bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Flexible and Non-flexible Classroom Environments on Learning of Undergraduate Students
Authors: Demir-Yildiz Canan , Tatik Ramazan Samil
Published: October 2019

The physical factors, which were studied less often than the other factors affecting students' learning, were considered in this study. The present study investigated the effect of the flexibility and non-flexibity of the physical classroom setting on undergraduate students' learning. The study adopted a mixed-method research design. The quantitative phase of the study employed the quasi-experimental method of research utilizing the pretest-posttest non-equivalent groups design. T Test and the Repeated Measures ANOVA test was used to compare the group means. In the qualitative phase of the study, the students received a questionnaire with open-ended questions to gather their opinions, and the data were analysed in NVIVO 11. There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of learning; however, the achievement scores of both groups were found to be high. Furthermore, the views received from both groups indicated that the physical environment influenced learning in terms of motivation and enthusiasm.
HOTS-AEP: Higher Order Thinking Skills from Elementary to Master Students in Environmental Learning
Authors: Ichsan Ilmi Zajuli , Sigit Diana Vivanti , Miarsyah Mieke , Ali Ahmad , Arif Wiwin Pramita , Prayitno Trio Ageng
Published: October 2019

Environmental learning in the 21st century requires students to have Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). The purpose of this study was to measure HOTS students using Higher Order Thinking Skills Assessment based on Environmental Problem (HOTS-AEP). The research method used in this study was descriptive method with a total sample of 248 students consisting of Elementary School (ES), Junior High School (JHS), Bachelor Program (BP), and Master Program (MP). The results showed that students overall have a very low HOTS category. HOTS scores scale of 0-100 on ES (22.3) are still higher than JHS (20.2). Whereas at the university level, BP scores (19.9) are lower than MP (21.4). This showed that learning must be oriented towards increasing HOTS through various media development learning, learning materials, learning models, and strategies. This study concludes that the HOTS score of students was still very low and needs to be improved.
Clinical Utility of Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia
Authors: Wussler Desiree , Kozhuharov Nikola , Tavares Oliveira Mucio , Bossa Aline , Sabti Zaid , Nowak Albina , Murray Karsten , du Fay de Lavallaz Jeanne , Badertscher Patrick , Twerenbold Raphael , Shrestha Samyut , Flores Dayana , Nestelberger Thomas , Walter Joan , Boeddinghaus Jasper , Zimmermann Tobias , Koechlin Luca , von Eckardstein Arnold , Breidthardt Tobias , Mueller Christian , Soeiro Alexandre , Goldstein Priscila , Strabelli Tânia , Strunz Célia , Wildi Karin , Puelacher Christian , Rentsch Katharina , Goudev Assen
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

The clinical utility of procalcitonin in the diagnosis and management of pneumonia remains controversial.

METHODS

We assessed the clinical utility of procalcitonin in 2 prospective studies: first, a multicenter diagnostic study in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute dyspnea to directly compare the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin with that of interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of pneumonia; second, a randomized management study of procalcitonin guidance in patients with acute heart failure and suspected pneumonia. Diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia as centrally adjudicated by 2 independent experts was quantified with the area under the ROC curve (AUC).

RESULTS

Among 690 patients in the diagnostic study, 178 (25.8%) had an adjudicated final diagnosis of pneumonia. Procalcitonin, interleukin 6, and CRP were significantly higher in patients with pneumonia than in those without. When compared to procalcitonin (AUC = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.71–0.78), interleukin 6 (AUC = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.77–0.83) and CRP (AUC = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.79–0.85) had significantly higher diagnostic accuracy (P = 0.010 and P < 0.001, respectively). The management study was stopped early owing to the unexpectedly low AUC of procalcitonin in the diagnostic study. Among 45 randomized patients, the number of days on antibiotic therapy and the length of hospital stay were similar (both P = 0.39) in patients randomized to the procalcitonin-guided group (n = 25) and usual-care group (n = 20).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients presenting with dyspnea, diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for pneumonia is only moderate and lower than that of interleukin 6 and CRP. The clinical utility of procalcitonin was lower than expected.

Pneumonia has diverse and often unspecific symptoms. As the role of biomarkers in the diagnosis of pneumonia remains controversial, it is often difficult to distinguish pneumonia from other illnesses causing shortness of breath. The current study prospectively enrolled unselected patients presenting with acute dyspnea and directly compared the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin, interleukin 6, and CRP for the diagnosis of pneumonia. In this setting, diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for pneumonia was lower as compared to interleukin 6 and CRP. The clinical utility of procalcitonin was lower than expected.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT01831115.
The impact of fat distribution in obesity
Authors: Ginzburg M. M. , Kozupitsa G. S.
Published: October 2019

Obesity remains the most common disease in the population of economically developed countries. 16-25% of the inhabitants of these countries have a body weight exceeding the norm by more than 15%. There has been an increase in the incidence of obesity over the past 20 years. The connection between overweight and such formidable diseases as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is well known. The current state and especially long-term results of the treatment of obesity remain unsatisfactory. It is known that in more than 80% of patients the initial body weight is restored within the first 3-6 months after the end of the course of treatment. The mechanisms of the development of diseases associated with obesity have not been fully studied, and therefore pathogenetically substantiated treatment regimens have not been developed. After the classic work of J. Vague, performed more than 40 years ago, there are many studies showing that the risk of developing diseases associated with obesity depends not only on the degree of excess body weight, patient age, duration of the disease, but also on the distribution of fat. According to some reports, the dependence on the distribution of fat is more pronounced than the dependence on other factors, in particular on the degree of obesity. It turned out that complications are more characteristic for patients with a predominant accumulation of fat on the trunk and in the abdominal cavity (android, or abdominal, or visceral, or upper obesity) and are less typical for patients with a predominant deposition of fat on the buttocks and hips (gynoid, or gluteofemoral, or lower obesity).
Psychological suffering of patients transplanted with hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Azevedo Isabelle Campos de , Ferreira Júnior Marcos Antonio , Flores Vanessa Giavarotti Taboza , Gonçalves Elenilda de Andrade Pereira , Frota Oleci Pereira , Cardoso Mayk Penze , Ivo Maria Lúcia , Santos Viviane Euzébia Pereira
Published: October 2019

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) affects serious risks for the patient, including death. For this reason, it is considered a treatment that can cure or can present morbidities and lead to death. In this context, patients experience the first psychological conflicts before this transplant. To describe the psychological suffering developed by patients transplanted with hematopoietic stem cells from a referral service in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative, descriptive, hospital-based approach developed with patients submitted to HSCT at a referral service in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Data were collected between March and September of 2016, through the evaluation of the medical records of 43 patients who underwent HSCT and developed some type of psychological distress. Among 43 patients with psychological disorders, 51.16% were female, 62.79% developed anxiety 32.56% developed insomnia and 20.93% developed depression. Of these, 27.91% had a main diagnosis indicating the transplantation of Multiple Myeloma (MM), and 58.14 received autologous transplantation. It was observed that the patient had psychological suffering from the diagnosis until the end. The health professional praxis also must go beyond the resolution of physical human responses and, especially in these cases, it should aim at the early identification of signs and symptoms of psychological distress, being possible to achieve the real health needs and treat them with effectiveness.
Modified walking suture technique in rhytidectomy in a Shar-Pei dog
Authors: Dos Santos Honsho Cristiane , Honsho Daniel Kan , Gosuen Gonçalves Dias Fernanda , Mariani Orlando Marcelo , Alves Ramon Lucas , Luizari Stábile Nicole Alessandra , Alves Alexandre Natacha , Torrecilhas Jorge Adriana
Published: October 2019

Excessive facial skin folds is observed in several breeds of dogs and the weight exerted on the eyelids accents or promotes entropion, trichiasis and ptosis. Thus, this study reported a case of the 8-months-old male Shar-pei weighting 21.5kg was presented with an obstructed visual axis, eye discharge, fetid odor in facial folds around the jaw and the neck. It was indicated the surgical resection of the folds and correction of the upper and lower entropion. In this case, the association of Hotz-Celsus technique with rhytidectomy shaped in semiarchs, using the anchoring points with the modified walking suture, was effective in correcting the entropion and unblocking the visual axis with minimal scarring and preservation of the breed standard in 12 months follow up after surgery.
Influence of fertilizer and hydrogel on physical-chemical attributes of substrate for seedling production
Authors: Azevedo Glauce Taís de Oliveira Sousa , Souza Anderson Marcos de , Azevedo Gileno Brito de , Teodoro Paulo Eduardo , Sousa José Raimundo Luduvico de
Published: October 2019

The incorporation of the hydrogel into the substrate used in the forest nursery promotes improvements in its physical-chemical attributes. However, several factors influence the hydrogel efficiency, such as the increase of salts, promoted by fertilizer of the substrate. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of the incorporation of fertilizer levels and hydrogel doses on the physical-chemical attributes of a substrate to produce forest seedlings. Different levels of basic fertilizer commonly used in the nursery (100%, 50% and 0%) and different doses of the hydrogel (0, 1, 2 and 3 g L-1) were incorporated into the substrate Tropstrato Florestal®, consisting of 12 treatments in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme. A sample of the substrate in each treatment was sent for analysis of its physical and chemical attributes. To evaluate the effect of the treatments on the physical-chemical attributes of the substrate, was used the multivariate principal components analyses. The levels of fertilizer and hydrogel doses were correlated with the attributes of the substrates obtained in each treatment. The incorporation of different fertilizer levels and hydrogel doses to the substrate modified their chemical and physical attributes. Fertilizers have influenced mainly the chemical attributes of the substrate, whereas hydrogels have influenced the physical attributes, mainly those related to water retention capacity and availability.
Fungicide spray coverage and deposition in soybean asian rust management
Authors: Barbosa Giselle Feliciani , Centurion Maria Aparecida Pessôa da Cruz , Ferreira Marcelo da Costa , Alves Pedro Luís da Costa Aguiar
Published: October 2019

At maximum vegetative growth, sprays with fungicide to control Asian rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi Sydow and P. Sydow) should reach high canopy penetration and plant coverage. Therefore, the central objective of this study was to determine leaf area, spray deposition, and plant coverage by fungicides sprayed on soybeans as a function of sowing seasons and plant population densities with reduced doses of tebuconazole and azoxystrobin + cyproconazole. Field experiments were conducted in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 crop years, using a medium-cycle soybean cultivar MG/BR–46 (Conquista) under a natural infestation of Asian soybean rust. Leaf area (LA) and leaf area index (LAI) were measured at three developmental stages (V8, R2, and R4). Spray deposition and coverage were evaluated during the first fungicide spraying. As results, LAI decreased as plant population decreased. Despite the lower LAIs, smaller plant populations had no effect on spray deposition and plant coverage. Both fungicides presented similar depositions on all thirds when plants had lower development.
Epidemiological determinants of Chrysomya (Diptera: calliphoridae) infestation in layer farms of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Rezende Leandro do Carmo , Oliveira Tiago Mendonça de , Teixeira Cristina Mara , Martins Nelson Rodrigo da Silva , Silva Marcos Xavier , De Oliveira Paulo Roberto , Cunha Lucas Maciel
Published: October 2019

Aspects related to the epidemiology of Diptera belonging to genus Chrysomya were studied in order to determine predisposing factors for their occurrence in commercial laying hens farms from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. An observational, analytical and sectional survey was conducted to verify the main epidemiological determinants of infestations by Chrysomya spp. Forty-three farms were visited in 2012 and these 13 (30,23%) were infested by Chrysomya putoria, 4 (9,30%) by Chrysomya megacephala and 2 (4,65%) by Chrysomya albiceps and in 2 farms (4,65%) was not possible to identify the species of Chrysomya. The epidemiological determinants for the occurrence of infestations by Chrysomya spp. were investigated using multiple logistic regression models. Housing clustering type and its conditions were important factors involved in epidemiology of these species (OR=5.05, 95% CI = 2.66 to 9.58, p = 0.000). It was also observed that the increase of the humidity of manure leads to increase chances of infestations (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.36 to 2.40, p = 0.000). The presence of the beetle “lesser mealworm” (Alphitobius diaperinus) (OR = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.067 to 0.36, p = 0.000) was characterized as a protective factor against infestations, probably due to predation behavior of the beetle. Some regions of the state were characterized as lower risk areas for Chrysomya spp. infestation as compared to other regions. Management measures, such as constant monitoring of water leaks on manure, adequate composting of dead poultry and periodic removal of manure could assist in decreasing the presence of Chrysomya spp. inside the laying houses.
ESQUETE
Authors: Travaglia Luiz Carlos
Published: October 2019

O objetivo deste estudo é caracterizar o gênero oral e humorístico esquete, e, secundariamente, trabalhar, em alguns aspectos, sua correlação com outros gêneros orais como a piada e o stand up, mais no sentido de distinguir o esquete do que de buscar uma caracterização desses outros gêneros.  Apresentam-se as razões que levam a considerar o esquete um gênero oral e, a partir de um corpus com sessenta esquetes, apresentam-se suas características específicas enquanto gênero humorístico, narrativo, representativo, considerando seu conteúdo temático típico, sua estrutura composicional de narrativa da espécie história (superestrutura, extensão), as linguagens nele utilizadas, bem como algumas características de sua superfície linguística, seus objetivos e funções, suas condições de produção. Dessa forma é feita a caracterização do esquete, distinguindo-o da piada e do stand up. Verifica-se ainda a existência de um gênero homônimo a que chamamos de “esquete pedagógico”, mas com objetivos e funções totalmente distintas do esquete humorístico.
GÊNEROS ORAIS - CONCEITUAÇÃO E CARACTERIZAÇÃO
Authors: Travaglia et alii Luiz Carlos
Published: October 2019

Esse trabalho apresenta propostas teóricas sobre gêneros orais que servem de instrumentos aplicáveis em pesquisas que buscam levantar quais são os gêneros orais circulantes em diferentes esferas de atividade humana, em nossa sociedade e cultura brasileiras e caracterizá-los. Os elementos teóricos apresentados referem-se às seguintes questões: a) Quando um gênero pode ser considerado um gênero oral? b) O que diferencia um gênero oral de uma atividade? c) Quais são os gêneros orais? d) como são caracterizados os diversos gêneros orais? O que seria específico na caracterização dos gêneros orais? Como identificar o que é comum a todos pelo uso da língua falada e o que é específico de um ou outro gênero oral, no que diz respeito, a elementos próprios dessa modalidade da língua? Em que medida se deve considerar a multimodalidade na caracterização dos gêneros orais? Respondendo a tais questões, apresentamos aqui os posicionamentos assumidos sobre o tema pelo Grupo de Pesquisa sobre Texto e Discurso do Instituto de Letras e Linguística da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, a partir de seus estudos e discussões sobre gêneros orais. O quadro teórico básico é o da Linguística Textual e da Teoria do Discurso.
UM ESTUDO SOBRE O GÊNERO ORAL ENTREVISTA EM TELEJORNAIS
Authors: Ottoni Maria Aparecida Resende
Published: October 2019

Como fruto do trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito do Grupo de Pesquisa sobre Texto e Discurso (PETEDI), centrado na definição e caracterização de gêneros orais, este artigo é voltado para um gênero oral da esfera jornalística: a entrevista. O objetivo principal é caracterizar, analisar e comparar entrevistas exibidas em telejornais brasileiros, realizadas em estúdio (EEE) e fora dele (EFE) e investigar se são espécies de um mesmo gênero ou não. Para isso, foram analisadas, com base na proposta de Fairclough (2003) para análise de gêneros, no campo da Análise de Discurso Crítica (ADC), e na de Travaglia (2007a, 2007b) de caracterização de categorias de texto, no campo da Linguística Textual, entrevistas veiculadas em dois telejornais diferentes - um local e um nacional -, ambos da mesma emissora. Os resultados revelam as semelhanças e diferenças entre as EFE e as EEE e apontam para a compreensão das duas como espécies de um mesmo gênero.
GÊNERO ORAL DEPOIMENTO EM DOCUMENTÁRIO
Authors: Pinheiro Clemilton Lopes , Da Silva Sílvio Luis
Published: October 2019

Neste trabalho, assumimos a ideia de que o documentário é uma atividade social no interior da qual se produz o gênero oral depoimento, e objetivamos descrever os parâmetros que caracterizam esse gênero. Analisamos 31 depoimentos colhidos nos documentários “Bagaço” e “Tabuleiro de Cana, Xadrez de Cativeiro”, e detectados os mecanismos de realização textual que permitem reconhecer os parâmetros caracterizadores do gênero. Os mecanismos e os parâmetros foram agrupados em cinco componentes: temático, composicional, linguístico, pragmático e enunciativo.
NOTíCIA EM TELEJORNAL
Authors: Silva Pollyanna Honorata
Published: October 2019

A partir do conceito bakhtiniano de gênero, a notícia, tanto escrita quanto oral, apesar de suas variações, apresenta uma certa padronização, o que nos permite a construção de um protótipo desse gênero (SILVA, 2016). Neste trabalho, apresentamos a caracterização da notícia oral, de um telejornal específico (Jornal Nacional/Rede Globo), contrastando-a com a notícia escrita, publicada em um jornal de abrangência nacional (Folha de S. Paulo). As especificidades da modalidade oral da língua, bem como a multimodalidade presente na transmissão do telejornal, conferem à notícia oral um dinamismo e uma fragmentação que não estão presentes na sua versão escrita. Além disso, há na notícia falada uma co-construção, marcada pelas várias vozes que compõem o texto noticioso.
Literature Research on Experimental Investigations of Automotive Turbocharger Rotordynamics
Authors: Sass Péter
Published: October 2019

Contemporary turbochargers are high-speed rotating devices, commonly supported by full floating bearings or semi-floating bearings. Depending on the size and operational speed of the turbocharger, rotordynamics significantly changes. Industrial turbochargers are operating below 20.000 RPM and their rotor weight is substantial, leading to quasilinear rotordynamics behaviour. By contrast, automotive turbochargers are rotating up to 300.000 RPM with non-linear rotordynamics characteristics. Due to this non-linearity, rotor movement is intense, and bearing load is dynamically changing all the time. The consequence is reduced lifespan of the turbocharger. In this paper, the effect of changing bearing clearances, as well as the differences between semi-floating and full floating bearing constructions will be described based on journal papers scientific publications on the topic. Also, the damping and whirling phenomenon inside a bearing system will be investigated and presented in a comprehensive literature research on automotive turbocharger rotordynamics.
MASA JABATAN KEPALA DESA DALAM PERSPEKTIF KONSTITUSI
Authors: Luthfy Riza Multazam
Published: October 2019

Besarnya kekuasaan kepala desa sejak masa Orde Baru direspon dengan terbitnya peraturan perundang-undangan tentang desa setelah reformasi dengan membatasi masa jabatannya. Tulisan ini menganalisis perbandingan pembatasan kekuasaan kepala desa melalui masa jabatannya pada UU No. 22/1999, UU No. 32/2004, dan UU No. 6/2014. Penulis menyimpulkan bahwa berdasarkan pendekatan undang-undang, pembatasan tersebut mengalami kemerosotan terutama pada UU No. 6/2014. Adapun berdasarkan pendekatan konstitusionalisme, norma tentang diperkenankannya seseorang menjabat sebagai kepala desa selama tiga periode (18 tahun) dalam UU No. 6/2014 bertolak belakang dengan arah politik hukum dalam UUD NRI 1945 sekaligus dinilai inkonstitusional.
Study of the Biotransformation of Benfluron Using the Isolated Perfused Rat Liver
Authors: Svoboda Zbyněk , Nobilis Milan , Květina Jaroslav , Lemr Karel
Published: October 2019

The isolated perfused rat liver method (IPRL) was used to find, isolate and identify further metabolites of Phase I and Phase II biotransformation of the potential cytostatic agent benfluron with special regard to the conjugation processes. Its pharmacokinetic profile during the perfusion was also estimated. The rat liver was isolated from the body and perfused in vitro using a recirculating perfusion system. Benfluron was added to the reservoir as a bolus in doses of 200, 100, 30 mg/kg of body weigh and 1 mg/perfusate volume and also as a continual infusion in a dose of 0.1 mg/min in separate series of experiments. The following metabolites formed during Phase I biotransformation were found in the perfusion liquid as well as in the bile: benfluron N-oxide, 9-hydroxy benfluron, demethylated 9-hydroxy benfluron, demethylated benfluron, and reduced benfluron. The major Phase II metabolite found in the bile samples was the glucuronide of 9-hydroxy benfluron. The pharmacokinetic profile of benfluron in IPRL indicated its main disposition and metabolic pathway, i.e. its rapid extraction from perfusate by the liver (t1/2α = 3.76 min), 9-hydroxylation followed up O-glucuronidation and excretion to the bile. It was revealed that 12 % of the total dose of the parent compound was excreted to the bile in the form of conjugates during the first hour of perfusion, 32 % during 1.5 hour, and 70 % during 2 hours after the administration of benfluron. The conjugates with glucuronic acid represented 96-98 % of all metabolites found in the bile.
Esculetin inhibits the proliferation of human lung cancer cells by targeting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of the cells
Authors: Li Hua , Wang Qi , Wang Yunli , Xu Ze , Han Zhong
Published: October 2019

Lung cancer is characterized by high mortality and it is a serious threat to human health. At present, strategies used for treatment of lung cancer are not effective. Hence, there is need for new drugs that can effectively treat the metastatic stage of the cancer. The present study investigated the effect of esculetin on proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of human lung cancer (A549) cells, and the underlying mechanism.Cell proliferation was assessed using MTT assay. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were employed for the determination of changes in the expression levels of vimentin, Snail and E-cadherin mRNAs. Cell invasion and migration were determined using Transwell assay. The results showed that esculetin significantly and time- and dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells (p < 0.05). It also significantly and dose-dependently reduced their invasive ability (p < 0.05). The levels of expression of vimentin and Snail mRNAs were significantly and dose-dependently down-regulated in esculetin-treated A549 cells, when compared with the control cells (p < 0.05). Esculetin treatment significantly and dose-dependently upregulated the expression of E-cadherin mRNA (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that esculetin effectively inhibits the proliferation of A549 cells, and regulates EMT of the cells via the down-regulation of vimentin and Snail, and up-regulation of E-cadherin expressions.
MicroRNA-101-3p regulates gastric cancer cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis by targeting PIM 1 expression
Authors: Wu Fubing , Huang Wen , Yang Lili , Xu Fanggui
Published: October 2019

To investigate the effect of microRNA-101-3p (miRNA-101-3p) on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of gastric cancer (GC) cells, and to explore its influence mechanism. Human GC cell line (AGS) and normal human gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1) were used in this study. The cells were transfected with proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase (PIM 1) overexpression plasmid, miRNA-101-3p mimics, or miRNA-101-3p non-homologous sequence using lipofectamine 2000. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to determine the expressions of miRNA-101-3p and PIM 1 in GC cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assays were used to assess the effect of miRNA-101-3p on proliferation and invasion of GC cells. The regulatory effect of miRNA-101-3p on PIM 1 was assessed using bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression of miRNA-101-3p was significantly down-regulated in GC cells, relative to normal human gastric epithelial cells (p < 0.05). However, the expression of PIM 1 mRNA was significantly upregulated in GC cells, when compared with normal gastric epithelial cells (p < 0.05). The expression level of miRNA-101-3p was significantly higher in miRNA-101-3p mimic group than in miRNA-101-3p control and normal control groups (p < 0.05). Cell proliferation in miRNA-101-3p mimic group was significantly and time-dependently reduced, when compared with miRNA-101-3p control and normal control groups (p < 0.05). Transfection with miRNA-101-3p mimics significantly increased the invasiveness of AGS cells, and significantly promoted their apoptosis (p < 0.05). Results of qRT-PCR and Western blotting showed that increased miRNA-101-3p expression significantly reduced the expression of PIM 1, while decreased miRNA-101-3p expression promoted the expression of PIM 1 (p < 0.05). Results of bioinformatics showed that miRNA-101-3p had specific binding sequence in the 3'UTR region of PIM 1. Cloning of miRNA-101-3p sequence into the luciferase reporter plasmid led to significant inhibition of the expression of PIM 1 (p < 0.05), but had no inhibitory effect on mutated PIM 1 3'UTR (p > 0.05). Overexpression of PIM 1 significantly reversed the inhibition of proliferation and invasion, and promotion of apoptosis by miRNA-101-3p (p < 0.05). These results indicate that miRNA-101-3p inhibits the proliferation and invasion of GC cells, and promotes their apoptosis by regulation of the expression of PIM-1.
Evaluation of vegetables and fish oils for the attenuation of diabetes complications
Authors: Parveen Kehkashan , Siddiqui Waseem Ahmad , Arif Jamal Mohammad , Kuddus Mohammed , Shahid Syed Monowar Alam , Kausar Mohd adnan
Published: October 2019

The present study was accomplished to examine and compare the effect of specific antioxidant-rich oils on hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, renal function markers and oxidative renal damage in diabetic rats for four weeks. Papaya (P), olive (O), fenugreek (Fe), bitter gourd (B) and fish (Fi) oils were used for this purpose. Streptozotocin (STZ) was injected intraperitoneally in a single dose to induce diabetes. All oils were given orally at a dose of 3g/kg for four weeks in respective group after induction of diabetes. After treatment with oils, blood was collected, and their kidneys were stored. The level of fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) increased while amylase and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level decreased in the diabetic rats. These changes were augmented by fenugreek, bitter gourd and olive oils treatment. Diabetic rats showed elevated renal function markers in serum, including, serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which were restrained significantly by fenugreek and bitter gourd oil treatment. Moreover, fenugreek and bitter gourd oils treatment significantly modulated the level of thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), malonaldehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) in the kidney of diabetic rats. The histopathological examination also showed the protective effect of these oils. The study suggests that vegetable oils are effective in reducing hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and renal damage related to the side effects of diabetes. Thus they may have therapeutic value for preventing diabetes side effects and may be included in oil diet treatment synergically. Thus, our data suggest that oils as potent antidiabetic agent and beneficial in the control of diabetes-related abnormalities such as hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and renal damage of STZ induced rat model of type 2 diabetes. Our study also supports the suggestion that synergistic possibilities exist concerning the use of these oils in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Global existence theory for fractional differential equations: New advances via continuation methods for contractive maps
Authors: Almuthaybiri Saleh S. , Tisdell Christopher C.
Published: October 2019

The aim of this article is to form new existence theory for global solutions to nonlinear fractional differential equations. Traditional approaches to existence, uniqueness and approximation of global solutions for initial value problems involving fractional differential equations have been unwieldy or intractable due to the limitations of previously used methods. This includes, for example, certain invariance conditions of the underlying local fixed point strategies. Herein we draw on an alternative tactics, applying the more modern ideas of continuation methods for contractive maps to fractional differential equations. In doing so, we shed new light on the situation, producing these new perspectives through a range of novel theorems that involve sufficient conditions under which global existence, uniqueness, approximation and location of solutions are ensured.
On certain integral means of functions of generalized bounded variation
Authors: Bakhvalov Alexandr N.
Published: October 2019

For certain classes of functions of Λ-bounded variation on

[

-
π

,
π
]

{[-\pi,\pi]}

, Waterman and D’Antonio constructed a sequence of summability kernels such that the corresponding integral means converge for any function from the class,
but not for any function from a broader

Λ
′

⁢
BV

{\Lambda^{\prime}\mathrm{BV}}

class.
In our paper, we extend this result to the case of functions of two variables.
Integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems to Solar PV to Reduce the AH Capacity by Extracting Maximum Power from PV Array under Varying Irradiance and Load Conditions for Rural/Remote Area Applications
Authors: Kolakaluri Vinay Kumar , Mikkili Suresh
Published: October 2019

Integration of two or more sources of energy generating units is fruitful where energy distribution by utility grid is not feasible. This paper provides the insight into design and performance analysis of a hybrid system consisting of solar Photovoltaic (PV) and battery to yield a continuous power to the load for rural/remote areas with lesser Ampere Hour (AH) capacity. The objective of this paper is to reduce the AH capacity of a battery pack by extracting the maximum power from the PV array. The performance of a proposed PV-Battery Integrated System (PBIS) under varying irradiance, load conditions has been carried out on a 4 × 1 PV array system. The performance assessment has been carried out on various parameters such as PV array, Battery, Load currents & powers, Percentage of PV power improvement etc., These results of proposed topology are compared with the solar array with bypass diode configuration under four different shading patterns. The simulation is carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK and results are presented.
A New Islanding Detection Method Based on Wavelet-transform and ANN for Micro-grid Including Inverter Assisted Distributed Generator
Authors: Guan Zhengyuan , Liao Yuan
Published: October 2019

This paper presents a new composite approach based on wavelet-transform and ANN for islanding detection of distributed generation (DG). The proposed method first uses wavelet-transform to detect the occurrence of events, and then uses artificial neural network (ANN) to classify islanding and non-islanding events. Total harmonic distortion and voltage unbalance are extracted as feature inputs for ANN classifier. The performance of the proposed method is tested by simulations for two typical distribution networks based on MATLAB/Simulink. The results show that the developed method can effectively detect islanding with low misclassification. The method has the advantages of small non-detection zone and robustness against noises.
Hyperbolic structures on wreath products
Authors: H. Balasubramanya Sahana
Published: October 2019

The study of the poset of hyperbolic structures on a group G was initiated
by C. Abbott, S. Balasubramanya and D. Osin,
[Hyperbolic structures on groups,
Algebr. Geom. Topol. 19 2019, 4, 1747–1835, 10.2140/agt.2019.19.1747].
However, this poset is still very far from being understood, and several questions remain unanswered.
In this paper, we give a complete description of the poset of hyperbolic structures on the lamplighter groups

wr
⁡

ℤ
n

ℤ

{\mathbb{Z}_{n}\mathbin{\mathrm{wr}}\mathbb{Z}}

and obtain some partial results about more general wreath products.
As a consequence of this result, we answer two open questions regarding quasi-parabolic structures: we give an example of a group G with an uncountable chain of quasi-parabolic structures and prove that the lamplighter groups

wr
⁡

ℤ
n

ℤ

{\mathbb{Z}_{n}\mathbin{\mathrm{wr}}\mathbb{Z}}

all have finitely many quasi-parabolic structures.
Impact of preventive actions on rejection rates in the preanalytical period
Authors: Odabasi Merve Sena , Dirican Melahat , Yilmaztepe Oral Arzu , Ozkaya Guven
Published: October 2019

Background

It is responsibility of medical laboratories to determine and reject nonconforming samples as well as take preventive actions. In this study, we examined reasons and percentages of rejected samples. We also investigated impact of the preventive actions on decreasing the rejection rates.

Materials and methods

Reasons for rejection were determined by Pareto analysis. Sigma analysis was used for each month to evaluate the ratios and compare with other studies. Some preventive actions were taken to reduce the rejection rates. Pearson’s chi square test was used to evaluate effects of preventive actions. Significance level was determined as p < 0.05.

Results

Most of the rejected samples consisted of samples not received by the laboratory, haemolysed and insufficient samples. The percentages of samples not received by the laboratory and insufficient samples were reduced from 3.80% to 1.94% and 0.33% to 0.31% respectively, while haemolysed samples percentage was increased from 2.83% to 3.37% after the improvement actions. Also, sigma levels for samples not received by the laboratory and haemolysed samples were at the minimum while insufficient samples were at a reasonable level.

Conclusion

Improvement actions achieved statistically significant decreases for samples not received by the laboratories for a long-term.
Processing of action and sound verbs in context: An FMRI study
Authors: Popp Margot , Trumpp Natalie M. , Kiefer Markus
Published: October 2019

Recent theories propose a flexible recruitment of sensory and motor brain regions during conceptual processing depending on context and task. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigated the influence of context and task on conceptual processing of action and sound verbs. Participants first performed an explicit semantic context decision task, in which action and sound verbs were presented together with a context noun. The same verbs were repeatedly presented in a subsequent implicit lexical decision task together with new action and sound verbs. Thereafter, motor and acoustic localizer tasks were administered to identify brain regions involved in perception and action. During the explicit task, we found differential activations to action and sound verbs near corresponding sensorimotor brain regions. During the implicit lexical decision task, differences between action and sound verbs were absent. However, feature-specific repetition effects were observed near corresponding sensorimotor brain regions. The present results suggest flexible conceptual representations depending on context and task. Feature-specific effects were observed only near, but not within corresponding sensorimotor brain regions, as defined by the localizer tasks. Our results therefore only provide limited evidence in favor of grounded cognition theories assuming a close link between the conceptual and the sensorimotor systems.
Early multidisciplinary intensive-care therapy can improve outcome of severe anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis presenting with extreme delta brush
Authors: Schneider R. , Brüne M. , Breuer TG. , Börnke C. , Gold R. , Juckel G.
Published: October 2019

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (Anti-NMDARE) is a synaptic autoimmune encephalitis syndrome mainly affecting young females. An underlying tumor, most commonly ovarian teratomas in young females, may indicate a paraneoplastic syndrome. Prognostic factors of the clinical course of disease and outcome play a central role in view of early administration of second-line immunotherapy and intensive-care therapy. We report a case of severe Anti-NMDARE associated with unfavorable predictors including an extreme delta brush (EDB) electroencephalographic-pattern and high anti-NMDAR-antibody titers in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), which necessitated the admission to an intensive care unit. In spite of the poor prognosis, the patient completely recovered; we attribute this to an early escalation to second-line immunotherapy with rituximab and multidisciplinary intensive-care therapy. The present case underlines the relevance of multidisciplinary management for individuals with Anti-NMDARE.
CSF proteomics of patients with hydrocephalus and subarachnoid haemorrhage
Authors: Sokół Bartosz , Urbaniak Bartosz , Zaremba Bartosz , Wąsik Norbert , Kokot Zenon J. , Jankowski Roman
Published: October 2019

Background

The pathophysiology of brain injury following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is associated with numerous mediators. The aim of the study is to analyse protein changes after SAH in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using mass spectrometry (MS).

Methods

CSF samples were obtained from forty-four control subjects, seven good outcome and ten poor outcome SAH patients. CSF samples were collected at specific time intervals after SAH (days 1, 5 and 10). MALDI-TOF (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight) and ClinProTools software were utilised for MS, MS/MS (Mass Spectrometry) spectra collection and analysis. Selected masses were identified. The MALDI-TOF profiling experiments allowed for the targeted selection of potential markers in SAH. The study was performed in three steps by comparison of CSF samples: (1) from the control group and SAH patients (both good and poor outcome groups); (2) collected on days 1, 5 and 10 within the groups of poor SAH and good SAH patients, respectively; (3) from poor outcome SAH and good outcome patients at days 1, 5 and 10.

Results

15 new proteins whose CSF level is alternated by SAH presence, SAH treatment outcome and time passed since aneurysm rupture were identified.

Conclusions

We demonstrated new proteins which might play a role in different stages of subarachnoid haemorrhage and could be a new target for further investigation.
Planet of camps: border assemblages and their challenges
Authors: Hamilakis Yannis
Published: October 2019

In his 2017 masterful filmHappy End, the European auteur Michael Haneke returns to some of his favourite themes by portraying the life of a contemporary dysfunctional, white bourgeoisie family in Calais, France, struggling to deal with the skeletons in their cupboard. They are also mostly oblivious to the thousands of migrants from the Global South attempting to negotiate yet another borderland and cross into Britain. In the final scene, a group of them bursts uninvited into the family's engagement party. This classic Hanekean tense moment reminds us that contemporary global migration, rather than being a novel and unexpected ‘crisis’, amounts to an unavoidable return, a return of the oppressed and the colonised; it is a moment in the unfinished histories of white European global domination. In that sense, rather than being a ‘migration crisis’, it can be better described as a reception crisis (cf. Christopoulos 2016), a crisis of the contemporary nation states in the Global North who find it impossible to come to terms with their own histories.
Seven-day remote ischaemic preconditioning improves endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomised pilot study
Authors: Maxwell Joseph D , Carter Howard H , Hellsten Ylva , Miller Gemma D , Sprung Victoria S , Cuthbertson Daniel J , Thijssen Dick H J , Jones Helen
Published: October 2019

Background

Remote ischaemic preconditioning (rIPC) may improve cardiac/cerebrovascular outcomes of ischaemic events. Ischaemic damage caused by cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease are primary causes of mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Due to the positive effects from a bout of rIPC within the vasculature, we explored if daily rIPC could improve endothelial and cerebrovascular function. The aim of this pilot study was to obtain estimates for the change in conduit artery and cerebrovascular function following a 7-day rIPC intervention.

Methods

Twenty-one patients with T2DM were randomly allocated to either 7-day daily upper-arm rIPC (4 × 5 min 220 mmHg, interspaced by 5-min reperfusion) or control. We examined peripheral endothelial function using flow mediated dilation (FMD) before and after ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI, 20 min forearm ischaemic-20 min reperfusion) and cerebrovascular function, assessed by dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) at three time points; pre, post and 8 days post intervention.

Results

For exploratory purposes, we performed statistical analysis on our primary comparison (pre-to-post) to provide an estimate of the change in the primary and secondary outcome variables. Using pre-intervention data as a covariate, the change from pre-post in FMD was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.69 to 3.80; P = 0.09) and 0.23 %cm/s %/mmHg mmHg/% (−0.12, 0.59; P = 0.18) in dCA normalised gain with rIPC versus control. Based upon this, a sample size of 20 and 50 for FMD and normalised gain, respectively, in each group would provide 90% power to detect statistically significant (P < 0.05) between-group difference in a randomised controlled trial.

Conclusion

We provide estimates of sample size for a randomised control trial exploring the impact of daily rIPC for 7 days on peripheral endothelial and cerebrovascular function. The directional changes outline from our pilot study suggest peripheral endothelial function can be enhanced by daily rIPC in patients with T2DM.
Las Tecnologías de información y comunicación (TICs) como respuesta a necesidades educativas del medio rural
Authors: Víquez Salazar Marlene
Published: October 2019

Recibido 15 de junio 2007 • Aprobado 20 de agosto 2007

 

 

El artículo tiene como propósito reflexionar, desde una perspectiva crítica, sobre el uso de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC) en la educación rural, bajo el supuesto de que estos recursos no resuelven por sí solos ls problemas, sino que pueden generar respuestas a situaciones concretas en el ámbito de la educación rural. Para ello, se hace un análisis desde diferentes aristas.
Análisis de necesidades educativas curriculares en la educación primaria dirigida a niños (as) nicaragüenses migrantes en Costa Rica
Authors: Mejía Arias Nidia Esperanza
Published: October 2019

Recibido 17 de junio 2007 • Aprobado 20 de agosto 2007

 

 

Con este artículo se pretende dar a conocer las necesidades curriculares identificadas en niñas y niños nicaragüenses migrantes que estudian en la escuela primaria rural Los Ángeles del Cantón Los Chiles de Costa Rica. Ellos y ellas, actualmente, se encuentran en una situación de exclusión, discriminación e indiferencia por parte de las instituciones locales. Existen obstáculos para el aprendizaje efectivo y el desarrollo de actitudes positivas, entre ellos la falta de participación responsable de la comunidad educativa, el procedimiento metodológico utilizado en el aula y la adecuación curricular del modelo pedagógico oficial costarricense; divorciados éstos, de las condiciones socioculturales de esta población educativa, de su familia y de la comunidad rural donde residen.

Esta situación afecta la motivación de las niñas y niños, quienes no alcanzan las metas educativas: la mayoría de los que se matriculan dejan inconclusa la educación primaria, y los que la completan tienen dificultades académicas para ingresar a secundaria.

Los sistemas educativos de Nicaragua y de Costa Rica deben plantear estrategias educativas conjuntas, que den respuesta a las necesidades educativas curriculares que presentan los niños nicaragüenses migrantes en las escuelas rurales costarricenses.