Algor mortis pattern in dogs, a guide to estimation of time of death

Although differing methods of estimation of time of death in human forensics have been well documented, there exists paucity of information in the veterinary field. With little accuracy, veterinary pathologists rely on gross post-mortem changes which include autolysis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, and putrefaction in estimating time of death in animals. This study assessed the pattern of temperature drop in six mongrel dogs using commonly available thermometer. Rectal and hepatic temperatures were taken for eight to eleven hours after death at an average ambient temperature of 29 °C (24 °C to 34 °C). Both organs revealed strong regression models which were harnessed to provide a mathematical guide to estimating time of death in the early hours (six to seven hours). Linear model of temperature drop pattern change was considered less cumbersome for field use. The rates of drop were extremely irregular during the study period. This work substantiates the use of algor mortis as an adjunct in estimating time of death in dogs

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF β-SITOSTEROL FROM ELAEAGNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA CULTIVATED IN IRAQ

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate chemical constituents of leaves and seeds of Elaeagnus angustifolia since no phytochemical investigation had been done previously in Iraq.Methods: Phytochemical screening of the extracts obtained from the leaves of E. angustifolia indicated the presence of flavonoids (type of flavonols), saponins, alkaloids, steroids, and terpenoids. Thin-layer chromatography fingerprinting and the spraying reagent (concentrated H2SO4 and vanillin in ethanol) were used to identify the hexane extract containing phytosterols.Results: The different chromatographic and spectroscopic results revealed the presence of βâ€sitosterol isolated from E. angustifolia. Conclusion: The isolation and purification afforded white crystalline powder which was subjected to chemical and spectral identification by infrared and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance. The compound was identified as βâ€sitosterol

Re-examining the casuality between Capital Flight and Foreign Direct Investmen in Nigeria

 The relationship between capital flight and Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) has generated continuous debate in literature. This study aims at providing quantitative analysis of cointegration and causality between capital flight and FDI in Nigeria from 1985 to 2015. The study employed secondary data which was obtained from Statistical bulletin of Central Bank of Nigeria and data base of World Bank.The data obtained were subjected to Units root test, Co-integration test and Pair–Wise test of Granger Causality. The findings of co-integration revealed that the estimated equation and the series are co-integrated. The Granger-Causality test shows that there is no bi-directional causality between FDI and Capital Flight in Nigeria.The study concludes that the success to curtail capital flight in Nigeria is to improve level of infrastructural facilities in the country which can  facilitate increase in domestic investment and also attract FDI. It is recommended that enhancing investment environment by minimizing the obstacles to doing economic activities, and increasing the effort against international financial crime will help reduce capital flight and improve FDI in Nigeria

Analysis of factors influencing the stated preference of academic employees towards telecommuting in IIUM campus, Gombak

Telecommuting acts as one of the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures that aimed to reduce peak hour traffic congestion by allowing commuters to work from home or a nearby telecommuting centre on certain days of the week. The increasing private vehicle usage by IIUM community (staffs and students) is posing a strain on the ability of the existing road and the related infrastructure on-campus. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors influencing the stated preference of the academic staffs of IIUM towards various aspects of telecommuting. About 100 respondents had participated in this study through a self-administered questionnaire survey. Four research hypotheses highlighting the relationship between the preference to telecommute and commute distance, commute time, marital status having children as well as amount of time spent on research were formulated. Among the hypotheses, only the hypothesis highlighting the preference to telecommute and married female staff with children was tested statistically significant at 95% confidence interval. On the preference to telecommute, about 68% of the respondents expressed willingness to telecommute, even though, the University does not have an official policy on telecommuting arrangement. Some of the recommendations to increase the penetration of telecommuting in IIUM are: establishing telecommuting arrangement; promoting awareness of telecommuting; implementing telecommuting pilot project and conducting further study on various other aspects of telecommuting

Gas Leakage Detection in Recovery Rooms Using a Microcontroller

Gas leakage in medical facilities can pose a serious threat to patient safety and can have catastrophic consequences. Hence, it is essential to detect gas leaks quickly and accurately to prevent any accidents. Various gas detection techniques have been developed to identify gas leaks, including the utilization of Arduino microcontrollers and oxygen sensors. Arduino microcontrollers offer a low-cost and easily deployable solution, while oxygen sensors provide specific detection capabilities for gases commonly used in medical facilities, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and anesthesia gases. Furthermore, the use of advanced technologies such as wireless communication, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has improved the detection and monitoring of gas leaks. This abstract highlights the importance of gas leak detection in medical facilities and emphasizes the role of Arduino microcontrollers and oxygen sensors, along with advanced technologies, in improving gas detection and prevention of accident

Evaluation of gypsum-chitosan as a biomaterial in dental pulp protection

In dentistry, preservation of vital pulp tissue through pulp therapy is a challenging clinical approach. In the procedure of direct pulp capping, the exposure site is sealed by dental material to maintain the vitality of the pulp and induce reparative dentin formation. Several materials such as calcium hydroxide and mineral trioxide aggregate have been used and investigated for dental pulp capping with limitations. Thus, chitosan (CHT) and calcium sulfate (pure gypsum - Gyp) incorporated with bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) were chosen in this study to exploit their advantages and develop a biomaterial with high biological and mechanical characteristics. Gyp is highly biocompatible, moldable and used as carrier of antibiotic. CHT is biocompatible, has antibacterial activity and enhances tissue growth. BMP-2 induces differentiation of pulp cells into odontoblasts and reparative dentin formation. The aims of this study were to prepare an experimental gypsum-based biomaterial and to study the effects of the biomaterial with several concentrations of CHT (10%, 5%, 2.5%, 1%, and 0% chitosan solution) on setting time (min), pH value, compressive strength (MPa), solubility (%), antibacterial activity against cariogenic bacteria, and the proliferative activity of SHED. In addition, BMP-2 was incorporated with Gyp-CHT and its effect was evaluated on alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) of SHED. The adhesion and proliferation of SHED on the experimental biomaterial was also observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Commercial dental liner Dycal and Fuji IX were prepared according to manufacturer’s instructions and selective properties were evaluated for comparison purpose. For the experimental biomaterials the results of setting time were ranged between 4.1 and 6.6 min which is considered acceptable for clinical application. The pH values after 24 hours were ranged 5.7 and 6.4 which is suitable for application as pulp capping. The compressive strength increased with higher CHT concentration in the biomaterial which ranged between 2.63 and 5.83 MPa. The solubility rate decreased with CHT incorporation compared to that without CHT except for Gyp-CHT 10% which showed the highest solubility. The experimental biomaterial showed potent antibacterial activity against S. mutans and S. sobrinus, which was more evident with greater CHT concentration and comparable with other lining materials. The biomaterial showed good cell compatibility to SHED in both direct and indirect MTS tests. The biomaterial tended to increase the release of ALP outside the cells. The experimental biomaterial induced the ALP activity of SHED with higher activity in biomaterial incorporated with BMP-2. SEM observations showed that the seeded SHED were apparently healthy, well adhered and were spread on the surface through proliferative activity. The in vitro results of this study suggest that the physical and mechanical properties of gypsum based chitosan biomaterials were acceptable in relation of pulp capping biomaterials. The ALP activity of SHED which is an indicator of mineralization was significantly higher in Gyp-CHT-BMP-2 biomaterials compared to Dycal. Antibacterial properties of experimental biomaterials were found comparable with the commercial materials. Thus, the crystalline gypsum impregnated with CHT and BMP-2 organic matrices may have the potential for application in vital pulp therapy

Litter size, parity and sex effects on weaning and post weaning growth of pigs

Pig breeding has been mostly affected by number of piglets that survived to market age with regards to their productivity and fitness traits. This study investigated the influence of sex, parity and litter size on three growth performance characteristics (weaning weight, total weight gain and average daily gain of piglets) at the weaning and post-weaning period of piglets. The 43 piglets investigated are from the cross of Camborough and Landrace breeds, comprising 25 male and 18 female piglets, from three different parities and five unique litter sizes. Measurements of body weight of the piglets were taken immediately at weaning and consistently for additional 12 weeks on a regular weekly basis. The piglets were tagged with an ID and restrained for the measurement, which was recorded against each piglet ID. All measurements were done with a digital hanging balance sensitive to 0.00g, whereby the piglets were placed in bags and hung for weighing. Data collected were recorded on excel worksheets and validated for precision and accuracy. Preliminary descriptive statistics was done to check the data for normality, and indices (total weight gain and average daily gain) were computed from the measured weekly values. The values ranged between 3.55kg-8.35kg, 6.90kg-18.45kg and 0.08kg-0.22kg respectively for weaning weight, total weight gain and average daily gain. Sex did not exert significant (P>0.05) influence on any of the three characteristics studied, while parity only significantly (P<0.05) impacted weaning weight but did not influence the other two parameters (total weight gain and average daily gain). However, litter size significantly affected the three parameters investigated with the largest influence recorded on weaning weight (61.1%). The relationship between weaning weight and subsequent weekly weights were mostly positive (direct) and significant, with the exception of Week 1 post weaning that was negative. The study revealed that piglets from small to moderate litter sizes tend to have higher post weaning weight

Physico-chemical properties and effects of chitosan-based accelerated portland cement on stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth

Advancement in the field of endodontic such as techniques, instrumentations and materials have considerably improved the oral health care and have made the dental treatment more efficient, as well as cost and time effective. Accelerated Portland cement (APC) is a potential material with favourable chemical, physical and biological properties. It was studied as an alternative material to overcome the major limitations of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and portland cement (PC) such as delayed setting time and high cost of MTA. Chitosan (CT) has also been used in numerous medical applications due to its various biological properties. In this study, APC was prepared in combination with CT and designated as APC-CT. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of APC-CT and to evaluate its biocompatibility, mineralization activity and dentinogenic/osteogenic differentiation potential on stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). APC-CT was prepared with various CT concentrations of 0.625%-, 1.25%- and 2.5%-CT solutions, and APC was used as control. The chemical characterizations by FTIR and FESEM/EDX were evaluated, in addition to the physical and mechanical properties such as setting time, compressive strength, surface microhardness, pH and solubility. Then, the effect of APC-CT on cell viability, attachment and apoptosis were assessed. The mineralization activity of SHED was evaluated by Alizarin Red staining and Von Kossa stain. Finally, the dentinogenic/osteogenic differentiation of SHED was analysed by evaluating the gene expression of selected dentinogenic/osteogenic markers i.e. DSPP, MEPE, DMP-1, OPN, OCN, OPG, RANKL, RUNX2, ALP and COL1A1 by real-time PCR. The results confirmed the interaction of CT with APC by FTIR spectra. The surface morphology of APC-CT was characterized by the presence of CT crystallites which spread and filled the spaces in APC structure that resulted in more homogeneous phases. The chemical compositions of APC and APC-CT were almost identical with intensified O, C and Si in APC-CT. The setting time, compressive strength, microhardness, pH and solubility obtained ranged between 46.6-48.5 min, 51.3-39.1 MPa, 44.89-38.57 HV, 11.04-11.02 (24 hrs) and 3.23-2.44%, respectively. CT improved the pH and solubility of APC and extended its setting times. However, compressive strengths were reduced and minimum effect on microhardness was observed. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that APC-CT supported the cell proliferation and interaction of SHED to the materials; as well as no apoptotic effect was observed. Alizarin Red and Von Kossa stainings demonstrated increased mineralization activity of SHED when treated with APC-CT. The expressions of DSPP, MEPE, DMP-1, OPN, OCN, OPG and RANKL markers were up-regulated in APC-CT-treated SHED. While, the expressions of RUNX2, ALP and COL1A1 markers were down-regulated. These findings demonstrate that APC-CT exhibits good chemical, physical and mechanical properties. APC-CT is non-toxic and promotes dentinogenic/osteogenic differentiation and mineralization activity; which provides potential applications of APC-CT in tooth/bone tissue engineering

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Ghana: A Sectoral Analysis

This study assesses the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) at sector level in Ghana taking into consideration the agriculture sector, services sector, and manufacturing sector. Using sector level data spanning 2000-2014, findings from the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis show that market size (measured by GDP) and labour cost have a significant impact on the inflows of agriculture sector FDI. The results also confirm trade openness and exchange rate to significantly influence services sector FDI. Unexpectedly, none of the variables are found to have significant effect on manufacturing sector FDI. The study recommends that the government should implement strategies that will enhance the growth of Ghana’s GDP, and deregulate the economy to allow more foreign investors into the country