bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fast-Paced Technology Evolution Faced by Operators With the Needs Emerging From Work Model Changes and General Information Access for Customers
Authors: Silva Carlos , Sousa Joana Coutinho , Ponte Nuno Cid , Martins Nuno , Felizardo Nuno Miguel , Ferreira João Miguel
Published: July 2022

This chapter presents insights about how NOS Inovação has reshaped their teams to get a more horizontal and holistic overview about their services (from development to operations) and how this change has positively impacted the development of new services targeting internet personalisation. Furthermore, this chapter also describes the NOS vision about Industry 5.0, where digital transition is a key enabler and presents a critical role in the future.
Augmented Reality as an Efficient Marketing Strategy in a New Consumption Model During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ruiz Gerardo Reyes
Published: July 2022

The technology known as augmented reality (AR) adds virtual elements to a real physical environment observed through a screen of a mobile device. This innovative and relatively new technology can be used and adapted to other applications that in turn generate new consumption habits. The main objective of these applications is to surprise the consumer and get their full attention and interest. In other words, an AR-based consumer environment will, first of all, arouse the customer's desire to purchase and, subsequently, will motivate him to own a product that he has already viewed through an application, generally through a mobile device with access to internet, new and innovative as AR is. This new approach to consumption allows innovative and efficient marketing strategies because it depends on the way a product or service is displayed beyond the traditional forms such as a window display in a store, a commercial on television, a catalog with images 2D or the box that contains the product.
Estimating the Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of the Tourism Sector
Authors: Hassan Viana Imad , Bellos Georges
Published: July 2022

The tourism sector is a wide-ranging industry that provides myriad job opportunities worldwide, especially for countries whose economies depends on tourism, like Greece, Spain, and Lebanon. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected this sector. To better understand the post-COVID-19 situation on tourism, the research is mainly based on different sources (articles, papers, reports, and statistics based on the UNWTO, WTO, WHO, etc.) collected through secondary and primary data interpretation. The methodology has been adapted accordingly to collect data from expert interviews and semi-structured surveys following Saunders et al. As a result, this study aims to gather information about the post-COVID-19 impact on the tourism sector through exploring sustainable tourism as one of the solutions for the speedy recovery of the industry in terms of recovery. The main findings presented in this research have shown that domestic tourism will be more sustainable until international tourism gets back on its feet.
Perspective for a Digital Teaching Method
Authors: Pego Ana
Published: July 2022

Currently, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the various sectors of the economy faces the challenge of improving specialization and competitiveness; it also promotes the ability to deal with decision-making processes in education and the possibility of “trying out” new ways of being with others in school. The aim of the chapter is to investigate how teachers deal with the new forms of teaching methodology based on online teaching during the era of COVID-19 in secondary schools in the Algarve region, based on the following research question: What are teachers' perceptions regarding the impact of the use of digital technologies and platforms on students? To test the research question, an electronic questionnaire was sent to teachers in randomly selected schools in the Algarve region between July 1 and July 15, 2020. The results show that, according to teachers' perceptions, some students were willing to use new digital methods to allow more networking, and on the other hand, other students had difficulties in learning and applying knowledge.
The Circular Agriculture Products During COVID-19
Authors: Pego Ana
Published: July 2022

The agricultural sector was one of the most important sectors in the economy during COVID-19. The potential of agriculture and the needs of consumers were the main factors in changing the way agriculture supplied the market. Circular products in agriculture were important due to the fact that consumer needs changed during COVID-19. This chapter shows which products have been more important to consumers and how the market has changed to improve the strategy in this sector. Therefore, the perspective of producers to supply the market is the main point of this chapter, as it shows that there is an adjustment in the type of products and services, and therefore, this research will help to understand the circular economy in the agricultural sector during COVID-19.
Political Advertising in Egypt
Authors: Güven Toker Nurdan
Published: July 2022

This study takes Egypt as a case to understand the dynamics of political advertising in competitive authoritarian regimes. The sample universe of the study was formed from the political advertisements published in the last two years on the official Facebook accounts of President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi and the Nation's Future Party he supports. Advertisements were examined in the axis of 12 criteria determined in the axis of sociological analysis methodology. During the examination process, critical theory, which examines the dynamics of authoritarian systems, was also utilized. In the study, it is argued that political advertisements in Egypt are designed in a way that can establish both consent and coercion.
TV Commercial Space in the UAE
Authors: Zdravkovska Suzana Dzamtoska , Haque Sabir
Published: July 2022

A thriving media ecosystem today requires a vibrant content production ecosystem. The MENA region today boasts several established and emerging media ecosystems. Key criteria essential for establishing a healthy media production workflow are location, production, infrastructure and support, incentives and investment returns, city infrastructure and safety, as well as access to talent. This chapter aims to establish UAE as a hotspot for film and TV production, making it a regional hub for television advertising production. The study includes the new framework of UAE media strategy, looking close into the media regulations which have revolutionized the media-free zones in all the emirates of the UAE. The research approach is of an exploratory and descriptive nature involving a problem-centered interview (PCI) that offers a structured interview procedure investigating individual perspectives on the UAE film and TV advertising industry.
Political Advertising in Australia
Authors: Toker Mehmet Cihan
Published: July 2022

Settled at the crossroads of politics and advertising, political advertising has an idiosyncratic nature that makes it both an embraced and criticized phenomenon. On the one hand, it is considered an integral part of democracies because it enables voters to make their political choices more consciously; on the other hand, it is thought that voters gradually lose their faith in the political process and in politicians, especially due to negative advertising in political campaigns. This chapter aims to explain the paradoxical character of political advertising in the context of Australia. In this route, firstly, Australia's historical development and political and socio-cultural structure are examined. Then, legislative regulation of political advertising in Australia is examined in the context of compatibility with democratic ideals. Lastly, political advertisements featured by the Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party of Australia towards the 2022 federal elections are examined through quantitative content analysis.
Examining Systems to Eradicate Barriers for Female Leaders in Higher Education
Authors: Butcher Jennifer T.
Published: July 2022

Researchers agree that addressing the issue of inequality and women in leadership roles is detrimental to the professional development of organizations and affects young girls' perceptions of their potential. The presence of positive role models is critical across all fields. At institutions of higher education, women in leadership roles serve as role models for future generations of female academic leaders. However, they have been unable to advance beyond a particular level due to the glass ceiling. This chapter entails modes of eliminating the glass ceiling with mentoring and job satisfaction.
Know Thyself
Authors: El-Amin Abeni
Published: July 2022

This chapter discusses the social justice implications of moral instructional practice, according to bell hooks. Also identified are the practical uses of educational leadership in classroom instruction utilizing transgression of the status quo. It is incumbent for educational practitioners to maintain healthy and ethical relationships with their students. As a result, an educator's moral practice is analyzed through the various ethical theories of the common good, social justice, liberation practice, essentialism, feminism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. From a deontological perspective and as a result of liberation practice, relativism and moral instruction is the way forward to ensure the greater good. Notwithstanding, the field of education must transform to embrace heightened awareness and respect for individuality, equity, and justice. This chapter will utilize the example of Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune to demonstrate practical applications for transformative leadership in higher education.
Power in the Pause
Authors: Parrott Kimberly D.
Published: July 2022

There is an exploration of experiences that some African American women have encountered while in higher education professions. African American women are often subjected to microaggressions, unfair treatment, and marginalized conduct by their peers. In addition, African American women in academia face the lack of mentorship and acceptance from other African American women for a variety of reasons. This chapter explores some of the challenges African American women in academia face and how mentorship can help them significantly.
A Method for the Reconstruction of Myocardial Fiber Structure in Diffusivity Adaptive Imaging Based on Particle Filter
Authors: Yin Jun , Gao Xuan , Wu Min , Liang Yan
Published: July 2022

In order to explore the cause of characteristic change and pathological variation of myocardial fiber structure, the posterior probability distribution of fiber direction was described. To solve the problems of low computational efficiency and slow convergence of traditional particle filter, an adaptive particle filter myocardial fiber reconstruction algorithm based on diffusion anisotropy is proposed. This algorithm dynamically adjusts the number of particles and the disturbance intensity at the prediction stage according to the diffusion anisotropy values at different body elements. While ensuring the quality of state estimation, the computational complexity of the algorithm is reduced and the operating efficiency of the system is significantly improved. The experimental results show that the proposed method has strong anti-noise ability. While improving the accuracy of fiber reconstruction, the computational cost of the system decreases by 50%, which significantly improves the efficiency of the system. The proposed algorithm is good over traditional PF and STL approaches.
Research on an Interactive Question Answering System of Artificial Intelligence Customer Service Based on Word2Vec
Authors: Zhang Jiong , Zheng ChunGuang , Yang Jing , Usama Mohammad
Published: July 2022

In order to reduce the labor cost pressure of telecom operators' customer service and improve the service quality, the natural language analysis technology based on artificial intelligence technology will realize the automatic question and answer customer service.This paper proposes to obtain word vectors based on Word2vec model. By comparing the word vectors under different training model parameters, the results show that the low-frequency word threshold plays a better role in controlling the number of the final trained word vectors. The training results of SKIP-GRAM model are better than that of CBOW and the word list is more regular. Under the condition of making full use of the existing customer service knowledge resources, the new system will realize the goal of innovating service means, expanding customer service channels, diverting customer service pressure and improving service efficiency.
Feature Selection Using Elephant Herd Principal Component Optimization Technique in Big Data Streams Using Internet of Things
Authors: N. Gayathri Devi , K. Manikandan
Published: July 2022

In this digital world, large volume of data is transmitted across various sectors like production industry, healthcare, IoT devices, sales, and other organizations. In this paper, an Elephant Herd Principal Component Optimization (EHPCO) technique is used as a feature selection model to analyse the features of the data that are collected from the IoT devices. The improved perturbation technique is used the privacy preserving of data streams from the IoT devices. The machine learning classifiers are used to analyse its performance based on the proposed feature selection technique. Experimental results show that the proposed HPCO technique outperforms to improve the performance of the machine learning classifiers in terms of TPR, FPR, and accuracy. The DBN classifier obtains more than 86% of accuracy when compared with other algorithms like SVM, MLP, DT, and RF. When the certain features are extracted using the proposed EHPCO technique, the performance of the classifier is improved much in terms of accuracy. The analysis is made for four datasets such as, HPMD, FRDD, EZSD, and SSTD.
An Examination of the Influences of Habit, Compatibility, and Experience on the Continued Use of Short-Form Video-Sharing Services
Authors: Ambalov Igor Alexander
Published: July 2022

Short-form video-sharing services (SVSs) have rapidly grown in popularity in the recent years. Some evidence suggests that because users can quickly and easily create and consume on-demand content, SVSs are addictive, and they appeal to a wide audience. The literature describing this phenomenon is scant. In order to fill this gap, this study examines the roles of habit and compatibility on SVS continuance intention and the interaction of these relationships with user experience, using TikTok as a context. To this goal, data collected from 157 university-student TikTok users are analyzed using structural equation modeling to determine whether these factors shape their continuance decisions. The findings show that habit and compatibility positively affect continuance intention, while experience does not. The paper offers practical steps to increase continuance intention of current users. This study enhances SVS research by confirming that habit and compatibility are important influences on continuance usage decisions.
The Effect of Imbalanced Classes on Students' Academic Performance Prediction
Authors: El-Deeb Osama Mohammed , Elbadawy Walid , Elzanfaly Doaa Saad
Published: July 2022

Imbalanced classes in data mining have more challenges in the educational data mining field. This is because most of the datasets collected from educational records are imbalanced by nature. Some classes dominate others and cause bias predictions. This paper studies the effects of the imbalanced classes on the performance of seven different classifiers, which are J48, Random Forest, k-Nearest Neighbors, Naïve Bayes, Random Tree, SVM, and Linear Regression. Moreover, the effectiveness of the SMOTE technique for handling imbalanced data is evaluated against these classifiers. This will be done through the proposal of an early predictive model that predicts student’s academic performance and recommends their appropriate department in a multi-disciplinary institute. According to our results, the Random Forest technique is the best and has the highest level of accuracy is 94.585%.
Evaluating Students Satisfaction in Online Postgraduate Courses Through a Fuzzy Linguistic Approach
Authors: Zulueta-Veliz Yeleny , Estrada-Velazco Aylin , Tabares-Leon Yoisbel
Published: July 2022

Student satisfaction provides a students' perception of their educational experiences in an educational setting. As online learning is growing, institutions and instructors have become more interested in knowing what factors influence students' satisfaction in online learning setting. This study presents a novel approach for evaluating students' satisfaction in online postgraduate courses through a fuzzy linguistic approach for computing with words which addresses. Our approach models the students' satisfaction as a linguistic variable which reflects the perceptual nature of this concept; it models the satisfaction evaluation as a linguistic multi-attribute decision-making problem; it gathers perceptions of students according to 14 attributes for 18 online courses; it offers a methodological framework based on the 2-tuple linguistic model for computing with words through which performs a linguistic multi-step incremental aggregation process that outputs at each step partial or global self-contained and informative results expressed in a common linguistic domain.
Gamification in Academia
Authors: Kratochvíl Tomáš , Vaculík Martin , Procházka Jakub , Hamari Juho
Published: July 2022

Gamification is increasingly applied in contexts where personal performance is of importance. However, the psychological nature of their relation has not been thoroughly examined. The authors investigated how achievement-based gamification impacts attitudinal engagement and performance across 6 university courses. The authors created challenges and badges connected to coursework and measured students’ engagement and performance while gamifying the course in 1 year of the 2-year quasi-experiment. In the other year, the authors examined engagement, performance, and would-be-attained achievements were the course gamified. Results show students performed moderately better in gamified condition. Moreover, badges had a guiding effect on students as badge-awarding actions were carried out more in gamified courses. Importantly, the authors found a small mediation effect of engagement in gamification-performance relation. The authors thus conclude badges may be a useful method when gamifying academic performance and that work attitudes are a useful framework to further examine the relation.
Expert Review of the Land Registration Framework in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Altamimi Manar , Wills Gary , Al Hashimy Nawfal
Published: July 2022

The aim of this article is to present a framework of the influencing factors in the land registration system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The framework is mainly developed to enhance the stockholders’ trust in purchasing properties. This framework is developed by reviewing the challenges in the land registration systems and identifying the factors that capture from socio-technical elements derived from the literature, interview with investors, and then validated by an expert review. The study applies a qualitative methodology that involves semi-structured interviews, and a thematic method to analysis the collected data to pursue the intended aim. The article suggests a social trust framework for the land registration system which enhances the trust in the provided information by mitigating the challenges in the current system. The findings also indicate that appropriate use of technology such as smart contracts and blockchain would reach the aim of the study.
Behavioral Inhibition as an Antecedent to Multi-Dimensional Attitudes Towards Surveillance Technology
Authors: Bajaj Akhilesh , Laknaoui Warda
Published: July 2022

In this work, we explore a structural equation model that operationalizes surveillance along three dimensions: the affective attitude towards surveillance, the cognitive attitude towards surveillance as a safety provider and the experiential aspect of surveillance as interfering with daily life. We also look at privacy concerns as a dependent variable to see if the privacy paradox applies, where individuals express concerns over privacy but still voluntarily give up large amounts of personal information. We find a positive influence of a subset of behavioral inhibition indicators as antecedents to the affective and cognitive aspects of attitudes towards surveillance. We also find that the privacy paradox, where privacy concerns are “exaggerated” with respect to actual attitudes and behavioral intent hold true. Finally, we find education is a significant precursor to the cognitive attitude towards surveillance, while the amount of time lived in the USA (geography) influences how much interference in day-to-day activities is perceived as a result of cam and internet surveillance.
A Review of Critical Studies on National ICT Policy in the Context of Africa
Authors: Makoza Frank
Published: July 2022

This paper presents a review of critical studies on ICT policies in the context of Africa to understand their contribution in highlighting, often taken for granted issues, in the application and use of ICT to address poverty and exclusion in society. Using narrative literature review, the findings confirm the paucity of critical studies on ICT policies in Africa. Theory of Communicative Action (TCA) was mostly used in the sampled literature to interrogate hidden assumptions and power issues related to ICT policies. The study proposes the use of African centric critique of ICT policy issues to understand ICT policy challenges and address the realities of the context of Africa. The paper suggests possible areas for further research to stimulate debate on improving ICT policies in Africa and address conditions that limit African countries to flourish when using ICTs.
Use and Reuse of Collaboration and Communication Technologies in Projects
Authors: Tabatabaei Manouchehr
Published: July 2022

Use of technology and more recently reuse of technology have received a great deal of attention in Information Technology research. However, students’ use and reuse of technology have received little attention. The purpose of this research is to examine if students working in a team will use the same technology with which they have experience and reuse it again. Also, the purpose of this research is to examine the reasons for reusing technology. The Technology Continuance Theory (Liao et al., 2009) is used in this research as an explanatory theory for the reuse of collaboration and communication technologies in teamwork. The findings support experience with a technology as the main driver of reuse of the same technology. The findings also suggest perception of technology usefulness as the main reasons for reuse.
Career Development of Project Management Professionals
Authors: Carden Lila Lenora
Published: July 2022

The focus of this research is the perception of project management professionals as it relates to behaviors and attitudes for career opportunities that yield extrinsic rewards, including salaries. Career development activities, signaling theory, expectancy theory, and pay transparency are used as theoretical frameworks to examine how country, job position, team size, and PMP certification status impact salaries. I use preexisting salary survey data from 42 countries to show that organizations and individuals may need to consider the signals and expectations they make concerning rewards and the impacts to career development on individual expectations and organizational performance. I further suggest that the use of signaling theory and expectancy theory will support multinational organizations that engage in pay transparency practices.
Effects of Maker Education Integrating ARCS on Learners' Performance, Motivation, Self-Efficacy
Authors: Hwang Jan-Pan , Chang Mei-Yao
Published: July 2022

Maker movement has become very popular in recent years. It is a process of continuous experimentation, integration, and thinking of a series of practical skills and creative ideas. The application of maker in education can be called Maker Education. In the learning process of maker education, if learners have the ability to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge, this process will be more effective. On the other hand, some scholars pointed out that the Maker movement is a trial-and-error cycle and requires multiple capabilities such as reflection, feedback, communication, and coordination. However, most learners are lack these abilities, and they also prone to frustration and learned helplessness in the learning process, especially learners with low and medium learning achievements.
Structural Relationship Between Environmental Uncertainty, Organizational Agility, and Business Performance in SMMEs
Authors: Jo Donghyuk , Seo Yong-Sun
Published: July 2022

Despite that small and medium-sized manufacturing firms have been playing a role to promote economic growth and development in national industries, the management activities of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms are restricted by numerous internal and external environmental factors and are facing diverse challenges. Therefore, this study empirically verified the structural relationships among environmental uncertainty, organizational agility, and business performance recognized by small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. According to the results of this study, it can be said to be important to identify the characteristics of the uncertain management environment and secure and strengthen agile organizational capabilities to respond to the foregoing in order to secure competitive advantages and achieve sustainable growth of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in the rapidly changing business environment.
Factors Influencing Behavioural Intention to Adopt the E-AgriFinance App Among Farmers
Authors: Omar Quistina , Yap Ching Seng , Myint Khin Than , Ho Poh Ling , Keling William
Published: July 2022

This study examines the factors influencing behavioral intention of farmers to adopt a mobile agricultural finance application called e-AgriFinance. This study develops the conceptual framework from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and technology readiness. Via a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 278 farmers who are producing the three major crops, namely oil palm, rubber, and cocoa in Sarawak, Malaysia. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique with R plspm package was employed to analyze the data. The research revealed that the motivator dimension of technology readiness affects all the four UTAUT factors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions but the inhibitor dimension negatively affects only two factors: performance expectancy and social influence. Besides, all the four UTAUT factors are found to be positively related to farmers’ behavioral intention to adopt the e-AgriFinance app, with social influence being the relatively strongest factor.
Antihyperglycemic and hepatoprotective effects of Salvia tebesana Bunge in diabetic rats
Authors: Aramjoo Hamed , Kiani Zahra , Eghbali Samira
Published: July 2022

Background and purpose:

Medicinal plants have been used to cure numerous diseases compared to orthodox medicines. The present study estimated the antidiabetic activity of ethanolic extract of Salvia tebesana Bunge in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Experimental approach:

In this study type 2 diabetes was induced in male rats by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg, i.p.). After diabetes induction, normal control groups were treated with distilled water, the positive control group received metformin (500 mg/kg), and the other groups were orally treated with ethanolic extracts of S. tebesana (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Changes in body weight and some biochemical parameters were determined.

Findings / Results:

The ethanolic extract of S. tebesana in all doses considerably declined serum glucose, total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and triglyceride compared with the diabetic control rats. Administration of ethanolic extract of S. tebesana reduced the serum of kidney and liver function factors and decreased the side effects on the function of these.

Conclusion and implications:

These results revealed the potential of S. tebesana for the cure of diabetes and its problems.
Foveal avascular zone changes in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: ElSadek Tasneem M.M. , Salman Abdelrahman G. , Said Azza M.A. , Elsherif Nayera H.K. , Saleh Mohamed I.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To study the morphological changes in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in children diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) via the optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Patients and methods

This was a prospective case–control study that was done in a tertiary hospital. A total of 15 children with SCD (confirmed with electrophoresis) and 15 matched healthy children were included. Ophthalmological assessment was done. RTVue XR Avanti was employed to obtain 6×6 macular OCTA scans. Foveal parameters including FAZ area (mm2), perimeter (mm) (PERIM), acircularity index (AI), and foveal density were analyzed. Pediatric assessment including the disease variant, sickling crisis, and current treatment was done.

Results

A total of 15 eyes of 15 children with SCD and 15 eyes of healthy children were included. Six eyes showed stage 1 retinopathy. Children with SCD had wider FAZ area (P=0.001) with larger PERIM (P=0.00) and higher AI (P=0.030) in comparison with the control children. No significant changes in the FAZ parameters between patients with SCD with stage 1 retinopathy and patients without retinopathy were found.

Conclusion

Children with SCD have a wide FAZ area with large PERIM and high AI in comparison with normal controls. OCTA macular changes might be an early predictor of sickle cell retinopathy. Further follow-up studies are recommended to understand the effect of early macular changes on the future development of retinopathy.
18F-FDG 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Cortical Reorganization in Spinal Trauma
Authors: Chopra Jigyasa , D’souza Maria M , Jaimini Abhinav , Sharma Rajnish , Saw Sanjiv , Pandey Santosh , Solanki Yachna
Published: July 2022

Objective:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) extensively impacts the sensorimotor reorganization in the brain. The effects can be both anatomical and functional. To date, not many studies using 18F-Fluoro-2-Deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) to evaluate metabolic changes in the brain are done. Understanding such changes is crucial for developing clinical management and evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for these patients.

Subjects and Methods:

In this study, we compared 18F-FDG PET imaging of 6 SCI patients with complete paraplegia and 19 controls. Statistical parametric mapping software was utilized to compare the images on a voxel to voxel basis (significance level P < 0.05 and clusters having >50 voxels).

Results:

The study showed raised metabolism in supplementary motor areas, comprehension centers, some areas in the parietal and temporal lobe, putamen and cerebellum while reduced metabolic uptake in areas like anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus and sensory cortical areas when SCI patients were compared against healthy controls. The frontal lobe showed varied results where certain regions showed higher metabolism while the others showed lower in patients compared with controls.

Conclusion:

Cerebral deafferentation or disuse atrophy can be linked with reduced metabolism while raised uptake can be associated with initiation and planning of movement and cognitive changes in the brain posttrauma.
An Unusual Presentation of Supraglottic Low-Grade B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma with Tracheostomal Myiasis
Authors: Mehta Rupa , Sasanka Krishna KSBS , Ravina Mudalsha , Nagarkar Nitin M
Published: July 2022

60-year-old male patient presented with dysphagia and a change in voice for eight months. It was established after Direct laryngoscopy surgery and biopsy, that it was a low-grade B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The primary lesion is resolved with Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisolone regimen. Four months later, patient presented with a discharge and maggots at the tracheostomy site. Ifosfamide, Etoposide, Carboplatin was started after a secondary recurrence of disease progression. Hereby we infer this is an unusual case presentation, myiasis with lymphoma recurrence and tough exacting to the otolaryngologist as there are more chances of misdiagnosing as squamous cell carcinoma..
Incidentally Detected Subclinical Limbic Encephalitis on 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis and Sarcoidosis
Authors: Sindhu Tanigassalam , Kavanal Anwin Joseph , Kumar Rajender , Singh Harmandeep , Sharma Aman
Published: July 2022

Limbic encephalitis is the inflammation of the medial temporal lobe structures due to direct infectious or indirect autoimmune etiology. Sarcoidosis is a rare cause of limbic encephalitis, has been reported by some authors. Association has also been reported between sarcoidosis, myasthenia gravis, and limbic encephalitis. We report an interesting case of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography demonstrating limbic encephalitis and sarcoidosis in a known case of myasthenia gravis.
Neuroelectrophysiological Evaluation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome before and after Surgical Intervention
Authors: Chowdhury Debanjana , Sen Sangita , Banerjee Tibar
Published: July 2022

Background:

Carpal tunnel release operation (CTR) is required to alleviate the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common entrapment neuropathy.

Methods:

Thirty-two patients (39 hands) of CTS were subdivided into Group I is moderate CTS (n = 9 hands), Group II is severe CTS (n = 14 hands), and Group III is extreme CTS (n = 16 hands) and underwent conventional electrophysiological evaluation and short segment transcarpal nerve conduction studies preoperatively and 1 and 3 months after open CTR operation.

Results:

In the case of motor conduction parameter, distal motor latency showed statistically significant improvement after 1 month of CTR (P < 0.05) in all three groups of patients, and improvement consistently increased during 3rd month follow-up (P < 0.001). In Group III patients, preoperatively forearm motor conduction velocity (FMCV) and transcarpal motor conduction velocity (TMCV) were nonrecordable, FMCV became recordable in 6 hands, while TMCV in all 16 hands post CTR. In case sensory parameters, both distal sensory latency (DSL) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) showed significant improvement in Group I, and no improvement was noted in Group III patients. Group II (6 of 14 hands) patients showed a reappearance of DSL and SNCV at 1-month follow-up and continued a steady improvement in 3rd month after CTR.

Conclusion:

We found that TMCV is a more sensitive parameter in assessing improvement of median nerve function after CTR. It is possible to identify patients with a poor outcome by performing electrophysiological studies.
Intubation strategy in COVID-19 era: An observational study
Authors: Sinha Aparna , Punhani Dinesh , Sharma Abhishek , Dhakate Kumar Gaurav , Garg Nivedita , Patro Sangeeta
Published: July 2022

Background and Aims:

Aerosol protection equipment aim at protecting the anaesthesiologist, from aerosol-borne infections, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2.

Methods:

We improvised the first-generation intubation box (IB) by increasing its dimensions, including heat and moisture exchanger with filter, suction catheter, and attaching arm sleeves to make a modified intubation box (MIB). The impact of IB, MIB and transparent sheets (TS) on the patient outcomes during airway management was evaluated.

Results:

A significant difference in median (interquartile range in minutes) was observed in time to intubate between IB (4 [4–5]); TS (0.5 [0.3–0.5]) and MIB (0.3 [0.3–1.5]): P = 0.004); and airway devices; McCoy (0.5 [0.3–2]), CMac (0.5 [0.3–1.5]): P = 0.004. First-pass success was 100% with the TS, whereas more than three attempts were required with IB 66.7% and 5.2% with MIB. Video laryngoscope was associated with less airway-related adverse events (ARAEs). The need for mask ventilation (and hence possible aerosolisation) was maximum with IB. All the ARAEs resolved uneventfully. No breach of personal protective equipment was observed; none of the health-care professionals involved in patient care developed any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

Conclusion:

Video laryngoscope is favourable for managing airway in COVID-19 times. In view of the ongoing pandemic and added protection that it offers, it is worthwhile to include the MIB in the armamentarium for managing the airway of patients with COVID-19.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Saudi Dental Students Regarding Oral/Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Fatani Bader , Alabood Abdulaziz Abdullah , Almuqrin Raghad Fahad
Published: July 2022

Background:

Oral cancers are well known for their disastrous and fatal consequences. This type of cancer manifests itself in various forms, ranging from simple ulcerative lesions to proliferative growths. The reduction of morbidity and mortality of cancer can be achieved via its early recognition through screening and patient awareness and can improve the outcome of the disease comparatively. Even though most of the dentists who were surveyed said that they are inclined to provide head-and-neck examinations for their patients, studies show that dentists generally lack the knowledge required for diagnosing oral cancer lesions.

Objective:

This study aims to assess and evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental students regarding oral cancer at King Saud University.

Materials and Methods:

The data were collected from the dental students at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from May 2021 to August 2021. The targeted subjects were dental students – male and female students older than 20 years – studying at King Saud University.

Results:

A sample of 206 dental students was analyzed. It was found that most dental students have heard about oral cancer (93.2%) and knew that it was preventable (77.7%). They also knew that it was treatable (93.7%) and has the ability to metastasize (93.2%). The relationship between the knowledge of oral cancer and the gender of the students was not statistically significant (all P > 0.050). There were significant relationships between oral cancer knowledge and age of the student (P < 0.001) and oral cancer treatability and age (P = 0.002). Similarly, oral cancer knowledge (P ≤ 0.001), treatability knowledge (P = 0.007), and metastasis knowledge (P = 0.030) were significantly related to the progression of academic years.

Conclusion:

Our study showed that dental students have significant knowledge and awareness regarding oral cancer including the clinical appearance, signs, and symptoms of oral cancer. Moreover, few dental students even considered themselves very well informed and qualified to detect oral cancer in patients. Therefore, we assume that increasing the dental students' clinical practice as well as their self-confidence could highly influence the early detection of oral cancer for patients in future.
Atypical Presentation of Pallister–Hall Syndrome with Central Precious Puberty
Authors: Omer Hala Gasim , Alhakami Amal Ali , Alghamdi Malak Ali , Al Khalifah Reem Abdullah
Published: July 2022

Pallister–Hall syndrome (PHS) is a rare, autosomal dominant genetic disorder. The phenotypic features of the syndrome include hypothalamic hamartoma, polydactyly, craniofacial anomalies, and other malformations. This case report describes a 5-year-old girl with Central precocious puberty (CPP) due to the presence of suprasellar hypothalamic hamartoma. With a history of polydactyl, suspicion of PHS was made, and the genetic test showed a novel GLI3 gene mutation. CPP is treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. In addition to CPP, an extensive endocrine evaluation revealed central hypothyroidism while other pituitary functions were intact. The variable clinical phenotype of PHS makes it challenging to diagnose early, especially in the sporadic form. However, suspicion of these cases and early diagnosis leads to a better outcome as many endocrine features may evolve during follow-up, which necessitates interventions.
The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Self-reported Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome among High School Teachers in Riyadh
Authors: Younis Afnan , Alsabbagh Laila , Alaraifi Dimah , Alsanad Ghaida , Algrain Ahad , AlDihan Rema , Albassam Fatimah
Published: July 2022

Background:

Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a group of visual and musculoskeletal symptoms that are associated with the use of computers and electronic devices. The use of computers is increasing in the field of education which puts teachers at higher risk of CVS. The severity of CVS symptoms can affect teachers' quality of life and productivity.

Aim:

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of CVS and its symptoms among Riyadh high school teachers in 2020. The secondary objectives were to determine the factors associated with CVS among high school teachers and to compare between the symptoms of CVS in male and female school teachers.

Subjects and Methods:

This is an observational cross-sectional study. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire from teachers working in public high schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a multistage random sampling technique. Data analysis including descriptive statistics and Chi-square test was performed using SPSS.

Results:

The prevalence of experiencing one or more symptoms of CVS among high school teachers was 94.6%. The most common symptom was neck and shoulder pain, reported by 84.9% of high school teachers. Male teachers were 80% less likely to have CVS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.213, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.079–0.578]). The risk of CVS was higher in those who use electronic devices for more than 5 h (OR = 3.4, 95% CI [1.015–11.4]). Male teachers experienced less headache (OR = 0.504, 95% CI [0.344–0.75]), less neck and shoulder pain (OR = 0.326, 95% CI [0.186–0.57]), and less eyestrain (OR = 0.495, 95% CI [0.308–0.796]) in comparison to female teachers.

Conclusion:

Female high school teachers are having higher odds of developing CVS than male teachers. School teachers need awareness programs about CVS.
A LIMNOLOGIA BRASILEIRA TEM O COMPROMISSO INADIÁVEL DE CONSTRUIR PONTES COM A SOCIEDADE
Authors: Esteves Francisco Assis
Published: July 2022

Este artigo descreve a evolução da ciência Limnologia no Brasil, desde a sua gênese até os dias atuais. Destaca a década de 1970 como aquela em que ocorreu o ponto de inflexão do seu desenvolvimento, com a criação do “Projeto Broa” e do primeiro curso de pós-graduação no Brasil visando prioritariamente a formação de limnólogos. A partir da segunda década do Século XXI a Limnologia Brasileira passa a ser uma ciência com elevada produção científica e destaque no cenário científico nacional e internacional. Contudo, seu elevado estágio de desenvolvimento é contraditório com o cenário alarmante de degradação dos ecossistemas das bacias hidrográficas do país. Este fato foi denominado de “Paradoxo da Limnologia Brasileira”. O artigo também apresenta alternativas para reduzir consequências do “Paradoxo da Limnologia Brasileira” e discute algumas possibilidades para construção de pontes entre a Limnologia e a sociedade brasileira.
LONG-TERM CHANGES IN SANITARY CONDITIONS AND ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY IN THE IMBOASSICA LAGOON (RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL): EFFECTS OF SANDBAR OPENINGS
Authors:   Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Marinho Claudio Cardoso , Breves André ,   Universidade de Coimbra, Rocha Adriana de Melo , Silva Eliane Cristina da , van Weerelt Margaretha Denise Maria , Gutemberg Ana Cláudia Bliggs ,   Universidade Federal Fluminense, Amora- Nogueira Leonardo , Marotta Humberto , Meirelles-Pereira Frederico , Enrich-Prast Alex , Esteves Francisco de Assis
Published: July 2022

The present study investigated the intra-ecosystem variability of nutrient enrichment (nitrogen -N- and phosphorus -P-), density of faecal coliforms (i.e., as a proxy of sanitary conditions), and ecological responses of the zooplankton community structure in a tropical urban coastal lagoon, following eutrophication, changes in rainfall, and episodic sandbar openings. Surface waters were monthly taken over 14 years (1992-2005) within the long-term monitoring program ECOlagoas from two sampling stations at the Imboassica lagoon (Northern of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil): near a domestic wastewater channel (SEWAGE station), and at the limit to the sea (SANDBAR station). Changes in faecal coliforms and nutrient concentration reduced water quality due to untreated sewage inputs, which was intensified by artificial sandbar openings mainly under low rainfall, such as observed in February 2001. Indeed, a greater depth and subsequent volume of water of the Imboassica lagoon during the acidification period (i.e., attributed to the increased rainfall, and lower frequency of sandbar openings) contributed to dilute the faecal coliform only in the SANDBAR station. In turn, the zooplankton community structure showed that episodic sandbar openings promoted the loss of their functional features derived from a reduction and replacement of species over time, even in the period of lower frequency of sandbar opening and dilution of nutrient concentrations. Our findings indicate that sandbar openings are not the best management practice when facing coastal eutrophication, once it may cause harmful effects on sanitary conditions and ecological community related to zooplankton, mainly in periods of decline in rainfall.
INORGANIC NITROGEN STIMULATES METHANE OXIDATION IN COASTAL LAGOON SEDIMENTS
Authors:   Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Enrich-Prast Alex ,   Linköping University,   Universidade Federal Fluminense, Figueiredo Viviane , Machado-Silva Fausto , Peixoto Roberta Bittencourt , Amora-Nogueira Leonardo , Cugler Gabriela , Santos Maria Carolina Barroso dos , Felizardo João Paulo de Sá , Valle Juliana , Barreto Davi Pedroni , Valladares Luciene , Rodrigues Laís , Santoro Ana Lúcia , Pinho Luana Queiroz , Signori Camila Negrão , Pollery Ricardo , Silva Eliane , Marotta Humberto
Published: July 2022

Methane (CH4) oxidation is a critical process to reduce CH4 emissions from aquatic environments to the atmosphere. Considering the continuous increase in nitrogen in rivers, lakes, and lagoons from human sources, we re-evaluated the still controversial potential effect of inorganic nitrogen on CH4 oxidation. Here, we approached three shallow coastal lagoons that represent great environmental heterogeneity and used slurry sediments as a model system. The addition of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) significantly stimulated CH4 oxidation in the sediments of all studied lagoons, indicating the potential limitation of nitrogen for the growth of CH4 oxidizing bacteria. Our findings contrast to some previous reports, where ammonium and nitrate inhibited CH4 oxidation in sediments. Indeed, our experiment was performed in a more realistic range in relation to natural concentrations of inorganic nitrogen in aquatic systems (0.5 to 1 mM) and was opposed to extreme concentrations previously used (2 to 50 mM). Our results point to the need to further assess the connection between nitrogen inputs and CH4 budgets in aquatic sediments, considering the potential fuel for CH4 oxidation that may affect the global greenhouse gas balance