Stakeholders' perception of the success of tertiary education fund construction projects

Projects funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from 2009 – 2011 was assessed in this study in order to determine stakeholders' perception of the projects' satisfaction. The study utilized primary and secondary data. The secondary data were obtained from existing literature on project success and project stakeholders while the primary data was obtained through interviews with key stakeholders and, from checklist and questionnaires. Results of the study revealed that, delay in progress payment, escalation in price of materials, insufficient supply of materials and low technical skill of the project leader are the topmost factors hindering satisfaction of the projects, as most of them were discovered to be unsuccessful. However, furniture, structural stability and ventilation were the highest ranked to be satisfactory by end users. The study recommends synergy between the various stakeholders involved; from project inception stage to project completion stage.Keywords: End users, Project success and stakeholder

Genotypic detection of extended spectrum beta lactamases from selected bacterial isolates in the Specialist Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria

There are numerous reported cases of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) producing Enterobacteriaceae in Nigeria, with little effort done on the molecular detection. Epidemiological studies around the world have investigated the prevalence of ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae and they have seen multiple mechanisms of drug-resistance. Our study was designed to detect ESBLs genes such as CTX-M, SHV, and TEM using PCR from clinical isolates in a tertiary hospital in Sokoto metropolis. Clinical isolates from the Microbiology laboratory of the tertiary hospital was collected for 3 months. These isolates were identified using standard microbiological methods. They were tested against 8 antibiotics using the modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Multidrug resistant isolates were screened for ESBL production, and further confirmed by the Double Disc Synergy Test (DDST). Genotypic confirmation was carried out using multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A total of 47 isolates made up of 21 E. coli (44.6%), 13 Klebsiella spp (27.6%), 7 Salmonella spp (14.9%), 5 Proteus mirabilis (10.6%), and 1 Enterobacter spp (2.1%) were obtained from urine, stool, and wound swab. Out of the 47 isolates, (45) 95.7% were multidrug resistant. Twenty-five (53.2%) were potential ESBL producers, while only 5 (20.0%) were confirmed phenotypically using a DDST. PCR results revealed 4 out of 5 of the isolates were possessing ESBL genes. It also revealed that 3 isolates co-produce TEM and SHV at 403bp and 293bp respectively. Only 1 isolate produced CTX-M gene at 569bp. The prevalence of ESBL production in the Gram negative enterobacteriaceae in our study did not indicate a high prevalence as reported by some studies in Sokoto and Northwest Nigeria.Keywords: Molecular detection, ESBLs, Clinical isolates, PC

Probing exotic phenomena at the interface of nuclear and particle physics with the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms: A unique window to hadronic and semi-leptonic CP violation

The current status of electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms which involves the synergy between atomic experiments and three different theoretical areas -- particle, nuclear and atomic is reviewed. Various models of particle physics that predict CP violation, which is necessary for the existence of such electric dipole moments, are presented. These include the standard model of particle physics and various extensions of it. Effective hadron level combined charge conjugation (C) and parity (P) symmetry violating interactions are derived taking into consideration different ways in which a nucleon interacts with other nucleons as well as with electrons. Nuclear structure calculations of the CP-odd nuclear Schiff moment are discussed using the shell model and other theoretical approaches. Results of the calculations of atomic electric dipole moments due to the interaction of the nuclear Schiff moment with the electrons and the P and time-reversal (T) symmetry violating tensor-pseudotensor electron-nucleus are elucidated using different relativistic many-body theories. The principles of the measurement of the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms are outlined. Upper limits for the nuclear Schiff moment and tensor-pseudotensor coupling constant are obtained combining the results of atomic experiments and relativistic many-body theories. The coefficients for the different sources of CP violation have been estimated at the elementary particle level for all the diamagnetic atoms of current experimental interest and their implications for physics beyond the standard model is discussed. Possible improvements of the current results of the measurements as well as quantum chromodynamics, nuclear and atomic calculations are suggested.Comment: 46 pages, 19 tables and 16 figures. A review article accepted for EPJ

Search for leptophobic Z ' bosons decaying into four-lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Search for black holes and other new phenomena in high-multiplicity final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Search for high-mass diphoton resonances in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV and combination with 8 TeV search

Peer reviewe

Search for heavy resonances decaying into a vector boson and a Higgs boson in final states with charged leptons, neutrinos, and b quarks

Peer reviewe

Search for heavy resonances decaying to a top quark and a bottom quark in the lepton+jets final state in proton–proton collisions at 13 TeV

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances decaying to a top quark and a bottom quark using data collected by the CMS experiment at √s = 13TeV in 2016. The data set analyzed corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. Final states that include a single lepton (e, μ), multiple jets, and missing transverse momentum are analyzed. No evidence is found for the production of a W′ boson, and the production of right-handed W′ bosons is excluded at 95% confidence level for masses up to 3.6 TeV depending on the scenario considered. Exclusion limits for W′ bosons are also presented as a function of their coupling strength to left- and right-handed fermions. These limits on a W′ boson decaying via a top and a bottom quark are the most stringent published to date