bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rural Households’ Vulnerability to Climate Variability and Adaptation Strategies In the case of Begemdir District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.
Authors: mencho Birhanu , Tefera Endeshaw Yeshiwas , Terefe Baye
Published: June 2023

Vulnerability to climate change has become the greatest challenge in our world due to its adverse impacts on ecosystems, economies, and societies. Thus, these studies assessed rural households’ vulnerability to climate variability and adaptation responses in Guna Begemdir District. Primary data was collected from three kebeles by selecting 120 sample households using the systematic random sampling method. Moreover, farmers’ perceptions, adaptation strategies, and socioeconomic and institutional factors were determined through household surveys, key informant interviews, and secondary data collected through document analysis. Monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall and temperature data were collected for two metrological stations for the period 1983–2018 to assess climate variability and identify climate-related risks. To assess farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies being used by farmers. Finally, a logistic regression model was employed to identify factors that affect farmers’ decisions to adapt and implement given adaptation strategies to tackle the impacts of climate variability. Results from the study showed the presence of significant rainfall variability during Belg months (March–May months) compared to Kiremt months (June–August). The rainfall series for the annual time scale showed mixed trends (increase and decrease). However, the majority of farmers in Guna Begemdir District perceived that the rainfall had been decreasing for the last 36 years. They also perceived an increase in temperature, a delay in rainfall onset during the growing season, rainfall occurrence during harvesting time, an early end to rainfall during the growing season, pest occurrence, and a rainfall shortage. The overall LVI and IPCC-LVI score in this study is 0.49, which implies that the study area is vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability. In response to the perceived climate risks (water shortage, flood risks, and soil erosion), farmers in the study area adopted many types of soil and water conservation strategies. Thus, the study identified gender of household heads, size of active household members, household distance from farmland and market, access to credit, extension support, and agroclimate zone type as significant determinant factors that affect farmers’ adoption of climate change and variability.
Self-supervised Re-identification for Online Joint Multi-object Tracking
Authors: Li Shuman , Yang Longqi , Tan Huibin , Wang Binglin , Huang Wanrong , Liu Hengzhu , Yang Wenjing , Lan Long
Published: June 2023

Recently, the bottleneck of multi-object tracking is shifting from detection performance to association performance. However, research on association algorithms requires a large number of identity labels, which are more expensive than detection labels. To circumvent the need for identity labels, we propose a Self-supervised Re-ID module for online joint Multi-Object Tracking (SR-MOT). Specifically, we design an appearance discriminator to judge identities with only the readily detection hypotheses and then associate the same identity to the final trajectory. To train the discriminator without using identity labels, we construct negative pairs by the detections appear in the same video frame as they definitely belong to different identities, the positive pairs are naturally constructed by several useful data augmentation methods. In addition, our proposed method balances the conflicting tasks of detection and re-ID by using different output features and we dynamically adjust the loss weights of detection and re-ID based on the information content of the loss distribution to promote balance between the two tasks from the feature level and optimization methods.In our evaluation on the MOT Challenge benchmark, we show that our SR-MOT performs comparably to supervised methods and is significantly superior to other unsupervised methods. Our proposed method provides a practical solution for multi-object tracking without the need for identity labels, making it more accessible for real-world applications.
Multiscale aware classification of COVID-19 from Chest X-Ray using a spatially weighted atrous spatial pyramid pooling CNN
Authors: Fetoh Mahmoud Z. , Amin Khalid M. , Hamad Ahmed M.
Published: June 2023

COVID-19 is a severe respiratory tract infections which can range from mild to lethal. COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 can readily spread through direct or indirect contact with an infected person. This high spread rate pressure on the health care systems and requires non time-consuming methods for diagnosing. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) show a great success for various computer vision tasks. However, CNN like many computer vision models is a scale-variant model and requires expensive computation. In this paper, a novel micro architecture is proposed for multiscale feature extraction and classification. Proposed CNN learns multiscale features using a pyramid of shared convolution kernels with different dilation, atrous, rates. Proposed CNN is an attention based mechanism that is used to guide and select correct scale for each input. Proposed CNN is an end-to-end trainable Network. It achieved a 0.9929 for F1-score tested on QaTa-Cov19 benchmark dataset with a total of 5,040,571 trainable parameters.
A Low-Resource Chinese Named Entity Recognition Method Combining Chinese Glyph Features and Contrastive Learning
Authors: gao Mandeng , tian Shengwei , yu Long , zhai Yuhui , long Jun
Published: June 2023

Named Entity Recognition (NER) represents a pivotal research area in the domain of natural language processing, yet the effective utilization of Chinese information remains a significant challenge. Moreover, NER tasks often suffer from limited data availability, data with varying labeling quality, and potential ethical concerns. To address these challenges, we propose a novel approach for low-resource Chinese named entity recognition by leveraging Chinese glyph features and contrastive learning. Our method effectively enhances the accuracy of named entity recognition. Through extensive experimentation, we demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on both the low-resource medical dataset for esophageal cancer and general Chinese dataset. Our model outperforms the widely adopted BERT-CRF model on the medical dataset, achieving a precision improvement of 3.12\%, a recall improvement of 1.73\%, and an F1 score improvement of 2.62\%. Notably, our core contrastive learning framework can be applied not only to the BERT model but also to the majority of Chinese NER task models, exhibiting its versatility and potential impact on the broader NER research field.
Clinical Features and Treatment Patterns of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study from 2017 - 2020
Authors: Asefa Amanuel , Kantelhardt Eva Johanna , Feyisa Jilcha Diribi , Jemal Ahmedin , Tigeneh Wondimagegnehu
Published: June 2023

Background
Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and is the 8th leading cause of cancer mortality in Ethiopia. There are two main types of lung cancer: non–small cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer, with non–small cell lung cancer accounting for 80–85%. We report on a study of the clinical features, and treatment patterns of non-small cell lung cancer patients at the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods
A retrospective cross-sectional design conducted on data from September 2017 to September 2020. Data was collected and analysed using SPSS version 25 and descriptive statistics. Association was determined using chi-square test, with a p-value of less than 0.05 being considered significant.
Result
126 patients (67 males, 59 females) were studied with a mean age of 52 years (range 24–90). Common symptoms were cough (82%), chest pain (32%), haemoptysis (17%), and shortness of breath (14%). Fifty-five (43.7%) patients had stage IVB lung cancer, while 41 (32.5%) had stage IVA. Twenty (16%) had ever smoked, and 20 (16%) had co-morbidities. Most primary lesions were located peripherally (73%), with adenocarcinoma (64.3%) being the most common histology type. Metastasis were found in 76.2%; common sites were pleura (27.8%) and bone (24.6%). 87.3% received chemotherapy, 93.6% of which was palliative. Radiotherapy was given for palliative treatment to 23.2%.
Conclusion
Most patients with non-small cell lung cancer seen at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Tertiary Hospital are in advanced stages of the disease, with adenocarcinoma as the most commonly found histology type. Surprisingly, only 16% of cases had a history of smoking. Future research should focus on the causes of lung cancer in the country.
lncTIM3 promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via miR-214/Smad4 axis to relieve postmenopausal osteoporosis
Authors: Sun Haitao , Wang Lining , li muzhe , Xu Bin , Ma Yong , Niu Yuanyuan , Zhang Tianchi , Qian Weiqing , Chu Xudong
Published: June 2023

Background
Promoting osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is the main therapeutic goal for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). Recently, several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in PMOP; however, the role of lncRNA tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 3 (lncTIM3) remains to be investigated.
Methods
The characteristics of BMSCs isolated from the PMOP rat model were verified by flow cytometry assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alizarin red and Oil Red O staining assays. Micro-CT and HE staining assays were performed to examine histological changes of the vertebral trabeculae of the rats. RT-qPCR and western blotting assays were carried out to measure the RNA and protein expression levels. The subcellular location of lncTIM3 was analyzed by FISH assay. The targeting relationships were verified by luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay.
Results
The trabecular spacing was increased in the PMOP rats, while ALP activity and the expression levels of Runx2, Col1a1 and OCN were all markedly decreased. Among the RNA sequencing results of the clinical samples, lncTIM3 was the most downregulated differentially expressed lncRNA, also its level was significantly reduced in the OVX rats. Knockdown of lncTIM3 inhibited osteogenesis of BMSCs, whereas overexpression of lncTIM3 exhibited the reverse results. Subsequently, lncTIM3 was confirmed to be located in the cytoplasm of BMSC, implying its potential as a competing endogenous RNA for miRNAs. Finally, the negative targeting correlations of miR-214 between lncTIM3 and Smad4 were elucidated in vitro.
Conclusion
lncTIM3 attenuated PMOP via miR-214/Smad4. Possibly, these findings provided lncTIM3 as a therapeutic molecule for PMOP.
Turbine inlet valve’s self-excited vibrations risk the safe operation of hydropower plants
Authors: Awad Hesham , Parrondo Jorge
Published: June 2023

The main function of the turbine inlet valve (TIV) in a hydroelectric power plant is to prevent flow of water to the turbine whenever the turbine is not operating. Usually, the valve responsible for this operation is spherical with annular seals to perform the sealing function. Occasionally, when the valve is set into a closed orientation, the annular seal may not execute its sealing function properly though develop periodic oscillations accompanied by periodic leakage flows. These seal vibrations cause pressure fluctuations in the penstock pipeline, which risks the plant’s reliable and safe operation. So, the primary goal of this research is to present a simplified theoretical model, able to clarify the excitation mechanism of the periodic seal vibration and simulate the plant's transient behavior. Afterwards, develop some recommendations to enhance the stable operation of the (TIV). The system governing equations comprises the water hammer equations to model the water flow through the various pipelines, the vibrating seal equation of motion, and the system boundary conditions. Results revealed that the dynamic instability of the (TIV) vibrations is more likely to arise at higher input reservoir energy levels and at the 1st harmonic of the seal oscillation. Also, modifying the (TIV) by increasing pilot pipeline head losses and reducing its diameter can eliminate the (TIV) vibrations and warrant the plant’s safe operation.
Application of the Rasch model in streamlining an instrument measuring depression among college students
Authors: BALBUENA Sherwin
Published: June 2023

Depression is a latent characteristic that is measured through self-reported or clinician-mediated instruments such as scales and inventories. The Precision of depression estimates largely depends on the validity of the items used and on the truthfulness of people responding to these items. The existing methodology in instrumentation based on a factor-analytic approach has limited applicability, especially in the detection of sources of measurement error in item- and person-level analyses. While there are probabilistic approaches such as the use of Item Response Theory and the Rasch model in validating instruments, there are no definite guidelines on the sequence of steps to follow. This study explored the suitability of the Rasch model in assessing and streamlining the University Student Depression Inventory (USDI) using a sequential strategy based on the item response model assumptions, which involves fitting the data to the model through the elimination of misfits, analyzing retained items, and constructing measures. The strategy was applied to two sets of survey data collected from the same population of college students enrolled in a Philippine university but in different semesters. Results showed that the Rasch procedure was able to detect misfit items and persons, which guided decisions regarding the removal of problematic items and persons while preserving the reliability of the original scale. The methodology used was found to be replicable, as the analyses for the two datasets yielded comparable results in terms of number of items retained, item estimates and severity ordering, and distribution of student depression measures.
On Our Way Towards a New Kind of Normality?
Authors: Knaup Marcus
Published: June 2023

U radu se korona-krizu ispituje s etičko-filozofijskog gledišta u svrhe pružanja orijentacije, posebno se pozivajući na Aristotela i Kanta. Istina je da nisu bili virolozi, da nisu članovi nijednog etičkog vijeća, da ne privređuju plaće u institucijama bliskih farmaceutskoj industriji, a ne plaća ih ni bilo koja državna institucija. Nisu osumnjičeni da su ikome govorili ono što žele čuti. Međutim, obojica pružaju poglede koji nam mogu pomoći bolje razumjeti današnju situaciju i iznaći rješenja za budućnost. Upućujući na njih, filozofija također može ispuniti svoju zadaću analize suvremenih problema vezanih uz temeljna pitanja čovječanstva i našeg zajedničkog života. Prvo ću postaviti pitanje (1): Gdje se nalazimo? Osvijetlit ću sedam aspekata bez tvrdnje da sam ih iscrpio. Zatim slijedi (2) pitanje o tome kako smo dospjeli u sadašnju situaciju. Konačno, (3) pitanje o tome koje lekcije trebamo naučiti bit će raspravljeno u sedam koraka.
Culture on the Social Ladder from the Greek Tradition to the Christian Paideia
Authors: Nurkić Petar
Published: June 2023

U kulturi antičke Grčke pojam Paideia (grč. παιδεία) označavao je odgoj i obrazovanje idealnog člana polisa. Međutim, razdoblje od Homerove epske poezije (9. ili 8. st. pr. Kr.) do Peloponeskog rata (5. st. pr. Kr.) značajno se razlikuje u pogledu oblika helenističke kulture nakon pojave kršćanstva (osobito od 2. do 9. st.). Zbog toga je potrebno razmotriti kakvo je značenje Paideia imala u različitim povijesnim razdobljima grčke kulture. Osim toga, rasprava o Paideji ne može postojati u apstraktnom obliku konceptualne analize bez uzimanja u obzir stvarnih povijesnih osoba koje su pridonijele opstanku grčke kulture u rimskom i ranokršćanskom razdoblju. Ovaj rad ima za cilj ispitati ulogu grčke kulture u društvenom životu ranokršćanskih Rimljana. Pokušat ćemo to postići detaljnom analizom panegirika (grč. πανήγυρις). Panegirici su hvalospjevi koji su obrazovani poganski mislioci upućivali rimskim carevima. Nakon panegirika, ispitat ćemo utjecaj grčke tradicije na raspodjelu društvenih uloga u višim klasama u Rimskom Carstvu. Istodobno, analizom panegirika, društveno-kulturnog konteksta ranog Rima i zahtjeva koje je društveni boljitak postavljao pred poganske mislioce, uvest ćemo nove elemente kršćanske Paideje u odnosu na njezinu klasičnu prethodnicu, pokazujući tako što je takva transformacija u biti podrazumijevala.
Leibniz’s Pre-established Harmony Revisited
Authors: Robert Gastón
Published: June 2023

Ovaj članak ima za cilj ponuditi temeljit i nov prikaz sastavnica Leibnizove teorije prestabilirane harmonije, shvaćene kao objašnjenje jedinstva među svim supstancijama. Zalaže se za formulaciju teorije u pogledu šest komplementarnih komponenti, razvijajući tumačenje o njima zajedno s kritičkim raspravama o drugim tumačenjima koja se nalaze u literaturi o Leibnizu. Rad pokazuje da su, kako su dosad predstavljene, tumačenja prestabilirane harmonije gotovo univerzalno izostavile jednu od njezinih ključnih komponenti, naime, Leibnizovo razumijevanje intrinzične sile kao moći predodžbe. Nakon što se to utvrdi, članak nudi novo tumačenje odnosa između predodžbene moći i harmonije među supstancijama. Osobito se tvrdi da, ispravno shvaćena, predodžba svih tvari međusobno povlači za sobom ili je dovoljna za njihovu harmoniju.
Topological and quantum critical properties of the interacting Majorana chain model
Authors: Chepiga Natalia , Laflorencie Nicolas
Published: June 2023

We study Majorana chain with the shortest possible interaction term and in the presence of hopping alternation. When formulated in terms of spins the model corresponds to the transverse field Ising model with nearest-neighbor transverse and next-nearest-neighbor longitudinal repulsion. The phase diagram obtained with extensive DMRG simulations is very rich and contains six phases. Four gapped phases include paramagnetic, period-2 with broken translation symmetry, \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 with broken parity symmetry and the period-2-\mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 phase with both symmetries broken. In addition there are two floating phases: gapless and critical Luttinger liquid with incommensurate correlations, and with an additional spontaneously broken \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 symmetry in one of them. By analyzing an extended phase diagram we demonstrate that, in contrast with a common belief, the Luttinger liquid phase along the self-dual critical line terminates at a weaker interaction strength than the end point of the Ising critical line that we find to be in the tri-critical Ising universality class. We also show that none of these two points is a Lifshitz point terminating the incommensurability. In addition, we analyzed topological properties through Majorana zero modes emergent in the two topological phases, with and without incommensurability. In the weak interaction regime, a self-consistent mean-field treatment provides a remarkable accuracy for the description of the spectral pairing and the parity switches induced by the interaction.
Monopole operators and bulk-boundary relation in holomorphic topological theories
Authors: Zeng Keyou
Published: June 2023

We study the holomorphic twist of 3d3dN = 2N=2 supersymmetric field theories, discuss the perturbative bulk local operators in general, and explicitly construct non perturbative bulk local operators for abelian gauge theories. Our construction is verified by matching the character of the algebra with the superconformal index. We test a conjectural relation between the derived center of boundary algebras and bulk algebras in various cases, including Landau-Ginzburg models with an arbitrary superpotential and some abelian gauge theories. In the latter cases, monopole operators appear in the derived center of a perturbative boundary algebra. We briefly discuss the higher structures in both boundary and bulk algebras.
STUDY OF LIPID PROFILE IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY
Authors:   Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, GMERS Medical College & Hospital, Himmatnagar, Sabarkantha, Gujarat, India., Kantibhai Patel Dhaval , Dilipbhai Patel Yamini ,   Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, GMERS Medical College & Hospital, Himmatnagar, Sabarkantha, Gujarat, India.
Published: June 2023

Introduction : Hypertensive disorders complicate 5-10% of all pregnancies. endothelial cell injury are important in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Serum lipids have a direct effect on endothelial function. Abnormal lipid metabolism has a basic role in the pathogenesis of the disease. So study of lipid profile may be of good predictive value in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Method: This was a longitudinal study, done in the dept of OBGY, GMERS Medical College, sola, Ahmedabad, from August 2020 to July 2022. 93 women in each group were studied. Outcome was measured by serum lipid level, severity of hypertension, mode of delivery, need for neonatal resuscitation, NICU admission. Result: Serum Total cholesterol Ã¢Â‰Â¥240 mg/dl was observed to be 38.7% in group A and 14 % in group B. In group A with normal lipid profile 97.5% had mild hypertension, 2.5% had severe hypertension while in hypertensive with abnormal lipid profile group 53.8% had mild hypertension and 46.2% had severe hypertension. Normal vaginal delivery observed 64.52% in group A and 79.57% in group B. In group A, 35.48% babies and in group B ,5.37% babies required resuscitative measures. NICU admission was needed by 27.95 % in group A and 5.37% in group B. Conclusion: Serum lipid levels in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is an important parameter for prediction of adverse perinatal outcome. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with dyslipidemia are associated with adverse perinatal outcome as compare to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy without dyslipidemia.
A BRIEF ANALYSIS ON THE INDIAN CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 2020 VS. E-COMMERCE
Authors:   Assistant Professor Haldia Institute of Management., Agasti Sarmistha
Published: June 2023

From the year of its arrival in 1986, the Consumer Protection Act in India has played a vital role in safeguarding the interests of the consumers. The primary function of the act has been to provide a very quick redressal and simple solution to all consumer grievances and also to prevent all sorts of unfair practices in trade by businesses and manufacturers. The amended Consumer Protection Act of 2019 was proposed in the LokSabha in July and passed in RajyaSabha in the same month. The new act which came into effect from July 24, 2020, focused on improving the transparency between the consumers and businesses to another level giving the customer more power. This paper focuses on the new points introduced in the bill for E-commerce and how it has been received by the public and e-commerce businesses alike. Excluding the basic necessities such as clothing, shelter, food etc. there are many other commodities like phones, perfumes, cosmetics and many other consumables which have become an indomitable requirement in life. While buying items from the market there can be instances where as a consumer we can be cheated. In this paper we discuss the basic necessities of the consumers and how the Consumer Protection Act plays an important role in it. We also discuss how the Consumer Protection (E-commerce Rules, 2020) under the new Act has placed a huge pressure on the E-commerce business to increase the transparency of the system and how it is being received by the public. This is achieved by interviewing a number of consumers to receive their opinion about the present act. By the end of the paper, we generate a deeper idea about the Consumer rights and how much it should protect to benefit not only the consumers but also allow the businesses to run smoothly.
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING ANAEMIA IN ANTENATAL WOMEN - A PROSPECTIVE CLINICAL STUDY
Authors:   Professor in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool., Srilakshmi A. , Nirosha Neeruganti ,   PG in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool., Ratna Kumari P. ,   Assistant Professor in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kurnool MedicalCollege, Kurnool.
Published: June 2023

Introduction: Anaemia is one of the most common nutrition deficiency disorders affecting pregnant women. During pregnancy they need for iron for mother and foetus gradually increases and will reach its highest level at the end of pregnancy. Poor dietary practice and low compliance to iron tablets among pregnant women are major contributors for high burden of anaemia. They should be awareness of anaemia among antenatal women and association of knowledge, attitude and practice of Nutrition during pregnancy and taking iron-rich food. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding anaemia in antenatal women. Material & Methods: It was a prospective study conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kurnool Medical College and Hospital, Kurnool ,Andhra Pradesh over a period of 3 month from November 1st 2022 to January 31st 2023. Data was collected by using a structured and Pretested questionnaire which asked question on nutrition in pregnancy,anaemia and associated factors. Results: A total of 500 antenatal women, 344 of them had heard about iron deficiency anaemia, 304 of them know that poor nutrition causes the anaemia during pregnancy , 192 agreed that iron supplement or iron tablets can prevent anaemia, 201 of them dont know that spacing of pregnancies can prevent anaemia ,331 have not taken a regular iron tablets. The study reflects the ignorance, poverty and illiteracy among majority of the child bearing women coming to the Hospital. Conclusion: Assessments of knowledge and practice and health education are essential step towards prevention of anaemia in pregnancy. Educating antenatal women about the importance of diet and implementing this into practice will help in the prevention of anaemia.
ENHANCING SEARCH CAPABILITIES: EXPLORING LUCENE AND SOLR TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVED SEARCH PERFORMANCE
Authors:   Research Scholar, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College, Chennai., Krishnen J. Prathyush , Yamuna S. ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College, Chennai.
Published: June 2023

In todays digital age, data is everything. Dealing with and accessing a lot of data is a common task for almost every individual, be it for personal or for professional purposes and they expect applications to provide fast and accurate search capabilities to access and view their data. But all this data becomes meaningless if it cannot be accessed easily when needed or within a certain amount of time. This study aims to implement a powerful and customizable search feature in applications using the open-source search technologies, Lucene and Solr. The system will use Lucenes efficient indexing and querying capabilities to create an inverted index of the applications content, enabling fast and accurate full-text search. Solr will provide a web interface for the search functionality, allowing users to easily perform searches and filter results by various criteria such as date, author, category, and more. By incorporating Lucene and Solr, the system will be able to overcome the previous mentioned issues by providing search results significantly faster and deliver a robust, fast, and user-friendly search experience for applications that can be easily integrated into any application.
EFFICIENCY OF THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET - AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Authors:   (Part-time Research Scholar, DCMS, University of Calicut) Assistant Professor, SARBTM Govt. College, Koyilandy, Kerala., V.K. Subeesh , Joseph M.A. ,   Professor (Retd.), DCMS, University of Calicut.
Published: June 2023

Market efficiency has an influence on the investment strategy of an investor because if the market is efficient, trying to pick undervalued security will be a waste of time. In an efficient market, there will be no undervalued securities offering higher than deserved expected returns, given their risk. On the other hand, if markets are not efficient, excess returns can be made by correctly picking the security. In this paper, an analysis of five popular stocks is carried out to test the efficiency level of the Indian Stock market in semi-strong form and the random walk nature of the stock market by using the event analysis and t-test for the period from 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017. The study carried out in this paper has presented evidence of the inefficient form of the Indian Stock Market in a semi-strong form. From the event analysis and t-test, we are able to conclude that the series of stocks in the Indian Stock Market is biased random time series. It indicates that the behaviour of share prices does not confirm the applicability of the random walk model in the Indian stock market. Thus, undervalued securities are in the market, and the investors can always get excess returns by correctly picking them.
EVALUATION OF CYTOGENIC DAMAGE IN ORAL EXFOLIATED BUCCAL CELLS OF TOBACCO USERS AND PATIENTS WITH POTENTIALLY MALIGNANT DISORDERS USING MICRONUCLEUS ASSAY - A PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Authors:   Post Graduate, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER University, Chennai-95., R. Kanimozhi , Gopal K. Saraswathi ,   Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER University, Chennai-95., Kumar P. Mahesh ,   Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER University, Chennai-95.
Published: June 2023

Background: Cytogenic methods acts with complex type mutations, known as structural mutations (aberrations)and a special type of chromosomal damage, known as micronucleus. So, micronucleus (MN) assay has been used as a biomarker of genetic damage in buccal mucosa cells. Aim and Objectives: To evaluate micronucleus in the exfoliated cells of buccal mucosa of individuals with potentially malignant disorders and different tobacco related habits and in control group. To observe the incidence of micronucleus count based on duration, frequency and type of tobacco usage and also auto immune condition of Lichen planus. Materials and Method: The study population is divided into 3 groups. Group I : 15 healthy subjects (control), Group II : 15 smokers or chewers with habits andno evidence of lesion Group III : 30 Patients clinically diagnosed as having PMD of the oral cavity. Smears stained with DNA specific Feulgen stain. Association of micronucleus between all groups and its mean and standard deviation was assessed with ANOVA with p<0.05 was considered as significant level. Results: The mean MN revealed that individuals with potentially malignant disorders had 26.8Â±5.1, individuals with tobacco habit (smokers/chewers) had 11.0Â±5.5 and controls had 0.2Â±0.5. The ANOVA test for association and mean frequency of micronucleus between all groups revealed significant value of <0.001. Conclusion: Hence, MN assay in oral exfoliated buccal cells can be conveniently used as a biomarker for screening of potentially malignant disorders of oral cavity. And also provides an insight into the importance of early detection and prevention of OPMDs.
THE EXTENT OF STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, CONSENSUS STRATEGY AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY PLANS AT GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS IN TIMOR LESTE
Authors:   Ministry of Planning and Ordering Integrated Planning Center, Timor Leste, PhD Student Faculty of Business Widya Mandala Catholic University, Surabaya Indonesia., Nahak Martinus , Koesmono Teman ,   Faculty of Business Widya Mandala Catholic University, Surabaya Indonesia., Ellitan Lena ,   Faculty of Business Widya Mandala Catholic University, Surabaya Indonesia.
Published: June 2023

The Strategic Plan for Development in Timor Leste is one such documentlong-term development strategy plans for various prioritized sectorseveryfive years, and for the preparation of the state budget every year. Onthe initial implementation of the development strategy plan all government agencies refer toon the document, but because of the change of government, and there is no consensusat the political level, it has an impact on conflicting party-political interestspower, and considers that the 2011-2030 PED document does not reflectThe National Development Strategy Plan is good, and therefore it was not usedas a reference for planning the budget and costs of the state of Timor Leste. Strategic management studies that determine the success or failure of a strategic plandevelopment in its implementation is inseparable from several determining factors namelytop leadership in government agencies, it is necessary to establish organizational commitment,the creation of an organizational culture and one of the important factors is the existence of a commonalityunderstanding of the development strategy plan is the presence of strategic consensusso as to ensure the implementation of development strategy plans in various sectorsin accordance with the functions of existing government agencies in Timor Leste. Strategy implementationis part of the management strategy which also includes strategy formulation andplan control. Strategic management is seen as a set of decisions andactions designed to achieve an organizations mission, vision, strategy, and strategic goals.Strategy implementationseen as an important part of strategic management because it is seen asthe process that transforms the formulated strategy into actions that ensure the visionand the mission of the organization is achieved as planned.The researchers focused on the Extent of Strategic Leadership,Organizational Commitment, Organizational Culture, and Consensus Strategy AgainstAchievements of the Development Strategy Plan for Government Agencies in Timor Leste.
STUDY AND CORRELATION OF ANTI THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODY AND ULTRASONOGRAPHY FINDINGS OF THYROID IN PATIENTS OF THYROID DISEASES
Authors:   M.D Medicine, Senior Resident, Department of Medicine, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, M.P., Upadhyay Ila , Kukrele Priyanka ,   M.D Medicine, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, M.P., Singh Rathore Vishal ,   M.D Radiodiagnosis, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, M.P.
Published: June 2023

Aim: To determine Anti thyroid peroxidase antibody and ultrasonography features of thyroid gland in thyroid disorder patients and study their correlation. Design: This is an observational, cross sectional study and techniques used are clinical and non-invasive. Method: Thyroid function tests, Anti-thyroid peroxidase (Anti-TPO)antibody and ultrasonography neck were performed in 150 patients .Eligible participants were adults of age group 15-70 years with deranged thyroid function tests . Pregnant patients and patients already on thyroid medications were excluded from the study The participants were classified as overt , subclinical hypothyroid or overt, subclinical hyperthyroid. Anti thyroid peroxidase antibody and ultrasonography neck findings obtained were analyzed and correlated using statistical methods. Statistical Analysis: Frequency and percentage were calculated and test of significance such as Chi square test, T test were used. Correlation was assessed using Spearmans correlation coefficient p=<0.05 is considered significant. Result: From January 2020 to August 2021, 150 patients participated in the study in which 50%(n=75) patients were found to be subclinical hypothyroid, 21.3%(n=32) were overt hypothyroid, 21.3% (n=32) were overt hyperthyroid , 6% (n=09) were subclinical hyperthyroid and 1.3%(n=2) were euthyroid with thyroid swelling. 51.3%(n=77) patients had diffuse thyroid disease on ultrasonography neck, normal gland in 19.3%(n=29) patients, thyroiditis in 11.3%(n=17) patients ,Multinodular goiter in 10.6%(n=16) patients, nodule in 6%(n=09) and atrophic gland in 1.34%(n=02) patients. Anti thyroid peroxidase was positive in 62%(n=93) patients. Among patients with diffuse hypoechogenecity on ultrasonography 85%(n=80) patients had positive Anti-TPO antibody with p value 0.05. Conclusion: Maximum number of patients with thyroid diseases had a positive Anti thyroid peroxidase antibody that suggests autoimmunity as a major etiology of thyroid disease.Among patients with diffuse hypogenecity on USG,85%(n=80)patients had positive Anti-TPO antibody with statistical significance(p 0.05). Ultrasonography neck is non invasive ,safe and cost effective method to ascertain the cause of thyroid disease and has a major role in predicting prognosis of the disease. Abbreviations: Anti thyroid peroxidase antibody-Anti-TPO antibody Ultrasonography-USG.
IDENTIFICATION OF A NOVEL APPL1 GENE MUTATION IN A SAUDI ARABIAN PATIENT WITH MATURITY-ONSET DIABETES OF THE YOUNG (MODY 14): A CASE REPORT
Authors:   Senior Registrar Family Medicine, Fellow Diabetes., Mohmmed Alsanamah Hadeel ,   Armed forces hospital southern region Saudi Arabia.
Published: June 2023

Introduction:The need of genetic testing and individualized treatment for diabetic individuals with a family history of the condition is discussed in this case study. It emphasizes the significance of early detection and therapy of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and the potential advantages of identifying unique mutations that may contribute to the development of diabetes. Case Presentation:A Saudi Arabian woman of 50 years old with a strong family history of diabetes was discovered to have a new mutation in the APPL1 gene related with MODY 14. Prior to age 30, the patient had a history of elevated blood sugar, but had never used diabetes medication. Gliclazide and metformin were prescribed to the patient, resulting in a decrease in HbA1c levels. Conclusion:This case study illustrates the significance of genetic testing in finding novel mutations that may contribute to the development of diabetes and in adapting treatment to the specific needs of individual patients. Detection and treatment of MODY at an early stage helps reduce complications associated with poorly managed diabetes. To completely comprehend the functional repercussions of the APPL1 gene mutation and its impact on the patients long-term health, additional research is required.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY VS FINE NEEDLE NON ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY VS ULTRASOUND GUIDED FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY IN THE CYTOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THYROID LESIONS
Authors: Sakthibalan M.S. M.
Published: June 2023

Introduction: FNAC is mainly used in differentiating malignant thyroid nodules from benign nodules as the later can be followed up clinically. A modified sampling technique called fine needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC), has come into clinical use in recent times. To evaluate the efficacy of fine-needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC) with that of standard fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and USG guided FNAC of thyroid lesions as regards to cellular and hemorrhagic yield. Methodology: Patients attending Out patient and In patient Department of General Surgery with clinically palpable thyroid swelling for a period of one year are included in this study. Patients were randomised into 3 groups_ 25 patients in each group. After a thorough clinical examination, all the patients in group 1 were subjected to FNAC. Patients in group 2 were subjected to FNNAC .Patients in group 3 were subjected to USG guided FNAC. The details of the technique of Fine needle cytology were explained to the patient and an appropriate consent was obtained from each case before performing the procedure. After subjecting patients to FNNAC and FNAC using 23 gauge needle,the samples were smeared and air dried and sent to the pathologist. Cytological evaluation and reporting was done by pathologist. Results: Out of 50 patients, 25 patients were subjected to FNNAC & 25 patients were subjected to USG guided FNAC from thyroid lesions. The smears was scored and graded accordingly. Based on the results, it was found that superior quality smears were more in FNNAC technique, but diagnostically adequate samples are more in USG guided FNAC than FNNAC. Conclusion: For highly vascular organs like thyroid , FNNAC is the preferred technique as there is better material with less admixture of blood. The number of superior quality smears without admixture of blood is more from FNNAC. FNAC smears although equally diagnostic, mostly produced diagnostically adequate rather than superior quality smears.
VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA IN A TERTIARY CARE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: RISK FACTORS AND MICROBIAL PROFILE
Authors:   Professor,Microbiology Department MGMs Medical College & Hospital ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad] Maharashtra [India]., S. Wyawahare Anupama , Wyawahare Sai ,   JR III , Microbiology Department Government Medical College ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad]., Mulay Manjushree ,   Professor & Head Microbiology Department MGMs Medical College & Hospital ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad]., Bansal Vishvesh ,   Associate Professor Microbiology Department MGMs Medical College & Hospital ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad]., Naik Shraddha ,   Assistant Professor Microbiology Department MGMs Medical College & Hospital ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad]., Verulkar Anita ,   Assistant Nursing Superintendent MGMs Medical College & Hospital ChhatrapatiSambhaji Nagar [Aurangabad].
Published: June 2023

Forcreatingefficientpreventativestrategies,knowledgeoftheetiology,antibioticresistancepatternsandriskfactorsfordevelopingVentilatorassociatedpneumonia[VAP]inICUpatientsisessential.Thisprospectiveobservationalcross-sectionaltwo-yearstudywasdonetorecognizeriskfactorsforthedevelopmentofVAP,causalagentsandtheirantimicrobialsusceptibilitypattern.FiftylateonsetVAPand26earlyonsetVAPpatientswereexamined.Prolongedmechanicalventilation,reintubation,andtracheostomywereidentifiedasimportantriskfactors.AcinetobacterbaumanniicomplexKlebsiellapneumoniaewerethemainbacterialpathogens.TheideaofdifferentiatingpathogensbasedonlateandearlyonsetVAPmaynolongerbeusefulforempiricaltherapy.IdentifyingtheriskfactorscanaidinpreventionofVAPinICUpatients.
DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING FOR HEALTH TOURISM PROMOTION IN SOUTHERN THAILAND
Authors:   Associate ProfessorDr., College of Innovation and Management, SuanSunandhaRajabhat University, Thailand., Kanchanathaveekul Kanyamon , Buddhapoompitak Wannaporn ,   LecturerDr., College of Innovation and Management, SuanSunandhaRajabhat University, Thailand., Jankaweekool Premkamon ,   LecturerDr., College of Innovation and Management, SuanSunandhaRajabhat University, Thailand., Siriyanun Sirinya ,   LecturerDr., College of Innovation and Management, SuanSunandhaRajabhat University, Thailand., Sungrugsa Narin ,   ProfessorDr., Faculty of Management Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand., Thamma-Apipon Sawanya ,   Assistant ProfessorDr., Faculty of Management Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand.
Published: June 2023

The study had three main goals: 1) To find products and community packaging to promote health tourism and 2) To developing products and community packaging in the province of Ranong. This study employs qualitative research methods. The population in this study is consisted of health tourists and health tourism entrepreneurs. A targeted sample of health community enterprise owners was gathered by conducting in-depth interviews with a total of 30 entrepreneurs in the part of health tourism, interviewing data, and carrying out content analysis and specialized studies of community enterprises. The research findings showed that: 1) The health product community enterprise group had a good chance of success if they focused their efforts on the upstream, midstream, and downstream stages of the supply chain and collaborated with allies and networks in health-focused provinces and countries, put an emphasis on environmental protection and making use of indigenous knowledge and resources, and put an emphasis on international standards, and they may be able to generate tourism for the participating community businesses. 3) Community enterprise group has a development strategy aimed at continuously meeting market demands. According to the findings of the research, there are company developments that are consistent with the canvas model and have the potential to promote the community economy in southern Thailand.
A CASE REPORT ON INFANTILE HEMANGIOMA
Authors: Joseph Nisha , Rao Kshma , Baliga Ashwini , Kini Ragavendra , Kashyap Roopashri , Bhandarkar Gowri , Shetty Ujwala , H.C Meghana
Published: June 2023

Infantile hemangiomas are the most common benign vascular tumors in childhood. They usually appear as macular or raised bluish nodular swelling.It most commonly involves head and neck region which results in tissue damage, ulceration, bleeding, functional impairment and disfigurement. We present a case of 4-year-old patient with infantile hemangioma in the left side of face.
Nexus between accounting and information systems and SMEs` operational efficiency in South Africa
Authors: Sthembiso Msomi Thabiso , Phumlani Vilakazi Sanele
Published: June 2023

Accounting information systems are critical to any business but especially important to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Such systems are vital to their performance and success. Unfortunately, SMEs make poor decisions, leading to a shortage of accounting information. Hence, this study aims to investigate the impact of accounting information systems on SME operational efficiency in South Africa. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 109 out of 150 retail SME owners or other appropriate representatives. A quantitative research design that falls under the positivist paradigm was used. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS) software version 20.0 was utilized to analyze the collected data, specifically through descriptive and regression analysis. The study found a significant positive correlation between accounting information systems and SME operational efficiency (r-value = 0.579), which had a p-value of 0.0005, according to the intensity of the association with r-value. The study recommends that SME management implement excellent accounting principles into their operations. Furthermore, because SMEs may be unable to afford complicated accounting systems, SMEs functioning in the same region should implement a resource-sharing strategy to reduce expenses.