SINUSOIDAL MODEL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE STUDY OF DIURNAL VARIATION OF SURFACE DISSOLVED OXYGEN FOR THE LAKE SUBHAS SAROBAR, KOLKATA

Abstracts

In this paper an attempt is made to generate a mathematical model for the study of diurnal variation of surface dissolved oxygen (DO) of Subhas Sarobar Lake, Kolkata. For designing the mathematical model Fourier analysis method is taken in to consideration. Such developed mathematical model must put a signature of regional health condition of lake surrounding. Both the experimental and mathematical simulated results suggest that there exists almost similar trends of sinusoidal variation in surface temperature and surface DO of this lake water in their diurnal profile. Moreover the change in observed diurnal variation of surface DO of lake water in future if any, can give indication about the change in regional health condition of the lake. Actually this type of modeling approach will be able to deal with a wide spectrum of water resource as well as regional environmental problem issues.

Keywords : Fourier analysis; sinusoidal model; dissolved oxygen; Subhas Sarobar.

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SEED MEDIATED GROWTH CONTROLLED GOLD NANORODS: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

Abstracts

Gold nanospherical and nanorods in aqueous dispersion were synthesized using seed-mediated growth method. The gold nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. It showed that the diameter of the prepared Au nanospheres can be controlled by several parameters such as the amount and the type of seed. It was also found that the absorption peak shifted to lower wavelengths from 539 to 525 nm and the width of the peak decreased when the amount of the seed prepared using sodium citrate increase from 0.025 to 1 mL. In other words, the size of the gold nanospheres decreases when the amount of the seed increase, while the peak remains at 527 nm when the amount of the seed prepared, using cetyltrimethlyammonium bromide (CTAB) solution, increase. The emergence of another peak at 650 nm, which indicates the presence of the nanorods, appears after changing CTAB concentration and adding silver nitrate in the growth solution. The size of the gold nanospheres decrease when the concentration of the CTAB increase. The aspect ratio of gold nanorods can be controlled by adding different amount of silver nitrate and using seed prepared by CTAB solution.

Keywords : Gold nanoparticles; nanorods; aspect ratio.

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AMINOGLYCOSIDE AND BETA–LACTAM RESISTANCE PATTERN AMONG GRAM NEGATIVE BACILLI (GNB) ISOLATED FROM EGYPTIAN HOSPITALS BETWEEN 2012-2014

Abstracts

Aims: Antibiotic resistance is a problem of deep scientific concern both in hospital and community settings. The present study aims to monitor the prevalence of aminoglycoside and beta-lactam antibiotics resistance of Cairo, Egypt.

Methodology and Results: A total of 210 bacterial strains were isolated from urine, wound, sputum, endotracheal tube (ETT), pus and blood, which recovered from three hospitals and Central health laboratories during four periods between May 2012 to March 2014. All the isolates were Gram negative bacilli (GNB), the most prevalent pathogen were E. coli, 88 isolates (41.90%) including E. coli–ESBL, 11 (5.23%), Klebsiella spp., 57 isolates (27.14%) including Klebsiella spp.–ESBL, 4 (1.90%), Pseudomonas spp. (17.61%), Acinetobacter spp. (8.09%), Proteus spp. (2.85%), Enterobacter spp. (1.42%) and (0.47%) for both of Citrobacter spp. and Morganella spp. The most efficient penicillin (Beta-lactam) antibiotic was Imipenem (IPM) and the most efficient cephalosporin (Beta-lactam) antibiotic was the combination between cefoperazone/sulbactam (CES), while the most efficient aminoglycoside antibiotic was Amikin (AK). The most resistant bacterial isolated strains E. coli MAM-24 and Klebsiella spp. MAM-16 were resistant to nearly all the tested antibiotics were exposed to gamma radiation to get rid of them. Gamma radiation reduced the viable count of the two resistant strains gradually. Klebsiella spp. MAM-16 strain was more resistant to gamma radiation while E. coli MAM-24 was more sensitive.

Keywords : Gram negative bacilli (GNB); beta-lactam; aminoglycoside antibiotics; multi drug resistant bacteria (MDR); gamma radiation.

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GREEN'S FUNCTION AND ITS APPLICATION TO DETERMINATION OF MASS SPECTRUM IN QFT AND QCD

Abstracts

The increased power of particle accelerators leads to the creation of new and wonderful synthetic hadronic structures, and the interactions and physical interactions between the hadronic bound states are expressed by Hamiltonian equations and relations of system. With regard to different effects of conditions governing the elementary particle and the constructed bound systems, it is essential to investigate the impact of each physical parameter on the collision. The typical interactions between the bound states of particles include Hamiltonian spin-spin, spin-orbital, iso-spin, perturbation, and chaos effect, etc. According to the target hadronic structure, we analyze the equation of state for particles and bound systems through relativistic, non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic relations. Based on the relativistic and non-perturbation of hadronic structures, we will provide a new form of Green's function (functional integral), which plays the important role in solving the Hamiltonian equations of bound state systems, in order to facilitate solving the field equations by expanding the mathematical model of functional integral.

Keywords : Hamiltonian system; dirac delta function; linear operator; single-loop diagram.

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THE APPLICATIONS OF SMART TECHNOLOGIES IN A SMART CLASSROOM: TOWARDS A SMART CAMPUS INFORMATION SYSTEM

Abstracts

The increasing development of smart technologies offered many opportunities for objects in the real world to communicate using sensors and communication networks. One of the application areas is the construction of smart classroom for campus Informatization. The construction of smart classroom based on the smart technologies such Internet of thing(IoT), Bigdata, cloud computing, mobile computing, network infrastructure need the understanding of their roles in this development. This conceptual paper explores the roles of these smart technologies for smart classroom development toward a smart campus information system. Through the analysis of the key concepts, the architectural layers for the smart classroom were proposed hoping to achieve sustainable intelligent classroom towards smart campus information system.

Keywords : Bigdata; cloud computing; internet of thing; network; smart classroom; campus; mobile computing.

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HYPERKALEMIA DUE TO EXCESSIVE INTAKE OF SWEET POTATO AND BANANA

Abstracts

One of the causes of hyperkalemia in patients with impaired renal function includes the excessive consumption of foods containing large amounts of potassium. We report the case of an 81-year-old man with chronic kidney disease brought by ambulance for weakness and difficulty walking. The patient has a history of congestive heart failure and hypertension; he was taking a potassium-sparing diuretic, along with an angiotensin II receptor blocker and a calcium channel blocker for hypertension. At presentation he was found to be hyperkalemic and was given life-saving emergency hemodialysis. It was found that the patient had consumed more than 500 g of sweet potatoes and two bananas on a daily basis starting one week before. The patient was educated not to consume too much of either food, as both contain large amounts of potassium, and he was discharged five days after initial presentation. Since this time, there have been no signs of hyperkalemia. Practitioners should exercise caution when administering drugs for chronic kidney disease patients who may have high potassium levels. Such patients should be instructed to refrain from excessive intake of foods with high potassium content.

Keywords : Hyperkalemia; sweet potato; banana; chronic kidney disease; food intake.

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Teachers’ Causal Attributions in Controlling Premarital Sex among Adolescents in Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstracts

Aim: Teachers play a key role in modifying learners’ involvement in premarital sex. Their success depends on where they lay blame for this behavior. The objective of this study was to establish teachers’ causal attributions in controlling adolescents’ initiation into premarital sex.

Methodology: A sample of 364 teachers (103 males, 261 females) was drawn from a population of 1,824 secondary school teachers.  In addition to this, a questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using descriptive statistics and results presented in pie charts and bar charts. 

Results: The respondents made the following causal attributions towards adolescents’ initiation into premarital sex: Personality factors 46.84% (immorality 18.93%, indiscipline 17.80%, irresponsibility 16.67%, avoid consequences 14.97%, lack of self-control 14.41%, curiosity 12.71% and ignorance 4.52%.); Peer-Related Factors 16.94% (peer pressure 89.08% and peer gangs 10.92%); School Factors 16.26% (lack of sex education 78.31% and lack of guidance and counseling 21.69%); Family Factors 10.22% (lack of parental guidance 96.19% and family conflicts 3.8%) and Social-economic factors (Media 66%, societal moral decay 14%, early exposure to sex 13% and poverty 7%).

Conclusion: Teachers make varying causal attributions towards adolescent initiation into marital sex behavior. The causal attributions were analyzed under personality, peer related, school, family and socio-economic factors.  The findings form a basis for understanding teachers’ ability to control adolescent premarital sex behaviors. To facilitate teachers’ control over adolescents’ early sex initiation, teachers understanding of their style of attribution should be addressed.

Keywords : Adolescence; teachers’ causal attributions; premarital sex initiation.

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The Martyrdom of St. Julia: On Microbial Strategies to Evade the Immune System

Abstracts

Bacteria and viruses use an array of evasion mechanisms to escape from the host immune system. Due to antigenic variation, pathogenic micro-organisms can escape the immune system. Micro-organisms can occur in different types, such as the 97 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Influenza viruses change their antigenic make-up, in particular, the hemagglutinin molecule by antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Trypanosomes and malaria parasites use DNA programmed expression of highly variable surface antigens. Micro-organisms can also produce proteins that degrade (IgA protease) or inactivate antibody molecules (protein A and protein G). Some bacteria and viruses produce proteins that inhibit complement activation. Virus can become invisible for recognition by T-lymphocytes by interference with antigen presentation. Antiviral immunity can be suppressed by viral homologues of cytokines and cytokine receptors and other proteins. Despite the extensive immune evasion strategies used by viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms, the immune system in most cases is ultimately able to control an infection.

Keywords : Evasion mechanisms; IgA proteases; capsular polysaccharides; antigenic drift; antigenic shift; complement inhibitors; antigen presentation; cytokine homologues.

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HIV Infection and Therapeutic Interventions: Review on HIV Infection Biology, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAARTs), Hepatotoxicity, Nephrotoxicity and Dyslipidemia

Abstracts

Three and half decades following the identification of HIV, the disease remains a global health concern as people get infected with the virus which has no cure coupled with the unavailability of vaccines. The discovery of some drugs has classified the disease into a chronic disease category. These drugs have dramatically reduced the high morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS. However, the disease has become a double-edged saw as both sides have their negative implications thus, the virus suppressing the immune system and the drugs which are intended for treatment induce toxicities in some major organs. This paper summarized the biology behind HIV infection, the therapeutic intervention and the effects of the therapeutic intervention on the liver, kidney and lipid metabolism.

Keywords : Hepatotoxicity; nephrotoxicity; dyslipidemia; HAART; HIV infection; CD4.

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A Progressive Prolapse of a Left Ventricular Pacing Lead into the Right Ventricle in a Patient with Cardiac Resynchronized Therapy

Abstracts

This case report illustrated a progressive prolapse of a left ventricular (LV) lead into the right ventricle and pulmonary artery for more than 2 years in a 33-year-old woman with a history of congestive heart failure secondary to nonischemic cardiomyopathy and left bundle branch block that underwent implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator with cardiac resynchronized therapy. This phenomenon’s mechanism might have been reverse reel or ratchet syndrome. This phenomenon could be missed because the LV lead tip was fixed with unchanged pacing measurements and the course of the thin LV lead could not be easily identified on chest radiographs.

Keywords : Cardiac resynchronized therapy; defibrillator; left ventricular lead; macrodislocation lead-dysfunctioning syndromes; prolapse.

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HYPEREOSINOPHILIC CARDIOMYOPATHY WITH NON-COMPACTION FEATURES COMPLICATED BY MID LV CAVITY OBSTRUCTION: A CASE REPORT

Abstracts

Cardiomyopathies represent a wide spectrum of myocardial disease where each type of cardiomyopathy have distinctive morphological features, the overlap between 2 distinct types of cardiomyopathies is rare, we are describing a case of  hypereosinophilic cardiomyopathy where the morphological features of both ventricles simulate non compaction cardiomyopathy and hypereosinophilic cardiomyopathy .although the non-compaction features are not typical the overlap between the cardiomyopathies caused an unusual myocardial morphology .the endocardial fibrosis progressed to form a fibrous endocardial mid left ventricular ring that caused significant mid LV obstruction ,the severe LV obstruction progressed to biventricular failure .the patient was referred to surgery to relieve the obstruction with improvement in his NYHA class and LV functions after the operation .this case highlights the possibility of having atypical myocardial features that cannot fit in one type of myocardial disease, it also shows a severe progressive form of endocardial fibrosis to the extent of causing severe LV obstruction.

Keywords : Hypereosinophilic cardiomyopathy; left ventricular mid cavity obstruction; LV non compaction.

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DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF TROPICAL THERMO-RESISTANT DARK CHOCOLATE

Abstracts

The purpose of this research was to develop a formulation for the production of dark chocolate that would be thermally stable at tropical temperatures. Thermo-resistant dark chocolate was formulated by the inclusion of cocoa liquor at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90% level of the total recipe, with the addition of corn starch at 10% in all the recipes. Conventional dark chocolate of 60% cocoa liquor was used as a reference sample. Physical, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on the chocolate samples. The melting points of the seven thermo-resistant dark chocolate samples were found to be between 40.0 - 45.5°C, while the conventional dark chocolate melted at 35°C. The melting points of thermo-resistant dark chocolate samples containing 30, 40, 50 and 60% cocoa liquor were significantly different (p < 0.05) from that of 70, 80 and 90%, while that of convectional dark chocolate was significantly different (p < 0.05) from others. The production of thermo-resistant dark chocolate will improve the handling, distribution, storage and availability of dark chocolate in the tropics and make available to them the health benefits of the product. Thermo-resistant recipe is a new and additional recipe for the production of dark chocolate.

Keywords : Thermo-resistant; corn starch; dark chocolate; product development; food product; tropics.

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NEONATAL OUTCOME OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AS COMPARED TO ADULT PREGNANCY IN A TERTIARY MATERNITY HOSPITAL IN SUDAN (SEPTEMBER 2016 TO JANUARY 2017)

Abstracts

Background and Objectives: Pregnancy during teenage years is associated with adverse outcomes for both mother and baby. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential influence of teenage pregnancy on neonatal health outcomes and to compare the delivery outcomes in teenage and adult pregnancy in a tertiary maternity hospital in Sudan.

Methods: This was a prospective and comparative study that was conducted in Omdurman maternity hospital in Sudan during the period September 2016 to January 2017. A total of 200 neonates were selected (100 cases) and (100 control group). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing maternal and neonatal data. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.

Results: The main results showed significant differences between the two groups with regards to level of education and socio-economic status (P values 0.015 and 0.029 respectively). The study didn’t show any significant differences between the two groups regarding gestational age or mode of delivery (P values 0.076 and 0.069 respectively). Regarding neonatal outcome, Low birth weight was significantly higher among teenage mothers (P value = 0.001), the study didn’t show any significant differences between the two groups regarding admission to the neonatal unit or low Apgar score (P values 0.377 and 0.277 respectively).

Conclusion: Teenage mothers were more likely to have low birth weight babies. In other respects, there were no significant differences between teenage and non-teenage mothers.

Keywords : Teenage pregnancy; perinatal outcomes; low birth weight; Apgar score.

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JUSTIFICATION OF OUTSOURCING IN E-GOVERNANCE USING QUEUING THEORY: A CASE DISCUSSION

Abstracts

E-governance is an IT enabled special service offered by different Government organization for improving the service effectiveness in different areas of governance. These services are often being outsourced because of several reasons without analyzing quantitatively. But there is need for justification of these outsourcing quantitatively. In this paper a case analysis has been done with the help of the queuing theory to justify these outsourcing decisions and suggested a model for carrying out outsourcing in general.

Keywords : E-governance; queuing theory; outsourcing; decision making.

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LICHEN PLANUS: REPORT OF AN UNCOMMON CASE IN A PAEDIATRIC PATIENT

Abstracts

Oral lichen planus is one of the most common oral mucosal lesions in adults and it has been rarely described in children also. There is data in the literature regarding oral lichen planus in children. In this paper we reported a case of intraoral lesions of lichen planus in a paediatric patient. Lichen planus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hyperkeratotic or erosive lesions of the oral mucosa in children.

Keywords : Hyperkeratosis; lichen planus; mucocutaneous; paediatric.

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DC-AC CONDUCTIVITY BEHAVIORS OF Poly (2-methoxy aniline-co-2-chloro aniline) AND Poly (2-methoxy aniline-co-2-chloro aniline) - composite-clay

Abstracts

Poly (2-methoxy aniline-co-2-chloro aniline)  was synthesized by both emulsion and oxidative polymerization methods and named as poly (OMA-co-OCA)-1) and poly(OMA-co-OCA)-2  respectively and poly (2-methoxy aniline-co--2-chloro aniline)-composite-clay (poly (OMA-co-OCA)/clay) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization method using K₂Cr₂O₇as oxidant, sodium lauryl sulphate as surfactant and HCl as dopant. The synthesized copolymer and its composite were characterized by FTIR, UV- visible, TGA-DTA, XRD and ¹H NMR. The dc-ac electrical conductivity was studied using the four point probe method. Poly (OMA-co-OCA)-2 has greater conductivity than poly (OMA-co-OCA)-1. The dielectric spectra and dielectric loss spectra illustrate the capacitance behavior.  The copolymer and the composite are found to be semiconducting and the copolymer composite has higher conductivity than the copolymer. The △E_ac as calculated from Arrhenius plot is the lowest in poly (OMA-co-OCA)-2. The rate of polymerization and the electron hopping mechanism are discussed.

Keywords : Copolymerization; clay composite; electron hopping.

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LASER PULSE HEATING IN THERMO-MICROSTRETCH ELASTIC LAYER OVERLYING THERMOELASTIC HALFSPACE

Abstracts

In the present problem the 2D deformation under the effect of laser pulse heating in a thermo microstretch elastic solid at the interface of thermoelastic solid is discussed. A laser pulse is applied along an overlaying thermo microstretch elastic layer of thickness d. The problem is in the context of Green Naghdi (GN) theory. The analytic expressions for components of normal displacement, temperature distribution, normal force stress and tangential couple stress for the considered solid have been obtained using normal mode analysis technique. The effect of micropolarity,  stretch and laser pulse heating on the derived components have been depicted graphically.

Keywords : Thermoelasticity; microstretch; laser pulse; normal mode.

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CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION OF IRON SPECIES FROM DILUTED FERRIC AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

Abstracts

The precipitation of iron oxides from aqueous media containing diluted ferric species was studied under controlled pH, temperature, and iron concentration. The experimental results show, under iron concentrations between 3 to 165 ppm, that ferric hydroxide is present at pH values ranging between 0.6 to 13, while the aqueous univalent ferrous hydroxide at a pH values between 7 and 9.3, and the ferrous hydroxide appears in the pH range among 4.15 and 13.

The chemical precipitation of iron species cause changes in some of the physicochemical properties of the experimental media; it is concluded that the ionic strength affects the zeta potential values, the electrical conductivity of the liquid media, pH, and its surface tension.

Keywords : Iron oxides; chemical precipitation; ionic strength; zeta potential; electrical conductivity.

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NEW ASPECTS OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

Abstracts

Background: Endometriosis is a common disease seen in women of reproductive age yet its pathophysiology is often problematic. It is caused due to the presence of endometrial glands or stoma in sites other than the uterine cavity. The most frequent clinical presentations of endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, dyspareunia, infertility, and pelvic mass. However, the correlation between these symptoms and the stage of endometriosis is poor.
Objectives: To discover new aspects in the pathophysiology and treatment of Endometriosis.
Search Methods: Various researches performed on endometriosis were studied and a collaborative study is done.
Results: We understood that various factors are involved in endometriosis. Starting from retrograde menstruation, to toxic causes, to environmental factors, all were studied in detail.
Discussion & Conclusion: It was analyzed that many factors were involved as the causing factors behind endometriosis. The new treatments approaches were also studied and was observed that treatment approach is still under darkness and researches can be done for better treatment approaches.

Keywords : Endometriosis; dysmenorrheal; pelvic pain; dyspareunia; infertility; and pelvic mass.

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FREE CONVECTION SLIP FLOW WITH DIFFUSION- THERMO IN A CONVECTIVELY HEATED VERTICAL POROUS CHANNEL

Abstracts

The problem of free convection flow with diffusion-thermo and Navier slip condition in the presence of Newtonian heating in a vertical porous channel has been studied. Due to the nature of the flow governing equations a closed form semi-analytical method have been derived for velocity, temperature and concentration profiles. Results of the numerical computations are presented graphically and discussed quantitatively for various flow parameters embedded in the problem. It is observed that, Diffusion-Thermo, Navier slip and Newtonian heating play a significant role in the flow formation.

Keywords : Free convection; diffusion-thermo; porous medium; slip condition; convectively heating.

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DEATH AND RESURRECTION IN Edward Albee's Three Tall Women

Abstracts

The purpose of the present research is to trace and explore typical Absurdist elements in Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, in particular obsession with death and emptiness of existence. In the play, Albee portrays human frailty and mortality quite unsentimentally. The tall women of the play lay bare the truths of our lives – how we live, how we love, what we settle down for and how we die. The researchers aim to analysesuch notions and motifs as preoccupation with death, death-wish, decay, and nothingness as well as their psychological effects in light of existentialistic perspectives. Furthermore, the familiar existential themes of anxiety, nihilism, philosophical pessimism, and absurdity are explored and traced in the play. The article shows that the characters eventually overcome the despair and frustration caused by death and the realisation of its reality and resurrect by embracing life with all its pains, horrors, and setbacks.

Keywords : The theatre of the absurd; existentialism; nihilism; anxiety; Edward Albee; Three Tall Women.

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LV NON COMPACTION CARDIOMYOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH A PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS IN AN ADULT DESCRIBING A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstracts

Isolated Left Ventricular Non-Compaction (LVNC) is a rare congenital anomaly LVNC is commonly associated with congenital heart disease. Patients with LV non compaction also manifest with typical symptoms of heart failure, arrhythmias and thromboembolism, we report a 22-year-old male with LVNC and patent ductus arteriosus. After careful reviewing of the literature we found that this is the tenth reported case to have such a rare association between left ventricular non compaction cardiomyopathy and patent ductus arteriosus.

Learning Objectives: LV non compaction is a rare type of cardiomyopathy that can be easily misdiagnosed by echocardiographers. This case highlights the importance of echocardiography in diagnosing LV non compaction .it also presents a rare association between LV non compaction and patent ductus arteriosus which is the least common congenital heart disease known to be associated with LV non compaction. 

Keywords : Left ventricular non-compaction; patent ductus arteriosus; cardiomyopathy.

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CORRELATION AMONG BODY MASS INDEX AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT TYPE 2 DIABETES

Abstracts

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes is a public health problem, a group of metabolic disorders that affect different organs and tissues lasts throughout life and is characterized by hyperglycemia due to a delivery defect of insulin, which has an effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

Objective: To determine the correlation between body mass index and biochemical parameters in people with and without type 2 diabetes.

Methodology: Quantitative, cross-sectional, observational, analytical, in the comprehensive primary health care center, in people with type 2 diabetes in mutual aid group (MAG) of 18 years or more, and one of their offsprings. Plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, Low Density Lipid, High Density Lipid, and triglycerides were determined. Pearson's r, linear regression equation, t-test, and P-value and 95% confidence intervals were calculated between body mass index and biochemical parameters.

Results: The sample consisted of 70 people with type 2 diabetes and 71 offspring of subjects with type 2 diabetes. No correlation or linear relationship between body mass index and measurements of glycemia, total cholesterol, Low Density Lipid, High Density Lipid, and triglycerides with P values ​​greater than .05.

Conclusion: In this sample, no association was found between body mass index and measured biochemical parameters.

Keywords : Body Mass Index; glycemia; total cholesterol; low density lipid; high density lipid; tryglicerides; type 2 diabetes.

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DETERMINATION OF PRINCIPAL VOLATILE COMPOUNDS OF NANOENCAPSULATED COCONUT SHELL-LIQUID SMOKE AS A FOOD BIOPRESERVATIVE

Abstracts

Nanoencapsulated liquid smoke was made to enhance the physicochemical qualities, ease of handling and application of liquid smoke (LS) prepared from pyrolysis of coconut shells. A descriptive experiment was conducted to compare redistilled LS (sample F1), homogenised dispersion of nanoparticles (sample F2) and spray dried nanoencapsulated preparation of LS (sample F3). Encapsulants used were chitosan (1.5% w/v) and maltodextrin (8.5% w/v). The qualitative and quantitative composition of volatile compounds were studied by using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) techniques. Results showed that sample F1 consisted primery of as acetic acid (57.70%) and phenol (24.03%). Sample F2 contained 18 compounds dominated by acetic acid (50.49%) and phenol (24.55%), and sample F3 contained 6 compounds dominated by acetic acid (11.10%) and phenol (70.79%). Nanoencapsulated liquid smoke (sample F3) was reduced an of acetic acid and increased in phenol content. It is suggested that nanoencapsulated liquid smoke will have enhanced as biopreservative activity compared with redistilled LS and enhanced sensory acceptability.

Keywords : Volatile compounds; coconut shell-liquid smoke; nanocapsules; chitosan; maltodextrin.

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CROSS-REACTIVITY OF PROKARYOTIC 16S rRNA GENE-SPECIFIC PRIMERS WITH GENOMES FROM EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS FROM MARSHLANDS

Abstracts

The 16S rRNA gene sequences have become the standard genetic markers for determining phylogenetic relationships among bacteria and archaea because of its presence in all prokaryotes. There has been conservation of structure and function of 16S rRNA gene and the length of the sequence (about 1500bp) in bacterial kingdom in spite of major evolutionary changes in other essential genes. Thus, it has become a gold standard in identification of non-culturable bacteria and archaea in environmental samples. Therefore, several 16S rRNA gene specific universal primers have been designed and are routinely used for identification of microbial diversity associated with environmental samples. But to target large microbial consortia universal primers need to be degenerate. It is generally believed that those primers do not give cross amplification with eukaryotic DNA. However, we have shown by in silico analysis, that they can cross react with many eukaryotic DNAs and give false results if that DNA is present in the environmental samples. We have validated our in silico findings using experimental approaches. Thus, cross-reactivity of these primers makes metagenomic studies more prone to false positive results and thereby decreases overall sensitivity.

Keywords : 16S r-RNA gene, phylogenetic analysis, wetlands, PCR cross-reactivity, Genomic DNA.

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INVESTIGATING THE CHANGE OF ACTION POTENTIAL WAVEFORMS BY PHARMACOLOGICAL INFUSION INTO L. terrestris

Abstracts

With the advent of uncountable number of new technologies, in fact, more people has experiencing cases of nerve cord injuries. However, not an optimal animal model for nerve cord injuries has been documented using invertebrates. The study was designed to investigate the use of L. terrestris as a model for the treatment of spinal cord injuries and their follow-up monitoring. Using a telemetric system to record data, the pharmacological effects on action potential were assessed, while comparing with a negative control water on the waveforms. The impulse reactions of the earthworm were examined to varying voltages of electrical stimuli.

By comparing the Fast Fourier Transform, interpolation-foldagram and stabilization time from each waveform, it was suggested that the four drugs, Ibuprofen, Phenol, Benzocaine and Acetaminophen in this study had a characteristic trend in change of each parameters. According to the patterns derived from the waveforms, both the type and the amount of the substances had an effect on L. terrestris’ action potentials, though not statistically significant. The result showed that the parameters we measured could be proportional to the doses of drugs within a certain range of electric stimulation. This study might contribute to more in-depth understanding of action potential propagation and nerve cord injury, if it could be applied properly.

Keywords : Action potential; spinal cord injury; invertebrate animal model; pharmacological stimuli; telemetric system; nervous propagation.

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THE USE OF QUICK SOIL SURVEY AND GIS TOOLS FOR LAND DEGRADATION MONITORING IN A RURAL MUNICIPALITY IN SOUTH-EASTERN BRAZIL

Abstracts

The pressure for agricultural use in hilly areas regarded as marginal to the productive process, committed to carrying capacity of natural systems and exposes the available resources, especially soil and water with higher rates of degradation. To circumvent these problems, it is necessary to find mechanisms that mitigate the conflicts generated between productive actives and the environment. One should then respect the specificities and restrictions of local soils and their interactions with others components of the environment, trying to select and adapt agricultural practices and techniques best suited to local conditions, enabling a sustainable land use. This study aimed to evaluate the use of GIS tools for improving the soil survey and to map land use and cover in the municipality of Campo do Meio (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The soil units occurring in the area are: Fluvisols, Gleysols, Acrisols and Ferralsols. The soil survey was carried out in an expeditious way considering the main relief forms and natural vegetation occurring in the region. The land use map was created using satellite images (CBERS) and field sampling data. The use of GIS tools and techniques, complemented by a quick soil survey provided extra information that could support the planning of natural resources, minimizing the negative environmental impacts and optimizing the soil use and management.

Keywords : Digital soil mapping; sustainable agroecosystems; land use; land cover; remote sensing.

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TYPICAL CURRICULAR PATHWAYS OF UNDERGRADUATE PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION

Abstracts

The pharmaceutical sector is an integral pillar of any nation’s healthcare system. In developed countries, the pharmacy profession has evolved from the simple apothecary product-oriented role in which medicines are compounded and dispensed into a more patient-centred practice in which pharmacists cater for all pharmaceutical needs of the society in a safe, effective and cost-effective manner. The pharmacy education has also evolved in line with the evolving profession in order to encompass all the extra knowledge and skills required for pharmacists to effectively participate in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Therefore, the curricular structure of undergraduate pharmaceutical education has become more sophisticated as clinical and professional courses were added to the traditional product- oriented and laboratory-based courses.
However, in developing countries pharmaceutical services are substandard. In addition, the undergraduate pharmaceutical education systems are variable in quality, operate with obsolete curricula and are detached from essential societal needs and global innovations in the field of pharmacy.
By ensuring that pharmacists are educated and trained according to predefined high quality standards, national governments will fulfil an ethical obligation towards the general public as the societal needs of professional pharmacists are being catered for.
The aim of this paper is to underline the typical curricular pathways of undergraduate pharmaceutical education at the bachelor level provided in reference to quality international standards. This description will illustrate the difference between the “Bachelor of pharmacy” and “Bachelor of pharmaceutical science”, and demonstrate how such difference reflects on the curricular structure and graduate qualities (i.e. societal needs) of both degrees.
It is important to note that the curricular structure stated in this paper represents a general guideline; the deep details of each stream of study (pharmaceutical education program structure) can vary according to societal pharmaceutical needs, cultural attributes and national circumstances. Pharmaceutical education curricular structure needs to reflect various career directions in order to equip students with knowledge and skills required for a competent future practice.

Keywords :Pharmaceutical education; pharmacy education; pharmacy curriculum.

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THE COMPARISON OF HIDDEN LEARNING IN AZAD AND STATE UNIVERSITIES IN ACADEMIC INTERACTIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF STUDENTS

Abstracts

What students learn during their study is not only the result of the Official Curriculum. Factors such as the behavior of instructors, how to test, classroom environment and laws and regulations which are known as hidden curriculum also affect the student. This study is done aiming to compare the hidden learning of students in Azad and state universities with a descriptive - survey method. For early identification of hidden learning, several brainstorming sessions was held by the experts in the field a researcher-made questionnaire with twelve items were studied. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using professors' opinion and the reliability using Cronbach's alpha with a value of 0.60. The statistical community members were final year undergraduate students in Tehran's state universities and branches of Azad in Tehran- Iran. Sample size was obtained 96 using the formula and the stratified probability sampling method was used. The information entered in SPSS and each phrase was examined using the t-student test. From among the twelve words, students of state university were agree with nine of them, but "It is useless to change the teaching condition", "in University, observing the education rules is not very rigorous" and "The questions of final exam has no good relationship with the items covered in class" were not confirmed by students in state Universities. On the other hand, eight phrases were confirmed by students of Azad Universities but "The degree received from the University has an appropriate credit", "If you do not participate in the class, you can pass the exams by studying the contents", "Questions of final exams have no good relationship with what covered in class" and "You don’t need to study during the semester to pass the exam" were not confirmed among the students of Azad University.

Keywords :Hidden Curriculum; Islamic Azad University; State University.

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GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MATHEMATICS AS A FUNCTION OF THE SAXON MATH PROGRAM

Abstracts

Student performance on the Grade 8 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Mathematics test was examined to determine the extent to which differences were present as a function of Saxon Math instruction. Scores for boys (n = 998) and girls (n = 998) who took the TAKS Mathematics assessment in 2007 (n = 527), 2008 (n = 478), 2009 (n = 513), and 2010 (n = 478) were analyzed. Statistically significant differences, albeit small effect sizes, were yielded in the percent of boys and girls who met the TAKS Mathematics Met Standard. The percent of the non-Saxon Math students who achieved Met Standard was statistically significantly lower than the percent of Saxon Math students who achieved Met Standard after receiving one, two, and three years of Saxon Math instruction. The percent of girls who reached Commended Performance in the non-Saxon school year was statistically significantly lower than the percent of girls who received one, two, and three years of Saxon Math instruction. Boys’ Commended Performance status was not influenced by Saxon Math instruction. Implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are made.

Keywords :Commended performance; met standard; Saxon math; gender differences; mathematics instruction.

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QUALITY OF LIFE OF LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE USERS AT MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA ATTICA, GREECE. RESULTS OF A PILOT CASE STUDY

Abstracts
A pilot study has been conducted in order to examine quality of lfie (QoL) indicators of social service users at Municipality of Glyfada. The study aimed: a) to provide a comprehensive account of service users’ QoL, b) to examine interrelations between subjective QoL indices and how these interrelate with global well-being, c) to explore the life domains mostly affected by economic crisis as well as, life domains which affect positively the QoL of participants and d) to examine the way service users assess their needs, and the kind of services they would like to receive in order to improve their QoL.
The study sample consisted of 100 service users who participated in a structured interview based on the LQoL Profile. Results indicated that a) the majority of social service users were unemployed middle aged men and women, with annual income up to 6000 euro. 63% of the sample was single –parent families headed by women with primary school children. Positive QoL indicators were, a) stable accommodation (very low rate of homelessness in the area), b) a high sense of security that participants feel in their neighborhood, and c) the frequent contact with family and friends. According to participants’ views, local social services should employ a holistic approach which includes, empowerment counseling, as well as adequate networking with community resources.

Keywords :Quality of life; social service users; local community.

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PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF SPRAY DRIED Arrenga pinnata JUICE POWDER

Abstracts

Sugar palm juice powder was obtained by spray drying fresh sugar palm juice. A lab plant spray dryer SD-05 was used for the study. The drying conditions were inlet air temperature 130°C, pump speed 350 Ml/h, outlet air temperature 70°C and maltodextrin addition at 20%. The proximate condition of Arrenga pinnnata juice Powder obtained was analysed for moisture content, ash, protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate and were 3.8±0.12, 1.6±0.03, 2.7±0.23, 1.1±0.03, 8.0±0.23 and 81.8±0.36 respectively. This study demonstrates that sugar palm juice (Arrenga pinnata) can be preserved as powder and used as a natural beverage.

Keywords : Spray drying; sugar palm juice; beverage powder.

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SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA ANTIGEN AS DIAGNOSTIC FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA MARKER

Abstracts

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Contributing to the poor prognosis of HCC is the lack of specific symptoms in the early stages of the disease. More than 60% of patients are diagnosed with late-stage disease after metastasis has occurred. Many recent literatures have reported that the squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) is over expressed in HCC tissues with a higher concentration of this antigen in the serum of HCC patients than cirrhotic patients.

Aim: So this work aims to investigate whether SCCA serum levels are considered as a useful tool for HCC diagnosis or not.

Patients and Methods: The present study was done on a total number 141 included 47 healthy individuals as control group. Blood samples were obtained from 94 patients with chronic liver disease, divided into two groups: Group (I) included 47 patients with HCC; Patients with cancers other than HCC or metastatic liver cancer were excluded. Group (II) included 47 patients with liver cirrhosis and without any evidence of HCC. Questionnaire was used to collect clinical data while Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), SCCA levels, serum HBsAg and anti-HCV were determined using ELISA method. Abdominal ultrasound scan and computed CT were also done for all participants.

Results: The mean AFP value for cases with HCC was higher than those in patients with cirrhotic p and control healthy adults. The mean SCCA level was 2.54±0.56 ng/ml in control while for HCC and cirrhosis cases were 6.42±3.18 and 3.62±1.2 ng/ml respectively (P = 0.001). The receiver operating curve (ROC) was done for AFP and SCCA, the area under curve (AUC) for AFP was 0.865, the sensitivity was 74.47% and a specificity of 100%. For SCCA, the area under curve (AUC) was 0.904; the sensitivity was 82.98% and a specificity of 95.56%.

Conclusion: The ROC for the SCCA indicated that, it is considered superior on AFP in detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. This reflects its accuracy as a good screening test for hepatocellular carcinoma compared AFP.

Keywords : Hepatocellular carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma antigen; alpha-fetoprotein.

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NUTRITIONAL AND ANTINUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF GRAPE FRUIT (Citrus paradisi) JUICE USING DIFFERENT EXTRACTION METHODS

Abstracts

The juice of grape fruit (Citrus paradisi MacFad) when extracted contains various nutrients and antinutrients. The effect of different extraction methods (hand squeezing, use of blender and use of juice extractor) on these nutrients and antinutrients was investigated in this study. Hand squeezing produced juice with the highest moisture (91.23 ± 0.08%), ash (0.27 ± 0.01%) and protein (1.96 ± 0.02%) contents while the juice extractor had juice with highest carbohydrate content (6.92 ± 0.10%). The minerals were highest in the hand squeezed fruit juice. Calcium content was highest in the grape fruit juice samples and ranged from 2.35 ± 0.02% - 2.38 ±0.02%. The vitamin C content was highest (54.31 ± 0.02%) in the juice extracted with the fruit juice extractor. Of all the antinutrients, flavonoids had the highest concentration and ranged from 2.17 ± 0.03 – 2.76 ± 0.03% while pectin had the lowest concentration of 0.002 ± 0.001 –0.006 ± 0.001% in the fruit juice samples. Consumption of grape fruit is advised due to the presence of essential nutrients that possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. Extraction of the juice using juice extractor which produced minimal antinutrients and highest Vitamin C is therefore advised.

Keywords : Citrus paradisi; anti-nutritional; nutritional; extraction methods.

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CHROMOSOMAL ALTERATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

Abstracts

Today, breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly occurring cancer among women. Several studies have suggested that the proportion of BC can be attributed to a genetic factor that may be as high as 30%. The aim of the present study was to describe the types and frequencies of chromosomal abnormalities (CAs) in BC patients. Fifty-one patients were analysed as part of an ongoing study of the cytogenetics of BC. Cytogenetic analysis of blood samples was conducted by Giemsa‑banding in patients with BC. The karyotype results were normal in 68.6% of 51 patients; however, CAs were detected in 31.4% of the patients. The 27.5% and 3.9% of the patients exhibited structural aberrations (transloca­tions, deletions, inversions, duplications and fragilities) and numerical aberrations, respectively. Specifically, the deletions and fragilities among structural aberrations were the most common karyotypes (9.8% and 7.8%, respectively) among the patients. Deletions included del(7p11), del(7q32), del(9p32), del(11q23) and del(11q15). Inversions were present in 3.9% of all patients, and included inv(21)(q11;q21) and inv(11)(p15;q12). Translocations were detected in one patient (2%) and the frequency of other CAs, different to those types already mentioned, was 5.9%. Regarding numerical CAs, two patients (3.9%) had aneuploidies. This study demonstrated that genetic instability existed in 31.4% of BC patients, and emphasizes the importance of combined cytogenetic analysis for the diagnosis of BC. The 7p11, 7q32, 9p32, 11p15, 11q12, 11q23, 21q11, 21q21, 15p11 and 17q23 regions are becoming a model for understanding chromo­somal regions in BC. It seems that the presence of 11q and 7q deletions may play an important role in the development of BC. If so, different chromosome anomalies might have different pathogenetic and/or prognostic significance.

Keywords :Breast cancer; chromosomal aberrations.

 

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