Investigating Social Influence on Acceptance of Executive Information Systems: A UTAUT Framework Approach

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is constructed to address all factors derived from various behavioral models significant to user’s acceptance of information technology. This theory, however, deals with individual aspects of general technology acceptance. In reality, information technology is deployed based on different needs of different intended users. Executive information systems, for instance, is intentionally deployed for the use of organizational participants in the highest position of a centralized organizational hierarchy. Several proposed UTAUT’s constructs may not apply to executives’ characteristics in general or several additional constructs are added to address the acceptance of certain users of certain information technology.This paper investigates one of such constructs, the social influence, to posit such a difference

Sonja Brentjes. Teaching and Learning the Sciences in Islamicate Societies (800-1700)

Modern öncesi İslam dünyasında neşvünema bulmuş öğrenme ve eğitimin kültürünü ve sosyal pratiklerini gün yüzüne çıkarmak modern araştırmaların en zor ve tartışmalı alanlarından biridir. Mevcut birincil kaynakların yetersizliğinden hareketle sosyal pratikleri ve kurumsal yapıları nasıl tahmin edebiliriz? Sosyal olgulara yönelik dolaylı tanıklıkların biyo-bibliyografik kaynaklar ve bilimler ansiklopedileri gibi eserlerdeki bolluğu dikkate alındığında, bu kaynakların ayırt edici özelliği olan, alimlerin hayatları ile öğrenim müfredatlarının idealleştirilmiş ve edebî tondaki anlatılarıyla nasıl baş edeceğiz? Bu soru tarihçilerin önündeki netameli konumunu korumaya devam ediyor. Teaching and Learning the Sciences in Islamicate Societies (İslam Toplumlarında Bilimleri Öğrenmek ve Öğretmek), İslam öğrenim ve eğitimin sosyal pratikleri ve kurumsal bağlamları tarihi sahasında Sonja Brentjes’in kariyeri boyunca ortaya koyduğu birikimin bir hülasasını sunmaktadır. Bu alandaki araştırmaların yönünü tanımlama ve yeniden belirleme bakımından Brentjes’in çalışmalarının önemli katkıları olmuştur

Clinical and Biochemical Evaluation of Subacute (De Ouervain's) Thyroiditis

Background: Subacute thyroiditis is an important cause of thyrotoxicosis, often misdiagnosed as Graves’ disease and given anti-thyroid drugs. Etiological diagnosis can yield proper guideline of management and a good result. Objectives: To see the clinical, biochemical and isotope profile of subacute thyroiditis. Methods: A total of 45 cases [36 females, 9 males; age (mean ± SD): 33± 4.7 yr] were recruited from Endocrine outpatient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to see thyroid hormones and isotope scan. Results: Most of the patients had a history of sore throat (84.4%). All had painful thyroid gland with or without dysphagia, palpitation (93%), fever (91%), sweating and heat intolerance (80%) and IBS like symptoms was 46%. Among 36 females, 16 patients (44.4%) presented with oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea. Clinically palpable thyromegaly was present in 33 cases (73%), which was diffuse in 24 patients (73%), resting tachycardia in 35(78%) while anaemia in 23(51%). A few cases (13/45) had raised blood pressure. Elevation of thyroid hormone was found in 44(97.7%), but in most cases it was mild; little reduction of TSH (0.1-0.3mIU) was present in 43 (95%). Characteristically, low radio-iodine uptake (< 5%) in 2 hours and 24 hours was found in 100% and thyroid scan revealed uniform uptake in all cases. ESR was raised in 100% cases and leucocytosis was present in 9(20%). Conclusion: It is concluded that subacute thyroiditis can be diagnosed on careful clinical examination. As it is a self limiting disease and does not usually need any anti-thyroid medication, subacute thyroiditis should be excluded in thyrotoxic patients before initiating anti-thyroid drugs. Key words: Subacute thyroiditis; clinical and biochemical profile DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v3i2.7057BSMMU J 2010; 3(2): 82-8

Pattern of dyslipidemia in hypothyroid patients: A cross sectional study

Background: An association between thyroid dysfunction and dyslipidemia prevails. Levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides tend to increase as thyroid function declines.Objective: To find out the pattern of dyslipidemia in hypothyroid patients. Methods: Sixty cases were selected as a sample of convenience in this cross sectional study from in-patienl depa1tment of Medicine and Endocrinology, BSMMU. Meticulous history taking and thorough clinical examinations were done. Report of lipid profile and thyroid function tests were recorded from patients file. All the information's were recorded in a pre-designed sttuctured questionnaire. Collected data were classi­fied, edited, coded and entered into the computer for statistical analysis by using SPSS. Results: Among the 60 cases, 43 (72%) were female; 17(28%) were male. Age range was 24-59 years with a mean age of 38.80 (± I 0.35) years. Majority 38(65%) were housewife, followed by service holder 11(18.33%), 08(13.3%) were business men and 02(3.3%) had other occupations. Majority 42(70%) patients were taking thyroxin. Mean Total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, Triglycer­ide (TG) and HDL were 222.20(±42.25); 138.63(±31.51); 243.36(±83.13) and 37.30(±5.12) respectably. Conclusion: All hypothyroid subjects had dyslipidemia. The present study indicated that hypothyroidism was associated with an abnormal lipid profile, especially with respect to the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride

Castlemans Disease - A Rare Cause of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (PUO): Case Report

Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) is a common problem in medical practice. Patients suffer from fever for long period but initial relevant investigations remain normal. Infection is the most common cause of PUO in developing countries. Other causes are lymphoma, myeloma, connective tissue diseases (CTD), sarcoidosis and malignancy etc. In our country, where no cause can be identified, a usual practice is to start anti-tubercular drugs. We report a patient who was suffering from prolonged fever and usual investigations were within normal limit except high erythrocyte sedimentation rate. In spite of having 6 months anti-tubercular drugs, the patient did not respond. Thorough examination revealed a paraaortic mass which was reconfirmed by ultrasound of abdomen. Laparotomy revealed a mesenteric lymph node that was removed. Histopathologically it was diagnosed as a case of CASTLEMAN'S DISEASE which is a rare cause of PUO. On removal of the lymph node, the patient improved dramatically. Key words: Castleman's disease; PUO DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i2.4764 BSMMU J 2009; 2(2): 85-8

PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN AMPELA AYAM PADA KOMPOSISI PAKAN TERHADAP PERFORMA REPRODUKSI INDUK IKAN LELE

The effect of adding chicken gizzard in the composition of the feed on the reproductive performance of the catfish spawners         Currently catfish farming is one of the people's choice, because it is triggered by a number of catfish demand. But in farming activities carried out by people sometimes do not pay attention to the quality aspects of the parent catfish. Parent quality also depends on the quality of the feed given. Therefore, it is needed feed with good quality in order to produce a good quality catfish broadstock. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum dose of chicken gizzard in feed to the reproductive performance of the catfish spawners. Feed given during gonadal maturation of spawners was floating feed of commercial brands of Hi-Pro-Vite 781 with a protein content of 30% -33% combined with boiled chicken gizzard. The treatment combination of feed used is: 1. Control (Pellet), 2. 25% pellets, 75% gizzard, 3. 50% pellets, 50% gizzard, and 4. 75% pellets, 25% gizzard. Parameters measured were fecundity, length of rematurasi, hatching and larval survival degree. The results showed that the combination of feed pellets ampela 50% to 50% is the right combination for catfish spawners could increase fecundit, hatching and larval survival degree. While the combination of feed pellets ampela 75% to 25% is the right combination to increase length of rematuration of catfish spawners.Key words: chicken gizzar, catfish spawners, pellet ABSTRAK         Saat ini budidaya ikan lele merupakan salah satu pilihan masyarakat, karena dipicu oleh banyaknya permintaan ikan lele. Namun dalam kegiatan budidaya yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat terkadang tidak memperhatikan aspek kualitas induk ikan lele tersebut. Kualitas induk ini juga tergantung dari kualitas pakan yang diberikan. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan pakan dengan kualitas yang baik agar menghasilkan induk lele yang berkualitas baik. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dosis optimum komposisi penambahan ampela ayam dalam pakan terhadap performa reproduksi induk ikan lele. Pakan yang diberikan selama pematangan gonad induk ikan lele adalah pakan apung komersil merk Hi-Pro-Vite 781 dengan kandungan protein 30%-33% yang dikombinasikan dengan ampela ayam yang direbus. Perlakuan kombinasi pakan yang digunakan adalah: 1. Kontrol (Pellet), 2. 25% pellet, 75% ampela, 3. 50% pellet, 50% ampela, dan 4. 75% pellet, 25% ampela. Parameter yang diamati adalah fekunditas, lama rematurasi, derajat penetasan, dan derajat kelangsungan hidup larva. Hasil yang diperoleh memperlihatkan bahwa pakan kombinasi ampela 50 % dengan pellet 50 % merupakan kombinasi yang tepat untuk dapat meningkatkan fekunditas induk lele serta derajat penetasan dan derajat kelangsungan hidup larva yang dihasilkannya. Sedangkan pakan kombinasi ampela 75 % dengan pellet 25 % merupakan kombinasi yang tepat untuk meningkatkan rematurasi induk lele.Kata Kunci: ampela ayam, induk ikan lele, pelle

EVALUASI PERTUMBUHAN LIMA STRAIN IKAN NILA PADA MEDIA BERSALINITAS

Evaluation of Salinity Tolerance on Five Strains of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).         The objective of the study was to evaluate the salinity tolerance of five strains of nile tilapia, BEST (Bogor Enhanced Strain Tilapia), Lokal Kuningan (LK), Red NIFI (RN), nila merah (NM) dan nila hitam (NH),  in 15 ppt saline water. Initial size of fish examined was 3-5 cm, reared in 100 x 40 x 60 cm aquaria with density of 25 fish per aquarium. Each strain had 4 replications. During experiment fish were fed with commercial pellet, 5% of body weigth per day. Observation was done on standard length,  body weight, biomass, and survival rate every 10 days for 1 month. Growth of length and body weight showed no differences among strains. For biomass,  BEST strain except with RN was significantly different (P<0.01) compare to NH, NM and LK. On the other hand, RN was not significantly different with NH, but significantly different with LK and NM.  For survival rate, BEST strain had the highest percentage among others and significantly different than LK, NM and NH. RN was also significantly different than LK, NM, and NH. The last three strains were not significant different among them.Keywords : Strain, oreochromis, salinity, growth ABSTRAK        Banyaknya lahan tambak yang tidak dioperasikan lagi (idle) merupakan lahan tidur yang perlu dioptimalkan Penelitian yang dilakukan bertujuan untuk melakukan evaluasi pertumbuhan benih ikan nila strain BEST (Bogor Enhanced Strain Tilapia), lokal Kuningan, Red NIFI, nila merah dan nila hitam di masyarakat pada media bersalinitas 15 ppt. Ikan uji yang digunakan berukuran 3-5 cm dipelihara dalam akuarium ukuran 100 x 40 x 60 cm dengan kepadatan 25 ekor menggunakan 4 ulangan untuk masing-masing strain. Selama pemeliharaan, ikan diberi pakan komersial (pellet) sebanyak 5% per hari dari bobot tubuh.  Pengamatan panjang baku, bobot tubuh, biomasa dan sintasan dilakukan setiap 10 hari sekali selama masa pemeliharaan. Pengamatan pertumbuhan panjang dan bobot tubuh memperlihatkan bahwa kelima strain yang diuji tidak memperlihatkan adanya perbedaan pertumbuhan panjang dan bobot. Untuk biomassa, BEST memberikan hasil yang terbaik dan berbeda nyata dengan NH, NM dan LK namun tidak berbeda nyata dengan RN. Sedangkan RN tidak berbeda nyata dengan NH (P < 0,01) tetapi berbeda nyata dengan LK dan NM. Untuk pengamatan sintasan, ikan nila BEST mempunyai nilai yang terbaik dan berbeda sangat nyata (P<0,01) dibandingkan dengan LK, NM dan NH tetapi tidak berbeda nyata dengan RN. Demikian pula untuk RN yang berbeda nyata dengan LK, NM dan NH. Sedangkan untuk ketiga strain lainnya (LK, NM dan NH) tidak memberikan perbedaan nyata satu sama lain. Kata kunci : Strain, oreochromis, salinitas, pertumbuha

Insulinoma Presenting with Psychiatric Manifestations: A Case Report

Insulinomas, the most common of pancreatic endocrine tumors, usually present with neuroglycopenic and adrenergic features. Chronic or long standing recurrent hypogycaemia can produce intellectual deterioration and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Diagnosis of insulinoma relies on clinical features along with laboratory tests and imaging investigations to aid in localization. A 32-year-old male who presented with prominent neuropsychiatric manifestations and received anti-epileptics as a case of epilepsy and was ultimately diagnosed as insulinoma is reported here. The patient experienced fasting hypoglycemia with neuropsychiatric manifestations; computerized tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a diffusely enhanced mass in the head area of pancreas which was histopathologically found to be an insulinoma after hand assisted laparoscopic enucleation. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and is curative in most cases. Key words: Insulinoma; Psychiatric Manifestation.DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i1.3710 BSMMU J 2009; 2(1): 39-4

Fine needle aspiration cytological diagnosis of thyroid nodule with its clinical correlation

Background: Nodular goiter is common in Bangladesh. Thyroid nodules are important for their malignant potential especially the solitary and cold ones and when functionally euthyroid. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the frequency of malignancy and cellular aberration detected by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in euthyroid nodules and its correlation with clinical findings. Methods: Subjects with nodular goiter attending Endocrine out patient department [n=150, nonpregnant, age (mean± SD): 37±12 years; sex (male: female): 21:129] were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent clinical risk stratification, estimation ofFT4 and TSH as well as ultrnsonogram (USG) and isotope scan of thyroid. Thyroid nodules were categorized into malignant, suspicious, benign and indeterminant on the basis of cellular character by FNAC. Statistical analysis was done by Chi-square and multiple regression analysis. Results: Patients were mostly females (86%) and 4.7% had family history of thyroid problems. Some had recent changes of size (14.7%), pain in the nodule (4%) and dysphagia (6%). Nodules were solitary in 45.3% and the rest (54.7%) had multinodular goiter. Enlarged regional lymph node was found in 12.7% patients. About 41 % were partially-cold followed by cold nodules (26.7%), patchy (16.7%), isoform (12%) and hot (4%) by isotope scan. Frequency of malignant (10%) character was highest in cold nodules followed by uniform (5.6%), patchy (4.0%) and partially cold (1.6%) while none in hot nodules; which were 22.5%, 11.1 %, 4.0%, 9.8% and 16.7% respectively for suspicious nodules. About 17% showed cellular aberration and 4.7% were clearly malignant, whereas 124 (82.7%) were benign. Of the malignant, 4 were solitary and 3 were multinodular; which were 10 and 9 among the suspicious ones. A significant number (77%, 20 out of 26) among the malignant/suspicious nodules fell into moderate to high risk category (x2=22.861, p&lt;0.001), while 23.1 % of the FNAC proven malignant/suspicious nodules were of low risk category. Enlarged lymph nodes (p&lt;0.001), increased diameter of nodules of &gt;4 cm (p=0.039) and recent changes in nodular size (p=0.042) were independently and signifi­cantly related to cellular aberration. Conclusions: FNAC is a useful tool for cellular diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Clinical suspicion for malignancy strongly correlates with the FNAC findings. But a good number of clinically Low risk categories would escape malignant cellular character unless FNAC is done