Advancements in Flux Switching Machine Optimization : Applications and Future Prospects

This work was supported by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, U. K., under Grant Number: NGCN-180-2021Peer reviewe

Short term effect of aqueous extracts of root, pod, and stem of Telfairia occidentalis on some biochemical parameters in rats

This study investigates the effect of fourteen (14) -day administration of Telfairia occidentalis root, pod and stem aqueous extracts on rats. Sixty four (64) Wister albino rats of both sexes were assigned to sixteen (16) groups of 4 animals per group. Different groups received distilled water and, root, stem, and pod extracts at the doses of 250, 750, 1500, 2250, and 3000mg/kg of body weight. All animals were treated for 14 days and sacrificed on the 15th day. The biochemical assay results show that the root extract caused significant decreases in the activities of alanine amino transferses (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) at lower concentrations (250mg/kg and 750mg/kg), while the stem extract showed significant increase in their activities at 3000mg/kg. The pod extract had no effect on ALT and AST. Also the stem extract showed significant increase in the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and reduction in the concentration of serum sodium ion. Serum creatinine (not urea) was elevated when the pod extract was administered at the lowest dose (250mg/kg). Conversely, the stem extract caused a reduction in the concentration of creatinine at 250-, 750- and 1500mg/kg. There was no significant effect on serum total protein and albumin by all the extracts. The stem extract showed a significant increase in the liver- body weight ratio when administered at 750mg/kg and 1500mg/kg dosage. Thus, while Telfairia occidentalis root, pod, and stem extracts may have varying protective and toxic effects on liver and kidney function parameters, their effects may be dosage- and duration- dependent

Influence of Rotor Pole Number on the Output of Double Stator Flux-Switching Machine

Influence of rotor pole numbers on the output performance of a double stator flux-switching permanent magnet machine is investigated and compared in this study. A description of the analyzed machine is first given. Maxwell-2D time-stepping finite element analysis is adopted in estimating the results. The no-load and load characteristics of the investigated machine is considered and quantitatively compared amongst four different rotor pole configurations. The compared machine categories are designated as: 6S/10P, 6S/11P, 6S/13P and 6S/14P, where P stands for rotor pole and S stands for stator slot. It is revealed that the compared 6S/11P machine topology has a lot of good qualities amongst all the compared machine types, since it exhibits the largest electromotive force (EMF), power, torque and greatest overload sustainability feature, etc. Though, the 6S/14P has excellent flux-weakening capability. Moreover, the 6S/13P machine configuration would produce the largest torque if all the compared machines are equipped with same amount of permanent magnet volume/material. The compared machine topologies have reasonably good anti-demagnetization potentials; particularly, the 6S/13P topology

Influence of Rotor Pole Number on the Output of Double Stator Flux-Switching Machine

Influence of rotor pole numbers on the output performance of a double stator flux-switching permanent magnet machine is investigated and compared in this study. A description of the analyzed machine is first given. Maxwell-2D time-stepping finite element analysis is adopted in estimating the results. The no-load and load characteristics of the investigated machine is considered and quantitatively compared amongst four different rotor pole configurations. The compared machine categories are designated as: 6S/10P, 6S/11P, 6S/13P and 6S/14P, where P stands for rotor pole and S stands for stator slot. It is revealed that the compared 6S/11P machine topology has a lot of good qualities amongst all the compared machine types, since it exhibits the largest electromotive force (EMF), power, torque and greatest overload sustainability feature, etc. Though, the 6S/14P has excellent flux-weakening capability. Moreover, the 6S/13P machine configuration would produce the largest torque if all the compared machines are equipped with same amount of permanent magnet volume/material. The compared machine topologies have reasonably good anti-demagnetization potentials; particularly, the 6S/13P topology

Retirement Education for Sustainable Livelihood Among Staff of the University of Nigeria: Adult Education Perspective By

This research was carried out in order to ascertain retirement education for sustainable livelihood among staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The design adopted was descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was all the entire staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The sample size for the study was 284 staff, of which 133 academic staff and 153 non-academic staff from three faculties (Education, Social Sciences, and Arts). A simple random sampling technique was used to draw out three faculties from the nine faculties, and a convenient sampling technique was then used to administer the instrument to staff that was available to fill out the questionnaire. The instrument used for the study was the retirement education questionnaire (REQ) with three clusters: packages available for retirees (5 question items), challenges facing retirees (9 question items), and supplementary livelihood strategies before retirement (10 question items). Using Cronbach Alpha, a reliability result of 0.79 was obtained for cluster A, 0.82 for cluster B, and 0.78 for cluster C, which means that the three clusters are reliable. The mean for the three clusters was 0.80. A mean and standard deviation were used to answer the three research questions that guided the study, while a t-test was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level

Move to online learning during COVID-19 lockdown : pre-service teachers' experiences in Ghana

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has brought another dimension to teaching and learning across the levels of education. The lockdown imposed in many countries to curtail the pandemic forced many institutions of learning to shift to the online mode of teaching and learning. Using a descriptive survey research design, this study explored the online learning experiences of pre-service teachers at a Ghanaian university during the COVID-19 lockdown. The study focused on the pre-service teachers’ preparedness for online learning in terms of their digital literacy and technological devices used for online learning, their positive online learning experiences, and the challenges they encountered learning online. The findings suggested that the pre-service teachers were digitally literate and mostly accessed online learning using smartphones. Besides, online learning enabled them to communicate and collaborate actively with their course mates and lecturers. It was found that the flexibility of online learning increased the students’ motivation to learn. However, poor internet connectivity, the high cost of data, erratic power supply, lack of appropriate devices, inability to effectively manage their time, and family interruptions were some of the challenges experienced by the pre-service teachers.https://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlterpm2021Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio

Assessment of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic adults with foot ulcers in an African population

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a recognized risk factor for diabetic foot ulceration. It was thought that PAD is not common in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies show otherwise. It becomes necessary to assess the prevalence of PAD among diabetic adults with foot ulcers in Nigeria. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of PAD in diabetic subjects with foot ulcers in Nigeria.Methods: Diagnosis of PAD was made with the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Edinburgh claudication questionnaire was administered to the patients. An ABI of <0.9 is diagnostic of PAD. Risk factors for PAD were assessed. A control group of non-diabetic adults was used.Results: Sixty-seven per cent (67%) of the test group has PAD as compared to 18% of the control group. Smoking, duration of diabetes and systemic hypertension were strongly associated with PAD.Conclusions: Diabetic adults with foot ulcers in Nigeria have a high prevalence of PAD