Disruptive Engineering: Maximizing the Feedback Relationship between Industry 4.0 and the Nigerian Engineering Education Sector

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) continues to drive a fusion of physical, digital and biological technology in ways that are rewriting the norms in engineering practice by introducing new approaches such as Internet of things (IoT) and the Industry 4.0 paradigm, that are poised to also change the educational sector globally. Nigeria is yet to tap into the full potential of the Third Industrial Revolution. The relationship between 4IR and engineering education is considered as a positive feedback loop. 4IR technologies have great potential to enhance the quality of the Nigerian engineering education system, which in turn fosters an improved engineering education sector that is better-equipped to produce sustainable outcomes in Industry 4.0 era. This paper explores the potentials for application of 4IR technologies in improving the Nigerian engineering education delivery system by review and suggests ways through which the educational system can enhance the potentials of its educands to become competitive professionals in the disruptive-technology engineering era. It was concluded that the feedback relationship which exists between engineering education and Industry 4.0 needs rapt attention of stakeholders in order to address the reality of disruptive technology. Keywords— Industrial revolution, Internet of things, Engineering education, Positive feedback, Disruptive technology

Metformin attenuates sepsis-induced neuronal injury and cognitive impairment

Background Sepsis is considered to be a high-risk factor for cognitive impairment in the brain. The purpose of our study is to explore whether sepsis causes cognitive impairment and try to evaluate the underlying mechanisms and intervention measures. Methods Here, we used cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) to simulate sepsis. Open field, Novel Objective Recognition, and Morris Water Maze Test were used to detect cognitive function, long-term potentiation was used to assess of synaptic plasticity, and molecular biological technics were used to assess synaptic proteins, ELISA kits were used to detect inflammatory factors. Metformin was injected into the lateral ventricle of SD rats, and we evaluated whether metformin alleviated CLP-mediated cognitive impairment using behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular biological technology experiments. Results Here we report hippocampal-dependent cognitive deficits and synaptic dysfunction induced by the CLP, accompanied by a significant increase in inflammatory factors. At the same time, metformin was able to improve cognitive impairment induced by CLP in adult male rats. Conclusion These findings highlight a novel pathogenic mechanism of sepsis-related cognitive impairment through activation of inflammatory factors, and these are blocked by metformin to attenuate sepsis-induced neuronal injury and cognitive impairment.

INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL MUNGBEAN PESTS AND DISEASES

The main constraints to increase mungbean production in Indonesia are pests and diseases. The application of integrated biological agents can improve the efficacy of controlling the mungbean pests and diseases. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of integrated biological agents to suppress mungbean pests and diseases. This field research was conducted from May to July 2018 using a randomized block design with seven treatments and four replicates. The treatments were: T1 = Trichol + NSP, T2 = Trichol + SlNPV, T3 = Trichol + NSP + SlNPV, T4 = Trichol + NSP + SlNPV + BeBas, T5 = Trichol + NSP + SlNPV + BeBas + GE, T6 = chemical pesticides, and T7 = control. The results showed that the highest efficacy occurred in T4 and T5 treatments which saved the yield loss from major pests and diseases attack, and did not differ significantly with chemical pesticides (T6). Treatments T4 was able to reduce the development of soil borne diseases by 3% and suppress Spodoptera litura attack by 9.8% as compared to chemical treatment. T4 was also more efficient than T5 because it uses less biological agents. The advantage of biological agents is compatible if they were used together with predators such as Oxyopes sp., Paederus sp. and Coccinella sp; and also Telenomus sp. and Trichogramma sp. parasitoids. On the other hand, the chemical pesticides (T6) killed all existing natural enemies. Therefore, T4 could be recommended for controlling mungbean pests and diseases.

In-laboratory quality control of nutrients for automatic bacteriology analyzer YUNON®Labstar 50

The quality of culture media for blood culture was checked: nutrient medium for children with an antibiotic neutralizer for the cultivation of aerobes, nutrient medium with an antibiotic neutralizer for the cultivation of anaerobes, a nutrient medium with an antibiotic neutralizer for the cultivation of aerobes, nutrient medium for the cultivation of aerobes UNONA® used in the automatic bacteriological analyzer JUNONA ®Labstar 50 (SCENKER Biological Technology Co., Ltd. China). Used tenfold dilutions from 18-24 hour cultures of reference strains: ATCC 13124 Clostridium perfringens; ATCC 25285 Bacteroides fragilis; NCTC 194I8 Haemophilus influenzae; ATCC 49619 Streptococcus pneumoniae; ATCC 16615 Streptococcus pyogenes; ATCC 27853 Pseudomonas aeruginosa; ATCC 25923 Staphylococcus aureus; ATCC 25922 Escherichia coli; BKPGU-401/-885-653 Candida albicans; ATCC13813 Streptococcus agalactiae; No. 186 Enterobacter cloacae; ATCC 29212 Enterococcus faecalis; clinical isolates: Acinetobacter lwofii, Enterobacter cloacae, Candida tropicalis. All investigated reference strains were isolated on nutrient media in accordance with their biological properties when inoculated with 50 CFU / ml less than 72 hours later, as stated by the manufacturer. The study has shown that growth factors must be used to test the quality of the culture media with Haemophilus influenzae bacteria and this must be reflected in the manufacturer’s instructions.

Progress in heterologous biosynthesis of forskolin

Forskolin, a class of labdane-type diterpenoid, has significant medicinal value in anticancer, antiasthmatic, antihypertensive, and heart-strengthening treatments. The main source of natural forskolin is its extraction from the cork tissue of the root of Coleus forskohlii. However, conventional modes of extraction pose several challenges. In recent years, the construction of microbial cell factories to produce medicinal natural products via synthetic biological methods has effectively solved the current problems and is a research hotspot in this field. This review summarizes the recent progress in the heterologous synthesis of forskolin via synthetic biological technology, analyzes the current challenges, and proposes corresponding strategies.

Evolution

Making or listening to music is pan-cultural, nearly universal, and highly valued. Musical behaviours probably appeared between 500,000 and 60,000 years ago. The more recent date captures the era when Homo sapiens spread globally from Africa. The older date corresponds with a time when song might have produced individual or social benefits and the physiological and cognitive conditions for its production were present (in our predecessor, Homo heidelbergensis). Music is so multifunctional, however, that it is not clear if it was an evolutionary adaptation (as opposed to a by-product or non-biological technology) or, if so, what it was an adaptation for. This chapter examines these issues with a particular focus on questions of musicality, fitness, language, and sound processing.

Progress in Nitrogen Removal in Bioelectrochemical Systems

Nitrogenous compounds attract great attention because of their environmental impact and harmfulness to the health of human beings. Various biological technologies have been developed to reduce the environmental risks of nitrogenous pollutants. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are considered to be a novel biological technology for removing nitrogenous contaminants by virtue of their advantages, such as low energy requirement and capacity for treating wastewaters with a low C/N ratio. Therefore, increasing attention has been given to carry out biological processes related to nitrogen removal with the aid of cathodic biofilms in BESs. Prior studies have evaluated the feasibility of conventional biological processes including nitrification, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), separately or combined together, to remove nitrogenous compounds with the help of BESs. The present review summarizes the progress of developments in BESs in terms of the biological process, cathodic biofilm, and affecting factors for efficient nitrogen removal.