Penerapan Algoritma K-Means Clustering untuk Pengelompokkan Penyebaran Diare di Kabupaten Langkat

Diare merupakan penyakit yang bertanggung jawab untuk sekitar seperempat dari 130.000 kematian tahunan diantara anak Balita, terutama pada musim pancaroba seperti yang terjadi dihampir seluruh kawasan Indonesia tidak terlebih di kabupaten langkat Sumatera Utara. Untuk melihat kawasan penyebarannya perlu dibuat sebuah pengelompokan kawasan penyebaran diare, agar diperoleh daerah penyebaran diare dan pusat penyebarannya. Algoritma K-Means Clustering merupakan salah satu algoritma yang mengelompokkan data yang sama pada kelompok tertentu dan data yang berbeda pada kelompok yang lain. Hasil dari pengelompokkan daerah penyebaran diperoleh Kecamatan Batang Serangan, Brandan Barat dan Permata Jaya sebagai pusat penyebaran diare pada Cluster pertama dan Kecamatan Hinai dan Sei Bingai menjadi pusat cluster kedua

Durable graphite oxide nanocoating for high performing flame retarded foams

Recent developments in the design of water-based coatings encompassing platelet-like nanoparticles have clearly demonstrated the flame retardant potential of this approach for open cell flexible foams. However, the relatively high number of deposition steps required and the limited reports on the durability of the deposited coatings to multiple compression cycles currently represent the main constraints to this approach. This paper addresses these limitations by exploiting a few steps deposition procedure to produce coatings with durable flame retardant properties. Graphite oxide, sodium alginate and sodium hexametaphosphate were combined in a continuous protective coating that extends to the complex three-dimensional structure of the foam. The flame retardant properties of the coatings were evaluated before and after 1000 compression cycles. Even after such multiple deformations, the coated foams showed no melt dripping and self-extinguishment during flammability tests, as well as a highly reduced heat release rates (-70%) and total smoke release (-70%) during cone calorimetry tests. Furthermore, the ability to withstand the penetration of an impinging flame focused on one side of the coated foam for more than 5 min was also maintained. These results clearly demonstrate the durability of the coated foams, opening to real life application fields such as transports seats where high levels of flame retardancy must be maintained for long time under frequent mechanical stress

Kelimpahan Dan Kekayaan Artropoda Predator Pada Tanaman Padi Yang Diaplikasi Bioinsektisida Bacillus Thuringiensis

Abundance and species richness of the predatory arthropods on paddy treated with Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticide. Application of bioinsecticide from bacterial entomopathogen has not been reported yet that can decrease abundance and species richness of predatory arthropods, such as spiders and predatory insects. This research was aimed to analyze the abundance and species richness of predatory arthropods paddy fields applied by B. thuringiensis bioinsecticide on paddy in fresh swamp area. Areas observed were 2 ha paddy field's at Situ Bagendit variety. Predatory arthropods inhabiting canopy were sampled using sweep but soil dwelling arthropods were trapped using pitfall traps. The result showed that abundance of spiders inhabiting canopy decreased significantly after B. thuringiensis bioinsecticide application on paddy compared to control without bioinsecticide but the abundance of predatory insects were not significantly affected by the bioinsecticide. Application of the bioinsecticide did not significantly affect the abundance and species richness of soil dwelling predatory arthropods, such as spiders and predatory insects

Internal Genital Organ-preserving Radical Cystectomy: a Case Report

Adenocarcinoma of the bladder is usually managed by radical cystectomy. However, recent literature shows that internal genital organ-preserving radical cystectomy is feasible in selected cases in order to get a better impact on patient's psychology, sexuality and potential fertility. Here, we report a 32-year-old woman with adenocarcinoma of the bladder who was managed with internal genital organ-preserving radical cystectomy. The patient was never had any child and the radiologic examination (MRI) showed no involvement of internal genitalia organ. This procedure aims to maintain fertility potential of the patient. Intraoperatively, no adhesion was found between the tumor and internal genitalia organ. The internal genitalia organ was successfully preserved during the radical cystectomy

Mortality of a juvenile Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus, Spheniscidae) associated with the ingestion of a PFF-2 protective mask during the Covid-19 pandemic

We report the discovery of a dead Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) found on Juquehy Beach (23°46′S 45°44′W), municipality of São Sebastião, Brazil, on September 9th 2020. Following necropsy, we noted the presence of an adult size PFF-2 protective mask within the stomach of the penguin which we inferred as the cause of death. As far as we are aware, this is the first recorded instance of marine animal mortality by protective face mask ingestion. Whilst concerns have been raised relating microplastic contamination in marine environments from Covid-19 related waste, there has been relatively less attention paid to the potential risk of macro-scale contaminants, such as protective face coverings. We suggest that Covid-19 related macro contaminants be considered in coastal marine risk assessments and urge further research on this topic

Dissipative Dynamics of Polymer Phononic Materials

Phononic materials are artificial composites with unprecedented abilities to control acoustic waves in solids. Their performance is mainly governed by their architecture, determining frequency ranges in which wave propagation is inhibited. However, the dynamics of phononic materials also depends on the mechanical and material properties of their constituents. In the case of viscoelastic constituents, such as most polymers, it is challenging to correctly predict the actual dynamic behavior of real phononic structures. Existing studies on this topic either lack experimental evidence or are limited to specific materials and architectures in restricted frequency ranges. A general framework is developed and employed to characterize the dynamics of polymer phononic materials with different architectures made of both thermoset and thermoplastic polymers, presenting qualitatively different viscoelastic behaviors. Through a comparison of experimental results with numerical predictions, the reliability of commonly used elastic and viscoelastic material models is evaluated in broad frequency ranges. Correlations between viscous effects and the two main band-gap formation mechanisms in phononic materials are revealed, and experimentally verified guidelines on how to correctly predict their dissipative response are proposed in a computationally efficient way. Overall, this work provides comprehensive guidelines for the extension of phononics modeling to applications involving dissipative viscoelastic materials.</p

Frataxin participates to the hypoxia-induced response in tumors

Defective expression of frataxin is responsible for the degenerative disease Friedreich's ataxia. Frataxin is a protein required for cell survival since complete knockout is lethal. Frataxin protects tumor cells against oxidative stress and apoptosis but also acts as a tumor suppressor. The molecular bases of this apparent paradox are missing. We therefore sought to investigate the pathways through which frataxin enhances stress resistance in tumor cells. We found that frataxin expression is upregulated in several tumor cell lines in response to hypoxic stress, a condition often associated with tumor progression. Moreover, frataxin upregulation in response to hypoxia is dependent on hypoxia-inducible factors expression and modulates the activation of the tumor-suppressor p53. Importantly, we show for the first time that frataxin is in fact increased in human tumors in vivo. These results show that frataxin participates to the hypoxia-induced stress response in tumors, thus implying that modulation of its expression could have a critical role in tumor cell survival and/or progression