The Application of Saturated Incidence Rate with Delay and Awareness in Modelling the Spread of Infectious Diseases

The current state as regards the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 indicates that the major preventive measure is minimizing individual contact with the virus. Consequently, this paper derived a mathematical model using saturated incidence rate with the disease incubating period as a delay parameter along other parameters measuring the inhibitory effects of awareness dissemination from the media, general campaign and individual interactions. The analytical evaluation of the model indicates that the stability of the disease-free and the endemic steady states of the model are determined by the basic reproduction number. In addition, the disease-free steady state is independent of the incubating period, whereas the endemic steady state is initially stable but undergoes Hopf bifurcation as the incubating period exceeds the critical value by exhibiting periodic oscillation and become unstable. The outcome of the numerical simulation of the model via MATLAB application affirmed the results obtained analytically. Keywords: Infectious Diseases, Model, Incidence rate, Basic reproduction number, Hopf bifurcatio

Dual Band Electrodes in Generator-Collector Mode: Simultaneous Measurement of Two Species

A computational model for the simulation of a double band collector-generator experiment is applied to the situation where two electrochemical reactions occur concurrently. It is shown that chronoamperometric measurements can be used to take advantage of differences in diffusion coefficients to measure the concentrations of both electroactive species simultaneously, by measuring the time at which the collection efficiency reaches a specific value. The separation of the electrodes is shown to not affect the sensitivity of the method (in terms of percentage changes in the measured time to reach the specified collection efficiency), but wider gaps can provide a greater range of (larger) absolute values of this characteristic time. It is also shown that measuring the time taken to reach smaller collection efficiencies can allow for the detection of smaller amounts of whichever species diffuses faster. The case of a system containing both ascorbic acid and opamine in water is used to exemplify the method, and it is shown that mole fractions of ascorbic acid between 0.055 and 0.96 can, in principle, be accurately measured.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure

The Impact of Multilingualism on Global Education and Language Learning: A Book Review

In the rapid changing academic setting, language teachers are facing different issues and realities that require drastic and immediate measures for the improvement of language instruction. Gone are the days when traditional approaches and methods were being employed. Learners follow the trends and developments in technology and their attention spans keep on changing dramatically. It is not enough that language teachers will just provide assessment on grammar and speaking skills to evaluate the performances of the students, rather, they have to explore and uncover different factors that are pivotal in the teaching and learning process. The reviewers have decided to evaluate the book “The Impact of Multilingualism on Global Education and Language Learning” having the belief that in the contemporary period, multilingualism is such a formidable phenomenon that has tremendous impact on the lives of students, global education, and language learning and teaching. The ideas and insights crystalized from this review will help academicians, curriculum developers, language teachers, and educational leaders launch new projects for new directions in the field of education and language teaching. In a bigger world, people can see the effects of multilingualism due to spread of cultures, speedy communication, and diversity of learning climate. At the end of this book, the readers are able to imagine the power and influence of multilingualism and plurilingualism in changing educational landscape. The First Section is Multilingualism and Plurilingualism. In here, multilingualism is defined and explained. It brings abundant ideas and realities to people on the concepts and events they witness related to multilingualism and plurilingualism. Indeed, the rise of globalism and diffusion has led to interculturalism. Peoples around the globe have embraced common beliefs, fashion, ideas, and culture. Plurilingualism has been defined in this section with relevance to multilingualism. From this part, different ideas and insights are being offered. It brings and connects readers to possible existence of the phenomena such as multilingualism and plurilingualism in a diverse region or country. Also, the attitude of a group of people and community is being examined and described here. Through clear illustration, linguists and language teachers can get a picture of the phenomena and the ways they can do to revise and update their instructional materials and teaching methods. Further, the importance of having a lingua franca is clearly expounded here. Recent studies were explored on how new technologies can help spread English as a lingua franca. The section concludes the fact that because of the prevalence of multilingualism and plurilingualism, there is a great chance that multiculturalism also exists rapidly as it is occurring now.  The Second Section of this book is the multilingual landscape. This section delves on how the concept of multilingualism significantly entered the world of sociolinguistics. It narrates the beginning of multilingualism, and how it was before monolingualism became a norm, from the beginning in the Old Testament to the rise of Roman Empire in the 7th century. The discussion is deemed to be very important for linguistics enthusiasts and researchers as it gives in-depth insights on historical foundation of multilingualism. We can no longer deny the fact that multilingualism is an important consideration in language policies and curriculum development. For instance, here in the Philippines, many linguists claim that learning English effectively is always attributed to the learner’s mother tongue and how it highly influences the learners’ second language acquisition. It is interesting to discover in the narrative that aside from many European nations like India, China, and Africa multilingualism is a norm. Nowadays, different countries have different official languages spoken on the record. We come to think about how these countries develop, plan, and implement their English language policies. The diversity of language all over the world is very evident. The world has 195 countries, but language spoken is several thousands more. Although languages are diverse, it not a hindrance in globalization. In this case, the role of English language plays a very important role in the aspiration of all the nations to globalize their citizens. The third section is the role of English. English plays an important role in communicating to different places. This section of the book highlights that all languages are mandatory in various places in the world; hence, English language cannot be an exemption. This portion somehow made us realize that proficiency in English is of utmost importance especially if a person wants to land on a high paying job. Moreover, English is already integrated in the various curricula from early childhood education up to high standards of entrance examination in different universities. The author cited different excerpts of several studies as evidences for a notion that English has been becoming more dominant while the world is getting more multilingual. Compared to Latin-Greek languages as discussed in the narrative of the second section, English is not the language of the elites, but an aspirational language for all. Since English plays a very important role in a person’s life, English as a national language is pushed by the government officials. However, lack of preparation for materials is a big problem to teachers. For instance, in a case study by Rwanda, the French Government mandated that a switch from French to English, with only a year of preparation; thus, the proficiency to use English will of course may be compromised and cause a bigger problem, since some teachers are not as well proficient in French let alone another language. The lack of preparedness and English Proficiency will only multiply the problems which will make their life miserable as claimed in the excerpts shown. In addition to that, they claim that it could be more challenging as some students feel embarrassed and failure because of the mistakes they made using the English language. This section is concluded with a realization that English is not really a threat for establishing identity; instead, a powerful tool to enrich one’s cultural uniqueness. The fourth section is the trends and issues in multilingual education. This portion talks about how English was viewed as just a subject by some, and in reality, is used in the learning process throughout the curriculum. This part scrutinizes reasons why English has been tagged as an important tool in a student’s life. Many believe that students must possess higher order thinking skills such as hypothesizing, evaluating, inferring, generalizing, predicting or classifying. Through this, student’s cognition will be developed and thus, they will not forget English. One example is the Tower Hamlets, a school in London who was reported to be the worst performing schools and now one of the best performing schools in the country. This was evident in their National Curriculum Test. During this test, students’ grades in reading and writing surpasses Kent. This book also mentioned how learning English is not only limited to the educational establishment, but outside it through daily conversations and the use of internet. Since the diversity of the culture of European Union (EU), is very evident, the aim of the EU. To conclude this section, the author clearly explains about EU’s language policy. He states that the main goal of Language Policy is that every European shall be able to speak at least two (2) more languages in addition to their mother tongue. This is due to the fact that in EU acquiring foreign language competence is a basic skill the citizen needs to improve their educational and employment opportunities. The last section is the recommendations for national systemic change. In this juncture, the author discusses the societal change to support multilingualism and educational change. We believe in the two main propositions made by the author here. The firs one being the overall societal context that is wider in scope than education; and lastly being the specific direction of educational provision and resource allocation. He explains it by mentioning Comenius (1657) and Piaget (1993). The former believed that the society’s fate is dependent in the quality of education, while the latter claimed that education is not dependent to the action of school and family; instead, an essential building block of life in general. Human society is an educational society. The school system is constantly improved throughout the world to accommodate the demands of English proficiency. With this, the researcher suggested to the policy makers three (3) areas that they should consider: Validation, Practical Encouragement, and Specific Planning. This requires different language goals rather than one size fits all. Since each language require different approaches, in addition to that not all languages are learned formally. Anyone can learn language through listening to music, playing games, and watching films and of course communicating electronically. The new integrated language policies have lots of consideration. With this, the magnitude of these effects pale into insignificance compared with class/teacher effects. Since the teacher plays a very important role in the implementation of these policies. Conclusion The reviewers recommend this book because of its functional, practical, and authentic value. The sections are extensively and intensively discussed. They offer practical and theoretical examples that are felt and visualized by any reader who has growing interest in the field of linguistics and language education. Through this scholarly work, more language teachers can better understand the complex and dynamic transitions and developments in language teaching and learning. They can better design effective and appropriate materials and books that can address issues, challenges and problems in language education. In the years to come, more and more constructs will be discovered in relation to multilingualism and plurilingualism but language teachers and linguists have to do introspections on how education and stakeholders can remain attuned to global changes

Linguistics for TESOL Theory and Practice: A Book Review

To teach students effectively is the main aim of the teachers. To do this, teachers have been looking for many ways to improve their teaching techniques over the past years. Thousands of books are available and claim that inside their books are the answer to address different challenges in the classroom. Although many TESOL books are already published, still, only a few are available, especially for topics like Linguistics and TESOL. The author, Hannah Valenzuela, is a TESOL module writer who was inspired to create this book since over the past four (4) years, she was not successful in her search for books that discussed linguistics in such a way that trainees and seasoned practitioners alike would be able to take the knowledge straight into classrooms. The hope of this author is to make this a reference book that contains different areas in TESOL and different classroom activities that she gathered from the past twenty-five years (25) of teaching. This book, which was entitled Linguistics for TESOL Theory and Practice, has 214 pages and nine (9) chapters. Each chapter is packed with a straightforward explanation of concepts that are both related to TESOL and linguistics. Chapter 1 began with the basic and fundamental question, What is Language? In this chapter, the author discussed how language is defined by different authors like McWhorter and Ferdinand de Saussure. This book discussed how language from just merely a system to how language enables students to communicate and express what is on their minds. Chapter 2, entitled Variation, answers the question What is English, and What is it Not? The author began this chapter by narrating how English in American and Europe spread to other countries and slowly covered up country after country. This may contribute to why many people are eager to study and teach English since many historical events led to English being spoken in many countries around the world, either as a first language, second language, lingua franca, creole, or pidgin. This chapter also discussed how American English and British English are the StandardEnglish to the acceptance of World Englishes from the author Braj Kachru. Kachruu explains how English varies from one country after the other and the use of his circles. In the following chapter, the author discussed essential topics in English such as phonemes (Chapter 3), pronunciation beyond phonemes (Chapter 4), morphology (Chapter 5), grammar (Chapter 6), semantics (Chapter 7), pragmatics (Chapter 8), and discourse (Chapter 9). Each chapter contains a very comprehensive discussion about its topic. Graphs and tables are provided to give a better understanding of the concepts that are being discussed. After identifying the book's points, issues, and concepts, the reviewer highly recommends it. This book serves the authors' goal: new teachers and seasoned teachers can share this book, and activities will be used right away. This book is very comprehensible. The author's writing style is very chill, and readers will not find it very intimidating. The reflection and suggested activities are beneficial and practical. Some books gave many activities in which you cannot be used in others, but this book gave activities that both the class and the teacher would enjoy and can also be done right away. Supplementary videos and other reading materials are also very timely and helpful. Pre-service teachers can gain new ideas, and seasoned teachers will also refresh the things they may already know

INFLUENCE OF SENSITIZATION OF ENGLISH TEACHERS TOWARDS INTERNAL INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION ON THEIR TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA

Instructional supervision is key to effective teaching. Whereas emphasis has been put on external instructional supervision, less attention has been given to Internal Instructional Supervision (IIS), probably because its influence on teaching effectiveness is yet to be established. Kakamega County is the second largest County in terms of population yet achievement in English is low at a mean score of 5.28 in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (2007-2012). The County’s Panel of Standards Assessment report, 2010 and 2011 pegged this to weak IIS structures. The purpose of this study was to establish influence of sensitization of teachers of English towards IIS on their teaching effectiveness. A conceptual framework constituting of sensitization of teachers of English towards internal instructional supervision as the independent variables and teaching effectiveness as the dependent variable was used. The study used ex-post –facto, correlation and descriptive survey. Population was 13 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QUASO), 247 principals, 247 HODs and 494 English Teachers (ET). It sampled 13 QUASO, 74 principals, 74 HODs and 215 teachers purposively. Questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis guide were used. To establish validity, the instruments were given to experts in language pedagogy. A pilot study was conducted using 10% of the population; hence, 24 principals, 24 HODs and 50 teachers were used to establish reliability. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies, percentages and Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression. Qualitative data was transcribed, categorized and reported in themes relevant to the study. Findings revealed that teachersof English had been greatly sensitized on professional documents but least sensitized on purpose of IIS and they were rarely sensitized on matters of IIS through in-service. The study concludes that sensitization of ET towards IIS is not a significant factor of predicting teaching effectiveness and only 10.4 % of teaching effectiveness can be predicted by sensitization of ET towards IIS. The study thus recommends that stakeholders of IIS should sensitize teachers of English on the purpose of IIS, frequency of conducting IIS, teacher preparedness towards IIS and exposure through in-service since these are positively significant to teaching effectiveness.  Article visualizations

Tsetse fly (Glossina pallidipes) midgut responses to Trypanosoma brucei challenge

Abstract Background Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are the prominent vector of African trypanosome parasites (Trypanosoma spp.) in sub-Saharan Africa, and Glossina pallidipes is the most widely distributed species in Kenya. This species displays strong resistance to infection by parasites, which are typically eliminated in the midgut shortly after acquisition from the mammalian host. Although extensive molecular information on immunity for the related species Glossina morsitans morsitans exists, similar information is scarce for G. pallidipes. Methods To determine temporal transcriptional responses of G. pallidipes to Trypanosoma brucei brucei challenge, we conducted Illumina based RNA-seq on midgut organ and carcass from teneral females G. pallidipes at 24 and 48 h post-challenge (hpc) with T. b. brucei relative to their respective controls that received normal blood meals (without the parasite). We used a suite of bioinformatics tools to determine differentially expressed and enriched transcripts between and among tissues, and to identify expanded transcripts in G. pallidipes relative to their orthologs G. m. morsitans. Results Midgut transcripts induced at 24 hpc encoded proteins were associated with lipid remodelling, proteolysis, collagen metabolism, apoptosis, and cell growth. Midgut transcripts induced at 48 hpc encoded proteins linked to embryonic growth and development, serine endopeptidases and proteosomal degradation of the target protein, mRNA translation and neuronal development. Temporal expression of immune responsive transcripts at 48 relative to 24 hpc was pronounced, indicative of a gradual induction of host immune responses the following challenge. We also searched for G. m. morsitans orthologous groups that may have experienced expansions in the G. pallidipes genome. We identified ten expanded groups in G. pallidipes with putative immunity-related functions, which may play a role in the higher refractoriness exhibited by this species. Conclusions There appears to be a lack of strong immune responses elicited by gut epithelia of teneral adults. This in combination with a compromised peritrophic matrix at this stage during the initial phase of T. b. brucei challenge may facilitate the increased parasite infection establishment noted in teneral flies relative to older adults. Although teneral flies are more susceptible than older adults, the majority of tenerals are still able to eliminate parasite infections. Hence, robust responses elicited at a later time point, such as 72 hpc, may clear parasite infections from the majority of flies. The expanded G. m. morsitans orthologous groups in G. pallidipes may also be functionally associated with the enhanced refractoriness to trypanosome infections reported in G. pallidipes relative to G. m. morsitans

Analisis Nilai Tambah Pada Rantai Pasok Produk Tuna Beku Di PT. Sari Tuna Makmur Kota Bitung Provinsi Sulawesi Utara

Penelitian ini bertujuan : 1) Mengidentifikasi nilai tambah pada rantai pasok produk tuna beku di PT. Sari Tuna Makmur Kota Bitung Provinsi Sulawesi Utara, dan 2) Menganalisis nilai tambah pada rantai pasok produk tuna beku di PT. Sari Tuna Makmur Kota Bitung Provinsi Sulawesi Utara.Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan studi kasus. Studi kasus adalah penelitian yang dilakukan secara terfokus pada suatu kasus tertentu untuk diamati dan dianalisis secara cermat sampai tuntas. Analisis deskriptif kuantitatif dilakukan guna menganalisis nilai tambah produk tuna beku. Secara matematis fungsi nilai tambah (NT) menggunakan metode Hayami, dkk (1987) dalam Nurhayati (2004) dapat dirumuskan sebagai berikut: NT = f (T, H, U, h).Hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan : 1) Nilai tambah pada rantai pasok produk tuna beku di PT. Sari Tuna Makmur Kota Bitung, berupa nilai tambah pada jumlah tenaga kerja dan pendapatan/upah, dan 2) Nilai tambah pada rantai pasok produk tuna beku di PT. Sari Tuna Makmur Kota Bitung tergolong tinggi, baik pada nilai tambah pada jumlah tenaga kerja maupun pendapatan/upah

Pharmacognostic Screening of Elaeis guineensis ( Aracaceae) Jacq. Oil and its Effect as an Antidote on Cyanide Poisoning

Introduction: Elaeis guinenesis is a perennial monocot belonging to the family Arecaceae. It is the source of the oil commonly called African palm oil or macaw fat which in traditional medicine has many uses Aim: This study is focused on the pharmacognostic screening of oil of Elaeis guineensis, and its antidotal effect on cyanide poisoning. Method: The extracted oil was subjected to various screening technique in order to determine its quality, purity and chemical constituents. The oil was macroscopically examined; acute toxicity test of Elaeis guineensis oil was carried out on rats. The oil was subjected to heating to determine the moisture content. Phytochemical analysis was also carried out on the palm oil extract. The physicochemical analysis was carried to determine the acid value, saponification value, ester value, hydroxyl value and iodine value. The Ld50 for the pure cyanide was carried out on the rats using “Up and Down” method. The antidotal study of Elaeis guineensis oil was carried out on the rats. Result: Macroscopic evaluation showed, the oil was in fresh condition, smooth texture, bright red colour, characteristic taste, oily appearance and a characterictic smell. The Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponnins, alkaloids, steroids and terpenoids. The physicochemical analysis showed that the oil has an acid value of 31.2, Saponification value of 194.8, Ester value 163.54, Peroxide value of 18.0, Hydroxyl Percentage of 2.07% and Free Fatty Acid of 3.65. The moisture content was calculated to be 0.2%. For the acute toxicity test on the oil using Lorkes method no death was recorded. The LD50 of the cyanide carried out on the rats showed that the lethal dose of cyanide is 5 mg/kg. The antidotal effect of Elaeis guineensis oil showed the absence of death on the group given oil extract alone and the groups that were poisoned and given the oil (antidote) within 4 minutes. Deaths were recorded for the groups that were administered antidotes after 8 minutes. Conclusion: Elaeis guineensis oil has counteracting effect on cyanide poisoning if administered within four minutes of cyanide ingestion. &nbsp

Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of leucocyte in comparison to other biomarkers in the management of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is an infectious and debilitating disease that affects millions of people each year. Simple, reliable and cost effective biomarkers are vital to fore-stall the morbidity and mortality that is hallmark of the infection especially in resource poor economy.Methods: This comparative study enlisted 140 subjects: 80 had PTB and 60 do not. Blood of 8mls was collected; 3mls in K2-EDTA for FBC testing with XE-2100 Sysmex and ESR by Westergreen method. The remainder was used for serum CRP assay by ELISA. The radiological extent was determined from Chest X ray report and disease severity using modified Bandim TB scoring was extracted from the case note. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship and diagnostic utility between leucocyte with CRP, ESR, radiological extent of disease and disease severity in PTB.Results: Mean Lymphocyte count was lower while TWBC, Neutrophil and Monocyte counts were higher in subjects compared to control (p<0.05). Median CRP, ESR, NLR, NMR and MLR were higher in subjects compared to control (p<0.05), NLR and MLR showed strong positive significant correlation with ESR, disease severity, and radiological extend of disease. NMR (p= 0.00) had a negative correlation with ESR (p<0.05) and inverse correlation with disease severity and radiological extent.Conclusions: This study found NLR, MLR and NMR as a readily, easily available and inexpensive indices that are as efficient and comparable to known biomarkers in PTB infection, therefore could serve as valuable predictive biomarker in areas of high disease burden with weak economy