bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lai Jiawei , Song Huijuan , Ren Ying , Li Shuang , Xiao Feng
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and ranks second in terms of global incidence. Depression, anxiety, and poor quality of life (QoL) are prevalent in women with breast cancer. Supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) can potentially benefit these patients. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of SEGT for women with breast cancer, by focusing on survival, QoL, anxiety, and depression as outcomes. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were adopted. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINHAL, and PsycInfo in English, and Sinomed, CNKI, CQVIP, and Wanfang in Chinese, were searched from inception up to May 2020 for relevant full-text articles using “SEGT,” “breast cancer,” and related terms as keywords. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SEGT with baseline conditions of patients with breast cancer were included in the analysis. Results: Ten studies with a total of 2,879 subjects were analyzed. Overall group differences were found for survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72–0.94; p = 0.004), short-term QoL (mean difference [MD] 8.02, 95% CI 4.85–11.20; p < 0.00001), long-term QoL (MD 11.30, 95% CI 6.75–15.84; p < 0.00001), Profile of Mood States score (POMS) score (MD –0.43, 95% CI –0.72 to –0.13; p = 0.005), anxiety (standardized MD [SMD] –0.30, 95% CI –0.49 to –0.10; p = 0.003), and depression (SMD –0.47, 95% CI –0.66 to –0.29; p < 0.00001). Conclusions: SEGT is effective in improving QoL and psychosocial status in breast cancer patients, but there is no convincing evidence that it has an impact on survival.
Utilizing Artificial Intelligence to Manage COVID-19 Scientific Evidence Torrent with Risklick AI: A Critical Tool for Pharmacology and Therapy Development
Authors: Haas Quentin , Alvarez David Vicente , Borissov Nikolay , Ferdowsi Sohrab , von Meyenn Leonhard , Trelle Sven , Teodoro Douglas , Amini Poorya
Published: April 2021

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to one of the most critical and boundless waves of publications in the history of modern science. The necessity to find and pursue relevant information and quantify its quality is broadly acknowledged. Modern information retrieval techniques combined with artificial intelligence (AI) appear as one of the key strategies for COVID-19 living evidence management. Nevertheless, most AI projects that retrieve COVID-19 literature still require manual tasks. Methods: In this context, we pre­sent a novel, automated search platform, called Risklick AI, which aims to automatically gather COVID-19 scientific evidence and enables scientists, policy makers, and healthcare professionals to find the most relevant information tailored to their question of interest in real time. Results: Here, we compare the capacity of Risklick AI to find COVID-19-related clinical trials and scientific publications in comparison with clinicaltrials.gov and PubMed in the field of pharmacology and clinical intervention. Discussion: The results demonstrate that Risklick AI is able to find COVID-19 references more effectively, both in terms of precision and recall, compared to the baseline platforms. Hence, Risklick AI could become a useful alternative assistant to scientists fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Retinal Vessel Phenotype in Patients with a History of Retinal Vein Occlusion
Authors: Semecas Rachel , Arnould Louis , Aptel Florent , Gavard Olivier , Mautuit Thibaud , Creuzot-Garcher Catherine , Bron Alain , MacGillivray Tom , Hogg Stephen , Trucco Emmanuel , Chiquet Christophe
Published: April 2021

Introduction: The aim of the study was to estimate the phenotype of retinal vessels using central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE), central retinal vein equivalent (CRVE), tortuosity, and fractal analysis in the unaffected contralateral eye of patients with central or branch retinal vein occlusion (CRVO or BRVO). Methods: Thirty-four patients suffering from CRVO, 15 suffering from BRVO, and 49 controlled matched subjects had a fundus image analyzed using the VAMPIRE software. The intraclass correlation coefficient and a Bland-Altman plot were done for the reproducibility study. Results: There was a lack of evidence of difference between the control group and the CRVO group for CRAE (p = 0.06), CRVE (p = 0.3), and arterio-venule ratio (AVR, p = 0.6). Contralateral eyes of CRVO exhibited a significantly higher arterial and minimum arterial tortuosity values (p = 0.012), as compared with control eyes. Contralateral eyes of patients with a history of BRVO had a significantly higher CRAE (p = 0.02), AVR (p = 0.006), and minimal arterial tortuosity (p = 0.05). Fractal analysis showed that contralateral eyes of BRVO had higher values of fractal parameters (D0a, p = 0.005). Conclusion: This study suggests that CVRO or BRVO is not triggered by the same retinal vascular phenotypes in the contralateral eye. The morphology of retinal vasculature may be associated with the occurrence of RVO, independently of known risk factors.
Reactive power sharing in microgrid using virtual voltage
Authors: Molina-Viloria Eder A. , Candelo Becerra John E. , Hoyos Velasco Fredy E.
Published: April 2021

The traditional droop control strategy has been applied previously in microgrids (MGs) to share accurately the active power. However, in some cases the result obtained when sharing reactive power is not the best, because of the parameters related to the distances from distributed generators (DGs) to the loads and the power variations. Therefore, this paper proposes a reactive power control strategy for a low voltage MG, where the unequal impedance related to the distances between generators and loads requires adjustments to work with the conventional frequency and voltage droop methods. Thus, an additional coefficient is calculated from parameters of the network that relate the location of elements. The test is perfomed by simulations in the MATLAB-Simulink software, considering a three-node MG with three DGs and a load that can change power at different periods of time. The results show that it is possible to improve reactive power sharing between the DGs located in the MG according to the load changes simulated and to improve voltages with this method.
Intelligent control of battery energy storage for microgrid energy management using ANN
Authors: Boujoudar Younes , Azeroual Mohamed , Elmoussaoui Hassan , Lamhamdi Tijani
Published: April 2021

In this paper, an intelligent control strategy for a microgrid system consisting of Photovoltaic panels, grid-connected, and li-ion battery energy storage systems proposed. The energy management based on the managing of battery charging and discharging by integration of a smart controller for DC/DC bidirectional converter. The main novelty of this solution are the integration of artificial neural network (ANN) for the estimation of the battery state of charge (SOC) and for the control of bidirectional converter. The simulation results obtained in the MATLAB/Simulink environment explain the performance and the robust of the proposed control technique.
Wind energy development in Morocco: Evolution and impacts
Authors: Haidi Touria , Cheddadi Bouchra , El Mariami Faissal , El Idrissi Zineb , Tarrak Ali
Published: April 2021

Over the past ten years, Morocco has been focusing on developing renewable energy, especially wind power. This new energy policy has enabled it to become, in 2017, the leading country in the Middle East and North Africa region and the second one in Africa in terms of installed wind power capacity. In 2019, Morocco moved for the first time from the status of electricity importer to that of electricity exporter, better yet green electricity. This paper provides a quantitative study of the demand, production and installed power capacity of electrical energy in Morocco over the past two decades. It mainly focuses on the evolution of installed wind power capacity and its share in the global energy mix during this period, as well as its future prospects by year 2030. This article presents a synthesis work based on an updated assessment of the carried-out wind projects and aims to assess the realization of Morocco’s national energy strategy which sets out to achieve 42% of renewable energy by 2020, and more specifically 14% of the overall energy mix being wind energy. It also aims to show the impact of wind energy integration in terms of energy autonomy, industrial integration and CO2 emissions reduction.
Detection of internal and external faults of single-phase induction motor using current signature
Authors: AL-Yoonus Marwan Abdulkhaleq , Al-deen Alyozbaky Omar Sharaf
Published: April 2021

The main aim of this work is to analyze the input current waveform for a single-phase induction capacitor-run motor (SIMCR) to detect the faults. Internal and external faults were applied to the SIMCR and the current was measured. An armature (broken rotor bar) and bearing faults were applied to the SIMCR. A microcontroller was used to record the motor current signal and MATLAB software was used to analyze it with the different types of fault with varying load operations. Various values of the running capacitor were used to investigate the effect of these values on the wave-current shape. Total harmonic distortion (THD) for the voltage and current was measured. A deep demonstration of the experimental results was also provided for a better understanding of the mechanisms of bearing and armature faults (broken rotor bars) and the vibration was recorded. Spectral and power analyses revealed the difference in total harmonic distortion. The proposed method in this paper can be used in various industrial applications and this technique is quite cheap and helps most of the researchers and very effectual.
Autonomous vehicles: A study of implementation and security
Authors: Khan Firoz , Kumar R. Lakshmana , Kadry Seifedine , Nam Yunyoung , Meqdad Maytham N.
Published: April 2021

Autonomous vehicles have been invented to increase the safety of transportation users. These vehicles can sense their environment and make decisions without any external aid to produce an optimal route to reach a destination. Even though the idea sounds futuristic and if implemented successfully, many current issues related to transportation will be solved, care needs to be taken before implementing the solution. This paper will look at the pros and cons of implementation of autonomous vehicles. The vehicles depend highly on the sensors present on the vehicles and any tampering or manipulation of the data generated and transmitted by these can have disastrous consequences, as human lives are at stake here. Various attacks against the different type of sensors on-board an autonomous vehicle are covered.
Location tracking using LoRa
Authors: Hashim Norlezah , Idris Fakrulradzi , Tuan Ab Aziz Tuan Nur Anisa , Johari Siti Halma , Mohd Nor Rozilawati , Ab Wahab Norfariza
Published: April 2021

Local area network (LAN) as Bluetooth, WiFi and ZigBee are well established technology. The biggest problem with many LAN is the battery consumption and short ranges link budgets. LoRa is a new, private, unlicensed and spread spectrum modulation technique which allows sending low rates at extremely long ranges with minimal power consumption. More importantly, there is no access fee associated with this type of wireless technology. The main idea behind this work is to conduct performance and capability analysis of a currently available LoRa transceiver. We develop a location monitoring system using LoRa and global positioning system (GPS) module and we analyze the detectable range of its data, its battery consumption as well as received signal strength indicator (RSSI). Our deployment experiment demonstrates that the system is able to detect the transmitted data within 290 meters of distances. Using 6 volts of battery AA, the transmission of data still occurred after 24 hours. This project is emphasized a location monitoring system that provide low power usage but long range.
Simulation based comparison of routing protocols in wireless multihop adhoc networks
Authors: Wheeb Ali H. , Naser Marwa T.
Published: April 2021

Routing protocols are responsible for providing reliable communication between the source and destination nodes. The performance of these protocols in the ad hoc network family is influenced by several factors such as mobility model, traffic load, transmission range, and the number of mobile nodes which represents a great issue. Several simulation studies have explored routing protocol with performance parameters, but few relate to various protocols concerning routing and Quality of Service (QoS) metrics. This paper presents a simulation-based comparison of proactive, reactive, and multipath routing protocols in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Specifically, the performance of AODV, DSDV, and AOMDV protocols are evaluated and analyzed in the presence of varying the number of mobile nodes, pause time, and traffic connection numbers. Moreover, Routing and QoS performance metrics such as normalized routing load, routing packet, packet delivery ratio, packet drop, end-to-end delay, and throughput are measured to conduct a performance comparison between three routing protocols. Simulation results indicate that AODV outperforms the DSDV and AOMDV protocols in most of the metrics. AOMDV is better than DSDV in terms of end-to-end delay. DSDV provides lower throughput performance results. Network topology parameters have a slight impact on AODV Performance.
Residential access control system using QR code and the IoT
Authors: Satanasaowapak Pak , Kawseewai Witawat , Promlee Suchada , Vilamat Anuwat
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a residential access control system (RACs) using QR codes and the internet of things (IoT) to improve security and help house owners. The contribution of this paper is that it proposes two mechanisms in the authentication phase and the verification phase, respectively, to enhance residential access control. The main idea is using cryptography between smartphones and access control devices. The cryptography compares secret codes on the key server via the internet. The RACs can notify a user of the residential access status through the LINE application and show the statuses of devices through the network platform for the internet of everything (NETPIE) in real-time. We compare this system’s performance with that of the current access control methods in terms of security and access speed. The results show that this system has more security and has an access speed of 5.63 seconds. Moreover, this system is safer and more flexible than the comparative methods and suitable for contactless authentication.
A new technology on translating Indonesian spoken language into Indonesian sign language system
Authors: Ramadhani Risky Aswi , Dharma Putra I Ketut Gede , Sudarma Made , Giriantari Ida Ayu Dwi
Published: April 2021

People with hearing disabilities are those who are unable to hear, resulted in their disability to communicate using spoken language. The solution offered in this research is by creating a one way translation technology to interpret spoken language to Indonesian sign language system (SIBI). The mechanism applied here is by catching the sentences (audio) spoken by common society to be converted to texts, by using speech recognition. The texts are then processed in text processing to select the input texts. The next stage is stemming the texts into prefixes, basic words, and suffixes. Each words are then being indexed and matched to SIBI. Afterwards, the system will arrange the words into SIBI sentences based on the original sentences, so that the people with hearing disabilities can get the information contained within the spoken language. This technology success rate were tested using Confusion Matrix, which resulted in precision value of 76%, accuracy value of 78%, and recall value of 79%. This technology has been tested in SMP-LB Karya Mulya on the 7th grader students with the total of 9 students. From the test, it is obtained that 86% of students stated that this technology runs very well.
Companies’ perception toward manufacturing execution systems
Authors: Aramja Adil , Kamach Oualid , Elmeziane Rachid
Published: April 2021

The use of information systems in manufacturing sector is very crucial to reach a high level of operational excellence and improve companies’ competitiveness. The use of such systems will definitely increase in the upcoming years, considering the digitalization strategies. Manufacturing execution systems gained a lot of attention in recent years due to showcased benefits in production management operations. Companies that adopted such systems witnessed an increase in process efficiency and enhancements with regards to cost savings and products quality. This paper seeks to analyze what makes the usage of manufacturing execution systems successful among manufacturing companies. We analyzed how the integration capabilities of such systems with other business applications and the company profile impact their usage and consequently the perceived benefits. A case study was conducted with 51 manufacturing companies and data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling technique. The results confirmed the positive and significant impact of the company profile and solution integration capabilities on system usage. In addition, a ranking of solution modules importance for companies was also provided.
Big data traffic management in vehicular ad-hoc network
Authors: Mouad Tantaoui , Driss Laanaoui My , Mustapha Kabil
Published: April 2021

Today, the world has experienced a new trend with regard to data system management, traditional database management tools have become outdated and they will no longer be able to process the mass of data generated by different systems, that's why big data is there to process this mass of data to bring out crucial information hidden in this data, and without big data technologies the treatment is very difficult to manage; among the domains that uses big data technologies is vehicular ad-hoc network to manage their voluminous data. In this article, we establish in the first step a method that allow to detect anomalies or accidents within the road and compute the time spent in each road section in real time, which permit us to obtain a database having the estimated time spent in all sections in real time, this will serve us to send to the vehicles the right estimated time of arrival all along their journey and the optimal route to attain their destination. This database is useful to utilize it like inputs for machine learning to predict the places and times where the probability of accidents is higher. The experimental results prove that our method permits us to avoid congestions and apportion the load of vehicles in all roads effectively, also it contributes to road safety.
A transfer learning with deep neural network approach for diabetic retinopathy classification
Authors: Al-Smadi Mohammed , Hammad Mahmoud , Baker Qanita Bani , Al-Zboon Sa’ad A.
Published: April 2021

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by high blood sugar and pressure which damages the blood vessels in the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is the root cause of more than 1% of the blindness worldwide. Early detection of this disease is crucial as it prevents it from progressing to a more severe level. However, the current machine learning-based approaches for detecting the severity level of diabetic retinopathy are either, i) rely on manually extracting features which makes an approach unpractical, or ii) trained on small dataset thus cannot be generalized. In this study, we propose a transfer learning-based approach for detecting the severity level of the diabetic retinopathy with high accuracy. Our model is a deep learning model based on global average pooling (GAP) technique with various pre-trained convolutional neural net- work (CNN) models. The experimental results of our approach, in which our best model achieved 82.4% quadratic weighted kappa (QWK), corroborate the ability of our model to detect the severity level of diabetic retinopathy efficiently.
Using deep learning models for learning semantic text similarity of Arabic questions
Authors: Hammad Mahmoud , Al-Smadi Mohammed , Baker Qanita Bani , Al-Zboon Sa’ad A.
Published: April 2021

Question-answering platforms serve millions of users seeking knowledge and solutions for their daily life problems. However, many knowledge seekers are facing the challenge to find the right answer among similar answered questions and writer’s responding to asked questions feel like they need to repeat answers many times for similar questions. This research aims at tackling the problem of learning the semantic text similarity among different asked questions by using deep learning. Three models are implemented to address the aforementioned problem: i) a supervised-machine learning model using XGBoost trained with pre-defined features, ii) an adapted Siamese-based deep learning recurrent architecture trained with pre-defined features, and iii) a Pre-trained deep bidirectional transformer based on BERT model. Proposed models were evaluated using a reference Arabic dataset from the mawdoo3.com company. Evaluation results show that the BERT-based model outperforms the other two models with an F1=92.99%, whereas the Siamese-based model comes in the second place with F1=89.048%, and finally, the XGBoost as a baseline model achieved the lowest result of F1=86.086%.
Antenna design and fabrication for biotelemetry applications
Authors: Sinha Sourav , Hasan Raja Rashidul , Niloy Ta-Seen Reaz , Rahman Md. Abdur
Published: April 2021

This research work assumes the role of designing a Micro-strip patch antenna that exists with in the band range of 402 MHz to 405 MHz, which was considered as medical implantable communication systems (MICS) band and can be possibly implanted at human body phantom model because of its flexiblility and lower radiation characteristics. CST Microwave studio was used for designing the patch antenna and the human body phantom model with the existence of homogeneous layers (fat, skin and muscle) and the final version was fabricated. Being highly flexible, FR4 was chosen as a substrate to maintain 0.5 mm thickness throughout. For the ground and patch, copper material was selected having thickness of 0.018 mm. For the ease of fabrication and biocompatibility, silicon was selected with the thickness of being 8 mm. Maximum specific absorption rate of the proposed antenna was obtained 0.588 W/Kg for 10g tissue. Various Parameters such as VSWR, S11, Radiation efficiency, Total efficiency were found 1.1889, -21.28 dB,
 -45.71 dB, -45.74 dB respectively inside body phantom that ensure the antenna design was efficiently and effectively suitable for biotelemetry system which is body implantable. After fabrication the value of S11 is found -12.43 dB in open space with 453 MHz frequency.
Atributos morfométricos e hidrológicos da Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Sapucaí, Minas Gerais
Authors: Servidoni Lucas Emanuel , Ayer Joaquim Ernesto Bernardes , Estella Paulo Vitor Moraes , Oliveira Gabriel Henrique de , Mincato Ronaldo Luiz
Published: April 2021

A caracterização morfométrica de bacias hidrográficas é fundamental para análises hidrológicas e ambientais. Pois, pode contribuir com políticas de planejamento e gerenciamento de recursos naturais e de prevenção à enchentes e inundações. Neste cenário, o trabalho analisou as características morfométricas e hidrológicas da Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Sapucaí, sul do Estado de Minas Gerais, para fornecer subsídios técnicos para o adequado gerenciamento dos seus recursos hídricos. Para tanto, foram calculados os parâmetros: densidade de rios, densidade de drenagem, relação de relevo, índice de rugosidade, coeficiente de compacidade, fator de forma e coeficiente de manutenção. Os dados referentes à vazão foram obtidos de uma estação de monitoramento fluvial da Agência Nacional de Águas e organizados pelo Sistema Computacional para Análise Hidrológica e pelo aplicativo Excel para obtenção, no período de 1994 a 2013, da vazão média anual, vazão média de longo prazo, vazão máxima de longo prazo, vazão mínima de longo prazo e os desvios em relação à média. Os dados de precipitação foram obtidos pelo Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations e reunidos em precipitação média mensal e precipitação média anual para o período. Os dados permitiram caracterizar a Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Sapucaí como propensa a enchentes, devido aos valores de densidade de drenagem maiores que 15,01, de densidade de rios maiores do que 3,01 e coeficiente de compacidade de 0,89. Tais valores indicam a necessidade de estratégias de prevenção à enchentes e inundações, como o reestabelecimento de áreas verdes e evitar a ocupação antrópica nessas áreas.
Inflammatory and Biomechanical Drivers of Endothelial-Interstitial Interactions in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease
Authors: Driscoll Katherine , Cruz Alexander D. , Butcher Jonathan T.
Published: April 2021

Calcific aortic valve disease is dramatically increasing in global burden, yet no therapy exists outside of prosthetic replacement. The increasing proportion of younger and more active patients mandates alternative therapies. Studies suggest a window of opportunity for biologically based diagnostics and therapeutics to alleviate or delay calcific aortic valve disease progression. Advancement, however, has been hampered by limited understanding of the complex mechanisms driving calcific aortic valve disease initiation and progression towards clinically relevant interventions.
In Vivo Function of Flow-Responsive Cis-DNA Elements of eNOS Gene: A Role for Chromatin-Based Mechanisms
Authors: Ku Kyung Ha , Dubinsky Michelle K. , Sukumar Aravin N. , Subramaniam Noeline , Feasson Manon Y.M. , Nair Ranju , Tran Eileen , Steer Brent M. , Knight Britta J. , Marsden Philip A.
Published: April 2021

Background:

eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) is an endothelial cell (EC)–specific gene predominantly expressed in medium- to large-sized arteries where ECs experience atheroprotective laminar flow with high shear stress. Disturbed flow with lower average shear stress decreases eNOS transcription, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis, especially at bifurcations and curvatures of arteries. This prototypic arterial EC gene contains 2 distinct flow-responsive cis-DNA elements in the promoter, the shear stress response element (SSRE) and the KLF (Krüppel-like factor) element. Previous in vitro studies suggested their positive regulatory functions on flow-induced transcription of EC genes including eNOS. However, the in vivo function of these cis-DNA elements remains unknown.

Methods:

Insertional transgenic mice with a mutation at each flow-responsive cis-DNA element were generated using a murine eNOS promoter–β-galactosidase reporter by linker-scanning mutagenesis and compared with episomal-based mutations in vitro. DNA methylation at the eNOS proximal promoter in mouse ECs was assessed by bisulfite sequencing or pyrosequencing.

Results:

Wild type mice with a functional eNOS promoter–reporter transgene exhibited reduced endothelial reporter expression in the atheroprone regions of disturbed flow (n=5). It is surprising that the SSRE mutation abrogated reporter expression in ECs and was associated with aberrant hypermethylation at the eNOS proximal promoter (n=7). Reporter gene silencing was independent of transgene copy number and integration position, indicating that the SSRE is a critical cis-element necessary for eNOS transcription in vivo. The KLF mutation demonstrated an integration site–specific decrease in eNOS transcription, again with marked promoter methylation (n=8), suggesting that the SSRE alone is not sufficient for eNOS transcription in vivo. In wild type mice, the native eNOS promoter was significantly hypermethylated in ECs from the atheroprone regions where eNOS expression was markedly repressed by chronic disturbed flow, demonstrating that eNOS expression is regulated by flow-dependent DNA methylation that is region-specific in the arterial endothelium in vivo.

Conclusions:

We report, for the first time, that the SSRE and KLF elements are critical flow sensors necessary for a transcriptionally permissive, hypomethylated eNOS promoter in ECs under chronic shear stress in vivo. Moreover, eNOS expression is regulated by flow-dependent epigenetic mechanisms, which offers novel mechanistic insight on eNOS gene regulation in atherogenesis.
Clinical Outcome After Endovascular Thrombectomy in 3 Triage Concepts: A Prospective, Observational Study (NEUROSQUAD)
Authors: Seker Fatih , Fiehler Jens , Möhlenbruch Markus A. , Herweh Christian , Flottmann Fabian , Ringleb Peter A. , Thomalla Götz , Steiner Thorsten , Kraemer Christoffer , Brekenfeld Caspar , Bendszus Martin
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose:

NEUROSQUAD (Stroke Treatment: Quality and Efficacy in Different Referral Systems) is a prospective, observational, bicenter study comparing 3 triage pathways in endovascular stroke treatment: mothership, drip and ship (DS), and transferring a neurointerventionalist to a remote hospital for thrombectomy (drive the doctor [DD]).

Methods:

Patients with anterior circulation stroke and premorbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0–3 who underwent thrombectomy within 24 hours after stroke onset were included. Primary outcome measure was good clinical outcome defined as 90-day mRS score 0–2 or clinical recovery to the status before stroke onset (ie, equal premorbid mRS and 90-day mRS). Secondary outcome measures were successful reperfusion, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at discharge, and mRS shift.

Results:

In total, 360 patients were included in this study, of whom 111 patients (30.8%) were in the mothership group, 204 patients (56.7%) were in the DS group, and 45 patients (12.5%) were in the DD group. Good clinical outcome was achieved similarly in all three groups (mothership, 45.9%; DS, 43.1%; DD, 40.0%;
P
=0.778). Likewise, frequency of successful reperfusion was similar in all three groups (mothership, 86.5%; DS, 85.3%; DD, 82.2%;
P
=0.714). There was no significant difference among the groups regarding the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at discharge (
P
=0.115) and mRS shift (
P
=0.342). In the multivariate analysis, triage concept was not an independent predictor of good outcome (unadjusted odds ratio, 0.89 [CI, 0.64–1.23];
P
=0.479).

Conclusions:

Our data suggest that clinical outcome after thrombectomy is similar in mothership, DS, and DD. Hence, DD can be a valuable triage option in acute stroke treatment.
Immediate and Long-Term Outcomes of Reperfusion Therapy in Patients With Cancer
Authors: Yoo Joonsang , Kim Young Dae , Park Hyungjong , Kim Byung Moon , Bang Oh Young , Kim Hyeon Chang , Han Euna , Kim Dong Joon , Heo Joonnyung , Kim Minyoung , Choi Jin Kyo , Lee Kyung-Yul , Lee Hye Sun , Shin Dong Hoon , Choi Hye-Yeon , Sohn Sung-Il , Hong Jeong-Ho , Lee Jong Yun , Baek Jang-Hyun , Kim Gyu Sik , Seo Woo-Keun , Chung Jong-Won , Kim Seo Hyun , Song Tae-Jin , Han Sang Won , Park Joong Hyun , Kim Jinkwon , Jung Yo Han , Cho Han-Jin , Ahn Seong Hwan , Lee Sung Ik , Seo Kwon-Duk , Heo Ji Hoe , Nam Hyo Suk ,   on behalf of the SECRET Study Investigators
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose:

Patients with acute stroke are often accompanied by comorbidities, such as active cancer. However, adequate treatment guidelines are not available for these patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between cancer and the outcomes of reperfusion therapy in patients with stroke.

Methods:

We compared treatment outcomes in patients who underwent reperfusion therapy, using a nationwide reperfusion therapy registry. We divided the patients into 3 groups according to cancer activity: active cancer, nonactive cancer, and without a history of cancer. We investigated reperfusion processes, 24-hour neurological improvement, adverse events, 3-month functional outcome, and 6-month survival and related factors after reperfusion therapy.

Results:

Among 1338 patients who underwent reperfusion therapy, 62 patients (4.6%) had active cancer, 78 patients (5.8%) had nonactive cancer, and 1198 patients (89.5%) had no history of cancer. Of the enrolled patients, 969 patients received intravenous thrombolysis and 685 patients underwent endovascular treatment (316 patients received combined therapy). Patients with active cancer had more comorbidities and experienced more severe strokes; however, they showed similar 24-hour neurological improvement and adverse events, including cerebral hemorrhage, compared with the other groups. Although the functional outcome at 3 months was poorer than the other groups, 36.4% of patients with active cancer showed functional independence. Additionally, 52.9% of the patients with determined stroke etiology showed functional independence despite active cancer. During the 6-month follow-up, 46.6% of patients with active cancer died, and active cancer was independently associated with poor survival (hazard ratio, 3.973 [95% CI, 2.528–6.245]).

Conclusions:

In patients with active cancer, reperfusion therapy showed similar adverse events and short-term outcomes to that of other groups. While long-term prognosis was worse in the active cancer group than the nonactive cancer groups, not negligible number of patients had good functional outcomes, especially those with determined stroke mechanisms.
“Can You Hear Me Now?…Good!”: A Deaf Adder and the Inversion of Disability Imagery in Psalm 58:5–6
Authors: Scott Kevin
Published: April 2021

This article explores the use of deaf imagery in Psalm 58 through a cultural model of disability and a historicist approach to highlight the unique rhetorical function of disability imagery within the psalm. In the Hebrew Bible, deafness is typically an affliction to be avoided, and deaf groups typically need Yahweh’s protection along with other disabled groups. In Psalm 58, however, an adder representing wicked people who oppose the psalmist’s community voluntarily disables itself to better withstand the efforts of those who would try to neutralize its threat. For the adder, disability is a source of strength, not weakness. For the psalmist’s community, however, disability is still a problem which necessitates crying out to Yahweh for relief. The use of deaf imagery within this text highlights the contrast between Yahweh, who is righteous and fully-abled, and the wicked/their foreign deities, who judge unfairly and who are depicted as disabled.
The Ecology of Death in the Book of Job
Authors: Millar Suzanna R.
Published: April 2021

Ruminations on death recur throughout Job. Equally, language of the non-human world is prevalent. This article examines the coalescence of these tropes in the implicit “necro-ecology” of the book. As though observing the decomposition of a corpse, it focusses on four Joban images, each expressing human death in non-human terms: maggots colonise the cadaver; scavengers consume it. The body disintegrates into dust; plants grow and wither there. At each stage, the article shows how death and life are entangled together, the one requiring and enabling the other. Equally, beings are entangled with each other, challenging the human pretence to self-contained individuality. The article thus fits into a broader trend in the (post)humanities to cultivate scholarship conducive to multi-species flourishing, showing how Job provides fertile compost for symbiotic inter-species alliances of living and dying together.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria
Authors: Etieyibo Edwin
Published: April 2021

This paper employs the conceptual-analytical method to analyse literature and news reports on disabilities, and international legal documents and instruments on human rights and the rights of persons with disabilities to which Nigeria is a signatory. This study is conducted in the context of exclusionary and discriminatory practices against persons with disabilities in Nigeria. The practices and rights that are examined are in the areas of education and accessibility with regard to adults and children with disabilities, work and employment, and the employment or use of children with disabilities in alms-soliciting. The paper’s broad objective in critically discussing these practices is to make a case for why and how they violate the rights of persons with disabilities.
From Watchdog to Lapdog: Political Influence of China on News Reporting in Malawi
Authors: Nyirongo Mwaona
Published: April 2021

The arrival of China in Malawi has been characterised by a growing sense of uncertainty among academics who have expressed concern over the intentions of the superpower in the country. There are fears that China would like to extend its influence to Malawi as part of a broader push to increase its influence in global politics and economics. That push is in part exercised through the media. This study analyses the perception of Malawian journalists on news media reports of Chinese activities in Malawi. It uses content analysis to understand how the mediascape had changed from 2001-2007 when China had not yet established diplomatic relations with Malawi, and the period from January 2008-2020 in which diplomatic relations with China have existed. The article examines the shifts in journalistic representations of China in Malawi and develops prompts and probes from which journalist interviews were conducted.

From the content analysis, it appears that from 2001-2007, Malawian media, especially The Daily Times, was very negative about China, uncritically reproducing Western representations of China. This changed after January 2008 when the press leaned towards an acknowledgement of Chinese activities.

Through interviews journalists have indicated that the Chinese government offers certain opportunities such as exchange visits to journalists, making it difficult for them to bite the hand that feeds them. This ‘soft power’ is backed up by the repressive power of the Malawian government that uses intimidation to force journalists to report in their favour, thereby helping to create a positive image for China in Malawi. Journalists report that the significant shifts in journalistic representations of China have been mirrored by changes in the conceptualisation of journalistic roles in Malawi’s mediascape.
Brawn Drain from Cambodia: A Comparative Study of Transnational Labour Migration to Malaysia and South Korea
Authors: Sok Serey , Yang Chun
Published: April 2021

The paper examines and compares the transnational labour migration from Cambodia to Malaysia and South Korea, based on the first-hand data and information collected through in-depth interviews with concerned migrant labour. The study sheds light on that the Cambodian workers have changed to engage in new types of unskilled jobs when they move to work in Malaysia and South Korea, which are different from their occupations in Cambodia. The study demonstrates that labour migration to Malaysia and South Korea has helped maximizing the incomes of concerned households through sending remittance as a prevalent mode of risk minimisation. This study sheds light on the different patterns between the migrants in Malaysia and South Korea in two aspects: 1) remittance to home: the vast majority of the migrant workers in South Korea sent their salaries back home by remittance, while those in Malaysia sent limited remittance back home; 2) different mechanisms: scheme of Government-Agency (G-A) for emigration to Malaysia and Government-Government (G-G) for that to South Korea. The study enriches the literature on transnational labour migration by the evidence of brain drain from Cambodia to South Korea and Malaysia.
Unleashing the Political Economy of Land Expropriation in Ethiopia, beyond the Rhetoric: Flower Farms’ in Amhara Region in Focus
Authors: Alamineh Asabu Sewenet , Eneyew Belachew Getnet
Published: April 2021

The recognition of commercial agricultural investment unfolded the allocation of land to investors for the production of different cash and food crops in Ethiopia. But anti-expropriation voices and subsequent vandalizing of investment sites have been mushroomed and become far reminder occasions in Ethiopia. This study, thus, tried to uncover the Political-Economy of land expropriation in Ethiopia: a focus on flower farms in Amhara region. A mixed research design was employed by involving primary and secondary sources of data gathered via interview, focused group discussion, questionnaire and document review. Then, the data were presented, analyzed and interpreted through statistics-by-themes and side-by-side jointly. In the study, land expropriation was carried out without genuine public consultation, ascertaining popular consent and written notification. And, compensation was paid to evictees albeit the valuation process was full of uncertainty and jumping. Moreover, flower farms have negatively affected the livelihood and food security of peasants, which in turn brought violence, tenure insecurity and strained government-society relations. This indicated that the expansion of commercial farming was not made vis-à-vis empowering the displaced people. Thus, evictees should be part of the development process for the sustainability and success of farms.
Evidentiary Issues in Philip Morris v Uruguay: The Role of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control and Lessons for NCD Prevention
Authors: Melillo Margherita
Published: April 2021

This article analyses the evidentiary assessment made by the investment Tribunal in the case of Philip Morris with a view to drawing some lessons for the regulation of non-communicable diseases (NCD) prevention regulations on food, alcohol, and tobacco. After the introduction, the second Section describes why this dispute, like any dispute concerning NCD prevention measures more generally, raised particularly complex evidentiary challenges. The third Section introduces the provisions and features of the ‘evidence-based’ Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) relevant to the dispute. The fourth Section describes the evidentiary assessment made by the Philip Morris Tribunal, highlighting how it relied extensively on the evidence stemming from or related to the FCTC rule in favour of Uruguay. Finally, the last Section draws lessons that the NCD prevention regulation can learn from Philip Morris for respondents in possible future investment disputes.
The Connection between “Religious Intolerance” and “Holy Ignorance”; Discussion on Religious Freedom Based on the Qurʾan and Hadith
Authors: Hasannia Ali
Published: April 2021

Nowadays in four corners of the world, there are groups rising and violating human dignities and social orders by the name of religion. The existence of such belief is due to misconceptions about religion, especially when speaking of Islam versus the West. In the other, “tolerance” occurs in a society wherein different social groups and parties live together with different beliefs and customs. Nevertheless, different ideas regarding the sound meaning of the term tolerance, which basically in Islam comes from the Qurʾan and Hadith literature, led to contradict practices by different religious sects. The present paper, based on the analytical descriptive method and through Qurʾanic notions, traditional and Islamic teachings and thinkers’ views, aims to discuss the extent and limits of tolerance in Islam, particularly concerning freedom, and how misconceptions about it brings about the disaster phenomenon of “holy ignorance”. It will show the meaningful connection between intolerance, holy ignorance, radicalism, lack of sound understanding about religion, and lack of religious freedom.
A Theology of Religious and Cultural Tolerance in a Pluralistic Context from Amos 2:1–3
Authors: Anderson William H. U.
Published: April 2021

The thesis of this article is that Amos 2:1–3 teaches religious and cultural tolerance in a pluralistic context. Amos 2:1–3 is a bizarre text which deals with an act of desecration: the king of Moab burning the king of Edom’s bones. The shocking question this text raises is: why would YHWH the one true God and savior of Israel care about how one pagan king treated another dead pagan king? The juxtaposition of exclusivism and pluralism is the precise mechanism that generates a theology of religious and cultural tolerance from Amos 2:1–3. The second installment of this study makes a practical application of this theology entitled ‘From Marilyn Manson to Amos: Navigating Pluralism in the Twenty-first Century West’.
Exhibitions as Public Health Interventions: The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society
Authors: Riter Robert B. , Bailey Kevin , Hirschy Jeff
Published: April 2021

Can exhibitions of artifacts from the tobacco industry, its allies and critics, act as a public health intervention? The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society is a curatorial and research center dedicated to the creation of exhibitions on the tobacco industry and its allies, the marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and the efforts to counteract the use and promotion of cigarettes throughout the 20th century to the present day. Physical and digital exhibitions provide social and historical context to increase public understanding of a deadly product which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kills 1,300 Americans a day. Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society collects “communication artifacts” of the tobacco industry, from ubiquitous advertisements to subtler promotional efforts such as financial support for museums and other cultural institutions. This summary of the center’s work spotlights archives, curated and made public through exhibitions.
Taking Care of Business: Privileging Private Sector Hospitals During the COVID Crisis
Authors: Player Stewart D.
Published: April 2021

In the early days of the COVID crisis, many commentators argued that it presented opportunities for progressive change, notably toward redress of structural inequalities in health. As with the financial slump of 2008, however, such notions have proved almost ridiculously optimistic as it has been capital, through its near symbiosis with the state, that has been best able to respond, with the English government—the devolved nations adopted a markedly different approach—taking every opportunity to ensure the pandemic has proved a bonanza for private-sector healthcare interests. However, this has not just been about individual contracts in, for example, test and trace, vaccination, or personal protective equipment; the crisis has been used to both rescue the private acute market following 2 years of contracted revenues and to provide enormous stimulus for its future growth. This has required the support of several organizations acting in concert, including the NHS Confederation and the Royal Colleges. While the pandemic has served to illuminate such relationships, the author also argues that the oft-recurring governmental praise of the NHS needs to be matched by genuine investment in public hospitals.