Suchergebnisse

Energy is a key component in the overall growth of every nation. Insufficient energy delivery hinders political growth, restricts social growth, limits economic growth, and negatively affects the standard of living of citizens, bothin urban and rural areas. Sufficient energy delivery increases food production, improves the standards of living of citizens, improves healthcare and enhancements in other human services, enhances industrial output, provides effective and efficient transportation not forgetting adequate shelter to the citizens of the nation. Currently, there is a significant level of deficiency in Nigeria's energy sector. This study seeks to address this issue by analysing cost implications of conventional energy source and solar energy source. This study brings to focus the payback period of a solar powered home and the return on investment that might accrue during this time to the residential home owners. Furthermore, the best cost-effective load sharing option for residential owners considering two energy sources is also obtained.

Incidences of repetitive mild TBI (r-mTBI), like those sustained by contact sports athletes and military personnel, are thought to be a risk factor for development of neurodegenerative disorders. Those suffering from chronic TBI-related illness demonstrate deficits in cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), the ability of the cerebral vasculature to respond to a vasoactive stimulus. CVR is thus an important measure of traumatic cerebral vascular injury (TCVI), and a possible in vivo endophenotype of TBI-related neuropathogenesis. We combined laser speckle imaging of CVR in response to hypercapnic challenge with neurobehavioral assessment of learning and memory, to investigate if decreased cerebrovascular responsiveness underlies impaired cognitive function in our mouse model of chronic r-mTBI. We demonstrate a profile of blunted hypercapnia-evoked CVR in the cortices of r-mTBI mice like that of human TBI, alongside sustained memory and learning impairment, without biochemical or immunohistopathological signs of cerebral vessel laminar or endothelium constituent loss. Transient decreased expression of alpha smooth muscle actin and platelet-derived growth factor receptor β, indicative of TCVI, is obvious only at the time of the most pronounced CVR deficit. These findings implicate CVR as a valid preclinical measure of TCVI, perhaps useful for developing therapies targeting TCVI after recurrent mild head trauma.