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Study of the Optical, Electrical, Structural and Morphological Properties of Electrodeposited Lead Manganese Sulphide (PbMnS) Thin Film Semiconductors for Possible Device Applications
Get PDFSemiconductor thin films of lead manganese sulphide (PbMnS) have been successfully deposited on florinated tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass substrate using an electrodeposition method. Lead acetate (Pb(CH3COO)2), manganese sulphate (MnSO4.H2O) and thiourea (CH4N2S) were the precursor used for lead (Pb2+), manganese (Mn2+) and sulphur (S2-) sources respectively. The concentration of manganese (Mn2+) was varied while keeping the concentrations of Pb2+ and S2- constant at 0.2 M and 0.1 M respectively. The deposited films were annealed at temperature of 250 oC and subjected for optical, electrical, structural and morphological characterizations. The results of the characterizations showed that the deposited thin films of PbMnS have high absorbance, high absorption coefficient throughout VIS and NIR regions. The band gap energy of the films is tuned to the order of 1.9 eV to 2.0 eV and tends to constant as concentration of Mn2+ increased. The electrical properties (electrical resistivity and conductivity) of the films are dependent on the concentration of Mn2+ and film thickness. The range of values of the electrical properties is found to be within the range of values for semiconductor materials. The XRD analysis revealed that the deposited thin films of PbMnS is crystalline but the crystallinity declined with increase in concentration of Mn2+. The SEM morphology showed that the surfaces of the films are highly homogeneous in nature and particle sizes are uniform on the substrate with the majority of the particles been spherical in shape. These observed properties exhibited by the deposited thin films of PbMnS make the films good materials for many optoelectronic and electronic applications such as solar cell, light emitting diode (LED), photodetector etc
Influence of Weight Bearing Dorsiflexion (WBDF) on Ankle Injury History Among Semi-professional Recreational Basketball Players
Get PDFAnkle injuries are one of the most common occurrences in the field of sports. Weight bearing dorsiflexion range can be an effecting factor in ankle injuries. Weight bearing lunge test is used to assess weight bearing dorsiflexion. By using this test as a standard testing protocol, it is possible to minimize development of further sport related ankle injuries. But this test for basketball players with ankle injuries has not been studied yet. The current study will aim to examine the weight bearing dorsiflexion of basketball players related to their gender, ankle injury history and leg dominance. A quasi-experimental design study was conducted. Thirty-four (34) participants were recruited and initially and two (2) were excluded. 18 participants were male and 14 were female basketball players in Colombo Blues and Kotelawala Defence University basketball teams. The average of age of the sample was 21.8 years. Demographic data, information about training time, injury history of the participants was obtained using an interview administered assessment form. The Weight Bearing Dorsiflexion was measured using digital inclinometer. Findings indicated that the weight bearing dorsiflexion range is smaller than that of males (p>0.05). There was a significant difference in weight bearing dorsiflexion and ankle injury history (p<0.01) among players. Significant differences were seen in influence in leg dominance to weight bearing dorsiflexion (p<0.05). This is the first study that is investigated weight bearing dorsiflexion among basketball players in Sri Lanka. No significant difference was found between gender and weight bearing dorsiflexion. A significant difference was determined between ankle injury history and weight bearing dorsiflexion. Furthermore, a significant difference was found in leg dominance and weight bearing dorsiflexion
Formal and Non-formal Skills Improvement for the Marginalised Youth in Uganda
Get PDFThe aim of the article was to explore ways in which formal and non-formal skills development programmes can be improved for education continuity and employability of marginalised youth. This is attributed to the fact that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with its related lockdowns is causing not only unprecedented disruption in the provision of skills, but also catalysed innovation in distance learning. A qualitative case study with some elements of action research, systematic inquiry and non-participant classroom observation with capability and empowerment theories supported the inquiries. Thematic analysis was used. Results reveal that while access to skills development was maintained in some spaces through a rapid shift to distance learning, the pre-existing social and digital divides deprived marginalized groups of continued learning and putting them behind schedule. Many institutions and learners lack operational distance-learning platforms, digital skills and devices. Save for the few exceptions, distance learning policies by the government have not yet been able to facilitate the acquisition of practical skills, which are critical components for the success of education and employability. Evidence points not only to pedagogical dimensions with educator’s incompetence to provide a supportive environment, but also to designing structured educational resources versus the abundance of online resources, disruptions to assessment and certification, and a general decline in the quality of practical training causing demotivation among learners and educators. The general increased economic hardship has also increased the likelihood of marginalised youth dropping out of education. The study recommends a robust shift on how skills are delivered-shift to digital literacy and adoption to technology, forge national and regional public private partnerships to increase the availability of accessible distance learning solutions, allocate more financial resources, develop new training programmes by marrying curricula to real life working situations, assess and certify online for educational continuity and employability
Deductive Models of Policy Implementation and their Impact on Policy Outcome: A Critical Assessment
Get PDFDeductive models of policy implementation emerged as a response to the inability of inductive approaches to provide nuanced theories of policy implementation and performance. They are said to be parsimonious and precise in studying complex social interactions. Hence, over the last decade or so, there has been ascending interest in the use of deductive approaches to get deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which policy implementation is more likely to succeed. However, giving the fact that numerous programs and policies continue to fail despite being replicated from the best deductive models, one is entitled to wonder: what is the true value of these models? And how effective are they in translating the intentions of policymakers into desired policy outcomes? The present contribution seeks to provide answers to these questions by first, discussing some hands-on deductive models of policy implementation and second, analyzing the potential of each model, their strengths, their weaknesses, and appropriate contexts for use. To reach these aims, the study utilized the Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT) to gauge the assumptions of each of the following models: the Rational, Management, Organizational Development, Political, and Bureaucratic Process. The results have shown that, although deductive models of policy implementation (or at least, the models here-in discussed) seem to offer tangible promises to deliver more accurate and nuanced explanations of policy action, they fall short to combine the three criteria of Motivation, Information, and Power, necessary for any candidate model of policy implementation to be deemed effective. The results have also shown that an integrated model, one that combines the strengths of all the above cited models, but none of their weaknesses, could be a credible offer of a successful theory of policy implementation
COVID-19 Pathophysiology and Clinical Effects on Multiple Organ Systems - A Narrative Review
Get PDFPatients with comorbidities including Hypertension (HTN), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and those who are immunocompromised are prone to more severe complications of COVID-19 and a higher rate of hospitalizations. In the United States, around 94% of COVID-19 deaths had an average of 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death. In a summary report published by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of 72,314 cases, case-fatality rate was elevated among those with preexisting comorbid conditions—10.5% for cardiovascular disease, 7.3% for diabetes, 6.3% for chronic respiratory disease, 6.0% for HTN, and 5.6% for cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten people and healthcare systems globally and therefore the global economy. Currently, there is no cure or vaccine for COVID-19 and there is an urgent need to develop target therapies as we continue to learn more about this novel virus. Without therapeutic interventions, much of how we contain the viral spread is prevention through mitigation strategies (social distancing, face masks, supportive care). Early suspicion of COVID-19 symptoms with radiological and laboratory assessments may play a major role in preventing severity of the COVID-19. With this literature review we aim to provide review of pathophysiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its clinical effects on multiple organ systems
A Consolidated Method for Selective Isolation of Actinomycetes Based on Choice of Substrate
Get PDFActinomycetes are known as filamentous, Gram positive bacteria. They form the majority of the microbial load in various niches; soils, composts, etc. The study aimed to evaluate the method of isolating slow growing actinomycetes from four different sources: garden soil, cow dung manure compost, floral waste compost, and floral waste vermicompost. In this study, an integrated method consisting of physical and chemical pretreatment of the sample and the use of selective media was used to isolate actinomycetes. Physical treatment includes air drying, sun drying, dry heating in an oven, and moist heat treatment, whereas chemical treatment includes enrichment of the sample with CaCO3 followed by plating on actinomycetes-specific media with the incorporation of antibacterial and antifungal antibiotics. The actinomycetes count on the plate was reported in CFU/gm of dry wt. Morphological and microscopic characteristics of purified isolates were noted. The results were compared, and it was found that the pretreatment method of a particular sample depends on the choice of substrate. Overall, physical treatment followed by chemical enrichment showed relatively higher counts on the plate and better results. Here we also found the dominance of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. in case samples from vermicompost. The study can be of great importance in isolating novel and rare genera of actinomycetes. These methods can help speed up the isolation and screening of novel actinomycetes which will ultimately be important for the discovery of antibiotics and other industrially vital bioactive compounds
Applications of Ultrafiltration, Reverse Osmosis, Nanofiltration, and Microfiltration in Dairy and Food Industry
Get PDFFood industry is the place to convert raw edible materials to processed foods. Processing foods involves standardization, removal of unnecessary components, addition of essential components, thermal treatments etc. Membrane processes help enhancing the food primely in terms of keeping quality, nutritional value, component recovery and by-products utilization. Feed is given to the membrane system while retentate and permeate are obtained. Components of food can be separated according to size, charge and other characteristics using various membrane processes. The major ones are Ultrafiltration, Reverse Osmosis, Nanofiltration and Microfiltration which are done either single or in combination of more than one process and also in addition with processes such as electrodialysis and vacuum membrane distillation. These processes act as step(s) in the operating procedure of a food or as an alternative method to process the same food with better quality
A Review on Various Analytical Methodologies for Etoricoxib
Get PDFEtoricoxib belongs to the class of highly selective COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs. It is mostly used for the treatment of pain, arthritic conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The current study focuses primarily on analytical and bioanalytical method development methodologies, as well as numerous methods established for the estimation of etoricoxib, whether in pharmaceutical dose form or in bulk. Analytical procedures are critical for determining compositions, as they allow us to obtain both qualitative and quantitative results utilising advanced analytical tools. The analytical method for Etoricoxib may be chromatographic, electrochemical, spectral or hyphenated. These methods aid in the comprehension of critical process parameters as well as the minimization of their impact on precision and accuracy. Analytical method development is required to sustain high commercial product quality standards and to meet regulatory requirements. Following the reference, regulatory organisations in several nations have established standards and procedures for providing approval, authentication, and registration. Bioanalytical methods are designed to quantify the concentration of drug, metabolite, or typical biomarkers from various biological fluids including serum, urine, saliva and tissue extracts
Leveraging Technology in Doctoral Supervision: A Complementary Approach in Kenya’s Institutions of Higher Learning
Get PDFThis paper examines previous empirical studies on adoption of emerging technologies in supervising doctoral students. The conceptual framework highlights the relationship between technology use and enhancing quality of supervision process, borrowing greatly from the theory of change methodology. It highlights the challenges and benefits analysis on the use of technology. The aim of this paper is to examine the efficacies of integration of the technology into the supervision process. As a result, it will provide students, supervisors, colleges of graduate boards, training institutions of higher learning, and regulatory bodies with a framework of incorporating the use of technology, based on needs assessment of respective doctoral supervision process
The Potential of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Peels as an Organic Fertilizer
Get PDFCassava peels are in large quantity and practically of no economic value in many developing nations such as Cameroon, where cassava is widely consumed and processed far beyond other crops. Cassava peels might be used in those countries to face declining soil fertility and soil erosion. This study aimed to evaluate the composting of cassava peels and the effect of the increasing quantity of cassava peels in the bin during the process of composting and to assess some physico-chemical qualities, biological properties and the phytotoxicity of the produced composts. After three months of composting the produced composts (C1; C2; C3 and C4) had a dark brown color, relatively dry, uniform structure and its texture were similar to the soil's texture. The electrical conductivity of the various composts was in between 1499 and 1924 µS.cm-1. The pH (6.50-6.73), was slightly acid, favorable for the cultivation of sweet pepper. The composts were rich in minerals (Mg2+; Ca2+; K+; and Na+) and poor in heavy metals such as (Cu, Zn and Mn). The composts C/N ratios were between 13.15 to 13.42. The produced composts showed a germination index and the rate of germination higher than 80% at all amounts, indicating the absence of phytotoxicity. The increased amounts of cassava peels did not alter the process of composting and increased the fungal and bacterial populations. In conclusion, cassava peels are good substrates that can be used to produce stable and inclusive organic fertilizers, with high nutrient content, and less hazardous material which could be used in farms to remediate declining soil fertility and to promote sustainable agriculture