Temperature Dependence Of The Electrical Resistivity Of LaxLu1-xAs

We investigate the temperature-dependent resistivity of single-crystalline films of LaxLu1-xAs over the 5-300 K range. The resistivity was separated into lattice, carrier and impurity scattering regions. The effect of impurity scattering is significant below 20 K, while carrier scattering dominates at 20-80 K and lattice scattering dominates above 80 K. All scattering regions show strong dependence on the La content of the films. While the resistivity of 600 nm LuAs films agree well with the reported bulk resistivity values, 3 nm films possessed significantly higher resistivity, suggesting that interfacial roughness significantly impacts the scattering of carriers at the nanoscale limit. (C) 2013 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.Microelectronics Research Cente

Production and Storage of Cassava Chips for Reconversion into Gari

Cassava chips (7% moisture level) produced from cassava root (IITA 94/0561) was stored for 6 months in high density polyethylene bag. Stored chips were coarse milled, rehydrated to 62.51% and seeded with fresh cassava mash (FCM) at levels of 5%, 10% and 20%. The resulting mash was fermented for 72 hr, with pH monitored every 24 hr, and processed to gari. Yield and swelling capacity of gari were determined. Sensory evaluation was carried out on water soaked gari and gari paste (‘eba’). While least values for pH was obtained in FCM throughout the fermentation period, there was reduction in values in all samples with increase in fermentation time from 30.01 to 33.40%. Yield of gari from the seeded chips ranged from 64.4-72.3%, while that of FCM was 18.7%. Swelling capacity of gari ranged from 2.0 - 3.0 in FCM and that seeded with 20% FCM, respectively. Sensory evaluation result revealed that gari produced from cassava chips seeded at 10% level is adequate for making ‘eba’ while that seeded at 5% level is adequate for consumption as soaked gari (p<0.05). Use of stored cassava chips with 10% FCM for gari production could be encouraged to reduce postharvest problem of cassava roots and the drudgery of gari processing. Keywords: Cassava chips, cassava mash, gari, ‘eba’, postharvest losses, storag

Supramolecular networks stabilise and functionalise black phosphorus

The limited stability of the surface of black phosphorus (BP) under atmospheric conditions is a significant constraint on the exploitation of this layered material and its few layer analogue, phosphorene, as an optoelectronic material. Here we show that supramolecular networks stabilised by hydrogen bonding can be formed on BP, and that these monolayer-thick films can passivate the BP surface and inhibit oxidation under ambient conditions. The supramolecular layers are formed by solution deposition and we use atomic force microscopy to obtain images of the BP surface and hexagonal supramolecular networks of trimesic acid and melamine cyanurate (CA.M) under ambient conditions. The CA.M network is aligned with rows of phosphorus atoms and forms large domains which passivate the BP surface for more than a month, and also provides a stable supramolecular platform for the sequential deposition of 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene to form supramolecular heterostructures

Growth performance, nutrient digestibility and health status of broilers fed varied levels of Xylopia Aethiopica phytoadditive.

Phytoadditives have gained potential role as one of the alternatives to antibiotics in animal nutrition since it has been confirmed to have no residual effect on the animal tissue and this study was therefore conducted to investigate the effect of inclusion levels of Xylopia aethiopica (Negro pepper) as a replacement of antibiotics on growth performance, blood profile, nutrient digestibility and organs response of boiler chickens. Two hundred and forty (240) day old chicks were randomly divided into five treatments of 48 birds each and housed in 4 replicates of 12 birds each. This experiment lasted for a period of 8 weeks and birds were placed on the same feed ad libitum except the inclusion of test ingredient in treatments 2-5. Diet without Xylopia aethiopica served as the control (T1). Diets in T2 to T5 were supplemented with 10g, 20g, 30, 40g of Xylopia aethiopica per kg feed. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design. All data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance using SPSS version 21 and significant means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test of the same software. The response of the broilers to dietary treatment were measured by feed intake, final weight, FCR, Cost/kg Weight gain, blood profile, organ responses and nutrient digestibility. There were significant differences (P<0.05) across the treatment in growth parameters except total feed intake and daily feed intake. The final live weight of broilers fed 10g of Xylopia aethiopica per kg feed (T2) was the highest (1858.50g/bird) while those fed 40g of Xylopia aethiopica per kg feed (T5) had the least (1411.33g/bird). This result suggested limit to the inclusion levels of the Xylopia aethiopica in the diet of broiler chickens. Addition of Negro pepper reduced the cost of per kg weight gain. Dietary treatment significantly (P<0.05) increased serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, globulin, cholesterol, but significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase. The nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens fed varied level of Xylopia aethiopica were significantly affected (P<0.05) in all parameters across the treatments and the broiler on treated groups had better nutrient digestibility. Relative organ weight of broiler chickens fed varied levels of Xylopia aethiopica were not significantly affected (P>0.05) across the treatments. It is recommended that supplementation of 10g of Negro pepper should be added to broiler diet for improved body weight gai

Energy scavenging from insect flight

This paper reports the design, fabrication and testing of an energy scavenger that generates power from the wing motion of a Green June Beetle (C otinis nitida ) during its tethered flight. The generator utilizes non-resonant piezoelectric bimorphs operated in the d 31 bending mode to convert mechanical vibrations of a beetle into electrical output. The available deflection, force, and power output from oscillatory movements at different locations on a beetle are measured with a meso-scale piezoelectric beam. This way, the optimum location to scavenge energy is determined, and up to ~115 µW total power is generated from body movements. Two initial generator prototypes were fabricated, mounted on a beetle, and harvested 11.5 and 7.5 µW in device volumes of 11.0 and 5.6 mm 3 , respectively, from 85 to 100 Hz wing strokes during the beetle's tethered flight. A spiral generator was designed to maximize the power output by employing a compliant structure in a limited area. The necessary technology needed to fabricate this prototype was developed, including a process to machine high-aspect ratio devices from bulk piezoelectric substrates with minimum damage to the material using a femto-second laser. The fabricated lightweight spiral generators produced 18.5–22.5 µW on a bench-top test setup mimicking beetles' wing strokes. Placing two generators (one on each wing) can result in more than 45 µW of power per insect. A direct connection between the generator and the flight muscles of the insect is expected to increase the final power output by one order of magnitude.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90804/1/0960-1317_21_9_095016.pd

Comparative Analysis of Characteristics of Drought over Some West Africa Regions Based On Selected Drought Assessment Indices

Prolonged absence of moisture exacerbates drought and assessment indices such as Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) are critical tools. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the comparative characteristics of drought over West Africa using SPI and SPEI. The data used in this work was established on four monthly time scales of 3, 6, 12, and 24 and covered a period between 1979 and 2021 (42 years) at five regions in Hyper-Arid region, Sahelian region, Sudano region, Dry-Sub-humid region, Moist-Sub-humid region. The data was further analyzed and the characteristics of the drought were assessed. Data obtained revealed that there were some differences between SPI and SPEI in regional drought characteristics. Most of the regions considered experienced extreme drought in 1982. The result also revealed that more droughts were experienced in the eighties than in the nineties. Likewise some regions experienced severe drought in 2021 due to increase in drought intensity in the year 2021 as recorded by SPI and SPEI. Therefore it is vital for frequent assessment of meteorological drought characteristics in West Africa using recent data in order to explore its impact because climate change prediction can cause places that are currently experiencing mild or moderate drought to become more severe in the future, and the total impact of drought in West Africa will increase.  This study could also assist water resource planners to better understand the drought events

Nanostructures Technology, Research, and Applications

Contains reports on twenty-four research projects and a list of publications.Joint Services Electronics Program Grant DAAHO4-95-1-0038Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Semiconductor Research Corporation SA1645-25508PGU.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAHO4-95-1-0564Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Naval Air Systems Command Contract N00019-95-K-0131Suss Advanced Lithography P. O. 51668National Aeronautics and Space Administration Contract NAS8-38249National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NAGW-2003Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAHO4-951-05643M CorporationDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Contract N66001-97-1-8909National Science Foundation Graduate FellowshipU.S. Army Research Office Contract DAAHO4-94-G-0377National Science Foundation Contract DMR-940034National Science Foundation Grant DMR 94-00334Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Contract F49620-96-1-0126Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Contract SV630304National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NAG5-5105Los Alamos National Laboratory Contract E57800017-9GSouthwest Research Institute Contract 83832MIT Lincoln Laboratory Advanced Concepts ProgramMIT Lincoln Laboratory Contract BX-655

Decent work conditions and Nigerian nurse emigration: The role of burnout and commitment

Background: While migration is a historical and universal phenomenon and has benefits for both receiving and sending countries, emigration of healthcare professionals poses significant challenges for the sending nations. Many sending nations, such as Nigeria, are characterised by insufficient vital expertise and depleted healthcare systems. This creates a vicious spiral of worsening conditions for nurses, increasing the effort to leave. To address these trends, relying on the Conservation of Resources theory, we investigated the decent work-emigration intention relationship coupled with the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Using convenience sampling, we used a self-administered questionnaire to collect responses from 280 registered nurses working in government hospitals in three States in Southwest Nigeria. Data collected was analysed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares to examine the convergent validity and reliability of the studied variables and the Hayes Process Macro to identify the direct effects and the indirect effects of each mediator. Results: The majority of the nurses reported inadequate decent work conditions (75 %), low affective commitment (89.5 %), a high prevalence of job burnout (70.6 %), and a strong intention to emigrate (89.3 %). Our findings suggest that decent work negatively relates with emigration intention, while job burnout and affective commitment independently and serially mediated this relationship. Conclusion: The results indicated that nurses with access to decent work conditions are inclined to experience low job burnout and high affective commitment, contributing to reduced emigration intention. Results suggest the need to focus more on interventions essential for resource retention devoted to transforming workplaces into environments of professional fulfilment

AMELIORATION OF ARSENIC-INDUCED TOXICITY BY ETHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF PHYLLANTUS AMARUS LINN AND VITAMIN C IN MALE ALBINO RATS

The ameliorative effect of ethanol leaf extract of Phyllantus amarus (EEPA) and vitamin C in arsenic-induced toxicity was studied. Thirty-six (36) male albino rats divided into six groups of six (6) rats each were used for the study. Arsenic toxicity was induced in three of the groups by daily intake of 100 ppm of arsenic as Dimethylarsenate (DMA) in their drinking water.  Two of the arsenic-exposed groups were treated with 200 and 500 mg/kg bwt of EEPA and vitamin C respectively. The third group was not treated during arsenic exposure. The fourth and fifth groups were positive control for P. amarus and Vitamin C respectively, while another group served as the normal control. All treatments were done orally for six weeks. The effects of treatments on lipid profile, lipid peroxidation and liver function were thereafter studied. Increased levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and malondialdehyde (MDA) were observed in plasma and lymphocytes of untreated arsenic-exposed rats compared to the control group. Arsenic increased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, while triacylglycerol concentration was reduced significantly. Treatments with EEPA and Vitamin C however ameliorated the dyslipidemia observed in arsenic-exposed groups. Exposure to DMA increased plasma activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) of the animals, while plasma activity of ALT in rats treated with Vitamin C was not different compared to the control. Both treatments however, had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on the activity of plasma AST. P. amarus may therefore play a role in ameliorating arsenic-induced dyslipidemia in male albino rats.     &nbsp