bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors and Prostate Cancer – What We Rely Know About It?
Authors: Simic Dejan , Spasic Aleksandar , Jovanovic Mirko , Maric Predrag , Milosevic Radovan , Srejovic Ivan 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) represent a group of drugs that are registered for the treatment of erectile dysfunctions predominantly, but recently also for treatment of pulmonary hypertension and benign prostatic hypertrophy. However, more and more research deals with possible antitumor potential of PDE5Is in different types of cancers, including prostate cancer. Prostate cancer represents the one of the most common carcinoma in the male population, whose incidence is continuously increasing. Early detection combined with radical prostatectomy increases the survival rate, but also it is necessary to keep in mind the quality of life of patients undergoing prostatectomy in light of bladder control and erectile function. Authors of various clinical studies presented the results that often lead to totally opposing conclusions. For example, Chavez and colleagues have shown that use of PDE5Is in men with erectile dysfunction decreases the risk of developing prostate cancer, while, on the other hand, Michl and colleagues pointed out the adversely effect of PDE5Is on biochemical recurrence after bilateral nerve sparing radical prostatectomy. In that sense, the aim of this review was to present as many as possible of existing results dealing with of action of PDE5Is in the field of prostatic carcinoma. Taking into account all presented data, it can be concluded that eff ect of PDE5Is on formation, development and outcome of treatment in patients with prostate carcinoma is very intriguing question, whose response requires additional both experimental and clinical research.
Clinical Characteristics and Survival of Patients with Malignant Ovarian Tumors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Piszczan Swantje , Desalegn Dawit , Petros Hezkiel , Gurmu Mengistu , Kroeber Eric Sven , Addissie Adamu , Mikolajczyk Rafael , Ghebre Rahel G. , Mathewos Assefa , Thomssen Christoph , Jemal Ahmedin , Kantelhardt Eva Johanna 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundOvarian cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among women in Ethiopia, with about 2,550 diagnosed cases and 2,000 deaths each year. The incidence and mortality rates of this disease have been increasing in Ethiopia and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the past decades because of changing lifestyle and reproductive factors. In this study, we describe the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival of patients with ovarian cancer in Ethiopia.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 485 patients diagnosed between January 2009 and October 2015 at Addis Ababa University Hospital, Zewditu Memorial Hospital, or registered in the Addis Ababa population-based cancer registry. Follow-up data were obtained via telephone. Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.ResultsThe median age was 46 years (range, 11–95). The estimated 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 78% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.741–0.82.5) and 59% (95% CI, 0.538–0.646), respectively. Of those patients with result available (n = 423), 73.0% had epithelial cancers. Almost half were classified as Federation of Gynecology and Oncology stage III or IV (48.2%; stage available n = 201) resulting in worse outcomes (hazard ratio [HR], 2.91 [CI 0.67–12.64] and 3.03 [0.69–15.79], respectively). Four out of five patients received some form of surgery (82%), three out of five received platinum-containing chemotherapy. Patients with residual tumor after surgery (n = 83) showed worse survival outcome (HR, 2.23; 95% CI 1.08–4.49).ConclusionOur study revealed substantial treatment gaps with respect to surgery and adequate chemotherapy. Higher stage, residual tumor and lack of chemotherapy impaired the outcome. Access to higher standards of ovarian cancer treatment is urgently needed in Ethiopia.
Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin Eleştirel Düşünme Becerisini Geliştirmeye Yönelik Yöntem ve Teknikleri Kullanım Sıklıklarının İncelenmesi
Authors: ÖZYURT Melike , BEZİRGAN Gözde 
Published: April 2019

Bu araştırmayla öğrencilerin eleştirel düşünme
becerisini geliştirmek için önerilen yöntem, teknik, etkinliklerin sınıf öğretmenleri tarafından kullanma sıklıklarının incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini tesadüfi örnekleme yöntemiyle belirlenen 28
ilkokuldan 618 sınıf öğretmeni oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada ayrıca 16 sınıf
öğretmeniyle görüşme yapılmıştır. Karma araştırma yönteminin uygulandığı araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak
araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen Eleştirel Düşünmeyi Geliştiren Yöntem, Teknik ve Etkinlikleri Kullanma Sıklığı Anketi ve görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. 18 maddeden
oluşan anket üçlü likert tipindedir. Araştırmanın diğer veri toplama aracı olan
yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme
formu ise beş açık
uçlu sorudan oluşmaktadır. Araştırmada nicel verilerin çözümlenmesinde yüzde ve frekans
analizi uygulanmıştır. Nitel veriler ise betimsel analiz tekniği kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda öğretmenler tarafından en sık kullanılan
yöntemin “Problem Çözme” ( %
63,9); tekniğin “Soru cevap” ( % 88,7); En seyrek kullanılan
yöntemin “Örnek olay incelemesi” ( %13,8);
tekniğin ise “Altı şapka düşünme” tekniği ( %51,1) olduğu
bulunmuştur. Araştırmada bu yöntem ve teknikleri uygularken öğretmenlerin en
çok yaşadığı sorunun “Velilerin ilgisizliği” ( % 86,9) olduğu tespit
edilmiştir. Öğretmenlerin sıklıkla uyguladıkları yöntem ve teknikleri tercih
nedenlerinin ise kalabalık sınıflarda daha az zaman alması, öğrenci
seviyesine uygun olması, kolay öğrenmeyi sağlaması, kalıcı öğrenmeyi sağlaması,
yaratıcılığı geliştirmesi, konular üzerinde düşünmeyi sağlaması ve öğrencilerin
aktif olmasını sağlaması olduğu belirlenmiştir.
Net Neutrality in the U.S. – 2015
Authors: Larribeau Robert 
Published: April 2019

A U.S. Federal Court ruling in January 2014 overturned Net Neutrality rules issued in 2010 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the body that regulates both the telecommunications and the cable industries in the U.S. This sparked significant support for establishing new rules to provide Net Neutrality and resulted in the submission of more than one million comments to the FCC, which broke all records. This led to the FCC adopting new Net Neutrality rules in February 2015. The FCC followed President Barack Obama’s lead and classified the broadband operators as common carriers, which will require that they treat all of their customers and all content providers equally. As common carriers the broadband operators will not be able to favour one content provider over another or favour their own content services. It is very likely that these new rules will not settle the issue and will be challenged in Congress and in the courts. The Net Neutrality controversy will continue.
Things to learn and things to abandon: A comparative study of the communications consumer redress scheme in Australia, Japan and Korea
Authors: Li Grace 
Published: April 2019

Abstract: This article compares the telecommunications consumer dispute resolution scheme in Australia, Japan and Korea based on the telecommunications consumer policy principles developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2011 and the guidelines and recommendations developed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2013. This articles concludes that the Australian consumer dispute resolution scheme (the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme) appears to be the best practice among these three jurisdictions studied followed by the consumer scheme in Korea. Both the current Japanese scheme and the proposed new scheme in Japan appear to be lesser appropriate due to the foreseeable inadequate accessibility and insufficient consumer redress authority created under the scheme. Nonetheless, much experience and exceptional practices can all be shared and learned by the regulatory decision-makers in all three countries.
Software Defined Networking – Shaping up for the next disruptive step?
Authors: Hoang Doan 
Published: April 2019

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has emerged as a networking paradigm that can remove the limitations of current network infrastructures by separating the control plane from the data forwarding plane. As an immediate result, networks can be managed cost effectively and autonomously through centralising the decision-making capability at the control plane and the programmability of network devices on the data plane. This allows the two planes to evolve independently and open up separate horizontal markets on simplified network devices and programmable controllers. More importantly, it opens up markets for infrastructure providers to provision and offer network resources on-demand to multiple tenants and for service providers to develop and deploy their services on shared infrastructure resources cost-effectively. This paper provides an essential understanding of the SDN concept and architecture. It discusses the important implications of the control/data plane separation on network devices, management and applications beyond the scope of the original SDN. It also discusses two major issues that may help to bring the disruptive technology forward: the intent northbound interface and the cost-effective SDN approaches for the industry.
Towards Customer Leadership
Authors: Campbell Ian 
Published: April 2019

Today Australia's telecommunications market is strongly contested. Competitors with highly skilled, experienced and focused marketing teams battle for market position, market share and profit growth.This has not always been so.Telecom Australia was established in 1975 as the government owned national telecommunications carrier. Protected by regulated monopolies for network services and customer premises equipment, Telecom held perhaps 90% of the market. The predominantly engineering culture believed that it only needed a nominal marketing department and no sales force.In 1981 the monopolies were threatened. Telecom decided that it needed a sales force - quickly.This is a brief story of the building of that sales force over the first five years.In a government owned business steeped in the public service culture, strongly influenced by the public service unions and under a Labour government it was a grinding task.After five years the "subscribers" were more widely addressed and treated as "customers" and the sales force was operational. It was to be at least another six years before the sales force made the customers the focus of the business, and the skills, experience, management and culture of the force could match serious competitors in a de-regulated market.
The Tragedy of Australia's National Broadband Network
Authors: Tucker Rod 
Published: April 2019

This article reviews recent developments in global broadband deployments and highlights the growing global dominance of fibre to the premises (FTTP). Australia’s increasing use of fibre to the node (FTTN) has locked the country out of world-class broadband for years to come. If Australia is ever to obtain first-class broadband services, it will be necessary to replace FTTN with higher speed technologies.
RESTAURANT TAX IN BANDUNG
Authors: Runiawati Nunung , Safa’atul Barkah Cecep , Irawati Ira , Hermawati Rina 
Published: April 2019

Purpose: Culinary industry has enabled Bandung to be one of the favorite tourist destinations in Asia and culinary tourist destinations in Indonesia. The presence of the culinary industry, besides being able to increase the income of local people, also contributes to the increase in Local Own Revenues. This research aims to identify the potential of restaurant tax for local own revenues and the problem relating to the collection of restaurant tax in Bandung City.
Methodology: This research used quantitative descriptive and the qualitative method. The quantitative descriptive method was used for calculating the potential of restaurant tax, while the qualitative method with a case study approach was used for explaining the problems in managing restaurant tax. Data collection techniques were conducted through observation, interviews, and literature review.
Results: The result of this research is expected to be useful for determining the strategy for enhancing restaurant tax revenues of Bandung City. The research result shows that restaurant tax in Bandung City is one of local taxes potential for giving a contribution to Local Own Revenues of Bandung City, which is of 12.9% during the last three years.
Implications: Realization of restaurant tax during the last two years (2015-2016) has exceeded the target. It indicates that the potential of restaurant tax can be optimized. However, there are some difficulties in the collection of restaurant tax, there are some potential loss problems such as restaurants that do not pay up the tax according to the real potential of tax and some owners of restaurants (including catering) who have not yet been recorded as taxable subjects. It is also affected by the system of tax collection which is a self-assessment one. In the future, BPPD should improve law enforcement, tax audit, and tax collection in order to enhance local taxes from the restaurant sector.
Geoportal de suelos de Costa Rica como Bien Público al servicio del país
Authors: Mata-Chinchilla Rafael , Castro-Chinchilla Jonathan 
Published: April 2019

Poco más de 364.000 datos sobre características físicas, químicas y taxonómicas de suelos, de 1565 puntos de muestreos georreferenciados se encuentran ahora accesibles mediante la plataforma virtual “Geoportal de Suelos de Costa Rica”, en la dirección web www.suelos.cr.
Este es un esfuerzo liderado por el Centro de Investigaciones Agronómicas de la Universidad de Costa Rica, junto a el Instituto Nacional de Innovación y Transferencia en Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), la Asociación Costarricense de la Ciencia del Suelo (ACCS) y el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA).
Si bien la cartografía digital de suelos se empezó en Costa Rica en la década de 1990, sucesivos avances tecnológicos y actualizaciones en la taxonomía edáfica han obligado a abordar de manera innovadora la organización de vastísima información disponible, pero dispersa.
El trabajo desarrollado ha requerido el diseño, gestión y aseguramiento de la calidad de dos productos principales, una base de datos homogénea y la representación geoespacial mediante Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG). Productos intermedios del proceso se han materializado como Protocolos para la Gestión de Información en la Base de Datos, una sistematización metodológica del proceso, así como soportes digitales y materiales multimedia (videos) para la utilización de los productos digitales.
Los próximos pasos para la plataforma Geoportal de Suelos de Costa Rica incluyen su difusión y el monitoreo del aprovechamiento por los usuarios, el incremento de la densidad y oferta de datos manteniendo su acceso libre y la posibilidad de exportar el modelo de gestión a otros países del hemisferio.
Yapıda HVAC Sistem Seçimi
Authors: Özcan Uğur 
Published: April 2019

İnsanların
hayatlarını sürdürdükleri yapıların; gelişen teknoloji ve nüfus artışı ile
orantılı biçimde arttığı görülmektedir. Ülkemiz üzerinden yapılan araştırmalara
göre özellikle inşaat sektöründeki üretim yüksek bir seviyeye ulaşmıştır. Bu
üretilen yapıların üzerinden; “kullanıcı konforu bu oranda artış sağlamakta
mıdır?”, “bu artışa paralel olarak solunan hava ne kadar kaliteli ve
niteliklidir?” veya “hava kalitesi ve kullanıcı sağlığı için neler yapılmalı?”
gibi sorular akla gelmektedir. Bu bağlamda kullanıcı konforu ve sağlığı için
çözüm önerisi olarak HVAC sistemlerin doğru seçim ve kullanımından
bahsedilmiştir. HVAC sistemlerin yapı tasarımı tamamlandıktan sonra
alternatifler olarak değil, daha yapıya ait eskiz çalışmaları hazırlandığı
sırada düşünülmesine ve çevresel faktörlerin doğru analiz edilmesinin önemine
vurgu yapılmıştır. Bu sistemlerin seçimi ve tasarımı sırasında, hedefler ve öncelikler belirlendikten sonra,
tasarımcılar için bir ön görü kılavuzu oluşturmak amaçlanmıştır.
Compound Muscle Action Potential Amplitude Predicts the Severity of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Power Hollie A. , Sharma Ketan , El-Haj Madi , Moore Amy M. , Patterson Megan M. , Mackinnon Susan E. 
Published: April 2019

Background:
Cubital tunnel syndrome has a spectrum of presentations ranging from mild paresthesias to debilitating numbness and intrinsic atrophy. Commonly, the classification of severity relies on clinical symptoms and slowing of conduction velocity across the elbow. However, changes in compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude more accurately reflect axonal loss. We hypothesized that CMAP amplitude would better predict functional impairment than conduction velocity alone.

Methods:
A retrospective cohort of patients who underwent a surgical procedure for cubital tunnel syndrome over a 5-year period were included in the study. All patients had electrodiagnostic testing performed at our institution. Clinical and electrodiagnostic variables were recorded. The primary outcome was preoperative functional impairment, defined by grip and key pinch strength ratios. Multivariable regression identified which clinical and electrodiagnostic variables predicted preoperative functional impairment.

Results:
Eighty-three patients with a mean age of 57 years (75% male) were included in the study. The majority of patients (88%) had abnormal electrodiagnostic studies. Fifty-four percent had reduced CMAP amplitude, and 79% had slowing of conduction velocity across the elbow (recorded from the first dorsal interosseous). On bivariate analysis, older age and longer symptom duration were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with reduced CMAP amplitude and slowing of conduction velocity across the elbow, whereas body mass index (BMI), laterality, a primary surgical procedure compared with revision surgical procedure, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire scores, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain were not. Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that reduced first dorsal interosseous CMAP amplitude independently predicted the loss of preoperative grip and key pinch strength and that slowed conduction velocity across the elbow did not.

Conclusions:
Reduced first dorsal interosseous amplitude predicted preoperative weakness in grip and key pinch strength, and isolated slowing of conduction velocity across the elbow did not. CMAP amplitude is a sensitive indicator of axonal loss and an important marker of the severity of cubital tunnel syndrome. It should be considered when counseling patients with regard to their prognosis and determining the necessity and timing of operative intervention.

Level of Evidence:
Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Marketing Aspects of Vegetables: Comparative Study of Four Regions in East Java and Bali
Authors: Mariyono Joko , Dewi Hanik A. , Daroini Putu B. , Latifah Evy , Zakariya Abu Z. , Afari-Sefa Victor 
Published: April 2019

One of the factors that determines the success or failure of agribusiness is ability of farmers to sell the product. Thus, marketing is an important part of vegetable farming. Good marketing process leads to commercialization, and unsuccessful in this step leads to inadequate income. This study aims to explore the marketing aspects of vegetables using descriptive analysis of vegetable marketing relates issues. The aspects include sources of information, traders, time to sell, use of mobile phone in marketing and the potential constraints. Marketing characteristics of each region were discussed by comparing and contrasting one to another. Data for this study were gathered from a quantitative investigation of 360 farm households situated in four main vegetable producing regions of rural East Java and Bali, Indonesia. The results show that farmers relied on traders and neighbouring farmers as the trusted sources market information. The ways of farmers to sell the product to the market varied across regions. Commonly, farmers had frequent buyers or costumers to sell the products without any special commitment. In majority, farmers contacted a few of traders to sell the product about three days before harvesting. Highly fluctuation of prices was perceived to be the most important constraint among other factors limiting good marketing. Thus, there is a need to address such constraints to help farmers to get fairness.
The impact of dexmedetomidine added to ropivicaine for transversus abdominis plane block on stress response in laparoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Qin Zhaojun , Xiang Chunyan , Li Hongbo , Liu Tingting , Zhan Leyun , Xia Zhengyuan , Zhang Min , Lai Jianpin 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Background: Intravenous dexmedetomidine is known to attenuate stress response in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. We investigated whether the addition of the highly selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist dexmedetomidine into ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block could inhibit stress response during laparoscopic surgery, and determined the optimal dose of dexmedetomidine in it.
Methods: One hundred and twenty-five patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecological surgery were included in this prospective and randomized double-blind study. Patients received general anesthesia with or without a total of 60 ml of 0.2% ropivacaine in combination with low (0.25 µg/kg), medium (0.50 µg/kg) or high dose (1.0 µg/kg) of dexmedetomidine for the four-quadrant transversus abdominis plane block( n = 25). The primary outcomes were stress marker levels during the operation.
Results: One hundred and twenty patients completed the study protocol. Dexmedetomidine added to ropivacaine for transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced serum levels of cortisol, norepinephrine, epinephrine, interleukin-6, blood glucose, mean arterial pressure and heart rate in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), accompanied with decreased anesthetic and opioid consumption during the operation (P < 0.05), but the high dose of dexmedetomidine induced higher incidences of bradycardia than low or medium dose of dexmedetomidine (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The addition of dexmedetomidine at the dose of 0.5 µg/kg into ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block is the optimal dose to inhibit stress response with limited impact on blood pressure and heart rate in patients undergoing laparoscopy gynecological surgery.