bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Considering the Issue of Purpose in Leadership: A Review of Literature
Authors: Vercueil Megan , Nicolaides Angelo
Published: July 2021

This article reviews and integrates the findings of academic leadership studies to guide leaders as they deal with practical implications of “purpose” in leadership at the workplace. This paper offers a theoretical analysis of trait, situational, and value-based leadership theory and presents a philosophically informed theoretical examination of purpose in leadership. Although there is great enthusiasm around the topic of purposeful leadership, much of the knowledge is based on qualitative studies rather than empirical evidence. We hope this article could usefully inform leadership by bringing academic knowledge to the fore to support the enterprise leadership environment. To date, limited empirical research on the role and importance of “purpose” in leadership is available. Our study fills this gap and is unique in that it analyses existing literature and proffers guidance irrespective of the leadership style of those towards whom it is directed. Keywords: Leadership, individual, mission, organisation, purpose, values, vision.
Crisis of the Rule of Law in Europe: The Cases of Hungary, Poland and Spain
Authors: Parra Gómez David
Published: July 2021

Democracy is an instrument at the service of a noble purpose: to ensure the freedom and equality of all citizens by guaranteeing the civil, political and social rights contained in constitutional texts. Among the great principles on which this instrument rests is the division of powers, which consists, substantially, in the fact that power is not concentrated, but that the various functions of the State are exercised by different bodies, which, moreover, control each other. Well, the increasingly aggressive interference of the Executive and, to a lesser extent, the Legislative in material spheres that should be reserved exclusively for the Judiciary, violates this principle and, for this reason, distorts the idea of democracy, an alarming trend that, for some time now, are observed in European Union countries such as Hungary, Poland and Spain. Preventing the alarming degradation of European democracy, of which these three countries are an example, requires not only more than necessary institutional reforms to ensure respect for these principles and prevent the arbitrariness of the public authorities, but also a media network and an education system that explains and promotes these values and principles, that is, one that makes citizens aware of and defend constitutionalism. Keywords: Rule of law; Democracy; Separation of powers; judicial independence; Europe.
Some Directions of Increasing the Efficiency of Public Administration in the Context of Digitalization
Authors:   Federal Treasury Department for Moscow, Moscow 115191, Russian Federation, Lukashov Andrey I. ,   Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow 117997, Russian Federation
Published: July 2021

Building upon the practices of the Treasury of Russia as well as other federal executive agencies, this article presents a new approach aimed at improving the efficiency of public administration through the centralization of general management functions within a given body. The set of general functions across public authorities is largely generic, suggesting that the stage involving the optimization of said functions can be regarded as a preliminary one preceding a full-fledged digital transformation of public administration. Functions associated with budget accounting and budget report formation, material and technical support, and personnel, legal and administrative activities dominate in the structure of both federal and local authorities’ general management functions. At the same time, individual government bodies at both the federal and regional levels are all, to some extent, engaged in the optimization of general functions implementation costs through assigning appropriate powers to subordinate agencies. Exemplified by the Treasury of Russia and other public administration bodies, the article systemizes and analyzes the existing approaches within the subject matter. As a result of the analysis, it is deemed advisable to synchronize the activities of public authorities, in particular through coordinating the process at the level of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Assessment of the current distribution, dispersal trends and impacts of invasive species in Bana - Nui Chua Nature Reserve, Vietnam
Authors: Pham Pham Thi Kim Thoa, Vu Thi Bich Hau, Nguyen Van Hieu
Published: July 2021

Invasive species threaten the biodiversity and the function of ecosystems. Drone image, satellite images, and image analysis software were used to create the map of invasive distribution and the potential spreading of invasive plants. 13 most invasive plants were identified with 11 species listed as invasive species in Southeast Asia and 5 of them in the 100 world’s invasive species by IUCN. Three species Merremia boisiana (Gagn.) van Ooststr., Ipomoea eberhardtii Gagn, and Mimosa pigra were identified as the species with high-ranking impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem biodiversity in Ba Na - Nui Chua Nature Reserve (BNNR). Ipomoea eberhardtii Gagn shows the highest spreading rate at 0.65 ± 0.06 ha/month, followed by Merremia boisiana (Gagn.) van Ooststr) and Mimosa pigra at 0.12 ± 0.01 ha/month and 0.01 ± 0.001 ha/month respectively. Fresh biomass of Ipomoea eberhardtii Gagn; Merremia boisiana (Gagn.); Mimosa pigra and Sphagnetola trilobata (L.) Pruski in BNNR are 15.67; 14.9; 8.1 and 6.8 ton/ha. The database of invasive plant distribution and potential spreading will be used to monitor strategies and invasive weeds management in BNNR.
Does knowledge matter? The role of m-Health literacy to the acceptance of m-Health applications
Authors: Doan Doan Thi Lien Huong, Tran Dinh Long
Published: July 2021

With the proliferation of the Internet and wireless technology in many areas of people's life; the use of mobile phones; especially smartphones for health practices and information (mHealth) has increasingly been prevalent. Based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT); this study examined the role of mHealth literacy and other factors toward the adoption of wellness apps among the users in Danang city. The results confirmed the impact of mHealth Literacy on (1) intention to use health apps (2) the perceived usefulness and (3) the perceived ease of use. While the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use are found to exert influence on the intention of use; the role of privacy and security concerns on intention to use was rejected.
دلالة التنكير والتعريف بـ"أل" عند المفسرين
Authors: محمد عبد سالم ا.د.
Published: July 2021

هذا بحث في ظاهرة التعريف والتنكير بـ(أل) وهي من الظواهر التي اتسمت بالتشعب والتعقيد وأخذت مجالا واسعا في الدراسات اللغوية ولم يكن القصد من هذه الدراسة تتبع الظاهرة تاصيلا أو نحوا غنما هي عبارة عنأفكار استقاها الباحث في مجال التفسيرات القرآنية وهي استكشاف للمعارف التي اعتمدت بدلالة التنكير والتعريف
Environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting coastal bathing water quality
Authors: Mance Diana , Mance Davor , Vukić Lušić Darija
Published: July 2021

Coastal bathing water, as a common good, is an economic resource of public health interest. Predictive models of coastal bathing water contamination are needed for timely prevention of pollution, warning of bathers, and activation of municipal services and utilities in case of contingencies, as well as institutional mechanism designs for common good management purposes. The goal of this research is to identify the variables that would improve predictive models of coastal bathing water bacterial contamination. The microbiological quality of coastal bathing water is affected by many variables. This research is an analysis of the following determinants: precipitation amount, seawater temperature and salinity, as well as few indicators of anthropogenic pressure on the environment such as registered population, registered tourist overnight stays and the amount of generated municipal waste, all possibly directly or indirectly affecting the bathing water quality in 17 coastal municipalities in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The analysis showed that rainfall, as an instrumental confounder variable, influences salinity and seawater temperature by increasing groundwater discharge and bringing contamination i.e. increasing enterococci and Escherichia coli concentrations in coastal bathing water. Population as the conjectured independent variable, representing the anthropogenic cause of pollution, was once again falsified as a statistically significant determinant. For further research, longer-term sampling (preferably year-round) at micro-locations of comparable hydrogeological characteristics is recommended.
Development of high-sensitivity piezoresistive pressure sensors for −0.5...+0.5 kPa
Authors: Mikhail  , Prigodskiy Denis
Published: July 2021

A mathematical model of an ultrahigh sensitivity piezoresistive chip of a pressure sensor with a range from −0.5 to 0.5 kPa has been developed. The optimum geometrical dimensions of a specific silicon membrane with a combination of rigid islands to ensure a trade-off relationship between sensitivity (Ssamples = 34.5 mV kPa−1 V−1) and nonlinearity (2KNL samples = 0.81%FS) have been determined. The paper also studies the range of the membrane deflection and makes recommendations on position of stops limiting diaphragm deflection in both directions; the stops allow for increasing burst pressure Pburst up to 450 kPa. The simulated data has been related to that of experimental samples and their comparative analysis showed the relevance of the mathematical model (estimated sensitivity and nonlinearity errors calculated on the basis of average values are 1.5% and 19%, respectively).
PENGARUH GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DAN UKURAN PERUSAHAAN TERHADAP KINERJA PERUSAHAAN PT.HM SAMPOERNA TBK PERIODE 2008-20017.
Authors: Patmarina Hepiana , Febriana Vania
Published: July 2021

Penerapan prinsip Good Corporate Governance secara konkret memiliki beberapa tujuan, antara lain memudahkan akses terhadap investasi domestik maupun asing, mendapatkan cost of capital yang lebih murah, memberikan keputusan yang lebih baik dalam meningkatkan kinerja ekonomi perusahaan, meningkatkan keyakinan dan kepercayaan stakeholder terhadap perusahaan. Ukuran perusahaan juga dapat memengaruhi hasil yang akan dicapai perusahaan dengan memanfaatkan aset dengan baik.Permasalahan dalam penelitian adalah “ Apakah Good Corporate Governance dan Ukuran Perusahaan berpengaruh secara parsial maupun simultan terhadap Kinerja Perusahaan PT. HM Sampoerna”. Tujuan yang hendak dicapai dalam penulisan skripsi ini yaitu untuk mengetahui apakah indikator dari Good Corporate Governance dan Ukuran Perusahaan berpengaruh secara parsial dan simultan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif dan kuantitatif dengan menggunakan analisis regresi linear berganda, uji T dan uji F. Hipotesis dalam penelitian ini yaitu Good Corporate Governance dan Ukuran Perusahaan berpengaruh secara parsial maupun simultan.
Creeping disaster along the U.S. coastline: Understanding exposure to sea level rise and hurricanes through historical development
Authors: Braswell Anna , Leyk Stefan , Connor Dylan , Uhl Johannes
Published: July 2021

Current estimates of U.S. property at risk of coastal hazards and sea level rise (SLR) are stag-gering, evaluated at over a trillion U.S. dollars. Despite being enormous in the aggregate, po-tential losses due to SLR depend on mitigation, adaptation, and exposure and are highly uneven in their distribution across coastal cities. We provide the first analysis of how changes in expo-sure (how and when) have unfolded over more than a century of coastal urban development in the United States. We do so by leveraging new historical settlement layers from the Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the U.S. (HISDAC-US) to examine building patterns within and between the SLR zones of the conterminous United States since the early twentieth century. Our analysis reveals that SLR zones developed faster and continue to have higher structure density than non-coastal, urban and inland areas, patterns which are particularly prominent in locations affected by hurricanes. However, density levels in historically less-developed coastal areas are now quickly converging on early-settled SLR zones, many of which have reached building saturation. These “saturation effects” suggest that adaptation polices targeting existing buildings and developed areas are likely to grow in importance relative to the protection of previously undeveloped land.
Interdisciplinary Approaches and Strategies from Research Reproducibility 2020: Educating for Reproducibility
Authors: Rethlefsen Melissa L. , Norton Hannah Friggle , Meyer Sarah L. , MacWilkinson Katherine A. , Smith II Plato L , Ye Hao
Published: July 2021

Research Reproducibility: Educating for Reproducibility, Pathways to Research Integrity was an interdisciplinary, virtual conference hosted by the University of Florida in December 2020. It brought together educators, researchers, students, policy makers, and industry representatives from across the globe to explore best practices, innovations, and new ideas for education around reproducibility and replicability. Emphasizing a broad view of rigor and reproducibility, the conference touched on many aspects of introducing learners to transparency, rigorous study design, data science, data management, replications, and more. Transdisciplinary themes emerged from the panels, keynote, and submitted papers and posters. The identified themes included lifelong learning, cultivating bottom-up change, “sneaking in” learning, just-in-time learning, targeting learners by career stage, learning by doing, learning how to learn, establishing communities of practice, librarians as interdisciplinary leaders, teamwork skills, rewards and incentives, and implementing top-down change. For each of these themes, we share ideas, practices, and actions as discussed by the conference speakers and attendees.
Schottky diode temperature sensor for pressure sensor
Authors: Mikhail
Published: July 2021

The small silicon chip of Schottky diode (0.8 × 0.8 × 0.4 mm3) with planar arrangement of electrodes (chip PSD) as temperature sensor, which functions under the operating conditions of pressure sensor, was developed. The forward current-voltage I–V characteristic of chip PSD is determined by potential barrier between Mo and n-Si (ND = 3 × 1015 cm−3). Forward voltage UF = 208 ± 6 mV and temperature coefficient TC = -1.635 ± 0.015 mV/°C (with linearity kT < 0.4 % for temperature range of -65 to +85 °C) at supply current IF =1 mA is achieved. The reverse I–V characteristic has high breakdown voltage UBR > 85 V and low leakage current IL < 5 μA at 25 °C and IL < 130 μA at 85 °C (UR = 20 V) because chip PSD contains the structure of two p-type guard rings along the anode perimeter. The application of PSD chip for wider temperature range from -65 to +115 °C is proved. The separate chip PSD of temperature sensor located at a distance of less than 1.5 mm from the pressure sensor chip. The PSD chip transmits input data for temperature compensation of pressure sensor errors by ASIC and for direct temperature measurement.
Inclusion Bayes Factors for Mixed Hierarchical Diffusion Decision Models
Authors: Boehm Udo , Evans Nathan J. , Gronau Quentin Frederik , Matzke Dora , Wagenmakers Eric-Jan , Heathcote Andrew
Published: July 2021

Cognitive models provide a substantively meaningful quantitative description of latent cognitive processes. The quantitative formulation of these models supports cumulative theory building and enables strong empirical tests. However, the non-linearity of these models and pervasive correlations among model parameters pose special challenges when applying cognitive models to data. Firstly, estimating cognitive models typically requires large hierarchical data sets that need to be accommodated by an appropriate statistical structure within the model. Secondly, statistical inference needs to appropriately account for model uncertainty to avoid overconfidence and biased parameter estimates. In the present work we show how these challenges can be addressed through a combination of Bayesian hierarchical modelling and Bayesian model averaging. To illustrate these techniques, we apply the popular diffusion decision model to data from a collaborative selective influence study.
Improving Workplace Culture Through Evidence-Based Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices
Authors: Creary Stephanie J , Rothbard Nancy , Scruggs Jared
Published: July 2021

This report focuses on examining the relationships between DEI practices and the workplace experiences of working adults distributed across different industries in the U.S. Results reveal that having access to DEI practices can be influential, especially in the experiences of people of color at work. Of the seven categories of DEI practices included in our study, Managerial Involvement, Workplace Policies, and Mentoring and Sponsorship are among the most influential practices in that they consistently drive many of the outcomes we studied. Ultimately, the findings, recommendations, and additional insights we have incorporated from academic and industry sources are intended to provide middle managers with the tools needed for improving workplace culture.
Sexual Orientation and Race Intersectionally Reduce the Perceived Gendered Nature of Normative Stereotypes in the United States
Authors: Hudson Sa-kiera Tiarra Jolynn , Ghani Asma
Published: July 2021

There is substantial research on the nature of gender prescriptive and proscriptive stereotypes. However, there has been relatively little work on whether these normative stereotypes are equally attributed to men and women of different identities. Across two studies (total N = 928), we assessed the extent to which stereotypes are prescribed and proscribed for men and women of different sexual orientations (Study 1) and races (Study 2) in the United States. We asked participants to rate the desirability of possessing 70 traits based on an “average American.” Although results showed the persistence of gender normative stereotypes in society, the normative nature of these stereotypes was influenced by sexual orientation and race. There was strong evidence of a heterocentric bias, as normative stereotypes of generic men and women most closely aligned with those of straight men and women. There was weaker evidence of a Eurocentric bias. Furthermore, observed gender differences in normative stereotypes were significantly smaller for sexually- and racially-minoritized targets compared to straight and White targets. These findings combined suggest that the practices and policies that attempt to address gender inequality might not be as effective for people with multiply-marginalized identities that face distinctly different patterns of normative pressures.
Tutorial for Integrating Experimental Lab Studies Online Through AWS
Authors: Donnelly Samuel
Published: July 2021

There has been a recent urgency to leverage modern technology to facilitate virtual experimental research and data collection. Various platforms have emerged to help transfer experimental lab software to virtual-lab environments. However, the existing aids are limited by the degree of task complexity they can accommodate (e.g., dynamic simulation tasks), as well as the adherence of various data security governance they can provide to researchers. In an effort to alleviate these discrepancies, we present a comprehensive tutorial for transitioning software-based experimental tasks into the more dynamic and secure platform, Amazon Web Services. We also illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of administering virtual lab sessions, and provide various solutions for optimizing security, controllability, user experience, and data collection speed. To support these objectives, we provide a detailed set of open-source resources to aid researchers in extending experimental lab studies to geographically dispersed and ideally, more generalizable sample populations.
Development and validation of tool for screening occupational mental health and workplace factors influencing it
Authors: Balachandar Rakesh , Ketharam Asha , Bharath Srikala
Published: July 2021

Introduction:Occupational mental health is one of the key entity for ideal work place. Earlier studies have identified certain workplace factors to influence the mental health of the worker. “Workload”, “Reward”, “Community”, “Control”, “Values” and “Fairness” are the key areas identified in occupational psychology that determine the mental health of the worker. An imbalance in these factors may lead to negative occupational mental health, i.e. burnout. The burnout, a psychological syndrome is combination of emotional exhaustion, depletion of compassion and sense of reduced accomplishment. To note, the concept of occupational mental health in nation with second largest workforce is nascent. Further, the utility of existing western tools in Indian context is limited by multiple factors such as less comprehensibly, culturally inappropriate, patented and other factors. Hence, a tool was developed to screen the occupational mental health and workplace areas. Methods and results:Conventional steps involved in psychological tool development, viz. construct identification, drafting of pertinent questions, content validation, field testing of questions and others were adopted. After series of steps, a tool for screening the occupational mental health consisting of 21 questions and screening the key constructs influencing the mental health at workplace (workplace assessment) consisting of 25 questions were developed. Each of these questions sought responses using a 3-point scale i.e. “Never”, “Sometimes” and “Always”. As intended, the questions were relatively simple, shorter, comprehensible and compliant (no rejections) as observed by the feedback obtained during the pilot (feasibility) study involving 58 consenting volunteers. The tool was explored on larger sample involving workforce from various occupational background in addition to screening of the general mental health using general health questionnaire 5 (GHQ 5). The screening tool exhibited adequate test - retest reliability, internal consistency / reliability (cronbach’s α > 0.73) and correlation (correlation coefficient > 0.6) with the general mental health in larger evaluation of 153 consenting workers.Conclusion: Present study attempted to develop tool for screening adverse occupational mental health (burnout) and workplace factors that are known to be detrimental for mental health. Considering the magnitude of workforce and relatively naïve the concept of occupational mental health in the country, a tool (such as the one reported in the study) for screening the mentioned constructs are need of the hour. Hence, the proposed simple and easy to administer tool, would aid in recognizing the burnout and aid in early diagnosis and management of those requiring intervention.
A Feedforward Convolutional Neural Network Learns from Images to Covertly Attend to Contextual Cues like Human and Bayesian Ideal Observers
Authors: Srivastava Sudhanshu , Wang William , Eckstein Miguel P.
Published: July 2021

Human behavioral experiments with predictive cues and contexts have led to influential conceptualizations of visual attention, such as limited resource mechanisms, a temporally serial processor, or weighting of visual information by Bayesian priors. The three most prominent tasks to study covert attention, Posner cueing, set-size effects in search, and contextual cueing are typically explained with different attentional concepts that are difficult to map to biologically plausible neuronal populations. How brains might learn to manifest cue and context effects with simple neural architectures is not well-understood. We show that a feedforward convolutional neural network (CNN) with a few million neurons and no explicit incorporation of an attention mechanism or a limited resource, trained on noisy images to optimize target detection accuracy, learns to utilize predictive cues and context, and predicts human performance for the three covert attention tasks. The CNN’s cueing/context effects generalize across network sizes and training schemes, peripheral and central pre-cues, discrimination tasks, and reaction time measures. Although the CNN achieves lower accuracy than a Bayesian Ideal Observer (BIO), it shows comparable cueing/context effects, is a better predictor of the interaction with cue contrast on human accuracy, and unlike the BIO, can generalize cueing effects to unseen cue instances. Thus, the three landmark attention behavioral effects can be explained as an emergent property of task optimization in simple neural architectures and are not necessarily a consequence of limited resources. The findings might help explain recent findings showing cueing/context effects across a variety of simple organisms with no neocortex.
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: A case report
Authors: Poudel Pratima , Jahan Roushan
Published: July 2021

Peutz-jeghers syndrome is a rare inherited autosomal dominant disease which is characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentation and multiple polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. We report a case of 10 years old female who was referred to us from surgical department for the evaluation of brownish pigmented macules over lips, face, palms and soles. Patient was presented with recurrent abdominal pain along with vomiting and blood mixed stool for a month. Ultrasound of abdomen revealed jejuno-jejunal intussusception for which laparotomy was done during which multiple polyps were visualized. Polypectomy was done and biopsy revealed it to be tubulovillous adenoma. Patient was diagnosed as Peutz-jeghers syndrome as there were multiple polyps in the jejunum along with the characteristics mucocutaneous involvement.
Clinical profile on incidence and course of Retinopathy of Prematurity in a tertiary care hospital of Northern India
Authors: Grang Parveen , Kaur Prempal , Singh Karamjit , Sareen Ashwani , Singh Bhavkaran
Published: July 2021

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vaso-proliferative disorder of retina of preterm infants. It remains the leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide. Aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (APROP) is rapidly progressive severe form of ROP.
Aims and Objectives: The present study was done to assess incidence and evaluate course of ROP in preterm babies born before 34 weeks and birth weight <1750 grams.
Material and Methods: The current study was a two year prospective observational study. Screening of all neonates born with gestational age ≤34 weeks and birth weight <1750 grams was done for ROP at 4 weeks of their postnatal age by indirect ophthalmoscopy and followed up till vascularization was complete. All neonates identified with APROP and ROP with plus disease was treated with double-frequency Nd YAG laser.
Results: Of 318 neonates screened, 34.9% neonates (111) were observed to have ROP. 2.5% (8/318) neonates diagnosed with APROP and 4.4% neonates (14/318) having ROP with plus disease including pre-threshold and threshold ROP were treated with double frequency Nd Yag laser. All 14 treatment requiring ROP babies and 6 APROP babies showed total regression while one neonate with APROP succumbed to septicaemia during follow up and one APROP baby had to be referred to higher centre after he developed partial retinal detachment (RD) (Stage 4a).
Conclusion: 34.9% had ROP, only 6.28% needed intervention. Laser monotherapy even when administered early has lesser favorable structural and functional outcome in APROP as compared to classical ROP.
Renal impairment in stroke; a retrospective comparison between ischaemic and haemorrhagic variants
Authors: Tagadur Nataraju Kamalesh , Hiremath Sourab , Balan Nambiar Anushree , Kalgottaru Nagabhushan Abhilash , Colaco Lanson Brijesh
Published: July 2021

Background: Cerebrovascular accident (also known as stroke) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in India. Renal dysfunction may be associated with increased recurrence of stroke and poorer long-term outcomes.
Aims and Objectives: a) To find the relationship between CKD and occurrence of acute stroke b) To estimate the incidence of AKI in patients admitted with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of renal function in patients admitted in K.V.G. Medical College Hospital with the diagnosis of “Acute stroke.” All patients admitted in Medical Intensive Care Unit (M-ICU) and general wards from 1st November 2018 to 31st March 2020 were included in the study.
Results: In this study, we included 80 patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of acute stroke. Sixty-four patients (80%) had ischemic stroke and remaining sixteen (20%) had haemorrhagic stroke. Twenty-eight patients (35%) had renal dysfunction. The distribution of different types of renal dysfunction among different types of stroke was statistically insignificant (p value = 0.529). Incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in our study is 25%. 12 patients (15%) were found to have chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence of CKD varies from 20 to 35% in ischemic stroke and 20 to 46% in haemorrhagic stroke.
Conclusion: Renal dysfunction occurs frequently in patients with stroke. There was a significant proportion of patients with renal dysfunction. However, further prospective cohort studies are needed to find out the effect of renal dysfunction on stroke recovery and mortality.
Fetomaternal outcome of eclamptic parturient in a tertiary care center: A descriptive cross-sectional study
Authors: Shrestha Aashika , Shrestha Junu , Gurung Sangeeta , Adhikari Anjali Subedi
Published: July 2021

Background: Eclampsia is still a leading cause of maternal death second to postpartum hemorrhage in developing countries. It is also associated with poor perinatal outcome.
Aims and Objective: The objective of this study was to find the incidence, maternal and perinatal outcome of patients admitted in a tertiary hospital, Pokhara with diagnosis of eclampsia.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in department of obstetrics and gynecology, MTH, Pokhara for duration of 1 year from 1st January 2020 to 30th December 2020. A total of 22 patients were enrolled in the study irrespective of timing of occurrence of fits, age, parity, gestational age and status of booking on admission.
Results: During the study period the incidence of eclampsia at our center was 0.85% .Majority of the patients 17(77.27%) were primigravida and 16(72.68%) delivered at less than 37 weeks of gestation. Only 4 patients had her antenatal checkup done in MTH. According to timing of occurrence of fits Antepartum and postpartum eclampsia comprise 50% each with no cases of intrapartum eclampsia. Caesarean section was done in 17(77%) cases. Among the cases 10, (45.45%) patients required ICU admission and 6(27.27%) required ventilator support. HELLP, acute renal failures, PRES, PPH were causes of maternal morbidity. Three (13.63%) babieswere born stillbirth. Sixteen (72.72%) babies were born preterm and 13(59.09%) had birth weight less than 2.5kg. Six (27.27%) babies needed NICU admission.
Conclusion: Eclampsia continues to be one of the prime etiological factors for maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in developing countries like ours. This is mostly due to the delay in seeking and reaching the care. Regular antenatal checkup, early recognition, its prevention and proper management of eclamptic cases are vital to tackle this challenge.
Co-morbidity pattern among type-II diabetes mellitus patients attending outpatient department of a rural tertiary care institute of North India
Authors: Pal Ravinder , Verma Ramesh Kumar , Singh Navtej , Dr Tarun
Published: July 2021

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) describes a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood glucose levels. People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing a number of serious life-threatening health problems resulting in higher medical care costs, reduced quality of life and increased mortality. Knowledge of the prevalence about coexisting medical conditions in specific population groups helps healthcare providers and policymakers to allocate health resources efficiently and tailor diabetic care management to effectively utilize healthcare programs while decreasing healthcare expenditure.
Aims and Objectives: To find out the pattern of comorbidity burden among Type-II diabetes mellitus patients attending outpatient department of a rural tertiary care institute of North India.
Materials and Methods: Study setting: Outpatient department (OPD) of General Medicine of Rural Tertiary Care Institute in North India. Study design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Study population: Patients who had already been diagnosed by a physician of having Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and attended OPD for follow-up during study period i.e. 1st November 2019 to 31st January 2020.
Results: Among 82 study participants, 36 were males and 46 females. A total of sixty-six study participants had co-morbidities along with diabetes mellitus. Most common co-morbidity recorded was related to cardiovascular system and neuropathies. Adherence to treatment was followed by 46 (56%) and dietary advice by 42 (51%) study participants.
Conclusion: In light of the chronicity of the disease and increasing prevalence of diabetes with associated comorbid conditions, there is a need for clearcut guidelines to address health risks of diabetes with other comorbid conditions. There should be provision for regular formal health education sessions to address co-morbidities, complications due to diabetes.
Occurrence of Covid-19 in different communities in Kolkata
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Jyotishman , Chatterjee Anant , Mallik Debayan , Chatterjee Chitra
Published: July 2021

Background: Scourge of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a matter of public health concern. New-norm preventive life-style like use of mask, repeated hand washing, social distancing and hygienic way of coughing-sneezing often compromise easy life and personal comfort. Earlier studies established certain epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 mostly in highend societies, but not many conducted on occurrence of COVID-19 in low-middle-income communities to ascertain the trend.
Aims and Objective: Considering a possible upsurge of COVID-19 in Kolkata, it was decided to study the occurrence of COVID-19 in the background of preventive awareness and its application among residents in three different communities in Kolkata.
Materials and Methods: Study was conducted in three different communities located in south Kolkata during Apr 20 to Mar 21. Community 1 and 2 were semi-urban clusters and Community 3, a high profile society; having 266, 282 & 360 adults respectively. Consent was taken from authority as well as individual subjects. Questionnaire was made incorporating personal attributes, knowledge of personal protective measures (PPM) & its application; lastly details of COVID-19 patients. Questionnaire was sent to willing members through e-mode; those declined were contacted individually following new-norm. Data collected was coded for confidentiality, tabulated and analysed. Confirmed COVID-19 (RT-PCR+ve) declared by Govt/private hospitals during Apr 20 to Mar 21 were included.
Result: Communities studied had analogous demographic traits. Two communities belonged to low-SES group, while other enjoyed high-end-status. Almost 90% of slum/colony dwellers knew all facets of COVID-19 prevention compared to cent-percent of upper class people. 52% in one and around 93-100% in other two groups followed recommended PPM. Occurrence rates of COVID-19 infection were 11.3, 10.6 & 11.1 per 1000 adult of respective communities during study period. Affected were mostly male (90%) of 30-44 year age with 60% from low SES & 40% from the privileged. Many indisposed used masks (70%), washed hands (100%) and followed social distancing (90%). Study unfurled the explicit distinctiveness of COVID-19 infection irrespective of social stand aside idealistic reflective of preventive awareness/application. PPM though renders protection but its circumventing role needs consistent application in back-lore of certain contextual considerations.
Conclusion: Further research is recommended to enrich this endeavour to explore facts that may play vital rolein COVID-19 prevention in future.
Prevalence of Gingival Pigmentation and its Association with Gingival Biotype and Skin Colour
Authors: Rijal Arjun Hari , Dhami Bhageshwar , Pandey Nashib , Aryal Deepa
Published: July 2021

Introduction: The facial appearance depends on several oral and extraoral factors including colour of facial skin and pigmentation of gingival epithelium. The colour of the gingiva varies among individuals and is thought to be associated with cutaneous pigmentation which ranges from light to dark brown or black colour.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of physiological gingival pigmentation, gingival biotype and their association with skin colur in Nepalese subjects visiting Kantipur Dental College and Hospital (KDCH).

Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study which was carried out from February 2020 to June 2020 in all patients of age-group 16 to 80 years visiting the Department of Periodontics at KDCH after ethical approval. Patients were recruited by convenience sampling and examined thoroughly to find out gingival biotype and extent of gingival pigmentation intraorally as well as skin colour extraorally.

Results: In this study, 210 patients were examined among which, 105 (50%) were males and 105 (50%) were females. Out of 210, 33 (15.7%) had pink tissue without pigmentation, 84 (40%) had pigmentation only in attached gingiva, 58 (27.6%) in attached gingiva and interdental papilla, 32 (15.2%) had diffuse pigmentation involving all parts of gingiva, 2 (1%) had in marginal gingiva only, and 1 (0.5%) in marginal gingiva and interdental papilla.

Conclusion: A strong association was found between gingival pigmentation and facial skin colour in present study (P <0.001). Establishing the pattern of gingival pigmentation in Nepalese population will help to choose a specific depigmentation therapy that will harmonise with skin colour.
Variations in Maxillary Frenal Morphology in a Sample of Newari Children of Bhaktapur
Authors: Joshi Ujjwal , Pradhan Megha , Neupane Aastha , Lawaju Nita , Khadka Nirma , Chaulagain Rajib
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Frenum attachments are fold of mucous membrane attaching the lips to alveolar mucosa and underlying periosteum. Aberrant location of attachment of maxillary labial frenum poses many clinical problems such as mucogingival problems and midline diastema.

Objective: The study was performed to assess the variations in morphology of maxillary labial frenum in a sample of Newari children of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed enrolling 340 Newari children residing in Bhaktapur from August 14, 2020 to March 30, 2021. The study comprised both genders within age group of 6 to 16 years. The frenal attachment was recorded according to Mirko and Sewerin classification. The data was analysed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16 using descriptive statistics.

Results: In total, 340 Newari children participated in this study. The mucosal type was observed in 204 (60%) of the participants followed by gingival type 101 (29.7%). More than 80% of the participants had simple frenum (283, 83.2%). The frenum with nodule was present in 25 (7.4%) and frenum with appendix in 22 (6.5%) of study participants. Frenum with appendix was mostly present in males 18 (10.1%) than females 4 (2.5%).

Conclusion: Within the Newari children, the mucosal type of maxillary labial frenum was more prevalent followed by gingival type. The simple frenum was the most common type on basis of morphology.
Microinvasive Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Gingiva: An Enigma
Authors: Shakya Prashamsa , Acharya Poojan , Sharma Shivalal , Shrestha Ashish , Paunju Nisha
Published: July 2021

Microinvasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (MIOSCC) of gingiva is an early stage relatively ‘thin’ tumour without invasion of deep tissues. A 55-year old male reported with the chief complaint of gum swelling in lower right back jaw region for one month. On examination, diffuse, unscrappable, white homogenous plaque extending from 35 to 48 was present with a firm, sessile gingival growth approximately eight millimetre in diameter. A provisional diagnosis of verrucous leukoplakia was made. Hence, biopsy was performed which confirmed MIOSCC and mild dysplasia for different sites. The patient is on regular follow-up and with no signs of recurrence.
The Role of MEMS in In-Vitro-Fertilization
Authors: Wijegunawardana Isira , Amarasinghe Y. W. R.
Published: July 2021

The assisted reproduction has been considered a viable solution for the infertility of humankind for more than four decades. In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) is one of the most successful assisted reproduction techniques, where the reproductive cell of the female partner is fertilized outside of her body. Initially, the IVF process has been conducted manually by an experienced embryologist. However, even with a highly experienced individual, the operation had extremely lower success rates due to the limited control in environmental conditions and the requirement of precise movements. Therefore, to address this technological deficit, the feasibility of the mechatronics devices for IVF procedures has been investigated. Among the different mechatronics concepts, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technologies have been gradually attracted to the IVF process and improved its capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the role of MEMS technologies in IVF. The article classifies the MEMS technologies in IVF based on their application in order to emphasize its contribution. In addition, the article extensively discusses the state-of-the-art mechatronic techniques utilized in Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), one of the most popular techniques used in IVF. This review article expects to become extremely beneficial for the engineering researchers new to this field who seek critical information on IVF in simple terms with highlights on the possible advancements and challenges that may emerge in the future.
Smoking in Malaysia: Main issues and ways to overcome
Authors: Mohammed Nawi Azmawati , Jetly Kavita , Ramli Nur Suhada
Published: July 2021

Smoking is a public health problem worldwide and in Malaysia. According to serial Malaysian data, the age of initiation of smoking are at a younger age and the prevalence of smoking in Malaysia among adults and adolescents have not reduced much over the years. Smoking has a detrimental heath effect to smokers as well as those passively smoking. Younger age of smoking is linked to increased dependence of nicotine and many other high-risk behaviours. The two main issues which is addressed here is younger age of initiation of smoking and smoking bans in Malaysia. The factors which contribute to younger age of smoking initiation is tobacco factors, school factors, family factors and social factors. Challenges to smoking bans in Malaysia includes poor enforcement and innovation of tobacco products in Malaysia. A comprehensive approach including the mPOWER strategy should be carried out to address this problem towards achieving Tobacco Endgame.
Respon pertumbuhan rumput Setaria (Setaria spachelata) yang diberikan pupuk kotoran satwa Kuskus asal penangkaran
Authors: Mauri Fredrik R.S. , Sawen Diana , Baaka Alnita
Published: July 2021

Cuscus is an arboreal animal whose habitat is in the forest with the type of food consumed are fruits, leaf shoots, and agricultural plants. Animal manure can also be used as organic fertilizer for forage plants. This study aims to determine the growth response of Setaria grass (Setaria sphacelata) given a dose of cuscus manure fertilizer with banana and avocado consumption. The study was designed in a CRD with 3 treatments. The treatments were P0 = without fertilizer (100% soil), P1 = 40 g/polybag of cuscus manure with banana consumption, and P2 = 40 g/polybag of cuscus manure with avocado consumption. Planting is done by pols on polybags measuring 30 x 25 cm. The results showed that the highest plant height of Setaria grass was found in P2 with an average of 101.70, then P1 was 101.47 and P0 was 71.16 cm/week. The results were the same for the number of leaves and tillers, P2 showed significantly higher results (P<0.05), followed by P1 and control. The application of organic fertilizer of cuscus manure with the consumption of bananas and avocados can increase the growth of Setaria grass.
Antimicrobial and Antiochratoxic Activities ofMentha spicataEssential Oil
Authors: Brahmi M. , Adli D.E.H. , Boufadi M.Y. , Arabi W. , Kahloula K. , Slimani M.
Published: July 2021

The principle aim of this work is to evaluate the antimicrobial and antiochratoxic power of the essential oil ofMentha spicata(EOM). This oil was obtained by hydrodistillation with a yield of 0.3%. EOM was screened for its possible antibacterial activity in vitro against five strains of pathogenic bacteria, using the solid disc diffusion method and the microdilution method. The extract reacted positively to the bacterial strains tested. The results of the antifungal activity show an inhibition of mycelial growth; it is total onAspergillus ochraceus,Aspergillus flavus,Aspergillus niger,Penicillium viridicatum, and onRhizopus stoloniferandAlternaria alternateat a concentration of 12.5 μl/ml. Tests carried out on yeasts mainly referenced asCandida albicansIP444 andCandida albicans2679 showed minimal inhibition (MIC) of the order of 7.81 μl/ml and 0.97 μl/ml, respectively and theMICis of the order of 0.48 μl/ml forCandida albicans10 231. In addition, the EOM antiochratoxigenic test for ochratoxin A production capacity following a series of high performance liquid chromatography separation and ultraviolet detection (HPLC–UV) analyses detected an inhibitory effect proportional to the EOM concentration. In general, the essential oil showed an effective antimicrobial action on the growth of the tested pathogens and an antiochratoxigenic.