bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N-Acetylglucosamine Production by Repeated-Batch Fermentation Using Immobilized Semi-Purified Chitinase Enzyme on Agar
Authors: Soedirga Lucia , Hardoko Hardoko , Widianto Natasha V
Published: May 2021

Chitinolytic mold, such as Mucor circinelloidesis can be utilized to produce chitinase enzyme for shrimp shell’s chitin hydrolysis into N-acetylglucosamine (NAG). For that purpose, entrapment of chitinase on agar as a carrier could be an alternative way to improve NAG production. This study aimed to investigate the stability of immobilized semi-purified chitinase on agar for multiple cycles fermentation to produce NAG. In this study, 0.6 mL of semi-purified chitinase enzyme was immobilized into 3% of agar matrices and tested for four fermentation cycles to obtain highest NAG concentration and good enzyme activity. The results indicate that the immobilized chitinase could be used for 6 hours fermentation or three fermentation cycles. The NAG concentration produced after three cycle were 1042.22 ± 16.20 ppm. Besides, the immobilized enzyme was considerably stable up to the third cycles with activity value of about 4.74 U/mL.Keywords: agar; immobilized;NAG; repeated fermentation
Partial Substitution of Margarine with Avocado Fruit Puree for Healthy Pound Cake Preparation using Various Flour Types and Baking Methods
Authors: Pokatong Wilbur Donald Raymond , Nathalie Tiffany
Published: May 2021

Avocado (Persea americana) is known to have high dietary fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids which can reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL); thus, reduced risk of heart attack. The research objective was to partially substitute margarine with avocado puree in the preparation of pound cakes to reduce the saturated fat and increase the nutritional values. The pound cakes were prepared with five different ratios of avocado puree to margarine which were 0:1, 1:3, 1:1, 3:1, and 1:0 using three types of flour (all-purpose, cake, or bread flour) and baked using two methods (oven and microwave baking). Results showed that avocado contains 81.37±1.38 (%, wb), 53.09±3.64 (%, db), 6,98±0.49 (%, db), 34.57±3.63 (%, db), and 5.36±0.49 (%, db) of moisture, fat, protein, carbohydrate, and ash, respectively. From each type of flour, one pound-cake was selected based on its physical properties i.e. firmness, volume expansion, L* value, and ohue. Selected pound cakes were further evaluated with scoring and hedonic tests by 70 panelists to observe its consumer acceptance and selected the best pound cake from each type of baking methods (oven and microwave baking). The results showed that oven-baked pound cake with avocado puree to margarine ratio 1:1 prepared with cake flour and microwave-oven-baked pound cake with avocado puree to margarine ratio 1:1 prepared with bread flour exhibited the highest acceptance with overall hedonic values of 4.96±1.18 and 4.83±1.09, respectively. However, considering the time needed for baking and that the microwave baked pound cakes exhibiting higher protein, the pound cake baked in the microwave oven is more preferrable for further commercial manufacture.Keywords: avocado;baking; fat-substitution;flour types, pound-cake
Antioxidant Activity of Vitamin E Concentrate from Magnesium Salts of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (Mg-PFAD)
Authors: Lestari Dianika , Aqilah Khalisa Putri , Putri Salsafia , Harimawan Ardiyan , Mudhakir Diky , Insanu Muhamad
Published: May 2021

Vitamin E concentrate was produced through saponification of palm fatty acid distillates (PFAD) and magnesium oxide to form Mg-PFAD, followed by three-stages vitamin E extraction with isopropanol, hexane, or ethanol. The vitamin E-rich extracts were evaporated to remove solvent and produced vitamin E concentrate. The objectives of this research were to investigate the effect of organic solvent’s types and solvent to Mg-PFAD mass ratios on vitamin E concentration, solvent selectivity, and antioxidant activity of the vitamin E concentrate. Vitamin E concentrates obtained after isopropanol extraction had vitamin E concentration of 784 ppm with vitamin E recovery of 16 mg tocopherol/100 mg tocopherol in Mg-PFAD, while vitamin E concentrates obtained after hexane extraction had vitamin E concentration of 574 ppm with vitamin E recovery of 35 mg tocopherol/100 mg tocopherol in Mg-PFAD. Isopropanol extraction produced vitamin E concentrate with the highest selectivity for vitamin E and the highest antioxidant activity of 79% IC. It was found that vitamin E concentration was not proportional to the antioxidant activity of the vitamin E concentrate.Keywords: Direct solvent extraction, palm fatty acid distillate, saponification, vitamin E, unsaponifiable matter
Mechanical performance of abrasive sandpaper made with palm kernel shells and coconut shells
Authors: Sa’ad Hameed , Omoleyomi Bamidele D. , Alhassan Elijah A. , Ariyo Ezekiel O. , Abadunmi Taiwo
Published: May 2021

The use of agricultural wastes as additives for other valuable products has been the focus of many research efforts because of their availability, inherent properties, and environmental friendliness. Palm kernel shells (PKS) and coconut shells (CNS) are agricultural solid end products obtainable from the cracking of their fruit nuts. In this study, PKS and CNS were used to produce abrasive sandpaper following established procedures. The mechanical properties of the sandpaper produced were established. Material for application in abrasive operations must exhibit maximum hardness and compressive strength, minimal wear rate, water absorption, and density. Results showed a 20% and 25% increment in specimen hardness values for PKS and CNS respectively in samples with polyester resin content weight composition range of 7.8–22.2% based on sieve size of 250 μm. Similarly, 29.23% and 32.44% increment for PKS and CNS respectively was recorded for a sieve size of 420 μm. Samples with a high percentage of binder exhibit better wear characteristics for both PKS and CNS for the investigated parameters. As the percentage weight composition of PKS and CNS samples increases in the abrasive sandpaper composites, the water absorption properties decrease for both 250 μm and 420 μm sieve sizes. Samples compressive strength increases as the percentage weight composition of binder increases over a range of 7.8 to 22.2% for both 250 μm and 420 μm sieve sizes studied. Similarly, as the percentage weight composition of PSK and CNS increases, the sample exhibit high density for both sieve sizes. These characteristics affirmed the suitability of the abrasive composites made with PKS and CNS for frictional applications.
Colour and Ammonia Nitrogen Removal from Stabilised Leachate Using Two Stages Coagulation: Tapioca coagulant and Electrocoagulation
Authors: Jamaludin N.F. , Mohd Zin Nur Shaylinda , Omar N.A.A. , Mohd Salleh S.N.A.
Published: May 2021

Abstract- Leachate produced in municipal solid waste landfills is known to have very high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollution substances that could contaminate the surrounding. Degradation of leachate pollutants by coagulation was done conventionally by using single chemical coagulation. The application of natural coagulants, together with electrocoagulation (EC) is still at an uncertain stage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of two stages of coagulation (TSC) consisting of coagulation (tapioca starch coagulant) and EC in removing colour and ammonia nitrogen from stabilising leachate under the influence of dose, leachate pH, duration, and electric current. Coagulation of tapioca starch without EC, removed 24% and 18% of colour and ammonia nitrogen, respectively. However, combining EC with coagulation at the optimum duration (20 minutes), a dose of TF (2.5 g/L), leachate pH (7), and electric current (0.15 A) achieved 37% and 61% removal of colour and ammonia nitrogen, respectively.  The enhancement of colour and ammonia nitrogen were recorded by TSC. Therefore, TSC is proven able to improve colour and ammonia nitrogen removal from stabilised leachate.
Causal Factors in Implementing Environmental Regulation: Evidence from the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan in Malaysia
Authors: Asnor Asri S. , Rahman Rahimi A. , Ahmad Saffuan W.
Published: May 2021

Erosion, and sedimentation can have a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESCP) is necessary to reduce those processes' adverse effects. Even though implementing ESCP is compulsory, we still have implementation issues in practice. This study aims to investigate the causal factors that are affecting ESCP implementation in Malaysia. To achieve that objective, data are collected through individual interviews with industry practitioners related to ESCP implementation. Then, the data are analyzed using thematic analysis. The challenges for implementing ESCP can be divided into two (2) internal and external challenges. Internal challenges consist of lack of competency, lack of knowledge, communication, attitude, awareness, planning, design, installation, and maintenance. In contrast, external challenges include management, financial, enforcement, and communication medium. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing insights into ESCP implementation, which could help develop policies and strategies to tackle the challenges. The findings of this research will help both researchers and practitioners to develop strategies that contribute to the sustainability of earth resources by reducing detachment of a portion of soil profiles from soil surfaces into soil particles (i.e., erosion); and transportation and deposition of soil particles (i.e., sedimentation) in construction projects.
Piper betle leaves extract adversely affect motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Mohamed Sedek Saiedatul Akmal , Arifin Mohd Azmir , Abdul Munaim Mimi Sakinah
Published: May 2021

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that orchestrate its disease manifestation via a complex communication system known as quorum sensing (QS). Under the regulation of this complex network of QS system, is a myriad of virulence factors including the flagella and pili that contribute to its motility. To establish an infection in a host, P. aeruginosa must first attach itself to host cells with the assistance of flagella and pili and it would be a mere impossible for P. aeruginosa to initiate and establish an infection in the host without those features. In this study, we investigated the motility of P. aeruginosa under the influence of Piper betle leaves extract by growing the bacteria on a semi solid medium and compared the growth spread of the pathogen against the untreated sample. There are three types of motilities that were being investigated, which were swimming, swarming and twitching. In all three assays, a fraction of ethyl acetate extract of P. betle leaves were found to reduce the motility of P. aeruginosa with greatest defect in swimming at more than 80% reduction as compared to the untreated sample. Meanwhile, the fraction partially decreased the swarming and twitching of P. aeruginosa by 58% and 50% reduction respectively, in comparison to the untreated sample. The exhibited defect in the motility of P. aeruginosa proves the anti-QS property of the fraction of ethyl acetate extract of P. betle leaves and could be developed as a potential therapeutic agent against the pathogen.
Estimating the Small Strain Stiffness of Peat Soil Using Geophysical Methods
Authors: Basri Kasbi , Zainorabidin Adnan , Abu Talib Mohd Khaidir , Wahab Norhaliza
Published: May 2021

Geotechnical design commonly requires that the in-situ stiffness, strength and permeability of the ground be obtained. Laboratory based investigation often related with risk of sample disturbance and difficulties to replicate the in-situ stress condition which results in overestimation or underestimation. Application of geophysical methods in geotechnical investigation previously was limited to targeting and dimensioning sub-surface features due to lack of resolution. However, rapid developments of geophysical methods result in the application of these methods in providing geotechnical design parameters. Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) and seismic refraction were among the geophysical methods capable of obtaining stiffness parameters including the maximum shear modulus (Gmax) and maximum elastic modulus (Emax). The study revealed the efficiency of these methods to measure the small strain stiffness of peat soil with high accuracy as the results obtained were found to be similar to those obtained by previous researchers. Overall, the Gmax and Emax values of peat soil obtained range from 0.49 to 1.72 MPa and 1.46 to 5.15 MPa respectively. The Gmax and Emax values obtained shows significant increase with depth governed primarily by the effective stress. Other parameters such as degree of decomposition and peat thickness also shows potential influence on the Gmax and Emax values obtained.
An Overview of Recent Studies on the Development of Desiccant Air-conditioning Systems
Authors: Fatahian Hossein , Salarian Hesamoddin , Fatahian Esmaeel
Published: May 2021

In the past decades, desiccant cooling systems have received much attention. These systems are considered as an alternative way to decrease energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission in humid and hot locations. To address the importance of desiccant air-conditioning systems, the present research aims to provide an overview of recent studies on the development of desiccant air conditioning system. Another objective is to consider the numerical and theoretical analysis of desiccant systems. Moreover, for the first time, a summary of recent researches regarding the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique for numerical modeling of desiccant cooling systems has been especially reviewed in detail. Finally, in the present review, the principle of regeneration of liquid desiccant using solar energy have also been considered briefly.
Physicochemical quality assessment of salt-free fermented fish products of Sylhet region, Bangladesh
Authors: Sikder Md. Belal Hossain , Ahmed Imeaz , Rashid Shah Samiur , Binti Ramli Aizi Nor Mazila
Published: May 2021

Shidals are popular salt-free fermented fish products of Sylhet region of Bangladesh due to their distinctive flavor and taste. In this study, the proximate composition, physicochemical and antioxidative potential had been studied of three kinds of shidals prepared from punti (Puntius sophore), kangla (Notopterus notopterus) and bashpata (Setipinna phasa) available in the local markets. The results of the investigation suggested that shidals are a good source of protein content ranging from 30.49% to 38.27%. The pH, moisture, crude fat, ash and carbohydrate content ranged from 6.09%-6.74%, 34.46%-35.33%, 17.48%-21.43%, 06.31%-13.05% and 1.20%-1.73% correspondingly. DPPH radical scavenging activity of punti, kangla and bashpata shidals was found 68.13±2.45, 53.95±1.52, 73.88±1.21 respectively. Total Volatile Base Nitrogen (TVB-N) content ranged from 37.57-57.92 mg.100 g-1. These findings suggested that fermented fish products are a good source of nutrients for the local peoples.
Enriched Renewable Methane from the Anaerobic Digestion of Petrochemical Wastewater: A Bio-Remediation Structure
Authors: Siddique M.N.I. , Ishak M.F. , Zularisam A.W.
Published: May 2021

Scarcity of nitrogenous resource and buffering capability were recognized as reverting failure in earlier research treating petrochemical wastewater in anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactors. The purpose of this work is to explore the use of ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) as supplementation ensuring nitrogenous supply and buffering requirement. With a view to measure the effect of NH4HCO3 on the anaerobic process, a set of dosing up to 40 mg L-1 was examined. The result was evaluated in terms of biogas yield. It was found that 10 mg L-1 dosing was the optimal dosing without affecting methanogenesis. Moreover, mathematical calculation explained that this optimum dosing can enhance biogas yield up to 27.77% compared to control PWW digestion. Results showed an obvious financial advantage to make the industrial application feasible.
Development and Evaluation of Goat Milk Tablet Using Dry Granulation Techniques for Nutraceutical Purposes
Authors: Azfar Aminuddin , Azhar Mohd Akmal
Published: May 2021

There are several problems for the school children to take the pure milk especially the goat milk every day because of the unpleasant taste and smell of the goat milk are not so good. Besides, the pure milk has a short life time. It is difficult to store the goat milk in a long period of time at room temperature. The solution for this problem is change the goat milk from liquid form into the chewable milk tablet that can be easily consume by the school children. Goat milk in the form of tablet formulation will increase the shelf life of the product. Therefore, the chewable goat milk tablet can be stored in a long period of time, convenience, and suitable for distribution to remote areas. In this project, the focusing was more into the optimization of the weight adjustment of the tableting machine before and after the dry granulation to form good chewable tablet. The pre-evaluation had been done for the goat milk powder and granule after dry granulation process. It can be concluded that goat milk tablet can be an alternative to the pure goat milk. The poorly flowing properties of goat milk powder can be improved by using dry granulation techniques. Based on this study, F4D shows the best setting to produce the goat milk tablet using dry granulation technique. F4D successfully improved the flow ability and compressibility of goat milk tablet. It also produce the best goat milk tablet as it possess uniformity of weight, low friability and good hardness
Opportunistic Maintenance Policy for A Multi-Component System Subject To Random Failures
Authors: Elhadaf H. , Benmansour R. , Allaoui H. , Tkiouat M. , Artiba A.
Published: May 2021

In this paper we study an opportunistic maintenance policy (OMP) for a multi-component system. The objective is to minimize the maintenance cost while guaranteeing a minimum level of reliability for the system and for each of its components. We suppose that each component is subject to random failures and at most one spare part of it should be kept in stock or ordering at any time. The lifetime of this system will be divided into several periods. At the beginning of each period we must determine the set of actions (among many others) that will achieve the objective mentioned above. The policy OMP is characterized by two parameters; the first one is the scheduled time for spare ordering and the second one is the period of realization of the maintenance action (if any). These parameters will be derived from the joint optimization of maintenance cost and the inventory cost for each component. Finally, we will give a numerical example to explain the proposed maintenance policy and the optimization procedure.
Waste Simplification for Warehouse Using Boolean Logic
Authors: Sarifudin M. S. , Mansor M. A. , Safiei W.
Published: May 2021

Warehouse accumulates non-value added or wastes activities consist of inventory, waiting and transportation. The warehouse is a must to prevent any unforeseen events causing failures to implement the Just-In-Time concept. However, the existence of the warehouse will increase the operation expenditure and can lead to the profit losses. Therefore, the manufacturer needs to identify and eliminate the wastes to reduce the consumption of the resources and keep minimum requirement of the activities such as inventory, waiting and transportation in the warehouse. Value Stream Mapping is one of the Lean tools as an approach to eliminate the non-value added or wastes. This tool visualizes the information and material flow of the manufacturing activities. The development of a model based from Value Stream Mapping determined the current state of the wastes existed in the warehouse activities. The model is used to identify and eliminate the waste in the warehouse. From the information flow, the optimum combination of the wastes was determined through Boolean concept. The wastes are simplified and combined by passing through the Boolean operators consist of AND Gate and OR Gate. The expected outcome of this paper is to propose a conceptual model of new value stream mapping to identify and eliminate the waste in the warehouse. From the removal of wastes, the profit can be increased by reduction of the operation expenditure of the manufacturer.
Emergencey Portable Solar Power Supply
Authors: Ramly Nur Hafeizza
Published: May 2021

Emergency Portable Solar Power Supply is a product which uses renewable energy sources as the main sources of electricity which is sunlight. According to World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2018, the percentage of renewable energy used as a source to generate electricity grew by 17% higher than the 10-year average and solar energy contributed more than a third despite accounting for just 21% of the total. The main objective of this product is to create clean energy emergency portable solar power supply by using non-conventional energy source and green technology which can be used during any contingency happens and also for the usage for rural area with non-electric power source. This project was started by calculation of the system design for determining the characteristic that need to be used for all components that related to this solar system such as battery, charge controller, solar panel and etc. The overall system of this portable solar power supply is 12V system. This design can last for 2 days without charging and the minimum hour for the battery to be charged is around 6 hours. This product can supply maximum up to 100W of DC and AC power supply. In a conclusion, this product is very portable and greener product the usage of solar energy as the main sources to generate electricity.
Enrollment Issue, Power Energy Management Approach and Structure of Control of Renewable Energy Microgrid: A Review
Authors: Mohamad Yusof Mohd Fauzi
Published: May 2021

The integration and emerging of distributed generation into the grid especially renewable energy source has brought solution of the problem increasing demand of electricity. The utilization of renewable energy as a source generation can minimize the effect of green house and reduce the cost of operation. The RE microgrids are the great power solution due to the capability to control and coordinate different level between the loads and generators. The energy management control is the key of successions to provide the power reliability in the RE microgrid. The problem of the optimal energy management has become widely investigated in order to achieve the optimize architecture structure of microgrid. This paper presents a details description, problem issue of microgrid and brief explanation about power energy management control. Section 2 will explain on the architecture control structure of microgrid. List of control technique of energy management operation that was present and proposed in the literature is details in section 3. The progression project of microgrid in the world was reported and suggestion of area interest for future research activity was proposed in section 4.
Natural Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite (NFRPC) from Waste Polypropylene Filled with Coconut Flour
Authors: Ejiogu Kevin Ibe , Ibeneme Uche , Tenebe Gabriel Osi , Ayo Mark Dada , Ayejagbara Mosunmade Olukemi
Published: May 2021

Abstract:-The authors prepared a biodegradable composite using waste polypropylene (wPP) and coconut flour (CF). Each polymer composite was prepared with different ratios of CF introduced in the matrix. The composite prepared contained 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% CF respectively. 100% wPP was the control sample. The composite showed an increase in tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, water absorption and impact strength with increase in CF. However  there was a slight reduction in density  of the NFRPCs with increase in CF due to poor dispersion of the fibres and void spaces in the matrix of the composites. The biodegradation rates of the NFRPCs were higher than that of wPP, with the highest biodegradation rate of 2.93% at 50% CF content after six months. The CF in the composites helped to increase the biodegradation rate as a result of its hydrophilic nature which permits the ingress of water into the matrix of the NFRPCs which aided degradation by action of micro-organism, photo-thermal and oxidative degradation. NFRPCs produced can be utilised for industrial and domestic applications and can also undergo biodegradation when disposed, indicating a more environmental friendly substitute compared to wPP. However to increase the rate of biodegradation additives such as transition metals may be incorporated into the matrix structure to increase biodegradation at a scale that would be much faster and economically  more viable.
Autonomous Tomato Harvesting Robotic System in Greenhouses: Deep Learning Classification
Authors: Toon Ooi Peng , Zakaria Muhammad Aizzat , Ab. Nasir Ahmad Fakhri , P.P. Abdul Majeed Anwar , Tan Chung Young , Ng Leonard Chong Yew
Published: May 2021

Solanum lycopersicum or generally known as tomato came from countries of South America and has been growing in many tropical countries and its healthy nutrients in tomato becomes one of the food demand by the locals in Malaysia when their lifestyle shifted to more concern for healthy food. Since export value and production has increased for the past few years, a vast amount of labours considered for the fruit-picking process. Hence, farmers are now preferring to look for automation to replace labour problems and high cost that they are facing. To pick a correct fruit within clusters, a harvesting robot requires guidance so that it can detect a fruit accurately. In this study, a new classification algorithm using deep learning specifically convolution neural network to classify the image is either a tomato or not tomato and next, the image is classified into either a ripe or unripe tomato. Furthermore, there are two classification neural networks which are tomato or not tomato and ripe and unripe tomato. Each network consists of 600 training data and 33 testing data. The accuracies that obtained from network 1 (tomato or not tomato) and network 2 (ripe or unripe tomato) are 76.366% and 98.788% respectively.
Antifungal potential of three natural oils and their effects on the thermogravimetric and chromatic behaviors when applied to historical paper and various commercial paper sheets
Authors: Mansour Maisa M. A. , Salem Mohamed Z. M. , Hassan Rushdya Rabee Ali , Ali Hayssam M. , Al Farraj Dunia A. , Elshikh Mohamed S.
Published: June 2021

Three natural extracted oils from Citrus reticulata peels, C. aurantifolia leaves, and Linum usitatissimum (linseeds) were used as antifungal agents against the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum. The following main compounds (determined via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) were found. The essential oil (EO) from C. aurantiifolia leaves contained limonene (22.96%), geranyl acetal (13.53%), and geraniol acetate (13.33%); the n-hexane oil from C. reticulata peels contained methyl-13-cyclopentyltridecanoate (16.74%), and D-limonene (16.06%); and linseed oil contained linoleic acid (27.36%), and oleic acid (19.01%). The inhibition of fungal growth significantly was reached 100% against A. flavus at all tested C. aurantifolia leaf EO concentrations and at a concentration of 2000 µL/mL for linseeds oil. The growth inhibition reached 100% against P. chrysogenum with C. aurantifolia leaf EO concentrations of 125-2000 µL/mL. Citrus reticulata peel EO had 100% growth inhibition of P. chrysogenum at concentrations of 2000 µL/mL and 1000 µL/mL, while linseeds oil had 100% growth inhibition at 2000 µL/mL. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that C. aurantifolia EO yielded the greatest thermal stability and color change protection to cotton pulp, while linseed oil was found to protect wood pulp-based and historical papers.
The Semantic and Syntactic Evolution of Conjunctions in French: The Case of ains
Authors: Niewzorowa Swietłana
Published: June 2021

The present study is part of the current of diachronic research on conjunctions. All linguists confirm that in Old French two opposing conjunctions were used: ains / mais. However, in modern French, only one contrast conjunction provides an opposing connection, namely mais. The reasons for the rapid decline of the ains conjunction are not clear, and the time of its disappearance is not precise. In this article, the author focuses on the semantic analysis of ains from Old French until the 17th century, i.e. until the time where this conjunction passed into archaism and when the Academy declared: “it is old” (Dictionary of the French Academy 1694). The study deals with the specific syntactic uses of the conjunction in question in various literary texts. By referring to descriptive, semantic and functional analyses, it is possible to identify specific features of the ains conjunction, as well as to reveal the conditions under which its disappearance took place. The study is also trying to answer the question why this Old French conjunction, very common in the past, disappeared.
Morphokinetic parameters comparison between euploid and aneuploid blastocysts
Authors: Le Phuong Thi Bich , Le Anh Hoang , Nguyen Loc Minh Tai , Dang Vinh Quang
Published: May 2021

Background: Pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) has been using for years in embryoselection. However, this is an invasive method and may cause harm to the embryos. Therefore, time-lapse monitoring has been thought to be an alternative approach for embryo selection due to its efficiency. Up to now, several studies were investigating the relationship between the morphokinetic parameters and the embryo ploidy. However, the results are not consistent. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between morphokinetic parameters and PGT-A results.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at IVFMD Phu Nhuan, My Duc Phu Nhuan Hospital, between September 2018 and June 2019. Patients undergoing PGT-A due to advanced maternal age, repeated implantation failure or recurrent miscarriage and having embryo cultured under time-lapse monitoring were included. Patients with the re-thawing embryo for PGT-A were not eligible. The time from insemination to the pronuclear appearing (tPN), the onset of two to eight-cell divisions (t2 to t8) and the duration of the second cell cycle (cc2, t3-t2) were observed.

Results: There were 39 patients included in the study, with mean age of 36.4 +/- 5.7 years. A total of 110 blastocysts were biopsied. Amongst them, 63 embryos (57.3%) were euploidy (group 1), and 47 embryos (42.7%) were aneuploidy (group 2). There was no significant difference between euploid, and aneuploid embryos regarding all morphokinetic parameters, including tPN, t2, t3, t4, t5, cc2, and t8 (7.2 +/- 1.5 hours vs. 7.4 +/- 1.6 hours; 25.0 +/- 2.8 hours vs. 25.6 +/- 3.2 hours; 35.8 +/- 3.6 hours vs. 36.9 +/- 3.3 hours; 37.5 +/- 4.4 hours vs. 38.3 +/- 4.3 hours; 49.2 +/- 5.52 hours vs. 49.9 +/- 6.2 hours; 10.7 +/- 2.6 hours vs. 11.2 +/- 1.7 hours; and 55.7 +/- 6.4 hours vs. 58.1 +/- 7.4 hours, respectively).

Conclusion: In this study, we found no difference in the morphokinetic parameters between euploid and aneuploid embryos.
Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis in biological systems of hospital environment: Antibiotic resistance patterns in regions of Ukraine
Authors: Berezhna A. V. , Tertyshnyi V. O. , Makarova V. I. , Chumachenko T. O.
Published: June 2021

Staphylococcus bacteria are ubiquitous and often circulate in the biological systems of the hospital environment. Staphylococci have developed antibiotic resistance mechanisms resulting in a significant medical and economic burden to the healthcare system. The goal of our research was to conduct a comparative analysis of resistance to antibiotics in S. aureus and S. epidermidis isolates found in surgical hospitals in Kharkiv and Poltava regions. In 2013 through 2019, 151,015 and 98,754 tests were made by disc-diffusion method to identify the sensitivity in the S. aureus strains to antibiotics in Kharkiv and Poltava regions respectively. In 2013–2015, 15,589 tests were made in Kharkiv region to identify antibiotics sensitivity in S. epidermidis strains. Comparison of antibiotic resistance of the S. aureus strains in Kharkiv and Poltava regions was performed using the Pearson Chi-square test (χ2) and Fisher’s exact test. The proportion of S. aureus strains resistant to penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and macrolides was higher in Kharkiv region in terms of statistical validity than in Poltava region. Overall, the proportion of S. aureus strains resistant to lincozamids, tetracycline antibiotics, and fluoroquinolones in Poltava region was higher in terms of statistical validity than in Kharkiv region. An analysis of resistance of S. aureus strains to linezolid demonstrated that in Poltava region the proportion of resistant microorganisms was higher in terms of statistical validity in 2013–2014 and in 2016–2018. In Kharkiv region, in 2013 and in 2014, 96.3% and 89.1% of isolated strains of S. aureus respectively, were resistant to vancomycin. In 2019, more than a quarter of the located isolates (26.6%) in Poltava region were resistant to this antibiotic. The analysis of the dynamic of resistance in S. epidermidis isolates demonstrated that in 2015 nearly half of the isolates located in Kharkiv region were insensitive to penicillin antibiotics. Between 2013 and 2015, the spread of resistance to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones among the S. epidermidis isolates noticeably increased. When S. epidermidis resistance to vancomycin was analyzed, a decrease in the proportion of resistant strains from 88.0% in 2013 to 8.7% in 2015 was noted. A promising direction for further research is the creation of passports of microorganism resistance in the regions and various health-care settings, as well as the creation of a unified national database network on microorganism resistance using modern methodologies for determining the phenotypes and genotypes of microorganisms.
Шенфельдская волость: история возникновения и исчезновения меннонитских поселений
Authors: Черказьянова Ирина Васильевна
Published: June 2021

The author studies the history of the Shenfeld Mennonite volost foundation and destruction. The research tasks were as follows: to analyze the reasons of this volost establishing at the period of the colonist reform; to study development of the settlements at the second part of the 19th century, to find out how its inhabitants participated in the modernization processes; to follow the cultural and spiritual life of the colonies and Aleksandrovsky district as a whole; to highlight the problem of the Mennonite settlements destruction. The Shenfeld (Krasnopolskaya) volost was situated in the Aleksandrovsky district of the Ekaterinoslav province. It was founded in 1873. Its uniqueness lays in the fact that it did not have definite administrative-territorial boundaries, since the possessions were dispersed. The population was made up of the Mennonites from Molochansk and (partly) Khortytsa colonies. The families settled on farms, united into small villages. The process of the eastern part of Aleksandrovsky district settlement was a part of the German colonization in this area and in the province as a whole. However, the volost differed from the other ones because it only consisted of private farms. Its economy was organized on the purchased (not granted by the tsars) land. The author pays attention to Zilberfeld estate that is the least studied settlement of the volost. The fates of its owners have not been researched yet. The volost was famous for its prosperity and contributed greatly into this region economy development. The destruction of an entire volost during the Civil War, that was the result of the Makhnovist movement, is also one of the important parts of its tragic history.

Key words: Mennonites, Shenfeld (Krasnopolskaya) volost, Alexandrovsky district, Ekaterinoslav province, Zilberfeld estate, Civil war, Yantsen family, Nestor Makhno.
LINGUO-STYLISTIC PECULIARITIES OF THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EXPRESSIVE DISCOURSE
Authors: Lysenko Natalia
Published: June 2021

The article deals with the consideration of different approaches to the study of expressive English discourse, its linguo-stylistic peculiarities. The article presents the views of somelinguists on existing varieties of discourse and identifies the place of expressive discourse among them. In general, discourse is a written or spoken verbal product of a communicative event. Linguists distinguish many different types of discourse, taking into account extralinguistic factors: sociocultural, pragmatic, psychological, etc. In the existing classifications of the typology of discourse the expressive component is indicated, which allows to distinguish a separate kind of discourse – expressive. According to one of the typologies of discourse, there is an expressive type of communicative acts, which is connected with the expression of different feelings, moods, thoughts. According to another classification, an affiliative type of discourse is singled out, which includes the expressive type of speech acts. When investigating expressive discourse, it is necessary to take into account the notion of the expression itself, as well as the notions of expressiveness and emotionality must be distinguished. In scientists’ opinion, the emotional in language is needed for the expression of feelings, and the expressive – for enhancing expressiveness and imagery. The relevance of the study of expressive discourse lies in the need to identify the mechanisms for creating expressive effect.
DIGITIZING ENGLISH LESSONS: INCORPORATING INTERACTIVE PLATFORMS INTO CLASSROOM EDUCATION
Authors: Budilova Olexandra , Bilova Alla
Published: June 2021

The article offers a general outline of particular online platforms that have proved effective for teaching and learning English as a second language in a regular classroom. A bigfocus is placed on activities each platform has to offer, as well as on various teacher access options and benefits. The idea behind this article is to share experience and disseminate success stories related to the use of these platform in our routine teaching practice. Since nowadays teaching focus has shifted from reproduction to competence acquisition, every competence implies certain skills and abilities that can be used for career and life success. One of these key competences is digital literacy, which can be developed through integrating technology into classroom activities. Alongside gaining appropriate digital skills, digital technology can significantly diversify the entire learning process and make language learning a combination of skills acquisition and pleasure.
THE STUDY ON GROUP WORK IMPLEMENTATION IN TEFL BY UKRAINIAN SCHOOL TEACHERS
Authors: Pakhomova Olena
Published: June 2021

The article reviles the potential of group work as an effective means for mastering EFL. This article aims to outline the definition of group work as methods of teaching notion, toanalyze the advantages of group work for learners and teachers on theoretical level and to contrast them with the results of the practical research on the group work experience inUkrainian school. The basic definition of group work is students working together with a number of other students rather in pairs or as a whole class. Numerous authors emphasize the advantages of group work as it makes learning more meaningful, namely, increase the time and opportunity to use the language and learners motivation; it provides positive affective climate and encourages a friendly relaxed learning environment. Despite the majority of theoretical works on the benefits and effectiveness of group work for EFL acquisition, our research reviles that teachers who work in Ukrainian schools still tend to implement traditional forms of whole class and individual work interaction types instead of group work. The received results logically prove that the prevailing number of teachers (63,5 %) of any experience level see no real benefits in harnessing group work in classroom interaction. They note more disadvantages than advantages in group work, such as noise and fall of discipline, difficulty in controlling and assessing the individual participation in the group work performance, difficulties in organizing and grouping learners. Altogether, the teachers tackle with the lack of methodology knowledgeon group work and experience due to the teacher-oriented approach dominating in teacher training higher schools in Ukraine.
MULTICULTURAL PECULIARITIES OF LINGUACULTURAL REALIA IN THE NOVEL ‘JAZZ’ BY TONY MORRISON
Authors: Honsalies-Munis Svitlana
Published: June 2021

The article deals with the issue of linguistic and cultural realia and their peculiarities in Tony Morrison’s novel «Jazz». The study is carried out in the multicultural aspect and begins with the detailed analysis of the terms ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘multicultural literature’. The theoretical background of the article is based on the works of Taylor, Sanders, Gutmann,Zverev, Tolkachev, Denisova, Tlostanova in which they defined the concept of multiculturalism and dwelled on the issues of ethnic literatures and their peculiarities. The article focuses on the specific features of the multicultural phenomenon in AfricanAmerican society, on the issues of the national identity and language identity of African-Americanpeople. The article outlines the major means of expression the national and cultural code in the artistic text, gives the definition of the term ‘realia’, emphasizes the importance of these linguistic means in conveying the authentic cultural atmosphere of the text. Characteristic features of the novel «Jazz» are analyzed in the research as well as the use of various linguo-cultural devices such as anthroponyms, toponyms, cultural and historical realia, symbols, allusions, cultural myths. The peculiarities of the language of the protagonists are also studied in detail, such as the use of African American Vernacular English. The article outlines the brightest examples of the combination of language and culture in the work of fiction in the multicultural aspect.
Analysis of accumulation models of Middle Permian in Northwest Sichuan Basin
Authors: Li Bin , Li Qiqi , Mei Wenhua , Zhuo Qingong , Lu Xuesong
Published: June 2021

Great progress has been made in middle Permian exploration in Northwest Sichuan in recent years, but there are still many questions in understanding the hydrocarbon accumulation conditions. Due to the abundance of source rocks and the multi-term tectonic movements in this area, the hydrocarbon accumulation model is relatively complex, which has become the main problem to be solved urgently in oil and gas exploration. Based on the different tectonic backgrounds of the middle Permian in northwest Sichuan Basin, the thrust nappe belt, the hidden front belt, and the depression belt are taken as the research units to comb and compare the geologic conditions of the middle Permian reservoir. The evaluation of source rocks and the comparison of hydrocarbon sources suggest that the middle Permian hydrocarbon mainly comes from the bottom of the lower Cambrian and middle Permian, and the foreland orogeny promoted the thermal evolution of Paleozoic source rocks in northwest Sichuan to high maturity and over maturity stage. Based on a large number of reservoir physical properties data, the middle Permian reservoir has the characteristics of low porosity and low permeability, among which the thrust nappe belt and the hidden front belt have relatively high porosity and relatively developed fractures. The thick mudstone of Longtan formation constitutes the regional caprock in the study area and the preservation condition is good as a whole. However, the thrusting faults destroyed the sealing ability of the caprock in the nappe thrust belt. Typical reservoir profiles revealed that the trap types were different in the study area. The thrust fault traps are mainly developed in the thrust nappe belt, while the fault anticline traps are developed in the hidden front belt, and the structural lithological traps are developed in the depression belt. The different structural belts in northwest Sichuan have different oil and gas accumulation models, this paper built three hydrocarbon accumulation models by the analysis of reservoir formation conditions. The comprehensive analysis supposed the hidden front belt is close to the lower Cambrian source rock, and the reservoir heterogeneity is weak, faults connected source rock is developed, so it is a favorable oil and gas accumulation area in the middle Permian.
Effect of neural therapy on NGF and BDNF serum levels in patients with chronic pain. A pilot study
Authors: Garzón Carolina , Caminos Jorge Eduardo , Alzate Juan Pablo , Eslava-Schmalbach Javier Hernando , Garcés María Fernanda , Beltrán-Dussan Eduardo Humberto
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Neurotrophins (NT) are a family of proteins consisting of the nerve growth factor (NGF), the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and NT-3 and NT-4/5. These proteins play an essential role in neuronal survival, differentiation, and proliferation.
Objectives: To analyze the variations of NGF and BDNF serum levels in patients with chronic pain after undergoing neural therapy and to establish the effects of this type of intervention on their quality of life.
Materials and methods: Prospective pilot study conducted in 10 patients with chronic pain treated with neural therapy between July 2017 and April 2018 in Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Three consultations were performed (one in which the intervention was initiated, and two follow-up visits every three weeks). During each consultation, the patients’ quality of life was assessed using the SF-12 scale and their NGF and BDNF serum levels were measured. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, using medians and interquartile ranges for quantitative variables, and absolute frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables.
Results: The median score on the SF-12 scale tended to improve in the first and second follow-up visits compared with the baseline score (pre-intervention), particularly during the first follow-up visit (consultation No. 1: 34.5; follow-up No. 1: 39.5, and follow-up No. 2: 38). Median NGF serum levels had a downward trend after the intervention, particularly in the first follow-up visit (157.6, 42.95, and 237.8, respectively), and in the case of BNDF, an overall downward trend was also found (29.96, 19.24 and 20.43, respectively). An improvement in quality of life related to the decrease in the serum levels of both neurotrophins was observed.
Conclusion: Neural therapy intervention reduced NGF and BDNF serum levels and improved the quality of life of the participants. Therefore, the behavior of these neurotrophins could become a biomarker for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients with chronic pain.