bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community perception of school-based mass drug administration program for soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosomiasis in Ogun State, Nigeria
Authors: Akinsolu Folahanmi T. , Abodunrin Olunike R. , Olagunju Mobolaji T. , Adewole Ifeoluwa E. , Rahman Nurudeen O. , Dabar Anita M. , Njuguna Diana W. , Soneye Islamiat Y. , Salako Abideen O. , Ezechi Oliver C. , Varga Orsolya E. , Akinwale Olaoluwa P.
Published: July 2023

Background

Neglected tropical diseases, such as soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosomiasis, are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ogun State, Nigeria. School-based mass drug administration program is the primary control intervention, but the coverage and uptake of this intervention have been inadequate. This study aimed to investigate community perceptions of school-based mass drug administration programs for these infections in Ogun State, Nigeria, and identify the barriers to their uptake and coverage.

Methodology/Principal findings

The study used a qualitative research approach involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with community members and stakeholders engaged in neglected tropical disease control programs in Ogun State, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire guided the exploration of ideas, and the data were analyzed using the QRS Nvivo 12 software package. The study found several barriers, such as the influence of parents, lack of sufficient knowledge, and side effects. The study recommended strategies such as improving community sensitization and engagement, drug distribution and performance, and enhancing partner collaboration and coordination to improve the school-based mass drug administration programs.

Conclusions/Significance

The study revealed correct perceptions of transmission but some misconceptions about disease causation, transmission, and drug safety. Participants expressed a desire for better sensitization campaigns and more assurances of their safety. The study recommends strengthening health education messages and increasing the visibility of on-site medical personnel. The findings have implications for improving the performance of these programs and reducing the burden of intestinal parasitic infections in the community. The study highlights the need for community engagement and education, health system support, and partner collaboration to successfully implement mass drug administration programs.
Research on the influencing factors and improvement paths of digital trade development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt——Based on entropy-weighting TOPSIS and fsQCA method
Authors: Hu Xiaomei , Liu Fan
Published: July 2023

While China’s digital trade is developing rapidly, it is facing the problem of uncoordinated and uneven regional development. In order to explore countermeasures to bridge the differences in regional digital trade, this paper first measures the development level of digital trade in 11 provinces of the Yangtze River Economic Belt through entropy-weighting TOPSIS. Secondly, the fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis method was used to analyze the influencing factors and improvement paths of digital trade development in various provinces of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The research results show that: first, the current development level of digital trade is gradually weakening from east to west, especially the development of digital trade in the Yangtze River Delta region is the best, showing a large regional imbalance and uncoordinated development. What’s more, the market size and urbanization have the most significant impact on the development of digital trade. Finally, we examine the reliability of the results by sensitivity analysis, and find that our ranking results are robust. In the future, China should continue to actively promote the coordinated development strategy of regional economy and participate in international digital trade exchanges and cooperation, so as to promote the coordinated and high-quality development of digital trade.
The morality and tax avoidance: A sentiment and position taking analysis
Authors: Lokanan Mark
Published: July 2023

This paper examines the moral and legal underpinnings of corporate tax avoidance. Cast in terms of a totemic symbol that brand tax avoidance as within the purview of the law, the paper invokes the attributional frames of the new sociology of morality to examine the position of both the moral advocates and the amoral critics of aggressive tax avoidance. The paper uses the United Kingdom as a jurisdiction where complex tax planning by tax advisors serves as a measure of protection for corporations who may have already conceived that they are paying too much tax. Data for the paper came from semi-structured interviews conducted with tax accountants, consultants, parliamentarians, and government officials. To supplement the interviews, data from the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards were collected and analyzed to provide useful insights. The findings reveal that through effective tax planning, companies can reduce the present values of future tax payments. Given the singular justification of their actions within the contours of the tax rules, the moral culpability of organized tax avoidance is minimized, with very little liability attached. Tax avoidance is a morally charged area that is slowly drifting away from conventional social norms of what is right or wrong. It is hard not to see those in charge of tax regulation not using the findings of this paper to provide a more nuanced understanding of the intractable problems associated with corporate tax avoidance and use it as a reference point for regulatory reforms.
Genotype profiles of high-risk human papillomavirus in women of reproductive age: A community-based study
Authors: Wulandari Dewi , Meidyandra Reiva Wisdharilla , Andrijono
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This research is a preliminary study to observe the high-risk HPV infection profile among asymptomatic women, as a basis for developing Indonesian-specific reagents and implementing a national vaccination program.

Methods

The research subjects were female employees/families of BUMN (state-owned enterprises) who underwent annual routine medical check-up. The research sample was a cervical swab which was examined using the Cobas® 6800 platform for HPV identification and INNO Lipa (Fujirebio) kit for identification of the genotype.

Results

Out of 858 cervical swab samples collected in this study, 31 samples were excluded as they had invalid results from the initial examination, so the remaining 827 samples continued this study protocol. Of those samples, 69 (8%) samples gave positive results, giving an overall HPV prevalence of 8%. Among HPV-positive samples, HPV 52 was the most common genotype (N = 15, 21.7%) found as both single-infection and multiple infections. The median age of subjects was 38 years. There were nine samples (13%) with multiple infections of two or more genotypes and seven samples (10.1%) with no specific genotype identified.

Conclusion

HPV prevalence was 8%, with HPV 52 being the most common high-risk type, making it a necessity to develop a diagnostic kit and vaccine for national vaccination program that is specific for Indonesian population which includes this genotype.
Seroprevalence of non-typhoidal Salmonella disease and associated factors in children in Mukuru settlement in Nairobi County, Kenya
Authors: Peter Schola K. , Mutiso Joshua M. , Ngetich Mercy , Mbae Cecilia , Kariuki Samuel
Published: July 2023

Non-typhoidalSalmonella(NTS) infections remain a significant public health challenge especially in sub-Saharan Africa. NTS disease is endemic in Kenya and is associated with sporadic fatal outbreaks in several regions of the country with poor resource setting. Data is limited on background exposure of NTS in the population in endemic areas and the general immune status of the community most affected by NTS. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of children exposed toSalmonellaEnteritidis orSalmonellaTyphimurium O antigen among the apparently healthy children and patients and the associated host and environmental factors among children attending selected healthcare facilities in Mukuru, Nairobi County, Kenya. A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted among patients and apparently healthy participants aged 0–5 years. Blood was collected and centrifuged to obtain serum. The serum was used to test for the presence of antibodies (IgA, IgG, IgM) against NTS using ELISA. A questionnaire was administered to obtain relevant demographic, socio-economic and healthcare utilization information. A total of 382 children were recruited into the study. The NTS seroprevalence was 12.6%. Among the apparently healthy participants, mean age of those exposed to NTS was 36 months and those not exposed was 27 months. Among patients, the mean age was 39 months and those not exposed was 30 months. The seroprevalence of NTS infection among the apparently healthy was significantly associated with cooking water, washing water and age of the child. Treating water using chlorine or boiling method was identified as being protective against contractingSalmonellaTyphimurium/Enteritidis. Among the patients, the proportion of exposure was significantly associated with keeping animals and the chicken count. There is a high exposure to NTS among young children below five years of age and the population has developed immunity to the disease.
Development and validation of a scoring system to predict mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study in two large hospitals in Ecuador
Authors: Dueñas-Espín Iván , Echeverría-Mora María , Montenegro-Fárez Camila , Baldeón Manuel , Chantong Villacres Luis , Espejo Cárdenas Hugo , Fornasini Marco , Ochoa Andrade Miguel , Solís Carlos
Published: July 2023

Objective

To develop and validate a scoring system to predict mortality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study. We analyzed 5,062 analyzed hospitalized patients with COVID-19 treated at two hospitals; one each in Quito and Guayaquil, from February to July 2020. We assessed predictors of mortality using survival analyses and Cox models. We randomly divided the database into two sets: (i) the derivation cohort (n = 2497) to identify predictors of mortality, and (ii) the validation cohort (n = 2565) to test the discriminative ability of a scoring system. After multivariate analyses, we used the final model’s β-coefficients to build the score. Statistical analyses involved the development of a Cox proportional hazards regression model, assessment of goodness of fit, discrimination, and calibration.

Results

There was a higher mortality risk for these factors: male sex [(hazard ratio (HR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.03–1.69], per each increase in a quartile of ages (HR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24–1.67) considering the younger group (17–44 years old) as the reference, presence of hypoxemia (HR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.01–1.95), hypoglycemia and hospital hyperglycemia (HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.01–3.91, and HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.99–1.62, respectively) when compared with normoglycemia, an AST–ALT ratio >1 (HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.25–1.92), C-reactive protein level (CRP) of >10 mg/dL (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.07–2.08), arterial pH <7.35 (HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.08–1.80) when compared with normal pH (7.35–7.45), and a white blood cell count >10 × 103 per μL (HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.35–2.29). We found a strong discriminative ability in the proposed score in the validation cohort [AUC of 0.876 (95% CI: 0.822–0.930)], moreover, a cutoff score ≥39 points demonstrates superior performance with a sensitivity of 93.10%, a specificity of 70.28%, and a correct classification rate of 72.66%. The LR+ (3.1328) and LR- (0.0981) values further support its efficacy in identifying high-risk patients.

Conclusion

Male sex, increasing age, hypoxemia, hypoglycemia or hospital hyperglycemia, AST–ALT ratio >1, elevated CRP, altered arterial pH, and leucocytosis were factors significantly associated with higher mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. A statistically significant Cox regression model with strong discriminatory power and good calibration was developed to predict mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, highlighting its potential clinical utility.
Ever-never heard of ‘Malaysian Healthy Plate’: How many people know and practice this healthy eating concept?
Authors: A. Mohamad Hasnan , C. A. R. Norsyamlina , S. M. Cheong , S. Ruhaya , P. Munawara , R. H. Wan Shakira , S. G. Shubash , A. Khairul Hasnan , A. Noor Ani
Published: July 2023

Introduction

The current and simpler healthy eating concept ‘Malaysian Healthy Plate’, was introduced in 2016. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ever-never heard, understanding, and practice of this concept and also the associated factors to never-heard of Malaysian Health Plate after three years of the implementation.

Methodology

This study utilized the data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, a cross-sectional survey that applied two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Questionnaires pertained to ever heard, knowledge, and practised of Malaysian Healthy Plate were asked along with another questionnaire. Complex sample analysis was applied to fit with the study design.

Results

Estimated 16.9 million (79.6%) adults in Malaysia were never heard of the Malaysian Healthy Plate Concept in 2019. Never heard of this concept was significantly associated with sex (men, aOR 0.265), ethnicity (other ethnicities, aOR 1.79), an education level (no education, aOR 9.59; primary, aOR 3.50; secondary, aOR 1.70), occupation (private, aOR 2.16; self-employed, aOR 2.31; retirees, aOR 1.69; student, aOR 2.31; unpaid workers, aOA 2.35; not working, aOR 2.86), non-diabetes aOR 1.43, and low fruit and vegetable intake person aOR 1.86. Meanwhile, another 20.4% or an estimated 4.3 million adults who were ever heard of Malaysian Healthy Plate. Among those who are ever heard, 80.8% (3.5 million) correctly interpreted or understood the concept and among those who ever heard and understood the concept, only 70.5% (2.5 million) have been practising it daily or occasionally.

Conclusions

Four-fifth of adults never heard of the ‘Malaysian Healthy Plate’ and among those who ever heard, the understanding and practising of the concept were probably unsatisfactory. Multisectoral collaboration is an urge to fasten the promotion to spark awareness and educate the public to practice the concept to promote healthy eating and a healthier nation.
Family and personal history of cancer in the All of Us research program for precision medicine
Authors: Keeler Bruce Lauryn , Paul Paulina , Kim Katherine K. , Kim Jihoon , Keegan Theresa H. M. , Hiatt Robert A. , Ohno-Machado Lucila ,   On behalf of the All of Us Research Program Investigators
Published: July 2023

The All of Us (AoU) Research Program is making available one of the largest and most diverse collections of health data in the US to researchers. Using the All of Us database, we evaluated family and personal histories of five common types of cancer in 89,453 individuals, comparing these data to 24,305 participants from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Comparing datasets, we found similar family cancer history (33%) rates, but higher personal cancer history in the AoU dataset (9.2% in AoU vs. 5.11% in NHIS), Methodological (e.g. survey-versus telephone-based data collection) and demographic variability may explain these between-data differences, but more research is needed.
High wax ester and triacylglycerol biosynthesis potential in coastal sediments of Antarctic and Subantarctic environments
Authors: Galván Virginia , Pascutti Federico , Sandoval Natalia E. , Lanfranconi Mariana P. , Lozada Mariana , Arabolaza Ana L. , Mac Cormack Walter P. , Alvarez Héctor M. , Gramajo Hugo C. , Dionisi Hebe M.
Published: July 2023

The wax ester (WE) and triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthetic potential of marine microorganisms is poorly understood at the microbial community level. The goal of this work was to uncover the prevalence and diversity of bacteria with the potential to synthesize these neutral lipids in coastal sediments of two high latitude environments, and to characterize the gene clusters related to this process. Homolog sequences of the key enzyme, the wax ester synthase/acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WS/DGAT) were retrieved from 13 metagenomes, including subtidal and intertidal sediments of a Subantarctic environment (Ushuaia Bay, Argentina), and subtidal sediments of an Antarctic environment (Potter Cove, Antarctica). The abundance of WS/DGAT homolog sequences in the sediment metagenomes was 1.23 ± 0.42 times the abundance of 12 single-copy genes encoding ribosomal proteins, higher than in seawater (0.13 ± 0.31 times in 338 metagenomes). Homolog sequences were highly diverse, and were assigned to the Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota and Acidobacteriota phyla. The genomic context of WS/DGAT homologs included sequences related to WE and TAG biosynthesis pathways, as well as to other related pathways such as fatty-acid metabolism, suggesting carbon recycling might drive the flux to neutral lipid synthesis. These results indicate the presence of abundant and taxonomically diverse bacterial populations with the potential to synthesize lipid storage compounds in marine sediments, relating this metabolic process to bacterial survival.
The advanced concepts for septal l-strut re-designing in septorhinoplasty for better strength and stability by considering of center of gravity
Authors: Wongchadakul Patcharaporn , Lohasammakul Suphalerk , Rattanadecho Phadungsak , Chu-Ongsakul Sorawuth
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study contributes to the multidisciplinary understanding of septal L-strut reshaping and introduces innovative surgical design concepts based on engineering principles of static equilibrium. The objective is to enhance structural strength and stability, ultimately leading to improved surgical outcomes.

Method

Finite element analysis is employed to model the three-dimensional septal cartilage in septoplasty. A significant contribution of this work is the introduction of an innovative redesigns for the septal L-strut structure. These redesigns represent the first-ever attempt to incorporate the center of gravity theory into the modeling of the septal L-strut.

Results

Our findings emphasize the significance of attaining a lower center of gravity in the design of the septal L-strut, as it contributes to optimal core strength and stability. To achieve this, we recommend widening the caudal septum and shaping the interior fillet corner to its maximum size, taking into account its specific shape. Notably, the utilization of a standard 20x20 mm septal L-strut, the C-shaped technique, and the septal support graft technique provide superior strength due to enhanced basement support.

Conclusion

To enhance surgical outcomes in septal L-strut procedures, design modifications are proposed to improve strength and stability, resulting in optimized performance. Recommendations include widening the caudal septum and incorporating fillet shapes in the geometry to lower the center of gravity.
Sex difference in driving speed management: The mediation effect of impulse control
Authors: Pan Chunyang , Ma Jinfei , Li Ye , Lu Yang , Shan Lixin , Chang Ruosong
Published: July 2023

Previous studies have shown that male drivers drive faster than female drivers, but there is no agreement on whether impulsivity could induce this sex difference, nor is there a cross-sectional comparison of the effects of different road environments. The purpose of this study was to verify whether impulsivity and impulse control could explain the sex differences in driving speed. A driving simulator study (study 1, N = 41) was performed to investigate whether there were sex differences in driving speeds in two road sections of different complexity, and a questionnaire survey (study 2, N = 163) was conducted to investigate the relationship between sex, impulsivity, impulse control and driving behavior of the participants. The results showed that male drivers drove faster on simple roads, but this difference did not show on complex roads. There were no sex differences in impulsivity traits, but male participants had significant lower levels of impulse control. The results also reveal a partial mediating role of impulse control in the relationship between sex and driving speed. These results suggest that impulse control can predict dangerous driving behaviors and is an important factor in explaining sex differences in driving speed.
Cardiovascular burden and unemployment: A retrospective study in a large population-based French cohort
Authors: Sanchez Rico Marina , Plessz Marie , Airagnes Guillaume , Ribet Céline , Hoertel Nicolas , Goldberg Marcel , Zins Marie , Meneton Pierre
Published: July 2023

The specific effect of unemployment on cardiovascular health relatively to the effects of social position and work environment is still unclear. To clarify this effect, the associations between current or past unemployment and the prevalence of common cardiovascular risk factor and events were tested using multiple logistic regression models with adjustment for both social position and prior work environment. The analyses were performed in a population-based French cohort (CONSTANCES) that included 131,186 adults enrolled between 2012 and 2021. Participants who were unemployed at inclusion (n = 8278) were overexposed to non-moderate alcohol consumption, smoking, leisure-time physical inactivity and depression (odds ratios (ORs) from 1.19 to 1.58) whereas those who have been unemployed at least once in the past (n = 19,015) were additionally overexposed not only to the previous risk factors but also to obesity, diabetes and sleep disorders (ORs from 1.10 to 1.35). These latter were also more exposed to non-fatal myocardial infarction and peripheral arterial disease (ORs of 1.44 and 1.47 respectively), overexposures that persisted after further adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (ORs of 1.36 and 1.33). The overexposures to risk factors and cardiovascular events were both dependent on the duration of past unemployment. They were equally observed in participants with low social position or bad work environment. These results suggest that unemployment increases cardiovascular risk independently from social position and work environment with a cumulative effect over time. The effect of unemployment could add up to those of low social position and bad work environment during lifetime to further increase cardiovascular risk. They also suggest that long-term unemployment increases the prevalence of cardiovascular events through pathways including but not limited to overexposure to common risk factors.
The mitophagy receptor NIX induces vIRF-1 oligomerization and interaction with GABARAPL1 for the promotion of HHV-8 reactivation-induced mitophagy
Authors: Vo Mai Tram , Choi Chang-Yong , Choi Young Bong
Published: July 2023

Recently, viruses have been shown to regulate selective autophagy for productive infections. For instance, human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), activates selective autophagy of mitochondria, termed mitophagy, thereby inhibiting antiviral innate immune responses during lytic infection in host cells. We previously demonstrated that HHV-8 viral interferon regulatory factor 1 (vIRF-1) plays a crucial role in lytic replication-activated mitophagy by interacting with cellular mitophagic proteins, including NIX and TUFM. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which these interactions lead to mitophagy activation remain to be determined. Here, we show that vIRF-1 binds directly to mammalian autophagy-related gene 8 (ATG8) proteins, preferentially GABARAPL1 in infected cells, in an LC3-interacting region (LIR)-independent manner. Accordingly, we identified key residues in vIRF-1 and GABARAPL1 required for mutual interaction and demonstrated that the interaction is essential for mitophagy activation and HHV-8 productive replication. Interestingly, the mitophagy receptor NIX promotes vIRF-1-GABARAPL1 interaction, and NIX/vIRF-1-induced mitophagy is significantly inhibited in GABARAPL1-deficient cells. Moreover, a vIRF-1 variant defective in GABARAPL1 binding substantially loses the ability to induce vIRF-1/NIX-induced mitophagy. These results suggest that NIX supports vIRF-1 activity as a mitophagy mediator. In addition, we found that NIX promotes vIRF-1 aggregation and stabilizes aggregated vIRF-1. Together, these findings indicate that vIRF-1 plays a role as a viral mitophagy mediator that can be activated by a cellular mitophagy receptor.
The increase in the number of vehicles and the shortage of parking in Israel’s urban areas - economic and political factors
Authors: Cohen Erez
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT. This study addresses the growing increase in the number of vehicles in Israel and the resulting shortage of parking in city centers. Israel was chosen as a case study because it is a country with rapid population growth, a concentration of residents in central areas, and inefficient public transportation, which constitute explicit causes of the trends presented in the study. The study seeks to portray the implicit causes underlying the increasing number of vehicles in Israel and of the shortage of parking in city centers. The research method combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part includes analysis of data on vehicle density in various cities in Israel and on the number of parking offenses resulting from the shortage of parking in city centers. The vehicle density index per 1,000 Residents for each city will be calculated by multiplying the total number of Private Cars Registered in the city by the total Number of city’s Residents and multiplying by 1000. At the same time, the Number of Parking Reports data which presented in the study has been obtained from the local authorities themselves, which may cause to biased information according to the interests of those authorities. The qualitative part includes examination of the resultant public policy affecting the increase in vehicles. The data set will include the vehicle and fuel taxation policy. The research conclusions show that the increase in vehicles is affected among other things by economic and political factors that contribute to this growing trend and prevent its restriction, respectively. This study calls to the decision makers to promote and develop public transportation and correct its failures. Israel's public transportation services remain afflicted by many faults that contribute to residents' significant and increasing dependency on private vehicles. A large part of the public transportation means are too crowded, bus and train services do not run frequently enough, and the service is slow. There are insufficient connections between the different means of public transportation, with low access to stations among relatively large parts of the population and there is still a shortage of the necessary personnel and infrastructure for it's develop. In addition, the research conclusions call for a political solution that will make it possible to operate public transportation on Saturdays, while also expanding the use of self-driving cars and allocating outlying parking areas together with rental services for electric scooters and bicycles or shuttle services to city centers.
Driving sustainable and competitive transition in enterprise performance management and measurement: The changing role of women in the Japanese labour market
Authors: Blahová Michaela , Haghirian Parissa , Urbánek Tomáš , Pálka Přemysl
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between sustainable and competitive transition in enterprise performance management and measurement and the changing role of women in the Japanese labour market. The work correlates the proportion of female employees in leadership positions in relation to the sector type, firm age, profits and encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force over six significant periods. The study also examines correlations between the encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force and high productivity, improvement of work-life balance and higher integration of female staff in the workforce. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 152 Japanese companies as part of the research. Non-parametric tests and exploratory data analysis were used for evaluation. The linear-by-linear test was applied to ordinal categories to determine the trend between the proportion of female employees in leadership positions and the encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force. The results indicate that partial changes have occurred as far as women in the Japanese labour market are concerned and confirm that working women are faced with persistent obstacles in terms of higher integration of female staff in the workforce and improvement of work-life balance. A future research direction worth considering is a study focused on other countries in Asia, comparing the findings with this paper.
Factors That Influence Domestic Tourism Demand: Evidence from Armenia.
Authors: Tovmasyan Gayane
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT. Armenia has great opportunities and resources for tourism development. In 2021, the number of domestic tourists in Armenia was 1595826, an increase of 52.6% compared to 2020. In 2022, the number of domestic tourists was higher than in previous years - 1929940. The article evaluates the factors which influence domestic tourism demand with the use of ordinary and weighted least squares regression models. The main variables discussed in the models are: real GDP growth rate, consumer price index, average cost of tour packages from Armenia to other countries that can be considered as an alternative to domestic tourism, and dummy variables. The time series are based on quarterly data from 2005-2021. According to the analysis results, 1% increase in GDP will lead to a 0.22% increase in the number of domestic tourists, 1% increase in prices will lead to a decrease in the number of domestic tourists by about 0.12%, and 1% increase in foreign tour package prices will increase the number of domestic tourists by about 0.14%. The article also presents some suggestions for domestic tourism development in Armenia. The results may be useful for similar studies, as well as for state and private sectors conducting forecasts, planning, etc.
Unveiling the impact of economic and political globalisation on the efficiency of microfinance institutions
Authors: Kamarudin Fakarudin , Khair Afham Muhamad Senan Mohamad , Iqbal Hussain Hafezali , Michałek Janusz , Aina Mohamad Anwar Nazratul
Published: July 2023

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) strive to alleviate poverty by offering financial access and services to the poor in society. MFIs play a significant role in a country's social and economic advancement. This study aims to examine the relationship of the economic and political globalisation with the social and financial efficiency of MFIs in the Philippines and Malaysia from 2012 to 2020. There are two types of analysis adopted in this study: the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the multiple panel regression model. In the first stage, the DEA approach is employed to determine the MFIs’ level of efficiency. Next, the determinants of financial efficiency and social efficiency are identified through panel regression. The results of the robustness test show that MFIs have better and more effective financial efficiency compared to social efficiency. Therefore, this result shows that the MFIs concentrate more on profitability and sustainability of the operations and they tend to neglect their primary goal in terms of the social function, i.e., reducing poverty, since the scores for financial efficiency are higher than those for social efficiency. Furthermore, the MFIs, government, policymakers, investors, and future researchers benefit from the outcomes of this study, as they can obtain a comprehensive insight on the efficiency of MFIs and the variables that could contribute to the efficiency in MFIs.
The impact of technologies on leadership styles in Southeast European countries
Authors: Knezevic Dusko
Published: July 2023

This paper focuses on analyzing the range of factors that influence the transformation of leadership styles by technologies. The aim is to evaluate the level of transformation achieved by influence of technologies in certain post-socialist countries in Southeastern Europe (SEE). The theoretical part of the research identifies two sets of factors (endogenous and exogenous) that are important in understanding the influence of technologies on leadership transformation. Key factors were identified, including readiness of organization, perceived-easy of use, customer pressure, law regulations, and leader’s attitude. In the quantitative section of the research, the impact of these factors on the transformation of leadership styles was evaluated. The hypothesis is that these factors significantly impact leadership style transformation in the selected countries, and by understanding their advantages, leaders can improve their performance. The multiple linear regression method was used to research the perception of the impact of selected factors. A mathematical model based on multiple linear regression analysis was created to explain the relationship between the dependent variable (the level of transformation of leadership style) and the selected independent variables. The results have confirmed the validity of the hypothesis and, consequently, the selected factors have the high influence to the transformation of leadership styles in the analyzed countries. The study concludes that the evaluation of the current status of selected factors presents opportunities that leaders should consider to survive the effects of globalization and open markets. The selected factors explain the situation in leadership to a great extent in the observed countries.
The impact of military expenditure on external debt in Armenia
Authors: Harutyunyan Gayane
Published: July 2023

The paper explores the impact of military expenditure on external debt in Armenia using time series for 1994-2020. The purpose of this study was to verify the initial hypothesis that the main factor in the rise of Armenia’s external debt is the increase in military spending directed at paying for the import of military products. The study was conducted using Johansen’s cointegration and Granger’s causality tests. The results of Johansen’s cointegration test showed that there are long-term interdependencies between military expenditure and external debt, as well as between trade balance and external debt; meanwhile the long-term interdependence between non-military expenditures and external debt was not found. The results of Granger’s causality test showed that the military expenditure caused an increase in external debt with a two-year time lag, and a similar causal relationship was also found between the current account balance and external debt. But more remarkable is the fact that the current account balance also caused a change in military expenditure, while the reverse causality has not been established.
Changes in bacterioplankton and zooplankton communities in response to Covid-19 forced lockdown at dolphin surfacing sites in the River Ganga
Authors: Prakash Diwakar , Dhanker Raunak , Kumar Ram
Published: July 2023

The spread of Covid-19 has reduced human intervention in aquatic ecosystems, which has shown a discernible improvement in air and water quality. Ganges River, being a historical, economic and cultural icon of India providing multiple ecosystem services as industrial, provisioning, regulatory and cultural services, constitutes an important habitat for Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica). The surfacing of dolphins in Ganga river is patchy and unpredictable. The present study unravels 25 different chemical, microbiological, biological and meta-genomics of most abundant bacteria at dolphin surfacing sites in Ganges water during October 2017 February 2018 and January 2021 to elicit the impact of Covid-19 lock down at the Garhmukteshwar (28.7601°N, 78.1437°E) stretch in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The most abundant bacteria at dolphin surfacing site was Bacillus subtilis in February 2018 which was replaced by Aeromonas sp. in January 2021. The zooplankton community was dominated by rotifers during pre-Covid period however the dominance pattern recorded a shift towards larger herbivorous crustacean species during Covid −19 lock down. Overall bacterial count decreased whereas Chl a level increased during the lock down. The total zooplankton abundance did not show a significant difference, but relative proportion of larger herbivorous crustacean zooplankton increased in January 2021 samples. The present results convincingly establish effects of shutdown on chemical, metagenomics and biological components of the riparian ecosystem and the information of micro to mesoplanktonic community may be useful for characterizing dolphin surfacing sites, enhancing existing water quality monitoring efforts and also for human epidemiological studies associated with recreational use of Ganga water.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Treatment and Death: Evaluating the Role of Hospital and Physician Effects
Authors: Hogaboom Maura Rose
Published: July 2023

Past work has documented disparities in medical treatment and health outcomes across racial and ethnic groups.  In some instances, disparities persist beyond individual health risk factors and reveal underlying differences in the hospital facilities or the attending physicians that different patients tend to go to.  In the case of maternal mortality and cesarean delivery, not only does the U.S. perform poorly on both measures, but also there exist racial and ethnic disparities in maternal treatment that lead to disadvantaged outcomes for vulnerable populations.  By separately absorbing hospital and physician fixed effects, the contribution of both facility and practitioner variation to the present health disparities can be identified.  Hospital variation maps to a significant portion of the racial disparity in cesarean delivery and the ethnic disparity in the induction of labor.  Controlling for physician fixed effects explains some portion of the racial disparities in maternal mortality and cesarean delivery, all of the ethnic disparity in cesarean delivery, and some of both disparities in the induction of labor.  These results suggest ample opportunities for targeted intervention to minimize the variation between physicians and hospitals in their approach to maternal care toward more equitable care provision.
Aspectos Espaciais e Epidemiológicos da Monkeypox (MPX) no Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Polidoro Maurício , Oliveira Daniel Canavese de , Nogueira Paulo Ricardo Rocha
Published: July 2023

Este estudo analisa a prevalência e os aspectos espaciais da Monkeypox (MPX) no Rio Grande do Sul, considerando a emergência de saúde pública declarada pela Organização Mundial da Saúde em julho de 2022 e a alta incidência da doença em homens gays e outros homens que fazem sexo com homens (HSH). Os dados foram fornecidos pela Secretaria Estadual de Saúde por meio da Lei de Acesso a Informação e revelaram uma taxa de incidência 53 vezes maior em populações gay/HSH em relação a heterossexuais e 48 vezes maior em relação a bissexuais. Além disso, a MPX afeta desproporcionalmente as pessoas negras (pretas e pardas), com uma taxa de três vezes maior em comparação com a população branca. A análise dos aspectos espaciais da doença demonstrou a sua concentração em áreas metropolitanas. É sugerido que a disseminação de informações baseada em evidências científicas é essencial para evitar a estigmatização desses grupos e que a vacinação por anéis é imprescindível para impedir a endemização da doença. Conclui-se que os homens gays e HSH negros são as populações em maior risco para MPX, e que ações preventivas devem ser implementadas para proteger esses grupos vulneráveis, evitando a disseminação da doença e garantindo a equidade em saúde.
Análisis factorial de la Escala Situacional de Empatía Emocional en una muestra universitaria chilena
Authors: Landabur Ayala Rodrigo Antonio , Miguez Cavieres Gonzalo Javier , Laborda Rojas Mario Arturo , Salinas Chaud María
Published: July 2023

La preocupación empática y angustia personal son los componentes emocionales de la empatía según los modelos más utilizados. Estos componentes pueden conceptualizarse en forma disposicional o situacional. Los análisis previos tienden a considerar escalas disposicionales con escasa evidencia para las situacionales. El presente estudio analizó la estructura factorial de la Escala Situacional de la Empatía Emocional, compuesta por la preocupación empática y angustia personal. En una muestra a conveniencia de estudiantes universitarias/os chilenos/as (N = 539), se analizó el ajuste de primer y segundo orden de la escala mediante análisis factorial. Los resultados indicaron un buen (χ2 /gl = 4.189, cfi = .964, tli = .932, srmr = .042, rmsea = .086, aic = 12041.418, bic = 12097.185) y mejor ajuste del modelo de segundo orden (χ2 diferencia(1) = 16.689, p < .001, |δcfi| = .237, |Δrmsea| = .636, y |Δsrmr| = .076, todos > .01, |Δaic| = 211.633 > 10, y |δbic| = 207.342 > 10), mientras que el de un orden no mostró un buen ajuste (χ2 /gl = 20.878, cfi = .727, tli = .544, srmr = .118, rmsea = .224, aic = 12253.051, bic = 12304.527). Los resultados fueron consistentes con la literatura. Se discute la necesidad de nuevas evidencias de validez y el uso de muestras más representativas.
Relaciones entre atención, claridad y reparación emocional con respuestas rumiativas en universitarios de Lima
Authors: Bueno-Cuadra Roberto , Araujo-Robles Elizabeth Dany , Ucedo-Silva Víctor Hugo
Published: July 2023

El factor de atención emocional ha sido reportado con frecuencia negativamente asociado con indicadores de salud mental; al contrario de los resultados obtenidos con los factores de claridad y de reparación emocional. Los objetivos del estudio fueron examinar las relaciones entre atención, claridad y reparación emocional con los factores de respuestas rumiativas y determinar si la relación entre la atención emocional y rumiación varía de acuerdo con los niveles de atención, claridad y reparación emocional en estudiantes universitarios de Lima, Perú. Para ello, primero se realizó un estudio de la estructura factorial y la confiabilidad de la tmms-24 y de la Escala de Respuestas Rumiativas, en 320 estudiantes de una universidad pública de Lima, Perú. Segundo, se llevó a cabo un estudio correlacional mediante la aplicación de ambos instrumentos a 529 estudiantes de la misma universidad. En la muestra total se obtuvo que ambos factores de rumiación correlacionaron positivamente con atención emocional, pero solo reproche correlacionó con claridad y con reparación, siendo tal correlación negativa. Para determinar si la relación positiva entre atención y rumiación varía con los niveles de atención, claridad y reparación, se compararon las correlaciones entre atención y rumiación correspondientes a los grupos de baja, media y alta atención, claridad y reparación. Estas comparaciones mostraron que la relación entre atención y los factores de rumiación variaban solo en función del nivel de reparación. Los resultados indican diferencias importantes en la manera en que se relaciona cada factor de rumiación con la atención emocional, por un lado, y con la claridad y la reparación emocional, por el otro.
Odpowiedzialność z tytułu wady fizycznej rzeczy w sprzedaży konsumenckiej – konstrukcja i funkcjonowanie
Authors: Komar Wojciech
Published: July 2023

Artykuł dotyczy odpowiedzialności z tytułu wady fizycznej, za którą odpowiada przedsiębiorca w stosunkach z konsumentami. Praca porusza temat pojęcia wady fizycznej rzeczy i ustawowych określeń wady. Autor opisuje uprawnienia konsumenta i odpowiadające im uprawnienia sprzedawcy. Artykuł porusza także temat czasowych granic możliwości dochodzenia uprawnień w reżimie rękojmi. Ponadto praca także obejmuje swym zakresem temat odpowiedzialności odszkodowawczej w przypadku wad fizycznych rzeczy sprzedanej.
Wpływ niepełnosprawności testatora na zdolność testowania
Authors: Łapińska Ewa
Published: July 2023

Wprost niewypowiedziana w przepisach prawnych regulujących dziedziczenie testamentowe niepełnosprawność spadkodawcy ma istotne znaczenie dla możliwości ukształtowania losów zgromadzonego majątku po śmierci testatora poprzez sporządzenie lub odwołanie aktu ostatniej woli. W związku z tym, celem artykułu jest ukazanie zależności pomiędzy niepełnosprawnością testatora a jego zdolnością testowania. Dokonanie ważnych rozrządzeń testamentowych wymaga posiadania pełnej zdolności do czynności prawnych. W związku z powyższym osoba fizyczna posiadająca ograniczoną zdolność do czynności prawnych lub nieposiadająca zdolności do czynności prawnych została pozbawiona prawa do sporządzenia ważnego oświadczenia woli mortis causa. Ponieważ przesłanką orzeczenia całkowitego lub częściowego ubezwłasnowolnienia są: choroba psychiczna, niedorozwój umysłowy lub innego rodzaju zaburzenia psychiczne, to niepełnosprawny intelektualnie pozbawiony pełnej zdolności do czynności prawnych, nie może uregulować losu swojego majątku w testamencie.
Minimally invasive in situ bioprinting using tube-based material transfer
Authors: Tomooka Yukiko , Spothelfer Dominic , Puiggali-Jou Anna , Tourbier Céline , Tankus Esma Bahar , Thieringer Florian M. , Cattin Philippe C. , Rauter Georg , Eugster Manuela
Published: July 2023

Minimally invasive in situ bioprinting can potentially enhance the advantages of bioprinting, allowing the surrounding healthy tissue to be maximally preserved. However, the requirements for such a device are manifold and challenging to fulfill. We present an experimental bioprinting platform consisting of an extrusion system based on a tube mounted between an extrusion syringe and a dispensing nozzle. We investigated the influence of material transfer through a tube on the printing outcome. The results showed that it is feasible to form a continuous filament and print 3-dimensional structures using the developed platform.
Continuum robot actuation by a single motor per antagonistic tendon pair: workspace and repeatability analysis
Authors: Marzi Christian , Buck Felix , Mathis-Ullrich Franziska
Published: July 2023

Continuum robots for application in medicine are of high interest in recent research. However, as most systems in literature show complex and large actuator units, setting up such a system can be time consuming, costly and results in a bulky system, unsuitable for the spatial requirements given in surgical scenarios. In this work, a compact, efficient continuum robotic system is presented. A pair of two antagonistic tendons is controlled by a single servo motor instead of single tendon actuation. This way, the actuator footprint is maintained at a minimum size and the method results in a simpler setup. The resulting 260 mm long robot with 9.9 mm diameter achieves a repeatability with an error of maximum 1.8 % of its length. In future work, this work serves as a basis for integration of various sensing modalities in continuum robots and evaluation of control algorithms.