Archives-June... 

Photoinitiated substitution complex of K4[Fe(CN)6] and monoethanolamine has been synthesized and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, UV, FTIR, TA and DSC. The complex has been assigned as K2[Fe(CN)3(OH)(MEOA)]H2O. The presence of different moieties is confirmed by the appearance of characteristics IR absorption peaks. The photoaquation of K4[Fe(CN)6] is confirmed by recording UV spectra before and after irradiation. Irradiation of aqueous solution of metal cyanides leads to the formation of the primary photoadduct where a CN- ion is replaced by OH-, which undergoes subsequent thermal substitution by entering ligand (MEOA). Thermal kinetics of the complex has been studied by TG and DSC techniques. The thermal analysis has been carried out in nitrogen atmosphere up to 800ºC. Thermograms obtained confirm IR data, hence supports the empirical formula. On the basis of thermal data, thermal decomposition mechanism has been proposed for the complex. Thermodynamic parameters like activation energy (Ea), pre-exponential factor (A) and entropy of activation (?S#) has been calculated for each decomposition step, using Dolye’s, Coats and Redfern and Arrhenius method. The reaction enthalpy is obtained from DSC technique.

Jatropha curcas seeds have been in use for the production of biodiesel as an ecofriendly fuel. But during biodiesel production from 100 kgs of Jatropha seeds only 30 kgs of oil is produced, while 70 kgs of de-oiled cake is generated as a byproduct. This oil meal contains toxic substances like curcin, toxalbumin and phorebolic acid which makes it unsuitable as an animal feed. It can be either used for biogas production or vermicomposting as can be seen from volatile solids of total solids content of 87.93%. So feasibility of this oil meal as a substrate for vermicomposting using earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae has been studied in detail. Original C/N ratio of the jatropha oil meal was around 42.94 while the raw waste mixture was around 38.57% after mixing with cattle dung and soil, which reduced to 12.6 after vermicomposting, which is an indicator of efficient worm activity. Volatile Solids reduction of 66.19% was observed which indicates efficient worm activity. Results showed good quality vermicompost production with efficient water holding capacity of 72.4100% and porosity of 78.2191%. Bulk density depicted 1.1052 g/cm3 indicating good quality suitable for efficient root penetration. Scanning Electron Microscopy and microbiological analysis confirmed the maturity of the vermicompost.

The present study aims to evaluate preventive effect of S.indicus on p-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. Oral administration of stem ethanol extract of the S.indicus (300mg/kg) effectively prevent the hepatocarcinogenesis as exposed by reduce in the levels of extend of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), total bilirubin, total cholesterol, lipid peroxidase (LPO) and raise the level of glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) when compared to DAB induced rats. The histopathological changes of the liver sample compared with respective control. The present study shows a significant preventive effect of S.indicus (SI) on DAB administrated hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

In an ever increasingly competitive environment, product design forms the foundation for enduring sales responsiveness and enhanced customer satisfaction. Superior product performance, quality and reduced cost of ownership are the results of effective, efficient engineering and design. The impact of product design on total cost of ownership and the profitability of a manufacturing company are significant. This paper addresses design for total cost of ownership approach for allocation of redundancy that can minimize the total cost of the product during the product life time. A genetic algorithm based heuristic is developed to provide an optimal or a near optimal solution. This DTCO approach permits engineers to study product designs with respect to cost, reliability and performance during the conceptual design phase and enables the integrated method to identify design changes that improve performance and reduce total cost of ownership.

This paper is devoted to obtain a proof of Beal’s conjecture. In this paper we have given proof of Beal’s conjecture for the following two cases. Case 1:- If (x, y, z) = (mn, m, mn+1), then same prime divides A, B and C ;?A,B,C,m ,n?N&m>2. Case 2:- If (x, y, z) = (m, m, m+1), then same prime divides A, B and C,; ?A,B,C,m?N ,m>2.

Density functional theory (DFT) was used to determine the ground state geometries of Luminol and new design dyes (L1-Dye-1 L1-Dye-2, L1-Dye-3 and L1-Dye-4). The time dependant density functional theory (TDDFT) was used to calculate the excitation energies. All the calculations were performed in both gas and solvent phase. Theoretical analyses of the Luminol dye molecule and its derivatives with Chlorine (Cl), Sulfur(S), Selenium (Se) substituent were performed. Calculations were performed based on the framework of density functional theory (DFT) with the Becke3-parameter-Lee-Yang-Parr(B3LYP) functional, where the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set was employed. All this for study they properties for be used with metal oxides in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Each of the molecules was theoretically analyzed.

The study sought to explore reflective pedagogical needs of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) lecturers for promoting creativity in teacher education in south-south Nigeria. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 217 TVET lecturers, consisted of 165 TVET lecturers from Colleges of Education and 52 TVET lecturers as experts form Vocational Education University of Uyo. Using simple random technique, the sample size consisted of 80 TVET lecturers from Colleges of Education and 42 TVET lecturers form Vocational Education University of Uyo. A-40 item structured questionnaire instrument tagged Reflective Pedagogical Questionnaire (REPEQ) was used to collect data from the respondents. The instrument was validated by two experts from Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria and one expert from Vocational Teacher Education University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained after trial test. The research questions were answered using Improvement Need Index (INI) while Z-test was used to test the hypothesis at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that peer observation skill, lesson recording skill, teachers’ dairy and evaluation skills of reflective pedagogy were needed by TVET lecturers for promoting creativity in College of Education, South-South Nigeria. It was recommended that the officials of state the Ministry of Education in conjunction with Faculty of Education in the Federal Universities should embark on massive training and re-training of TVET lecturers in College of Education, in the reflective pedagogy skills. It was concluded that the COE lecturers should be abreast with the innovative pedagogy for the 21st century instructional delivery.

The major aim of current study was to explore the relationship between examination anxiety and academic achievement of students at university level. Nature of study was descriptive, non- contrived, cross sectional and quantitative. Universal sampling technique was exploited to collect data from all students of department of education, university of Gujrat, Pakistan. An adopted questionnaire was used to measure anxiety level of students against thirty statements. Mean , Standard Deviation and Pearson correlation were run for data analysis. No relationship between examination anxiety and academic achievement was found among university students. It was explicated that examination anxiety is not caused of low, average and high achievement of the student.

This article reports a study investigating the existence of any statistically significant correlation between intercultural competence and reading comprehension ability among EAP university students. The participants of the study were about 120 participants (male = 50, female =70, mean age = 26.85). In so doing, first of all, the Persian translation of intercultural sensitivity questionnaire was used. Moreover, to provide evidence for the dependent variable of this study, that is, reading comprehension, specialized readings (Academic Medical standardized readings) which were related to the aspects of medical texts were given to the students. Based on Pearson product moment correlation, it was found that there was a strong positive correlation between Intercultural competence and reading comprehension ability, indicating that individual‘s performance on Academic readings comprehension got better with respect to higher Intercultural competence. It was also found that there was a significant positive correlation between variable-specific IC and performance on Academic reading comprehension.

Customer satisfaction refers to the state of mind or the perception that customers have about an organization and its products or services at the time their perceptions have been met or surpassed. Customer service is an integral part of any organization. Over the past few years, customer satisfaction and technology have become conjoined. Customers today are demanding more and more techno-savvy service that will provide quick and efficient service that will keep pace with the ever changing technological world. The water reticulation system in Mombasa is old and dilapidated and is prone to leaks and bursts. Coupled with this fact is the challenge of illegal connections done by unscrupulous persons who connect to the system unprofessionally leading to leaks. Leaks and bursts may go for days an end without being reported leading to excessive loss of water. However, residents are lax in reporting leaks in their areas and have tended to ignore the issue either out of ignorance or lethargy to report the issue. There appears to be lack of effective communication between the utility and the customers which needs to be addressed. Water services by the Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (MOWASSCO) thus continue to be unsatisfactory given the key challenge of financial sustainability. Poor services invariably affects the degree of customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to establish the role of electronic water monitoring systems in increasing customer satisfaction with services provided by the Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company, despite the several challenges in water service provision as outlined. This research used descriptive survey where the target population totaling 600 was drawn from the five water meter reading zones in Mombasa County namely Island North, Island South, Likoni, Nyali and West Mainland. The study used primary data which was gathered using structured questionnaires. Chapter one dealt with a background of the study including a background of the water supply system and its challenges. A synopsis of customer satisfaction in public institution was given together with a brief of the water supply in Mombasa. A statement of the problem described in depth the current challenges encountered by MOWASSCO in its service delivery. The chapter also gave an insight into the use of technology in enhancing customer satisfaction. Chapter two analyzed the literature review with emphasis on adoption of technology in the service industry and also outlined the conceptual framework. Chapter three outlined the research methodology, while Chapter four analyzed the data and derived conclusions. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression, presented in tables and pie charts extracted from both MS Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software tools version 20.Lastly, Chapter five gave a summary of the study, conclusions, recommendations and further research.