Comparative Study of a Fuzzy Logic Based Controller and a Neuro-Fuzzy logic Based Controller for Computer Fan

The impact of soft-computing in modern day engineering and technology cannot be overemphasized.  Fuzzy logic approach as proposed by Lofti Asker Zadeh, popularized by the Japanese, has found its way into the control of many domestic and industrial appliances/machines.  Unlike the popular PID controllers and the pulse width modulation based controllers, the performance of computer fan is investigated using the fuzzy logic approach with two inputs parameters, that is, the computer loads and the temperature and one output parameter which is the speed at which the computer fan operates.  For the fuzzy inference system, four membership functions are selected for the inputs as well as the output.  Relevant rules are set to determine the operating conditions and boundaries for the controller.  In order to make the controller adaptive, neurofuzzy logic appproach is used with parameters set as the case with fuzzy logic. Training of the controller is carried out and the performance of each controller is presented in three dimensional view and two dimensional surface view with neurofuzzy based controller, in performance, having an edge over the fuzzy logic based controller. Keywords: Anfis, Fuzzy logic, Computer fan, Controller, Performance compariso

The Use of Coconut-Shell Based Activated Carbon as an Adsorbent in the Treatment of Hard Water

One of the undesirable characteristics of some groundwater sources is hardness, which has adverse effects on water pipes, boilers and soap consumption. Therefore, several treatment processes have been introduced to remove or reduce the hardness from water. One of the innovations in this regard is coconut-shell which is readily available and could be used to produce resource materials such as activated carbon that is of public health importance. The initial values of Calcium, Magnesium and Total Hardness in the raw water sample were 120.24mg/L, 98.29mg/L and 588.00mg/L, respectively which are above the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The highest quantities of Calcium, Magnesium and Total Hardness were removed at a contact time of 60 minutes with removal efficiencies of 80%, 60.44% and 66.71%, respectively. Also, the optimum dosage occurred at 1.2g for Calcium hardness, 1.5g for Magnesium hardness and Total hardness. In conclusion, the adsorbent obtained from the coconut-shell has the potential of removing Calcium, Magnesium and Total Hardness in water

MARKETING OF FERMENTED CASSAVA FLOUR IN AKINYELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

The study was carried out in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on marketing of fermented cassava flour (lafun) with the objective of examining the socio-economic characteristics of cassava marketers, determining the profit margin, ascertaining effect of some variables influencing the supply of cassava flour and identifying associated constraints. Primary data used for the study was collected from 80 respondents using simple random sampling technique. The empirical evidence from the analy- sis shows that the traders are predominantly female (70%) and mostly married (62.5%). The study further reveals that the marketing of lafun is a profitable venture at both the wholesale and retail levels with a profit of N6,890.32 per month. The quantity of cassava supplied was significantly determined by transportation cost (P0.01), marketing experience (P0.05), years of education (P0.10) and cost of storage (P0.05).The markets were observed to face transportation, storage and packaging problems. As trans- portation cost increased, the quantity of lafun supplied to market was also found to increase. The study recommends the assistance of government in the provision of infrastructural facilities

Examination of the relationship between vegetation cover indices and land degradation in the peri- urban area of Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between some vegetation cover indices and land degradation in the periurban area of Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria with the aim of reducing, if not stopping, the activities that produce vegetation indices that contribute to land degradation. Methods adopted for data collection are field observation and measurement of variables along twelve transects, using the following indices; size of surface cover, tree crown fullness, area covered by litters, tree density and leaf cover index. The physical measurements were carried out on each transect of 50m by 500m.The data collected was collated and presented in a tabular format which was later subjected to correlation analysis using SPSS software. The results revealed an inverse relationships between the size of land degraded and tree density (-0.521), leaf cover index (-0.387), area covered by litters (-0.332), surface cover index (-0.244) and tree crown fullness (-0.163), but a very strong positive correlation between tree density and leaf cover index (0.886), tree crown fullness (0.718) and area covered by litters (0.557) respectively. From this analysis the major vegetal index contributing to land degradation is the tree density which, when it is improved upon, will lead to the improvement of other indices because of the positive correlation between them and tree density. Therefore it is recommended that agroforestry and land scaping should be embraced in the area with emphasis on short economic trees with moderate crown cover that will allow crops or grasses to grow under it as well as avoid the negative impact of rain water drops from very tall tree that can cause soil erosion.KEYWORDS: Agroforestry, leaf, land degradation, litters, tree density and vegetation

Heavy metal status in muscles of dry Trachinocphalus myops fish from Orita-merin market in Ibadan metropolis South-West, Nigeria

This paper determined the levels of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in muscles of dry Trachinocephalus myops from Orita-merin market in Ibadan metropolis south-west of Nigeria. Samples were randomly purchased and were digested in concentrated nitric acid and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Zinc had the highest concentration of 124.9±86.7 mg/kg dry weight of the samples, while cadmium had the lowest concentration of 2.5±1.6 mg/kg dry weight of the samples. The concentration of chromium and copper were 5.6±3.5 mg/kg and 5.2±3.1 mg/kg respectively while lead was observed in only one of the samples with a concentration of 3.7 mg/kg. The obtained result revealed that Cr, Cd, Zn and Pb were above the permissible level set by  the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) maximum limit in food which is Pb (2 ppm), Cd (0.5 ppm), Zn(1 ppm), and Cr (0.05 ppm which may be an indication of possible health risk when exposed consistently over a long time to this type of fish. Keywords: Heavy metals, Bioaccumulation, Ecosystem, Pollutant, Exposur

Food Expenditure Patterns Among Urban Households In Ibadan Southwest Local Government Area, Oyo State

This study examines food expenditure patterns among urban households in Ibadan South West Local Government Area of Oyo State. The primary data used for the study were obtained through structured questionnaire using random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics and least square regression model were used to analyse the data collected from respondents. Descriptive analysis showed that 82.5% of the household heads were males, 65% of them were married, and 55% fell within the age bracket of 30 and 39 years, while 65% were salary-earners. Most of the respondents (79.2%) had tertiary education and the average household size was found to be 5. Furthermore, 49.2% bought foodstuffs from the market for home consumption on a monthly basis and 52.5% spent less than N10, 000 monthly on food.  The result of the least square regression model showed that the age of respondents, level of education and occupation (salary-earner or self-employed) of the household head, as well as the household income were significantly influenced by household’s monthly food expenditure in the study area. The study recommends among other things enlightenment programmes that will    educate the urban dwellers on the  need to eat good quality and hygienic food.   &nbsp

Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of copper(II) Schiff base adducts of some p-substituted aniline Schiff bases

The synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of Cu(II) complexes of some p-substituted aniline Schiff base ligands have been carried out. The Schiff bases were obtained from salicylaldehyde and o-vanillin. The Cu(II) complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity measurement, infrared and electronic spectral data. The complexes were obtained either as metal chelates [Cu(L)2] or Schiff base adducts (CuCl2.2LH).xH2O. The metal chelates were non-electrolytes while the Schiff base adducts exhibited 1:1 or 2:1 electrolytes in methanol. The Cu(II) complexes exhibited slight antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC® 8739™*, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus ATCC® 6538™*, Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii ATCC® 6633™* and Candida albicans ATCC® 2091™*. The complexes exhibited significant antifungal activity.                     KEY WORDS: Metal Chelates, Schiff bases, Adducts, Cu(II) complexes, Salicylaldimines   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(1), 33-42. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i1.

PRICE TREND ANALYSIS OF SELECTED FOOD GRAINS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA (1988-2012)

The study examined the price trend of some selected food grains in Ogun State, Nigeria, using descriptive statistics, graphical representation and growth model to analyze its dynamic behaviour over the period of 1988-2012. The study was based on secondary data obtained from Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme for the period (1988-2012) and it covered the rural and urban monthly retail prices of three (3) food grains viz: maize (white and yellow), rice and cowpea (white and brown). Results of analysis revealed a consistent long-term movement or change in the prices of the food grains for both markets.  While price fluctuation was observed more with maize and cowpea, minimal adjustments were observed in rice. Exponential regression analysis showed a positive significant coefficient i.e. an upward trend in prices of both rural and urban markets with a significant F-statistics (p<0.01). The highest growth rate was seen in white cowpea in the urban market (i.e. 4.78%) while the least growth rate was in white maize in the rural market (i.e. 3.50%).Â

Comparative Analysis of Production Efficiency of Government-Assisted and Unassisted Pig Farmers in Lagos State

This study comparatively examined the efficiency of pig production among government-assisted and non-assisted farmers in Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria. The study was based on primary data obtained in a cross-section survey of 120 pig farmers, 60 each drawn purposively from among the government-assisted (GAPF) and unassisted pig farmers (UAPF) in the state. The data were analysed by descriptive, budgetary and econometric (Stochastic Production Frontier) methods. The study revealed that, most of the pig farmers (67.7% of GAPF and 95.0% of UAPF) are men. Majority of the pig farmers (65.0% of GAPF and 55.0% of UAPF) are within 30 - 50 years age bracket; with as much as 83.3% of GAPF and 60.0% of UAPF, having no more than six years of experience in pig farming. However, most (95.0% of GAPF and 75.0% of UAPF) of the pig farmers had some tertiary education. Budgetary analysis revealed that an average GAPF incurred a total cost of N987,682 in producing N1,360,050 worth of pigs with a net farm income of N372,368 yielding 33.67% rate of returns on their investment during the 2008/2009 production season. His UAPF counterpart incurred a total cost of N727,860 in producing N938,000 worth of pigs with a net farm income of N210,140 yielding 31.73% rate of returns on during the same production season. The technical, allocative and overall economic efficiency estimates computed based on estimated Stochastic Production and Conditional Revenue Frontier models of the two categories of pig farmers revealed that GAPF are generally more efficient (with mean technical, allocative and overall economic efficiency index of 0.66, 0.68 and 0.48, respectively) than their UAPF counterparts (with mean technical, allocative and overall economic efficiency index of 0.53, 0.60 and 0.35, respectively). The differences in the production efficiency of the two categories of farms were found to be as a result of the institutional and infrastructural support received by GAPF which is not available to the UAPF. &nbsp

Application of Remote Sensing Techniques and GIS for Forest Reserve Degradation Prediction and Monitoring (1986-2015): A Case Study of Omo Forest Reserve, Ogun State, Nigeria

Remote Sensing Techniques with Geographic Information System can provide dependable information on land use dynamics. This study therefore examines the urban growth effects in Omo Forest Reserve of Ogun State using remote sensing and GIS. Landsat ETM imagery of 1986 and Landsat ETM+ imagery of 2015 was used to identify and classify the assessment of human intervention on Omo Forest Reserve between the study years. A GIS database of the study area and their location within 29years (1986-2015) was generated and analyzed with the aid of GIS analytical functions. These includes: Supervised classification and Spatial Query. The result showed that the intensive rate of human intervention through farming activities in the forest reserve has resulted in the loss of vegetation in the area. It also shows that population growth among communities around the forest imposes a lot of pressure on the forest reserve and the vegetation in the reserve. Forest reserve has suffered seriously and if the present trend of deforestation continues; it is just a matter of time when the whole reserve would have been converted to a bare ground. This research highlights the increasing rate of modification of forest ecosystem by anthropogenic activities and the need to apprehend the situation to ensure sustainable forest management. Keywords: Urban Growth, Supervised Classification, Spatial Query, anthropogenic activities