Evaluation of anti-diarrhoeal activity of L-citrulline in mice

Background: L-citrulline is a naturally occurring physiological non-essential amino acid that plays an important role in the metabolism and regulation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is important for physiologic processes of gastrointestinal tract, like motility and absorption. L citrulline is majorly synthesized in the small intestine and considered safe for consumption. However, there is paucity of literature on its anti-diarrhoeal effects. Hence, this study investigated the anti-diarrhoeal activity of L-citrulline in mice.Methods: Anti-diarrhoeal and anti-enteropooling effects of L-citrulline were evaluated by inducing diarrhoea and enteropooling with castor oil. The effect of L-citrulline on normal intestinal motility was also evaluated using charcoal maker. L-citrulline (300 and 600 mg/kg) was administered to test groups, Loperamide (5 mg/kg) was administered to the positive control groups and Normal saline (2ml/kg) was administered to negative control groups. All administrations were via oral route. The results were analyzed using one-way Analysis of variance and Dunnett's post-hoc test.Results: The control groups in all parameters evaluated showed typical diarrhoeal signs. Diarrhoea protections of 93.33% and 55.49% were observed at 300 and 600 mg/kg of L-Citrulline, respectively. L-Citrulline inhibited fluid accumulation by 35.88% and 28.27% at 300 and 600 mg/kg, respectively. The mean percentage distance travelled by the charcoal maker was inhibited by 13.76% and 2.62% at 300 and 600 mg/kg, of L-citrulline, respectively. The observed antidiarrhoeal effects of L-citrulline could be attributed to its ability to inhibit both intestinal motility and fluid accumulation in the mice.Conclusion: This study has shown that L-citrulline possess some anti-diarrhoeal potentials. However, there is need for further anti-diarrhoeal studies using other models and lower graded doses of L-Citrulline to further elucidate L-Citrulline anti-diarrhoeal mechanism of action.Keywords: L-citrulline, anti-diarrhoeal activity, Loperamide, castor oi

Structural, Mineralogical and Quantitative Characterizations of Compositions of Products Linked to Explosive Volcanic Eruption at Haleakala, USA

This research focused the analysis vis-à-vis structural, mineralogical and quantitative characterizations of the samples which appeared to be formed from leftover of volcanic eruption sourced from basaltic magma obtained from Haleakala Hill, USA. The results show the presence of natural minerals like pyrolusite, zincite, magnetite, quartz, and diopside with their compositional concentrations in the samples. The geophysical analysis done corroborates the results obtained from the Scanning Electron Micrograph, which confirms the porosity of one of the samples. The X-Ray Diffraction results reveal the average grain sizes of the samples to range between 16 nm and 25 nm. Sample 'A' showed 4.693% weight increase, while sample 'B' showed 7.724% when soaked for some days. This research project prospects in harnessing natural minerals from products of volcanic eruption, though an occurrence regarded as a natural disaster. The work suggests an alternative route to mining of minerals, by exploring the contents of the products of this so-called disaster. Keywords: Volcanoes; Minerals; Magma; Characterization; Mining; Explosio

Suitable Models for Describing Sulphate Desorption Kinetics in Selected Bauchi North Soils of Varying Parent Materials in the Nigerian Sudan Savanna

The modelling of sulphate desorption data is critical for a proper S diagnosis and fertilizer formulation to ensure profitable crop production. Five (5) models such as first-order, second-order, Elovich, fractional power, and parabolic diffusion were used to test the best model describing sulphate desorption kinetics in some soils from Bauchi-north, Sudan Savanna, Nigeria. To achieve this, soil samples were collected from three different parent materials namely Basement complex rock and two sedimentary rocks (Kerri-Kerri Formation and Chad Formation). The study showed that the parabolic diffusion and first-order models were found to describe S desorption data satisfactorily, characterized by relatively high R2 values and lowest S.E values by soil parent materials, respectively. While, the second-order, Elovich and Fractional power equations failed to describe the kinetics desorption of sulphate in all the studied soils, as judged by their high SE values. Therefore, the better fit of S desorption data to the first-order equation is an indication of probable ligand exchange of sulphate ion during the desorption process, and to parabolic diffusion equation suggests that diffusion-controlled phenomena are rate-limiting steps. Based on the findings, we concluded that the rate of sulphate desorption kinetics in these soils is mainly controlled by diffusion-controlled phenomena, which is critical for sulphate-based fertilizer formulations and applications

Metamaterial based design of compact UWB/MIMO monopoles antenna with characteristic mode analysis

In this article, a novel metamaterial inspired UWB/multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a circular metallic part which formed the patch and a partial ground plane. Metamaterial structure is loaded at the top side of the patches for bandwidth improvement and mutual coupling reduction. The proposed antenna provides UWB mode of operation from 2.6-12 GHz. The characteristic mode theory is applied to examine each physical mode of the antenna aperture and access its many physical parameters without exciting the antenna. Mode 2 was the dominant mode among the three modes used. Considering the almost inevitable presence of mutual coupling effects within compact multiport antennas, we developed an additional decoupling technique in the form of perturbed stubs, which leads to a mutual coupling reduction of less than 20 dB. Finally, different performance parameters of the system, such as envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), channel capacity loss (CCL), diversity gain, total active reflection coefficient (TARC), mean effective gain (MEG), surface current, and radiation pattern, are presented. A prototype antenna is fabricated and measured for validation

The Need to Accelerate Cloud Adoption in Developing Countries of Africa

Cloud computing is an emerging computing paradigm that has been made very easy to use and adopt as a result of complex technological abstraction. It increases the economic benefit of individuals and organizations by reducing cost of system operation and maintenance. This has made some countries to embrace the technology in order to compete in the global village. The consequences of slow adoption of this promising technology in African countries need to be addressed. This study shifts ground from slow adoption to strategies of rapid acceptance of cloud computing in African developing countries. It compared the cloud readiness and level of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) of four Non-African developing countries (China, India, Brazil and Mexico) against four African developing countries (Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya and Ghana). Results indicated that African developing countries are lagging behind. This places them in a competitive disadvantage in the economy of the information age. The study suggests that African developing countries need to invest and give proper legislative attention to cloud economy in order to close the digital divide that keeps on widening as time passes by

Circuit Modeling of Dual Band MIMO Diversity Antenna for LTE and X-Band Applications

This paper presents a study on developing a dual-band antenna equivalent circuit model for X-Band and LTE applications. MIMO antennas play a crucial role in modern wireless communication systems, and understanding their impedance behavior is essential. This work proposes a dual-band lumped equivalent circuit model, utilizing gradient optimization based on antenna-simulated S-parameters in Advanced Design System (ADS). The four radiating elements of the MIMO antenna are accurately modeled, considering their geometry and the defected ground structure (DGS) effect, which enhances the antenna's isolation and low correlation coefficient (ECC). The calculated lumped equivalent circuit model is validated through rigorous simulation and measurement data, demonstrating consistency with the expected results. The experimental measurements show measured isolation exceeding 20 dB while achieving a maximum realized gain of 5.9 dBi and an efficiency of 87%. The developed model holds promise for improving the design and performance of MIMO antennas for various applications

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Circuit Modeling of Dual Band MIMO Diversity Antenna for LTE and X-Band Applications

This paper presents a study on developing a dual-band antenna equivalent circuit model for X-Band and LTE applications. MIMO antennas play a crucial role in modern wireless communication systems, and understanding their impedance behavior is essential. This work proposes a dual-band lumped equivalent circuit model, utilizing gradient optimization based on antenna-simulated S-parameters in Advanced Design System (ADS). The four radiating elements of the MIMO antenna are accurately modeled, considering their geometry and the defected ground structure (DGS) effect, which enhances the antenna's isolation and low correlation coefficient (ECC). The calculated lumped equivalent circuit model is validated through rigorous simulation and measurement data, demonstrating consistency with the expected results. The experimental measurements show measured isolation exceeding 20 dB while achieving a maximum realized gain of 5.9 dBi and an efficiency of 87%. The developed model holds promise for improving the design and performance of MIMO antennas for various applications