bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mucocutaneous Manifestations Among HIV-Infected Patients in Madagascar: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)
Authors: Sendrasoa Fandresena Arilala , Falimiarintsoa Volatiana Mercia , Ramarozatovo Lala Soavina , Rapelanoro Rabenja Fahafahantsoa
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

More than 90% of HIV-infected patients present with at least one mucocutaneous manifestation during the course of their disease. Insufficient data are available regarding dermatologic findings among HIV-infected patients in Madagascar.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at evaluating the spectrum of mucocutaneous manifestations and their relationship with CD4 cell counts in HIV-infected patients in Madagascar.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study on HIV-positive patients attending the Department of Infectious Diseases in the University Hospital of Antananarivo in Madagascar was conducted from January 2013 to March 2020. HIV-positive patients older than 18 years and receiving antiretroviral therapy as well as those awaiting antiretroviral therapy commencement were included.

RESULTS

Among 328 patients enrolled in this study, 167 (51%) presented with at least one type of mucocutaneous lesion. Oral candidiasis was the most common presentation, followed by seborrheic dermatitis and Kaposi sarcoma. Decreases in CD4 cell counts were substantially correlated with oral candidiasis, syphilis, and condyloma acuminatum.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our findings, oral candidiasis, syphilis, and condyloma acuminatum may serve as clinical indicators for predicting the immune status of patients. As HIV infection progressed and immune function declined, an increase in cutaneous manifestations was observed.
Investigating Individuals’ Preferences in Determining the Functions of Smartphone Apps for Fighting Pandemics: Best-Worst Scaling Survey Study (Preprint)
Authors: Xu Richard Huan , Shi Lushaobo , Shi Zengping , Li Ting , Wang Dong
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Smartphone apps have been beneficial in controlling and preventing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a gap in research surrounding the importance of smartphone app functions from a user’s perspective. Although the insights and opinions of different stakeholders, such as policymakers and medical professionals, can influence the success of a public health policy, any strategy will face difficulty in achieving the expected effect if it is not based on a method that users can accept.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the importance of a hypothetical smartphone app’s functions for managing health during a pandemic based on the perspective of user preferences.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and web-based survey using the best-worst scaling (BWS) method was used to investigate the general population’s preferences for important smartphone app functions. Participants were recruited from a professional surveying company’s web-based surveying panel. The attributes of the BWS questionnaire were developed based on a robust process, including literature review, interviews, and expert discussion. A balanced incomplete block design was used to construct the choice task to ensure the effectiveness of the research design. Count analysis, conditional logit model analysis, and mixed logit analysis were used to estimate preference heterogeneity among respondents.

RESULTS

The responses of 2153 participants were eligible for analysis. Nearly 55% (1192/2153) were female, and the mean age was 31.4 years. Most participants (1765/2153, 81.9%) had completed tertiary or higher education, and approximately 70% (1523/2153) were urban residents. The 3 most vital functions according to their selection were “surveillance and monitoring of infected cases,” “quick self-screening,” and “early detection of infected cases.” The mixed logit regression model identified significant heterogeneity in preferences among respondents, and stratified analysis showed that some heterogeneities varied in respondents by demographics and COVID-19–related characteristics. Participants who preferred to use the app were more likely to assign a high weight to the preventive functions than those who did not prefer to use it. Conversely, participants who showed lower willingness to use the app tended to indicate a higher preference for supportive functions than those who preferred to use it.

CONCLUSIONS

This study ranks the importance of smartphone app features that provide health care services during a pandemic based on the general population’s preferences in China. It provides empirical evidence for decision-makers to develop eHealth policies and strategies that address future public health crises from a person-centered care perspective. Continued use of apps and smart investment in digital health can help improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of disease on individuals and communities.
Remote research burden of follow-up in longitudinal patient-reported outcomes (PROs) data collection: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study (Preprint)
Authors: Gong Ruoyan , Zhang Lijun , Su Xueyao , Lei Cheng , Yu Hongfan , Huang Yanyan , Zhang Jiayuan , Xu Wei , Pu Yang , Wei Xing , Yu Qingsong , Shi Qiuling
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal patient-reported outcomes studies require questionnaire assessments to be administered remotely multiple times, burdening research staff.

OBJECTIVE

To define and quantify the burden that researcher may experience during patient follow-up.

METHODS

Data were collected via interviews and a questionnaire. This study is an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study. Traditional content analysis was used for the qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation, and significance was tested using the chi-square test. Learning curves of healthcare staff regarding follow-up calls were generated using cumulative summation analysis.

RESULTS

We constructed a three-dimension conceptual framework for staff burden: (a) time-related burden, (b) technical-related burden, and (c) emotional-related burden. The quantitative analysis found that follow-up time was significantly correlated with staff experience, workload, and learning curve periods. There was a significant difference between the lost-to-follow-up rate of staff with and without follow-up experience with this program. Staff working on a daily assessment schedule had a higher lost-to-follow-up rate than those on a twice-a-week schedule. Additionally, inexperienced follow-up staff needed 113 calls to achieve stable follow-up time and quality, while experienced staff needed only 55 calls.

CONCLUSIONS

Researchers in longitudinal PROs projects suffer from a multidimensional burden during remote follow-up. Our results may help establish a proper PROs follow-up protocol to reduce the burden on research staff without sacrificing data quality.
Telemonitoring with Wearables for Sustainable Healthcare (Preprint)
Authors: Morcillo Serra César , Jiménez Fuertes Araceli , López Caicedo Efraín , García Fernández Luciano Leandro , Tomás Martínez José Francisco
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Recently, Pickard et al published a timely paper concluding that there is overwhelming evidence that virtual consulting can reduce health care carbon emissions, largely through reducing travel related to in-person appointments 1. Due to the incredibly important nature of this topic, it is crucial to appraise their paper to advance scientific discourse but also to highlight other ways in which telemedicine can be made more sustainable, such as the use of wearables, and above all smartwatches and mobile phones, especially when they are integrated into a telemonitoring platform, with a clinical advisory service that manages alerts via digital consultation.

OBJECTIVE

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METHODS

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RESULTS

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CONCLUSIONS

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CLINICALTRIAL

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Effective Infodemic Management: A Substantive Article of the Pandemic Accord (Preprint)
Authors: Taguchi Kazuho , Matsoso Precious , Driece Roland , da Silva Nunes Tovar , Soliman Ahmed , Tangcharoensathien Viroj
Published: August 2023

UNSTRUCTURED

Social media has proven to be valuable for disseminating public health information during pandemics. However, the circulation of misinformation through social media during public health emergencies, such as the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), Ebola, and COVID-19 pandemics, has seriously hampered effective responses, leading to negative consequences. Intentionally misleading and deceptive fake news aims to harm organizations and individuals. To effectively respond to misinformation, governments should strengthen the management of an “infodemic,” which involves monitoring the impact of infodemics through social listening, detecting signals of infodemic spread, mitigating the harmful effects of infodemics, and strengthening the resilience of individuals and communities. The global spread of misinformation requires multisectoral collaboration, such as researchers identifying leading sources of misinformation and superspreaders, media agencies identifying and debunking misinformation, technology platforms reducing the distribution of false or misleading posts and guiding users to health information from credible sources, and governments disseminating clear public health information in partnership with trusted messengers. Additionally, fact-checking has room for improvement through the use of automated checks. Collaboration between governments and fact-checking agencies should also be strengthened via effective and timely debunking mechanisms. Though the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) has yet to define the term “infodemic,” Article 18 of the INB Bureau’s text, developed for the Pandemic Accord, encompasses a range of actions aimed at enhancing infodemic management. The INB Bureau continues to facilitate evidence-informed discussion for an implementable article on infodemic management.
How a National Organization Works in Partnership With People Who Have Lived Experience in Mental Health Improvement Programs: Protocol for an Exploratory Case Study (Preprint)
Authors: Robertson Ciara , Hibberd Carina , Shepherd Ashley , Johnston Gordon
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

This is a research proposal for a case study to explore how a national organization works in partnership with people with lived experience in national mental health improvement programs. Quality improvement is considered a key solution to addressing challenges within health care, and in Scotland, there are significant efforts to use quality improvement as a means of improving health and social care delivery. In 2016, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) established the improvement hub, whose purpose is to lead national improvement programs that use a range of approaches to support teams and services. Working in partnership with people with lived experience is recognized as a key component of such improvement work. There is, however, little understanding of how this is manifested in practice in national organizations. To address gaps in evidence and strengthen a consistent approach, a greater understanding is required to improve partnership working.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to better understand how a national organization works in partnership with people who have lived experience with improvement programs in mental health services, exploring people’s experiences of partnership working in a national organization. An exploratory case study approach will be used to address the research questions in relation to the Personality Disorder (PD) Improvement Programme: (1) How is partnership working described in the PD Improvement Programme? (2) How is partnership working manifested in practice in the PD Improvement Programme? and (3) What factors influence partnership working in the PD Improvement Programme?

METHODS

An exploratory case study approach will be used in relation to the PD Improvement Programme, led by HIS. This research will explore how partnership working with people with lived experience is described and manifested in practice, outlining factors influencing partnership working. Data will be gathered from various qualitative sources, and analysis will deepen an understanding of partnership working.

RESULTS

This study is part of a clinical doctorate program at the University of Stirling and is unfunded. Data collection was completed in October 2023; analysis is expected to be completed and results will be published in January 2025.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will produce new knowledge on ways of working with people with lived experience and will have practical implications for all improvement-focused interventions. Although the main focus of the study is on national improvement programs, it is anticipated that this study will contribute to the understanding of how all national public service organizations work in partnership with people with lived experience of mental health care.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/51779
Comparing Online Crowdsourcing with Clinic Patient Enrollment: Findings from the IP4IC Study on Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (Preprint)
Authors: Janicki Joseph , Ward Elijah , Bartolone Sarah , Lamb Laura , Abraham Nitya , Laudano Melissa , Smith Christopher , Peters Kenneth , Zwaans Bernadette , Chancellor Michael
Published: August 2023

UNSTRUCTURED

Introduction: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) manifests as urinary symptoms including urgency, frequency, and pain. The IP4IC Study aimed to establish a urine-based biomarker score for diagnosing IC/BPS. To accomplish this objective, we investigated the parallels and variances between patients enrolled via physician/hospital clinics and those recruited through online crowdsourcing.
Methods: Through a nationwide crowdsource effort we collected surveys from patients with history of IC/BPS. Study participants were asked to complete the validated instruments of Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI) and Interstitial Cystitis Problem Index (ICPI) as well as provide demographic information. We then compared the survey responses of patients recruited through crowdsourcing with those recruited from three specialized tertiary care urology clinics engaged in clinical research.
Results: Survey responses of 1300 participants were collected from all 50 states of the USA via crowdsourcing and 319 from a clinical setting. ICSI and ICPI were similar for IC/BPS patients diagnosed by the physicians in clinic and self-reported by subjects via crowdsourcing stating they have a history of previous physician diagnosis of IC/BPS. Surprisingly, ICSI and ICPI were significantly lower in crowdsourced control than in clinic control subjects.
Conclusion: The IP4IC Study provides valuable insights into the similarities and differences between patients recruited through clinics and those recruited through online crowdsourcing. There were no significant differences in disease symptoms among these groups. Individuals who express an interest in digital health research and self-identify as having been previously diagnosed by physicians with IC/BPS can be regarded as reliable candidates for crowdsourcing research.
Smoking as a mediator in the Association Between Educational Status and COVID-19 Hospitalization in COVID-19 Cases: Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)
Authors: Huang Zhenxiao , Li Yinghua , Su Zheng , Xie Ying , Liu Zhao , Qin Rui , Cheng Anqi , Zhou Xinmei , Li Jinxuan , Wei Xiaowen , Liu Yi , Xia Xin , Song Qingqing , Zhao Liang , Chung Kian Fan , Xiao Dan , Wang Chen
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Educational disparities in COVID-19 outcomes have been documented in numerous studies conducted in western countries. However, evidence from China is limited, and no study has yet explored the potential role of smoking on the disparities.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between educational status and hospitalization among cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as mediating smoking behavior.

METHODS

We used data of 25 827 participants who reported positive results for SARS-CoV-2 infection through the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or IgM-IgG antigen test from a cross-sectional study conducted between January 28th and February 21st, 2023, shortly after a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Chinese mainland. The hospitalization due to COVID-19, educational status the smoking status were reported by participants in an online questionnaire. Logistic regression with and without unstable inverse probability weighting were applied to estimated odds ratios between COVID-19 hospitalization and educational status adjusting for potential confounders. Karon-Holm-Breen(KHB) method was used to estimated the percentage of mediation the smoking status contributed.

RESULTS

Of 25 827 participants (56.4% male; mean [SD] age, 40.9 [11.7] years),1652(6.83%) were hospitalized,9381(36.3%) had an educational status of college or above,7042(27.3%) had a smoking history. Elevated adjusted ORs for COVID-19 hospitalization were observed in participants with primary school or below (OR:1.84 [95%CI, 1.46-2.31]), junior high school (OR:1.48 [95%CI, 1.25-1.76]), high school/technical secondary school (OR:1.44 [95%CI, 1.24-1.66]) and having smoking history (OR:1.52 [95%CI, 1.35-1.70]). Mediation analysis suggested that smoking history acted as a mediator between educational status and COVID-19 hospitalization, with the proportion of mediation ranging from 7.62% to 13.34% and varied by sex.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found an educational gradient in COVID-19 hospitalization among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Chinese mainland, as well as the mediation of smoking. The findings suggest the necessity of reinforcing health promotion and smoking cessation interventions for low-educated smokers.
Assessing the Impact of a Serious Game (MedSMARxT: Adventures in PharmaCity) in Improving Opioid Safety Awareness Among Adolescents and Parents: Quantitative Study (Preprint)
Authors: Abraham Olufunmilola , McCarthy Tyler James , Zaborek Jen
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

The opioid crisis continues to worsen across the United States, affecting people of all demographics. Few evidence-based interventions exist for educating families, particularly those with adolescents, about opioid prescription safety. Serious games have demonstrated impacts in improving medication-related outcomes for various health conditions. The characterizing goal of this serious game is to improve opioid safety knowledge and awareness among adolescents and their families.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the impact of a serious game, MedSMARxT: Adventures in PharmaCity, designed to foster opioid safety awareness among adolescents and their parents.

METHODS

A national sample of parents and their adolescent children was recruited through Qualtrics research panels, social media, listservs, and snowball sampling. Eligible participants were adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years and their parents. Study participants were required to reside in the United States; speak, read, and understand English; and have access to a computer with a webcam. Parent-child dyads completed pregame and postgame surveys and participated in gameplay for up to 30 minutes. Primary outcome scales have been previously evaluated by the study team.

RESULTS

A total of 60 adolescent participants and 68 parent participants met full attention criteria for inclusion in this study. Statistical analysis confirmed that both adolescents’ and parents’ concept scores improved from baseline regarding opioid safety self-efficacy (adolescent: mean 0.35, SD 0.60; P<.001; parent: mean 0.28, SD 0.42; P<.001), perceived knowledge (adolescent: mean 1.08, SD 1.04; P<.001; parent: mean 0.56, SD 0.55; P<.001), behavioral intent (adolescent: mean 0.26, SD 0.39; P<.001; parent: mean 0.25, SD 0.32; P<.001), safe storage (adolescent: mean 0.12, SD 0.27; P<.001; parent: mean 0.03, SD 0.11; P=.03), disposal knowledge (adolescent: mean 0.10, SD 0.27; P=.006; parent: mean 0.07, SD 0.16; P<.001), and knowledge about misuse behavior (adolescent: mean 0.05, SD 0.14; P=.002; parent: mean 0.04, SD 0.10; P<.001). Participant groups, stratified by who completed and who did not complete gameplay, improved their knowledge and awareness, with no significant differences between subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of this serious game to improve opioid prescription safety practices among parents and adolescents was supported by the study findings. MedSMARxT: Adventures in PharmaCity is an intervention with the capability of teaching parents and adolescents about safe opioid prescription practices. Further studies and game refinement are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a game-based intervention in clinical settings and community pharmacies.
Using 3D Convolutional Neural Network to Detect Wall Motion Abnormalities on Echocardiography (Preprint)
Authors: Chen Yiwen , Yu Xiang , Yao Xinxia , Yang Yunjing , Zheng Xiaoye , Wu Bifeng , Wang Wei , Xia Shudong
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Transthoracic echocardiography is the most important modality to evaluate wall motion abnormalities (WMAs) caused by significant stenosis of coronary artery. However, the assessment of WMAs is mainly based on visual interpretation of echocardiographers, which is subjective and affected by clinical experience of operators. An objective, accurate and automatic method is needed.

OBJECTIVE

3D convolutional neural network (CNN), a deep learning method, has been widely used to analyze video data and achieved good results, therefore, we trained a 3D CNN to automatically detect WMAs on echocardiography.

METHODS

This study was consisted of two parts: (1) Left Ventricular Chamber (LVC) segmentation and End Diastole (ED) identification; (2) WMAs detection and Vessel identification. We collected echocardiography videos from 2019 to 2021 in our hospital to train and validate the deep learning model and also obtained data from the other two hospitals for external validation. We introduced Unet to segment LVC, and calculate the area of LVC to identify the frames of EDs (maximum area). Then, we extracted the frames between EDs to train 3D CNN to detect WMAs and identify the vessels that may cause WMAs.

RESULTS

We collected 311 videos (over 6000 images) to train LVC segmentation network and 1557 videos to construct WMAs detection model. Moreover, we used 657 videos to train and test vessel identification model. We also collected 171 videos from other hospital to perform external validation. As for LVC segmentation, the Unet achieved average Dice=0.92 and average IoU=0.86. We using 30 videos (with ECG signal) to test the ability of ED detection module. The network identified 89 ED of 92 ED, and the error between identified EDs and standard EDs (peaks of QRS wave) was 1.7±1.4 frames. In terms of WMAs detection model, the 3D CNN achieved promising results with AUC= 0.97 (95% CI 0.87-0.99) and corresponding accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 92.2%, 95% (95% CI 75.1%-99.9%) and 90.3% (95% CI 74.2%-98%), respectively. The AUC of identifying significant stenosis of left anterior descending was 0.73. The results of WMAs detection on external validation were 0.76 (95% CI 0.63-0.87) for AUC and 78.9% for accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

3D CNN was capable of detecting WMAs and achieved promising results on internal validation. As for external validating, the network showed that it can also detect WMAs.
Implementation Assessment of Electronic Records Management System in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Authors: Abaya Samuel Terungwa , Orga Chris , Raimi Aziba-anyam Gift , Raimi Morufu Olalekan , Kakwi Daniel Josephine
Published: August 2023

The quality of information available to medical practitioners when delivering treatment to patients influences the outcome of service delivery. In the healthcare industry, health information technology has been shown to improve patient safety and treatment quality. The purpose of this research is to identify the facilitators and hurdles to the deployment of an electronic records management system at NDUTH, Okolobiri. For this study, a descriptive cross-sectional research design was used. The stratified random sample was taken from the 204 staff members that participated in the survey at NDUTH Okolobiri. Telephone interviews were also conducted with a small number of hospital staff who had deployed the electronic records system. According to the findings, the majority of participants (51.0%) were female, with an average age of 37(SD+9.0) years. The respondents’ overall understanding of electronic records management systems was 45.9%. The overall implementation rate was 22.8%. The study’s facilitators were leadership support along with the availability of ICT equipment, whereas the barriers were funding, a lack of power, insufficient ICT infrastructures, administrative challenges, poor staff compliance, a lack of government support, and poor maintenance of software and ICT equipment. The findings indicate that government and private enterprises should invest more in healthcare delivery via electronic records management systems. This is critical because the quality of information that medical practitioners have access to when caring for patients influences the effectiveness of health service delivery. It has also been discovered to ensure the proper operation of health institutions.
Comparative Study of Fraudulent Activities and Various Fraud Detection Techniques
Authors: Doshi Somil , Desai Krishna , Shukla Deep
Published: August 2023

Abstract: This study highlights the critical role that effective fraud detection systems play by examining the rising occurrence of fraud across industries, which is being driven by technological advancements. By examining a number of fraud categories, such as money laundering, cryptocurrency-related schemes, credit card fraud, and mortgage fraud, this study highlights the need for rigorous preventive measures. By carefully examining a wide range of detection techniques, including Support Vector Machines, Fuzzy Logic, Artificial Neural Networks, Hidden Markov Models, K-Nearest Neighbour, and Bayesian Networks, the research reveals the expanding toolset against fraudulent activity. Through a rigorous examination of applicable literature, creative cutting-edge methods, and astute investigations, the research highlights the crucial necessity of fraud detection systems across a variety of industries. The need for more innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration is highlighted by the discovery of knowledge gaps in real-time data analysis, handling unbalanced datasets, and resilient tactics against adversarial attacks. Our research also contributes to the development of strategies for preventing fraud, ensuring the dependability of financial institutions, and fostering confidence in a time of complex technological connections.
Fabrication of PLGA Nanoparticles Using Combination of PCL-PVA-PEG Copolymer as Surfactant: In-Vitro Characterization and Cytotoxicity Study
Authors: Ranjan Shashi , Dinda Subas Chandra , Verma Anurag
Published: August 2023

Objective: The present study aimed to fabricate Poly lactic acid co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with resveratrol using a novel graft co-polymer surfactant named Soluplus®. Methods: The PLGA nanoparticles were prepared in the present study using polyvinyl caprolactam polyvinyl acetate polyethylene glycol amphiphilic graft copolymer named Soluplus® as surfactant through double emulsification and single emulsification-solvent evaporation method. The formulations were prepared successfully to encapsulate the drug resveratrol, and then evaluated for their particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, drug loading and the degree of entrapment of the drug. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine the morphology of the nanoparticles. In vitro drug release was assessed and, mathematical pharmacokinetic modelling was done to assess the release pattern. A comparative cytotoxicity study between free drug and prepared nanoparticles using MTT assay was carried out for cell viability evaluation. Uptake and internalization of nanoparticles were also studied using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Results: The results demonstrated successful fabrication of the PLGA nanoparticles using the Soluplus as polymer surfactant. The drug, polymer and the all the excipients were found to be compatible and did not indicate any interaction. The results also indicated the prepared nanoparticles (SF2) as suitable resveratrol delivery vehicle in terms of the compliant particle size (344.6 ±6.63 nm), polydispersity index (0.962), zeta potential (- 18.5±1.21), drug loading (18.94± 0.27%), the entrapment efficiency (39.62±0.17%) and drug release (75.13±0.17%). The shape and surface morphology of the formulated nanoparticles were found to be spherical and smooth. Cytotoxicity study also demonstrated significant reduction of cell viability by the nanoparticle compared to free resveratrol. The highest cytotoxicity of SF2 against MCF7 cell was found in 2000 nM concentration with 3.03±0.05 percent of cell viability. It was found that the percentage of growth inhibition was increasing with increasing concentration of SF2 and IC50 value of this assay was 108.94 μg/ml. Conclusion: It has been found that the Resveratrol loaded PLGA nanoparticles were successfully formulated and found to perform better in terms of efficacy and cytotoxicity.
Matética para el desarrollo potencial en la escuela: una apuesta del aprendizaje conceptual de los fraccionarios
Authors: Reyes Cuartas Clara Emilia
Published: August 2023

Se busca develar las posibilidades de cambios en la Escuela que se tejen en la matética de la conceptualización matemática de los fraccionarios, el uso de tecnologías con un Objeto virtual de Aprendizaje, OVA, el aprendizaje y la complejidad como campo de visibilidad en un aula de cierre del nivel básico. Los resultados son fruto de la descripción, interpretación y análisis de la información desde la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de los fraccionarios y, a través de encuestas tipo Likert; para empezar a explicar y comprender la diversidad de discursos teórico-conceptuales de la educación para el aprendizaje conceptual de los números racionales; dimensionando la educación en el doble rol de lugar de observación y de lugar observado. Desde la complejidad como clave de lectura de los procesos que tienen lugar en la escuela, es un acercamiento a identificar un pensamiento educativo propio, para reconocer una mirada crítica al aprendizaje de las matemáticas; siendo este lo fundante de la estrategia, desde ella tomamos, ordenamos, interpretamos y priorizamos los datos, los conceptos y los sucesos en un mapa cognitivo que terminará reconfigurando las realidades contextuales.
Propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario de motivación y estrategias de aprendizaje (CMEA) en estudiantes de bachillerato colombianos
Authors: Granados López Hedilberto , Ramírez Dorantes María del Carmen
Published: August 2023

El presente artículo presenta los resultados de la verificación de las propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Motivación y Estrategias de Aprendizaje (CMEA) (Ramírez, Canto, Bueno y Echazarreta, 2013) a partir de técnicas de reducción de dimensiones. Se contó con una muestra 946 estudiantes de diferentes colegios de la ciudad de Manizales, Colombia, de grados octavo a undécimo. Los resultados confirman la estructura factorial de la prueba con algunas restricciones menores. La adecuación muestral (KMO) así, como la esfericidad de Barlett resultaron adecuadas. La consistencia interna arrojó resultados adecuados en cuanto al valor Alpha de Cronbach. Como conclusión, se puede estimar que el instrumento resulta fiable para su uso de manera unificada y de acuerdo a la relación de valores significativos obtenidos en análisis de consistencia internar (Alpha de Cronbach) entre las escalas y sub escalas asociadas a la motivación y a las sub escalas de las estrategias de aprendizaje cognitivas y de autoregulación meta-cognitiva.
Entre el lenguaje dicho y lo por decir en la escuela
Authors: Vasco Dayla Helena , Castaño Patiño Lina María
Published: August 2023

El presente artículo investigativo tiene como finalidad presentar la distinción y comprensión de los lenguajes que se generan en la escuela desde la perspectiva teórica del “decir” y lo “dicho” del filósofo Emanuel de Lévinas. El enfoque y diseño se desarrolló desde la complementariedad, apoyándose en el análisis crítico del discurso y en la teoría fundamentada, propuesta que permitió abordar los lenguajes desde la realidad social, realizando un trabajo profundo con los actores educativos: docente y alumno. El trabajo investigativo muestra las tensiones entre los lenguajes Dichos y por Decir, que están suscritos en la escuela y que de alguna manera influyen en la transformación del ser. Es así, como esta investigación recoge evidencias que dan a conocer lenguajes en su mayoría de corte tradicional.
Power Converters for Microgrids and Distributed Generation Systems
Authors: Osorio Estefany , Saavedra-Montes Andrés Julián , Ramos-Paja Carlos Andrés , Herrera Murcia Javier Gustavo , Bastidas-Rodríguez Juan David
Published: August 2023

This paper presents an overview and critical discussion about the utilization of power converters in several microgrid configurations that incorporate non-conventional renewable energy sources and energy storage. The methodology is developed over 69 works published in this research topic. The papers are selected from databases in electrical engineering, e.g., IEEExplore, ScienceDirect, Springer, MDPI, etc. Then, the papers are classified depending on its focus, i.e., power converters in microgrids or power converters in distribution systems. At least, three classifications are proposed and one of them is made over more than 40 papers about power converters used in microgrids and electric distribution systems. Given the wide variety of microgrids and their configurations, the selection of appropriate power converters for every scenario is not trivial; therefore, this work also classifies the converters in their most common application, their advantages and disadvantages, and also point out the study domain, i.e., simulation or physical implementation. One of the main conclusions made from the overview is a gap identified in the study of direct current/ direct current microgrids despite being the simplest configuration among the three analyzed configurations. This is because hybrid and alternate current microgrids are more widely used since they allow taking advantage of the infrastructure of the current electrical systems.
Subashish Bhattacharjee and Goutam Karmakar (Eds), The City Speaks: Urban Spaces in Indian Literature. London and New York: Routledge, 2022. 328 pp. ISBN: 9781032110820.
Authors: Rout Deblina
Published: August 2023

The City Speaks: Urban Spaces in Indian Literature investigates the urban literature of the subcontinent at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, adopting a critical stance towards the study of narrative accounts of the ‘city’. The volume explores the longstanding and intricate relationship between Indian literature (in English) and urban spaces, evaluating the city as a “producer of narratives as well as a consumer” (7). Registering the representation of urban spaces as more than mere background settings for narratives, as the foreword mentions, the anthology attempts to read the ‘city’ as represented within “sociocultural and experiential spheres” in Indian contexts (xiii). As the editors, Subashish Bhattacharjee and Goutam Karmakar, note, cities serve as a record of the “momentum of cultural maturity, the evolution of thought, and the shifts in demographic realisations” that foreground the very formation of countries (9). Documenting cities as evolutionary metaphors for tracing the cultural historiography of the nation, the volume presents novel interpretive frameworks for analysing urban literature through a variety of mediums, including novels, poetry, drama, and non-fiction accounts.
Shivani Sivagurunathan, Being Born. Petaling Jaya: Maya Press (2022). 122 pp. ISBN: 978-983-2737-67-4
Authors: Ling Ivan
Published: August 2023

None
Partition and Pluralism: Perceiving Epistemic Terrains of Hope and Resilience in Divided by Partition, United by Resilience – 21 Inspirational Stories from 1947
Authors: Karmakar Goutam , Pal Payel
Published: August 2023

Before India gained independence from Britain in 1947, when the partition was announced, the subcontinent instantly descended into riots, death, and destruction, culminating in one of the largest human waves of migration in history. Muslims in India were prompted to travel to Pakistan, while Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan were urged to return home. Approximately 15 million people were displaced or forced to relocate, with between half a million and two million killed in the consequent violence. This post-partition history includes some courageous individuals who lost everything during partition but reconstructed their existences from the ground up and climbed to the leading positions in their respective disciplines. Divided by Partition, United by Resilience – 21 Inspirational Stories from 1947, edited by Mallika Ahluwalia and published in 2018 by Rupa Publications India, is one such book that chronicles the narratives of 21 Indians who endured the chaos and destruction of India’s Partition but managed to overcome their miseries to become living embodiments of accomplishment and excellence. Emphasising the stories’ affirmative ethos, which steps beyond the tropes of loss and precarity, this article analyses how these individuals established their agency and extraordinariness vis-à-vis various epistemic tools. The article puts forth that these stories can be read as representative testimonies of diversified trajectories in the epistemological field of the Partition literature and studies. This article focuses on unlearning the monolithic perceptions of 1947 and approaching them through the lens of epistemic pluralism. The article finally argues that there are other sides that go beyond the meta-significations of partition narratives, as demonstrated by individuals who, through their tireless efforts, drew new contours of self-assertion, thereby creating diverse and dynamic epistemologies.
Forever Displaced: Religion, Nationalism and Problematized Belonging of Biharis in Ruby Zaman’s Invisible Lines
Authors: Akhter Farzana
Published: August 2023

Nationalism and religion have always been at the centre of political contestation in Southeast Asia. In fact, religion was the determinative factor in the 1947 Partition of the Indian subcontinent, where India was for the Hindus and East and West Pakistan for the Muslims. The emergence of a national identity based on religion let loose unanticipated violence and bloodshed, which led to massive migration as religious minorities—Muslims from India, and Hindus from both sides of Pakistan—crossed borders to be with co-religionists. However, the Urdu-speaking Muslims known as “Biharis,” who migrated to East Pakistan from India during and after the 1947 partition, faced a perilous situation in the wake of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The rise of the Bengali nationalistic movement and the war resulted in the formation of a new nation-state, but it left the Biharis without a nation or national identity. This paper, highlighting the plight of the half-Bihari protagonist in Ruby Zaman’s Invisible Lines (2011), brings to the surface the ambivalent existence of the Biharis. Applying the theoretical framework of Benedict Anderson, Partha Chatterjee, and Ashis Nandy, the paper further demonstrates how the convoluted ties between religion, nationalism, and national identity problematize the inclusion of the Biharis, thereby displacing them forever, first from their homeland and then from Bangladesh. Even after they were granted citizenship in Bangladesh in 2008, the precarity of their national identity and belongingness still pervades as the country continues to eye them with suspicion and contempt for varied reasons.
Title Aggregation-Induced T1/T2 Contrast Enhancement for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Intraoperative Surgery
Authors: sun wenbo , Yu Bin , Huang Dianshuai , Jiang Chunhuan , Wang Wei , Liu Jianhua , Wang Zonghua , Lu Lehui
Published: August 2023

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in precision
medicine that is hampered by the lack of contrast agents with high
efficiency and the ability to translate diagnostic accuracy into
therapeutic intervention. Herein, we demonstrate a DNA-based MRI probe
that overcomes previous single-mode enhancement and provides a mechanism
of action for aggregation-induced dual-mode MRI signal enhancement. A
facile method is developed to produce aggregated
T/T dual-mode
NaGdF:Dy@PDA-DNA MRI probes. When aggregated, this
probe can further amplify MRI signal intensity and exhibits improved
geometrical and positional stability in vivo. The performance of the
NaGdF:Dy@PDA-DNA MRI probe toward MRI-guided
preoperative planning and visualization-guided surgery is verified using
an orthotopic tumor-bearing mouse model. The result shows that the rapid
metabolism of the degraded probe leads to the mitigation of long-term
toxic effects. Therefore, the developed high-performance MRI probe is of
great significance for enhancing MRI diagnostic accuracy into precision
medical therapeutic interventions.
Football players do show “neural efficiency” in the prefrontal cortex during football training using a wireless Bluetooth system
Authors: Sultanov Murad , İsmailova Khadidja
Published: August 2023

One of the aspects of the “neural efficiency” hypothesis is decreased
cortical activity in experts during professional actions compared to
their rest condition as a sort of event-related synchronization (ERS).
Previous research revealed that “Football Players Do Not Show “Neural
Efficiency” in Cortical Activity Related to Visuospatial Information
Processing During Football Scenes: An EEG Mapping Study” (Del Percio et
al., 2019) and demonstrated that footballers do not show “neural
efficiency” in parietal cortical activity. In our study, we checked
this hypothesis and registration of brain activity during football
training and compared this result at rest. This is the first study
occupied during live football training. The participants were
professional football players. The EEG was recorded in the prefrontal
cortex using the NeuroSky device. The brain oscillations were checked in
the eyes-closed at rest and during football training on the pitch in the
eyes-open condition. A study result is statistically significant between
at rest and during movement and obtained as the summary value of bands
(1-50 Hz). The results of the paired-t test indicated that there is a
difference between “Before” and “After” conditions (t = -2.13;
p<.05). Thus, compared to the rest condition, this data showed
a reduced power spectrum of EEG bands in the prefrontal cortex among all
rhythms during football training and confirmed the “neural efficiency”
hypothesis (selective cortical activation) among football players. We
suggest that the brain of professional football players has different
activation by separate brain parts.
Systematic exploitation of parallel task execution in business processes
Authors: Varvoutas Konstantinos , Kougka Georgia , Gounaris Anastasios
Published: August 2023

Business process re-engineering (or optimization) has been attracting a lot of interest, and it is considered as a core element of business process management (BPM). One of its most effective mechanisms is task re-sequencing with a view to decreasing process duration and costs, whereas duration (aka cycle time) can be reduced using task parallelism as well. In this work, we propose a novel combination of these two mechanisms, which is resource allocation-aware. Starting from a solution where a given resource allocation in business processes can drive optimizations in an underlying BPMN diagram, our proposal considers resource allocation and model modifications in a combined manner, where an initially suboptimal resource allocation can lead to better overall process executions. More specifically, the main contribution is twofold: (i) to present a proposal that leverages a variant of representation of processes as Refined Process Structure Trees (RPSTs) with a view to enabling novel resource allocation-driven task re-ordering and parallelisation in a principled manner, and (ii) to introduce a resource allocation paradigm that assigns tasks to resources taking into account the re-sequencing opportunities that can arise. The results show that we can yield improvements in a very high proportion of our experimental cases, while these improvements can reach a 45% decrease in cycle time.
Intrusion detection model of internet of things based on deep learning
Authors: Wang Yan , Han Dezhi , Cui Mingming
Published: August 2023

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoTs) technology is being seriously impeded by insecure networks and data. An effective intrusion detection model is essential for safeguarding the network and data security of IoTs. In this paper, a hybrid parallel intrusion detection model based on deep learning (DL) called HPIDM features a three-layer parallel neural network structure. Combining stacked Long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks with convolutional neural network (CNN) and SK Net self-attentive mechanism in the model allows HPIDM to learn temporal and spatial features of traffic data effectively. HPIDM fuses the acquired temporal and spatial feature data and then feeds it into the CosMargin classifier for classification detection to reduce the impact of data imbalance on the performance of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS). Finally, HPIDM was experimentally compared with classical intrusion detection models and the two comparative models designed in this paper, and the experimental results show that HPIDM achieves 99.87% accuracy on the ISCX-IDS 2012 dataset and 99.94% accuracy on the CICIDS 2017 dataset. In addition, it outperforms other comparable models in terms of recall, precision, false alarm rate (FAR), and F1 score, showing its feasibility and superiority.
Heart sounds classification using adaptive wavelet threshold and 1D LDCNN
Authors: Hu Jianqiang , Hu Qingli , Liang Mingfeng
Published: August 2023

Heart sounds classification plays an important role in cardiovascular disease detection. Currently, deep learning methods for heart sound classification with heavy parameters consumption cannot be deployed in environments with limited memory and computational budgets. Besides, de-noising of heart sound signals (HSSs) can affect accuracy of heart sound classification, because erroneous removal of meaningful components may lead to heart sound distortion. In this paper, an automated heart sound classification method using adaptive wavelet threshold and 1D LDCNN (One-dimensional Lightweight Deep Convolutional Neural Network) is proposed. In this method, we exploit WT (Wavelet Transform) with an adaptive threshold to de-noise heart sound signals (HSSs). Furthermore, we utilize 1D LDCNN to realize automatic feature extraction and classification for de-noised heart sounds. Experiments on PhysioNet/CinC 2016 show that our proposed method achieves the superior classification results and excels in consumption of parameter comparing to state-of-the-art methods.