bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hemşirelerin Organ Bağışı Tutumlarının Merhamet Duygularıyla İlişkisinin Değerlendirilmesi
Authors: BEKTAŞ Merve , YILDIRIM Gülay
Published: December 2020

Amaç: Araştırma hemşirelerin organ bağışı tutumlarının merhamet duygularıyla ilişkisinin değerlendirilmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır.Yöntem: Kesitsel-betimleyici türde yapılan çalışmanın örneklemine numune ve üniversite hastanesinde çalışan 680 hemşire dahil edilmiş olup, organ bağış kartı olan (100 birey) ve olmayan (100 birey) toplam 200 hemşire çalışmanın örneklemini oluşturmuştur. Veriler Tanıtıcı Bilgiler Formu, Organ Bağış Tutum Ölçeği (OBTÖ) ve Merhamet Ölçeği’yle (MÖ) toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde Frekans, Yüzde, Pearson Momentler Çarpımı, korelasyon analizi, t Testi, Tek Yönlü Varyans analizi(ANOVA), Durbin Watson testi, Basit Doğrusal Regresyon analizi, Dunnet T3 Post Hoc testi, LSD Post Hoc testi, Mann Whitney U testi, Cronbach Alfa testi kullanılmıştır.Bulgular: Organ bağışı kartı olanların %51’inin, bağış kartı olmayanların %31’inin organ yetmezliği olan tanıdığının olduğu, bağış kartı olmayanların olanlara göre daha az oranda (%43) organlarını bağışlamayı istedikleri, %20.3’ünün vücut bütünlüğü nedeniyle istemedikleri, %42’sinin sağlık profesyonellerinin organ bağışında bulunmasını profesyonel sorumluluk olarak gördükleri saptanmıştır. Organ bağışı kartı olanlarda OBTÖ’nin alt boyutlarından Yardımseverlik Ahlaki Değer İnançlar, Algılanan Tıbbi Olarak İhmal Edilme ve Bedensel Yaralanma Korkusu puan ortalamaları sırasıyla 117.77±6.53, 18.36±5.96, 18.29±5.96’tır. Organ bağış kartı olanların MÖ alt boyutlarından Sevecenlik, Paylaşımların Bilincinde Olma, Bilinçli Farkındalık puan ortalamaları sırasıyla 4.37±0.44, 4.14±0.49, 4.27±0.36; organ bağışı kartı olmayanlarda sırasıyla 4.21±0.58, 4.12±0.63 4.18±0.58 olup aralarındaki fark istatistiki olarak anlamlıdır (p<0,05).Sonuç: Merhamet duygusu organ bağışı tutumlarının üzerinde etkilidir. Organ bağışına yönelik eğitim ve programlar yapılarak kişilerin daha çok bilinçlendirilmesi, organ bağışı için sağlık profesyonellerini teşvik edici stratejilerin yaygınlaştırılması ve organ bağışı ile ilgili kaygılara yönelik araştırmalar önerilir.
REDUCING THE EFFECTS OF PLASTIC WASTE IN AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS BY DEVELOPING NEW OK SOIL BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS
Authors: Peñalva Carolina , Pérez Marta , Braca Francesca , Redondo Diego
Published: December 2020

Current intensive farming practices require the use of large quantities of mulching film and fruit protection bags since they prevent the growth of weeds, regulate soil temperature, retain water and nutrients and protect crops from insects. For these practices, single-use conventional non-degradable polymers are used, creating a serious problem of waste management since it is time-consuming, expensive to recycle and, more importantly, is non-environmentally friendly contaminating the environment. By using biodegradable plastics, this problem could be solved by preventing the creation of waste. The objectives of our study were to produce an innovative biobased and biodegradable plastic film that entirely biodegrades in natural conditions on the field within a short time after their usage and to know it effects in tomato and peach crops. For this purpose, films have been produced for biomulching to which specific oligo elements has been added to test in tomato crops and for biobags to protect the fruits from insects and improve quality at harvest in peaches. Tests carried out on tomato showed that, these bioplastics improved soil quality by increasing (up to 13%) the concentration of oligo elements and by decreasing (65%) blossom end rot. In the case of peaches, by using biobags, a uniform colour (without red blush), a required characteristic in this type of commodity (Protected Designation of Origin ‘Calanda’) was obtained, with a decrease in both a* colour coordinate (more than 2 points) and carotenoid content (more than 3 µg g-1 fw). Moreover, bioplastics degrade completely after 6 within the soil.
Life Cycle Assessment of Beverage Packaging
Authors: Brock Alice , Williams Ian D.
Published: December 2020

Global plastic production has been increasing annually since World War II and is currently 380 million tonnes. Global concern about pollution from plastics in the seas and the environmental costs of plastics manufacture is rising. This study aimed to: i) review the costs, benefits, advantages / disadvantages of plastics as packaging materials and ii) use life cycle assessment to determine if there is less environmentally impactful beverage packaging than plastic bottles. As different beverages have different packaging needs, three categories were used: commonly used containers for milk, fruit juice and pressurised ‘fizzy’ drinks. The packaging types included in the assessment were glass bottles, aluminium cans, milk cartons, Tetra Pak, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and high-density polythene (HDPE) bottles. The ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 standards for life cycle assessment formed the basis of the methodology. The open source software openLCA was used to conduct the assessments. Data was assembled from LCA databases such as the European reference Life Cycle Database of the Joint Research Center (ELCD), existing life cycle assessments, scientific reports and peer reviewed literature. The functional unit was set at a container that held one litre of fluid. The results found that in each category there was a less impactful beverage packaging than plastic bottles. In the Pressurised Beverage Category, 100% recycled aluminium cans would be the least impactful option, in the Fruit Juice Beverage Category Tetra Pak would be the least impactful option and in the Milk Beverage Category milk cartons would be the least impactful option.
Utility of telemedicine in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Colbert Gates B. , Venegas-Vera A. Verner , Lerma Edgar V.
Published: December 2020

Previously it has been demonstrated that telehealth (TH) could help cover the gaps in health attention in remote locations. Today the expanded capabilities have transformed TH delivery, and from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, it has remained one of our biggest allies. Telehealth has become a central piece in patient healthcare delivery during COVID-19 pandemic era. Telehealth allows health care services to reach patients in their homes, keeping other patients safe through social distancing and maintaining self-quarantine. Within this administration of health, TH allows health care providers to focus more resources to pandemic usage and at the same time continue caring for the health of non COVID-19 patients. During this time, clinicians are expanding knowledge about TH capabilities, such as application of forward triage as a tool to avoid patient contact in emergency departments. While previously TH was mainly used for primary care needs, specialized and urgent care health is now being utilized more than ever before. These advantages comes with limitations, some of them include a limited physical exam, lack of access to diagnostic testing or imaging, and many other pitfalls and persistent unmet needs. The 2020 pandemic has led to significant improvements leading into the next generation of telemedicine.
Nutrition, dietary habits, and weight management to prevent and treat patients with peripheral artery disease
Authors: Sagris Marios , Kokkinidis Damianos G , Lempesis Ioannis G. , Giannopoulos Stefanos , Rallidis Loukianos , Mena-Hurtado Carlos , Bakoyiannis Christos
Published: December 2020

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 3%-10% of the Western population and if remains untreated can have devastating consequences to patients and their families. This review article analyzes how healthy dietary habits can decrease PAD rates when applied in the general population. The aim is to focus on dietary, nutritional and weight management interventions in patients with established PAD. Most adults with PAD are overweight or obese, while three out of four patients are characterized by deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Weight loss interventions when needed and specialized dietary plans should be routinely recommended in patients with PAD. Appropriate nutritional support is of paramount importance in patients with advanced stages of PAD (critical limb ischemia).
Multifaceted highly targeted sequential multidrug treatment of early ambulatory high-risk SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)
Authors: McCullough Peter A. , Alexander Paul E. , Armstrong Robin , Arvinte Cristian , Bain Alan F. , Bartlett Richard P. , Berkowitz Robert L. , Berry Andrew C. , Borody Thomas J. , Brewer Joseph H. , Brufsky Adam M. , Clarke Teryn , Derwand Roland , Eck Alieta , Eck John , Eisner Richard A. , Fareed George C. , Farella Angelina , Fonseca Silvia N. S. , Geyer,. Charles E. , Gonnering Russell S. , Graves Karladine E. , Gross Kenneth B. V. , Hazan Sabine , Held Kristin S. , Hight H. Thomas , Immanuel Stella , Jacobs Michael M. , Ladapo Joseph A. , Lee Lionel H. , Littell John , Lozano Ivette , Mangat Harpal S. , Marble Ben , McKinnon John E. , Merritt Lee D. , Orient Jane M. , Oskoui Ramin , Pompan Donald C. , Procter Brian C. , Prodromos Chad , Rajter Juliana Cepelowicz , Rajter Jean-Jacques , Ram C. Venkata S. , Rios Salete S. , Risch Harvey A. , Robb Michael J. A. , Rutherford Molly , Scholz Martin , Singleton Marilyn M. , Tumlin James A. , Tyson Brian M. , Urso Richard G. , Victory Kelly , Vliet Elizabeth Lee , Wax Craig M. , Wolkoff Alexandre G. , Wooll Vicki , Zelenko Vladimir
Published: December 2020

The SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading across the world has led to surges of COVID-19 illness, hospitalizations, and death. The complex and multifaceted pathophysiology of life-threatening COVID-19 illness including viral mediated organ damage, cytokine storm, and thrombosis warrants early interventions to address all components of the devastating illness. In countries where therapeutic nihilism is prevalent, patients endure escalating symptoms and without early treatment can succumb to delayed in-hospital care and death. Prompt early initiation of sequenced multidrug therapy (SMDT) is a widely and currently available solution to stem the tide of hospitalizations and death. A multipronged therapeutic approach includes 1) adjuvant nutraceuticals, 2) combination intracellular anti-infective therapy, 3) inhaled/oral corticosteroids, 4) antiplatelet agents/anticoagulants, 5) supportive care including supplemental oxygen, monitoring, and telemedicine. Randomized trials of individual, novel oral therapies have not delivered tools for physicians to combat the pandemic in practice. No single therapeutic option thus far has been entirely effective and therefore a combination is required at this time. An urgent immediate pivot from single drug to SMDT regimens should be employed as a critical strategy to deal with the large numbers of acute COVID-19 patients with the aim of reducing the intensity and duration of symptoms and avoiding hospitalization and death.
Об итогах XXI республиканской школьной конференции научно-исследовательских работ по экологии
Authors: Плюснина С. Н.
Published: December 2020

Представлены итоги XXI республиканской школьной конференции научно-исследовательских работ по экологии
History of education in India in the pedagogical concept of J.P. Naik
Authors: Aslanov Dmitry , Kolesnikov Ilya , Martynova Ekaterina
Published: December 2020

The article describes in detail the process of formation, development and reform of education in India. The great scientific and practical contribution of the Indian scientist J.P. Naik is that in his works he revealed the priority directions for the development of education in India taking into account the interests of the poorest segments of the population. He believed that all general education institutions should devote more time to participation in social welfare and national development programmes. At the heart of the education system, the scientist singled out a humanistic basis.
Image of Siberia in periodicals from the second half of the 19th to early 20th centuries
Authors: Legostaeva Irina
Published: December 2020

In periodicals from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the image of Siberia was often revealed through publications about specific people or mythological characters coming from Siberia or living some important period of their life in the Siberian territory. The authors of the articles were in constant search for some ideal image, that of a public, state or spiritual figure who made a special contribution to improving the life and everyday routine of Siberians, highlighting regional issues and burning problems, romanticizing the image of Siberia as a “distant” land and at the same time the spiritual and material richest one as well as the most important part of the country.
From the history of activities of hokeemiyats in the Republic of Karakalpakstan
Authors: Ametov Temirbek
Published: December 2020

In the article is analysed activity of hokeemiyats of the Republic of Karakalpakstan at the end of 1980s. It is given the information’s about functions of hokeemiyats and adopted legislations about structure of hokeemiyat of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
Charles de Gaulle and European Community
Authors: Troitino David Ramiro , Kerikmae Tanel , Shumilo Olga
Published: December 2020

This article highlights the role of Charles de Gaulle in the history of united post-war Europe, his approaches to the internal and foreign French policies, also vetoing the membership of the United Kingdom in the European Community. The authors describe the emergence of De Gaulle as a politician, his uneasy relationship with Roosevelt and Churchill during World War II, also the roots of developing a “nationalistic” approach to regional policy after the end of the war. The article also considers the emergence of the Common Agricultural Policy (hereinafter - CAP), one of Charles de Gaulle’s biggest achievements in foreign policy, and the reasons for the Fouchet Plan defeat.
The fastest insight into the large amplitude vibration of a string
Authors:   School of Science, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, China, Qie Na , Houa Wei-Fan ,   School of Mathematics and Information Science, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China, He Ji-Huan ,   National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou, China
Published: December 2020

This paper recommends a simple and excusive approach to a strongly nonlinear oscillator. Its frequency property can be immediately obtained by the simplest calculation. The results show that the method leads to an approximate solution with relatively high accuracy. Considering the simplest solution process, this paper provides a highly efficient tool for fast determination of the amplitude-frequency relationship of a nonlinear oscillator. The large amplitude vibration of a string is used as an example to illustrate the solution process.
Writing before Y2K
Authors: Vuong Quan-Hoang
Published: December 2020

In less than a week from now, we will enter the new year of 2021. Everybody has his/her own thought and reflection whenever a new year arrives. For me, the coming year marks 25 years of writing.
A perspective on technology enterprises in Vietnam
Authors: Linh Nguyen Thi
Published: December 2020

Information technology in general and digital technology businesses in particular are expected to make a major contribution to the economy. Despite high expectations, science and technology investment has not been seen objectively.
Competitive Intelligence and Corresponding Outcome in a Strategic Management Process: A Review of Literature
Authors: Quarm Richmond Sam , Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin
Published: December 2020

The strategic management literature has put a lot of emphasis on the role of intelligence in the strategic management process. However, the available literature has not been thorough in outlining the role and the potential outcome of the deployment of business intelligence. Majority of the researchers have looked at the direct relationship between business intelligence with specific reference to competitive intelligence with performance. The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on competitive intelligence so as to highlight its role in the different phases of strategic management process as well as the emerging phenomenon of the adoption of competitive intelligence in a firm. The authors have integrated the extant literature on competitive intelligence with that on strategic management process. The paper reviews extant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature and raises diverse issues that present a case for a new theoretical model suitable to extend the current understanding of the phenomenon brought about by the deployment of competitive intelligence. The paper raises implications for theory and practice and suggests a theoretical model suitable to guide future research.
Analysis and Improvement Strategies of the Phenomenon that What Biology Teachers Teach is not What They Learned in Rural Middle Schools
Authors: Quarm Richmond Sam , Sam-Quarm Richmond , Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin , Peng Juan , Sun Xuezhong , Tian Xiayu , Zheng Mengyang , Pang Ruihua , Zhou Wei , Wang Quanxiu
Published: December 2020

Rural education is a short board of China’s education. It is of great significance to strengthen the construction of the teacher team in rural middle schools for Rural Revitalization in the new era. The problem of structural shortage of teachers, reflected by the phenomenon of “what biology teachers teach is not what they learned” in rural middle schools, is a key issue that has been existing for a long time in the development of rural middle school education in our country. It is also a key problem that must be paid attention to and urgently solved in the face of the new situation, new tasks and new requirements. In response to this phenomenon that caused by the decline of students and the loss of biological teachers in rural middle schools, the government needs to play a supporting role and the school leaders of rural middle schools should innovate their systems and concepts. What’s more, biological teachers should reflect on their hearts and have the educational feelings of being willing to develop the countryside. Only when the government, middle school leaders and biology teachers have formed an educational synergy, can we better solve that harmful phenomenon and promote the healthy and rapid development of rural middle school education.
Exploring the most influential papers in Vietnam's political economy in the past ten years
Authors: Ho Manh-Toan
Published: December 2020

This short explorative article looks at the list of papers on Vietnam's political economy in the past ten years.
Assessment of Safety Culture and Maturity in Mining Environments: Case of Njuli Quarry
Authors: Matsimbe Jabulani , Vargas Andrea Maria D. , Zadid Ahmed Ishtiaq
Published: December 2020

Due to an ever increasing concern for safety at most mines in Malawi, this paper aimed at assessing the safety culture and maturity in mining environments by applying the Safety Culture Maturity Model (SCMM). The SCMM is a practical and reliable diagnostic tool to use in the context of Malawian mining environments because it emphasizes the importance of employee involvement in assessing and improving safety culture. Njuli quarry is used as a case study due to its adoption of modern mining technologies and long existence in the mining industry. The methods used to assess the level of maturity of safety culture comprised questionnaires, interviews and behavioral observations. To test the reliability of the questionnaire, the respondents were interviewed using the same questions and comparing the results. There was good reliability of the measures used since the correlation coefficients between questionnaire and interview ranged from r = 0.9 to 1. The results demonstrate that Njuli quarry has more characteristics of the Managing Level 2 or Developing Stage with percentages ranging 55% - 60% followed by the Emerging Level 1 ranging 33% - 36%. The Involving Level 3 ranged 4% - 10% showing improvement in some items of the dimensions of the safety framework. The company had the lowest percentages of 0% - 2% in Cooperating Level 4, and 0% - 1% in Continually Improving Level 5. This was expected because most mining companies in Malawi focus on maximizing production regardless of the safety implications, and also employees do not take safety issues seriously despite minor accidents and near misses. Therefore, the company should carry out safety trainings, set up a safety department, provide PPE to employees, and introduce rewards for best safety performance. Present study has added new knowledge on levels of maturity of safety culture in Malawi’s mining environments which will influence the Department of Mines in policy development, site safety inspections and safety audits.
DLK1 is differentially expressed in the lymph node and brain metastases of patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: December 2020

Metastasis to the brain is a clinical problem in patients with breast cancer (1-3). We mined published microarray data (4, 5) to compare primary and metastatic tumor transcriptomes to discover genes associated with brain metastasis in patients with metastatic breast cancer. We found that the delta like non-canonical Notch ligand 1, encoded by DLK1 was among the genes whose expression was most different in the brain and lymph node metastases of patients with metastatic breast cancer as compared to primary tumors of the breast and normal breast tissues, respectively. DLK1 mRNA was present at higher quantities in brain metastatic tissues as compared to primary tumors of the breast. These data combined suggest some level of common origin for metastases that reside in the lymph nodes and colonize the brain. Up-regulation of Notch pathway signals may contribute to pathways influencing metastasis to the brain.
The Universal War Strategy in the 5th Generation War in the 4.0 Industry Era (Cyber Threat Case Study)
Authors: Sam-Quarm Richmond , Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin
Published: December 2020

Currently, the world has entered into the 5th generation war, and this war in the 5th generation can be said to be an invisible war. This war can be interpreted as an information war, an economic war, including cyber warfare. The rapid progress of the development of science and technology today has a very broad impact on various aspects of human life. The threat of cyber attacks that can cripple the stability of national security needs to be watched out for. For this reason, the Indonesian nation must have strategic steps to anticipate all possibilities from the threat of cyber attacks. The research objective in this paper is to identify the potential threat of 5th generation war, analyze cyber threats and cyber attacks in Indonesia and how the Universal War Strategy in dealing with the threat of cyber attacks. This research method uses a qualitative descriptive phenomenology research method, using data sources from some literature and mass media. The research results from the researcher's analysis provide significant results with the conclusion that Indonesia is vulnerable to cyber threats so that it is necessary to equalize perceptions in drafting the concept of defense and security from the threat of cyber attacks.
Telethonin is differentially expressed in the brain metastases of patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: December 2020

Metastasis to the brain is a clinical problem in patients with breast cancer (1-3). We mined published microarray data (4, 5) to compare primary and metastatic tumor transcriptomes to discover genes associated with brain metastasis in patients with metastatic breast cancer. We found that telethonin, also known as titin-cap, encoded by TCAP, was among the genes whose expression was most different in the brain metastases of patients with metastatic breast cancer as compared to primary tumors of the breast. TCAP mRNA was present at increased quantities in brain metastatic tissues as compared to primary tumors of the breast. Up-regulation of TCAP expression may be of relevance to mechanisms by which tumor cells of the breast metastasize to the brain in humans with metastatic breast cancer.
Intellectual Capital, Bank Profitability, and Bank Value
Authors: Sam-Quarm Richmond , Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin , Septiadi Tedi
Published: December 2020

This study plans to investigate the influence of intellectual capital on bank profitability and value and bank profitability on bank market value. Furthermore, 34 banks listed on Indonesia's capital market are taken from the population by the simple random sampling technique. Path analysis model acting as the method to evaluate the variables-related data. From the hypothesis testing, this study affirms a positive impact of intellectual capital on bank profitability and value and the similar effect of bank profitability on bank value. The implications related to the application of intellectual capital in banks are attached.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS IN THE INDONESIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING PROCESS
Authors: Rindha Novia Rahma
Published: December 2020

Environmental education is an effort to preserve, protect the environment and ecosystems of living things in order to provide a balance in the sustainability of life. Environmental education is very important in human life because environmental education can prevent damage to the natural environment. According to Ramadhan, Sukma, and Indriyani (2019), environmental damage will result in an ecological crisis which causes a series of natural resource, climate, pollution, food and economic problems because the environment determines life, public health, as well as spiritual and moral development.
Intellectual Capital, Bank Profitability, and Bank Value
Authors: Quarm Richmond Sam , Sam-Quarm Richmond , Peng Juan
Published: December 2020

This study plans to investigate the influence of intellectual capital on bank profitability and value and bank profitability on bank market value. Furthermore, 34 banks listed on Indonesia's capital market are taken from the population by the simple random sampling technique. Path analysis model acting as the method to evaluate the variables-related data. From the hypothesis testing, this study affirms a positive impact of intellectual capital on bank profitability and value and the similar effect of bank profitability on bank value. The implications related to the application of intellectual capital in banks are attached.
Systems, Instruments and Regulatory Policies of American and European Capitalism
Authors: Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin
Published: December 2020

The beginning of the 21st century, the phenomenon of globalization, the IT revolution and the financialization of the economy have also changed the terms of the comparison among capitalist countries. At global level, the rapid expansion of the financial sector was also encouraged by an increase in innovative financial products. Regulators and supervisors have not been able to adequately identify and address the growing risks in the financial system. The beginning of the financial crisis has brought to light such weaknesses. And it is from this negative experience that the major world authorities have intervened, trying to set up plans and regulations to protect the financial system and consumers. The analysis of the framework that comes with the financial crisis of 2007-2013 is thus a starting point for this work to understand the new features of world capitalism. American and European capitalist systems seem to diverge above all on the policies and instruments for regulating the financial system. The aim of the work is to show the differences between the US and European financial and banking regulation. The former is geared towards reviving deregulation and financial innovation while the latter is more geared towards redesigning a more accentuated regulatory model with a governance of the economy that always sees the presence of a mixed welfare and market system.
Modeling and Forecasting Gold Prices
Authors: Sam-Quarm Richmond , Busharads Mohamed Osman Elamin
Published: December 2020

The aim of this paper is to explore the reasons of gold price volatility. It analyses the information function of the gold future market by open interest contracts as speculation effect, and further fundamental factors including inflation, Chinese yuan per dollar, Japanese yen per dollar, dollar per euro, interest rate, oil price, and stock price, in the short-run. The study proceeds to build a Dynamic OLS model for long-run equilibrium to produce reliable gold price forecasts using the following variables: gold demand, gold supply, inflation, USD/SDR exchange rate, speculation, interest rate, oil price, and stock prices. Findings prove that in the short-run, changes in gold price does granger cause changes in open interest, and changes in Japanese yen per dollar does granger cause changes in gold price. However, in the long-run, the results prove that gold demand, gold supply, USD/SDR exchange rate, inflation, speculation, interest rate, and oil price are associated in a long-run relationship.References
Green Recovery Act, executive summary and explanatory notes
Authors: McGaughey Ewan
Published: December 2020

The Green Recovery Act is a draft Act of Parliament that will end climate damage, recover the environment and economy, and ensure we have a living planet. Focused on UK law reform, it shows how the smallest possible legal changes can have the biggest possible impact, and how greenhouse gas emissions can be brought to an end without any cost, and huge benefits to taxpayers, and businesses. It has nine parts, on a Green Recovery Commission; transport; energy; coal, oil and gas elimination; a full employment, income and training guarantee; agriculture, supermarkets and stores; finance and corporate governance; local authority empowerment; and international and trade agreements. The Act's key ideas are to ban all fossil fuels as fast as technologically practicable, and to mainstream this principle across all public and private bodies. The text of the Act is preceded by an executive summary, and explanatory notes.
Evidence for entropy maximisation in human free choice behaviour
Authors: Rens Natalie , Lancia Gian Luca , Eluchans Mattia , Schwartenbeck Philipp , Cunnington Ross , Pezzulo Giovanni
Published: December 2020

The freedom to choose between options is strongly linked to notions of free will. Accordingly, several studies have shown that individuals demonstrate a preference for choice, or the availability of multiple options, over and above utilitarian value. Yet we lack a decision-making framework that integrates preference for choice with traditional utility maximisation in free choice behaviour. Here we test the predictions of an inference-based model of decision-making in which an agent actively seeks states yielding entropy (availability of options) in addition to utility (economic reward). We designed a study in which participants freely navigated a virtual environment consisting of two consecutive choices leading to reward locations in separate rooms. Critically, the choice of one room always led to two final doors while, in the second room, only one door was permissible to choose. This design allowed us to separately determine the influence of utility and entropy on participants’ choice behaviour and their self-evaluation of free will. We found that choice behaviour was better predicted by an inference-based model than by expected utility alone, and that both the availability of options and the value of the context positively influenced participants’ perceived freedom of choice. Moreover, this consideration of options was apparent in the ongoing motion dynamics as individuals navigated the environment. In a second study, in which participants selected between rooms that gave access to three or four doors, we observed a similar pattern of results, with participants preferring the room that gave access to more options and feeling freer in it. These results suggest that free choice behaviour is well explained by an inference-based framework in which both utility and entropy are optimised and supports the idea that the feeling of having free will is tightly related to options availability.
Projecting the own affective states onto others: no influence of perceived similarity
Authors: Trilla Irene , Eiserbeck Friedrich , Dziobek Isabel
Published: December 2020

Research has shown that people rely more strongly on self-knowledge when making inferences about the attitudes and beliefs of individuals they perceive similar to themselves, compared to dissimilar others. The current study investigated whether similarity also influences the extent to which individuals project their own affective states during emotion inferences. In a within-subject experiment, the perceived similarity between the participants and a series of target faces was manipulated using a minimal group paradigm. To measure affective self-projections, participants made quick judgments about ambiguous emotional facial expressions of similar and dissimilar targets after being induced positive and negative affective states. Confirming the occurrence of emotional egocentricity, the own affective states biased the emotion attributions, such that facial expressions were judged as happier after positive induction than after negative induction. However, against our hypothesis, the degree of emotional egocentricity did not differ for similar and dissimilar targets. Our results suggest that, contrarily to more evaluative forms of mental state attribution, the tendency to project the own affective states during lower-level processes of emotion inferences is not dependent on the perceived similarity with the other.
Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations
Authors: Timmermann Christopher , Watts Rosalind , Dupuis David
Published: December 2020

A striking feature of psychedelics is their ability to increase attribution of truth and meaningfulness to specific contents and ideas experienced, which may persist long after psychedelic effects have subsided. We propose that processes underlying conferral of meaning and truth in psychedelic experiences may act as a double-edged sword: while these may drive important therapeutic benefits, they also raise important considerations regarding the validation and mediation of knowledge gained during these experiences. Specifically, the ability of psychedelics to induce noetic feelings of revelation may enhance the significance and attribution of reality of specific beliefs, worldviews, and apparent memories which might exacerbate the risk of iatrogenic complications that other psychotherapeutic approaches have historically faced, such as false memory syndrome. These considerations are timely, as the use of psychedelics is becoming increasingly mainstream, in an environment marked by the emergence of strong commercial interest for psychedelic therapy. We elaborate on these ethical challenges via three examples illustrating issues of validation and mediation in therapeutic, neo-shamanic and research contexts involving psychedelic use. Finally, we propose a pragmatic framework to attend to these challenges based on an ethical approach which considers the embeddedness of psychedelic experiences within larger historical and cultural contexts, their intersubjective character and the use of practices which we conceptualise here as forms of psychedelic apprenticeship. This notion of apprenticeship goes beyond current approaches of preparation and integration by stressing the central importance of validation practices based on empathic resonance by an experienced therapist or guide.
Words are Monuments: Racism and Colonialism Conserved in Place Names
Authors: McGill Bonnie , Borrelle Stephanie B. , Wu Grace C. , Ingeman Kurt E. , Koch Jonathan B. , Barnd Natchee B.
Published: December 2020

Conservation science aims to improve human wellbeing through environmental management, but the discipline must reckon with the living legacies of its history including racism and colonialism. US national parks are symbolic of conservation and ripe for examination for their contribution to socio-spatial exclusion of Black, Indigenous and other people of color from outdoor spaces. We examined the origins of over 2,000 place names in 16 (26% of) US national parks to quantify the extent that national park narratives perpetuate colonialism and racism. Through iterative thematic analysis of place name origins we constructed a decision tree for classifying place name problem types according to their dimensions of racism and colonialism (if any), which enabled quantification and spatial analysis of problem types by park. We found that these highly visible conservation landscapes commemorate individuals and words that tacitly endorse racist and anti-Indigenous ideologies at a system scale. Changing these names is one small step towards dismantling colonialist and racist narratives and towards making public conservation landscapes more inclusive.
The Human Capital Peace Dividend
Authors: Prem Mounu , Vargas Juan F. , Namen Olga
Published: December 2020

While the literature has documented negative effects of conflict on educational outcomes, there is little evidence on the effect of conflict termination. We show how the permanent ceasefire declared by FARC’s insurgency during peace negotiations with the Colombian government caused a differential improvement on several educational outcomes in the areas affected by FARC violence prior to the ceasefire. These effects are not explained by peace building and post-war recovery investments, and they are only partially driven by wartime child soldiering. Instead, we find support for other mechanisms such as the post-ceasefire plummeting of victimization and new economic opportunities in treated areas.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Pseudomonas Species Isolated from Various Clinical Samples at a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Gyawali Rabin , Khadka Ram Bahadur , Shrestha Basudha , Manandhar Sarita
Published: December 2020

Considerable increase in the prevalence and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas has been observed with towering morbidity and mortality. As a consequence of the haphazard use of antimicrobials, the spread of antimicrobial resistance is now a global issue. This study aimed to access the distribution rate and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Pseudomonas species isolated from various clinical specimens in Kathmandu Model Hospital, Nepal. During the study period, 1252 samples were collected, cultured and the organism was isolated and identified. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines. Out of 1252 samples, 28 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas species were isolated. The highest number of Pseudomonas spp. was isolated from swab samples that included pus, ear, and wound (46.4 %). Pseudomonas spp. demonstrated marked resistance against cefixime (96.4 %) and showed higher sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam (92.9 %). The result showed pus, wound exudates, ear discharges samples exhibit Pseudomonas as common etiology of infection. Pseudomonas spp. demonstrated highest sensitivity against piperacillin/tazobactam, amikacin, meropenem, gentamycin. The steady resistance of Pseudomonas spp. to most of the antibiotics, necessitates these drugs to be confined to extreme infections and hospital intensive care units to circumvent the speedy emergence of resistant strains.
The Solvability of Polynomial Pell’s Equation
Authors: Tamang Bal Bahadur , Singh Ajay
Published: December 2020

This article attempts to describe the continued fraction expansion of ÖD viewed as a Laurent series x-1. As the behavior of the continued fraction expansion of ÖD is related to the solvability of the polynomial Pell’s equation p2-Dq2=1  where D=f2+2g  is monic quadratic polynomial with deg g<deg f  and the solutions p, q  must be integer polynomials. It gives a non-trivial solution if and only if the continued fraction expansion of ÖD  is periodic.
Screening of Actinomycetes from Soil for Antibacterial Activity
Authors: Budhathoki Shailesh , Shrestha Anima
Published: December 2020

Actinomycetes are Gram positive, free living saprophytes which are distributed in soil as one of the major populations and are primary source of antibiotics. This study was carried out with a quest to isolate actinomycetes from soil samples of different places and assess their antibacterial activity. Isolation of actinomycetes was carried out by serial dilution of soil sample followed by spread plate method. The antimicrobial extract was extracted using ethyl acetate. Assessment of antimicrobial activity was performed by using Agar cup plate assay against test organisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus). Antibacterial activity was tested against Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the isolates having effective inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus. From 15 soil samples of 12 different locations, 121 actinomycetes isolates were isolated. Among them, 58 (47.9%) isolates were inhibitory against at least 1 test organism in primary screening, of which 22 isolates effective against more than 1 test organism was chosen for secondary screening. Out of them, 8 were inhibitory against 2 test organisms while 14 were inhibitory against 3 test organisms. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most susceptible test organism with its susceptibility against 12 actinomycetes isolates. Among 12 isolates effective against Staphylococcus aureus, 10 were found to have an inhibitory effect against Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus while 6 were found to have inhibitory effect against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain. The findings of this study highlight the inhibitory potential of actinomycetes and the need for further investigation for obtaining novel antimicrobial agents from actinomycetes from various unexplored areas.
Ensuring Reproductive Rights of Women in Nepal: Law and Praxis
Authors: Parajuli D. N.
Published: December 2020

Reproductive rights are fundamental rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world, but have a commonality about the protection, preservation and promotion of a woman‘s reproductive health rights. Reproductive rights include the right to autonomy and self-determination , the right of everyone to make free and informed decisions and have full control over their body, sexuality, health, relationships, and if, when and with whom to partner, marry and have children , without any form of discrimination, stigma, coercion or violence. The access and availability of reproductive health services are limited due to geography and other issues, non-availability and refusal of reproductive health services may lead to serious consequences. The State need to ensure accessibility, availability, safe and quality reproductive health services and address the lifecycle needs of women and girls and provide access of every young women and girls to comprehensive sexuality education based on their evolving capacity as their human rights, through its inclusion and proper implementation in school curriculum, community-based awareness program and youth led mass media. It is necessary for strengthening compliance, in a time-bound manner, with international human rights standards that Nepal has ratified that protect, promote, and fulfill the basic human rights and reproductive health rights in Nepal and also need to review standards and conventions that Nepal has had reservations about or those that have been poorly implemented in the country.
Tax-to-GDP Ratio and the Relation of Tax Revenue with GDP: Nepalese Perspective
Authors: Dahal Arjun Kumar
Published: December 2020

This study aims to show the tax-to-GDP ratio condition and explore the relation of tax revenue with Nepal's GDP. It is based on the secondary data that is collected from various published sources. Descriptive and exploratory research designs are used to explore the relationship between tax revenue and GDP. Some statistical and econometric tools like mean, depression, correlation, Johnsen Co-integration Test, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), serial correlation, heteroskedasticity test, and normality test are used. There is a high degree of the positive relationship between tax revenue and GDP of Nepal. The tax revenue and GDP are co-integrated, or they have a long-run association ship. The tax-to-GDP ratio of Nepal lies in the high rank among the various developing countries. So, tax to GDP ratio alone cannot ensure its economic growth. It is advised to the concerned authorities to increase the income to increase the tax revenue; otherwise, it increases the general public's dissatisfaction with the government.
Centaury Andrieja Biełego
Authors: Malej Izabella
Published: December 2020

Andrei Bely, like most Russian symbolists, absorbed and transposed mythical characters and stories into his work, especially those born in the ancient times. Centaurs derive their origins from Greek mythology and are most often presented as hybrid creatures (half man, half animal). In Bely’s view, they become a symbol of the dual nature of man who struggles with suffering resulting from the simultaneous belonging to two worlds: humans and animals, matter and senses, spirituality and dark urges. In Bely’s works, the image of these mythical animals serves as an element of an artistic game with the recipient (by analogy to the “games of centaurs”), in the course of which it becomes possible to read the artist’s attitude to the myth about these animals, to the surrounding reality, and finally – to oneself. The myth itself reveals its philosophical, psychological and hermeneutical potential. That is why in Bely’s works the presence of centaurs has a multidimensional character, built on the interpenetration of the tame and the alien, tempered and wild, real and cosmic. All this determines the transgressive quality of the myth of centaurs in the work of the Russian symbolist.
Towards a Marxist Political Economy Critique of Migration and the Media
Authors: Yin Siyuan
Published: December 2020

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has exposed varied ways that systemic inequality shapes people’s lives. This article pays particular attention to migrant populations. While mainstream media and political discourse tend to construct migration as a problem to be addressed or even the cause of social problems, the article contends that migration should be understood as an immanent part of capitalist uneven development, entwined with patriarchy and colonialism. The post-modern approach within media and communication scholarship on migration fails to challenge media’s constitutive role in patriarchal and racial capitalism which fundamentally shapes the process and consequences of migration. Drawing from a Marxist political economic perspective, I analyse the two cases of global transnational migration and internal migration in China and argue that media and communication studies should account for material disparity and class divisions among migrant groups and look for transformative force against unequal power structures.