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.
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
Causality Relationship among the Changes of Stock Price, Exchange Rate, Crude Oil Price, and Gold Price: Evidence from Malaysian Market
Aye Aye Khin, Ooi Chee Keong, Lau Yeng Wai
Page no 408-415 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.005
Gold is a safe haven asset especially in times of uncertainties and can provide long-term capital gain. The objective of this study is to investigate the causality relationship among the changes of the Malaysia stock price index (KLCI), US stock price index (DOJ), Malaysian currency exchange rate (EXR) and crude oil price (COP) on the gold price (POG) in the Malaysian Market. This study employs vector error correction method with co-integration analysis, Granger causality test, and model evaluation. Based on the findings, COP and the lagged of the gold price (POG) only have a significant short-term relationship, however, the KLCI, DOJ, EXR and COP has also a significant long-term relationship with the gold price. Moreover, POG granger causes KLCI and COP also granger causes POG, both are uni-directional causality. Furthermore, EXR granger causes POG with bi-directional causality. Evidently, EXR and COP changes are importantly affecting the gold price changes. Otherwise, the gold price changes are affecting also the changes of KLCI and EXR in the study. These findings are important for investors who are opportunities for investment in gold in Malaysia.
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
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.
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.
REVIEW ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Dynamic Effects of Exchange Rates and Foreign Price Inflation: Evidence from Thai
David Iheke Okorie, Andrew Akweny, Abraham Simon Otim Emuron
Page no 424-435 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.007
In an attempt to maintain a stable exchange rate and price level in Thailand given shocks from the United States, China, Euro Area, and Japan; the top five trading partners of Thailand, this study employs the system equations of VAR model techniques. Results show that the interest rates, demand shocks, and foreign prices affect the stability of the Thailand exchange rates and price levels. More so, empirical evidences validate the existence of unidirectional causality between Thailand exchange rate and domestic (as well as foreign) price inflation.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Laboratory Study on Hydraulics of Threshold Characteristics of Underwater Erosion Resistant Material
Dr. K. M. Ahtesham Hossain Raju
Page no 238-249 |
10.21276/sjeat.2018.3.5.1
River bank erosion has always been a challenging problem in Bangladesh.
Conventional method of designing erosion protection structures are governed by the
hydraulic loads resulting from currents and waves. In practice, toe protection
elements are dumped into flowing water and settle somewhere on the river bed to
form an apron. The present study has been undertaken to investigate experimentally
the aspect of underwater threshold condition of toe protection elements. The
experiments are conducted in the large tilting flume of the Hydraulics and River
Engineering Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering Department, BUET. Cubeshaped Concrete Block (CC block) is considered as erosion resistant material. A
geometrically similar undistorted scale factor of 20 has been selected to conduct the
experiment. Hydraulic parameters and CC block are selected based on typical field
condition and the experiment is designed according to the scale. Two different initial
water level (set-up 1 and set-up 2) is deliberated for the same size of CC block to
investigate the hydraulics of threshold characteristics. During experimentation
various observations are made and the measured data are used to analyze various
hydraulic features of threshold condition. Gradual smooth increment of flow is
ensured to reach threshold condition. At this stage, water level is 0.212 m, section
average velocity is 0.55 m/s and depth averaged velocity is 0.54 m/s for set-up 1.
While for set-up 2, water level is 0.256 m, section average velocity is 0.54 m/s and
depth averaged velocity is 0.53 m/s. Though the threshold velocity magnitude for setup 1 and set-up 2 are very close, the corresponding water level is quite different since
initial depth of flow is different. It is expected that the results obtained here can be
useful to develop predictive expression for estimating the threshold velocity of CC
blocks. Scope of detailed analyses in this area of interest is in progress.
REVIEW ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
Rosuvastatin Calcium Loaded Novel Nano Delivery Systems for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability
Phanindra A, Nagaraju A, Achyuth K, Kumara Swamy S
Page no 475-480 |
10.36348/sb.2018.v04i05.013
Rosuvastatin calcium is hypolipidemic drug and has low oral bioavailability of about 20% due to poor aqueous solubility and hepatic first-pass metabolism. These are major boundaries inefficient delivery of RC by oral route. Several delivery approaches are known to moderate the difficulties of solubility and increase the oral bioavailability of RC. Among numerous approaches, nanotechnology-based delivery of RC has prospective to overcome the challenges associated with the oral administration. This review focuses on various nano-based delivery systems such as nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, SEDDS and SNEDDS and tried for improving the aqueous solubility, dissolution and subsequently bioavailability of RC upon oral administration. Of all, solid lipid nanoparticles appear to be promising delivery system, based on current reported results, for delivery of RC, as this system improved the oral bioavailability and possessed prolonged pharmacodynamic effect.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | May 30, 2018
A Critical Review of Shale Gas Production Analysis and Forecast Methods
Ukadike Nwaobi, Gabrial Anandarajah
Page no 276-285 |
10.21276/sjeat.2018.3.5.5
This paper critically reviews methods applied in forecasting production of
unconventional gas plays. The review focuses on methodologies suitable for shale gas
plays, methodological ability to account for parameter and data uncertainty, as well as
suitability for appraising undeveloped shale gas plays. The production analysis and
forecast methods reviewed include empirical/decline curves, type curves and
analytical/numerical methods applicable to unconventional gas production analysis
and forecast. The review shows that most of the studies focus on developed shale gas
plays, neither account for shale gas well reservoir heterogeneity nor account for
below ground uncertainties-such as reservoir and source rock properties. This study
concludes that significant research is needed to address the identified limitations of
existing studies.
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
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
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.