bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On de-risking and de-dollarizing intra-BRICS trade via smart contracts
Authors: Aggarwal Parv
Published: December 2020

This study explores the existing systemic barriers to intra-BRICS national currency use (“de-dollarization”) in currency swaps and trade finance. The author examines the current de-dollarization initiatives, as well as the actual levels of de-dollarization in Russia’s intra-BRICS settlements (as a representative sample), to find gaps between de-dollarization goals and current initiatives and offers a near-term phased solution to overcome these gaps and de-risk trade within BRICS. It is found that 1) the New Development Bank’s Contingency Reserve Arrangement has built-in systemic barriers which are preventing direct currency swaps between BRICS member states; 2) the Euro is replacing the Dollar as Russia’s preferred settlement currency within BRICS, indicating a gap between Russian traders’ settlement currency choice and BRICS de-dollarization priorities; and, furthermore, 3) while payment and settlement systems are being integrated and FinTech applications are being explored, efforts to fundamentally address the systemic market factors preventing national settlement use are missing. A phased solution is proposed to address the fundamental market barriers to national currencies by using smart contracts to de-risk intra-BRICS trade. Specific mechanisms are outlined to promote trade contracts in national currency and reduce dependency on both the Dollar/Euro and Western institutions (such as the IMF and Western commodities markets), a high-level architecture is proposed, and implementation considerations are discussed.
GIDALARDA ANTİBİYOTİK KALINTILARI VE HALK SAĞLIĞINA ETKİLERİ
Authors: KÜÇÜKBÜĞRÜ Nurtaç , ACARÖZ Ulaş
Published: December 2020

Gıda değeri olan hayvanların sağlık ve refahını temin etmek için vazgeçilmez olan antibiyotikler hasta hayvanların tedavisinde, salgın hastalıkların önlenmesi ve kontrol altına alınmasında kullanılmaktadır. Antibiyotikler organizmada tam olarak metabolize olamadıkları ve atılamadıkları zaman bu hayvanlardan elde edilen gıdalarda kalıntı oluşturabilmekte ve insanlarda antibiyotik dirençliliği, aşırı duyarlılık reaksiyonları, doku hasarı, gastrointestinal bozukluklar, nörolojik hasarlar ve anafilaktik şok gibi risklere yol açarak halk sağlığını tehdit etmektedir. Ayrıca kalıntı içeren hayvansal orjinli gıdaların tüketimine bağlı insanlarda akut rahatsızlıkların yanı sıra teratojenik ve karsinojenik etkiler de görülebilmektedir. Bu derlemede hayvansal gıdalardaki antibiyotik kalıntıları ve halk sağlığı açısından oluşturabileceği riskler ele alınmıştır.
TIMING DECISIONS OF HOUSING SALES AND DEVELOPMENT BASED ON REAL OPTION THEORY
Authors: Zhang Ling , Shi Dingyin , Chang Xin , Wen Haizhen
Published: December 2020

Based on the real option theory, this paper studies the impact of uncertainty on the timing decisions required in housing development and sales. Data of newly-built houses and corresponding plots in Hangzhou, China, are used for empirical analysis. In order to better reflect the changes in market demand under frequent policy intervention, in addition to the usual price volatility, this paper introduces the volatility of trading volume to measure the uncertainty of China’s real estate market. The results show that the volatility of trading volume has a significant impact on timing decisions. Also, trading volume volatility can better reflect the characteristic of deferred option than can price volatility, especially during the sales phase. This study provides evidence to support Bar-Ilan and Strange’s (1998) research of sequential investment. Because of the existence of the second option, i.e., sales timing, the starts in the first stage are not too sensitive to uncertainty. In the case of the second option, the longer the construction period is, and the lower the cost of the first stage is, the higher will be the probability of triggering the start. In addition, the characteristics of market risk aversion are obvious in the study area, especially in the suburban area.
Investigating the Mini and Giant Radio Flare Episodes of Cygnus X-3
Authors: Egron Elise , Pellizzoni Alberto , Righini Simona , Giroletti Marcello , Koljonen Karri , Pottschmidt Katja , Trushkin Sergei , Lobina Jessica , Pilia Maura , Wilms Joern , Corbel Stéphane , Grinberg Victoria , Loru Sara , Trois Alessio , Rodriguez Jérome , Lähteenmäki A. , Tornikoski M. , Enestam S. , Järvelä E.
Published: December 2020

The microquasar Cygnus X-3 underwent a giant radio flare in 2017 April, reaching a maximum flux of ∼16.5 Jy at 8.5 GHz. We present results from a long monitoring campaign carried out with Medicina at 8.5, 18.6, and 24.1 GHz, parallel to the Metsähovi radio telescope at 37 GHz, from 2017 April 4 to 11. We observe a spectral steepening from

to 0.5 (with

) within 6 hr of the epoch of the flare’s peak maximum, and rapid changes in the spectral slope in the following days during brief enhanced emission episodes while the general trend of the radio flux density indicated the decay of the giant flare. We further study the radio orbital modulation of Cyg X-3 emission associated with the 2017 giant flare and with six mini-flares observed in 1983, 1985, 1994, 1995, 2002, and 2016. The enhanced emission episodes observed during the decline of the giant flare at 8.5 GHz coincide with the orbital phase

(orbital inferior conjunction). On the other hand, the light curves of the mini-flares observed at 15–22 GHz peak at

, except for the 2016 light curve, which is shifted 0.5 w.r.t. the other ones. We attribute the apparent phase shift to the variable location of the emitting region along the bent jet. This might be explained by the different accretion states of the flaring episodes (the 2016 mini-flare occurred in the hypersoft X-ray state).
Access of Energetic Particles to a Magnetic Flux Rope from External Magnetic Field Lines
Authors: Laitinen T. , Dalla S.
Published: December 2020

Cosmic-ray (CR) fluxes in the heliosphere are affected by the transient interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), causing so-called Forbush decreases (FDs), characterized by a decline of up to 25% in the neutron monitor counts at the Earth’s surface, lasting up to over a week. FDs are thought to be caused by the ICME shock wave or the magnetic flux rope embedded in the ICME inhibiting CR propagation through the ICME structure. FDs are typically modeled as enhanced diffusion within the ICME structure. However, so far modeling has not considered the access of the CRs from the interplanetary field lines into the isolated magnetic field lines of the ICME flux rope. We study the effect of an ICME flux rope on particle propagation by using full-orbit particle simulations, with the interface between the external interplanetary magnetic field and the isolated flux rope field lines modeled analytically. We find that the particles can access the flux rope through the x-point region, where the external magnetic fields cancel the azimuthal component of the rope field. The transport through this region is fast compared to diffusive radial propagation within the rope. As a result, the propagation of CRs into the flux rope can be modeled as diffusion into a cylinder. The density cavity within the rope is asymmetric, and limited to the magnetic field lines isolated from the external field. Thus, in order to evaluate the role of the flux rope in FDs, one must analyze the extent of the region where the flux rope magnetic field lines are separated from the interplanetary magnetic fields.
Magnetic Braking of Accreting T Tauri Stars: Effects of Mass Accretion Rate, Rotation, and Dipolar Field Strength
Authors: Ireland Lewis G. , Zanni Claudio , Matt Sean P. , Pantolmos George
Published: December 2020

The rotational evolution of an accreting pre-main-sequence star is influenced by its magnetic interaction with its surrounding circumstellar disk. Using the PLUTO code, we perform 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic, axisymmetric, time-dependent simulations of star–disk interaction—with an initial dipolar magnetic field structure, and a viscous and resistive accretion disk—in order to model the three mechanisms that contribute to the net stellar torque: accretion flow, stellar wind, and magnetospheric ejections (periodic inflation and reconnection events). We investigate how changes in the stellar magnetic field strength, rotation rate, and mass accretion rate (changing the initial disk density) affect the net stellar torque. All simulations are in a net spin-up regime. We fit semi-analytic functions for the three stellar torque contributions, allowing for the prediction of the net stellar torque for our parameter regime, as well as the possibility of investigating spin evolution using 1D stellar evolution codes. The presence of an accretion disk appears to increase the efficiency of stellar torques compared to isolated stars, for cases with outflow rates much smaller than accretion rates, because the star–disk interaction opens more of the stellar magnetic flux compared to that from isolated stars. In our parameter regime, a stellar wind with a mass-loss rate of ≈1% of the mass accretion rate is capable of extracting ≲50% of the accreting angular momentum. These simulations suggest that achieving spin equilibrium in a representative T Tauri case within our parameter regime, e.g., BP Tau, would require a wind mass-loss rate of ≈25% of the mass accretion rate.
Benign transient hyperphosphatasemia - a cause for alarm or a benign condition
Authors: Stamatova Ana , Fustic Stojka , Spirevska Lidija , Mojsova Snezana , Tonevski Viktor
Published: December 2020

Benign transient hyperphosphatasemia (BTH) is a condition which occurs in children younger than five years, characterized by a complete absence of specific clinical and laboratory findings of bone or liver diseases and a five or even 20–70-fold increase in serum of alkaline phosphatase levels(ALP). The aim of this case report was to point out that elevated levels of ALP are not always related to serious bone and liver diseases. We described three healthy patients, which were referred to our out-patient clinic by their primary care physicians because of markedly elevated levels of ALP. The diagnosis of BTH was based on a thorough physical exam, a wide range of laboratory and imaging tests, which excluded liver or bone disease as a cause for elevated ALP. BTH is not very well-known and managed in daily clinical practice. Primary care physicians should consider this diagnosis in cases with elevated ALP in otherwise healthy infants and toddlers, refrain from unnecessary tests, prescribing higher doses of vitamin D3 or referral to tertiary level pediatric institutions.
Applied neuroscience: Why and how biofeedback methodology work?
Authors: Pop-Jordanova Nada , Loleska Sofija
Published: December 2020

Science cannot achieve its purpose without some practical applications. The aim of this article is to inform our colleagues about some practical uses of the methodology named biofeedback in the general population. It is important for the staff, especially for those employed in the public health service, because this method is not useful only for treating some disorders, but also for obtaining some health attitudes, performances and mental relaxation in the general population.
First report and integrated analysis of two native Trissolcus species utilizing Bagrada hilaris eggs in California
Authors: Ganjisaffar Fatemeh , Talamas Elijah J. , Bon Marie Claude , Perring Thomas M.
Published: December 2020

Surveys with sentinel eggs of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in southern California retrieved two parasitoids that were not previously known to be associated with this stink bug, Trissolcus hullensis and T. utahensis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Molecular and morphological analysis of these specimens is used to modify the concept of T. utahensis and assess the factors that contribute to intraspecific variation. We provide an updated couplet to separate T. utahensis from a morphologically similar species, T. cosmopeplae.
Revision of Neorthostigma Belokobylskij, 1998 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae) with description of a new species from Papua New Guinea
Authors: Peris-Felipo Francisco Javier , Stigenberg Julia , Quicke Donald L. J. , Belokobylskij Sergey A.
Published: December 2020

The status of the genus Neorthostigma Belokobylskij, 1998 is re-established as a result of additional morphological studies. A new species, N. braetisp. nov., from Papua New Guinea is described and illustrated. Aspilota brachyclypeataFischer 1978 is transferred to Neorthostigma, hence N. brachyclypeata (Fischer, 1978), comb. nov. A new synonym is suggested, Aspilota macrops Stelfox & Graham, 1951 = Neorthostigma eoum Belokobylskij, 1998, syn. nov.; A. macrops is transferred to Neorthostigma. This genus is additionally recorded in the Western Palaearctic (Norway) and Australasian (Papua New Guinea) regions for the first time. A key for the determination of the three known species of Neorthostigma is provided.
Rapid recolonisation of feral cats following intensive culling in a semi-isolated context
Authors: Palmas Pauline , Gouyet Raphaël , Oedin Malik , Millon Alexandre , Cassan Jean-Jérôme , Kowi Jenny , Bonnaud Elsa , Vidal Eric
Published: December 2020

Invasive feral cats threaten biodiversity at a global scale. Mitigating feral cat impacts and reducing their populations has therefore become a global conservation priority, especially on islands housing high endemic biodiversity. The New Caledonian archipelago is a biodiversity hotspot showing outstanding terrestrial species richness and endemism. Feral cats prey upon at least 44 of its native vertebrate species, 20 of which are IUCN Red-listed threatened species. To test the feasibility and efficiency of culling, intensive culling was conducted in a peninsula of New Caledonia (25.6 km²) identified as a priority site for feral cat management. Live-trapping over 38 days on a 10.6 km² area extirpated 36 adult cats, an estimated 44% of the population. However, three months after culling, all indicators derived from camera-trapping (e.g., abundance, minimum number of individuals and densities) suggest a return to pre-culling levels. Compensatory immigration appears to explain this unexpectedly rapid population recovery in a semi-isolated context. Since culling success does not guarantee a long-term effect, complementary methods like fencing and innovative automated traps need to be used, in accordance with predation thresholds identified through modelling, to preserve island biodiversity. Testing general assumptions on cat management, this article contributes important insights into a challenging conservation issue for islands and biodiversity hotspots worldwide.
Prendre en charge la vulnérabilité, reconnaître l’autonomie. La protection judiciaire d’adultes
Authors: Scutenelle Alain , Hamzaoui Mejed
Published: December 2020

En Belgique comme dans la plupart des pays européens, les interventions de type tutélaire affichent aujourd’hui l’ambition de respecter l’autonomie des personnes protégées. Cette exigence se traduit dans les principes de nécessité et de proportionnalité, qui impliquent respect de la capacité lorsqu’elle est présente et reconnaissance d’aptitudes décisionnelles limitées à certains aspects de l’existence. Néanmoins, cette approche capacitaire de l’autonomie renvoie aux seules dispositions éthiques des acteurs de la protection les situations où la capacité est absente ou défaite. Muriel est sous protection judiciaire depuis neuf ans. Son parcours chaotique illustre la difficulté de construire une protection respectueuse des désirs de la personne lorsque ceux-ci mettent en péril la satisfaction de ses besoins essentiels, son intégrité physique ou encore sa dignité.
Embracing the Value of Confidence and Intention in Program Design
Authors: Reed Karen S.
Published: December 2020

Assessing participants' degree of confidence and intention related to use of knowledge and skill gained during continuing education programming provides insight into the effectiveness of methodologies used during program delivery. An analysis of participant confidence and intention levels from two programs demonstrates how using active learning strategies can positively influence the confidence and intention levels of learners.

[
J Contin Educ Nurs
. 2021;52(1):5–7.]
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Were Not Associated With Decreased Arthrofibrosis After Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Hernandez Nicholas M. , Cunningham Daniel J. , Kabirian Nima , Mont Michael A. , Jiranek William A. , Bolognesi Michael P. , Seyler Thorsten M.
Published: December 2020

Stiffness after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains a challenging problem. Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been associated with decreased muscle fibrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether perioperative use of ARBs was associated with a reduction in arthrofibrosis and manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) in patients undergoing primary TKA at 90 days and 1 year postoperative. In this retrospective study, the authors used a national database to evaluate patients undergoing TKA for primary osteoarthritis from 2007 to 2017. They evaluated patients with filled prescriptions for ARBs within the study time frame and the specific type of ARB and its association with arthrofibrosis and MUA. After adjusting for age, sex, a comorbidity index, and obesity, any ARB or specific ARBs were not associated with a reduction in the rate of arthrofibrosis or MUA after TKA (
P
≥.05). Male sex, age 55 years or older, and obesity were associated with a reduction in the rate of arthrofibrosis and MUA after TKA (
P
≤.05). Studies should be performed to evaluate ARBs to see whether there is a more specific role in preventing joint stiffness in certain patient subpopulations following TKA. [
Orthopedics
. 2021;44(2):e274–e280.]
Global existence and optimal decay rate of solutions to hyperbolic chemotaxis system in Besov spaces
Authors: Wu Xing , Su Keqin
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we study the qualitative behavior of hyperbolic system arising from chemotaxis models. Firstly, by establishing a new product estimates in multi-dimensional Besov space \begin{document}$ \dot{B}_{2, r}^{\frac d2}(\mathbb{R}^d)(1\leq r\leq \infty) $\end{document}, we establish the global small solutions in multi-dimensional Besov space \begin{document}$ \dot{B}_{2, r}^{\frac d2-1}(\mathbb{R}^d) $\end{document} by the method of energy estimates. Then we study the asymptotic behavior and obtain the optimal decay rate of the global solutions if the initial data are small in \begin{document}$ B_{2, 1}^{\frac{d}{2}-1}(\mathbb{R}^d)\cap \dot{B}_{1, \infty}^0(\mathbb{R}^d) $\end{document}.
Water taxes and fines imposed on legal and illegal firms exploiting groudwater
Authors: Biancardi Marta , Maddalena Lucia , Villani Giovanni
Published: December 2020

This paper uses a differential game approach to investigate a model that represents the exploitation of groundwater, taking into account the strategic and dynamic interactions among users of the resource and public authority. Agents' behaviour may influence their gains but also the overexploitation of the aquifer. The effects of legal and illegal firms' actions and the contribution of taxes and penalties imposed by public authorities, are analysed by studying Feedback equilibria in order to capture the problem of non-compliance with resource management regimes and to discuss policy options in a non-cooperative and cooperative context. We show that illegal extractions can be a significant stumbling block on the path towards implementing of better management and environmental policies and we explain how, in order to fight this phenomenon, the public authority must increase controlled activity rather than taxation, but also encourage cooperation between legal firms under appropriate conditions.
Investigating the Effect of Information Technology and Key Determinants on Knowledge Sharing and Arriving at Employee Creativity
Authors: Sharma Mahendra Kumar , Kumar Dilip
Published: December 2020

The chapter aims to investigate the influence of information technology, trust, rewards, leadership, and organizational culture on the knowledge sharing behavior of the employees that ultimately drives employee creativity. Drawing from the literature on employee creativity, knowledge sharing, and its influencing variables, this paper proposed a model comprising all such prominent variables and tested it quantitatively. For this purpose, 405 questionnaires were collected at Indore, India, and structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that organizational culture followed by leadership was the prominent factor affecting the knowledge sharing behavior of employees. Information technology, trust, and rewards followed next, respectively. Employee creativity was found to be significantly affected by knowledge sharing behavior. The study augments the research on employee creativity and knowledge sharing.
The Rise of “Big Data” in the Field of Cloud Analytics
Authors: Jakobczak Dariusz Jacek , Chatterjee Ahan
Published: December 2020

The huge amount of data burst which occurred with the arrival of economic access to the internet led to the rise of market of cloud computing which stores this data. And obtaining results from these data led to the growth of the “big data” industry which analyses this humongous amount of data and retrieve conclusion using various algorithms. Hadoop as a big data platform certainly uses map-reduce framework to give an analysis report of big data. The term “big data” can be defined as modern technique to store, capture, and manage data which are in the scale of petabytes or larger sized dataset with high-velocity and various structures. To address this massive growth of data or big data requires a huge computing space to ensure fruitful results through processing of data, and cloud computing is that technology that can perform huge-scale and computation which are very complex in nature. Cloud analytics does enable organizations to perform better business intelligence, data warehouse operation, and online analytical processing (OLAP).
Analyzing EPQ Inventory Model With Comparison of Exponentially Increasing Demand and Verhult's Demand
Authors: V. Kuppulakshmi , C. Sugapriya , Kathirvel Jeganathan , Deivanayagampillai Nagarajan
Published: December 2020

This research investigates the comparison of inventory management planning in Verhult's demand and exponentially increasing demand. The working process is different in both the cases coupling the parameters and points out the constraints for the optimal total cost in both the cases. This analysis shows that rate of deterioration and percentage of reworkable items is considered as decision variable in both (1) exponentially increasing demand and (2) Verhult's demand. While comparing, the total cost in Verhult's demand pattern is more profitable production process. A substantial numerical example is considered to investigate the effect of change in the total cost in both the demand function. A sensitivity analysis is developed to study the effect of changes in total cost.
Master Data-Supply Chain Management, the Key Lever for Collaborative and Compliant Partnerships in Big Data Era
Authors: Gamoura Samia Chehbi , Malhotra Manisha
Published: December 2020

With the advent of big data in supply chain information systems (SCIS), data compliance and consistency are becoming vital. Today, SC stakeholders need to pay more attention to data governance, which requires changing traditional management methods. These can be achieved by mastering a single repository through what is usually named master data management (MDM). However, accomplishing this objective is particularly challenging in the complex logistics networks of supply chains (SC). The volatile nature of the logistics flows that increase exponentially because of the facilitation of exchanges' interoperability in the information systems. In this chapter, the authors propose an MDM-based framework for the supply chain information systems as an enabler for strong collaboration and compliance. For proof of concept, a case study of a French hypermarket is examined through benchmarking scenarios. The outcomes of the case validate our approach as a hands-on solution when applied correctly. Finally, the chapter discusses the key findings and the limitations of our framework.
Impacts and Challenges of Cost-Effective Approaches Using Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Model in Business Analytics
Authors: Ghorpade Yogesh Madhukar , Iyer R. Kamatchi
Published: December 2020

The cost-effective methodology and its implementation are the primary approaches towards cost computing to bring effectiveness with the proper requirements and provide the proper solution. This chapter focuses on the discussion about the cost-effective method using cloud infrastructure model for building and management of on-premise with the off-premise cloud service provider in business analytics. This chapter also elaborates the methodology undertaken and design considerations for implementation of cloud infrastructure with non-virtualized and on-premise infrastructure environment. The experiment using YGCIS (YG-cloud infrastructure solution) methodology is built for business analytics platform where infrastructure and its resources play a vital role. The cost-effective approach for total cost ownership (TCO) is implemented using YGCCS (YG-cost computing solution) framework. Thus, the solution obtained after implementing the above frameworks increases ROI % and reduces the TCO, impacting the business analytics needs.
Gamification in Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Simões-Silva Vitor , Gregório Susana Alexandra Mendonça , Luz Tarcisio de Tarco Moura , Lapa Ana Francisca Casinhas Coutinho , Marques António
Published: December 2020

The following chapter will address the use of gamification (specifically serious games), as well as its results and conditions of use, as an assessment and intervention tool for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia diagnosis. These games are effective for cognitive skills, such as attention, memory, executive functions, and speed processing. Besides this, physical (related to motor coordination and movement), social, psychological, and emotional (related to motivation, anxiety, depression, and stress) skills can be improved by serious games. It will be considered the contexts of the use of different games, such as Episodix, Panoramix, and some other games that are applied as serious games, like exergames. Besides, it will be also referred the different platforms associated with these games, such as mobile applications, videogames, virtual reality, and augmented reality.
Gamification as Upper Limb Rehabilitation Process
Authors: Simões-Silva Vitor , Mesquita Ana Filipa Duarte , Da Silva Karla Lígia Santos , Quental Vanessa Solange Arouca , Marques António
Published: December 2020

In our modern life world, health and well-being strongly depend on the individual's health behaviours. Motivation is a major factor of health behaviour change, and intrinsically motivated behaviour change is desirable as it is both sustained and directly contributes to well-being. This raises the immediate question what kind of interventions are best positioned to intrinsically motivate health behaviour change. The current state of evidence supports that gamification can have a positive impact in health and wellbeing. In recent years, games and game technology have been used quite widely to investigate if they can help make rehabilitation more engaging for users. The underlying hypothesis is that the motivating qualities of games may be harnessed and embedded into a game-based rehabilitation system to improve the quality of user participation.
Nutrify
Authors: Balakrishna C. , Ganesh Thota , Khosla Arun
Published: December 2020

Generally, exercise and nutrition are the two ways to maintain a healthy weight. Most of the time exercise is given more importance over nutrition. However, nutrition is equally important or else it leads to malnutrition which is of major concern in many of the African and Asian countries. Through this chapter, the authors attempt to understand the reasons for lack of knowledge about nutrition and help in designing solutions using gamification to alter nutritional behavior. The chapter discusses malnutrition causes and provides an overview of recent gamified developments to promote nutrition and reduce malnutrition. Few online and offline interventions is proposed by categorizing people into adults, children, and teachers. Finally, octalysis is performed on the presented solutions to get an idea of used and unutilized coredrives/motivators and modify for better gamification experience to improve nutrition.
Gamification
Authors: Machado Diogo , Carvalho Rui , Brandão Pedro
Published: December 2020

Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring a strict management. MyDiabetes is a mobile application for type I diabetes management that, as other mHealth applications, faces the challenge of user adherence and motivation. Here the authors describe the application's redesign and the implementation of different gamification techniques to tackle these challenges. The transition to the current version of the application was made in two stages. The first addressed the redesign of the application and started implementing gamification techniques. The second stage improved some of the features and added others. After the second stage, a new survey was conducted to evaluate the implemented features and improvements. While objectives and incentives to increase the number of records were endorsed by 56.5% of users, health directed badges and objectives increased the acceptance rate to 91.3%. Long-term effectiveness of the gamification approach will be done in the future.
When a rheumatologist encounters a Gardner-Diamond syndrome
Authors: De Cata Angelo , Tinti Maria Giulia
Published: December 2020

Not available
La vaccinazione contro il Covid-19 nei pareri del Comitato Nazionale per la Bioetica
Authors: Palazzani Laura
Published: December 2020

In luogo dell’Editoriale presentiamo qui un intervento della professoressa Laura Palazzani, Vice-Presidente del Comitato Nazionale per la Bioetica, che presenta i pareri del CNB in tema di vaccinazione contro il Covid-19, data l’attualità del tema. La Direzione della Rivista si riserva di presentare successivamente una propria posizione al riguardo. In tema di Covid-19, in questo stesso numero vengono pubblicati anche l’articolo di P.M. Cattorini: Quale patto per la scienza? Etica, sanità pubblica e comunicazione con i cittadini, che affronta il tema nell’ambito generale del rapporto scienza e società anche applicato alla specificità della pandemia, e l’articolo di P. Refolo, D. Sacchini, A.G. Spagnolo: Triage in emergenza pandemica: sui rischi di una carrellologia, che tratta il tema della questione etica del triage, particolarmente acuto nell’attuale emergenza pandemica e che impone una riflessione di fronte alla limitatezza delle risorse e alla necessità che i cittadini vengano informati sui criteri adottati per la loro assegnazione (NdR).
Bioethics in the field of pediatric surgery
Authors: Bašković Marko , Škrljak Šoša Dora
Published: December 2020

It is the professional responsibility of pediatric surgeons to follow the principles of maintaining life and alleviating suffering, often by questioning whether they have acted correctly. Apart from the moral dilemmas of choosing the best treatment strategies, they are often in dilemmas with the parents, who also involve their own “strategy” in the whole story, which they think is the most optimal treatment for their child, despite the contrary recommendations of the profession. Children, and especially adolescents, may be somewhat involved in medical decision making. Mostly the parent-physician-child / adolescent triangle agrees, but this is not always the case, which is why pediatric surgeons encounter problems. Ethical committees, composed of competent people, supported by the legal system of the state, who are able by consensus of team members to advocate and ensure the best interests of patients, must be activated for the full scope of the solution.
Performance and Diagnostic Accuracy of Human Papillomavirus Testing on Self-Collected Urine and Vaginal Samples in a Referral Population
Authors: Cho Hyun-Woong , Hong Jin Hwa , Min Kyung Jin , Ouh Yung-Taek , Seong Seok Ju , Moon Jun Hye , Cho Seong Hwan , Lee Jae Kwan
Published: December 2020

Purpose The study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of polymerase chain reaction ‒based high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) assays on self-collected vaginal and urine samples for detection of precancerous cervical lesions in referral population.Materials and Methods Women referred for colposcopy following abnormal cytology, were included this study. A total of 314 matched urine, vaginal, and cervical samples were collected. All samples were tested for HPV DNA using the RealTime HR-S HPV and Anyplex II HPV 28 assays. Primary endpoints were sensitivity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+/CIN3+ and specificity for <CIN2. Secondary endpoints were the relative accuracy of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) test results in vaginal and urine samples versus cervical samples.ResultThe sensitivity of Realtime HR-S and Anyplex HPV assay was 93.13% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.36 to 96.81) and 90.08% (95% CI, 83.63 to 94.61) for CIN2+ (n=130); specificity for <CIN2 was 32.69% (95% CI, 25.03 to 38.97) and 33.33% (95% CI, 26.26 to 41.00), respectively. Relative sensitivity of Realtime HR-S and Anyplex HPV tests for the detection of CIN2+ in vaginal versus cervical samples were 0.91 (95% CI, 0.90 to 1.03) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.75 to 1.02), respectively; urine versus cervical comparisons were 0.79 (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.92) and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.61 to 0.89).ConclusionThe detection performance for hrHPV and CIN2+ on self-collected vaginal samples was comparable to that of clinician-collected cervical samples. On the other hand, HPV tests using urine were inferior to those using clinician-collected cervical samples in terms of detecting hrHPV and CIN2+.
Development and Validation of a Symptom-Focused Quality of Life Questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) for Gastric Cancer Patients after Gastrectomy
Authors: Eom Bang Wool , Lee Joongyub , Lee In Seob , Son Young-Gil , Ryu Keun Won , Kim Sung Geun , Kim Hyoung-Il , Kim Young-Woo , Kong Seong-Ho , Kwon Oh Kyoung , Park Ji-Ho , An Ji Yeong , Kim Chang Hyun , Suh Byoung-Jo , Yoon Hong Man , Son Myoung Won , Park Ji Yeon , Park Jong-Min , Jeong Sang-Ho , Yoo Moon-Won , Song Geum Jong , Yang Han-Kwang , Suh Yun-Suhk , Park Ki Bum , Ahn Sang-Hoon , Shin Dong Woo , Jee Ye Seob , Ahn Hye-Seong , Lee Sol , Min Jae Seok , In Haejin , Kim Ahyoung , Hur Hoon , Lee Hyuk-Joon ,   on behalf of KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group (KOQUSS)
Published: December 2020

Purpose Patients who have undergone gastrectomy have unique symptoms that are not appropriately assessed using currently available tools. This study developed and validated a symptom-focused quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for patients who have received gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods Based on a literature review, patient interviews, and expert consultation by the KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group (KOQUSS), the initial item pool was developed. Two large-scale developmental studies were then sequentially conducted for exploratory factor analyses for content validity and item reduction. The final item pool was validated in a separate cohort of patients and assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and clinical validity.Results The initial questionnaire consisted of 46-items in 12 domains. Data from 465 patients at 11 institutions, followed by 499 patients at 13 institutions, were used to conduct item reduction and exploratory factor analyses. The final questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) comprised 40 items within 11 domains. Validation of KOQUSS-40 was conducted on 413 patients from 12 hospitals. KOQUSS-40 was found to have good model fit. The mean summary score of the KOQUSS-40 was correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and STO22 (correlation coefficients, 0.821 and 0.778, respectively). The KOQUSS-40 score was also correlated with clinical factors, and had acceptable internal consistency (> 0.7). Test-retest reliability was greater than 0.8. Conclusion The KOQUSS-40 can be used to assess QoL of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy and allows for a robust comparison of surgical techniques in clinical trials.
Effects of Complete Bladder Cuff Removal on Oncological Outcomes Following Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Ryoo Hyunsoo , Kim Jungyu , Kim Taejin , Kang Minyong , Jeon Hwang Gyun , Jeong Byong Chang , Seo Seong Il , Jeon Seong Soo , Lee Hyun Moo , Sung Hyun Hwan
Published: December 2020

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effects of bladder cuff method on oncological outcomes in patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.Materials and Methods The records of 1,095 patients treated with RNU performed at our hospital between 1994 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed; 856 patients with no bladder tumor history were enrolled in the present study. The management of bladder cuff was divided into two categories: extravesical ligation (EL) or transvesical resection (TR). Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses were performed to determine which factors were associated with intravesical recurrence (IVR)–free survival (IVRFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS).Results The mean patient age was 64.8 years and the median follow-up was 37.7 months. Among the 865 patients, 477 (55.7%) underwent the TR and 379 (44.3%) the EL. Significantly higher IVRFS (p=0.001) and OS (p=0.013) were observed in the TR group. In multivariable analysis, IVR, CSS, and OS were independently associated with the EL. Among 379 patients treated with the EL, eight underwent remnant ureterectomy. Based on radical cystectomy–free survival, significant difference was not observed between the two groups. However, significantly higher IVRFS was observed in the TR group when the tumor was located in the renal pelvis.Conclusion Intramural complete excision of the distal ureter during RNU should be the gold standard approach compared with EL for the management of distal ureter in terms of oncological outcomes.
LASSO-Based Machine Learning Algorithm for Prediction of Lymph Node Metastasis in T1 Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Kang Jeonghyun , Choi Yoon Jung , Kim Im-kyung , Lee Hye Sun , Kim Hogeun , Baik Seung Hyuk , Kim Nam Kyu , Lee Kang Young
Published: December 2020

Purpose The role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. Furthermore, clinical utility of a machine learning–based approach has not been widely studied.Materials and Methods Immunohistochemistry for TILs against CD3, CD8, and forkhead box P3 in both center and invasive margin of the tumor were performed using surgically resected T1 CRC slides. Three hundred and sixteen patients were enrolled and categorized into training (n=221) and validation (n=95) sets via random sampling. Using clinicopathologic variables including TILs, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was applied for variable selection and predictive signature building in the training set. The predictive accuracy of our model and the Japanese criteria were compared using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), net reclassification improvement (NRI)/integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and decision curve analysis (DCA) in the validation set.Results LNM was detected in 29 (13.1%) and 12 (12.6%) patients in training and validation sets, respectively. Nine variables were selected and used to generate the LASSO model. Its performance was similar in training and validation sets (AUROC, 0.795 vs. 0.765; p=0.747). In the validation set, the LASSO model showed better outcomes in predicting LNM than Japanese criteria, as measured by AUROC (0.765 vs. 0.518, p=0.003) and NRI (0.447, p=0.039)/IDI (0.121, p=0.034). DCA showed positive net benefits in using our model.Conclusion Our LASSO model incorporating histopathologic parameters and TILs showed superior performance compared to conventional Japanese criteria in predicting LNM in patients with T1 CRC.
Zbirateljska kultura in razstave vzhodnoazijskih glasbil na Slovenskem
Authors: Hrvatin Klara
Published: December 2020

Prispevek se osredotoča na slovensko zbirateljsko kulturo vzhodnoazijskih glasbil s posebnim poudarkom na glasbenih instrumentih, ki jih najdemo Skuškovi zbirki (Slovenski etnografski muzej), zbranih konec 19. in v začetku 20. stoletja. Skuškovo zbirko sestavljajo različne vrste glasbil, predvsem kordofoni, kot so kitajske cimbale yangqin, lutnja pipa in gosli sihu, aerofoni, kot so ustne orgle sheng, in idiofoni, med katerimi najdemo viseče zvonce in veliki gong. Gre za redko zbirko kitajskih instrumentov v Sloveniji, o kateri še ni veliko napisanega, tako zbirka ni znana širši javnosti ali strokovnjakom s področja muzikologije in glasbenim izvajalcem.
Da bi zbirka pridobila prepoznavnost in nadaljnjo obravnavo med glasbenimi zbirkami neevropskih kultur in nasploh v Sloveniji, je glavna naloga pričujočega prispevka zagotoviti identifikacijo in osnovno predstavitev glasbenih predmetov, pri čemer so ponovno revidirani predhodni zapisi o njih iz muzejskih inventarijev. Avtorica izpostavi Skuškovo zbirko kitajskih glasbil ter z glasbo povezane predmete iz drugih vzhodnoazijskih zbirk v Sloveniji, zlasti zbirke Alme Karlin (Pokrajinski muzej Celje) in Azijske zbirke (Pokrajinski muzej Celje), zagotovi identifikacijo doslej nekategoriziranih predmetov ter omogoči vpogled v dosedanje razstave zbirke glasbil. Prav tako je izpostavljena problematika trenutnega stanja glasbenih instrumentov in njihove nadaljnje restavracije.
Podobe tajvanskih staroselcev v zbirki razglednic Alme M. Karlin
Authors: Veselič Maja
Published: December 2020

Svetovna popotnica in pisateljica Alma Maksimiliana Karlin (1889–1950) je bila vneta zbiralka razglednic. Prispevek analizira 12 razglednic, ki jih je prinesla s Tajvana, ki ga je obiskala med decembrom 1923 in januarjem 1924. Čeprav predstavljajo le drobec njene bogate zbirke razglednic s celega sveta, izstopajo po enovitosti svoje tematike. Prav vse namreč prikazujejo pripadnike tajvanskih staroselskih ljudstev.

Pričujoči prispevek skuša iz kontekstov nastanka in rabe omenjenih razglednic ugotoviti, kako so se oblikovale podobe tajvanskih staroselcev v očeh njihove zbirateljice. S podrobnejšo analizo motivov in napisov na razglednicah podobe najprej identificira kot del etnografskega fotografskega gradiva, ki so ga zbrali japonski raziskovalci na Tajvanu, nato pa razglednice umesti v družbeno-politične okoliščine japonske kolonizacije, zlasti v pogosto soodvisna, občasno pa tudi konfliktna razmerja med antropološko oz. etnološko vedo ter kolonialnim upravnim aparatom. Članek nato obravnava poglede Alme Karlin na tajvanske staroselce tako, da razglednice postavi ob bok njenemu potopisnemu pisanju, iz katerega je mogoče razbrati pomemben vpliv japonske kolonialne imaginacije. Kljub lastnim pripombam o velikih družbenih in kulturnih spremembah v tajvanskih staroselskih družbah, ji kot osrednja prizma, skozi katero jih opazuje in opisuje, služijo eksotične in domnevno brezčasne prakse, kot sta lov na glave in tetoviranje. Zanimanja in okusi Alme Karlin, kot jih lahko razberemo z njenih tajvanskih razglednic, v ničemer ne odstopajo od njenih sodobnikov in so tesno povezane s širšimi političnimi in družbenimi razmerami ter estetskimi slogi časa, v katerem je potovala.
Lobanje v muzeju?
Authors: Motoh Helena
Published: December 2020

Članek se ukvarja s problematiki muzealizacije človeških ostankov na primeru dveh tibetanskih predmetov iz zbirk Slovenskega etnografskega muzeja, iz lobanje narejena skleda (thod pa/kapāla), ki je bila del zbirke jezuitskega Indijskega muzeja, in bobenček (damaru) iz dveh lobanj, ki je v muzej prišel kot del Skuškove zbirke. V prvem delu bo članek analiziral zgodovino teh dveh eksponatov in pomen tovrstnih predmetov v tibetanski tradicionalni družbi. Drugi del članka bo posvečen problematiki zbiranja in razstavljanja predmetov iz človeških ostankov in medkulturnim vidikom teh vprašanj na primeru tibetanskih predmetov, izdelanih iz človeških ostankov.
Rokovanje z arheološko dediščino kot skupna točka arheologije in arhitekture
Authors: Curk Tadej
Published: December 2020

Arheološka dediščina nujno terja sodelovanje med arheologijo in arhitekturo, saj lahko le interdisciplinarno sodelovanje zagotovi poglobljeno raziskavo, sodobno dediščinsko interpretacijo ter posledično celostno in dolgoročno varovanje in upravljanje arheološke dediščine. Takšen postopek torej nudi kakovostnejšo obravnavo, mnogoplastne informacije, konservacijo, restavracijo in prezentacijo arheološke dediščine, česar ena ali druga veda sama ne zmore zagotoviti.

Želje sodobne družbe ter uporabnikov arheološke dediščine, kakor tudi sodobni pristopi k ohranjanju in zaščiti, so pripeljali do postopnega obujanja intenzivnejšega sodelovanja med arheologi in arhitekti, kar se kaže tudi v počasnem razvoju teoretičnih temeljev za sodelovanje med obema strokama in sprejemanju nacionalnih (slovenskih) ter mednarodnih listin in priporočil o raziskavah, interpretaciji, varovanju ter prezentaciji arheološkega dediščine, ki spodbujajo sodelovanje in inkluzijo.
Rudi Rizman: Družba in politika v času retrotopije: teme iz politične sociologije
Authors: Hedžet Tóth Cvetka
Published: December 2020

Kako misliti postutopično utopijo oziroma misliti utopijo v njeni očitni nenavzočnosti? Nekoč je utopija šla pred spoznavanjem, celo usmerjala ga je, bila kot nekakšen kažipot, danes je drugače, kajti spoznanje gre pred utopijo, pogosto celo brez nje. In tu nekaj manjka, krepko manjka. Preboja naprej brez nečesa utopičnega ni in ga tudi ne more biti. Tudi doba, v kateri živimo, se deklarira za postutopično in soočeni smo z retrotopijo, z vzvratnimi, tj. povratnimi procesi svetovnih razsežnosti.
Zbirateljske kulture
Authors: Veselič Maja
Published: December 2020

Tako zbirke kot predmeti, ki jih sestavljajo, so živi organizmi. Njihove usode so podvržene procesom spreminjanja in so zato vedno zgolj začasne. Skozi čas in prostor se spreminjajo sama materialnost predmetov, pa tudi njihova raba in pomen – naj bo osebni, družbeni, kulturni itd. Zbirke se oblikujejo z nakupi in izmenjavami predmetov, z odpisi in izgubami, lahko jih razkosajo ali povsem razpustijo. Predmeti in zbirke prehajajo med posamezniki ter med posamezniki in institucijami s prodajo, z darovanjem in dedovanjem. Pripisana vrednost predmetov in zbirk lahko močno niha, saj je kompleksen preplet vrste družbenih (npr. razred, spol), idejnih (npr. o estetski prefinjenosti, moralnosti) in ekonomskih dejavnikov (globalni trg in drugi trgi). V splošnem pa lahko rečemo, da je institucionalizacija zbirke, tj. njena vključitev in razstava v priznanem muzeju, galeriji, tudi arhivu ali knjižnici, tista, ki zbirki in zbiratelju podeli priznanje poznavalstva in družbeni prestiž (cf. Belk 2006, 537).
Spominki in spomini na bojevnike
Authors: Shigemori Bučar Chikako
Published: December 2020

V okviru projekta Vzhodnoazijske zbirke v Sloveniji smo evidentirali dve kozuki, v resnici le ročaja nožev, ki so se uporabljali v kontekstu bojevniške kulture na Japonskem. Kozuka kot majhen nož je imela svoje mesto na skrbno izdelanem samurajskem meču med 16. in 19. stoletjem. Članek na kratko predstavlja zbirateljstvo na Japonskem in prve stike zahodnih zbirateljev z japonskimi starimi in eksotičnimi predmeti. Upodobitvi na zunanji strani kozuk, ki ju hrani Pomorski muzej v Piranu, prikazujeta boga Fukurokujuja v ljudskem verovanju in prizor »žrebec pod češnjevimi cvetovi«. Na osnovi ozadja nekdanjega lastnika Antona Dolenca (1871–1920), ki je kot član avstro-ogrske mornarice potoval v Vzhodno Azijo, lahko ugotovimo čas in kraj nakupa oz. pridobitve obeh kozuk. Kozuki je odkupil Pomorski muzej v Piranu leta 1964, medtem ko so nekateri drugi predmeti iz Dolenčeve zbirke končali v Slovenskem etnografskem muzeju v Ljubljani.