An Overview of Smart Sensor Technology

A wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors to cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants. The development of wireless sensor networks was motivated by military applications such as battlefield surveillance. They are now used in many industrial and civilian application areas, including industrial process monitoring and control, machine health monitoring, environment and habitat monitoring, healthcare applications, home automation, and traffic control

Evaluation of Asa River Water in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria for Available Pollutants and their Effects on Mitosis and Chromosomes Morphology in Allium cepa Cells

T: This study evaluated water samples from Asa River in Kwara state, Nigeria, for cytogenotoxicity at 25.0 %, 50.0 %, 100.0 % following the Allium cepa assay. Onions were grown in the water samples for microscopic and macroscopic screenings. Heavy metals and volatile organic pollutants in the water were elucidated using AAS and GCMS techniques. The Water samples except the sample ‘C’ induced higher mitotic index (MI) than the negative control. Root growth was significantly promoted at 25.0 %, and significantly reduced at 50.0 % and 100.0 % of the sample ‘C’ and 100.0 % of the sample ‘A’. Water sample ‘A’ (100.0%) induced highest percentage chromosomal aberrations (CA) while the water samples ‘B’ and ‘C’ induced higher percentage CA than the negative control. Cadmium was detected at a concentration higher than its permissible limit in drinking water. Poly aromatic hydrocarbons, Aromatic amines, Acridine dye, Phenolic and Polychlorinated compounds were detected in the water sample. The observed proliferative, inhibitory, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of the water samples on A. cepa cells suggest that Asa river was polluted, having potential to adversely affect humans, animals and plants utilizing it along its course. Keywords: Allium cepa; Asa River; cytogenotoxicity; Nigeria; pollutant

PREDICTING STUDENTS«¤?? ENROLLMENT USING GENERALIZED FEED-FORWARD NEURAL NETWORK

An important obligation of educational planning is the projection of students«¤?? enrollment which forms the basis for many of the investment decisions. Enrollment projection provides information for decision making and budget planning hence, it is important to the development of higher education. As many factors have impacts on the enrollment number, and for the above reasons, students«¤?? population and enrollment number should be considered as a chaotic system. In this research, a Generalized Feed-Forward Neural Network (GFFNN) for students«¤?? enrollment prediction was proposed. The architecture of the proposed model was in-line with eight steps involved in developing a neural network model for predicting a chaotic system. The data used was obtained from Academic Planning and Quality Control Unit of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State Nigeria. The results from the study showed that the mean absolute percent error of GFFNN has an average of 0.0101% unlike linear regression and autoregression models that were compared with it, with an average of 0.0570% and 0.0725% respectively. The proposed methodology is expected to assist the school management to adequately plan for the future needs of the students in the provision of facilities.ª¤

A Floristic Assessment of Woody Plant Diversity in Secondary Forest, Ile-Ife Nigeria: A Proactive Step to Monitoring the Diversity Loss and Degradation

Loss of biodiversity has been recognized as one of the main threats to the forest ecosystem. This study examined the diversity and conservation status of woody species in the secondary forest of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria using six permanent plots. All woody species were completely enumerated, and identified; their girths at breast height were measured at 1.3 m above buttress. Biodiversity status was assessed using Shannon-Wiener diversity, evenness of distribution, Sorrenson index of similarity and species importance value index. There were 77 tree species distributed into 62 genera and 30 families. The most abundant species were Celtis zenkeri and Lecaniodiscus cupanioides, while the most abundant families were Moraceae, Euphorbiaceae, and   Fabaceae. The tree species density ranged from 508 – 1132 plants per hectare. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index (1.83 to 3.50), evenness (0.483 – 0.741) and the basal area (6.06 – 25.73 m2 ha-1) were high in the forest. However, Celtis mildbraedii is critically endangered, while Garcina kola, Mallotus oppositifolus and Ricinodendron heudelotii are vulnerable. This study provides baseline diversity data for the conservation of woody species in the forest and concludes that this secondary forest is a potential biodiversity hub if properly managed. It will also play a key role in fashioning out realistic, appropriate, and effective conservation strategies that will enhance the restoration and management of the floristic composition of the secondary forest

A Streaming Algorithm for the Convex Hull

Consider a base station in a wireless sensor network that receives incoming input points and must maintain a running convex hull within a memory constraint. We give a new streaming algorithm that processes each point in time O (log k) where k is the memory constraint, while maintaining an optimal area error of O(1/k²)

Perceptions on Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Disease among Livestock Marketers at Wudil Cattle Market, Wudil, Kano

African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT) is a debilitating disease that hinders livestock productivity in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Numerous strategies have been developed over time to fight this devastating disease, which are emphasized mostly on containing the spread of its causative agent and principal vector. However, very little has been done to include livestock marketers in decision making, planning and implementation of control programs. Therefore, this study was carried out to fill that void, by evaluating the knowledge of this group of people on Tsetsefly and Trypanosomosis in Wudil Cattle Market. Questionnaires were developed to collect relevant information, and were administered through ‘Standard Focus Group Discussions’. The results revealed that tsetse fly was known by all respondents (100%), who significantly reported that they were most commonly found in the forests (95%), during the wet season (85%). Respondents also reported that these flies prefer to bite animals (71.25%). Similarly, a majority of respondents (97.5%) reported to being cognizant of trypanosomosis disease, while also stating that it had infected their animals at some point in time. Respondents believed infection was most prevalent during the wet season (60%) than the dry season (40%). Respondents had mixed views when it came to perceived causes of the disease, as some associated it with bite from flies (53.75%), while others linked it to transhumance (38.75%). In terms of signs and symptoms, 80% of respondents were able to identify with at least four symptoms of the disease. In essence, this study further intensifies the need to engage livestock marketers in tsetse and trypanosomosis control programs, in addition to emphasizing the need to create awareness campaigns that can further limit the spread of the disease and ensure vector control

A Parametric Method Optimised for the Solution of the (2+1)-Dimensional Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

open access articleWe investigate the numerical solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in two spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. We develop a parametric Runge–Kutta method with four of their coefficients considered as free parameters, and we provide the full process of constructing the method and the explicit formulas of all other coefficients. Consequently, we produce an adaptable method with four degrees of freedom, which permit further optimisation. In fact, with this methodology, we produce a family of methods, each of which can be tailored to a specific problem. We then optimise the new parametric method to obtain an optimal Runge–Kutta method that performs efficiently for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We perform a stability analysis, and utilise an exact dark soliton solution to measure the global error and mass error of the new method with and without the use of finite difference schemes for the spatial semi-discretisation. We also compare the efficiency of the new method and other numerical integrators, in terms of accuracy versus computational cost, revealing the superiority of the new method. The proposed methodology is general and can be applied to a variety of problems, without being limited to linear problems or problems with oscillatory/periodic solutions

Evaluation of Asa River Water in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria for Available Pollutants and their Effects on Mitosis and Chromosomes Morphology in Allium cepa Cells

This study evaluated water samples from Asa River in Kwara state, Nigeria, for cytogenotoxicity at 25.0 %, 50.0 %, 100.0 % following the Allium cepa assay. Onions were grown in the water samples for microscopic and macroscopic screenings. Heavy metals and volatile organic pollutants in the water were elucidated using AAS and GCMS techniques. The Water samples except the sample \u2018C\u2019 induced higher mitotic index (MI) than the negative control. Root growth was significantly promoted at 25.0 %, and significantly reduced at 50.0 % and 100.0 % of the sample \u2018C\u2019 and 100.0 % of the sample \u2018A\u2019. Water sample \u2018A\u2019 (100.0%) induced highest percentage chromosomal aberrations (CA) while the water samples \u2018B\u2019 and \u2018C\u2019 induced higher percentage CA than the negative control. Cadmium was detected at a concentration higher than its permissible limit in drinking water. Poly aromatic hydrocarbons, Aromatic amines, Acridine dye, Phenolic and Polychlorinated compounds were detected in the water sample. The observed proliferative, inhibitory, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of the water samples on A. cepa cells suggest that Asa river was polluted, having potential to adversely affect humans, animals and plants utilizing it along its course

Spectrum of musculo-skeletal disorders in sickle cell disease in Lagos, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a common genetic disease in Nigeria. Past studies from West Africa focused on isolated aspects of its medical and surgical presentations. To the best of our knowledge, the musculo-skeletal presentations amongst Nigerians with SCA have not been documented in a single all encompassing study. This work aims to prospectively document the musculo-skeletal disease burden among SCA patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a prospective study of 318 consecutive patients with genotype-confirmed SCA at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), the musculo-skeletal pathologies, anatomic sites, grade of disease, age at presentation and management outcome were recorded over a one-year period. Data obtained were analyzed using Epi-Info software version 6.0. Data are presented as frequencies (%) and mean values (SD) as appropriate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The HbSS genotype occurred in 296 (93.0%), while 22 (7.0%) were HbSC. 100 (31.4%) patients with average presenting haemoglobin concentration of 8.2 g/100 ml in the study group, presented with 131 musculo-skeletal pathologies in 118 anatomic sites. Osteomyelitis 31 (31%) and septic arthritis 19 (19%) were most commonly observed in children less than 10 years. Skin ulcers and avascular necrosis (AVN) occurred predominantly in the older age groups, with frequencies of 13 (13.0%) and 26 (26.0%) respectively. 20 (71.5%) of diagnosed cases of AVN presented with radiological grade 4 disease. The lower limbs were involved in 84 (71.1%) of sites affected. Lesions involving the spine were rare 11 (0.9%). Multiple presentations occurred in 89 (28.0%) of patients; 62 (69.7%) of which were children below 10 years.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Musculo-skeletal complications are common features of sickle cell anaemia seen in 31.4%. Infectious aetiologies predominate with long bones and joints of lower limbs more commonly affected by osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. Healthcare providers managing SCA should be aware of the potential morbidity and mortality of these conditions to ensure early diagnosis and adequate management.</p

Phytochemical screening, isolation of coumarins and examining bioactivity of Prangos platychlaena Boiss. plant IN Iraq

The Prangos platychlaena Boiss. a wild plant belonging to the Apiaceae family, is a native plant of Kurdistan-Iraq. The roots, leaves, stem and flowers of the plant were collected in the Halgurd mountain of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and extracted by petroleum ether, ethanol and water to obtain the crude extracts. Our results showed that the plant contains different phytochemicals that are distributed unequally in different parts. The chromatography technique was used for the isolation and purification of three coumarins (5,8-dimethoxy psoralen, 5-methoxy psoralen and 8-methoxy psoralen) from the parts of the flower, all compounds are new among the Prangos species. The extracts of different plant parts and isolated compounds showed anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities against pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. These findings suggested that this plant, specially their leaves and flowers can be used for the treatment of some diseases in the future