The need for renewable energy sources in addressing global energy demands is growing, especially in Nigeria where electricity demand often exceeds supply. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have become a viable solution, with federal universities in Nigeria, as major electricity consumers, recognizing their potential. However, determining the right size of PV systems for individual faculties within these universities is a complex task. This study attempted to simplify this process by introducing an innovative approach to size PV systems in these faculties. The research method used the Extended Kalman Artificial Neural Network (EKF-ANN) and the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) to enhance the accuracy of PV system sizing. Data was collected on the study site, load demand, weather conditions, system components, and operational control and systems models to establish sizing criteria. The study focused on the optimal size of a solar PV system at the Faculty of Law building, University of Port-Harcourt, and how to improve its accuracy. The results showed that using global solar insolation parameters, EKF-ANN predicted values for global temperature, flock size, and maximal iteration. This optimized system could generate surplus power for effective grid supply. The study found that the optimal size of the series-connected panels for the Faculty of Law building was 96, 83, 73, and 65 units, with corresponding insolation values ranging from 3.737 to 4.368 kW/m2. It was concluded that the combination of CSA and EKF-ANN in solar PV sizing is suitable for achieving optimal outcomes for energy storage and grid supply. Nonetheless, the study recommended additional investigation into real-time and grid-connected solutions to enhance the proposed approach's effectiveness.
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common, disabling neuro-degenerative disorders. The disease has a significant clinical impact on patients, families, and caregivers through its progressive degenerative effects on mobility and muscle control. Available treatments for PD have varied results. Although there are anecdotal reports of improvement with Homoeopathy, there is a dearth of literature concerning usefulness in management of PD Objectives: To assess the usefulness of ultrahigh dilution of Zinc in the management of PD. Methods: A case of PD under standard care and refractory to treatment visited Out- Patient Department and was assessed with and Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). As per the classical Homoeopathic guidelines Zincum metallicum 200 was prescribed after Repertorization. Results: UPDRS total score of 112 at baseline turned to 40 at the end of 1 year and 7 at the end of two years, in spite of reduction in the conventional medicines. Patient was on Stage 3 of Modified Hoehn and Yahr staging at the baseline and turned to Stage O in duration of 21 months. SEADL score has turned from 40% to 100%. Conclusion: Homoeopathic medicine Zincum met. is a valuable adjuvant in the management of Parkinson’s disease.
Digital data is growing enormously as the year passes and therefore there is a need of mechanism to protect the digital contents. Image watermarking is one of the important tools for the human to provide copyright protection and authorship. For achieving the ideal balance between imperceptibility and robustness, a robust blind color image watermarking employing deep artificial neural networks (DANN), LWT and the YIQ color model has been presented. In the suggested watermarking method, an original 512-bit watermark is applied for testing and a randomly generated watermark of the same length is used for training. PCA is used to extract 10 statistical features with significant values out of 18 statistical features, and binary classification is used to extract watermarks here. For the four images Lena, Peppers, Mandril, and Jet, it displays an average imperceptibility of 52.48 dB. For the threshold value of 0.3, it does an excellent job of achieving good balance between robustness and imperceptibility. Except for the gaussian noise, rotation, and average filtering attacks, it also demonstrates good robustness against common image attacks. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the suggested watermarking method outperforms competing methods.
This study aims to examine and compare the levels and patterns of aggressive behavior among higher secondary students in rural, semi-urban, and urban areas. Aggression among adolescents is a significant concern, and understanding its variations across different settings can provide valuable insights for intervention and prevention strategies. The study employs a review-based research design, using articles published between 1993 and 2023 to collect data on aggressive behavior of higher secondary students. For this purpose, a review of the literature was performed by using the search words “aggressive behavior”, “higher secondary students”, “rural”, “semi-urban”, “urban” in the databases like Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia, Shodhganga, PubMed, JSTOR and Elsevier for articles. The results will shed light on the prevalence, types, and potential factors influencing aggression in these areas, informing the development of targeted interventions and policy recommendations and statistical analyses will be employed to examine the relationships between variables. Importance and Scope of the Topic: Aggressive behavior is a topic that affects us all. From playground bullies to road rage enthusiasts, aggressive behavior has a significant impact on our daily lives. Understanding the causes and consequences of aggression is crucial in finding ways to prevent and manage such behavior. After all, the world would be a much better place if we all knew how to calm down and express our frustrations in healthy ways.
Potassium Bromate (KBrO3) is an oxidative agent capable of causing hematological alterations and other toxic effects. Amaranthus Viridis (Inine) is a medicinal plant traditionally used for various therapeutic purposes. This study investigated the ameliorative effect of ethanol extract of Amaranthus viridis (Inine) on the haematological parameters in potassium bromate (KBrO3) intoxicated Albino Rats. Thirty (30) rats divided into six (6) groups consisting of five rats each, group one as the normal control, group two as the negative control (50 mg/kg of KBrO3 only), group three Vitamin C (100 mg/kg) + 50 mg/kg of KBrO3and group four to six (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 800 mg/kg) respectively. KBrO3 exposure significantly altered some haematological indices in the rats indicating a haematotoxic effects. The results showed a dose-dependent improvement in several haematological parameters upon coadministration of Amaranthis viridis occurred. The red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), and white blood cell count (WBC) exhibited notable recovery in comparison to the KBrO3-treated group. Platelet count (PLT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) also demonstrated positive alterations in response to the extract. The group receiving the highest dose of the leaf extract (800 mg/kg) alongside KBrO3 displayed the most significant improvement in the aforementioned parameters, indicating a potential dose-dependent protective effect against KBrO3-induced haematotoxicity. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic efficacy of Amaranthus viridis extract in mitigating KBrO3-induced hematological alterations.
Anti-emetic activity Of four aromatic medicinal plants (Curcuma caesia Roxb., Piper longum Linn., Piper nigrum Linn., and Syzygiunt aromaticum (Linn.) Merr. & Perry) was studied in chicks. The ethanol extracts of these plants were administered at 150 mg/kg BW orally. All the extracts showed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in retches induced by copper sulphate pentahydrate given orally at 50 mg /kg BW. Domperidone was given at 100 mg/kg as a reference drug.
Communication is not always direct; it often involves nuanced elements like humor, irony, and sarcasm. This study introduces a novel two-level approach for sarcasm detection, leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are crucial for many deep learning applications, yet their deployment on IoT devices is challenged by resource constraints and the need for low latency, particularly in on-device training. Traditional methods of deploying large CNN models on these devices often lead to suboptimal performance and increased energy consumption. To address this, our paper proposes an energy-efficient CNN design by optimising batch normalisation operations. Batch normalisation is vital for deep learning, aiding in faster convergence and stabilising gradient flow, but there has been limited research on creating energy-efficient and lightweight CNNs with optimised batch normalisation. This study proposes a 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) optimisation technique for batch normalization. This technique introduces an energy-efficient CNN architecture. We investigate the use of batch normalization optimization to streamline memory usage and computational complexity, aiming to uphold or improve model performance on CPU-based systems. Additionally, we evaluate its effectiveness across diverse datasets, focusing on energy efficiency and adaptability in different settings. Furthermore, we analyze how batch normalization influences the performance and effectiveness of activation functions and pooling layers in neural network designs. Our results highlight batch normalization's ability to enhance computational efficiency, particularly on devices with limited resources.
The current study explored the anti-emetic activity of six aromatic medicinal plants viz Carissa carandus L.. Cichorium intybus Cinnamomum tamala L.. Lallemantia royleana Benth. Matricaria chamomilla L., and Piper metysticum G. Forst . Anti-emetic activity was assessed using a chick as an anti-emetic model. The ethanol extracts of these plants were administered at 150 mg/kg BW orally. Lallemantia royleana and Piper metysticum showed a significant (P <0.001 ) decrease in retches induced by copper sulphate pentahydrate given orally at 50 mg/kg BW. Domperidone was given at 100 mg/kg as a reference drug.
The present study deals with the phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of hydroalcohol, acetone, and hexane extracts of the leaves of Psidium guajava. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the agar well diffusion method. Gastric volume, pH, total and free acidity and the ulcerative index was also measured in hydroalcoholic extract of Psidium guajava on gastric ulcer pyloric ligation in rat. Glycosides, terpenoids, and tannins are only present in the hydro alcohol extract. The extracts are tested against gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) bacterial strains. The zone of inhibition against microorganisms is direct proportional to the concentration of extract. Maximum zone of inhibition (24mm) against Staphylococcus aureus except hexane extract was seen. Psidium guajava leaves show maximum phytochemicals compounds and inhibition of microorganisms in hydroalcoholic extract. So the hydroalcoholic extraction was used for anti-ulcer activity. The present study was performed in pylorus ligation induced gastric ulcer model in albino rats in which the ability of hydroalcoholic extracts of Psidium guajava was tested at a dose level of 400 mg/kg body weight orally and compared with Ranitidine (10 mg/kg) as standard. From the results it is concluded hydro alcohol leaf extracts of Psidium guajava 400 mg/kg dose level showed significant anti-ulcer activity when compared to that of standard drug.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently made recommendations for treating all Human Immunodeficency Virus (HIV/AIDS) patients irrespective of their immune status. This issue poses challenges to lower-middle-income countries like Nigeria due to resource limitations. This study performed a budget impact analysis (BIA) of different strategies for the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. A dynamic cohort budget impact model was used to compare two initiation arms (CD4 < 350> 500 cells/ml), with CD4 > 500 cells/ml representing the 2015 WHO guidelines for initiation of ART. Outcomes were hospitalization costs, new infection transmission, and overall budget impact. Key inputs included HIV prevalence in Nigeria, ART access and costs, hospitalization rates and costs, ART uptake trends, and transmission rates. Sensitivity analysis empolyed Monte Carlo simulations to assess the impact of selected parameters. At the end of year five, applying the 2015 WHO guidelines reduced new HIV transmissions by 87.0%, preventing 77,000 infections. Hospitalization cost reductions saved $1.12 million. Overall budget impacts were $718 million for immediate initiation versus $903 million for deferred initiation, yielding $184 million in savings. Monte Carlo simulations showed reduced transmission as the main driver of savings. Prioritizing early treatment initiation espoused by the 2015 WHO guidelines maximize resource efficiency, reduces long-term healthcare costs, and accelerate progress toward epidemic control targets. The findings strongly support the adoption and sustained implementation of the 2015 WHO guidelines for immediate ART initiation. It has public health and economic benefits.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The Nano-bio fusion is a booming area with high expectations that major steps in health treatment, body repair and body improvement can be made. It is regarded as the most innovative domain of this moment. Developments are in the field of: Nanomedicine: targeted drug delivery by medically functionalized nanoparticles, for rapid cure without side effects or human stimulation. Regenerative medicine: DNA programmed tissue engineering for quick and efficient wound healing, rebuilt of organs and other body parts. Smart implants: biocompatible implants that can sense and actuate in order to repair or enhance a body function. Nanotechnology idea has as of late gone into the exercises of day by day living. Nanotechnology in games solution cals be characterized as the adjustment of a wide range of improvements in nanoscale into therapeutic applications related with games wounds. The adjusted advancements can be either specifically related with the restorative mediations, for example, recovery of a tissue, implantation, and drug treatments or supporting components like imaging, strappings, and tapings. In this section, the impression of recently developed nanoscale advancements in regards to games wounds will be talked about with recent researches.
This paper investigates the deep learning techniques to improve radio resource management (RRM) in vehicular communication network (VCN). In this paper, the deep learning algorithms are highlighted which are used for RRM. Deep learning technique in RRM is basically used to train the model using various algorithms of resource management including network data. Various machine learning tools will be helpful to get best solutions for resource allocation in a large cellular network.
Use of chemical fungicide to control plant diseases causes several adverse effects such as, development of resistance in the pathogen, residual toxicity, pollution to the environment etc. So an alternative way to overcome the usage of dreadful chemicals is very important. The use of plant extracts as biofungicide is one of the popular and effective method. Araucaria columnaris is a commonly seen ornamental plant known as Christmas tree. It’s a South African species, under the family Araucariaceae. Hence, in the present study, the plant resin extract was tested in-vitro against major plant pathogensby preliminary bioassay. It was found that up to 95% reduction of mycelium growth was observed against major phytopathogens such as Fusarium oxysporyum, Rhizoctoniasp, Cylindrocladiumsp, Alternariasp, and Colletrotricum sp., causing tomato wilt, damping off, foliage blight, and leaf blight diseases in economically important plants. Up to our knowledge it is the first report showing the antifungal activity of Araucaria columnaris resin as antifungal agent. By using this valuable tree, further work will be done to formulate commercial biofungicide.
The main focus of this study is the coverage of New Straits Times (NST) of the first Palestinian General Elections for two presidential candidates namely, Yasser Arafat and Samiha Khalil. This study aimed to explore if any of Entman’s 1993 framing functions was used in the coverage of this issue and to explore whether the tone of NST coverage was negative, positive, balanced or neutral. To achieve the aims of this study, qualitative content analysis of elections stories from NST has been adopted. The number of news stories was eight, and the time frame started from 19th January to 13th February 1996, where three of these stories were published on the same day of 22nd January, two days after holding the elections on 20th January. Defining problems and diagnosing causes were the most prominent of Entman’s four framing functions presented in all the articles. The moral judgment function was included in four news stories, and suggesting remedies was included in two news stories out of eight. The findings revealed that Yasser Arafat received 50% balanced coverage, followed by 37.5% positive coverage, and only 12.5% negative coverage, while Samiha Khalil received 67% balanced coverage, compared to 33% positive coverage.
The presented study initially attempted to discover bergenin as an antiemetic compound isolated from Peltophorum roxburghii L. leaves. It is the extension of antiemetic activity from the methanol extract of Peltophorum roxburghii L. leaves. The antiemetic activity was assessed using copper sulfate-induced emesis in the chick’s model. Bergenin (25 mg/kg, p.o.) exhibited significant antiemetic activity compared to the standard drug, chlorpromazine. This is the first time that bergenin has declared antiemetic activity. Bergenin has already been evaluated positively for its anti-inflammatory activity, and this paper will report its antiemetic activity. Both the activities of the same compound may be beneficial for drug design against the disease, as they have anti-inflammatory and antiemetic symptoms like migraines. The preliminary antiemetic evaluation of bergenin was conducted on a single dose due to the low yield of Bergenin. However, the result was significant in terms of the standard used. Further, the isolation and purification of Bergenin are in the process of establishing detailed data on different doses of Bergenin.
The inculcation of Islamic religious values ??is an effort to shape the character of students to achieve a degree as a human being who is in accordance with norms, culture and religion. This research describes the process of internalization and the method of cultivating Islamic religious values ??in an unusual situation, namely in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, researchers used a qualitative approach, a type of case study with interview and observation data collection techniques. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of student learning in a pandemic situation is carried out in two ways, namely (1) online and (2) offline. The values ??instilled in students include (a) worship, (b) faith and (c) morals. Meanwhile, the methods used by teachers in the process of inculcating Islamic religious values ??during the pandemic were practice methods, guidance methods, and memorization methods. Penanaman nilai-nilai agama Islam merupakan sebuah upaya dalam membentuk karakter siswa untuk mencapai derajat sebagai manusia yang sesuai norma, budaya serta agama. penelitian ini mendeskripsikan proses internalisasi hingga metode penanaman nilai-nilai agama Islam di situasi yang tidak biasa yakni di era pandemi covid-19. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif, jenis studi kasus dengan teknik pengumpulan data wawancara dan observasi. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pelaksanaan pembelajaran siswa dalam situasi pandemi dilakukan dengan dua cara yakni (1) daring dan (2) luring. Nilai-nilai yang ditanamkan kepada siswa meliputi (a) ibadah, (b) keimanan dan (c) akhlak. Sedangkan metode-metode yang digunakan guru dalam proses penanaman nilai-nilai agama Islam selama pandemi adalah metode praktik, metode bimbingan, dan metode hafalan.
The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is spreading worldwide, with a spectacular increase in death missing any effective therapeutic treatment up to now. Molecular docking is a recognized computational tool to assist in early drug discovery and development. Molecular docking analysis was carried out using 2-(4-(aminomethyl)phenyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione Schiff base conjugates with SARS-CoV-2 protease enzyme and COVID-19 main protease in apo form 6M03). The compounds with the best normalized docking scores to protease enzyme (6LU7) were ARG3 (-8.1 kcal/mole), ARG7 (-8.1 kcal/mole) and ARG6 (-8.0 kcal/mole). The best docking ligands for main protease in apo form (6M03) were ARG7 (-8.7 kcal/mole), ARG6 (-8.6 kcal/mole) and ARG3 (-8.4 kcal/mole). The structural similarity between these conjugates inspired us to perform in silico studies to check their possible binding interactions with essential SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These studies provide insight into the potential binding between Schiff base derivatives and SARS-CoV-2 proteins to provide an insight for finding an effective therapy. Finally, ADMET calculations were performed for the Schiff base compounds to predict their pharmacokinetic profiles.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Pharmacists stand alongside with other professionals in representing essential healthcare during health emergencies such as COVID-19 pandemic. The present study seeks to explore the behavior and attitude of community pharmacists across various pharmacies throughout this pandemic towards the safety of workplace environment for staff and patients. An online questionnaire has been prepared and distributed to 145 community pharmacies during March to May, 2020. The collected results and data showed that community pharmacists in Libya have a good knowledge and adherence to preventive and protective measures published by FIP, WHO and other health-related organizations to protect themselves and society from infection. The pharmacist role in educating and information provision of the current disease and its management is still going on regardless the pandemic. A negative evaluation to the government support during the pandemic is clear from participant's replies. In Conclusion, this study looks forward to disclosing the current activities undertaken across various community pharmacy settings concerning safety of the workplace environment for both staff and patients. A clear and relatively realistic picture of the extent of commitment and knowledge of pharmacists of the necessary aspects needed to deal with this pandemic within community pharmacies is suggested. The extent of community pharmacist's knowledge, readiness and speed of their response to such a pandemic have been identified.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The purpose of the study was explored to find out the land and aquatic plyometric training on vital capacity among college men athletes. For the purpose of the study, forty five (n=45) men college athletes from Pudukkottai, Tamilnadu, India during the year 2019-2020 were selected as subjects. Their ages were from 18 to 21 years. The selected participants were divided at random into three groups of fifteen each (n=15). Group-I underwent land plyometric training, group-II aquatic plyometric training, and group-II acted as control group. The duration of the training period was restricted to eight weeks and the number of sessions per week was confined to five. The selected variable vital capacity was assessed by wet spirometer. The data were collected prior to and immediately after the training period of twelve weeks. The data obtained from the experimental groups before and after the experimental period were statistically analyzed with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Whenever the ‘f’ ratio for adjusted post test means was found to be significant, the scheffe’s post hoc test was applied to determine the paired mean differences. The level of confidence was fixed at 0.05 level for all the cases. The results of the study showed that aquatic plyometric training group is better than land plyometric training group and control group on improving vital capacity.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are interconnected metabolic disorders with significant health implications. However, a comprehensive understanding of the extent of their co-occurrence in Africa is lacking. The aim of this review was to determine the prevalence of MAFLD and its association with glycemic control (HbA1c) in persons with T2D in Africa. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Global Health, and Web of Science from their inception to December 6, 2023. Data on MAFLD prevalence and correlation coefficients regarding its association with glycemic control were pooled through random effect meta-analyses. Potential sources of heterogeneity were investigated using subgroup analysis and meta-regression. A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis of MAFLD prevalence, while 2 were incorporated in the analysis of the association between MAFLD and glycemic control. The pooled prevalence of MAFLD in persons with T2D was 48.1% (95% CI: 36.1–60.3). The subgroup analysis revealed regional variations in MAFLD prevalence, with rates of 44.7% (95% CI: 28.7–62.0) in sub-Saharan Africa and 55.3% (95% CI: 36.2–73.0) in Northern Africa. Additionally, we observed an increasing trend in MAFLD prevalence, recording 55.1% (95% CI: 43.6–66.1) in the recent five years. There was a weak positive correlation between MAFLD and HbA1c (r = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18–0.47). The findings of this study highlight a high prevalence of MAFLD in persons with T2D in Africa, with a suggested link between MAFLD and suboptimal glycemic control. Therefore, healthcare providers should prioritize the screening and management of MAFLD in individuals with T2D to enhance their metabolic health.