The relationship between emotional intelligence and self-directed learning readiness among students in the faculty of medicine

This study is aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) among students in Faculty of Medicine, University of Nusa Cendana. This analytical observational research implemented cross sectional design with stratified random sampling technique on preclinical medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nusa Cendana, in the academic years of 2017, 2018, and 2019. A total of 156 respondents which fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited in this study by filling questionnaires of Schutte emotional intelegence scale (SEIS) and self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) analyzed using Somer’s d test. The results of the study showed that: (1) there is a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and SDLR of the students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nusa Dua (p<0.05) with strong correlation coefficient (r: 0.534); (2) there were 127 preclinical medical students (81.41%) with a high level of emotional intelligence and 29 preclinical medical students (18.59%) had a moderate level of emotional intelligence, but none of them had a low level of emotional intelligence; and (3) there were 84 preclinical medical students (53.84) who had high level of SDLR and 72 (46.16%) with a moderate level of SDLR, but none of them had a low SDLR level

Variation in scale cortisol concentrations of a wild freshwater fish: habitat quality or seasonal influences?

A signifcant body of literature suggests that aquatic pollutants can interfere with the physiological function of the fsh hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, and eventually impair the ability to cope with subsequent stressors. For this reason, development of accurate techniques to assess fsh stress responses have become of growing interest. Fish scales have been recently recognized as a biomaterial that accumulates cortisol, hence it can be potentially used to assess chronic stress in laboratory conditions. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the applicability of this novel method for cortisol assessment in fsh within their natural environment. Catalan chub (Squalius laietanus) were sampled from two sites; a highly polluted and a less polluted (reference) site, in order to examine if habitat quality could potentially infuence the cortisol deposition in scales. We also evaluated the seasonal variation in scale cortisol levels by sampling fsh at three diferent time points during spring-summer 2014. In each sampling, blood was collected to complement the information provided by the scales. Our results demonstrated that blood and scale cortisol levels from individuals inhabiting the reference site were signifcantly correlated, therefore increasing the applicability of the method as a sensitive-individual measure of fsh HPI axis activity, at least in non-polluted habitats. Since diferent environmental conditions could potentially alter the usefulness of the technique, results highlight that further validation is required to better interpret hormone fuctuations in fsh scales. Scale cortisol concentrations were unafected by habitat quality although fsh from the polluted environment presented lower circulating cortisol levels. We detected a seasonal increase in scale cor- tisol values concurring with an energetically costly period for the species, supporting the idea that the analysis of cortisol in scales reveals changes in the HPI axis activity. Taken together, the present study suggests that cortisol levels in scales are more likely to be infuenced by mid-term, intense energetically demanding periods rather than by long-term stressors. Measurement of cortisol in fsh scales can open the possibility to study novel spatio- temporal contexts of interest, yet further research is required to better understand its biological relevance

Hubungan Ketergantungan Smartphone Terhadap Tingkat Kecemasan Pada Mahasiswa Preklinik Fakultas Kedokteran

Smartphone merupakan alat komunikasi yang sangat populer saat ini, dan kepemilikannya sudah merupakan kebutuhan. Mahalnya harga textbook kedokteran disertai bentuk fisik yang besar sangat tidak praktis sehingga mahasiswa mulai beralih menggunakan ebook melalui smartphone. Selain itu, smartphone juga digunakan untuk mempelajari materi kuliah, membaca slide presentasi, dan mendengarkan rekaman dosen saat mengajar. Penggunaan smartphone secara berlebihan menyebabkan ketergantungan. Dampak buruk ketergantungan smartphone berupa nomophobia, yaitu perasaan cemas apabila dijauhkan dari smartphone. Hal ini harus segera diatasi karena dapat menyebabkan berbagai efek seperti menurunnya konsentrasi mahasiswa, juga berkaitan dengan rendahnya prestasi belajar yang memicu terjadinya depresi. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui hubungan ketergantungan smartphone terhadap tingkat kecemasan pada mahasiswa preklinik FK Undana. Metode penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik observasional dengan rancangan cross sectional pada mahasiswa preklinik Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Nusa Cendana angkatan 2017, 2018, dan 2019. Sebanyak 80 responden yang memenuhi kriteria inklusi diminta mengisi kuesioner Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) dan kuesioner Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HARS). Penelitian ini dianalisis secara univariat dan bivariat menggunakan uji spearman. Hasil penelitian ini responden yang memiliki ketergantungan rendah sebanyak 2 orang (2,5%), ketergantungan sedang sebanyak 55 orang (68,8%), dan ketergantungan tinggi sebanyak 23 orang (28,8%). Sebanyak 49 (61,3%) responden tidak mengalami kecemasan, 19 (23,8%) responden mengalami kecemasan ringan, 7 (8,8%) responden mengalami kecemasan sedang, dan 5 (6,3%) responden mengalami kecemasan berat. Tidak terdapat responden yang mengalami kecemasan panik. Terbukti adanya hubungan bermakna antara ketergantungan smartphone terhadap tingkat kecemasan dengan p=0,006 (p&lt;0,05) serta r=0,305. Dari penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa ketergantungan smartphone memiliki hubungan yang bermakna dengan tingkat kecemasan

HUBUNGAN LAMA PAPARAN DEBU ASAP KENDARAAN BERMOTOR DENGAN KAPASITAS VITAL PARU PADA OPERATOR SPBU KOTA KUPANG

Pencemaran udara sering terjadi di lingkungan kerja. Salah satu area dengan titik pencemaran tertinggi adalah Stasiun Pengisian Bahan Bakar Umum (SPBU). Operator SPBU memiliki resiko tinggi terpapar pencemaran udara yang berasal dari debu asap kendaraan bermotor yang sedang menunggu antrian pengisian bahan bakar ataupun kendaraan yang berangkat setelah pengisian bahan bakar. Selain itu, SPBU Kota Kupang yang dekat dengan jalan raya juga memudahkan operator SPBU terpapar oleh debu asap kendaraan bermotor yang melalui jalan raya. Kejadian ini berlangsung terus menerus akan berdampak pengendapan debu asap kendaraan bermotor pada saluran pernapasan dan menyebabkan penurunan kapasitas vital paru. Tujuan umum dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mempelajari apakah ada hubunganantara lama paparan debu asap kendaraan bermotor terhadap kapasitas vital parupada operator SPBU di Kota Kupang. Metode Penelitian Desain dari penelitian ini adalah analitik observasional dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Pemilihan sampel menggunakan cluster random sampling dan menggunakan uji chi square. Hasil Penelitian Hasil analisis statistic dengan chi square didapatkan bahwa terdapat hubungan antara lama paparan debu asap kendaraan bermotor dengan kapasitas vital paru pada operator SPBU di kota kupang dengan p= 0,002. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara paparan debu asap kendaraan bermotor dengan kapasitas vital parupada operator SPBU di kota kupang tahun 2017

ORR activity and stability of Co-N/C catalysts based on silicon carbide derived carbon and the impact of loading in acidic media

This work was supported by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund under projects TK141 “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems” (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011), NAMUR ”Nanomaterials - research and applications” (3.2.0304.12-0397) and by the Estonian institutional research grant No. IUT20-13.A simple and facile synthesis method was used to produce two Co-N/C type oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. The materials were initially characterized by utilizing a variety of physical methods. Most importantly, the XPS analysis revealed high amounts of pyridinic nitrogen and Co-Nx species in the case of both studied Co-N/C catalysts. The electrochemical characterization showed that both of the synthesized Co-N/C catalysts have a high ORR activity in acidic media, displaying a half-wave potential of 0.70 V vs RHE. Additionally, the effect of varying the catalyst loading was studied and it was found that increasing the catalyst loading from 0.1 to 1.8 mg cm−2 significantly improved the ORR activity and the electron transfer number. Finally, several catalysts were subjected to a week-long stability test in order to establish their activity degradation rates. It was found that increased degradation rates of the Co-N/C catalysts were established at decreased catalyst loadings.European Commission; ERDF 2014-2020.4.01.15-0011,TK141, NAMUR 3.2.0304.12-0397; Estonian institutional research grant No. IUT20-13; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Using verbal autopsy to measure causes of death: the comparative performance of existing methods

Background: Monitoring progress with disease and injury reduction in many populations will require widespread use of verbal autopsy (VA). Multiple methods have been developed for assigning cause of death from a VA but their application is restricted by uncertainty about their reliability. Methods: We investigated the validity of five automated VA methods for assigning cause of death: InterVA-4, Random Forest (RF), Simplified Symptom Pattern (SSP), Tariff method (Tariff), and King-Lu (KL), in addition to physician review of VA forms (PCVA), based on 12,535 cases from diverse populations for which the true cause of death had been reliably established. For adults, children, neonates and stillbirths, performance was assessed separately for individuals using sensitivity, specificity, Kappa, and chance-corrected concordance (CCC) and for populations using cause specific mortality fraction (CSMF) accuracy, with and without additional diagnostic information from prior contact with health services. A total of 500 train-test splits were used to ensure that results are robust to variation in the underlying cause of death distribution. Results: Three automated diagnostic methods, Tariff, SSP, and RF, but not InterVA-4, performed better than physician review in all age groups, study sites, and for the majority of causes of death studied. For adults, CSMF accuracy ranged from 0.764 to 0.770, compared with 0.680 for PCVA and 0.625 for InterVA; CCC varied from 49.2% to 54.1%, compared with 42.2% for PCVA, and 23.8% for InterVA. For children, CSMF accuracy was 0.783 for Tariff, 0.678 for PCVA, and 0.520 for InterVA; CCC was 52.5% for Tariff, 44.5% for PCVA, and 30.3% for InterVA. For neonates, CSMF accuracy was 0.817 for Tariff, 0.719 for PCVA, and 0.629 for InterVA; CCC varied from 47.3% to 50.3% for the three automated methods, 29.3% for PCVA, and 19.4% for InterVA. The method with the highest sensitivity for a specific cause varied by cause. Conclusions: Physician review of verbal autopsy questionnaires is less accurate than automated methods in determining both individual and population causes of death. Overall, Tariff performs as well or better than other methods and should be widely applied in routine mortality surveillance systems with poor cause of death certification practices. © 2014 Murray et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Hepatitis B Virus D Genotype in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin

Hepatitis B virus genotype D can be found in many parts of the world and is the most prevalent strain in south-eastern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent. The epidemiological history of the D genotype and its subgenotypes is still obscure because of the scarcity of appropriate studies. We retrieved from public databases a total of 312 gene P sequences of HBV genotype D isolated in various countries throughout the world, and reconstructed the spatio-temporal evolutionary dynamics of the HBV-D epidemic using a Bayesian framework

Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in infants study (IRIS) of hospitalized and non-ill infants aged <1 year in four countries: study design and methods

Abstract Background This multi-country prospective study of infants aged <1 year aims to assess the frequency of influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections associated with hospitalizations, to describe clinical features and antibody response to infection, and to examine predictors of very severe disease requiring intensive care. Methods/Design We are enrolling a hospital-based cohort and a sample of non-ill infants in four countries (Albania, Jordan, Nicaragua, and the Philippines) using a common protocol. We are currently starting year 2 of a 2- to 3-year study and will enroll approximately 3,000 infants hospitalized for any acute illness (respiratory or non-respiratory) during periods of local influenza and/or RSV circulation. After informed consent and within 24 h of admission, we collect blood and respiratory specimens and conduct an interview to assess socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, and symptoms of acute illness (onset ≤10 days). Vital signs, interventions, and medications are documented daily through medical record abstraction. A follow-up health assessment and collection of convalescent blood occurs 3-5 weeks after enrollment. Influenza and RSV infection is confirmed by singleplex real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays. Serologic conversion will be assessed comparing acute and convalescent sera using hemagglutination inhibition assay for influenza antibodies and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for RSV. Concurrent with hospital-based enrollment, respiratory specimens are also being collected (and tested by rRT-PCR) from approximately 1,400 non-ill infants aged <1 year during routine medical or preventive care. Discussion The Influenza and RSV in Infants Study (IRIS) promises to expand our knowledge of the frequency, clinical features, and antibody profiles of serious influenza and RSV disease among infants aged <1 year, quantify the proportion of infections that may be missed by traditional surveillance, and inform decisions about the potential value of existing and new vaccines and other prevention and treatment strategies.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136185/1/12879_2017_Article_2299.pd

Rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high in-hospital mortality. Alveolar recruitment followed by ventilation at optimal titrated PEEP may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, but the effects on mortality and other clinical outcomes remain unknown. This article reports the rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART). METHODS/DESIGN: ART is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized (concealed), controlled trial, which aims to determine if maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with ARDS compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy). We will enroll adult patients with ARDS of less than 72 h duration. The intervention group will receive an alveolar recruitment maneuver, with stepwise increases of PEEP achieving 45 cmH2O and peak pressure of 60 cmH2O, followed by ventilation with optimal PEEP titrated according to the static compliance of the respiratory system. In the control group, mechanical ventilation will follow a conventional protocol (ARDSNet). In both groups, we will use controlled volume mode with low tidal volumes (4 to 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight) and targeting plateau pressure 6430 cmH2O. The primary outcome is 28-day survival, and the secondary outcomes are: length of ICU stay; length of hospital stay; pneumothorax requiring chest tube during first 7 days; barotrauma during first 7 days; mechanical ventilation-free days from days 1 to 28; ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month survival. ART is an event-guided trial planned to last until 520 events (deaths within 28 days) are observed. These events allow detection of a hazard ratio of 0.75, with 90% power and two-tailed type I error of 5%. All analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. DISCUSSION: If the ART strategy with maximum recruitment and PEEP titration improves 28-day survival, this will represent a notable advance to the care of ARDS patients. Conversely, if the ART strategy is similar or inferior to the current evidence-based strategy (ARDSNet), this should also change current practice as many institutions routinely employ recruitment maneuvers and set PEEP levels according to some titration metho