27 research outputs found
PENDAMPINGAN TEKNIS PEKERJAAN PEMBUATAN MATERIAL PELAPIS TANAH SEBAGAI AKSES JALAN DAN AREA PARKIR
Jalan merupakan prasarana transportasi darat yang sangat penting. Dengan adanya konstruksi jalan maka mempermudah masyarakat dalam melakukan mobilisasi untuk melaksanakan kegiatannya masing-masing. Kualitas jalan yang baik diperlukan demi keselamatan dan kenyamanan pengguna jalan. Dengan adanya survai topografi dan geoteknik, maka dapat ditentukan perancangan lapis atas dan lapis bawah jalan. Selain memperhatikan perencanaan, pelaksanaan pembuatan jalan di lapangan juga perlu diperhatikan agar didapat konstruksi yang aman dan nyaman bagi pengguna sesuai dengan perencanaannya. Pada pelaksanaan di lapangan, perlu adanya koordinasi yang baik sehingga semua tahapan pengerjaan jalan dapat terlaksana dengan baik secara keseluruhan. Tim pengabdian kepada masyarakat Departemen Teknik Sipil UNDIP memberikan pendampingan teknis dan pengarahan desain serta pelaksanaan pembuatan material pelapis tanah berupa paving block. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan di area pemakaman Al-Hanafi, Semarang. Selain digunakan sebagai area parkir bagi kendaraan yang akan menyimpan barang digudang maupun pengunjung yang berziarah ke makam, jalan ini juga berfungsi sebagai akses menuju gudang peralatan. Pelaksanaan pengabdian juga melibatkan masyarakat dengan system gotong royong agar tercapai tujuan, yaitu pembuatan akses jalan dan area parkir, seperti yang diharapkan. Oleh karena fungsinya yang vital, dengan adanya kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini dapat membantu permasalahan Pengurus Area Pemakaman Al-Hanafi Semarang tersebut.Kata kunci : area parkir, paving block, bantuan teknis, jala
Infrequent Mutation of Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor-1 Gene in Hamster Pancreatic Duct Adenocarcinomas and Established Cell Lines
To evaluate the involvement of lysophosphatidic acid receptor-1 (LPA1) gene alteration in pancreatic carcinogenesis, we investigated mutations in the LPA1 gene in hamster pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas (PDAs) and established cell lines. Female Syrian golden hamsters received 30 mg/kg of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) followed by repeated exposure to an augmentation pressure regimen consisting of a choline-deficient diet combined with DL-ethionine and then L-methionine and a further administration of 20 mg/kg BOP. A total of 10 PDAs obtained 10 weeks after beginning the experiment and three cell lines established from subcutaneously transplantable PDAs in syngeneic hamsters were examined for mutations using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (RT-PCR-SSCP) analysis. A mutation was detected in only one PDA (1/10, 10%) in the form of a GGA to GTA (Gly to Val) transversion at codon 355, and no mutations were detected in the three cell lines. These results suggest that the LPA1 gene mutation may play roles in a limited fraction of BOP-induced pancreatic duct carcinogenesis in hamsters
Dependence, plans to quit, quitting self-efficacy and past cessation behaviours among menthol and other flavoured cigarette users in Europe: The EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys
INTRODUCTION: This study characterises smoking and cessationrelated behaviours among menthol and other flavoured cigarette users in Europe prior to the implementation of the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ban on the sale of flavoured cigarettes. METHODS: An analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2016 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys was conducted among a sample of 10760 adult smokers from eight European Union Member States. Respondents were classified as menthol, other flavoured, unflavoured, or no usual flavour cigarette users and compared on smoking and cessation behaviours and characteristics. Data were analysed in SPSS Complex Samples Package using bivariate and multivariate regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, dependence, and country. RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, cigarette flavour was significantly associated with all outcomes (p<0.001). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, these associations attenuated but remained significant and in the same direction for dependence, self-efficacy, plans to quit, past quit attempts, and ever e-cigarette use. In fully adjusted models, compared to smokers of non-flavoured cigarettes, menthol smokers were less likely to smoke daily (AOR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.32–0.71), smoke within 30 min of waking (0.52,0.43–0.64), consider themselves addicted (0.74,0.59–0.94), and more likely to have ever used e-cigarettes (1.26,1.00–1.57); other flavoured cigarette smokers were less likely to smoke daily (0.33,0.15–0.77), and have higher self-efficacy (1.82,1.20–2.77); no usual flavour smokers were less likely to smoke daily (0.34,0.22–0.51), smoke within 30 min of waking (0.66,0.55–0.80), consider themselves addicted (0.65,0.52–0.78), have ever made a quit attempt (0.69,0.58– 0.84), have ever used e-cigarettes (0.66,0.54–0.82), and had higher self-efficacy (1.46,1.19–1.80). CONCLUSIONS: Smokers of different cigarette flavours in Europe differ on smoking and cessation characteristics. The lower dependence of menthol cigarette smokers could lead to greater success rates if quit attempts are made, however cross-country differences in smoking behaviours and quitting intentions could lead to the TPD ban on cigarette flavours having differential impact if not accompanied by additional measures, such as smoking cessation support
Plant Ontology (PO): a Controlled Vocabulary of Plant Structures and Growth Stages
The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC) (www.plantontology.org) is a collaborative
effort among several plant databases and experts in plant systematics, botany
and genomics. A primary goal of the POC is to develop simple yet robust
and extensible controlled vocabularies that accurately reflect the biology of plant
structures and developmental stages. These provide a network of vocabularies linked
by relationships (ontology) to facilitate queries that cut across datasets within
a database or between multiple databases. The current version of the ontology
integrates diverse vocabularies used to describe Arabidopsis, maize and rice (Oryza
sp.) anatomy, morphology and growth stages. Using the ontology browser, over 3500
gene annotations from three species-specific databases, The Arabidopsis Information
Resource (TAIR) for Arabidopsis, Gramene for rice and MaizeGDB for maize, can
now be queried and retrieved
Democracy and the Dialectics of Mass Poverty: The Nigerian Experience
It is generally agreed that democracy remains the best system of governance, and that it has the attributes of promoting human rights and engendering social development. This paper argues that this “conventional wisdom” about democracy can be challenged if the performance of the regime in Nigeria's Fourth Republic is critically assessed. This essay emphasizes the desirability of democracy, but it is posited that “democracy” as practised during this period has not brought about the much-desired development and progress. The point is made that the policies and programmes of the regime have led to increased poverty and misery among the Nigerian masses. It is also reasoned that the overall performance of any administration can be better assessed through the evaluation of the consequences or outcomes of the policies and programmes of such administration and not by relying on the assertions of the administration's spokespersons.. SOPHIA: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 8 (2) 2006: pp. 39-4
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Employment Status in Accra, Ghana
Objectives: This study investigated the immunologic responses and employment history of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) patients.Design: We interviewed patients and reviewed medical records to collect demographic, clinical, and employ-ment history while on HAART. Demographic charac-teristics were tested as predictors of immunological response while on HAART using hierarchical linear models. Setting: Fevers Unit, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, GhanaParticipants: Subjects comprised a convenience sam-ple of adult HAART patients receiving therapy for at least 9 months. 270 patients were interviewed. 38 were excluded due to inadequate time on HAART or inabil-ity to locate all necessary patient information. Intervention: This was an observational study. Main outcome measures: We investigated the change in CD4 cell count and weight since the initiation of therapy, and their ability to maintain or regain em-ployment as well as the reasons for this. Results: The estimated mean ± standard error increase in CD4 cell count from baseline at 6, 12, and 18 months were 102 ± 5, 204 ± 11, and 236 ± 10 cells/ìL, respectively. Overall, 147 patients (63.4%) reported remaining employed or obtaining new employment while on HAART. Patients who were asymptomatic at initial presentation were more likely to remain em-ployed or returned to work while on HAART than those who were symptomatic (66.4% vs. 48.8%, P = 0.009). Most patients were employed in the informal sector, which made their economic situation particu-larly vulnerable to HIV-associated illness.Conclusion: The findings suggest that patients receiv-ing HAART experience good clinical and immunologi-cal responses as well as improvement in employment status