Search results for: negative differential resistnace

Authors: Sibashish Baksi, Ujjaini Sarkar, Sudeshna Saha

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In the present study, hydrolysis of Pinus roxburghi wood powder was carried out with Viscozyme, and kinetics of the hydrolysis has been investigated. Finely ground sawdust is submerged into 2% aqueous peroxide solution (pH=11.5) and pretreated through autoclaving, probe sonication, and alkaline peroxide pretreatment. Afterward, the pretreated material is subjected to hydrolysis. A chain of experiments was executed with delignified biomass (50 g/l) and varying enzyme concentrations (24.2–60.5 g/l). In the present study, 14.32 g/l of glucose, along with 7.35 g/l of xylose, have been recovered with a viscozyme concentration of 48.8 g/l and the same condition was treated as optimum condition. Additionally, thermal deactivation of viscozyme has been investigated and found to be gradually decreasing with escalated enzyme loading from 48.4 g/l (dissociation constant= 0.05 h⁻¹) to 60.5 g/l (dissociation constant= 0.02 h⁻¹). The hydrolysis reaction is a pseudo first-order reaction, and therefore, the rate of the hydrolysis can be expressed as a fractal-like kinetic equation that communicates between the product concentration and hydrolytic time t. It is seen that the value of rate constant (K) increases from 0.008 to 0.017 with augmented enzyme concentration from 24.2 g/l to 60.5 g/l. Greater value of K is associated with stronger enzyme binding capacity of the substrate mass. However, escalated concentration of supplied enzyme ensures improved interaction with more substrate molecules resulting in an enhanced de-polymerization of the polymeric sugar chains per unit time which eventually modifies the physiochemical structure of biomass. All fractal dimensions are in between 0 and 1. Lower the value of fractal dimension, more easily the biomass get hydrolyzed. It can be seen that with increased enzyme concentration from 24.2 g/l to 48.4 g/l, the values of fractal dimension go down from 0.1 to 0.044. This indicates that the presence of more enzyme molecules can more easily hydrolyze the substrate. However, an increased value has been observed with a further increment of enzyme concentration to 60.5g/l because of diffusional limitation. It is evident that the hydrolysis reaction system is a heterogeneous organization, and the product formation rate depends strongly on the enzyme diffusion resistances caused by the rate-limiting structures of the substrate-enzyme complex. Value of the rate constant increases from 1.061 to 2.610 with escalated enzyme concentration from 24.2 to 48.4 g/l. As the rate constant is proportional to Fick’s diffusion coefficient, it can be assumed that with a higher concentration of enzyme, a larger amount of enzyme mass dM diffuses into the substrate through the surface dF per unit time dt. Therefore, a higher rate constant value is associated with a faster diffusion of enzyme into the substrate. Regression analysis of time curves with various enzyme concentrations shows that diffusion resistant constant increases from 0.3 to 0.51 for the first two enzyme concentrations and again decreases with enzyme concentration of 60.5 g/l. During diffusion in a differential scale, the enzyme also experiences a greater resistance during diffusion of larger dM through dF in dt.

Keywords: viscozyme, glucose, fractal kinetics, thermal deactivation

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Authors: Harsimran Kaur Chadha, Preeti Onkar

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Tourism has grown into one of the world’s largest industries in the last two decades all over the world. It is an important sector of Indian economy as it contributes substantially to the foreign exchange earnings of the country. The tourism policies of India aim to position tourism as a major engine of economic growth. These policies work towards utilizing tourism’s direct and multiplier effect on employment and poverty eradication in a sustainable manner. India is blessed with a great ancient and living civilization that gave rise to four of the world’s great religions and philosophies. Diverse religions, castes, languages, culture of India build a tremendous potential for religious tourism in India. Religious Tourism facilitates development of basic infrastructural facilities, generates income for the local community as well as the government, balances regional development, and fosters peace and socio-cultural harmony. However, tourism development needs to be regulated to prevent the negative impacts. The main challenge towards Sustainable Tourism development is to balance limits and usage of natural resources. The uncontrollable growth of tourism should not lead to resource degradation. Since tourism growth is inevitable, the challenge is to manage it sustainably within environmental, social and economic constraints. This paper tries to explore both the benefits and costs of Religious Tourism Development, using the example of Simhasth Kumbh Mahaparv at Ujjain. Finally it concludes by putting forth the notion that heavy investments for temporary infrastructure development incurred during these large spiritual gatherings need to be sustainable in the long run.

Keywords: challenges, religious, sustainable, tourism

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Authors: Thi Thu Van Nguyen

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In South Korea, Confucianism has not only played a crucial position in Korean traditional culture but also deeply rooted in people’s mind. Confucianism bears a special emphasis on the traditional family pattern characterized by paternalism. Therefore, non-paternity families are barely recognized and unwed mothers are faced with numerous prejudices in their life. Prejudice to unwed mothers in Korea is believed to stem from social discourses against lone motherhood which is the way how people look and talk about unwed mothers and from the early time these social discourses have big impacts on their daily lives. However, after the 1990s, along with the rapid transformation of family pattern and support from social welfare organizations, unwed mothers have gradually got to escape from the social prejudice then established themselves as a new family form. This study is aimed at researching social discourses on lone motherhood in Korea and the process of resistance, adaptation and negotiation of unwed mothers in three different stages: the antenatal, postnatal stages and social inclusion. The anthropological method is employed. Twenty single young mothers of the Korean Unwed Mothers Families' Association were engaged in the author’s detailed interviews. The study’s frame analysis is based on the theoretical framework on social discourses on lone motherhood by Simon Duncan and Rosalind Edwards (1999). This study is an effort to comprehend and investigate the difficulties experienced by unwed mothers living in negative social discourses and the way they overcome the difficulties.

Keywords: unwed mothers, gender, social discourses, social prejudice, Confucianism

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Authors: Shivani Kuttuva, James Sampson, Timothy Simmons, Vinayak Thattaruparambil, Holly Burton, Peter Coyne

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Anogenital mammary-like glands were established to be embryological remnants of breast tissue due to failed resolution of the ectodermal mammary ridge. However, recent studies are now considering this to represent normal constituents of the anogenital area with histological resemblance to the orthotopic breast tissue with multiple benign and malignant lesions arising from it. The incidence of the above has been predominant in females in the vulval region. Due to the paucity of cases reported in men, this poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge resulting in a delay in treatment and, thereby, poor outcomes. Our patient presented to the dermatology clinic with an itchy, purplish lesion in the peri-anal region which, on punch biopsy, was diagnosed to be Extra-mammary Paget’s disease and taken up for Wide local excision. Immunochemically, staining was positive for HER2, ER and Cytokeratin 7, keeping with the presence of actual breast tissue with no primary breast carcinoma. Due to the invasive nature of the disease, he required Abdominoperineal resection with flap reconstruction. Despite complete surgical clearance and adjuvant radiotherapy, the disease progressed to adjacent inguinal and obturator lymph nodes with origin resembling anogenital type mammary glands but histology negative for hormonal receptors of the breast.

Keywords: anogenital mammary-like glands, abdominoperineal resection, ectopic breast tissue, ectopic male breast carcinoma, peri-anal skin lesion

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Authors: Brittany Joi B. Kirsch

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Textbooks carry a crucial role in imparting ideologies that stimulate inclusivity and social diversity. In the Philippines, a law on inclusive education (IE) for differently-abled learners has recently been signed in order to ensure their rights to quality and IE are protected and upheld (Republic Act No. 11650, 2022). With the presence of ableism in textbooks, the promotion of IE may be challenged. A considerable amount of research has been done on disability representation and ableism in foreign countries; however, none, to the extent of the researcher’s knowledge, has been conducted on ableist ideologies in primary education English language textbooks in the Philippines. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the negotiation of ableist ideologies in primary education English language textbooks in the Philippines. Utilizing Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the framework, six prescribed primary education English language textbooks from different grade levels were analyzed to examine instances of ableism in the texts. To further support the analysis of the study, supplemental data were gathered from the accounts of six public elementary school English language teachers. Findings reveal that the textbooks contain ableist ideologies with a limited representation of differently-abled people; by disclosing them as (1) invisible, (2) equipped with negative abilities, and (3) plagued with delicate health. By identifying ableist ideologies in textbooks, educational institutions and publishers may benefit in assessing and reforming instructional materials to resolve the presence of such ideologies, thereby abiding by the country’s law on IE and strengthening its overall implementation.

Keywords: textbooks, ideologies, inclusive education, critical discourse analysis, ableism

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Authors: A. Myrzabekova, D. Nurmukhamed, K. Nurumov, A. Zhulbarissova

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It is widely believed that stress can affect teachers’ intention to change the workplace. While existing research primarily focuses on the intrinsic sources of stress stemming from the school climate, the current attempt analyzes educational policies as one of the determinants of teacher’s intention to leave schools. In this respect, Kazakhstan presents a unique case since the country endorsed several educational policies which directly impacted teaching and administrative practices within schools. Using Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 (TALIS) data with the country specific questionnaire, we construct a statistical measure of stress caused by the implementation of educational policies and test its impact on teacher’s intention to leave through the logistic regression. In addition, we control for sociodemographic, professional, and students related covariates while considering the intrinsic dimension of stress stemming from the school climate. Overall, our results suggest that stress caused by the educational policies has a statistically significant positive effect on teachers’ intentions to transfer between schools. Both policy makers and educational scholars could find these results beneficial. For the former careful planning and addressing the negative effects of the educational policies is critical for the sustainability of the educational process. For the latter, accounting for exogenous sources of stress can lead to a more complete understanding of why teachers decide to change their schools.

Keywords: educational policies, Kazakhstani teachers, logistic regression factor analysis, sustainability education TALIS, teacher turnover intention, work stress

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Authors: Nadine Ayasha

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Hail happened in Sukabumi (August 23, 2020), Sekadau (August 22, 2020), and Bogor (September 23, 2020), where this extreme weather phenomenon occurred in the dry season. This study uses the ERA5 reanalysis model data, it aims to examine the vertical velocity impact on the hail occurrence in the dry season, as well as its relation to other weather parameters such as relative humidity, streamline, and wind velocity. Moreover, HCAI product satellite data is used as supporting data for the convective cloud development analysis. Based on the results of graphs, contours, and Hovmoller vertical cut from ERA5 modeling, the vertical velocity values in the 925 Mb-300 Mb layer in Sukabumi, Sekadau, and Bogor before the hail event ranged between -1.2-(-0.2), -1.5-(-0.2), -1-0 Pa/s. A negative value indicates that there is an upward motion from the air mass that trigger the convective cloud growth, which produces hail. It is evidenced by the presence of Cumulonimbus cloud on HCAI product when the hail falls. Therefore, the vertical velocity has significant effect on the hail event. In addition, the relative humidity in the 850-700 Mb layer is quite wet, which ranges from 80-90%. Meanwhile, the streamline and wind velocity in the three regions show the convergence with slowing wind velocity ranging from 2-4 knots. These results show that the upward motion of the vertical velocity is enough to form the wet atmospheric humidity and form a convergence for the growth of the convective cloud, which produce hail in the dry season.

Keywords: hail, extreme weather, vertical velocity, relative humidity, streamline

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Authors: Sachin Latiyan, T. S. Sampath Kumar, Mukesh Doble

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Natural polymer based nanofibrous wound dressings have gained increased attention because of their high surface area, bioactivity, biodegradability and resemblance to extracellular matrix. Agarose (a natural polymer) have been used largely for angiogenesis, cartilage formation and wound healing applications. However, electrospinning of agarose is tedious thereby rendering limited studies on fabrication and evaluation of agarose based nanofibrous wound dressings. Thus, present study focuses on the fabrication of agarose (10% w/v)/ polyvinyl alcohol (12% w/v) based multifunctional nanofibrous scaffolds. Zinc citrate (1, 3 and 5% w/w of the polymer) was added as a potential antibacterial agent to combat wound infections. The fabricated scaffolds exhibit ~500% swelling (in phosphate buffer saline) with enhanced mechanical strength which is suitable for most of the wound healing applications. In vitro studies were found to reveal an increased migration and proliferation of L929 mouse fibroblasts with agarose blends w.r.t to the control. The fabricated dressings were found to be effective against both Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacterial strains. Hence, a multifunctional (as provides effective swelling and mechanical support along with antibacterial property), natural product based, eco-friendly scaffold was successfully fabricated to serve as a potential wound dressing material.

Keywords: antibacterial dressings, benign solvent, nanofibrous agarose, biocompatibility, enhanced swelling and mechanical strength, biopolymeric dressings

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Authors: Ilham Benali, Nasser Hajji, Nawfal Acha

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Given the fact that the pharmaceutical industry is a commonly studied sector in the context of innovation, the majority of innovation research is devoted to the developed markets known by high research and development (R&D) assets and intensive innovation. In contrast, in developing countries where R&D assets are very low, there is relatively little research to mention in the area of pharmaceutical sector innovation, characterized mainly by two principal elements which are the presence of foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals. With the scarcity of research in this field, this paper attempts to study the effect of these two elements on the firms’ innovation tendencies. Other traditional factors that influence innovation, which are the age and the size of the firm, the R&D activities and the market structure, revealed in the literature review, will be included in the study in order to try to make this work more exhaustive. The study starts by examining innovation tendency in pharmaceutical firms located in developing countries before analyzing the effect of foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals on technological, organizational and marketing innovation. Based on the related work and on the theoretical framework developed, there is a probability that foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals have a negative influence on technological innovation. The opposite effect is possible in the case of organizational and marketing innovation.

Keywords: developing countries, foreign owned firms, innovation, licensed manufacturing agreements, pharmaceutical industry

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Authors: Suresh Reddi, Mathew Leslie, Vishnu S. Das

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Sustainable design is a prominent concept across all sectors of engineering and its importance is widely recognized within the Arabian Gulf region. Despite that sustainable or soft engineering options are not widely deployed in coastal engineering projects and a preference for utilizing ‘hard engineering’ solutions remain. The concept of soft engineering lies in “working together” with the nature to manage the coastline. This approach allows hard engineering options, such as breakwaters or sea walls, to be minimized or even eliminated altogether. Hard structures provide a firm barrier to wave energy or flooding, but in doing so they often have a significant impact on the natural processes of the coastline. This may affect the area locally or impact on neighboring zones. In addition, they often have a negative environmental impact and may create a sense of disconnect between the marine environment and local users. Soft engineering options, seek to protect the coastline by working in harmony with the natural process of sediment transport/budget. They often consider new habitat creation and creating usable spaces that will increase the sense of connection with nature. Often soft engineering options, where appropriately deployed can provide a low-maintenance, aesthetically valued, natural line of coastal protection. This paper deals with an overview of the following: The widely accepted soft engineering practices across the world; How this approach has been considered by Ramboll in some recent projects in Middle East and Asia; Challenges and barriers to use in using soft engineering options in the region; Way forward towards more widespread adoption.

Keywords: coastline, hard engineering, low maintenance, soft engineering options

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Authors: K. Sanjayani, C. Saraswathy, S. Sreenivasan, S. Sudhahar, D. Suganya, K. S. Neelukumari, N. Vijayarangan

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Double Base Number System (DBNS) is an imminent system of representing a number using two bases namely 2 and 3, which has its application in Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA).The previous binary method representation included only base 2. DBNS uses an approximation algorithm namely, Greedy Algorithm. By using this algorithm, the number of digits required to represent a larger number is less when compared to the standard binary method that uses base 2 algorithms. Hence, the computational speed is increased and time being reduced. The standard binary method uses binary digits 0 and 1 to represent a number whereas the DBNS method uses binary digit 1 alone to represent any number (canonical form). The greedy algorithm uses two ways to represent the number, one is by using only the positive summands and the other is by using both positive and negative summands. In this paper, arithmetic operations are used for elliptic curve cryptography. Elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem is the foundation for most of the day to day elliptic curve cryptography. This appears to be a momentous hard slog compared to digital logarithm problem. In elliptic curve digital signature algorithm, the key generation requires 160 bit of data by usage of standard binary representation. Whereas, the number of bits required generating the key can be reduced with the help of double base number representation. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to generate key during encryption and extraction of key in decryption.

Keywords: cryptography, double base number system, elliptic curve cryptography, elliptic curve digital signature algorithm

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Authors: Yusuf Jundi Sado

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Changes in land use are mostly credited to human actions that result in negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of land use and land cover changes for sustainable natural resources planning and management. Chilalo-Galama Mountain Range, Ethiopia. This study used Thematic Mapper 05 (TM) for 1986, 2001 and Landsat 8 (OLI) data 2017. Additionally, data from the Central Statistics Agency on human population growth were analyzed. Semi-Automatic classification plugin (SCP) in QGIS 3.2.3 software was used for image classification. Global positioning system, field observations and focus group discussions were used for ground verification. Land Use Land Cover (LU/LC) change analysis was using maximum likelihood supervised classification and changes were calculated for the 1986–2001 and the 2001–2017 and 1986-2017 periods. The results show that agricultural land increased from 27.85% (1986) to 44.43% and 51.32% in 2001 and 2017, respectively with the overall accuracies of 92% (1986), 90.36% (2001), and 88% (2017). On the other hand, forests decreased from 8.51% (1986) to 7.64 (2001) and 4.46% (2017), and grassland decreased from 37.47% (1986) to 15.22%, and 15.01% in 2001 and 2017, respectively. It indicates for the years 1986–2017 the largest area cover gain of agricultural land was obtained from grassland. The matrix also shows that shrubland gained land from agricultural land, afro-alpine, and forest land. Population dynamics is found to be one of the major driving forces for the LU/LU changes in the study area.

Keywords: Landsat, LU/LC change, Semi-Automatic classification plugin, population dynamics, Ethiopia

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Authors: Umego Chukwudi T., Ntui Valentine O., Uyoh Edak A.

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Phosphorus (P) deficiency has been identified as a major hindrance to rice production the world over. Eleven (11) rice genotypes predominantly used by local farmers in Nigeria were studied for their responses to P deficient conditions. The characterization was based on morpho-physiologic parameters. The genotypes were screened using a hydroponic system in a modified Hoagland’s solution. Morphological and physiologic parameters, including Plant height (PH), number of tillers per plant, shoot dry weight (SDW), shoot phosphate concentration (SPC), and chlorophyll content, were recorded after exposure to three levels of phosphate concentration (0µM, 400 µM, and 800 µM). The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the means were separated using least significance difference tests. The results obtained showed that P starvation caused a significant (p≤0.05) reduction in PH, SDW, and tillering and also triggered a significant (p≤0.05) increase in root length among the genotypes. The Pearsons correlation coefficient was used to estimate the relationships among studied parameters, and a significant negative correlation was observed between plant height and root length. FARO63 was identified as a highly tolerant genotype to P deficiency with a low (0.24) SPC and higher (4.81) phosphate utilization efficiency (PUE). This study has identified FARO63 as a true tolerant genotype to Phosphate deficiency, which will be useful in breeding for phosphate deficiency tolerance in rice and thus combating food insecurity.

Keywords: phosphate deficiency, rice genotypes, hydroponic system, food security

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Authors: Surendra Kumar Gautam, Mahesh Dhungana

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Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) are less toxic to humans and the environment as compared to other metal oxide nanoparticles. Various conventional chemical and physical methods are used for synthesis whose toxicity level is high and highly expensive. As the best alternative, phyto-assisted synthesis has emerged, which uses extracts from plant parts for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Here, we report the synthesis of MgO nanoparticles with the assistance of beetroot extract and leaf extract of P. guajava and A. adenophora. The synthesized MgO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. X-ray analysis for the broadening of peaks was used to evaluate the crystallite size and lattice strain using Debye-Scherer and Williamson–Hall method. The results of crystallite size obtained by both methods are in close proximity. The crystallite size obtained by the Williamson-Hall method seems more accurate, with values being 8.1 nm and 13.2 nm for beetroot MgO NPs and P. guajava MgO NPs, respectively. The FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the dominance of chemical bonds as well as functional groups on MgO NPs surfaces. The UV-visible absorption spectra of MgO NPs were found to be 310 nm, 315 nm, and 315 nm for beetroot, P. guajava, and A. adenophora leaf extract, respectively. Among the three samples, beetroot-mediated MgO NPs were effective antibacterial against both gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, synthesized MgO NPs also show significant antioxidant efficacy against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical. Further, beetroot MgO NPs showed the highest photocatalytic activity of about 91% in comparison with other samples.

Keywords: MgO NPs, XRD, FTIR, antibacterial, antioxidant and photocatalytic activity

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Authors: Ashit Syngle, Nidhi Garg, Pawan Krishan

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Background: Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs) are depleted and contribute to increased cardiovascular (CV) risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Statins exert a protective effect in CAD partly by promoting EPC mobilization. This vasculoprotective effect of statin has not yet been investigated in RA. We aimed to investigate the effect of rosuvastatin on EPCs in RA. Methods: 50 RA patients were randomized to receive 6 months of treatment with rosuvastatin (10 mg/day, n=25) and placebo (n=25) as an adjunct to existing stable antirheumatic drugs. EPCs (CD34+/CD133+) were quantified by Flow Cytometry. Inflammatory measures included DAS28, CRP and ESR were measured at baseline and after treatment. Lipids and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1) were estimated at baseline and after treatment. Results: At baseline, inflammatory measures and pro-inflammatory cytokines were elevated and EPCs depleted among both groups. At baseline, EPCs inversely correlated with DAS28 and TNF-α in both groups. EPCs increased significantly (p < 0.01) after treatment with rosuvastatin but did not show significant change with placebo. Rosuvastatin exerted positive effect on lipid spectrum: lowering total cholesterol, LDL, non HDL and elevation of HDL as compared with placebo. At 6 months, DAS28, ESR, CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 improved significantly in rosuvastatin group. Significant negative correlation was observed between EPCs and DAS28, CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 after treatment with rosuvastatin. Conclusion: First study to show that rosuvastatin improves inflammation and EPC biology in RA possibly through its anti-inflammatory and lipid lowering effect. This beneficial effect of rosuvastatin may provide a novel strategy to prevent cardiovascular events in RA.

Keywords: RA, Endothelial Progenitor Cells, rosuvastatin, cytokines

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Authors: Murtada Ahmed Oshi, Jin-Wook Yoo

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Layer-by-layer (LBL) coating has gained popularity for drug delivery of therapeutic drugs. Herein we described a novel approach for enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of the locally administered dexamethasone (Dex) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We utilized a LBL-coating technique on Dex microcrystals (DexMCs) with multiple layers of polyelectrolytes composed of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly (sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and Eudragit® S100 (ES). The successful deposition of the layers onto DexMCs surfaces were confirmed through zeta potential measurement and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The surface morphology was investigated through scanning electron microscopy. The drug encapsulation efficiency was 95% with a mean particle size of 2 µm and negative surface charge (-40 mV). Moreover, in vitro drug release study showed a minimum release of the drug ( 15%) at an acidic condition during initial first 5 h, followed by sustained-release at an alkaline condition. For in vivo study, LBL-DxMCs were administered orally to ICR mice suffering from dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. LBL-DxMCs substantially enhanced anti-IBD activities as compared to DxMCs. Macroscopic, histological and biochemical (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and myeloperoxidase) examinations revealed marked improvements of colitis signs in the mice treated with LBL-DxMCs compared with those treated with DxMCs. Overall, LBL-DxMCs could be a suitable candidate for the treatment of IBD.

Keywords: dexamethasone, inflammatory bowel disease, LBL-coating, polyelectrolytes

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Authors: Seyedtaghi Mirmohammadi, J. Yazdani, S. M. Asadi, M. Rokni, A. Toosi

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There are many indoor air quality studies with an emphasis on indoor particulate matters (PM2.5) monitoring. Whereas, there is a lake of data about indoor PM2.5 concentrations in rural area schools (especially in classrooms), since preliminary children are assumed to be more defenseless to health hazards and spend a large part of their time in classrooms. The objective of this study was indoor PM2.5 concentration quality assessment. Fifteen preliminary schools by time-series sampling were selected to evaluate the indoor air quality in the rural district of Sari city, Iran. Data on indoor air climate parameters (temperature, relative humidity and wind speed) were measured by a hygrometer and thermometer. Particulate matters (PM2.5) were collected and assessed by Real Time Dust Monitor, (MicroDust Pro, Casella, UK). The mean indoor PM2.5 concentration in the studied classrooms was 135µg/m3 in average. The multiple linear regression revealed that a correlation between PM2.5 concentration and relative humidity, distance from city center and classroom size. Classroom size yields reasonable negative relationship, the PM2.5 concentration was ranged from 65 to 540μg/m3 and statistically significant at 0.05 level and the relative humidity was ranged from 70 to 85% and dry bulb temperature ranged from 28 to 29°C were statistically significant at 0.035 and 0.05 level, respectively. A statistical predictive model was obtained from multiple regressions modeling for PM2.5 and indoor psychrometric parameters.

Keywords: particulate matters, classrooms, regression, concentration, humidity

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Authors: Gladys Maame Akua Setordzie

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Decision on one’s future career is said to have both beneficial and detrimental effects on one’s mental health, social and economic standing later in life, making it an important developmental problem for young people. In this light, the study’s overarching goal was to assess how different personality traits serve as a determinant of career decision-making difficulties experienced by university students in Ghana. Specifically, for the purpose of shaping the future of individualized career counselling support, the study investigated whether the “Big Five” personality traits influenced the difficulties students at the University of Ghana encounter while making career decisions. Cross-sectional survey design using a stratified random sampling technique, sampled 494 undergraduate students from the University of Ghana, who completed the Big Five Questionnaire and the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that neuroticism, consciousness, and openness, accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in career decision-making difficulties. This study provides empirical evidence to support the idea that neuroticism is not necessarily a negative emotion when it comes to career decisionmaking, as has been suggested in previous studies, but rather it allows students to perform better in career decision-making. These results suggests that personality traits play a significant role in the career decision-making process of students of the University of Ghana. Therefore, a better understanding of how different personal and interpersonal factors impact career indecision in students could help career counsellors develop more focused vocational and career guidance interventions.

Keywords: career decision-making difficulties, dysfunctional career beliefs, personality traits, young people

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Authors: Hannah Riva, Sarah Mazal, Jessica L. Marquez, Michael Rains

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A 70-year-old female with a Fitzpatrick skin phenotype II presented with a 13-year history of a scaly rash located on the left breast and bilateral pretibial regions. The patient’s past medical history was otherwise unremarkable, with the exception of surgery involving the left breast. Physical examination revealed infiltrative hyperpigmented scaly plaques and nodules located on the left breast and pretibial regions bilaterally. A negative systemic workup excluded organ involvement. A clinical diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis was made. Prior treatments included triamcinolone 0.1% topical cream and clobetasol 0.05% ointment, which failed to show improvement. Full-body narrow-band UVB (NBUVB) treatment was performed on a tri-weekly basis for eight months. NBUVB dosage was slowly titrated from 300 mJ/cm2 to a final dose of 1800 mJ/cm2 to prevent discomfort and burning sensations. Throughout the duration of her treatment, the patient adhered to a regimen of clobetasol 0.05% topical ointment applied twice daily in two-week intervals. Improvement was noticed after two months, with continued improvement up to eight months. The patient is continuing NBUVB phototherapy treatments for maintenance. In our case, NBUVB phototherapy treatment demonstrated promising results with improvement after two months of treatment. Physicians should consider NBUVB phototherapy as an effective option for patients presenting with cutaneous sarcoidosis.

Keywords: dermatology, sarcoidosis, phototherapy, ultraviolet

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Authors: Anna Dolinayova, Juraj Camaj, Martin Loch

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Presently it is necessary to ensure the sustainable development of passenger and freight transport. Increasing performance of road freight have been a negative impact to environment and society. It is therefore necessary to increase the competitiveness of intermodal transport, which is more environmentally friendly. The study describe the effectiveness of logistical centers realization for companies and society and research how the partial internalization of external costs reflected in the efficient use of these centers and increase the competitiveness of intermodal transport to road freight. In our research, we use the method of comparative analysis and market research to describe the advantages of logistic centers for their users as well as for society as a whole. Method normal costing is used for calculation infrastructure and total costs, method of conversion costing for determine the external costs. We modelling of total society costs for road freight transport and inter modal transport chain (we assumed that most of the traffic is carried by rail) with different loading schemes for condition in the Slovak Republic. Our research has shown that higher utilization of inter modal transport chain do good not only for society, but for companies providing freight services too. Increase in use of inter modal transport chain can bring many benefits to society that do not bring direct immediate financial return. They often bring the multiplier effects, such as greater use of environmentally friendly transport mode and reduce the total society costs.

Keywords: delivery time, economy effectiveness, logistical centers, ecological efficiency, optimization, society

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Authors: Mahlet Nigussie Worku

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The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different leadership styles on employee engagement in Ethiopian Airlines head quarter located in Addis Ababa. Specific objectives of the study were stated to examine the effects of five leadership styles namely transformational, transactional, democratic, lassies fair and autocratic leadership styles on employees’ engagement. The study was conducted on 288 sample size and a simple random sampling technique was employed. The quantitative findings were presented and analyzed by table, ANOVA, bivariate correlation and regression model through SPSS software version 23. Out of 288 total distributed questionnaires 280 were returned and 8 of the returned were rejected due to missing data while the remaining 280 responses were used for data analysis. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study employed both descriptive and explanatory research design. Correlation and regression were used to analyze the relationship and its effect between leadership Style and employee’s engagement. The regression results showed that transformational, transactional and democratic leadership Styles have significant contribution for employee’s engagement. Similarly transformational, transactional land democratic leadership style had a positive and strong correlation with employee’s engagement. However lassies-fair and autocratic leadership style showed negative and insignificant effect on employee engagement. Finally, based on the findings, workable recommendations and implications for further studies were forwarded

Keywords: leadership, leadership style, employee engagement, autocratic leadership styles

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Authors: Xiaofang Wei

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Harmful Algal Blooms are a recurrent disturbing occurrence in Lake Erie that has caused significant negative impacts on water quality and aquatic ecosystem around Great Lakes areas in the United States. Targeting the recent HAB events in western Lake Erie, this paper utilizes satellite imagery and hydrological modeling to monitor HAB cyanobacteria blooms and analyze the impacts of agricultural activities from Maumee watershed, the biggest watershed of Lake Erie and agriculture dominant.SWAT (Soil & Water Assessment Tool) Model for Maumee watershed was established with DEM, land use data, crop data layer, soil data, and weather data, and calibrated with Maumee River gauge stations data for streamflow and nutrients. Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Hypercubes (FLAASH) was applied to remove atmospheric attenuation and cyanobacteria Indices were calculated from Landsat OLI imagery to study the intensity of HAB events in the years 2015, 2017, and 2019. The agricultural practice and nutrients management within the Maumee watershed was studied and correlated with HAB cyanobacteria indices to study the relationship between HAB intensity and nutrient loadings. This study demonstrates that hydrological models and satellite imagery are effective tools in HAB monitoring and modeling in rivers and lakes.

Keywords: harmful algal bloom, landsat OLI imagery, SWAT, HAB cyanobacteria

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Authors: Zhe Xu, Jian Li, Lvping Li, Zezheng Dong

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This work is to study an optimized transfer strategy of connecting Earth and Mars via the vicinity of libration points, which have been playing an increasingly important role in trajectory designing on a deep space mission, and can be used as an effective alternative solution for Earth-Mars direct transfer mission in some unusual cases. The use of vicinity of libration points of the sun-planet body system is becoming potential gateways for future interplanetary transfer missions. By adding fuel to cargo spaceships located in spaceports, the interplanetary round-trip exploration shuttle mission of such a system facility can also be a reusable transportation system. In addition, in some cases, when the S/C cruising through invariant manifolds, it can also save a large amount of fuel. Therefore, it is necessary to make an effort on looking for efficient transfer strategies using variant manifold about libration points. It was found that Earth L1/L2 Halo/Lyapunov orbits and Mars L2/L1 Halo/Lyapunov orbits could be connected with reasonable fuel consumption and flight duration with appropriate design. In the paper, the halo hopping method and coplanar circular method are briefly introduced. The former used differential corrections to systematically generate low ΔV transfer trajectories between interplanetary manifolds, while the latter discussed escape and capture trajectories to and from Halo orbits by using impulsive maneuvers at periapsis of the manifolds about libration points. In the following, designs of transfer strategies of the two methods are shown here. A comparative performance analysis of interplanetary transfer strategies of the two methods is carried out accordingly. Comparison of strategies is based on two main criteria: the total fuel consumption required to perform the transfer and the time of flight, as mentioned above. The numeric results showed that the coplanar circular method procedure has certain advantages in cost or duration. Finally, optimized transfer strategy with engineering constraints is searched out and examined to be an effective alternative solution for a given direct transfer mission. This paper investigated main methods and gave out an optimized solution in interplanetary transfer via the vicinity of libration points. Although most of Earth-Mars mission planners prefer to build up a direct transfer strategy for the mission due to its advantage in relatively short time of flight, the strategies given in the paper could still be regard as effective alternative solutions since the advantages mentioned above and longer departure window than direct transfer.

Keywords: circular restricted three-body problem, halo/Lyapunov orbit, invariant manifolds, libration points

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Authors: Olga Blagova, Yuliya Osipova, Evgeniya Kogan, Alexander Nedostup

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Purpose: to quantify the value of various clinical, laboratory and instrumental signs in the diagnosis of myocarditis in comparison with morphological studies of the myocardium. Methods: in 100 patients (65 men, 44.7±12.5 years) with «idiopathic» arrhythmias (n = 20) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, n = 80) were performed 71 endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), 13 intraoperative biopsy, 5 study of explanted hearts, 11 autopsy with virus investigation (real-time PCR) of the blood and myocardium. Anti-heart antibodies (AHA) were also measured as well as cardiac CT (n = 45), MRI (n = 25), coronary angiography (n = 47). The comparison group included of 50 patients (25 men, 53.7±11.7 years) with non-inflammatory heart diseases who underwent open heart surgery. Results. Active/borderline myocarditis was diagnosed in 76.0% of the study group and in 21.6% of patients of the comparison group (p < 0.001). The myocardial viral genome was observed more frequently in patients of comparison group than in study group (group (65.0% and 40.2%; p < 0.01. Evaluated the diagnostic value of noninvasive markers of myocarditis. The panel of anti-heart antibodies had the greatest importance to identify myocarditis: sensitivity was 81.5%, positive and negative predictive value was 75.0 and 60.5%. It is defined diagnostic value of non-invasive markers of myocarditis and diagnostic algorithm providing an individual assessment of the likelihood of myocarditis is developed. Conclusion. The greatest significance in the diagnosis of latent myocarditis in patients with 'idiopathic' arrhythmias and DCM have AHA. The use of complex of noninvasive criteria allows estimate the probability of myocarditis and determine the indications for EMB.

Keywords: myocarditis, "idiopathic" arrhythmias, dilated cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial biopsy, viral genome, anti-heart antibodies

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Authors: Zane Bulderberga

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Spatial dimension in development planning is becoming more topical in 21st century as a result of changes in population structure. Sustainable spatial development focuses on identifying and using territorial advantages to foster the harmonized development of the entire country, reducing negative effects of population concentration, increasing availability and mobility. EU and national development planning documents state polycentrism as main tool for balance spatial development, including investment concentration in growth centres. If mutual cooperation of growth centres as well as urban-rural cooperation is not fostered, then territorial differences can deepen and create unbalanced development. The aim of research: to evaluate the urban-rural interaction, elaborating spatial development scenarios in framework of Latvian regional policy. To perform the research monographic, comparison, abstract-logical method, synthesis and analysis will be used when studying the theoretical aspects of research aiming at collecting the ideas of scientists from different countries, concepts, regulations as well as to create meaningful scientific discussion. Hierarchy analysis process (AHP) will be used to state further scenarios of spatial development in Latvia. Experts from various institutions recognized urban-rural interaction and co-operation as an essential tool for the development. The most important factors for balanced spatial development in Latvia are availability of public transportation and improvement of service availability. Evaluating the three alternative scenarios, it was concluded that the urban-rural partnership will ensure a balanced development in Latvian regions.

Keywords: rural-urban interaction, rural-urban cooperation, spatial development, AHP

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Authors: Abdulrazaq Adepoju

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Climate change and its negative environmental challenges to humanity has for decades, taken the centre stage globally receiving attention on ways to take care of the menace and keep the damaging effects to manageable and tolerable level. However, noise pollution, another major environmental hazard militating against human habitation particularly in the developing countries of the world, is not receiving enough attention by the concerned authorities at all tiers of governance. A good knowledge of the major sources of environmental noise pollution will go a long way in assisting relevant stakeholders in planning, designing, and management of problems associated with noise pollution. This paper seeks to identify the major sources of noise in the built environment on selected areas of Osogbo, Nigeria. The paper adopted a survey research method of collecting data from surveys carried out on buildings around old Garage-Okefia axis, Old garage-Oja Oba axis, and Okefia-Olaiya junction axis, all within Osogbo metropolis using sound surveying metre. It was discovered that noise from vehicular and pedestrian traffic, commercial activities such as advertising vendors and religious buildings (churches and mosques) constitute major causes of noise in the study area. The paper recommends some measures to the affected stakeholders particularly government agencies on means of reducing noise pollution to a tolerable level in the study areas and places of the same industrial layout.

Keywords: built environment, climate change, environmental pollution, noise

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Authors: Kaushal Kishore, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Susovan Das, Manashi Adhikary, Sandip Bhattacharyya

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In integrated steel plants, conveyor belts are widely used for transferring raw materials from one location to another. An output pin bush coupling attached with a conveyor transferring iron ore fines and fluxes failed after two years of service life. This led to an operational delay of approximately 15 hours. This study is focused on failure analysis of the coupling and recommending counter-measures to prevent any such failures in the future. Investigation consisted of careful visual observation, checking of operating parameters, stress calculation and analysis, macro and micro-fractography, material characterizations like chemical and metallurgical analysis and tensile and impact testings. The fracture occurred from an unusually sharp double step. There were multiple corrosion pits near the step that aggravated the situation. Inner contact surface of the coupling revealed differential abrasion that created a macroscopic difference in the height of the component. This pointed towards misalignment of the coupling beyond a threshold limit. In addition to these design and installation issues, material of the coupling did not meet the quality standards. These were made up of grey cast iron having graphite morphology intermediate between random distribution (Type A) and rosette pattern (Type B). This manifested as a marked reduction in impact toughness and tensile strength of the component. These findings corroborated well with the brittle mode of fracture that might have occurred during minor impact loading while loading of conveyor belt with raw materials from height. Simulated study was conducted to examine the effect of corrosion pits on tensile and impact toughness of grey cast iron. It was observed that pitting marginally reduced tensile strength and ductility. However, there was marked (up to 45%) reduction in impact toughness due to pitting. Thus, it became evident that failure of the coupling occurred due to combination of factors like inferior material, misalignment, poor step design and corrosion pitting. Recommendation for life enhancement of coupling included the use of tougher SG 500/7 grade, incorporation of proper fillet radius for the step, correction of alignment and application of corrosion resistant organic coating to prevent pitting.

Keywords: brittle fracture, cast iron, coupling, double step, pitting, simulated impact tests

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Authors: Godaye Gobena Gomiole

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The purpose of this study was to investigate school context-related factors that affect principals' instructional leadership competence in primary schools in Tarcha Town, Ethiopia. A qualitative case study research design was used. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Twelve senior principals were included in the study through purposive sampling. Interviews were used to collect in-depth data. The data was analyzed thematically. The findings of the study indicated that primary school principals face both internal and external challenges. Internally, they face limited knowledge and skills, a lack of courage and commitment, and administrative work overload. Their external challenges included negative attitudes from parents and teachers, a lack of instructional materials, and little support from local education authorities. Consequently, they can't serve effectively as instructional leaders or resource people. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education, South West Regional Education Bureau, Dawuro Zone Education Department, and Tarcha Town Administration Education Officers and Cluster Supervisors regularly monitor and support school leaders and prepare and provide pertinent teaching materials and training so that the principals can lead in the capacity that is appropriate for the position.

Keywords: instructional leadership, primary school, principals, school context related factors

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Authors: Humara Bano, Nyla Anjum

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Disability in any form has great impact not only for the person facing it but also for its family members too. This effect may be so severe that may lead to mal adjustment of any member of the family in society as well. This impact has also been multiplied due to negative attitudes of the society, unawareness about the needs of special needs and no legislation for the parents of children with special needs. As a result not only the separations among the parents have been reported but also the normal siblings in the home are also badly affected in their daily lives. The situation is more challenging when more than one child with disability is present in the family. The main objectives of this paper are to unfold the relationship of variety of disabilities (hearing, visual or physical impairment, mental retardation, speech impairment) in i) developing depression in home setting, ii) social exclusion, iii) anxiety and aggression and iv) development of insecure feelings among family members of the persons with disabilities, as well as, v) to identify coping strategies to manage the special needs by family members too. To reach on conclusion about fifty families (having any sort of disability in their homes) have been interviewed on basis of convenient sampling. Correlation, ANOVA and different analysis have been used to identify the relationship of disability in developing depression among family members in line of above mentioned problems. Results revealed that depression due to disability among families is a common phenomenon and adversely have affected their lives in daily routines as well as in following their life achievements. Coping with the situation and recommending various remedies by parents is the positive reflection of this study too that can help to families in managing their mental health.

Keywords: depression, anxiety and aggression, social exclusion, parents of children with special needs

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Authors: L. D. Upegui, Isabel Alvarez-Solorza, Karina Garduno-Ulloa, Maren Boecker

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Introduction: The increasing prevalence rate of resistant and multiresistant bacterial strains to antibiotics is a threat to public health and requires a rapid multifunctional answer. Individuals that are affected by resistant strains present a higher morbidity and mortality than individuals that are infected with the same species of bacteria but with sensitive strains. There have been identified risk factors that are related to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, like socio-demographic characteristics and psychological aspects of the individuals that have not been explored objectively due to a lack of valid and reliable instruments for their measurement. Objective: To validate a questionnaire for the evaluation of the levels of knowledge related to the use of antibiotics in a Mexican population. Materials and Methods: Analytical cross-sectional observational study. The questionnaire consists of 12 items to evaluated knowledge (1=no, 2=not sure, 3=yes) regarding the use of antibiotics, with higher scores corresponding to a higher level of knowledge. Data are collected in a sample of students. Data collection is still ongoing. In this abstract preliminary results of 30 respondents are reported which were collected during pilot-testing. The validation of the instrument was done using the Rasch model. Fit to the Rasch model was tested checking overall fit to the model, unidimensionality, local independence and evaluating the presence of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) by age and gender. The software Rumm2030 and the SPSS were used for the analyses. Results: The participants of the pilot-testing presented an average age of 32 years ± 12.6 and 53% were women. The preliminary results indicated that the items showed good fit to the Rasch model (chi-squared=12.8 p=0.3795). Unidimensionality (number of significant t-tests of 3%) could be proven, the items were locally independent, and no DIF was observed. Knowledge was the smallest regarding statements on the role of antibiotics in treating infections, e.g., most of the respondents did not know that antibiotics would not work against viral infections (70%) and that they could also cause side effects (87%). The knowledge score ranged from 0 to 100 points with a transformed measurement (mean of knowledge 27.1 ± 4.8). Conclusions: The instrument showed good psychometric proprieties. The low scores of knowledge about antibiotics suggest that misinterpretations on the use of these medicaments were prevalent, which could influence the production of antibiotic resistance. The application of this questionnaire will allow the objective identification of 'Hight risk groups', which will be the target population for future educational campaigns, to reduce the knowledge gaps on the general population as an effort against antibiotic resistance.

Keywords: antibiotics, knowledge, misuse, overuse, questionnaire, Rasch model, validation

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