Abundance of Ordo Lepidoptera in The Land Conversion of Ciwidey Pine Forest

The study entitled "Abundance of Ordo Lepidoptera in The Land Conversion of Ciwidey Pine Forest" aims to obtain the information about the abundance of insects of the ordo Lepidoptera and the influence of climatic factors on the abundance. The research method used is descriptive method, the research design is belt transect, and the sampling techniques used are pitfall trap, hand sorting, beating tray, and insect net. There are 6 stations with 5 quadrants in each. The results of this study obtained 37 individuals from 10 species, 10 genus, and 6 families. Abundance at station one is worth of 2 individuals/m2, abundance at station two is worth of 4 individuals/m2, abundance at station three is worth of 6 individuals/m2, abundance at station four is worth of 6 individuals/m2, abundance at station five is worth of 2 individuals/m2, abundance at station six worth of 10 individuals/m2

Karakteristik pada Balita Diare dengan Infeksi Enteropathogenic Escherichia Coli (Epec) di Puskesmas Rawat Inap Kota Pekanbaru

Diarrheal diseases remain one of the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in most developing countries, with Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) being one of the most important aetiologic agents of children under-five years diarrhea in many of these countries. In Indonesia especially Pekanbaru, the epidemiology of these EPEC have not been well studied. During the period from April 2014 to September 2014, 47 stool sample were collected from children under-five years with acute diarrhea in the hospitality primary health care in Pekanbaru and the examination has been done in Microbiology Laboratory of Medical Faculty Riau University. The Escherichia coli were isolated and diagnosed by standard microbiological methods. The isolates confirmed to be Esherichia coli were subjected to a slide agglutination test with Escherichia coli polyvalent antisera. This study was a descriptive study using a consecutive sampling method to describe the characterization of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) infection on children under-five years at the hospitality primary health care in Pekanbaru. Based on gender and age from all specimens that were collected, the diarrhea mostly found in male (59.5%), and in 12-59 months patients (93.6%). Out of the 47 stool samples, 1 isolate (2.2%) were positive for EPEC. The isolate was recovered from the 19 months female

Physical assessment of toxicology at nanoscale: nano dose-metrics and toxicity factor

In this work, we propose a systematic and reproducible evaluation of nanoparticles (NPs) toxicology in living systems, based on a physical assessment and quantification of the toxic effects of NPs by the experimental determination of the key parameter affecting the toxicity outcome (i.e., the number of NPs) and of the NPs "toxicity factor". Such a strategy was applied to a well determined scenario, i.e., the ingestion of citrate-capped gold NPs (AuNPs) of different sizes by the model system Drosophila melanogaster. Using these AuNPs as a reference toxicity standard, we were able to define different regions in the multiparametric space of toxicity, enabling the classification of the toxic levels of other nanomaterials, such as quantum dots and pegylated AuNPs. This approach may pave the way to a systematic classification of nanomaterials, leading to important developments in risk assessment and regulatory approval, as well as in a wide range of nanomedicine applications

Sustaining Educational Reforms in Introductory Physics

While it is well known which curricular practices can improve student performance on measures of conceptual understanding, the sustaining of these practices and the role of faculty members in implementing these practices are less well understood. We present a study of the hand-off of Tutorials in Introductory Physics from initial adopters to other instructors at the University of Colorado, including traditional faculty not involved in physics education research. The study examines the impact of implementation of Tutorials on student conceptual learning across eight first-semester, and seven second-semester courses, for fifteen faculty over twelve semesters, and includes roughly 4000 students. It is possible to demonstrate consistently high, and statistically indistinguishable, student learning gains for different faculty members; however, such results are not the norm, and appear to rely on a variety of factors. Student performance varies by faculty background - faculty involved in, or informed by physics education research, consistently post higher student learning gains than less-informed faculty. Student performance in these courses also varies by curricula used - all semesters in which the research-based Tutorials and Learning Assistants are used have higher student learning gains than those semesters that rely on non-research based materials and do not employ Learning Assistants.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, and other essential inf

Room-temperature metal stamping by microfluidics

We show the possibility to fabricate highly controlled metal micropatterns on a variety of substrates, such as semiconducting or metallic materials, exploiting a combination of spontaneous galvanic displacement reactions with microfluidics. The process is reliable and quite versatile and allows the fabrication of complex patterns of different metals on a number of substrates in few minutes on a conventional laboratory bench

Awareness and Behaviors Regarding COVID-19 among Albanian Undergraduates

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the adoption of restriction measures that have had notable consequences on the health and wellbeing of individuals. This survey was carried out on a sample of 905 Albanian undergraduates to assess their knowledge about COVID-19 and their health-related behaviors and communication changes during lockdown. The students were invited to complete a pre-validated questionnaire during lessons. The results show that the majority of the surveyed students were able to answer correctly about the main epidemiological features of the disease. The level of knowledge was proven to be proportional to the students' education level (enrollment year and age). No considerable relationship emerged with respect to diet or smoking. On the other hand, a relevant portion of the sample (37.6%) declared decreased physical activity (PA). Finally, a notable increase in the intensity and frequency of communication with their peers and with their parents was declared by 34.7% and 50.8% of the sample, respectively. Lifestyle variables were found to be mutually related, as were communication outcomes. The participants showed a satisfactory awareness regarding the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the registered reduction in PA may represent a public health issue and should be addressed with adequate policies. The use of electronic media seems to have increased communication habits in this population group

Capturing the Features of Physical Activity in Old Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an Italian Survey

The restriction measures adopted to control the COVID-19 pandemic had significant consequences on individuals’ lifestyles. This study is aimed at assessing the amount and type of habitual physical activity (PA) in older adults during the advanced phase of the pandemic and their possible relationships with sociodemographic aspects. A questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) was administered online to elderly subjects living in the Apulia region, South Italy. A sample of 939 participants (57.1% F; mean age 75.9 ± 6.3) was obtained. In total, 68.8% of female respondents reported a decrease in PA during the pandemic, while 55.1% of men maintained their previous levels (<0.001). The total PASE score did not differ between gender groups (median value 91.7 in males vs. 90.0 in females; p = 0.067). However, differences were registered in leisure activities, particularly regarding walking (23.8 ± 14.8 in males vs. 20.2 ± 14.6 in females; p = 0.001). Higher PA levels were related with lower age (OR 0.253; 95% CI 0.192–0.333; p = 0.001). Since inactivity can affect elderly health and wellbeing, and considering the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on this habit, health promotion strategies to counteract the negative effects of the pandemic should include interventions aimed at increasing PA in this sub-group of the population, especially among women and elderly subjects

Negligible particle-specific toxicity mechanism of silver nanoparticles: The role of Ag+ion release in the cytosol

Toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is supported by many observations in literature, but no mechanism details have been proved yet. Here we confirm and quantify the toxic potential of fully characterized AgNPs in HeLa and A549 cells. Notably, through a specific fluorescent probe, we demonstrate the intracellular release of Ag+ ions in living cells after nanoparticle internalization, showing that in-situ particle degradation is promoted by the acidic lysosomal environment. The activation of metallothioneins in response to AgNPs and the possibility to reverse the main toxic pathway by Ag+ chelating agents demonstrate a cause/effect relationship between ions and cell death. We propose that endocytosed AgNPs are degraded in the lysosomes and the release of Ag+ ions in the cytosol induces cell damages, while ions released in the cell culture medium play a negligible effect. These findings will be useful to develop safer-by-design nanoparticles and proper regulatory guidelines of AgNPs