bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Automated Generation from Video to 3D Character Animation using Artificial Intelligence and Pose Estimate
Authors: Xian Daniel Haocheng , Sahagun Jonathan
Published: May 2023

This paper presents a novel approach to automatically generate 3D character animation from video using artificial intelligence and pose estimation [3]. The proposed system first extracts the pose information fromthe input videousing a pose estimation model [2]. Then, an artificial neural network is trained to generate the corresponding3Dcharacter animation based on the extracted pose information [1]. The generated animation is then refined usingaset of animation filters to enhance the quality of the final output. Our experimental results demonstrate theef ectiveness of the proposed approach in generating realistic and natural-looking 3D character animations fromvideo input [4]. This automated process has the potential to greatly reduce the time and ef ort required for creating3D character animations, making it a valuable tool for the entertainment and gaming industries.
Predicting New Cigarette Launch Strategy based on Synthetic Control Method
Authors: Mo Yu-Hua , Deng Chao , Huang Fei-Jie , Tan Qian , Li Yuan-Kun
Published: May 2023

In order to accurately predict the ef ect of new product cigarette marketing strategy.We take 18 months of cigarette sales data in city B of province A as the research sample, take new cigarette C as the researchobject, and use the random forest method to fix the errors and missing data. Then, we first use the mature cigarette brand's short-term historical sales and multiple labeling systems including the mature cigarette brand's historical sales data, retailer sales data, merchant circle crowd portrait data. Based on various machine learning method, we calculate the fitting weights of mature cigarettes to new cigarettes and thensimulate and predict the sales trend of new cigarettes. The application ef ect test found the accuracy of new cigarette sales prediction based on the traditional LSTM model was only 33.31%. In comparison, the prediction accuracy of the new model we constructed can reach 94.17%. We address the limitations encountered in new cigarette sales prediction, and fill the research gap in new cigarette launch models.
A Review of Research in First-Stage Retrieval
Authors: Du Mengxue , Li Shasha , Yu Jie , Ma Jun , Liu Huijun , Li Miaomiao
Published: May 2023

In this paper, the first-stage retrieval technology is studied from four aspects: the development background, the frontier technology, the current challenges, and the future directions. Our contributionconsists of two main parts. On the one hand, this paper reviewed some retrieval techniques proposed by researchers and drew targeted conclusions through comparative analysis. On the other hand, dif erent research directions are discussed, and the impact of the combination of dif erent techniques on first-stage retrieval is studied and compared. In this way, this survey provides a comprehensive overview of the fieldand will hopefully be used by researchers and practitioners in the first-stage retrieval domain, inspiringnew ideas and further developments.
Psychological Lights: An Intelligent LED System to Relief Youth Stress Level using AI and Internet of the things
Authors: Cheng Zixuan , Cheng Zihang , Li Ang
Published: May 2023

The paper discusses the issue of stress among students and proposes using lighting to alleviate stress levels [3]. The authors discuss various techniques for managing stress, including exercise, sleep, and socialization, and suggest that lighting can be used to address seasonal affective disorder (SAD) [4][5]. The paper outlines the challenges faced during the experiment and design, including creating a reliable survey, user interface design, and data privacy. The authors propose using a weighted score for survey responses and adopting simple designs for the app interface. The paper concludes by discussing the potential benefits of using lighting to alleviate stress levels and identifying areas for future research.
Developing an Objective Refereeing System for Fencing: Using Pose Estimation Algorithms and Expert Knowledge Systems to Determine Priority and Ensure Fairness
Authors: Zhou Haokai , Smolin Aleksandr
Published: May 2023

Fencers in foil and sabre are often concerned with their referees' preferences when determining priority, which determines who receives the point in a bout [1]. Oftentimes, humans fail to rationally determine priority and apply the rules fairly, leading to inconsistencies in decisions in the same bout. This often causes heated arguments and much discord in fencing competitions [2]. This paper develops software to identify fencers on a video recording, locate key points in their body's structure, record their movements and critical metrics about their performance, and match them with an objective expert knowledge system in order to determine who truly has priority at any given time in the match. We tested out several pose estimation algorithms, such as Yolov5, Yolov7, and MediaPipe in order to determine which one has better accuracy and performance in order to be able to deliver precise, unbiased, and fair refereeing decisions in a short period of time, and then allow the referees to reference the logic behind the decision, as well as see all the data that the decision was based upon in order to validate its veracity [3][4]. We also use caching technology to be able to quickly reload and review previous decisions in case any doubt about the bout's outcome arises post-fact.
A Novel Exploit Traffic Traceback Method based on Session Relationship
Authors: Liu Yajing , Cai Ruijie , Yin Xiaokang , Liu Shengli
Published: May 2023

Vulnerability exploitation is the key to obtaining the control authority of the system, posing a significant threat to network security. Therefore, it is necessary to discover exploitation from traffic. The current methods usually only target a single stage with an incomplete causal relationship and depend on the payload content, causing attacker easily avoids detection by encrypting traffic and other means. To solve the above problems, we propose a traffic traceback method of vulnerability exploitation based on session relation. First, we construct the session relationship model using the session correlation of different stages during the exploit. Second, we build a session diagram based on historical traffic. Finally, we traverse the session diagram to find the traffic conforming to the session relationship model. Compared with Blatta, a method detecting early exploit traffic with RNN, the detection rate of our method is increased by 50%, independent of traffic encryption methods.
Heart Disease Prediction using Chi-Square Test and Linear Regression
Authors: Kalla Dinesh , Chandrasekaran Arvind
Published: May 2023

Heart disease is most common disease reported currently in the United States among both the genders and according to official statistics about fifty percent of the American population is suffering from some form of cardiovascular disease. This paper performs chi square tests and linear regression analysis to predict heart disease based on the symptoms like chest pain and dizziness. This paper will help healthcare sectors to provide better assistance for patients suffering from heart disease by predicting it in beginning stage of disease. Chi square test is conducted to identify whether there is a relation between chest pain and heart disease cases in the United States by analyzing heart disease dataset from IEEE Data Port. The test results and analysis show that males in the United States are most likely to develop heart disease with the symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue, and nausea. This test also shows that there is a week corelation of 0.5 is identified which shows people with all ages including teens can face heart diseases and its prevalence increase with age. Also, the tests indicate that 90 percent of the participant who are facing severe chest pain is suffering from heart disease where majority of the successful heart disease identified is in males and only 10 percent participants are identified as healthy. The evaluated p-values are much greater than the statistical threshold of 0.05 which concludes factors like sex, Exercise angina, Cholesterol, old peak, ST_Slope, obesity, and blood sugar play significant role in onset of cardiovascular disease. We have tested the dataset with prediction model built on logistic regression and observed an accuracy of 85.12 percent.
IOT Network Proposal for the Identification, Monitoring and Location of Crocodiles in the Estuary of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
Authors: Lemus Miguel Angel Gallardo , Ramos Juan Carlos Rodriguez , Arcega Rodrigo Oliver Delgado
Published: May 2023

In the city of Puerto Vallarta, in Mexico, there are crocodiles, distributed in the BahÃƒa de Banderas area, between the states of Nayarit and Jalisco. Man invaded their habitat, forcing them to look for those spaces they naturally occupied, generating confrontations. This work describes and gives the background of the problem, as well as a possible way to mitigate the situation, the use of IOT technology is proposed to monitor the location of each crocodile and the definition of risk zones to warn of possible dangerous situations. Therefore, the design proposal of a network of wireless sensors for the monitoring of crocodiles that are found in the area of the estuary and the Marina, which is an area surrounded by commercial and residential areas, is carried out. The use of a LORA network is proposed, since the coverage of the Coast, mangrove swamp and Marina is around 8 km. Also, a star topology with a single hub and a gateway node was chosen to send the data to a server. A NoSQL database service such as Firebase and data visualization software using React Native are proposed. The data of interest for the project will only be the latitude and longitude provided by the GPS and that will be decoded through an mkr 1300 development card. With the application of the project it is possible to know the behavior of the reptiles, act quickly in case that the crocodiles are outside their natural area and notify Civil Protection.
A Model-Based Approach Machine Learning to Scalable Portfolio Selection
Authors: Gularte Ana Paula S. , Curtis Vitor V.
Published: May 2023

This study proposes a scalable asset selection and allocation approach using machine learning that integrates clustering methods into portfolio optimization models. The methodology applies the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection method and ensemble clustering techniques to preselect assets from the Ibovespa and S&P 500 indices. The research compares three allocation models and finds that the Hierarchical Risk Parity model outperformed the others, with a Sharpe ratio of 1.11. Despite the pandemic's impact on the portfolios, with drawdowns close to 30%, they recovered in 111 to 149 trading days. The portfolios outperformed the indices in cumulative returns, with similar annual volatilities of 20%. Preprocessing with UMAP allowed for finding clusters with higher discriminatory power, evaluated through internal cluster validation metrics, helping to reduce the problem's size during optimal portfolio allocation. Overall, this study highlights the potential of machine learning in portfolio optimization, providing a useful framework for investment practitioners.
ALICE – Applying BERT to Italian Emails
Authors: Restaino Pasquale , Saracino Liliana
Published: May 2023

ALICE is an Artificial Intelligence solution that allows the automatic classification of email-type documents based on their information content, analyzed almost in real-time. The emails are written in Italian language. The classification classes are equal to 591, and in the use of the service, they will be able to grow further. The aim of this paper is to explores the implementation of the BERT model in the ALICE email classification system for multiclass classification in the Italian language. The main objective of the ALICE solution is the automation of classification processes performed manually by dedicated operators. To improve the performance of the BERT model and to allow the addition of further classification classes, a transfer learning process has been envisaged. The ALICE service, which uses the BERT model trained on the provided dataset, presently has a 76% accuracy.
Clustering an African Hairstyle Dataset using PCA and K-Means
Authors: Nicrocia Teffo Phomolo , Adewale Owolawi Pius , Diana Pholo Moanda
Published: May 2023

The adoption of digital transformation was not expressed in building an African face shape classifier. In this paper, an approach is presented that uses k-means to classify African women images. African women rely on beauty standards recommendations, personal preference, or the newest trends in hairstyles to decide on the appropriate hairstyle for them. In this paper, an approach is presented that uses K-means clustering to classify African women's images. In order to identify potential facial clusters, Haarcascade is used for feature-based training, and K-means clustering is applied for image classification.
Is There a Trojan! : Literature Survey and Critical Evaluation of the Latest ML Based Modern Intrusion Detection Systems in IoT Environments
Authors: Karanam Vishal
Published: May 2023

IoT as a domain has grown so much in the last few years that it rivals that of the mobile network environments in terms of data volumes as well as cybersecurity threats. The confidentiality and privacy of data within IoT environments have become very important areas of security research within the last few years. More and more security experts are interested in designing robust IDS systems to protect IoT environments as a supplement to the more traditional security methods. Given that IoT devices are resource-constrained and have a heterogeneous protocol stack, most traditional intrusion detection approaches don’t work well within these schematic boundaries. This has led security researchers to innovate at the intersection of Machine Learning and IDS to solve the shortcomings of non-learning based IDS systems in the IoT ecosystem. Despite various ML algorithms already having high accuracy with IoT datasets, we can see a lack of sufficient production grade models. This survey paper details a comprehensive summary of the latest learning-based approaches used in IoT intrusion detection systems, and conducts a through critical review of these systems, potential pitfalls in ML pipelines, challenges from an ML perspective and discusses future research scope, and recommendations.
Nuance: Near Ultrasound Attack on Networked Communication Environments
Authors: McKee Forrest , Noever David
Published: May 2023

This study investigates a primary inaudible attack vector on Amazon Alexa voice services using near ultrasound trojans and focuses on characterizing the attack surface and examining the practical implications of issuing inaudible voice commands. The research maps each attack vector to a tactic or technique from the MITRE ATT&CK matrix, covering enterprise, mobile, and Industrial Control System (ICS) frameworks. The experiment involved generating and surveying fifty near-ultrasonic audios to assess the attacks' effectiveness, with unprocessed commands having a 100% success rate and processed ones achieving a 58% overall success rate. This systematic approach stimulates previously unaddressed attack surfaces, ensuring comprehensive detection and attack design while pairing each ATT&CK Identifier with a tested defensive method, providing attack and defense tactics for prompt-response options. The main findings reveal that the attack method employs Single Upper Sideband Amplitude Modulation (SUSBAM) to generate near-ultrasonic audio from audible sources, transforming spoken commands into a frequency range beyond human-adult hearing. By eliminating the lower sideband, the design achieves a 6 kHz minimum from 16-22 kHz while remaining inaudible after transformation. The research investigates the one-to-many attack surface where a single device simultaneously triggers multiple actions or devices. Additionally, the study demonstrates the reversibility or demodulation of the inaudible signal, suggesting potential alerting methods and the possibility of embedding secret messages like audio steganography.
Subtypes of Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: Koifman Julia
Published: May 2023

In light of teaching students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties (LD), neuroscientists claim that such deficiencies happen due to a neural base, depending on biological and environmental factors, and experience developing properties and improving reading skills. The research claims two types of dyslexia: developmental (or innate) and deep (or acquired due to brain traumas or diseases). This article researches developmental dyslexia (DD), which may be primary and secondary. DD is divided into two main subtypes: surface and phonological While reading; our brains must "rewire" neural circuits initially used for other tasks, such as visual and speech processing and attention and cognition. Psycholinguistics investigates the cognitive process of perception, production, and general use of language. This article revises teaching English in light of neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and appropriate methods to train working memory and other ways to overcome DD and its subtypes.
An Ensemble Approach To Improve Homomorphic Encrypted Data Classification Performance
Authors: Alsagheer Dana , Mansourifar Hadi
Published: May 2023

Homomorphic encryption (HE) permits users to perform computations on encrypted data without first decrypting it. HE can be used for privacy-preserving outsourced computation and analysis, allowing data to be encrypted and outsourced to commercial cloud environments for processing while encrypted or sensitive data. HE enables new services by removing privacy barriers inhibiting data sharing or increasing the security of existing services. A convolution neural network (CNN) can be homomorphically evaluated using addition and multiplication by replacing the activation function, such as Rectified Linear Units (ReLU), with a low polynomial degree. To achieve the same performance as the ReLU activation function, we study the impact of applying the ensemble techniques to solve the accuracy problem. Our experimental results empirically show that the ensemble approach can reduce bias, and variance, increasing accuracy to achieve the same ReLU performance with parallel and sequential techniques. We demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our method using three datasets: MNIST, FMNIST, and CIFAR-10.
Development of an algorithm for the harmonization of large-scale soil maps for the tasks of agroecological assessment of agricultural land
Authors:   Southern Federal University, Mezhenkov Anton , Bezuglova Olga , Kuchmenko Ekaterina , Zholudev Rostislav
Published: May 2023

An algorithm for harmonizing the boundaries and attributive filling of large-scale digital soil maps of the Rostov region has been developed. This will minimize the possibility of incorrect display of data when compiling thematic maps or extracting individual characteristics from soil maps to calculate derived values and calculate any indicators (for example, standard yields). Keywords: SOIL COMPLEX, EARTH REMOTE SENSING DATA, CORRECTION OF SOIL CONTOUR BORDERS
Needs Analysis for the Information System to Support Middle School Students’ Speaking Skills in English Classes
Authors: ŞAHİN Harun , KİL Güngör
Published: May 2023

The study aimed to determine the needs and expectations regarding an online information system which will support speaking skills of secondary school students in English lesson. The participants of the study comprised 4 secondary school students and 4 secondary school English teachers in a district of Burdur province in Turkey. In the selection of the participants, convenience sampling model was adopted on the volunteering basis. In the study, the phenomenology research model was utilized. The data were obtained from the semi- structured interviews conducted face-to-face with the participants. In the analysis of the data, the Content Analysis technique was used. The results of the study revealed that participants were willing to access to the system via technologicsl devices like smart phones, computers, tablet pc and smart board. Since communication is important, participants stated that there should be video chat, instant messaging, announcements, forum, social networks, storage and game components in the system. In addition to these, participants noted that the properties such as activities, uploading home works, grading students, student information, attendance shedule, feedback, and duties and responsibilities should be available in the system. Morever, the participants stated that the applicability of the system depends on the introducing the system, motivation, internet-free usage, technological infrastructure, updatability and competitive features. Hereby, it is hoped that the results of these study will be useful in the development of an online information system to support speaking skills of secondary school students in English lesson.
Öğretmenlerin Aldığı Hizmetiçi Eğitimin Coğrafya Öğretim Süreci ve Öğrenci Başarısına Yansımaları
Authors: DÜNDAR Erkan , ÜNALDI Ülkü Eser
Published: May 2023

Eğitime teknoloji entegrasyonu günümüzdeki teknolojik gelişmelerin değişme hızının da etkisiyle geçmişe göre çok daha önemli bir konu haline gelmiştir. Bu entegrasyonun en başarılı şekilde gerçekleşmesinde ise öğretmen yeterliklerinin rolü oldukça fazladır. Bu araştırmanın amacı günümüzde en çok kullanılan teknoloji entegrasyon modellerinden olan Teknolojik Pedagojik Alan Bilgisi (TPAB) modeline ait yeterlikleri coğrafya öğretmenlerine kazandırmayı amaçlayan bir hizmet içi eğitim (HİE) kursunun coğrafya öğretim süreçlerine ve öğrenci başarısına olan yansımalarını belirleyebilmektir. Bu genel amaca ulaşmak için karma yöntem tercih edilmiştir. Belirtilen HİE’ye katılan coğrafya öğretmenlerinden beşinden ders gözlem formu aracılığıyla; bu beş coğrafya öğretmeninin görev yaptığı okullarda öğrenim gören 254 öğrenciden ise geliştirilen başarı testi aracılığıyla veriler toplanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizi neticesinde coğrafya öğretmenlerinin ders gözlem sonuçlarına göre TPAB’ın yeterlik alanlarından en az “etik” ve “yeniliklere açık olma”da yeterlik gözlendiği en çok ise “tasarım” ve “yürütme”de yeterlik gözlendiği belirlenmiştir. Öğrenci başarılarında ise ders gözlem puanı daha yüksek olan yani TPAB yeterliklerine daha çok sahip olan öğretmenlerin öğrencilerinin başarı puanlarında belirgin bir artış görülürken ders gözlem puanı daha düşük olan iki öğretmenin öğrencilerinin başarı puanlarında ise anlamlı bir artış görülememiştir. Elde edilen bu sonuçlara göre HİE tasarımına yönelik bazı önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
Extending the isoAdvector Geometric VOF Method to Flows in Porous Media
Authors: Missios Konstantinos , Jacobsen Niels , Moeller Kasper , Roenby Johan
Published: May 2023

We consider the interfacial flow in and around porous structures in coastal and marine engineering.* During recent years, interfacial flow through porous media has been repeatedly simulated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on algebraic Volume Of Fluid (VOF) methods [1] [2]. Here, we present an implementation of a porous medium interfacial flow solver based on the geometric VOF method, isoAdvector [3] [4]. In our implementation, the porous medium is treated without resolving the actual pore geometry. Rather, the porous media, pores, and rigid structure are considered a continuum and the effects of porosity on the fluid flow are modelled through source terms in the Navier-Stokes equations, including Darcy-Forchheimer forces, added mass force and accounting for the part of mesh cells that are occupied by the solid material comprising the skeleton of the porous medium. The governing equations are adopted from the formulation by Jensen et al. [1]. For the interface advection using isoAdvector, we also account for the reduced cell volume available for fluid flow and for the increase in the interface front velocity caused by a cell being partially filled with solid material. The solver is implemented in the open source CFD library OpenFOAM®. It is validated using two case setups: 1) A pure passive advection test case to compare the isolated advection algorithm against a known analytical solution and 2) a porous dam break case by Liu et al. [5] where both numerical and experimental results are available for comparison. We find good agreement with numerical and experimental results. For both cases the interface sharpness, shape conservation as well as volume conservation and boundedness are demonstrated to be very good. The solver is released as open source for the benefit of the coastal and marine CFD community (code repository https://github.com/InterFlowers/porousInterIsoFoam) and as of OpenFOAM-v2112 the new functionality is integrated in the official interIsoFoam solver.
* This article is an updated version of the conference paper Missios et al. 2022 [6] presented at the Marine2021 conference.
Emergency room ophthalmology practice during COVID-19 related lockdown: A cross-sectional Study
Authors: Iqbal Usama , Hameed Zeeshan , Malik Irfan Qayyum
Published: May 2023

ABSTRACT

This report depicts the effect of COVID-19 related lockdown on emergency room ophthalmology practice in a tertiary care setup of Punjab. A cross sectional study was designed at department of Ophthalmology, Gujranwala Medical College/ Teaching Hospital from 24th March 2020 to 9th May 2020 (47 days lockdown period). All the patients who presented to eye emergency room during this period are described. The protective strategies adopted by the duty doctors are also described. Total 454 patients presented to eye emergency room, out of which 24 patients underwent emergency surgical procedure. The burden of patients presenting to eye emergency room was less than routine during lock down period. All the duty doctors used N95 (Giko1200F) particulate respirator during patient examination. Problems faced by ophthalmologists while wearing face masks were misting of spectacles, eyepieces of slit-lamp bimicroscope and condensing lenses.  In perspective of keeping population indoor and avoiding unnecessary visit to hospitals the lockdown remained effective.
Prevalence and Duration of Loss of Smell and Taste in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Muhammad Ilyas  , Khalid Waliullah  , Muhammad Iqbal  , Syed Waqas  , Muhammad Ahsan Farooq  , Waseem Amin  , Muhammad Tariq
Published: May 2023

Background: The COVID-19 (Corona virus disease 2019) outbreak due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an infectious disease intimidating the world. The COVID-19 common symptoms include cough, fever, malaise, dyspnea, myalgia and gastrointestinal disturbances. The loss of smell and taste has also been reported among patients with COVID-19. Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the prevalence and duration of loss of smell and taste among COVID-19 patients. Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study in which 150 COVID-19 patients were included. The enrolled patients answered a questionnaire at 14th (or more) days after confirmed infection. The patients’ responses were received online on data form and entered into computer software SPSS version 22.0. Frequencies and percentages were calculated and data was presented in tables and figures. Results: Out of 150 patients, 48.0% were 20-30 years old and 56.0% were male. Majority (82.0%) of patients experienced loss of smell and taste during COVID-19. 57.0% patients had lost smell and taste sense completely. 52.0% patients experienced smell and taste issues after other symptoms of COVID-19. Among 43.9% patients, the duration of these issues was more than 10 days. There were 30.1% patients who used any medicine or local remedy for COVID-19 treatment. Conclusion: Study concluded that loss of smell and taste was prevalent among patients with COVID-19 while duration was more than 10 days for most of the patients.
ANXIETY LEVELS DUE TO COVID-19: COMPARISON BETWEEN MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS
Authors: Natasha Nadeem  , Izzah Baig  , Javeria Ilyas  , Fareha Azam  , Farhat  , Haroon Rashid  , Rana Khurram Aftab
Published: May 2023

Objective: The objective was to assess and compare the anxiety levels in undergraduate medical and non-medical students due to COVID-19.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on undergraduate students through the administration of an online survey. A questionnaire consisting of demographic information and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) was completed by 385 participants over a period of three weeks. Chi-squared test was applied on the data which was analyzed by using SPSS Version 25.0.

Results: Out of 385 participants, 73% of respondents were medical students and 27% were non-medical students. Non-medical students had a higher mean anxiety score of 11.21 ± 5.77 compared to 9.36 ± 5.71 in medical students. 21.7% of medical students experienced severe anxiety, 19.6% experienced moderate anxiety and 38.8% experienced mild anxiety. In non-medical students, 35.6% experienced severe anxiety, 20.2% experienced moderate anxiety and 34.6% experienced mild anxiety. Results of Chi-squared test indicated a significant p-value (0.013) consistent with the high levels of anxiety in medical and non-medical students.

Conclusion: This study found anxiety levels of non-medical students to be suggestively higher than those of medical students. Anxiety levels in both medial and non-medical students due to COVID-19 were found to be significantly high. Psychological interventions, appropriate strategies and professional and personal support are recommended to improve the mental health of medical and non-medical students. 

Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19, medical students, non-medical students
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 AMONGST HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.
Authors: Nazia Ayyub  , Maimoona Ashraf  , Muhammad Zeeshan Arain  , Fahad Ibrar
Published: May 2023

Background: As the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping across the world rapidly the mental health of health professionals is getting at stake.

Aim of this study is to assess and highlight psychosocial impact of COVID-19 amongst health professionals in a tertiary care hospital so that proper interventions can be done to alleviate its negative psychiatric effects.

STUDY DESIGN:

Cross-sectional, descriptive interview-based study survey.

SETTING:

Department of OBGYN Post graduate medical institute/Lahore General Hospital Lahore.

SUBJECT AND METHOD:

A self-designed questionnaire was distributed amongst health care professionals (doctors and nurses from different specialties) during April and May 2020.

RESULTS:

Three hundred health professionals participated in this survey.100% found themselves as health hazard to their family and 90% were having fear of getting socially distant from them.70%- 80% were having anxieties related with going to their job, getting infected, being quarantined and increasing infection rate amongst health professionals. More than 70% were not satisfied with hospital supply of PPES, safety equipment and infection control policy.74% were concerned with long working hours and 79% even wanted to quit from their job.

 CONCLUSION:

Health care professionals are working on frontline with immense psychological stress which may cause negative psychiatric effects on their mental health. So proper policies and interventions should be implemented to provide them psychological support for their better mental health and resilience.
COVID-19: MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES FACED BY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
Authors: Muhammad Abdullah Karim  , Rana Khurram Aftab  , Farhat  , Imtiaz Bashir
Published: May 2023

Objective

Various studies have been conducted during this pandemic which dealt with prevalence of mental health problems among the HCWs and indicated a strong association between the disease and the pandemic. In this article, we will try to provide a systematic review of the studies done so far in this regard. We also aimed to find out a relationship between COVID-19 related variables and mental health issues of HCWs.

Methodology

Using keyword search on PubMed, Asian Journal of Psychiatry, and Web of Science electronic databases, we collected original articles, reviews, preprints, and letter to editors, related to our topic. 10 of them were shortlisted. After studying them extensively and intensively, a systemized review is presented in this article.

Results

Increased levels of anxiety, anger, hesitation, perplexing, and post-traumatic distress are reported during the lockdown due to this pandemic, especially in Pakistan. Health Care Workers are the most psychologically affected with this pandemic.

Conclusion

The mental states of HCWs should be monitored and a detailed plan should be devised to discuss and resolve the psychological concerns of HCWs.

Keywords: COVID-19, Mental Health, Health Care Professionals, Psychological Effects
ONLINE CLASSES IN DIFFERENT INSTITUTES OF PAKISTAN DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC; MERITS AND DEMERITS
Authors: Qasim Mehmood  , Usman Javed Sahi  , Dr. Rana Rakhshan Aftab  , Dr. Rana Khurram Aftab  , Dr. Farhat Ijaz  , Dr. Avais Ahmad
Published: May 2023

Responding to the challenges of corona pandemic, e-learning is increasingly being used in different institutes of Pakistan so that the students can have access to education from their homes. Despite all the efforts, students and teachers are still in the process of getting used to the new technology. So, there is a need to address this issue faced by students and faculty to cope with the online system of education.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of online classes in Pakistani students.

Materials and Methods: Cross sectional research design was followed and a self-reported survey method for data collection was employed. Students all over the Pakistan were included in the survey. Data were presented in frequencies and percentages.

Results: Total 205 students participated in the online survey and recorded their response. 70% students were from urban setup, 61% students were attending proper online lectures, 65% were facing connectivity issues and 64% students weren’t satisfied with e-learning.

Conclusion: The study shows that although modern technology in education has brought revolutionary changes, yet it has to accomplish more achievements to fully replace the conventional method of learning.

Keywords: COVID-19, E-learning, merits and demerits, distant learning.
FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT’S KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS LEARNING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC COVID -19
Authors: Rasheed ch Sana , Iqbal Komal Iqbal , Meer Isma Meer , Saeed Muniza Saeed
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Last year in December 2019 a new disease of corona virus, responsible for new cases of pneumonia was detected in Wuhan City of China. The outbreak of the disease has put an impact at all levels of education including professional institutes. It has left the institutes with no other option than to shift the entire curriculum to online formats which include online teaching along with self directed learning. So a study was planned to assess the knowledge and attitude of 100 first year MBBS students of Ameer ud din Medical College towards self directed learning about Corona virus disease pandemic.

Methodology.

This cross sectional study was done on 100 first year MBBS students of Ameer ud din Medical College in the first week of April. They were first given a questionnaire having thirteen questions about COVID-19 symptoms, spread, mode of transmission and prevention, and then after few days  were given an assignment which had questions related to response of immune system towards SARS CoV2.

Result

Out of 100 students80% of the students responded to questionnaire. Out of this 80%, 40 % of the students showed outstanding performance with 100% correct answers, and 40% of students had maximum of four wrong answers. Response rate of the assignments was 95%, with outstanding performance of A+, 5% and A grade by  41% students, 38 % had B and 11 % of the students got C grade.

Conclusion

Majority of the first year medical students  had adequate knowledge about COVID -19 and challenge of self-directed learning even at this level can make them show outstanding performance.
A IMPORTÂNCIA DA EQUIPE MULTIPROFISSIONAL NO COMBATE DA OBESIDADE EM PACIENTES ADULTOS
Authors: Silva Marcelle Vieira da , Andrade Leonardo Guimarães de
Published: May 2023

O excesso de gordura corporal é uma doença que inclui fatores ambientais, psicológicos, socioeconômicos, genéticos, entre outros. O paciente obeso deverá ter um tratamento que alicerça na redução do Índice de Massa Corporal por meio de uma alimentação balanceada reavaliando os hábitos e comportamentos diante da comida, treinamentos de atividades físicas e o tratamento farmacológico. O objetivo desse estudo é comprovar o valor de ter uma equipe com cuidados multiprofissionais no combate da obesidade, tencionando um aumento na sua qualidade de vida, com redução no progresso de complicações e a grande importância da atenção farmacêutica no cuidado do paciente obeso e sobrepeso.
PROCESSOS ESTRUTURAIS NO ORDENAMENTO BRASILEIRO: SUA APLICABILIDADE
Authors: Brulhart Naize de Andrade Rodrigues , Santos Dartagnan Plinio Souza
Published: May 2023

O presente artigo científico tem como principal foco discutir os processos estruturais no ordenamento brasileiro e sua aplicabilidade. O objetivo geral do artigo científico é discutir processo estrutural no Novo Código de Processo Civil/2015. Para tanto, definiram-se os seguintes objetivos específicos, conceituar os processos estruturais, abordar os processos estruturais nos tribunais superiores e analisar as sentenças divergentes nos processos estruturais. Os processos estruturais não estão ligados apenas ao direito, mas sim ao estudo de outras áreas, como sociologia, ciência política, além disso, os problemas estruturais podem ocorrer na esfera pública ou particular.  Discutir os processos estruturais no ordenamento brasileiro e sua aplicabilidade justifica-se porque os processos estruturais são importantes para reorganizar um estado de desorganização estrutural, ou seja, de desconformidade podendo ser ou não gerada por uma conduta ilícita.  O presente estudo consiste em pesquisa aplicada de caráter exploratório, que visa analisar os processos estruturais no ordenamento brasileiro através de doutrinas, jurisprudências, artigos e livros. Com levantamento de informações e de análise, foi possível concluir que o ordenamento jurídico brasileiro recebe muita demanda para implementação de medidas estruturais, porém encontramos processos com a mesma temática com sentenças divergentes muitas vezes passando a ser um problema para a justiça.
A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA PSICOLOGIA ESPORTIVA PARA O SUCESSO DE ATLETAS DE ALTO RENDIMENTO
Authors: Januário Matheus dos Santos , Magalhães Isadora Capitão , Ferreira Filho Deodato Alves
Published: May 2023

Esse artigo buscou discutir sobre a importância do profissional de Psicologia do Esporte para a preparação de atletas de alto rendimento. Atletas de alto rendimento são esportistas profissionais, que dedicam seu tempo em preparação física, a fim de participar de competições. No entanto, esses atletas vivem em constante pressão, estresse, ansiedade, cansaço, frustação e outros sentimentos que podem interferir no seu rendimento. Nesse contexto, a Psicologia do Esporte pode colaborar para que o atleta de alto rendimento obtenha o equilíbrio emocional. A metodologia empregada é qualitativa com pesquisa bibliográfica através de livros e artigos de revistas impressas ou eletrônicas. Por fim, como resultados e discussões, serão analisados o papel e a importância do profissional da Psicologia Esportiva na preparação do atleta de alto rendimento.
AS PROGRESSIVIDADES FISCAL E EXTRAFISCAL DO IPTU NO MUNICÍPIO DE MARAÚ, À LUZ DOS PRIMADOS CONSTITUCIONAIS
Authors: Novaes Marcelo Santana , Coelho Leandro Alves
Published: May 2023

A Constituição Federal de 1988, no âmbito do Sistema Tributário Nacional, estabeleceu, como garantias limitadoras do poder de tributar, dentre outros, o Princípio da Igualdade Tributária, vedando a instituição de tratamento desigual entre contribuintes que se encontrem em situação equivalente; e o Princípio de Vedação ao Confisco, que vincula a tributação à capacidade contributiva efetivamente apurada, nos termos do art. 150, II e IV, da CF/1988, compatibilizando-os com a regra que determina que os impostos, sempre que possível, terão caráter pessoal e serão graduados segundo a capacidade econômica do contribuinte, decorrente de uma relação diretamente proporcional com progressividade, entre alíquotas percentuais diferenciadas e crescentes e bases de cálculo crescentes, conforme disposto no art. 145§1º da CF/1988. Entretanto, esta concepção foi subvertida, com o esvaziamento paulatino da progressividade na tributação direta, incidente sobre patrimônio e renda, cumulada com a tributação iminentemente indireta e linear sobre o consumo em múltiplas incidências, independentemente da efetiva capacidade contributiva (bis in idem), configurando a regressividade tributária. É nos Municípios, independentemente de seu porte, que esta regressividade se evidencia com mais expressividade, não só por ser o local da concretização do consumo, culminância da incidência tributarias dos impostos e contribuições que incidem sobre a produção e circulação de produtos, mercadorias e serviços, destacando o ISSQN; como também por alcançarem o valor venal da propriedade predial e territorial urbana, pela incidência do IPTU. O Município de Maraú vem instituindo, regulamentando e implementando majorações na base de cálculo de impostos e instituindo as progressividades fiscal e extrafiscal cumulativas do IPTU, sem certa observância das disposições constitucionais e jurisprudência consolidada do STF e STJ.
ATENÇÃO FARMACÊUTICA AO PACIENTE RENAL CRÔNICO EM HEMODIÁLISE
Authors: Carvalho Gabriel Felipe , Carvalho Fabiano Lacerda
Published: May 2023

A Hemodiálise é um procedimento que limpa e filtra o sangue do paciente através de um aparelho, realizando parte do trabalho que o rim doente do paciente não faz. O trabalho apresenta uma análise e discussão sobre a Doença Crônica Renal (DRC), explorando os conceitos e sua aplicação. Trata-se também do processo de hemodiálise e sua importância para a manutenção da saúde dos pacientes portadores de DRC, bem como da medicação adequada e importância da farmacoterapia durante o tratamento do paciente com deficiência renal e as possibilidades de adequação e adesão. O objetivo é discutir sobre as ações de atenção farmacêutica utilizadas para a melhoria da qualidade de vida do paciente em tratamento por hemodiálise. Identificar a incidência de pacientes em tratamento de hemodiálise no Brasil, definir os tipos de tratamento medicamentoso e como esses tratamentos se comportam em pacientes em hemodiálise. Determinar alterações na farmacocinética e farmacodinâmica de vários fármacos, tornando o uso seguro de medicamentos, a seleção de farmacoterapia mais efetiva e segura para o paciente frente à função renal de um Doente Renal Crônico (DRC), uso adequado de medicamentos para manejar as complicações urêmicas e as comorbidades, além da realização de ajustes de doses. Em decorrência disso, observa-se que a maioria dos erros de medicação envolvendo pacientes com DRC pode ser prevenida mediante ajuste adequado da dose de medicamentos conforme a função renal.
USO DE VANCOMICINA NO TRATAMENTO DE INFECÇÕES CAUSADAS POR STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS RESISTENTE À METICILINA (MRSA)
Authors: Cunha Higo Primo da , Baiense Alex Sandro Rodrigues
Published: May 2023

Foi realizada revisão bibliográfica em artigos científicos e livros da área médico laboratorial a respeito do tema do uso da vancomicina no tratamento do Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina, uma bactéria Gram-positiva, potencialmente patogênica, causadora de infecções. A meticilina, um antimicrobiano betalactâmico, é considerado de primeira escolha para o tratamento de infecções causadas por S. aureus, porém apenas um ano após a sua introdução na prática clínica, no início de 1960, já foi relatado o surgimento de linhagens resistentes a este agente, sendo estas linhagens então denominadas S. aureus resistente a meticilina (MRSA). Embora o S. aureus possa ser susceptível à ação de várias drogas contra bactérias Grampositivas (tais como, meticilina, penicilinas), é também reconhecida pela sua elevada capacidade de desenvolver resistência a todas. Atualmente, o uso de glicopeptídeos, como a vancomicina, têm sido uma das últimas escolhas para o tratamento intravenoso de infecções causadas por cepas de MRSA, contudo observou-se o surgimento de VRSA (vancomycin-resistant S. aureus).  Apesar do aparecimento da resistência a vancomicina, este continua a ser um antimicrobiano importante para o tratamento de infecções severas e sua administração tem contribuído para a redução do número de infecções.
Political Interference and Bureaucratic Performance in Pakistan: A Perspective of Civil Servants
Authors: Aslam Ali , Zahra Syeda Fakhar-e- , Aslam Tayyabah , Naseem Muhammad Ali
Published: May 2023

This study focuses on Pakistan's bureaucracy and tries to ascertain how political influence on Pakistan's civil service ultimately contributed to the institution's decline. The methods used in this research are entirely qualitative in nature, and it uses relative methodologies to get the desired results. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with current and former civil servants. Political influence has consistently harmed Pakistan's civil service, contributing to its current level of inefficiency. This study aims to find the extent of this connection between politics and Civil Services from the very start of the newborn state. To identify the problem, more literature has been added about the public sector in general and the Civil Service in particular. The research reveals that Political leaders and bureaucrats have certain connections, which is why the civil service is deteriorating over time. To make choices free from outside influence or interference, bureaucrats must be independent.
Antioxidant and antiaging activity of Cinnamomum burmannii and Michelia champaca extract and combinations
Authors: Qarani Waisul , Husna Fauzul , Yulia Winda , Zulkarnain Zulkarnain , Syahrizal Dedy , Gani Basri A. , Sary Nirwana L. , Wardhani Bantari WK.
Published: May 2023

Aging is a natural skin process that occurs due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as excessive exposure to ultraviolet light (photoaging). The mechanism of damage involves the production of excess free radicals that trigger oxidative stress in the skin. Determining the natural products that have high antioxidant activities as antiaging is up most important. Cinnamomum burmannii and Michelia champaca are typical Aceh plants that are believed to have high antioxidant effects. The aim of this study was to determining the contents of C. burmannii and M. champaca as well as to determine the antioxidant and antiaging activities of either individually or combinations. The qualitative phytochemical and semi-quantitative analysis of the extracts were conducted using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity was examined by radical scavenging using the DPPH radical while the antiaging activity was tested the tyrosinase enzyme inhibition test. The phenolic and flavonoid contents of C. burmannii were higher than M. champaca (66.34 vs 24.71 mg gallic acid equivalent/gr) and (80.52 vs 60.20 mg quercetin equivalent/gr). The inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of M. champaca extract in inhibiting DPPH indicated that M. champaca had a better antioxidant activity than C. burmannii. The combination of C. burmannii and M. champaca extracts had a lower IC₅₀ compared to M. champaca alone. C. burmannii and M. champaca extract had a weak potential to inhibit tyrosinase activity (IC₅₀ value ≥1000 µg/mL). In conclusion, this study indicates that M. champaca and C. burmannii have strong antioxidant activities and these might associate with polyphenol contents.