bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors causing design changes in Vietnamese residential construction projects: An evaluation and comparison
Authors: Khanh Ha Duy 
Published: October 2020

Most of the construction projects in Vietnam are suffering from the design changes during the implementation phase. These changes have a significant impact on the time and cost of the project. The primary purpose of this study is to explore factors causing the design change of residential construction projects from the Vietnamese perspective. This study has used a questionnaire to collect data for the occurrence and effect of these factors on project performance. Based on the literature review, there are a total of 28 initial factors filtered. These factors were classified into four cases: environment, clients, consultants, and contractors. The results of the analysis showed that there is almost no difference in mean between groups of respondents, and there is a relatively high consensus in ranking the factors between project parties. Based on factor analysis, there are four principal components extracted from all initial factors, with total variance explained of nearly 65.2%. In addition, an evaluation sheet for the overall impact of factors on project performance is proposed. The result indicated that the level of impact is 70.7 per the scale of 100. Eventually, a comparison with other construction project types has been made to understand generally the factors of design changes in the construction industry.
Keywords:
design change; residential building; construction management; Vietnam.
A hybrid model for predicting missile impact damages based on k-nearest neighbors and Bayesian optimization
Authors: Doan Quoc Hoan , Thai Duc-Kien , Tran Ngoc Long 
Published: October 2020

Due to the increase of missile performance, the safety design requirements of military and industrial reinforced concrete (RC) structures (i.e., bunkers, nuclear power plants, etc.) also increase. Estimating damage levels in the design stage becomes a crucial task and requires more accuracy. Thus, this study proposed a hybrid machine learning model which is based on k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and Bayesian optimization (BO), named as BO-KNN, for predicting the local damages of reinforced concrete (RC) panels under missile impact loading. In the proposed BO-KNN, the hyperparameters of the KNN were optimized by using the BO which is a well-established optimization algorithm. Accordingly, the KNN was trained on an experimental dataset that consists of 254 impact tests to predict four levels (or classes) of damages including perforation, scabbing, penetration, and no damage. Due to the unbalance of the number of tests in each damage class, an over-sampling technique called BorderlineSMOTE was employed as a balancing solution. The predictability of the proposed model was investigated by comparing with the benchmark models including non-optimized KNN, multilayer perceptron (MLP), and decision tree (DT). Accuracy, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) were utilized to evaluate the performance of these models. The implementation results showed that the proposed BO-KNN model outperformed the other benchmark models with the average class accuracy of 68.05%, F1-score = 0.641, and AUC = 85.8%. Thus, the proposed model can be introduced as a foundation for developing a tool for predicting the local damage of RC panels under the missile impact in the future.
Keywords:
impact damage; k-nearest neighbors; Bayesian optimization; oversampling; imbalanced data; RC panel.
Development of a cementless eco-binder as an alternative to traditional Portland cement in construction activities
Authors: Phuoc Huynh Trong , Hung Vu Viet , Tuan Bui Le Anh , Giang Pham Huu Ha 
Published: October 2020

In this research, the performance of a cementless eco-binder, a mixture of waste materials including slag, circulating fluidized bed combustion ash (CFA), and rice husk ash (RHA) was investigated, in which CFA acted as an activator. One hundred and twenty paste samples were prepared by using the RHA/(slag + RHA) ratios of 0, 15, 30, 45% while keeping a constant ratio of CFA/(slag + RHA) at 25%. The setting period, compressive strength, the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and drying shrinkage of paste samples were determined at the samples’ age of up to 91 days. In addition, the microstructures of all paste samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the use of cementless eco-binder significantly increased the setting times, lower compressive strength, drying shrinkage, and UPV values compared to the control OPC sample. The maximum 91-day-old compressive strength gained by the binary binder of slag and CFA (R00C25) was 90% of that of the control specimen. Incorporation of RHA with higher replacement levels up to 45% resulted in a significant decrease in compressive strength up to 50%. Moreover, the SEM analysis revealed that there was a large difference in the microstructures of the control and the cementless eco-binder samples, in which the main hydration products were C-S-H/C-A-S-H gels and ettringite (AFt) due to relatively high amount of SO3 and SiO2 in the CFA and RHA, respectively. Thus, it can be realized that the potential for the use of slag, CFA, and RHA as a sustainable cement-free binder is promising in the construction industry, especially for lower strength or no required early high strength structures.
Keywords:
cementless eco-binder; circulating fluidized bed combustion; rice husk ash; slag; microstructure; compressive strength; drying shrinkage; setting time; ultrasonic pulse velocity.
Identity as a Lens on Livelihoods: Insights From Turkana, Kenya
Authors: Rodgers Cory 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Livelihood surveys often categorise pastoralist households by economic activity and material assets, using measures such as herd ownership, extent of mobility and the degree of reliance on livestock vs other sources of subsistence and income. However, in contexts of high variability and uncertainty, such objective classifications may inadvertently perpetrate two distortions. First, they stabilise highly fluid economic landscapes, overlooking the ways in which people draw opportunistically from an array of livelihood strategies or move between them over time. Second, they may flatten the social field, overlooking the ways that class and kinship structure and constrain people’s livelihood options. This paper argues for greater attention to subjective assessments of livelihood, such as the labels by which people self-identify or distinguish themselves from others. Drawing on over twenty months of anthropological fieldwork, I describe the notion of raiya, a polysemous identity construct that has become a salient part of everyday discourse in Turkana County, Kenya. While raiya connotes an array of conventional dichotomies – including rural/urban, traditional/modern and nomadic/sedentary – attention to the uses of this term in ‘speech acts’ reveals how it is used to manage relationships and access opportunities across these apparent divisions. This example demonstrates how research on identity practices can inform the study of livelihoods, not only because self-identification indicates a commitment to certain cultural values (Moritz 2012), but also because identity labels highlight the messy processes of boundary-shifting and boundary-crossing that characterise social and economic life under conditions of high variability.
Socio-Technical Objects at the Crossroads Between 'Universal' Policy Models for Livestock Production Development, Local Practices and Dynamics of Change
Authors: Magnani Sergio 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Relationships between public policy, resource management and the larger economic contexts remain poorly understood in the African drylands. A better understanding of changes in pastoral systems requires shifting the focus from a static and linear analysis to a dynamic one encompassing processes, relationships and contexts.
A three-year fieldwork research experience on three different case studies in Senegal has led to the identification of three material objects at the interface between pastoral systems and development interventions: cattle breeds, feeding and milk. Such objects are at the heart of pastoral systems, and are typically crucial to policymakers’ attempts to intensify pastoral production.
By raising the example of cattle feeding in Northern Senegal, I suggest that a methodological and analytical framework focusing on the socio-political dimensions of technical objects can be useful to analyse the encounter between the linear and universal input/output rationality of livestock development models and those of pastoralists, based on the embeddedness of socio-political, economic and environmental variability.
Such an approach, I thus argue, can be used to deconstruct production models, highlighting the context of production and the modes of operation of the social actors. This could open up a space to describe social and technical change beyond abstract and ‘universal’ development models, and to promote more inclusive and empirically based policy-making.
Peer assessment and gamification: a university teaching experience in a course of Media Education
Authors: Bruni Filippo 
Published: October 2020

Attention towards university teaching is growing, also as a result of the evaluation procedures aimed at the Italian university system. In this context, the experience of the course of Media Education and digital literacy activated during the degree course in Communication Sciences at the University of Molise is presented. Given the need to acquire not only knowledge but digital literacy, students were asked to create digital products using a dual methodological approach: gamification and peer evaluation. The gamification has allowed to conceive the activities of the course as a series of challenges to which to give a timely response, as documented by the blog of the course https://ilblogcialafebbre.blogspot.com/. The peer assessment allowed to increase the interactions among the students, pushing to forms of analysis and comparison that have had positive repercussions on the realized digital products. In evaluating the overall experience, despite the difficulty in interpreting the available data, the perspective of linking the gamification processes to the creation of assessment rubrics is affirmed
Taxonomy of curriculum change models: the case of Problem Based Learning
Authors: Lotti Antonella 
Published: October 2020

The idea, proposed in this work, is that who are introducing educational innovation in University teaching should focus more on the renewal of a curriculum more than in a single course's changes. University teaching innovation often focuses on the changes introduced within a single discipline through the adoption of some educational technologies or new teaching-learning-evaluation methods, keeping the focus only on the single discipline and not on the curriculum as a whole. With reference to the work of Ronald Harden about the eight roles of the university teacher, we underline the role of Curriculum developer and implementer. Six models are proposed to classify the introduction of innovative curricula. The different ways by which Problem Based Learning was introduced in university curricula are described as examples of the six models.
Dampak Financial Toxicity Pada penyintas Kanker
Authors: Susilowat Maelani , Afiyanti Yati 
Published: October 2020

Pendahuluan : Kanker merupakan salah satu penyakit yang memerlukan biaya medis yang cukup tinggi dalam perawatan dan pengobatannya sehingga dapat menyebabkan peningkatan tekanan psikososial, menurunnya kualitas dan kuantitas hidup bagi pasien kanker dan keluarga.
Tujuan: systematic review untuk mengidentifikasi dampak dari diagnosis kanker pada penyintas kanker yang berkaitan dengan financial toxicity.
Metode : Pencarian database yang digunakan yaitu ScienceDirect, EBSCO host, ProQuest, dan SpringerLink yang diidentifikasi dan dipublikasi dari tahun 2015-2020.
Hasil : pencarian didapatkan 1.665 artikel, tetapi hanya sepuluh artikel yang memenuhi kriteria inklusi. Hasil analisis sepuluh artikel didapatkan bahwa pengobatan kanker berdampak pa-da situasi keuangan penderita kanker
Kesimpulan : Penerapan intervensi pada multidisiplin dapat bekerja secara efektif , sebagai bagian dari perawatan kanker standar, sehingga dapat mengurangi dampak dari financial toxicity di antara penyintas kanker.
Socio-demographic and Economic Factors Associated with Adherence to Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment
Authors: Hossain Md Motahar , Flora Meerjady Sabrina , Md Shahidullah - , Amin Md Nurul , Mosharref Murshida , Wahab Md Abdul 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Tuberculosis is one of the most significant health problems in Bangladesh. Adherence to TB treatment is crucial to achieving cure while avoiding the emergenceofdrug resistance. Non-adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment may result in persistent infectiousness and a higher rate of treatment failure, relapse and drug resistance and therefore, it’sa significant barrier to the success in tuberculosis control.
Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic and economic factors influencing adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment among tuberculosis patients.
Materials and Methods: This case control study was carried out among purposively selected 47 cases and 94 controls in selected DOTS centres of Dhaka city from January 2010 to July 2010. Data were collected by face to face interview using a semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: Males were 2.5 times more likely to be non-adherent and among them day-labourer and main earning member were more commonly non-adherent (p<0.05). Low per capita income and irregularity of monthly income were significantly (p<0.01) associated with non-adherence.
Conclusion: Non-adherence is associated with the risk factors that are modifiable by the correction of socio-demographic and economic characteristics as a whole. So the highest priority in fighting against non-adherence therefore must be to reduce poverty for its prevention especially targeting the patients of low economic status.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 39-41
Effect of Losartan and Amlodipine on Lung Function Status in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Nahar Mst Nasrin , Begum Shelina , Ferdousi Sultana , Habib Tamanna 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Essential hypertension is associated with altered pulmonary function. Antihypertensive medication and lung function are also associated. Losartan (angiotensin II receptor blocker) and amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) are commonly used antihypertensive drugs.
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of antihypertensive drugs on lung function status in patients with essential hypertension.
Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out in the Department of Physiology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Shahbag, Dhaka, from July 2012 to June 2013 on 100 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients without any antihypertensive medication (group B, age 30-55 years). They were selected from the Out Patient Department (OPD) of Cardiology, BSMMU, Dhaka. Age, sex and BMI matched 50 apparently healthy normotensive subjects were also studied as control (group A). Based on treatment, these study subjects were divided into two groups (B1 and B2). Group B1 included 50 patients received losartan 50 mg daily and B2 included 50 patients received amlodipine 5 mg daily. They were observed once before the treatment (B1a and B2a), after 3 months of medication (B1b and B2b) and after 6 months of medication (B1c and B2c). For assessing lung function status, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1st second (FEV1) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were measured with a RMS computer based Spirometer.
Results: Mean FVC, FEV1 and PEFR were significantly lower in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in comparison with that of healthy normotensive. Mean FVC, FEV1 and PEFR were found significantly higher in the group taking losartan and amlodipine for 6 months when compared to newly diagnosed but lower than those of controls.
Conclusion: Reduced lung function occurs in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients which was improved by treatment with losartan and amlodipine.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 42-44
Treatment Response on Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia with Olanzapine and Risperidone
Authors: Khan Fatema Zerin , Rashid Nafisa , Sultana Syeda Papia , Rahman Wahida , Nazrina Sayeda , Ara Hosnea 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Positive symptoms become perceptible in patients as schizophrenia progresses. If schizophrenia goes untreated catatonic motor behaviors are develops. Now a day’s catatonia which is a type of disturbed behavior is observed, with less frequency than in past years due to advances in treating schizophrenia. Treatment of schizophrenia by olanzapine and risperidone shows diverse outcomes.
Objectives: To assess the response on positive symptoms of schizophrenia by olanzapine and risperidone.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Department of Pharmacology and Department of Psychiatry of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka during the period from September 2013 to January 2015. A total of 179 schizophrenia patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled and of them 75 patients completed the study, where 40 were in olanzapine treated group and 35 were in risperidone treated group in a 12-weeks assessment where Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) was applied. After statistical analysis of scores between intergroup and intra group p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Treatment with both the olanzapine and risperidone were remarkably effective for progress of positive symptoms of schizophrenia patients but in olanzapine treated group the score was reduced more than that of risperidone treated group and the difference was significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Olanzapine has responded better on positive symptoms of schizophrenia patients than that of risperidone.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 58-60
Trans-Umbilical Open Port Placement During Laparoscopic Access: A Safe Technique
Authors: Sarder Md Atiqul Haque , Ahmed Quazi Sabran Uddin 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Intra-peritoneal access and creation of pneumoperitoneum through a quick, safe and reliable technique is important for Laparoscopic Surgery. Specially in an resource constrained setting where there is paucity of needed equipment and cost is prohibitive, utilization of the fewer instruments available and accompanid by excellent functional and cosmetic outcomes should be the aim of a laparoscopic surgeon.
Objectives: To describe a modified method of primary trocar introduction that utelizes fewer available instruments.
Materials and Methods: A vertical incision is made in the trans-umblical region at the base of to an everted umblicul scar. The linea alba is incised and the resultant opening bluntly developed after which the 1st port is inserted using tocar as an guide. The trocar is withdrawn while the canula is pushed in.
Results: We included total 124 patient (Male-44, Female-80) in the study period, from Jan 2017 to December 2018. In one single surgical unit, with the age limit 18-75 years, With no significant complications.
Conclusion: This modified open trans-umblical approach is a simple, quick, and reliable way to primary port insertion. Access is gained easily in different age groups and umblicus types, through a small congenital umblical defect that is almost universally present. It is associated with minimum morbidity and has excellent outcome.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 67-70
Aetiology of Ludwig’s Angina: A Hospital Based Study
Authors: Khan Mohd Shamim Bin Shaid , Sultan Syed Muhammed Tipu , Hossain Mohammad Kamal , Rahman Mahmudur , Alam Md Monsur , Islsm Md Zahidul 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: Ludwig’s angina is potentially life-threatening spreading cellulites of neck with high level of morbidity and mortality. Dental caries and diabetes mellitus are most common aetiological factor for Ludwig’s angina. Bad oral hygiene and poor socioeconomic condition are also responsible for this grave disease. This disease was frequently fatal; mortality rates for Ludwig’s angina exceeded 50% in the pre antibiotic era; however, antibiotics and aggressive surgical intervention have significantly reduced mortality recent series quote mortalities of 0-10%. Objectives: To find out the aetiology of patient’s of Ludwig’s angina.
Materials and Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 89 patients admitted in the Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery in Dhaka Medical College Hospital from 01.07.2010 to 30.06.2012. Patients were selected by specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected in a structured questionnaire and analysed by SPSS 16.0 for Windows.
Results: Among 89 patients about 69% were from rural area and55% from poor socio-economic class. Sixty-four patients (74.2%) suffered from dental caries and 15.7% were diabetic.
Conclusion: Study shows some factors like dental caries, bad oral hygiene, oral mucosal infections, diabetes mellitus were associated with Ludwig’s angina, which may be preventable and curable by early diagnosis and intervention. The public awareness regarding aetiology of Ludwig’s angina may contribute great role in reduction of this disease prevalence.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 81-83
Detection and Quantification of HCV-RNA by RT-PCR among Anti-HCV Positive Patients
Authors: Rahman Wasila , Md Rahimgir - , Khan Arif Ahmed , Khisa Maj Suman , Akter Rahima , Shahreen Maj Imana 
Published: October 2020

Introduction: The most common contemporary strategy to diagnose chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection consists of initial screening with an HCV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) antibody test followed by supplemental testing of positive screening tests with a quantitative HCV RNA assay to confirm the positive EIA and to determine whether they have active or resolved hepatitis C infection.
Objectives: To detect and quantify HCV-RNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) among anti-HCV positive patients and to identify the socio demographic factors among these patients.
Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive type of cross-sectional study which was conducted in Combined Military Hospital and Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Dhaka cantonment. A total of 108 anti-HCV positive patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), who were clinically suspected and advised for anti-HCV test, were selected randomly for the study and subjected to do HCV-RNA analysis during the period of October 2016 to September 2017.
Results: Out of 108 anti-HCV positive patients by ELISA, HCV-RNA was detected in 72 (66.7%) cases with mean value of HCV RNA quantification was 2013323.95±2695207.41 (IU/ ml). Majority of anti-HCV positive patients (29.6%) belonged to 51-60 years age group with male predominance (58.33%). It was observed that 43.52% patients came from middle income group family, 31.48% came from poor and 25.0% came from high income group family. Risk factor for HCV infected population was found maximum in dialysis patients (47.37%), followed by blood transfusion (13.89%), Injecting drug User (IDUs) (12.04%), surgery & intervention (9.26%) and sexual transmission (1.85%). Mean alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was found 67.30±44.99 U/L among HCV-RNA detected patients (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: The quantification of HCV RNA by RT-PCR will be helpful to rationalize the treatment, enhance antiviral responses and mitigate mortalities of HCV infected patients.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.15 (1) 2019: 84-86