A gas-rich AGN near the centre of a galaxy cluster at z ~ 1.4

The formation of the first virialized structures in overdensities dates back to ~9 Gyr ago, i.e. in the redshift range z ~ 1.4 - 1.6. Some models of structure formation predict that the star formation activity in clusters was high at that epoch, implying large reservoirs of cold molecular gas. Aiming at finding a trace of this expected high molecular gas content in primeval clusters, we searched for the 12CO(2-1) line emission in the most luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN) of the cluster around the radio galaxy 7C 1756+6520 at z ~ 1.4, one of the farthest spectroscopic confirmed clusters. This AGN, called AGN.1317, is located in the neighbourhood of the central radio galaxy at a projected distance of ~780 kpc. The IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer was used to investigate the molecular gas quantity in AGN.1317, observing the 12CO(2-1) emission line. We detect CO emission in an AGN belonging to a galaxy cluster at z ~ 1.4. We measured a molecular gas mass of 1.1 x 10^10 Msun, comparable to that found in submillimeter galaxies. In optical images, AGN.1317 does not seem to be part of a galaxy interaction or merger.We also derived the nearly instantaneous star formation rate (SFR) from Halpha flux obtaining a SFR ~65 Msun/yr. This suggests that AGN.1317 is actively forming stars and will exhaust its reservoir of cold gas in ~0.2-1.0 Gyr.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Konsep Diri Dan Pengambilan Keputusan Menjadi Santri Di Pondok Modern Assalaam Temanggung

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara konsep diri dengan pengambilan keputusan menjadi santri di Pondok Modern Assalaam Temanggung. Pengambilan keputusan merupakan proses pemilihan satu alternatif dari beberapa alternatif untuk pemecahan masalah. Pengambilan keputusan ini dapat diukur dengan menggunakan skala pengambilan keputusan yang sesuai dengan aspek-aspek pengambilan keputusan yaitu: penetapan target dan tujuan spesifik serta pengukuran hasil, identifikasi dan definisi masalah, penetapan prioritas, mempertimbangkan penyebab masalah, pengembangan solusi alternatif, evaluasi terhadap seluruh alternatif solusi, memilih solusi, implementasi dan tindak lanjut. Konsep diri adalah pandangan individu mengenai dirinya sendiri, meliputi gambaran mengenai pribadinya bersama dengan perasaan, keyakinan dan nilai yang dimilikinya. Konsep diri ini dapat diukur dengan menggunakan skala konsep diri yang sesuai dengan aspek-aspek konsep diri yaitu: self esteem, Self knowledge, Personal and social identity, Self comparison, dan Self presentation. Sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah santri Pondok Modern Assalaam yang berjumlah 87, yang diperoleh melalui teknik cluster random sampling. Alat pengumpul data dalam penelitian ini adalah Skala pengambilan keputusan (51 aitem α = 0,956) dan Skala Konsep Diri (33 aitem α = 0,966) yang telah diujicobakan terhadap 40 santri Pondok Modern Assalaam. Hasil analisis data dengan metode analisis regresi sederhana menghasilkan koefisien korelasi (rxy) sebesar 0,778 dengan p = 0,000 (p<0,05). Hasil tersebut menunjukkan arah hubungan positif antara konsep diri dengan pengambilan keputusan menjadi santri Pondok Modern Assalaam. Konsep diri memberikan sumbangan efektif sebesar 60,5% terhadap pengambilan keputusan menjadi santri Pondok Modern Assalaam

On the reciprocal effects between multiple group identifications and mental health: a longitudinal study of Scottish adolescents

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the link between social group identification and mental health outcomes in a sample of secondary school pupils. Based on previous work, it was predicted that multiple high group identifications would protect against psychological ill health. Furthermore, it was predicted that better mental health would also predict greater number of group i identifications, thus creating a 'virtuous circle'. Design: A longitudinal questionnaire design was used. Methods: A total of 409 Scottish secondary school pupils aged 13–17 completed a questionnaire twice over a year. Pupils' responses regarding their mental health and the extent of their identification with three groups (the family, school, and friends) were measured. Results: A path analysis of the data showed that greater number of high group identifications predicted better mental health outcomes amongst participants. However, better mental health also predicted greater number of high group identifications, suggesting that there is a cyclical relationship between both variables. Conclusions: The findings have both theoretical and practical implications. They highlight the importance of conceptualizing the link between group identification and mental health as cyclical, rather than unidirectional. This reconceptualization has implications for mental health promotion strategies, as it highlights the importance of attempting to turn a potentially 'vicious cycle' of social disidentification and mental ill health into a 'virtuous cycle' of social identification and mental health. Practitioner points: - Results showed that in a population of 409 high school pupils, the more high group identifications pupils had, the better their mental health outcomes. - Better mental health also predicted a greater number of high group identifications over time. - The findings suggest that we would benefit from conceptualizing the relationship between group identification and mental outcomes as being cyclical rather than unidirectional. - Viewing the relationship between group identification and mental health in this way enables us to consider interventions which help turn a 'vicious cycle' into a 'virtuous cycle'. Limitations: - A potential limitation of the work relates to the use of self-report questionnaires which may elicit socially desirable responses. - The sample only consists of high school pupils from mainstream public schools within Scotland

Evaluation of the sleep modulating effects of methanolic extracts of Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits in mice

This study aimed to evaluate the sleep modulating properties of Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits in Swiss albino mice. The depressant effect of the extracts on the central nervous system was studied using a diazepam-induced sleep model in mice. The mice were divided into four groups of six mice each. The test groups received Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits extracts at the doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally. In contrast, the control group received distilled water at 10 ml/kg. Diazepam (Ranbaxy®, India) was used as a standard drug and administered 30 minutes after the initial treatment. The lethal doses (LD50) of the two extracts were estimated to be >5000 mg/kg. The results obtained from the onset of sleep of rats administered methanol extracts of Strychnos spinosa, and Strychnos innocua fruits showed that the extracts at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, did not significantly (p >0.05) alter the onset of sleep when compared with the control. The onset of sleep in the groups treated with Strychnos spinosa fruit extracts indicated a dose-dependent decrease pattern. The study also revealed a prolonged duration of sleep in all the experimental groups treated with the two extracts compared to the control group. The treated groups of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg significantly (p <0.05) prolonged the duration of diazepam-induced sleep in a dose-dependent manner when compared to the control group. The group treated with 1000 mg/kg of Strychnos innocua fruit extract was significant (p <0.05) compared to the control group. In conclusion, the high LD50 observed in this study suggests that the two extracts are relatively safe and contain promising bioactive ingredients that cause sleep modulation in mice

Hubungan Antara Citra Diri Dengan Intensi Membeli Produk Fashion Bermerek Tiruan Pada Mahasiswa Tahun Pertama Fakultas Ekonomika Dan Bisnis Universitas Diponegoro

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji hubungan antara citra diri dengan intensi membeli produk fashion bermerek tiruan pada mahasiswa tahun pertama Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis Universitas Diponegoro. Citra diri adalah penilaian seseorang terhadap segala hal yang berkaitan dengan dirinya meliputi penampilan (fisik), psikologi, sosial akan kondisinya saat ini atau pun kondisi yang dicita-citakan sebagai hasil pengalaman. Intensi membeli produk fashion tiruan bermerek adalah keinginan, niat seseorang untuk melakukan pembelian produk fashion (baju, tas, sepatu, aksesoris) bermerek tiruan (KW) tertentu dalam rangka untuk memenuhi kebutuhan dan keinginannya.Jumlah populasi penelitian 600 mahasiswa tahun pertama Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis Universitas Diponegoro. Sampel penelitian yang digunakan ialah 221 mahasiswa. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan teknik convenience sampling. Data dianalisis mengunakan uji statistik non parametrik yaitu uji korelasi Spearman rho. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan statistik diperoleh koefisien korelasi Spearman rho (rs) sebesar -0,055 dengan nilai p= 0,413 (p > 0,05) yang berarti tidak ada hubungan antara citra diri dengan intensi membeli produk fashion bermerek tiruan pada mahasiswa tahun pertama Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis Universitas Diponegoro

Antimicrobial activity of Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) on some selected members of enterobacteriaceae

The use of medicinal plants in Africa for therapeutic purpose has been quite a common practice. However, most of these plants are used indiscriminately without proper knowledge of their chemical constituents, spectrum of activity, inhibitory or bactericidal concentrations. Moreover, the widespread and often indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs has resulted in resistance of microbes to specific antibiotic treatments. In view of this, the antibacterial activity of Phoenix dactylifera was determined using agar well diffusion method. A total of 2.43g and 2.12g of the methanolic extract from the original weight of 25g was recovered from the leaf and fruit of Phoenix dactylifera respectively. The leaf extracts showed greater antibacterial effects against Klebsiella pneumoniae with zones of inhibition measuring 34mm, 28mm, 26mm and 24mm at the concentrations of 40mg/ml, 30mg/ml, 20mg/ml and 10mg/ml while Salmonella typhi had zones of 20mm and 14 mm at 40mg/ml and 30mg/ml. However, the fruit extract inhibited the growth of all the test organisms at varying concentrations with the highest zone recorded against Salmonella typhi (38mm) at 40mg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) analysis also confirmed the antibacterial effect of these extracts. Phytochemical analysis also showed the presence of Saponins, Tannins, Alkaloids, Steroids, Phenols and Flavonoids. The findings of this research suggest that infection by members of Enterobacteriaceae can be treated using Phoenix dactylifera fruit and leaves as an alternative to conventional antibiotics.Keywords: Date Palm, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella, Phytochemica

An assessment of cost escalation in building construction project

Estimating of cost for building construction projects with minimum error at the conceptual stage of project development is quite  essential for planning. This study seeks to evaluate factors responsible for cost escalation of building construction projects.  Questionnaires were administered to examine and assess these factors. Subsequently, the mean score value of each factor was determined. In addition, Correlation and Linear regression analyses were used to establish the relationship between these factors. Factors responsible for cost escalation in projects were examined as well as the impact of those factors, and occurrence of those factors on project cost. The result of the analysis showed that, the most agreed factors responsible for project cost escalation were; inadequate supervision, irregular payment, and design error, having high mean values of 4.25, 4.20, and 4.15, respectively. Also, correlation analysis result established that the factors responsible for cost escalation and the impact of cost escalation had significant R and R2 of 0.81 and 0.70 respectively. Addressing these factors would go a long way in reducing the escalation of building project cost. Never the less, an effective cost management strategy is absolutely necessary to safeguard and sustain the construction  industry. Keywords: cost escalation, building project, construction, regression analysi