Coulomb correlations of a few body system of spatially separated charges

A Hartree-Fock and Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov study of a few body system of spatially separated charge carriers was carried out. Using these variational states, we compute an approximation to the correlation energy of a finite system of electron-hole pairs. This energy is shown as a function of the Coulomb coupling and the interplane distance. We discuss how the correlation energy can be used to theoretically determine the formation of indirect excitons in semiconductors which is relevant for collective phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC).Comment: Conference EDISON16 (2009), 4 page

TEACHERS’ USE OF VISUAL AIDS IN ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BARKIN-LADI, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated teachers’ use of visual aids in enhancing the teaching and learning process in the public primary schools Barkin-Ladi, Plateau State in Nigeria. The researchers employed a combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches: survey and phenomenology. The study targeted public primary school teachers, pupils, head teachers, heads of sections, and supervisors. The researcher used stratified random sampling technique, and non-probability purposive random sampling method. The sample size of the study was: 254 teachers, 391 pupils, 90 head teachers, 3 heads of sections and 13 supervisors. Descriptive statistics: frequencies, percentages, and inferential statistics were used. The findings revealed that the use of different types of visual aids like real objects, diagrams, charts, flashcards, maps and drawings was appropriate to all subjects and relevant to the teaching and learning process. The study recommended that: The study recommended that: there is need for refresher courses, workshops, and conferences for the teachers to improve their skill of using different types of visual aids to the needs of the public primary school pupils, the government should help the public primary schools’ teachers by providing enough visual aids to use during the teaching and learning process, the education office should ensure that close supervision and monitoring of teachers is done promptly to ensure that the teachers use right materials to facilitate the teaching and learning process, and the head of department quality assurance, personnel manager, head of primary education section, supervisors, can also liaise with the head teachers to ensure that teachers are using different types of visual aids and redirect more resources for them, to improve teachers’ utilization and improvisation of different types of visual aids head teachers should monitor and ensure that teachers are using different types of visual aids. Article visualizations

Emergency Department Utilization: A Qualitative Analysis of Illinois Medical Home Network Patients.

Background Inappropriate emergency department (ED) use continues to plague healthcare in terms of disease management and costs. In 2012, the State of Illinois implemented Medical Home Network (MHN) where Medicaid recipients were assigned to primary care providers to, in part, reduce overreliance on EDs. However, MHN patients have continued to use EDs. Objective The purpose of this study is to provide a qualitative analysis of Medicaid patient-identified barriers to primary care, facilitators of emergency use, and related mental health and psychosocial factors. Methods Patients who presented themselves at the ED located at an urban, academic medical center participated in one-time, individual interviews. Participants arrived with non-urgent, minor, or moderate acuity. Interviews were digitally audiorecorded and transcribed for data analysis. Researchers analyzed data using the Grounded Theory approach. Results Four themes were identified: 1) barriers related to visiting a primary care provider (not having an appointment and scheduling issues), 2) elements of ED use (the experience of physical pain), 3) mental health and stress (a lack of willingness to discuss mental health issues), and 4) varying perceptions of primary care and the ED (the ED provides care that is fast, solution-oriented, team-based, and patient-centered within an environment containing necessary equipment). Conclusions Findings may inform interventions such as the use of community health workers as liaisons between MHN, the ED, primary care, and patients. Addressing patient perceptions regarding the role of primary care and stigma surrounding mental health can lead to decreasing ED use and increasing continuous primary care use for vulnerable patients

Habitat Conditions in a Continuously Grazed Wildlife Sanctuary in Kenya

Changes in structure and composition of herbaceous vegetation in rangelands often result from effects of continuous grazing by large herbivores. The structure and composition of herbaceous vegetation were assessed in various vegetation types in Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary. Data were collected using Stratified sampling method, Line transect method, Quadrat method, Disc Pasture Meter method and Descending Step Point method. The study recorded a total of eight grass species belonging to three ecological categories, namely; decreaser, increaser I and increaser II. Frequency distribution of the ecological categories of grasses differed significantly across the vegetation types, with the exception of Sporobolus fimbriatus grassland and Acacia xanthophloea woodland, which were exclusively dominated by S. fimbriatus Nees ex Trin grass. Increaser II species; Cynodon dactylon L., S. fimbriatus Nees ex Trin and Harpachne schimperi Hoschst dominated in all the vegetation types, except for wooded grassland, which was dominated by Pennisetum stramineum Peter, an increaser I species. Cenchrus ciliaris L. occurred at low frequencies (< 50%) in wooded grassland and C. ciliaris grassland. Grass standing crop, grass basal cover, grass height and inter-tuft distance between grass swards also varied across the vegetation types. All the vegetation types, except wooded grassland indicated conditions of over-utilization. Wooded grassland indicated conditions of under-utilization. We suggested restoration of vegetation types dominated by increaser species through reseeding using increaser species such as Cenchrus ciliaris L., Themada triandra and Penicum maximum. We also suggested monitoring of occurrences and distribution of Cenchrus ciliaris L. species and other native decreaser species in Amboseli ecosystem and in similar ecosystems in Kenya. Keywords: Continuous grazing, Grass species, Ecological categories, Vegetation types, Keny

The Relationship between Grassland Composition on Stemborer Abundance on Grasses Surrounding Maize Farms

Grasslands are known to host crop pests and may act as the reservoir of pests affecting maize production. This research aimed at determining the effect of grassland composition on abundance of stemborers on grasses sorrouding maize farms in western Kenya. The experimental set up followed a complete random block design (CRBD); with four elevations at Lambwe, Homabay, Luanda and Mt. Elgon assigned as blocks based on different altitudes. Sampling was done in two seasons, during the short rain season of 2019 and the long rain season of 2020. Grasslands surrounding four pairs of push-pull and non-push-pull maize farms were assessed. Data on grass species diversity and the corresponding number of stemborers were collected from five quadrates per transect of 500m, for 4 transects per farm. The four transects originated from the midpoint of push-pull and non-push pull maize farm. A mixed design analysis of variance was used to test for variance within the elevation’s variability. The most common types of grasses surrounding most of the maize farms were mainly Cynadon dactylon and Immensis spp. These results point at the role of grasslands surrounding maize farms as reservoirs for the stem borers which need to be managed to reduce stem borer and fall armyworm infestations in the surrounding maize farms

Screening of alternative technologies to incineration for treatment of chemical-agent-contaminated soil

As part of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, RMA has contracted Argonne National Laboratory to investigate potential remedial alternatives for the cleanup of agent-contaminated soils. The chemical agents of concern include levinstein mustard, lewisite, sarin, and VX. This investigation has been initially divided into three phases: (1) a literature search to determine what, if any, previous studies have been conducted; (2) a technologies-screening critique of remedial technologies as alternatives to incineration; and (3) an investigation of promising alternatives on RMA soil at the laboratory and bench-scale levels. This paper summarizes the document produced as a result of the technologies screening. The purpose of the document was to determine the applicability of 25 technologies to remediation of agent-contaminated soil for a general site. Technologies were critiqued on the basis of applicability to soil type, applicability to the agents of concern at RMA, applicability to other types of contaminants, cost of the treatment, current status of the technology, and residuals produced

Identification of Robust Microsatellite Markers for Wild Pig Fecal DNA

Collection of fecal samples for use in a genetic capture-mark-recapture framework has become popular as a noninvasive method of monitoring wildlife populations. A major caveat to this process, however, is that fecal samples often yield low quality DNA that is prone to genotyping errors, potentially leading to biases in population parameter estimation. Therefore, considerable care is required to identify robust genetic markers, especially in hot or humid conditions that may accelerate DNA degradation. We identified microsatellite loci in wild pig (Sus scrofa) fecal samples that were robust and informative within warm, humid ecosystems. To examine how degradation affected genotyping success, we sampled pig feces across 5 days and calculated how the number of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycles required to reach the fluorescent threshold (Ct) changed over time. We identified 17 microsatellite loci that had high polymorphism and amplification success and low genotyping error rates (0–0.050 per locus). In the degradation experiment, Ct increased over the 5 days, but in the absence of rain, the majority of samples produced accurate genotypes after 5 days (2,211/2,550 genotypes). Based on the high amplification success and low error rates, even after 5 days of exposure to warm, humid conditions, these loci are useful for estimating population parameters in pig fecal samples

Sonografski prikaz dimenzija bubrega u bolesnika s esencijalnom hipertenzijom u sveučilišnoj bolnici Abubakar Tafawa Balewa u gradu Bauchi u Nigeriji

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the commonest non-communicable diseases worldwide; it is the second most common cause of end-stage renal disease. Objective: To evaluate the renal dimensions and volume of essential hypertension patients in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi and to compare the dimensions with that of apparently healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods: A total of two hundred and eleven individuals (comprising 121 females and 90 males) with essential hypertension attending an outpatient clinic in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi, and an equal number of healthy volunteers (comprising of 172 females and 49 males) were studied as controls. Both the healthy volunteers and the Hypertensive patients’ renal length, renal width, antero-posterior diameter, and parenchymal thickness were assessed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0) was used for data analysis. Results: Study show the mean renal length for hypertensive patients to be 9.1 ± 0.79 cm and 9.1 ± 0.73 cm, the mean renal width of 3.5 ± 0.48 cm and 3.8 ± 0.68 cm, and mean renal volume of 87.22 ± 19.58 cm3 and 95.08 ± 22.93 cm3 for the right and left kidneys respectively. Results equally show statistically significant difference in anteroposterior diameter (p<0.05), parenchymal thickness (p<0.05) and renal volume (p<0.05) between the hypertensive group and the volunteer group for both right and left kidneys. Conclusion: This study has established baseline renal dimensions for hypertensive in our population (Bauchi Metropolis). The hypertensive subjects showed a decrease in renal anteroposterior diameter, parenchymal thickness and volume compared to control group.Uvod: Hipertenzija je jedna od najčešćih nezaraznih bolesti u svijetu; drugi je najčešći uzrok završnog stadija bubrežne bolesti. Cilj: Procijeniti dimenzije bubrega i bubrežni volumen kod hipertenzivnih bolesnika u Sveučilišnoj bolnici Abubakar Tafawa Balewa u gradu Bauchi i usporediti ih s dimenzijama kod naizgled zdravih ispitanika koji su se dobrovoljno javili za sudjelovanje u istraživanju. Materijali i metode: Uzorak se sastojao od dvjesto jedanaest ispitanika (121 žena i 90 muškaraca) koji boluju od esencijalne hipertenzije i na ambulantnom su liječenju u Sveučilišnoj bolnici Abubakar Tafawa Balewa u gradu Bauchi i jednakog broja zdravih ispitanika (172 žene i 49 muškaraca), koji su bili kontrolna skupina. Proučavana je duljina i širina bubrega, anteroposteriorni promjer i debljina parenhima kod ispitanika s hipertenzijom i kod zdravih ispitanika. Za analizu podataka primijenjen je statistički paket za društvene znanosti (SPSS verzija 20.0). Rezultati: Studija pokazuje da je prosječna dužina bubrega kod hipertenzivnih bolesnika 9,1 ± 0,79 cm i 9,1 ± 0,73 cm, prosječna bubrežna širina 3,5 ± 0,48 cm i 3,8 ± 0,68 cm, a prosječni bubrežni volumen 87,22 ± 19,58 cm3 i 95,08 ± 22,93 cm3 za desni i lijevi bubreg pojedinačno. Rezultati također pokazuju statistički značajnu razliku u anteroposteriornom promjeru (p < 0,05), debljini parenhima (p < 0,05) i bubrežnom volumenu (p < 0,05) između hipertenzivne skupine i kontrolne skupine za desni i lijevi bubreg. Zaključak: Ovom su studijom utvrđene osnovne bubrežne dimenzije kod hipertenzivnih bolesnika u populaciji grada Bauchi, glavnog grada Savezne države Bauchi u Nigeriji. Kod ispitanika koji boluju od hipertenzije ustanovljeno je smanjenje anteroposteriornog promjera bubrega, debljine parenhima i bubrežnog volumena u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom