bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Multi-Scale Approach to Microencapsulation by Interfacial Polymerization
Authors: Ricardo Fabián , Pradilla Diego , Luiz Ricardo , Alvarez Solano Oscar Alberto
Published: February 2021

This work applies a multi-scale approach to the microencapsulation by interfacial polymerization. Such microencapsulation is used to produce fertilizers, pesticides and drugs. In this study, variations at three different scales (molecular, microscopic and macroscopic) of product design (i.e., product variables, process variables and properties) are considered simultaneously. We quantify the effect of the formulation, composition and pH change on the microcapsules’ properties. Additionally, the method of measuring the strength of the microcapsules by crushing a sample of microcapsules’ suspension was tested. Results show that the xylene release rate in the microcapsules decreases when the amine functionality is greater due to a stronger crosslinking. Such degree of crosslinking increases the compression force over the microcapsules and improves their appearance. When high levels of amine concentration are used, the initial pH values in the reaction are also high which leads to agglomeration. This study provides a possible explanation to the aggregation based on the kinetic and thermodynamic controls in reactions and shows that the pH measurements account for the polyurea reaction and carbamate formation, which is a reason why this is not a suitable method to study kinetics of polymerization. Finally, the method used to measure the compressive strength of the microcapsules detected differences in formulations and composition with low sensibility.
A Bibliometric Analysis of the Global Trend of Using Alginate, Gelatine, and Hydroxyapatite for Bone Tissue Regeneration Applications
Authors: Hussin Mohamed Saiful Firdaus , Mohd Serah Aludin , Azlan Khairul Azri , Abdullah Hasan Zuhudi , Idris Maizlinda Izwana , Ghazali Ihwan , Mohd Shariff Amir Husni , Huda Nurul , Zakaria Azrul Abidin
Published: February 2021

Collecting information from previous investigations and expressing it in a scientometrics study can be a priceless guide to getting a complete overview of a specific research area. The aim of this study is to explore the interrelated connection between alginate, gelatine, and hydroxyapatite within the scope of bone tissue and scaffold. A review of traditional literature with data mining procedures using bibliometric analyses was considered to identify the evolution of the selected research area between 2009 and 2019. Bibliometric methods and knowledge visualization technologies were implemented to investigate diverse publications based on the following indicators: year of publication, document type, language, country, institution, author, journal, keyword, and number of citations. An analysis using a bibliometric study found that 7446 papers were located with the keywords “bone tissue” and “scaffold”, and 1767 (alginate), 185 (gelatine), 5658 (hydroxyapatite) papers with those specific sub keywords. The number of publications that relate to “tissue engineering” and bone more than doubled between 2009 (1352) and 2019 (2839). China, the United States and India are the most productive countries, while Sichuan University and the Chinese Academy of Science from China are the most important institutions related to bone tissue scaffold. Materials Science and Engineering C is the most productive journal, followed by the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. This paper is a starting point, providing the first bibliometric analysis study of bone tissue and scaffold considering alginate, gelatine and hydroxyapatite. A bibliometric analysis would greatly assist in giving a scientific insight to support desired future research work, not only associated with bone tissue engineering applications. It is expected that the analysis of alginate, gelatine and hydroxyapatite in terms of 3D bioprinting, clinical outcomes, scaffold architecture, and the regenerative medicine approach will enhance the research into bone tissue engineering in the near future. Continued studies into these research fields are highly recommended.
Optimisation on Thermoforming of Biodegradable Poly (Lactic Acid) (PLA) by Numerical Modelling
Authors: Wei Huidong
Published: February 2021

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has a broad perspective for manufacturing green thermoplastic products by thermoforming for its biodegradable properties. The mechanical behaviour of PLA has been demonstrated by its strong dependence on temperature and strain rate at biaxial deformation. A nonlinear viscoelastic model by the previous study was employed in a thermoforming process used for food packaging. An optimisation approach was developed by achieving the optimal temperature profile of specimens by defining multiple heating zones based on numerical modelling with finite element analysis (FEA). The forming process of a PLA product was illustrated by modelling results on shape evolution and biaxial strain history. The optimal temperature profile was suggested in scalloped zones to achieve more even thickness distribution. The sensitivity of the optimal results was addressed by checking the robustness under perturbation.
Compression Molding of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Foam Sheets with Beads Expanded by Supercritical CO2 Foaming
Authors: Zhang Tao , Lee Seung-Jun , Yoo Yong Hwan , Park Kyu-Hwan , Kang Ho-Jong
Published: February 2021

Expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (ETPU) beads were prepared by a supercritical CO2 foaming process and compression molded to manufacture foam sheets. The effect of the cell structure of the foamed beads on the properties of the foam sheets was studied. Higher foaming pressure resulted in a greater number of cells and thus, smaller cell size, while increasing the foaming temperature at a fixed pressure lowered the viscosity to result in fewer cells and a larger cell size, increasing the expansion ratio of the ETPU. Although the processing window in which the cell structure of the ETPU beads can be maintained was very limited compared to that of steam chest molding, compression molding of ETPU beads to produce foam sheets was possible by controlling the compression pressure and temperature to obtain sintering of the bead surfaces. Properties of the foam sheets are influenced by the expansion ratio of the beads and the increase in the expansion ratio increased the foam resilience, decreased the hardness, and increased the tensile strength and elongation at break.
Photoelectrochemical Stability under Anodic and Cathodic Conditions of Meso-Tetra-(4-Sulfonatophenyl)-Porphyrinato Cobalt (II) Immobilized in Polypyrrole Thin Films
Authors: Puerres Jhon , Díaz Mauro , Hurtado John , Ortiz Pablo , Cortés María T.
Published: February 2021

Cobalt porphyrins have emerged as promising catalysts for electrochemical and photoelectrochemical applications because of their good performance, low cost and the abundance of cobalt in the earth. Herein, a negatively charged porphyrin meso-tetra-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphin (TPPS) was immobilized in polypyrrole (PPy) during the electro-polymerization, and then it was metallized with cobalt to obtain meso-tetra-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrinato cobalt (II) (CoTPPS) as a dopant in PPy. The coatings were evaluated as photoelectrodes towards thiosulfate oxidation and oxygen reduction. For comparison purposes, the photoelectrochemical behavior of ClO4−-doped polypyrrole films was also evaluated. Characterizations by chronoamperometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy showed that polypyrrole is stable under anodic and cathodic conditions, but CoTPPS and TPPS immobilized in PPy are degraded during the anodic process. Thus, decreases in photocurrent of up to 87% and 97% for CoTPPS-doped PPy and TPPS-doped PPy were observed after a 30-min chronoamperometry test. On the other hand, good stability of CoTPPS and TPPS immobilized in PPy was observed during photoelectrochemical oxygen reduction, which was reflected in almost constant photocurrents obtained by chronoamperometry. These findings are relevant to understanding the role of CoTPPS as a catalyst or pre-catalyst in photoelectrochemical applications such as water splitting. In addition, these results could pave the way for further research to include CoTPPS-doped PPy in the design of novel photocathodes.
The Influence of Monomer Composition and Surface-CrossLinking Condition on Biodegradation and Gel Strength of Super Absorbent Polymer
Authors: Kim Jung Soo , Kim Dong Hyun , Lee Youn Suk
Published: February 2021

In this study, a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) comprising poly (IA-co-cellulose-co-VSA-co-AA; ICVA) core-SAP (CSAP) was synthesized through radical polymerization using itaconic acid (IA), acrylic acid (AA), cellulose, and vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA) as monomers. The absorption performances and relative biodegradability of various compositions prepared by adjusting the amounts of cellulose and VSA with constant IA and AA content were compared. Increasing the cellulose content in CSAP contributed to improved biodegradation of the surface-crosslinked SAP (SSAP) and gel strength, although the free absorbency (FA) and centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) decreased. Increasing the VSA content resulted in strong anionicity, which enables the absorption of large amounts of water. Surface-crosslinking technology was applied to the CSAP synthesized with the optimal composition ratio to increase its absorption performance and gel strength. Improved performance of the synthesized SSAP (a CRC of 30.4 g/g, absorbency under load (AUL) of 23.3 g/g, and permeability of 55 s) was achieved by selecting the optimal surface-crosslinking treatment time and the amount of distilled water in the surface-crosslinking solution: as the latter was increased in the surface-crosslinking solution, the AUL and permeability of the SSAP were improved, and its biodegradability was found to be 54% compared to the 100% biodegradable cellulose hydrogel in the control group.
Development and Characterization of Weft-Knitted Fabrics of Naturally Occurring Polymer Fibers for Sustainable and Functional Textiles
Authors: Ferrándiz Marcela , Fages Eduardo , Rojas-Lema Sandra , Ivorra-Martinez Juan , Gomez-Caturla Jaume , Torres-Giner Sergio
Published: February 2021

This study focuses on the potential uses in textiles of fibers of soy protein (SP) and chitin, which are naturally occurring polymers that can be obtained from agricultural and food processing by-products and wastes. The as-received natural fibers were first subjected to a three-step manufacturing process to develop yarns that were, thereafter, converted into fabrics by weft knitting. Different characterizations in terms of physical properties and comfort parameters were carried out on the natural fibers and compared to waste derived fibers of coir and also conventional cotton and cotton-based fibers, which are widely used in the textile industry. The evaluation of the geometry and mechanical properties revealed that both SP and chitin fibers showed similar fineness and tenacity values than cotton, whereas coir did not achieve the expected properties to develop fabrics. In relation to the moisture content, it was found that the SP fibers outperformed the other natural fibers, which could successfully avoid variations in the mechanical performance of their fabrics as well as impair the growth of microorganisms. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the natural fibers was assessed against different bacteria and fungi that are typically found on the skin. The obtained results indicated that the fibers of chitin and also SP, being the latter functionalized with biocides during the fiber-formation process, showed a high antimicrobial activity. In particular, reductions of up to 100% and 60% were attained for the bacteria and fungi strains, respectively. Finally, textile comfort was evaluated on the weft-knitted fabrics of the chitin and SP fibers by means of thermal and tactile tests. The comfort analysis indicated that the thermal resistance of both fabrics was similar to that of cotton, whereas their air permeability was higher, particularly for chitin due to its higher fineness, which makes these natural fibers very promising for summer clothes. Both the SP and chitin fabrics also presented relatively similar values of fullness and softness than the pure cotton fabric in terms of body feeling and richness. However, the cotton/polyester fabric was the only one that achieved a good range for uses in winter-autumn cloths. Therefore, the results of this work demonstrate that non-conventional chitin and SP fibers can be considered as potential candidates to replace cotton fibers in fabrics for the textile industry due to their high comfort and improved sustainability. Furthermore, these natural fibers can also serve to develop novel functional textiles with antimicrobial properties.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nanocellulose-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions
Authors: Lee Ka Kit , Low Darren Yi Sern , Foo Mei Ling , Yu Lih Jiun , Choong Thomas Shean Yaw , Tang Siah Ying , Tan Khang Wei
Published: February 2021

While the economy is rapidly expanding in most emerging countries, issues coupled with a higher population has created foreseeable tension among food, water, and energy. It is crucial for more sustainable valorization of resources, for instance, nanocellulose, to address the core challenges in environmental sustainability. As the complexity of the system evolved, the timescale of project development has increased exponentially. However, research on the design and operation of integrated nanomaterials, along with energy supply, monitoring, and control infrastructure, has seriously lagged. The development cost of new materials can be significantly reduced by utilizing molecular simulation technology in the design of nanostructured materials. To realize its potential, nanocellulose, an amphiphilic biopolymer with the presence of rich -OH and -CH structural groups, was investigated via molecular dynamics simulation to reveal its full potential as Pickering emulsion stabilizer at the molecular level. This work has successfully quantified the Pickering stabilization mechanism profiles by nanocellulose, and the phenomenon could be visualized in three stages, namely the initial homogenous phase, rapid formation of micelles and coalescence, and lastly the thermodynamic equilibrium of the system. It was also observed that the high bead order was always coupled with a high volume of phase separation activities, through a coarse-grained model within 20,000 time steps. The outcome of this work would be helpful to provide an important perspective for the future design and development of nanocellulose-based emulsion products, which cater for food, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.
Vermicomposting Process to Endosulfan Lactone Removal in Solid Substrate Using Eisenia fetida
Authors: Vázquez-Villegas Paola T. , Meza-Gordillo Rocío , Cruz-Salomón Abumalé , Ruíz-Valdiviezo Víctor M. , Gutiérrez-Miceli Federico A. , Villalobos-Maldonado Juan J. , Montes-Molina Joaquín A. , Aguilar-Vázquez Janet , Domínguez Zaira
Published: February 2021

Pesticide by-products found in soil are usually more toxic and persistent than the pesticides themselves. For example, Endosulfan lactone (EL) (a by-product of the organochloride pesticide endosulfan). EL is created by the enzymatic activity (and related oxidative processes) of microorganisms in the soil. A sustainable method of EL removal is the introduction of Eisenia fetida earthworm. In this paper, it will be demonstrated the impact of vermicomposting process related to Eisenia fetida earthworm on EL by measuring initial and final concentrations of the compound and overall enzymatic activity in sterile and non-sterile solid substrate over 56 days. As a baseline, it be observed there were higher EL removals in non-sterile solid substrate (90.86%) at day 5 than in sterile solid substrate (83.86%) at day 14. In samples with Eisenia fetida, the presence of EL in non-sterile solid substrate was 36%, however in sterile solid substrate it was only 18% at day 1 and 7, with a maximum enzyme activity of 0.4659 mmol/mg protein per min at day 7. The evidence found in this study suggests that EL removal in a non-sterile solid substrate is higher when a vermicomposting is present and that the influence of microorganisms from the solid substrate with the earthworm, increases removal.
British Muslims Caught Amidst FOGs—A Discourse Analysis of Religious Advice and Authority
Authors: Maravia Usman , Bekzhanova Zhazira , Ali Mansur , Alibri Rakan
Published: February 2021

This paper discusses the symbolic capital found within Islamic documents that were circulated in the UK during the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, the work explores “fatwas” and “other” similar documents as well as “guidance” documents (referred to as FOGs) that were disseminated in March–April 2020 on the internet and social media platforms for British Muslim consumption. We confine our materials to FOGs produced only in English. Our study takes its cue from the notion that the existence of a variety of documents created a sense of foggy ambiguity for British Muslims in matters of religious practice. From a linguistic angle, the study seeks to identify (a) the underlying reasons behind the titling of the documents; and (b) the construction of discourses in the documents. Our corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis (CA-CDA) found noticeable patterns that hold symbolic capital in the fatwa register. We also found that producers of “other” documents imitate the fatwa register in an attempt to strengthen the symbolic capital of their documents. Accordingly, fatwas act as the most authoritative documents in religious matters and are written by senior religious representatives of the Muslim community, whereas guidance documents were found to be most authoritative in health matters. The findings raise questions regarding the manner in which religious instruction may be disseminated in emergency situations. Based on this study, a call for the standardisation and unification of these diverse and sometimes contradicting religious publications may be worth considering.
Towards the Founding of a Native Clergy and the Revival of ‘Mamacha Cocharcas’: Popular Lived Catholicism in the Wake of Vatican II
Authors: Lee Christine
Published: February 2021

In the years directly following the Second Vatican Council under the guidance of its second bishop Mons. Enrique Pelach i Feliu, the Andean diocese of Abancay—founded in 1959 in one of the most rural and most indigenous areas of Peru—experienced the founding of a new seminary intended to train a new generation of native clergy, and a concerted clerical effort to revive and promote the Marian pilgrimage of the Virgin of Cocharcas. The former meant the advent of a generation of native clergy made up of men born and raised in rural farming families in Abancay and native speakers of Quechua, the local indigenous language, which transformed the relationship between the institutional Church and indigenous Catholics from one rooted in antipathy and hostility to one based in a shared cultural background and language. The latter meant the elevation of the indigenous figure of Sebastian Quimichu as exemplar of both Andean Catholic faith and practice for his role in founding the Marian shrine of Cocharcas, and the legitimisation of popular Andean Catholic practices that had previously been stigmatised. This article provides a dual historical and ethnographic account of these events, and in doing so demonstrates the profound transformation of rural Andean lived religion and practice in the years following Vatican II.
A Dynamic Mobility Traffic Model Based on Two Modes of Transport in Smart Cities
Authors: Bin Hariz Mohammed , Said Dhaou , Mouftah Hussein T.
Published: February 2021

This paper focuses on transportation models in smart cities. We propose a new dynamic mobility traffic (DMT) scheme which combines public buses and car ride-sharing. The main objective is to improve transportation by maximizing the riders’ satisfaction based on real-time data exchange between the regional manager, the public buses, the car ride-sharing and the riders. OpenStreetMap and OMNET++ were used to implement a realistic scenario for the proposed model in a city like Ottawa. The DMT scheme was compared to a multi-loading system used for a school bus. Simulations showed that rider satisfaction was enhanced when a suitable combination of transportation modes was used. Additionally, compared to the other scheme, this DMT scheme can reduce the stress level of car ride-sharing and public buses during the day to the minimal level.
Plant Recognition Using Morphological Feature Extraction and Transfer Learning over SVM and AdaBoost
Authors: Mahajan Shubham , Raina Akshay , Gao Xiao-Zhi , Kant Pandit Amit
Published: February 2021

Plant species recognition from visual data has always been a challenging task for Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers, due to a number of complications in the task, such as the enormous data to be processed due to vast number of floral species. There are many sources from a plant that can be used as feature aspects for an AI-based model, but features related to parts like leaves are considered as more significant for the task, primarily due to easy accessibility, than other parts like flowers, stems, etc. With this notion, we propose a plant species recognition model based on morphological features extracted from corresponding leaves’ images using the support vector machine (SVM) with adaptive boosting technique. This proposed framework includes the pre-processing, extraction of features and classification into one of the species. Various morphological features like centroid, major axis length, minor axis length, solidity, perimeter, and orientation are extracted from the digital images of various categories of leaves. In addition to this, transfer learning, as suggested by some previous studies, has also been used in the feature extraction process. Various classifiers like the kNN, decision trees, and multilayer perceptron (with and without AdaBoost) are employed on the opensource dataset, FLAVIA, to certify our study in its robustness, in contrast to other classifier frameworks. With this, our study also signifies the additional advantage of 10-fold cross validation over other dataset partitioning strategies, thereby achieving a precision rate of 95.85%.
Removal of Tetracycline Oxidation Products in the Nanofiltration Process
Authors: Żyłła Renata , Ledakowicz Stanisław , Boruta Tomasz , Olak-Kucharczyk Magdalena , Foszpańczyk Magdalena , Mrozińska Zdzisława , Balcerzak Jacek
Published: February 2021

The possibility of removing tetracycline (TRC) from water in an integrated advanced oxidation and membrane filtration process was investigated. Ozonation and UV/H2O2 photooxidation were applied for the destruction of TRC. Six oxidation products (OPs) retaining the structural core of TRC have been identified. One new TRC oxidation product, not reported so far in the literature, was identified—ethyl 4-ethoxybenzoate. All identified OPs were effectively retained on the membrane in the nanofiltration process. However, chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements of the filtrates showed that in the case of UV/H2O2 oxidation, the OPs passed through the membrane into the filtrate. Various water matrices were used in the research, including the river water untreated and after ozone treatment. It has been shown that organic matter present in surface water can improve pharmaceutical retention, although it contributes to significant membrane fouling. Pre-ozonation of the river water reduced the membrane fouling. The XPS analysis was used to show ozone and H2O2 influence on the top polymer layer of the membrane. It was shown that the oxidants can damage the amide bond of the polyamide.
A Forecast-Skill-Based Dynamic Pre-Storm Level Control for Reservoir Flood-Control Operation
Authors: Wan Wenhua , Lei Xiaohui , Zhao Jianshi , Wang Mingna , Khu Soon-Thiam , Wang Chao
Published: February 2021

The design and operation of reservoirs based on conventional flood-limited water levels (FLWL) implicitly adopts the assumption of hydrological stationarity. As such, historical-record-based FLWL may not be the best choice for flood-control operations due to the inherent non-stationarity of rainfall inputs. With maturing flood forecasts, this study focuses on establishing linkage between FLWL and skill of forecast, thus developing a “dynamic pre-storm level” approach for reservoir flood-control operations. The approach utilizes forecast flood magnitude, forecast skill and exceedance probability of forecast error to determine the pre-storm reservoir storage for each flood event. The exceedance probability of forecast error for each incoming flood is used as the reservoir flood control standard instead of the probability of a static return interval flood. This approach is demonstrated in a hypothetical situation in the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. The results show that under zero-forecast-skill conditions, the proposed dynamic pre-storm level matches well with the Three Gorges Reservoir-designed FLWL; and, as the forecast accuracy/skill increase, the proposed approach can make better use of the increased forecast accuracy, thereby maximizing floodwater utilization and reservoir storage. In this way, coupling the new approach with FLWL allows for more efficient and economic day-to-day reservoir operations without adding any flood risk. This study validates the usefulness of dynamic water level control during flood season, considering the improvement of flood forecast accuracy.
Les fenêtres de la perception : autoscopie, illusions corporelles globales et conscience de soi
Authors: Millière Raphaël
Published: February 2021

Durant certains phénomènes autoscopiques et illusions corporelles globales utilisant des dispositifs expérimentaux, des patients ou individus sains peuvent faire l’expérience d’états modifiés de conscience dans lesquels trois aspects fondamentaux de l’expérience ordinaire sont dissociables. Ces trois aspects ont en commun leur caractère apparemment « autoréférentiel » : il s’agit de l’identification de soi à un corps, de la localisation de soi dans l’espace et de la direction ressentie de la perspective visuospatiale. Cet article analyse les données cliniques et expérimentales concernant les phénomènes autoscopiques et les illusions corporelles globales, ainsi que les mécanismes d’intégration multisensorielle à l’origine des aspects «autoréférentiels » de l’expérience qu’ils modifient. À partir de ces données, l’article propose par surcroît l’hypothèse selon laquelle la localisation de soi-même dans l’espace, qu’elle soit corporelle ou perspectivale, est une condition nécessaire et peut-être suffisante de l’expérience d’être un sujet percevant le monde depuis un certain point de vue. Une discussion de certains débats en philosophie de l’esprit concernant la localisation de soi, la conscience du corps et la conscience de soi, est esquissée à l’aune de cette hypothèse tout en laissant ouverte la discussion sur les conditions nécessaires de la conscience en général.
Les racines émotionnelles de la possession religieuse : une ethnographie comparative
Authors: Halloy Arnaud , Dupuis David
Published: February 2021

The Emotional Roots of Religious Possession. A Comparative Ethnography. This article is based on a comparative ethnography of the possession trance in two religious contexts : the Xangô, an initiatory cult of Yoruba origin in Recife (Brazil), and Takiwasi, one of the main " shamanic centers" of the Peruvian Amazon. This comparison suggests that certain traits related to rituals and cultural elements of the religious practices organize the experience of possession, and in particular its emotional dimension. We propose here to explore the emotional dimension of possession, often treated as contingent in cognitive, functionalist or symbolic approaches to possession trance. We suggest that the emergence of possession is suspended to a learning process on the part of the candidates for possession, but also by religious specialists whose function is to guide them in this learning process. This learning involves not only the induction of specific emotions, their identification, but also their interpretation, organization and expression in the prism of the cultural expectations of the social group. We will then seek to identify what, in the emotional dimension of possession, brings together and distinguishes the two religious cultures. The exploration of the emotional dimension of possession proposed here can be seen as a first step in the direction of a wider modeling of the phenomenon, which remains to be realized.
Boire pour entrer en transe : l’ivresse du chamane dans les Andes boliviennes
Authors: Geffroy Céline
Published: February 2021

States of Inebriation and Trance. The Inebriation of the Shaman in the Bolivian Andes. Drunk, the curandero – the Andean Quechua shaman – acquires powers that allow him to see into the future, to bestow good or bad fortune and to communicate with the spirits of the dead and of an anthropomorphized nature. Inviting these spirits to drink with him, the curandero partially belonging to their world and is sometimes considered to be a demon. Yet it is this difference from the rest of humanity that allows the shaman to enter into an intrinsically sacrificial ethylic state of trance, in which he experiments a transfiguration of his body and his psyche and enters into a wholly transformed environment. These altered perceptions, nervetheless, lead to a deterioration of both his health and his social relationships. Based on an ethnography conducted with two curanderos of the Bolivian Andes, I describe the sensory exaltation and the behavioral modification brought about by inebriation, analyzing the metamorphosis they experience through the theoretical framework of embodied cognition.
Le langage humain, les langues et la parole du point de vue du languaging et de l’énaction. Introduction au dossier
Authors: Bottineau Didier , Gregoire Michaël
Published: February 2021

Human Language, Languages and Speech from the Perspective of Languaging and Enaction. The study of human language in the Western tradition has progressively induced a written bias which has caused the empirical nature of the linguistic phenomenon to be overlooked : an embodied activity, grounded in the interactions, conveying creativity and fostering the hominization of the speaking species. The aim of this introductory study is to sketch the orientations provided by the enactive viewpoint in language studies and to contextualize the contributions of the various studies in the issue. It starts by recalling the polysemy of the word language and the consensus that reigns around this notion and places the written bias in the historical context of the activities that have required reflection on language. It goes on to provide an initial definition of languaging, its functioning and the questioning it implies for certain central issues in language studies. To conclude, it explains the genesis of the issue and the contribution of each paper to the overall issues.
Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Interventions for Priority Setting in the Health System: An Update From WHO CHOICE
Authors: Bertram Melanie Y. , Lauer Jeremy A. , Stenberg Karin , Edejer Tessa Tan Torres
Published: February 2021

The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Choosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective (CHOICE) programme has been a global leader in the field of economic evaluation, specifically cost-effectiveness analysis for almost 20 years. WHO-CHOICE takes a "generalized" approach to cost-effectiveness analysis that can be seen as a quantitative assessment of current and future efficiency within a health system. This supports priority setting processes, ensuring that health stewards know how to spend resources in order to achieve the highest health gain as one consideration in strategic planning. This approach is unique in the global health landscape. This paper provides an overview of the methodological approach, updates to analytic framework over the past 10 years, and the added value of the WHO-CHOICE approach in supporting decision makers as they aim to use limited health resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Progressive Realisation of Universal Health Coverage in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Beyond the "Best Buys"
Authors: Bertram Melanie Y. , Lauer Jeremy A. , Stenberg Karin , Ralaidovy Ambinintsoa H. , Edejer Tessa Tan-Torres
Published: February 2021

Background: World Health Organization Choosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective (WHO CHOICE) has been a programme of the WHO for 20 years. In this latest update, we present for the first time a cross-programme analysis of the comparative cost-effectiveness of 479 intervention scenarios across 20 disease programmes and risk factors. Methods: This analysis follows the standard WHO CHOICE approach to generalized cost-effectiveness analysis applied to two regions, Eastern sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The scope of the analysis is all interventions included in programme specific WHO CHOICE analyses, using WHO treatment guidelines for major disease areas as the foundation. Costs are measured in 2010 international dollars, and benefits modelled beginning in 2010, or the nearest year for which validated data was available, both for a period of 100 years. Results: Across both regions included in the analysis, interventions span multiple orders of magnitude in terms of cost-effectiveness ratios. A health benefit package optimized through a value for money lens incorporates interventions responding to all of the main drivers of disease burden. Interventions delivered through first level clinical and non-clinical services represent the majority of the high impact cost-effective interventions. Conclusion: Cost-effectiveness is one important criterion when selecting health interventions for benefit packages to progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), but it is not the only criterion and all calculations should be adapted to the local context. To support country decision-makers, WHO CHOICE has developed a downloadable tool to support the development of data for this criterion.
A Report on Statistics of an Online Self-screening Platform for COVID-19 and Its Effectiveness in Iran
Authors: Azadnajafabad Sina , Saeedi Moghaddam Sahar , Rezaei Negar , Ghasemi Erfan , Naderimagham Shohreh , Azmin Mehrdad , Mohammadi Esmaeil , Jamshidi Kosar , Fattahi Nima , Zokaei Hossein , Mehregan Ashkan , Damerchilu Bahman , Fathi Pouya , Erfani Hossein , Norouzinejad Abbas , Gouya Mohammad Mehdi , Jamshidi Hamidreza , Malekzadeh Reza , Larijani Bagher , Farzadfar Farshad
Published: February 2021

Background: The most recent emerging infectious disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is pandemic now. Iran is a country with community transmission of the disease. Telehealth tools have been proved to be useful in controlling public health disasters. We developed an online self-screening platform to offer a population-wide strategy to control the massive influx to medical centers. Methods: We developed a platform operating based on given history by participants, including sex, age, weight, height, location, primary symptoms and signs, and high risk past medical histories. Based on a decision-making algorithm, participants were categorized into four levels of suspected cases, requiring diagnostic tests, supportive care, not suspected cases. We made comparisons with Iran STEPs (STEPwise approach to Surveillance) 2016 study and data from the Statistical Centre of Iran to assess population representativeness of data. Also, we made a comparison with officially confirmed cases to investigate the effectiveness of the platform. A multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression was used to check the association of visiting platform and deaths caused by COVID-19. Results: About 310 000 individuals participated in the online self-screening platform in 33 days. The majority of participants were in younger age groups, and males involved more. A significant number of participants were screened not to be suspected or needing supportive care, and only 10.4% of males and 12.0% of females had suspected results of COVID-19. The penetration of the platform was assessed to be acceptable. A correlation coefficient of 0.51 was calculated between suspected results and confirmed cases of the disease, expressing the platform’s effectiveness. Conclusion: Implementation of a proper online self-screening tool can mitigate population panic during wide-spread epidemics and relieve massive influx to medical centers. Also, an evidence-based education platform can help fighting infodemic. Noticeable utilization and verified effectiveness of such platform validate the potency of telehealth tools in controlling epidemics and pandemics.
Challenges to Establish Effective Public-Private Partnerships to Address Malnutrition in All Its Forms
Authors: Fanzo Jessica , Shawar Yusra Ribhi , Shyam Tara , Das Shreya , Shiffman Jeremy
Published: February 2021

Background: Every country is affected by some form of malnutrition. Some governments and nutrition experts look to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address the burden of malnutrition. However, nutrition-related PPPs face opposition, are difficult to form, and there is limited evidence of their effectiveness. Methods: We conducted a literature review and 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in or researching nutrition-related PPPs to identify the factors that shape their creation and effectiveness in food systems. Results: Several factors make it difficult to establish nutrition-related PPPs in food systems: a lack of understanding of the causal pathways behind many nutrition problems; a weak architecture for the global governance of nutrition; power imbalances between public and private sector nutrition actors; and disagreements in the nutrition community on the advisability of engaging the private sector. These complexities in turn make it difficult for PPPs to be effective once established due to goal ambiguity and misalignment, resource imbalances, and weak accountability. Conclusion: If effective nutrition-related PPPs are to be established, private sector conflicts of interest must be addressed, trust deficits between private and public sector actors must be surmounted, and evidence must be assessed as to whether PPPs can achieve more for public health nutrition than private and public sector actors working separately.
Understanding the Prevalence and Associated Factors of Behavioral Intention of COVID-19 Vaccination Under Specific Scenarios Combining Effectiveness, Safety, and Cost in the Hong Kong Chinese General Population
Authors: Yu Yanqiu , Lau Joseph T.F. , Lau Mason M.C. , Wong Martin C.S. , Chan Paul K.S.
Published: February 2021

Background: The prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is very critical in controlling COVID-19. This study mainly aimed to (1) investigate behavioral intentions of COVID-19 vaccination under various specific scenarios, and (2) associated factors of the afore-mentioned vaccination intentions. Methods: A random anonymous telephone survey interviewed 450 Chinese adults from September 16-30, 2020 in Hong Kong, China. Nine scenarios of behavioral intentions of COVID-19 vaccinations were measured combining effectiveness (80% versus 50%), safety (rare versus common mild side effect), and cost (free versus HK$ 500). Results: The prevalence of behavioral intentions of COVID-19 vaccination under the 9 specific scenarios was very low and varied greatly (4.2% to 38.0%). The prospective countries of manufacture also influenced vaccination intention (eg, Japan: 55.8% vs China: 31.1%). Only 13.1% intended to take up COVID-19 vaccination at the soonest upon its availability. The attributes of effectiveness and side effect influenced vaccination intention most. Positively associated factors of behavioral intentions of COVID-19 vaccination included trust/satisfaction toward the government, exposure to positive social media information about COVID-19 vaccines, descriptive norms, perceived impact on the pandemic, perceived duration of protectiveness, and life satisfaction. Conclusion: Intention of COVID-19 vaccination was low in the Hong Kong general population, especially among younger people, females, and single people. Health promotion is warranted to enhance the intention. The significant factors identified in this study may be considered when designing such health promotion. Future research is required to confirm the findings in other countries. Such studies should pay attention to the specific context of cost, safety, and effectiveness, which would lead to different responses in the level of behavioral intention of COVID-19 vaccination (BICV).
Factors Associated With Workplace and Interpersonal Trust in the Supervisory System of a Community Health Worker Programme in a Rural South African District
Authors: Assegaai Tumelo , Schneider Helen
Published: February 2021

Background: Key to effective supportive supervision, and ultimately performance of community health workers (CHWs), is the nature of relationships in the formal health system at the coal face of programmes. The central character and defining feature of effective relationships, in turn, is the ability to engender trust. This study describes factors associated with workplace and interpersonal trust, the relationship between the two sets of trust factors and how this shaped perceived performance of CHWs in ward-based outreach teams (WBOTs) in a rural South African district. Methods: In the context of a wider study of supportive supervision of CHWs, factors recognised to be associated with trust in the literature were studied qualitatively in Ngaka Modiri Molema district, North West Province. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews were conducted by the first author with CHWs (23), team leaders (12), facility managers (10) and middle managers (5). Interviews were recorded, translated and transcribed. Perceptions of trust factors associated with workplace and interpersonal trust were analysed thematically. Results: The interviews revealed a climate of considerable workplace mistrust due to the perceived abandonment of the WBOTs programme by managers at all levels, and this affected support and supervision of WBOTs. However, there was a degree of variability and discretion in expressions of interpersonal trust at the coal face, leading to different perceptions of the competence and functionality of the WBOTs. Mistrust in the workplace and poor interpersonal relationships translated into low confidence in the ability of CHWs, which in turn compromised the performance of these teams. Conclusion: The study contributes empirical evidence on how workplace trust factors impact on interpersonal trust factors and the possible implications of both sets of trust factors on perceived performance of CHWs. Wider trust in the health system have a significant bearing on interpersonal trust between CHWs and other players in the primary healthcare (PHC) system.
Strengthening Community Health Systems Through Novel eHealth Initiatives? Commencing a Realist Study of the Virtual Health Rooms in Rural Northern Sweden
Authors: Jonsson Frida , Carson Dean B. , Goicolea Isabel , Hurtig Anna-Karin
Published: February 2021

Background: Unlike the large body of research that has examined the ‘success’ or ‘failure’ of eHealth in terms of patient and provider perceptions or cost- and clinical effectiveness, the current study teases out ways through which a novel eHealth initiative in rural northern Sweden might result in more distal or systemic beneficial outcomes. More specifically, this paper aims to explore how and under what circumstances the so-called virtual health rooms (VHRs) are expected to improve access to person-centred care and strengthen community health systems, especially for elderly residents of rural areas. Methods: The first phase of the realist evaluation methodology was conducted, involving qualitative interviews with 8 key stakeholders working with eHealth, business development, digitalisation, and process management. Using thematic analysis and following an abductive-retroductive analytical process, an intervention-context-actor-mechanism-outcome (ICAMO) configuration was developed and elicited into an initial programme theory. Results: The findings indicate that a novel eHealth initiative, which provides reliable technologies in a customized facility that connects communities and providers, might improve access to person-centred care and strengthen community health systems for rural populations. This is theorized to occur if mechanisms acting at individual (such as knowledge, skills and trust) and collective (like a common vision and shared responsibilities) levels are triggered in contexts characterised by supportive societal transitions, sufficient organisational readiness and the harnessing of rural cohesiveness and creativity. Conclusion: The elicited initial programme theory describes and explains how a novel eHealth initiative in rural northern Sweden is presumed to operate and under what circumstances. Further testing, refinements and continued gradual building of theory following the realist evaluation methodology is now needed to ascertain if the ‘VHRs’ work as intended, for whom, in what conditions and why.
Reducing the Power of the Alcohol Industry in Trade and Investment Agreement Negotiations Through Improved Global Governance of Alcohol Comment on "What Generates Attention to Health in Trade Policy-Making? Lessons From Success in Tobacco Control and Access to Medicines: A Qualitative Study of Australia and the (Comprehensive and Progressive) Trans-Pacific Partnership"
Authors: O’Brien Paula
Published: February 2021

The power of the alcohol industry pervades the global governance of alcohol. The influence of the industry is seen in trade and investment treaty negotiations, operating through direct and indirect means. Curbing the influence of the industry is vital to improving the treatment of health issues generally and in trade and investment policy particularly. The World Health Organization (WHO) has an opportunity to start to rein in the power of the industry with its current work on drafting an ‘action plan’ for 2022-2030 to implement the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. The WHO working paper, however, proposes inadequate controls on alcohol industry influence. The WHO proposes ‘dialogue’ with the industry and allows the industry to take a role with government in public health labelling of alcohol. The public’s health will suffer if the WHO does not take a firmer stand against the industry in the ‘action plan.’
Advanced Research on Healthcare using Bigdata Analytics
Authors: B Keerthana , Y Mercy Milcah
Published: February 2021

Big data is a blanket term for the non-traditional strategies and technologies needed to organize, process, and gather insights from large datasets. While the problem of working with data that exceeds the computing power or storage of a single computer is not new, the pervasiveness, scale, and value of this type of computing has greatly expanded in recent years.  Big Data can also play a role for small or medium-sized companies and organizations that recognize the possibilities (which can be incredibly diverse) to capitalize upon the gains. Now many organizations in this data-rich industry are focused on using big data and analytics to make life-altering changes in patient education, treatment and more. This paper provides a general survey of recent progress and advances in Big Data science, healthcare, and biomedical research. We have mainly focused on the recently proposed methods based on various issues in medical domain. Nevertheless there are many challenges in implementing big data in healthcare especially in relation to privacy, security, standards, governance, integration of data, data accommodation, data classification, incorporation of technology etc. Further it includes research applications, technical tools of big data in healthcare and the opportunities inside this quickly emerging scientific field are explored.