The Role of the Council Secretariat in Supporting DPRD Performance Central Bengkulu Regency for the 2019 - 2024 period

ABSTRACT   This research aims to examine the role of the Council Secretariat in supporting the performance of the Central Bengkulu Regency DPRD. This research uses a qualitative approach with the research aspects used, namely effectiveness, efficiency and strategic role. In the effectiveness aspect, there are weaknesses, namely related to the lack of equipment to support the performance of board members, such as laptops. Apart from that, the management of information media such as the official DPRD website is still not optimal and the use of information technology is minimal. And also technical guidance activities are rarely carried out for staff, and technical guidance is still not optimal for board members in terms of technical guidance material. For the efficiency aspect, the weakness that occurs is the minimal use of information technology so that the provision of technological infrastructure is still not available. And in the strategic role aspect, the weaknesses that occur are the lack of education and training activities for secretariat staff and the minimal use of information technology to support the performance of council members. Regarding administrative policies, there has been no policy issued by the secretariat leadership to increase the role of the DPRD Secretariat in supporting the performance of Central Bengkulu Regency DPRD members.   Keywords: Role, effectiveness, efficiency, strategic rol

Calcification and C-reactive protein in atherosclerosis : effects of calcium blocking and cholesterol lowering therapy

The presence of calcium deposits in the vessel wall is indicative of advanced atherosclerosis, and the extent of coronary calcification has been found to add prognostic significance to conventional risk factors of coronary artery disease. However, the mechanisms underlying vascular calcification are still obscure. The major objective of the work described in the first part of this thesis was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in atherosclerotic calcification. To study the process of VSMC calcification we developed and characterized an in vitro model of neonatal rat VSMC calcification. To investigate whether pharmacotherapy may affect vascular calcifications, we have studied the effect of a calcium antagonist (amlodipine) and a statin (atorvastatin) and their combination on this process. Inflammation is an important mechanism in the atherosclerotic process, and prospective and cross-sectional clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that CRP is consistently associated with CVD. The causality of CRP in atherosclerosis is discussed. To enable the study of the effect of CRP on atherosclerosis development in vivo, ApoE*3-Leiden/hCRP transgenic mice were generated and studied. The effects of a calcium antagonist (amlodipine), administered either alone or in combination with a statin (atorvastatin), on early atherosclerosis development in ApoE*3-Leiden/hCRP was investigated.LEI Universiteit LeidenTNO PfizerVasculaire biologie en interventi

La place du fonctionnement affectif dans l’expérience muséale

Dès la fin du XIXe siècle, les dispositifs muséographiques se diversifient afin de faire appel aux émotions. On retrouve dans bon nombre de projets scénographiques actuels cette intention d’offrir aux publics une expérience forte et mémorable. Le fait de solliciter l’affectivité des visiteurs serait-il le moyen de leur permettre une expérience muséale optimale ?Malgré la généralisation des études de publics dans les années 1990, peu d’études sont en mesure de répondre à cette interrogation.Cet article présente un travail de recherche de Master de l’École du Louvre s’insérant dans le programme lancé en 1997 à l’Université de Montréal sous la direction de Colette Dufresne-Tassé et visant à étudier systématiquement le fonctionnement psychologique des visiteurs adulte à travers leurs discours recueillis pendant la visite.Il développe un instrument de recherche pré-existant afin de tenter de saisir la nature, la place et le rôle des phénomènes affectifs au cours de l’expérience muséale.In the late 19th century, museographic devices diversified in order to appeal to the emotions. Many of today’s exhibition designs have the same intention: offering the public a strong and memorable experience. Could appealing to the emotions of visitors be the way to provide them with an optimal museum experience? Despite the widespread use of audience research in the 1990s, few studies are able to answer this question. This article presents a master’s thesis from the École du Louvre, part of a programme launched at the Université de Montreal in 1997 under the supervision of Colette Dufresne-Tassé, which aimed to systematically study the psychological functioning of adult visitors through their discourses collected during the visit. It develops a pre-existing research instrument in an attempt to grasp the nature, place and role of affective phenomena during the museum experience

La investigación activa como herramienta para mejorar la enseñanza de la química : nuevos enfoques

In many European countries, chemistry education faces a number of important recurrent difficulties. For example, at the secondary school level, students' interest in chemistry is decreasing and teachers complain that repeated explanation and demonstration are not very effective, which frustrates them. At university level, lecture courses and laboratory courses are often disconnected and many student experiments are considered as boring «cookbook» problems. These and other recurrent difficulties have evoked the need to improve the quality of chemistry education at both levels. In this article, the contribution of educational research to an improvement of chemistry education is discussed. This research is considered as a tool for analysing teaching and learning problems, for elucidating backgrounds of these difficulties and for developing and evaluating new approaches in chemistry education. Special attention is focused on two promising new research approaches. First, a new research instrument is presented: protocols of discussions during real classroom and laboratory sessions. Second, a new research design is presented: the developmental research approach. Both research approaches can contribute to the improvement of chemistry classroom/laboratory practices and chemistry teacher training

Pharmacological evidence that α1- and α2-adrenoceptors mediate vasoconstriction of carotid arteriovenous anastomoses in anaesthetized pigs

1. Vasoconstriction of carotid arteriovenous anastomoses may be involved in the therapeutic action of acutely acting antimigraine agents, including the triptans and ergot alkaloids. While 5-HT(1B/1D) receptors mediate the effect of triptans, ergotamine and dihydroergotamine also interact with α-adrenoceptors. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of α1- and α2-adrenoceptors in mediating vasoconstriction of carotid arteriovenous anastomoses in anaesthetized pigs. 2. Ten minute intracarotid infusions of phenylephrine (1, 3 and 10 μg kg-1 min-1) or BHT 933 (3, 10 and 30 μg kg-1 min-1) produced dose-dependent decreases in total carotid and arteriovenous anastomotic conductances; no changes were observed in the capillary fraction. 3. The carotid vascular effects of phenylephrine and BHT 933 were selectively abolished by prazosin (100 μg kg-1, i.v.) and rauwolscine (300 μg kg-1, i.v.), respectively. The responses to phenylephrine and BHT 933 were not affected by the selective 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor antagonist GR127935 (500 μg kg-1, i.v.). 4. These results show that both α1- and α2-adrenoceptors can mediate vasoconstriction of carotid arteriovenous anastomoses in anaesthetized pigs. Since vasoconstrictor activity in this in vivo model is predictive of anti-migraine activity, an agonist activity at particularly the α2-adrenoceptor subtypes, in view of their less ubiquitous nature, could provide migraine abortive potential. Thus, the present results may aid further understanding of the mode of action of some current antimigraine agents and may eventually be helpful in the development of future treatment in migraine

Human C-reactive protein enhances thrombus formation after neointimal balloon injury in transgenic rabbits

Background:  High plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) constitute a powerful predictive marker of cardiovascular events. Several lines of evidence suggest that CRP has prothrombogenic effects. However, whether CRP directly participates in the pathogenesis of thrombosis in vivo has not been fully clarified. Objective:  To test whether human CRP (hCRP) affects arterial thrombus formation after balloon injury of smooth muscle cell (SMC)-rich or macrophage-rich neointima. Methods:  We compared the susceptibility of transgenic (Tg) rabbits expressing hCRP (46.21 ± 13.85 mg L −1 , n  = 22) and non-Tg rabbits to arterial thrombus formation after balloon injury of SMC-rich or macrophage-rich neointima. Results:  Thrombus size on SMC-rich or macrophage-rich neointima was significantly increased, and was accompanied by an increase in fibrin content in hCRP-Tg rabbits, as compared with non-Tg rabbits. Thrombus size did not significantly differ between SMC-rich and macrophage-rich neointima in hCRP-Tg rabbits. Tissue factor (TF) mRNA expression and activity in these neointimal lesions were significantly increased in hCRP-Tg rabbits as compared with non-Tg rabbits. The degree of CRP deposition correlated with the elevated TF expression and thrombus size on injured neointima. In addition, hCRP isolated from hCRP-Tg rabbit plasma induced TF mRNA expression and activity in rabbit cultured vascular SMCs. Conclusions:  These results suggest that elevated plasma hCRP levels promote thrombus formation on injured SMC-rich neointima by enhancing TF expression, but have no additive effects in macrophage-rich neointima.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79159/1/j.1538-7836.2010.04086.x.pd

Modulation of calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells in culture by calcium antagonists, statins, and their combination

Background Vascular calcification is an organized process in which vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are implicated primarily. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of calcium antagonists and statins on VSMC calcification in vitro. Methods VSMC calcification was stimulated by incubation in growth medium supplemented with 10 mmol/l β-glycerophosphate, 8 mmol/l CaCl2, 10 mmol/l sodium pyruvate, 1 μmol/l insulin, 50 μg/ml ascorbic acid, and 100 nmol/l dexamethasone (calcification medium). Calcification, proliferation, and apoptosis of VSMCs were quantified. Results Calcium deposition was stimulated dose-dependently by β-glycerophosphate, CaCl2, and ascorbic acid (all P < 0.01). Addition of amlodipine (0.01–1 μmol/l) to the calcification medium did not affect VSMC calcification. However, atorvastatin (2–50 μmol/l) stimulated calcium deposition dose-dependently. Combining treatments stimulated calcification to a degree similar to that observed with atorvastatin alone. Both atorvastatin and amlodipine inhibited VSMC proliferation at the highest concentration used. Only atorvastatin (50 μmol/l) induced considerable apoptosis of VSMCs. Conclusion In vitro calcification of VSMCs is not affected by amlodipine, but is stimulated by atorvastatin at concentrations ≥10 μmol/l, which could contribute to the plaque-stabilizing effect reported for statins