Design Of A Web-Based Paper Submission And Reviewing System (PSRS)

Conference planning, organization and administration are very tedious tasks. In most cases the conference programme committee has to convene several meetings where submitted papers (via emails in most cases) are downloaded, discussed and accepted or rejected for presentation at the conference. This paper presents the design of a web-based conference paper management system which facilitates easy and efficient review of technical submissions to conferences. Our proposed system stores authors\' information, abstracts, papers and reviewers\' comments. The process of assignment of papers to reviewers is done using a set of objective parameters to determine the most suitable reviewers for each article. The system also collates camera ready accepted papers to generate conference proceeding for the conference. This work will reduce the amount of paperwork and the need for several meetings by the programme committee thus making conference organization a pleasure. Also the effectiveness of conference organization and management will be substantially improved. Keywords: Conference management, paper submission, paper assignment, web-based development, reviewers\' ranking, ACM Classification: H.3.5 (Web-based services)Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 14 (3) 2008: pp. 357-36

Determinants of fast food consumption in Kampala, Uganda

Consumption of fast-food in Uganda is becoming an increasingly importantcomponent of the food market as more of the working class choose to dine out rather than prepare meals at home. Despite the importance of the fast-food sector, limited attempts have been made to study the consumption and expenditure behaviour of consumers of fast-food in Uganda. The main objective of this study was to assess characteristics influencing the consumption of fast-food in Kampala district. Specifically, the objectives of the study were: to assess the factors influencing theprobability of consuming fast-food; and to determine the level of expenditure on fastfood. Primary data on socio-economic characteristics were collected from a sample of 300 respondents using a multi-stage sampling procedure. The study revealed that majority (90%) of the respondents consumed fast-food. The consumption of fast-foodwas most motivated by their taste and convenience. Results from the Heckman model show that household size, education level and distance from work-place to restaurant negatively influenced the probability of fast-food consumption and level of expenditure on fast-food while disposable monthly income had a positive effect on the probability of consumption and level of expenditure on fast-food. The high demandfor fast-food is seen as an easy solution to consumers’ busy schedules and limited meal preparation time. As changing tastes and need for convenience become the goal of households, consumption of fast-food will be expected to rise especially in urban areas. This increase in fast-food consumption, coupled with rising population and urbanization in Uganda offers new market opportunities for agribusiness firms to exploit the growing demand by investing in the fast-food sector and producingsufficiently for this market. In addition, fast-food establishments should ensure proximity of their products and services to the consumers as convenience greatly influences fast-food consumption. Future research should include identification of sources of agricultural products used by fast-food outlets to provide information about the contribution of the fast-food sector to agricultural marketing and farmers’ livelihoods in Uganda

Effect of drying methods on the physicochemical properties of waterleaf (Talinum triangulare)

This study investigated the effects of sun drying and oven drying at three different temperatures (60 0C, 70 0C and 80 0C) on the physicochemical and sensory properties of waterleaf (Talinum triangulare). About 2000 g of freshly harvested leaves were obtained, sorted, chopped into small pieces and sub-divided into five portions of 400 g each; with one portion used for initial analysis, while the remaining four portions were sundried and oven-dried at 60, 70 and 80 0C respectively. Panelists were assigned to assess the samples as well. The results of the proximate composition of the samples showed that moisture content ranged from 6.14 to 92.53% (49.34); ash content, 1.03-21.9% (11.47); crude fat, 1.13-5.89% (3.51); crude fibre, 3.59-6.21% (4.9) and crude protein, 2.73-32.29% (17.51). The mineral content of the samples showed that phosphorus content ranged from 92.43-265.59 mg/100 g (179.08); iron content, 0.10-4.50 mg/100 g (2.30); calcium content, 9.26-89.76 mg/100 g (49.51); zinc content, 0.06-5.15 mg/100 g (2.61) and potassium content, 65.54-108.11 mg/ 100 g (86.83). Ascorbic acid content ranged from 13.70-24.90 mg/100 g (19.3). The result of the sensory evaluation showed that oven-dried samples at 60 0C was significantly preferred to others. It is therefore concluded that waterleaf could be best dried using oven drying method at 60 0C, in order to retain much of the nutritional and sensory properties

Totally biological composite aortic stentless valved conduit for aortic root replacement: 10-year experience

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcome of a totally biological composite stentless aortic valved conduit (No-React^®BioConduit) implanted using the Bentall procedure over ten years in a single centre.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 27/10/99 and 19/01/08, the No-React^®BioConduit composite graft was implanted in 67 patients. Data on these patients were collected from the in-hospital database, from patient notes and from questionnaires. A cohort of patients had 2D-echocardiogram with an average of 4.3 ± 0.45 years post-operatively to evaluate valve function, calcification, and the diameter of the conduit.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Implantation in 67 patients represented a follow-up of 371.3 patient-year. Males were 60% of the operated population, with a mean age of 67.9 ± 1.3 years (range 34.1-83.8 years), 21 of them below the age of 65. After a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 0.3 years (range of 2.2-10.5 years), more than 50% of the survivors were in NYHA I/II and more than 60% of the survivors were angina-free (CCS 0). The overall 10-year survival following replacement of the aortic valve and root was 51%. During this period, 88% of patients were free from valved-conduit related complications leading to mortality. Post-operative echocardiography studies showed no evidence of stenosis, dilatation, calcification or thrombosis. Importantly, during the 10-year follow-up period no failures of the valved conduit were reported, suggesting that the tissue of the conduit does not structurally change (histology of one explant showed normal cusp and conduit).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The No-React^®BioConduit composite stentless aortic valved conduit provides excellent long-term clinical results for aortic root replacement with few prosthesis-related complications in the first post-operative decade.</p

UGT1A1 is a major locus influencing bilirubin levels in African Americans

Total serum bilirubin is associated with several clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and drug metabolism. We conducted a genome-wide association study in 619 healthy unrelated African Americans in an attempt to replicate reported findings in Europeans and Asians and to identify novel loci influencing total serum bilirubin levels. We analyzed a dense panel of over two million genotyped and imputed SNPs in additive genetic models adjusting for age, sex, and the first two significant principal components from the sample covariance matrix of genotypes. Thirty-nine SNPs spanning a 78 kb region within the UGT1A1 displayed P-values <5 × 10−8. The lowest P-value was 1.7 × 10−22 for SNP rs887829. None of SNPs in the UGT1A1 remained statistically significant in conditional association analyses that adjusted for rs887829. In addition, SNP rs10929302 located in phenobarbital response enhancer module was significantly associated with bilirubin level with a P-value of 1.37 × 10−11; this enhancer module is believed to have a critical role in phenobarbital treatment of hyperbilirubinemia. Interestingly, the lead SNP, rs887829, is in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) (r2≥0.74) with rs10929302. Taking advantage of the lower LD and shorter haplotypes in African-ancestry populations, we identified rs887829 as a more refined proxy for the causative variant influencing bilirubin levels. Also, we replicated the reported association between variants in SEMA3C and bilirubin levels. In summary, UGT1A1 is a major locus influencing bilirubin levels and the results of this study promise to contribute to understanding of the etiology and treatment of hyperbilirubinaemia in African-ancestry populations

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality

Background and purpose: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P&lt;0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P&lt;0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). RESULTS: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. CONCLUSIONS: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

Comparative behavioural signs and physical manifestation of estrous in Nigeria breeds of goats

Fourty (40) weaned female goat kids aged 3 - 4 months belonging to four local breeds of Nigerian goats (Bornu White, Sokoto Red, Kano Brown, and West African Dwarf) served as subjects. Ten (10) goats from each breed were used for this study. The parameter used were age aud weight at first estrus, signs and duration of estrus and length of estrous cycle over a period of two year. Vulva congestion, vulva secretion and tail wagging were to be the most consistent and highly noticeable estrus signs with a percentage of 80 - 100% in all the breeds. Mounting of other animals, frequent urination and searching for bucks were the most inconsistent behavioral estrus manifestations, with a percentage of 35 - 40% in all the breeds. The mean age at first estrous of 240.5 ± 5.0 days was observed to be the shortest and 405.1 ± 9.0 days the longest in Bornu White and West African Dwarf goats, respectively. The highest and lowest mean weight at first estrous was 28.6 ± 3.0 kg and 18.8 ± 2.0 kg in Bornu White and West African Dwarf goats, respectively. The duration of estrous as well as length of estrous cycle was 36.8 ± 4.0 hrs and 25.4 ± 2.0 days for Bornu White and 46.2 ± 5.5 hrs and 21 ± 2.0 days for West African Dwarf goats. The values of all the parameters obtained in Sokoto Red and Kano/Savannah Brown goats were between the values recorded for the Bornu White and West African Dwarf breeds. In conclusion, the comparative base-line data obtained in this study may be of value in predicting the onset of puberty and timing for breeding, diagnosis and control of impairment of estrous phenomena in local breeds of goats in Nigeria