Archives-December 

The aim of this study is to determine the evaluation level of animation in learning and teaching process and the effect of animation on academic achievement among undergraduate students in School of Applied Physics (PPFG), National University of Malaysia (UKM) by using contemporary Prezi.com software. For the purpose of teaching material, 4 animation models was designed which included 4 core subjects of 1st year students; electric and magnet, thermodynamic, wave and mechanics by using Flash 8 software which was then integrated as hypermedia presentation slide by using Prezi.com software. Lecturer and students can easily access the slide by entering the keywords in the searching engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and ect. The sample of study involves 61 of 1st year students and 20 of 2nd year students at semester 2 academic session 20132014. Collected survey data forms 81 undergraduate students in PPFG, UKM showed an average of 98% interested in using of animation for learning and teaching. On the other hand 38% of them feel hesitate and worry about the implementation and the use of animation. However, 99% of them still believe that the use of animation can improve their academic achievement. This was proven by the results of tests 1 and 2, pre-test and post-test from the workshop organized which showed an increment in mean average of 3.6 to 7.5 and 2.7 to 5.5.

The present study was conducted in three different solvent extracts of leaves of Ageratum houstonianum (Mill.) (Asteraceae) and were screened against reference cultures, clinical isolates and fungal strains under in vitro condition. Among three solvent extracts of A. houstonianum tested against selected reference cultures, ethyl acetate extract was found to exhibit the highest activity (19 mm) against P. aeruginosa, followed by a second higher activity (18 mm) against S. typhi. In the case of K. pneumoniae, moderate inhibition was observed by ethyl acetate extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration for P. aerugenosa and S. typhi was found as 0.312 mg/ml of ethyl acetate extract. In the case of clinical isolates also, ethyl acetate extract of A. houstonianum was found to show higher activity (17 mm) against methiciline Resistant S. aureus (ICMR-5) which is found to be better than commercially available streptomycin, followed by a second higher activity using hexane extract (16 mm) against the same clinical isolate, whereas methanol extract showed only a moderate activity. Streptomycin was used as the positive control.

Innovation of technology changes the way of information delivery and information behavior. Thus, academic libraries are challenged to adapt to the changes in their working environment and take proactive actions to prove their value through excellent quality service delivery. The emergence of technology makes information available for all people. Academic libraries are no longer in their dominant position as information provider in higher institutions. Academic libraries are challenged by the impact of technology to shift their traditional role as information provider to new role as services provider supporting teaching, learning and research. The shift of role of academic libraries brings a great number of challenges and problems to academic libraries in various ways. This paper investigates the challenges that influence service delivery in library and knowledge management centres: A case Study of Technical University of Mombasa. The specific objectives of the study will be: To identify innovations adopted by the university in enhancing service delivery, To determine the effect of librarians' competence on service delivery and to establish the effect innovation based challenges on service delivery in Technical University of Mombasa.The study employed qualitative and quantitative research designs. The target population of this study comprised of library staff of Technical University of Mombasa. The study census and purposive sampling techniques. The sample size for the study comprised of ten respondents. The main data collection tool was questionnaire. Collected data was analyzed descriptively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 23) and presented using tables, graphs and pie charts. The study findings showed that library innovation at Technical University of Mombasa Library included: online library, use of social media, institutional repository, home page and examination bank among others. These library innovations created a feedback platform from the library users on fines, book requests and renewals, ensured faster dissemination of information on any upcoming library events like orientation for new students, 24 hour access to library resources thus enhancing service delivery and improving customer satisfaction. The study concluded that library innovations affected service delivery. Majority of the respondents experienced innovation based challenges namely: poor internet connectivity which causes low response rate during day time due to higher access rate of internet and low usage of electronic resources due to love of social sites, occasional system failures and computer illiteracy among the librarians as well as the students. The effects of innovative based challenges on service delivery were: slow down library operations, lower user confidence in the effectiveness of library innovations, user dissatisfaction and low staff morale. Librarians were competent in using library innovations to enhance service delivery since they had adequate and prerequisite professional training and education as well as relevant work experience. Technical University of Mombasa ensured innovation competence among librarians through in-job training when necessary, spirit of teamwork among others. The study concluded that librarians' competence affected service delivery in Technical University of Mombasa. In order to improve service delivery using the library innovations, the study recommended: Training users and librarians on the use of the current innovations as well as other internet and computer based applications.

This study investigated the relationship between inventory management and the financial performance of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study employed longitudinal research design. Longitudinal design involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time which helps the researcher to be able to detect changes in the variables of interest. The population of the study covers all quoted manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange from 2011- 2015. However, a sample of 23 manufacturing companies was drawn from the companies listed in the Stock Exchange for the period 2011-2015. The study utilizes the Pooled Ordinary Least squares (OLS) and the Generalized Least squares (GLS) regression estimation. The use of the Pooled OLS is based on the fact that it is a simple way to examine the sensitivity of the results to alternative specifications and allows for greater flexibility in modelling differences in sample specific behaviour. Findings revealed that finished goods inventory, inventory turnover, inventory conversion period and ram material inventory all have a positive effect and also statistically significant at 5% level while work-in- progress cost is not significant. The Inventory turnover is positive (0.6634) and statistically significant at 5% level (p=0.0014) which implies that the higher the inventory turnover, the higher the level of profitability. Specifically, a 1% increase in inventory turnover results in about 66.3% increase in profitability and vice-versa. While the inventory conversion period (ICP) is negative (-0.3962) and statistically significant at 5% level (p=0.0014) implying that delays in inventory conversion affects profitability negatively. Specifically, a 1% delay in inventory conversion will result in 39% decrease in profitability. The study therefore, recommends that; manufacturing companies should improve their inventory turnover ratio as this has been observed to have a positive impact on profitability. Companies can do this by using sales discounts, marketing campaigns and total product improvements. There is also the need to improve the rate of inventory conversion by eliminating delays in the conversion process as delays have been found to adversely affect profitability.

The bacterial polyesters may be considered as “Green Plastics”, because of their biodegradable nature. These polyesters can be employed for packaging and coating materials / as biodegradable carriers and applied in biomedical field. PHA producing Bacteria were isolated from the soil samples collected from various locations of Salem district in Tamil Nadu, India. The bacterial consortium was screened and confirmed for indigenous Ralstonia strains producing Polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHA) by colony morphology and biochemical analysis. The PHA production was confirmed by the presence of lipid cellular inclusions using Sudan Black B staining. Three strains (YRF2a, YTF2 and YRF1) among the 38 isolates tested were found to be Ralstonia strains. The positive isolates were then cultured in E2 broth containing 2% glucose (w/v) to study the PHA production. The correlation between PHA production and cell dry weight were studied and found to be statistically significant. Among the three isolates tested the strain YRF1 showed highest PHA production and peaked in degradation also. The high PHA yielding strain (YRF1) was further characterized for PHA production in large quantity with different physical and chemical parameters viz; pH, incubation temperature, carbon sources, concentration of nitrogen, incubation period. The result presumed that at pH 7, at 37°C and 72 hours of incubation period accompanying with glucose as carbon source and reducing nitrogen concentration to 1/6 in growth medium increased the accumulation of PHA by 88%, a highly feasible amount. The extracted PHA was apparently confirmed by FT-IR and NMR analysis.

In the present global scenario, today’s learners’ of science and technology need to develop an array of skills to achieve their full potential and navigate smoothly through a wide range of professional situations. The traditional educational approach of specializing in the specific subject is no longer considered adequate in the present global society. They need to develop the qualities such as understanding self and others, empathy, effective communication and social values, to create harmonious environment in the organization and society at large. A dire need is felt to broaden the vision of educational objectives to bridge the deep divide between the world of work and world of learning. Hence it is imperative to incorporate the life skills which influence the behavioural traits of the learners and facilitate in developing the individual as a holistic personality and improve their potentials in various dimensions.

The study of stochastic phenomena has increased dramatically and intensified research activity in this area has been stimulated by the need to take into account random effects in complicated dynamical systems. Dynamical systems are ubiquitous and are considered to be stochastic processes. In this study, a nonlinear dynamical system was modeled as a solution to an Ito stochastic differential equation . Where denotes a Wiener or Brownian motion process while and are deterministic functions. The Ito Stochastic Differential Equation was applied to characterize the important functional of the solution process in some intervals [0,t],X(t) which satisfies the integral equation, X(t)=X(0)+?_0^t??f(s,X(s))ds?+?_0^t??g(s,X(s) )dW(s)?. The solution of the integral equation is a Lagenvin equation which is an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (O-U) process dX_t=?(?-X_t )dt+?dW_t. The O-U process which is a Gaussian process was related to the world of time series analysis. The model was applied to Nigerian monetary exchange rate and compared with the existing models of monetary exchange rate. R package and the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) were used to provide the model of best fit for the Nigerian monetary exchange rate as an autoregressive moving average of order one which is given to be? S?_t=0.4287S_(t-1)+?0.2099e?_(t-1)+e_t. The results obtained revealed that the structural diffusion model approach gives a first-order autoregressive moving average process in continuous time with differentiation in continuous time corresponding to differencing in discrete time. The derived structural diffusion model has the least AIC value of 1482.61 as compared to the AIC value of 2198.86 from the existing diffusion and normal models. Keywords: Nonlinear Model, Dynamical System, Diffusion Model,

The research is based on the fact that different courses of Hepatitis B virus infection are predisposed by the variations in the viral genome. The Hepatitis viral genome is unique as it consists of four overlapping genes, and for the purpose of this study, the pre-core gene was selected of the four genes for mutation analysis. Viral DNA was isolated from acute viral Hepatitis B patients and was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and then separated by Agarose gel electrophoresis resulting in isolated bands of 309 bps and the mutation was detected by direct sequencing. Genotyping was carried out with the help of MultAlin software, and the observations resulted in the conclusion of definite mutation in codon 17 of valine to phenylalanine, a stop codon mutation and also in codon 11 of phenylalanine to leucine of less significance (genotypic variation), thus indicating that the gene has undergone mutation at a very early stage in the course of the disease.

Recent decades, the colon targeting drug delivery via oral route is one of the most convenient and popular systems, which deliver the drugs to the specific site for both local as well as systemic action. Oral conventional dosage forms basically disintegrate in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and it mainly depends on the physicochemical properties of the drug. But targeting the drug to the colon should be protected till it reaches to cecum by means of controlled polymers. Colonic drug delivery has become popular to treat diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, carcinomas and other infections, where by local concentration can be achieved in specific site , and minimizing the side effects. Colon site has being investigated as a potential site for delivery of proteins and peptides. Biodegradable polymers from natural synthetic sources are very cheap, widely available and resistant to digestive action to stomach and GIT enzymes. Presently the numbers of studies have been carried and reported with natural polymers for targeting the drugs to colon. Generally, they have more potential advantages than the synthetic one. The present review is elaborately revealed the potential advantages of natural polysaccharides and its cross-linking derivatives.

This paper introduces the notion of the Generalization of Cartesian Product on Intuitionistic L-fuzzy H-ideals of BF-algebra and deals some simple but interesting results.