bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Methods, New Reasons
Authors: Palmer Patricia
Published: July 2017

As a research area, children and television is in trouble. Even though its chief subject — television — has not yet reached the status of a ‘serious’ pursuit for researchers, the social, political and commercial pressures in this area are very strong for research results which are conclusive, reliable and relevant. It is too much to ask of any one study, of course, but even with generous funding, especially in the USA, the answers to urgent questions are not conclusive. There remains a disjunction between die broad social questions about children and television and the individualised, even behaviouristic ways of thinking about this area stick dominant in research practice.
Management Self-Development and Small Business
Authors: Murphy H. Joseph , Young Jeffrey D.
Published: July 2017

Based on in-depth interviews with eight owners/managers, this paper examines the nature of management self-development in the small business sector. In comparison to management self-development in medium and large businesses, management self-development in small business tends to be accidental, highly interpersonal, and informal. Purveyors of management education and training should understand the nature of learning in small business. They should also consider helping small business owners/managers create, maintain and develop their own personal and professional networks.
Learning without Doing
Authors: Mitchell Vincent-Wayne , Bakewell Cathy
Published: July 2017

The historical undervaluing of skills in business and management degrees has led to a widening gap between the skills that employers require and those that graduates provide. Given the resources needed to develop skills and the increasing pressures on higher education, new ideas are needed to close the gap. This article presents a test of a peer-review method of developing oral presentation skills. The experimental results clearly show that the peer-review method leads to significantly improved presentation performance and as such may be valuable in enhancing skills within curricula where separate presentation skills courses are not viable.
On the Recommendation of Rehabilitative Measures for Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Sakki Pekka , Sorri Pentti , Virkkunen Matti
Published: July 2017

An attempt is made in this study to explore the application of the concept of psychiatric rehabilitation and its component parts, as it manifested itself in the rehabilitation plans drawn up for patients (N= 104) under treatment on the adults' wards of a psychiatric clinic on a given date. With the object of exploring the lines followed in framing the rehabilitation plans, the recommendations were factored and rotated, employing the varimax technique. Five factors were interpreted, and in the interpretation those correlations were also taken into account which the factors bore both to the background variables used to describe the patients and also to the estimated obstacles to rehabilitation. All five factors were bi-polar, each of them constituting a choice between two contrasting alternatives of psychiatric rehabilitation, factor I between out-patient treatment and treatment in an institutional setting, factor 2 between drug therapy and vocational guidance, factor 3 between a work-centred alternative and club activities, recreations, etc., factor 4 between psychotherapy and social rehabilitation measures, and factor 5 between occupational therapy and industrial therapy.
Pretesting the Channels of Distribution for a Nutrition Education Leaflet
Authors: Räsänen Leena , Ahlström Antti , Rimpelä Matti
Published: July 2017

In connection with an extensive health education project in Finland, the so-called North Karelia Project, a pretest program was carried out with the object of studying the relative effectiveness of three different channels as disseminators of a nutrition education leaflet addressed to housewives. A total of 256 20–49-year-old housewives were interviewed in the investigation. The telephone interview method was shown to be suitable for this type of information acquisition despite the problems arising in telephone number sampling. Statistically significant differences were noted between the channels used. Almost half of the leaflets taken home from school by pupils failed to reach the housewife, whereas the loss rate in cases where the leaflet was sent as a circular letter or as a supplement to the local newspaper was below 30%. Although the majority of all those who received the leaflet said that they had read it, only a quarter of these could be said to have familiarized themselves with the contents of the leaflet. There was only a weak correlation between background variables and reading of the leaflet or recall of its contents. The results indicate that the efficacy of distributing single educational leaflets is questionable, but the use of leaflets could be defended as part of a largescale information campaign.
Biological Age, Health, and Health-risk Indicators among 25–57-year-old Men in Two Parts of Finland
Authors: Heikkinen E. , Seppänen B. , Rimpelä M.
Published: July 2017

Biological age, health and health-risk indicators were examined among 460 systematically chosen men, aged 25–57 years, in two parts of Finland. Morbidity rates and the prevalence of some health-risk indicators were higher and the standard of living lower in North Karelia than in South-West Finland. The index of biological age (IBA) did not show significant differences between the districts and did not correlate with health-risk indicators. People working in physically hard occupations (industrial and mining workers) were found to have more diseases and had higher IBA values than had workers in lighter occupations. The results suggest that both ageing and morbidity are regulated by occupational status and social conditions connected with it.
Female Alcoholics and Public Assistance
Authors: Medhus Asbjörn
Published: July 2017

The proband group in this investigation consisted of 71 female alcoholics subjected to compulsory treatment by the Temperance Board.

Public assistance was surveyed from the calendar year when the subject reached 19 years of age to the 9th year after the first compulsory treatment. During the four-year period preceding the first compulsory treatment, the percentage of probands on public assistance per year increased from 25 to 50; this coincided with the increase in the percentage of probands having non-compulsory contact with the Temperance Board, annually.

During the same period, both the percentage of probands who for the first time received public assistance and also the percentage of probands having first non-compulsory contact with the Temperance Board were doubled. After the first compulsory treatment, the dependence on public assistance remained constant at a very high level.

The first instance of public assistance was a late sociomedical symptom. The first gonorrhoeal infection and also the first recorded criminal offence usually occurred considerably earlier; on the other hand, the first conviction for drunkenness occurred somewhat later in the course.
Relation between Clinical and Autopsy Diagnoses, Especially as Regards Cancer
Authors: Stenbäck Frej , Päivärinta Heikki
Published: July 2017

The clinical diagnoses of 377 patients were compared with those derived from autopsy; the incidence, confirmation rate and detection rate were correlated to age, sex and duration of stay in the hospital. The diagnoses were in complete agreement in 75% of the cases; as regards location they differed in 20% and malignancy being unsuspected in 5% of the cases, where vascular diseases were the most freuquent clinical findings. Lymphomas and leukemias were overrepresented in the study and had a high confirmation and detection rate, 97% resp. 94%. Tumours of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas were underrepresented and had a low detection rate, 37%, and confirmation rate, 59%. For other tumours the confirmation rate was higher, 84–97%, and detection rate lower, 72–80%. Similar antemortem and postmortem diagnoses were seen“ most commonly in young patients, regardless of sex and who stayed in the hospital for an extended period of time.
Comparison of Participants and Non-Participants in a Population Study of Injuries: The Study of Men Born in 1913 and 1923
Authors: Carlsson Gudrun Silverbåge , Svärdsudd Kurt
Published: July 2017

In a population study of injuries in two samples from the general population of Göteborg, Sweden, of altogether about 1200 50-and 60-year-old men, the non-participation rates were 25% and 19% respectively. The aim of this report was to estimate the size of the bias caused by non-participation. Besides comparing official register data, e.g., marital status, dwelling conditions and mortality between non-participants and participants, it was also possible to measure certain morbidity variables by using the register of an emergency department over a 7-year period. The non-participants had less stable dwelling conditions and were more often unmarried, divorced or widowed than the participants. They also had more accidents per person and more head injuries, were more often transported to the emergency department by ambulance, tended to have more serious injuries and had a higher mortality rate during follow-up. The non-participants were about six times more often inebriated at the attendance and the differences seemed to be associated mainly with the alcohol factor and less with the participation factor. In conclusion, the bias in incidence estimates caused by non-participation appears to be small to moderate in this type of study as long as the non-participation rate can be kept on the same level as in this study or lower.
Toward Healthy Longevity
Authors: Milio Nancy
Published: July 2017

For a variety of health, economic and social reasons, many countries are increasingly concerned about diet-related health problems impairing the quality and length of life. This article presents an analysis of the implementation of food and nutrition policies in Finland and Norway which are intended to address both the supply and demand aspects of food and dietary issues. The purpose was to identify policy problems and illustrate ways they have been addressed in order to be useful to other countries involved in developing such policies. The paper is based on on-site studies conducted in 1990, 1987, and 1980. Major findings indicate mixed progress due in part to problems in implementation. These include: development of an effective strategic capacity for planning, advocacy, coordination, and evaluation; integration into the health services system and other policy sectors; development of decentralized infrastructure for deploying policy; accuracy in public information on food and nutrition; the use of government market power, and social equity in the distribution of policy benefits and costs.
Factors Affecting the Permeability of PE Blown Films
Authors: Krohn James , Tate Rick , Jordy Donnie
Published: July 2017

The vast majority of packaged foods require a barrier to gases, flavors or odors to maintain product quality and provide acceptable shelf-life. For example, baked foods often require moisture protection, while fresh meats and vegetables require low or controlled oxygen exposure to maximize shelf-life and consumer appeal.

Single and multi-layer polyethylene-based films are being used to package many different food products. The specific permeation properties of these films determine the shelf-life of the packaged food products that they contain.

Information is presented on the factors affecting the permeation rates of polyethylene (PE) blown films. Models correlating permeation rates with the major effects of density, film thickness and crystalline orientation are shown. In addition, the impact of processing conditions and resin molecular weight distribution are discussed.
Diabetes educator role boundaries in Australia: a documentary analysis
Authors: King Olivia , Nancarrow Susan , Grace Sandra , Borthwick Alan
Published: July 2017

Background

Diabetes educators provide self‐management education for people living with diabetes to promote optimal health and wellbeing. Their national association is the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA), established in 1981. In Australia the diabetes educator workforce is a diverse, interdisciplinary entity, with nurses, podiatrists, dietitians and several other health professional groups recognised by ADEA as providers of diabetes education. Historically nurses have filled the diabetes educator role and anecdotally, nurses are perceived to have wider scope of practice when undertaking the diabetes educator role than the other professions eligible to practise diabetes education. The nature of the interprofessional role boundaries and differing scopes of practice of diabetes educators of various primary disciplines are poorly understood. Informed by a documentary analysis, this historical review explores the interprofessional evolution of the diabetes educator workforce in Australia and describes the major drivers shaping the role boundaries of diabetes educators from 1981 until 2017.

Methods

This documentary analysis was undertaken in the form of a literature review. STARLITE framework guided the searches for grey and peer reviewed literature. A timeline featuring the key events and changes in the diabetes educator workforce was developed. The timeline was analysed and emerging themes were identified as the major drivers of change within this faction of the health workforce.

Results

This historical review illustrates that there have been drivers at the macro, meso and micro levels which reflect and are reflected by the interprofessional role boundaries in the diabetes educator workforce. The most influential drivers of the interprofessional evolution of the diabetes educator workforce occurred at the macro level and can be broadly categorised according to three major influences: the advent of non‐medical prescribing; the expansion of the Medicare Benefits Schedule to include rebates for allied health services; and the competency movement.

Conclusion

This analysis illustrates the gradual movement of the diabetes educator workforce from a nursing dominant entity, with an emphasis on interprofessional role boundaries, to an interdisciplinary body, in which role flexibility is encouraged. There is however, recent evidence of role boundary delineation at the meso and micro levels.
Recent advancements in mechanical characterisation of 3D woven composites
Authors: Saleh Mohamed Nasr , Soutis Constantinos
Published: July 2017

Three dimensional (3D) woven composites have attracted the interest of academia and industry thanks to their damage tolerance characteristics and automated fabric manufacturing. Although much research has been conducted to investigate their out-of-plane “through thickness” properties, still their in-plane properties are not fully understood and rely on extensive experimentation. To date, the literature lacks an inclusive summary of the mechanical characterisation for 3D woven composites. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the available research studies on 3D woven composites mechanical characterisation, with less emphasis on the out-of-plane response, but an in-depth review of the in-plane response “un-notched vs. notched”. The paper highlights the knowledge gap in the literature of 3D woven composites, suggesting opportunities for future research in this field and a room for improvement in utilising Non-Destructive Techniques (NDT), such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Acoustic Emission (AE) and X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), for observing damage initiation and evolution in 3D woven composites that could be used to calibrate and evaluate analytical and numerical models.
High C-reactive protein instead of metabolic syndrome is associated with lower bioimpedance phase angle in individuals clinically screened for a lifestyle modification program
Authors: Moreto Fernando , de França Natasha A. G. , Gondo Fernanda F. , Callegari Aliucha , Corrente José E. , Burini Roberto C. , de Oliveira Erick P.
Published: July 2017

Background

Phase angle (PhA) value is a useful tool for identifying cell membrane integrity dysfunction. It is known that metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases oxidative stress and inflammation; and consequently can promote cellular damage. We hypothesized that MetS and inflammatory blood markers could be associated with lower PhA values. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the association of PhA values with MetS and blood markers in individuals clinically screened for a lifestyle modification program.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 417 selected subjects (76 men and 341 women, 53.9 ± 9.4 years old) were evaluated. Assessments included clinics, anthropometric measures, body composition by bioimpedance, and laboratory blood markers, including plasma lipids, glucose, and C-reactive protein concentrations. According to the PhA median values, subjects were classified in low (≤6.3°) and high (>6.3°) PhA groups.

Results

Subjects with lower PhA values were older and showed lower body mass index, waist circumference, muscle mass index, creatinine, and uric acid; and higher gamma-GT and HDL cholesterol. Neither the presence of MetS nor the presence of the increasing number of MetS components was associated with PhA values. The logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, and muscle mass index showed that higher C-reactive protein concentrations (>3.0 mg/L) increased the odds of low PhA values (OR = 1.62; CI = 1.01–2.60).

Conclusion

Higher C-reactive protein concentrations increased the odds of low PhA independently of the presence of MetS. Additionally, contrary to our hypothesis, MetS was not associated with PhA values.
SciLite: a platform for displaying text-mined annotations as a means to link research articles with biological data
Authors: Venkatesan Aravind , Kim Jee-Hyub , Talo Francesco , Ide-Smith Michele , Gobeill Julien , Carter Jacob , Batista-Navarro Riza , Ananiadou Sophia , Ruch Patrick , McEntyre Johanna
Published: July 2017

The tremendous growth in biological data has resulted in an increase in the number of research papers being published. This presents a great challenge for scientists in searching and assimilating facts described in those papers. Particularly, biological databases depend on curators to add highly precise and useful information that are usually extracted by reading research articles. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find ways to improve linking literature to the underlying data, thereby minimising the effort in browsing content and identifying key biological concepts.  

As part of the development of Europe PMC, we have developed a new platform, SciLite, which integrates text-mined annotations from different sources and overlays those outputs on research articles. The aim is to aid researchers and curators using Europe PMC in finding key concepts more easily and provide links to related resources or tools, bridging the gap between literature and biological data.
Hospital‐Level Factors Associated with Pediatric Emergency Department Return Visits
Authors: Pittsenbarger Zachary E. , Thurm Cary W. , Neuman Mark I. , Spencer Sandra P. , Simon Harold K. , Gosdin Craig H. , Shah Samir S. , McClead Richard E. , Stack Anne M. , Alpern Elizabeth R.
Published: July 2017

BACKGROUND

Return visits (RVs) and RVs with admission (RVAs) are commonly used emergency department quality measures. Visit‐ and patient‐level factors, including several social determinants of health, have been associated with RV rates, but hospital‐specific factors have not been studied.

OBJECTIVE

To identify what hospital‐level factors correspond with high RV and RVA rates.

SETTING

Multicenter mixed‐methods study of hospital characteristics associated with RV and RVA rates.

DATA SOURCE

Pediatric Health Information System with survey of emergency department directors.

MEASUREMENTS

Adjusted return rates were calculated with generalized linear mixed‐effects models. Hospitals were categorized by adjusted RV and RVA rates for analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty‐four hospitals accounted for 1,456,377 patient visits with an overall adjusted RV rate of 3.7% and RVA rate of 0.7%. Hospitals with the highest RV rates served populations that were more likely to have government insurance and lower median household incomes and less likely to carry commercial insurance. Hospitals in the highest RV rate outlier group had lower pediatric emergency medicine specialist staffing, calculated as full‐time equivalents per 10,000 patient visits: median (interquartile range) of 1.9 (1.5‐2.1) versus 2.9 (2.2‐3.6). There were no differences in hospital population characteristics or staffing by RVA groups.

CONCLUSION

RV rates were associated with population social determinants of health and inversely related to staffing. Hospital‐level variation may indicate population‐level economic factors outside the control of the hospital and unrelated to quality of care.
Solving Single Allocation Hub Location Problems on Euclidean Data
Authors: Meier J. Fabian , Clausen Uwe
Published: July 2017

If shipments have to be transported between many sources and sinks, direct connections from each source to each sink are often too expensive. Instead, a small number of nodes are upgraded to hubs that serve as transshipment points. All sources and sinks are connected to these hubs, so that only a few, strongly consolidated transport relations exist. While hubs and detours lead to additional costs, the savings from bundling shipments—i.e., economies of scale—usually outweigh these costs. Typical applications for hub networks are in cargo, air freight, and postal and parcel transport services. In this paper, we consider three classical and two recent formulations of single allocation hub location problems—i.e., hub location problems in which every source and sink is connected to exactly one hub. Solving larger instances of these problems to optimality is difficult because the inherent quadratic structure of the problem has to be linearized: This leads to a sharp rise in the number of variables. Our new approach relies on the fact that many instances—including the Civil Aeronautics Board and Australian Post data sets—have a Euclidean structure: The distances between the possible hub locations are Euclidean. This enables us to construct a new linearization together with a row generation procedure that solves instances of up to 200 nodes to optimality. For problems like the uncapacitated single allocation p-hub median problem and the uncapacitated single allocation hub location problem, we present the first optimal results for instances of this size.
Self-care and its predictors among patients with heart failure in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Gowani Ambreen , Gul Raisa , Dhakam Sajid
Published: July 2017

Background:

Self-care in heart failure (HF) is essential to improve Quality of Life (QoL) and reduce hospital readmissions. It is a well-researched phenomenon in western countries but still unexplored in developing countries like Pakistan.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to explore the level of self-care behaviour (SCB) and its associated factors among patients with HF in Karachi Pakistan.

Methods:

In a cross-sectional survey, SCB was measured from 230 patients with HF, using the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior scale (EHFSCBs_9). Its associated factors were assessed via a self-developed checklist prepared by the researcher (lead author).

Results:

The overall mean of SCB was 29.73+/-7.03. As a result of multi-variable regression analysis, out of the six variables, only three variables were significantly associated with SCB, explaining the 23.4% variance. These variables were education; income; and chronicity of HF diagnosis.

Conclusion:

The findings of the study suggest that public health initiatives in the form of supportive-educative interventions are a dire need to enhance self-care among patients with HF.
Cardiac catheterisation and patients' anxiety levels
Authors: Haddad Nibras E. , Saleh Mohammad N. , Eshah Nidal F.
Published: July 2017

Background:

The period preceding cardiac catheterisation is characterised by the experience of several emotional disturbances.

Aims:

The aims of this study were to evaluate anxiety levels among patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, and to identify differences in anxiety levels based on patients' sociodemographic and clinical variables.

Methods:

Through convenience sampling, 106 cardiac patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterisation were enrolled in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Anxiety levels were measured using the State Anxiety Inventory.

Results:

The mean anxiety score was 51.12 (range: 24–76). About 83% of the patients had anxiety levels higher than the cut-off point (>42), and 53% of them had anxiety levels higher than the mean anxiety score (>51). Additionally, 30.3%, 40.4%, and 12.1% had high, very high, and extreme anxiety levels respectively.

Conclusions:

Patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, especially women, experienced higher levels of anxiety. Health-care providers working with such patients should be trained to deliver psychological support alongside physical care.
Sacred grove as remnant forest: A vegetation analysis
Authors: MANNA SAIKAT , MANNA SUMIT , GHORA TUSHAR KANTI , ROY ANIRBAN
Published: July 2017

Manna S, Manna S, Ghora TK, Roy A. 2017. Sacred grove as remnant forest: A vegetation analysis. Biodiversitas 18: 899- 908. Sacred groves are the remnants of ancient virgin forest sustaining veritable gene pool that have been gained century-long protection through the inherent cultural and religious belief of the ethnic communities. These important local biodiversity hotspots, representing the climatic climax of regional plant communities, are gradually being under threat by natural disturbances or anthropopression. Thus vegetation analysis of sacred groves is very important to find out their lineage to nearby existing forest. To reach the goal, significant plant compositional similarity between the sacred groves with changing distance was measured by 2X2 contingency analysis from presence/absence data matrix of major tree species (MTS) and major climber and liana species (MCLS) of 13 sacred groves of a particular soil zone. The observation reveals a significant gradual decrease in chi-square value with the increasing distance between the groves. Jaccard and Sorensen Coefficients for community similarity also reflect an inverse relationship of any two groves with increasing distance. Agglomeration Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) depicts that all the 74 families are found to be clustered into three significant groups. In respect of Multiple Correspondence among sacred groves, symmetric and asymmetric plots indicate that there two distinct groups have theirs within similarities among families in the groves. The plexus diagram shows a confluence zone of all the 13 sacred groves which might be the maximum probable area of an ancient riverine wood forest. The study would be helpful in restoration of threatened/degraded sacred groves and also guide in the preparation of management plan for the conservation of these relic forest fragments.
Infraspecific variations in essential oil and glandular trichomes in Nepeta heliotropifolia
Authors: YARMOOHAMMADI MAHBOBEH , TALEBI SEYED MEHDI , NOHOOJI MAJID GHORBANI
Published: July 2017

Yarmoohammadi M, Talebi SM, Nohooji MG. 2017. Infraspecific variations in essential oil and glandular trichomes in Nepeta heliotropifolia. Biodiversitas 18: 964-970. Nepeta heliotropifolia Lam. (Labiatae) is one of the perennial medicinal and aromatic plants, naturally grows in different regions of Iran. The essential oil composition of aerial parts and also the micromorphology and distribution of foliar trichomes of N. heliotropifolia from two different regions of Iran were studied. The extracted essential oils were significantly composed of caryophyllene oxide and phytol, which were quantified by GC and identified based on their GC/MS spectra. The essential oil compositions differed greatly with habitat as well as former investigations. Phytol was quantified between 0.75-10. 29% of the total essential oil, but caryophyllene oxide was quantified between 3.90-12.17% of the total essential oil. Trichomes investigations showed that leaves bear an indumentum of glandular and non-glandular hairs. Two main kinds of glandular trichomes were observed; peltate and capitate. The numbers of capitate and peltate trichomes varied between populations. Such great differences in the essential oil composition may be attributed to chemotype creation and also an adaptation of these populations to particular habitats.
Characterizing nutrient status and growth of Macaranga gigantea in tropical rainforest gaps after selective logging in East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Authors: SUSANTO DWI , HAYATUDIN HAYATUDIN , SETIAWAN ARIS , PURNOMO HERI , RUHIYAT DADDY , AMIRTA RUDIANTO
Published: July 2017

Susanto D, Hayatudin, Setiawan A, Purnomo H, Ruhiyat D, Amirta R. 2017. Characterizing nutrient status and growth of Macaranga gigantea in tropical rainforest gaps after selective logging in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 996-1003. Selective logging caused the formation of forest gaps, which stimulate the growth of the pioneer tree species. This study aims to determine the characteristic of soil nutrients status and plant growth of Macaranga gigantea in the tropical rainforest gaps after selective logging in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. We established research plots 50mx50m in natural forest production, 1 until 10 years after selective logging. The measured data of each plot is the number of trees of M. gigantea, its stem diameter, and its height, and also the soil and leaf nutrient concentration. The results showed that the soil has a pH (H2O) of 5.3 ± 0.27, cation exchange capacity of 10.6 ± 2.98 meq. 100 g-1, base saturation of 27.7 ± 10.44%, while the concentration of nutrients carbon of 1. 04 ± 0.27%, nitrogen of 0.10± 0.02%, phosphorus of 6.35 ± 3.4%, potassium of 67.15± 30.1%, calcium of 1.7 ± 1.09% and magnesium of 0. 99 ± 0.8%. The highest stem diameter and height of M. gigantea (19.5 cm; 18.07 m) was obtained in plots of 8 years after selective logging and then declined, while the highest diameter increment and height increment obtained in plants located in a plot of 4 years after selective logging and decline until 10 years after selective logging. The concentration of nutrients accumulated in the leaves of M. gigantea was N with 1.51 ± 0.19%, P with 0.16 ± 0.01%, K with 1.37 ±0.28%, Ca with 1.78 ± 0, 43% and Mg with 1.53 ± 0.37%. The soil nutrients concentration of N, K, Ca and Mg correlated with plant growth of M. gigantea (p≤ 0.05), potassium concentration of soil positively correlated with a potassium concentration of leaves (p≤ 0.05), whereas magnesium concentration in the leaf correlated with plant growth (p≤ 0.05). We suspect that bases nutrient elements, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are nutrients absorbed in large quantities by M. gigantea and extremely important to its growth.
Thallus variation of Sargassum polycystum from Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: WIDYARTINI DWI SUNU , WIDODO PUDJI , SUSANTO A.B.
Published: July 2017

Widyartini DS, Widodo P, Susanto AB. 2017. Thallus variation of Sargassum polycystum from Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 1004-1011. Sargassum polycystum C. Agardh has characteristic of highly polymorphic thalli among individuals in its population. The shape and size of thalli are variable among the individuals. The study was aimed at knowing the variation of S. polycystum thalli grown in different beaches of Central Java. The data showed that the thalli of the S. polycystum grown in the Karimunjawa had more variation than those grown in the Menganti Beach, as obviously seen on its leaves and vesicles. There was a relationship between salinity and pH of the Menganti Beach of the length of vesicle S. polycystum, but nitrate and phosphate content weren't correlated of variation thalli. Temperature, salinity, and pH of Karimunjawa Beach were correlated with the vesicle's color, nitrate and phosphate correlated of the width as well as upper and lower surfaces of the leaves, phosphate also correlated with the leaf edge and vesicle diameter. Environmental factors in the Menganti Beach had not significantly affected the thalli variation, but salinity and pH had an effect on vesicle length. Temperature, salinity, and pH in the Karimunjawa Beach significantly affected the vesicle color, nitrate and phosphate affect the width of leaves as well as their upper and lower surface. Phosphate also affected the edge of the leaf and the vesicle diameter
Production and characterization of a neutral phytase of Penicillium oxalicum EUFR-3 isolated from Himalayan region
Authors: KAUR RAMANDEEP , SAXENA ABHISHAKE , SANGWAN PUNESH , YADAV AJAR NATH , KUMAR VINOD , DHALIWAL HARCHARAN SINGH
Published: July 2017

Kaur R, Saxena A, Sangwan P, Yadav AN, Kumar V, Dhaliwal HC. 2017. Production and characterization of a neutral phytase of Penicillium oxalicum EUFR-3 isolated from Himalayan region. Nusantara Bioscience 9: 68-76. Micronutrient bioavailability from cereals is poor to monogastric animals due to presence of phytate as a chelating agent in seeds and an exogenous application of phytases is required to overcome antinutritional effect of phytate. In the present investigation, 40 fungal isolates including Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Toliposporium, Cladosporium, Talaromyces etc. from different habitats were screened positive for phytase activity on specific media. On the basis of phytase production potential in solid state fermentation conditions, plant epiphytic fungi Penicillium oxalicum strain EUFR-3 has been observed with maximum phytase activity of 12.8 U/g. The biochemical properties i.e. activity and stability under optimum pH and temperature, and effect of modulators on phytase activity from this isolate were studied for its prospective application in human food. The P. oxalicum EUFR-3 phytase (PhyP-EUFR3) had maximum activity at pH 7.0 and temperature 40 Â°C. It was stable in pH range of 3-8 with more than 60 % activity throughout investigation. The thermostability of PhyP-EUFR3 was about 30 % residual activities after 10 min at 80 Â°C. Further purification, characterization and study of catalytic mechanism will be useful in better utilization of this phytase in human food for increased bioavailability of important metal ions.
Characterization of Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis potentials as probiotic bacteria in Vanamei shrimp feed (Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931)
Authors: ANDRIANI YULI , SAFITRI RATU , ROCHIMA EMMA , FAKHRUDIN SARAH DEWI
Published: July 2017

Andriani Y, Safitri R, Rochima E, Fakhrudin SD. 2017. Characterization of Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis potentials as probiotic bacteria in Vanamei shrimp feed (Litopenaeus Vannamei Boone, 1931). Nusantara Bioscience 9: 188-193. This study aimed to characterize the Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis potentials as probiotic bacteria in Vanamei shrimp feed (Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931). A two-phase experimental descriptive method in a laboratory scale was applied in this study. The first phase was the bacterial growth curve observation of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis. The second phase was the characterization of the two bacteria in terms of their tolerance to an acidic condition, temperature, and bile salt concentration. The measured parameter was the number of colonies in predetermined acidic conditions, temperatures, and bile salt concentrations. The number of growing bacterial colonies was calculated using the total plate count method. Results show that B. subtilis had an optimal growth point at the eighth hours, achieving a total population of 6.138x1013 CFU/mL, while the optimal growth point for B. licheniformis was reached at the tenth hour with 4.299x1013 CFU/mL. Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis were also tolerant at 40, 50, and 60Â°C. The acid tolerance testing was conducted at pH of 2, 4, and 6. It was revealed that Bacillus subtilis were intolerant to acidic condition at pH = 2, in which the number of colonies decreased drastically. On the contrary, B. licheniformis was tolerant to pH = 2, which was evident from the absence of a drastic decrease in the number of colonies. Both B. subtilis and B. licheniformis were tolerant to pH 4 and 6. High tolerance to 0.3% and 0.5% bile salt concentration was observed in both Bacillus subtilis and B. Licheniformis with a high number of colonies of 1010 CFU/mL. Therefore, it is concluded that both B. subtilis and B. licheniformis can be developed into probiotics.
Narratives of performance measurement in philanthropic foundations
Authors: Williamson Alexandra , Leat Diana , Scaife Wendy
Published: July 2017

Philanthropic foundations with a permanent endowment are among the few organisations that have no requirement to measure and prove their performance to ensure sustainability. This article begins by outlining the puzzle of performance measurement in endowed foundations and then briefly reviews the literature. Findings from an exploratory study of Australian foundations’ approaches to measurement are presented. We suggest that beneath the broad adoption of the language of measurement there is a more complex story. There were three broad narratives in relation to measurement, which we label resistance, qualification and realism. These three narratives explain differences in levels of commitment and practice, and go some way towards understanding foundations’ ambiguous relationship with performance measurement, as illustrated in this study and the wider literature.
A Case of Thalassemia-Hb S Disease in Jakarta
Authors: Wahidijat Iskandar , Markum A. H. , Moeslichan S.
Published: July 2017

The first Hb S (Hb S trait) inIndonesia, was found by Lie-InjoLuan Eng (1956) in Jakarta. Asfar as we know the case presentedin this paper, is the first patient withthalassemia-Hb S disease ever foundin the Indonesian literature.
Mountain hiking in Tatra National Park
Authors: Mokras-Grabowska Justyna
Published: July 2017

Tatra National Park is the most frequently visited national park in Poland. During the peak season (summer), it attracts both ‘fully aware’ tourists, properly prepared for mountain hiking, and ‘casual’ hikers, motivated mainly by the shallow desire to ‘tick off’ the most popular places in the highest Polish mountains. The article describes the specific character of mountain hikers in Tatra National Park during the summer season, with particular attention paid to the motivations and skills involved in active tourism.
Pasireotide: successful treatment of a sparsely granulated tumour in a resistant case of acromegaly
Authors: Amarawardena W K M G , Liyanarachchi K D , Newell-Price J D C , Ross R J M , Iacovazzo D , Debono M
Published: July 2017

The granulation pattern of somatotroph adenomas is well known to be associated with differing clinical and biochemical characteristics, and it has been shown that sparsely granulated tumours respond poorly to commonly used somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs). We report a challenging case of acromegaly with a sparsely granulated tumour resistant to multiple modalities of treatment, ultimately achieving biochemical control with pasireotide. A 26-year-old lady presented with classical features of acromegaly, which was confirmed by an oral glucose tolerance test. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) was 1710 µg/L (103–310 µg/L) and mean growth hormone (GH) was >600 U/L. MRI scan showed a 4 cm pituitary macroadenoma with suprasellar extension and right-sided cavernous sinus invasion. She underwent trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery. Histology displayed moderate amounts of sparsely granular eosinophilic cytoplasm, staining only for GH. Postoperative investigations showed uncontrolled disease (IGF1:1474 µg/L, mean GH:228 U/L) and residual tumour in the cavernous sinus. She received external beam fractionated radiation. Over the years, she received octreotide LAR (up to 30 mg), lanreotide (up to 120 mg) two weekly, cabergoline, pegvisomant and stereotactic radiosurgery to no avail. Only pegvisomant resulted in an element of disease control; however, this had to be stopped due to abnormal liver function tests. Fifteen years after the diagnosis, she was started on pasireotide 40 mg monthly. Within a month, her IGF1 dropped and has remained within the normal range (103–310 µg/L). Pasireotide has been well tolerated, and there has been significant clinical improvement. Somatostatin receptor subtyping revealed a positivity score of two for both sst5 and sst2a subtypes.

Learning points:

Age, size of the tumour, GH levels on presentation, histopathological type and the somatostatin receptor status of the tumour in acromegaly should be reviewed in patients who poorly respond to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands.

Tumours that respond poorly to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands, especially sparsely granulated somatotroph adenomas, can respond to pasireotide and treatment should be considered early in the management of resistant tumours.

Patients with membranous expression of sst5 are likely to be more responsive to pasireotide.
What determines the permanent emigration of Poles? The analysis of the spatial diversification of causes in three economic age groups
Authors: Lewandowska-Gwarda Karolina , Antczak Elżbieta
Published: July 2017

Our paper seeks answers to the following questions: What are the determinants of permanent emigration from Poland and how do they vary for specific economic age groups (pre-working, working, and post-working age)? Do the causes of permanent emigration differ over space in these categories, and if so, how? We applied GIS and ESDA instruments, including geographically weighted regression, which allowed us to identify the variability of regression coefficients in the geographical space. Our research indicated socio-economic factors (among others: poviats budget income, feminisation rate, unemployment rate), which, with varying force and in varying directions, affected the studied variable in specific parts of the country. The analyses were performed on the basis of statistical data on the numbers of de-registrations for residence abroad in Poland’s NUTS-4 in three economic age groups (pre-working, working, and post-working age) for the time span from 2005 to 2013.
Integrated GIS Based Approach in Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Isnain Zulherry , Akhir Juhari Mat
Published: July 2017

DOI: 10.17014/ijog.4.2.111-120The shortage of clean water occurs almost everywhere around the world. The demand for water supply increases from time to time due to various problems such as development, population growth, pollution, global warming, agricultural activities, logging, and so on. This study was conducted in the vicinity of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) for mapping the groundwater potential zones. The main objective of this study was to generate the predictive map of groundwater potential zones in the studied area through the integration of various thematic maps by using the GIS. This study includes five stages, namely collection and preparation of basic data, data analyses, development of space database, spatial analyses, and space integration. There are eleven parameters used in this study, namely rainfall, drainage, soil type, landuse, lithology, lineament density, topography, slope steepness, the ratio of sand and clay, major fault zones, and syncline zones. By using the Heuristic method, the final map of groundwater potential zones in the studied area is divided into five classes, which are very low, low, moderate, high, and very high.
Hybrid three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting of retina equivalent for ocular research
Authors: Shi Pujiang , Edgar Tan Yong Sheng , Yeong Wai Yee , Laude Augustinus
Published: July 2017

In this article, a hybrid retina construct was created via three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology. The construct was composed of a PCL ultrathin membrane, ARPE-19 cell monolayer and Y79 cell-laden alginate/pluronic bioink. 3D bioprinting technology was applied herein to deliver the ARPE-19 cells and Y79 cell-laden bioink to ensure homogeneous ARPE-19 cell seeding; subsequently, two distinctive Y79 cell-seeding patterns were bioprinted on top of the ARPE-19 cell monolayer. The bioprinted ARPE-19 cells were evaluated by prestoblue assay, F-actin, and hematoxylin/eosin (HE) staining, and then the cells were observed under laser scanning and invert microscopy for 14 days. The Y79 cells in alginate/pluronic bioink after bioprinting had been closely monitored for 7 days. Live/dead assay and scanning electrical microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate Y79 cell viability and morphology. Both the ARPE-19 and Y79 cells were in excellent condition, and the successfully bioprinted retina model could be utilized in drug delivery, disease mechanism and treatment method discoveries.
Pharmacognostic Standardization, Phenolic and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Silene villosa (Family: Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: Foudah Ahmed I.
Published: July 2017

The present study was designed to explore some of the quality principles and in vitro antioxidant exploration of Silene villosa “a non-intentional” herb. The pharmacognostical study and phytochemical evaluation of the herbs of S. villosa was carried out following the reported methods. The total phenolic contents and antioxidant potential of the methanol extract was also evaluated applying the standard methods. Microscopic features of the Transverse Section (T.S) of the root were observed as epidermis, medullary rays, xylem cells, phloem cells. The microscopic study of the powder showed the presence of spiral vessels, lignified fibre or tannin containing cells. The extractive value showed the water soluble materials were higher than the alcohol soluble materials. Primarily phytochemical analysis and total phenolic contents (11.78±0.169 %) in powder and extract respectively were conducted. The methanol extract of S. villosa showed dose dependent antioxidant activity. The present study helps in authentication of S. villosa and enhances further exploration of the health benefits due to the presence of phenolic contents and antioxidant property.
Examination the health state with instrumental measurements and the diversity of sessile oak stands in Zemplén mountains
Authors: Trenyik Petra , Ficsor Csilla , Demeter András , Falvai Dominika , Czóbel Szilárd
Published: July 2017

Researching the naturalness of forests has been becoming more and more pronounced in Hungary, since the forest’s ecosystems are also concerned by the biosphere crisis, that is a global degradation of the biotic environment. This deterioration could be observed not only through the decrease of the extention of the forests, but also through the altering of their structures. FAKOPP 3D Acoustic Tomograph have been used and coenological surveys have been carried out in 3 different layers. The examinations have been accomplished in sessile oak stands of the Zemplén Mountains, within 5 different age groups. According to the results of the instrumental measurements – except the youngest age group – the highest value of the rottenness is located in the closest layer to the topsoil, then upwards on the trunk it shows decreasing tendency. Among the stands the 80 years old age group proved to be the healthiest, while the 20 years old group had the worst values. Based on the Shannon and Simpson diversity, the most diverse age group in the ground layer is the 60 years old group, while in the canopy is the 80 years old group. The rottenness measured in the younger stands concerned the higher parts of the trunks and it has presumably evolved because of the frost cracks. The diversity values of the shrub and the ground layer followed the same tendency.