bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La culture à l’âge global
Authors: Cicchelli Vincenzo , Octobre Sylvie
Published: April 2021

L’objectif de cet article est de fournir au lecteur un modèle théorique d’appréhension des dimensions culturelles de la globalisation, saisies à l’aune de la circulation des produits issus des industries culturelles globales. Pour ce faire, il procède tout d’abord à une mise en perspective des principaux outils analytiques, proposés dès le début des années 1990, dont certains ont joué un rôle fondamental dans le tournant global de la culture. Les travaux mobilisés mettaient en évidence trois tensions majeures dans les transformations profondes des identités culturelles qui sont loin d’avoir été dissipées : entre homogénéisation et hétérogénéisation, entre impérialisme culturel américano-occidental et résistances ethno-nationales, entre promotion locale et hybridation. Puisant dans ce corpus canonique, l’article propose un modèle à quatre vecteurs pour analyser les différentes dimensions de la globalisation de la culture : la production et la distribution des marchandises esthétiques (dans le cadre du capitalisme esthétique), la compétition politique dans l’arène globale pour l’hégémonie culturelle (par le recours au soft power ), la construction et la promotion de l’authenticité et de la différence culturelles (par le biais des intermédiaires) et le réglage de la distance entre le proche, le familier et le lointain, l’exotique (par des amateurs cosmopolites socialisés à la différence culturelle à travers leurs consommations).
Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade of Cash Crops
Authors: Budhiraja Sunakshi , Das Sukanya , Gopala Krishnan Badri Narayanan
Published: April 2021

Virtual water flows (VWF) among states or countries have been proposed as a viable solution to mitigate water scarcity. The aim of this study is to assess the virtual water content and flows from India, for six cash crops, coffee, cotton, jute, sugarcane, tea, and tobacco, and their derived products over a period 1980-2013. The virtual water trade (VWT) estimates across three time periods show India to be a net exporter of virtual water for all the cash crops, except jute. The quantity of virtual water traded has increased over the decades with the increase in the quantum of crops traded. With free trade policies and the opening up of the economy, export quantities increased during the 1990s and the period thereafter, leading to larger virtual water exports. Sustainable agricultural practices for all crops, and in all countries, can help in reducing the water flow of these crops and help in controlling the water scarcity solution.
Women Leaders in Higher Education in Turkey During the Pandemic
Authors: Akbulut Yıldırmış Meltem , Seggie Fatma Nevra , Emil Serap , Şahin Betül Bulut
Published: April 2021

This chapter presents the lived experiences of women academic leaders in higher education during the pandemic period in Turkey. The chapter elaborates on the illusion of gender equalities for women in higher education through formal and informal support mechanisms. The authors then present recent knowledge and experiences of women academics in the country during the pandemic and how these experiences have impacted all aspects of life. The authors conducted online interviews with 20 women leaders at varying levels of higher education. The overall findings show that the lack of support mechanisms due to quarantine measures has created an overwhelming workload and challenging personal life experiences for the respondents. The women leaders observed in our study utilized strategies like collaboration, shared decision-making, and constant communication to motivate their colleagues and staff. The idea of “help” and fair share needs to be further examined due to its significance on gender equality for women leaders in academia.
Blockchain for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Authors: Sharma Rinki
Published: April 2021

Over the years, the industrial and manufacturing applications have become highly connected and automated. The incorporation of interconnected smart sensors, actuators, instruments, and other devices helps in establishing higher reliability and efficiency in the industrial and manufacturing process. This has given rise to the industrial internet of things (IIoT). Since IIoT components are scattered all over the network, real-time authenticity of the IIoT activities becomes essential. Blockchain technology is being considered by the researchers as the decentralized architecture to securely process the IIoT transactions. However, there are challenges involved in effective implementation of blockchain in IIoT. This chapter presents the importance of blockchain in IIoT paradigm, its role in different IIoT applications, challenges involved, possible solutions to overcome the challenges and open research issues.
Blockchain in Philanthropic Management
Authors: Alex Sini Anna , Kanavalli Anita , Ramdas Drishya
Published: April 2021

In the world of cutting-edge technology, a buzzword that has been thrown around quite often is blockchain. It has gained prominence in a wide array of fields ranging from the money transfer industry to that of the healthcare sector. The primordial reason for this varied use is the concept of smart contract that makes it intangible and less susceptible to errors. Using this platform of blockchain, the authors propose an avant-garde method of contributing donations to charities through a pivotal body, namely the trust. This application is paramount in the sense that it binds the advancements made on the technological frontier with the social aspect of life, that is, charities in the form of NGO's or other such beneficiaries. This enforces the scrupulous way of donating, ensuring that the money does not get consumed by outsiders or any third-party bodies because ultimately, safeguarding the needs and necessities of the lesser privileged folks is the primary goal, which should be addressed with immediate effect.
Blockchain and IoT Integration in Dairy Production to Survive the COVID-19 Situation in Sri Lanka
Authors: Madhunamali ruwandi , Jayasena K. P. N.
Published: April 2021

The epidemic crises place massive burdens on our economies. The risk of food supplies is also pushing massive stress on food vendors around the world. There are big problems associated with supply chains framework. Farmers do not receive payment upon delivery of their supplies. The buyers do not have access to finance that will enable them to pay farmers on time. To solve this problem, the authors proposed a dairy production system integration with blockchain and IoT. Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger technology that allows network participants to trust each other and interact. The dairy product system can check the temperature of the product in real-time by using the website application. Moreover, customers can get notifications when the policy found problems related to temperature values. The blockchain database confirms the information security of the system by using the proof of work algorithm to create the transactions and the blocks. Therefore, the proposed methods can use sensitive data with reasonable time consumption, and no block creation fees are needed.
Qualitative Examination on the Influences of the Internet on Racism and its Online Manifestation
Authors: Keum Brian TaeHyuk
Published: April 2021

Growing number of scholars have noted that racism may thrive and persevere in explicit, blatant forms in the online context. Little research exists on the nature of racism on the Internet. In contributing to this emerging yet understudied issue, the current study conducted an inductive thematic analysis to examine people's attitude toward (a) how the Internet has influenced racism, and (b) how people may experience racism on the Internet. The themes represented in this paper show that the increased anonymity and greater accessibility of the Internet gave platform and identity protection for expressions and aggregation of racist attitudes. Some of the themes explicated positive influences in which people were also able to express and form anti-racist online movements, and confront racist users by taking advantage of the increased anonymity. In terms of how racism was experienced on the Internet, the author identified the following themes: vicarious observation, racist humor, negative racial stereotyping, racist online media, and racist online hate groups. Implications for future research on racism on Internet is discussed.
Victimization, Cultural Imperatives, and Empowerment of People of Color in the United States
Authors: Shah Tamanna M.
Published: April 2021

The high incidence of violent crimes in the United States of America, which include mass shootings, hate crimes, Islam bashing, murders, extortion, crimes against women and children, and white supremacist crimes, witnessed in last few years is a cause for great concern. The land of liberty is lately seeing increasing victimization of deprived or socially unempowered groups. This chapter looks at such victimization and the cultural supremacy that is giving rise to ethnic strife among people. It is argued that robust and well-evolved policies will reduce crime and empower marginalized groups, a majority of whom are women and children. The empowerment—social, cultural, economic, and political—and recognition of the challenge of victimization is the only solution. There is a need to recognize the egalitarian impulses for a better policy formulation devoid of prejudice to craft a secure future for the victims.
The Myth of Colorblindness
Authors: Logan Stephanie R.
Published: April 2021

The United States is becoming a more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse nation. More specifically, in public schools, students of color and those of Native American ancestry are anticipated to represent the majority of the student population in the near future. In contrast to the change in student demographics, the majority of classroom teachers remain White and monolingual. The differences in racial, ethnic, and linguistic experiences of the student and teacher populations could create cultural conflicts between the two groups. In response, this endeavor is purposed to provide an instructional framework for teacher educators who are tasked with preparing culturally competent teachers for increasingly multicultural classrooms.
Moving Toward Culturally Restorative Teaching Approaches
Authors: Revell Mike
Published: April 2021

This mixed-method study examines the interaction between teacher sense of efficacy (TSE) in the use of culturally responsive teaching practices (CRTP). Framework analysis confirms a significant relationship between the affective dimensions of teacher's sense of efficacy in using the methods of culturally responsive teaching. The achievement orientation of teaching efficacy mediates the use of culturally sensitive teaching practices. Accumulated teaching efficacy in using non-indigenous cultural practices interrupts the fractal interconnectedness of culturally responsive teaching practices. The chapter concludes with suggestions of future practices for facilitating the further development of culturally restorative teaching practices among educational professionals.
Culturally Responsive Teaching to Empower Indigenous Student Communities
Authors: Pinto-López Ingrid N. , Montaudon-Tomas Cynthia M. , Muñoz-Ortiz Marisol , Montaudon -Tomas Ivonne M.
Published: April 2021

This chapter presents an example of culturally responsive teaching, CRT, in a private university in Puebla, Mexico. The university developed a program to integrate indigenous students into higher education programs promoting personal development and community growth. CRT has been used as a methodology that promotes inclusion in the classroom, helping students connect their cultural backgrounds in the new context. In the study, focus groups were conducted and students' narratives were collected based on their personal experiences during their stay at the university. Additionally, the CRT Survey was applied to a sample of professors who taught indigenous students in their courses.
Establishing Asset Thinking With Preservice Teachers
Authors: Meidl Christopher , Chao Xia , FitzGerald Anne Marie
Published: April 2021

This chapter explores how deficit and asset thinking of preservice teachers is influenced when they are provided with community-engaged learning (CEL) that prepares them to serve children and families from a marginalized community. Twenty-seven early childhood education preservice teachers participated in CEL at a local HUD neighborhood as part of a junior level course called Families, Schools, and Communities. Narrative inquiry guided the methodological framework to analyze data from course assignments including weekly Exit Slips and student reflections from the actual CEL experience. From those data sources, several themes emerged in relation to asset thinking, deficit think, and pedagogical approaches to learning about marginalized communities using CEL. Students recognized asset thinking in a variety of ways, but also were stuck using deficit thinking to judge the community's utility of a childcare event.
Integrating Human Rights, Equity, and Social Justice in Health Policies in America and Nigeria
Authors: Eneanya Augustine Nduka
Published: April 2021

Persisting absence of human rights, widening inequality, and social justice in healthcare delivery systems within and between countries present significant challenges to the focus and practice of contemporary public health. This chapter compares how cases of human rights, equity, and social justice are integrated in America's and Nigeria's healthcare policies. Qualitative research and case study design were adopted. Data were collected from secondary sources, such as reviewed literature, textbooks, journal articles, government reports, and internet. Content and critical case studies analysis methods were utilized to analyze, explain, and compare America's and Nigeria's health policies. Findings reveal absence of human rights, equity, and social justice among sub-groups in healthcare service delivery in America and Nigeria. The chapter concludes by suggesting that human rights, equity, and social justice should be integrated into health policies of America and Nigeria in order to make access to healthcare service delivery a right for citizens.
Mobile Devices and the Prevention of Human Rights Violations
Authors: Maulana Ikbal
Published: April 2021

With mobile devices always in their possession, users can report breaking events, including the violation of human rights perpetrated by states. Mobile devices have given ordinary people the power to acquire and produce any information, which in turn make power more dispersed than before, reducing the power of the states. However, there is a worrying trend, namely, the increasing number of human rights violations by ordinary people. Since human rights violations by a mob are difficult to stop and the violations of human rights have grown out of prejudices, it is better to prevent the spread of prejudices as early as possible. It can be done by counter-mobilization of alternative narratives, and promotion of public awareness that anyone has multiple categories. Promoting mutual interdependence between groups will also reduce prejudices.
Racial Discrimination and TESOL
Authors: Louber Ismael
Published: April 2021

While the field of TESOL/TEFL claims to be inclusive given that it is composed of a myriad of sociocultural backgrounds and environments, racial discrimination is a common phenomenon, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, this issue has not been given enough attention by researchers, in that particular region at least. This article reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia drawing upon the experiences of six non-Saudi male English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers. Open-ended questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data to explore the relationship between teachers' construction of their ethnic and racial identities and issues of discrimination within their professional environment. The study explored the participants' construction of their ethnic and cultural identity and its possible relation to discriminatory practices in their professional environment. The research showed how certain discriminatory practices affected how the participants projected their ethnic and cultural identity in their professional context.
Gender Mainstreaming in Development
Authors: Kurebwa Jeffrey
Published: April 2021

Gender mainstreaming means the consistent use of a gender perspective at all stages of the development and implementation of policies, plans, programmes, and projects. Mainstreaming gender differs from previous efforts to integrate women's concerns into government activities in that, rather than ‘adding on' a women's component to existing policies, plans, programmes, and projects, a gender perspective informs these at all stages and in every aspect of the decision-making process. Gender mainstreaming starts by analyzing the everyday life situation of women and men. It makes their differing needs and problems visible and examines what this means for specific policy areas. In this way, it ensures policies and practices are not based on incorrect assumptions and stereotypes. It recognizes that gender is one of the most fundamental organizing features in society and affects our lives from the moment we are born.
Human Rights, Poverty Reduction, Opportunities, and the Multinational Enterprise
Authors: Hipsher Scott A.
Published: April 2021

There is near universal agreement the human rights of all individuals should be respected. Yet in practice, there are differences of opinions over the universality and application of human rights in specific situations. Instead of advocating excessive scrutiny and regulation of human rights based on a single set of values, thus discouraging FDI in the least developed countries of the world; it is argued multinational enterprises can have the most positive impact on human rights by actively seeking out opportunities to operate in the areas of the world most affected by poverty. By concentrating on doing what the private sector does best, creating livelihood and purchasing options which individuals have the right to choose or reject, the private section can have a significant impact on creating wealth and reducing poverty.
Dismantling Invisibility in Multiracial College Students
Authors: Spicer-Runnels Ashley D.
Published: April 2021

This study was designed to test Tinto's theory of college student integration by measuring the social and academic integration of multiracial students. Policymakers and public interest have increased pressure on higher education institutions to address low degree completion rates among historically underrepresented racial minority students, leading to a targeted shift to assess and address factors that facilitate or hinder minority college student persistence. The participants for the current study consisted of a convenience sample of college students (n=173) classified as seniors at a mid-sized public four-year institution in Texas. The researcher collected pertinent demographic data and used the Institutional Integration Scale-Revised (IIS-R) to measure social and academic integration. The results of the analyses suggested a statistically significant correlation between being multiracial and social integration, but no significant correlation between being multiracial and academic integration.
Peer Support of Graduate Students of Color Through a Formal Graduate Student Association
Authors: Roumimper Kya Rose , Falk Audrey Faye
Published: April 2021

This chapter explores the experiences of graduate students of color and examines the support systems in place to promote their success in the academy. The authors provide an overview of the relevant literature and pertinent theoretical frameworks, including critical race theory and self-determination theory, as they relate to the experiences of graduate students of color. Furthermore, the chapter describes the initiation and early development of a Graduate Students of Color Association at Merrimack College, a private, Catholic college in New England. The chapter include both benefits and challenges of participating in and sustaining the group, while offering recommendations for future practice and research. It may be of particular interest to graduate students of color; faculty, staff, and administration in graduate education; and researchers focused on graduate degree attainment among individuals of color.
The Experience of Volunteers and Frontline Workers in Marginalized Communities Across Southeast Asia
Authors: Mooi Chuah Siew , Nunis Ann Nicole
Published: April 2021

This chapter focuses on the experience of volunteers and frontline workers who serve in marginalized communities across Southeast Asia. More frontline workers and volunteers are taking the initiative to support marginalized communities in the region. With the rise of human rights violations towards marginalized communities in the past decade, frontline workers and volunteers face unique experiences in working with these communities, ranging from stigma and discrimination to unaddressed levels of burnout. Based on the authors' experiences working with these communities and the summary of the interviews with fellow frontline workers, the experience of working with marginalized communities, particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS and refugees, are elaborated in this chapter. Current challenges as well as recommendations are highlighted to ensure that the frontline workers and volunteers are supported throughout their vital work towards society.
Political Economy of Anti-Refugee in Turkey and Cyber-Racism
Authors: Cengiz Özge , Cengiz Can
Published: April 2021

In this study, the economic fundamentals of cyber racist rhetoric against the Syrian refugees in Turkey has been examined through the #suriyelilerdefolsun hashtag on Twitter platforms via thematic analysis. According to the findings, state aid, the Syrian refugees as the cause of the economic crisis, and the reaction the “rich” Syrians themes come to forefront. The cause of economic problems in Turkey are linked to the presence of Syrian refugees. The main reasons for the reaction can be listed as: health, food, education and salary assistance of the state for refugees; aid by race characteristics, cheap labor, Syrian employer, tax evasion, unskilled labor, insufficient housing / rent increase, inflaition increase, distinction of needs, and luxury. As a result, it can be said that the young Syrian male population became the target of the reaction in cyber racist discourses.
Achievement, Racial Identity, and Connectedness
Authors: Boston Colette M.
Published: April 2021

Literature suggests African American students' racial identity impacts their feelings of belongingness to the school community as well as academic achievement. Researchers, however, have argued that racial identity impairs or promotes student achievement. This study examined the effects of the individual components of racial identity (centrality, regard, and ideology) and sense of belonging on the academic achievement of 105 African American high school students. Quantitative analysis revealed centrality as the sole predictor of sense of belonging for males and a positive relationship between sense of belonging and centrality and private regard in females. These findings support the significance of positive student-teacher relationships as well as the importance of schools cultivating a culture of acceptance of all students.
A Novel GUI-Based Image Reconstruction Algorithm of EIT Imaging Technique
Authors: Kumar Ramesh , Tripathi Shashank
Published: April 2021

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive technique that is used to estimate the electrical properties of a medical or non-medical object through the boundary data of the object. It used to achieve functional imaging of different objects by measuring electrical conductivity and impedance parameters. In this paper, a novel image reconstruction algorithm is presented, which is based on graphical user interface (GUI) developed on MATLAB software platform. EIT imaging algorithm consists of a forward problem and an inverse problem. The forward problem is formulated with the conductance matrix, and a non-iterative inverse method is used to estimate the conductivity distribution. Image display and data analysis are implemented and controlled directly in the GUI. The numerical simulations and phantom experiments have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm and other previous research data through quantitative parameters. The obtained result shows satisfactory and comparable results to other EIT imaging algorithm.
A Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm-Based Resource Scheduling in Mobile Cloud Computing
Authors: Ramasubbareddy Somula , Swetha Evakattu , Luhach Ashish Kumar , Srinivas T. Aditya Sai
Published: April 2021

Mobile cloud computing is an emerging technology in recent years. This technology reduces battery consumption and execution time by executing mobile applications in remote cloud server. The virtual machine (VM) load balancing among cloudlets in MCC improves the performance of application in terms of response time. Genetic algorithm (GA) is popular for providing optimal solution for load balancing problems. GA can perform well in both homogeneous and heterogeneous environments. In this paper, the authors consider multi-objective genetic algorithm for load balancing in MCC (MOGALMCC) environment. In MOGALMCC, they consider distance, bandwidth, memory, and cloudlet server load to find optimal cloudlet before scheduling VM in another cloudlet. The framework MOGALMCC aims to improve response time as well as minimizes VM failure rate. The experiment result shows that proposed model performed well by reducing execution time and task waiting time at server.
An Artificial Intelligence-Based Smart System for Early Glaucoma Recognition Using OCT Images
Authors: Singh Law Kumar , Pooja  , Garg Hitendra , Khanna Munish
Published: April 2021

Glaucoma is a progressive and constant eye disease that leads to a deficiency of peripheral vision and, at last, leads to irrevocable loss of vision. Detection and identification of glaucoma are essential for earlier treatment and to reduce vision loss. This motivates us to present a study on intelligent diagnosis system based on machine learning algorithm(s) for glaucoma identification using three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. This experimental work is attempted on 70 glaucomatous and 70 healthy eyes from combination of public (Mendeley) dataset and private dataset. Forty-five vital features were extracted using two approaches from the OCT images. K-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), decision tree, random forest, support vector machine (SVM) were applied for the categorization of OCT images among the glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous class. The largest AUC is achieved by KNN (0.97). The accuracy is obtained on fivefold cross-validation techniques. This study will facilitate to reach high standards in glaucoma diagnosis.
An Automatic MR Brain Image Segmentation Method Using a Multitask Quadratic Regularized Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Hua Lei , Xue Jing , Zhou Leyuan
Published: April 2021

In the diagnosis of clinical medicine, medical image processing plays a vital role and has become a hot issue in image processing. Magnetic resonance imaging not only provides convenience for treatment, but also brings help to the rehabilitation of patients. However, there are some unfavorable factors in MRI brain images, such as blurred boundary data, weak anti-noise ability, and so on. The classical fuzzy clustering algorithm has strong advantages, but the improved method is relatively simple, only adjusting the degree of membership or changing the distance algorithm to enhance the clustering effect. Therefore, this paper proposes a new multitask quadratic regularized clustering (MT-QRC) algorithm for MRI brain image segmentation, which improves the single-task clustering performance by transferring relevant knowledge between tasks. The proposed MT-QRC algorithm introduces the spatial information item controlled by the quadratic regularization term to replace the fuzzy index, which reduces the limitation of the fuzzy index in clustering and enhances the parameter flexibility.
The Application of Andragogy for the Advanced Diploma Program in Education at Saudi Arabia's Taif University
Authors: Aljohani Obaidalah H. , Alajlan Sarah M.
Published: April 2021

This study's aim was to explore advanced diploma program students' perceptions about the application and importance of andragogy. The study also investigated if there is a difference, by gender, among the learners' point of view about the application and importance of andragogy to the learning environment. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized. The study population included all learners (n = 1,235) who were studying with Taif University's advanced diploma program in education. The study findings revealed that the importance of the five andragogical assumptions (motivation, experience, need to know, readiness to learn, and self-directedness) for the learners. There were statistically significant differences (α = 0.05), due to gender, among the students' perceptions about the learners' need to know; these differences were seen for both the application and importance of the andragogical principles; the variations favored females. Therefore, teachers should employ learning strategies that encourage self-directed learning among students.
Effects of E-Learning on Girls' Presence and Empowerment to Access Education
Authors: Al-Shaya Hessah , Oyaid Afnan
Published: April 2021

Interaction is a pivotal pedagogical concept enjoying wide-scale attention from contemporary e-learning theorists. This study investigated the effects of e-learning environments on Saudi girls' social presence and empowerment to access education. Using the community of inquiry questionnaire, the authors measured the participants' social presence in e-learning environments and conducted a discussion for their opinions regarding such environments' capacity to promote women's access to education. The study evaluates the data of 35 participants and considers descriptive statistics. The results revealed that the female student participants from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University-affiliated secondary school enjoy high levels of interaction in delivered e-learning environments. Furthermore, there was consensus on such environments' capacity to promote women's empowerment to access education and be open to the surrounding world because of their unlimited potential to overcome time and place limits as well as their benefits in tandem with women's needs and circumstances.
Impact of Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Improving Behavioral Intention to Use E-Learning
Authors: Tawafak Ragad M. , Malik Sohail Iqbal , Alfarsi Ghaliya
Published: April 2021

This comprehensive study reviews the technological impact during the COVID-19 pandemic and elucidates technology usage to technology-enhanced learning which assisted in enhancing the behavioral intention to use technologies among undergraduates. Recently, higher education institutions suffered from the impact of using emerging technologies with electronic learning during the COVID-19 pandemic for improving student academic performance in a higher educational institution. The main purpose of this study is to determine the impact of technology-enhanced learning that allows the students to use emerging technologies and software to develop their skills and improve their academic performance. The method should influence critical instructions in the way of online learning through the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that the unique features of TEL spur and encourage the behavioral intention to use e-learning. Additionally, social learning, perceived deterrents, and internal controls contribute to behaviors.
Our Experiences With Neurovascular Intervention at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Mumbai 1976-1996
Authors: Karapurkar Anil Pandurang
Published: April 2021

The Department of Neurosurgery at KEM Hospital, Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai, was founded by Dr H. M. Dastur in 1956. The department from its inception performed all diagnostic Neuro-Radiological procedures, angiography, ventriculography, pneumo-encephalography, and myelography. In 1976 transfemoral cerebral angiography was started by Dr S K Pandya. In 1978 he started performing interventional procedures. In 1980, Dr Anil Karapurkar went for training in Neuro-Intervention to Nancy, France, under Prof. Luc Picard. Thereafter all neurointerventions, cranial, and spinal, were performed routinely.
Sleep and Covid-19
Authors: Datta Karuna , Tripathi Manjari
Published: April 2021

Background:

COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world globally causing widespread repercussions on individuals' physical, mental and emotional well-being. In such times, sleep is likely to be affected.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to present the available literature on sleep and also the foresight as to the future national strategy to mitigate the effects of this pandemic.

Materials and Methods:

An extensive literature search on PubMed, Google Scholar, Epistemonikos database (https://www.epistemonikos.org), PsycINFO for available literature on the prevalence of sleep problem on COVID-19 was done. Cross-citation search was also conducted to increase relevance of the review. The key words used were- (((((((((((insomnia)) OR (sleep)) OR (sleepiness)) OR (“sleep quality”)) OR (OSA)) OR (“obstructive sleep apnoea”)) OR (“obstructive sleep apnea”)) OR ((“sleep problem”)) AND “covid-19” OR covid19* OR “COVID-19” OR “2019-nCoV” OR cv19* OR “cv-19” OR “cv 19” OR “n-cov” OR ncov* OR “sars-cov-2” OR “sars-cov2” OR “2019-ncov” OR “SARS-Coronavirus-2” OR “SARS-Coronavirus2” OR (wuhan* AND (virus OR viruses OR viral)) OR (covid* AND (virus OR viruses OR viral)) OR “covid-19-related” OR “SARS-CoV-2-related” OR “SARS-CoV2-related” OR “2019-nCoV-related” OR “cv-19-related” OR “n-cov-related”). Inclusion criteria consisted of articles in English, published from Jan 2020 till 19 Apr 2020. Two reviewers independently screened each research study for inclusion and eligibility.

Results and Conclusion:

Sleep is affected during COVID-19 pandemic in patients, their families, health-care workers and their families, population in isolation, and quarantine and as such in public. Limited literature exists with subjective data and no objective criteria were found to study sleep in COVID-19 pandemic. OSA was found to be a frequent baseline characteristic of COVID-19 patients. A need to follow guidelines is of paramount importance and strategies to better sleep in the population needs to be addressed.
Congenital Mobile Atlantoaxial Dislocation with Cervicomedullary Astrocytoma in Pediatric Patient
Authors: Singh Ajay Kumar , Sheikh Adiba I , Pandey Tarun Kumar , Chabbra Devender Kumar
Published: April 2021

Congenital mobile atlantoaxial dislocation with cervicomedullary astrocytoma has never been described. We present a case of a 7-year-old male child who presented to us with gradually progressive spastic quadriparesis following a fall from table. His lateral radiograph and magnetic resonance images showed mobile atlantoaxial dislocation with intramedullary heterogeneously enhancing cervicomedullary mass. The patient underwent suboccipital craniectomy with C1–4 laminectomy. Tumor was pinkish grey, tenacious with ill-defined plane and cyst at poles. C1–C2 fusion was done using C1 lateral mass and C2 pars screw and rod system with onlay bone graft. Histopathology revealed pilocytic astrocytoma. At the time of discharge, the patient showed improvement in spasticity. Postoperative lateral radiograph showed reduced atlantoaxial dislocation with stable construct.
A 270-Degree Decompression of Optic Nerve in Refractory Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Using an Ultrasonic Aspirator - A Prospective Institutional Study
Authors: Wadikhaye Rohit , Alugolu Rajesh , Mudumba Vijaya Saradhi
Published: April 2021

Background:

Although the nonsurgical treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) involves weight loss, diuretics, and steroids, surgical intervention is required if there is a worsening of symptoms or visual deterioration.

Objective:

To determine the efficacy and complications of transcranial optic nerve sheath fenestration (ONSF) using an ultrasonic aspirator as an adjunct in the treatment of refractory IIH.

Material and Methods:

This prospective study included all patients with medically refractory IIH with visual deterioration from November 2017 to June 2019. Pterional craniotomy was followed by extradural clinoidectomy and optic foramen bony decompression using an ultrasonic aspirator. All the cases were followed up for changes in visual acuity and field and surgical outcomes.

Results:

A total of 21 consecutive patients who underwent ONSF in the study period were included for analysis. Improvement in visual acuity was noted in 19/21 (90.47%) patients. Improvement in visual fields was noted in 17/21 (80.95%). Headache improved in 66.67% of patients. Improvement in the fundus picture was noted in 90.47%. Symptoms < 6 months showed better results compared to > 6 months symptom, although statistically nonsignificant (P = 0.2556). A 270-degree optic canal decompression was achieved in all the cases.

Conclusion:

Transcranial optic nerve sheath decompression with a bone ultrasonic aspirator is a safe and direct decompression of the optic nerve in malignant/refractory cases of IIH.
Clinico-Epidemiological Profile, Etiology, and Imaging in Neonatal Stroke
Authors: Mukherjee Devdeep , Kalita Dolly , Das Dipankar , Kumar Tarun , Kundu Ritabrata
Published: April 2021

Aim:

The aim of this study was to assess the clinico-epidemiological profile, etiology, and imaging findings in neonatal stroke (NS).

Materials and Methods:

This was a retrospective, observational study on neonates presenting with stroke between August 2014 and July 2016 to a tertiary care hospital in eastern India.

Results:

In all, 43 neonates were analyzed, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.3:1. About 88% babies were born at term and the rest were preterm. In 37%, the etiology of stroke was related to hypoxic injury, 21% had sepsis, and 35% had idiopathic causes. Seizures were the most common mode of presentation (62%) followed by poor feeding, abnormal tone, recurrent apnea, encephalopathy, and hemiparesis. There was an almost equal prevalence of ischemic stroke (53%) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Middle cerebral artery territory was the primary site of involvement in arterial ischemic stroke, and intra ventricular hemorrhage was the most common presentation of HS.

Conclusion:

NS is an acute emergency with high morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging helps in diagnosis and prognostication in the absence or paucity of focal neurological signs in neonates.
Diagnosing Stroke in Acute Vertigo
Authors: Sankalia Dushyant , Kothari Sudhir , Phalgune Deepak S
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

Most patients presenting with acute vertigo are believed to suffer from acute, self-limited, presumed viral or post-viral vestibular neuritis (VN). But 25% of such cases can be “Pseudo VN”, and are due to central causes, most often stroke. The aim of the present research was to study the sensitivity and specificity of Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Skew deviation (HINTS) battery for diagnosis of stroke in patients with acute-onset first episode of spontaneous vertigo.

Materials and Methods:

Seventy-five patients who visited outpatient department or admitted between August 2014 and April 2016 with acute-onset first episode of spontaneous vertigo were included. Each patient was subjected to bedside oculomotor tests and HINTS. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Stroke was diagnosed by MRI brain. If initial MRI brain was normal and still clinical signs favor stroke, repeat MRI brain-diffusion-weighted imaging study was done at 72 h after symptom onset to confirm the diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and Youden's Index were used to quantify the diagnostic efficiency of HINTS at presentation against final MRI.

Results:

Patients presented with acute-onset first episode of spontaneous vertigo, HINTS battery was found to be more sensitive than the initial MRI of the brain done in first 24 h in diagnosing stroke (97.1 % Vs 82.9%). The specificity of the initial MRI of the brain and HINTS battery was 100.0 % and 80.0% respectively.

Conclusions:

The HINTS battery was more sensitive than the initial MRI of the brain in diagnosing stroke in first 24 h in patients presented with acute-onset first episode of spontaneous vertigo.
Endovascular Treatment of a Primary Extracranial Vertebral Artery Aneurysm Causing Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Wang Yabing , Jiao Liqun
Published: April 2021

Background and Aims:

Extracranial vertebral artery aneurysms are a rare cause of embolic stroke; various surgical and endovascular treatment options are available.

Methods:

We report a 44-year-old man with a symptomatic proximal extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm of unclear etiology. The patient presented with brainstem infarction, and the diagnosis of primary extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm was made by computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Results:

This patient's aneurysm was definitively treated using an endovascular approach with placement of a covered stent in the right proximal vertebral artery.

Conclusion:

Although aneurysms of this location are traditionally repaired with open aneurysmectomy, we show that endovascular treatment can be a safe and effective alternative approach. In the case reported here, primary extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm presenting with embolic stroke was successfully treated with a covered stent. Complete exclusion of the aneurysm from blood circulation is advisable to achieve full resolution of the embolic source.
Preliminary Study of hsa-mir-626 Change in the Cerebrospinal Fluid in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Qin Li-Xia , Tan Jie-Qiong , Zhang Hai-Nan , Tang Jian-Guang , Jiang Bo , Shen Xiang-Min , Guo Ji-Feng , Tan Li-Ming , Tang Beisha , Wang Chun-Yu
Published: April 2021

Context:

A host of microRNAs have been reported to suppress tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis and play roles in neurodegeneration disorders. Moreover, microRNA changes are found in the peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissues of central nervous system diseases, including glioma, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis, and depression. Compared with other body fluids, CSF can reflect the brain pathological processes more accurately.

Aims:

To understand whether microRNA expression may be misregulated in patients with PD, and further discover potential diagnostic biomarkers and promising therapeutic targets for PD.

Materials and Methods:

Here, through real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we compared CSF microRNA from 15 PD patients, 11 AD patients, and 16 controls with other neurologic disorders, such as encephalitis and Guillain–Barre syndrome.

Results:

Finally, we identified hsa-miR-626 changes in the CSF of PD patients. The mean expression level of hsa-miR-626 was significantly reduced in the CSF of PD patients compared with AD patients and controls.

Conclusions:

Our approach provides a preliminary research for identifying biomarkers in the CSF that could be used for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of PD.
Clinical Profile and Outcome of Guillain–Barre Syndrome in Pediatric Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Centre
Authors: Rangan Ramya Srinivasa , Tullu Milind S , Deshmukh Chandrahas T , Mondkar Shruti A , Agrawal Mukesh
Published: April 2021

Aims and Objectives:

To study clinical profile and outcome in Pediatric Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Materials and Methods:

Retrospective study of 30 patients (age 1 month to 12 years) admitted with GBS enrolled over a period of 2 years (August 2016-July 2018) from Department of Pediatrics of tertiary centre.

Results:

Mean age was 5.4 years (21 males; 9 females). Most common presenting complaints- symmetrical lower limb weakness (26 cases; 86.67% cases), respiratory complaints (6 cases; 20% cases), quadriparesis (4 cases; 13.33% cases) and facial palsy (2 cases; 6.67%). Antecedent illnesses- gastrointestinal (6 cases) and respiratory (3 cases). Two patients had varicella (in preceding one week) and one had mumps (one month prior to presentation). MRI-spine done in 12 patients; of whom 9 had features of GBS (thickening and contrast enhancement of the intrathecal and cauda equina nerve roots on T1 weighted MRI). Nerve conduction studies done in 16 patients, of which Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy was seen in 10 cases. Intravenous immunoglobulin was given to 27 patients while 3 received methylprednisolone in addition. 90% patients receiving IVIG showed improvement. Sixteen patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and 7 required mechanical ventilation. Average hospital stay was 13 days. Two patients had recurrent episodes. Common complications included- pneumonia (6 cases; 2 aspiration and 4 ventilator associated) and autonomic disturbances (6 cases). Two patients died due to autonomic disturbances and presence of autonomic disturbances predicted higher mortality (P = 0.034).

Conclusions:

Gastrointestinal illness was common antecedent illness for GBS. Symmetrical lower limb weakness was commonest complaint. Pneumonia and autonomic disturbances were commonest complications. Presence of autonomic disturbances predicted higher mortality.
Turning a New Chapter in Neurosurgery Outpatient Services
Authors: Raheja Amol , Manjunath Niveditha , Garg Kanwaljeet , Tandon Vivek , Gupta Vivek , Mishra Shashwat , Ather Sameer , Suri Ashish , Chandra P. Sarat , Singh Manmohan , Shariff Ahamadulla , Kale Shashank S
Published: April 2021

Background:

Teleconsultation services in India, especially in neurosurgery, are relatively new. Despite its large-scale adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, comprehensive analyses of patients' perspectives and hurdles are lacking.

Materials and Methods:

We conducted an anonymized telephonic survey of consecutive neurosurgical patients who availed telemedicine services at our institute, using a validated, structured questionnaire. To prevent bias, interviewers were not involved in the study design/analyses. Patients' perception of usefulness and performance of teleconsultation was graded on a 5-point Likert scale.

Results:

Of the 330 patients who availed teleconsultation services, 231 (70%) completed the survey. Even though 91% of the respondents had access to a smartphone, only 10% received a video-based teleconsult. As per respondents, the challenges included poor network (7%), suboptimal communication/discussion (5.6%), lack of physical examination (6%), and misinterpretation of prescription by pharmacists/patients (6%). The majority of the respondents (58%) either agreed/strongly agreed that teleconsultation helped them tide over the medical exigency during the lockdown; however, the clinical diagnosis did not influence this response (P = 0.21). The vast majority of the respondents felt that teleconsultation is beneficial (97%), as it minimizes their exposure to COVID-19. One-third of the patients preferred this service over physical visits and 60% agreed to its continuation till resumption of routine care. Access to video-teleconsultation was the chief suggestion in 39 of 74 suggestions received.

Conclusions:

Telemedicine in neurosurgery offers favorable patient satisfaction during this pandemic and may be a satisfactory alternative to physical outpatient services in the future. Video-based teleconsults should be the preferred modality of communication for neurosurgery patients.