Comparative Test For the Upgrading of Lead in Sabon Layi Lead-Zinc Ore (Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State), Using Gravity and Froth Flotation Beneficiation Methods

This research work deals with the upgrading of lead in Sabon Layi lead-zinc ore using gravity and froth flotation beneficiation methods. Analysis of the chemical composition reveals that this crude ore contains 38.76%lead and other related minerals such as 29% silica, 22.80% Sulphur, 2.76%Zinc, 4.17%CaO and others in traces; these related minerals are impurities that hinder the lead grade found in this ore from appreciating. Fractional sieve and the grain size result revealed that the liberation size of the ore is at -710+500µm. At this sieve size, the lead –zinc ore was subjected to four different beneficiation methods using five kilograms (5kg) each as charge on Wilfley shaking Table, Humphrey spiral concentrator, Air floating Machine and one kilogram (1kg) for froth flotation. Resulting products –Concentrate and tailing from Processing were analyzed. The grade and weight of the resulting mineral were used in calculating percentage recovery of each applied process; which was used to ascertain the best method

Ecotourism Potentials in Bayelsa State

This survey was carried out in Bayelsa State in specific areas such as Ogbia, Yenagoa, Brass, Kaiama, Akassa and Amassoma to determine the ecotourism potentials in the state. Frequency distribution and percentages were used to describe the analysis.  The age group distribution respondents showed that age group 41 – 50 (23.25%) had the highest response, followed by 51 – 60 (22.0%) and 61 – 70 (20.75%), 30 – 40 (20.25%) and 71 – 80 (13.75%). The occupational distribution of respondents showed that the highest number of respondents are students (24.88%) while farmers are (22.91%) followed by traders (18.72%), driving/fishing is (17.49%) and civil servants (16.01%). On awareness of ecotourism potentials in the various communities, the highest number was at Ogbia (16) and Yenagoa (15) followed by Akassa (9), Amassoma (8), Brass (7) and Kaiama (6). Since there are ecotourism potentials in Bayelsa State the Government should provide funds at the local and state level to develop them

Refining microstructures in additively manufactured Al/Cu gradients through TiB2_2 inclusions

The additive manufacture of compositionally graded Al/Cu parts by laser engineered net shaping (LENS) is demonstrated. The use of a blue light build laser enabled deposition on a Cu substrate. The thermal gradient and rapid solidification inherent to selective laser melting enabled mass transport of Cu up to 4 mm away from a Cu substrate through a pure Al deposition, providing a means of producing gradients with finer step sizes than the printed layer thicknesses. Printing graded structures with pure Al, however, was prevented by the growth of Al$_2$Cu$_3$ dendrites and acicular grains amid a matrix of Al$_2$Cu. A combination of adding TiB$_2$ grain refining powder and actively varying print layer composition suppressed the dendritic growth mode and produced an equiaxed microstructure in a compositionally graded part. Material phase was characterized for crystal structure and nanoindentation hardness to enable a discussion of phase evolution in the rapidly solidifying melt pool of a LENS print.Comment: In review at JO

Cleaning Daguerreotypes with a Femtosecond Laser

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.</jats:p

Replication Kinetics for a Reporter Merkel Cell Polyomavirus

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) causes one of the most aggressive human skin cancers, but laboratory studies on MCV replication have proven technically difficult. We report the first recombinase-mediated MCV minicircle (MCVmc) system that generates high levels of circularized virus, allowing facile MCV genetic manipulation and characterization of viral gene expression kinetics during replication. Mutations to Fbw7, Skp2, β-TrCP and hVam6p interaction sites, or to the stem loop sequence for the MCV-encoded miRNA precursor, markedly increase viral replication, whereas point mutation to an origin-binding site eliminates active virus replication. To further increase the utility of this system, an mScarlet fusion protein was inserted into the VP1 c-terminus to generate a non-infectious reporter virus for studies on virus kinetics. When this reporter virus genome is heterologously expressed together with MCV VP1 and VP2, virus-like particles are generated. The reporter virus genome is encapsidated and can be used at lower biosafety levels for one-round infection studies. Our findings reveal that MCV has multiple, self-encoded viral restriction mechanisms to promote viral latency over lytic replication, and these mechanisms are now amenable to examination using a recombinase technology.</jats:p

Replication Kinetics for a Reporter Merkel Cell Polyomavirus

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) causes one of the most aggressive human skin cancers, but laboratory studies on MCV replication have proven technically difficult. We report the first recombinase-mediated MCV minicircle (MCVmc) system that generates high levels of circularized virus, allowing facile MCV genetic manipulation and characterization of viral gene expression kinetics during replication. Mutations to Fbw7, Skp2, &beta;-TrCP and hVam6p interaction sites, or to the stem loop sequence for the MCV-encoded miRNA precursor, markedly increase viral replication, whereas point mutation to an origin-binding site eliminates active virus replication. To further increase the utility of this system, an mScarlet fusion protein was inserted into the VP1 c-terminus to generate a non-infectious reporter virus for studies on virus kinetics. When this reporter virus genome is heterologously expressed together with MCV VP1 and VP2, virus-like particles are generated. The reporter virus genome is encapsidated and can be used at lower biosafety levels for one-round infection studies. Our findings reveal that MCV has multiple, self-encoded viral restriction mechanisms to promote viral latency over lytic replication, and these mechanisms are now amenable to examination using a recombinase technology