bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Interpersonal Communication Partner on Uptake of Voluntary Medical Male circumcision among Married Men in Kenya
Authors: Emojong' Omukule
Published: August 2020

Background

Studies have shown that male circumcision offers partial “vaccine” against heterosexually acquired HIV as a result WHO recommended it as one of the strategies to fight the AIDS scourge. Married and older men have registered low uptake of the “cut” in the targeted communities in Kenya. Considerable evidence suggests that communication inequality and choice of interpersonal information source are determinants in adoption of healthy behaviours such as adoption of male circumcision. This study aimed to examine how interpersonal communication source attributes (trust, similarity and expertise) may influence uptake of male circumcision among married men in Busia County, Kenya.

Methods

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programme targets males aged up to 49 years. This study targeted married men aged between 20 and 49 years. Measures included socio-demographic characteristics, sources of VMMC information, perception on interpersonal source attributes of trust, expertise, and similarity between source and recipient. Sources regarded as trusted and expert were also measured including similarity dimensions of ethnicity, gender, age and marital status. A total of 377 participants completed the self-administered questionnaires, giving a response rate of 100%. Descriptive statistics tables such as those showing frequencies, mean and standard deviation of constructs were used. Due to the nature of the data collected, the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was computed to measure the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and interpersonal communication source attribute.

Results

The Pearson Correlation computed revealed there existed a significant positive correlation between age and source trustworthiness and negative correlation with expertise. Marriage duration had a significant positive correlation with trustworthiness of source attribute. Trusted source was a friend. A health care provider was regarded as an expert source while similarity between source and recipient dimensions of age and ethnicity were given more weight. Health worker was the most popular source of VMMC information.

Conclusion

This study has revealed fundamental insights and provided evidence that the quality of the message carrier and demographic characteristics are critical factors to consider in implementing VMMC programme especially targeting married and older men who register low uptake. VMMC programmes using interpersonal channels must put more premium on the choice of the messenger as trust and expertise of source including similarity between communication partners is vital in the success of such communication interventions involving adoption of a sensitive cultural and sexual issue especially targeting married men.
Carbetocin Or Oxytocin To Prevent Postpartum Haemorrhage Due To Uterine Aony In Cases Of Elective Caesarean Section
Authors: Emarah Mohamed S. A.
Published: August 2020

Background: Despite the technological advancement made in the past few decades, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains one of the principal causes of maternal deaths in developing nations. The administration of uterotonic drugs widely prevents the PPH; therefore, it is the main point of active management. Among uterotonics, oxytocin has proven to be very effective in reducing the incidence of PPH. One prophylactic drug which has been introduced in recent times is carbetocin, a synthetic long-acting oxytocin analogue. It has a longer half life of 41 min, allowing it to stimulate a prolonged uterine response of up to an hour after a single intravenous dose, obviating the need for infusion.

Methods: A total of 120 pregnant women divided into two groups; Group I (Carbetocin group) included 60 women who received carbetocin and delivered by caesarean section (CS), Group II (Oxytocin group) included 60 women who received oxytocin and delivered by caesarean section (CS).

Results: Our result showed that, there was a statistically significant difference for the prevention of atonic postpartum hemorrhage between the two groups (p<0.01), for carbetocin group. There was also a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.01), according to need to additional procedures, such as need to modified B-lynch sutures and need to bilateral uterine arteries ligation for carbetocin group.

Conclusion: We concluded that carbetocin was a better alternative to traditional oxytocin in the prevention of PPH after elective caesarean section.
Equity and Technology Use in Education
Authors: Masmali Abdullah
Published: August 2020

With the rapid adoption of technology in the education sector, a paradigm shift from traditional learning methods to digital learning has been experienced. This article focuses on the importance of ensuring equity in the use of technology among learners, as it relates to their right to access educational technology. While the issue of digital transformation in education is a shared responsibility among educators, this article discusses it from a comprehensive perspective. Supposedly, equity in educational technology access is an issue addressed by researchers in different school settings, including researchers in science in K-12 settings. This article describes how assessment and evaluation could make a difference among learners when it comes to enhancing their capacity to access and use technology in learning. The article concludes with some recommendations for educational technology policymakers to ensure that all students have the same opportunity in accessing educational technology in a bid to avoid a digital divide among learners.
SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRATION IN FASHION INDUSTRY, BANDUNG CITY
Authors: Hakim Marsha Aulia
Published: August 2020

The Fashion Industry in Indonesia is one of the industries with the most businesses. This makes this industry have a high level of competition. The higher level of competition will require a good flow of information in each supply chain. Each stage in the supply chain is an important aspect, especially in terms of distribution of both goods and information. The implementation of supply chain integration will help businesses to collaborate throughout the supply chain. The greater number of distribution channels both in downstream and upstream each business will need supply chain integration. This research will be conducted with descriptive analysis and qualitative methods. Researchers will conduct interviews directly to businesses in the fashion industry, especially who made their own products. The results of this research is the supply chain integration carried out at the upstream part of the supply chain, the business actors are still very competitive with other business actors because the raw material taken is not much so they are not immediately given a specialization by the supplier. Whereas in the downstream part of the supply chain, businesses have various promotions carried out new customers.
Factors Affecting Rice Production and Land Usages in Banten Province, Indonesia
Authors: Siagian Viktor -
Published: August 2020

Banten Province has a harvested area of paddy fields on the 2017 year of 415,687 ha and production of 2,369,731 tons of unhusked rice. The objectives of this study are: 1) Knowing the priority of resources and agricultural inputs use for  food production, 2) Knowing the factors that influence the productivity of rice in  irrigated land in Banten Province, 3) Knowing the efficiency of the use of production inputs. The sampling method used purposive sampling with 90 respondents. The analytical method used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and multiple linear regression of Cobb Douglas production functions. The results of the study are: 1) The priority strategy in increasing food production is to increase the use of irrigated rice fields, so that the goal is achieved by increasing the crop index, this can be done by prioritizing the optimization of agricultural machinery 2) Significant factors that affecting the production of paddy rice in the irrigated wetland paddy field in Rainy Season 2017/2018 are the use of urea fertilizer, the amount of use of solid organic fertilizer, the amount of use of human labor rent, and the arable land area, 3). The cumulative elasticity is  1.45, which is elastic, meaning that the addition of 1% of the production factor will increase production by 1.45% or increasing return to scale. So rice farming in irrigated land is relatively efficient. To increase production, it is necessary to increase rice productivity and  crop index  in irrigated paddy fields.

 

Keywords: Factors production,  efficiency, priority analysis, rice, land usage.
IMPERIAL DISTRICTS AS FEDERAL AND REGIONAL ELEMENTS OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE 1500–1806
Authors: Wüst Wolfgang
Published: August 2020

The creation of the Imperial Circles (= Reichskreise) was an overdue answer to the powerlessness of the Empire and the Estates in matters of the preservation of peace in the countryside, the organization of the Supreme Court, the control of taxes, begging, the poor, customs and coin matters, the conscription of the Imperial Army, health care – formed by the medical Policey with regard to the supply of drinking water, protection against epidemics and plague – and many other points in the early modern process of civilization. These included, for example, the construction of cross-border roads and streets and the settlement of territorial prestige and border disputes. Some of these were certainly more of a requirement than an everyday practice. Since the 16th century, most of the administrative work was then carried out by the increasing competence of county councils. In combination with their territorial system of offices and government, they had new instruments of regional planning control at their disposal. For urgent tasks such as regional and supra-regional road construction, the fight against epidemics and crime, and customs, coinage or trade policy, the county councils (= Kreiskonvente) were often too “small”, especially in the territorial area of southern Germany, but the Reich as a whole was far too “large”" to find and implement practicable solutions. Up to now it was a research desideratum to classify the imperial circles into the European system of federal structures. My contribution aims to close this gap.
True Science for Government Leaders and Educators: Obama’s U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Corruption
Authors: Herndon J. Marvin
Published: August 2020

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2014, 2015 ruling that coal fly ash is solid waste, not toxic waste, and thus can be dumped into landfills and rivers is a travesty against human and environmental health. The following EPA changes should be made: ● Coal fly ash must be deemed toxic waste, which it is; ● Dispersal of toxic coal fly ash into the environment must cease; ● Environment monitoring should be thorough, undertaken without prejudice, and include nano- and technologically created and/or modified substances; ● Research should be undertaken to find ways to extract valuable resources from coal fly ash (China extracts aluminum); and, ● The EPA must protect the environment, not purchase acquiescence through grant-giving. EPA grant-giving represents a direct conflict of interest and should cease. ● Aiding and abetting poisoning the air we breathe, the water we drink, and perverting the natural processes that make life on Earth possible is diabolically contrary to American principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence as “Safety and Happiness” and in the U. S. Constitution as “general Welfare.” The EPA, I posit, should be fundamentally changed to make human and environmental health its paramount priorities, or else the EPA should be legislated out of existence.
Impact of Poverty and Religion on Sexual Coercion experienced by University Female Students
Authors: Olusegun Grace Funmilayo
Published: August 2020

The study investigated the impact of religion and poverty on sexual coercion experienced among University female students in Nigeria Universities. The descriptive design of the survey type was employed for the study. The sample consisted of 1,200 sexually coerced female students, selected from nine universities drawn from South West using purposive sampling technique, simple random and stratified random sampling techniques. An instrument titled ‘Sexual Coercion Questionnaire’ was used. Test re-test method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The reliability coefficient of 0.75 was obtained. Analysis of Variance and t-test were used to test the hypotheses generated at 0.05 level of significance. It was revealed that sexual coercion experienced by female university students will depend on the type of religion practiced. It was also found that perpetrators will sexually coerce female students irrespective of their financial status. It was therefore recommended that the intensity of religious activities must be increased in Nigerian universities. More so, Professional Counselors should team up with the University administrators to fight sexual coercive behaviours among University Students and that anyone found guilty of sexual coercion should be punished.
COVID 19 lock-down measures on Zimbabwean populace
Authors: Gumbo Olivia
Published: August 2020

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on Zimbabwean populace. The objectives of the paper were to understand the influence of lockdown measures on people living in Zimbabwe. The use of virtual qualitative methodology was utilised. The data gathering methods that were used are phone short message services, WhatsApp, telephone conversations with participants, virtual meetings with key informants and informal talks with some participants on shopping queues.  The results of the study are that COVID-19 lockdown measures had negative impact on livelihoods of citizens, brought uncertainties on youths’ future, confusion to school students and erosion of social movements. The paper concludes that COVID-19 lock down measures impacted the general public negatively more than the disease itself. It is recommended that the Zimbabwean government considers the impact of lock down restrictions on the most affected groups such as women, youths and children. The government should cushion the vulnerable groups with safety net allowances and consult them when developing strategies that can help them to come out of the shocks they are currently experiencing.
Infectious Diseases, Stock Market Volatility, and Public Opinion on Home Buying in the United States: Implications from COVID-19 and Beyond
Authors: Christopher Olds
Published: August 2020

The study evaluates whether there are limits to an excess in consumptive behaviors during periods where infectious disease outbreaks produce unpredictable changes in equity markets. While there is evidence of panic buying in these periods such that people increasingly acquire goods that they do not actually need, this does not mean that people will acquire items if their purchase has significant risk tied to them. Using time series information across 35 years, the empirical analyses show that people are less likely to think buying a home is a good idea due to change in the level of equity market volatility brought about by infectious diseases. Even though panic buying occurs during epidemics and pandemics, this is not an indication that decision-making about purchases is wholly irrational. In uncertain times when infectious disease outbreaks make equity markets unpredictable, people rationally seek to minimize the level of personal losses they experience as much as possible.
Incidence of Smartphone in the development of brain plasticity in children from 0 to 6 years old, in a context of high vulnerability
Authors: Tomé José Manuel Salum
Published: August 2020

The research project that presents a complete update for a systematic review regarding the use of smartphones. The development of cerebral plasticity in children aged between 0 and 6 years.

This review is composed of three complete categories of content: Intellectual, attitudinal and behavioral, all definitions are made up of a certain number of Skills, which are expressed in the various systematic versions, including gray literature, which will provide the basis and theoretical foundations and practical ones that allow the deduction of new investigations
Household Food And Water Processing Models To Reduce Stunting Prevalence In Toddlers In Indonesia
Authors: Fadilah Mariatul , Andrean Andy , Trinita Melros
Published: August 2020

Stunting (suboptimal linear growth, defined as a Z-score below 2 standard deviations (SD) of the median WHO child growth standard for height/age) is the most common form of child malnutrition, affecting an estimated 150.8 million children under age 5 (22.2 percent) worldwide in 2017. The purpose of this study was to find a model of reducing the prevalence of stunting of children under five in Palembang in terms of the Health Belief Model through food processing and household drinks. This type of research is observational analytic research and cross-sectional study design. The population in this study were all mothers of children under five (0-59 months) who examined their children in the working area of the Palembang city health center. each increase in 1 unit of vulnerability perception increases 0.226 units of household food and water processing behavior (p-value = 0.001). The perception of seriousness shows no significant correlation with the estimated value of 0.033 (p-value = 0.269). On the perception of benefits, each increase of 1 unit will increase 0.123 units of household food and water processing behavior (p-value 0.001). Obtained the perception of obstacles not significantly correlated with household food and water processing behavior with a p-value of 0.342. The acting signal component also shows the results that there is no significant correlation with household food and water processing behavior with a p-value of 0.113. Every increase of 1 unit of ability/efficacy increases 0.570 units of household food and water processing behavior (p-value = 0.001). In this study, it was also found that there was no significant correlation of household food and water processing behavior with stunting in Palembang with a p-value of 0.511. In conclusion, the perception of vulnerability and ability/efficacy shows a positive correlation with household food and water processing behavior, and the component of cues to act that most influences household food and water processing behavior is self-awareness.
The Relationship Between Trust and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in Post-Conflict Sub-Saharan Countries
Authors: Keil Julie , Stegbauer Alexander
Published: August 2020

Sub-Saharan African countries have conducted Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRC) from the early 1970’s to 2020 in twenty-one different countries.  TRCs have been chosen by states after armed conflicts, attempted or completed coups or in several cases after contested elections and election violence, in attempt to agree at a common “truth” to the events and to bring reconciliation to individual victims and polarized groups within the state.  Most TRCs have claimed the need to build trust in institutions, government and communities as one of the reasons for the conduct of a TRC.  However, despite extensive scholarly study of TRCs in general, and some study of sub-Saharan African TRCs (particularly the South African TRC) there is a lack of study of the relationship between TRCs and the development of trust.  This study utilizes Afrobarometer data regarding trust in various governmental and quasi-governmental entities in ten Sub-Saharan African states that conducted a TRC.  This study concludes that the processes in strong TRCs are related to the improvement in trust in some of the entities, but others are unaffected or show decreases in trust because the processes generally used in the TRC were not effective in creating trust.
Investing in the Lusaka South Multi Facility Economic Zone
Authors: Mwansa Stephen , Shaikh Junaid M. , MUBANGA Phillip
Published: August 2020

A Multi Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) can be described as a Special Economic Zone which can be utilized for export and domestic production purposes by industries operating in the designated economic zone. The MFEZ is characterized by a mixture of several enticing attributes ranging from facilities such as export processing zones, Industrial parks, free trade zones and free ports, among others. Ideally, it is hoped that an MFEZ will kindle economic development in the selected location and consequently contribute to that country’s gross domestic product. It is not uncommon to set up an independent firm to oversee and run the entire administrative affairs of the economic zone on behalf of the owners of the facility. This article is based on a study that was undertaken to assess the performance of the Lusaka South Multi Facility Economic Zone (LS-MFEZ) in Zambia from the time it was established. The research was conducted over a period of eighteen months. This article focuses on two of the objectives of the study that assesses, the effectiveness of the economic zone management firm in stimulating investment in the zone, and the suitability of the economic zone infrastructure as a vehicle for attracting investment in the zone. The research adopted a mixed methods approach using a questionnaire, interviews, and focus group discussions. Interview respondents were selected using snowball sampling. Since the study adopted a mixed research approach with a concurrent triangulation design, data were analysed through a thematic approach for the qualitative component and using descriptive statistics from the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for the quantitative part. The findings show that the zone management firm appears to grapple with some key administrative issues of managing the zone, in addition to inadequate zone infrastructure.
Wczesnoszkolne nauczanie języków obcych – polskie prace empiryczne w świetle aktualnych dyskusji o badaniach przyswajania języka obcego przez dzieci
Authors: Andrzejewska Ewa
Published: August 2020

The introduction of compulsory teaching of a foreign language in the early years of education is the most important development in recent accounts of foreign language teaching. The identification of the early start is accompanied by attempts to obtain empirically based concepts aiming to show how to teach children in school conditions in the most effective way. Last 10 years witnessed a considerable progress in the area of learning and teaching foreign languages by/to children. This article presents Polish empirical studies in the light of contemporary research related to teaching a foreign language in the early years of education.
Problematyka sprawności mówienia we wczesnoszkolnej edukacji językowej w świetle współczesnych niemieckojęzycznych badań empirycznych
Authors: Wieszczeczyńska Ewa
Published: August 2020

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate recent empirical studiesconducted in the German environment which concern theprocesses of foreign language acquisition by young children intheir early school education. The results of these new studies led tothe development of new teaching strategies based on the interactionbetween the teacher and the young learners. Different aspectsof the studies reported in the paper are now subject to a widespreaddebate and they deserve attention in our educational contextas well, since Polish schools resemble German ones in manyrespects. Therefore, the critical overview presented here can beseen as an inspiration for a new research agenda in the area ofsecond language research and teaching methodology for that agegroup. Moreover, from the practical point of view, it opens newoptions in developing new teaching methods and teaching materialsfor young foreign language learners in Polish schools.
„A” i „the” dla uczniów z wyobraźnią – efekty zastosowania gramatyki kognitywnej w szkole
Authors: Król-Markefka Agnieszka
Published: August 2020

The article presents the results of a quasi-experiment, whose aim was to verify the hypothesis about the advantages of grammatical instruction based on cognitive linguistics principles. Two groups of students took part in a series of lessons, undergoing treatment based either on standard or on cognitive rules concerning the use of English articles. The outcomes of the study demonstrate that although both types of instruction brought positive effects immediately after the treatment, the cognitive group outperformed the traditional group on delayed posttesting.
Wykorzystanie Internetu w rozwijaniu autonomii ucznia – wyniki badania ankietowego
Authors: Kruk Mariusz
Published: August 2020

The aim of the article is to show the extent to which the use of the Internet resources promotes the development of learner autonomy among Polish senior high school learners of English. The data were gathered by means of a questionnaire before and after the treatment and subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis. It should be noted that the data came from a larger research project in which two groups, experimental and control, received different types of instruction. More precisely, the learners in the experimental group gained access to the Internet and exercised more freedom in learning. On the other hand, the control group students were taught in a traditional way. The results indicate that the experimental learners became more autonomous than their control counterparts.
Europejskie Nauczycielskie Studia Magisterskie (EMETT) – moduły interkulturowe
Authors: Niżegorodcew Anna
Published: August 2020

This paper is first of all informative. In the first section, it gives a survey ofinnovative Master Studies for European secondary teachers, being preparedby an international team from eight countries. Among five main trainingareas, there are Intercultural Studies, which are to be implemented inanother country during a mobility semester. The second section of the paperdescribes briefly four intercultural modules developed in the EMETTStudies: Education systems in the European Union, Intercultural communication,Selected aspects of European culture and Intercultural education.The third part of the paper gives an example of the teaching material whichcan be used to raise students’ intercultural awareness. The material is basedon a literary text made into a contemporary play, focused on the universaltheme of a journey, set in the Polish Tatra Mts. The author of the papershows how such a material can combine elements of three interculturalmodules: Intercultural education, Intercultural communication and Selectedaspects of European culture. Finally, the paper points out the role of a languageof international communication in the implementation of EMETTStudies during the mobility semester.
Nauczanie cudzoziemców polskiego języka specjalistycznego (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem języka ekonomicznego i języka biznesu)
Authors: Jarosz Wiesława
Published: August 2020

The notion of specialist language is described for the purposes of this article, followed by a short history of the teaching techniques used since the 1970s, where students have typically been taught general Polish as well asspecialist language. The materials and techniques used for the fields of business and economics are given as examples and described in detail.
Bodźce ikoniczne w zintegrowanym nauczaniu mówienia i pisania
Authors: Morcinek Barbara
Published: August 2020

Efficient teaching of speaking and writing in a foreign language is always a challenge. In particular, the development of productive skills requires the employment of a variety of methods designed to provide necessary encouragement. Teaching Polish in a country as distant from Poland as Japan seems to be even more demanding than might be the case with more popular languages, such as English, because students have very limited opportunities to use Polish in their daily lives. My solution involves the use of pictures, employed in the course of the class as cues stimulating students imagination and thus generating a context conducive to real communication.
Narzędzia identyfikacji zdolności do nauki języków obcych, ich analiza i możliwości zastosowania w glottodydaktyce
Authors: Sobańska-Jędrych Joanna
Published: August 2020

Diagnosis is one of teachers’ (including foreign language teachers) key tasks. The teacher should get to know his or her learners and their intellectual abilities before beginning the process of developing their languagecompetence. Unfortunately, Polish teachers lack standard tools of measuring foreign language learning aptitude. Such a situation follows from insufficient knowledge in this field. Another reason is the scarcity withwhich this issue is discussed. The aim of this article is to discuss the ways of diagnosing foreign language learning aptitude that have been attempted so far both in Poland and abroad. This will constitute the background for the analysis of the present tools for measuring foreign language learning aptitude and the possibilities of applying them in research into foreign language learning and teaching. This analysis takes as a point of reference the current theory of abilities involved in learning a foreign language.
Zagadnienia metodologiczne badań w klasach dwujęzycznych
Authors: Kaczmarek Andrzej
Published: August 2020

The research in the field of bilingual education has had some specific aims and problems. First, we remind of the quest for the relation betweenbilingualism and intelligence. Then, we refer to some studies on classroom interaction. Finally, we present some projects focussing on the integration of learning content and language.
Wielojęzyczność w polskim kontekście edukacyjnym
Authors: Wojciechowska Bernadetta
Published: August 2020

The paper focuses on the discussion on the development of multilingualism in Polish educational context whose distinctive features are: the domination of the Polish language, low percentage of immigrants, and relatively sparse national minorities. Because of this evident distinctness of the Polish situation in the aforementioned domain, the didactic proposals prepared within European projects are analyzed in a critical way. Moreover, an attempt is undertaken to define the aims and the motivation that would take into consideration the characteristics of Polish educational context. On the basis of the definition of multilingual competence, the article aims to define certain basic foundations of multilingual education in Polish schools. Among other proposals, the central one is a postulate of departing from „monolingual methodics” that is from teaching successive languages in isolation from other learned languages (the native tongue included).
Hematoxylin & Eosin Protocol For Leica ST5020 Automated Stainer v1
Authors: Denn Angela
Published: August 2020

This Hematoxylin and Eosin protocol is for the Leica ST5020 Automated multistainer. You can use it as a guide to developing your own protocol, catered to the needs of your researchers. This template can be modified for manual staining but best and most reproducible results are easier to achieve with an automated stainer.
SEKWENCJONOWANIE NANOPOROWE I JEGO ZASTOSOWANIE W BIOLOGII
Authors: Żmieńko Agnieszka , Satyr Anastasiia
Published: August 2020

Sekwencjonowanie nanoporowe należy do technik tzw. trzeciej generacji. Polega ono na elektroforetycznym transporcie kwasów nukleinowych przez kanały białkowe o nanometrowych rozmiarach (nanopory) i identyfikacji ich sekwencji na podstawie zmian mierzonego sygnału elektrycznego. Technika nanoporowa pozwoliła na znaczące wydłużenie odczytów sekwencyjnych oraz bezpośrednie sekwencjonowanie natywnych cząsteczek DNA i RNA. W efekcie, w ciągu zaledwie kilku lat od czasu wprowadzenia pierwszego sekwenatora nanoporowego, stała się ona jedną z wiodących technik sekwencjonowania. Zakres zastosowań techniki nanoporowej jest bardzo szeroki i obejmuje w szczególności asemblację genomów, badanie zmienności strukturalnej, identyfikację modyfikacji kwasów nukleinowych oraz badanie alternatywnego składania transkryptów. Dzięki swojej dostępności i prostocie, sekwencjonowanie nanoporowe jest również coraz powszechniej stosowane w badaniach epidemiologicznych i rolnictwie, do szybkiej identyfikacji i monitorowania rozprzestrzeniania się chorobotwórczych bakterii oraz wirusów.
The Development Pathway for Biosimilar Biotherapeutics
Authors: Zarbin Marco
Published: August 2020

This is an Editorial and does not have an abstract.
The role of Guidance and Planning on Safety of Ophthalmic Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Shahraz Saeid , Farzad Mohammadi Seyed , Safi Sare
Published: August 2020

This is an Editorial and does not have an abstract.
Effects of Topical Ozone Application on Outcomes after Accelerated Corneal Collagen Cross-linking: An Experimental Study
Authors: Sanal Dogan Aysun , Gurda Canan , Caliskan Sinan , Onder Evrim , Kaymaz Figen , Bilgic Elif
Published: August 2020

Purpose: Ozone is a trioxygen molecule that spontaneously degrades into oxygen and oxygen free radicals. This study was designed to assess the effects of topical ozone application on outcomes after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL).
Methods: Enucleated fresh cadaver yearling sheep eyes (n = 28) were divided into five groups: control (C, n = 6), sham (S, n = 6), ozone only (Z, n = 6), CXL only (X, n = 5), and Ozone + CXL (ZX, n = 5). In all groups, except C, the epithelial layer was removed. In group Z, 20 μg/mL liquid ozone was topically applied. In group X, CXL was performed in the accelerated pulse mode. In group ZX, both CXL and ozone were applied. Post-interventional oxygen levels were determined and corneal confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography were performed. Corneas were evaluated using light and electron microscopy.
Results: Pre-interventional central corneal thickness (CCT) was highest in the control group and considerably similar in the remaining groups (P = 0.006). Pre- and post-interventional CCT were significantly different in the ozonated groups (Z and ZX) (P = 0.028; P = 0.043). Demarcation line depths were similar in groups Z, X, and ZX (P = 0.343). Increased stromal tissue reflectivity was observed in groups Z, X, and ZX. Oxygen levels were higher in the ozonated groups (Z and ZX) (P = 0.006), and caspase activity was higher in the CXL groups (X and ZX) (P = 0.028) as compared to the other groups. Group ZX showed tighter, more regular, and parallel fibrils.
Conclusion: Ozone increases corneal stromal oxygenation which can probably augment the effect of CXL. Future studies should investigate the safety and feasibility of ozone application during CXL.
Influence of Intraocular Lens Asphericity and Blue Light Filtering on Visual Outcome, Contrast Sensitivity, and Aberrometry after Uneventful Cataract Extraction
Authors: Tzamalis Argyrios , Kynigopoulos Myron , Pallas Grigoris , Tsinopoulos Ioannis , Ziakas Nikolaos
Published: August 2020

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of asphericity and blue light filter (BLF) of three different intraocular lenses (IOLs) on the visual performance, second- and third-order aberrations (defocus, coma, trefoil), and contrast sensitivity after uneventful cataract surgery.
Methods: One hundred and twenty eyes of 60 patients with clinically significant cataract were randomly assigned to receive one of the three IOL types: Bioline Yellow Accurate (aspheric, with BLF, i-medical, Germany), BioAcryl 60125 (spherical, without BLF, Biotech, France), and H65C/N (aspheric, without BLF, PhysIOL, Belgium). Each IOL was implanted in 40 eyes. Complete ophthalmologic examination, functional acuity contrast testing and wavefront analysis were performed 60 days postoperatively.
Results: The mean postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.95 ± 0.08, not differing statistically among the IOL groups (P = 0.83). Mean defocus and coma values did not yield any statistically significant difference through the IOL groups varying from –0.784 to –0.614 μm and 0.129 to 0.198 μm (P = 0.79 and 0.34, respectively). Bioline Yellow Accurate IOL presented less trefoil aberrations, 0.108 ± 0.05 μm, compared to the other two IOL types (BioAcryl [0.206 ± 0.19 μm] and Physiol [0.193 ± 0.17 μm], P < 0.05). Contrast sensitivity values did not differ among the groups under all lighting conditions. Bioline Yellow IOL showed a statistically higher loss of contrast sensitivity (between mesopic and mesopic with glare conditions) compared to the BioAcryl and PhysIOL in 12 and 3 cpd spatial frequencies, respectively (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Bioline Yellow IOL indicated lower contrast sensitivity under mesopic conditions when glare was applied but resulted in less trefoil aberrations after uneventful cataract surgery. No further differences were noted in postoperative visual performance among three IOL groups.
Intraocular Pressure Changes after Water Drinking Test in Surgically Treated Primary Congenital Glaucoma
Authors: Razeghinejad Reza , Tajbakhsh Zahra , Beigom Masoumpour Masoumeh , Nowroozzadeh M. Hossein
Published: August 2020

Purpose: To assess intraocular pressure (IOP) changes after the water drinking test (WDT) in patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG).
Methods: In this prospective interventional study, 20 eyes of 20 patients with PCG were included. All patients had undergone trabeculotomy. Six out of twenty eyes had received a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) implantation. IOP was measured using an air-puff tonometer at baseline, and 15, 30, 45, and 60 min after WDT. The repeated-measures analysis of variance test was used to compare the mean IOPs at different time points.
Results: The mean (± standard deviation) of participants’ age was 9.9 ± 2.7 years (range, 6 to 16 years), and 8 (40%) participants were male. The mean IOPs at baseline and 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after the WDT were 15.8 ± 3.7, 18.6 ± 3.4, 19.0 ± 3.8, 17.9 ± 3.8, and 16.9 ± 3.5 mmHg, respectively (P < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons revealed that the mean IOPs after 15 and 30 min were significantly greater than the baseline IOP (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively); however, the difference in mean IOPs after 45 and 60 min were not statistically significant from the baseline IOP. The averages of IOP peak and IOP fluctuation after the WDT were 20.0 ± 3.5 and 4.2 ± 2.9 mmHg, respectively. IOP fluctuation in those who underwent trabeculotomy alone was twice that of those with GDDs, but the difference was not statistically significant (5.0 vs 2.5 mmHg; P = 0.08).
Conclusions: In patients with PCG, WDT induced significant IOP elevation 15 and 30 min after the test, which returned to pre-test values after 45 min.
Safety of Intravitreal Injection of Stivant, a Biosimilar to Bevacizumab, in Rabbit Eyes
Authors: Lashay Alireza , Faghihi Hooshang , Mirshahi Ahmad , Khojasteh Hassan , Khodabande Alireza , Riazi-Esfahani Hamid , Asadi Amoli Fahimeh , Khalili Pour Elias , Delrish Elham
Published: August 2020

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of intravitreal injection of Stivant, a biosimilar to bevacizumab, in rabbits using electrophysiological and histological analysis.
Methods: Both eyes of 41 New Zealand albino rabbits were injected with 0.1 mL (2.5 mg) of Stivant. The rabbits were scheduled to be sacrificed 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after injection for histopathological evaluations. Clinical examinations and electroretinography (ERG) were performed at baseline and just before sacrificing the rabbits. Fourteen separate rabbits received a reference drug (Avastin) and were considered as the control group. Furthermore, three other rabbits received the same volume of saline (saline control group). Rabbits of both control groups were sacrificed four weeks after injection. ERG was performed 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after injections.
Results: No significant difference was observed in a- and b-wave amplitudes and latency after intravitreal Stivant injection between baseline and different time points. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in wave amplitudes and latency between the Stivant and control groups. The histology of rabbit eyes of the Stivant and control groups after intravitreal injections was not distinguishable.
Conclusion: The biosimilar Stivant, up to a dose of 2.5 mg, did not appear to be toxic to the retina in albino rabbits. These results suggest that this drug could be a safe and inexpensive alternative to intravitreal bevacizumab. The efficacy of these injections was not investigated in this study and needs to be evaluated in future studies.
Ophthalmic Workplace Modifications for the Post-COVID Era
Authors: Naveed Hasan , Leung Victor , Zarei-Ghanavati Mehran , Leak Christopher , Liu Christopher
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates implementation of exposure control measures in all facets of the healthcare sector. Healthcare professionals who work in busy ophthalmology clinics and theaters are amidst the highest at-risk of contracting COVID- 19. The authors review the up-to-date scientific evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to demystify and explain the exposure control options available for ophthalmic workplace and offer insights from an industrial hygiene standpoint. As the we enter the post-COVID world, these measures will be critical to enhance workplace safety, and thus protect patients and staff alike.
Uveitis-induced Refractory Ocular Hypotony Managed with High-dose Latanoprost
Authors: Ghassemi Fariba , Reza Niyousha Mohammad , Hassanpoor Narges , Khojasteh Hassan
Published: August 2020

Purpose: To report a case of refractory ocular hypotony due to chronic Behcet’s disease with good response to high-dose topical latanoprost.
Case Report: We present a 26-year-old man with a known history of Behcet’s disease who developed decreasing vision and severe ocular hypotony that was refractory to multiple treatment modalities including subtenon triamcinolone acetonide, ibopamine, pars plana vitrectomy, and silicone oil injection. We decided to try high-dose topical latanoprost for the management of ocular hypotony based on recent reports. After six months, intraocular pressure (IOP) increased by 5 mm Hg, became stable at 7 mm Hg, and remained unchanged at month 24.
Conclusion: High-dose topical latanoprost could lead to significant increase in IOP in uveitis-induced refractory ocular hypotony.
Guidance for Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmology Centers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rajavi Zhale , Safi Sare , Mohammadzadeh Maryam
Published: August 2020

This is a Letter to the Editor and does not have an abstract.
Classification of Vortex Jet Devices for Gas Flow Control in Pneumo-Hydraulic Systems
Authors: Uss A.Y. , Chernyshev A.V.
Published: August 2020

This article presents a review and analysis of the literature on the development and study of vortex jet devices that are used as control valves employing the principle of the vortex flow of the working medium. The article discusses vortex valves without mechanically moving parts, as well as semi-mechanical vortex valves. The principle of operation of a vortex jet device is described and, for the first time, a classification of vortex jet devices by a number of structural and functional features is carried out. The analysis of technical solutions identifies the advantages and disadvantages of vortex jet devices. Recommendations are given for selecting a structure diagram of a vortex jet device.
An Installation for Electrothermal Effects on a Workpiece
Authors: Mariin S.B. , Getopanov A.Y. , Phyo W.A. , Grigoriev V.V.
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a modernized installation for impacting a workpiece with electric current pulses whereby ensuring high quality of parts manufactured from titanium alloys. Electrical processes that occur when using a new method of switching an active-inductive load using a three-phase contactless thyristor starter are examined. The use of such a device can eliminate long transient processes during switching, improve control of the heating parameters of the workpiece and provide plasticization of the metal in short periods of time. Other positive effects of the three-phase contactless thyristor starter include the elimination of defects in the structure of the material, increase in the thermodynamic stability of the metals as well as in the structural strength and endurance, reduction of the anisotropy of the metals and the level of residual stress.
Comparison of NoSQL Database Performance with SQL Server Database on Online Airplane Ticket Booking
Authors: Laksmita Nadea Cipta , Apriliyanto Erwin , Pandu I Wayan , Rini Kusrini
Published: August 2020

Flight ticket booking services have become more advanced, where bookings can be made through the android / iOS application and through a web browser, ticket reservations, no longer have to come to travel agents or come to the airport to book plane tickets. In this study using an online ticket booking database where one database uses the NoSQL database and another database uses SQL Server. The purpose of this research is to test the performance of NoSQL speed with SQL Server with the Insert, Delete and Select commands. The testing method uses 100 records, 500 records, 1000 records, and 5000 records, with each record being tested four times and then taken on average. The results of this study are that the NoSQL database Insert command has a speed 4 times faster than the SQL Server database for under 500 records, whereas above 500 NoSQL database records 5 times slower, the Delete NoSQL database command has a speed 3 times faster than the SQL database Server, and the command Select 1 NoSQL database table 55 times faster than SQL Server databases, while 2 NoSQL database tables are 18 times slower than SQL Server databases, while 3 NoSQL database tables are 10 times slower than SQL Server databases, whereas 4 database tables NoSQL is 16 times slower than SQL Server databases.
Pengolahan Citra Digital Untuk Menghitung Ekstrasi Ciri Greenbean Kopi Robusta Dan Arabika (Studi Kasus: Kopi Temanggung)
Authors: Fadjeri Akhmad
Published: August 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan ekstrasi ciri yang terdapat dalam greenbean kopi robusta dan arabika untuk membuat objek terdeteksi dan dapat di gambarkan kedalam angka matematis. Metode yang digunakan adalah citra asli yang di ubah menjadi RGB kemudian dilakukan grayscaling yang dilanjutkan dengan proses biner yang bertujuan untuk mengubah gambar menjadi bentuk biner (0 dan 1) setelah pengolahan citra digital selesai dilakukan dilakukan proses ekstrasi ciri foto greenbean kopi berdasarkan lebar, tinggi, keliling, luas permukaan, prosentae kebulatan, dan perimeter dari setiap greenbean kopi sehingga dapat dipahami secara matematis.

Hasil dari proses citra biner dilakukan operasi morfologi, pada proses morfologi terdapat proses erosi dan dilasi. Hasil dari proses erosi dan dilasi dilakuan ekstrasi ciri untuk mendapatkan panjang, tinggi luas, keliling, rasio kebulatan dan perimeter dari sebuah gambar citra. Kemudian nilai disimpan ke dalam database sebagai ekstrasi ciri dari setiap greenbean kopi.

Hasil ekstrasi ciri yang diperoleh dari sampel greenbean kopi dengan rerata didapat lebar 7.7 pixel, tinggi 11, keliling 31.3, luas permukaan 69.5 , prosentase kebulatan 89.559, dan perimeter 1.674 dari greenbean kopi robusta sedangkan untuk greenbean arabika di dapat lebar 13.2 pixel, tinggi 18.8, keliling 51.2, luas permukaan 199.9 , prosentase kebulatan 94.548, dan perimeter 1.60038 dengan kesuluruhan data gambar yang diambil adalah 20 greenbean kopi.