bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential expression of DENN domain-containing 2A in human epithelial ovarian cancer.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: August 2021

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic cancer (1). We performed discovery of genes associated with epithelial ovarian cancer and of the high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) subtype, using published microarray data (2, 3) to compare global gene expression profiles of normal ovary or fallopian tube with that of primary tumors from women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer or HGSC. We identified the gene encoding DENN domain-containing 2A, DENND2A, as among the genes whose expression was most different in epithelial ovarian cancer as compared to the normal fallopian tube. DENND2A expression was significantly lower in high-grade serous ovarian tumors relative to normal fallopian tube. DENND2A expression correlated with progression-free survival in patients with ovarian cancer. These data indicate that expression of DENND2A is perturbed in epithelial ovarian cancers broadly and in ovarian cancers of the HGSC subtype. DENND2A may be relevant to pathways underlying ovarian cancer initiation (transformation) or progression.
Making sense of law: Critical reflection on neuroscience, socialization and self
Authors: Sinha Chetan
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe development of sociotechnical codes by the legal system acts as a marker of good citizens and development of self where social norms matter. In most cases, despite cultural differences, socialization plays an important role in making sense of law. The question is, 'how does law come to mind and what is the role of brain? This question will be dealt keeping the debate on brain determinism and free will critically at the forefront.
Aktivitas Pemberian Kredit Pada Bank Nagari Cabang Painan
Authors: Putri Roza Islami , Widayati Ratna
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this study was to find out how to provide credit at Bank Nagari Cabang Painan. The research method of data collection uses two methods, namely library research and field research. The results of this study are the implementation of lending at Bank Nagari Cabang Painan in accordance with established procedures, starting from credit applications, credit analysis, recommendations, credit decisions, signing credit contracts, credit realization and credit supervision. The development of credit at the Bank Nagari Cabang Painan has increased every year this is due to the excellent financial performance of the Bank Nagari Cabang Painan.
Parent-reported oral health and dental care experiences in children on the autism spectrum: Associations with clinical phenotypes
Authors: Alvares Gail A , Mekertichian Kareen , Rose Felicity , Vidler Sally , Whitehouse Andrew
Published: August 2021

Background: Children on the autism spectrum may be at higher likelihood of poorer oral health or experience difficulties with dental health care. However, which children may be more vulnerable is still unknown. Aim: To investigate parental reports of oral health and dental service needs of children diagnosed with autism and explore relationships with clinical phenotypes. Design: Participants (n=140) were parents of children on the spectrum who had participated in a large biobank, the Australian Autism Biobank, and completed additional surveys about oral health, service use, and barriers to care. Results: One third of parents reported their child’s oral health was worse than other children the same age, with 26% reporting untreated dental problems. A third of children had undergone general anaesthesia at least once for dental procedures. Children who had undergone general anaesthesia were more likely to have intellectual impairments and greater functional difficulties. Parents of children with greater functional limitations and sensory challenges reported experiencing barriers to accessing dental care more frequently. Conclusions: These results have important implications for paediatric dentists working with children on the spectrum with co-occurring intellectual, functional, and sensory challenges. Findings may inform the development of more personalised supports for individuals on the autism spectrum.
Quantifying talker variability in North-American infant's daily input
Authors: Bulgarelli Federica , Mielke Jeff , Bergelson Elika
Published: August 2021

Words sound slightly different each time they are said, both by the same talker and across talkers. Rather than hurting learning, lab studies suggest that talker variability helps infants learn similar sounding words. However, very little is known about how much variability infants hear within a single talker or across talkers in naturalistic input. Here, we quantified these types of talker variability for highly frequent words spoken to 44 infants, from naturalistic recordings sampled longitudinally over a year of life (from 6-17 months). We used non-contrastive acoustic measurements (e.g. mean pitch, duration, harmonics-to-noise ratio) and holistic measures of sound similarity (normalized acoustic distance) to quantify acoustic variability. We find three key results. First, pitch-based variability was generally lower for infants' top talker than across their other talkers, but overall acoustic distance is higher for tokens from the top talker versus the others. Second, the amount of acoustic variability infants heard could not be predicted from, and thus was not redundant with, other properties of the input such as number of talkers or tokens, or proportion of speech from particular sources (e.g. women, children, electronics). Finally, we find that patterns of pitch-based acoustic variability heard in naturalistic input were similar to those found with in-lab stimuli that facilitated word learning. This large-scale quantification of talker variability in infants' everyday input sets the stage for linking naturally-occurring variability ‘in the wild’ to early word learning.
Development of the Japanese Version of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Dictionary 2015 (J-LIWC2015)
Authors: Igarashi Tasuku , Okuda Shimpei , Sasahara Kazutoshi
Published: August 2021

The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Dictionary 2015 (LIWC2015) is a standard text analysis dictionary that quantifies the linguistic and psychometric properties of English words. A Japanese version of the LIWC2015 dictionary (J-LIWC2015) has been expected in the fields of natural language processing and cross-cultural research. This study aims to create the J-LIWC2015 through systematic investigations of the original dictionary and Japanese corpora. The entire LIWC2015 dictionary was initially subjected to human and machine translation into Japanese. After verifying the frequency of use of the words in large corpora, frequent words and phrases that are unique to Japanese were added to the dictionary, followed by recategorization by psychologists. The updated dictionary indicated good internal consistency, semantic equivalence with the original LIWC2015 dictionary, and good construct validity in each category. The evidence suggests that the J-LIWC2015 dictionary is a powerful research tool in computational social science to scrutinize the psychological processes behind Japanese texts and promote standardized cross-cultural investigations in combination with LIWC dictionaries in different languages.
Constructing The Facets of Altruistic Behavior (FAB) Scale
Authors: Windmann Sabine , Binder Lucie , Schultze Martin
Published: August 2021

Behavior is effectively altruistic to the degree that it is costly for the actor while benefiting others. In a series of preregistered studies, we constructed a 15-item self-report scale assessing three different facets of altruistic behavioral traits: help-giving, moral courage, and peer punishment. Item selection was performed with the help of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) procedures as implemented in the stuart package for R. Confirmatory factor analysis of the three-factor measurement model showed excellent fit, outperforming classical item selection procedures. The scale was structure-validated in a second sample using a multiple group model that showed full measurement and structural invariance. A pilot study shows correlations of the subscales with economic game decisions. We discuss the scale structure and potential applications.
Humans perseverate on punishment avoidance goals in multigoal reinforcement learning
Authors: Sharp Paul B. , Russek Evan , Huys Quentin JM , Dolan Raymond J , Eldar Eran
Published: August 2021

Managing multiple goals is essential to adaptation, yet we are only beginning to understand computations by which we navigate the resource-demands entailed in so doing. Here, we sought to elucidate how humans balance reward seeking and punishment avoidance goals, and relate this to variation in its expression within anxious individuals. To do so, we developed a novel multigoal pursuit task that includes trial-specific instructed goals to either pursue reward (without risk of punishment) or avoid punishment (without the opportunity for reward). We constructed a computational model of multigoal pursuit to quantify the degree to which participants could disengage from the pursuit goals when instructed to, as well as devote less model-based resources towards goals that were less abundant. In general, participants (n=192) were less flexible in avoiding punishment than in pursuing reward. Thus, when instructed to pursue reward, participants often persisted in avoiding features that had previously been associated with punishment, even though at decision time these features were unambiguously benign. In a similar vein, participants showed no significant downregulation of avoidance when punishment avoidance goals were less abundant in the task. Importantly, we show preliminary evidence that individuals with chronic worry may have difficulty disengaging from punishment avoidance when instructed to seek reward. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that people avoid punishment less flexibly than they pursue reward. Future studies should test in larger samples whether a difficulty to disengage from punishment avoidance contributes to chronic worry.
Transition from Preschool to School: Children’s Pattern of Change in Morning Cortisol Concentrations
Authors: Leblond Maggy , Parent Sophie , Castellanos-Ryan Natalie , Lupien Sonia , Fraser William D. , Séguin Jean
Published: August 2021

Many studies show a general increase in stress hormones at the exposure to school entry, but inconsistencies among them due to small samples with varying methodologies and very few time-points, preclude robust conclusions. The current study aimed to describe the pattern of morning cortisol concentration in children across the transition from preschool to school by examining whether we could identify a response to the school entry, but also an anticipatory stress response (pre-entry) and a stress adaptation response (post-entry). We further tested the robustness of this pattern across several characteristics. Participants were 384 children recruited from two cohorts of the 3D pregnancy study, and followed across their transition from preschool to kindergarten. Children’s morning salivary cortisol samples were collected over five time-points: twice before school entry, once at school entry and twice after school entry (one sample per time-point). Although no anticipatory stress response was observed two weeks before school entry, latent growth curve models showed that most children’s morning cortisol concentrations increased during the first two weeks of school, and was not associated with any sociodemographic characteristics, supporting the hypothesis that school entry is a normative environmental stressor. In contrast, two months after school entry, some children showed stress adaptation whereas others showed a prolonged stress response to school entry. This between-children variance could not be explained by any specific sociodemographic characteristic. This study showed that the morning stress response rises at school entry and is sustained for at least two weeks in most children. However, the observed variability in the stress adaptation response remains to be elucidated and linked to functional correlates.
Twitter’s disputed tags may be ineffective at reducing belief in fake news and only reduce intentions to share fake news among Democrats and Independents
Authors: Lees Jeffrey Martin , McCarter Abigail , Sarno Dawn
Published: August 2021

Throughout the 2020 US elections, one of Twitter’s defenses against misinformation was its “This claim has been disputed” tags. The utility of such tags, however, remains unclear. A survey-based experiment, meant to simulate the Twitter environment, with a convenience sample of 318 US participants found that while disputed tags reduced the sharing of misinformation among Democrats and Independents, they had no effect on the sharing habits of Republicans and did not reduce belief in fake news for any group. We also found that higher scores on the Cognitive Reflection Test (a measure of analytical rather than intuitive thinking) correlated with lower belief in fake news, but had no relationship with sharing habits. Further, conservatism positively correlated with belief in and sharing intentions for tagged false headlines, but not untagged false headlines or true headlines. Our results suggest that the tags employed by Twitter to combat the spread of fake news may have been ineffective at reducing belief in fake news, and may only have attenuated fake news sharing among Democrats and Independents.
Educated in conspiracies? Specific (non) conspiracy beliefs and rationality as predictors of future teachers’ generic conspiracy beliefs and meta-beliefs across three countries
Authors: Gkinopoulos Theofilos , Pantazi Myrto , Delouvée Sylvain
Published: August 2021

A few studies have examined endorsement of conspiracy beliefs in cohorts of future teachers. We aimed to compare endorsement of conspiracy beliefs in future teachers, as well as the teachers’ beliefs about their students’ conspiracy beliefs in three countries. We recruited 1118 students in England, Greece and France, trained to become middle school teachers. We measured future-teachers’ generic and specific conspiracy beliefs, rationality/objectivity, beliefs in non-conspiracy explanations and their perceptions about the average student’s generic conspiracy beliefs. Differences per subject across countries and dependent measures were identified. Specific conspiracy beliefs, rationality/objectivity and official non-conspiracy explanations predicted teachers’ generic conspiracy beliefs. Teachers’ generic conspiracy beliefs, rationality/objectivity and specific conspiracy beliefs predicted teachers’ perceptions about the average student’s generic conspiracy beliefs. Discussion focuses on the role of teachers’ conspiracy beliefs in mapping out critical thinking and teaching strategies for education improvement.
A Social Identity Theory of Information Access Regulation (SITIAR): Understanding the Psychology of Sharing and Withholding
Authors: Bingley William John , Greenaway Katharine Helen , Haslam S. Alexander
Published: August 2021

Secrecy, privacy, confidentiality, concealment, disclosure, and gossip all involve sharing and withholding access to information. However, existing theories do not account for the fundamental similarity between these concepts. Accordingly, it is unclear when sharing and withholding access to information will have positive or negative effects, and why these effects might occur. We argue that these problems can be addressed by conceptualizing these phenomena more broadly as different kinds of information access regulation. Furthermore, we outline a social identity theory of information access regulation (SITIAR), which proposes that information access regulation shapes shared social identity, explaining why people who have access to information feel a sense of togetherness with others who have the same access, and a sense of separation from those who do not. This theoretical framework unifies diverse findings across disparate literatures and generates a number of novel predictions about how information access regulation affects individuals and groups
When Knowledge is Blinding: The Dangers of Being Certain About the Future During Uncertain Societal Events
Authors: Olcaysoy Okten Irmak , Gollwitzer Anton , Oettingen Gabriele
Published: August 2021

Past research has independently examined the concepts of certainty and future thought. Here we combine these concepts by examining the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of certainty about the future during periods of societal uncertainty. Three studies (N = 1218) examined future certainty, defined as feeling certain about some future event or outcome, during two major societal events—the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. In Study 1, certainty about positive or negative futures of COVID-19 (e.g., the pandemic will end soon; the pandemic will never end) predicted poorer information processing—ignorance of medical experts, adherence to conspiratorial thinking, and lower objective knowledgeability about COVID-19. Building on these findings, in Study 2, future certainty predicted antisocial health behaviors, including failing to social distance. Study 3 extended these findings to the political domain—the 2020 Presidential Election. Future certainty that one’s preferred candidate would win the election predicted poor information processing and antisocial behaviors in terms of claiming that the election was rigged, endorsing violence if one’s candidate lost, and, among Trump supporters, identifying with Capitol insurrectionists. These findings introduce future certainty as a psychological phenomenon linked to intellectual blindness and antisocial behaviors during important periods of societal uncertainty.
Improving the Public's Perception of Autonomous Vehicles by Communicating the Consistency of Autonomous Vehicle Algorithms
Authors: Walker Heather , Walker Alexander C. , Muda Rafal , Turpin Martin Harry , Trick Lana M. , Fugelsang Jonathan Albert , Bialek Michal
Published: August 2021

Despite autonomous vehicles (AVs) being safer than human drivers, people are averse to their presence on roads. Across three studies (N = 4,014), we examined peoples’ perceptions of human drivers and AVs acting within a moral dilemma. Scenarios involved an out-of-control vehicle (piloted by a human, or autonomously) that could stay on its present course and hit five pedestrians, or swerve and hit a single stranger. Participants were given a description of the pilot’s final action and then judged them on several dimensions (e.g., blame, acceptability, predictability). We find evidence of AV aversion across all studies, with participants judging AVs more negatively (e.g., more blameworthy) than human drivers despite performing identical actions. Additionally, Studies 1 and 2 presented some participants with a statement outlining the consistency of AV algorithms, which increased perceived predictability and reduced AV aversion in some cases. In Study 3, some participants were given scenarios in which control of the vehicle was transferred prior to a pilot’s actions. Participants’ were averse to this transfer, as both AVs and human drivers were perceived as less predictable and judged more negatively after taking control of the vehicle. Overall, our findings highlight peoples’ aversion to autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, while also demonstrating that messages highlighting the consistency of AV algorithms have the potential to improve perceptions and thus reduce barriers for their eventual mass adoption.
Anhelos humanos como propuestas investigativas
Authors: Gonzalez Camila
Published: August 2021

El ser humano destaca por su particular condición de entre los demás animales conocidos. Como criatura pensante es la única, conocida, capaz de pensarse a sí misma y a su entorno, y aunque esta información resulta obvia dado la época en la que nos encontramos, eso no hace menos interesantes aquellos artículos que han surgido de dicha capacidad reflexiva. Esta investigación aborda temas variados que van desde el origen mismo de la existencia hasta el fin de esta, y en este caso seis artículos para abordar, en cuyo trasfondo es posible evidenciar cómo los primitivos anhelos humanos se abren paso a través de diversos campos de estudio y reflexión.
Chinese students’ study in the UK and employability: The views of Chinese employers, students and alumni, and UK teachers
Authors: Zhao Xin , Cox Andrew
Published: August 2021

While not the only motive for Chinese students to come to study in the UK, employability must be one key factor. Yet there is relatively little research on perceptions among students, employers and teachers of how studying in the UK impacts employment prospects. This paper seeks to compare the views of these stakeholders on what are the essential skills needed for employability and whether these match those gained through study abroad. The data used was from an online questionnaire. The data showed that while there seemed to be some agreement about what skills were valued for employability and about what was learned in studying in the UK yet there was quite a strong mismatch between the two. Free text responses to the survey confirmed from previous research that reverse culture shock and work experience issues were important barriers to employability. They also revealed some types of challenge not identified or given emphasis before such as a reverse language shock and a misalignment between the timing of recruitment rounds and study in the UK. The data also confirmed the relative weakness of career advice for international students.
The Protocol for Child Monitoring Kenya - Infant/Toddler (PCM-IT) version: Construction and validation of a multiple-domain child assessment for use in Early Childhood intervention Programmes
Authors: Kitsao-Wekulo Patricia , Holding Penny , Nanga Khadija , Mutisya Maurice , Okelo Kenneth , Ngware Moses W.
Published: August 2021

Introduction: The integration of an informative and inclusive monitoring, evaluation and learning process which requires appropriate tools and methods is crucial to the effective implementation of early childhood interventions. Most of the child development assessment tools that have been constructed for use in sub-Saharan Africa consider the need to be affordable and feasibly administered by those with limited previous experience. These tools include the Kilifi Developmental Inventory (KDI), the A-not-B task, the Developmental Milestones Checklist, and the Profile for Socio-Emotional Development (PSED) which each use different approaches such as direct child assessment, observation, and parental reports. Whereas these tools have demonstrated good psychometric properties, each of them focusses either on only one or two child developmental domains, does not adequately measure all aspects of the different domains that are theoretically affected by a risk factor or intervention, or is not in sufficient depth. We therefore constructed a tool that combined these separate measures into one assessment schedule – the Protocol for Child Monitoring – Infant/Toddler version (PCM-IT). We subjected the combined tool to a process of pilot testing and validation to establish its psychometric properties, the feasibility of administration and acceptability.Method: The framework of five aspirations (inclusive, informative, people-centered, dynamic and interactive) that guide effective intervention delivery mechanisms was used to structure the evaluation of the PCM-IT. The piloting of the administration of the PCM-IT was based on a proof-of-concept study with a multi-arm pre-post design in Kibera and Kangemi, while the validation study was carried out in Mathare. The three areas are informal settlements in Nairobi. The results of the pilot study informed the selection of items that were included in the validation study.Results: The timed items were too difficult for the children included in the study and were therefore excluded. Overall, the PCM-IT had excellent reliability levels. Children’s raw sub-scale and overall developmental scores were normally distributed. There were weak to moderate correlations across the different domains. Speed and fluency of administration of items among the assessment team improved with practice and familiarity. The tool was perceived as providing holistic information about a child’s performance. Conclusion: The aspirations of Measurement for Change including the need for a tool development and administration process to be inclusive, informative, people-centered, and dynamic were met to a large extent. The aspiration of being interactive would be better met through an exploration of the use of the tool to engage with families to strengthen the quality of their nurturing care practices.
Pengaruh Disiplin Kerja dan Pelatihan Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo
Authors: Institute Andi Djemma
Published: August 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui variabel pengaruh Disiplin kerja dan Pelatihan Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo. Hasil analisis data dengan menggunakan bantuan program statistik SPSS diperoleh persamaan regresi linear berganda sebagai berikut: Y= 6.246 + 0.756X1 + 0.066X2 + e, artinya apabila nilai variabel Disiplin Kerja dan Pelatihan nilainya sama dengan nol atau dalam keadaan Konstan, maka nilai varaiabel Kinerja Karyawan pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo sebesar 6.246. Jika nilai koefisien regresi untuk variabel Disiplin kerja sebesar 0.756, artinya bahwa apabila Disiplin Kerja ditingkatkan sebesar satu satuan maka akan mempengaruhi Kinerja Karyawan pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo dan jika nilai koefisien regresi untuk variabel pelatihan finansial sebesar 0.066, artinya bahwa apabila variabel pelatihan menurun sebesar satu satuan maka akan mempengaruhi Kinerja Karyawan pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo sebesar 0.066 satuan. Dari hasil analisis koefisien determinasi, diketahui bahwa nilai koefisien determinasi (R Square) sebesar 0.522. Hal ini berarti variabel Disiplin Kerja dan Pelatihan berpengaruh sebesar 52,2% terdapat peningkatan variabel Kinerja Karyawan pada PT.Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo sedangkan sisanya sebanyak 47,8% dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain yang tidak diteliti dalam penelitin ini. Hasil pengujian parsial untuk variabel Disiplin Kerja, nilai Thitung (4.266) > Ttabel (2.086) dan tingkat signifikansi sebesar 0.000 < 0.005, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa Disiplin Kerja secara parsial berpengaruh signifikan terhadap Kinerja Karyawan pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo dan untuk variabel Pelatihan menunjukkan nilai Thitung (0.526) < Ttabel (2.086) Dan signikansi sebesar 0.675 > 0.005, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa Pelatihan secara parsial tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap Kinerja Karyawan pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo. Nilai Fhitung (10.916) > (3.49) dan signifikansi sebesar 0.001 < 0.05, maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa Disiplin Kerja dan Pelatihan secara simultan berpengaruh signifikan terhadap Kinerja Karyawa pada PT. Kumala Motor Sejahtera Kota Palopo.
Floristic Diversity in the Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley, Central Nepal
Authors: Pathak Hom Nath , Shrestha Bharat Babu , Bhuju Dinesh Raj , Bhandari Prabin
Published: August 2021

Wetlands support exceptionally high biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet they are among the most threatened habitats due to anthropogenic activities. Conservation and management planning of wetlands requires, among others, a comprehensive floristic account. In this study, we prepared a checklist of the flowering plants found in the wetlands of the Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley (LCPV), a Ramsar site of Nepal, located in a rapidly urbanizing capital city of Gandaki Province in Central Nepal. Voucher specimens were collected from the study sites through multiple visits during the monsoon (June-August) and autumn (September-November) seasons. Species were categorized based on their life forms (Raunkiaer’s classification) and native distribution range (native, naturalized, invasive). Ethno-botanical uses of the plant species were compiled from the published literature. We identified 230 plant species belonging to 70 families and 177 genera. Asteraceae (25 species), Poaceae (22 species), Fabaceae (18 species), Cyperaceae (16 species), and Lamiaceae (11 species) were species-rich families. Therophytes (30%) were the dominant life form followed by Hemicryptophytes (27%). Among 230 species, 183 species were native and 47 species naturalized; among the naturalized species, 21 species were invasive. Most of the plant species (61%) have medicinal values while others have food (24%) and fodder values (13%).
Inventory of Butterflies and Its Role to Promote Ecotourism in Northern Sindhupalchok District of Central Nepal
Authors: Khanal Bhaiya
Published: August 2021

Sindhupalchok is one of the largest districts of central Nepal with area occupancy of about 2542 km². The northern side of this district exhibits complex physical feature where this study was carried out within the elevation of 850m to 4300m. The changing elevation gradients along mountain habitats act to control the distribution of butterflies at its ascending range. This study made on different periods in 2009 and 2012 brought a list of 114 species of butterflies from three different destinations of the northern side that included areas like Melamchi, Timbu (central-northern), Helambu (northern) Nakote (north-western) Panch Pokhari and adjoining region (north-eastern). The diversity of butterflies declined gradually above 3500m towards Panch Pokhari whereas species richness was noticed high at 900-2700 m from Melamchi to Helambu route including Nakote, Shermathan and Tarkyghyang. Ecotourism promotional activity can also be linked to the butterfly watch that includes rare and attractive species carrying high interest to the visiting tourists to this region. These tourists intend to watch, document and photograph these butterflies besides birds and other wildlife species. The supplementary information on these insects including other faunal components can be helpful to provide impressive knowledge to the visiting tourists to this part.
Status of ant research and species first described from Nepal with new distribution records
Authors: Subedi Indra Prasad , Budha Prem Bahadur
Published: August 2021

Nepal occupies the Central part of the Himalayas and offers unique ecological and species diversity. Ants are amongst the most diverse and successful insects on the Earth. Study of Nepalese myrmeco-fauna has started only after 1906 and little is known about them except the availability of few published works only. This paper provides a brief overview of the status of ant research in Nepal, type localities, distribution records, diagnosis and etymology of ant species which are described for the first time from Nepalese specimens. All the type materials of these species are deposited in museums abroad and it seems essential to deposit voucher specimens in the country to excel taxonomic work on Nepalese fauna. Systematic surveys of ants and well-curetted ant depository will facilitate the discovery of more ant species from Nepal. We hope that this paper will stimulate local interest in the study of ants of Nepal.
Diversity of aphid pests on the crops in Kanchanpur district, Nepal
Authors: Bista Mahadev
Published: August 2021

A survey was conducted to explore the aphid pests’ diversity in Kanchanpur district, far-western, Nepal from April 2018 to March 2019. A total of 15 aphid pests were collected and identified, viz. Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Aphis craccivora (Koch), Aphis gossypii (Glover), Aphis fabae (Scopoli), Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, Brevicoryne brassicae (Linnaeus), Lipaphis erysmi (Kaltenbach), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus), Rhopalosiphum rufiadominale (Sasaki), Uroleucon compositae (Theobald), and the guava aphid. Exploration of aphid pests showed that they caused serious damages to agricultural crops by attacking different parts of plants.
A Study of Fungal Diseases Occurring on Stored Tomatoes of Balkhu Agriculture and Vegetable Market, Nepal
Authors: Shakya Bimala , Aryal Hari Prasad
Published: August 2021

Tomatoes are one of the most widely produced and consumed vegetable in Nepal. Fungal pathogens deteriorate the quality and quantity of tomato and cause health hazards to the consumers as well as economic loss to the traders. This study was carried out to identify some fungal diseases associated with post-harvest deterioration of stored tomato fruits in Balkhu Agriculture and vegetable Market of Kathmandu, Nepal. Collected samples were cultured in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media in complete randomized design. Fifteen species of fungi namely Alternaria alternata, A. solani, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Fulvum fulva, Colletotrichum truncatum, Curvularia spicifera, Fusarium oxysporum, Dipodascus geotrichum, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium chrysogenum, Phytophthora infestans, Boeremia exigua, Pythium aphanidermatum and Rhizopus stolonifer were identified. These were responsible for 14 different diseases of Alternaria fruit rot, Anthracnose, Black mold rot, Botrytis Bunch Rot, Damping off/ fruit rot, Drechslera mold, Fusarium rot, Mucor rot, Penicillum rot, Boeremia blight, Phytophthora rot, Rhizopus rot, Russet, and, Sour rot. The presence of these fungi and corresponding rot diseases on stored tomato indicates the need for management of fungi, farm sanitation and improved market in order to prevent field-to-storage transmission of pathogen.
English Language Teaching as a Career in Nepal: Social Motives and Drives
Authors: Pandey Gopal Prasad
Published: August 2021

Research on teacher motivation has developed and expanded since the beginning of the 21st the century and now there is a considerable increase in literature in the areas of teacher motivation research. A number of research studies have been conducted to gain insights into pre-service and in-service teachers’ reasons for choosing teaching as a career. This study aimed at exploring the social motives and drives that force individuals to opt English language teaching as a career. It also aimed at investigating perceived satisfaction level of the participants. Five teachers of English who have been teaching English at different levels of education in Nepal for twelve years now participated in this study. The narrative inquiry approach was adopted as a research design for this study. Interview was used as a method for data collection. The study revealed that social motives, beliefs and individual desires are integral for choosing English language teaching as a career in Nepal. The love for the subject, the social prestige the English teachers deserved and the passion for teaching are some of the dominant reasons regarding why individuals chose ELT as careers in Nepal. Another frequently highlighted reason for career choice among teachers was a desire to work with children and adolescents. They think that the career as an English teacher also provides them with the opportunity to make a social contribution. So, altruistic motivations are highlighted as one the important reasons for deciding to choose English teacher as a career in Nepal.
Impact of Economic Liberalization in Nepal - A Case of Industrial Growth in the Operating Industries in Butwal
Authors: Singh Bal Krishna Man , Paykuryal Bishwambher
Published: August 2021

The economic liberalization can contribute in the economic growth of a country. So, Nepal has been following the policy of economic liberalization since the mid-1980s which was accelerated with the start of 1990s. The study was conducted to identify the impact of economic liberalization on economic growth of industries running in the Butwal area of Nepal. The study had selected 385 respondents from industry, trade and banking sectors. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Statistical analysis was done to see the relationship between the respondents. The result shows that there was significant association between the respondents (industrialists, traders, and bankers) in effectiveness of economic liberalization because the p value was less than .05 significant levels. Some of the economic indicators were not changed significantly so future researcher can study on the challenges in effective implementation of economic liberalization in Nepal.
Knowledge of Oral Health Among the People of Rural Nepal (Cases from Lalitpur District)
Authors: Sakha Amit Kumar , Menariya S. L.
Published: August 2021

Good oral health is the condition of free of illnesses that empowers to perform ordinary capacities. It is accounted for that there is a cozy connection between oral illnesses and other foundational diseases like diabetes, digestive disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, adverse pregnancy outcomes, obesity, et al. So, it is important to maintain good oral health and one must have knowledge of oral health and how to maintain dental and oral hygiene. The main objective of this study is to identify the knowledge of oral health among 35 to 45-year people of Rural Nepal. the study had adopted the mixed design (method) – both quantitative and qualitative tools were used to collect the data. It was a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in four Rural Municipalities of Lalitpur district: Gotikhel, Chaughare, Malta and Bhardah. The data was collected from 369 respondents by using the structured survey questionnaire. The majority of people (68%) reported that they had heard of oral disease. Though, still, 32% had no knowledge of oral health. There was a significant association between the literate and illiterate on the basis of hearing about the oral disease because of p =.000 which is lesser than .05 significant level. Radio and Television were the main source of getting knowledge of oral health. All the household may not have equal access on the Radio and Television program so there was a need to organize the awareness campaign in rural society to aware the people.
Impacts of Covid-19 Lockdown in the Academic Life of Undergraduate Students: An Online Survey
Authors: Pandey Akash , Gurung Pooja
Published: August 2021

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown can be widely observed in all sectors of the nation including education. An online survey was conducted to identify the impacts brought by the nationwide lockdown in the academic life of undergraduate students currently studying at different bachelor's levels and the ones who have completed final exams after the ease of lockdown. Particularly, the study explored both the positive and negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown. A structural questionnaire link using ‘Google form’ was circulated using messenger and E-mail from 20 April to 27 April 2021. A total of 98 students, from Tribhuvan University (60), Kathmandu University (16), Pokhara University (11), and Purbhanchal University (11) participated in the survey. The study found that around 42.86% of the students' academic life was affected negatively whereas only 2.04% reported positively. The majority of students pointed to delay in examinations as the primary negative impact followed by difficulty in learning due to excessive use of the internet, disturbance in pass out the pattern, loss of job, and issues of dropout. On the positive side, students have experienced an improvement in reading habits, development in the skills of self-study, virtual learning, group work, and digital competencies.  Thus, the study concludes that students' academic life was impacted negatively than positively. Therefore, the study suggests universities, educational institutions, and relevant stakeholders come up with a concrete plan to respond to the impacts seen in the academic career of students unless the lockdown perpetuates other consequences.
PERSEPSI SISWA SMA SEDERAJAT KOTA PADANGSIDIMPUAN TENTANG UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH TAPANULI SELATAN
Authors: Gajah Nurhamidah , Siregar Yessi , Harahap Ummi Kalsum , Nasution Elsa Manora
Published: August 2021

Siswa SMA terutama yang berada pada tahap akhir, tentunya dihadapkan pada bermacam pilihan, apakah melanjutkan pendidikan atau bekerja. Bagi yang melanjutkan, akan dihadapkan dengan pertanyaan kampus mana, fakultas dan jurusan apa yang diambil. Tahun ajaran 2020/2021 tercatat sebanyak 5.131 orang siswa yang duduk di kelas XII di seluruh Sekolah Menengah Atas sederajat di kota Padangsidimpuan, sekolah negeri maupun swasta. Jumlah tersebut dengan rincian SMA sebanyak 2.669 siswa, SMK sebanyak 1.981 siswa dan MA sebanyak 481 siswa. Inilah yang menjadi potensi bagi peguruan tinggi baik Perguruan Tinggi Negeri (PTN) maupun Perguruan Tinggi Swasta (PTS) di kota Padangsidimpuan untuk dapat merekrut mereka. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui persepsi siswa SMA sederajat di kota Padangsidimpuan terhadap UM-Tapsel. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu survey dengan menggunakan instrumen angket. Hasil penelitian ini akan disajikan dalam bentuk kuantitatif. Hasil penelitian diketahui bahwa minat siswa SMA sederajat di kota Padangsidimpuan melanjutkan ke tingkat perguruan tinggi sangat besar. Dari 225 responden, hampir seluruhnya mengetahui UM-Tapsel yaitu 221 orang (90,2%), dan  63 orang (25,7%) tahu akreditasi UM-Tapsel, sebanyak 151 orang (61%) mnganggap UM-Tapsel baik/bagus dan secara keseluruhan persepsi siswa SMA sederajat di kota Padangsidimpuan terhadap UM-Tapsel adalah penilaian positif.Kata Kunci : Persepsi, Perguruan Tinggi, Siswa, UM-Tapsel
Ropivacaine as the drug of choice for regional anesthesia: why so?
Authors: Dmytriiev Dmytro , Lisak Yevhen
Published: August 2021

While writing the article, we analyzed all the studies related to ropivacaine for the first half of 2021, which were published in PubMed. Previous review articles on ropivacaine were also analyzed.

Purpose: collection and analysis of the latest research results on ropivacaine. Assessment of the place of ropivacaine in modern regional anesthesia.
RETRACTED: Intravenous versus perineural dexmedetomidine in prolongation of analgesia with regional anesthesia: a meta-analysis and systematic review
Authors: Feng Yan , Chang Pan , Chen Xiao-Bo , Yang Xiao-Lin , Zhang Yu-Jun , Zhang Wen-Sheng
Published: August 2021

This article has been retracted due to the copyright conflicts existing among the authors. Date: 20.08.22
Anesthetic management for Placenta Accreta
Authors: En-Din Kim , Nadyrkhanova N S , Tkachenko R A , Kulichkin Yu V , Nishanova F P , Mikirtichev K D , Dzhatdaev I I
Published: August 2021

Дослідження виконані у 82 вагітних і породіль при кесаревому розтині з приводу передлежання плаценти з вростанням на 37–38 тижні. Органозберігаюча операція була виконана за такою методикою: лапаротомія за Джоель Кохен, донний кесарів розтин з залишенням плаценти, перев’язка трьох пар магістральних маткових судин і внутрішніх клубових артерій з обох сторін (поетапна деваскуляризація матки) з подальшим видаленням стінки матки (метропластика) при вростанні плаценти. Операції виконані в умовах спінальної анестезії (Сан) 0,5 % гіпербаричним розчином бупівакаїну. Інфузійна програма будувалася відповідно до рекомендацій з обмежувальної інфузії. Преінфузію проводили збалансованим кристалоїдом Реосорбілакт (10–15 мл/кг) з подальшим введенням на етапах операції збалансованого кристалоїду і компонентів крові за необхідності. Оцінювали гемодинаміку, КОР та електроліти крові. Оцінку крововтрати проводили гравіметричним способом.

Дослідження показали, що Сан і Реосорбілакт у програмі малооб’ємної інфузійної терапії зберігають доставку кисню на фізіологічному рівні, стабілізують гемодинамічний профіль і КОР. При вростанні плаценти використання сучасних технологій в анестезіології реаніматології та акушерстві, з мультидисциплінарним підходом, дозволяють реалізувати органозберігаючу тактику у цієї категорії жінок
Use of hyaluronic acid preparations for treatment of osteoarthritis of major ligaments
Authors: Kalashnikov Oleksiy , Sulyma Oleksiy , Osadchuk Taras , Zayets Volodymyr , Nizalov Taras , Kozak Roman , Chernyak Pavlo
Published: August 2021

The authors of the article analyzed the experience of domestic and foreign experts in the effectiveness of the use of HA preparations in the treatment of osteoarthritis of major ligaments.

Background and Objective. To analyze the literature sources in order to determine the effectiveness of the use of HA preparations in the treatment of osteoarthritis of major ligaments.

Materials and methods. Articles in specialized scientific journals and collections, Internet resource.

Results. The analysis of literature sources determined the important role of HA preparations in the supplying and functioning of the articular cartilage. Researchers are inclined to believe that the ideal HA preparation should be as close as possible to the physiological HA of the synovial fluid of the joint. The developed domestic drug Arthro-Patch fully corresponds to these parameters.

Conclusions. The use of modern injectable HA preparations is advisable at stages 1–3 of OA. Anti-inflammatory effect of HA preparations makes it possible to reduce the dose and time of administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and, as a consequence, reduce the risk of developing many adverse side effects of NSAIDs. The high level of safety of HA preparations, the absence of serious side effects during their long-term use determine their widespread use in the clinical practice of modern orthopedists.
Pension support of police officers in Ukraine
Authors: Timchenko Liliya
Published: August 2021

The article is devoted to the analysis of the legislation of Ukraine and information sources on the pension provision of employees of the national police of Ukraine and other countries. The author notes that the pension provision of police officers and the population in general is very important in our country, that their proper provision is regulated by primary and secondary legislation, in particular articles of the Law of Ukraine "On National Police", the Law of Ukraine "On pensions of persons discharged services, and some other persons. " The level of the minimum subsistence level plays a key role in assigning pensions to Ukrainian police officers. It is from the size of this indicator, according to the law, that the minimum pension payments to these employees are determined. At the present stage, it is necessary to review the entire pension system of citizens and especially police officers. The author proposes changes to the pension legislation, which are designed to improve the social security of police officers.
Bankruptcy of the enterprise and its rehabilitation
Authors: Nahorna Olena
Published: August 2021

This paper highlights the essence and content of the bankruptcy process, as well as reorganization, as the main means of overcoming the crisis of the enterprise. An analysis of the regulatory framework governing this process. The main mistakes of the executive and legislative branches in building a strategy in case of a difficult situation of enterprises are outlined. A parallel was drawn between the system of effective measures taken in the West to prevent bankruptcy and weak measures of domestic legislation. The definition of the concept of remediation and the measures that must be present during its implementation are given. The main focus is on the lack of a specific strategy and procedure for the effective restoration of solvency and stability of economic entities, as well as possible ways to improve it.