Preformulation Studies for Generic Omeprazole Magnesium Enteric Coated Tablets: Recent Study | Chapter 15 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Preformulation is an important step in the rational formulation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Micromeritics properties: bulk density (BD) and tapped density (TD), compressibility index (Carr’s index), Hauser’s ratio (H), and sieve analysis were performed in order to determine the best excipients to be used in the formulation development of omeprazole magnesium enteric coated tablets. Results show that omeprazole magnesium has fair flow and compressibility properties (BD 0.4 g/mL, TD 0.485 g/mL, Carr’s index 17.5%, Hauser’s ratio 1.2 and sieve analysis time 5 minutes). There were no significant drug excipient interactions except change in colour in all three conditions in the mixture of omeprazole and aerosil 200. Moisture content loss on drying in all three conditions was not constant and the changes were attributed to surrounding environment during the test time. Changes in the absorption spectra were noted in the mixture of omeprazole and water aerosil only in the visible region of 350–2500 nm. Omeprazole magnesium alone and with all excipients showed no significant changes in omeprazole concentration for a 30-day period. Omeprazole magnesium formulation complies with USP standards with regards to the fineness, flowability, and compressibility of which other excipients can be used in the formulation.

Author(s) Details

C. O. Migoha
Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority, P.O.Box 77150, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Pharm R&D Lab, School of Pharmacy, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O.Box 65013, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

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An Overview of Early Response to Dexamethasone as Prognostic Factor: Result from Indonesian Childhood WK-ALL Protocol in Yogyakarta | Chapter 14 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Early response to treatment has been shown to be an important prognostic factor of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in Western studies. We studied this factor in the setting of a low-income province in 165 patients treated on Indonesian WK-ALL-2000 protocol between 1999 and 2006. Poor early response, defined as a peripheral lymphoblasts count of ≥1000/µL after 7 days of oral dexamethasone plus one intrathecal methotrexate (MTX), occurred in 19.4% of the patients. Poor responders showed a higher probability of induction failures compared to good responders (53.1% versus 23.3%, P < 0.01), higher probability of resistant disease (15.6% versus 4.5%, P = 0.02), shorter disease-free survival (P = 0.034; 5-year DFS: 24.9% ± 12.1% versus 48.6% ± 5.7%), and shorter event-free survival (P = 0.002; 5-year EFS: 9.7% ± 5.3% versus 26.3% ± 3.8%). We observed that the percentage of poor responders in our setting was higher than reported for Western countries with prednisone or prednisolone as the steroids. The study did not demonstrate a significant additive prognostic value of early response over other known risk factors (age and white blood cell count) for DFS and only a moderately added value for EFS. 

Author(s) Details

Pudjo H. Widjajanto
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sardjito Hospital/ Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Sutaryo Sutaryo
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sardjito Hospital/ Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Ignatius Purwanto
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sardjito Hospital/ Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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Effects of Diets Containing Unripe Plantain Diet on Brain Serotonin in Mice: New Perspective | Chapter 13 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Musa paradisiaca (Plantain) fruit has been shown to be useful for nutritional, medicinal and industrial purposes. It contains serotonin (5-HT) and its immediate precursor, 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Serotonin plays a fundamental role in integration of behaviour and many physiological functions including regulation of mood, anxiety, arousal, aggression, impulse control, and thinking abilities. In this study, the effect of plantain-containing mouse diet on brain serotonin mice was investigated in mice. Thirty adult Swiss mice were divided into three groups of ten each and fed normal rodent chow containing 0%, 50% and 100% unripe plantain. After thirty days, the brain levels of 5-HT and 5-HTP were measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique. Results show that 5-HT level was significantly increased in the plantain-diet fed mice. Conversely, 5-HTP level was reduced in the 100% plantain fed mice when compared with the control. 

Author (s) Details

P. Erigbali
Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Niger Delta University (NDU), Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

K. Kiridi
Departments of Radiology, Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

I. Ogregade
Bayelsa State Agency for Control of HIV/ AIDS, Nigeria.

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Experience with Oral Contraceptive Pills at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Southern Nigeria | Chapter 12 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Background: Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) are one of the most widely prescribed forms of hormonal contraception. They are most popular non-surgical effective method of contraception.  Objective: This study is aimed at reviewing the prevalence rate, the yearly trend of OCP use and socio-demographic features of the acceptors of oral pills at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which records of acceptors of oral contraceptive pills in the family planning unit of RSUTH from 1st January, 2008 to 31st December, 2017 were reviewed. Data collated were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) IBM version 25.0 (Armonk, NY). Results: There were 1893 contraceptive acceptors during the study period. Out of which 86 (4.5%) accepted the oral pills. The mean age of the clients was 30.4 SD 6.92. Majority of the clients 66 (76.8%) were between the age range of 20 to 34 years. Over half 48 (55.8%) of the acceptors were multiparous women. Majority of the acceptors of oral pills 82 (95.3%) were Christians and had formal education respectively. The commonest source of information on the use of oral contraceptive pills was from clinical personnel, accounting for 36 (41.8%). There was a downward trend in the use of OCP during the study period. Conclusion: Oral contraceptive method was mostly used by young, multiparous and educated women. The rate of acceptance of oral contraceptive pills in our centre was 4.5%. As such, concerted efforts should be made to increase the uptake of oral pills in the family planning unit of the hospital.

Author(s) Details

Dr. E. I. Nonye-Enyidah
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Dr. F. C. C. Wekere
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Dr. R. Donubari
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

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Recent Study on Immunosuppressive Treatment for Lupus Nephritis: Long-term Results in 178 Patients | Chapter 11 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Lupus nephritis is one of the most severe Systemic Lupus Erythematosus features, defining treatment modality and prognosis. Our retrospective study, including 178 patients treated for lupus nephritis during 23 years with mostly cyclophosphamide-based initial regimens followed by azathioprine or mycophenolic acid, demonstrates 84.8% of renal response with 19.2% of flares, 15-year patient survival 78.7% and kidney survival 76.3%, and low damage accrual. Both patient and kidney survival significantly differ for subgroups that achieved complete or partial renal response and nonresponders: patient 15-year survival 95% versus 65% versus 35%; kidney 15-year survival 100% versus 58% versus 0%, respectively. 51% (24 out of 47) of patients evaluated at the end of the study period sustained complete renal response; however, only 9 of them had 0 disease activity according to SELENA SLEDAI scale, while 13 patients had scores 2–4 due to the serological abnormalities only. We conclude that (1) initial treatment with cyclophosphamide followed by azathioprine is effective and can be used in agreement with International Guidelines until the evidence for biological treatments benefits becomes available; (2) complete and even partial renal response have positive prognostic value, and failure to achieve renal response negatively influences kidney and patient survival; (3) the validity of complete renal response in SLE is questioned by the absence of conventional definition of SLE remission.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Elena V. Zakharova
Department of Nephrology, City Botkin Memorial Hospital, Moscow, Russia and Department of Nephrology, State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia

Dr. Tatiana A. Makarova
Department of Nephrology, City Botkin Memorial Hospital, Moscow, Russia.

Dr. Elena V. Zvonova
Department of Nephrology, City Botkin Memorial Hospital, Moscow, Russia.

Dr. Alina M. Anilina
Department of Nephrology, City Botkin Memorial Hospital, Moscow, Russia.

Dr. Ekaterina S. Stolyarevich
Department of Nephrology, State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia.

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Brief Overview of a Modified Technique for Repair of Triceps Avulsion Using Suture Anchors-A Case Report | Chapter 10 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

The bony avulsion of the Triceps is a rare injury. The Triceps tendon injury accounts for <1% of all tendon injuries. Various surgical techniques have been described for the repair. We describe our variation of suture anchor technique for bony avulsion of Triceps injury and report its advantages.

Author(s) Details

A. Raviraj
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Vidyasagar Maalepati
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Ashish Anand
Department of Orthopedics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, VAMC Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

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Critical Overview on Early Infection of Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty with Salmonella typhi: Case Report and Review of Literature | Chapter 9 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Acute Salmonella typhi prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare event. In Endemic areas one needs to be cautious if the patient is immunocompromised. We report a case of bilateral simultaneous PJI of the knee in a 60-year-old lady who was not immunocompromised. The patient presented on Post op Day 5 with Fever and local signs suggestive of infection. As this was an Early PJI she was successfully treated with Debridement, Poly exchange and Intravenous and oral antibiotics for 6 weeks. This case highlights the fact that in patients living in these areas and in seasons where incidence of enteric fever is high, patients should be screened preoperatively for Salmonella infection by history and stool cultures. To our knowledge this is the first case report of Early Bilateral Simultaneous infection with Salmonella typhi. 

Author(s) Details

Dr. A. Raviraj
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Maalepati Vidyasagar
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Dr. Azhar Amin
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India

Ashish Anand,
Department of Orthopedics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, VAMC Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

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Immuno-inflammatory Aspects of Interleukin-21 in Periodontal Sequelae: Current Development | Chapter 16 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol.2

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) has a dual anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory role in chronic inflammation. It causes breakdown of other surrounding hard and soft tissues by coupling with other destructive mediators, along with increasing several other proinflammatory cytokines. This chapter describes concepts in relation to effects of IL-21 on critical immune cells of both innate and adaptive immune systems, and how the cytokine evades its deactivation through a positive feedback loop. The chapter also reports results of an original study regarding quantification of IL-21 among types of periodontitis and comparing its levels to healthy subjects. Previous literature and our current study results suggest that IL-21 has a definite role in chronic and acute kind of inflammatory progression. Although, further longitudinal studies will strengthen its evidence to be characterized as a true diagnostic periodontal marker.  

Author (s) Details

Dr. Archana Mootha
Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.

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Critical Overview on Missed Clavicular Fracture in an Adult without Head Injury or Polytrauma Review of Literature and a Rare Case | Chapter 6 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

We present a case of missed clavicular fracture in a patient with an associated wrist fracture but without head injury. This is the first case of missed clavicular fracture in an adult, despite adequate imaging, and without head injury presenting two days after the patient was discharged after fixation of the distal radius fracture.
  

Author(s) Details

Dr. A. Raviraj
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Ashish Anand
Department of Orthopedics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, VAMC Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

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Clinical Features of Rhinosporidiosis in the Endemic Areas of Brazil | Chapter 5 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Background: Rhinosporidiosis is a rare chronic disease caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, mainly affecting the nasal and conjunctival mucosa. The diagnosis is made through histopathological examination. The disease is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, with few cases described in Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to describe clinical and histopathological aspects of rhinosporidiosis in an area of northeastern, Brazil.  Methods: To identify the clinical and histopathological characteristics, a retrospective study was carried out on 21 patients diagnosed with rhinosporidiosis at the Presidente Dutra University Hospital during 10 years. The data are obtained from medical records and review of histological slides of each case.  Results: In this study, most of the patients were men (80.00%), aging between the first and second decade of life, and with an infection in the nasal cavity (85.71%). Their main complaints were nonspecific, such as foreign body sensation, nasal obstruction and epistaxis, which decreased clinical suspicion (14.28%). Hemograms showed a high eosinophil count (14.01%, ±13.73). The main morphological alterations found in histopathological analysis were squamous metaplasia, mucosal hyperplasia, vascular ectasia, and inflammatory infiltration.  Conclusions: In our country, little is known about the pathogenesis of rhinosporidiosis, and it is easily confused with other pathologies. However, our cases have shown a series of morphological alterations that can be helpful to histopathological diagnosis and are poorly described in the literature. 

Author (s) Details

Antonio Augusto
Postgraduate Program in Adult Health (PPGSAD), Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

Francílio Araújo Almeida,
Laboratory of Immunofluorescence and Electron Microcopy (LIME), Presidente Dutra University Hospital, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

José de Ribamar Castro Veloso,
Department of  Pathology, Presidente Dutra University Hospital, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

Jaqueline Diniz Pinho,
Laboratory of Immunofluorescence and Electron Microcopy (LIME), Presidente Dutra University Hospital, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

Antonio de Deus Filho,
Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.

Joyce Santos Lages,
Department of  Public Health, Presidente Dutra University Hospital, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

Gyl Eanes Barros Silva,
Department of Pathology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School – University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

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Effect of Inhaled Tiotropium as the Perioperative Management of Patients Undergoing Pulmonary Resection for Primary Lung Cancer: Critical Study | Chapter 4 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of perioperative tiotropium therapy for patients undergoing pulmonary resection for primary lung cancer. The short-term tiotropium effect was investigated by perioperative pulmonary function and “lung age”.  Methods: The fifty-five patients who underwent a lobectomy and had tiotropium treatment available from October 2007 through May 2009 were the subjects. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to their airway limitation such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or a history of smoking; those with COPD (%FEV1 ≤ 70%, C-group, n = 22), smokers (%FEV1 > 70%, Sgroup, n = 10) and non-smokers (%FEV1 > 70%, N-group, n = 23). As the bronchodilator groups, the C- and S-groups received inhaled tiotropium bromide (18 μg once daily) for 1 week before surgery until at least 3 weeks after surgery without interruption, and as a control, the N-group had no treatment. The preoperative baselines, the predicted postoperative values, and the actual postoperative ones were measured by the pulmonary function test. The changed rates were calculated and denoted as ΔVC, ΔFEV1, ΔVC% and ΔFEV1/FVC, from the baseline of the predicted postoperative values. The mean “real age” and “lung age” were calculated.  Results: In the S-group, the parameters of ΔVC, ΔFEV1, ΔVC% and ΔFEV1/FVC significantly increased compared to those of the N-group. In the C-group, the increased extents of ΔFEV1 and FEV1/FVC were lower compared to those in the S-group (not significant). In the N-group, the parameters of ΔVC, ΔFEV1, and ΔVC% decreased. The postoperative “lung age” and “real age” were increased to 29.5 ± 18.0 year-old in the C-group, 25.8 ± 18.0 in the S -group, and 24.7 ± 17.0 in the N-group. Lung resection affected the “lung age”; the aging was a 28.9 ± 12.7 year-old increase in the N-group. In the C- and S-group, the “lung age” was a 14-year-old increase. The effect of tiotropium treatment affected the “lung age” as a 15-year-old increase.  Conclusion: Perioperative interventional tiotropium contributed to the lobectomy patients with COPD and for smokers with a non-obstructive airway and played a role of preserving the postoperative lung function.

Author(s) Details

Takanori Ayabe
Division of Thoracic and Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.

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Hepatitis C Virus in HIV Co-morbid Pregnancies in Jos, Nigeria: Critical Overview | Chapter 3 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are of medical significance. Objective: The study was designed to determine the rates and risk factors for HCV infection among HIV positive pregnant women compared with HIV negative controls. Methods: It was a cross-sectional comparative study at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos and the Aids Preventive Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) laboratory, Jos. Blood samples of both HIV negative antenatal attendees and HIV positive pregnant women attending Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinic was taken in an EDTA anti-coagulant containing specimen bottle for serological test with second generation ELISA. Specimen containers were coded to ensure confidentiality. Plasma samples were obtained after centrifugation of the whole blood. The sample was stored at -20°C until the time for analysis.   Results: A total of 326 subjects were studied .The mean (SD) for age, parity and gestational age of subjects were 30.1±4.9 years, 1.4±1.3 and 21.9±8.4 weeks respectively. Twelve (7.4%) and 4(2.5%) tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies in the HIV positive group and HIV negative group respectively. There was a statistically significant odd of having HCV among women with HIV compared to HIV negative controls (fishers exact =0.03, p<0.05) {or 0.32 (0.10-1.00) 95% ci}.More proportion of the study participants with co-infections have multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, low education, higher parity and advanced age than the comparative group. Conclusion: Education, public health enlightenment and modification of social lifestyle will halt or reduce this trend in sub-Saharan Africa.

Author(s) Details

Assoc. Professor Bernard Terkimbi Utoo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Nigeria

Professor Musa Jonah,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Professor Solomon Atiene Sagay
 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

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The Epidemiology of Human Cysticercosis and Diagnostic Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa | Chapter 2 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

The prevalence of human cysticercosis (HCC) in sub-Saharan Africa ranges from 0.3% to 72%. These prevalence estimates are highly dependent on the community and population involved in the study and the diagnostic test used. The disease is an important cause of acquired epilepsy that it contributes to about 29% of all epileptic cases worldwide. It is therefore imperative that the status and epidemiology of HCC is monitored. However, HCC is a neglected disease that it has acquired little attention worldwide. There is no single ideal system in place for diagnosis and hence, the surveillance of the disease in both developed and developing countries. This chapter reports the epidemiological status and the diagnostic challenges of the disease in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The chapter further proposes how surveillance of the disease can be carried out. 

Author(s) Details

Beda J. Mwang’onde
Department of Biosciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O.Box 3038, Morogoro, Tanzania.

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An Overview on Pathogenesis of Cancer: Cancer Reparative Trap | Chapter 1 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and the long-term prognosis is still unfavorable, despite the enormous efforts in the search for effective anti-cancer drugs. We think that the obstacle to creating the effective anti-cancer drugs is the existing idea that the basis of cancer is the damage of the genetic apparatus of the cell. In this paper we present the pathogenesis of cancer which is based on the formation of the special sustainable pathophysiological state of the organism – the state of "cancer reparative trap". The essence of this pathophysiological state of the organism is in the reparative orientation of the immune system of cancer patients, when constant tissue repair is accompanied by systemic suppression of the anti-tumor immunity. Specifically, during the long-term exposure to carcinogens (exogenous and/or endogenous) the continuous tissue damage occurs which induces permanent stimulation of cell proliferation (imbalanced Th1<Th2 lymphocytes, M1<M2 macrophages, inflammation, angiogenesis, etc.) in order to repair the tissues damaged. At the same time, tissue repair is necessarily accompanied by the suppression of anti-tumor immunity (increase in T regulatory cell (Treg), imbalanced Th1<Th2 lymphocytes, M1<M2 macrophages et al.), which creates the necessary conditions for the survival of the malignantly transformed cells, formed by the action of carcinogens. The determining role of the imbalance in the autonomous nervous system (simpathetic/hypersympathetic dominance) in the development, maintenance and generalization of the cancer process has been shown. The explanation of a number of phenomena has been presented: the cell resistance to chemotherapy and the phenomenon of cancer cell dormancy. The promising approaches for the cancer management in clinical practice has been proposed.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Oleg V. Bukhtoyarov,
Medical Center 39, LLC, Kaliningrad, Russia

Dr. Denis M. Samarin,
Laboratory of Psychoimmunology, Medical Center 39, LLC, Kaliningrad, Russia.

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The Details of Os Acromiale-unusual Manifestation as Superior Spur and Bursitis-A Case Report | Chapter 8 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

An Os acromiale is a condition that results from the failure of fusion of the anterior acromial apophysis. It can be asymptomatic. It can also result in subacromial impingement and rotator cuff tear. In this case report of a 39 year-old lady we would like to present the management of the painful bursitis and spur formation on the superior surface of a meso-type of os acromiale. Conservative management in the form of rest, anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapy did not provide symptomatic relief. Patient then underwent surgical excision of the superior spur. Open reduction and internal fixation was not carried out. Patient had resolution of pain and no recurrence of symptoms or features of impingement at 6 months follow up. To the best of our knowledge there are limited reports in English literature about this rare subset of patients with symptomatic os acromiale with superior spur formation and with no features of impingement or cuff pathology.

Author(s) Details

Dr. A. Raviraj
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Dr. Vidyasagar Maalepati
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Ashish Anand
Department of Orthopedics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, VAMC Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

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Overview on Osteoid Osteoma of the Sacrum - Case Report and Review of Literature | Chapter 7 | Research Trends and Challenges in Medical Science Vol. 2

Sacrum is an extremely rare site for osteoid osteoma. We present a 25 year-old male, a computer operator who presented with chronic back pain of 4 years duration. He was initially investigated with routine x-rays and lab investigations and was treated for chronic back pain at another facility. Extensive work up at our clinic revealed a diagnosis of Osteoid Osteoma of Right 2nd Sacral vertebral arch Interlesional resection of the tumor was done and this was verified on histopathology. The patient had complete relief of pain following surgery. Repeat CT scan done at one year follow up. It showed complete removal of the Nidus. To the best of our knowledge there have not been many case reports in English Literature from the Indian subcontinent. There are many studies in which tumor of lumbar region is one of the causes of radiating pain in lower extremities but to the best of our knowledge this finding is unique and can also be an important cause of radicular pain. 

Author(s) Details

Dr. Vidyasagar Maalepati
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Dr. A. Raviraj
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore-560076, India.

Ashish Anand
Department of Orthopedics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, VAMC Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

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The Details of Organizational Level Performance of Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) under New Extension Reforms in the State of Assam | Chapter 13 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

The Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), defined as a semi-autonomous decentralized participatory and market-driven extension model represents a shift away from transferring technologies for major crops to diversifying output. As the ATMA programme is under operation in Assam for the last ten years, the researchable questions may arise about to what extent the functions of ATMA through cafeteria of activities at district level are achieved such as farmer oriented activities, farm information dissemination, agricultural technology refinement, validation and adoption (R-E-F-Linkage), administrative and capital expenses, innovative activities and other innovative activities etc. Keeping in view the broad aims of the ATMA and to find out relevant answers on the above stated questions, a study was carried out in three CSS-ATMA districts of Assam namely Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Goalpara in the year 2015-16 with a view to find out the organizational level performance of ATMA under new extension reforms. A purposive sampling method was followed to select the districts for the study. The result of the findings highlighted that the trend of achievement of cafeteria of activities as per ATMA guideline were below 50.00 per cent in the three consecutive years viz., 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 except in few activities where the achievement of activities under the heads “Agril. Technology Refinement, Validation and Adoption (R-E-F-Linkage)”, “Administrative/Capital Expenses” and “Innovative Activities”, were 62.50 per cent, 59.39 per cent and 50.03 per cent respectively in the year 2013-14. On the other hand, in the year 2014-15, the achievement of activities under the head “Other Innovative Activities” were 100.00 per cent.

Author (s) Details

Dr. Chittaranjan Deka
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Assam, India.

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The Effects of Election Advertising Spending and Incumbency on the General Election Results in Great Britain: Critical Study | Chapter 12 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

This paper attempts to estimate the effect of campaign advertising expenditures on vote outcomes in Great Britain’s general election over 1992-2001. It uses an empirical method to estimate the impact of electoral campaign expenditures on votes, but also attempts to develop a signaling model in the election by estimating the relationship between campaign spending and quality signaling through incumbency status.  Specifically, this paper examines an empirical analysis of the impact of campaign expenditures on votes cast in the general elections in Great Britain. It extends Lee [1] to incorporate the incumbency and interactive effect. First, it includes candidate and party incumbency status into the benchmark model so as to estimate incumbency effects. Second, it includes an interaction term between candidate incumbency and candidate spending to estimate interactive effects. The main features of the estimation model are to assess the impact of campaign expenditures on votes by estimating incumbency and interactive effects on votes.

Author(s) Details

Sung-Kyu Lee
Department of International Trade, Andong National University, 1375 Gyeongdong-ro, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 36729, South Korea

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Contribution of Integrated Farming System for Livelihood Security of Tribal’s in Pachamalai Hill of Tiruchirappalli District, TN: Detailed Overview | Chapter 11 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Agriculture plays a significant role in Indian economy. Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy as it contributes about 14% to the total GDP and provides employment to over 60% of the population. In India about 70 per cent of the rural households depend on agriculture. India population is equivalent to 17.7% of the total world population. India ranks number 2 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. Due to ever increasing population and decline in per capita availability of land in the country, practically there is no scope for horizontal expansion of land for agriculture. For this reason, vertical integration of farm enterprises will make farming more costeffective and reliable. Therefore, Integrated Farming systems can be proved as viable approach represents an appropriate combination of farm enterprises, viz. crop production, horticulture, livestock, fishery, forestry, piggery, poultry and goatry etc. in specific farming situation to address the problems of sustainable economic growth of Indian farming communities. Out of 115 million operational holdings in India, about 80 per cent of Indian farmers are marginal and small farmers. To achieve sustainable development in income and employment to fulfill the basic needs of the farmers in plains and also in hilly areas, an integrated faming system plays a vital role in India. The present study was undertaken to recognize the contribution of integrated farming system on livelihood security and sustainable development of Tribal people. Primary data was collected from the Tribal people of Pachamalai hill situated in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu. Most of the respondents were involved in the adoption of integrated farming system, but the components are based on size of land holding, economic conditions, knowledge, experience and interest of the respondent etc. Eight different components of Integrated farming system were considered in the study. Among them agriculture with backyard poultry, livestock and piggery which are adopted by most of the respondents. Farmers’ responded that integrated farming system has increased the economic yield per unit area by providing income to the farmers round the year, providing food, nutritional security and increasing input usage by the result of expected output. Hence, it is essential to create awareness to improve knowledge, skill and attitude regarding the adoption of more components of integrated farming system. Therefore it was concluded from the study that integrated farming system is a powerful multidimensional whole farm approach, which is very effective in solving many problems of achieving farmers’ livelihood security. Lack of awareness and technical knowledge, minimum credit facility, less reliable market, non availability of critical inputs and follow up etc. have been identified as the major constraints to promote integrated farming system in this area.

Author(s) Details

Dr. V. Dhanushkodi
Department of Soil Science, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirugamani-639115, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

Dr. Noorjehan A. K. A. Hanif
Department of Agricultural Extension, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirugamani-639115, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

Dr. G. Amuthaselvi
Department of Food Processing and Agricultural Engineering, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirugamani-639115, Tiruchirappalli,  Tamil Nadu, India.

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Establishing the Link between Money Laundering and Tax Evasion: Critical Study | Chapter 10 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

No clear link has yet been made between tax evasion and money laundering although many (or all) of the professionals in this field may have already assumed the relation. The aim of the research that was conducted for the purposes of this article was to explore whether there is a clear link between tax evasion and money laundering. This was done by studying the relevant literature available on both subjects. The findings, that there is a clear link between these two offences, were confirmed not only by analyzing definitions but also and most importantly, by an overview of court cases and the judgments made in these court cases. In theory, the results have proven that one cannot look at money laundering without considering tax evasion as well but tax evasion does not necessarily constitute the act of money laundering. This is of value to the individuals and organizations working in the field of taxation and organized crime, because when prosecuting a perpetrator on a count of money laundering, by adding the charge of tax evasion to his or her charge sheet, it can strengthen the case against the accused. 


Author(s) Details 

Dr. Ansia Storm
Northwest University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

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Irrelevance of Inflation and Inflation Uncertainty to Stock Returns | Chapter 9 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

The purpose of this chapter is to reexamine the empirical evidence on the relation between inflation, and inflation uncertainty, with stock returns, using monthly data for a duration of sixty-three years to seventy years. Two series for inflation are considered: consumer CPI inflation and core inflation (i.e., without volatile food and energy prices). Two proxies for inflation uncertainty are used: Absolute inflation and the square of inflation. Over the long run, prices and stocks are co-integrated with a positive but more than proportionate impact. However, co-integration dissipates when fundamental variables are included to the regressions. Over the short run, inflation and inflation uncertainty do not explain well stock returns, whether separately or jointly. This is also especially true when fundamental variables are included in the regressions. Two fundamental variables are selected from the Gordon constant growth dividend model: The change in the cost of equity and the growth rate of earnings. The first variable is roughly measured by the change in the Moody’s Baa corporate bond yield, while the second one is taken to be the rate of change of industrial production. The latter variable stands additionally for the evolution of the business cycle. Stability of the models is supported by testing for calendar breakpoints.  

Author(s) Details

Dr. Samih Antoine Azar
Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Haigazian University, Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut, Lebanon.

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Exploring Data Patterns Using Loglinear Analysis | Chapter 8 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Consumer needs are diverse and numerous. The FMCG manufacturers are confused due to these diverse consumer needs. This results into brand /product proliferation. The product proliferation happens due to a marketing philosophy of everything for everybody [1] - Choose whatever you need. This especially happens with the lower consume involvement products such as bath soaps [2]. The product proliferation also increases the inventory costs and blocks the precious working capital. This research is an attempt to explore what exactly consumer see while buying a particular bath soapLoglinear Analysis is used here to explore the hidden patterns in the collected data so as to provide the actionable insights for suitable decision making. A situation of Indian bath soap category is undertaken here with reference to understand soap buyer behaviour from urban & rural areas for taking the actionable insights from management perspective.

Author (s) Details

Dr. Aniruddha Bodhankar 
Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Management Studies & Research, Nagpur, India. 


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Recent Perspectives of Integration, Inclusion, Development in the Financial Sector and Economic Growth Nexus in SADC: Empirical Review | Chapter 14 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Aims: The study examines the relationship between financial development, integration, inclusion and economic growth. Study Design: Empirical literature review. Place and Duration of Study: Southern African Development Community (SADC), January 1980 to December 2011. Conclusion: Empirical evidence suggests mixed effect of financial integration and inclusion on economic growth. While some studies argue that financial integration has positive impact on economic growth, others state that financial integration has a negative impact on economic growth. On the other hand, some studies consider sound financial development to be a pre-requisite for financial integration to have a positive impact on economic growth. Financial inclusion is believed to have a positive or negative impact on economic growth. Some studies ascertain that the positive growth impact from the financial inclusion does not hold in economies characterised by low financial development. Literature reveals that the direction of causality between financial development and economic growth is uncertain. The SADC region present a unique sample of countries where a lot of initiatives have been taken to embrace financial integration, inclusion and development through, for example, strategic plans, policy frameworks, protocols declarations, charters, as well as memoranda of understanding. In the SADC region, Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa are the most banked countries. The types of financial intermediaries across SADC member states include central banks, commercial banks, money lenders, unit trust companies, pension funds, non-bank deposittaking institutions, foreign exchange dealers, mutual banks, stock broking firms and primary dealers. Countries with no stock exchanges are Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho as well as Madagascar. South Africa exerts some influence on the financial sector performance in the region.

Author(s) Details

Oscar Chiwira
Dean Faculty of Commerce, BA ISAGO University, Botswana

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Exchange Rate Determination in Developing Economies: Recent Developments | Chapter 6 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

This paper identified the determinants of nominal exchange rate movements in less developed countries operating the flexible exchange rate system. Factors peculiar to such countries which were believed to potently drive their nominal exchange rates are incorporated into the resulting model. In particular, the weather, parallel market exchange premium and corrupt practices entered the model. While all three factors should play crucial roles in explaining short run variations in the exchange rate, corrupt practices might still be at work in the long-run. However, those more advanced developing countries that had succeeded in instituting a relatively more effective legal system stemming the tide of corruption, and, also characterized by a near absence of parallel exchange rate market, might follow the standard model of exchange rate in the literature. 

Author (s) Details

Oluremi Davies Ogun
Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

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Determination of Parallel Market Exchange Rate Premium: Advanced Study | Chapter 5 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

A model of the determination of parallel market exchange rate premium in liberalized economies was presented. Clear distinction was made between fundamental and nominal determinants with economic justification(s) given for every variable. Likely data problems that might arise during implementation were discussed and suggestions on circumventing made.

Author (s) Details

Oluremi Ogun Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

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The Impact of a One Factor Model on Risk Level of Viet Nam Medicine Industry | Chapter 4 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

This research paper evaluates the impacts of external financing (one factor model) on market risk for the listed firms in the Viet nam medical industry as it becomes necessary, esp. after the financial crisis 2007-2009.  First, by using quantitative and analytical methods to estimate asset and equity beta of total 10 listed companies in Viet Nam medical industry with a proper traditional model, we found out that the beta values, in general, for many institutions are acceptable. Second, under 3 different scenarios of changing leverage (in 2011 financial reports, 30% up and 20% down), we recognized that the risk level, measured by equity and asset beta mean, decreases when leverage increases to 30% and it increases in case leverage down to 20%. Third, by changing leverage in 3 scenarios, we recognized the dispersion of risk level, measured by equity beta var, increases if the leverage increases to 30%. Compared to the results of other industries, we see that asset beta var in here increases when leverage up to 30% as well as  that in consumer good industry. Finally, this paper provides some outcomes that could provide companies and government more evidence in establishing their policies in governance.

Author(s) Details

Dinh Tran Ngoc Huy
Banking University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, Niigata, Japan.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh 
Thai Nguyen University of Information Technology and Communications, Vietnam.

Luong MInh Lan
Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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Evaluation of Systematic Risk of Viet Nam Construction Material Industry during the Pre-Low Inflation Period 2012-2014 | Chapter 3 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Construction material industry is one of the most rapidly growing sectors, with many achievements both in Vietnam and in Asia. In recent years, its rapid growth has produced revenues from business activities. One of the key objectives of this paper is to assess market risk volatility in construction material businesses in the 2012-2014 pre-low inflation period. Our first findings are to be found that beta values in general (< 1) for most of our construction material companies are appropriate when we apply quantitative, statistical and analytical methods to evaluate the asset beta and beta CAPM of 20 listed Viet Nam construction material companies. However, we analyze the market risk volatility, determined by asset and equity beta var,  during the post-low inflation period in this sector and compare results in two circumstances: risk fluctuation in pre-low inflation time 2012-14 is lower than that in post-low inflation period 2015-2017. Finally, if we observe in 2 periods, Beta CAPM or equity beta mean goes up in case post-low inflation period.  At last, policies in risk management and governance are suggested in the conclusion based on the research results and findings. In the post-low inflation environment, we alert that Beta fluctuations could be little higher.

Author(s) Details

Dinh Tran Ngoc Huy
Banking University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, Niigata, Japan.

Pham Tun Anh
Thuongmai University, Ha Noi, Vietnam.

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Construction Sector and Economic Growth in Nigeria: An Overview | Chapter 2 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Over time most developing countries have identified that a major constraint to their developmental efforts is the lack of synchronization between the construction sector, infrastructure and other areas of the economy. This study examines the long-run and short-run relationship between the construction industry and the growth of the Nigerian economy using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The uniqueness of this estimation procedure is such that it produces a robust result of the long-run and short-run relationship even in situations where the time series data are integrated in the order of I(0) and I(1). The study uses the annual time-series data sourced directly from the Central Bank of Nigerian (CBN) Statistical Bulletin and World Bank Development Indicators (WDI) between the periods 1981-2014. The outcome of the study shows that the construction sector plays a significant role in the Nigerian economic growth in the short-run. However, the result revealed the absence of a long-run relationship between the construction industry and economic growth in Nigeria.

Author(s) Details

Ikechukwu Kelikume
Lagos Business School, Nigeria

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Research on the Impact of Ethical Climate on Creative Problem - Solving Capacity: An Empirical Study on Human Resource Employees in Saudi Arabia | Chapter 1 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of ethical climate on creative problemsolving capacity. The paper also aims to identify how knowledge sharing and affective commitment influence this relationship. Design/Methodology/Approach: This is quantitative descriptive study applied on human resource employees working in companies belong to four different sectors in Saudi Arabia.115 responses were used to test research model using Partial Least Square approach. Findings: The results reveal that ethical climate indirectly affect creative problem-solving capacity through knowledge sharing. In addition, affective commitment moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and creative problem-solving capacity. Research Limitations/Implications: The study conducted only in Saudi Arabia so results cannot be generalized. The study demonstrates the role of ethical climate, knowledge sharing, and affective commitment on enhancing creative problem-solving capacity.  Originality/Value: The paper broaden knowledge on antecedents of creative problem-solving capacity. In addition, the paper extends the line of research on affective commitment by examining its moderating role on the relationship between knowledge sharing and creative problem-solving capacity. 

Author (s) Details

Soad Abdullah Almeshal
Department of Marketing, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

Ghada Nasser Aloud
College of Business Administration, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

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A Study on Behavioral Finance to Understand the Psychological Behavior of Individuals in Financial and Non-financial Investment and Decision Making | Chapter 7 | Current Strategies in Economics and Management Vol. 3

Everyone earns cash intending to fulfil life goals. Cash is employed for mundane also as exotic functions. It will be saved and invested with to finance numerous goals like education, marriage, retirement and then on. The wants will be each immediate and within the distant future. Cash will be attained by operating for pay, by taking risks for profit associated degree by investment and managing it to relinquish the financial gain. Behavioral finance could be a comparatively new paradigm of finance, that seeks to supplement the quality theories of finance by introducing behavioral aspects to the decision making process. Early proponents of behavioral finance are thought about by some to be visionaries. This research paper exhibits with key analysis tools like factor analysis, binomial distribution, chi-square analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis with Three Hundred as the sample size and the research was conducted within the Chennai city in India. This paper is an attempt to comprehend and distinguish the importance of psychological behaviour of individuals towards investment and decision making.

Author(s) Details

Khavi Priya Bagya Lakshmi 
Shrimathi Devkunvar Nanalal Bhatt Vaishnav College for Women, Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai, India.

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Discussion Surrounding the Identification of Henry IV’s Alleged Skull: Advanced Study | Chapter 12 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

On Sunday, 13th March 2011, at half past eight in the evening, the French public national television channel France 5 broadcasted a documentary relating the investigation which had led to the “formal” identification of Henry IV’s skull. It had been conducted by a team of scientists led by Doctor Philippe Charlier, a forensic medical examiner - a well-known anthropologist. Throughout the programme, many factors were introduced and proved the identification. And yet, taking a scientific step back and looking at things from a distance with historical knowledge, these factors seem to be questionable. A new perspective which sowed the seeds of doubt on the showcasing of absolute certainty.

Author(s) Details

Dr. X. Riaud
Department in Epistemology, History of Sciences and Techniques, National Academy of Dental Surgery, National Academy of Surgery, France and Centre François Viète d’Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques (EA 1161), Université de Nantes, France.

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Study on: Essence and Conditions for Application of Parametric and Nonparametric Statistical Methods | Chapter 11 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

This paper acquaints skilled in the humanitarian field with basic definitions in the field of statistics. The paper reveals the essence and the differences between the parametric and nonparametric statistical methods. Discussed are the conditions for their correct application. Drawn are trends for checking those conditions. We pay more attention to their interpretation in terms of non-mathematicians.

Author(s) Details

Ivelina Peneva
Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

Krasimir Yordzhev
Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

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Profiling Lipids in People Living with HIV Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy at Mpilo Central Hospital OIC: Hitherto Going Forth? | Chapter 10 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

Introduction: Long term use of antiretroviral therapy subpopulation living with HIV is associated with disturbances in plasma lipids concentrations. Lipids profiles were not routinely used to monitor treatment in the course of treatment resulting in adverse outcomes. Supportive information for the use of lipid concentrations is necessary for the day to day monitoring of people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment. Evidence of the importance of lipid profiles in monitoring treatment was hoped to influence end users to institute routine monitoring. To this end, the prevalence and timing of dyslipidemia onset in people living with HIV/AIDS on ART Bulawayo, Zimbabwe were determined. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at Mpilo Central Hospital OIC in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe over 3 months. A cross-sectional study was conducted in people living with HIV who were on highly active anti-retroviral treatment at Mpilo Central Hospital OIC. Lipid assays were determined by Elisa methods. Viral loads and CD4 were measured using the COBAS® TaqMan® and BD FACSCount™ Flow Cytometer, respectively. Results: A total of 149 accepting participants were enrolled with most (63.2%) being females. The median age of the respondents was 43 years and their median CD4 count was 436 cells/μL after a median duration on ART of 36 months. Viral load was <40 in the majority (68.6%) of the participants. More females (63.1%) were on HAART and were aged >35 (60.4%) years. NNRTI (90.6%) were the more commonly prescribed HAART. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 70.2%. Hypercholesterolaemia was detected in 72 (48.3%) patients with 26 being male and 46 being female. High levels of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c ≥ 3.0 mmol/L) were found in 115 patients with 74 of them being female. Hypertriacylglycerolaemia (TAG ≥ 2.0 mmol/L) was present in 8 cases. The proportion of patients with a low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c < 1.0 mmol/L) was 15.3% while those with a ratio of TC/HDL-c ≥ 4.1 were 87.5%. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a high prevalence of dyslipidemia in HIV-patients receiving HAART. There is a need for the HIV program to institute laboratory monitoring of blood lipids in patients over one year on HAART. In addition, testing and development of biomarkers of other novel pathophysiological changes and HAART outcomes that may develop in the subpopulation in time, is of paramount importance as adverse drug effects are still being experienced that may necessitate regimen changes. 

Author(s) Details

Dr. Greanious Alfred Mavondo
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

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Attendance Marking System Using Face Recognition | Chapter 9 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

Marking of attendance in a classroom during a lecture is considered as a time consuming task. Large number of students present in the lecture hall leads to the possibility of proxy attendance. It is extremely difficult task for lecturers to manually identify the students who skip their lectures on regular basis. Student’s attendance Management through the conventional methods had been a challenge in the recent years. There is a need of efficient and automatic techniques of marking attendance which leads to growing challenge in the area of face recognition.  Even though standard biometrics are widely used for automatic attendance marking, still it faces lot of problems. However, most of the previously proposed techniques lack the element of reliability. The main focus of our project is to analyse and evaluate the recent attendance marking techniques using face recognition methods. Our proposed system is a conceptual model for automated attendance system through facial recognition and it uses an integral validation process which enhances the reliability of model.

Author(s) Details

Ms. G. Thilagavathi,
Department of Information Technology, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India.  

Dr. N. K. Karthikeyan,
Department of Information Technology, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Adaptive Method for State Estimation of Sound Environment System with Uncertainty and Its Application to Psychological Evaluation: Recent Perspecives | Chapter 8 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

The actual sound environment system exhibits various types of linear and non-linear characteristics, and it often contains uncertainty. Furthermore, the observations in the sound environment are often in the level-quantized form. In this paper, two types of methods for estimating the specific signal for sound environment systems with uncertainty and the quantized observation are proposed by introducing newly a system model of the conditional probability type and moment statistics of fuzzy events. The effectiveness of the proposed theoretical methods is confirmed by applying them to the actual problem of psychological evaluation for the sound environment.

Author(s) Details

Hisako Orimoto
 Department of Management Information Systems, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

Akira Ikuta 
Department of Management Information Systems, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan.

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The Details of Ambient Air PM10 Particulate Levels at Ashaiman Near Tema in Ghana | Chapter 13 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

Introduction: Emissions from a variety of air particulate sources have resulted in atmospheric pollution that, in turn, has produced serious problems, causing irreversible reactions in the environment and hence is posing a major threat to our very existence. Aim: Identify monthly variations of particulate matter mass concentrations in air, the contribution of each size fraction (coarse and fine) to PM10 levels, and the contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources.  Methodology: PM10 ambient air particulates in two size fractions being the coarse (PM10-2.5) and fine (PM2.5) were sampled. Heavy metals and carbonaceous compounds [organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)] concentrations were determined. Enrichment factor (EF) was used to identify species of crustal and non-crustal origin in ambient air particulates. The identified elements were used to develop fingerprints for a number of particulate sources.  Results: The mean coarse and fine particulate levels obtained were 89.2 g/m3 and 21.6 g/m3 respectively. The maximum and minimum levels occurred in February (dry season) and July (rainy season) respectively. Soil dust was found to be the major source of particulates in the two size fractions (coarse and fine). The sulphur contents in Harmattan (cold dry winds) dust in the dry season was found to be predominantly in the coarse fraction. EF was used to identify species of crustal and non–crustal origin in ambient air particulates. The Enrichment Factor values for the elements Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb and Br showed that they were mostly from anthropogenic sources. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the significant impact of seasonal variations on particulate levels. The problem with air quality is seen to be greatest during the Harmattan when cold dry winds blow soil dust particulates across West Africa. 

Author(s) Details

Francis G. Ofosu
National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra, Ghana.  

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A Study of Mechanical Thresher over Traditional Method of Threshing Kutki | Chapter 6 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

This research was based on efficiency of plot size millet thresher over traditional method of threshing Kutki millet. Kutki millet (little millet) is one of the most important small millet crop grown in rainfed area of Madhya Pradesh India. Traditionally in tribal and hilly area, threshing of Kutki millet crops is done by beating sticks and tractor bare operation which is more time consuming, energy intensive, labour intensive and uneconomical. The plot size millet thresher can reduce the drudgery of farmers, labours improve the quality of product, with existing socio economic condition of millet growing tribal farmers. Thus, the plot size millet thresher was found best with 99.6% threshing efficiency, 98.9% cleaning efficiency, 20.2 kg/h output capacity, 0.45% un-threshed grain percentage and 0% broken grain.

Author(s) Details

Er. Shalini Chaturvedi 
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College Pradesh, 482004, India.

Dr. Atul kumar Shrivastava 
Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering, JNKVV, Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh, 482004, India

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Comparative Nutritional and Phytochemical Evaluation of the Aerial and Underground Tubers of Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) Available in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria: Detailed Study | Chapter 5 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

The wild yam species (Dioscorea bulbifera), known as edu in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, has two types of edible tubers (underground tubers and aerial bulbils) produced simultaneously by the same plant. The yam species is highly neglected in the region such that it is only consumed in the rural areas often not out of preference but at periods of food scarcity. Both tuber forms are consumed in Abakaliki. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the nutritional and antinutritional profiles of the two tuber forms. The proximate and phytochemical constituents were determined using standard official methods of the Association of Analytical Chemists while mineral elements were quantified by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) method. The study revealed no significant difference between the tuber forms in their contents of crude fats, fibre ash and carbohydrates and calorific values (P>0.05) while crude protein was significantly higher in the aerial bulbils (P<0.05). The mineral elements K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and P but Mn were all significantly higher in the underground tubers while the heavy metals Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Se and Co were not detected. Oxalate, tannins and phenols were significantly higher in the underground tubers while the bulbils were richer in alkaloids, HCN, saponins and flavonoids. Compared with nutritional values of common edible yam species in the literature, this study also showed that this neglected yam species is a good source of protein, lipid, crude fibre, carbohydrates and minerals. Its contents of the toxic substances (phytate, oxalate, tannins, alkaloids and HCN) were not exceedingly higher compared to common yams. This study revealed the high nutritional values of D. bublifera in terms of proximate and mineral composition, and its safety in terms of anti-nutrient contents, coupled with numerous literature reports on its medicinal potentials. We therefore advocate for increased cultivation, utilization and valorisation of the species in the area and beyond to enhance food and nutrition security.

Author(s) Details

A. Afiukwa Celestine
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria

O. Igwe David
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.

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Adaptive Method for State Estimation of Sound Environment System with Uncertainty and Its Application to Psychological Evaluation: Recent Perspecives | Chapter 8 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

The actual sound environment system exhibits various types of linear and non-linear characteristics, and it often contains uncertainty. Furthermore, the observations in the sound environment are often in the level-quantized form. In this paper, two types of methods for estimating the specific signal for sound environment systems with uncertainty and the quantized observation are proposed by introducing newly a system model of the conditional probability type and moment statistics of fuzzy events. The effectiveness of the proposed theoretical methods is confirmed by applying them to the actual problem of psychological evaluation for the sound environment.

Author(s) Details

Hisako Orimoto
 Department of Management Information Systems, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

Akira Ikuta 
Department of Management Information Systems, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan.

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General and Specific Combining Ability Studies in Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) | Chapter 7 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

This experiment aimed to determine General Combining Ability (GCA) and Specific Combining Ability (SCA) of six parental lines; SBRB-6/12, SBRB-1/12, KS-224, SBRB-2/12, Swarna Mani and SBRB3/12 through full-diallel parental crosses. Experiment was conducted from June 2012 to march 2013 and designed in Randomized Complete Block with three replications. The combining ability analysis revealed highly significant differences among the treatments for all the parameters studied except days to 50% flowering and number of primary branches per plant. The genotype SBRB-6/12 was found best general combiner for number of fruit per plant and yield per plant. The top three crosses (SBRB-3/12 x SBRB-2/12, SBRB-6/12 x SBRB-3/12 and KS-224 x Swarna Mani) with high per se performance have exhibited high SCA effects for yield. Both additive and non-additive gene actions were operating for all the characters except days to 50% flowering, fruit diameter and number of primary branches per plant. Therefore, the general combiner can be exploited for the creation of varieties and the presence of specific combinining ability in the hybrids. 

Author(s) Details

Ravi Kumar
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India 813210

Randhir Kumar
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210, India

Sangeeta Shree
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210, India.

Amit Kumar
Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834006, India.

Divakar Kumar Bharati
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210, India.

Saksham Kumar Sinha
 Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210, India.

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Complexities and Solution Strategies in Structural Health Assessment | Chapter 4 | Recent Advances in Science and Technology Research Vol. 2

The complexities and solution strategies in the health assessment of civil infrastructures are briefly discussed. To meet the current needs of locating defect spots and their severity accurately and efficiently, infrastructures are represented by finite elements. To increase the implementation potential, the stiffness parameters of all the elements are tracked using only few noise-contaminated dynamic responses measured at small part of the infrastructures. To extract the required information, Kalman filter concept is integrated with other advanced numerical schemes. An unscented Kalman filter (UKF) concept is developed for highly nonlinear dynamic systems. The basic UKF concept is improved in several ways. Instead of using one long duration time history uased in one global iteration, very short duration time histories and multiple global iterations with weight factors are used to locate the defect spot accurately and efficiently. The capabilities of the procedure are demonstrated with the help of two informative examples. The proposed procedure is much superior to the extended Kalman filter-based procedures developed by the team earlier.

Author (s) Details

Abdullah Al-Hussein
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.  

Professor Achintya Haldar
Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

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