bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers and enablers to sustaining self-management behaviours after attending a self-management support intervention for type 2 diabetes: a protocol for a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis
Authors: Carvalho Márcia , Dunne Pauline , Kwasnicka Dominika , Byrne Molly , McSharry Jenny
Published: June 2022

Background: Attendance at self-management support interventions is associated with improved outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes. However, initial improvements are often not sustained beyond one year, which may be a result of difficulties in sustaining positive changes made to self-management behaviours. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise qualitative research on the barriers and enablers to sustaining self-management behaviours following attendance at a self-management support intervention for type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The review will use the “best fit” framework synthesis method to develop a new conceptual model of sustained behaviour change in type 2 diabetes. MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (Ovid), SCOPUS, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, WorldCat and Open Grey will be searched to identify primary qualitative studies. A parallel search will be conducted in Google Scholar to identify relevant theories for the development of an a priori framework to synthesise findings across studies. Methodological limitations of included studies will be assessed using an adapted version of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool for Qualitative Studies. A sensitivity analysis will be conducted to examine the impact of studies with methodological limitations on synthesis findings. Confidence in the synthesis findings will be assessed using the GRADE-CERQual tool. Screening, data extraction, methodological limitation assessment, synthesis and GRADE-CERQual assessment will be conducted by one author with a second author independently verifying a randomly selected 20% sample.

Discussion: This review will develop a new model of sustained behaviour change in type 2 diabetes self-management. The findings can be used to inform the development of new interventions or revision of existing interventions to better support sustained engagement in type 2 diabetes self-management behaviours.
Much research, but little learned to date: A scoping review of the methodological quality of research on mental health of healthcare professionals in low- and lower-middle income countries
Authors: Lohmann Julia , John Denny , Dzay Aso
Published: June 2022

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in widespread awareness of health workers’ work realities and their mental health impacts, and corresponding unprecedented research effort. Reviews of the quantitative literature on mental health of clinical skilled healthcare personnel in low- and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC), however, point at quality issues in the pre-pandemic literature. We used the evidence generated in the context of one pre-pandemic review to understand methodological strengths and weaknesses in detail, with the aim of distilling recommendations for future research.

Methods: Our study used the literature identified in a systematic search up to the end of 2020, in English or French language, in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Global Health, and CAIRN. Following a scoping review approach, we extracted and charted data on key study characteristics as well as on study quality. In regard to the latter, we developed nine quality criteria on the basis of existing quality checklists, but expanding on issues of particular relevance to the measurement and interpretation of levels of mental health or illness. We collated the charted data in descriptive fashion.

Results: We included data from 152 studies, assessing a range of mental health outcomes, with a focus on burnout. Most studies were conducted in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, or Egypt, in urban secondary- and tertiary-care settings. We judged only 20% of studies as of high quality due to shortcomings particularly regarding sample representativeness, context-specific measurement tool validity, and reporting of methodological detail.

Conclusion: We conclude that despite its impressive size, we can learn comparatively little from the body of literature up to the end of 2020 due to limitations in quality. Based on our findings, we outline areas for expansion, methodological improvement, and standardization of reporting in future research.

PROSPERO Registration: CRD42019140036.
Perspective: Benchmarking Opportunities Can Contribute to Circular Food Systems in Controlled Environment Agriculture
Authors: Azzaretti Carmen , Schimelpfenig Gretchenno
Published: June 2022

Highlights

Controlled Environment Agriculture facilities can achieve better resource efficiency and productivity than field farming.

Controlled Environment Agriculture food systems provide resiliency and economic benefits for communities.

Efficient Controlled Environment Agriculture strategies can reduce solid waste and wastewater emissions by recycling materials and using closed loop system approaches.

Benchmarking is key to measurement and validation and certification systems can encourage and promote circularity.

Abstract. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) approaches offer pathways to circular economy systems. CEA facilities have the potential to offer increased climate resiliency and efficient use of land. Recirculating water practices in CEA operations can substantially reduce water use in the face of resource scarcity. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production remain a major concern for both field agriculture and CEA facilities. Benchmarking tools and certification programs can encourage and promote circular systems. Keywords: Circular economy, Energy, Greenhouse, Greenhouse gas emissions , Productivity, Protected agriculture, Regeneration, Resilience, Vertical farming, Water.
Elimination of catastrophic optical mirror damage in continuous-wave high-power laser diodes using multi-section waveguides
Authors: Liu Yuxian , Ebadi Kaveh , Sunnetcioglu Ali Kaan , Gundogdu Sinan , Sengul Serdar , Zhao Yuliang , Lan Yu , Zhao Yongming , Yang Guowen , Demir Abdullah
Published: June 2022

One of the persistent obstacles for high-power laser diodes (LDs) has been the catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD), which limits the operating power level and lifetime of commercial high-power LDs. The output facet of LD reaches a critical temperature resulting in COMD, which is an irreversible device failure. Here, we fabricate multi-section LDs by tailoring the waveguide structure along the cavity that separates the output facet from the heat-generating lasing region. In this method, the LD waveguide is divided into electrically isolated laser and window sections along the cavity. The laser section is pumped at a high current to achieve high output power, and the window is biased at a low current with negligible heat generation. This design restricts the thermal impact of the laser section on the facet, and the window section allows lossless transport of the laser to the output facet. The lasers were operated continuous-wave up to the maximum achievable power. While standard LDs show COMD failures, the multi-section waveguide LDs are COMD-free. Our technique and results provide a pathway for high-reliability LDs, which would find diverse applications in semiconductor lasers.
Prevalence, risk factors, and infection intensity of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia
Authors: Kurnianto Heri , Ramanoon Siti Zubaidah , Aziz Nor Azlina Abdul , Indarjulianto Soedarmanto
Published: June 2022

Background and Aim: Fasciolosis is a significant problem in veterinary and public health, causing huge economic losses. Epidemiological studies of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Indonesia are few and existing reports primarily focus on prevalence. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and infection intensity of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 400 dairy cattle from 72 household farms in eight subdistricts. Fecal samples (n=400) were examined using the Flukefinder® kit and the simple sedimentation technique was the gold standard for fasciolosis. In-person interviews using questionnaires collected data on farmers, farms, and animal characteristics. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associated risk factors for fasciolosis, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The overall prevalence of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia, was 16.50% (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.85-20.15) at the animal level (n = 400), whereas 40.28% at household farms (n = 72) level (95% CI 18.67-51.88). The relative sensitivity and specificity of the Flukefinder® kit compared with those of the gold standard were 79.49% and 92.52%, respectively, with a moderate agreement (kappa=0.59; p < 0.001). Fasciolosis was more likely in cattle originating from the Mojosongo subdistrict than from other subdistricts (odds ratio (OR)=5.28, 95% CI 1.22-22.94); from farms that did not process manure versus from those that did (OR = 3.03, 95% CI 1.43-4.71); and with farmers that had never attended extension programs compared with those who had (OR = 4.72, 95% CI 1.99-11.19). Studied cattle were mostly affected by light Fasciola spp. infections (92.4%, 95% CI 77.8-100%) followed by moderate (6.1%, 95% CI 0-22.2%) and heavy (1.5%, 95% CI 0-5.6%) infections.

Conclusion: Fasciolosis is prevalent in dairy cattle in Boyolali, Indonesia. Control efforts should target the high-risk Mojosongo subdistrict, emphasize the importance of processing manure, and encourage farmers to attend extension programs. Flukefinder® is a practical on-site diagnostic kit for fasciolosis in Indonesian dairy farms. Parasite species identification and a malacological survey of intermediate hosts of Fasciola spp. in the farming environment are required for further research.
Changes in Shopping Behavior Under the Aspect of Sustainability and the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Authors: Ludin Daniela , Wellbrock Wanja , Gerstlberger Wolfgang , Müller Erika , Noller Silas , Ruchti Sebastian
Published: June 2022

Since the beginning of 2020, governments around the world have taken measures to contain the novel COVID 19 pandemic. These measures have changed many aspects of public life. The introduction of mask requirement in points of sale and the call for social distancing raises the question of how these conditions affect the shopping behavior of consumers. As part of this study, a written online survey was carried out with students from the Schwäbisch Hall campus of Heilbronn University. The aim is to research the adapted purchasing behavior under the new situation towards increased online shopping as well as the inclusion of sustainability aspects in the purchase decision. In summary, it can be stated that consumers mainly order clothing, electronics and books online. Since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, more and more online purchases have been made across all product groups, with those articles that were previously in greater demand online recorded the greatest relative growth in the pandemic situation. The main reasons for this are the fact that shopping is simple and uncomplicated as a hybrid between the advantages of online trading and COVID 19 related measures. The willingness to support the local brick-and-mortar retailers who switched to online sales in the wake of the pandemic is only present to a limited extent. 

Key Words: Sustainability, COVID 19, retailer, costumer behavior, empirical study
Scrutinizing the Trends and Indexes of the Knowledge Economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Yusuf Nadia , Zubair Tariq
Published: June 2022

This study focusses on the concepts of significance to the knowledge economy and its characteristics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Qualitative and quantitative research methodology design has been incorporated to validate the study. The outcome of the study exhibited that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved progress according to the research and development index. The rate of expenditure as a ratio from the Gross Domestic Product is still negligent and modest in comparison with the international expenditure rates. It has been recommended to adopt an effective mechanism for the consolidation of the relations between the scientific research institutions and the productive and service sectors. 

Keywords: Knowledge economy, digital economy, human development, information technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Addressing Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction through ICT and EU Assistance: The Case of Philippine Local Governance
Authors: Roldan Ma. Divina Gracia Z.
Published: June 2022

Developing countries are gravely challenged by the adverse effects of climate change and natural disasters. The Philippines is considered as one of the most vulnerable and disaster-prone countries in the world. The European Union (EU) as a development partner extends support to the Philippines on climate change. While there are global and national initiatives to take action on these issues, the challenge is how local governments can engage communities to address these environmental threats. The paper poses the following questions: (1) What initiatives did the Philippine national government undertake to address climate change and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in the Philippines? (2) What assistance does the EU provide to the Philippines in tackling climate change? (3) In what ways is information and communications (ICT) used by local governments as a mechanism to engage their constituents in dealing with climate change and natural disasters? Documentary analysis of Philippine laws on ICT, climate change, and disaster risk reduction and management are employed to determine the policy framework of the Philippines as a case. Desktop research is undertaken to evaluate the content of selected local government websites on disaster management and to identify the forms of EU technical assistance to the Philippines on climate change. While national policies exist to deal with climate change and disaster management, initiatives may take a backseat given the current pandemic.

Keywords: climate change, disaster risk reduction and management, Philippines, information & communications technology, local governance, EU assistance
Female Entrepreneurship Model, a Sustainable Solution for Crisis Resilience
Authors: Birsan Alina , Ghinea Raluca , Vintila Lorian , State Cristina
Published: June 2022

Entrepreneurs have always been the engine of the whole economy, but the vast majority of them have been men. And as society has evolved, social or entrepreneurial behavior patterns have been redefined so that we can now look at the impact gender can have on leadership and its sustainability. And when would it be more appropriate to analyze sustainability than in times of crisis? Therefore, we have now, one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, undertaken a research based on a questionnaire as a research tool, disseminated in the Romanian entrepreneurial environment, by means of which we have been able to outline the analysis and conclusions regarding the business model that supports sustainable development, especially in times of crisis. Thus, through it, we have analyzed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the development of entrepreneurial activity and we have extracted the "pattern" of changes that entrepreneurs have undertaken for resilience during the crisis period. Our empirical research, undertaken in March 2021, showed that the majority of affected entrepreneurs have implemented changes to their pre-pandemic management model (85%). Of the total 320 respondents, more than 65% represent women owned businesses. We have analyzed what are the main entrepreneurial traits that guide female entrepreneurial behavior. At the same time, for a sustainable development, we have determined the traits of the female entrepreneurial model, which can be successful in times of crisis.

Keywords: crisis resilience, female entrepreneurship, sustainable model, leadership
Sentiment Analysis with CNNs and LSTMs
Authors: Negi mohit , Kaushik Jatin , Dahiya Alok , Kaushik Deepak
Published: June 2022

In this paper we describe our attempt at producing a state-of-the-art senti- ment classifier using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTMs) networks. Our sys- tem leverages a large amount of unlabeled data to pre-train word embeddings. We then use a subset of the unlabeled data to fine tune the embeddings using distant su- pervision. The final CNNs and LSTMs are trained on the SemEval-2017 Twitter dataset where the embeddings are fined tuned again. To boost performances we ensemble several CNNs and LSTMs to- gether. Our approach achieved first rank on all of the five English subtasks amongst 40 teams.
Association of Insomnia and Academic Stress with the onset of Dysmenorrhea among females of Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Y. Iqra , Shehzadi Tabinda , Rida Mariam , Imtiaz Rida
Published: June 2022

Disturbed sleep and menstrual symptoms are prevalent health conditions with limited successful treatments. This study aimed to detect the association between sleep problems and menstrual symptoms among young women in Lahore. In this cross-sectional study, 150 young women aged 12 to 25 years and residing in Lahore City were recruited using a multistage random method. The participants were interviewed for their premenstrual disorders, primary dysmenorrhea, average daily hours of sleep, academic stress, smoking habits, menstrual health, family history and insomnia during the previous 3 months.
Cervical cancer prediction using outlier deduction and over sampling methods
Authors: Kannan Gowri , M Saranya
Published: June 2022

Cervical cancer is one of the disease considered to be fourth among the most common types of cancer in women around the world.

The early deduction of cervical cancer helps to raise number of recovery patients and reduce death rates. This research work aims to

use machine learning algorithms to predicting cervical cancer with high accuracy using an outlier deduction and over sampling

method. Analyse the cervical cancer data available the dataset from UCI repository. In this research, first step removes outliers by

using outlier detection method such as density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) and by increasing the

number of cases in the dataset in a balanced way through the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) and SMOTE

with Tomek link (SMOTETOmek). Finally, it employs random forest (RF) as a classifier to check the accuracy. Thus, the prediction

model Have a two scenarios: (1) DBSCAN + SMOTETomek + RF, (2) DBSCAN + SMOTE+ RF. I found that combination of

DBSCAN with SMOTE provided better performance than DBSCAN with SMOTETomek. Also observed that RF performed the best

among several popular machine learning classifiers. Furthermore, the proposed research work showed better accuracy than

previously proposed methods for forecasting cervical cancer.
The Optimization of Sheet Forming on Residual Stress and Surface Roughness with Two Point Incremental Forming Process (TPIF) of Aluminum Alloy Parts
Authors: Prasomthong Suriya , Onbat Keattipong
Published: June 2022

This study investigates the residual stress and surface roughness of AA5052 aluminum alloy with two points incremental forming (TPIF) processed. The experimental tool used for forming was a ball-shape tool for the truncated cone geometry of workpieces and forming by CNC machines. The residual stress was measured using the experimental forming tool. The residual stress was measured using the X-ray diffraction method. This study aimed to optimize the parameters using the Taguchi and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques. The TPIF process parameters include tool rotation speed and incremental depth. The results revealed that the optimal parameter obtained for the lowest residual stress and surface roughness were A1B1 (Rotation speed 0 rpm and Incremental depth 0.3 mm) with residual stress of 21.14 MPa and 0.46 μm of surface roughness. According to the results obtained by ANOVA, it was found that the rotation speed was significant to residual stress and incremental depth insignificant to residual stress. On the other hand, the most significant factor for surface roughness was incremental depth, but rotation speed was insignificant to surface roughness of formed parts at 95% confidence level.
Human Body Posture Recognition Approaches
Authors: Ali Mohammed A. , Hussain Abir J. , Sadiq Ahmed T.
Published: June 2022

Human body posture recognition has become the focus of many researchers in recent years. Recognition of body posture is used in various applications, including surveillance, security, and health monitoring. However, these systems that determine the body’s posture through video clips, images, or data from sensors have many challenges when used in the real world. This paper provides an important review of how most essential ‎ hardware technologies are ‎used in posture recognition systems‎. These systems capture and collect datasets through ‎accelerometer sensors or computer vision. In addition, this paper presents a comparison ‎study with state-of-the-art in terms of accuracy. We also present the advantages and ‎limitations of each system and suggest promising future ideas that can increase the ‎efficiency of the existing posture recognition system. Finally, the most common datasets ‎applied in these systems are described in detail. It aims to be a resource to help choose one of the methods in recognizing the posture of the human body and the techniques that suit each method. It analyzes more than 80 papers between 2015 and 2020
Kandungan Mikroplastik pada Ikan Belanak (Mugil cephalus) dan Kerang Hijau (Perna viridis) di Pantai Mangunharjo Semarang dan Pantai Sayung Demak
Authors: Prameswari Ardhia Pratiwi , Muhammad Fuad , Hidayat Jafron Wasiq
Published: June 2022

Microplastics have polluted marine waters from the surface of the water to the sediments. High levels of microplastic contamination can cause some marine biota to become tolerant so it can disrupt the metabolism of marine biota. The aim of the study was to find out the content of the amount and type of microplastics in grey mullet, green mussel, water, and sediment also the correlation between the abundance of microplastics and the body length of fish and shellfish. The samples were obtained from four stations located in two locations. Microplastic analyzed by isolating microplastics in each sample. Fish and shellfish samples were isolated by dissolving the sample in a 10% KOH solution, then incubated at 60 ⁰C for 24 hours. Water and sediment samples were isolated by soaking in saturated NaCl solution. Data analyzed by testing the correlation using SPSS software. The average microplastics value in each type in grey mullet (particles/individu) was pellet 27,25; film 25,36; fiber 49,28; and fragment 61,08 while the average microplastics value in shellfish was pellet 8,94; film 20,61; fiber 34,00; and fragment 35,28. The average microplastics abundance in each type in water was pellet 0,72; film 1,34; fiber 2,01; and fragment 3,11 particles/mL while in sediment was pellet 1,65; film 5,25; fiber 10,09; and fragment 12,87 particles/gram. The correlation relationship between the abundance of microplastics and the length of fish and shellfish was negative.
Simulasi Blood Type Inheritance dengan Pemrograman Software Wolfram
Authors: Hayadri Asep Komara Walkis , Kusumaningrum Hermin Pancasakti , Budiharjo Anto
Published: June 2022

Bioinformatics as an interdisciplinary science, combine biology, computer science, information technology, mathematics, and statistics in order to analyze and interprete biological data. Bioinformatics has been used for in silico analysis of biological questions using mathematical and statistical techniques. In silico analysis allows indirect simulation through a series of instructions put into a device, usually a computer. Nowadays, the simulation of biological aspects, especially genetics, with in silico method has been widely applied for several fields. The ABO blood type inheritance system in humans has rules that its mechanism can be applied into the Wolfram software programming, for example showing the possibility of blood groups being inherited from blood type O pairs with AB. The latest statistical data regarding the number of Indonesians who have reported their blood type has not yet reached 25% of the total population of Indonesia. Wolfram software is expected to be an accurate and fast blood type detector to record the entire population of Indonesia. The purpose of this study was to simulate Blood Type Inheritance with Wolfram Software Programming on ABO blood type inheritance data and see the suitability of the simulation results with real blood type inheritance data. The method used to simulate blood type inheritance is a survey of 12 families for the data of blood group, the next step is to enter the data one by one into the simulation model to observe the output results then matched with real data to determine the results of ABO blood type inheritance. Simulation of blood type inheritance can be done by programming the Wolfram Mathematica software and blood type data from 12 families can be simulated through the ABO blood inheritance system on Wolfram Mathematica, with details of the simulation predicting the blood groups of 2 families, simulation of 9 families according to real data, and simulation of 1 family does not match the real data.
Struktur Komunitas Ikan di Pantai Karang Jahe Rembang
Authors: Murhandini Isti Karim , Hidayat Jafron Wasiq , Muhammad Fuad
Published: June 2022

Fish play an important role both ecologically and economically. Fish also play a role in the food chain cycle, can be used as food and tourism commodities. This study aims to examine the structure of the fish community, to analyze the relationship between the number of individual fish and the physical and chemical parameters of the waters and to determine the ecotourism potential of fish diversity in Karang Jahe Beach, Rembang. The research was conducted at 5 different stations, namely tourist area, pond area, river flow, around mangroves, and marine area close to coral reef communities. Fish were caught using fishing nets and fishing trawler. Sampling at each station was repeated 3 times. The results obtained 22 species of fish belonging to 16 families, namely Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, Lutjanus bitaeniatus, Lutjanus ehrenbergii, Chanos chanos, Liza alata, Mugil sp, Oreochromis mossambicus, Pseudapocryptes elongatus, Periophthalmus sp., Eubleekeria jonesi, Eubleekeria elongate, Eubleekeria elongate Sardinella lemuru, Pennahia argentata, Trichiurus lepturus, Scomberomorus commerson, Stolephorus sp, Stolephorus indicus, Stolephorus commersoni, Chromis analyst, Terapon theraps and Lagocephalus inermis. The species diversity index is classified as low and moderate. The species evenness index is classified as low, medium and high. The dominance index is classified as low and high. Physicochemical parameters of Karang Jahe Beach waters such as temperature, pH, salinity, DO, turbidity and TDS are still classified as suitable for life, while the brightness parameter does not support fish life.
Daily Solar Radiation Forecasting based on a Hybrid NARX-GRU Network in Dumaguete, Philippines
Authors: Fuselero Al Diego Pega , Portus Hannah Mae San Agustin , Doma Jr Bonifacio Tobias
Published: June 2022

In recent years, solar radiation forecasting has become highly important worldwide as solar energy increases its contribution to electricity grids. However, due to the intermittent nature of solar radiation caused by meteorological parameters, forecasting errors arise, and fluctuations in the power output of photovoltaic (PV) systems become a severe issue. This paper aims to introduce a forecasting hybrid model of daily global solar radiation time series. Meteorological data and solar radiation samples from Dumaguete, Philippines, are used to assess the forecasting accuracy of the proposed nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX) – gated recurrent unit (GRU) hybrid model. Four different models were trained using the meteorological and solar radiation data, which are the Optimizable Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Nonlinear Autoregressive Network (NAR), NARX, and the proposed Hybrid NARX-GRU Network.  Results show that the hybrid NARX-GRU model has a root mean square error (RMSE) of ~0.05 and a training time of 33 seconds. The proposed hybrid model has better forecasting performance compared to the three models which obtained RMSE values of 27.741, 39.82, and 28.92, for the GPR, NAR, and NARX, respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that the NARX-GRU model significantly outperforms the regression and single models in terms of statistical metrics and training efficiency. Furthermore, this study shows that the hybridized NARX-GRU model is able to provide an effective estimation for daily global solar radiation, which is important in the operation of PV plants in the country, specifically for unit commitment purposes
Risky Portfolio Efficient Frontier & Performance: Bayesian versus Frequentist
Authors: Kantarelis Demetri
Published: June 2022

The location of the Efficient Frontier in Expected Portfolio Return (Rp) / Portfolio Standard Deviation (Sp) space depends on what kind of summary estimates are utilized by the investor. By relying on Bayesian and Frequentist summary measures, in conjunction with a 5-stock portfolio of non-volatility free stocks, analysis in this paper proves that use of reliable Bayesian estimates (estimates that are not sensitive to prior distributions) (a) causes the locus of the Efficient Frontier to appear higher than, and to the right of, the one constructed on Frequentist geometric measures, and (b) generates improved measures of portfolio performance. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the decision of the investor to rely on simple (arithmetic or sample) summary measures describing non-volatility-free assets, would cause the Efficient Frontier to appear above the Bayesian, implying overoptimism. It is concluded that Bayesian estimates, that are not sensitive to mistaken prior distributions, take the investor closer to truer performance levels.
Adolescent Pregnancy the Case of Wa West District in Upper West Region of Ghana
Authors: Vengkungngmenei Clifford , Kor Jacob Aaworb-nang Maabobr
Published: June 2022

Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood from ages 10 – 19 years. This age category is further divided into sub categories as Early (10 – 14years) adolescent and late (15 – 19years) adolescent. It is a very unique stage of human development and an important time for laying the foundation for good health. All the vices emanates from this stage of life if not managed well. This is the stage where there is rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial development. Adolescents constitute a significant proportion of our population (about 21.9%) [AHSPS 2016-2020]. A cross sectional descriptive design was used in this study where data was collected at a point in time across the health facilities with Reproductive and Maternal Health Services.   Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used to have a fair assessment of the issues. This study design was adopted as most appropriate because it offered the researchers the opportunity to delve deeply into the issues and appropriately respond to the objectives.  

The principal respondents were the pregnant Adolescent girls and adolescent girls that delivered in 2021 who had contact with health service providers within the year. Health facilities that provide Reproductive Health Services were purposively sampled from 9 Health Centres and 13 CHPS compounds. In total 390 pregnant adolescent girls who were either pregnant or lactating were studied.  The secondary respondents were parents of the pregnant adolescents and lactating girls, staff of Ghana Education Service as well as department of social welfare who were purposefully selected because of the critical role they play in adolescent health related issues. The number of adolescent pregnancies by age category, early adolescence (10 – 14years) and late adolescence (15 – 19years).  The late adolescent recorded the highest number of pregnancies (N=383, 98.2%) and seven (7) pregnancies occurred within the early adolescent category with the youngest adolescent being 13years.
Ensemble Graph Attention Networks
Authors: Wu Nan , Wang Chaofan
Published: June 2022

Graph neural networks have demonstrated its success in many applications on graph-structured data. Many efforts have been devoted to elaborating new network architectures and learning algorithms over the past decade. The exploration of applying ensemble learning techniques to enhance existing graph algorithms have been overlooked. In this work, we propose a simple generic bagging-based ensemble learning strategy which is applicable to any backbone graph models. We then propose two ensemble graph neural network models – Ensemble-GAT and Ensemble-HetGAT by applying the ensemble strategy to the graph attention network (GAT), and a heterogeneous graph attention network (HetGAT). We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed ensemble strategy on GAT and HetGAT through comprehensive experiments with four real-world homogeneous graph datasets and three real-world heterogeneous graph datasets on node classification tasks. The proposed Ensemble-GAT and Ensemble-HetGAT outperform the state-of-the-art graph neural network and heterogeneous graph neural network models on most of the benchmark datasets. The proposed ensemble strategy also alleviates the over-smoothing problem in GAT and HetGAT.
Lodo de estação de tratamento de água: possibilidade de aplicação no solo
Authors: Morselli Luiza Beatriz Gamboa Araújo , Carmo Lara Alves Gullo do , Quadro Maurízio Silveira , Andreazza Robson
Published: June 2022

A crescente demanda por água potável, devido ao desenvolvimento econômico e populacional, ocasiona aumento na geração do lodo de estação de tratamento de água (ETA), que é um resíduo sólido Classe II A e deve receber um destino adequado ambientalmente, conforme a legislação brasileira NBR 1004/2004. Uma alternativa sustentável de descarte é a aplicação do lodo como substituto ao solo, fertilizante ou adsorvente de metais pesados em solos degradados. Objetivando fornecer parâmetros para o reaproveitamento do lodo de ETA Santa Bárbara (LSB), de Pelotas/RS, o resíduo foi caracterizado físico-quimicamente e sua geração foi estimada. A partir das caracterizações, foi analisado seu potencial agronômico através da Resolução nº 498/2020 do CONAMA, seu potencial para adsorção de metais pesados, e possibilidade de uso em camada impermeabilizante e cobertura de aterros sanitários. A geração per capita do LSB, com teor de umidade de 94,96%, foi estimada em 315 L hab-1 ano-1. Os metais pesados presentes no lodo apresentaram valores abaixo dos orientadores legais, entretanto, a presença de Al e Fe pode imobilizar o P, nutriente necessário às plantas. O lodo apresentou capacidade de troca catiônica para servir como adsorvente de metais pesados na remediação de solos degradados, e apresentou matéria orgânica, macro e micronutrientes necessários ao desenvolvimento dos vegetais. Como camadas de aterros sanitários, o lodo precisa ser misturado a outros materiais com menores coeficientes de permeabilidade. A reciclagem do lodo de ETA em solos agrícolas, degradados e em aterros sanitários são alternativas promissoras de seu manejo sustentável e reduzem seu impacto ambiental.
Partially disordered pyrochlore: time-temperature dependence of recrystallization and dehydration
Authors: Beirau Tobias , Reissner Claudia E. , Pöllmann Herbert , Bismayer Ulrich
Published: June 2022

The comparison of the evolution of the mechanical properties (elastic modulus and hardness) after step-wise thermal annealing for 1 and 16 h up to 900 K of a radiation-damaged pyrochlore (∼35% amorphous fraction; 1.8 wt% ThO2) provides insights to the time-temperature dependence of the recrystallization behavior. Especially the elastic modulus, directly related to interatomic bonding, enables the correlation with the amount of amorphous fraction. From this a pronounced effect of the annealing time on percolation behavior could be deduced. Evolved gas analysis indicate dehydration in the course of the structural reorganization process.
Clinical Assessment Of Melasma In Patients Attending The Department Of Dermatology And Venereology At Rizgary Teaching Hospital In Erbil City
Authors: Almosuly Intiha , Butros Robert
Published: June 2022

Background and objective: Melasma is an acquired and symmetric hyperpigmentation of the face. The aim of this study was to assess clinical varieties, aggravating factors of melasma, distribution among different age and sex groups and observed diseases. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 210 patients with melasma attending the department of Dermatology and Venereology at Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil city. Data were collected from November 2007 to the end of June 2008. All patients and both sexes were included in the study except for patients who received treatment during last two months of pres-entation. A questionnaire was prepared and full history and a thorough examination was done for each patient. Results: The study showed that 83.33% of the patients were females with a mean age of 23.71 years. Main factors found to induce or exacerbate melasma were sunlight (71.9%) and emotional stress (65.7%). The most common morphological type was centrofacial (70.95%). Wood’s light examination showed epidermal type predominance. Conclusion: Melasma is a disease of reproductive period. Sunlight and emotional stress are the most common aggravating factor. The most common morphological type of melasma seen was centrofacial. Epidermal type of pigment predominates in most patients with melasma.
Effect of benfotiamine on hepatic tissue levels of free calcium, copper, iron and zinc during CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats
Authors: Aziz Tavga
Published: June 2022

Background and Objectives: Toxic injury occurs in the liver more often than other organ, this can be attributed to the fact that virtually all ingested substances that are absorbed are first presented to the liver & that the liver is responsible for the metabolism and elimination of many substances. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is very well known to cause hepatotoxicity that may be associated with impaired calcium and trace element homeostasis. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of benfotiamine against CCl4-induced disturbances in calcium, iron, copper and zinc homeostasis in liver tissue of rats. Methods: Liver tissue homogenate from normal controls, CCl4-treated and benfotiamine (70 mg/kg) pre-treated before induction of hepatic damage with CCl4 in rats were obtained, and processed for estimation of levels of free forms of calcium, iron, copper and zinc using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: Analysis of data revealed significant elevation in calcium, iron and copper levels in hepatic tissue due to exposure to CCl4 compared to controls, while zinc levels not significantly affected. Pretreatment with benfotiamine results in significant decrease in calcium, iron and copper levels compared to non-treated group, while zinc levels found to be significantly elevated. Conclusions: Benfotiamine has a protective effect against CCl4-induced hepatic tissue damage which may be, in part, attributed to restoration of calcium and other trace elements homeostasis.
Sociodemographic factors of schizophrenia in Basra
Authors: Saleh Akeel
Published: June 2022

Background and objectives: Schizophrenia is the heartland of psychiatry and the core of its clinical practice. The onsets of schizophrenia characteristically occur between the ages of 15 and 45. There are minor sex differences in age of onset. Schizophrenia is over presented among people of lower social class. The relationship of birth order to schizophrenia has been controversial. Methods: Eighty six schizophrenic patients who were admitted to psychiatric unit of Basra General Hospital, who met DSM-1V criteria for schizophrenia were included in this study. The data was obtained by personal interview from the patients and their accompanied relatives, after taking their consent, according to the following: age, sex, marital status, social class, season of birth and birth order. Results: This study shows high male to female ratio. Two third of the patients were single and in younger age group. The study also shows high percentage of schizophrenic patients in upper and middle social class. The season of birth of schizophrenic patients were in spring and there is no much difference between first and last born. Conclusion: There is certain factor, the young, single, season of birth … etc have special risk in developing schizophrenia and these should provide basis for further studies.
Comparison between continuous and intermittent phototherapy in the management of neonatal jaundice
Authors: Abdul-Kareem Muyesser
Published: June 2022

Background and Objectives: Since 1950s, phototherapy had been the treatment of choice for neonatal jaundice. Continuous phototherapy was the pattern used for many years; however intermittent phototherapy was also used with conflicting and controversial results. This work aim is to assess intermittent phototherapy for the treatment of neonatal jaundice in comparison with continuous phototherapy. Methods: In a prospective clinical study all newborns with neonatal jaundice admitted to neonatology department of Raperin hospital in Erbil, between August 2009 and February 2010, for phototherapy were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. In the control group continuous phototherapy defined as two hours on and half an hour off was used while in the study group intermittent phototherapy defined as one hour on and one hour off was used. Mean total serum bilirubin level in both continuous and intermittent phototherapy groups were compared after each12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours of commencing phototherapy. The effect of biodemographic characteristics (gender, gestational age, birth weight, age in hours, and bilirubin levels at admission) were also studied. Results: There was no any significant difference between the two groups regarding mean total serum bilirubin measured at every 12 hours. There was no any significant difference between the 2 groups regarding biodemographic characteristics (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Intermittent phototherapy is as effective as continuous one in the treatment of indirect hyperbilirubinemia in full term infants and in the absence of hemolytic causes.
A comparison of high versus low intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for chronic pain
Authors: Tahir Diyar
Published: June 2022

Background and objectives: Over the last 35 years electrical nerve stimulation has been employed increasingly in the treatment of chronic pain. This study was carried out to compare the analgesic effect that produced by applying a fixed frequency (50 Hz) high intensity tolerably painful transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with the conventional low intensity TENS. Methods: Thirty six patients (26 Females and 10 males with age 18 – 54 years) were selected from patients consulting a private psychiatric clinic in Erbil city from March 2009 to march 2010. They had chronic pain in head and neck for more than 2 years. The cases were allocated randomly into two groups; group A treated by the conventional TENS of high frequency 100 Hz with low intensity current, by applying the electrical electrodes on the nucheal region (back of neck) for 20 minutes once daily for six days, and once weekly for one month then follow up the patients after 3 months, while in group B; the same procedure was applied but with fixed frequency 50 Hz and high intensity current adjusted to a tolerably painful level. The pain measured by verbal scale ranged from 0 to 4. Results: Patients who received high intensity TENS; 94% of them got immediate pain relief and 17% got long lasting pain relief more than three months, while with the conventional TENS only 33% got immediate pain relief and no one got long lasting pain relief. Conclusion: The tolerably painful high intensity TENS gives better analgesic effect than the conventional TENS, and in some patients it may leads to long lasting analgesic effect(this may be attributed to the pan stimulation involving a variety of afferent fibers; Aa/β, Ad & C).
Gingival health status and oral hygiene among patients attending health centers aged (20-80) years in ERBIL city
Authors: Hussein Shahida
Published: June 2022

Background and objectives: Aims of the present study were to investigate the gingival health status in different age groups of both genders in (300) subjects aged 20–80 years, also to fined the effect of the frequency of tooth brushing and education level on gingival health of adult population in Erbil city. Methods: The examination was performed using plaque, gingival and calculus indices. The level of education and frequency of tooth brushing were reported. Results: Demonstrated that ; the total mean for plaque(1.18) ,gingival (0.97) and calculus(0.19) scores were increased with increasing age with significant differences fore plaque (P-value =0.017) and calculus(P-value =0.00) score but with no significant difference for gingival score(P-value =0.31) . Males reported higher means than females for plaque and gingival score while male reported equal means with female for calculus with no significant differences. (P-value =0.41), (P-value =0.16), (P-value =0.82) respectively. The highest mean of plaque (1.68), gingival (1.43) and calculus (0.31) scores were seen related to non brushing group with significant differences between all groups. (P-value =0.00) The highest mean of plaque (1.45), gingival, (1.19) and calculus (0.23) scores, were seen related to illiterate level of education with significant differences between all groups. (P-value =0.00) Conclusion: Females reported less mean plaque score and more healthy gingiva than males. Gingival, plaque and calculus scores were increasing with age. Most of the of them needs increasing their level of education and oral health education.
Association between life-style factors and pulmonary tuberculosis in Erbil
Authors: Mustafa Ibrahim , Najib Badia , Al. Tawil Namir
Published: June 2022

Background and objectives: The majority of individuals in a population do not develop tuberculosis, due either to lack of exposure or due to individual characteristics that limit development of the disease after exposure. Evidences suggested that there is an association between lifestyle variables and tuberculosis. The main objective of this study was to study the association between lifestyle characteristics and pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in Erbil city during the period May 10, to December 28, 2009. A convenient sample of 150 cases of TB attending the Consultation Clinic for Chest and Respiratory Diseases was included in the study. A sex and age matched, 150 patients were included in the study as a control group. The control group was taken from patient of the Medical Wards of both Rizgary and Hawler Teaching Hospitals who were free from chest infections and lung cancer. Cases and controls were interviewed using a questionnaire designed by the researchers. Results: Around one quarter (24%) of the cases were smokers compared with 14.7 % among the controls. Significant difference of nutritional status between both groups was detected. Controls eat more food and of better quality than cases. No significant association between alcohol drinking, practicing of sports/ exercise and TB was detected. Conclusion: TB was found to be associated with low nutritional status and smoking.