Key aspects of an effective surgical curriculum for medical students

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Factors Affecting Biogas Production during Anaerobic Decomposition of Brewery effluent- wastewater in a Fluidized Bed Digester.

This  work determined the dependency of biogas and carbon (iv) oxide production on microbial concentration X (Cfu/l), hydraulic retention time (HRT), ratio of total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and total alkalinity K, during anaerobic decomposition of brewery effluent wastewater in a fluidized-bed reactor system. The volume of biogas and carbon (iv) oxide produced were monitored as the treatment time progressed. For  brewery waste water volume of 2 litres treated in the bioreactor, the volume of biogas rich in methane, produced in this work was described as s-curve with initial volume of biogas produced as 0.003l  at 4h HRT and maximum volume of 0.0045l at 8 h HRT.Similarly,0.0033l of carbon(iv)oxide was recorded at 2 h HRT and it achieved its maximum of 0.0042l at 8 h HRT. Total microbial count was conducted on the reactor sample water. The maximum concentration of the gases recorded at 8 h HRT corresponded to the favourable operating environment and good system stability ratio  (VFA/Alkalinity)<0.5 achieved. Key words: Anaerobic decomposition, brewery wastewater, fluidized-bed reactor, Biogas, carbon (iv) oxide

Development of a single stage roselle calyx extractor

An 8-litre capacity roselle calyx extractor was developed with Arduino based temperature controls ranging from 30 to 100⁰C. Performance evaluation conducted on the extractor showed that efficiency of the extractor increased as the weight of the calyces decreased at constant mass of water which ranged from 55% to 89%. The effect of extraction time (5, 10 and 15 minutes), process temperature (30, 50, 75 and 100⁰C) and calyx-water mass ratio (1:50, 1:20 and 1:10) on the pH, density and colour of the extract was determined. The pH ranged from 2.4 to 2.9 and density was from 1.02 to 1.05gcm-3. Statistical analysis conducted showed that temperature and calyx-water mass ratio has a linear significant effect (p<0.001) on all the responses while time had a linear significant effect (p<0.001) on all responses except density. Time and temperature had interaction significant effect (p<0.01) on pH, while temperature and calyx-water ratio had interaction significant effect (p<0.01) on the density of the extract. Calyx-water ratio had a quadratic significant effect (p<0.001) on the pH and colour of the extract. The contour plots presented the interactions between the factors and their responses. This study demonstrated that roselle calyces extract can be produced more efficiently than practices currently available and also that processing conditions are very important in the quality of extracts produced

Prediction of the Optimal Reaction Temperature of the Riser of an Industrial Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Unit

A pseudo homogeneous two-dimensional (2D) model of an industrial Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) riser is here presented. The FCC riser models of previous researchers were mostly based on the assumption of negligible mass transfer resistance and 1D plug flow. These assumptions undermine the accuracy of the models by over-predicting the optimum residence time of the riser. In this work the coke content of FCC catalyst was modeled as a function of the reactor temperature with the aim of predicting the operating conditions that will reduce coke on catalyst without undermining the yield of the key product (gasoline). Mass transfer resistance was incorporated in the reactor model to enhance the accuracy of the results. Catalyst deactivation was modeled based on the exponential decay function. The mass transfer coefficient and the catalyst effectiveness factor were estimated from empirical correlations obtained from literature. Data used for the simulation were sourced from an existing plant (KRPC) as well as from open literature. Finite difference numerical scheme was used to discretise the model governing equation. At the end of the investigation, three different operating temperature regimes were identified from the simulated results for the coking of FCC catalyst (low temperature, optimal temperature and high temperature regimes). An optimum operating temperature range of 786K-788K and an optimum catalyst-to-oil ratio (COR) range of 4.60-4.71 were predicted for the riser. Keywords: FCC; Finite difference, Mass transfer resistance, Catalyst deactivation, Riser models.

Developing Teachers’ Capacity for Teaching Pupils’ Initial Reading Skills: Research Report

The research stemmed from literature that revealed that most pupils in the public primary schools in Nigeria cannot read and write. Some researchers attributed this to poor foundation in teaching initial reading due to teachers’ lack of skills in teaching initial reading and their use of ineffective methods. Based on this, the researchers decided to build the capacity of 40 teachers of Primary 2 classes on the use of the multisensory approach in teaching initial reading which lasted for three weeks. Before the training commenced, a pre-test was administered on the pupils taught by these teachers and eight weeks after the treatment(training) a post-test was administered on the pupils to determine the effects of the treatment. The results of the pre-test and post-test were analysed using t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The t-test results showed a significant difference between the pre- and post-test scores of the pupils and this difference was attributed to the treatment given to the teachers t- calculated value of 24.6 and t-value of 1.984 at 0.05 level of significance with degree of freedom 98. Also the t-test t-test comparison of the mean scores of male and female pupils shows that male students performed better on IRMAT than their female counterpart t-calculated 10.80 at 0.05 level of significance and degree of freedom 98. In addition, when ANOVA was used the result shows that the treatment given to the teachers had a significant impact on the pupils, F-cal =426.29 and f- crit =6.90 (F1, 98 =6.90, P = 0.05). Based on this result, some recommendations were made among which are, the need to retrain all teachers in the lower basic education level, on the use of the multi-sensory approach in teaching initial reading and the use of Jolly phonics technique in teaching initial reading.Key words: Developing, Teachers’ Capacity, Teaching, Initial Reading, Multisensory Approac

Evaluating the diesel biodegradation potential of wild microfungi isolat-ed from decaying wood in Nigeria

We evaluated the potentials of pure wild microfungi isolated from decaying wood in utilizing diesel as source of carbon/energy and monitoring of their physiological responses via OD and pH gradient fluxes. The fungi diversity was obtained by conventional enrichment culture methods. Pure cultures of tentative fungal species namely: SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were tested for their ability to utilize diesel oil as carbon and energy source. From the cultur-al, morphological and biochemical characterization and comparison with respect to the standard reference of fungi, the wild microfungi tentatively named as SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were seemingly the members of Penicil-lum, Aspergillus, Mucor, Candida and Cryptococcus species. The diesel de-pendent growth of the pure microfungi was assessed by monitoring the flux-es in the pH and Optical density OD of the minimal media slurry for 288 hours. There were fluctuations in OD as well as pH values for the different microfungi. The mean pH data 5.90 ± 0.01-7.01± 0.01 and the OD 0.349± 0.001 -1.232 ± 0.002 were obtained. The ability of our fungal isolates to tol-erate diesel and grow in it, suggests that the isolates can be employed as bioremediation agent

Ultra-ductile and low friction epoxy matrix composites

We present the results of an effective reinforcement of epoxy resin matrix with fullerene carbon soot. The optimal carbon soot addition of 1 wt. % results in a toughness improvement of almost 20 times. The optimized soot-epoxy composites also show an increase in tensile elongation of more than 13 %, thus indicating a change of the failure mechanism in tension from brittle to ductile. Additionally, the coefficient of friction is reduced from its 0.91 value in plain epoxy resin to 0.15 in the optimized composite. In the optimized composite, the lateral forces during nanoscratching decrease as much as 80 % with enhancement of the elastic modulus and hardness by 43 % and 94%, respectively. The optimized epoxy resin fullerene soot composite can be a strong candidate for coating applications where toughness, low friction, ductility and light weight are important.Comment: 24 pages, 7 Figures, 1 Table in Polymer Testing (2015

Central Venous Catheter-Associated Pericardial Tamponade in a 6-Day Old: A Case Report

Introduction. Pericardial effusion (PCE) and tamponade can cause significant morbidity and mortality in neonates. Such cases have been reported in the literature in various contexts. Case Presentation. A 6-day old neonate with meconium aspiration syndrome and persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn on high frequency oscillator ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide was referred to our hospital with a large pericardial effusion causing hemodynamic compromise. Prompt pericardiocentesis led to significant improvement in the cardio-respiratory status and removal of the central line prevented the fluid from reaccumulating. Cellular and biochemical analysis aided in the diagnosis of catheter related etiology with possibility of infusate diffusion into the pericardial space. Conclusion. We present this paper to emphasize the importance of recognizing this uncommon but serious complication of central venous catheters in intensive care units. We also discuss the proposed hypothesis for the mechanism of production of PCE

Comparative evaluation of partial replacement of soybean meal with raw and oven-dried cassia tora seedmeal on the performance of broiler chickens

This study was conducted to comparatively evaluate partial replacement of soybean meal with raw and oven-dried Cassia tora seed meal (CTSM) on the performance of broiler chickens. An eight-week feeding trial involving two hundred and eighty eight (288), day-old chicks purchased from a reputable chick dealer in Uyo Metropolis was used for the study. Four experimental diets each of raw and oven-dried CTSM was formulated such that diets 1, 2, 3, and 4 contained 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% CTSM respectively. The birds were randomly assigned to the eight dietary treatments of 36 birds each. A treatment was replicated thrice, with 12 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The parameters evaluated were body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and blood parameters. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), using SPSS version 20. The results showed that the dietary treatments significantly influenced the growth indices. Weight gain was highest at 10% inclusion of raw CTSM and also at 15% inclusion of oven-dried CTSM. Feed intake response was highest at 10% inclusion of raw CTSM and 15% inclusion of oven-dried CTSM while feed conversion ratio (FCR) was greatly improved at these inclusion levels. The inclusion of raw and oven-dried CTSM at 10% and 15% respectively did not adversely affect carcass qualities and organs. Inclusion of raw CTSM up to 15% adversely affected carcass quality and haematological parameters. Also, haematological parameters of broiler chicken were best at 10% and 15% inclusion of raw and oven-dried CTSM respectively. When all parameters were considered, performance of broiler chickens was best at 10% inclusion of raw CTSM and 15% inclusion of oven-dried CTSM. It is therefore recommended that raw CTSM can only be incorporated into the diets of broiler chickens up to 10% without any detrimental effect. But oven-dried CTSM can be incorporated up to 15% without any detrimental effect. &nbsp

A Review of Environmental Implications of Dredging Activities

Dredging is a global anthropogenic excavation activity of removing sediments from water bodies and depositing it elsewhere. It is a mixed blessing as it has both beneficial and adverse impacts. This paper is on a review of environmental implications of dredging. The objective of the paper is to review previous works by researchers on the environmental consequences of dredging. The method used is a review of academic/journal articles, internet materials, conference / workshop papers, textbooks, bulletins and publicly available materials on dredging activities. The results of the study revealed that previous authors whose works were reviewed have a convergent view that apart from the beneficial impacts of dredging (e.g. keeping waterways navigable, flood and storm protection and provision of materials for road construction and building), it has lots of adverse environmental impacts, including environmental pollution, erosion, widespread hydrological changes, reduction in the population of aquatic lives like destruction of fish spawning grounds and benthic organisms and resuspension of particulate matter column that has elevated levels of lead, copper, zinc and nickel in Phytoplankton. Recommendations of the study include: (1) establishment of environmental legislations and regulations for dredging operation; (2) use of green technology in dredging activities to minimize suspension of sediments and contamination/pollution of dredging environments; and (3) creation of awareness among dredging contractors, regulators and marine communities where dredging take place on the economic and ecological values of the marine ecosystems that are usually very sensitive, fragile and productive