bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The virtual general meetings of shareholders in times of crisis - legal aspects
Authors: Dumancic Kosjenka , Vuletic Dominik
Published: July 2024

The Company Law universally requires shareholders to participate in meetings in order
to formulate a set of corporate acts. Although provisions allowing the possibility for
virtual shareholder meetings have already been implemented in many legislations, the
COVID-19 crisis has given this relative legal novelty a status of paramount regulatory
importance. The post-crisis regulatory development of the field in light of the process of
digitalisation is the subject of this paper. The paper firstly gives an overview of the
academic debate on the subject with a focus on the pandemic. Then, it continues to
produce a comparative overview of virtual general meetings regulations in selected
jurisdictions, namely Switzerland, Italy, Germany, U.S. state of Delaware and the
European Union Company Law. Prior to the pandemic, the Croatian Company Law
encompassed the possibility for hybrid virtual general meetings of shareholders if
stipulated in company bylaws. The aforementioned possibility was used in Croatia for
the first time during the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis. The conclusions of the paper
produce general recommendations for regulatory policy in this field with an emphasis
on the European and the Croatian Company Law de lege ferenda.
The role of socioeconomic variables in the regional inequalities of COVID-19 mortality in Hungary
Authors: Pager Balazs , Toth Csaba G. , Uzzoli Annamaria
Published: July 2024

Hungary is one of the five countries in the World which were most affected by the
pandemic in terms of registered COVID-19 mortality up to 2023. Our research aims to
identify those socioeconomic variables that explain the geographical distribution of
registered district-level COVID-19 mortality in Hungary. Using OLS and spatial
regression, we found that the higher share of elderly people and respiratory death rate
were associated with a more severe mortality burden. Educational attainment was
negatively associated with COVID-19 mortality. Variables related to healthcare access
were not found to be significantly associated with district-level COVID-19 mortality. Our
results indicated that the spatial term of COVID-19 mortality is significant. Positive
spatial autocorrelation can be observed in some less developed districts and a few inner
peripheral areas where COVID-19 mortality was relatively high, and relatively
developed areas like the agglomeration area of the capital in which COVID-19 mortality
was low.
Exploring local income inequalities by using spatial statistics. Emphasis on Romanian metropolitan areas
Authors: Ursu Cosmina-Daniela , Benedek Jozsef
Published: July 2024

Following the collapse of the communist regime, Romania underwent significant
economic, territorial, and social transformations that exacerbated inequality. To help
policymakers create effective economic strategies, it is necessary to pinpoint the areas
with the largest disparities. Thus, using spatial statistics available in ArcGIS, the primary
goal of this study is to identify spatial clusters/outliers of income per capita. The findings
indicate a strong concentration of high incomes at the regional level in Bucharest-Ilfov,
West, Centre, and North-West regions. Conversely, low-income groups are concentrated
in every other region, and their circumstances do not appear to improve over the course
of the analysis period (2007–2021). At the metropolitan level, large cities are particularly
home to high-value clusters and their influence within metropolitan areas is outlined.
Fortifying Financial Integrity: Insights into Fraud Detection and Prevention Strategies Across Various Financial Companies in Sri Lanka from the Perspectives of Accountants and Internal Auditors in an Analytical Review
Authors: Rathakrishnan Shathurshana , Baskar Thirunavukkarasu
Published: July 2024

Fraudulent activities in organizations pose a serious threat to financial integrity, sustainability, and trust. This research study examines in detail fraud detection and prevention strategies in financial institutions in Sri Lanka, as perceived by auditors and internal auditors. Using existing literature and empirical evidence, the study highlights the increasing complexity of fraud and the importance of proactive countermeasures to effectively combat it. Key findings highlight the critical role of good corporate governance practices, the use of IT tools and fostering a culture of integrity in reducing fraud risks. Collaboration between auditors, fraud analysts and internal audit teams emerges as an important element in identifying and addressing fraudulent activity The study highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that includes knowledge, collaboration, governance migration effectiveness, ethical culture, ICT, and transparency combine to effectively prevent fraud to strengthen financial integrity.
The Circular Economic Development Policy Aims to Implement Vietnam's National Strategy on Green Growth
Authors: Nguyen Chinh Hong , Nguyen Linh Thuy
Published: July 2024

Circular economy (CE) has become an inevitable trend and an urgent demand in the development process of the world today. In Vietnam, the development of a circular economy is identified as one of the developmental orientations for the country in the coming period. This article delves into an analysis of the actual situation of circular economy development policies in the recent period, thereby proposing comprehensive solutions to implement the national strategy for green growth in Vietnam.
Militarization of Cyberspace and its Implications on National/International Security
Authors: Adisa Oluyemi Opeoluwa
Published: July 2024

The paramountcy of cyberspace together with the strikingness of globalization have transformed the universe into a global village, fostered businesses around the globe, connected people and enterprises and created immense opportunities for economic related activity, and communication. Consequently, an increasing number of processes are now reliant on the interconnectedness of digital infrastructure, which has resulted to the emerging cyber threats against individual, national, international, commercial and private security actors. Cyberattacks have changed the perception of states towards the cyberspace, necessitating the rising militarization of cyberspace by many countries leading to the advancement and development of their cyber military capabilities. This has created threatening conditions to the national/international security of states such as; the possibility of cyberattacks or cyberwar among states or non-state actors as well as the strategic leadership competition among powerful states such as; the U.S., China and Russia within the cyber domain. The militarization of cyberspace by these states and their perceptions of cyber threats from the advancement of cyber military capabilities of each state based on the realist thinking of international relations/security are formulated debates within this research. The research relies on secondary sources and employs a qualitative research approach, which reviews current literature on the topic under study to aver the potential transformation of the traditional/physical armed conflicts in the world into cyberwarfare as a result of the ongoing militarization of cyberspace constituting the fragility of national/international security.
Optimising Career Adaptability for Post-Internship Students Islamic Religious College: The Role of Work Values and Social Support
Authors: Rahmi Alfi , Afdal Afdal , Mudjiran Mudjiran , Netrawati Netrawati , Iswari Mega , Engku Kamarudin Engku Mardiah
Published: July 2024

A discrepancy between individual values and social support received influences a low degree of career adaptability. This research 122 post-internship students enrolled at the State Islamic Religious College in Sumatra, Indonesia. Work Values Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) were employed as the research instruments using a quantitative design, and multiple regression analysis was adopted to analyse the data. The results showed a significant positive relationship between work values, social support, and career adaptability. Furthermore, the regression model predicted 64.1% of career adaptability, highlighting the synergistic effect of the variables. The results underscored the potential of career counselling interventions in empowering post-internship students by providing essential skills and knowledge for successful career navigation. Implications for career counselling were also discussed, and future analysis was suggested.
Influence of Depression and Loneliness on Suicidal Behaviour Among Public University Students in Malaysia
Authors: Norazizi Nur Dini Kamilia , Che Amat Muhammad Asyraf , Mohammad Hanafi Nor Hafizah , Firman Firman , Salam Syahrul Nizam
Published: July 2024

Suicide is a serious and curable public health issue that is alarming towards early adults like university students who are undergoing personal and social phase changes and pressures. This study investigates the influence of depression and loneliness on the suicidal behaviour of public university students in Malaysia. The quantitative study involved 406 public university students in Malaysia, including early teens aged 20 years and below and adults aged 40 years and above. Three instruments were used: Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3. Data analysis involves examining basic statistical information. For this study, a stratified and proportional random selection method was used. The results indicated that public university students in Malaysia generally exhibited minimal levels of depression, loneliness, and suicidal behaviour. Depression and loneliness emerged as significant positive predictors influencing suicidal behaviour, accounting for 49.3% of the variance, while loneliness contributed to 0.3%. These non-significant findings suggest that overall, the mental well-being of the students is good. The study also highlights the role of cultural and societal factors unique to Malaysia in promoting positive mental health outcomes.
Personal and Academic Multicultural Experiences, Perceived Multicultural Counselling Competence and Multicultural Counselling Self-efficacy Among Malaysian Counsellor Trainees
Authors: Harun Maizatul Mardiana , Wan Jaafar Wan Marzuki , Ismail Asmah , Arifin Suhaili
Published: July 2024

The counsellor trainees’ self-efficacy is indirectly influenced by what they have experienced in their personal or academic lives, and the experience does contribute to their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. Nevertheless, sufficient evidence to elaborate on the reciprocal interactions in the context of counselling is still limited. Therefore, this descriptive-correlational study intends to investigate the connection between Malaysian counsellor trainees’ perceived multicultural counselling competence and self-efficacy and their personal and academic multicultural experiences. All four instruments had been adapted and translated into Malay before being completed by 208 randomly selected counsellor trainees. According to the study’s findings, counsellor trainees scored high on academic multicultural experience but low on personal multicultural experience. They also gained high scores for multicultural counselling self-efficacy and moderate perceived multicultural counselling competence. Importantly, findings revealed substantial correlations between perceived multicultural counselling competence and self-efficacy with academic multicultural experience. Overall, the finding highlights the practice of experiential pedagogy in the multicultural counselling course and encourages collaborative efforts involving faculty members and programme providers in developing and sustaining students’ or counsellor trainees’ multicultural counselling competency and self-efficacy growth.
Conversion Factor Estimation of Stacked Eucalypt Timber Using Supervised Image Classification with Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: de Barros Vinicius Andrade , Boechat Soares Carlos Pedro , da Silva Gilson Fernandes , Goycochea Casas Gianmarco , Garcia Leite Helio
Published: July 2024

Stacked timber is quantified in-store units and then adjusted with a conversion factor for volume estimation in cubic meters, which is important for the wood trade in South America. However, measuring large quantities accurately can be challenging. Digital image processing and artificial intelligence advancements offer promising solutions, making research in this area increasingly attractive. This study aims to estimate conversion factors of stacked Eucalyptus grandis timber using supervised image classification with Artificial Neuronal Network (ANN). Measured data and photographs from an experiment involving thirty stacks of timber were used to achieve this. The conversion factor was determined using photographic methods that involved the applications of equidistant points and ANN and subsequently validated with values observed through the manual method. The ANN method produced more accurate conversion factor estimates than the equidistant points method. Approximately 97% of the ANN estimates were within the ±1% error class, even when using low-resolution digital photographs.
Low Resource Malay Dialect Automatic Speech Recognition Modeling Using Transfer Learning from a Standard Malay Model
Authors: Tan Tien-Ping , Qin Lei , Samson Juan Sarah Flora , Yen Min Khaw Jasmina
Published: July 2024

Approaches to automatic speech recognition have transited from Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based ASR to deep neural networks. The advantages of deep neural network approaches are that they can be developed quickly and perform better given large language resources. Nevertheless, dialect speech recognition is still challenging due to the limited resources. Transfer learning approaches have been proposed to improve speech recognition for low resources. In the first approach, the model is pre-trained on a large and diverse labeled dataset to learn the acoustic and language patterns from the speech signal. Then, the model parameters are updated with a new dataset, and the pre-trained model is fine-tuned on a low-resource language dataset. The fine-tuning process is usually completed by freezing the pre-trained layers and training the remaining layers of the model on the low-resource language corpus. Another approach is to use a pre-trained model to capture the compact and meaningful features as input to the encoder. Pre-training in this approach usually involves using unsupervised learning methods to train models on a corpus of large amounts of unmarked data. It enables the model to learn the general patterns and relationships between the input speech signals. This paper proposes a training recipe using transfer learning and Standard Malay models to improve automatic speech recognition for Kelantan and Sarawak Malay dialects.
A Deep Learning-based Classification Model for Arabic News Tweets Using Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Networks
Authors: Lin Chin-Teng , Thanoon Mohammed , Karali Sami
Published: July 2024

This research develops a classification model for Arabic news tweets using Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory networks (BiLSTM). Tweets about Arabic news were gathered between August 2016 and August 2020 and divided into five categories. Custom Python scripts, Twitter API and the GetOldTweets3 Python library were used to collect the data. BiLSTM was used to train and test the model. The results indicated an average accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-score of 0.88, 0.92, 0.88, and 0.89, respectively. The results could have practical implications for Arabic machine learning and NLP tasks in research and practice.
Mental Health Awareness and Stigma in Rural vs. Urban Communities
Authors: Chebet Terry
Published: July 2024

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to explore mental health awareness and stigma in rural vs. urban communities.
Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to mental health awareness and stigma in rural vs. urban communities. Preliminary empirical review found significant differences in mental health perceptions and access to care between these areas. In rural communities, stigma was deeply ingrained, leading to reluctance in seeking help, exacerbated by limited access to services. Urban residents, while having better access to mental health resources and higher awareness, faced different stressors such as social isolation and pollution, contributing to high rates of mental health disorders. The study recommended tailored interventions, such as telehealth for rural areas and addressing environmental factors in urban settings, to effectively combat stigma and improve mental health outcomes. that
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Cognitive Theory, Labeling Theory and Theory of Planned Behaviour may be used to anchor future studies on mental health awareness and stigma in rural vs. urban communities. The study highlighted the need to refine theoretical models to account for geographical and cultural variables. It emphasized the importance of tailoring mental health interventions to the unique challenges of rural and urban settings, suggesting practical solutions like telehealth and community-based support groups. Policymakers were urged to prioritize funding and public education campaigns to reduce stigma and improve service accessibility. The study recommended integrating these findings into existing theoretical frameworks and called for future longitudinal and comparative research to further explore the relationship between community type and mental health stigma.
Influence of Information Communication Technology on Child Education
Authors: Kimani James
Published: July 2024

Purpose: The potential benefits of ICT integration in learning in schools have been extensively discussed in the academic literature worldwide. In recent years globally, there has been rapid expansion in integration of ICT in primary school education. Countries has further put in place many initiatives to enhance the same. Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a critical factor in ensuring improved quality education. Despite the many benefits that are known to be brought by integrating ICT in teaching and learning, studies have shown that integration remains low especially in primary schools. The general objective of the study was to establish the influence of information communication technology on child education
Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
Findings: The study found out that the influence of ICTs in learning cannot be dealt with in isolation. For technology to be effective, it must be availed to learners at the right time and place. There is need to be effective, it must be availed to learner's proximity; that is in classrooms or supposed learning environment
Recommendations: The study recommends that leaders need to adopt transformative leadership to achieve organizational performance. Organization should embrace transformational leadership and sound policies that will strengthen their position as a fundamental sector in generating human capital for the country's developmental and economic needs as well as the development of training programs in leadership skills and competences in transformational leadership for the leaders of enterprises
Keywords:  Information communication technology, child education
Outcome of Awake Craniotomy at a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Hamza Ejaz  , Lal Rehman  , Muhammad Mujahid Sharif  , Aisha Adalat  , Shafiq-Ur-Rehman  , Kashif Ramooz
Published: July 2024

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of awake craniotomy, in terms of complications and linguistic consequences at a tertiary care Hospital.
Methodology: A prospective cohort study was done at department of Neurosurgery of PIMS Islamabad, from June 2023 to March 2023. Patients aged 18 years or above, both genders, diagnoses with brain tumors (both low and high-grade gliomas) and patients who already scheduled for Awake Craniotomy as per indications and Hospital protocols were included. Following surgery, all patients were moved to the intensive care unit for overnight assessment. During surgery, the operative time was recorded. Post-surgery, patients were monitored for neurological deficits, seizures, brain swelling, hospital stay and linguistic outcomes in terms of good, average and poor. All the relevant information was entered and analyzed via SPSS version 26.
Results: Overall average age of the patients was 47.17+5.11 years, and their mean BMI was 29.12+2.96 kg/m2. Males were 16(40.0%) and females were 24 (60.0%). None of the patients found with neurological deficits or seizures, while brain swelling was observed in 23 patients (57.5%). Linguistic outcomes were uniformly positive, with all 40 patients (100%) reporting good outcomes. Mean operative time was 5.06 ± 0.80 hours, the mean Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 13.35 ± 1.20, and the average hospital stay was 6.32+1.84 days. Furthermore the brain swelling was statistically significant according to gender and operative time (p->0.05), while it was significantly high among patients with Grade II (Oligodendrogliomas) and with grade IV as pert he WHO grading (p-0.024).
Conclusion:  The awake craniotomy observed to be a reliable and easily tolerated method for brain tumor removal. Individuals who underwent this treatment reported no substantial neurological abnormalities or seizures, and almost all of the cases showed good linguistic outcomes.
A comparative analysis of specific English language proficiency in mediation skills in instructed and non-instructed medical students
Authors: Pálinkás Magdolna , Sirokmány Viktória , Gyenes Gábor , Gátos Attila , Fogarasi Katalin
Published: July 2024

In 2019, a compulsory English for Specific Purposes (ESP) language examination was introduced for medical students at Semmelweis University, Budapest, with optional preparation courses. Both the examination and the optional preparation courses were adapted from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR ) guidelines to help medical students become independent users of English in clinical practice. After consulting clinicians, we chose clinical handover as a written mediation task, the latter also serving as a basis for this paper, in which we present a comparative analysis of students’ language proficiency. While preparing students for handover, we identified lexico-grammatical units in authentic English-language clinical teaching scenarios in material developed in cooperation with a clinician, using the SBAR system. Solutions of the written mediation tasks by 66 examinees (divided into two groups: instructed and non-instructed group) were digitalized and analyzed using the Sketch Engine software. After investigating the most frequently used language patterns and the percentage of their correct use, we found a significant difference between the two groups. In the instructed group, 80.14% of the patterns included in the course material were used correctly. In the non-instructed group, a higher ratio of non-instructed students either used none of the identified patterns or used them incorrectly. We concluded that self-study ESP material should be made available for students, even at high levels of general English, who are unable to attend the courses.
Effect of Stray and High Voltage Exposure on Livestock: An Overview
Authors: Parmar S T , Patel N B , Rani V D , Rao TKS
Published: July 2024

Electricity is essential to dairy farming and  electrically powered machines are used for milking,  automatic feed dispensers and heated water bowls.  Leakage of current from these equipments, high  voltage lines or faulty connections between the  electrical circuit and the earth can lead to an  undesirable electrical phenomenon called stray  voltage. Stray voltage is a small voltage (<10V) that  can be measured between two possible contact  points. Cows can sense voltages at approximately  one-tenth of a human being. Humans have  inherently higher body resistance than cows and  generally have shoes or boots while working in  barns, which further increases resistance.  Consequently, humans do not feel what animals  feel. Stray voltages less than 0.5 volts are  considered normal. Stray voltages vary, depending  on the circuits used and the amount of moisture in  the soil around the grounding rod. Impact of stray  currents on livestock at current 1 - 3 mA: At current  4 - 6 mA: common behavioral response such as  flinching or delaying drinking water. At current > 6  mA (up to 10): Feed intake is reduced, resulting in  lower meat and milk production. Common  symptoms of stray voltage in cows include  hesitation to enter the parlor, they may stampede or  rush out of the parlor when released, cows dance  or step around constantly while in the milking parlor,  Normal milk letdown is interrupted, Increased  milking time, Udder irritation caused by residual  milk and increased somatic cell count which  increases the incidence of mastitis.
A Study on the Effect of Housing on Physiological Responses of Nellore Lambs Kasala
Authors: Teja Vishnu , Sreedhar S , Chakravarthi M Kalyana
Published: July 2024

A study was carried out to find out the effect  of housing on physiological responses of Nellore  Jodipi lambs under tropical environmental  conditions. Thirty weaned Nellore ram lambs of 3-4  months age were selected based on body weight  (average initial body weight) and randomly divided  into three groups of ten animals each. The lambs in  Group-I were housed with morum flooring and  asbestos roofing with tree shade, while Group-II  lambs were housed with morum flooring and  asbestos roofing without tree shade and Group-III  lambs were housed with elevated slatted flooring  and galvalume roofing without tree shade.  Temperature and humidity values were significantly  (P<0.05) different among all the groups. Lower  mean maximum temperature (°C) values were  observed in group III (35.53±0.28) when compared  to group I (36.22±0.27) and II (37.29±0.25) and the  lower average maximum relative humidity (%) was  69.59±2.92 in group III followed by group II  (69.88±2.94) and I (70.65±2.96). The mean  physiological responses viz., rectal temperature,  respiration rate and pulse rate were significantly  (P<0.05) lower in group III (102.38±1.00°F,  26.25±1.00bpm, 69.07±1.00beats/min.) when  compared to group I (102.60±1.00°F,  31.60±1.00bpm, 82.10±1.00beats/min.) and II  (102.85±1.00°F, 33.56±1.00bpm,  87.08±1.00beats/min.), respectively. It was  concluded that the housing system of elevated  slatted flooring with galvalume roofing proved to be  effective in controlling heat stress and maintaining  normal physiological responses for better growth  performance of Nellore ram lambs.
Health Care Practices of Jaffarabadi Buffalo Farmers in Rural Areas of Junagadh District of Gujarat, India
Authors: Dodiya V A , Sabapara G  P , Garg D  D , Odedra M D , Ahlawat A  R , Kasondra S M
Published: July 2024

A field study was conducted in Junagadh  district of Gujarat to ascertain the health care  practices followed by Jaffarabadi buffalo owners  and data were collected from randomly selected  320 respondents through personal interview with  the help of structured interview schedule. The  present study revealed that about 63.12 and 17.50  percent of the respondents regularly vaccinated  their buffaloes against Foot and Mouth Disease and  Haemorrhagic Septicaemia disease, respectively.  None of the respondents vaccinated and tested  their buffaloes against brucellosis. Only 18.13  percent of the respondents practiced deworming to  their buffaloes at regular interval and followed  various practices (spraying, dusting and injectable drugs) for control of ecto–parasites (81.56%) and  cleaned animal sheds (76.57%). Only 22.82  percent of the respondents informed that they  treated their sick buffaloes by veterinarian. All the  respondents washed hind quarters of buffalo after  drop of placenta. Most (83.75%) of the respondents  kept diseased animals together with healthy ones  and majority (70.94%) of the respondents removed  the dung twice in a day from animal sheds.
A Study on the Effect of Housing on Serum Biochemical Parameters of Nellore Lambs
Authors: Teja Kasala Vishnu , Sreedhar S , Chakravarthi M Kalyana , Ravi A , Raju G Ganga
Published: July 2024

A study was carried out to find out the effect  of housing on serum biochemical parameters of  Nellore Jodipi lambs under tropical environmental  conditions. Thirty weaned Nellore ram lambs of 3-4  months age were selected based on body weight  and randomly divided into three groups of ten  animals each. Temperature and humidity values  were significantly (P<0.05) different among all the  groups. The mean serum biochemical parameters  like creatinine, urea, sodium, potassium, calcium,  ALT and AST were significantly (P<0.05) higher in  group II (1.75±1.00 mg/dl, 21.23±1.00 mg/dl,  150.16±1.00 mmol/L, 4.76±0.22 mmol/L,  12.87±1.00 mg/dl, 243.38±1.00 IU/L, 32.03±1.00I  U/L) when compared to group I (1.36±1.00 mg/dl,  13.71±1.00 mg/dl, 144.95±1.0 mmol/L, 4.55±0.22  mmol/L, 12.06±1.00 mg/dl, 171.77±1.00 IU/L,  26.93±1.00 IU/L) and group III (1.32±1.00 mg/dl,  8.96±1.00 mg/dl, 141.77±1.00 mmol/L, 3.99±1.00  mmol/L, 11.27±1.00 mg/dl, 124.53±1.00 IU/L,  23.88±1.00 IU/L) respectively, whereas, other  parameters like glucose was significantly (P<0.05)  lower in group II (39.07±1.00 mg/dl) when  compared to group I (55.41±1.00 mg/dl) and III  (75.26±1.00 mg/dl). It was concluded that the  housing system of elevated slatted flooring with  galvalume roofing proved to be effective in  controlling heat stress and maintaining normal  serum biochemical parameters of Nellore ram  lambs.
Status of Pig Rearing Practices in the Urban Districts of Uttarakhand
Authors: Sahu Khusbu , Gupta Sandeep Kumar
Published: July 2024

Uttarakhand, a mountainous state located on  the southern slope of the Himalayas, relies heavily  on animal husbandry for its economy. However, the  piggery sector in the state is unorganized and  insufficient to meet the growing demand for pork.  Moreover, the increasing urbanization and  deforestation in the planar districts have blurred the  boundaries between wildlife, livestock and human  habitats. This study through a household survey  approach aims to determine the socio-economic  characteristics of the pig rearing community, the pig  husbandry practices they adopt and also assess the  ecological impacts of pig farming in urban districts  of Uttarakhand. 28 households were surveyed and  analysis of the result shows dismal socio-economic  condition of the pig rearing community.  Furthermore, 28.6% maintained breeding boar of  feral origin and 96.94% followed semi-intensive pig  rearing practices; hence human settlements have  stayed in close association with pigs (domestic and  wild) and other domestic animals. The possibility of  the emergence of zoonotic disease and its easy  transmission to humans has become more  prominent in the urban setting. The findings of this  study provide a preliminary picture of the current  status of pig husbandry practices and challenges  faced by piggery sector and government can take  into account these crucial insights for a holistic  piggery development program in the state.
Management Interventions to Reduce Incidence of Diarrhoea in Piglets during Pre Weaning Period
Authors: Sarkar Sukanya , Rahaman Iftekar , Bera Santanu , Naskar Syamal , Ghosh Nilotpal
Published: July 2024

A study was carried out at an organized pig  farm in Kalyani, West Bengal, to assess  effectiveness of management practices like teat  dipping and floor mopping on reduction of bacterial  load and diarrhoeal incidence during pre-weaning  period in piglets. Twenty lactating sows of  Ghoongroo breed along with their newborn piglets  (146 nos.) during pre-weaning period were studied.  In group 1 (control) floor of each farrowing pen was  washed with normal water. In group 2, additionally  teats of each sow were treated with 10% povidone  iodine dip. In group 3 floor of each farrowing pen  was washed with normal water followed by mopping  with 0.25% potassium permanganate. In group 4  both sow teat dipping and sty floor mopping with  disinfectant was done. It was observed that the  average bacterial load during the total pre-weaning  period of 8 weeks was 48.4x103± 5.3 x103 cfu/cm2 in control group, whereas the average bacterial load  was 34.0 x103±1.2X103 and 7.18 x102±0.10 x102 cfu/cm2 before and after teat dip application in group  2, and 32.5 x103±1.3 x103 cfu/cm2 and 6.98  x102±0.11 x102 cfu/cm2 in group 4, respectively,  indicating positive impact of teat dipping as well as  disinfectant floor mopping in reducing the bacterial  loads of sow teats. Regular teat dipping and sty  floor mopping can improve the body growth of  piglets, by reducing the occurrence of piglet  diarrhoea. Thus, the chances of economic losses  in pig production unit can be reduced.
Recreational therapy during a pandemic: Embracing telehealth
Authors: Piatt, PhD, CTRS Jennifer , Fecske, PhD, CTRS Courtney J. W. , Allsop, PhD, CTRS Jared , Kim, PhD, CTRS Junhyoung , Neimeyer, MS, CTRS Tyler
Published: July 2024

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world froze. Simultaneously, there has been a vast growth of online conferences and the increased need for telehealth. The entire nation has struggled with feelings of uncertainty and fear mixed with moments of positivity. At the same time, older adults and people of any age who have underlying health conditions are faced with information from local, national, and international news and health organizations that their lives were at risk. Then, new terms emerged and became part of our daily vocabulary. Stay home. Social distancing. Shelter in place. Essential items. Curbside pick-up. Pandemic. It appears that these words will become part of our everyday vocabulary, forever etched in history books, engrained in our hearts, and the mindset of generations to come.
Perceived outcomes of adaptive fitness participation for individuals with physical impairments: An examination of daily and competitive involvement
Authors: Torphy, MS, CTRS Heather , Townsend, PhD, CTRS, CARSS-I Jasmine , Hawkins, PhD, CTRS Brent
Published: July 2024

Physical activity is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle and can improve functioning for individuals with physical impairments. One way this is accomplished is through participation in adaptive fitness. This study explored perceived outcomes and experiences associated with daily and competitive involvement in adaptive fitness by individuals with physical disabilities. Individuals were recruited from the 2015 Working Wounded Games (WWGs). Semistructured interviews were conducted with ten participants. Using directed content analysis, six themes emerged, including four themes from daily involvement and two themes from competitive involvement. Results support adaptive fitness as a unique opportunity for individuals with disabilities to engage in a healthy lifestyle by improving their physical, emotional, and social health with increased community involvement. Implications for recreational therapist (RT) practice are discussed.
Friendships between therapeutic recreation specialists/recreational therapists and service recipients
Authors: Wise, PhD, CTRS James B.
Published: July 2024

Sylvester concluded a virtue-based conceptualization of therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy (TR/RT) by identifying moral habits deemed crucial to excelling as professionals. One of the virtues is forming friendships with people receiving TR/RT services. Though intriguing, Sylvester’s conclusion has not garnered much interest from TR/RT scholars so the purpose of this paper is to generate greater awareness of and engagement with the topic. The goal is achieved by connecting the topic to a theoretical framework utilized in the profession, reviewing a historical discourse on friendship, and supplementing that account with contemporary findings. This paper concludes by listing some potential benefits of and impediments to developing friendships, and briefly discussing how professionals can foster friendly, therapeutic environments when friendships are inappropriate or impossible to form.
The social benefits of nature-based recreation for veterans: A scoping review
Authors: Tysor, PhD, TRS, CTRS Deborah A. , Isaacs, MS, TRS, CTRS Lauren Lee , Bricker, PhD Kelly
Published: July 2024

Veterans reintegrating into civilian life following military service often face a variety of social and psychological challenges that impact daily functioning and quality of life. Unfortunately, the social stigma associated with receiving supportive health services prevents many veterans from receiving assistance through traditional means. Others decline assistance out of a well-intentioned concern that using supportive resources will prevent other people with a greater need from receiving support. Also, researchers have found that the quality of a veteran’s social context, particularly regarding their perceptions of social support, are highly predictive of psychological wellbeing, including decreased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and decreased risk of suicide. Ultimately, the pervasive nature of psychological and social challenges among returning veterans, combined with the barriers to quality care and critical importance of social support reinforces the need for nontraditional ways of enhancing social support among the veteran community. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review is to explore the potential social benefits of nature-based recreation (NBR) for veterans. Findings will be used to support the belief that recreation therapists have the potential to address the social needs of veterans by providing a variety of nature-based recreational therapy (RT) services.
Effects of recreational therapy and speech therapy among participants with Parkinson disease and Parkinson plus conditions: Findings from a 16-week multidisciplinary program
Authors: Bateman, PhD, CTRS/L, EP-C Michelle , Parveen, PhD, CCC-SLP Sabiha , Brickell, BS Brandt , Romoser, BS, CTRS/L Chad , Passmore, EdD, CTRS/L Tim
Published: July 2024

Idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) affects multiple aspects of a person’s daily functioning. The current study examined the effects of a multidisciplinary intervention program, including recreational therapy (RT) and speech therapy, among individuals with IPD or PD plus conditions over 16 weeks. The study included six participants with IPD and a participant with progressive supranuclear palsy (PD plus condition). Participants with IPD attended a weekly LOUD Crowd® program consisting of different speech and cognitive activities. In addition, all seven participants attended an RT intervention focusing on fall prevention education and implementing balance, strength, and endurance routines. Results indicated improvements in dynamic balance, reduced fall risk, cognition, swallowing, and voice-related outcomes. In conclusion, a multidisciplinary intervention program is beneficial for individuals with PD or PD plus conditions.
Undervalued–older inmates within the prison system: A call for research
Authors: Wilson, BA Carlie E. , Sardina, PhD, LRT/CTRS Angie L.
Published: July 2024

The quality and quantity of recreation and leisure services provided for older inmates has been extensively overlooked within the correctional system. This is despite the fact that there has been a sharp increase in older inmate populations since 1981. Recreation and leisure programs are typically designed for youthful, able-bodied, inmates. However, for older incarcerated individuals (ages 50+), programs may not be inclusive to specific needs and interest as they seek to experience positive physical, psychosocial, and behavioral changes. The purposes of this paper are to provide an overview of aging and health, recreation and leisure, and current issues regarding age-friendly recreation and leisure for older adults in the correctional system. This paper will propose future directions for research in the field of recreational therapy.
Volume 21, Number 3
Authors: Recreation Therapy American Journal of
Published: July 2024

Summer 2022
A preliminary feasibility study of a virtual mentally stimulating activities program for older adults
Authors: Weaver, MS Caylee , Sardina, PhD Angie L. , Newsham, PhD Tina M. K. , Fugate-Whitlock, PhD Elizabeth
Published: July 2024

Objectives: To examine preliminary feasibility of a virtually mentally stimulating activities (VMSA) program for community-dwelling older adults (aim 1) and the impact of VMSA on loneliness, depressive symptoms, and satisfaction with life (aim 2).Design: This was designed as a pre-experimental case study.Setting: Virtual for community-dwelling participants.Participants: Four older adults, age range from 67 to 79 (mean age = 72, SD = 4.6) who resided in the community and were active in a local senior resource center, were included in this study.Intervention: A 4-week (eight sessions at 60 minutes/session) VMSA program as transformed from the in-person, evidence-based, Mentally Stimulating Activities Recreation Therapy program.Main outcome measures: Preliminary feasibility, eg, acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality, of the VMSA program was explored (aim 1). The efficacy of the VMSA program on loneliness (University of California, Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire—9-Item), and satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Domains of Life Scale) was also explored (aim 2).Results: Regarding aim 1, 97 percent of participants attended eight sessions (only one participant missed one session). All participants (100 percent) rated the program quality as “Excellent” (scoring 10/10), and 100 percent of participants recorded satisfaction as a 10/10. Most (75 percent) of the participants noted that the program was “somewhat” challenging, and 100 percent reported that the program met expectations. For aim 2, positive mean change across all participants was observed in loneliness and satisfaction with life scores; however, there was no change in depressive symptom scores across the eight sessions.Conclusion: Findings from this preliminary feasibility and efficacy study show the potential viability of a VMSA program for community-dwelling older adults. Additional research within this area has the potential to provide recreation therapy professionals with a virtual program that promotes psychosocial health in older adults. Additional research, particularly with larger sample sizes, is needed to further examine feasibility and efficacy of such programming.
Volume 21, Number 4
Authors: Recreation Therapy American Journal of
Published: July 2024

-
An egocentric social network analysis of individuals with spinal cord injuries attending a medical specialty camp
Authors: Cushway Kamryn C. , Dawson Shay
Published: July 2024

Social connectedness may be a barrier for people with disabilities and can vary based on diagnosis. People with traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) pose a unique perspective to this concept as they have, at one point, lived as an individual without a disability. This study examined individuals with a range of duration and severity of injury, evaluating how attendance at a disability-specific summer camp may affect participants’ social networks. This study applied an egocentric social network analysis to better understand the alters these individuals go to for important matters in their lives. Through the completion of an adapted version of the Health and Important Matters Social Network Battery, the responses of 14 research subjects were recorded and analyzed. This study found that many of the participant’s social networks consisted of friends and family with whom they had built friendships with prior to their injury. This finding was contrary to previous research findings, indicating that it would be likely that networks would consist of multiple individuals from the medical specialty camp. The findings serve as a guide to help better understand the diverse social networks of people with traumatic SCIs with implications to recreational therapy practice.
Development of an evidence-based telehealth curriculum to increase happiness for older adults in long-term care: A therapeutic recreation concept design
Authors: Doughty Alyssa , Taylor Jenn , Eldridge Lori Ann
Published: July 2024

Older adults are at higher risk for isolation, loneliness, and depression. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) Happiness Project: Evidence-Based Curriculum for Older Adults is designed to empower older adults in long-term care to increase happiness in their everyday lives. This curriculum is designed to implement a virtual, intergenerational service-learning in long-term care facilities to provide students applied experience working with older adults. The UWL Happiness Project is a 10-week, evidence-based curriculum grounded in positive psychology and utilizes the PERMA Model, a theory of well-being. It consists of ten 30-minute telehealth meetings with a university student (using a 1:1 format) enrolled in a therapeutic recreation (TR) elective course focusing on older adults. Sessions include a focus area each week related to increasing resident’s overall happiness. Scaffolding is used to build residents’ knowledge about happiness and encourage continuous implementation of the skills learned during as well as after the curriculum is finished, ultimately working toward the resident putting the information and happiness strategies into practice independently. All session protocols, theoretical foundation, and assessments can be found in the curriculum fidelity manual that is available open access on the UWL TR webpage.
Forecasters, emergency managers, and residents: Building better risk communication
Authors: Wallace Zebulon C.
Published: July 2024

The US National Weather Service (NWS) and emergency managers (EMs) around the country are tasked with communicating severe weather information to the public. Frequent interaction between professionals and residents is essential to building effective partnerships. This paper investigates these interactions and also explores the perspectives of NWS forecasters, EMs, and rural residents related to the efficacy of warning communication, message understanding, preferred platforms, and engagement in protective actions. Data for this study were collected through three original survey instruments that were directed to NWS forecasters and EMs across the country, and residents in four rural communities. Findings reveal that residents generally understand warning messages and generally feel tornado risk communication is effective in their communities. However, residents do not appear to have a plan of action formulated prior to a warning and are, therefore, making, rather than implementing, a plan when warning is issued. This study gives rural residents a voice in the warning communication process and a chance for forecasters and EMs to gain valuable information as they better plan to serve these communities.