bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender and Feminism in Pre-colonial and Postcolonial Nigerian Literature: Reading, Achebe, Adichie, and Atta
Authors: Chowdhury-Mohammad Shadman 
Published: December 2022

<p>For more than a century since British colonization of Nigeria (1914-1960), the voices of Nigerian women have largely been silent, both in Nigerian literature and in society. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958), which is widely regarded as one of the literary works that ushered in modern Nigerian writing, provides evidence of the existence and types of patriarchal structures in pre-colonial contact Nigeria that silenced women. Achebe’s novel has influenced an entire generation of late twentieth century and twenty-first century Nigerian authors whose writings engage with female silence/silencing, and with Nigerian women’s resistance to that silencing, in the postcolonial period. This silence/silencing is a consequence of anti-woman norms embedded in both local Nigerian customs and traditions and in beliefs and practices held over from colonial times. </p>
<p>In this paper, two of these contemporary Nigerian works—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come (2005) are compared with Things Fall Apart. Adichie’s and Atta’s novels are both set in the latter part of the twentieth century; and, when analyzed in tandem with Achebe’s, they offer an exploration of the ways in Chowdhury-Mohammad 4 which the combination of Nigerian customs and the remnants of British colonial influence impact on Nigerian women’s ability to make themselves heard. </p>
<p>For the analysis of the novels, this paper draws on writings of notable postcolonial and feminist theorists such as Frantz Fanon and Simone de Beauvoir, as well as the writings of “Third World” theorists such as Gayatri Spivak to contextualize the discussion of female silence/silencing.</p>
Production and Quantification of Virulence Factors in Malassezia Species
Authors: Hadrich Inès , Khemekhem Nahed , Neji Sourour , Trablesi Houaida , Ilahi Amin , Sellami Hayet , Makni Fattouma , Ayadi Ali 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Seventy-seven strains of Malassezia were included in this study. Biofilm and hydrolytic enzyme production were studied by using specific solid media. The Real-Time reverse transcriptase qPCR method was applied to determine the overexpression of genes encoding the extracellular enzymes. All included Malassezia species produced biofilms. No statistically significant difference was observed between Malassezia species in biofilm formation (p = 0.567). All Malassezia species produced lipase, and 95% of Malassezia globosa showed a strong enzymatic activity (Pz = 0.55 ± 0.02). A statistically significant difference was observed between the mean keratinase indices of Malassezia slooffiae and the other Malassezia species (p = 0.005). The overexpression of one or more genes was observed in 100% of strains isolated from patients with folliculitis, 87.5% – with pityriasis versicolor, and 57.14% of the control group isolates. A statistically significant difference in the lipase gene expression (p = 0.042) was between the strains from patients with folliculitis and the control group. This investigation provides more information about the frequency of the production of the major enzymes considered virulence factors of Malassezia species. Interestingly, the overexpression of one or more genes was observed in strains isolated from patients with Malassezia disorders.
Penerapan Media Pembelajaran Audio Visual Terhadap Peningkatan Hasil Belajar Peserta Didik Pada Mata Pelajaran PAI Kelas VII 6 Di SMP Negeri 7 Makassar
Authors: Nengsih Ratika , Novianti R.S Ifut , Hakim Ahmad 
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this study was to find out how the Application of Pendengaran Penglihatan Learning Alat Improve Student Learning Outcomes in PAI Subjects Class VII 6 at SMP Negeri 7 Makassar and to determine student learning outcomes using Pendengaran Penglihatan Learning Alat in PAI learning class VII 6 in SMP Negeri 7 Makassar. This research is a Classroom Action Research (CAR) which consists of two cycles, where each cycle consists of two meetings. The sample in this study was class VII 6 students at SMP Negeri 7 Makassar with a total of 28 students. The techniques used in collecting data in this study were observation, interviews, tests, and documentation. The test consists of two types, namely pre-test and post-test, the pre-test is carried out at the beginning of the meeting before the students are given treatment or the learning process by applying Audio Visual learning media while the post-test is carried out at the end of each meeting in each cycle. The data analysis technique used in this study is to use the formula for calculating the percentage and average value (Mean) for both student activity sheet data analysis and student learning outcomes. The results of this study are the application of Audio Visual learning media in PAI subjects is able to increase the sense of responsibility individually and in groups and the application of this Audio Visual learning model can improve student learning outcomes in PAI subjects. Thus the increase in student learning outcomes can be proven by the value of students who have increased and are getting better. The average value in the pre-test is 69.28 with a percentage of 42%, the average post-test value in the first cycle is 76.96 with a percentage of 71.42% and the post-test average value in the second cycle is 91, 42 with a percentage of 92.85%. The data proves that student learning outcomes can increase and have met the class success indicator, namely 80% with the application of Audio Visual learning media.
Evaluasi Pembelajaran Online pada Masa Pandemic Covid -19 di Perguruan Tinggi di Kota Pekalongan
Authors: Susanto Susanto , Achwandi Ribut 
Published: December 2022

One of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesian education is the implementation of online learning which seems to be forced because in terms of infrastructure and human resources it is not sufficient. The purpose of this research is to find and map the advantages and disadvantages of online learning so that in the end it can be a recommendation for improvement and enhancement of online learning. This research is a quantitative descriptive study with data sources from the results of questionnaires to students at higher education institutions in Pekalongan. The questionnaire is in the form of closed and open questions.
The results of this study indicate that the average score of online learning evaluations gets a score of 89 (70%) which belongs to the high criteria. This means that the implementation of online learning in higher education institutions is good from the learning planning stage to the assessment stage. From the six elements of the online learning process that are measured, namely the learning contract, learning objectives and learning outcomes, assessment, lecture material, student involvement and student learning resources respectively get a score of 68%, 69%, 71%, 68%, 72%, and 71%.
However, students still provide criticism and suggestions for improvements to lecturers, learning, online infrastructure and financing. From the results of this study, online learning during the pandemic period was still effective to be taught while still fixing several aspects that were recommended for improvement, namely from academic policies, development of lecturer resources, and increasing the capacity of system infrastructure.
Delignification of Cassava Peel by Using Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide Method: Study of Peroxide Concentration, Solid/Liquid Ratio, and pH
Authors: Afifah Dini Nur , Damajanti Neni , Mustholidah Maulani , Hariyanti  
Published: December 2022

Cassava peel is a natural material with cellulose content reaching 33.33%. In order to utilize cassava peel as a biodegradable polymer and renewable energy alternative, a delignification process is essential to separate cellulose from hemicellulose and lignin, which prevents the penetration of cellulose hydrolyzer. The delignification method chosen in this study was alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP). The AHP is based on the autoxidation of lignin using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in an alkaline environment. This method was chosen because it can damage the lignocellulosic structure with relatively low energy and is more selective for lignin. However, under certain conditions, AHP can trigger carbohydrate depolymerization, which decreases yield. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effect of H2O2 concentration, Solid/Liquid ratio (S/L) (w/v), and pH to evaluate the effectiveness of lignin removal in cassava peel. The concentration of H2O2 was varied into 1.5%, 3%, 4.5%, 6%, and 7.5%. The S/L ratio is varied to 1:3, 1:5, 1:7, 1:9,1:12. The pH of the solution was varied to 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The reaction temperature was maintained at 70-90 °C for 3 hours. The results showed that lignin could be reduced to 84.05% for 3 hours by using 6% H2O2, an S/L ratio of 1:5, and a pH of 11. The reaction carried out under these conditions can also increase the amount of cellulose from 33.33% to 49.00%.
Effect of condylar chondrocyte exosomes on condylar cartilage osteogenesis in rats under tensile stress
Authors: Shi Yuan , Shao Jiaqi , Zhang Zanzan , Zhang Jianan , Lu Haiping 
Published: December 2022

Background: Functional orthoses are commonly used to treat skeletal Class II malocclusion, but the specific mechanism through which they do this has been a challenging topic in orthodontics. In the present study, we aimed to explore the effect of tensile stress on the osteogenic differentiation of condylar chondrocytes from an exosomal perspective.Methods: We cultured rat condylar chondrocytes under resting and tensile stress conditions and subsequently extracted cellular exosomes from them. We then screened miRNAs that were differentially expressed between the two exosome extracts by high-throughput sequencing and performed bioinformatics analysis and osteogenesis-related target gene prediction using the TargetScan and miRanda softwares. Exosomes cultured under resting and tensile stress conditions were co-cultured with condylar chondrocytes for 24 h to form the Control-Exo and Force-Exo exosome groups, respectively. Quantitative real time PCR(RT-qPCR) and western blotting were then used to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of Runx2 and Sox9 in condylar chondrocytes.Results: The mRNA and protein expression levels of Runx2 and Sox9 in the Force-Exo group were significantly higher than those in the Control-Exo group (p &lt; 0.05). The differential miRNA expression results were consistent with our sequencing results. Bioinformatics analysis and target gene prediction results showed that the main biological processes and molecular functions involved in differential miRNA expression in exosomes under tensile stress were biological processes and protein binding, respectively. Kyoto Gene and Genome Data Bank (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed significant enrichment of differentially expressed miRNAs in the mTOR signaling pathway. The differentially expressed miRNAs were found to target osteogenesis-related genes.Conclusion: These results suggest that stimulation of rat condylar chondrocytes with tensile stress can alter the expression levels of certain miRNAs in their exosomes and promote their osteogenic differentiation. Exosomes under tensile stress culture conditions thus have potential applications in the treatment of Osteoarthritis (OA).
Analyzing the postulated inhibitory effect of Manumycin A on farnesyltransferase
Authors: Hagemann Anna , Altrogge Philipp Klemens , Kehrenberg Miriam Caroline Alice , Diehl Daniel , Jung Dominik , Weber Lea , Bachmann Hagen Sjard 
Published: December 2022

Manumycin A is postulated to be a specific inhibitor against the farnesyltransferase (FTase) since this effect has been shown in 1993 for yeast FTase. Since then, plenty of studies investigated Manumycin A in human cells as well as in model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans. Some studies pointed to additional targets and pathways involved in Manumycin A effects like apoptosis. Therefore, these studies created doubt whether the main mechanism of action of Manumycin A is FTase inhibition. For some of these alternative targets half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of Manumycin A are available, but not for human and C. elegans FTase. So, we aimed to 1) characterize missing C. elegans FTase kinetics, 2) elucidate the IC50 and Ki values of Manumycin A on purified human and C. elegans FTase 3) investigate Manumycin A dependent expression of FTase and apoptosis genes in C. elegans. C. elegans FTase has its temperature optimum at 40°C with KM of 1.3 µM (farnesylpyrophosphate) and 1.7 µM (protein derivate). Whilst other targets are inhibitable by Manumycin A at the nanomolar level, we found that Manumycin A inhibits cell-free FTase in micromolar concentrations (Ki human 4.15 μM; KiC. elegans 3.16 μM). Furthermore, our gene expression results correlate with other studies indicating that thioredoxin reductase 1 is the main target of Manumycin A. According to our results, the ability of Manumycin A to inhibit the FTase at the micromolar level is rather neglectable for its cellular effects, so we postulate that the classification as a specific FTase inhibitor is no longer valid.
Measuring adherence, acceptability and likability of an artificial-intelligence-based, gamified phone application to improve the quality of dietary choices of adolescents in Ghana and Vietnam: Protocol of a randomized controlled pilot test
Authors: Braga Bianca C. , Arrieta Alejandra , Bannerman Boateng , Doyle Frank , Folson Gloria , Gangupantulu Rohit , Hoang Nga Thu , Huynh Phuong Nam , Koch Bastien , McCloskey Peter , Tran Lan Mai , Tran Trang Huyen T. , Truong Duong Thuy T. , Nguyen Phuong H. , Hughes David , Gelli Aulo 
Published: December 2022

Unhealthy diets are a critical global concern while dietary measure methods are time consuming and expensive. There is limited evidence that phone-based interventions can improve nutrition data collection and dietary quality, especially for adolescents in developing countries. We developed an artificial-intelligence-based phone application called Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) to address these problems. FRANI can recognize foods in images, track food consumption, display statistics and use gamified nudges to give positive feedback on healthy food choice. This study protocol describes the design of new pilot studies aimed at measuring the feasibility (acceptability, adherence, and usability) of FRANI and its effects on the quality of food choice of adolescents in Ghana and Vietnam. In each country, 36 adolescents (12–18 years) will be randomly allocated into two groups: The intervention group with the full version of FRANI and the control group with the functionality limited to image recognition and dietary assessment. Participants in both groups will have their food choices tracked for four weeks. The control groups will then switch to the full version of FRANI and both groups will be tracked for a further 2 weeks to assess acceptability, adherence, and usability. Analysis of outcomes will be by intent to treat and differences in outcomes between intervention and control group will use Poisson and odds ratio regression models, accounting for repeated measures at individual levels. If deemed feasible, acceptable and usable, FRANI will address gaps in the literature and advance the nutrition field by potentially improving the quality of food choices of adolescent girls in developing countries. This pilot study will also provide insights on the design of a large randomized controlled trial. The functioning and dissemination of FRANI can be an important step towards highly scalable nutrition data collection and healthier food choices for a population at risk of malnutrition.The study protocol and the methods and materials were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the IFPRI on April 29th, 2020 (registration number #00007490), the Thai Nguyen National Hospital on April 14th, 2020 (protocol code 274/ĐĐĐ-BVTWTN) and the University of Ghana on August 10th, 2020 (Federalwide Assurance FWA 00001824; NMIMR-IRB CPN 078–19/20). The study protocol was registered in the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN 10681553; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10681553) on November 12, 2021.
Face-to-face versus online-based lectures: A COVID-19 induced study on assessments
Authors: Fisher David , Solomons Deon , Makhathini Khayelihle Brian 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionThere is much debate regarding the impact of COVID-induced lockdown on the standard of assessments, mainly since students were assessed at home via an online assessment platform. Regular orthodox lectures and assessments were carried out during the first term, while the strictly enforced South African COVID lockdown warranted that 2nd term lectures and assessments were based online. This created the fortunate control conditions to statistically compare orthodox face-to-face with online-home-based assessments.MethodsWe compared the assessments of a cohort of second-year students studying physiology and anatomy during 2019 and 2020: Orthodox face-to-face teaching and assessments (2019) were compared to online teaching and their analogous online assessments (2020) during the COVID-19-induced lockdown.ResultsAlthough class pass rates and marks for online assessments (2020) were significantly higher than for traditional assessments (2019), an essential finding of the study was that the Gaussian distribution of the marks across the class for both modes of assessment was statistically identical. This indicated that although students performed better with home-based online assessments, poor-performing students populated the lower spread of marks, modal students occupied the central distribution, while good students occupied the higher mark distribution of the curve.DiscussionThe students were found to be resilient in adapting to things and learning, online presentations, and computer-based assessments. No gender-based difference or advantage to adjusting to newly introduced blended learning and concomitant changes in learning assessment strategies was found. The online-home-based assessments proved to incentivize prior learning and preparation for assessments by implementing strict time limits or assessments and randomizing the selections of questions and respective (MCQ) answer choices. We conclude that although home-based online assessments significantly improve the overall mark distribution, there was no distinction in the spread of the distribution of marks, which was indicative that the home-based online assessment process was able to provide an identical measure of course proficiency as in the orthodox sit-down assessment. Therefore, our statistical analysis of the performance of students under student assessment performances indicates that there is no rationale for thinking that the home-based online mode of assessment is equivalent to or better than the orthodox modes of assessment.
Why are they not coming back? A single-center follow-up study on oncological women oocyte’s storing for fertility preservation
Authors: Immediata Valentina , Cirillo Federico , Baggiani Annamaria , Zanagnolo Maria Federica , Ronchetti Camilla , Morenghi Emanuela , Cesana Amalia , Specchia Cristina , Levi-Setti Paolo Emanuele 
Published: December 2022

IntroductionOocyte cryopreservation is a valid option for female cancer patients to preserve fertility. The number of patients undergoing fertility preservation (FP) cycles has increased over the past years. Nevertheless, the rates of patients returning to use their cryopreserved material have shown to be considerably low, ranging from 5-8%, but significant data regarding the reasons of such low return rates are scarce.MethodsThis study is a single-center follow-up retrospective study evaluating the return rate of oncological women who underwent FP at a tertiary care Fertility Center and assessing the reasons influencing the patients who did not return. Data about patients who returned to attempt pregnancy were retrieved from internal registries. Non-returned patients were assessed with a standardized phone survey investigating health condition, marital status and family projects, spontaneous conceptions, and the reasons why they had not returned to use their gametes. A univariate analysis between returned and non-returned patients was performed.ResultsOf the 397 patients who received counseling about FP, 171 (43.1%) underwent oocyte cryopreservation between 2001 and 2017. Nine (5%) died, and 17 (10%) were lost at follow-up. A total of 20 patients (11.7%) returned and 125 did not. In the non-returned group, 37 (29.6%) did not have a partner, 10 (8%) had a previous spontaneous conception, and 15 (12%) had recurrent malignancy at the time of follow-up. In the univariate analysis, younger age at freezing (31.8±6.2 vs. 35.2±4.7; p 0.018), lack of a partner (p 0.002), type of cancer (other than breast cancer; p 0.024) were the significant factors in the non-returned group. As for the personal reason for not coming back, patients mainly answered as follows: lack of a partner (29, 23.2%), the desire for spontaneous motherhood (24, 19.2%), previous spontaneous pregnancies after FP procedures (16, 12.8%), and still ongoing hormonal therapy for breast cancer (13, 10.4%). All patients confirmed their will to keep the storage of their oocytes.DiscussionThe impact of a cancer diagnosis on a woman’s maternal desire, sentimental status and life priorities should be studied more thoroughly. Studies investigating hormonal therapy suppression in breast cancer patients seeking pregnancy should be encouraged.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05223764.