The blockchain is a technology which accumulates and compiles data into a chain of multiple blocks. Many blockchain researchers are adopting it in multiple areas. However, there are still lacks bibliometric reports exhibiting the exploration of an in-depth research pattern in blockchain. This paper aims to address that gap by analyzing the widespread of blockchain research activities conducted thus far. This study analyzed the Scopus database by using bibliometric analysis in a pool of more than 1000 articles that were published between 2013 and 2018. In particular, this paper discusses various aspects of blockchain research conducted by researchers globally. This study also focuses on the utilization of blockchain and its consensus algorithms. This bibliometric analysis discovered the following: (1) Blockchain able to solve security issues in internet of things (IoT) and would be an increasing trend in the future; (2) Researchers begin to adopt blockchain in healthcare area; (3) The most active country in blockchain publication is United States, followed by China and Germany; (4) Switzerland and Singapore are two small size countries that published few publications, however receives many citations. (5) Research collaborations between countries increased the research publications except for Canada, India, and Brazil. (6) Keyword analysis revealed that researchers are adopting blockchain to solve problems in multiple categories of the data research area (data privacy, digital storage, the security of data, big data, and distributed database). This study also highlighted the utilization and consensus of the algorithm in blockchain research.

The rise of “blockchain”: bibliometric analysis of blockchain study

In this study, raw single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were chemically treated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3) in a ratio (3:1). These carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been coated with Ag-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) by using the sol–gel method. All samples have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and zeta potential analyzer. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the polycrystalline structure of silver (Ag) embedded with anatase titanium (TiO2) nanoparticles, while SWCNTs and MWCNTs were verified by EDS spectra due to covering of the (002) peak of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by the (101) diffraction peak of the TiO2. The FTIR results confirmed the formation of oxygen functional groups onto the SWCNTs and MWCNTs. FESEM results indicated that TiO2/Ag nanoparticles (NPs) successfully loaded onto SWCNTs and MWCNTs. UV–vis absorbance results show a decrease in the energy band gap of MWCNTs-Ag/TiO2 and SWCNTs-Ag/TiO2 in comparison with pure TiO2. Antibacterial activities of nanocomposite samples against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were evaluated by an international recognized test (ASTM E2149). The results showed that nanocomposite samples have a strong bacterial inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus. Gram-negative bacteria appeared to be more resistant to nanocomposite materials than Gram-positive bacteria under illumination by UV light.

Synthesis of Ag-doped TiO2 nanoparticles coated with carbon nanotubes by the sol–gel method and their antibacterial activities

The detection of online cyberbullying has seen an increase in societal importance, popularity in research, and available open data. Nevertheless, while computational power and affordability of resources continue to increase, the access restrictions on high-quality data limit the applicability of state-of-the-art techniques. Consequently, much of the recent research uses small, heterogeneous datasets, without a thorough evaluation of applicability. In this paper, we further illustrate these issues, as we (i) evaluate many publicly available resources for this task and demonstrate difficulties with data collection. These predominantly yield small datasets that fail to capture the required complex social dynamics and impede direct comparison of progress. We (ii) conduct an extensive set of experiments that indicate a general lack of cross-domain generalization of classifiers trained on these sources, and openly provide this framework to replicate and extend our evaluation criteria. Finally, we (iii) present an effective crowdsourcing method: simulating real-life bullying scenarios in a lab setting generates plausible data that can be effectively used to enrich real data. This largely circumvents the restrictions on data that can be collected, and increases classifier performance. We believe these contributions can aid in improving the empirical practices of future research in the field.

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Current Limitations in Cyberbullying Detection: on Evaluation Criteria, Reproducibility, and Data Scarcity

The body image disturbance (BID) is a common symptom in eating disorders, often observed and described in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Recently, this symptom has also been observed in binge eating disorder (BED). The research underlines that the BID presents three different altered components: affective, cognitive, and perceptual one. Current treatments for BID have mainly focused on the affective and cognitive components. Nowadays, the need emerges for treatments focused also on the perceptual component of the BID. In this paper, we present the results of an efficacy study on the body perception treatment (BPT), a new treatment for BID focused on the perceptual component of the disorder. We looked for an additional treatment effect on a protocol for ED inpatients to evaluate the efficacy of BPT. We performed the study through statistical analysis of admission and discharge scores. We conducted a case–control study in a hospital ward specialized in eating disorders. Two groups were identified: the control group (TAU; N = 91) and the experimental group (TAU + BPT; N = 91). The experimental group performed BTP activities in addition to the treatment at usual. All patients in both groups had an eating disorder diagnosis (AN, BN, BED and EDNOS/OSFED). Sampling occurred on a time basis and not by randomization. Moreover, all patients admitted in the ED hospital ward in the time frame considered (from end-2009 to mid-2017) were included in the study. BPT activities were introduced in mid-2013 and three psychometric instruments upon entry and discharge were used: Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90) to measure the general psychopathological state; the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) to estimate the incidence of personality traits strongly correlated to eating disorders; the body uneasiness test (BUT) to measure the body uneasiness. We performed a pre/post analysis for both groups; we studied the additional effect of the treatment through deltas analysis of the three questionnaires (Δ = assessment at discharge − assessment at the entrance). Data were analyzed using the Student T and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The pre/post analysis showed statistically significant improvement in both conditions (TAU and TAU + BPT) in the general psychopathological state (SCL-90) and in the incidence of personality traits (EDI-3). Improvements in body uneasiness (BUT) were observed only in the experimental group (TAU + BPT). Furthermore, the analysis of the deltas shows more significant improvements in TAU + BPT compared to TAU in all the variables considered. We found an additional effect of the BPT on TAU. The usual ED protocol added with BPT activities showed significantly better clinical results. We have interpreted these results in light of recent developments in the neuroscientific field of body image. Level II: controlled trial without randomization.

Body perception treatment, a possible way to treat body image disturbance in eating disorders: a case-control efficacy study.

CyberAid: Are your children safe from cyberbullying?

Introduction The participation of general practitioners (GPs) in primary care research is variable and often poor. We aimed to develop a substantive and empirical theoretical framework to explain GPs' decision-making process to participate in research. Methods We used the grounded theory approach to construct a substantive theory to explain the decision-making process of GPs to participate in research activities. Five in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted among 21 GPs. Purposeful sampling followed by theoretical sampling were used to attempt saturation of the core category. Data were collected using semi-structured open-ended questions. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and checked prior to analysis. Open line-by-line coding followed by focus coding were used to arrive at a substantive theory. Memoing was used to help bring concepts to higher abstract levels. Results The GPs' decision to participate in research was attributed to their inner drive and appreciation for primary care research and their confidence in managing their social and research environments. The drive and appreciation for research motivated the GPs to undergo research training to enhance their research knowledge, skills and confidence. However, the critical step in the GPs' decision to participate in research was their ability to align their research agenda with priorities in their social environment, which included personal life goals, clinical practice and organisational culture. Perceived support for research, such as funding and technical expertise, facilitated the GPs' participation in research. In addition, prior experiences participating in research also influenced the GPs' confidence in taking part in future research. Conclusions The key to GPs deciding to participate in research is whether the research agenda aligns with the priorities in their social environment. Therefore, research training is important, but should be included in further measures and should comply with GPs' social environments and research support.

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Iliza Idris

Papers

Decision making process and factors contributing to research participation among general practitioners: A grounded theory study.