Proximate composition and mineral analysis of Brysocarpus coccineus grass

The proximate and some mineral compositions of Brysocarpus Coccineus in Nigeria were investigated. The grass was found contain 7.56 ± 0.06% moisture, 15.30 ± 0.22% Ash, 7.30 ± 0.26% crude lipid, 4.62 ± 0.11% crude fibre, 3.35 ± 0.22% crude protein, and 61.220 ± 0.90% was determined using standard methods. The mineral content showed 0.06 ± 0.02mg/100g calcium and 0.16 ± 0.08mg/100g magnesium using EDTA titration and 9.28 ± 0.26mg/100g sodium using flame photometer. The results indicated that Brysocarpus Cocccineus is not rich in crude protein, but found to be rich in carbohydrate and total ash content. The higher amount of total ash suggests a high value mineral composition comprising calcium, sodium and magnesium as the main elements. The present study inferred that Brysocarpus Coccineus would not serve as source of protein but a good source of energy.Keywords: Brysocarpus Coccineus, Grass, Mineral analysis, Proximat

Kanwa cattle salt as a potential micronutrient fertilizer in Nigeria's middle belt

Until recently kanwa has primarily been known as a mineral supplement fed to traditionally managed cattle in central and northern Nigeria. Preliminary studies carried out by ILCA's Subhumid Zone Programme in 1984 indicated its potential as an economically attractive source of plant micronutrients. A 200 kg/ha increase in the crude protein yield of stylo (Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano) was obtained by applying 50kg of kanwa per ha, at a total cost of only US$ 5.00

Role of Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture in Kano State, Nigeria

This review examines the participation and roles of women within the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Kano state, looking at their direct involvement in fishing and fish production as well as their indirect association with related activities (Marketing and distribution, processing, administration, management and public sectorial work, research, education and training).Women represent approximately 20% of Kano state population and 40% of the labor force. More than, 1000, people were fully engaged in fisheries activities in 2010. Studies have shown that of all the various fishing a sector, participation of women was highest in fish processing (approximately 30%) followed by inland aquaculture. Although there is limited data on women’s roles in the Kano fisheries sector as a whole, women are known to play only a very minor role in fish capture in southern part of Nigeria. This participation is usually in the form of small scale activities on lakes or as support to sea going spouses. Where women are employed in the aquaculture sector (5%), they are mainly involved in hatchery and live food units. Women also play an important role in administration, fisheries research, education and training as reflected by the numbers of female graduates employed in such fields. The marketing of fresh products for local markets was found to be predominantly carried out by men. Women are also temporarily and permanently involved in activities such as fish vaccination and the construction and manufacture of nets. Women play a key and vital role in the Fisheries value chain in Nigeria especially when we look at their involvement in the marine, artisanal and Aquaculture sub-sector of the Fisheries. The women who constitute the greater percentage of the fish mongers/ processors represent the first segment of the fish market chain; buying fresh fish directly from the fishermen; the fish is either sold fresh by the women, or processed by smoking. Keywords: Women, Aquaculture, Fisheries, Kano State, Nigeria

QSMSOR Iterative Method for the Solution of 2D Homogeneous Helmholtz Equations

In this paper, we consider the numerical solutions of homogeneous Helmholtz equations of the second order. The Quarter-Sweep Modified Successive Over-Relaxation (QSMSOR) iterative method is applied to solve linear systems generated form discretization of the second order homogeneous Helmholtz equations using quarter sweep finite difference (FD) scheme. The formulation and implementation of the method are also discussed. In addition, numerical results by solving several test problems are included and compared with the conventional iterative methods

Redesign of the Jefferson Lab -300 kV DC Photo-Gun for High Bunch Charge Operations

Production of high bunch charge beams for the ElectronIon Collider (EIC) is a challenging task. High bunch charge (a few nC) electron beam studies at Jefferson Lab using an inverted insulator DC high voltage photo-gun showed evidence of space charge limitations starting at 0.3 nC, limiting the maximum delivered bunch charge to 0.7 nC for beam at -225 kV, 75 ps (FWHM) pulse width, and 1.64 mm (rms) laser spot size. The low extracted charge is due to the modest longitudinal electric field (Ez) at the photocathode leading to beam loss at the anode and downstream beam pipe. To reach the few nC high bunch charge goal, and to correct the beam deflection exerted by the non-symmetric nature of the inverted insulator photo-gun the existing photo-gun was modified. This contribution discusses the electrostatic design of the modified photo-gun obtained using CST Studio Suite’s electromagnetic field solver. Beam dynamics simulations performed using General Particle Tracer (GPT) with the resulting electrostatic field map obtained from the modified electrodes confirmed the validity of the new design

Hybrid Generators-based AC Microgrid Performance Assessment in Island Mode

Achieving an accurate steady-state averaged active power sharing between parallel inverters in islanded AC microgrids could be realized by a traditional droop control. For identical inverters having the same droop gains, it is assumed that the transient average power responses will be similar, and no circulating current will flow between the units. However, different line impedances could influence the instantaneous power significantly and thus circulating power flows among the inverters particularly during sudden disturbances such as load changes. This power, if absorbed by an inverter, will lead the DC link voltage to rise abruptly and trip the inverter, thus, degrading the performance of the whole microgrid. The problem becomes worse when hybrid generators are serving as unidirectional power source. This paper assesses the performance of hybrid generators within an islanded microgrid against the mismatch in line impedances. Two schemes to stabilize the microgrid are proposed. In addition, a participation factor analysis is developed to select the most effective controller scheme to bound the DC link voltage and minimize the circulating power. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analysis and the capability of the proposed controller

Magnetized Electron Source for JLEIC Cooler

Magnetized bunched-beam electron cooling is a critical part of the Jefferson Lab Electron Ion Collider (JLEIC). Strong cooling of ion beams will be accomplished inside a cooling solenoid where the ions co-propagate with an electron beam generated from a source immersed in magnetic field. This contribution describes the production and characterization of magnetized electron beam using a compact 300 kV DC high voltage photogun and bialkali-antimonide photocathodes. Beam magnetization was studied using a diagnostic beamline that includes viewer screens for measuring the shearing angle of the electron beamlet passing through a narrow upstream slit. Correlated beam emittance with magnetic field at the photocathode was measured for various laser spot sizes. Measurements of photocathode lifetime were carried out at different magnetized electron beam currents up to 28 mA and high bunch charge up to 0.7 nano-Coulomb was demonstrated

Production of Magnetized Electron Beam from a DC High Voltage Photogun

Bunched-beam electron cooling is a key feature of all proposed designs of the future electron-ion collider, and a requirement for achieving the highest promised collision luminosity. At the Jefferson Lab Electron Ion Collider (JLEIC), fast cooling of ion beams will be accomplished via so-called \u27magnetized cooling\u27 implemented using a recirculator ring that employs an energy recovery linac. In this contribution, we describe the production of magnetized electron beam using a compact 300 kV DC high voltage photogun with an inverted insulator geometry, and using alkali-antimonide photocathodes. Beam magnetization was assessed using a modest diagnostic beamline that includes YAG view screens used to measure the rotation of the electron beamlet passing through a narrow upstream aperture. Magnetization results are presented for different gun bias voltages and for different laser spot sizes at the photocathode, using 532 nm lasers with DC and RF time structure. Photocathode lifetime was measured at currents up to 4.5 mA, with and without beam magnetization

Oleic acid triggers metabolic rewiring of T cells poising them for T helper 9 differentiation

T cells are the most common immune cells in atherosclerotic plaques, and the function of T cells can be altered by fatty acids. Here, we show that pre-exposure of CD4+ T cells to oleic acid, an abundant fatty acid linked to cardiovascular events, upregulates core metabolic pathways and promotes differentiation into interleukin-9 (IL-9)-producing cells upon activation. RNA sequencing of non-activated T cells reveals that oleic acid upregulates genes encoding key enzymes responsible for cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis. Transcription footprint analysis links these expression changes to the differentiation toward TH9 cells, a pro-atherogenic subset. Spectral flow cytometry shows that pre-exposure to oleic acid results in a skew toward IL-9+-producing T cells upon activation. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of either cholesterol or fatty acid biosynthesis abolishes this effect, suggesting a beneficial role for statins beyond cholesterol lowering. Taken together, oleic acid may affect inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis by rewiring T cell metabolism.</p