Effect of Iron Deficiency Anemia on Intellectual Performance of Primary School Children in Islamabad, Pakistan

Purpose: To assess the differences, if any, in the intellectual performance scores of children who have iron deficiency anemia and those who are neither anemic nor iron-deficient in New Kashmir Model School, Islamabad, Pakistan.Methods: A total of 108 primary New Kashmir Model School children of Islamabad, Pakistan between the ages of 7 to 9 years were included in the study. They were divided into two groups based on Iron deficiency anemia and Non-anemia children’s. A brief clinical history and physical examination was performed. All the 5 mandatory subjects of WISC-R were administered to the children of both groups. Electronic cell counter was used for the evaluation of hemoglobin, packed cell volume (PVC), mean cell volume (MCV), Mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) while serum parameters were determined after first separating serum from blood. Giemsa stain was used to evaluate red cell morphology.Results: Seventy six of these children had iron deficiency anemia based on their hemoglobin, packed cell volume, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin levels. The remaining 32 children were neither anemic nor iron-deficient based on their profiles. Intellectual performance scores which comprised of central nervous system (CNS) impact, as well as hemoglobin, packed cell volume, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin levels and also clinical parameters for the iron deficiency anemia group, were significantly lower than those of the non-anemia group.Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia appears to be associated with lower intellectual performance scores in school children. These results support previous findings that iron depletion leads to psychological and developmental effects in children.Keywords: Intellectual performance, Anemia, Children, Psychological and developmental effect

APLIKASI ANDROID UNTUK PENGHITUNGAN SUARA PILPRES MENGGUNAKAN METODE REAL COUNT DENGAN SMS (SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE)

Rekapitulasi surat suara merupakan perhitungan surat suara dari hasil PILPRES diseluruh Tempat Pemungutan Suara (TPS) dimana PILPRES diselenggarakan. Rekapitulasi resmi yang dilakukan oleh KPU provinsi dan kabupaten atau kota akan diumumkan dalam waktu 7-21 hari setelah PILPRES dilangsungkan. Melihat lama waktu untuk hasil rekapitulasi resmi tersebut, diadakan Real Count atau perhitungan nyata yang dilakukan oleh lembaga survei untuk mendapatkan hasil rekapitulasi sementara dari PILPRES yang telah dilangsungkan. Provinsi Riau terdapat 17.636 TPS yang tersebar di 12 Kabupaten dan Kota. Dan memiliki 3.861.197 pemilih, dengan rata-rata pemilih setiap TPS-nya sebanyak 325 pemilih. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian menggunakan blackbox diperoleh hasil format SMS surat suara berhasil dikirimkan dan diproses oleh sistem, Nomer HP yang tidak terdaftar tidak terbaca format SMS oleh sistem yang dibangun meskipun format SMS yang digunakan sudah benar. Pengiriman SMS serta metode Real Count dapat diterapkan sebagai penyaluran informasi penghitungan surat suara. Kata kunci: Android, Real Count, SM

The Influence of Internal Auditing on Effective Corporate Governance in the Banking Sector in Oman

This research aims to examine the influence of internal audit on effective corporate governance in commercial banks listed on Muscat Securities Market (MSM) in Oman. A questionnaire was used to collect data and was distributed to the 100 top senior level officials and internal audit department of the commercial banks. The regression model that was used in this study was five dependent variables: internal audit independence; proficiency and due professional care; nature of work; quality assurance and improvement program; and managing the internal audit activity. The finding of the research establishes a significant positive relationship between internal audit and effective corporate governance. Variables internal audit independence, proficiency and due professional care, and nature of work were significantly associated with corporate governance. For quality assurance and improvement program and managing the internal audit activity, their influence on corporate governance is not statistically significant

Zielona energia na Karaibach: jej wpływ na turystykę i rozwój gospodarczy

The green energy agenda has become one of the most important issues in international relations. Many island states of the Oceania have taken the course of green economy construction. The Caribbean states are in some way similar to the Oceania ones and have also made several steps towards greener future. Some of these states are tightly connected with international tourism, leading to the high dependence of their economies from touristic revenues. The article examines this interconnection, including economic component in the analysis. The major question of the article is how does (or doesn’t) tourism influence the development of green energy in the Caribbean states. The two major economies examined in the region are Cuba and Dominican Republic as the two examples of the totally different economic systems and approaches to the development of the green energy. The key findings of the article include such conclusions as the possibility of synergetic  interdependence between tourism, economy and green energy and the positive effects this interdependence has. The other finding is that the Cuban method of introducing green energy is less effective than the Dominican one. The novelty of the article includes the comparison of the two economic models in the Caribbean and the development of strategies for the green energy proliferation in the countries.Agenda zielonej energii stała się jedną z najważniejszych kwestii w stosunkach międzynarodowych. Wiele wyspiarskich stanów Oceanii przeszło na kurs budowy zielonej gospodarki. Państwa karaibskie są w pewien sposób podobne do krajów Oceanii i również poczyniły kilka kroków w kierunku bardziej ekologicznej przyszłości. Niektóre z tych państw są ściśle powiązane z turystyką międzynarodową, co prowadzi do silnego uzależnienia ich gospodarek od przychodów z turystyki. W artykule przeanalizowano to powiązanie, uwzględniając w analizie komponent ekonomiczny. Głównym pytaniem artykułu jest to, w jaki sposób turystyka wpływa (lub nie) na rozwój zielonej energii w krajach karaibskich. Dwie główne gospodarki badane w regionie to Kuba i Dominikana jako dwa przykłady całkowicie odmiennych systemów gospodarczych i podejść do rozwoju zielonej energii. Do kluczowych ustaleń artykułu należą takie wnioski, jak możliwość synergicznej współzależności między turystyką, gospodarką i zieloną energią oraz pozytywne skutki tej współzależności. Drugim wnioskiem jest to, że kubańska metoda wprowadzania zielonej energii jest mniej skuteczna niż dominikańska. Nowością artykułu jest porównanie dwóch modeli gospodarczych na Karaibach oraz opracowanie strategii proliferacji zielonej energii w tych krajach

Issues for Long-Range Projection of International Energy Markets Through the Prism of Sustainable Development

Modern energy system development model requires incorporation of not only demand and supply sides of energy markets, but also reference of new technologies deployment throughout the whole value chain, governmental policies in place, and other non-market indicators that, however, provide for the whole market equilibration by indirect energy resources price regulation. Consequently, overcoming the traditional framework is getting basic precondition for achieving sustainable development in the energy sector, covering the whole energy system for research purposes due to global and coherent transition from forecasting of energy development to constructing of new alternatives and creating a new world which meet the goals of sustainable development. The next step will be a creation of ways of their achievement, and management systems, which allows countries, regions and the whole world to stay on that pathway. The article comes up with suggestions on making alterations to the current practice of energy systems forecasting process. Keywords: scenarios, sustainable development, international relations, global energy markets JEL Classifications: O13, P28, Q47, Y

Neonatal mortality in Sudan: analysis of the Sudan household survey, 2010

BACKGROUND: Sudan is classified as having insufficient progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG-4), where the levels of child and infant mortality are among the highest in the region and the world. This study investigated factors associated with neonatal mortality in Sudan. Neonatal death is defined as death within the first 28 days of life. METHODS: This study analysed data from the Sudan Household Health Survey 2nd round, which was carried out in 2010. Total of 6,198 live-born infants delivered within the two years preceding the survey were included as the study population. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model neonatal mortality as a function of maternal health parameters, socioeconomic indicators and the sex of the child. RESULTS: There were 189 neonatal deaths out of 6,198 live births (3.0%). In the multiple logistic regression, the factors associated with neonatal mortality were advanced maternal age (≥ 40 years; OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.21, 4.78, p = 0.012), poor household wealth index (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.47, p = 0.005), male child (OR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.31, 2.42, p < 0.001), delivery of baby by Caesarean section (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.78, 2.42, p = 0.013) and delivery complications (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.15, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Public health interventions which target neonatal mortality reduction should adopt a risk-factor-based approach to detect pregnancy complications early and once identified, the health system should be strengthened so that these complications can be dealt with adequately

Constraints on the BPS Spectrum of N = 2, D = 4 Theories with A-D-E Flavor Symmetry

BPS states of N=2, D=4 Super Yang-Mills theories with ADE flavor symmetry arise as junctions joining a D3-brane to a set of 7-branes defining the enhanced flavor algebra. We show that the familiar BPS spectrum of SU(2) theories with N_f <= 4 is simply given by the set of junctions whose self-intersection is bounded below as required by supersymmetry. This constraint, together with the relations between junction and weight lattices, is used to establish the appearance of arbitrarily large flavor representations for the case of D_{n>=5} and E_n symmetries. Such representations are required by consistency with decoupling down to smaller flavor symmetries.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, 1 eps figure; references adde

Blood Lead Level Among Paediatric Thalassaemia Patients In Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Lead toxicity has been recognized for thousands of years. Today, lead toxicity is well documented and is recognized as a major environmental health risk throughout the world. Lead affects humans and animals of all ages, but the effects of lead are most serious in young children. The route of lead exposure is primarily via inhalation or ingestion. However Bearer et al has shown that blood transfusion can be a source for lead exposure to premature infants. Thalassemia is common in this country, and majority of patients are transfusion dependant, thus hypothesis been made that regular blood transfusion can represent a significant source of lead in our Thalassaemic patients. To determine Blood Lead Level in Thalassaemic patients with regular blood transfusion and to compare means with non-Thalassaemic patients. This was a cross sectional study, conducted at the Paediatric Thalassaemia Day Care Unit, General Paediatric Ward (Ward 6 Selatan) and Paediatric Clinic in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) from March 2009 until August 2010. A total of 90 patients were included, 45 were Thalassaemic transfusion dependant patients and the other 45 were control who were of same age and sex with patients group and never been transfused before. The blood lead samples were taken pretransfusion for Thalassaemic patients group and random for control group. Samples were then analysed using standard Atomic Absorption Spectrometer analysis. This study revealed that overall mean blood lead level (2.13 ± 1.72J.Lg/dL) was low compared to standard CDC recommendations action plan levels. There was statistically significant difference between mean blood lead levels in Thalassaemic patients group (1.14 ± 0.85J.1g/dL) and control group (3.12 ± 1.8lJ.1g/dL). No correlations of age or serum ferritin level to blood lead level were found. This study shows that our Thalassaemic transfusion dependant patients do not have extra exposure to lead from their regular blood transfusion

The Role of Fuel and Energy Sector in the Eurasian Economic Community Integration Process

The article focuses on creation of the common energy space among the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space countries. We analyzes energy markets in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, natural resources potential of these countries and their energy exports, as well as pays particular attention to the current oil and gas supplies regulation within the Customs Union. The main problems emphasized in the article are the common oil and gas market establishment, harmonization of the national energy legislation, effective transit potential use, development and adoption of common rules for the oil and gas industry access, removal of duties and establishment of common tariff policy. In conclusion, recommendations for development of Russia's Eurasian integration strategy are presented. Keywords: Energy, Eurasian integration, Common Economic Space. JEL Classification: F02