bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sub optimal HIV status ascertainment at antenatal clinics and the impact on HIV prevalence estimates: A cross sectional study
Authors: Wangara Fatihiyya , Estill Janne , Kipruto Hillary , Wools-Kaloustian Kara , Chege Wendy , Manguro Griffins , Keiser Olivia
Published: December 2022

Background

While many countries including Kenya transitioned from sentinel surveillance to the use of routine antenatal care (ANC) data to estimate the burden of HIV, countries in Sub Saharan Africa reported several challenges of this transition, including low uptake of HIV testing and sub national / site-level differences in HIV prevalence estimates. In Kenya voluntary HIV testing is offered to all 1st ANC clients. However, some women may decline testing. We aim to predict the HIV positivity (as a proxy of prevalence) at ANC assuming 100% uptake of HIV testing and compare this to the observed positivity.

Methods

Using a cross sectional study design, we examine routine data on HIV testing among all women attending ANC in Kwale County, Kenya, for the period January 2015 to December 2019.We used a generalized estimating equation with binomial distribution to model the observed HIV prevalence as explained by HIV status ascertainment. We then used marginal standardization to predict the HIV prevalence at 100% HIV status ascertainment and make recommendations to improve the utility of ANC routine data for HIV surveillance.

Results

HIV testing at ANC was at 91.3%, slightly above the global target of 90%. If there was 100% HIV status ascertainment at ANC, the HIV prevalence would be 2.7% (95% CI 2.3–3.2). This was 0.3% lower than the observed prevalence. Across the yearly predictions, there was no difference between the observed and predicted values except for 2018 where the HIV prevalence was underestimated with an absolute bias of -0.2 percent. This implies missed opportunities for identifying new HIV infections in the year 2018.

Conclusions

Imperfect HIV status ascertainment at ANC overestimates HIV prevalence among women attending ANC in Kwale County. However, the use of ANC routine data may underestimate the true population prevalence. There is need to address both community level and health facility level barriers to the uptake of ANC services.
A systematic review of the 60 year literature: Effects of outreach programs in supporting historically marginalized and first-generation, low-income students in healthcare education
Authors: Jenkins Eric , Nardo Jocelyn Elizabeth , Salehi Shima
Published: December 2022

We have reviewed over 60 years of studies on healthcare education outreach programs that are aimed to support first-generation, low-income, as well as underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups (historically marginalized students) to pursue pre-health professions. As a systematic literature review, we present the challenges studies on healthcare education outreach programs had as three main categories: 1) Design, 2) Evaluation, and 3) Analysis. 1) Designs of studies on healthcare education outreach programs often lacked theoretical foundations whereby a) the interventions did not present theories underlying a causal mechanism of inequity in health professions; and/or 1b) the defined outcome measures were not clearly aligned with the problem the intervention tried to address. 2) Evaluations of studies on healthcare education outreach programs were not always conducted effectively whereby: 2a) controlled groups were commonly absent for comparison with the intervention group; and/or 2b) post measures were solely used without pre-measures. 3) Analyses of studies on healthcare education outreach programs were not adequate whereby: 3a) the response rates and effect size were commonly low; and/or 3b) qualitative results commonly did not supplement quantitative results. Overall, our findings reveal studies on healthcare education outreach programs have common challenges that hinder the reliability of their effects supporting historically marginalized students in pursuing pre-health professions. To address such challenges with studies on healthcare education outreach programs aimed at supporting historically marginalized students, we created a decision flow chart for researchers to ask themselves: 1) how is the design guided by theoretical goals; 2) how are measurements used to evaluate success; and 3) how does the analysis lead to reliable results?
Factors influencing human papillomavirus school-based immunization in Alberta: A mixed-methods study protocol
Authors: Malkin Jennifer , Allen Scott Lisa , Alberga Machado Amanda , Teare Gary , Snider Joanne , Ali Tirmizi Syed Farhan , Bandara Thilina , Rathwell Mika , Neudorf Cordell
Published: December 2022

More than 1,300 Canadians are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, which is nearly preventable through human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization. Across Canada, coverage rates remain below the 90% target set out by the Action Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Canada (2020–2030). To support this Plan, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer has commissioned the Urban Public Health Network (UPHN) to coordinate a quality improvement project with Canada’s school-based HPV immunization programs. In Alberta, the UPHN partnered with Alberta Health Services (AHS) for this work. This study has one overarching research question: what are parent/guardian and program stakeholder perceived barriers, enablers and opportunities to immunization for youth as part of the school-based HPV immunization program in Alberta? This study uses a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. A survey will be emailed to a sample of Albertans with children aged 11–17 years. Questions will be based on a Conceptual Framework of Access to Health Care. Subsequent qualitative work will explore the survey’s findings. Parents/guardians identifying as vaccine hesitant in the survey will be invited to participate in virtual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Stakeholders of the school-based immunization program will be purposively sampled from AHS’ five health zones for virtual focus groups. Quantitative data will be analyzed using SAS Studio 3.6 to carry out descriptive statistics and, using logistic regression, investigate if Framework constructs are associated with parents’/guardians’ decision to immunize their children. Qualitative data will be analyzed using NVivo 12 to conduct template thematic analysis guided by the Framework. Study results will provide insights for Alberta’s public health practitioners to make evidence-informed decisions when tailoring the school-based HPV immunization program to increase uptake in vaccine hesitant populations. Findings will contribute to the national study, which will culminate in recommendations to increase HPV immunization uptake nationally and progress towards the 90% coverage target.
Managing COVID-19 in an Australian designated isolation facility: Implications for current and future healthcare crises based on in-depth interviews
Authors: Achat Helen M. , Mittal Rakhi , Stubbs Joanne M. , Gilroy Nicky , Schindeler Suzanne K. , Shaban Ramon Z. , Solano Thomas
Published: December 2022

Health care workers’ (HCWs) lived experiences and perceptions of the pandemic can prove to be a valuable resource in the face of a seemingly persistent Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–to inform ongoing efforts, as well as identify components essential to a crisis preparedness plan and the issues pertinent to supporting relevant, immediate change. We employed a phenomenological approach and, using purposive sampling, conducted 39 semi-structured interviews with senior healthcare professionals who were employed at a designated COVID-19 facility in New South Wales (NSW), Australia during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Participants comprised administrators, heads of department and senior clinicians. We obtained these HCWs’ (i) perspectives of their lived experience on what was done well and what could have been done differently and (ii) recommendations on actions for current and future crisis response. Four themes emerged: minimise the spread of disease at all times; maintain a sense of collegiality and informed decision-making; plan for future crises; and promote corporate and clinical agility. These themes encapsulated respondents’ insights that should inform our capacity to meet current needs, direct meaningful and in situ change, and prepare us for future crises. Respondents’ observations and recommendations are informative for decision-makers tasked with mobilising an efficacious approach to the next health crisis and, in the interim, would aid the governance of a more robust workforce to effect high quality patient care in a safe environment.
Effects of structured exercise programmes on physiological and psychological outcomes in adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jones Katherine , Kimble Rachel , Baker Katherine , Tew Garry A.
Published: December 2022

Background

Exercise has been suggested to counteract specific complications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, its role as a therapeutic option remains poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of exercise in IBD.

Methods

Five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL and SPORTDiscus) and three registers (Clinicaltrials.gov, WHO ICTRP and ISRCTN) were searched from inception to September 2022, for studies assessing the effects of structured exercise of at least 4 weeks duration on physiological and/or psychological outcomes in adults with IBD. Two independent reviewers screened records, assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB 2.0) and ROBINS-I tools, and evaluated the certainty of evidence using the GRADE method. Data were meta-analysed using a random-effects model.

Results

From 4,123 citations, 15 studies (9 RCTs) were included, comprising of 637 participants (36% male). Pooled evidence from six RCTs indicated that exercise improved disease activity (SMD = -0.44; 95% CI [-0.82 to -0.07]; p = 0.02), but not disease-specific quality of life (QOL) (IBDQ total score; MD = 3.52; -2.00 to 9.04; p = 0.21) when compared to controls. Although meta-analysis could not be performed for other outcomes, benefits were identified in fatigue, muscular function, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, bone mineral density and psychological well-being. Fourteen exercise-related non-serious adverse events occurred. The overall certainty of evidence was low for disease activity and very low for HRQOL as a result of downgrading for risk of bias and imprecision.

Conclusions

Structured exercise programmes improve disease activity, but not disease-specific QOL. Defining an optimal exercise prescription and synthesis of evidence in other outcomes, was limited by insufficient well-designed studies to ascertain the true effect of exercise training. This warrants further large-scale randomised trials employing standard exercise prescription to verify this effect to enable the implementation into clinical practice.

Registration

This systematic review was prospectively registered in an international database of systematic reviews in health-related research (CRD42017077992;https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).
A novel hybrid optimization enabled robust CNN algorithm for an IoT network intrusion detection approach
Authors: Bahaa Ahmed , Sayed Abdalla , Elfangary Laila , Fahmy Hanan
Published: December 2022

Due to the huge number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices within a network, denial of service and flooding attacks on networks are on the rise. IoT devices are disrupted and denied service because of these attacks. In this study, we proposed a novel hybrid meta-heuristic adaptive particle swarm optimization–whale optimizer algorithm (APSO-WOA) for optimization of the hyperparameters of a convolutional neural network (APSO-WOA-CNN). The APSO–WOA optimization algorithm’s fitness value is defined as the validation set’s cross-entropy loss function during CNN model training. In this study, we compare our optimization algorithm with other optimization algorithms, such as the APSO algorithm, for optimization of the hyperparameters of CNN. In model training, the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm achieved the best performance compared to the FNN algorithm, which used manual parameter settings. We evaluated the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm against APSO–CNN, SVM, and FNN. The simulation results suggest that APSO–WOA–CNf[N is effective and can reliably detect multi-type IoT network attacks. The results show that the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm improves accuracy by 1.25%, average precision by 1%, the kappa coefficient by 11%, Hamming loss by 1.2%, and the Jaccard similarity coefficient by 2%, as compared to the APSO–CNN algorithm, and the APSO–CNN algorithm achieves the best performance, as compared to other algorithms.
The effect of cold-knife conization on pregnancy outcomes in patients with cervical lesions
Authors: Gao Yue , Wang Huali , Xiao Yunyun
Published: December 2022

Objective

To analyze the pregnancy outcomes of patients with cervical lesions treated by cold-knife conization (CKC).

Methods

Clinical data of healthy pregnant women and pregnant women who underwent CKC in Dalian Women and Children’s Medical Group from March 2010 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into a CKC group and a control group according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical methods were used to compare pregnancy and delivery outcomes between the two groups.

Results

There were 400 patients in CKC group and control group, with 200 patients in each. There was no significant difference in the mode of delivery, abortion, ectopic pregnancy, in-hospital perinatal management, and cervical cerclage between the CKC group and the control group (P>0.05). The rates of preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, cesarean section, and neonatal admission in the CKC group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the CKC group, the incidence of premature rupture of membranes within six months postoperatively was higher than that after six months (P<0.05). The incidences of preterm delivery and premature rupture of membranes were not completely consistent in different conization ranges (P<0.05).

Conclusion

CKC increases the incidence of preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, and neonatal adverse outcomes. Conization height can predict the occurrence of preterm delivery. Delaying pregnancy after surgery can reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes during the perinatal period.
Evaluation of co-circulating pathogens and microbiome from COVID-19 infections
Authors: Thissen James B. , Morrison Michael D. , Mulakken Nisha , Nelson William C. , Daum Chris , Messenger Sharon , Wadford Debra A. , Jaing Crystal
Published: December 2022

Co-infections or secondary infections with SARS-CoV-2 have the potential to affect disease severity and morbidity. Additionally, the potential influence of the nasal microbiome on COVID-19 illness is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed 203 residual samples, originally submitted for SARS-CoV-2 testing, for the presence of viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens and non-pathogens using a comprehensive microarray technology, the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array (LLMDA). Eighty-seven percent of the samples were nasopharyngeal samples, and 23% of the samples were oral, nasal and oral pharyngeal swabs. We conducted bioinformatics analyses to examine differences in microbial populations of these samples, as a proxy for the nasal and oral microbiome, from SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative specimens. We found 91% concordance with the LLMDA relative to a diagnostic RT-qPCR assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2. Sixteen percent of all the samples (32/203) revealed the presence of an opportunistic bacterial or frank viral pathogen with the potential to cause co-infections. The two most detected bacteria,Streptococcus pyogenesandStreptococcus pneumoniae, were present in both SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative samples. Human metapneumovirus was the most prevalent viral pathogen in the SARS-CoV-2 negative samples. Sequence analysis of 16S rRNA was also conducted to evaluate bacterial diversity and confirm LLMDA results.
Risk factors for cerebral complications in patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations: A multicenter retrospective cohort study
Authors: Na Young-Ok , Park Hwa Kyung , Lee Jae-Kyeong , Kho Bo-Gun , Kim Tae-Ok , Shin Hong-Joon , Kwon Yong-Soo , Kim Yu-Il , Lim Sung-Chul , Oh Hyung-Joo , Park Cheol-Kyu , Oh In-Jae , Kim Young-Chul , Park Ha-Young
Published: December 2022

Objective

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is a rare pulmonary disease. Although most patients with PAVMs are asymptomatic, cerebral complications associated with PAVMs are often fatal. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for cerebral complications in patients with PAVMs.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients with PAVMs between 2003 and 2021 at two tertiary referral hospitals and one secondary hospital.

Results

Fifty-five patients diagnosed with PAVMs were enrolled in this study. Most patients were female (89.1%), and the median age was 53 years. Thirty patients (54.5%) had incidentally detected PAVMs without symptoms. Twenty-four patients (43.7%) with PAVMs were treated with embolotherapy or surgery. Thirteen patients (23.6%) had cerebral complications. There was no significant difference in the development of cerebral complications according to treatment; however, older age (≥ 65 years) was associated with the development of new cerebral complications in untreated patients with PAVMs (odds ratio, 17.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–250.31; P = 0.038).

Conclusion

Older age (≥ 65 years) was a risk factor for the development of cerebral complications in patients with PAVMs; therefore, treatment should be considered in older patients with PAVMs.
Nationwide survey on Japanese residents’ experience with and barriers to incident reporting
Authors: Kurihara Masaru , Watari Takashi , Rohde Jeffrey M. , Gupta Ashwin , Tokuda Yasuharu , Nagao Yoshimasa
Published: December 2022

The ability of any incident reporting system to improve patient care is dependent upon robust reporting practices. However, under-reporting is still a problem worldwide. We aimed to reveal the barriers experienced while reporting an incident through a nationwide survey in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional survey. All first- and second-year residents who took the General Medicine In-Training Examination (GM-ITE) from February to March 2021 in Japan were selected for the study. The voluntary questionnaire asked participants regarding the number of safety incidents encountered and reported within the previous year and the barriers to reporting incidents. Demographics were obtained from the GM-ITE. The answers of respondents who indicated they had never previously reported an incident (non-reporting group) were compared to those of respondents who had reported at least one incident in the previous year (reporting group). Of 5810 respondents, the vast majority indicated they had encountered at least one safety incident in the past year (n = 4449, 76.5%). However, only 2724 (46.9%) had submitted an incident report. Under-reporting (more safety incidents compared to the number of reports) was evident in 1523 (26.2%) respondents. The most frequently mentioned barrier to reporting an incident was the time required to file the report (n = 2622, 45.1%). The barriers to incident reporting were significantly different between resident physicians who had previously reported and those who had never previously reported an incident. Our study revealed that resident physicians in Japan commonly encounter patient safety incidents but under-report them. Numerous perceived and experienced barriers to reporting remain, which should be addressed if incident reporting systems are to have an optimal impact on improving patient safety. Incident reporting is essential for improving patient safety in an institution, and this study recommends establishing appropriate interventions according to each learner’s barriers for reporting.
Maternal cytomegalovirus infection and delayed language development in children at 3 years of age–a nested case-control study in a large population-based pregnancy cohort
Authors: Barlinn Regine , Dudman Susanne G. , Rollag Halvor , Trogstad Lill , Lindstrøm Jonas C. , Magnus Per
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Maternal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnancy may result in vertical transmission of CMV to the child. Long-term effects of congenital CMV infection include visual, cognitive as well as neurological impairment. The aim of this study was to estimate the odds ratios for CMV seropositivity and seroconversion in mothers, with and without delayed language development in 3 year old children, nested within a large cohort.

Material and methods

The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a prospective population-based pregnancy cohort that includes 95 200 mothers and 114 500 children. Blood samples were obtained from mothers during pregnancy weeks 17 or 18 in pregnancy and after birth. We included 300 women from MoBa with children suffering from delayed language development at three years of age, based on validated questionnaires. Within the cohort, 1350 randomly selected women were included as controls to perform a nested case-control study. The cases and controls were tested for CMV IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Among mothers of cases, 63.2% were CMV-IgG positive in the sample at birth, as compared to 55.9% among controls; OR 1.36, (95% CI; 1.05 to 1.76). Also, among case mothers, 8/118 (6.8%) initially seronegative cases, seroconverted. Among initially seronegative controls, seroconversion occurred in 23/618 (3.7%) mothers. The OR for seroconversion in cases as compared to control mothers was 1.88 (CI; 0.82 to 4.31), thus not statistically significant different.

Conclusion

This study shows a higher risk of delayed language development at three years of age in children born by mothers seropositive for CMV, compared to children born from seronegative mothers.
Beyond the slasher film: History, seriousness and the problem of the children’s audience in the critical reception of big-budget horror in the late 1970s and early 1980s
Authors: Jancovich Mark
Published: December 2022

An analysis of the horror films of late 1970s and early 1980s argues that although this period is usually understood as one that was dominated by the slasher film, it was actually one defined by a wave of big-budget horror films. Furthermore, through an analysis of the reception of these films in mainstream publications such as the New York Times, the article not only explores features and trends that these films were understood as exhibiting but also the broader discourses through which films were either championed or condemned by reviewers.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch: It’s time (again) for a re-evaluation
Authors: Leinster Ciarán
Published: December 2022

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the stand-out sequel in the Halloween franchise because it deviates so wildly from the pattern set in the original film, and then followed so poorly in subsequent editions. Instead, the John Carpenter and Debra Hill-produced Halloween III takes the form of a ‘pod movie’, in which a toymaker plots to use a television signal to murder viewers on Halloween night. Much of the creative team were regular members of the Carpenter–Hill stable, which is clear in the film’s look, feel and sound. On the occasion of the release of Halloween Kills, and Halloween III’s 40th birthday, this article proposes a critical re-evaluation of the work, highlighting the lost potential in the idea of an anthology series, the lack of serious engagement in the film and the crucial point of the villain having an Irish heritage. The film is also analysed as a ‘TV Text’: films, novels, plays and non-fiction works that are concerned with the effects and mechanisms of television. These were becoming increasingly prominent in the 1980s and beyond, with examples ranging from David Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1983) and Don DeLillo’s White Noise (1985) to the late work of Gore Vidal and Arthur Miller.
Sidney Furie’s The Entity: Horror and rape culture
Authors: Shetley Vernon
Published: December 2022

In the 1970s rape became a central focus of second-wave feminist activism, and also, as censorship waned, a frequent narrative event in New Hollywood cinema, often, as a number of critics noted, in strikingly misogynistic forms. A few films, however, reflect and engage with second-wave feminism’s new perspectives on sexual assault. Sidney Furie’s The Entity (1982) uses its horror premise, a woman repeatedly raped by an invisible, aethereal attacker, as a powerful metaphor for what feminists termed ‘rape culture’. The film enlists our identification with, and sympathy for, its protagonist in her struggle against both the invisible rapist and against a medical establishment that denies the truth of her experience. Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To will be briefly considered as a film that reimagines the story of Jesus’s conception in feminist terms as sexual violation and Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45 will be discussed as a representation of women’s experience of rape culture.
Makoto Shinkai: cine de animación japonesa y construcción de personajes redondos
Authors: Valverde-Maestre Águeda María , Pérez-Rufí José Patricio , Gómez-Pérez Francisco Javier
Published: December 2022

Este trabajo toma como objeto de estudio una muestra de la obra del director japonés de animación Makoto Shinkai. El objetivo principal es el análisis de los personajes protagonistas en tres de sus largometrajes. Aplicamos una metodología de análisis de contenido basada en la descripción y comparación de varias dimensiones de los personajes, desde las propuestas metodológicas de análisis procedentes de los estudios narratológicos del cine y la literatura. Consideramos que Shinkai construye a sus protagonistas a partir de prácticas y estrategias habituales a la hora de otorgar complejidad a aquellos y convertirlos así en simulacros verosímiles en la representación de personas, incluso tratándose de animación. El análisis concluye que la creación de personajes redondos dota a la obra de Shinkai de una madurez insólita en el anime. La introducción de elementos fantásticos y de un mensaje más profundo y menos evidente lleva a los títulos hacia el terreno de la metáfora y a un alto componente místico y espiritual, aunque dentro de una narrativa comercial.
Chloroplast DNA polymorphism and morphometric characteristics of Carpinus betulus in the Lithuania forests
Authors: Jurkšienė Girmantė , Baliuckas Virgilijus , Naugžemys Donatas , Žvingila Donatas
Published: December 2022

The European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) is a medium-sized deciduous tree that spreads northeast of the middle of Lithuania. Carpinus betulus L. is a native tree in Poland, and its branch is migrated by two Pleistocene refugia. We hypothesised that its branches had spread to Lithuania. In this study, we selected 10 populations of hornbeam that were chosen from their distribution location. We sequenced the chloroplast intergenic spacer psbA-trnH of 70 individuals. We found 24 bp deletion in chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) individuals of two populations in the southeastern part of Lithuania. In the seven forest populations, we examined the morphological variability of hornbeam seed involucres and nuts variations of 30 morphometric characteristics. Initial genetic population studies were conducted over a wider area; when differences were detected, morphological studies were conducted in the contact zone. Morphometric differences between the study populations were significant. The existence of two haplotypes of cpDNA supports the hypothesis of two migration refugia in C. betulus populations. This study contributes to significant novel knowledge about the morphological and cpDNA variability of European hornbeam populations in Lithuania and Europe.
Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Authors: Spiegel Brennan
Published: December 2022

The pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—a disorder of gut-brain interaction that affects up to 10% of the world's population—remains uncertain. It is puzzling that a disorder so prevalent and archetypal among humans can be explained by disparate theories, respond to treatments with vastly different mechanisms of action, and present with a dazzling array of comorbidities. It is reasonable to question whether there is a unifying factor that binds these divergent theories and observations, and if so, what that factor might be. This article offers a testable hypothesis that seeks to accommodate the manifold theories, clinical symptoms, somatic comorbidities, neuropsychological features, and treatment outcomes of IBS by describing the syndrome in relation to a principal force of human evolution: gravity. In short, the hypothesis proposed here is that IBS may result from ineffective anatomical, physiological, and neuropsychological gravity management systems designed to optimize gastrointestinal form and function, protect somatic and visceral integrity, and maximize survival in a gravity-bound world. To explain this unconventional hypothesis of IBS pathogenesis, referred to herein as the gravity hypothesis, this article reviews the influence of gravity on human evolution; discusses how Homo sapiens imperfectly evolved to manage this universal force of attraction; and explores the mechanical, microbial, and neuropsychological consequences of gravity intolerance with a focus on explaining IBS. This article concludes by considering the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of this new hypothesis and proposes experiments to support or reject this line of inquiry. It is hoped that the ideas in this thought experiment may also help encourage new or different ways of thinking about this common disorder.
Reterritorialização precária de posseiros como aglomerados de exclusão em resistência à territorialização das relações capitalistas de produção no espaço geográfico agrário do norte tocantinense
Authors: Sousa Filho Hudson Nascimento de , Lopes Alberto Pereira
Published: December 2022

O presente artigo é fruto de reflexões materialistas históricas e dialéticas em torno do contexto expresso na estrutura e dinâmica do conflito e da conflitualidade emergentes na Gleba Tauá, município de Barra do Ouro-TO. Problematiza questões oriundas da expansão e territorialização do capital do agronegócio sobre os territórios dos tradicionais povos viventes no norte do Tocantins, encontrando-se em aglomerados de exclusão reterritorializados de forma precária. Estes resistem à medida que fazem da agricultura familiar seu modo de existência e resistência à frente pioneira da economia agroindustrial moderna na fronteira amazônica. Portanto, coube a esta pesquisa engendrar uma minuciosa análise sobre o conflito e a conflitualidade que violentam pessoas todos os dias no contexto do município de Barra do Ouro-TO.  Metodologicamente a estrutura quali-quantitativa desta pesquisa contou com levantamento de dados primários, fotografias e nove (9) entrevistas realizadas em duas (2) visitas a campo na comunidade da Gleba Tauá, além de revisão bibliográfica de literatura (geográfica e sociológica) relacionada ao tema dos conflitos socioterritoriais ocorridos na frente de expansão do agronegócio no Brasil. Com essência expressa na expropriação de posseiras/os que vivem neste espaço há mais de 60 anos para um exacerbado domínio e para a expansão do atual modelo monocultor agrícola, o do agronegócio, e seu insaciável plantio de commodities (soja, milho e eucalipto na maioria das vezes) – instaurado nas “sesmarias” do século XXI. Tal contexto nos leva a apontar a necessidade urgente da implantação de uma política de reforma agrária no Brasil, para que os camponeses deste país tenham seu acesso à terra livre para desempenhar seus trabalhos em sua totalidade, para não mais se omitir a existência de uma problemática social que mata pessoas todos os dias em nosso país, ao se negar a realização urgente da Reforma Agrária.
Territórios submersos em rios
Authors: Angulo-Giraldo Miguel
Published: December 2022

Para o povo indígena Kukama Kukamiria (Peru), uma diversidade de agentes (humanos e não-humanos) fazem parte de um território relacional e afetivo no qual as conexões entre os agentes acontecem de forma contínua nos quatro mundos (céu, terra, rio e a terra embaixo dos rios). A partir de uma análise da dimensão simbólica do território (SANTOS-GRANERO, 2006) expressada nos mitos desse coletivo, este artigo pesquisa os relatos textuais e desenhados que estão presentes no livro feito pelo próprio povo indígena: Karuara, la gente del río (2016). Se analisam as agências presentes, as afetações intersubjetivas entre eles e os significados construídos no território. O estudo conclui que o território narrado nos mitos estudados rememora os acontecimentos de origem do povo Kukama Kukamiria e da importância de diversos lugares e paisagens do território. Ao reconhecer as conexões estabelecidas entre humanos e não-humanos — contínuas afetações entre esses agentes em uma diversidade de submundos sob os rios, na terra e no céu — se estabelece uma guia de comportamentos e práticas que permitem uma convivência sustentável e a sobrevivência do território.
Estado empreendedor, políticas de inovação mission-oriented e transição energética renovável: justificativas, princípios e avaliação
Authors: Corrêa Lucas , Antonio Ferraz Cário Silvio
Published: December 2022

As energias renováveis são centrais para a superação do carbon lock-in e combate das mudanças climáticas, e o Estado é um importante ator no desenvolvimento dessas tecnologias. O objetivo desse artigo, portanto, é explorar o papel do Estado empreendedor em políticas de inovação mission-oriented para promoção da transição energética renovável. Ressaltam-se os aspectos relacionados com: a) as justificativas, contrastando com as justificativas de falhas de mercado e sistemas nacionais de inovação; b) os princípios essenciais que guiam o desenho e a condução dessas políticas; e, c) o problema em aberto relacionado com os instrumentos de avaliação de seus impactos dinâmicos.
A Contribuição de Richard Nelson e Sidney Winter para uma Teoria Econômica Evolucionária
Authors: Morem da Costa Rodrigo , Barcelos da Costa Achyles
Published: December 2022

Este texto se insere no espírito de celebração do quadragésimo aniversário de An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change de R. Nelson e S. Winter. O seu objetivo é discutir as principais contribuições dessa obra seminal para uma visão evolucionária em economia, na qual a inovação desempenha papel fundamental. Apresentam-se seus conceitos teóricos, que permitiram entender a mudança em economias capitalistas de maneira evolutiva e dinâmica. O enfoque evolucionário é desenvolvido pelo uso de analogias com os princípios darwinianos de evolução aplicados à economia. Em seguida, são expostas tanto a nova abordagem da teoria da firma quanto a competição schumpeteriana, que são as bases para a compreensão do desenvolvimento econômico.
A construção do modelo não linear de inovação: Os primórdios do pensamento de Richard Nelson
Authors: Mechlin Prado Ana Raquel , Nagao Menezes Daniel Francisco
Published: December 2022

Este artigo tem, como objetivo central, mostrar que economistas da ciência nas décadas de 1950 e 1960 não desenvolveram o modelo linear de inovação, mas sim, adotaram uma representação interacionista das ligações entre ciência e tecnologia, para examinar seus fundamentos teóricos, sua relação histórica com as tendências mais recentes na economia da tecnologia e suas consequências para os debates recentes sobre políticas de patentes. A partir da discussão dos artigos seminais e mais recentes de Nelson sobre a economia da inovação, são examinadas as contribuições para a economia da inovação e da tecnologia realizadas por autores que influenciaram ou foram influenciados pelo pensamento de Nelson ou, mais amplamente, que pertenciam à sua rede acadêmica. A narrativa ocorre, portanto, tanto no nível historiográfico quanto no nível político. Com base nas contribuições de Nelson, argumenta-se que a representação interacionista da relação entre ciência e tecnologia baseou-se em uma abordagem evolucionária, desenvolvida entre os anos 1950 e 1960, e estava de acordo com a herança das contribuições clássicas de historiadores da ciência e tecnologia.
CHALLENGES OF CORRUPTION AND ORGANISED CRIME IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
Authors: Zvekic Ugljesa Ugi
Published: December 2022

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development2 at the Summit on Sustainable Development.3 The 2030 Agenda and, in particular, Goal 16 on Peace and Justice, expressed consensus, for the first time, that organised crime, corruption and other illicit activities were important components of the developmental process, and operated as impediments to the achievement of the accepted goals. The 2030 Agenda fully appreciates that peace cannot be secured without justice and development.
The Waste Management and the Environmental Campaign “KangPisMan” to Awareness of the Environmental Sustainability's Importance
Authors: ARDIANTI Dhini , HIDAYAT Dadang Rahmat , BAKTI Iriana , MULYANI Henny Sri
Published: December 2022

KangPisMan, an acronym from Kurangi, Pisahkan, dan Manfaatkan Sampah (reduce, sort, and reutilize waste), is a movement to engage the people of Bandung city to implement the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle on waste management. There are several approaches for the awareness using socialization for the concerns of KangPisMan, including environmental campaigns through social media platforms.

This study explores the effect of the KangPisMan social media (i.e., Instagram) environmental campaign on its followers’ waste management attitude used the Ostergaard campaign model and focusing on two main aspects of the campaign message, content and structure. The study used a quantitative approach provided by the survey method of questionnaire. The studied population was Instagram account @kangpisman followers (6,460 accounts). A hundred sample accounts were selected based on the Slovin formula using random sampling with SmartPLS 3.0 application. Results of the questionnaire from 100 selected followers accounts showed that attractive campaign messages with good content and structure delivered by KangPisMan generated positive followers’ responses. The analysis of each factor showed that the message structure significantly affected followers’ attitude on managing their waste. These findings reveal that Instagram account used for the environmental campaign purposes (@kangpisman) need serious management efforts, clear program description, creativity, attractive image visualization, communicative and easy-to-understand messages. Besides that, the applicable waste management messages contents were considered necessary to be accepted, motivate and drive the people to act positively on managing their waste.
Municipality Solid Waste Management. A Case Study of Smart City Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Authors: MOHANTY Sasmita , MISHRA Sitikantha , MOHANTY Ashish
Published: December 2022

Waste Management has become a big problem in India as a result of rapid urbanization. The urban population is around 377 million spread over 7,935 cities and towns who generates 62 million tones municipal solid waste per year. Only 43 million tons (MT) of the waste is collected, 11.9 MT is treated, and 31 MT is dumped in landfill sites. One of the essential services provided by Municipal Corporation is Solid Waste Management in order to keep the urban area clean. Further, The COVID-19 pandemic-induced catastrophe has altered the dynamics of waste generation in practically every sector around the world, necessitating specific attention. Unpredictable changes in trash quantity and composition also put pressure on policymakers to react quickly. Nevertheless, almost all the solid waste is dumped within the city haphazardly. It is believed that India had an unsound system of waste disposal management. This study was carried out to find out the issues if any regarding the solid waste management practices undertaken by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and suggest certain remedial measures to improve the system.
Environmental Indemnity: Seeking Effective Mechanisms for Ensuring the Participation of Law Enforcement Agencies
Authors: ALIBAYEV Askar Kanatovich , BEKISHEVA Sabigul Dzhanabayevna , HERNÁNDEZ GARCÍA Judith Josefina , CHUMACEIRO HERNÁNDEZ Ana Cecilia , IBRAYEV Alisher Serikbolovich
Published: December 2022

Currently, there is an increase in the number of environmental violations and the environmental damage they cause. The article presents the results of the study of the legal framework and the practice of law enforcement to determine environmental damage, its scope, and possible compensation. The objective is to define the powers, functions, and roles of the agencies responsible for enforcing the law to guarantee environmental compensation. It is studied from the bibliographical, analytical, and critical review of the legal regulation, the practice of applying the law, and the scientific opinions on the compensation for damage to the environment. It is concluded that adequate environmental compensation depends directly on the activities of law enforcement agencies to identify and suppress environmental crimes and carry out administrative or criminal proceedings against offenders. The particularities of filing a civil lawsuit as a tool to repair the damage caused by an environmental crime are considered, focused on organizational and legal issues that negatively affect the effectiveness of environmental rights protection, as mentioned above, including the environmental incompetence of those who investigate crimes in that sphere and the shortcomings of judicial practice in determining the environmental damage. The main mechanisms to ensure the participation of law enforcement agencies in the calculation of environmental compensation, which has been developed in world practice, are presented. The authors made proposals for improving the existing organizational and legal framework and leveling the shortcomings of law enforcement practice.
The Role of the Public Administration in Protecting the Environment from Pollution
Authors: ALHENDI Noor , SALAMEH Muamar Hasan
Published: December 2022

The environment is the vital medium in which man lives, so it has become the focus of human societies' interest to provide a safe environment for individual living, and the rapid growth and expansion of human societies and the prosperity of industries that generate problems in the environment, including pollution. Hence, interest in the problem of environmental pollution began, which created mechanisms to protect the environment, and there became international and regional agreements in this regard, which created interest in the existence of legislative mechanisms regulating the protection of the environment and occupied a high position as the legal means that simplifies protection for the environment and is considered the legal reference in setting general policies to protect the environment from The danger of pollution and the protection of humans and the environment from its harmful effects. Since the administration is considered to have the largest and most important role in protecting the environment, with its general powers granted to it by legislation to preserve the environment and deter violators. This study came to show the means of administrative control in protecting the environment from types of pollution and was limited to the means of administrative control in protecting the environment from pollution.
Criminal Behavior as a Basis for Criminal Responsibility for the Crime of Introducing Substances Hazardous to the Environment in Jordanian Legislation
Authors: ALKHSEILAT Abdullah , AL-BILLEH Tareq , ALMANASRA Majd , ALWERIKAT Naji
Published: December 2022

The aim of the research is to clarify the conditions of criminal behaviour appropriate to determine the criminal liability for the crime of introducing waste and hazardous substances to the environment, the research problem lies in the fact that most penal legislation still assesses criminal liability for the introduction of waste, and hazardous substances to the environment on the basis that these harmful substances and wastes were introduced in a direct, and certain manner, whereas the methods of the indirect introduction of these harmful substances and wastes were not taken into account, which found a legislative loophole in which the offender avoids criminal liability for his criminal behaviour by introducing substances that are hazardous to the environment, in addition to highlighting the impact of written or oral approval or licenses on the introduction of hazardous substances and waste on criminal behaviour and identifying those criminally responsible for polluting the environment. The research followed the analytical approach, by analysing the provisions regulating the subject of this research, and the research came out with several results and recommendations, the most important of which is that criminal liability for the introduction of waste and hazardous substances does not require direct harm, and the mere introduction of hazardous substances and waste to the environment is a serious crime.
Features’ Enterprises Related to Environmental Protection and Environmentally Friendly Products for Sustainable Industries of Kazakhstan
Authors: DAMBAULOVA Gulmira , KOVAL Andrey , MUKATAY Aigul , KAIDAROVA Saida , DAULETOVA Aziza , KURMANOVA Gulnara
Published: December 2022

Creating favorable conditions for the sustainable industries is an important task of the present generation associated with the action of a complex of economic, industrial, environmental and social factors that ensure their transformation in accordance with the changing environmental factors. This study shows the dynamics of changes in sustainable industries, highlights the features of Kazakhstani enterprises, calculates their share of activities in the volume of industry, the contribution of regions to the republican volume of industry, the financial stability of industrial enterprises, the disposal of fixed assets, the level of investment in fixed capital of industry in conjunction with production environmentally friendly products.
Innovative Potential of Regional Economic Systems under Conditions of Variability of Ecological and Economic Processes
Authors: АKZHANOVA Gulzira , BAKIRBEKOVA Aigul , DEMESSINOV Talgat , SHMARLOUSKAYA Halina , SMAGULOVA Zubirash
Published: December 2022

In this paper, the authors studied the theoretical basis for the formation of the innovative potential for the development of ecological and economic regional systems, analyzed the indicators characterizing the level of innovative development of regions, developed recommendations for improving the innovative potential of ecological and economic regional systems. The influence of external factors, including the global pandemic, on regional economic systems requires an adequate identification of the dependence of the process of forming innovative potential on the degree of their development. In this regard, the difference in socio-economic conditions for the development of regions, as well as cardinal changes in scientific paradigms and theories, require a reasoned justification of the principles of the concept of forming the innovative potential of economic regional systems in the context of the rapidity of technological patterns and ecological influences. All this reinforces the need to substantiate the theoretical and methodological key concepts of development and formation of the innovative potential of economic systems of regions, determined by an understanding of the economic essence of the category “innovation potential” adapted to modern conditions of economic development, considering the factor dependence of the formation of stable and dynamic development of economic mesosystems.