Strategies of Assessing and Implementing Quality Assurance in Nigerian University Libraries

University Libraries play significant role towards achieving the teaching, learning and research needs of Universities. This they can do by quality assurance of their operations and services. This study examines thestrategies of assessing and implementing quality assurance in Nigerian University Libraries. The population for the study comprised the Nigerian University Librarians. Cluster random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 18 respondents from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to sample size, of the eighteen copies of the questionnaires administered only ten were duly completed and returned. Data collected were analyzed using frequency and  percentages. The findings of the study showed that methods, criteria, strategies, and mechanisms used for the assessment of the quality of the university libraries were not uniform. The main strategy used for implementation of quality assurance was integration of the library` services quality assurance agenda into the university structures and the quality assurance mechanisms available and used in Nigerian university libraries were programme accreditation and benchmarking of library systems. The paper amongst other things recommended that the criteria, method, strategies and mechanisms assessment of library information systems,resources and services in Nigeria university libraries should be unified for easy comparability

Project PROMETHEUS: Design and Construction of a Radio Frequency Quadrupole at TAEK

The PROMETHEUS Project is ongoing for the design and development of a 4-vane radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) together with its H+ ion source, a low energy beam transport (LEBT) line and diagnostics section. The main goal of the project is to achieve the acceleration of the low energy ions up to 1.5 MeV by an RFQ (352 MHz) shorter than 2 meter. A plasma ion source is being developed to produce a 20 keV, 1 mA H+ beam. Simulation results for ion source, transmission and beam dynamics are presented together with analytical studies performed with newly developed RFQ design code DEMIRCI. Simulation results shows that a beam transmission 99% could be achieved at 1.7 m downstream reaching an energy of 1.5 MeV. As the first phase an Aluminum RFQ prototype, the so-called cold model, will be built for low power RF characterization. In this contribution the status of the project, design considerations, simulation results, the various diagnostics techniques and RFQ manufacturing issues are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of the 2nd International Beam Instrumentation Conference 2013 (IBIC'13), 16-19 Sep 2013, WEPC02, p. 65

The PDZ domain of the SpoIVB serine peptidase facilitates multiple functions

During spore formation in Bacillus subtilis, the SpoIVB protein is a critical component of the sigma (K) regulatory checkpoint. SpoIVB has been shown to be a serine peptidase that is synthesized in the spore chamber and which self-cleaves, releasing active forms. These forms can signal proteolytic processing of the transcription factor sigma (K) in the outer mother cell chamber of the sporulating cell. This forms the basis of the sigma (K) checkpoint and ensures accurate sigma (K)-controlled gene expression. SpoIVB has also been shown to activate a second distinct process, termed the second function, which is essential for the formation of heat-resistant spores. In addition to the serine peptidase domain, SpoIVB contains a PDZ domain. We have altered a number of conserved residues in the PDZ domain by site-directed mutagenesis and assayed the sporulation phenotype and signaling properties of mutant SpoIVB proteins. Our work has revealed that the SpoIVB PDZ domain could be used for up to four distinct processes, (i) targeting of itself for trans proteolysis, (11) binding to the protease inhibitor BofC, (iii) signaling of pro-sigma (K) processing, and (iv) signaling of the second function of SpoIVB

Statics, metastable states and barriers in protein folding: A replica variational approach

Protein folding is analyzed using a replica variational formalism to investigate some free energy landscape characteristics relevant for dynamics. A random contact interaction model that satisfies the minimum frustration principle is used to describe the coil-globule transition (characterized by T_CG), glass transitions (by T_A and T_K) and folding transition (by T_F). Trapping on the free energy landscape is characterized by two characteristic temperatures, one dynamic, T_A the other static, T_K (T_A> T_K), which are similar to those found in mean field theories of the Potts glass. 1)Above T_A, the free energy landscape is monotonous and polymer is melted both dynamically and statically. 2)Between T_A and T_K, the melted phase is still dominant thermodynamically, but frozen metastable states, exponentially large in number, appear. 3)A few lowest minima become thermodynamically dominant below T_K, where the polymer is totally frozen. In the temperature range between T_A and T_K, barriers between metastable states are shown to grow with decreasing temperature suggesting super-Arrhenius behavior in a sufficiently large system. Due to evolutionary constraints on fast folding, the folding temperature T_F is expected to be higher than T_K, but may or may not be higher than T_A. Diverse scenarios of the folding kinetics are discussed based on phase diagrams that take into account the dynamical transition, as well as the static ones.Comment: 41 pages, LaTeX, 9 EPS figure

A quantitative map of nuclear pore assembly reveals two distinct mechanisms

Understanding how the nuclear pore complex (NPC) assembles is of fundamental importance to grasp the mechanisms behind its essential function and understand its role during evolution of eukaryotes1–4. While we know that at least two NPC assembly pathways exist, one during exit from mitosis and one during nuclear growth in interphase, we currently lack a quantitative map of their molecular events. Here, we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) calibrated live imaging of endogenously fluorescently-tagged nucleoporins to map the changes in composition and stoichiometry of seven major modules of the human NPC during its assembly in single dividing cells. This systematic quantitative map reveals that the two assembly pathways employ strikingly different molecular mechanisms, inverting the order of addition of two large structural components, the central ring complex and nuclear filaments. Our dynamic stoichiometry data allows us to perform the first computational simulation that predicts the structure of postmitotic NPC assembly intermediates

Uncovering the Unsung Hero of Sulu: Panglima Sayyadi’s Character Archetypes in Kissa

This study explores Panglima Sayyadi, the Tau Sug hero of Tapul Island, Sulu, Philippines, whose account was obtained from a kissa, an oral narrative passed down through generations in an unstructured form. It analyzes the character archetypes of the Tau Sug Hero to investigate his disposition as the commanding leader of the Sulu Forces against the colonizers’ imposition, as depicted by the old Tau Sug folks who recall his history. To reveal his characteristics, an archetypal literary criticism is employed in this study, which examines three classified character archetypes: The Ego Types, The Self Types, and The Soul Types. The results indicate that Panglima Sayyadi’s character was an amalgamation of the three motifs, being the Warrior and the Traditionalist of the Ego Type, the Leader and the Thinker of the Self Type, and the Revolutionary and the Visionary of the Soul Type, which implies his courage to defend and loyalty to his belief system. It can also be concluded that these archetypes are innate to his individuality as a Tau Sug

LoRa and Rotating Polarization Wave: Physical Layer Principles and Performance Evaluation

Link reliability and enhanced coverage are the primitive concerns of Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs) for suitability to critical Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Reliability is limited by the destructive multipath propagation, data rate and sensitivity, that ultimately limits the coverage range. LoRa by far is the predominant LPWAN operating on unlicensed spectrum. Despite its robust Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation, there is a severe degradation in its error performance particularly in hostile propagation environments, and an excessive reduction in coverage. Rotating Polarization Wave (RPW) is a potential LPWAN recently emerged to achieve a highly reliable IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. This is the first paper to provide comprehensive error performance comparison between LoRa and RPW. Okumura-Hata model is used for median path loss calculation. Shadowing and fast fading margins of RPW and LoRa are estimated. Effective gain of RPW is computed from error performance. Results have shown that LoRa offers a sensitivity of 23 dB higher than RPW under AWGN conditions. However, under fading conditions, RPW exhibits a sensitivity of 15 dB higher than LoRa. At a reference distance of 100 m, the maximum received signal strength of RPW is −39 dBm, which is 29 dB above LoRa. The maximum coverage distance attained by RPW is 15 km, which is 1.5 times of LoRa

ModBase, a database of annotated comparative protein structure models, and associated resources

ModBase (http://salilab.org/modbase) is a database of annotated comparative protein structure models. The models are calculated by ModPipe, an automated modeling pipeline that relies primarily on Modeller for fold assignment, sequence–structure alignment, model building and model assessment (http://salilab.org/modeller/). ModBase currently contains 10 355 444 reliable models for domains in 2 421 920 unique protein sequences. ModBase allows users to update comparative models on demand, and request modeling of additional sequences through an interface to the ModWeb modeling server (http://salilab.org/modweb). ModBase models are available through the ModBase interface as well as the Protein Model Portal (http://www.proteinmodelportal.org/). Recently developed associated resources include the SALIGN server for multiple sequence and structure alignment (http://salilab.org/salign), the ModEval server for predicting the accuracy of protein structure models (http://salilab.org/modeval), the PCSS server for predicting which peptides bind to a given protein (http://salilab.org/pcss) and the FoXS server for calculating and fitting Small Angle X-ray Scattering profiles (http://salilab.org/foxs)

Recommendations for accurate genotyping of SARS-CoV-2 using amplicon-based sequencing of clinical samples.

Genotyping of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been instrumental in monitoring viral evolution and transmission during the pandemic. The quality of the sequence data obtained from these genotyping efforts depends on several factors, including the quantity/integrity of the input material, the technology, and laboratory-specific implementation. The current lack of guidelines for SARS-CoV-2 genotyping leads to inclusion of error-containing genome sequences in genomic epidemiology studies. We aimed to establish clear and broadly applicable recommendations for reliable virus genotyping. We established and used a sequencing data analysis workflow that reliably identifies and removes technical artefacts; such artefacts can result in miscalls when using alternative pipelines to process clinical samples and synthetic viral genomes with an amplicon-based genotyping approach. We evaluated the impact of experimental factors, including viral load and sequencing depth, on correct sequence determination. We found that at least 1000 viral genomes are necessary to confidently detect variants in the SARS-CoV-2 genome at frequencies of ≥10%. The broad applicability of our recommendations was validated in over 200 clinical samples from six independent laboratories. The genotypes we determined for clinical isolates with sufficient quality cluster by sampling location and period. Our analysis also supports the rise in frequencies of 20A.EU1 and 20A.EU2, two recently reported European strains whose dissemination was facilitated by travel during the summer of 2020. We present much-needed recommendations for the reliable determination of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences and demonstrate their broad applicability in a large cohort of clinical samples