bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation associated with aerobic exercise on the autonomic modulation of hemiparetic individuals due to stroke: a study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zilli Lo Presti Heinz Solange , De Angelis Katia , Heinz Glauber , Viana Ariane , Marciano Consolim-Colombo Fernanda , Calegari Bonfadine Agatha , Rodrigues Nemesio Ruthe , Gabriella Ribolli Bacalhau Claudia , Alves de Oliveira Rafael , Sayuri Miyamura Cristina , Carlos Ferrari Corrêa João , Ishida Corrêa Fernanda
Published: March 2021

Background: Individuals after a stroke have an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, which increases the risk of death or recurrent episodes of stroke. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) combined with aerobic exercise has shown an effect on the modulation of this system.

Objective: The Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and the distance traveled on the exercise bike will be assessed to verify the additional impact of tDCS combined with aerobic exercise on individuals with chronic stroke sequelae.

Methods: The 34 adult individuals with diagnoses of chronic stroke will be randomized into two aerobic exercise intervention groups: G1 (with active tDCS) and G2 (with sham tDCS), three times a week, for 12 weeks.

Procedures: tDCS will be implemented during the aerobic exercise with the anodal electrode positioned over the lateral dorsal prefrontal left cortex, and the cathodal electrode over the contralateral supraorbital region, with 2mA, for 20 minutes. Assessments will be carried out pre, immediately after the intervention, and on the 12th, 24th, 36th interventions, and 30 days later.

The HRV data that are pulse interval (PI), square root of the mean of the squares of the differences between adjacent normal RR intervals (rMSSD), absolute high frequency (HF), absolute low frequency (LF), high and low frequency ratio (LF / HF) will be collected using a cardio frequency meter. The analysis of the distance traveled on the exercise bike before and after interventions will be analyzed in meters.

Discussion: The autonomic control via brain networks after a stroke can be altered and can promote an increase in sympathetic tone, and a higher risk of sudden death or relapse of stroke.  It is crucial to demonstrate the effectiveness of available treatments to improve the autonomic function.

Trial registration: The study is registered as a BRAZILIAN CLINICAL TEST RECORD (ReBEC): U1111-1222-4588 on the 2018/10/16
Kiril Taranovsky and his Greatest Work
Authors: Lotman Mihhail , Pilshchikov Igor
Published: March 2021

Kiril Taranovsky and his Greatest Work
Orbital Conflict: Cutting Planes for Symmetric Integer Programs
Authors: Linderoth Jeff , Núñez Ares José , Ostrowski James , Rossi Fabrizio , Smriglio Stefano
Published: March 2021

Cutting planes have been an important factor in the impressive progress made by integer programming (IP) solvers in the past two decades. However, cutting planes have had little impact on improving performance for symmetric IPs. Rather, the main breakthroughs for solving symmetric IPs have been achieved by cleverly exploiting symmetry in the enumeration phase of branch and bound. In this work, we introduce a hierarchy of cutting planes that arise from a reinterpretation of symmetry-exploiting branching methods. There are too many inequalities in the hierarchy to be used efficiently in a direct manner. However, the lowest levels of this cutting-plane hierarchy can be implicitly exploited by enhancing the conflict graph of the integer programming instance and by generating inequalities such as clique cuts valid for the stable set relaxation of the instance. We provide computational evidence that the resulting symmetry-powered clique cuts can improve state-of-the-art symmetry-exploiting methods. The inequalities are then employed in a two-phase approach with high-throughput computations to solve heretofore unsolved symmetric integer programs arising from covering designs, establishing for the first time the covering radii of two binary-ternary codes.
The Creative and Cross-Functional Benefits of Wearing Hearts on Sleeves: Authentic Affect Climate, Information Elaboration, and Team Creativity
Authors: Parke Michael R. , Seo Myeong-Gu , Hu Xiaoran , Jin Sirkwoo
Published: March 2021

Team creative processes of generating and elaborating ideas tend to be laden with emotional expressions and communication. Yet, there is a noticeable lack of theory on how differences in teams’ management and support of affect expressions influence their ability to produce creative outcomes. We investigate why and when team authentic affect climates, which encourage members to share and respond to authentic affect, generate greater creativity compared with more constrained affect climates where members suppress or hide their genuine feelings. We propose that authentic affect climate enhances team creativity through greater information elaboration by the team and that these informational and creative benefits are more likely in functionally diverse teams. Results from three complementary studies—one multisource field study of management teams and two experiments—provide support for our predictions. In our experiments, we also examine the theorized affective mechanisms and find that authentic affect climate increases information elaboration and creativity through members’ affect expressions (Study 2) and empathic responses to each other’s expressed affect (Studies 2 and 3). We discuss the implications of our findings for the team creativity, diversity, and affect literatures.
Quantitative Feedback Theory Velocity Control of a Single-rod Pump-controlled Actuator Using a Novel Flow Compensation Circuit
Authors: Ren Guangan , Koury Costa Gustavo , Sepehri Nariman
Published: March 2021

This paper employs the quantitative feedback theory (QFT) to design a robust fixed-gain linear velocity controller for a newly developed single-rod pump-controlled actuator. The actuator operates in four quadrants, with a load force becoming resistive or assistive alternatively. The controller also satisfies tracking, stability and sensitivity specifications in the presence of a wide range of system parametric uncertainties. Its performance is examined on an instrumented John Deere JD-48 backhoe. The experimental results show that the controller can maintain the actuator velocity within an acceptable response envelope, despite variation in load mass as high as 163 kg and the hydraulic circuit switching between operating quadrants.
A comparison of piezo surgery osteotomies with conventional internal osteotomies as performed by trainee surgeons: a cadaveric study
Authors: Schlabe J , Echlin K , Atherton D
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Aesthetic rhinoplasty remains a challenging procedure with high expectations and narrow tolerance for errors. Considerable training is required to achieve controlled and reliable results. Use of the Piezotome is gaining popularity for performing the nasal osteotomies, a key step in rhinoplasty, where it is reported to improve precision and predictability and to keep tissue damage to a minimum. We compare the outcomes of conventional osteotomy techniques to piezosurgery in human cadavers as undertaken by surgical trainees.

Materials and methods

Seven human cadavers were used and a total of 14 osteotomies were performed. Conventional osteotomies and piezosurgery were carried out each on one side of the cadaver. A number of fragments and a blinded assessment of the accuracy of the osteotomy compared with the preprocedure skin markings were carried out by two experienced rhinoplasty surgeons. The Mann–Whitney test for statistical analysis was used.

Results

The mean number of fragments was 1.57 in the piezosurgery osteotomy and 2.14 using conventional osteotomies. Four of seven piezosurgery osteotomies achieved an accuracy within 1mm. The conventional osteotomies as performed by the trainees showed a significant mismatch of more than 3mm in three of seven of cases. Accuracy within 1mm was achieved in one of seven cases.

Discussion

Piezosurgery offers a safe, reliable and precise method of performing lateral nasal osteotomies. This human cadaver study shows a high accuracy of osteotomy and fewer comminuted fractures using this technique compared with conventional osteotomy techniques.
Prognosticating patients with necrotising otitis externa based on response to treatment
Authors: Cho WS , Bonduelle Q , Ghasemi A , Baskaran V , O’Connor R , Shah J , Andrewartha F , Fergie N
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) is a severe infection of the temporal bone. The traditional severity based staging system does not fully prognosticate all patients with NOE. We hypothesise that a patient response staging system would more accurately capture the disease process and guide prognosis.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective notes review of patients diagnosed with NOE from January 2017 to December 2018 in a regional tertiary referral centre. Patient outcomes from our proposed patient response staging system were compared to a modified previously published severity based Gleeson staging system with patients requiring prolonged treatment classified as having a poor outcome.

Results

A total of 34 patients were treated for NOE. The majority were male (n=24) and had diabetes (n=25). Patients with the most severe Gleeson staging did not have the worst outcome. Daily delay in resolution of otorrhoea was associated with an increased need for more than six weeks of treatment. Rapid responders are patients who had resolution of otalgia, otorrhoea and C-reactive protein normalisation within 14 days, and all were cured following standard 6 weeks of treatment.

Conclusions

The Gleeson staging system was valuable in assessing the extent of disease and all early Gleeson staged patients had good outcomes. However, patients with higher severity staging on the Gleeson system did not necessarily require prolonged treatment. There is a role for a joint approach in staging patients based on both modified Gleeson and treatment response, which would subsequently guide prognosis, duration of treatment and early diagnosis of potential fungal NOE.
Nanostructured active and photosensitive silica glass for fiber lasers with built-in Bragg gratings
Authors: Franczyk Marcin , Stefaniuk Tomasz , Anuszkiewicz Alicja , Kasztelanic Rafal , Pysz Dariusz , Filipkowski Adam , Osuch Tomasz , Buczynski Ryszard
Published: March 2021

A nanostructured core silica fiber with active and photosensitive areas implemented within the fiber core is demonstrated. The photosensitivity, active and passive properties of the fiber can be independently shaped with this new approach. We show that discrete local doping with active ions in form of nanorods allow to obtain effective laser action as in case of continuous distribution of the ions in the core. Co-existing discrete photosensitive nanostructure of germanium doped silica determine single-mode performance and allow inscription of highly efficient Bragg grating over the entire core area. Each nanostructure do not degrade performance of other one since physical interaction between active and photosensitive areas are removed. As a proof of concept, we have designed and fabricated the nanostructured, ytterbium single-mode silica fiber laser with the Bragg grating inscribed in the entire core area. We demonstrated fiber laser with good quality of generated laser beam (M2=1.1) with lasing efficiency of 44% and inscribed Bragg grating with 98.5% efficiency and -18 dB contrast.
Effect of convergent beam array on reducing scintillation in underwater wireless optical communications with pointing errors
Authors: Cui Zongmin , Yue Peng , Yi Xiang , Li Jing
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we propose the convergent beam array to reduce scintillation induced by oceanic turbulence in underwater wireless optical communications (UWOCs) between misaligned transceivers. In the proposed convergent beam array, the propagation directions of beams are slanted inwards and different from each other. First, we present the convergent beam array system and analyze spatial relationships between the transmitter and the individual beam in beam array systems. Then, in order to simulate beams propagation in UWOCs, we review the power spectrum of refractive index fluctuations in oceanic turbulence and analyze the spatial relationship between the misaligned transceivers in view of pointing errors. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed convergent beam array on scintillation reduction by multistep wave optics simulation. Simulation results show that convergent beam array is able to decrease scintillation indices effectively in UWOCs with pointing errors.
Fast Mueller matrix microscope based on dual DoFP polarimeters
Authors: Huang Tongyu , Meng Ruoyu , Qi Ji , Liu Yudi , Wang Xingjian , Chen Yan , Liao Ran , Ma Hui
Published: March 2021

In this Letter, we report a dual division of focal plane (DoFP) polarimeters-based full Mueller matrix microscope (DoFPs-MMM) for fast polarization imaging. Both acquisition speed and measurement accuracy are improved compared with those of a Mueller matrix microscope based on dual rotating retarders. Then, the system is applied to probe the polarization properties of a red blood cells smear. The experimental results show that a DoFPs-MMM has the potential to be a powerful tool for probing dynamic processes in living cells in future studies.
Interference-enhanced chirality-reversible dichroism metalens imaging using nested dual helical surfaces
Authors: Wang Chenqian , Wang Chinhua
Published: March 2021

Conventional chiral metalenses based on helicoidal structures suffer from low energy efficiency and fixed chirality due to the extremely low conversion efficiency of cross-circular polarization in helicity-matched structures. Here, we report on high-efficiency and chirality-reversible metalens imaging using nested dual helical surfaces. The high-efficiency chiral metalenses were implemented by splitting one conventional helical surface into two nested ones with independently controllable parameters. When the relative orientations of the two nested helical surfaces were twisted at certain angles, the conversion efficiency of cross-circular polarization (i.e., the effective polarization component in imaging) could be significantly enhanced by one order of magnitude (from 4.5% to 45%) due to constructive interference of surface plasmonic polaritons between the two nested helical surfaces with a single pitch. Furthermore, the chirality of the metalens could be reversed by manipulating the twist angle even though the helicity of the surface is unchanged. Experimental verifications were performed using two-photon laser direct writing, and chiral imaging in the infrared wavelength range of 3–5 µm was successfully realized via lock-in thermography. This demonstration of the high-efficiency and chirality-reversible metalens provides what we believe is a new method to enhance chiral imaging efficiencies and the design possibilities for practical applications.
One-step implementation of Rydberg-antiblockade SWAP and controlled-SWAP gates with modified robustness
Authors: Wu Jin-Lei , Wang Yan , Han Jin-Xuan , Feng Yu-Kun , Su Shi-Lei , Xia Yan , Jiang Yongyuan , Song Jie
Published: March 2021

The prevalent fashion of executing Rydberg-mediated two- and multi-qubit quantum gates in neutral atomic systems is to pump Rydberg excitations using multistep piecewise pulses in the Rydberg blockade regime. Here, we propose to synthesize a

Λ

-type Rydberg antiblockade (RAB) of two neutral atoms using periodic fields, which facilitates one-step implementations of SWAP and controlled-SWAP (CSWAP) gates with the same gate time. Besides, the RAB condition is modified so as to circumvent the sensitivity of RAB-based gates to infidelity factors, including atomic decay, motional dephasing, and interatomic distance deviation. Our work makes up the absence of one-step schemes of Rydberg-mediated SWAP and CSWAP gates and may pave a way to enhance the robustness of RAB-based gates.
Optimal prediction with resource constraints using the information bottleneck
Authors: Sachdeva Vedant , Mora Thierry , Walczak Aleksandra M. , Palmer Stephanie E.
Published: March 2021

Responding to stimuli requires that organisms encode information about the external world. Not all parts of the input are important for behavior, and resource limitations demand that signals be compressed. Prediction of the future input is widely beneficial in many biological systems. We compute the trade-offs between representing the past faithfully and predicting the future using the information bottleneck approach, for input dynamics with different levels of complexity. For motion prediction, we show that, depending on the parameters in the input dynamics, velocity or position information is more useful for accurate prediction. We show which motion representations are easiest to re-use for accurate prediction in other motion contexts, and identify and quantify those with the highest transferability. For non-Markovian dynamics, we explore the role of long-term memory in shaping the internal representation. Lastly, we show that prediction in evolutionary population dynamics is linked to clustering allele frequencies into non-overlapping memories.
The adoption of cryptocurrency as a disruptive force: Deep learning-based dual stage structural equation modelling and artificial neural network analysis
Authors: Abbasi Ghazanfar Ali , Tiew Lee Yin , Tang Jinquan , Goh Yen-Nee , Thurasamy Ramayah
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the growth of cryptocurrency has undergone an enormous increase in cryptocurrency markets all around the world. Sadly, only insignificant heed has been paid to the unveiling of determinants of cryptocurrency adoption globally, particularly in emerging markets like Malaysia. The purpose of the study is to examine whether the application of deep learning-based dual-stage Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) & Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis enable better in-depth research results as compared to single-step PLS-SEM approach and to excavate factors which can predict behavioural intention to adopt cryptocurrency. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model were extended with the inclusion of trust and personnel innovativeness. The model was further validated by introducing a new path model compared to the original UTAUT2 model and the moderating role of personal innovativeness between performance expectancy and price value, with a sample of 314 respondents. Contrary to previous technology adoption studies that used PLS-SEM & ANN as single-stage analysis, this study further enhanced the analysis by applying a deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM and ANN method. The application of deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM & ANN analysis is a novel methodological approach, detecting both linear and non-linear associations among constructs. At the same time, it is regarded as a superior statistical approach as compared to traditional hybrid shallow SEM & ANN single-stage analysis. Also, sensitivity analysis provides normalised importance using multi-layer perceptron with the feed-forward-back-propagation algorithm. Furthermore, the deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM & ANN revealed that trust proved to be the strongest predictor in driving user intention. The introduction of this new methodology and the theoretical contribution opens the vistas of the extant body of knowledge in technology-adoption related literature. This study also provides theoretical, practical and methodological contributions.
Landscape of epigenetically regulated lncRNAs and DNA methylation in smokers with lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Jung Jiyoon , Lee Yoo Jin , Kim Chul Hwan , Ahn Sangjeong
Published: March 2021

In this study, we identified long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with DNA methylation in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) using clinical and methylation/expression data from 184 qualified LUAD tissue samples and 21 normal lung-tissue samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We identified 1865 differentially expressed genes that correlated negatively with the methylation profiles of normal lung tissues, never-smoker LUAD tissues and smoker LUAD tissues, while 1079 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified using the same criteria. These transcripts were integrated using ingenuity pathway analysis to determine significant pathways directly related to cancer, suggesting that lncRNAs play a crucial role in carcinogenesis. When comparing normal lung tissues and smoker LUAD tissues, 86 candidate genes were identified, including six lncRNAs. Of the 43 candidate genes revealed by comparing never-smoker LUAD tissues and smoker LUAD tissues, 13 were also different when compared to normal lung tissues. We then investigated the expression of these genes using the Gene Expression of Normal and Tumor Tissues (GENT) and Methylation and Expression Database of Normal and Tumor Tissues (MENT) databases. We observed an inverse correlation between the expression of 13 genes in normal lung tissues and smoker LUAD tissues, and the expression of five genes between the never-smoker and smoker LUAD tissues. These findings were further validated in clinical specimens using bisulfite sequencing, revealing that AGR2, AURKB, FOXP3, and HMGA1 displayed borderline differences in methylation. Finally, we explored the functional connections between DNA methylation, lncRNAs, and gene expression to identify possible targets that may contribute toward the pathogenesis of cigarette smoking-associated LUAD. Together, our findings suggested that differentially expressed lncRNAs and their target transcripts could serve as potential biomarkers for LUAD.
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in non-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a step forward in cardiovascular comorbidome
Authors: Cherneva Zheina , Valev Dinko , Youroukova Vania , Cherneva Radostina
Published: March 2021

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) augments the likelihood of having left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD)–precursor of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). LVDD shares overlapping symptomatology (cough and dyspnea) with COPD. Stress induced LVDD is indicative of masked HFpEF. Our aim was to evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory, oxidative stress, cardio-pulmonary and echocardiographic parameters at rest for the diagnosis of stress LVDD in non-severe COPD patients, who complain of exertional dyspnea and are free of overt cardiovascular diseases. A total of 104 COPD patients (26 patients with mild and 78 with moderate COPD) underwent echocardiography before cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and 1–2 minutes after peak exercise. Patients were divided into two groups based on peak average E/e’: patients with stress induced left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD)—E/e’ > 15 masked HFpEF and patients without LVDD—without masked HFpEF. CPET and echocardiographic parameters at rest were measured and their predictive value for stress E/e’ was analysed. Markers for inflammation (resistin, prostaglandine E2) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostanes) were also determined. Stress induced LVDD occurred in 67/104 patients (64%). Those patients showed higher VE/VCO2 slope. None of the CPET parameters was an independent predictor for stress LVDD.Except for prostglandine E2, none of the inflammatory or oxidative stress markers correlated to stress E/e’. The best independent predictors for stress LVDD (masked HFpEF) were RAVI, right ventricular parasternal diameter and RV E/A >0.75. Their combination predicted stress LVDD with the accuracy of 91.2%. There is a high prevalence of masked HFpEF in non-severe COPD with exertional dyspnea, free of overt cardiovascular disease. RAVI, right ventricular parasternal diameter and RV E/A >0.75 were the only independent clinical predictors of masked HFpEF. 288.
Prevalence and associated factors of abdominal obesity among the adult population in Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia, 2020: Community-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Dagne Samuel , Menber Yonatan , Petrucka Pammela , Wassihun Yosef
Published: March 2021

Background

The prevalence of abdominal obesity has been dramatically increasing both in developed and developing countries, including Ethiopia. It is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and cancer. However, there is inadequate data regarding the prevalence and associated factors of abdominal obesity among adult population in Ethiopia.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of abdominal obesity among the adult population in Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia in 2020.

Method

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Woldia town from March 20 to April 20, 2020. Data on socio-demographic, dietary history, and anthropometric characteristics were collected from 802 adults using the World Health Organization stepwise technique. Multi-stage sampling was employed to select the study subjects. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered by EPI-info Version 7 and were exported to SPSS Version 20 for further analysis. To indicate the strength of association, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used.

Result

From a total of 823 respondents 802 were involved with a response rate of 97.4%. The overall prevalence of central obesity based on waist to hip ratio was 16.5% with 95% CI (14.2–19.2). Female sex [AOR = 13.3, 95% CI: 7.01–25.39), high wealth rank (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.21–7.17), single marital status (AOR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.04–0.58), age from 35 to 55 years (AOR = 4.3, 95% CI: 2.22–7.99), age greater than 55 years (AOR = 3.8, 95%CI: 1.36–10.78), secondary educational level (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.05–3.18), eat more protein (AOR = 4.22, 95% CI: 1.26–14.22), and consumption of snacks (AOR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.68–4.61) were significantly associated with abdominal obesity.

Conclusion

The prevalence of abdominal obesity among adults in Woldia town is high, and has become an emerging nutrition-related problem. Being female, older age, being in a high wealth rank, consuming more meat, having secondary education level, and consuming snacks were the risk factors of abdominal obesity. Nutrition interventions should target adults mainly focusing on the alarmingly increase in nutrition problems, such as abdominal obesity, in Ethiopia with specific attention to females.
An apta-aggregation based machine learning assay for rapid quantification of lysozyme through texture parameters
Authors: Sanjay Manoharan , Gaurav Kumar , Gonzalez-Pabon Maria Jesus , Fuchs Julio , Mikkelsen Susan R. , Cortón Eduardo
Published: March 2021

A novel assay technique that involves quantification of lysozyme (Lys) through machine learning is put forward here. This article reports the tendency of the well- documented Ellington group anti-Lys aptamer, to produce aggregates when exposed to Lys. This property of apta-aggregation has been exploited here to develop an assay that quantifies the Lys using texture and area parameters from a photograph of the elliptical aggregate mass through machine learning. Two assay sets were made for the experimental procedure: one with high Lys concentration between 25–100 mM and another with low concentration between 1–20 mM. The high concentration set had a sample volume of 10 μl while the low concentration set had a higher sample volume of 100 μl, in order to obtain the statistical texture values reliably from the aggregate mass. The platform exhibited an experimental limit of detection of 1 mM and a response time of less than 10 seconds. Further, two potential operating modes for the aptamer were hypothesized for this aggregation property and the more accurate mode among the two was ascertained through bioinformatics studies.
Real-life evaluation of histologic scores for Ulcerative Colitis in remission
Authors: Arkteg Christian Børde , Wergeland Sørbye Sveinung , Buhl Riis Lene , Dalen Stig Manfred , Florholmen Jon , Goll Rasmus
Published: March 2021

Background

Histological evaluation of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients has been debated ever since the first description of the disease and its role in follow-up has never been fully established. Recent evidence suggests an added benefit in accuracy when evaluating if the patient is in remission. Unfortunately, there are several different histological indices, and it is difficult to compare outcomes where different scores are applied. Histopathological evaluation is prone to subjective biases, despite the use of indices. In addition, these indices are developed by expert IBD pathologist, but applied at large, by general pathologist. Therefore, we evaluated the three most applied histological indices for UC on samples from patients in remission to compare test qualities and estimate their usefulness to identify remission by both general and GI specialized pathologist.

Method

Mucosal biopsies from 41 UC patients in clinical and endoscopic remission were collected as part of a larger study on UC. Three pathologists blinded to the patients’ clinical status evaluated them using Geboes score (GS), Nancy Index (NI) and Robarts Histopathological Index (RHI). We calculated the agreement between the pathologists using Inter-class correlation (ICC) and visualized it with ICC-plots and Bland-Altman plots. Association between clinical factors and histological category were analysed by Fisher’s exact test.

Results

The ICC value for GS, RHI and NI were 0.85, 0.73 and 0.70 respectively. The limits of agreement were ±6.1, ±4.0 and ±1.4, for GS, RHI and NI, respectively. Mayo endoscopic subgrade and UC clinical score did not show association with any histological scores. Despite clinical and endoscopic remission 7–35% of the patients displayed histological inflammation on a level classified as active disease, depending on the index and cut-off.

Conclusion

A substantial amount of UC patients in clinical and endoscopic remission display inflammation on a histological level, but the ability to classify these patients accurately and consistently could be improved.
The social lens of choice of hairstyle among Ghanaian female youth
Authors: Quagrainie Fanny Adams , Dankwa Afia Dentaa , Kabalan Alan Anis Mirhage
Published: March 2021

In this article, we review research on social factors with the main focus being on how self, social factors and fashion consciousness interact with the choice of hairstyles. By highlighting the situations of 397 Ghanaian female youth, we show how their perspectives define beautiful hairstyles and how social factors interact with the choice of hairstyle with fashion consciousness as a mediator. Using social actual-concept and social factors on behaviours as theoretical frameworks, we show the influence of religious influence, views of social group members, attractiveness and uniqueness on choice of hairstyle. Mediator analyses indicate that fashion consciousness explains the interactions among views of social group members and attractiveness with the choice of hairstyle. Implications for marketing and future directions for research on choice of hairstyle are suggested.
Cien años después y varias epidemias más tarde llegó la COVID-19
Authors: Hidalgo Agustín
Published: March 2021

La enfermedad es algo inesperado que, generalmente, llega a destiempo según la percepción de la propia existencia. A veces es tan abrupta y exigente que no da lugar a disponer de un tiempo de reacción para ordenar los recursos y el propio ánimo para combatirlas. Esto ha ocurrido con la pandemia por la COVID-19, cien años después de la denominada gripe española. Ha llegado de sopetón, ha puesto patas arriba a todo el sistema de salud, se ha cobrado vidas y recursos cual peste de otros tiempos, y nuestra forma de vivir se ha visto afectada en prácticamente todos sus aspectos. Es la última gran epidemia de las muchas que han afectado al ser humano en los últimos cuarenta años en los que hemos visto el SIDA, el Ébola, el SARS, la H1N1, El MERS, la Gripe Aviar y, ahora, la COVID-19. Los virólogos sabían que podía ocurrir otra pandemia y algunos la estaban esperando desde que empezó el siglo XXI. No descartaban que tuviera un origen zoonótico y para ello se habían dispuesto protocolos epidemiológicos a nivel mundial sobre la forma de afrontarla. Sin embargo, todo ha sido desbordado, hemos tenido la desgracia de una conjunción «astral» de mandatarios tan indocumentados como populistas que se han atrevido a negar las evidencias y a ignorar medidas prudentes. No en vano Siri Hustvedt advierte: «Las ideas virales no tienen impacto sobre la enfermedad viral. Al virus no le intimidan las fanfarronadas o los postureos racistas o machistas, ni la grandilocuencia antiintelectural»
A környezettudatos stratégiai menedzsment koncepciója
Authors: Fülöp Gyula , Pelczné Gáll Ildikó
Published: March 2021

A tanulmány célja egy olyan stratégiaimenedzsment-koncepció bemutatása, amelynek középpontjában a környezettudatosság áll. A cikk először a környezettudatosság fogalmából és vállalati szintű értelmezéséből kiindulva a vállalat stratégiai pozicionálásának külső és belső tényezőit határozza meg. A következő lépésben a környezettudatos stratégiai változatok képzésének lehetőségeit foglalja össze a stratégiai viselkedés és a stratégiai orientáció alapján. Ezután leírja, hogy különböző kontextusokban az egyes stratégiai változatok hogyan valósulnak meg. Végül a továbblépés lehetőségeinek felvázolása azokra a területekre irányul, amelyeken további kutatásokat kellene végezni a környezetorientált vállalati stratégiák sikeres gyakorlati bevezetése érdekében.
A vevő-beszállító kapcsolat elméleti megközelítései és empirikus szemléltetésük
Authors: Bódi-Schubert Anikó
Published: March 2021

A cikk célja, hogy bemutassa a vállalatok, ezen belül kiemelten vevő és beszállító közötti kapcsolatok jelentéstartalmának elméleti megközelítéseit. Ehhez kapcsolódóan az írás két fő egységre tagolódik: az első szakaszban a vevő-beszállító kapcsolat fogalmának kifejtésekor ismerteti azok kialakulásának, a tranzakciók szintjéről kiinduló fejlődésének lehetséges állomásait, továbbá egy elméleti vizsgálati keretet mutat be, amelynek segítségével a cikk fókuszában álló kapcsolatok elemezhetők, belső struktúrájuk feltárható. A vállalatok közötti kapcsolatok vizsgálatával, tartalmának elemzésével több elméleti irányzat foglalkozik. Jelen írás a vevők és beszállítók közötti kapcsolat definiálása és a felek közötti viszonyrendszert elemző elméleti megközelítések ismertetése során alapvetően az Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group nemzetközi kutatócsoport által alkotott és elfogadott elméletekre támaszkodik, főként azok nemzetközi publikációkban ismertetett eredményeit szintetizálja. Az írás második tartalmi egységében az ismertetett elméletek gyakorlatban való megjelenését, értelmezhetőségét esettanulmány szemlélteti.
Komunikasi Matematis Siswa SMA Ditinjau dari Gaya Belajar dalam Pembelajaran Daring
Authors: Permatasari Ambar Gini , Turmudi Turmudi
Published: March 2021

Komunikasi matematis dalam pembelajaran matematika sangat penting dan harus Dimiliki siswa, hal ini disebabkan oleh komunikasi matematika mengatur dan mengkonsolidasikan pemikiran matematika siswa baik secara lisan maupun tulisan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini yaitu untuk mendeskripsikan perbedaan kemampuan komunikasi matematis siswa yang memiliki gaya belajar auditorial dan gaya belajar visual dalam pembelajaran matematika secara daring (online). Metode penelitian ini yaitu penelitian deskriptif yang menggunakan pendekatan survey. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berupa instrument angket gaya belajar dengan menggunakan google forms. Selanjutnya diambil beberapa siswa untuk mengerjakan soal komunikasi matematis yang dibuat. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat Sebagian siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam mengkomunikasikan serta memahami materi yang diajarkan karena pembelajaran matematika secara daring merupakan hal baru bagi siswa serta sebagian siswa tidak senang jika pembelajaran matematika dilakukan secara daring yang disebabkan oleh faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya  seperti kendala teknis, tekanan karena banyak tugas dan lain sebagainya. Serta ditemukan bahwa siswa yang memiliki gaya belajar auditorial dan gaya belajar visual mempunyai cara yang berbeda dalam mengkomunikasikan ide dan gagasannya. Yaitu mampu menyatakan situasi secara tertulis, mampu mengubah situasi ke dalam model matematika, mampu mengungkapkan kesimpulan matematika yang diperolehnya dengan bahasa sendiri.Kata Kunci: komunikasi matematis, gaya belajar, pembelajaran daring (online).
La vigencia de los mitos sobre la violencia contra las mujeres en la pareja
Authors: Ferrer-Pérez Victoria Aurora , López-Prats Lorena , Bosch-Fiol Esperanza , Navarro-Guzmán Capilla
Published: March 2021

La violencia contra las mujeres en la pareja constituye un problema social y sanitario de primera magnitud, tal y como remarcan las principales autoridades sanitarias mundiales y nacionales. Por ello, en las últimas décadas este problema se ha incorporado, no sólo a las legislaciones de multitud de países, sino también a la agenda política con diferentes medidas e iniciativas destinadas tanto a la protección de quienes la padecen (las mujeres y sus hijos e hijas) como a la prevención (primaria, secundaria y terciaria) de su ocurrencia futura. Sin embargo, y a pesar de ello, los mitos y las creencias erróneas sobre esta violencia, sobre sus características y sus causas, aún se hallan fuertemente arraigados en muchos segmentos sociales y es, por tanto, necesario, seguir trabajando hasta lograr su erradicación. A modo de ejemplo, y con objeto de sustentar empíricamente esta afirmación, se presenta un estudio, realizado sobre una muestra de conveniencia constituida por 423 personas, que confirma la hipótesis de que, más allá del sexo, la edad o la formación, este tipo de creencias se mantienen y, por tanto, es necesario seguir trabajando en este sentido.
Examining The Social Drivers Of Entrepreneurship: A Case Of Business Owners In Aboabo Market In Tamale
Authors: Abubakari Abdul-Razak , Samira Kassim
Published: March 2021

This research examined the social drivers of entrepreneurship among business owners in Aboabo market in Tamale. A quantitative research approach was adopted and the target population was business owners in Aboabo market in Tamale. It was found that not all social drivers that influence decision to become entrepreneurs motivate entrepreneurs to remain in business. Also, family or close relation, belonging to a social club (social capital), previous work experience and social status positively affect business performance while being a married woman and being a woman does not affect entrepreneurial performance.  Access to finance, family and friends involvement are major challenges of entrepreneurship whereas lack of social support, low educational background and gender discrimination are not major challenges of entrepreneurship. Based on these findings, the study recommended entrepreneur education, community support and easy access to finance through government intervention to help entrepreneurs relish their full potential to support economic growth and development significantly.
Micro-Finance as a Triggering Mechanism for Empowering Women’s Entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka
Authors: Sumanasiri Ayoma , Chandrarathna Prabhavi
Published: March 2021

The Micro-Finance sector has been identified as one of the main sectors that contributes to the eradication of poverty and to empowering women in developing countries. Women’s Entrepreneurship is considered an emerging trend among nations and contributes to the development of a country. It is also identified as an important means to end poverty and therefore, female empowerment through entrepreneurship has been well recognized. Micro-finance enables women’s entrepreneurial success; however, the context of the urban sector has not been well examined in the literature since most scholars perceive that poverty is mainly confined to the rural areas of a country. There are many services provided by the Micro- Finance sector. However, it is vital to identify their impact on Women’s Entrepreneurial success, particularly in the urban sector of the country. Accordingly, this study focuses on examining the impact of Micro-Finance, which includes Micro-Credit, Micro-Savings and Micro-Insurance, on Women’s Entrepreneurial success in Sri Lanka, specifically in the Colombo district. 240 women entrepreneurs who have obtained micro financial services in the Colombo district were used as the sample of this study. In order to arrive at a conclusion regarding the relationship between micro-credit, micro-savings, micro-insurance and entrepreneurial success, a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire has been used. The required data were collected by distributing the questionnaire through Google Forms. The statistical software package SPSS was used to analyze the collected data. It was identified that all the measurement items under Micro-Credit, Micro-Savings and Micro- Insurance exhibit significant relationships with Women’s entrepreneurship in the Colombo District, and therefore, all the hypotheses were accepted. Recommendations are provided to further enhance female presence and success in entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka.
Exploring The Factors Affecting The Employees’ Productivity: A Case Study Of Selected SMEs In Lahore
Authors: Arshad Summera , Fatima Syeda Zain
Published: March 2021

Every company strives to improve the productivity of the employees so that it can increase its revenues. Several studies have conducted to find the factors that can influence the productivity of the employees. This study explored the factors that that can affect the productivity of the employees in selected SMEs of Lahore. Focus group interviews were conducted to gather the data and open-ended questions were asked of employees. Study finds that productivity is affected by cooperation between colleagues, discrimination, and harassment. Moreover, it is also affected by work-life imbalance. It has also been explored that productivity is affected by financial rewards and unbiased evaluations. It is important for the companies to focus on these issues so that productivity of the employees can be improved.
Reflection on Covid 19 Educational Contexts, Pedagogy of Hope, Self-efficacy and Effort: University of Eswatini
Authors: Dlamini Boyie S. , Zwane P. E.
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Towards the end of 2019 the world experienced the Coronavirus disease (Covid 19) pandemic which affected operations of education systems. This reflective study examines how a lecturer and students built hope and  self-efficacy under Covid 19 educational contexts.  Self-efficacy–hopeful thinking model and Bernstein Framework were used in this study. The sample consisted of 515 students and 1 lecturer and it was sampled through purposeful stratified sampling. Data was collected through the lecturer’s self-reflection on his ability to build hope, self-efficacy to meet academic demands. The lecturer also observed students’ behaviours. The data was analysed through content analysis. Findings indicated that Covid 19 educational contexts mediated on students’ levels of  hope, acadmic investment and created false impression that University academic year had been lost. Some students developed low level of self-efficacy belief which forced them to approach educational problems without conviction and hopeful thinking. The findings indicated that lecturer’s behaviour towards students contributed to the improvement of a high sense of self-efficacy belief  and effort investment in their  work. The lecturer maintained hopefullness and confidence among students. The study concluded that educational processes under the uncertainties of Covid 19 were paradigm shift for the lecturer and students’ academic life. It provided opportunities to transform and reconstruct pedagogical discourses in relation to Covid 19 educational contexts. It may be recommended that lecturers and others within institutions may be urged to reflect on Covid 19 educational challenges and embrace them rather than avoid them. 

Key words: Covid 19, Hope, Self-efficacy, Effort, Empathy
IMPLEMENTATION OF HOTS-BASED LEARNING AND PROBLEM BASED LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 IN SMA BUDI MULIA JAKARTA
Authors: Murniarti Erni , Sirait Sarwedi , Sihotang Hotmaulina
Published: March 2021

The implementation of the 2013 curriculum requires teachers to change their views in implementing learning process in schools. Learning strategies are no longer teacher-centered learning but learner-centered learning. Teachers are required to organize creative and innovative learning as stated in the Lesson Plan. Teachers must master various methods to improve higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) of students. In this context, Problem Based Learning (PBL) is the appropriate model in developing students' thinking skills. The 2013 curriculum has adopted Bloom's taxonomy which was revised by Anderson starting from the level of knowing, understanding, implementing, analyzing, evaluating and creating. Because the demands of the 2013 Curriculum must be at the level of creating, students must be continuously trained to produce something new. This study aims to describe the Problem Based Learning (PBL) learning method as a model of effective way to build critical and creative thinking skills of students at SMA Budi Mulia Jakarta. This study also explains HOTS-based assessment as a logical assessment of PBL learning.
Nepo-India Territorial Disputes Transformation by Dialogue Means
Authors: Pathak Bishnu
Published: March 2021

Nepo is a prefix appellation of Nepal. This study is a review that connects with disputed Kalapani area. And it interacts with the concerned actors/institutions motivating for change professed through fundamental transformation by dialogical means. Its objectives are three-fold: (i) to examine the Nepo-India territorial dispute; (ii) to analyse the voices of all Tracks; and (iii) to find-out ways of dispute transformation through Dialogue Track. The lessons-learned centric approach inspired the author to undertake this study. The paper is prepared based on archival research with author’s over 100 international publications tracking snow-ball techniques. Dialogue shares possible transformative ways for negotiation. Any dispute leaves the most significant impact – victimizes the people at the local levels (Dialogue Track 3) the most. Grassroots people are honestly guided by ‘social service is the best philanthropic work of life’ and voluntarily participate in resolving the local dispute. Dialogue Track 2 is an unarmed peacekeeping or watchdog body which belongs to the leaders of professionals at the provincial levels. It connects between Track 1 and Track 3 dimensions. Dialogue Track 1 is the ambitious, complex and supreme authoritative body to hold official dialogue and transform the dispute signing negotiation. The dialogue transforms 3ds (difference, denial and divergence) of dispute in the new form ‘just’ by peaceful means. India adopts 4ds (delay, deny, dilute and deceive) strategies for dialogue in the lack of required testimonies. World’s largest democratic country India isolates itself in this region as it has territorial disputes with all the adjoining neighbours in the absence of sincere dialogue. Therefore, it is high time India sorted out the fault lines in its democracy.
Writing Exercises from Wadi Sarga: O.Sarga II 1–14
Authors: Cromwell Jennifer
Published: March 2021

The editions of previously unpublished texts from the monastic complex at Wadi Sarga in the collection of the British Museum. These fourteen ostraca bear writing exercises (‘school texts’), primarily alphabets and alphabetic letters or sequences, personal names, and epistolary formulae. Such exercises were not included by W.E. Crum and H.I. Bell in their 1922 publication of texts from the site.