bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Status of Thyroid Hormone Parameters in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
Authors: Singh Amit , Singh Samir
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the most common complications observed during pregnancy and are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Thyroid hormone abnormalities are prevalent in females of reproductive age group. However, the relation between thyroid hormones and hypertensive pregnant women remains unclear. This study aims to assess the status of thyroid hormone abnormalities in patients with HDP.

Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study conducted for one year in Karnali Province Hospital and Deuti Hospital, Surkhet, Nepal. Thirty hypertensive patients with singleton pregnancies in the third trimester were taken as case and 30 healthy normotensive singleton pregnant women as control and their thyroid hormone parameters were compared. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21.

Results: The mean gestational age of recruited study subjects and control were 37.00 ± 3.04 weeks and 35.70±3.83 weeks (p>0.05). The mean value of TSH was significantly higher (p<0.05) in hypertensive subjects (4.19±2.95) μIU/L when compared with the control (2.67±1.71) μIU/L. There was no significant difference when the serum level of FT3 and FT4 were compared between hypertensive and normotensive pregnant women (p>0.05). Subclinical hypothyroidism was found in 16.66% of hypertensive subjects.

Conclusions: HDP is associated with thyroid hormone abnormalities. An increase in TSH levels with normal FT3 and FT4 levels were found to be the most common form of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy.
Insulinoma of Pancreas, Brief Experience at a Dedicated Surgical Oncology Department
Authors: Jamal Aun , Jamal Aun , Mohsin Jibran , Ul Haq Ihtisham , Mobeen Noor-ul , Begum Saleema , Shakeel Osama , Irfan Kabir Syed , Ali Syed Aamir , Khattak Shahid
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Insulinoma of pancreas is a rare neuroendocrine tumor (NET). Mostly insulinomas are
benign and solitary. They can have association with multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 (MEN -1). Insulinomas
presents with symptoms of hypoglycemia. Most of the times the symptoms are vague and result in delay in
the diagnosis and hence management. After appropriate diagnostic and localization investigations along
with metastatic workup, surgery is the treatment of choice. Surgery can offer cure. Minimally invasive
surgery can offer potential benefits of minimal morbidity and at least equal oncological outcomes.
Study Design: Case series.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer
Hospital & Research Center (SKMCH&RC), from January 2011 to March 2020.
Methodology: We studied a total of five patients that presented to SKMCH&RC in the above-mentioned
period. Detailed clinical information of these five patients, including sociodemographic variables,
symptomatology, diagnostic and localization investigations, clinical and pathological staging,
comprehensive details of surgery, postoperative course, oncological outcomes, postoperative resolution of
symptoms, postoperative diabetes, prognosis and follow up duration were analysed. The record was being
retrospectively retrieved from Hospital Information System (HIS) that is prospectively maintained. We are
a paperless hospital and all data and record of the patient is maintained through HIS.
Results: A total of five patients presented to SKMCH&RC with a mean age of 41 (18 -80) years. The
median duration of symptoms was 24 (6-60) months. Symptomatic hypoglycemia was present in all 5
(100%) of the patients. Tumor distribution in the pancreas was as follows; uncinate 1 (20%), body 1 (20%)
and tail 3 (60%). All five patients (100%) were treated by surgery. Resolution of symptoms occurred in all
five (100%) of the patients.
Conclusion: Insulinoma of pancreas is a rare disease with varied symptomatology, physicians shall have
an index of suspicion for this disorder to aid early diagnosis that is pivotal for the management and
prevention of possible fatal complications of hypoglycemia. Appropriate diagnostic and localizing
investigations are required. Adequate surgery can offer cure. Minimally invasive surgery can be safely
offered with equal oncological outcomes.
Antibody Formation in COVID-19 and Immunisation
Authors: Pandarakalam James , Pandarakalam James
Published: August 2020

Antibody testing is vital in the study of the dangerousness, spread, identification of high-risk individuals
and vaccine production against SARS-CoV-2. Viruses leave trails in the infected body and the
immunologists turn out to be the detectives examining these viral footprints. There are two major types of
tracks or memory responses that can be utilized by the body against reinfection: B cells which produce
antibodies and T cells organising responses through cytotoxic cells and restricting viral replication. T cells’
memory of SARS-CoV-2 appears to last longer than antibodies and immunisation can activate T cells as
well if it fails to induce long term antibody production. The immune history of SARS-CoV-2 is a huge
jigsaw puzzle; several pieces are still missing. This viral research has met with a shortage of valuable
foundational knowledge because of the sudden appearance of the virus and its spread. COVID-19 has posed
an existential problem for the whole of human society.
Ophir anticline, Tooele County a 30-minute drive through 300 million years of bedrock
Authors: Atwood Genevieve , McGarry Amanda , Alderman Peg
Published: August 2020

Anticlines are not unusual features, but the Ophir anticline is exceptional. Regions shortened laterally by compressional tectonics have folds and/or faults including anticlines, synclines, monoclines, and thrust faults. However, most anticlines are buried or partially buried, visible on land only as discontinuous snippets in road cuts or visible from above as one flies across terrain too regional to be viewed in entirety from land. The Ophir anticline is unusual as its limbs and crest can be viewed in their entirety, exposed in cross-section on Ophir Canyon’s walls. Ophir Canyon provides evidence that the compressional tectonics associated with the Ophir anticline long-preceded active-extensional tectonics associated with today’s basin and range topography of western Utah. This geosite is the 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of Ophir Canyon that exposes the anticline.
Brian Head Peak, Iron County
Authors: Biek Robert , Rowley Peter
Published: August 2020

Brian Head peak, the highest point on the west edge of the Markagunt Plateau at 11,307 feet (3447 m), provides stunning views westward into the Great Basin. The plateau is part of the High Plateaus, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Few views in southern Utah so well demonstrate the huge difference between the badly broken Great Basin, where east-west crustal extension (pulling apart) produced north-trending faulted basins and intervening ranges, and the much less deformed and here higher Colorado Plateau. The southwestern flank of the peak is the type section of the Brian Head Formation, an Eocene to Oligocene streamand lake deposit that is overlain by densely welded ash-flow tuff of the 27 to 26 Ma Isom Formation. The peak itself is capped by the moderately welded, 23.8 Ma ash-flow tuff of the Leach Canyon Formation (figure 1). These two regionally extensive, upper Oligocene ash-flow tuffs erupted suddenly and explosively from calderas near the Utah-Nevada border and made their way in minutes to their present position, devastating everything in between, millions of years before the episode of basin-range deformation formed the Great Basin and uplifted the High Plateaus. Both bear on the timing of basin-range deformation, and both can be visited on Brian Head. Furthermore, the Isom Formation itself is a key player in understanding Earth’s largest terrestrial landslide, the Markagunt gravity slide (see Sidney Peaks geosite). The south side of the peak offers the best exposures of the Leach Canyon Formation, including its vitrophyre and basal surge deposits, which are seldom exposed glassy and sandy parts of typical ash-flow tuffs.
Sevier Fault at Red Canyon
Authors: Biek Robert
Published: August 2020

The Sevier fault is spectacularly displayed on the north side of Utah Highway 12 at the entrance to Red Canyon, where it offsets a 500,000-year-old basaltic lava flow. The fault is one of several active, major faults that break apart the western margin of the Colorado Plateau in southwestern Utah. The Sevier fault is a “normal” fault, a type of fault that forms during extension of the earth’s crust, where one side of the fault moves down relative to the other side. In this case, the down-dropped side (the hanging wall) is west of the fault; the upthrown side (the footwall) lies to the east. The contrasting colors of rocks across the fault make the fault stand out in vivid detail. Immediately south of Red Canyon, the 5-million-year-old Rock Canyon lava flow, which erupted on the eastern slope of the Markagunt Plateau, flowed eastward and crossed the fault (which at the time juxtaposed non-resistant fan alluvium against coarse-grained volcaniclastic deposits) (Biek and others, 2015). The flow is now offset 775 to 1130 feet (235-345 m) along the main strand of the fault, yielding an anomalously low vertical slip rate of about 0.05 mm/yr (Lund and others, 2008). However, this eastern branch of the Sevier fault accounts for only part of the total displacement on the fault zone. A concealed, down-to-the-west fault is present west of coarse-grained volcaniclastic strata at the base of the Claron cliffs. Seismic reflection data indicate that the total displacement on the fault zone in this area is about 3000 feet (900 m) (Lundin, 1987, 1989; Davis, 1999).
Plant Root Systems Preserved in the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone at Moki Dugway, Southeastern Utah
Authors: Loope David
Published: August 2020

Rooted green plants represent the base of the food chain for most terrestrial ecosystems, but, compared to animal burrows, root systems are relatively rarely recognized in ancient sedimentary rocks. Plant roots that penetrate unconsolidated sand dunes, especially those containing not only quartz grains, but also abundant grains of calcite (CaCO) are commonly replaced by fine crystals of calcite (Klappa, 1980). These structures (known by geologists as rhizoliths from the Greek for “root rock”) are one form of calcite cemented soil and sediment called caliche. Caliche crystallizes well above the water table and its calcite crystals are tiny because of rapid evaporation of soil water. One source of the calcium (Ca) and carbonate (CO) ions necessary for making the calcite of caliche is falling dust, and another source is the dissolution of calcite grains already in the soil.
Cut, Fill, Repeat: Slot Canyons of Dry Fork, Kane County
Authors: Loope David
Published: August 2020

The slot canyons of southern Utah have become popular destinations for hikers, climbers, and photographers. For most of these canyons, the geology is simple: sediment carried by flowing water abrades a thick, homogeneous sandstone. As time passes, the rate of down- cutting is rapid compared to the rate of cliff retreat. End of story. The strange abundance and configuration of the slot canyons along Dry Fork Coyote (a tributary of Coyote Gulch and the Escalante River), however, have a convoluted geologic history that is climate-driven and involves canyon cutting, canyon filling, and more canyon cutting.
Hexagonal Fracture Patterns On Navajo Sandstone Crossbeds At Yellow Knolls, Washington County
Authors: Loope David
Published: August 2020

At this geosite, the main features of interest—remarkably uniform and beautiful fracture patterns dominantly composed of linked hexagons—are present on outcrops of the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. The Navajo was deposited by large, southward-migrating desert dunes about 200 million years ago, but the fractures that define the hexagons here are just a surficial veneer less than 20 inches (half a meter) deep. The fractures are a weathering phenomenon that developed under climate conditions similar to today’s. Steep thermal gradients develop in the sandstone because it is exposed to solar radiation and changing air temperature. Polygonal fracturing is present in other Navajo exposures in southern Utah, but only in non-bedded (homogeneous) rock. The beautiful, bedding-parallel fracture pattern developed here is very rare; it developed because the bedding planes in the rock at Yellow Knolls are unusually wide-spaced.
Crystal Geyser: An Unusual Cold Spring System, Grand County
Authors: Potter-McIntyre Sally
Published: August 2020

Crystal Geyser is a cold carbon dioxide (CO2) geyser, part of a natural spring system along the Little Grand Wash fault south of Green River, Utah (figure 1). The spring system hosts a series of CO2-driven geysers and springs with active and fossil microbial mats and tufa deposits composed of carbonate and iron oxide and iron oxyhydroxide minerals (Potter-McIntyre and others, 2017; Knuth and Potter-McIntyre, 2018) (figure 2). Additionally, progressively older carbonate spring deposits crop out on some of the topographic highs in the area because these relatively erosion-resistant deposits armor the paleo-land surface and slow down erosion (Shipton and others, 2004; Burnside, 2010). Recent radiometric U-Th dating of carbonate terraces and embedded veins reveal that CO2-charged fluid has constantly leaked to the surface for over 400 thousand years during the Pleistocene (Burnside, 2010). Crystal Geyser is a popular place for tourists, and it is not uncommon to see children playing in the spring.
The Wind-Swept Nautilus, Enigmatic Clastic Pipes, and Toadstool Landforms: Geologic Features of the Paria Plateau
Authors: Wheatley David , Seiler Winston , Chan Marjorie
Published: August 2020

The Colorado Plateau occupies much of the southwestern United States including portions of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. This region presents unobstructed views from mesa tops, beautifully colored soils, lone standing buttes, and canyons cut thousands of feet deep. The Colorado Plateau represents a well-preserved window into the Earth’s history. Today, the rocks of the Colorado Plateau lie roughly horizontally, as they were deposited hundreds of millions of years ago. The Plateau’s rise has motivated rivers, in their downhill progress, to carve innumerable canyons. These river canyons allow any nature-lover the opportunity to gaze at 100s of millions of years of geologic history. Within the larger Colorado Plateau, the Paria Plateau straddles the Utah and Arizona borders, and includes the Vermilion Cliff s National Monument, the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, and the southern extent of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM; pre-2018 boundaries). The Paria Plateau is best known for spectacularly colored, wind-sculpted features such as Coyote Buttes and “The Wave,” where vivid colors accent cross-strata resembling a cresting ocean wave. The Plateau is also recognized for the geologically notable Vermilion Cliff s, Buckskin Gulch slot canyon, White Pocket area, and the Paria River Canyon. Although only two, dual-lane highways circumvent the plateau, several wash-boarded gravel and deeply mud-rutted roads allow access to its interior. From these dirt roads, a few sandy, four-wheel drive paths diminish as they extend and branch into the plateau’s interior. Overall, the Paria Plateau is a relatively quiet and little-visited wilderness.
Ancient delta deposits in the Ivie Creek area, Ferron Sandstone member of the Mancos Shale, western San Rafael Swell, east-central Utah
Authors: Chidsey Thomas , Anderson Paul
Published: August 2020

In contrast to the beautiful array of colorful layers and spectacular cliffs of the Triassic and Jurassic (251 to 148 million years ago [Ma]) sections in the San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah, most of the Upper Cretaceous (96 to 86 Ma) Mancos Shale produces a drab, barren landscape. However, lying within the Mancos, the Ferron Sandstone, is the most studied unit in the San Rafael Swell. The Ferron has world-class outcrops of rock layers deposited near the shorelines of a sinking, fluvial- (stream) dominated delta system. Along the west flank of the San Rafael Swell, the 80-mile-long (130 km) Ferron outcrop belt of cliffs and side canyons (e.g., the Coal Cliffs, Molen Reef, and Limestone Cliffs [not actually limestone, just misnamed]) provides a three-dimensional view of vertical and lateral changes in the Ferron’s rock layers (facies and sequence stratigraphy), and, as such, is an excellent model for fluvial-deltaic oil and gas reservoirs worldwide (e.g., Chidsey and others, 2004).
Spectacular crinkled crust—A detachment fold train in the Carmel Formation, western San Rafael Swell, Utah
Authors: Chidsey Thomas , Anderson Paul
Published: August 2020

Imagine slipping on a small rug overlying a hardwood floor. In the process of sliding along the floor the rug produces a series of small folds and the rug moves forward from its original position. The same could be said for the “crinkled crust,” or folded layers of rocks in a detachment fold train. A spectacular detachment fold train, consisting of over 100 small, regularly spaced convex-upward folds called anticlines in gypsum-rich rock layers of the Middle Jurassic (about 168 million years ago [Ma]) Carmel Formation, is exposed immediately north of Interstate 70 (I-70) in the San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah (figures 1 and 2). The SanRafael Swell, a large anticlinal uplift, is an icon for everything that makes the Colorado Plateau dramatically scenic and geologically classic. However, the fold train is located in drab-colored, relatively featureless rock layers of the Carmel Formation in an area called Reed Wash along the gently dipping west flank of the Swell. After passing magnificent canyons, buttes, and mesas both to the east and west along I-70, the fold train typically goes unnoticed by not only the average tourist but geologists as well. Once the fold train is pointed out, the geologic observer is immediately struck with awe at this large, well-exposed, complex structural feature.

Literally hundreds of classic geologic sites are well displayed in the San Rafael Swell; many are easily accessed overlooks and viewpoints. The detachment fold train, by contrast, is chosen as a geosite for its geologic uniqueness, educational instruction, and research opportunities in structural geology.
Green River overlook, Island in the Sky District, Canyonlands National Park, southeastern Utah
Authors: Chidsey Thomas , Doelling Hellmut
Published: August 2020

The stream is still quiet, and we guide along through a strange, weird, grand region. The landscape everywhere, away from the river, is of rock—cliffs of rock, tables of rock, plateaus of rock, terraces of rock, crags of rock—ten thousand strangely carved forms; rocks everywhere, and no vegetation, no soil, no sand. In long, gentle curves the river winds about these rocks.

These are the words Major John Wesley Powell used to describe what is called Stillwater Canyon along the Green River on July 17, 1869, on his way to the Grand Canyon during his famous journey exploring the canyons of the Colorado River and its tributaries (Powell, 1895). This same region is spectacularly displayedfrom the Green River Overlook in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The exposed rocks consist of Early Permian- (299 million years ago [Ma]) through Early Jurassic-age (176 Ma) rock layers that were uplifted and subjected to massive erosion. Changes in the color, thickness, and composition ofthe rock layers and erosive work of running water and gravity (i.e., mass wasting) created the magnificent landscape seen at the overlook today. The primitive and remote Maze District of Canyonlands National Park is the area west of the Green River. Prominent features viewed in the Maze District from the Green River Overlook include Ekker Butte, Turks Head, Elaterite Butte, and the Orange Cliffs (figure 2). On a clear day, the 11,000-foot (3350 m), Henry

Mountains, which are cored by volcanic remnants (laccoliths) can be seen to the southwest. The Green River Overlook is one of Utah’s most iconic views, often appearing on book covers, scenic calendars, and postcards, and therefore it is fitting as a geosite for its beauty and the exposures of rocks that so much impressed John Wesley Powell over 150 years ago.
What you can discover on an ancient Cretaceous beach, a geosite in Emery County, Utah
Authors: Anderson Paul
Published: August 2020

Utah was prime beach country in its central to eastern portion during the Middle to Late Cretaceous (70 to 92 million years ago). At this time, a long shallow sea extended from the Artic to the Gulf of Mexico and from central Utah east to beyond Kansas. Scores of ancient beach deposits that represent the shoreline along this seaway are exposed in the eastern half of Utah. This paper will guide you to one of these white sandy beaches that dominated central Utah during this time period. The site is located near a developed archeological site (Rochester panel, Smithsonian site number 42EM392). The Rochester panel is dissimilar to other Fremont culture images and likely dates between A.D. 500 to A.D. 700 (Loendorf, 1985). If you visit the panel please do not touch (oil from you skin damages the surface), deface, or climb on this precious resource.
Independent gilsonite vein, Uintah County
Authors: Boden Taylor
Published: August 2020

The Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah contains a wide variety of hydrocarbon resources including vast accumulations of crude oil and natural gas deposits, one of the largest oil shale resources in the world, and the largest tar sand deposit in the United States. In addition, unique solid hydrocarbons, including gilsonite, wurtzilite, tabbyite, and ozokerite, have a long and colorful history of exploration and/or production in the region. The most abundant of these, gilsonite, occurs in distinctive swarms of subparallel, northwest-trending veins. The lateral continuity of the veins is impressive, with relatively long, straight ribbons stretching across the hills of the eastern Uinta Basin. The veins are also vertically continuous, extending hundreds to more than 3000 feet (900 m) below the ground, commonly having only small variations in width. The Uinta Basin contains the world’s largest deposit of gilsonite and is the only place in the world where this unique resource is economically produced. Gilsonite is remarkable for its unusual geologic origin, chemical and physical properties, and  industrial uses. Industry pioneers are noted for creating innovative uses for their product and for over 100 years have solved mining, processing, transportation, marketing, and other challenges to supply gilsonite to world markets. Accordingly, gilsonite has been studied and described in a large body of research dating back to the 1880s. Most recently, the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) published Special Study 141 (Boden and Tripp, 2012), which presents the latest mapping of gilsonite deposits and a compilation of existing data. To date, over 70 significant veins and vein systems, having a total combined vein length of over 170 miles (270 km), have been mapped by UGS geologists.
High-quality casts of the missing holotype of Petalodus ohioensis Safford 1853 (Chondrichthyes, Petalodontidae) at the Field Museum of Natural History and their bearing on the validity and priority of the species
Authors: Itano Wayne , Carpenter Kenneth
Published: August 2020

The validity of the chondrichthyan species Petalodus ohioensis Safford 1853, has long been in doubt due to the poor quality of the published figures and the unknown whereabouts of the holotype. That situation changed with the discovery of casts of the holotype in the collections of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. The quality of the casts is poor, but sufficient to establish P. ohioensis as a valid species and as a senior synonym of P. alleghaniensis Leidy 1856. Recently, casts of the holotype of much better quality were found in the collections of the Field Museum of Natural History, accompanied by documentation indicating that they were likely obtained directly from Safford by O.P. Hay in 1896. The Field Museum casts clearly show the bands of ridges at the base of the crown on the labial and lingual sides, which are not visible on the Yale Peabody Museum casts.
MODEL PENERIMAAN DAN PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI: E-LEARNING DI PERGURUAN TINGGI
Authors: Arianto Fajar , Susarno Lamijan Hadi , Dewi Utari , Safitri Alfi Fatimatus
Published: August 2020

E-learning is a kind of learning by utilizing information and communication technology. The success of using e-learning influenced by various factors. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a model developed by Davis (1989) that is used to find out the acceptance and use of technology. The purpose of TAM is to explain the determinants of computer acceptance in general, which can explain user behavior in various computing technologies of end-users and user populations, saving time and theoretically justified. This model aims to predict and explain the factors that need to be corrected. This study focused on six variables, namely the perception of use, the perception of ease, attitude, and behavior. The analysis technique used to analyze data was SEM (Structural Equation Model) analysis. The research subjects were 262 students. The results of this study were (1) perception of use had a strong effect on the attitude of the use of e-learning, (2) perception of ease had a strong effect on the attitude of the use of e-learning, (3) perception of use had a moderate effect on the behavior of the use of e-learning, (4) perception of ease had a moderate effect on e-learning usage behavior, and (5) strong e-learning attitude toward e-learning behavior. The use of e-learning must pay attention to the user's attitude towards the technology used and the user's perception of the ease of use. AbstrakE-learning merupakan pembelajaran dengan memanfaatkan teknologi onformasi dan komunikasi. Keberhasilan dalam penggunaan e-learnig dipengaruhi berbagai faktor. Teknologi Acceptance Model (TAM) merupakan model yang dikembangkan oleh Davis (1989) yang digunakan untuk mengetahui mengetahui penerimaan dan penggunaan pemenfaatan teknologi. Tujuan dari TAM adalah untuk memberikan penjelasan tentang faktor-faktor penentu penerimaan komputer secara umum, mampu menjelaskan perilaku pengguna di berbagai teknologi komputasi pengguna akhir dan populasi pengguna, hemat waktu dan secara teoritis dibenarkan. Model ini bertujuan untuk memprediksi dan menjelaskan faktor-faktor yang perlu diperbaiki. Pada penelitian ini memfokuskan pada enam variabel, yaitu persepsi penggunaan, persepsi kemudahan, sikap, dan perilaku. Teknik analisa yang dipergunakan untuk menganalisis data adalah analisis SEM (Structural Equation Model). Subjek penelitain berjumlah 262 mahasiswa. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah (1) persepsi penggunaan berpengaruh yang kuat terhadap sikap penggunaan e-learning, (2) persepsi Kemudahan berpengaruh yang kuat terhadap sikap penggunaan e-learning, (3) persepsi Penggunaan berpengaruh yang sedang terhadap perilaku penggunaan e-learning, (4) persepsi Kemudahan berpengaruh yang sedang terhadap perilaku penggunaan e-learning, dan (5) sikap penggunaan e-learning yang kuat terhadap perilaku penggunaan e-learning. Penggunaan e-learning harus memperhatikan sikap pengguna terhadap teknologi yang digunakan dan persepsi pengguna terhadap kemudahan penggunaan.
Rare and endangered species of invertebrate animals of Mongolia: Current status, threats and measures of protection
Authors: Bobrov Vladimir V.
Published: August 2020

Based on the information provided in the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Red Book of Mongolia, the current state of the rare and endangered species of mollusks, crustaceans and insects of Mongolia and the threat to their existence are analyzed: water pollution and accidental catch during fishing (for aquatic species); degradation of habitats (haying, draining of swamps); overgrazing; collecting. The effectiveness of protection measures has been identified: the habitats of some species are included in the boundaries of specially protected natural territories; some species are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which will establish strict control over the international trade of rare and endangered species of invertebrates in Mongolia. It is indicated that the conservation of certain species of mollusks, crustaceans and insects requires additional and more specific measures: prevention of habitat degradation, including overgrazing and pollution of water bodies; a ban on collecting; conducting research to identify the concentration of populations, as well as assess the resources of food plants.
Artinskian flora (Lower Permian) of the stratotypic area (the Middle Cis-Urals)
Authors: Naugolnykh Sergey V. , Linkevich Valeryi V.
Published: August 2020

The paper deals with the characteristics of the floristic assemblage, which is typical of stratotype area of the Artinskian stage (Lower Permian), i.e. Arti District of Sverdlovsk region. Taxonomical composition of the Artinskian flora includes equisetophytes Paracalamites decoratus (Eichwald) Zalessky, Paracalamites spp., Calamites gigas Brongniart, ferns Pecopteris ex gr. leptophylla Bunbury, peltasperms Permocallipteris sp., Gracilopteris sp. (sp. nov.); ginkgophytes s.l. Psygmophyllum expansum (Brongniart) Schimper, conifers Tylodendron sp., Walchia sp., vojnovskyans Rufloria cf. duvanica Vladimirovich, Lepeophyllum sabanakovae Vladimirovich, Vojnovskya sp., and numerous and diverse isolated seeds. One of the seed morphotype is described in the present paper as a new species Ovalocarpus butmanii Naugolnykh et Linkevich. According to the author’s viewpoint, this species belonged to primitive ginkgophytes and could be produced by the plant with the leaves Psygmophyllum Schimper and seed-bearing organs Cheirocladus Naugolnykh. Round perforations most probably left by trunks of phytophagous insects of Palaeodictyoptera were found on the seeds Ovalocarpus butmanii.
Growth features of different forms of scots pine in the shrub-sphagnum forest type estuary of the Onega River
Authors: Pinaevskaya Ekaterina A. , Tarkhanov Sergey N. , Pakhov Aleksandr S.
Published: August 2020

Pinus sylvestris L. is the main tree species of forest ecosystems in the European North of Russia, therefore, in-depth studies of the diversity of forms and growth processes of this plant are important. Forms in pine stand out according to morphological and other characteristics. In conditions of prolonged excessive soil moisture, the joint growth of various forms of pine is observed. The aim of the work is to study the growth of various forms of pine according to morphostructural characteristics in the shrub-sphagnum forest type estuary of the Onega River. Investigations of tree growth (according to the form of seed cone scales apophysis and crown habit) were carried out in shrub-sphagnum pine forests of different ages in the north-west of the European part of Russia (northern taiga subzone). Morphometric measurements of the vegetative and generative spheres in the forms of scots pine were made. It is established that the advantage in morphometric characteristics, average values ​​of radial growth, late and early wood has a pine tree with a «convex» apophysis form. The advantage with respect to the morphometric characteristics of the trunk and crown is form with «ordinary» crown habit. The «ordinary» form has larger cones, a larger value of radial growth and macrostructural parameters of wood compared to the «swamp».
Influence of lack of night sleep on the cognitive set by indicators of EEG rhythms coupling
Authors: Yakovenko Irina A. , Petrenko Nadejda E. , Cheremoushkin Evgeniy A. , Dorokhov Vladimir B. , Bakaeva Zarina B. , Yakunina Elena B. , Torshin Vladimir I. , Starshinov Yuri P. , Sveshnikov Dmitry S.
Published: August 2020

The aim of the study is investigation of nighttime sleep effect on the performance of a cognitive setting in terms of the coupling of EEG rhythms. The coupling of 5 rhythm: beta-1, beta-2, gamma, alpha and theta rhythms of EEG during the formation and testing of cognitive set was studied for 120 students (17 with short-term night sleep and 15 with a full night sleep). Multi-channel EEG was recorded. EEG evaluation was carried out by continuous wavelet transform based on the “mother” complex Morlet wavelet in the range of 1–35 Hz. Maps of the distribution of the values of the modulus of the wavelet transformation coefficient, which reflect amplitude changes of the potentials were analyzed. The Pearson correlation coefficient was a measure evaluating the coupling of EEG rhythms. The subjects with a short night’s sleep showed almost all of the relations of EEG rhythms (8 couples) during the formation stage of presentation. Students with a full night’s sleep showed statistically significant coupling of the following pairs of rhythms: alpha–beta-1, alpha–gamma and beta-2–gamma. Students with short-term night sleep demonstrated the 3 significant couples: alpha–beta-1, beta-1–gamma and beta-2–gamma during the testing stage. Well-slept students showed an increase in the number of connections (6 couples) in relation to the stage of formation of the set due to the addition of connections with the theta rhythm. The obtained data could indicate that the thalamo-cortical and cortico-hippocampal structural-functional associations work differently in the groups of subjects.
Bibliometric research productivity analysis: A case study of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University
Authors: Latif Amir , Haq Ikram Ul
Published: August 2020

Objectives: This study is aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of research productivity of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University (STMU).

Methodology: Data was collected from online resources from 2012 to 2018. The outcome parameters were the number of publications in each year, document type, scrutiny of the subject area, authorship pattern, research collaboration, frequently used journal and the range of references. 

Results: STMU produced 231 documents with frequent references between of 20 to 29. Two-thirds of total publications consisted of original articles and Pharmacology was found to be the preferred area of research. 

Conclusion: Research publication is the key element to measure academic performance. There has been a growing tendency in publications over the past three years.
A case of ingrown toenail with maggots: A personal experience
Authors: Malik Arshad M , Malik Manal Arshad
Published: August 2020

The invasion of the skin and sub-cutaneous tissues with larvae (Maggots) is not infrequently seen in humans. It is basically the flies which feed on living tissues and lay eggs which develop into maggots and start eating the dead tissue. We present a very unusual case of a 35-year-old, mentally retarded man who presented with infected ingrown toenail. The patient had inborn deformity and crowding of the toes. On examination a large number of maggots were found crawling over and coming out from deeper tissues. The wound was explored and treated by excising the tissue alongside the nails with nail removal at the same time. The nail plate excised on the sides and maggots cleared.
Impact of the human genome assignment on biology and generation.
Authors: Mansoor Sumreena , Ashraf Almas
Published: August 2020

The Human Genome Project has revolutionized biology by deciphering a reference human genome sequence along with many other organisms’ complete sequences. The project reflects a great example of integrated inter-disciplinary approach to develop sophisticated technology and brought engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians at one platform with biologists. Further improvements have made from projects ENCODE, to find functional elements of genome; and Human Proteome Project, to map human proteins through the genetic map. Moving one step ahead, the gaps that were present to study evolution of many species are now decreasing due to better understanding of the genome. There has been an open approach to data sharing and open-source software, thereby data is publicly accessible for more breakthroughs from data banks such as GenBank. Physicians approach to practice medicine is changing and becoming more personalized as a result of this project. There has been development in treatments of many diseases for example through genome-wide association studies. Diseases prognosis and risk can be now more accurately predicted through the advancements in HGP. However, we are still in initial stages and in the process of understanding the huge data generated by HGP and its implications. Moreover, the ethical, social and political issues that arise due to this genetic research needs to be addressed alongside.
Penerapan Model Project-Based Learning Untuk Meningkatkan Pekerjaan Dasar Elektromekanik Siswa Kelas X TITL SMKN 1 Maumere
Authors: Mbasa Yakobus
Published: August 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar Pekerjaan Dasar Elektromekanik melalui penerapan model project based learning pada siswa kelas X TITL SMKN 1 Maumere. Subyek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas X TITL SMKN 1 Maumere tahun ajaran 2018/2019, dengan jumlah siswa sebanyak 35 siswa. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK) yang dilaksanakan dalam dua siklus menggunakan empat tahap, antara lain: tahap perencanaan, tahap pelaksanaan, tahap observasi dan refleksi. Metode yang digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data adalah metode tes dan observasi. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan adalah tes hasil belajar, lembar observasi dan lembar unjuk kerja. Dari hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa penerapan model project   based learning dapat meningkatkan kemampuan hasil belajar siswa. Hasil penelitian ini adalah: terjadinya peningkatan rata-rata hasil belajar siswa, dari 77.33 pada siklus I menjadi 80.35 pada siklus II (terjadi peningkatan sebesar 3.02). Selain itu terjadi juga peningkatan ketuntasan klasikal, dari 71.42 % pada siklus I menjadi 88.57 % pada siklus II (terjadi peningkatan sebesar 17.15%). Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa hasil belajar siswa pada  pembelajaran pekerjaan  dasar  elektromekanik  dapat  meningkat  melalui  model  project  based learning.
WRITING A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE: DESCRIBING RESULTS
Authors: Lamanauskas Vincentas
Published: August 2020

The presentation of research results is definitely an important part of any scientific article. On the one hand, the findings of the conducted research should be explained in as much detail as possible, whereas on the other, the obtained results must be clear, understandable and relevant. The previous editorials analysed the elements of a scientific article such as the title and summary (Lamanauskas, 2019a), introduction (Lamanauskas, 2019b) and the description of methodology (Lamanauskas, 2020). This editorial briefly discusses the optimal presentation of research results treated as one of the most interesting stages in preparing a scientific article and requires effort, intensive work and creativity. Alternatively, both methodology and research results (empirical research in particular) are considered the most important parts of a manuscript (Fox & Jennings, 2014). As expected, many important points related to the description of research results are given in APA 7th. ed. (2019), and therefore are not intended to be discussed in detail. Although APA standards are widespread, other criteria are also admitted by scientific community and focus in this editorial is more oriented on the practical subjects of academic writing and the most common mistakes.
LECTURERS' EXPERIENCE IN ASSESSING 21ST-CENTURY MATHEMATICS COMPETENCY IN INDONESIA
Authors: Dewanti Sintha Sih , Kartowagiran Badrun , Jailani Jailani , Retnawati Heri
Published: August 2020

Mathematics is one of the fields that has important role in the 21st-century thinking because mathematics involves the process of logical and systematic thinking to solve problems. This makes mathematical competencies need to be developed through learning and integrated into knowledge, skills, and attitudes. When learning has facilitated the development of 21st-century mathematical competencies, the assessment must also be able to photograph it. This research aimed to find out whether the lecturers of the Mathematics Education Study Program have conducted a 21st-century mathematics competency assessment. This research used a qualitative approach with the phenomenological method. The data were collected using in-depth interviews with each participant. The research participants were 20 lecturers from Mathematics Education Study Program who came from 12 provinces in Indonesia. Data analysis was performed by using the help of ATLAS.ti 8 software to analyze participants' transcripts and documentation, formulate important phrases or sentences, formulate meaning, bring themes up, and be integrated into in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon. The result showed that lecturers of the Mathematics Education Study Program have not focused on the 21st-century mathematics competency assessment. The assessment of each mathematical competency was only done globally and not carried out in detail about each of the competency indicators. Keywords: 21st-century mathematical competencies, competency assessment, lecturers' experience in assessment, Mathematics Education Study Program lecturers.
TOWARD A MODEL OF UNIVERSITY-REGIONAL SURROUNDINGS COLLABORATION IN MEXICO, AND SURELY LATIN AMERICA
Authors: García Galván Rodolfo , Rodríguez Macías Juan Carlos , Chaparro Caso López Alicia Alelí
Published: August 2020

This study aimed to examine the institutional and organizational characteristics of Mexican state public universities’ outreach with the surrounding area, by identifying and comparing best practices to design a new model for collaboration with the environment. The central question was: “What are the regulatory foundations for the planning and educational philosophies that underpin the outreach approaches of public universities in Mexico?” In methodological terms, this research was of a qualitative nature, and used institutional documents as its main data. It was a documentary review of regulations, planning documents, educational models, and organizational structure of the nine universities considered. Qualitative evidence was collected through deductive content analysis, on the basis of preconceived theoretical and conceptual precepts that guide the search for and analysis of documentary information.
One key finding was that the regulations of the institutions examined did acknowledge the importance of strengthening ties between the university and the regional surroundings but were ambiguous in their definition of collaborative activities. In most universities, outreach was seen as a support for teaching and research, and its importance was not acknowledged. This is why it is necessary for universities to make promoting economic and social development a substantive function, to be reflected in specific regulations for outreach. Similarly, greater visibility is needed in organizational structures to position outreach within universities’ roles and activities.
Keywords: collaboration, deductive content analysis, documentary review, regional impact.
AGGRESSIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES: TRANSFORMATION OF COEXISTENCE THROUGH ARTIVIST EDUCATION METHODS
Authors: Holguin-Alvarez Jhon , Ledesma-Pérez Fernando , Montañez-Huancaya Aquila , Cruz-Montero Juana
Published: August 2020

The coexistence allows the adaptation of the aggressors and assaulted in school communities through artistic interaction techniques. Due to its transformational value, artivist education allows students to be involved in raising awareness of their environment as well as themselves. For this reason, the interest of the research was to determine the benefits of artivism in school coexistence. Three studies based on sustainability, school exchange and meaning analysis were carried out in 80 fifth and sixth grade primary students. Measurement scales and the log of experiences were used, from whose data it was obtained that there was greater sustainability of direct and democratic coexistence from the fourth month of experimentation with activities based on artivist education (Experiment 1), as well as effects on school exchange with greater emphasis on the democratic component (Experiment 2). The conclusions of the research invited to deduce that artivist education allowed coexistence to be made more sustainable through the strategies that subjects adopted from their peers, in turn, direct interaction allowed to propose a formative process of adaptation between assaulted and aggressors. As a contribution, the research highlights the adoption of new forms of student interaction with power groups to the extent of how and how they establish acceptability behaviors in the shared context.
Keywords: Artivism, artivist education, democratic coexistence, direct coexistence, school communities.
QUALITY AND FEATURE OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS IN EDUCATION
Authors: Jia Bing , He Dan , Zhu Zhemin
Published: August 2020

The quality of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) as well as the student's solve behavior in MCQs are educational concerns. MCQs cover wide educational content and can be immediately and accurately scored. However, many studies have found some flawed items in this exam type, thereby possibly resulting in misleading insights into students’ performance and affecting important decisions. This research sought to determine the characteristics of MCQs and factors that may affect the quality of MCQs by using item response theory (IRT) to evaluate data. For this, four samples of different sizes from US and China in secondary and higher education were chosen. Item difficulty and discrimination were determined using item response theory statistical item analysis models. Results were as follows. First, only a few guessing behaviors are included in MCQ exams because all data fit the two-parameter logistic model better than the three-parameter logistic model. Second, the quality of MCQs depended more on the degree of training of examiners and less on middle or higher education levels. Lastly, MCQs must be evaluated to ensure that high-quality items can be used as bases of inference in middle and higher education.
Keywords: higher education, item evaluation, item response theory, multiple-choice test, secondary education
GENDER DIFFERENCES FAVOURING FEMALES IN LEARNING STRATEGIES IN MATHEMATICS
Authors: Kaldo Indrek , Õun Kandela
Published: August 2020

Most universities teach mathematics in the first year and the complexity of the subject demands also different levels of mathematics. Although students understand the reason why they need to learn mathematics, there are more than half of students struggling during the math classes. It is also interesting to compare male and female students` study habits and differences. The aim of this research is to report first-year Estonian university students’ views on mathematics by gender. The quantitative data were collected from 440 university students of different disciplines. The participants completed the LIST questionnaire what measures several aspects of learning strategies of mathematics conducted by factor analysis of 69 questions in 4-point Likert scale. In this research, in two of nine factors, females hold a more positive view of learning strategies than did male students. This research indicates which learning strategies in mathematics are preferred by males and females. Factors Organizing and Repeating were the factors in which we found statistically significant gender difference. Females showed more powerful organizing skills and had better repeating strategies than males. Females try to order the subject matter in a way that makes it easy for them to remember, they go over their notes and structure the most important points more than males. In all the other factors, statistical differences were found only in some questions.
Keywords: learning strategies, LIST-questionnaire, mathematics education, mathematics related effect, university mathematics.