bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practice of Breast Self-Examination among Female Students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Awka
Authors: Madubogwu Chimezie Innocent , Madubogwu N. U. , Azuike E. C.
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT:
Background: Breast self examination (BSE) is a fairly reliable procedure for early detection of breast cancer especially in limited resource countries where access to and availability of mammography is inadequate. BSE helps women to be familiar with their breasts and increases awareness of breast cancer and breast cancer screening modalities like Clinical breast examination (CBE) and Mammography. This study aims at testing the knowledge base of our female tertiary students on breast cancer in addition to knowledge, attitude and practice of BSE.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study based on self-administered pre-tested questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of Breast self examination (BSE) among females of a tertiary institution. Data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.
Results: A 284 female student with mean age of 20.8±3.3 years participated in the study. 98.6% have heard of breast cancer, with media and books being the commonest source of information. Only 60.0% of the participants had been taught BSE, with commonest source of teaching being teachers and parents. Above half of the participants (55.6%) practiced BSE with only 8.1% ever discovered abnormality. There was significant association between practice of BSE and being taught BSE or hearing about BSE (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The knowledge of breast self examination among the study participants acquired largely through books and media though very high but the level of practice is still very low. There is significant association between knowledge and teaching of BSE with the practice of BSE.
Cellular Inflammatory Indices in Hospitalized Nigerian COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Akinwumi Jeremiah Adeyemi , Edem Fabian Victory , Arinola Ganiyu Olatunbosun
Published: September 2021

The pandemicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) necessitated its novel biomarkers in prognosis and monitoring in low resource settings. Changes in total white blood cell counts have been associated with the progression of diseases. This study determined the prognostic value of some cellular inflammatory cells and their indices in relation to duration of hospital admission, gender, and age of COVID-19 patients. This longitudinal and case–control study determined blood cell components (total white blood cells (TWBC), neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet) and inflammatory indices (neutrophil lymphocyte ratio [NLR], lymphocyte monocyte ratio [LMR], platelet lymphocyte ratio [PLR], derived NLR [DNLR], and systemic immune inflammatory index [SII]) in 95 symptomatic hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 45 COVID-19 free controls. These parameters were related to age, sex, and days of admission of the patients. Blood samples obtained were analyzed using hematological autoanalyzer (Sysmex XN-450) and indices calculated. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., USA) version 20.0. The mean platelet count (P = 0.016) and PLR (P = 0.000) were significantly lower while TWBC counts (P = 0.013) were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared with control. The mean TWBC count (P = 0.030) and SII (P = 0.029) were significantly increased while lymphocyte count (P = 0.015) and LMR (P = 0.026) were significantly decreased in COVID-19 patients at discharge compared with COVID-19 patients at admission. The mean neutrophil count (P = 0.048), PLR (P = 0.015), and SII (P = 0.022) were significantly lower while mean lymphocyte count (P = 0.026) was significantly higher in COVID-19 patients aged <40 years compared with patients aged ?40 years. This study concluded that inflammatory response is a phenomenon in COVID-19 patients especially in patients ?40 years of age and that this inflammation persist till discharge, though gender has no influence on cellular inflammatory indices of COVID-19 patients.
Determining the number of hidden layer and hidden neuron of neural network for wind speed prediction
Authors: Rachmatullah Muhammad Ibnu Choldun , Santoso Judhi , Surendro Kridanto
Published: September 2021

Artificial neural network (ANN) is one of the techniques in artificial intelligence, which has been widely applied in many fields for prediction purposes, including wind speed prediction. The aims of this research is to determine the topology of neural network that are used to predict wind speed. Topology determination means finding the hidden layers number and the hidden neurons number for corresponding hidden layer in the neural network. The difference between this research and previous research is that the objective function of this research is regression, while the objective function of previous research is classification. Determination of the topology of the neural network using principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering. PCA is used to determine the hidden layers number, while clustering is used to determine the hidden neurons number for corresponding hidden layer. The selected topology is then used to predict wind speed. Then the performance of topology determination using PCA and clustering is then compared with several other methods. The results of the experiment show that the performance of the neural network topology determined using PCA and clustering has better performance than the other methods being compared. Performance is determined based on the RMSE value, the smaller the RMSE value, the better the neural network performance. In future research, it is necessary to apply a correlation or relationship between input attribute and output attribute and then analyzed, prior to conducting PCA and clustering analysis.
A comprehensive review and call for studies on firefly larvae
Authors: Riley William B. , Rosa Simone Policena , Lima da Silveira Luiz Felipe
Published: September 2021

Background

Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are commonly recognized by adult traits, such as a soft exoskeleton, lanterns and associated glow and flash patterns, but their larval stage is far less appreciated. However, fireflies spend most of their lives as larvae, and adults of most species rely solely on resources previously obtained. Therefore, studying the immature stages is imperative towards a comprehensive understanding of fireflies. This paper reviews and indicates key gaps in the biology of firefly larvae based on available literature.

Methodology

We reviewed the literature on firefly larvae to identify key issues and important taxonomic, geographic, and subject biases and gaps.

Results

We found 376 papers that included information on firefly larvae. Only 139 species in 47 genera across eight of eleven lampyrid subfamilies have been studied during larval stages. These numbers reveal a staggering gap, since 94% of species and over half of the genera of fireflies were never studied in a crucial stage of their life cycle. Most studies on firefly larvae focus on two subfamilies (Luciolinae and Lampyrinae) in four zoogeographic regions (Sino-Japanese, Oriental, Nearctic, and Palearctic), whereas the other subfamilies and regions remain largely unstudied. These studies mainly dealt with morphology and behavior, other subjects remaining greatly understudied by comparison, including habitats, life cycle, physiology and interactions.

Conclusions

Together, these literature biases and gaps highlight how little is known about firefly larvae, and warmly invite basic and applied research, in the field and in the lab, to overcome these limitations and improve our understanding of firefly biology to better preserve them.
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in a high-altitude setting in Peru: adult population-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Huamaní Charles , Velásquez Lucio , Montes Sonia , Mayanga-Herrera Ana , Bernabé-Ortiz Antonio
Published: September 2021

Background

There are several ecological studies, but few studies of the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 at high altitude. We aimed to estimate the population-based seroprevalence of SARS-COV-2 in three settings of Cusco at the end of the first wave among adults.

Methods

A population-based survey was conducted in September 2020, in three settings in the region of Cusco: (1) Cusco city at 3,300 meters above the sea level (m.a.s.l.), (2) the periphery of Cusco (Santiago, San Jerónimo, San Sebastián, and Wanchaq) at 3,300 m.a.s.l., and (3) Quillabamba city, located at 1,050 m.a.s.l. People aged ≥ 18 years within a family unit were included. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was based on identifying anti- SARS-CoV-2 total antibodies (IgM and IgG) in serum using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 chemiluminescence test.

Results

We enrolled 1924 participants from 712 families. Of the total, 637 participants were anti-SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. Seroprevalence was 38.8% (95% CI [33.4%–44.9%]) in Cusco city, 34.9% (95% CI [30.4%–40.1%]) in the periphery of Cusco, and 20.3% (95% CI [16.2%–25.6%]) in Quillabamba. In 141 families (19.8%; 95% CI [17.0%–22.8%]) the whole members were positive to the test. Living with more than three persons in the same house, a positive COVID-19 case at home, and a member who died in the last five months were factors associated with SARS-COV-2 seropositivity. Dysgeusia/dysosmia was the symptom most associated with seropositivity (aPR = 2.74, 95% CI [2.41–3.12]); whereas always wearing a face shield (aPR = 0. 73; 95% CI [0.60–0.89]) or a facial mask (aPR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.63–0. 92) reduced that probability.

Conclusions

A great proportion of Cusco’s city inhabitants presented anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the end of the first wave, with significant differences between settings. Wearing masks and face shields were associated with lower rate of seropositivity; however, efforts must be made to sustain them over time since there is still a high proportion of susceptible people.
Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession part 1:Origins of the conflict
Authors: Johnson Claire D. , Green Bart N.
Published: September 2021

Objective

This paper is the first in a series that explores the historical events surrounding the Wilk v American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit in which the plaintiffs argued that the AMA, the American Hospital Association, and other medical specialty societies violated antitrust law by restraining chiropractors' business practices. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of the history of the AMA and the origins of chiropractic and to explore how the AMA began its monopoly of health care in the United States, possible reasons that organized medicine acted against chiropractic, and how these events influenced the chiropractic profession.

Methods

This historical research study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry into the conflict between regular medicine and chiropractic and the events before, during, and after a legal dispute at the time of modernization of the chiropractic profession. We used primary and secondary data sources. The final narrative recount was developed into 8 papers that follow a successive time line. This paper is the first of the series and explores the origins of the aversion of organized American medicine to other health professions and the origins of the chiropractic profession.

Results

The AMA began in the mid-1800s to unify like-minded “regular” medical physicians who developed a code of ethics and promoted higher educational standards. Their efforts to unify had excluded other types of health care providers, which they called “irregular” practitioners. However, Americans were seeking more natural alternatives to the harsh methods that regular medical physicians offered at that time. Nearly 50 years after the AMA began, the chiropractic profession attempted to emerge during a time when many patients valued vitalism and their freedom to choose what health care provider they would access.

Conclusion

During the years that chiropractic developed as a healing profession, organized medicine was already well established and developing a monopoly in American health care. These events created the foundation on which the tensions between these professions were built and ultimately resulted in the Wilk v AMA lawsuit.
Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession part 4: Committee on Quackery
Authors: Johnson Claire D. , Green Bart N.
Published: September 2021

Objective

This is the fourth article in a series that explores the historical events surrounding the Wilk v American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit, in which the plaintiffs argued that the AMA, the American Hospital Association, and other medical specialty societies violated antitrust law by restraining chiropractors' business practices. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of the history of the origins of AMA's increased efforts to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession and the development of the Chiropractic Committee, which would later become the AMA Committee on Quackery.

Methods

This historical research study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry into the conflict between regular medicine and chiropractic and the events before, during, and after a legal dispute at the time of modernization of the chiropractic profession. Our methods included obtaining primary and secondary data sources. The final narrative recount was developed into 8 articles following a successive timeline. This article is the fourth of the series that explores the origins of AMA's increased efforts to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession.

Results

In the 1950s, the number of chiropractors grew in Iowa, and chiropractors were seeking equity with other health professions through legislation. In response, the Iowa State Medical Society created a Chiropractic Committee to contain chiropractic and prompted the creation of the “Iowa Plan” to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession. The AMA leadership was enticed by the plan and hired the Iowa State Medical Society's legislative counsel, who structured the operation. The AMA adopted the Iowa Plan for nationwide implementation to eradicate chiropractic. The formation of the AMA's Committee on Chiropractic, which was later renamed the Committee on Quackery (CoQ), led overt and covert campaigns against chiropractic. Both national chiropractic associations were fully aware of many, but not all, of organized medicine's plans to restrain chiropractic.

Conclusion

By the 1960s, organized medicine heightened its efforts to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession. The intensified campaign began in Iowa and was adopted by the AMA as a national campaign. Although the meetings of the AMA committees were not public, the war against chiropractic was distributed widely in lay publications, medical sources, and even chiropractic journals. Details about events would eventually be more fully revealed during the Wilk v AMA trials.
Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession part 5:Evidence exposed
Authors: Johnson Claire D. , Green Bart N.
Published: September 2021

Objective

This is the fifth article in a series that explores the historical events surrounding the Wilk v American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit in which the plaintiffs argued that the AMA, the American Hospital Association, and other medical specialty societies violated antitrust law by restraining chiropractors' business practices. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of events surrounding the eventual end of the AMA's Committee on Quackery and the exposure of evidence of the AMA's efforts to boycott the chiropractic profession.

Methods

This historical research study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry into the conflict between regular medicine and chiropractic and the events before, during, and after a legal dispute at the time of modernization of the chiropractic profession. Our methods included obtaining primary and secondary data sources. The final narrative recount was developed into 8 articles following a successive timeline. This article, the fifth of the series, explores the exposure of what the AMA had been doing, which provided evidence that was eventually used in the Wilk v AMA antitrust lawsuit.

Results

The prime mission of the AMA's Committee on Quackery was “first, the containment of chiropractic and, ultimately, the elimination of chiropractic.” However, the committee did not complete its mission and quietly disbanded in 1974. This was the same year that the chiropractic profession finally gained licensure in all 50 of the United States; received recognition from the US Commissioner of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare; and was successfully included in Medicare. In 1975, documents reportedly obtained by the Church of Scientology covert operatives under Operation AMA Doom revealed the extent to which the AMA and its Committee on Quackery had been working to contain and eliminate the chiropractic profession. The AMA actions included influencing mainstream media, decisions made by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Other actions included publishing propaganda against chiropractic and implementing an anti-chiropractic program aimed at medical students, medical societies, and the American public.

Conclusion

After more than a decade of overt and covert actions, the AMA chose to end its Committee on Quackery. The following year, documents exposed the extent of AMA's efforts to enact its boycott of chiropractic.
Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession part 6: Preparing for the lawsuit
Authors: Johnson Claire D. , Green Bart N.
Published: September 2021

Objective

This is the sixth article in a series that explores the historical events surrounding the Wilk v American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit in which the plaintiffs argued that the AMA, the American Hospital Association, and other medical specialty societies violated antitrust law by restraining chiropractors' business practices. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of the plaintiffs, lead lawyer, and the events immediately before the lawsuit was filed.

Methods

This historical research study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry into the conflict between regular medicine and chiropractic and the events before, during, and after a legal dispute at the time of modernization of the chiropractic profession. Our methods included obtaining primary and secondary data sources. The final narrative recount was developed into 8 articles following a successive timeline. This article, the sixth of the series, explores the plaintiffs' stories.

Results

Because of the AMA's boycott on chiropractic, chiropractors were not able to collaborate with medical physicians or refer patients to medical facilities, which resulted in restricted trade and potential harm to patients' well-being. The plaintiffs, Patricia Arthur, James Bryden, Michael Pedigo, and Chester Wilk, came from different regions of the United States. Each had unique experiences and were compelled to seek justice. The lead lawyer, Mr George McAndrews, was the son of a chiropractor and had witnessed the effect that the AMA's attacks on chiropractic had on his father. It took several years to gather enough resources to file the suit, which was submitted in 1976.

Conclusion

The conflicts that the plaintiffs experienced stimulated them to pursue a lawsuit against the AMA and other organized political medicine groups.
Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession part 7: Lawsuit and decisions
Authors: Johnson Claire D. , Green Bart N.
Published: September 2021

Objective

This is the seventh paper in a series that explores the historical events surrounding the Wilk v American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit in which the plaintiffs argued that the AMA, the American Hospital Association, and other medical specialty societies violated antitrust law by restraining chiropractors' business practices. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the lawsuit that was first filed in 1976 and concluded with the final denial of appeal in 1990.

Methods

This historical research study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry into the conflict between regular medicine and chiropractic and the events before, during, and after a legal dispute at the time of modernization of the chiropractic profession. Our methods included obtaining primary and secondary data sources. The final narrative recount was developed into 8 papers following a successive time line. This paper, the seventh of the series, considers the information of the 2 trials and the judge's decision.

Results

By the time the first trial began in 1980, the AMA had already changed its anti-chiropractic stance to allow medical doctors to associate with chiropractors if they wished. In the first trial, the chiropractors were not able to overcome the very stigma that organized medicine worked so hard to create over many decades, which resulted in the jury voting in favor of the AMA and other defendants. The plaintiffs, Drs Patricia Arthur, James Bryden, Michael Pedigo, and Chester Wilk, continued with their pursuit of justice. Their lawyer, Mr George McAndrews, fought for an appeal and was allowed a second trial. The second trial was a bench trial in which Judge Susan Getzendanner declared her final judgment that “the American Medical Association (AMA) and its members participated in a conspiracy against chiropractors in violation of the nation's antitrust laws.” After the AMA's appeal was denied by the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1990, the decision was declared permanent. The injunction that was ordered by the judge was published in the January 1, 1988, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Conclusion

The efforts by Mr McAndrews and his legal team and the persistence of the plaintiffs and countless others in the chiropractic profession concluded in Judge Getzendanner's decision, which prevented the AMA from rebuilding barriers or developing another boycott. The chiropractic profession was ready to move into its next century.
Factors Affecting Farmers Decision to Join Joint Forest Management Programme in Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir
Authors: Iqbal Tariq , Slathia P. S. , Peshin Rajinder , Sehgal Sandeep , Sharma Manish Kumar , Kour Kiran
Published: September 2021

The present study was conducted in purposively selected “East Forest Circle” of Jammu division of J&K. Multistage sampling plan was followed for the selection of respondents. Six forest ranges from East circle having maximum number of Joint Management Programme (JFM)Cs were selected purposively. Twenty four committees, four from each selected ranges of East circle and eight members from each selected JFMC were selected through random sampling technique. The respondents were divided into two groups 1).Treatment group: Eight members from each selected JFMC were selected randomly for the study making the sample size to 192 respondents. 2). Control group: Two villages from each range (12 villages in total) were selected through random sampling technique. From each selected village nine non- JFMC members were randomly selected. Thus, a total sample of 108 non-JFMC members were selected from these villages. Binary regression model was applied to analyze the factors affecting farmer’s decision to join JFM programme. The result of the study showed that family size, area under trees, extension contact and social participation significantly affecting farmer’s decision to join JFM programme.
The Type I Half Logistic Skew-t Distribution: A Heavy-Tail Model with Inverted Bathtub Shaped Hazard Rate
Authors: Adubisi O. D. , Abdulkadir A. , Chiroma H. , Abbas U. F.
Published: September 2021

In this article a new generalization of the skew student-t distribution was introduced. The two-parameter model called the type I half-logistic skew-t (TIHLST) distribution can fit skewed, heavy-right tail, and long-tail datasets. Statistical properties of the type I half-logistic skew-t (TIHLST) distribution were derived and the maximum likelihood method parameter estimates assessed through a simulation study. A well-known dataset was analysed, illustrating the usefulness of the new distribution in modeling skewed and heavy-tailed data. The hazard rate shape was found to be increasing, decreasing and inverted bathtub shaped which was also reflected in the application result.
Effect of Selected Weed Management Practices on the Growth and Yield Components of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) in Western Region of Kenya
Authors: Mogaka Mayaka Justus , Nicholas Korir Kibet , Nelson Wafula Wekha , Gweyi Joseph P. Onyango
Published: September 2021

Finger millet (Elusine coracana) accounts for 8% of the total area and 11% of the millet production worldwide.  It is grown on over 4 million ha globally, mainly for food purposes. Millions of people in the dry lands of Central and East Africa, and South of India depend on finger millet as an important source of food to them (CGIAR, 2001). Finger millet is one of the most neglected and underutilized crops. Additionally, the crop has received limited research attention compared to wheat, rice, and maize (FAO, 2011). Therefore, production challenges such as those caused by weeds like goose grass Elusine indica remain at large. Manual weeding is the commonly employed weed control method in finger millet production, but is expensive and labour intensive. The current study was set to evaluate the influence of weed management practices on finger millet growth and yield components. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The plots measured 2 by 2m with a border width of 1m. The treatments included Pendimethalin, Dimethyl amine, Metolachlor, Metribuzin, Atrazine (at three rates each 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 l/ha), No weeding and Hand weeding. Data was collected on the number of weed species, weed biomass, number of basal tillers, herbicide phytotoxicity, weed and crop heights, number of panicles, weight of panicles, weight of un-threshed and threshed grains and 1000 grain weight. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA using GenStat version 15.1. Application of Pendimethalin at 1.5 and 2.0 L/ha Active Ingredient (AI), resulted in weed optimal control and least phytotoxicity. Results also indicated that the height of finger millet was significantly (p<0.001) higher where the herbicides were applied. Lower weed biomass was also positively correlated with higher crop height, more panicles, high unthreshed and threshed weights and a 1000 grain weight. Application of 2,4D at rates of 1.5L and 2.0L resulted in significantly taller plants 33.00 cm, than the other weed management methods. Finger millet under Pendimethalin 1.5 L gave the highest number of 86 panicles while Atrazine 2.0L and Pendimethalin1.5L methods of weed control, had significantly higher weight compared to all the other treatments. The 1000 seed mass across the treatments averaged 2.31 g while the on the untreated treatments had an average of 1.54 g. Weed control using pre emergence herbicides significantly (p<0.001) increased the yields of finger millet.
22 Years of Near-zero Cloud Cover Variability across Varying Geographical Landscapes of Southern Africa: A Surprising Anomaly
Authors: Nkolola Mutinta
Published: September 2021

In physical geography, clouds are known to dictate global energy budgets and to have crucial ripple effects on other climatic variables such as diurnal range of temperature (DTR), a key indicator of climate change. Here, a 115-year state-of-the-art station based gridded dataset from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) is interrogated to understand the evolution of cloud cover across southern Africa for the period 1901 - 2016. Results show near-constant variability from 1901 – 1922. It was therefore hypothesised that the observed near-constant variability would result in a similar pattern for some climatic variables such as DTR as the opposite would bring into question our current knowledge of geographical mechanisms underlying DTR control across the region. Further analyses showed little to no association between cloud cover and other climatological variables (including DTR) for the period 1901 – 1922 but strong and significant association from 1923 – 2016. This is the first observational evidence of near-constant cloud cover variability; it is surprising, and counterintuitive. This constant variation can be attributed to limited ground-based observations that went into the construction of the CRU gridded dataset during the 1901 – 1922 period and therefore, caution needs to be exercised by studies that need to use the data for the said period. This is a crucial area of scientific enquiry, and a lack of caution can lead to misleading conclusions on cloud cover evolution and how that relates to climate change.
Phytochemical Analysis and In vivo Evaluation of Individual Activity of Ethanolic Leaf Extracts of Azadirachta indica, Senna occidentalis and Momordica balsamina against Plasmodium berghei Infected Mice
Authors: Bature Adam Musa , Dikwa Karderam Bukar , Alhaji Abdullah Isyaku , Dibal Deboral Madi
Published: September 2021

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropics and subtropics region with Nigeria accounting for the highest proportions in Africa. This is accompanied with emerging resistance to available drugs, posing it a public health concern. This study is aimed at determining the invivo activity of the individual ethanolic leaf extracts of the Azadirachta indica, Senna occidentalis and Momordica balsamina. The leaves of A. indica, S. occidentalis and M. balsamina were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. Ethanolic extraction of leaves of plants was carried out and invivo evaluation of the individual activity of extracts determined using standard procedures. 55 mice were randomly divided into 11 groups lettered A – K; positive group, negative group and 9 extract groups. Results showed that M. balsamina had the highest yield of 7.6%, followed by A. indica with 6.5% and S. occidentalis with 5.7%. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presences of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, phenolics and tannin in all plants. The comparison of the individual study groups showed that Senna occidentalis is more effective at 600mg/kg dosage and prolonged survival of the mice in its group in the study period. This plant possessed significant (P-value <0.05) antiplasmodial activity, thus lowered parasitaemia in infected mice.
Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriuria among Pregnant Women Attending Secondary Health Hospitals in Ilorin, Nigeria
Authors: I. Bale Muritala , Babatunde Shola K. , Awe S.
Published: September 2021

Background: Urinary tract infection is one of the most frequently acquired infections in both community and hospitals and is common among the adolescents and the old genders.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteriuria among pregnant women attending secondary health hospitals in Ilorin, Nigeria

Study Design: An experimental study which involve a random selection of consented pregnant women.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology Kwara State University Malete between January 2018 and June 2019.

Methodology: In this study, a total of 856 pregnant women mid stream clean catch early morning voided urine samples for two consecutive days (383 of the samples were collected from Sobi Specialist Hospital, 278 from Adewole Cottage Hospital and 195 collected from Ajikobi Cottage Hospital) were randomly screened for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriuria using standard microbiological procedures such as growth on mannitol salt agar, Gram reaction, catalase and coagulase tests. The Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic sensitivity profile of S. aureus isolated using oxoid antibiotic discs.

Results: Out of 856 samples screened 56 samples (6.5%) showed significant Staphylococcus aureus bacteriuria, 16- 25 years  has a prevalence rate of 5.6%, 26- 35 years (5.8%) while 35-45 years have the  prevalence rate of 10.9%. A total of 7 (12.5%) methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus were isolated. Antibiotic sensitivity profile shows that 26.8% were resistance to gentamicin, 44.6% to tetracycline, 19.6% to chloramphenicol, 33.9 % to erythromycin, 67.9% to amoxicillin, 32% to augmentin, 12.6% to ceftriaxone, 5.3% to ciprofloxacin and 100% susceptibility to both nitrofurantoin and vancomycin.

Conclusion: The study shows the high prevalence of MRSA and high susceptibility of nitrofurantoin and vancomycin to all the MRSA isolated.
Nutritional Value and In sacco Rumen Degradability of Pod and Leaf Meals from Raintree (Samanea saman) in Comparison with a Commercial Dairy Feed
Authors: Phreyamittrachaiya Chumpholchai , Wittayakun Suntorn
Published: September 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate nutritive values and in sacco rumen degradability of pod and leaf meals, derived from raintree (Samanea saman), in comparison with a commercial dairy feed for decision making of smallholder dairy farmers for efficient management of local feed resources. Treatments were: raintree pod meal (RPM), raintree leaf meal (RLM), and commercial dairy feed (CDF). The experiment was assigned in a completely randomized design. The results indicated that RPM, RLM, and CDF had the same amount of crude protein (CP) content (P =.17), whereas RLM was the highest in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents while CDF was the lowest in NDF and ADF (P =.001). Dry matter disappearances at various incubated times were the highest for RPM, followed by CDF, and RLM, respectively (P =.001). The rapidly soluble dry matter fraction (a) was the highest for RPM (P =.023), while the insoluble but fermentable fraction (b) was the highest for CDF (P =.001). The constant degradation rate of b (c) did not differ among treatments (P = .095). The potential degradability (PD) was the highest for CDF, compared with RPM, and RLM, respectively (P =.001). In contrast, the effective degradability (ED) parameters was the highest for RPM, followed by CDF and RLM, respectively (P =.001). Overall, this work demonstrated that RPM is more beneficial than RLM compared with CDF in nutritional values and degradability characteristics. Hence, RPM is recommended as an alternative local feed source for dairy cows raised by smallholder dairy farms in the tropics.
Evaluation of Erosion-Prone Areas in Lamurde River Basin, Nigeria Using Morphometric Prioritization Method
Authors: Oruonye E. D. , Ahmed Y. M.
Published: September 2021

Remote sensing and GIS techniques have been increasingly used in characterization of drainage basin and prioritization of erosion prone watershed. This study uses remote sensing and GIS to characterise drainage basin morphometry and prioritize soil erosion prone sub watershed in the Lamurde watershed in Taraba state Nigeria. The study adopted standard formulae and methods to compute the morphometric parameters. The Lamurde watershed was delineated to fifteen sub-watersheds with each coded as WS1 to WS15. The result of the findings reveals that Lamurde watershed has a dendritic to sub-dendritic drainage pattern with the smaller streams intersecting the main trunk at acute angles. The findings reveal that Lamurde is a ninth order stream with total area of 1,458.66 km2 and a perimeter of 395.93 km. The basin also has 258,493 total number of streams. The main soil types in the Lamurde basin are fluvisol, lithosol, ferric luvisols and humic nitosols. The surface soil texture of the area is mainly loamy type and particle size classes are fine loamy type. Depth of soil varies from shallow to very deep and having parent material derived from sandstones, mudstones and shales. The findings of the study reveals that watershed: WS7, WS8, WS5, WS11, WS15, WS14, WS2 and WS6 in ascending order are very highly vulnerable to soil erosion. Despite inherent limitation in the use of morphometric parameters to prioritize erosion prone sub watersheds, it is most suitable in the present circumstances because of inadequate information and lack of functional measurement station in the basin, since they have more stable and accessible data on which prioritization of the watersheds can be based on. This study contributes to the problem of dearth of information regarding the susceptibility to erosion in the Lamurde River Basin in Taraba State Nigeria. Based on this findings, these sub watersheds should be given higher priority on any soil conservation intervention measures in the study area. This will go a long way to help address the problem of soil erosion in the area.
Design Space by Design of Experiments
Authors: Dangat Sushant , Patel Deep , Kuchekar Ashwin
Published: September 2021

The quality of methods and products are usually influenced by several input factors. Research has recently focused on understanding the effects of multidimensional and interconnected input factors on the results of pharmaceutical products and analytical methods using Design of Experiment (DoE). Furthermore, it examines how DOE may be implemented, both for students and teachers, as well as highlighting historical perspectives on DOE. A good experimental design can help you make the most use of the available resources and make the analysis of the results easier. Collaborations between researchers and practitioners that are pushing the boundaries of experimental design are examined. It provides an overview of the principles and applications of the most common screening and response surface design, as well as creating mixtures designs.
Prevalence of Depression and Its’ Risk Factors among Higher Secondary School Students
Authors: Alshahrani Shadia Hamoud , Paulsamy Premalatha , Panneerselvam Selvarani , Alshahrani Zainah , Fahad H. Z. Alshahrani , Venkatesan Krishnaraju
Published: September 2021

As adolescence is a transitional stage in which a person's physical and psychological development and transformation are limited to the time between puberty and legal adulthood. It is commonly associated with the onset of a variety of mental health or adjustment problems. This study was to find out the incidence of depression and the factors that contribute to it among higher secondary school students. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 adolescents who were selected by simple random sampling technique. The socio-demographic information, Perceived Social Support scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were adopted to collect the data. Descriptive and Inferential statistics was used to analyse the collected data. In this study, 52% of the adolescents did not have depression, whereas 18% had moderate, 8% had moderate to severe depression and 2% of them had severe depression. Nearly 68% of students had a higher social support perception. The type of family and living status of parents had significant relationship with the level of depression among adolescents at p = 0.01. The study concludes that depression and mental distress among these adolescents may be alleviated by boosting their perceived degree of social support and self-esteem through a variety of methods such as family support, counselling at schools and workshops on self – management skills etc.
Detection of Dental Caries Using Salivary Biomarkers – A Systematic Review
Authors: Umashankar Krishnapriya , Ramani Pratibha
Published: September 2021

Background: Saliva is a mixture of organic and inorganic components that comes in constant contact with the hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity. One of the most frequent disorders is dental caries, which is a multifactorial microbial disease of the tooth. Of which saliva plays a significant role in the process of dental caries.

Aim: To systematically identify and evaluate the ability of salivary biomarkers in detection of dental caries.

Methods: A comprehensive search was done using electronic data bases such as PubMed Central, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar and direct web search. The title scan was used to find relevant articles, which were then read and appraised for inclusion. This review analyses all research that investigated the use of salivary protein biomarkers to detect dental caries.

Results: Electronic database search identified 16 articles. After evaluating the title, abstract, and full text of these articles, only 4 were selected for the present systematic review. A final of 4 studies were included based on the inclusion criteria to meet the research question. All the studies analyzed the salivary biomarkers in dental caries detection.

Conclusion: Salivary biomarkers are a significant indicator in detection of dental caries and can be used in determining the further treatment planning.
Assess the Patient’s Perspicacity Regarding Triple Vessel Disease and Its Management
Authors: Dighikar Vrushali P. , Singh Seema
Published: September 2021

Background: The single greatest killer in both females and males globally is cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery disease, commonly known as ischemic heart disease, is described as “impairment of heart function induced by obstructive alterations in the coronary circulation to the heart, caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart relative to its needs.” There are 4.5 million persons in India who suffer from coronary artery disease.

Objective: In this study planned to determine the patient’s perception regarding triple vessel disease and its management and to associate the demographic variable with the patient’s perception regarding triple vessel disease and its management.

Methodology: It is a descriptive research design used in this research study conducted on patients are having triple vessel disease. The purposive sampling technique is used to select samples for analysis. This research study included 45 patients of a selected hospital in Wardha district. Patients must select according to requirements for inclusion and exclusion. For this study, patients who had triple vessel disease would mainly take.

Expected Results: The patients are having good perception or may be having bad perception.

Conclusion: The conclusion will be drawn from the results. The patient’s will be having good or bad  perception regarding triple vessel disease and its management.
Bullous Pemphigoid- A Rare Case report
Authors: Wanjari Mayur B. , Mendhe Deeplata , Wankhede Pratibha , Alwadkar Sagar , Rodge Hina
Published: September 2021

Introduction: The most severe autoimmune subepidermal blistering condition of the skin and mucous membranes is bullous pemphigoid (BP). In Europe, it is estimated to affect 1 in every 4,000 people. Currently incidence range between 2-22/1,000,000 worldwide. It primarily affects the elderly and is diagnosed using clinical, histologic, and immunologic criteria. Clinically, it appears as diffuse eczematous, pruritic, urticaria-like lesions with the later emergence of tense bullae or blistering lesions filled with clear fluid.

Case Presentation: Here, we report a case of a 50- years old female patient with a complaint of itchy lesions with wounds all over the body present with an 8-month of history. A subepidermal blister with eosinophils and neutrophils infiltration was discovered on histopathological evaluation. Salt-split indirect immunofluorescence revealed linear deposition of IgG at the dermo-epidermal junction. On further investigation, using diagnostic and Interventional aids a final diagnosis of Bullous pemphigoid.
RP-HPLC Method for Quantification of Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate Drug Substance and Tablet Dosage Form
Authors: Sarat P. Sunand , Ramachandran D.
Published: September 2021

Aim: The primary objective of the research work is to develop a effective, sensitive, economical and simple reverse phase HPLC method to estimate Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate in its pure and binary mixture of tablets.

Study Design: HPLC based Quantification Studies.

Place and Duration of Study: 1Department of Chemistry, Acharya Nagarjuna University,Guntur, Andhra Pradesh between April 2019 and August 2020.

Methodology: Separation of the analytes were done by  using Eclipse XDB-Phenyl (250 x 4.6mm, 5µ,100 A0) column and a mobile phase ratio of 30:10:70 percentage of 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid: acetonitile: methanol  at a  flow rate of 1 ml/min. The injected standard and sample solutions were detected 260nm wavelength.

Results: The retention time of Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate were found at 2.3min and 2.8 min respectively. The method has good linearity range about 50 to 150µg/ml of Emtricitabine  and 6.5 to 19.5 µg/ml of  tenofovir alafenamide fumarate. The method has validated as per ICH guidelines and all the validation parameterwere satisfy the ICH Q2 specification acceptance limits

Conclusion: The developed method said to be highly sensitive, accurate, specific and robust, therefore this method has high probability to adopt in pharmaceutical industry for regular analysis of   Emtricitabine  and tenofovir alafenamide.
Determination of Pickering Nanoemulsion by Eudragit Rl-100 Nanoparticle as Oral Drug Delivery for Poorly Soluble
Authors: Pawar Ashish Y. , Jadhav Khanderao R. , Patil Sagar S. , Jadhav Pallavi R.
Published: September 2021

Objective: The purpose of this research study was to develop Ketoprofen-loaded Pickering nanoemulsion with the help of polymeric nanoparticles [NPs]. The pickering nanoemulsion  formulation is developed using Eudragit RL 100, which has the greater ability to stabilize the formulation as well as it better controls the  release of drug upon oral administration.

Method: In the present study, Ketoprofen - loaded Pickering nanoemulsion were prepared using an ultrasonic emulsification process. For the preparation of the Nanoemulsion, an aqueous phase of the nanodispersion of nanoparticle is used while Captex -300 and drug premix is used as oil phase. The nanoemulsion is formulated by using a probe sonicator with different ratios of aqueous phase and oil phase. The preformulation study of polymer or drug is done by FTIR and DSC and the drug - polymer compatibility was confirmed by FTIR. The prepared formulation was evaluated for physical appearance, pH, Viscosity, In vitro drug release, Particle size, Zeta Potential, Polydispersivity index, and transmission electron microscopy and stability. The Formulation is optimized for the different concentrations of the aqueous phase and oil phase with concentrations of drug and polymer.

Results: All the prepared formulations show particle size in between 100-500nm hence it indicats formation of nanoemulsion. The zeta potential is -46mv which indicates good stability of formulation. The In vitro drug release shows maximum drug release i.e. 96.93% in 10 hrs which shows that the release of drug is prolonged due to formation of Polymer NPs.

Conclusion: Thus the drug release was significantly controlled and slowed down when nanoemulsion is formulated by using NPs in comparison with control. These results fulfilled the objective of the study. This study opens new prospects on the formulation of Pickering nanoemulsion.
Capitalismo e natureza: destruição socioambiental e exploração da força de trabalho
Authors: Marcatti Amanda Aparecida , Souza Junior Hormindo Pereira de
Published: September 2021

A sociabilidade capitalista produz desastres socioambientais de proporções gigantescas. O nível atual da exploração da força de trabalho e da natureza potencializa todos os processos de apropriação privada da riqueza e, ao mesmo tempo, produz adoecimentos socioambientais. Discutimos neste artigo a gênese da ação humana de conteúdo abertamente autodestrutivo das dimensões inorgânicas, orgânicas e sociais da natureza e a potência transformadora das lutas anticapitalista que unificam exploração da força de trabalho, as dimensões inorgânicas e orgânicas da natureza em um mesmo patamar.