THE USE OF QUIZLET IN CHINESE VOCABULARY LEARNING

With the development of technology, many universities use e-learning to assist in teaching activities or integrate e-learning into face-to-face teaching/learning. Therefore, this study investigated the teachers and students of the Mandarin Study Program of Bunda Mulia University, especially how teachers and students used Quizlet and their views on the use of Quizlet as a teaching and learning tool. Through the questionnaire survey and interviews of the three teachers and 103 secondary and third grades students, we know that teachers generally use Quizlet to teach in comprehensive classes and conversation classes. Teachers will ask students to complete the study set created by teachers, and they will also pay attention to the completion of the study set done by students. From the perspective of students, students think that Quizlet is easy to use and very useful; students' favorite study fitur on Quizlet are test, learn, and flashcard; students are more willing to use Quizlet in the classroom than out of class; students believe that their vocabulary has improved after using Quizlet, they can memorize vocabulary faster, and the student test results have also improved. In addition, Quizlet also needs to do some improvement, such as adding sentences, matching; synonyms and antonyms pairing; recording functions

Strategi Komunikasi Public Relations BMW Indonesia dalam Menjaga Eksistensi Brand BMW

BMW yang sudah berdiri sejak tahun 1916 masih bertahan di kancah persaingan roda empat yang kian dinamis walaupun merek BMW sudah berusia 100 tahun di pasar kendaraan roda empat secara global. Penelitian ini memiliki tujuan untuk meneliti Strategi Corporate Communications BMW Indonesia dalam menjaga eksistensi brand BMW. Dalam penelitian skripsi ini, peneliti akan ingin mengetahui secara mendalam mengenai Strategi Corporate Communications BMW Indonesia dalam Menjaga Eksistensi Brand BMW. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif disertai metode studi kasus. Data akan dikumpulkan melalui wawancara dengan pihak corporate communication BMW Indonesia. Konsep-konsep yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah strategi komunikasi serta komunikasi public relations

Akivitas Divisi Corporate Communication BMW Indonesia

Corporate communication merupakan salah satu divisi yang ada di BMW Indonesia. Peran Corporate Communication BMW Indonesia yaitu meningkatkan citra yang baik di mata publik, membantu cabang-cabang BMW untuk menentukan strategi komunikasi yang terbaik serta menjalin hubungan baik dengan stakeholders. Laporan Akhir ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan bagaimana aktivitas Corporate Communication BMW Indonesia. Laporan magang ini, diperoleh pada saat melaksanakan praktik kerja lapangan yang dilaksanakan di BMW Indonesia pada periode waktu 1 September 2021 sampai dengan 28 Februari 2022. Ada beberapa tugas di bagian Corporate Communication yang harus diperhatikan guna meningkatkan citra perusahaan seperti pembuatan press release, press conference baik secara offline maupun virtual karena adanya pandemi COVID-19, membantu pelaksanaan kegiatan perusahaan baik secara eksternal maupun internal. Penulis juga membantu dalam mempersiapkan hingga menjalankan rangkaian program, kegiatan, campaign, event, media monitoring, media relations, acara internal dan eksternal. Melalui praktik kerja lapangan penulis melihat pentingnya peran Corporate Communication dalam meningkatkan brand awareness khususnya pada perusahaan yang bergerak dibidang otomotif. Tujuan penulis melakukan praktik kerja magang ini adalah untuk memperoleh pengalaman bekerja di dalam lingkup perusahaan, mendapatkan pembelajaran mengenai hal baru dalam dunia kerja serta berkembang dan menerapkan apa yang telah didapatkan dalam proses pembelajaran sebagai seorang Corporate Communication

Structural and biochemical insights of CypA and AIF interaction

The Cyclophilin A (CypA)/Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF) complex is implicated in the DNA degradation in response to various cellular stress conditions, such as oxidative stress, cerebral hypoxia-ischemia and traumatic brain injury. The pro-apoptotic form of AIF (AIF(Δ1-121)) mainly interacts with CypA through the amino acid region 370-394. The AIF(370-394) synthetic peptide inhibits complex formation in vitro by binding to CypA and exerts neuroprotection in a model of glutamate-mediated oxidative stress. Here, the binding site of AIF(Δ1-121) and AIF(370-394) on CypA has been mapped by NMR spectroscopy and biochemical studies, and a molecular model of the complex has been proposed. We show that AIF(370-394) interacts with CypA on the same surface recognized by AIF(Δ1-121) protein and that the region is very close to the CypA catalytic pocket. Such region partially overlaps with the binding site of cyclosporin A (CsA), the strongest catalytic inhibitor of CypA. Our data point toward distinct CypA structural determinants governing the inhibitor selectivity and the differential biological effects of AIF and CsA, and provide new structural insights for designing CypA/AIF selective inhibitors with therapeutic relevance in neurodegenerative diseases

Morphometric and phytochemical characterization and elevation effect on yield of three potato landraces of the Ligurian Apennines (Northern Italy)

The great adaptability, productivity and importance in human diet conditioned the diffusion of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in very different areas, leading to the formation of numerous landraces through anthropic or natural selection. Genoa mountainous inland is an historical area for potato cultivation and landraces are preserved by farmers associations as “Consorzio della Quarantina”. The aim of this study was the phytochemical and morphometric characterization of three potato landraces of the consortium (Quarantina Bianca, Quarantina Prugnona and Rubra spes) analysing the bio-agronomical performance at different elevations. The commercial cultivar Kennebec was used as control. For the morphometric analysis, the results of pairwise MANOVA shows that only Quarantina Bianca does not present significant differences with Kennebec in the mean shape. The four potato varieties resulted significantly different for the most of the considered phytochemical aspects (among content in ash, starch, solanine, total flavonoids, total phenols, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and radical scavenging activity only starch and solanine content didn’t result statistically different). A remarkable result was a more consistent yield for all the varieties with the increase of elevation in the agronomical trials. We can conclude that Genovese landraces are a good choice to exploit Genovese mountain marginal territories

Aquaporin-driven hydrogen peroxide transport: a case of molecular mimicry?

Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane proteins that have evolved to control cellular water uptake and efflux, and as such are amongst the most ancient biological “devices” in cellular organisms. Recently, using metadynamics, we have shown that water nanoconfinement within aquaporin channels results into bidirectional water movement along single file chains, extending previous investigations. Here, the elusive mechanisms of H2O2 facilitated transport by the human ‘peroxiporin’ AQP3 has been unravelled via a combination of atomistic simulations, showing that while hydrogen peroxide is able to mimic water during AQP3 permeation, this comes at a certain energy expense due to the required conformational changes within the channel. Furthermore, the intrinsic water dynamics allows for host H2O2 molecule solvation and transport in both directions, highlighting the fundamental role of water nanoconfinement for successful transduction and molecular selection. Overall, the bidirectional nature of the water flux under equilibrium conditions along with the mimicking behavior of hydrogen peroxide during a conductance event introduce a new chemical paradigm never reported so far in any theoretical paper involving any aquaporin isoform

How harvest, cleaning and conservation good practices affect the quality of saffron: results of a research conducted in Italy

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) spice making requires time-spending manual operations: stigmas are separated from the flower picked in bud early in the morning, and once dried they are preserved protected from light. This study verified how the correct pursuing of these good practices affects saffron quality. Few hours of exposure of the flower to the sun determined a significant decrease in the colouring strength (239.66 ± 10.33 versus 255.35 ± 11.87). The correct cleaning of stigmas determined a very significant increase of colouring strength (247.12 ± 13.32 instead of 224.35 ± 14.88) and a significant increase of flavour strength (99.72 ±7.48 against 90.31 ± 6.32, p <0.05). In 24 months, all the samples kept in the dark were still of first category of quality while the ones kept in the light dropped in second category. For all samples there was an increase of aroma strength and a decrease of the flavour and colouring strength, but only the colouring strength loss followed a significantly more sloping trendline. A detectable difference in the content of trans-crocin 4 correlated to the ageing or the way of conservation was not found, nevertheless, it was confirmed that the isomers tend towards a photostationary state where the trans isomer is more present

Proposal of an adapted physical activity exercise protocol for women with osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures: A pilot study to evaluate feasibility, safety, and effectiveness

A quasi-experimental pilot study was performed to determine the feasibility and safety of an Adapted Physical Activity (APA) protocol and its effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), fear of falling, pain, and physical performance in women with osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures. Forty-four post-menopausal women (mean age: 67.6 \ub1 4.6) with osteoporotic vertebral fractures were assigned to an exercise group (APA group = 26) who attended a six-month exercise protocol that included postural and muscular reinforcement exercises, and a control group (CG = 18) who was asked to maintain their current lifestyle. At baseline and six months after baseline, HRQOL was measured as primary outcome by the Assessment of Health Related Quality of Life in Osteoporosis (ECOS-16) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were fear of falling (Fall Efficacy Scale International, FES-I), lumbar back pain (Visual Analogue Scale-VAS), functional exercise capacity (Six Minutes Walking Test-6MWT, Borg scale), balance and gait (Tinetti Scale), and flexibility of the column (Chair Sit-and-Reach). The effects of the intervention were analyzed by comparison within groups and between groups. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated using Cohen\u2019s d. All the outcomes significantly improved in the APA group, while they remained unchanged in the CG. After adjustment for unbalanced variables, the comparison between groups showed significant effects of the intervention for ECOS-16-score, functional exercise capacity, balance, and gait. The exercise program had big effect sizes on HRQOL (ES = 1.204), fear of falling (ES = 1.007), balance (ES = 0.871), and functional exercise capacity (ES = 1.390). Good adherence (75.8%) and no injuries were observed. Due to its feasibility, safety, and effectiveness, the proposed exercise protocol can be adopted in APA programs addressed to patients with osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures

Potent in vitro antiproliferative properties for a triplatinum cluster toward triple negative breast cancer cells

The trinuclear platinum cluster [Pt3(μ-PBut2)3(CO)3]CF3SO3 (I) was designed featuring the presence of a nearly equilateral platinum triangle bridged by three di-tert-butylphosphide ligands; in addition, each platinum center bears a terminal carbonyl ligand. This triplatinum cluster was initially developed in view of applications in the field of cluster-containing innovative materials. Yet, due to the large success of platinum complexes in cancer treatment, we also decided to explore its cytotoxic and anticancer properties. Accordingly, the solubility profile of this compound in several solvents was preliminarily investigated, revealing a conspicuous solubility in DMSO and DMSO/buffer mixtures; this makes the biological testing of I amenable. UV–Vis measurements showed that the triplatinum cluster is stable for several hours under a variety of conditions, within aqueous environments. No measurable reactivity was observed for I toward two typical model proteins, i.e. lysozyme and cytochrome c. On the contrary, a significant reactivity was evidenced when reacting I with small sulfur-containing ligands. In particular, a pronounced reactivity with reduced glutathione and cysteine emerged from ESI-MS experiments, proving complete formation of I-GSH and I-Cys derivatives, with the loss of a single carbonyl ligand. Starting from these encouraging results, the cytotoxic potential of I was assayed in vitro against a panel of representative cancer cell lines, and potent cytotoxic properties were disclosed. Of particular interest is the finding that the triplatinum species manifests potent antiproliferative properties toward Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, often refractory to most anticancer drugs. Owing to the reported encouraging results, a more extensive biological and pharmacological evaluation of this Pt cluster is now warranted to better elucidate its mode of action