bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mental health issues during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Naeem Zahid , Choudhry Hiba , Bareach Ghanwa , Naseem Sajida , Rafi Saima , Mangrio Sana 
Published: February 2021

Mental health issues due to the pandemic of CoVID-19 have not been properly addressed since the outbreak emerged. Numerous studies were conducted worldwide to highlight the importance of the effect of pandemic on mental health. A large number of researches were carried out to address the impacts of CoVID-19. In present times, when social distancing and isolation at home is the main preventive measure suggested by the WHO, mental health problems are surfacing which need to be timely addressed and treated. This review article focuses on the importance of mental health issues after the lockdown, social distancing, staying at home and other measures implemented due to the outbreak of CoVID-19.
Studies have also highlighted the effects of social media on the prevalence of mental health issues in people worldwide. Based on the findings of previous pandemics, mental health problems can leave long lasting and devastating effects on people. Therefore, adequate preventive measures must be taken to avoid such health problems. Studies have been carried out to emphasize the urgent need of research regarding the mental health issues due to CoVID-19. Many psychological problems like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, fear of getting infected and death, lack of motivation is common during this perplexing period and the challenge is to remotely access such patients for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Furthermore, the increase in the cases of domestic violence during this time has also been reported which should be addressed. In order to strengthen the mental health of a community, we must find ways to cope with stress and trauma in a better and healthy way in times of crisis.
Immunologic aspect in diagnosis and treatment of SARS-COV-2 patients
Authors: Yasin Sumaiya , Bhatti Theophilus , Farooqi Muhammad Umer , Mateen Farrukh 
Published: February 2021

Recent worldwide outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (CoVID-19) has affected massive human population including Pakistan, and has caused a huge number of mortalities in few months. CoVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is single stranded RNA enveloped beta coronavirus and affects lower respiratory tract. It transmits from human to human through respiratory droplets. It uses its S-protein to recognize ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2) receptors in lung epithelial cells where it attaches and causes infection. The incubation period is 2-14 days. In pre-symptomatic phase, body’s immune system starts antibodies production. Significant antibodies are IgM and IgG that produces within 03-06 days and 8-12 days respectively. This review provides the available information about immunological aspects in terms of diagnosis and screening of CoVID-19 and potential therapeutic targets for combating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunologic techniques to detect these antibodies are ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay), CMIA (Chemiluminescent Micro particle Immunoassay) and ICT (Immunochromatographic Test). Among these, ELISA and CMIA are found to be highly specific and sensitive in convalescent phase of infection. While the fundamental confirmatory test for SARS-CoV-2 infection is RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) which detects the viral RNA in respiratory samples preferably nasopharyngeal swab. Serological assays are essential to find out rate of infection, and most importantly antibody titers in recovered patients to be used for therapeutic purpose. After some successful studies Convalescent Plasma is considered as a good therapeutic option in the absence of specific antiviral therapy.
Dysmenorrhea in students: Characteristics and predictors
Authors: Abid Fatima , Aamer Musa , Faiz Samira , Azam Fahad , Shaheen Abida , Javed Nismat 
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea is a very common reproductive issue present in young females that severely impacts their life.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea amongst undergraduate students of Pakistan, the association of dysmenorrhea with various factors, and the impact on academic performance.
Methodology: An observational study was carried out at different Pakistani universities. The data was collected using a self-designed, pre-tested questionnaire. which was distributed online. The data was analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version (Armonk, NY) 26.0. Descriptive statistics were applied for qualitative variables. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables. Chi-square was applied to determine if the differences in cycle length were significantly related to dysmenorrhea. T-tests were applied to determine if there were significant differences in age and body mass index in participants with dysmenorrhea.
Result: There were 226 students who had participated in the study. There were 193 (85.40%) participants who reported experiencing dysmenorrhea out of which 97 students (50.26%) took a drug or a combination of drugs to alleviate the pain. There was a high prevalence of stress symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea with fatigue after sleep (p<0.05). Physical activity did not have any effect on dysmenorrhea. Physical activity, the average grade of pain, and the presence of pain in each cycle were significant predictors of dysmenorrhea (p<0.05).
Conclusion Physical activity and characteristics of pain, such as cyclical nature and intensity, are predictors of dysmenorrhea.
Understanding the Mental and Physical Health Needs and Acculturation Processes of International Graduate Students in the United States
Authors: Girmay Mehrete 
Published: February 2021

The international graduate student population is a unique one that has specific needs that differ from that of domestic students and other acculturating groups. International graduate students face social, financial, and other stressors rooted in language proficiency while dealing with academic performance demands that accompany being a graduate student (Sullivan & Kashubeck-West, 2015). Furthermore, many international students studying at American universities tend to experience severe adjustment challenges dealing with the unfamiliarity of American customs and traditions in addition to the lack of emotional and social support on behalf of the host university. The goals of this qualitative, narrative case study were to explore the needs of international graduate students in regards to their adjustment and whether the needs of this population are being met by the host institution, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). The results of this study indicated that there is a concrete need for University staff to be trained on cultural competency, health literacy, and xenophobia as they seek to meet the potential needs of their visiting international students.
Additionally, health and wellness resources offered through the University should be improved in order to be more comprehensively advertised and promoted on campus and within the surrounding community. The study yields results that crystallizes the impact that poor acculturation can have on the student’s mental and physical health, and how bridges between the international and non-international communities can be built and more importantly sustained, thus resulting in a more inclusive environment.
Integrating International Graduate Students on Campus: The Perspectives of Student Affairs Professionals
Authors: ETSHIM RACHAL 
Published: February 2021

Higher education institutions in the United States (U.S.) recruit international students as part of their internationalization strategies. The overall number of international students enrolled in American universities and colleges between 2017 and 2018 increased by 1.5% compared to the previous year, totaling over 1 million international students (Institute of International Education 2018). Of this total, 382,983 are international graduate students.
International graduate students are good resources for the internationalization and economy of higher education institutions in the U.S. (Urban and Palmer, 2014) and, despite the reduction in the number of visas approved and job prospects, their numbers continue to grow (Almurideef 2016; Killick 2015). These students come from different countries, have different cultural backgrounds and needs, and face different challenges that student affairs professionals at host institutions must address to integrate them into campus (Harper and Hurtado, 2007; Lee and Rice 2007). Moreover, the needs and challenges of international students differ depending on their level of studies, undergraduate vs. graduate (Rai 2002). While student affairs professionals are often the first contacts for all international students, and they play a key role in the integration and development of international graduate students on campus (Brandenburg 2016), most higher education institutions and their student affairs units today are not yet prepared to serve international graduate students (Arokiasamy 2011; Burdzinski 2014; Castellanos et al., 2007; Di Maria 2012; Moswela and Mukhopadhyay 2011; Yakaboski and Perozzi 2018).
The purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of student affairs professional about their role in integrating international graduate students into campus and the policies, services, programs, and other elements they consider most helpful in integrating these students.
U.S. Social Justice Spaces and Global Justice: Integrating International Students for the Engagement of All
Authors: Hou Yuqing , Pojar Amy 
Published: February 2021

This qualitative study explores the extent to which international students integrate when they encounter social justice discussions inside or outside a U.S. class environment. Focusing on diversity courses at a west coast university, the study investigates international students’ learning experiences as well as their contributions to these U.S. educational spaces when drawing from their perspectives and experiences from communities around the world. Because international students are both agents and objects of bias, the study hypothesizes that more integration leads to more engagement and better outcomes for both international and domestic participants. By interviewing and surveying students from varied national and social backgrounds, the study seeks to understand outcomes for a diverse group of both international and domestic students. The study’s findings will advance policy, pedagogy, and practice conversations around internationalization, social justice education, and global citizenship education at institutions of higher education in the U.S.
Making a Case for an Integrated Faculty-Designed and Faculty Operated Study Abroad Center
Authors: Rai Sarita 
Published: February 2021

This essay argues that the most effective Study Abroad Centers have the active and committed participation of faculty from across their institutions. However, the structures of of these institutions do not always make this possible in all aspects of programming and implementation. This essay demonstrates that the most important characterizes of a thriving Study Abroad Center are high faculty involvement and shared governance.
Reflections on Migration, Resilience, and Graduate Education
Authors: Obradović-Ratković Snežana , Woloshyn Vera , Sethi Bharati 
Published: February 2021

In response to the refugee crisis, it is important to invest in and support refugee education especially at the tertiary level. As displaced individuals rebuild their life upon resettlement, education opportunities are vital to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to gain meaningful employment, especially since displacement often puts refugee’s education and careers on hold. Displaced girls and women, who might be unaccompanied, pregnant, or disabled, are especially vulnerable in the process of forced migration, education, and resettlement. In this chapter, we explore our personal and pedagogical narratives of migration and resilience as they relate to learning, teaching and mentoring in graduate education. Consistent with the principles of reflexive ethnography and cultural humility, we examine our experiences, beliefs, and cultural identities using semi-structured reflective processes to share and deconstruct our individual and familial experiences as displaced persons, graduate students, instructors, and mentors in the era of heightened economic and political uncertainty, global environmental crises, and the worldwide forced displacement of people. We highlight the importance of honouring the strengths and capacities of female graduate students with refugee backgrounds while creating safe spaces for listening to the women’s learning needs and desires. Finally, we discuss our engagements in labour intensive and time consuming mentorship that afforded academic coaching, skill training, and professional capacity building while supporting women’s sense of agency and socialization into academia and Canada.
How Funding Sources Affect Academic Experiences and Involvement
Authors: Mayne Dorothy 
Published: February 2021

Graduate students from Arab Gulf countries earning degrees abroad are often funded by their governments, employers, or private institutions in their home countries, often making this funding sources different from their peers. This qualitative case study of female international students from Arab Gulf countries in the US explores participants’ academic experiences in their graduate programs and focuses on how it was affected by their funding sources. Data was collected with participants during spring and summer semester in 2018 at a land-grant university in the Midwest US. Findings show that the interactions that participants had based on their funding (or lack thereof) affected their overall experience and involvement with campus and the extent to which they had access to campus involvement. The research finds that having an assistantship or not has some positive effects for some, has some negative effects for others, is a double-edged sword for some and quite unimportant to others. The degree to which participants’ funding affected their experience was affected by how much experience through assistantships was common in their programs, options for gaining experience in their fields and integration on campus outside of assistantships, departmental contexts, and their long-term goals. Additionally, the role of discrimination in the campus involvement of students from marginalized identities is discussed. Recommendations are made for considering funding sources when supporting students in order to promote their involvement in their departments and with the wider campus community while considering potential discrimination that increased involvement can have.
Multicultural Education as a Framework for Educating English Language Learners
Authors: Parker Jerry 
Published: February 2021

This article discusses the value of multicultural education as a framework for guiding the teaching and learning process in post-secondary education. The focus centers on English Language Learners in the United States throughout all disciplines. An analysis of the five dimensions of Critical Multicultural Education (Banks, 2019) is given along with further commentary on key areas of focus to best guide both English Language Learners and native-born students to a better understanding of the course content and each other. The ideas from this article serve as a starting place for faculty members and higher education administrators from all over the world and across disciplines who seek to re-conceptualize their classrooms and/or the college or university experience to accommodate the ever-diversifying population of students via research in multicultural education.
Advising Experiences of First Year International Doctoral Students
Authors: Marijanovic Nina , Lee Jungmin , Teague Thomas , Means Sheryl 
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how international doctoral students matched with their faculty advisors, what types of advising experiences they had, and how these interactions influenced their first-year success in their doctoral programs. We applied the lens of developmental advising to situate the advising experiences of our sample due to the framework’s emphasis on holistic student support. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 21 international doctoral students attending a large research-intensive university in a Southeastern state. Our findings revealed that students were often matched with an interim advisor. While most reported a positive advising experience, the data revealed concerning differences in the type of advising experiences and support reported based on academic discipline. This study contributes to the body of literature by studying advisor-advisee matching among international doctoral students, who are less frequently studied, and by further analyzing how advising experiences shape international students’ academic transitions.
Recurring Themes Across Fractal Issues Facing International Students: A Thematic Analysis of 2016 Dissertations and Theses
Authors: Bista Krishna , Gaulee Utam 
Published: February 2021

This section shares recent dissertations and theses with the Journal of International Students readers. There were about 139 graduate dissertations and theses related to the issues and challenges of international students in 2016. The complete versions of these selected dissertations are available in the ProQuest, Michigan-based electronic publisher. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, spanning from 1743 to the present day. This database has found 17,164 results from 1922-2018 while searching the keywords “international student” in its search engine.
Reflective Writing in a Principal Preparation Program
Authors: Wright James , Fisher Douglas , Frey Nancy 
Published: February 2021

Reflective writing has become part of a vastspectrum of professional practices across academia,which includes the hard sciences—notably in thefields of medicine and nursing, as well as in thehumanities, including social work, higher education,teacher education, and educational leadership. In thisarticle, we seek to describe the results of aninvestigation in the preparation of school leaders
through reflective writing. Our engagement with self-reflective writing is explicitly designed to help future
educational leaders identify and promote the skillsthat help leaders identify inequity in schools. Thepreliminary administrative credential program in thisstudy is rooted in efforts to prepare equity-drivenschool leaders who integrate dispositions, concepts,and actions into their daily practice.
MiR-199a-5p–HIF-1α-STAT3 Positive Feedback Loop Contributes to the Progression of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Yang Xingping , Zheng Yuzhen , Tan Jian , Tian Renjiang , Shen Piao , Cai Weijie , Liao Hongying 
Published: February 2021

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common malignancy worldwide. MiR-199a-5p has been reported to play important roles in multiple tumors, inclusive of NSCLC. However, little is definitively known pertaining to its explicit mechanism of action in NSCLC.Methods: The expressions of miR-199a-5p and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) mRNA were quantified employing qRT-PCR. H1299 and A549 cells were transiently transfected with miR-199a-5p mimics or inhibitors. Then, CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry analysis, and Transwell assay were performed for detecting cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells, respectively. HIF-1α, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and p-STAT3 expressions were detected via Western blotting. Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase assay were performed to investigate the interactions among miR-199a-5p, HIF-1α, and STAT3. Xenograft models were established with nude mice for further analyzing the bevacizumab resistance of NSCLC cells.Results: MiR-199a-5p expression was markedly attenuated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-199a-5p repressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion but induced the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. HIF-1α was identified as a direct target of miR-199a-5p. There was a positive feedback loop among miR-199a-5p, HIF-1α, and STAT3. Co-transfection of HIF-1α or STAT3 overexpression plasmids counteracted the effects of miR-199a-5p. In vivo experiments indicated that the feedback loop was in association with the bevacizumab resistance of NSCLC cells.Conclusion: MiR-199a-5p blocked the progression of NSCLC and sensitized NSCLC cells to bevacizumab by suppressing HIF-1α and STAT3, while the HIF-1α/STAT3 axis suppressed the expression of miR-199a-5p, which forms a positive feedback loop to promote the sustaining progression of NSCLC.
Spectroscopic and Photophysical Investigation of Model Dipyrroles Common to Bilins: Exploring Natural Design for Steering Torsion to Divergent Functions
Authors: Staheli Clayton F. , Barney Jaxon , Clark Taime R. , Bowles Maxwell , Jeppesen Bridger , Oblinsky Daniel G. , Steffensen Mackay B. , Dean Jacob C. 
Published: February 2021

Biliproteins are a unique class of photosynthetic proteins in their diverse, and at times, divergent biophysical function. The two contexts of photosynthetic light harvesting and photoreception demonstrate characteristically opposite criteria for success, with light harvesting demanding structurally-rigid chromophores which minimize excitation quenching, and photoreception requiring structural flexibility to enable conformational isomerization. The functional plasticity borne out in these two biological contexts is a consequence of the structural plasticity of the pigments utilized by biliproteins―linear tetrapyrroles, or bilins. In this work, the intrinsic flexibility of the bilin framework is investigated in a bottom-up fashion by reducing the active nuclear degrees of freedom through model dipyrrole subunits of the bilin core and terminus free of external protein interactions. Steady-state spectroscopy was carried out on the dipyrrole (DPY) and dipyrrinone (DPN) subunits free in solution to characterize their intrinsic spectroscopic properties including absorption strengths and nonradiative activity. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy was utilized to determine the mechanism and kinetics of nonradiative decay of the dipyrrole subunits, revealing dynamics dominated by rapid internal conversion with some Z→E isomerization observable in DPY. Computational analysis of the ground state conformational landscapes indicates enhanced complexity in the asymmetric terminal subunit, and the prediction was confirmed by heterogeneity of species and kinetics observed in TA. Taken together, the large oscillator strengths (f ∼ 0.6) of the dipyrrolic derivatives and chemically-efficient spectral tunability seen through the ∼100 nm difference in absorption spectra, validate Nature's "selection" of multi-pyrrole pigments for light capture applications. However, the rapid deactivation of the excited state via their natural torsional activity when free in solution would limit their effective biological function. Comparison with phytochrome and phycocyanin 645 crystal structures reveals binding motifs within the in vivo bilin environment that help to facilitate or inhibit specific inter-pyrrole twisting vital for protein operation.