bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determinants of the Share of the Economy Contributed by the Forestry Industry in Ghana from 1975 to 2023
Authors: Anaman Kwabena Asomanin , Ampomah Samuel , Manzvera Joseph 
Published: September 2024

The macroeconomic determinants of the share of the economy contributed by the forestry industry in Ghana were examined over the period from 1975 to 2023, based on the development of time-series cointegration and error correction models. The analysis indicated that the share of the forestry industry was positively influenced by the real value of the cocoa industry, the exchange rate, and the real interest rate. The relationship between the forestry industry's share and per capita real gross domestic product (GDP) was found to be curvilinear: at low levels of per capita income, the share of the forestry industry in the economy increased with increasing income; beyond a certain level of per capita income, the share of the forestry industry declined. Additionally, economic shocks, namely the El Nino weather phenomenon, and political instability, related to the occurrence of military coups, were identified as negative influences on the share of the economy attributed to the forestry industry.
The Institution of the Right to State Self-defence in the State Security System
Authors: Kamiński Mirosław , Stelmach Tomasz 
Published: September 2024

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to provide an answer as to whether, on the basis of the provisions of the Charter of the UN, the states associated with the UN have sufficient legal provisions to conduct self-defence in the event of an armed attack directed by another state or multiple states.MethodsCritical analysis and synthesis of legal documents and research literature resulting in conclusions. Key book positions as well as academic articles, domestic and foreign, were analysed.ResultsThe result of this study is the thesis that Article 51 of the UN Charter, despite its generality, allows, from a legal point of view, any State to act in self-defence, even in situations not envisaged in the in the Charter. However, given the current security situation, a discussion and reflection on this institution of law is needed in order to be prepared to apply it in the face of threats such as hybrid, cyber or conducting operations in the space domain.ConclusionsThe right to self-defence should be counted among the pillars of international security comprising the security system of each state. Thanks to this institution, the state subject is equipped with the legal attribute of being able to use armed force in international relations. However, it is beyond dispute that the legal construction of self-defence has been used in a way that deviates from the noble ideals of the Charter through the declaration of the Russian Federation on acting in self-defence in order to 'legalise' an armed attack on Ukraine.
Uji Aktivitas Antibakteri Ekstrak Etanol Daun Brotowali (Tinospora Cordifolia (Willd.) Miers Terhadap Bakteri Staphylococcus Aureus dan Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Authors: Herdini Herdini , Bahri Saiful Bahri , Natasya Yosifah 
Published: September 2024

Penyakit infeksi yang disebabkan oleh bakteri sering dilaporkan di Indonesia, untuk mengobati penyakit tersebut dengan memanfaatkan pengobatan tradisional menggunakan bahan alam. Salah satu bahan alam yang digunakan adalah brotowali, secara empiris telah diketahui memiliki khasiat sebagai antibakteri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui aktivitas antibakteri dengan perbedaan konsentrasi ekstrak etanol daun brotowali (Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers) terhadap Staphylococcus aureus dan Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Metode ekstraksi yang digunakan yaitu maserasi menggunakan pelarut etanol 96%. Pengujian aktivitas antibakteri dengan metode difusi cakram. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan DMSO 30% sebagai kontrol negatif tidak menunjukkan daya hambat di sekitar kertas cakram. Siprofloksasin sebagai kontrol positif memiliki diameter daya hambat yang paling besar. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak pada konsentrasi 40%, 60%, 80% dan 100% dihasilkan diameter daya hambat pada Staphylococcus aureus sebesar 9,89 mm; 10,44 mm; 11,05 mm; 12,17 mm dan Pseudomonas aeruginosa adalah 7,91 mm; 8,12 mm; 8,75 mm; 9,47 mm. Hasil pengujian aktivitas antibakteri menunjukkan bahwa setiap seri konsentrasi ekstrak daun brotowali memiliki aktivitas anti bakteri dengan kategori daya hambat sedang terhadap Staphylococcus aureus dan lemah terhadap Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nilai konsentrasi hambat minimum ekstrak etanol daun brotowali ada pada konsentrasi 40%. Nilai konsentrasi ini menunjukkan hasil yang signifikan terhadap uji aktivitas antibakteri ekstrak n-heksana batang brotowali terhadap bakteri Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans dan Vibrio sp terbukti memiliki aktivitas antibakteri. Terbukti krim ekstrak batang brotowali dapat menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri Propionibacterium acnes. Penelitian sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak kasar daun brotowali memberikan efek bakteriostatik yang cukup signifikan terhadap bakteri Vibrio harvey secara in vitro.
Kata Kunci: Antibakteri, ekstrak daun brotowali, difusi cakram, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Assessing Mental Well-being among Adolescents in Vellore District
Authors: Isaac Newton  , Kalpana Kosalram  
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Background & Objectives:
In today’s world, many adolescents face many problems due to social media distractions, one of the most important problem is mental health and its related problems. India has adolescents, a quarter of the total population and only a few studies were done on mental well-being among adolescents studying in government and private schools. The objectives of the study were to assess mental well-being among adolescents and to find out the association between mental well-being with selected sociodemographic variables.
Methodology:
This was a cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire based study. A convenient sampling method was used. Totally 184 male and female adolescents studying 9th to 12th standards from rural areas of government and private school students had voluntarily participated. To assess the mental well-being among adolescents Warwick Mental Well-being scale was used. All the collected data were cleaned, coded, and entered in MS Excel version 2007. Frequencies, Chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test were analyzed by using SPSS software version 22.0.
Results and Conclusion:
The results were found that 59 % of adolescents were studying in a government school and 41% were studying in a private school. There was an association between mental well-being and the mother’s education, siblings, staying, domicile and extracurricular activities (p<0.05). This research study showed that the majority of the adolescents were having average level of mental well-being in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu.
A Study On Cardiovascular Risk And Lifestyle Behaviors Among Teaching Doctors Of Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh.
Authors: Pamidi Spandana , Naidana Parthasarathy , Kolli Bhaskari 
Published: September 2024

Context: Globally, around 17.9 million people annually die due to CVDs, followed by cancers (9.3 million), respiratory diseases (4.1 million), and diabetes (2 million). The cause of heart attacks and strokes are due to combination of risk factors- tobacco use, unhealthy diet, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol use, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing these behavioural risk factors.

Objectives:
1) To know the life style approach of doctors working in various departments in the institute.
2) To assess cardiovascular risk behavior of these subjects and to make them alert in preserving their health.
Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst teaching staff of Government Medical College & General Hospital, Ongole, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh during the period of August to October 2023. All the teaching staff of Government Medical College, Ongole who were willing to participate in the study were included in this study by purposive sampling method. Total number of staff who was more than 30 years of age was 109. The study was performed 91 teaching staff as 18 denied participation). A pre – designed, pretested, semi structured questionnaire was used for collecting details on socio-demographic profile, lifestyle related details like diet and physical activity, habits and existing co-morbidities. Statistical analysis was done by using appropriate statistical test like mean, percentage, standard deviation, student’s t test and chi square test.

Results: Majority participants were female 50 (54.9%). The mean age of mean age of female was 37.4 ± 10.22 and male was 42.61 ± 9.54 years. The mean weight (78.90 ± 10.81) and Mean BMI (28.22±4.24) were above the normal range among the male participants. History of hypertension was more common in the 45-54 age group which signifies that age is one of the most important risk factor. History of diabetes mellitus was more in the 45-54 age group followed by 35-44 age group. In the 35-44 age group the high prevalence of diabetes is due to family history of diabetes.
Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and signifies the importance of health awareness among the staff members regarding the various cardiovascular risk factors.
Perception Regarding COVID 19 Vaccine And Survey Of Symptoms Following COVID-19 Vaccination In Hapur District Of Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Shazia Shafi  , Abhishek Mahajan  , Amal Titto V.Augustine  
Published: September 2024

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out recently in several parts of the world. Although the protective efficacy is frequently discussed, little is known about the real-world post-vaccination experience outside of clinical trial conditions. Knowledge about what to expect after vaccination will help educate the public, dispel misinformation and reduce vaccine hesitancy

Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and all individuals who received COVID 19 vaccine at COVID 19 VACCINATION OPD at G S Medical college and Hospital at Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, after 20th may 2021 were included in the study.

Conclusion: It was observed that among the total participants majority (73.2%, 309) showed symptoms following COVID 19 vaccination. About (64.7%, 273) of the participants suffered from fever, (12.1%, 51) experienced joint pain followed by (9%, 38) chills and (5.7%, 24) myalgia. About (80.8%, 164) of study participants among the age group of 20-29 years followed by (81.6%, 62) of the study participants among the age group < 20 years observed post vaccination symptoms and this association was found to be statistically significant.
A Study of Serumalt, Ast And Ggt (Hepatic Markers) In Patients With Chronic Alcoholic Liver Diseases In Tertiary Level Care Hospital
Authors: Rahima Malek  , Sohil Mansuri  , Rizwan N Ansari  , Shagufa M Pathan  
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND: Excessive alcohol consumption and consequent medical disorders are considerable problems in many countries. Aminotransferases (alanine aminotransferase ALT and aspartate aminotransferase AST) are the liver enzymes commonly used for detecting excessive drinking. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein enzyme widely used as an index of excessive ethanol intake. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in levels of ALT,AST and GGT in chronic alcoholic liver diseases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done and included 100 individuals (50 chronic alcoholic liver diseases cases and 50 normal controls). Serum ALT, AST, GGT were estimated by colorimetric method on fully automated chemistry analyzer.
RESULT: Data were fed under Microsoft Excel 2007 and statistically analyzed by Graphpad software; Version 6.0, which evaluated the differences of various parameters in both groups on the basis of p value. Serum ALT, AST & GGT levels were significantly elevated in chronic alcoholic liver diseases patients as compared to normal healthy controls.
CONCLUSION: Chronic consumption of alcohol results in the secretion of pro-inflamatory cytokines(TNF alpha, Interleukin 6 [IL6] and Interleukin 8 [IL8]),oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and acetaldehyde toxicity. These factors cause inflammation, apoptosis and eventually fibrosis of liver parenchyma which leads to elevations in liver enzymes like AST & ALT. GGT is an enzyme produced in the bile duct. Measurement of GGT is an extremely sensitive test. It is induced by alcohol and its serum activity may be increased in heavy drinkers even in the absence of liver damage or inflammation. Hence these parameters should be regularly monitored in chronic alcoholic liver diseases
To Assess And Compare Vitamin D Levels Between Genders, Age Groups And Geographical Locations In A Secondary Care Hospital Of Dimapur, Nagaland, India.
Authors: Chawang Shelomith K , Imchen Nokchur , Christudoss Pamela 
Published: September 2024

Introduction: The deficiency of Vitamin D is a widely unacknowledged and disregarded health issue globally. The prevalence of this condition is observed across all age groups and genders, affecting various systems in the body.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among the adult population and compare vitamin D levels between genders, age groups and geographical locations in patients visiting a secondary care hospital at Dimapur.
Methods: A retrospective study was carried out over the period of one year from January 2022 to December 2022 on 665 patients (male: 33%, female: 64%) attending the outpatient and inpatient departments. Vitamin D levels were analyzed using enhanced chemiluminescence (vitros 5600).
Results: Out of 665 patients, 90 (14%) were found to be vitamin D deficient, 281 (42%) insufficient, 289 (43%) sufficient and 5 (1%) had toxic levels. Males showed a higher percentage (64%) in the vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency groups as compared with females (46%). In the age group of 42-53 years, a higher percentage of people (57%) were found to be affected with vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. In the regional distribution of vitamin D status, it is observed that the people in the hilly regions have a higher percentage (61%) of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as compared with the valley regions (50%). However, there is no statistical difference in mean vitamin D levels within the deficient, insufficient and sufficient groups between genders, different age groups and geographical regions.
Conclusion: The present study carried out on patients from a secondary care hospital at Dimapur, Nagaland, shows that males have a higher percentage in vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. In the age group of 42-53 years, a higher percentage of people were found to be affected with vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. The vitamin D status of those living in the hilly region shows a higher percentage of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. However, there is no statistical difference in mean vitamin D levels within the deficient, insufficient and sufficient groups between genders, different age groups, and between hilly regions and valley regions.
Awareness And Practices Of Diabetic Retinopathy Among Diabetic Patients Attending Non-Communicable Disease Clinic At Tertiary Health Care Centre - A Facility Based Cross Sectional Study.
Authors: D.Lakshmi  , D.Sivakumar  , S.Nithiya  
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT: Diabetes Mellitus causes a global burden due to its systemic complications that affect different parts of the body especially eye. DR is a common micro vascular complication of DM, and which causes significant visual impairment and blindness worldwide. Hence, regular screening of the eye is mandatory to prevent visual impairment and blindness due to Diabetic Retinopathy
Aims/Objectives: The Objective of the study is to assess the level of awareness and practices among the study participants attending Non Communicable Disease OPD at Tertiary Care centre.
Methodology: The study period was six months from January 2021 to June 2021 with a sample size was 300. The study tool was Semi- structured Questionnaire to assess the level of awareness and practices among the study participants attending Non Communicable Disease OPD at Tertiary Care centre. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. p value Less than 0.05 was fixed as significant value.
Results: A total of 300 participants 136 (45.3%) females and 164 (54.7%) males with Type 2 diabetes were interviewed. 281(93.7%) of the study participants knew that diabetes can have an impact on the eyes, and 207(69%), said that diabetic retinopathy can result in blindness. 231(77%) of the study population are well aware that the good diabetic control prevent diabetic retinopathy. 106 (35.3%) of the population visit for an annual eye checkups. Very minimal population 25(8.3%) undergoes eye check-up when newly diagnosed as DM.
Conclusion: Preventive measures should be taken to create awareness among diabetic patients and also the general population
Relationship of Maternal Characteristics and Stunting Among Children
Authors: Laltanpuii  , VK Roy  , Lukima S  , H.T. Lalthanthuami  
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Background: Stunting is the common form of child undernutrition. The objective of the present study is to know the relationship of maternal characteristics and stunting in children below five years.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among 233 children who were 6-59 months of age. Data was collected by structured interview schedule and length/height was measured and analysed length/ height for age to identify status of stunting and maternal characteristics was analysed to identify the relationship with stunting status
Results: The study result shows that among 233 participants, 29(12.4%) were found to be stunted. Children being stunted or normal in height was associated with maternal height, frequency of meals per day in the family, inadequate iron supplementation during pregnancy, adequacy of antenatal check up during pregnancy. Maternal height below 145cm (OR: 0.009; p=<0.001), frequency of meal (OR: 0.005; p=0.001), inadequate iron supplementation (OR: <0.001;p=<0.001) increase the likelihood of a child being stunted.
Conclusion: There was correlation between maternal characteristics and stunting of children. There is needed to improve the nutritional status by improving adherence of iron supplementation during pregnancy and improving antenatal visit.
When periphery rules: Enhanced sampling weights of the visual periphery in crowding across dimensions
Authors: Yashar Amit , Carrasco Marisa 
Published: September 2024

AbstractCrowding, our inability to identify a feature or object – the target – due to its proximity to adjacent features or objects – flankers – exhibits a notable inner-outer asymmetry. This asymmetry is characterized by the outer flanker – more peripheral – creating stronger interference than the inner one – closer to the fovea. But crowding is not uniform across different feature dimensions. For example, in the case of orientation, this asymmetry reflects misreport errors: observers are more likely to misidentify the outer flanker as the target than the inner one. However, for spatial frequency (SF), observers tend to average the features of the target and flankers (Yashar et al., 2019). Here, we investigated whether and how the inner-outer asymmetry manifests across various feature dimensions: Gabor orientation and SF, as well as T-shape tilt and color. We reanalyzed continuous estimation reports data published by Yashar et al. (2019), focusing on a previously unanalyzed factor: the relative position of each flanker (inner vs. outer). We fit probabilistic models that assign variable weights to each flanker. Our analysis revealed that observers predominantly misreport the outer flanker as the target with Gabor orientation and T-shape tilt stimuli, and slightly so with color stimuli, whereas with Gabor SF, observers perform a weighted average of all features but also with a bias towards the outer flanker over the inner one. These findings suggest that an increased weighting on the more peripheral items is a general characteristic of crowding in peripheral vision.
Estimating power in complex nonlinear structural equation modeling including moderation effects: The powerNLSEM R-package
Authors: Irmer Julien P. , Klein Andreas G. , Schermelleh-Engel Karin 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThe model-implied simulation-based power estimation (MSPE) approach is a new general method for power estimation (Irmer et al., 2024). MSPE was developed especially for power estimation of non-linear structural equation models (SEM), but it also can be applied to linear SEM and manifest models using the package . After first providing some information about MSPE and the new adaptive algorithm that automatically selects sample sizes for the best prediction of power using simulation, a tutorial on how to conduct the MSPE for quadratic and interaction SEM (QISEM) using the package is provided. Power estimation is demonstrated for four methods, latent moderated structural equations (LMS), the unconstrained product indicator (UPI), a simple factor score regression (FSR), and a scale regression (SR) approach to QISEM. In two simulation studies, we highlight the performance of the MSPE for all four methods applied to two QISEM with varying complexity and reliability. Further, we justify the settings of the newly developed adaptive search algorithm via performance evaluations using simulation. Overall, the MSPE using the adaptive approach performs well in terms of bias and Type I error rates.
Using the multidimensional nominal response model to model faking in questionnaire data: The importance of item desirability characteristics
Authors: Seitz Timo , Wetzel Eunike , Hilbig Benjamin E. , Meiser Thorsten 
Published: September 2024

AbstractFaking in self-report personality questionnaires describes a deliberate response distortion aimed at presenting oneself in an overly favorable manner. Unless the influence of faking on item responses is taken into account, faking can harm multiple psychometric properties of a test. In the present article, we account for faking using an extension of the multidimensional nominal response model (MNRM), which is an item response theory (IRT) model that offers a flexible framework for modeling different kinds of response biases. Particularly, we investigated under which circumstances the MNRM can adequately adjust substantive trait scores and latent correlations for the influence of faking and examined the role of variation in the way item content is related to social desirability (i.e., item desirability characteristics) in facilitating the modeling of faking and counteracting its detrimental effects. Using a simulation, we found that the inclusion of a faking dimension in the model can overall improve the recovery of substantive trait person parameters and latent correlations between substantive traits, especially when the impact of faking in the data is high. Item desirability characteristics moderated the effect of modeling faking and were themselves associated with different levels of parameter recovery. In an empirical demonstration with N = 1070 test-takers, we also showed that the faking modeling approach in combination with different item desirability characteristics can prove successful in empirical questionnaire data. We end the article with a discussion of implications for psychological assessment.