AIJR Journals
Not a member yet
475 research outputs found
Sort by
Effect of Concentration Variation on Optical and Structural Properties of TiO2 Thin Films
Get PDFConcentrations in weight percent (5- 25 wt %) of TiO2 films used to optimize the film formation. The TiO2 films on glass substrates successfully obtained by spin-coating process using TiO2 nanopowder as precursor. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Electron Diffraction X-ray (EDX) and X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) techniques used to characterize the films. The result of electron transport material (TiO2) showed that film prepared from 15 wt % of TiO2 solution and annealed at 450 has highest transmittance at visible light region with indirect optical band gap of 3.24 eV which corresponds to wavelength of 382 nm whereas 20 wt % has indirect band gap of 2.99 nm equivalent to 414.7 nm . The chemical analysis from Electron Diffraction Spectroscopy (EDS) of the material shows titanium and oxygen present at L and K-shells, respectively. The sample crystallized with preferred orientation at (101) from XRD analysis
Differential Expression Analysis on Schizophrenia Dataset Suggests Pseudogene RNU6-505P as under Selective Pressure
Get PDFSchizophrenia is one of the 15 leading causes of disability worldwide. About 1% of the global population has schizophrenia, with 10% of premature mortality chance. Schizophrenia is therefore associated with significant health, social and economic concerns. In this context, thalamus and striatum areas play important roles as much in schizophrenia as processing information before reaching the conscious thought: step happening soon in the creativity action. Creativity is defined by psychological scientists as the generation of ideas or products that are both original and valuable. Creativity relies on imagination and this fundamental human ability remains understudied in comparison to other important psychological phenomena. It is natural to ask whether the gene expression profiling of samples from schizophrenic patients could highlight the activity of some genes specific to humans. Microarray analysis of the dataset GSE25673 revealed that the pseudogene RNU6-505P is expressed differentially in schizophrenic samples and correlates to CYP26A1, ARHGAP18, TSPAN12, HEY2 and TMEM132A genes. Ontological analysis showed that the RNU6-505P pseudogene is involved in brain development and certain neurological pathologies. Evolutionary analysis showed that the AGA 3-nucleotide sequence of RNU6-505P has been under positive selective pressure. Finally, the 1-nucleotide mutation prediction test revealed that variations on the AGA nucleotides could be fatal to the RNA structure of the sequence. We conclude that differential expression of the RNU6-505P pseudogene can be valid to diagnose schizophrenia and the RNU6-505P pseudogene may have a relevant function in the cerebral development and in the divergent evolution of humans from apes
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Waste Tea Leaves
Get PDFGreen synthesis of silver nanoparticles has gained momentum since the demand to synthesize nanoparticles in an eco-friendly way has increased significantly. Here we report, economic and cost-effective biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using waste of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). The aim of the study was to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles and to assess its potential applications such as antibacterial activity, plant growth induction and dye degradation. Standardization studies were done using UV- Spectroscopy to determine the optimum synthesis condition for synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The optimum conditions were found to be pH 6.0, ambient temperature condition and 5mM AgNO3 concentration. Characterization studies using UV-Visible Spectroscopy, TEM and AFM analysis show nanoscale range of the particles. The silver nanoparticles showed maximum antibacterial activity against K. pneumonia followed by E. coli and minimum activity against C. diptheriae. The nanoparticles showed significant effect on the growth of Vigna radiata seeds at 50% concentration of nanoparticles. The particles immobilized on cotton cloth showed antibacterial activity against Gram positive organisms. Dye degradation studies showed that the nanoparticles are able to degrade phenol red and blue textile dye effectively
Determinants of Internet Usage During COVID-19 on the Young People in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Get PDFAs the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading and becoming more contagious, people tend to stay home and face mental health challenges such as anxiety, fear, nervousness, and loneliness. In this time, students are using the internet heavily for their study purpose, and jobholders are for their official works. At the same time, the use of the internet might be a relief from those mental challenges. This manuscript assesses a correlation between daily internet usage before and during COVID-19 and found to be nearly strong positive (r=0.66). Then we determine the potential factors affecting daily internet usage during COVID-19 among Bangladeshi students and jobholders who are currently living in Dhaka city by the ordinary least square (OLS) regression method. Our results underpin that the type of internet, regular internet usage before COVID-19, and the effect of internet usage on the study are significantly affecting current internet usage
The Accreditation Issues of Private Universities in Malawi
Get PDFThis article analyses the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding their views on how accreditation issues were affecting private universities’ operations in Malawi. The article was based on a study that was conducted at six private universities in Malawi using a mixed methods research approach, utilising a descriptive survey research design. It involved a total of 152 respondents comprising of registrars, heads of departments, teachers and students from the targeted private universities, as well as public and private sectors executives in the country. This study revealed that the majority of the respondents were of the view that Malawi National Council for Higher Education was doing a commendable job in providing the needed monitoring and evaluation of higher education institutions and their respective study programmes in Malawi. It was also revealed that the action of being discredited or deregistered had a very big impact on the reputation of the concerned universities, students and the already produced graduates, hence the visits by NCHE officials created tension at the institutions. Nevertheless, the study concluded that the accreditation of institutions of higher learning and their study programmes was the only way to go in enhancing and controlling the quality of higher education in Malawi since there is no alternative to strict compliance to high standards. The need for revision of the higher education policies and laws in the country to strongly discourage the operation of the institution prior to their registration and accreditation by NCHE is strongly recommended
Removal of Heavy Metals from Stormwater Using Porous Concrete Pavement
Get PDFThis study aimed to investigate the heavy metals, i.e. Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn removal efficiency from stormwater runoff of a porous concrete pavement (PCP). A model of PCP was designed with the porosity and co-efficient of permeability of the pavement were 27.2% and 1.83 cm/sec, respectively. Artificial stormwater containing heavy metals are passed through the pavement at a constant rainfall rate to mimic the stormwater rainfall-runoff condition. The artificial stormwater infiltrated through the pavement were then collected at two different pavement layers at different time instances. From the experimental investigations, it is observed that Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn concentrations are significantly reduced in the treated stormwater. At the first collection point which is located below the sub-base layer and coarse sand layer of the pavement, the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn reduced 56%, 67% and 93% respectively compared to their initial concentration, Ni concentration reduced only 20%. At the second collection point which is located below the coarse and fine sand layers beneath the pavement, the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni are reduced 92%, 89%, 100%, 100%, respectively
Larvicidal Activity of Inorganic Salts Against Anopheles Stephensi and Culex Quinquefasciatus
Get PDFMosquitoes transmit serious human diseases, causing millions of deaths worldwide every year and the development of resistance to chemical insecticides resulting in rebounding vectorial capacity. In this study, the larvicidal bioassays for activities of aqueous solutions of weak acid [(NH4)2SO4 and NaH2PO4] and weak base (Na2CO3 and NaHCO3) inorganic salts against late instar larvae of disease vectors Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus were carried out under laboratory settings. The four inorganic salts showed varied levels of larvicidal activities after 24 h-exposure on Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae in a dose-dependent fashion. However, the larvicidal activities were relatively higher in Na2CO3 (LC50 = 3162 and 447 ppm) and NaHCO3 (LC50 = 5623 and 398 ppm) solutions as compared to those in (NH4)2SO4 (LC50 = 7943 and 1995 ppm) and NaH2PO4 (LC50 = 7943 and 7120 ppm). The present study showed that the inorganic salts Na2CO3, NaHCO3, (NH4)2SO4 and NaH2PO4 could serve as potential larviciding agents considering their low toxicity. Therefore, this study provides a first report on the larvicidal activity of the inorganic salts on mosquito larvae of disease vectors
Predicting Performance of Briquette Made from Millet Bran: A Neural Network Approach
Get PDFMillet bran possesses good fuel quality and can be successfully used as a professional feedstock for producing solid biofuel. In this paper, a framework for developing an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to estimate the performance of millet bran briquettes is presented by using experimental data to train, test, and validate the ANN. With the capacity of the developed multi-layer ANN, the effects of moisture content, temperature, and applied pressure on the density, durability, and impact resistance are predicted. Different cases considering three parameters as inputs to the ANN, namely, moisture content, temperature, and applied pressure were analyzed. The outputs of the ANN are the density, durability, and impact resistance for each of the input parameters separately. By comparing with the experimental values, it is shown that the ANN-based method can predict the data well with a Mean Square Error (MSE) value ~ 0.2%. Further, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model is used to check the efficiency of ANN prediction from which it is shown that the proposed ANN-based method provides useful guidance for the prediction of the physical parameters efficiently, with the least deviation and high accuracy
Addressal to the Rising Problem of Traffic Congestion in Kalimpong, West Bengal: Causes and Preventive Measures
Get PDFWhen towns and cities grow or rather undergo urbanisation; there are innumerable impacts that arise out of this process. One such impact is the problem of traffic congestion. In other words, it can be said that ‘urbanisation and problems related to traffic go hand in hand’. Kalimpong has witnessed urbanisation at an astounding rate largely due to improvement in tourism and its floriculture. However, the town is crippled by the problem of traffic congestion. Being a hill station, the topography and the structure of the town restricts the widening of the roads therefore making the practice of illegal parking common and the major factor for traffic congestion. In this paper, the problem of traffic congestion in Kalimpong town has been addressed. The reasons responsible for the problem has also been highlighted along with some suggestive preventive measures
Musical Preferences Correlate Architectural Tastes: An Initial Investigation of the Correlations Between the Preferred Attributes
Get PDFDespite a large number of discussions on the analogical and technical interrelations between architecture and music, very few studies have looked at the interrelations between the appreciations of the attributes among them. This study investigates the correlations between the preferences of architectural and musical attributes to reflect how they generally interrelate with each other. The considered visual qualities related to architectural forms are symmetricity, complexity, rhythm, pattern, and stress; and the considered musical attributes are related to the main four categories of Genres, perceived psychological attributes, five factors of music, and 3-Factors (arousal, valence, and depth). To discover the correlations, at first, a survey was designed to gather individual appreciations of the attributes. The responses were then filtered to remove the invalid ones before Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis unveils the relationships between every single considered attribute. In total, 5,184 correlations have been thoroughly explored, and a number of strong correlations were discovered and discussed in a classified manner; for instance, rap-followers showed higher satisfaction to asymmetrical building façade. This study also confirms some musical attributes are stronger reflectors of architectural taste, like rap, jazz, sophisticated, poetic music. Lastly, this paper confirms the significant effects of demographic attributes on the discovered correlations