bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La literatura lésbica puertorriqueña en la encrucijada de los géneros: Marta Aponte Alsina, Pedro Cabiya y Ana María Fuster Lavín
Authors: Large Sophie
Published: November 2022

Propongo en este artículo un análisis de los personajes lésbicos que pueblan la narrativa puertorriqueña contemporánea y cuestionan las estrategias de visibilidad de las minorías sexodisidentes. En los textos estudiados, las lesbianas son figuras monstruosas que reactivan tópicos de la tradición gótica o de la ciencia ficción: vampiros, zombis, asesinos seriales o cíborgs. Por lo mismo, se encuentran en la encrucijada de los géneros, en el doble sentido de esta palabra, creando espacios epistémicos de contornos difusos. Estos aportes a la literatura lésbica puertorriqueña participan así de la revisión del canon literario nacional y de la redefinición de sus fronteras, por medio de estrategias de fragmentación, de hibridación y de zombificación literaria.
Leading Change in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ghavifekr Simin , Fung Hua Yeh
Published: November 2022

The main purpose of this chapter is to explore the change leadership procedures of e-learning implementation within HEIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter provides insight into the issues and challenges encountered amid the implementation as well as forward plans to pre-empt similar issues for future crises. A qualitative multiple-case study approach was used, and data were collected using the purposive sampling method from three members of the leadership team as well three lecturers from five private higher education institutions in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. Through comparative method of data analysis (grounded theory), complemented with Miles and Huberman's framework, the findings were analyzed to reveal emergent themes and sub-themes. Data from findings revealed the commonalities found in the way that Malaysian private HEIs dealt with the digital change leadership during COVID-19, how leaders navigated these changes, and the policies they implemented, along with best practices in the change administration.
Measuring the Service Quality of Higher Education
Authors: Mukherjee Ujjal , Patrick Harold Andrew , Sharieff M. H.  , Gujjar Praveen
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the studies in the area of education service quality management conducted on higher education institutions (HEIs), with a special focus on the different parameters used to measure the performance of HEIs. It also analyses the parameters of evaluation used by different higher education institution ranking bodies, such as Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education, and Financial Times for Business School Rankings, to name a few. During a search for relevant literature, the authors started with a wide net, beginning with a broad search in Google Scholar and followed by a narrower search in educational databases including Proquest, EBSCO e-journals, and Emerald Insight. The authors found that there is a growing concern that the existing indicators fail to measure the role played by the institution in the life of the student. The authors of the chapter have additionally discussed and suggested the need to use a “value-added' model in the higher education system.
(Un)employability and (Un)employment Issues Towards International Mobility for Higher Education
Authors: Islam Md Tariqul
Published: November 2022

Using a qualitative research methodology, informed by Bauman's theorisations of the messiness and uncertainties of the globalised world, this chapter articulates the voices of some young Bangladeshi students. It intervenes by attaching sociological meaning to their worldviews. The findings of the chapter suggest that young Bangladeshi students are motivated for overseas education as they find that the quality of higher education in Bangladesh is not meeting the requirements of the national and international job sectors. In this case, globalising forces play a vital role in developing their perception regarding (un)employability and (un)employment issues so that they become physically mobile. This chapter argues to contribute to the policy formulation for higher education for future global citizens, focusing on the employment and employability of young people by articulating the critical analysis of neoliberal practices in the globalised world.
Virtual Internships in Hospitality Management Education
Authors: O'Shea Michelle , Wardle Karina , Collado Sarah
Published: November 2022

Through interactive technologies, virtual internships provide students with supervised opportunities to apply their academic knowledge. Virtual internships represent an underserved and emerging space for conceptual and practical enquiry. Drawing from key stakeholder perspectives, this chapter explores the contribution of virtual internships to the employability of hospitality management students. The benefits and challenges of virtual internships are examined. The salience of this research is amplified by the economic and societal impacts emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of pandemic-induced lockdowns, universities converted face-to-face learning and teaching online. This pivot was particularly challenging from a work-integrated learning (WIL) perspective. Students completing internships were required to retreat from the office to the online sphere or their internships and experiential learning opportunities ended abruptly; the significance of which induced the chapter focus.
Strategic Management of Improving the Welding Graduates Based on Industrial Recognition Centre
Authors: Jamalludin Jerrize Izah , Ismail Syuhaida , Fathi Mohamad Syazli , Sarip Shamsul
Published: November 2022

TVET centres are seen as institutes that create graduates to fulfil industry demand and develop the country. The employability of TVET graduates depends on industry demand. The industry claims TVET graduates lack crucial soft skills. However, TVET graduates claim their pay is below par. Therefore, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Majlis Amanah Rakyat took the initiative to produce programs that cover affective domains other than the existing cognitive and psychomotor domains. These affective domains will be assessed for effectiveness. This chapter uses a systematic list review to describe the factors that influence welding graduates' marketability. This chapter also discusses improving the marketability of welding graduates from TVET excellent centres based on industry recognition. The findings of this chapter should assist TVET institutions in managing TVET programmes' scope to give industry-based recognition as an additional value for TVET graduates.
COVID-19 and Digital Transformation of Cambodian Higher Education
Authors: Heng Kimkong , Sol Koemhong , Em Sereyrath
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the entire world. While causing massive disruptions, COVID-19 has served as a catalyst for the digital transformation of higher education in Cambodia. This chapter discusses how the pandemic has provided opportunities for the digital transformation of Cambodian higher education. The chapter focuses on opportunities related to blended learning, online continuous professional development, and digital higher education. It also examines key challenges to the digitalization of Cambodian higher education, including limited information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and accessibility; limited digital knowledge, skills, and experience; unfavorable attitudes toward online learning; issues with the curriculum and assessment; and a lack of preparedness for ICT-enhanced education. The chapter then discusses the way forward for key stakeholders in higher education in Cambodia to support the momentum for higher education digitalization and further accelerate the digital transformation of Cambodian higher education.
Reengineering Digital Education, Integrated Online and Traditional Learning, Shifting Paradigm of Blended Learning in Time and Post-Pandemic COVID-19
Authors: Abdullah Amirah Haji , Setiana Desi , Susanto Heru , Besar Norainna
Published: November 2022

The development of information technology has opened a new chapter in the world of education. To meet the learning needs of the 21st century, the use of technology in the field of education has been widely used at all levels of education. Advances in information technology have also created e-learning. E-learning applies information technology to manage the teaching and learning process between teachers and students. The implementation of e-learning in conjunction with traditional learning methods has created a new concept in education which is a blended learning mode. Blended learning is the integration between face-to-face learning and online learning that can make teaching and learning more competitive. This learning method is also referred to as e-learning. Through e-learning, learning can take place anywhere and at any time without limiting physical location.
The “Mainstreaming” of Online Teaching and Conflicted Faculty Perceptions
Authors: Medina Pamela , Vij Nidhi , Ni Anna , Zhang Jing , Hou Yunfei , McIntyre Miranda May
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic heavily accelerated the adoption of online education. Technology adoption literature indicates that individuals are motivated to adopt technology as a result of various factors including social influence, performance expectations, effort expectations, and the conditions that facilitate their use. These factors are mediated by the degree of voluntariness of technology adoption and risks and rewards associated with adopting online learning. Given the pandemic experience, faculty members were forced to adopt online teaching, removing the voluntary nature of technology adoption. This study surveys a national sample of faculty to understand faculty perceptions of online teaching and reports on perceived changes in perceptions resulting from the pandemic and future intentions to teach online. In contrast to prior literature, findings indicate that faculty tend to have positive perceptions of knowledge outcomes associated with online teaching, and although there are areas for improvement, most faculty members intend to teach online again post-pandemic.
Optimization-Assisting Dual-Step Clustering of Time Series Data
Authors: Rajesh Tallapelli , Seetha M
Published: November 2022

This paper aims to propose a new time series data clustering with the following steps: (1) data reduction and (2) clustering. The main objective of the time series data clustering is to minimize the dataset size via a prototype defined for same time series data in every group that significantly reduced the complexities. Initially, the time series dataset in the data reduction step is subjected to preprocessing process. Further, in the proposed probability based distance measure evaluation, the time series data is grouped into subclusters. In the clustering step, the proposed shape based similarity measure is performed. Moreover, the clustering process is carried out by optimized k-mean clustering in which the center point is optimally tuned by a new customized whale optimization algorithm (CWOA). At last, the performance of the adopted model is computed to other traditional models with respect to various measures such as sensitivity, accuracy, FPR, conentropy, precision, FNR, specificity, MCC, entropy, F-measure, and Rand index, respectively.
Factors Influencing the Decision to Utilize eTax Systems During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Al-Okaily Manaf , Al-Fraihat Dimah , Al-Debei Mutaz M. , Al-Okaily Aws
Published: November 2022

This study examines the usage of eTax systems using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as a theoretical base. A quantitative methodology using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the study model against data collected from 209 taxpayers who completed the research questionnaire. The outcomes of this study manifest necessary theoretical extension of the UTAUT model and practical contributions during the pandemic of COVID-19. The findings of this study reveal that the behavioral intention to use eTax systems is highly influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, social isolation, and anxiety about technology. Similarly, the behavioral intention of eTax systems and anxiety of COVID-19 infection demonstrate a substantial association with the actual usage of eTax systems. Interestingly, the study's findings also show that the anxiety of COVID-19 infection moderates the association bounded by usage intention and actual use of eTax systems.
BERT Tokenization and Hybrid-Optimized Deep Recurrent Neural Network for Hindi Document Summarization
Authors: Bandari Sumalatha , Vishnu Vardhan Bulusu
Published: November 2022

Text summarization generates a concise summary of the available information by determining the most relevant and important sentences in the document. In this paper, an effective approach of document summarization is developed for generating summary of Hindi documents. The developed deep learning-based Hindi document summarization system comprises of a number of phases, such as input data acquisition, tokenization, feature extraction, score generation, and sentence extraction. Here, a deep recurrent neural network (Deep RNN) is employed for generating the scores of the sentences based on the significant features, wherein the weights and learning parameters of the deep RNN are updated by using the devised coot remora optimization (CRO) algorithm. Moreover, the developed CRO-Deep RNN is examined for its efficacy considering metrics, like recall-oriented understudy for gisting evaluation (ROUGE), recall, precision, and f-measure, and is found to have attained values of 80.896%, 95.700%, 95.051%, and 95.374%, respectively.
Cross-Cultural Educational Disparities Between China and North America Based on Science and Technology Revolutions
Authors: Hu Bin , Malik Ifrah , Irshad Muhammad , Noman Sohail M. , Khader Ghadeer W. , Murthy Aparna
Published: November 2022

Cultural disparities in the educational process are being examined as science and technology rapidly change, as well as large-scale transformations in the economy. Support in the form of funds is being given to graduate education in Canada. In contrast, China began a little later but has also been focusing on education. As a result, the comparison focuses on similarities and differences. The authors examine and contrast the differences in the educational processes across history to see if there are any common threads. One of the most fundamental differences is the assessment dynamics that have molded the beliefs and processes that are used on various scales. When talking about assessment culture, the authors are talking about how it may help students learn and succeed. However, despite the high levels of migration across nations like China, the United States, and Canada, little is known about the variety of evaluation methods kids encounter as they migrate from one environment to another.
On the Development of an Automated Adaptive Polishing System
Authors: Baraati Amir Hossein , Afonso Daniel Gil , Guincho Ricardo
Published: November 2022

The emerge of Industrial 4.0 revolution and influences to production, information, and communication technologies have made manufacturers capable of reaching higher performance in the last decade. Making smart operations has been set as a top strategy of manufacturing societies, and machinery industry as an integral part of production has been highlighted develop. Aerospace, automotive, metals, glass, and plastics industries have been pioneers to improve, optimize, and develop automated polishing as a final operation of surface finishing process considering of KPIs: quality, time, cost, and safety. In this review, after mentioning the state of the art of last relevant papers, some clues for future research will be presented.
Articulation Timing and Orthographical Representation of Consonant Gemination in Sinhala
Authors: Karunarathna Lokeshwari S.
Published: November 2022

Consonant gemination, in general, has two major aspects: either lengthening or doubling the pronunciation of the consonant. This study mainly focuses on articulation and orthography in Sinhala, the two parts of the language where consonant gemination occurs. It examines the pronunciation time ratios of 16 pairs of singleton and geminated Sinhala consonants in order to analyze the relationship that exists between their articulation and orthography. The research problem was stated as ‘what relationship is disclosed by the articulation time ratios and orthography of consonant gemination in Sinhala’. To answer it, the articulation timings of the singleton and geminated consonants were measured with the ratios between them being calculated. Then, as the second step, the ratios and the orthographic symbolization were compared and contrasted. A group of ten adult participants contributed to the data: five males and five females. Praat.exe was the main technical instrument used to measure pronunciation timings. The data revealed that the ratios lie between a minimum of 1:1.6 and a maximum of 1:2.4 times. Therefore, consonant gemination in Sinhala is a lengthening process. Moreover, the alpha-syllabic writing system ignores the length ratios of the geminated consonants.
Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war: trade impacts on developing and emerging markets
Authors: Pitigala N.
Published: November 2022

Just as the world appeared to be turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted, and the global economy may be about to enter new, uncharted territory. Increased geopolitical tensions threaten to dramatically alter the global economy’s recovery prospects. The waning yet still reverberating pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to public health on a global scale, unleashing simultaneous global demand and supply shocks, spanning all nodes and centers of economic activity worldwide. With the global economy more interconnected than ever, the rate of cross-economic contagion is likely to take an unparalleled economic toll on all countries, including Tuvalu, that relies on remittances and export receipts. The responses to the COVID-19 and Ukraine-Russia war created 'new normal' require a mix of policy levers and incentives to mitigate the economic impacts on the most disadvantaged households and workers. Further, it is required to avoid measures that constrain economic activity, deepen the economic slowdown, and lengthen post-COVID recovery.
Diabetic ketoacidosis among Egyptian children and adolescents in the coronavirus disease 2019 era
Authors: Amin Mona K. , Ismail Khalid , Elfiky Samar M. , Elngar Enas
Published: November 2022

Introduction

There is a recent debate regarding the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the frequency of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and its acute complications, mainly diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Several reports showed a significant upward trend in the frequency of DKA among children and adolescence with T1DM. Studies showed a significant escalation in the number of cases with severe DKA compared with the previous years.

Objectives

To assess the effect of COVID-19 on the frequency and severity of DKA among children and adolescents with T1D.

Patients and methods

A retrospective study was performed between January 2019 and December 2020. It included 177 children and adolescents admitted to the Pediatrics Department at Suez Canal University Hospital.

Results

In the COVID era, the mean age of the admitted children with diabetes was 8.6±3.9 years. Newly diagnosed T1DM was seen in 67.9% of the patients who had DKA, which was higher than the previous year (56.1%). DKA severity increased and was significantly higher in 2020 compared with those admitted in 2019 (P=0.001). Additionally, moderate and severe DKA grades were significantly frequent among COVID-19-positive compared with negative ones (P=0.041), with significantly lower PH (P=0.016) and lower bicarbonate level (P<0.001).

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced T1DM presentations and DKA severity, especially during the recorded waves.
Laboratory markers of central nervous system disease activity in children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Authors: Abd Elmaksoud Marwa S. , Elhalawany Amina S. , Mikhael Neveen L. , ElKazaz Rana M. , Elsharkawy Asmaa M. , Gamaleldin Marwa A. , El Chazli Yasmine F.
Published: November 2022

Background

Central nervous system (CNS) disease among patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has not been standardized, which complicates the study of CNS-HLH and its management.

Aims

To investigate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ferritin, triglycerides (TG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels as laboratory markers of CNS-HLH.

Settings and design

A study was conducted on available frozen pretreatment CSF samples of children treated for HLH. Inclusion criteria were children younger than 18 years, fulfilled at least five of the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria, their frozen initial CSF sample was available, and all necessary clinical, radiological, and laboratory data were available.

Patients and methods

TG, ferritin, and LDH were measured in the CSF samples. CNS disease was positive if abnormal neurologic symptom/sign, abnormal CSF analysis (pleocytosis and/or elevated protein), or abnormal neuroimaging.

Results

Of 101 children with HLH, 33 met the inclusion criteria. Their age ranged from 1.1 to 196 months at diagnosis with a median of 13.5 months. The majority were females (69.7%). Seven patients were negative for CNS-HLH (19.4%) and 29 (80.6%) patients were positive according to the classical CNS-HLH criteria. At the end of the follow-up, 45% of patients had died. Significant correlations were found between CSF TG and both CSF protein and leukocytes (P=0.036 for both), and between CSF TG and serum ferritin (P=0.037). Only ferritin showed a significant correlation between its serum and CSF levels (P<0.0001). CSF ferritin and LDH were higher in nonsurvivors.

Conclusions

CSF TG may have a diagnostic value as a marker of CNS-HLH, whereas CSF ferritin and LDH may have a prognostic value. Further larger prospective studies are needed to verify these preliminary findings.
The effect of L-thyroxine replacement on blood pressure and heart rate in children with hypothyroidism
Authors: Ahmed El Awwa , Soliman Ashraf T. , Farag Marwa M.
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Thyroid hormones have direct and indirect cellular effects on the cardiovascular system. Chronic administration of L-thyroxine (LT4) to children with hypothyroidism may affect cardiovascular dynamics.

Aim

This cross-sectional observational study measured the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) of 25 randomly selected children with hypothyroidism in relation to their serum-free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and thyroxine dose μg/kg.

Patients and methods

In total, 25 randomly selected children with a mean age 9.6±4.5 years with the diagnosis of congenital or acquired hypothyroidism. They were on l-thyroxine therapy to keep serum-FT4 and TSH in the normal range for age. Their BP and HR (average of three readings), weight, height, dose of thyroxine, and their serum level of TSH and free T4 levels within 2 weeks before the clinic visit were recorded. The Z scores of the height, height standard deviation score (HSDS), body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS), systolic (SBPSDS), and diastolic blood pressure standard deviation score (DBPSDS) were calculated (as per the 2004 guideline report on hypertension from the National Heart and Lung Institute), and HR [as per the Monitoring and Diagnosis Group at Oxford (MADOX) systematic review of 2011] was calculated for age and sex.

Results

The authors studied 25 children with hypothyroidism. Their dose of thyroxine was 2.11±0.7 μg/kg. Their mean serum-FT4 levels were 15.1±2.5 μg/l and TSH level was 3.9±2.8 mIU/ml. Their HtSDS (−0.57±1.4) and BMISDS (0.63±1.63) were within normal. All had normal diastolic blood pressure readings (within 2 standard deviations of the mean for age and sex). Two of the individuals had systolic BPs greater than 2SDS above the mean for age and sex, with normal BMISDS. Both had normal FT4 and TSH levels. One patient had tachycardia [HR=146/min (Z-score +3.2 for age)]. His FT4 and TSH levels were normal. There was a positive correlation between thyroxine dose/kg and serum level of FT4 (r=0.52), HR (r=0.56), SBPSDS (r=0.38), and DBPSDS (r=0.24). There was no significant correlation between the HtSDS on the one hand and FT4, TSH, or thyroxine dose on the other hand. The BMISDS was negatively correlated with TSH level (r=−0.4).

Conclusion

In this study on hypothyroid children on l-thyroxine therapy, 2 had high systolic BP and one had tachycardia. The significant correlation between the thyroxine dose, FT4 level, and BP and HR should alert the pediatrician to monitor BP and HR closely in relation to TSH and FT4 levels of these patients.
Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Ocimum tenuiflorum and Stevia rebaudiana-Mediated Silver Nanoparticles – An In vitro Study
Authors: Pandiyan Indumathy , Arumugham Meignana Indiran , Doraikannan Sri Sakthi , Rathinavelu Pradeep Kumar , Prabakar Jayashri , Rajeshkumar S.
Published: November 2022

Background:

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the nanoparticles of silver between 1 nm and 100 nm in size. In this study, AgNPs were extracted from Ocimum tenuiflorum and Stevia rebaudiana which is a medicinal plant of Indian origin, worshipped by the Hindus and used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to assess the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effect of AgNPs reinforced with the herb O. tenuiflorum and S. rebaudiana against oral pathogens.

Materials and Methods:

In this in vitro study, the organisms used were Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus sp., and Candida albicans. Agar well-diffusion method was used to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of the nanoparticles at 25 mL, 50 mL, and 100 mL. To assess the cytotoxic effect, brine shrimp lethality assay was used.

Results:

Zone of inhibition was found to be highest at 100 mL against S. mutans, S. aureus, Lactobacillus sp., and C. albicans. The cytotoxic activity at 5 mL and 10 mL was 0%. The maximum cytotoxicity was seen at 80 mL where 30% of the Nauplii’s died.

Conclusion:

The findings from this study suggest that AgNPs reinforced with O. tenuiflorum and S. rebaudiana extracts has the potential as an antimicrobial agent and has less cytotoxic effect on brime shrimp and can be used as an alternative to commercially available antimicrobial agents.
A Bibliometric Study of the Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Publication Landscape from the Web of Science Database
Authors: Dhua Anjan Kumar , Garg Mohit , Mishra Ashwani Kumar , Goel Prabudh , Jain Vishesh , Yadav Devendra Kumar
Published: November 2022

Background:

The number of times a research work gets cited by another article is one of the article-level metrics for assessing the quality of a research publication. Citation analysis by bibliometric review has been performed in several disciplines. The current study was aimed to systematically review the literature available on pediatric inguinal hernia since 1960 in terms of the 25 most cited articles in this field and analyze the bibliometric variables author and organizational collaborative patterns.

Methods:

Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation indexing database and research platform were used to retrieve the most cited articles in pediatric inguinal hernia (PIH) using appropriate search strings. The characteristics (name of authors, the total number of authors, the title of publication, journal of publication, year of publication, etc.) of the 25 top-cited articles were recorded. Specific bibliographical parameters were derived and analyzed. Visualization maps were generated using VOSviewer software.

Results:

The analysis revealed that the Journal of Pediatric Surgery was leading the choice of journal for publication. While most of the publications originated from the United States of America, Schier was the most influential author. Five of the eight top-productive authors are also the most connected.

Conclusion:

Articles on laparoscopic repair in PIH have been heavily cited. Following the United States of America, Turkey stands out as the topmost productive country in PIH. The publications on PIH show that “collaboration” is the bridging force between productivity and influence on the academic community.
Congenital Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor of Neck
Authors: Reddy Manasa , Mahajan Jai Kumar , Dhanasekaran Venkatesh , Dogra Shivani
Published: November 2022

Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) are uncommon, highly aggressive tumors arising usually from the central nervous system and kidneys. Nonrenal and noncentral nervous systems MRT are rare in neonates. To the best of our knowledge, only five cases of congenital MRT of neck have been described till date. We present a rare case of congenital MRT of the neck in a neonate along with review of literature.
Acute Appendicitis in Infants – A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Vendhan Kanimozhi C. , Akhtarkhavari Anis , Kathirvelu Gopinathan , Subramanian Balagopal
Published: November 2022

Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency in children. However, it is uncommon in neonates and infants. Often it can be challenging to diagnose acute appendicitis in children due to atypical clinical presentation and nonspecific symptoms. This is particularly true in neonates and infants. A high level of clinical suspicion is needed to diagnose infantile appendicitis. Delayed diagnosis is associated with higher perforation rates and increased disease-related morbidity. Imaging plays a key role in the prompt diagnosis of acute appendicitis and its complications. We report two cases of perforated appendicitis in babies <6 months old.
Microbiological profile of oxygen humidifiers at a tertiary care centre in the Himalayas
Authors: Puri Oshin , Udayakumar Sasi Rekha , Bhatia Mohit , Pathania Monika , Dhar Meenakshi
Published: November 2022

Background:

Reusable humidifiers are often colonised by microbes, the aerosols generated from which are hypothesised to transmit respiratory infections-jeopardising patient safety.

Materials and Methods:

In this time-bound cross-sectional study, 10 ml of water was collected in sterile containers from humidifiers installed in selected wards/critical care units/intensive care units and from the source used to refill these humidifiers. These samples were subjected to KOH and gram staining followed by inoculation on blood, MacConkey and Sabouraud dextrose agar and brain heart infusion broth in the aerobic environment at 37°C. Observations were recorded as per standard guidelines and compared against blood and respiratory cultures of patients.

Results:

Despite an average of 8.23 days of exposure to oxygen humidified by contaminated water, n = 28 (of n = 39) blood samples reported no growth (NG) and n = 12 reported nonpathogenic organisms (NPO). Among n = 18 available respiratory samples, n = 1 reported Escherichia coli, which was not cultured from the same humidifier indicative of some other source. n = 1 reported NG, n = 6 reported NPO and n = 10 reported normal throat flora. No fungal elements were reported from any humidifier, source, or patient samples. The source-humidifier pathogen pair did not match for any humidifier.

Conclusions:

Sterile patient cultures, despite prolonged exposure to oxygen humidified with contaminated water, indicate that humidifier contaminants did not infect patients. The disparity between the source or patient cultures and humidifier contaminants may be attributed to compromised universal precautions due to the exhaustion of health-care professionals during COVID-19. Furthermore, the type of water used to refill (Distilled/RO/Tap water) had no effect on the microbial contamination of humidifiers.
Dynamics of a periodic-parabolic Lotka–Volterra competition-diffusion system in heterogeneous environments
Authors: Bai Xueli , He Xiaoqing , Ni Wei-Ming
Published: November 2022

The effects of spatial heterogeneity on the dynamics of reaction-diffusion models have been studied extensively. In particular, global dynamics of general spatially heterogeneous (but temporally static) Lotka–Volterra competition-diffusion systems were completely clarified by He and Ni in 2016. However, the evolutionary impacts of temporal periodicity combined with spatial heterogeneity in population ecology remain a challenging issue. In this work, we consider a population model of two competing species in a both spatially varying and temporally periodic environment, where the two species only differ in their random dispersal rates but are otherwise ecologically identical. In a pioneering 2001 work on this model by Hutson et al., by constructing various choices of resource functions and dispersal rates of the two species, the authors demonstrated that all the following three types of dynamics are possible: (i) stable coexistence of the two species; (ii) the slower diffuser invades the faster one but not vice versa; (iii) the faster diffuser invades the slower one but not vice versa. This is in drastic contrast with the spatially heterogeneous but temporally static case, where Dockery et al. showed in 1998 that the slower diffuser always wipes out the faster one. In this paper, we completely and explicitly characterize the asymptotic stability of both semitrivial periodic solutions in terms of the two dispersal rates and the resource function, when either dispersal rate is sufficiently small or large. In particular, the direction of selection on the dispersal rate during the evolution can be elucidated in these instances. Some novel analytical methods are developed to investigate asymptotic behaviors of the underlying time-periodic parabolic eigenvalue problem and its adjoint problem. We hope that these methods are of independent interest in the area of time-periodic parabolic equations.
A simple $P_{\aleph_1}$-point and a simple $P_{\aleph_2}$-point
Authors: Bräuninger Christian , Mildenberger Heike
Published: November 2022

We answer the long-standing question whether it is consistent to have simple

P

-points of two different characters. For a filter

\mathcal{F}

over

\omega

Guzmán and Kalajdzievski introduced a parametrised version of Miller forcing called

\mathbb{PT}(\mathcal{F})

. By combining iterands of the type

\mathbb{PT}(\mathcal{F})

with others we establish: It is consistent relative to ZFC that there is a simple

P_{\aleph_1}

-point and a simple

P_{\aleph_2}

-point. A main technical point is the use of properness and descriptive complexity in the limit steps of uncountable cofinality.
Global Schrödinger map flows to Kähler manifolds with small data in critical Sobolev spaces: Energy critical case
Authors: Li Ze
Published: November 2022

In this paper and the companion work [J. Funct. Anal. 281 (2021)], we prove that the Schrödinger map flows from

\mathbb{R}^d

with

d\ge 2

to compact Kähler manifolds with small initial data in critical Sobolev spaces are global. The main difficulty compared with the constant sectional curvature case is that the gauged equation now is not self-contained due to the curvature part. Our main idea is to use a novel bootstrap-iteration scheme to reduce the gauged equation to an approximate constant curvature system in finite times of iteration. This paper together with the companion work solves the open problem raised by Tataru.
Attempt on the life of a defense attorney or representative of a person in connection with legal assistance
Authors: Vorobey Petro , Matviichuk Valerii , Niebytov Andrii , Khar Inna , Kolb Oleksandr
Published: November 2022

Using a combination of scientific methods such as comparative and logical-semantic, the article analyzes one of the objective signs of the composition of a criminal offense, which refers to the attempt on the life of a defense lawyer or representative of a person in connection with activities related to the provision of legal assistance. The point of view of scientists on the view of this problem, which relates not only to the noted crime, but also, to the problems of justice in general, is subject to criticism. Bringing a person to criminal responsibility should always be related to the establishment of a socially dangerous act, specific to the actions of a particular person. Under such conditions, it will allow to comply with the letter of the law and ensure the protection and provision of their constitutional rights and freedoms to every citizen. Everything allows to conclude that, the attempted murder of the indicated persons or their close relatives in connection with the activities related to the provision of legal aid can also be committed, both by action and omission. This crime (in the specified form) refers to the intangible component.
Administrative and legal regulation of space tourism
Authors: Didenko Sergii , Мykola Kovalchuk , Serebriansky Pavel , Mkrtchian Roman
Published: November 2022

From a documentary methodology, the objective of the article was to analyze the administrative and legal regulation of space tourism and the characteristics of this form of tourism as a type of space activity. In legal perspective, space tourism as any type of relationship must be regulated, including in the administrative and legal sense, because the role of the State in the regulation of these relationships is of particular importance and, in our opinion, requires special attention and legal analysis. A characteristic feature of the administrative and legal regulation of space tourism is that one of the participants in these relations are corporations that develop the space industry, including space tourism, and the state creates a legal basis for the development of these relations and if it applies to the developed space industry, invests in this activity and promotes develop-ment in all possible directions. Therefore, we believe that special attention should be paid to the administrative and legal regulation of space tourism. It is concluded that the administrative and legal regulation of space tourism is a deliberate influence of the norms of administrative law on the regulation of social relations arising in the field of space tourism.
The concept of “Child” and its historical and legal description
Authors: Karimova Dilafruz , Baitenova Nagima , Alimova Mahfuza , Abdullaeva Mohira , Ernazarov Odiljon , Alidjanova Laziza
Published: November 2022

There are a number of questions in the theory and practice of law: "Who is a child?" "When does childhood begin and end?", "What is the definition of the term 'child'?", "What does the concept of 'child' include and what is the content that makes it up?". In this vein, the aim of the article was to analyze the issue of children's rights, the discussion of which is still under debate and does not fully satisfy all parties involved. The authors used a set of methods including: logical, chronological and systematic approaches, comparative analysis, as well as the results of social surveys, literature analysis and statistical methods. As a result, the content and essence of such historical and legal terms as "Rushd", "adna sinn al-bulug", "murohiq" were clarified. The authors conclude that at present there is a disagreement among researchers in determining the legal status of the concept of "child" and in elaborating the definition of "child" itself, so one of the ways to solve this problem is the proposal to change the legal definition of the concept of "child" by expanding its scope and meanings.
BuddhistRoad Paper 3.2 "Law and Slavery on the Silk Roads: How did Buddhist Monks and Nuns Participate in the Slave Trade?”
Authors: Liu Cuilan
Published: November 2022

The selling and buying of human beings as slaves were highly sensitive, controversial, and profitable businesses on the trading networks along the Silk Road. Manuscripts excavated from Cave 17 in Dunhuang (敦煌) and tombs in the Astana graveyard in Turfan contain records documenting how Buddhist institutions and individual monks and nuns were involved in the slave trade as buyers, owners, sellers, and transaction witnesses between the 7th and 10th centuries. Examining lawsuits over slave ownership related to monks and nuns, this article explores the roles Buddhists played in the slave trade along the Silk Roads, and the legal implications of such involvement. It reveals that despite disapproval of slave ownership in Buddhist canon law and strict legal regulations on slave trade in the Tang Dynasty (618–907, 唐), Buddhist monks and nuns showed little concern over these restrictions when participating in the trading of slaves in the local markets in Dunhuang and Turfan. Whenever others challenged their possessions of slaves, these monks and nuns showed no reluctance in seeking legal intervention in the state court. In these practices, such Buddhist monks and nuns received evident support from the lay legal system. On one occasion, the local government ruled in favor of a Buddhist nun to protect her rights as the adoptive mother whilst ignoring her enslavement of a free commoner’s daughter, a severe crime against Tang law.
Exergames, sobrepeso e obesidade em crianças: uma revisão de literatura
Authors: Cantanhede Aroldo Luis Ibiapino , Lamounier Joel Alves
Published: November 2022

A saúde pública enfrenta vários desafios, entre eles o aumento na incidência e na prevalência da obesidade em crianças e adolescentes. Nessa perspectiva, o combate à obesidade e ao sobrepeso deve fazer uso das estratégias comuns ao cotidiano das crianças como é o caso dos jogos digitais permitindo maior aderência a intervenções. Este trabalho objetivou identificar, evidências no uso de Exergames (videogames ativos) para prevenir, tratar ou incentivar práticas contra a obesidade/sobrepeso de crianças. Para consecução do objetivo houve uma prospecção nas bases de dados científicos ScienceDirect, Scopus, LILACS (Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde), e MedLine (Sistema Online de Busca e Análise de Literatura Médica). A busca se deu utilizando os termos: “Exergames”, “Obesity”, “Children” combinados pela lógica booleana AND. Os artigos deveriam ter sidos publicados os anos de 2015 a 2020, em periódicos Qualis B3 e acima. O resultado dessa busca após serem utilizados mecanismos de elegibilidade, chegou a um número de cinco artigos, número esse incluído no trabalho. Para garantir a qualidade dos artigos foi utilizada a declaração CONSORT. Os dados apresentados pela literatura apontam para evidências bastante positivas para os Exergames como estratégia no tratamento da obesidade de crianças. Há possibilidade de perda de peso, melhora do Índice de Massa Corporal, diminuição da adiposidade subcutânea e finalmente, melhora da saúde cardiometabólica. É necessário, contudo, perceber que os dados apresentados mostrados não foram equalizados e diferem em instrumento, volume, intensidade, amostra, etc.
Educação Física no ensino médio: relato dos estudantes de uma escola pública em Balneário Camboriú/SC
Authors: Schiestl Alexandre , Santos Ana Paula Maurilia dos
Published: November 2022

O presente estudo é fruto de uma pesquisa de campo, tendo como objetivo geral investigar, a partir da percepção dos estudantes do Ensino Médio, como são as aulas de Educação Física e os conteúdos trabalhados pelos professores. Um questionário validado e adaptado referente à temática foi utilizado para coleta de dados, em que quarenta estudantes de uma escola da rede pública em Balneário Camboriú/SC foram analisados. Os resultados demonstram que as modalidades mais praticadas nas aulas são: futebol, futsal, voleibol e o tênis de mesa; e que há outras modalidades de interesse dos alunos. Esses dados poderão servir como base para o planejamento das aulas de Educação Física.
Orígenes del fútbol en la provincia de San Juan, Argentina (1905-1980)
Authors: Martínez Maximiliano Rodolfo
Published: November 2022

Las bodegas, y en particular el vino, son elementos fundantes para entender la cotidianeidad de la vida sanjuanina desde fines del siglo XIX hasta hoy. No sólo por el hecho de ser un producto básico para la economía, sino porque encierra una profunda carga emblemática para los habitantes de esta provincia. Es por eso que, desde las perspectivas teórico-metodológicas de la Nueva Historia Cultural, el fútbol se puede pensar como un objeto lúdico-simbólico que durante el siglo XX se convierte en un elemento identitario clave para considerar en nuestro ensayo; siendo que este deporte llegó a la Argentina de la mano de los ingleses (escoceses) a través del puerto y los trenes, mientras que en San Juan pareciera que no fue así. Es curioso que, en la provincia, dicho surgimiento está más cerca de las bodegas, ya que son los propietarios bodegueros quienes dieron inicio a la corriente fundadora de los primeros clubes de fútbol locales o influyeron directamente sobre la institucionalización de los mismos, siendo protagonistas incuestionables en las redes de poder de principios del siglo XX. Es por esto, que este articulo intenta explicar y mostrar el vínculo que existió entre las bodegas con el surgimiento del fútbol sanjuanino como práctica lúdico-cultural, muy importante para la comprensión y el análisis de la cotidianeidad de San Juan desde otra perspectiva. Cabe recordar y aclarar que este trabajo es tan solo una breve aproximación a un estudio más profundo que se encuentra en vías de desarrollo.
Water erosion of soils of agricultural lands in Belarus
Authors:   Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Tsybulka Mikalai M.
Published: November 2022

The results of the analysis of the spread of eroded soils on agricultural lands, the quantitative assessment of factors determining the manifestation of water-erosion processes in the northern and central soil-ecological provinces of Belarus are presented. On the territory of Belarus, water erosion is caused by the runoff of meltwater and heavy rainfall, manifested on the slopes in the form of washing away the upper part of the soil cover or in the form of erosion in depth. Eroded soils are concentrated mainly on arable land. Of the total area of soils subject to water erosion, slightly washed soils predominate (57 %), medium-washed soils occupy 25 %, strongly washed soils - 4 %. Water erosion prevails in the northern and central parts of the republic, so the largest areas of washed away soils are concentrated in the Vitebsk, Mogilev and Minsk regions. Significant fluctuations in the areas of eroded soils are observed in administrative districts. The largest areas of them as part of arable land (>20 %) are in Novogrudok, Volozhinsky, Korelichsky, Goretsky and Mstislavsky districts, significant areas (15-20 %) are in the areas of the hilly-moraine landscape: Braslavsky, Gorodoksky, Lepelsky. In the northern soil-ecological province, the intensity of water-erosion processes is determined primarily by climatic conditions, secondly by geomorphological, and thirdly by soil conditions. In the central province, the soil-anthropogenic factor has a higher contribution. Therefore, in the northern province, agrotechnical techniques aimed at regulating surface runoff are a priority in choosing anti-erosion measures, in the central province - the formation of a balanced structure of crops and the introduction of soil-protective crop rotations.