ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Institutional Adaptation to Saline-water Intrusion: A Case Study of The Gambia
M’koumfida Bagbohouna
Page no 382-388 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.001
Climate change is one of the environmental challenges that threatens any single aspect of development. Therefore, climate change poses both environmental and development problems. Salinization of freshwater and soil as a result of climate-induced sea-level rise in The Gambia is a growing concern for agriculture and ecosystems. This paper shed light on adaptation strategy response at the institutional level to saline-water intrusion in River Gambia and tributaries well-known for its ecological and livelihood delivery services such as rice cultivation in the lowlands. The study used stakeholder participation approach to gather data through a workshop in which 100 experts from four (04) different institutions intervening in saline-water intrusion adaptation were involved to discuss five themes relevant for institutional adaptation to saline-water intrusion in the country. Microsoft Excel 2013 was used to process and analyse the data at the end of the workshop. Results revealed that saline-water intrusion adaptation at the institutional level is poor performing in terms of capacity building, financial resources allocation for saline-water intrusion adaptation, available technology as well as collaboration among institutions. The study recommends an increase in budget allocation for saline-water intrusion adaptation in the targeted various institutions, capacity enhancement of staff in the monitoring of water salinity and provision of sophisticated equipment and technology to effectively address salinity in River Gambia and tributaries in the country.
REVIEW ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Theoretical Issues of Accountability and Accountability of the Heads of the State Administrative Agencies in Vietnam
Nguyen Minh Phu
Page no 582-589 |
10.21276/sjhss.2018.3.5.2
The article has focused on clarifying the concept of accountability, the head
and accountability of the head of the state administrative agency, indicating the factors
constituting the accountability of the head of the state administrative agency, things to
do with good results and things not to do; Obligations, rights and accountability taking
of the heads of state administrative agencies in complying with the law and serving the
people; In planning, making decisions and directing activities of the agency, organizing
the performance of functions and duties assigned by the State and the people; pointing
out the characteristics of accountability of the head of the state administrative agency in
order to understand, regulate and unanimously perform the accountability of the head of
the state administrative agency in Vietnam.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Software effort estimation using ANN technique
Siva Suryanarayana Ch, Satya Prakash Singh
Page no 396-401 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.003
Software has frolicked an increasing significant role in methods acquisition, engineering, development, mainly for large complex systems. For such systems, accurate estimates of the software costs are a perilous part of effective software management. The preparation of forecasting the cost of the software has evolved, but it is far from perfect. Constructive cost model is the most widely used among all the models available. The proposed model focusses on data set obtained from 91 models nick named as “Maxwell”. The projected model is tested and the test results from the neural network are matched with that of COCOMO model. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the amalgamation of the proposed model for the “Maxwell” data has proved better than the existing COCOMO and another model as obtained from literature.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Utility of Cell Population Data as an Early Predictor of Dengue
Jihil Justin, Febe Renjitha Suman, Dmitry Sukhachev, Naveen K, RithikaRajendran, Uma Lakshmi
Page no 135-139 |
10.21276/sjpm.2018.3.5.1
There is a need for a rapid and reliable test to predict dengue so that the
patients are managed and monitored. Beckman Coulter LH series instruments provide
data on leukocyte cell volume, V; conductivity, C; and light scatter, S which is useful in
distinguishing viral and bacterial infections. This prospective study was undertaken in
Chennai - India for a period of one and a half years. The cell population data for the
dengue positive and negative patients were retrieved from the hematology analyzer
Beckman Coulter LH780. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc for
Windows version 15.0. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the VCS indices
between the different groups. Dengue positive, suspected and controls were 499, 493,
499 respectively. Male: female ratio is 1.4:1. The platelet count, standard deviation of
volume and conductivity of monocytes, volume and percentage of lymphocytes and
platelet counts were used to construct a tree model which distinguishes dengue from
suspected cases with sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of 94.84%, 77.88% and
89.59% respectively. A classification tree was developed using changes in monocytes,
lymphocytes and lymphocyte and platelet counts.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Contribution of Other Parameters to Malignancy Risk Index for Differentiation of Benign or Malignity in Adnexal Masses
Gülden AYNACI, Ahmet Tolgay Akinci, Vedat Ugurel, Petek Balkanli, Koray Elter
Page no 450-458 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.010
Ovarian cancer is one of the most important causes of pelvic masses and is the fifth leading cause of cancer related mortality. As in all cancers, method of early diagnosis for ovarian cancer should be easily applicable, economically, has high safety and specificity. Our study included 155 cases that were operated due to adnexial masses at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic of Trakya University. Inclusion criteria for the study were decision of surgery due to an adnexal mass and presence of preoperative evaluation for parameters examined in this study such as age, serum CA125 value, Ultrasound score, menopausal score and thrombocyte count. Risk of Malignancy Index was calculated. Localization and amount of vascular flows in adnexial masses were evaluated using Color Doppler USG. Ages of the cases ranged between 17-75 years. Histopathologically 122 benign, 6 borderline, 27 malignant masses were detected. As surgical approach to malignant tumours is similar to borderline tumours, they were assessed within malignant tumour group. Malignancy was suspected in 27 of 155 cases which were evaluated with RMI. Malignancy was suspected in 33 patients evaluated with CDUS and malignancy was suspected in 26 cases evaluated with thrombocyte count. Evaluation of RMI according to histopathological results revealed that there was no difference between the two assessment methods. Specificity of the RMI evaluation was 98.4% and its sensitivity was 75.8%. Thrombocyte count demonstrated malignancy in 16.8% of the cases. Evaluation of CDUS findings revealed that 122 cases diagnosed as malignant in pathology were also diagnosed as malignant in CDUS and the other cases were detected to be benign with Doppler. CA125 values were below 35 U/mL in 86.8% of the cases with benign adnexal masses and above 35 U/mL in 72.7% of the malignant cases. Better preoperative benign-malignant differentiation will enable performance of optimal surgery in experienced centres. RMI which can be used for early detection and differentiation of malignancy has opened the way for objective evaluation of adnexal masses.With use of parameters such as CDUS, thrombocyte count, and age together with RMI benign-malignant differentiation of adnexal masses can be made more effectively.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Role of Surveillance in Combating Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa – A Systematic Review
K. N. Anueyiagu, S.O. Digba, B.C. Echeonwu
Page no 140-150 |
10.21276/sjpm.2018.3.5.2
The largest outbreak to date was the epidemic in West Africa, which
occurred from December 2013 to January 2016 with 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths.
The aim of this work was to assess by a systematic literature review the impact of
surveillance in health systems of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria in
combating Ebola Virus Disease outbreaks. Specific objectives include identifying the
strength of their surveillance systems and exploring the impacts of surveillance on the
containment of Ebola virus disease in the region. The PRISMA procedure was used in
carrying out the study. The SPIDER tool was chosen and modified to establish the
research question. Five databases were searched in this study viz., the Cochrane librarycentral, Medline, Google Scholar, PsycINFO and a grey literature called Open grey.
Studies were critically analyzed and assessed using the Crowe critical appraisal Tool
(CCAT). The search strategy generated a total of 30 articles, out of which 6 articles (5
studies and 1 report) were selected for data extraction. The need for professionalism and
competence cannot be overemphasized in the healthcare and surveillance systems of
West African countries, especially the ones under study.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Hand Washing Practices in Kieni East Sub-County, Nyeri, Kenya
Mwamburi Cosmas Mwashumbe, Otieno George Ochieng, Munene Kennedy Muriithi, Muriu Nelson Mwangi
Page no 470-474 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.012
Hand washing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible for the majority of child deaths. Routine Surveillance data shows increased morbidity from diseases of poor hygiene and environmental health in Kieni East sub-County, Nyeri County of Kenya. The objectives of the study were to assess hand hygiene, evaluate prevalence of diarrhea, find out relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and state of sanitation and evaluate relationship between hand washing practices and diarrhea diseases. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 200 household selected randomly between October and November 2017. Additional data was obtained from key informant interviews with facility in-charges and community resource persons. It was found that majority (78%) of the respondents washed their hands after visiting the toilet while 20% washed their hands before preparing food. Whereas toilet facilities had a high coverage (97%), coverage of hand washing facilities was lower (60%). Coverage of hand washing facilities with soap was very low (27%). There was a significant relationship between level of education (p=0.025) and availability of hand washing facilities with soap. Similarly, there was a significant relationship between occupation (p=0.019) and availability of hand washing facilities with soap. There was a significant relationship between households with hand washing facilities with soap (p=0.00) and diarrhea cases reported in the previous 4 weeks. The study concluded that there is poor hand hygiene among residents of Kieni East sub-County. Although majority of respondents recognized the importance of hand hygiene, hand washing was not frequently observed. A sensitization program is urgently required in Kieni East sub-County on hand washing and hand hygiene.
REVIEW ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Application of Cohesion and Coherence in Teaching College Students’ English Writing
Tian Dong, Ting Gao
Page no 682-686 |
10.21276/sjhss.2018.3.5.15
The traditional English teaching focuses on the grammar and sentence
structure but ignores the relationship between the sentences and paragraphs thus
causing students’ lack of awareness of using cohesive devices. This study aims to
illustrate the cohesion and coherence problems in college students’ writing. As one of
the four basic language skills, English writing skill is the most indispensable but
complicated one for English learners to master. According to College English
Curriculum Requirement and under the theoretical framework of Halliday and Hasan’s
Cohesion Theory, this study finds out the misuse of reference, substitution, ellipsis,
conjunction and lexical cohesion in students’ English writing. By illustrating the
examples of the discourse errors in students’ English compositions, this study tries to
put forward some suggestions to ameliorate traditional English teaching and improve
students’ writing skill.
REVIEW ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Review of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater along the Course of River Gwagwarwa and River Rafin Malam in Kano State – Nigeria
Ambrose E. Ekevwe, Aloba Isaac, Grace Bartholomew, Augustina O. Aroh
Page no 436-439 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.008
Water samples of River Gwagwarwa and River Rafin Malam were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed for organic pollutants. The organic parameters were determined using the standard methods of America Public health Agency (APHA) and was extracted and analyzed using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Ten different organic compounds were detected at different percentage values at River Gwagwarwa while only seven different compounds were detected in River Rafin Malam. The compounds fall within five classes of organic compounds, which include carboxylic acid, acid chloride, ester, aldehyde and acid anhydride. The distribution pattern of the organic pollutants at the two sampling stations depict the pattern; River Gwagwarwa > River Rafin Malam. The study shows that organochlorine was the predominant organic pollutant present in River Gwagwarwa sample which is a hazardous pollutant while River Rafin Malam has no toxic pollutant which is attributed to lack of activity of the River.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Valuation the Fishery Economic Value Limboto Lake Gorontalo
Hasim, Herwin Mopangga
Page no 443-446 |
10.21276/haya.2018.3.5.5
This study aims to calculate the fishery economic value of Limboto Lake
including aquaculture, catch, and bibilo fishery. The research was conducted in
Limboto Lake area and using survey method that based on questionnaire in collecting
data. Respondents were 100 people who determined randomly. The productivity
method is an estimate of the ecosystem economic value for a product or service that
contributes to the commercial goods production in the market. The results showed that
the fishery economic value of Limboto Lake is 51.474.000. 000 IDR / year. More than
50% of the value is contributed by aquaculture fishery.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Effects of Nitrogen and Zinc Fertilization Levels on Growth and Yield of Late Sown Wheat
Akhi Paul Chowdhury, Mrityunjoy Biswas, P Mandal, Bonani Bhattacharjee Tithi, M Kadir
Page no 416-423 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.006
The experiment was carried out at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jamalpur under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701 during the period from December, 2015 to April, 2016 to observe the effect of nitrogen and zinc on the growth and yield of late sown wheat. The experiment comprised four nitrogen levels viz. (i) N0= Control (No nitrogen), (ii) N1=140 kg ha-1, (iii) N2=160 kg ha-1, (iv) N3=180 kg ha-1 and five zinc levels viz. (i) Zn0 = Control (No zinc), (ii) Zn1= 2 kg ha-1, (iii) Zn2 = 4 kg ha-1, (iv) Zn3=6 kg ha-1, and (v) Zn4=8 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications assigning N-levels in the main plots and Zn-levels in the sub-plots. The interaction effect of N and Zn levels showed significant variation regarding grain yield and the highest grain yield (1.96 t ha-1) was found in N2Zn3 combination ascribed to the highest number of tiller (376.33 plant-1), grain (37.07 spike-1) and 1000-grain weight (36.26 g) significantly different from other combinations. Grain yield decreased significantly beyond the levels N2 and Zn3 due to their either individual effect or interaction effect. The lowest level, N0 and Zn0 gave significantly the lowest grain yield due to their either individual effect or interaction effect (0.69, 1.24 and 0.61 t ha-1 respectively).
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
The Difference of Concentration Calcium on Human Breast Milk between Good Nutrition Status and Chronic Energy Loss Postpartum Mothers
St. Surya Indah Nurdin, Andi Wardihan Sinrang, Nasrudin AM
Page no 447-453 |
10.21276/haya.2018.3.5.6
The research aimed to find out the difference in calcium concentration in
breast milk between the good nutritional status and Chronic Energy deficiency in
postpartum mothers. The research was the Cross Sectional design research type. The
samples are 40 people who were chosen using the purposive sampling technique, and
who met inclusive criteria. The samples were collected. Fourteen days after giving the
researcher, they came to the respondent's house to measure BB, LILA and 24 hours
foodrecall and milked 3 cc, done by the researcher, and will check their breast milk
through laboratory test using Colorimetric Assay. The data with not normal distributed
were tested using the statistical shapiro-wilk test with the resultof α> 0,05. The
analytical test used Mann Whitney and Chi-Square test.The research indicated that
there was a very significant difference of calcium concentration between postpartum
the mothers with good nutrition status and the mother chronic energy deficiency with
p value = 0.025 (p <0.05). The research also revealed thet postpartum mothers who
experienced the decrease of low concentration (median 166.7 mg/L) 7.0 times more
risk to experience the deficiency of cronic energy compared to the mother with
postpartum good nutrition status.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Microscopic Features, Chromatographic Fingerprints and Antioxidant Property of Tetracera rosiflora Gilg
Muanyishay CL, Mutwale PK, Diamuini AN, Luhahi FL, Ngombe NK, Luyindula SN, Mpiana PT
Page no 402-407 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.004
Tetracera rosiflora Gilg is a medicinal plant used in the Congolese pharmacopeia for the treatment of various diseases. The aim of this work was to achieve the micrographic analysis of the powder of leaves of T. rosiflora from Pumbu City (Kinshasa) and Lukala areas (Kongo Central), to determine their chemical composition and to evaluate the antioxidant activities of their different extracts. Extracts from leaves of this species were characterized for their chemical fingerprint by Thin Layer Chromatography and their in vitro antioxidant activities were evaluated using ABTS, DPPH assays. Microscopically leaves can be characterised by non-glandular trichomes, sinuous anticlinal epidermal cells, and parenchymal cells with cristal of calcium oxalate, polycytic stomata and spiraled vessels. Thin Layer Chromatography showed that leaves of Tetracera rosiflora contain varied phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, coumarins, iridoids, phenolic acid, tanins and the terpenes. All tested extracts (methanolic and dichloromethane) have exhibited high antiradical activities. The obtained results showed that the interesting bioactivities of T. rosiflora correlated with the chemical composition, which depends on several factors including climatic conditions. T. rosiflora is a phytogenetic resource of the Congolese pharmacopoeia with promising therapeutic potentials for the management of various pathologies associated with oxidative stress.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Habitat Selection by Spiny-Tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) in Hengam Island, Iran
Shirin Aghanajafizadeh, Asghar Mobaraki
Page no 414-419 |
10.21276/haya.2018.3.5.1
A population of spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) exists in Hengam
Island in the Persian Gulf. The field work was carried out over a period of 10 days by
the use of a four-member group work in May 2015 through 10 random transects in the
whole Island by the use of motorcycle. Once the animal’s cavity was found, some
plots with dimensions of 10 by 10 meters were established over the center hole of the
spiny-tailed lizard and habitat variables such as the region slope, geographical
direction, type of the soil texture, percentage and number of plant cover according to
species, distance to the nearest water source, road, and vegetation patches were
measured. The habitat factors measured in the control points where there were no
signs of the animal’s holes were also measured and compared with the present points.
Ultimately, 28 holes of the spiny-tailed lizard in 7colony that had far from each other,
were considered in the region. The results showed that the spiny-tailed lizard of the
regions with a mean slope of 10% facing towards the north preferred rather semi hard
soils (contain gravel and silt) (p<0.05). To protect the population of this species in the
region, paying attention to some effective parameters such as the percentage cover of
plant species, region slope and Acacia tree are of the most important factors for the
use of the habitat of this species.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Efficiency of Anti-Epileptic Drug Topiramate in Treatment of Glioblastoma: An In Vitro Perception
Sharma Arpana, Kartha Anitha, Singh Rana Pratap, Mishra J.P.N
Page no 440-449 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.009
Brain tumors account for 85% to 90% of CNS tumors. In 20-40% of the patients suffering from brain tumor (BT), seizures are common during the commencement of the disease. The relationship between the onset of seizures and brain tumor is poorly understood. These patients show a complex therapeutic profile making selection of the drugs very tough. The quality of life of the patient is highly compromised due to brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) as it is drug-resistant and poses the challenging risk factor for everlasting disability. Hence, there arise the need of unique and multidisciplinary approach of proper selection of medications with minimum side effects. Glioblastoma Multiforme is a grade IV highly malignant tumor attacking the glia, which provides nourishment and assist in signal transmission. Glioma cells secrete glutamate and choose neurotransmitter receptors for their invasive growth. Glutamate binds to ionotropic receptors, activate calcium release mediating excitatory neurotransmission. The alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors are the major mediators of glutamate-mediated excitatory neurotransmission and are critical for spread of epileptic activity. Glutamate is the main culprit for both the occurrence of seizures and glioma metastases. Hence there lies an opportunity to use the anti-epileptic drugs which targets calcium permeable AMPA receptors for the treatment of glioblastoma as well as BTRE. Topiramate (TPM), a derivative of D-fructose is a novel broad spectrum anti-epileptic drug which shows antagonistic effect on AMPA receptor. When treated with TPM a dose-dependent decrease in live cell number, increase in the number of apoptotic cells, decrease in the calcium influx, reduction in phosphorylation of Akt, Erk1/2 expression were observed. Also phosphorylation of AMPA receptor in presence of EGF was observed. The data suggests that topiramate lead to decrease in proliferation and survival by decreasing calcium influx and inhibiting mitogenic and survival signalling in U87MG cells.