Effects of excitonic diffusion on stimulated emission in nanocrystalline ZnO

We present optically-pumped emission data for ZnO, showing that high excitation effects and stimulated emission / lasing are observed in nanocrystalline ZnO thin films at room temperature, although such effects are not seen in bulk material of better optical quality. A simple model of exciton density profiles is developed which explains our results and those of other authors. Inhibition of exciton diffusion in nanocrystalline samples compared to bulk significantly increases exciton densities in the former, leading, via the nonlinear dependence of emission in the exciton bands on the pump intensity, to large increases in emission and to stimulated emission

Understanding the Concept of Formality in Quality Risk Management

Formality in Quality Risk Management (QRM) is an interesting concept. What makes a QRM activity ‘formal’ and what makes one ‘informal’? A simplistic viewpoint might be that formal is when a QRM tool is used to manage risks, and informal is when no such tool is used. But is it that simple? And are there different degrees of formality in QRM - is it a spectrum, or is it a binary concept? These questions are explored in this paper. Since the introduction of ICH Q9 in 2005, there have been discussions in the pharmaceutical industry and between regulators regarding the concept of formality in QRM. ICH Q9 presents two principles of Quality Risk Management, and one of those refers to formality – it states that “the level of effort, formality and documentation of the quality risk management process should be commensurate with the level of risk”. What formality in QRM means at a practical level is currently not clear. A lack of understanding of this concept has probably led to certain negative consequences – ranging from a lack of scientific rigour being applied during certain complex risk assessments, to the overuse of quite resource intensive and highly formalized QRM activities to address relatively straight forward GMP problems and risk questions. In response to this lack of clarity, regulators and industry representatives initiated work to explore the concept of formality in QRM, with a view to achieving a shared understanding as to what it means at a practical level. It was of interest that there was strong support expressed among industry and GMP inspectors for the use of less formal approaches to QRM. The primary outcome of that work is a set of suggested definitions for formal and less formal approaches to QRM. There are several anticipated benefits to this work – including that a better understanding of formality may lead to resources for QRM being used more efficiently – where lower risk issues are dealt with via less formal means, freeing up resources for managing higher risk issues and more complex problems, which usually require increased levels of rigour and effort

Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with Raw Groundnut Seeds Sold at Four major markets in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

The isolation and identification of fungi associated with raw groundnut seeds obtained from four major markets in Port Harcourt Metropolis was carried out in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology Laboratory (Pathology unit) in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) using standard procedures. The identified fungal isolates include Aspergillus, Penicilium, Mucor, Rhizopus and Fusarium species. Aspergillus spp. with a mean value of 2.0 was the predominant fungi (P<0.05) identified followed by Fusarium spp. (1.1) and the least was Penicillium spp. (0.5). Mile three market recorded the highest (P<0.05) fungal incidence with a mean value of 1.44, followed by Mile one market (1.40) and the lowest was Rumuokoro market (0.70).  Large seeds were more prone to fungal contamination with a mean of 1.2 than small seeds (1.0). Similarly, unwholesome seeds recorded the highest (P<0.05) amount of fungal incidence with a mean of 1.7 than wholesome seeds (0.5). Public awareness should be carried out on personal hygiene of food vendors, market sanitation, storage conditions and management practices for improving the quality of raw groundnut seeds sold in Port Harcourt markets to reduce contamination level. Keywords: Raw groundnut, seed size, healthiness, market and Fungi

Road safety, alcohol consumption and visual function of motor bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

Causes of road traffic accidents (RTA) in developing nations have been attributed in part, to poor vision due to excessive alcohol consumption. This cross-sectional study assessed the visual acuity of 230 male motor-bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, and their potentials for alcohol abuse, using the cluster sampling technique.A semi-structured interviewer/self administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, road traffic accidents and alcohol use, while visual acuity was assessed with a Snellens chart. Results showed good right and left eye vision among 68.3% and 71.3% of the riders respectively, but visual impairment was observed among 25.2% (right) and 26.5% (left) of the riders, and the impairment was severe among 6.5% (right) and 2.2% (left) of them. Up to 69.57% had potential for alcohol abuse, while 5.22% and 25.22% had borderline or no potential for alcohol abuse respectively. About half of the respondents (118; 51.3%) have had a road traffic accident in the last one year and there was a statistically significant association between visual acuity and road traffic accidents (P = 0.000). Although majority of respondents had good visual acuity and a high potential for alcohol abuse, there involvement in road traffic accidents was low.Keywords: Poor vision, Visual acuity, Road traffic accident, Alcohol abus

Medical cost of Lassa fever treatment in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

This cross-sectional study sought to estimate the direct medical cost of Lassa fever treatment on patients in South-South  Nigeria. All the 73 confirmed Lassa fever cases admitted in the isolation ward of the Institute Of Lassa Fever Research and  Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) Irrua, in Edo State, Nigeria, between May 2015 and May 2016 were  studied. A checklist was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics and medical cost incurred by the  patients. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The average total direct cost for Lassa fever treatment  was N86,802.63 per patient for the subsidized treatment and N205,558.99 per patient for the unsubsidized treatment.  Medications accounted for the highest unsubsidized payments (N86,929.55; 42.10%) while hospital care accounted for the  highest cost component of he subsidized payments (N19,756.51; 22.76%). Up to 84.28% of medication and 70.8% of  investigations was subsidized making a total of 57.77% subsidy in the average total payments per patient. For an average  Nigerian, direct cost of treatment of Lassa fever is still expensive despite subsidy in medications and investigations.  Therefore efforts geared towards reducing the economic burden of Lassa fever on patients and their families are advocated.Keywords: Lassa fever, medical cost, poverty-reduction, South-South Nigeri