Open Access Format Research Articles

Editorial

This issue marks three years of Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa publishing in an open-access format under UJ Press. Since 2022, the journal has achieved significant milestones by retaining South Africa's Department of Higher Education accreditation and being added to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) in 2024. Communicare is a top performing among UJ Press journals with monthly views between 1500 and 3000. These successes are attributed to the contributions of editors, reviewers, authors, readers and the production staff.

TEMPORARY REMOVAL: Understanding gaps in early detection of and rapid response to invasive species in the United States: A literature review and bibliometric analysis

While concepts regarding invasive species establishment patterns and eradication possibilities have long been a topic of invasion biology, the specific terminology referring to early detection of and rapid response to (EDRR) invasive species emerged in scientific literature during the early 2000s. Since then, the EDRR approach has expanded to include a suite of detection, planning, and management tools. By conducting a systematic literature review, we attempt to characterize the field of EDRR in the United States and its territories as reflected by publication records. Specifically, we assessed publication data such as the number of publications per year, the most common journals where papers were published, and the relationship between author's keywords for studies focusing on aquatic and terrestrial habitats. For publications that used invasive species occurrence or abundance data (whether collected for the purposes of the respective publication or acquired from another data source), we manually vetted additional information such as focal taxa, data collection years and locations, sources of other data used, and whether data or code were deposited in open access formats. We also conducted network analyses for the author institutions that coauthored papers together most frequently and for the references most cited by EDRR publications. Overall, we found that silos existed in terms of which author institutions worked together, which existing literature was cited, and which topics were frequently explored. We also found evidence of substantial gaps in data access and use. For example, although a wide variety of data sources for invasive species occurrences are available, these sources were seldom cited by published literature, and newly collected data was not often deposited into invasive species databases or other open-source data repositories. Considering the continued advocation for a centralized national EDRR information system, our study suggests that facilitating access to data, decision support tools, and other informational resources represents a key opportunity for improving EDRR capabilities.

Physical Activity in Pregnancy: The Role of Exercise in Promoting Maternal and Fetal Health

Introduction and Objective: There is no doubt that engaging in regular physical activity is beneficial for individuals of all ages. Pregnancy is a special time of life for most women. This period presents a unique opportunity for them to improve their lifestyle choices and adopt healthier habits such as exercise. The aim of this article is to find out if regular physical activity during pregnancy has a positive impact for both the mother and the baby.Review and Methods: Review and summary of available studies and meta-analyses found in open-access formats on Google Scholar and PubMed.State of Knowledge: The WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement requiring energy expenditure, including during leisure, transport, work, and domestic activities. Regular exercise reduces the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and poor health outcomes, while sedentary behavior contributes to this and burdens healthcare systems. For pregnant and postpartum women, physical movement decreases the risk of various complications, with no negative effects on birthweight or stillbirth risk. Conclusions: Studies show that physical activity decreased risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, excessive gestational weight gain, delivery complications, postpartum depression and newborn complications.

Glycaemia and ischaemia-reperfusion brain injury in patients with ischaemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy (GLIAS-MT): an observational, unicentric, prospective study protocol

IntroductionPoststroke hyperglycaemia is an independent risk factor for poorer outcomes in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and is associated with a lower probability of functional recovery and higher mortality...

Nine quick tips for open meta-analyses.

Open science principles are revolutionizing the transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility of research. Meta-analysis has become a key technique for synthesizing data across studies in a principled way; however, its impact is contingent on adherence to open science practices. Here, we outline 9 quick tips for open meta-analyses, aimed at guiding researchers to maximize the reach and utility of their findings. We advocate for outlining preregistering clear protocols, opting for open tools and software, and the use of version control systems to ensure transparency and facilitate collaboration. We further emphasize the importance of reproducibility, for example, by sharing search syntax and analysis scripts, and discuss the benefits of planning for dynamic updating to enable living meta-analyses. We also recommend publication in open-access formats, as well as open data, open code, and open access publication. We close by encouraging active promotion of research findings to bridge the gap between complex syntheses and public discourse, and provide a detailed submission checklist to equip researchers, reviewers and journal editors with a structured approach to conducting and reporting open meta-analyses.

Utility, acceptability and applicability of a nucleic acid amplification test in comparison with a syndromic approach in the management of sexually transmitted diseases at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda (ASTRHA): protocol for an open-label, randomised controlled trial

IntroductionSexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major cause of long-term disability. Urethral discharge syndrome (UDS), abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) and genital ulcer disease (GUD) are very common in low-income and...

Characteristics of commercial determinants of health research on corporate activities: A scoping review.

Business practices have influenced human health for centuries, yet an overarching concept to study these activities across nations, time periods, and industries (called 'the commercial determinants of health' (CDH)) has emerged only recently. The purpose of this review was to assess the descriptive characteristics of CDH research and to identify remaining research gaps. We systematically searched four databases (Scopus, OVID Medline, Ovid Embase, and Ovid Global Health) on Sept 13, 2022 for literature using CDH terms that described corporate activities that have the potential to influence population health and/or health equity (n = 116). We evaluated the following characteristics of the literature: methods employed, industries studied, regions investigated, funders, reported conflicts of interest, and publication in open-access formats. The characteristics of the articles included that many were conceptual (50/116 articles; 43%) or used qualitative methods (37; 32%). Only eight articles (7%) used quantitative or mixed methods. The articles most often discussed corporate activities in relation to the food and beverage (51/116; 44%), tobacco (20; 17%), and alcohol industries (19; 16%), with limited research on activities occurring in other industries. Most articles (42/58 articles reporting a regional focus; 72%) focused on corporate activities occurring in high-income regions of the world. Our findings indicate that literature that has used CDH terms and described corporate practices that influence human health has primarily focused on three major industries in higher-income regions of the world. Qualitative methods were the most common empirical method for investigating these activities. CDH-focused investigations of corporate practices conducted by less-studied industries (e.g., social media) and in lower-income regions are recommended. Longitudinal quantitative studies assessing the associations between corporate practices and a range of health outcomes is also a necessary next step for this field.

Hybrid Soft-Rigid Active Prosthetics Laboratory Exercise for Hands-On Biomechanical and Biomedical Engineering Education.

This paper introduces a hands-on laboratory exercise focused on assembling and testing a hybrid soft-rigid active finger prosthetic for biomechanical and biomedical engineering (BME) education. This hands-on laboratory activity focuses on the design of a myoelectric finger prosthesis, integrating mechanical, electrical, sensor (i.e., inertial measurement units (IMUs), electromyography (EMG)), pneumatics, and embedded software concepts. We expose students to a hybrid soft-rigid robotic system, offering a flexible, modifiable lab activity that can be tailored to instructors' needs and curriculum requirements. All necessary files are made available in an open-access format for implementation. Off-the-shelf components are all purchasable through global vendors (e.g., DigiKey Electronics, McMaster-Carr, Amazon), costing approximately USD 100 per kit, largely with reusable elements. We piloted this lab with 40 undergraduate engineering students in a neural and rehabilitation engineering upper year elective course, receiving excellent positive feedback. Rooted in real-world applications, the lab is an engaging pedagogical platform, as students are eager to learn about systems with tangible impacts. Extensions to the lab, such as follow-up clinical (e.g., prosthetist) and/or technical (e.g., user-device interface design) discussion, are a natural means to deepen and promote interdisciplinary hands-on learning experiences. In conclusion, the lab session provides an engaging journey through the lifecycle of the prosthetic finger research and design process, spanning conceptualization and creation to the final assembly and testing phases.

Can You Pay Your Way to Readership? Free to Publish Open Access Formats Receive Greater Readership and Citations Than Paid Open Access Formats in Total Knee Arthroplasty Literature

BackgroundAs publishing with open access is becoming increasingly popular within orthopaedics, understanding the types of publishing options available and what each may deliver is critically important. Hybrid articles require a high article processing charge. Open journal articles have a lower fee, while closed license articles are freely accessible at no charge. Open repository articles are peer-reviewed manuscripts posted freely online. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between article type and resulting citations, social media attention, and readership in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) literature. MethodsOpen access TKA journal articles published since 2016 were found using the Altmetric Explorer Database. Data gathered included the Altmetric Attention Score (attention), Mendeley Readership Score (readership), and citations per article. Articles were grouped by type: open journal, hybrid, closed license, and open repository. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tukey’s analysis; α = 0.05. ResultsA total of 9,606 publications were included. The open repository had the greatest mean citations (14.40), while open journal (9.55) had fewer than all other categories (P < .001). Hybrid had the greatest mean attention (10.35), and open journal (6.16) had a lower mean attention than all other categories (P ≤ .002). Open repository had the greatest mean readership (44.68), and open journal (34.00) had a lower mean readership than all other categories (P ≤ .012). The mean publication fee for paid publication options was $1,792 United States dollars. ConclusionsIn open access TKA literature, free-to-publish open repositories had the greatest mean citations and readership. Free publication options, open repositories and closed licenses, had greater readership compared to paid publication options.

Perineural injections of incobotulinumtoxin-A for diabetic neuropathic pain of the lower extremities: protocol for a phase II, single-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial (the PINBOT study)

IntroductionDiabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is a debilitating complication affecting 15–20% of people with diabetes and is a predictor of depression, poor sleep and decreased quality of life. Current pharmacological treatments...

The Mediterranean archive of isotopic data, a dataset to explore lifeways from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

We present the open-access Mediterranean Archive of Isotopic dAta (MAIA) dataset, which includes over 48,000 isotopic measurements from prehistoric human, animal and plant samples from archaeological sites in the Mediterranean basin dating from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (ca. 6000 – 600 BCE). MAIA collates isotopic measurements (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr) alongside supporting information (e.g. chronology, location and bibliographic reference). MAIA can be used to explore past human and animal diets and mobility, reconstruct paleo-ecological and -climatic phenomena and investigate human-environment interaction throughout later prehistory in the Mediterranean. MAIA has multiple research applications and here we show how it can be used to evaluate sample preservation and identify data gaps to be addressed in future research. MAIA is available in an open-access format and can be employed in archaeological, anthropological, and paleo-ecological research.

Colonial and Nineteenth-Century Latin American Studies and Digital Public Humanities

Scholarship in colonial and nineteenth-century Latin American studies often does not reach beyond specialized academic audiences. The majority of work continues to be largely traditional in nature, with monographs, journal articles, and book chapters remaining the most common types of publications.Only a small portion of that production is distributed in an open-access format online, and even when that is the case, such scholarly output is generally not conceived with broader publics in mind, and engagement with stakeholder communities seldom plays a role in its creation.Digital methodologies and tools present opportunities to explore new modes of scholarly production and publication in these fields. Researchers working in a digital realm are designing and carrying out projects that speak to contemporary communities and involve diverse constituencies in new ways. Without seeking to supplant the more conventional scholarship that grounds their fields, these scholars are asking questions about how we conduct academic work in the twenty-first century and how we can make the products of our work relevant to larger audiences.This article examines five digital projects through which scholars of colonial and nineteenth-century Latin America are conducting work that looks outward from the academy towards inclusive scholarship: Ticha, the Biblioteca Digital Soledad Acosta de Samper, the Mexico team of the multinational project Oceanic Exchanges, Rendering Revolution, and coloniaLab. Through a commitment to producing scholarship for, and in collaboration with, diverse communities,these projects suggest models for conducting the work of colonial and nineteenth-century Latin American studies in the public sphere.Les études sur l'Amérique latine coloniale et du XIXème siècle ne s'adressent souvent qu'à un public universitaire spécialisé. Seule une petite partie de cette production est distribuée en ligne dans un format à accès libre, et même lorsque c'est le cas, cette production scientifique n'est généralement pas conçue pour un public plus large, et l'engagement avec les communautés concernées joue rarement un rôle dans sa création.Les méthodologies et les outils numériques offrent la possibilité d'explorer de nouveaux modes de production et de publication scientifiques dans ces domaines. Sans chercher à supplanter la recherche plus conventionnelle qui fonde leurs domaines, ces chercheurs posent des questions sur la manière dont nous menons le travail universitaire au XXIe siècle et sur la manière dont nous pouvons rendre les produits de notre travail pertinents pour des publics plus larges.&amp;nbsp;Cet article examine cinq projets numériques dans le cadre desquels des chercheurs de l'Amérique latine coloniale et du XIXème siècle mènent des travaux qui s'éloignent de l'académie pour s'ouvrir à un public plus large : Ticha, la Biblioteca Digital Soledad Acosta de Samper, l'équipe mexicaine du projet multinational Oceanic Exchanges, Rendering Revolution et coloniaLab. En s'engageant à produire des études pour diverses communautés et en collaboration avec elles, ces projets proposent des modèles pour mener à bien le travail des études latino-américaines coloniales et du dix-neuvième siècle dans la sphère publique.

Effectiveness of a government-led, multiarm intervention on early childhood development and caregiver mental health: a study protocol for a factorial cluster-randomised trial in rural China

IntroductionThe high incidences of both the developmental delay among young children and the mental health problems of their caregivers are major threats to public health in low-income and middle-income countries....

Bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 research in Morocco: short communication.

The global literature about COVID-19 published between 2019 and 2022 was scanned in PubMed, the Web of Science collection database, Scopus, and two preprint platforms. 'COVID-19', 'Novel Coronavirus', '2019-nCoV', and 'SARS-CoV-2' were used as the keywords to reach the relevant publications. The VOS viewer was applied to perform the bibliometric analysis of these articles. A total of 987 Moroccan publications on the topic of COVID-19 were retrieved. Of all these publications, 166 (61.9%) were original journal articles, 10 (3.7%) were review articles, 514 (8.38%) were letters and 56 (20.9%) were others, such as case reports, notes, or book chapters. Ten original articles (3.7%) had not yet been peer-reviewed and were retrieved from the preprint servers medRxiv and bioRxiv. The highest number of COVID-19 publications was published by Mohammed V University in Rabat (n=45, 16.8%), followed by Hassan II University (n=32, 11.9%) and Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences (n=29, 10.8%). The open-access format was the predominant publishing model (43.2%) and 92.9% were written in English. The main research lines identified in COVID-19 for Morocco are related to the pandemic's indirect effects: education (11.2%), mental health (6.3%), and the environment (6.3%). Moroccan institutions have made a profound contribution to COVID-19 research than that in other African countries, but lags behind compared to that in Arabic countries.

The Acceptability of a Recovery Group Intervention in Acute Inpatient Mental Health Wards.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility and explore the service user experience of a recovery-focused group intervention delivered in acute inpatient wards in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust in England, United Kingdom. Feedback from the Recovery Group Questionnaire given to patients who had attended the Recovery Group whilst admitted to acute inpatient wards was collated and analysed. The results suggest that patients found the group useful and supportive, as well as easy to follow. Themes which emerged from the content analysis included, value, challenges, support and understanding. The feedback also showed that patients found having an Expert by Experience co-facilitating was beneficial. The Recovery Group is an acceptable and feasible group intervention for those who are admitted to acute inpatient wards. Further research examining the clinical effectiveness of the intervention may be considered, however there are some barriers to doing so given the open-access format of the group.

Can artificial intelligence accelerate the diagnosis of inherited retinal diseases? Protocol for a data-only retrospective cohort study (Eye2Gene)

IntroductionInherited retinal diseases (IRD) are a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the working age population. Mutations in over 300 genes have been found to be associated with...

Scholarly Publishing With the American Urological Association—The Expansion of the “Voice of Urology” Into Open Access With the Journal of Urology Open Plus

Scholarly Publishing With the American Urological Association—The Expansion of the “Voice of Urology” Into Open Access With the Journal of Urology Open Plus

The Patterns of the Circulation of Scientific Knowledge in Hungary, 1770–1830

During the past six years (2016–2020, including a nineteen-month extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lasting until the end of 2022), the project team has been working on seven fields of knowledge (history; classical philology/aesthetics; philosophy; statistics; anthropology; medicine; agricultural sciences), investigating how and through which personal, institutional, and media channels different types of knowledge have been transformed into scientific disciplines. Each researcher sought to model the respective patterns of knowledge through an analysis of hitherto unknown manuscripts and printed texts of various genres characteristic of Hungary’s scientific life between 1770 and 1830 involving epistemic arenas, the technologies of ‘making sciences’, and media tools.As many as seventy-one publications appeared during the course of the project. These include a monograph and a publication that comprises historical sources in the field of agricultural sciences, and an online publication that consists of a substantial number of sources associated with the above-mentioned disciplines. The proceedings of two international conferences in Hungarian and English, a collection of papers in English, and two in Hungarian should also be noted. All these should be accessible in print and open-access format at the end of 2022.The synthesis volumes on the processes of development of the seven fields of knowledge into independent disciplines may be utilized as university textbooks or as manuals for researchers. The digital edition of sources (comprising forty-five author’s sheets) was created using open-source Wikibase™ software that can support both text publication and provide the backend database that is needed for data enrichment. It is in an open-source format, making it possible to explore personal names, toponyms, and subject headings according to main and subcategories. We intend to build a network of Hungarian and foreign researchers to extend the system both horizontally and vertically.

Comparison of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30 Persistence Between Inorganic and Organic Sunscreen in Swimmers: Protocol for a Multicenter, Randomized, Noninferiority, Split-Body, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Outdoor swimming athletes are often exposed to undesirable environmental conditions such as long-term sun exposure. The risk of sunburn can still occur in this population due to the loss of sunscreen and an increase in the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet rays, particularly ultraviolet B, in wet conditions. Some previous trials showed that organic sunscreens had a longer shelf-life than inorganic sunscreens after exercise due to their characteristics to bind better with the skin layer. Meanwhile, inorganic sunscreens tend to form layers on the skin's surface so that they can be more easily removed. To our knowledge, no studies evaluate sunscreens' resistance, either inorganic or organic, after exercising in Indonesia. This study aims to evaluate the persistence of inorganic versus organic sunscreens used by swimmers. The primary objective is to assess whether the inorganic sunscreen is as good as the organic sunscreen in the field of the persistence of sunscreens after swimming for 1.5 hours. This study is a randomized, split-body, double-blind, noninferiority, and multicenter clinical trial in Cikini, Jakarta, Indonesia. An estimated 22 athletes in each group, who aged 18-40 years and practice in the morning or afternoon, will be randomized using a computer-generated randomization method. We calculated the sample size using the difference in the average decrease in sun protection factor (SPF) levels that is considered significant based on the clinical judgment set by the researchers, which was 5. Neither the research subjects nor the researchers are aware of the type of sunscreen that will be applied. The hypothesis will be tested using paired-sample t test or Wilcoxon to assess the difference of SPF levels in each group between organic and inorganic sunscreens with SPSS (version 20.0; IBM Corp). This study has been approved by the Ethical Committee Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia and is funded by the International Publication Grant from Universitas Indonesia. The enrollment process was completed in December 2020. This study will test all procedures in preparation for conducting the main study, including several potential obstacles and challenges from the perspective of participating physicians and eligible swimmers. The study results will be disseminated through publications in a peer-reviewed journal with Open Access format. This study will provide information about SPF 30 persistence in sunscreens and the best type of sunscreen to be used while swimming, particularly for athletes. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04618536; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04618536?term=NCT04618536. RR1-10.2196/42504.

Editorial

Umm Al-Qura University has experienced growth and distinction throughout its history. Improving the future of the Saudi people through participating in national and international academic and scientific activities is one of the important goals. In order to build a professional environment for faculty and students to serve the community, Umm Al-Qura University has been making progress in that direction by bolstering infrastructure and sowing the seeds of academic and research activities. The transmission of scientific knowledge is the goal of scientific publications. In addition, scientific publications serve as a repository, promote inquiry, and offer a permanent record of facts. Umm Al-Qura University publishes and disseminates the Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Medical Sciences (JUQUMS), published twice yearly since 2020. While published articles are made available in an online Open Access format, articles are subject to a rigorous peer-review. Original articles, review articles, short communications, and case reports are all publication formats for contributions describing original research that shows relevance to the medical sciences. The editors, authors, and readers work together to improve the quality of the journal content and presentation to top international standards in scientific publishing. The journal is recognized by international authors and reviewers and is currently under indexing in Scopus, Google Scholar, and DOAJ databases.