Kinematic viscosity of unstimulated whole saliva in healthy young adults

To analyze kinematic viscosity and pH of unstimulated whole saliva, evaluate possible variations after sampling, identify any gender differences and detect possible correlations between them

Magnetic phase diagram of the S=1/2 triangular layered compound NaNiO2: a single crystal study

Using magnetic torque measurement on a NaNiO2 single crystal, we have established the magnetic phase diagram of this triangular compound. It presents 5 different phases depending on the temperature (4 K - 300 K) and magnetic field (0 - 22 T) revealing several spin reorientations coupled to different magnetic anisotropies

UV and IR behaviour in QFT and LCQFT with fields as Operator Valued Distributions:Epstein and Glaser revisited

Following Epstein-Glaser's work we show how a QFT formulation based on operator valued distributions (OPVD) with adequate test functions treats original singularities of propagators on the diagonal in a mathematically rigourous way.Thereby UV and/or IR divergences are avoided at any stage, only a finite renormalization finally occurs at a point related to the arbitrary scale present in the test functions.Some well known UV cases are examplified.The power of the IR treatment is shown for the free massive scalar field theory developed in the (conventionally hopeless) mass perturbation expansion.It is argued that the approach should prove most useful for non pertubative methods where the usual determination of counterterms is elusiveComment: 6 pages 2 columns per pag

Community management and sustainability of hand pumps in Jebel Aulia, Sudan

The issue of hand pumps management and sustainability is of grave concern in many parts of Sudan especially among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). One such example is the area of Jebel Aulia, located 40 km south of Khartoum. After many years of neglect, the hand pumps management and sustainability system that had been established in the area failed. Some of the root causes for the failure are attributable to the local government authorities. A great asset that can be of benefit to NGOs faced with assisting communities manage and sustain their resources such as hand pumps are community leaders who have influence among their people. One of the best ways as we have witnessed is to tackle hand pumps management and sustainability by organizing the communities first at the lowest possible level. These people at the lowest levels should also be given a say in how their affairs are conducted

Emergency sanitation solutions for war IDPs in West Darfur State, Sudan

Darfur is a remote marginalized area in western Sudan that has numerous problems such as lack of basic services, insecurity, access, etc,. To respond to the emergency challenges of providing sanitation services to the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in West Darfur, appropriate realistic fast solutions had to be adopted in order to overcome numerous obstacles at levels of the emergency sanitation interventions and alleviate the suffering of the IDPs. The most important solution for success was better coordination among NGOs themselves. The needs of the host community who in Darfur are in most cases no much better off than the IDPs had to be taken into consideration to avoid conflicts between the two groups or between the host community and NGOs

Sistem Pendukung Keputusan Kelayakan Penerima Beasiswa PPA Menggunakan Metode ROC dan MAUT Berbasis Website

Abstrak— Permasalahan yang dihadapi dalam dunia pendidikan tinggi adalah bagaimana mengambil keputusan yang akurat dan efisien dalam pemilihan penerima beasiswa Program Peningkatan Prestasi Akademik (PPA). Kriteria penilaian yang relevan dan signifikan menjadi fokus utama dalam menghadapi permasalahan ini. Penentuan kriteria yang tidak tepat dapat mengakibatkan ketidakefisienan dalam seleksi penerima beasiswa, sementara pemilihan kriteria yang sesuai akan meningkatkan tingkat keadilan dalam alokasi dana beasiswa. Mengembangkan sebuah sistem pendukung keputusan yang dapat diakses melalui internet dianggap sebagai solusi untuk masalah ini. Untuk mengevaluasi dan merangkai kelayakan penerima beasiswa PPA, sistem ini akan menggunakan metode Rank Order Centroid (ROC) dan Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT). Dengan demikian, komite seleksi beasiswa akan dapat dengan mudah menginputkan data mahasiswa, mengatur kriteria penilaian, dan menghasilkan peringkat kelayakan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengembangkan sebuah sistem pendukung keputusan berbasis website untuk seleksi calon penerima beasiswa PPA menggunakan metode Rank Order Centroid (ROC) dan Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT). Beasiswa PPA adalah program yang memberikan dukungan finansial kepada mahasiswa berprestasi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kedua metode, yaitu Rank Order Centroid (ROC) dan Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), telah berhasil digabungkan untuk menghasilkan kelayakan calon penerima beasiswa Program Peningkatan Prestasi Akademik (PPA). Proses penggabungan ini telah diuji melalui pengujian blackbox yang mencakup berbagai skenario. Penggabungan metode dilakukan dengan cermat, mempertimbangkan kekurangan dan kelebihan masing-masing metode, serta bobot kriteria yang telah ditentukan.   Kata Kunci— Sistem Pendukung Keputusan, Rank Order Centroid, Multi-Attribute Utility Theory, Beasiswa PPA

Persepsi Masyarakat Desa Penyangga terhadap Kawasan Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat Pasca Pelaksanaan Kegiatan Konservasi Terpadu : Studi Kasus di Desa Napal Licin dan Desa Pulau Kidak, Kecamatan Ulu Rawas, Kabupaten Musi Rawas, Propinsi Sumatera Selatan

Selama tahun 1998-2002, Bank Dunia melalui Global Environment Facility (GEF) bekerja sama dengan Departemen Kehutanan dan Departemen Dalam Negeri dan Otonomi Daerah melakukan kegiatan Program Konservasi dan Pembangunan Terpadu (Integrated Conservation and Development Program/ICDP) di Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui dampak pelaksanaan program tersebut terhadap persepsi masyarakat di 2 desa mengenai keberadaan TNKS. Penelitian dilakukan di desa Napal Licin dan Desa Pulau Kidak, Kecamatan Ulu Rawas, Kabupaten Rawas Ulu, Provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Metodologi penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode survey rumah tangga dengan menggunakan kuisioner. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa program ICDP belum mampu merubah persepsi masyarakat terhadap keberadaan kawasan TNKS

Determination of breath alcohol value after using mouthwashes containing ethanol in healthy young adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate breath alcohol value and blood alcohol concentration after using mouthwashes containing ethanol in a panel of healthy young adults. To determine zeroing time of these values and if subjects\u2019 body mass index or gender influenced it. Breathalyzer test is a practice performed to detect alcohol-impaired-drivers that can be penalized. Sometimes Italian judges revoke the penalty justifying that the presence of residual ethanol in the oral cavity can cause false positive values. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study involved 40 young adult volunteers; the cohort was composed of University students aged between 21 and 30 years. They underwent a medical examination to evaluate BMI. We selected four alcoholic mouthwashes available on the market with a different ethanol amount and an ethanol/ water (10/90) mixture as a reference. Breath alcohol concentration values were collected using a portable breathalyzer immediately after the rinse (T0), after 10 and 20 minutes (T10 and T20). We evaluated blood alcohol concentration 5 minutes after the rinse. RESULTS: All T10 values are lower than 0.5 g/L (Italian BAC driving limit). Differences between average values at T0-T10 are statistically significant (p < 0.05). Correlations between BAV and BMI are not statistically significant respectively at T0 (A: p = 0.54. B: p = 0.96. C: p = 0.93. D: p = 0.53) and T10 (A: p = 0.42. C: p = 0.99. D: p = 0.66). Differences between male and female groups aren\u2019t statistically significant (A: p = 0.49; B: p = 0.79; C: p = 0.97; D: p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: High BAV values determined at T-0 are a consequence of residual ethanol present in the oral cavity, the zeroing time of these ones is very swift. Our study shows that rinsing with an alcoholic mouthwash before undergoing the breathalyzer test does not realistically influence the result

Evaluation of antidepressant activity of tramadol in comparison with imipramine in Swiss albino mice

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the antidepressant effect of opioid analgesic tramadol using forced swim test and tail suspension test models.Methods: The antidepressant effect was assessed by recording the immobility time in Forced swim test (FST) and Tail suspension test (TST). The mice were randomly divided into five groups. Mice belonging to group I was given normal saline (0.1ml/kg) which acted as control. Group II received imipramine (15mg/kg) considered as the standard drug tramadol was given in graded dose (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) to mice of groups III, IV, V respectively. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally for seven successive days; test was done on 7th day.Results: Tramadol and Imipramine showed antidepressant activity when compared to control. There is dose dependent increase in antidepressant activity of tramadol. The antidepressant activity of imipramine was significantly (P<0.05) more than tramadol at dose 10 and 20 mg/kg but antidepressant activity with tramadol 40mg/kg was comparable to imipramine treated mice.Conclusions: The results of this study indicated the presence of antidepressant activity of tramadol at 40mg/kg

Perspective Chapter: Bάλτοi - The Reception of Western Asian Colors-Cardinal Points System along the Boundaries of the Hellenic Oikumene

This contribute delineates a “cultural history of language” along the boundaries of the Hellenic world from antiquity to the Byzantine period. The aim is to conceive an area where separate linguistic labels – Greek, Illyrian, Slavic, and so on. – cannot represent the complexity of a koine in which East and West mingled. Specifically, the encyclopaedic meaning of several toponyms carrying the dictionary meaning “white” – λευκός, βάλτος, ἄσπρον – is examined to confirm the hypothetical acquisition of the accessory meaning “western” or “northwestern” borrowed in Greek as a semantic calque following contacts with the Turkic-Slavo-Persian oikumene. In the region outstretched toward the Hindu Kush, the Little Altai, and the Sarmatic Plain, certain place names and ethnonyms signal a marked Western Asian influence on Greek perception of vast spaces, both linguistically and cognitively. Implementing the methodological principles of cognitive linguistics, this reflection about the cultural meaning of ethnonyms and choronyms as Baltoi and Baltiyul, Lucania and Indike Leuke, and Leukosyroi and Leukosyria offers a cultural and historical perspective alternative to the merely philological one and underscores the necessity to conceive the northeastern part of the Classical World as a place where faded boundaries connected, rather than being separate, with people belonging to distinct nations but part of a common Sprachbund