Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of Zanthoxylum gilletii essential oil against Anopheles gambiae

Malaria is a serious health problem in many African countries. The Anopheles gambiae mosquito which is the major vector for this disease has developed resistance against synthetic pyrethroids which are the main stay of insecticide treated bed nets. The development of insecticide resistance and side effects associated with synthetic pesticides has triggered intense research efforts towards natural products (for vector control) such as essential oils because of their efficacy and safety. In this study, larvicidal potential of essential oil from Zanthoxylum gilletii was evaluated against malaria vector mosquito, A. gambiae. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation, and its chemical compositions determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The oil was dominated by sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes which accounted for 38.30 and 34.00%, respectively. The oil showed good activity against A. gambiae and recorded LC50 and LC90 values of 57.73 and 140.24 ×10-3 mg/ml, respectively. The results obtained show that the essential oil isolated from Z. gilletii is a promising mosquito larvicide.Keywords: Malaria, Zanthoxylum gilletii, essential oil, Anopheles gambiae, larvicidal activityAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(21) 2175-218

Assessing the Collaboration Quality in the Pair Program Tracing and Debugging Eye-Tracking Experiment

We assessed the extent of collaboration of pairs of novice programmers as they traced and debugged fragments of code using cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA). Specifically, we compared which among the pairs collaborated the most given a particular task. This was also a preliminary study that looked for patterns on how the pairs categorized according to expertise collaborated. We performed a CRQA to build cross-recurrence plots using the eye tracking data and computed for the CRQA metrics, such as recurrence rate (RR), determinism (DET), entropy (ENTR), and laminarity (LAM) using the CRP toolbox for MATLAB. Findings showed that Pair 3, which consisted of both high-performers, collaborated the most because of its highest RR and DET. However, its highest ENT and LAM implied that Pair 3 struggled the most in program comprehension. We found also that all the pairs as assessed through their RR’s started with low values, peaked in the middle, declined, and increased again when the task was about to end, regardless of how well partners knew each other prior to the task. This could mean that at the start the pairs were still independently assessing how to approach the task, then they started to collaborate once comfortable but then worked independently again in an attempt to finish

Prevalence and Predictors of Long COVID-19 and the Average Time to Diagnosis in the General Population: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

Objectives: We aimed to assess the prevalence of long COVID-19 and estimate the average time to its diagnosis and meta-regression for covariates. Methods: We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression from 43 studies (367,236 patients) (June 2020–August 2022). With the random-effects model, the pooled prevalence of long COVID-19 was measured. Publication bias was ascertained, and meta-regression analysis was performed on predetermined covariates. The trial was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022328509). Results: The pooled prevalence of long COVID-19 was 42.5% (95% CI 36% to 49.3%), with 25% and 66% at four and two months, respectively. Mostly, long COVID-19 signs and symptoms occurred at three (54.3%) to six (57%) months (p p = 0.0148). Hypertension was significantly associated with long COVID-19 at 32% (0.322 (95% CI 0.166, 0.532) (p p = 0.0032) (R2 = 0.17). All the covariates explained at least some of the variance in effect size on long COVID-19 at 53% (Q = 38.81, df = 19, p = 0.0047) (R2 analog = 0.53). Conclusion: The prevalence of long COVID-19 was 42.5% when linked with a cardiovascular disorder. Hospital re-admission majorly predicted the incidence of long COVID-19. Clinical and methodological characteristics in a specific study contributed to over 50% of long COVID-19 events, with most signs and symptoms occurring between 3 and 6 months and increasing at 12 months

Technical Vocational Education in the Philippines for Sustainable Development

This research aims to investigate the role of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) in promoting sustainable development in the Philippines. A review of related literature was conducted to identify best practices and strategies for promoting the development of the TVE sector. The findings of this research suggest that updating curricula, investment in infrastructure and technology, and a stronger emphasis on lifelong learning can help to promote sustainable development in the Philippines. Additionally, the integration of green skills and environmental education and partnerships with industry can play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development. This research highlights the importance of addressing the challenges facing the TVE sector, including the need for innovative pedagogical approaches and investment in infrastructure and technology. The government, educators, and the private sector have a critical role to play in promoting the development of the TVE sector and ensuring its continued contribution to sustainable development in the Philippines

Technical Vocational Education in the Philippines for Sustainable Development

This research aims to investigate the role of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) in promoting sustainable development in the Philippines. A review of related literature was conducted to identify best practices and strategies for promoting the development of the TVE sector. The findings of this research suggest that updating curricula, investment in infrastructure and technology, and a stronger emphasis on lifelong learning can help to promote sustainable development in the Philippines. Additionally, the integration of green skills and environmental education and partnerships with industry can play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development. This research highlights the importance of addressing the challenges facing the TVE sector, including the need for innovative pedagogical approaches and investment in infrastructure and technology. The government, educators, and the private sector have a critical role to play in promoting the development of the TVE sector and ensuring its continued contribution to sustainable development in the Philippines

A developed mobile application for optimum facility location using center of gravity approach

This research is about the development, testing and application of mobile app for optimum location spot of a single facility. The approach is to use Center of Gravity Method to locate the central locations of the facility. This equality would reflect balance and minimum time and cost. The main variables to be considered in the systems are customer\u27s distance, customer\u27s demands and transportation rates. In general, firms which apply technologies will perform significantly better than those that do not. This leads to the development of a mobile app to identify best location for a single facility which will serve several demand centers. After the development of a mobile app, this undergoes testing which includes verification whether the mobile app will provide the same result in theoretical computations. The study confirms that the mobile app is consistent with the theoretical computations for location planning. This mobile app becomes a decision support system suggesting that they can access this mobile app to improve the firm\u27s performance on decision making. A faster and effective decision making since instead of manual computation which will take time, the computation will be in a few seconds plus you could visualize the geographic areas being investigated. Moreover, the mobile app is practical to implement because it is flexible and easy to use. The data needed is easy to gather. The mobile app can generate up to 100 iterations to ensure that global maxima is obtained. © 2018 IEEE

Igpaw: Loyola — Design of a Campus-Wide Augmented Reality Game Using MAGIS

We present Igpaw: Loyola, a new location-based mobile AR (augmented reality) adventure game designed to be played within the campus grounds of the Ateneo de Manila University. Igpaw: Loyola improves upon its predecessor, Igpaw: Intramuros, by upgrading gameplay mechanics to accommodate lengthier learning modules, improving the usability of both interactive (AR) and navigation (non-AR) portions of the game, and enhancing the game authoring process with the help of an improved version of the MAGIS (Mobile Augmented-Reality Game-Engine for Instructional Support) framework. A preliminary user evaluation is also presented