The increasing demand for sustainable and low-cost catalysts for biofuel upgrading has stimulated research into the utilization of agricultural wastes such as rice husk and eggshell for catalyst synthesis. This seminar discusses the preparation, characterization, and catalytic potential of NiCo/SiO₂and CaO/Al₂O₃. Catalysts synthesized from rice husk and eggshell, respectively. Rice husk serves as an abundant renewable source of silica, while eggshell is a rich source of calcium carbonate that can be converted into calcium oxide through calcination. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to evaluate their structural, thermal, and surface properties. Results revealed that the catalysts possess high surface area, mesoporous structures, and good thermal stability suitable for heterogeneous catalytic applications. NiCo/SiO₂ catalyst exhibited enhanced surface area and porosity due to silica derived from rice husk, while The CaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst showed excellent basic characteristics. The study highlights the importance of converting agricultural waste into valuable catalytic materials for biofuel production and environmental sustainability. The utilization of waste-derived catalysts offers economic, environmental, and industrial benefits by reducing waste disposal problems and promoting sustainable energy development.

As Yoruba traditional religion continues to experience resurgence across Africa and the Diaspora, digital and visual media have become primary sources of knowledge about it. However, this visibility comes at a cost. In this paper, we critically examined how social media platforms and Nollywood have contributed to the distortion of Yoruba traditional religion’s core doctrines, symbols, and practices. Content creators and filmmakers, often lack direct initiation or scholarly grounding, frequently present shallow, sensationalized, or fictionalized depictions of the tradition—reducing a deep cosmological system to aesthetics, fear, or fantasy. Such portrayals not only mislead global audiences but also endanger the integrity of sacred knowledge systems by encouraging performative spirituality and appropriation. The study explored specific case studies from TikTok, Instagram, and Nollywood productions that exemplify this trend. We also discussed the ethical responsibilities of practitioners, content creators, and scholars in safeguarding Yoruba traditional religion’s epistemological depth. Finally, we proposed strategies for reAfricanising media narratives around Indigenous Religions, centering voices of initiated custodians and scholar-practitioners to resist digital neo-colonialism in sacred discourse. Findings were content analysed.

This study examines the primary factors influencing public education spending in Nepal across various stages of schooling and expenditure categories in recent decades. Drawing on a multidimensional theoretical framework that integrates economic-demographic theory and Wagner’s Law, Keynesian counter-cyclical theory, decision-making (incrementalism) theory, and public-choice perspectives such as fiscal illusion and the political business cycle, the analysis employs ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression on national-level time-series data spanning twenty-two years (2000–2021). Six expenditure categories—total, current, capital, basic, higher, and vocational education expenditure—are estimated as functions of economic, demographic, decision-making, and political variables. The findings indicate that the lagged (incremental) expenditure variable is the single most consistent and powerful determinant across all six equations, confirming that budgetary decisions in Nepal are overwhelmingly shaped by the previous year’s allocation. Among economic variables, industrialization exerts a positive influence on total and higher-education spending consistent with Wagner’s Law, while inflation and unemployment display limited and largely pro-cyclical effects that contradict Keynesian expectations. Demographic and educational indicators are broadly neglected, with the number of teachers being the only variable exerting a significant influence, reflecting the dominance of salary obligations in recurrent spending. Among political variables, only the indirect-tax ratio is significant, and its consistently negative sign contradicts the fiscal illusion theory. The results portray Nepal’s education-financing process as predominantly incremental, supply-driven, and weakly responsive to demographic need.

Background & Aim: Thyroid nodules represent one of the most prevalent endocrinological findings in clinical practice, with sonographic prevalence ranging from 19–67%. The principal diagnostic challenge lies in non-invasively differentiating malignant from the far more prevalent benign thyroid nodules. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the gray scale, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and spectral Doppler characteristics of thyroid nodules and to correlate these sonographic features with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) findings. Methods: This prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Radiodiagnosis, IGGMC, Nagpur, over a 24-month period (November 2017 – November 2019). Eighty consecutive patients presenting with thyroid swelling underwent high-resolution grayscale ultrasonography and color/spectral Doppler evaluation using a Philips HD11XE machine with a 7–12 MHz linear transducer. Nodule characteristics assessed included size, shape, echotexture, margins, halo, internal calcification, cervical lymphadenopathy, and vascularity (CDFI). Spectral Doppler parameters including peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI), and resistive index (RI) were recorded. Nodules were stratified using the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS). All cases subsequently underwent USG-guided FNAC, and histopathological biopsy where applicable. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of 80 patients (78.75% female; mean age 38.4 years), 71 (88.75%) harbored benign and 9 (11.25%) malignant nodules. Malignant lesions were significantly more frequent in patients aged >40 years (p < 0.001). On gray scale, irregular margins (88.89% vs 0%), hypoechogenicity (77.78% vs 8.45%), and the presence of microcalcifications (77.78% vs 42.25%) were strongly associated with malignancy (all p < 0.05). On CDFI, intra-nodular vascularity was present in 100% of malignant versus 19.71% of benign lesions (p < 0.001). Spectral Doppler demonstrated RI > 0.75 in 88.89% of malignant nodules (sensitivity 88.89%, specificity 98.59%; p < 0.001) and PSV ≤ 20.4 cm/s in 100% of malignant lesions (p < 0.001). Combined gray scale + Doppler sonography achieved an overall sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 97% for detection of thyroid malignancy. Complete concordance was achieved between USG and FNAC diagnoses for all malignant lesions. Among malignant lesions, papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma were the most common histotypes, each accounting for 33.33% (3/9 cases), followed by anaplastic carcinoma (22.22%) and medullary carcinoma (11.11%). Conclusion: High-resolution gray scale ultrasonography combined with CDFI and pulse Doppler constitutes a highly sensitive, non-invasive first-line imaging modality for characterizing thyroid nodules. The combination achieves near-complete correlation with FNAC for malignant lesions, potentially reducing the need for unnecessary cytological sampling in clinically benign lesions.