bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La pandémie de Covid-19, spécificités en Afrique
Authors: Migliani René
Published: December 2021

Le coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsable du Covid-19 s’est répandu rapidement sur tous les continents depuis son émergence en Chine en décembre 2019. En Afrique et au sud de l’océan Indien le virus touche moins en apparence les populations, en termes de morbidité et de mortalité. En plus des carences des systèmes de surveillance et de notification, différentes raisons peuvent expliquer cette situation : peut-être des conditions climatiques moins favorables à la survie du virus, mais surtout l’insuffisance d’accès aux tests de diagnostic, notamment chez les jeunes, et aux soins de qualité pour les populations, notamment celles éloignées des villes. La survie des personnes à risque de formes graves de Covid-19, patients très âgés et porteurs de comorbidités y compris ceux vivant avec le VIH-sida, est moins bonne que celle des patients à risque de l’Europe et de l’Amérique du Nord. Plusieurs défis sont à relever dans cette région pour l’année à venir afin de contrôler la pandémie et de prévenir l’apparition de variants préoccupants. Le plus important est de rattraper le retard pris par la vaccination des populations avec l’aide internationale, les autres défis sont le renfort des capacités de diagnostic, de prise en charge des malades et l’amélioration de la surveillance de la maladie et du virus.
L’Inde face au Covid : pandémie, État, société, géopolitique
Authors: Racine Jean-Luc
Published: December 2021

Alors que le gouvernement nationaliste de Narendra Modi croyait avoir vaincu le Covid et lançait, début 2021, une diplomatie du vaccin faisant de l’Inde « la pharmacie du monde », une deuxième vague meurtrière s’est abattue sur le pays quelques mois plus tard, le chiffre officiel des décès, le troisième au monde après États-Unis et Brésil, étant sans doute fortement sous-évalué. Après avoir porté attention aux stratégies suivies lors des deux vagues de la pandémie, et aux aléas de la campagne de vaccination, on s’attachera ensuite à évaluer les conséquences économiques, sociales et politiques de la crise, et ses effets possibles sur la géopolitique indienne.
Pandémie en Italie : une analyse sur plusieurs niveaux
Authors: Bettoni Giuseppe
Published: December 2021

Est-il possible d’expliquer pourquoi l’Italie a été le premier pays d’Europe où la pandémie de Covid-19 est arrivée ? Pourquoi cette pandémie y a fait un nombre de victimes bien plus important que dans d’autres pays d’Europe ? C’est à ces questions que cette contribution répond en utilisant la méthode des niveaux d’analyse théorisée par Yves Lacoste afin de comprendre comment les rapports planétaires de la Lombardie et aussi les caractéristiques de l’urbanisation ont été un terreau très fertile au virus. En fait ce ne sont ni les axes de mobilités ni la qualité de l’air (que certains auteurs ont avancé) qui sont responsables du grand nombre de victimes mais plutôt un rapport de forces spécifique entre État et région depuis 1992, ainsi que, pour ce qui concerne la Lombardie, un réseau de pouvoir qui a empêché une bonne coordination des actions, contrairement à d’autres régions comme la Vénétie et l’Émilie-Romagne.
Santé et territoire en France : Covid-19, la fin d’un cycle de distanciation territoriale de l’analyse sanitaire
Authors: Lacoste Olivier , Raynaud Joy
Published: December 2021

En France, l’action publique contre le Covid-19 a mobilisé une grande diversité d’acteurs économiques, politiques et de santé. Parmi ceux-ci, les Agences régionales de santé existant depuis dix ans ont fait l’objet de critiques multiples de la part de professionnels de santé, d’associations d’usagers et d’élus locaux. Lors de l’irruption de la pandémie, les interventions sanitaires de terrain ne bénéficiaient pas assez des savoir-faire issus des sciences humaines et sociales, des capacités d’analyse géographique des réalités, des décisions politiques et des grilles d’analyse de géopolitique de la santé locale. Cette carence provient de la mise à distance du local par l’intervention sanitaire des Agences régionales de santé depuis leur création, ce processus de distanciation ayant conduit à une faible efficience bien qu’il soit appelé à s’atténuer. Le besoin d’un retour à l’intervention locale est l’un des enseignements tirés de la confrontation au réel apporté par la crise.
Chapitre 8. Droit du patient et médecine traditionnelle
Authors: Dubuis Amanda
Published: December 2021

On observe à l’heure actuelle une demande croissante et même un engouement des patients en faveur des médecines non conventionnelles. Le recours aux pratiques non conventionnelles offre des perspectives intéressantes, non seulement pour le patient pris individuellement, mais aussi pour la collectivité (afin de faire face aux problèmes contemporains des dépenses de santé, d’accès aux soins, et du vieillissement de la population). Se pose toutefois la question de la protection des droits du patient qui recourt aux pratiques de soins non conventionnelles. Il existe un décalage entre la demande croissante de soins non conventionnels, et le faible niveau d’encadrement juridique de ces pratiques par le droit français. La quasi-absence d’encadrement de certains diplômes et de l’exercice de certaines professions soulève la question de la sécurité et de la qualité des soins dispensés. D’autres incertitudes apparaissent par ailleurs s’agissant du respect des droits personnels du patient (information, consentement, refus de soins, secret des informations de santé, etc.). Le cadre juridique actuel mériterait donc d’être développé pour assurer une meilleure protection du patient qui recourt aux soins non conventionnels.
Technologies numériques et inégalités sociales de santé : un non-sujet à l’agenda politique mais une action publique émergente sur l’inclusion numérique
Authors: Ramel Viviane
Published: December 2021

Les interrelations entre deux marqueurs des systèmes de santé occidentaux, la numérisation de la santé et la persistance des inégalités sociales de santé (ISS), sont étudiées pour en déterminer le degré d’intérêt exprimé par les pouvoirs publics (donc de mise à l’agenda des priorités politiques) et de mise en œuvre de politiques à leur égard. Cette sociologie comparée de l’action publique entre infra-territoires de quatre pays (France, Canada, Espagne et Angleterre) repose sur une étude documentaire et sur des entretiens auprès d’acteurs clés de ces champs. Le sujet des effets inattendus du numérique n’est pas prépondérant dans les politiques liées à ce nouveau mode d’organisation sociotechnique, notamment celui des liens avec les inégalités sociales de santé qu’il peut contribuer à alimenter. Aussi le couplage ISS-santé numérique n’est-il pas sélectionné comme un « problème public » et ne fait-il pas l’objet d’une politique publique clairement définie et priorisée. Toutefois, un appareil d’instruments d’action publique est parfois mobilisé et mobilisable pour promouvoir l’équité en santé numérique dans les quatre pays. Son cadre conceptuel de mise en œuvre est également analysé.
Médicaliser les inégalités sociospatiales. La légitimation sanitaire des mises en politique de la lutte contre la précarité en milieu rural
Authors: Honta Marina
Published: December 2021

L’étude menée sur la communauté d’agglomération du Libournais (Gironde) revêt une portée heuristique pour saisir les ressorts de l’engagement des acteurs publics locaux dans la lutte contre les inégalités sociales de santé. Si l’on se réfère au modèle des déterminants sociaux de la santé, le cadrage du problème à traiter apparaît ici très sélectif car ces inégalités sont essentiellement appréhendées sous l’angle des obstacles faits aux droits et aux soins. Existent aussi des représentations faites de préjugés ordinaires à l’endroit de certains groupes sociaux doublées d’un phénomène de « sanitarisation du social ». Consistant à « traduire » au nom de la « santé publique » des problèmes sociaux en phénomènes sanitaires, ce processus de médicalisation permet de saisir les formes localement adoptées du travail d’invention de la santé publique. Si elles conduisent à transformer les multiples signes de la précarité en risques sanitaires et à les inscrire dans l’espace public pour en faire des objets de politique, cette traduction s’opère sans que ces autres catégories de problèmes (chômage, habitat indigne, troubles à l’ordre public, isolement, etc.) ne soient appréhendées comme des déterminants sociaux des inégalités en santé. Un tel travail d’inférence empêche la conduite d’une action globale et partenariale en ce domaine et obère la structuration de parcours coordonnés de santé.
Le renoncement aux soins : un phénomène aux ressorts économiques mais aussi sociaux
Authors: Legendre Blandine
Published: December 2021

Le renoncement aux soins participe des inégalités sociales de santé. Il a été beaucoup étudié sous l’angle du coût des soins. Or des études qualitatives pointent aussi l’impact des liens sociaux sur les comportements de santé. L’objet de cet article est de mesurer les différents déterminants du renoncement à partir de l’enquête statistique sur les ressources et les conditions de vie des ménages (SRCV) de 2013, comportant un module spécifique sur les contacts sociaux. Nous modélisons d’abord la probabilité de renoncer à des soins quel qu’en soit le motif, en fonction de différents types de ressources, économiques et sociales, puis nous estimons ce même modèle sur trois types de renoncement : pour raisons financières, logistiques ou pour d’autres raisons. Toutes choses égales par ailleurs, être pauvre en conditions de vie multiplie par six le risque de renoncer à des soins pour raisons financières, mais joue également positivement sur les deux autres types de renoncement. Plus la personne cumule des difficultés de sociabilité, plus elle est susceptible de renoncer à des soins, quel que soit le motif de renoncement, révélant l’importance des ressources sociales au-delà des ressources économiques.
Huit idées reçues sur la farce française des XV e -XVI e siècles
Authors: Le Cadet Nicolas
Published: December 2021

Après avoir retracé l’histoire très mouvementée de la réception des farces françaises des xv e - xvi e siècles, le présent article s’attache à déconstruire les huit idées reçues qui en ont longtemps entravé la compréhension. Il importe désormais de renoncer à accoler à la farce des épithètes qui ne lui conviennent pas – médiévale, populaire, réaliste, exclusivement comique, sans art ni théâtralité, monolingue, uniforme –, et de reprendre l’enquête sur des bases philologiques et historiques sûres.
Ne pas accéder au télétravail. Les normes organisationnelles de l’autonomie pour des cadres de la banque
Authors: Le Gagneur Marianne , Noûs Camille
Published: December 2021

Cet article éclaire les normes organisationnelles d’accès au télétravail, en s’intéressant particulièrement à la notion d’autonomie, à partir d’une exploration des freins liés à ce dispositif. Cette question est traitée à partir d’une enquête qualitative réalisée auprès d’une entreprise française du secteur bancaire et financier. La population étudiée, les cadres des opérations, ne fait pas partie de la catégorie des « cadres autonomes » au sens juridique, leur métier semble standardisé et leur disponibilité « hétéronome » (Bouffartigue, 2014) : ceci contribue à les exclure d’un télétravail façonné par les normes internes de l’autonomie. Du point de vue de leur âge et de leur position organisationnelle, les représentations sur ces cadres les éloignent alors d’une figure du télétravailleur idéal.
De la réappropriation à distance des espaces d’échanges informels. L’expérience du télétravail en situation de confinement
Authors: Cihuelo Jérôme , Piotrowski Adam
Published: December 2021

L’article s’intéresse au télétravail en situation de confinement sous l’angle des échanges informels. Il s’attache à montrer leur caractère situé (à saisir dans les replis de lieux physiques de travail partagés et familiers) et l’effet d’une expérience prolongée de travail à distance sur leur composition au sein de collectifs de travail. La pratique généralisée d’un télétravail continu ne se traduit pas par le seul effacement d’une partie des échanges informels, mais aussi par des tentatives de recomposition de la géographie des sociabilités « interstitielles ». Ces tentatives de recomposition restituent un mouvement parallèle d’institutionnalisation et de virtualisation des interactions informelles.
Covid-19 : l’université à l’épreuve du télétravail. Une organisation fragmentée
Authors: Guillaud Étienne , Dondeyne Christèle , Taillens Muriel , Guyon Hervé , Muñoz Jorge , Prigent Pierre-Guillaume , Noûs Camille
Published: December 2021

Cet article restitue les résultats d’une enquête collective et pluridisciplinaire qui a porté sur les effets du télétravail soudain et massif imposé à l’Université en raison de la crise sanitaire. Des questionnaires évaluant les incidences sur la vie familiale, les tms , les rps et comportant des questions ouvertes ont été administrés en juin 2020. Les résultats indiquent une dégradation des conditions de travail sur toutes les catégories de personnel, administratif, enseignement et recherche. Le télétravail a fait l’objet de régulations organisationnelles locales révélatrices de procédures de coordination incomplètes et de mises en œuvre contrastées et contingentes.
Assessing the mechanical properties of molecular materials from atomic simulation
Authors: Konrad Julian ,   Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie/Computer Chemie Centrum, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nägelsbachstraße 25, 91052 Erlangen, Germany, Zahn Dirk
Published: December 2021

We review approaches to deriving mechanical properties from atomic simulations with a special emphasis on temperature-dependent characterization of polymer materials. The complex molecular network of such materials implies only partial, rather local ordering stemming from the entanglement of molecular moieties or covalent bonding of network nodes, whereas the polymer strands between the nodes may undergo nm-scale reorganization during thermal fluctuations. This not only leads to a strong temperature-dependence of the elastic moduli, but also gives rise to visco-elastic behavior that complicates characterization from molecular dynamics simulations. Indeed, tensile-testing approaches need rigorous evaluation of strain-rate dependences, provoking significant computational demands. Likewise, the use of fluctuations observed from unbiased constant-temperature, constant-pressure molecular dynamics simulation is not straight-forward. However, we suggest pre-processing from Fourier-filtering prior to taking Boltzmann-statistics to discriminate elastic-type vibrations of the simulation models for suitable application of linear-response theory.
Analiza pojedinih statističkih pokazatelja učinkovitosti hrvatskog građanskog pravosuđa
Authors:   Laktić & Partners Attorneys At Law, LLC, Zagreb, Croatia, Mećar Marko
Published: December 2021

The intention of this paper is to provide an analysis of certain statistical indicators regarding the efficiency of the Croatian civil judiciary, since efficiency is one of the most important aspects of the judiciary. After a brief overview of different statistical indicators which may be used to measure the efficiency of the judiciary, this paper focuses on the analysis of the statistical indicators disposition time (hereinafter: DT) and clearance rate (hereinafter: CR), used by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (hereinafter: CEPEJ) and the statistical indicators regarding the number of unresolved cases, the number of judges and the number of resolved cases per judge published by the ministry competent for the judiciary. Although CEPEJ’s statistical indicators should be used cautiously due to methodological inconsistencies in the data, the paper concludes that these statistical indicators are useful to the extent that they can point to structural flaws in the judiciary system or can point to a trend of rise or decline in the judiciary’s efficiency. The central part of the paper focuses on the analysis of the DT and CR statistical indicators for the Croatian judiciary in general and compares it to the DT and CR statistical indicators for the judiciaries in other EU Member States. Further, the paper analyzes the statistical data published by the ministry competent for the judiciary regarding the number of unresolved cases, the number of judges and the number of resolved cases per judge, drawing conclusions therefrom on the efficiency of different parts of the Croatian judiciary. Also, historical statistical data published by the ministry competent for the judiciary are analyzed to show whether systematic problems in efficiency of concrete parts of the judiciary exist, as opposed to short-term efficiency shortfalls. The paper also highlights the lack of adequate, publicly available statistical data on the efficiency of the judiciary which limits the possibility of reaching a conclusion on the causes for such lower efficiency. The paper concludes that, taking into consideration the publicly available data, it is possible to reach conclusions as to which parts of the judiciary have lower efficiency, those being litigation procedures, especially before first instance municipal courts. However, there are no publicly available data that would show the causes for the lower efficiency of these parts of the judiciary, even though public authorities have means at their disposal to obtain and publish such relevant data. Such practice by public authorities hinders further efforts of the interested public to focus the discussion on the real causes for the lower efficiency of the Croatian judiciary and ultimately, on the necessary reforms aimed at increasing its efficiency.
How Metacognition Supports Giftedness in Leadership
Authors: Kontostavlou Eirini Zoi , Drigas Athanasios
Published: December 2021

Τhe purpose of this article is to investigate how metacognition supports giftedness in leadership. The concepts of metacognition, giftedness and leadership seem to be interrelated. The article attempts to explore new trends in understanding and development of giftedness. Research has shown that the concept of metacognition is inextricably linked to the concept of giftedness. Metacognition has an important role in the development of individuals, because it helps them to improve their cognitive and metacognitive skills. Metacognitive skills such as monitoring, self-regulation, awareness are higher skills that gifted individuals process to  a high degree and through training can improve them even further. Moreover, the metacognitive skills of monitoring and adaptation can affect leadership skills. The metacognitive skills that are associated with leadership are self-awareness, regulation and monitoring. Therefore, if leadership is based on consciousness and giftedness then we will have higher leadership skills.
Evaluation of Virtual Reality Technology and Online Teaching System for Medical Students in Ukraine During COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tsekhmister Yaroslav Volodymyrovych , Konovalova Tetiana , Tsekhmister Bogdan Yaroslavovych , Agrawal Amit , Ghosh Dipanjana
Published: December 2021

A study has been conducted to evaluate the virtual reality technology and online teaching system among medical students of Bogomolets National Medical University, Ukraine during COVID-19 pandemic. The final questionnaire contained the 15 questions with 5 options to comprehensively evaluate the virtual reality technology and online teaching system. The feedback of the survey was analyzed to find effectiveness of virtual reality technology and online teaching in medical education in Ukraine. Data of survey reflected that mostly students adopted and agreed on virtual reality technology and online teaching and admitted that these technologies are best alternatives to physical learning with the 65.79% an agreement with the user-friendly interface for virtual reality and online teaching system, while, 64.03% showed an agreement that virtual reality and online teaching system compensated the suspension of face-to-face medical education during the COVID-19. During online learning, there was ample time for educational activities as depicted from their response of 36.84% as strongly agree, 35.96% as agree, 6.14% as disagree, 4.39% as strongly disagree and 16.67% as neither agree nor disagree. Tutors/teachers also enjoyed virtual reality and online learning through their experience and flexibility in time management. Likewise, the results of all questions showed positive reviews and encouraged virtual reality and online teaching in academic continuity and stability in medical education in Ukraine. It can be concluded that digital learning environments are extremely effective in terms of medical students and staff satisfaction, accomplishment, and technical learning skill growth.
Exploring Student Emotional Engagement in Extreme E-service Learning
Authors: Marcus Valerie Bukas , Atan Noor Azean , Md Salleh Shaharuddin , Mohd Tahir Lokman , Mohd Yusof Sanitah
Published: December 2021

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored online student emotional engagement experiences during Extreme e-Service Learning program in a higher education institution. There are very few studies providing in-depth perspectives on the engagement experiences of online students, moreover in Extreme e-Service Learning program. This research adopted a case study approach, following 27 online students over one semester. The setting for this study involved undergraduate students who enroll for co-curriculum course that implement Extreme e-Service Learning in one of the public universities in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to explore student's emotional engagement throughout the Extreme e-Service Learning and investigate what makes them engaged emotionally. Data was collected from participant’s reflective journal and analyzed according to engagement rubric meanwhile open-ended question was analyzed using thematic analysis. Researcher found out that participants generally have positive emotions throughout the learning process, and it gradually increased until the end of the course. Main reason for this positive emotional engagement was due to the role of instructors and peers, course design, and personal value practiced by participants. One limitation of this study is that it is relatively small but still its finding provides insight to the instructor of Service Learning that wants to shift to the online platform at the same time achieve successful and engaging learning experiences.
Students’ Performance and Perceptions Towards Authentic Learning Environment Based on Visual Thinking Continuum
Authors: Atan Noor Azean , Tasir Zaidatun , Ali Mohd Fadzli , Rosli Mohd Shafie , Mohamad Said Mohd Nihra Haruzuan
Published: December 2021

This paper explores the changes in student’s level of achievement and per-ception towards authentic learning environment based on visual thinking elements. The three elements in visual thinking continuum are visual thinking, visual learning and visual communication. This research is a quan-titative design involving quantitative and qualitative data. Research instru-ments included pre and post achievement tests, and a questionnaire on stu-dent’s perception towards visualization level. There are 29 samples students, from teacher training first degree program in one of Malaysian public univer-sities. The research data were analyzed by inferential and descriptive statisti-cal analysis. Research findings through paired-sample t-test showed that there is a significant difference between scores of mean for the pre-test and post-test (p< 0.05) and shows positive student’s perception towards authen-tic learning environment. All students have experienced positive growth in their level of visualization through authentic learning environment activities which based on visual thinking elements. Therefore, it can be concluded that the visual-based website has helped to enhance the students’ performance and visualization levels.
The Benefits of Learning Analytics to Higher Education Institutions: A Scoping Review
Authors: Quadri Adedayo Taofeek , Shukor Nurbiha A
Published: December 2021

Learning analytics is a form of data analysis that allows teachers, lecturers, educational experts, and administrators of online learnings to look for students’ online traces and information associated with the learning processes. The fundamental goal of learning analytics in online classrooms and com-puter-supported instruction is to enhance the learning experience and the entire learning process. This review aims at reviewing some of the benefits available through using learning analytics in higher education institutions (HEI) for the students, teaching staff and the management. The search for relevant literature was conducted by searching online databases which in-clude Web of Science, SCOPUS, Science Direct, IEEE, Emerald, Springer, ERIC and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The analysis of the literatures obtained from the online databases revealed that learning analytics provide series of benefits to students, teaching staffs and the management of higher education institutions. The benefits include prediction and identification of target courses, curriculum development and improvement, improved students’ learning outcomes, improved instructors’ performance and monitoring of students’ dropout and retention. It is recommended that higher education institutions adopt the use of learning analytics in their online teaching and learning.
Fiscally Responsible Businesses as a Result of COVID-19 Pandemic Shock
Authors: Popescu Cristina Raluca Gh. , Duháček Šebestová Jarmila
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 crisis represent impressive motivating forces for advancement, change, evolution, and improvement at a global level. The study focuses on the OECD latest developments in international tax reform work on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) in the courageous attempt to promote novel global initiatives for responsible tax and to support ambitious global actions for responsible tax principles. The results show the need to establish fiscally responsible businesses as a result of COVID-19 pandemic shock, thus taking back control of countries' tax systems by putting an end to corporate tax evasion and tax havens. The findings address the importance of being in line with tax principles, encouraging responsible financial transactions and behaviors.
Legal Review of the Government's Responsibility in Compensating for the Damage Caused by the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Sheikhi Mohammad , Norouzi Nima
Published: December 2021

The onset and spread of COVID-19-related disease and the measures taken by the government to combat it have given rise to several legal issues. The most important of these issues can be considered the government's legal framework in the fight against this disease and the responsibility for compensation. Examining the first issue through Iran's current laws and regulations, it became clear that choosing the appropriate legal framework in the fight against this disease could be more than the basic and ordinary regulations. Instead of creating a national headquarters to fight COVID-19 under council approvals, the Supreme National Security Service shall use the capacities of the crisis management organization and the relevant law and the provisions of Article 79 of the Iranian constitution.
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Firm Value During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Woon Leong Lin , Bee Lian Song
Published: December 2021

In this chapter, the authors have investigated the effect of CSR on firm value during the pandemic. They used the event study technique and noted that an engagement in the CSR activities increases the stock returns to the hospitality firms during a pandemic crisis. The results showed that the hospitality firms that showed a better stock market performance during the pandemic invested in CSR activities. This would indicate a theoretical application and practical implication on their business duties towards the society, and any future research in CSR would allow them to successfully handle a critical disaster like this pandemic in the future.
Reshaping Beverage Retail in Urban Communities Through a Connected Platform
Authors: Negi Tanuj , Hajoary Pinosh Kumar , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo
Published: December 2021

Business organisations are attempting to transform themselves according to the paradigms of Industry 4.0. This chapter presents the case of Tapfrsh kiosk, an internet of things (IoT)-based beverage service platform for urban communities. It discusses the business ecosystem, system design, technology usage, machine design, aesthetics, and operational aspects of the Tapfrsh kiosk. The authors include a critical commentary on the kiosk using a multidimensional lens. Entrepreneurial insights are discussed.
Regulating Sustainable Economics
Authors: Norouzi Nima
Published: December 2021

This chapter fills in the gap, presents an analysis of renewable energy policies in a set of countries, and assesses how renewable energy may assist in efforts towards reducing poverty and promoting human well-being. A comparative analysis of the emphasis given to renewable energy through policies in various countries is presented. Based on the findings from the study, some recommendations to address the differences seen in pursuing renewable energy technologies are made. Additionally, it illustrates the fact that the sample countries have been tackling renewable energy with different depths of policies and with varying levels of success, and the different nature of these policies suggests that future developments depend on a change in the current emphasis and level of priority afforded to renewable energy.
Fostering Creativity in Business
Authors: Popescu Cristina Raluca Gh.
Published: December 2021

Changing dynamics in responsible and sustainable business comes as a must in the post-COVID-19 era, while energetic, influential, and powerful transformational leaders represent the vital solution to ensuring creativity in business and a luminous future for organizations worldwide. On the one hand, the newest challenges faced by companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic are analyzed, while, on the other hand, the dominant traits of leaders are displayed in an attempt to determine the successful mix between creative actions, human resources, innovation, intangible assets, intellectual capital, research, technological advancement, and visionary managerial business processes. The study shows that transformational leaders' general focus should be on the amazing benefits derived from addressing fundamental issues, such as the well-being of individuals, the health of the planet, reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), bringing circular economy (CE), artificial intelligence (AI), and smart cities (SC) closer to human beings' vital needs.
The Socratic Guide on My Side
Authors: Gring Mark A.
Published: December 2021

In this essay, the author argues that no person can just step into self-directed learning without a mentor who guides students into learning. Learning is an unending relational process, based on trust, that begins in wonder. The chapter examines arguments from Plato, Polanyi, Pieper, and others who contend that learning is other-centered rather than self-directed, and as such, learning demands the need for guides—either as individuals, books, or sets of “guiding questions” that push us to grasp a larger, systemic view of the world.
First-Year Students' Self-Perceived Effects of Music on Two Tasks
Authors: Buck Rachel Hall , Payne Erica
Published: December 2021

This chapter presents results from a study with first-year university students completing online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the study is to further understand how the same genre of music might impact the completion of two very different assessment tasks. Students in the study participated in two different virtual “study halls” in order to study for their semester final assessments. While further research is needed, results do highlight the need for students to be aware of which type of music to listen to while studying and specifically what kind of cognitive task they are completing.
Mentoring to Become a Self-Directed Learner
Authors: Clabaugh Dionne , Dominguez Nora
Published: December 2021

This chapter provides a mentoring roadmap for success in college life and when transitioning to the workplace. First-year students learn that a successful mentee is self-directed, knows what to look for in a mentor, uses skills to engage in effective mentoring, and recognizes there are various types of mentoring relationships. The authors describe what a first-year student should look for when seeking an effective mentor. Readers are shown the benefits for using a developmental mentoring network and for becoming self-directed learners and mentees. The chapter includes activities and exercises to develop critical skills in self-understanding, listening, help-seeking, problem solving, and goal setting to be applied in both academic and professional settings. When successful people receive an award or recognition, what they have in common is they did not make it alone – others guided and supported their learning, growth, and success.
A Reflective Essay of a Conceptual Model for Self-Directed Learning for the Adult Learner
Authors: Paradiso-Testa Maria
Published: December 2021

Of the many factors affecting our lives today, the ever-changing landscape of education is at the forefront. Learning is a complex behavior which involves cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. While pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children, andragogy is the art and science of teaching adults. The term pedagogy came into use in the seventh century. It wasn't until the 19th and 20th centuries that what we know as traditional learning theories—behaviorism, humanism, cognitivism, social cognitivism, and constructivism—were recognized. They were derived from the investigative tools of theorists—Pavlov, Skinner, Piaget, Freud, Maslow, Rogers, and Thorndike—to understand the nature of learning. In 1970, Malcolm Knowles promoted andragogy as a model of assumption that serves as a basis for an emergent theory. Today, the way of differentiating adult learners from children learners is through the process of andragogy.
Preparing Principals in Educational Leadership Programs
Authors: Crary Sarah L. , Gilblom Elizabeth A.
Published: December 2021

This chapter explores educational leadership graduate programs and the complex process of preparing the next generation of principals and building administrators. The authors emphasize the role of self-directed learning in educational leadership graduate programs, as pre-service principals will ultimately encounter problems of practice in school settings that challenge them to seek, analyze, and utilize information effectively and the skills necessary for making informed decisions and applying theory to practice. This chapter explores the ways in which some educational leadership graduate programs shaped their programs as settings that foster scholar-practitioners through the integration of new standards and frameworks that encourage the development of practice-related research skills. Also, the authors examine problems of practice and the ways educational leadership programs prepare pre-service principals to grapple with these complex issues. Lastly, a problem of practice project is outlined for use in the classroom.
Artificial Intelligence and Optimisation Techniques for Risk Reduction in Civil Engineering
Authors: Sayers William K. P.
Published: December 2021

Artificial intelligence techniques are at the centre of a major shift in business today. They have a very broad array of applications within businesses, including that of optimisation for risk reduction in civil engineering projects. This is an active area of research, which has started to see real-world applications over the last few decades. It is still hindered by the extreme complexity of civil engineering problems and the computing power necessary to tackle these, but the economic and other benefits of these emerging technologies are too important to ignore. With that in mind, this chapter reviews the current state of research and real-world practice of optimisation techniques and artificial intelligence in risk reduction in this field. It also examines related promising techniques and their future potential.
Mobile Computing in the Developing World
Authors: Aruldoss Martin , Kannan Ahalya , Ameer Khan Kamil Khan , Travis Miranda Lakshmi , Venkatasamy Prasanna Venkatesan
Published: December 2021

Nagapattinam is one of the main places for the catching and export of fish in Tamil Nadu State, in the south of India. In the local markets, fisherwomen buy fish, which are then sold in the streets as well as door-to-door. These “street selling fisherwomen” face various difficulties, including means of transport, carrying heavy fish baskets, and challenges in fish selling during sickness. To overcome these problems, a project was set up with support from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology to develop a mobile app with native (Tamil) language to simplify the different processes involved in fish selling. Special features, like adding fish detail using images, voice-based searches on market conditions, and location tracking for the delivery of fish, are helping the fisherwomen to reduce the complexity of the selling process. This chapter provides detail on this project, examines the benefits, and discusses the difficulties encountered in the adoption of the mobile app, which is enabling fisherwomen to boost their revenues and improve their quality of life.
Psychological Journey of a Patient With a Ventricular Assist Device: A VAD Coordinator’s Perspective
Authors: Meehan Karen , Schroeder Sarah E. , Creighton Shana , Labuhn Colleen
Published: December 2021

Background

A thorough psychosocial assessment is needed during the evaluation of candidacy for ventricular assist device placement to identify potential barriers that would limit success with the device. Ventricular assist device coordinators are generally involved in the psychosocial assessment of the patient, allowing them to provide a more holistic approach to ventricular assist device candidacy during discussions at multidisciplinary meetings. There is a gap in the literature describing the psychological journey of patients after ventricular assist device implantation and the challenges ventricular assist device coordinators face when caring for this complex population.

Objective

The psychological journey of 3 patients with a ventricular assist device was explored to determine if common themes exist and to describe the experiences faced by the ventricular assist device coordinators with each patient.

Methods

Three patient case scenarios are described, as are the interactions with the patients’ ventricular assist device coordinator team members.

Results

All 3 case scenarios demonstrate similarities of younger ages, the need of family and social support, and ventricular assist device coordinators who went beyond the call of duty to assist in the successful heart transplantation for 2 cases and the successful decommission of the ventricular assist device in another case.

Conclusion

The psychosocial needs of patients with a ventricular assist device and ventricular assist device coordinators require ongoing assessment because of the many physical and emotional challenges that arise during the time a patient has an implanted ventricular assist device.
Comparative study of grain quality characteristics of some selected traditional and improved rice varieties in Sri Lanka: A review
Authors: Sinthuja Reni , Prasantha B. D. Rohitha , Hettiarachchi Achala
Published: December 2021

Consumer acceptability and market demand in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are mainly determined by its grain quality. Therefore, the main aim of the present analytical review was to evaluate some selected traditional and improved rice varieties in Sri Lanka for their grain quality characteristics that include physical, physico-chemical, milling, cooking and eating and nutritional properties. Information from higher number of traditional varieties than that of improved varieties was used in the review as existing number of traditional varieties is about ten times higher than that of improved varieties in the country. Most of the traditional rice varieties are red with short to medium size grains having round and bold shape. Most of the improved rice varieties are white with long to medium-size grains having either round, bold, or internationally acceptable slender shapes. The total milling recoveries of both traditional and improved rice varieties are more or less similar and are in the range of 69-74%. Nutritional value of rice is influenced by genotype, soil and environmental condition under which the rice is grown as well as postharvest processing and storage condition and also degree of milling influences on the end-use nutritional quality. Both the cooking and eating quality and nutritional properties varied within traditional as well as within improved varieties. Total carbohydrate content of almost all of the improved rice varieties is higher except in the improved variety Bg 360 than that of the traditional varieties studied. Available data on grain protein, crude fat and crude fiber contents of traditional and improved rice varieties are significantly varying and inconsistent within and between traditional and improved rice varieties. The majority of the traditional and improved rice varieties belong to high amylose class, however, improved rice variety At 405 recorded the lowest amylose content and several traditional rice varieties recorded intermediate amylose content. Both traditional and improved rice varieties showed a similar swelling power. Though the swelling power of rice grains has shown a negative linear relationship with grain amylose content in general, a positive linear relationship between those two characteristics has been observed between improved and traditional rice varieties in Sri Lanka.
Winter sampling and seasonal variation in litter-dwelling beetle assemblages using a sifting method
Authors: Byeon Ui-Joung , Lee Seung-Il , Park Sun-Jae , Kim A-Young , Park Jong-Seok
Published: December 2021

Litter-dwelling arthropods play an important role in maintaining forest ecosystem function. This study was designed to understand seasonal variations and diversity of litter-dwelling adult beetles, one of the most diverse groups of arthropods. Sampling was conducted in mixed-wood forests of South Korea between March and December 2019, covering all seasons, including winter. We used a sifting method and a Berlese funnel to collect arthropods living in leaf litter and soil. We collected a total of 5820 invertebrates representing six orders, of which 1422 were beetles representing 24 families and minimum 141 species. Beetle species richness was highest in spring and lowest in summer based on rarefaction and extrapolation. However, beetle abundance was lowest in spring, but abundance was similar among the other seasons. Beetle assemblage composition was correlated significantly with soil surface and atmospheric temperature. The assemblage composition differed among seasons, except between spring and winter, which overlapped slightly. The combined sifting–Berlese funnel method showed great advantages for investigating the diversity of overwintering arthropods. Continued study of the relationship between arthropods and the leaf-litter environment is essential to understand this microecosystem and will increase the chance of discovering new beetle species.
Neurologic Manifestations of COVID 19 in Children
Authors: Gürkaş Esra , Dünya Betül , Köken Özlem Y. , Demirdağ Tuğba B. , Yilmaz Deniz , Özyürek Hamit , Kurt Ayşegül N. Ç.
Published: December 2021

Background:

The data related to the neurologic manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children are limited. The frequency of the neurologic manifestations and the risk factors in the development of these symptoms are not clear.

Objectives:

We aimed to determine the exact frequency of the neurological symptoms in pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19 and to identify the risk factors for the development of neurological manifestations.

Materials and Methods:

We included pediatric Covid-19 patients admitted to the Children's Hospital of Ankara City Hospital between March 22 and June 1, 2020. Neurological findings were questioned by interviewing the patients and their families and detailed neurologic examinations were performed within protection measures.

Results:

A total of 312 pediatric patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. Sixty-six participants (21.15%) showed neurologic symptoms during COVID-19. Headache was the most common neurologic symptom and present in 14% (n: 44) of the cases. The other neurologic symptoms were myalgia (n: 30, 9.6%), anosmia/hyposmia (n: 6, 1.9%), ageusia (n: 2, 0.6%), and vertigo (n: 1, 0.3%). Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P = 0.002) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (P = 0.001) were significantly elevated in patients with neurological symptoms when compared to the patients without the symptoms.

Conclusions:

Physicians should be alert to the neurologic involvement of COVID-19 disease in children. NLR and PLR ratios could have a predictive value for the development of neurological manifestations.
Cataract Surgery, Their Postoperative Analysis, and a Comparison of Phacoemulsification and Manual Small-Incision Cataract Surgery at a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Das Sujit , Shergill Sukhdayal Singh
Published: December 2021

Introduction:

In this modern era, though some of us start our surgical career with phacoemulsification (PHACO), still today, some scholars believe that manual small.incision cataract surgery (MSICS) has the similar efficacy with PHACO.

Objectives:

The study objective was to analyze cataract surgery outcomes in terms of vision, complications, and postoperative quality of life.

Study Design:

This is a retrospective study.

Materials and Methods:

All surgeries were performed under peribulbar block. Lens power calculation was done by A-scan. Glaucoma, corneal pathology, pterygium, uveitis, and all the posterior-segment pathology cases were excluded from the study. The total follow-up duration was 6 weeks. MSICS was strictly performed for mature cases.

Results:

Out of 336 cases, MSICS was performed in 151 cases, whereas PHACO was performed in 185 cases. The majority of cases was between 61 and 70 years of age. After 6 weeks, the minimum cylindrical number was encountered as − 0.75 D in small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) and − 0.5 D in PHACO. Visual acuity of 6/6 was found in 6.6% (n = 10) cases of SICS and 15.6% (n = 29) cases of PHACO. The levels of visual acuity after cataract surgery were categorized using the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines with good outcome being 6/6–6/24, borderline outcome being 6/24–6/60, and poor outcome being < 6/60. According to the WHO guideline, good vision was present in 84.10% (n = 127) and 97.83% of cases of SICS and PHACO, respectively. Postoperative day 1 cornea was found absolutely clear in 91.97% (n = 336) of cases (P < 0.001). There was not a single case of endophthalmitis. Nucleus drop was seen in one case of PHACO.

Conclusions:

Visual acuity of 6/6 can be provided to SICS patients, and there is no need to try PHACO especially in intumescent white, black, and brown cataract cases.