bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Blood pressure measurement knowledge and counselling among hospital pharmacists - an interventional study
Authors: Aje Akinniyi Akinbiyi , Adeyemo Jumoke Oyeladun 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
Pharmacists occupy a vantage position to educate patients with hypertension on self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP). An update on their knowledge and counselling on BP measurement is needful to ascertain proper information dissemination to patients.

Methods
An interventional study was carried out for a six-month period among consecutively sampled pharmacists working at a tertiary healthcare facility, using a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. Sequel to preintervention assessment of pharmacists’ knowledge and counselling on BP measurement, an educational intervention comprising didactic lecture, case studies, demonstrations, and interactive question and answer sessions was carried out to address the gaps observed. Knowledge and counselling were then reassessed one-month postintervention to find out the impact of the intervention. Data was summarized with descriptive and inferential statistics with significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results
One hundred and forty-four pharmacists completed the study. Preintervention knowledge and counselling on BP measurement among the pharmacists was poor. Median scores of pharmacists’ knowledge on BP measurement increased significantly from 13.00 preintervention to 25.00 postintervention (p < 0.001); while their counselling on BP measurement also increased significantly from 1.00 preintervention to 12.00 postintervention (p < 0.001). The knowledge category of the pharmacists’ improved as majority who were categorized as having either “poor” (67, 46.5%) or “fair” (68, 47.2%) knowledge preintervention advanced to “excellent” (99, 68.7%) knowledge postintervention. Similarly, the pharmacists’ counselling category was upgraded from the majority categorized as poor (141, 97.9%) preintervention to excellent (87, 60.4%) postintervention. Prior to the educational intervention, only 62 (43.1%) pharmacists knew that BP measurement had to be carried out in both arms for a first-time patient. Also, when asked the question “What BP reading will be recorded for a patient whose BP readings when taken thrice were 149/82 mmHg, 141/78 mmHg, and 139/78 mmHg?” only 38 (26.4%) provided the right answer. Similarly, majority of the pharmacists (51, 35.4%) could only state one out of five precautions during blood pressure measurement. In this study, pharmacists’ gender, additional educational qualification, and work experience did not significantly influence their knowledge and counselling on BP measurement.

Conclusions
The educational intervention significantly improved pharmacists’ knowledge and counselling on BP measurement.
An Imperial History of Race-Religion in International Law
Authors: Akande Rabiat 
Published: October 2023

AbstractMore than half a century after the UN's adoption of the International Convention on the Prohibition of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a debate has emerged over whether to extend the Convention's protections to religious discrimination. This Article uses history to intervene in the debate. It argues that racial and religious othering were mutually co-constitutive in the colonial encounter and foundational to the making of modern international law. Moreover, the contemporary proposal to address the interplay of racial and religious othering is hardly new; iterations of that demand surfaced in the earlier twentieth century, as well. By illuminating the centrality of race-religion othering to the colonial encounter and chronicling failed attempts by Europe's “others” to secure international legal protections, this Article makes a case for crafting an attuned response in the present.
Construction of rating systems using global sensitivity analysis: A numerical investigation
Authors: Vallarino Arianna , Rabitti Giovanni , Khorrami Chokami Amir 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe ratemaking process is a key issue in insurance pricing. It consists in pooling together policyholders with similar risk profiles into rating classes and assigning the same premium for policyholders in the same class. In actuarial practice, rating systems are typically not based on all risk factors but rather only some of factors are selected to construct the rating classes. The objective of this study is to investigate the selection of risk factors in order to construct rating classes that exhibit maximum internal homogeneity. For this selection, we adopt the Shapley effects from global sensitivity analysis. While these sensitivity indices are used for model interpretability, we apply them to construct rating classes. We provide a new strategy to estimate them, and we connect them to the intra-class variability and heterogeneity of the rating classes. To verify the appropriateness of our procedure, we introduce a measure of heterogeneity specifically designed to compare rating systems with a different number of classes. Using a well-known car insurance dataset, we show that the rating system constructed with the Shapley effects is the one minimizing this heterogeneity measure.
Operational impact of decreased turnaround times for Candida auris screening tests in a tertiary academic medical center
Authors: Arenas Sebastian , Patel Samira , Seely Spencer O. , Pagan Paola P. , Warde Prem R. , Tamrakar Labu J. , Parekh Dipen J. , Ferreira Tanira , Zhou Yi , Gershengorn Hayley B. , Shukla Bhavarth S. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Objective:
Assess turnaround time (TAT) and cost-benefit of on-site C. auris screening and its impact on length of stay (LOS) and costs compared to reference laboratories.

Design:
Before-and-after retrospective cohort study.

Setting:
Large-tertiary medical center.

Methods:
We validated an on-site polymerase chain reaction-based testing platform for C. auris and retrospectively reviewed hospitalized adults who screened negative before and after platform implementation. We constructed multivariable models to assess the association of screening negative with hospital LOS/cost in the pre and postimplementation periods. We adjusted for confounders such as demographics and indwelling device use, and compared TATs for all samples tested.

Results:
The sensitivity and specificity of the testing platform were 100% and 98.11%, respectively, compared to send-out testing. The clinical cohort included 287 adults in the pre and 1,266 postimplementation period. The TAT was reduced by more than 2 days (3 (interquartile range (IQR): 2.0, 7.0) vs 0.42 (IQR: 0.24, 0.81), p < 0.001). Median LOS was significantly lower in the postimplementation period; however, this was no longer evident after adjustment. In relation to total cost, the time period had an effect of $6,965 (95% CI: −$481, $14,412); p = 0.067) on reducing the cost. The median adjusted total cost per patient was $7,045 (IQR: $3,805, $13,924) less in the post vs the preimplementation period.

Conclusions:
Our assessment did not find a statistically significant change in LOS, nevertheless, on-site testing was not cost-prohibitive for the institution. The value of on-site testing may be supported if an institutional C. auris reduction strategy emphasizes faster TATs.
The Negotiation, Diffusion, and Legacy of NAFTA Chapter 11: An Empirical Eulogy
Authors: Alschner Wolfgang 
Published: October 2023

AbstractFollowing a three-year post-termination transition period to bring investor-state arbitration disputes, the investment protections afforded by Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) finally expired in June 2023. Chapter 11 was one of the most litigated, cited, commented, and copied investment treaties. An important, but largely ignored, part of its legacy is how the making of NAFTA Chapter 11 shaped its subsequent successful diffusion. Combining traditional legal assessment with computational text-as-data analysis, this article shows how the give and take during the negotiations generated buy-in on the part of Mexico and Canada and emulation by Latin American countries who helped to spread NAFTA Chapter 11 language globally. The link between the making and diffusion of NAFTA Chapter 11 highlights the power of negotiated compromise: sharing the pen with others may sometimes be the most effective way to write the rules that come to shape the world.
Skin Models Used to Define Mechanisms of Action of Sulfur Mustard
Authors: Laskin Jeffrey D. , Ozkuyumcu Kevin , Zhou Peihong , Croutch Claire R. , Heck Diane E. , Laskin Debra L. , Joseph Laurie B. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Sulfur mustard (SM) is a threat to both civilian and military populations. Human skin is highly sensitive to SM, causing delayed erythema, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration, followed by the appearance of large fluid-filled blisters. Skin wound repair is prolonged following blistering, which can result in impaired barrier function. Key to understanding the action of SM in the skin is the development of animal models that have a pathophysiology comparable to humans such that quantitative assessments of therapeutic drugs efficacy can be assessed. Two animal models, hairless guinea pigs and swine, are preferred to evaluate dermal products because their skin is morphologically similar to human skin. In these animal models, SM induces degradation of epidermal and dermal tissues but does not induce overt blistering, only microblistering. Mechanisms of wound healing are distinct in these animal models. Whereas a guinea pig heals by contraction, swine skin, like humans, heals by re-epithelialization. Mice, rats, and rabbits are also used for SM mechanistic studies. However, healing is also mediated by contraction; moreover, only microblistering is observed. Improvements in animal models are essential for the development of therapeutics to mitigate toxicity resulting from dermal exposure to SM.
“My Soul Hurt, and I Felt as If I Was Going to Die”: Obstetric Violence as Torture
Authors: Cohen Shabot Sara , Sadler Michelle 
Published: October 2023

AbstractObstetric violence—violence in the labor room—has been described in terms not only of violence in general but of gender violence specifically. This feminist-phenomenological analysis demonstrates features that the experiences of torture and of obstetric violence share. Many birthing subjects describe their experiences of obstetric violence as torture. This use of the concept of torture to explain what they have gone through is not trivial and deserves philosophical attention. In this article, we give several examples (mainly from Chilean women's birth narratives), examining them through phenomenological and feminist phenomenological analyses of torture. We argue that, as with torture, it is not mere pain that marks the experience of obstetric violence, but rather a state of ontological loneliness and desolation, a detachment from the previous known world, and a loss of trust in those surrounding us. But if obstetric violence is gender violence, this must be gendered torture: it is perpetrated with the goal of humiliating and controlling women, of reifying them and robbing them of their free embodied subjectivities in labor.
Fostering sustainable development goals through gamification
Authors: Ligorio Lorenzo , Venturelli Andrea , Rosato Pierfelice , Campo Raffaele 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Modern challenges require modern solutions. The recent introduction of gamification in businesses’ organisational processes represents a change of route for managerial and accounting practices. In this context, the challenges addressed by the United Nations Agenda 2030 are still marginal and difficult to achieve for many businesses. Following the experience of an innovative small-medium enterprise named ‘AWorld’, this study aims to explore how gamification can be both a tool of contribution and accountability towards sustainable development goals. Specifically, by tracking the progress and offering rewards, gamification can provide a tangible incentive to motivate sustained engagement and behaviour change. A case study has been developed and insights collected and triangulated through an interview with the corporate president. Findings revealed how incorporating gamification in the small- and medium-sized enterprises context is a valuable way to promote sustainable development goals and foster a sense of communal responsibility towards sustainable behaviours among employees and external individuals.
The “Kamerun Idea”: E pluribus unum Cameroon
Authors: Fon Nguh Nwei Asanga 
Published: October 2023

AbstractSince independence, the “Anglophone” and “Francophone” identities (both legacies of British and French colonialism, respectively) have remained the dominant national identity of Cameroonians. This linguistic national identity was formalized by the adoption of bilingualism at the dawn of independence and the enactment of English and French as the two official languages of the country. Nationalism and national integration in the Cameroonian context therefore revolve around the cohabitation of the aforementioned distinct linguistic and cultural identities, which harbors significant incompatibilities. This article probes into the effectiveness of the cohabitation model of nation-building in Cameroon and attempts a new alternative. A survey was conducted to sample the opinion of Cameroonians on national identity and nationalism in Cameroon. The results indicate there are enormous challenges with the implementation of the cohabitation model, which an overwhelming majority of respondent believe has a negative impact on national integration. A new approach dubbed “Civic-multicultural model” is proposed. This model is based on the “Kamerun Idea,” which is a glaring reminder that before being “anglicized” by the British on the one side of the Mungo river, and “gallicized” by the French on the other side, the inhabitants offshore the “Rios dos Cameroes” were first “kamerunized” by the Germans.
The role of adiposity, adipokines and polymorphisms of leptin and adiponectin in myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Aguiar Ana Patrícia Nogueira , Mendonça Priscila da Silva , Lima Junior Roberto Cesar Pereira , Mota Anacelia Gomes de Matos , Wong Deysi Viviana Tenazoa , Oliveira Roberta Tatiane Germano de , Ribeiro-Júnior Howard Lopes , Pinheiro Ronald Feitosa , Magalhães Silvia Maria Meira 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between leptin and adiponectin gene polymorphisms, circulating levels of leptin and adiponectin, adiposity and clinical markers in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This cross-sectional study was conducted with 102 adults and elderly MDS patients and 102 age- and sex-matched controls. Clinical characteristics, co-morbidities, anthropometric data, laboratory evaluation and genetic analysis (polymorphisms −2548G > A/rs7799039 of the LEP gene and +276G > T/rs1501299 of the ADIPOQ gene) were investigated. Serum leptin was higher and adiponectin lower in MDS when compared with controls. There was a significant positive correlation between serum leptin levels and BMI (r = 0·264, P = 0·025), waist circumference (r = 0·235, P = 0·047), body fat percentage (BF %) (r = 0·373, P = 0·001) and the fat mass index (FMI) (r = 0·371, P < 0·001). A lower mean adiponectin was found among patients with high BF %, higher visceral adiposity index and metabolic syndrome. A significant association was found between the AA genotype (mutant) of the LEP polymorphism rs7799039 and male sex and blast excess (≥ 5 %). In addition, a significant association was observed between the TT genotype (mutant) of the ADIPOQ rs1501299 polymorphism and Fe overload. These results demonstrate the importance of a comprehensive and systematic evaluation in patients with MDS in order to identify and control negative factors not related to the disease at an early stage.
Identification of lactic acid bacteria with anti-listeria activity. Characterization and application of a bacteriocinogenic strain in the control of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese
Authors: de Lira Fernanda Montanholi , Tanaka Fernanda Yuri Rodrigues , Rios Edson Antônio , Carrilho Stael Málaga , de Abreu Samanta Stinghen , Ferreira Giulia Ferracin , Gonzaga Natalia , Pereira Ulisses de Pádua , Tamanini Ronaldo , Fagnani Rafael , Beloti Vanerli 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe purpose of the research paper was firstly to identify bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria characterizing strains with anti-listeria activity and, secondly, to characterize bacteriocin evaluating its in vitro efficiency as a natural preservative and, thirdly, to evaluate the anti-listeria effect of the bacteriocinogenic strain of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in cheeses and produce an edible film with anti-listerial effect. Of 355 lactic acid bacteria strains tested, two were able to produce bacteriocin against Listeria monocytogenes and were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus. A bactericidal effect of strain QS494 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) was observed in the first 8 h, with a reduction of 1.7 log, using cell-free supernatant with Listeria monocytogenes, where viable cells were counted on listeria selective agar. Both strains showed good technological characteristics and were without production of virulence factors. Changes in the pH of the cell-free supernatant obtained from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum did not affect its antimicrobial activity, which remained stable after heat treatments for up to 15 min at 121°C. Inhibitory activity was also observed after 12 weeks of storage at −20°C. In the evaluation of the anti-listeria effect in cheeses, a 3 log reduction in the Listeria monocytogenes count was observed in 120 h in cheeses produced with bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria, while in cheeses produced with non-bacteriocinogenic culture, we observed a 2 log increase in the count. Edible films produced with the addition of precipitate from the cell free supernatant showed an antimicrobial effect against Listeria monocytogenes. Thus, the two strains studied have technological and biosafety potential.
Latest Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia: What’s in It for Primary Care?
Authors: Rojas-Rozo Laura , Lee Linda , Khanassov Vladimir , Sivananthan Saskia , Ismail Zahinoor , Gauthier Serge , Vedel Isabelle 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn 2020, the fifth Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD5) published up-to-date recommendations for the clinical management of persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers. During the CCCDTD5 meetings, a list of recommendations for dementia care was compiled. With the aid of family physicians and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, we selected the most relevant CCCDTD5 recommendations for primary care and tailored and summarized them in the present manuscript to facilitate their reference and use. These recommendations focus on (a) risk reduction, (b) screening and diagnosis, (c) deprescription of dementia medications, and (d) non-pharmacological interventions. The development of recommendations for the ongoing management of dementia is an iterative process as new evidence on interventions for dementia is published. These recommendations are important in the primary care setting as the entry point for PLWD into the health system.
Hidden in Plain Sight: International Law and Marxist Praxis in the Life and Works of Merlin M. Magallona
Authors: BAGULAYA José Duke , BAGARES Romel Regalado 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThrough symptomatic reading, we analyze the visible and the invisible – the explicit and the implicit – in the works of Filipino international legal scholar Merlin Magallona (1934–2022). We argue that Magallona's international legal thought was rooted in Marxist theory and practice and honed through the mode of production debates in the Philippine communist movement during the 1960s. Specifically, he developed a critique of the neocolonial division of labour and produced a materialist reading of international legal doctrines through “Postcolonial Self-Determination” – a synthesis of the antinomy of positivism and self-determination. In practice, his Third World Marxism led him to support the NIEO and resist UNCLOS through constitutional litigation based on the imperialist Treaty of Paris of 1898. Magallona's critique and praxis suggest new forms of resistance to the new imperialisms and underscore the imperative of a practice turn in Marxist international legal theory.
Shallow Water Seafloor Geodesy With Wave Glider‐Based GNSS‐Acoustic Surveying of a Single Transponder
Authors: Xie Surui , Zumberge Mark , Sasagawa Glenn , Voytenko Denis 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDue to the blockage of seawater, seafloor displacement cannot be directly measured by space geodesy. The combination of Global Navigation Satellite Systems‐acoustic ranging (GNSS‐A) has been used to overcome the electromagnetic barrier, so that a GNSS‐determined sea surface vessel's coordinates can be transformed to seafloor benchmarks in a global reference frame. Due to the high cost and science priorities, previous GNSS‐A studies mainly targeted relatively deep water and a minimum of three transponders were used to form an array, equivalent to a precision geodetic station. With recent developments in unmanned autonomous surface vessels, low cost GNSS‐A surveys are poised to become practical. Here we demonstrate that with a carefully designed surveying trajectory, Wave Glider‐based GNSS‐A surveying of a single transponder in shallow water can provide centimeter‐level accuracy on horizontal seafloor positioning, even if the sound speed model deviates from the actual value by a few meters per second. Results from a nine‐month experiment conducted at ∼54 m water depth show that the repeatability of the seafloor horizontal positioning is better than 2 cm. When conditions allow, the acoustic observations should be collected symmetrically about the transponder and data redundancies are recommended to reduce the error associated with time‐dependent variations in sound speed.
Seasonal Changes in Atmospheric Heat Transport to the Arctic Under Increased CO2
Authors: Hahn L. C. , Armour K. C. , Battisti D. S. , Donohoe A. , Fajber R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractArctic warming under increased CO2 peaks in winter, but is influenced by summer forcing via seasonal ocean heat storage. Yet changes in atmospheric heat transport into the Arctic have mainly been investigated in the annual mean or winter, with limited focus on other seasons. We investigate the full seasonal cycle of poleward heat transport modeled with increased CO2 or with individually applied Arctic sea‐ice loss and global sea‐surface warming. We find that a winter reduction in dry heat transport is driven by Arctic sea‐ice loss and warming, while a summer increase in moist heat transport is driven by sub‐Arctic warming and moistening. Intermodel spread in Arctic warming controls spread in seasonal poleward heat transport. These seasonal changes and their intermodel spread are well‐captured by down‐gradient diffusive heat transport. While changes in moist and dry heat transport compensate in the annual‐mean, their opposite seasonality may support non‐compensating effects on Arctic warming.