bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio relation to sepsis severity scores and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: A case series
Authors: Pantzaris Nikolaos-Dimitrios , Platanaki Christina , Pierrako Charalampos , Karamouzos Vasilios , Velissaris Dimitrios 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as calculated from the white cell differential blood count is considered a promising marker for the prognosis of patients with various diseases, including sepsis. This study was designed to assess the possible use of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the prediction of survival outcomes in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). A secondary objective was to compare the prognostic accuracy of NLR with the commonly used severity scores of sepsis SOFA, APACHE II and SAPS II.

Methods
This was a retrospective study based on data extracted from 26 patients suffering from acute CAP. The study period was from February 01, 2017 until April 30, 2017. All patients with CAP were presented in the Emergency Department (ED) of the University Hospital of Patras, Greece and were treated after admission in the Internal Medicine Department. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated from the white blood cell count (WBC) values measured from a peripheral venous blood specimen drawn on admission. It was then compared with C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels and the sepsis calculated prognostic scores APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA. The impact of the above parameters was evaluated in relation to the final outcome.

Results
The mean period of hospitalization for the enrolled patients was 9.3 days (SD 5.8 days). Twenty-four patients (92.3%) got finally discharged from the hospital and two (7.7%) died during the hospitalization. Mean NLR and serum CRP values on admission were 10.2 ± 8.8 (min 1.4; max 34.7) and 11.4 ± 11 mg/dL (min 0.4; max 42.6) respectively. Based on the correlation analysis, serum CRP was more strongly positively correlated with NLR (r = 0.543, P = 0.004), than total WBC (r = 0.454, P = 0.02). None of the biomarkers of inflammation measured or computed in the study (CRP, WBC, NLR) showed any correlation with either the days of hospitalization or the sepsis prognostic scores.

Conclusions
NLR shows a statistical significant correlation to the commonly used inflammatory markers CRP and total WBC in the small sample size of patients with CAP that we assessed. Although NLR is a simple, cheap and rapidly available measurement in the ED, future, larger prospective studies are warranted to confirm its possible value as a prognostic index in sepsis patients with CAP.
Public Support of Solar Electricity and its Impact on Households - Prosumers
Authors: Zimmermannová Jarmila , Pawliczek Adam , Čermák Petr 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Currently, the idea of households - prosumers is broadly discussed in public governments, mainly in connection with both the energy security issues and the environmental issues. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to present new agent model of household - prosumer and to compare two scenarios – “off grid household” and “on grid household”. The additional goal is to evaluate the impact of public support of solar electricity on the economic efficiency of household – prosumer projects (systems).

Design/Methodology/Approach: The model is structured as a micro-level agent model, representing one household – prosumer. The model has the following general characteristics: one household with own electricity generation (photovoltaic panels), battery and in case of “on grid household” also connection to the grid. The main goal of the agent is to cover electricity consumption in household with minimal costs. The agent model of prosumer is tested and validated, using the empirical data.

Results: The highest level of subsidy has significant impact on the economic indicators of selected scenarios. It causes lower investment costs at the beginning of the project and consequently shorter payback period (3-4 years earlier), positive cumulative cash flow, net present value and IRR in earlier period (approximately 5-10 years earlier, depending on the scenario).

Conclusion: We can recommend to the government to continue with current system of subsidies, since it contributes to better economic indicators of particular solar electricity projects. On the other hand, the level of subsidy should be at least the same as in current year 2017, for the purposes of representing the significant part of the investment costs. Low level of subsidy has negligible impact on the economic indicators of households – prosumers projects. The developed agent model is suitable for the evaluation of economic impact of public support on households – prosumers.
Multi-Objective Weather Routing of Sailboats Considering Wave Resistance
Authors: Życzkowski Marcin , Krata Przemysław , Szłapczyński Rafał 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
The article presents a method to determine the route of a sailing vessel with the aid of deterministic algorithms. The method assumes that the area in which the route is to be determined is limited and the basic input data comprise the wind vector and the speed characteristic of the vessel. Compared to previous works of the authors, the present article additionally takes into account the effect of sea waves with the resultant resistance increase on the vessel speed. This approach brings the proposed model closer to real behaviour of a sailing vessel. The result returned by the method is the sailing route, optimised based on the multi-criteria objective function. Along with the time criterion, this function also takes into account comfort of voyage and the number of performed turns. The developed method has been implemented as simulation application SaillingAssistance and experimentally verified.
An Optimization Approach to the Intermodal Transportation Network in Fruit Cold Chain, Considering Cost, Quality Degradation and Carbon Dioxide Footprint
Authors: Ma Qianli , Wang Wenyuan , Peng Yun , Song Xiangqun 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
This model optimizes port hinterland intermodal refrigerated container flows, considering both cost and quality degradation, which is distinctive from the previous literature content in a way that it quantifies the influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in different setting temperature on intermodal network planning. The primary contribution of this paper is that the model is beneficial not only to shippers and customers for the novel service design, but also offer, for policy-makers of the government, insights to develop inland transport infrastructures in consideration of intermodal transportation. The majority of models of multimodal system have been established with an objective of cost minimization for normal commodities. As the food quality is possible to be influenced by varying duration time required for the storage and transportation, and transportation accompanied with refrigeration producing more CO2 emission, this paper aims to address cost minimization and quality degradation minimization within the constraint of CO2 footprint. To achieve this aim, we put the quality degradation model in a mixed-integer linear programming model used for intermodal network planning for cold chain. The example of Dalian Port and Yingkou Port offer insight into trade-offs between transportation temperature and transport mode considering CO2 footprint. Furthermore, the model can offer a useful reference for other regions with the demand for different imported food, which requires an uninterrupted cold chain during the transportation and storage.
CD4+CD25+CD127low FoxP3+ regulatory T cells in Crohn’s disease
Authors: Khalili Ali , Ebrahimpour Soheil , Maleki Iradj , Abediankenari Saeid , Afrouzi Mousa Mohammadnia 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Background. Regulatory T (Treg) cell plays a key role in autoimmune diseases. We evaluated the regulatory function and frequency of Treg cells and secreted IL-10, IL-35 concentration in Crohn’s disease (CD).

Methods. Twenty-three patients with CD and 25 healthy controls (HC) were included in this study. We analysed the alteration of Tregs frequency using flow cytometry for CD4, CD25, CD127 and FoxP3 markers. Surface expression of CD4, CD25 and CD127 markers were used for isolation of relatively pure Treg cells. Suppressive activity of Tregs was determined by measuring their ability to inhibit the proliferation of T responder (Tres) cells. In addition, the amounts of IL-10 and IL-35 cytokines in co-culture supernatants were measured by ELISA assay after stimulation with anti-CD2/CD3/CD28.

Results. CD patients had significantly lower frequency of CD4+ CD25+ CD127low FoxP3+ Treg cells in comparison with controls (2.17 ± 1.04 vs. 2.83 ± 1.07, p = 0.0352). Additionally, Treg cells mediated suppression was not significantly different in CD patients compared to controls. There was a significant difference in IL-10 secretion in response to anti-CD2/CD3/CD28 stimulation compared with HC (p = 0.0074).

Conclusion. The frequency of CD4+ CD25+ CD127low FoxP3+ Tregs decreased in active stage of CD but there was no impaired suppressive function of CD4+ CD25+ CD127low FoxP3+ Treg cells. We suggest that an alteration in the balance of Tregs and T effectors may contribute to pathogenesis of CD.
Screening of Model Animals for Experimental Infection with Equine Cyathostomes
Authors: Scháňková Š. , Langrová I. , Jankovská I. , Vadlejch J. , Čadková Z. , Křivská D. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Various laboratory animals – mice (Mus musculus) of six strains, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), rats (Rattus norvegicus), and Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were experimentally infected with larvae of small strongyles (Cyathostominae), obtained from horse faeces and cultured to the infective larval stage L3. The attempt to transfer cyathostome larvae was aimed at developing a model for the investigation of different aspects of the life cycle and biology of these nematodes in the laboratory. Some animals were immunized (hydrocortisone) for the duration of the study. The laboratory animals were orally infected with 2–10 thousand sheathed or ex-sheathed L3 larvae of mixed cyathostome species. All attempts to inoculate any animal failed; there was no larval development in the experimental rodents and it can be stated that none of the investigated animals may serve as a suitable model host for horse nematodes of the subfamily Cyathostominae.
Parasites of Myocastor coypus – a Comparison in Farm Animals and Their Feral Counterparts
Authors: Nechybová S. , Langrová I. , Tůmová E. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
The parasitic status in the coypus (nutrias) Myocastor coypus, both farm-bred or free-living on river banks in the Czech Republic, was determined. Faecal samples were collected from 200 coypus originating from 11 farms (farm-bred animals) and from 20 individuals living at 14 natural localities (feral animals). Faeces were examined for nematode eggs and coccidian oocysts using the McMaster method. The evaluation of faeces from farm-bred coypus indicated infection with the following parasites: Trichuris sp., Strongyloides sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Eimeria seidelli, Eimeria nutriae, Eimeria coypi, and Eimeria myopotami. Free-living feral rodents harboured Eimeria nutriae, E. coypi, Strongyloides sp. and in one case also Trichuris sp. An additional visceral examination of 20 coypus originating from five farms revealed two nematode species in the gastrointestinal tracts, namely Trichuris myocastoris and Strongyloides myopotami. The study indicated that feral coypus are far less parasitized than their captive counterparts.
Exploitation of Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) Shell Waste in the Form of Polymer–Particle Biocomposite
Authors: Müller M. , Valášek P. , Linda M. , Petrásek S. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Mechanically ground hazelnut (Corylus avellana) shells, a food industry by-product of hazelnuts processing, were tested for use as a composite material filler. Mechanical properties and fracture surface of the composite were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Polymer composites, i.e. resins filled with microparticles of hazelnut shells, were tested at various concentrations of the filler (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%). Hazelnut shell microparticles used at low concentration (5 wt%) increased tensile strength. The filler did not considerably influence hardness of the composite. Adhesive bond strength did not significantly change up to 20 wt%. The hazelnut shell microparticles were well wetted with the resin.
Drivers of Informal Sector Participation of Small and Medium Enterprise in Ghana
Authors: Mintah S. , Darkwah S. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
The informal sector of Ghana has been growing amidst the recent economic development in this country. The study investigated the drivers of informal sector participation by SMEs in Ghana and made use of a Chi-square statistical methodology to analyze the drivers of SME participation in the informal sector of Ghana. Analyses from the study showed that gender can be deemed as a driver for SME participation in the informal sector of Ghana. Gender was significant at 0.012 with registration of business enterprise and 0.055 with tax obligation of respondents. The educational level of SME operators had an impact on registration and tax obligation and therefore can be deemed as a driver of SME participation in the informal sector of Ghana. However, the level of education was insignificant to registration and tax obligation but had a strong correlation to these variables. The study also showed that women are more likely to participate in the informal sector of Ghana as compared to men and also that there is a high tendency of not paying tax among SME operators in the informal sector of Ghana. A very low educational level among SME participants was recorded with over 60% of the respondents not having any formal education. Based on the findings of the study, a country-wide research can be done to ascertain the socio-economic determinants of informal sector participation in Ghana. Also, the study highly recommends policies that can harness the usefulness of informal sector.
MODEL RENCANA PELAKSANAAN PEMBELAJARAN
Authors: Widyastono Herry 
Published: April 2018

Dalam rangka mencapai tujuan pembelajaran secara efektifÂ dan efisien, guru dituntut untuk menyusun rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran sebelum melaksanakan pembelajaran. PenyusunanÂ rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran mungkin selama ini didasarkanÂ atas intuisi, kepraktisan, mencontoh pengajar favoritnya ketika masihÂ menjadi mahasiswa di lembaga pendidikan tenaga kependidikanÂ (LPTK), atau atas dasar teori-teori tertentu yang pernahÂ dipelajarinya. Salah satu model rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaranÂ yang ditawarkan di sini, di dalamnya terkandung komponen: (1)Â Urutan kegiatan pembelajaran, yaitu urutan kegiatan pengajar dalamÂ menyampaikan materi pelajaran (pesan/informasi) kepada siswa; (2)Â Metode pembelajaran, yaitu cara pengajar mengorganisasikan pesanlÂ lnformasi dan siswa agar terjadi pembelajaran; (3) MediaÂ pembelajaran, yaitu peralatan yang digunakan untuk menyalurkanÂ pesan/informasi dari pengirim (sumber belajar) kepada penerimaÂ pesan (siswa); (4) Sumber belajar, yaitu sumber pesan/informasi yangÂ akan dipelajari siswa; dan (5) Waktu yang digunakan oleh siswa dan pengajar dalam menyelesaikan setiap langkah dalam kegiatanÂ pembelajaran.
Multikulturalisme-Bhinneka Tunggal lka Dalam Perspektif Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Sebagai Wahana Pembangunan Karakter Bangsa Indonesia
Authors: Winataputra Udin Saripudin 
Published: April 2018

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika yang secara harfiah diartikan sebagaiÂ bercerai berai tetapi satu merupakan ilustrasi dari jati diri bangsaÂ Indonesia yang secara natural, dan sosial-kultural dibangun di alasÂ keanekaragaman. (etnis, bahasa, budaya, dll). Secara akademis,Â konsep bhinneka tunggal ika tersebut dapatdipahami dalam konteksÂ konsep generik multiculturalism atau multikulturalisme. DalamÂ konteks itu, komitmen final tentang NKRI, Pembukaan UUD 1945Â yang diterima secara konsisten dengan Pancasila di dalamnya,Â wawasan Nusantara yang mempersatukan wilayah Indonesia dariÂ Sabang sampai Merauke serta pengakuan kebudayaan Indonesia yangÂ merajut puncak-puncak budaya dari semua etnis yang ada di Indonesia, merupakan indikasi yang kuat bahwa Indonesia tidak menganutÂ konsep American's melting pot, atau Australia's ethnic selection, atauÂ Malaysia's three ethnicity coexistence, atau Argentina's socialÂ cultrural assortment tetapi merupakan eclectic model dari Canada'sÂ cultural mosaic dengan konsepsi Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Mpu Tantular
Peningkatan Penguasaan Rumus Matematika Melalui Pemberian Latihan Soal Bervariasi Pada Siswa Kelas 11-7 SMU Negeri 1 Makassar
Authors: Nurdin Nurdin 
Published: April 2018

Penelitian ini adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (Classroom Aktion Research) yang bertujuan meningkatkan penguasaanÂ rumus matematika melalui pemberian soal latihan bervariasi.Â Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di SMU Negeri I Makassar dengan subjekÂ penelitian Kelas JJ-7 dengan jumlah siswa sebanyak 48 orang (20Â orang siswa laki-laki dan 28 orang siswa perempuan). PenelitianÂ berlangsung selama dua siklus dengan masing-masing siklus selamaÂ 4 kali pertemuan. Hasil-hasil yang diperoleh melalui penelitian iniÂ adalah a) pada siklus pertama, secara klasikal terlihat bahwa skorÂ rata-rata siswa adalah 6,96 atau berada dalam kategori tinggi, b)Â Pada siklus kedua, secara klasikal terlihat bahwa skor rata-rata siswaÂ adalah 7,21 atau berada dalam kategori tinggi, c)terdapatÂ peningkatan penguasaan rumus matematika siswa setelah dilakukanÂ pemberian soal-soal latihan bervariasi, dl terjadi peningkatanÂ motivasi dan keaktifan siswa dalam proses belajar-mengajarÂ matematika, yang tercermin dari jumlah Siswa yang siap mengerjakanÂ soal di papan tulis yang cenderung meningkat dari satu pertemuanÂ ke pertemuan berikutnya.
Kesenjangan Gender dalam Pemerataan dan Perluasan Akses Pendidikan
Authors: Kintamani Ida 
Published: April 2018

TujuanÂ penulisan ini adalah untuk mengetahui kesenjangan gender dalamÂ pemerataan dan perluasan akses pendidikan dilihat dari empat hal, yaitu 1) sasaran umum pendidikan bagi perempuan, 2) akses pendidikan bagi perempuan, 3) kontrol pendidikan bagi perempuan, dan 4) manfaat pendidikan bagi perempuan. Hasil penelitian adalah bahwa sasaran umum pendidikan menunjukkan kesenjangan gender pada SD (4,40%) dan SM (2,9%) akibat akses penndidikan yang dihitung dari angka masukan kasar juga ada kesenjangan sebesar 3,51% Partisipasi mahasiswa dalam bentuk presentase mahasiswa PT pada teknologi (61,48%) dan IPA (52,01%) juga terjadi kesenjangan rata-rata sebesar 10,60% akibat kontrol pengambilan keputusan lebih didominasi laki-laki. Oleh karena dominannya laki-laki dalam penentu kebijakan sehingga perempuan tertinggal, hal ini ditunjukkan perempuan yang menduduki eselon hanya 20,34% sehingga ada kesenjangan 39,33%). Angka melanjutkan ke jenjang pendidikan yang lebih tinggi juga menunjukkan kesenjangan terutama pada SMP ke SMK (13,22%) dan hanyaÂ angka bertahan di semua jenjang yang lebih besar perempuan
Modernisasi dan Rekonstektualisasi Pendidikan di Era Globalisasi
Authors: Luddin Muchlis R. 
Published: April 2018

Penulisan artikel ini dimaksudkan untuk memberikanÂ gambaran yang lebih utuh mengapa sebuah kebijakan harus diambilÂ setelah memperhatikan berbagai variabel yang sedang berkembang.Â Area kebijakan pendidikan merupakan diskursus penting dalamÂ penyelenggaraan pendidikan di suatu negara. Kebijakan pendidikanÂ amat menentukan konstruksi dan arah pembangunan manusia Indonesia. Kebijakan pendidikan tidak dirumuskan dalam suatu prosesÂ yang tunggal, tetapi ta ditentukan oleh berbagai variabel penting,Â apalagi jika kebijakan pendidikan itu ingin difokuskan kepada upayaÂ mengantisiapasi perkembangan aspirasi masyarakat. Pada era gloÂ­bal seperti sekarang, kebijakan pendidikan harus mencerminkanÂ tuntutan modernisasi dan rekonstektualisasi, sehingga kebijakanÂ pendidikan itu relevan dengan aspirasi masyarakat, pembangunanÂ ekonomi, dan perkembangan atau tuntutan globalisasi.
Budaya Kepemimpinan Lokal dalam Pelaksanaan Manajemen Berbasis Sekolah (MBS)
Authors: Turi La 
Published: April 2018

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggali informasi yangÂ berkaitan dengan pentingnya implementasi budaya kepemimpinanÂ lokal dalam pelaksanaan manajemen berbasis sekolah (MBS) diÂ sekolah. Penelitian dilaksanakan di SMP Negeri 7 Bau-Bau, Keraton Buton Sulawesi Tenggara dengan menggunakan metode kualitatifÂ yang bersifat etnografi. Data dan informasi penelitian ditetapkanÂ dengan teknik Snow-ball. Jnforman penelitian terdiri atas kepalaÂ sekolah, para guru, staf pendukung lainnya, komite sekolah, tokohÂ masyarakat/pemimpin informal/tokoh adat. Data dikumpulkanÂ dengan cara observasi p artisip an, interview mendalam, danÂ dokumentasi. Data dianalisis dengan analisis domain, analis isÂ taxonomi, analisis komponensial, dan analisis tema. Hasil penelitianÂ ini menunjukkan bahwa salah satu aspek yang dapat mempengaruhiÂ pelaksanaan manajemen berbasis sekolah (MBS) adalah budayaÂ kepemimpinan lokal, dalam istilah setempat dikenal denganÂ kepemimpinan "Bhinct-bhinci kuli "
Consequences of the restructuring of loans in Swiss francs in Poland in the light of consumer protection
Authors: PARTYKOWSKI Michał 
Published: April 2018

Aim: The subject of the paper is to discuss the consequences of the changes in the legislation on mortgage loans in Swiss francs, proposed by the Polish Sejm in August 2015, to the situation in the banking sector and the economy. The topic is important because of the potential impact of such changes on Polish banking industry, and indirectly lower GDP growth rate. Design: The article tries to assess consequences for the sector in next 5 years using set of quantitative and qualitative indicators. Author utilized literature review, experts’ opinions selection, and desk research on statistics data. Conclusions / findings: The author concludes that legislators proposal will bring negative impact of PLN >1 bn net income of the banking industry a year in next 5 years. However, if the legislation will be passed according to KNF’s feedback, most of these costs will be mitigated due to spreading banks’ losses over many years. The paper might be interested to banking and public sector analysts, as it brings a new opinion in the ongoing discussion. However, it is one of several voices in the public debate. Originality / value of the article: The paper brings implications to the legislators and public sector observes, serving as an independent analyze of the topic. Its main limitation is lack of granular quantitative losses estimation for banks, based on a scenario approach, which could add more value added to banking analysts, helping them benchmark their internal assessments.