bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychological and Socio-Emotional Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on School Children
Authors: Srivastava Akanksha , Maheshwari Disha , Dwivedi Archana
Published: December 2021

Educators address teaching and learning within multiple social contexts. Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching and learning processes and students' social-emotional development. The psychological and socio-emotional aspects of development attained through the teaching and learning process enable students to utilize the skills and knowledge to understand and manage emotions and set desired positive goals. The socio-emotional aspect helps to establish and maintain positive relationships with peers and society. This chapter addresses the problems in the field of teaching arising out of COVID-19, with a specific focus on the socio-emotional aspect of school-going children in India. This chapter provides an overview of different dimensions of the teaching and learning process in COVID-19. It brings forth a few recommendations to prevent the negative psychological and socio-emotional effects of COVID-19 on students and teachers.
Online Teaching Practices of Science and Mathematics Preservice Teachers in middle schools
Authors: Branco Neusa , Colaço Susana , Cavadas Bento
Published: December 2021

The chapter presents a qualitative study that describes and discusses the teaching practices of four preservice teachers (PSTs) during their mathematics and science internship with 6th graders, performed in the context of distance learning related with the COVID-19 pandemic. The data collected included PSTs' documents, such as lesson plans, descriptions of and reflections on the practical work, student outputs, and interviews. The online organization and dynamics of the internship process describe the practices of the PSTs, inservice teachers, and teacher educators, which provided a practical context for the development of PSTs' online practice. Moreover, the results present digital educational resources used by PSTs, mainly for inquiry, communication, construction, and problem-solving purposes. PSTs pointed out benefits arising from the online internship experience. It better prepared them to use and create digital resources, increased awareness of the importance of collaboration and the role of formative assessment.
Molecular Dynamics Study of Diffusion Coefficient for Low-Temperature Dusty Plasmas in the Presence of External Electric Fields
Authors: Shakoori Muhammad Asif , He Maogang , Shahzad Aamir , Khan Misbah , Zhang Ying
Published: December 2021

The effects of external electric field (E) on the diffusion coefficient of dust particles in low-temperature dusty plasmas (LT-DPs) have been computed through nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. The new simulation result was obtained by employing the integral formula of velocity autocorrelation functions (VACF) using the Green-Kubo relation. The normalized self-diffusion coefficient (D*) is investigated for different combinations of plasma coupling (Γ) and Debye screening (κ) parameters. The simulation outcome shows that the decreasing position of D* shifts toward Γ and also increased with the increase of κ. The D* linearly decreased with Γ and increased when applied external E increases. It is observed that the increasing trend of D* depends on the E strength. These investigations show that the present algorithm provides precise data with fast convergence and effects of κ, Γ, E. It is shown that the current NEMD techniques with applied external E can be employed to understand the microscopic mechanism of dusty plasmas.
Overview of Multi-Factor Prediction Using Deep Neural Networks, Machine Learning, and Their Open-Source Software
Authors: Segall Richard S.
Published: December 2021

This chapter first provides an overview with examples of what neural networks (NN), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) are and their applications in biomedical and business situations. The characteristics of 29 types of neural networks are provided including their distinctive graphical illustrations. A survey of current open-source software (OSS) for neural networks, neural network software available for free trail download for limited time use, and open-source software (OSS) for machine learning (ML) are provided. Characteristics of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for machine learning available as open source are discussed. Illustrations of applications of neural networks, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are presented as used in the daily operations of a large internationally-based software company for optimal configuration of their Helix Data Capacity system.
Airbnb (Air Bed and Breakfast) Listing Analysis Through Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Li Xiang , Liao Jingxi , Gao Tianchuan
Published: December 2021

Machine learning is a broad field that contains multiple fields of discipline including mathematics, computer science, and data science. Some of the concepts, like deep neural networks, can be complicated and difficult to explain in several words. This chapter focuses on essential methods like classification from supervised learning, clustering, and dimensionality reduction that can be easily interpreted and explained in an acceptable way for beginners. In this chapter, data for Airbnb (Air Bed and Breakfast) listings in London are used as the source data to study the effect of each machine learning technique. By using the K-means clustering, principal component analysis (PCA), random forest, and other methods to help build classification models from the features, it is able to predict the classification results and provide some performance measurements to test the model.
Applying Machine Learning Methods for Credit Card Payment Default Prediction With Cost Savings
Authors: Jain Siddharth Vinod , Jayabalan Manoj
Published: December 2021

The credit card has been one of the most successful and prevalent financial services being widely used across the globe. However, with the upsurge in credit card holders, banks are facing a challenge from equally increasing payment default cases causing substantial financial damage. This necessitates the importance of sound and effective credit risk management in the banking and financial services industry. Machine learning models are being employed by the industry at a large scale to effectively manage this credit risk. This chapter presents the application of the various machine learning methods like time series models and deep learning models experimented in predicting the credit card payment defaults along with identification of the significant features and the most effective evaluation criteria. This chapter also discusses the challenges and future considerations in predicting credit card payment defaults. The importance of factoring in a cost function to associate with misclassification by the models is also given.
Strategic and Legal Framework of Torrential Flood Control in Some Western Balkan and EU Countries
Authors: Dragović Nada , Vulević Tijana , Bajrić Muhamed , Huebl Johannes , Porto Paolo , Blinkov Ivan
Published: December 2021

The EU countries are obliged to harmonize their legislation in the field of flood protection, and thus torrential floods, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) which was adopted in 2000. Two EU countries, Austria and Italy, and three Western Balkan countries were selected for the strategic and legal framework of torrential flood control: Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to the legal framework of torrential flood control in EU countries, policies and strategies related to this area were studied for comparative analysis with non-EU countries. The strategic framework for the protection of water resources, and in particular torrential flood protection, is lacking in all Western Balkan countries. The aim of this chapter is to determine the directions of future strategic directions and torrential flood control policies in the Western Balkans based on the experiences of EU countries, advantages and disadvantages of the existing strategic, and legal frameworks.
Prevention of Soil Erosion and Torrential Floods
Authors: Dwarapureddi Bhavya Kavitha , Dash Swathi , Raj Aman , Garika Nihanth Soury , Kumar Ankit , Vara Saritha
Published: December 2021

Climatic conditions, precise relief features, variations of soil, flora cover, socio-economic conditions together lead to torrential flood waves as a result of current soil erosion processes. Erosion and torrential floods are aggravated due to over exploitation of agricultural and forest land along with urbanization. Effects of soil erosion include nutrient loss, land use changes, reduced productivity, siltation of water bodies, among other effects like affecting livelihood of marginal communities dependent on agriculture globally and public health. Nearly 11 million km2 of soil is impacted by erosion precisely by water. Other factors like intensified agriculture and climate change contribute to and aggravate the erosion rate. Contemporary torrential floods are characterized by their increased destruction and frequency unlike the pre-development periods when their occurrence was rare. The focus of this review is to compile and aid as a data base for understanding methods of preventing erosion of soil and torrential floods as put forth by various researchers.
Wind Erosion, Climate Change, and Shelterbelts
Authors: Baumgertel Aleksandar , Lukić Sara , Caković Milica , Savić Radovan , Bezdan Atila , Blagojević Boško
Published: December 2021

Wind erosion is a widespread phenomenon causing serious soil degradation. It is estimated that about 28% of the global land area suffers from this process. Global climate changes are expected to accelerate land degradation and significantly affect the intensity of wind erosion. Shelterbelts are linear multi-row planting strips of vegetation (trees or shrubs) established for numerous environmental purposes. Shelterbelts are a specific type of agroforestry system which could reduce soil degradation (soil erosion). Shelterbelts mitigate greenhouse gas through trees storing carbon (C) in their above- and below-ground biomass, wherefore they are highlighted as one of the potential ways to mitigate climate change. The purpose of this chapter is to present wind erosion as a land degradation problem, especially in line with climate changes and the present concept of vegetation establishment in the form of shelterbelts for long-term multi-functional provision of ecosystem services, in particular carbon sequestration.
To Serve, and to Be Served
Authors: Fernandes Diana
Published: December 2021

Through a systematic literature review, this chapter aims at mapping the servant leader's psychosomatic traits in organizational contexts, and how these induce beneficial effects in organizational performance. It predicts that such leaders would need to display those traits, crystallized into a set of attitudes and behaviors, to address, manage, and overcome the challenges brought by globalization. Leaders would need to be keen on displaying broad knowledge and experience, as well as boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, which also connects to the need of entailing a contagious optimism towards every aspect of life, openly believing in people and teamwork. They need to be assertive and assume high standards in ethical and moral terms, taking risks, and focusing on the long-term growth. Such leaders will commit to excellence, making use of a constant adaptive capacity, because authenticity, integrity, cooperation, and confidence are their distinctive trademarks. Those personality traits, exerted under the servant leadership style, increase overall organizational performance.
Winning Together
Authors: Pressentin Maria , Harris La'Wana
Published: December 2021

Organizational cultural dilemmas have shown a lack of psychological safety and sense of belonging, which may be positively impacted by the application of combined servant leader (SL) and inclusive leader (IL) behaviors. SL focuses on serving others' needs first, embracing the individual's strength, and stirring towards inclusiveness. Controversy exists in the literature regarding SL's ability to promote inclusiveness in the workplace. This chapter explores factors that link SL and IL from the angles of others-focused orientation and of psychological safety, empowering uniqueness and sense of belonging in followers. A framework of inclusive servant leader (ISL) is explored. This study is significant. As younger generations enter the workforce demanding more equitable leadership treatment, servant and inclusive behaviors have come to the forefront of organizational attention; nevertheless, its application is still in its infancy. A multiple case study research was conducted.
Impact of Servant Leadership on the Development of Change-Oriented Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Jabeen Sadia , Ali Jawad
Published: December 2021

Due to globalization; utilization of new innovations; adapting to a tempestuous climate; and political, cultural, and economical challenges, organisations face progressing cycles of change. They relegate the duty of expecting change and giving direction to their employees for their professional growth. Because of the change-oriented behavior of employees, the study proposed the importance of understanding the phenomena while examining the subject of change readiness and psychological empowerment of employees during the current era of change. This study examines the mechanism of the effect of servant leadership on change-oriented behavior. The study employed a survey-based method, and data is collected with the help of a questionnaire. The rate of response was 50%, qualifying for the minimum criteria of response rate. For the data analysis, SEM-PLS is used. Results of the current study supported the hypothesised relationships.
Preparing New Teachers for the Students That They Will Really Have in Their Classrooms
Authors: Franklin Toni , Marshall Stephanie T. , Hinton Vanessa
Published: December 2021

The mission of this chapter is to address new teachers' understanding of effective classroom management and instruction for classrooms that include students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). Because a growing number of classrooms have students who are CLD, it is critical that new teachers understand the integrated use of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and high-leverage practices to address the social/emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of all students within the classroom. In this way, new teachers will be better prepared for such classrooms and more likely to be retained within their school and profession. Current data shows that the rate in which new teachers are entering the field is not enough to help solve the current teacher shortage crisis.
Social-Emotional Learning, Awareness, and Strategies for Teachers
Authors: Beecher Schuyler , Peterson Kristina A. , Peterson-Ahmad Maria B. , Luther Vicki L.
Published: December 2021

It is no secret that education systems across the country are experiencing a dramatic teacher shortage and that burnout and turnover rates for educational professionals is at an all-time high. In addition to every state suffering from a teacher shortage, teacher preparation programs have also seen critical decline in enrollment. Currently in the United States, teacher retention rates are extremely low nationally, with only 50% of new teachers remaining in classrooms after five years. While there are many external factors such as low starting salaries, lack of adequate resources, and negative working conditions that contribute to teacher mobility or people leaving the profession altogether. This chapter explores how fostering emotional resilience in novice educators can help to increase skilled coping strategies when faced with challenging situations, enhance career satisfaction, and translate into greater teacher retention.
Collaboration Beyond the School
Authors: Jones Beth A. , Clemens Donna Susanne
Published: December 2021

The authors of this chapter posit that collaboration with related and instructional personnel, as well as regional and state education agencies, can serve to combat teacher retention issues while improving student services. Acknowledging common barriers to effective collaboration, practical tools for overcoming these challenges are suggested. Further, key stakeholders in the collaborative process and their roles are identified. The chapter concludes by organizing collaborative efforts to engage in throughout a student's educational career.
The Impact of Market Orientation, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Relationship Orientation on the International Performance of SMEs
Authors: Kabiru Sa'ad Sa'id
Published: December 2021

The relationship between strategic orientation and SME international performance is empirically inadequate, specifically in a developing country. This study focuses on the effect of three dimensions of strategic orientation, namely market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and relationship orientation on the international performance of SMEs applying the theory of resource-based view. The study is quantitative and uses the data collected from 296 managers of SMEs operating an international business in Nigeria. The authors revealed that entrepreneurial orientation, relationship orientation have a positive effect on firm international performance. On the other hand, market orientation has no significant impact on a firm international performance. The authors explain the managerial contribution of study findings and provide future research suggestions.
Reflections and Future Directions for the Green Maritime Supply Chain in Malaysia
Authors: Jasmi Muhamad Fairuz Ahmad , Fernando Yudi , Omar Rusdi , Shaharudin Muhammad Shabir
Published: December 2021

The maritime sector and shipping industry have been argued to be effective drivers of international trade. Internationalization has become a strategic business plan by entrepreneurs and industry players to expand the business, especially when their business was already established in the domestic market. However, current international laws began to be tightened by requiring each exporting and shipping firms to implement green sea transport practices and documentations. A limited number of empirical-based evidence has forced the maritime practitioners to conduct business without clear green concepts knowledge and availability of best business practices to be benchmarked. With this in mind, the aim of this chapter is to examine current issues, differences, and dilemmas confronting practitioners, governments, stakeholders, and scholars. This chapter has developed a green maritime supply chain concept based on practitioners' reflections and provides future direction to scholars interested in studying green logistics and supplying chain management in the maritime sector.
Interpersonal Influence on Patients’ Choice of Medical Practitioners in A Less-Regulated Private Health Care Industry
Authors: Jayawickrama W. D. C. , Ajward A. R.
Published: December 2021

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individuals’ (consumers’) susceptibility to interpersonal influence is determined by their level of involvement in selecting private medical care practitioners (doctors) in the private healthcare industry in Sri Lanka. Data was collected from a sample of 800 adults in the Colombo District (i.e., the major commercial district) of Sri Lanka. The main findings indicate that patients display a strong interest in obtaining private medical services, and their susceptibility to informational influence from others is higher than the normative influence over the choice of private medical services. Patients were found to ‘express themselves’ in the presence of normative influence in selecting private medical professionals in Sri Lanka. Hence policies should seek to motivate people to make ‘informed decisions’ in relation to appropriate facets of consumer involvement, i.e., ‘perceived importance’, ‘risk’ and ‘probability of making mistakes. Personal networks of patients should be equipped with appropriate and accurate information on private medical services. More importantly, through public awareness campaigns patients should be discouraged from considering their choice of a health care practitioner as a way of ‘symbolising their self-identity’. This cross-disciplinary study is a first attempt in applying the concepts of consumer involvement and susceptibility towards interpersonal influence in a less regulated health care market setting where private medical services are provided.
Branding as an Entry Strategy to Overcome the Failures of New Products Introduced Under Protective Trade Environment in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayasinghe J. A. S. C.
Published: December 2021

Marketers know that branding is vital in capturing and sustaining the market for a firm. However, what value that customers ascribe mainly to the brand name compared to other factors is not well investigated in Sri Lanka. To respond to the unhealthy economic outcomes arising due to Covid-19, Sri Lanka is implementing a policy framework in order to uplift the local production that the country needs for itself. The loan scheme such as ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ loans for local industries has beenintroduced to encourage producers to invest in import substitution industries to win this battle. However, failure of new products is prevalent in every part of the world. The purpose of this research was to investigate that how the new product developers can apply the merits of the branding to overcome the problem of new product failure.  Therefore, it was needed to study in deep that how consumers think about branding and how they respond to new brands and brand extensions. Hence , this study was designed to understand consumer decision making regarding brand name and other determinants. This study was conducted in two phases. The nature of the study was exploratory at the outset and then, it was converted to a descriptive study. A questionnaire was constructed and data collection was done in Colombo metropolitan area using sixty respondents. Findings show that brand name is dominant in some product categories but in some other product categories another factor seems to be playing a significant role. However, it is understood that the most of the other factors could be associated with the brand itself when the brand is built strategically. Therefore, marketing planners must first, study the product specific characteristics in line with the Sri Lankan culture, life styles, preferences of consumers and consumer attitude towards brand names, and accordingly they must design the new products before they are launched.
Addressing Adherence to Treatment: A Longstanding Concern. The Patients’ Perspective
Authors: Dehshal Mahmoud Hadipour
Published: December 2021

Adherence to treatment is a great concern for patients who need long-life treatment. Thalassaemia is an inherited disease for whose treatment team-working is of a considerable importance. To logically face the problem of poor compliance patients, all members of the team ought to be aware of the causing factors and the ways to handle the problem. The factors which cause the lack of compliance among patients could be stratified into economic and structural facto. Furthermore, patient-related factors including ethnicity, gender, age, and regimen complexity such as dosing are also noteworthy. The supportive relationship between the health providers and the patients should be also established such as patients’ trust in their doctors. Last but not least, the pattern of health care delivery including the availability of health care requisites and operation of flexible hours and floating working hours. From the patients’ point of view, it is important to be aware of the significance of the adherence to treatment and the importance of providing prompt-routine reminders to patients to understand the consequence of incomplete treatment. Trained and motivated staffs play an effective role to enhance patients’ tendency to pursue the determined treatment. Health decision makers would be better to reinterpret the concept of health to “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. The patients’ role in self-management should not be ignored and “medicalization” has to be altered by the patient centered care.
Are We Strong Enough to Assert Our Rights in Quality Healthcare?
Authors: Brunetta Loris
Published: December 2021

The title of this speech is an important challenge for me, for a patient I mean, to face because it’s not easy to state today if we are really strong enough to assert our rights for a quality healthcare. At first sight, and in an optimistic vision, we could answer to this question YES, we are, but I think we need to explore better the field before to confirm that this is the right answer to the question. The first thing to assess is what we mean with the pronoun WE: the patients and parents’ community represented from TIF? The whole community that plays around thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies, meaning patients and parents and scientists? What else?
Female Genital Tuberculosis
Authors: Kaya Abdurrahman , Kaya Sibel Yildiz , Zerdali Esra , Can Ali
Published: December 2021

Female genital tuberculosis (FG-TB) is an important disease leading to substantial morbidity including infertility and abnormal vaginal bleeding. While the incidence of FG-TB is < 1% in a developed area, its incidence is >1% in developing countries. Due to its subtle presentation, many cases are overlooked and diagnosed incidentally. Accordingly, the actual incidence of FG-TB is unknown. The definitive diagnosis of the disease is based on histopathological or microbiological examination but in most cases, the bacteriological test is overlooked. In addition, there is no specific laboratory or imaging evaluation to distinguish FG-TB from others. The first step in the diagnosis of FG-TB is suspicion of the disease. In the case of infertility, FG-TB should be included in the differential diagnosis in developing countries after excluding other common diseases and tissue biopsy should be sent for not only histopathology but also microbiological investigations.
Heterotopic Pregnancy
Authors: Harzif Achmad Kemal , Hyaswicaksono Purnomo , Kurniawan Riyan Hari , Wiweko Budi
Published: December 2021

Heterotopic pregnancy (HP) is the coexistence of extrauterine and intrauterine pregnancies. This case is rare, difficult to diagnose, and threatening if left untreated. Incidental rate is estimated 1 in 30,000 spontaneous pregnancies and higher in assisted reproductive techniques. HP is often missed because of the detection of intrauterine sacs; therefore, comprehensive and systematic ultrasonography (USG) is needed, especially when there is ectopic pregnancy suspicion or when there is free fluid in the pelvis. A 46-year nulligravida with 13-year primary infertility history underwent frozen embryo transfer process with positive beta-human chorionic gonadotropin 2 weeks after the procedure. Clinical pregnancy is expressed by gestational sac findings at 6-week gestation. Two weeks later, she complained of lower right abdominal pain accompanied by spots from the birth canal. USG showed intrauterine pregnancy and sac appropriate to 8-week gestation and adnexal mass accompanied by a ring of fire image. The patient underwent right salpingectomy, recovered well, and continued her pregnancy. In vitro fertilization is the main risk factor for multiple and ectopic pregnancies. Clinical manifestations are similar to pregnancy loss or ectopic pregnancy. Specific risk factor must be acknowledged by the physician prior initial examination to rule out HP. Transvaginal ultrasound is useful in making the diagnosis of HP, especially in early pregnancy.
IL-23 blockers in dermatology
Authors: Parasramani Shrichand G. , Shirolikar Manasi
Published: December 2021

Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is the key regulatory cytokine in psoriasis, which stimulates differentiation, proliferation, and survival of T-helper 17 (Th17) cells. Specific targeting of IL-23–IL-17 inflammatory pathway has become an effective therapeutic approach to treat psoriasis. Clinical studies have shown that antibodies directed against the p19 subunit of IL-23 show equal or superior response as compared to when both IL-12 and IL-23 are inhibited. Side effects of IL-12 inhibition are avoided. Tildrakizumab, guselkumab, and risankizumab are antibodies that target the p19 subunit of IL-23. These newer IL-23 blockers give high PASI response and are easy to administer once in 8–12 weeks. A comparison of these three drugs from different trials is carried out in this review with the help of bar charts. There are no head-to-head comparative trials of these monoclonal antibodies.
Ayurvedic management of Alopecia areata (Indralupta) with surgical procedure Kuttanam and internal medications
Authors: Deepthi G. N. Sree , Kumar C. B. Roopesh , Kumar V. Krishna , Surendran Emy S. , Sudhakar D. , Raj R. V. Binitha
Published: December 2021

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder characterized by transient, nonscarring hair loss, especially on the scalp ranging from well-defined patches to diffuse or total hair loss with hair follicle preservation. It affects approximately 2% of the general population. This condition is described as Indralupta (~alopecia) in Ayurveda. The current presentation is a case report of 36-year-old female patient who visited the outpatient department with patchy hair loss of scalp over the vertex and occipital region and generalized hair loss for two years with no associated symptoms. The treatment was determined giving significance to systemic effects of disease along with localized pathology in the skin caused by the vitiation of Tridoshas (~three body humors). She was treated on outpatient level with Ayurvedic internal medications, external applications and Kuttanam (~a minor operative procedure) for four months. The uniqueness of this case is that transition of hairs from gray to black occurred over the course of a single hair follicle growth cycle. The phenomenon of natural reversal of depigmentation of hair in a single hair follicle growth cycle is not found in any of the scientific databases. The patient showed remarkable improvement including regeneration of black hair at the site of hair loss. During the follow-up period of two years, no recurrence was observed. This case report shows that holistic approach of Ayurvedic treatment can produce clinically significant results in Indralupta and shows possibility of application of these principles in repigmentation of hairs.
Clinical Features of Patients with Nonmalignant Upper Tract Lesions Mimicking Urothelial Cancer
Authors: Lu Ze-Hong , Ou Chien-Hui , Lin Kun-Che
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

The purpose is to evaluate the incidence and clinical features of patients who have undergone nephroureterectomy with nonmalignant upper tract lesions presumed to be urothelial carcinoma from images in Taiwan.

Materials and Methods:

Between October 2004 and October 2015, our institute had 350 patients who underwent retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy for possible upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma without a routine diagnostic ureteroscopy (URS) or ureteroscopic biopsy. Trauma, urolithiasis, or infection were excluded. We collected imaging findings; urine cytology results; renal function status; previous urothelial history; and the final pathology results. Twenty-three (6.6%) patients had nonmalignant benign lesions found from pathology.

Results:

The 23 patients comprised nine men and fourteen women. Most patients were middle-aged. Initial symptoms included gross hematuria, hydronephrosis, and flank pain. From self-voided urine cytology, the most common result was atypical cells. The number of patients was equal in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) plus postkidney transplantation group and the non-ESRD group. In addition, we divided patients into two groups according to lesioned kidney function status: Nonfunctional kidney (NFK) or functional kidney (FK). The most common pathologic feature found in the NFK group was atrophic kidneys. On the other hand, the most common diagnosis in the FK group was pyelonephritis.

Conclusion:

Nonmalignant pathologic lesions were detected in 23 patients who had undergone retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy without preoperative diagnostic URS for upper tract lesions. Self-voided urine cytology provided limited information for diagnosis in this group. For the almost 75% of patients with NFK, nephroureterectomy may be a feasible diagnostic and therapeutic method.
Achieving the Best RNA Quality in Urologic Tumor Samples Intended for Transcriptome Analysis
Authors: Lai Tzu-Chun , Cha Tai-Lung , Tsai Yi-Ta , Liu Shu-Yu , Wu Sheng-Tang , Meng En , Tsao Chih-Wei , Kao Chien-Chang , Chen Chin-Li , Sun Guang-Huan , Yu Dah-Shyong , Yang Ming-Hsin
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

To conduct research on the molecular oncology, physiology, and immunology of urologic tumors requires dissociated viable samples. Improper collection compromises the quality of data attained in molecular and functional assays due to the increased quantities of degraded proteins and RNA. We sought to improve the methods for tissue collection which can avoid generating considerable loss in the viability of cells for further analyses.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty resected tumor samples from 35 patients were obtained with different surgical techniques and at various time points for viability and RNA quality evaluation. The degradation of RNA was evaluated by its Qubit IQ score, OD 260/280 ratio, total yield, and quantity of β-actin.

Results:

Snap-frozen tissue samples obtained within 30 min showed better cell viability (P < 0.0001), RNA total yield (P = 0.0081), Qubit ratio (P = 0.003), OD 260/280 ratio (P = 0.4213), and quantity of β-actin (P = 0.0015). Moreover, the bladder tumor samples collected from transurethral biopsy presented more satisfied cell viability results than the ones resected by transurethral electroresection (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

Tumor samples should be processed or frozen freshly within 30 min once removed from human body. Furthermore, transurethral biopsy of bladder tumor is considered a better method for collecting samples for further molecular oncology studies. The high-quality RNA produced enable researchers to conduct more reliable studies by avoiding the experimental artifacts due to the presence of cellular debris or dead cells.
Frequency of Mismatch Repair Deficiency/High Microsatellite Instability and Its Role as a Predictive Biomarker of Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Noh Joseph J. , Kim Min Kyu , Choi Min Chul , Lee Jeong-Won , Park Hyun , Jung Sang Geun , Joo Won Duk , Song Seung Hun , Lee Chan
Published: December 2021

PurposeThis study was to investigate the frequency of mismatch repair deficiency/high microsatellite instability (MMRd/MSI-H) in gynecologic malignancies and the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with recurrent gynecologic cancers according to MMR/MSI status.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a multi-center retrospective review on the patients who were diagnosed with gynecologic cancers between 2015 and 2020. Their clinicopathologic information, results of immunohistochemistry staining for MLH1/MSH2/MSH6/PMS2 and MSI analysis, tumor response to treatment with ICIs were investigated.ResultsAmong 1,093 patients included in the analysis, MMRd/MSI-H was most frequent in endometrial/uterine cancers (34.8%, 164/471), followed by ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers (12.8%, 54/422) and cervical cancer (11.3%, 21/186). When assessed by histology without regard for cancer types, the frequency of MMRd/MSI-H was 11.0% (38/345) in high-grade serous adenocarcinoma, 38.6% (117/303) in endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and 30.2% (16/53) in carcinosarcoma. A total of 114 patients were treated with ICIs at least once. The objective response rate (ORR) was 21.6% (8/37) in cervical cancer, 4.7% (2/43) in ovarian cancer, and 25.8% (8/31) in endometrial/uterine cancers. Univariate regression analysis identified MMRd/MSI-H as the only significant factor associated with the ORR (28.9% [11/38] vs. 11.8% [9/76]; odds ratio, 3.033; 95% confidence interval, 1.129–8.144; p=0.028).ConclusionThe frequency of MMRd/MSI-H is moderate to high in gynecologic cancers in the Korean population. MMRd/MSI-H could be effective predictive biomarkers in gynecologic cancers of any type.
ESTUDO BIBLIOMÉTRICO DA LITERATURA SOBRE O SISTEMA SIFÔNICO DE DRENAGEM DE ÁGUAS PLUVIAIS
Authors: Talitta Martins Araújo Morgado Uiara , André Siqueira Campus Marcus
Published: December 2021

RESUMO: Este artigo teve como objetivo realizar um mapeamento da  Literatura sobre a produção bibliográfica do Sistema Sifônico De Drenagem De Águas Pluviais, a fim de que sejam identificadas tanto áreas de maior número de estudos, quanto as áreas pouco exploradas. Foi realizada uma busca de artigos publicados nas bases de dados Engineering Village, Science Direct, Scopus e Web of Science, por meio de critérios pré-definidos e um total de 24 artigos aderentes foram selecionados. Com as análises realizadas, são ofertadas recomendações para futuros estudos e uma visão geral da literatura sobre o conteúdo.
MORADIA ESTUDANTIL DO CERRADO (MUC) E OS CRITÉRIOS DE SUSTENTABILIDADE CONFORME CERTIFICAÇÃO SELO AZUL
Authors: De Andrade Bento Luciana , Rigley César Matias Gonçalves Rigley , Salomão Rael de Morais Lucas , Martins de Paula Heber
Published: December 2021

RESUMO:  A pretensão de uma indústria construtiva mais sustentável reflete na adoção de condutas como a minimização do consumo de matérias-primas, otimização dos recursos naturais e da utilização de novas e diversas tecnologias construtivas que possam reduzir os impactos ambientais gerados na produção de edificações. A Moradia Universitária do Cerrado (MUC), moradia estudantil, pertencente à Universidade Federal de Catalão (Em implantação) e foi construída pleiteando atender vários critérios, de modo a garantir a sustentabilidade desde a fase de projetos até a pós-ocupação do edifício. Visando mensurar as práticas sustentáveis das construções a Caixa Econômica Federal, lançou o programa Selo Casa Azul + CAIXA, estabelecendo critérios e verificando a gradação em quatro níveis (bronze, prata, azul e diamante). Ante ao exposto, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo verificar, caso fosse possível a certificação de obras públicas no programa, em qual gradação se enquadra a MUC, conforme os critérios estabelecidos pelo Selo. O estudo tem o intuito de demonstrar as beneficies desse tipo de construção e a conscientização da comunidade acadêmica quanto a essa vertente. Após análises dos parâmetros estabelecidos pelo programa, conferiu-se o Selo Bronze para a construção, sendo possível a gradação Prata, caso seja implantadas novas atividades após a ocupação do prédio.
IMPLANTAÇÃO DE SISTEMA DE AQUECIMENTO SOLAR DE ÁGUA EM EDIFÍCIOS VERTICAIS DE HABITAÇÃO DE INTERESSE SOCIAL
Authors: Luz Rodrigues Fernando , Setrak Sowmy Daniel
Published: December 2021

RESUMO: A crescente busca por alternativas energéticas limpas e de baixo custo aumentou a procura por sistemas de aquecimento solar de água, principalmente em residências unifamiliares, porém a falta de espaço para instalação de coletores em edifícios residenciais verticais aparece como uma das principais dificuldades, ainda mais em projetos de Habitações de Interesse Social (HIS), com custos de produção mais restritos. Este trabalho tem como o objetivo apresentar um estudo de caso e mostrar a viabilidade técnica e econômica da implantação do sistema de aquecimento solar de água em um edifício residencial vertical com 132 unidades, sendo 76 delas de interesse social. Com a aplicação do método de sete etapas apresentado, foi possível calcular o tempo de retorno de investimento em aproximadamente 16 meses de operação, com acréscimo nos custos totais da obra inferior a 1%, em relação ao orçamento sem o sistema de aquecimento solar.
Diyanet Aylık Dergi ile Başyazılarının Gündem Konuları ve Başyazılarda Yer Verilen Kur’an Ayetleri Üzerine Bazı Değerlendirmeler
Authors: ÜÇER Cenksu , ÇELEBİ Hatice Kübra
Published: December 2021

Bu çalışma Diyanet Aylık Dergi ve Başyazılarının gündem konularını ve Başyazılarda yer verilen Kur’an ayetleri konusunu ele almaktadır. Kanun’un Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı’na yüklediği görevlerden biri toplumu din konusunda aydınlatmaktır. Başkanlık bu görevini vaaz, hutbe, cami dersleri gibi cami içi; Kur’an kursları, irşat ekipleri, cezaevi vaazları, seminerler, konferanslar, sempozyumlar ve yayın hizmetleri gibi cami dışı din hizmetleri aracılığıyla yerine getirmektedir. Bu hizmetlerin en önemlilerinden biri şüphesiz dini yayınlardır. Başkanlık dini yayınları basılı ve süreli yayınlar, takvim, radyo ve Tv, dijital ve sosyal medya yayınları şeklinde çeşitlendirerek sürdürmektedir. Süreli yayınlar ise Aylık Dergi, Çocuk Dergisi, Aile Dergisi, İlmi Dergi kategorilerinde devam etmektedir.1991’den bugüne yayın hayatında olan Diyanet Aylık Dergi süreli yayın faaliyetlerinin önemli bir unsurudur. Başkanlığın topluma vermek istediği mesajı en güçlü şekilde Diyanet İşleri Başkanı’nın dilinden verdiği hususunda şüphe yoktur. Diyanet Aylık Dergide Başyazılar bizzat Diyanet İşleri Başkanı’nın topluma mesajını içermektedir. Başkanlık yürüttüğü hizmetlerde dinin ana kaynaklarına dayandığı hususunu vurguyla ifade etmektedir. Bu itibarla bu çalışmada, Diyanet Aylık Dergi ve Başyazılarının gündem konuları ve Başyazılarda Kur’an ayetlerine nasıl yer verildiği ele alınmaktadır. Konu Diyanet Aylık Dergi ve Başyazı gündem konularının daha çok Kanun’un Başkanlığa verdiği yükümlülüklere göre tasnif edilmesi ve bu yazılarda hangi ayetlere yer verildiği üzerinde durularak işlenmiştir.
Had Kavramının İslami İlimlerde İfade Ettiği Anlam ve Kur’an’da Hudûdullah Kavramı
Authors: DOKGÖZ Derviş
Published: December 2021

Had kavramı özellikle fıkıh ilmi başta olmak üzere mantık ve kelam gibi bilim dallarında terim anlamı kazanmış bir kavramdır. Fıkıhta ‘kitap ve sünnetle belirlenmiş uygulanması zorunlu cezalar’ anlamında yaygın olarak kullanılan bu terim; mantık, kelam ve usûl-i fıkıhta ise ‘bir şeyin mahiyetinin tanımlanması’ anlamında kullanılmaktadır. Had kelimesinin çoğulu olan hudûd kelimesinin ise Kur’an’da ‘hudûdullah’ şeklinde Allah lafzı ile birlikte kullanıldığı görülmektedir. Bu makalede had ve hudûd kelimelerinin sözlük anlamından hareketle, çeşitli bilim dallarında kazandığı anlamlar incelenerek sunulmuştur. En yaygın olarak kullanıldığı fıkıh bilim dalında, bilinen terim anlamını kazanma sürecine dair bilgiler paylaşılmış, had kelimesinin sözlük ve terim anlamı arasındaki ilişkiye dair âlimlerin görüşleri aktarılmıştır. Bunun yanında had/hudûd kavramının Kur’an’da ve hadislerdeki kullanıldığı anlamlar genel olarak incelenmiştir. Buna göre Kur’an’daki hudûdullah kavramı ile fıkıhtaki had/hudûd kavramı arasında doğrudan bir anlam birliği görülmezken, hadislerde yer alan had/hudûd kavramlarının ise fıkıhtaki terimleşmiş anlamı içerdiği görülmektedir.
Teaching Strategies, School Environment, and Culture: Drivers of Creative Pedagogy in Ghanaian Schools
Authors: Adom Dickson , Sharma Ekta , Sharma Sandeep , Agyei Isaac Kwabena
Published: December 2021

Creative pedagogy in educational institutions has been the mainstay of sustainable development globally as it ensures high standard human capital with a high level of imagination and problem-solving potentials. However, there are several drivers of creative pedagogy. This exploratory study employed the embedded mixed methods design with qualitative and quantitative approaches aimed at exploring the perspectives of teachers in selected pre-tertiary institutions in Ghana on the teaching strategies, school environment, and culture as drivers of creative pedagogy, using Lin’s creative pedagogy theory. The findings have shown that teaching strategies, school environment, and culture that promotes flexible and independent thinking, problem-solving and collaborative skills ensure students’ creativity development. The study recommends the implementation of learner-centered teaching strategies, a flexible teaching curriculum that encourages creativity development, smaller class sizes, semi-circular seating arrangements, and an introduction of a permissive culture that allows students to think and explore outside the box in Ghanaian schools.
PSIHOLOŠKA NEFLEKSIBILNOST KAO MEDIJATOR ODNOSA IZMEĐU RANIH MALADAPTIVNIH SHEMA I MANIFESTACIJA DEPRESIVNOSTI, ANKSIOZNOSTI I STRESA
Authors: Krnetić Igor , Vujaković Lana
Published: December 2021

Although the link between Early Maladaptive Schemas and many psychopathological manifestations has been confirmed, there is still not enough research examining the mechanism by which this link is realized. The aim of this study was to examine whether psychological inflexibility could be a mediator of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas grouped in schema domains and problems in current functioning, manifested through depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Among the instruments used were the Young’s Schema Questionnaire, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. The sample included 320 subjects (Nfemales = 215; M = 33.5; SD = 9.6). The results indicate significant connections of psychological inflexibility with all scheme domains and all criterion variables, with this connection being the strongest in relation to depression (r = .74, p < .01) and autonomy impairment domain (r = .74, p < .01). Schema domains are important predictors of criterion variables, provided that the highest percentage of explained variance is in relation to depression. Psychological inflexibility has been shown to be a partial mediator of all relations between all schema domains and manifestations of depression, anxiety and stress. Although schema domains still have a significant direct effect on psychopathological manifestations, in the case of impaired limits when it comes to anxiety (b = .045; p<.05, 95% BCa CI [.03, .05]) and depression (b = .06, p<.05, 95% BCa CI [.04, .07]) the difference between the indirect and direct effect is most evident, while in the case of stress the greatest difference between the effects is in relation to the domain of autonomy impairment (b = .07, p < .05, 95% BCa CI [.05, .08]). The implications for the integration of schema therapy and third wave cognitive-behavioral therapy are discussed. Keywords: early maladaptive schemas, schema domains, psychological flexibility, depression, stress, anxiety