bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PUTUSAN MAHKAMAH KONSTITUSI NOMOR 93/PUU-X/2012 DAN KEWENANGAN PENGADILAN AGAMA DALAM PENYELESAIAN SENGKETA EKONOMI SYARIAH
Authors: ijieb  , Sulistio Dody
Published: April 2019

Abstrak. Dengan diputuskannya perkara Nomor 93/PUU-X/2012 oleh Mahkamah Konstitusi, tidak ada lagi dualisme kewenangan penyelesaian sengketa ekonomi syariah. Konsekuensi konstitusionalnya, Pengadilan Agama menjadi satu-satunya pengadilan yang berwenang menyelesaikan sengketa ekonomi syariah. Namun menjadi catatan penting bahwa penentuan pilihan forum hukum bergantung pada kesepakatan para pihak yang tertuang dalam klausul. Para pihak dapat juga memilih alternatif lain untuk menyelesaikan sengketa ekonomi syariah di luar jalur pengadilan, seperti Basyarnas. Penyelesaian sengketa ekonomi syariah melalui Badan Arbitrase Syariah Nasional (BASYARNAS) saat ini mulai diminati masyarakat karena penyelesaian sengketa di BASYARNAS lebih mengedapankan perdamaianmelalui musyawarah. Namun, undang-undang yang mengatur terkait kewenangan pengadilan terhadap eksekusi putusan BASYARNAS masih mengalami tumpang tindih peraturan. Penelitian ini berfungsi untuk mengetahui penyebab terjadinya dualisme peraturan tentang eksekusi putusan BASYARNAS dan mengetahui akibat hukum adanya dualisme tersebut. Peradilan Agama (PA) sebagai produk legislasi pertama memberikan kompetensi kepada PA dalam menyelesaikan sengketa ekonomi syariah dan diperkuat dengan adanya UU Perbankan syariah, semestinya Peradilan Agama sudah secara praktis memiliki wewenang menyelesaikan sengketa ekonomi syariah. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa adanya dualisme terjadi karena adanya UU No.30 Tahun 1999 yang membatasi kompetensi absolut PA sebagai lembaga yang berwenang menyelesaikan sengketa ekonomi syariah.PERMA No.14 Tahun 2016 telah memberikan kepastian hukum bahwa eksekusi dari putusan BASYARNAS dilaksanakan di PA. PERMA ini merupakan sebuah kemajuan karena telah mengembalikan ruh kesyariahan dari putusan BASYARNAS terkait sengketa dagang atau ekonomi syariah yang pada akhirnya eksekusi dilaksanakan di Pengadilan Agama.
Ethnicity, Family Environment and Cognitive Performance: A Regression Surface Analysis
Authors: Marjoribanks Kevin
Published: April 2019

Regression surface analysis was used to examine relations between the family environment and measures of academic achievement at different levels of intellectual ability, for children from different Australian ethnic groups. The sample included 800 11- year-old child ren and their parents from five ethclass groups, middle social-status AngloAustralian (140 families), and lower social-status: Anglo-Austra I ian (250 families}, English (120), Greek (170), and Southern Italian (120 families). A semi-structured interview schedule was used to assess: parents' aspirations for the child, press for English in the family, satisfaction with school, and satisfaction with teaching in the child's school. The regression surfaces were constructed from models which examined possible linear, interaction, and curvilinear relations between the variables. Results suggested that: (a) within AngloAustralian middle and lower socialstatus groups there are different socialization processes operating to influence children's cognitive achievement, (b) for lower socialstatus families, ethnicity has a pervasive influence on the learning environments that parents structure for their children, and (c) there are significant differences in the socia- 1 ization processes operating within different ethnic groups to affect children's academic achievement.
His and Her Divorce Research: New Theoretical Directions in Canadian and American Research
Authors: Baker Maureen
Published: April 2019

Through a comparison of Canadian and American research on separation and divorce, we have noted a rift developing in Canadian family studies that is less apparent in American research. While American social scientists have to some extent adopted a more critical view of the family and incorporated aspects of a feminist perspective into their research, Canadian authors are still focusing on correlates with high divorce rates. In Canada, segregation within conferences has become common, with much of the family research using a political economy or feminist perspective taking place in women’s studies sessions. In Canadian journals, published articles tend to be written by men, using a much more conservative theoretical framework. This gives the impression that critical research is not being done in Canada on marriage dissolution or in the family in general. If “women’s studies” can be incorporated in family sociology, the new theoretical concerns of the feminist research may alter the course of family sociology, breathing new life into an otherwise stagnating substantive area.
Marriage Companionship and Marriage Well-being: A Comparison of Metropolitan areas in Three Countries
Authors: Palisi Bartolomeo J.
Published: April 2019

The relationship between eight marriage companionship activities and marriage well-being is studied in Sydney, Australia, in Los Angeles, California, and in London, England. Exchange theory is used to predict that the more frequently married males share companionship, the greater their marriage well-being will be. Joint activities are expected to relate to marriage well-being more strongly than are parallel activities. Joint activities are found to be strongly related to marriage well-being in all metropolitan areas, but parallel activities are not. A significant amount of variance in marriage well-being is explained by companionship. A sample of married women in Perth, Australia is brought into the analysis and it is found that the Perth and Sydney respondents have similar responses, and differ somewhat from the other two sets of respondents. It is shown that companionship affects personal happiness, but not as strongly as it affects marriage well-being.
Relationship in Stepfamilies: An Examination of Alliances
Authors: Filinson Rachel
Published: April 2019

Stepfamily relationships described in terms of “alliances” between family members are examined through comparison of the family lives of stepfamilies with those of nonstepfamilies. The definition of stepfamily is broadened to include stepfamilies formed by the first marriage of an unmarried mother and by cohabitation. Data are extracted from a study of the sequelae to illegitimate childbearing which investigated the ensuing family lives of matched samples of legitimate and illegitimate childbearers. Three types of alliances- neutral, offensive and defensive—are identified and their incidence and variation across stepfamilies and nonstepfamilies are documented. The findings suggest that the sample families do not display in their relationships the negative features of stepfamily life identified in existing works and that alliances which impair family unity do not differentiate stepfamilies from nonstepfamilies.
Black Family Life on Television and the Socialization of the African American Child: Images of Marginality
Authors: Berry Gordon L.
Published: April 2019

Historically, it was the responsibility of the family and other traditional institutions to carry out the socialisation process. While the family is still the major agent of socialization, the vast communication system of today, especially television, has now taken its place as a type of socializing agent. Given the history of the marginalized images of African American family life and culture in print and in the electronic media, it is important to identify the potential role that television might play in the socialization of the Black child. This article discusses some of the issues associated with the attractiveness of television to African American children, and its potential impact on them. It also offers some guidelines for those research paradigms that will attempt to explore the influence of Black family life images on television on the values of the African American child.
The Impact of Family Function on Healt of African American Elderly
Authors: Bowles Jacqueline , Kington Raynard s.
Published: April 2019

The family is the most important social context within which health is maintained, illness occurs, and decisions are made to maintain health and adapt to illness. The family is the principal source of support for African American elderly. Thus, the family has a fundamental role in the health of African American elderly. Unique features of African American families are relevant to understanding family function among African Americans in relationship to health. These features are strong kinship bonds, flexibility in family roles, strong religious orientation, and access to a broad and diverse informal support network. Furthermore, there are unique features of African American elderly populations, such as living in extreme social conditions of poverty, inadequate income and social isolation, that are also relevant to how families function to impact health. Within the context of interrelated social systems, components of the family system interact with each other and other social systems to influence how the family functions as a health care unit to maintain health and to respond to illness. We have developed a model to conceptualize how the family system proceeds through a sequence of stages to function as a health unit. We will apply this model to families of African American elderly to describe how the components of the family system interact to effect outcomes of the model, given the unique features of African American families and specific needs of African American elderly.
The Development of the Polish National Cittaslow Network
Authors: Wierzbicka Wioletta , Farelnik Eliza , Stanowicka Agnieszka
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this article has been to present the history of the Polish National Cittaslow Network, to discuss its development and to draw the attention to the diversity of network member cities.

The authors emphasise the fact that the Polish National Cittaslow Network is developing very dynamically, and is the second largest network of Cittaslow in the world. Today, it is composed of 28 cities, of which 20 lie in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship. Other two centers are currently in the process of joining the network.

The member cities are diverse in terms of their size as well as environmental or cultural assets. They are also diverse in terms of the level of socio-economic development. There are such cities in the network whose level of entrepreneurship, measured by the number of private sector businesses per 1,000 residents, is much higher than the average for the whole network (Rzgów, Murowana Goślina), but there are also cities with a very low level of entrepreneurship (Rejowiec Fabryczny, Jeziorany). Despite the differences, the cities associated in the network share the same concept and pursue shared aims in order to improve the quality of life for their inhabitants. They are proponents of implementing pro-social and pro-environmental measures, while striving to preserve the unique character of each of these cities.
ELASTIC MOMENT HALF-SPACE UNDER THE ACTION OF AXISYMMETRIC NON-STATIONARY SURFACE KINEMATIC PERTURBATIONS
Authors: Tran Le Thai , Tarlakovskii D. V.
Published: April 2019

The article deals with elastic homogeneous isotropic half-space filled with the Cosserat medium. A cylindrical coordinate system is used. A closed system of equations includes equations for the non-trivial components of the displacement and rotation potentials, as well as relations relating the displacements to the potentials and components of the stress and moment stress tensors with displacements and the angle of rotation. On the boundary plane, normal displacements are specified, and the angle of rotation and tangential displacements are absent. Initial conditions are zero. All components of the stress-strain state are assumed to be limited. A system of dimensionless quantities is used.
The solution is represented as a convolution with respect to time and a generalized convolution with respect to the radius of surface perturbations with influence functions. To construct them, Hankel transforms are applied along the radius and Laplace in time, as well as expansion in power series in a small parameter in the linear approximation. Found image of all surface influence functions. For example, the following function is considered corresponding to the normal voltage. Its original is on the border of a half-space using the connection of axisymmetric and plane problems, namely, taking into account the proportionality of the Hankel and Fourier images respectively. It uses the previously constructed solution of the planar problem. As a result, the desired function is represented as integrals, which are understood in the sense of regularized values. Analytic expressions for these integrals and the influence function itself are found.
Examples of calculations of the influence functions of a granular composite of aluminum shot in an epoxy matrix are given. Two variants of action on the half-space of surface normal displacements are also considered: the disturbance concentrated at the origin and distributed in a circle. Analysis of the results shows that the effect of the moment properties of the medium depends significantly on the value of the parameter characterizing the relationship of elastic displacements and rotational motions. For the material in question in quantitative terms it is not great. However, consideration of moment stress leads to qualitative changes. Namely, there is an additional wave front.
OPTIMAL TRANSVERSE VIBRATIONS DAMPING OF A CONSOLE BEAM
Authors: Petrakov E. V.
Published: April 2019

The multicriteria problem of transverse vibrations damping of a console beam is colved by the active and passive damping methods. The mathematical model of beam is provided by Bernoulli-Euler's hypotheses with the linear viscosity. Perturbation acting on the beam belongs to a class L2 of functions. The beam mode is described by Krylov functions. The normal form method is used to convert to the main coordinates. A model of active vibration isolation applied along the entire length of the console beam and a model connected to a vertical base at one point were constructed. The task of transverse vibrations damping is a state feedback control problem with two controlled outputs. Two criteria are introduced: the level of the control force and the maximum deflection of the beam. The generalized H2-norm is used as a measure of functional evaluation in the synthesis of optimal regulators. The search for optimal feedback is based on the use of linear matrix inequalities and efficient algorithms for solving, implemented in the MATLAB package. Synthesis of Pareto optimal control is implemented on the basis of Germeyer convolution. The optimal values of the functional under distributed and concentrated vibration isolations are given with respect to two criteria for active and passive damping methods. The paper includes a comparison of vibration isolation for different damping methods.
NEW OFFER FROM PT SAFARI DHARMA SAKTIENDLESS SUMMER TOUR
Authors: Nathania Effendy Bella Christy , Sanjaya Anthony , Wulandari Sonia Rest , Meyers Katherine , Kannalayil Justin J. , Alqedhaibi Fatmah J S GH , Almutairi Nourah A H H M
Published: April 2019

PT Safari Dharma Sakti is a company engaged in transportation services. Vehicles that this company has has an international standard compared to other transportation service companies. Even in terms of service, PT Safari Dharma Sakti is also sufficient. But this company only moves in local tourists only, therefore Team 10 offers to be a consultant and help it to Go International to be known not only local tourists but also from abroad.

Team 10 gets a lot of information from interviews ranging from price to promotion what has been used. Our team performs with the PIC of the company that is Mr. Samuel and discuss many things. Finally our group gave suggestions to organize tours provided by the company's own team. And the company team was very agree, interested, and expect a lot of this "Endless Summer Tour" plan.
EXPLORE THE CULTURE AND BEAUTY OF MALANG WITH SAHID MONTANA
Authors: Sinatra Calvin , Isnaini Fauziah , Alfa Yeremia , T Matthew , Husna Miftahul , Mcmahon Brian M. , Shammary Al
Published: April 2019

Sahid Montana is one of the 3 star hotels located in Malang City. The hotel is very close to downtown Malang and traditional nuances. In order increase the market of the hotel, Sahid Montana trying to enter international market. The he method that used to achieved this purpose is through tourism, esspecially in Malang city, Indonesia. This tourism program also have another purpose. The purpose is to develop existing tourism in the city of Malang. Sahid Montana trying to offer some interesting packages such as the natural state of Malang to attract foreign consumers of this city.

To be better known to foreign levels, make Sahid Montana appear marketing with event-level events abroad. Sahid Montana aslo make a cooperation with another party in order to achieved their purpose. The party are travel agency, government, Sahid Montana Group, ect. This cooperation also give benefits for each side.

This distribution channel and marketing methods has been choosed by team 12, because have more benefits, and easy to be implemented. The parnership’s benefits of this method are for Sahid Montana, another party, government and tourism industry in Malang city. Beside it, the marketing’s benefits are bigger range of promotion, lowwer cost and high effectivenes and efficiency.
The Level of Ca125 in Preand Postoperative of Endometriosis
Authors: Amsir Asriyanti , Tahir Andi M , Abdullah Nusratuddin
Published: April 2019

Objective: To determine the Ca-125 level in pre- and post-operative

of endometriosis and its correlation to endometriosis stage and severity

of dysmenorrhea.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study design conducted at Dr.

Wahidin Sudirohusodo dan some affiliated hospitals. We took the

patients undergoing laparoscopy or laparotomy consecutively.

Result: The mean value of preoperative Ca-125 level in stage I-II

was 21.53 (SD 12.64) IU/ml vs 72.52 (SD 8.52) IU/ml in stage III-IV.

The mean value of postoperative Ca-125 level was 14.82 (SD 10.00)

IU/ml (stage I-II) vs 61.03 (SD 8.43) IU/ml (stage III-IV); they were

significantly different (p
The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Postpartum
Authors: Pratiwi Renny , Suparman Eddy , Lengkong Rudy A
Published: April 2019

Objective: To know the incidence of stress urinary incontinence in

postpartum and determine the relationship among age, parity, infant

birth weight, mode of delivery, episiotomy and perineum rupture.

Method: This study used cross sectional analytic design. Qualified

subjects from inclusion criteria were interviewed by researchers

using pre-defined MESA questioner. Subjects with stress urinary

incontinence were found from the questionnaire result. The acquired

data was measured and analyzed using SPSS v. 22.0 software and

discussed using available literature.

Result: From 162 subjects, 36 cases (22.22%) had stress urinary

incontinence, 47.22% aging ? 35 years old, 72.22% had multiple

pregnancies, 88.89% had per vaginal delivery. Using multivariate

logistic regression test, we found there was a relationship between

stress urinary incontinence with age and parity (p 35 years old and multiple parities.

Keywords: multiple parities, post-partum, stress urinary incontinence
Evaluasi Kinerja Pegawai Untuk Mewujudkan Pelayanan Publik Dalam Perspektif Good Governance
Authors: Aini Nur
Published: April 2019

Penelitian ini membahas mengenai evaluasi (penilaian) kinerja pegawai yang berkerja pada institusi pemerintah, pada dasarnya institusi pemerintah memiliki tujuan yaitu memberikan pelayanan yang prima kepada masyarakat, selain memberikan pelayanan yang prima kepada masyarakat institusi pemerintah juga ingin mewujudkan tata kelola pemerintahan yang baik (Good Governance). Dengan mengimplementasikan pelayanan yang mudah, cepat, bebas pungli. Adapun Tujuan untuk mengetahui evaluasi kinerja pegawai untuk mewujudkan pelayanan publik dalam perspektif Good Governance. dan faktor pendukung, penghambat dalam pelaksanaan evaluasi kinerja pegawai untuk mewujudkan pelayanan publik dalam perspektif Good Governance. Dalam penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dan menggunakan jenis deskriptif, penelitian ini juga diperoleh dari hasil wawancara, observasi, dan diperkuat dengan dokumentasi. Dan analisis data yang digunakan yaitu, analisis domain, analisis taksonomi, analisis komponen sial dan terakhir analisis tema budaya. Hasil yang diperoleh pada penelitian ini adalah pelayanan yang diberikan kepada masyarakat cukup baik, walaupun ada hal-hal yang perlu diperbaiki, sehingga dapat memberikan pelayanan yang optimal ke pada masyarakat. dan juga untuk meningkatkan pelayanan Kantor Kelurahan Tlogomas Kota Malang mengadopsi sistem Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu (PTSP) sistem ini merupakan sistem dimana masyarakat hanya menemui satu loker pelayanan yang akan melayani segala urusan administrasi masyarakat. Adapun faktor pendukung pelaksanaan evaluasi Di kelurahan Tlogomas Kota Malang adanya regulasi/peraturan yang digunakan sebagai acuan dalam pengevaluasian, sarana pasarannya yang nyaman bagi pegawai kantor kelurahan, kedisiplinan pegawai yang datang sesuai jam kerja dan didukung dengan absen sidik jari sehingga kedisiplinan pegawai sangat menunjang proses pelayanan. Faktor penghambat nya ialah rasa sungkan (ketidak enakan) dalam pemberian penilaian kepada setiap pegawai dikarenakan suasana yang dibangun merupakan suasana kekeluargaan. Kesimpulannya bahwa pelayanan di kantor Kelurahan Tlogomas sudah cukup baik. Adapun saran yang dapat diberikan penulis dapat memberikan pelayanan yang maksimal, profesional, memiliki motivasi yang kuat dalam memberikan pelayanan, memberikan pendapat dan menyuarakan pendapat memiliki rasa tanggung jawab yang besar sehingga dalam pengevaluasian tercipta lah perubahan-perubahan yang akan meningkatkan kualitas kinerja setiap pegawai.
Newwave in English Language Teaching
Authors: Ergashev K.
Published: April 2019

In recent years, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been gaining ground in the educational field. Their use in the class of English as a foreign language presents great advantages, not only in terms of linguistic learning — as numerous studies have clearly demonstrated — but also as regards personal skills — since students experience the learning of English from new and novel perspectives. This article offers an analysis of some of the most innovative methodologies nowadays making use of ICTs for the teaching of English.
SAR and Pharmacophore Based Designing of Some Antimalarial and Antiretroviral Agents: An INTERNET Based Drug Design Approach
Authors: Bhakat Soumendranath
Published: April 2019

With the development of computational chemistry and molecular docking studies, Structure Activity Relationship or SAR- and pharmacophore-based drug design have been modified to target based drug discovery using sophisticated computational tools which is not very much user friendly and has got many incompatibility issues with many operating systems (OS) and other system configurations. In this paper SAR and pharmacophore based drug design approaches have been described by the used of free internet based tools which are very much user friendly and can almost compatible with any platform. Some antimalarial. And anti retroviral agents have been designed using pharmacophore study and their drug like properties, toxicity, metabolic sites and other parameters are predicted by the free internet based tools.
A Cellular Automaton Model for Traffic Flow -Investigating the Effect of Turning
Authors: Finner Tracy , Beauregard Matthew
Published: April 2019

A cellular automaton model is proposed, modeling vehicular traffic flow on a two dimensional lattice in which the vehicles turn at an intersection with a given probability. It is shown that the introduction of turning reduces the long-term average velocity, and can be predicted by a power law depending on the probability of a vehicle turning and the density of cars. The reduction in speed decreases rapidly once the light cycle length surpasses a certain threshold, the value of which can be predicted from the observed power law.

Keywords: cellular automaton, traffic flow, traffic light strategy, turning, dynamical systems, power law
On Deflection of Potentially Dangerous Asteroids
Authors: Fixelle Josh , Kagan Mikhail
Published: April 2019

As has been widely discussed recently, our planet may become a target for asteroids. We consider several scenarios proposed to prevent asteroid collisions with Earth. The asteroid 99942 Apophis is considered as a typical representative. Among others, the recent “gravitational tractor" scenario is discussed. For a simplistic toy-model we obtain estimates for both the mass of the tractor and the amount of fuel required to tow a potentially dangerous asteroid off-course so as to avoid a collision with the Earth. In addition, we analyze two more scenarios titled “sling-shot" and “bumping", and comment on their relative efficiency compared to the ‘towing" scenario. Based on the analysis, the bumping scenario looks most promising.

KeyWords: Near-Earh Objects, 99942 Apophis, Asteroid Deflection, Gravitational Tractor, "Bumping" Scenario, "Sling-shot" Scenario
A Study of Subracks
Authors: Driskill Samantha
Published: April 2019

Racks were introduced in 1959 by G. Wraith and J. Conway as a wreckage of groups, and have been used in various topics of mathematics. In this project, we aim to establish certain classical results known for subgroups on subracks.

KEYWORDS: Racks, Subracks, Quandle, Group, Centralizer, Dimension
Effects of the Forage Type and Chop Length of Ramie Silage on the Composition of Ruminal Microbiota in Black Goats
Authors: Sun Shengnan , Hou Zhenping , Dai Qiuzhong , Wu Duanqin
Published: April 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the forage type and chop length of ramie (Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaud.) silage on rumen fermentation and ruminal microbiota in black goats. Sixteen Liuyang black goats (22.35 ± 2.16 kg) were fed with the roughage of corn silage or ramie silage at chop lengths of 1, 2, or 3 cm. The Chao 1 index and the observed number of microbial species differed significantly between the corn and ramie silage groups (p < 0.05); however, Firmicutes (relative proportion: 34.99–56.68%), Bacteroidetes (27.41–47.73%), and Proteobacteria (1.44–3.92%) were the predominant phyla in both groups. The relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia (0.32–0.82%) was lowest for the 2 and 3 cm chop lengths (p < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with rumen pH and propionic acid concentration (p < 0.05), but positively correlated with the ratio of acetic acid to propionic acid (p < 0.05). The ramie silage fermentation quality was highest for the 1 cm chop length, suggesting that moderate chopping produces optimal quality silage.
Drug Susceptibility Testing and Synergistic Antibacterial Activity of Curcumin with Antibiotics against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Itzia Azucena Rangel-Castañeda , José Roberto Cruz-Lozano , Martin Zermeño-Ruiz , Rafael Cortes-Zarate , Leonardo Hernández-Hernández , Gabriela Tapia-Pastrana , Araceli Castillo-Romero
Published: April 2019

Aim: This study investigated the susceptibility of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to curcumin, as well as its synergistic effect with 12 antimicrobial drugs. Methods and Results: Our study shows that curcumin did not affect bacterial growth. The antimicrobial susceptibility of curcumin and antibiotic synergy were identified using disc diffusion on Mueller-Hinton agar. The strain of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli used was resistant to Ampicillin, Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid, Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Ciprofloxacin, and Cefazolin. There was synergy between curcumin and the majority of antibiotics tested. Maximum synergy was observed with combinations of 330 µg/mL curcumin and Ceftazidime, followed by Cefotaxime, Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid, Ampicillin, Aztreonam, Trimethoprim, Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriaxone, Cefazolin, Tetracycline, and Imipenem. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that curcumin might be useful as a combinatorial strategy to combat the antibiotic resistance of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
The Role of Isothiocyanates as Cancer Chemo-Preventive, Chemo-Therapeutic and Anti-Melanoma Agents
Authors: Mitsiogianni Melina , Koutsidis Georgios , Mavroudis Nikos , Trafalis Dimitrios T. , Botaitis Sotiris , Franco Rodrigo , Zoumpourlis Vasilis , Amery Tom , Galanis Alex , Pappa Aglaia , Panayiotidis Mihalis I.
Published: April 2019

Many studies have shown evidence in support of the beneficial effects of phytochemicals in preventing chronic diseases, including cancer. Among such phytochemicals, sulphur-containing compounds (e.g., isothiocyanates (ITCs)) have raised scientific interest by exerting unique chemo-preventive properties against cancer pathogenesis. ITCs are the major biologically active compounds capable of mediating the anticancer effect of cruciferous vegetables. Recently, many studies have shown that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is associated with reduced risk of developing various forms of cancers primarily due to a plurality of effects, including (i) metabolic activation and detoxification, (ii) inflammation, (iii) angiogenesis, (iv) metastasis and (v) regulation of the epigenetic machinery. In the context of human malignant melanoma, a number of studies suggest that ITCs can cause cell cycle growth arrest and also induce apoptosis in human malignant melanoma cells. On such basis, ITCs could serve as promising chemo-therapeutic agents that could be used in the clinical setting to potentiate the efficacy of existing therapies.
MicroRNA-Based Diagnosis and Treatment of Metastatic Human Osteosarcoma
Authors: Sasaki Ryo , Osaki Mitsuhiko , Okada Futoshi
Published: April 2019

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor of the bones that commonly occurs in young individuals. The 5-year survival rate of osteosarcoma patients is 60–70%. Metastasis to the lungs leads to death in 30–40% of osteosarcoma patients. Therefore, the development of effective strategies for early detection and treatment of this disease are important to improve the survival of osteosarcoma patients. However, metastatic markers for osteosarcoma and molecules that might be targeted for the treatment of metastatic osteosarcoma have not been identified yet. Therefore, the mechanism of metastasis to the lungs needs to be explored from a novel viewpoint. Recently, the aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been reported to be involved in the carcinogenesis and cancer progression of many cancers. Furthermore, miRNAs in the blood have been reported to show an aberrant expression unique to several cancers. Therefore, miRNAs are gaining attention as potential diagnostic markers for cancers. On the other hand, normalizing the dysregulated expression of miRNAs in cancer cells has been shown to alter the phenotype of cancer cells, and thus treatment strategies targeting miRNAs are also being considered. This review summarizes the abnormality of miRNA expression associated with the metastasis of osteosarcoma and describes the present situation and issues regarding the early diagnosis and development of treatment strategies for metastatic osteosarcoma based on the current understanding of this disease.
Using Different Ions in the Hydrothermal Method to Enhance the Photoluminescence Properties of Synthesized ZnO-Based Nanowires
Authors: Wei Ya-Fen , Chung Wen-Yaw , Yang Cheng-Fu , Shen Jei-Ru , Chen Chih-Cheng
Published: April 2019

ZnO films with a thickness of ~200 nm were deposited on SiO2/Si substrates as the seed layer. Then Zn(NO3)2-6H2O and C6H12N4 containing different concentrations of Eu(NO3)2-6H2O or In(NO3)2-6H2O were used as precursors, and a hydrothermal process was used to synthesize pure ZnO as well as Eu-doped and In-doped ZnO nanowires at different synthesis temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the crystallization properties of the pure ZnO and the Eu-doped and In-doped ZnO nanowires, and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM) was used to analyze their surface morphologies. The important novelty in our approach is that the ZnO-based nanowires with different concentrations of Eu3+ and In3+ ions could be easily synthesized using a hydrothermal process. In addition, the effect of different concentrations of Eu3+ and In3+ ions on the physical and optical properties of ZnO-based nanowires was well investigated. FESEM observations found that the undoped ZnO nanowires could be grown at 100 °C. The third novelty is that we could synthesize the Eu-doped and In-doped ZnO nanowires at temperatures lower than 100 °C. The temperatures required to grow the Eu-doped and In-doped ZnO nanowires decreased with increasing concentrations of Eu3+ and In3+ ions. XRD patterns showed that with the addition of Eu3+ (In3+), the diffraction intensity of the (002) peak slightly increased with the concentration of Eu3+ (In3+) ions and reached a maximum at 3 (0.4) at%. We show that the concentrations of Eu3+ and In3+ ions have considerable effects on the synthesis temperatures and photoluminescence properties of Eu3+-doped and In3+-doped ZnO nanowires.
Total Organic Carbon Enrichment and Its Impact on Pore Characteristics: A Case Study from the Niutitang Formation Shales in Northern Guizhou
Authors: Liu Li , Tang Shuheng , Xi Zhaodong
Published: April 2019

This study analyzes samples from the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in northern Guizhou Province to enable a better understanding of total organic carbon (TOC) enrichment and its impact on the pore characteristics of over-mature marine shale. Organic geochemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, helium porosity, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption experiments were conducted on shale samples. Their original TOC (TOCo) content and organic porosity were estimated by theoretical calculation, and fractal dimension D was computed with the fractal Frenkel–Halsey–Hill model. The results were then used to consider which factors control TOC enrichment and pore characteristics. The samples are shown to be dominated by type-I kerogen with a TOC content of 0.29–9.36% and an equivalent vitrinite reflectance value of 1.72–2.72%. The TOCo content varies between 0.64% and 18.17%, and the overall recovery coefficient for the Niutitang Formation was 2.16. Total porosity of the samples ranged between 0.36% and 6.93%. TOC content directly controls porosity when TOC content lies in the range 1.0% to 6.0%. For samples with TOC < 1.0% and TOC > 6.0%, inorganic pores are the main contributors to porosity. Additionally, pore structure parameters show no obvious trends with TOC, quartz, and clay mineral content. The fractal dimension D1 is between 2.619 and 2.716, and D2 is between 2.680 and 2.854, illustrating significant pore surface roughness and structural heterogeneity. No single constituent had a dominant effect on the fractal characteristics.
Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The Oversight of Defaunation in REDD+ and Global Forest Governance
Authors: Krause Torsten , Nielsen Martin Reinhardt
Published: April 2019

Over the past decade, countries have strived to develop a global governance structure to halt deforestation and forest degradation, by achieving the readiness requirements for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). Nonetheless, deforestation continues, and seemingly intact forest areas are being degraded. Furthermore, REDD+ may fail to consider the crucial ecosystem functions of forest fauna including seed dispersal and pollination. Throughout the tropics, forest animal populations are depleted by unsustainable hunting to the extent that many forests are increasingly devoid of larger mammals—a condition referred to as empty forests. Large mammals and birds, who often disperse seeds of larger more carbon-rich tree species, are preferentially targeted by hunters and the first to be depleted. Such defaunation has cascading ecosystem effects, changing forest structure and composition with implications for carbon storage capacity. Failure to address defaunation would therefore be a major oversight in REDD+, compromising its long-term viability. We carried out a desktop study reviewing REDD+ documents and national implementation efforts in Colombia, Ecuador, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Indonesia to assess the extent to which they address hunting and acknowledged the ecosystem functions of fauna. We also assessed sub-national REDD+ projects to determine whether they recognized hunting and if and how they incorporated hunting management and wildlife monitoring at the project level. Moreover, we assessed to what extent sub-national REDD+ projects addressed the long-term impacts of the sustainability of hunting on forest ecosystem function including carbon storage. We found that hunting, the risk of defaunation, and its effects have been ignored in the REDD+ policy process at both the international and national levels. At the project level, we found some reference to hunting and the risks posed by the loss of forest fauna, albeit only addressed superficially. Our results underline the fact that forest ecosystems are being reduced to their carbon content and that, despite the rhetoric of biodiversity co-benefits, fauna is not treated as a functional component of forests. This neglect threatens to undermine forest ecosystem function and service delivery as well as long-term forest carbon assimilation capacity and hence, ultimately, to compromise REDD+ objectives.
Determining the Dose of Radiation and Radurisation Effects on the Antioxidant Activity of Fish and the Thermophysical Characteristics of Fish Muscle Tissue
Authors: Timakova Roza T. , Tikhonov Sergey L. , Tikhonova Nataliya V. , Shikhalev Sergey V.
Published: April 2019

The aim of this article is to develop a method for determining the dose of radiation in the processing of chilled fish and its effect on the antioxidant activity and thermophysical characteristics of muscle tissue. Radiation processing of chilled fish was performed using a linear electron accelerator model LEA-10-10S2. The dose of radiation was determined by the method of electron-paramagnetic resonance. After being treated with ionizing radiation, the cooled fish meets the requirements of the technical regulations of TR TU 021/2011 “On food safety” and TR EAEU 040/2016 “On the safety of fish and fish products”. As a result of our research, a correlation was established between the area of the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) signal and the absorbed dose of the radiation dose. We proved a decrease in the antioxidant activity of muscle tissue of fish with an increase in radiation dose. It is established that radiation treatment of chilled fish affects the thermophysical properties of muscle tissue.
The Influence of Using a Footstool during a Prolonged Standing Task on Low Back Pain in Office Workers
Authors: Smith Michelle D. , Kwan Chun Shing Johnson , Zhang Sally , Wheeler Jason , Sewell Tennille , Johnston Venerina
Published: April 2019

While many office workers experience low back pain (LBP), little is known about the effect of prolonged standing on LBP symptoms. This repeated-measures within-subjects study aimed to determine whether office workers with LBP are able to work at a standing workstation for one hour without exacerbating symptoms and whether using a footstool affects LBP severity. Sixteen office workers with LBP performed computer work at a standing workstation for one hour under the following two conditions, one week apart: with a footstool and without a footstool. The intensity of LBP was recorded at 10 min intervals. Maximal severity of LBP pain and change in LBP severity throughout the standing task were not different between the footstool and no footstool conditions (p > 0.26). There was a trend for more participants to have an increase in their pain between the start and end of the task when not using a footstool compared to using a footstool (p = 0.10). Most office workers with LBP are able to use a standing workstation without significant exacerbation of symptoms, but a proportion will experience a clinical meaningful increase in symptoms. Using a footstool does not change the severity of LBP experienced when using a standing workstation in individuals with a history of LBP.
Computational Analysis of Dengue Virus Envelope Protein (E) Reveals an Epitope with Flavivirus Immunodiagnostic Potential in Peptide Microarrays
Authors: Bergamaschi Greta , Fassi Enrico M. A. , Romanato Alessandro , D'Annessa Ilda , Odinolfi Maria Teresa , Brambilla Dario , Damin Francesco , Chiari Marcella , Gori Alessandro , Colombo Giorgio , Cretich Marina
Published: April 2019

The mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the Dengue virus is an expanding global threat. Diagnosis in low-resource-settings and epidemiological surveillance urgently requires new immunoprobes for serological tests. Structure-based epitope prediction is an efficient method to design diagnostic peptidic probes able to reveal specific antibodies elicited in response to infections in patients’ sera. In this study, we focused on the Dengue viral envelope protein (E); computational analyses ranging from extensive Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and energy-decomposition-based prediction of potentially immunoreactive regions identified putative epitope sequences. Interestingly, one such epitope showed internal dynamic and energetic properties markedly different from those of other predicted sequences. The epitope was thus synthesized as a linear peptide, modified for chemoselective immobilization on microarrays and used in a serological assay to discriminate Dengue-infected individuals from healthy controls. The synthetic epitope probe showed a diagnostic performance comparable to that of the full antigen in terms of specificity and sensitivity. Given the high level of sequence identity among different flaviviruses, the epitope was immune-reactive towards Zika-infected sera as well. The results are discussed in the context of the quest for new possible structure-dynamics-based rules for the prediction of the immunoreactivity of selected antigenic regions with potential pan-flavivirus immunodiagnostic capacity.
Production of Mesenchymal Stem Cells through Stem Cell Reprogramming
Authors: Abdal Dayem Ahmed , Lee Soo Bin , Kim Kyeongseok , Lim Kyung Min , Jeon Tak-il , Seok Jaekwon , Cho Ssang-Goo
Published: April 2019

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess a broad spectrum of therapeutic applications and have been used in clinical trials. MSCs are mainly retrieved from adult or fetal tissues. However, there are many obstacles with the use of tissue-derived MSCs, such as shortages of tissue sources, difficult and invasive retrieval methods, cell population heterogeneity, low purity, cell senescence, and loss of pluripotency and proliferative capacities over continuous passages. Therefore, other methods to obtain high-quality MSCs need to be developed to overcome the limitations of tissue-derived MSCs. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are considered potent sources for the derivation of MSCs. PSC-derived MSCs (PSC-MSCs) may surpass tissue-derived MSCs in proliferation capacity, immunomodulatory activity, and in vivo therapeutic applications. In this review, we will discuss basic as well as recent protocols for the production of PSC-MSCs and their in vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacies. A better understanding of the current advances in the production of PSC-MSCs will inspire scientists to devise more efficient differentiation methods that will be a breakthrough in the clinical application of PSC-MSCs.
Linking Arable Crop Occurrence with Site Conditions by the Use of Highly Resolved Spatial Data
Authors: Stein Susanne , Steinmann Horst-Henning , Isselstein Johannes
Published: April 2019

Agricultural land use is influenced in different ways by local factors such as soil conditions, water supply, and socioeconomic structure. We investigated at regional and field scale how strong the relationship of arable crop patterns and specific local site conditions is. At field scale, a logistic regression analysis for the main crops and selected site variables detected, for each of the analyzed crops, its own specific character of crop–site relationship. Some crops have diverging site relations such as maize and wheat, while other crops show similar probabilities under comparable site conditions, e.g., oilseed rape and winter barley. At the regional scale, the spatial comparison of clustered variables and clustered crop pattern showed a slightly stronger relationship of crop combination and specific combinations of site variables compared to the view of the single crop–site relationship.
Structure-Property Relationships in Hybrid Cellulose Nanofibrils/Nafion-Based Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites
Authors: Noonan Colin , Tajvidi Mehdi , Tayeb Ali H. , Shahinpoor Mohsen , Tabatabaie Seyed Ehsan
Published: April 2019

Herein, we report the production of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) hybridized with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) as a partial substitute for Nafion®. The aim is not only to reduce the production cost and enhance respective mechanical/thermal properties but also to bestow a considerable degree of biodegradability to such products. Formulations with different CNF/Nafion® ratios were produced in a thin-film casting process. Crack-free films were air-dried and plated by platinum (Pt) through an oxidation-reduction reaction. The produced hybrids were analyzed in terms of thermal stability, mechanical and morphological aspects to examine their performance compared to the Nafion-based IPMC prior to plating process. Results indicated that films with higher CNF loadings had improved tensile strengths and elastic moduli but reduced ductility. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the incorporation of CNF to the matrix reduced its thermal stability almost linearly, however, the onset of decomposition point remained above 120 °C, which was far above the temperature the composite membrane is expected to be exposed to. The addition of a cross-linking agent to the formulations helped with maintaining the integrity of the membranes during the plating process, thereby improving surface conductivity. The focus of the current study was on the physical and morphological properties of the films, and the presented data advocate the potential utilization of CNF as a nontoxic and sustainable bio-polymer for blending with perfluorosulfonic acid-based co-polymers, such as Nafion®, to be used in electroactive membranes.
Template-assisted, Sol-gel Fabrication of Biocompatible, Hierarchically Porous Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds
Authors: Zhang Xingyuan , Zhang Lirong , Li Yuanwei , Hua Youlu , Li Yangde , Li Weirong , Li Wei
Published: April 2019

Hierarchically porous hydroxyapatite (HHA) scaffolds were synthesized by template-assisted sol-gel chemistry. Polyurethane foam and a block copolymer were used as templates for inducing hierarchically porous structures. The HHA scaffolds exhibited open porous structures with large pores of 400–600 µm and nanoscale pores of ~75 nm. In comparison with conventional hydroxyapatite (CHA), HHA scaffolds exhibited significantly higher surface areas and increased protein adsorption for bovine serum albumin and vitronectin. Both the HHA and CHA scaffolds exhibited well in vitro biocompatibility. After 1 day, Saos-2 osteoblast-like cells bound equally well to both HHA and CHA scaffolds, but after 7 days in culture, cell proliferation was significantly greater on the HHA scaffolds (p < 0.01). High surface area and hierarchical porous structure contributed to the selective enhancement of osteoblast proliferation on the HHA scaffolds.