The Virginia Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Program: Education, Screening, and Counseling

In 1968, a program of screening for sickle trait carriers was begun as part of the work of the Hematology Division, Department of Medicine, at the Medical College of Virginia. It was felt that sickle cell anemia was more of a public health problem than was generally recognized, and in addition to instituting screening and education programs, data were collected to document the relative neglect of the problem

Structure determination from powder data : Mogul and CASTEP

When solving the crystal structure of complex molecules from powder data, accurately locating the global minimum can be challenging, particularly where the number of internal degrees of freedom is large. The program Mogul provides a convenient means to access typical torsion angle ranges for fragments related to the molecule of interest. The impact that the application of modal torsion angle constraints has on the structure determination process of two structure solution attempts using DASH is presented. Once solved, accurate refinement of a molecular structure against powder data can also present challenges. Geometry optimisation using density functional theory in CASTEP is shown to be an effective means to locate hydrogen atom positions reliably and return a more accurate description of molecular conformation and intermolecular interactions than global optimisation and Rietveld refinement alone

Development of a novel protecting group for natural product synthesis

The use of 2,2- bis (4-nitrophenyl) ethanol (BnpeOH) has led to the development of a novel urethane-type protecting group, 2, 2- bis (4-nitrophenyl) ethoxycarbonyl (Bnpeoc). Studies have shown that this group is stable towards acids and tertiary amines whilst rapid and efficient cleavage can be effected by 1,5- diazabicyclo- [4.3.0] non-5 -ene (DBN) or 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec7-ene (DBU) with or without an equivalent of acetic acid. Nineteen amino acids have been protected using either the chloroformate (Bnpeoc -Cl) or the N- succinimidyl carbonate (Bnpeoc ONSu) of this group. These novel protected amino acids have been used to synthesise small peptides both in solution and solid phase. A highly efficient method for anchoring these protected amino acids to a 2- alkoxybenzylalcohol resin that avoids racemisation or dimer formation has also been developed

Modelling the Predictors of LIS Students' Response to the Pedagogy of Practical Courses on DSLMS in Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to find out how students respond to the pedagogy of practical courses on Delta State Learning Management System (DSLMS) as well as the predictors of students' response to practical courses on DSLMS in Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku (DSPG). Design/Methodology/Approach: A hypothesized research model was designed to help establish the predictors of students’ response to practical courses on DSLMS. Survey design was employed for this study. All the students in the department of Library and Information science, that 131 students, in DSPG were used to carry out this study. The questionnaire was the only instrument used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected.Findings: The study revealed that students respond positively to practical course pedagogy on DSLMS due to predictors such as instructor attitudes, quality of course content, and learners' perspectives. Originality/Value: This study is novel and has contributed new knowledge in the aspect of establishing the predictors of students’ response to pedagogical processes of practical courses on online learning system. Students' response to the pedagogy of practical courses on DSLMS is a good indication that students construct knowledge from new learning experiences as postulated by the constructivist theor

Assessment of the Perception of Librarians on Gender Stereotype as Correlate of Job Performance in Academic Libraries in Delta State

Gender matters all over the world and in almost all areas of life. Librarianship is no exception. There exists obvious gender stereotypes in libraries all over the world. However, there is no empirical evidence that ascertains whether these gender stereotypes affect the job performances of librarians. This study therefore assesses the perception of librarians on gender stereotype as a correlate of job performance of librarians in academic libraries in Delta State. A structured questionnaire was used to survey 95 librarians in academic libraries in the State. Data were analyzed using percentages, descriptive statistics and Pearson moment correlation. Findings include that gender stereotypes exist to a low extent in these libraries and its influences have some negative sides on the job performances of librarians. However, it was found that there is no significant correlation between gender stereotypes and the job performance of librarians. Hence, recommendations were made

Librarians' Use of Social Media for Promoting Library and Information Resources and Services in University Libraries in South-South Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine librarians’ use of social media for promoting library and information resources and services in university libraries in South-South, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design method was employed for this study. The sample for this study comprised of 304 librarians in 9 selected university libraries from 3 states of South-South, Nigeria. The questionnaire was the only instrument used for data collection. Frequency counts and means were used to analyze the data collected. The study revealed that blogs and facebook are the most commonly used social media to promote library and information resources and services in the libraries. Findings also showed librarians’ use of social media promotes two-way communication, makes communication with library users easier, and provides forum for feedback and increases library users / usage. Some challenges librarians encounter were also discovered, hence recommendations were made. These include provision of adequate technology and internet facilities in all offices in university libraries and a viable ICT policy amongst other recommendations. Keywords: academic libraries, library promotion, library services and resources, marketing, modern technologies, social medi

Efficient Solar Powered Smartphone for Nigeria’s Telecom Advancement

This study is aimed at producing an efficient model design of a solar-powered Smartphone that can be used continuously without the need to recharge their batteries from electrical outlets. There has been recent significant advancements in the research aimed at developing solar powered Smartphones as against the Smartphones we have today that requires frequent recharge of their batteries from electrical outlets. But these advancements have only produced solar Smartphone with efficiency of less than 19%. This study is theoretical due to lack of fund to produce the empirical design of the efficient solar powered Smartphone. However, it is intended to provide a new direction for Researchers in solar powered Smartphone Design to enable them produce efficient models that can continuously work for years without recharging their batteries. Keywords: Smartphone, Graphene, Photovoltaic, Supertransformer, Electrically-Doped Semiconductor, Sola

Electrocatalytic reduction of metronidazole using titanocene/Nafion®-modified graphite felt electrode

International audienceThe main objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of an electrocatalytic reduction on titanocene/Nafion®-modified graphite felt electrode, as pretreatment, before a biological treatment, for the degradation of metronidazole, a nitro biorecalcitrant pollutant. A titanium complex, know as an effective catalyst in the reduction of nitro groups, was immobilized on the electrode surface by encapsulation into a Nafion® film. The different operating conditions used to prepare the modified electrode, i. e. the initial concentrations of catalyst and Nafion® and the sonication time, were optimized and the modification of the electrode was highlighted by cyclic voltammetry and electronic scanning microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. The results show a good stability and reproducibility of the modified electrode. Flow heterogeneous catalytic reduction of metronidazole was then carried out with the titanocene/Nafion®-modified graphite felt as working electrode. The HPLC analysis underlined the total reduction of metronidazole after 1 hour and the evolution of the biological oxygen demand to chemical oxygen demand ratio showed a significant increase of biodegradability from 0.06 before pretreatment to 0.35 ± 0.05 after electrolysis on the modified graphite felt electrode. The comparison of both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions underlined the interest of the immobilization process that led to a higher stability of the catalyst, giving rise to a higher turnover number and an improvement of biodegradability. The stability of the modified electrode was investigated after electrolysis by cyclic voltammetry and successive electrolyses