DAMPAK NEGATIF KREDIT MIKRO TERHADAP KELUARGA PEREMPUAN MISKIN

Perempuan adalah kelomppok masyarakat yang sangat rentan terhadap kemiskinan. Perempuan juga yang paling merasakan dampak kemiskinan yang dialami dalam satu keluarga. Pada kondisi lain, terjadi peningkatan jumlah perempuan yang menjadi kepala keluarga karena alasan perceraian, kematian suami, dan sebagainya, sementara mereka pada umumnya tidak memiliki penghasilan tetap dan menjadi orangtua tunggal yang harus memenuhi dua perannya sekaligus yaitu sebagai pencari nafkah dan pengasuh keluarga. Dalam menyelesaikan masalah keuangan, banyak perempuan memanfaatkan lembaga keuangan mikro untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sehari-hari, melalui peminjaman. Namun akibatnya adalah, timbulnya masalah baru yaitu ketidakmampuan dalam mengembalikan pinjaman, yang menyebabkan perempuan miskin yang terlibat dalam kredit mikro, seringkali menjali lebih miskin. Untuk itu, tulisan ini mengkaji dampak-dampak kemiskinan yang semakin dalam di kalangan perempuan miskin, yang dapat ditimbulkan dalam keterlibatan mereka dengan lembaga keuangan mikro.Kata Kunci: Keuangan mikro, kemiskinan, perempuan miski

Serum progranulin levels are elevated in infertile women with obesity

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in serum progranulin and sex hormone levels in infertile women with obesity. Material and methods: A total of 171 infertile women who had fertility desire were included in this cross-sectional study. The initial assessment included measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, and hip circumference to calculate body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio. All participants were categorised into two groups in accordance with BMI as a control group ( < 30 kg/m2, n = 135) and a study group (≥ 30 kg/m2, n = 36). After anthropometric measurements, venous blood samples were taken for analyses of oestradiol and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone, total testosterone (TT), 17-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, anti-Müllerian hormone, and progranulin. Results: The present study demonstrated that the overweight women had higher FSH levels (p < 0.01). Elevated TT levels were detected in obese women (p < 0.05). Progranulin concentrations were higher in the study group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Regression analysis demonstrated that there was a relationship between the serum progranulin concentrations and BMI (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings support that the elevated progranulin levels are associated with obesity in infertile women. Therefore, infertile and obese patients may benefit if their serum progranulin levels decrease. Further studies are needed to elucidate this issue

A study of continuous dependence and symmetric properties of double diffusive convection: Forchheimer model

In this recent work, the continuous dependence of double diffusive convection was studied theoretically in a porous medium of the Forchheimer model along with a variable viscosity. The analysis depicts that the density of saturating fluid under consideration shows a linear relationship with its concentration and a cubic dependence on the temperature. In this model, the equations for convection fluid motion were examined when viscosity changed with temperature linearly. This problem allowed the possibility of resonance between internal layers in thermal convection. Furthermore, we investigated the continuous dependence of this solution based on the changes in viscosity. Throughout the paper, we found an “a priori estimate” with coefficients that relied only on initial values, boundary data, and the geometry of the problem that demonstrated the continuous dependence of the solution on changes in the viscosity, which also helped us to state the relationship between the continuous dependence of the solution and the changes in viscosity. Moreover, we deduced a convergence result based on the Forchheimer model at the stage when the variable viscosity trends toward a constant value by assuming a couple of solutions to the boundary-initial-value problems and defining a difference solution of variables that satisfy a given boundary-initial-value problem.Fil: Ali, Ali Hasan. University Of Basrah; IraqFil: Meften, Ghazi Abed. University Of Basrah; IraqFil: Bazighifan, Omar. International Telematic University Uninettuno; Italia. Seiyun University; Yemen. Hadhramout University Of Science And Technology; YemenFil: Iqbal, Mehak. University Of Debrecen; HungríaFil: Elaskar, Sergio Amado. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Ingeniería y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Awrejcewicz, Jan. Lodz University of Technology; Poloni

THE INFLUENCE OF SELF-EFFICACY, MOTIVATION, AND INDEPENDENCE ON STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS

Entrepreneurship education has been implemented in higher institutions in order to give exposure and develop students’ skills and interest in business. Although entrepreneurship course is taught in many universities, researchers are still arguing whether entrepreneurship education is related to the intention to start a business. This study investigated the impact of self-efficacy, independence, and motivation on entrepreneurial intentions among university students. A total of 496 questionnaires were completed by students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) who attended Fundamental of Entrepreneurship and Innovation during the academic year 2017/2018 as their compulsory subject. Using PLS-SEM, a two-step approach was used to analyze the data. Self-efficacy, independence, and motivation were found to significantly influence the students’ intention to become entrepreneur, explaining 52% of the variance in intention to become entrepreneur. Additionally, the findings indicate that motivation is the key factor in the entrepreneurial intent of the students. These findings contribute to a better understanding of students’ intention to become an entrepreneur, which is a necessary step to increase more university students to become job creators rather than job seekers. Thus, higher education institutions should revise the curriculum and establish measures to incorporate these three factors for enhancing entrepreneurship education programs at the university.   Keywords: Entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial intention, independence, motivation, self-efficacy   Cite as: Omar, N. A., Shah, N. U., Abu Hasan, N., & Ali, M. H. (2019). The influence of self-efficacy, motivation, and independence on students’ entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 1-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp1-2

Performance Enhancement of Small-Scale Wind Turbine Featuring Morphing Blades

The demand for renewable energy is driven by the depletion and adverse environmental impacts of fossil fuels. There is a growing global consensus for research and development of renewable energy, including wind. In the current study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase VI wind turbine blade is integrated with morphing trailing-edge, installed on the aft-30% blade chord, across outboard 75% blade span. The morphing trailing-edge generates unique topology for each wind speed such that the glide ratio is maximized along the blade span. Three-dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses are conducted over low to medium wind speeds to investigate the blade aerodynamics. The analyses exhibit significant increments in the low-speed shaft torque and power of the morphed blades compared to the baseline. The integration of morphing trailing-edge high-lift flow control mechanism on the NREL Phase VI blade enhanced energy harvesting and reduced the wind turbine cut-in wind speed. Comparative investigations are also conducted to assess the improvements in thrust, bending moment, and aerodynamic load distribution, as well as alterations in the pressure, flow field, turbulence, surface flow, and wake. The aeroacoustics directivity of the wind turbines exhibits marginal far-field noise increment in case of morphing trailing-edge integrated blades

Sperm DNA impairment in the bull: causes, influences on reproduction and evaluations

Conventional semen examination involving sperm motility, viability and morphology remains the backbone of assessing the fertility status of a sire. However, there remains instances where these semen parameters appear normal but cases of low conception rates or failure of pregnancy occur. This review highlights the causes of sperm DNA damage and the effectiveness of techniques designed to evaluate the contribution of sperm DNA damage to lowered fertility in bulls. Among the many causes of sperm DNA impairment are imperfect spermatogenesis, faulty apoptosis, reactive oxygen species, in-vitro handling, impact of environment, radiography and the stress of cryopreservation processes. Furthermore, DNA impairment impairs fertilisation, interferes with embryonic development and implantation and blocks blastocyst formation. The most frequently used tests to determine DNA damage are the acridine orange test (AOT) using acridine orange stain with examination under a fluorescence microscope and the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) using the same stain but examined with flow cytometry

Kemahiran membaca Al-Quran di kalangan pelajar-pelajar UiTM Sarawak / Ahmad Rozaini Ali Hasan, Sharifah Anom Omar and Wan Ariffin Wan Yon

Kemahiran membaca Al-Quran adalah merupakan satu keperluan asas bagi setiap umat Islam dan tanpa penguasaan ilmu Al-Quran dari aspek bacaan yang baik akan menyebabkan perlaksanaan ibadah Islam yang lain tidak dapat dijalankan secara sempurna. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk melihat tahap kemahiran membaca AlQuran di kalangan pelajar-pelajar UiTM Kampus Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. Seramai 56 orang responden telah di pilih untuk menjalani ujian kemahiran membaca Al-Quran dari aspek ujian bacaan dan ujian pengetahuan ilmu Tajwid. Sampel dipilih secara rawak mudah dari kelas-kelas yang mengikuti kursus Prinsip Asas Islam bagi pelajar-pelajar semester satu. Instrumen kajian yang digunakan ialah ujian bacaan Al-Quran dan soal selidik. Data-data telah dianalisis menggunakan perisian SPSS 15.0 dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif seperti frekuensi dan peratus. Ujian Crosstab juga dilakukan untuk melihat tahap bacaan pelajar dengan faktor dorongan dan umur mula membaca Al-Quran. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan tahap kemahiran membaca Al-Quran di kalangan pelajar berdasarkan peratusan tahap pencapaian bacaan adalah sederhana. Hasil analisis juga menunjukan terdapatnya pengaruh faktor dorongan ibubapa terhadap pencapaian tahap bacaan Al-Quran pelajar. Dapatan juga menunjukkan pelajar-pelajar mempunyai masalah mengenai ilmu tajwid di samping menghadapi kesukaran untuk menyebut dengan sebutan yang betul dan tepat

Can your foot function as a brain?

Data from WHO shows that about 300 million of the world’s population had diabetes in year 2010, of which 3.4 million was from Malaysia. Often, people with diabetes are more likely to experience foot problem because of nerve damage resulting from poor blood circulation. Delay in detection and treatment will lead to other complications that lead to amputation of lower limbs

Pulmonary Surfactant Proteins are Inhibited by IgA Autoantibodies in Severe COVID-19

Rationale: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome with fatal outcomes. Evidence suggests that dysregulated immune responses, including autoimmunity, are key pathogenic factors. Objectives: To assess whether IgA autoantibodies target lung-specific proteins and contribute to disease severity. Methods: We collected 147 blood, 9 lung tissue, and 36 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from three tertiary hospitals in Switzerland and one in Germany. Severe COVID-19 was defined by the need to administer oxygen. We investigated the presence of IgA autoantibodies and their effects on pulmonary surfactant in COVID-19 using the following methods: immunofluorescence on tissue samples, immunoprecipitations followed by mass spectrometry on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays on blood samples, and surface tension measurements with medical surfactant. Measurements and main results: IgA autoantibodies targeting pulmonary surfactant proteins B and C were elevated in patients with severe COVID-19, but not in patients with influenza or bacterial pneumonia. Notably, pulmonary surfactant failed to reduce surface tension after incubation with either plasma or purified IgA from patients with severe COVID-19. Conclusions: Our data suggest that patients with severe COVID-19 harbor IgA against pulmonary surfactant proteins B and C and that these antibodies block the function of lung surfactant, potentially contributing to alveolar collapse and poor oxygenation. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Engaging with community-based public and private mid-level providers for promoting the use of modern contraceptive methods in rural Pakistan: results from two innovative birth spacing interventions

Background: Family planning (FP) interventions aimed at reducing population growth have negligible during the last two decades in Pakistan. Innovative FP interventions that help reduce the growing population burden are the need of the hour. Marie Stopes Society - Pakistan implemented an operational research project - ‘Evidence for Innovating to Save Lives’, to explore effective and viable intervention models that can promote healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy in rural and under-served communities of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental (pre - and post-intervention with control arm) study to assess the effectiveness of each of the two intervention models, 1) Suraj model (meaning ‘Sun’ in English), which uses social franchises (SF) along with a demand-side financing (DSF) approach using free vouchers, and 2) Community Midwife (CMW) model, in promoting the use of modern contraceptive methods compared to respective controls. Baseline and endline cross-sectional household surveys were conducted, 24 months apart, by recruiting 5566 and 6316 married women of reproductive age (MWRA) respectively. We used Stata® version 8 to report the net effect of interventions on outcome indicators using difference-in-differences analysis. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to assess the net effect of the intervention on current contraceptive use, keeping time constant and adjusting for other variables in the model. Results: The Suraj model was effective in significantly increasing awareness about FP methods among MWRA by 14 % percentage points, current contraceptive use by 5 % percentage points and long term modern method - intrauterine device (IUD) use by 6 % percentage points. The CMW model significantly increased contraceptive awareness by 28 % percentage points, ever use of contraceptives by 7 % percentage points and, IUD use by 3 % percentage points. Additionally the Suraj intervention led to a 35 % greater prevalence (prevalence ratio: 1.35, 95 % CI: 1.22–1.50) of contraceptive use among MWRA. Conclusion: Suraj intervention highlights the importance of embedding subsidized FP services within the communities of the beneficiaries. The outcomes of the CMW intervention also improved the use of long-term contraceptives. These findings indicate the necessity of designing and implementing FP initiatives involving local mid-level providers to expand contraceptive coverage in under-served areas