bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct Bilirubin Level Greater than Total Bilirubin Level
Authors: Chen Chi-Sheng , Dai Ming-Shen , Yang Bing-Heng
Published: August 2021

Paraproteins have been reported to cause interference in a sort of chemistry assays conducted by current automated chemistry analyzers. However, the nature of interference differs across different methodologies and reactions. Total bilirubin and direct bilirubin assays might yield spurious result when the sample contains excess amounts of paraproteins, which are neither reliable nor reproducible when repeated tests are applied once the interference occurs. Herein, we present the case of a 78-year-old female diagnosed with kappa light chain multiple myeloma with disease progression. On admission, she had acute hepatitis and a bizarre result with direct bilirubin level higher than total bilirubin level was noted. After further investigation, excess amounts of immunoglobulin G (IgG) were the most likely cause which led to the interference of direct bilirubin assay and caused unreliable results. This case highlights the significance of the fact that patients with excess IgG might have unreliable results of direct bilirubin assay which could mislead clinical judgment. Moreover, clinicians should be more careful and should base therapeutic decisions on the patient's clinical condition when faced with patients in a similar condition.
A Comparison of Facial Profiles between the General Populations of Taiwan and Fiji
Authors: Sun Wan-Hsuan , Hsu Su-Yi
Published: August 2021

Background:

Comprehensive facial assessment can be attained by analyzing population facial profiles and comparing racial variations. To date, there are no databases of Taiwanese facial profiles. Furthermore, facial profiles vary widely among different countries and races. Understanding these differences may facilitate facial profile analyses and surgical planning for facial plastic surgeons. Therefore, in this study, we collected the facial profile parameters of Taiwanese and Fijian people and then analyzed the differences between the two populations.

Methods:

We recruited 94 Taiwanese individuals at Fu Jen University from December 2014 to November 2015. During a volunteer medical mission to Fiji in November 2017, we enrolled 13 Fijians. Right lateral standard facial photographs were taken to analyze facial profile parameters, including nasofrontal angle (NFA), nasolabial angle, nasofacial angle (NfA), nasomental angle (NMA), mentocervical angle (MCA), glabella-subnasale-pogonion angle, glabella-nasal tip-pogonion angle, superior labial angle, inferior labial angle, and pogonial angle. These parameters were compared between both males and females in Taiwan and Fiji.

Results:

We observed no significant difference in any of the facial profile parameters between males and females in both Taiwan and Fiji. Compared with Fijian individuals, Taiwanese females have a sharper NfA, and Taiwanese males have a more obtuse NFA, NMA, and MCA, as well as a sharper NfA.

Conclusion:

Fijian females may have a more outstanding nose than Taiwanese females. Meanwhile, Fijian males may feature a more prominent glabella, a more outstanding nose, and a sharper chin compared with Taiwanese males. In conclusion, the Fijian population has more prominent facial convexity than the Taiwanese population.
Lexical inventiveness in Ghanaian socio-political discourse: The form, meaning and motivation for dumsor and dumsor-based neologisms
Authors: Appah Clement Kwamina Insaidoo , Anderson Jemima Asabea
Published: August 2021

Lexical expansion may be triggered by different factors. A recent case of protracted intermittent power outages in Ghana gave rise to dumsor, an Akan word which means 'turn off' and 'turn on'. This word spawned many neologisms, some of which became part of the political discourse in Ghana at the time. However, very few of the neologisms are actually in use because the situation that gave rise to them no longer exists and the formation of most of them was purely jocular. Based on data collected from Facebook posts and status updates, this paper discusses what is called the dumsor lexicon and the morphological and sociolinguistic motivations for the formation of the dumsor-based neologisms. First, we observe that the motivation for the linguistic behaviour that spawns such neologisms is consistent with the lightheartedness of Ghanaians. We show that the neologisms fall into various semantic classes and that the morphological processes of compounding and afﬁxation are employed predominantly but dumsor itself is partially anglicized and the afﬁxes employed in the derivation of the neologisms are of English origin, because Akan, from which dumsor emanates, lacks equivalent afﬁxes. Additionally, we observe that the use of English afﬁxes could be because the originators of the neologisms either did not know alternative processes in Akan that could yield the same result or possibly did not ﬁnd them useful because of the multilingual setting of the platform. Thus, we argue that the morphology of the neologisms and the range of items and concept they refer to betray the possible social backgrounds of the originators of the words and the multilingual setting of the linguistic behaviour.
Democratization Trapped in Electoral Violence: Is Sub-Saharan Africa a Dangerous Place for Democracy?
Authors: Animashaun Mojeed Adekunle
Published: August 2021

The third wave of democratization that hit the African region in the early 1990s left in its wake termination of authoritarian rule, and consequent enthronement of democratic regimes. This momentous event raised high hopes of enduring democracy in a region with egregious authoritarian past. Three decades after the epochal transition that has been aptly dubbed Africa’s ‘second liberation’, prospects of democratic consolidation have not only waned considerably, but also initial hopes of democratic deepening have evaporated. While there is a plethora of factors that account for this democratic recession, electoral violence has been implicated in the literature as a key causative factor. Whereas Africa has seen an impressive increase in the frequency of elections in the post-third wave period, this democratic gain has been eroded by a corresponding increase in the incidence of violence in African elections. By comparing Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe—three countries with different decolonization and democratization experiences—the paper shows that electoral violence is neither a recent phenomenon in Africa nor an exclusive strategy of a specific fraction of the power elite. The paper argues that electoral violence is promoted by such factors as politicization of land access, ethnic marginalization, patrimonialism, state-backed violence, and youth unemployment. These factors combine to make the Sub-Saharan Africa a ‘risk environment’ for electoral democracy. The paper concludes by proposing some reform measures capable of protecting the ballot against the bullet
Scaling up self- regulatory ability in childhood education as correlate of creative mindset
Authors: Sunday Maria Ofie , Obogo Godwin Obogo , Adie Rose Unwanung
Published: August 2021

The study is on the need to scale up self – regulatory abilities in learners towards more sustainable national development in Nigeria. This study was instigated by the poor nature of children that need to create a background on purposeful activities in the learning environment. Three research questions raised which were translated into correspondent null hypotheses to guide the study. Some related literatures were reviewed accordingly. The study adopted a Survey research design with 218 samples selected through simple random sampling technique from primary school Pupils in Ogoja Education Zone of Cross River State. A four points likert scale questionnaire with eighteen items was adapted and validated and used for data collection. The reliability estimate was established for the instrument using the Cronbach alpha reliability method, the values were between o.76 and 0.81. Pearson product moment correlation method of analysis was employed to analyze the data. All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the analysis revealed that all hypotheses were significant. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that there was a relationship between self-regulatory learning ability and pupils’ creative mindset. The use of SRL strategy by pupils significantly correlates with pupils’ creative mindset. It was recommended among others that schools should organize sensitive educational programmes to develop children’s creative mindset. Parents, teachers and caregivers should encourage the values of managing emotions, behaviour and learning in children.

Keywords: Self-regulatory ability, Early childhood education, creative mindset
Factors Affecting Medication Dispensing and Counselling Practices in Hospital Pharmacy Settings in Northwest Nigeria
Authors: Abdu-Aguye S.N. , Labaran K.S. , Danjuma N.M. , Mohammed S.
Published: August 2021

Background: Medication dispensing and counselling are routine but very important activities carried out by pharmacists in a wide variety of healthcare settings. While these processes are often overlooked when issues around the rational use of medication are being considered, any mistake(s) in one or both processes can seriously undermine patient care.Objective: To assess selected factors, and identify problems affecting medication dispensing and counselling in outpatient hospital pharmacies in northwest Nigeria.Methods: Mixed methods were used to collect data from 19 outpatient pharmacies in eight public hospitals located in Kaduna and Kano states from November 2019 to March 2020. Quantitative data was generated from a survey, while qualitative data was collected from key-informant interviews with heads of the pharmacies. Data collected from the survey were analyzed to generate descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages), while interview data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic/content analysis.Results: Only two pharmacies (10.5%) had dispensing standard operating procedures, and only one (5.2%) had a completely private counselling area. Pharmacy technicians were present in most of the pharmacies (84.2%), and students were widely involved in medication dispensing and counselling activities (73.7%). Identified problems from the interviews included issues with prescribers and medication availability, inadequate staffing levels and absence of materials and/equipment required for dispensing and counselling.Conclusion: There is an urgent need for multi-faceted interventions to improve on several of these findings and enhance the quality of care provided to patients.
Evaluation of Phytochemical and Anti-diarrheal Activity of Methanol Stembark Extract of Combretum hypopilinum Diels (Combretaceae)
Authors: Ismail H.A. , Hassan H.S. , Ilyas M. , Sadam A.A. , Sadam A.A.
Published: August 2021

Introduction: The plant Combretum hypopilinum has many medicinal uses in Africa. Infusion of fresh or dry leaves are commonly taken as cholagogic, diuretic, and purgative and also to treat gastrointestinal disorders, including diarrhoea, dysentery, and stomach achesObjective: To carry out phytochemical and antidiarrheal studies on the methanol stembark extract of C. hypopilinum.Methods: The C. hypopilinum stembark (1kg) were extracted with methanol using cold maceration method for 9 days. The solvent was removed by rotary evaporator and the extract was partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate to give the n-hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions respectively. The extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, acute toxicity study and antidiarrheal activity using animal models.Result: The following metabolites: carbohydrates, alkaloids, phenol, steroids, terpenes, saponins, flavonoids and tannins were revealed when the phytochemical screening of the plant extract was carried out. The oral median lethal dose (LD50) of crude extract in mice and rats was estimated to be above 5000 mg/kg. The antidiarrheal activity carried out at dose 150, 300 and 600 mg/bw i.p. using castor oil induced diarrheal, gastric-transit time and anti-enteropooling tests in mice and rats. The extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited diarrheal in mice and rats with highest protection/ inhibition of 93.1% and 87.9% at doses of 600 and 300 mg/kg (dose dependently) which compared with atropine sulphate (86.2%) respectively, in the castor-oil induced diarrheal test in mice. The extract also significantly (P<0.05) inhibited diarrheal in charcoal meal test with the highest % protection of 24.38% at dose 600 mg/kg and compared with loperamide (28.80%). The anti-enteropooling test in rats showed 68% inhibition of diarrheal as compared to atropine sulphate with 78% inhibition.Conclusion: The results indicated that the methanol stembark extract of Combretum hypopilinum possesses significant dose dependant antidiarrheal activity (p<0.05) in all the antidiarrheal tests. Thus, the traditional use of the plant for the treatment of diarrheal is highly justified in this study.
Evaluation of the Potential Toxicity of the Starch from the Shoot of Borassus Aethiopum Mart in Wistar Rats
Authors: Tata F.Y. , Francis S.A. , Madu S. J. , Sa’ab H.A. , Abdulrazaq M.A.
Published: August 2021

Background: The shoot of Borassus aethiopum is cultivated and consumed in Northern Nigeria. Its starch has been investigated for use in pharmaceutical formulation but have limited studies on its toxicity. Toxicity is the degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. The plant Borassus aethiopum Mart belongs to the family Aracaceae, commonly known as the African Fan Palm. The shoot of the plant is commonly referred to as “Muruchi” in Hausa and is widely available and edible.Objective: This experimental research was designed to examine the potential toxicity of the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum in acute and subacute studies using Wistar rats.Material and Methods: Fresh shoots of Borassus aethiopum were obtained, washed, peeled and grinded using mechanical grinder. The starch was extracted using water. Acute toxicity was carried out using OECD guideline 425. Healthy rats of both sexes were randomly grouped into four groups of six rats each (n=6) for the 28-days oral toxicity study. Distilled water was administered at the dose of 2ml/kg to group I which served as the control while groups II, III and IV were orally administered the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum at the doses of 300, 600 and 1200 mg/kg daily for 28 days respectively. The animals were sacrificed after 28-days at which the blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture into plain and EDTA-containing tubes for biochemical and haematological analyses respectively. The liver, kidney, heart and spleen were excised, weighed and examined macroscopically.Results: The phytochemical screening reveals the presence of alkaloids, tannins, and carbohydrate. The acute toxicity (LD50) of Borassus aethiopum was found to be greater than 4000 mg/kg body weight. No notable and significant changes in the relative organ weight as well as the levels of the renal and hematological biomarkers when compared with the control. However, there was significant increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT).Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum showed some evidence of potential toxicity on the liver but did not affect the renal and haematological parameters.
Investigation and Comparison of Medicine Use in the three Central Referral Hospitals in Sierra Leone
Authors: Osahon P.T. , Sama M. , Thomas D.T.
Published: August 2021

Background: An important goal of National Medicines Policy is to ensure that sufficient quantities of essential medicines are available to health care providers and affordable to patients.Objectives: To investigate and compare the prescribing indicators, patient care indicators and facility indicators in three central referral Hospitals in Sierra Leone.Methods: This was a simple randomized retrospective and prospective study. Three groups were obtained to assess prescribing, patient care and facility indicators in the study sites. About 10% of the prescriptions encountered from January to June 2019, were observed retrospectively. Direct observation of 30 randomly selected patients in each hospital was used to assess patient care. Data collected were organized using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Ethical considerations were observed.Results: The average number of medicines prescribed in the three teaching hospitals (Connaught, PCMH and ODCH) were 4.07, 4.3and 3.3 respectively. Percentage encounter with injections were within standard in PCMT and ODCH. Antibiotics prescribing was slightly higher that WHO recommendation of 30% in all 3 hospitals. Percentage of medicines prescribed by generics were 75.4%, 53% and 77% respectively. The average consultation time was 5.47 minutes while the average dispensing time was 79.7 seconds. Patients that receive their medications at Connaught Hospitals had very little knowledge on how they should take their medicine(s), compared to PCMH and ODCH.Conclusion: This study has shown that irrational use of medicines is a major problem in the three referral hospitals occurring majorly during the prescribing and dispensing processes.
Surface Phonon Polariton Modes in Suspended Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitrides
Authors: Musa M.Y. , Shehu G.S. , Husein M.A. , Imran M. , Murtala H.B. , Jibril Y.
Published: August 2021

Dispersion properties and characteristics of transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) surface phonon polaritons (SPhP) in suspended monolayer hexagonal boron nitrides (hBN) was studied extensively. The analytical results show that the hBN based TM (TE) phonon polaritons exist in restsrahlen bands when imaginary surface conductivity is positive. The effective mode index of TM phonon polaritons is much higher than that of TE phonon polaritons with respective values of ~3000 and ~1.0002 which makes TM SPhP more promising in the practical realization. In addition, the propagation length of TE SPhP is less lossy and surpass that of TM SPhP by factor of 104. This study compares these important properties and sheds more insight into their applications in optical communications, photonics and optoelectronics devices.
Optimisation of Patient Flow and Scheduling in an Outpatient Haemodialysis Clinic
Authors: Nwaneri S.C. , Ezeagbor J.O. , Orunsholu D.O.T. , Anyaeche C.O.
Published: August 2021

The demand for renal replacement therapy (RRT) from the growing number of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) in Nigeria is reported to be on the rise. However, dialysis clinics are few with limited facilities to meet the increasing demand leading to congestion, long waiting time and increased length of stay (LOS) in dialysis clinics. This paper presents an optimisation model for scheduling patient flow in an outpatient haemodialysis clinic. The objective is to minimize patient LOS using Genetic Algorithm (GA), implemented in Python programming language with Spyder Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The model was tested using data obtained from a haemodialysis clinic, in Lagos, Nigeria. The model generated optimum LOS values (193.01, 275.02 and 390.01) minutes compared to the mean LOS values at the haemodialysis clinic (235.50, 296.62 and 424.50) minutes for the 3-hour, 4-hour and 6-hour dialysis sessions. Furthermore, a simulation experiment of patient flow in a typical haemodialysis clinic was performed by gradual variations in patient arrival rates, λ. Simulation results at (λ=0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4) revealed mean LOS (minutes) as (312.85 ± 73.45, 348.18 ± 84.89, 342.18 ± 81.30, 305, 28 ± 63.67) respectively. The optimisation model was effective in reducing patient LOS.
Performance Evaluation of Wavelet De-Noising Schemes for Suppression of Power Line Noise in Electrocardiogram Signals
Authors: Ahmed Y. K. , Zubair A.R.
Published: August 2021

Power line noise introduces distortions to recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. These distortions compromise the integrity and negatively affect the interpretation of the ECG signals. Despite the fact that the amplifiers used in biomedical signal processing have high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR), ECG recordings are still often corrupted with residual Power Line Interference (PLI) noise. Further improvement in the hardware solutions do not have significant achievements in PLI noise suppression but rather introduce other adverse effects. Software approach is necessary to refine ECG data. Evaluation of PLI noise suppression in ECG signal in the wavelet domain is presented. The performance of the Hard Threshold Shrinkage Function (HTSF), the Soft Threshold Shrinkage Function (STSF), the Hyperbola Threshold Shrinkage Function (HYTSF), the Garrote Threshold Shrinkage Function (GTSF), and the Modified Garrote Threshold Shrinkage Function (MGTSF) for the suppression of PLI noise are evaluated and compared with the aid of an algorithm. The optimum tuning constant for the Modified Garrote Threshold Shrinkage Function (MGTSF) is found to be 1.18 for PLI noise. GTSF is found to have best performance closely followed by MGTSF in term of filtering Gain. HTSF recorded the lowest Gain. Filtering against PLI noise in the wavelet domain preserves the key features of the signal such as the QRS complex.
Haematological changes in Wistar rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei brucei obtained from North-west Nigeria
Authors: Fajinmi A.O. , Faleke O.O. , Magaji A.A. , Chafe U.M. , Kassim M.A. , Musa U.B. , Ormaga M.T. , Tese T. , Hussaini M .
Published: August 2021

This study determined haematological changes in Wistar rats experimentally infected with local strains of Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Forty-five Wistar rats between 10 – 12 weeks old weighing between 210 – 240 g were used. The Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (A, B, C and D), with the infected groups (B, C and D) having 10 rats each, while the uninfected control group (A) had 15 rats. Group A rats were not infected and served as the control, group B were infected with Trypanosoma congolense, group C were infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei and group D were co-infected with Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Infection was achieved using 0.1mL of blood containing approximately 1 × 103 trypanosomes intraperitoneally into each Wistar rat in the infected groups. Clinical signs were observed. The changes in the blood cells were assayed in the groups post-infection. Duncan’s Least Square Deviation showed significantly (p<0.05) higher parasitaemia in infected groups. However, group D showed a higher significant (p<0.05) difference in parasitaemia when compared to groups B and C. The pattern of mean parasitaemia for the infected groups, revealed a positive correlation with days of post-infection (p<0.05) before the decline. The packed cell volume, total red blood cell count and haemoglobin concentration were significantly (p<0.05) lower in infected groups B, C and D. The total white blood cell count, platelet counts and differential leucocyte count were significantly (p<0.05) lower in infected groups when compared to the uninfected group. These findings suggest that co-infection with Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei brucei obtained from Wurno and Ngaski in Sokoto and Kebbi States respectively produced a more damaging effect on haematological parameters.
Serological survey and isolation of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides from cattle slaughtered at Katsina state central abattoir, Nigeria
Authors: Sada A. , Tambuwal F.M. , Egwu G.O. , Ahmad K.H. , Umar B.N. , Ibrahim A.M. , Abdullahi M.S.
Published: August 2021

serological survey for the detection of antibodies to Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides (Mmm) from cattle slaughtered at Katsina Central Abattoir was conducted from March to October 2012 using competitive ELISA (CIRAD) version: P05410/04 antibody detection kit. A total of 300 cattle sera were screened for Mmm antibodies out of which 22 (7.3%) obtained from 15 (68.2%) cows and 7 (31.8%) bulls were positive. Age distribution indicated that 3 (13.6%) were less than 2 years, 11 (50%) were between 2 and 4 years of age, while 8 (36.4%) were above 4 years. The study confirmed the susceptibility of some cattle breeds from all ages and sexes to Mmm. However, middle-aged cows were shown to be more associated with the infections though not statistically significant (P˃0.01). Similarly, a total of 130 pneumonic lung tissues were used for isolation and biochemical characterization of Mmm out of which 2 (1.5%) samples one each from adult White Fulani and Red Bororo cows were found to be positive. The study established baseline information on the status of Mmm infection in Katsina State. Continuous disease surveillance and annual mass vaccination programme using effective vaccines were recommended.
Polymelia, vent duplex, cloacal bursa duplex and triple caeca in a broiler chick
Authors: Plang N.J. , Gosomji I.J. , Omirinde J.O. , Hena S.A. , Azeez I.A. , Gurumyen G.Y. , Wanmi N.
Published: August 2021

Congenital abnormalities are common among avian and mammalian species. They could be partial or total drift from the normal structural organization of the organ-systems. This article is aimed at reporting the occurrence of multiple abnormalities in a 3-week-old broiler chick. Ante mortem, post-mortem, radiological and osteological investigations were carried out, to ascertain the number and form of abnormalities present in the chick. A total of four different congenital abnormalities were discovered in this chick. These include: polymelia (presence of supernumerary or accessory limb which is usually malformed); double vents (vent duplex); double cloacal bursae (bursa duplex) and triple caeca. Radiological and postmortem examinations revealed the attachment of the accessory limb to the caudal depressor muscle as a form of synsarcosis, via a tendon that originated from the deep fossa of the modified femoral head of the accessory limb. The right vent was patent whereas the left was not. The two cloacal bursae were almost the same size, while the three caeca showed slight variation in length but typical features of the avian caecum (base, middle (body) and apex) were clearly visible. However, most cases of congenital anomalies in the avian species occur as multiple defects, with the most common being polymelia. The latest finding in this report is the discovery of double cloacal bursae (bursae of Fabricius), which has not been reported in the avian species.
Strategic Autonomy for ROK: Intellectual Pipe Dream or Political Reality?
Authors: Asmolov K. V. , Soloviev A. V.
Published: August 2021

The discourse of “strategic autonomy,” which has gained popularity in the Republic of Korea in recent years, has yet to undergo serious theoretical revision. This article attempts to ﬁll the gap by examining the South Korean discourse of “middle powers,” from which the discourse of “strategic autonomy” grew, and the socio-historical analysis of Korean perceptions of political subjectivity, which developed under the powerful inﬂuence of both Western ideas from the early 20th century and the political realities of the military alliance with the United States. In the ﬁrst section the authors examine the speciﬁcs of South Korea’s use of the concept of “strategic autonomy” in relation to its foreign policy strategy. This concept is examined using a constructivist paradigm. In the second section, the authors examine the discourse of “middle power,” around which the concept of “strategic autonomy” is built. Compared to the former, this concept is quite elaborated in Western and Korean political discourses. Finally, the third section of the article examines the evolution of these concepts in South Korean discourse. The circumstances of the formation and development of the military-political alliance with the United States play an extremely important role in this evolution, and the discourse around its prospects largely determines the features of the country’s domestic policy. The authors conclude that from the academic point of view the concept of “strategic autonomy” can only be considered as a discursive category close to the concept of “hedging,” but it is an important element of South Korea’s political identity and an essential factor of internal political struggle.
A New Dawn of the East?
Authors: Markedonov S. M.
Published: August 2021

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The Determinant Factors of Food and Beverage Small and Medium Industries Competitive Advantage that Mediated by E-Commerce Adoption Level in Bogor
Authors:   Business Management Program, Management Department, BINUS Business School Master Program, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, Indonesia, 11480, Octora Ayuningtyas , Kurniawan Heri , Gultom Luqman Fadhil , Sundjaja Arta Moro
Published: August 2021

The research aims to examine the determinant factors of culinary Small-and-Medium Industries (SMIs) competitive advantage that mediated by e-commerce adoption level in Bogor. This research uses a quantitative approach using Structural Equation Modelling. The primary data is collected using online questionnaires. The population size is 360 culinary SMIs that already used e-commerce. The sampling technique is using purposive sampling. The sample size determination method is using Slovin’s formula with 85% confidence level and the sample size in this study is 42 culinary founders. The data analyse using Smart PLS 3.0. Based on the data analysis, the top management is the only determine the SMIs to adopt e-commerce for each ecommerce adoption level. For adoption level 1, the ecommerce adoption affects growth and quality. For adoption level 2, the e-commerce adoption affects quality, growth, and differentiation. For adoption level 3, the e-commerce adoption affect growth. For adoption level 4, the e-commerce adoption affects growth, differentiation, quality, and cost reduction. the e-commerce adoption level, the cost reduction, company differentiation, sales growth, and quality. Keywords— Small-and-Medium Industry; culinary industry; e-commerce adoption level; TechnologyOrganization-Environment; competitive advantage
Improving Mammography Rates Among the Hispanic Population: An Evidence-Based Project Utilizing a Promotora Intervention
Authors:   , Mirowski Dawn
Published: August 2021

Practice Problem: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Hispanic women in the U.S., with mammography being the most effective means of reducing breast cancer mortality. Promotoras have been shown to improve health promotion, including mammography, among the Hispanic population. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In Hispanic women 40 years or older (P), how does the use of a promotora intervention (I), compared to no promotora intervention (C), affect mammography rates (O) within an 8-week period (T)? Evidence: Twenty-one studies that met the inclusion criteria supported the use of promotoras to improve mammography rates. Interventions included education and counseling, navigation assistance, providing a link to resources, and facilitating interaction with providers. Intervention: A promotora was assigned to contact patients with a mammogram order to provide education, counseling, and other assistance needed. Outcome: The intervention improved compliance with mammography rates by 37% over baseline. The results are clinically significant as the cost of the promotora intervention is minimal compared to the benefits of an early-stage diagnosis. Conclusion: The implementation of this project was consistent with the research evidence supporting a promotora intervention to improve mammography rates in the Hispanic population.
Popularity of Unit Root Tests: A Review
Authors: Rath Badri Narayan , Akram Vaseem
Published: August 2021

This study undertakes a systematic literature review on recent developments in unit root tests. We highlight popular unit root tests developed since 2010 based on the number of citations. We observe from the literature that the most popular unit root test is the Narayan and Popp unit root test and the least popular test is the quantile nonlinear unit root test, mainly because it was developed only recently. The use and popularity of the recently developed unit root tests can be judged only after 5 to 10 years.
Predicting Undergraduate Level Students’ Performance Using Regression
Authors: Akuma S , Abakpa H
Published: August 2021

Students’ academic performance in the university environment changes from one academic year to another as they climb up the ladder of their academic programme. Predicting students’ academic performance in higher educational institutions is challenging due to the lack of a central database of students’ performance records. The other challenge is the lack of standard methods for predicting students’ performance and other moderating factors like physical, economic and health that affect students’ progress. In this work, we predicted students’ performance based on previous academic results. A model to predict students’ performance based on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was developed using Linear Regression Algorithm. A dataset of 70 undergraduate students studying Computer Science was analyzed and the results show that the model was able to predict the 4th year CGPA of the Students using the previous Cumulative Grade Point of the past three years with an accuracy of 87.84%, and a correlation of 0.9338. This study also identified students’ second semester CGPA in the first year and their first semester CGPA in the second year as the most important CGPAs that affect the accuracy
Evaluación del Médico Interno de Pregrado a través de Competencias Profesionales en Medicina Familiar
Authors: De Hoyos Perla Patricia Abarca , Calvo María Dolores Martínez , Cortés Gerardo Muñoz , Calvo María Dolores Martínez , Andrade María Elena Estrada , Estrada Yurixhi Cancino , Flores Laura Miriam Pérez , Alonso Carlos Gómez
Published: August 2021

Introducción: Los métodos de evaluación aplicados al área de la salud continúan siendo tradicionales, donde se evalúan conocimientos sin captar habilidades, actitudes y aptitudes. Es necesario buscar una estrategia para evaluar la competencia profesional en los médicos internos de pregrado (MIP) por medio de un examen clínico objetivo estructurado (ECOE)

Objetivo: Evaluar las competencias profesionales de los médicos internos de pregrado que egresan de su rotación por medicina familiar.

Material y métodos: Estudio cuasiexperimental, prospectivo, longitudinal realizado a los médicos internos de pregrado que cursaron medicina familiar en la Unidad de Medicina Familiar No. 80 en los bimestres: Enero-Febrero, Marzo-Abril y Julio-Agosto del 2020. Se llevó a cabo una evaluación diagnóstica y de acuerdo al resultado se estableció un programa académico y se realizó una evaluación posterior de las competencias profesionales, mediante un examen clínico objetivo estructurado. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva,  para comparación de medias: t de student, significancia p <0.05. Registro SIRELCIS R-201-1602-023.

Resultados: Se evaluaron 23 médicos internos de pregrado, 65.2% mujeres; con 23.34 ± 0.48 años. Nivel de competencia al inicio 21.7% y 100% al final de la evaluación. Media de conocimientos al iniciar 5.6 y al finalizar 5.8 (p 0.06). Excelencia en conocimientos 2.1%, en habilidades 92.7%; en actitud y aptitud 100% al finalizar la rotación.

Conclusión: Los médicos internos de pregrado son competentes al egresar de su rotación de medicina familiar.
Urinary bladder rupture due to hemangioma in a dog – case report
Authors: da Luz Ferro Sayonara , Cardoso Ewerton , Jönck Fernanda , Thomas Heckler Marta Cristina , Warmlin Bruna , Rychescki Mateus
Published: August 2021

Hemangioma is a benign, noninvasive and non-metastatic neoplasm originating from endothelial cells of the blood vessels. The involvement of the urinary vesicle with neoplasias occurs in less than 0.5% of dogs. The main clinical signs are hematuria, dysuria, pollakiuria, incontinence and urinary obstruction. The diagnosis is based on imaging tests and is confirmed by histopathological examination. The treatment of choice is surgical resection with safety margins. This paper reports the case of a twelve-year-old Poodle with a history of abdominal pain, which was attended at the Florianópolis Veterinary Hospital. Abdominal ultrasound showed the presence of free fluid. During exploratory laparotomy, the urinary vesicle was observed to be ruptured, presenting a thickened wall and small areas of necrosis. A sample was sent for histopathological analysis and the diagnosis was of benign vascular neoplasia compatible with hemangioma.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension in a cat with restrictive cardiomyopathy – a case report
Authors: Carvalho Elizabeth Regina
Published: August 2021

Feline pulmonary arterial (PAH) is an unusual and minimally reported condition that can lead to right ventricular insufficiency and death. In cats, PAH was reported in cases in which it was secondary to heartworm disease, pulmonary thromboembolism and patent ductus arteriousus. This is a case report of an elderly domestic cat with medical history of dyspnea, fatigue and pleural effusion, which was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy and PAH upon echocardiography. The progression of restrictive cardiomyopathy can be silent due to the owners’ inability to recognize clinical signs of heart failure. In spite of the few reports in cats, it is reasonable that PAH be part of differential diagnosis on patients presenting signs of cardiopulmonary decompensation.
Digital learning Initiatives, Challenges and Achievement in Higher Education in Nepal Amidst COVID-19
Authors: Acharya Ashis , Subedi Srijana , Gyawali Narayan , Poudyal Nabaraj , Lamichhane Ganesh , Bastola Govinda , Aryal Babita , Bhattarai Bibek Raj , Adhikari Bikash , Marahatha Rishab , Bhatta Madhabi , Paudel Mohan , Parajuli Niranjan
Published: August 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide and reshaped the existing educational system. Due to travel constraints and physical separation, there has been a global shift toward distance learning, and Nepal is no exception. This research intends to assess the practicality of online education by evaluating learners' experiences amidst COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was directed among HEIs students in Nepal using self-structured questionnaires. Our study revealed that 64.6% of the respondents were unsatisfied with online classes. More than half of the respondents (53.4%) use cell phones for online studies. Online education was reported to be unappealing to 28.8% of respondents. Variables such as age group (p = 0.05), enjoying class (p < 0.001), hours spent for an online class in a day (p = 0.05), and period for educational work using an electronic device (p = 0.1) were found significant with satisfaction level using both bivariate test and inferential test of univariate binary logistics regression. The challenges and opportunities encountered among students and faculties are highlighted along with the recommendations for fortifying communication in online-based teaching/learning.
Completion of the Law on State Audit in Vietnam
Authors: Thang Dr. Thai Vinh
Published: August 2021

The Law on State Audit plays a particularly important role in the organization and operation of the State Audit Office. The author analyzes the role of this law in determining the legal status of the institution as an independent constitutional agency. The Law on State Audit defines the functions, tasks, powers and legal validity of the audit reports, the audited entities, the operation principles, the prohibited activities and the organizational system of this agency. On the basis of analyzing the provisions of Vietnam’s and foreign laws on the organization and operation of the State Audit Office, the author suggests some recommendations to complete the Law on State Audit so as to enhance the function and operation of this institutional organization.
An Analysis of the Dynamic Relationships between Inflation Volatility, Exchange Rate and Output Gap Volatility in Turkey
Authors: Küçüksakarya Sevilay , Özer Mustafa
Published: August 2021

This study investigates the short and long-run relationships between Inflation volatility, exchange rate, and output gap volatility using the ARDL bounds testing approach in Turkey. Also, we repeat the estimates by using the output gap as well. Moreover, we examine the causal relationship among these variables by using Toda-Yamamoto and frequency domain causality tests. For this purpose, the study uses quarterly time series data between 2005 Q1 and 2020 Q4. Both short and long-run results of the ARDL estimates indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between exchange rate and inflation volatility, between output gap volatility and inflation volatility, and between the output gap and inflation volatility. As expected long-run effect of the exchange rate on inflation, volatility is negative, and the effects of both output volatility and output gap on inflation volatility are positive. Also, causality tests results indicate that changes in the exchange rate, output gap volatility, and output gap will have permanent and temporary causal effects on inflation volatility. Therefore, the study results provide new evidence about the exchange rate, output gap volatility, and output gap. The policymakers should carefully consider these results to implement appropriate policies to reduce inflation volatility.
EVOLUTION OF POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS LEVELS IN LEAVES, MESOCARP AND KERNEL OF THREE JUGLANS REGIA L. CULTIVARS
Authors: Mazilu Ivona , Vîjan Loredana Elena , Giura Simona , Botu Mihai
Published: August 2021

This paper studies polyphenols and flavonoids level evolution in Juglans regia L. leaves and mesocarp during the growing season, as well as compounds evolution in the walnut kernel for fully mature picked nuts, stored for eight months at room temperature. Both compounds, polyphenols and flavonoids were significantly influenced by cultivar, harvest moment, and, respectively, by the storage time. The highest content of polyphenols was found in ′Jupânești′ cultivar’s leaves, ′Vina′ cultivar’s kernel, and ′Franquette′ cv. mesocarp. Also, nut mesocarp and leaves samples harvested in July and nut kernel stored till next March contained maximum polyphenols levels. The highest flavonoid content was determined for ′Vina′ cultivar’s leaves, ′Franquette′ cultivar’s fruit mesocarp, ′Vina′’s kernel, leaves and mesocarp sampled in July and nut kernel stored until March. For the entire experiment, maximum polyphenols level was found in ′Jupânești′ cultivar’s leaves harvested in July. Flavonoids reached their highest level in case of ′Franquette′ kernel stored until March. The three studied cultivars: ′Jupânești′, ′Vina′ and ′Franquette′ can be valuable sources of phenolic compounds.
HEAT STRESS-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN ANTIOXIDATIVE ENZYMES OF SOME PLANTS OF CUCURBITACEA FAMILY
Authors: Aydogan Cigdem , Ergin Sergul , Turhan Ece
Published: August 2021

The effects of high temperatures on melon cvs. Miranda and Poli, watermelon cv. Crimson Tide and zucchini cv. Asma leaves. The leaves obtained from plants were subjected to 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60°C temperatures with gradual increments every 30-minutes. Samples, obtained at each treatment, were analyzed for ascorbic acid content, NADP(H) oxidase, catalase, gluthatione reductase, peroxidases activities and isoperoxidase patterns. The ascorbic acid content slightly increased parallel to temperature increment in zucchini but did not change in watermelon and in both melon cultivars. Melon cv. Poli exhibited comparatively less oxidative damage than cv. Miranda with a lower NAD(P)H oxidase activity. Heat stress induced NAD(P)H activity in watermelon and zucchini comparing to control plants. Results revealed that antioxidative enzyme activities were increased generally up to 50°C then decreased gradually in melon cultivars. Besides cv. Poli generally had higher enzyme activities than cv. Miranda. The activity of catalaes become prominent in watermelon while the activity of ascorbate peroxidase become prominent in zucchini. Acidic isoperoxidase bands with different relative mobility values were found in all species. Besides, basic isoperoxidase band could not be determined in both melon cultivars and watermelon while a basic isoperoxidase band was found in zucchini.
STUDIES ON THE VARIABILITY OF MORPHOLOGIVAL AND QUALITY CHARACTERS IN SAFFRON (CROCUS SATIVUS)
Authors: Vasile Ionuț-Valentin , Luca-Vasile Roxana , Madoșă Emilian
Published: August 2021

Saffron is an aromatic herb appreciated for its olfactory qualities, but also for its medicinal contributions, having multiple pharmaceutical properties. The cultivation of saffron in Romania is rather little known, the scientific data obtained being of interest for farmers who want to start such a culture. In this paper two populations of saffron were studied, the bulbs being of the same origin and age, grown in two different localities in western Romania: Izvin and Cicir. Regarding the quality characteristics, the two cultures belong to quality categories 1 and 2, and analyses were determined on moisture, colouring power (crocin), aromatic power (safranal) and bitterness power (picrocrocin). From a quantitative point of view, the variability of morphological characters, the manifestation of morphological characters, the coefficients of corallance on characters such as: number of bulbs, total diameter of bulbs, diameter of dominant bulb, length of leaflet, leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves dominant bulb, petal length, petal width, petal number, stamen length, stigma length were determined.
Estimation of Terrestrial Solar Radiation and its Variation with other Meteorological Parameters over Lokoja, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Physics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, Akpootu D. O.
Published: August 2021

The yearly and monthly estimation of terrestrial solar radiation over Lokoja using meteorological parameters of temperature and relative humidity during the period of twenty two years (July 1983 – June 2005) was investigated. The monthly variation of terrestrial solar radiation with meteorological parameters of global solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure were investigated. The results indicated that high values of terrestrial solar radiation were observed during the rainy season than in the dry season. The highest yearly average values of terrestrial solar radiation observed during the period under investigation were found to be in the year 2005 and 1983 with 378.3521 Wm^(-2) and 368.3232 Wm^(-2) respectively. The highest and lowest monthly values of terrestrial solar radiation were estimated during the rainy and dry seasons in the months of May and January with 385.6133 Wm^(-2) and 358.5111 Wm^(-2) respectively. High values of terrestrial solar radiation with relative humidity and atmospheric pressure were observed during the rainy season and low values during the dry season. The reverse is the case for terrestrial solar radiation with global solar radiation and temperature.