175 research outputs found
sj-docx-1-opp-10.1177_10781552221112159 - Supplemental material for Development and reliability testing of a cervical cancer patients knowledge and practice of self-care management of treatment-related adverse events questionnaire
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-opp-10.1177_10781552221112159 for Development and reliability testing of a cervical cancer patients knowledge and practice of self-care management of treatment-related adverse events questionnaire by Aliyu Samaila, Abdulmuminu Isah, Aminu A Biambo, Nuruddeen Usman, Usman M Aliyu, Adamu Abdullahi and Maxwell O Adibe in Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice</p
Application des memristors au traitement du signal et des images
No full textMemristor is a two-terminal nonlinear dynamic electronic device. Typically, it is a passive nano-device whose conductivity is controlled by the flux, time-integral of the voltage across its terminals, or by the charge, time-integral of the current flowing through it, and it presents interesting features for versatile applications. This thesis considers memristor use as a neighborhood connection for 2D cellular nonlinear or neural network (CNN), essentially for information (image and signal) processing and electronic prosthesis. We develop a model of the memristor based 2D cellular nonlinear networks CNNs compatible to image applications by incorporating memristor in the adjacent neighborhood connection. This approach will offer many advantages with respect to previous known designs. Some of these advantages are higher pixel density due to the nano-nature of the memristor, lower power consumption, high-density connection flexibility and compatibility to CMOS technology, etc. Firstly, we present the State of the Art, that is, what is known about this new passive component - the memristor, along with an analog model of memristor for practical and demonstration purposes. Then, we present the quantitative and qualitative behaviour of a charge-controlled memristor by considering RC networks with memristor in the coupling mode, focusing specifically on the system of two initially charged RC cells. We extensively study the interaction of two Fitzhugh-Nagumo cells via a memristor by observing the transient and the steady state response of each cell, allowing us to have a good foresight of the memristor functionality in the memristor based 2D CNNs and the diffusion effect in a 1D cellular nonlinear electrical lattice. Furthermore, we present the generalized model of the memristor based 2D CNNs reliable for processing any number of cells.Le memristor est un dipôle électronique dynamique non linéaire. Typiquement, il s’agit d’un dispositif de nanotechnologie passif dont la conductivité est contrôlée par le flux, l’intégrale de la tension à ses bornes, ou par la charge, l’intégrale du courant qui le traverse, présentant des caractéristiques intéressantes pour des applications polyvalentes. Cette thèse est consacrée à l’utilisation de memristor comme élément de couplage d’un réseau cellulaire non linéaire, en vue du traitement de l’information (image et signal) ou comme prothèse électronique d’un système neuronal. Nous développons un modèle de réseaux cellulaires non linéaires 2D basés sur le memristor, en incorporant le memristor dans le couplage de cellules voisines. Cette approche offre de nombreux avantages par rapport à ce qui est utilisé actuellement. Parmi ces avantages, on peut citer une densité de pixels plus élevée en raison de la nano-nature du memristor, une consommation d’énergie plus faible, une flexibilité de connexion à haute densité, la compatibilité avec la technologie CMOS, etc… Tout d’abord, nous présentons l’état de l’art sur le memristor, ainsi qu’un modèle analogique de memristor à des fins pratiques et de démonstration. Ensuite, nous présentons le comportement quantitatif et qualitatif d’un memristor contrôlé par la charge en considérant les réseaux RC avec le memristor en mode couplage, en se concentrant spécifiquement sur le système de deux cellules RC initialement chargées. Nous étudions en détail l’interaction de deux cellules Fitzhugh-Nagumo via un memristor en observant la réponse transitoire de chaque cellule, ce qui nous permet d’avoir une bonne compréhension de la fonctionnalité memristor et de l’effet de diffusion dans un treillis électrique cellulaire non linéaire 1D. En outre, nous présentons le modèle généralisé des CNNs 2D basés sur le memristor pour le traitement de n’importe quel nombre de cellules
EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RICE BRAN OIL (RBO) FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION AS BIODIESEL
Get PDFAbstract: Rice bran oil (RBO) is a potential feedstock for biodiesel and biolubricant production among other alternative sources. The rice bran’s fat extraction was carried out using maceration with chloroform, solvent recovery as a means of purification was carried out using rotary evaporator. Physicochemical analysis such as percent extraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), iodine value, peroxide value and saponification values were carried out to ascertain its potential application as Biodiesel. From the GC-MS analysis, over 30 compounds including fatty acids and other phytochemicals were discovered with Oleic acid having the greater percentage of 34.5% having the base peak at m/z of 282.
Keywords: Rice bran oil (RBO), biodiesel, biolubricant production.
Title: EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RICE BRAN OIL (RBO) FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION AS BIODIESEL
Author: Shehu Isah, Abdulkarim Shuaib
International Journal of Novel Research in Physics Chemistry & Mathematics
ISSN 2394-9651
Vol. 10, Issue 3, September 2023 - December 2023
Page No: 36-62
Novelty Journals
Website: www.noveltyjournals.com
Published Date: 21-September-2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8366590
Paper Download Link (Source)
https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/EXTRACTION%20AND%20CHARACTERIZATION-21092023-6.pdfInternational Journal of Novel Research in Physics Chemistry & Mathematics, ISSN 2394-9651, Novelty Journals, Website: www.noveltyjournals.co
Hyperprolactinemia and female infertility: Pattern of clinical presentation in a tertiary health facility in Northern Nigeria
No full textBackground: Hyperprolactinemia is an extremely common disorder, especially among reproductive age women, affecting about one-third of infertile females. There is a paucity of data on the pattern of clinical presentation of hyperprolactinemia among infertile female patients in Nigeria. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the pattern of clinical presentation of hyperprolactinemic infertile female patients in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Blood sample of 120 infertile female patients aged 15–45 years attending the infertility clinic at ABUTH over 9 months was taken. Data on clinical signs and symptoms were collected using interview-administered questionnaire. Serum prolactin was assayed by microwell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique based on the noncompetitive sandwich principle. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 20 (Syntron Bioresearch. Inc. California, United States of America (USA)). Results: The mean serum level of prolactin concentration at presentation was 31 ng/ml (range, 2.5–109 ng/ml). Sixty-two patients (51.7%) had hyperprolactinemia and 58 (48.3%) had normal prolactin level. The majority of those with hyperprolactinemia 58.6% were in the 25–34 years' age group. Of those with hyperprolactinemia, majority (27.4%) presented with galactorrhea and others presented with symptoms such as menstrual abnormalities, recurrent abortion, hirsutism, and mixed presentations. However, 25.8% of them were symptomless. Conclusion: Galactorrhea was the most common mode of presentation among infertile hyperprolactinemic females in ABUTH, and a larger proportion were symptomless
Query disambiguation approach using triple-filter
Get PDFIn order to effectively deal with structured information, some technical skills are
needed. However, most users do not possess these skills. Natural Language Interfaces
(NLIs) are therefore built to provide everyday users who lack the needed technical
knowledge, with some means of gaining access to the information stored in knowledge
bases. They are designed to deal with the natural language articulation of what the user
wants, and then transform it into a computer language that specifies how to accomplish
it. Each NLI system also has a scope and limitation which everyday users are unaware
of. It is therefore understandable that the users may not see errors in their queries or
even know how to write appropriate queries (according to the system’s limitation and
scope) in order to retrieve the correct information.
The effective retrieval of any piece of information depends wholly on the correct
mapping of queries made in natural language to machine understandable form.
However, most of the existing NLIs are lacking in terms of being able to provide
support for users to formulate their queries. Once queries are wrongly formulated,
there is tendency for the system to retrieve wrong answers. As a result, a user may
have to reformulate his query severally before the required answer is retrieved (if at
all).
In this thesis therefore, it is proposed that the best way to formulate appropriate queries
is by guiding the user through the query writing process and helping the user to resolve
ambiguities by providing suggestions that are easy to understand. The proposed
approach, referred to as triple-filter query disambiguation approach, has been
implemented into a prototype as a proof of concept. The prototype, referred to as
QuFA (Query Formulation Assistant), is intended to serve as an upper layer for NLIs.
It is equipped with an authoring service that guides the user to write his query, a
disambiguation module that resolves ambiguities in order to ascertain the user’s
intention and finally, a query rewriting module that transforms the user’s input query into an intermediate query that will suit the underlying search system’s perspective of
the user’s question.
Extensive experimental evaluations were conducted in order to validate the proposed
approach, using the developed prototype. The proposed triple-filter query
disambiguation approach was directly compared with the approach in FREyA
(Feedback, Refinement and Extended vocabulary Aggregation) that also provides
support to users when formulating queries. The evaluation was based on the usability
and performance of the approaches. In terms of usability, the results show that the
proposed approach has the potential of being more acceptable in the field; and in terms
of effectiveness, it also shows a high performance based on precision and recall. The
proposed approach helps users to conceive and articulate more effective queries, and
facilitates information search activities.
The main contributions of this research work include the introduction of an approach
that enables users without knowledge of formal computer languages to formulate
useful queries while effectively expressing themselves using natural language. The
approach utilizes the effectiveness of human-computer dialogue to effectively retrieve
desired information from ontologies. The proposed triple-filter disambiguation
approach inculcates a learning mechanism that continues to automatically learn from
user queries and continuously improves its performance capability. The triple-filter
disambiguation algorithm was also developed, along with two documents (terms
equivalence catalogue (TEC) and the enhanced concepts store (ECS)) that represent
the thesaurus and the lexicon for use with the Mooney Geoquery dataset. All of these
are available for use by other researchers
GEOPHYSICAL DATA AND SATELLITE DATA ON PARTS OF LAPAI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
No full textThis study explores the application of integrated airborne geophysical data and satellite imagery to investigate the subsurface and surface characteristics of parts of Lapai Local Government Area, located in Niger State, Nigeria. The research utilizes a combination of geophysical methods such as magnetic, radiometric, and electromagnetic surveys, alongside high-resolution satellite imagery, to analyze geological features, mineral resources, and potential environmental hazards. The integration of these data sources allows for a comprehensive understanding of the area’s geology, identifying anomalies and patterns that can be linked in geological ways such as formations, mineral deposits, groundwater resources, and land use changes. The results of this study are significant for resource management, environmental monitoring, and regional development planning. The findings highlight the potential of using integrated remote sensing and geophysical techniques as a cost-effective and efficient approach for regional geological and environmental assessments. 
The impact of training on turnover intention through job satisfaction moderated by job alternatives among bank employees in Nigeria
Get PDFTurnover intention is an employee’s consideration, desire, or wish to leave an organization. The intention of any employee to discontinue his service with an organization is an important issue which deserves a considerable attention due to the cost and effect on the organizations. Findings from past studies have however, shown contradictory results regarding to the extent to which training directly influences turnover intention. The purpose of this study therefore, is to determine the role of job satisfaction, as the mediating variable between training and turnover intention, and role of job alternatives as a moderating variable between job satisfaction and turnover intention. Data was collected via questionnaire from 385 employees of the top 3 banks in Nigeria using multistage sampling technique. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS. Results indicated that job satisfaction is best represented through a second-order construct comprising of intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions. The findings also revealed that training directly influenced job satisfaction; while intrinsic job satisfaction was indicated as having mediating effects on the relationship between training and turnover intention. Furthermore, the study established that job alternatives moderated the influence of extrinsic job satisfaction on turnover intentions. The practical implication of the study is that human resource managers should communicate their training goals clearly to the employees as a concrete step toward reducing turnover intention. Future studies are recommended to extend the study to all banks and other sectors in Nigeria
Profitability of stingless beekeeping production and beekeepers’ perception of extension agents’ performance
Get PDFIn business start-up a feasibility study is necessary to determine the profitability of the venture. Stingless beekeeping production has been found to be a profitable venture in Malaysia and to boost the production to a profitable level, knowledge and skills of the extension agents is very important for effective and efficient delivery of beekeeping technology and human resource development. Despite various government support in Malaysia, natural honey production is still insufficient to meet domestic demand. The trend lead to huge importation to satisfy the increasing demand for consumption. The study aimed at determining the profitability and level of stingless beekeeping production through technology transfer, human resource development and extension agents’ work performance, to examine relationship between technology transfer, human resource development and work performance, and to identify the most contributing factors to work performance of extension agents among stingless beekeepers in Malaysia. This research used quantitative research method. The questionnaires were analysed using capital budgeting analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation and regression coefficient analysis. Slovin formula was used to determine the sample size and Purposive sampling method was used to select 54 stingless beekeepers from ten stingless beekeeping state in Malaysia. The findings of the study indicate that the actual value of NPV in stingless bee project is positive, indicating the project may generate lucrative earnings in terms of assessment and bring more yield on investment when combined with the incentive schemes. In addition, the findings revealed that internal rate return (IRR) values indicating efficient yield of investment. Furthermore, the Profitability index revealed (PI) indicating the most profitable investment as it carries higher PI values and profit of more than RM1 from a single Ringgit invested in the stingless bee project. Also, the analysis on Pay Back Period (PBP) revealed the possible period within which to recover the initial money invested. Similarly, a sensitivity analysis was done to determine business risk analysis, the result indicate that even if there is increase in the hive cost and labour cost by 10%, 20% and 30% the project would remain profitable for investment and on the other hand, decrease in the selling price by 30% of the viability of stingless bee venture at the marginal value and still remain a lucrative venture and a feasible project. Results reveal two levels among stingless beekeepers on technology transfer, human resource development and work performance of extension agents; moderate (technology of stingless bee, dissemination of technology, evaluation of technology, leadership development, decision making and) and high (social skill). However, the work performance was at moderate level. The technology transfer and human resource development competencies all have positive correlation with work performance. The interpretation reads improvement in technology transfer and human resource development competencies of extension agents will lead to better work performance and will probably improve level of stingless beekeeping production and profitability among stingless beekeepers. However, three level of strength of relationship, dissemination, evaluation, decision making and leadership have strong positive correlation, whilst, social skill and technology have very strong and moderate positive correlation respectively. Respondents’ estimate coefficients performance model highlighted the significance of three variable of human resource development on extension agents’ work performance as shown by the score, Adj.R2 of 57.5%. Social skill was identified as the most contributing skill that influence extension agents’ work performance. This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship of technology transfer and human resource development to work performance as they are genuinely important for any meaningful improvement in stingless beekeeping production in Malaysia.There is the need to create future development plan to improve the competency of extension agent in the Department of Agriculture particularly in the area of technology transfer and human resource development. Research institutes and Universities should embark on more research in the area of stingless bee technology and made available to farmers
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