New Performance of Square of Numbers

The new discovery of squaring number can be use in getting a square of any number be it positive integers or negative integers.@JASE

Temperature Performance Evaluation of Parabolic Dishes Covered with Different Materials in Iwo, Nigeria

Solar radiation reaching the earth is considered to be affected by some parameters like diffusion. This radiation is reflected or scattered by air molecules, cloud and aerosols (dust). Parabolic dishes made of different materials (glass, foil and painted surface) were used to concentrate energy on a copper calorimeter filled with water. A thermometer was inserted in each of the copper calorimeter placed at the focus of the dishes. The experiment was performed from March to April (a period of five weeks), from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily with readings obtained at intervals of 30 minutes every day for one week and was later changed to hourly readings for the remaining four weeks. The initial and final temperatures of the water were determined. The parabolic dish with glass material gave the highest temperature of 56.9oC followed by foil with an average temperature of 48.7oC and painted silver colour with an average temperature of 45.1oC for the daily variation. For the other weeks, the average temperature of the dish with glass was 57.6oC  for foil, 46.9oC and painted silver colour, 40.8oC. The parabolic dish with glass is able to generate a higher temperature compared with foil and painted silver colour. Keywords: Glass, Foil, Silver Colour and Parabolic Dish

Malaria and typhoid fever co-infection: a retrospective analysis of University Hospital records in Nigeria

Studies have long documented the presence of malaria and typhoid fever in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, studies on these diseases have primarily concentrated on rural settings, neglecting the potential impact on urban areas. This knowledge gap hinders effective surveillance and intervention strategies. To bridge this gap, this study investigated the prevalence of malaria and typhoid co-infections in an urban environment. Methods This study, conducted at Lead City University Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria (West Africa’s largest metropolis), analysed medical records of over 3195 patients seen between April and June 2023. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to understand how these co-infections were distributed across different age and gender groups. Results The prevalence of co-infection peaked in May (9.7%), followed by June (8.9%) and April (5.7%). Notably, children aged 6–12 years exhibited the highest co-infection rate (18.5%), while those under five had the lowest (6.3%). Gender analysis indicated a slight difference, with 8.8% of females and 7.1% of males co-infected. Malaria prevalence was highest at the beginning of the rainy season and significantly decreased over time. Conversely, typhoid fever displayed the opposite trend, increasing with the rainy season. Children under five years old were most susceptible to malaria, while typhoid fever predominantly affected adults over 25 years old, with prevalence decreasing significantly with age. Conclusion This study sheds light on the previously overlooked risk of malaria and typhoid co-infections in urban settings. These findings highlight the need for enhanced surveillance and targeted public health interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups like young children during peak transmission seasons

Market level characteristic factors influencing smallholder coffee marketers in Kogi State, Nigeria

The study assessed the market level characteristic factors influencing coffee marketing among coffee farmers in the study area. The study was carried out in Kogi State and purposive sampling technique was used to select eighty four respondents. Data were collected from the respondents with the use of structured questionnaire and the data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages) as well as multi-variate regression analysis. Result of the descriptive analysis shows that the mean age of the farmers was 64 years while 60% of the farmers had no access to formal education. Regression analysis revealed that farm size, variety of coffee, marketing channels, trading experience, membership of association, price satisfaction and selling method constituted major characteristic marketing factors influencing coffee marketing in the study area and they all affected coffee marketing at 1% significant level. Based on the findings, the study therefore recommended that efforts should be made to assess variety of coffee that is more preferred by the buyers. Also, farmers should be given incentives to increase their farm holdings for higher productivity

Numerical Solution of SIR Model using Differential Transformation Method and Variational Iteration Method

Abstrac

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Alchornea laxiflora

Alchornea laxiflora leaf extract was tested against a range of microorganisms using standard microbiological methods for antimicrobial activities. The extract inhibited the growth of all the bacterial and 15 fungal isolates tested. The zones of inhibition exhibited against the test bacteria ranged between 12 mm and 24 mm and between 11 mm and 24 mm for the extract and the antibiotic streptomycin, respectively. The zones of inhibition observed against the fungal isolates by the extract ranged between 12 mm and 23 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) exhibited by the extract against test bacteria ranged between 0.78 mg/mL–25 mg/mL and 1.56 mg/mL–25 mg/mL, respectively, while the MICs and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) values for the test fungi ranged between 8.75 mg/mL–35.00 mg/mL and 8.75 mg/mL–35.00 mg/L, respectively. The preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, and reducing sugars as major phytoconstituents in the extract. A. laxiflora leaf extract is a potent source of antibacterial and antifungal compounds; further studies on the extract are ongoing in our laboratories to elucidate the probable mechanism(s) of action on bacteria and fungi found to be susceptible to the extract

The effect of residence time and temperature on product yields during the pyrolysis of coconut husks

This study explains the effect of residence time and temperature on product yield obtained from Coconut husks' pyrolysis. The husk of the coconut was prepared in the required sizes for the experiment. The experiment was carried out on eighteen different coconut husks at different temperature ranges and varying residence time. The coconut husk pyrolysis was confirmed to give three product yields: char (solid), tar (liquid), and the gaseous fuel, while a polynomial regression model was developed using the Response surface methodology (RSM) to create a polynomial regression model. The effect of pyrolysis temperature level change and its product yield duration was investigated using Full Factorial Design (FFD). Generally, during the pyrolysis process, it can be observed that temperature and reaction time have a strong outcome on the product yields. When the pyrolysis temperature increases at constant residence time, the biogas production increases, and vice versa

Measure of Volatility and Its Forecasting: Evidence from Naira / Dollar Exchange Rat

Background: HIV/AIDS is endemic in Nigeria since the first case was reported in 1986. Several risk factors contribute to its prevalence, and the successive government has devised different programs to halt the spread. Awareness is one of those programs that helps to promote voluntary testing and prevention of HIV. The aim of this paper is to assess the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS among private and public primary school pupils in Ado-Odo, Ota, Southwest Nigeri

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across the UK. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either usual care alone (usual care group) or usual care plus high-titre convalescent plasma (convalescent plasma group). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936. Findings: Between May 28, 2020, and Jan 15, 2021, 11558 (71%) of 16287 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible to receive convalescent plasma and were assigned to either the convalescent plasma group or the usual care group. There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the two groups: 1399 (24%) of 5795 patients in the convalescent plasma group and 1408 (24%) of 5763 patients in the usual care group died within 28 days (rate ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·93–1·07; p=0·95). The 28-day mortality rate ratio was similar in all prespecified subgroups of patients, including in those patients without detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at randomisation. Allocation to convalescent plasma had no significant effect on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital within 28 days (3832 [66%] patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 3822 [66%] patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·94–1·03; p=0·57). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at randomisation, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients meeting the composite endpoint of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death (1568 [29%] of 5493 patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 1568 [29%] of 5448 patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·93–1·05; p=0·79). Interpretation: In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research