N and P Nutrition of Gmelina arborea Roxb. Seedlings on Latosolic Soil. II: Effects of N and P Fertilizers and their Combinations on Histochemical Properties.

The effects of different levels of Nand P fertilizers and their combinations an the histochemical properties of Gmelina arborea Raxb. seedlings on latosolic soil were investigated. Four levels (0.00, 9.50, 19.00 and 28.50 g/pot) of N and P were applied in all possibl£ combinations. N was applied as calcium ammonium nitrate (Ca(NH)JI'0) and Pas superphosphate (Ca(HI'0) HP)· Equal dases af N and P (N2P2) produced the longest fibres. Application of N without P increased fibre diameter and fibre lumen size. AU lhe treatments significantly increased fibre wall thickness in relation to Lhe control. AU the treatments reduced coefficient of suppleness and increased runkel ratio i

N and P Nutrition of Gmelina arbarea Roxb. Seedlings on Latosolic Soil. I: Effects of N and P Fertilizers and their Combinations on Growth and Physical Properties of Gmelina arbarea

The effects of various doses of N and P fertilizers and their combinations on the growth and physical properties of Gmelina arborea Roxb. seedlings on latosolic soil were investigated. Four levels of N and P (0.0, 9.5, 19.0 and 28.5 g/plant corresponding to 0,1,2 and 3 levels, respectively) were applied in aU possible combinations. N was supplied as calcium amonium nitrate and P as super phosphate. Zero levels of Nand P (NOPO) were incorporated as the control. N and its combinations with P contributed significantly to improved wood specific gravity, plant height growth, radial growth (root collar' diameter), and dry matter production. Nand NP combinations were also the most effective in above-ground production (i.e. low root-shoot ratio) campal'ed to P alone and the control. Leaf area ratio (UR), howeuer, was reduced by most of the nutrient combinations cmnpared with the controL N1P3 produced the best wood specific gravity, N1P2 the most height growth, N3P1 the most radial growth and dry matter production, N3P2 the highest LAR, while the lowest root-shoot ratio or highest shoot production was obtained with N2PO and N3P1 nutrient combinations. Nutrient combinations involving N and P in the ratio oj3:1 (N3P1) are recommended for the growth of G. arborea seedlings on latosolic soil at the nursery or earl)1 establishment stage in the field

Development and performance evaluation of a natural draft mixed-type solar dryer for agricultural products

Reduced moisture content enhances storage properties of agricultural products and reduces post-harvest losses. Effective drying can be achieved using solar dryers in regions with abundant solar radiation. In this study, a natural draft mixed-type solar dryer suitable for rural communities of developing countries was developed. The performance of the solar dryer was also investigated using pepper, okra and tomato. The temperature taken at different points of the drying chamber and the auxiliary collector show that the temperature within the drying chamber is higher than the ambient temperature. The temperature within the drying chamber was also found to depend on the atmospheric conditions. The maximum drying rate was obtained at periods between 1200 and 1400 hrs Nigeria local time during which the temperature within the solar dryer is also maximum. Temperature within the solar dryer reached up to 62°C. The solar collector efficiency was 52.0% while the drying efficiency was 21.9%.Peer reviewe

Primary school pre-service teachers’ solutions to pattern problem-solving tasks based on three components of creativity

Education stakeholders and researchers in South Africa have emphasised the need to enhance teachers’ creativity through problem-solving tasks. Teachers’ creativity entails using new ideas of creative devices to solve problems, implement solutions, and make learning more effective. In the research reported on here, Guilford’s theory was used to explore primary school pre-service teachers’ solutions to pattern problem-solving tasks based on 3 components of creativity. The data for this research were produced from primary school pre-service teachers’ written responses to the pattern problem-solving tasks, and an extract from participants’ semi-structured interviews. The research involved a qualitative design using convenient purposive sampling to sample 62 pre-service teachers enrolled for a primary mathematics module at a selected higher education institution. Participants’ responses to the written tasks were analysed using content analysis, while the semistructured interviews were analysed thematically. The result shows that 35 participants were able to draw patterns and express patterns in nth form, while 27 failed to do so. The most common method used to draw a new pattern was counting in 2s and 4s. Furthermore, the result shows that half of the pre-service teachers who participated in the study were not capable of producing varied solutions to pattern tasks. An indication that they did not have the creative potential to prepare learners even after they had been exposed to advanced mathematics content as part of their training process. We recommend that pre-service teacher education programmes should include academic activities that could help pre-service teachers enhance creativity through tasks with divergent thinking

Use of Survey Data to Evaluate Teaching: A Comparison of Self and Peer Evaluations of Teaching

Survey is one of the most widely used methods of investigation into educational systems and practices. While the results from surveys might give insight into what goes on in the educational system, important questions arise: how reliable are the results of surveys in evaluating educational systems and practices? And can the results be used to take high-stakes decisions about teaching and learning? This study examines the reliability of surveys in evaluating teaching by comparing the degree of agreement between mathematics teachers’ self-evaluation of their teaching and their peers’ evaluation of it. A sample of 31 grade 11 mathematics teachers took part in the study. The result shows that teachers’ self-evaluations of their teaching generally did not agree significantly with their peers’ evaluations. This finding suggests caution in the use of self and peer evaluations in taking high-stakes decisions on teaching and learning. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p37

Understanding the healthcare experiences and needs of African immigrants in the United States: a scoping review

Background: Africans immigrants in the United States are the least-studied immigrant group, despite the research and policy efforts to address health disparities within immigrant communities. Although their healthcare experiences and needs are unique, they are often included in the “black” category, along with other phenotypically-similar groups. This process makes utilizing research data to make critical healthcare decisions specifically targeting African immigrants, difficult. The purpose of this Scoping Review was to examine extant information about African immigrant health in the U.S., in order to develop lines of inquiry using the identified knowledge-gaps. Methods: Literature published in the English language between 1980 and 2016 were reviewed in five stages: (1) identification of the question and (b) relevant studies, (c) screening, (d) data extraction and synthesis, and (e) results. Databases used included EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar (hand-search). The articles were reviewed according to title and abstract, and studies deemed relevant were reviewed as full-text articles. Data was extracted from the selected articles using the inductive approach, which was based on the comprehensive reading and interpretive analysis of the organically emerging themes. Finally, the results from the selected articles were presented in a narrative format. Results: Culture, religion, and spirituality were identified as intertwined key contributors to the healthcare experiences of African immigrants. In addition, lack of culturally-competent healthcare, distrust, and complexity, of the U.S. health system, and the exorbitant cost of care, were identified as major healthcare access barriers. Conclusion: Knowledge about African immigrant health in the U.S. is scarce, with available literature mainly focusing on databases, which make it difficult to identify African immigrants. To our knowledge, this is the first Scoping Review pertaining to the healthcare experiences and needs of African immigrants in the U.S

Thermophysical Properties of Gmelina Arborea Biodiesel

The depletion of petroleum reserves, rising cost of conventional fuels and the ill effect of emission from the use of fossil fuel on human health and environment have driven scientific research towards the development of alternative source of fuels such as biofuel and biodiesel. Biodiesel is a fuel from a renewable sources and it has the potential of being used as an alternative to fossil diesel in compression ignition engine. Some of the challenges encountered in the use of biodiesel in compression ignition engine are its availability, use of edible oil for its production, cost of biodiesel feedstock and unfavorable properties of biodiesel such as its high viscosity. Presently, there is a search for more inedible oil seeds since the available inedible feedstock are still not enough to replace more than 20 - 25% of the total transportation fuels. The thermophysical properties of the biodiesel which vary from feedstock have a significant impact on the combustion process thereby affecting the overall engine performance and emissions. The aim of this study is to test the compatibility of biodiesel from Gmelina arborea seed oil in the compression ignition engine through its thermophysical properties. The biodiesel was produced using transesterification method and the thermophysical properties tests were carried out. The results showed that the density and viscosity of Gmelina arborea seed oil was 868.8 kg/m2 (at 27.5°C) and 1.882(mm)2/s (at 40.0°C) respectively. It also showed that the biodiesel obtained had a density and viscosity value of 821.2 kg/m3 (at 27.5°C) and 0.794 9 (mm)2/s (at 40.0°C) respectively. Comparing these results with other biodiesel, it was observed that Gmelina arborea oil has a lower viscosity and density than other biodiesel from different feedstocks; therefore it has potential to perform better in the diesel engine in comparison to other biodiesel

Transient State Analysis of an Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) System with Six Degree Of Freedoms Using MATLAB

ABSTRACT The control of an AMB system becomes imperative if the eccentricity of the rotor about its operating point is to be sustained without unduly dragging the entire system into a state of instability. For a single-input-single-output (SISO) design, only one degree of freedom is actively controlled. However, practical applications will require multiple-input-multipleoutput (MIMO) control which consequently will require the study of the dynamic behavior of the system with the system variables expressed in state variable form. This paper presents the dynamic analysis of an AMB system with the view of studying the behavior of the state variables in transient state. Insight into the response curves will indeed form the basis for studying the system control with six degree of freedoms (6-DOFs)