Anti-Diarrhoeic and antibacterial Effects of Aqueous Pod Extract of Acacia nilotica in Albino Rats

The anti-diarrhoea effect of aqueous pod extract of Acacia nilotica was investigated in rats. The pod extract of A. nilotica was obtained by Soxhlet extraction using distilled water as a solvent and subjected to phytochemicalscreening. The result of phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, and reducing sugars. The elemental analysis of the extract revealed high concentration of sodium followed by magnesium, iron, cadmium, zinc, manganese and potassium. The aqueous extract significantly (

The Capability and Support of Structure Capital on BIM Innovation in SME

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has been changing over the years with the emergence of BIM. The small and medium sized enterprises are not left out of the change, bringing distortion to their business environment and process. Extant studies have revealed that Structure Capital (SC) is an integral part of the innovative capacity of firms, this study examines the capability of SC on Architectural SME firms in Nigeria. The research was designed in three stages, empirical enquiry, analysis, and synthesis. The empirical enquiry comprised of theory formulation and fieldwork data collection. The theory formulation was achieved by proposing an evaluation framework using a systematic literature review on three SC components; system structure, infrastructure and facilities, and process and scheme. The evaluation framework constituted a set of independent variables comprising thirteen indicators categorised under these three components. The evaluation framework was used to collect data from the fieldwork. It involved a questionnaire survey and case study interviews with a sample of SME architectural firms in Nigeria. The survey involved administering questionnaires to 334 firms which yielded 217 completed questionnaires. Six case study interviews were also conducted within the same period.  The survey data enabled the evaluation of the framework using a multiple regression analysis. To examine the relationship between these components and the BIM Business Value Capital (BBVC), a multiple linear regression and correlation analysis was conducted to assess whether the independent variables predict the dependent variable. The result indicated that all the three components of the SC have a significant correlation with BBVC. However, some indicators were not found to be useful in predicting BBVC, which include: flexible administrative systems and knowledge management system structures. In comparison, the availability of specific office infrastructures for BIM and the availability of in-house training were found to be useful. The research concluded that the development of the SC of SME firms in the AEC industry is essential for the business process of BIM adoption. Keywords: BIM, Structure Capital (SC), SME, Architect, BBVC. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/9-2-0

Analisis Karakteristik Elektrik Zno Terdoping Cr2O3 Untuk Aplikasi Varistor Tegangan Rendah

ZnO is one of the main ingredients of making varistor can be used as a protective device to protect electronic and electrical equipment from the dangers of impulse over voltage. Ability to function as a varistor protective because ZnO has a resistance that is not linear. When the system did not experience over voltage fault, current does not flow from the varistor, but when over voltage fault on system, current will flow from the fault line to the ground through varistor. The addition of dopant to ZnO expected to improve non-linierity of ZnO resitance. In this research used Cr2O3 as dopant. Varistor manufacturing using the dry pressing method at a pressure of 150 kg/cm2. Sintering process performed at a temperature of 9000C with a time of detention for 2 hours. The size of the resulting varistor has a thickness ± 1.5 mm and ± 19 mm diameter. Characterization performed includes the analysis of crystal structures using X-ray diffraction, microstructure using MO and SEM, and electrical properties characterization volt-time using capacitive impulse voltage generator. Based on test results of x-ray diffraction and in accordance with PDF No. 38-1479 prove that the sample ZnCr5.0 contains Cr2O3 with ZnO compounds dominant. Microstructure obtained by SEM seems not so clear, it is because the process is not optimum preparation and etching is not performed on test samples. Pure ZnO Varistor can work cut given impulse voltage, whereas the varistor mixtures of ZnO-Cr2O3 can not work to cut the impulse voltage 900 V-1450 V provided, it is alleged to be caused sintering temperature given is not optimum and dopan provided is not sufficient to improve performance a varistor

The Influence of Marketing Mix, Perceived Risk, and Satisfaction on Word of Mouth in Xyz Clinic

The increasing need for health services, peoples who lived in the Pekayon, Bekasi City were given the opportunity to choose the right clinic. Word of mouth is a marketing technique that can be used by clinics. This study aims to analyze the effects of the marketing mix, perceived risk, and satisfaction on word of mouth at XYZ clinic. The research is a descriptive method with a survey using questionnaires and 200 respondents as the sample. Furthermore, the data analysis technique is descriptive with SPSS16.0 software and Structural Equation Model (SEM) with LISREL 8.70. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the marketing mix has a positive effect on perceived risk, marketing mix has a positive effect on satisfaction, perceived risk has a negative effect on satisfaction, marketing mix has a positive effect on word of mouth, perceived risk has a negative effect on word of mouth, and satisfaction has a positive effect on word of mouth. Referring to these conclusions, it can be confirmed that the clinical management of doctor XYZ needs to improve employee services, convenience the patient that this clinic has expert doctors, and utilizing the use of social media as a marketing strategy

Effect of Methanol extract of Musca domestica larva on some Enzymes and Haematological parameters in Trypanosoma brucei brucei - infected rats

This study investigated the effect of methanol extract of Musca domestica (400mg/kg body weight) on some biomarker enzymes and haematological parameters in Trypanosoma brucei  brucei - infected rats. Twenty albino rats were intraperitoneally infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei and were grouped into five (5) groups of four (4) rats each. Group1 was set up as infected not treated (0.2ml normal saline/kg body weight), group 2 was treated with diaminazene aceturate (standard drug), group 3 as prophylactic treated (treatment for 72 hours before inoculation of parasite), group 4 as early treatment with the extract (treatment commenced after the sight of parasite) and group 5 as the control (uninfected untreated) group. Results shows significant (p<0.05) decrease in liver AST and ALT activities with concomitant increase in serum activities of the infected untreated rats when compared with the early treated, prophylactic treated, standard treated and normal control. Serum ALP activity of the infected not treated group was significantly (p<0.05) higher when compared to the control group and other experimental groups. No significant (p>0.05) difference in the liver ALP activities of the extract treated infected groups with standard drug treated group However, serum and liver GGT activities of the uninfected untreated (control) was significantly lower (p<0.05) than all the other experimental groups. Haematological studies shows significant decrease (p<0.05) in packed cell volume (PCV) , haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and red blood cell count (RBC) of infected not treated when compared to infected prophylactic treated and infected early treated. There was likewise significant increase in white blood cell count (WBC) of infected not treated compared to infected prophylactic treated and infected early treated. Findings from this study showed that methanol extract of Musca domestica larva has trypanocidal properties thereby ameliorating the T. brucei induced biochemical changes in rats.Key words: Musca domestica larva, Haematology, Trypanosomiasis, Enzymes, Methanol, Extract

Characterization of Transmission and Reflection of Ku Band Split Ring Resonator Reflectarray using Waveguide Method

In this paper, the analysis, design, and measurement of a split ring resonator reflectarray is presented. The 6 different designs of reflectarray are simulated to analyze the effect of splits position on resonance frequency. The SRR reflectarray which covered highest frequency bandwidth at Ku-band is fabricated and tested. In the fabrication, FR4 substrate is used. The S-parameter measurements of the fabricated reflectarray are performed by waveguide method. The obtained results have good reflection characteristics for a wide frequency range from 12 GHz to 16.5 GHz in Ku-band. The maximum value of reflection is achieved approximately at 15.3 GHz frequenc

Cultural Stereotypes of Multinational Banks

Using hand-collected data spanning more than a decade on European banks’ sovereign debt portfolios, we show that the trust of residents of a bank’s countries of operation in the residents of a potential target country of investment has a positive, statistically significant, and economically important association with its cross-border exposures. In identifying cultural stereotypes at the bank level, we show that corporate culture at bank headquarters is influenced by foreign subsidiaries for several reasons, including banks’ tendency to hire internally across borders for high-level managerial positions. We therefore leverage the geography of multinational bank branch networks to con- struct a bank-specific measure of culture that di↵ers across banks headquartered in the same country, at the same point in time, with regard to the same target country. This allows us to compare how sovereign exposures are a↵ected by cultural stereotypes while ruling out confounding factors at country and country-pair levels. The e↵ect of stereotypes is persistent over time, stronger for less diversified banks, and weaker for target countries whose bonds appear more frequently in bank portfolios. Cultural stereotypes are particularly salient when governments are hit by sovereign debt crise

Rast i senzorni pokazatelji afričkog soma (Clarias gariepinus) hranjenog subletalnom dozom ekstrakta lišća nima (azadirahte) i njegovi antibakterijski učinci

The antibacterial effects of Neem leaf, the growth performance and sensory qualities of African catfish fed with Neem leaf inclusion were investigated in this study. Ninety (90) post-juvenile Clarias gariepinus (42.40 ± 2.50 g) were used. Experimental groups in triplicate were exposed bi-weekly to 3.5% and 7% LC50 of Neem leaves aqueous extract infused in commercial floating feed for four weeks, while the control group was exposed to untreated feed. The whole body length and weight of randomly sampled fish were taken for organo-somatic indices. Gills and skin samples were collected for bacteriological screening, while fish muscles were prepared for sensory acceptability tests. Mean feed intake was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by Neem leaf in the three treatment concentrations with an insignificant difference between the treated groups, but it was higher than in the control group. Mean weight gain was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the Neem fed fish than the control but insignificant the differences between treatment doses were insignificant, while the feed conversion ratio was significantly lower (P<0.05) in the Neem fed groups compared to the control, but the difference was insignificant between the treatment doses. All groups were apparently healthy looking with 100% survival. There was a considerable reduction in total bacterial count in both the gills and skin with the increase in Neem concentration. Micrococci spp. and Bacillus subtilis were not isolated in the gills but were present in the skin, while E. coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens were not suppressed in the skin. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) in all the sensory parameters across all groups. The inclusion of Neem leaf extract was shown to have a high antibacterial effect coupled with excellent growth performance and general acceptability of fish tissue.U ovom su radu istraženi antibakterijski učinci lišća nima, kao i rast i senzorni pokazatelji afričkog soma (Clarias gariepinus) hranjenog ovim lišćem. Upotrijebljeno je 90 odraslih afričkih somova (42,40 ± 2,50 g). Pokusna je skupina izložena tijekom dva tjedna 3,5 % i 7 % LC50 vodenom ekstraktu lišća nima dodanog u komercijalnu hranu tijekom četiri tjedna, dok je kontrolna skupina hranjena netretiranom hranom. Određena je tjelesna dužina i masa nasumično odabranih riba za provjeru organoleptičkih pokazatelja. Škrge i uzorci kože prikupljeni su za bakteriološku analizu, dok su uzorci mišića pripremljeni za senzornu analizu. Prosječna konzumacija hrane bila je pod znakovitim utjecajem (P < 0,05) lišća nima, neovisno o koncentraciji, u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. Prosječan prirast bio je znakovito viši (P < 0,05) u riba hranjenih lišćem nima u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu, dok je konverzija hrane bila znakovito niža (P < 0,05) u skupini hranjenoj lišćem nima, neovisno o dozi. Ribe u svim skupinama bile su naizgled zdrave uz 100%-tno preživljenje. Utvrđen je zamjetan pad brojnosti ukupnih bakterija u škrgama i na koži s porastom koncentracije lišća nima. Bakterije Micrococci spp. i Bacillus subtilis nisu izolirane iz škrga, ali su utvrđene u koži, kao i E. coli i Pseudomonas fluorescens. Nisu utvrđene znakovite razlike senzornih pokazatelja. Dodatak lišća nima ima visok antibakterijski učinak praćen odličnim pokazateljima rasta te općom prihvatljivošću tkiva ribe za konzumaciju

Loss of HIV-infected patients on potent antiretroviral therapy programs in Togo: risk factors and the fate of these patients

Introduction: National programs are facing challenges of loss to follow-up of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sought to identify risk factors associated with early loss to follow-up among HIV-infected patients on ART in Togo and the outcome of such patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study using medical records of all patients older than age 15 years enrolled at 28 treatment centers who were on ART programs and who were lost to follow-up from 2008 to 2011. Results: Of the 16,617 patients on ART, 1,216 (7.3%) were lost to follow-up. Most (94.1%) were infected with HIV-1 and 32.6% were in WHO stage III or IV. The median CD4 count was 118/mm3 (IQR: 58-178 cells/mm3). No telephone number was mentioned in the medical records of 212 patients. Of the 1004 patients whose phone number was listed, 802 patients (79.9%) were not reachable on the recorded number, 114 patients (11.4%) were alive and 88 patients (8.8%) had died. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with loss to follow-up during the first 6 months of ART were: age below 35 years (OR=1.6; 95%CI: 1.2-2.2), female sex (OR=1.8; 95%CI: 1.3-2.5), WHO stage III or IV (OR=1.7; 95%CI: 1.3-2.2), existence of an opportunistic infection (OR=2.3; 95%CI: 1.5-3.1), and follow-up in a public centre (OR=1.9; 95%CI: 1.2-3.3). Conclusion: This study identified several factors associated with lost to follow-up during the first 6 months of ART, and confirmed high mortality among these patients. The National AIDS Program should strengthen medical support of PLWHA in Togo including active case follow-up.Key words: Africa, HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, lost to follow-up, people living with HIV, Tog

Prospects of Spin Catalysis on Spin-Polarized Graphene Heterostructures

Extreme points on potential energy surfaces of Ni adatom on free-standing graphene and top:fcc and hcp:fcc graphene/ Ni(111) heterostructures in different spin states were studied using periodic boundary conditions density functional theory approach. It was found that the spin states of the substrates strongly influence the energy of the Ni adatom extreme points on potential energy surface by decreasing (top:fcc heterostructure) or increasing (hcp:fcc heterostructure) the total energies of Z1, Z1 , and Z2 Ni adatom coordinations on graphene. This phenomenon offers unique possibilities to control the potential energy surfaces of transition metal adatoms and promote surface chemical reactions using induced spin polarization of graphene substrates