bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in Eastern Africa
Authors: Opere Alfred , Omwoyo Anne , Mueni Purity , Arango Mark
Published: November 2021

Climate change is causing great impact on water resources in Eastern Africa, and there is need to establish and implement effective adaptation and mitigation measures. According to IPCC, less rainfall during the months that are already dry could increase drought as well as precipitation, and this has great impact on both permanent and seasonal water resources. Increased sea surface temperature as a result of climate change could lead to increased drought cases in Eastern African and entire equatorial region. Climate change will also result in annual flow reduction in various river resources available within the region such as the Nile River. IPCC predicts that rainfall will decrease in the already arid areas of the Horn of Africa and that drought and desertification will become more widespread, and as a result, there will be an increased scarcity of freshwater even as groundwater aquifers are being mined. Wetland areas are also being used to obtain water for humans and livestock and as additional cultivation and grazing land. This chapter reviews the climate change impacts on water resources within the Eastern Africa Region. The climate change impacts on different water resources such as Ewao Ngiro have been highlighted and projection of future climate change on water resources examined. Stream flow for Ewaso Ngiro was found to have a significant increasing trend in 2030s of RCP4.5 and non-significant decreasing trend in stream flow in 2060s for RCP4.5.
Assessing Gender Equality in Climate Change Advocacy Campaign for Sustainable Agricultural Food Security in Uganda
Authors: Okaka Wilson
Published: November 2021

This chapter examines climate change and variability emergency disaster risks on agricultural food security of the local communities in Africa with a focus on gender equality lens in Uganda. Ugandan women contribute up to 75% of domestic food production and yet they are often overburdened with reproduction, household management, gender-specific discrimination, and adverse climate change effects like agricultural droughts, flash flooding, violent windstorms, or water stress. To ensure sustainable food security in the face of climate change vulnerability risks, the role of women is vital. Communication strategy to promote local climate information service (CIS) delivery system has been developed by the local government district planners in the park areas, but there is a lack of capacity to raise public awareness of the gender equality for the empowerment of women and girls for sustainable food security through agriculture production in Uganda for enhanced livelihood assets.
The Awareness and Impact of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) on Climate Change in Malaysia
Authors: Ghazali Zulkipli , Zahid Muhammad
Published: November 2021

This article aims to investigate the level of public awareness and perception regarding carbon capture and storage (CCS) and climate change in Malaysia. The article also aims to identify those social, economic and environmental issues which affect CCS and combating climate change in the country. The findings revealed that more than 79 percent of the respondents were willing to have government initiatives to implement CCS projects. However, about 21 percent were against these initiatives due to their different perceptions and opinions regarding CCS. By using partial least squares (PLS) model through SmartPLS 2.0, it is found that social and economic issues of CCS have significant positive while environmental issues have no significant impact on combating climate change. The findings offer significant implications for regulators, policy makers, and practitioners regarding social, economic and environmental issues of CCS and climate change in Malaysia.
Mexican-American Parents Using Critical Literacy to Address Climate Change
Authors: Furumoto Rosa RiVera
Published: November 2021

This chapter is an in-depth examination of a critical literacy project implemented by immigrant Mexican-American parent leaders that employed culturally relevant Latina/o and Native American children's literature to create dialogue and promote social action focused on environmental concerns. The Good Heart Chicana/o and Native Science after-school enrichment project was held weekly in elementary schools in the San Fernando Valley. Critical pedagogy served as the conceptual framework and informed the critical literacy strategies. Creative dialogue questions based on the children's literature promoted social action among children and families. Hands-on activities deepened the families' connection to environmental science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (E-STEAM) content and careers. Children's interest in science and nature increased. Parent leaders grew in their leadership and ability to address environmental issues in communities.
Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Authors: Singh Vartika
Published: November 2021

The chapter illuminates the effect of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It also explains the present scenario of biological resources with biological diversity. The author describes the known biological resources and their uses with the help of flow chart and also shows the linkage among them. The author clearly explicates the inter-relationship between human activity, climate change, and biological diversity with charts. In the last section, the author talk about the effect on the paleo climate and impact of climate change on different parts of ecosystem services.
Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Communities
Authors: Ali Isahaque , Shaik Rameeja , Maruthi A. Y.  , Azman Azlinda , Singh Paramjit , Bala Jeremiah David , Adeleke A. O.  , Rafatullah Mohd , Ismail Norli , Ahmad Akil , Hossain Kaizar
Published: November 2021

Earth and coastal ecosystems are not static, and they usually respond to environmental changes, mostly anthropogenic and climatic. Here, the authors described natural values, coastal landforms, and types of infrastructure that are most likely to be affected by climate change (CC) and provide information for assessing inundation, erosion, and recession risks for a chosen location. In this chapter, the authors focused on the land uses, the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure, and argued for effective linkages between CC issues and development planning. They also recommended the incorporation of CC impact and risk assessment into long-term national development strategies. Policies will be presented to implement these recommendations for adaptation to climate variability and global CC. The authors provide general recommendations and identify challenges for the incorporation of climate change impacts and risk assessment into long-term land-use national development plans and strategies. Overall, this chapter provides an overview of the implications for CC to coastal management.
A Review of Heat Stress Policies in the Context of Climate Change and Its Impacts on Outdoor Workers
Authors: Ngwenya Bigboy , Oosthuizen Jacques , Cross Martyn , Frimpong Kwasi , Chaibva Cynthia Nombulelo
Published: November 2021

Record-breaking summer heat events are increasing in frequency in Zimbabwe and 2016 was a particularly hot year with the country experiencing its worst heat wave event in decades. Currently, Zimbabwe has no coordinated public health response to deal with heat wave events and no specific data on heat-related morbidity and mortality. The country has no legislation for protecting workers against environmental heat exposure, particularly those most vulnerable who are employed in the informal sector. These workers are also at risk due to their outdoor work environments. The article outlines the state of climate and heat stresses in Zimbabwe, as benchmarked against other African countries and France. It further summarizes outdoor workers' susceptibility to heat exposure and the need for the Zimbabwean Government to develop policies to ensure the health and safety of an increasing population of outdoor workers in Zimbabwe.
Climate Change and Health Impacts in Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Saddam , Siddique Sobia , Shah Ashfaq Ahmad
Published: November 2021

Conferring to the Global Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the 7th most susceptible country to the inexorable influence of climate change. Before this century ends, the annual mean temperature in Pakistan is expected to rise from 3°C to 5°C for a focal worldwide discharge situation. Usually, annual precipitation is not relied upon to have a critical long haul pattern. Ocean level is relied upon to ascend further by 60 centimeters. All these climatic events are likely to disrupt the economy, lives, and the socio-political aspects of human life. Pakistan has already witnessed massive loss in terms of human, infrastructural, and economic aspects. The chapter is designed to understand both the direct and indirect health risks associated with frequent climatic events like floods, drought, and heat waves in Pakistan. After analyzing the available literature, it was observed that floods and drought have direct and indirect health risks associated with them while in case of heat waves, health risks cannot be established precisely as multiple variables are involved, playing a significant role.
From Kyoto to Paris
Authors: Duruji Moses Metumara , Olanrewaju Faith O. , Duruji-Moses Favour U.
Published: November 2021

The Earth Summit of 1992 held in Rio de Janeiro awakened the consciousness of the world to the danger of climate change. The establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change provided the platform for parties to negotiate on ways of moving forward. The global acknowledgement of the weightiness of the climate change and the future of the planet galvanized international agreements to this regard. Consequently, a landmark agreement was brokered in 1992 at Kyoto, Japan and 2015 in Paris, France. However, the strong issues of national interest tend to bedevil the implementation that would take the world forward on climate change. The chapter therefore examined multilateralism from the platform of climate change conferences and analyzed the political undertone behind disappointing outcomes even when most of the negotiators realized that the only way to salvage the impending doom is a multilateral binding agreement when nation-state can subsume their narrow interest.
A Panel Asymmetric Causality Between Health and Climate Change
Authors: Cafri Reyhan , Samut Pınar Kaya
Published: November 2021

As climate change threatens human life and health by causing severe storms, floods, temperature fluctuations and droughts, it is predicted that in the coming decades, most of the global population will be impacted and the lives of millions will be at risk. In this context, the article investigates the existence of a symmetric and asymmetric causality between climate change and health between 1990 and 2015 for European countries, including EU, EFTA member and EU candidate states. In the first stage of the analysis, health scores are estimated by cluster and discriminant analyses; in the second stage, the relationships among these scores and climate variables are examined. The country-specific findings are obtained for the health effects of climate change variables according to factors such as geographical structure and seasonal characteristics. According to the results, while the health effects of changes in temperature and greenhouse emissions differ from country to country, the reduction in precipitation for nearly half of the countries is found to have a negative effect on health.
The Problem of Climate-Induced Displacement
Authors: Arora Gunjan Chawla
Published: November 2021

The members of a community owe their identity to the State to which they belong which inculcates a sense of belongingness to their own community, people, and land. The loss of identity to a State due to disruptive climate change is a fear in this century. Excessive utilization and consumption of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources across the globe have caused unprecedented increase in global temperatures. Sudden incidents of unprecedented floods on Bhola Islands in Bangladesh, or the disappearance of the Kiribati and Lohachara Islands due to rising sea-level have forced communities to flee their own country. This has raised questions about the status of such climate migrants. Media reports have designated them as “climate refugees.” But are they really refugees? The research aims at understanding the nexus between climate change and mass displacement of communities, the status of such migrants and the International legal framework on the status of such migrants.
Research on the Anthropogenic Impact on Climate Change
Authors: Vinogradov Yuri , Strebkov Dmitry
Published: November 2021

The article is a presentation of the results of studies and calculations of climate parameters associated with anthropogenic thermal pollution of the environment. They indicate that the increase of atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide cannot be a cause of climate warming. The article provides information about the working principle of the natural mechanism of automatic maintenance of temperature climate parameters. The authors show that all of the gases molar mass of differs from the molar mass of nitrogen are the working bodies of the procedures for moving heat from the stratosphere to space. Water vapor is the only greenhouse gas, and to deal effectively with water vapor in the atmosphere is impossible. However, the work contains an assessment of the feasibility of some ways to assist the natural mechanism of removing heat to space. Some methods and tools of world energy development are suggested in the article. These methods could lead to a substantial reduction of anthropogenic thermal pollution of the planet.
Impact of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure on the Distribution Network Power Quality
Authors: Sharma Gagandeep , Sood Vijay K.
Published: November 2021

This chapter discusses the available charging systems for electric vehicles (EV) which include battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plugged hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). These architectures are categorized as common DC bus charging (CDCB) station and common AC bus charging (CACB) station. CACB charging stations are generally used as slow chargers or semi-fast chargers (on-board chargers). CDCB charging stations are used as fast chargers (off-board chargers). These chargers are vital to popularize the electric vehicles (EVs) as a green alternative to the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Further, this chapter covers the power quality problems related to the grid-connected fast charging stations (FCS), AC-DC converter, control strategies for converters, proposed system of architectures, methodology, system results with comparisons, and finally, a conclusion.
Optimal Charging Management of Microgrid-Integrated Electric Vehicles
Authors: Ferro Giulio , Minciardi Riccardo , Parodi Luca , Robba Michela
Published: November 2021

The relevance of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing along with the relative issues. The definition of smart policies for scheduling the EVs charging process represents one of the most important problems. A discrete-event approach is proposed for the optimal scheduling of EVs in microgrids. This choice is due to the necessity of limiting the number of the decision variables, which rapidly grows when a small-time discretization step is chosen. The considered optimization problem regards the charging of a series of vehicles in a microgrid characterized by renewable energy source, a storage element, the connection to the main grid, and a charging station. The objective function to be minimized results from the weighted sum of the cost for purchasing energy from the external grid, the weighted tardiness of the services provided, and a cost related to the occupancy of the socket. The approach is tested on a real case study.
Cryptocurrency-Based Payment Framework for EV Charging
Authors: Karim Wasif , Alam Mohammad Saad , Rafat Yasser
Published: November 2021

The world is transforming from paper or plastic currency towards digital currency. Everyone is trying to benefit from the decentralized system, the anonymity, and lower transaction cost offered by cryptocurrencies. One of the hurdles in the ascension of electric vehicle is its charging and the transaction for charging. In this chapter, a cryptocurrency-based payment framework is formulated for electric vehicle charging to eliminate the third-party involvement as in the plastic currency system. In this payment framework, smart contracts are deployed which would ensure the conditions to be satisfied, like the amount sent by the consumer. Smart contract includes the transfer function that would transfer the amount of ether and set charging time according to the charging rate, amount of ether sent, and power delivered. Overview of the platform prototype of payment is presented to demonstrate the implementation of the framework in the real world. At last, the authors look at the security issues, challenges ahead, and also suggested some of the improvements that could be further done.
V2G Pilot Projects
Authors: Deb Sanchari , Ammar, Essam A. Al , AlRajhi Hasan , Alsaidan Ibrahin , Shariff Samir M.
Published: November 2021

Electric vehicles (EVs) are not only a viable energy efficient mode of transport, but they have considerable capacity of providing flexible and quick responding storage alternative based on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) scheme. V2G technology facilitates bidirectional flow of energy to and from the vehicle by a power converter. However, there is skepticism regarding the economic profitability of the V2G scheme. Despite the aforementioned challenges, the V2G technology is explored in matured markets. A number of V2G pilot projects across the world have investigated different aspects of V2G integration such as technological readiness, economic feasibility, social benefits, and challenges of V2G. This work aims to review the existing pilot projects on V2G functionality.
The Role of Microfinance in Africa
Authors: Alhassan Yahaya , Kuagbela Francis , Nurokina Caesar D. , Appiah Bernard
Published: November 2021

This chapter examines the role of microfinance in developing countries, particularly Ghana and Nigeria. The chapter begins with an overview of the link between microfinance, poverty, and women empowerment in the chapter introduction. The background to the chapter sets out the main difference between microfinance and microcredit. The role of microfinance in contemporary development finance is then discussed. In this context, existing literature on the role of microfinance in reducing poverty, women empowerment, and microenterprise growth is extensively reviewed. Key solutions and recommendations are then presented next, followed by future research direction and the chapter conclusion.
Microfinance for achieving Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Arora Manpreet , Singh Swati
Published: November 2021

This chapter focuses on the possibilities of exploring the areas where credit intervention can be done by the government in the form of schemes which are dependent on sustainable business practices. Nature has provided us abundance of raw material which if used wisely can help to remove poverty across the globe; on the same hand we can preserve the natural resources also if we use sustainable practices. In the current scenario where the world is facing pandemic and natural calamities, the time has to come to focus on sustainable rural micro financing activities which can not only solve the problem of linking the deprived sections of society with the mainstream, but it can also help them to improve their standard of living, and simultaneously, it can take care of various environmental issues too.
The Relationship Between Developmental Social Work, Poverty Alleviation, and Sustainable Development in Nigeria
Authors: Ugwoji Chigozie
Published: November 2021

This chapter explores the nexus between developmental social work (DSW) and sustainable development in Nigeria with the specific aim of outlining the issues, challenges, and opportunities involved therein as they affect Nigeria's social development and social work. Social work, which promotes the advancement of social wellbeing, social change, empowerment, and liberation of the vulnerable groups, is an integral concept of DSW. DSW maps out a new direction for social work practice, offering processes to address the causes of societal dysfunction and socioeconomic challenges faced by the people. This approach could be used to tackle Nigeria's social issues and poverty. This chapter argues that there is overlap for DSW to promote and contribute to the realisation of sustainable development, the literary and documentary sources, and the review thereof shows that there is a relationship between DSW and sustainable development as both are geared towards promoting the welfare of the people.
Blockchain Open Issues, Research Gaps, and Road Map of Future Blockchain for 2030
Authors: Kommadi Bhagvan
Published: November 2021

The future is great for blockchain technology. Blockchain market size can grow from 3 billion USD to 39.7 billion USD by 2025. Thirty percent of blockchain projects might go live this year. There is another prediction that 90% of those projects might have a substitute solution. Twenty-five percent of Forbes Global 2000 might start implementing blockchain for improving digital trust. The implementations might not use tokenization, smart contracts, decentralized consensus, and other features. The latest solutions during COVID-19 lockdown are becoming the reference solutions for the blockchain initiatives. The number of enterprises that are part of the blockchain networks has significantly increased. On the other hand, long-term blockchain implementations are on hold. Future projects are focusing on creating a digital platform for post-pandemic scenarios. Private blockchains are becoming popular, and they will have a bigger market share compared to public blockchains. European countries are coming up with their cryptocurrency, and China is ready with its crypto yuan.
Decentralising Personal Credit Score
Authors: Theadore Imbert , Sitoh Paul Jek
Published: November 2021

The current process of securing a loan involves a cumbersome know-your-customer (KYC) process. The process also raises a question about the ownership of credit scores. In this chapter, the authors propose a solution based on a combination of decentralized identifier (DID) W3C blockchain and cryptographic wallet to make it possible to make credit scores possible. A decentralized identifier to enable a loan applicant to assert who he/she is without relying on a centralized identity issuer is key to enabling loan applicants to own his/her own credit score. The use of blockchain is to enable loan applicants to have his/her identity recorded immutably on a store that is trusted by all parties. Finally, the use of a cryptographic wallet is to enable loan applicants to assert identities on demand and prove his/her assertion.
The Evolution of Community Development Banks Influenced by E-Payment and Its Social Impact on Brazil
Authors: Romano Jr. Otávio L. C. , Lucena Bruno R. D. , Lirio de Souza Armando , Poleto Thiago
Published: November 2021

Microcredit involves offering credit in small amounts and at low interest rates to economically disadvantaged populations and those who cannot offer guarantees. The offer of microcredit for solidarity purposes is not aimed at increasing an organization's profits but rather toward local economic development and as an initiative to eradicate poverty. The first community development bank was founded in Brazil in 1998. Such banks offer financial, solidary-based, networked services of an associative nature and are aimed at reorganizing local economies through job and income generation and establishment of a solidarity economy. This chapter presents the following problem question: How has the mobile payment or electronic payment technology impacted the performance of Brazilian solidary digital banks? It also presents guidelines for replicating this model in developing countries.
AIC Algorithm for E-Wallet Payment in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam
Authors: Bui Khoi Huy
Published: November 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuously developing owing to the development of a new strain of coronavirus. Society is difficult with people's needs being higher, especially in daily spending and consumption, but many consumers are also tending to not want to keep too much cash on hand. In addition, the world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, and Vietnam, in particular, has pushed businesses to focus on developing a cashless payment application called an e-wallet to pay bills to meet consumer needs. This chapter is based on concepts and theories of the technology acceptance model related to intention to use the e-wallets to form the research model comprising the independent factors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived risk, social influence, and perceived trust. This study uses the optimal choice of the AIC algorithm, and all the factors are acceptable.
Report and Abstracts of the 18th Meeting of the Interuniversity Institute of Myology: Virtual meeting, October 21-24, 2021
Authors: Grassi Francesca , Falcone Sestina
Published: November 2021

In 2021, as the situation due to COVID-19 pandemic was still uncertain, the 18 th annual meeting of the Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), took place on a virtual platform, following the same organization already tested for the previous edition. Participants from Italy, European countries, Canada and USA included clinicians, scientists, pharmaceutical companies and representatives of patient organizations. Four keynote speakers presented new insights into the modulation of muscle stem cell self-renewal in the treatment of neuromuscular disease, the role of nuclear positioning in muscle function, regeneration and tumorigenesis in the heart and advances on therapies of muscular dystrophies. Young PhD students and trainees presented oral communications distributed in five scientific sessions and posters in two poster sessions. On October 21, 2021, selected young scientists participated in the “High Training Course on Advanced Myology”, organized with the University of Perugia, Italy. This course consisted of lectures on muscle regeneration and therapeutic perspectives by internationally recognized speakers, followed by roundtable discussions on “Omics technologies in myology” and “New therapeutic approaches”, plus the meeting itself. Young trainees, winners of past IIM conferences, forming the Young IIM Committee, selected one of Keynote speakers and were involved in the organization of scientific sessions and roundtable discussions. The friendly welcoming of the meeting, which has strongly characterized this event and is of great help in facilitating scientific exchanges and stimulating novel collaborations, was the hallmark of the conference this year again, even on virtual platform. Breakthrough studies showing interdisciplinary works are fostering new avenues in the field of myology. This year again, scientists and students attended the meeting at the huger number, challenging the difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants shared the wish to continue and implement IIM meeting with new insights on muscle biology, perspectives in the understanding of the muscle-related diseases and in novel therapeutic approaches. We report here abstracts of the meeting describing basic, translational, and clinical research contributing to the large field of myology.
COVID-19-associated mucormycosis and treatments
Authors: Subramaniyan Vetriselvan , Fuloria Shivkanya , Darnal Hari Kumar , Meenakshi Dhanalekshmi Unnikrishnan , Sekar Mahendran , Nordin Rusli Bin , Chakravarthi Srikumar , Sathasivam Kathiresan V. , Khan Shah Alam , Wu Yuan Seng , Kumari Usha , Sudhakar Kalvatala , Malviya Rishabha , Sharma Vipin Kumar , Fuloria Neeraj Kumar
Published: November 2021

In the current pandemic, COVID-19 patients with predisposing factors are at an increased risk of mucormycosis, an uncommon angioinvasive infection that is caused by fungi with Mucor genus which is mainly found in plants and soil. Mucormycosis development in COVID-19 patient is related to various factors, such as diabetes, immunocompromise and neutropenia. Excessive use of glucocorticoids for the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients also leads to opportunistic infections, such as pulmonary aspergillosis. COVID-19 patients with mucormycosis have a very high mortality rate. This review describes the pathogenesis and various treatment approaches for mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients, including medicinal plants, conventional therapies, adjunct and combination therapies.
Outcomes of acute drug poisoning among patients at one of the University Hospitals in Cairo
Authors: Morsy Warda Y.M. , Khalil Nahlaa S. , Abdou Rania M.M.
Published: November 2021

Background

Acute drug poisoning is a medical emergency that represents a major health problem all over the world and affects people of all age groups. It significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality, therefore requiring immediate assessment and management.

Aim

To assess the outcomes of acute drug poisoning among patients at one of the university hospitals in Cairo.

Research design

A descriptive exploratory research design was utilized in the current study.

Research question

What are the outcomes of critically ill patients admitted to the toxicology department with acute drug poisoning?

Sample

A purposive sample of 150 adult male and female patients who were admitted with acute drug poisoning.

Tools of data collection

Three tools were utilized to collect data pertinent to the current study: demographic and medical data tool, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores tool, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score.

Results

More than three-quarters of patients in the present study were females and had single-drug poisoning in percentages of 81.3 and 76.7%, respectively. Most of the studied sample was in the age group 18–20 with a mean age of 28±9.33 and stayed for 2 days in the ICU in percentages of 41.3 and 48%, respectively. Almost all (99.3%) of the studied sample had mild organ failure, more than two- thirds (64.7%) had Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores ranging from 0 to 4, indicating a 4% predicted mortality.

Conclusion

Single acute drug poisoning was markedly noticed among patients in the present study and most frequently was related to consumption of psychotropic medications with a greater proportion among the females who had in common mild organ dysfunction and low predicted mortality.

Recommendations

Increasing young-adult awareness about drug overdose to prevent poisoning. Furthermore, psychiatric consultation for patients admitted with acute drug poisoning before discharge is needed. For future studies, replication of this study on a larger-probability sample selected from different geographical areas in Egypt is recommended to obtain more generalizable results.
Role of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and human-derived chorionic gonadotrophic hormone (free β-hCG) serum levels as a marker in predicting of Small for gestational age (SGA)
Authors: Honarjoo Maryam , Zarean Elahe , Tarrahi Mohammad Javad , Kohan Shahnaz
Published: November 2021

Background:

Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) is one of the most important conditions, which is associated with the risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity. The levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and β-human-derived chorionic gonadotrophic (β-hCG) in the first trimester can predict this adverse outcome, considering the controversial nature of studies in this area, this cohort study was conducted to investigate the role of PAPP-A and freeβ-hCG levels for predicting SGA.

Materials and Methods:

In this cohort study, from 16 randomly selected health centers in Isfahan, Iran, 4605 volunteer pregnant women who had performed first-trimester fetal anomalies screening tests were chosen based on the census, from July 2016 to June 2018. The multiples of the median (MoM) PAPP-A <0.4 and MoM β-hCG >3 were considered as abnormal; the samples were followed up after childbirth. The biomarkers' serum levels, relative risk, and odds ratio (OR) of SGA were compared in both SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) groups.

Results:

In the SGA group, the mean of MOM PAPP-A was significantly lower (0.96 vs. 1.1 with P = 0.001) and MoM βhCG was significantly higher (1.24 vs. 1.15 with P = 0.01) than the AGA group. Odds for SGA in subjects with MoM PAPP-A <0.4 were 3.213; P = 0.001 and for subjects with MoM βhCG >3 reported as 0.683; P = 0.111.

Conclusion:

The results of the study showed that the low levels of PAPP-A would cause 3.213 times increase in the chance of developing SGA and no association between high level of βhCG >3 with SGA. Therefore, low level of the PAPP-A is a warning indicator for SGA.
Developing a Programme for Training Phonological Awareness and Assessment of its Effectiveness on Reading Skills of Elementary First Graders with Cochlear Implant
Authors: Shavaki Yoones Amiri , Weisi Farzad , Kamali Mohammad , Soleymani Zahra , Kashani Zohre Arani , Rashedi Vahid
Published: November 2021

Background:

The current study aimed to develop a comprehensive phonological awareness intervention to train all levels of phonological awareness skills and to investigate its effect on the reading abilities of cochlear implanted children.

Materials and Methods:

This study was the single-subject intervention. Phonological awareness intervention programme was developed and validated by experts' opinions. Six elementary first graders with cochlear implants and weak or delayed reading development, in 5–7-year-old range, were trained in phonological awareness skills. ‘Auditory test of phonological awareness skills’ was used to evaluate the subjects' phonological awareness skills. Nama reading test was also used to determine the level of reading performance.

Results:

The results showed that all six subjects with cochlear implants had improvements of both phonological awareness skills and reading skills after participating in the phonological awareness intervention programme. This improvement was not only observed immediately after intervention but was also preserved in follow-up.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study demonstrated the importance of planning an intervention programme about phonological awareness skills for elementary first graders with cochlear implant, and the important role of such an intervention programme in improving their performance in phonological awareness tasks, and then in reading tasks consequently. The importance of improvement in these skills could considerably affect these children's linguistic and psychological abilities, which may facilitate their education at higher grades.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding the Use of Mask among Healthcare Workers during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Authors: Garg Heena , Kumar Shailendra , Singh Yudhyavir , Khanna Puneet , Trikha Anjan , Subramaniam Rajeshwari
Published: November 2021

Background and Aims:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a large number of healthcare workers (HCW) getting infected, making it difficult to sustain uninterrupted and quality healthcare services. Using a mask is the minimum standard of care to prevent the spread of infection. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added airborne spread as an important mode of spread of COVID-19. The aim of this survey study was to assess the awareness about the use and reuse of masks for infection control practices among HCWs during the ongoing pandemic.

Materials and Methods:

A questionnaire-based survey on the awareness, knowledge, and practices related to the use of masks in COVID-19 infection in the healthcare setting was circulated through E-mail to medical and paramedical staff. A convenient sampling method was used for data collection, and the distribution of responses was presented as frequencies and percentages. Descriptive statistics were performed for all groups and subgroups based on the responses.

Results:

The survey sent to 1000 HCWs but only 394 responses (response rate 39.4%) were obtained. N95 was used by 282 (71.57%) personnel, surgical mask in 99 (25.12%) workers, cloth mask 11 (2.79%), and no mask in 2 (0.05%) HCW. Two hundred and eighty (71.07%) HCWs were reusing the mask. However, only 150 out of 280 subjects (53.57%) were correctly reusing the mask.

Conclusion:

Although universal masking was present in our study population, the awareness about the correct practice of reuse was limited. Since the pandemic is not going to settle any time soon and we might get short on existing supplies, it is vital that the HCWs need to be trained for the correct reuse and more efficient ways of reuse need to be explored.
The Diagnostic Value of QT Dispersion for Acute Coronary Syndrome in Patients with Nondiagnostic Initial Electrocardiograms
Authors: Kinawy Sayed Abdelsabour , Assalahi Abdulhakim Ahmed , Balharith Fahad Hamad , Badawy Osama Osman
Published: November 2021

Introduction:

Chest pain is a frequent cause for admission to the emergency department (ED). It can be a sign of various conditions, from a minor disorder to a life-threatening disease such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite the availability of modern-day tools for the diagnosis of AMI, about 5% of patients with AMI are missed in the ED, with subsequent associated morbidity and mortality. QT dispersion as a marker for arrhythmic potential being a marker of in-homogeneity of ventricular repolarization. The QT dispersion is increased in myocardial ischemia.

Aims:

This study we hypothesized that QTD could accurately identify patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who presented with chest pain and nondiagnostic initial electrocardiograms (ECGs).

Subjects and Methods:

The study population included (50) patients (37 males, 13 females) and (10) chronic stable ischemic patients as a control group, they were all in sinus rhythm on admission. All the studied patients were subjected to: History taking; complete physical examination was performed to rule out any other medical problems, standard 12-lead ECG, cardiac markers, echocardiographic examination. QT interval was calculated. The difference between the maximum and minimum QT intervals, occurring in any of the 12 leads, was measured as QTD. A corrected QT interval (QTc) of >440 ms is defined as abnormal, and the difference between QTc max and QTc min was calculated as QTcD. QT dispersion ≤40 ms was considered normal.

Results:

In the present study, we found that 26 patients (52%) have prolonged QTD (mean 78.800 ms, standard deviation [SD] ±49.555) and 44 patients (88%) have prolonged cQTD (mean 83.322 ms, SD ± 48.491) For patients who were admitted to the ED with chest pain and nondiagnostic initial ECG but later diagnosed as having ACS. Furthermore, we found that only 6 (12%) of patients have a significant prolongation QTD than normal in initial nondiagnostic ECG with elevated cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase myocardial band at 0 h 48, mean creatine kinase myocardial band (CK MP) at 12 h was 145.833 ± SD 52.660, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) at 0 h: 635.33, mean CPK at 12 h 2448.66 ± SD 538.744). It has been suggested that the initial QTD level has a low predictive power for new cardiac events but that QTD can be more helpful for low-risk patients.

Conclusion:

Hence, in this study, we found that QTD and QTcD values are higher for ACS patients than for patients without ACS with nondiagnostic initial ECG.
Case Report: Challenges for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Strongyloides stercoralis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients
Authors: Ashiri Alireza , Rafiei Abdollah , Beiromvand Molouk , Khanzadeh Abdollah , Alghasi Arash
Published: November 2021

Strongyloidiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD), which is caused by Strongyloides stercoralis, can be fatal in immunocompromised patients. In most chronic cases, infections most frequently are asymptomatic, and eosinophilia might be the only clinical characteristic of this disease. The use of corticosteroids in some diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may lead to the development of the life-threatening S. stercoralis hyperinfection syndrome. In the present research, we presented five cases of strongyloidiasis with a history of COPD and receiving corticosteroids from Abadan County, southwestern Iran. By performing the direct smear stool examinations, two cases were identified and the other three cases were diagnosed using the agar plate culture method. Despite reporting eosinophilia in previous patients’ hospitalizations, the fecal examination was not performed for parasitic infections. Moreover, pulmonary symptoms were similar, but gastrointestinal symptoms were varied, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, epigastric pain, constipation, and diarrhea. All the included patients were treated with albendazole, which is the second-line drug for S. stercoralis, and relapse of infection was observed in two patients by passing few months from the treatment. The increased blood eosinophil count was shown to play important roles in both the management of COPD and diagnosis of helminthic infections. In COPD patients who are receiving steroids, screening and follow-up for strongyloidiasis should be considered as priorities. In addition, ivermectin, which is the first-line drug for strongyloidiasis, should be available in the region.
Disparities in emergency department access, resource allocation, and outcomes between migrants and the local population
Authors: Jauslin Andrea S. , Schultze Leandra , Knuchel Daniel , Simon Noemi R. , Nickel Christian H.  , Bingisser Roland
Published: November 2021

AIMS: To characterize a group of migrant emergency department (ED) patients regarding demographics, access to the ED, mode of referral, use of resources, and short-term outcomes, and to compare them to a group of local ED patients.

METHODS: Prospective cohort study with consecutive enrollment of adult patients presenting to the ED of a Swiss tertiary care hospital from October 21st to November 11th, 2013 and February 1st to February 23rd, 2015. In accordance with the International Organization for Migration, we defined migrants as persons who have changed their country of usual residence, irrespective of their legal status. The primary outcome was defined as the number of resources allocated to migrants, as compared to local patients, using uni- and multivariable quasi-Poisson regressions. Acute morbidity, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and 30-day mortality were assessed as secondary outcomes.

RESULTS: Migrant patients were younger, more often male and self-presenters, and of lower acuity. After adjustment for age, gender and acuity, we observed a non-significant difference of 3.6% in the mean number of resources allocated to migrant patients as compared to local patients (adjusted RR 0.964, CI 0.923-1.006). No difference in 30-day mortality (adjusted OR 0.777, CI 0.346-1.559) was observed between the two patient groups, but migrant patients had lower odds of acute morbidity (adjusted OR 0.652, CI 0.560-0.759), hospitalization (adjusted OR 0.666, CI 0.555-0.799), and ICU admission (adjusted OR 0.649, CI 0.456-0.910).

CONCLUSIONS: ED access approximation, resource allocation, and mortality were comparable between migrant patients and local patients. Lower admission rates to wards and the ICU may raise concerns but can be explained by lower acute morbidity in migrant patients.
Orthodoxy and the myriad of challenges posed in the socio-economic sphere of Africa
Authors: Akunda (RIP) His Grace Athanasios
Published: November 2021

The above title does not only pause a challenge to us but also displays before us the celebration of our achievements in Africa which are worthy of celebration. In this paper therefore I will address the problems of Africa on social and economic ground in relation to culture. I addressed this issue before and have discussed it at length with my brother-in-Christ father Evangelos who is an ethicist. The social and economic problems are not entities in themselves but they each have a root cause and unless we address the roots we may not find any positive or lasting solutions. The root problem faced by many is a sense of cultural erosion which has led to lack of self-identity and thus resulted in many of the visible problems we are experiencing and we are desperately trying to find solutions to them. This problem may be self-inflicted as some of us may think but it is largely blamed on Religious missions in Africa from the past centuries to now, and also on the colonial powers who imposed themselves on Africa. The positive and negative effects of the two have left a great impact on an African way of thinking and acting. We have become aliens in our own African land, whether we are Black, Arab, White or Indian or whatever race of African. As each day dawns we are faced with the consequences of the past mistakes and even in trying to find solutions we repeat the same mistakes on an ongoing basis. I will discuss my reflection on several of these bases; 1) dialogue with African culture a) identity crisis, b) Cultural erosion c) Cultural disintegration d) family unit and social unit break ups and confusion, e.) Generation gap f.) Economic gap g.) Religious bias and mission misrepresentation h) indigenous languages, species i) Colonial Stigma j) Economic imbalance and trade unfairness.
Creative industries in Slovakia and their pricing strategies as the part of their marketing mix
Authors: Bartekova Maria
Published: November 2021

The aim of this article is to contribute to the understanding of the possibilities of application of selected pricing strategies in the conditions of the creative industries in Slovakia. A creative product has interesting economic aspects, which are conditioned by its specific parameters. The economic potential of a creative product is a way of returning the investment in its creation, as well as a way of generating profit. In this case, the economic potential is the set of economic utility – uniqueness, intellect, knowledge, talent and skills added by each participant in the process of product creation. These characteristics make the products of the creative industries fundamentally different from those of traditional manufacturing. The added value of a creative industry product is not determined by the amount of work invested in its creation, but by the subjective perception of consumers, insofar as its consumption satisfies their personal needs. Pricing in creative industry enterprises results from a number of factors that determine the strategic direction of the enterprise and its output. This fact in turn influences the strategy of conceiving and creating individual prices. These play an important role in the strategic marketing of creative industry enterprises, despite their specificities (zero price or free entry, voluntary, list-based). It should be noted that prices are set differently in the non-profit sector and in the for-profit sectors producing in the creative industries. This means that in terms of the marketing mix of each tool, the pricing functions need to be taken into account.
Combining Academic Education With Soft Skills Development: Some Common Aspects of Educational Preparation of IT Professionals and Schoolteachers
Authors: Abramovich S. , Kuznetsov N. V. , Kuznetsov S. V. , Kuznetsova O. A. , Leonov G. A. , Onossovski V. V. , Seledzhi S. M.
Published: November 2021

In the modern educational process aimed on preparing professionals in the applied areas, it’s crucial, along with purely professional training, to provide students both with solid theoretical background and help them to develop “soft skills” that will facilitate their smooth and efficient adaptation to the industry realities when they start their professional careers. In this paper we consider practical cases of acquiring soft skills through intensive field experience in two areas related to mathematical education.