Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (Lc/Ms) profile revealed flavonoids and terpenoids with antioxidant potential in aqueous fraction of Combretum micranthum leaf extract

Combretum micranthum (CM) is commonly used for its ethno-medicinal potentials without much or no scientific basis. Thus, the aim of this research is to evaluate aqueous fraction of C. micranthum leaf extract for possible antioxidant compounds using liquid chromatography mass spectrometer technique. In vitro antioxidant was carried out using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Power (FRAP) assay methods and the results indicated the free radical scavenging activity of 80.351±0.732 and 0.800± 0.00 at 2.50mg/m1 concentrations which is significantly different when compared to reference standard of 84.718±0.605 and 0.426±0.000 (ascorbic acid) respectively, with concentration or dose-dependent. LC-MS profile revealed the presence of medicinally important compounds like Myricetin (Flavone), Epioxylubimin (Sesquiterpenoids), Furocoumaric acid (Phenolic glycoside) among others. The findings of this study revealed that C. micranthum is rich in potential metabolites and was reflected as its antioxidant potential and could be used for drug and other oxidative stress related management

The moderating effect of brand loyalty on service quality and customer satisfaction in the telecommunications industry in northwest Nigeria

This study investigates the moderating effect of brand loyalty on service quality and customer satisfaction in the telecommunications industry in Northwest Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was utilized, which permits the collection of data from respondents at a certain point in time. The convenience sampling method was used, and structured questionnaires were administered to the customers of Airtel Nigeria telecommunications company using a service performance (SERVPERF) model. Out of the 768 questionnaires administered, 390 valid responses were analyzed, and the hypotheses were tested with the aid of SmartPLS 4. The results for the direct relationships indicate that reliability, assurance, responsiveness, and tangibility were significantly and positively related with customer satisfaction, while empathy had no significant effect on customer satisfaction. For the indirect relationships, brand loyalty was not found to moderate the relationships between the five SERVPERF dimensions and customer satisfaction. The study concludes that regardless of brand loyalty, service quality remains the only driving force of customer satisfaction in the Nigerian telecommunications industry. It is therefore recommended that Airtel should find ways to transcend their competitors and ensure the continued loyalty of their subscribers, especially by tailoring services to customers’ needs. It is also recommended that the company should ensure a pleasant and seamless experience for their subscribers during calls or when accessing the internet. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) should continue to monitor the quality of the services provided by telecommunications companies and sanction those that provide sub-standard services

Inhibitive Effect of Glutaraldehyde on the Corrosion of Aluminum in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The inhibition effect of glutaraldehyde on the corrosion of aluminum in 1.4 M HCl solution at 308-318 K was investigated by using weight loss method and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) & Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis (SEM). The results show that the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentration and decreases with rising temperature. The activation energy value was 20.48 kJ mol-1 for the uninhibited acid solution which increased to 33.79 kJ mol-1 in the presence of 0.1 M inhibitor concentration. Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to provide an accurate description of the adsorption behavior of the investigated inhibitor. The thermodynamic parameters such as adsorption equilibrium constant (Kads), free energy of adsorption (ΔGads), heat of adsorption (ΔHads) and entropy of adsorption (ΔSads) have been calculated and discussed in detail

Inhibitive Effect of Glutaraldehyde on the Corrosion of Aluminum in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The inhibition effect of glutaraldehyde on the corrosion of aluminum in 1.4 M HCl solution at 308-318 K was investigated by using weight loss method and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) & Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis (SEM). The results show that the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentration and decreases with rising temperature. The activation energy value was 20.48 kJ mol-1 for the uninhibited acid solution which increased to 33.79 kJ mol-1 in the presence of 0.1 M inhibitor concentration. Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to provide an accurate description of the adsorption behavior of the investigated inhibitor. The thermodynamic parameters such as adsorption equilibrium constant (Kads), free energy of adsorption (ΔGads), heat of adsorption (ΔHads) and entropy of adsorption (ΔSads) have been calculated and discussed in detail

Effectiveness of kinesio taping and combined chain exercises in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A case series

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Effects of biochar amendments on rice growth and metabolic response to salinity stress in salt-affected soils

Exploring cheaper and sustainable strategies for managing salt-affected soils remains crucial in irrigated areas. Many researchers recommended using gypsum as material for reclamation salt-affected soils, which are costly and unavailable for most farmers. In this study, we used biochar derived from the common materials found in the irrigated areas that are locally available and less utilized as a substitute for gypsum for sustainable reclamation of salt-affected soils. Salt-affected soils (saline, saline-sodic and sodic) and unaffected were collected from the Watari Irrigation project, Kano State Nigeria using farmers' perceptions about the salinity situations of the irrigation scheme and existing legacy map data. The biochar used for this study were made using the Typha grass, rice straw, and rice bran samples collected from the same area. Thirty-six (36) containers (plastic pots) with a diameter of 27.5cm and height of 45cm each were filled with eight-kilogram dried soils, including non-saline, saline, and saline-sodic. We measured plant height, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at interval of 14 days. Number of tillers per plant were also measured during tillering stage at interval of 14 days. Stover dry weight, grain dry weight, electrolytic leakage and proline contents were measured after the end of the experiment. The results revealed a high significant effect (p<0.01) of biochar amendments in remediating different forms of salt affected soils. Saline sodic soil was effectively managed when using Typha biochar with a mean value very close to non-saline soil. Rice straw and rice bran reduces the salinity levels particularly in sodic soil. Therefore, biochar from different source could be used in addressing salt-specific problems rather than using a uniform treatment

An Investigative Study on Impact of Frequency Dynamics in Load Modeling

Load modeling plays a significant impact in assessing power system stability margin, control, and protection. Frequency in the power system is desired to be kept constant, but in a real sense, it is not constant as loads continually change with time. In much literature, frequency dynamics are ignored in the formulation of load models for the basic assumption that it does not affect the models.  In this paper, the composite load model was formulated with Voltage-Frequency Dependency (V-FD) on real and reactive powers and applied to estimate the load model. 2- Area network 4- machines Kundur test network was used for testing the developed model.  The model was trained with measurements from a low voltage distribution network supplying the Electrical Engineering department at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Both training and testing data were captured under normal system operation (dynamics). To evaluate the V-FD model performance, Voltage-Dependent (VD) model was examined on the same measured data. The work makes use of the Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN) as a nonlinear estimator. Results obtained indicate that including frequency dynamics in modeling active power reduces the accuracy of the model. While in modeling reactive power the model performance improves. Hence, it can be said that including frequency dynamics in load modeling depends on the intended application of the model

Grey Based Taguchi Optimization Method for Abrasive Wear Appraisal of Fibre-Reinforced PTFE Composites

 The current study is aimed at optimizing the abrasive wear property of fibre reinforced polytetraflouroethylene (PTFE) composites. The test was contrived based on Taguchi L9 orthogonal array for the optimization of test trials. To appraise the abrasive wear trend of the PTFE based composites satisfying multi-objective criteria, Taguchi method combined with grey relational analysis (GRA) has been used. Abrasive wear test was performed using pin-on-disc configuration as per ASTM G99 standard involving four process parameters. Analysis of variance was used to establish significant parameters which influence the abrasive wear of PTFE composites. Observation revealed that grit size has the most significant effect on abrasive wear of reinforced PTFE composites. After exhaustive investigation of parameters, optimum combination of parameters was established. Linear regression model was built to predict the optimized conditions. The model as well as the optimum parameter values could be used by the abrasion industries for reduction in the time and cost expanded on wear test thus increasing productivity