bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and Pharmacological Effects of Diosgenin–Betulinic Acid Conjugates
Authors: Özdemir Zülal , Rybková Michaela , Vlk Martin , Šaman David , Rárová Lucie , Wimmer Zdeněk
Published: August 2020

The target diosgenin–betulinic acid conjugates are reported to investigate their ability to enhance and modify the pharmacological effects of their components. The detailed synthetic procedure that includes copper(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (click reaction), and palladium-catalyzed debenzylation by hydrogenolysis is described together with the results of cytotoxicity screening tests. Palladium-catalyzed debenzylation reaction of benzyl ester intermediates was the key step in this synthetic procedure due to the simultaneous presence of a 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole ring in the molecule that was a competing coordination site for the palladium catalyst. High pressure (130 kPa) palladium-catalyzed procedure represented a successful synthetic step yielding the required products. The conjugate 7 showed selective cytotoxicity in human T-lymphoblastic leukemia (CEM) cancer cells (IC50 = 6.5 ± 1.1 µM), in contrast to the conjugate 8 showing no cytotoxicity, and diosgenin (1), an adaptogen, for which a potential to be active on central nervous system was calculated in silico. In addition, 5 showed medium multifarious cytotoxicity in human T-lymphoblastic leukemia (CEM), human cervical cancer (HeLa), and human colon cancer (HCT 116). Betulinic acid (2) and the intermediates 3 and 4 showed no cytotoxicity in the tested cancer cell lines. The experimental data obtained are supplemented by and compared with the in silico calculated physico-chemical and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) parameters of these compounds.
Photochemical α-Cleavage Reaction of 3’,5’-Dimethoxybenzoin: A Combined Time-Resolved Spectroscopy and Computational Chemistry Study
Authors: Li Yuanchun , Zhang Xiting , Yan Zhiping , Du Lili , Tang Wenjian , Phillips David Lee
Published: August 2020

Benzoin is one of the most commonly used photoinitiators to induce free radical polymerization. Here, improved benzoin properties could be accomplished by the introduction of two methoxy substituents, leading to the formation of 3’,5’-dimethoxybenzoin (DMB) which has a higher photo-cleavage quantum yield (0.54) than benzoin (0.35). To elucidate the underlying reaction mechanisms of DMB and obtain direct information of the transient species involved, femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) and nanosecond transient absorption (ns-TA) spectroscopic experiments in conjunction with density functional theory/time-dependent density functional theory (DFT/TD-DFT) calculations were performed. It was found that the photo-induced α-cleavage (Norrish Type I reaction) of DMB occurred from the nπ* triplet state after a rapid intersystem crossing (ISC) process (7.6 ps), leading to the generation of phenyl radicals on the picosecond time scale. Compared with Benzoin, DMB possesses two methoxy groups which are able to stabilize the alcohol radical and thus result in a stronger driving force for cleavage and a higher quantum yield of photodissociation. Two stable conformations (cis-DMB and trans-DMB) at ground state were found via DFT calculations. The influence of the intramolecular hydrogen bond on the α-cleavage of DMB was elaborated.
Antidepressant Effect of Shaded White Leaf Tea Containing High Levels of Caffeine and Amino Acids
Authors: Unno Keiko , Furushima Daisuke , Nomura Yuzuki , Yamada Hiroshi , Iguchi Kazuaki , Taguchi Kyoko , Suzuki Toshikazu , Ozeki Makoto , Nakamura Yoriyuki
Published: August 2020

The young leaves of green tea become lighter in color than usual when protected from sunlight by a shading net for about two weeks while growing. These leaves are called “shaded white leaf tea” or SWLT. In the eluate of SWLT, the amount of amino acids (361 mg/L) was significantly higher than that in regular tea (53.5 mg/L). Since theanine and arginine, the first and second most abundant amino acids in SWLT, have significant antistress effects, we examined the antistress effect of SWLT on humans. SWLT or placebo green tea (3 g) was eluted with room-temperature water (500 mL). Participants consumed the tea for one week prior to pharmacy practice and continued for 10 days in the practice period. The state-trait anxiety inventory, an anxiety questionnaire, tended to be scored lower in the SWLT group than the placebo, but other stress markers showed no differences. The effect of the difference in SWLT components examined with mice showed that aspartic acid and asparagine, which are abundant in SWLT, counteracted the antistress effects of theanine and arginine. Large amounts of caffeine also interfered with SWLT’s antistress effect. Thus, SWLT, which is high in caffeine and amino acids, suppressed depressant behavior in mice.
High-Performance Cataluminescence Sensor Based on Nanosized V2O5 for 2-Butanone Detection
Authors: Zhang Run-Kun , Wang Jing-Xin , Cao Hua
Published: August 2020

The development of high-performance sensors is of great significance for the control of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollution and their potential hazard. In this paper, high crystalline V2O5 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the prepared nanoparticles were characterized by TEM and XRD, and the cataluminescence (CTL) sensing performance was also investigated. Experiments found that the as-prepared V2O5 not only shows sensitive CTL response and good selectivity to 2-butanone, but also exhibits rapid response and recovery speed. The limit of detection was found to be 0.2 mg/m3 (0.07 ppm) at a signal to noise ratio of 3. In addition, the linear range exceeds two orders of magnitude, which points to the promising application of the sensor in monitoring of 2-butanone over a wide concentration range. The mechanism of the sensor exhibiting selectivity to different gas molecules were probed by quantum chemistry calculation. Results showed that the highest partial charge distribution, lowest HOMO-LUMO energy gap and largest dipole moment of 2-butanone among the tested gases result in it having the most sensitive response amongst other VOCs.
Effects of Thymus vulgaris L., Cinnamomum verum J.Presl and Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle Essential Oils in the Endotoxin-induced Acute Airway Inflammation Mouse Model
Authors: Csikós Eszter , Csekő Kata , Ashraf Amir Reza , Kemény Ágnes , Kereskai László , Kocsis Béla , Böszörményi Andrea , Helyes Zsuzsanna , Horváth Györgyi
Published: August 2020

Thyme (TO), cinnamon (CO), and Ceylon type lemongrass (LO) essential oils (EOs) are commonly used for inhalation. However, their effects and mechanisms on inflammatory processes are not well-documented, and the number of in vivo data that would be important to determine their potential benefits or risks is low. Therefore, we analyzed the chemical composition and investigated the activity of TO, CO, and LO on airway functions and inflammatory parameters in an acute pneumonitis mouse model. The components of commercially available EOs were measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Airway inflammation was induced by intratracheal endotoxin administration in mice. EOs were inhaled during the experiments. Airway function and hyperresponsiveness were determined by unrestrained whole-body plethysmography on conscious animals. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured by spectrophotometry from lung tissue homogenates, from which semiquantitative histopathological scores were assessed. The main components of TO, CO, and LO were thymol, cinnamaldehyde, and citronellal, respectively. We provide here the first evidence that TO and CO reduce inflammatory airway hyperresponsiveness and certain cellular inflammatory parameters, so they can potentially be considered as adjuvant treatments in respiratory inflammatory conditions. In contrast, Ceylon type LO inhalation might have an irritant effect (e.g., increased airway hyperresponsiveness and MPO activity) on the inflamed airways, and therefore should be avoided.
Atomic Details of Carbon-Based Nanomolecules Interacting with Proteins
Authors: Di Costanzo Luigi , Geremia Silvano
Published: August 2020

Since the discovery of fullerene, carbon-based nanomolecules sparked a wealth of research across biological, medical and material sciences. Understanding the interactions of these materials with biological samples at the atomic level is crucial for improving the applications of nanomolecules and address safety aspects concerning their use in medicine. Protein crystallography provides the interface view between proteins and carbon-based nanomolecules. We review forefront structural studies of nanomolecules interacting with proteins and the mechanism underlying these interactions. We provide a systematic analysis of approaches used to select proteins interacting with carbon-based nanomolecules explored from the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and scientific literature. The analysis of van der Waals interactions from available data provides important aspects of interactions between proteins and nanomolecules with implications on functional consequences. Carbon-based nanomolecules modulate protein surface electrostatic and, by forming ordered clusters, could modify protein quaternary structures. Lessons learned from structural studies are exemplary and will guide new projects for bioimaging tools, tuning of intrinsically disordered proteins, and design assembly of precise hybrid materials.
Experimental Investigation of Stability of Silica Nanoparticles at Reservoir Conditions for Enhanced Oil-Recovery Applications
Authors: Li Shidong , Ng Yeap Hung , Lau Hon Chung , Torsæter Ole , Stubbs Ludger P.
Published: August 2020

To be effective enhanced oil-recovery (EOR) agents, nanoparticles must be stable and be transported through a reservoir. However, the stability of a nanoparticle suspension at reservoir salinity and temperature is still a challenge and how it is affected by reservoir rocks and crude oils is not well understood. In this work, for the first time, the effect of several nanoparticle treatment approaches on the stability of silica nanoparticles at reservoir conditions (in the presence of reservoir rock and crude oil) was investigated for EOR applications. The stability of nanoparticle suspensions was screened in test tubes at 70 °C and 3.8 wt. % NaCl in the presence of reservoir rock and crude oil. Fumed silica nanoparticles in suspension with hydrochloric acid (HCl), polymer-modified fumed nanoparticles and amide-functionalized silica colloidal nanoparticles were studied. The size and pH of nanoparticle suspension in contact with rock samples were measured to determine the mechanism for stabilization or destabilization of nanoparticles. A turbidity scanner was used to quantify the stability of the nanoparticle suspension. Results showed that both HCl and polymer surface modification can improve nanoparticle stability under synthetic seawater salinity and 70 °C. Suspensions of polymer-modified nanoparticles were stable for months. It was found that pH is a key parameter influencing nanoparticle stability. Rock samples containing carbonate minerals destabilized unmodified nanoparticles. Crude oil had limited effect on nanoparticle stability. Some components of crude oil migrated into the aqueous phase consisting of amide-functionalized silica colloidal nanoparticles suspension. Nanoparticles modification or/and stabilizer are necessary for nanoparticle EOR application.
Potential Applications of Magnesium-Based Polymeric Nanocomposites Obtained by Electrospinning Technique
Authors: Leonés Adrián , Lieblich Marcela , Benavente Rosario , Gonzalez José Luis , Peponi Laura
Published: August 2020

In the last few decades, the development of new electrospun materials with different morphologies and advanced multifunctional properties are strongly consolidated. There are several reviews that describe the processing, use and characterization of electrospun nanocomposites, however, based on our knowledge, no review on electrospun nanocomposites reinforced with nanoparticles (NPs) based on magnesium, Mg-based NPs, are reported. Therefore, in the present review, we focus attention on the fabrication of these promising electrospun materials and their potential applications. Firstly, the electrospinning technique and its main processing window-parameters are described, as well as some post-processing methods used to obtain Mg-based materials. Then, the applications of Mg-based electrospun nanocomposites in different fields are pointed out, thus taking into account the current trend in developing inorganic-organic nanocomposites to gradually satisfy the challenges that the industry generates. Mg-based electrospun nanocomposites are becoming an attractive field of research for environmental remediation (waste-water cleaning and air filtration) as well as for novel technical textiles. However, the mayor application of Mg-based electrospun materials is in the biomedical field, as pointed out. Therefore, this review aims to clarify the tendency in using electrospinning technique and Mg-based nanoparticles to huge development at industrial level in the near future.
Preserving Biodiversity in Marginal Rural Areas: Assessment of Morphological and Genetic Variability of a Sicilian Common Bean Germplasm Collection
Authors: Fiore Maria Carola , Raimondo Francesco Maria , Mercati Francesco , Digangi Ignazio , Sunseri Francesco , Scialabba Anna
Published: August 2020

The historical cultivation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has resulted in the development of local populations/cultivars in restricted Italian rural areas. Many common bean landraces, still cultivated in small mountain areas from Sicily, have become outdated and endangered due to the commercial varieties spreading. These accessions are poorly known but often represent a genetic heritage to be preserved and enhanced. The ex situ conservation of fifty-seven Sicilian common bean landraces was carried out at the “Living Plants Germplasm Bank” at Ucria (Messina, Italy), founded by the Nebrodi Regional Park, together with the “Sicilian Plant Germplasm Repository” of University of Palermo (SPGR/PA). To assess the germplasm genetic diversity, nineteen morphological traits and eight Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) were used. Genetic distances among landraces were calculated to construct a clustering tree by using unweighted pair group method arithmetic (UPGMA). Seed germplasm diversity of Sicilian common bean varied from 80.7% to 93.3%, based on six seed descriptors and six leaf, flower, and pod descriptors, respectively, while cluster genetic analysis depicted a clear separation among all the 57 landraces. Principal coordinates (PCoA) and STRUCTURE analyses showed a prevalent rate of admixture between Mesoamerican and Andean gene pools in Sicilian common bean collection, confirming its heterogeneity. The observed high level of diversity evidenced the needs to adopt accurate criterion to plan a definitive ex situ germplasm collection to share agrobiodiversity with local farmers and to avoid any further loss of genetic resources in rural and protected areas.
Convergent Variations in the Leaf Traits of Desert Plants
Authors: Akram Muhammad Adnan , Wang Xiaoting , Hu Weigang , Xiong Junlan , Zhang Yahui , Deng Yan , Ran Jinzhi , Deng Jianming
Published: August 2020

Convergence is commonly caused by environmental filtering, severe climatic conditions and local disturbance. The basic aim of the present study was to understand the pattern of leaf traits across diverse desert plant species in a common garden, in addition to determining the effect of plant life forms (PLF), such as herb, shrub and subshrub, phylogeny and soil properties on leaf traits. Six leaf traits, namely carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), δ13C and leaf water potential (LWP) of 37 dominant desert plant species were investigated and analyzed. The C, N, K and δ13C concentrations in leaves of shrubs were found higher than herbs and subshrubs; however, P and LWP levels were higher in the leaves of subshrubs following herbs and shrubs. Moreover, leaf C showed a significant positive correlation with N and a negative correlation with δ13C. Leaf N exhibited a positive correlation with P. The relationship between soil and plant macro-elements was found generally insignificant but soil C and N exhibited a significant positive correlation with leaf P. Taxonomy showed a stronger effect on leaf C, N, P and δ13C than soil properties, explaining >50% of the total variability. C3 plants showed higher leaf C, N, P, K and LWP concentration than C4 plants, whereas C4 plants had higher δ13C than C3 plants. Legumes exhibited higher leaf C, N, K and LWP than nonlegumes, while nonlegumes had higher P and δ13C concentration than legumes. In all the species, significant phylogenetic signals (PS) were detected for C and N and nonsignificant PS for the rest of the leaf traits. In addition, these phylogenetic signals were found lower (K-value < 1), and the maximum K-value was noted for C (K = 0.35). The plants of common garden evolved and adapted themselves for their survival in the arid environment and showed convergent variations in their leaf traits. However, these variations were not phylogenetics-specific. Furthermore, marks of convergence found in leaf traits of the study area were most likely due to the environmental factors.
Global Studies of Religiosity and Spirituality: A Systematic Review for Geographic and Topic Scopes
Authors: Herzog Patricia Snell
Published: August 2020

This paper advances the global study of religiosity by conducting a systematic review of the geographic scope, religious traditions, levels of analysis, and topics investigated within contemporary scientific studies of religion, paying particular attention to intersections with generosity. The analysis builds upon a meta-analysis of 30 years of scientific studies of religion that was published ten years ago and engages a similar framework to analyze the most recent ten years of research on religiosity and spirituality. Specifically, this analysis codes for the potential for Western-centrism, Christian-centrism, and congregational-centrism, all while attending to ways to study the potential intersection between religiosity and generosity, especially during the formative youth development life stage. Two data sources inform this analysis: the international data catalog of the Association for Religious Research Archives (ARDA) and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR). The results indicate that centrism remains, though perhaps to a lesser extent than in the previous decades, with the notable exception of a remaining inequality in the geographic scope. Implications for research are discussed, including practical implications to implementing a better geo-tagging process to more overtly identify the scope of data and make U.S. scope less implicit.
Nagging Predictors
Authors: Richman Ronald , Wüthrich Mario V.
Published: August 2020

We define the nagging predictor, which, instead of using bootstrapping to produce a series of i.i.d. predictors, exploits the randomness of neural network calibrations to provide a more stable and accurate predictor than is available from a single neural network run. Convergence results for the family of Tweedie’s compound Poisson models, which are usually used for general insurance pricing, are provided. In the context of a French motor third-party liability insurance example, the nagging predictor achieves stability at portfolio level after about 20 runs. At an insurance policy level, we show that for some policies up to 400 neural network runs are required to achieve stability. Since working with 400 neural networks is impractical, we calibrate two meta models to the nagging predictor, one unweighted, and one using the coefficient of variation of the nagging predictor as a weight, finding that these latter meta networks can approximate the nagging predictor well, only with a small loss of accuracy.
Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensing Based on Incorporation of Carbon Nanotube into Zn-Co-S Ball-in-Ball Hollow Sphere
Authors: Chang Han-Wei , Su Chia-Wei , Tian Jia-Hao , Tsai Yu-Chen
Published: August 2020

Zn-Co-S ball-in-ball hollow sphere (BHS) was successfully prepared by solvothermal sulfurization method. An efficient strategy to synthesize Zn-Co-S BHS consisted of multilevel structures by controlling the ionic exchange reaction was applied to obtain great performance electrode material. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a conductive agent were uniformly introduced with Zn-Co-S BHS to form Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs and expedited the considerable electrocatalytic behavior toward glucose electro-oxidation in alkaline medium. In this study, characterization with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for investigating the morphological and physical/chemical properties and further evaluating the feasibility of Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs in non-enzymatic glucose sensing. Electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA)) were performed to investigate the glucose sensing performance of Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs. The synergistic effect of Faradaic redox couple species of Zn-Co-S BHS and unique conductive network of CNTs exhibited excellent electrochemical catalytic ability towards the glucose electro-oxidation, which revealed linear range from 5 to 100 μM with high sensitivity of 2734.4 μA mM−1 cm−2, excellent detection limit of 2.98 μM, and great selectivity in the presence of dopamine, uric acid, ascorbic acid, and fructose. Thus, Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs would be expected to be a promising material for non-enzymatic glucose sensing.
Influence of Surface and Bulk Defects on Contactless Resistivity Measurements of CdTe and Related Compounds
Authors: Franc Jan , Grill Roman , Zázvorka Jakub
Published: August 2020

We analyzed the influence of parameters of deep levels in the bulk and conditions on the surface on transient charge responses of semi-insulating samples (CdTe and GaAs). We studied the dependence on the applied bias step used for the experimental evaluation of resistivity in contactless measurement setups. We used simulations based on simultaneous solutions of 1D drift diffusion and Poisson’s equations as the main investigation tool. We found out that the resistivity can be reliably determined by the transient contactless method in materials with a large density of deep levels in the bulk (e.g., semi-insulating GaAs) when the response curve is described by a single exponential. In contrast, the materials with the low deep-level density, like semiconductor radiation detector materials (e.g., CdTe, CdZnTe, etc.), usually exhibit a complex response to applied bias, depending on the surface conditions. We show that a single exponential fit does not represent the true relaxation time and resistivity, in this case. A two-exponential fit can be used for a rough estimate of bulk material resistivity only in a limit of low-applied bias, when the response curve approaches a single-exponential shape. A decreasing of the bias leads to a substantially improved agreement between the evaluated and true relaxation time, which is also consistent with the approaching of the relaxation curve to the single-exponential shape.
Enabling Older Adults’ Health Self-Management through Self-Report and Visualization—A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Cajamarca Gabriela , Herskovic Valeria , Rossel Pedro O.
Published: August 2020

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in health, resulting in increased medical care and costs. Mobile technology may facilitate health self-management, thus increasing the quality of care and reducing costs. Although the development of technology offers opportunities in monitoring the health of older adults, it is not clear whether these technologies allow older adults to manage their health data themselves. This paper presents a review of the literature on mobile health technologies for older adults, focusing on whether these technologies enable the visualization of monitored data and the self-reporting of additional information by the older adults. The systematic search considered studies published between 2009 and 2019 in five online databases. We screened 609 articles and identified 95 that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Smartphones and tablets are the most frequently reported technology for older adults to enter additional data to the one that is monitored automatically. The recorded information is displayed on the monitoring device and screens of external devices such as computers. Future designs of mobile health technology should allow older users to enter additional information and visualize data; this could enable them to understand their own data as well as improve their experience with technology.
A Fault Diagnosis Approach for Rolling Bearing Integrated SGMD, IMSDE and Multiclass Relevance Vector Machine
Authors: Yan Xiaoan , Liu Ying , Jia Minping
Published: August 2020

The vibration signal induced by bearing local fault has strong nonstationary and nonlinear property, which indicates that the conventional methods are difficult to recognize bearing fault patterns effectively. Hence, to obtain an efficient diagnosis result, the paper proposes an intelligent fault diagnosis approach for rolling bearing integrated symplectic geometry mode decomposition (SGMD), improved multiscale symbolic dynamic entropy (IMSDE) and multiclass relevance vector machine (MRVM). Firstly, SGMD is employed to decompose the original bearing vibration signal into several symplectic geometry components (SGC), which is aimed at reconstructing the original bearing vibration signal and achieving the purpose of noise reduction. Secondly, the bat algorithm (BA)-based optimized IMSDE is presented to evaluate the complexity of reconstruction signal and extract bearing fault features, which can solve the problems of missing of partial fault information existing in the original multiscale symbolic dynamic entropy (MSDE). Finally, IMSDE-based bearing fault features are fed to MRVM for achieving the identification of bearing fault categories. The validity of the proposed method is verified by the experimental and contrastive analysis. The results show that our approach can precisely identify different fault patterns of rolling bearings. Moreover, our approach can achieve higher recognition accuracy than several existing methods involved in this paper. This study provides a new research idea for improvement of bearing fault identification.
Chirped Laser Pulse Effect on a Quantum Linear Oscillator
Authors: Astapenko Valeriy A. , Sakhno Evgeniya V.
Published: August 2020

We present a theoretical study of the excitation of a charged quantum linear oscillator by chirped laser pulse with the use of probability of the process throughout the pulse action. We focus on the case of the excitation of the oscillator from the ground state without relaxation. Calculations were made for an arbitrary value of the electric field strength by utilizing the exact expression for the excitation probability. The dependence of the excitation probability on the pulse parameters was analyzed both numerically and by using analytical formulas.
Differential Evolution in Waveform Design for Wireless Power Transfer
Authors: Doanis Pavlos , Boursianis Achilles , Huillery Julien , Bréard Arnaud , Duroc Yvan , Goudos Sotirios
Published: August 2020

The technique of transmitting multi-tone signals in a radiative Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) system can significantly increase its end-to-end power efficiency. The optimization problem in this system is to tune the transmission according to the receiver rectenna’s nonlinear behavior and the Channel State Information (CSI). This is a non-convex problem that has been previously addressed by Sequential Convex Programming (SCP) algorithms. Nonetheless, SCP algorithms do not always attain globally optimal solutions. To this end, in this paper, we evaluate a set of Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) with several characteristics. The performance of the optimized multi-tone transmission signals in a WPT system is assessed by means of numerical simulations, utilizing a simplified Single Input Single Output (SISO) model. From the model evaluation, we can deduce that EAs can be successfully applied to the waveform design optimization problem. Moreover, from the presented results, we can derive that EAs can obtain the optimal solutions in the tested cases.
Behavior of Water Mass Beneath the Tsushima Warm Current in the Japan Sea
Authors: Fang Xiaorong , Isoda Yutaka , Kudo Isao , Aramaki Takafumi , Imai Keiri , Ebuchi Naoto
Published: August 2020

To better understand the behavior of water mass beneath the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC), we use the vertical cross-sections of potential temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen in the Japan Sea obtained by the T/V Oshoro Maru of the Hokkaido University during 8–29 June in 2011 to analyze its origins and variations. The results show that the potential temperature and salinity beneath the TWC varies little, but the dissolved oxygen varies largely with the geographical location. There are two deep water masses with different dissolved oxygen content below the TWC. One is on the coastal side with the low dissolved oxygen, and the other is on the offshore side with the high dissolved oxygen. It is inferred that the former one is relatively old water and the latter is the new water. By using the phosphate (PO4) and the apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) relationship, we calculate the PO40 (preformed PO4) as a water mass tracer. These results suggest that the water masses beneath the TWC with high and low dissolved oxygen originate from the same surface water mass in the central Japan Sea.
Impact of School Enrolment Size on Student’s Achievements
Authors: Hafeez Muhammad , Kazmi Qaiser Abbas , Tahira Fatima , Zahid Muhammad , Sajad Hussain , Yasmeen Ahmad Azra , Iqbal Jamshaid , Saqi Muhammad Ishaq
Published: August 2020

Education is a basic need of humanity and key element for the development of a nation. The population is increasing day by day and the main problem of education particularly in primary education is the increasing of number of students in the schools. So, the enrolment size of schools is increasing consistently. The effect of school enrolment size on the student’s achievement has been a major factor for the failure of the education system especially primary education. The purpose of this research is to discover the possible relations between the school enrolment size and student’s achievements. The data of four primary schools namely GPS Gaggu, GPS Samina, GPS Tagiani and GPS Yaroo has been selected to check the effect of school enrolment size on the student’s achievements. The results of the study indicate that as the enrolment size increased in the school, the achievements of the student’s decreased and vice versa.
Tindak Pidana Korporasi Bagi Perusahaan Yang Terlibat Dalam Pencucian Uang Hasil Penjualan Narkotika
Authors: Wibowo Aris , Eddy Triono , Sahari Alpi
Published: August 2020

The National Agency was formed to further intensify the eradication of narcotics crime is one of the extra ordinary crimes. It turns out that narcotics crime also provides a fact that to track the proceeds of the sale of narcotics, the money is diverted, on behalf of, or formed by another corporation as a camouflage so that it is not tracked by the police. Initially, corporations cannot be convicted for various reasons, but later corporations can be convicted. This study aims to analyze the criminal policy of corporate criminal acts for companies involved in money laundering from the sale of narcotics as well as obstacles and solutions carried out by BNN of North Sumatra province in the handling of corporate criminal cases for companies involved in money laundering from narcotics sales. The results of this study indicate the criminal policy of corporate criminal acts for companies involved in money laundering from the sale of narcotics with the existence of money laundering laws that were not previously explicitly regulated, including that the subject of criminal acts for corporations for companies. The obstacle faced by the North Sumatra National Narcotics Agency is the difficulty of obtaining information related to searches regarding objects resulting from money laundering crimes. Another obstacle is the confiscation of the assets of the suspect who must cooperate with the bank, the lack of facilities and infrastructure and the low professionalism of law enforcement.
Penegakan Hukum Pidana Terhadap Anak Yang Terjerat Perkara Pidana Melalui Diversi (Studi Di Polrestabes Medan)
Authors: Jaya Akalafikta , Eddy Triono , Sahari Alpi
Published: August 2020

In the past, the punishment of children was the same as the punishment of adults. This causes the psychological condition of children ranging from investigation, investigation and trial to be disturbed because it is often intimidated by law enforcement agencies. Under these conditions, Law No. 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Justice System was born. One of the reforms in the Child Criminal Justice System Law requires the settlement of a child criminal case by diversion. Based on the results of research that the conception of criminal offenses against children in conflict with the law in Indonesia is different from criminal convictions to adults. Children are given the lightest possible punishment and half of the criminal convictions of adult criminal offenses. That criminal liability for children who are ensnared in a criminal case according to the Law on the Criminal Justice System for Children is still carried out but with different legal sanctions from adults. Criminal imprisonment against children is an ultimumremedium effort, meaning that criminal imprisonment against children is the last legal remedy after there are no other legal remedies that benefit the child. That the concept of enforcement of criminal law against children caught in criminal cases through diversion is in fact not all have applied it. Some criminal cases involving children as the culprit, in court proceedings there are still judges who impose prison sentences on children who are dealing with the law.
Peran Direktorat Lalu Lintas Polda Sumatera Utara Dalam Menciptakan Akuntabilitas Pelayanan Publik
Authors: Ikhwan Muhammad , Sahari Alpi , Fauzi Ahmad
Published: August 2020

Public demands for the creation of good governance especially in the public service sector which is based on good governance and clean govenance produce Polri institutions as sub-systems in the field of public services are required to be responsible in carrying out their duties in a professional and accountable manner. The National Police in particular carries out functions in the field of Registration and Identification of Motorized Vehicles (Regident Ranmor) who have strived to improve themselves by taking steps to reform the police that are moral, professional, modren, and independent through e-government systems in public services, this study aims to analyze the role of the North Sumatra Regional Police traffic directorate in creating public service accountability and efforts in creating public service accountability by the North Sumatra regional police traffic directorate. The results of this study indicate that the regent then is one of the functions of the police in the field of traffic which has the task of being one of the functions of the police in the field of traffic which provides services to the public in the field of motor vehicle administration services, namely issuance (SIM STNK, STCK, BPKB), material training (SIM, STNK, BPKB, TNKB). Public services in the field of registration and identification of motor vehicles carried out by the Directorate of Traffic of the North Sumatra Regional Police based on community satisfaction, it is expected that a survey of the community is carried out periodically (at least once a year) to find out the hopes, desires of the community for the services provided in order to provide excellent service to the community
Analisis Implikasi Permasalahan Wanprestasi dalam Kredit Perbankan (Studi Kasus Putusan MAHKAMAH AGUNG Nomor: 2337 K / PDT / 2009)
Authors: Husen Muhammad Nazim , Rizal Said
Published: August 2020

In this case the customer (debtor) requires a certain amount of money for the business capital, as a guarantee his debtor submit his certificate letter as collateral to the creditors which in this case is PT. BANK SYARIAH MANDIRI DENPASAR is a Bank financial institution that one of its business activities is to give credit to the community. This journal aims to know that the Bank Mandiri Denpasar has done the agreement to debtors, the method used in this writing normative juridical research is a study conducted or shown in the written rules or other legal materials. The results showed that the creditors admitted that there was an agreement with the debtor that was loaded in Akad al-Murabahah. The contract is stated if the debtor dies then all debtor's debts will be paid by full life insurance, and the debtor dies, but the creditor will only pay the life insurance for 12 (twelve) months, because the debtor has to do the payment rider for 6 (six) months and the next month the borrower dies, the result of remaining installment from the original tenor 84 (eighty four) months which is paid 12 (twelve months) by the debtor must be re- has been reagreed by the beneficiaries of the debtor.
Penerapan Tindak Pidana Malpraktik Yang Menyebabkan Kematian Berdasarkan Uu No.36 Tahun 2009 Tentang Kesehatan
Authors: Wijaya Dwi Fahri , Sitinjak Marwin , Panggabean Aston Martin
Published: August 2020

The study aims to know of the implementation of criminal sanctions against the establishment of health act no. 36 years 2014 on health care guidelines against the legal policy against malpractice crimes committed by doctors in the practice of malpractice, and the professional sanction given to doctor vang commits a malpractice that causes death. Vang research method used in this study is the conservative vuridis approach to examining secondary data by searching through laws used in malpractice crimes. This research is the answer to the background of the problems associated with malpractice that Causing death under statute no.36 years 2009 about Health. Malpractice is an offense (intentional, dolus, opzettelijk) or negligence in violation of the law, the enforcement of criminal penalties against health powers by law: the 36-year 2014 law on health power consists of prison crime and penal penalties in accordance with the type of ACTS committed by health workers.
Analisis Ornamen (Gerga) Tradisional Karo pada Bangunan Kantor Bupati Karo Kabupaten Karo
Authors: Mustika Alit Dinda , Erdansyah Fuad
Published: August 2020

This study aims to determine the extent of the application of traditional Karo ornaments which include the application, shape changes, and color changes in the Karo Regent Office building in Karo Regency. The population in this study were all ornaments found in the Karo Regent Office Building (total sampling) of 14 types of ornaments. This study uses a descriptive qualitative analysis approach based on the study of symbolic and Karo cultural philosophies. The results explained that the shape, color, and placement of the gerga no longer follow the rules based on the traditional placement of Karo. In Karo culture, gerga occupy structured fields in the traditional Karo house starting from the bottom (profane), middle (semi-sacred), and the top (sacred). In the upper part of the Karo Regent Office Building (Ayo-Ayo) the placement of the Gerga is in accordance with the Karo Traditional rules but not in the Derpih (wall) and Melmelen (kitchen bar) sections as well as the shape (proportion) changes and inconsistent color placement. . The conclusion of this study is that the ornaments that exist in the Karo Regent Office Building are used as decoration and aesthetic needs (profane) as a cultural identity of Karo, with the finding of a discrepancy in the placement of Karo ornaments based on the principle of ornamentation in the traditional Karo house. It is recommended that the placement, shape and color follow the ornamental principles found in the Karo traditional house.
Hubungan antara Lingkungan Sosial dengan Harga Diri Remaja Panti Asuhan Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah Binjai
Authors: Syafrizaldi Syafrizaldi , Pratiwi Shafira
Published: August 2020

This study aims to find The Correlation between Social Environment and Self-Esteem on Teenagers at Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah Orphanage in Binjai. The subject were 56 teenagers who lived in the orphanage. The sample was collected by using total sampling technique. The data was collected by using social environment and self-esteem scales. The data was analyzed by using correlation technique (rxy) in the amount of 0,792 with p = 0,000 < 0,050 which means there was a positive and significant relationship between social environment and self-esteem, it showed that the better the social environment, the higher self-esteem. Conversely, the worse the environment, the lower self-esteem. Social environment in this study was classified as high, due to (empirical mean = 111,32 > hypothetical mean = 90 where the difference exceeds the numbers of SD = 13,087). Self-esteem was also classified as high, due to (empirical mean = 120,68 > hypothetical mean = 95 where the difference exceeds the numbers of SD = 13,051). Coefficient of determination and correlation was r2 = 0,627 which means the social environment contributed 62,7% to self-esteem. Based on this study, there were still 37,3% influence of the other factors which weren’t revealed in this study.
Does exercise training attenuate cisplatin nephrotoxicity?
Authors: Kafashi Mina , Kaffashian Mohammad Reza , Nematbakhsh Mehdi , Maleki Maryam , Safari Tahereh
Published: August 2020

Cisplatin (CP), a medication originating from the platinum has been used for solid cancers’ treatment in the last decade. CP is associated with numerous side effects as well. One of the side effects is nephrotoxicity. There are some types of procedure which can attenuate harmful effects of the drug, and the effectiveness of physical activity has been a controversial topic. It is well established that physical activity has positive effects on chronic kidney disease (CKD). The exercise training can modulate CP induced muscle wasting both in males and females. Although exercise training may have protective effect on renal function and the related risk factors, it cannot attenuate the renal injury resulted from CP therapy in females. The exercise training may improve interleukin 6 and heme oxygenase-1, reduces the production of CD4+T cell cytokines from the kidney, which play a major role in adaptive immune response. The present mini-review considered the effect of exercise training accompanied by the CP treatment.
The protective effect of lycopene supplement against vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity; a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Haghighipour Somayeh , Soltani Rasool , Anjomshoa Ali
Published: August 2020

Introduction: It has been proposed that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity (VIN). Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the nephroprotective effects of lycopene, as a powerful antioxidant, on VIN. Patients and Methods: In the present study, individuals who received vancomycin (VCM) for any indication were assigned to drug (n=28) and control (n=30) groups. The individuals in the drug group received 25 mg of oral lycopene daily for 10 days started concurrently with VCM and the patients in the placebo group received placebo tablets with VCM. Serum levels of creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) as well as creatinine clearance (CrCl) were determined and recorded before the start of interventions, every other day during therapy, and 12 hours after the last dose of VCM in 10th day of treatment for all participants. Finally, the mean values of the measured parameters were compared between the groups. Results: The mean values of SCr were significantly lower in drug group compared to placebo at the 4th (0.85 ± 0.18 vs. 0.98 ± 0.22, P=0.016) and 6th (0.83 ± 0.18 vs. 0.95 ± 0.21, P=0.029) days. Also, CrCl was significantly higher in the drug group at the 4th day compared to placebo (105.82 ± 20.09 vs. 94.67 ± 20.53, P=0.041). Regarding VCM-induced AKI, no case was reported in any group. Conclusion: Lycopene has the potential for diminution of VCM-induced nephrotoxicity (VIN). However, more investigations with larger sample size are necessary to confirm this effect.
Anorexia nerviosa en adolescentes y adultos
Authors: Segreda Castro Sofía , Segura Araya Cristine
Published: August 2020

La anorexia nerviosa se considera una patología típica de clase social media y alta y se caracteriza por el miedo excesivo a aumentar de peso y/o una alteración en la imagen corporal, que motiva a la persona a implementar una severa restricción dietética u otros comportamientos de pérdida de peso como actividad física excesiva. Esta patología se clasifica en dos tipos: la restrictiva y la de tipo compulsivo purgativo.

El tratamiento de esta enfermedad siempre requiere manejo por parte de un equipo multidisciplinario conformado principalmente por médicos, nutricionistas y psicólogos entrenados en el manejo de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria.
Students’ Satisfaction in Journalism Education in Bangladesh
Authors: Begum Monira , Hasan Mahmudul
Published: August 2020

Despite availing with some dissatisfaction and fewer opportunities among the public and private university students, as a whole most of the students are satisfied and showing hopes in journalism education. This study discusses the comparative results of students' satisfaction level in both public and private university students and student’s perception and expectations from journalism education are focused and explained simultaneously. Overall results show that some newly established and periphery universities are lagging behind comparatively from the old and centered universities. But along with all disadvantages and fewer opportunities, close-ratio differences in satisfaction level are seen among those universities, especially among public and private universities, respectively. Most of the students of 76.67% have changed their negative perception after schooling in departments. Though the majority of the students of 90.67% are enjoying journalism study now, the reverse things are found in liking teaching methods. 51% of private university students dislike teaching methods, which depict less satisfaction level. On the other hand, 61% students of public universities like teaching methods, which shows a high satisfaction level.
Results of 118 People Who Participated in the University Festival and Underwent a Saltiness Cognitive Threshold Test by using SALSAVE
Authors: Ito Akemi , Hirabayashi Mayumi , Katayama Naomi
Published: August 2020

To prevent hypertension, which is closely related to lifestyle, especially eating habits, it is necessary to reduce salt intake. Therefore, in this study, we performed a saltiness cognition threshold test for participants at the university festival and obtained the saltiness cognition threshold results for the general public. 94 % of participants could perceive salty taste when the salty taste concentration was 1.0 % or less. On the other hand, two participants could not perceive saltiness even at a salty concentration of 1.6%, a 67-year-old female, and an 82-year-old female. We would like to continue the saltiness cognition threshold test and collect the data of participants to clarify the saltiness cognition threshold for general people.