bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cancer Rehabilitation in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Song Krystal , Amatya Bhasker , Khan Fary
Published: August 2021

Objective:

Despite increasing evidence of the benefits of cancer rehabilitation worldwide, the nature of cancer rehabilitation programs is not well described in Australia and New Zealand. We report findings of a pilot survey highlighting the current service delivery of cancer rehabilitation programs and health professionals' perspectives on barriers and facilitators to implementation of cancer rehabilitation programs.

Methods:

A cross-sectional pilot survey of rehabilitation health professionals in hospital and ambulatory care settings in Australia and New Zealand, evaluating current availability of cancer rehabilitation programs, health professional workforce, core components delivered, and barriers and facilitators to provision and delivery of cancer rehabilitation programs.

Results:

Respondents (n = 60) included rehabilitation physicians and advanced trainees, with a majority of respondents working in non-dedicated cancer rehabilitation programs in Australia and New Zealand. Most rehabilitation programs being provided to cancer patients are led by rehabilitation physicians, followed by allied health. The most common tumor streams referred include central nervous system, hematological, and breast cancers. Patients are most frequently referred during posttreatment phase. The core components of rehabilitation programs include management of complications and provision of education (mood, exercise, and fatigue management), with exercise prescription comprising mainly strengthening exercises, mobilization, and gait training. Common barriers for adequate service delivery included inadequate funding and lack of appropriate staffing with expertise, while most common facilitators identified were encouraging better collaboration and integration of rehabilitation within acute cancer care services and specialty teams and increased enthusiasm and engagement of staff with leadership skills.

Conclusion:

The pilot survey identified current service provision among rehabilitation programs providing care to cancer patients and highlighted preliminary gaps and facilitators to the implementation of formal cancer rehabilitation programs. These findings need further confirmation in a larger study to assess further outcome measures and the impact of barriers and facilitators for care quality. Collaborative efforts between physicians, patients, policy makers, and related parties may assist in overcoming the barriers identified.
Molecular Docking-Based Research on the Potential Anti-Encephalopathy Effect of Gentianine
Authors: Wahab Awais , Chen Jian-Xin , Jia Cai-Xia , Murtaza Ghulam , Wu Chuan-Hong , Wang Na
Published: August 2021

Objective:

Encephalopathy is increasingly threatening human health. It is correspondingly one of the concerns of society and medical community. As a natural source, traditional Chinese medicine has tremendous beneficial outcomes in various diseases including encephalopathy. Gentianine, a Chinese herbal compound, shows effectiveness in many diseases exclusively in inflammation. Therefore, this in vitro research was carried out to find its effectiveness in encephalopathy.

Methodology:

Ligand and proteins were searched and downloaded from ChemDraw and protein database, respectively. Sybyl-X2.0 docking software and its various functions were used to prepare ligand and proteins. Finally, gentianine was docked with proteins using Sybyl-X2.0 docking software.

Results:

Gentianine was docked with 20 protein targets. Compounds with C-score of 5 were selected. A total of three kinds of protein docked with gentianine (ABCC1, C-reactive protein [CRP], and NKX5-2) were selected. ABCC1 was expressed in the brain and was related to seizures and stroke. CRP was an inflammatory biomarker and related to seizures, epilepsy, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. NKX2–5 was also known as cardiac transcription and related to cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. All these targets were related to encephalopathy.

Conclusion:

Molecular docking findings in this study lead to the suggestion that gentianine might be helpful in treating encephalopathy. This study is expected to provide a solution to find potential anti-encephalopathy compounds.
Exploration of Bioactive Constituents and Immunoregulatory Mechanisms of a Hanshi-Yufei Formulation for Treating COVID-19
Authors: Wei Wen-Long , Wu Shi-Fei , Li Zhen-Wei , Li Hao-Jv , Qu Hua , Yao Chang-Liang , Zhang Jian-Qing , Li Jia-Yuan , Zhang Gao-Le , Wu Wan-Ying , Guo De-An
Published: August 2021

Objective:

The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical compounds of a Hanshi-Yufei formulation (HSYF; a modified formulation of a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating COVID-19) to elucidate the mechanism of action and to evaluate potential anti-inflammatory effects of HSYF.

Materials and Methods:

The chemical constituents of HSYF extract were characterized using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Subsequently, a set of TCM network pharmacology methods was applied to identify disease-associated genes and to predict target profiles and pharmacological actions associated with the constituents of HSYF. Then, the antiviral effects of HSYF on H1N1 were assessed in RAW264.7 cells using MTT assays. Expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α following infection of RAW264.7 cells with H1N1 were measured using an enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA), and expression levels of inflammatory-related factors were detected using western blotting.

Results:

In total, 165 chemical constituents (including glycosides, tannins, volatile oils, amino acids, triterpenoids, polyphenols, phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, and flavonoids, among others) were tentatively identified in HSYF. Network pharmacology demonstrated that HSYF can regulate immunomodulatory- and anti-inflammatory-related targets of multiple pathways through its active ingredients, suggesting potential anti-COVID-19 effects. Furthermore, cell viability assays and ELISA showed that HSYF significantly inhibited H1N1 replication in RAW64.7 cells and markedly reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 at the proteins level.

Conclusions:

The results of the present study help improve our understanding of the therapeutic effects of HSYF in COVID-19 treatment from multi-level perspectives.
Subwavelength guided modes for acoustic waves in bubbly crystals with a line defect
Authors: Ammari Habib , Orvehed Hiltunen Erik , Yu Sanghyeon
Published: August 2021

The recent development of subwavelength photonic and phononic crystals shows the possibility of controlling wave propagation at deep subwavelength scales. Subwavelength bandgap phononic crystals are typically created using a periodic arrangement of subwavelength resonators, in our case small gas bubbles in a liquid. In this work, a waveguide is created by modifying the sizes of the bubbles along a line in a dilute two-dimensional bubbly crystal, thereby creating a line defect. Our aim is to prove that the line defect indeed acts as a waveguide; waves of certain frequencies will be localized to, and guided along, the line defect. The key result is an original formula for the frequencies of the defect modes. Moreover, these frequencies are numerically computed using the multipole method, which numerically illustrates our main results.
Incidence of Oral Cancer in a Tertiary Cancer Centre of Nepal: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Jaiswal Pravin Kumar , Thakur Prabhat , Thapa Kapil
Published: August 2021

Background: Oral cancer, which includes cancer of lips, gingiva, tongue, oropharynx, sinuses, and salivary glands, ranks fifth in its kind in Nepal. The incidence of oral cancer may differ among gender, age, and site. This study aims to address the questions regarding the incidence and trend of oral cancer occurrence. Methods: Oral cancer cases registered in the Head and Neck Oncology Department of Nepal Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lalitpur, Nepal from 01 Jan 2018 to 31 Dec 2019 were included in this study. The data were categorized under gender, site of a tumor, year of diagnosis, and age of patients at diagnosis and entered in RStudio version-1.3.1093 for analysis. Results: A total of 165 cases were found to be recorded where 74.5% were male and 24.5% were female. The most common site was the tongue (27.27%) followed by the mandibular alveolus (19.39%). The overall mean age was 53.71 years (95% CI: 55.73-51.68). The number of new cases was found to be increased by 35.71% from 2018 to 2019.Conclusion: A significant increase in the number of new cases indicates that there are deficiencies in handling oral cancer in Nepal. Reducing the production, import, and consumption of tobacco and related products as well as ensuring accessible health facilities for all may help control this disease.
Irrational Use of Antimicrobials in Poultry Farms and Antimicrobial Resistance: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Alhouzani Talal , Saleem Mohammad , Sharma Arun , Khadka Sitaram , Gupta Ravi Prasad , Aryal Pallav
Published: August 2021

Background: The rampant use of antimicrobials in poultry farms is creating a global public health threat as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans may arise from such practice. This study was conducted with the objective of quantification and hence assessment of the level of antimicrobial use in Pakistani poultry farms so that appropriate utilization of such agents can be assured.

Methods: Six randomly selected poultry farms of Pakistan with ten production cycles with 20,000- 30,000 birds in every production cycle were selected for the study from 2018 to 2019. The average dosage utilized on-farm was described by the defined daily dose (DDD) and used daily dose (UDD).

Results: It was found that enrofloxacin, amoxicillin, doxycycline, tylocin, and lincomycin were the antimicrobials commonly used by all poultry farms. However, only Enrofloxacin (UDD/DDD = 0.95) was being used within the rational therapeutic range. All the antimicrobials were used irrationally without proper indication and suggestion by the veterinarian. No records on antimicrobials use were found on any farm.  

Conclusion: The irrational use of antimicrobials in poultry farms may lead to antimicrobial resistance which has been a global public health threat. The speedy action should be implemented to discourage such rampant use of drugs in poultry farms in Pakistan and countries with similar farming practices for the effective use of antimicrobials in the proper indication.
Morbidity profile and prescription audits using WHO core prescribing indicator in government hospitals of Province 1, Nepal
Authors: Shah Shambhu , Dahal Prasanna , Sah Anil Kumar , Parajuli Surya B. , Shrestha Naveen
Published: August 2021

Background: Periodic assessment of morbidity and drug use at various levels of healthcare delivery system is important to recognize common prevalent morbidities and rationalize the use of medicines. The study was conducted to determine the common morbidities and audit prescription using WHO prescribing indicator in government operated tertiary hospitals of eastern Nepal.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in government tertiary hospitals of Province 1, Nepal, from March 2019 to August 2019. For analysis, descriptive statistics were used.  Prescribing characteristics were evaluated using recommended guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators.

Results: Six hundred prescriptions were analyzed. The most prevalent morbidity was endocrine, nutrition & metabolic diseases (21.5%) followed by diseases of the respiratory system (19.8%), circulatory system (17.6%), and digestive system (12.8%). The most frequently encountered individual disease entity were hypertension (18.7%), diabetes (15.5%), acid peptic disorders (14%). A total of 2072 drugs were prescribed with an average of 3.45 (± 1.39) drugs per consultation. About 30.2% of prescriptions encountered contain at least one antibiotics, whereas injectable were prescribed in 1.8%. Only 3.9% of total medicines were prescribed in generic name and 31.7% of drug prescribed were from essential medicine list.

Conclusion: Among the prescriptions evaluated, diseases of the endocrine, respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems were the most common morbidities. Polypharmacy was prevalent to some extent whereas prescribing in generic and essential medicine list was poor relative to standard WHO recommendations. However, the overall prescribing of antibiotics and injection were found to be satisfactory.
Remembering Nepal Earthquake of 2015 and Updating Post-earthquake Reconstruction
Authors: Dangal Ganesh , Dangal Ojash , Gelal Dharana
Published: August 2021

Nepal earthquake of 2015, a massive earthquake that struck near the city of Kathmandu (Gorkha) in central Nepal on April 25, 2015. Nearly 9,000 people were killed, many thousands more were injured, and more than 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and other nearby 31 districts were either damaged or destroyed. The earthquake was felt throughout central and eastern Nepal, much of the Ganges River plain in northern India, and northwestern Bangladesh, as well as in the southern parts of the Plateau of Tibet and western Bhutan.
Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in Nepal: A Call for Collaborative Efforts
Authors: Khadka Sitaram , Giri Santoshi
Published: August 2021

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The effect of stress and depression on quality of life of pharmacy students in Malaysia
Authors: Blebil Ali , Dujaili Juman , Haider Mohammed Ali , Cheong Cheng Mun , Hoo Yishuan
Published: August 2021

Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of stress and depression among pharmacy students, evaluate their health related quality of life (HRQoL) in Malaysia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among pharmacy students at eight universities from March to May 2020 across Malaysia. Instruments adopted in the survey included perceived stress scale 4 (PSS-4) for stress, patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression and WHOQOL-BREF for health-related quality of life.
Results: A total of 441 students participated in the study. The overall PSS-4 score mean was 7.30 and the differences in PHQ-9 scores mean between public and private universities were not significant. A positive correlation was observed between total PSS-4 scores and PHQ-9 scores. Only 24.5% of pharmacy students reported a good quality of life, with a median score of 96.00. A Significant negative correlation was found between stress and depression against the quality of life.
Conclusions: Stress and depression play a significant role in deteriorating the quality of life of pharmacy students. This highlighted the importance of future research in developing useful interventions to improve the quality of life of university students, especially students from the medical and health science fields.
PEMBUATAN APLIKASI UJIAN SISWA DI SMA BERBASIS WEB
Authors: Bakti Imam Rangga
Published: August 2021

Kemajuan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi yang terjadi di era sekarang ini merupakan bukti nyata bahwa manusia selalu berjuang untuk mencari solusi praktis dalam rangka memenuhi kebutuhan hidupnya yang semakin kompleks.Perkembangan dunia yang mampu memenuhi hal tersebut kini telah menjadi sebuah tuntutan bagi kalangan intelektual, khususnya elemen pendidikan tinggi untuk senantiasa berusaha melahirkan sumber daya manusia yang berkualitas, kompetitif. Didalam dunia pendidikan ujian merupakan hal yang wajib dilakukan oleh setiap siswa, maka dari itu Dalam memberikan kemudahan untuk pelaksanaan ujian dan pemeriksaan lembar jawaban siswa penulis bermaksud untuk membuat aplikasi ujian online siswa berbasis web, dmana dengan hal ini dapat memberikan kemudahan-kemudahan yang dapat diperoleh dari penggunaan teknologi informasi untuk pengolahan data maupun penyajian informasi yang cepat dan akurat sangat membantu untuk meningkatkan kinerja ujian online pada siswa agar lebih efisien dan efektif, didalam pembuatan aplikasi ini penulis menggunakan bahasa pemograman PHP dengan database yang di gunakan MySql.
Design of Circular Microstrip Patch Antenna for WLAN Application
Authors: Swamy Basavalinga , Tavade C M , Singh Kishan
Published: August 2021

A roundabout microstrip fixes receiving wire is planned in this paper. The recommended receiving wire for remote neighborhood [WLAN] utilizes a 2.4GHz resounding recurrence. There are numerous different sorts of receiving wires, however, we'll zero in on roundabout radio wires, which are worked to support the resounding recurrence referenced previously. As a result of this recurrence determination, the radio wire is ideal for utilization in a remote Local Area Network [WLAN]. The High-Frequency Structure Simulator programming HFSS's optometric is used to make the proposed receiving wire more exact and proficient. Receiving wire plan enhancement is a term used to depict the way toward further developing the radio wire Model of a microstrip line. The HFSS programming was utilized to imitate the technique. This radio wire is made out of FR4 material, and the conditions for roundabout Patch configuration are presented and approved by all-around reproduced results. This radio wire has a 50-ohm input impedance and is based on an FR4 Epoxy dielectric substrate with a general permittivity of 4.4, a thickness of 1.60mm, and an overall permittivity of 4.4. The fundamental design and low profile characteristics of the recommended radio wire simplify it to deliver and are ideal for use in Wi-Fi organizations.
Will the Circular Economy and Related Concepts Save the World?
Authors: Mehtab Tauheed , Mehtab Tauheed , Mehtab Tauheed
Published: August 2021

The humans have been utilizing the resources for their sustenance since the birth of mankind. In fact, every living specie is dependent on the natural resources available to them for the nature to sustain their life on earth. As a result, the humans have reached on such a stage where they are standing on the verge of natural resources to extinct. However, the governments of various countries are taking serious actions in order to implement policies driven on the basis of circular economy to make sure the resources are utilized quite efficiently and also saved for the coming generations to come. It’s time for the common man to become aware about this serious issue of creating products of materials that cannot be reused or recycle. It is time we understand that the cycle of consumerism has to be not backed by production by the capitalists but rather using the resources and materials quite intelligently, smartly and in a limited manner to sustain living for the resent as well as for the generation to come. It’s time to understand the real meaning of sustainability and make it a part of the regime of this generation as mandatory prerequisite for the plans to be executed ahead. The need of the hour is to educate the people and bring the sustainable way of living in trend infusing it into the lifestyle of the people.
ENHANCING LEARNERS VOCABULARY SKILLS BY MEANS OF ENGLISH SONGS – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Authors: Narayan Ravnil
Published: August 2021

In the core of teaching the four macro skills of a language, vocabulary is considered to be the panacea to achieve absolute mastery of the target language. It is considered to be the crucial rudiment towards learning a foreign language and if not mastered in the apt way may lead to a serious impediment on a learner. Therefore, in order to avoid this from happening songs could be considered as a solution to assist the learners’ from having low mastery of English vocabulary. In the day to day communication hearing the songs could be considered as a solution to increase the tendency of awareness in recognising English vocabulary. Hence, this proposed study has intended to examine the use of English songs on learners’ vocabulary mastery skills, which was conducted through an experimental design. In this research, there was one class each that were chosen as research samples. The first one was considered as an experimental group, while later was the control. Each class had thirty students as respondents. Also, there were two variables that consisted of English songs and learners’ vocabulary mastery skills. The sample was randomised and was determined based on independent measures, which was conducted in an intermediate class level at a primary school in Wudaokou district, Beijing, China.

 

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A MORPHOSYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF PLACENAMES IN KWAHU IN THE EASTERN REGION OF GHANA
Authors: Ansah Philip Boateng , Mireku-Gyimah Patricia Beatrice
Published: August 2021

African names, as signs of language, can be divided into two morpho-syntactic categories: they are either nominal, which means they constitute single words, or syntagmatic, implying they are made up of sentences or parts thereof. Therefore, understanding place names in general hugely depends on a critical look at the internal structure of the word(s) or placename(s). This research uses complete semi-structured interviews and documents to critically investigate 20 randomly selected placenames from Kwahu South and Kwahu East districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It analyses the syntax, morphology and meaning of these placenames. It applies the Frame Semantic (Fillmore, 1982) concept to ascertain whether the meaning-making elements in the individual names reflect the views or purposes of their ‘namers’ or otherwise, as (oral) histories have them. The selected placenames are then grouped using Tent and Blair (2011) model of Motivations for Naming. The semantic and morphological analysis reveal that some Kwahu habitation names could be realized from non-morphemic parts of words, single stems/roots, phrases, inflections (affixations), etc. Again, vowel elision, coinage, and backformation are used by the name givers, with the topography, environment and other factors being key in the naming process. The paper concludes that Kwahu placenames are useful linguistic sources. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on Kwahu placenames in particular, and Ghanaian toponymy in general. It is recommended that ‘Kwahu’, which also stands as an Akan dialect type, spoken by this speech community, be explored by future researchers.

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MORPHO-PHONOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN GIKUYU LANGUAGE REDUPLICATION
Authors: Muriithi Gerald Njuki
Published: August 2021

This research is indispensable as it basically studies how Gikuyu language reduplication patterns can be explained using Prosodic Morphology Theory. It looks at the various types of reduplication in Gikuyu language and seeks to establish if reduplication in Gikuyu is considered morphological reduplication or phonological copying. Word classification as well as the Gikuyu vowels and consonants have extensively been discussed in this paper as a foundation for the reduplication discussion. The study tries to find out the logic worth of reduplication, how reduplication interconnect with morphological and phonological processes, linguistic units associated with this concept and draws conclusion that reduplication in Gikuyu is considered both morphological doubling and phonological copying. The study adopts Prosodic Morphology theoretical approach in reduplication patterns analysis. Gikuyu phonemic catalogue on vowels and consonants as well as the word categorization, that is, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives has been discussed as a foundation for the research. Reduplication is a morphological process in which there is repetition of a stem or a root of a word in Linguistics. Reduplication is important since it acts as a declension to bring out semantic roles such as lexical derivation, authentication and reinforcement to form new words. Qualitative sampling was done on the word categories and an outcome was established. There were various reduplication patterns in Gikuyu, several semantic patterns associated with it were listed, set out and reviewed. The findings have been scrutinized and analyzed for further recommendations.

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STOCK MARKET COINTEGRATION AND DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES UNDER INFLATION TARGETING REGIME
Authors: Hysaj Albina , Sevil Güven
Published: August 2021

Monetary authorities use monetary policy to achieve their objectives. Keeping inflation stable, at low levels is the main objective of central banks. While central banks use monetary policy to control inflation, its decisions also impact the overall economy and financial market. The aim of this paper is to investigate the diversification opportunities in 17 developed and emerging market economies that have implemented inflation targeting. By using Johansson cointegration and Gregory Hanssen tests we investigate the existence of long run co integration relationship between different markets. Moreover, we investigate the short run diversification opportunities by analyzing the short run exposure of each stock index to the S&P 1200 Global Index. The results of our study suggest that stock markets of Brazil and Czech Republic offer very good diversification opportunities, while the Colombian stock market offers very limited diversification opportunities as Colombia stock index has co integration relationship with almost other indices.

JEL: G15, G11

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RELATIONS ET CONDITIONS DE TRAVAIL ET ENGAGEMENT ORGANISATIONNEL DANS LES ENTREPRISES INDUSTRIELLES DU TOGO / LABOR RELATIONS AND WORKING CONDITIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN TOGO'S INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES
Authors: Héyou Bodjona Essot’na , Pazambadi Kazimna , Paboussoum Pari
Published: August 2021

Les ressources humaines constituent une richesse indéniable pour toute entreprise. Aussi, le capital humain se trouve t-il au cœur de toute organisation. L’objectif de l’étude est de vérifier l’existence d’un lien entre les relations et conditions de travail et l’engagement organisationnel du personnel des entreprises industrielles du Togo. Les données ont été collectées auprès de 261 participants issus de 16 entreprises industrielles de la place. Elles ont été traitées avec le logiciel SPSS 21. Les résultats obtenus montrent l’existence d’un lien positif entre les composantes du pilier des relations et conditions de travail et les sous-dimensions de l’engagement organisationnel. Il ressort donc que l’amélioration des relations et conditions de travail est indispensable pour un bon engagement du personnel.

Human resources are an undeniable asset for any company. Also, human capital is at the heart of any organization. The objective of the study is to verify the existence of a link between the relations and working conditions and the organizational commitment of the personnel of industrial companies in Togo. The data were collected from 261 participants from 16 industrial companies in Togo. They were processed with SPSS 21 software. The results obtained show the existence of a positive link between the components of the pillar of work relations and conditions and the sub-dimensions of organizational commitment. It thus emerges that the improvement of the relations and working conditions is essential for a good commitment of the personnel.

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LA FINANCE ISLAMIQUE : CADRE CONCEPTUEL, PRINCIPES ET MÉTHODES / ISLAMIC FINANCE: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
Authors: Asraoui Fadi Oukili , Hamich Mhamed , Lahiala Abdelfattah
Published: August 2021

Le présent article vise, dans un premier temps, à exposer l’ensemble des fondements religieux et sociaux de la finance islamique et à les relier aux principes et aux méthodes des produits islamiques contemporains. Dans un deuxième temps, il présente et expose les différents produits, instruments et institutions de cette finance qui se veut porteuse de l’identité islamique. L'article peut donc servir de feuille de route (encadrement et conseils) au profit de ceux qui mènent des recherches empiriques sur la finance islamique ainsi qu'une aide pour les décideurs, les gestionnaires et les praticiens en matière d’interprétation des résultats des études sur ce sujet.

This article aims, as a first step, to expose all the religious and social foundations of Islamic finance and to relate them to the principles and methods of contemporary Islamic products. Secondly, it presents and exposes the various products, instruments and institutions of this finance which aims to be the bearer of the Islamic identity. The article can therefore serve as a roadmap (guidance and advice) for the benefit of those carrying out empirical research on Islamic finance as well as an aid for decision-makers, managers and practitioners in interpreting the results of financial statements. Studies on this topic.

JEL: G21; G24; G10

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE FEMALE CHARACTER: FROM FAIRY TALES TO THE FILM “BRAVE” - A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
Authors: Cardoso Luis , Clérigo Carolina
Published: August 2021

This article aims to develop a comparative analysis between the evolution of the female character in fairy tales, and the film adaptation “Brave”, launched in 2012. In this sense, we will evaluate the characteristics of the female character, over time, dividing princesses into three large groups. Regarding the cinematic narrative, we will analyze the main characteristics of the character Merida, and the plot of the scenes that makes the film surprising. The result of the analysis allows us to conclude that cinematography follows the evolution of society.

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ALAIN DELON AS PROTAGONIST OF THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Authors: Atay Simber
Published: August 2021

The beginning of the end is a special category of beginning. The beginning of the end is a dramatic / pathetic / romantic / existential process in general. Within this process, the beginning becomes the end, and the end becomes the beginning. Sometimes it has a slow rhythm, sometimes it is experienced with a breathless speed. Coincidences shape this process, at the same time, intuition plays a crucial role in defining it. Beginning of the end can be experienced socially or individually. Like the historical / mass / chaotic beginnings of the end, there are also individuals who represent beginning of the end within rebellion / sacrifice / victimization or auto-destruction acts. The beginning of the end is sometimes a relative emancipation process. Paradoxically, fear and courage, violence and humanistic principles are intertwined. It’s also a perfect theme for artistic inspiration and creativity. Historically, there have been many "beginning of the end" periods. However, the period between the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Auschwitz is particularly important, and this topic is the subject of this article. In this context, Joseph Roth, Roman Vishniac, László Nemes, Joseph Losey, Alain Delon are some representatives of this topic in their respective fields with their works. In this paper, the phenomenon of “the beginning of the end” and its features will be developed using descriptive method.

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DRINKING SONGS AMONG THE ANNANG PEOPLE OF AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA
Authors: Okon Friday Akpan , Shedrack Monday Johnny
Published: August 2021

This paper sets out to examine drinking songs among the Annang people of Akwa Ibom State, in order to show their meaning, general aesthetics and the conditions that necessitated the composition of some of the songs. In order to carry out this objective, the researcher with the help of an assistant, went to some villages in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area and recorded several drinking songs. The analysis of eleven of these songs using Ethnopoetics as the theoretical approach, is what forms the fulcrum of this paper. The result of the findings of this paper are generalized to cover the entire Annang nation, since the culture is homogeneous. Justification for the use of ten drinking songs is that each of the songs portrays a different and unique situation that cannot be substituted for any other. The findings of this paper are that firstly, Annang drinking songs lift the mood of heaviness of the drinkers and makes them jovial. Secondly, the songs create humour, are educative, and are not only interesting and full of aesthetics, but that they are drawn from the people’s ancient oral heritage. Equally, the research shows that the Annang adult males captured in these songs are responsible men, who would not hesitate to caution an irresponsible young drinker to mend his ways. The researcher concludes by recommending that these songs should be collected, collated and preserved as being an aspect of the authentic index of the people’s cultural heritage.

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THE RESTRICTED CODE OF HOUSE MADE OF DAWN
Authors: Bartelt Guillermo
Published: August 2021

Ethnosemantic fields appealing to the semiotics of local knowledge by circumventing translations and explanations obvious to cultural insiders created a restricted code and an ethnic boundary in N. Scott Momaday’s novel House Made of Dawn.

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THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE AND TASK PERFORMANCE OF LOW VISION LEARNERS ATTENDING INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA
Authors: Ashioya Doreen , Okoth Teresa
Published: August 2021

Background: Task performance of the low vision learners is a key factor in influencing their comfort while at school and possibly cubing the increasing school dropouts in these schools. Purpose: This study aimed at investigating the task performance of low vision learners attending inclusive schools in Kakamega County. Setting: The study was conducted in public primary inclusive schools which hosts low vision learners in Kakamega County, Kenya. Methods: A census survey identified 21 low vision learners attending 11 primary public inclusive schools in Kakamega County. Out of the 21 low vision learners who were selected, 19 (90.5%) were assessed. The participants were guided to respond to a functional vision questionnaire, the LV Prasad Functional Vision Questionnaire, which was meant to elicit their ease of performing activities of daily living. Data was entered into SPSS version 25 software and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data was summarized and presented using tables. Results: There were 13 (68.4%) males and 6 (31.6%) females who participated in this study. Participants were aged between 10 and 21 years old. The mean age was 14 while the modal age was 13 years. The highest number of low vision learners, six (31.6%), were in grade eight while the lowest number recorded, one each (5.3%), were in grades two and three. There was poor performance in the activities of daily living among the participants, which majorly included difficulty in participation in sports and games (78.9%), reading (89.5%) and orientation and mobility (57.9%). The findings enabled the study to determine the status of day-to-day task -performance at school. Conclusion: Most low vision learners attending inclusive schools have difficulty in performance of activities of daily living hence the need to device ways of addressing their visual demands in an inclusive school set-up.

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SOBRE-ENDIVIDAMENTO DAS FAMÍLIAS E CRÉDITO MALPARADO – O CASO REGIÃO AUTÓNOMA DA MADEIRA (2007 – 2018) / EXCESSIVE HOUSEHOLD DEBTS AND BAD DEBTS - MADEIRA CASE (2007 - 2018)
Authors: Rodrigues Jorge , Gomes Marília
Published: August 2021

A concessão de crédito a particulares e empresas é uma das funções das instituições financeiras. Quando a economia entra em depressão, os indivíduos em situação mais crítica perante os rendimentos começam a ter dificuldade em pagar os empréstimos contraídos. Esta situação poderá dar origem ao sobre-endividamento, ao crédito malparado ou causar impactos negativos na economia. Estes problemas, atuais na sociedade portuguesa, têm levado a preocupações cada vez maiores na determinação do risco de incumprimento pelos bancos e da procura de soluções junto a organizações de apoio ao consumidor. Este artigo, de carácter exploratório, analisa o sobre-endividamento e o crédito malparado das famílias em Portugal, mais concretamente, na Região Autonóma da Madeira. Com recurso a informações e estatísticas públicas e publicadas, conclui-se que os portugueses que aí vivem se encontravam cada vez menos endividados e com menos dificuldades em cumprir os seus compromissos de dívida bancária. Como tal, esta parece ser uma explicação parcial para a diminuição do crédito malparado nos bancos e o reforço da sua posição de liquidez.

Granting credit to individuals or companies is one of the financial institutions’ functions. When the economy goes into a depression, individuals in most critical income situation begin to have trouble with paying off. This may lead to over-indebtedness or bad debt or even cause negative impacts on the economy. These problems exist in Portuguese society and have led to growing concern in determining the risk of default by banks. They also demand that customer support organizations present some solutions. This article, with exploratory character, examines the indebtedness and bad loans of households in Portugal, namely in the autonomous region of Madeira. Using public information and official statistics, conclusion is that Portuguese livings in that region were increasingly indebted and struggling to meet their bank debt obligations, mainly those living near coast than those living in inland areas. Thus, this seems to be a partial explanation for bad debt increase in banks and deterioration of its liquidity position.

JEL: G51; D10; D14

 

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEA-ISLAND TOURISM IN SOUTH CENTRAL COAST OF VIETNAM
Authors: Quyet Nguyen Thi
Published: August 2021

Located in the middle position of the country, all provinces/cities in the South Central Coast border the sea. With a total coastline length of 1,430 km, accounting for 43.8% of the whole country's coastline (3,260 km), the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast is now considered a spearhead economic sector, which plays an important role in socio-economic development of this area. In this article, the authors have deeply analyzed the situation and the issues in developing the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast region from 2010 up to now. Thence, findings lead to important practical suggestions to promote the sustainable development of the sea and island tourism in the South Central Coast in the coming time.

 

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IMPLEMENTING COVID-19 MITIGATION AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES IN GHANA AND SWEDEN: SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Authors: Isunu Christine Caroline , Quartey Dilys Sharona , Ntini Thobeka
Published: August 2021

COVID-19 has punctured the thickest borders in the world, and even surpassed the global development gap. Containing the spread of COVID-19 is an unquestionable global socioeconomic priority that required immediate protective and mitigation measures across nations, whether developing or developed. Through the case of Ghana, a developing African country and Sweden, a developed European country, we aimed to understand both countries’ preparedness and response strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We conducted a literature review of publicly available information from December 2019 through June 2020; a period in which the virus was first reported and quickly went to its peak. We explored socio-economic challenges and opportunities borne from the preventive and protective responses implemented in Ghana and Sweden. We also explored existing challenges and opportunities that hindered or enhanced the implementation of these protective and preventive measures. We drew on the Strengths and Resilience theoretical perspectives to recognize citizens’ strengths, capacities and resources as an indispensable part of the solution.

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LA DIFFUSION SPATIALE DE L’INNOVATION DU CENTRE CIDAP EN MATIERE DE DEVELOPPEMENT LOCAL DANS LA PREFECTURE DE DOUFELGOU AU TOGO / THE SPATIAL DISSEMINATION OF THE INNOVATION OF THE CIDAP CENTER IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PREFECTURE OF DOUFELGOU IN TOGO
Authors: Komlan Aguey Kpati
Published: August 2021

Le Togo a opté pour le développement local comme stratégie permettant d’apporter une meilleure réponse aux enjeux de développement des populations des collectivités locales. Cette orientation des politiques publiques semble être une nouveauté dans les stratégies de développement mises en œuvre dans ce pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Les modèles proposés sont plutôt exogènes, aux antipodes de la définition même du développement local. N’existait-il pas d’initiatives inspirantes et transférables dans diverses collectivités locales? C’est l’objet principal de cet article qui met en exergue l’initiative du centre CIDAP créé en 1984, pour sauvegarder les savoirs endogènes des peuples Nawda à partir du canton de Baga. Une analyse de leurs effets, quatre décennies après le début des interventions, montre leur diffusion spatiale dans les 14 cantons de la préfecture de Doufelgou, bien au-delà des objectifs initiaux des promoteurs. Elle pourrait inspirer la dynamique de développement territorial dans d’autres collectivités.

Togo has opted for local development as a strategy to provide a better response to the development challenges of the populations of local communities. This strategy seems to be a novelty in the development strategies implemented in this West African country. The models proposed are rather exogenous, at odds with the very definition of local development. Were there not inspiring and transferable initiatives in various local communities? This is the main object of this article, which highlights the initiative of the CIDAP center, created in 1984, to safeguard the endogenous knowledge of the Nawda peoples from the canton of Baga. An analysis of their effects, four decades after the start of the interventions, shows their spatial diffusion in the 14 cantons of the prefecture of Doufelgou, well beyond the initial objectives of the promoters. It could inspire the dynamics of territorial development in other communities.

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INFLUENCE OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN SELF-HELP GROUPS ON THEIR INCOME IN TIGANIA WEST SUB-COUNTY, KENYA
Authors: Maina Peter
Published: August 2021

Women’s participation in self-help groups’ activities aims mostly towards their empowerment. In Tigania West Sub-county, there was insufficient empirical literature that could be used to enhance support for the self-help groups by development agencies. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of participation in self-help groups on socio-economic empowerment of women. The study was guided by the family systems theory. Women groups that had been in operation for a minimum of four years and registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Department of social Development were considered. The study used descriptive and exploratory research design. This was important in enabling an objective description of the items as they are on the ground without any manipulation. The explorative research design on the other hand was key in enabling an exploration of relationships among variables. The target population was all women in self-help groups in Tigania West Sub-County in which accessible population was 3610 women from 25 registered self-help groups. A sample size of 150 was selected through stratified simple random sampling. The p-value less than 0.05 (significance level) indicates that participation in self-help groups has statistically significant influence on their income. The conclusion was participation in self-help groups helped in improving level of income amongst women in self-help groups. The study recommended that women groups to diversify their sources of income to ensure that they are not over dependent on agricultural activities.

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EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISTANCE LEARNING PROCESSES AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN TIMES OF COVID19
Authors: Demetriou Loucia , Keramioti Lydia , Hadjicharalambous Demetris
Published: August 2021

Governments worldwide have implemented strict physical and social distancing measures to prevent contamination from the COVID-19 pandemic and flatten the epidemic curve. Recent findings show that university students have experienced increased anxiety and moderate-to-severe stress because of confinement measures (quarantine) (Husky et al., 2020; Islam et al., 2020). In Cyprus, universities switched to distance learning in mid-March 2020. The present research examined the social and academic challenges that university students are experiencing during the lockdown measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We focused on assessing the students' stress levels while they were trying to adjust to distance learning and while, at the same time, balancing their jobs with their studies. We considered whether they lived with or separated from their family and friends during that time. Our study is a quantitative study with a sample of 80 students from Cyprus and Greece who attended a private university in Cyprus until November 2020. We collected our data using Beck's Anxiety Inventory and a self-report e-questionnaire, which we created especially for the purposes of our study. The instrument was generated using the Google Form, and shared through social media platforms. We analysed data with the chi-square test application to detect correlations between working and non-working students and students who lived with or away from their family network during the lockdown regarding their stress levels and their adaptability to distance-learning. Results indicated statistically significant positive correlations between employment, distance learning, students' anxiety and stress levels.

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PROVISION OF QUALITY EDUCATION IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS: REFLECTIVE PRACTICES IN LOW-COST PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BULAWAYO METROPOLITAN PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE
Authors: Midzi Senamiso , Sibanda Lwazi , Mathwasa Joyce
Published: August 2021

Quality in education has become a cause for concern to every stakeholder in education. The study sought to assess the provision of quality education in low-cost private secondary schools in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The study adopted the interpretivist paradigm in qualitative approach, using a case study design. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used for collecting thematically analysed data from purposively sampled four school heads and six teachers from low-cost private secondary schools. The study established that in pursuit for quality education, selected schools employed qualified teachers who engage in continuous professional development programmes to sharpen their teaching skills. The findings revealed that the schools understudy are making efforts to offer practical science and computer lessons using the limited resources to ensure the provision of quality education. It emerged that selected schools use e-learning and multimedia resources which arouse learners’ interests and increase the retention rates. It came out that the schools understudy have environmental clubs which work together with school health departments in attending to sanitary issues. Whilst selected schools practiced heterogeneous grouping, the findings revealed that learners with physical disabilities are not enrolled in those schools due to lack of appropriate physical facilities and there are no teachers with relevant expertise to teach learners with special needs. The study revealed that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education provided guidelines in the form of policy documents and circulars to monitor the provision of quality education in the selected schools. Despite the efforts made by low-cost secondary schools in providing quality education, the study found that high staff turnover is negatively affecting the quality of education due to lack of continuity in learning. The findings indicated that inadequate learning resources and infrastructure such as libraries, computer and science laboratories, internet services, and lack of teachers with special needs expertise adversely affected the provision of quality education. The study concludes that lack of financial resources is a hindrance in the provision of quality education in low-cost secondary schools. The study recommends that a comparative study on provision of quality education should be conducted in private trust secondary schools.

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