Positive Opinion Research Articles

Etrasimod: First Approval.

Etrasimod (VELSIPITY™) is an orally available, small-molecule selective sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator being developed by Pfizer for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and other immune-mediated inflammatory disorders. Etrasimod is selective for S1P receptor subtypes S1P1, S1P4 and S1P5 while having minimal activity on S1P3 and no activity on S1P2. Etrasimod received its first approval, in the USA, in October 2023 for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in adults. Subsequently, the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion in December 2023, recommending the granting of marketing authorisation for etrasimod for the treatment of patients aged ≥ 16years with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who have had an inadequate response, lost response, or were intolerant to either conventional therapy, or a biological agent. Etrasimod is also under regulatory review for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in several other countries. Clinical development of etrasimod for use in the treatment of Crohn's disease, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic oesophagitis and alopecia areata is ongoing worldwide. This article summarises the milestones in the development of etrasimod leading to this first approval for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in adults.

Mathematics Teachers and Pre-service Teachers' Opinions about Distance Education

School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have made education dependent on online teaching. It turned into an unprecedented experience for teachers and students. Therefore, this study aims to examine the views of mathematics teachers and pre-service mathematics teachers on distance education practices. The data of the study were collected through a written and online questionnaire to thirty-seven mathematics teachers working in secondary/high schools in Turkey and final year pre-service mathematics teachers continuing their education in universities. The data were analyzed through descriptive and content analysis. At the end of the study, pre-service teachers expressed a high level of positive opinion about distance education practices. Teachers, on the other hand, expressed an approximately equal number of positive and negative opinions about distance education practices. In addition, participants characterized distance education practices in similar categories as negative. These categories are the inadequacy of technological infrastructure, the inadequacy of teacher-student interaction, and the impossibility of access. Similarly, participants expressed positive opinions in different categories. These categories were easy to access, repeatability, and economy. In addition, students and parents expressed concerns about the functionality of distance education applications in mathematics education as insecurity, family unrest, and financial problems.

Exagamglogene Autotemcel: First Approval.

Exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy™) is a genetically modified autologous CD34+ cell enriched population. It contains human haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells edited ex vivo by CRISPR/Cas9 (a DNA double strand break-inducing nuclease system) to differentiate into erythroid cells that produce high levels of foetal hemoglobin. Developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics, exagamglogene autotemcel received its first approval on 16 November 2023 in the UK for the treatment of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) in patients aged ≥ 12years for whom haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related HSC donor is not available. On the same day, it was also approved in the UK for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients aged ≥ 12years with recurrent vasoocclusive crises (VOCs) who have the βS/βS, βS/β+ or βS/β0 genotype for whom HSC transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related HSC donor is not available. Subsequently, exagamglogene autotemcel was approved in the USA on 8 December 2023 for the treatment of SCD in patients aged ≥ 12years with recurrent VOCs and received a positive opinion in the EU on 14 December 2023 for the treatment of TDT and SCD. A regulatory assessment of exagamglogene autotemcel is currently underway for the treatment of TDT in the USA. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of exagamglogene autotemcel leading to these first approvals.

SORROW AND REMORSE IN ANNE SEXTON’S POETRY

Readers and critics alike responded to Anne Sexton's confessional poetry in conflict during the 1950s and 60s. Because of the authentic way in which her poems delve into emotions, some critics had a positive opinion of her poetry. However, some critics contended that Sexton's writing was tainted by her emotions rather than being poetry in the traditional sense. The nature of emotion in poetry and its importance are assessed by the critics in each scenario. Emotions, in fact, secure the sense and meaning of the poetry in a sense-making manner. This essay argues that Sexton's use of emotion to convey her feelings about particular events is evident in her poetry. Through an analysis of her poetry, one can discern the ways in which her individual emotions shaped the overall structure of the poem as well as the shaping spirit and cognitive dimension of emotion. This essay examines the feelings of regret and grief found in Anne Sexton's poetry and shows how these feelings explain the things that happened in her life and give her poems meaning and logic. It makes the case that the emotion found in Sexton's poetry is based on assessments and judgments the woman has made about things that have happened in her life. Sexton considered these events and her feelings about them with awareness and intelligence.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0661/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

General Physicians’ Attitude and Decision-Making Towards Herbal Medicines Prescription: A Scenario-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Hamadan, Iran

IntroductionAlthough general physicians (GPs) considerably affect herbal medicines (HMs) consumption, there is not enough insight into their attitude and behaviour towards prescribing HMs. This study investigated the GPs’ attitudes towards HMs, the relationship between their attitude and the general preference for HMs, and the effect of the following variables on their prescription decisions for HMs: (1) GP’s experience regarding the effectiveness of that HM, (2) access to the side effects information, (3) patient's payment capacity, and (4) patient’s attitude towards HMs. MethodsA survey was conducted in Hamadan, Iran. GPs’ demographics, attitude, and decision towards prescribing HMs were asked. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis, logistic regression, and correlation. ResultsSSixty GPs’ data were analyzed. Their attitude was not very positive; only 16.6% often or always preferred HMs. The likelihood of prescribing HMs was increased by positive experiences with effectiveness (OR=11.2, p-value=0.000, CI: 5.2-24.4) and access to side effects information (OR=6.9, p-value=0.000, CI: 3.5-13.9). Affordability problems reduced the chance of HM prescription for mild (OR=1.8, p-value=0.012, CI: 1.1–2.9) and severe problems (OR=6.9, p-value=0.000, CI: 3.6–13.3). Patient’s positive opinion about HMs increased the probability of HMs prescription compared to neutral (OR=2.6, p-value= 0.002, CI: 1.4 – 4.8) and negative opinion (OR=9.4, p-value=0.000, CI: 4.1–21.3). No significant influence was observed for GP’s sex, age and experience. The model correctly predicted 80.89% of stated decisionss. ConclusionsEnhancement of GPs and patients’ trust in HMs’ effectiveness and safety and improve these products’ affordability is suggested to increase HMs’ prescription by GPs.

Stakeholders’ Perceptions About a Destination Management Organization (DMO): A Case Study in Chimborazo, Ecuador

A Destination Management Organization (DMO) is an entity destined to make operative, administrative, organizational, and strategic decisions to maintain a coordinated management of the process associated with the design, marketing, and commercialization of the destination. This study aimed to identify the stakeholders’ perceptions about the Chimborazo DMO, located in the Andean region of Ecuador. Therefore, three focal groups of stakeholders were selected (local residents, tourists, and business owners) and a questionnaire was applied using a 5-point Likert scale. A Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to determine the reliability of the data obtained and a Chi-square contingency analysis was performed between the stakeholder groups to identify if the perception about the role and effectiveness of the Chimborazo DMO differs in dependence of the stakeholder group. Our results evidence that the stakeholders considered in this study have a positive opinion about the role of the DMO in the development, being the main common aspect identified: the need for an adequate promotion of the Chimborazo province. The information generated here could be useful to generate policies that benefit the Chimborazo tourism sector and serve as the basis for further work dealing with the stakeholder’s identification and the assessment of the DMO influence in the territory development. 
 
 Received: 26 May 2023 / Accepted: 28 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

Organ Donation: Behaviour and Beliefs in Sweden.

Barely one-fifth of people in Sweden have expressed their will regarding organ donation in the national Swedish Donor Registry, and the number of organ donations in Sweden remains low. The aim of this study was to map behaviour and beliefs regarding organ donation in Sweden. In a descriptive cross-sectional survey following a quantitative approach and 600 questionnaires were issued to randomly selected individuals across Sweden. Of them, 206 (36.3%) were completed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented as frequencies and percentages. Analytical statistical testing involved Pearson chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The results indicate a discrepancy between positive opinion about organ donation in Sweden and the number of people enrolled in the Swedish Donation Registry. The most common argument for not wanting to donate organs was the notion of being too old to. Although self-rated knowledge about organ donation was admittedly low, so was interest in interest in learning more about it. Younger patients more frequently wanted information than older patients did. Not wanting to donate organs due to age and/or illness may indicate a misconception. Making one's will known does not involve assessing one's health status or age but solely concerns the wish to do so. The findings thus raise an important question: How can people's interest in learning more about organ donation be induced in ethical ways?

Application of rubber dam in restorative and endodontic procedures: The experience of the therapist and the patient

Introduction/Objective. Challenges in the application of the rubber dam, inexperience, and discomfort of the patient are reasons for its undesirability. That is why education and training of young dentists is important, as well as bringing this phase of work closer to patients in order to reduce discomfort. The objective was to examine the attitudes about knowledge and skills of young dentists in our community and the impression of patients during the application of the rubber dam in the performance of restorative and endodontics procedures. Methods. The research was conducted on the basis of epidemiological questionnaires filled out by 30 dentists (specialist studies and internship at the Clinic for Dental Diseases) and 30 patients immediately after working with the rubber dam. The questionnaires had three categories: general information about the dentist?s knowledge and experience, information on clinical work with the rubber dam, and patient impressions. Results. A total of 37% of dentists had the experience of using rubber dam during endodontic procedures, while 23% of dentists used them during restorative procedures. Lack of experience (2-4 years) did not significantly affect the ability to place rubber dam in simple clinical procedures (p = 0.321) while it had a significant impact in more difficult situations (p = 0.027). During clinical work, the indication for the placement of the rubber dam did not significantly influence the choice of the jaw on which the dental procedure will be performed (p = 0.659). The average time for placing the rubber dam in both procedures was five minutes. After clinical work, 57% of patients felt no pain, and 93% would agree to reapply the rubber dam during future procedures. Conclusion. Young dentists have knowledge but insufficient experience when working with the rubber dam, which can be explained by their caution with the analysis of the clinical situation. Additional education and training during work with the rubber dam is necessary, in order to increase the independence of young dentists. Patients easily tolerate working with rubber dam and have a positive opinion.

Willingness to consume insects among students in France and Ireland

Acceptance of insect-containing foods remains low among European consumers. This study aims to explore the factors affecting willingness to consume insects among students in two European countries with different culinary traditions, namely France and Ireland. An online survey was developed and distributed in both countries, with 183 participants (France: n = 103; Ireland: n = 80) included in total. While more participants in France (43.7%) had a positive opinion of entomophagy compared to the ones in Ireland (21.3%), no significant difference was found in their willingness to consume insects for the first time. When given information on the approval of insects as a novel food in Europe, students in France were significantly more willing to consume insects than students in Ireland. For both groups, food neophobia and disgust were impediments to entomophagy. Moreover, males older than 30 yr enrolled in engineering courses, not following a specific diet, more concerned about the environment and health and less about familiarity, culture and religion were the most willing to consume insects. Participants in France and Ireland were more willing to consume insects if they were tasty or disguised (invisible) in another product and not if they were presented in their usual form (‘whole’). This case study shows that entomophagy acceptance is affected by the characteristics of the products, food neophobia, disgust and food choice motives of the consumers, while the impact of information on regulation is country dependent. These findings could be the starting point to guide the development of insect-containing foods acceptable to consumers in Europe.

POZITIVNA EVALUACIJA U NEGATIVNOJ KRITICI: TIPOVI I FUNCIJE (NA PRIMERIMA IZ MEĐURATNIH BROJEVA JUŽNOSLOVENSKOG FILOLOGA)

The paper examines positive commentaries in academic reviews that convey predominantly negative evaluation of either the reviewed material or its authors. The corpus consists of thirty-six reviews published in South Slavic Philologist throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Formal, semantic analysis showed that positive and negative assessments stand in two types of relations: adversative and concessive. Further, functional analysis showed that the function of positive assessment and its position in reviews correlate. While a number of positive remarks per review have been observed, in the majority of excerpted examples positive evaluation does not actually communicate positive meaning. Instead, it either introduces or emphasises negative comments. Much rarer instances of genuinely positive opinion were found in concluding and, to an extent, introductory segments.

Nepridržavanje pedijatara primarne zdravstvene zaštite u Srbiji najnovijih upustava za lečenje akutnog i hroničnog kašlja kod dece

Introduction: Cough is the most frequent symptom in children and can indicate various pathological conditions. Several international guidelines have been published with a purpose of standardizing and improving the assessment and management of cough. Non-adherence to guidelines often leads to a suboptimal quality of patient care. Our aim was to investigate the adherence of Serbian primary care pediatricians to the latest international guidelines on cough diagnosis and management. Methods: The study included pediatricians working in primary health care centers in Serbia. They were given a questionnaire designed by a team of pediatric pulmonologists which included questions about the choice of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in acute and chronic cough. Results: Most of primary care pediatricians assessed the value of international guidelines as fair. However, nearly 70% stated that they prescribed herbal syrup for acute cough. Chronic cough is treated mostly with ivy extract, bronchodilators and antihistamines. A majority of doctors declared positive opinion of herbal medicaments and negative opinion of alternative medicine. About 73% stated that they did not use the chest x-ray as a part of diagnostic procedure. Conclusion: Serbian pediatricians do not adhere to international guidelines in relation to diagnosis and treatment of cough. The reasons for non-adherence to guidelines should be further investigated.

Perception of Employees on Employer Branding of Nepalese Insurance Industry

In this strategic human resource management era, employees are the most crucial components in the business world. Employers must consider how their workforce views the company and its brand. The study aims to explore employees' perception of employer branding in the Nepalese Insurance Industry. The study also examines the influence of employers' brands on employees' perceptions in the Nepalese industry sectors. The research obtained information from the 400 employees working in the insurance industry by using convenience sampling techniques. However, 44 were incomplete information, 31 were removed for validity, and 325 were applicable for analysis. The structured questionnaire was prepared based on a five-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree to evaluate employees' perceptions. SPSS 20.0 software was used to assist in data analysis. Information was analyzed by descriptive analysis methods in which frequency analysis, cross tab, mean, and standard deviation were considered. The study's findings explained employees' favorable perceptions toward insurance companies' brands. The employer's branding highly impacted employees' perceptions. Employees had a favorable opinion of their organization when their overall employer branding score was high. Employees with higher education levels had a positive opinion of employer brands, but people with lower education levels had a negative perception. The majority of employees agree with the company brand. Therefore, there is a greater need for insurance companies to create strategies necessary to guarantee that their employees will stay in the same workplace in the future. Employer branding benefits an organization's recruiting efforts and lowers recruitment expenditures. Additionally, the research explains employers' brands helpful for staff retention and lower employee turnover rates. So, the employer brand may be used to categorize the necessary strategies.

Digital Public Relations and Social Sustainability: A Case of Le Minerale’s Disposable Gallons

Le Minerale’s production of disposable water gallons has generated news in the national online media, strengthening public opinion about Le Minerale products polluting the environment. As Indonesian people are very concerned about environmental issues, Le Minerale responds to this situation immediately and appropriately. This study aims to analyze the case on how Le Minerale's public relations strategy is implemented in digital media platforms to respond the social sustainability issue of disposable gallons. To meet the aim of this case study, relevant texts or documentary sources were analyzed from Le Minerale's official website and social media which can be publicly accessed. In addition, the researchers gathered articles about Le Minerale and also online petitions. The collected data is then analyzed using the data analysis procedure proposed by Daymon and Holloway. Findings of this research found that Le Minerale has been successfully addressed the issue by implementing the PR strategy model framework from Ronald D. Smith's. This company proves himself as a competitive brand by using proactive strategy to build positive opinion with a coalition approach, activism, and philanthropy. Smith’s PR strategy model has also been used in Le Minerale’s communication strategy that focuses on publicity, spreading newsworthy information, and implementing communication transparency throughout digital media. Therefore, Le Minerale has successfully maintained the company’s image through the effective digital public relations strategy they do in addressing the issue and promote their commitment to social sustainability.

A critical evaluation of pictogram based patient information leaflet on hypothyroidism patients with metabolic syndrome: a visual approach to enhance health literacy.

Hypothyroidism is a condition with an underactive thyroid gland. Since thyroid hormones play a significant role in metabolism, hypothyroidism is often associated with metabolic syndrome. Thus, the patient's awareness regarding metabolic syndrome is crucial. To develop and evaluate a Pictogram-based Patient Information Leaflet (P-PIL) for hypothyroidism with metabolic syndrome. This is a quasi-experimental study without a control group. The P-PIL was developed and validated using the Lawshe Method, translated, and evaluated with 72 patients (24 patients each for English and regional languages, Kannada and Malayalam). The leaflet's Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) scores were 62.0 and 7.1, respectively. The Baker Able Leaflet Design (BALD) index of English, Kannada, and Malayalam versions of the P-PIL were 28, 27, and 27, respectively. The user testing of the P-PIL was assessed in 72 patients. The overall mean knowledge assessment scores significantly improved from 52.92 ± 6.90 to 77.92 ± 9.31. The majority of patients, precisely 84.72%, expressed a positive opinion regarding the design and layout of the P-PIL. The evaluation results strongly suggest that this P-PIL can be an effective educational tool for hypothyroidism patients with metabolic syndrome.

Vamorolone: First Approval.

Vamorolone (AGAMREE®) is an oral, selective, dissociative corticosteroid developed by ReveraGen BioPharma and Santhera Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of patients with muscular dystrophy. Vamorolone was approved in October 2023 for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients 2 years of age and older in the USA and received a positive opinion in the EU in October 2023 for the treatment of DMD in patients 4 years of age and older. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of vamorolone leading to this first approval for DMD.

Perceptions of Primary School Teachers on Interdisciplinary Computational Thinking Skills Training

This study aims to examine the impact of interdisciplinary computational thinking (CT) skills training on primary school teachers’ perceptions of CT skills. The sample of the study consisted of 30 primary school teachers in Istanbul. In this study, where quantitative and qualitative methods were used together, qualitative data were obtained from the teacher identification form. Quantitative data were obtained from the scale for CT skills. After the pre-test was applied to the study group, “CT Skills Training” was applied. During the training, the basic concepts of CT skills and the subskills were covered theoretically and practically. From the quantitative data, the education applied was determined to have had a positive effect on the primary school teachers' perceptions of CT skills. From the qualitative data, it was determined that the participants had a positive opinion about the applied training and thought that they gained skills related to CT.

Persepsi guru mengenai kurikulum merdeka di sekolah dasar

The goal of this study is to learn how the autonomous curriculum being used in Indonesia is seen by the instructors at SD N Tunggulsari II. Descriptive techniques are used in this study's qualitative methodology. Five instructors from SD N Tunggulsari II served as the study's subjects. Interviews, observation, and documentation are used for data collection. Sugiyono's theory, which encompasses data reduction, data presentation, and conclusionmaking, is used in data analysis. The study's findings show that teachers have a positive opinion of the autonomous curriculum, but there are still many areas that need to be changed in order for it to be used more successfully.

EXAMINING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR CURRENT SITUATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN KAZAKHSTAN UNIVERSITIES

Sustainable Development Goals become guide for future of education. For the quality of education, countries try to reshape educational policies and strategies. Especially inclusiveness plays a great role to achieve quality of education for the future of education. This research aims to evaluate current situation of inclusive education in Kazakhstan Universities in order to foster existing practices and policies. In this respect, survey and semi structured interview were conducted to determine current situations to 200 participants. It is revealed that definition of inclusive education can be categorized as giving equal education rights, reintegrating students with disabilities into society, inclusion of people with disabilities in the social process, diversity and tolerance, right of access to education. The majority of the research participants expressed a positive opinion towards inclusion. Challenges in inclusive education are infrastructure issues, lack of awareness, teacher lack of knowledge, insufficient training programs and lack of community awareness.

Shaping Market Perceptions: An Investigation into Macedonian Bank Stock Prices and their Drivers

This research paper examines the effects of return on assets (ROA), earnings per share (EPS), and audit opinion as a control variable, on the stock prices of banks in North Macedonia. The primary aim of this research endeavor is to scrutinize the influence exerted by these financial metrics on the stock prices pertaining to banking institutions within the region of North Macedonia, while also endeavoring to ascertain the extent of said influence. To analyze this relationship, a linear multiple regression model is employed. Data were collected from the audited financial statements and annual reports of all 12 banks in North Macedonia over a ten-year period from 2012 to 2021. The research findings illustrate a notable statistical influence of audit opinions and earnings per share (EPS) on the stock valuations of banks within the North Macedonian context. To elucidate, the positive coefficient associated with the audit opinion variable signifies its discernible sway on stock prices. Likewise, the positive coefficient linked with the EPS variable highlights that augmented earnings per share correlate with an upswing in stock prices. However, it is important to note that when audit opinion is excluded from the model, the results change, and ROA shows a statistically significant impact on stock prices. This suggests that the inclusion of audit opinion as a control variable affects the relationship between ROA and stock prices. These findings imply that investors in the banking sector in North Macedonia consider audit opinion and EPS as crucial indicators of a bank's financial health, influencing their investment decisions. Maintaining a positive audit opinion and increasing EPS are important factors for boosting stock prices, which is valuable information for bank managers and investors. The recent changes in the audit report format, including the reporting of Key Audit Matters (KAM), have not yet been implemented in the domestic audit practice. As a result, auditors do not report on KAM, which may have influenced the research results differently. Also, the small sample size can be perceived as a limitation of the research. With only 12 banks in the Macedonian banking sector, the generalizability of the findings may be restricted. Future research could consider expanding the sample to enhance the representativeness of the study.

Sentiment Analysis of the Top 5 E-commerce Platforms in Indonesia using Text Mining and Natural Language Processing (NLP)

This research attempts to depict a sentiment comparison of the top 5 E-commerce platforms in Indonesia by gathering the emotional tone behind sentence contents related to customer sentiments, customer experiences, and the brand reputation of E-commerce. Data were collected using Python 3.11.4 with the google-play-scraper library, extracted from user reviews/comments on each play store page of the top 5 E-commerce platforms in Indonesia. A sampling of 10,000 records was taken to form a long document term matrix (DTM) of 59,981,785 due to the limitation of CPU capacity for data matrix size. R Programming version 4.3.1 was employed for sentiment analysis in this study. It can be concluded that user comments or reviews on the top five (5) E-commerce platforms in Indonesia show positive sentences indicating user satisfaction (3664 sentences), neutral sentences indicating average user appreciation (2282 sentences), and negative sentences indicating user dissatisfaction (4054 sentences). At least with more positive and neutral sentences, it is indicated that 59.64% of E-commerce users in Indonesia express a positive opinion on the performance of the top 5 E-commerce platforms in the country.