bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Safe and secure laparoscopy-assisted jejunostomy tube placement using a percutaneous loop needle device in an infant
Authors: Matsukubo Makoto , Muto Mitsuru , Onishi Shun , Nishida Nanako , Kedoin Chihiro , Nagano Ayaka , Matsui Mayu , Murakami Masakazu , Sugita Koshiro , Yano Keisuke , Harumatsu Toshio , Yamada Koji , Yamada Waka , Kawano Takafumi , Kaji Tatsuru , Ieiri Satoshi 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
We, herein, report a surgical technique for laparoscopy-assisted jejunostomy tube placement in an infant using a loop needle device to fix the jejunum and abdominal wall. A 3-year-old boy with Down’s syndrome underwent nutritional management by gastrostomy due to oral feeding difficulty after radical surgery for congenital duodenal stenosis and following bile duct stenosis. However, intractable gastrostomy site leakage emerged; hence, laparoscopy-assisted gastrostomy takedown and simultaneous laparoscopy-assisted jejunostomy tube placement were planned. After laparoscopy-assisted gastrostomy closure was performed, the jejunum was extracted through the umbilical trocar wound. A jejunostomy tube kit was inserted at the left side of the umbilicus. After tube insertion into the jejunum, the jejunostomy tube was wrapped with four interrupted sutures using the Witzel technique. Suture threads were extracted by percutaneous insertion of a loop needle device, and then, the jejunum was fixed to the abdominal wall. The post-operative course was uneventful. Percutaneous insertion of a loop needle device is useful for fixing a jejunostomy tube to the abdominal wall using the Witzel technique. Our technique is safe, secure and expected to reduce the risk of dislodgement of tube and peritonitis associated with jejunostomy tube placement.
Laparoscopic adhesiolysis versus open adhesiolysis in acute adhesive small bowel obstruction
Authors: Elkomos Beshoy Effat , Fahmy Karim , Kamel Kareem Ahmed 
Published: June 2023

Introduction:
Exploratory laparotomy is still the standard therapy for patients who need surgical intervention for adhesive small bowel obstruction (SBO). However, the use of laparoscopy in the management of adhesive SBO is still controversial. We aimed to detect the short-term outcomes between open and laparoscopic adhesiolysis for SBO.

Patients and Methods:
This is a retrospective study of patients with adhesive SBO who underwent either laparoscopic or open surgery from June 2019 to July 2022 at Ain Shams University Hospitals. Intraoperative and early post-operative outcomes were compared in the two groups.

Results:
A total of 89 patients with adhesive SBO were included in our study. Fifty-one cases underwent open adhesiolysis and 38 cases underwent laparoscopic adhesiolysis. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis is associated with a remarkable decrease in the operative time (71 min vs. 107 min, P = 0.001) and blood loss (50 ml vs. 120 ml, P = 0.001) in comparison to open adhesiolysis. In addition to that, those who underwent adhesiolysis by laparoscopy had a short hospital stay (2.4 days vs. 3.8 days, P = 0.001), early recovery (time to pass flatus 1.3 days vs. 2.8 days) and less post-operative complications (surgical site infection [SSI] 2.6% vs. 19.6%, P = 0.001). Moreover, open adhesiolysis is associated with a higher rate of early post-operative mortality. In addition to that, the incidence of iatrogenic injury was higher in the open group.

Conclusion:
Laparoscopic adhesiolysis is a safe and feasible approach for the management of SBO and has better short-term outcomes, especially if done by skilled surgeons in advanced laparoscopic techniques.
Population features of the pea crab Dissodactylus crinitichelis Moreira, 1901 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pinoteridade) associated with the sand-dollar Encope emarginata (Echinodermata, Echinoidea) in the southeastern Brazilian coast
Authors: Paula Julia Rodrigues de , Moraes Isabela Ribeiro Rocha de , Cobo Valter José 
Published: June 2023

Crabs of the Dissodactylus genus are commonly found in symbiosis with other marine invertebrate organisms. This study describes the structure of the population of the Pinnotheridae crab Dissodactylus crinitichelis living in symbiosis with the sand dollar Encope emarginata on a temporal scale and over the size class distribution, sex-ratio, recruitment defined as the specimens of the two first size classes, and breeding period. Specimens were collected in sand bottoms at the infralittoral zone at Flamengo Beach in Ubatuba, in the northeastern coast of São Paulo state, using free diving performed by one diver from August 2017 to July 2018, for 30 minutes per month. 337 juvenile, 51 adult females, and 38 adult males were analyzed, comprising 12 ovigerous females. There was registered recruitment, in almost all months. The sex ratio was 1:1.3, with more females than males in the population. In March, there was a significant recruitment period with 337 juveniles in one sample. The maximum carapace width was 6.6mm in males and 7.65mm in females. The representative number of specimens in the first size class may provide information that D. crinitichelis presents some levels of spatial segregation in the population in this area and should be monitored for preservation.
Keywords: crustacea, ecology, Flamengo beach, symbiosis, Ubatuba.
Removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol and total phosphorus in a sequencing batch reactor under two different sludge retention-time conditions
Authors: Paula Lícia Murito de , Gonçalves Eline Simões , Gomes Larissa Coelho Auto , Moura Júnior José Carlos Rodrigues de , Oliveira Jaime Lopes da Mota 
Published: June 2023

Sewage treatment systems can prevent the direct discharge of endocrine disruptors, such as 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), into the environment. Treatment systems capable of promoting total phosphorus (TP) removal, such as sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), are promising in this regard. Two lab-scale SBRs with different sludge retention times (SRTs) were assessed for their EE2 and TP removal rates. Anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic phases with cycles of 6 h were used to treat sewage containing EE2 at a concentration of 5 μg L-1. The removal rates of chemical oxygen demand and TP were approximately 80% for both the SBRs. Partial nitrification was observed in the SBRs. Initially, concentrations of EE2 above 1.0 μg L-1 in the treated sewage were measured. These concentrations were smaller in SBR 1, which used lower SRTs; EE2 was removed by sludge sorption. After the 56th cycle, the concentrations of EE2 in the treated sewage were below 0.1 μg L-1 in both the SBRs, indicating that its removal may have occurred by biodegradation due to acclimation to the process. Therefore, both TP removal and nitrification seem to play an important role in EE2 removal by SBRs.
Keywords: A2O SBR, EE2 and TP removal, sewage treatments.
Patterns and Causal Connections between Changes in Exchange Rates and Interest Rates in Ghana
Authors: Issahaku Haruna , Kabiru Abubakari , Basit Dawud Abdul 
Published: June 2023

Trends and causal relationships between Ghana's exchange rate and interest rate are investigated in this paper using Granger causality, cointegration, and error correction models. Monthly data from 2007 to 2020 are employed. The results show that both variables show a strong positive trend. Also, strong causation runs from the exchange rate to the interest rate, but the interest rate only weakly accounts for exchange rate changes. The findings further reveal that the two variables are co-integrated, and thus, using the interest rate lags in describing the exchange rate and vice versa is beneficial. Finally, it is suggested that policymakers closely track the exchange rate-interest rate nexus to craft policies that engender macroeconomic stability in the long run.
Factors that Influence Women Agro-Processors Credit Utilization in The Northern Region of Ghana
Authors: Mohammed Fadilah , Zakaria Hudu , Boateng SethDenkyi 
Published: June 2023

Access to credit for financing agro-processing enterprises has been one of the critical constraints facing small-scale women agro-processors in developing countries. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have been hailed for providing tailored-made financial products for such small-scale businesses. However, the use of borrowed money from MFIs is critical in the improvement of the general well-being of women borrowers. This paper presents the findings of a study that examined factors affecting credit utilization among women agro-processors in the Northern Region of Ghana. The theory underpinning the study is the life cycle theory which suggests that there exists a relationship between productivity and some socioeconomic characteristics such as age. A descriptive survey design was used to gather data from 402 women agro-processors in two districts of the Northern Region of Ghana. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in analyzing the data. Women agro-processors surveyed largely invest about (60%) of their borrowed monies in their agro-processing businesses. They also invest almost (13%) in other businesses and in household consumption (15.4%). About 12% of agro-processors borrowed for others. The study also found a significant relationship between women’s socio-economic characteristics such as household size, religious background, location of respondents, household headship status of respondents, literacy, and their utilization of credit. It is therefore recommended that MFIs should incorporate training on credit utilization and financial management as part of their social intermediation activities.
Factors Influencing Intentions and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana
Authors: Udor Rita , Eshun Samuel Nuamah , Tampah-Naah Anthony Mwinilanaa 
Published: June 2023

In this study, we examined the perceptions of Ghanaians about COVID-19 vaccines and the factors that may influence their intentions to vaccinate. We conducted an online survey to collect data from 331 Ghanaians, between 22nd March 2021 and 15th April 2021. Descriptive multivariate analyses were performed using STATA version 13. The findings revealed that 45.7% of respondents were reluctant to vaccinate even if the vaccines were available for free. Age, region and residential area were significant predictors of intention to vaccinate. Misinformation, side effects and lack of trust were among some reasons cited for not intending to vaccinate. However, some people were likely to vaccinate when they were encouraged by a trusted community leader. To ensure higher uptake of vaccines, government officials must engage trusted community leaders to increase public education, targeting specific age groups, areas and regions in Ghana.
On the Nexus of Foreign Capital Inflow, Volatility, Financial Development and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Sectoral Approach
Authors: Ustarz Yazidu 
Published: June 2023

There is increasing concern among policymakers over the effect of capital inflows and volatility on economic growth. The empirical literature on the foreign capital - growth nexus in subSaharan Africa has, however, focused on aggregate growth overlooking sector-specific dynamics that might lead to varying responses. This study, therefore, examines whether the impacts of capital inflows and volatility in the region vary across different sectors, namely service, industry, and agriculture over the period 1990 to 2017. It also assesses the role of financial development. The study employed the dynamic panel ordinary least square technique due to its ability to correct for serial correlation and endogeneity. The results reveal that capital flows and volatility have varying effects on the three sectors. In the service sector, only aid exerted a significant negative effect while FDI and cross-border bank lending volatilities showed a depressing effect. Regarding the agricultural sector, only FDI had a negative impact, with the rest showing significant positive relationships. Concerning industrial growth, FDI and remittances had the potential to drive growth, while aid exhibited negative impacts. The findings thus have some policy implications. Policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa could target FDI and remittances to develop the industrial sector while aid and remittances could be channeled into the agricultural sector.
Heterogeneous Effects of Demographic Factors on Healthcare Utilisation in Ghana
Authors: Sekyi Samuel , Laari Prosper Basommi , Ampofo Gideon Kwaku Minua 
Published: June 2023

The purpose of this paper is to examine the heterogeneous effects of demographic factors on healthcare utilisation. The two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) strategy was utilised in the study to address the endogeneity problem. The study discovered significant differences in the utilisation of healthcare services based on age distribution and gender after decomposing the data. Based on age distribution disaggregated data, the study discovered considerable differences in the use of healthcare services. According to the age distribution subsample analysis, gender, education, and obesity were the variables that determined healthcare utilisation for the working class, whereas locality (rural) determined utilisation for the elderly. Physical inactivity was the only variable that influenced the working class and the elderly use of healthcare. For children, those from the working class, and the elderly, healthcare use was commonly determined by NHIS membership, self-assessed health, chronic illness and type of illness. Furthermore, the study found significant variations in healthcare utilisation when the analysis was based on gender. For the children subsample, self-assessed health and chronic illness determined females’ healthcare utilisation. Working-class males’ healthcare use was influenced by education, but females’ healthcare use was affected by NHIS participation, obesity and physical inactivity. Finally, chronic sickness and diarrhoea affected how elderly males used healthcare, whereas NHIS membership, physical inactivity, and location (rural) affected elderly females’ healthcare utilisation. The study suggests that age and gender information be taken into account when developing, planning, and implementing healthcare policy to increase the use of healthcare services.
Pros and Cons of Ghana as a Destination for Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Coffie Evans , Alcalde-Fradejas Nuria , Ramírez-Alesón Marisa 
Published: June 2023

This study presents an in-depth analysis of foreign direct investments (FDI) determinants in Ghana. Following the typology of Dunning’s motives of FDI location, they are categorised under the resource-seeking, market-seeking or efficiency-seeking FDI they foster. Literature on FDI drivers in Africa was considered and based on the tendency and/or comparison of the most recent official data (2000-2022), the pros and cons of such determinants were identified. The analysis reveals that Ghana presents a mostly favourable profile to attract resource-seeking and market-seeking FDI but a mixed situation in the determinants of efficiency-seeking FDI. This study adds to the FDI literature by categorising the drivers under Dunning’s motives of FDI and studying the evolution of these factors in a specific developing African country (Ghana) in order to reveal the country’s performance with the determinants. Results show that Ghana’s trend is very positive and can become an attractive market for foreign companies. And government and policymakers should continue in the trend of improving their factors to attract and retain foreign investment.
Division of Housework and Subjective Feelings among Indian Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia
Authors: David Chelliah Hemarubhini , Boo Harn Shian , Karupiah Premalatha 
Published: June 2023

Women shouldered most housework despite their educational and employment status before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Indian women in the division of housework and their subjective feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. A sample of twelve Indian married working women shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews. The findings show that most Indian women shouldered the housework burden while juggling both paid and unpaid work simultaneously during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of Indian women felt stressed because they perceived housework as women’s responsibility. Indian women’s experiences and negative feelings indicate the need for policy makers to narrow gender inequality in unpaid domestic work and enhance women’s well-being in the households.
Genética molecular en la clínica: una herramienta necesaria para el diagnóstico definitivo en enfermedades raras
Authors: Romero Vanessa I 
Published: June 2023

Introducción: Una enfermedad rara se define como una enfermedad o condición que afecta a menos de 200,000 personas en los Estados Unidos. El viaje de diagnóstico para pacientes con enfermedades raras puede tomar un mínimo de 1 año a más de 10 años desde el inicio de los síntomas, los exámenes, imágenes y derivaciones. En esta revisión presentamos tres casos en los cuales la información clínica no era suficiente para su diagnóstico y este se logró a través de derivación y estudios moleculares. Casos: Caso 1. Presentamos el caso de un bebé que nació con genitales ambiguos, hiperpigmentación en espiral y un tamizaje positivo para hiperplasia suprarrenal congénita. Los estudios moleculares concluyeron un mosaico 45,X[24]/46,X,der(Y)t(Y;14)(p11.32;q12) y genes sin variantes patológicas para herplasia suprarrenal congética. Caso 2. Dos hermanos diagnosticados con craneosinostosis a los cuales se les realizó cirugía correctiva. Diez años después a través de estudios moleculares se cambió el diagnóstico de Síndrome de Carpenter a Síndrome de ATRX, el cual no presenta craneosinostosis. Caso 3. Una mujer con astrocitoma, cáncer de tiroides y de mamá. Las tres neoplasias no están relacionadas y utilizando secuenciación de exoma completo identificamos una variante nueva en el gen ACSL6 que involucra los tres tejidos. Conclusión: En esta revisión describimos 3 estudios de caso reportados de pacientes de Ecuador que se llegó a un diagnóstico definitivo al utilizar estudios moleculares a través de colaboraciones con laboratorios internacionales. La derivación a genética es un factor determinante para disminuir el tiempo de un diagnóstico incierto al definitivo.
Realiti Gerakan Islam dalam Konteks Pembangunan Peradaban di Asia Tenggara
Authors: Abd Rahman Abdullah Zaik 
Published: June 2023

Kertas kerja ini telah dibentangkan di Persidangan Kuala Lumpur Summit yang telah diadakan di Turkiye pada Disember 2022. Kertas kerja ini membincangkan persoalan adakah usaha gerakan Islam di Dunia Islam umumnya dan di Asia Tenggara khususnya sepanjang satu kurun pertama selepas kejatuhan khilafah merupakan sebuah projek pembangunan peradaban Islam yang sebenar. Projek pembangunan peradaban Islam yang lahir daripada kefahaman tentang konsep hadarah yang sebenar menuntut proses perubahan yang syumul dan mendasar. Bagaimanapun, usaha membangunkan semula peradaban Islam yang dibawa oleh gerakan Islam masih berada dalam kerangka ketamadunan Barat yang diimport daripada luar. Penilaian semula cara fikir, pendekatan dan strategi gerakan Islam adalah penting sebagai intervensi bagi memastikan segala gerak kerja gerakan Islam pada hari ini benar-benar menyumbang kepada projek besar pembinaan peradaban Islam di masa hadapan.
This paper was presented at the Kuala Lumpur Summit Conference held in Turkiye in December 2022. This paper discusses the question of whether the efforts of the Islamic movements in the Islamic World in general and in Southeast Asia in particular throughout the first century after the fall of the caliphate is the real and true Islamic civilisational development project. The Islamic civilisational development project based on the true understanding of the hadarah concept requires a comprehensive and fundamental change process. However, the efforts to rebuild Islamic civilisation brought by the Islamic movements are still within the Western civilisation framework. Revieweing the Islamic movements’ way of thinking, approach and strategy are important as an intervention to ensure that all the efforts of the Islamic movements today really contribute to the big project of building Islamic civilisation in the future.
Kesan Pandemik Covid-19 Terhadap Keupayaan Keselamatan & Pertahanan Negara
Authors: Md Rasip Osman , Salleh Mohamad Muntaha , Abd Rahman Salman , Mohd Taib Mohd  Nasrul Muhaimin , Rozlan Ahmad Muslihuddin 
Published: June 2023

Kajian ini menilai kesan pandemik COVID-19 terhadap keupayaan keselamatan dan pertahanan negara. Pasukan keselamatan dan aset keselamatan negara terlibat secara langsung dalam usaha menangani pandemik COVID-19. Pada masa yang sama, negara tetap berdepan dengan ancaman pencerobohan sempadan berikutan konflik geopolitik di Laut China Selatan. Selain itu, kajian ini turut meneliti peningkatan ancaman keselamatan dalam bentuk baharu seperti pengintipan siber, jenayah siber dan jenayah media baharu ekoran norma baharu semasa pandemik COVID-19 yang meningkatkan penggunaan internet untuk pelbagai urusan harian. Pandemik ini juga telah meningkatkan kekangan bajet pertahanan negara kerana kerajaan perlu menanggung perbelanjaan yang besar untuk menangani krisis kesihatan dan ekonomi yang timbul akibat pandemik COVID-19.
This study analyses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s security and defense capabilities. National security forces and assets were directly involved in helping the government to manage the pandemic. At the same time, the country continues to face the threat of border invasion due to the geopolitical conflicts in the South China Sea. In addition, this study examines the increase of security threats in new forms such as cyber espionage, cyber crime and new media crimes following the new norms during the COVID-19 pandemic that has increased the use of the internet for various daily activities. The pandemic has also increased the national defense budget constraints because the government has incurred huge expenses to deal with the health and economic crises that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The underlying structure of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5): a general factor of personality psychopathology
Authors: Montes Silvana A. , Sanchez Roberto O. 
Published: June 2023

BackgroundThe psychopathology of personality is currently undergoing a paradigm shift from a categorical to a dimensional approach. This work aimed to study the underlying structure of pathological personality traits of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). For this purpose, the internal structure of a version of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) was examined by a confirmatory factor analysis. This version assesses the five higher-order pathological personality domains (negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism) and the 25 lower-order pathological personality facets through a reduced number of items. Four alternative models were compared: five-factor oblique; second-order (five first-order factors and one second-order factor); bifactor (five specific factors and a general fac-tor), and one-factor.Participants and procedureWe worked with an Argentinean sample of N = 525 subjects from the general population who answered the Argentine ver-sion of the PID-5.ResultsThe five-factor model was slightly superior to the second order model, and the bifactor model presented the best fit.ConclusionsThese findings, while preliminary, suggest that the PID-5 facets could reflect five specific pathological personality traits (which correspond to AMPD domains) but also a general factor (which would reflect a general propensity for psycho-pathology).