, planned sectors, and dynamic urban development. The exploration extends to the spatial geometry and narrative structures within urban planning, inspired by Calvino’s poetic and mathematical approach to city design, especially in the context of Esmeralda, a city where theshortest distance between two points is not a straight line. These comparative insights underscore the significance of integrating spatial elements into modern-day urban strategies, highlighting Bhubaneswar as a model for inclusive urban development.
PRACTISING SOCIOLOGY: THE ROLE OF THEORY IN APPLIED RESEARCH
Authors: Scârneci-Domnișoru Florentina
Published: March 2024

The article argues that a degree in sociology provides academic qualification rather than professional qualification, and hence sociology cannot be practised. The practice of sociology lacks scientific legitimacy and ethical legitimacy. Even though it cannot be practised, sociology can be applied, in the sense that it can be used in various fields. It informs decisions and actions either by using existing sociological knowledge and theories or by generating new knowledge through conducting sociological research. The article highlights that sociologists are taught in universities to conduct fundamental research rather than applied research, that they conduct fundamental research regardless of context, and thus, they do not truly respond to the knowledge needs of the beneficiaries. This article presents the necessity of a clearer methodological distinction between fundamental and applied research and proposes a clarification of the role theory plays in the latter. It emphasises the idea that theory is not only not prioritised but is also not even mandatory in applied research.
Level of Scientific Readiness with Ternary Data Types
Authors: Knar Eldar
Published: March 2024

In addition to the technology readiness level (TRL the scientific readiness level (SRL) has been introduced as a more authentic and adequate tool for determining the status quo of scientific and scientific-technical projects of fundamental or applied nature.The SRL includes 10 levels of scientific readiness, namely, the FRL (Fundamental Readiness Level), the ARL (Applied Readiness Level), and the IRL (Innovation Readiness Level).For quantitative and visual assessment of the level of scientific readiness, a system of positional ternary (three-valued, trinary) codes with integer trits (ternary digit) is introduced. The ternary code interprets the degree of project elaboration according to the fundamental, applied, and innovation vectors/trits FRL/ARL/IRL. Examples of scientific project assessments are provided.The main characteristics of the new scale and assessment of the level of readiness and the application areas of the scientific readiness level are noted. Tasks for further development of the system of scientific readiness levels are formulated.
Identifying gatekeepers in the allocation of public funds: a spatial econometric analysis
Authors: Aroca Patricio , Fierro Pedro
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the role of spatial and political factors in the allocation of discretionary public goods, contributing notably to the study of distributive politics in two ways. First, the concept of proximity is redefined by incorporating a political dimension into the spatial neighborhood matrix, thus extending traditional method- ologies of spatial econometrics. Second, the application of this method in the Chilean context reveals that senators, as opposed to local authorities, are the principal gate- keepers in the allocation of non-programmatic resources. This finding is significant, overshadowing factors such as poverty, population size, and the alignment of mayors with the central government. Given the substantial political capital held by senators, the results indicate that political hierarchy plays a crucial role in influencing resource distribution.
Legalist and realist decision-making in patent law: Validity cases in Germany
Authors: Hoffmann Jakob , Glückler Johannes , Khuchua Tamar , Lachapelle Francois , Lazega Emmanuel , Zipf Marius
Published: March 2024

While realist approaches towards judicial decision-making have become predomi-nant, their appropriateness is much less obvious for specialized or technical fieldsof law, such as patent litigation, and evidence is much scarcer than for generalistcourts. Addressing this scarcity, the paper assesses judge-level variation in deci-sion outcomes based on a sample of 1,722 collegial decisions on patent validity atthe German Federal Patent Court. Using a Bayesian mixed membership multilevelmodel, we find that after controlling for variation due to other contextual factors,there remains significant statistical variation in the propensity to nullify a patent atthe level of individual judges. However, judge effects are relatively weak and uncer-tain, indicating mitigation of individual deviation through collegiality. We concludeby discussing the relevance of consistent judicial outcomes beyond the studied con-text and especially in transnational harmonization processes, such as initialized bythe recent establishment of the Unified Patent Court.
Articulating The Standard Model of Explaining the Irrationality of Defensive Gun Ownership
Authors: Yamane David
Published: March 2024

A renaissance of interdisciplinary research on guns has followed the shift in American gun culture from hunting and recreational shooting to self-defense, from what I call Gun Culture 1.0 to Gun Culture 2.0. Latent in this body of research is what I call The Standard Model of Explaining the Irrationality of Defensive Gun Ownership. This Standard Model unites scholars’ critical responses to Gun Culture 2.0 across disciplines, including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, law, and public health. The irrationality is identified at both the individual level (self-defense guns increase a person’s risk of harm without any offsetting benefit) and societal level (self-defense guns increase rates of harm in society without any offsetting benefit). Because it is not a rational response to our current reality, The Standard Model sees defensive gun ownership as just a pretense or rationalization. There must be something else that is actually motivating it. How these rationalizations and pretenses are conceptualized vary by discipline. At the individual level they include hegemonic masculinity, racial resentment, disinhibition, and coping with psychological or identity threats. At the societal level, we add the cultural work being done by the gun industry and gun rights organizations to sell the myth of armed self-defense. In this paper, I articulate the 5-point logical structure of The Standard Model highlighting key works at each point.
Resilient by Design: Simulating Street Network Disruptions across Every Urban Area in the World
Authors: Boeing Geoff , Ha Jaehyun
Published: March 2024

Street networks allow people and goods to move through cities, but they are vulnerable to disasters like floods, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks. Well-planned network design can make a city more resilient and robust to such disruptions, but we still know little about worldwide patterns of vulnerability, or worldwide empirical relationships between specific design characteristics and resilience. This study quantifies and measures the vulnerability of the street networks of every urban area in the world then models the relationships between vulnerability and street network design characteristics. To do so, we simulate over 2.4 billion trips across more than 8,000 urban areas in 178 countries, while also simulating network disruption events representing floods, earthquakes, and targeted attacks. We find that disrupting high-centrality nodes severely impacts network function. All else equal, networks with higher connectivity, fewer chokepoints, or less circuity are less vulnerable to disruption's impacts. This study thus contributes a new global understanding of network design and vulnerability to the literature. We argue that these design characteristics offer high leverage points for street network resilience and robustness that planners should emphasize when designing or retrofitting urban networks.
Childlessness trends at different ages by educational attainment for men and women in Finland
Authors: Jalovaara Marika , Miettinen Anneli
Published: March 2024

Research on trends in childlessness by educational attainment tends to focus on the level of lifetime childlessness estimated at age 40 or 45. Less is known about childlessness at younger ages. In advanced low fertility societies, childlessness among people in their early 30s largely reflects the postponement of childbearing to a later age. Nevertheless, the postponement of childbearing to well beyond the age of 30 may have an impact on completed fertility. This is particularly important in the light of recent fertility decline. This study describes trends in childlessness by educational attainment for men and women in Finland over the period 1987–2022. We use total population register data and focus on childlessness levels at ages 30, 35, 40, and 45. The results show a marked increase in childlessness at most observed ages, which has accelerated in the last decade. In 2022, the childlessness levels at the ages of 30, 35, 40 and 45 are 60, 35, 23 and 19 per cent for women, and 74, 49, 34 and 28 per cent for men born in Finland. At ages 40 and 45, men show a consistent negative association between childlessness and educational attainment, while for women, the association has shifted from positive to negative. At age 30, education is positively associated with childlessness for both men and women, reflecting the later entry into parenthood of the highly educated. Educational differences in childlessness at age 35 are less uniform. Over the past decade, childlessness at age 35 has increased for both men and women regardless of educational attainment, notably including men and women with tertiary education. The trends observed suggest that the increase in childlessness in Finland is continuing, accelerating and becoming more widespread. (282 words)
The Nexus of Climate and Conflict in the Lake Chad Region: What We Know, Don’t Know and Need to Know
Authors: Okpara Uche , Yunus Sulaiman
Published: March 2024

Despite the substantial body of knowledge available on the nexus between climate and conflict, this knowledge remains scattered, fragmented and incomplete. There are varying interpretations of how the nexus plays out, as well as different perceptions of the spectrum of "climate conflict" in fragile and conflict-affected areas. This is particularly the case in the Lake Chad region, an area that is often portrayed as a unique "testbed" for understanding climate conflict relations. This study systematically mapped and analysed published work on the nexus of climate and conflict, synthesising narratives and unpacking evidence on what we know, don't know and need to know about the nexus in the Lake Chad region. Our findings outline six key areas of knowledge that provide evidence on the nexus, including (i) how the nexus has evolved with the ongoing increase in regional climatic stress where temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, (ii) whether studies link climatic events to different phases and continuum of conflict, and (iii) whether climatic events also introduce new forms of conflict along the conflict continuum. We note that studies failed to ask how fragility (assessed in terms of lack of state legitimacy, capacity and authority) shapes group identity/solidarity and spatiotemporal variations in nexus patterns and impacts. We suggest that the spectrum of what is considered "climate conflict" be expanded, paying particular attention to the continuum of conflict and how different conflict types interact and reinforce one another under climate shocks. Ultimately, knowledge co-creation can help integrate fragmented evidence about the nexus, fostering a unified, coherent and verifiable body of knowledge that can support joint climate and peace initiatives and wider transformative change across the region.
Review of “A Herstory of Economics” by Edith Kuiper
Authors: Betancourt Rebeca Gómez
Published: March 2024

Review of “A Herstory of Economics” by Edith Kuiper.
Ebola Distribution Prediction
Authors: Wang Maria
Published: March 2024

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, fatal illness for human whose average fatality rate is around 50%. The current outbreak in West Africa is the largest and most complex one since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976.In this outbreak, the most severely affected countries are Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia (as figure 1 shows). On the other hand, these three countries lack the necessary health and treatment systems to fight against Ebola. Thus, in this paper we only consider these three countries as our research objects.
Application of ZigBee Technology and Neural Network Algorithm in Street Lamp Control System
Authors: Zhang Qian
Published: March 2024

This paper introduces a street lamp control system based on zigbee technology and neural network algorithm. Street lamp control system consists of microcontrollers, sensors, displays, buttons, ZigBee, street lights. This paper mainly introduces the microcontroller as the core of the control street lamp, and uses various sensors and ZigBee to control the switch of the street lamp in different time, different weather and different road conditions to improve the energy saving of the street lamp. It also introduces how to use the neural network algorithm to realize the feasibility of the multi-function of the street lamp and the realization method. Neural network algorithm is used to expand the function, to achieve license plate number recognition function. For the street lamp system in the future management and development to provide guidance and more divergent new ideas.
A Description of Public Policy towards Credit and Credit Institutions in Medieval Nepal
Authors: Pokharel R. K.
Published: March 2024

Not Available.
An Overview of Changes in Monetary Theories
Authors: Sharma Guna Nidhi
Published: March 2024

Not Available.
The Indian Economy: An Assessment of Development Strategies
Authors: Uppal J.S.
Published: March 2024

Not Available.
PCOS : We see what we know, we understand what we do
Authors: Shrestha PS
Published: March 2024

No Abstract available.
Kisspeptin levels in polycystic ovary syndrome and its manifestations
Authors: Kharel S , Banu H , Morshed S Md , Chowdhury E , Hasanat MA
Published: March 2024

Background: The altered luteinizing hormone to follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio- an important component in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is regulated by a brain peptide kisspeptin. This study aimed to explore the association of serum kisspeptin levels with PCOS and its manifestations.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 80 participants with PCOS on the basis of International evidence-based guidelines, 2018, and 71 healthy matched controls. Along with clinical information, fasting blood was drawn to measure total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, thyroid stimulating hormone, prolactin, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and kisspeptin in all, and glucose, lipids, insulin, LH, FSH in only PCOS participants in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Kisspeptin was measured by sandwiched enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method with a lower limit detection level of 0.01 pg/mL.
Result: Kisspeptin levels were undetectable in 25 out of 80 and 16 out of 71 controls. Among the participants with detection levels (55 in each group), kisspeptin did not differ between PCOS and control [31.2 (19.2 – 43.1) vs. 40.4 (14.9 – 70.4), pg/mL, p=0.446]. Among participants with PCOS, kisspeptin levels had no significant associations or correlations with any manifestations (ns for all). ROC curve analysis showed kisspeptin as not an acceptable marker for PCOS [AUC (95% CI): 0.57 (0.46 – 0.68), p= 0.221].
Conclusion: Our study failed to show any association of kisspeptin levels with PCOS and its manifestations.
Unusual presentation of trigeminal post-herpetic neuralgia as Hemicrania Continua: A case study
Authors: Tiwari Ashutosh , Shah Bishal , Manchanda Rajat , Dhar Nikita
Published: March 2024

Introduction: Cranial post-herpetic neuralgia sometime becomes refractory to medications. Before increasing the medications detailed history of headache phenotype is very important.
Case report: A 41-year-old male developed a herpes infection in the right side first division of the trigeminal nerve two years back before presenting to us. He complained of continuous background dull aching headache (VAS 3 to 4) in the right orbito-fronto-temporal region. Besides this he used to experience sharp shooting severe pain (VAS 8 to 9) for one to two hours, occurring two to three times a day every five to six days for the last two years in same distribution. Episodes of exacerbation were associated with cranial autonomic symptoms (CAS), including right-side eye redness, lacrimation, and nasal congestion. His examination revealed nothing additional than allodynia in the same distribution. His MRI brain revealed no significant abnormality. Different medications were tried but in vain. He was started on Indomethacin to which he responded dramatically.
Discussion: Non responsive cases of PHN form a refractory group and might be subjected to unnecessary medications or interventions. Secondary hemicrania continua have been reported due to different causes other than herpes. So, after ruling out secondary causes indomethacin challenge should be the next step in the diagnostic workup.
Clinical and Radiological Prognostication of Diffuse Axonal Injury
Authors: Viswanathan Rajanandhan , Sethuraman Devanand Senthil Kumar
Published: March 2024

Introduction:  We studied the efficacy of the admission neurological status (Glasgow Coma Score - GCS) and the radiological findings (Marshall, Rotterdam and MRI scoring systems) in prognostication of Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) using the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) to quantify the clinical outcome.
Material and Methods: This is a prospective observational study of 158 consecutive Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) patients conducted at Madras Medical College. GCS at admission was taken as the clinical data. Marshall’s, Rotterdam and MRI scores were taken as radiological data. The patients’ GOS at 1 month was taken as clinical outcome.
Statistical Analysis: Statistical analyses were then made to correlate the clinical and radiological data with the one-month outcome of the patients. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS software – version 16 using statistical tests like Pearson’s coefficient and ANOVA. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The admission GCS and MRI grade of DAI showed a statistically significant correlation with the clinical outcome, but the Marshall and Rotterdam scores did not.
Conclusion: Proper neurological evaluation of the patient with GCS score on admission and MRI brain when feasible, with both having a statistically significant correlation with clinical outcome, provide reliable prediction models for prognosticating outcome in DAI patients.
Brain Metastases: Outcome related to prognostic indices: Critical Review in a Single institutional Experience
Authors: Gill Maneet , Carlvalho Ajaya Sebastian , Srivastava Chinmaya , Agarwal Sudhanshu , Gupta Vijaya Kumar , Sudharshana Kola
Published: March 2024

Introduction: Brain metastases are the most common brain tumour. There are various prognostic indicators which determine the overall outcome and survival of the patient. To study the outcome of the patients of cerebral metastases based on various indices and to correlate the prognostic significance of these indices.
Material and Methods: A total of 123 surgically resected cases of brain metastases from July 2007 to July 2017 were included in the study. The clinical details including the age, gender, clinical features, location of the primary, status of control of primary disease, Karnofsky performance status, number and intracranial location of the metastases were obtained. The follow up period for the study was at least 36 months.
Results: The prognostic factors associated with better survival were KPS > 60 (p value < 0.0001), controlled status of the primary malignancy (p value < 0.0001), age < 50 yrs (p value< 0.0001) and number (<3) of metastases (p value < 0.000). Gender (p value = 0.902), primary site (P = 0.758) and location of intracranial metastases (P = 0.575) had no significant impact on the survival.
Conclusion: Of the various prognostic indices, patients with KPS > 60, well controlled primary malignancy, age <50 yrs. and number of metastases less than 3, were related to statistically significant better prognosis and survival.
Non-tuberculous long multi-segment spinal epidural abscess with co-existing giant psoas abscess in an intravenous drug abuser: A rare case report from India
Authors: Mishra Manish Kumar , Pandey Nityanand
Published: March 2024

In developing countries, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is rampant and it’s the first differential in causation of spinal epidural abscess (SEA) and/or, psoas abscess (PA). This microbiota pertaining to these diseases, is in contrast with that of developing nations, where it is primarily bacterial. The burden of intra-venous drug abusers is very high in India, however there is corresponding rarity of intra-venous drug abuse (IVDA) related SEA/ PA case studies. Even at global scale, there is no fixed recommendation in the surgical management (instrumentation and fusion) of IVDA-SEA subset of patients owing to their low volume and poor-follow-up. In this back-ground authors present their experience of managing an IVDA associated long segment multi-level SEA with giant PA who presented with ASIA Grade-C neurological deficit.
To Evaluate the Efficacy of Internet De-addiction Programme on Perceived Stress and Autonomic Functions in Young Adults
Authors: Jasrotia Rajani Bala , Mishra Anamika , Qavi Abdul , Kanchan Arvind , Kulshrestha Sudhi , Ansari Arshi
Published: March 2024

Internet addiction is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviors regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of internet de-addiction programme on stress and autonomic functions in young adults.
500 young adults (age group 18-35 years), using smartphones and other gadget frequently were asked to answer Kimberley Young’s Internet addiction test (IAT) questionnaire. As per their responses 31 moderates to severely addicted to internet addiction (IAT score 64.51 ± 16.94) were motivated to participate in a comprehensive internet de-addiction programme, based on repeated sessions of psychological counselling and behavioral therapy as advised by an expert clinical Psychologist. Baseline and follow up (after 6 weeks) recording of Heart rate, Blood pressure, Perceived stress scale, IAT, Autonomic functions based on frequency domain HRV were done.
There was significant increase in total power of HRV whereas significant reduction in LF/HF ratio, Perceived stress scores (PSS), Internet addiction scores and average daily mobile usage time after 6 weeks of follow up. It can be concluded from this study that after six weeks of comprehensive sessions based on cognitive behaviour therapy and guiding for self-help approach there were significant decrease in the total daily mobile usages time, internet addiction score, perceived stress score and also simultaneous improvement in symptho-vagal tone and overall autonomic health of participants.
Perception of Academicians towards Quality of Public Service Marketing in Pokhara
Authors: Palikhe Amin
Published: March 2024

This study mainly focuses on understanding user perception and experiences towards quality of public service marketing on delivery by using the five service delivery dimensions: accessibility, cost, time, barrier and behavior. The research methodology comprises descriptive research design followed by stratified simple random sampling for permanent academic faculty members under multi stage sampling from one constitute and four affiliated college. The primary sources of data were collected through semi structure questionnaire method. Reliability and validity were tested. The study reveals that overall qualities of public service delivery dimension are moderate. The academicians were satisfied with the quality of public service delivery in Pokhara but perception was not as expected. However, the qualitative result depicted that there were major challenges in service delivery such as problem from staff, risk after payment of fees and extra efforts for completing lengthy service. In addition, environmental situation, employees’ attitude, intermediaries, and Afno Manche (known person), salary level and political interventions cause changes in behavior during public service delivery. So, public service institutions should give due attention to such issues to improve quality of service delivery. Even though there is no specific model to measure the quality of public service delivery in Nepalese context therefore, a CAT-Behavior model is recommended for measuring the quality of public service delivery in Nepalese context and it could be beneficial from different perspective.
Use of EMI at Secondary Education: Exploring Non-English Nepalese Teachers’ Ideologies
Authors: Rauteda Khem Raj
Published: March 2024

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) is a teaching of non-English academic subjects using English where the very language is not the first language for most of the population.The study aimed at exploring the teachers’ pertinent ideologies towards the use of EMI in the teaching of non-English subjects. The researcher used narrative inquiry as a research design where the purposive sampling strategy was used to select the sample from the target population. In-depth interview was used as a research method to collect the information from the participants. The interviews were conducted based on the interview guidelines. The information was recorded, transcribed, translated, coded, categorized, and thematically analyzed. The study found that the teachers possessed various deep rooted ideologies on EMI, such as EMI as a mediating tool to internationalize the education system, EMI as a linguistic capital in the educational market, EMI as a linguistic hegemony to the underdeveloped countries, and EMI standardizes the academics and improves the competitive capacity. It can be inferred that EMI has been ideologized by both practitioners and policy makers. Moreover, the real practitioners and their ideologies are to be considered while designing the policies, and planning the provisions.
Development of Social Work Education in Nepal: A Historical Review
Authors: Woli Lokendra
Published: March 2024

Social work is not a new discipline in Nepal. However, it is slowly expanding professionally and currently faces various challenges. Including need to rely on modern techniques, cultural distancing from the environment and strategies because there is not a professional social work model in Nepal. In addition, difficulties include a lack of training, guidelines, and instruction at the governmental level; absence of functioning associated social organizations’ ethics, and accountability on the part of social workers. This study seeks to address issues impeding professionalism to protect service users. The search engines Google, Google Scholar, Google Book, ProQuest, and Eric, etc. were used in this study. Two primary themes were studied: the challenges and implications of social work education in Nepal. To discuss findings, content analysis of the themes was employed. This study finds that social work practice needs to be properly regulated and accredited. The social worker should promote social work practice and instruction. Social workers ought to be recognized by the government to increase funding in the field. The Nepalese social work model can be developed with the help of practitioners and even service users. The vision for Nepalese social work should be to get the profession recognized and strengthen the association of social work.