bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practical approaches to the application of hygienic criteria for substances that do not need to establish hygienic standards in the air of the working area
Authors: Fedotova Lionella A. , Potapchenko Timur D. , Mamonov Roman A.
Published: December 2022

Introduction. When new industrial enterprises appear, whose activities are related to the use and/or production of chemicals, pollutants that do not have approved hygiene standards may appear in the air of the working area. We note that the introduction of new chemicals into the production process does not always require the development of a hygienic standard in the air of the working area, since conditions can be met for these compounds, namely compliance with hygienic criteria, under which the development and approval of hygienic standards is not required. The study aims to demonstrate a practical approach to the application of hygienic criteria for substances that do not need to establish hygienic standards in the air of the working area on the example of paraformaldehyde. Materials and methods. The theoretical basis of the work was the methods of substantiating the need to develop hygienic standards: maximum permissible concentration (MPC) and approximate safe level of exposure (ASLE) to harmful substances in the air of the working area. The practical basis of the work was methodological guidelines for measuring mass concentrations of formaldehyde in the air of the working area by a photometric method based on the reaction of formaldehyde with acetylacetone in an ammonium acetic acid medium and subsequent photometric measurement of the optical density of the yellow-colored reaction product. Results. The conducted experiment simulating the processes of formaldehyde emission from paraformaldehyde in various production conditions showed that paraformaldehyde under the influence of temperature releases formaldehyde, while the rate of formaldehyde release increases with increasing temperature. Conclusion. Analysis of the technology of production (application) of paraformaldehyde, toxicological data, as well as an experiment modeling the processes of formaldehyde emission from paraformaldehyde in various production conditions allows us to conclude that the development of a hygienic standard for paraformaldehyde in the air of the working area is impractical, according to paragraph 2.1.1. GN 1.1.701-98 "For substances containing the ingress of which into the air of the working area in the form of vapors and aerosols or a mixture thereof is excluded due to the physico-chemical properties, as well as production and application conditions" and p.2.1.3. GN 1.1.701-98 "For substances that easily hydrolyze in the air with the formation of hydrolysis products, the toxicity of which has been studied and the hygienic standards of which have been established".
The risk of modification of the immune response of the body in agricultural workers from the effects of a biological factor
Authors: Masyagutova Lyaylya M. , Bakirov Akhat B. , Gizatullina Liliya G. , Abdrakhmanova Elena R. , Rafikova Linara A. , Kabirova Elvira F.
Published: December 2022

The issues of timely identification of workers in need of in-depth examination remain relevant and priority; substantiation of criteria for the formation of risk groups, taking into account the assessment of early nonspecific reactions of the body in order to timely ensure rational schemes for the organization of therapeutic and recreational activities. The analysis of the available literature data on determining the role of the immune system in the development of pathology in workers under conditions of industrial microbiological risk seems relevant. We have carried out a systematic search and analysis of modern domestic and foreign literature on the designated topic. Hygienic studies indicate that respiratory dusts, chemicals, conditionally pathogenic saprophytic microorganisms prevail as part of the complex of working environment factors. As a result of adsorption on dust particles, microorganisms are able to trigger the development of pathological processes, followed by the release of inflammatory mediators. Other interrelated and interdependent molecular mechanisms also take part in the processes of formation of inflammation of the respiratory tract. Maintaining the balance of the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory regulatory proteins - cytokines is the basis for maintaining an adequate balance and the formation of anti-infectious immunity. Epithelial cells are the main organ capable of performing the functions of a barrier to prevent the spread of an infectious agent to the lower respiratory tract. The analysis of scientific literature indicates a significant contribution of microbial contamination of the air of the working area by saprophytic microorganisms to the development of immuno-mediated general somatic, production-related and occupational morbidity. There is not enough work on a clear disclosure of the patterns of immune response, the stage-by-stage indicators of endogenous protection mechanisms, which make it possible to justify timely diagnostic measures and high-quality medical supervision of employees.
Informative laboratory biomarkers for the diagnosis of respiratory diseases of occupational etiology in modern conditions
Authors: Vlasova Natal'ya V. , Karamova Lena M. , Rafikova Linara A. , Gizatullina Lilia G. , Abdrakhmanova Elena R. , Borisova Alla I.
Published: December 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most serious problems of modern healthcare in the world. COPD is a common disease, characterized by a variety of clinical and functional features of the disease and heterogeneity of the inflammatory response. The study aims to research a comprehensive analysis of laboratory examination in persons at high risk of COPD, including data from general clinical and bacteriological studies and highlighting priority, early changes in its composition. The researchers analyzed the results of laboratory studies of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract in persons with an established diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The work uses data from official reports of the Ministry of Health for 2020. When evaluating the general (native) analysis of sputum in COPD patients, the nature was determined by its cellular composition. Segmented neutrophils predominated among leukocytes in 41.18±5.37%, eosinophils in 8.24±3.00%, alveolar macrophages in 9.41±3.19%. We found that Streptococcus pyogenes, Staph. epidermidis, Enterococcus spp., Candida albicans prevailed among the isolated microorganisms during the exacerbation of this disease. The remaining types of microorganisms (Klebsiella pnemoniae, Enterobacter aeromonas, Escherichia coli) were represented by single strains. The results of studies on the cellular composition and microbial spectrum of sputum of patients with acute COPD, allow us to conclude that the most informative and significant are general clinical indicators (leukocytes, eosinophils), as well as isolated microorganisms Streptococcus pyogenes, Staph. epidermidis, Enterococcus spp, and yeast fungi of the genus Candida albicans. The data obtained made it possible to substantiate the role of reliable and easily reproducible biomarkers in determining the activity of the disease and the phenotype of COPD.
Compliance Risk Management Mendukung Pengawasan Perpajakan Dan Tertib Administrasi Instansi Pemerintah Desa
Authors: Saputra Agustinus Imam , Akbar Moh Abrori
Published: December 2022

Pemerintah Indonesia telah mengalokasikan dana besar sejak tahun 2015 melalui Dana Desa (DD) untuk pembangunan 74.960 desa. Selain dalam kepentingan pemungutan perpajakan di sektor bendahara desa, Direktorat Jenderal Pajak (DJP) memiliki role yang penting dalam mendukung pemerintah desa mejalankan tertib administrasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui berapa besar potensi penerimaan pajak dari belanja pemerintah desa melalui analisis penggunaan Compliance Risk Management (CRM) dan memetakan desa-desa yang perlu dilakukan pengawasan dan edukasi dalam pemenuhan kewajiban perpajakan di Kabupaten Banyumas. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif deskriptif dengan menyajikan data alokasi pendapatan dan belanja desa (APBDes) dan pembayaran pajak oleh instansi pemerintah desa (IPDes). Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa terdapat potensi perpajakan dari bendahara desa yang perlu untuk dilakukan pengawasan. Terdapat 74 desa dengan risiko tinggi berdasarkan CRM Bendahara Desa. Akhirnya, penelitian ini dapat menjadi pemicu penelitian lebih lanjut mengenai wajib pajak instansi pemerintah desa dan pemerintah daerah dalam pemenuhan kewajiban perpajakan dan perwujudan tertib administrasi.
ASTHMA-COPD OVERLAP: MUCH IS ALREADY KNOWN, BUT PART OF THE QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN UNANSWERED
Authors: Zaikov S. V. , Bogomolov A. E. , Gritsova N. A. , Veselovsky L. V.
Published: December 2022

The review is devoted to topical issues of terminology, diagnostic criteria and principles of therapy for a pathological condition known as “Asthma-COPD overlap”. Specialists in the field of pulmonology have got used to such term as “Astma- COPD overlap” (ACO), but till now the nuances of diagnostics and treatment of such patients are not developed. The prevalence of ACO in the population varies within 2–55 %. This discrepancy is due, first of all, to the absence of clearly defined criteria of the ACO. Nowadays, the prevailing view is that the ACO is a state characterized by persistent air flow limitation with several signs usually associated with asthma or COPD. This is not a definition of a single disease, but a description term for clinical use, which includes several different clinical phenotypes. The risk of ACO is that the patients have frequent exacerbations, higher mortality, fast lung function decline and worse quality of life. For the purpose of diagnosis of ACO, it is recommended to use the large criteria (persistent airflow limitation (post-bronchodilation FEV1/FVC < 0.7 or the lower limit of normal) in patients aged 40 years and older, with at least 10 pack-years of tobacco smoking or equivalent exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution, documented history of asthma under 40 years or post-bronchodilation Δ FEV1 > 400 ml) and small criteria (documented history of atopy or allergic rhinitis, post-bronchodilation ΔFEV1 > 200 ml and 12% of baseline values during 2 or more visits, the number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood ≥ 300 cells per μl). Patients with ACO should use therapy containing inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), as this reduces the risk of their hospitalization and death compared to long-term treatment only with bronchodilators. Availability of ACO requires review of planned therapy for patients who previously had asthma or COPD diagnosis only. If COPD is accompanied by asthma, patients should be prescribed ICS as soon as possible. When asthma is accompanied by COPD and at the same time the patient is already taking ICS and long-acting beta-agonists, then long-acting M-cholinolytics should also be considered. Research in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of ACO continues, as some questions are still to be answered. Key words: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthmaCOPD overlap, diagnosis, treatment.
Mirror symmetry for new physics beyond the Standard Model in $4D$ spacetime
Authors: Tan Wanpeng
Published: December 2022

The two discrete generators of the full Lorentz group $O(1,3)$ in $4D$ spacetime are typically chosen to be parity inversion symmetry $P$ and time reversal symmetry $T$, which are responsible for the four topologically separate components of $O(1,3)$. Under general considerations of quantum field theory (QFT) with internal degrees of freedom, mirror symmetry is a natural extension of $P$, while $CP$ symmetry resembles $T$ in spacetime. In particular, mirror symmetry is critical as it doubles the full Dirac fermion representation in QFT and essentially introduces a new sector of mirror particles. Its close connection to T-duality and Calabi-Yau mirror symmetry in string theory is clarified. Extension beyond the Standard model can then be constructed using both left- and right-handed heterotic strings guided by mirror symmetry. Many important implications such as supersymmetry, chiral anomalies, topological transitions, Higgs, neutrinos, and dark energy, are discussed.
COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS AND PREVENTION OF PAEDIATRIC TUBERCULOSIS IN UGANDA
Authors: Sakib S M Nazmuz
Published: December 2022

Background 'Decentralize Tuberculosis Services and Engage Communities to Transform lives of Children with Tuberculosis' (DETECT Child TB Project) was a project set up to strengthen district and community level health care delivery in two districts in Uganda to improve childhood TB case finding, treatment and prevention and to develop a sustainable health systems delivery model for national and regional scale-up. Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of DEcentralize Tuberculosis Services and Engage Communities to Transform Lives of Children with Tuberculosis (DETECT) intervention compared to the standard of care for diagnosing, managing, and preventing pediatric tuberculosis in Uganda.MethodologyA search was done on EMBASE and Medline databases for English articles published from 1st January 2000 to 1st August 2022. Systematic reviews, meta-analysis, evidence syntheses, editorials, commentaries, preclinical studies, abstracts, theses and preprints were excluded.ResultsAn initial search identified 513 studies. After the removal of duplicates, only 385 studies were left. The abstracts and titles of the 101 studies were scanned to determine their significance for this systematic review. After elimination, 18 articles remained; they were scrutinized based on predefined eligibility criteria. Finally, 14 articles were identified that effectively passed the eligibility criteria.ConclusionThe DEcentralize Tuberculosis Services and Engage Communities to Transform Lives of Children with Tuberculosis (DETECT) intervention was found to be more cost-effective than the standard of care for diagnosing, managing, and preventing pediatric tuberculosis in Uganda.
Herzog's Internet documentary, more InfoWorld (Supplement I:3)
Authors: Akmut Camille
Published: December 2022

Supplement to the Historiography (of computer science and technology)
SEJARAH PEMERINTAHAN MASYARAKAT TIMOR TENGAH SELATAN
Authors: Missa Carlianto
Published: December 2022

Sejarah Masyarakat Kabupaten Timor Tengah Selatan bahwa semua diikuti oleh garis keturunan kerajaan masing-masing
KAIN TENUN IKAT ROTE NDAO
Authors: Hawu Imanuel Lay
Published: December 2022

Kain tenun ikat Rote Ndao telah ada sejak ratusan tahun silam. Sebelum mengenal kapas, kain tenun dibuat dari bahan serat gewang. Tenunan yang dihasilkan berupa sarung yang disebut lambi tei dan selimut yang disebut lafe tei, dipakai sebagai pakaian harian maupun pakaian pesta. Pada masa lampau sebelum mengenal zat pewarna dari produk industri, orang Rote menggunakan pewarna tradisional, seperti mengkudu, tarum, kunyit, dll. Dewasa ini pewarna-pewarna dari bahan tradisional sudah tidak dipakai lagi.
Ritual Tung Piong
Authors: Hawu Imanuel Lay
Published: December 2022

Tung Piong adalah salah satu ritual adat penghormatan terhadap arwah leluhur yang masih dipraktikkan dan mendarah daging bagi orang Wolomotong. Ada ungkapan dalam bahasa Sikka, yakni “eat naha piong tinut naha tewok.” Artinya, makan dan minum harus selalu ingat leluhur dengan tidak boleh lupa memberinya makan dan minum.
A Comparative Study On Forecasting Consumer Price Index Of India Amongst XGBoost, Theta, ARIMA, Prophet And LSTM Algorithms.
Authors: Asati Akshita
Published: December 2022

CPI often referred to as the Consumer Price Index is a crucial and thorough method employed to estimate price changes over a fixed time interval within a country which is representative of consumption expenditure in a country‘s economy. CPI being an economic indicator engenders therefore the popular metric called inflation of the country. Thus, if we can accurately forecast the CPI, the country‘s economy can be controlled well in time and appropriate decision-making can be enabled. Hence, for a decade CPI index forecasting, especially in a developing country like India, has been always a matter of interest and research topic for economists and policy of the government. To forecast CPI, humans (decision makers) required vast domain knowledge and experience. Moreover, traditional CPI forecasting involved a multitude of human interventions and discussions for the same. However, with the recent advancements in the domain of time series forecasting techniques encompassing dependable modern machine learning, statistical as well as deep learning models there exists a potential scope in leveraging modern technology to forecast CPI of India which can technically aid towards this important decision-making step in a diverse country like India. In this paper, a comparative study is carried out exploring MAD, RMSE, and MAPE as comparison criteria amongst Machine Learning (XGBoost), Statistical Learning (Theta, ARIMA, Prophet) and Deep Learning (LSTM) algorithms. Furthermore, from this comparative univariate time series forecasting study, it can be demonstrated that technological solutions in the domain of forecasting show promising results with reasonable forecast accuracy.
Differential expression of PREPL in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: December 2022

Neurodegenerative diseases that affect the motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), have little treatment options and are generally rapidly fatal (1, 2). We harnessed the power of unbiased, whole transcriptome differential gene expression analysis, utilizing primary patient cells and tissues to discover genes whose expression defines ALS using published data (3, 4). We found significant differential expression of PREPL, encoding prolyl endopeptidase-like, in the skeletal muscle of patients with ALS. PREPL was also differentially expressed in fibroblasts isolated from patients with ALS. PREPL transcript was present at significantly higher levels in ALS patient skeletal muscle as compared to control skeletal muscle. These analyses will begin to define the transcriptional landscape of ALS.
An introductory look on the implementation and analysis of ZigBee technology for water management
Authors: Kamal Ahmad
Published: December 2022

Efficient water management is a major concern in many agriculture systems in semiarid and arid areas. Distributed in-field sensors-based irrigation systems offer a solution to solve the problems of site-specific irrigation management which allows farmers to maximize their productivity of crops by saving water. This project describes the details of the design and instrumentation of this kind of irrigation. A wireless sensors network, and software Visual Studio (GUI) for real-time in-field sensing and control of a site-specific precision of irrigation system. Field conditions of site will be monitored by in-field sensor network which is distributed across the field based on a soil property map. Then that data will be periodically sampled and wirelessly, through ZigBee Technology (802.15.4), transmitted to a base station. All the communication signals from the sensor network, and from the irrigation controller to the base station are successfully interfaced by using a low-cost ZigBee wireless radio communication. A Graphic User Interface which is based on software is developed in this paper to offer a stable remote access to the field conditions, which provides a real time control and monitoring of the variable rate irrigation controller.
Popular Computing and PCW magazines (Supplement I:2)
Authors: Akmut Camille
Published: December 2022

Supplement to the Historiography of computer science and technology
EKONOMI MONETER ISLAM MASA DEPAN
Authors: Indi
Published: December 2022

Langkah-langkah yang dapat dilakukan negara-negara muslim untuk mengatasi kelemahan dan tantangan dalam penerapan dinar dirham antara lain:•Memperkuat komunitas negara-negara Muslim di tingkat regional dan internasional.•Sebarkan gagasan ini di negara-negara anggota OKI dan perkuat peran OKI dalam menata dan menyatukan visi dan misi masing-masing negara Muslim. •Pembangunan berbagai infrastruktur untuk mengkhususkan berbagai produk di negara-negara anggota OKI.•Fasilitasiperaturanperdaganganantaranegara-negaraIslamdankemungkinan menciptakan aturan yang berbeda untuk transaksi dengan negara-negara non-Islam.•Mewujudkan perdagangan antar anggota OKI dan meningkatkan spesialisasi produk antar negara anggota melalui sistem pasar bersama.•Mempelajari penggunaan euro sebagai mata uang negara-negara Uni Eropa
Mengenal Alat Musik Heo
Authors: Alunat Richard Andersen
Published: December 2022

Heo merupakan sebuah alat musik tradisional yang berasal dari daerah NTT (Nusa Tenggara Timur) atau lebih tepatnya jenis alat musik tradisional yang satu ini berasal dari Suku Dawan Timor. Kepulauan NTT memang lebih dikenal dengan alat musik tradisionalnya yang sangat unik dan menarik. Salah satunya yaitu Heo.Heo ini adalah alat musik gesek yang terbuat dari kayu. Yang dimana bagian penggeseknya itu terbuat dari serangkaian ekor kuda dan telah di rangkai sedemikian rupa hingga menjadi sebuah ikatan pada kayu penggesek yang berbentuk menyerupai busur.Alat musik Heo ini mempunyai 4 buah dawai atau senar/tali dengan nada-nada dasar yang bunyinya berbeda-beda. Senar tersebut terbuat dari usus kaskus yang sudah di keringkan sebelumya. Keempat tali atau dawai ini selain memiliki nada dasar yang berbeda, tetapi juga mempunyai nama yang beda pula.
Differential expression of MOB1A in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: December 2022

Neurodegenerative diseases that affect the motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), have little treatment options and are generally rapidly fatal (1, 2). We harnessed the power of unbiased, whole transcriptome differential gene expression analysis, utilizing primary patient cells and tissues to discover genes whose expression defines ALS using published microarray data (3, 4). We found significant differential expression of MOB1A, encoding MOB kinase activator 1A, in the skeletal muscle of patients with ALS. MOB1A was also differentially expressed in primary motor neurons isolated from patients with ALS. MOB1A transcript was present at significantly higher levels in skeletal muscle from patients with ALS as compared to skeletal muscle from control individuals. These analyses will begin to define the transcriptional landscape of ALS.
Differential expression of FAT4 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Authors: Mamoor Shahan
Published: December 2022

Neurodegenerative diseases that affect the motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), have little treatment options and are generally rapidly fatal (1, 2). We harnessed the power of unbiased, whole transcriptome differential gene expression analysis, utilizing primary patient cells and tissues to discover genes whose expression defines ALS using published data (3, 4). We found significant differential expression of FAT4, encoding FAT atypical cadherin 4, in the skeletal muscle of patients with ALS. FAT4 was also differentially expressed in primary lower motor neurons isolated from patients with ALS. FAT4 transcript was present at significantly higher levels in ALS patient skeletal muscle as compared to control motor neurons. These analyses will begin to define the transcriptional landscape of ALS.
Kekuasaan, Kewenangan dan Tata Kelola
Authors: Hairiyah
Published: December 2022

Negara merupakan suatu wilayah dengan batasan tertentu yang memiliki aturan tersendiri. Sebuah negara harus mempunyai seorang penguasa dimana penguasa itu yang mengelola seluruh aturan dalam negara.Dalam negara kekuasaan begitu penting demi tercapainya kesejahteraan bernegara. Oleh karena itu, kami mengambil judul ini untuk memperjelas kekuasaan dan wewenang dalam pemerintahan negara.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gender gap in research productivity within academia
Authors: Lee Kiran Gok Lune , Culina Antica , Lukas Dieter , Dugdale Hannah Louise , Mennerat Adele
Published: December 2022

Measuring research productivity to gauge academic performance is flawed because it is biased against certain groups of researchers. Women researchers are disadvantaged because gender roles and unconscious biases, operating both at home and in academia, can affect research productivity. These biases may have strengthened during lockdown conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Correspondingly, we bring together existing studies to show the gender gap has increased during the pandemic, with the relative research productivity of women declining compared to the pre-pandemic period.
‘Conditional Acceptance’ (additional experiments required): A scoping review of recent evidence on key aspects of Open Peer Review
Authors: Ross-Hellauer Tony , Horbach Serge P. J. M.
Published: December 2022

Diverse efforts are underway to reform the journal peer review system. Combined with growing interest in Open Science practices, Open Peer Review (OPR) has become of central concern to the scholarly community. However, what Open Peer Review is understood to encompass and how effective some of its elements are in meeting the expectations of the peer review system, are uncertain. This scoping review updates previous efforts to summarise research on OPR to date. Following the PRISMA methodological framework, it addresses the question: “What evidence has been reported in the scientific literature from 2017 to date regarding uptake, attitudes, and efficacy of two key aspects of Open Peer Review (Open Identities and Open Reports)?” The review identifies, analyses and synthesises 52 studies matching inclusion criteria, finding that OPR is growing, but still far from common practice. Our findings indicate positive attitudes towards Open Reports and more sceptical approaches to Open Identities. Changes in reviewer behaviour seem limited. and no evidence for lower acceptance rates of review invitations or slower turnaround times is reported. Concerns about power dynamics and potential backfiring on critical reviews are in need of further experimentation. We conclude that elements of OPR seem to be gaining acceptance, but more experimentation is needed. Evidence still mainly consists of either survey data or case studies of individual or few journals, not allowing for generalisability across fields and journals, and revealing no studies which compare the quality of review under Open Identities or Open Reports versus other modes of peer review.
Exploring Evidence Selection with the Inclusion Network
Authors: Fu Yuanxi , Clarke Caitlin Vitosky , Van Moer Mark , Schneider Jodi
Published: December 2022

Although systematic reviews are intended to provide trusted scientific knowledge to meet the needs of decision-makers, their reliability can be threatened by bias and irreproducibility. To help decision-makers assess risks in systematic reviews they intend to use as the foundation of their action, we designed and tested a new approach to analyze the evidence selection of a review: its coverage of the primary literature and its comparison to other reviews. Our approach could also help anyone using or producing reviews understand diversity or convergence in evidence selection. The basis of our approach is a new network construct called the inclusion network, which has two types of nodes: primary study reports (PSRs, the evidence) and systematic review reports (SRRs). The approach assesses risks in a given systematic review (the target SRR) by first constructing an inclusion network of the target SRR and other systematic reviews studying similar research questions (the companion SRRs) and then applying a three-step assessment process that utilizes visualizations, quantitative network metrics, and time series analysis. This paper introduces our approach and demonstrates it in two case studies. Risks we identified: missing potentially relevant evidence, epistemic division in the scientific community, and recent instability in evidence selection standards. We also compare our inclusion network approach to knowledge assessment approaches based on another influential network construct, the claim-specific citation network, discuss current limitations of the inclusion network approach, and present directions for future work.
Curb the spread: Leveraging intensive longitudinal data to unravel within- and between-person processes in adherence to behavioral guidelines during Covid-19
Authors: Jones Christopher Martin , Ferguson Stuart G , O'Connor Daryl Brian , Schüz Benjamin
Published: December 2022

Objectives: Adhering to behavioral recommendations and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is key to control COVID-19 infection rates. However, rates have decreased globally, and potentially modifiable determinants of ongoing adherence and their interaction with social and physical momentary environments are still poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively examine within-person variations and between-person differences in known behavioral determinants (capability, motivation), as well as the moderating role of situationally variable environmental factors (opportunity) in predicting adherence to hygiene and social distancing behaviors. Methods: Ecological momentary assessment study over six months with monthly assessment bouts (four days each, five daily assessments) in 623 German adults. Repeated daily assessments of Capability-Opportunity-Motivation model of behavior (COM-B) factors. Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models were estimated to examine main effects of COM-B factors and moderating effects of momentary environmental factors. Results: Momentary adherence to NPIs was predicted by within-person changes in COM-B factors (motivation: intentions, goal conflict, control beliefs; opportunities: regulations, norms). Between-person differences in capabilities (habit strength) and motivation (intentions, control beliefs) predicted adherence across situations. Situation-specific environmental factors moderated the motivation-behavior association (regulation measures increased; goal conflict, and non-adherent others decreased the association). Conclusions: Individual momentary (within-person) and stable (between-person) motivation indicators predicted adherence. However, situational environmental factors such as regulations or norms have strong main effects and moderate the motivation-behavior translation. These findings have policy implications, supporting recent claims to not rely on the narrative of “personal responsibility”, but instead combine health education measures to increase individual motivation with consistent regulation.
Study of Characteristic Retinal Findings among Hypertensive Population Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nepal
Authors: Shrestha T. , Shrestha R. , Kaiti R.
Published: December 2022

Background Systemic hypertension is one of the most common chronic, debilitating diseases prevalent in the modern era, with many complications in terms of stroke, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease and retinopathy. When it comes to the eye, as a target organ damage, it leads to one of the many vision threatening conditions, hence degrading the quality of life. Early detection and subsequent management of patients at risk of hypertensive retinopathy serves to be a crucial panacea in the treatment course.

Objective To investigate the characteristics retinal findings among hypertensive population and analyze the associated risk factors.

Method A hospital based prospective study was conducted, among 250 patients presenting to ophthalmology outpatient department in Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital (DH-KUH), over a time span of 6 months, to analyze hypertensive retinopathy and its implications. Fundus examination under mydriasis was done on all subjects and hypertensive retinopathy was graded according to the modified Scheie classification.

Result Most patients belonged to age group of 56-65 years (30%). Nearly half (48%, N=120) of the hypertensive population had some forms of retinopathy. Grade II hypertensive retinopathy (24.8%) was the most common hypertensive change observed. Majority (55%) of the patients with retinopathy were smokers. About two-third of the subjects (67.5%) had been diagnosed to have hypertension and under treatment for over 5 years.

Conclusion The occurrence of retinopathy among hypertensive patients attending ophthalmology department is higher. Awareness regarding systemic hypertension and its effect on ocular health is very important to be disseminated among public. Timely referral among medical specialities could diagnose and prevent curable blindness among hypertensive patients.
Efficacy of Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic Cream and Vibrator Device in Pain Reduction during Peripheral Venous Cannulation in a Tertiary Care Center of Central Nepal
Authors: Paudel B. , Acharya R. , KC N. , KC S.
Published: December 2022

Background Venous cannulation is a commonly performed procedure which often leads to patient anxiety. Application of a vibrator device and or prior use of topical anesthetics are proven methods to decrease associated pain.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of prior use of Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic (EMLA) cream and vibrator device in pain reduction during peripheral venous cannulation.

Method A true experimental study was conducted in November 2019 among 78 patients aged 20-60 years receiving peripheral cannulation at operation theatre. They were included using consecutive sampling and sorted to interventional and noninterventional group using simple random sampling lottery method. Participants in the non-interventional group received peripheral cannulation using routine technique whereas participants in the interventional group received topical Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic cream or vibrator device prior to cannulation. Perceived post cannulation pain intensity was measured using numerical pain rating scale. Kruskal-Wallis test was used for data comparison.

Result The mean age of the participants was 40.57 ± 12.5 years. The median pain score of Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic cream, vibrator and no intervention was 3, 3 and 6 respectively. The reduction in median pain intensity was significantly greater with topical anesthetic cream and vibrator device when compared to the noninterventional group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion Prior interventions with Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic or vibrator device are useful in reducing pain intensity during peripheral venous cannulation. Routine use of these in day to day practice could be a part of standard nursing care practice.
Profile of Women receiving Second-trimester Safe Abortion Service at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital
Authors: Shrestha S. , Dangal G. , Ghimire S.
Published: December 2022

Background Second trimester abortions account for a small percentage of abortions globally. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Accessibility of safe and high quality second-trimester abortion care can decrease severe complications associated with it.

Objective The profile of women undergoing second-trimester abortion was assessed during the study. The profile includes demographic and clinical aspects. The study also aims to find out the rate of surgical and medical methods of abortion and to understand its indications.

Method It is a study based on retrospective data collected from charts available at the comprehensive abortion care center at the Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital. The data from Shrawan to Magh 2077 B.S. was collected and calculations were done on MS Excel.

Result Higher proportion of women receiving second-trimester abortion were of the age between 21-25 years (n=31; 31%). Most women were literate (n=69; 69%) and n=38(38%) were nulliparous. The most common indication for abortion was maternal mental issues (n=32; 32%). The rate of medical abortion was higher (n=71; 71%) than surgical method of abortion (n=29; 29%).

Conclusion There exists both demographic and clinical variations in women undergoing second trimester abortion. Though few women undergo second trimester abortion than first-trimester the variation in profile is significant with most women referring to second trimester abortion due to later diagnosis of pregnancy, women facing financial and logistic barriers to health care, victims of violence and women with pregnancy complications or fetal anomalies.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Drop Hydrogen Peroxide Test as a Novel Bedside Diagnostic Test to Differentiate Transudative and Exudative Pleural Effusion Against Light’s Criteria
Authors: Vaidya N. , Sapkota P. , Chaurasia S. , Thapa B. , Bhandari N. , Bhattarai I.
Published: December 2022

Background Diagnostic evaluation of pleural fluid according to Light’s criteria to differentiate between exudative and transudative fluid takes 1 or 2 working days. For rapid clinical management, especially in critically ill patients, a simpler bedside diagnostic test can be done which has similar diagnostic accuracy as that of Light’s Criteria.

Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Drop Hydrogen Peroxide test to differentiate exudative and transudative pleural effusion in comparison to Light’s criteria.

Method A concurrent validity test was performed using a convenient sampling technique including patients presenting to the Department of Internal Medicine from January to September 2021, who had pleural effusion. Two milliliters of tapped pleural fluid of patients who underwent aseptic thoracocentesis was collected in a test tube to which one to two drops of 20% hydrogen peroxide was added. Presence of bubbles suggested an exudative type of fluid. Rest of the tapped pleural fluid was sent to the laboratory for further evaluation by Light’s criteria, which was compared with the results by Drop Hydrogen Peroxide Test.

Result There were 83 patients who had pleural effusion, of them a total of 43 patients had transudative pleural effusion while 40 patients had exudative pleural effusion based on Light’s criteria and 37 patients had transudative pleural effusion while 46 patients had exudative pleural effusion based on drop hydrogen peroxide test.

Conclusion The drop hydrogen peroxide test allows cost effective and prompt evaluation of the type of pleural effusion is exudative or transudative, thereby making it a convenient diagnostic bedside test.
Introducing Clinical Pathology Course to Fourth Year Medical Students as a Bridge between Pre-clinical and Clinical Medical Sciences
Authors: Upadhyaya Kafle S. , Singh M. , Kafle N. , Sinha A. , Guragain P. , Rimal H. S.
Published: December 2022

There isn’t any vertical integration of pre-clinical and clinical sciences subjects in the existing Kathmandu University MBBS curriculum. Many of the graduates are not able to correlate the clinico-pathological aspects of various diseases as a result the rational use of investigations for diagnosing various diseases is compromised. There are few published examples of implementation of pathology instruction courses during the clinical years of medical training but it is not universally practiced. This lack of exposure to pathology may lead to poor understanding of laboratory testing and the role of pathologists in patient care.

To set and implement an exemplary vertical integration of pre-clinical science with clinical science.

A 12 credit hours clinical pathology education course comprising clinical hematology, cytopathology and histopathology was developed. Students belonging from the ongoing fourth year MBBS course of Birat Medical College were enrolled in the course. All of the interactive lecture sessions were delivered via an e-learning interface, using the Zoom platform as the main teaching methods. Evaluation of students’ achievement of learning objectives was conducted through distributing pre and post-test online multiple-choice questionnaires. Chi-square tests were used to compare the variables between pre-test and post-test questionnaire responses.

Results suggested that the designed clinical pathology course is valuable. The pretest and post-test questionnaire responses revealed the positive impact regarding the importance of introducing clinical pathology courses within the clinical year of MBBS undergraduate curriculum. Response rate to the online session was 100%. The point of agreement between the pre-test and post-test questionnaire responses were highly achieved after intervention of the clinical pathology course. A statistically significant result (p < 0.05) between all of the pre-test and post-test questionnaire responses was noted. There was a strong positive recommendation for incorporating clinical laboratory medicine courses within the MBBS clinical science curriculum.

The improvement observed among fourth-year MBBS students on learning the importance of clinical pathology courses was encouraging. This experience thus contributed to set and implement an exemplary vertical integration of pre-clinical science with clinical science.
Concise Scale of Eating Attitudes
Authors: Buczak Agnieszka
Published: December 2022

The article presents the procedure for the construction of the Concise Scale of Eating Attitudes, which is intended for the study of attitudes towards nutrition in the social sciences. This novel tool is the result of research work on diagnosing eating attitudes, the source of which is an individual’s world view. The six-component structure of the scale was verified using confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.059; CMIN/DF = 1.629; CFI = 0.929). Internal reliability of sub-scales was tested by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients: Factor 1 (anorectic attitude) - α = 0.779; Factor 2 (religious attitude) - α = 0.844; Factor 3 (vegetarian attitude) - α = 0.890; Factor 4 (hedonistic attitude) - α = 0.654; Factor 5 (orthorectic attitude) - α = 0.655; Factor 6 (experimental attitude) - α = 0.842. The result is a concise scale made up of six factors built using a total of 16 items. Criterion relevance was established on the basis of correlation with other tools measuring similar structures, including the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (Polish adaptation of TFEQ-13), the Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (KZZJ), the Eating Preoccupation Scale (SZJ), and the Diet Self-Efficacy Scale (Polish adaptation of DIET-SE). Satisfactory psychometric properties were obtained based on a study involving 184 adults aged 18-35 years.
Association between emotional intelligence and stuttering in school-age children in Kosovo
Authors: Selmani Edona , Gallopeni Florim , Poposka Ana
Published: December 2022

Several studies have shown that emotional intelligence can impact stuttering in children and that these children begin to exhibit impaired emotional and social behaviour from the age of 3 years onwards. These difficulties have also been observed in adults who stutter. The purpose of this research study was to examine the association between emotional intelligence factors and stuttering in school-age children in Kosovo. The outcome of this study will provide a baseline to compare factors related to the emotional intelligence of children who stutter and those who do not. This descriptive cross-sectional study included a sample of 62 participants stratified into the two groups: a group of children who stutter (N = 31) and a control group of children who do not stutter (N = 31). Participants ranged in age from 8-15 years. The instrument used for data collection was a self-report emotional intelligence questionnaire for children: The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire - Child Short Form (TEIQue-CSF) (Mavroveli & Petrides, 2009). We collected and analysed data on the level of emotional intelligence of children who stutter and those who do not. Our findings show that adaptability as a construct of emotional intelligence is observed at a lower level in children who stutter (M = 21.5) than those who do not (M = 40.9). In addition, we observed lower adaptability in male students (M = 27.9) than females (M = 35.2) in both groups of participants. Furthermore, children who stutter showed lower levels of emotional expression (M = 23.4 vs 39.7) and emotional perception (M = 22.3 vs 42.8) than those who do not stutter. Based on our analysis, we concluded that school-age children who stutter have significantly lower levels of emotional intelligence than their peers who do not stutter.
“When we came home, I experienced crisis” - caregiving experiences of parents whose children have undergone cancer treatment
Authors: Džombić Anita , Bezić Irena
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the caregiving experiences of parents whose children have completed cancer treatment. Data was collected across six focus groups involving 24 parents whose children had completed treatment for various types of cancer. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, the following themes emerged: a) feelings of uncertainty and fear, b) staying in the role of the ill child’s parent, c) the need to learn new parenting skills, d) effect on other children in the family, and e) changes in the parents themselves. Participating parents mentioned feelings of constant anxiety, as well as a range of other kinds of fears they faced upon returning home (fear of medical care not being available on the spot, fear of the unknown, and fear of disease recurrence). They recognised their own altered behaviour toward the child who had undergone treatment (they were likely to limit the daily functioning of their child and act as if the child was still sick). The participants were also aware of the need to learn different, more appropriate parenting skills, as well of the sense of guilt they felt for neglecting their other children. They pointed out the changes in their own physical and mental health, as well as the difficulties they faced in social and work environments. These parents reported that they did not feel sufficiently prepared to care for their child upon completion of hospital treatment. In fact, for some, parent-led care was more difficult than the treatment itself. Our results suggest the need to implement family-oriented follow-up as an integral component of childhood cancer treatment in the Balkan countries. This will help parents alleviate anxiety, balance supervision, and help them adapt to their new normal after their child survived cancer treatment.