Microwave assisted K2CO3 palm shell activated carbon as sorbent for CO2 adsorption application

Carbon dioxide is believed to be a major greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. In this study, palm shells were used as a precursor to prepare CO2 activated carbon sorbents via carbonization, chemical impregnation with K2CO3 and microwave activation. Adsorption equilibrium data for CO2 adsorption on the porous carbon were obtained at different temperatures using static volumetric adsorption method. Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips and Toths models were used to correlate the experimental data. The CO2 adsorption capacity at 303.15, 343.15, 378.15 443.15 K and 1 bar on the sorbent was 2.71, 1.5, 0.77, 0.69 mmol/g respectively. Sips isotherm was found to have the best fit. The results indicated that the porous carbon sorbent prepared by carbonization and microwave K2CO3 assisted activation have good CO2 uptake. The porous carbons produced are therefore good candidates for CO2 adsorption applications

Supporting Muslim undergraduate medical students through medical school: lessons from a novel, student-led case-based learning intervention

IntroductionMuslim medical students in the UK face discrimination, microaggressions, and inadequate institutional support, affecting their well-being, academic experience and outcomes. Using Case-Based Learning (CBL) as a pedagogical framework, a novel student-led teaching intervention was created and delivered to small groups of faculty and students, with the aim of enhancing awareness, promoting inclusivity, and supporting educators of these issues.MethodsThis CBL intervention was designed and led by Muslim medical student facilitators with subject expertise and previous experience in implementing curricular interventions. Scenarios based on real-life student experiences explored authentic challenges Muslim students face during their medical studies. Data were gathered to assess the effectiveness of the teaching innovation against its aims in the following formats: (1) in-session participant feedback, (2) transcriptions of the in-session discussions which demonstrated participant learning gain, and (3) notes from the post-session facilitator team reflections. These data were thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-point framework, with individuals coding the data individually and collectively across three meetings to refine and agree upon the themes.ResultsFive key themes of insights emerged from the data: Staff and Student cultural literacy relating to Islam, Facilities and Environment, Curriculum, Policy and Processes, Islamophobia and discrimination. The in-session discussions evidenced that participants had increased their cultural literacy and awareness of Muslim students' needs and identified practical solutions, including inclusive scheduling, making appropriate prayer facilities available to enable equitable educational attainment, providing clear clinical attire guidelines, and providing robust reporting mechanisms. The facilitators reflected that the students-as-experts aspect of the intervention equalized the usual faculty-student power dynamics. This promoted a sense of partnership that enabled participants in the sessions to take ownership of their own learning.DiscussionCBL presented a valuable format for student-faculty discussions to promote cultural competence and equity in medical education. Variability in assumed knowledge and cultural literacy posed challenges, reinforcing the need for broader implementation of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) training and enhanced institutional support networks to develop cultural literacy further.ConclusionThis student-led CBL educational innovation brokered a dialogue between students and faculty around solutions to the challenges faced by Muslim medical students. Given its success, student-led staff training could be expanded to address challenges faced by other minority groups, ensuring a more equitable and culturally competent learning environment

Examining Youth’s Propensity to Political Violence in Northern Nigeria: a Pilot Study Report

The Northern Nigeria has been experiencing violent conflict ever since the returned of civil rule in 199 ranging from ethno-religious crisis to domestic terrorism. Several studies were conducted in an effort to come to terms with the realities behind this persistence incidence of violence, where factors such as poverty, state failure, unemployment and frustration. However, despite all these studies very little is known about the peculiar environmental factors that makes the Northern Youth particularly more prone to political violence. This is therefore a pilot study which was conducted to explore the socio-cultural and political factors shaping and molding youth’s attitude toward violence in a political context. The findings are intended to inform a wider research project which shall assesses the causes of radicalization of the Almajirai demographic cohort into violent extremism in the North-eastern Nigeria. The study generate the data through a cross-sectional survey, the data was collected from 90 respondents who were randomly selected among the Nigerian students in Universiti Utara Malaysia. The data was analyzed and interpreted using Partial Least Square techniques (PLS), with the aid of smartPLS 2.0. Eight research hypotheses were formulated in which 4 were supported 4 were not supported from the result of the pilot study. Keywords: Youth, Political violence, Terrorism, Insurgency, Nigeri

Clinical assessment of watermarked medical images

Problem statement: Digital watermarking provides security to medical images. Watermarking in Region Of Interest (ROI) however distorts medical images but it is known that the resulting loss of fidelity is visually imperceptible. Approach: Clinical assessment will objectively evaluate the distortion on medical images to see whether or not medical diagnosis is altered. We used 75 medical images consisting of x-rays, ultrasound and CT scans. Digital watermarking was inserted in ROI and ROI/Region Of Non Interest (RONI) in all of them. Three assessors were randomly assigned 225 images, each receiving 75, a mixture of watermarked and non watermarked images. Results: Chi square test was used and p<0.05 was considered significant. There was no significant difference between original images and those watermarked in ROI or ROI/RONI. There was no comment on image quality in all the images assessed. Conclusion/Recommendations: Digital watermarking does not alter medical diagnosis when assessed by clinical radiologists. The quality of the watermarked images was also unchanged

Street Level Politics, local Governance and Local Power Structure in Northern Nigeria: A Social Network Analysis

The key elements of successful local Governance have been identified as participation, sustainability, social inclusion and enabling policy environment. A successful policy framework must therefore involve initiators, Legitimizers, planners and executors, which in practical parlance are not guaranteed by mere decentralization. This is because it does not ensure inclusiveness in decision making. This paper therefore attempt to investigate the local power structure in northern Nigeria with the view to understand how decisions are made at the street level in order to ascertain how “open”  or “close” is the prevailing local power structure in an average local Government. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology in which an in-depth face-to-face, semi-structure interview was conducted with six participants, two from each of the three geo-political zones of Northern Nigeria. The paper specifically tries to achieve four objectives which include: the identification of the local power structure of an average local Government in Northern Nigeria, determining the personal characteristics of the identified stakeholders, ascertaining their level of influence, lobbying capacity and bargaining power and developing a collaborative Governance framework that can ensure inclusiveness and greater citizen participation using the social network analysis. Keywords: Street level politics, local power structure, local Governance, Leadership, Northern Nigeri

Improving micro-hardness of stainless steel through powder-mixed electrical discharge machining

Powder-mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) is the technique of using dielectric fluid mixed with various types of powders to improve the machined surface output. The process is fast gaining prominence in electrical discharge machining (EDM) industry. The objective of this investigation is to determine the ability of tantalum carbide (TaC) powder-mixed dielectric fluid to enhance the surface properties of stainless steel material during EDM. The properties of investigated are the micro-hardness and corrosion characteristics of the EDMed surface. Machining was conducted with 25.0g/L concentration of TaC powder in kerosene dielectric fluid. The machining variables used were the peak current, pulse on time and pulse off time. The effects of variables on the micro-hardness of the EDMed surface were determined. Corrosion tests were also conducted on the samples that exhibited higher hardness. Results showed that the EDMed surface was alloyed with elements from the TaC powder. The micro-hardness obtained with PMEDM is about 1,200Hv. This is about 1.5 times obtained without TaC powder in the dielectric fluid. The loss in weight during corrosion test was found to be 0.056 ug/min for PMEDM which was lower than the lowest value of 10.56 ug/min obtained for the EDM without powder dielectric fluid

Variability and host specificity of witchweed [Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth.] populations on millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]

&nbsp;&nbsp; Field surveys and greenhouse experiments were conducted during season 2009/10 in the Sudan to investigate variability and host specificity of witchweed [Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth.] populations. Field surveys were conducted in S. hermonthica endemic areas in Gadarif, Gezira and Kordofan to collect seeds from Striga plants growing under their respective hosts. A total of fifteen S. hermonthica populations were collected. Twelve S. hermonthica populations, one each, were collected from under sorghum and three S. hermonthica populations, one each, were collected from under millet. A greenhouse experiment was undertaken at the horticulture nursery, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan, to test the infectivity of seeds of witchweed populations on millet, cultivar Ashana, which is known for its differential response and to study virulence of parasitism on this cultivar. The fifteen S. hermonthica populations were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Growth and harvest attributes on the parasite and crop were measured. Data were collected and transformed as necessary to √x+0.5 and subjected to the analysis of variance procedure. Means were separated for significance using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (at p £ 0.5). The greenhouse experiment showed that emergent S. hermonthica, capsules per plant and shoot dry weight were highest on the respective host. It is noteworthy that some of the Striga, sorghum populations, displayed limited emergence on millet and produced seeds. S. hermonthica populations significantly reduced growth and yield of millet. However, the magnitude of the damage attained, by each &nbsp; population was highest on the respective host. These findings suggest the existence of inter-crop specialization. Moreover, the results confirmed the existence of two strains of S. hermonthica, one specific to sorghum and the other to millet. These findings showed clearly the complexity of obtaining millet cultivars with high and durable resistance across locations. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; طفيل البُودا Striga hermonthica (Del.)، نبات متطفل إجبارياً على الجذور ينتمي للعائلة الهالوكية (Orobanchaceae)، يُهاجم محاصيل الغلال المهمة في أفريقيا. أدى وجود السلالات الفسيولوجية، التباينات الايكولوجية وعزلات الطفيل بالإضافة للتباين في حجم مخزون التربة من البذور، إلى عقبات جدية لتطوير وسائل تحكم بسيطة وفعالة. لذا أُجريت مسوحات حقلية وتجارب بيوت محمية خلال الموسم 2009/ 2010 في السودان لبحث التباين وتخصصية العائل في البُودا. المسوحات الحقلية أجريت في المناطق الموبؤة بالبُودا في القضارف والجزيرة وكردفان، لجمع البذور من نباتات البُودا النامية على عوائلها الخاصة. جمعت اثني عشر عشيرة للبُودا، واحدة لكل، من تحت الذرة الرفيعة، وجمعت ثلاث عشائر من تحت الدخن، واحدة لكل. أجريت تجربة البيوت المحمية بمشتل البساتين، كلية العلوم الزراعية، جامعة الجزيرة، ود مدني، السودان، لاختبار تلويث بذور عشائر البودا للدخن، الصنف عشانا، المعروف باستجابته التفضيلية، ولدراسة التباين في التطفل على هذا الصنف. وُضعت الخمسة عشر عشيرة للبُودا في تصميم قطاعات عشوائية كاملة بثلاث تكرارات. تم تحديد مقاييس النمو والحصاد بالنسبة للطفيل والمحصول. حُولت البيانات عند الضرورة (√x+0.5) وأُخضعت لتحليل التباين. تمت مقارنة المتوسطات بواسطة اختبار دنكن، عندما كان الاختبار معنويا. أوضحت نتائج تجارب البيوت المحمية أن قمة انبثاق نباتات البُودا في الأصيص، الكبسولات في النبات، الوزن الجاف للمجموع الخضري، عدد نباتات البُودا تحت سطح التربة في الأصيص والعدد الكلى لنباتات البُودا في الأصيص كانت أعلى على عوائلها الخاصة. الجدير بالملاحظة أن بعض نباتات البُودا، عشائر الذرة الرفيعة، أظهرت بزوغاً محدوداً على الدخن وأنتجت بذوراً. خفضت عشائر البُودا معنوياً نمو وإنتاج الذُرة والدُخن. ولكن تحققت أعلى مستويات الضرر لكل عشيرة من البُودا على عائلها الخاص. أوضحت نتائج هذا البحث وجود التخصصية بين وداخل نوع المحصول. كما أن النتائج تؤكد وجود سلالتان للبُودا واحدة متخصصة في الذُرة الرفيعة والأخرى في الدُخن. أظهرت هذه النتائج بوضوح التعقيد في الحصول على أصناف من الدخن ذات مقاومة عالية وعريضة في المناطق المختلفة