Preparation of proton exchange membrane by radiation-induced grafting method : Grafting of styrene onto poly(ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) copolymer films

Radiation induced grafting of styrene onto poly(ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) copolymer film was carried out to prepare graft copolymer (ETFE-g-polystyrene) that can host sulfonic acid groups and form proton exchange membrane for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The effect of monomer concentration and type of solvent on the degree of grafting was investigated. The formation of graft copolymer film was confirmed by FTIR spectrum analysis

Sistem sosial budaya masyarakat Indonesia dalam kurikulum pembelajaran Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial tingkat menengah pertama

Education has a very close relationship to the change of values and culture, therefore in order to achieve the purity of the culture, education needs to form a strong individual person, in order to achieve a golden Indonesia by not softening existing values and cultures. Therefore, it is important to conduct this research aiming to find out the socio-cultural system of the Indonesian people in the social science learning curriculum for the junior secondary level in the province of Riau. This study uses descriptive evaluative design with mixed method type that mixed method. Purposive smpling is a sampling technique used by researchers, with several stages of data collection including: observation, interview, documentation and questionnaires. After research and results were obtained that the 2013 curriculum is better used in junior high school students compared to KTSP, by using the 2013 curriculum and a qualified strategy in the learning process can increase students' curiosity towards learning and social problems in the environment, students can understand the learning well and deeper into the value of Malay culture

Regional differences in cancer incidence trend in tehran, Iran: A contextual study on the effect of socioeconomic status at regional level

Background: Cancer is a major public health concern all over the world. The aim of the current study is to demonstrate changing trends of cancer incidence from 2006 to 2009 in Tehran (capital city of Iran) and evaluate the effect of living in different regions according to their median socioeconomic status (SES) on cancer cumulative incidence. Methods: The incident cases were obtainedfromthe population based cancer register of ministry of healthandmedicine in Iran; we examined the annual percent changes (APCs) and overall trends of total cancer incidence across regions in Tehran. The age and sex standardized incidence rates were computed by the direct method. Poisson regression and negative binominal regression model were used to assess the existence of trends across 4 consecutive years, as well as the effect of living in each region, literacy rate, and employment rate across regions on this trend. All the analyses were done by Stata 12.0 software. Results: The findings of this study showed downward and nonlinear trend during 4 years. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was higher in men compared to women in this period. ASRs for overall 4 years were 114 and 101 per 10,0000 men and women, respectively. Average annual percent change based on ASR and regression model for each sex was the same and around -5 and -6, respectively. Incidence rate also differed between districts so that north and center districts had higher incidence than southern parts in both sexes. The lowest rate ratio attributed to district 17 and 18 located in south of Tehran and the highest rate ratio attributed to district 6 for each sex compared to the baseline district 16. Results reported the sharp increase of 59 and 37 in district 6 compared to district 16 in men and women, respectively. Better regional social status increased the risk of cancer among women. Also, the results showed a partially significant interaction with higher decrease in annual trend of cancer rate in socially more deprived regions. Conclusions: The results showeddownwardand nonlinear decreasing trend during 4 years, especially in regions with lower socioeconomic status. Incidence rate also differed between districts so that northern regions had higher incidence than southern regions. Spatio-temporal Analysis of these cancer rates with adjustment for more regional socio-economic characteristicsmaybetter explain the disparities in rate of cancer in different districts across time. © 2018, Cancer Research Center (CRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Corporate incentives for obtaining higher level of carbon assurance: seeking legitimacy or improving performance?

Purpose - With the growing attention around carbon emissions disclosure, the demand for external carbon assurance on emissions reports has been increasing by stakeholders as it provides additional credibility and confidence. This study investigates the association between the higher level of external carbon assurance and improvement in a firm's carbon emissions. It provides an understanding of corporate incentives for obtaining a higher level of carbon assurance, particularly in relation to carbon performance enhancements. Design/methodology/approach - Data are collected from 170 US companies for the period 2012-2017, and are analysed using a change analysis. Generalized method of moment (GMM) is used to address endogeneity. Findings - Following the rationales taken by legitimacy and ‘outside-in’ management views, our findings reveal that a higher level of carbon assurance (i.e. reasonable assurance) marginally improves firms’ carbon performance (i.e. reported carbon emissions). This is consistent with ‘outside-in’ management view suggesting that a higher level of assurance could be utilised as a tool for accessing more information about stakeholders’ needs and concerns, which can be useful in enhancing carbon performance. Research limitations/implications - Our findings are generalizable to US firms and may not extend to other contexts. Practical implication – The implication of this study for companies is that a high level of sustainability assurance is a useful tool to access detailed information about stakeholder concerns, of which internalisation can help to marginally improve carbon performance. For policymakers, the insights into and enhanced understanding of the incentives for obtaining carbon assurance can help policymakers to develop effective policies and initiatives for carbon assurance. Considering the possible improvements in carbon performance when obtaining a high level of sustainability verification, governments need to consider mandating carbon assurance. Originality/value – This study extends the existing studies of assurance in sustainability context as well as in carbon context by explaining why companies voluntarily get expensive external verification (i.e. higher level of assurance) of their carbon emissions disclosure. This study responds to calls in the literature for empirical research investigating the association between environmental performance and external assurance with a focus on level of assurance

TOWARDS AN IN VITRO MODEL FOR RNA INTERFERENCE- MEDIATED SUPPRESSION OF S100A8

The SI00 calcium-binding protein A8 (S100A8) has been identified as a potential genetic modifier of the lung disease of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients as well as mice. S100A8 and its heterodimeric partner, S100A9, are expressed by neutrophils and monocytes and secreted to the extracellular milieu during inflammation where they act as potent chemokines for neutrophil recruitment. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) in suppressing murine S100A8 expression in vitro as a preliminary model to the study of S100A8 knockdown in CF mice. Stimulation of murine macrophage-like P388D1 and granulocytic 32D cells failed to induce S100A8 expression. COS-7 (African green monkey kidney) cells, stably transfected with murine S100A8, showed S100A8 mRNA but no protein. Introduction of murine S100A9 into wild-type and COS-7 cells stable for S100A8 expression revealed S100A9, but no S100A8, protein. The fact that S100A8 protein was not detected contradicts, at least, the idea that S100A9 protein requires S100A8 for stability, although the opposite may also be true. Three different miR-30-based shRNAs targeting S100A8 and a non-specific shRNA (control) were evaluated for their knockdown efficacy. Two of the three hairpins tested (shRNA_mA8_65 and shRNA_mA8_250) were able to significantly reduce S100A8 mRNA levels compared the untreated and control-treated cells (p=0.001 and j9=0.033, respectively), achieving 62% and 25% suppression, respectively. This study has identified shRNAs that can specifically silence the expression (and achieve stable knockdown) of S100A8 in COS-7 cells over-expressing the S100A8 gene. This will be valuable for both in vitro and in vivo functional studies of S100A8; particularly, to study the effects of S100A8 suppression on the inflammatory lung phenotype in CF mice

A review sustainable development strategies sturgeon in the Caspian Sea

The project of fishery regional development studies in North Alborz was conducted to establish regional development program in North Alborz Area (Provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran & Golestan). The research had several phases and was done on a survey and library-based study. Using SWOT analysis method to analyze current situation of sturgeon fisheries and aquaculture is investigated and internal and external environmental factors of shilat activities are considered. We used Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) for priority setting of strategies. In current paper as a part of project’s outcomes, all activities of fisheries and aquaculture environment were considered, then, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats of internal and external environment are analyzed. At the end, a considerable number of tables and matrixes were prepared and four types of strategies including 20 strategies for sturgeon aquaculture and 17 strategies for sturgeon fisheries were carried out

Performance evaluation of a linear predictor frequency estimator for mobile flat fading wireless channels

A well known frequency estimation algorithm using the linear prediction method is analyzed for flat fading wireless channels. The estimator outputs are statistically analyzed and its jitter performances are compared with the non-fading case and the Cramer-Rao bound. We provide a closed form solution for the distribution and the variance of the frequency estimates under fading conditions by making valid assumptions. We also verify the theoretical model using simulations. Analysis shows that the variance of the estimates for flat fading channels reaches a threshold point and increasing the transmit power does not necessarily improve the performances any further

The lethal concentration (LC50) of Zataria multiflora essential oil in fries of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This research was carried out to determine LC50 for Zataria multiflora essential oil in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fries at 96 hours. In the process, we used the static O.E.C.D method for 180 rainbow trout fries weighing 5±1 grams in five treatments and one control with three replicates. During the experiments, the mean (±SD) of water temperature was kept at 16±1 C, dissolved oxygen (DO) was 7±0.2mg/l and pH was 8±0.4. We used 5- 25ppm of the essential oil and the results were analyzed using probit analysis procedure. The LC50 96h of Zataria multiflora essential oil was determined as 13.6ppm for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry. Based on the results, the useful maximum concentration of Zataria multiflora essential oil was less than 10ppm in rainbow trout fry. The results indicated a narrow therapeutic index for Zataria multiflore essential oil

Pengaruh Media Sosial Dan Celebrity Endorser Terhadap Minat Beli Ulang Dengan Brand Trust Sebagai Variabel Intervening (Studi Kasus Pada Pelanggan Ms Glow Aesthetic Clinic Malang)

AbstractThis study aims to determine and analyze the influence of Social Media and Celebrity Endorsers on Repurchase Intention with Brand Trust as Intervening Variables in Ms Glow Aesthetic Clinic Malang Customers. The population and sample of this study are 91 customers of Ms. Glow Aesthetic Clinic Malang. In this study data collection techniques used in the form of questionnaires and interviews. The tool used for data analysis in this study is to use a software application in the form of SPSS. Data analysis method in this research uses path analysis (Analysis Path). The instrument test in this study is in the form of a Normality Test, Reliability Test, Validity Test, t Test and Sobel Test. The analysis shows that Social Media and Celebrity Endorser have a direct and significant effect on Brand Trust. While Social Media and Celebrity Endorser have a direct and significant effect on Repurchase Intention. Whereas Brand Trust has a direct and significant effect on Repurchase Intention. Whereas Social media and Celebrity endorser have a direct and indirect impact on the Repurchase intention through the Brand trust.Keywords: Social Media, Celebrity Endorser, Brand Trust, and Repurchase Intentio