Faktor Penentu Kemampuan Mahasiswa dalam Penguasaan Bahasa Inggris

Universitas sangat penting dalam mempersiapkan siswa untuk sukses didunia kerja. Hal ini menggambarkan bahwa pelatihan bahasa Inggris di perguruan tinggi juga dimaksudkan untuk menghasilkan lulusan dengan kompetensi bahasa Inggris yang dibutuhkan untuk pekerjaan tertentu (English for Occupational Purpose). Sudah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa mahasiswa yang mendaftar di Program Studi Pendidikan Biologi FKIP UPR memiliki kemampuan bahasa Inggris yang lemah. Oleh karena itu, peneliti memilih 15 mahasiswa untuk dijadikan responden. Penelitian ini berusaha untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kemahiran bahasa Inggris jurusan Pendidikan Biologi di FKIP UPR. Kuisoner digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data dalam penelitian deskriptif ini. Untuk analisis data menggunakan teknik Tabulasi. Metode ini melibatkan pengolahan data ke dalam format tabel. Terdapat empat variabel yang mempengaruhi kemampuan bahasa Inggris peserta Prodi Pendidikan Biologi, demikian kesimpulan dari penelitian ini. 1) Kemampuan menyimak, dalam hal ini mahasiswa mengalami kesulitan membedakan pengucapan (pronounciation) kata-kata yang didengarnya; 2) Kemampuan berbicara, dalam hal ini persyaratan untuk menggunakan grammar yang benar ketika berbicara dan rasa gugup karena tidak terbiasa berbicara berdampak pada kemampuan mahasiswa; 3) Kemampuan menulis, dimana ketidakmampuan untuk menghasilkan dan mengorganisasikan ide-ide sehingga mempengaruhi kemampuan mahasiswa; 4) Kemampuan membaca, dimana ketidakmampuan untuk memahami isi bacaan sangat mempengaruhi kemampuan mahasiswa. Kata kunci—English for Occupational Purpose, Keterampilan Berbahasa Inggris, Penguasaan Bahasa Inggris Abstract  Universities play a crucial role in preparing students to compete in the workforce. This demonstrates that English instruction in higher institutions is also geared toward ensuring that students have the English proficiency required for various occupations (English for Occupational Purpose). It is well recognized that students enrolled in the Biology Education Study Program, FKIP UPR, have limited English proficiency. As a result, 15 students were chosen to participate in the study as respondents. This study seeks to identify the factors that influence the English language proficiency of FKIP UPR Biology Education students. This is a descriptive study for which a questionnaire was utilized to collect data. The tabulation technique is used to analyze the data by transforming the data into tabular format. According to the findings of this study, four factors influence the English language proficiency of Biology Education Study Program students: 1) Listening ability, wherein students have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of the words they hear; 2) Speaking ability, wherein the influencing factors are the demand for using proper grammar in speaking and feeling very nervous because they are not used to speaking; 3) Writing ability, wherein what affects students' abilities is the difficulty in developing and compiling ideas; 4) Reading ability, where the inability to understand the content of the reading has a significant impact on students' ability. Keywords—English for Occupational Purpose, English Language Skills, English Master

Antimicrobial Activity of Monoramnholipids Produced by Bacterial Strains Isolated from the Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Microorganisms living in extreme environments represent a huge reservoir of novel antimicrobial compounds and possibly of novel chemical families. Antarctica is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth and exhibits many distinctive features. Antarctic microorganisms are well known producers of valuable secondary metabolites. Specifically, several Antarctic strains have been reported to inhibit opportunistic human pathogens strains belonging to Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc). Herein, we applied a biodiscovery pipeline for the identification of anti-Bcc compounds. Antarctic sub-sea sediments were collected from the Ross Sea, and used to isolate 25 microorganisms, which were phylogenetically affiliated to three bacterial genera (Psychrobacter, Arthrobacter, and Pseudomonas) via sequencing and analysis of 16S rRNA genes. They were then subjected to a primary cell-based screening to determine their bioactivity against Bcc strains. Positive isolates were used to produce crude extracts from microbial spent culture media, to perform the secondary screening. Strain Pseudomonas BNT1 was then selected for bioassay-guided purification employing SPE and HPLC. Finally, LC-MS and NMR structurally resolved the purified bioactive compounds. With this strategy, we achieved the isolation of three rhamnolipids, two of which were new, endowed with high (MIC < 1 μg/mL) and unreported antimicrobial activity against Bcc strains

Exploring the feasibility of engaging Traditional Birth Attendants in a prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission program in Lilongwe, Malawi

ObjectiveTo investigate the willingness of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to provide single dose antiretroviral prophylaxis to infants born to mothers with HIV and the feasibility of providing the TBAs with antiretroviral medication.Design2 focus groups with a total of 17 registered TBAs.SettingLilongwe, MalawiMethodsTBAs were recruited by local health workers and participated in focus groups assessing their attitudes towards participation in a PMTCT program.ResultsTBAs were willing to participate in this prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) program and helped identify barriers to their participation.ConclusionsGiven appropriate support and training, TBAs’ participation in PMTCT programs could be an additional way to deliver medication to mothers and neonates who might otherwise miss crucial doses of medication

Stroke subtypes and their possible implication in stroke prevention drug strategies

Thrombotic strokes can affect large or small arteries in the brain. Drugs to prevent atherosclerosis complication such as thrombotic strokes, should be drugs able to prevent the accumulation of intravascular fat, reduce vascular proliferation, decrease blood pressure levels with the resulting shear stress, reduce platelet aggregation, and possibly partially or totally reverse carotid plaques. Any of the commonly used antihypertensive drugs lower the incidence of stroke, with larger reductions in BP resulting in larger reductions in risk. Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing the activity of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) may have beneficial effects beyond the lowering of blood pressure to reduce stroke incidence. In clinical trials, statins consistently reduced the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with or without CHD whereas the data on the effects of other lipid modifying drugs on stroke risk are limited. Approximately 25% of strokes are recurrent. Antiplatelet therapy is indicated for the prevention of recurrent stroke in patients with a history of noncardioembolic minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Although clinicians may choose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) as first-line therapy for secondary prevention, clinical guidelines and evidence from trials suggest that ASA may not be the most effective strategy. A recent review discussed results from clinical trials that have compared the efficacy of ASA monotherapy versus ASA + extended release dipyridamole in secondary stroke prevention. Therefore it is difficult to extrapolate the real benefit of pharmacological prevention strategies against atherothrombotic subtype for excellence in the TOAST classification subtype that is represented by the LAAS and also with regard to lacunar subtype as an expression of lipohyalinosis process which is a further aspect of atherosclerosis

CORRELATION BETWEEN IBD, INTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS, DIET AND MOOD TONE DISEASE: ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE

This essay's main goal the present review is to highlight the connections between intestinal dysbiosis and the ensuing activation of the mucosal lymphatic system. One of the study's goals is to investigate the impact on mood caused by a serotonergic deficit driven by mucosal inflammation. It assesses the relationship between food consumption and the onset of psychological and mental illness as a secondary end aim. Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and psychological and psychiatric mood disorders appear to benefit therapeutically from the sort of diet they consume

A widespread class of reverse transcriptase-related cellular genes

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of National Academy of Sciences for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108 (2011):20311-20316, doi:10.1073/pnas.1100266108.Reverse transcriptases (RTs) polymerize DNA on RNA templates. They fall into several structurally related but distinct classes, and form an assemblage of RT-like enzymes which, in addition to RTs, also includes certain viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRP) polymerizing RNA on RNA templates. It is generally believed that most RT-like enzymes originate from retrotransposons or viruses and have no specific function in the host cell, with telomerases being the only notable exception. Here we report on the discovery and properties of a novel class of RT-related cellular genes collectively named rvt. We present evidence that rvt are not components of retrotransposons or viruses, but single-copy genes with a characteristic domain structure, may contain introns in evolutionarily conserved positions, occur in syntenic regions, and evolve under purifying selection. These genes can be found in all major taxonomic groups including protists, fungi, animals, plants, and even bacteria, although they exhibit patchy phylogenetic distribution in each kingdom. We also show that the RVT protein purified from one of its natural hosts, Neurospora crassa, exists in a multimeric form and has the ability to polymerize NTPs as well as dNTPs in vitro, with a strong preference for NTPs, using Mn2+ as a cofactor. The existence of a previously unknown class of single-copy RT-related genes calls for re-evaluation of the current views on evolution and functional roles of RNA-dependent polymerases in living cells.This work was supported by NSF grant MCB-0821956 to I.A

Arterial stiffness, endothelial and cognitive function in subjects with type 2 diabetes in accordance with absence or presence of diabetic foot syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of cardiovascular disease so endothelial and arterial stiffness indexes are good indicators of vascular health. We aimed to assess whether the presence of diabetic foot is associated with arterial stiffness and endothelial function impairment. METHODS: We studied 50 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) compared to 50 diabetic subjects without diabetic foot, and 53 patients without diabetes mellitus, by means of the mini mental state examination (MMSE) administered to evaluate cognitive performance. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (Aix) were also evaluated by Applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor version 7.1), and the RH-PAT data were digitally analyzed online by Endo-PAT2000 using reactive hyperemia index (RHI) values. RESULTS: In comparison to diabetic subjects without diabetic foot the subjects with diabetic foot had higher mean values of PWV, lower mean values of RHI, and lower mean MMSE. At multinomial logistic regression PWV and RHI were significantly associated with diabetic foot presence, whereas ROC curve analysis had good sensitivity and specificity in arterial PWV and RHI for diabetic foot presence. CONCLUSIONS: Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index, mean RHI values, and mean MMSE were effective indicators of diabetic foot. Future research could address these issues by means of longitudinal studies to evaluate cardiovascular event incidence in relation to arterial stiffness, endothelial and cognitive markers

Nutritional characterization of Strychnos madagascariensis fruit flour produced by Mozambican communities and evaluation of Its contribution to nutrient adequacy

The indigenous fruit Strychnos madagascariensis is usually processed to flour, called nfuma, being highly consumed during staple food shortage. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition of nfuma and its nutrient adequacy. Flours from four districts of Mozambique were analyzed using AOAC methods for proximate composition, HPLC for sugar, amino acids (AA), vitamin E and carotenoids and ICP-MS and FAAS for minerals. The results showed that nfuma stands out for its high content of fat (26.3–27.8%), mainly oleic acid, fiber (>6%), vitamin E (6.7 to 8.0 mg/100 g) and carotenes (2.2 to 2.6 mg/100 g). The main amino acids of nfuma protein were Arg, Asp and Glu, and Lys was the limiting one. The mineral composition reveals K (~1200 to 1700 mg/100 g) as the main macromineral followed by Mg > Ca > Na. The main trace element was Mn (~4 mg/100 g) followed by Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr > Co. Aluminum (~3 mg/100 g) was the main non-essential element and Rb, Ni, Sr, Ba, V, Cd were also quantified. Assuming the daily consumption of 50 g, nfuma provides 82% of Vitamin A dietary reference value for toddlers, while the consumption of 100 g contributes to 132% and 60% of Mn and vitamin A DRV for adults, respectively. Despite the nutritional advantages of nfuma, this flour can be a source of Ni, highlighting the importance of the study of good practices in its preparation to decrease the exposure to non-essential elements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

β-amyloid wall deposit of temporal artery in subjects with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.

Background: Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy has been indicated as an important cause of spontaneous non-hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Aims: to analyze the presence of β-amyloid deposit in the temporal artery of consecutive patients with ICH in comparison to control subjects and its relation to APO-E haplotype frequency. Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients admitted to Neurosurgery Ward of University Hospital "P. Giaccone" of Palermo with a diagnosis of spontaneous non hypertensive ICH and as control 12 subjects without brain haemorrhage. Biopsy of superficial temporal artery has been performed and β-amyloid deposit was quantified. Results: Among 25 subjects with ICH, 10 (40%) had APOE epsilon 2 allele and among these subjects 7 (70%) showed amyloid accumulation on temporal artery specimens, 8 (32%) subjects had APOE epsilon 3 allele and among these subjects only 2 (25%) showed amyloid accumulation on temporal artery specimens, whereas 7 (28%) had APOE epsilon 4 allele and of these, 7 (100%) showed amyloid accumulation on temporal artery specimens. At multivariable logistic regression analysis for the presence of amyloid, predictive factors for the presence of amyloid in temporal artery biopsies were: age, hypertension, intralobar site of haemorrhage, APOE epsilon 2 and APOE epsilon 4 alleles. Discussion: Our findings of a higher frequency of amyloid deposition in temporal artery specimens in subjects with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage indicate a possible role of temporal artery as a possible diagnostic site of biopsy in subjects at high risk to develop intracranial haemorrhage related to Cerebral Amyloid Angiopath