Online Search Strategies Of Educational Administrators For Determining The Credibility Of Information Gleaned From A Website

Based on a survey of 158 educational  leaders situated in public schools, the level of educational leadership, whether a school superintendent or a principal in a secondary, middle-school, or elementary school, was not a significant factor in operational online strategies utilized or benchmarks relied upon for determining the credibility of information obtained from a website

BIO-BASED POLYURETHANE PREPARED FROM RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCKS

Non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU)s were prepared by reacting carbonated soybean oil with kraft lignin using two pot reactions. In the first stage, epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) reacted with carbon dioxide to form carbonated soybean oil (CSBO) with tetra-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) as the catalyst. In the second stage, urethane monomer was formed from the reaction of CSBO with 3-aminopropyltriethoxylsilane (APES) and was reacted with the kraft lignin. The reaction was catalyzed by lithium chloride and the NIPU was cured both at room temperature and at 70 oC. Effects of lignin composition (20 – 50 wt%) on the NIPU mechanical properties were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was used to determine the structure of the lignin, CSBO, and lignin polyurethane.  Tensile strength of the NIPU was much more improved when the polymer was cured at elevated temperature compared to when cured at room temperature. On the other hand, room temperature curing favoured high elongation at break

Investigation of thermal and hydraulic properties of sandy-loam soils under diverse land-use systems

Information about soil thermal properties (STPs) based on different land-use patterns will support optimum utilization of ground-based thermal energy. This study quantified in-situ soil thermal properties (STPs) and some associated hydraulic parameters under different land practices in parts of Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria. Five sampling points for thermal and hydraulic properties were established within 80 m by 40 m on each of grassland (GL), oil palm plantation site (OPS), football pitch (FP), dumpsite (DS), automobile mechanic workshop (AMW), and block making site (BMS). Thermal properties were measured in situ using KD2 Pro Thermal Properties Analyzer while topsoil hydraulic parameters were determined using standard laboratory procedures. Pearson's correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to determine the interrelationships and variations of measured STPs among the diverse land use patterns. Results of assessed STPs indicated that the average values of thermal conductivity (λs) were higher in AMW and DS (1.77 and 1.53 s W/mK, respectively) relative to that of other land uses (0.37- 0.79 W/mK). In the investigated land uses, highest and lowest mean values of thermal diffusivity (TD) (0.850 and 0.209) were recorded in AMW and GL, respectively. The OPS had lowest mean specific heat capacity (CS ) (1.381 MJ/m3 K) and bulk density (BD) of ≈1.5 sMg/m3 while DS topsoil had maximum value of average C (3.930 MJ/m3 K) but least BD of 1.17 Mg/m3 . The highest values of average thermal admittance (µs), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat ) and soil moisture content (MC) were observed in FP while least values of µs, Ksat and MC were recorded in AMW. The mean thermal resistivity (TR) values in DS and AMW were within the 90 °C-cm/W recommended for safe cable engineering practices. Correlation analysis revealed strong direct relation between λs  and TD while ANOVA results showed that most of the measured STPs were significantly different (p<0.05) among the six land-use systems. Most of the measured STPs can be regarded as dynamic characteristics that are intensely swayed by land uses

Farmers’ perception and Knowledge need for adoption of new cultivars of cassava in Igabi Local Government Area (LGA), Kaduna State.

The study examined farmers’ perception and knowledge need for adoption new varieties of cassava in Igabi LGA, Kaduna State. The purpose of the research was to;( 1) ascertain how cassava farmers in the area perceive the new varieties of cassava vis-a-vis the technologies required for its propagation, and (2) the relationship between the existing and recommended knowledge of cassava cultivation in the area. Seventy six respondents used for the study were selected by random sampling while focus group discussion and interview schedule were employed to gather data. Data were analyzed by mean score analysis. The result of the analysis shows that majority (36.8%) were between 30- 39 years, 89% married and 34.2% had secondary education while 50% had regular extension contact. However, out of five (5) main recommended production technologies, only two- planting methods (51.3%) and weeding interval (56.6%) were in line with farmers’ previous experience or knowledge. Farmers perceived the new cassava cultivars as beneficial through its high yielding capacity (3.3*), fast maturity (3.1) and disease resistance (2.5) among others, while capital and marketing (3.2 apiece), farm size (3.0) were among the perceived constraints to adoption of the new cultivars. The study recommended among others formation of cooperative society to aid farming activities in the area. Keywords: awareness, benefit, constraints, knowledge of planting cassava, perception

Phenolic Extract from Moringa oleifera

This study was designed to determine the antioxidant properties and inhibitory effects of extract from Moringa oleifera leaves on angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) and arginase activities in vitro. The extract was prepared and phenolic (total phenols and flavonoid) contents, radical (nitric oxide (NO), hydroxyl (OH)) scavenging abilities, and Fe2+-chelating ability were assessed. Characterization of the phenolic constituents was done via high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) analysis. Furthermore, the effects of the extract on Fe2+-induced MDA production in rats’ penile tissue homogenate as well as its action on ACE and arginase activities were also determined. The extract scavenged NO∗, OH∗, chelated Fe2+, and inhibited MDA production in a dose-dependent pattern with IC50 values of 1.36, 0.52, and 0.38 mg/mL and 194.23 µg/mL, respectively. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol were the most abundant phenolic compounds identified in the leaf extract. The extract also inhibited ACE and arginase activities in a dose-dependent pattern and their IC50 values were 303.03 and 159.59 µg/mL, respectively. The phenolic contents, inhibition of ACE, arginase, and Fe2+-induced MDA production, and radical (OH∗, NO∗) scavenging and Fe2+-chelating abilities could be some of the possible mechanisms by which M. oleifera leaves could be used in the treatment and/or management of erectile dysfunction

Novel <i>GREM1 </i>Variations in Sub-Saharan African Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate

Objective: Cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) are congenital anomalies of the face and have multifactorial etiology, with both environmental and genetic risk factors playing crucial roles. Though at least 40 loci have attained genomewide significant association with nonsyndromic CL/P, these loci largely reside in noncoding regions of the human genome, and subsequent resequencing studies of neighboring candidate genes have revealed only a limited number of etiologic coding variants. The present study was conducted to identify etiologic coding variants in GREM1, a locus that has been shown to be largely associated with cleft of both lip and soft palate. Patients and Method: We resequenced DNA from 397 sub-Saharan Africans with CL/P and 192 controls using Sanger sequencing. Following analyses of the sequence data, we observed 2 novel coding variants in GREM1. These variants were not found in the 192 African controls and have never been previously reported in any public genetic variant database that includes more than 5000 combined African and African American controls or from the CL/P literature. Results: The novel variants include p.Pro164Ser in an individual with soft palate cleft only and p.Gly61Asp in an individual with bilateral cleft lip and palate. The proband with the p.Gly61Asp GREM1 variant is a van der Woude (VWS) case who also has an etiologic variant in IRF6 gene. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that there is low number of etiologic coding variants in GREM1, confirming earlier suggestions that variants in regulatory elements may largely account for the association between this locus and CL/P. </jats:sec