AN EXPERIMENTAL INQUIRY INTO SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF PAINT-FINISHED MILD STEEL BY SOME TOP AUTOBODY SPRAY PAINTERS IN KADUNA METROPOLITAN AREA, NIGERIA

Body finish appeal is one of the first noticeable things about any automobile. Most factory autobody painting is highly automated, so aesthetically appealing body finishes of high quality are efficiently achievable with high production rates. However, autobody painting for maintenance or repair in Nigeria is mostly done using manual skills and minimally automated facilities, with a high chance of ending up with low-quality or unappealing body finishes. The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental comparative study about the average surface roughness of paint-finished auto bodies by three top artisanal autobody spray painters, named MA Motors, Alsarafa Body Painters, and IBK Motors in Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria, relative to factory-painted vehicles at Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) Plc and relevant engineering standards. A cold-rolled mild steel sheet was procured for the study as the most common but corrosion-susceptible autobody material. The sheet was ascertained through nominal composition analysis and was used to produce four similar-sized sheet samples. The samples were individually taken to each of the spray painters and PAN, where they were surface-cleaned, painted, and cured according to the usual methods and standards used there in paint-finishing auto bodies. The surface roughness of the paint-finished samples was measured at 20 different points on each sample with the CRV-135 surface roughness tester and analyzed statistically in terms of the mean value (Ra), root mean square, depth to peak ranges, skewness, kurtosis, and variance. The obtained results indicated that the paint finishes from IBK Motors, Alsarafa Body Painters, MA Motors, and PAN had Ra values of 1.368µm, 1.4725µm, 1.6495µm, and 1.258µm, respectively. The analysis also indicated that all the paint-finished surfaces had minimal roughness, uncharacterized by excessive variations, peaks, and valleys, about their flat average values. The analysis finally indicated that autobody paint finishes by the spray painters are of similar and high quality by engineering standards and comparable to finishes at PAN. The paper provides useful insight into the surface roughness of paint-finished auto bodies by the spray painters as a fundamental quality control parameter that should be imbibed by all in the auto-body painting business, especially in Nigeria, to meet requirements by standards, customers, and users

Exploring the Awareness of Information Search Techniques Gained from Various Sources: A Study Among the Research Scholars of University of Kerala

An exploratory approach of study is made to understand the extent and level of awareness of search techniques which is carried out among the research scholars of departments in University of Kerala. The preferred source of developing awareness in information search and access by the researchers need to identified for the quickly approach of the right documents for their research works. It is found to be very essential to conduct a study that is relevant in the present digital environment which results in the benefit of the researchers for suitably selecting the search techniques required for their topic. The study is conducted among the research scholars including both M.Phil. and Ph.D. of the ten faculties. The paper explores the level and extent of various sources where they gained awareness of search techniques. The stratified random sampling method is adopted here to collect the required data through questionnaire. The paper evidently collected data from the population of 830, where a sample of 656 Research Scholars of the ten faculties was selected for the study. The Mann-Whitney U test is applied to analyse the data set and the calculated statistical evidences did not support the formulated null hypothesis. The observed Mann-Whitney U test values are; Help Menu (U=44258.500), Online Tutorials (U=45249.000), Guidelines (U=46079.000), Class Room Trainings (U=46484.000), and Library User Programs (U=43946.000). Study enabled the authors to find an answer for the research question- Is there any significant differences between the Mean value of Gender and usage levels of sources

Evaluation of insecticidal efficacy and persistence of Nigerian raw diatomaceous earth against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) on stored cowpea: Presentation

The insecticidal efficacy and persistence of Nigerian raw diatomaceous earth (DE) were evaluated in the laboratory on cowpea against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The raw DE was applied to 1.5 kg lots of cowpea seeds at 0 (untreated control), 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg, and a commercial DE formulation (Protect-It®) applied at 1000 mg/kg was included in the test as positive (treated) control. The treated cowpea seeds were kept under ambient laboratory conditions (26 - 34°C and 24 - 93% RH. Bioassays were conducted on samples taken from each treatment at the day of storage and every 30 d for 6 consecutive months. Adult C. maculatus were exposed for 3 and 5 d to the samples and adult mortality was assessed over this exposure interval and progeny production and seed damage were assessed after additional 30 d. On freshly treated cowpea, both the raw DE and Protect-It® were highly effective against C. maculatus causing 100% adult mortality following 5 d of exposure. In general, the raw DE was less persistent on cowpea providing complete adult mortality only for two months. Protect-It® on the other hand was stable over the 6- month period of storage causing 95.8 to 100% adult mortality. None of the treatments completely inhibited progeny production after 2-3-moths storage period. The results of this study indicated that Protect-It® may provide suitable protection for 6 months against C. maculatus, but the raw DE in its present state is not suitable for long-term protection against this insect pest.The insecticidal efficacy and persistence of Nigerian raw diatomaceous earth (DE) were evaluated in the laboratory on cowpea against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The raw DE was applied to 1.5 kg lots of cowpea seeds at 0 (untreated control), 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg, and a commercial DE formulation (Protect-It®) applied at 1000 mg/kg was included in the test as positive (treated) control. The treated cowpea seeds were kept under ambient laboratory conditions (26 - 34°C and 24 - 93% RH. Bioassays were conducted on samples taken from each treatment at the day of storage and every 30 d for 6 consecutive months. Adult C. maculatus were exposed for 3 and 5 d to the samples and adult mortality was assessed over this exposure interval and progeny production and seed damage were assessed after additional 30 d. On freshly treated cowpea, both the raw DE and Protect-It® were highly effective against C. maculatus causing 100% adult mortality following 5 d of exposure. In general, the raw DE was less persistent on cowpea providing complete adult mortality only for two months. Protect-It® on the other hand was stable over the 6- month period of storage causing 95.8 to 100% adult mortality. None of the treatments completely inhibited progeny production after 2-3-moths storage period. The results of this study indicated that Protect-It® may provide suitable protection for 6 months against C. maculatus, but the raw DE in its present state is not suitable for long-term protection against this insect pest

Socio-economic factors influencing adoption of yam Minisett Technology in Niger State of Nigeria

Nigeria produces about 70% of the world’s yam accounting for about 39.9 million tonnes. The major constraint has being that of planting seeds amounting to about one third of the total production cost. In order to reduce this perennial production problem, yam minisett technology developed by National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike, was thought to be an alternative to solving the planting seed menace. This study attempts to investigate the socio-economic factor influencing the adoption of this new technology. It was conducted in all the 25 local Government areas of Niger State. Data were collected by multi – stage random sampling technique using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the information collected. Results showed that majority of the farmers interviewed had no access to credit, very low extension contact, low levels education, lack of awareness about the minisett technology and therefore were yet to  adopt the minisett technology. Farm size (0.796), labour input (-0.585), cooperativeness (1.026), extension contact (0.959), income (0.473) and credit (0.533) were found to significantly influence the adoption of the yam minisett technology. The study recommends increased farm advisory services. Farmers  should belong to Cooperative societies. Key words:            adoption, minisett technology, socio-economic facto

Genome-wide mapping of IBD segments in an Ashkenazi PD cohort identifies associated haplotypes

The recent series of large genome-wide association studies in European and Japanese cohorts established that Parkinson disease (PD) has a substantial genetic component. To further investigate the genetic landscape of PD, we performed a genome-wide scan in the largest to date Ashkenazi Jewish cohort of 1130 Parkinson patients and 2611 pooled controls. Motivated by the reduced disease allele heterogeneity and a high degree of identical-by-descent (IBD) haplotype sharing in this founder population, we conducted a haplotype association study based on mapping of shared IBD segments. We observed significant haplotype association signals at three previously implicated Parkinson loci: LRRK2 (OR = 12.05, P = 1.23 x 10(-56)), MAPT (OR = 0.62, P = 1.78 x 10(-11)) and GBA (multiple distinct haplotypes, OR \u3e 8.28, P = 1.13 x 10(-11) and OR = 2.50, P = 1.22 x 10(-9)). In addition, we identified a novel association signal on chr2q14.3 coming from a rare haplotype (OR = 22.58, P = 1.21 x 10(-10)) and replicated it in a secondary cohort of 306 Ashkenazi PD cases and 2583 controls. Our results highlight the power of our haplotype association method, particularly useful in studies of founder populations, and reaffirm the benefits of studying complex diseases in Ashkenazi Jewish cohorts

Platelet count, spleen length, and platelet count-to-spleen length ratio for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices in people with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis

Background: Current guidelines recommend screening of people with oesophageal varices via oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy at the time of diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis. This requires that people repeatedly undergo unpleasant invasive procedures with their attendant risks, although half of these people have no identifiable oesophageal varices 10 years after the initial diagnosis of cirrhosis. Platelet count, spleen length, and platelet count-to-spleen length ratio are non-invasive tests proposed as triage tests for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices. Objectives: Primary objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of platelet count, spleen length, and platelet count-to-spleen length ratio for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices of any size in paediatric or adult patients with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis, irrespective of aetiology. To investigate the accuracy of these non-invasive tests as triage or replacement of oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy. Secondary objectives To compare the diagnostic accuracy of these same tests for the diagnosis of high-risk oesophageal varices in paediatric or adult patients with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis, irrespective of aetiology. We aimed to perform pair-wise comparisons between the three index tests, while considering predefined cut-off values. We investigated sources of heterogeneity. Search methods: The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies Register, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (OvidSP), Embase (OvidSP), and Science Citation Index - Expanded (Web of Science) (14 June 2016). We applied no language or document-type restrictions. Selection criteria: Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of platelet count, spleen length, and platelet count-to-spleen length ratio for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices via oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy as the reference standard in children or adults of any age with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis, who did not have variceal bleeding. Data collection and analysis: Standard Cochrane methods as outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Diagnostic Test of Accuracy Reviews. Main results: We included 71 studies, 67 of which enrolled only adults and four only children. All included studies were cross-sectional and were undertaken at a tertiary care centre. Eight studies reported study results in abstracts or letters. We considered all but one of the included studies to be at high risk of bias. We had major concerns about defining the cut-off value for the three index tests; most included studies derived the best cut-off values a posteriori, thus overestimating accuracy; 16 studies were designed to validate the 909 (n/mm3)/mm cut-off value for platelet count-to-spleen length ratio. Enrolment of participants was not consecutive in six studies and was unclear in 31 studies. Thirty-four studies assessed enrolment consecutively. Eleven studies excluded some included participants from the analyses, and in only one study, the time interval between index tests and the reference standard was longer than three months. Diagnosis of varices of any size. Platelet count showed sensitivity of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63 to 0.77) and specificity of 0.80 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.88) (cut-off value of around 150,000/mm3 from 140,000 to 150,000/mm3; 10 studies, 2054 participants). When examining potential sources of heterogeneity, we found that of all predefined factors, only aetiology had a role: studies including participants with chronic hepatitis C reported different results when compared with studies including participants with mixed aetiologies (P = 0.036). Spleen length showed sensitivity of 0.85 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.91) and specificity of 0.54 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.62) (cut-off values of around 110 mm, from 110 to 112.5 mm; 13 studies, 1489 participants). Summary estimates for detection of varices of any size showed sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.97) and specificity of 0.84 (95% CI 0.75 0.91) in 17 studies, and 2637 participants had a cut-off value for platelet count-to-spleen length ratio of 909 (n/mm3)/mm. We found no effect of predefined sources of heterogeneity. An overall indirect comparison of the HSROCs of the three index tests showed that platelet count-to-spleen length ratio was the most accurate index test when compared with platelet count (P 909 (n/mm3)/mm, the presence of oesophageal varices of any size can be excluded and only 7% of adults with varices of any size would be missed, allowing investigators to spare the number of oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy examinations. This test is not accurate enough for identification of oesophageal varices at high risk of bleeding that require primary prophylaxis. Future studies should assess the diagnostic accuracy of this test in specific subgroups of patients, as well as its ability to predict variceal bleeding. New non-invasive tests should be examined

Capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices in people with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend performance of oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy at the time of diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis to screen for oesophageal varices. These guidelines require people to undergo an unpleasant invasive procedure repeatedly with its attendant risks, despite the fact that half of the people do not have identifiable oesophageal varices 10 years after the initial diagnosis of cirrhosis.\ua0Video capsule endoscopy is a non-invasive test proposed as an alternative method for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices.OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices in children or adults with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis, irrespective of the aetiology. To investigate the accuracy of capsule endoscopy as triage or replacement of oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy.SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies Register (October 2013), MEDLINE (Ovid SP) (1950 to October 2013), EMBASE (Ovid SP) (1980 to October 2013), ACP Journal Club (Ovid SP) (1991 to October 2013), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) (Ovid SP) (third quarter), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) (Ovid SP) (third quarter), NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHSEED) (Ovid SP) (third quarter), and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) (ISI Web of Knowledge) (1955 to October 2013). We applied no language or document type restrictions.SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices using oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy as the reference standard in children or adults of any age, with chronic liver disease or portal vein thrombosis.DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We followed the available guidelines provided in the Cochrane Handbook for Diagnostic Test of Accuracy Reviews. We calculated the pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity using the bivariate model due to the absence of a negative correlation in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) space and of a threshold effect.MAIN RESULTS: The search identified 16 eligible studies, in which only adults with cirrhosis were included. In one study, people with portal thrombosis were also included. We classified most of the studies at high risk of bias for the 'Participants selection' and the 'Flow and timing' domains. One study assessed the accuracy of capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of large (high-risk) oesophageal varices. In the remaining15 studies that assessed the accuracy of capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices of any size in people with cirrhosis, 936 participants were included; the pooled estimate of sensitivity was 84.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 77.3% to 90.2%) and of specificity 84.3% (95% CI 73.1% to 91.4%). Eight of these studies included people with suspected varices or people with already diagnosed or even treated varices, or both, introducing a selection bias. Seven studies including only people with suspected but unknown varices were at low risk of bias; the pooled estimate of sensitivity was 79.7% (95% CI 73.1% to 85.0%) and of specificity 86.1% (95% CI 64.5% to 95.5%). Six studies assessed the diagnostic accuracy of capsule endoscopy for the diagnosis of large oesophageal varices, associated with a higher risk of bleeding; the pooled sensitivity was 73.7% (95% CI 52.4% to 87.7%) and of specificity 90.5% (95% CI 84.1% to 94.4%). Two studies also evaluated the presence of red marks, which are another marker of high risk of bleeding; the estimates of sensitivity and specificity varied widely. Two studies obtained similar results with the use of a modified device as index test (string capsule). Due to the absence of data, we could not perform all planned subgroup analyses. Interobserver agreement in the interpretation of capsule endoscopy results and any adverse event attributable to capsule endoscopy were poorly assessed and reported. Only four studies evaluated the interobserver agreement in the interpretation of capsule endoscopy results: the concordance was moderate. The participants' preferences for capsule endoscopy or oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy were reported differently but seemed in favour of capsule endoscopy in nine of 10 studies. In 10 studies, participants reported some minor discomfort on swallowing the capsule. Only one study identified other significant adverse events, including impaction of the capsule due to previously unidentified oesophageal strictures in two participants. No adverse events were reported as a consequence of the reference standard.AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We cannot support the use of capsule endoscopy as a triage test in adults with cirrhosis, administered before oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy, despite the low incidence of adverse events and participant reports of being better tolerated. Thus, we cannot conclude that oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy can be replaced by capsule endoscopy for the detection of oesophageal varices in adults with cirrhosis. We found no data assessing capsule endoscopy in children and in people with portal thrombosis

Transportation research needs and issues for Chinese agriculture

Interprovincial circulation of grain and wholesale markets in China / Wu Shuo -- Inter-state/province grain transportation in the U.S. and China / Tenpao Lee, Robert J. Hauser, Stanley R. Thompson, and Barbara J. Hrutka -- Methodology and data systems for study of transportation / Won W. Koo and Jerry Fruin -- An application of a spatial equilibrium model to analyze the impact on China's trade of a policy change / Shwu-Eng H. Webb, Catherine K. Halbrendt, Rajaram Gana, and Francis Tuan -- Possible Joint Chinese and U.S. grain transportation and distribution research opportunities / Roland R. Robinson and Donald W. Larson -- Transportation research needs and issues for Chinese agriculture: discussion of session presentations / Dale G. Anderso

New resampling method for evaluating stability of clusters

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hierarchical clustering is a widely applied tool in the analysis of microarray gene expression data. The assessment of cluster stability is a major challenge in clustering procedures. Statistical methods are required to distinguish between real and random clusters. Several methods for assessing cluster stability have been published, including resampling methods such as the bootstrap.</p> <p>We propose a new resampling method based on continuous weights to assess the stability of clusters in hierarchical clustering. While in bootstrapping approximately one third of the original items is lost, continuous weights avoid zero elements and instead allow non integer diagonal elements, which leads to retention of the full dimensionality of space, i.e. each variable of the original data set is represented in the resampling sample.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparison of continuous weights and bootstrapping using real datasets and simulation studies reveals the advantage of continuous weights especially when the dataset has only few observations, few differentially expressed genes and the fold change of differentially expressed genes is low.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We recommend the use of continuous weights in small as well as in large datasets, because according to our results they produce at least the same results as conventional bootstrapping and in some cases they surpass it.</p