bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı: Bayburt Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir İnceleme
Authors: KORKMAZ Özge
Published: December 2020

Günümüzde dünya nüfusunun yaklaşık üçte ikisinin internet kullanıcısı olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Günlük atılan tweet sayısı yüz milyonlarla ifade edilebilirken, Google arama sayısı ve e-posta sayısı ise milyarın çok daha üzerindedir. Bu da gelişen teknolojilerle beraber bireylerin sosyal hayatlarında dijital ve sosyal medya araçlarının etkilerinin yadsınamaz boyutlara ulaştığının bir göstergesidir. Başlangıçta eğlenceli olarak nitelendirilen bu uygulamaların fazla kullanılması durumunda, bağımlılık sorunları ortaya çıkabilmektedir. Bir diğer ifadeyle, tıp alanında sosyal medya bağımlılığı bir hastalık olarak nitelendirilmekte ve bağımlılığın kontrol altında tutulmasının önemli olduğu belirtilmektedir. Sosyal medya bağımlılığının birey üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri dikkate alındığında genç neslin bağımlılık düzeylerinin belirlenmesi ve buna göre önlemler alınması önem arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmada Bayburt Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi'nde 2018-2019 akademik yılı Bahar döneminde eğitim gören öğrencilerinin dijital ve sosyal medya bağımlılık düzeylerine yönelik bilgiler elde edilmiştir. Çalışmanın sonuç kısmında anket verilerine dayalı olarak dijital ve sosyal medya bağımlılık düzeyinin azaltılmasına yönelik öneriler sunulmuştur.
RATE-LAW APPLICATION TO SIMULATE LITHIUM-BASED CELL EXPERIMENTAL DATA
Authors:   Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering, University of Dayton, OH 45469, SANDHU SARWAN S.
Published: December 2020

A rate-law formulation, based on the concept of the overall activation energy barrier, has been developed [1] to simulate the experimental data of a lithium-based electrochemical cell/battery. This short paper illustrates the application of that formulation to simulate the experimental data acquired from the cell during the discharge period.
Localization of Trochlear Spine & Fovea in Human Skulls
Authors: Atta Iram , Nouman Maria , Tafweez Raafea
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Many otolaryngologist and the orbital surgeons have been devoted to finding a better way to achieve optimal outcome in fields of the paranasal sinuses and surgery on medial orbital wall. This could be achieved when the surgeon gives sufficient consideration to orbital anatomy. The cartilaginous pulley of superior oblique muscle is vulnerable during the operations on frontoethmoidal sinus. This pulley passes through an anatomical landmark called trochlear fovea and spine. Aims & Objectives: To describe proper location of trochlear fovea and spine by using the measurements of frontal and sagittal plane. Place and duration of study: The study was conducted at King Edward Medical University, Lahore in 2020 on 61 dry skulls. Material & Methods: Four measurements were taken in frontal plane using two lines passing at right angle through supra orbital notch and fronto zygomatic suture while in sagittal plane the distance of fovea/spine was measured from orbital margin anteriorly and optic canal posteriorly. Results: The distance of fovea and spine from the lines along supra orbital notch and fronto zygomatic suture was 7.22 ± 0.93mm and 6.14 ± 0.83mm respectively. It was 3.77 ± 0.73mm behind the margin and 38.22 ± 2.98mm in front of optic canal. Conclusion: To prevent unwanted injury to superior oblique pulley surgeons should know the topographic location and variation of fovea and spine so that the postoperative diplopia could be prevented while approaching the paranasal sinuses and surgery on medial orbital wall.
Nephroprotective Evaluation of Moringa oleifera & Beta vulgaris Leaves in Murine Methotrexate Induced Toxicity
Authors: Kanwel Shumaila , Suhail Bushra , Saqib Mudassara , Alam Saadia Shahzad
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Methotrexate has been used for treatment of multiple diseases. Chronic use of this drug can result in oxidative damage resulting in nephrotoxicity. Beta vulgaris and Moringa oleifera are well known herbs for their antioxidant properties, so they can have potential nephroprotective effect against MTX induced renal damage. Aims & Objectives: The study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic role of Moringa oleifera and Beta vulgaris leaves against MTX induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Place and duration of study: Time duration of our research project was 6 months. It was carried out in PGMI Lahore and FPGMI, Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Lahore. Material & Methods: 5 groups of 9 rats each were made. Group1 were maintained as healthy controls while Group II as diseased control Groups III, IV and V were administered daily p.o for 24 days 200mg /kg of Ethanolic Extract of Beta Vulgaris( EEBV),and 800 mg/kg Ethanolic Extract of Moringa oleifera (EEMO) and combination of extracts (100mg/kg EEBV+400mg/kg EEMO respectively. Nephrotoxicity was produced on 21st day via single i/p route injection of 20mg/kg MTX in all groups except Group 1. RFTs were performed on days 1, 21 and 24th day. Nephroprotection was determined by measuring serum urea, creatinine along with histopathological study of kidneys at study end. Results: EEBV provided significant neproprotection in group 3 which had significantly lower levels of creatinine as compared to group 2 with p-value <0.001. The groups 4 and 5 had nonsignificant difference from group 2 with p-values 0.975 and 0.252. Further confirmation by histopathological examination of kidneys revealed group 3 to have improved status of kidney( normal kidney epithelium, normal tubules, mild congestion, mild necrosis) as compared to other groups with (distorted kidney epithelium ,dilated tubules ,moderate to severe congestion and necrosis). Conclusion: Nephroprotective effect was shown by Beta vulgaris plant while Moringa oleifera plant extracts remained unable to show their protection against MTX induced nephrotoxicity.
Perceived Stress of Pakistani Parents Having Normal Children Aged Under Ten Visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Shahzad Saadia , Zahid Rosheen , Rehman Bushra , Kazmi Tahseen Haider
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Having children changes the dynamics of family functioning and parenting role can become a source of stress for parents, even if their child is following a normal growth pattern without any unusual problem. A maximal number of studies in our setup have been conducted to assess stress levels in parents who have differently abled (special needs) children. This study, in contrast, will assess the perceived stress level in parents who have normal children following a normal growth pattern. Aims & Objectives: 1) To determine perceived stress levels in parents having normal children ≤10 years of age. 2) To identify the association of perceived stress levels in parents with socio-demographic factors. Place and duration of study: Shalamar Hospital, Dec 18, 2019-Mar 19, 2020. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in one tertiary level hospital in Lahore. The study subjects were parents with normal children ≤10 years of age. Purposive sampling technique was applied to recruit the subjects. Study variables were: a) sociodemographic b) variables of perceived stress among parents. Data was collected upon the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a structured socio-demographic Performa. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20, with perceived stress as the outcome. Descriptive statistics were calculated, while the Independent Samples T-test was used to test differences between PSS scores and characteristics of the family. Multivariable Logistic Regression model was applied for studying associations of perceived stress with socio-demographic characteristics. Results: From a total of 390 respondents, the mean parental perceived stress score was 41.59±8.27. Among these, 32.6% were categorized in low stress, 50.8% moderate, and 16.6% in high stress category. A significant association was found between perceived stress and the working status of the mother (pvalue= 0.011), and with the father’s monthly income (p-value=0.000). The Independent sample t-test showed significant differences between PSS total score and structural types of the family (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: The development of a child with parents’ positive mental health is important, and parental stress compromises the healthy growth of children. The current results warrant further study at a community level with a representative sample to have a more in-depth analysis of the application of some intervention at an early stage. This will assist in minimizing parental stress and improve parenting quality.
Caffeine Consumption & Perception of Its Effects Amongst University Students
Authors: Maqsood Umer , Zahra Roop , Latif Muhammad Zahid , Athar Hena , Shaikh Gul Muhammad , Hassan Syed Bilal
Published: December 2020

Introduction: A variety of research studies have shown that caffeine usage is highly prevalent among university students and many of them have different perception of its effect on their mental and physical health. These perceptions can influence the intake of caffeine which may lead to its addiction, resulting in serious public health consequences. Aims & Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine the frequency of caffeine consumption and the perception of its effects among university students. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted within 6 months duration, from May 2018 to October 2019 among students of three private universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Material & Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A sample size of 670 university students was taken and the data were collected from three private universities of Lahore through convenience sampling technique. The perception of effects of caffeine was determined through a pre-validated questionnaire, Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (CaffEQ) from consumers and nonconsumers of caffeine. Results: A total of 670 university students participated in the study, out of which, 278 (41.5%) were males and 392 (58.5%) were females. 506 (75.5%) participants were consumer of caffeine, while 164 (24.5%) were non consumer. The occurrence of caffeine consumption was more in males (79.9%) than in females (72.4%). Participants reported that they consume caffeine because it makes them feel more alert (83.4%), they experience caffeine withdrawal without caffeine (83%) and caffeine makes them feel more energetic (80.6%). The perceptions due to which participants don't consume caffeine were that they expect caffeine makes their heartbeat irregular (81.7%), they don't like the way caffeine makes them feel (80.5%) and caffeine makes them irritable (76.8%). Conclusion: The study concludes that male students had more tendencies towards caffeine consumption than females. Perceptions for consuming caffeine were feeling of alertness, experiencing caffeine withdrawal symptoms, feeling of energy and ability to work over long periods of time after having caffeine. The perceptions for not consuming caffeine were irregular heartbeat, bad feelings, irritability, and sleep disturbances.
Radiological Analysis of Hind Paw Joint in Murine Rheumatoid Arthritis Model Treated Prophylactically Or Therapeutically with Cassia fistula versus Naproxen
Authors: Farooq Hassan , Piracha Mariyam Iftikhar , Usman Muhammad , Tariq Rabia , Alam Saadia Shahzad
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Cassia fistula has anti-inflammatory activity. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, causing inflammation and disability of the affected joints. It is mostly treated symptomatically with NSAIDs, which themselves have a lot of adverse effects. In this study the anti-arthritic effect of Cassia fistula versus naproxen has been observed radiologically. Aims & Objectives: The present study was radiological analysis of anti-arthritic effect of Cassia fistula compared to naproxen in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced rat model of rheumatoid arthritis. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at the Animal House of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore for a period of three months. Material & Methods: The study was carried out on 96 male rats divided into 12 groups of 8 rats each. Single 0.2ml dose of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) was injected in the right hind paw of each rat in all groups except Group 1 (negative control). Group 2 was positive control. The prophylactic (3-7) and therapeutic (8- 12) groups were given naproxen (25mg/kg), anthraquinone extract (250 &500mg/kg) or methanolic extract (250 & 500mg/kg) of Cassia fistula orally BD on days 1,2 &3 (first dose preceding CFA injection by 30 minutes) and on days 9,10 &11 for therapeutic groups respectively. On day 15, x-rays of right ankle joints of all groups were taken as a confirmatory investigation on the final status of the arthritis. Results: Our results showed both anthraquinone and methanolic extracts of Cassia fistula have dose dependent (500˃250mg/dl) prophylactic and therapeutic anti-arthritic potential albeit lesser than naproxen 25mg/kg, to reduce the swelling of hind paw and deformity of interphalangeal joints on radiological examination. Conclusion: The efficacy of Cassia fistula makes it a potential weaker candidate to naproxen in prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
The present and the future of Russian higher education shown through university typology
Authors: Lbova Ekaterina
Published: December 2020

In the article, through the study of various typologies of universities, the current state and the future of Russian higher education are assessed. There are different approaches to the classification of higher education institutions: classical, which views the university through the history; an approach that systematizes higher education institutions by belonging to a particular cultural tradition; economic approach. The authors of the typologies offer two opposite points of view regarding the future of the Russian university. According to the first point of view, the existing university system must be completely reformed. Supporters of the second one suggest adjusting the existing system to the requirements of modern society. Due to the analysis, we concluded that a hybrid option is more suitable for Russia, in which gradual changes allow preserving the advantages of Russian education and minimize the disadvantages.
The Application of Case-Based Reasoning to Estimation of Software Development Effort
Authors: Rashid Ekbal , Bhattacherjee Vandana , Patnaik Srikanta
Published: December 2020

Accurate project effort estimation is an important goal for the software engineering community. Till date most work has focused upon building algorithmic models of effort estimation for example COCOMO. We describe an alternative approach to estimation based upon the use of analogy. The objective is to estimate the development effort of student programs based on the values of certain attributes. We have developed a case based reasoning model and have validated it upon student data. Due to the nature of the software engineering domain, it is important that software cost estimation models should be able to deal with imprecision and uncertainty associated with such values. It is to serve this purpose that we propose our case based model for software cost estimation. We feel that case based models are particularly useful when it is difficult to define concrete rules about a problem domain in addition to this, expert advice may be used to supplement the existing stored knowledge.
An Introduction to RTOS
Authors: Singh Sanjay , Tripathi Nishant , Chaudhary Anil Kumar , Singh Mahesh Kumar
Published: December 2020

RTOS (real time operating system) can be defined as “The ability of the operating system to provide a required level of service in bounded response time.” A real time system responds in a (timely) predictable way to unpredictable external stimuli arrivals. To build a predictable system, all its components (hardware & software) should enable this requirement to be fulfilled. Traffic on a bus for example should take place in a way allowing all events to be managed within the prescribe time limit. However it should not be forgotten that a good RTOS is only is building block. Using it in a wrongly designed system may lead to a malfunctioning of the RT system. A good RTOS can be defined as one that has a bounded (predictable) behavior under all system load scenarios (simultaneous interrupts and thread execution). In RT system, each individual deadline should be met. Real-time systems are designed to control and monitor their environment. Most of these systems are using sensors to collect environment state and use actuators to change something.
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Authors:   NULL, NULL NULL
Published: December 2020

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Nil Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Balıklarında Yapılan İnsektisit Toksisitesi Çalışmaları
Authors: Günal Aysel Çağlan
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Insecticides constitute one of the most important groups of pesticides used in agriculture to get more products per unit area and to combat various pests. Pesticides can be absorbed from the soil by mixing with rainwater, drainage water, runoff and irrigation water and can contaminate aquatic ecosystems. This situation affects all non-target organisms in the water units, mainly fish. In this study, studies investigating the toxic effects of insecticides on Nile tilapia fish were reviewed in the open literature.
Keywords: Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, Insecticide, Pesticide
Motor Vehicle Tax Seen from the Tax Assessment and Collection Method
Authors: Safitri Jasmayani
Published: December 2020

This study discusses the importance of motor vehicle tax and knows its provisions. The legal basis for motor vehicle tax has been regulated in number 34 of 2000. motor vehicle tax objects and taxpayers. Motor vehicle tax object and taxpayer. the tax period and the tax returns on regional tax payable constitute motor vehicle tax that must be paid by the taxpayer at one time, during the tax period or in the tax year according to the provisions of regional regulations on motor vehicle tax stipulated by the local provincial government.
Pyramid of Filters - Fast Image Filtering without FFT
Authors: Ershov Sergey , Valiev Ildar , Voloboy Alexey
Published: December 2020

Methods of computer graphics which had already become common in design of new optical systems and materials find currently new applications such as stomatology and ophthalmology. Some modern imaging systems are now designed in conjunction with the human vision system which is at their end. Asa result simulation of the effects of human vision becomes necessary. These include partial defocusing and resulting "blur" of image, scattering and halo/corona and so on. Such effects are usually simulated convolving the original, "ideal" image with the pixel spread function. The latter frequently has size about that of the source image, so straightforward calculation of convolution would take a giant number of operations. Therefore in case of high resolution a decent speedis usually achieved by using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for convolution,but since FFT operates periodic functions on a lattice with resolution being an integer power of a prime numbers, the required working resolution may considerably increase that of the original image and required memory becomes inadmissible. This paper presents an alternative method that allows calculations in much smaller memory avoiding overheads introduced by FFT requirements.
Analysis of the Influence of Vegetation Index Choice on the Classification of Satellite Images for Monitoring Forest Pathology
Authors: Trubakov Evgeniy , Trubakova Olga
Published: December 2020

Rational use of natural resources and control over their recovery, as well as over destruction due to natural and technogenic causes, is currently one of the most urgent problems of the humanity. Forests are no exception. Multispectral images from Earth’s satellites are most often used for monitoring changes in forest planting. This is due to the fact that merging images taken in certain spectra makes it possible to recognize vegetation containing chlorophyll quite well. It also allows to detect changes in the level of chlorophyll, which shows the differences between healthy and damaged plants. Large areas of planted forests create the need to process huge amounts of data, which is difficult to do manually. One of the most important stages of image processing is the classification of objects in these images. This paper deals with various classification methods used to solve the problem of classifying images of remote sensing of the Earth. As a result, it was decided to evaluate the accuracy of classification methods on various vegetation indices. In the course of the study, the evaluation algorithm was determined, as well as one of the options for analyzing the results obtained. Conclusions were made about the work of classification methods on different vegetation indices.
The Backward Photon Mapping for the Realistic Image Rendering
Authors: Zhdanov Dmitry , Zhdanov Andrey
Published: December 2020

The current paper is devoted to the methods of the realistic rendering methods based on the bidirectional stochastic ray tracing with photon maps. The research of the backward photon mapping method to account for both caustics and indirect illumination is presented. By using the backward photon maps authors reduced the amount of data that should be stored in the photon maps that allowed to speed up the process of the indirect luminance calculation. Methods used for constructing a tree of backward photon maps and methods of efficient parallelization used in algorithms of accumulation and forming the backward photon maps along with tracing forward and back-ward rays in the rendering process are considered. Methods to estimate the attained luminance error both for single image pixels and for the entire image with the designed rendering method are presented. The rendering results obtained with the use of the developed methods and algorithms are presented.
Method for Improving an Image Segment in a Video Stream Using Median Filtering and Blind Deconvolution Based on Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Trubakov Andrey , Trubakova Anna
Published: December 2020

Video surveillance systems, dash cameras and security systems have become an inescapable part of the most institutions ground environment. Their main purpose is to prevent incidents and to analyze the situation in case of extemporaneous events. Though as often as not it is necessary to increase an image segment many times over to investigate some incidents. Sometimes it is dozens of times. However, the obtained material is mostly of poor quality. This is connected either with noise or resolution characteristics, including focal distance. The paper considers an approach for improving image segments, which were obtained after multiple zooming. The main idea of the proposed solution is to use methods of blind deconvolution. In this case, the selection of restoration parameters is carried out using evolutionary algorithms with automatic evaluation of the result. That seems like the most important detail here is pre-processing besides noise minimization within the image, because when the image is repeatedly enlarged the effect of the noise component also increases. To avoid this thing, we suggest using ordinal statistics and average convolution for a series of images. The proposed solution was implemented as a software product, and its operation was tested on a number of video segments made under different shooting conditions. The results are presented at the end of this article.
Het papieren paleis
Authors: Barendrecht J.M. (Maurits) , Chabot M. (Maurits)
Published: December 2020

Het papieren paleis

In Het Papieren Paleis laten wij zien dat het strafrecht volgens de spelregels van de wetboeken vaak niet doet wat nodig is. De zoektocht naar betere manieren om de strafdoelen te bereiken is volop aan de gang. Hier een voorproefje van waar het volgens het boek heen gaat.
Short-Chain Hydroxyl CoA Dehydrogenase Probably is the Central Player in DNA Replication and Glucose Consumption in Human Non-Small Lung Carcinoma Cell Line
Authors: Soleymaninejadian Ehsan
Published: December 2020

: Hydroxyl CoA Dehydrogenase (HADH) is one of the key enzymes in fatty acid β-oxidation. Recently, Hydroxyl CoA Dehydrogenase gene mutation and knockdown were found to be correlated with hyperinsulinemia and central nervous system diseases. As the HADH is one of the critical enzymes in the β-oxidation pathway, the interconnection between HADH and tumorigenicity still is unclear. So, we used Short hairpin RNA (ShRNA) to knock down short-chain hydroxyl CoA dehydrogenase (HADHSC) in human non-small lung carcinoma cell line, H1299, followed by checking cell proliferation, DNA replication, and mRNA level of some the most essential enzymes in glycolysis cycle and Krebs. Cell proliferation was checked by comparing the cell numbers in knockdown and control cells. DNA replication in the H1299 cell line was studied after applying 5-ethynyl 2’-deoxyuridine (EDU) and 4’-6 diamidino-2-phenylindol (DAPI) DNA synthesis Assay. The data revealed a significant decrease in cell proliferation and DNA replication in the cells that the HADHSC was knocked down compared to the control cells. Besides, mRNA levels of the enzymes that needed adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for their activity were decreased abruptly. Furthermore, lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA) mRNA level decreased, and glucose uptake assay showed a tremendous decrease in glucose consumption by H1299 cells with HADHSC knockdown.
Enhanced Anticancer Property of Ad-MSC-TRAIL on Breast Cancer Cells When Combined with the Aqueous Extract of Berberis vulgaris
Authors: Khorashadizadeh Mahdieh , Khazaei Moghadam Nahid , Zandi Dasht-e-Bayaz Nasrin , Khorashadizadeh Mohsen
Published: December 2020

Background: Although there are improvements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment methods, some breast tumor cells still are resistant to current therapies. Thus, there are attempts all over the world to find an effective way with more toxicity to tumor cells and less to normal cells. In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), due to their native tumor homing property, have been introduced as expression vectors for anticancer proteins, such as TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). However, most tumor cells are resistant to TRAIL or show low sensitivity to it. Thus, it is necessary to find a way to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells and decrease their resistance. One of these ways is combination therapy with herbal drugs. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the combination of sub-toxic doses of aqueous extract of Berberis vulgaris (AEBV) and MSC-TRAIL on MCF-7 cells as a human breast cancer cell line. Methods: Experiments were set based on in vitro cell culture. Combination therapy was carried out in transwell co-culture plates. The cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. The cell cycle was measured using the Propidium Iodide (PI) staining flow cytometry method. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The data were analyzed by One-way ANOVA test using SPSS software. Results: MCF-7 cells were relatively resistant to MSC-TRAIL and AEBV alone, while a sub-toxic concentration of AEBV (0.5 mg/mL) combined with MSC-TRAIL significantly increased death in MCF-7 cells, showing a synergistic effect.
Isolation and Host Range of Lytic Staphylophages on Clinical Isolates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Madani Boroujeni Mahtab Sadat , Mahzounieh Mohammadreza , Ebrahimi Kahrizsangi Azizollah , Rostami Soudabeh , Mokhtari Azam , Gheisarbeigi Somaye , Amirizadehfard Saeid
Published: December 2020

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major cause of nosocomial infections in humans and animals. Because of the widespread resistance to antibiotics, microbiologists are trying to find other therapeutic interventions such as phage therapy for bacterial infections. Objectives: The present study aimed to isolate staphylophages with lytic effects on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates as a potential alternative agent to antibiotic therapy. Methods: This experimental, descriptive study is performed in the Microbiology Laboratory of Shahrekord University (Iran) from September 2018 to March 2019. Two cocktails of staphylophages were isolated from Isfahan (Iran) urban sewage samples. The double-layer agar method was used to detect lytic phages. Morphology characteristic by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images was used to identify staphylophages. One hundred and thirty three S. aureus were isolated from clinical samples of two teaching hospitals in Isfahan and Shiraz, Iran. Methicillin resistance and the presence of the mecA gene were determined by the disk diffusion method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, respectively. The phage susceptibility of mecA positive isolates was determined by plaque assay. Results: Two staphylophage cocktails were prepared, which had lytic effects on forty-four MRSA isolates. Cocktails 1 and 2 lysed 19 (14.2%) and 25 (18.7%) isolates, respectively. Of 133 S. aureus isolates, 88.7% carried the mecA gene. Conclusions: Different bacteriophages in two phage cocktails had relatively good lytic effects on S. aureus clinical isolates. Therefore, phage cocktails may be an appropriate alternative to antibiotics against S. aureus.
Serum Alpha-(1, 3)-Fucosyltransferase IV, Copper, and Zinc Levels in Patients with Colorectal Cancer and Healthy Controls
Authors: Abbasi Natajomrani Roya , Qujeq Durdi , Hosseini Vahid , Hajihosseini Reza
Published: December 2020

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has no significant clinical symptoms at the early stages, and the molecular differences in the serum of the patients and healthy subjects could be assessed to identify the biological markers that indicate the detection of this cancer at the levels of the biological system. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the concentrations of the alpha-(1, 3)-fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) enzyme and copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) as biological elements. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 40 patients with CRC, including 20 men and 20 women. A metal-free sterile tube was used to collect five milliliters of venous blood. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the Biotin double-antibody sandwich technology was used to measure the human FUT4 in the sera. In addition, plasma zinc and copper values were determined using Zist Chem Diagnostics kits. Results: The mean FUT4 levels in the CRC patients was slightly higher than the control group (P = 0.17), and the mean serum copper and zinc levels of these patients were lower than the control group with a significance difference in this regard (P < 0.001). In addition, the AUC of FUT4, copper, and zinc was 0.58, 0.80, and 0.77, respectively. Conclusions: According to the results, the altered levels of FUT4, copper, and zinc in the serum of the CRC patients compared to the healthy controls could be an indicator associated with the CRC disease course. Furthermore, the unusual changes in the FUT4, copper, and zinc levels may signify CRC development, which plays a key role in the diagnosis and monitoring of this cancer.
Isolation Enhancement Using a Hybrid Technique in an Eight-Element UWB MIMO Antenna Design
Authors: Mchbal A. , Touhami N. Amar , Elftouh H. , Dkiouak A.
Published: December 2020

A high order multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna assembly is designed for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) applications. The antenna configuration is based on a peculiar arrangement of the radiating elements. A defected microstrip structure is also introduced on the feedlines. The use of a novel technique, the so-called ports-shift, is here discussed. In the proposed antenna, a protruded ground branch structure is employed in combination of three parasitic stubs so as to enhance isolation and impedance matching over the UWB frequency band. The results show that the presented antenna exhibits a good impedance matching which is about -10 dB with a high mutual coupling 15 dB, and envelope correlation coefficients (ECC) smaller than 0.15. The antenna also exhibits good diversity gain of about 9.5, and a good efficiency that varied between 56% and 91% and total active reflection coefficient of less than -20 dB. Which makes it a good candidate for UWB applications.
Audit Committee Effectiveness and Audit Fee among Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria
Authors: Mustapha Abdulrasaq , Isiaka Abdulrauf O. , Babatunde Kudirat A.
Published: December 2020

The persistent cases of corporate accounting scandals which have rocked the Nigerian banking sector in spite of auditor certification of financial statements as free from material error have raised concern not only on the effectiveness of audit committees but also on audit services despite the huge amount charged on their clients. Hence, this study examined the effect of audit committee effectiveness on audit fee of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. Using an ex-post facto research design, the data sourced through the annual reports of twelve (12) banks for the period between 2012 and 2018 were analysed using random-effect regression analysis. The result of the study revealed that audit committee effectiveness proxy with audit committee audit committee expertise (t-value =3.22 & p-value = 0.000), audit committee diligence (t-value = 3.57, & p-value = 0.000) and audit committee gender diversity (t-value = 3.85 & p-value =0.000) has significant positive effect on audit fee of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. This implies that an effective audit committee would demand for high audit quality service from the auditor, thereby increasing the audit efforts and time which subsequently result to higher audit fee. The study concluded that an effective audit committee would demand high audit service from the external auditor thereby ensuring that the financial statement published is relevant and of faithful representation.
Plasmodium falciparum Parasitaemia during Pregnancy and the Use of Malaria Prevention Methods by Women Attending Antenatal Consultation at the Regional Hospital Bamenda, Northwest Cameroon
Authors: Ebai Calvin Bisong , Ebongue Felicite Natacha Etindele , Lum Odelia Kwende-Tanjong , Musoro Jammbe Z. , Yamssi Cedric , Kimbi Helen Kuokuo
Published: December 2020

Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia in pregnant women and to identify the prevention methods used by pregnant women attending antenatal consultation (ANC) in the Regional Hospital Bamenda (RHB).

Study Design: This was a hospital based cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Regional Hospital Bamenda between April and May 2020. 

Methodology: A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, history of pregnancy and the use of malaria prevention methods. Capillary blood was collected through finger prick and used to prepare thick and thin blood smears that were Giemsa-stained for the detection of malaria parasite by microscopy.

Results: A total of 250 pregnant women took part in this study. The mean age ±SD was 27.71 ±5.47 years. The mean pregnancy age ±SD was 24.04 ±8.59 weeks. The prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was 18.0%. The most used malaria prevention method was LLINs (190/211, 91.0%). There was a statistically significant difference in MP prevalence between women who used IPTp (13.9%) and those who didn’t (26.5%) (χ2 =5.87, P= .02); between women who used bed nets and IPT (12.9%) in combination and those who didn’t (24.0%) (χ2 = 5.12, P= .03) as well as between participants who used at least one method (16.4%) and their counterparts who didn’t use any malaria prevention method (38.9%) (χ2=5.73, P=.01). Living in a house with plank or mud walls (13; 29.0%) was surprisingly more protective than living in a cement brick or mud brick house (30; 71.0%) (OR: 2.34; 95%CI: 1.10-4.97; P=.03).

Conclusion: Malaria remains a health preoccupation among pregnant women attending ANC consultation in the RHB. Use of bed nets and IPTp as well as the use of at least one prevention method could be protective.
Phase Transfer Catalysis
Authors: Domenico Albanese , Michele Penso
Published: December 2020

Phase transfer catalysis (PTC) is a powerful tool to carry out organic reactions in a practical fashion, both in laboratory and industrial scale. Significant cost savings and major process improvements can be achieved in reactions performed in water–organic solvent mixtures under PTC conditions. Accordingly, the market of phase transfer catalysts has continuously grown in the past few years reaching 1000 USD Million size.

Particularly advantageous is the possibility to replace expensive solvents and dangerous bases such as sodium hydride, requiring strictly anhydrous conditions, with aqueous bases and apolar, environmentally friendly, and easily recyclable solvents.

During the last decade, notable results have been obtained in stereoselective reactions performed in the presence of chiral, non‐racemic quaternary ammonium salts. In addition, new avenues have been opened by the use of bulky chiral phosphate anions to generate lipophilic ion pairs enabling the stereoselective construction of important building blocks. Large scale industrial applications of asymmetric PTC have also been described.
Pervaporation
Authors: Pangarkar Vishwas G. , Ray Samit Kumar
Published: December 2020

Pervaporation is a process that employs dense membrane to separates liquid mixtures. Various types of membranes: polymeric, ceramic, or composite can be used. In recent years there has been significant academic as well as industrial advancement in this attractive membrane process. Novel types of membranes have been reported. These include nanocomposite including nano‐sized metal, metal oxide, and graphene/graphene oxide incorporated ceramic/polymer membranes, polyamine‐based thin film composite membranes (earlier commercialized for reverse osmosis membranes), copolymer/interpenetrating network types membranes, template type membranes, polyelectrolyte complex, gold and silver nanoparticle‐based membranes for plasmon PV, and so on. In the application area, besides the well‐known alcohol dehydration PV has been investigated for recovery of aroma and flavor in the food and beverage industries, desulfurization of gasoline, intensification of chemical reactions, and so on. Further, PV is being extensively used as a low‐temperature environment friendly “green technology” for safe removal of volatile organic compounds using highly selective organophilic membranes. The advent of metal–organic framework membranes has resulted in significantly higher selectivities as compared to conventional membranes. PV is also being investigated for desalination with hydrophilic membranes. This article provides a state of the art discussion on PV that includes basic principles, types of membranes/modules, and important industrial applications.
Cytosolic PINK1 orchestrates protein translation during proteasomal stress by phosphorylating the translation elongation factor eEF1A1
Authors: Qin Siyue , Ye Ling , Zheng Youshi , Gao Ju
Published: December 2020

Mutations in PINK1 (PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1) are associated with autosomal recessive early‐onset Parkinson's disease. Full‐length PINK1 (PINK1‐l) has been extensively studied in mitophagy; however, the functions of the short form of PINK1 (PINK1‐s) remain poorly understood. Here, we report that PINK1‐s is recruited to ribosome fractions after short‐term inhibition of proteasomes. The expression of PINK1‐s greatly inhibits protein synthesis even without proteasomal stress. Mechanistically, PINK1‐s phosphorylates the translation elongation factor eEF1A1 during proteasome inhibition. The expression of the phosphorylation mimic mutation eEF1A1S396E rescues protein synthesis defects and cell viability caused by PINK1 knockout. These findings implicate an important role for PINK1‐s in protecting cells against proteasome stress through inhibiting protein synthesis.
Assessment of Integrated Skills
Authors: Plakans Lia
Published: December 2020

The assessment of integrated skills combines two or more skills in the assessment of language ability, such as reading‐into‐writing or listening–reading–speaking. These tasks have garnered increasing attention since the early 2000s with their adoption in several large‐scale assessments and with approaches to language teaching that focus on content or tasks, rather than skills. Since this time, multiple types of integrated assessments have appeared with regular use, along with ongoing development of new ways to elicit integration. Research has investigated many questions about these tasks, starting with how they differ from single skill assessments to more nuanced studies of test takers' processes as they complete the tasks or raters' reactions in scoring them. The benefits of these integrated assessments must be weighed carefully with the challenges they present for test development and rating or scoring exams. However, as studies increasingly provide evidence to support the claims made from these tasks, the case is being built for their validity as valuable assessments of academic language.
Language, Culture, and Context
Authors: Risager Karen
Published: December 2020

This entry deals with a number of central aspects of the ongoing discussions of the complex relationships between language, culture, and context in the field of language studies. It starts with some proposals concerning the relationships of language to culture, and goes on to describe the concept of linguaculture (or languaculture), or, in other words, culture in language, the culturality of language, or the cultural dimensions of language. Three cultural dimensions are mentioned, which all correspond to well‐established fields in language studies: the semantic and pragmatic dimension, the poetic dimension, and the identity dimension. The importance of the concept of discourse in language studies and in applied linguistics is also dealt with: Discourses may be both intralingual, circulating within one language community, and translingual, in which case they are translated from one language to another. Finally the concept of context is discussed, including the basic distinction between cognitive/biographical contexts and social contexts. Social context may range from the immediate context of situation to wider social contexts up to the global level. The wider social context of a communicative event may be analyzed according to a number of theoretical approaches, and four such approaches are illustrated: national studies, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and transnational studies.
Lingua Franca and Language of Wider Communication
Authors: Berns Margie , Matsuda Aya
Published: December 2020

“Lingua franca” and “language of wider communication” refer to the use of a language in international or multilingual contexts. Once limited generally to contact languages (pidgins and creoles) developed by sea traders and the workers of diverse linguistic backgrounds in coastal trading centers around the world, lingua franca eventually came to refer to the language chosen as the means of communication among people without a shared home language. In the contemporary world, English most frequently serves as an international lingua franca anywhere in the world or as a language of wider communication in multilingual regions. Consequently, demand has increased for instruction in English for international purposes but also in local varieties of English that have evolved since the first contact with English speakers via colonization, invasion, proselytization, or travel and education. Applied linguists have responded with pedagogical innovations. Yet, because the status of English globally is an unprecedented phenomenon, questions arise about its future as such. Languages that once held similar, but more geographically or functionally limited positions (e.g., Latin, Russian, French) eventually were displaced. In most cases, however, these languages, in one form or many, continue to thrive, albeit in more limited and local or regional ways than at the zenith of their dominance.
Prescribed performance adaptive fuzzy control for nonstrict‐feedback nonlinear systems with dead zone outputs
Authors: Su Hang , Zhao Xiaoyu , Zhang Weihai
Published: December 2020

This paper presents an adaptive fuzzy control scheme for a class of nonstrict‐feedback nonlinear systems with dead zone outputs and prescribed performance. By utilizing the monotonically increasing property of system bounding functions and the Nussbaum function, the design difficulties caused by the nonstrict‐feedback structure and dead zone output are overcome. Combining backstepping technique with prescribed performance algorithm, a feasible adaptive fuzzy controller is designed to guarantee the boundedness of all signals of the closed‐loop system and the prescribed tracking performance of the system. Finally, simulation results are depicted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.
General Strategy for Fabrication of Ordered One Dimensional Inorganic Structures by Electrospinning: Structural Evolution From Belt to Solid via Hollow Tubes
Authors: Senthamizhan Anitha , Balusamy Brabu , Celebioglu Asli , Uyar Tamer
Published: December 2020

Super‐structured hollow materials are the subject of intense research due to their attracting properties and diverse applications. Despite their significance, it still remains a crucial challenge to develop a simple and well‐organized method to prepare the hollow tubes with controlled architectures. Herein, a general route to prepare structurally well‐defined 1D zinc oxide (ZnO) structures by a single‐spinneret electrospinning method coupled with thermal treatment is demonstrated for the first time and subsequently designated to identify high‐performance materials for catalytic application. Two critical factors including tailoring the precursor amount and colloidal‐stability of the precursor play critical role in tuning the structure precisely. The careful optimization of processing conditions enables chronological structural evolution from tubular to solid fiber structures composed of nanograins. These ZnO complex hollow structures showcase excellent photocatalytic performance; single nanograined wall hollow tubes manifest the high‐catalytic performance over other samples with remarkable cycling stability. Benefitting from fabrication adaptability, different types of metal oxide hollow tubes are prepared that indicates the generality of the method. The proposed method postulates new insights for the development of electrospun hollow‐structured fibers in a simple, cost‐effective, and industrially feasible manner which holds apparent potential in many sectors.
Microstructure and Wear Behavior of the High‐Velocity‐Oxygen‐Fuel Sprayed and Spark Plasma Sintered High‐Entropy Alloy AlCrFeCoNi
Authors: Löbel Martin , Lindner Thomas , Clauß Steffen , Pippig Robert , Dietrich Dagmar , Lampke Thomas
Published: December 2020

High‐entropy alloy AlCrFeCoNi powder with a metastable body centered cubic (bcc) structure is produced by inert gas atomization. This state is largely preserved after processing the powder by high‐velocity‐oxygen‐fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying. A heat treatment is conducted with the objective to form a duplex structure comprising a ductile face centered cubic (fcc) phase. The formation of an additional fcc phase is accompanied by a decrease in hardness and a significant improvement of wear resistance. The alternative processing route, spark plasma sintering (SPS), causes a duplex bcc and fcc structure. Detailed analyses of phase formation and wear behavior for all production routes contribute to a better understanding of microstructural effects in high‐entropy alloys.