One–Step Hybrid Block Scheme for the Numerical Approximation for Solution of Third Order Initial Value Problems

In this research, we have proposed the simulation of linear block algorithm for modeling third order highly stiff problem without reduction to a system of first order ordinary differential equation, to address the weaknesses in reduction method. The method is derived using the linear block method through interpolation and collocation. The basic properties of the block method were recovered and was found to be consistent, convergent and zero-stability. The new block method is been applied to model third order initial value problems of ordinary differential equations without reducing the equations to their equivalent systems of first order ordinary differential equations. The result obtained on the process on some sampled modeled third order linear problems give better approximation than the existing methods which we compared our result with.

Health Literacy on COVID-19 among Older Adults in South-South Nigeria

The aged is one of the most vulnerable cohorts of the COVID-19 pandemic; consequently to curb the spread of the virus public health knowledge is central. This study examines the sources of learning about COVID-19 pandemic, level of knowledge/awareness on the pandemic, and to ascertain if there is variation in the level of knowledge among older adults in South-South Nigeria on the basis of income, gender, education and marital status. The study was carried out in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria. Using analytical descriptive survey research design, older adults from 60 years and above were randomly selected. The instrument used was a structure questionnaire and an assessment test on Knowledge of COVID-19. Percentage, Mean, range, Standard deviation and ANOVA were used in analyzing the data collected. The study reveals that radio and television were the major sources of learning about Covid-19 among older adults, that their level of awareness of the symptoms of the disease is poor, moderate in prevention of community spread and basic management of patients with the virus. The study also reveals that there is variation in the level of awareness on the basis of income, while no variation was found in terms of gender, education and marital status. From the findings, it was concluded that radio and television were the dominant source of information on health literacy among the older adults and there is an association between level of level of awareness of COVID-19 and level of income of older adults.

The Effect of Company Characteristics and Sales Growth on Sustainability Report

The sustainability of manufacturing companies is still an issue for innovative business activities in meeting the needs of future generations. The problem that becomes the urgency of this research is that return on assets, leverage, and sales growth affects the sustainability report. For this reason, quantitative research with multiple regression analysis is carried out for testing and examining the effect of company characteristics and sales growth on the sustainability report. The data used in this study is secondary data in the form of financial statements of each sample company, namely manufacturing companies that have been audited to be reported to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2015-2019. Measurements in company characteristics are measured by return on assets (ROA), Leverage, and company growth. The Technology Readiness Level (TKT) is a proof-of-concept of important analytical and experimental functions and/or characteristics. The output of this research design is an international journal. In this study, the results show that profitability and sales growth have a significant effect on the sustainability report and company size has no significant effect on the sustainability report.

Air Pollution Control by Using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)

Among air pollution control strategies, air cleaning with Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) has been drawing more and more attention because of the restraints in the production of secondary pollution. AOPs have a wide range of applications such as air (odour elimination, purification), soil (remediation) and water decontamination. Ideally, the photo catalyst, titanium dioxide, is introduced in the top layer of the concrete pavement for best results. In addition, the combination of TiO2 with cement-based products offers some synergistic advantages, as the reaction products can be adsorbed at the surface and subsequently be washed away by rain. The main aim of this research work is to measure the effect of titanium dioxide as photo catalyst in purifying nitrogen oxide (NOX) and Carbon Oxides (COX) on pavement surface and outdoor environment condition. For that, TiO2 is replaced for cement at different proportions of 5%, 10% & 15% in terms of weight in the cement concrete moulds of 10 mm uniform thickness and curing is done for seven days, then same were exposed to the sunlight at Ijoor circle sampling point Rama Nagar Town for 21 days of observation. From the Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, result it is observed that atom percentage increased maximum of 59.05 for carbon atoms for 10% proportion specimen. Then, check the amount of percentage for carbon atoms adsorbed by 10% proportion specimen at police/Kandaya Bhavan circle and Railway station circle sampling points of Rama Nagar Town for 21 days of observations and the results shows that, carbon atom percentage increased maximum of 42.99 and 58.69 for carbon atoms respectively at above sampling points. From this work, it is conclude that the Carbon atoms and Nitrogen atoms present in the atmosphere will be reduce up to some level when replace 10% of Titanium dioxide with cement in the concrete moulds of 10 mm thickness by Photo catalytic activity.

Alopecia and Dermatitis Caused by Lepoarcarus gibbus in a New Zealand White Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) – Clinical and Parasitological Diagnosis and Treatment

Aim: Ectoparasites associated dermatological disorders are frequently encountered in laboratory and pet rabbit medicine practice, however, L. gibbus is the only ectoparasite rarely reported in either pet and laboratory rabbits or hares as L. gibbus are usually asymptomatic. The aim of the present report is to describe a case of alopecia and dermatitis associated with Lepoarcarus gibbis in a rabbit from India. Presentation of Case: A 1.5 year old female New Zealand White rabbit was presented to the Dermatology Unit with erythema and poorly demarcated alopecia on the dorsal neck and face. A skin scraping and coat brushings were performed. On microscopic evaluation of hair samples, L. gibbus infestation was confirmed. Treatment with ivermectin (0.3 mg/kg) biweekly once for 3 doses proved effective. Discussion and Conclusion: L.gibbus may be presented with severe hairfall in the absence of other mites and treatment with ivermectin is effective. Based on the literature research this may be the first case report on alopecia and dermatitis due to L.gibbus in rabbit from India. Further studies should be planned on the prevalence of the mite as it is reported to have zoonotic potential.

Prevalence of Domestic Violence among School Children

This study aimed to examine the prevalence of domestic violence among school children. Using survey research design, data were collected from 664 school children in Ekiti State Nigeria Multidimensional Domestic Violence Scale (MDVS) was used to collect data. Results from the study reveal a high prevalence of domestic violence with physical violence as the most recurrent. The study also found that even though school children's age did not considerably influence the degree to which they were exposed to domestic violence, the level of study was a significant element in verbal and social violence. Also, it was found out that gender meaningfully contributed to the level at which children were exposed to physical and social domestic violence. It was concluded that regardless the gender, age, and level of study there is a high prevalence of domestic violence among school children in Ekiti State. With the adverse effect of domestic violence on children, in the long run, sensitizations, preventions, and inventions programmes should be embraced to educate the children, parents, and other adults.

Assessment of Tobacco Dependence in Al-Bayda City, Libya

Tobacco is the second leading cause of the death in adults in the world today. This is because of tobacco dependence. Therefore, aim of this study is to assess the level of nicotine dependence through a small random group of smokers in the city of Al-Bayda using the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence and to know the extent of desire to quit and take action. The study included 150 male smokers, with an age group ranging between 18-60 years, in the period between February and June 2020 through a questionnaire containing six questions from the Fagerstrom test and collected smoking risks and presence of smoking cessation medications. Data were collected and statistically evaluated using chi-square. Most of the participants had a family history, they were smoking imitating brother, father and friends. The average number of cigarettes consumed was more than 31 cigarettes per day, with a 5-minute time difference being the highest. The rate of desire to smoke was observed in the morning hours more than others. The proportion was also high for those who were unable to stop in public even while ill. Most of them are aware of the existence of drugs that help in smoking cessation. As for the attempts to quit, there were attempts during different periods of time, most of which failed due to physical and social reasons. Most of the results indicate a high rate of dependence among smokers, for reasons that may be social and economic. Therefore, we need more data and a wider study area through health centers and try to understand the reasons for returning to smoking and treating them. work to validate reliability.

Prevalent Rate of Occupational Stress among Senior High School Teachers

This study assessed occupational stress among Senior High School teachers in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The census method was used to involve all the 520 teachers in the selected public Senior High Schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA) were employed for the data analysis. The findings showed low level of occupational stress among the teachers engaged in the research. The study also revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in occupational stress among teachers based on their gender. However, the study found out that there was a statistically significant difference in occupational stress among teachers based on their age, educational qualification and teaching experience. Based on the findings and the conclusions drawn, it was recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other analogous institutions should consciously re-design the responsibilities of teachers in the classroom in such a way that it may reduce the occupational stress, burnout and turnover intentions teachers experience on their jobs.

Evolution of the Rate of Live and Tapped Trees of Hevea brasiliensis Clones, Muell. Arg. the First 15 Years of Plantation Establishment

The density of tapped rubber trees in a plantation is a determining parameter of its productivity. It is related to the number of trees planted per hectare, the evolution of which can be influenced by several factors that act on the trees from the year of establishment to the time of tapping. To this end, a study to determine the evolution of the rate of live trees and tapped trees of eight rubber clones during the first fifteen years of establishment was carried out in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. At opening, rubber trees planted at 510 trees/ha (7 m x 2.80 m) were bled in a descending half-spiral at different tapping and stimulation frequencies. The experimental design was a Fisher block design with 6 treatments (d2, d3/4y, d4/4y, d4/8y, d5/8y, d6/10y) and 3 replications. The results revealed that the rate of live trees and tapped trees was not influenced by either clone or latex harvesting treatment. The rate of live trees decreased progressively from the immature phase of the plantation (94.71 ± 1.34%) to the end of the downward tapping (91.55 ± 0.67%). The rate of tapped trees increases from the time of planting (69.51 ± 8.03%), over the years (92.00 ± 1.39%) until it equals the rate of live trees (92.00 ± 1.08%) before gradually decreasing to 88 ± 3.78%. It should be noted that the factors influencing the evolution of the rates of live and taped trees caused less damage to the rubber trees. And this influence is not dependent on clone, metabolic activity class and latex harvesting system.

Effect of Ethanol Leaf Extract of Khat (Catha edulis forsk) on Prefrontal Cortex Oxidative Markers and Hematological Profile of Wistar Rats

Aim: This study evaluated the effect of ethanol leaf extract of Catha edulis on the prefrontal cortex oxidative markers and hematological profile of Wistar rats. Study Design: The study design was experimental. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Kampala International University, Uganda and Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda. Between January and May, 2021. Methodology: Fresh C. edulis leaves were collected after on-spot identification, and authenticated before being chopped into small pieces and pulverized mechanically. The powdered material was extracted through cold maceration using 70% ethanol for 72 h. The extract was concentrated in vacuo to dryness at 40oC using rotary evaporator. The lethal dose (LD50) of the crude extract was determined using acute toxicity test. The sub-acute toxicity of the crude extract was evaluated by orally administering daily doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg to the male Wistar rats for 28 days. The animals were monitored for mortality, behavioral and physiological signs of toxicity. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) activities and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were estimated using standard methods. The blood samples were analyzed using the automated hematology analyzer: Mindray BC-6000. Shenzhen, China. Results: The median lethal dose (LD50) of the C. edulis leaf extract was greater than 5000mg/kg b w. The SOD and CAT activities of C. edulis treated groups compared to the control group were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were increased in C. edulis treated groups compared to the control group. There was no significant change in the hematological parameters, however, there were slight variations in the WBC and RBC counts in some C. edulis treated groups. Conclusion: Long term chewing of C. edulis could result in oxidative stress. It is therefore important for chronic C. edulis leaf chewers to take caution.