bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MODERN SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Averchenkova Elena , Averchenkov Andrey , Gorbunov Aleksandr , Goncharov Dmitriy
Published: March 2020

Regions of the Russian Federation, interpreted in terms and concepts of control theory as socio-economic systems, are subject to state regulation and management. Considering the regional socio-economic system from the choice of alternatives in a situation with uncertainty the impact of the environment allowed us to propose the theory of control for the respective methodology. Previously, the methods of making management decisions at the regional level were characterized by the predominance of heuristic approaches, but the current realities of dynamic changes in the external environment, coupled with the complex of tasks set in the National projects of the Russian Federation, require regional governments to strictly justify their management actions. The condition for applying the control theory to describe the management system of a regional socio-economic system is the presence and possibility of a formalized description of cause-and-effect relationships, clearly defined elements (for example, the control object, the setting influence, the Executive element, etc.).), as well as the logical structure of relationships between elements of the system. Thus, we can talk about the need to develop and implement a methodology for managing the regional socio-economic system based on the analysis of the influence of the external environment.
PENGARUH APLIKASI SIK-ASIEK TERHADAP PENGETAHUAN DAN SIKAP TENTANG ASI EKSKLUSIF
Authors: Juhanida Lestari Pratiwi , Agushybana Farid , Achadi Nugraheni Sri
Published: March 2020

Background: The spread of health information about breastfeeding can take advantage of smartphone technology. Utilization of the application of the Exclusive ASI Health Information System (Sik-Asiek) as a source of information about exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding support from peers and health workers through chat group features found in the Sik-Asiek application.

Objective: Analyze the effect of the application of Sik-Asiek applications on knowledge and attitudes of exclusive breastfeeding.

Methods: The study used a quasi experimental non equivalent control group design with pretest and posttest. The research respondents were third trimester pregnant women, amounting to 72 people. Knowledge and attitudes of mothers before and after the application of Sik-Asiek applications were measured using a questionnaire while the practices were measured using observation sheets after treatment. Data analysis using independent test sample t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Manova.

Results: there is the effect of applying the Sik-Asiek application on mothers to knowledge (p-value 0,00), and attitudes (p-value 0,00) for exclusive breastfeeding practices.

Conclusion: The application of "Sik-Asiek" can be an effective means of increasing knowledge and attitudes of exclusive breastfeeding for pregnant women.
PENGARUH PERAN PENGAWAS MENELAN OBAT (PMO) TERHADAP KEPATUHAN PENDERITA TUBERKULOSIS DALAM MENGIKUTI PROGRAM PENGOBATAN DOTS (DIRECTLY OBSERVED TREATMENT SHORTCOUSE)
Authors: Sa’adatar Rohmah Nilna , Ratna Rahayu RR. Sri , Indrawati Fitri
Published: March 2020

Background: Tuberculosis (TBC) treatment regimens require the introduction of PMO (Drugs Swallowing Drug) standardized on International Standards for Tuberculosis Care (ISTC) with DOTS strategy (Directly Observed Treatment Shortcouse). The goal of controlling new challenges such as TB/HIV co-infection, Multi Drug Resistance (MDR), Extensively Drug Resistance (XDR) and Loss to follow-up.

Objective: Type of cross sectional study. Population 35 PMO using saturated samples. Methods: The instruments used are questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Data analysis is univariate, bivariate and multivariate.

Results: The result of the study was the relationship between the role of PMO from family members in the supervision of taking medicine (p=0,024), there was a relationship between the role of PMO from family members in drug taking assistance in Fasyankes (p=0,002) and there was relationship between the influence of PMO role from family member accompaniment of sputum checks in Fasyankes (p=0,005) to TBC patient compliance.

Conclusion: There is a statistical correlation between the roles of PMO from the family towards adherence to tuberculosis patients. Suggestion of research is given to related parties be reformed TBC control policy related to election criteria of PMO coming from family member in Semarang regency.
HUBUNGAN ANGKA KECUKUPAN ZAT BESI DAN VITAMIN C DENGAN KEJADIAN ANEMIA PADA IBU HAMIL
Authors: Hikma Padaunga Andi , Mukarramah Sitti
Published: March 2020

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is one of the conditions where the hemoglobin level is lower than the normal level, which is <11 g /dl. The nutritional adequacy rate of pregnant women have a role in the process of anemia. Diversity in food consumption have an important role in helping to increase iron substance absorption in the body.

Objective: To determine the relationship of iron substance and vitamin C adequacy rates with the incidence of anemia in third trimester pregnant women.

Methods: This study is observational research with a cross sectional study approach. Sampling by using simple random sampling method for 47 subjects pregnant women of third trimester was determined by using the Lemeshow formula. Data analysis using Chi-Square test.
Estimativa da evapotranspiração de referência diária com base na temperatura do ar para Campos Novos e São José, no estado de Santa Catarina
Authors: Nicodem Luane Valquiria Schiavini , Minuzzi Rosandro Boligon
Published: March 2020

O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar para as condições climáticas de Campos Novos e São José, no estado de Santa Catarina, a eficiência de métodos de estimativa de evapotranspiração de referência (ETo) com base na temperatura do ar. Foram utilizados dados meteorológicos diários de março de 2015 a fevereiro de 2016, oriundos de estações do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) localizadas em ambos os municípios. Tendo como padrão Penman-Monteith, os métodos analisados na escala anual e sazonal foram de Camargo (Ca), Camargo modificado (Ca_mod), Hargreaves-Samani (HS), Hargreaves-Samani modificado (HS_mod) e Makkink (MK). Com o uso de seis índices para avaliar a precisão na estimativa da ETo, foi encontrado o melhor desempenho em Campos Novos para o outono, usando os métodos de Cam_mod, HS e HS_mod. Para o município de São José não se recomenda o uso de nenhum dos métodos de estimativa de ETo usados neste estudo.
Cowpea response to different irrigation depths in the Submedium São Francisco River Valley, in Juazeiro, BA, Brazil
Authors: Oliveira Vinícius Evangelista Alves de , Oliveira Gertrudes Macario de , Rocha Ruy De Carvalho , Leitão Mário de Miranda Vilas Boas Ramos , Calado Luciano Roniê
Published: March 2020

Different cowpea genotypes respond differently to water regimes and to different climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of cowpea to different irrigation depths in the Submedium São Francisco River Valley, Brazil. The experiment was conducted at the experimental field of DTCS/UNEB, in Juazeiro, BA, Brazil, from November/2016 to January/2017, in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme randomized block design (cowpea genotypes x irrigation depths), with three replicates. The genotypes used were BRS Acauã and Canapu and irrigation depths, obtained based on 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150% of ETo. Physiological characteristics, production components and water use efficiency were analyzed. Increased irrigation depths only caused a significant effect on mass of one 100 grains. With water availability and climatic conditions observed during the experiment, BRS Acauã outperformed Canapu, with a better yield performance. BRS Acauã genotype had a better response in water use efficiency for grain yield, exceeding Canapu by 47.21%.
On an iterative method without inverses of derivatives for solving equations
Authors: GEORGE Santhosh , ARGYROS İ. K
Published: March 2020

We present the semi-local convergence analysis of a  Potra-type method to solve equations involving Banach space valued operators. The analysis is based on our ideas of  recurrent functions and restricted convergence region. The study is completed using numerical examples.
Eş Zamanlı Topla-Dağıt Döngüsel Dağıtım Modeli ve Endüstriyel Bıçak Bileme Fabrikası Örnek Uygulaması
Authors: GÜLSÜN Bahadir , GONCA Cemal Kazim
Published: March 2020

Giderek artan küresel rekabet ortamında şirketler, tedarik zinciri süreçlerini en verimli ve etkin şekilde yönetmek için çeşitli yöntemlere başvurmaktadır. Bu konuda önemli yöntemlerden biri dağıtım ağlarının doğru tasarlanması yönündedir. Dağıtım ağı tasarımında önemli bileşenler tesislerin yer seçimi ve araçların rotalanmasıdır. Mümkünse, dağıtım maliyetini en aza indirmek amacıyla, yer seçimi ve rotalama problemindeki iki karar beraber dikkate alınmalıdır. Ancak, pratikte birçok sektörde yer seçimini etkileyen çok daha farklı ve ağırlığı fazla faktörler bulunabilmekle beraber, zamanla değişen ihtiyaçlar rotalama noktalarının değişmesine neden olabilmektedir. Ayrıca bu çalışmanın başlangıçta yapılmadığı durumlarda, yer değiştirme maliyeti çok daha yüksek olacağı için, çalışmalar sadece rotalama problemi olarak ele alınabilmektedir. Araç rotalama problemi, bir veya birkaç noktadan, belirli müşterilere ürün dağıtımı veya toplanması olarak tanımlanabilir. Bu problemlerde, araç kapasiteleri ve müşterilerin servis süresi gibi kısıtlar dikkate alınarak etkin kullanım hedeflenmektedir. Araç rotalama problemleri, birçok alanda gerçek hayatta karşılaşılan problemlerdir. Bu durum bu konuda çalışmalar yapılmasını ve verimli sonuçlar ortaya koyan algoritmalar sunulmasında fayda sağlamıştır. Bu çalışmada ise, karşılaşılan problemin çözüme ulaşması adına, model eş zamanlı topla-dağıt döngüsel araç rotalama problemi olarak kurgulanmıştır. Eş zamanlı topla-dağıt döngüsel araç rotalama problemi; müşterilerin dağıtım ve toplama taleplerinin, başlangıç ve bitiş noktaları aynı (işletme) olacak şekilde araçlar için belirli bir rota belirlenerek eş zamanlı olarak karşılandığı bir problemdir. Bu çalışma kapsamında, endüstriyel bıçak bileme fabrikası üzerinden 8 farklı şehirde 20 müşteriye lojistik hizmet oluşturulması üzerine rotalama problemi ele alınmıştır. Probleme konu olan şirket, mevcutta var olan yöntemde ürün lojistiği kargo firmaları ile sağlanmaktadır. Maliyetleri düşürmek adına şirketin kendi lojistik ağının kurulması üzere çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmada, minimum sayıda araç kullanımı ile toplam kat edilen mesafenin minimumda tutulması ile birlikte, kısıtlar göz önüne alınarak, minimum maliyet hedeflenmiştir.  Problem çözümü için doğrusal programlama kullanılmış ve GAMS üzerinden çözüme ulaşılmıştır.
Design of Audio Description System Using Cloud Based Computer Vision
Authors: KARAGÖZ Emre , KORUYAN Kutan
Published: March 2020

Developments
and changes in multimedia tools are actively used in many areas of life and
bring a huge value to them. Nowadays, the concept of artificial intelligence is
highly developed and there are hundreds of practices and methods to support the
living standards especially for people with disabilities. The system developed
in this study enables automatic visualization of the media output scenes such
as movies, documentaries, etc., which are visually impaired people by means of
computer vision technique, and the results are transferred to the users by
voice command. HTML5 and CSS are used for visualizing the system, PHP and
JAVASCRIPT are used for programming. MySQL is preferred as the database of the
system. Computer vision, translation from text to speech and translation from
one language to another are the main instruments used in this study.
Cloud-based Microsoft AZURE Computer Vision API is used for computer vision,
Javascript Responce.js library is used for text-to-speech translation, Google
Cloud Text-To-Speech and Microsoft Azure Text to Speech APIs are used for
translation from one language to another one.
Metin Sınıflandırmada Yapay Sinir Ağları ile Bitcoin Fiyatları ve Sosyal Medyadaki Beklentilerin Analizi
Authors: ÇILGIN Cihan , ÜNAL Ceyda , ALICI Serkan , AKKOL Ekin , GÖKŞEN Yılmaz
Published: March 2020

Son
yıllarda, bloglar, tweet’ler, forumlar, e-postalar gibi Web 2.0 hizmetleri
iletişim kanalı olarak yaygın bir şekilde kullanılmaktadır. Ayrıca sosyal
medya; gerek bilgi paylaşımı gerekse istek, şikayet ve dilekler gibi görüşleri
belirtmenin en kolay ve en güncel yolu olarak düşünülmektedir. Sosyal medyanın,
birçok alana olduğu gibi Bitcoin fiyatlarına olan etkisi de son yıllarda
tartışılmaktadır.

Bitcoin yıllardır
üzerinde durulan ve popülerliği her geçen gün artan bir yatırım aracıdır.
Merkezi olmayan bir elektronik para birimi sistemi olan Bitcoin, çok sayıda
kullanıcının ilgisini çeken, finansal sistemlerdeki köklü bir değişikliği ifade
etmektedir. Bu çalışmada sosyal medyanın, özellikle Twitter kanalından elde
edilen tweet’ler bazında, Bitcoin fiyatı ile etkileşimi ortaya konulmuştur.
Bunun için 06.10.2018-19.05.2019 tarihleri arasında Twitter kullanıcıları
tarafından atılan toplam 2.819.784 tweet üzerinden makine öğrenmesi
yöntemlerinden sınıflandırma algoritmaları kullanılarak çeşitli analizler
gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular değerlendirildiğinde metin sınıflandırmada %90
ile en yüksek doğruluk oranına sahip olan Yapay Sinir Ağları kullanılmıştır.
Ayrıca Bitcoin fiyatları ve sınıflandırılmış olumlu/olumsuz tweet oranları ile
ikili korelasyon yapılmıştır. Elde edilen 0,681 korelasyon katsayısı ile
pozitif yönde orta üstü kuvvetli ilişki tespit edilmiştir.
Türk Bankacılık Sektöründe Kamu Sermayeli ve Özel Sermayeli Bankaların Kredi Verme Davranışlarındaki Asimetrinin Belirleyicileri
Authors: KURT CİHANGİR Çiğdem
Published: March 2020

Bu
çalışmada kamu sermayeli (KSB) ve özel sermayeli (ÖSB) bankaların kredi verme
davranışlarındaki asimetrinin nedenleri ARDL Sınır Testi ile araştırılmıştır.
KSB ve ÖSB’lerin kredi hacimleri ile takipteki krediler ve belirlenen
makroekonomik göstergeler arasında kısa ve uzun dönemde ilişki olduğu tespit
edilmiştir. Uzun dönemde KSB’lerin kredi hacminde etkili olan tek değişken
takipteki kredilerken; ÖSB’lerin kredi hacminde takipteki kredilerle birlikte
döviz kuru ve ekonomik güven endeksinin de etkili olduğu belirlenmiştir. Buna
göre KSB’lerin aktif karşı-konjontrürel (döngüsel) rol üstlendikleri
söylenebilir.
Konaklama İşletmelerinde Çevre Dostu Yönetim: Uygulamalar Açısından Bir Değerlendirme
Authors: ARSLANER Ebru
Published: March 2020

Turizm
faaliyetlerine katılan kişi sayısının gün geçtikçe artması, ekonomik bir kazanç
sağladığı için olumlu görülse de kaynakların hızla tüketilmesi ve çevrenin
tahrip edilmesi gibi olumsuz sonuçlar da doğurabilmektedir. Turizmin üretimin
ve tüketimin çok, tüketim kontrolünün güç olduğu bir sektör olduğu
düşünüldüğünde, çevre korumaya yönelik ciddi adımlar atılması gerektiği
anlaşılmaktadır. Bu noktada önem kazanan çevre dostu uygulamaların faaliyete
geçirilmesi bakımından konaklama işletmelerine de önemli görevler düşmektedir.
Bu çalışmada, çevre dostu yönetim ve konaklama işletmelerinde çevre dostu
uygulamalara ilişkin bilgi verilmesi ve bir değerlendirme yapılması
amaçlanmaktadır. Çevre dostu uygulamalarla çevrenin korunmasına büyük ölçüde
katkı sağlanacağı bilinmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında incelenen literatür ve elde
edilen bilgiler doğrultusunda; birçok işletme için çevre dostu uygulamalara
yönelme nedenlerinin başında rekabet edebilme amacı geldiği anlaşılmaktadır.
Bunun yanında yalnızca çevre korumaya yönelik bir anlayışın gereği olarak da
çevre dostu uygulamaların gerçekleştirildiği ifade edilebilir. İşletmelerin
çevreye duyarlılık ve çevre koruma gibi hususları işletme amacı olarak
benimseyip, çevre dostu uygulamalara daha fazla katılarak destek vermeleri
önerilebilir.
What does it mean to enrich the definition of consciousness in consciousness research using (enriched) category theory?
Authors: Tsuchiya Naotsugu , Saigo Hayato
Published: March 2020

In our recent essay on Cognitive Science [Naotsugu Tsuchiya & Hayato Saigo (2019) “Understanding Consciousness Through Category Theory” vol 26, pp 462 - 477], we provided a general introduction of category theory to consciousness researchers. Further, we also provided our tentative theoretical sketches on our latest ideas on how to apply tools in category theory into consciousness research. In particular, we discussed how we can propose categories of level of consciousness and categories of contents of consciousness. We also speculated what (if any) these efforts will bring into consciousness research. In this short piece, we will address several comments we received on our essay on the same volume from six experts, providing some clarification on three issues: 1) significance of our proposal of a novel viewpoint to enrich what it means to define consciousness, 2) possibility of category theoretical interpretation of consciousness, and 3) understanding of consciousness through the enriched category theoretical framework.
Metal for the masses: how indie metal labels have adapted for the digital era
Authors: Messick Kyle J.
Published: March 2020

One of the areas that has most readily adapted to the changing musical environment is within metal music culture. Dedicated fans have taken responsibility upon themselves to create smaller record labels that specialize both in bringing attention to new, rising bands, as well as to do the laborious work that is needed to make sure that historical, out-of-print metal albums continue to receive new listeners. Their dedication has resulted in tightly-woven communities between these labels, the bands, and music fans, and this has contributed to the resurgence of physical mediums including vinyl and cassettes. Strategies are discussed that help push sales of physical media, including the release of special and elaborate versions of albums, often with unique packaging, or with limited color variants of vinyl editions. This article includes interviews with individuals that run underground metal labels and that host metal music streams, and they share their experience of how metal has changed as the music industry and the consumption of music has moved into the digital era, and the pros and cons that come with that, including perceptions about streaming and streaming services. Comparisons are made between major corporate labels and indie record labels, and the proactive role of indie labels in keeping musical subcultures thriving is assessed.
International Academic Conference on Management, Economics and Marketing IAC-MEM; March 2020: OPEN EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF PUBLIC SCIENCES & АНО Международный центр научных разработок, инноваций и развития образования; Chief Editor Alexander Kudryashov. - Dresden, Germany : OEAPS Inc., 2019. -168 P. ISBN:9798624372870
Authors: OEAPS
Published: March 2020

The conference is a major international forum for the analysis and discussion of trends and approaches in research in the field of economics, politics and law. We provide a platform for discussions about innovative, theoretical and empirical studies of problems in these disciplines. Given the international focus, comparative materials are especially welcome.
Preliminary feasibility testing of a planning focused CBT for adolescents with an ASD diagnosis: Suggestions for intervention adaptations to meet needs of autistic teens
Authors: Staff Anouck I. , Geurts Hilde , Kuin Marije , van der oord saskia , Boyer Bianca
Published: March 2020

Adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis (ASD) show executive functioning (EF) difficulties that are crucial to succeed in secondary school, but evidence-based EF interventions are lacking. However, for adolescents with an ADHD diagnosis such an intervention was developed, called Plan My Life (PML), which focused on enhancement of planning skills and in which motivational interviewing was integrated. We explored the applicability of PML in a sample of 12 adolescents with ASD (12-17 years). Pre- to post intervention parent-reported data were collected on EF problems, planning problems, and ASD characteristics. Also, qualitative analyses were conducted on therapist evaluations to investigate whether PML in its present form is suitable for adolescents with ASD and how the PML should be adjusted to better serve their needs. Reliable Change Indices showed that in general adolescents with ASD did not improve, suggesting that in its current form PML is not suitable for adolescents with ASD. However, attrition was low (N = 1), adolescents and parents evaluated PML positively, and a feasible list of therapist recommendations was formulated for adjustment of PML to the needs of this particular group. These recommendations seem specific to autistic teens and may be applicable to other non-pharmacological interventions that will be developed for teens with ASD to improve their care and outcomes.
Make or break it: Boundary conditions for integrating multiple elements in episodic memory
Authors: James Emma , Ong Gabrielle , Henderson Lisa , Horner Aidan J
Published: March 2020

Event memories are characterised by the holistic retrieval of their constituent elements. Studies show that memory for individual event elements (e.g., person, object, and location) are statistically related to each other, and that the same associative memory structure can be formed by learning all pairwise associations across separated encoding contexts (person-object, person-location, object-location). Counter to previous studies that have shown no differences in holistic retrieval between simultaneously and separately encoded event elements, adults did not show evidence of holistic retrieval from separately encoded event elements when using a similar paradigm adapted for children (Experiment 1). We conducted a further five online experiments to explore the conditions under which holistic retrieval emerges following separated encoding of within-event associations, testing for influences of trial length (Experiment 2), the number of events learned (Experiment 3a), and stimulus presentation format (Experiments 3b, 4a, 4b). Presentation of written words was optimal for integrating elements across encoding trials, whereas the addition of spoken words disrupted integration across separately presented associations. Use of picture stimuli also produced effect sizes smaller than those of previously published research. We discuss the ways in which memory integration processes may be disrupted by these differences in presentation format. The findings have practical implications for the utility of this paradigm across research and learning contexts.
Bridging the 21st Century Gap in Education: History, Causation, and Solutions
Authors: Demetriou Andreas
Published: March 2020

This paper discusses the gaps in the cognitive demands of education as higher levels of education became socially and culturally necessary. These gaps are related to major transitions between education levels, such as the transition from preschool to primary school, from primary to secondary, or from secondary to tertiary education. Gaps reflect deviations between the concepts and skills prescribed for learning by a specific population and the readiness of this population to cope with the demands of the task within the time frame prescribed. The history and the cognitive developmental profile of the gaps is outlined. This paper focuses on the gap between secondary and tertiary education. It is explicated that a major reason of the gap is the vast expansion in the population of youth attending university studies. We outline a program for bridging this gap which extends from primary to university education. We emphasize changes in principle-based and critical thought that are needed by many students if they would be able to grasp science as intended by universities.
Dissociating facial electromyographic correlates of visual and verbal induced rumination
Authors: Nalborczyk Ladislas , Banjac Sonja , Celine Baeyens , Grandchamp Romain , Koster Ernst H. W. , Perrone-Bertolotti Marcela , Loevenbruck Hélène
Published: March 2020

Previous research showed that mental rumination, considered as a form of repetitive and negative inner speech, is associated with increased facial muscular activity. However, the relation between these muscular activations and the underlying mental processes is still unclear. In this study, we tried to separate the facial electromyographic correlates of induced rumination related to either i) mechanisms of (inner) speech production or ii) rumination as a state of pondering on negative affects. To this end, we compared two groups of participants submitted to two types of rumination induction (for a total of 85 female undergraduate students without excessive depressive symptoms). The first type of induction was designed to specifically induce rumination in a verbal modality whereas the second one was designed to induce rumination in a visual modality. Following the *motor simulation view* of inner speech production, we hypothesised that the verbal rumination induction should result in a higher increase of activity in the speech-related muscles as compared to the non-verbal rumination induction. We also hypothesised that relaxation focused on the orofacial area should be more efficient in reducing rumination (when experienced in a verbal modality) than a relaxation focused on a non-orofacial area. Our results do not corroborate these hypotheses, as both rumination inductions resulted in a similar increase of peripheral muscular activity in comparison to baseline levels. Moreover, the two relaxation types were similarly efficient in reducing rumination, whatever the rumination induction. We discuss these results in relation to the inner speech literature and suggest that because rumination is a habitual and automatic form of emotion regulation, it might be a particularly (strongly) internalised and condensed form of inner speech. Pre-registered protocol, preprint, data, as well as reproducible code and figures are available at: https://osf.io/c9pag/.
Service quality perception and patient satisfaction: evidence from private hospitals in Kathmandu
Authors: Thapa Alka , Ghimire Ramesh Raj
Published: March 2020

Main purpose of this paper is to examine the level of service quality of Private hospitals with dependent (Patient Satisfaction) and independent variables such as responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy and tangibility. Self-administered structured questionnaire among 100 respondents of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Patan is executed by convenience as well as judgment sampling. Coefficient, regression, correlation analysis and ANOVA are the basis for statistical analysis. In order to test the stated hypotheses, descriptive design has been applied. It has been revealed that private hospitals should focus more on convenient OPD and ward location. In addition, doctors should maintain the confidentiality of the patients. As a result, all the dimensions of service quality i.e. responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy and tangibility are positively correlated with respondent’s satisfaction. However, tangibility and assurance are strongly correlated in perceived service quality satisfaction offered by private hospitals.
Strategic Positioning and Asymmetric Cost Behavior in Nepalese Enterprises
Authors: Bhattarai Dhundi Raj
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between Nepalese enterprises’ choice of strategic position and their cost behavior. The research design adopted in this study consists of descriptive and causal-comparative research designs to deal with the various issues raised in this study. Secondary data has been used for this study which was collected from annual audit report of concerned organization of manufacturing and hotel industrities from fiscal year 2000/01 to 2014/15. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis are different statistical tool that has been used for this study. Cost stickiness of the enterprises pursuing a differentiation strategy is higher than that of following a cost leadership strategy. This paper contributes to the literature on cost management by explaining how strategic positioning affects firms’ cost behavior using the framework of asymmetric cost behavior.
Managerial Views on Corporate Financing Decision
Authors: Silwal Prem Prasad
Published: March 2020

This survey examines the extent financial executives use the assumptions and/or inputs of capital structure models generated by academicians in making corporate financing decisions. To gather the views, opinions and perceptions of financial managers regarding corporate capital structure practices a questionnaire survey was conducted. The primary data are used in this study, generated through field study based on questionnaire that obtained from the respondents. One hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed and eighty six of which were collected and analyzed. Nepalese executives believe that excessive use of debt will increase the cost of fund in its capital structure and they also believe that capital structure evolve as the cumulative outcome of past attempt to time the equity market. Similarly, eighty one per cent of the respondents believe that EFWAMB ratio is one of the important predictive variables of the capital structure choice.
Determinants of Brand choice of two wheelers in Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Mastran Sanita
Published: March 2020

Understanding of consumer buying behavior is difficult task as it is influenced by many factors such as cultural, social, personal and psychological. Understanding the consumer’s lifestyle is necessary for the marketers. Consumer needs and preferences are changing due to the change in the factors like demographics and lifestyles. These changes can become great business opportunities for alert marketers and threats for those who fail to adapt. Demographic variables help marketers locate their target market and psychographic variables provide the marketer with more insight about the segment. Psychographics is in common lifestyle analysis or AIO (activities, interests and opinions) research.

The major objective is to empirically examine the relationship and impacts of demographic and psychographic variables with brand choice. A conceptual model has been tested with different determinants of demographic and psychographic variables to examine relationship with brand choice. In this study, Activities, Interests and Opinions (AIO) is used to identify lifestyle dimensions and demographic variables (age, education level, profession and Gender) as independent variables and brand choice (Innovation, quality, advertising, and price and reference group) as dependent variable. The results indicated that the lifestyle factors and demographic factors have impact on brand choice variables. The study shows that there was a significant association between the lifestyle of the consumers and the brands of products used by them. From the study it was concluded that consumers often choose products, services and activities over other because they are associated with a certain lifestyle.
Market timing and Debt-Equity Choice of Nepalese Firms
Authors: Silwal Prem Prasad
Published: March 2020

This paper aims to analyze the multivariate discriminant analysis of debt-equity choice in Nepalese non-financial firms for the period of 1992 to 2013. It is based on pooled cross-sectional data of 18 firms (263 observations) whose stocks are listed in Nepal Stock Exchange. The study finds that firm issue equity when their stock prices are high. The result further reveals that firms are strongly influenced by market conditions and the past history of security prices in issuing between equity and debt. Discriminant analysis also shows that External financing weighted average market to book ratio, market to book ratio and leverage pattern are the major determinants of issuing equity or debt. Finally, the results are consistent with the notion that market timing variables have negative impact on leverage.
The Specificity of Leadership Communication
Authors: Pantha Shiva Raj
Published: March 2020

This paper analyzes and discusses the link between leadership and communication. Drawing the leadership specific communication traits into discussion, the paper announces that leadership communication is different from followership communication. Among many, three particular discussion points have been taken into account viz. memorability of messages, the use of business stories and nonverbal signals. Organizational leaders resort to the higher memorability of their messages using the stories and the strengthening of the messages is made possible through the stronger gestures, postures, eye movements and very congruent voices. Thus, this paper contends that leadership employs the communications patterns that are different from other executive positions in an organizational setting.
Socio-economic Status of Gandharva Community Living in Batulechaur, Pokhara
Authors: Dhungana Ananta Raj
Published: March 2020

This study aims to explore the socio-economic status of Gandharva community. For this purpose, the household heads of all the fifty households of Gandharva community of Batulechaur in Pokhara were interviewed by using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used for analyzing the information gathered from the respondents. The study focused on socio-economic status and occupational shift of Gandharva community. The study found that the Gandharva community is socially marginalized and relatively poor in comparison to other communities. Their living status is not good. They have low education and low income profession as reason. For this reason most of them have shifted their occupations from singing and dancing to others like service sector, unskilled job, foreign employment in golf countries and some small business like running shops, vegetable selling, etc.
An Assessment of Household’s Out of Pocket Healthcare Payment and Impoverishment in Nepal: Evidence from Nepal Living Standard Survey III
Authors: Thapa Arjun K.
Published: March 2020

Despite Government of Nepal’s effort of universalizing basic free health care services and other demand side financing health schemes, there is an ongoing debate regarding equity in health service coverage, availability and high out of pocket payment. So this study intends to assess out of pocket payment and its associated factors and its implication on impoverishment. A cross sectional descriptive study was designed which is based on Nepal Living Standard Survey III 2010/11, a rich and well representative secondary data of Central Bureau of Statistics, National Planning Commission Nepal. The information about individuals who reported out of pocket healthcare payment was extracted from 28,747 individuals (or 7,020 households) of the survey. An individual from a household is considered as the unit of study. The major findings of the study show that age, caste ethnicity, place of residence, ecological belt and development region have statistically significant association with OOP payment. Due to OOP expenditure near about 3 percent of people are falling below the poverty line. The impoverishment rate is high among people residing in rural areas (3.4%), Terai belt (3.4%) and Eastern development region (3.7%). Higher impoverishment level in Terai and Eastern development region where health facilities are fairly available in comparison to remote Mountain belt, low developed Far west and Mid-west only signifies low availability and utilization of health services. So there is a need to address lacunae in fair coverage and utilization of health services across the country along with impoverishment.
Social Responsibility: Can it Contribute for Sustainable Welfarism?
Authors: Tiwari Indra P.
Published: March 2020

Human beings as natural persons as well as other juristic persons are expected to contribute to the society as part of social responsibility in addition to their defined legal and professional responsibilities with a view to continuously building a better and equally equitable, peaceful and sustainable society. If defined “social responsibility” as the voluntary contribution of the juristic and natural persons, i.e. government, corporations/ companies, organizations/ associations, and individual human beings, should the matter of contributing for the betterment of the society through social responsibility be left to the contributor? Contrarily, in a situation of functioning within the stringent laws, rules and regulation of the Government by all juristic and natural persons, should we expect something more than their legal and main responsibilities from them on the name of social responsibilities? Do society, moreover communities and individuals, expect special/additional social responsibilities from all persons, and if so, what sorts of responsibilities are included with what priorities? Similarly, are there different approaches in defining responsibilities of various persons, juristic and natural? If yes, in what situations and what conditions? Debates are going on about the functions and procedures for undertaking social responsibilities as well. This paper in the above context is discussing the objectives and missions, functions, structure(s), processes, the expectations from social responsibilities fulfilled and unfulfilled, and the impacts in the society as expected and not expected, thereby open up the areas for comprehensive and holistic discussion.
Factors Influencing Client Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Clinics in the Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Sapkota B. , Tulachan P. , Ojha S.P. , Chapagai M. , Dhungana S.
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Methadone maintenance treatment program is one of the accepted form of treatment modalities for opioid dependence individuals in Nepal. Retention in the treatment represents the assessment of the effectiveness of the treatment program. The aim of this study was to find out the factors associated with the retention of clients in the Methadone maintenance clinics in the Kathmandu Valley.

Material and Method: A total of 84 clients were recruited from the 5 different methadone clinics of Kathmandu valley. A prospective follow-up design was used. The patients were followed up at the end of 6 months and retention rate was calculated. The patient was considered ‘drop out “if the patient did not take methadone for 7 consecutive days. Group differences between ‘dropout’ and non-dropout (retained) clients on MMT program were tested using t-test and Chi-square test for continuous variables and categorical variables respectively.

Results: At the end of 6 months 63 patients still remained in the MMT program, so the retention rate was found to be 75% in the study. The factors associated with the retention included higher dosage of methadone (p<0.001), history of multiple substance intake (p=0.004) and previous treatment history of the drug related problems (p=0.015).

Conclusion: Opioid dependent individuals may stick to the MMT program for longer durtion if they are offered with higher dosage of Methadone and special attention should be given to the patients with history of poly substance abuse and prior treatment history to prevent their relapse.
Depression In Pregnancy: Prevalence And Clinical Correlates
Authors: Sharma R. , Thapa P. , Chakrabortty P.K. , Khattri J.B. , Ramesh K.
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Pregnancy increases the risk of various psychiatric illness including depression. Such illness can result in prematurity, low birth weight and mother-child bonding. Depression is more common in women who have had negative experiences in previous pregnancies, have prior history of psychiatric disorder or are experiencing stressful life events. Unfortunately, psychiatric disorders among pregnant women are still undiagnosed and untreated, especially in developing country like Nepal. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence and correlates of depression in pregnancy.

Material and Method: A cross-sectional, hospital based, descriptive study was conducted among 135 pregnant women attending Manipal Teaching Hospital’s antenatal clinic. Sociodemographic data and relevant clinical variables were collected using a predesigned proforma after obtaining informed written consent. The subjects were interviewed with Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). For the assessment of correlates, regression analysis was carried out. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS v 20.0. P values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results: The prevalence of depression was 13.3 % according to BDI with additional 19% fulfilling criteria of mild mood disturbance. Factors such as history of sub fertility, pregnancy-induced illness and presence of domestic violence were found to be statistically significant predictors of depression during pregnancy.

Conclusion: Depression can occur frequently among pregnant women. Certain factors can be identified, which further increase the risk of such mental illnesses. Thus, pregnant women who are at high risk such as with pregnancy induced illness, have history of sub fertility, exposed to domestic violence etc., must be identified and diagnosed so that they can be treated timely.
Caregiving Burden And Depression Among Caregivers Of Patient With Epilepsy
Authors: Shah S. , Sah C. , Shahi A. , KC R.
Published: March 2020

Introduction: The impact of caregiving on caregivers is a significant area to be studied which will directly affect the quality of care given by them to patients with epilepsy. Family caregivers have been described as forgotten patients. The aim of the study was to assess the caregiving burden and depression among caregivers of patient with epilepsy.

Material and Method: Descriptive study was conducted among 100 caregivers of adult patients with epilepsy. Samples were selected using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interview schedule, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) were used for data collection. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS version 20.

Results: Among 100 caregivers, 42% reported high mean burden scores on the ZBI and overall 50% of caregivers reported moderate depression on the HAM-D. High level of burden was significantly associated with age of caregivers (p= 0.018) and caregivers’ relationship with patients (p= 0.023). The result suggests that there was statistically significant positive relationship on ZBI vs HAM-D (p≤ 0.01).

Conclusion: Caregivers of patients with epilepsy experience significant burden while caring for their relatives and level of burden is positively correlated with depression. The study highlights the need for comprehensive care system recognizing caregivers as “co-client”.
Profile Of Tourette Syndrome In Children And Adolescents From A Tertiary Care Child Psychiatry Centre In India
Authors: Karki U. , Sravanti L. , Sharma E. , Jacob P. , Kommu J.V.S. , Seshadri S.P.
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Tourette Syndrome is a type of tic disorder that is not as rare as it was once thought to be. There is a paucity of literature on Tourette syndrome in children and adolescents in the Indian setting. The objectives of this study were to elucidate sociodemographic and clinical profile of children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome.

Material and Method: The present study is a retrospective chart review of children and adolescents up to age 18 years diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in a tertiary care centre, India. This sample is from a subset of a larger sample of case records of patients with a diagnosis of tic disorder, coded as F 95, according to ICD 10 from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2017 (4 years duration).

Results: The sample included 28 children. All of them were male, and the mean age of onset was 8.2 years. The period prevalence of Tourette syndrome was 0.22%. The entire sample received pharmacotherapy and the most common medication prescribed was Risperidone followed by Clonidine, Aripiprazole, Haloperidol, and Tetrabenazine. Majority (64.28%) of the sample had a comorbid condition. The most common comorbid conditions were Hyperkinetic Disorders followed by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Specific and Specific Developmental Disorder of Scholastic skills

Conclusion: Tourette syndrome can be a disabling condition in school-going children. There is a need for population-based studies for estimating its prevalence in Indian subcontinent., and there is also a great need to increase awareness and sensitize the public to seek help to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome.
A Case Report On Fluoro-Quinolones (Ofloxacin) Induced Psychosis At Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital
Authors: Khadka S. , Singh P.M. , Khadka M. , Chakrabarti K. , Pandit S. , Dhonju G. , Gautam S.C.
Published: March 2020

Psychosis is a mental disorder in which the thoughts, affective response, ability to recognise reality and ability to communicate and relate to others are significantly impaired to interfere grossly with the capacity to deal with the reality. Psychosis can also occur as a side effect of some type of drugs and may be misdiagnosed as psychiatric illness. We report a rare case of 30 years old female admitted to Nepal Medical College with hallucinations and delusions following ofloxacin use, by extensive / detailed history taking.
The Production of Space in Western Canada, 1850–1914
Authors: Velasco Gustavo
Published: March 2020

Studies that investigated the rate of settlement in the Canadian prairies used decennial census or provincial census records to estimate the flow of population into the area. I use, instead, detailed data from individual land offices across western Canada. What the analysis shows is that dividing the land into small plots does not mean that the allocation of land was successful or more democratic, as several studies claim. The HGIS analysis helped to estimate the area of influence of each land office and thus to evaluate with more precision the dynamics of prairie settlement. By incorporating georeferenced data into the study of the region, I provide a new toolset to study a changing geography in time and space. The importance of this method resides in the fact that even though several works performed micro-studies of small communities or areas, nobody has yet produced a complete record of the region. I provide another methodology for a more comprehensive estimate of the production of space in western Canada.