bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of business performance in Dong Thap province-based SMEs
Authors:   Dong Thap University, Nguyen Tri Giac
Published: November 2023

The study aims to examine the impact of factors affecting business performance in small and medium enterprises in Dong Thap province. The author conducted the research through two phases: qualitative research and quantitative research. In addition, the data analysis method was selected by the authors for Logistic regression analysis to analyze the current situation and factors affecting the business performance of enterprises. Research results show that: Policy mechanism is the factor that has the strongest impact on business performance of small and medium-sized enterprises, followed by the ability to react to the business environment; material and human resources; competitiveness of enterprises; access to capital and community responsibility. In addition, the author proposes some key solutions to help managers improve the business efficiency of small and medium enterprises in Dong Thap province.
Students’ perception of digital transformation in higher education: A case study at Tra Vinh University
Authors:   Tra Vinh University, Ho Dung My
Published: November 2023

Amid the remarkable development of information technology and scientific and technical advancements, combined with the trend of international economic integration, particularly in education, as well as the post-COVID-19 cultural shift, managing changes in university education has become crucial. Consequently, educational institutions are not immune to changes in teaching activities (methods, tools, and techniques). The purpose of the study is to identify and measure the influence of factors on students’ perceptions of the digital transformation in higher education. Implications are then proposed for the university and relevant stakeholders to prepare resources for digital transformation in higher education and enhance students’ self-learning spirit. The article reviews relevant studies and utilizes an expert method to formulate survey questions. The survey is conducted on 220 students at Tra Vinh University, and the data is processed using descriptive statistics and mean value statistics. The results identify six factors that students believe have an impact on the digital transformation in university education: the lecturer, the educational institution, the family, the trend of the times, the perception of the benefits of digital transformation, and personal competence.
Determinants of internal control system at non-public universities in HCMC
Authors:   HCMC University of Economics and Finance, Nguyen Thanh Van
Published: November 2023

The objective of the study is to determine and measure the influence of factors on the effectiveness of the internal control system at non-public universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The author has used a mixed research method, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods according to multivariate regression model to carry out the research. Result of this research has been identified six factors affecting the effectiveness of the internal control system at non-public universities in Ho Chi Minh City, which are Control environment; Risk assessment; Control activities; Information and communication; Monitoring and applying information technology.
Development of retail banking services at bank for agriculture and rural development - Dong Nai branch
Authors:   HCMC University of Technology and Education, Le Huong Mai Thi
Published: November 2023

Based on the secondary data source collected from the State Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dong Nai branch and based on the criteria for evaluating the development of retail banking services. The article assesses the current situation of developing retail banking services at Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development - branch in Dong Nai province. Research results show that in the period of 2020-2022, retail banking services at Dong Nai Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s branch have achieved certain results. Specifically, capital mobilization, retail lending and other retail activities such as card services, e-banking services, remittance services, domestic payment services, E-banking services, agency entrustment services have remarkable growth. Although certain results have been achieved, the development of retail banking services at the State Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dong Nai branch still has certain limitations. On that basis, the article proposes some recommendations to contribute to the development of retail banking services at Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dong Nai province branch.
Brand management through image and culture
Authors:   HCMC University of Economics and Finance, Vo Nga Dinh
Published: November 2023

Brand image is a concept that includes the following elements: Making a visual impression and entering the public’s consciousness. These factors make brands really strong and leave a mark in the hearts of consumers. Therefore, a brand manager must be someone who knows how to create an image for the brand, and at the same time have cultural dialogues in the process of developing awareness of that image. The article will deeply analyze the concepts of visual impression and cultural dialogue, thereby applying economic - cultural - social knowledge to clarify the management journey of strong brands. In addition, the article mentions the relationship between brand identity and cultural factors that make a brand different. These are the factors that help creators shape their thoughts and inspiration when building and designing brands.
The organic relationship among institutions, mechanisms, policies, operating mechanisms and behaviors
Authors:   HCMC University of Economics and Finance, Nguyen Anh Le , Vu Tung Thanh ,   HCMC University of Finance - Marketing, Le Thu Diem ,   Southern Institute of Social Sciences
Published: November 2023

Institution plays a special role in our socio-economic life. It reflects the natures and functions of the ruling State; at the same time, directly or indirectly affecting all social activities. It can be said that institution play a leading role in an organic relationship with mechanisms, policies, governance mechanisms and behaviors of all citizens. In that sense, this paper wishes to further clarify the position of the institution in the State’s socio-economic management.
Support of Renal Patients and Families Facing End-of-Life Care Decisions: A Nephrology Social Worker’s Reflection
Authors: O’Grady-Hamre, LCSW, NSW-C, BCD, C-ASWCM, Maureen C.
Published: November 2023

The delivery of health care in the United States is undergoing critical change. Actualization of social work contributions to optimum healthcare is a focus. This article describes palliative care, end-of-life measures and interdisciplinary team function. The Renal Physicians Association’s Ten Recommendations for Shared Decision-Making are addressed, and the recently signed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s section on Patient Decision Aids and Preference Sensitive Care will be referenced. A case study presentation is included with questions designed to stimulate critical thinking.
Can a Social Work Intervention Reduce Kidney Donor Anxiety? A Pilot Test
Authors: Rajapurkar, PhD, MA, Sujata , Browne, PhD, MSW, NSW-C Teri , Estes Savage, MSW Tamara
Published: November 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of social work counseling on kidney donor anxiety in Nadiad, Gujarat, India. Thirty potential kidney donors were selected to receive counseling by a nephrology social worker during the kidney donation process, and 30 potential kidney donors were selected for a control group that did not receive counseling beyond the usual course of care. Anxiety was measured using the Comprehensive Anxiety Test. The group that received counseling from a social worker had a statistically significant decrease in their comprehensive anxiety, which was measured prior to kidney donation and at six months after kidney donation, when compared to the control group. These results suggest that counseling by a nephrology social worker during the kidney donation process may lower donor anxiety. This study and future research may help more kidney disease patients receive kidney transplants from living donors in India and beyond.
Nonadherence in Individuals on Hemodialysis: A Discussion of Three Theories to Improve Adherence
Authors: Phillips, LCSW R. Lee
Published: November 2023

This paper explores three theories that can guide practice when working to improve the compliance of individuals on hemodialysis. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Common-Sense Model (CSM), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) each offer insight into behavioral change and the internal processes of individuals. Each theory seeks to empower the individual and sees client involvement as critical to patient care and improved health-related outcomes. Understanding the tenants of these three theories can guide social work practice beyond education and the dissemination of health-related information in order to improve compliance.
Post-transplant Life: Web-posted Stories of Parents of Children with Kidney Transplants
Authors: Fang, PhD Ching-Shu
Published: November 2023

Numerous studies have focused on understanding the well-being and life experiences of parents of children with varying special healthcare needs. However, only a few studies analyze the needs and issues of parents of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or a kidney transplant. This study explores the unique life experiences of these parents and identifies important factors that help families enhance their quality of life. Unlike previous studies, this investigation discovers that the majority of parents reported positive post-kidney-transplant outcomes along with positive perceptions of their children’s special needs. This positive tone of web-posting stories is similar to previous research indicating that personal storytelling brings to light both resilience and therapeutic benefits. Thus, this study suggests that parental storytelling can be a useful psychosocial intervention that promotes the well-being of pediatric transplant recipients and their family members. Considering that more than half of parents in the study utilized the Internet to connect to other parents with similar experiences, professionals can encourage or incorporate forms of online interaction for parents to obtain information and support.
Physical Health Score Assessment May Not Predict Mental Health Score of Dialysis Patients
Authors: Singh, MD Satwant , Kaur, MD Navneet , Ahmed, MD Maliha , Aggarwal, MD Sandeep , Ranganna, MD Karthik , Ahmed, MD Ziauddin
Published: November 2023

The state of physical and mental health has been an important factor influencing the quality of life in the hemodialysis patient population. The SF-36 in the past, and now the KDQOL-36 questionnaire have been used routinely to assess illness perception and quality of life (QOL) among hemodialysis patients. However, it is not clear whether these surveys can truly predict the effect of physical illness on mental health. We present routine quality improvement data from a small cohort studied in an urban dialysis unit in which the social worker performed standard questionnaires per mandate, compared results to unstructured verbal interviews, and noted a poor correlation. The patients who were not expected to have negative perceptions of quality of life actually had negative findings. The findings were more prominent for the mental health aspect of the survey than the physical health aspect, which correlated with patients’ symptoms. A total of 92 patients were surveyed and interviewed, and their mental health score could not be correlated in 44% of patients who had a low mental health score and 17.5% of those with a high mental health score.
Clinical Social Work End-Of-Life Survey: Constructive Work with Patients and Family Members on Advance Directives and Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment
Authors: Ceckowski, MSW, LICSW, FNKF Kevin , Salimbeni, PhD, MSW, LCSW Marie , Little, MD Dustin , Jones, MSW, LCSW, FNKF Elizabeth , Browne, PhD, MSW Teri , Bethel, MSW, LCSW Samuel , Yuan, MD Christina
Published: November 2023

This article identifies how clinical social workers in medical-surgical, mental health, and nephrology settings at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 5 Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition assist nephrologists and other physicians in overcoming barriers to end-of-life (EOL) care planning, particularly in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or acute kidney injury (AKI). To assess differences in practice patterns, an anonymous survey was administered to determine whether social workers were comfortable having EOL care discussions with their patients, and to also assess if these social workers were able to assist the physicians with EOL care planning. Findings showed that social workers identified multiple barriers to discussing EOL care planning. Participants also identified the most important conversations to have when discussing EOL care planning with their patients.
Avaliação da qualidade do sono dos profissionais de saúde da cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes: dados preliminares
Authors: Figueira Eduardo Chalita , Martins Ester Gomes , Malta Thátila Alicia Gonçalves , Lima Daniel José Matos de Medeiros
Published: November 2023

Introdução: A qualidade do sono é um componente essencial para a manutenção da saúde e do bem-estar de qualquer indivíduo. Profissionais de saúde, devido à natureza de suas atividades, frequentemente enfrentam jornadas de trabalho extensas, plantões noturnos e situações de estresse elevado, fatores que podem comprometer a qualidade e a quantidade de sono. Objetivo: Avaliar a qualidade do sono dos profissionais de saúde que atuam na cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes. Métodos: Este é um estudo observacional, transversal do tipo descritivo. O público-alvo da pesquisa são profissionais de saúde do município de Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ. Os dados foram coletados utilizando a Escala de Sonolência de Epworth (ESE), utilizando o Google Forms para aplicação online da ESE e perguntas adicionais de auto relato sobre memória, tempo de sono e disposição. Foi realizada uma estatística descritiva inicial. Resultados: O estudo avaliou 167 profissionais de saúde até o momento. Dos participantes, 29,3% têm sono normal, 12,6% sonolência média e 58,1% sonolência anormal, possivelmente patológica segundo a escala ESE. A amostra consistiu de 18,6% homens e 81,4% mulheres. Foi observado que 79% despertam ao menos uma vez à noite e 25,1% usam medicamentos para dormir. Outro dado interessante foi que 50,9% percebem déficit de memória e 83,8% dormem menos de 8h diárias. Surpreendentemente, 70,7% relatam sentir-se indispostos ao despertar. Conclusão: Fica evidente que a qualidade do sono dos profissionais de saúde pública é precária. Este cenário demonstra um descanso prejudicado, o que possivelmente contribui para uma baixa qualidade de vida e consequentemente um menor desempenho técnico-profissional dos serviços prestados.
University Lodging Demand: An analysis of its stability and guidance for estimating its growth potential at the market level
Authors: O'Neill John
Published: November 2023

This translational research study analyzes university-related lodging demand over a 24-year period through 2013. In so doing, this research project focuses on 27 university towns in an attempt to best isolate the dynamics of lodging supply and demand related to universities. Also, the study compares the supply and demand in university towns to U.S. averages and to similarly-sized cities that are not dominated by a university. This study finds that lodging demand in university towns is more stable than both U.S. averages and to similarly-sized small cities. This study also evaluates factors that hotel developers and analysts should consider when studying proposed lodging development or acquisition in markets dominated by a university. Significant predictors of lodging demand include city employment and population trends, as would be expected. Interestingly, university grant funding and graduate student populations are also strong predictors of lodging demand. Among the primary implications and recommendations of this study are that hotel feasibility analysts should evaluate both grant funding and graduate student population trends when studying individual markets. The results of this study may be useful to lodging feasibility analysts and developers evaluating university-related lodging demand in a variety of markets, not only small towns dominated by a major university.
Extreme Minimum Wages: Effects on the U.S. Hotel Industry
Authors: O'Neill John , McGinley Sean
Published: November 2023

The subject report analyzes literature regarding minimum wages to explore the potential effects of what could be described as extreme increases in the minimum wage on the American hotel industry. The current presidential administration as well as several large municipalities are actively seeking, or recently passed laws that increase the minimum wage by an extreme amount. The subject report quantifies the forecasted effect on the U.S. hotel industry. The study concludes that the hotel industry in the U.S. would have a negative economic impact estimated at $2.53 billion if the current national minimum wage proposal is approved.
En selvfølgelig succes
Authors: Roost Dinesen Maria , Rieneck Albrechtsen Simone Lærke , Pedersen Sofie
Published: November 2023

Patientuddannelser bliver et stadig mere udbredt fænomen inden for sundhedssektorens virke, hvor patienter i stigende grad positioneres som (professionaliserede) samarbejdspartnere i et behandlingsforløb. Denne artikel tager konkret udgangspunkt i patientuddannelsen “LÆR AT TACKLE angst og depression”; et kursus, der rummer en bred vifte af anbefalinger til, hvordan man optimalt set håndterer sin tilværelse med angst og depression og bygger på en peer-to-peer tankegang. Med afsæt i kritisk psykologi, governmentality teori samt poststrukturalistiske begreber undersøges det, hvorledes kurset søger at forme deltagernes livsførelse og selvforståelse på måder, der er i overensstemmelse med kursets evidensbase- rede forskrifter.

Artiklen er således en kritisk kommentar til den manglende refleksion over de betingelser for subjektiveringsprocesser, som naturaliseres i kursusrummet, hvor en individualisering af menneskelige problemstillinger og en tilpasningstankegang til et koncept sætter sig igennem – og hvor der gives klare dessiner for hvem og hvordan man bør være, hvis man vil ses som en, der succesfuldt tager ansvar for sin egen lidelse. Kursusrummet er således et særligt rum for forhandling; af positioner, selvforståelser og normalitet.
En ikke-affirmativ pædagogisk psykologi
Authors: Szulevicz Thomas
Published: November 2023

De vestlige uddannelsessystemer er over de seneste 20 år blevet reformeret med øget fokus på standardisering, styring, tests og accountability. Disse ændringer af uddannelsessystemet har påvirket de pædagogisk-psykologiske råd- givningstjenester (PPR), som på mange punkter aktuelt befinder sig i en overgangsfase, hvor der i stigende grad efterspørges nye typer af kompetencer med øget fokus på praksisnærhed, didaktisk sparring, behandling og bruger- orientering. Men de nye forventninger, som stilles til PPR kalder også på kritisk og faglig refleksion. Baseret på et aktuelt forsknings- projekt argumenteres der i denne artikel for, at den pædagogiske psykologi med fordel kan orientere sig imod en ikke-affirmativ forholdemåde, hvor der kritisk stilles spørgsmålstegn ved nogle af de aktuelle forventninger knyttet til PPR’s virke.
Rīgas Politehniskā institūta absolventa (1916) Jāņa Rupā (1889–1974) pedagoģiskā darbība Latvijā
Authors: Zigmunde Alīda , Gudro Ilze , Ūsele Ilze , Bauere Ineta
Published: November 2023

Pētījums par inženieri, pedagogu, Rīgas Politehniskā institūta (RPI) Ķīmijas nodaļas absolventu (1916) Jāni Rupo (1889–1974) veikts, izmantojot Latvijas Nacionālā arhīva Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīva un Latvijas Valsts arhīva dokumentus, kā arī Gulbenes novada vēstures un mākslas muzeja krājumu. Raksts par Latvijā 20. gadsimtā pazīstamo pedagogu – Gulbenes Valsts komercskolas un arodskolas ilggadējo un vienīgo direktoru (1926–1944) – J. Rupo atklāj arī viņa darbību pēc Otrā pasaules kara Rīgas industriālajā politehnikumā. Tajā raksturotas gan mācību iestādes, gan direktors un skolotājs J. Rupais un viņa darba metodes, paveiktā nozīmīgums Gulbenei un Latvijai.

The research on Jānis Rupais (1889–1974), engineer, pedagogue, and graduate of the Department of Chemistry (1916) of Riga Polytechnic Institute (RPI), was conducted using the documents of the National Archives of Latvia, the Latvian State Historical Archive and the Latvian State Archives, as well as Gulbene Municipality Museum of History and Art. The article about the well-known pedagogue in Latvia in the 20th century – the long-term and only Principal of Gulbene State Commercial School and Vocational School (1926–1944) J. Rupais also reflects on his activities after World War II at Riga Industrial Polytechnicum. It describes both the educational institutions, the principal and pedagogue J. Rupais and his work methods, and the contribution he made to Gulbene and Latvia.
Rīgas Politehniskā institūta profesora Mihaila Berlova (1867–1935) pedagoģiskais un zinātniskais mantojums
Authors: Kovaļčuka Svetlana , Zigmunde Alīda
Published: November 2023

Mašīnbūves speciālista, Rīgas Politehniskā institūta (RPI) mācībspēka (1897–1918), profesora (1904) Mihaila Berlova (Михаил Берлов; 1867–1935) pedagoģiskā un zinātniskā darbība saistīta ar Rīgu 19. gadsimta beigās un 20. gadsimta pirmajā pusē, kā arī ar Krievijas pilsētu Ivanovovozņesensku (patlaban – Ivanova). M. Berlovs bija pirmais Ivanovovozņesenskas Politehniskā institūta (IPI) rektors (1918–1921), kurš 1921. gadā atgriezās Rīgā, ieguva Latvijas pavalstniecību un strādāja Nikolaja Okolo-Kulaka Krievu tehnikumā. Pētījumā atklāts arī pedagoga un zinātnieka ieguldījums mācību grāmatu sastādīšanā, kas tika izmantotas studijās Krievijas impērijā, tostarp tagadējās Latvijas teritorijā 20. gadsimta pirmajā pusē un Latvijas Republikas pastāvēšanas pirmajos gados.

The pedagogical and scientific activity of a mechanical engineer, a faculty member (1897–1918) of Riga Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Professor (1904) Mikhail Berlov (Михаил Берлов; 1867–1935) at the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century was related to Riga, as well as the Russian city of Ivanovo- Voznesensk (at present – Ivanovo). M. Berlov was the first Rector of the Ivanovo- Voznesensk Polytechnic Institute (IVPI; 1918–1921), who returned to Riga in 1921, obtained Latvian citizenship, and worked at the Russian Technical School of Nikolai Okolo-Kulak. The research also revealed the contribution of the pedagogue and scientist to the compilation of textbooks that were used in the Russian Empire, including in the territory of present-day Latvia in the first half of the 20th century and in the first years of the Republic of Latvia.
Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas Goda doktora Voldemāra Dāles (1922–2008) zinātniskā darbība un ieguldījums enerģētikas attīstībā
Authors: Avotiņa Austra
Published: November 2023

Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas (LZA) Goda doktors (Dr. h. c.), ilggadējs Fizikālās enerģētikas institūta vadošais pētnieks profesors Voldemārs Dāle (1922–2008) visu darba mūžu veltījis zinātnei. Nozīmīgākā V. Dāles pētījumu joma bija matemātisko metožu un datortehnikas izmantošana elektroenerģētikas attīstības dinamiskā optimizācijā. Galvenie zinātniskā darba virzieni: energosistēmu attīstības plānošanas un prognozēšanas metodes; Latvijas un Baltijas energosistēmu attīstības problēmu izpēte; energosistēmu matemātiskās modelēšanas metodes, ievērojot apkārtējas vides faktorus. 1964. gadā iznāca monogrāfija par pētniecības rezultātiem elektrisko tīklu attīstības optimizācijā. Par šo darbu trīs zinātnieku grupai, tostarp V. Dālem, 1965. gadā piešķirta Latvijas Padomju Sociālistiskās Republikas (LPSR) Valsts prēmija.

Honorary Doctor (Dr. h. c.) of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS), long-time leading researcher of the Institute of Physical Energetics, Professor Voldemārs Dāle (1922–2008) devoted his entire working life to science. The most important field of V. Dāle’s research was the use of mathematical methods and computer technology in the dynamic optimization of power engineering development. The main areas of his scientific work include planning and forecasting methods of power system development; research on development problems of the Latvian and Baltic energy systems; methods of mathematical modelling of power systems considering the environmental factors. A monograph on research results in the optimization of electrical network development published in 1964 written by a group of three scientists, including V. Dāle, received the State Prize of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR), which was awarded in 1965.
Delta-dependent Notch activation closes the early neuroblast temporal program to promote lineage progression and neurogenesis termination in Drosophila
Authors: Sood Chhavi , Nahid Md Ausrafuggaman , Branham Kendall R. , Pahl Matthew C. , Doyle Susan E. , Siegrist Sarah E.
Published: November 2023

Neuroblasts in
Drosophila
divide asymmetrically, sequentially expressing a series of intrinsic factors to generate a diversity of neuron types. These intrinsic factors known as temporal factors dictate timing of neuroblast transitions in response to steroid hormone signaling and specify early versus late temporal fates in neuroblast neuron progeny. After completing their temporal programs, neuroblasts differentiate or die, finalizing both neuron number and type within each neuroblast lineage. From a screen aimed at identifying genes required to terminate neuroblast divisions, we identified Notch and Notch pathway components. When Notch is knocked down, neuroblasts maintain early temporal factor expression longer, delay late temporal factor expression, and continue dividing into adulthood. We find that Delta, expressed in cortex glia, neuroblasts, and after division, their GMC progeny, regulates neuroblast Notch activity. We also find that Delta in neuroblasts is expressed high early, low late, and is controlled by the intrinsic temporal program: early factor Imp promotes Delta, late factors Syp/E93 reduce Delta. Thus, in addition to systemic steroid hormone cues, forward lineage progression is controlled by local cell-cell signaling between neuroblasts and their cortex glia/GMC neighbors: Delta transactivates Notch in neuroblasts bringing the early temporal program and early temporal factor expression to a close.
Subchronic alteration of vestibular hair cells in mice: implications for multisensory gaze stabilization
Authors: Schenberg Louise , Palou Aïda , Simon François , Bonnard Tess , Barton Charles-Elliot , Fricker Desdemona , Tagliabue Michele , Llorens Jordi , Beraneck Mathieu
Published: November 2023

The functional complementarity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and optokinetic reflex (OKR) allows for optimal combined gaze stabilization responses (CGR) in light. While sensory substitution has been reported following complete vestibular loss, the capacity of the central vestibular system to compensate for partial peripheral vestibular loss remains to be determined. Here, we first demonstrate the efficacy of a 6-week subchronic ototoxic protocol in inducing transient and partial vestibular loss which equally affects the canal- and otolith-dependent VORs. Immunostaining of hair cells in the vestibular sensory epithelia revealed that organ-specific alteration of type I, but not type II, hair cells correlates with functional impairments. The decrease in VOR performance is paralleled with an increase in the gain of the OKR occurring in a specific range of frequencies where VOR normally dominates gaze stabilization, compatible with a sensory substitution process. Comparison of unimodal OKR or VOR versus bimodal CGR revealed that visuo-vestibular interactions remain reduced despite a significant recovery in the VOR. Modeling and sweep-based analysis revealed that the differential capacity to optimally combine OKR and VOR correlates with the reproducibility of the VOR responses. Overall, these results shed light on the multisensory reweighting occurring in pathologies with fluctuating peripheral vestibular malfunction.
Genetic basis of Arabidopsis thaliana responses to infection by naïve and adapted isolates of turnip mosaic virus
Authors: Butković Anamarija , Ellis Thomas James , González Rubén , Jaegle Benjamin , Nordborg Magnus , Elena Santiago F.
Published: November 2023

Plant viruses account for enormous agricultural losses worldwide, and the most effective way to combat them is to identify genetic material conferring plant resistance to these pathogens. Aiming to identify genetic associations with responses to infection, we screened a large panel of
Arabidopsis thaliana
natural inbred lines for four disease-related traits caused by infection by
A. thaliana
-naïve and -adapted isolates of the natural pathogen turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). We detected a strong, replicable association in a 1.5 Mb region on chromosome 2 with a 10-fold increase in relative risk of systemic necrosis. The region contains several plausible causal genes as well as abundant structural variation, including an insertion of a
Copia
transposon into a Toll/interleukin receptor (TIR-NBS-LRR) coding for a gene involved in defense, that could be either a driver or a consequence of the disease-resistance locus. When inoculated with TuMV, loss-of-function mutant plants of this gene exhibited different symptoms than wild-type plants, being the magnitude and sign of the difference dependent on the degree of adaptation of the viral isolate to
A. thaliana
. This increase in symptoms severity was specific for infections with the adapted isolate. Necrosis-associated alleles are found worldwide, and their distribution is consistent with a trade-off between resistance during viral outbreaks and a cost of resistance otherwise, leading to negative frequency-dependent selection.
National Pre-Authorisation Schemes to Ensure Public Health – Scientific Uncertainty, National Policy Choices, and the Risk of Bias
Authors: Ericsson Angelica
Published: November 2023

Scientific uncertainty is clearly a prominent hurdle in public health policy and the policy choices made to tackle this uncertainty are largely left to the Member States. Indeed, the Court of Justice of the EU has long since held that the health and the life of humans rank first among
the interests that Member States can legitimately pursue – even if they restrict the market freedoms in doing so – and that, therefore, very considerable powers are left to Member States in the field of public health. Over the years, Member States have often turned to the regulatory
tool of preauthorisation schemes to protect national public health, especially in the face of scientific uncertainty. Through such schemes, everything from pesticides to food additives have been restricted from entering national markets. But how can the EU be sure that the inherent discretion
of such authorisation schemes does not give effect to national bias? This article will explore how the EU has developed various 'objectivity safeguards', mainly through case-law, in order to contain the risk of such bias. In the end, even if considerable policy powers are left to Member States
in the field of public health, a pre-authorisation scheme would not be considered as a justified restriction to free movement, unless the national system provides sufficient safeguards.
The Court of Justice of the European Union's review of uncertain scientific appraisals: what role for the Impact Assessment Guidance?
Authors: Lanssens Camille
Published: November 2023

This contribution examines the extent to which the European Commission Impact Assessment (IA) Guidance could help the Court of Justice of the European Union to operationalise its review of the application of general principles of EU law such as the principle of proportionality, the
duty to state reasons and the duty of care when called upon to review uncertain scientific appraisals underlying EU legislative acts. In managing and regulating wicked problems, the EU institutions must base their actions on uncertain scientific appraisals. Impact assessment is a tool used
by the Commission to assess the foreseeable direct and collateral effects (the impacts) of a regulatory project based on evidence. It aims to provide policymakers with the best accurate description of a problem and the consequences of the implementation of a policy option. It should therefore
give due consideration to uncertainties in evidence used which may trump IA results. The contribution discusses the conditions under which the IA Guidance could be used as a framework to operationalise the judicial review of the application of the above-mentioned principles and assesses whether
these conditions are met in the current state of EU law.
Comparing neural sentence encoders for topic segmentation across domains: not your typical text similarity task
Authors: Ghinassi Iacopo , Wang Lin , Newell Chris , Purver Matthew
Published: November 2023

Neural sentence encoders (NSE) are effective in many NLP tasks, including topic segmentation. However, no systematic comparison of their performance in topic segmentation has been performed. Here, we present such a comparison, using supervised and unsupervised segmentation models based on NSEs. We first compare results with baselines, showing that the use of NSEs does often provide improvements, except for specific domains such as news shows. We then compare over three different datasets a range of existing NSEs and a new NSE based on ad hoc pre-training strategy. We show that existing literature documenting general performance gains of NSEs does not always conform to the results obtained by the same NSEs in topic segmentation. If Transformers-based encoders do improve over previous approaches, fine-tuning in sentence similarity tasks or even on the same topic segmentation task we aim to solve does not always equate to better performance, as results vary across method being used and domains of application. We aim to explain this phenomenon and the relative poor performance of NSEs in news shows by considering how well different NSEs encode the underlying lexical cohesion of same-topic segments; to do so, we introduce a new metric, ARP. The results from this study suggest that good topic segmentation results do not always rely on good cohesion modelling on behalf of the segmenter and that is dependent upon what kind of text we are trying to segment. Also, it appears evident that traditional sentence encoders fail to create topically cohesive clusters of segments when used on conversational data. Overall, this work advances our understanding of the use of NSEs in topic segmentation and of the general factors determining the success (or failure) of a topic segmentation system. The new proposed metric can quantify the lexical cohesion of a multi-topic document under different sentence encoders and, as such, might have many different uses in future research, some of which we suggest in our conclusions.
Determination of server location in emergency care systems: an index proposal using data envelopment analysis and the hypercube queuing model
Authors: Mariano Enzo Barberio , Siqueira Regiane Máximo , Beojone Caio Vitor , Luiz Octaviano Rojas , Luiz João Victor Rojas , Santos Hugo Henrique dos
Published: November 2023

The objective of this article is to propose a new composite index (CI) that helps to determine the most effective location of servers in an Emergency Care System (ECS), using Benefit of the Doubt (BoD)/Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Hypercube queuing model. The CI proposed was developed in four stages: (1) definition of a number of possible ECS configurations through the application of mathematical partitions and permutations; (2) application of the hypercube queuing model to determine performance parameters for each ECS configuration; (3) application of DEA/BoD to build the CI and generate performance rankings, and (4) evaluation of the rankings obtained to define the best configuration for the ECS analyzed. Data from two real cases from Brazil were used to assess the CI proposal. The results obtained confirm that: (a) the hypercube model could, relatively quickly, determine the configuration parameters generated; (b) the application of an appropriate DEA/BoD model enabled the different configurations to be ranked with good discrimination; (c) a pattern in the relationship between ambulance concentration and configuration effectiveness could be identified; and (d) the CI proposed would benefit ECS managers who are making resource location decisions.
Association between BMI and Intraoperative Time and Length of Hospital Stay among Patients undergoing Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Brar Navjot , Utaal Maneshwar Singh , Sidhu Amanjot Singh , Singh Amandeep , Ahluwalia Anmol Singh
Published: November 2023

Introduction: Now-a-days, most surgeons are aware that obese patients face more difficulties during laparoscopic colorectal surgery compared to non obese patients, especially with the prevalence of advanced laparoscopic procedures. Aim: To investigate the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and operative time, as well as the length of hospital stay after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at Sri Guru Ram Das (SGRD) Charitable Hospital in Amritsar, Punjab, India, from January 2016 to January 2019. The study included 139 patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery. The dataset consisted of four variables: BMI (continuous), intraoperative time (continuous), diagnosis (nominal, including various diseases such as Crohn’s disease, colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis), and length of stay (dichotomous, categorised as “yes” if the total length of stay in the hospital was greater than three days, and “no” if it was three days or under). Mean and standard deviations were calculated for both BMI and intraoperative time. The Pearson’s r correlation test was used to assess the association between BMI and intraoperative time. Results: A total of 139 patients were included in the study, with 72 (51.80%) having a length of stay less than three days and 67 (48.20%) having a length of stay greater than three days. Higher BMI was found to be associated with a prolonged length of stay (>three days) in the hospital following colorectal surgery, with a p-value of 0.007. However, the study did not find a statistically significant association between BMI and intraoperative time, with a p-value of 0.1795. Conclusion: Obese patients tend to spend a longer time in the hospital compared to non obese patients. Therefore, caution should be exercised when performing elective laparoscopic procedures on obese patients.
Umbilical and Juxtaumbilical Chronic Discharging Sinus as a Delayed Complication of Caesarean Section: A Case Series
Authors: Mitra Sukumar , Dutta Shyamali , Sawant Krutika Sandeep , Sen Sohini , Mohsin MD
Published: November 2023

Cutaneous or uterocutaneous sinus or fistula following caesarean section is a rare complication that can occur after the primary wound has healed. Only a few cases have been reported where a fistula or sinus tract forms after a caesarean section. These tracts can communicate externally through the scar line or the skin near the umbilicus (juxtaumbilical) and internally to the uterine scar or an unhealthy abnormal cavity. It is a delayed complication that presents with discharge from the skin opening and can be diagnosed using imaging techniques such as Ultrasonography (USG), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Fistulogram, or Sinogram. These tracts often seek weak areas to establish external or internal connections with other organs. The management of these abnormal tracts can vary from conservative approaches to surgical excision. Herein, the authors presented a series of three cases of cutaneous and uterocutaneous fistula following caesarean section. In case 1, a 19-year-old female patient presented with a discharging sinus from the umbilicus, which was found to be a sinus tract communicating inside the abdominal wall to the external skin on imaging. The patient underwent surgery, which involved excision of the sinus tract and necrotic debridement. Two similar cases (cases 2 and 3) were infra and paraumbilical regions that presented with chronic discharges in the infra and para umbilical region following Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) delivery. Both cases were diagnosed with cutaneous sinus tracts in the juxtaumbilical region using USG and other imaging modalities. They were managed conservatively with appropriate antibiotics and achieved complete healing without any residual infection during follow-up.
Tadalafil vs Tamsulosin for the Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Randomised Clinical Trial
Authors: Swamy A Venkata Ranga , Manikantan Jandhyam , Reddy D Raja , Pedapathnapu Mutyasri , Ramaiah K Sitha , Bhagavan A
Published: November 2023

Introduction: Tadalafil and tamsulosin have both been approved for use in the management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Limited studies have shown the efficacy of tadalafil in terms of maximum urinary output flow (Qmax) and post-void residual (PVR). Aim: To compare the efficacy of tadalafil 5 mg and tamsulosin 0.4 mg in patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Materials and Methods: A prospective, open-label, Randomised clinical study was conducted in the Department of Urology at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study duration was one year and five months, from February 2015 to July 2016. A total of 83 patients clinically diagnosed with BPH were included, but 23 patients were excluded from the analysis due to lost follow-up. The remaining 60 patients were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving tadalafil 5 mg (n=30) and the other receiving tamsulosin 0.4 mg (n=30) for 12 weeks. Demographic characteristics, total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), individual IPSS, Quality of Life (QoL) score, Qmax, PVR, and differences in symptoms were analysed. Data were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age for group I (tadalafil 5 mg) and Group II (tamsulosin 0.4 mg) was 62.7 and 61.0 years, respectively (p=0.147). Patients who received tadalafil showed significantly higher efficacy in all measures from baseline to 12 weeks, including increased Qmax (12.0 mL/sec vs 15.1 mL/sec), reduced QoL scores (4.2 vs 3.7), and PVR (26.5 mL vs 15.8 mL), compared to tamsulosin where the increase in Qmax was 11.6 mL/sec vs 13.6 mL/sec, reduction in QoL scores was 4.1 vs 2.4, and PVR was 24.0 mL vs 16.2 mL, between baseline and 12 weeks. Conclusion: Tadalafil 5 mg is a recent drug option available for the treatment of LUTS-BPH. The efficacy and safety of tadalafil 5 mg and tamsulosin 0.4 mg are comparable.
Topographical Variations of Nutrient Foramina in the Dry Adult Scapula: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Sinha Sumita , Ghosh Satarupa Paul , Nath Sunandita
Published: November 2023

Introduction: The scapula is the shoulder girdle bone. Vascularity of this bone may arise from the subscapular and circumflex scapular arteries (on the lateral border), supra-scapular artery (on the superior border), deep branch of the transverse cervical artery (on the medial border), or a branch from the axillary artery (on the costal surface). Nutrient arteries associated with flat bones like the scapula have not received significant research in the past. Aim: To determine the number and location of nutrient foramina on the human dry scapula. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy of RG KAR Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.. The sample was gathered from August 2022 to January 2023. A total of 122 dry adult scapulae were studied (69 right and 53 left), irrespective of age and sex. The data obtained after thorough inspection was tabulated to obtain the results. The International Business Management(IBM) Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) software tool was used for statistical analysis, and inferences were drawn from the results. Results: The average number of nutrient foramina per scapula was five (ranging from 2 to 10). The most common location of the supraspinous fossa was 30.97%. On the costal surface, most of the nutrient foramina were found directly inferior to the suprascapular notch (30%), and on the dorsal surface, nutrient foramina were identified under the spine of the scapula (23.75%). Nutrient foramina were least present in the peri- glenoid area (15.28%). The Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) test showed homologous subsets between and within the different types of fossae. Conclusion: To maintain the health of the scapula, the nutrient artery must be preserved. Most scapulae had more than one nutrient foramina, located in specific areas on both the dorsal and costal surfaces of the shoulder blade. As a result, orthopaedic surgeons performing scapular surgery place great significance on their topographic understanding of the nutrient foramina. A knowledge of these variations aids surgeons in minimising blood loss during surgical implications around the pectoral girdle or scapular area in living patients.
Static Foot Pressure and Percentage Contact Area of the Foot as an Assessment Tool for the Success of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Agarwal Abhishek , Ahmad Sabeel , Saini Abhishek , Kumar Ashish , Pandit Pratyaksha
Published: November 2023

Introduction: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) plays a vital role in gait balancing and lower limb kinematics. Any injury to the ACL leads to gait imbalance and alterations in foot pressure distribution. The stability and biomechanics of the lower limb after ACL Reconstruction (ACLR) can be measured through foot pressure analysis, gait analysis, and percentage contact area of the foot, among others. Aim: To evaluate the static foot pressure and percentage contact area of the foot in ACL deficient group, comparing it with the ACLR group and the normal healthy individual group. Materials and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Sports Medicine, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India from March 10, 2021 to March 15, 2023. A total of 15 patients in each group (ACL injury, ACLR patients, and normal healthy individuals) were included in this study. Foot pressures (static) were recorded in all three groups using the BTS P-WALK system with BTS Biomedical software, which included high- density sensors and a plate size of 700 × 500 × 5 mm. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26.0. Chi-square and linear regression tests were used to analyse the differences between the groups. Results: In the intragroup analysis, ACL deficient patients’ ipsilateral limbs showed lower foot pressure in the mid-foot (7±3.4), hind-foot (40.33±10.08), and whole foot pressure (110.19±34.7 Pascal (N/M2)) (p-value>0.05) compared to normal healthy individuals (126.06±19.4 Pascal (N/M2) (p>0.05) and ACLR (125.06±14.3 Pascal (N/M2)) (p-value>0.05) groups, which suggested insignificant differences. The percentage contact area of the foot was significantly lower (43.15±3.4) (p-value<0.001) compared to normal healthy individuals (49.82±0.84) and ACLR (49.02±0.91) groups. However, in intergroup comparisons, the differences in mid-foot, whole foot pressure, and percentage contact area of the foot were significant (p-value <0.001) within the groups. Conclusion: Although there is a wide range of variation in the values of static foot pressure and percentage contact area of the foot in ACL deficient patients, after ACLR, these values become nearly similar to those of normal healthy individuals at around one year after ACLR.