bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kajian Kriteria Mutu Air Irigasi
Authors: Yusuf Iskandar A.
Published: March 2018

Peraturan Pemerintah No. 82 Tahun 2001 tentang Pengelolaan Kualitas Air dan Pengendalian Pencemaran Air yang memuat kriteria mutu air berbasis kelas mutu air, maka penerapannya untuk berbagai pemanfaatan menjadi kurang spesifik sehingga kualitas air baku irigasi harus memenuhi kelas II, kelas III dan/atau kelas IV. Di sisi lain, kebutuhan air untuk sektor irigasi/pertanian ini merupakan jumlah yang sangat besar dan kebutuhannya kian meningkat seiring dengan pertambahan penduduk, sementara ketersediaan air semakin berkurang dan lebih diperparah lagi akibat pencemaran yang semakin berat adanya, sehingga untuk memenuhi kebutuhan air dalam jumlah besar dengan kualitas air yang baik semakin sulit dipenuhi. Hal ini sangat memberatkan penyedia air baku, “kriteria mutu air seperti apa yang diperlukan untuk air irigasi?” Berdasarkan hasil kajian beberapa referensi disusunlah suatu rancangan usulan kriteria mutu air irigasi. Selanjutnya melakukan evaluasi data kualitas air baku di Bendung Walahar Sungai Citarum-Karawang, Bendung Pamarayan Sungai Ciujung-Serang dan saluran irigasi di Ungaran Kali Garang-Semarang. Berdasarkan rancangan usulan kriteria mutu air irigasi ini semuanya memenuhi kriteria baik sekali dan baik tetapi berdasarkan kriteria mutu air kelas II hasil evaluasinya tidak memenuhi syarat, padahal produktivitas sawahnya dinilai baik yaitu di atas rata-rata nasional. Seyogianya kriteria mutu air dari Peraturan Pemerintah No. 82 Tahun 2001 masih berlaku sebagai acuan penetapan baku mutu air saja sedangkan baku mutu air untuk berbagai pemanfaatan misalnya irigasi dapat ditetapkan oleh Peraturan lain seperti Peraturan Pemerintah/Gubernur /Bupati/Walikota sesuai kewenangannya.
Irrigation Performance Assessment by Permen PU no.32/2007 and Masscote Methode Approach with Rapid Appraisal Procedure (RAP) Evaluation at Barugbug Irrigation Area – West Java
Authors: Mulyadi - , Soekarno Indratmo , Natasaputra Suardi
Published: March 2018

Kinerja irigasi menjadi suatu indikasi dalam rangka menggambarkan suatu pengelolaan sistem irigasi, Penilaian kinerja berdasarkan Permen PU No.32/2007 dilakukan terhadap 6 (enam) parameter yaitu; Prasarana Fisik, Produktivitas Tanam, Sarana Penunjang, Organisasi Personalia, Dokumentasi dan Perkumpulan Petani Pemakai Air (P3A), sedangkan pendekatan metode MASSCOTE dilakukan dengan evaluasi Rapid Appraisal Procedure (RAP) yang merupakan seperangkat prosedur sistematis untuk mendiagnosa hambatan, kinerja dan tingkat layanan dalam sistem irigasi terhadap 4 (empat) indikator utama yaitu; Indikator Pelayanan, Indikator P3A, Indikator SDM Operator, dan Indikator Modernisasi Operasi Saluran. Penilaian kinerja dilakukan melalui survei terhadap petugas OP irigasi dan petani P3A yang menunjukkan indeks kinerja sebesar 74,24% atau kategori Baik terhadap kinerja Operasi dan Pemeliharaan berdasarkan Permen PU No.32/2007, sedangkan indeks kinerja sebesar 2,7 berdasarkan metode MASSCOTE dengan evaluasi RAP menunjukkan Level of Service pada kategori Kurang Baik terhadap kinerja Operasi Saluran dan Pelayanan Irigasi. Berdasarkan analisis jalur didapatkan pengaruh signifikan secara bersama variabel indikator utama X1,X2,X3 dan X4 terhadap variabel kinerja sistem irigasi (Y) sebesar 0,701 atau 70,1% dengan residual error sebesar 0,299 atau 29,9%.
La gestion du risque de contrefaçon pour les PME dans le cadre de sous-traitance
Authors: Bekkari Manal El , Mercier-Suissa Catherine
Published: March 2018

Cette recherche a trait à la gestion du risque de contrefaçon par les PME dans le cadre de la sous-traitance à l’international (STI). L’analyse a pour cadre théorique les travaux sur le risque international (El Fadil et Saint-Pierre, 2011, 2015). Les auteurs traitent la contrefaçon, comme un risque spécifique, qui s’observe en particulier dans le cadre de la STI. Ils réalisent une analyse qualitative auprès de trois PME industrielles, et montrent que celles-ci sont toutes conscientes du risque encouru lors de la STI à l’étranger, mais qu’elles ne perçoivent pas les facteurs endogènes et exogènes de risque de contrefaçon de la même manière.
La responsabilisation de la Société Générale
Authors: Ouriemmi Oussama , Gérard Benoît
Published: March 2018

Le présent article revient sur le conflit judiciaire qui oppose la Société Générale à son ex-trader, Jérôme Kerviel. Plus précisément, il part de la mutation juridique qui s’opère en 2014 au niveau de son volet civil pour mettre en lumière la décision judiciaire ultime qui en découle. Le 23 septembre 2016, tout en confirmant Kerviel comme le seul coupable pénalement, la cour d’appel de Versailles responsabilise civilement la Société Générale. Le conflit est ainsi une occasion pour étudier les normes juridiques en rapport avec les normes et la pratique managériales.
Split laminotomy versus conventional laminotomy: postoperative outcomes in pediatric patients
Authors: Arocho-Quinones Elsa V. , Kolimas Amie , LaViolette Peter S. , Kaufman Bruce A. , Foy Andrew B. , Zwienenberg Marike , Lew Sean M.
Published: March 2018

OBJECTIVE

Split laminotomy is a technique for accessing the spinal canal from the posterior midline that minimizes muscle dissection and bone removal. Benefits of this approach in minimizing postoperative pain and muscle atrophy in the adult population have been reported, but pediatric data are limited. Herein, the authors evaluate the benefits of the split laminotomy technique in pediatric patients.

METHODS

Data obtained in patients who underwent posterior spine surgery at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for an intradural midline pathology between April 2008 and June 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Each patient was assigned to one of two groups, the split-laminotomy or conventional-laminotomy group. The primary outcomes assessed were mean daily pain score, total opioid use over a period of 72 hours after surgery, and the degree of paraspinal muscle atrophy and fat infiltration found on short-term (1–4 months) and long-term (1–4 years) follow-up spine MRI studies.

RESULTS

A total of 117 patients underwent lumbar-level surgery (83 conventional laminotomy, 34 split laminotomy), and 8 patients underwent thoracic-level surgery (4 in each group). No significant difference in the mean daily pain scores between groups was found. The daily opioid use was significantly lower in the split-laminotomy group on postoperative day 0 (POD0) and POD1 but not on POD2 (p = 0.01, 0.01, and 0.10, respectively). The total opioid use over the 72-hour postoperative period was significantly lower in the split-laminotomy group (p = 0.0008). The fat/muscle ratio was significantly higher in both the short-term and long-term follow-up periods in the conventional-laminotomy group (p = 0.01 and 0.0002, respectively). The rate of change of paraspinal muscle fat infiltration was significantly lower in the split-laminotomy group than in the conventional-laminotomy group (p = 0.007). The incidence of complications was not significantly different between groups (p = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

This study was of the largest series reported thus far of pediatric patients who underwent split laminotomy and the only controlled study that has involved children. The authors’ results reinforce the short-term benefit of split laminotomy in minimizing acute postoperative pain and long-term benefits of decreasing muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration, which are known to be associated with the development of chronic pain and spinal instability. Additional efforts for assessing long-term effects in the development of chronic pain, spinal instability, and spinal deformity are still necessary.
Improvement in cognitive function after surgery for low-grade glioma
Authors: Barzilai Ori , Ben Moshe Shlomit , Sitt Razi , Sela Gal , Shofty Ben , Ram Zvi
Published: March 2018

OBJECTIVE

Cognition is a key component in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and is currently incorporated as a major parameter of outcome assessment in patients treated for brain tumors. The effect of surgery on cognition and HRQoL remains debatable. The authors investigated the impact of resection of low-grade gliomas (LGGs) on cognition and the correlation with various histopathological markers.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients with LGG who underwent craniotomy for tumor resection at a single institution between 2010 and 2014 was conducted. Of 192 who underwent resective surgery for LGG during this period, 49 had complete pre- and postoperative neurocognitive evaluations and were included in the analysis. These patients completed a full battery of neurocognitive tests (memory, language, attention and working memory, visuomotor organization, and executive functions) pre- and postoperatively. Tumor and surgical characteristics were analyzed, including volumetric measurements and histopathological markers (IDH, p53, GFAP).

RESULTS

Postoperatively, significant improvement was found in memory and executive functions. A subgroup analysis of patients with dominant-side tumors, most of whom underwent intraoperative awake mapping, revealed significant improvement in the same domains. Patients whose tumors were on the nondominant side displayed significant improvement only in memory functions. Positive staining for p53 testing was associated with improved language function and greater extent of resection in dominant-side tumors. GFAP positivity was associated with improved memory in patients whose tumors were on the nondominant side. No correlation was found between cognitive outcome and preoperative tumor volume, residual volume, extent of resection, or IDH1 status.

CONCLUSIONS

Resection of LGG significantly improves memory and executive function and thus is likely to improve functional outcome in addition to providing oncological benefit. GFAP and pP53 positivity could possibly be associated with improved cognitive outcome. These data support early, aggressive, surgical treatment of LGG.
Stereotactic laser ablation of amygdala and hippocampus using a Leksell stereotactic frame
Authors: Awad Ahmed J. , Nguyen Ha S. , Arocho-Quinones Elsa , Doan Ninh , Mueller Wade , Lew Sean M.
Published: March 2018

Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy are resistant to medical therapy, particularly in those with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. While there are several surgical modalities, efforts have been focused on developing safer and minimally invasive techniques. In this video, the authors present the case of a 45-year-old woman with a 2-year history of refractory left mesial temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent MRI-guided laser ablation of amygdala and hippocampus. There were no perioperative complications.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/XFHt2jTdE_4.
Deficits in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow on Brain SPECT Predict Treatment Resistant Depression
Authors: Amen Daniel G. , Taylor Derek V. , Meysami Somayeh , Raji Cyrus A.
Published: March 2018

Background:

Depression remains an important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, yet few neuroimaging biomarkers are available to identify treatment response in depression.

Objective:

To analyze and compare functional perfusion neuroimaging in persons with treatment resistant depression (TRD) compared to those experiencing full remission.

Methods:

A total of 951 subjects from a community psychiatry cohort were scanned with perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain in both resting and task related settings. Of these, 78% experienced either full remission ( n = 506) or partial remission ( n = 237) and 11% were minimally responsive ( n = 103) or non-responsive (11%. n = 106). Severity of depression symptoms were used to define these groups with changes in the Beck Depression Inventory prior to and following treatment. Voxel-based analyses of brain SPECT images from full remission compared to the worsening group was conducted with the statistical parametric mapping software, version 8 (SPM 8). Multiple comparisons were accounted for with a false discovery rate ( p < 0.001).

Results:

Persons with depression that worsened following treatment had reduced cerebral perfusion compared to full remission in the multiple regions including the bilateral frontal lobes, right hippocampus, left precuneus, and cerebellar vermis. Such differences were observed on both resting and concentration SPECT scans.

Conclusion:

Our findings identify imaging-based biomarkers in persons with depression related to treatment response. These findings have implications in understanding both depression to prognosis and its role as a risk factor for dementia.
The Impact of Creative Arts in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Public Health Education
Authors: Burns Nicole C. , Watts Amber , Perales Jaime , Montgomery Robert Neal , Morris Jill K. , Mahnken Jonathan D. , Lowther Johnna , Vidoni Eric D.
Published: March 2018

Previous research involving dramatic performances about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia perception have targeted health care workers or caretakers. We examined the influence of a theater performance on the emotional affect of a general audience to determine the utility of this type of theater in large-scale public health education efforts. Our study included 147 participants that attended a self-revelatory theater performance based on the social/relationship experiences of those with dementia and those who care for them. This type of theater engages the audience and actors in a dual transformative process, supporting the emotional growth of all involved. Participants completed pre- and post-performance questionnaires regarding their beliefs and feelings surrounding the topic of dementia and the importance of the Arts for educating on issues surrounding dementia care. We tested for change in emotional affect pre- and post-performance using sensitivity and center of gravity statistical analyses. We found a significant change in emotional affect from an initial strong negative affect to slightly more positive/relaxed view after viewing the performance. Findings support self-revelatory theater as a resource to destigmatize preconceived notions of dementia. Large-scale community health education efforts could benefit from using this style of theater to elicit a change in audience perception of disease realities.
Neonatal outcomes and neonatal care received by the term neonates following initial hospital discharge in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gunawardane Damitha Asanga , Dharmaratne Samath D , Rowel Dhammica S
Published: March 2018

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to describe the neonatal outcomes of term neonates following initial hospital discharge.Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study done among term neonates discharged from Teaching Hospital (TH) Kandy from 27th of March to 14th of May 2015. All the term neonates who delivered at term in the TH Kandy during the study period were included in the study. Study was conducted as a telephone survey.Results: Nearly half (46.79%) of the mothers sought medical advice for their neonates following hospital discharge during the neonatal period. Majority of the mothers who sought medical advice (71.06%) went to ordinary doctors while 28.43% consulted specialist doctors. All most all women (98.10%) exclusively breast fed their newborn baby. Four percent of the term neonates were hospitalized during the neonatal period and most common reasons for admission was breathing difficulty followed by yellow discoloration of the body. Considerable proportion (29.66%) of mothers stated that postnatal visits were not helpful for any of the six aspects of postnatal care questioned in the telephone interview. Postpartum visits had its highest impact on breastfeeding followed by maternal competence on recognizing danger signs. But post-partum visit had its least impact on keeping baby warm and dressing up of baby.Conclusion: Nearly half of the mothers seek medical advice for their neonates following hospital discharge during the neonatal period. One third of the mother stated that postnatal visits were not helpful for any of the six aspects of postnatal care studied. Postpartum visits had its highest impact on breastfeeding followed by maternal competence on recognizing danger signs while had its least impact on keeping baby warm and dressing up of baby.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.194-199
Studies to determine antidiarrhoeal and spasmolytic activities of extract of Aegle marmelos. L fruit
Authors: Taqvi Syed Intasar Husain , Rahman Atiqur , Versiani Mohammad Ali , Imran Hina , Khatoon Amna , Sohail Tehmina
Published: March 2018

Objective: To investigate and determine the antidiarrhoeal and spasmolytic potential of fruit of Aegle marmelos is due to CCBs compounds and not tannic acid.Materials and methods: The extract of ripe and dry fruit of A. marmelos (Am.Cr) was prepared in methanol: water (70:30). The antidiarrhoeal activities of the extract, loperamide and tannic acid were studied in vivo; in castor oil induced diarrhoeal model in mice whereas spasmolytic effect was studied in vitro; in isolated mice ileum. Calcium channel blocking (CCB) activity was investigated after preincubation of mice ileum by Am. Cr or loperamide and subsequent adding of K+80 mM.Results: Am. Cr inhibited castor oil-induced diarrhoea: onset of diarrhoea, total no. of faeces, and total no. of wet faeces dose-dependently, the dose of 800 mg/mL was found statistically significant, total weight of feces and total weight of wet faeces were also inhibited. Concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous contraction and contractile effect of K+80 mM after pre-incubation by Am. Cr were confirmed in isolated mice ileum. The results of Am. Cr are comparable with Loperamide. Tannic acid produced neither antidiarrhoeal effect nor exhibited CCB activity, however relaxant effect was observed in isolated mice ileum.Conclusion: The antidiarrhoeal and spasmolytic effects of Am.Cr may be mediated through compounds which posses CCB effect. Tannic acid exhibited relaxant effect only which is not sufficient evidence scientifically to classify as antidiarrhoeal.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.205-211
Willingness to Pay For Health Insurance in Sarawak, Malaysia: A Contingent Valuation Method
Authors: Azhar Azizah , Rahman Md Mizanur , Arif Mohd Taha
Published: March 2018

Background and objective: One of the suggested ways of financing health care is health insurance combined with general taxation. This study aimed to assess the willingness to pay for health insurance among the adult population and the factors thereof.Methods: A multi-stage cluster sampling with cross sectional study design was adopted to select the respondents. Data was collected by face to face interview. A total of 1018 data was analyzed with response rate of 84.3%. The data on willingness to pay for insurance was collected using the contingent valuation method with bidding style. Data entry and analysis was done by SPSS 22.0 version. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: Data analysis revealed that about half (46.7%) of the respondents agrees to pay monthly health insurance premium. Among those who were unwilling to pay, 81.3% were unable to afford the monthly insurance. Logistic regression analysis revealed that occupation, level of education, gender, marital status, monthly family income and treatment preference appeared to be potential predictors for willingness to accept health insurance (p<0.05).Recommendation: The key policy priority is to increase the awareness of the public regarding the benefits of health insurance, and to increase willingness to pay rate.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.230-237
A critical role of ultrasonography in management of liver abscesses
Authors: Singal Samita , Mittal Amit , Zaman Muzzafar , Singal Rikki
Published: March 2018

Aims and objectives: to see the efficacy of ultrasonography in the management of amoebic liver abscess. We assessed whether patient required surgery or can be managed with drainage procedure on ultrasonography basis.Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study done from July 2014 to May 2015, in a medical college in remote area. A total of 88 patients diagnosed with liver abscess were included in the study for ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration or pigtail drainage management. All patients had been treated with antibiotics or antimicrobials for at least 2 weeks if treated conservatively and were still being continued for another 6 weeks.Results: A total of 88 patients with liver abscess were successfully treated, consisting 79 males and 9 female. The age ranged from 18 to 82 years with a mean of 43.6 years. A total number of 76 (86.36%) cases undergone percutaneous catheter drainage and 12 (13.6%) underwent needle aspiration. A total of 73 (82.95%) patients had single large abscess, while 8 (9%) had two and 7 (7.9%) had multiple abscesses. The abscesses were commonly located on the right lobe of liver. The Pigtail catheters of sizes 10 F to 18 F was introduced either directly under the guidance of the guide wire with safety precautions. The volume of pus aspirated averaged from 70 - 1200 ml, while the period of catheter drainage ranged from 7 to 24 days with the follow up on ultrasonography.Conclusion: This study shows a success rate of ultrasonography almost 98 % by avoiding unnecessary surgical intervention. It was confirmed that needle aspiration in small abscesses and catheter drainage in large abscesses offers the safest and best modality.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.258-262
Nutritional and toxicological analysis of phoenix dactylifera (date palm) powder used as a drink
Authors: Sohail Tehmina , Saleem Nida , Imran Hina , Yaqeen Zahra , Rehman Atiq Ur , Jamil Khalid , Rauf Muhammad
Published: March 2018

Objective: Phoenix dactylifera fruit widely used in Muslim countries.They have religious attachment to it and also it had many health benefits. It is essential to investigate nutritional values of Phoenix dactylifera fruit in dried powder form and to find out any toxicological changes during processing of this dried powder drink.Method: Dried date powder was prepared from fresh fruit by drying it and its nutritional value and toxicological studies were carried out. The acute oral toxicity study of date powder was conducted on wistar strain rats by oral route in a dose of 0.5g/kg body weight and 0.1g/kg body weight.Result: The results of biochemical analysis of dehydrated date powder exhibited that it possesses high energy value of 311 Kcal, carbohydrate 70.5%, dietary fiber 7.3%, fat content 2.1%, protein 2.6%, and mineral content 2.2%. Whereas, total sugar was found to be as 63.2% and moisture content 2.3%. The test drink showed no sign of toxicity or death during the whole observation period (fourteen days) in rats. No group of animal showed any unusual change in behavior or in locomotors activity. The macroscopic studies of vital organs i.e. heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys exhibited that they were normal.Conclusion: As a result of these studies it can be concluded that from processing of fresh fruit to dried powder along with its nutritional and toxicological studies no hazardous material like toxins were produced. So it can be used safely.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.263-269
Quality of Communication skills of nurses worked at the Hospitals Affiliated to Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Authors: Badiyepeymaiejahromi Zohreh , Ramezanli Somayeh , Farzaneh Mehran , Torabizadeh Camellia
Published: March 2018

Objective: Communicating with patients is not only among the principles of care, but it is considered as one of the key roles of nurses. As nurses are skilled in other clinical skills, their communication skills should also be adequate. The aim of this study is to determine nurses’ communication skills.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 2015 in hospitals affiliated to Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. 215 nurses participated in the study using census method. Data was collected using valid and reliable communication skills (α=0.885). The quality of communication skills was classified on three levels: poor, average, and good.Results: Quality of communication skills of 120 (55.8%) of nurses was weak, 95 (44.2%) moderate, and there was no good evaluation (0%). The communication skills of most nurses were weak in the areas of conscious start (75.8%), verbal and nonverbal communication skills (86.5%), inner and outer harmony (92.6%), respect for the patient (94.4%) and the unconditional acceptance of patient (100%). There was a significant relationship between the nurses’ educational level, mean age and work experience with quality of communication skills (p <0.05).Conclusion: The results indicate the low ability of nurses in terms of communication skills with the patient. It seems that teaching communication skills, as well as the revision of management, description of job responsibilities, increasing job autonomy and decision-making power for nurses can be the effective ways to improve nurse-patient communication which leads to enhancing the quality of care from patients.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.275-281
Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and Anemia parameters in elderly with anemia of inflammation and non-inflammation
Authors: Indriani Vitasari , Suci W Nyoman , Asti W Herniah
Published: March 2018

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and anemia are conditions commonly in eldery. Both result in significant morbidity in eldery. Relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and anemia need to be concern, particularly in the elderly. including those characterized by inflammatory processes. The aim of this study is to analyze association and differentiations between of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and anemia parameters in elderly with anemia inflammation and non-inflammation.Methods: An observational study, at Posyandu Lansia Puskesmas Sokaraja, was conducted among 40 subjects aged ≥60 years consecutively, between September - November 2015. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, hemoglobin levels, hematocrit and red blood cell counts were measured. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency defined in level <30 ng/mL and anemia defined by the World Health Organization.Results: After adjustment for CRP levels and leucocyte count, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D was inversely associated with anemia inflammation (p=0,018; p=0,010; p=0,000)and non-inflammation (p= 0,002; p=0,002; p=0,000). There was significantly differences 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (p = 0.003) in elderly with anemia of inflammation and non-inflammation.Conclusion: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D levels was associated with anemia inflammation and non-inflammation in eldery. Vitamin D may suppress inflammatory mechanism, and studies to determine whether chronic disease involves anemia inflamation are warranted.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.302-306
A rare case of bilateral congenital posterior mesotympanic cholesteatoma
Authors: Ali Ahmad Hafiz , Salahuddin Zulkiflee , MD Daud Mohd Khairi , Salim Rosdan
Published: March 2018

Bilateral congenital mesotympanic cholesteatoma is a very rare disease. It can present differently from ordinary congenital cholesteatoma. We report a case of bilateral congenital cholesteatoma diagnosed at age of 22 years old. She presented with bilateral intermittent ear discharge since 10 years old that worsening two weeks prior to her presentation to our clinic and associated with bilateral reduced hearing. Clinically there was intact tympanic membrane with retraction of the mesotympanic area with present of mass medial to tympanic membrane. CT scan imaging showed there was soft tissue in the bilateral middle ear cavity with intact scutum and ossicles. Patient undergone canal wall down procedure and the diagnosis of congenital mesotympanic cholesteatoma was confirmed with present of cholesteatoma sac at the posterosuperior part, as opposed to anterosuperior quadrant, where the common site for congenital cholesteatoma.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(2) 2018 p.307-310
Smart Machines, Remote Sensing, Precision Farming, Processes, Mechatronic, Materials and Policies for Safety and Health Aspects
Authors: Colantoni Andrea , Monarca Danilo , Laurendi Vincenzo , Villarini Mauro , Gambella Filippo , Cecchini Massimo
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality research papers, as well as review articles, addressing recent advances on systems, processes, and materials for work safety, health, and environment. Original, high-quality contributions that have not yet been published, or that are not currently under review by other journals or peer-reviewed conferences, have been sought. The main topics have been the protection system aimed to agricultural health and safety especially applied to mechanization sector (harvester, chippers), often involved in accidents at work, in the context of Directive 2006/42/EC, and to other families of risk as the chemical one and issues pertinent to safety. Methodologies for gradual and sustainable safety improvements on farms have been investigated in the vision of preliminary applications. Furthermore, the application of technologies aimed to the improvement and facilitation of operations in the agriculture sector as monitoring, precision farming, internet of things, application of evolved networks and machines of new conception.
Raman Imaging for the Detection of Adulterants in Paprika Powder: A Comparison of Data Analysis Methods
Authors: Lohumi Santosh , Lee Hoonsoo , Kim Moon , Qin Jianwei , Cho Byoung-Kwan
Published: March 2018

Raman imaging requires the effective extraction of chemical information from the corresponding datasets, which can be achieved by a range of analytical methods. However, since each of these methods exhibits both strengths and weaknesses, we herein directly compare univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses of Raman imaging data by evaluating their performance in the quantitation of two adulterants in paprika powder. Univariate and bivariate models were developed based on the spectral features of the target adulterants, whereas spectral angle mapper (SAM), adopted as a multivariate analysis method, utilized the complete dataset. The obtained results demonstrate that despite being simple and easily implementable, the univariate method affords false positive pixels in the presence of background noise. Luckily, the above problem can be easily resolved using the bivariate method, which utilizes the multiplication of two band images wherein the same adulterant shows high-intensity peaks exhibiting the least overlap with those of other sample constituents. Finally, images produced by SAM contain abundant false negative pixels of adulterants, particularly for low-concentration samples. Notably, the bivariate method affords results closely matching the theoretical adulterant content, exhibiting the advantages of using non-complex data (only two bands are utilized) and being well suited to online applications of Raman imaging in the agro-food sector.
Viscoelastic Behavior of Polymer-Modified Cement Pastes: Insight from Downscaling Short-Term Macroscopic Creep Tests by Means of Multiscale Modeling
Authors: Göbel Luise , Königsberger Markus , Osburg Andrea , Pichler Bernhard
Published: March 2018

Adding polymers to cementitious materials improves their workability and impermeability, but also increases their creep activity. In the present paper, the creep behavior of polymer-modified cement pastes is analyzed based on macroscopic creep tests and a multiscale model. The continuum micromechanics model allows for “downscaling” the results of macroscopic hourly-repeated ultra-short creep experiments to the viscoelastic behavior of micron-sized hydration products and polymer particles. This way, the increased creep activity of polymer-modified cement pastes is traced back to an isochoric power-law-type creep behavior of the polymers. The shear creep modulus of the polymers is found (i) to be two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the hydrates and (ii) to increase considerably with increasing material age. The latter result suggests that the creep activity of the polymers decreases with the self-desiccation-related decrease of the relative humidity inside the air-filled pores of cement paste. Furthermore, its decrease is most likely related to the penetration of cementitious hydrates into compliant polymer agglomerates.
Choreographic and Somatic Approaches for the Development of Expressive Robotic Systems
Authors: LaViers Amy , Cuan Catie , Maguire Catherine , Bradley Karen , Brooks Mata Kim , Nilles Alexandra , Vidrin Ilya , Chakraborty Novoneel , Heimerdinger Madison , Huzaifa Umer , McNish Reika , Pakrasi Ishaan , Zurawski Alexander
Published: March 2018

As robotic systems are moved out of factory work cells into human-facing environments questions of choreography become central to their design, placement, and application. With a human viewer or counterpart present, a system will automatically be interpreted within context, style of movement, and form factor by human beings as animate elements of their environment. The interpretation by this human counterpart is critical to the success of the system’s integration: “knobs” on the system need to make sense to a human counterpart; an artificial agent should have a way of notifying a human counterpart of a change in system state, possibly through motion profiles; and the motion of a human counterpart may have important contextual clues for task completion. Thus, professional choreographers, dance practitioners, and movement analysts are critical to research in robotics. They have design methods for movement that align with human audience perception; they can help identify simplified features of movement that will effectively accomplish human-robot interaction goals; and they have detailed knowledge of the capacity of human movement. This article provides approaches employed by one research lab, specific impacts on technical and artistic projects within, and principles that may guide future such work. The background section reports on choreography, somatic perspectives, improvisation, the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System, and robotics. From this context methods including embodied exercises, writing prompts, and community building activities have been developed to facilitate interdisciplinary research. The results of this work are presented as an overview of a smattering of projects in areas like high-level motion planning, software development for rapid prototyping of movement, artistic output, and user studies that help understand how people interpret movement. Finally, guiding principles for other groups to adopt are posited.
A Deep Learning Model of Perception in Color-Letter Synesthesia
Authors: Bock Joel
Published: March 2018

Synesthesia is a psychological phenomenon where sensory signals become mixed. Input to one sensory modality produces an experience in a second, unstimulated modality. In “grapheme-color synesthesia”, viewed letters and numbers evoke mental imagery of colors. The study of this condition has implications for increasing our understanding of brain architecture and function, language, memory and semantics, and the nature of consciousness. In this work, we propose a novel application of deep learning to model perception in grapheme-color synesthesia. Achromatic letter images, taken from database of handwritten characters, are used to train the model, and to induce computational synesthesia. Results show the model learns to accurately create a colored version of the inducing stimulus, according to a statistical distribution from experiments on a sample population of grapheme-color synesthetes. To the author’s knowledge, this work represents the first model that accurately produces spontaneous, creative mental imagery characteristic of the synesthetic perceptual experience. Experiments in cognitive science have contributed to our understanding of some of the observable behavioral effects of synesthesia, and previous models have outlined neural mechanisms that may account for these observations. A model of synesthesia that generates testable predictions on brain activity and behavior is needed to complement large scale data collection efforts in neuroscience, especially when articulating simple descriptions of cause (stimulus) and effect (behavior). The research and modeling approach reported here provides a framework that begins to address this need.
Current Strategies to Enhance Anti-Tumour Immunity
Authors: Cook Katherine , Durrant Lindy , Brentville Victoria
Published: March 2018

The interaction of the immune system with cancer is complex, but new approaches are resulting in exciting therapeutic benefits. In order to enhance the immune response to cancer, immune therapies seek to either induce high avidity immune responses to tumour specific antigens or to convert the tumour to a more pro-inflammatory microenvironment. Strategies, including vaccination, oncolytic viruses, and adoptive cell transfer all seek to induce anti-tumour immunity. To overcome the suppressive tumour microenvironment checkpoint inhibitors and modulators of regulatory cell populations have been investigated. This review summarizes the recent advances in immune therapies and discusses the importance of combination therapies in the treatment of cancers.
Towards Improvements for Penetrating the Blood–Brain Barrier—Recent Progress from a Material and Pharmaceutical Perspective
Authors: He Quanguo , Liu Jun , Liang Jing , Liu Xiaopeng , Li Wen , Liu Zhi , Ding Ziyu , Tuo Du
Published: March 2018

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a critical biological structure that prevents damage to the brain and maintains its bathing microenvironment. However, this barrier is also the obstacle to deliver beneficial drugs to treat CNS (central nervous system) diseases. Many efforts have been made for improvement of delivering drugs across the BBB in recent years to treat CNS diseases. In this review, the anatomical and functional structure of the BBB is comprehensively discussed. The mechanisms of BBB penetration are summarized, and the methods and effects on increasing BBB permeability are investigated in detail. It also elaborates on the physical, chemical, biological and nanocarrier aspects to improve drug delivery penetration to the brain and introduces some specific drug delivery effects on BBB permeability.
The Electrical and Structural Properties of Nitrogen Ge1Sb2Te4 Thin Film
Authors: Osiac Mariana
Published: March 2018

The present work describes the process of obtaining thin films of Ge1Sb2Te4 by means of the short-pulse High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) technique. The Ge1Sb2Te4 (GST-124) and nitrogen Ge1Sb2Te4 (nitrogen GST-124) films were obtained in HiPIMS plasma ignited in Ar/GST-124 and Ar/N2/GST-124, respectively. In particular, the possibility of tailoring the electrical properties of films for applications in the phase change memory (PCM) cells was investigated. The I–V measurements performed in a voltage sweeping mode on GST-124 and nitrogen GST-124 show that the threshold switching voltage varies as a function of nitrogen level in HiPIMS plasma. Amorphous-to-crystalline trigonal phase transition of the films was induced by thermal annealing, and structural changes were identified using X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The most intense bands appeared for the annealed layers in the range of 138–165 cm−1, for GST-124, and 138–150 cm−1 for nitrogen GST-124, respectively.
Methods and Challenges in Shot Boundary Detection: A Review
Authors: Abdulhussain Sadiq , Ramli Abd , Saripan M. , Mahmmod Basheera , Al-Haddad Syed , Jassim Wissam
Published: March 2018

The recent increase in the number of videos available in cyberspace is due to the availability of multimedia devices, highly developed communication technologies, and low-cost storage devices. These videos are simply stored in databases through text annotation. Content-based video browsing and retrieval are inefficient due to the method used to store videos in databases. Video databases are large in size and contain voluminous information, and these characteristics emphasize the need for automated video structure analyses. Shot boundary detection (SBD) is considered a substantial process of video browsing and retrieval. SBD aims to detect transition and their boundaries between consecutive shots; hence, shots with rich information are used in the content-based video indexing and retrieval. This paper presents a review of an extensive set for SBD approaches and their development. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are comprehensively explored. The developed algorithms are discussed, and challenges and recommendations are presented.
Quantifying Tolerance of a Nonlocal Multi-Qudit State to Any Local Noise
Authors: Loubenets Elena
Published: March 2018

We present a general approach for quantifying tolerance of a nonlocal N-partite state to any local noise under different classes of quantum correlation scenarios with arbitrary numbers of settings and outcomes at each site. This allows us to derive new precise bounds in d and N on noise tolerances for: (i) an arbitrary nonlocal N-qudit state; (ii) the N-qudit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state; (iii) the N-qubit W state and the N-qubit Dicke states, and to analyse asymptotics of these precise bounds for large N and d .
Genetic Variation for Resistance to Phytophthora Root Rot in Eastern White Pine Seedlings
Authors: Frampton John , Pettersson Martin , Braham Anne
Published: March 2018

Deployment of genetically resistant Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) planting stock could reduce economic losses to root rot caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands in Christmas tree and forest plantations. This study aimed to determine the degree of genetic control of resistance to P. cinnamomi in Eastern white pine and secondarily, to compare the aggressiveness of two P. cinnamomi isolates derived from different host species. Phytophthora isolates from Fraser fir (Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.) and Eastern white pine were used in a main and supplemental study, respectively, including 83 and 20 open-pollinated families. In each study, two-year-old seedlings were inoculated twice each of two consecutive years and mortality was assessed biweekly for 16 weeks each year. During the first year, mortality increased over time to 18.6% and 40.4% while family variation in mortality ranged from 1.3% to 60.0% and 12.5% to 73.0% in the main and supplemental studies, respectively. At the end of the first year, individual-tree and family-mean heritability estimates were, respectively, 0.44 ± 0.0935 and 0.85 ± 0.180 for the main study, and 0.57 ± 0.216 and 0.90 ± 0.343 for the supplemental study. The P. cinnamomi isolate from Eastern white pine was more aggressive and there was a large interaction between isolates and pine families. Deploying resistant families will be complicated by this interaction but should, nevertheless, reduce economic losses.
Bioconversion Processes
Authors: Kennes Christian
Published: March 2018

Bioprocesses represent a promising and environmentally friendly option to replace the well-established chemical processes used nowadays for the production of platform chemicals, fuels, and other commercial products[...]
Effect of Par Frying on Composition and Texture of Breaded and Battered Catfish
Authors: Bechtel Peter , Bland John , Woods Kristin , Lea Jeanne , Brashear Suzanne , Boue Stephen , Daigle Kim , Bett-Garber Karen
Published: March 2018

Catfish is often consumed as a breaded and battered fried product; however, there is increasing interest in breaded and battered baked products as a healthier alternative. Par frying can improve the texture properties of breaded and battered baked products, but there are concerns about the increase in lipid uptake from par frying. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different batters (rice, corn, and wheat) and the effect of par frying on the composition and texture properties of baked catfish. Catfish fillets were cut strips and then coated with batters, which had similar viscosities. Half of the strips were par fried in 177 °C vegetable oil for 1 min and the other half were not par fried. Samples were baked at 177 °C for 25 min. Analysis included % batter adhesion, cooking loss, protein, lipid, ash, and moisture, plus hardness and fracture quality measured using a texture analyzer. A trained sensory panel evaluated both breading and flesh texture attributes. Results found the lipid content of par fried treatments were significantly higher for both corn and wheat batters than for non-par fried treatments. Sensory analysis indicated that the texture of the coatings in the par fried treatments were significantly greater for hardness attributes. Fillet flakiness was significantly greater in the par fried treatments and corn-based batters had moister fillet strips compared to the wheat flour batters. Texture analyzer hardness values were higher for the par fried treatments.
Antioxidative Effect of Quetiapine on Acute Ultraviolet-B-Induced Skin and HaCaT Cell Damage
Authors: Xu Pengcheng , Zhang Min , Wang Xueer , Yan Yuan , Chen Yinghua , Wu Wei , Zhang Lu , Zhang Lin
Published: March 2018

Quetiapine is a new type of antipsychotic drug, with effective protection of pheochromocytoma PC12 cells from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Ultraviolet-B radiation can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, resulting in significant inflammatory responses in damaged skin. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore whether quetiapine protects the skin from intermediate-wave ultraviolet (UVB)-induced damage through antioxidant stress. In vivo, we found quetiapine treatment was able to significantly decrease skin thickness, erythema, and edema, as well as inflammation compared to control group. Moreover, quetiapine treatment increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). In addition, it reduced the production of malondialdehyde (MDA), a kind of oxidized lipid. In vitro, we found that quetiapine blocked UVB-induced intracellular ROS generation and maintained the cell activity at a normal level. Furthermore, we tested the phosphorylation of p38 both in vivo and in vitro, and we found that quetiapine could inhibit phosphorylation of p38, which is caused by UVB irradiation. We concluded that quetiapine was able to relieve UVB-induced skin damage through its antioxidative properties. These effects might be associated with p38 MAPK signaling pathway.
GC-MS Based Metabolomics and NMR Spectroscopy Investigation of Food Intake Biomarkers for Milk and Cheese in Serum of Healthy Humans
Authors: Trimigno Alessia , Münger Linda , Picone Gianfranco , Freiburghaus Carola , Pimentel Grégory , Vionnet Nathalie , Pralong François , Capozzi Francesco , Badertscher René , Vergères Guy
Published: March 2018

The identification and validation of food intake biomarkers (FIBs) in human biofluids is a key objective for the evaluation of dietary intake. We report here the analysis of the GC-MS and 1H-NMR metabolomes of serum samples from a randomized cross-over study in 11 healthy volunteers having consumed isocaloric amounts of milk, cheese, and a soy drink as non-dairy alternative. Serum was collected at baseline, postprandially up to 6 h, and 24 h after consumption. A multivariate analysis of the untargeted serum metabolomes, combined with a targeted analysis of candidate FIBs previously reported in urine samples from the same study, identified galactitol, galactonate, and galactono-1,5-lactone (milk), 3-phenyllactic acid (cheese), and pinitol (soy drink) as candidate FIBs for these products. Serum metabolites not previously identified in the urine samples, e.g., 3-hydroxyisobutyrate after cheese intake, were detected. Finally, an analysis of the postprandial behavior of candidate FIBs, in particular the dairy fatty acids pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid, revealed specific kinetic patterns of relevance to their detection in future validation studies. Taken together, promising candidate FIBs for dairy intake appear to be lactose and metabolites thereof, for lactose-containing products, and microbial metabolites derived from amino acids, for fermented dairy products such as cheese.