bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Godzilla in Venice: Teaching catastrophe to sustain dialogues for peace
Authors: Shaughnessy Orna
Published: April 2019

Godzilla: Il re dei mostri (Cozzi, 1977), the Italian creative artefact that adapted Honda Ishirô’s original 1954 Gojira, is one of dozens of variations in the Godzilla oeuvre that circulate in European popular culture and globally to inform, intentionally or otherwise, discourse on nuclear safety, peace and the responsible uses of science. Teaching Godzilla and other texts of Atomic Bomb Literature often invokes controversy about both historical and contemporary issues and therefore requires a pedagogic approach that can manage civil discourse while fostering mindset growth and empathetic understanding. Literary studies provide a unique set of tools to battle the recalcitrant!
Of thoughts and tunes: Music and performance on both sides of the Atlantic
Authors: Nathan Marco J. , Hood Alan
Published: April 2019

This article is the product of an ‘unorthodox’ interdisciplinary collaboration between a philosopher and a musician. The starting point is the nature of jazz performance. Jazz is a quintessential American form of artistic expression. What are some of the challenges and opportunities confronting an American musician performing in Europe, a continent with a rich – and, on the surface, rather different musical tradition? This rapidly brings us to more general questions about the contextualization of music. What affects musical performance? Does it change depending on the venue? Do audiences vary across different cultures? This leads us to the relation between music and our contemporary society. Recent technological developments have clearly affected not just the production, but also the fruition of music. Some changes are surely welcome. But does progress come at a cost? What do we gain by using new technology and what do we lose? The final exchanges of our conversation invite us to question the future of music, the performing arts and the humanities in general. The fundamental underlying issue becomes: what can we, as educators, do to promote the creativity, originality and innovativeness of the bright young minds that will shape the future?
Sensationalism versus substance: Building a framework that examines mass media coverage of migrants in the Italian context
Authors: Coppini David
Published: April 2019

Italy is at the forefront of the immigration and refugee crises that have characterized the European social landscape over the past ten years. In particular, attitudes towards migrants have become increasingly negative and political parties have used harsh rhetoric against migrants to appeal to anti-migrant sentiments in the population. Recently, acts of anti-immigrant violence have been at the centre of the public debate, placing media coverage of migration issues front and centre in the campaign for the legislative election of 2018. This article examines some of the themes that emerge from Italian media coverage on issues related to migration. In addition, this article proposes a framework to analyse the relationship between mass media, success of populist parties and the rise of anti-migrant attitudes.
Migration and memory: My Italian journey
Authors: Howard Deborah
Published: April 2019

This article recounts the creation of an art project that began with the artist’s research in Venice in 2014 and resulted in a 2017 exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. The museum’s staff invited her to create new works for their spaces that would interpret Venetian Jewish history in a more contemporary and universal manner. Using cast glass of worn shoes and silk fabric, she created artworks that were then housed in two separate galleries of a former synagogue that poetically resonated with the themes of migration and memory.
Book Reviews
Authors: Gottlob Anita , Kassa Bruktawit Ejigu
Published: April 2019

Assembly, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (2017) 1st ed., Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 368 pp., ISBN 978-0-19067-796-1, h/bk, $27.95

Women in European Holocaust Films: Perpetrators, Victims and Resisters, Ingrid Lewis (2017) 1st ed., London: Palgrave Macmillan, 278 pp., ISBN 978-3-31965-060-9, h/bk, $119.99
The politics of think tanks in social media: FAES, YouTube and free-market ideology
Authors: Pineda Antonio , Hernández-Santaolalla Víctor , Algaba Cristina , Barragán-Romero Ana I.
Published: April 2019

Communication and the media stand out among the means think tanks employ to shape public opinion, influence political cultures and spread ideologies. More specifically, both traditional and new media stand out as resources for the advocacy performed by right-leaning think tanks. While the use of traditional media has been well studied, little research has focused on think tanks’ online message content. This article focuses on the social media communication of one of the main think tanks in Spain: FAES. The YouTube videos of this research institution are content analysed in light of (1) free-market ideology and (2) the specific philosophical tenets of two American think tanks: the conservative Heritage Foundation and the libertarian Cato Institute. Results indicate that free-market ideology is communicated throughout FAES’s videos. However, neither Heritage-type conservatism nor Cato-type libertarianism are conveyed. Our study shows that an economic right-wing discourse is finding a new outlet on social media, and sheds light on how FAES’s use of the web relates to the political context.
Metaphorizing deception in political communication: The Wall metaphor in Tunisian electoral politics as a case study
Authors: Chatti Sami
Published: April 2019

People perceive the world through metaphors and tend to align their behaviour to match those metaphorically framed perceptions. Politics, which promotes partisan world-views, recruits metaphor to frame ideologies and shape opinion. Notably, metaphors generate a profiling function that confers cognitive salience and emotional relevance to selective focal points, to gain special prominence in texts and talks. Electoral rhetoric, commonly viewed as selective in nature and persuasive in purpose, seems moreover to enact manipulative and potentially deceptive schemes. Building on the use of the Wall metaphor in Tunisian electoral politics, this article sheds light on the deliberate use of political metaphors for deceptive purposes. Considered as an examplar of ‘metaphors we vote by’, the Wall metaphor structured Tunisian electoral campaign speeches around an alarming car-crash scenario to trigger emotion and afford cognition.
A Novel Noninvasive Program for Staging Liver Fibrosis in Untreated Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B
Authors: Chen Yan , Wang Yongji , Chen Yongping , Yu Zujiang , Chi Xiaoling , Hu Ke-Qin , Li Qin , Tan Lin , Xiang Dedong , Shang Qinghua , Lei Chunliang , Chen Liang , Hu Xiaoyu , Wang Jing , Liu Huabao , Lu Wei , Chi Weilai , Dong Zheng , Wang Xiaodong , Li Zhiqin , Xiao Huanming , Chen Da , Bai Wenlin , Zhang Changjiang , Xiao Guangming , Qi Xun , Chen Jing , Zhou Li , Sun Huiwei , Deng Minghua , Qi Xiaolong , Zhang Zheng , Qi Xingshun , Yang Yongping
Published: April 2019

OBJECTIVES:

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) can progress into liver fibrosis and cirrhosis with poor outcomes. Early and accurate diagnosis of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis is important to guide the preventive strategy of their related complications.

METHODS:

A Chinese multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted to develop and validate a novel noninvasive program for staging liver fibrosis in untreated patients with CHB. Liver histology was evaluated independently by 2 pathologists. The alanine aminotransferase ratio, Hepascore, and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet index values were calculated. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and diameter of the spleen were measured. Logistic regression with ℓ1penalty of regression coefficients was used to select the optimal predictors. The diagnostic accuracy for the stage of liver fibrosis was assessed by the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve with 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS:

A total of 1,200 patients with CHB were included, of whom 800 and 400 were in training and validation sets, respectively. LSM, platelets, age, hyaluronic acid, and diameter of the spleen were the top 5 predictors associated with any stage of liver fibrosis and integrated into a novel noninvasive program, named as the Chin-CHB score. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of the Chin-CHB score was 0.893 (95% CI: 0.77–0.92) for diagnosing significant fibrosis, 0.897 (95% CI: 0.85–0.95) for advanced fibrosis, and 0.909 (95% CI: 0.87–0.95) for cirrhosis. The diagnostic performance of the Chin-CHB score was similar between training and validation sets. The Chin-CHB score had better diagnostic performance than aspartate aminotransferase to platelet index, alanine aminotransferase ratio, LSM alone, and Hepascore for diagnosing any stage of liver fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Chin-CHB score had good diagnostic performance for any stage of liver fibrosis.
Verb-based vs. schema-based constructions and their variability: On the Spanish transitive directed-motion construction in a contrastive perspective
Authors: Pedersen Johan
Published: April 2019

In comparison to English, Spanish constructions of argument structure are highly verb-constrained (e.g., Goldberg, Adele E. 2006.Constructions at work: The nature of generalization in language. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Narasimhan, Bhuvana. 2003. Motion events and the lexicon: A case study of Hindi.Lingua113(2). 123–160):Pedro bajó/*bailó a la playa‘Pedro went down/danced to the beach’. In some cases, the dominant role of the verbal meaning combines with a mismatching construction (e.g., an intransitive verb in a transitive construction:Pedro bajó las escaleras‘Pedro went down the stairs’). To account for this evidence from a usage-based point of view, this study examines the Spanish transitive directed-motion construction combining verb lexeme analysis with collexeme corpus analysis (Stefanowitsch, Anatol & Stefan Th. Gries. 2003. Collostructions: Investigating the interaction beween words and constructions.International Journal of Corpus Linguistics8(2). 209–243). The analysis shows that in spite of frequent verb-construction mismatches, core components of the verbal meaning correlate closely with the usage of the verb in the transitive construction. The same patterns were not observed in comparable English constructions. Conceptualized in a constructionist framework, this study suggests that verb framing and learned constructional patterns have different roles in the encoding of argument structure in the two languages. This contrastive analysis has a broader application: to other construction types, to other semantic domains, and to other languages. It is argued that compared to the typological distinction between Verb-framed and Satellite-framed languages (Talmy, Leonard. 2000.Toward a cognitive semantics, vol. 1 and 2. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), the proposed framework is better suited to account for the crosslinguistic differences and the intra-linguistic variation.
WDM-compatible multimode optical switching system-on-chip
Authors: Jia Hao , Yang Shanglin , Zhou Ting , Shao Sizhu , Fu Xin , Zhang Lei , Yang Lin
Published: April 2019

The development of optical interconnect techniques greatly expands the communication bandwidth and decreases the power consumption at the same time. It provides a prospective solution for both intra-chip and inter-chip links. Herein reported is an integrated wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM)-compatible multimode optical switching system-on-chip (SoC) for large-capacity optical switching among processors. The interfaces for the input and output of the processor signals are electrical, and the on-chip data transmission and switching process are optical. It includes silicon-based microring optical modulator arrays, mode multiplexers/de-multiplexers, optical switches, microring wavelength de-multiplexers and germanium-silicon high-speed photodetectors. By introducing external multi-wavelength laser sources, the SoC achieved the function of on-chip WDM and mode-division multiplexing (MDM) hybrid-signal data transmission and switching on a standard silicon photonics platform. As a proof of concept, signals with a 25 Gbps data rate are implemented on each microring modulator of the fabricated SoC. We illustrated 25 × 3 × 2 Gbps on-chip data throughput with two-by-two multimode switching functionality through implementing three wavelength-channels and two mode-channel hybrid-multiplexed signals for each multimode transmission waveguide. The architecture of the SoC is flexible to scale, both for the number of supported processors and the data throughput. The demonstration paves the way to a large-capacity multimode optical switching SoC.
Crystal structure of (2-bromobenzyl)((1-bromonaphthalen-2-yl)methyl)sulfane, C18H14Br2S
Authors: Tan Nianyuan , Wu Shuisheng , Huiqiong Yang , Lan Donghui , Au Chak-Tong , Yi Bing
Published: April 2019

C18H14Br2S, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.1658(10) Å, b = 7.6868(11) Å, c = 14.971(2) Å, α = 76.328(3)°, β = 84.313(3)°, γ = 81.952(3)°, V = 791.51(19) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.0436, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1237, T = 296(2) K.
Dynamic Properties of Human Hair Fiber–Reinforced Yamuna Sand
Authors: Sahu Raghvendra , Janaki Ramaiah B. , Ayothiraman Ramanathan , Ramana G. V.
Published: April 2019

A series of drained cyclic triaxial tests was conducted to examine the behavior of sand reinforced with human hair fiber of random lengths subjected to cyclic loading. Experiments were conducted at two different relative densities (i.e., 50 and 80 %) with varying fiber content (0.25 to 1.0 %). Factors affecting the cyclic behavior, such as relative density, fiber content, load cycles, and shear strain amplitude, were examined and discussed in this article. Shear modulus and damping ratio evaluated for all the tests indicate that the maximum increase in shear modulus of reinforced sand is observed under medium shear strains and at 0.5 % fiber inclusion for 80 % relative density. However, the fiber inclusion seems ineffective with the sand at 50 % relative density. The damping ratio of reinforced and unreinforced sand did not show a marked variation except for fiber content more than optimum.
DNA Rereplication Is Susceptible to Nucleotide-Level Mutagenesis
Authors: Bui Duyen T , Li Joachim J
Published: April 2019

The initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication at replication origins is tightly regulated to prevent re-initiation and re-replication within each cell cycle. This regulation is critical for genome stability as re-replication is an extremely potent inducer...

The sources of genome instability, a hallmark of cancer, remain incompletely understood. One potential source is DNA rereplication, which arises when the mechanisms that prevent the reinitiation of replication origins within a single cell cycle are compromised. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we previously showed that DNA rereplication is extremely potent at inducing gross chromosomal alterations and that this arises in part because of the susceptibility of rereplication forks to break. Here, we examine the ability of DNA rereplication to induce nucleotide-level mutations. During normal replication these mutations are restricted by three overlapping error-avoidance mechanisms: the nucleotide selectivity of replicative polymerases, their proofreading activity, and mismatch repair. Using lys2InsEA14, a frameshift reporter that is poorly proofread, we show that rereplication induces up to a 30× higher rate of frameshift mutations and that this mutagenesis is due to passage of the rereplication fork, not secondary to rereplication fork breakage. Rereplication can also induce comparable rates of frameshift and base-substitution mutations in a more general mutagenesis reporter CAN1, when the proofreading activity of DNA polymerase ε is inactivated. Finally, we show that the rereplication-induced mutagenesis of both lys2InsEA14 and CAN1 disappears in the absence of mismatch repair. These results suggest that mismatch repair is attenuated during rereplication, although at most sequences DNA polymerase proofreading provides enough error correction to mitigate the mutagenic consequences. Thus, rereplication can facilitate nucleotide-level mutagenesis in addition to inducing gross chromosomal alterations, broadening its potential role in genome instability.
Meiotic MCM Proteins Promote and Inhibit Crossovers During Meiotic Recombination
Authors: Hartmann Michaelyn , Kohl Kathryn P , Sekelsky Jeff , Hatkevich Talia
Published: April 2019

Crossover formation as a result of meiotic recombination is vital for the proper segregation of homologous chromosomes at the end of meiosis I. In many organisms, crossovers are generated through two crossover pathways: Class I and Class II. To ensure accurate crossover formation, meiosis-specific protein complexes regulate the degree to which each pathway is used. One such complex is the mei-mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) complex, which contains MCM and MCM-like proteins REC (ortholog of Mcm8), MEI-217, and MEI-218. The mei-MCM complex genetically promotes Class I crossovers and inhibits Class II crossovers in Drosophila, but it is unclear how individual mei-MCM proteins contribute to crossover regulation. In this study, we perform genetic analyses to understand how specific regions and motifs of mei-MCM proteins contribute to Class I and II crossover formation, and distribution. Our analyses show that the long, disordered N-terminus of MEI-218 is dispensable for crossover formation, and that mutations that disrupt REC’s Walker A and B motifs differentially affect Class I and Class II crossover formation. In rec Walker A mutants, Class I crossovers exhibit no change but Class II crossovers are increased. However, in rec Walker B mutants, Class I crossovers are severely impaired and Class II crossovers are increased. These results suggest that REC may form multiple complexes that exhibit differential REC-dependent ATP-binding and -hydrolyzing requirements. These results provide genetic insight into the mechanisms through which mei-MCM proteins promote Class I crossovers and inhibit Class II crossovers.
Instability of the Pseudoautosomal Boundary in House Mice
Authors: Morgan Andrew P , Bell Timothy A , Crowley James J , Pardo-Manuel de Villena Fernando
Published: April 2019

Faithful segregation of mammalian X and Y chromosomes in male meiosis depends on pairing and recombination in a short interval of residual sequence homology known as the pseudoautosomal region (PAR)...

Faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes at meiosis requires pairing and recombination. In taxa with dimorphic sex chromosomes, pairing between them in the heterogametic sex is limited to a narrow interval of residual sequence homology known as the pseudoautosomal region (PAR). Failure to form the obligate crossover in the PAR is associated with male infertility in house mice (Mus musculus) and humans. Yet despite this apparent functional constraint, the boundary and organization of the PAR is highly variable in mammals, and even between subspecies of mice. Here, we estimate the genetic map in a previously documented expansion of the PAR in the M. musculus castaneus subspecies and show that the local recombination rate is 100-fold higher than the autosomal background. We identify an independent shift in the PAR boundary in the M. musculus musculus subspecies and show that it involves a complex rearrangement, but still recombines in heterozygous males. Finally, we demonstrate pervasive copy-number variation at the PAR boundary in wild populations of M. m. domesticus, M. m. musculus, and M. m. castaneus. Our results suggest that the intensity of recombination activity in the PAR, coupled with relatively weak constraints on its sequence, permit the generation and maintenance of unusual levels of polymorphism in the population of unknown functional significance.
Back Matter Vol. 18(1), 2019
Authors: Etikonomi Jurnal
Published: April 2019

Back Matter Vol. 18(1), 2019
Leadership Style, Work Discipline, Compensation, Employee Performance Through Employee Motivation Bank Syariah X Branch Batam
Authors: Ratnasari Sri Langgeng , Sutjahjo Gandhi , Yana Dewi
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this research is to know the influence of leadership style to work motivation, influence of work discipline to work motivation, influence of compensation to work motivation, influence of leadership style to employee performance, influence of work discipline to employee performance, influence of compensation to performance, influence of leadership style, work, compensation through work motivation on employee performance. The research method used is quantitative method. The population of this research is employees of Bank Syariah X Branch Batam as many as 160 employees. The sampling technique used the census technique. The analysis technique used in this research is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 22. The result of this research is as follows: Leadership style has significant influence on work motivation, work discipline has no significant effect on work motivation, compensation has significant effect on work motivation, the leadership style has no significant effect on employee performance, work discipline has significant effect on employee performance, compensation has significant effect to employee performance, leadership style, work discipline, and compensation have no significant effect on employee performance through work motivation.
The Influence of Islamic Work Ethic and Job Satisfaction on Organizational Commitment: Islamic Educational Institution Evidence
Authors: Siswanto Siswanto , Setiani Setiani , Syakur Ahmad
Published: April 2019

The influence of work ethics on employee performance is highly important.  Researches on work ethics have been widely dominated by protestant concept. There has been indeed contradictive sight on some researches related to religious alliances, but the work ethics of protestant is principally different from that of Islam. Islamic institution obviously applies Islamic work ethics. This research is aimed at analyzing the direct and indirect influence of Islamic work ethics on organizational commitment through job satisfaction. The present study adopted the quantitative approach and data collected by using questionnaires. Meanwhile, data analysis is used path anaysis.  The sample of the study consist of 70 respondents.  The result shows that Islamic work ethics has direct and indirect influence on organizational commitment. The indirect influence of Islamic work ethics on organizational commitment is lower than the direct one. Islamic work ethics can increase organizational commitment indirectly through job satisfaction. Meanwhile, the total indirect influence of Islamic work ethic on organizational commitment is smaller than the direct one. The managerial implication of the current research is that the principal should conduct an ongoing assessment on the work satisfaction of the teachers and employees in order to enhance their organizational commitment.
Institutions as the Main Determinant in Economic Growth
Authors: Nugroho Hari , Pasay N. Haidy Ahmad , Damayanti Arie , Panennungi Maddaremmeng Andi
Published: April 2019

The studies on human capital and technological progress have given incredible insights on how countries in the world differ from one another. Yet there are more than those two reasons to account for differences among countries. There is a third reason why a country would differ in terms of its economic development progress, namely institutional factors. Hence developing institutional indices would give a deeper explanation than a mere theory. On the other hand, we can corroborate the institutional index with the general theory that low-quality institutions will impact an economy negatively. This study seeks to broaden the understanding of causes of economic growth by incorporating institutional index into a semi-endogenous growth model and finds a relationship between that index with human capital and technological progress
Nurses’ and Nursing Assistants’ Perceptions of Spiritual Healthcare
Authors: Sulaiman Victor , Cedar S.
Published: April 2019

Healthcare chaplains in hospital have a number of roles, many of which may not be known. Whether staff are aware of healthcare provisions and the roles of the spiritual healthcare services will influence the use of these services for patients and, of course, for staff themselves. If staff are not aware of chaplains' roles this may affect the ability of chaplains to carry out their full range of roles and provide the care needed for patients and staff.

We investigated nursing and nursing assistants' awareness of spiritual healthcare services in a cardio-vascular department, consisting of six wards and an outpatient clinic, in a central London tertiary NHS Trust hospital. Of the 184 members of staff that are nurses or nursing assistants, 78 filled in our questionnaires (42%). These questionnaires provided descriptive quantitative data to gauge awareness of spiritual healthcare services and provide information for which services needed development. By using the questionnaire, we also hoped to raise awareness of the services provided.
Healthcare Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care for Trans People
Authors: Cornwall Susannah
Published: April 2019

Spiritual care has the potential to mitigate against "gaps" left when waiting lists (and times) for NHS gender identity clinics (GICs) spiral, and trans people awaiting medical interventions are at increased risk of suicide and self-harm. Healthcare chaplaincy has an explicit role to play, particularly for the sizeable number of trans people with religious faith or who struggle with finding support from faith communities. Spiritual care should be integrated within direct care provided by healthcare professionals, with additional care from specialist chaplains where desirable. Findings from the Modelling Transgender Spiritual Care project point to a need for additional training and resourcing in gender identity care for spiritual carers; a new prioritization of healthcare chaplaincy for gender identity services, which has implications for budgets and commissioning; and increased accountability for fulfilling the statutory requirement for spiritual care in the NHS.
Challenge of Change
Authors: Burton Meg
Published: April 2019

It is often said that people do not like change, but change happens continually, whether we like it or not, to us as individuals as well as to the societies in which we live and work. The articles in this issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy all speak of change in one form or another, and you may find some of it challenging.
Analysis of Possible Origination of Domes in Longwalls
Authors: Imranov R. I. , Khmyrova E. N. , Besimbayeva O. G. , Olenyuk S. P. , Kapasova A. Z.
Published: April 2019

The research is aimed at solving problems of assessing underground working stability in complicated mining and geological conditions to increase reliability and safety of mining operations. Analysis of geomechanical processes occurring in a rock mass during extraction of coal seams to determine the stability of mining block roof is the most important task. The performed digital modeling of the rock mass based on the structural logs for K1 seam and the nearest borehole log enabled highly detailed identifying the types of rocks occurred in the seam roof and their strength characteristics, compressive stresses. To determine the stability of a mining block roof, the factor of safety of the rocks was used, which was determined by modeling method using Phase 28.0 and Rockscince software. The carbonaceous argillite parting 0.09–0.12 m thick was taken as the contact of the longwall with the seam roof, and, for completeness of the analysis, the upper high-ash coal member in the seam roof up to 0.7 m thick was used. The modeling findings, presented in the graph of dependence between the safety factor and the distance between the belt heading and air drift, showed that the probability of dome formation in the longwall is high, as the factor of safety of the rocks is less than unity, that indicates the roof instability in the course of the coal seam block extraction. The modeling methods allowed assessing the mine working stability, based on which the measures to improve the reliability and safety of mining operations can be timely developed, and due technical and technological solutions shall be reached.
The Method of Detection of Clay Minerals and Iron Oxide Based on Landsat Multispectral Images (as Exemplified in the Territory of Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam)
Authors: Trinh Le Hung , Zabloskii V. R.
Published: April 2019

Landsat multispectral images have been successfully used for discovering some mineral deposits in different regions of the world. Some minerals, including clay minerals and iron oxide, can be detected by multispectral surveys due to their spectral characteristics. This paper presents the results of the application of principal component analysis and Crosta technique for detecting accumulations of clay minerals and iron oxide based on a Landsat 8 Oli multispectral image of Thai Nguyen Province, north of Vietnam. The obtained results have demonstrated the feasibility and suitability of prompt detecting mineral deposits based on the remote sensing data. The image processing methods and facilities tested in this study can be used to create maps of distribution of clay minerals and iron oxide for effective and expedient prospecting and exploration for minerals.
Leaf sampling for hydrogen cyanide determination in cassava leaves v1
Authors: LE Imakumbili Matema
Published: April 2019

This protocol describes how leaf samples from cassava plants are to be collected for total hydrogen cyanide determination in cassava leaves. The protocol was originally described by Essers (1994). It has however been rewritten to include some additional insights.
Characteristics of short-patent auditory evoked potentials in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Dulnev V. V. , Slyusar’ Т. A.
Published: April 2019

Background. In children with cerebral palsy, high risk of cognitive impairments connected with sensory disintegration – delayed visual and auditory perception.

The objective – assessment of temporary and amplitude characteristics brainstem auditory evoked potentials of children with cerebral palsy.

Materials and methods. Neurological examination, retrospective analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data of brain and 2-channel brainstem auditory evoked potentials registration with left- and right-ear stimulation and analysis was performed for 60 children aged 4–17 years, with mean age 11.80 ± 0.56 years.

Results. There are no significant difference in brainstem auditory evoked potentials latencies of children’s with cerebral palsy age subgroups. A significantly increasing of III–V peak latencies of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and also I–III and I–V interpeak latencies was observed in children with cerebral palsy in comparison of control group. Latencies of different brainstem auditory evoked potentials peaks were significantly higher in children with uni- and bilateral form of cerebral palsy and speech impairment. Group with periventricular leucomalation (on magnetic resonance imaging) is characterized by significantly increased brainstem auditory evoked potentials latencies and normal interpeak intervals. These abnormalities may be linked to non-progressive impairment of brainstem acoustic afferentation.

Conclusion. Impairment of brainstem auditory evoked potentials maturation and it’s difference in various cerebral palsy forms may be potentially clinical applicable for assessment of the children and early detection of sensory impairment.
The Antioxidant Activity of Yogurt Drink by Mangosteen Rind Extract (Garcinia mangostana L.)
Authors: Wibawanti Jeki Mediantari Wahyu , Zulfanita Zulfanita , Runanto Dedi
Published: April 2019

Yogurt drink can be produces from goat milk. Yogurt drink was added mangosteen rind extract to increase quality of product. This study aimed to determine antioxidant activity (total phenol compound, antioxidant activity by IC50 and thiobarbituric acid or TBA value) of yogurt drink from goat milk by mangosteen rind extract. Complete randomized design was used in this research with 4 treatments and 5 replications. The antioxidant activities of yogurt supplemented with 0, 1, 2, and 3% (v/v) mangosteen rind extract was analysed. The result shows that the total phenol content increased along the increase in the levels of mangosteen. Yogurt drink with mangosteen had radical higher scavenging activity than control. TBA value showed significant differences (p<0.05) among treatments. As conclusion, mangosteen rind extract had the potential to improve antioxidant and hinder the rancidity in yogurt drink.
Preservation of Snake Fruit Cultivar Pondoh (Salacca edulis Reinw.) at Cold Temperature Storage
Authors: Wratsongko Albertus Carolus Dito , Legowo Anang Mohamad , Al-Baarri Ahmad Ni'matullah , Hadipernata Mulyana , Broto Wisnu
Published: April 2019

This study was done to preserve snake fruit cultivar Pondoh cold temperature storage. Snake fruits was obtained from Turi, Sleman, Yogyakarta and transferred to the laboratory with the aseptic condition. The sortation based on the visual method was used to collect the proper snake fruit. The cleaning using aseptic cloth was done prior to storage. The snake fruit was collected individually in refrigeration containers at temperatures of 10±5˚C. The storage was done for 30 days and it was stopped until appearance of physical damage in snake fruit. The result indicates that the storage using this method might extend the shelf-life of snake fruit until 28 days. However, snake fruit was hardly to peeled and dry. It can be concluded that cold temperature might extend the shelf-life of snake fruit.
The Effect of Gatot (Fermented Dried Cassava) and Red Bean Ratio on Water Content and Organoleptic Characteristics of The "Gatotkaca" Analog Rice
Authors: Kusmiandany Eries , Pratama Yoga , Pramono Yoyok Budi
Published: April 2019

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the ratio of gatot and red beans usage on water content and organoleptic characteristics from "Gatotkaca" analog rice. The material in this study was gatot (fermented cassava) and red beans. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 5 replications. This study consisted of 4 different analog rice formulations, namely T1 (90% gatot: 10% red beans); T2 (85% gatot: 15% red beans); T3 (80% gatot: 20% red beans); T4 (75% gatot: 25% red beans). Data were analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with the significance level 5%. The results showed that the difference in the ratio of the usage of gatot but red beans didn’t have a significant effect (p>0.05) on the water content and organoleptic characteristics. Treatment with a ratio of gatot and 85% red beans  15% gatot was the best treatment.
Trends of critical care management of obstetric patients in a tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Onyekwulu Fidelis A. , Okeke Tochukwu C.
Published: April 2019

Background: The maternal mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa is high compared to other regions of the world. Management of critically ill obstetric patients is very challenging. We therefore evaluate the trends, clinical characteristics and outcome of the obstetric patients admitted into the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in sub Saharan Africa.Methods: This was a 9- year retrospective study carried out at the multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a University Teaching Hospital which serves as a referral centre for the south east region of the country. Data were collected from the patients’ record, ICU admission and discharge register. Also collected was data concerning labor ward admission and deliveries. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results: The total admission into the ICU during the study period was 1243 patients of which 73 (5.87%) were obstetric patients. They were between the ages of 17 and 54 years with mean of 32.05±5.96 years. The total number of deliveries within the period was 11224 (1247 per year). The commonest obstetric cases admitted into the ICU were (pre) eclampsia 28.8% followed by obstetric hemorrhage 24.7%. The overall mortality rate in this study was 39.7%. The commonest intervention carried out in the ICU was mechanical ventilation.Conclusions: The two leading indications for ICU admission and maternal mortality are (pre)eclampsia and obstetric hemorrhage.
Therapeutic effect of al-Quran murattal on anxiety, sFlt-1, PIGF and sFlt-1/PIGF ratio in pregnant women with risk of preeclampsia
Authors: Mamlukah Mamlukah , Hadisaputro Soeharyo , Soejoenoes Ariawan , Shaluhiyah Zahroh , Syukur M. Amin
Published: April 2019

Background: Pregnancy was a critical period. This study aimed to examine the effect of murattal al-Quran therapy on the level of anxiety, sFlt-1, and PIGF level in pregnant women with preeclampsia risk.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in February, 2018. Ten participants received routine midwifery care were combined with murattal of the Qur'an therapy, the rests as control group. Variables were measured at pre and post 12 interventions. Interviews were conducted after the intervention.Results: There was a mean difference of anxiety of 5.250 (SD of 11.021, 95% CI: 0.092-10,408, p-0.046), sFlt-1 p=0.411, PIGF p=0.002, sFlt-1/PIGF ratio p=0.001.Conclusions: This study found a decrease in the level of anxiety, increase score of PIGF and decrease of sFlt-1/PIGF ratio among pregnant women with the risk of preeclampsia who received routine midwifery care plus al-Quran Murattal therapy.
Role of diagnostic hysterolaparoscopy in the evaluation of female infertility
Authors: N. Madhuri , S. Rashmi H. , S. Sujatha M. , G. Dhanyata
Published: April 2019

Background: Infertility is defined by WHO as a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The prevalence of infertility is about 10%-15% of reproductive age couples. Female factor is responsible for 40-45% of etiology of infertility. Aim of the study was to evaluate the role of diagnostic hysterolaparoscopy in female infertility at a tertiary care centre.Methods: This is a retrospective hospital based study done at a tertiary care hospital attached to JSS Medical College, Mysuru between January 2017 and December 2018. Infertile women with primary or secondary infertility in the 18-40 years age group, with normal hormonal profile and no known male factor were included.Results: In our study, primary infertility was found in 77% of the 96 patients and secondary infertility was found in 23% of patients. In primary infertility, ovarian pathology was the most common finding while Endometriosis was the most common finding in secondary infertility group. 77 % patients were found to have bilaterally patent tubes while remaining had unilateral or bilateral blockage. On hysteroscopy, endometrial polyps were the commonest hysteroscopic finding in both groups.Conclusions: Combined hystero-laparoscopy is a safe, effective and reliable method in comprehensive evaluation of infertility. It helps in the diagnosis of pelvic pathology which may have been missed by routine examination and thereby helps in optimal management of female infertility.
Alteration of cardiovascular autonomic activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Gupta Abhishek , Bhatt Sukanya , Singhal Saurabh
Published: April 2019

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a clinical syndrome characterized by hyperglycaemia due to absolute or relative insulin deficiency. Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) invokes potentially life-threatening outcomes especially in poorly controlled diabetic patients. This study was to evaluate the prevalence of CAN in diabetic patients and its relationship with QTc interval.Methods: This observational study of two year duration was included total 123 patients of more than 30 (thirty) years and up to 60 (sixty) years of age who were presented with diabetic mellitus (DM) those were evaluated for CAN using four distinct clinical tests-Resting heart rate (RHR), test for orthostatic hypotension (OH), hand gripping test (HGT) and QTc interval on ECG. Data were analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 23.Results: The mean age of all 103 studied patients was 48.94±8.69 years; Mostly patients belong to 50-60 years of age and the majority was males (69.0%). Out of 103 72.8% patients were reported with CAN (51 males and 24 females) and without CAN were 27.2.0% (20 males and 8 females), 36% of patients of Definite Parasympathetic neuropathy, 25% Normal and 20% of Sympathetic neuropathic patients. HbA1c level increases the danger of CAN also. QTc interval is a reliable indicator for the presence of CAN.Conclusions: Duration of diabetes is directly proportional to the prevalence of CAN. Various cardiac autonomic function tests detect CAN.
Smoking and blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients: evaluating the role of gender, age and hypertension duration
Authors: Siddiqui Jameel Ahmed , Zaidi Syed Aijaz , Iqbal Jawed , Qamar Nazia , Adil Rahila , Ahmed Anam , Arif Madiha , Anwar Adnan
Published: April 2019

Background: Hypertension is estimated to affect about 40% of adults above 25 years of age globally. While many of the risk factors of hypertension are well known, such is not the case with smoking. Pertinent published literature is heterogeneous, with a dearth of relevant local data. Objectives was to study the relationship between smoking and blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients and to assess the effects of gender, age and hypertension duration on such a relationship.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a total of 298 conveniently sampled patients, aged 18 or above, from the medical outpatient department of a secondary care hospital of Karachi. The relevant data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire whereas the blood pressure level was checked using sphygmomanometer with stethoscope. Mann Whitney U test was used for inferential analysis whereas the significance level was set at 0.05.Results: Overall, both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were significantly associated with smoking history (p<0.05 for both) where they were found to be higher in smokers than in non-smokers. Furthermore, after gender, age and hypertension duration based stratifications; both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were still significantly associated with smoking history in patients who were male, were ≥35 years old and had <5 years hypertension duration (p<0.05 for both) where they were again found to be higher in smokers than in non-smokers.Conclusions: The study results showed a significant association of positive smoking history with higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, though after stratifying for gender, age and hypertension duration, this relationship persisted only in patients who were male, were ≥35 years old and had <5 years hypertension duration.
Concurrent dengue and typhoid infection: study from a tertiary care centre in Muzaffarnagar, India
Authors: Chauhan Sapna , Sharma Sachin , . Surender , Singh Paramjit
Published: April 2019

Background: Acute febrile illness is a common presenting complaint during the rainy season. Rains predispose to both water and vector borne diseases. Co-infection of dengue with malaria, leptospirosis, typhoid, scrub typhus and other arboviral diseases can occur in endemic areas. Such dual infections are difficult to diagnose and create a diagnostic dilemma for the treating physician. Here in this study authors attempt to find out rates of concurrent dengue and typhoid infection.Methods: This retrospective study was done between August to November 2017. 403 patients presenting with acute febrile illness were studied. Diagnosis of dengue was done by rapid card test detecting NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG antibodies. Serodiagnosis of Salmonella infection was done by tube Widal test.Results: : Out of 403 febrile sera samples tested 154 (38.2%) were positive for dengue (either NS1 antigen or IgM antibodies or both), 71(17.6%) were positive for Widal test O and H titres ≥1:160) and 28 (6.9%) were positive for both dengue as well as Salmonella (Widal test).Conclusions: Acute febrile illnesses with diagnostic dilemma may be seen in cases of co-infection. Only better clinical judgement and right choice of laboratory tests can diagnose these diseases timely and prevent fatal outcomes.
Y-chromosomal STR variation in Kurds and Arabs population in Iraqi Kurdistan
Authors: Fattah Yousif Mohammed , Mohammed Ahmed Basheer , Hussien Nasreen Jalal
Published: April 2019

Background: The Iraqi Kurdistan local population involves more than eight gatherings of tenants. The Muslim Kurds make up most of the population and after that the Yezidi Kurds. Alternate gatherings incorporate Armenians, Assyrian, Chaldea, Syriacs, and little minority of Arab and Turkmen individuals.Methods: A total of 36 unrelated males from the two population groups in Iraqi Kurdistan: Kurds and Arabs were analyzed for eight Y-chromosome STRs (DYS19, DYS392, DYS437, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 and Y-GATA-H4). Total DNA from blood cells was extracted using DNA extraction Kit.Results: A number of genetic parameters such as mean number of alleles, allele frequency, gene diversity, polymorphic information content (PIC), and genetic distance were calculated using Power Marker V3.25 software. The DYS458 had the highest diversity (GD: 0.883), while loci DYS456 and Y-GATA-H4 had the lowest (GD: 0.574). The Dendrogram separated the populations into two main clades, the Kurd group and the Arab group except in one case only from the whole population.Conclusions: This study confirms the discriminating power of high-resolution Y-STR typing and provides first primary dataset on Iraqi Kurdistan samples. The comparison of Kurdish and Arab datasets reveals an interesting overall picture of isolation of Kurdish group. The primers DYS19, DYS448, DYS458, and DYS635 can be considered the best for their high PIC power.
Utility of rapid diagnostic kit tests for diagnosis of suspected dengue fever
Authors: Otta Sarita , Swain Bichitrananda
Published: April 2019

Background: Dengue fever often presents as an undifferentiated febrile illness requiring a laboratory test for identification. Serological tests particularly on rapid kits for the detection of NS1Antigen, IgG and IgM antibodies are the most commonly performed test across the country.Methods: The serum samples of suspected dengue cases were tested by Rapid test kits for assessing all the three parameters as well as by ELISA for NS1 antigen test. The platelet count of the patients was obtained from automated coulter counter. The results thus obtained were analyzed in Excel format.Results: The serum samples from 304 suspected Dengue fever cases were received in the lab, of which 190 samples were positive either by rapid or ELISA and 176 when rapid card test was considered alone Highest seropositivity of dengue cases were observed in the age group of ≥60 years (79.2%) followed by 45-59 years (70.7%). On rapid test, 78 cases were NS1 antigen positive of which 60 cases were positive only for NS1 antigen. When NS1 rapid and ELISA tests when compared, 16 kit negative tests were positive on ELISA while 34 kit positive tests were ELISA negative.  Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV when only NS1 was considered on rapid test kits when compared with ELISA were 78.9%, 87.8%, 63.8% and 93.8%. 33.5% of serologically positive cases of Dengue had low platelet count on admission while only among negative cases 17.2% had a low platelet.Conclusions: Rapid kits often show variable results thus needing a validation of them from end user. As a positive dengue test result is an essential prerequisite for diagnosis thus it is essential that for serological tests ELISA technique should be used for reporting. Thus, it also mandates more efforts at decentralization of NVBDCP to include both government and non government institutions.