The Mass Media and Elections in Nigeria: a social responsibility

The study is on the mass media and election in Nigeria: a social responsibility. No credible election can take place without the participation of the media. The functions of the media in a democratic society, especially during an election is to, inform and educate the electorates about candidate’s credentials, capabilities, and competence, antecedents, the party manifestoes and the electoral process, enlightened and mobilised the people to participate in the electoral process. This way, the people will make an informed decision on the party and the candidates to vote for, that best represents their interest. In addition, the mass media are agents of social change capable of changing people’s apathy during an election. This paper is aimed at examining the conceptual definition of election, using the social Responsibility and the media dependency theory as a theoretical framework, media and national development, media and electoral process in Nigeria, media’s justification for covering an election, code of conduct on media engagement in elections, election, the media and freedom of speech, role of the media in election, challenges and the way forward were identified. Keywords: Democracy, Elections, Electoral Process, Media responsibility, Nigerian media DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/104-11 Publication date: July 31st 2023

Effect of Pretreatment of Bagasse Pulp on Properties of Isolated Nanofibers and Nanopaper Sheets

Nanofibers were isolated from bagasse pulp pretreated with dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute sodium hydroxide, cellulase, or xylanase enzymes using high-shear ultrafine grinding and high-pressure homogenization. The effect of the different pretreatments on chemical composition and structure of isolated nanofibers was studied using chemical analyses, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared. The dimensions and properties of the isolated nanofibers were followed at the different processing stages using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and tensile properties (wet and dry). The diameter of the microfibrils was in the range of 7-30 nm for untreated and pretreated bagasse pulps while larger microfibrillar bands (to 150 nm wide) were observed for untreated bagasse pulp than the pretreated pulps (to 90 nm wide). Nanopaper sheets made from nanofibers isolated from alkali- and xylanase-treated pulps showed better wet and dry tensile strength than those made from the other pulps

Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Dyspepsia among Pre-clinical Medical Students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Introduction: Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal diseases worldwide with a prevalence ranging from 7 to 40%. Dyspepsia, more commonly known as heartburn or indigestion, is defined as one or more of the following symptoms: postprandial fullness, early satiation (the inability to finish a normal size meal), or epigastric pain or burning for at least 3 months in the past year. Dyspepsia has been studied extensively, but little is known of factors associated with dyspepsia among medical students.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of dyspepsia and to evaluate the association between lifestyle and dietary factors associated with dyspepsia among pre-clinical medical students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among pre-clinical medical students at Gulf Medical University, Ajman and collected basic demographic data, dyspepsia prevalence, dietary factors, and lifestyle factors. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participant characteristics. Chi-square tests were used to test the association between dietary and lifestyle factors and dyspepsia. Logistic regression was used to measure the association of predictors (dietary and lifestyle factors) on the odds of having dyspepsia, independently. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the full association of predictors on the odds of having dyspepsia.Results: The resulting sample was 176 pre-clinical medical students, with a mean age of 20.67 ± 2.57 years. A total of 77 (43.8%) respondents reported having dyspepsia while 99 (56.2%) did not. There was a significant association between smoking and dyspepsia (p<0.05), as well as a marginally significant association between inadequate sleep and dyspepsia (p<0.10). There was no significant association with alcohol or analgesic use on dyspesia. Dietary habits showed no association with dyspepsia.Conclusion: Dyspepsia was reported by 43.8% of the repondents. These findings emphasize the importance of improving lifestyle and dietary factors associated with dyspepsia and raising awareness of reducing risk factors associated with dyspepsia. Further studies are needed on dyspepsia in a larger cohort of students in order to fully understand the complexity of this problem and be able to generalize the findings to other cohorts

Mechanical properties of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) prepared by twin screw extrusion

The aim of this study was to develop cellulose nanofiber (CNF) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) by twin screw extrusion. Nanocomposites were prepared by premixing a master batch with high concentration of CNFs in PLA and diluting to final concentrations (1, 3, 5 wt.%) during the extrusion. Morphology, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA) were studied theoretically and experimentally to see how different CNF concentrations affected the composites’ properties. The tensile modulus and strength increased from 2.9 GPa to 3.6 GPa and from 58 MPa to 71 MPa, respectively, for nanocomposites with 5 wt.% CNF. The DMA results were also positive; the storage modulus increased for all nanocomposites compared to PLA; being more significant in the high temperature region (70 °C). The addition of nanofibers shifted the tan delta peak towards higher temperatures. The tan delta peak of the PLA shifted from 70 °C to 76 °C for composites with 5 wt.% CNF

Triethyl Citrate (TEC) as a Dispersing Aid in Polylactic Acid/Chitin Nanocomposites Prepared via Liquid-Assisted Extrusion

The production of fully bio-based and biodegradable nanocomposites has gained attention during recent years due to environmental reasons; however, the production of these nanocomposites on the large-scale is challenging. Polylactic acid/chitin nanocrystal (PLA/ChNC) nanocomposites with triethyl citrate (TEC) at varied concentrations (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt %) were prepared using liquid-assisted extrusion. The goal was to find the minimum amount of the TEC plasticizer needed to enhance the ChNC dispersion. The microscopy study showed that the dispersion and distribution of the ChNC into PLA improved with the increasing TEC content. Hence, the nanocomposite with the highest plasticizer content (7.5 wt %) showed the highest optical transparency and improved thermal and mechanical properties compared with its counterpart without the ChNC. Gel permeation chromatography confirmed that the water and ethanol used during the extrusion did not degrade PLA. Further, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed improved interaction between PLA and ChNC through hydrogen bonding when TEC was added. All results confirmed that the plasticizer plays an important role as a dispersing aid in the processing of PLA/ChNC nanocomposites.The authors gratefully acknowledge Bio4Energy, Kempestiftelserna, and Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) in Sweden for the financial support of this work. We also thank Deodato Radic at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC) for supplying the bleached chitin powder and Dipl.-Ing Daniel Schwendemann at IWK University of Applied Sciences Eastern, Switzerland for kindly providing the polylactic acid. The authors also acknowledge Maxime Noel for the technical support with the FTIR and Ph.D. candidate Shiyu Geng for the HR-SEM images

Synergy effect of nanocrystalline cellulose for the biosensing detection of glucose

Integrating polypyrrole-cellulose nanocrystal-based composites with glucose oxidase (GOx) as a new sensing regime was investigated. Polypyrrole-cellulose nanocrystal (PPy-CNC)-based composite as a novel immobilization membrane with unique physicochemical properties was found to enhance biosensor performance. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images showed that fibers were nanosized and porous, which is appropriate for accommodating enzymes and increasing electron transfer kinetics. The voltammetric results showed that the native structure and biocatalytic activity of GOx immobilized on the PPy-CNC nanocomposite remained and exhibited a high sensitivity (ca. 0.73 μA·mM−1), with a high dynamic response ranging from 1.0 to 20 mM glucose. The modified glucose biosensor exhibits a limit of detection (LOD) of (50 ± 10) µM and also excludes interfering species, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, and cholesterol, which makes this sensor suitable for glucose determination in real samples. This sensor displays an acceptable reproducibility and stability over time. The current response was maintained over 95% of the initial value after 17 days, and the current difference measurement obtained using different electrodes provided a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.47%

Charged ultrafiltration membranes based on TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils/poly(vinyl alcohol) antifouling coating

This study reports the potential of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (T-CNF)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coatings to develop functionalized membranes in the ultrafiltration regime with outstanding antifouling performance and dimensional/pH stability. PVA acts as an anchoring phase interacting with the polyethersulfone (PES) substrate and stabilizing for the hygroscopic T-CNF via crosslinking. The T-CNF/PVA coated PES membranes showed a nano-textured surface, a change in the surface charge, and improved mechanical properties compared to the original PES substrate. A low reduction (4%) in permeance was observed for the coated membranes, attributable to the nanometric coating thickness, surface charge, and hydrophilic nature of the coated layer. The coated membranes exhibited charge specific adsorption driven by electrostatic interaction combined with rejection due to size exclusion (MWCO 530 kDa that correspond to a size of ∼35–40 nm). Furthermore, a significant reduction in organic fouling and biofouling was found for T-CNF/PVA coated membranes when exposed to BSA and E. coli. The results demonstrate the potential of simple modifications using nanocellulose to manipulate the pore structure and surface chemistry of commercially available membranes without compromising on permeability and mechanical stability

Utilization of various lignocellulosic biomass for the production of nanocellulose: a comparative study

Nanocellulose was successfully extracted from five different lignocellulosic biomass sources viz. banana rachis, sisal, kapok, pineapple leaf and coir using a combination of chemical treatments such as alkaline treatment, bleaching and acid hydrolysis. The shape, size and surface properties of the nanocellulose generally depend on the source and hydrolysis conditions. A comparative study of the fundamental properties of raw material, bleached and nanocellulose was carried out by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, birefringence, X-ray diffraction, inverse gas chromatography and thermogravimetric analysis. Through the characterization of the nanocellulose obtained from different sources, the isolated nanocellulose showed an average diameter in the range of 10–25 nm, high crystallinity, high thermal stability and a great potential to be used with acid coupling agents due to a predominantly basic surface. This work provides an insight into the effective utilization of a variety of plant biomass as a potential source for nanocellulose extraction.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio