bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shared Decision-Making With a Virtual Patient in Medical Education: Mixed Methods Evaluation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Jacklin Simon , Maskrey Neal , Chapman Stephen
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Shared decision-making (SDM) is a process in which clinicians and patients work together to select tests, treatments, management, or support packages based on clinical evidence and the patient’s informed preferences. Similar to any skill, SDM requires practice to improve. Virtual patients (VPs) are simulations that allow one to practice a variety of clinical skills, including communication. VPs can be used to help professionals and students practice communication skills required to engage in SDM; however, this specific focus has not received much attention within the literature. A multiple-choice VP was developed to allow students the opportunity to practice SDM. To interact with the VP, users chose what they wanted to say to the VP by choosing from multiple predefined options, rather than typing in what they wanted to say.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate a VP workshop for medical students aimed at developing the communication skills required for SDM.

METHODS

Preintervention and postintervention questionnaires were administered, followed by semistructured interviews. The questionnaires provided cohort-level data on the participants’ views of the VP and helped to inform the interview guide; the interviews were used to explore some of the data from the questionnaire in more depth, including the participants’ experience of using the VP.

RESULTS

The interviews and questionnaires suggested that the VP was enjoyable and easy to use. When the participants were asked to rank their priorities in both pre- and post-VP consultations, there was a change in the rank position of respecting patient choices, with the median rank changing from second to first. Owing to the small sample size, this was not analyzed for statistical significance. The VP allowed the participants to explore a consultation in a way that they could not with simulated or real patients, which may be part of the reason that the VP was suggested as a useful intervention for bridging from the early, theory-focused years of the curriculum to the more patient-focused ones later.

CONCLUSIONS

The VP was well accepted by the participants. The multiple-choice system of interaction was reported to be both useful and restrictive. Future work should look at further developing the mode of interaction and explore whether the VP results in any changes in observed behavior or practice.

CLINICALTRIAL
Informing the Development of a Digital Health Platform Through Universal Points of Care: Qualitative Survey Study (Preprint)
Authors: Craven Michael P , Andrews Jacob A , Lang Alexandra R , Simblett Sara K , Bruce Stuart , Thorpe Sarah , Wykes Til , Morriss Richard , Hollis Chris ,   The RADAR-CNS Consortium
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and depression are chronic conditions where technology holds potential in clinical monitoring and self-management. Over 5 years, the Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse - Central Nervous System (RADAR-CNS) consortium has explored the application of remote measurement technology (RMT) to the management and self-management of patients in these clinical areas. The consortium is large and includes clinical and nonclinical researchers as well as a patient advisory board.

OBJECTIVE

This formative development study aimed to understand how consortium members viewed the potential of RMT in epilepsy, MS, and depression.

METHODS

In this qualitative survey study, we developed a methodological tool, universal points of care (UPOC), to gather views on the potential use, acceptance, and value of a novel RMT platform across 3 chronic conditions (MS, epilepsy, and depression). UPOC builds upon use case scenario methodology, using expert elicitation and analysis of care pathways to develop scenarios applicable across multiple conditions. After developing scenarios, we elicited views on the potential of RMT in these different scenarios through a survey administered to 28 subject matter experts, consisting of 16 health care practitioners; 5 health care services researchers; and 7 people with lived experience of MS, epilepsy, or depression. Survey results were analyzed thematically and using an existing framework of factors describing links between design and context.

RESULTS

The survey elicited potential beneficial applications of the RADAR-CNS RMT system as well as patient, clinical, and nonclinical requirements of RMT across the 3 conditions of interest. Potential applications included recognition of early warning signs of relapse from subclinical signals for MS, seizure precipitant signals for epilepsy, and behavior change in depression. RMT was also thought to have the potential to overcome the problem of underreporting, which is especially problematic in epilepsy, and to allow the capture of secondary symptoms that are not generally collected in MS, such as mood.

CONCLUSIONS

Respondents suggested novel and unanticipated uses of RMT, including the use of RMT to detect emerging side effects of treatment, enable behavior change for sleep regulation and activity, and offer a way to include family and other carers in a care network, which could assist with goal setting. These suggestions, together with others from this and related work, will inform the development of the system for its eventual application in research and clinical practice. The UPOC methodology was effective in directing respondents to consider the value of health care technologies in condition-specific experiences of everyday life and working practice.
Mobile App-Based Intervention for Pregnant Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: Protocol for a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Li Tiantian , Chen Xiaomin , Wang Jia , Chen Ling , Cai Wenzhi
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common source of distress among women during and after pregnancy. It has a negative effect on quality of life but with poor care-seeking. Mobile health (mHealth) may be a promising solution with potential advantages. However, there is uncertainty whether a mobile app is effective for SUI symptom improvement during and after pregnancy. The implementation is also unclear. We developed an app named UIW (Urinary Incontinence for Women) aimed at improving perinatal incontinence.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the UIW app-based intervention in improving SUI symptoms among pregnant women and explore the facilitators and barriers to using the UIW app to help refine and optimize the intervention.

METHODS

This study is a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial with a randomized controlled trial alongside a mixed-methods process evaluation according to the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Pregnant women with SUI (n=336) will be recruited from a university-affiliated hospital in China. They will be randomly allocated (1:1) to either the intervention group that receive usual care plus UIW app or control group that receive usual care alone. The intervention period will last 2 months. The 5 dimensions of the RE-AIM framework will be evaluated at recruitment (-T1), baseline (T0), immediately after intervention (T1), 42 days after delivery (T2), 3 months after delivery (T3), and 6 months after delivery (T4) through project documents, online questionnaires and a pelvic floor muscle training diary, surface electromyography, log data in the background management system, and qualitative interviews. Data analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. Descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-square tests, and a linear mixed model will be used to analyze the quantitative data. Deductive and inductive content analysis will be used to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

The effectiveness-implementation trial started in June 2020, trial recruitment was completed in October 2020, and the intervention will last for a 2-month period. Completion of the 6-month follow-up will be in July 2021, and we anticipate that the results of this study will be published in December 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will evaluate both effectiveness and implementation of the UIW app-based intervention among pregnant women. The hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial design according to the RE-AIM framework with a mixed-methods approach will give valuable insights into the effects as well as facilitators and barriers to the implementation that will influence the effects of the UIW app-based intervention.

CLINICALTRIAL

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800016171; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=27455

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

PRR1-10.2196/22771
A Nutrition Intervention to Promote the Consumption of Pulse-Based Foods in Childcare Centers: Protocol for a Multimethod Study (Preprint)
Authors: Haileslassie Hiwot Abebe , Ramikie Renee , Vatanparast Hassan , Ramdath D Dan , Froehlich Chow Amanda , Shand Phyllis , Engler-Stringer Rachel , Lieffers Jessica RL , Hood-Niefer Shannon , Henry Carol
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Plant-based foods, including pulses (dry beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas), have gained worldwide attention owing to their health and environmental benefits. Despite high production, the consumption of pulses is low in Canada. Behavior change interventions systematically designed to promote the consumption of pulse-based foods are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

We describe the utilization of intervention mapping (IM) in the development of a multicomponent nutrition intervention aimed at promoting consumption of pulse-based foods among preschool children in childcare centers in Saskatchewan, Canada.

METHODS

The Pulse Discovery Toolkit intervention was developed following the six steps of the IM protocol. Decisions at each step were either based upon literature review, expert consultation, pretesting, or a combination of these. Following the initial phase of the study, which focused on intervention development, phases II and III of the study were concerned with pilot testing and roll-out of the intervention, respectively. In total, one, two, and four childcare centers participated in phases I, II, and III, respectively. A multimethod approach was designed to evaluate the intervention during pilot testing and roll-out.

RESULTS

The application of IM steps 1 to 3 in phase I resulted in the creation of performance objectives at different levels, including at the individual level (preschool children), and the social and environmental levels (parents, early childhood educators, and cooks). These objectives were then used to create a matrix of objectives matching the constructs of the social cognitive theory while taking Piaget cognitive development into consideration. This step was followed by defining program components, implementation, adoption, and evaluation strategies, which were utilized in phases II and III. Data have been collected from 2015 to 2018 and analyzed. The results will be reported elsewhere.

CONCLUSIONS

The IM protocol provided a rigorous framework for the development of a multicomponent evidence-based intervention to promote pulse-based foods in childcare centers.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR1-10.2196/22775
HOW TO CRITICALLY APPRAISE A RESEARCH PAPER? (Preprint)
Authors: Chaudhary Ishtiaq
Published: July 2020

UNSTRUCTURED

Critical appraisal of research paper is a fundamental skill in modern medical practice, which is skills-set and developed throughout the professional career. The professional experience facilitates this and through integration with clinical experience and patient preference, permits high quality evidence-based medicine practice in patient care. These skills to be mastered not only by academic medical professionals but also by the clinicians involved in clinical practice. In this review, the important questions or steps which are integral in assessing the reliability and validity of a research are gathered during critical review of a research paper. The objective of this review is to provide a simple and robust method for assessing the trustworthiness of a research paper and its value in clinical practice.
Experiences of Children With Osteogenesis Imperfecta in the Co-design of the Interactive Assessment and Communication Tool Sisom OI: Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Design Sessions (Preprint)
Authors: Siedlikowski Maia , Curiale Lianna , Rauch Frank , Tsimicalis Argerie
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) experience a diversity of symptoms that expose them to difficult physical, mental, and social challenges. Sisom (DHealth) is an interactive assessment and communication tool designed to help children aged 6-12 years with chronic conditions express their symptoms. Recently, the co-design of the Sisom OI paper prototype was launched by seeking the perspectives of end users, including children with OI and their clinicians.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to describe the experiences that children with OI were prompted to share with researchers during the co-design of the Sisom OI paper prototype.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of qualitative data was conducted at a university-affiliated, pediatric, orthopedic hospital. The data sources consisted of interview transcripts, drawings, field notes, and observations derived from interviewing 12 children with OI who participated in the co-design of the Sisom OI paper prototype. The themes and subthemes identified from the data sources were generated using qualitative description.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified. The first, Relating to Others, described the balance between feeling different versus feeling similar to other children. The subthemes were Common OI Experience, Feeling Different, and Feeling Just Like Others. The second, Relating to Their Condition, described children’s positive and negative interactions with their own condition and health care. The subthemes were Understanding Their Condition, Special Relationship with the Hospital, and Difficult Treatments and Procedures. The third, Reflecting on Capabilities, described children’s recognition of their strengths and limitations. The subthemes were Perceiving Limitations, Overcoming Isolation, and Celebrating Strengths.

CONCLUSIONS

This co-design process provided children with OI the space to not only contribute to the development of the end product but also eloquently describe their experiences. These findings, based on the descriptions given by the children themselves, offer us a unique understanding of what it means to grow up with OI.
Physiological Responses and User Feedback on a Gameful Breathing Training App: Within-Subject Experiment (Preprint)
Authors: Lukic Yanick Xavier , Shih Chen-Hsuan (Iris) , Hernandez Reguera Alvaro , Cotti Amanda , Fleisch Elgar , Kowatsch Tobias
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Slow-paced breathing training (6 breaths per minute [BPM]) improves physiological and psychological well-being by inducing relaxation characterized by increased heart rate variability (HRV). However, classic breathing training has a limited target group, and retention rates are very low. Although a gameful approach may help overcome these challenges, it is crucial to enable breathing training in a scalable context (eg, smartphone only) and ensure that they remain effective. However, despite the health benefits, no validated mobile gameful breathing training featuring a biofeedback component based on breathing seems to exist.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to describe the design choices and their implementation in a concrete mobile gameful breathing training app. Furthermore, it aims to deliver an initial validation of the efficacy of the resulting app.

METHODS

Previous work was used to derive informed design choices, which, in turn, were applied to build the gameful breathing training app Breeze. In a pretest (n=3), design weaknesses in Breeze were identified, and Breeze was adjusted accordingly. The app was then evaluated in a pilot study (n=16). To ascertain that the effectiveness was maintained, recordings of breathing rates and HRV-derived measures (eg, root mean square of the successive differences [RMSSDs]) were collected. We compared 3 stages: baseline, standard breathing training deployed on a smartphone, and Breeze.

RESULTS

Overall, 5 design choices were made: use of cool colors, natural settings, tightly incorporated game elements, game mechanics reflecting physiological measures, and a light narrative and progression model. Breeze was effective, as it resulted in a slow-paced breathing rate of 6 BPM, which, in turn, resulted in significantly increased HRV measures compared with baseline (P<.001 for RMSSD). In general, the app was perceived positively by the participants. However, some criticized the somewhat weaker clarity of the breathing instructions when compared with a standard breathing training app.

CONCLUSIONS

The implemented breathing training app Breeze maintained its efficacy despite the use of game elements. Moreover, the app was positively perceived by participants although there was room for improvement.
Effect of Psychology Distance in Healthcare Supply Chain on Patient Satisfaction: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Duan Yanji , Xu Jing , Zhao Mei , An Lian
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

While most of the prior literature focused on how to improve patient satisfaction from an operational perspective, we explore how healthcare supply chain communications benefit patient satisfaction by adopting a stakeholder’s perspective. Moreover, we examine and further confirm the effect of supply chain transparency in a unique healthcare context.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to examine the impact of the healthcare supply chain transparency on patient satisfaction. Anchoring on the theory of psychology distance, we examine how spatial distance (manufacturing location of the medicine) and temporal distance (time frame of physician follow-up after the visits) of the healthcare supply chain influence the patient’s perceptions and satisfaction.

METHODS

We utilize a 2 × 2 mixed design experiment by varying spatial distance and temporal distance of the healthcare supply chain, respectively. A total of 206 participants were recruited from the Amazon M-Turk platform.

RESULTS

Results indicate that both the spatial distance and the temporal distance significantly affect patients’ satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The spatial distance of the healthcare supply chain negatively affects patients’ satisfaction. Nevertheless, we find that the temporal distance can mitigate such negative effects: when the physicians follow up with the patient within a short time frame (one week), patients tend to generate higher satisfaction towards the physician than if the follow up is conducted after three months.
Application of Grey System Theory to Forecast the Neonatal Mortality Rate and Number of Deaths from HIV/AIDS in Children (Preprint)
Authors: Mohammad Gholi Mezerji Naser , Sadegifar Majid
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Mortality rates and deaths from HIV/AIDS report annually and information for forecasting is not complete. According to the characteristics of this data, small size and imperfect, for analysis, we selected grey model first order one variable, GM (1, 1).

OBJECTIVE

To model and forecast the neonatal mortality rate and number of deaths from HIV/AIDS in children in Iran by 2022.

METHODS

Data is collected and downloaded from World Health Organization (WHO) reports in Iran. In data set, observed values between 2000 and 2013 used to fit models and observed values in 2014 and 2015 used to evaluate the accuracy of model’s predictions. To assess the efficiency of the model fitted and precise of predicted values, we used Forecast Absolute Error (FAE %), small error probability (P) and the proportion of variance (C) indexes.

RESULTS

Simulated results showed that the accuracy of the model GM (1, 1) to predict and forecast in both data sets, but with a little suspicious for AIDS data, are largely appropriate and reliable. Forecasting values at (2018, 2020, 2022) 5, 7 and 9 years later from 2013, for neonatal mortality rate and the number of deaths from HIV/AIDS are (7.97, 7.22, 6.54) and (77.58, 89.52, 103.31) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In future studies and estimations, we suggest application of Grey Forecasting Models in other health researches that data information is small and imperfect.
Mobile App Strategy to Facilitate Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men: Pilot Intervention Study (Preprint)
Authors: Fontenot Holly B , White Bradley Patrick , Rosenberger Joshua G , Lacasse Hailee , Rutirasiri Chokdee , Mayer Kenneth H , Zimet Gregory
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Mobile app-based interventions have been identified as potential facilitators for vaccination among young men who have sex with men (MSM).

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study aimed to test the feasibility of a theoretically informed mobile health (mHealth) tool designed to reduce health disparities and facilitate human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among a sample of young MSM.

METHODS

The development of the mHealth tool was guided by previous research, implementation intention theory, and design thinking. We recruited MSM aged 18-26 years through a popular online dating app and linked participants to our mHealth tool, which provided HPV vaccine information and fostered access to care.

RESULTS

A total of 42 young MSM participated in this pilot study in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants reported variable HPV knowledge (ie, high knowledge of HPV risk factors and low knowledge of HPV-related cancer risks for men) and positive vaccine beliefs and attitudes. Of those who were either unvaccinated, not up to date, or did not report vaccine status, 23% (8/35) utilized the mHealth tool to obtain HPV vaccination. Participants primarily utilized the tool’s (1) educational components and (2) capabilities facilitating concrete vaccine action plans.

CONCLUSIONS

We recruited an underserved at-risk population of youth via an online dating app for our mHealth intervention that resulted in in-person health care delivery. This study was limited by enrollment challenges, including low willingness to download the mHealth tool to mobile devices.
The Risk-Return Behavior of Real Estate Mezzanine Investment (REMI) – The Singapore Experience
Authors: Hin / David HO, Kim , Cuervo Javier Calero
Published: July 2020

REMI is a new financial instrument for Asia’s real estate market offering superior returns than those for the typical commercial bank loans. The resultant risk exposure is relatively high. With recent and robust growth of the Singapore real estate market, there is the fast-growing real estate investment trust market. This paper examines the REMI structure, the measurement and characteristics of its risks and returns via a forward-looking binomial asset tree (BAT) model. Risk neutral pricing probability is adopted to construct the BAT tree. TRs are measured by the probability weighted average returns and discussed under different scenarios. REMI bears more risk than typical commercial bank loans, resulting in higher interest rates than pure equity. Different risk issues focus on two major sources - the financial LTV ratio risk and the real estate and capital markets risk. Empirical analysis involves a rigorous discrete-time forecasting of the market rent and capital value expectations of Singapore’s prime office sector, given the conditions and assumptions unique to this market. This paper fulfils the need to close the gap concerning the REMI structure and performance in the steady state, utilizing reliable, authoritative information and data sources.
Kajian Edible Coating Berbasis Kolang-Kaling dengan Penambahan Bahan Pengental dari Sumber Alami (Pati dan Pektin) dan Sintetis (CMC) yang Diaplikasikan pada Dodol
Authors: Pramsiska Dwi , Harini Noor , Winarsih Sri , Manshur Hanif Alamudin
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the type of thickener on the quality of edible coatings, the effect of the concentration of thickener types on the quality of edible coatings applied to dodol, and find the best treatment of edible coatings that can increase the shelf life of dodol. The research was arranged in a Nested Randomized Design method consisting of two factors. First factor that became the nest was a variation of thickener (P) with treatment level (Pati, Pectin, and CMC) and second factor that became nested namely variation of thickener concentration (K) with treatment level (1%, 1.5%, and 2% ). The results showed that the addition of pectin 2% as the best treatment has a viscosity of 238.2 cP and the ability to protect dodol on the 6th-day storage can be observed at a water content of 26.98% which is close to SNI which is equal to 20%, TPC (Total Plate Count) 4.9 × 104Cfu / g which is close to the TPC number on SNI of 1 × 104Cfu / g, FFA (Free Fatty Acid) of 1.06% which does not exceed the SNI limit of 10.5%, the texture of 8.18 N / mm, the aroma score of 3.53 is a bit rancid, the appearance score is 5.23 which means neutral and the preferences score is 6.07 which means a little like.
Kajian Penambahan Filtrat Kunyit dan Tartrazin Pada Edible Film Berbasis Pati Talas Serta Aplikasinya Untuk Mempertahankan Mutu Dodol Substitusi Rumput Laut (Eucheuma cottonii)
Authors: Harini Noor , Wachid Mochammad , Hirgawati Tyas Anugrah
Published: July 2020

This research studied the effect of natural colorant (turmeric filtrate) additions compared to synthetic colorant (Tartrazine) additions in taro starch-based edible film on the quality of dodol that substituted with seaweed. This research used a Randomized Block Design with Orthogonal Contrast. The treatment factor consist of turmeric filtrate additions in 1%, 2%, 3%, Tartrazin additions in 0,003%, 0,005%, 0,007% and without colorant as control treatment. Parameters that analyzed consist of thickness, color, transparency, tensile strength, elongation, water vapor transmission rate of edible film, moisture content, fat content, total plate count, texture and organoleptic value of dodol at the 0, 3rd, 6th day of storage. The research result shows that the additions of turmeric filtrate had an effect on increasing thickness, tensile strength, transparency, brightness (L), yellowness (b+), and decreasing the elongation and WVTR of edible film. Meanwhile, the additions of Tartrazin had an effect on increasing transparency, brightness (L), and yellowness (b+). The results of moisture content, fat content, TPC, and texture of dodol showed that the addition of turmeric filtrate is better to maintain the quality of dodol during storage. Additions of 3% turmeric filtrate as the best treatment, has 30.24% and 31.40% in moisture content, 1.16% and 0.97% in fat content, 4.0x103 CFU/g and 0.9x104 CFU/g in TPC, 15.30 N/mm and 14.03 N/mm in texture, 3.53 and 3.63 in color organoleptic value, 3.65 and 3.60 in aroma value and 3.75 and 3.73 in taste value during the 3rd and 6th day of storage.
Comparative analysis of machine learning methods by the example of the problem of determining muon decay
Authors: Gevorkyan Migran N. , Demidova Anastasia V. , Kulyabov Dmitry S.
Published: July 2020

The history of using machine learning algorithms to analyze statistical models is quite long. The development of computer technology has given these algorithms a new breath. Nowadays deep learning is mainstream and most popular area in machine learning. However, the authors believe that many researchers are trying to use deep learning methods beyond their applicability. This happens because of the widespread availability of software systems that implement deep learning algorithms, and the apparent simplicity of research. All this motivate the authors to compare deep learning algorithms and classical machine learning algorithms. The Large Hadron Collider experiment is chosen for this task, because the authors are familiar with this scientific field, and also because the experiment data is open source. The article compares various machine learning algorithms in relation to the problem of recognizing the decay reaction + + + at the Large Hadron Collider. The authors use open source implementations of machine learning algorithms. We compare algorithms with each other based on calculated metrics. As a result of the research, we can conclude that all the considered machine learning methods are quite comparable with each other (taking into account the selected metrics), while different methods have different areas of applicability.
Applying Friedmann models to describe the evolution of the Universe based on data from the SAI Supernovae Catalog
Authors: Gavrikov Arsenii S. , Bijan Saha , Rikhvitsky Victor S.
Published: July 2020

In the recent years thanks to the modern and sophisticated technologies the astronomers and astrophysicists were able to look deep into the Universe. This vast data poses some new problem to the cosmologists. One of the problems is to develop an adequate theory. Another one is to fit the theoretical results with the observational one. In this report within the scope of the isotropic and homogeneous Friedman-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmological model we study the evolution of the Universe filled with dust or cosmological constant. The reason to consider this model is the present universe surprisingly homogeneous and isotropic in large scale. We also compare our results with the data from the SAI Supernovae Catalog. Since the observational data are given in terms of Hubble constant (????) and redshift (????) we rewrite the corresponding equations as a functions of ????. The task is to find the set of parameters for the mathematical model of an isotropic and homogeneous Universe that fits best with the astronomical data obtained from the study of supernovae: magnitude (????), redshift (????).
Which characteristics determine the quality of corporate governance reporting? Concepts, reporting practices and empirical evidence from Germany
Authors: Ceschinski Willi , Freidank Carl-Christian , Handschumacher Franziska
Published: July 2020

This study examines the factors influencing the quality of corporate governance reporting by listed German companies. Additionally, we analyse the development of corporate governance reporting practices in Germany over a three-year observation period. Using panel data regressions, we analyse the relationship between various corporate characteristics, performance characteristics, and corporate governance characteristics and the quality of corporate governance reporting. We quantify the reporting quality using a scoring model for the largest listed German companies in the period 2016-2018. Our results indicate that the quality of corporate governance reporting has improved steadily in recent years. This trend, however, should not detract from the fact that the quality of corporate governance reporting is dependent on corporate characteristics but not on firm performance, nor corporate governance characteristics. Our empirical findings elucidate these relationships.
INDEKS MENTAL-KOGNITIF ISLAM: SATU PENANDA ARAS PSIKOSPIRTUAL ISLAM REMAJA BERISIKO
Authors: Anwar Khairil
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study was to describe the Islamic Mentalcognitive index on risk youth. Islamic Mental-cognitive termed a structure depths of human childbirth perception, introspection, memory, creativity, imagination, conception, belief, reasoning, volition, and emotions as a unified way of thinking based on Islam, is an attempt to predict and as approaches to identify the problem and solve psychological risk youth. Six recovery centers have been chosen for this study, involving busy as 490 coaches and 128 students of a secondary school of nationality as a collection of the convoy. Background to the economic status of parents of respondents also identified and data collection is done using inquired about the accreditation forms which contains a measurement of Islamic Mental-cognitive. Data were analyzed using a mathematical formula to form the Islamic Mental-cognitive index that consists of multiple domains. Decision of the study showed an index of Islamic Mental-cognitive is at the stage of a low (score 51.56). The discovery of this study backs up one module coaching intervention and prevention against socio-psychological symptoms teens through the principles of the concept of Islamic Mental-cognitive, Islamic psychosocial and sunnah behavior.
PENINGKATAN KOMPETENSI SISWA MELALUI PELATIHAN TEKNOLOGI SEPEDA MOTOR
Authors: Saputra Hendra Dani , Setiawan Dedi , Yuvenda Dori , Arif Ahmad , Hidayat Rahmat
Published: July 2020

Siswa-siswa SMK membutuhkan keahlian tentang teknologi sepeda motor terbaru, dimana kompetensi tersebut akan berguna oleh siswa ketika mereka menyeleseikan studinya di sekolah. Salah satu kompetensi teknologi sepeda motor terbaru yang diharapkan adalah kemampuan menggunakan dan menganalisis data hasil pemeriksaan alat pendeteksi kerusakan sepeda motor berupa Scan Tool. Kemampuan akhir yang diharapkan dari  pelatihan ini, nantinya siswa mampu menggunakan dan menganalisis data hasil pemeriksaan serta melakukan perbaikan berdasarkan data dari Scan Tool. Program pelatihan bertujuan untuk mengembangkan dan meningkatkan kemampuan dari siswa kelas XII dalam menggunakan Scan Tool. Melalui program pelatihan ini diharapkan siswa mampu menggunakan, menganalisa dan melakukan perbaikan sepeda motor berdasarkan data dari Scan Tool. Sehingga siswa kelas XII memiliki kemampuan menggunakan dan menganalisa serta melakukan langkah perbaikan sepeda motor. Program pelatihan ini diberikan  melalui metode pemberian modul teknologi sepeda motor , diskusi, menayangkan melalui slide tentang teknologi sepeda motor honda mesin serta mempraktekkan cara menggunakan dan menganalisis kerusakan sepeda motor. Sehingga diharapkan terjadi peningkatan kemampuan siswa kelas XII dalam kompetensi keahlian penggunaan dan analisa data kerusakan teknologi sepeda motor honda
Rasprostraneniye variantov s chastymi mutatsiyami v gene kapsidnogo belka N v rossiyskikh izolyatakh SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Кирьянов С. А. , Левина Т. А. , Кириллов М. Ю.
Published: July 2020

SARS-CoV-2 predstavlyayet soboy RNK-virus semeystva b-koronavirusov, vyzvavshiy pandemiyu tyazhelogo ostrogo respiratornogo sindroma (COVID-19). Predpolagayut, chto evolyutsionnyye izmeneniya genoma nyne preobladayushchikh iskhodnykh klonov mogut byt' obuslovleny geograficheskimi osobennostyami, poetomu dlya shtammov raznogo proiskhozhdeniya mogut byt' kharakterny razlichnyye patterny mutatsiy. Tsel'yu issledovaniya bylo provesti mutatsionnyy i filogeneticheskiy analizy genomov SARS-CoV-2 rossiyskogo proiskhozhdeniya v raznyye periody i v raznykh regionakh, a takzhe okharakterizovat' mutatsionnyye profili izolyatov, ispol'zuya podkhody bioinformatiki. Provedeno sravneniye nakopleniya mutatsiy v 86 polnogenomnykh posledovatel'nostyakh SARS-CoV-2 iz Rossii i 220 iz Yevropy i Severnoy Ameriki dlya vyyavleniya kharakternykh gennykh variatsiy, vozmozhnykh patternov selektivnogo otbora. Pomimo izvestnykh mutatsiy v genakh strukturnykh belkov, tipichnykh dlya izolyatov yevropeyskogo proiskhozhdeniya, vyyavleny dopolnitel'nyye sinonimichnyye mutatsii rossiyskogo proiskhozhdeniya, v tom chisle v gene M (C26750T). Dvoynaya mutatsiya R203K i G204R v gene nukleokapsida, raneye poyavivshayasya v Yevrope, rasprostranilas' i bystro (v techeniye mesyatsa) stala dominiruyushchim variantom v Rossii. Poluchennyye rezul'taty svidetel'stvuyut o tom, chto genom znachitel'noy chasti izolyatov SARS-CoV-2 iz Rossii evolyutsioniruyet s nakopleniyem novykh mutatsiy, sposobstvuyushchikh povysheniyu transmissivnosti virusa. Dannyye o spetsifichnykh mutatsionnykh patternakh genoma SARS-CoV-2 mogut byt' ispol'zovany dlya vyyavleniya virusa, otslezhivaniya i kontrolya yego rasprostranennosti.
Position of Wh-Words in Kipsigis Wh-Questions
Authors: Anastasia Chepngetich , Hidah Kinyua Gatakaa Ann , Kinyua Muriungi Peter
Published: July 2020

The wh-parameter determines whether the wh-expression can be fronted or not. Studies on a number of languages among them English, Shona, Kiitharaka and Chinese have revealed that different languages use different ways to form wh-questions. This paper examines the positions a wh-phrase can occupy in Kipsigis, a southern Nilotic language. A descriptive research design was adopted and a structure generation exercise was used to elicit data from ten competent native speakers of Kipsigis. Data was analysed within the context of the minimalist program developed by Chomsky. The analysis revealed that Kipsigis wh-words can be found in their canonical position, a position termed in-situ. The wh-words can also be moved to the front of the matrix clause. This movement is triggered by a strong focus feature manifested by a focus marker which is always attached to the verb. The wh-words can undergo partial wh-movement where the wh-phrase moves to a position lower than its relevant position. The study also established that adjuncts remain in-situ except for the wh-phrase ‘why’ which can be fronted in addition to being found in-situ. This study contributes towards the understanding of universal and parametric linguistic features in syntactic theory.
Chitra Banrjee Divakaruini’s “The Forest of Enchantments: Revisiting the Epic from Sita’s Prespective”
Authors: Narmadha S.
Published: July 2020

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest OF Enchantments is about the retelling of our ancient prestigious epic of Ramayan from Sita’s perspective. As an Indian diasporic writer Divakaruni has nostalgia about Indian culture and tradition. The word culture comprises of behaviours and institutions, for its attempts at retelling an ancient epic through the female’s perspective. This novel focuses on the self discovery of Sita who is a celebrated female character of ancient India. So, Divakaruni has changed her way of thinking from traditional portrayal of simple and selfless women into modern female characters who is searching for their identity in the patriarchal world.
Diasporic Consciousness and Identity Trauma in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake
Authors: Shyam Himadri
Published: July 2020

In the contemporary era, immigration, exile and expatriation are related to home, identity, nostalgia, memory and isolation. These are the recurrent theme in the diasporic writings of the post-colonial writers like V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, Jhumpa Lahiri and so on.

Identity is a topical issue in the contemporary study of culture with many ramifications for the study of ethnicity, class, gender, race, sexuality and subcultures. It becomes an issue when something assumed to be fixed, coherent, and stable is displaced by the experience of doubt and uncertainty. When a period of uncertainty and confusion upsets a person’s identity, it becomes insecure, usually due to a change in the expected aims or role in society. This identity trauma brings a sense of longing and loss as seen in Lahiri’s stories.

 The present article focuses on the first generation and second generation immigrants adherence to the old and new land as can be found in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. Lahiri represents her characters struggling to balance the two worlds that involve the issues of immigration, race, class, and culture.
Kiran Desai’s Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard: A Critique
Authors: Pandhare Avinash L.
Published: July 2020

In Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, her debut novel, Kiran Desai has experimented in the making of a comic fable.  She presents a hilarious story of life, love, and family relationships - simultaneously capturing the vivid culture of the Indian subcontinent and the universal intricacies of human experience.  The story is set in a small Indian but fictitious town called Shahkot.  Sampath is the protagonist who belongs to a middle class family.  After experiencing drastic boredom in his life, Sampath decides to spend his life in trees.  And then after, the story reveals its real mood.  At a deeper level, the novel displays the theme of alienation, magic realism, rebellion, etc.  Desai is a masterful dialogue writer, and she uses this skill to great effect in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard.  She infuses the dialogue with local idioms and paints a vivid portrait of life in a small city in India.  With a clear objective of writing a comic satire, she also makes a satirical attack against the creation of gurus in Indian society.
Female Sexuality, Desire and Writing as Reflected in the Poetry of Carol Ann Duffy
Authors: Das Spandita
Published: July 2020

This study attempts to explore the heterogeneity of desires and sexualities as reflected in Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry. I show (a) how she simultaneously depicts both lesbian and heterosexual desires and (b) also addresses their problematic aspects. I argue that (c) female subjectivities are constructed both through wives’ monologues about their male partners as in heterosexual marriages and through men’s reflection upon women in male-voiced monologues as well. But I also (d) examine poems where the expression of desire in language and—not the sexed subjects—is her principal aim. Yet in the light of my previous exposition on female subjectivities, I refuse to reduce her various sexual positions to mere linguistic constructs. Finally I demonstrate (e) how her equal employment of ‘soft’ and ‘tough’ words veers from any systematic development of a pure ‘common’ female language.
Existentialist Perspective: A Study of Taslima Nasrin's Novel French Lover
Authors: Yadav Savita
Published: July 2020

Taslima Nasrin is a liberal humanist writer who struggles for freedom and continues to stand by people who face injustice in her writings. French Lover is the story of an Indian woman who in a traditional cover-up of patriarchy is submissive, conventional, and oppressive. The novel is a portrait of a woman who efforts to subvert the patriarchal traditions and come out from the shackles of stereotypical beliefs and conventionality. Nila, the protagonist, meanders her way in real life where she breaks and goes away from the mismatched marriage and rejects the experience offered by Benoir. Nila being a strong character retains her individuality against the destructive forces that challenged her existence. She faces an existential crisis when she detaches herself from her family, her husband, and her French lover. She undergoes the subsequent trauma and her successful exit from all the hurdles makes her realize that she has an existence of her own that is distinct from all others and She is free to choose and exist authentically. Danielle, the other character subjugated by her near and dear in her very early age, disowned her relations and denied conventionality where she lives via her way.
The Metaphysical and Ontological Quest Inwilliam Faulkner’s as I Lay Dying
Authors: Nair Ms. Priya
Published: July 2020

Compared to the long and often tortuous delivery of Faulkner’s other great masterpieces—The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!—his fifth novel, As I Lay Dying, came to him fully formed at its inception and was completed in a great sprint of imaginative intensity. “Before I began I said,” Faulkner declared, “I am going to write a book by which, at a pinch, I can stand or fall if I never touch ink again.” Faulkner’s grotesquely heroic account of the hard-scrabble Bundren family’s attempt to bury its matriarch, Addie, while contending with what Faulkner described as “the two greatest disasters known to man: flood and fire” on their journey through the blazing heat of midsummer Mississippi is fractured into 59 alternating monologues by 15 witnesses, from the four Bundren brothers—Cash, Jewel, Darl, and Vardaman—their sister Dewey Dell, and their father Anse, to a chorus of eight neighbors and those encountered along the way, as well as the dead Addie herself. In Faulkner’s daring, Cubistlike structure of multiple, juxtaposed perspectives, narrative coherence and a full understanding of the family’s past and motives emerge only gradually, reassembled by the reader out of often conflicting, subjective, and biased testimony. With such a book, Faulkner asserted, “the finished work is simply a matter of fitting bricks neatly together, since the writer knows probably every single word right to the end before he puts the first onedown. This happened with As I Lay Dying. It was not easy. No honest work is. It was simple in that all the material was already at hand.” The result is one of Faulkner’s greatest technical achievements and one of his most profound explorations of the human condition. With As I Lay Dying Faulkner dissolves the fundamental polarities of human existence: life and death, the individual and the group, language and actuality, private and public, comedy and tragedy in pursuit of a new synthesis that expresses a fuller truth. As much a metaphysical and ontological quest as a family’s internment drama, As I Lay Dying is in every sense the tour de force that Faulkner habitually described it, a masterpiece in which the vernacular and its regional setting buttress a profound, universal human drama.
Designing Tommy and Pokina Educative Language Game Software: a Transnational Popular Culture Project
Authors: Dukut Ekawati Marhaenny , Wulandari Christine Ayu , Chandrawati Thecla Brenda
Published: July 2020

Products of popular culture are many. One of those is educative language game software. Not only is a game useful in combating boredom, but a game can increase someone’s education capability. The PC (personal computer) a TOEFL-like game software created by the researchers applies the American TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) as a basis of the game.  It has transnational qualities because it integrates some local Indonesian culture into an American based English competence test. Being a transnational product, the game induces creativity for a number of Indonesian-English students to have a global imagination. The popular culture product named Tommy Pokina language game software is an educative game produced for 8th grade students studying at Junior High School. In designing the game, the method of symbolic analogy with the use of simple objects becomes the main characteristics of the game. In its visualization, the design process makes use of not only particular graphics, visualization effects, typography and interface; but also a number of other aspects. The aspects include the object’s illustrations, viewpoint, composition, and layout in developing the game’s visualization. These aspects are found to be valuable in designing the game.
Analysis and Design of Waste Management System Using the Spiral Model Towards Smart Cities
Authors: Saptadi N. Tri Suswanto , Chyan Phie , Pratama Andrew Christhoper
Published: July 2020

IT Governance has provided hope in human life, especially waste management and environmental cleanliness services. The role of IT becomes very important when people want services that are fast, accurate and relevant. Technology using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has provided opportunities and made it possible to interact easily. The purpose of this research is to provide a GIS for the city environmental and sanitation services in order to provide good services in creating a clean environment. The research method uses the system analysis method with a spiral model approach in system design. The results of the design of GIS have been able to improve the performance of waste management in the city of Makassar.