bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical analysis of full-scale Construction and Demolition Waste treatment plants: case studies of the Lombardy Region, Italy
Authors: Diotti Alessandra , Plizzari Giovanni , Sorlini Sabrina
Published: June 2021

Construction and demolition activities in Italy and the Lombardy Region produce a considerable amount of wastes that can be valorised as secondary raw materials. The recovery of construction and demolition wastes is severely limited by the lack of consolidated and sustainable treatment chains and by the strong variability of their environmental characteristics that may generate potentially dangerous effects for the environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and technically define the current treatment chains in the Province of Brescia (Lombardy) by analyzing three full-scale treatment plants in order to highlight barriers to demolition waste recovery and propose possible solutions and improvement strategies. To best represent the entire management and treatment system, the analysis was developed on all the acceptance, treatment, and final quality control phases. Moreover, chemical composition and leaching data on demolition wastes and recycled aggregates were collected from the three treatment plants and statistically analyzed to assess their potential recovery according to the Italian legislation.
Mixed non-hazardous waste is the fraction mostly managed by recycling plants and mixed recycled aggregates are the main products obtained from the treatment. These are mostly used in roads and in geotechnical applications.
Chemical composition results showed that the pH is generally alkaline and tin and benzene are the most critical elements for both demolition wastes and recycled aggregates with respect to the regulatory limit values.
Total chromium was identified as a critical compound in leachates. The results of the statistical analysis confirmed that chromium was mainly released by cement materials.
3-ROUTES PLATFORM FOR RECOVERY OF HIGH VALUE PRODUCTS, ENERGY AND BIO-FERTILIZER FROM URBAN BIOWASTE: THE REVENUE PROJECT
Authors: Gallipoli Agata , Gianico Andrea , Crognale Simona , Rossetti Simona , Mazzeo Leone , Piemonte Vincenzo , Masi Maurizio , Braguglia Camilla Maria
Published: June 2021

This innovative Biorefinery platform is based on the integration of a mild thermal pre-treatment and a solid/liquid separation unit to parallel-integrated bioprocesses specifically selected on food waste distinctive chemical composition: a liquid fraction, rich in readily fermentable sugars, to be transformed into valuable biobased products, and a solid organic residue to enhance biomethane production generating a fully hygienized digestate to be recycled. The preliminary results in terms of VFAs yields and composition from the acidogenic stage, and the methane conversion rate from the anaerobic digestion of the solid residue, are here presented
Sustainability and urban development - Córdoba city (Spain): BE.D Primary. Student´s perception
Authors: Guerrero Elecalde Rafael , López Serrano Miguel Jesús
Published: June 2021

One of the fundamental educational challenges in teacher training is to work the Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda. In this sense, the objective of the article is to analyze sustainability in the city of Córdoba: on one hand, considering the urban development of the last decades and on the other hand, the perception of the Primary Education Bachelor Degree students about this city as a sustainable community. With the aim of fostering meaningful learning, a series of activities were designed to work, through a constructivist methodology, the concept of sustainability through the local sphere. This line shows that the pedagogical experience carried out by the students, must still be deepened in many aspects so that we can talk about there being an effective and practical knowledge of what sustainability means for today in the educational reality of the most schools in the city of Córdoba.
PENGARUH CITRA MEREK DAN HARGA TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN SEPEDA MOTOR HONDA BEAT (Studi Kasus Mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Bandar Lampung)
Authors: Toton  , Putri Bunga Vidya
Published: June 2021

Masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah penjualan sepeda motor merek Honda Beat pada PT. Astra Honda Motor mengalami fluktuasi, Penjualan tertinggi terjadi pada bulan April sebesar 7,03%, Sedangkan penurunan penjualan tertinggi terjadi pada bulan Juni sebesar 5,63%. Permasalahan yang dirumuskan adalah apakah Citra Merek dan Harga berpengaruh terhadap keputusan Pembelian Sepeda Motor Honda Beat pada Mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Bandar Lampung. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa fakultas ekonomi dan bisnis universitas Bandar lampung berjumlah 96 orang responden, pengumpulan data menggunakan SPSS versi 23.0 . Berdasarkan hasil pembahasan dapat ditarik kesimpulan bahwa diperoleh persamaan regresi linier berganda sebesar Y =8,018 + 1,084 X1 + 0,459 X2, nilai F statistic sebesar 58,608 dengan signifikansi sebesar 0.000. Nilai koefisien determinasi (R²) diperoleh sebesar 0,568. Dengan demikian, Secara bersama-sama, Citra Merek dan Harga berpengaruh positif cukup tinggi terhadap Keputusan Pembelian yaitu sebesar 75,4%.
Alone in the COVID-19 lockdown: an exploratory study
Authors: Leary Rowena , Asbury Kathryn
Published: June 2021

Feelings of isolation have been prevalent worldwide since March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This has prompted increased concerns about loneliness and related mental health problems. During the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, 71 participants were asked to share their high and low point stories from lockdown. These were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to explore how ‘aloneness’ was experienced at this time. Key themes identified in the data included emotional loneliness, social loneliness, and existential loneliness (established in existing literature), as well as a more positive form of aloneness, solitude. The study highlights the importance of understanding how facets of aloneness interrelate, and identifies potential loneliness risk or protective factors. In particular, solitude is proposed as a potential mechanism for alleviating loneliness, particularly existential loneliness, alongside more common social methods.
TINDAK PIDANA PERSOALAN KEWARGANEGARAN BUPATI TERPILIH NTT
Authors: Khaerani Muti'a
Published: June 2021

Tindak pidana di bidang kewarganegaraan adalah hal yang cukup jarang terjadi di Indonesia. Salah satu dari tindak pidana yang jarang terjadi ini dilakukan oleh bupati terpilih NTT. Status kewarganegaraan ganda Bupati terpilih Orient Patriot Riwu Kore menarik perhatian banyak pihak karena diketahui memiliki paspor Amerika Serikat (AS) dan pada saat yang sama juga masih tercatat sebagai warga negara Indonesia (WNI).
KONSEP DAN AJARAN SAKSI YEHUWA TENTANG KETUHANAN YESUS
Authors: Kalley Agustinus
Published: June 2021

Dalam agama Kristen mengayomi dogma Tritunggal, di mana Allah, Yesus Kristus, dan Roh Kudus adalah sama-sama Allah. Ketiga pribadi itu adalah pribadi Allah, dan ketiga pribadi tersebut adalah Allah. Yaitu “Allah Bapa, Allah Anak, Allah Roh Kudus adalah satu kasih.” Terdapat aliran Kristen Saksi-Saksi Yehuwa yang menolak dogma Tritunggal, yang berarti menolak ketuhanan Yesus. Menurut Saksi-Saksi Yehuwa, Tuhan itu Satu bernama Yehuwa. Hanya Yehuwa Yang Maha Kuasa dan Pencipta. Konsekuensinya, Yesus bukanlah Tuhan karena Ia dicitakan atau makluk. Yesus adalah seorang messiah. Ia pada awalnya makluk roh (malaikat) dan ciptaan Yehuwa pertama yang hidup sangat lama di sorga. Yessus kemudian diutus Yehuwa dan menjadi manusia di dunia, untuk melaksanakan misi penebusan dosa asal manusia, karenanya ia adalah tebusan. Dalam matinya sebagai tebusan, Yesus mati bukan disalib. Akan tetapi, Ia dibunuh pada tiang kayu. Tiga hari setelah mati, Yesus dibangkitkan kembali ke surga dan menjadi raja dari kerajaan Allah yang sudah memerintah kembali pada tahun 1914, setelah tertentu selama tujuh masa.
PENGARUH KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP KEPUASAAN MASYARAKAT PADA PUSKESMAS KAMPUNG SAWAH KECAMATAN TANJUNG KARANG TIMUR, BANDAR LAMPUNG.
Authors: Hendri  , Masalamah
Published: June 2021

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis pengaruh kualitas pelayanan terhadap kepuasan masyarakat sebagai pasien di Puskesmas Kampung Sawah Kecamatan Tanjung Karang Timur Bandar Lampung.Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah masyarakat yang berdomisili di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Kampung Sawah Kecamatan Tanjung Karang Timur Bandar Lampung dan telah melakukan pelayanan kesehatan di Puskesmas Kampung Sawah Kecamatan Tanjung Karang Timur Bandar Lampung dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 100 orang Responden yang dipilih menggunakan teknik Purposive Sampling.Pengumpulan data primer menggunakan kuesioner dan pengumpulan data sekunder menggunakan studi pustaka. Pengujian Hipotesis dalam penelitian menggunakan analisis Regresi linear berganda dengan nilai signifkan a = 5% (0,05).Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kehandalan, daya tanggap, jaminan, perhatian dan bukti fisik secara simultan berpengaruh secara positif dan signifikan terhadap kepuasan masyarakat sebagai pasien Puskesmas Kampung Sawah Kecamatan Tanjung Karang Timur Bandar Lampung.Nilai Adjusted R Square yang didapat melalui pengujian koofesien Detereminan (R2) adalah sebesar 0,712 berarti menjelaskan bahwa 71,2 % kepuasan masyarakat sebagai pasien sebagai variabel terikat dapat dijelaskan oleh variabel bebas, yaitu kualitas pelayanan.
ARTIKEL KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH DALAM MENGALIHKAN JABATAN FUNGSIONAL KE JABATAN STRUKTURAL
Authors: Lalamafu Polikarpus
Published: June 2021

Penelitan ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis Kebijakan Pemerintah Daerah dalam Mengalihkan Jabatan Fungsional ke Jabatan Struktural pada Kabupaten Maluku Tenggara Barat merupakan salah satu kebijakan yang mengabaikan kebutuhan masyarakat dan tidak sesuai dengn kondisi daerah serta tidak didasarkan pada pilihan rasional yang mempertimbangkan unsur prioritas kebutuhan. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan kualitatif dengan teknik analisis data Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini ialah pendekatan kualitatif dengan teknik analisis data menggunakan model menggunakan Model Miles Dan Huberman, melalui prosedur Reduksi Data, Penyajian Data, dan Penarikan Kesimpulan.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan ditemukan adanya kebijakan pengalihan kekuasaan, masih terdapat ketidaksesuaian bidang keahlian serta latar belakang pendidikan dengan jabatan yang diembannya sehingga dalam pelaksanaan tugas jabatannya menjadi tidak efektif dan efisien.Kata Kunci: Kebijakan dan Pengalihan Jabatan
Sistem Informasi Manajemen Pada Swalayan di Tulungagung
Authors: SARI FAVIOLA ID'HARETNA , Ananda Risma , Diah Aysha
Published: June 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan bukti empiris mengenai system informasi manajemen yang paling sering digunakan pada swalayan di KabupatenTulungagung. Metode penelitian dalam penelitian ini yaitu menggunakan data sekunder. Data sekunder merupakan data yang tidak berasal dari sumber utama. Data ini digunakan sebagai data pendamping data utama karena adanya hal-hal yang tidak ditemukan di data utama. Namun di beberapa penelitian lainnya, data sekunder ini menjadi satu-satunya sumber data. Kelebihan menggunakan metode ini yaitu sudah tersedia, mudah didapatkan, waktu dan biaya yang dibutuhkan untuk penelitian, untuk mengklasifikasi permasalahan, dan mengevaluasi data relatif lebih sedikit dibandingkan dengan pengumpulan data primer. Maka dari itu kita memilih untuk menggunakan data sekunder. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa yang paling sering digunakan pada swalayan di Tulungagung yaitu aplikasi POS. Seperti misalnya yaitu Bravo, Golden, Alfamart maupun Indomaret di Tulungagung semua menggunakannya. Dengan adanya sistem informasi ini, tidak hanya membuat proses menjadi otomatis, tetapi juga menciptakan tingkat akurasi yang tinggi, kecepatan dalam pelayanannya, menjadi pelengkap dalam kegiatan bisnis perusahaan dan berguna menghasilkan keunggulan kompetitif bagi perusahaan.
Multidimensional simulation of PFAS transport and leaching in the vadose zone: impact of surfactant-induced flow and soil heterogeneities
Authors: Zeng Jicai , Guo Bo
Published: June 2021

PFAS are emergent contaminants of which fate and transport in the environment remain poorly understood. As surfactants, adsorption at air-water interfaces and solid surfaces in soils complicates the retention and leaching of PFAS in the vadose zone. Recent modeling studies accounting for the PFAS-specific nonlinear adsorption processes predicted that the majority of long-chain PFAS remain in the shallow vadose zone decades after contamination ceases—in agreement with many field measurements. However, some field investigations show that long-chain PFAS have migrated to tens to a hundred meters below ground surface. These discrepancies may be attributed to model simplifications such as a one-dimensional (1D) representation of the homogeneous vadose zone. Another potentially critical process that has not been fully examined by the 1D models is how surfactant-induced flow (SIF) influences PFAS leaching in multidimensions. We develop a new three-dimensional model for PFAS transport in the subsurface to investigate the multidimensional effects of SIF and soil heterogeneities. Our simulations and analyses conclude that 1) SIF has a minimal impact on the long-term leaching of PFAS in the vadose zone, 2) preferential flow pathways generated by soil heterogeneities lead to early arrival and accelerated leaching of (especially long-chain) PFAS, 3) the acceleration of PFAS leaching in high water-content preferential pathways or perched water above capillary barriers is more prominent than conventional contaminants due to the destruction of air-water interfaces, and 4) soil heterogeneities are among primary sources of uncertainty for predicting PFAS leaching and retention in the vadose zone.
A CMIP6 ensemble for downscaled monthly climate normals over North America
Authors: Mahony Colin , Wang Tongli , Hamann Andreas , Cannon Alex
Published: June 2021

Use of downscaled global climate model projections is expanding rapidly as climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning become mainstream in many sectors. Many climate change impact analyses use climate model projections downscaled at very high spatial resolution (~1km) but very low temporal resolution (20- to 30-year normals). These applications have model selection priorities that are distinct from analyses at high temporal resolution. Here, we select a 13-model CMIP6 ensemble and an 8-model subset designed for robust change-factor downscaling of monthly climate normals, and describe their attributes in North America. The 13-model ensemble is representative of the distribution of equilibrium climate sensitivity, grid resolution, and transient regional climate changes in the CMIP6 generation. The 8-model subset is consistent with the IPCC’s recent assessment of the very likely range of Earth’s equilibrium climate sensitivity. Our results emphasize several principles for selection and use of downscaled climate ensembles: (1) the ensemble must be observationally constrained to be meaningful; (2) analysis of multiple models is essential as the ensemble mean alone can be misleading; (3) small (<8-member) ensembles should be region-specific and used with caution; (4) higher grid resolution is not necessarily better; and (5) multiple simulations of each model/scenario combination are necessary to represent precipitation uncertainty. Although we have focused our documentation on North America, our model selection uses primarily global criteria and is applicable to downscaling climate normals in other continents. Downscaled projections for the selected models are available in ClimateNA (http://climatena.ca/). An accompanying web application (https://bcgov-env.shinyapps.io/cmip6-NA/) provides tools for further model selection and visualization of the ensemble.
Adults adapt to child speech in semantic use
Authors: You Guanghao , Daum Moritz M. , Stoll Sabine
Published: June 2021

Children acquire their first language while interacting with adults in a highly adaptive manner. While adaptation occurs at many linguistic levels such as syntax and speech complexity, semantic adaptation remains unclear due to the difficulty of efficient meaning extraction. In this study, we examine the adaptation of semantics with a computational approach based on distributional information. We show that adults, in their speech addressed to children, adapt their distributional semantics to that in the speech children produce. By analyzing semantic representations modeled from the Manchester corpus, a large longitudinal acquisition corpus of English, we find striking similarity of semantic development between child and child-directed speech, with a slight time lag in the latter. These findings provide strong evidence for the semantic adaptation in first language acquisition and suggest the important role of child-directed speech in semantic learning.
Tracing the Adoption and Effects of Open Science in Communication Research
Authors: Markowitz David Matthew , Song Hyunjin , Taylor Samuel Hardman
Published: June 2021

A significant paradigm shift is underway in communication research as open science practices (e.g., preregistration, open materials) are becoming more prevalent. The current work identified how much the field has embraced such practices and evaluated their impact on authors (e.g., citation rates). We collected 10,517 papers across 26 journals from 2010-2020, observing that 5.1% of papers used or mentioned open science practices. Communication research has seen the rate of non-significant p-values (ps > .055) increasing with the adoption of open science over time, but p-values just below p < .05 have not reduced with open science adoption. Open science adoption was unrelated to citation rate at the article level; however, it was inversely related to the journals’ h-index. Our results suggest communication organizations and scholars have important work ahead to make open science more mainstream. We close with suggestions to increase open science adoption for the field at large.
Similarity and automatic imitation
Authors: Genschow Oliver , Cracco Emiel , Verbeke Pieter , Westfal Mareike , Crusius Jan
Published: June 2021

Individuals automatically imitate a wide range of different behaviors. Previous research suggests that imitation as a social process depends on the similarity between interaction partners. However, some of the experiments supporting this notion could not be replicated and all of the supporting experiments manipulated not only similarity between actor and observer, but also other features. Thus, the existing evidence leaves open whether similarity as such moderates automatic imitation. To directly test the similarity account, in four experiments, we manipulated participants’ focus on similarities or differences while holding the stimulus material constant. In Experiment 1, we presented participants with a hand and let them either focus on similarities, differences, or neutral aspects between their own hand and the other person’s hand. The results indicate that focusing on similarities increased perceived similarity between the own and the other person’s hand. In Experiments 2 to 4, we tested the hypothesis that focusing on similarities, as compared with differences, increases automatic imitation. Experiment 2 tested the basic effect and found support for our prediction. Experiment 3 and 4 replicated this finding with higher-powered samples. Exploratory investigations further suggest that it is a focus on differences that decreases automatic imitation, and not a focus on similarities that increases automatic imitation. Theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.
Away from arbitrary thresholds: using robust statistics to improve artifact rejection in ERP
Authors: Alday Phillip M. , van Paridon Jeroen
Published: June 2021

Traditionally, artifacts are handled one of two ways in ERP studies: (1) rejection of affected segments and (2) correction via e.g. ICA. Threshold-based rejection is problematic because of the arbitrariness of the chosen limits and particular threshold criterion (e.g. peak-to-peak, absolute, slope, etc.), resulting in large researcher degrees of freedom. Manual rejection may suffer from low inter-rater reliability and is often done without appropriate blinding. Additionally, rejections are typically done for an entire trial, even if the ERP measure of interest isn't impacted by the artifact in question (e.g. motion artifact at the end of the trial). Additionally, fixed thresholds cannot distinguish between non-artifactual extreme values (i.e. those arising from brain activity and which have some 'signal' and some 'noise') and truly artifactual values (e.g. those arising from muscle activity or the electrical environment and which are essentially pure 'noise'). These aspects all become particularly problematic when analyzing EEG recorded under more naturalistic conditions, such as free dialogue in hyperscanning or virtual reality. By using modern, robust statistical methods, we can avoid setting arbitrary thresholds and allow the statistical model to extract the signal from the noise. To demonstrate this, we re-analyzed data from a multimodal virtual-reality N400 paradigm. We created two versions of the dataset, one using traditional threshold-based peak-to-peak artifact rejection (150µV), and one without artifact rejection, and examined the mean voltage at 250-350ms after stimulus onset. We then analyzed the data with both robust and traditional techniques from both a frequentist and Bayesian perspective. The non-robust models yielded different effect estimates when fit to dirty data than when fit to cleaned data, as well as different estimates of the residual variation. The robust models meanwhile estimated similar effect sizes for the dirty and cleaned data, with slightly different estimates of the residual variation. In other words, the robust model worked equally well with or without artifact rejection and did not require setting any arbitrary thresholds. Conversely, the standard, non-robust model was sensitive to the degree of data cleaning. This suggests that robust methods should become the standard in ERP analysis, regardless of data cleaning procedure.
'Them' Without 'Us': Negative Identities and Affective Polarisation in Brazil
Authors: Areal João
Published: June 2021

High levels of hostility between those on opposing sides of politics have led to a burgeoning literature on the concept of affective polarisation. Though a globally widespread phenomenon, extant literature has generated theoretical expectations and empirical findings mostly inspired by the United States and Western Europe. By studying the case of Brazil, I argue and show that traditional explanations do not provide satisfactory accounts of affective polarisation in contexts where politics is only weakly structured by ideology or partisan attachments. I argue and show that in such contexts the concept of negative political identities can provide a much better explanation for why politics is so divisive. Using both the 2014 and 2018 waves of the Brazilian Electoral Studies (BES) and independently collected survey data (N = 1,732), I provide robust empirical findings supporting the primacy of negative political identities over traditional hypotheses. Negative identification with the out-party/leader has a strong effect on dislike towards out-voters even when controlling for instrumental evaluations of political elites. This paper contributes to the comparative research agenda on affective polarisation outside Western contexts, as well as to the the study of negative political identities.
COVID-19 and Impact in dental academia
Authors: Pradhan Shaili
Published: June 2021

No abstract available.
Awareness of Adult Basic Life Support among Graduates in a Medical College of Kathmandu
Authors: Dixit Siddharth , Dahal Sirjana , Dixit Punam Basnet , Lama Geshu
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Survival after sudden cardiac arrest depends upon early intervention, quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and time of defibrillation. So, it is very important that at least the medical personnel know about Basic Life Support (BLS) as they are frequently facing the life threatening situations.

Objective: To assess the level of awareness regarding adult basic life support among graduates in a medical college of Kathmandu.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted after ethical approval in Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital from April to September 2018 among 150 medical and dental graduates including interns and dental/medical officers. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to assess their awareness regarding Adult BLS. Data were entered and analysed in Microsoft Excel Sheet. Mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage were calculated.

Results: Most of the graduates surveyed (122, 81.3%) had heard about Adult BLS and felt the need to know about it (142, 94.7%). They felt the necessity including BLS training as a part of medical curriculum (144, 96%). Some of them (58, 38.7%) had seen BLS being done. However, very few (2, 1.3%) had actually done BLS on a patient. Some (54, 36%) had attended workshop on BLS.

Conclusion: The findings of the study concluded that although most of the medical and dental graduates felt the need, very few had attended workshop for BLS. The BLS training should be included in the medical curriculum so that the graduates would be able to effectively manage the life-threatening emergencies.
Nicotine Dependence and Periodontal Status among Tobacco Users in a Dental Hospital of Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Dahal Sirjana , Poudel Prakash , Adhikari Shradha
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Tobacco use in any form (smoking or smokeless) has been recognised to be a significant risk factor for the development and progression of periodontal disease.

Objective: To assess the nicotine dependence and periodontal status among tobacco users of a dental hospital of Kathmandu Valley and determine their association.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 164 tobacco users visiting a dental hospital of Kathmandu. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence-Smokeless Tobacco and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence. Their periodontal status was examined using community periodontal index and loss of attachment. Data were entered in Microsoft excel sheet and analysed in IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20. Mean, standard deviation, proportion, and percentage were calculated depending upon the nature of data. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to determine the association between different variables.

Results: Most of the tobacco smokers (34, 63.0%), chewers (12, 48.0%), and dual users (smoke=55, 64.7%; smokeless= 46, 54.1%) in this study showed low nicotine dependence. Majority of the tobacco users surveyed had periodontal pocket of 4-5 mm (73, 44.5%) and loss of attachment of 6-8 mm (79, 48.2%). Tobacco smokers and chewers having moderate or high nicotine dependence had periodontitis significantly higher than those who had low dependence.

Conclusion: The findings in this study conclude that most of the individuals using tobacco in any form have periodontal diseases. Nicotine dependence is significantly associated with increased periodontal breakdown.
The Shift of Bacterial Sensitivity with Antibiotics in Acute Tonsillitis
Authors: Sigdel Brihaspati , Regmi Sanjib Mani
Published: June 2021

Correction: The second author, Sanjib Mani Regmi, was added to the website version on 13th August 2021. It omitted by mistake. The PDF of the article was correct.
Background: The infection of tonsil may occur primarily or secondarily as a result of upper respiratory tract infection, usually preceded by a viral infection. Bacterial tonsillitis is most commonly caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. Penicillin remains the treatment of choice for S. pyogenes tonsillitis. The present study aimed to identify the bacterial pathogen in acute tonsillitis and their sensitivity to antibiotics.
Material and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara Nepal from January 2018 to January 2019. Ninety-six patients who presented with acute tonsillitis and admitted in the hospital were included in the study.
Results: The commonest age group of acute tonsillitis was found to be between 21-30 years. S. pyogenes was the commonest isolate 32(33.3%) followed by S. aureus 19(19.8%).  Streptococcus pyogenes was sensitive to Ampicillin (65.6%) and Cloxacillin (68.7%) while the isolates were more sensitive to levofloxacin and doxycycline. Carbapenem were found to be most effective drugs for intravenous treatment.
Conclusion: The most common bacterial isolates were Streptococcus pyogenes. The sensitivity of organism shift from ampicillin group to fluroquinolones and tetracycline. Identification of bacterial isolates and their antibiotics sensitivity patterns could prevent resistance of bacteria to drugs and help in the proper management of acute tonsillitis.
Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Pericardial Effusion
Authors: Bista Madhab , Nepal Rajesh , Aryal Manoj , Katwal Sushant , Thakur Manoj Kumar
Published: June 2021

Background: Pericardial effusion (PE) is one of the common pericardial diseases in our population with its associated morbidity and mortality. Our study aims to evaluate the   clinical characteristics of patients with PE from eastern region of Nepal.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in tertiary care center in eastern region of Nepal from March 2019 to February 2020. A total of 45 cases of PE were enrolled by convenient sampling method. Diagnosis was made based on clinical history, examination, and relevant laboratory investigations. Data was entered in Microsoft excel 2007 and converted into IBM SPSS data editor, version 20.

Results: Forty five patients were included with mean age of 55.36 ± 16.38 years. Twenty seven patients (60%) were male and 18 (40%) were female.  Hypertension was present in 12 (26.7%) and diabetes mellitus in 13 (28.9%).  Mean serum hemoglobin was 10.85 ± 2.09 gm/dl. Chronic kidney disease (Uremia), tuberculosis and hypothyroidism were the common causes of PE. Common clinical symptoms were dyspnea, fever, and cough and chest pain. Moderate to large pericardial effusion was noted in 21 (46.7%) of patients. Cardiac tamponade was present in 6 (13.3%). Twenty seven patients (60%) patients underwent pericardiocentesis.

Conclusion: Chronic kidney disease, tuberculosis and hypothyroidism were the common causes of PE with male predominance. Dyspnea was the most common presenting symptom.  Cardiac tamponade was relatively less common.
Comparative Analysis between Martin’s Formula and Friedewald’s Formula with Direct Homogenous Assay for Estimating Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level in Nepalese Population
Authors: Joshi Bishal Raj , Rizal Shikha
Published: June 2021

Background: Low density lipoproteinforms a basis of decision making in treatment of hypercholesterolemic patients and primary target of intervention. Its cost effective and accurate measurementis a need for every clinical laboratories and different calculation methods has been adopted as a replacement to direct assays. This study aims to evaluate the Martin’s formula and Friedewald’s formula in a sample of Nepalese population compared against direct homogenous assay.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Department of Biochemistry from Feb 2020 to January 2021. Serum samples of the participants were analysed for total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein. Martin’s and Friedewald’s formula were applied to get calculated value of low density lipoprotein from both methods. Passing and Bablok regression analysis was used for methods comparison.

Results: The mean age of participants was 54.2 ± 8.9 years. Passing-Bablok regression analysis showed Friedewald’s formula performed better than Martin’s formula as per systematic and proportional bias when compared with directassay. However at lowerserum low density lipoprotein level, underestimation of low density lipoprotein compared to direct assay was more common in Friedewald’s formula. At high triglyceride level more percentage error of difference of mean from direct assay was found for Friedewald’s formula.

Conclusion: When compared to direct assay, Friedewald’s formula was found to be in better agreement than Martin’s formula. Martin’s formula had advantage over Friedewald’s formula at lower serum low density lipoprotein level and higher triglyceride level where Friedewald’s formula mostly underestimated low density lipoprotein.
Managing the Neglected and the Residual Clubfeet with the New Operative Procedure (Hussain’s Procedure) – An Experience of Six-Month Fellowship
Authors: Lakhey Rajesh Bahadur , Hussain Afzal
Published: June 2021

Background: Pakistan Society for Rehabilitation of the Disabled Orthopedic Hospital is renowned for the correction of orthopedic deformities including foot and ankle deformities. Dr. Afzal Hussain, a consultant orthopedic surgeon in the hospital, pioneers in treatment of foot and ankle deformities and he has developed a new operative procedure for congenital clubfoot. Working with the surgeon for 6 months during the fellowship, management of the neglected and the residual congenital clubfeet with the new operative procedure   and their follow-ups were assisted by the first author.

Materials and Methods: Operative procedure of the neglected and the residual congenital clubfeet, which were performed with the new operative procedure by Dr. Hussain, were assisted by the first author and a minimum of 5 years follow up was done by the senior author (Afzal Hussain). Cumming’s modification of Laavag and Ponseti score was applied for the calculation of the results at the follow-ups.

Results: During the follow-ups of 11 cases of neglected congenital clubfeet and 9 cases of residual clubfeet (operated earlier with posteromedial release) which had been operated by the new operative procedure, Cumming’s modification of Laavag and Ponseti scores of the operated clubfeet were calculated and the results were found to be excellent.

Conclusion: Early results of the new operative procedure by Dr. Afzal Hussain for congenital clubfoot in the neglected and the residual congenital clubfeet were found to be excellent.
Discriminatory performance of mid-upper arm circumference for identifying thin and severely thin adolescents: a secondary data analysis using Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey
Authors: Nitika -
Published: June 2021

Background: Timely identification of adolescents with undernutrition is of utmost importance, and recently, mid-upper circumference (MUAC) had been considered as an alternative to body mass index (BMI) and BMI for age z-score (BAZ) for its screening. However, little is known about the MUAC cut-offs, specific to age and sex. The study was planned to assess the discriminatory performance of MUAC in identifying thin and severely thin adolescents and estimating age specific MUAC cut-offs, separately for males and females, against BAZ as the gold standard.

Methods: The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS), India data was used for this analysis. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC), area under curve (AUC), and Youden Index were used to estimate MUAC cut-off values for thin (BAZ < -2) and severely thin (BAZ < -3) adolescents. The current analysis was done on 31471 adolescents.

Results: The MUAC cut-offs for identifying thin adolescents were: for 10-14 years – 19.2/19.4 cm, for 15-19 years – 22.9/21.7 cm for males and females respectively; and for severe thinness were: for 10-14 years – 18.4/18.3 cm, for 15-19 years – 21.9/20.2 cm for males/females. For thinness, the cut-off varied between 17.4-24.5 cm (for 10-19 years) among males, and for females, it varied between 17.5 -20.9 cm (for 10-19 years). For severe thinness, MUAC cut-off ranged between 16.4-23.7 cm (for 10-19 years) among males, and for females, between 17.3-20.7 cm (for 10-19 years).

Conclusion: Thus, age- and sex-specific cut-offs could be considered for screening thin and severely thin adolescents.
Performance comparison of metaheuristic algorithms for optimisation of steel framesusing nonlinear inelastic analysis
Authors:   Faculty of Building and Industrial Construction,National University of Civil Engineering, Ha Manh Hung
Published: June 2021

Ngày nay, thiết kế tối ưu công trình sử dụng thuật toán metaheuristic được sử dụng một cách thường xuyên hơn nhờ hiệu quả vượt trội của các thuật toán tối ưu này trong việc giải quyết các bài toán có độ phức tạp cao. Nhờ những ưu điểm đó, có khá nhiều thuật toán tối ưu đã và đang được đề xuất. Tuy nhiên, tùy thuộc vào đặc điểm của từng dạng bài toán tối ưu khác nhau mà hiệu quả của thuật toán sẽ khác nhau. Trong bài báo này, bài toán tối ưu của khung thép sử dụng phân tích phi tuyến đã được xem xét. Bốn thuật toán tối ưu sử dụng phổ biến gần đây cho dạng bài toán này được xem xét so sánh bao gồm: bản nâng cấp thuật toán tiến hóa vi phân (EpDE), bản nâng cấp thuật toán tối ưu va chạm giữa các vật chất (ECBO), kỹ thuật tìm kiếm hài hòa (HS) và thuật toán Rao. Một khung thép phẳng 5 tầng được tối ưu với hàm mục tiêu là tổng khối lượng và điều kiện ràng buộc cả về khả năng chịu tải và về chuyển vị lệch tầng. Kết quả tính toán cho thấy, thuật toán EpDE không chỉ tìm kiếm được kết quả tối ưu tốt nhất mà tốc độ tối ưu cũng tốt nhất trong bốn thuật toán.
Application of collecter well to replace the conventional method in the northern mountainous area
Authors:   Hydraulic Construction Institute, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Nguyen Huy Vuong , Pham Tuan ,   Hydraulic Construction Institute, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Nguyen Thanh Cong ,   Hydraulic Construction Institute, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Tran Van Quang ,   Hydraulic Construction Institute, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Dinh Van Thuc ,   Hydraulic Construction Institute, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources
Published: June 2021

The solution of using a collector well was investigated to take additional water, overcome the weaknesses of the conventional weir that are prone to sediment accumulation intake structures of a weir, especially at the location where weir is not needed. The solution was considered using a laboratory model at Hydraulic Construction Institute - Vietnam Academy for Water Resources. The results of model research and construction of a pilot project in Muong Lan commune, Muong Ang district, Dien Bien province show that collector well can collect water over 31 l/s ensuring water supply for more than 20 ha of rice field.
COMBINATION OF BROWNING INHIBITOR SUBSTANCE AND SUCROSE ON THE GROWTH OF MAS KIRANA BANANA PLANLET(Musa acuminata C.) IN VITRO
Authors: Baskara Dofan Rizki , Wijayani Ari , Srilestari Rina
Published: June 2021

Mas Kirana Banana (Musa acuminata C.) is one of the most popular tropical fruit plants in the community. The problem of banana tissue culture is browning on the media against phenolic substances that need to be done before the browning inhibitor. This study was conducted to determine the effect of browning inhibitor substance and sucrose on the growth of plantlet banana mas kirana. Research method with RAL (Completely Random Design) two factors + 1 control. The first ingredient consisted of 3 levels, namely polyvinylpyrrolidone 75 g / L, Vitamin C 0,50 ppm, Active Charcoal 1 g / L, while the second factor consisted of 3 levels, sucrose 15 g / L, 20 g / L and 25 g / L Each treatment was repeated 3 times. Data with anova and test with DMRT at 5% level. Browning inhibitors Vitamin C results in the number of shoots, wet weight,  dry weight  and  browning level compared with polyvinylpyrrolidone and activated charcoal. The addition of sucrose concentrations of 20 g / L canincrease length of rootKeywords: Banana, tissue culture, browning inhibitor substance, sucrose
THE USE OF FLOGGING AS A PUNISHMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
Authors: Sebar Hind , Ismail Shahrul Mizan
Published: June 2021

Flogging is one of the most widely-used corporal punishments in Islamic penology. Most countries that practice Islamic criminal law use flogging to punish a variety of crimes and offenses. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that use flogging to punish various crimes and has faced immense backlash from the international community for gross violation of human rights. The goal of this article is to investigate the implementation of flogging as a punishment in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it also examines how international human rights law has contributed to limiting flogging as a form of criminal punishment. This study has critically analysed several human rights documents in order to understand how flogging is viewed under international human rights law if compared to the position under the Shari‘ah. Focus on the implementation of flogging in Saudi Arabia is made in particular. In addition, it is found that the application of flogging in Saudi Arabia is overused and is uncodified. Hence, the article signifies the necessity of codifying Islamic law to ensure fair legal procedures. Interestingly, a recent announcement that abolishes flogging as a common form of punishment, indicates the willingness of the kingdom to implement judicial reforms, thereby creating a ray of hope in the form of amendment of laws.
WATANIC JURISPRUDENCE: ARTICULATING THE LEGITIMATE ELEMENTS OF THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
Authors: Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain
Published: June 2021

The doctrine of the basic structure of a constitution would be undisputable if those elements thereunder are clear and representing the facts of our local history, nationhood, and the principle of the rule of law. Former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad argued that the doctrine of the basic structure of a constitution introduced by the Indian Supreme Court contradicts Article 159 of the Federal Constitution and beyond the competent jurisdiction of the local courts. Hence, this article puts forward the conceptual framework of the basic structure adopted by the Federal Court in the case of Indira Gandhi to articulate those elements summed therein viewed from the watanic jurisprudence. The watanic jurisprudence analyses legal documents and sources of sovereignty based upon two philosophical worldviews; continuum and dichotomous frameworks relying upon the local legal history context and the present legal provisions of a country. Depending on a broad and purposive manner in proper linguistic, philosophic, and historical contexts of the Malaysian legal historical documents, the legitimate elements of the basic structure are the principle of sovereignty as embedded in the oath of office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong together with the matters aggregated in Article 38(4), Article 159(5) and Article 161E. The oath of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong thus legitimizes Syariah compliance as the rule of law. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia also expressly protects its basic structure with strict conditional amendments. In conclusion, the basic structure of our Federal Constitution must be viewed from our local circumstances in compliance with the principle of constitutional supremacy and the rule of law.
Undergraduate Students’ Perception on Assessment Experience in a Malaysian Medical School: Comparison among Gender, Ethnicity and Phase of Study
Authors: Adam Siti Khadijah , Mazlan Nur Atiqah , Selvakumar Shivaprakash , Teh Xian Hui , Idris Faridah
Published: June 2021

INTRODUCTION: It is a well-known fact that assessment influences learning and study
behaviour. Assessment affects what and how students learn, either positive or negative
learning behaviour. This study was aimed to determine students’ perceived assessment
experience and the comparison among different gender, ethnicity, and phase of the study.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. Assessment Experience
Questionnaire (AEQ) version 3.3 was distributed to 324 undergraduate medical students
of Universiti Putra Malaysia. The AEQ score among different gender, ethnicity, and phase
of the study was compared using independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. RESULTS:
Female students were found to develop a surface approach to learning, learn new things
from the assessment, and be satisfied more with the teaching compared to males. Chinese
students tended to put higher effort into learning compared to Malay. Clinical students
valued more the feedback received and had clearer goals and expectations for their work
than preclinical students. However, preclinical students tended to put a higher quantity of
effort, learn wider coverage of syllabus and develop a surface approach of learning than
clinical students. The respondents commented that feedback is lacking and suggested
having more feedback sessions with their teachers after assessment. CONCLUSION: There
were different assessment experiences and learning found among different gender, race,
and phase of the study. These may affect their academic performance and are probably
due to the curriculum setting. Understanding student assessment experience and its
impact helps the faculty to improve the assessment structure for a conducive assessment
environment and meaningful learning experience for the students.
Optimized Preparation of Urine Samples from Acute Melioidosis Patients for In-Solution Proteomic Studies using LCMS QTOF or MALDI TOF MS
Authors: Pakeer Aniza , Mustafa Mahmud Mohammed Imad A. , Ismail Nosrihah , Mariappan Vanitha
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Investigation of urine proteome in patients with acute melioidosis may reveal potential disease markers, from either bacterial or human proteins. We used an in-solution gel-free method instead of 2-DE to detect human and Burkholderia pseudomallei proteins in urine of patients with acute melioidosis. Here, we propose a simpler, economical method for preparing urine samples directly from melioidosis patients, for in-solution proteomic analysis using LCMS-QTOF MS/MS or MALDI-TOF MS/MS. Material and Methods: We adapted an acetone-TCA based protein precipitation method with LCMS-QTOF MS to detect the B. pseudomallei proteins directly from urine of acute melioidosis patients (culture positive and negative). This process involves protein precipitation, desalting, trypsin digestion, and optimization for the mass spectrometry. Results: A total of 3,866 human peptides were detected across 11 urine samples from clinically suspected acute melioidosis patients. Among them were three Burkholderia specific proteins detected in 75% of culture positive samples. Large amounts of acute phase proteins, cell mediated immunity proteins, complement pathway proteins and inflammatory mediators were seen upon gene ontology (GO) annotation and GO enrichment analysis. Conclusions: This simple in-solution sample preparation method can be replicated easily for LCMS/MS-QTOF and MALDI-TOF proteomic analyses, avoiding tedious optimization steps in 2-DE. This method is cost effective and can be done in centres without specialized 2-DE or MS equipment and elutes can be easily transported for analysis and bioinformatics. This is the first study to analyse urine samples directly for B. pseudomallei proteins. Discovery of the entire proteome as a whole is important in leading to biomarker discovery.