Review Of Scientific Papers Research Articles

Instruments Used in Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life

Introduction. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and well-being are used in clinical practice to measure the effects of chronic illness, treatments, and short- and long-term disabilities on the quality of life. Currently, more than 1000 instruments are designed specifically for measuring the quality of life. While some are designed for assessing any disease, others are created for specific conditions. Aim. To establish characteristics of instruments for assessing health-related quality of life. Methods. A review of scientific papers was made to establish characteristics of most commonly used tools for assessing health-related quality of life. Results. Questionnaires shown in this review paper have strong reliability; they use the Likert scale; they consist of approximately 30 items and most of them are holistic; and they evaluate the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains through numerous questions. The criteria for selecting tools and judging the appropriateness of measures include the following: appropriateness, reliability, validity, responsiveness, precision, interpretability, acceptability, and feasibility. Conclusion. Even though many different instruments for measuring HRQoL are available, none is perfect as they are only tools best suited to a particular condition. The choice of instrument depends on the reason for measurement, the primary concepts of interest and the purpose of the study.

Crisis Management, School Leadership in Disruptive Times and the Recovery of Schools in the Post COVID-19 Era: A Systematic Literature Review

Contemporary school leadership has always been considered to be one of the most pivotal factors conducive to school effectiveness as well as a driver of change and strategic innovation involving the development of a strong vision, attendant goals and a relevant plan for implementation, monitoring and review. However, the disruption in the provision of educational services caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic global outbreak revealed deficits in school leadership theory that were largely associated with the adoption of proper crisis management skills by the vast majority of schools’ principals to readily adapt to a new reality and effectively confront upcoming challenges, at both instructional and organizational levels. Interestingly, although crisis management as a notion has been substantially elaborated on a theoretical level and successfully applied in different types of crises, it still has not gained a sustained focus within the field of educational leadership, as evidenced by the notable scarcity of related empirical research. This study addresses this gap in the research via a systematic review of scientific papers, published within the 2019–2022 timespan and compiled under the PRISMA framework, reporting on the challenges faced, the crisis management strategies employed and the personality traits that were most commonly associated with effective crisis leadership throughout the turbulent COVID-19 era.

Requirements for block elements for modular construction

The article identifies the requirements applicable to modular structures based on a review of scientific papers and regulatory documentation.During the study, the requirements for modular structures in Russia were classified according to various criteria: dimensions, content, module materials, fire safety. The authors present the requirements that are estab-lished for modular structures in addition to traditional construction technologies. The rele-vance of the work is due to the low level of development of the regulatory framework for modular construction in Russia, subject to increased interest in this technology. The data pre-sented in the article allows to comprehensively consider the rules and restrictions applied to volumetric elements for modular construction. The authors also concluded that it is necessary to create a regulatory document regulating the entire list of requirements for these structures in Russia.

Ferenczi e Freud Revisitados: dos usos do desmentido (Verleugnung) na produção científica

ABSTRACT The present research aimed to investigate the uses of the concept of disavowal (Verleugnung) in scientific productions. An integrative literature review of scientific papers was carried out in the Scielo, Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde and Web of Science databases in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Thirty-nine publications were analyzed. Extrapolations of the concept as circumscribed to the clinic of perversions were found, with the predominance of an analysis of Verleugnung in its inseparable relationship with culture, a general trend. Three predominant forms of its use were observed in the literature: 1) dialogues with the paternal function; 2) dialogues with Ferenczi and his trauma theory; 3) dialogues with fetishism. As for the gaps, there is lack of consistent proposals for intervention at the clinical and political level, as well as lack of dialogue between certain theoretical lines.

Патогенетические механизмы развития фибрилляции предсердий, ассоциированной с новой коронавирусной инфекцией (обзор литературы)

The lack of research and formed ideas on the pathogenetic nature of arrhythmia associated with COVID-19 makes it difficult to assess and predict its development, as well as the choice of a strategy to prevent its formation. COVID-19 has a direct impact on the cardiovascular system, and in severe cases, it entails adverse consequences for the patient. The links of pathogenesis that form various disorders in the cardiovascular system are unclear and remain unexplored. The purpose of the study: based on the studied literature, to present and systematize possible pathophysiological mechanisms that can potentiate the development of various arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation in patients who had a coronavirus infection. Materials and Methods. A literature review of scientific papers over the past 3 years was carried out in the search engines PubMed and eLIBRARY using keywords. For this meta-analysis, we used articles containing the evidence and experimental base on the most recent issues related to the epidemiology and pathophysiology of arrhythmias in patients who underwent a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 – atrial fibrillation. For the systematization of facts and a detailed study of literary sources in scientific work, general theoretical research methods were used: methods of analysis and synthesis. Results and Discussion: we present data of epidemiology, pathophysiology of the most frequent arrhythmias in patients who had a new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 – atrial fibrillation. Conclusion. Transferred COVID-19 infection has a direct impact on the possibility of developing rhythm disturbances, which pose a significant danger to the life quality in patients with a new coronavirus infection.

Helical Hyperbolic Magnetic Field in Nerves, when they Act as Current Conductors

Knowledge of the magnetic field of a nerve is of interest for the application of external electromagnetic therapy to regenerate injured nerves. The aim of this work is to the theoretical study of the magnetic field generated in the nerves when they act as current conductors and thus determine how their hyperbolic curves are, within the concept of hyperbolic medicine. Using Internet search engines and various databases (Medline, Google Scholar, Researchgate, Scielo), a bibliographic review of scientific papers related to the electromagnetic field generated in the nerves, when they act as current conductors, has been carried out. For this work we use, theoretically, the right-hand rule in electromagnetism. So, we apply it to a model nerve, to determine what its hyperbolic magnetic field is like. The conclusions are: a) Hyperbolic curves are very common in nature and human physiology. The lines of force of an electromagnetic field act on human physiology through hyperbolic curves. b) Human physiology and a nerve can be divided into smaller fragments like a magnet do and maintain their same characteristics. c) A nerve fragment is a conducting wire of electric current that generates a transversal magnetic field, according to the right-hand rule in electromagnetism. That magnetic field has hyperbolic lines of force that follow a counterclockwise helical path.

Paeonia × suffruticosa (Moutan Peony)—A Review of the Chemical Composition, Traditional and Professional Use in Medicine, Position in Cosmetics Industries, and Biotechnological Studies

The aim of this review is to perform a systematic review of scientific papers and an in-depth analysis of the latest research related to Paeonia × suffruticosa Andrews as a valuable plant species, important in pharmacy and cosmetology. P. × suffruticosa bark root-Moutan cortex is a medicinal raw material formerly known from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) but less common in official European medicine. It was introduced for the first time in the European Pharmacopoeia Supplement 9.4 in 2018. In this work, the numerous possible applications of this raw material were depicted based on modern professional pharmacological studies documenting its very valuable medicinal values, including antioxidant, cytoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-diabetic and hepatoprotective activities. The scientific studies indicated that the profile of raw material activity is mainly due to paeonol, paeoniflorin and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose. Moreover, the significance of this plant (its different organs) in the production of cosmetics was underlined. P. × suffruticosa finds increasing application in cosmetology due to research on its chronic dermatitis, anti-aging and brightening effects. Furthermore, some biotechnological research has been described aimed at developing effective in vitro micropropagation protocols for P. × suffruticosa.

Application of ablation techniques in the treatment of lung cancer - a review of recent reports

Background: Lung cancer is the second most common and fatal cancer worldwide. The first-line treatment for early-stage primary lung cancer is surgical resection, but surgery is contraindicated in 60% of cases. Alternatives then include local treatments such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA) and cryoablation. With the current scientific knowledge of these treatments, the fundamental question of their therapeutic efficacy must be answered. Aim and methods: To present recent scientific findings on the efficacy of the three main methods of thermoablation for lung cancer. A systematic review of scientific papers on the indicated topics from the last 5 years was performed. Several dozen publications were selected for the purpose of this study. Results: As shown in the studies, the therapeutic effect of MWA controls tumour progression with few side effects and high safety, especially in patients with tumours <3.5 cm in diameter. Cryotherapy, on the other hand, not only improves quality of life, but can also prolong patients' survival. The relatively low risk of this procedure goes hand in hand with its minimal invasiveness, leading to a low complication rate. RFA, on the other hand, shows no greater treatment efficacy than surgical resection, stereotactic radiotherapy. Conclusions: MWA and cryoablation techniques are interesting alternatives to surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer, improving the quality of life of patients regardless of the stage of their disease. The question of increasing the availability of this type of treatment in the health care system therefore remains crucial.

Strategyproofing Peer Assessment via Partitioning: The Price in Terms of Evaluators’ Expertise

Strategic behavior is a fundamental problem in a variety of real-world applications that require some form of peer assessment, such as peer grading of homeworks, grant proposal review, conference peer review of scientific papers, and peer assessment of employees in organizations. Since an individual's own work is in competition with the submissions they are evaluating, they may provide dishonest evaluations to increase the relative standing of their own submission. This issue is typically addressed by partitioning the individuals and assigning them to evaluate the work of only those from different subsets. Although this method ensures strategyproofness, each submission may require a different type of expertise for effective evaluation. In this paper, we focus on finding an assignment of evaluators to submissions that maximizes assigned evaluators' expertise subject to the constraint of strategyproofness. We analyze the price of strategyproofness: that is, the amount of compromise on the assigned evaluators' expertise required in order to get strategyproofness. We establish several polynomial-time algorithms for strategyproof assignment along with assignment-quality guarantees. Finally, we evaluate the methods on a dataset from conference peer review.

Efficacy and Safety of Topical Morphine: A Narrative Review.

Background. Opioids are the cornerstone of the therapy used in both acute and chronic pain syndromes to treat pain of moderate to severe intensity. The knowledge that opioid receptors also occur in other tissues outside the central nervous system has created a possibility for the topical use of opioids. Thus, local analgesia may be obtained without systemic adverse effects. Methods. A narrative review of scientific papers discussing the topical use of morphine was conducted. For this purpose, the PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and Mendeley databases were searched. Results. The current knowledge on topical morphine does not allow for its recommended use in everyday medical practice, but suggests it may be effective, particularly in the treatment of ulcers and erosions of inflammatory etiology and painful skin lesions including persistent post-mastectomy pain due to breast cancer. Conclusions. Topical morphine has its place beside other analgesics. An important issue is the practical possibility to meet the demand for topical formulations, which is limited by technical difficulties.

Acupuncture for Pain Management in Pediatric Patients with Sickle Cell Disease.

Pain management in an acute vaso-occlusive episode for pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is challenging and often is focused on opioids, IV fluids, regional anesthesia, ketamine infusions, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Acupuncture has long been studied as an effective method of pain relief, although the use of acupuncture in pediatric patients with SCD during an acute vaso-occlusive pain episode is vastly understudied. This article provides a review of current research regarding the use of acupuncture as a pain treatment strategy for pediatric patients with SCD experiencing acute pain. A literature review of scientific papers published within the last ten years was conducted on the topic. Five primary literature articles on acupuncture for pain management in pediatric patients with SCD were reviewed. Acupuncture is feasible and acceptable, with statistically significant findings for effectiveness as an adjunct treatment for pain in this setting. It is concluded that acupuncture is a promising and understudied therapy for the treatment of pain during an acute pain episode in pediatric patients with SCD. Hopefully, this paper stimulates interest in this specific area of medicine and prompts future research studies to be conducted to reveal conclusive outcomes.

Evidence-Based Recommendations for Herd Health Management of Porcine Post-Weaning Diarrhea.

Simple SummaryIn this paper, you will find recommendations on how to prevent post-weaning diarrhea in pigs kept in indoor pig herds. The recommendations are based on the scientific knowledge that is currently available. The authors first validated that Danish veterinarians working with pigs demanded such recommendations. Then, we collected papers written by other researchers who had summarized the scientific knowledge on different topics related to post-weaning diarrhea. From the papers, we extracted and synthesized 79 specific recommendations that may help veterinarians and pig producers make good decisions for their pig herd. The paper exemplifies a novel approach to summarizing and transferring science into practice that may be of interest to people that are not involved with pigs and post-weaning diarrhea.Aided by their advising veterinarians, pig producers need to make difficult decisions regarding herd health management strategies. For instance, the preventive use of antimicrobials and medicinal zinc oxide must be substituted with more sustainable preventive approaches to porcine post-weaning diarrhea. Veterinarians and pig producers may find assistance in knowledge based on evidence in this regard; however, the overwhelming scientific literature is not always readily available. The overall aim of this paper is to suggest herd health management decision-support tools that can aid veterinary-assisted decision making in the control of porcine post-weaning diarrhea at a tactical level. The first objective was to validate the need for a herd health management concept, including two decision-support tools. The second objective was to develop evidence-based recommendations that can aid veterinary-assisted decision-making for the herd health management of post-weaning diarrhea. The first objective was investigated by a questionnaire-based study among veterinary pig practitioners in Denmark. For the second objective, we conducted a scientific summary based on scientific review papers identified through a systematic search in three databases. From the papers, we synthesized and extracted 79 specific recommendations. In this paper, we report comprehensive evidence-based recommendations for the herd health management of post-weaning diarrhea.

A Review of Scientific Papers on the (Tele) Work of Postgraduate Professors

Before the implementation of compulsory remote work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, postgraduate professors already exercised telework in their homes, informally. Thus, the objective is to analyze the scientific production of telework or work of postgraduate professors. A systematic review of articles in the SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Scielo databases and of theses and dissertations in the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations was carried out. We sought to classify the research found by themes and identify the content of the results that researchers found. There was a significant amount of work on the evaluation of postgraduate studies or professors, in search of improvements. Problems were noted in the professor's work in relation to the lack of training for teaching, university environment with few resources, complex activities and in a quantity that extrapolates the time of service, evaluation by results that causes negative consequences in the performance of activities as in the personal life of the professor. Telework was found in different contexts, such as ubiquitous work and the digital age, distance education, pleasure and suffering at work, and as a dimension that addresses teaching work. Since professors have already experimented with teleworking and compulsory remote work, they are subject to the positivities and negativities that it can cause, which may or may not facilitate the improvement of the problems pointed out. The research contributes to the human resources management area, by seeking to understand how professors-researchers have used this modality outside universities and potential research gaps, such as identification of control of professors’ telework since it is subjective and complex; more precise identification of the profile of professors who telework and what type; how teleworking affects the issues raised by research on professors' work; and, how was the experience of compulsory remote work during the pandemic.

How to prepare an optimal design of a clinical study focusing on chronic low back pain: guidelines based on a review of scientific papers published in 2014–2019

How to prepare an optimal design of a clinical study focusing on chronic low back pain: guidelines based on a review of scientific papers published in 2014–2019

Schizoaffective disorder induced by substance abuse: a case report

IntroductionWe present the case of a 33-year old man that suffer chronic cocaine and cannabis use since adolescence and at age of 25 develops depressive symptoms and later psychotic symptoms not congruent with mood state. He met criteria for schizoaffective disorder at that moment and was treated with antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs, improving symptomatology even without stopping completely substance use.ObjectivesTo study the relationship between schizoaffective disorder and cannabis and cocaine use, including the neurobiological disturbance secondary to these drugs that can lead to the development of this disorder and the relevance of diagnosing it in context of active substance use.MethodsWe carried out a literature review of scientific papers in Medline data base. We used the following terms: “Schizoaffective disorder” “cocaine use” and “cannabis use”. We considered English and Spanish papers for the last 5 years.ResultsAfter 4 months of cocaine withdrawal and 1 month of cannabis withdrawal, the patient progressively improved depressive and positive psychotic symptoms. However, we reported the persistence of negative symptoms as psychomotor slowdown and cognitive and affective flattening.ConclusionsThe use of cocaine and cannabis is related to depressive and psychotic symptoms in intoxication and can also precipitate chronic psychotic and affective disorders. Induced schizoaffective disorder has not been widely described in literature. Our patient could be a case of schizoaffective induced disorder, but we should consider other pathogenic factors, differential diagnosis and clinical evolution in permanent withdrawal to confirm this diagnosis.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Reviewing the complex link between puerperium and psychosis: a case report

IntroductionWe present the case of a 23-year old woman with a history of two hospitalizations in the psychiatric ward of our hospital in the last 8 months. Prior to this age our patient had not required assistance from mental health professionals. The wide variety of symptoms shown by the patient included auditive hallucinations and persecution delusions that led to behavioral alteration and depressive symptoms.ObjectivesTo present a case report of a puerperal psychosis and to review the different kind of psyquiatric disorders that may arise in the puerperium.MethodsLiterature review of scientific papers over the last years and classic textbooks on the issue. We included references in English and Spanish languages.ResultsDuring pregnancy and the puerperium there are biochemical, hormonal, psychological and social changes that cause a vulnerability in women for the appearance of mental disorders. The differential diagnosis of puerperal psychoses must first be made with organic diseases. Once this has been discarded, several studies indicate that there is a high probability that after the onset of puerperal psychosis a cyclical mood disorder is found.Conclusions- One of the main characteristics of puerperal psychoses is the great variety of its symptomatic manifestations. They can present characteristics of both mood disorders and schizophreniform disorders. - Deep confusion and delusions are often the most prominent symptoms of psychosis in the puerperal period.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

How pedagogical agents communicate with students: A two-phase systematic review

Technological advancements have improved the capabilities of pedagogical agents to communicate with students. However, an increased use of pedagogical agents in learning environments calls for a deeper understanding of student–agent communication to assess the effectiveness of pedagogical agents in learning. This study is a two-phase systematic review of scientific papers on pedagogical agent communication research published between 2010 and 2020, including review papers and original research papers. In the first phase, this study analyses literature reviews and meta-analyses to find the status and research gaps. The findings indicate that pedagogical agents' characteristics and impact on learning have been reviewed, but pedagogical agent communication and its relation to learning have not. In the second phase, the empirical studies of pedagogical agent communication are reviewed and classified into three categories that describe how pedagogical agent communication facilitates students' learning through (1) students' intrapersonal communication processes, (2) interpersonal communication between students and a pedagogical agent, and (3) by facilitating learning in a group. The findings show that pedagogical agent communication can enhance learning through intrapersonal communication of motivation, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and metacognition. At the interpersonal level, pedagogical agents aim to scaffold learning by giving feedback, prompts, and hints from learning processes and learning results. Pedagogical agents also support learning in a group by facilitating discussions and directing students' collaboration. Despite rapid technological advancements, pedagogical agents are not on the level to communicate fluently and human-like, which is likely to reduce their effectiveness and usability in learning. The review concludes that pedagogical agents’ communication needs to be developed toward adaptive, adequate, relational, and logical communication, which requires a multidisciplinary theoretical approach, the use of artificial intelligence, affective computing, and psychometric assessments. Recommendations for future research addressing the gaps identified in this systematic review are discussed.

Sustainable life cycle and energy management of discrete manufacturing plants in the industry 4.0 framework

Industry 4.0 (I4.0), through the digitalization and interconnection of manufacturing processes, can offer opportunities to improve production systems' sustainability. Despite the increasing number of scientific review papers related to I4.0 and production sustainability, most approaches and tools for sustainability evaluation lack of a tangible implementation framework.The paper presents a framework that originated from the plant metabolism concept, a simplified version of industrial metabolism. It is based on Energy Material Flow Analysis (EMFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools for production plants' economic and sustainability assessment, using the I4.0 enabling technologies. A Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method combines the two sustainability pillars for aiding companies in optimizing their production processes towards a reduction of energy/material flows. The combination of EMFA, LCA and MCDM tools into a plant metabolism-based model is the main novelty of this paper.The framework consists of three main phases. The first phase allows to model the manufacturing system by defining the plant layout, the assets, and the input/output flows. The second phase allows gathering information from the manufacturing plant to assess environmental and economic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) following the LCA principles. The third phase consists of post-processing results, minimizing specific KPIs for establishing the optimal production scenario.A washing machine plant has been chosen as a case study to demonstrate the proposed method's capability in authentic contexts. Besides, the effectiveness in supporting companies in the analysis, identifying criticalities, and the proper energy and material flows management of production plants has been verified. Plant managers could use this framework for managing the production plans. From the scientific standpoint, the proposed method positively contributes to integrating the existing state of the art studies concerning the I4.0-related framework for the sustainability assessment and energy/material flows minimization of production systems.

DENOTATION OF DISCOURSE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Background. Over the past thirty years, the concept of “discourse” has been closely integrated into many scientific disciplines, and therefore its determination is complicated. Researchers cannot come to a common opinion regarding this linguistic category. An overview of discourse in a diachronic perspective allows us to explore diverse approaches to its study and identify the most relevant definition of this linguistic term.
 Purpose. In this paper, an attempt is made to interpret the term discourse by examining it in a diachronic aspect.
 Materials and methods. The research is based on general scientific methods (generalization, analysis) and a descriptive method.
 Results. As a result of the analysis of the theoretical material, the authors summarize that there is no generally accepted interpretation of this linguistic category in the linguistic literature. The researchers agree and disagree in some ways, which is reflected in the inconsistency of their opinions. However, the review of scientific papers offered in this study makes it possible to get a summary view of linguists on this issue. Summarizing the data gained, the authors give their interpretation of the concept of “discourse”. Moreover, the authors come to the conclusion that a wide range of scientific applications of the term and the vector of scientific integration that is gaining popularity makes a significant contribution to the development of discourse theory as an interdisciplinary field of research.
 Practical implications. The results of this study can be applied by researchers of scientific discourse, as well as in the preparation of textbooks on academic writing, the style of scientific text.

Теоретико-методологический базис измерения устойчивого развития региональных систем

The growing interest in sustainable development issues leads to an increase in the number of studies devoted to its measurement. On the one hand, measurement could translate theoretical concepts into observable quantitative characteristics, which contributes into more reasonable and prepared management of economy. On the other hand, many approaches to measurement complicate this process since they call for sufficient preparedness to analyze, select, and use a huge number of methods, approaches, and methods of measurement. The purpose of this study is to analyze approaches to measuring sustainable development, arrange them by features, and then combine them into a conceptual model that reflects their place and role in the overall system of knowledge about measuring sustainable development. This research refers to a review of scientific papers on sustainable development, comparative analysis, generalization, systematization, and conceptual modeling as the main research methods. The research originally 1) updates the existing classification of measurement methods; 2) describes and visualizes the conversion of diverse statistical data, qualitative evaluative opinions, theoretical hypotheses, etc. into a quantitative information basis for well-informed managerial decisions. As a result, the study considers the key approaches to the development of systems for measuring sustainable development, their main advantages and disadvantages. Alternative logical groupings of indicators of sustainable development are looked at. An algorithm for index measurement and index classification by principles are given. The most common and theoretically substantiated indices are systematized. A logical-semantic model of the methodological relationship of approaches to measuring sustainable development has been developed. The methodological apparatus for processing the measurement results is examined. The paper visualizes and describes a mechanism of transformation of scientific and socio-economic assessment into a quantitative information basis to be applied by stakeholders, including decision makers, the public, researchers, etc. The study theoretically and practically systematizes, refines many approaches and concisely presents them with visualization elements that significantly simplify the perception of complicated information.