This study aims at discussing how devolved governance system has an economic impact to rural counties in Kenya with Kakamega rural county as the case study. The Devolution is one of the most transformative changes to Kenya’s governance system brought about by the Kenya Constitution, 2010. Article 174 of the Constitution provides that one of the key objectives of devolution is to promote social and economic development and provide proximate, easily accessible services throughout Kenya. Many rural Counties including Kakamega County faced with a myriad of challenges such as poverty, unemployment, disease, low agricultural productivity among others. Kakamega County through its short, medium and long term plans came up with an Integrated Development Plan (CIDP). The CIDP helps the county in identification of the projects and programmes through various consultative forums at the sub-county level vide Focused Ward Groups, community dialogues, County Stakeholders, such as the County Budget and Economic Forum, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, Public Benefit Organizations such as GROOTS Kenya, ADS, and International development partners such as UNICEF, UNDP and USAID. Kakamega county has achieved much in terms of developments in various sectors such as education, health, infrastructure and urbanization. This study contributes in highlighting how devolved governance system has a positive impact to rural areas in kenya. The study provides crucial insights on devolution as a tool to economic development changes in rural Kenya especially in Kakamega County.

Background: Genomics is one of the disciplines of modern medicine that focuses on identifying causative genes and their related variations that may have an impact on complex disorders. Candidate gene association studies are critical for determining the genetic relationship of genomic variations with complicated illnesses. Aim: The goal of this study is to anticipate the likely relationship of PRDM16 gene variations with negative effects on structural and functional features using online computational tools. Methodology: An insilico approach was utilized to find out the rare variant in the PRDM16 gene. Result: We found eight missense variants including rs572205989, rs201814961, rs572178955, rs182452331, rs551202646, rs554705536, rs184929979 and rs573567598that could play a role in the development of disease. Discussion & conclusion: This methodology can be used in future genomes and association studies, but it must be tested in a model organism and cell culture. This research could be useful in personalized therapy and could lead to the discovery of new therapeutic markers for a variety of disorders.

This study examined managing school plant planning for climate change in the attainment of sustainable educational development for public secondary schools in Rivers State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The descriptive design was adopted. The population of the study comprised all the 542 public junior and senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample of 304 principals representing 56% of the population served as the study respondents. This sample was selected using the stratified random sampling technique. A validated Likert-modified 4-scale 16 item instrument titled: ‘Managing School Plant Planning for Climate Change in Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire (MSPPCCPSSQ)’ was used for data collection and its reliability coefficient was established at 0.82 using the Cronbach Alpha Correlation coefficient. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions while the z-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that discouraging deforestation while encouraging afforestation where trees acting as wind breakers are planted; communicating effectively with students by promoting students’ engagements by means of enlightening students on the importance of respecting green spaces such as school gardens, parks are some of the ways of managing school plant planning for climate change in the attainment of sustainable educational development in public secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended that Rivers State government should endeavor to champion the course of initiating proactive ways and policies in managing school plant planning for public secondary schools aimed at curbing the negative effects of climate change in Rivers State.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) widely grown in Pakistan during winter season. Aphid is one of the biological factors that inhibits seed germination and plant development. Methyl jasmonate is a plant growth regulator known to take part in defense responses against different types of stresses including Aphid attack. The current study was conducted to improve the growth of the wheat by the foliar application of Methyl jasmonate. Two wheat varieties (Shafaq and Gold) were be sown in plastic pots filled with 6 kg soil in each pot. After germination, wheat plants were treated with different Aphids. After three weeks of treatment data about survival percentage, root attributes, shoot attributes and nutrient analysis was be recorded using standard procedure. The experiment was be conducted under a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates and results was be deducted after statistical analysis. Different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (100 micromolar and 1mM) were applied to 20 days old wheat plant. Rhopalosiphum padi was allowed to infest the methyl jasmonate treated plants as well as non-treated plants. Control plants were covered with net and no concentration of methyl jasmonate were applied. Aphids were allowed to infest the plant for 48 hours, after that the plant from all treatments were sampled for all physiological studies. Methyl jasmonate treated plants as well as control plants were used for direct aphid population count after every week. Concluded results depicted that plants exposed to different concentrations of methyl jasmonate affected the root and shoot length, plant height which was further improved through MeJA supplementation.

Plexiform fibromyxoma (PFM) is a rare gastrointestinal tumor, primarily found in the stomach. Esophageal PFM is exceptionally rare. We describe a case of a mid-20s woman with respiratory and swallowing difficulties, revealing a 105x65 mm upper thoracic esophageal submucosal tumor during endoscopy. Biopsy lacked histological evidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Post-tumor removal histopathology showed a spindle tumor with plexiform architecture and myxoid-vascular stroma. Immunohistochemistry revealed vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin expression, while desmin, c-kit, DOG1, and CD34 were absent, confirming PFM. No recurrence or metastasis appeared during a 6-month follow-up. This case underscores the extreme rarity of esophageal PFM, emphasizing the need for precise diagnostic tools to navigate challenging differential diagnosis.

Introduction: High-risk & severe-risk pregnancies are characterized by increased risks of complications for both the mother and the fetus, which can result from several factors such as maternal age, medical situations, lifestyle habits, and previous pregnancies. These complications are a major concern, mostly in developing countries like Bangladesh, where maternal and infant mortality rates remain high. Maternal complications associated with high-risk and severe-risk pregnancies may include maternal death, severe bleeding, sepsis, and hypertensive disorders, while fetal complications may include preterm delivery, fetal growth restriction, and stillbirth. The objective of this study was to investigate the perinatal outcomes of high-risk and severe-risk pregnancies. Methods: This prospective purposive study was carried out on the admitted patients in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka from July 2007 to December 2007. Total hundreds of risk groups pregnant women (N=100) were enrolled in the study among them eighty-five (n=85) scoring 3-6 included as high risk pregnancy and fifteen (n=15) scoring 7 or more included as severe-risk pregnancy. All relevant data were recorded for each individual study subject on predesigned data collection sheet. All collected data were compiled and analyzed by computer-based statistical software (Instat). Chi-square tests were performed to compare the prevalence of study variables where, p < 0.05 considered the level of significance with 95%CI. Ethical clearance of this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results: In the high-risk group (n=85), around one-fourth of the patients (22,25.9%) and in a severe- risk group (n=15), one patient (1,6.7%) underwent vaginal delivery, Caesarean section was done in sixty-three patients (63,74.1%) in high-risk pregnant women and fourteen patients (14,93.3%) in severe-risk pregnant women respectively. The distribution of risk group and mode of delivery is statistically highly significant (P <0.001). Out of sixty-three patients (n1=63), nineteen (19, 30.2%) were required to be delivered by caesarean section for fetal distress and fifteen (15, 30.16%) were malpresentation. Out of forty-one patients (n2=14), the most common indications were a history of previous caesarean section with multiple risk factors in eight patients (8, 57.1%). Birth asphyxia was present in nine neonates (9, 13.6%) in a high-risk group (n = 65) and a severe- risk group (n2=14), and birth asphyxia was present in five neonates (5, 35.7%). Based on the outcome, in high-risk pregnancy (n=85), four neonates (4, 4.5%) died and in severe-risk pregnancy (n=15), one (1, 6.3%) died. Conclusion: The study found various obstetric complications and outcomes associated with high-risk and severe-risk pregnancies. The results indicated a significantly higher proportion of caesarean sections performed in severe-risk pregnancies compared to high-risk pregnancies. Moreover, the overall outcome was favorable, with only five neonatal deaths reported among the one hundred maternal risk groups.

Endodontic treatment is preferred to save the inside of the tooth, which is being infected by bacteria. There are many factors that can influence the outcome of an endodontic treatment. One of the most challenging factors is the anatomy of the tooth itself on which the endodontic treatment is planned. The location and type of tooth and structure of the root canal influence the anatomy of the tooth. This study aims to determine the effect of tooth location on the success rate of an endodontic treatment from the existing literature. Eight studies were included in this review with a total sample size of 6,056 patients who underwent endodontic treatment. All studies showed the outcome of endodontic treatment in the context of tooth type. Studies were consistent with the fact that the overall success rate of endodontic treatment is higher in anterior incisors as compared to premolars and molars owing to the number of canals per tooth and the comparative operational difficulty between incisors and molars while performing an endodontic treatment. Therefore, the findings in this review suggest that tooth location is a significant factor that can influence the outcome of endodontic treatment.

This paper critically examines the emergence of sexual technologies in Nigeria's digital public sphere. In particular, it explores how the use of sexual technologies like vibrators and dildos in public spaces is viewed as transgressive, and how cultural, social, and religious factors shape Nigerians' perceptions. The paper adopts the concept of transgressive publics to describe how social media enables minoritized groups to challenge dominant norms around sexuality. Two recent cases are analyzed – one involving a Nollywood actress publicly distributing dildos at an event, and another with a blogger recording Nigerian women using vibrators. To examine public discourse around these events, social media comments on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were collected and analyzed thematically. Key findings show sexual technologies are condemned as immoral, demonic, disrespectful to cultural values, and a threat to masculinity. Criticism relies heavily on moral and religious beliefs that cast non-normative sexual expressions as sinful. Reactions also expose gender anxieties related to female autonomy and shifting power relations. However, some pragmatic comments defend women's actions given Nigeria's difficult economic climate. While stigmatized, the public emergence of sexual technologies constitutes a transgressive public for asserting women's sexual agency and pushing boundaries. The study demonstrates how cultural narratives regulating sexuality are negotiated through technology, highlighting tensions between tradition and modernity.

High frequency modulation techniques play very important role in multilevel inverters MLIs. These techniques have several advantages over low frequency modulation methods where they provide lower harmonic contents and higher performance in real time adaptation. Multicarrier sinusoidal pulse width modulation MCSPWM is a common high frequency technique and control method for MLIs. The synchronization of carrier signals, complexity of hardware components and high cost are very important issues when implementing multicarrier MCSPWM in real time. This paper presents an efficient approach that can overcome the problems of multicarrier signals. The proposed approach combines the advantages of low and high frequency modulation techniques. Real time adaptation of modulation index can be achieved easily, and harmonics contents are reduced to very low levels as well. Simulation and comparison of the proposed approach with MCSPWM are presented. The proposed approach is applied and tested effectively with different topologies of MLIs.

Heliotropium curassavicum L. was screened for antimicrobial activity against some plant and human pathogens. Plant parts of H. curassavicum, were collected from mangrove habitats of Chollangi, near Kakinada, Plant parts are dried and extracts were obtained successfully with hexane, chloroform, methanol and water, by using Soxhlet extraction apparatus. The antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts on the various test organisms, including multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria were investigated. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts was determined by the Well Diffusion Method. The results concluded that the leaf and stem extracts of H. curassavicum possess antibacterial, antifungal activities. There is a possibility of developing this plant as a source of antibacterial and antifungal agent and further investigations are necessary to identify the bioactive principles.

Background: The World Health Organization recognizes the lack of public information about children and adolescents’ mental health (CAMH) disorders as a barrier to seeking help. This study assessed the current knowledge and attitudes of caregivers about CAMH problems in Egypt. Methods: A total of 1937 caregivers attending primary health care centers in Beni Suef, Egypt, were surveyed using the Arabic version of the University of Chicago Behavior Health Questionnaire (UCBHQ). Results: We found a statistical significance of positive attitude towards CAMH in parents’/caregivers’ who were females, relatively young, or had a higher educational degree. Due to the influence of media and negative publicity, caregivers were wary of the adverse effects of psychoactive medications and MH treatment. We also identified participants who had previously attended MH workshops or had a family member with mental illness were skeptical about existing MH services. Cultural background and spirituality were not a barrier to seeking MH care in this study. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to utilize social media, television ad campaigns, and print fora to raise awareness about stigma, etiology of MH problems, and evidence-based treatments targeting gender and age-specific population.

Literary studies encourage students to inculcate reading culture which ultimately produces graduates with creative and critical mind-set that could analyse and interpret all aspects of human life. Considering the importance of this field of knowledge, the National University Commission and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board have made it mandatory for admitting students into Nigerian universities to study BA (Ed) English, BA English, Law, and a host of other related programs at both undergraduate and post graduate studies. This research investigates how social media hinders the academic performance of Literature-in-English students in Kano State. Much attention given to the social media platforms by the students plays a significant influence in taking them relatively far away from their studies, and consequently making them too reluctant towards their academic pursuit which results into a great number of failures. Therefore, this research investigates the influence of social media on the academic performance of Literature-in-English students in Kano State. The study adopts a survey design with questionnaire as data collection instrument. The population of the study is the students of Federal College of Education, Kano; Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Kano; and Aminuddeen College of Education, Kano. The research analyses its data using descriptive and inferential statistics to present its findings and recommendations.

Tax avoidance is an action to minimize the tax burden with efforts by taxpayers that do not violate applicable laws. Tax avoidance in this research is measured using the formula statutory rate of tax – effective tax rate. Profitability is measured using Return on Assets (ROA), company size is measured by Ln Total Assets, corporate social responsibility uses the GRI-Standards measurement, Inventory intensity uses the measurement of total inventory divided by total assets. The research objective to be achieved in this research is to provide understanding and knowledge to the public, especially the government, management, investors and creditors regarding the role of profitability, company size, corporate social responsibility, and inventory intensity on potential tax avoidance and can be used as a reference for future researchers as well as reference for stakeholders (management, investors, creditors and government) in making relevant and reliable decisions. This research uses manufacturing companies in the consumer goods sector with the research year 2018-2022 which are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange as research objects. The total sample was 105 samples using the purposive sampling method. The data analysis techniques used are Descriptive Statistical Analysis, Classical Assumption Test, Hypothesis Test, and Linear Regression Test. Based on the analysis results, it was found that profitability has a positive effect on tax avoidance. Meanwhile, company size, corporate social responsibility and inventory intensity have no effect on tax avoidance.

Costus afer Ker Gawl is an indigenous plant, commonly called a ginger lily, spiral ginger, or bush cane, it has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. The anti-inflammatory activity of C.afer leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was investigated. Protein denaturation and erythrocyte stabilization assays were used to evaluate in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, and alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzyme inhibition was used to evaluate in vitro anti-diabetic activity. 60 male Wistar rats were used for the two inflammatory models: the 30 rats were randomly assigned into six groups (n=5) for carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet granuloma models respectively: Group I: normal, group II: control(untreated), group III: 10mg/kg b.w diclofenac sodium (standard), group IV, V and VI were given 50, 100, 250 mg/kg b.w Costus afer ethanol leaf extract (CAELE) in each of the two models. The study showed that in protein denaturation assay, CAELE and Diclofenac had 56.69% and 80.82% respectively at the highest concentration, erythrocyte stabilization had 80.40% CAELE and 94.88% Diclofenac sodium at the highest dose in a dose-dependent manner. Alpha amylase and alpha-glucosidase showed an increase in percentage inhibition activity at 65.44% and 43.72% respectively against acarbose (standard) at 56.01%. However, in the cotton pellet-induced granuloma model, the concentration exhibited high percentage inhibition (77.82%) comparable to the standard drug at 91.28%, and reduction in paw thickness was also observed in the carrageenan model in a dose-dependent manner respectively. This study showed that CAELE at different concentrations showed anti-inflammatory activity in diabetic conditions.

Introduction: Grave’s Disease (GD) and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) are two autoimmune diseases whose coexistence is rare. We report a case of a patient in whom both diseases manifested simultaneously. Case report: A 36- year-old woman presented with thyrotoxicosis. She had tachycardia with WHO grade 2 homogeneously non-pulsatile goiter, without exophthalmos. The evaluation revealed peripheral hyperthyroidism with positive anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies and anti-thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (anti-TSHR) antibodies. Cervical ultrasound revealed a goiter affecting the right lobe in the context of thyroiditis. Thyroid scintigraphy indicated a picture suggestive of Graves' disease in the left lobe and hypocaptating thyroiditis in the right lobe. The patient was treated with propranolol and Carbimazole, with alternating phases of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Discussion and Conclusion: Autoimmune thyroid diseases, GD and HT, are specific to the thyroid gland and are common in women. They share pathogenic features that could explain their association, including genetic and environmental factors leading to thyroid cell damage, T-cell-mediated autoimmunity, human leukocyte antigen binding, and the presence of autoantibodies such as anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies in GD. Rare cases have demonstrated that HT can manifest after GD, and vice versa, leading to an alternation of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in certain patients due to changes in the balance between various categories of antibodies. In the present case, the patient simultaneously presented both diseases.