bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kemudahan Mencari Referensi Dengan LMS UNIKOM
Authors: Amalina Nurriska
Published: September 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the education and work sectors, resulting in significant transformations. The prevalence of online learning and remote employment has necessitated adaptation within numerous institutions, including university libraries like the Unikom Library, to cater to the needs of their readers effectively. Initially, the Unikom Library encountered challenges due to its primary emphasis on printed books in its collection, with digital collections not yet receiving significant attention. This poses a challenge in delivering sufficient services. To address this issue, the Unikom Library implemented an innovative approach by incorporating electronic materials into the Learning Management System (LMS), namely Moodle, a platform for online education. This aims to comprehensively account for successfully integrating the Unikom Library e-resources program with the LMS, employing a unified access approach. Consequently, incorporating library materials into the LMS has demonstrated significant efficacy amidst the epidemic, as evidenced by increased user engagement. This observation indicates that the electronic resources accessible through the LMS at the Unikom Library have emerged as a viable and efficient option for readers seeking reference materials. The integration of electronic resources with the LMS has been beneficial for the Unikom Library, enabling it to maintain its relevance and effectively cater to the needs of its users among the challenges posed by the current circumstances. The statement above underscores the significance of adaptability and innovation as crucial factors in addressing the various issues encountered by educational institutions and libraries amidst the digital era and ongoing pandemic.
Our Community Manager Selected for AAAS Community Engagement Fellowship Program
Authors: Butland Stefanie
Published: September 2023

Next week I’ll be in Washington DC to meet my peers in research community management as part of the inaugural class of the AAAS Community Engagement Fellowship Program! The program, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has a mission to improve community building and collaboration in scientific organizations and research collaborations by providing a year of training and support to a cohort of scientific community managers.
Hasta la Vista, THOR Bootcamp
Authors: Chen Xiaoli
Published: September 2023

With local support from THOR ambassador Eva Mendez, the first edition of the THOR Bootcamp was successfully carried out in Madrid, at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid on November 16-18. The Bootcamp is part of THOR’s outreach effort to engage and train local scholarly communication communities to further adoption of PID services. The full set of slides used can be found on the THOR Knowledge Hub.
FedData - Getting assorted geospatial data into R
Authors: Bocinsky Kyle
Published: September 2023

The package FedData has gone through software review and is now part of rOpenSci. FedData includes functions to automate downloading geospatial data available from several federated data sources (mainly sources maintained by the US Federal government). Currently, the package enables extraction from six datasets:The National Elevation Dataset (NED) digital elevation models (1 and 1/3 arc-second;
PIDs in Poland: let’s link research!
Authors: Deane-Pratt Adèniké
Published: September 2023

The ongoing drive within the THOR project to identify and connect the research landscape reached Warsaw on Monday 24 April.
Release Note for the THOR Dashboard
Authors: Dasler Robin
Published: September 2023

Following the release of the THOR dashboard last year, conversations with internal users, stakeholders and even the project’s reviewers have highlighted additional data and features that might serve to make the dashboard more comprehensive for the wider PID community. At the same time, available resources have changed, and THOR’s own interests have evolved as the project has progressed.
Everybody talks about the weather
Authors: Sparks Adam
Published: September 2023

As a scientist who models plant diseases, I use a lot of weather data. Often this data is not available for areas of interest. Previously, I worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and often the countries I was working with did not have weather data available or I was working on a large area covering several countries and needed a single source of data to work from.
finch - parse Darwin Core files
Authors: Chamberlain Scott
Published: September 2023

finch has just been released to CRAN (binaries should be up soon). finch is a package to parse Darwin Core files. Darwin Core (DwC) is: GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) is the biggest holder of biodiversity data.
Unconf projects 5: mwparser, Gargle, arresteddev
Authors: Ram Karthik
Published: September 2023

And finally, we end our series of unconf project summaries (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4).mwparser

Summary:

Wikimarkup is the language used on Wikipedia and similar projects, and as such contains a lot of valuable data both for scientists studying collaborative systems and people studying things documented on or in Wikipedia.
How rOpenSci uses Code Review to Promote Reproducible Science
Authors: Ross Noam , Chamberlain Scott , Ram Karthik , Salmon Maëlle
Published: September 2023

At rOpenSci, we create and curate software to help scientists with the data life cycle. These tools access, download, manage, and archive scientific data in open, reproducible ways. Early on, we realized this could only be a community effort. The variety of scientific data and workflows could only be tackled by drawing on contributions of scientists with field-specific expertise. With the community approach came challenges.
Chat with the rOpenSci team at upcoming meetings
Authors: Butland Stefanie
Published: September 2023

You can find members of the rOpenSci team at various meetings and workshops around the world. Come say ‘hi’, learn about how our packages can enable your research, or about our onboarding process for contributing new packages, discuss software sustainability or tell us how we can help you do open and reproducible research.Where’s rOpenSci?
packagemetrics - Helping you choose a package since runconf17
Authors: Krouse Becca , Grand Erin , Frick Hannah , Shepherd Lori , Firke Sam , Ampeh William
Published: September 2023

Before everybody made their way to the unconf via LAX and Lyft, attendees discussed potential project ideas online. The

packagemetrics

package was our answer to two related issues. The first proposal centered on creating and formatting tables in a reproducible workflow.
Identifying Interpretation
Authors: Stocker Markus
Published: September 2023

Scientific research infrastructures collect large quantities of values. Values are typically numbers that result from observation, experiment, or computing activities. For instance, plant scientists collect values that result from observing fluxes of carbon dioxide on the leaf-atmosphere boundary; high-energy physicists collect values that result from observing collisions of atomic particles;
Enseigner, aider et partager. L'approche de ThinkR pour contribuer à la croissance d’une communauté R conviviale
Authors: Saibene Yanina Bellini , Rochette Sébastien , Bellini Alejandra , Casalla Lucio , LaZerte Steffi
Published: September 2023

Ceci est le deuxième article de notre série d’entretiens “Rencontre les stars de l’univers R”.Notre objectif est de présenter les groupes de travail et les personnes qui se cachent derrière le développement des logiciels et des paquets que nous utilisons et qui sont disponibles dans le R-univers.Nous voulons mettre en avant et explorer différentes équipes et projets du monde entier, le travail qu’ils font, leurs processus et les personnes qui
The Value of #Welcome
Authors: Butland Stefanie
Published: September 2023

In my training as a AAAS Community Engagement Fellow, I hear repeatedly about the value of extending a personal welcome to your community members. This seems intuitive, but recently I put this to the test. Let me tell you about my experience creating and maintaining a #welcome channel in a community Slack group.
Data validation with the assertr package
Authors: Fischetti Tony
Published: September 2023

Version 2.0 of my data set validation package assertr hit CRAN just this weekend. It has some pretty great improvements over version 1. For those new to the package, what follows is a short and new introduction. For those who are already using assertr, the text below will point out the improvements. I can (and have) go on and on about the treachery of messy/bad datasets.
Onboarding visdat, a tool for preliminary visualisation of whole dataframes
Authors: Tierney Nicholas
Published: September 2023

This is a phrase that comes up when you first get a dataset. It is also ambiguous. Does it mean to do some exploratory modelling? Or make some histograms, scatterplots, and boxplots? Is it both? Starting down either path, you often encounter the non-trivial growing pains of working with a new dataset.
Persistent Identifier Services for the Humanities
Authors: Hewlett Kirstie
Published: September 2023

Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are increasingly embedded in the services that researchers use every day, enabling unambiguous attribution of the full range of scholarly outputs. This makes it easier for data producers and researchers to get credit for their contributions; for data centres, universities and funders to track the impact of the research they facilitate; for publishers to incorporate data into scholarly writing;
.rprofile: David Smith
Authors: O'Briant Kelly
Published: September 2023

KO: What is your name, job title, and how long have you been using R? DS: My name is David Smith. I work at Microsoft and my self-imposed title is ‘R Community Lead’. I’ve been working with R specifically for about 10 years, but I’d been working with S since the early 90s. KO: How did you transition into using R? DS: I was using S for a long, long time, and I worked for the company that commercialized S, where I was a project manager for S-PLUS.
Highlights and Resources from Community Call v12: How do I create a code of conduct for my event/lab/codebase?
Authors: Butland Stefanie
Published: September 2023

Our Community Call on December 15th covered a big topic in tech communities: “How do I create a code of conduct for my event/lab/codebase?”. Here, we cover some of the key themes and considerations that arose from the discussion and point to curated resources and examples to follow when developing a code of conduct (CoC) for your community. Three guest speakers shared different perspectives.
Magick 1.0: 🎩 ✨🐇 Advanced Graphics and Image Processing in R
Authors: Ooms Jeroen
Published: September 2023

Last week, version 1.0 of the magick package appeared on CRAN: an ambitious effort to modernize and simplify high quality image processing in R. This R package builds upon the Magick++ STL which exposes a powerful C++ API to the famous ImageMagick library.
Interim business plan for sustaining the THOR federated PID infrastructure and services
Authors: Dasler Robin
Published: September 2023

THOR’s approach to sustainability relies on our partners taking on the THOR outputs as part of their regular business activities. This means that these outputs will need to be folded into their operations and will need to be sustained by their regular business models.
Putting PIDs to the test at Bootcamp Budapest
Authors: Chen Xiaoli
Published: September 2023

The third and final edition of the THOR Bootcamp will start in 3 weeks in the beautiful city Budapest. We gathered PID experts from THOR project partner organizations, Library and Information Centre of Hungarian Academy of Science, Centre for Social Sciences of Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the University of Debrecen, to bring a full agenda for our participants.
The rOpenSci Taxonomy Suite
Authors: Chamberlain Scott
Published: September 2023

What is Taxonomy? Taxonomy in its most general sense is the practice and science of classification. It can refer to many things. You may have heard or used the word

taxonomy

used to indicate any sort of classification of things, whether it be companies or widgets. Here, we’re talking about biological taxonomy, the science of defining and naming groups of biological organisms.
Taxonomies from a cognitive to a digital revolution, focusing on transferable skills
Authors: Zerényi Károly , Mátrai Zsuzsa
Published: September 2023

The taxonomies that contributed to the cognitive revolution are an important starting point for the interpretation of knowledge. The aim of this article is to analyses Bloom's and related taxonomies in terms of transferable skills from a cognitive to a digital revolution. Benjamin Bloom published his taxonomy in 1956, in which he developed the classification of cognitive objectives, among others. In Bloom's taxonomy, transferable skills appear only indirectly in relation to the application of knowledge in new situations. However, de Block has already considered transfer ability of knowledge an aspect of learning objectives. In the SOLO taxonomy, transfer is accomplished at the relational and extended abstraction levels, when critical thinking and the generalization of the structure are in focus. Later, in Bloom's revised taxonomy, the meanings of each development level were expanded, emphasizing problem-solving skills in higher-order thinking. In today's unfolding digital revolution, collaboration is crucially important, which appears in the digital age learning matrix and also in the digital taxonomy. Consequently, transferable skills as general skills that must be also important among the higher educational objectives that can increase employees' chances to get non-matching jobs compared to their special degrees.
The place of Information security in large organizations
Authors: Miletić Perica
Published: September 2023

The need to organize information security work in organizations is no longer a controversial concept, especially in the age of digitalization. How to organize these jobs, what place in the organization to determine, what are the previous experiences of applying certain models in practice, are issues that should be discussed and result in providing different opportunities for organizations to apply the model that suits them best at the same time. Set business goals, characteristics of the environment in which they operate, as well as the type of security threats they face, and the total resources at their disposal for this purpose.
Passivity of Kosovo's provisional institutions and the actions of the international community regarding attacks on Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage on KiM and the attempt to appropriate it
Authors: Milović Marko , Baltezarević Borivoje
Published: September 2023

For the past 20 or so years, we have witnessed continued attacks, in various forms, on Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. All competent authorities (‚domestic'' in the form of temporary Kosovo institutions and foreign ones - in the form of an international civilian and military mission) go through it, as if nothing is happening. These attacks by Albanians on all Serbian property (arson in monastery complexes, desecration and devastation, devastation of Orthodox graves, etc.) including sanctuaries, many of which date back to the Middle Ages, began in the second half of the 20th century. In fact, right after the end of World War II. For such actions, they had undoubted support and protection of the then Kosovo communists, but also the leadership of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, whose support and protection has been replaced in recent decades by the armed forces of the NATO Pact (which has a geostrategical interest in these areas). The paper looked at these numerous attacks, particularly on Serbian monasteries and lands, and at the same time the albanian side's unhidden intentions to rename the same Serbian cultural heritage, including those Serbian sanctuaries, as well as to declare the so-called "serbian cultural heritage". kosovo cultural heritage. It also pointed to the incomprehensible behaviour of the judicial institutions of the provisional Kosovo authorities, which is reflected in the failure to prosecute perpetrators whose attacks on church buildings have often been accompanied by the destruction or damage of these cultural goods over the years and are motivated by national - religious reasons or rather hate. In the current situation, both internationally and at KiM itself, it is not to be expected to take any more serious steps to bring these perpetrators to justice, encouraging them to continue such and similar activities, which does not induce hope for better days in these areas of both Serbian and non-Albanian life.
"Inculpable Ignorance" in war: Collateral damage and supreme emergency
Authors: Stanar Dragan
Published: September 2023

In this paper, author aims to determine the existence of the possibility of the inculpable ignorance argument even for acts of combatants in war, in specific contexts of collateral damage and supreme emergency. The argument of inculpable ignorance is extremely important in Just War Theory and international law as an argument which justifies participation of individuals in war, regardless of its moral and legal status. However, by analyzing the very argument of inculpable ignorance as well as the phenomena of collateral damage and supreme emergency in war, author demonstrates that inculpable ignorance can potentially exist in war itself, i.e., during acts done out of such ignorance in war. Process of utilitarian calculus of justness of collateral damage and the process of deliberation of fulfilment of conditions that constitute the situation of supreme emergence are out of combatants' reach, while their knowledge of correctness of decisions and orders derived from these processes is practically impossible. Accordingly, in these particular situations the argument of inculpable ignorance can be valid for acts which violate norms and rules of war, because the truth about the moral-legal status of these acts remains unknowable for combatants.
Procedure of registration in real estate cadaster
Authors: Živković Miloš , Dabić-Nikićević Snežana
Published: September 2023

Changing the system of registration from the Land Books to the Real Estate Cadaster had a profound influence to the procedural provisions, respectively the procedure of registration, because a shift was made from uncontentious court proceedings to special administrative proceedings. Apart from that, since the 2018 Law on Procedure of Registration in Real Estate and Lines Cadaster came into force, the principle of registration by official duty had been implemented, which was enabled by the use of information technologies in the registration procedure. The procedure of registration may be initiated either by official duty or by request of an interested party, which complicates the procedural provisions to a certain degree, because it requires the situation where the procedure of registration of the same right is initiated in both manners to be regulated. One of the characteristics of the registration procedure in the Real Estate Cadaster is a limited role of authority carrying out the procedure to check the substantive validity of documents sent for registration. e registration is made on the basis of the first instance decision. e appeal (second instance) procedure is always initiated upon request (no appeal by official duty), respectively by lodging an appeal, which is, as opposed to requests within the first instance procedure, can be submitted in paper form. Judicial control of the work of the registry is carried out by the Administrative Court, because an administrative action is allowed against a final (second instance) administrative decision of the registry.
Liberty, integrity and the law
Authors: Mitrović Dragan
Published: September 2023

Consideration of this theme needs a number of previous clarifications. First of all, are liberty as value and as virtue one and the same? Value is the belief that something is good because it is true, right, useful, desirable. There is a dark side though: "no value", which is undesirable or unacceptable. Therefore, the question of what value is cannot be answered with reliability, for it has to do with human judgment which is human's personal, i.e. subjective. In contrast to value, virtue denotes the recognized moral excellence of a person. The majority of intellectual people agree that virtue is the ability of the mind to act in compliance with the highest possible divine and human rules. That action rests on the possession of liberty and personal integrity. The other, the dark side of virtue is vice. Already from this distinction it ensues clearly that virtue is a narrower and more strictly determined kind of value, for not every value is a virtue. To be endowed with virtues means to be highly valued in a positive, not a negative, sense. Evil, too, is valuable, but it is not considered a desirable value, much less a virtue. The task of the law is to prevent the violation of human liberty and personal integrity.
Terrorist attacks on public transport
Authors: Petrović Marko
Published: September 2023

Public transport represents the first choice of a great part of global population when selecting a mode of travel, because it is, above all, economical. On the other hand, precisely due to its mass, this system is vulnerable. Data from 2017 show that the Moscow Metro is used by 6.9 million passengers a day, and the passenger flow in the morning is 6 passengers per second. It is not difficult for terrorists to remain unnoticed in this crowd. The events of previous decades show that public transport was a frequent choice when selecting the target of an attack, primarily because public transport is mass, relatively unsecured and easy for infiltration. In addition, such attacks are reported in the media. The paper considers the concept of terrorism and tactics used during attacks on public transport. Motives that inspire individuals to undertake such destructive actions are also discussed. With a theoretical emphasis on previous terrorist attacks, the objective of the paper is to provide guidelines that can mobilise all social factors in order to prevent such attacks in the future, primarily through the education of individuals.
Knowledge mapping of translanguaging in education: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
Authors: Liu Liu , Fang Fan
Published: September 2023

The study of translanguaging in education has drawn increasing attention from scholars, particularly in the past decade. The present research conducted a comprehensive scientometric analysis using the CiteSpace application to investigate the multifaceted phenomenon of translanguaging in the context of education. It addresses the pressing need for quantitative review efforts in the domain of translanguaging in education by employing visualization as an innovative means of presenting bibliometric data. This paper analyzes 680 relevant journal articles published between 2010 and 2022, identifies three phases in the development of translanguaging research, and highlights topics such as bilingual education, higher education, and language-in-education policy. The primary findings, presented through statistical analyses and succinct commentaries, are organized into four sections to address the research questions including 1) general situation, 2) leading geographical locations, 3) co-citation analysis, and 4) keywords co-occurrence analysis. The findings reveal the importance of exploiting students' linguistic repertoires and home languages in education to enhance learning and promote a sense of belonging. This review offers valuable resources for subsequent research in the domain of translanguaging in education that is founded on a better understanding of multilingualism and its significance in contemporary educational landscapes.
Teorías, métodos y conceptos para la historia del delito en Colombia (siglos XIX y XX)
Authors: Arias Carrera Sergio Daniel
Published: September 2023

El libro indaga críticamente los conceptos y las teorías de interpretación del delito,específicamente el homicidio durante el siglo XIX y XX. Aunque su objeto de estudio secentra en el contexto colombiano, argumenta que estuvo supeditado a escuelas y corrientesde pensamiento occidental. Por tal motivo, utiliza un corpus documental extenso, de ricasfuentes bibliográficas del Derecho, tales como manuales, tratados, tesis y lecciones sobrederecho penal en Europa. A su vez, hace uso de la historiografía que ha analizado la imputacióne inimputabilidad del delito en perspectiva histórica. Cabe señalar que ambos tipos de fuentescorresponden a la parte uno y dos, las cuales fueron divididas de esta manera por problemasepistemológicos del Derecho, que limitaron su relación con otras disciplinas.
Contribuciones nacionales e internacionales al dossier de la Revista Calarma, volumen 2, número 3, dedicado a los estudios feministas y de género
Authors: Angulo Rincón Lizandro
Published: September 2023

Esta edición cuenta con 10 artículos, de los cuales seis se refieren a los estudios feministas y de género, y cuatro a la sección general de la Revista Calarma. También se han incorporado dos reseñas de libros, una relacionada con el derecho y, otra, con las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación.
Exploring The Psychological Experiences Of Women With Infertility In Urban Ghana: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Sefogah Promise E. , Otchere Lucinda Naomi , Yarney Lily , Baku Anita A. , Adzei Francis A.
Published: September 2023

Objective: To explore experiences of women seeking treatment in Ashanti region of Ghana regarding infertility and its effect on daily living.
Methodology: A qualitative study utilizing content analysis approach. Purposive sampling of 18 women with infertility who sought infertility treatment as referral cases in Kumasi, Ashanti Region were selected for a semi-structured in-depth interview after giving informed consent.
Results: Four main themes emerged as participants’ perception of infertility and its consequences on their daily lives.  These include: “abuse”, “marital instability”, “social isolation”, and “loss of self-esteem.” The most predominant theme was “loss of self-esteem”. Infertility was found to inﬂuence both psychological and social well-being of affected women.
Conclusion: Infertility imposes significant impairment on the emotional, psychological and social well-being of women in Ghana. These include isolation, abuse, loss of self-esteem, and marital instability. What is already known? Infertility may impose psychological distress on affected couples. What did study add? This study reveals the extent to which infertility-related distress affects the daily living experience of women in Ghana, including physical abuse. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy? The severity of the psychological burden of infertility is worse on women and this could be mitigated if the associated high costs of infertility treatment are subsidized.
Fertility, hatchability and livability up to first laying age of Aseel and F1 of Hilly (Red Jungle × Hilly) chicken under intensive rearing system
Authors: Miazi Omar Faruk , Islam Khan Md Kabirul , Miah Gous , Hassan Mohammad Mahmudul , Rahman Kazi Mahbub Ur , Binta Manik Moyshumi , Ali Khan Shahneaz
Published: September 2023

A study was conducted between June 2008 and May 2009 on Aseel and F1 of Hilly chicken under intensive rearing system at Chattogram district of Bangladesh. Livability, fertility and hatchability are the key features to poultry breeders. Because poor fertility and low hatchability incur loss in breeding operations and less livability significantly impact net returns. Therefore, higher fertility and hatchability and lower mortality of birds should be of direct interest to the poultry breeders. Hence the aim of this study was to estimate fertility, hatchability and livability up to first laying age of Aseel and F1 of Hilly chicken. The Aseel and F1 of Hilly chickens were collected from the Sarail Upazila of Brahmanbaria district and hill tract regions of Bangladesh. After collection, the chickens were kept in breeding flock as male and female ratio 1:1. The egg was stored in room temperature and hatched by the electric incubator. Fertility of Aseel and F1 of Hilly chicks was found to be 95% and 75%, respectively. The hatchability of Aseel and F1 of Hilly chicken based on fertile eggs was detected 94.74% and 86.67% but in case of total eggs the hatchability of the two genotypes was 90% and 65%, respectively. Livability of Aseel and F1 of Hilly chicks up to first laying age was 88.89% and 46.15%, respectively. The first laying age of both Aseel and F1 of Hilly were 210 and 180 days, respectively. Based on fertility, hatchability and livability, Aseel chicken was better than F1 of Hilly chicken. So, the former breed is better for conservation issue than the later in the ex-situ conservation system.
Resignation of a Member of Parliament – The Disputed Essence of the 5th Paragraph of the 39th Article of the Constitution of Georgia and a Practice Leading to its Unconstitutional Interpretation
Authors: Elizbarashvili Saba
Published: September 2023

The Constitution of Georgia stipulates that the mandate of a member of the Parliament will be terminated before the expiration of the term if he/she submits a personal application for terminating his/her powers to Parliament. Based on this norm, in December 2020, 54 opposition MPs applied to the Parliament with the request to terminate their parliamentary powers. They initiated "boycotting" the Parliament of the tenth convocation and tried to express their political protest by refusing the authority of a member of the Parliament. In response to this, the Parliament of Georgia did not satisfy the request of 51 members of the Parliament to terminate their powers before the expiration of the term. This decision of the parliamentary majority is based on a new interpretation of the constitutional norm, which has become the subject of controversy.

 

This article discusses the controversial content of Article 39, Clause 5 of the Constitution of Georgia and presents an analysis of its interpretation. Based on the methods of interpretation of the norm, the shortcomings of the interpretation proposed by the Parliament have been checked and the corresponding shortcomings have been identified. In the context of the decision made by the Parliament, a discussion is presented on the relationship between the interpretation and construction of the constitutional norm. In addition, the article discusses the relationship between the termination of the powers of the member of the parliament and the free mandate of the decision-making deputies
Digital Technology Innovation in Improving Financial Access for Low-Income Communities
Authors: Wanof M. Indre
Published: September 2023

Access to finance is one of the key factors in building an inclusive and sustainable economy. Low-income communities often experience difficulties in accessing adequate financial services, such as savings, credit and insurance. This research aims to investigate how digital technology innovation has contributed to improving financial access for low-income people. This research is a literature analysis that utilises a qualitative approach. This approach involves analysing and interpreting data based on information and text taken from various sources. The study results show that digital technology innovation has opened up great opportunities in improving financial access for low-income people. Digital banking services, e-payments and alternative funding models have helped overcome traditional barriers, such as geographical distance and administrative costs, which often hinder access to financial services.
Knowledge, practices, and training outcomes regarding antimicrobial stewardship among Patent Medicine Vendors in Abia State-Nigeria
Authors: Eguzo K  , Onodugo C  , Akpanudo U  , Egharevba P  , Onwueyi N  , Oluoha C  , Ndukwe P  , Nnah K  , Nwokocha O
Published: September 2023

Background: Patent medicine vendors (PMVs) have become a major source of medicines in Nigeria, especially for acute conditions. Although they are prohibited from selling antibiotics, PMVs stock, and dispense antibiotics in communities. They are often the closest source of these medications to the populace. A basic knowledge of proper antimicrobial use is required for safe practice with them.Objective: To explore the antimicrobial related knowledge and practices of patent medicine vendors in Abia State.Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, before-and-after study of patent medicine dealers across different parts of Abia State. The design was chosen to provide an overview of the antibiotics-related knowledge as well as impact of a continuing education intervention. Data collection involved surveys that were combined with quizzes and deployed during workshops. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, chi-square test and ANOVA.Results: A total of 133 individuals participated in the workshops. Their highest levels of education were secondary school (n=99), tertiary healthcare (n=26) and tertiary non-healthcare (n=8). Participants’ average age was 47.51 (±11.82) years with about 17.82 (±11.02) years in practice. Metronidazole was the most used antibiotics for diarrhoeal disease (52.1%) while Ceftriaxone or Cephalexin were the most used for urinary tract infection (23.1%). The average pretest score was 59.38% (±21.02%) and the average post-test score was 85.00% (±17.17%), p<0.001. Most participants expressed interest in taking further training as pharmacy technicians (91%, 121/133).Conclusion: Study demonstrated that 90% (121/133) of PMVs had a desire to pursue formal training as pharmacy technicians. There was significant improvement in their knowledge about antibiotics stewardship following the intervention. There need to increase the number of training institutions for pharmacy technicians in Abia State.
Management of orofacial arrow injuries at Nigerian tertiary health care hospital: A report of 30 cases
Authors: Owobu T  , Omeje UK  , Agbebi SE  , Umar AA  , Tochukwu OB  , Bardi M  , Azah OO
Published: September 2023

Background: Arrow injuries are still common presentations at various medical facilities across the Northern region of Nigeria.Objective: This study evaluated various degree of orofacial arrow injuries presented and managed at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, North eastern Nigeria.Methods: A retrospective analysis of thirty patients with orofacial arrow injuries who presented and were managed over a period of four years was carried out. The information collated included patients’ personal profile, circumstances of injury, presentation, treatment and complications. The data analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 20.0.Results: Thirty cases of orofacial arrow injuries in patients whose ages ranged from 10 to 70 years were evaluated and managed. The mean age of the patients was 50.70 years. All patients were males, mostly farmers and herders, and are rural dwellers. The arrows were shot following misunderstanding between these herders and farmers Among the age groups recorded, the highest frequency was found between the ages of 41-50 years. Out of the 30 patients, 8(26.67%) had arrow injuries outside the orofacial region. 23 patients had arrow in-situ on presentation and the others had a part of their arrows extracted mostly by themselves prior to presentation. Conclusion: Orofacial arrow injuries has become a common finding at primary and secondary health care centers and hospitals in the North eastern region of Nigeria. In this study, we evaluated 30 cases with various degree of orofacial arrow injuries presented and managed at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, North eastern Nigeria.
Myofibroblastoma of the breast: A case report and literature review
Authors: Tanimowo MO  , Kudamnya IJ  , Etuk EB
Published: September 2023

Myofibroblastoma (MFB) of the breast is a rare benign mesenchymal tumour that can show morphological heterogeneity and occur in both sexes over a wide age range. It may present a diagnostic dilemma on radiology and cytomorphology where it can be confused with other benign and malignant breast lesions. Histology and immunohistochemistry are required to make accurate diagnosis of MFB. Surgical excision with long-term follow up is recommended as is being done for index patient. We present a case of MFB of the breast in a 48-year-old woman with a literature review.
Abdominal pain in the female patient: A case of concurrent acute appendicitis and infected ovarian cyst
Authors: Adamu KM  , Abdullahi HM
Published: September 2023

Background: Abdominal pain is a common presentation in women of child bearing age. It has a broad diagnosis that includes disorders of the gastrointestinal, gynaecological, vascular, urogenital, and pulmonary systems. It may be caused by infections, inflammatory, anatomic or neoplastic processes. Its management varies by aetiology, and accurate diagnosis is key to avoiding inappropriate treatment. In some rare instances, acute appendicitis has been shown to occur simultaneously with a variety of gynaecologic diseases, which can add to the diagnostic dilemma.

Method: We report a case of concurrent acute appendicitis and infected ovarian cyst in a 49 year old P6+4A6 who presented with recurrent abdominal pain for 4 years duration.Result: She had oophorectomy and appendicectomy. She did well post operatively and was discharged to outpatient department after stitches removal.

Conclusion: Abdominal pain, being from various aetiology in women of child bearing age, detail history, thorough physical examination, and necessary imaging investigations need to be done to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
Psychosocially-Assisted Pharmacological Treatment of Opioid Dependent Adults: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wayah SB  , Waziri PM  , Onyebuchi CM  , Yahaya G  , Chindo BA
Published: September 2023

Background: Opioid dependence is a conundrum that significantly contributes to global mortality, crimes, and transmission of diseases such as hepatitis (B and C), human immunodeficiency virus and perhaps, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There are contradictory findings on the efficacy of psychosocially-assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence in adults.Objective: The overall objective of this research is to investigate if psychosocially-assisted pharmacological therapy has significantly better effect than pharmacological therapy with regards treatment outcomes of opioid dependent adults.Methods: All methods employed in this study are in conformity with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) framework for systematic review which involve identification, screening, eligibility and inclusion. This systematic review involved PubMed literature search on randomized controlled trials published between 1st January 2015 to 1st October 2021. Results: PubMed search yielded 5,216 articles which were screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria resulting in 19 articled being retained for data extraction. Of the 19 articles used in this study, 13 (68.4%) articles having a combined sample size of 1,928 (60.6%) showed that addition of psychosocial intervention to pharmacotherapy significantly improved abstinence from opioid abuse.Conclusion: The outcome of evaluation of the overall evidences presented in the 19 articles used in this study is that psychosocially-assisted pharmacological therapy is significantly better than pharmacological treatment with respect to enhancement of abstinence from opioid abuse among opioid-dependent adults. Additionally, this study has provided specific combinations of psychosocial and pharmacological treatment that can produce significant beneficial effect on opioid abstinence. The huge downturn in randomized controlled trials on treatment of opioid dependence among adults has been highlighted in this study.
Systematic Review of Work-life Balance among Early Career Doctors
Authors: Soneye OY  , Ogundipe HD  , Ayowole D  , Umar SS  , Osasona EO  , Adebayo O  , Enebeli UU  , Ishaya DG  , Isma’il SA  , Kabir MS
Published: September 2023

Background: Early Career Doctors (ECDs) are medical doctors who are in their internship, postgraduate specialist training and medical/dental officers below the rank of principal medical/dental officers. The long hours of work, staff-shortage and various expectations at this formative stage expose ECDs to potential negative outcomes including poor work-life balance.

Methods: This systematic review included all available original articles on the work-life balance among ECDs world-wide between 2006 and 2020. PubMED, Google Scholar and African Journals Online (AJOL) databases were searched, and the review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Results: The literature search yielded 145 articles, and after screening 33 articles were included in this review. Twenty (87.9%) of the studies were cross sectional studies, 5 (15.2%) were prospective cohort studies and 1 (3%) was an interventional study, sample size ranged from 21 to 4,581 ECDs with a mean age range 24-35±7yrs. Positive work-life balance was reported among ECDs in 4.7% Karachi, 21% Ireland, 23% USA, 27% Australia; major determining factors include work-load and burn-out, female gender, specialty and location of practice, flexibility of work schedule; and the impacts are burn-out and reduced career satisfaction.

Interpretation: Work-life balance among ECDs is poor worldwide, and is worse amongst the more junior cadre and female gender. It is recommended that reduction in work hours, improved wages, social and organizational support could improve the quality of work-life balance among ECDs.
Dental caries; its sequelae and treatment among patients in a tertiary hospital in north–western Nigeria: A retrospective study
Authors: Bala M  , Edeji CB  , Braimah RO  , Jaafaru R  , Abubakar MK  , Taiwo AO  , Bawa AT
Published: September 2023

Background: Dental caries has been the most prevalent dental disease that affect human dentition. Lack of early visitation to the dentist and, awareness could lead to tooth mortality. This study aims to describe the pattern of dental caries, sequelae and, treatment among patients attending the dental clinic of Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital Gusau (YBSH).

Materials and method: This is a 4year retrospective study conducted at YBSH Gusau. After obtaining ethical approval from the Hospital’s Research and Ethics committee, patients’ case notes from 18 years who were treated for dental caries and sequelae were retrieved. Demographic variables, presenting complaints, the number of carious teeth, frequency of teeth brushing, history of dental visitation, diagnosis and, the treatment offered were also recorded. Data recorded were analyzed using SPSS version 25.

Result: There were 100 (40.3%) males and 148 (59.7%) females in the age range of 18 –78 years with a mean±SD of 36.4±12.3years. Toothache in 159 (64.1%) was the main presenting complaint and, 168 (67.7%) of the study population visited a dentist for the first time. The majority 212 (85.5%) of the patients brush their teeth once daily. Permanent mandibular first molar 103 (41.5%) was the highest tooth affected by caries and apical periodontitis 66 (26.6%) constitute the majority of diagnoses. Dental extraction 171 (69.0) was the most treatment done.

Conclusion: Dental caries is a major public health problem that could lead to sequelae with life threatening consequences. Majority of those affected had not visited dentist before and could only afford tooth extraction as their preferred treatment option. Poor access to dental facilities and lack of awareness could have been the barrier to early presentation.
Psychological stress among Nigerian undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ubani BC  , Akpabio AA  , Akpanekpo EI  , Umoh VA  , Dike FO  , Effiong JH
Published: September 2023

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic has been linked with a high level of psychological stress from the associated lockdown policy by the government. University students are amongst the high-risk groups for developing COVID-19 related stress due to several factors. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological stress among Nigerian undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic lock down and assess predictors of moderate and high psychological stress.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional sample of 471 undergraduate students in Nigerian universities (aged 18 – 42) was utilized to determine the prevalence of psychological stress and assess predictors of moderate and high stress using self-report measures of socio-demographic information, health status, sleep quality and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale.

Results: The median age (years) of participants was 21 (IQR: 19, 23), consisting of 41.4% males and 58.5% females. The prevalence of low, moderate, and high psychological stress was 13.6%, 62.0% and 24.4% respectively. A reduced risk of moderate and high stress was significantly associated with good/excellent health status and good/excellent sleep quality (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The Covid-19 pandemic is associated with significant levels of stress among Nigerian students. Government policy to combat the pandemic should be formulated in the background of its potential impact on mental health of vulnerable demographics.
Congenital pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle co-existing with tetralogy of Fallot: Another variant of the Holt-Oram syndrome?
Authors: Essien UE  , Dim EM  , Nottidge TE  , Ubaha AG  , Inyang UC
Published: September 2023

Congenital pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle is a rare condition characterized by a defect in the clavicle. Upper limb anomalies have been documented to occur in association with congenital heart malformations. However, there is no documented report of congenital heart malformation associated with congenital pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle.

Methods: We present a 9yr old boy with left clavicular pseudoarthrosis coexisting with tetralogy of Fallot.
An Examination of Government Policies for E-Learning in New Zealand’s Secondary Schools
Authors: Powell Allison , Barbour Michael
Published: September 2023

In 2006 the North American Council for Online Learning surveyed the activity and policy relating to primary and secondary e-learning, which they defined as online learning, in a selection of countries. They found most were embracing e-learning delivery of education as a central strategy for enabling reform, modernising schools, and increasing access to high-quality education. While North American countries appeared to be using the internet as a medium to provide distance education at the secondary level longer than most countries, the lack of a guiding vision has created uneven opportunities for students depending on which state or province they live in. In New Zealand, the government has sought to provide a vision or guiding framework for the development of e-learning. In this article we trace that vision by describing three policy documents released by the New Zealand government over the past decade, and how that vision for e-learning has allowed increased development of primary and secondary online learning.
Being together - factors that unintentionally undermine motivation
Authors: Hartnett Maggie , St. George Alison , Dron Jon
Published: September 2023

This paper reports on one aspect of a larger case study that explores the nature of motivation to learn in an online distance environment. The study adopts self-determination theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework and focuses particularly on the underlying concepts of autonomy and competence. These are used to investigate ways in which certain situational factors, that fail to accommodate the specific autonomy and competence needs of co-located learners, can undermine perceptions of personal agency and efficacy. This, in turn, has a detrimental effect on self-determined types of motivation including intrinsic motivation. Results from one collaborative group of learners, situated in a co-located blended learning context, are presented here. They suggest that the differing circumstances of students need to be accommodated to foster autonomous types of motivation among learners.