bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spotlighting Disability in a Major Electronic Health Record: Michigan Medicine’s Disability and Accommodations Tab (Preprint)
Authors: Halkides Heather , James Tyler G. , McKee Michael M. , Meade Michelle A. , Moran Christa , Park Sophia
Published: April 2022

UNSTRUCTURED

People with disabilities (PWDs) represent the largest minority group in the United States and a priority population for health services research. Despite federal civil rights law, PWDs face inaccessible healthcare environments that fail to accommodate their disability. We present Michigan Medicine’s Disability and Accommodations Tab. This patient-facing questionnaire and shared data field in the electronic health record enables the collection and reporting of patient disability-related accommodations. The Disability Tab addresses provider- and clinic staff-reported barriers to providing accommodations and fosters an opportunity to redesign healthcare to meet the needs of PWDs.
Detecting Tweets Containing Cannabidiol-Related COVID-19 Misinformation Using Transformer Language Models and FDA Warning Letters (Preprint)
Authors: Turner Jason , Kantardzic Mehmed , Vickers-Smith Rachel , Brown Andrew
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced yet another medical condition for online sellers of loosely regulated substances such as cannabidiol (CBD) to falsely promote sales. As a result, it has become necessary to innovate ways to identify such instances of misinformation.

OBJECTIVE

We used transformer-based language models to identify COVID-19 misinformation as it relates to the sales and/or promotion of CBD, by finding tweets that are semantically similar to quotes taken from known instances of misinformation, specifically the publicly available FDA warning letters.

METHODS

We collected tweets using CBD and COVID-19 related terms. Using a previously trained model, we extracted the tweets indicating commercialization/sales of CBD, and annotated those containing COVID-19 misinformation, according to the FDA’s definitions. We encoded the collection of tweets and misinformation quotes into sentence vectors, and then calculated the cosine similarity between each quote and each tweet, so that a threshold could be established to identify tweets that are making false claims regarding CBD and COVID-19, while minimizing the instance of false-positives.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that by using quotes taken from FDA warning letters of known offenses we can identify semantically similar tweets that also contain similar misinformation. By identifying a cosine distance threshold between the sentence vector of the warning letters and the sentence vector of the tweets, we can identify tweets that contain similar forms of misinformation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our framework shows that commercial CBD/COVID-19 misinformation can potentially be identified and consequently curbed by using transformer-based language models and known prior instances of misinformation. Our approach functions without need for labeled data, potentially reducing the time in which misinformation could be identified. Our proposed framework shows promise in being easily adapted to identify other forms of misinformation related to loosely regulated substances, such as that related to autism, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Psychological Effects of Aromatherapy on Smokers With Depressive Tendencies During Smoking Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Pre-Post Single-Arm Clinical Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Hata Akiko , Komiyama Maki , Yasoda Akihiro , Wada Hiromichi , Yamakage Hajime , Satoh-Asahara Noriko , Morimoto Tatsuya , Takahashi Yuko , Hasegawa Koji
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND

Cessation of smoking can markedly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, improve health economics, and benefit society. Aromatherapy has the potential to be a novel option as an adjuvant therapy for smoking cessation that may alleviate depressive symptoms. However, research on the efficacy of aromatherapy as an adjuvant therapy for smoking cessation is scarce.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the potential effects of aromatherapy on psychological states in smokers with depressive tendencies and to determine if it is reasonable to proceed to the next step (ie, a phase III trial).

METHODS

This is a pre-post single-arm clinical trial. Smokers with depression will be subjected to aromatherapy during smoking cessation treatment for 12 weeks. We will evaluate changes in scores on the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Profile of Mood States from pretreatment screening to 4 weeks and 12 weeks after the start of aromatherapy. Moreover, we will compare the group treated with aromatherapy with the group that received standard treatment in our previous randomized controlled trial (ie, the control group in that study). Furthermore, we will compare successful smoking cessation rates after 12 weeks. In addition, we will conduct an exploratory analysis of the efficacy of aromatherapy. The target sample size is 100, which is the number of subjects expected to be enrolled in this study during the 2-year study period.

RESULTS

This study was approved by the Kyoto Medical Center Institutional Review Board (IRB approval No. 19-016). Enrollment started on July 1, 2019. As of May 2022, 76 patients have been recruited. In the original plan, recruitment should have been finished on June 30, 2021. However, the number of subjects decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the study inclusion period was extended by 1 year (ie, until the end of June 2022) with the approval of the IRB on May 17, 2021. Analyses of the results will be completed subsequently.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has some limitations. This is not a rigorous validation study because it compares the same subjects who received standard treatment in a previous study. Moreover, the sample size and methods of statistical analysis were not fully set with prior consideration of statistical rigor. To address these limitations, we plan to conduct a phase III trial that will reflect the exploratory findings of this study. This is the first study to evaluate the psychological effects of aromatherapy during a smoking cessation program, and it may help improve the quality of treatment for smoking cessation in the future.

CLINICALTRIAL

UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000043102; https://tinyurl.com/tn3hvt9w

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/38626
Review of Real-Time Collaboration Frameworks, Libraries and Products
Authors: Aranjo Suvarna , Pinto Neil , Parekh Preet , Modi Tanay
Published: April 2022

Abstract: The onset of the pandemic brought forth the need to be isolated which prompted companies to adopt the remote working model much more prominently. This sudden switch brought forth a host of problems as people were not used to remote work. To remedy the situation, a host of tools and products gained prominence - Google Meet, Zoom, etc. which allowed people to collaborate remotely. We will be doing a review of the frameworks and technologies that these products use to understand how real-time collaboration works and the advantages and drawbacks of these products. Index Terms: WebRTC, MCU, Video-Conferencing, Zoom, Google Meet
Prevalence of Smoking Among Transgender Population Residing In Urban Chennai- A Cross Sectional Survey
Authors: Shanmugam Manikandan , Navaneethakrishnan Kurunji Kumaran , Venkatachalam Bhaskar , Kandasamy Rajasigamani , Baalann Krishna Prasanth
Published: April 2022

In general, there is a lack of research on the transgender population and tobacco use. Findings from previous studies are in conflict regarding the use of tobacco products among transgender populations. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of current tobacco use among transgender population in and around Chennai city. A cross sectional survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of smoking among transgender. A direct interview was conducted using questionnaire related to smoking and transgender type. Descriptive statistics was used to give the prevalence, socio demographic variables and chi square test was used to compare the smoking habit with socio demographic data. The prevalence of smoking among transgender was forty percentage. While comparing age group and smoking habit or type of transgender(male to female and female to male) and smoking there was no significant association observed(p value>0.05). Around 60% of them had the habit of Alcohol intake. While comparing education and occupation with smoking behavior, there was a strong significant association (p value 0.006, 0.002) found in this study. Cigarette was the most common type of tobacco used by these populations. Tobacco in the form of cigarette was common among Transgender population. Future research is needed with an increased sample size to assess the quantity of cigarette intake. The data from this study can be used as a preliminary report to inform best and promising practices for tobacco control and prevention for the transgender population.
THE EFFECT OF FINANCIAL LITERATURE, INCOME AND HERDING BIAS ON INVESTMENT DECISIONS (Study on Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Mercu Buana University, Jakarta)
Authors: Firdaus Muhammad Yahya , Ayati Afifah , Aprilia Puji
Published: April 2022

This research is a quantitative research which aims to determine the effect of financial literacy, herding bias and income on investment decisions. The population in this study were students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Mercu Buana University, Jakarta. The sample consisted of 100 respondents. Purposive sampling method. Data collection is done by distributing questionnaires to a predetermined sample via google form. The data analysis technique used the PLS (Partial Least Square) analysis method with Smart PLS3.0 software. The results of this study indicate that: (1) Financial literacy has an influence on investment decisions with a path coefficient value of 0.294; (2) Income has a significant influence on investment decisions with a path coefficient value of 0.412. (3) herding bias does not have a significant effect on investment decisions with a path coefficient value of 0.150.
Problems and challenges of Avramovic stabilization program quarter of a century later
Authors: Soskic Dejan
Published: April 2022

Avramovic accepted a position of a governor of Central bank of Yugoslavia (at that time, consisted of Republic of Serbia and Republic of Montenegro) in 1994. He has successfully executed one of the most effective anti-inflation programs in an adverse financial environment and without international support. This paper deals with some of the basic problems Avramovic has faced twenty five years ago, most of which have left visible consequences up to present day. They still nowadays present important weaknesses of Serbian monetary and financial system. First of those problems is low institutional independence of Serbian central bank. Second problem Avramovic was facing was lack of confidence in the banking system. Third problem Avramovic was facing at the time of his Program was lack of confidence in the local currency. These features, although less pronounced, still remain a burden for Serbian financial system. They increase lending risks, weaken monetary policy tools, and decrease rates of growth to this day.
Interaction of monetary and fiscal policy from a historical perspective: Precious metals and Venetian government debt
Authors: Bozovic Milos
Published: April 2022

Was monetary policy crucial for early sovereign debt sustainability? This paper analyses whether the availability of gold and silver drove Venetian government debt servicing costs in the late medieval period. We use an error correction model to describe changes in yields on perpetual bonds issued by the Venetian state. We document that the ability of the Venetian Republic to service its sovereign borrowing can be partially attributed to the supply of precious metals. We show that the substantial increase in debt servicing costs during the 15th century can be associated with an abrupt halt in the supply of gold and silver from mines in Serbia and Bosnia - primarily a consequence of the Ottoman expansion to the west. We control for other explanatory factors, such as mean reversion of nominal yield, real GDP growth and military conflicts.
Agroforestry as a Strategy for Sustainable Soil Management
Authors: Raj Abhishek
Published: April 2022

Soil is the medium through which plant grows and which is derived from disintegration of parent rock materials under joint effect of plants, human and varying climatic regime. The burgeoning population causes serious pressure on land to fulfill the increasing food demand, animal feed, fibre as well as fuel, which leads to adopting practices such as intensive tillage, monoculture, excessive and improper use of inorganic fertilizer, use of agro-chemicals, deforestation, over-grazing, among others. These modern practices of agriculture are considered to be the major unsustainable practices leading to soil health degradation. Some of these practices lead to climate change, which in turn accelerates the rate of soil health degradations. Perennial woody plant based systems has a prime role towards improvement of soil health to sustain production systems. Thus, agroforestry systems is win-a-win strategy which posses various agroforestry systems that are practiced by farmers over the ages and these systems are devoid of intentional intensification of soil for the production of tree in combination with agricultural or forage crops in the same land. This system is distributed and practices most parts of the tropics in the world with varying different models which depends on bio-physical, socio-economic attribute along varying ecological services specific to a particular continent, region, country or community. Organic residues input and its decompositions, nitrogen fixations, nutrient cycling process, carbon sequestration, erosion control and microclimate amelioration etc improve the soil health under agroforestry systems. This paper gives a comprehensive insight on agroforestry importance, history, scope and potential along with its role towards soil health management in the tropics of the world.
Standardized Precipitation Index Valuation of Seasonal Transitions and Adaptation of Pastoralist to Climate Variability in Rangelands of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon
Authors: Paul Tume Suiven John
Published: April 2022

The pastoral community in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon continues to face multi-faceted stresses related to climate and the environment. Previous studies have focused more on climate variability in relation to agriculture and water resources, with little or no insights into highland rangeland ecology. These shocks add to the common pool rangeland security issues with unsecure pastoral tenure, land grabbing, rangeland degradation, poor land use planning, dwindling range resources, amongst others. Rainfall data was collected from 13 stations covering the region to understand the climate trend. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to the recurrence of meteorological droughts, vis-à-vis transhumance. Results show discernable impacts of climate variability on the pastoral landscape especially related to prolonged dry seasons, pasture scarcity, poor land use practices notably seasonal bush fires, stocking densities and overgrazing. Indigenous knowledge identified pasture scarcity, weed invasion, poor range products, cattle mortality, degradation, land use conflicts, dwindling water resources as related effects. Due to these growing difficulties within the grazing landscape, pastoral communities have resorted to growing partnerships with development agencies to develop more resilience as a result of past challenges grappling with the nefarious effects of climate change. Cultivating improve pastures, fodder crops, developing water schemes and adjusting the grazing calendar are some adaptation measures. Technical and financial resources need to be transferred for risk mitigation and building capacities to reduce the vulnerability of pastoral communities for a sustained future.
An Engineered and Sustainable Solution for Flood and Sediment Management in Kosi River, India
Authors: Hassan Quamrul
Published: April 2022

Flooding is one of the most devastating and frequent natural hazards in the Indian subcontinent. In India, Bihar is one of the most flood prone states. Floods hit the state almost every year and causes enormous loss of lives, property, agriculture and infrastructure. Bihar has about 6.88 million hectares of flood prone area which is about 73.06% of its geographical area. The Kosi river is the most unstable river in Bihar and known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” because floods in this river cause huge destruction almost every year by its course changing tendency in the plains of North Bihar. It is one of the largest tributary of the river Ganga originating from Himalayas in Tibet and joins the Ganga in Bihar after flowing through Nepal. Majority of the drainage area of this river (almost 85 %) lies in Tibet and Nepal while only 15% lies in Indian Territory. The river carries huge amount of sediment with flow every year (about 120 million m3/Year) which primarily causes change in the morphological behaviour of the river. Even after the adoption of several measures, mostly grey infrastructure for the flood management in the Kosi river, the flood devastation in the region is still continued. The grey infrastructure approach gives a false sense of security and it also results in many unintended negative consequences. The present paper analyses the problem of flooding in the Kosi river basin; explores the feasibility of innovative and green infrastructure based sustainable solutions. Considering the prime issue of sediments in the Kosi, a novel concept of detention cum siltation ponds have been proposed. These ponds require hardly 7.84-13.54% of the drainage basin of Kosi in India. The proposed detention cum siltation ponds with other green infrastructure measures for the flood and sediment management in the river basin have overarching benefits. The environmental and economic sustainability aspect adds a great value to feasibility of the proposed measures.
Komparasi Metode Klasifikasi Batik Menggunakan Neural Network Dan K-Nearest Neighbor Berbasis Ekstraksi Fitur Tekstur
Authors: Zaman Badroe
Published: April 2022

Batik tulis adalah hasil seni budaya yang memiliki keindahan visual dan mengandung makna filosofis pada setiap motifnya. Motif batik tulis berkembang sejalan dengan perkembangan jaman dan kehidupan masyarakat. Motif batik tulis memiliki bentuk yang sangat beragam dan memiliki tingkat kompleksitas yang tingi sehingga menjadi kesulitan tersendiri dalam pengelompokan kelas batik tertentu. Klasifikasi citra ke dalam kelas tertentu juga menjadi permasalahan yang pelik dalam bidang pengenalan pola. Metode machine learning dapat digunakan untuk mengenali kelas batik melalui pengenalan citra batik. Namun belum banyak penelitian terkait studi komparasi klasifikasi citra batik. Sehingga penelitian ini berfokus pada data set citra batik tulis yang menggunakan dua motif yaitu motif klasik dan motif kontemporer. Pada penelitian ini, fitur ekstraksi menjadi dasar klasifikasi dengan metode Backpropagation Neural Network dan k-Nearest Neighbor. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk menemukan pola baru dalam data dengan menghubungkan pola data yang sudah ada dengan data yang baru. Selanjutnya, penelitian ini melakukan perbandingan metode klasifikasi antara Backpropagation Neural Network dan k-Nearest Neighbor untuk mencari metode klasifikasi terbaik untuk klasifikasi Batik tulis Bakaran. Hasil dari studi komparasi menunjukkan bahwa metode Backpropagation Neural Network memperoleh nilai akurasi 90,11% sedangkan metode k-Nearest Neighbor mendapatkan nilai akurasi 96,00%. Sehingga dapat di simpulkan bahwa metode k-Nearest Neighbor merupakan metode terbaik untuk klasifikasi citra batik bakaran.
Perbandingan Algoritma Genetika dengan Algoritma Steepest Ascent Hill Climbing untuk Optimasi Penjadwalan Kuliah
Authors: Ardiyani Luh Putu Sri
Published: April 2022

Penjadwalan mata kuliah mutlak harus ada dan sangat penting dalam suatu universitas karena sudah menjadi dasar agar agenda perkuliahan berjalan dengan lancar.Banyak kendala yang dihadapi ketika membuat penjadwalan mata kuliah seperti banyaknya jadwal mata kuliah yang harus disusun, jumlah ruangan yang terbatas, dan kesanggupan dosen untuk mengajar pada jadwal tertentu, sehingga dapat menyebabkan bentroknya jadwal mata kuliah.Dengan adanya masalah penjadwalan mata kuliah maka perlu penjadwalan secara otomatis yang menggunakan berbagai macam metode diantaranya metode algoritma genetika dan algoritma steepest ascent hill climbing. Pada penelitian ini akan dilakukan perbandingan algoritma genetika dan algoritma steepest ascent hill climbing untuk optimasi penjadwalan kuliah karena kedua algoritma ini fleksibel dan sanggat cocok digunakan untuk memecahkan masalah yang memiliki banyak solusi untuk dapat dipilih solusi yang paling baik.Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui algoritma mana yang mempunyai kinerja komputasi (kecepatan waktu eksekusi) dan hasil yang lebih baik dalam menyelesaikan masalah penjadwalan mata kuliah. Data yang digunakan diambil dari Program Studi S1 Akuntansi Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Ganesha pada semester gasal tahun akademik 2020/2021 karena program studiini memiliki jumlah mahasiswa yang banyak, jumlah ruangan yang terbatas serta pembuatan jadwal perkuliahan masih mengunakan cara manual dengan menggunakan micrososft excel.
INFLUENCE OF DOCTRINE ON TRANSFORMATION OF THE CONCEPT OF “COMPETENCE OF THE COURT” IN THE CONTEXT OF REFORMING CIVIL LAW PROCEDURAL LEGISLATION
Authors: KONOVA F.R.
Published: April 2022

As part of the implementation of the judicial reform, the fundamental institutions of the civil process, such as competence, jurisdiction has undergone a serious transformation. Often in the legislation of the Russian Federation and in the doctrine, the concepts of “competence”, “jurisdiction”, “authority”, “to jurisdiction”, are used as synonyms. The interchangeability of these words in the usual lexicon, in fact, does not change the semantic load, however, when it comes to “appeal to the competent court, authorized to consider the case referred to its jurisdiction”, each term has its own meaning. By virtue of the principle of separation of powers, enshrined in Article 10 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, each of them (legislative, executive and judicial) is carried out by independent bodies within the competence established by the relevant legal norms that determine the subjects of jurisdiction. Subjects of reference (jurisdiction) are the first necessary element of competence. However, the exclusion of the term “jurisdiction” from the procedural legislation does not cancel the effect of this institution in the distribution of cases between various state authorities, being, in fact, a property of the case, which makes it possible to determine the competence of a court, and not another body. Doctrinally, the competence of the court is determined by the correct application in the aggregate of the rules of jurisdiction, which are properties of cases. In addition, it would be more correct to use the procedural instrument “jurisdiction” in full, supplementing it with one more type – “on the subject of jurisdiction”, fixing in law the criteria for the distribution of cases between arbitration, military and courts of general jurisdiction.
ONLINE SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTION SYSTEM
Authors: GABOV A.V.
Published: April 2022

The development of digital platforms (and now ecosystems) logically leads to the emergence of various kinds of mechanisms for resolving disputes arising between platform participants (ecosystems). Online dispute resolution systems of this kind currently exist in Russia and abroad; there are also certain normative approaches to their creation and regulation at the level of UNCITRAL, the European Union and individual states. However, it is in the era of the platformization of economic relations that their regulation becomes important. Formally, today the parties to such disputes are not limited when resolving disputes in the use of state (justice) and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, but in many cases their use can be difficult and burdensome (due to the cross-border nature of the platform). In addition, refusal or evasion from the use of online dispute resolution mechanisms “inside” the platform (ecosystem) can lead to certain negative consequences for a person. In this regard, the study of the phenomenon of online dispute settlement between participants of platforms (ecosystems) is of practical and theoretical interest. This is all the more important because there is no corresponding regulation in Russia and only attempts are being made to create special regulations. As their analysis shows, unfortunately, domestic approaches cannot yet be recognized as fully adequate and reflecting the interests of various parties – buyers, sellers and platforms. The author of the article analyzes the existing practice of online dispute resolution, draft regulations. The existing key forks in approaches to the creation of new regulation are shown and proposals are made on further directions of development of regulation.
DETERMINING OF THE LAW TO BE APPLIED, IN THE LETTER AND IN THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW
Authors: TUMANOVA L.V.
Published: April 2022

In this article, the author proposes for discussion the possibility of establishing an additional mechanism that will be able to determine the law to be applied at the stage of preparing the case for trial. This issue is dictated by the fact that it is crucial for the correct and timely consideration of the case on the merits. The researcher notes that the determination of the law to be applied in a particular case can be presented in several stages. The first one is to establish whether there is a legal norm at all which can be applied to the specific circumstances of the case. The second is the process of interpreting the legal norm in light of the specific factual circumstances. In this case, at each of the two stages two main methods are applied: the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, which in the sphere of judicial enforcement are always in inseparable connection. As a solution to the problem of determining the law to be applied, the author proposes to use the conclusion of a specialist and appeal for interpretation to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
IN SEARCH OF THE SPIRIT OF PROCEDURAL LAW
Authors: STRELTSOVA E.G.
Published: April 2022

The article raises the question of the source of the spirit of procedural law. The options of expressing the spirit of procedural law in the principles of procedural law, human rights, social relations are consistently discussed. In particular, the author points out that the spirit of procedural law should be sought in the needs of specific public relations. The spirit of the law can be revealed in connection with the solution of a private issue, but it cannot be a private manifestation in itself, it must be expressed in the most general idea that best meets the criterion of universality. In conclusion, the researcher suggests that procedural issues should be allowed to be resolved on the basis of the need for a fair solution. In particular, it is pointed out that the very possibility of the court to base the resolution of a procedural issue, which has no other way of resolution, based on the need for fairness should be provided. It is also noted that such a mechanism can provide a legal basis for those judges who are willing to solve complex, unregulated procedural issues, embodying in their decisions the highest ideal of justice, its spirit – fairness.
PREVALENCE OF SOME COMORBID CONDITIONS AT CORONOVIRUS DISEASE
Authors: Samchuk О.О. , Kapustynska O.S. , Sklyarov Ye.Ya.
Published: April 2022

Purpose – to evaluate the prevalence of comorbid pathology in patients with coronavirusdisease and its impact on the severity of COVID 19 and mortality based on retrospectiveanalysis.Material and methods. The effect of comorbid pathology on the severity and resultsof treatment (discharge / death) of patients diagnosed with COVID 19 on the basis ofanalysis of the medical records of 389 hospital patients, treated at the Municipal NonProfit Enterprise "Clinical Emergency Hospital of Lviv", were investigated.Results. Concomitant diseases were detected in 83.7% patients, hospitalized into inpatient department: 26.2% – one disease, two - 29,8%, and 29.1% had three or moreconcomitant diseases. In patients with COVID 19 cardiovascular diseases, diabetesmellitus were observed more often than oncological and bronchopulmonary diseases.The prevalence of comorbid conditions corresponded to age. The number of deathssignificantly prevailed in patients with three or more concomitant conditions (p <0.0001)and it was the lowest in patients without concomitant pathology (p = 0.004). Diseasesof the cardiovascular system, namely coronary heart disease (CHD) (<0.0001), heartfailure (<0.0001), peripheral arteries (p = 0.003), and type 2 diabetes mellitus = 0.024),cancer (<0.0001) and CKD (p = 0.009) dominated in the mortality structure because ofCOVID 19.Conclusions. Comorbid pathology aggravates the course of COVID 19. The presenceof concomitant conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and CKDsignificantly increase the likelihood of death from COVID 19. Fatal outcome in suchpatients occurred more often at three or more comorbid diseases and was associated withinsufficiency, acute respiratory distress syndrome and thrombotic complications.
EFFECT OF MELATONIN DRUGS ON THE DAILY PROFILE OF ARTERIAL PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND OSTEOARTHRITIS
Authors: Sobko D.I.
Published: April 2022

The aim – to determine the effectiveness of melatonin course therapy in a complex withthe main treatment on the dynamics of the daily arterial pressure (AP)profile and lifequality (LQ) in patients with arterial hypertension combined with osteoarthrosis (OA).Material and methods. In accordance with the purpose and objectives of our study, 130people in all, of different age and gender with hypertension and OA were examined.60 patients out of 130 people, divided into two groups, had AH combined with OA.Group I consisted of 30 patients with hypertension combined with OA, who receivedmelatonin in addition to the main treatment for a month. 30 patients, suffering fromcomorbid diseases hypertension and OA, who did not receive melatonin in their usualtreatment, constituted group II. Hypertention without concomitant OA was observedin 30 patients who were in group III. Group IV included 30 people with OA withoutconcomitant hypertension. The control group consisted of 10 practically healthy people.According to the research program, all patients underwent daily arterial pressuremonitoring (DAPM). Besides, the people under study were questioned to elucidate theirlife quality, using the international questionnaire SF-36.Results. The results obtained, indicate a tendency to normalize the daily profile inpatients of both groups: daily SAP decreased 9,57% in group I against 4,73% ingroup II, daily SAP 8,20% approached the target levels in group I against 2,96% ingroup II, SAP during the night monitoring period decreased 9,16% against 3,83% ingroup II. Daily DAP decreased 10,8% for patients of group I and 4,44% in group II,respectively, DAP in the active monitoring period decreased 9,57% in group I and5,29% in group II, at night monitoring period DAP was 9,87% lower in group I and5,91% lower in group II in comparison with the baseline before treatment. However,it should be noted that the results in group I are significantly better than in group II,especially during the night monitoring period, that indicates a better selection oftherapy in group I for patients with hypertension combined with OA.Conclusion. Melatonin (3 mg once daily at bedtime) as a component of complextherapy of hypertension combined with OA, facilitates the course of these diseases inpatients and improves their quality of life due to cardioprotective, antihypertensive andchondroprotective effects.
Hygienic assessment of the academic load in modern students
Authors: Bulycheva EV
Published: April 2022

In modern school education, a system, developing high academic loads among schoolchildren, is being formed. The loads pose a serious problem, creating inevitable medical consequences, and producing a negative effect on the morbidity and structure of the pathology for this group of children and adolescents. Given the situation, control over the academic load, its rational distribution and initiating supervision over the academic process intensity are relevant. Basic negative factors of academic process organization were found in the course of academic schedule analysis in 1.728 classes and estimating the academic process intensity during 3.500 lessons. The maximum non-conformities to hygienic standards were found in high school students from cities. It was established that a weekly academic load was exceeded after school owing to extended learning activities, and irrational distribution of a weekly academic load because of difficult subjects. Intellectual, sensory and emotional loads were the leading criteria of an intense academic process. Highly intense academic load was noted for such school subjects as Russian, Algebra, Foreign language, Chemistry and Geometry. The same subjects are taught in different major classes with a various degree of intensity. This required scored correction of how difficult the subjects are in senior major classes.
Peran Guru PPKn dalam Mencegah Terjadinya Bullying Pada Siswa Kelas VIII SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan Tahun Pelajaran 2020/2021
Authors: Batubara Armi Sari Pratiwi , Endarwati Adelia , Siagian Nurhasania , Yunita Sri , Hodriani Hodriani
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study is aims to determine the role of PPkn teachers in preventing bullying in class VIII students of SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan for the 2020/2021 academic year. The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative. This research was conducted at SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan. The population were all eighth grade students consisting of 8 classes totaling 253 students. Determine the sample using the Slovin formula with the results of 72 students, with a percentage of 28% from each class as many as 9 students per class. Data collection instrument was by distributing questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using a simple statistical technique. The results showed that PPKn teachers played a good role in preventing bullying in students which can be seen from the acquisition scores on variable X, as many as 5769 were included in good criteria and seen from the  percentage of 80.12% from the expected 100%. The results of data processing also show bullying which is expressed through the acquisition scor on variable Y, as many as 2868. Bullying behavior ever occurs in class VIII SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan in the 2020/2021 academic year which is also shown at 39.83% from the expected 0%.----------------AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran guru PPKn dalam mencegah terjadinya bullying pada siswa kelas VIII SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan Tahun Pelajaran 2020/2021. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kuantitatif. Penelitian dilaksanakan di SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan. Populasi pada penelitian yakni seluruh siswa kelas VIII yang terdiri dari 8 kelas yang berjumlah 253 siswa. Penentuan sampel menggunakan rumus Slovin dengan hasil 72 siswa, dengan persentase sampel sebesar 28% dari tiap kelas yakni sebanyak 9 siswa per kelas. Instrumen pengumpulan data dalam penelitian dengan menyebarkan angket. Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan teknik statistik sederhana. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa guru PPKn berperan baik dalam mencegah terjadinya bullying pada siswa yang dapat dilihat dari skor perolehan pada variabel X, sebanyak 5769 termasuk dalam kriteria baik dan dilihat dari persentase sebesar 80,12% dari yang diharapkan sebesar 100%. Hasil pengolahan data juga menunjukkan bahwa siswa pernah melakukan bullying yang dinyatakan melalui skor perolehan pada variabel Y sebanyak 2868. Perilaku bullying pernah terjadi pada siswa kelas VIII SMP Negeri 3 Percut Sei Tuan Tahun Pelajaran 2020/2021 yang ditunjukkan melalui persentase sebesar 39,83% dari yang diharapkan sebesar 0%.
Tingkat Pemahaman Materi Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Terkait Status Kewarganegaraan (Prinsip Ius Soli dan Ius Sanguinis)
Authors: Susdarwono Endro Tri
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study aims to describe the level of understanding of civic education materials related to citizenship status (the ius soli and ius sanguinis principles). How is the insight or knowledge related to citizenship understood by citizens, especially those who have received the material at the time of learning both at the high school, vocational, and university levels. The method used in conducting this research is a descriptive analysis method with a case study approach with data or information collection techniques using a survey conducted by compiling a list of questions posed to respondents. The data analysis technique used hypothesis testing through the Khuskall-Wallis method. In principle, the Kruskal-Wallis method combines all observational samples. Then, for each level a sample is given. The levels are given in order from the smallest value to the largest value. The results of the study stated that the level of understanding of civic education materials related to citizenship status material (ius soli and ius sanguinis principles) of the respondents at the three levels of education of high school students, vocational students, and college students was different. Respondents have different levels of understanding in understanding citizenship status.________AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan mengenai tingkat pemahaman materi pendidikan kewarganegaraan terkait status kewarganegaraan (prinsip ius soli dan ius sanguinis). Bagaimana wawasan atau pengetahuan terkait kewarganegaraan dipahami oleh warga negara terutama yang sudah mendapatkan materi tersebut pada waktu mengikuti pembelajaran baik di tingkat SMA, SMK, maupun Perguruan Tinggi. Metode yang digunakan dalam melakukan penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif analisis dengan pendekatan studi kasus dengan Teknik pengumpulan data atau informasi menggunakan survei yang dilakukan dengan cara menyusun daftar pertanyaan yang diajukan kepada responden. Teknik analisis data menggunakan pengujian hipotesis melalui metode Khuskall-Wallis. Pada prinsipnya metode Kruskal-Wallis seluruh sampel pengamatan digabungkan. Kemudian, kepada setiap sampel jenjang diberikan. Jenjang diberikan secara urut dari nilai yang paling kecil hingga nilai terbesar. Hasil dari penelitian menyatakan bahwa tingkat pemahaman terhadap materi pendidikan kewarganegaraan terkait materi status kewarganegaraan (prinsip ius soli dan ius sanguinis) para responden pada ketiga tingkat pendidikan siswa SMA, siswa SMK, dan Siswa Perguruan Tinggi berbeda. Responden memiliki tingkat pemahaman yang berbeda dalam memahami mengenai status kewarganegaraan.
Will you listen to us?: A study highlighting the voice of Kashmiri youth to understand what influences their moral decision making
Authors: Srinivasan Aarthi
Published: April 2022

The world today faces varying forms of crises in every country – be it the global pandemic, religious conflict, or political instability. The impact of such crises is evident in learning spaces and lived experiences of youth in conflict regions. In this presentation, I highlight the influence of conflict and an unstable education system on the moral decision-making of Kashmiri youth. Based on a phenomenological framework and narrative methodology, preliminary findings from interviews on the experiences and opinions of Kashmiri youth, indicate that young people are leaving Kashmir in search of better education and a safer space to express themselves freely. The participants in my study highlight the impact of religion and biased governance in Kashmir that have exacerbated the social challenges faced by the youth. Echoing the findings of similar conflict studies, the Kashmiri youth emphasise that the discouraging education system, an uncertain future, and lack of avenues to express themselves have led to the active participation of youth in the fight for freedom and peace. There is added agitation in the youth due to their disconnect with the rest of the country and world. Studies suggest that educational instability and prolonged exposure to violence influence moral decision-making of youth (Ahad et al., 2019; Majumdar, 2019; Zucchelli & Ugazio, 2019). This research foregrounds the otherwise marginalised and silenced perspectives and voice of Kashmir’s youth. I suggest implications of this study for youth in other conflict regions.
Aroturuki te takutai moana mai i te rangi: Using satellite and UAV imagery to map the dynamics of the coast at sites with anthropogenic debris in Southland, New Zealand
Authors: Newman Cassandra
Published: April 2022

The coast is a naturally active margin that forms an important barrier system subjected to the forces of both the terrestrial and marine environment. Coastal erosion has become a problem where infrastructure and debris along the shore are being consumed by the ocean. The overall aim of the study is to evaluate and generate effective monitoring and management of the changing coast at sites with anthropogenic debris. This study investigates four sites along the southern coast of the South Island, New Zealand. The sites investigated are Monkey Island, Colac Bay, Fortrose, and Porpoise Bay. Historic satellite imagery is used to investigate coastal dynamics by extracting the rate and magnitude of change occurring from past shorelines. 3D imagery was collected using a drone to collect volumetric change. Each site has shown a range of dynamics along the coast that can be defined into four different patterns. These patterns are stable, unstable, eroding and accreting. Sites without human intervention show constant signs of erosion. Human intervention from reinforcement prevents the coastline from retreating. This is seen at Colac Bay and Fortrose. Porpoise Bay has an unstable coastline and new houses are being built along the beach where the soil underneath them is just sand. The overall results will aid in predicting future shorelines and monitoring and managing coastal change.
Epidemiology of atrial fibrillation in ischaemic stroke patients: a population-based study in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Zagreanu Claudia
Published: April 2022

This oral presentation aims to discuss the results of my research on the incidence and attack rates of first-ever ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Stroke is one of the most prevalent causes of death and debilitating neurological conditions. Globally, the absolute number of stroke patients is rising, with high-income countries showing a higher stroke prevalence than low- and middle-income countries. Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmia and a well-known risk factor for ischaemic stroke. It is associated with a five-fold increase in ischaemic stroke risk, more likely to be severe or fatal. In New Zealand, there have been no previous population-based incidence studies of ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. The design of this study allowed, for the first time, an accurate estimation of the frequency of ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, identifying knowledge gaps specific to New Zealand and providing essential information for health policy development. In this study, the pre-stroke prevalence of atrial fibrillation appeared to be very high and was strongly associated with established cardiovascular risk factors. During the study period, the crude incidence rate of first-ever ischaemic stroke in atrial fibrillation patients in the Auckland population was higher than that reported in other population-based studies. The aging of the population could partlyexplain the increasing incidence of ischaemic stroke associated with atrial fibrillation in developed countries, including New Zealand. The atrial fibrillation detection at the time of stroke onset was significantly improved by using historical hospital archives. Moreover, a longer post-stroke duration of electrocardiographic monitoring was associated with higher newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation detection, demonstrating that prolonged monitoring should be considered for all stroke survivors.
Evaluation of the Directly and Indirectly Effects of the Morpho-Physiological Traits of Sweet Corn Seedlings on Yield with Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) Approach
Authors: SUBRATA Bhaskara Anggarda Gathot , KİREMİT Mehmet , ÖZTÜRK Elif , ARSLAN Hakan , SEZER İsmail , AKAY Hasan
Published: April 2022

Environmental stress factors have a very complex effect on the growth and growth parameters of plants. Therefore, special analytical techniques such as SEM-PLS can better understand the between observational variables and abiotic stress factors. Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate the, directly and indirectly, effects of the growth and biochemical parameters of sweet corn seed on yield, which seed primed with different melatonin doses and grown under different soil salinity conditions using the SEM-PLS model. Seeds of sweet corn cultivar Vega F1 were soaked in 0, 50, 100, and 200 μM of melatonin solution for 24 h, and then primed seeds were cultivated under four (0.27, 5.45, 9.00, and 12.32 dSm-1) soil salinity conditions. The study results showed that melatonin directly and positively affected growth parameters (β = 0.502, p <0.05). In contrast, salinity directly and negatively affected growth parameters (β = -0.689, p <0.05). Also, melatonin had a mostly indirect effect (β = 0.623) on biochemical components compared to direct effect (β = -0.277). The indirect effect (β = -0.855) of salinity on biochemical components was more significant than its direct effect (β = 0.244). Finally, the SEM-PLS can be used as a significant tool for understanding the benefits of melatonin and salinity’s positive or negative effects through direct and indirect relationships with the mediating variables of growth parameters and biochemical, which are essential to optimize sweet corn yield.
Effects of Mycorrhizae and Salicylic Acid on Growth, Cadmium Content and Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) Seedlings in Cadmium Contaminated Media
Authors: GÜLSER Füsun , SÖNMEZ Ferit
Published: April 2022

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is an important problem today. In this study, the effects of mycorrhiza (M) and salicylic acid (SA) applications on plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, number of leaves, and Cd content and uptake of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings grown in Cd treated environments were determined. For this purpose, 3 kg pots with and without mycorrhizae were used with two doses of salicylic acid (SA1: 1.0 mM and SA2: 2.0 mM). The study was carried out in three replications. As a result of the measurements, mycorrhiza and Salicylic acid applications significantly increased plant height, fresh and dry weight of corn seedlings. On the other hand, mycorrhiza and Salicylic acid applications decreased Cd content and uptake. The lowest plant height was 26.63 cm, the number of leaves was 5.6, the fresh weight was 3.74 g and the dry weight was 1.63 g in the control group, which was not treated with mycorrhiza and SA. The highest plant height was 56.17 cm, the number of leaves was 7.50, and the fresh weight was 21.46 g, with 2.0 mM SA application without mycorrhiza treatment. The highest dry weight was determined with 5.70 g in mycorrhiza and 2.0 mM SA application. While the highest Cd content of corn seedlings was 3.37 mg kg-1 and its uptake was 5.95 mg kg-1 in the control application, the lowest Cd content was 0.307 mg kg-1 and uptake were 1.48 mg kg-1 with mycorrhiza with 2.0 mM SA and 1.0 mM SA. detected in applications. When the results of our study were examined, mycorrhiza and SA applications had positive effects on corn seedlings grown in Cd-contaminated environments. The combined application of salicylic acid and mycorrhiza will contribute significantly to yield and nutrient content in agricultural production against heavy metal pollution.