Determination of optimal sampling strategy and water quality characterization of Ikere reservoir, Iseyin, south-west Nigeria

Water resources are essential for sustaining human life and socioeconomic activities, with reservoirs serving as critical water bodies. However, limited data on the Ikere reservoir’s current water quality hinders effective management. This research aims to assess the quality of water variation to develop an optimal sampling strategy for the Ikere Gorge Dam, Iseyin, Oyo State. Nigeria. Laboratory analysis was conducted on six (6) water samples from both the rainy and dry seasons at the study area, adhering to APHA (2017) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, and encompassing physicochemical and biological parameters as well as heavy metals. The results were compared to Nigeria's Food and Drug Administrative Control (NAFDAC, 2020) and World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) standards. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) were employed for the statistical analysis of the water quality parameter data to determine the optimal sampling strategy within the study area. The physicochemical, heavy metals, and biological parameters for the rainy and dry seasons, including pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, E. coli e.t.c showed values ranging from 6.41 to 6.77, 72.23 to 91.37 µS, 24.10 to 29.23°C, 1.30 to 10.23 NTU, 0.01 to 0.10 mg/L, and 12.33 to 47.67 MPN/100mL. Parameters such as turbidity, phosphates, DO, and E. coli exceeded WHO and NAFDAC standards. This indicates potential health risks and environmental pollution. PCA results indicate the variance distribution across five principal components, with significant clustering patterns. In conclusion, integrating CA and PCA is essential for effective water quality assessment at Ikere Gorge Dam. CA identified distinct clusters, while PCA revealed key factors like COD and hardness reflecting natural influences and turbidity and copper indicating pollution

Nutritional and antinutritional evaluation of gluten free pasta from cocoyam starch and lima bean flour

Pasta is a wheat-based food product which has gained universal popularity in recent years due to its versatility, low cost, ease of preparation and nutritional quality. It is traditionally produced from wheat that is largely imported in Nigeria, placing a heavy burden on the dwindling financial resources of the nation. Efforts are currently being made to develop new processing techniques that can increase utilization of locally grown crops in food production in order to reduce wheat importation,. Cocoyam and lima beans are gluten free underutilized indigenous tropical crops with rich nutritional profile which can be used to replace wheat flour in pasta production. This study therefore aims at developing  gluten free pasta from lima beans flour and cocoyam starch. Composite blends of pregelatinized cocoyam starch, germinated lima beans flour and xanthum gum (binder) were formulated in the following ratio: (100:0, 87.5:12:5, 75:25, 62.5:37.5 and 50:50) and used to produce pasta. The protein content of gluten free pasta ranged from 6.54 -18.82%, moisture content obtained ranged from 9.06-10.56% while the carbohydrate content ranged from 59.29-74.30%. Mineral content  of gluten free pasta ranged from 61.54-108.20 mg/100g for calcium and 0.94-6.09mg/100g for iron. Lysine values increased from 2.63(100% Wheat Flour Pasta) to 3.85(50%GCS , 50% GLBF & xanthum gum) while total amino acid ranged from  53.66-83.11. The study concluded that pregelatinized cocoyam  starch and  germinated lima beans flour blends are effective in developing acceptable gluten free past

Techno-economic optimization of a standalone hybrid pv-diesel-battery system for rural electrification using genetic algorithm

Grid extension is expensive and diesel-only generation has significant environmental downsides, making it difficult for rural Sub-Saharan Africa to obtain reliable access to electricity. The ideal stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system made up of photovoltaic (PV), diesel generator (DG), and battery storage system (BSS) for rural electrification is proposed by means of a case study of Ayeoba, Olode community, Osun State, Nigeria. After performing a detailed feasibility study using on-site weather and load data, a mathematical model for the hybrid system was developed. A genetic algorithm (GA) was then employed to fine-tune and implement the model in MATLAB R2021a to achieve the lowest Cost of Energy while achieving 0 LPSP and decreasing CO?. The optimal configuration of the PV-DG-BSS system yielded a Cost of Energy of $0.10/kWh, a Loss of Power Supply Probability of 0%, and a CO? emission reduction of 84.1905 kg/day. These results indicate that GA is a valid tool to improve hybrid energy systems for rural communities as a sustainable and cheaper solution when compared to traditional power sources. It contributes to clean energy access and a step forward for Nigeria in the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Statistical feature impact on synthetic palm vein image generation

This research work investigated the effect of statistical feature extraction on the generation of synthetic palm vein images. The study employed three statistical features: mean, covariance, and correlation coefficient. The features were used to generate synthetic images which were evaluated using metrics such as Equal Error Rate (EER), Recognition Accuracy (RA), and Recognition Time (RT). The study justifies the use of statistical features in the generation of synthetic palm vein images

Development of a polymer matrix composite reinforced with luffa fibre and white clay: Development of a polymer matrix composite reinforced with luffa fibre and white clay

Luffa is a natural fiber and has found utilization for centuries in various industries, including textiles, craft, and agriculture. The poly matrix materials generally have poor tensile and flexural strength making them to be less preferred in various applications. Therefore, this research aimed to develop a polymer matrix composite reinforced with luffa fibber and clay for use in the automotive and construction sectors. The luffer fruits and white clay were collected from Ilorin and epoxy resin, hardener, and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were purchased from Jopart Chemical Co-limited, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The luffer fruits were stripped of the husks and cut into long fibers. Both the luffer and the white clay were then rinsed using distilled water and sun-dried for 48 hours. The dried luffa and white clay were ground into smaller particles. Eight (8) composite samples were produced from a mixture of resin (65 – 80%), luffa (10 – 70%), and clay (8 – 15%) following the design of experimental techniques. The samples were molded in molding boxes and allowed to solidify for 48 hours. Each sample was characterized for textile strength, toughness, and flexural strength using an Ultimate Tensile Machine while Rockwell hardness was used for the hardness test. The tensile strength ranged between 4.72 and 18.07MPa, while flexural strength lies between 2.98 and 21.70MPa. The range of Brinell hardness values was 55 – 70BHN and 0.194 – 1.77Nm for toughness. The sample made from 9% clay, 11% luffa, and 80% epoxy gave the highest tensile strength (18.074MPa) and toughness (1.770Nm). Sample with the composition of 20% luffa, 15% clay, and 65% epoxy has the minimum tensile strength (4.723MPa) and hardness of 65BNH. The addition of luffa particles and white clay has been shown to enhance the tensile strength, hardness, and flexural strength of epoxy resin. The reinforced resin can be used for the production of car bumpers

Performance enhancement of amplify quantize and forward cooperative relaying technique in a wireless communication system: Performance enhancement of amplify quantize and forward cooperative relaying technique in a wireless communication system

Wireless communication systems are of paramount importance in the telecommunication infrastructure and have been playing a leading role in the development of nations. However, the system is characterized by multipath propagation effects that degrade the performance of the system. Amplify Quantize and Forward (AQF) cooperative relaying technique used to address the problem is characterized by poor performance due to signal amplification and obstruction along the propagating channel between the relay and destination. Hence, in this paper, the Enhancement of AQF (E-AQF) cooperative relaying protocol is carried out to improve the performance of the Conventional AQF (C-AQF) technique in a wireless communication system. The transmitted signal from the source is received at the relay node and the received signal is made to pass through spectral subtraction. The resultant signal is amplified using relay gain. The amplified signal at the relay node is quantized using uniform quantization before being forwarded to the destination during second hop transmission using angular beamforming. The multiple copies of the received signal at a varying path (L = 2, 4) are combined at the destination using Equal Gain Combiner (EGC). Mathematical expressions of Bit Error Rate (BER) and Throughput (TP) are derived using PDF. The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated using BER and TP by comparing it with the C-AQF cooperative relay technique. The proposed E-AQF gave better performance with reduced BER and increased TP than the C-AQF. The proposed E-AQF can be deployed to improve the performance of wireless communication systems

Development of speech emotion recognition system using optimized convolutional neural network

Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) allows systems to interpret emotions in human speech, creating more natural and responsive interactions between people and machines. Due to the complex nature of emotion detection, several deep learning techniques have been utilized, yet limited research have focused on optimizing key hyperparameters of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for a more efficient system. Hence, this research optimized CNN with Mantis Search Algorithm (MSA) due to its ease of implementation, ability to preserve population diversity during the optimization process, ability to escape from the local optima and balance between exploration and exploitation operators. Audio data for four emotions: anger, fear, happiness and neutrality were acquired from Toronto Emotional Speech Set (TESS) available on Kaggle.com. The audio data were then converted into text using speech-to-text code and preprocessed using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques: tokenization, removal of stop words, lemmatization, removal of punctuations and lowercase conversion. Mantis Search Algorithm was then applied to optimize CNN for optimal selection of filter size and learning rate.  The optimized CNN (MSA-CNN) was implemented using MATLAB R2023a software. The performance of the system was evaluated and compared with CNN classifier using False Positive Rate (FPR), Specificity (Spec), Sensitivity (Sen), Precision (Prec), Accuracy (Acc), and Recognition Time (RT). The optimized speech emotion recognition system showed improved values over CNN on all the metrics considered

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Palm Kernel Oil Extraction Machine

Oil palm is a valuable crop and of considerable commercial importance because of its major products which are red palm oil and palm kernel oil. The processing of the palm fruit locally is crude and tedious for the local processors in Nigeria. The drudgery and time spent in extracting palm oil discourage the youth and affect the productivity of palm oil in rural communities. The primary objective of this work is to design and fabricate an efficient palm kernel oil crushing machine. This machine, featuring high torque and low rotational speed, incorporates an adjustable choke mechanism. This mechanism allows precise regulation of back pressure, controlling the thickness and dryness of the pressed cake as it passes between the barrel and the crushing shaft. Key components, including the hopper, crushing chamber, shaft, pulleys, and belts, were designed and then fabricated using standard techniques such as cutting, welding, drilling, bending, and casting.The innovative design processes cold palm kernel seeds without pre-treatment; the crushing shaft within the barrel performs both breaking, cooking, and palm oil extraction process. Driven by a 10hp electric motor, a processing capacity of 100 kg per hour gives an oil extraction efficiency of 87.10%. The developed machine has a high oil extraction efficiency and material discharge efficiency. Machine processing of palm oil extraction will alleviate the rigor of manual processing and enhance product quality. &nbsp

Comparative design of flow reactors for the production of 100,000 tons per year of cumene from the catalytic alkylation of propylene and benzene

This research is driven by the need to ensure effective, economic and sustainable processes for cumene production from the catalytic alkylation of propylene and benzene in flow reactors. The flow reactors are the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and the plug flow reactor (PFR) where the alkylation reaction occurs. The reactors were designed by exploring the conservation principle of mass and energy over the reactors. The performance model of the reactors was simulated using MATLAB at the same initial feed and operating temperature of 481.1k and 483k with fractional conversion changes within the range of XA  at an interval of 0.05. The comparative analysis of the flow reactor design was based on the target product yield (cumene yield) and the energy efficiency of the process. The cumene yield is dependent on the reactor volume while the energy efficiency of the process depends on the quantity of heat generated per unit volume of the reactor. At maximum fractional conversion of 0.95, the volume of the CSTR and the PFR design were 52.296m3 and 19.771m3 with a percentage difference of 22.6% while the quantity of heat generated per unit volume of the CSTR and PFR were 0.013j/sm3 and 0.035j/sm3 with a percentage difference of 22.9%.  The above comparative design analysis showed that in terms of cumene yield, the CSTR displayed a better performance characteristic as indicated by the reactor volume while in terms of energy efficiency, the PFR showed a better performance characteristic as indicated by the quantity of heat generated per unit volume of the reactor. This article has shown that both the CSTR and the PFR are suitable for cumene production and the choice of reactor depends on the designer’s primary need. &nbsp

Pozzolanic Potential of Anacardium Occidentale Nutshell Ash (Aonsa) and Its Impact on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Investigating agricultural residue as pozzolans offers a two-fold benefits. It mitigates indiscriminate disposal what appears as a waste to some end users and promotes the sustainability of concrete. Tons of empty shells from Anacardium Occidentale Nutshells (AON), a by-product of the Anacardium Occidentale processing industry, are disposed indiscriminately in the environment where they eventually become nuisance.  However, there is a notable paucity of all-inclusive studies exploring the pozzolanic potential and the impact of Anacardium Occidentale nutshell ash (AONSA) on the mechanical properties of concrete. This study aims to contribute to the available knowledge base on the pozzolanic potential of AON being an agricultural residue, which serves as an outlet for AON. Mechanical properties of AONSA incorporated concrete was investigated. AONSA was obtained from the incineration of Anacardium Occidentale nutshell sourced from local Anacardium Occidentale processing unit in Ogbomoso and subjected to air-drying after getting rid of the nuts. Open ignition under ambient air took place to obtain AONS ash and this was calcinated in an Engineering Laboratory in LAUTECH. AONSA samples A and B were placed differently inside furnace at 800 for 5 hours and 500 for 7 hours for calcination. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, were employed to assess the pozzolanicity of AONSA while notable observations of the effects of time and elevated temperatures on AONSA were noted. The percentage XRD result of Quartz, Muscovite, Glauconite, Osumilite, Illite and Albite present in samples A and B are 6.4 (2), 47.8 (9), 18.3 (6), 23.6 (7), 3.9 (7), 0 and 24.3 (10), 21.3 (9), 29.9 (11), 0, 19.8 (9), 4.7 (2) respectively. XRF has these results for MgO, SiO2, P2O5, SO3, K2O, CaO, TiO2, MnO, Fe2O3, NiO, CuO, ZnO and Y2O3 for samples A and B are 7.620, 2.849, 4.761, 1.868, 20.88, 4.309, 583.5ppm,0.119, 10.073, 4.3 ppm, 388.9 ppm, 4.3 ppm, 388.9 ppm, 0.443, 75.0 and 5.691, 2.788, 4.817, 1.750, 21.893, 425.3 ppm, 0.115, 9.718, 0.0, 387.8 ppm, 0.851, 7.6 ppm, respectively. The element in SEM for samples A and B are K, Fe, Mg, Ca, P, Na, S, Si, Al, Cl, Ti with these percentages: 39.04, 12.24, 18.95, 6.81, 6.98, 6.93, 2.81, 3.02, 2.04, 1.18, 0.0 and 45.34, 7.28, 20.90, 5.93, 6.08, 6.27, 2.25, 2.48, 2.46, 1.01, 0.00, respectively. The presence of silicate, lime, and aluminum oxides oxide in AONSA contributes to its suitability as a pozzolan. The SEM analysis shows that with increase temperature at 5 hours, the atomic weight of Potassium got reduced compared to decrease in temperature at 7 hours.  The availability of SiO2 and Y2O3 in AONSA is essentially the same as that of cement. Furthermore, availability of MgO in AONSA is roughly 5.6912%, which is lower than 6% specified for cement in IS: 12, 269 – 1987. The amount of lime (CaO) in AONSA is roughly one-third that of Ordinary Portland Cement, as compared to alternative cement substitutes like fly ash