Functional Neuroimaging of Acupuncture

Author(s):  
Bin Yan ◽  
Yu Lei ◽  
Li Tong ◽  
KeWei Chen

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing methodology, is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. However, the mechanism by which acupuncture exerts its effects is not yet fully understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a widely used technique to observe brain activity noninvasively. In this chapter, the authors first review the existing literature on the effects of acupuncture on brain activity and connectivity. The authors next discuss some basic issues in the study of acupuncture with fMRI, including deqi, baseline and control measures, acupuncture modalities, and experimental paradigms. At the end of the chapter, future research directions in the study of acupuncture with fMRI are suggested.

Author(s):  
Alexander Voronenko ◽  
Sergei Greizik ◽  
Mikhail Tomilov

This chapter presents the analysis of agricultural regulations in the frames of the World Trade Organization (WTO) along with an overview of control measures in the sphere of food security in bilateral and multilateral trade unions. The main attention is given to the associations in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). The chapter concludes with an overview of interregional cooperation between Russia and China in the sphere of agriculture and analysis of its impact on food security of the region. Recommendations for improving and establishing food security are made and future research directions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Javed Ali ◽  
Ahmad Jusoh ◽  
Norhalima Idris ◽  
Alhamzah F. Abbas ◽  
Ahmed H. Alsharif

<p class="0abstractCxSpFirst"><span lang="EN-US">Purpose: The purpose of the paper was to explore the central keyword searched (<em>e.g., mobile healthcare</em>). It also aimed at identifying the valuable contributions made by authors, journals, countries, and institutions and their associations in ‘<em>mobile healthcare</em>’ search around the world. </span></p><p class="0abstractCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US">Methodology: Data was extracted from 2012 to 2020 by using Scopus database and analysed through VOSviewer software and MS Excel. PRISMA guidelines were used to screen the records. </span></p><p class="0abstractCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US">Analysis: Co-authorship, Co-occurrence, Bibliographic Coupling and Co-citation analysis were executed to identify the links and collaborations among the authors, countries, author keywords and documents globally. </span></p><p class="0abstractCxSpMiddle"><span lang="EN-US">Findings: Results showed that <em>Yang X</em>. had the highest association with other authors and <em>Sood, S.K.</em> had published more documents than others. <em>Australia</em> was found to have the highest association with other countries, and <em>India</em> was leading other countries in publications. <em>Computers and Electrical Engineering</em> was found to be the leading journal in publication of documents. </span></p><p class="0abstractCxSpLast"><span lang="EN-US">Originality:<em> </em>This study, to best of our knowledge, was the first of its kind in mapping the ‘<em>mobile healthcare</em>’ search which was designed till 2020. This will aid in shaping and understanding the central theme and set the future research directions for the researchers.</span></p>


Author(s):  
Luiz Eduardo Marques Bastos

This chapter addresses the so-called Industry 4.0 and some of its applications in industrial pumps, seeking to emphasize its characteristics and benefits. The introduction of 4.0 industry technologies in this traditional industry can cause profound changes in existing business models, providing greater customer satisfaction, either improving the effectiveness of equipment operation, contributing to better adjustment to working conditions, and also prolonging their life cycle. We are still in the early stages of these technologies and a lot is yet to evolve; however, there are already interesting examples developed by some pump manufacturers around the world, some of which will be mentioned in this chapter. It is subdivided into three main parts, namely brief historical panorama from the first industrial revolution to Industry 4.0, current applications in the industrial pump industry, and finally, future research directions and conclusion.


Challenges ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willis Gwenzi ◽  
Edmond Sanganyado

Recurrent cholera outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) attracted a lot of research interest, raising questions about the effectiveness of current prevention and control methods. However, research on cholera and other water-borne diseases in Africa is dominated by epidemiological studies, while investigations on the environmental drivers and reservoirs of cholera remain scarce. The current discourse relating cholera to the environment in SSA is often limited to the rudimentary statement that, “cholera is caused by the consumption of contaminated water and food”. Yet, beyond this simplistic view, literature elsewhere shows that cholera outbreaks are controlled by its complex interactions with environmental drivers and reservoirs. This brings to question whether cholera can be eradicated in SSA without understanding these complex interactions. The current review seeks to (1) highlight the nature and dynamics of recent cholera outbreaks in SSA, (2) discuss the importance of environmental reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae, and anthropogenic and hydroclimatic drivers in controlling the dynamics of cholera outbreaks, and (3) highlight key knowledge gaps and future research directions, and the need to harness emerging research tools such as modeling, machine learning, data mining, and genomics techniques to better understand the cholera dynamics. By bringing to fore these often-overlooked issues in cholera research, we seek to stimulate discussion, and promote a shift toward cross-disciplinary research on cholera and other water-borne diseases in SSA and beyond.


Author(s):  
Yasin Ozcelik ◽  
Claire H. Carter ◽  
Maryann Clark ◽  
Alejandro Martinez

Proliferation of the Internet and Information Technology (IT) has led to many innovations in the healthcare industry. Among such innovations are the Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) and the Bedside Medication Verification (BMV), both of which have been widely implemented by hospitals around the world. In this regard, the goal of this chapter is three-fold. It first describes the underlying work-flow utilized in these systems by comparing it with traditional methods of medication administration. Then it investigates the adoption and implementation of eMAR and BMV in hospitals in the United States, the conversion from traditional medication administration to eMAR documentation, and how utilization of eMAR and BMV can promote patient safety. The chapter concludes with the exploration of future trends in medication administration through the utilization of eMAR and BMV, and highlights future research directions in the field.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-73
Author(s):  
Emmanuel (Manos) Kalargiros ◽  
Cindy Strickler ◽  
Long Pham ◽  
Thomas DeNardin ◽  
Tatyana N Coomer

Vietnam is classified as one of the five largest textile and garment exporters in the world. With its ambition to engage more effectively in the global textile and garment supply chains, Vietnam's textile and garment enterprises have been implementing total quality management (TQM) programs in order to improve their product and service quality. However, many of Vietnam's textile and garment enterprises are facing barriers to successful TQM implementation. The objective of this study is to empirically examine these barriers to TQM faced by Vietnam's textile and garment enterprises and to compare the results with previous studies conducted with U.S. and Mexican businesses. The results of this study indicate five barriers to Vietnam's textile and garment enterprises' successful TQM implementation. Among these five barriers, the common barrier shared by Vietnamese, US and Mexican businesses is that employees are resistant to change. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 7824-7835
Author(s):  
H. Alalawi ◽  
M. Alsuwat ◽  
H. Alhakami

The importance of classification algorithms has increased in recent years. Classification is a branch of supervised learning with the goal of predicting class labels categorical of new cases. Additionally, with Coronavirus (COVID-19) propagation since 2019, the world still faces a great challenge in defeating COVID-19 even with modern methods and technologies. This paper gives an overview of classification algorithms to provide the readers with an understanding of the concept of the state-of-the-art classification algorithms and their applications used in the COVID-19 diagnosis and detection. It also describes some of the research published on classification algorithms, the existing gaps in the research, and future research directions. This article encourages both academics and machine learning learners to further strengthen the basis of classification methods.


Information ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Ogu ◽  
Olusegun A. Ojesanmi ◽  
Oludele Awodele ◽  
‘Shade Kuyoro

Botnets have carved a niche in contemporary networking and cybersecurity due to the impact of their operations. The botnet threat continues to evolve and adapt to countermeasures as the security landscape continues to shift. As research efforts attempt to seek a deeper and robust understanding of the nature of the threat for more effective solutions, it becomes necessary to again traverse the threat landscape, and consolidate what is known so far about botnets, that future research directions could be more easily visualised. This research uses the general exploratory approach of the qualitative methodology to survey the current botnet threat landscape: Covering the typology of botnets and their owners, the structure and lifecycle of botnets, botnet attack modes and control architectures, existing countermeasure solutions and limitations, as well as the prospects of a botnet threat. The product is a consolidation of knowledge pertaining the nature of the botnet threat; which also informs future research directions into aspects of the threat landscape where work still needs to be done.


Author(s):  
Arsalan Butt

Consumer software piracy is widespread in many parts of the world. P2P based websites have made it easier to access pirated software, which has resulted in an increased emphasis on the issue of software piracy in both the software industry and research community. Some factors that determine piracy include poverty, cultural values, ethical attitudes, and education. Earlier empirical studies have looked at software piracy as an intentional behaviour. This study explores the demographic, ethical and socioeconomical factors that can represent software piracy as a social norm among a developing country’s university students. The authors have conducted a comparative analysis of university students from Pakistan and Canada, two countries that differ economically, socially, and culturally. The results of the study indicate that software piracy behaviour is different in both groups of students, but that there are also some similarities. Future research directions and implications are also presented.


Author(s):  
Luiz Eduardo Marques Bastos

This chapter addresses the so-called Industry 4.0 and some of its applications in industrial pumps, seeking to emphasize its characteristics and benefits. The introduction of 4.0 industry technologies in this traditional industry can cause profound changes in existing business models, providing greater customer satisfaction, either improving the effectiveness of equipment operation, contributing to better adjustment to working conditions, and also prolonging their life cycle. We are still in the early stages of these technologies and a lot is yet to evolve; however, there are already interesting examples developed by some pump manufacturers around the world, some of which will be mentioned in this chapter. It is subdivided into three main parts, namely brief historical panorama from the first industrial revolution to Industry 4.0, current applications in the industrial pump industry, and finally, future research directions and conclusion.


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