bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of tenofovir and telbivudine in treatment of hepatitis B related acute on chronic liver failure
Authors: Malakar Debraj , Mahtab Mamun A , Manik Abul H , Alam Sheikh M Noor E , Das Dulal C , Mamun Ayub A , Khan Md. Sakirul Islam , Rahman Zakiur , Rahman Salimur , Akbar Sheikh Mohammad Fazle 
Published: July 2021

Introduction:
ACLF is characterized by acute deterioration of liver function in patients with chronic liver disease. HBV is one of the most important causes of both acute insult and underlying chronic liver disease in ACLF. Reactivation of HBV is one of the common causes of ACLF in our region. ACLF requires multiple organ support and is associated with high short and medium term mortality. This is the reason why early, rapid reduction of HBV DNA is essential in treating ACLF-B.

Methods:
Consecutive patients of ACLF-B due to spontaneous reactivation of HBV (ALT> 5xULN or >2 x baseline and HBV DNA >20,000 IU/ml) were randomized into tenofovir group (300mg/day) and telbivudine group (600mg/day) along with standard medical treatment. Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated at baseline, day-7, day-14, day-30 and day-90. HBV DNA was evaluated at baseline and after three months of therapy. Primary end point was survival or death at three months. Secondary end point was improvement of liver function assessed by Child-Turcotte Pugh score and MELD score at three months.

Results:
30 patients were enrolled in the study and 15 of them received tenofovir and 15 patients received telbivudine. Most of the baseline parameters showed no difference except serum AST and serum creatinine level that showed statistically significant difference between two groups. After antiviral therapy both groups showed significant clinical improvement along with CTP and MELD scores. However statistically significant improvement between tenofovir and telbivudine groups was only seen with MELD score. Survival rate was 80% in tenofovir group and 60% in telbivudine group, but this was not statistically significant. Low serum albumin at baseline was predictor of mortality.

Conclusion:
In patients of ACLF-B, antiviral therapy with both tenofovir and telbivudine improve liver function, but there is no statistically significant difference in survival between tenofovir and telbivudine.
Strategies for COVID-19 control among migrant labourers in a developing country setting
Authors: Bava Nooh P. , Sreekumar S , Mathew Geethu , Sushan Abey , Sheeja A. L , Parvathy P 
Published: July 2021

Background:
The ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 is a public health emergency with serious implications world-wide including India. Vulnerable population like migrants are often left out of epidemic preparedness planning and reaching out these marginalized population is a challenge.

Objective:
To describe different strategies implemented for control and prevention of Covid-19 among migrants in Pathanamthitta.

Results:
Strategies for Covid-19 control among migrant labourers were planned and implemented with intersectoral coordination and community participation. Line listing and risk stratification, mobilisation of community volunteers, contactless active symptomatic surveillance using technology, IEC activities for awareness generation in multiple languages, sample collection, testing and distribution of personal protective equipment's were initially implemented. Setting up of a call centre facility assisted with M health technology exclusively for addressing concerns of migrants was first and one of its kind in the country. In addition to that special measures were taken to improve adherence and wellbeing of migrants which included addressing medical needs of migrants including psychological needs, ensuring food security, migrant hostels for the providing shelter, basic health care, isolation facilities and arranging transportation facilities for more than 10,000 stranded migrants. The success of these strategies was evident from the fact that not even a single migrant labourer was tested positive in the district during this period

Conclusion:
Pathanamthitta district being in a resource constraint setting showed a very effective model by implementing technology assisted strategies tailored to the needs of population.The success of these highly effective and replicable strategy underlines the need to incorporate principles of primary health care in crisis management.
COVID-19 seropositivity among non-medical frontline office staff from two cities in Rajasthan, India
Authors: Jain Vidhi , Gupta Manoj Kumar , Grover Malika , Nare Tejashree , Srivastava Saumya , Bhardwaj Pankaj , Goel Akhil Dhanesh , Saurabh Suman , Dara Sanjeeta , Kumar Ashok , Sharma Praveen , Nag Vijaya Lakshmi , Misra Sanjeev 
Published: July 2021

Aims:
The indigenously developed Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-NIV COVID Kavach IgG enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been recommended for seroprevalence among vulnerable populations in India, which provided essential services throughout the lockdown. The staff working in the High Court was one such group. We compared anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity among the staff of Jodhpur and Jaipur High Courts, Rajasthan, India.

Methods:
Asymptomatic judiciary staff of Jodhpur and Jaipur benches of High Courts were enrolled after informed written consent. A questionnaire was filled and 3–5 ml venous blood was collected from participants. The ICMR-NIV COVID Kavach IgG ELISA and EUROIMMUN IgG ELISA were used for detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.

Results:
A total of 63 samples (41 from Jodhpur and 22 from Jaipur) were collected between 28th July to 4th August 2020. The overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence was found to be 6.35%. Seropositivity was higher among the staff from Jaipur (13.64%) as compared to Jodhpur (2.44%). The Kavach ELISA results were in complete agreement with EUROIMMUN ELISA. The infection control measures were deemed effective.

Conclusion:
Seroprevalence among the staff of Jodhpur High Court was found to be lower than Jaipur, reflecting higher susceptibility to COVID-19 in the former. Many offices worldwide are closed till mid 2020 but need to come up with pre-emptive policies eventually. This study may help to anticipate the possible challenges when other government/private offices start functioning. The infection control practices of one workplace may help formulate guidelines for other offices.
Serum vitamin B12 status of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on metformin
Authors: Alam Muhammad Shah , Kamrul-Hasan ABM , Kalam Syeda Tanzina 
Published: July 2021

Background:
Metformin use is a known cause of B12 deficiency in patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) often has clinically indistinguishable clinical features of B12 deficiency-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Objective:
The present study aims to assess serum vitamin B12 levels in patients with T2DM on metformin.

Subjects and Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted at a specialized endocrine outpatient clinic in Cumilla, Bangladesh, over six months from January 2020 to June 2020. Non-pregnant adults (≥18 years age) receiving metformin for T2DM for at least six months were evaluated for PN and assessed for serum B12 levels.

Results:
Among 90 subjects evaluated, 28 (31.1%) had B12 deficiency and 6 (6.7%) had borderline B12 deficiency; 56 (62.2%) had normal B12 levels. Study subjects with subnormal B12 used metformin for a longer duration [8.5 (7.0-14.0) vs. 5.0 (2.25-10.0) years, median (IQR), P = 0.006], gram-years of metformin use was higher in them [12.0 (7.9-14.0) vs. 5.75 (2.0-13.6) years, median (IQR), P = 0.005] and they had a higher mean corpuscular volume [85.9±7.2 vs. 82.4±6.4 fL, mean±SD, P = 0.020] compared to those having normal B12 levels. Serum B12 levels had a strong negative correlation with duration of metformin use and gram-years of metformin use. B12 status did not influence the presence and severity of PN.

Conclusions:
A considerable number of patients with T2DM have subnormal B12 levels. Periodic screening for serum vitamin B12 level may be of clinical benefit in such patients.
Perception of safety from workplace violence affects job satisfaction among doctors practicing modern medicine in India
Authors: Ahamed Farhad , Kaur Amandeep , Sengupta Paramita , Ghosh Tandra 
Published: July 2021

Background:
Doctors are often been judged negatively as a consequence of high expectation and demand from their job and face violence at workplace. Continuous worry of facing aggression at workplace may seriously affect job satisfaction and intention to job turnover. However, the association between workplace safety and job satisfaction had not been studied earlier in India.

Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among doctors from November 2019 to April 2020 using a pre-tested, semi-structured, anonymous “Google forms” based questionnaire among doctors working in private and/or public healthcare settings across India. Perception of safety was assessed by scoring in a scale. Cronbach's coefficient of the scale was calculated to be 0.88. Job satisfaction was assessed using the 5-item Brayfield and Rothe measure of job satisfaction. Cronbach's coefficient of the scale was 0.76. The data was coded and analyzed with the help of STATA-12.

Results:
617 doctors practicing modern medicine participated in this study from all over India. 262 (42.5%) doctors were found to be satisfied at their job. Perception of safety at workplace was found to have 2.5 times greater influence on job satisfaction of doctors. 23.2% of the doctors expressed job turnover intention which was positively correlated with job satisfaction and perception of safety.

Conclusion:
Perception of safety from workplace violence was found to have significant effect on job satisfaction and turnover intention than actual violence. Appropriate strategy may be undertaken to address this apprehension at workplace.
Prevalence and clinical presentation of sinusitis in pediatric age group in Aseer, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alshehri Ali M. S. , Assiri Ohood A. , Alqarni Afnan M. S. , Alkhairi Muhammed A. Y. , Alzahrani Mohammed A. A. , Alshehri Sarah H. A. , Alshehri Nada A. A. , Abouelyazid Ahmed Y. 
Published: July 2021

Background:
Paediatric rhinosinusitis is mostly different than that in adults. More frequently, children presented with cough, bad breath, crankiness, low energy, and swelling around the eyes, besides a thick yellow-green nasal or post-nasal discharge. About 5- 13% of childhood viral upper respiratory tract infections may advance to acute rhinosinusitis, with some of them developing a chronic condition.

Aim:
To assess prevalence and clinical presentation of sinusitis in the paediatric age group in Aseer, Saudi Arabia.

Methodology:
A retrospective record-based study was conducted in Abha Maternity and Children Hospital in Abha city, Saudi Arabia between January 2015 and January 2018. All medical records during the study period for children whose from to 15 years old attended the hospital and diagnosed as having sinusitis were included.

Results:
The study included 100 children with complete files whose ages ranged from less than 1 year to up to 13 years old with a mean age of 5.3 4.2 years. Nearly 51% of the children aged 4 years or less and male were 53 (53%). Past history for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) was positive among 30 children. Regarding clinical presentations of rhinosinusitis (RS) as reported by the children caregivers, fever was the most reported complaint (50%) followed by red eye (44%), ringing nose (42%), cough (41%) and headache (36%). Mucous culture was positive among 58 cases. The most isolated pathogens were streptococcus pneumoniae (45.6%), Haemophilis influenza (24.6%).

Conclusions:
In conclusion, the study revealed that CRS is a common disease in children at different ages, especially, maxillary and frontal sinuses. In most of the cases, medical treatment is highly appreciated; though, surgical intervention may be needed in a small percentage.
Assessment of the knowledge, preferences and concern regarding the prospective COVID-19 vaccine among adults residing in New Delhi, India – A cross-sectional study
Authors: Islam Farzana , Agarwalla Rashmi , Panda Meely , Alvi Yasir , Singh Vishal , Debroy Arup , Ray Arindam , Vadnerkar Amruta , Uttekar Shraddha 
Published: July 2021

Background:
Understanding the perception and concerns of people about COVID-19 vaccine in developing and populous country like India will help in understanding demand for the vaccine and further tailoring out public health information and education activities. The study was carried out to assess the present state of knowledge people have about the probable vaccine for COVID-19, to know the preferences of respondents about this vaccine and to learn the expectations and apprehensions of people about features of this prospective COVID-19 vaccine residing in the capital city of India.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the residents of Delhi, India from July to October 2020. Both offline and online interview method was used to collect date from 513 participants representing various occupational strata. Data were collected on sociodemographic variable, vaccine acceptance and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine.

Results:
Among the study population, 79.5% said they will take the vaccine while 8.8% said they were not going to take the vaccine and remaining 11.7% had not yet decided about it. More than 50% were willing to pay for the vaccine and 72% felt vaccine should first be given to health workers and high-risk group.

Conclusion:
The following study has helped to understand the percentage of people who are hesitant to take the vaccine and also the concerns regarding the vaccine. Also since half of the population is willing to pay for the vaccine, a strategic approach considering the various economical classes of people could be applied in a developing country like India.
Larvicidal potency of Dioscorea sansibarensis leaf extract against vector mosquitoes: Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Culex quinquefasciatus
Authors: Philbert Anitha 
Published: July 2021

Mosquitoes are responsible for transmission of illnesses of public health importance including malaria, lymphatic filariasis, dengue, chikungunya, and many other diseases caused by viruses. Vector control using synthetic insecticides has been the cornerstone for management of vector-borne diseases. However, the chemical based interventions have not been sustainable due to emergency of resistance against insecticides among disease vectors. Plant based mosquitocidal products can be potential alternative tools in vector control. Therefore, the present study aimed at exploring the larvicidal properties of Dioscorea sansibarensis leaf extract against malaria and lymphatic filariasis vectors; Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Culex quinquefasciatus. The larvicidal activities of Dioscorea sansibarensis were assessed following WHO test procedures. Ethanol leaf extract of Dioscorea sansibarensis was evaluated against all the four instar larvae stages of An. gambiae s.s and Cx. quinquefasciatus susceptible laboratory colonies. The highest larvicidal potency was shown against the 4th instar stages of both species with the LC50 values of 60.915 ppm and 80.700 ppm for Cx. quinquefasciatus and An. gambiae s.s., respectively. The respective LC95 values for Cx. quinquefasciatus and An. gambiae s.s. were 168.898 ppm and 249.295 ppm. This implies that the extract can be applied as mosquito larvicide should its impact on non-targeted species be established.
Keywords: Dioscorea sansibarensis; vectors, mosquitoes, Zanzibar yams, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Assessment of natural radioactivity and radiation hazards of building materials in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Mammba Huruma P , Balobegwa Vitus A , Muhulo Alex P , Pantaleo Peter A , Kawala Remigius A 
Published: July 2021

Natural radionuclides from building materials are one of the potential sources of external as well as internal radiation exposure to the human body. Currently, this exposure has been increasing since people spend more than 80% of their time indoors (ICRP 1991). Commonly used building materials from Kinondoni District were investigated using γ-spectrometry; their activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in Bq/kg were measured. The results showed that average values of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 15.62, 21.51 and 237.99 Bq/kg, respectively. All the activity concentrations in the studied samples were lower than the world average values of 35 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 30 Bq/kg for 232Th and 400 Bq/kg for 40K. The radium equivalent activity ( 𝑅𝑎𝑒𝑞), external ( 𝐻𝑒𝑥), internal hazard index ( 𝐻𝑖𝑛) and gamma activity concentration index (𝐼𝛾) were calculated to assess the radiological hazards due to presence of natural radionuclides in the building materials. The results showed that the average values of Raeq, Hex, and Iγ were 64.7 Bq/kg, 0.17, 0.21 and 0.24, respectively. These values were lower than the world criteria values 370 for Raeq, ≤ 1 for Hex, ≤ 1 for Hin and ≤ 1 for Iγ, respectively. The obtained results indicated that all the investigated building materials were safe for inhabitants.
Keywords: Building materials, Natural radionuclides, Radiation hazards, Gamma ray spectrometry, Activity concentration
Mathematical analysis of harvested predator-prey system with prey refuge and intraspecific competition
Authors: Mapunda Alanus , Sagamiko Thadei 
Published: July 2021

In this paper, a predator-prey relationship in the presence of prey refuge was studied. The analysis of the dependence of locally stable equilibrium points on the parameters of the problem was carried out. Bifurcation and limit cycles for the model were analyzed to show the dynamical behaviour of the system. The results showed that the system is stable at a constant prey refuge m = 0.3 and prey harvesting rate H = 0.3. However, increasing m and decreasing H or vice versa, the predator-prey system remains stable. It was further observed that for a constant prey refuge m ≥ 0.78, the predator population undergoes extinction. Therefore, m was found to be a bifurcation parameter and m = 0.78 is a bifurcation value.
Keywords: Prey refuge, bifurcation, harvesting, intraspecific competition, phase portrait
Sign language recognition using Kinect sensor based on color stream and skeleton points
Authors: Bulugu Isack 
Published: July 2021

This paper presents a sign language recognition system based on color stream and skeleton points. Several approaches have been established to address sign language recognition problems. However, most of the previous approaches still have poor recognition accuracy. The proposed approach uses Kinect sensor based on color stream and skeleton points from the depth stream to improved recognition accuracy. Techniques within this approach use hand trajectories and hand shapes in combating sign recognition challenges. Therefore, for a particular sign a representative feature vector is extracted, which consists of hand trajectories and hand shapes. A sparse dictionary learning algorithm, Label Consistent K-SVD (LC-KSVD) is applied to obtain a discriminative dictionary. Based on that, the system was further developed to a new classification approach for better results. The proposed system was fairly evaluated based on 21 sign words including one-handed signs and two-handed signs. It was observed that the proposed system gets high recognition accuracy of 98.25%, and obtained an average accuracy of 95.34% for signer independent recognition.
Keywords: Sign language, Color stream, Skeleton points, Kinect sensor, Discriminative dictionary.
Burn-out syndrome and teacher job satisfaction
Authors: Raciala (Pohaci) Alexandra , Rus Mihaela , Sandu Mihaela Luminita , Rus Ciprian Vasile 
Published: July 2021

The concept of burnout is often used when trying to explain the state of chronic stress in people working in a field that involves contact with people, such as, in our case, education.
Teachers spend a long time at work and are involved in multiple relationships: both with students, colleagues (other teachers, principals), and with other parents. All these various interactions require a mental and even physical effort. Also, teaching and assessment activities consume energy and require considerable effort. Thus, the resources needed by the teacher (time, financial), work and performance requirements can erode the teacher's energy and enthusiasm, which sometimes leads to the manifestation of burnout symptoms.
Burnout is “a state of chronic fatigue, depression and frustration generated by the devotion of a cause, a way of life or a relationship that fails to produce the expected rewards and ultimately leads to diminished involvement and work” (Zlate, 2007 , pp. 598 in Richelson, 1980.
Liderazgo distribuido y gestión de conflictos en los docentes del nivel secundario: Red 4-Ugel 01, 2017
Authors: Galindo Quispe Ana Isabel , López Ruiz Carolina del Pilar , Flores Flores Roxana Angela 
Published: July 2021

El presente trabajo de investigación titulado: “Liderazgo distribuido y gestión de conflictos en los docentes del Nivel Secundaria: Red 04 - UGEL 01”, se realizó con el objetivo de determinar la relación que existe entre las variables: Liderazgo distribuido y Gestión de conflictos en los docentes del Nivel Secundaria: Red 04 - UGEL 01, el estudio surge en el marco de los compromisos de gestión escolar y la mejora del desempeño docente.
Es una investigación de tipo descriptiva correlacional porque establece una relación directa entre las variables: Liderazgo distribuido y Gestión de conflictos. La población estuvo constituida por 122 docentes de Nivel Secundaria comprendiendo a las instituciones educativas de la Red 4, en este sentido el estudio fue censal donde todas las unidades de investigación son consideradas como muestra a quienes se les administro dos instrumentos que fueron validados por juicio de expertos y determinados con alta confiabilidad: cuestionario de liderazgo distribuido- LDAG (alfa de cronbach= 0,836) y el cuestionario de gestión de conflictos – GCAG (alfa de cronbach= 0,901).
Se concluyó que existe relación directa y significativa entre el Liderazgo distribuido y la gestión de conflictos de los docentes de las instituciones educativas de la Red 04 de la UGEL 01 en el año 2017, con un Coeficiente de correlación de Spearman de 0.606 y un valor p= 0,000 menor al nivel de 0,05 se acepta la hipótesis alterna y se rechaza la hipótesis nula confirmando la relación entre las variables analizadas en el presente trabajo de investigación.
Control robusto H-infinito para la velocidad de desplazamiento de un UAV en base a estimación de flujo óptico
Authors: Ghersin A.S. , Giribet J.I. , Luiso J. , Tournour A. 
Published: July 2021

<p>Se presenta el diseño del control para la velocidad de desplazamiento de un vehículo aéreo de seis rotores. La técnica de diseño utilizada es el control óptimo en H–infinito con el objetivo de conseguir rendimiento robusto ante la incertidumbre en el modelo de la dinámica de la velocidad de desplazamiento. Se considera que buena parte de la incertidumbre es atribuible a retardos de tiempo inciertos que introduce el propio algoritmo que se utiliza para estimar la velocidad de desplazamiento. El vehículo realiza a bordo la estimación de esta última a través de un sensor de flujo óptico implementado con una cámara y un procesador de alto nivel en el cual además se implementa la ley de control. Junto con el diseño del control, se muestra el procedimiento de identificación de sistemas utilizado para conseguir una descripción de la dinámica a través de una familia de plantas con incertidumbre dinámica global a través de la toma de datos experimentales. Finalmente se exhiben resultados experimentales con la implementación del sistema de control completo. </p>