Socially distanced networks – 5 reasons PhD students should engage with social media now

Peer support, finding a place within academia, staying up to date with the latest research, communicating research to wider audiences and navigating life after PhD. Ema Talam and Jon Fairburn outline five ways in which social media, and in particular Twitter, can make all the difference to PhD research at a time when regular academic life has been severely disrupted

Factors influencing anti-retroviral drug adherence in HIV infected children attending Kericho District Hospital, Kenya

Objective: To identify factors influencing anti-retroviral (ARV) drug adherence by HIV infected children aged 3 to 14 years attending Kericho District Hospital (KDH), Kenya.Design: A cross-sectional studySetting: Kericho District Hospital, KenyaSubjects: Two hundred and thirty ( 230) HIV infected children aged 3 to 14 years under caregivers who had been on ARV treatment for at least three months before study as verified by clinicians.Results: A total of 230 children aged between 3 and 14 years (mean age was 8.5 years ±3.2SD) were enrolled. Caregivers were aged between 16 and 90 years (mean age 34.6 years ± 10.4 SD). Majority, 178 (77.4%), of the caregivers were female and 137 (59.6%) were biological parents. ARV drug adherence levels, based on various methods of assessment, were sub-optimum, varied from 56.1% based on time of taking drugs, 49.1% based on pharmacy drug refills, 45.7% based on clinic appointments to 27.0% by pill counts.The key factors associated with adherence based on time of taking drugs were: caregiver being away from home (p=0.0010), caregiver forgetting to give drugs to the child (p=0.020), lack of disclosure of the child’s HIV infection status (p=0.0080) and side effects experienced by the child (p=0.0120), lack of knowledge on treatment (p=0.0030) and stigma (p=0.0470). Based on clinic appointments, the factors included caregiver being away from home (p=0.004), lack of disclosure of the child’s HIV infection (p=0.0000), side effects experienced by the child (p= 0.0030), stigma (p=0.0070) and transport cost (p=0.0240).Conclusion: The most important adherence factors among children were: caregiver being away from home, caregiver forgetting, lack of disclosure, child experiencing side effects, lack of knowledge and skills in managing the disease, stigma and transport costs to hospital

A Short Story about a Great Man:

Bosnian-Herzegovinian ethnomusicology started to develop in the early 1930s. The first Bosnian ethnomusicologist, Friar Branko Marić, began to research the traditional folk music of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1920s and presented the results of his research in the doctoral dissertation Volkmusik Bosnien und der Herzegovina (1936). The first systematic ethnomusicological research was initiated by Cvjetko Rihtman in 1947 within the Institute of Folklore Research. The main goal of his fieldwork was the collection of old, traditional “untouched”, and therefore locally colored music forms. Thus, the concept of “authentic” was for a long time dominant in collecting, and when associated with “old” it worked well. However, this one-sided approach had to be overcome, since rigid approach to modern processes was a threat to the development of Bosnian ethnomusicological thought

Pair Distribution Function Analysis and Electrochemical Performance of Mesoporous Carbon Nanomaterials Synthesized Through KOH and ZnCl2 Activation

Mesoporous carbon has been synthesized by activating carbonized biogas slurry residues with ZnCl2 and KOH simultaneously. The carbon to activating agent mass ratios were kept at 1:4, while the ZnCl2 to KOH mass ratio varied from 4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, to 0:4. The highest BET specific surface area of 361 m2 g-1, micropore surface area of 231 m2 g‒1, mesopore surface area of 125 m2 g‒1, and total pore volume of 0.23 cm3 g‒1 which amounted to 78% mesopore content, were obtained for the sample with 3:1 ZnCl2 to KOH mass ratio. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were acquired to determine the surface morphology and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) was used to determine surface composition of the samples. The short, medium, and long-range orders of the synthesized materials were studied using pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. PDF showed that in addition to the locally ordered carbon and silica phase components, samples activated using combined ZnCl2 and KOH also contained crystalline Zn2SiO4 phase with the willemite structure. Electrochemical studies in three-electrode cell system revealed maximum specific capacitance of 216 F g‒1 exhibited by sample with a ZnCl2: KOH mass ratio of 3:1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s‒1. Keywords: Mesoporous carbon; Pair distribution function, Specific capacitance, supercapacitor &nbsp

Adherence to antiretroviral drug therapy by adult patients attending HIV/AIDS clinic at a Kenyan tertiary helath institution

Objective: To determine antiretroviral drug adherence levels of HIV/AIDS in adult patients.Design: A cross sectional study.Setting: Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret, Kenya.Subjects: Three hundred and eighty four HIV/AIDS adult patients who attended HIV/AIDS clinic in MTRH for antiretroviral treatment and had been on treatment for at least three months as confirmed by clinicians.Results: Three hundred and eighty four respondents participated in this research; two third of whom were females (68%) and a third were males (32%). Fifty two per cent of these had attained secondary or post secondary education. The mean age was 36.1±8.5, years and ranged 18-63 years. While 93.5% of the participants adhered to clinic appointments, only 43.2% adhered to taking the drugs as per time schedule.Conclusion: Adherence to time of taking medications was low and could result in reduced efficacy

Impacts of Wood Fuel Uses on Forest Cover: The Case of Semiarid Areas in Northern Tanzania

Satellite images for the years 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, and questionnaire surveys were used to assess energy sources and demands as well as the impacts of wood fuel use to forest cover changes in Meru and Mwanga Districts. The major energy sources identified include cow dung cake, firewood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas. The total energy demands from these sources were 1400 (in Meru), 6289, 724 and 21 kg per day, respectively. The amount of biogas was not quantified since the reactors were constructed locally with no reading meter. Analysis from Landsat images showed variations in forest cover. The areas covered with forests in Meru were found to be 1510, 1723, 1612 and 1327 ha for 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, respectively. The changes observed in Mwanga District were 31705, 31988, 17939 and 30960 ha for 1987, 1997, 2002 and 2017, respectively. From the findings it was observed that, the ongoing use of wood fuel in semi-arid areas of Meru and Mwanga could deplete forests completely. The study concludes that charcoal and firewood consumptions are real threats to the long-term persistence of forests in Tanzania and proposes the use of renewable energy such as biogas for alleviating forest losses. Keywords: Biogas, energy sources, Satellite image

THE BOSNIAN BUGARIJA

Članak je posvećen bugariji, kordofonom instrumentu tipa dugovratih lutnji, koja je tijekom 20. stoljeća zauzimala važno mjesto u životu i običajima bosanskohercegovačkog seoskog stanovništva. Posebna je pozornost posvećena pitanjima klasifikacije ovoga instrumenta, terminologiji, ergologiji, tehnologiji izrade instrumenta, značajkama tonskih odnosa, tehnikama sviranja, repertoaru i prigodama te rasprostranjenosti na području Bosne i Hercegovine. U današnje je doba veoma mali broj svirača i graditelja bugarije, pa je vjerojatno samo pitanje vremena kada će ona, kao i mnogi drugi narodni instrumenti, postati tek dijelom prošlosti.The article deals with the bugarija [bugaria], a chordophone instrument of the long-necked lute type, which occupied an important place in the lives and customs of the Bosnia-Hercegovinian village population throughout the 20th century. Particular attention is paid to the classification of this instrument, the terminology, ergology, instrument building technology, characteristics of the tone relations, playing techniques, repertoire and performance occasions, and the instrument\u27s diffusion on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. There are very few bugarija musicians and builders active today, so that it is probably only a question of time that the instrument will become merely a part of the past, similarly to many other folk instruments

Echoes of Forgotten Time: Professional Folk Musical Ensembles in Cafes of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878–1918)

Traditional folk music of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be best understood in light of the multicultural heritage of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, as well as many ethnic minority groups. But in the period 1878–1918, traditional music became open to Western European influences. Openness, as well as exposure, to the “new” becomes one of the characteristic signs of the Austro-Hungarian empire, whose new system of governance brought the unknown Western European cultural spirit to the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the mentioned period, new musical instruments appeared, which were previously unknown (e.g. clarinet, accordion), as well as professional musical ensembles which were not common in Bosnian tradition. These and similar appearances made the period of Austro-Hungarian empire a unique turning point in the development of urban traditional music which was developed within the Bosnian and Herzegovinian cafes

Contributions to Investigating the Innovation-productivity-exporting Nexus: (I) the Direction and Strength of the Relationships; and (Ii) the Use of Tax Credits to Promote Research and Development

The importance and benefits of productivity growth, innovation and technological progress, and international trade are long established and promotion of each of these is on the agendas of policy-makers. The links between productivity, innovation and exporting at the firm-level have been partially explored, yet the nature of this nexus is far from being understood. The literature suggests a multifaceted relationship between the three phenomena, and especially that the links between the phenomena tend to be multidirectional. Yet gaps in our understanding of the nature, timing and direction of the links between firm-level innovation, productivity and exporting can lead to less-thanoptimal public policies targeting these three areas. The first part of the thesis (Chapters 2-4) critically examines the literature to explore theoretically the broad topics of firm-level productivity, innovation and exporting. This theoretical exploration offers a comprehensive and holistic critical overview of these topics, and generates novel insights into the theoretical foundations and applicability of each concept in practice. Chapter 5 provides an overview of the theoretical understanding of the nexus between firm-level productivity, innovation and exporting, and a critical evaluation of previous studies that explored this nexus. The first empirical chapter, Chapter 6, explores the nexus between firm-level productivity, innovation and exporting. This empirical investigation is built on the findings of the previous chapters, especially the suggested mutual endogeneity between firm-level productivity, innovation and exporting. The findings from the investigation, utilising a Spanish dataset of manufacturing firms in the period 2001 – 2016, provide strong support for Melitz’s (2003) theoretical model suggesting that more productive firms are more likely to engage in exporting activities. However, the investigation suggests that the other links in the nexus tend to be absent or context-specific. The final part of the thesis concentrates on the exploration of innovation policies and their success in promoting research and development (R&D) expenditures, in particular, R&D tax credits. Throughout the OECD, R&D tax credits are now the main policy designed to increase R&D expenditures, which are the longest-established indicator of innovation and, in turn, are the driver of innovation (according to the “new growth theory”) and, hence, in turn, productivity and export growth (according to the literature and our findings in Chapter 6). Chapter 7 provides an in-depth exploration of different approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of R&D tax credits and assesses the plausibility of their underlying assumptions. Using the same dataset of Spanish manufacturing firms, Chapter 8 empirically investigates these different approaches. The results suggest that R&D tax credits are effective in increasing the R&D expenditures of firms. In this dataset, different approaches lead to similar levels of additionality. These findings offer four main policy recommendations. First, the need for separate promotion mechanisms for increasing firm-level productivity, innovation and exporting. Second, helping firms to build their resources and capabilities can stimulate different aspects of the nexus. Third, R&D credits are an effective instrument in increasing firmlevel R&D expenditures. Finally, this thesis suggests that, although different approaches yield similar results, caution should still be exercised in the choice of the approach used to evaluate the effectiveness of R&D tax credits

A review of the potential of R&D tax policy to support the creative industries

Creative industries represent a vital segment of the UK economy, contributing to the growth of local economies (Mateos-Garcia et al., 2018) and the country’s competitive advantage (HM Government, 2018). In 2018, the creative industries comprised 6.2% of the economy of the United Kingdom in terms of employment (DCMS, 2019) and 5.8% in terms of gross value added (GVA) (DCMS, 2020). Additionally, the creative industries are fast growing – employment in the creative industries grew by 30.6% over the period 2011 to 2018, while the GVA in real terms increased by 43.2% since 2010 (DCMS, 2020). Creative industries tend to be innovative (Bird et al., 2020) and can be highly productive, although they constitute a diverse sector of the economy embracing a wide range of productivity levels (see Section 2 below). Currently, the creative industries, and arts, humanities and social sciences more generally, are ineligible for R&D tax policy support in the United Kingdom (Bakhshi, Breckon and Puttick, 2021). This report will explore the potential of R&D tax policy to support the creative industries. The first section of the report provides definitions of the creative occupations and the creative industries, identifying the main characteristics of both and the links between the two. Additionally, the features of the firms in the creative industries, especially features relevant for the purposes of the policy making, are discussed in detail in this section. The second section discusses the creative industries in the United Kingdom – their importance, main characteristics, and R&D and innovation in the creative industries. The third section discusses R&D tax policy more generally, how it can be used to promote innovation, and the effectiveness of the scheme. Additionally, the section will discuss the main applications of the policy in the United Kingdom and the changes over time. The fourth section details public support measures for creative industries other than tax credits. Finally, Section 5 offers policy recommendations