IMPROVING STUDENTS’ WRITING IN RECOUNT TEXT THROUGH SEQUENCE OF PICTURES AT THE SECOND GRADE OF MTSN 1 BANDARLAMPUNG

Tujuan dari penelitian ini ialah untuk mengetahui peningkatan kemampuan menulis siswa dalam pembelajaran teks recount dengan menggunakan sequence of pictures dan mengetahui aspek kemampuan menulis siswa yang paling meningkat setelah mereka diajarkan menggunakan sequence of pictures. Desain yang digunakan ialah satu kelompok pretest posttest. Subjek penelitian ini ialah 30 siswa kelas VIII C MTsN 1 Bandar Lampung. Instrumen yang digunakan ialah tes menulis. Data dalam bentuk skor yang diambil dari pretest dan posttest dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan Paired Sampel t-test. Penelitian ini menemukan adanya peningkatan statistik kemampuan menulis siswa dalam pembelajaran teks recount dilihat dari skor pretest ke skor posttest (58,9 menjadi 70,8) setelah menggunakan sequence of pictures. Aspek penulisan yang paling meningkat ialah konten karena sifat sequence of pictutres memandu siswa untuk mengembangkan ide-ide.The aims of this study were to find out whether there was any improvement of the students’ writing skill in recount text after they have been taught by using sequence of pictures and to investigate which aspects of the students’ writing skill improved the most after they have been taught by using sequence of pictures. The design used was one group pretest posttest. The subjects were 30 students of class VIIIC of MTsN 1 Bandar Lampung. The instrument was a writing test. The data were in form of scores taken from the pretest and posttest and were analyzed by using Paired Sampel t-test. The result showed there was a statistically improvement of students’ writing skill in recount text viewed from the pretest score to the posttest score (58.9 to 70.8) after they have been taught by using sequence of pictures. The aspect of writing that improved the most was content. This is because the nature of sequence of pictures mainly guides the students to develop the ideas.Keywords: recount text, sequence of pictures, writing.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant screening of curcumin and pyrocatechol in the prevention of biodiesel degradation: oxidative stability

Owing to its hygroscopicity biodiesel may accumulate water during storage, which becomes favorable to the growth of microorganisms. In order to control microbial contamination, use of various chemical biocides has been studied. However, the addition of a natural substance simultaneously with antioxidant and microbial growth inhibition could prove advantageous in the prevention of biodiesel oxidation and microbial contamination. Curcumin and pyrocatechol are antioxidant agents, which also exhibit microbial growth inhibition abilities. This research effort aimed at evaluating the addition of curcumin and pyrocatechol to biodiesel produced from various vegetable sources (waste frying oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, macaúba almond oil and microalgae oil). The combined addition of 1% (w/w) water and curcumin (viz. 0.2% (w/w) for biodiesel from spent frying oil, 0.5% (w/w) for biodiesel from soybean oil, 0.1% (w/w) for biodiesel from cotton seed oil, 0.5% (w/w) for biodiesel from sesame seed oil, 0.2% (w/w) for biodiesel from macaúba almond oil, and 0.2% (w/w) for biodiesel from microalgae oil) were those processing variables that promoted the best fungistatic and antioxidant effects, allowing maintenance of an unfavorable environment for microbial growth in biodiesel inoculated with the ubiquitous filamentous mold Paecilomyces variotii Bainier.Project funding by CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - Brazil) (CNPq Ref. No. 404808/ 2013-1, Project ‘Studies on Biodiesel: Development of analytical methods for the characterization and quality control, and research of new natural additives to improve the quality of this biofuel’), is hereby gratefully acknowledged. This work received support from CNPq, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development Brazil, in the form of Research Productivity (PQ) fellowships granted to Victor M. Balcão (Ref. No. 306113/2014-7) and Marco V. Chaud (Ref. No. 309598/2014-1). The authors have no conflicts of interest whatsoever to declare

A systematic review assessing non-pharmacological conservative treatment studies for people with non-inflammatory multi-joint pain: clinical outcomes and research design considerations

To systematically review the evidence to determine the clinical outcomes and the important methodological quality features of interventional studies on adults with non-inflammatory multi-joint pain (MJP). Systematic search of published and unpublished literature using the databases: AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, psycINFO, SPORTDiscus, PEDro, OpenGrey, the EU Clinical Trials Register, World Health Organization International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov and the ISRCTN registry (search: inception to 19th October 2017). All papers reporting the clinical outcomes of non-pharmacological interventions for people with non-inflammatory MJP were included. Studies were critically appraised using the Downs and Black Critical Appraisal and the TIDieR reporting checklists. Data were analysed using a Best Evidence Synthesis approach. From 3824 citations, four papers satisfied the eligibility criteria. Three studies reported outcomes from multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes and one study reported the findings of a spa therapy intervention. All interventions significantly improved pain, function and quality of life in the short-term. There was limited reporting of measures for absenteeism, presenteeism and psychosocial outcomes. The evidence was ‘weak’, and due to a lack of controlled trials, there is limited evidence to ascertain treatment effectiveness. Design consideration for future trials surround improved reporting of participant characteristics, interventions and the standardisation of core outcome measures. There is insufficient high-quality trial data to determine the effectiveness of treatments for non-inflammatory MJP. Given the significant health burden which this condition presents on both individuals and wider society, developing and testing interventions and accurately reporting these, should be a research priority

The alpha 7 nicotinic receptor agonist PHA-543613 hydrochloride inhibits <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i>-induced expression of interleukin-8 by oral keratinocytes

Objective: The alpha 7 nicotinic receptor (α7nAChR) is expressed by oral keratinocytes. α7nAChR activation mediates anti-inflammatory responses. The objective of this study was to determine if α7nAChR activation inhibited pathogen-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression by oral keratinocytes.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Materials and methods: Periodontal tissue expression of α7nAChR was determined by real-time PCR. OKF6/TERT-2 oral keratinocytes were exposed to &lt;i&gt;Porphyromonas gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; in the presence and absence of a α7nAChR agonist (PHA-543613 hydrochloride) alone or after pre-exposure to a specific α7nAChR antagonist (α-bungarotoxin). Interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression was measured by ELISA and real-time PCR. Phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65 subunit was determined using an NF-κB p65 profiler assay and STAT-3 activation by STAT-3 in-cell ELISA. The release of ACh from oral keratinocytes in response to &lt;i&gt;P. gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; lipopolysaccharide was determined using a GeneBLAzer M3 CHO-K1-blacell reporter assay.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results: Expression of α7nAChR mRNA was elevated in diseased periodontal tissue. PHA-543613 hydrochloride inhibited &lt;i&gt;P. Gingivalis&lt;/i&gt;-induced expression of IL-8 at the transcriptional level. This effect was abolished when cells were pre-exposed to a specific α7nAChR antagonist, α-bungarotoxin. PHA-543613 hydrochloride downregulated NF-κB signalling through reduced phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65-subunit. In addition, PHA-543613 hydrochloride promoted STAT-3 signalling by maintenance of phosphorylation. Furthermore, oral keratinocytes upregulated ACh release in response to &lt;i&gt;P. Gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; lipopolysaccharide.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusion: These data suggest that α7nAChR plays a role in regulating the innate immune responses of oral keratinocytes.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Immune-Complex Mimics as a Molecular Platform for Adjuvant-Free Vaccine Delivery

Protein-based vaccine development faces the difficult challenge of finding robust yet non-toxic adjuvants suitable for humans. Here, using a molecular engineering approach, we have developed a molecular platform for generating self-adjuvanting immunogens that do not depend on exogenous adjuvants for induction of immune responses. These are based on the concept of Immune Complex Mimics (ICM), structures that are formed between an oligomeric antigen and a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to that antigen. In this way, the roles of antigens and antibodies within the structure of immune complexes are reversed, so that a single monoclonal antibody, rather than polyclonal sera or expensive mAb cocktails can be used. We tested this approach in the context of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection by linking the highly immunogenic and potentially protective Ag85B with the oligomeric Acr (alpha crystallin, HspX) antigen. When combined with an anti-Acr monoclonal antibody, the fusion protein formed ICM which bound to C1q component of the complement system and were readily taken up by antigen-presenting cells in vitro. ICM induced a strong Th1/Th2 mixed type antibody response, which was comparable to cholera toxin adjuvanted antigen, but only moderate levels of T cell proliferation and IFN-γ secretion. Unfortunately, the systemic administration of ICM did not confer statistically significant protection against intranasal MTB challenge, although a small BCG-boosting effect was observed. We conclude that ICM are capable of inducing strong humoral responses to incorporated antigens and may be a suitable vaccination approach for pathogens other than MTB, where antibody-based immunity may play a more protective role

Does time of surgery influence the rate of false-negative appendectomies?:A retrospective observational study of 274 patients

Background Multiple disciplines have described an “after-hours effect” relating to worsened mortality and morbidity outside regular working hours. This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate whether diagnostic accuracy of a common surgical condition worsened after regular hours. Methods Electronic operative records for all non-infant patients (age > 4 years) operated on at a single centre for presumed acute appendicitis were retrospectively reviewed over a 56-month period (06/17/2012–02/01/2017). The primary outcome measure of unknown diagnosis was compared between those performed in regular hours (08:00–17:00) or off hours (17:01–07:59). Pre-clinical biochemistry and pre-morbid status were recorded to determine case heterogeneity between the two groups, along with secondary outcomes of length of stay and complication rate. Results Out of 289 procedures, 274 cases were deemed eligible for inclusion. Of the 133 performed in regular hours, 79% were appendicitis, compared to 74% of the 141 procedures performed off hours. The percentage of patients with an unknown diagnosis was 6% in regular hours compared to 15% off hours (RR 2.48; 95% CI 1.14–5.39). This was accompanied by increased numbers of registrars (residents in training) leading procedures off hours (37% compared to 24% in regular hours). Pre-morbid status, biochemistry, length of stay and post-operative complication rate showed no significant difference. Conclusions This retrospective study suggests that the rate of unknown diagnoses for acute appendicitis increases overnight, potentially reflecting increased numbers of unnecessary procedures being performed off hours due to poorer diagnostic accuracy. Reduced levels of staffing, availability of diagnostic modalities and changes to workforce training may explain this, but further prospective work is required. Potential solutions may include protocolizing the management of common acute surgical conditions and making more use of non-resident on call senior colleagues

Search for New Physics in e mu X Data at D0 Using Sleuth: A Quasi-Model-Independent Search Strategy for New Physics

We present a quasi-model-independent search for the physics responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking. We define final states to be studied, and construct a rule that identifies a set of relevant variables for any particular final state. A new algorithm ("Sleuth") searches for regions of excess in those variables and quantifies the significance of any detected excess. After demonstrating the sensitivity of the method, we apply it to the semi-inclusive channel e mu X collected in 108 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV at the D0 experiment during 1992-1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. We find no evidence of new high p_T physics in this sample.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Physical Review