A Computer Based System for Evaluating the Risk of Contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remain global pandemics. The 2020 statistics released in 2021 showed that about 37.6 million people globally are living with HIV; 1.5 million people became newly infected in 2020 and 690,000 people died from AIDS related cases the same year. A literature search revealed that more than 1.6 million Nigerians have died of HIV/AIDS since the outbreak of the epidemic in 1985 while millions of Nigerians are living with HIV as of today. Certain factors have contributed to this alarming statistic. One of such is the unwillingness by most persons to undertake an HIV test due to the fear of stigmatization. A simple system that can be of help in evaluating a person’s risk of contracting HIV without stigmatization is developed in this work. The system takes into account some behavioural factors, signs and symptoms that suggest a person may be at risk of having or be prone to HIV and thus makes a prediction of the risk status based on the input supplied. A simple framework was developed with input from medical practitioners based on their wealth of experience. The input was used to derive twenty two (22) questions centered on behavioural factors, signs and symptoms which were designed to be answered by the users during interaction with the system. A simple evaluation takes place using the user’s inputs and a predefined set of rules to classify the risk value as one of (Very High, High, Moderate, Low and Not at Risk) with appropriate advice. The system was implemented in Visual Studio Environment using Visual Basic.Net. It is expected that after using the system, users will be encouraged to go for tests where it is recommended. However, it to be noted that this system does not confirm HIV status as only a blood test can do that

Design and Verification of a Simple Approach to Brownfields Categorization

Brownfields have been the subject of research, evaluation, categorization and, of course, redevelopment for many years. The ABC(D) model (an assessment tool to identify different types of sites in terms of their potential) by the Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network (CABERNET) has been mentioned in many publications. The aim of the assessment method presented in this article is to use the basic essence of the categories in the ABC(D) model and to use our own very simple criteria. Our criteria are the result of many years of experience in the creation and management of the brownfield database. In 2017, the development potential of selected brownfields in the database of the Moravian-Silesian region (Czech Republic) was evaluated using our proposed procedure (three objective and one subjective criterion). In 2020, verification of the categories in regard to how correctly or incorrectly they were proposed was carried out. The results from this verification, including reasons for the accompanying inaccuracies, are a part of this article. We verified that the very simple evaluation procedure we proposed is functional and can be applied by database administrators continuously without the need to create complex datasets and statistical evaluations.

A new mathematical hull-form with 10-shape parameters for evaluation of ship response in waves

This study presents a new mathematical hull-form that is expressed as an explicit function with 10 hull-form parameters, which is called the Matsui hull-form in this study. The proposed hull-form was developed by expanding the modified Wigley hull-form so that the following 10 hull-form parameters can be independently varied: main dimensions $$L$$ L , $$B$$ B , $$d$$ d , fineness coefficients $${C}_{b}$$ C b , $${C}_{\mathrm{m}}$$ C m , $${C}_{\mathrm{w}}$$ C w , second moment of waterplane area coefficient $${C}_{\mathrm{w}2}$$ C w 2 , longitudinal center of buoyancy LCB and floatation LCF, and a parameter $$\beta$$ β related to anterior–posterior asymmetry. The main purpose of this hull-form is that it is utilized for the following two objects: the first is the simple evaluation of the seakeeping performance and wave loads in the early ship designing stage without any detailed offset data, and the second is a systematical study on the influence of a ship’s dimensions on the ship response in waves. This paper presents the derivation of the Matsui hull-form and the applicability of the proposed hull-from was confirmed by comparing the ship response in waves with the actual ships. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the ship response in waves was conducted as an example of the application of the proposed hull-form.

A DPPH· Kinetic Approach on the Antioxidant Activity of Various Parts and Ripening Levels of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Ethanolic Extracts

Papaya fruits (Carica papaya L.) are valuable both as food, including concentrates and mixed beverages and in traditional medicine. The goal of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of various parts of unripe and ripe papaya fruit from the DPPH· kinetics point of view. Peel, pulp, seed, and seed-pulp of unripe and ripe papaya fruits (¼ and >¾ level of ripening) were extracted with ethanol and monitored at 517 nm in the presence of DPPH·. The radical scavenging capacity (RSC) at various time ranges and DPPH· reaction rates for specific time intervals were determined. The highest RSC values were obtained for papaya pulp extracts, consistently higher for the ripe samples in comparison with the unripe ones (86.4% and 41.3%). The DPPH· rates significantly differ for the unripe and ripe papaya extracts, especially for the first time range. They are more than double for the ripe papaya. These values were 2.70, 4.00, 3.25, 2.75 μM/s for the peel, pulp, seed, seed-pulp extracts from the ripe papaya and only 1.00, 1.65, 1.40, 1.80 μM/s for the unripe samples. DPPH· kinetic approach can be useful for a fast and simple evaluation of the overall antioxidant properties of fruit extracts.

Carcass Traits and Fat Quality of Breeding Emu (Dromaius Novaehollandiae) in Northern Japan

Characterisation of carcass traits and fat quality is important to effectively produce and genetically improve emus. We investigated carcass traits in 309 emus. The meat production of female emus showed a significantly higher value than that of males (P < 0.01). The fat weight of male (9.232 ± 3.156 kg) was larger than that of the female (7.772 ± 2.697 kg). The fat rate was strongly correlated to body weight (r = 0.79 and r = 0.75 in male and female, respectively). The fat melting points of females and males were 19.19 ± 3.39°C and 19.39 ± 3.39°C, respectively, without significant difference. Since the fat melting point did not correlate to body and fat weights, we predicted that it was an independent trait from body growth and was highly influenced by genetic elements. Percentages of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acids were 22.27 ± 3.50 %, 9.37 ± 1.90 %, 54.11 ± 5.17 %, 13.54 ± 7.80 % and 0.71 ± 0.59 %, respectively. Among them, linoleic acid contents showed a wide individual difference (range 0.3–19.9 %). The oleic/stearic acid ratio showed a negative correlation to the fat melting point. These results suggest that the fat melting point may be used as a useful marker for the simple evaluation of oil quality.