To Think and Feel is to Learn: An Investigation of Brief Mindfulness Meditation Training on the Effects of Emotion Regulation and Learning Outcomes

This study investigates the theoretical links between academic stress, emotion regulation, and learning. Scholars conceptualize mindfulness as comprising two distinct features: focused attention on the present moment and nonjudgmental awareness. Research has found that mindfulness is associated with improved emotion regulation skills, cognitive, and academic performance (Bellinger, DeCaro, & Ralston, 2015; Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007; Jha, Stanley, Kiyonaga, Wong, & Gelfand, 2010). Little past work has investigated the potential mechanisms underlying the cognitive benefits, especially related to learning. I tested the effects of a brief mindfulness training on rumination, stress appraisals, and learning outcomes following an academic stress induction in an experimental setting. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mindfulness meditation (training on focused attention and nonjudgmental awareness); guided attention to music (training on focused attention but not on nonjudgmental awareness); or wakeful rest (no training on focused attention or on nonjudgmental awareness). To the degree that focused attention and nonjudgmental awareness are critical to learning under stress, I expected mindfulness training to have the strongest positive effects—followed by guided attention to music and, lastly, by wakeful rest—on rumination reduction, stress appraisals, and learning. After controlling for individual differences in mindfulness, emotional regulation, worry, math motivation, math anxiety, and prior knowledge, the results did not support these hypotheses. The present work will, thus, address a research agenda for the future that reconceptualizes stress appraisals, assessing individual differences and contextual factors and collecting data from target samples

AN UNUSUAL MASS OF THE CHEST WALL IN A 7 YEARS OLD CHILD: AN ASKIN'S TUMOUR

Askin’s tumour is a primitive neuroectodermal tumour developing from the soft tissues of the chest wall. It is commonly misdiagnosed due to features similar to other round blue cell tumours. The approach for its diagnosis and treatment is complex and requires a multidisciplinary team. The recommended treatment is chemotherapy and surgical excision mainly. The prognosis is dependent on many factors. We managed a child of Askin’s tumour using modalities such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical excision and found a good response.Key words: Chest wall mass, Askin’s tumour, Ewing sarcom

The Rise of the Social Business in Emerging Economies: A New Paradigm of Development

Social business has emerged as a sustainable and innovative means to solve emerging social problems. Although it is gaining momentum, there is a paucity of studies on the drivers of social business models and its key success factors. Drawing on a systematic literature review and an in-depth analysis of 31 social businesses in Bangladesh, the study presents eight key drivers and four success factors for a sustainable social business model. The findings show eight key drivers for social business models including customer centricity, quality, social needs, latent demands, incidental gains, innovation through partnerships, inspirations from initiatives and collaborative eco-systems. The findings also report four critical success factors including social goals, collaboration, simplicity and start from home. Overall, this study discusses the scope of developing and sustaining social business models for empowerment, quality of life and economic growth in emerging economies

Muslims in South Korea: The way of life / Mahsuri Khalid … [et al.]

The purpose of this study is to understand the life of Muslims in South Korea. It focuses on cultural and societal factors that may influence the quality of life of Muslims in South Korea. This study uses an interview with 25 respondents that represent both local Muslim Koreans and Muslim foreigners who live in South Korea. The data then has been analysed as a descriptive method that shows life as Muslims in Korea is quite challenging as they are still a minority and struggling with the Islamophobia issues. The findings may be useful to any social researches in identifying more variables and factors in shaping the roles that can be played by the Muslims community in South Korea

The effect of transformational leadership on employees’ performance in Malaysia’s public sector

Employee performance is one of the main management topics that received substantial attention from scholars and practitioners. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of transformational leadership on employees’ performance in Malaysia’s public sector. A total of 286 sets of questionnaires are manually collected from a public sector department. The data are then analyzed by utilizing Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.3.2. This study found that transformational leadership has a significant positive influence on employee performance in Malaysia public service sector. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge on management literature by developing and empirically testing a causal model of transformational leadership on employee performance in the context of Malaysia’s public sector. The findings also suggest the importance of leadership styles that focuses on improving employees’ development, process-oriented, a commitment based on trust and expectations, which motivate employees to perform beyond expectation

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030