Archives-J 

The 4-benzylidene-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)oxazol-5(4H)-one (B) has been prepared from cyclocondensation reaction between hippuric acid (A) with p-anisaldehyde. A series of 4-benzylidene-1-(substitued-2-benzothiazolyl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-imidazol-5(4H)-one (D1-6) have been synthesized from 2-amino substituted benzothiazole (C1-6) by condensation reaction with 4-benzylidene-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)oxazol-5(4H)-one (B). The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and Mass spectral data. All the compounds were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities.

IELTS, International English Language Testing System, is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who intend to study, work, or live where English is used as the language of communication. Highly significant growth in candidature particularly in South Asia and the Middle East clearly illustrates how globally IELTS is recognized currently. Statistics demonstrate that Iran was among the top 25 locations in which candidates took IELTS in 2003 (IELTS Annual Review, 2003). Surprisingly, there seems to be a deviation from the communicative into prestigious purposes. The aim of the present study is to investigate the underlying hidden factor motivating Iranian IELTS candidates to prepare for the test. The target population of this study consisted of 300 IELTS candidates and 20 IELTS teachers. They were given a questionnaire and subsequently 30 of the participants underwent a semi-structured interview to elicit more information on what motivated them to go for IELTS. After the qualitative analysis of the data, the findings indicated that the hidden factor underlying all the motivating factors for the majority of Iranian IELTS candidates is prestige.

The second generation bioethanol production (G2) is made from cellulose and hemicellulose. This research aim was to determine the concentration of 1-3% NaOH solution and the best immersion time in the pre-treatment process in the manufacture of bioethanol from lignocellulose raw materials of palm oil stems. NaOH concentration (1%, 2% and 3%) and immersion time of oil palm lignocellulose stem had no significant effect on bioethanol levels. The bioethanol levels produced were still very good. The best treatment was X4.

Mosquito-borne disease, especially malaria and Dengue fever causes serious public health problems in district Dehradun, one of the most populous district of Uttarakhand states after Haridwar. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes act as the major vector of Dengue fever in this city. The present study on prevalence of dengue in Dehradun city was undertaken between January 2012 and December 2012 to assess the distribution pattern of dengue vectors and their seasonal variations. Indoor resting mosquitoes were collected from four selected localities by aspirator and torch light in morning hours (06:00-08:00hr). A total of 971 houses were searched during house to house larval and adult survey. Aedes breeding could be detected in 226 houses. In all, a total of 684 domestic water containers were searched, out of which 93 were found positive. The overall house index (HI), container index (CI), Breteau index (BI) and pupal index (PI) were 23.27%, 13.60%, 9.58% and 5.87% respectively. The study revealed that Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are well established in Dehradun city with most of the areas showing high adult and larval indices.

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a common bacillary infection in our population but primary tuberculous liver abscess in a non-immunocompromised patient is an extremely rare occurrence. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature to this day to our knowledge. Its management often requires medical treatment or in combination with percutaneous drainage, but it may take on a surgical appearance. We report here a new case of an isolated tuberculous liver abscess extended to the chest wall in a 32 years old female which was successfully managed with surgical approach and anti tubercular therapy. This location presents a considerable diagnosis challenge. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of liver cystic lesions, especially in a high tuberculosis prevalence country.

In the present day scenario rapid product development (RPD) becomes essential for product manufacturers for their survival. However, success of RPD depends on advancement and effective utilization of many more available technologies. Now with the availability of Computer Aided Design (CAD) / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) for RPD making the demands of the present day industry are taken care. The product development by CAD/CAM reduces the considerable time of equipment and is made with higher accuracy and repeat-ability resulting in faster development of products and less rejection in the long run this approach to product developing results in cost effectiveness. This paper reviews the technological advancements in CAD/CAM Systems. This paper also depicts the lead-time reduction in product development through modeling with CAD/CAM and application of reverse engineering, Rapid prototyping and CNC approach to RPD.

Fingerprint recognition is one of the most prominent biometric identification techniques. The features of fingerprint are broadly classified into three categories namely level 1, level 2 and level 3 features. In order to increase the recognition rate here the hierarchical matching technique is used which allows us to use all levels of features hierarchically. The level 3 features can be observed only in 1000 dpi images. So the matching is performed on a 1000 dpi fingerprint database captured using Hamster IV fingerprint scanner. At the first level of hierarchical matching the agreement between two orientation images is tested using dot product of the images. If an image is accepted at the first level it is brought to the second level of matching where minutiae details are tested. If an image crosses this stage as accepted then the decision will be taken as genuine otherwise the image will be given to the third level. The third level extracts the level 3 features such as pores and ridge contour points using Dynamic Anisotropic Pore Model (DAPM) and Mexican hat wavelet transform respectively. For each matched minutiae the pores and ridge contour points within the associated region of that minutiae will be matched. Based on the third level of matching a person is accepted as genuine or rejected as imposter.

This paper presents a queuing model to evaluate the latency associated with file transfers or replications in peer-to-peer (P2P) computer systems. The main contribution of this paper is a modelling framework for the peers that accounts for the file size distribution, the search time, load distribution at peers, and number of concurrent downloads allowed by a peer. We propose a queuing model that models the nodes or peers in such systems as M/G/1/K processor sharing queues. The model is extended to account for peers which alternate between online and offline states. The proposed queuing model for the peers is combined with a single class open queuing network for the routers interconnecting the peers to obtain the overall file transfer latency. We also show that in scenarios with multipart downloads from different peers, a rate proportional allocation strategy minimizes the download times.

The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which CBOs in Kisumu County apply Ansoff's Product Market Growth Strategy. In this context the study examined the four Ansoff's growth Strategies namely: Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development and Diversification Strategies. The study was descriptive in nature. The population of interest consisted of Community Based Organizations in Kisumu County which numbered 223 CBOs. Given the large number of CBOs, a sample size was targeted and random sampling conducted. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to the respondents through drop and pick later method. Out of a targeted sample of 69 CBOs, 59 of them responded giving 85% response rate while data was analyzed using mean scores, standard deviation and t-tests. Findings showed that CBOs apply all the four growth strategies with market penetration being the most widely applied. The respondents stated relevance in services/products offering as the most influencing factor to their strategic choice while attracting donor funding remained the least. On views on how to improve on the capacities and growth of local CBOs, majority respondents expressed improved funding, improved community mobilization and improved method of service/products delivery as most applicable. Study findings present market penetration strategy as the most preferred through free added services. This is an indication of what heads of CBOs should pursue in order to achieve their organizational growth. Pursuit of Relevance in service offerings and competition are leading factors influencing choice of strategy. While the study served to fill a knowledge gap, it has well opened more areas like exploring levels of competition within CBOs by scholars. The fact that there is growth in CBOs should inform the Government and other nongovernmental organizations that CBOs have a role to play in achieving millennium goals. Thus, handling of CBOs operational limitations like lack secure and permanent facilities are crucial dimensions for their growth.

Alcohol abuse is a major global contributing factor to death, disease and injury. Alcohol abuse results in approximately 2.5 million deaths each year, with a net loss of 2.25 million lives, considering the estimated beneficial impact of low levels of alcohol use on some diseases in some population groups. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of religious affiliations on alcohol abuse among public school teachers in Nyeri County. The study used both correlational design and phenomenological design. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in determining the relationship existing between religious affiliation and alcohol abuse and establishing the perception of teachers on alcohol abuse respectively. The study utilised the stratified sampling methodology to select participating teachers in each sub-county and level of the school (primary or secondary). The study had a sample size of 385 respondents. The ratio of primary school teachers to secondary school teachers in the overall teacher population was 5:3 which was also observed in the sample mainly attributed to the high number of primary schools as compared to secondary schools. A sampling frame was obtained from Teachers Service Commission (TSC) providing a list of all teachers in the county and the schools they teach in. The study utilized the stratified sampling methodology to select participants, where strata used was the subcounty and type of school (primary/secondary). A sample of 385 teachers was selected from a population of 6,264 from Nyeri County. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was coded and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The religious affiliations and alcohol abuse had a weak correlation of .290). However, religious affiliation had no significant effect on alcohol abuse among the teachers at .096. The study concludes that there is a relationship between religious affiliation and alcohol abuse among school teachers in Nyeri County. The study recommends religious affiliations to be encouraged as a part of prevention strategies.