bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Connecting the Dots: Joint development of best practices between infrastructures in support of bidirectional data linking
Authors: Addink Wouter , Kyriakopoulou Niki
Published: August 2022

Working together is key in terms of knowledge exchange and in the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library project (BiCIKL), infrastructures involved in the biodiversity data landscape are working together to connect data from their different but related data domains. This will be key to connecting the dots towards the development of global collections and global specimen networks in line with e.g., the Extended Specimens Network (Lendemer et al. 2019), which describes a strategy to enhance US biodiversity collections and promote research and education by enabling seamless data integration, attribution and use tracking. It will enable and improve linkages in the fragmented landscape of literature, specimens, collections, species and sequence data. It is required to reliably connect collection level data and specimen level data with derived and related data served through these infrastructures.

BiCIKL is a project funded by the European Commission that will develop bidirectional data linkages through persistant identifiers between the data so that they become part of a big FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data pool available to researchers, public authorities and business to foster innovation in the digital economy and to contribute in solving global environmental challenges. This will enable end-users to seamlessly access a larger pool of enriched data and knowledge, thereby bypassing the traditional barrier of having to search multiple databases and then link up different data types, or to manually extract data from literature.

Two elements are key for development of the data linkages: 1) the global adoption of agreed upon persistent identifiers for digital specimen objects, taxonomic treatments, collections, persons, sequences and taxa across stakeholders, and 2) best practices for the generation, management and curation of the linked data. We will present the best practices that have been jointly developed by the infrastructures in the BiCIKL project for findability, re-use and accessibility. The presentation will focus on the best practices that are essential for reliably linking specimen- and collection-level data with other types of data. Implementing these practices will be an important contribution towards connecting the dots in the biodiversity data landscape and will enrich the information at the data provider level.
NBN Atlas: Making data work for nature
Authors: Ratcliffe Sophia , Manders Jones Helen
Published: August 2022

The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas is the United Kingdom's (UK) largest repository of publicly available biodiversity data, with more than 200 million records of almost 50,000 species. It is the largest Living Atlas installation and has been customised considerably to meet the needs of the UK biological recording community. The main customisation was the addition of support for Ordnance Survey grid references as the location of the occurrence, which was added to the core Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) code. UK-specific customisations include authorised access to the supplied location of sensitive records in downloads and an updated species search to better implement the UK Species Inventory, which is the taxonomic backbone of the NBN Atlas.

The biggest source of records is from the professionals and volunteers working with the National Recording Schemes and Societies and environmental non-governmental organizations (eNGOs). We also receive a substantial number of records from government agencies, Local Environmental Record Centres, museums, and botanical gardens across the UK. Currently we don’t receive many records from universities or research organisations, however they are one of the biggest consumers of NBN Atlas records across all sectors. We will discuss the challenges of managing record collation from such a broad range of data providers to meet the data requirements of all users, and how we are upgrading the NBN Atlas to the latest version of the ALA platform, whilst maintaining the UK customisations in a separate code layer.
The Australian National Species List steps up for biodiversity conservation
Authors: Fuchs Anne , Cooper Endymion , Whitbread Greg
Published: August 2022

The Australian National Species List (AuNSL) will bring together authoritative national taxonomies and supporting nomenclatural data for flora, fauna, fungi and algae. These data enable biodiversity infrastructures, such as the Atlas of Living Australia, to store information about taxa against a standard, permanently resolvable taxonomy, and to create linkages between them.

The Biodiversity Data Repository (BDR) is a new Australian government infrastructure supporting environmental assessments under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The BDR will bring together biodiversity data assets from a range of sources and enable decision making to be based on a more holistic view of taxa in Australia. To achieve its objectives, the BDR requires the ability to align disparate taxonomies to a national standard. To support the BDR we have restructured and consolidated the constituent datasets of the AuNSL and added a GraphQL interface from which we can provide machine access to the full suite of taxonomic and nomenclatural entities in the data and the linkages between them. Currently we provide a simple name check service for aligning supplied names with the standard AuNSL taxonomy and a full taxonomic backbone extract as a SKOS concept scheme expressed in JSON-LD. We are working towards an expanded set of taxonomic and nomenclatural services and a more generalised and complete graph of the AuNSL taxonomy, which can serve an increasing number of initiatives including the Australian Traits database (AusTraits), the Australian National DNA Library, and sensitive species data exchange mechanisms.
An Update on Persistent Identifiers in Norwegian Biodiversity Data
Authors: Johaadien Rukaya , Endresen Dag , Torma Michal
Published: August 2022

Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are reference keys to pieces of digital information or digital objects (Meadows and Haak 2018). PIDs are long-lasting, trustworthy and ideally globally unique, allowing information to be unambigiously associated with a digital object. This allows, for example, collection objects to be annotated with data (e.g., improved geographic coordinates) from different web services and databases (Page 2008). In 2014, Norway began an initiative to provide all museum specimens at the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum (UiO NHM) with PIDs persistent and globally unique identifiers (PIDs) in the form of universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) prefixed by a persistent uniform resource locator (PURL) (Endresen and Svindseth 2014). This poster provides an update of progress made in this endeavor, and details the technical set up and workflow, as well as problems encountered and reflections on the process. So far, roughly 40% of UiO NHM's collections have PIDs entered in the Darwin Core materialSampleID field for the collections management system. The main technical problem has been in configuring the PURL service to set up redirects correctly. In the future, we plan to migrate from PURLs to the Handle system which provides identifiers for digital objects, or to using DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers), which are an implementation of the Handle system (Paskin 2017).
Linking Fennoscandian Species of Two Fungal Genera: A test case for linked open data
Authors: Liljeblad Johan , Lahti Tapani , Sjöro Elisabet , von Bonsdorff-Salminen Tea , Bendiksen Katriina , Skarp Liselott , Döring Markus
Published: August 2022

In Norway, Sweden and Finland, we all have our own taxonomy initiatives, mapping our biodiversity (Lahti and Skarp 2019, Sjödin Skarp 2019, Skarp et al. 2019). Together these countries make up most of Fennoscandia, sharing a large part of the fauna, flora and fungi. It was only natural for us to start cooperating through a Nordic Taxonomy Initiative, sharing expertise and knowledge. Our implementation of Linked Open Data (LOD) is a first step toward automated sharing of information about Fennoscandian species. By linking taxon concepts, we can share observations and facilitate our efforts to combat invasive alien species, as well as assessing conservation status of our native species (Liljeblad and Lahti 2019a, Liljeblad and Lahti 2019b).

We picked the fungal genera Hygrophorus Fr. and Tricholoma (Fr.) Staude (Basiciomycetes: Agaricales) as test cases for matching species concepts between our countries. We downloaded lists of species from Checklistbank as a starting point, including synonym names and documenting the specific versions. However, the identifiers for these taxa are not independent of name and concept changes here, so this backbone was imported into taxonid.org. A spreadsheet with these taxa was then complemented with taxa from the three respective countries’ taxonomic databases.

In Hygrophorus, there were 35 species with 28 present in Finland, 33 in Norway and 34 in Sweden. The mycologists among us discussed the full list during a virtual workshop and agreed upon how to interpret their respective taxonomies compared to the list at taxonid.org. Next, we copied the identifier for each species in taxonid.org to our respective national databases.

Matching up all species of Hygrophorus took about 3 hours for 3 people, making for a total of 9 hours of effort excluding things such as exporting and preparing checklists for comparison. Adding the identifiers from taxonid.org into the respective national databases was a simple import of a maximum one hour each. We then did the same for the more species-rich genus Tricholoma.

In the process, besides the links, we have established closer personal contact, synced our views on the taxonomy and had a chance to tidy up the nomenclature. When attempting to share more than taxonomic information, we have come to realize how our countries differ in usage of standard terms documenting residency, reproductive status as well as that of establishment means. For now, we will have to make do with a simple absence/presence, but having the actual taxon links is the prerequisite we are now starting to fulfill.
Distribution and pathways of introduction of invasive alien plant species in Romania
Authors: Sirbu Culita , Miu Iulia V. , Gavrilidis Athanasios A. , Gradinaru Simona R. , Niculae Iulian M. , Preda Cristina , Oprea Adrian , Urziceanu Mihaela , Camen-Comanescu Petronela , Nagoda Eugenia , Sirbu Ioana M. , Memedemin Daniyar , Anastasiu Paulina
Published: August 2022

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of modern human-induced species losses. Research on the distribution of alien species and their pathways of introduction is essential for understanding and tackling the invasion process. A comprehensive overview on invasive alien plant (IAP) species in Romania is lacking. With this paper, we aim to contribute to filling this gap and to provide a visualization of national patterns regarding plant species invasions, geographical origins and pathways of introductions. Based on plant species occurrence records in the published literature and herbaria we compiled a national database of 102 invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species. We georeferenced 42776 IAP species occurrences and performed an analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analyses revealed a biased sampling, with clear hotspots of increased sampling efforts around urban areas. We used chord diagrams to visualize the pathway of introduction and geographical origins of the IAP species, which revealed that species in Romania originate mainly in North and Central America, while the dominant pathway of plant introduction was horticulture. Our results provide an important baseline in drafting management and action plans, as invasive alien plant species represent a priority for the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a good starting point for various analyses as the database is further developed and regularly updated.
The genus Tegostoma in Armenia, with description of a new species (Crambidae, Odontiinae)
Authors: Šumpich Jan , Karsholt Ole , Savenkov Nikolay , Roweck Hartmut
Published: August 2022

A small but beautifully coloured species ofTegostomaZeller, 1847, which was collected by the authors in Armenia, has turned out to be unnamed and is here described asTegostoma burtonisp. nov. The description is supported by morphology and DNA barcodes . Photographs of the adults and genitalia of both sexes are provided.Tegostoma lepidalis(Herrich-Schäffer, 1851) andPyrausta gulpembeKemal & Koçak, 2018 are recorded as new species for Armenia.
Essential Biodiversity Variables: extracting plant phenological data from specimen labels using machine learning
Authors: Mora-Cross Maria , Morales-Carmiol Adriana , Chen-Huang Te , Barquero-Pérez María
Published: August 2022

Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) make it possible to evaluate and monitor the state of biodiversity over time at different spatial scales. Its development is led by the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) to harmonize, consolidate and standardize biodiversity data from varied biodiversity sources. This document presents a mechanism to obtain baseline data to feed the Species Traits Variable Phenology or other biodiversity indicators by extracting species characters and structure names from morphological descriptions of specimens and classifying such descriptions using machine learning (ML).

A workflow that performs Named Entity Recognition (NER) and Classification of morphological descriptions using ML algorithms was evaluated with excellent results. It was implemented using Python, Pytorch, Scikit-Learn, Pomegranate, Python-crfsuite, and other libraries applied to 106,804 herbarium records from the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica (INBio). The text classification results were almost excellent (F1 score between 96% and 99%) using three traditional ML methods: Multinomial Naive Bayes (NB), Linear Support Vector Classification (SVC), and Logistic Regression (LR). Furthermore, results extracting names of species morphological structures (e.g., leaves, trichomes, flowers, petals, sepals) and character names (e.g., length, width, pigmentation patterns, and smell) using NER algorithms were competitive (F1 score between 95% and 98%) using Hidden Markov Models (HMM), Conditional Random Fields (CRFs), and Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory Networks with CRF (BI-LSTM-CRF).
The Screen Advertising Production Industry: SIC Codes and Screen Industries Mapping
Authors: Caston Emily
Published: August 2022

The screen advertising production sector as a distinctive sector of film and television production supplying content to the advertising industry. Due to different employment practices, legal and production processes, it has a distinctively different set of issues to theatrical and high end drama. An analysis of a number of case studies of this sector using company accounts and SIC codes, however, shows that it has been rendered invisible in Government commissioned reports. That could be corrected through partnership work between the sector’s trade association the Advertising Producers’ Association. Recognition of the sector’s integration within the UK independent film and television production sector would increase knowledge and understanding of the sector as a whole. This article recommends a theoretical model of horizontal integration of vertical value chains to progress new research in the area and identifies some of the consequences for existing scholarship.
Autonomy and Independence in Screen Production under State Subsidy: Tracing Kennedy Miller Mitchell’s Negotiated Dependencies with Australian Governments
Authors: Douglas James
Published: August 2022

Contemporary media industry and production studies takes a nuanced view of the relative independence and autonomy available to media producers. In this article, I apply this frame to the Australian independent screen production firm Kennedy Miller Mitchell. But rather than examining the firm through its commercial partnerships, I analyze its independence in respect of its historical relationship with Australian government agencies. I contend that it possesses negotiated dependencies with these government bodies, a term describing the nuances of a complex reciprocal relationship. While the firm’s activities have been shaped and constrained by government policy, I argue also that the firm has maintained agency through negotiations with the state. My analysis of Kennedy Miller Mitchell’s negotiated dependencies qualifies our understanding of this reputedly iconoclastic firm and treats the company as a significant case study of the limits of independence and autonomy in an industry underwritten by government intervention.
Britain’s Got Talent? A Critique of the “Talent Pipeline” Crisis in the UK’s Film and Television Industries
Authors: van Raalte Christa , Wallis Richard
Published: August 2022

Prior to the pandemic of 2020, what was being described as ‘the Netflix effect’ had brought a significant boost to the UK’s film and television industries. However, a significant increase in the amount of commissioning of ‘high end’ television production had been accompanied by widely reported concerns that these new opportunities were in danger of being lost due to an insufficient supply of new talent. It was argued that only a major investment in entry-level recruitment for an expected 30,000 new jobs would avert a “talent pipeline” crisis. In this article we question the accuracy of these assertions by reviewing the key evidence on which they were based. We examine how concerns about skills gaps and shortages came to be framed as a problem of pipeline supply, rather than as a problem of leakage, thereby avoiding more challenging and systemic retention issues related to employment practices within these industries. The article highlights the dangers inherent in policy research where there is a gravitational pull for evidence-based policy to be overridden by policy-based evidence.
Construction of an Online Shopping Platform Based on DApp
Authors: Wang Shaoying , Yan Shuo , Wang Fen
Published: August 2022

Shopping platform increases service speed and reduces transaction cost. However, it also leads to issues of information asymmetry. Some sellers fabricate the price of promotional goods prior to promotion, not only affecting the reputation of sellers, but also viciously influencing the goodwill of the shopping websites. On this basis, a shopping decentralized Application (DApp) based on blockchain technology was designed; this research integrates the blockchain and shopping App. The App used the decentralized technology of distributed blockchain tamper resistance and its advantages of distributed ledger, decentralization, traceability, smart contract, and information tamper-proof to reduce the adverse impact of information asymmetry on consumers.
Weakening the Bullwhip Effect in the Supply Chain Based on Data Fusion
Authors: Wang Zhonghuai , Cheng Guoping
Published: August 2022

In the increasingly competitive society, as the third profit center of the enterprise, the supply chain makes scholars and industry related with the supply chain more interested in the study of relevant issues. Some scholars believe that the application of predictive analytics could have a tremendous impact on the supply chain. The uncertainty of supply chain demand and bullwhip effect challenge the supply chain. Data fusion can effectively reduce the uncertainty of demand and amplification effect. In this study, a new conceptual model was established on the traditional supply chain based on data fusion. Results show that the conceptual model refers to data fusion for solving the uncertain and inconsistent multi-source data by Bayesian estimation to provide reasonable decision information for supply chain managers.
Bioinformatics and Patient Survival Analysis of Digestive Tract Tumor Marker NCAPG Based on Public Medical Databases
Authors: Wang Jiahang , Lin Mingqiang , Ouyang Fang
Published: August 2022

The digestive tract tumor disease is a serious threat to human health. The effective identification of digestive tract tumor markers with specific characteristics is the key to the diagnosis, treatment, recognition, and rehabilitation analysis of digestive tract tumor diseases. Public medical data resource platforms represented by Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases provide a new path for knowledge management and knowledge discovery in the medical field. Therefore, a computational analysis framework for tumor marker recognition was established to mine from massive and diversified data sets and explore the diagnosis, expression, and prognosis of Non-SMC Condensin I Complex, Subunit G (NCAPG) in gastrointestinal tumors. Patient survival and correlation analyses suggested the mRNA and protein levels of NCAPG were highly expressed in different digestive tract tumors. This study provides new treatment methods for patients with gastrointestinal cancer and a reference for the public.
Teacher Intelligence Training Based on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Dan Songjian
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this paper is to improve the theoretical system of teacher's intelligent training, build a teacher's intelligent training platform, build an intelligent training course resource and establish a teacher's intelligent training mechanism. This article mainly uses the methods of investigation and interviews to analyze the status quo of teachers' professional development, existing problems, and research needs. The results of the questionnaire survey showed that 46.7% of participants were in favor of smart training, but there were also 70 people who believed that the biggest difficulty in smart training was the lack of a relatively fixed and effective platform. Therefore, it is necessary to design an intelligent training platform to provide a good platform for teachers to learn.
Prognostication of Sales by Auto Encoder and Long-Term Short Memory
Authors: Kumar Kapil , Mishra Kripa Shanker
Published: August 2022

The intention of the paper is to improve a neural network methodology to accomplish enhanced predictions of the sales market. The data downloaded by Kaggle, data is surveyed for more than six months and the data was collected through prevalent markets for online and offline analysis with results of data visualization and prediction to illustrate sales forecasting. The traditional model like arima, RNN, and long short-term memory are not effective to provide sales forecasting with consideration of numerous constraints of the market and predict the sales incorrectly, because the RNN model suffers from vanishing gradient problems and LSTM are prone to overfitting. Therefore, these models are intensely prone to erroneous forecasts. The author suggests the “Long Term Short Memory (LSTM)” with three layers which are dropout layers, early stop layers, and simplifying layers to reduce overfitting. The result shows that the adapted “LSTM '' with the inclusion of three layers is an improved version as compared with traditional ''LSTM ``. The accuracy of the proposed model is 82%
Improving Time Series Prediction With Feature Selection Using a Velocity-Enhanced Whale Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Das Soumya , Nayak Monalisa , Senapati Manas Ranjan , Majhi Santosh
Published: August 2022

The nonlinearity and uncertain behavior of many recent financial applications is increasing rapidly. Thus, it is important to resolve the rapid growth of time-variant problems with the help of artificial intelligence methods. In this paper, a hybridized method is used to predict four types of financial datasets: absenteeism at work, blog feedback data, currency exchange rate, and energy consumption. The prediction accuracy is improved with feature selection techniques. During the use of feature selection methods, only related features are carefully chosen and then fed to the neural network algorithm for prediction. In this research, the previous year data is taken for training and recent year data is taken for testing. Finally, the results of the velocity enhanced whale optimization algorithm (VEWOA) is compared with other methods like local linear wavelet neural network (LLWNN) and local linear radial basis functional neural network (LLRBFNN).
Correlates of bone resorption marker C-Telopeptide of type-I collagen for rural postmenopausal women in Zuturung, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Authors: Achie Lydia Nzugnbzi , Igashi Joseph , Augustine Banlibo Dubo , Emmanuel Nachamada Solomon , Mohammed Aliyu , Lawal Yau Z.
Published: August 2022

Bone loss in postmenopausal women is majorly due to estrogen deficiency. The objective of this study was to determine correlates of serum C-Terminal Telopeptides of Type I Collagen levels (Ctx), a bone resorption marker, in rural postmenopausal women as compared with their premenopausal counterparts. The study was carried out on 38 premenopausal and 75 postmenopausal women in Zuturung, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Subjects were selected, questionnaires were administered to them, anthropometric parameters were determined and fasting blood samples were collected by venipuncture. The blood samples were centrifuged and the samples stored for further analysis using standard methods in the Department of Chemical Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika. Results were presented as mean ± SD, data were analyzed using student t test, and a p value of <0.05 considered to be significant while associations between variables were determined by Pearsons’ correlation using SPSS version 23. The postmenopausal subjects had reduced mean serum calcium (2.30±0.35mg/dL), decreased mean serum Ctx (135.20±42.90ng/mL) and a longer mean waist circumference (89.63±10.66cm) as compared with the premenopausal women (2.37±0.15mg/dL, 155.90±88.70ng/mL & 83.73±8.00cm respectively). While the waist circumference demonstrated a negative correlation with mean serum Ctx that however was not significant (p>0.05). The mean serum Ctx of postmenopausal women with different educational status of the postmenopausal women showed no significant difference. In conclusion, rural postmenopausal women had a lower mean serum calcium and mean serum C-tx (a bone resorption marker) than premenopausal women. They also presented with a longer waist circumference, a negative correlation of their waist circumference with the mean serum Ctx with an equally no significant difference in mean Ctx level in their respective educational status.
Bacteriological profile and antibiogram of blood culture isolates from bloodstream infections in a rural tertiary hospital in Nigeria
Authors: Oyekale Oluwalana T. , Ojo Bola O. , Olajide Adewale T. , Oyekale Oluwatoyin I.
Published: August 2022

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a cause of significant morbidity and mortality requiring urgent antibiotic treatment. However, there is widespread antibiotic-resistance from the bacterial causes, necessitating regular surveillance for drug-resistant bacteria and their antibiograms.Objective: This study isolated and identified various bacterial causes of BSIs, determined their antibiotic susceptibility patterns, and determined the best empirical treatment for cases of BSI in the setting.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria between June 2020 and February 2021 on 177 blood culture samples from cases of BSI. Identification of isolated bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates were carried out following the standard protocol.Results: Culture positivity in this study was 19.2%. No significant difference was seen in culture positivity between male and female participants (p = 0.97). Gram-negative enteric bacteria were predominantly isolated (67.6%), including Escherichia coli (29.4%) and Klebsiella aerogenes (20.6%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Gram-positive bacterium isolated (23.5%). Three (37.5%) S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant. All isolates were sensitive to meropenem, and 97.1% were sensitive to imipenem; other sensitivity patterns were: ceftazidime (85.3%), ciprofloxacin (79.4%), ofloxacin (79.4%), and gentamicin (76.5%). There was low sensitivity to ampicillin (32.4%) and cotrimoxazole (38.2%). All Gram-positive isolates, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus, were sensitive to vancomycin.Conclusion: Regular surveillance of isolate sensitivity patterns, formulation of hospital antibiotic policies based on existing data and compliance with treatment guidelines will promote rational antibiotic use and reduce resistance among bacteria.
Against discontinuity: Augustine’s theory of happiness reconsidered
Authors: He Teng
Published: August 2022

In research on Augustine, Peter Brown’s paradigm of ‘two Augustines’ has been widely used. According to Brown, Augustine experienced a shift from optimism to pessimism. In his earlier works, Augustine held that humans could achieve happiness in this life by reason. In contrast, in his later works, Augustine emphasised grace, original sin and the imperfection of life. Against Brown’s framework, this paper argues that Augustine does not experience a pessimistic turn. Augustine holds that humans can achieve happiness through faith, hope and love.Contribution: This article explores Augustine’s theory of happiness and revises the ‘two Augustines’ paradigm. On the one hand, Augustine does not deny the freedom of will. On the other hand, Augustine is confident in happiness through faith, hope and love.
Remixing storytelling across modes
Authors: Vally Essa Fatima , Mendelowitz Belinda
Published: August 2022

Background: Using storytelling in a classroom context can be a powerful tool, but how can English language educators use storytelling in ways that are beneficial to their learners?Objectives: In this paper, we simultaneously engage with the concept of storytelling, multimodality and creativity to show how these three concepts can work in tandem theoretically and in practice. The research is based on a collaborative multimodal storytelling intervention in a Grade 7 English Home Language classroom which entailed transducing the same story from a print-based mode to a performative mode. We work with the concept of storytelling across modes, rather than multimodal composition to highlight the fluid possibilities that our cross-pollination approach offers.Methodology: The study is qualitative, and we thematically analyse data produced by one group of five learners. The research questions are as follows: (1) What are the different affordances of print-based and performative storytelling? (2) How do these two modes enable students to collaboratively draw on their linguistic, creative and social resources and repertoires?Results: Collaborative storytelling created multiple access points in the English classroom which enabled the learners to draw on a wide range of modes, realities and resources in accessible and meaningful ways. The intervention created a space for the learners to reflect on past experiences, re-imagine their sense of self and future, and use their stories as a form of social action.Conclusion: Each mode offered different pathways and distinct affordances to crafting and producing stories.
Hypertensive patients’ knowledge and practices on lifestyle modification in Extension 6, Middelburg
Authors: Rahimi Amir , Nkombua Lushiku
Published: August 2022

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting the majority of patients worldwide, including in South Africa. The control of HTN and prevention of complications are major challenges for patients and healthcare workers. The proper control of the disease requires a multifactorial approach consisting of medical treatment, as well as lifestyle modification, with the assistance of healthcare workers. Addressing patients’ beliefs, the practice of lifestyle and acceptance of change are some of the ways of aiding control.Methods: The researchers used a cross-sectional and descriptive survey to establish the knowledge and practices of lifestyle modifications in patients with hypertension. A validated questionnaire was adopted. A total of 250 participants from the Extension 6 Clinic in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, constituted the study population.Results: Most of the participants had borderline high blood pressure (37.2%) or uncontrolled high blood pressure (46%). The participants’ knowledge of HTN and its complications was not adequate. The study established that increased age and long duration of HTN were associated with high numbers of uncontrolled HTN. Most of the participants (88.8%) had difficulty exercising. Also, most of the participants (90.8%) did not have a place or facility for exercises. Fifty per cent of the participants were unable to maintain a balanced healthy diet which included fruits and vegetables.Conclusion: The study explored the participants’ knowledge and practice of lifestyle modification. The participants lacked knowledge regarding the definition of HTN and the meaning of controlled HTN. To assist the patients and improve on the identified pitfalls, each consultation session should include some methods of education, and motivation for healthy behaviours and lifestyle modification. This should be extended to all the people visiting the health facilities for them to adopt a healthier diet, greater intake of vegetables and availability of fitness facilities for the community.
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and associated factors among people living with HIV in the Middle East and North Africa region
Authors: Mohamed Rahma , White Trenton M. , Lazarus Jeffrey V. , Salem Amany , Kaki Reham , Marrakchi Wafa , M Kheir Sara G. , Amer Ibrahim , M Ahmed Fida , A Khayat Maie , Al-Abdullah Nabeela , Ali Batool , Sultan Roaa , Alamri Bandar , Abdulmajid Anouf , Kooli Ikbal , Chakroun Mohamed , Madani Tariq A. , Esmat Gamal , Cordie Ahmed
Published: August 2022

Background: Identifying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine acceptance and associated factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Middle East and North Africa region is important to meet the need for broad-scale vaccination against COVID-19.Objectives: To investigate the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate and factors among PLHIV in the Middle East and North Africa region.Method: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among PLHIV currently living in Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia between March 2021 and August 2021.Results: Of the 540 respondents, 19.3% reported already being vaccinated against COVID-19 (n = 104), 32.0% responded ‘definitely yes’ (n = 173), and 13.3% responded ‘probably yes’ (n = 72) for intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, with an overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate of 64.6% among PLHIV in the region. The most significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance included feeling less worried about COVID-19 transmission post-vaccination (221.0% higher odds), and believing the disease is vaccine-preventable (160.0% higher odds). Reported barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance include concerns about vaccine effectiveness and belief that HIV medications protect against COVID-19 transmission, living in a rural area and reporting less-frequent engagement with HIV care. Nine out of 10 participants reported that the chances of them getting COVID-19 vaccine would increase if given adequate information and if their doctor recommended it.Conclusion: Findings of the study can help researchers, health officials, and other health system actors understand the predictors and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance reported by PLHIV. This understanding could inform the future planning of interventions tailored to PLHIV.
Successful Use of Dupilumab for Treatment-resistant Pityriasis Amiantacea
Authors: Firsowicz Maya , Willenbrink Tyler J. , Shu Nova , Reichenberg Jason S.
Published: August 2022

Pityriasis amiantacea (PA) is a scalp condition characterized by thick, adherent scales that are silvery or yellow–gray in color and bind down tufts of hair. PA is associated with several underlying dermatologic conditions including psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, tinea capitis, pityriasis rosea, and Darier's disease. Although there is no consensus on standard treatment, PA is generally treated with keratolytic agents and/or ketoconazole shampoo. More resistant cases may require systemic therapies, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors. We report a case of a 57-year-old female with severe PA resistant to numerous treatments including topical steroids, salicylic acid shampoo, intralesional steroid injections, mycophenolate mofetil, adalimumab, and apremilast. Following treatment with dupilumab, our patient experienced complete resolution of her PA. These results suggest that dupilumab may have in a role in the management of treatment-resistant PA, particularly when associated with eczematous dermatitis.
Bullous Pemphigoid
Authors: Nayak Sudhir U. K. , Shenoi Shukriti D. , Prabhu S. Smitha , Rao Raghavendra
Published: August 2022

Koebner phenomenon (KP) or isomorphic phenomenon often helps in diagnosis of certain conditions and often reflects disease activity. Although commonly reported with psoriasis, vitiligo, and lichen planus, KP has been occasional reported with other conditions. Bullous pemphigoid has a rare association with this and we report a case with scratching being the inciting factor. A 50-year-old female with no comorbidities presented with itchy fluid-filled lesions all over the body for 15 days. Examination showed generalized distribution of bullae and vesicles with linear bulla on the forearms. Histopathology and immunofluorescence studies were conclusive of bullous pemphigoid. KP has been reported in general due to mechanical trauma, therapy, dermatoses, or reactions. KP in bullous pemphigoid is rarely reported and it is mentioned in the category IV of Boyd and Nelder classification. The linear nature of bulla in our patient was suggestive of scratching being the inciting factor for KP, which has not been reported to the best of our knowledge.
Imiquimod Cream Improves Photodamaged Skin
Authors: Alfaraj Suliman S. , Ghobara Yasser A. , Aleisa Abdullah M.
Published: August 2022

Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light causes wrinkles and dyspigmentation. Imiquimod cream is an immune-modulator medication approved for the treatment of genital warts, actinic keratosis, and superficial basal cell carcinoma. Few scientific papers were published in the literature on the effect of imiquimod on photodamaged skin. We report four patients with benign and malignant cutaneous neoplasms who were treated with 5% imiquimod cream and noticed improvement in their skin appearance. We believe that imiquimod cream is a safe and effective option for improving photodamaged skin with excellent safety profile.
How Internet Search and Patient's Self-Diagnosis Helped in the Management of a Case of Paederus Dermatitis
Authors: Mondal Shaikat , Mondal Himel
Published: August 2022

Searching symptoms on the internet and self-diagnosis is being criticized for its uncertainty in the diagnosis. However, it may help the patient and the doctor in the diagnosis and management of a disease. In this article, we present a case where the use of smartphone and internet search helped the patient and the doctor in the initial management and diagnosis of paederus dermatitis. A 34-year-old male, an urban inhabitant, noticed pain on the right side of his neck while he was sleeping at night. He woke up and noticed a beetle on his pillow. As the beetle was an unfamiliar one, he took pictures on his smartphone and searched about the beetle on the internet. From the results, he identified the beetle as “Nairobi fly,” self-diagnosed it as “paederus dermatitis,” and washed the area with soap and water to remove vesicant secreted by the beetle. Next day morning, he presented with severe pain and mild erythema on the right side of the neck. The diagnosis becomes obvious from the images shown by the patient. The patient was treated with a topical steroid and oral antihistaminic for 7 days. The patient recovered from dermatitis on the 10th day.
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Right Ventricular Function in Patients Presenting with Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Gupta Rajeev Kumar , Shahi Ram Gopal Singh , Calton Rajneesh Kumar
Published: August 2022

Background:

To evaluate the effect of different infarction sites on the right ventricular (RV) function by echocardiography in patients presenting with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and to correlate it with in-hospital morbidity and mortality.

Materials and Methods:

The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital involving 55 patients of anterior wall myocardial infarction (AWMI), 25 patients of inferior wall myocardial infarction (IWMI), and 20 patients of IWMI + RVMI. Among them, 55% of patients were males with a M: F ratio of 1.22:1. M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of both RV and left ventricular (LV) function (tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/RV fractional area change/right ventricular index of myocardial performance and LV ejection fraction [LVEF]) were done in all patients within 48 h of admission along with the assessment of arrhythmias, heart failure (HF), cardiogenic shock (CS), and complete heart block (CHB). All the four echocardiographic parameters were deranged in 30 (54.5%) patients of AWMI and 14 (70%) patients of IWMI with RVMI. However, derangement in at least one echocardiographic parameter of RV dysfunction was observed in 50 (90.9%) patients of AWMI, 11 (44%) patients of IWMI, and 20 (100%) patients of IWMI+RVMI, respectively. LVEF was significantly reduced in patients with AWMI (40.4 ± 11.2%) as compared to patients with IWMI and IWMI+RVMI, respectively (46.4 ± 10.3% and 46.5 ± 7.6%). Cardiovascular complications (ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation, CS, and HF) were more in the AWMI patients with RV dysfunction. HF was specifically more in the patients of AWMI (81.8%) than IWMI (28%) and IWMI+RVMI (20%). CHB was frequently seen in IWMI (20%) and IWMI+RVMI (20%) patients.

Conclusion:

RV dysfunction is not only common in RVMI but also in AWMI and IWMI, and complications of STEMI are also more frequently seen in patients with RV dysfunction.
Esthetic Rehabilitation of Maxillary Anterior Teeth with Porcelain Laminate Veneers
Authors: Jaganath Bharath Makonahalli , Krishnegowda Sahadev Chickmagravalli , Rudranaik Sandeep , Beedubail Siri Parvathi
Published: August 2022

This case report emphasizes on esthetic rehabilitation of maxillary anterior teeth with porcelain laminate veneers. A male patient aged 24 years reported with a chief complaint of spacing between teeth in the upper front teeth region. The patient was unwilling for orthodontic correction since time was the major constraint. A complete intraoral and extraoral examination was performed, preoperative photographs were taken, and study models were prepared. Tooth component, i. e., dental midline, incisal lengths, tooth dimensions, zenith points, axial inclinations, interdental contact area and point, incisal embrasure, symmetry, and balance, was observed. The soft-tissue examination included gingival health, interdental embrasure, and smile line. Clinical examination revealed diastema between 11, 12, 21, and 22. Discoloration was noted in 21 teeth, and the patient reported a history of root canal treatment for the same. Considering the esthetic need of the patient and the duration of treatment, porcelain veneers were planned for the correction of diastema. Tooth preparation for veneers was made with incisal overlap design with respect to 12, 11, and 22, and e-max crown was planned for 21. The advantages of this treatment include quick results, minimal tooth structure removal, long-term solution, better esthetics, and firm fit.
Impact of Drug Use on Patient Symptom Score and Quality of Life in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Patients
Authors: Patel Harshank Vishnubhai , Patel Kamlesh P. , Rajguru Ketan B. , Malhotra Supriya D.
Published: August 2022

Introduction:

To assess the drug use pattern for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and its impact on patient symptom score and quality of life (QoL) of these patients.

Materials and Methods:

After getting approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research, Institutional Ethics Committee and after obtaining written informed consent from 103 BPH patients, their demographic data, drugs prescribed to them, and scores of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index (BII) were recorded. Patients were reassessed for changes in scores of IPSS, BII, and drug prescription (if any) on the 15th, 30th, and 60th days.

Results:

68.93% of patients received drug as a single entity. Patients were classified according to their presenting symptoms as severe, low moderate, and mild with a mean total IPSS score of 16.73% ± 6.6. 37.86% of patients were dissatisfied with QoL and 24.27% of patients had mixed opinion with a mean score of 3.39 ± 1.08. There was a low, medium, moderate, and high total score of BII with a mean BII score of 4.02 ± 2.51. Significant changes were seen in total BII score and frequency of urination on day 15; weak stream, nocturia, total score, and QoL on day 30; and intermittency and urgency on day 60. Incomplete emptying of bladder and straining showed nonsignificant changes. Age and total IPSS score, age and QoL, and age and total BII score showed a negative correlation. Total IPSS score and QoL, total IPSS and BII score, and QoL and total BII score showed a positive correlation.

Conclusion:

Nonsurgical pharmacological intervention had a positive impact on the IPSS and BII score and health-related QoL in BPH patients.
Prevalence and Co-Morbidities of Adult-Onset Otitis Media With Effusion
Authors: Sogebi Olusola Ayodele , Oyewole Emmanuel Abayomi
Published: August 2022

Background:

Adult-onset otitis media with effusion (AO-OME) is relatively difficult to characterize, because of its associated co-morbidities.

Objectives:

To quantify the burden, assess co-existing diseases, and management of patients with AO-OME.

Design of the Study:

A descriptive observational prospective study.

Setting:

Clinical department in a tertiary hospital.

Materials and Methods:

Adult patients with conductive hearing impairment without ear discharge (excluding other pathologies) nor external ear pathology were eligible. The patients also had tympanometry with type B tracings (tympanograms).

Interventions:

Clinico-demographic characteristics, history of otologic symptoms, affected ear, and hearing impairment were obtained. Pure-tone audiometry (PTA), tympanometry, and radiological investigations were performed. Other existing diseases (co-morbidities) were noted. The main outcome measure was audiologically confirmed AO-OME.

Results:

Prevalence of AO-OME was (110/3452) 3.2%. Young adults (age group 18–30 years) constituted 33.7% (28/83), mean age was 37.3 ± 11.5 years, and 46/83 (55.4%) were males and 37/83 (44.6%) were females. The common otologic symptoms were feeling of fullness in the ear in 27.7% (23/83), hearing loss in 24.1% (20/83), and bilateral ear involvement in 32.5% (27/83). PTA revealed 8.2% (9/110) had normal hearing, whereas 62.7% (69/110) ears had conductive hearing loss. Patients had radiological investigations, namely plain X rays in 67.5% (56/83) and computerized tomography scan of sinuses in 10.8% (9/83). Three (3/83) patients (3.6%) each had nasoendoscopy, and nasal and nasopharyngeal examination under anaesthesia and biopsy. The major associated diseases (co-morbidities) were allergy in 38.6% (32/83), infective rhinosinusitis in 24.1% (20/83), and upper respiratory tract infection in 14.5% (12/83).

Conclusion:

Prevalence of AO-OME was 3.2%. AO-OME co-existed commonly with allergy and other inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract. The management was conservative medical management.