Index Database Research Articles

Leveraging an open access platform to provide organizational value in clinical environments

The Ascension Nurse Author Index is an example of how resource-limited clinical libraries can provide value to their organization by creating a database of peer-reviewed journal article publications authored by their nursing associates. In 2024, Ascension launched a database index to highlight its nurse authors, bring attention to subject matter expertise, foster collaboration among authors, and recognize impact within the profession. The index uses an open access platform, software intended for reference management with a public-facing cloud option, to minimize expenses. This unconventional use of the platform allowed us to capitalize on the software's bibliographic database management capabilities while allowing us to input institutional-specific metadata. By creative use of the open-access platform, librarians can successfully partner to create value for their organization by highlighting the work of its nurses.

Lesson study and the challenges of initial teacher education in Europe: keys to sustainability. A literature review

PurposeTo present a review of the current state of lesson study (LS) in initial teacher education (ITE) in Europe.Design/methodology/approachA systematic search, combined with heuristic and hermeneutic analysis, was conducted in both English and Spanish using indexed academic databases to collect research and experiences of LS in ITE across Europe. The core areas or analysis categories included sustainability, observation and tutoring, the connection between schools and universities, the value of pedagogical knowledge and LS models.FindingsLS in ITE has seen significant growth in Europe since 2015, particularly in universities where it has established a strong presence. The variety of proposals reflects how institutions have adopted and expanded LS models, indicating a stronger connection between universities and schools. The sustainability of LS hinges on the efforts of a core teaching and research group that not only transforms teaching but also explores learning processes in LS. There is growing interest in improving observation strategies and incorporating pedagogical knowledge in LS, although more in-depth analyses of the learning and teaching processes from both perspectives are still needed.Research limitations/implicationsSearching for references in English and Spanish may limit the visibility of relevant research conducted in other languages and regions, potentially excluding important experiences from non-English or non-Spanish-speaking countries.Originality/valueThis work is the first review of literature on LS in ITE focused on Europe, engaging with and building upon the latest global reviews in ITE and LS while introducing new areas of contrast.

Cleaning up Los Angeles: The construction and non-resolution of a sanitation infrastructure crisis

Focusing specifically on sanitation services in Los Angeles (LA) City, I examine (1) how various stakeholders socially construct and mobilise around breakdowns in public infrastructure and (2) how technology is used, both practically and politically, to address breakdowns. Through an archival analysis of six years of LA City Council documents and proceedings, supplemented by interviews with four key informants, I demonstrate how, in 2014 Los Angeles, media and political actors constructed a perceived crisis in trash services. In responding to claims of inadequate and biassed services, City sanitation officials blamed technological glitches and deceptive data. To address the crisis, the sanitation department developed a database to track neighbourhood cleanliness and strategically deploy sanitation workers to the areas most in need. Despite local politicians’ and sanitation officials’ presentation of technological innovation as a panacea, the database had little effect and was deactivated after three years. The failure of the database is attributed to two dynamics: first, inverted development wherein LASAN prematurely developed and deployed digital technology before a strong analogue foundation had been established to make the technology functional and efficient; and second, LASAN utilised the cleanliness indexing database as a form of mediatised stopgap technology. Although the database ultimately proved to be of little practical use, LASAN’s public relations strategy around the database effectively intervened in a political crisis and reinforced the agency’s power.

REVIEW ON PHOTOSENSITIZER POTENTIAL OF NATURAL DYES FOR ANTIMICROBIALS USING PHOTODYNAMIC INACTIVATION

Infectious diseases still threaten human life, with incidents continuing to increase every year. The increase in antibiotic resistance in recent years has been one of the causes. This incident triggered research to find alternative antibacterial therapies. One such alternative therapy is Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI). This paper reviews the application of PDI for treating diseases caused by microorganisms, especially dermatitis, periodontitis, blood transfusions, and foodborne diseases, emphasizing the use of natural dyes as photosensitizers. The source for this article was obtained from several indexed databases, such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Elsevier, and Google Scholar, from 2002 to 2024. The keywords used included “photodynamic therapy", “photodynamic inactivation (PDI)”, "antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT)", “laser-activated disinfection”, “photoactive disinfection”, “LED”, “natural photosensitizer”, “curcumin”, “riboflavin”, “hypericin”, “chlorophyll and chlorophyllin. Original (clinical and experimental) studies, case series, case reports, and reviews were also included. Letters to the editor and commentaries are excluded. After reviewing 148 relevant articles, 57 were selected. Full texts were read, and data were extracted and entered into tables. The review demonstrated that natural photosensitizers, such as curcumin, hypericin, riboflavin, and chlorophyll derivatives, have the potential to reduce the number of microorganisms in PDI therapy. Photosensitizers can be obtained from several natural sources. Using the PDI procedure, the ROS produced have been proven to effectively inhibit pathogenic microorganisms and can be widely used to treat diseases caused by microorganisms. Keywords: curcumin, hypericin, riboflavin, chlorophyllin derivatives, PDI, natural dye, antimicrobial.

Transnational Healthcare Practices Among Migrants: A Concept Analysis.

To present a conceptual definition of transnational healthcare in the context of migrant older adults. This article follows the Walker and Avant concept analysis framework to conduct an in-depth analysis of transnational healthcare. Databases were searched for scholarly articles using keywords associated with transnational healthcare. The DistillerSR software was employed to screen articles for inclusion in the concept analysis. Titles and abstracts of 390 articles were screened with 50 identified for full-text screening. Thirty-seven articles were included to inform the concept analysis. Social Science Citation Index (Clarivate), PsycInfo and CINAHL databases. Search dates: March-May 2024. Defining attributes of the concept include cultural comfort and alignment, perceived quality and trust, integration barriers and experiences of discrimination, use of digital platforms and informal networks, challenges navigating host country health systems. Cases, antecedents, consequences, empirical referents and cultural considerations were used to shape a conceptual definition of transnational healthcare. Transnational healthcare is defined as a practice involving those living outside of their country of origin seeking healthcare from that country of origin through physical or other means. This conceptual definition highlights the importance of understanding healthcare access, quality and continuity of care across national borders. This study addresses gaps in available literature regarding transnational healthcare and its impacts on treatment outcomes, healthcare satisfaction and continuity of care in migrant communities. This article adheres to the PRISMA (2020) reporting guidelines for systematic reviews. No patient or public contribution.

Changes in the Publication Field of Russian Scientific Works in Modern Conditions

The article examines the issue of how forced restrictions imposed by the sanctions manifest themselves when Russian authors choose journals to publish their scientific papers. It specifies changes in the list of journals that publish works by researchers from several well-known Russian scientific organizations (three research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and three universities). They specialize in the Physics subject area and are located in three leading scientific centers of the country (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk). A comparison of arrays of publications in academic journals selected in the Russian Science Citation Index database using the same queries for 2020 and 2023 is carried out (separately for each of the organizations). It is shown that the volume of publication arrays for all the participants was significantly smaller in 2023 than that in 2020. The range of journals selected for publication is narrowing. We can see an obvious reorientation of authors towards journals published in Russia. A list of publishers (in descending order of the number of publications in their journals) is drawn up for each of the years and for each of the organizations. Almost in all cases, when considering the period from 2020 to 2023, Russian publishers begin to rank first in these lists instead of well-known foreign ones, but the latter ones still remain there, albeit with a significantly smaller number of publications. At the same time, the suites of Russian journals also often consist of fairly highly rated ones. Therefore, after conducting an analysis of journals indexed in the international WoS and Scopus databases, we have find out that the total number of such journals remained quite large in 2023.

Systemic immune-inflammation index and long-term mortality in patients with hypertension: a cohort study.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between systemic inflammation and long-term mortality in patients with hypertension. The study employed a retrospective cohort design. The study population was derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the mortality data for this population was acquired from the National Death Index (NDI) database. Systemic inflammation was quantified by the Systemic Immune Inflammation Index (SII) and the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI), which were then categorized into four groups (Q1-Q4, with Q4 representing the highest level of SII or SIRI). Weighted Cox regression models were constructed to investigate the association between mortality and SII and SIRI, with hazard ratios (HRs) subsequently calculated. A total of 7431 participants were included in the analysis. The highest quantile (Q4) of SII was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.36, 95% CI 1.1-1.69, P < 0.001). After adjustment for important covariates, the association remained significant (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.27-2.30, P < 0.001). The highest quantile (Q4) of SIRI was also associated with the highest risk of mortality (hazard ratio 2.11, 95% CI 1.64-2.70, P < 0.001), and this association remained significant after adjustment for important covariates (hazard ratio 1.64, 95% CI 0.61-1.22, P = 0.001). Both SII and SIRI scores were found to be associated with mortality rates in patients with hypertension. The findings suggest that these scores may serve as complementary biomarkers to the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for assessing mortality risk in patients with hypertension. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that underpin this association.

MacGen: A Web Server for Structure-Based Macrocycle Design.

Macrocyclization is a critical strategy in rational drug design that can offer several advantages, such as enhancing binding affinity, increasing selectivity, and improving cellular permeability. Herein, we introduce MacGen, a web tool devised for structure-based macrocycle design. MacGen identifies exit vector pairs within a ligand that are suitable for cyclization and finds 3D linkers that can align with the geometric arrangement of these pairs to form macrocycles. To aid in the fast acquisition of appropriate linkers, we have built an indexed 3D linker database that includes linkers of various lengths and categories. MacGen provides comprehensive configurable parameters that enable users to obtain preferred linkers, meeting unique requirements in practical ligand design scenarios. We hope MacGen will serve as a handy tool that can rapidly explore potential macrocycle space. The MacGen server is freely accessible at https://macgen.xundrug.cn.

Enhancing the visibility and impact of Cambodian scientific journals through Open Journal System (OJS): An editorial review

The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) in Cambodia is currently working on an initiative to enhance the visibility and impact of Cambodian scientific journals by implementing Open Journal Systems (OJS) in the country's higher education institutions (HEIs). During a workshop at Svay Rieng University, MoEYS emphasized its objectives to modernize the administration and publication of scholarly work, thereby facilitating more efficient peer review and open access. The objective of increasing the number of Cambodian journals indexed in international databases, including Scopus, the ASEAN Citation Index (ACI), and Web of Science among others, is a critical component of vision. This will enhance the academic credibility and global visibility of Cambodian research. At present, Cambodia maintains 52 scientific journals in various disciplines, including agriculture, education, health, and technology. While some journals, such as the Cambodia Journal of Public Health and the Cambodia Education Review, continue to operate, others have discontinued publication or encountered difficulties in maintaining consistency. The Ministry's initiative will be instrumental in the revitalization of the academic publishing infrastructure in the country and will offer essential support to journals that are currently grappling with sustainability challenges. Additionally, Cambodian journals can make a substantial contribution to regional and global academic discourse, encourage research collaborations, and attract higher-quality submissions by indexing in international databases. This action is consistent with Cambodia's overarching objective of internationalizing higher education and cultivating a more robust research culture, thereby guaranteeing the extensive recognition and global standards of local research. The strategic endeavor to enhance the quality of research output, establish Cambodia's scholarly community as a critical contributor to addressing national and global challenges, and cultivate academic partnerships is exemplified by the strategic use of OJS and the aspiration to index in prestigious databases.

The effectiveness of fractal analysis in diagnosing temporomandibular joint disorders: a systematic review of clinical studies.

This study aims to evaluate the application and effectiveness of fractal analysis (FA) in assessing temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) with dental imaging. This systematic review, conducted in adherence to PRISMA-P and Cochrane Handbook guidelines, involved a comprehensive search of five electronic indexed databases up to September 15, 2024. The thorough search aimed to ensure the inclusion of all relevant studies on dental imaging with fractal dimension (FD) analysis for TMDs. The risk of bias was performed using the revised QUADAS 2 tool. Out of 342 studies retrieved, 15 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. These studies comprised 7 retrospective and 8 prospective nonrandomized clinical studies. Various imaging modalities were used including panoramic, CT, CBCT, and MRI. Most studies reported significantly lower FD values in TMD patients than in controls suggesting FD analysis' potential for detecting early TMJ degenerative changes. However, a few studies did not find significant differences or lacked control groups, highlighting the variability in findings across the research. The overall risk of bias was high regarding the applicability of all included studies. The fractal dimension (FD) analysis of dental images shows potential as a valuable tool for detecting early degenerative changes in temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). It could enhance diagnostic efficiency by providing additional insights from routine radiographs. However, the variability in findings and methodologies underscores the need for further research to validate and standardize these techniques.

Biases in scientific research on bird biodiversity in central-western Argentina

ABSTRACT This study examines biases in scientific research on bird biodiversity in the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza located in drylands of central-western Argentina. We analyzed the amount, nature, and spatial distribution of research, identifying under- or over-represented topics and trends in sampling design. We found differences in research trends between San Juan and Mendoza, with studies clustered around a limited number of taxa, protected areas, and lower altitudes, highlighting important knowledge gaps. The accessibility and availability of publications, as well as their indexing in national and international databases, were also assessed. The findings reveal a limited and skewed database of temporally and spatially biased data. Furthermore, our results indicate that certain species, taxonomic groups, and IUCN conservation categories are over-represented in the literature. We underline the urgency of promoting primary data generation and focusing on less explored topics and regions. These findings provide valuable insights into research trends and priorities, suggesting the need for more balanced and comprehensive studies to inform conservation strategies in these arid regions. This review emphasizes the need to address these biases to improve understanding and conservation of biodiversity in central-western Argentina, with implications for arid regions globally.

Reviewing the Evidence Base for Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome in the Research Literature and Social Media Platforms: An Evidence Gap Map.

Within the dermatological community, topical steroid withdrawal syndrome (TSWS) is a medically contested condition with a limited research base. Published studies on TSWS indicate that it is a distinct adverse effect of prolonged use of topical corticosteroids, but there is a paucity of high-quality research evidence. Among the "patient community," awareness has been increasing, with rapid growth in social media posts on TSWS and the introduction of online communities such as the International Topical Steroid Awareness Network. This evidence gap map (EGM) was developed in response to recent calls for research to better understand TSWS and aims to be an important resource to guide both researchers and clinicians in the prioritization of research topics for further research. This study aims to identify the range, extent, and type of evidence on TSWS in the research literature and social media platforms using an EGM. The MEDLINE and Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses and Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI-Science and CPCI-Social Science & Humanities via Web of Science) databases were searched. The final search was run in November 2023. Study titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened by 2 reviewers, and a third was consulted to resolve any differences. Blogging sites WordPress, Medium, and Blogspot and Google were searched; Instagram and Reddit were searched for the 100 most recent posts on specific dates in February 2023. Blog titles, Instagram posts, and Reddit posts were screened for relevance by 2 reviewers. A data extraction tool was developed on EPPI-Reviewer, and data extraction was undertaken by one reviewer and checked by a second; any inconsistencies were resolved through discussion. We did not undertake quality appraisal of the included studies. EPPI-Reviewer and EPPI-Mapper were used to generate the interactive EGM. Overall, 81 academic publications and 223 social media posts were included in the EGM. The research evidence mainly addressed the physical symptoms of TSWS (skin), treatments, and, to a lesser extent, risk factors and disease mechanisms. The social media evidence primarily focused on the physical symptoms (skin and nonskin), mental health symptoms, relationships, activities of everyday living, beliefs and attitudes, and treatments. The EGM shows that research evidence is growing on TSWS but remains lacking in several important areas: longer-term prospective observational studies to assess the safety of prolonged use of topical corticosteroids and to prevent addiction; qualitative research to understand the lived experience of TSWS; and longitudinal research on the patient's "TSWS journey" to healing. The inclusion of social media evidence is a methodological innovation in EGMs, recognizing the increased presence of #topicalsteroidwithdrawal on social media and how it can be used to better understand the patient perspective and ultimately, provide better care for people with TSWS.

Bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering: a bibliometric study of the top 100-most cited papers.

Using bioactive glasses (BGs) for bone reconstruction is a promising and expanding field of investigation in regenerative medicine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the key features of the 100 most cited papers on BG in bone tissue engineering through bibliometric measures. A search was conducted in the Web of Science citation indexing database until October 2023. Three researchers performed study selection and data extraction. Data extraction included publication title and year, authors, number of citations and mean number of citations, institution, country and continent, study design, journal, keywords, and bioactive glasses. Citation counts were also collected in Google Scholar and Scopus databases. Graphical bibliometric networks were created using VOSviewer software. The number of citations of the 100 most cited articles ranged from 118 to 1836, with ten papers cited more than 400 times. Articles were mostly published between 2011 and 2012. Most papers, comprising 72 in vitro studies, originated from the United States (n = 22) and were published in Biomaterials (27%). Aldo Boccaccini was the most cited author (n = 17; 6332 citations). The most prolific institution was Imperial College London (n = 19; 7073 citations), followed by Missouri University (USA; n = 7; 2494 citations). "Bioactive glass" was the most frequent keyword, with 46 occurrences. Laboratory-based studies, primarily conducted in the United States, evaluating the physicochemical, osteogenic properties, and antibacterial activity of silica-based bioactive glasses such as 45S5 have been the most cited thus far.

Leading sustainable school improvement: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research on problems and challenges faced by school leaders

IntroductionDeveloping broader insights into the problems or challenges faced by school leaders resulting from various factors both within and out of school is a crucial attempt to provide solutions on scientific grounds and to ensure the sustainability of schools.MethodsThis study aims to contribute to both the theory and practice of sustainable school administration through conducting the meta-synthesis of prior qualitative studies on the problems and challenges faced by school leaders. Data were collected from several databases indexing educational research, and the analysis was conducted using data from 24 studies presenting the perspectives of a total of 614 participants.ResultsThe results showed that school leaders had significant problems particularly with insufficient funds and budgets, shortage of school staff, insufficient or unwilling teachers, an abundance of responsibilities with limited authority, maintenance of school buildings, and tackling excessive and fast-changing legislations. Lack of inspectors’ expertise and their being closed to novel ideas, principal assignments not based on merit, insufficient communication and collaboration among teachers, and pressures from the superiors or unions were also listed among the other serious problems and challenges.DiscussionThese findings suggest putting more effort into improving human resources, school budgets, curriculum and instruction, parental involvement, mechanisms to tackle student problematic behavior, ensuring the professional quality of teachers, school leaders, and inspectors as well as providing school leaders with the necessary support while expecting them to realize an abundance of responsibilities. The challenges caused by bureaucratic pressures, political press, and union discord should also be crucially considered by the higher authorities if school leaders are expected to contribute to the sustainable improvement of schools.

Efficacy of prophylactic sodium valproate in pediatric migraines: a systematic review of randomized clinical studies.

Migraine is a neurological disorder that is chronic and presents with episodes of paroxysmal features consisting of multiphase attacks of head pain, along with other symptoms related to neurological dysfunction such as sensitivity to movement, photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting. Antiseizure medications are frequently used for the treatment of migraine. Of the antiseizure medications, sodium valproate and topiramate have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent adult migraine. More recently, topiramate gained approval for pediatric migraine, whereas sodium valproate did not. Nevertheless, the off-label utilization of these drugs for pediatric migraine is widespread. The objective of this review is to assess the prophylactic efficacy of sodium valproate in the management of pediatric migraines. The protocol of this study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023454491). Therefore, this systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of sodium valproate as a prophylaxis treatment for pediatric migraine. A comprehensive unrestricted search of indexed databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane, was conducted without any restrictions until May 2024. The review included five randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Among these, two exhibited a generally low risk of bias (RoB), while the remaining RCTs demonstrated a high risk for bias. The findings from the current evidence suggest no significant differences in the effectiveness of sodium valproate compared to other frequently used medications in preventing pediatric migraine. Subsequent studies should maintain uniformity in their protocol design and introduce blinding methodologies across outcome assessment, participants, and researchers. These strategies hold significant importance in mitigating potential sources of bias.

Two fast algorithms for computation of h-index

Despite its many limitations, h-index is one of the popular productivity indicators used by many scholarly indexing databases and search engine tools. Apart from indicating scientific and inventive productivity at individual level, it can be used for other actors such as journals, institutions, countries and assignees. Though h-index is relatively simple to compute than most of the h-type indicators for a single actor profile, efficient algorithms are always useful to manage large databases or repositories that require handling and frequent updating of large number of such profiles. However, there are very few attempts to improve the computation of h-index. In this work, we introduce two new estimation-based algorithms for computation of h-index on sorted profile and compare it with two existing approaches using (1) the real dataset of scholarly profiles of 50 eminent researchers in the area of information science and scientometrics, (2) a real dataset of 4177 scholars with h-index greater than 100 and (3) three sets of simulated profiles of actors. Both the algorithms are found to be performing better than their existing counterparts. Furthermore, we attempt to provide guidelines for the choice of strategies to implement these algorithms to ensure maximisation of speed.

The Computational Tools to Identify DNA Repeats and Motifs: A Systematic Review.

DNA repeats and motifs are specific nucleotide patterns/DNA sequences frequently present in the genomes of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Computational identification of these discrete patterns is of considerable importance since they are associated with gene regulation, genomic instability, and genetic diversity and result in a variety of diseases/disorders. In this article, the myriad of computational tools/algorithms and databases (~200 distinct resources) implicated in the detection of DNA repeats and motifs have been enlisted. This article will not only provide guidance to the users regarding the accuracy, reliability, and popularity (reflected by the citation index) of currently available tools but also enable them to select the best tool(s) to carry out a desired task. The structured literature review, with its dependable and reproducible research process, allowed us to acquire 200 peer-reviewed publications from indexing databases, such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science (WoS), PubMed, and EMBASE, by utilizing PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) regulations. Numerous keyword combinations regarding DNA repeats and motifs were used to create the query syntax. Initially, 3,233 research publications were retrieved, and 200 of them that satisfied the eligibility criteria for the detection and identification of DNA repeats and motifs by computational tools were chosen. A total of 200 research publications were recovered, of which 99 dealt with repeat prediction tools, 12 with repetitive sequence databases, 19 with specialized regulatory element databases, and 69 with motif prediction tools. This article lists numerous databases and computational tools/algorithms (~ 200 different resources) that are involved in the identification of DNA repeats and motifs. It will help users choose the appropriate tool(s) for carrying out a particular task in addition to offering guidance on the reliability, dependability, and popularity (as indicated by the citation index) of currently available tools.

Artificial intelligence systems for predicting chronic ischemic heart disease outcomes in cardiac surgery patients based on presence of anemia: a literature review

BACKGROUND: In Russia, the number of people undergoing heart surgery exceeds 600 thousand annually. These include anemia in 30–70% of patients with a 4-fold increased risk of one-year death, a 5-fold increased risk of stent thrombosis, a 1.3-fold increased risk of recurrent acute coronary events, and a 2-fold increased risk of bleeding. However, among the prognostic systems developed using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, few take the presence of anemia into account. Existing digital platforms are not designed to support clinical decision making. AIM: The review aimed to evaluate existing AI platforms for predicting the course of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and systems that take into account the presence of anemia. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The PubMed and Russian Science Citation Index databases from 2000 to January 2024 were analyzed. Using Keywords of “artificial intelligence”, “anemia”, “coronary heart disease”, “hemoglobin”, and “cardiac surgery”, 906 articles were found, of which 38 met the inclusion criteria for analysis. RESULTS: In some countries, AI platforms have been created to predict the course of IHD. This review analyzes published data on the development and use of AI-based digital products for the management of patients with IHD, including those that take into account key hemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSION: Analysis of existing developments revealed a focus on solving prognostic problems. However, in our opinion, the range of parameters analyzed is not wide enough. For example, anemia, which plays a key role in modifying the risk of adverse outcomes in IHD, has not been considered as a factor.

Data-Sharing System with Attribute-Based Encryption in Blockchain and Privacy Computing

With the development of the data-sharing system in recent years, financial management systems and their privacy have sparked great interest. Existing financial data-sharing systems store metadata, which include a hash value and database index on the blockchain, and store high-capacity actual data in the center database. However, current data-sharing systems largely depend on centralized systems, which are susceptible to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and present a centralized attack vector. Furthermore, storing data in a local center database has a high risk of information disclosure and tampering. In this paper, we propose the ChainMaker Privacy Computing (CPC) system, a new decentralized data-sharing system for secure financial data, to solve this problem. It provides a series of financial data information and a data structure rather than actual data on the blockchain to protect the privacy of data. We utilize a smart contract to establish a trusted platform for the local database to obtain encrypted data. We design a resource catalog to provide a trusted environment of data usage in the privacy computing system that is visible for members on the blockchain. Based on cipher-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE), We design a CPC-CP-ABE algorithm to enable fine-grained access control through attribute based encryption. Finally, We propose an efficient scheme that allows authenticated data-sharing systems to perform Boolean searches on encrypted data information. The results of experiment show that the CPC system can finish trusted data sharing to all organizations on the blockchain.

Navigating the Pandemic: Insights into Food Security From Oman’s Experience

This study examines the influence of COVID-19 and climate change on food security in Oman using econometric methods. Time series data from 1990 to 2022 encompassing variables such as carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), real GDP per capita (RGDPc), inflation rate (INF), and a pre/post-coronavirus dummy variable (DUMV) are analyzed. The dependent variable, FOOD_Impit, serves as a food security proxy, with data sourced from the World Development Indicators and Global Food Security Index databases. The study employs Johansen cointegration, canonical cointegrating regression (CCR), fully modified least squares (FMOLS), to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on food security in Oman. Johansen and CCR cointegration tests confirm a long-term cointegrating relationship among the variables in Oman, indicating their relevance to food security. However, the analysis reveals that while climate change, represented by CO2 levels, significantly and adversely impacts food security in Oman, the effects of COVID-19, real GDP per capita, and inflation rate are statistically insignificant. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into the dynamics of food security and supply chains in Oman. It highlights the severe impact of climate change on food security and advocates for urgent policy reforms. Specifically, it recommends that policymakers focus on enhancing climate resilience within the food sector and invest in boosting domestic food production to reduce import dependency. The study also calls for further research to address potential omitted variables and refine the understanding of food security determinants in Oman, ensuring more robust policy formulation and implementation. JEL classification: F11, F15, F04