PENGARUH KEPEMIMPINAN TRANSFORASIONAL TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI PADA SUB BAGIAN UMUM DAN KEPEGAWAIAN BADAN PERENCANAAN PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH (BAPPEDA) KOTA BANDUNG

Abstrak Berdasarkan hasil pengamatan peneliti pada Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (BAPPEDA) Kota Bandung pada Subbagian Umum dan Kepegawaian diperoleh bahwa kinerja pegawai masih rendah, hal ini terlihat dari indikator : Kualitas Kerja kerja yang masih rendah dan ketepatan waktu pegawai dalam menyelesaikan pekerjaan masih kurang. Hal ini disebabkan oleh : Kepala Subbagian Umum dan kepegawaian kurang memberikan perhatian kepada pegawai dan ketidaktahuan pegawai mengenai pekerjaan yang dikerjakan. Metode yang peneliti gunakan adalah metode penelitian kuantitatif, teknik pengumpulan data dan penelitian lapangan yang terdiri dari angket, wawancara dan observasi. Angket disebar kepada responden sebanyak 16 orang pegawai dengan menggunakan skala likert. Hambatan-hambatan yang dihadapi pegawai Subbagian umum dan kepegawaian Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (BAPPEDA) adalah sebagai berikut : kurangnya perhatian yang diberikan kepala Subbagian kepada para pegawai dan kurangnya pengetahuan pegawai mengenai pekerjaan yang dilakukan. Usaha-usaha yang dilakukan kepala subbagian umum dan kepegawaian badan penrencanaan pembangunan daerah (BAPPEDA) kota Bandung adalah sebagai berikut : lebih memberi keinginan dan kebutuhan pegawai dalam usaha pencapain tujuan dan berusaha untuk memberikan penghargaan kepada pegawai yang berpretasi. Kesimpulan yang dapat peneliti kemukakan berdasarkan hasil hitungangket dengan aplikasi SPSS (Statistic Product and Service Solutions), wawancara dan observasi menunjukan bahwa terdapat pengaruh yang besar antara kepemimpinan transformasional terhadap kinerja pegawai, sedangkan faktor lain yang tidak redefinisi cukup mempengaruhi variabel kinerja pegawai, selain variabel kepemimpinan transformasional. Dengan demikian, hipotesis konseptual mengenai pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasiolan terhadap kinerja pegawai teruji. Saran-saran yang dapat peneliti kemukakan berupa saran praktis dengan lebih memperhatikan hal-hal yang harus dilakukan dan saran akademis dengan memperluas wawasan, ilmu pengetahuan dan mengembangkan data serta informasi mengenai pentingnya kepemimpinan transformasional terhadap kinerja pegawai untuk kelancaran pekerjaan yang dibebankan

PRESCRIPTION PATTERN OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AMONG DENTAL PRACTITIONERS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN NORTH INDIA

Objective:The purpose of the study was to find out the pattern of antimicrobial prescription among dental practitioners in a tertiary care centre in North India. Methods:100 prescriptions of the patients attending the various dental outpatient departments of Ziauddin Ahmed Dental College, Aligarh Muslim University were collected and tabulated between January 2016 to June 2016. An observational study was done on the obtained prescriptions on various aspects like dental pathology for which antimicrobial were prescribed, antimicrobial agents used for management of acute and chronic conditions along with their dose and duration. Compliance of the patients during therapy and  adverse effects associated with the regimen was also taken into consideration and the final data was expressed as counts and percentages.Results: Out of a total of 100 patients 54 (54.0%) were males while females were numbered as 46 (42.0%) with maximum distribution of the patients between 31-40 years. On analysis the most commonly presented dental condition for which antimicrobials were prescribed were Acute/Chronic periodontitis (48%), Acute/Chronic gingivitis (32%), Caries (11%), Post RCT (4%), Pericoronitis (3%), Oral trauma (1%) and other condition (1%). For the management of above conditions  antimicrobials were the most extensively used agents which were prescribed for only 3-5 days which may not be sufficient, followed by analgesics and antimicrobial mouthwashes. Among the antimicrobials used, most frequently used agents were Amoxycillin (50%) followed by Ornidazole (21%), Ofloxacin (20%), Doxycycline (16%), Cefixime (9%) and Ciprofloxacin (3%) used either alone or in combination for the management of acute and chronic conditions. Only two patients were advised for culture & sensitivity tests prior to antimicrobial therapy because of non compliance of patients. Majority (74%) of patients completed the prescribed regimen of antimicrobials while 7 patients reported adverse drug reactions(ADRs), among which most common  were nausea and vomiting.Conclusions: In our study we found that the periodontal diseases were the most frequently reported conditions followed by acute/chronic gingivitis for which antimicrobials were prescribed while Amoxycillin and Ornidazole were the most commonly used antimicrobials for the management of various acute and chronic dental conditions, but were prescribed without culture & sensitivity in most cases. 7% patients reported ADRs. To conclude appropriate measures are to be promoted for rational prescribing and ADR reporting.Keywords: Amoxicillin, Dental, Antimicrobials, infections, Prescription pattern

The Future of Concluding Governmental Contracts in Light of the Smart Contracts “An Applied Analytical Study in Light of the Block Chain Technology and Digital Currencies”

The current study is summarized in showing the future of governmental contracts in light of the novelties of the technical and technological revolution, where the smart applications became of its most important. We dealt with this study through two requirements; the first requirement dealt with the essence of smart governmental contracts through four branches. In the first branch we dealt with the concept of smart governmental contracts, in the second branch we talked about the types of smart governmental contracts , in the third branch we displayed the characteristics of smart governmental contracts and finally in the fourth branch we dealt with the legal nature of smart governmental contracts . The second requirement was allocated to talk about the possibility of concluding governmental contracts through smart contracts as a future vision by dividing it into three branches; the first branch was allocated to highlight the essence of smart mediator of agent, the second branch was allocated to set a perspective of the smart governmental tender leading to smart governmental bidding in the third branch, and finally the conclusion which included the main result the study found and the most important recommendations

Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Calophyllum rubiginosum

Abstract: Clusiaceae / Guttiferae an evergreen shrubs or trees, it is considered as a family of 27 genera and 1090 species. Calophyllum rubiginosum one of these species and belongs to this family. In Malaysia they use it as folk remedies, where they believe its’ activity. Problem: Evaluation of antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of three fractions. n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH) of Calophyllum rubiginosum species. Approach: The three main fractions were tested to find out the antioxidant capacity using three different methods, DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power and chelating iron ions. The fractions were tested against lung cancer A-549 cell line to assess the anti-proliferation activity. Results: The MeOH fraction showed no effect against lung cancer cell line but achieved a significant result in antioxidant testing. The DCM and n-hexane fractions considered as moderate antioxidant agent, they showed a significant result against lung cancer cell line. Non and semi polar fractions were able to inhibit the proliferation of A-549 cell line at low concentration. The results were statistically significant (P< 0.05). Conclusions: C. rubiginosum fractions have showed significant activity. DCM and n-hexane fractions proved to be effective against A-549 lung cancer cell line, where they were able to disturb the cell proliferation. These results can benefit the local community, and to guide how to use this plant.Keywords: Calophyllum rubiginosum; Antioxidant; DPPH; Reducing power; Chelating iron ions; Cytotoxicity

Assessment of Thermophysical Performance of Ester-Based Nanofluids for Enhanced Insulation Cooling in Transformers

Nanotechnology provides an effective way to upgrade the thermo physical characteris- 12 tics of dielectric oils and creates optimal transformer design. The properties of insulation materials 13 have a significant effect on the optimal transformer design. Ester based nanofluids (NF) are intro- 14 duced as an energy-efficient alternative to conventional mineral oils, and prepared by dispersing 15 nanoparticles in the base oil. This study presents the effect of nanoparticles on the thermo-physical 16 properties of pure natural ester (NE) and synthetic ester (SE) oils with temperature varied from 17 ambient up to 80 oC. A range of concentrations of Graphene oxide (GO) and TiO2 nanoparticles 18 were used in the study to upgrade the thermo physical properties of ester based oils. The experi- 19 ment for thermal conductivity and viscosity were performed using a TC-4 apparatus that follows 20 Debby’s concept, and redwood viscometer apparatus that follows the ASTM- D445 experimental 21 standard respectively. The experimental results show that nanoparticles have a positive effect on 22 thermal conductivity and viscosity of oils, while they reduce with increase in temperaturepublishedVersio

Influence of Area and Volume Effect on Dielectric Behaviour of the Mineral Oil-Based Nanofluids

Transformer oil is conventionally used as an insulating liquid for the purpose of insulation and cooling in power transformers. The rise in the power demand has put stress on the existing insulation system used for power transmission. Nanotechnology provides an advanced approach to upgrade the conventional insulation system by producing nano-oil with enhanced dielectric characteristics. The aim of the study is to present the influence of area volume effect on the dielectric performance of mineral oil and its nanofluids. In this paper, nanofluids are prepared by dispersing two different concentrations of SiO2 nanoparticles in base transformer oil using a two-step method. The effect of area and volume is investigated on nanofluids in the laboratory using coaxial electrode configurations under different test conditions. The AC breakdown voltage and maximum electric stress is determined for the pure oil and nanofluids. The results show that the addition of SiO2 nanoparticles significantly improves the dielectric characteristics of transformer oil. Moreover, the breakdown phenomenon is also discussed to analyze the effect of nanoparticle, stressed area, and stressed volume on the dielectric strength of insulating oil. Nanofluids could be an alternative to mineral oil.publishedVersio

3D printed auxetic nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 sample collection

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials on 12/11/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.104175 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in worldwide shortages of nasopharyngeal swabs required for sample collection. While the shortages are becoming acute due to supply chain disruptions, the demand for testing has increased both as a prerequisite to lifting restrictions and in preparation for the second wave. One of the potential solutions to this crisis is the development of 3D printed nasopharyngeal swabs that behave like traditional swabs. However, the opportunity to digitally conceive and fabricate swabs allows for design improvements that can potentially reduce patient pain and discomfort. The study reports the progress that has been made on the development of auxetic nasopharyngeal swabs that can shrink under axial resistance. This allows the swab to navigate through the nasal cavity with significantly less stress on the surrounding tissues. This is achieved through systematically conceived negative Poisson's ratio (-ν) structures in a biocompatible material. Finite element (FE) and surrogate modelling techniques were employed to identify the most optimal swab shape that allows for the highest negative strain (-∊lat) under safe stress (σvon). The influence and interaction effects of the geometrical parameters on the swab's performance were also characterised. The research demonstrates a new viewpoint for the development of functional nasopharyngeal swabs that can be 3D printed to reduce patient discomfort. The methodology can be further exploited to address various challenges in biomedical devices and redistributed manufacturing.This research was conducted with support from the CALMERIC grant [European Commission, Grant number: 32R19P03053]; 6DME Ltd. UK; and Formlabs GmbH.Published versio

An Attitude of Colleges of Education Faculty Members in towards to Create an Adult Education and Continuing Education Center in Saudi\u27s Universities

This study aimed at attitudes colleges of education faculty members in towards to create an adult education and continuing education center in Saudi\u27s Universities, the study used a descriptive survey method. The study sample consisted of 111 faculty members of Saudi\u27s Universities, where a questionnaire consisting of 35 items in tow sections. The results showed that the general arithmetic mean of the sample’s attitudes towards to create an adult and continuing education centers in Saudi universities reached (4.21), with a standard deviation (0.958), which is a general average that falls within the option of approval strongly. And that the general arithmetic means of the sample\u27s attitudes towards the organizational procedures for the work of adult education and continuing education centers in Saudi universities reached (4.52), with a standard deviation (0.784), which is a general average that falls within the scope of the approval option strongly as well. It also showed that there are no statistically significant differences between the average of the study sample about the attitudes of the faculty members in Saudi universities towards establishing adult and continuing education centers in Saudi universities due to the variable (academic rank). There are no statistically significant differences between the average of the study sample regarding the attitudes of faculty members in Saudi universities towards establishing adult education centers and continuing education in Saudi universities due to the variable (years of experience). Also, there are no statistically significant differences between the average of the study sample about the attitudes of faculty members in Saudi universities towards establishing adult education centers and continuing education in Saudi universities due to the variable (study abroad)

The phytochemical content and antimicrobial activities of Malaysian Calophyllum canum (stem bark)

Recently there was huge increase in using of ‘herbal products’. These can be defined as plants, parts of plants or extracts from plants that are used for curing disease. However, Calophyllum species is a tropical plant and it has been used in traditional medicine, the limitation in safety and effectiveness information could lead to serious health problems. Providing information for communities by evaluating the phytochemical contents, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities will improve the therapeutic values. Three main Calophyllum canum fractions (none – high polar) were tested to find out the phenolic, flavonoid, flavonol content, DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power and chelating iron ions. Also were tested against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Psedomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans. In addition, cytotoxic activity was assayed against lung cancer A549 cell line. The methanol fraction showed no bioactivity but achieved the highest amount of phenolic, flavonol and flavonoid contents, also it showed a significant result as antioxidant, reducing power and chelating agent. The n-hexane fraction achieved the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value 12.5 μg. mL-1 against B. cereus while the MIC value for DCM fraction was 25 μg. mL-1. The DCM fraction was more active against S. aureus where the result was 50 μg. mL-1 while the n-hexane fraction was 100 μg. mL-1. The three main fractions have shown no activity against gram negative bacterial and fungal. The n-hexane and DCM fractions have shown cytotoxicity against lung cancer cell line; the 50 % inhibition concentration (IC50) was 22 ± 2.64 and 32 ± 3.78 μg. mL-1 respectively. The results were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Among the results, C. canum fractions proved to be effective against gram positive bacterial and anti-proliferation activity. Also it showed antioxidant activity as well. The results provided beneficial information for communities as well as can help to search for alternative drugs, and will contribute to establish safe and effective use of phytomedicines in the treatment of diseases