An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of the Churches in the Southern Mani Peninsula, Greece

The Mani Peninsula is home to hundreds of Orthodox Christian churches that were built within the last millennium. As in other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean countryside, the topological relationship between churches and settlements is a critical factor in understanding the significance of the sacred landscape. Many churches are situated in the central part of a village or on its very edge, but others – what are referred to as “outlying churches” or exokklisia – are built at great distances away. In this paper, we make the first attempt to assess the spatial relationship between the spaces where people worshipped (the churches) and the spaces where they lived (the settlements) at a regional scale, focused specifically on the Middle Byzantine period and later (mid-9th century CE to the present day). Comparing these patterns across the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Modern periods allows us to frame Mani’s sacred infrastructure within a changing, diachronic perspective. The results point to a change in the topological relationship between church and settlement that is best described as the “nucleation of the sacred landscape.

Uji Daya Hambat Ekstrak Daun Sirsak (Annona Muricata L.) Terhadap Pertumbuhan Staphylococcus Aureus Secara in Vitro

UJI DAYA HAMBAT EKSTRAK DAUN SIRSAK (Annona muricata L.) TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN Staphylococcus aureus SECARA IN VITRO Melisa R. Tuna1), Billy J. Kepel1), Michael A. Leman1) 1)Program Studi Pendidikan Dokter Gigi Fakultas Kedokteran, UNSRAT ABSTRACT Bacterial infections of the oral cavity are often caused by Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and micro-organisms rod-shaped gram-negative and anaerobic. Some of diseases in the oral cavity that can be caused by Staphylococcus aureus is periodontal abscess. Giving an antibiotics can be done to overcome it. But used an antibiotics often cause bacterial resistance to the antibiotic substance. The development of an alternative treatment that does not cause side effects needs to be done. One of the plant that has been used as traditional medicine include soursop leaves. Soursop leaves is a kind of natural materials which contain tannins, alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids that function as an antibacterial. This research aims to determine the inhibition of soursop leaf extract on growth of Staphylococcus aureus. This research was an experimental laboratory with true experimental design and posttest only control design with Kirby-bauer modification method using filter paper. Study subject are soursop leaf third of the shoots were extracted by maceration method using ethanol 96%. The results of this study showed that the area of the inhibiting zone soursop extract was 12,3 mm. From the research can be concluded that the soursop leaf extracts have inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus accretion. Inhibition of soursop leaf extract third from the shoots, including a strong group. But, the inhibiting zone of soursop extract is smaller than the inhibiting zone of antibiotic. Keywords: periodontal abscess, soursop leaf extract (Annonamuricata L.), Staphylococcus aureus ABSTRAK Infeksi bakteri pada rongga mulut yang sering terjadi disebabkan oleh Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, dan mikroorganisme gram negatif yang berbentuk batang dan anaerob. Beberapa penyakit dalam rongga mulut yang dapat disebabkan oleh Staphylococcus aureus yaitu abses periodontal. Pemberian antibiotik dapat dilakukan untuk mengatasi hal tersebut. Namun, penggunaan antibiotik sering menyebabkan resistensi bakteri terhadap zat antibiotik. Pengembangan suatu alternatif pengobatan yang tidak menyebabkan efek samping perlu dilakukan. Salah satu tanaman yang telah lama dimanfaatkan sebagai obat tradisional diantaranya adalah daun sirsak. Daun sirsak merupakan jenis bahan alam yang memiliki kandungan tannin, alkaloid, saponin, dan flavonoid yang berfungsi sebagai antibakteri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui daya hambat ekstrak daun sirsak terhadap pertumbuhan Staphylococcus aureus. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian eksperimental laboratorium, menggunakan rancangan eksperimental murni (true experimental design) dengan rancangan penelitian posttest only control design dengan metode modifikasi Kirby-bauer menggunakan kertas saring. Subjek penelitian ini ialah daun sirsak urutan ketiga dari pucuk yang diekstraksi dengan metode maserasi dengan menggunakan pelarut etanol 96%. Hasil dari penelitian didapatkan rata-rata diameter zona hambat ekstrak daun sirsak Annona muricata L. terhadap Staphylococcus aureus sebesar 12,3 mm. Daya hambat ekstrak daun sirsak urutan ketiga dari pucuk termasuk golongan kuat. Diameter zona hambat dari ekstrak daun sirsak lebih kecil dibandingkan dengan diameter zona hambat dari antibiotik

O novo regime de arrendamento urbano e o seu impacto na reabilitação urbana: caso de estudo

A publicação do Novo Regime do Arrendamento Urbano (NRAU) em 2006 visou a correcção do anterior sistema de arrendamento que permitiu a manutenção de rendas com valores muito baixos, com as consequências conhecidas: degradação do parque urbano nas principais cidades portuguesas, criação de injustiças para inquilinos e proprietários, falta de condições de habitabilidade de muitas casas, etc. Porém a eficácia do NRAU na resolução destes problemas está ainda por provar e, se bem que tenha ainda pouco tempo de implementação, é relevante analisar retrospectivamente os resultados alcançados e perspectivar a sua utilidade futura. Esta comunicação apresenta os resultados da investigação realizada sobre a implementação do NRAU e uma análise de um caso de estudo de um imóvel degradado no centro histórico do Porto sujeito a hipotéticas obras de reabilitação e consequente actualização dos valores da renda ao abrigo deste regime

The Impact of Septoplasty Operation on Odor Threshold Score and Symptom Severity According to the Nasal Septum Deviation Classifications

PubMed ID: 31469737Objective: The authors aimed to determine the changes in the odor threshold and sinonasal outcome test-22 scores of the patients after septoplasty surgery in terms of nasal septum deviation classifications. Methods: Forty-nine patients with nasal septum deviation, aged between 17 and 65, were included in our study. The sinonasal outcome test-22 scores questionnaire and the N-Butanol Threshold test were administered to the patients, 2 days before and 2 months after the septoplasty. Results: The authors' study had 4 major findings: Odor threshold scores improved after septoplasty operation both for the narrower and the wider side of the nasal airway passage. The Vidigal classification for nasal septum deviation was best for predicting the changes for odor threshold scores after septoplasty operation. The nasal septum deviation in which the nasal septum was pushing the inferior turbinate to lateral nasal wall caused the most smell dysfunction according to the Vidigal classification. Unilateral vertical crest affecting the nasal valv area or the posterior part of the septum had the most negative effect on olfactory functions according to the Mladina classification. Conclusion: Septoplasty operation leads to improvement in odor threshold scores, and the Vidigal nasal septum deviation classification was best in predicting postoperative odor threshold changes. Copyright © 2019 by Mutaz B. Habal

CONDITION AND PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF CATTLE BREEDING IN THE AREA OF THE BASIN OF RIVER BREGALNICA

In the Republic of Macedonia pastures take 50.8% from the total agricultural area. Feeding of cattle with grazing allows the cheapest production of meat and milk (Azderski & Jakimovski, 1996). Considering climate factors and conditions in the country, it is provided up to 6-7 months when the cattle is at pastures, starting from April to the end of October. The remaining period of the year cattle is feed with a partial supplement of the grazing, and in the winter period with conserved feed (silage, haulage and hay). Fifty year ago, the cattle in the country was universally used for labour in the agriculture and forestry, as well as for production of meat and milk. Busha was the largest and most common breed of cattle (Azderski, 2003, 1996). Today, the breed composition of the cattle breeding in the country is changed, so it is difficult to meet Busha in pure blood. General characteristics of the cattle breeding are:- Low milk yield per cow 2,152 litres;- Very early slaughter of the offspring, in average 124kg live weight;- Small land property per household 1-3ha;- Small size of the area under forage in terms of ploughed field, which is 7%, compared to the developed countries where that percentage is 34-40%;- Small percentage of cows covered with artificial insemination and parent bookkeeping, approximately 6-8% of the population, while before the transition period this percentage was more than 20%;- Big import of precious breeds, in the first place Holstein-Friesian breed, but after a short time period these breeds are quickly pulled out from production;- Low information and knowledge on the production technology for highly productive cattle;- Challenges in production of high quality voluminous feed;- Insufficient measures built by the country for supporting the farmers; and- Spending large financial assets to import livestock products and insemination material.The tendency in the world and in the country is to lower the number of farmers, to increase the number of cows per farm, and at the same time to increase the production per livestock head and to specialize the production in order to satisfy the needs of the population for meat and milk. Considering the economic importance of their products (meat, milk and manure), cattle comes to the first place in the livestock breeding in the Republic of Macedonia

Development of Upper Euphrates Basin hydro-economic model and hydropower generation optimization

Hydro-economic optimization models are common in hydropower reservoir modeling to aid system operators and planners. In these models, operations are driven by the economic value and constrained by the availability of water. The objective is to either minimize total costs or maximize total benefits. In this study, a hydro-economic optimization model for the integrated reservoir system of the Upper Euphrate s Basin, with major tributaries providing water flow to the Euphrates River, is introduced. These model the 10 large-scale reservoirs of the basin with a total installed capacity of 3,255 MW. Water management and hydropower decision-making operations are evaluated with a piecewise linear programming algorithm in monthly time steps using a 45-year historical hydrology between 1971 and 2016. The model aims to maximize hydropower revenue over a long-term time horizon with energy prices varying by month. Reservoir storage and turbine release decisions are optimized for multiple hydropower plants connected in serial or parallel. Hydropower generation, revenue, reservoir storage, capacity ratios and generation reliability results are analyzed. Results show that these hydropower plants generate about 9,481 Gigawatt hour (GWh) of energy with an average turbine capacit y use of 36% and obtain a revenue of 620 million $ per year

Torsional characteristics of carbon nanotubes: Micropolar elasticity models and molecular dynamics simulation

Efficient application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in nano-devices and nano-materials requires comprehensive understanding of their mechanical properties. As observations suggest size dependent behaviour, non-classical theories preserving the memory of body’s internal structure via additional material parameters offer great potential when a continuum modelling is to be preferred. In the present study, micropolar theory of elasticity is adopted due to its peculiar character allowing for incorporation of scale effects through additional kinematic descriptors and work-conjugated stress measures. An optimisation approach is presented to provide unified material parameters for two specific class of single-walled carbon nanotubes (e.g., armchair and zigzag) by minimizing the difference between the apparent shear modulus obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and micropolar beam model considering both solid and tubular cross-sections. The results clearly reveal that micropolar theory is more suitable compared to internally constraint couple stress theory, due to the essentiality of having skew-symmetric stress and strain measures, as well as to the classical local theory (Cauchy of Grade 1), which cannot accounts for scale effects. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that unified material parameters of CNTs are derived through a combined MD-micropolar continuum theory

Constraining scalar-tensor theories using neutron star mass and radius measurements

We use neutron star mass and radius measurements to constrain the spontaneous scalarization phenomenon in scalar-tensor theories using Bayesian analysis. Neutron star structures in this scenario can be significantly different from the case of general relativity, which can be used to constrain the theory parameters. We utilize this idea to obtain lower bounds on the coupling parameter $\beta$ for the case of massless scalars. These constraints are currently weaker than the ones coming from binary observations, and they have relatively low precision due to the approximations in our method. Nevertheless, our results clearly demonstrate the power of the mass-radius data in testing gravity, and can be further improved with future observations. The picture is different for massive scalars, for which the same data is not able to effectively constrain the theory parameters in an unexpected manner. We identify the main reason for this to be a large high-likelihood region in the parameter space where deviations from general relativity are relatively small. We hope this initial study to be an invitation to use neutron star structure measurements more effectively to test alternative theories in general.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure