bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial therapy in older adults: profile of use and evaluation of the quality of prescription
Authors: CRUZ Luana F. , MARÇAL Ana G. , REIS Adriano M. , BERTOLLO Caryne M.
Published: September 2020

Objectives: To analyze the point prevalence of antimicrobial agent use by older adults and to determine the quality of use in a teaching hospital. A pharmacoepidemiological, observational study. Methods: Retrospective collection of clinical, microbiological and pharmacotherapeutic data in medical records. Inclusion criteria: age ≥ 60 years old, in use of one or more antimicrobial agents. The resistant microorganisms classified as priority pathogens by the World Health Organization (WHO) were identified. The quality of antimicrobial agent use according to quality indicators described by Van den Bosch et al. (2015) was determined. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: Of the 130 hospitalized older adult individuals, 40.8% were using one or more antimicrobials agents on the day of point prevalence. Among the 50 resistant microorganisms identified in the cultures, 54.0% corresponded to pathogens of critical priority. Antibiotic glycopeptides (14.9%) and penicillins associated with beta-lactamase inhibitors (13.8%) were the most prescribed classes of antimicrobial agents. The Quality Indicators (QIs) of antimicrobial therapy demonstrated more frequent inadequacy regarding therapeutic monitoring, sequential therapy and blood culture request. Conclusions: The prevalence of antimicrobial agent use in older adults was high. Empirical therapy is often developed in line with that advocated by the Infection Control Commission. The high isolation of critical pathogens according to the WHO, evidences the importance of actions to ensure the rational use of drugs in the institution. The QIs demonstrated the need to implement guidelines for systematizing therapeutic antimicrobial agent monitoring in the institution and educational action on the process of requesting blood cultures.
Drug utilization research in coinfected patients with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS
Authors: LOBO Isabella S. , CARVALHO Wânia S. , RESENDE Natália H.
Published: September 2020

Objectives: This study aims to describe and classify the drugs prescribed for coinfected patients treated at a reference hospital. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study with analysis of information contained in a database prepared in an earlier study The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system was used to classify the prescribed drugs. Results: Eighty-one coinfected individuals participated in the study, with a mean age of 40 years old and numerous comorbidities. A total of 147 drugs were found and, when the frequency of prescription was evaluated, the most used therapeutic groups were anti-infectious, considering the large number of opportunistic infections (OIs) presented by coinfected patients, followed by feeding tract drugs used to treat adverse drug reactions. We could observe that 73% of the evaluated population had a CD4+ T lymphocyte count <200 cells/mm3 and a high viral load, indicating advanced immunodeficiency. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop strategies aimed at coinfected patients, such as specialized care, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of coinfection. It is also important to carry out more studies on the use of drugs among coinfected patients to create actions directed to this population that may contribute to the rational use of drugs.
Efficacy of pharmacotherapy follow-up care in Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: BARROS Cecília T. , MIRANDA Vanessa G. , CORTELLAZZI Karine L. , LOPES Luciane C. , BARBERATO-FILHO Sílvio , FERREIRA Tânia R. , MOTTA Cristiane B.
Published: September 2020

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of pharmaceutical care in improving outcomes of Brazilian outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: In this single-blind, controlled trial, 71 outpatients were randomized into two groups: pharmaceutical care intervention (managed using pharmacotherapy follow-up protocol); and control (managed using standard dispensing procedures). Outcomes included hospitalization, severe complication (retinopathy, renal insufficiency, hypoglycemia, coronaropathy or foot lesion), and the values of A1c hemoglobin (HbA1c), capillary glycaemia (CG), blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (TC) and body mass index (BMI). All patients were followed for 12 months and drug-related problems (DRP) were described in intervention group. The groups were compared using the Student´s t-test, Tukey-Kramer, Chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Results: No significant difference in baseline clinical characteristics of the intervention (n= 36) and control groups (n= 35) (p>0.05). The groups did not differ for the outcome hypoglycemia, CG, BP, HbA1c, TC and BMI (p>0.05), but CG and HbA1c levels decreased at 3, 6 and 12 months, in both groups (p≤0.05). A total of 56 DRP were observed in intervention group and the pharmacist resolved approximately 60% of these. Conclusion: Improvements in the glycemic parameters of outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attended within a community pharmacy were observed. Studies involving larger samples are needed to confirm the benefits of pharmacotherapy follow-up care for key clinical outcomes in these patients. The trial was registered in Clinicaltrials.gov: Record NCT03196336.
Prevalence of adherence to cardiovascular drugs in outpatients with coronary artery disease
Authors: CRUZEIRO Maria M. , GROIA-VELOSO Ronara S. , DIAS Bianca M. , REIS Adriano M.
Published: September 2020

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of adherence to drug treatment and the association with sociodemographic, clinical and pharmacotherapeutic factors, in patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease, seen at a multiprofessional cardiology clinic in a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted between April 2018 and February 2019 in a multiprofessional outpatient cardiology clinic at a teaching hospital. The dependent variable is adherence to treatment with cardiovascular drugs measured by self-report using the 7-day recall and the independent variables evaluated were the sociodemographic, clinical and pharmacotherapeutic variables. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequency distributions for categorical variables and measures of central tendency and dispersion for continuous variables. The association between treatment adherence and independent variables was performed using bivariate analysis using Pearson's chi-square test and the magnitude of the association was expressed by the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. Results: 148 patients with a median age of 62 years (IQR = 17.0), mostly male (104; 70.3%) and a median of four years of education (IQR = 4.0). The most prevalent cardiovascular diagnosis was ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (58.8%), followed by non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (26.4%) and arrhythmia (23.7%). The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (72.3%) and diabetes (33.1%). Beta-blockers 98.1% (n = 130) and renin-angiotensin system agents 68.3% (n = 101) were the most commonly used cardiovascular drug classes. No statistically significant association was identified between adherence and sociodemographic, clinical and pharmacotherapeutic factors. Conclusion: The frequency of adherence to treatment measured by 7-days recall was high.
Medication reconciliation in pediatric patients with cancer at Brazilian public hospital
Authors: PENHA Nathalia S. , SILVA Marcos V. , BARROS Mayara A. , LIMA Tácio M.
Published: September 2020

Objective: This study aims to describe the discrepancies found through medication reconciliation performed by a clinical pharmacist in pediatric patients admitted to an oncology public hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a North Brazilian oncology public hospital. Patients aged 0 – 19 years old with any cancer diagnosis and/or stage were interviewed by a clinical pharmacist within 24 hours of hospital admission about their current medication use in order to develop an updated list to be compared with the medical prescription. Medication discrepancies were classified according the medication discrepancy taxonomy (MedTax). Results: One hundred and sixty-seven patients were screened for eligibility criteria. Of those, 160 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 7.2±4.2 years old; 58.2% were boys, taking a mean of 3.0±1.3 drugs, and the most frequent primary diagnosis presented were leukemias (46.9%) and malignant bone tumors (12.5%). One hundred and twenty discrepancies were identified, of which 92.0% were unintentional discrepancies. Among them, 72.7% classified as omission, followed by frequency and/or number of units of dosage form and/or total daily dose (16.2%), duration or length of therapy (7.2%), and drug duplication (3.9%). Ondansetron (37.3%) was the drug more involved in these discrepancies. Conclusion: This study presented high unintentional discrepancies between the updated medication list and the medical prescription in pediatric patients with cancer, most of which classified such as inclusion. Our findings showed the importance of the clinical pharmacist to minimize medication errors in these patients.
Severe cutaneous adverse reactions to drugs: a case series study
Authors: CASTRO Clarisse F. , TEIXEIRA Cesar A. , FERNANDES Nurimar C. , MATOS Guacira C.
Published: September 2020

Objective: to describe five cases of severe cutaneous adverse reactions to drugs (SCARD) that led to hospitalization and were investigated and diagnosed by the dermatology service of a university hospital. Methods: this is a descriptive observational study of the case series type in which were included patients aged 18 years old or older from both sexes, hospitalized between January 2015 and July 2019, in a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and whose reason for hospitalization was SCARD diagnosed by the dermatology service. For SCARD causality assessments, two internationally adopted criteria were used: the Naranjo algorithm and the WHO-UMC causality assessment system. Results: five cases of RCAG have been reported. Amongst these, three cases of erythroderma, one of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and one of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). The cases of erythroderma have presented as suspected drugs substances such as hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, captopril and carbamazepine, which is consistent with the literature reports. In the reported case of SJS/TEN, both the suspected drug, allopurinol, and the presence of an anti-HIV positive laboratory test are also referred to in the literature. The case of DRESS has shown allopurinol as a suspected drug, which is already related to this well-described skin reaction. The causalities were assessed as possible for the first two cases and probable for the following three. The results of the study supported the proposal for a model of pharmacovigilance of SCARD in a hospital environment, consisting of spontaneous reporting, periodic checking of medical records and for requests of opinion from the dermatology service registered in the hospital's computerized system. Conclusion: this study contributes to add knowledge and better understanding about SCARD, in regards to the nature of the type of reaction, identification of patients at risk, early detection of these and the responsible drugs. Furthermore, it proposes a model for monitoring SCARD to be implemented in the hospital, which combines passive and active pharmacovigilance strategies and encourage notification by health professionals.
Central Banks
Authors: Klooster Jens van't
Published: September 2020

This chapter provides an overview of the state of the art in constitutional theory with regard to the topic of central banks. It challenges accounts of central bank independence as involving limited discretion and distributional choices, as well as the narrow range of normative questions that such accounts raise. It also provides a roadmap for a vast range of procedural and substantive issues raised by independent central banks.
rESCMA: A brief summary on effect size conversion for meta-analysis
Authors: Villacura-Herrera César , Kenner Nicolas
Published: September 2020

Effect sizes are highly relevant in quantitative research. They facilitate the comparison an quantitative synthesis of scientific studies. The main objective of this report is to present: a) a brief summary of the formulas used for conversion between the three main effect sizes used in the meta-analysis: the correlation coefficient, the standardized mean difference and the odds ratio; and b) the Rapid Effect Size Converter for Meta-Analysis (rESCMA), a open-source and browser-based app for efficiently converting and bulk-converting effect sizes and their variances based on the formulas proposed in this paper. In addition, a table summarizing the formulas is presented for easy accessibility and use.
“Analisa Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Debora Menurut Hakim-hakim 4:1-16”
Authors: Dewa Ananda Dharmawan Kustia
Published: September 2020

Debora sebagai tanggapan terhadap doa umat Israel sesudah dua puluh tahun berada dibawah penindasan orang Kanaan, Debora adalah wanita pertama yang tercatat dalam sejarah untuk memimpin suatu bangsa yaitu Israel.
Behavioural and electrophysiological characterization of an unknown water soluble anaesthesia-inducing agent found in common adhesive tape
Authors: Bhattacharya Subhodeep , Rajan Gokul , Chatti Kiranam , Joseph Joby
Published: September 2020

Immersion of a ubiquitously used brand of translucent pressure sensitive adhesive tape (TLPSAT), in normal water was found to confer anaesthetic-like effects to the resultant solution (TLPSAT A). We characterised this anaesthetic-like property by assessing its dose-dependence, behavioural effects and toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) in comparison to other commonly used anaesthetics, namely 2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE) and tricaine methanesulfonate (TMS). Toxicity tests showed that it is comparable to TMS and safer than 2-PE in terms of mortality. We also observed differences in the nature of opercular movement due to the three compounds with differences in the power spectrum. Electrophysiological investigations using grasshopper (Hieroglyphus banian) as a model system led us to conclude that nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) mechanisms, or voltage gated calcium (Ca2+), sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels in insects are not affected by this anaesthetic at the concentrations effective in fish. Electroretinography (ERG) measurement from honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the presence of the different compounds yielded abolishment of the receptor potential under TMS or 2-PE perfusion whereas all ERG components were preserved under TLPSAT A perfusion, indicating that the Ca2+ dependent channels and photo-transduction machinery in bees are not potentially affected by TLPSAT A. Thus, the unknown compound(s) in the TLPSAT aqueous extract likely induce(s) anaesthesia in zebrafish via a mechanism unlike that of TMS and 2-PE.
The Book of You
Authors: Ceaser Donovon , Donny
Published: September 2020

Table of ContentsPart 1:Discovering Emotions, Questioning Beliefs…………………....…….……..6Intro to Mindfulness Meditation……………………………………………….….…….…..………….7How to Tell Yourself the Truth………………………………………….…………...……...…………. 8Emotions List and Judge Your Neighbor Worksheets……………………..…………….…….……...9Realizing our Dreams and Goals……………………………………………………...……………….14Healing from Trauma……………………………………………………...………………..……..…...18Trauma Releasing Exercises……………………………………………………......……….....20Self Love, Acceptance, and Validation………………………………………………...……………....21Meditating on Emotions (Emotional Vipassana)……………………………………………………..23Working With Fear……………………………………………………...……..……………………….25How to Let Go……………………………………………………...………………………...………....28Body Scan Meditation……………………………………………………...……...…………………...30Part 2: Inner Child Work, Relationship Work………………………………...…...32 Self-Soothing Exercises (Inner Baby Work)………………………..………………………………...33#BoringSelfCare……...………………………………………………………………………....34 Childhood Emotional Abuse and Neglect………………...………………………………………......35Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) Survey………………………..…..……………….38 Inner Child Work (Shadow Work Exercise)…………………………………..…………………….39Shadow Work Exercise………………………………..……………………...…………..…….41 Parts Work……………..………………….………………………………………………....….42Alternative Inner Child Meditation………………………..………………………….…...….43 Grief and Recovery…………………………………...………………...…………………….……….45 Deconstructing Beliefs (Finding your own Truth)……….……………………………………….....48Common Thought Distortions…………………………….………………...………………....52 Story Based Strategy……………………...……………………………...…………………………...53 Investigating Relationships and Codependency………………………………...…………....……...56The Five Love Languages Test……………………………………………..…...…...………...60
The StAR-related lipid transfer protein STARD8 is differentially expressed in non-small cell lung adenocarcinomas.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: September 2020

Non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States (1, 2). We mined published microarray data (3, 4) to discover genes associated with NSCLC tumors. We identified significant differential expression of the StAR-related lipid transfer protein STARD8 in primary tumors from patients with NSCLC. STARD8 may be of relevance to the initiation, progression or maintenance of non-small cell lung cancers.
Demand Potential On Canal Utilization As Alternative Urban Transportation Medium In Makassar City
Authors: FISU AMIRUDDIN AKBAR , Syabri Ibnu
Published: September 2020

Water transportation is the transportation of people and goods using water modes as a means of connecting one location to another. There are three canals in the center of Makassar City with a total length of 15.11 km. These canals function as an urban drainage and also as a main base for flood control. This canal has become one of the potentials that can be used to unravel road-based movements while at the same time solving the congestion problems that occur in Makassar City by utilizing it as an urban transportation medium both as a travel for daily needs (formal) and recreational activities (non-formal). This research was conducted to see how the demand preferences of canal-based transportation modes, variables that affect the willingness to use channels as a transportation medium, and the extent to which the role of channels becomes an alternative transportation medium. This study uses a descriptive quantitative method approach to achieve these objectives using the method of crosstab analysis, multinomial logistic regression and approaches with stated preference methods. Based on the results of the analysis, there are four variables that significantly affect respondents' willingness to use canal / waterway based transportation services, namely income per month, travel time, reasons for choosing modes, and tariff tolerance. In the stated preference analysis, the results show that the operation of the waterway transportation will cause the shift of road-based mode users to travel, where the increase is 31.10% for scenario 1 and 37.26% for scenario 2.
Các vấn đề đương đại về đạo đức trong nghiên cứu khoa học tại Nhật Bản và bài học cho Việt Nam
Authors: Ho Tung Manh
Published: September 2020

Nhật Bản thường được biết đến là một cường quốc khoa học không chỉ ở Châu Á mà trên toàn thế giới với rất nhiều giải thưởng khoa học cao quý và sản lượng khoa học ổn định ở mức cao nhiều thập niên qua. Tuy nhiên, trong khoảng 10 năm trở lại đây, thế giới đã thường xuyên ghi nhận những vụ bê bối về đạo đức nghiên cứu tại Nhật Bản. Xem xét kĩ lưỡng nội dung chi tiết các vụ bê bối có thể thấy Nhật Bản đang gặp phải những thách thức nan giải trong việc ngăn chặn và kiểm soát vi phạm đạo đức nghiên cứu. Một phần quan trọng của thách thức này là sự xung đột giữa một bên là những yếu tố có tính lịch sử và văn hóa, và bên kia là sự phát triển của công nghệ thông tin và xu hướng hợp tác quốc tế mở rộng. Nghiên cứu trường hợp của Nhật Bản có thể mang lại những bài học quan trọng trong việc xây dựng khả năng đào tạo và quản lí đạo đức nghiên cứu tại một nền khoa học mới hội nhập như Việt Nam.
Studying social harmony with mindsponge and cultural additivity
Authors: Ho Tung Manh
Published: September 2020

In this essay, I argue the manifestations of social harmony in Confucian societies can be studied quantitatively using the "cultural additivity" framework and phenomenologically using the "mindsponge" model.
ETIKA PERDAGANGAN DALAM ISLAM
Authors: Ahmad Hajarudin , Arsyam Muhammad
Published: September 2020

Islam memang menghalalkan usaha perdagangan, perniagaan dan atau jual beli. Namun tentu saja untuk orang yang menjalankan usaha perdagangan secara Islam, dituntut menggunakan tata cara khusus, ada aturan mainnya yang mengatur bagaimana seharusnya seorang Muslim berusaha di bidang perdagangan agar mendapatkan berkah dan ridha Allah SWT di dunia dan akhirat.
Detail Design - Linear Fresnel concentrator Steam Generator
Authors: touzani samir
Published: September 2020

Complete Linear Fresnel concentrator Steam Generator schema . This paper describes in detail the steam gneration process to achieve the new sea water desalination process described in the paper available by this link https://osf.io/dvr9y/
A search advantage for horizontal targets in dynamic displays
Authors: Thornton Ian Michael , Vuong Quoc , Pilz Karin S
Published: September 2020

Several lines of evidence point to the existence of a visual processing advantage for horizontal over vertical orientations. We investigated whether such a horizontal advantage exists in the context of top-down visual search. Inspired by change detection studies, we created displays where a dynamic target – a horizontal or a vertical group of 5 dots that changed contrast synchronously – was embedded within a randomly flickering grid of dots. The display size (total dots) varied across trials and the orientation of the target was constant within interleaved blocks. As expected, search was slow and inefficient. Importantly, participants were almost a second faster finding horizontal compared to vertical targets. They were also more efficient and more accurate during horizontal search. Such findings establish that the attentional templates thought to guide search for known targets can exhibit strong orientation anisotropies. We discuss possible underlying mechanisms and how these might be explored in future studies.
The association between financial hardship and mental health difficulties among adult wage earners during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Sultana Mst. Sadia , Khan Abid Hasan , Hossain Sahadat , Islam Tauhidul , Hasan M Tasdik , Ahmed Helal Uddin , Khan Jahangir A. M.
Published: September 2020

Background:The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges including the financial burden which may result in mental health conditions. Aim:This study was undertaken to gauge the mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain an insight into wage earners’ mental health as they are responsible for maintaining the finance of their families in this critical situation. Method:This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey, a total of 707 individual Bangladeshi wage earners were enrolled in between 20 May 2020 and 30 May 2020. The questionnaire had sections on sociodemographic information, COVID-19 related questions, PHQ-9 & GAD-7 scales to assess depressive symptoms & anxiety, respectively. STATA version 14.1 program was used to carry out all the analyses. Results:The study revealed that 58.6% and 55.9% of the respondents had moderate to severe anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. The total monthly income less than 30,000 BDT (353.73USD) displayed increased odds of suffering from depressive symptoms (OR=4.12; 95% CI: 2.68-6.34) and anxiety (OR=3.31; 95% CI: 2.17-5.03). Participants who didn’t get any salary, had no income source during lockdown, had financial problem, inadequate food supply were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depressive symptoms (p ≤ .01). Perceiving the upcoming financial crisis as a stressor was a potential risk factor for anxiety (OR=1.91; 95% CI:1.32-2.77) and depressive symptoms (OR=1.50; 95% CI:1.04-2.16). Conclusion:Wage-earners in a low resource setting like Bangladesh require mental health attention. Furthermore, financial consideration from the state or their workplace may help them to deal with mental health difficulties during this pandemic.
Robot Consciousness
Authors: Ripley Stephen
Published: September 2020

Will artificial intelligence evolve to become considered conscious?
Landscape in Literary Translation: A Comparative Study
Authors: Lahiani Raja
Published: September 2020

Translating concepts of setting can be challenging when their cultural, historical, and geographic contexts are remote from the translator’s experience. Landscape is an essential factor that reveals a great deal of the culture of pre-Islamic Arabia, which is distant in place, historical framework, and literary tradition from its translators. This article examines the importance of a translator’s awareness of the communicative function of source text references to landscape to adopt appropriate translation strategies. The article presents a case study of a verse line alongside a corpus of nineteen English and French translations. The source text, the Mu‘allaqa of Imru’ al-Qays, names three mountains in Arabia, and space and distance are core themes in the verse line. Comparison is both synchronic and diachronic: at the same time that every translation is compared to the source text, it is also compared to other translations. Prose translations are also examined separately from verse translations, with cross-references in both directions. The translators who adopted source-text-oriented strategies missed communicative clues regarding the setting. However, those who endorsed target-text oriented strategies produced effective and adequate translation.
Nature, Caged Birds, and Constrained Women: An Ecocritical Feminist Reading of Angela Carter’s Story The Erl-King
Authors: Neimneh Shadi S. , Shureteh Halla A.
Published: September 2020

In their feminist and postmodern readings of Angela Carter’s fiction, critics have often eclipsed the presence of nature in her writings and the significance of non-human forms of life. This article addresses this critical gap, focusing on Carter’s employment of birds and the greenwood in her story The Erl-King as a metaphor for gender roles and power relations. Hence, the alliance between her ecopoetics and feminist vision forms a case of “ecofeminism.” In her defense of “minor” and oppressed forms of life, Carter makes her caged birds emblems of women imprisoned by patriarchy. Their liberation by the female narrator at the end of the story is not only a sign of resistance but also an indication of the essential harmony and mutual strength of women and nature. Surprisingly though, and before this unexpected end in which the narrator strangles the Erl-King with his own hair, nature is made complicit in the oppression of women rather than simply liberating. This can be explained through Carter’s ambivalent brand of postmodern feminist poetics that rejects fixities and conventional binaries, unsettling the patriarchal myth that women are merely close to nature. Thus, Carter subverts feminist logic by exposing how women and nature are not only closely allied or opposed to patriarchy but also complicit in their own oppression. Moreover, she subverts the woman/nature dichotomy by making the Erl-King the epitome of a harmonious life in nature rather than plainly defending women as expected in feminist texts. Carter deconstructs established myths and conventional gender roles, accounting for subtle female desire in the process of articulating feminist poetics via nature.
Edna O’Brien The Country Girls (1960): Deconstructing the Irish Women’s Myth
Authors: KADDOURI Rachida , LOUAHALA Nadia
Published: September 2020

The rigid cultural and political environment of the 1940s post-independence era in Ireland placed a significant limitation on women by socially constructing and consistently implementing a strictly-defined Irish Catholic female identity. Over time, women could no longer stand this situation, and movements for women’s rights were set up. Political, social as well as cultural transformations in the country were accompanied by a necessarily urgent literary reaction, especially by female writers. Edna O’Brien, one of the most loved, and influential Irish women writers, published her first novel, The Country Girls (1960). She helped open discussion of the role of women and sex in Irish society and of Roman Catholicism’s persecution upon women. The present paper intends to focus on Irish women through The Country Girls. It explores the conflicts and compromises of Irish woman identity as this has been represented in the 20th-century Irish literature; concerning the more generalized categories of society, nation, and religion.
The Pandemic Penalty: The gendered effects of COVID-19 on scientific productivity
Authors: King Molly M. , Frederickson Megan
Published: September 2020

Academia serves as a valuable case for studying the effects of social forces on workplace productivity, using a concrete measure of output: scholarly papers. Many academics, especially women, have experienced unprecedented challenges to scholarly productivity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The authors analyze the gender composition of more than 450,000 authorships in the arXiv and bioRxiv scholarly preprint repositories from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis reveals that the underrepresentation of women scientists in the last authorship position necessary for retention and promotion in the sciences is growing more inequitable. The authors find differences between the arXiv and bioRxiv repositories in how gender affects first, middle, and sole authorship submission rates before and during the pandemic. A review of existing research and theory outlines potential mechanisms underlying this widening gender gap in productivity during COVID-19. The authors aggregate recommendations for institutional change that could ameliorate challenges to women’s productivity during the pandemic and beyond.
Old school renaissance as a style of play
Authors: Brander Tommi
Published: September 2020

I consider a style of play of tabletop role-playing games which focuses on objective player skill without extensive fixed ruleset, and describe it using two major hobbyist theories. This establishes one use of hobbyist theories -- a framework for discussion styles of play. The style of play is associated with the old school renaissance (OSR) movement and can be seen as an expansion of war gaming and board gaming to scenarios where the rules do not cover all eventualities, hence requiring human (referee) judgment, but keeping the element of player skill as objective as possible.This type of knowledge of a gaming style can help a player to understand their and others' preferences and practices and to communicate them more clearly to others.A designer can use this type of information to know what kind of content is relevant for their audience.
On Différance between Shakespeare’s Shylock and Bakathir’s Shylock
Authors: Badurais Rasha Saeed , Abdullah Nurul Farhana Low Binti
Published: September 2020

Enigmatic Shylock, the central figure of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (1596), and its varied interpretations continue to intrigue critics since the play's publication. One of the most faithful yet different of its adaptations is Bakathir's The New Shylock (1945). The present paper aims at deconstructing Shakespeare's Shylock and Bakathir's Shylock in the light of Derrida's concept "différance" to compare the two versions of the Jew and possibly capture the extremes of Jewish identity through several stages of their history. The significance of comparing Bakathir's version of the Jew, which exemplifies the opposite Eastern pole, to the Shakespearean Western is supposed to portray two crucial stages in the process of Jewish identity construction. Tackling the two Shylocks from the deconstructive perspective provides a text-oriented analysis focusing primarily on the binaries and the semantic and etymological meanings of words that reflect the tell-tale moments in both texts. The study finds out that whereas Shakespeare's Shylock is defeated because of his inability to control events, Bakathir's Shylock succeeds in mastering the play of circumstances, but temporarily. His suicide, at the end, enhances possibilities to answer the main inquiry: Who is "Shylock"? Therefore, further studies are recommended to compare and contrast Shakespeare's Shylock with the most recent adaptations, in the East or the West, using the same theoretical framework to provide an image of the Jew/ Zionist in the spatial and temporal processes of the Jewish enigmatic identity development.
Public Support for Deliberative Citizens’ Assemblies Selected through Sortition: Evidence from 15 Countries
Authors: Pilet Jean-Benoit , Bol Damien , Vittori Davide , Paulis Emilien
Published: September 2020

As representative democracy is increasingly criticized, a new institution is becoming popular among academics and practitioners: deliberative citizens’ assemblies. To evaluate whether these assemblies can deliver their promise of re-engaging the dissatisfied of representative politics, we explore who supports them and why. We build on a unique survey conducted with representative samples of 15 Western European countries and find, first, that the most supportive respondents are those who are less educated, have a low sense of political competence and an anti-elite sentiment. Thus, support does come from the dissatisfied. Second, we find that this support is for a part ‘outcome contingent’, in the sense that it changes with people’s expectations regarding the policy outcome from deliberative citizens’ assemblies. This second finding nuances the first one and suggests that while deliberative citizens’ assemblies convey some hope to re-engaged disengaged citizens, this is conditioned to the hope of a favourable outcome.
Metaphorical Language in Best-Selling Books: Byrne's The Secret, the Power book as a Case Study
Authors: Amaireh Hanan Ali
Published: September 2020

In this paper, an attempt is made to study the metaphorical language used in one of the best-selling books, The Secret, the Power by Rhonda Byrne (2010). A lot of literature has been made on analyzing metaphors in different genres, yet how metaphorical language is employed in best-selling books gained little attention from discourse analysts, so this study comes to fill this gap in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to focus on this crucial field of written discourse and best-selling books in particular. It will investigate the linguistic techniques which are employed in a way to persuade the audience to change their behavior or ideas and adopt new ones, especially the use of metaphorical expressions and storytelling. Metaphors will be analyzed according to Lakoff & Johnson’s (1980) perspective of metaphorical expressions and the "Speech Act Theory" proposed by Austin (1962) and Searle (1969). The paper concludes that metaphorical language is an integral part and pervasive in Byrne's writing style. She uses metaphorical expressions to deliver her message indirectly to convince the audience to adopt her ideas to call them for action. The analysis shows that storytelling is also employed by the author as a rhetorical device to persuade the audience of her thoughts.
Class Conflict in Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews
Authors: Saoudi Bechir , Al-Dhafyan Danah , Al-Tamimi Ghayda , Al-Tamimi Khouloud , Al-Shaman Nouf , Al-Aqili Raghad , Al-Ajmi Wasmiyya
Published: September 2020

The basis of this paper is a research project that studies the struggle between classes in Henry Fielding's novel Joseph Andrews. It has been carried out during the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 at the College of Science and Humanities, Hotat Bani Tamim, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since the issue of classes and class struggle dominates almost all aspects of life, it is natural to consider the importance of this phenomenon in literature, especially through theories that view literature as a reflection of real life. The most suitable school of literary criticism to tackle such a subject, according to the authors, is that of Marxism. Two basic Marxist principles are at the center of the study: class conflict and the notion of base and superstructure. The novel is studied as part of the superstructure which is a reflection of the ongoing class conflict occurring at the base mainly between feudal landlords and peasants. Three main questions have been addressed: 1) Is the novel a mere perpetuation of the upper class ideology and interests? 2) Is it a subversion of that ideology? or 3) Does it signify both a perpetuation of a class-structured society while condemning the negative aspects of the dominant ideology? The study reaches the conclusion that while Fielding favors a perpetuation of the already existing social order, he, nevertheless, levels bitter criticism at various upper class beliefs and practices that hinder the advancement of poor class causes.
The Four Horsemen of the Ecopocalypse: The Agricultural Ecology of China's Great Leap Forward
Authors: Harrell Stevan
Published: September 2020

China’s Great Leap Forward of 1958-60, an attempt to increase agricultural production through increased labor inputs, resulted in the greatest famine in world history from 1959-1961. Most histories emphasize the political mistakes of this period, which were disastrous. But to understand how the political mistakes led to the famine, here I concentrate on the ecosystem mismanagement that led to drastic drops in food production. To explain these effects, I invoke the “Four Horsemen of the Ecopocalypse”: Over-emphasis on single variables, cross- scale mismatches, top-down panaceas, and ignorance of system feedbacks, all of which eliminated the resilience of agro-ecosystems to both internal contradictions and external disturbances.
Rhetorical Framing of Organizational Identity: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Modern World Polity
Authors: Choi Yon Jung , McNeely Connie L.
Published: September 2020

As multinational corporations (MNCs) have increased their activities associated with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), scholars, analysts, and practitioners have focused on functional and strategic issues in line with profit motivations, questioning whether CSR enhances the corporate bottom-line. However, there is little empirical evidence to date showing any definitive positive relationships between CSR and corporate financial performance. Nonetheless, more and more MNCs are putting significant efforts and resources into CSR practices and are actively participating in global CSR schemes, such as the UN Global Compact. Based on analyses of organizational identity claims and of organizational engagement, this exploratory research suggests that, while not always straightforward and transparent, the growing CSR involvement by MNCs is part and parcel of broader legitimization processes conforming with world polity cultural norms and identities as world polity constituents. Although at times contradictory, CSR itself has been framed in terms of normative value-added activities, along with more rationalist financial goals.
Fit to be a Man: Women's Perspectives and Gender Relations among the Zeme Nagas of Assam
Authors: Bowden Amanda
Published: September 2020

In many indigenous societies worldwide we are witnessing an increase in gender inequality. Men’s domination of women seems to be growing and women’s labour is now exploited. Zeme Naga women of Assam are lamenting the loss of support from their husbands and the burden of labour wives must take up as husbands abandon their responsibilities. Husbands are becoming more controlling. This thesis seeks to understand some of the reasons behind the decline in men’s reciprocal labour practices and the deterioration in what were once remembered as relatively egalitarian gender relations. By bringing critical, historical and feminist analyses to bear on the ethnographic data I attempt to show the ways in which women’s increasing sense of inequality is linked to Zemes’ growing marginalisation regionally and globally. I explore Zeme understandings of what makes a man ‘fit to be a man’ and the ways feminine and masculine identities engage the changes brought by colonialism and neo-colonialism. Women’s interests were once served by the Zeme patriarchal society. I found that women continue to expect reciprocal labour exchange that was based on social structures and practices that are now largely obsolete. Employing the notion of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ (Connell 2005a) it emerged that men’s earlier practices allowed an opportunity for nearly every man to achieve the Zeme ideals of masculinity which involved the demonstration of caring behaviour towards women and other members of the community. Masculinity was largely based on access to resources that men delivered to the community according to what the people were perceived to need. The notion of women and children as men’s ‘property’ entailed responsibility and self-sacrifice on behalf of men and a relatively equitable division of labour around child care. Indeed, the well-being of women and children was a constituent of Zeme normative masculinity. However, Zeme engagements with what may be termed the agents of ‘modernity’: economies, religions, agricultural projects, schooling and the creation of Statehood, have contributed to devaluing Zeme livelihoods and cosmologies. This has had significant repercussions for Zeme gender relations, which include relations among men, and is changing the direction of the pursuit of masculine ideals. I argue that these transformations have contributed to sidelining a core component of Zeme hegemonic masculinity, the ability to ‘provide what the people need’ as well as creating inequalities of opportunities for men to demonstrate ‘care’ in this way. On the other hand, these processes are also presenting new opportunities for women to contest men’s interests, and to make claims over community issues that were one avenues of prestige for men.
PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN BLOG SEBAGAI MEDIA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN SMK
Authors: Salim Salim , Ikman Ikman , Suhar Suhar , Kodirun Kodirun , Pabunga Dorce Banne , Saputra Hendra Nelva
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this service is to improve the teachers' pedagogical skills in the field of medicine and there is increased learning quality by using a blog. This devotion is necessary to increase the teacher's insight into the pedagogical competence of ict-based learning. This has supported a number of studies which show that blogs can become learning media that can facilitate the process of interaction between teachers and students. The methods used were those of speech, question-and-answer, and simulation. The success indicator of this devotion activity includes: (1) participants' positive response to the blog development training in SMK learning, and (2) the product a trainee produces is a blog that can be used in learning. The result of this activity suggests that (1) teachers already have the knowledge to create a blog for learning purposes, (2) teachers already have the learning media utilizing the blog application, and (3) teachers have a knowledge of designing and creating blog content as a learning medium.
Fc Receptor-Like Gene Expression in Renal Transplantation Patients
Authors: Jamshidian Tehrani Narges , Amirghofran Zahra , Shamsaeefar Ali Reza , Karachi Aida , Karimi Mohammad Hossein
Published: September 2020

Background: It has been well-documented that the Fc receptor-like (FCRL) molecule contributes to the pathogenesis of certain autoimmune disorders. FCRL molecules belong to the immunoglobulin superfamily produced by B cells. Also, these molecules induce activating or inhibitory signals of B cells.  According to this information and also considering the critical role of immune reactions in organ transplantation, the following experiment was performed to analyze the gene expression level of FCRLs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of kidney transplant recipients. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 32 renal transplant patients on days 1, 3, and 7 post-transplantations. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of rejection. Also, 24 age-matched healthy subjects were enrolled as control group. After total RNA extraction from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and cDNA synthesis, the gene expression levels of FCRL1, FCRL2, and FCRL4 in each group were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Our results showed that FCRL1 expression levels in kidney transplant patients were significantly less than healthy controls. The overall FCRL2 expression level was not significantly different between them. However, at days 1 and 7, following transplantation in the non-rejected group FCRL2 level was significantly higher than the control group. Comparing the FCRL4 gene expression levels of both groups with healthy controls showed a significant decrease in the third and seventh days post-transplantation. Conclusion: It can be concluded that mononuclear cells, mainly B cells, have an essential role to play in kidney transplantation. [GMJ.2020;9:e1730]
Influences of Serotonin Hydrochloride on Adiponectin, Ghrelin and KiSS1 Genes Expression
Authors: Mahmoudi Fariba , Haghighat Gollo Khadijeh
Published: September 2020

Background: Serotonin and kisspeptin stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) release while ghrelin and adiponectin inhibit them. In the present experimental study, the effects of central injection of serotonin were investigated on LH concentration, KiSS1, adiponectin, and ghrelin genes expression. Materials and Methods: Fifteen Wistar male rats in three groups received saline or serotonin hydrochloride via the third cerebral ventricle. Blood samples were collected via the tail vein. Serum LH concentration and relative gene expression were evaluated by radioimmunoassay and real-time polymerase chain reaction method, respectively. Results: Serotonin significantly increased the mean serum LH concentration and  KiSS1 gene expression levels compared to the saline group. Serotonin significantly decreased the mean ghrelin and adiponectin genes expression levels compared to the saline group. Conclusion: The serotonergic pathway may have stimulatory effects on hypothalamic kisspeptin synthesis, partly via inhibiting hypothalamic ghrelin and adiponectin neural activity.[GMJ.2020;9:e1767]
A INCONSISTÊNCIA DO OUTRO E A IMPOSSIBILIDADE DE UNIVERSO DO DISCURSO NO CAMPO LACANIANO
Authors: De Figueiredo Ingrid Porto
Published: September 2020

Foi com Lacan que a psicanálise deslocou o inconsciente que diz a verdade para a verdade que fala por si mesma. Em seu ensino, a verdade foi situada como causa material diferente da ciência, que a tem como causa formal. Além disso, o lugar da causa é situado a partir sujeito — o sujeito da ciência, criado e foracluído pelo campo científico — em sua articulação com a materialidade do significante, com o objeto a e o campo do gozo, este batizado de campo lacaniano, por ter sido inaugurado a partir dos avanços de Lacan em relação à teoria pulsional freudiana. Então, o inconsciente estruturado como uma linguagem avança para o inconsciente em sua vertente real, trazendo o empreendimento lógico de demonstrar a inconsistência do Outro e a impossibilidade de universo do discurso.