Neuroticism and introversion personality charateristics and adolescents’ school social adjustment in a social inclusion in northern education zone of Cross River State

This study was undertaken to determine the influence of Neuroticism and introversion Personality Factors on Adolescents’ School Social Adjustment in a social Inclusion Education, in Northern Education Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. The sample for the study consists of one thousand and eighteen (1018) students who were randomly selected from senior secondary one classes (SS1) in nineteen (19) purposively selected schools out of the seventy-three (73) schools in the study area. The researcher adopted a causal comparative design also known as the ex-post facto, and data were collected using NEO-PI scale and school social adjustment questionnaire as the main instrument. To guide the study, two research questions were raised and two statement of hypotheses were postulated and tested at 0.05 levels of significant using independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistic. The results from the analyzed data indicated that there is significant difference of neuroticism on early adolescent’s school social adjustment. Sidak post hoc test was performed to show where the difference lies; also, introverts significantly differ from extroverts regarding their school social adjustment. In view of the above findings, it was concluded that Neuroticism factor is significantly related to adolescents’ school social adjustment in the study area in an inclusive education. It was recommended among others, that the effort of teachers, parents, educational psychologist, guidance counselors and the government are needful in all secondary schools to help students overcome the problem of poor adjustments in schools

Hepatoprotective effect of methanol extract of Senna occidentalis seeds in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxic rats

Effect of methanol seed extract of Senna occidentalis in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic damage in Wistar albino rats was investigated. Biochemical parameters such as serum AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase), ALT (Alanine Amino Transferase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and Total proteins were determined. The level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) and the liver antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Catalase were also determined. Phytochemical screening and subsequent quantification reveal the presence of bioactive compounds such as Flavonoids (0.27±0.01mg/g), Phenols (0.79±0.021 mg/g), Tannins (0.87±0.03mg/g) and Alkaloids (62.57±2.35mg/g). The level of AST, ALT, and ALP significantly increased in CCL4 induced groups. However, the administration of methanol extract of S. occidentalis at 100mg/kg and 200mg/kgbw decreased (p<0.05) the activity of ALT, AST and ALP in the treated groups. The activity of SOD and CAT in the CCl4 induced group was decreased. Also, increase in the level of MDA in CCl4treated group was observed when compared with the normal group and this was decreased (p<0.05) on administration with methanol seed extract of Senna occidentalis at 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg (B/W). It can be concluded that methanol seeds extract of Senna occidentalis possess important phytoconstituents and hepatoprotective effect. Thus, the extract can be used as a potent therapeutic agent for the management of liver damage

Proximate compostion of various shea nut kernels

The proximate analysis carried out on shea nut kernel samples obtained from Illo . Kwanga and,  Kwere areas of Kebbi state  revealed  the following; Crude protein (g/100g)DM;  9.040.13­­­­­b, 10.000.18a and 10.2  0.40c respectively,  Moisture Content(g/100g) FP; 6.67 2.89a,  8.33  2.89a and 6.33 3.21a respectively, Ash Content (g/100g) DM; 4.00  1.73a, 5.67 1.15a and 6.33  3.40a respectively. Crude Lipid content (g/100g) DM; 2.28 0.39a, 1.48  0.18bc and 2.10  0.07b  respectively, Crude Fibre  (g/100g)DM; 0.50  0.14a, 0.33 0.04a and 0.45 0.35a respectively. Total Carbohydrate (g/100g) DM; 77.644.26ab, 74.29  1.66c, 78.54 4.58a respectively. The results showed adequate nutrients for both nutrition and health benefits

Nonlinear Volatility of River Flux Fluctuations

We study the spectral properties of the magnitudes of river flux increments, the volatility. The volatility series exhibits (i) strong seasonal periodicity and (ii) strongly power-law correlations for time scales less than one year. We test the nonlinear properties of the river flux increment series by randomizing its Fourier phases and find that the surrogate volatility series (i) has almost no seasonal periodicity and (ii) is weakly correlated for time scales less than one year. We quantify the degree of nonlinearity by measuring (i) the amplitude of the power spectrum at the seasonal peak and (ii) the correlation power-law exponent of the volatility series.Comment: 5 revtex pages, 6 page

Constraints on the Local Sources of Ultra High-Energy Cosmic Rays

Ultra high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are believed to be protons accelerated in magnetized plasma outflows of extra-Galactic sources. The acceleration of protons to ~10^{20} eV requires a source power L>10^{47} erg/s. The absence of steady sources of sufficient power within the GZK horizon of 100 Mpc, implies that UHECR sources are transient. We show that UHECR "flares" should be accompanied by strong X-ray and gamma-ray emission, and that X-ray and gamma-ray surveys constrain flares which last less than a decade to satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (i) L>10^{50} erg/s; (ii) the power carried by accelerated electrons is lower by a factor >10^2 than the power carried by magnetic fields or by >10^3 than the power in accelerated protons; or (iii) the sources exist only at low redshifts, z<<1. The implausibility of requirements (ii) and (iii) argue in favor of transient sources with L>10^{50} erg/s.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to JCA

Mechanical impact evaluation of natural fibres with LDPE plastic composites : waste management in perspective

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.There is increased enthusiasm towards the use of natural hair fibers for plastic reinforcement due to their toughness and light weight. In this research, low density polyethylene (LDPE) was reinforced using 0.25 ​M NaOH treated cow tail, human and sheep hair fibers at 2, 4, 6 and 8% concentration respectively prior to injection moulding. The average densities, diameters and lengths of hair fibres were assessed The results obtained from the analysis of reinforced LDPE composites indicated that cow tail hair gave the highest average density and diameter. Sheep hair had the highest length after grinding. The study also analyzed the ultimate tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, elongation, impact and hardness test on the polymer and their composites as well as the morphology and statistical analysis of the composite. This study indicated that human hair LDPE composites achieved highest flexural strength, flexural modulus, ultimate tensile strength and tensile modulus at 8% fibre loading whereas elongation at break and hardness were at 4% fibre loading while impact strength was at 2%. The cow tail hair LDPE composite gave the best impact strength at 8% fibre loading and sheep hair at 6%. The SEM results showed no serious manufacturing defects on the composites. The analysis of variance indicated that only the means of the composites’ flexural properties were statistically significant. This study shows that short animal hair fibres could be effectively used to reinforced LDPE, and therefore suggest an alternative waste management strategy of these natural fibres that are currently viewed as environmental nuisance in the study area.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/current-research-in-green-and-sustainable-chemistryhj2023Future Afric

Classifying the introduction pathways of alien species: are we moving in the right direction?

This paper emerged from the workshop on ‘Frameworks used in Invasion Science’ hosted by the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology in Stellenbosch, South Africa, 11–13 November 2019.Alien species are introduced to new regions in many different ways and for different purposes. A number of frameworks have been developed to group such pathways of introduction into discrete categories in order to improve our understanding of biological invasions, provide information for interventions that aim to prevent introductions, enable reporting to national and international organisations and facilitate the prediction of threats. The introduction pathway classification framework proposed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a global standard is comprised of six main categories and 44 sub-categories. However, issues have arisen with its implementation. In this position paper, we outline five desirable properties of an introduction pathway classification framework – it should be compatible (i.e. the level of detail of the categories is similar to that of the available data), actionable (i.e. categories link to specific interventions), general (i.e. categories are applicable across the contexts that are of interest (e.g. taxa, habitats and regions)), equivalent (i.e. categories are equivalent in their level of detail) and distinct (i.e. categories are discrete and easily distinguished) – termed the CAGED properties. The six main categories of the CBD framework have all of the CAGED properties, but the detailed sub-categories have few. Therefore, while the framework has been proposed by the CBD as a global standard and efforts have been made to put it into practice, we argue that there is room for improvement. We conclude by presenting scenarios for how the issues identified could be addressed, noting that a hybrid model might be most appropriate.The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFtE)http://www.pensoft.net/journals/neobiotaam2021Zoology and Entomolog

Tunneling Violates Special Relativity

Experiments with evanescent modes and tunneling particles have shown that i) their signal velocity may be faster than light, ii) they are described by virtual particles, iii) they are nonlocal and act at a distance, iv) experimental tunneling data of phonons, photons, and electrons display a universal scattering time at the tunneling barrier front, and v) the properties of evanescent, i.e. tunneling modes is not compatible with the special theory of relativity

Avoiding degenerate coframes in an affine gauge approach to quantum gravity

In quantum models of gravity, it is surmized that configurations with degenerate coframes could occur during topology change of the underlying spacetime structure. However, the coframe is not the true Yang--Mills type gauge field of the translations, since it lacks the inhomogeneous gradient term in the gauge transformations. By explicitly restoring this ``hidden" piece within the framework of the affine gauge approach to gravity, one can avoid the metric or coframe degeneracy which would otherwise interfere with the integrations within the path integral. This is an important advantage for quantization.Comment: 14 pages, Preprint Cologne-thp-1993-H