bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simple Method to Develop Seismic Microzonation Maps for Cities in Northern Haiti and Elsewhere
Authors: Kalinski Michael E. , Miyamoto Kit , Gilani Amir S.J.
Published: December 2017

Many developing nations are situated in zones of high seismicity where earthquakes can lead to widespread property loss and loss of life.  Similar-sized earthquakes are not nearly as devastating in developed nations because of access to state-of-practice engineering methods.  Earthquake engineering to reduce property loss and loss of life includes geotechnical engineering to predict likely amounts of ground shaking.  Herein, a simple geotechnical approach was implemented in four cities in northern Haiti, including Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haitien, Fort Liberte, and Ouanaminthe based.  The approach was based on the use of a simple geophysical technique and the application of International Building Code criteria to calculate design levels of ground shaking.  The Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) method is a geophysical technique that was employed in the four test cities during a five-day test period utilizing three workers and a backpack full of equipment.  As a result of this investigation, microzonation maps depicting design ground surface shaking parameters were rapidly and inexpensively developed, which can be used by structural engineers for guidance in designing earthquake-resistant structures.  This method can be easily deployed in other developing nations to provide these populations with nearly the same level of knowledge and protection against earthquakes that is realized in developed nations.
A Cervical Cancer Screening Trainer for Use in Low-Resource Settings
Authors: Young Maria R. , Kramer Julia M. , Chu Jeffrey B. , Hong Jeffrey V. , Sienko Kathleen H. , Johnston Carolyn M.
Published: December 2017

Each year, cervical cancer causes the death of over 275,000 women worldwide with eighty percent of these cases occurring in low or lower-middle income countries. Cervical cancer screening programs reduce cervical cancer occurrence by identifying and treating pre-cancerous cervical abnormalities before they develop to malignant stages. Standard methods of screening are inappropriate for use in low-resource settings and therefore screening is very limited.  Based on a design ethnography studyperformed over a two-month period in Ghana, a need was identified for a low-fidelity model to assist in training healthcare providers to screen for cervical cancer using visual inspection with acetic acid. The design presented in this paper is a box trainer with a simulated vaginal cavity that allows a user to insert cervical images displayed on plastic tabs or cards from the Jhpiego Visual Inspection of the Cervix Flash Card Set©. A modular electronic feedback mechanism trains the user to properly complete the steps of the screening procedure and to track the successes of their diagnoses. This paper describes the need for a cervical cancer screening trainer, the process used to design a trainer to support visual inspection with acetic acid, and the results of prototyping and preliminary usability tests.
Evaluation of a Point-of-Use Electrocoagulation System for Arsenic Removal
Authors: Alferness Megan K. , Casares Alexandria R. , Chiesa Steven C.
Published: December 2017

A point-of-use prototype electrocoagulation treatment system was designed and evaluated for its ability to remove arsenic from a synthetic groundwater.  The system was comprised of an electrocoagulation reactor providing batch treatment, a rechargeable battery power source, an electrical monitoring and control module, and a granular media filter.  The control module and the filter underdrain system were designed to improve user convenience.  The system was able to consistently reduce arsenic concentrations to below 20 µg/L.  Effluent soluble arsenic concentrations under 10 µg/L were deemed possible with enhanced effluent suspended solids removal techniques.  Arsenic removal was found to be a function of the initial arsenic concentration and the cumulative charge dosage as measured in coulombs per liter of water treated.  The steel plate size used in the electrocoagulation module influenced the current draw and the overall electrical efficiency of the system.  The monitoring and control module allowed the system to produce up to 100 liters of treated water daily on a single battery charge and would automatically control charge and iron dosage.  The point-of-use system was capable of meeting household potable demands for water where other treatment options are limited.
Helping the Next 4 Billion Go Online Part I: Design Research for Digital Literacy Education
Authors: Udoewa Victor , Mathew Neil , Al-Hafidh Louie , Bhog Lokesh , Gupta Anuranjan , Patel Parivartika , Prabhakar Bhawana , Kaushik Saummya , Bauer Lea , Humar Valentina
Published: December 2017

In 2015, over two hundred million people, around the world, went online for the first time bringing the number of people worldwide using the Internet to 3.2 billion. Still, a majority of the world, about 4.2 billion, is offline. The barriers to going online and becoming digitally literate can be greater than just infrastructural obstacles, including psychosocial barriers related to incentives, affordability, and user capability. Our goal is to help the next 4 billion go online by designing an educational solution to equip people with digital literacy skills to improve their lives. We have employed a human-centered design methodology through community research, synthesis, ideation, and prototyping to build solutions first for northern and central India. The design may be re-contextualized in order to scale to new locations. This paper focuses on the research and synthesis phases of our design process during which we first define digital literacy relevant to the local context and then conducted fieldwork to collect stories, observations and quotes from numerous communities with varying levels of digital literacy. That feedback was translated into insights, themes, and frameworks that will later inform the design and development of an educational technology intervention.
Intensive Mode Teaching of a Humanitarian Engineering Course to Enhance Service-Learning
Authors: Smith Jeremy , Compston Paul , Male Sally , Baillie Caroline , Turner Jennifer
Published: December 2017

Service-learning is a common component of many humanitarian engineering education programs.  Students engage with external organisations and communities, often spending time intensively, on projects linked to their studies.  To help prepare students for substantial service-learning initiatives a dedicated humanitarian engineering course was developed.  To better represent service-learning and enable a greater variety of teaching and learning activities, the course was delivered over five weeks using intensive mode teaching.  This enabled a portion of the class to be involved with a two-week scaffolded immersive international experience running in parallel to the campus delivery.  Threshold concept and capability theory was used to evaluate the course and identify what elements of the course supported or hindered development of student thresholds.  Results identified the main student threshold to be the ability to take account of social factors in engineering design and the activities enabled by the intensive mode teaching were among the strongest contributions to the achievement of this threshold, in particular elements of the international experience.  This highlights the opportunities for intensive mode teaching in supporting activities related to service-learning.
Initial evaluation of the relationship between CYP2C19 polymorphisms and platelet aggregation in patients with acute myocardial infraction in some hospitals in Hanoi
Authors: Thi Thuy Mau Nguyen , Trung Vu Ngoc , Hieu Nguyen Huu , Thuy Nguyen Thanh , Thom Vu Thi , Long Dinh Doan , Ha Trinh Hoang
Published: December 2017

CYP2C19 is one of the pricipal enzymes involed in the antiplatelet prodrug in patients with acute myocardial infraction. Different genotypes can cause various responses to platelet aggregation inhibitors. Therefore, we conduct research to evaluate the relationship between CYP2C19 polymorphisms and platelet aggregation in patients with acute myocardial infraction. The study was processed with a cross-sectional study of patients diagnosed acute myocardial infraction had blood samples tested for the gene CYP2C19 and platelet aggregation. The results in 64 consecutive patients, phenotypes based on genotypes: 59,3% poor and intermediate metabolizer, 40,7% extensive metabolizer. The average platelet aggregation of (poor, intermediate) metabolizer and extensive metabolizer were 29,79±13,6 and 23,27±11,6, respectively, there was a high similarity between the groups (p>0,05). The average platelet aggregation of (poor, intermediate) metabolier and extensive metabolizer on the group with Clopidogrel were 26,2±10,5 and 29,9±13,6 (p>0,05), the average with Ticagrelor were 10,8±6,5 and 18,4±8,7 (p>0,05), respectively. The group treated with Ticagrelor had a lower platelet aggregation than the remaining one with Clopidogrel (p<0,01). The study got some initial results that would be important for further studies on the relationship between CYP2C19 polymorphisms and platelet aggregation on Viet Namese patients with acute myocardial infraction.
Development of new antibacterial agents
Authors: Keniche Assia , Bellifa Samia , Hassaine Hafida , Kajima Mulengi Joseph
Published: December 2017

Background: Antibiotics, as miraculous drugs, have been used extensively to confront fatal infection, even without prescriptions. However, the inappropriate and disproportionate use of antibiotics have led to the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria1, which causes a high risk of serious diseases and dramatically aggravates the clinical complications in hospitals.

Methods: By using the peptide coupling protocol, a simple straightforward synthesis of functionalized aziridines has been developed. By means of this synthetic strategy from readily available N-phtaloyl acide and 2-methylbenzosulfonate aziridine using DCC as coupling agent, new tosylates aziridines could be obtained. The coupling reactions occurred without a ring opening of the three membered ring.

Results: This work describes new results of our ongoing research targeting new derivatives of biological interests. All the compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity; they all showed comparable moderate to good growth inhibitory activity with reference to tetracyclin and gentamicin.

Conclusion: In conclusion, we reported the synthesis and a preliminary antibacterial evaluation of novel functionalized tosylaziridines. The synthetic strategy relies on the coupling reactions between tosylaziridines and amino acids. Moreover, and besides showing interesting antibacterial activities, the series of novel compounds can be further improved to serve as potential drug against nosocomial diseases.
Optimization of environmental parameters followed for better clinical urolithiasis in Western Algeria
Authors: BENHAMIMED El-Attafia , ADDOU Ahmed
Published: December 2017

Medicine attaches great importance to the influence of environmental and human health measures recommended to minimize problems related to the environment. One of the oldest diseases mentioned and described by doctors since antiquity is a kidney stone. The diversity of etiological factors involved in the process calculi requires us to undertake the operation of urolithiasis in a rational manner. To this end, we conducted a study on multifactorial urolithiasis in Western Algeria by using Statistica software for processing data collected in the laboratory of the University of STEVA Mostaganem. Of a total of 577 cases of lithiasic studied, 51% corresponded to 40% in men and women, confirming the prevalence of this disease; the study of the distribution by age groups shows that the age groups most affected are between 30 and 44 years with a rate of 41.8%, confirming the early attainment of this population gallstone. The study of crystalluria reveals a high rate of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate as struvite, and is more abundant in women than in men, which usually leads to crystalluria in a composition of similar calculations with a dominance of calcium oxalate where Whewillite is 24.6% and 12.4% Weddellite. Optimization of environmental parameters allows better identification of the causes of the occurrence of urolithiasis and therefore proper treatment, which is preventive and effective for lithiasis.
Redox status in benign prostatic hyperplasia and non-metastatic prostate cancer in the Algerian population
Authors: Mouhoub Rima , Haddad Karima , Goumeri Sarah , Chibane Abdel-Aziz , Oucherif Raouf , Djerdjouri Bahia , Khelil Malika
Published: December 2017

Background: Depletion of cellular antioxidants can result from free radical formation due to normal endogenous reactions and the ingestion of exogenous substances and environmental factors. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to be significantly altered in malignant cells and in primary cancer tissues. We undertook the present study to investigate the possible alteration of oxidant/antioxidant status in Algerian patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: In total, 89 subjects made up of 26 patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer, 31 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and 32 controls participated in this study. The concentrations of plasmatic malondialdehyde (MDA), erythrocytes catalase activity (CAT), and the plasma glutathione levels (GSH) were estimated using standard procedures.

Results: The results showed that MDA concentrations were significantly increased while erythrocyte catalase activity was significantly decreased in the prostate cancer group versus controls (P < 0.01) and BPH group (P < 0.05). GSH levels were lowered in prostate cancer patients versus control group with no significant changes.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that an alteration in the lipid peroxidation index with concomitant changes in the antioxidant defense system in prostate cancer patients compared with controls. We hypothesize that an altered pro-oxidantâ€“antioxidant balance may lead to an increase in oxidative damage and consequently may play an important role in prostate carcinogenesis.
Detection of Lung Cancer using Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network
Authors: Mirzakhani Farzad
Published: December 2017

Introduction: Lung cancer is the most common cancer in terms of prevalence and mortality. The cancer can be detected once it is reached to a stage that is visible in the CT imaging. Eighty six percent of the patients with lung cancer because they are late understand their disease, surgery has little effect on their improvement. Therefore, the existence of an intelligent system that can detect lung cancer in the early stages is necessary.

Methods: In this study, a lung cancer dataset of UCI database was used. This dataset consists of 32 samples, 57 variables and 3 classes (each class including 10, 9 and 13 samples). The data were normalized within the range 0 to 1. Then, to increase the detection speed, the dimensions of the data were reduced by using the Principal Components Analysis (PCA). Then, using a multilayer perceptron neural network, a model for classification and prediction of lung cancer was developed. Finally, the performance of the model was measured using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. It should be noted that all analyzes were done using Weka software.

Results: After developing and evaluating an artificial neural network model, the developed model had a sensitivity of 66.7%, a 98.5% specificity, a positive predictive value of 75%, and a negative predictive value of 97.7%.

Conclusion: In intelligent diagnostic systems, in addition to high accuracy of diagnosis, the speed of diagnosis and decision making is also important. Therefore, researchers increased the speed of the prediction model by reducing 57 variables to 8 variables using PCA. Also, the high sensitivity and high specificity of developed model demonstrates high power of artificial neural network model in detecting lung cancer.
Impact of information technology in increasing quality of data in disease registries
Authors: Mirzakhani Farzad , Rahmatinejad Zahra
Published: December 2017

Introduction: The Disease Registry records and maintains the necessary data for each individual patient according to the purpose for which it was designed. These data are widely used to calculate statistical indicators, resource management, resource allocation, and clinical research. One of the main challenges in using disease registries is their low quality data. Incompleteness, inaccuracy and untimeliness are some of the problems with the quality of the data in the disease registries. In this study, the researchers reviewed the views of some medical specialists on ways to improve the quality of data in the diseases registries. In this study, researchers looked at the views of some medical specialist who were in charge of maintaining a disease registry on ways to improve the quality of data in disease registries.

Methods: The qualitative method of in-depth interviews was used to explore the views of medical specialist. They were specialist doctors who were responsible for keeping a disease registry in their specialty. All interviews were conducted by one of the researchers. All interviews were conducted by one of the researchers and the interviews were digitally recorded during the interview. After the interview, the sounds recorded by the researcher were written in the form of text and the themes discussed in them were coded and analyzed. Eventually the coding was reviewed by another researcher, and the opposing opinions of the researchers were resolved through the discussion.

Results: The number of medical specialists interviewed was 6, which all of them was internist. The minimum and maximum interview time was 15 and 35 minutes respectively. The most important solutions to improve the quality of data in the diseases registries are: utilization of software systems (suggested by all doctors), utilization of coded data like icd-10 code (suggested by 5 doctors) and connecting disease registries to hospital information systems and other health information system (suggested by 3 doctors).

Conclusion: According to the views of the medical specialists who participated in present study, the use of IT-based methods as well as information management methods is the best way to improve the quality of data in the registry.
Diagnosis of diseases using data mining
Authors: Gozali Elahe , Rahimi Bahlol , Sadeghi Malihe , Safdari Reza
Published: December 2017

Introduction: In the information age, data are the most important asset for health organizations. In the case of using data in useful and optimal manner, they can become financial resources for organization. Data mining is an appropriate method to transform this potential value into strategic information. Data mining means extraction of hidden information, recognition of hidden relationships and patterns, and in general, discovery of useful knowledge at high volume. The objective of this review paper was to evaluate using data mining in diagnoses of diseases.

Methods: This research is a review paper conducted based on a structured review of the papers published in Science Direct, Pubmed, Google Scholar, SID, Magiran (between years 2005 and 2015) and books related to using data mining in medical science and using it in diagnose of diseases with related keywords.

Results: Nowadays, data mining is used in many medical science studies, including diagnosis of diseases, discovering the hidden patterns in data, and so on. New ideas such as discovery of Knowledge from Discovery and Data Mining Database, which includes data mining techniques, have found more popularity and they has becomedesired research tool for researchers. Researchers can use them to identify patterns and relationshipsamong great number of variables. Using them, researchers have been able to predict theresults obtained from one disease by using information stores available in databases.

Several studies have indicated that data mining is used widely in diagnosis of diseases based on types of information (medical images, characteristics of patients, and so on), such as tuberculosis, types of cancers, infectious diseases, and diagnosis of anomalies rarely diagnosed by human (spots and particular points within aye, which is the symptom of onset of blindness resulting from diabetes), determining type of behavior with patients, and predicting the success rate of surgical surgeries, determining the success rate of therapeutic methods in coping with incurable diseases, and so on.

Conclusion: One of the most important challenging topics in healthcare is transformation of raw clinical data into meaningful information following continuous generation of great number of data. In current competitive environment, health organizations using technologies such as data mining to improve healthcare quality will achieve success faster. Many of research centers in Iran are faced with large volume of information, which is not analyzed at all or will be time-consuming due to using traditional methods, even in the case of using analysis and converting them to knowledge. In light of using data mining and its implementation, health organizations can transform the data into a powerful and competitive tool and take new steps in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and providing high-quality services for clients.
The effect of socioeconomic status on ambulance requests
Authors: Dadashi Ali , Eslami Saeed , Kalani Mohamad Reza
Published: December 2017

Introduction:

Emergency medical events are not randomly distributed over a certain area. Many hidden patterns may influence this distribution due to several socioeconomic, demographic, and geospatial factors. Identifying these patterns will help health policy makers have a better planning for emergency medical services (EMS) in finding high-risk places, and people at high risk.

Methods:

Mashhad city EMS calls records have been analyzed retrospectively. The privacy of the data was considered by eliminating the identification information such as the name or phone number of the patients. To recognize the location of the requests all the recorded addresses were mapped into a single number representing the municipality region of the address. To express the relationship between the predictors, correlation coefficient has been employed.

 

Results:

154528 calls in a citywide registry from March 21, 2013, to March 20, 2014, were investigated. The average of age was 42.43 years (S.D = 21.7) with 50.5% male, 40.7% female and 8.8% of the sex were not registered. 64% of the calls were medical related and the remaining 36% were trauma-related requests. Aside from traffic accident that was the top most in all regions, other top five reasons for ambulance request including weakness, seizure, unconsciousness, nervous stress, and dyspnea were recognized. Although the regions with lower socioeconomic status are more vulnerable, they request ambulances less frequently than the regions with higher socioeconomic status.

Conclusion:

There is a relationship between the socioeconomic status of people and their calls to EMS. The results of this study can help policymakers in finding people in potentially high-risk locations and provide facilities to reduce mortality and morbidity.
INVESTIGATING THE REMOTE MONITORING USAGE FOR HOME HEALTH CARE
Authors: Tabari Parinaz , Montaseri Najme
Published: December 2017

Introduction: Managing and monitoring some diseases and disorders are costly and complicated for patients, their families and healthcare systems. Furthermore, many of the pharmaceutical facilities, equipment and disease management programs are not available to all people in the community. Therefore the use of wireless technologies along with the telephone-based transmission systems, can collect the patients’ health status data and share with related providers. Remote monitoring defines a management approach using communication technology to track patients’ health.

Methods: In this study, we searched recent articles indexed in PubMed, Science Direct, Ovid, Web of Science and Google Scholar to investigate articles which aimed to explore the use of remote patient monitoring systems in different clinical status and to review the advantages and disadvantages of these systems.

Results: People with chronic diseases such as heart disease have complicated care needs. If these people would not be exposed to proper interventions, this situation may lead to multiple referral to the emergency departments and even rehospitalization. Home care by using clear communication protocols, can have a significant impact on improving the quality of care and safety of patients after discharging from the hospital. In such chronic diseases, remote monitoring fascilities and interventions along with education can reduce the use of healthcare resources and the need for early re-admission. Remote monitoring can also support people with disturbances of consciousness. In the field of drug prescription, this technology can also offer recommendations for regulation and alteration of last prescribed drugs in addition to suggestions on patient behavioural changes by care providers and predefined algorithms. This technological method can also be used to monitor side effects of some medications such as antihypertensive drugs.

Conclusion: Monitoring patients remotely, is most commonly used in heart diseases, pulmonary diseases, diabetes and blood pressure diseases. Studies have also been conducted in areas such as serving the elderly and drug counseling. Although there are contradictions about the impact and effectiveness of this approach on some diseases, for patients who are hospitalized frequently, a daily program for monitoring them remotely can have an impact on optimizing health care resource utilization and reduce the number of admissions and length of stay in the hospital and ultimately improve the quality of life of the individual.
Cephalosporins: pharmacology and chemistry
Authors: Shahbaz Kiran
Published: December 2017

Cephalosporins are the most important antibiotics having β-lactam ring and are obtained from a fungus Acremonium, also known as cephalosporium. The wide use of cephalosporins against bacteria in various severe infections such as respiratory tract infection (RTI), skin infection and urinary tract infection (UTI) has led the scientist dive into the detail of this antibacterial drug. The knowledge about structural activity relationship (SAR), spectrum of inhibition (SOI), chemical properties and pharmacology of cephalosporin has pivotal impact to device advanced therapeutic results. The treatment of a disease using cephalosporin has many pros and cons. If the pharmacology and chemical properties of this drug are known properly, many side effects can be diminished or minimized to a certain level. This article review some pharmacological and chemical properties of cephalosporins.
A PERCEPÇÃO DE CONSUMIDORES DE FRANQUIAS VIRTUAIS EM UMA EMPRESA DE COSMÉTICOS BRASILEIRA
Authors: Ebert Paula Narita Pereira , Froemming Lurdes Marlene Seide
Published: December 2017

Um dos grandes desafios do varejo é compreender o comportamento dos consumidores em um mercado em constante evolução e desenvolver estratégias e vantagens competitivas nos canais de distribuição. Este estudo tem como objetivo descrever o desenvolvimento da franquia virtual como um novo canal de distribuição no varejo, desvelando as tendências desse setor através das percepções dos clientes de Franquias virtuais. O estudo fundamentou-se em uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, exploratória e descritiva, constitui-se em um estudo de caso e utilizou-se da pesquisa netnográfica, realizada com consumidores virtuais. A pesquisa revelou, como principais resultados para a empresa, a obtenção de um banco de dados atualizado com informação sobre o perfil e hábitos de compras de seus clientes, a possibilidade em conquistar clientes que não tinham afinidade com vendas presenciais e o engajamento de propagação virtual, além de aumentar sua participação mercadológica. O estudo apresenta contribuições acadêmicas, sociais e mercadológicas. One of the great challenges of retailing is to understand the behavior of consumers in a constantly evolving market, and to develop strategies and competitive advantages in distribution channels. This study aims to describe the development of a virtual franchise as a new retail distribution channel, unveiling the trends of this sector through the perceptions of virtual franchise customers. The study was based on a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, constituting a case study and using the netnographic research carried out with virtual consumers. The research revealed the main results for the company, obtaining an updated database with information about the profile and shopping habits of its customers, the possibility to win customers that had no affinity with face sales and the virtual propagation engagement, In addition to increasing its market share. The study presents academic, social and marketing contributions.
ENTRE COMPETÊNCIAS, EXPERIÊNCIAS E APRENDIZAGENS: arte e criatividade na atuação de um pesquisador em Administração. Entrevista ao Dr. Roberto Lima Ruas
Authors: Freitas Alessandra Demite Gonçalves de
Published: December 2017

Nessa edição, a Revista Foco, por meio da Profa. Alessandra Demite Gonçalves de Freitas, traz uma entrevista com Roberto Lima Ruas, doutor em Economia - Université Jules Verne - Amiens - França (1987) e pós-doutor em Administração na École des Hautes Études Commerciales - Montreal, Canadá (1999-2000) e no centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Appliquées à la Gestion/ CERAG/UPMF - França (2009- 2010).  Nessa entrevista, ele trata um pouco de temas de seu interesse e de sua trajetória como pesquisador.
PENINGKATAN PRODUKSI SEFALOSPORIN C DARI Acremonium chrysogenum CB2/11/1.10.6 DENGAN OPTIMASI MEDIA MENGGUNAKAN METODE RESPON PERMUKAAN
Authors: Prabandari Erwahyuni , Hidayati Dyah Noor , Dewi Diana , Islamiati Eni Dwi , Syamsu Khaswar
Published: December 2017

Cephalosporin is a β-lactam antibiotic produced by Acremonium chrysogenum using submerged fermentation. Carbon and nitrogen are the most influential medium ingredients for cephalosporin formation. The purpose of this study was to obtain the best composition of media for cephalosporin C production. Response surface methodology was used for production optimization. The results showed that molasses of 70 g/Lwas the best carbon source, while the best nitrogen source was the combination of corn steep liquor, urea and ammonium sulphate. DL-methionine, carbon, and nitrogen source significantly affected  the production of cephalosporin C. The mathematically modelled optimization showed that the highest production of cephalosporin C (3876 mg/L) was obtained using medium composition of 68.28 g/L molasses, 71.61 g/L nitrogen, and 0.4 g/L DL-methionine. Laboratory verification using the same medium composition produced 3696 mg/L of cephalosporin C, being 4.65% different from the mathematically optimized results. Medium optimization increased the cephalosprin C production which was 1.48 times higher than that using the previous medium, where the maximum production was only 2487 mg / L.Keywords: Carbon,  cephalosporin C, cultivation medium, nitrogen, A. chrysogenum ABSTRAKSefalosporin C adalah golongan antibiotik β-lactam yang dihasilkan Acremonium chrysogenum melalui fermentasi cair. Komponen yang sangat berpengaruh terhadap produksi sefalosporin C adalah sumber karbon dan nitrogen. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendapatkan komposisi media terbaik untuk produksi sefalosporin C. Optimasi dilakukan menggunakan metode respon permukaan. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa molases 70 g/L adalah sumber karbon terbaik dan kombinasi corn steep liquor, urea dan ammonium sulfat adalah sumber nitrogen terbaik. DL-methionin, sumber karbon, dan nitrogen berpengaruh nyata terhadap produksi sefalosporin C. Optimasi menggunakan model matematika menunjukkan produksi sefalosporin C tertinggi (3876 mg/L) yang diperoleh dengan komposisi media 68,28 g/L molases, 71,61 g/L nitrogen, dan  0,4 g/L DL-methionin. Verfikasi di laboratorium menggunakan komposisi media yang sama menghasilkan sefalosporin C sebesar 3696 mg/L, berbeda 4,65% dibanding dengan hasil optimasi matematis. Optimasi media mampu meningkatkan produksi sefalosprin C sebesar 1,48 kali dibanding media yang digunakan sebelumnya, dimana maksimal hanya menghasilkan 2487 mg/L.Kata kunci: Karbon, sefalosporin C, media kultivasi, nitrogen, A. chrysogenum
PENGARUH KOMBINASI BAKTERI ASAM LAKTAT TERHADAP PERUBAHAN KARAKTERISTIK NUTRISI SUSU KERBAU
Authors: Sunaryanto Rofiq
Published: December 2017

Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria Combination on Characteristic Change of Buffalo Milk Nutrition Determination of physical and chemical characteristics on fermented milk using a mixture of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium sp. has been conducted. Fermentation was carried out for 20 hours at 37ºC in a facultative aerobic condition. Physical characteristics were performed by comparing the physical properties before and after fermentation such as viscosity and texture, including chemical properties such as pH, acidity, protein, fat, and sugar contents. Inoculants of lactic acid bacteria were varied using a combination of lactic acid bacteria mixture. Results showed that the combination of bacteria inoculants used has no significant effect on changes in protein, fat, ash, and water contents. However, the effects on total acid, pH, sugar content, and physical appearance such as viscosity and texture were significant. The combination of L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and Bifidobacterium sp. (A6) produced a soft texture appearance and high viscosity. The combination of inoculant bacteria L. bulgaricus with S. thermophilus (A5) produced a texture similar to A6 but with a lower viscosity than A6.Keywords: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium sp, buffalo milk, fermentation. ABSTRAKPenelitian untuk mengetahui karakteristik fisik dan kimia hasil fermentasi susu kerbau menggunakan campuran Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, dan Bifidobacterium sp telah dilakukan. Fermentasi dilakukan selama 20 jam pada suhu 37ºC secara aerobe fakultatif. Karakteristik fisika dilakukan dengan membandingkan sifat fisik seperti kekentalan dan tekstur, serta sifat kimia yang meliputi kandungan protein, lemak, gula, pH, keasaman sebelum dan sesudah fermentasi. Inokulan bakteri asam laktat divariasikan menggunakan kombinasi campuran bakteri asam laktat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi inokulan yang digunakan dalam proses fermentasi susu kerbau tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap perubahan kadar protein, lemak, abu, dan air. Namun demikian berpengaruh nyata terhadap total asam, pH, kadar gula, dan penampakan fisik seperti kekentalan dan tekstur. Kombinasi inokulan L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus dan Bifidobacterium sp. (A6) menghasilkan susu fermentasi dengan penampakan tekstur halus dan kekentalan yang lebih padat. Kombinasi bakteri L. bulgaricus dengan  S. thermophilus (A5) menghasilkan tekstur yang mirip dengan A6, namun demikian menghasilkan kekentalan yang lebih rendah dibandingkan A6.Kata kunci: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium sp, susu  kerbau, fermentasi
PENGARUH BEBERAPA JENIS SITOKININ PADA MULTIPLIKASI TUNAS ANGGREK Vanda douglas SECARA IN VITRO
Authors: Karyanti Karyanti
Published: December 2017

The Effect of Several Types of Cytokinin on Shoot Multiplication of Vanda douglas Orchid In VitroThe study was aimed to determine the response of Vanda douglas orchid on shoot-multiplication media to different cytokinin concentrations in vitro. A completely randomized design experiment was employed with one factor cytokinin, in which the cytokinins used were TDZ (thidiazuron), BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) and kinetin at the concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mg/L. The results showed that kinetin 0.5 mg/L was the best concentration for shoot formation, occuring on average at 14.88 days after planting; while TDZ 0.5 mg/L was the best concentration for increasing the height of the plant, being on average 0.53 cm. TDZ at 0.5 mg/L concentration also had positive effect on shoot and leaf formation, which resulted in the highest number of shoots and leaves. The average number of shoots was 8.00 buds, and the average number of leaves was 12.25 sheets. Keywords: Vanda douglas, thidiazuron, BAP, kinetin, shoots multiplication ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui respon anggrek Vanda douglas terhadap media perbanyakan tunas pada beberapa konsentrasi jenis sitokinin secara in vitro. Penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan satu faktor, yaitu sitokinin. Sitokinin yang digunakan adalah TDZ (thidiazuron), BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) dan kinetin, dengan konsentrasi 0, 0,5, 1, dan 1,5 mg/L. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian kinetin 0,5 mg/L menunjukkan hasil terbaik pada peubah waktu pembentukan tunas, dengan rata-rata 14,88 hari setelah tanam. Sedangkan konsentrasi TDZ 0,5 mg/L merupakan jenis sitokinin dan konsentrasi terbaik terhadap pertambahan tinggi tanaman, dengan rata-rata 0,53 cm. TDZ dengan konsentrasi 0,5 mg/L juga berpengaruh positif terhadap pertumbuhan tunas dan daun, dengan menghasilkan jumlah tunas tertinggi dan jumlah daun terbanyak. Rata-rata jumlah tunas adalah 8,00 tunas, dan rata-rata jumlah daun adalah 12,25 helai.Kata Kunci: Vanda douglas, thidiazuron, BAP, kinetin, perbanyakan tunasReceived: 19 June 2017        Accepted: 02 July 2017        Published: 12 July 2017
Making Evaluation More Responsive to Policy Needs: The Case of the Labour Market Development Agreements
Authors: Gingras Yves , Haddad Tony , Handouyahia Andy , Awad Georges , Roberge Stéphanie
Published: December 2017

Abstract: This note describes how Employment and Social Development Canada evaluation staff transformed the Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) evaluation process to make it more timely, cost-effective, and relevant for policy development. The note provides background on the LMDAs and discusses key drivers for changing the evaluation approach. In particular, it describes the benefits of using small targeted studies, rich administrative panel data, and building in-house evaluation capacity. It concludes with some lessons learned for the evaluation practice.
Advancing Patient Engagement in Health Service Improvement: What Can the Evaluation Community Offer?
Authors: Gilbert Nathalie , Cousins J. Bradley
Published: December 2017

Abstract: Despite efforts for greater patient engagement in health care quality improvement, evaluation practice in this context remains mostly conventional and noncollaborative. Following an explication of this problem we discuss relevant theory and research on patient-centred care (PCC) and patient engagement and then consider potential benefits of collaborative and participatory approaches to evaluation of such initiatives. We argue that collaborative approaches to evaluation (CAE) are logically well-suited to the evaluation of PCC initiatives and then suggest contributions that the evaluation community can offer to help advance patient engagement. Finally, we outline a research agenda that identifies important areas that are in need of further examination.
Theory of Change Analysis: Building Robust Theories of Change
Authors: Mayne John
Published: December 2017

Abstract: Models for theories of change vary widely as do how they are used. What constitutes a good or robust theory of change has not been discussed much. This article sets out and discusses criteria for robust theories of change. As well, it discusses how these criteria can be used to undertake a vigorous assessment of a theory of change. A solid analysis of a theory of change can be extremely useful, both for designing or assessing the designs of an intervention as well as for the design of monitoring regimes and evaluations. The article concludes with a discussion about carrying out a theory of change analysis and an example.
Using Rubrics for an Evaluation: A National Research Council Pilot
Authors: Tremblay Ghislaine , Fraser Melissa , Bertrand Frédéric
Published: December 2017

Abstract: Rubrics are commonly used in the education sector to assess performance, products, or processes of student learning. Rubrics are gaining importance in organizational performance and program evaluation practice. According to several evaluation practitioners, rubrics can elucidate how excellence and value are defined and applied to evaluation questions or indicators in a given context. This practice note summarizes a pilot project of the National Research Council Canada (NRC) using evaluative rubrics for characterizing relevance and generating conclusions in an evaluation.
L’Ombudsman face aux défis de l’évaluation : est-il possible d’évaluer l’intangible?
Authors: Affodegon Seyive Wilfried , Jacob Steve , Montigny Éric
Published: December 2017

Abstract: Owing to its procedural mission and the specific characteristics of rights protection organizations, the evaluation of an Ombudsman’s performance is a complex task. This article presents a knowledge synthesis of performance measurement for Ombudsman’s Offices and opens the way to new reflections that are both theoretical and practical. In addition to presenting the strengths and weaknesses of the various evaluation models identified in the literature, this study clarifies the purpose of the Ombudsman and the purposes for which it is evaluated. Finally, this article formulates propositions for an integrated assessment of the management of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Politicizing Thomas More's Utopia in restoration England
Authors: Dodds Gregory D.
Published: December 2017

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, England faced several decades of political and social turmoil. In an era of political questioning, dreams about alternate systems of life and culture were not simply thought-provoking exercises, but were often perceived as being dangerously subversive. Within this context, this essay examines the dominant rhetorical responses in Restoration England to Thomas More's Utopia. Utopia was often brought up in polemics directed against Protestant nonconformists, whom, it was feared, sought the return of an English commonwealth. Nonconformists, alternatively, referred to Utopia in anti-Catholic polemics in an attempt to link English Catholics with the desire to overthrow the monarchy and subvert the English Church. Some Protestant authors went even further and embraced More's Utopia precisely because they were dissatisfied with the restored establishment and hoped to see English society fundamentally reformed.
The Slovenian reception of Thomas More and his Utopia
Authors: Žnidaršič Golec Lilijana
Published: December 2017

This article explores Slovenian records referring to More and/or his Utopia between 1643, when the earliest-known reference—a recounting of Lady Alice's first visit of More in the Tower—occurred, and 12 August 2016, when an article marking Utopia's 500th anniversary was published by the most-read Slovenian newspaper: Delo. Although the earliest document relating to Utopia dates back to 1777, the first Slovenian edition of the work did not appear until 1958. The second Slovenian edition, based on Stephen Duncombe's Open Utopia, followed much later, in 2015. As for the literary genre of utopia, the influence of More's “libellus aureus” is evident in Josip Stritar's Deveta dežela, issued in 1878. Most of the references treated in this article are placed in a broad cultural/political context. Considerable attention is given to the introductory essay included in Utopia's 1958 edition as well as to responses to both the 1958 and 2015 editions.
On Good Authority: Anna Freud and the Politics of Child Analysis
Authors: Laubender Carolyn
Published: December 2017

This article provides a reading of a ‘political Anna Freud’ by analysing how Anna Freud's interwar papers about the clinical technique of child analysis refracted broader political discourses about the function and effects of governmental authority. I claim that, in the interwar period, Anna Freud developed a version of child analysis explicitly interested in the authority the analyst exercised over the child-patient. By working from a developmental conception of the child, Anna Freud argued that the relatively ‘undeveloped’ and ‘immature’ nature of the child's super-ego made it ‘dependent’ on a ballast of external (analytic) authority. Anna Freud theorized this analytic authority as a corollary to pedagogical authority, a discourse that puts her in conversation with many political reformers of her time. Yet, unlike her more leftist colleagues, when it came to the clinic Anna Freud contended that authority was both practically necessary and psychically beneficial for children. As I show, this emphasis on the necessity of authority in the clinic is part of a larger, political conversation throughout interwar Europe about the status of newly minted national democracies like Austria's. While recent scholarship on Anna Freud has mined her post-war, institutional work for a latent democratic ethos, I attend to how her early, specifically clinical prioritization of authority participates in a broader interwar ambivalence about the political viability of democracy and about the ultimate need for the restoration of good authority.
Factorization of Graded Traces on Nichols Algebras
Authors: Lentner Simon , Lochmann Andreas
Published: December 2017

A ubiquitous observation for finite-dimensional Nichols algebras is that as a graded algebra the Hilbert series factorizes into cyclotomic polynomials. For Nichols algebras of diagonal type (e.g., Borel parts of quantum groups), this is a consequence of the existence of a root system and a Poincare-Birkhoff-Witt (PBW) basis basis, but, for nondiagonal examples (e.g., Fomin–Kirillov algebras), this is an ongoing surprise. In this article, we discuss this phenomenon and observe that it continues to hold for the graded character of the involved group and for automorphisms. First, we discuss thoroughly the diagonal case. Then, we prove factorization for a large class of nondiagonal Nichols algebras obtained by the folding construction. We conclude empirically by listing all remaining examples, which were in size accessible to the computer algebra system GAP and find that again all graded characters factorize.
A Ni/MH Pouch Cell with High-Capacity Ni(OH)2
Authors: Yan Shuli , Meng Tiejun , Young Kwo-Hsiung , Nei Jean
Published: December 2017

Electrochemical performances of a high-capacity and long life β-α core-shell structured Ni0.84Co0.12Al0.04(OH)2 as the positive electrode active material were tested in a pouch design and compared to those of a standard β-Ni0.91Co0.045Zn0.045(OH)2. The core-shell materials were fabricated with a continuous co-precipitation process, which created an Al-poor core and an Al-rich shell during the nucleation and particle growth stages, respectively. The Al-rich shell became α-Ni(OH)2 after electrical activation and remained intact through the cycling. Pouch cells with the high-capacity β-α core-shell positive electrode material show higher charge acceptances and discharge capacities at 0.1C, 0.2C, 0.5C, and 1C, improved self-discharge performances, and reduced internal and surface charge-transfer resistances, at both room temperature and −10 °C when compared to those with the standard positive electrode material. While the high capacity of the core-shell material can be attributed to the α phase with a multi-electron transfer capability, the improvement in high-rate capability (lower resistance) is caused by the unique surface morphology and abundant interface sites at the β-α grain boundaries. Gravimetric energy densities of pouch cells made with the high-capacity and standard positive materials are 127 and 110 Wh·kg−1, respectively. A further improvement in capacity is expected via the continued optimization of pouch design and the use of high-capacity metal hydride alloy.