Liver transplantation (LT) activities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been curtailed in many countries. The impact of various policies restricting LT on outcomes of potential LT candidates is unclear. We studied all patients on the nationwide LT waitlists in Hong Kong and Singapore between January 2016 and May 2020. We used continuous time Markov chains to model the effects of different scenarios and varying durations of disruption on LT candidates.

In the face of conflict, power can be defined as ‘the ability to get one’s needs met [1].’ Power requires not just an ability to do or act by strength and force, but also requires an inherent want and need for a commodity. Yet it is self-explanatory that a desire for power isn’t temporary, but perpetual, with those whose needs are satisfied always yearning for more. This can lead to longer term conflict, suggesting the gradient of power enrooted within society, (...) is the sole perpetrator towards worldwide violence; yet is it possible to completely eradicate violence from society, when individuals, parties and states will never stop their crave for greater power? (shrink)

Authoritarian parenting has long been associated with Western individualism and improved child development. This study examined the relationship between cultural values, parenting styles, and children’s perceived competence in Hong Kong. A total of 48 parents from local Chinese families, 49 parents from South Asian families, and 105 children (24 local Chinese and 81 South Asian) aged 5–6 years participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires on adherence to Asian cultural values and parenting style were administered to parents. The Pictorial Survey on (...) Children’s Perceived Competence was administered to children by trained research assistants. The results contradicted two long-standing assumptions on Asian cultural values and parenting styles. (shrink)

'One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ The final line of an influential philosophical essay written by the father of Absurdism, Albert Camus. Born in Algeria, Camus was a French writer and philosopher who explored around the ideas of suicide and the human condition. After winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957, he died in a sudden car accident 3 years later, which was seen by many as a tragic reflection of the doctrine of Absurdism - ‘the confrontation of man with (...) the irrational,’ or more simply put, the conflict between our desire for meaning and the meaningless and indifferent nature of the universe to our existence. This paper begins by recounting the Myth of Sisyphus, a story of Greek mythology where Sisyphus is condemned to rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity. It then moves on to explore the deeper philosophical questions posed by Camus from this Greek myth before delving into the philosophical stance of Absurdism, and questioning the essence of our existence. (shrink)

This paper examines entrepreneurship. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: This paper introduces new results obtained from a statistical investigation into a 3071-observation data set collected from a Vietnamese nationwide entrepreneurship survey. From established relationships, such factors as preparedness, financial resources, and participation in social networks are confirmed to have significant effects on entrepreneurial decisions. Entrepreneurs, both financially constrained and unconstrained, who have a business plan tend to start their entrepreneurial ventures (...) earlier. Also, financial constraints have a profound impact on entrepreneurial decisions. When perceiving the likelihood of success to be high, an entrepreneur shows the tendency for prompt action on business ideas. But when seeing the risk of prolonging the waiting time to first revenue, a prospective entrepreneur would be more likely to wait for more favorable conditions despite the vagueness of “favorable.” Additionally, empirical computations indicate that there is a 41.3 % probability that an extant entrepreneur who is generating revenue sees a high chance of success. Past work and entrepreneurial experiences also have positive impacts on both the entrepreneurial decisions and perceived chance of success. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. (shrink)

Social integration was theorized to be a ‘secularizing’ process for immigrants in Western Europe. Assuming that immigrants adapt to new social environments by complying with the mainstream culture of their receiving countries, immigrant religiosity is expected to decline as they assimilate in societies where secular norms prevail. Alternatively, religion could be a coping mechanism for immigrants who struggle to assimilate in their receiving countries. ‘Buffer’ theories of religion suggest that religious identity could be interchangeable with ethnicity and nationality to mitigate (...) the identity conflicts immigrants experience. This paper addresses the following research question: What role does religion play in the identity conflict experienced by immigrants who are both an ethnic minority and a national of a Western European country? Particularly, I explore the pertinence of religious identity for first-generation Sub-Saharan African Christian immigrants (SSACI) in Germany and France, where the models of immigrant assimilation diverge. Statistical tests were conducted on data derived from two surveys to compare religious, national, and ethnic self-identities at the group and individual levels. The group comparisons suggest that Christianity was indeed more salient for SSACI than native-born Christians. SSACIs without citizenship were also more likely to experience identity conflict, to which they may cope by associating less with their ethnicity or more with their religious identity. Perceived discrimination was associated with identity conflict only in Germany where immigrant assimilation is traditionally based on a common ancestry, in contrast to the values-based model in France. These are consistent with the predictions derived from ‘buffer’ theories of immigrant religiosity but longitudinal studies are needed for a more robust understanding of these trends. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic put immense pressure on healthcare systems globally, including those of highly developed countries like the United States and United Kingdom. During the pandemic, professional nursing organizations were the first to call attention to the disproportionate pandemic-related deaths among Filipino nurses. These organizations played a central role in addressing the various crises Filipino nurses faced due to their vulnerabilities as frontliners, ethnic minorities, and migrants in their host countries. Using the Volatile, Uncertain, Complexity, and Ambiguous (VUCA) framework, this (...) monograph assesses the pandemic-response actions and strategies of PNAA and PNAUK, two Filipino nursing associations in the US and UK. The major themes suggest that the two organizations are multifunctional entities with the capacity to act as lobbyists, research organizations, and decision-makers when adapting, strategizing, and coping with VUCA conditions. These findings corroborate previous findings on the potentiality of diasporic nursing organizations in addressing the gaps in government support for migrant workers in the healthcare industry. (shrink)

The ongoing war on drugs in the Philippines has become the epicenter of discourse and concern regarding human rights, populism, and illiberal democracy. While most studies focus on President Duterte's controversial 'strongman' persona and mass appeal, very few have sought to analyze the locals' attitudes towards him as cognitive-affective phenomena. To address this gap, this paper provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of pre-selected subjects in Davao and Manila, two regions in the Philippines with arguably the most salient pro-and anti-Duterte populations, (...) respectively, in 2019. Using a mapping software modeled after Paul Thagard's emotional coherence theory, this study maps the possible cognitive-affective processes underpinning the political ideologies of an influential leftist organization in the Philippines. Cognitive dissonance theory was used to consolidate the qualitative analyses of data derived from the surveys and interviews. The findings suggest that the two populations' political ideologies were relatively similar, as expected of subjects who belong to the same organization. However, the significant differences in the subjects' stances towards the Duterte administration suggest that the socio-political contexts of Manila and Davao could affect political opinions and views despite their similar core political ideologies. (shrink)

La comprensión lectora constituye un tema de estudio y preocupación en todo el sistema educativo venezolano, desde la primaria hasta el postgrado. A partir de diferentes enfoques y con diferentes métodos y estrategias se han buscado alternativas para mejorar las competencias que tienen los estudiantes. En el caso de este estudio se partió de las teorías constructivistas y de la metodología investigación acción en el aula para que los estudiantes desarrollaran la comprensión de la lectura a través de un conjunto (...) de estrategias interactivas. En cuanto a las técnicas para la recolección y análisis de la información, se utilizaron cuantitativas y cualitativas, como la observación participante, el diario de clase y la triangulación, entre otros. La investigación se efectuó en dos ciclos con estudiantes del Programa Educación, Proyecto Educación Integral, de la Universidad Nacional Experimental “Rafael María Baralt”. Los resultados evidencian mejoras sustantivas en los niveles de comprensión de la lectura del grupo, sobre todo en la lectura inferencial. Se evidencia que los aspectos como el clima del aula, aprendizaje cooperativo, aprender haciendo, aprendizaje significativo, las estrategias para la mediación de aprendizaje y los procesos metacognitivos en el proceso de aprendizaje son importantes para desarrollar la comprensión de la lectura. Asimismo, se consideran relevantes los elementos afectivos y sociales en el diseño de las estrategias. Por último, se concluye que más que consolidar la comprensión de la lectura, se consolidan los procesos cognitivos que posibilitan la comprensión. (shrink)

The precarious rights of senior citizens, especially those who are highly educated and who are expected to counsel and guide the younger generations, has stimulated the creation internationally of advocacy associations and opinion leader groups. The strength of these groups, however, varies from country to country. In some countries, they are supported and are the focus of intense interest; in others, they are practically ignored. For this is reason we believe that the creation of a network of all these associations (...) is essential. The proposed network would act as a support for the already-existing policies of the United Nations’ High Commission for Human Rights, of independent experts, and of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People. All three have long ago recommended the creation of a recognized instrument for uniting presently scattered efforts. The proposed network, therefore, will seek to promote the international exchange of relevant expertise, and it will reinforce the commitments and actions that single countries are currently taking to meet these objectives. For example, informative public events can be organised to promote particular support initiatives and to provide an opportunity for new members of the network to be presented. The network will promote health for senior citizens, disease prevention, senior mobility, safe free time for seniors, alimentary education, protection against new risks and dangers, as well as equity in the services necessary for seniors to adopt new information and communication technologies. In the case of retired academic members, the network will promote equality with respect to continuing use of digital technologies (particularly email), continuing access to research libraries, and the guaranteed ability for seniors to fund their own research programs and to deliver free seminars. (shrink)

Parental involvement is one of the primary factors that affect children’s development and individuality. However, its effect on the academic motivation and self-concept of college students is not well understood, especially in the Philippines. The present study used the Ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner to investigate the effect of varying parental involvement on the academic motivation and self-concept of college students at Dr. Carlos S. Lanting College. Purposive sampling was used among 198 college students from Dr. Carlos S. Lanting College (...) who were identified using a purposive sampling technique. Statistical instruments including descriptive, correlation, and regression analysis were used to examine the data collected and investigate the link between the variables. Based on the regression analysis, it was found that parental involvement only has a significant relationship with academic motivation and not with self-concept. In conclusion, college students have a sense of independence and their self-concept is not affected by parental involvement; nonetheless, parents providing essential support influence their academic motivation. -/- . (shrink)

Mental health among students is one of the major concerns amidst the pandemic. Employing a correlational design, this study investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence and mental health among 152 senior high school students. Based on the statistical analysis, the r coefficient of 0.82 indicates a high positive correlation between the variables. The p-value of 0.00, which is less than 0.05, leads to the decision to reject the null hypothesis. Hence, a significant relationship exists between emotional intelligence and mental health (...) among senior high school. Implications were discussed in the study. (shrink)

This study was designed to determine effects of peer-health-education on sexual health knowledge and attitudes of tertiary institution students in Imo State Nigeria by determining the mean gain scores of sexual health knowledge and attitudes after peer health education. Quasi-experimental (pre-test-post-test) research design was employed. Two hundred students drawn from the University, Polytechnic and College of Education, using a multi-stage sampling technique participated in the peer sessions which were facilitated by trained peer educators. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and Z-test. (...) Findings revealed improved knowledge and attitudes on sexual health, as depicted by positive mean gain scores. Age group 16 - 20 years had the highest mean gain score ( X = 22.31) of sexual health knowledge than the rest, while age group 26 - 30 years had the highest mean gain score ( X = 10.59) of sexual health attitudes. Males had higher mean gain score ( X = 26.05) of sexual health knowledge, while females had higher mean gain score ( X = 9.77) of sexual health attitudes. The first years (100 level students) had the highest mean gain score ( X = 25.71) of sexual health knowledge and also had the highest mean gain score ( X = 14.12) of sexual health attitudes. Level of study was significant both for knowledge and attitudes (P < 0.01). It is recommended that peer-health-education be explored further as a method of communicating sexual health issues to tertiary institution students and youths generally. (shrink)

The study sought to investigate the level of the knowledge possessed by Home Economics lecturers and students on the objectives of Patchwork and Quilting Craft. The design of the study was a descriptive survey. The study was carried out in Colleges of Education in South-East zone of Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of all the Home Economics lecturers and final year students in Colleges of Education. A census sampling approach was used in selecting all the lecturers and students (...) for the study. A researcher-developed questionnaire titled, “Level of knowledge on the Objectives of Patchwork and Quilting Craft Questionnaire” was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in Home Economics and Measurement and Evaluation in Universities and Colleges of Education. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach’s alpha procedure and an index of 0.84 was obtained. The instrument was administered and collected back by five research assistants. Mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. Findings show that twenty-four possible specific objectives of teaching patchwork and quilting craft in colleges of education were identified. There was a significant difference at p < 0.05 between the mean ratings of Home Economics lecturers and students on the objectives of teaching patchwork and quilting craft. Based on the findings, it was recommended that lecturers and students of Home Economics should be adequately retrained to gain more knowledge of the objectives of patchwork and quilting craft in colleges of Education. (shrink)

Book review of Sonia Shah's The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move.