Determining the Antibacterial Efficacy of Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) Plant Extract on Staphylococcus Aureus

The Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) plant extract is highly popular among the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and is frequently used in local medicine. This can be attributed to its properties as an antiseptic, antidepressant, antiseborrheic, hypotensive, sedative, and nervine substance. It is also used in aromatherapy treatments, perfume, and cosmetic products all over the world. The key chemical constituents of the Ylang Ylang are linalool, germacrene, geranyl acetate, methyl benzoate, and p-cresyl methyl ether, which all contribute to its medicinal effects. With the presence of antibacterial properties, it may be used as an alternative to conventional medicine, but it has yet to be tested. The purpose of this research project is to determine whether the Yang Ylang plant extract does have an effect on the selected bacteria, Staphylococcus Aureus. We hypothesize that the extract will have an effect on the bacteria. In order to test our hypothesis, we will grow Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria in petri dishes. We will test different concentrations of the extract from steam distillation, upon bacterial strains to determine its efficacy, in comparison to a control group. Further research is necessary to discover the benefits of local medicine and suggest an alternative to regular antibiotics

Can Agroforestry Farmers Attain Sustainability? Case of Farmers in Selected Upland Farming Communities in the Philippines

This article is based on the study which investigated the socioeconomic and biophysical conditions of the upland farming communities in the Philippines; identified the development pathways that were undertaken by the upland farmers; and determined level of sustainability of the upland farming communities on the basis of their development pathways. This article argues that agroforestry farmers in upland farming communities in the Philippines can attain sustainability. This argument is based on the study conducted in the three pilot upland communities of the Conservation Farming Villages program in Albay, Ifugao and Negros Oriental, Philippines. From seven focus group discussions (FGDs) with at least 12 participants per FGD for a total of 147 farmers, and farm household survey of 230 upland farmers, research results indicate that agroforestry farmers in the three study sites were smallholders and were cultivating in areas with marginal conditions. There were five development pathways identified. These are monocropping in contour, multiple cropping in contour, agroforestry, agroforestry with non-farm activities, and multiple cropping/monocropping without contour. With the community capitals framework as the theoretical foundation, analysis indicated that the five development pathways contributed to a high level of social, human and political capitals having mean scores of 0.73, 0.55 and 0.54, respectively; a moderate level of physical, financial and natural capital, with mean scores of 0.23, 0.20 and 0.23, respectively; and a very low level of cultural capital with mean score of -0.08. At the community level, on the other hand, research results revealed that the CFV sites in Ligao, Albay and La Libertad, Negros Oriental have almost similar contributions to the sustainability of the upland farming communities, while Alfonso Lista, Ifugao had the lowest. Thus, institutional arrangements with the farmers’ association and the local government units also played a key role in the sustainability of the upland farming communities. These results imply the need for a holistic and collaborative engagement towards attaining sustainable upland farming communities

Low Power NAND Gate–based Half and Full Adder / Subtractor Using CMOS Technique

In recent years, low power consumption has been an important consideration for the design of system since there is a high demand for consumer electronics such as cellphones for a longer battery life. This paper presents the simulation of half adder, half subtractor, full adder, and the full subtractor. The presented circuit contains NAND gates combining the NMOS and PMOS. These CMOS circuitries has the advantage of lower voltage, lower power consumption, and higher energy efficiency. The NMOS and PMOS were bridge together to produce the desired output. This design provides the CMOS half adder, half subtractor, full adder, and full subtractor using the Tanner EDA software tool. The complete CMOS circuit schematic are described in this paper. The design methods and principles are described thereafter. Simulations have been done with the use of the Tanner EDA tool in a CMOS technology standard and response output was verified comparing the obtained waveform along with its truth table. In comparison with conventional logic truth table, T-Spice output simulation matches with theoretical expectations

Autoeficácia, motivação e desempenho acadêmico de alunos durante à modalidade de aprendizagem flexível

Self-Efficacy is the belief that a person is capable of achieving a specific goal or performing a particular task while motivation represents the foundation for success in all activities that an individual engages in. This study aimed to determine the correlations between self-efficacy, motivation and academic performance of 862 students. Using spearman’s rho, results revealed that self-efficacy and motivation go along together for all students with different specializations. Most of the students’ grades are not directly affected by the motivation and self-efficacy. Responses of students for most of the challenges they encountered during the flexible learning mode are limited home setup for activities that require actual performances followed by the distraction they get from social media. Results of this study reveals that even during the pandemic, the students have positive outlook in life, but grades are not dependent on their self-efficacy and motivations.La autoeficacia es la creencia de que una persona es capaz de lograr una meta específica o realizar una tarea específica, mientras que la motivación representa la base para el éxito en todas las actividades en las que se involucra un individuo. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar las correlaciones entre la autoeficacia, la motivación y el rendimiento académico de 862 estudiantes. Utilizando la rho de Spearman, los resultados revelaron que la autoeficacia y la motivación van de la mano para todos los estudiantes de diferentes carreras. La mayoría de las calificaciones de los estudiantes no se ven afectadas directamente por la motivación y la autoeficacia. Las respuestas de los estudiantes a la mayoría de los desafíos que encontraron durante el modo de aprendizaje flexible se limitan al entorno del hogar para actividades que requieren un desempeño real, seguido de la distracción que obtienen de las redes sociales. Los resultados de este estudio revelan que, incluso durante la pandemia, los estudiantes tienen una visión positiva de la vida, pero las calificaciones no dependen de su autoeficacia y motivaciones.A autoeficácia é a crença de que uma pessoa é capaz de atingir um objetivo específico ou realizar uma tarefa específica, enquanto a motivação representa a base para o sucesso em todas as atividades em que um indivíduo se envolve. Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar as correlações entre autoeficácia, motivação e desempenho acadêmico de 862 alunos. Usando o rho de Spearman, os resultados revelaram que a autoeficácia e a motivação andam juntas para todos os alunos com diferentes especializações. A maioria das notas dos alunos não é diretamente afetada pela motivação e autoeficácia. As respostas dos alunos para a maioria dos desafios que encontraram durante o modo de aprendizagem flexível são limitadas à configuração doméstica para atividades que exigem desempenho real, seguidas pela distração que obtêm das mídias sociais. Os resultados deste estudo revelam que, mesmo durante a pandemia, os alunos têm uma visão positiva da vida, mas as notas não dependem de sua autoeficácia e motivações

An Imidazolium-Based Supramolecular Gelator Enhancing Interlayer Adhesion in 3D Printed Dual Network Hydrogels

The variety of UV-curable monomers for 3D printing is limited by a requirement for rapid curing aftereach sweep depositing a layer. This study proposes to trigger supramolecular self-assembly during theprocess by a gemini imidazolium-based low-molecular-weight gelator, allowing printing of certainmonomers. The as-printed hydrogel structures were supported by a gelator network immobilising monomer:water solutions. A thixotropic hydrogel was formed with a recovery time of 8.1 kPa and yield stress = 18 Pa, processable using material extrusion 3D printing. Material extrusion 3Dprinted objects are usually highly anisotropic, but in this case the gelator network improved the isotropyby subverting the usual layer-by-layer curing strategy. The monomer in all printed layers was curedsimultaneously during post-processing to form a continuous polymeric network. The two networks thenphysically interpenetrate to enhance mechanical performance. The double network hydrogels fabricatedwith layers cured simultaneously showed 62–147% increases in tensile properties compared to layer-bylayercured hydrogels. The results demonstrated excellent inter- and intra-layered coalescence.</p

Angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism and preeclampsia risk: evidence of small-study bias

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin system may play a part in the development of preeclampsia. An insertion/deletion polymorphism within the angiotensin-I converting enzyme gene (ACE-I/D) has shown to be reliably associated with differences in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. However, previous studies of the ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia have been individually underpowered to detect plausible genotypic risks. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A prospective case-control study was conducted in 1,711 unrelated young pregnant women (665 preeclamptic and 1,046 healthy pregnant controls) recruited from five Colombian cities. Maternal blood was obtained to genotype for the ACE-I/D polymorphism. Crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using logistic regression models were obtained to evaluate the strength of the association between ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia risk. A meta-analysis was then undertaken of all published studies to February 2006 evaluating the ACE-I/D variant in preeclampsia. An additive model (per-D-allele) revealed a null association between the ACE-I/D variant and preeclampsia risk (crude OR = 0.95 [95% CI, 0.81-1.10]) in the new case-control study. Similar results were obtained after adjusting for confounders (adjusted per-allele OR = 0.90 [95% CI, 0.77-1.06]) and using other genetic models of inheritance. A meta-analysis (2,596 cases and 3,828 controls from 22 studies) showed a per-allele OR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.07-1.49). An analysis stratified by study size showed an attenuated OR toward the null as study size increased. CONCLUSIONS: It is highly likely that the observed small nominal increase in risk of preeclampsia associated with the ACE D-allele is due to small-study bias, similar to that observed in cardiovascular disease. Reliable assessment of the origins of preeclampsia using a genetic approach may require the establishment of a collaborating consortium to generate a dataset of adequate size

Collaborative capacity development to complement stroke rehabilitation in Africa

This scholarly book focuses on stroke in Africa. Stroke is a leading cause of disability among adults of all ages, contributing significantly to health care costs related to long term implications, particularly if rehabilitation is sub-optimal. Given the burden of stroke in Africa, there is a need for a book that focuses on functioning African stroke survivors and the implications for rehabilitation within the African context. In addition, there is a need to progress with contextualised, person-centred, evidence-based guidance for the rehabilitation of people with stroke in Africa, thereby enabling them to lead socially and economically meaningful lives. The research incorporated in the book used a range of primary and secondary methodological approaches (scoping reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, descriptive studies, surveys, health economics, and clinical practice guideline methodology) to shed new insights into African-centred issues and strategies to optimise function post-stroke