scholarly journals Characterization of an open access medical news platform readership during the COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex K. Chan ◽  
Constance Wu ◽  
Andrew Cheung ◽  
Marc D. Succi

BACKGROUND There now exists many alternatives to direct journal access, such as podcasts, blogs, and news sites for physicians and the general public to stay up-to-date with medical literature. Currently however, there is a scarcity of literature that investigates these readership characteristics of open access medical news sites and how they may have shifted with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to employ readership and survey data to characterize open access medical news readership trends in relation to COVID-19 in addition to overall readership trends regarding pandemic related information delivery. METHODS Anonymous aggregate readership data was obtained from 2 Minute Medicine® (www.2minutemedicine.com), an open-access, physician-run medical news organization that has published over 8000 original physician-written text and visual summaries of new medical research since 2013. In this retrospective observational study, the average article views, actions (defined as the sum of views, shares, and outbound link clicks), read times, and bounce rate (probability to leave a page in <30s) were compared between COVID-19 articles published between January 1 to May 31, 2020 (N = 40) to non-COVID-19 articles (N = 145) published in the same time period. A voluntary survey was also sent to subscribed 2 Minute Medicine readers to further characterize readership demographics and preferences scored by Likert Scale. RESULTS COVID-19 articles had significantly more median views than non-COVID-19 articles (296 vs. 110, U = 748.5, P < 0.001). There were no differences in average read times or bounce rate. Non-COVID-19 had more median actions than COVID-19 articles (2.9 vs. 2.5, U = 2070.5, P < 0.05). On a Likert scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree), survey data revealed that 66% (78/119) of readers Agreed or Strongly Agreed that they preferred staying up to date with emerging literature surrounding COVID-19 using sources such as 2 Minute Medicine versus direct journal access. A greater proportion of survey takers also indicated open access news sources to be one of their primary means of staying informed (71.7%) than direct journal article access (50.8%). A lesser proportion of readers indicated reading one or less full length medical study following introduction to 2 Minute Medicine compared to prior (16.9% vs. 31.8%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significantly increased readership in one open-access medical literature platform during the pandemic, reinforcing that open-access physician-written sources of medical news represent an important alternative to direct journal access for readers to stay up to date with medical literature.

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 230-233
Author(s):  
Veronica Phillips ◽  
Eleanor Barker

This article provides an overview of writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals. While the main focus is on writing a research article, it also provides guidance on factors influencing journal selection, including journal scope, intended audience for the findings, open access requirements, and journal citation metrics. Finally, it covers the standard content of a scientific journal article, providing general advice and guidance regarding the information researchers would typically include in their published papers.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subarna Roy ◽  
Sudipta Majumder ◽  
Sourin Bhattacharya ◽  
Imran Hossain Sardar

Purpose An indoor office space should not only provide adequate illuminance on horizontal planes but also cater to the physiological and psychological requirements of the occupants. This paper aims to describe a lighting simulation-based work conducted in Kolkata, India which modeled an indoor office to investigate the effects of variation in room surface reflectance combinations on user perception, mean room surface exitance (MRSE), average horizontal illuminance and overall uniformity of horizontal illuminance. Design/methodology/approach A fluorescent illumination system–based office space was modeled and retrofitted with tubular LED lamps in DIALux. Simulations were conducted for 16 different room surface reflectance combinations and a five-point Likert scale-type survey questionnaire was formulated to conduct a survey with 32 test subjects to assess the subjective preferability of each resultant light scene. Findings Simulation results demonstrate that the relationship between average horizontal illuminance and MRSE as well as between average horizontal illuminance and overall uniformity of horizontal illuminance, was statistically significant (p < 0.001). In the conducted survey, the resultant light scene arising out of the reflectance combination of wall:ceiling:floor = 60%:90%:20% was the most well-received one with 187 convinced agreements (“agree” and “strongly agree” responses). Originality/value This work found strong linear correlation between average horizontal illuminance and MRSE and between average horizontal illuminance and overall uniformity. A five-point Likert scale-type survey questionnaire with seven questions was formulated and validated with 32 test subjects (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.9295), which showed that the wall:ceiling:floor reflectance combination of 60%:90%:20% was the most favored choice.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
AbdulLateef Olanrewaju ◽  
Yien Yen Tan ◽  
See Ning Soh

PurposeThe successive Malaysian government aims to provide housing to households earning the median income and below. However, there has been continuous criticism and complaints from the media and literature on the magnitude of the defects in affordable housing. Therefore, this research has investigated the defects in affordable housing for the users’/occupants' perspectives.Design/methodology/approachWith a response rate of 69%, the research developed a questionnaire instrument that included twenty-one defects in buildings based on literature and observation. These were scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from very common to least common. Twelve causes of defects measured on a five-point scale were included in the survey. Thirteen additional items that had to do with remedial actions to reduce defects were included. These were scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to least agree. The survey forms were administered to all the 152 home occupants in a Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) housing estate through hand delivery in a northern state in Malaysia.FindingsThe data revealed that broken doors, damaged roofs, damp walls and broken tiles in rooms were the most common defects in the housing development. It was found that defects in the buildings were caused by poor workmanship, defective materials, poor designs and bad weather. Additionally, to rectify the defects, adequate supervision is required during maintenance, the repairs must be conducted on time and there is a need to have competent maintenance organisations. Through factor analysis, the 21 defects were structured into six factors, the 12 causes were grouped into 5 factors and the 13 remedial actions were grouped into 6 factors.Practical implicationsThe information on the nature, degree and kinds of defects from the users' perspectives will dictate when repair work is to be undertaken and allow future work to be programmed and financed as part of a maintenance rolling programme.Originality/valueThis research focused specifically on “Program Perumahan Rakyat” housing development. Furthermore, none of the previous research on defects conducted attempted to categorise the defects in the buildings. The categorisation is very important for systemic decision-making because there are continuous interactions amongst the defects, causes and remedial actions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-75
Author(s):  
Subhash Khode

The concept of open access has been increased in recent years around the world and India is also contributing in open access movement actively. e-LIS is an international open repository in the field of library and information science established in 2003 and as of today e-LIS contains 21,123 various types of documents. The basic aim of this study is to provide an analysis of Indian contribution towards open access movement, particularly the documents submitted in the e-LIS. This study provides analysis of 1090 various types of documents submitted to e-LIS (Eprint for Library and Information Science) from India as on 30 January, 2019. It found that the position of India in terms of number of documents submitted in the e-LIS is first among Asian countries. The maximum documents (432) are submitted as” Journal Article (Print and Online)” and maximum documents (72) are published in 2006.The maximum numbers of submitted articles (35) were published in “Annals of Library and Information Studies”.


Author(s):  
Sean Peckover ◽  
Aldo Raineri ◽  
Aaron T Scanlan

This study aimed to examine the views of runners regarding their experiences with congestion during running events, including its prevalence, its impact on their safety and satisfaction, and their preferred controls to mitigate congestion. Runners (n = 222) with varied experience participating in running events (1-5+ years, 5-km races to Ultramarathons, and a mixture of road, trail, and cross-country events) completed an electronic survey. The survey was developed to assess the characteristics of respondents, whether they have experienced congestion during running events, the impact of congestion they have experienced during running events on their safety and satisfaction, and their preferred controls for congestion during running events. Survey data indicated runners had experienced some form of congestion prior to the race in the start corrals (93% of respondents), as the race started (97% of respondents), and during the race while running (88% of respondents). In turn, 73% of respondents indicated their experiences with congestion somewhat to extremely (i.e., rating of at least 3 on a 5-point Likert scale) negatively impacted their satisfaction with an event, while 43% of respondents indicated congestion somewhat to extremely negatively impacted their safety during an event. Regarding the impact of congestion on runner safety, 38% of respondents indicated they had slipped, while 27% of respondents indicated they had fallen during running events due to congestion. Further, congestion was attributed to injuries sustained (9%) and not finishing a race due to sustaining an injury (5%) during running events in some respondents. Respondents identified seeding runners based on previous run times (91%), use of wave starts (91%), and designing courses with limited pinch points, U-turns, and narrow paths (89%) as their most preferred controls to mitigate congestion during running events. Respondents resoundingly indicated self-seeding is not an effective method of managing congestion during running events. This study provides novel evidence that congestion is an issue for runners during running events, subsequently diminishing their satisfaction with events and posing safety concerns. In this way, race directors should involve runners in their decision-making processes when implementing appropriate controls to combat congestion for minimising injury risk to runners and ensuring a viable participant base remains attracted to their events in the future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Nasreddin Ramadhan Dukhan ◽  
Norhisham Mohamad ◽  
Asbi B Ali

This study aims to test the influence of the senior management’s support as a moderating variable on the relationship between the independent factors (Training, Empowerment, Motivation and Communication) and the dependent variable (Performance of Employees). (SEM-AMOS) is used to test the impact of the moderating variable. Where it is depended on the method of sampling or analysis of what is known as multiple-groups analysis. The paragraphs of the senior management’s support variable are collected and divided into two groups according to the mean of the total paragraphs. In addition, according to the relative weights given to the paragraphs of the questionnaire, using a five- point’s Likert scale: 1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The first group consisted of the grades less than the mean and it is considered as the group which is non-supporters of the existence of support. While the second group consisted of the grades higher than the mean and considered as the group which is a supporter of the existence of support. The study found that the model of study in the presence of the support of the senior management’s is appropriate for the second group and inappropriate in light of the lack of support by the senior management’s support for the first group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
Musliadi Musliadi ◽  
Reski Yusrini Islamiah Yunus ◽  
Muhammad Affan Ramadhana

This study investigates students' perception of the use of YouTube to facilitate undergraduate students' speaking activities. The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative research. The sampling system is done randomly and takes 40 students as a sample. The questionnaire has two parts, followed by ten questions with five answer choices using a Likert scale covering strongly disagree to strongly agree. The result of the study shows that 80% of students access YouTube because YouTube is very interesting, 75% of students say YouTube is an easy media to access, 80% of students say YouTube can be used as a learning resource (80%), and 85% of students use YouTube as a medium for doing speaking tasks. The student response to the use of YouTube as the media of facilitating students' speaking tasks is very positive, where 72% of students stated they strongly agreed if the practice of speaking through YouTube was applied, and 20% of students agreed. In general, student responses in using YouTube to facilitate students speaking activities in distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic are very positive.


Objetivo: Realizar uma análise crítica dos protocolos de reabilitação vestibular voltados para indivíduos diagnosticados com hipofunção vestibular, com base em artigos científicos. Métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão de literatura sobre os protocolos de reabilitação para indivíduos que possuem hipofunção vestibular, utilizando para a pesquisa as bases de dados eletrônicas SCIELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Directory of Open Access Journals, World Wide Science, ScienceDirect e PUBMED (Public Medline or Publisher Medline) em um corte temporal de 2007 a 2019. Foram selecionados estudos na língua portuguesa, utilizando como descritores: Reabilitação; Qualidade de Vida; Doenças Vestibulares; Equilíbrio Postural; Canais Semicirculares e seus correspondentes na língua inglesa e espanhola. Resultados: Durante a busca, a triagem foi composta por 45 artigos, porém a amostra remanescente foi de 18 artigos. Observou-se que a idade média foi de 56,94 e o número médio de sessões/ tempo realizadas para melhora satisfatória destes pacientes foi de 13,42/ 8 semanas, bem como os protocolos de reabilitação vestibular variavam entre o tratamento convencional e não convencional incluindo realidade virtual, posturografia e dispositivo portátil de capacete com frequência semanal média de atendimento de quatro vezes. Conclusão: Os estudos realizados apontam diferentes tipos de protocolos de reabilitação vestibular, os quais são realizados de maneira convencional e não convencional e que possuem resultados positivos diante das desordens relatadas pelos sujeitos. Dessa forma, a fisioterapia representa uma importante ferramenta para o tratamento das vestibulopatias. Ademais, a escassez de estudos voltados para a temática abordada neste trabalho evidencia a necessidade de mais pesquisas sobre a atuação da fisioterapia na hipofunção vestibular.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S15-S15
Author(s):  
Patrick Clements ◽  
Aidan Turkington

AimsThis study explores the different attitudes among fourth year medical students in Queen's University Belfast to Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and investigates whether these are influenced by teaching and exposure to ECT during their undergraduate psychiatry placement. In particular we sought to determine firstly, correlates of baseline attitudes to ECT and secondly, whether specific forms of ECT teaching improved attitudes to ECT during their placement.MethodThis study was conducted in Queen's University Belfast and agreed with their ethics committee. Participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning of their psychiatry placement and another questionnaire in the second half of their placement. The first questionnaire captured background information and baseline attitudes. The second questionnaire recorded the educational and clinical experience gained on ECT during placement (for example lectures, tutorials, informal teaching, observing ECT and interacting with ECT patients), in addition to attitudes to ECT at this timepoint. Attitudes to ECT were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. A positive attitude to ECT was defined as scoring agree/strongly agree on a 5-point Likert scale to the statement “I would recommend ECT for a patient if clinically indicated”.Result187 students were interviewed at both time points. At the outset of the psychiatry placement 66% of students reported a positive attitude to ECT. Positive attitude was associated with age: 72% of students under 24 had a positive attitude to ECT vs 58% of students over 24 (χ2 = 3.5; P < 0.05). Of students who had previously attended a lecture on ECT (n = 117) 83% had a positive attitude to ECT vs 42% of those who had not previously attended a lecture (χ2 = 33.5; P < 0.001).Attitudes to ECT significantly improved during the placement (66% vs 94% positive; t = 7.97; P < 0.001). Students who attended a lecture on ECT during the psychiatry placement were more likely to have a positive shift in attitude (67% vs 49%; F = 6.0; P = 0.01). No other specific teaching modality was associated with a positive shift in attitude.ConclusionWe conclude that undertaking a Psychiatry placement and particularly having a lecture on ECT significantly improves attitudes of medical students to ECT. It is therefore important that lectures on ECT are included in the medical undergraduate curriculum to allow students to be accurately informed about this essential treatment for a number of psychiatric disorders.


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