Effect of antiretroviral therapy on some liver enzymes in HIV/AIDS breast fed and non breast fed children

The relationship and effect of antiretroviral therapy with associated hepatotoxicity were investigated in different paediatric age groups using serum alanine and aspartate transaminases (ALT and AST) and alkaline phosphates (ALP) biomarkers. The study consisted of a total of onehundred and twenty (120) participants; fifteen (15) each from different age groups of HIV infected children at baseline and three (3) months after initiation of therapy as well as a control group. Ninety three percent (93%) of the children studied acquired HIV infection through vertical transmission with seventy percent (70%) having mixed feeding as their feeding pattern. Before treatment initiation, total serum ALT and AST values (mean±S.E.M.) (25.7±4.8 and 69.6±3.6 U/L) were significantly higher (p<0.05) among the baseline than the control groups (21.1±1.9 and 17.9±3.6 U/L). After treatment, total serum transaminases and ALP values were found to besignificantly lower (p<0.05) among the treated (24.4±3.6, 38.4±5.4 and 255.5±77.5 U/L) than the baseline (25.7±4.8, 69.6±3.6 and 262.1±114.8 U/L) groups, except for the children in the least age group. This study concluded that antiretroviral drugs have effect on liver enzymes and are risk factors for developing hepatotoxicity especially in children at lower age groups. Children therefore require frequent evaluation during antiretroviral therapy even in the absence of signs and symptoms of metabolic complications.Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy, hepatotoxicity, transaminases, paediatric

3D Thermal Model of Laser Surface Glazing for Ti6Al4V alloy

t: Ti6Al4V alloy plays a significant role in the biomedical applications such as bioimplants for its excellent biocompatibility. Its usage can be further extended by improving the surface hardness and wear resistance. In this respect, laser surface glazing (LSG), an advanced surface modification technique, is very useful which can produce thin hardened surface layer and strong metallurgical bonding. Investigation of temporal and spatial temperature distributions of laser glazed surface of materials are essential because temperature plays significant role in achieving required surface properties. Therefore, in this study, a 3D Finite element analysis has been developed to perform transient thermal analysis of LSG for Ti64 alloy. The model investigated temperature distribution, depth of modified zone and heating and cooling. The results show that the peak temperature is attained 2095 K for 300 W laser power, 0.2 mm beam width and 0.15 ms residence time. Since this temperature is above the melting point (1933 K) of Ti64 alloy, the melt depth is calculated 22.5 μm. Furthermore, from the simulation results, the average heating and cooling rates are estimated 1.19×107 Ks-1 and 2.71×106 Ks-1 respectively which indicate the presence of hard phases in the modified zone

Two dimensional finite element thermal model of laser surface glazing for H13 tool steel

A two dimensional (2D) transient thermal model with line-heat-source was developed by Finite Element Method (FEM) for laser surface glazing of H13 tool steel using commercial software-ANSYS 15. The geometry of the model was taken as a transverse circular cross-section of cylindrical specimen. Two different power levels (300W, 200W) were used with 0.2mm width of laser beam and 0.15ms exposure time. Temperature distribution, heating and cooling rates, and the dimensions of modified surface were analysed. The maximum temperatures achieved were 2532K (2259°C) and 1592K (1319°C) for laser power 300W and 200W respectively. The maximum cooling rates were 4.2×107 K/s for 300W and 2×107 K/s for 200W. Depths of modified zone increased with increasing laser power. From this analysis, it can be predicted that for 0.2mm beam width and 0.15ms time exposer melting temperature of H13 tool steel is achieved within 200-300W power range of laser beam in laser surface glazing

3D Thermal Model of Laser Surface Glazing for H13 Tool Steel

In this work a three dimensional (3D) finite element model of laser surface glazing (LSG) process has been developed. The purpose of the 3D thermal model of LSG was to achieve maximum accuracy towards the predicted outcome for optimizing the process. A cylindrical geometry of 10mm diameter and 1mm length was used in ANSYS 15 software. Temperature distribution, depth of modified zone and cooling rates were analysed from the thermal model. Parametric study was carried out varying the laser power from 200W-300W with constant beam diameter and residence time which were 0.2mm and 0.15ms respectively. The maximum surface temperature 2554°K was obtained for power 300W and minimum surface temperature 1668°K for power 200W. Heating and cooling rates increased with increasing laser power. The depth of the laser modified zone attained for 300W power was 37.5µm and for 200W power was 30µm. No molten zone was observed at 200W power. Maximum surface temperatures obtained from 3D model increased 4% than 2D model presented in author’s previous work. In order to verify simulation results an analytical solution of temperature distribution for laser surface modification was used. The surface temperature after heating was calculated for similar laser parameters which is 1689°K. The difference in maximum surface temperature is around 20.7°K between analytical and numerical analysis of LSG for power 200W

Effect of Mother Tongue on Performance in Concept Erosion among Primary School Students in Faskari Educational Zone, Katsina-State

This study x-rays the effect of Mother tongue on performance in concept erosion among primary school students in Faskari Educational Zone, Katsina-State. The study adopted quasi experimental research design (pre-test, treatment, post-test). The population of the study consists of all primary five students in Faskari local government education authority. Intact classes in two primary schools were randomly selected as samples. The objective of the study aimed to examine the mean performance score of students exposed to concept erosion using Mother tongue medium of instruction and those taught using English languages in Faskari Educational Zone, Katsina state. The research question and hypothesis are in line with the objective of the study. Mother Tongue Performance Test (MTPT) containing thirty multiple choice items was used as the research instrument. The instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.83. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question while, t-test was used in testing the hypothesis. The finding of the study revealed that, students taught concept erosion using Mother tongue medium of instruction performed academically better than those taught using English language. Based on the finding, the study recommended that, Mother tongue should be made the language of instruction at the primary school level and eventually at all levels of education in Katsina state

Focal adhesions are foci for tyrosine-based signal transduction via GIV/Girdin and G proteins.

GIV/Girdin is a multimodular signal transducer and a bona fide metastasis-related protein. As a guanidine exchange factor (GEF), GIV modulates signals initiated by growth factors (chemical signals) by activating the G protein Gαi. Here we report that mechanical signals triggered by the extracellular matrix (ECM) also converge on GIV-GEF via β1 integrins and that focal adhesions (FAs) serve as the major hubs for mechanochemical signaling via GIV. GIV interacts with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and ligand-activated β1 integrins. Phosphorylation of GIV by FAK enhances PI3K-Akt signaling, the integrity of FAs, increases cell-ECM adhesion, and triggers ECM-induced cell motility. Activation of Gαi by GIV-GEF further potentiates FAK-GIV-PI3K-Akt signaling at the FAs. Spatially restricted signaling via tyrosine phosphorylated GIV at the FAs is enhanced during cancer metastasis. Thus GIV-GEF serves as a unifying platform for integration and amplification of adhesion (mechanical) and growth factor (chemical) signals during cancer progression

Exploitable options for curbing the danger of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa

Background: It is understood that coronavirus is highly mutated, in December, 2019 a new strain of coronavirus emerged which originated in Wuhan, from seafood. The pathogen was named novel coronavirus, while the disease it causes is known as Covid-19, the 2019 coronavirus disease. Bat is the major reservoir host of the virus. By putting bats in touch with other mammals will promote viral spillovers, which is a dominant condition for SARS-CoV-2, while also the effect of climate anomalies on food scarcity, behavioral flexibility, and bat immune modulation is likely to increase the risk of disease emergence. Over 34 million Covid-19 cases were registered between 31st of December 2019 and October 1st 2020 with Africa reporting about 1.4 million cases in this period. Aim: This review was design to highlight possible options that can be exploited in curbing the Covid-19 menace in Africa. Method: We reviewed articles from online databases for relevant documents written in English language. These includes NCBI, PubMed and Google scholar. We included both original and review papers that provided information on current SARS-CoV-2 trends and meta-analysis in Africa and globally. Results: Of the 15 articles selected from the 128 available citations, approximately 40 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, while only 1.4 million people in Africa have been confirmed to be positive for the virus as of October 1, 2020, although the prevalence in Africa is low in relative to other continents. However, most African nations do not have the economy to buy the vaccines that are accessible. The availability of phytoterapeutic agents, on the other hand, would provide a cost-effective way to tackle the Covid-19 threat in Africa. Conclusion: Cell lines adaptation in vaccine production, proteomic analysis of the viralhost interactomes, treatment approaches using natural occurring compounds, which will provide cost effective options to low-income countries can be adopted to curb the menace of Covid-19 in Africa

Modelling of Laser Surface Glazing for Metallic Materials by Finite Element Method

Laser surface glazing (LSG) is widely used to improve surface hardness and wear resistance in casting tool, railroad, automotive and bioimplant industries. This PhD project focused on developing a simple and reliable model of LSG for metallic materials by FEM. Both 2D and 3D transient thermal model of LSG with cylindrical geometry were successfully developed in ANSYS mechanical APDL software. Temperature distributions, heating, cooling rates and depth of modified zone of LSG treated parts were predicted from the thermal model. The temperature distribution resulting from thermal model were used to develop a 2D coupled thermomechanical model to predict residual stress for H13 tool steel using two plasticity theories, isotropic and kinematic. The thermal model was conducted for H13 tool steel and Ti6Al4V alloy. The laser power range 200-300 W and 100-200 W were used respectively with constant 0.2 mm beam width and 0.15 ms residence time. Results showed that surface peak temperature increased proportionally with laser power. Heating and cooling rates were extremely high in the range of 106-107 Ks-1 for both alloys and increased with laser power. The depth of modified zone was in micron range and increased with laser power. The parametric study of thermal model determined threshold power level 210 W and 130 W to initiate melting of H13 tool steel and Ti6Al4V alloy respectively. Thermomechanical model showed that tensile residual stress induced in the modified surface of H13 tool steel. Isotropic plasticity model developed higher von Mises residual stress than the kinematic model. Furthermore, the developed thermal model of LSG was applied to simulate quenching and tempering heat treatment of structural steel. The temperature distribution, cooling rates and outer case depth caused by quenching were predicted from the model. The calculated case depth from the model showed good agreement with the measured case depth found in the experimental work

Penggunaan Fly Ash sebagai Bahan Tambah pada Proses Pembuatan Mortar dengan Bahan Dasar Pasir Apung

Sumber daya alam yang terdapat di Kota Tidore Kepulauan, salah satunya berupa ketersediaan batu apung,yang telah dimanfaatkan untuk membuat bata pres. Di Kota Tidore juga terdapat abu batubara (fly ash) yang berasal dari PLTU yang dapat menggangu Kenyamanan masyrakat sehingga batu bara ini di coba untuk bahan campuran bata semen untuk mengurangi beret semen dalam pembuatan bata semen. Tinjauan pada penelitian ini berupa sifat-sifat mekanis bata batu apung dan tahapan yang dilakukan antara lain : pengujian karakteristik material, perencanaan komposisi campuran 1PC : 4PS, dan variasi limbah batu bara fly ash yang digunakan yaitu 0%, 10%, 20%, 30, 40% dan 50% dengan jumlah sampel 60 buah. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah semakin besar bahan tambah fly ash semakin tinggi nilai kuat tekan, untuk bahan tambah fly ash sebagai bahan tambah semen menghasilkan kuat tekan bata 133,88 kg/cm², 150,87 kg/cm², 161,06 kg/cm², 196,40 kg/cm², 243,29 kg/cm², dan 243,29 kg/cm². Dalam syarat-syarat fisis menunjukan bata semen pasir apung berada pada tingkat mutu bata semen mutu I