The Role of Physical Distributionin Supply Chain Enterprise and the Accompanying Bottleneck Problems: A Review

Physical distribution is the core component that determines the general performance of supply chain administration because it is the logistics platform that enables the entire supply chain organization to manage and optimize the movement of productswithinthe value chain enterprise.However, there are bottleneck problems attributable to physical distribution that limitsthe general effectiveness of the valuechain. Consequently, the literature appraisal aims to identify andsynthesize into adocument the underlying bottleneck problemsassociated with physical distribution in the supply chain environmentto guide stakeholdersin the industryand chart future research direction for effective physical distribution policiesto further enhancethe supply chain organization. Among theproblems identified are, cost, ineffective information technology, transport problem, limited capacity, inventory, regulatory laws, and facility location. Other problems includepoor infrastructure, inadequate technical ability, tax,and environmental factors.The identified problems can be used for value stream mappingof physical distribution to identify process improvement opportunities for a more efficient supply chain organization

On the prediction of power loss in helical gearbox via simulation approach

Frictional loss, load variation, viscosity and speed are major causes of power loss in helical gears under normal operating conditions. The study presents the major theoretical findings to predict the possible power loss in a helical gear box. First, an analytical technique was employed to model the frictional loss and coefficient of friction resulting from the heat generated for a pair of helical gear in mesh. Then, a finite element method and Comsol Multiphysics was applied to model the helical gear structure as well as the surface displacements under static and moving conditions of the pinion. It was observed that the highest amplitude in surface displacement was 14 ×1

Dataset on cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilesha road

This dataset contains cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilsha road in Ondo state, Nigeria. The data was acquired using a designed data acquisition system which was kept inside golf3 vehicle interfaced with Acer laptop, the data was acquired as the vehicle moves from the reference point (7.39919, 5.05944 ) to its destination point (7.32818, 5.10836), it harvests GSM signal Strengths from a base station in intervals with its time, latitude and longitude simultaneously as the vehicle moves along the travelled rout; the data acquired shows the variation of signal strength against distance along the road from one base station to another in the travelled path. The raw data of this work is hosted in the Mendeley repository DOI:10.17632/tmksc8mkt8.

PROXIMATE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF Pentadiplandra brazzeana STEM BARK

Plants are the cheapest and indispensable constituents of human diets supplying the body nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fats, amino acids, vitamins) necessary for growth and body development. Therefore, this work was designed to examine the proximate and mineral composition of Pentadiplandra brazzeana stem bark (PBSB). Proximate composition of PBSB revealed the presence of 8.75 % moisture, 91.25 % dry matter, 6.43 % crude protein, 41.03 % crude fibre, 5.70 % ether extract, 12.11 % ash, 17.82 (g/100 g) carbohydrates, 0.47 % total reducing sugar and 632.2 Kj/100g energy respectively. Results on mineral analysis shows that PSSB is abundant in calcium (73.84 mg/100g) followed by phosphorus (41.55 mg/100g), magnesium (32.56 mg/100g), sodium (28.11 mg/100g), zinc (17.56 mg/100g), manganese (10.88 mg/100g), potassium (9.47 mg/100g) and copper (2.33 mg/100g). In order of mineral abundance in PBSB Ca ˃ phosphorus ˃ magnesium ˃ sodium ˃ zinc ˃ manganese ˃ potassium ˃ copper. It was concluded that PBSB is low in protein, energy and some minerals (copper and potassium)

A profile on HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among injecting drug users in Nigeria: Should we be alarmed?

Objective: Injecting drug use is now recognized as a significant risk factor for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated prevalence and correlates of HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional design using respondent driven sampling was conducted in six states in 2010. Weighted HIV prevalence and injecting risk behaviors calculated using RDS analytic tool. Logistic regression was used to determine correlates of HIV infection, stratified by state. Results: Total numbers of IDUs ranged from 197 in Lagos to 273 in Cross River and Oyo states. HIV prevalence was highest in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at 9.3%, Kaduna 5.8%, Oyo 5.1%, Kano 4.9%, CR 3.3% and Lagos 3.0%. Although \u3e 90% of participants were male, females had higher HIV prevalence in all states surveyed except FCT (range: 7.4% in CR to 37.7% in Kano). Logistic regression showed that females were significantly more likely to be HIV positive in Kano [OR = 33.2, 95% CI: 6.8–160.4], Oyo [AOR = 15.9, 95% CI: 3.69–68.51], Lagos [OR = 15.5, 95% CI: 2.41–99.5] and Kaduna states [AOR = 19.6, 95% CI: 4.4–87.6]. For injecting risk behavior, only receptive sharing was associated with HIV [AOR = 7.6, 95% CI: 1.2–48.7] and [AOR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.04–0.92] in Oyo and Kaduna states respectively. Conclusions: Considerable heterogeneity in the prevalence of HIV and associated risk behaviors exist among IDUs across Nigeria. Females had higher HIV prevalence among IDUs in five of six states, suggesting a need for targeted interventions for this hidden subgroup. Further research is needed to understand HIV transmission dynamics of IDUs in Nigeria. Community-based opioid substitution therapy and needle exchange programs should be implemented without delay

Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Plant-Mediated Green Method: Optical and Biological Properties

In this study, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully synthesized by plant-mediated green route. The leaf extracts of locally sourced Canna indica and Senna occidentalis acted as the reducing agents/capping agents instead of toxic chemicals leading to unprecedented bioreduction which promoted nucleation and particle growth within 2 minutes of reaction. Optical measurements were characterized by high intensities of absorption revealed by narrow absorption peaks indicating confinement of excitons, with surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) bands of silver nanoparticles at 340–380 nm (S. occidentalis-stabilized Ag NPs) and 400–430 nm (C. indica-stabilized Ag NPs). Morphological characterization with scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersed spectrometer (SEM-EDS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed quasi-spherical, cubic and truncated edge Ag NPs with mean sizes of 9.10 ± 1.12 nm and 9.4 ± 1.95 nm. Formation of crystalline Ag NPs was also supported by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) showing peak broadening. FTIR analysis revealed some characteristic vibrational bands of O–H, C=O, C=N functional groups at 3306, 1647 and 1246 cm–1 respectively in the organically capped silver nanoparticles. The mechanism of reaction in both syntheses was considered to be diffusion controlled Ostwald ripening process. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was tested against clinically isolated Gram positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pyogenes and clinically isolated fungus-Candida albicans. Significant growth inhibitions were found using analysis of variance (ANOVA), SPSS statistical tool at P < 0.05. The highest activity of C. indica-synthesized Ag NPs was against C. albicans, while S. occidentalis-derived Ag nanoparticles were most active against S. aureus and S. pyogenes. Hence, the findings of this research suggest potential applications of the bionanoparticles as optical materials, electronically conductive adhesives (ECA), and as a candidate for therapeutic drugs because of their biogenic nature