A Modified Boost-Boost High Gain DC-DC Converter for Photovoltaic (PV) Based Off- Grid Applications

This study presents a single switch non-isolated DC-DC converter good for photovoltaic (PV) applications. The proposed topology was constructed using two classical DC-DC boost converters by arranging them in cascade for providing high voltage gain, low duty-cycle, less stress across the semiconductor devices, less size, and low cost. The operating principle and steady-state analysis of an individual component of the proposed topology in continuous conduction mode (CCM) are discussed and the results obtained improved the ones in literatures. The prototype of 120 V DC output voltage with 9 V DC input voltage is implemented and the result obtained validate the simulated result of the proposed converter. Keywords: DC-DC converter, Photovoltaic (PV), Single switch, High gain, Duty-cycle

Supported Molybdenum Carbide as n-Hexane Upgrading Catalyst

Catalytic upgrading of n-hexane to corresponding isomers was successfully achieved at 1 atm using molybdenum carbide supported sulphated zirconia as hydroisomerisation catalyst. The characterization data generally indicated the formation of the carbide phase from molybdenum oxide precursor to proceeds stepwise at high temperatures, with increase in crystallinity after carburization. There was also limited destruction to the structural composition of the sulphated zirconia support. Production of isomerised hexanes increased with increase in space velocity but decreased significantly with increase in either hydroisomerisation temperature or contact time. Overall, the catalyst shows good upgrading properties towards n-hexane, suggesting its potentials as gasoline upgrading catalyst. Keywords: Molybdenum carbide, sulphated zirconia, n-hexane, upgrading, potentials

Algorithmic Framework for Frequent Pattern Mining with FP-Tree

The FP-tree algorithm is currently one of the fastest approaches to frequent item set mining. Studies have also shown that pattern-growth method is one of the most efficient methods for frequent pattern mining. It is based on a prefix tree representation of the given database of transactions (FP-tree) and can save substantial amounts of memory for storing the database. The basic idea of the FP-growth algorithm can be described as a recursive elimination scheme which is usually achieved in the preprocessing step by deleting all items from the transactions that are not frequent. In this study, a simple framework for mining frequent pattern is presented with FP-tree structure which is an extended prefix-tree structure for mining frequent pattern without candidate generation, and less cost for better understanding of the concept for inexperienced data analysts and other organizations interested in association rule mining. Keywords: Association Rule, Frequent Pattern Mining, Apriori Algorithm, FP-tre

Histopathological observations of the liver of albino rats orally exposed to the African black soap (Sabulun salo)

Aim: This is to determine the effect of oral administration of the sabulun salo (African traditional black soap) on the liver of albino rats. It is commonly produced and widely used in the Northern part of Nigeria and other parts of the country for herbal medication. Methods: Twenty (20) albino rats were divided into four groups of three test groups and a control group. The albino rats were administered with different concentrations of sabulun salo for the period of two weeks. The groups (AC, BC and FC) received 2000mg/kg, 3000mg/kg and 4000mg/kg of the sabulun salo respectively. And the control group received normal feed. Results: At end of the intervention, the albino rats were sacrificed and the livers were removed and processed for paraffin embedding. The blood samples were also collected for the biochemical and hematological analysis. At the end the analysis, the liver presented a normal histo-morphology across all the groups, the hematological and biochemical analysis showed some significant changes in the entire groups and the reduction in water and food consumption as the concentrations increased. There were also significant increased in white blood cell, hemoglobin and packed cell volume in the entire groups except in group FC when compared to the control and a haphazard changes in the blood biochemical parameters Conclusion: The results of this research have shown that the African traditional black soap (Sabulun Salo) is histologically non toxic to the liver of the albino rats exposed

Correlations Between Stress, Coping Strategies and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students of Federal University Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria

The paper investigated the relationships among stress, coping strategies and academic performance of undergraduate students of Federal University Birnin-kebbi, Kebbi State. A correlational type of survey design was used for the study. Three faculties were randomly selected from the university. A Random sampling technique was used in selecting 337 students, both male and female for the study. The two research instruments were adopted from Okorie (2016): The Students Stress Questionnaire (SSQ) and Students Coping Strategy Questionnaire (SCSQ), Students Academic Performance Scores (SAPS) was constructed by the researchers. All the questionnaires have 25 items, each scored on a four-point Likert Scale ranging from (Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed, and Strongly Disagreed). Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to test hypothesis 1, and hypothesis 2 was analyzed using the t-test analysis. The finding of the study revealed that negative relationship exists between stress and academic performance of students with (r= -0.850, p=0.000) and significant difference existed between male and female students in their coping strategies with (t=0.5823, p=0.000). It is therefore concluded that stress constitute serious problems that distract the students from maximum academic output and effective social life. It was recommended among others that university environment should be made conducive by improving on hostel accommodation, conducive classrooms for lectures and amenities such as light and water

Prevalence of Non-communicable Diseases and its Awareness among Inhabitants of Sokoto Metropolis: Outcome of a Screening Program for Hypertension, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus and Overt proteinuria

Introduction: Developing countries confront double jeopardy of prevalent infectious disease and increasing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) with imminent projected epidemic proportions. Nigeria has witnessed tremendous socio-economic changes and rural to urban migration culminating in emergence of NCD. The impact of these diseases on the lives of people is enormous when measured in terms of outcomes. We initiated a screening program among inhabitants of Sokoto metropolis in an attempt to unravel the prevalence and pattern of NCD.Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study involving 535 participants who were randomly selected during World Kidney Day Screening in Sokoto. Health promotion talk was organized for the participants before commencing the screening. We took anthropometric measurements and calculated body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio for all individuals. We also checked blood pressure and blood glucose levels and performed urinalysis for all participants.Results: There were 535 participants including 332 males and 203 females with a mean age of 37±17 years. Over-weight, obesity and morbid obesity were found in 12.3%, 6.7% and 0.9% of participants respectively. About 11% had waist/hip ratio greater than 1. The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension was 8.5% and 30.2% respectively. Elevated random blood glucose levels were found in 6% of participants while 17.9% had at least 1+ of proteinuria in urinalysis.Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases are common in our environment and the level of awareness is low. Regular health education and screening programs are necessary in order to reduce the menace.Key words: Non- communicable disease; Prevalence; Screening; Sokot

Qualitative And Quantitative Phytochemical Screening Ofcola Nuts (Cola Nitida And Cola Acuminata)

A study was carried out to evaluate the phytochemical constituent ofaqueous and methanol nut extracts of Colanitida and Colaacuminata. The phytochemical screening which involves both the qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed the presence of secondary metabolites; alkaloid, tannins, glycoside, steroids and saponins glycoside with higher contain in methanol and aqueous extracts. The saponins content is higher in the aqueous extract  and not detected in the methanol extract of the two species. Flavonoids expressed strong presence in methanol extract of C.nitida and not detected in the aqueous extract as well as the aqueous and methanol extracts of C. acuminata. For cardiac glycoside and volatile oil, they show moderate and trace presence in the methanol and aqueous extracts respectively. Anteraquinones are not detected in all the extracts of the two species. The quantitative result shows that, there were significant differences (p<0.05) in glycoside, tannins, saponins and alkaloid content of C. acuminata compared to C.nitida, withC. acuminata having the highest percentage of alkaloid (1.00%) while C. nitidahad (0.80%) alkaloid content,C. acuminatahad (0.80%) saponins, with C. nitida having (0.40%), more over the tanninscontent of C. acuminatawas higher (0.89%) compared to C. nitidawith (0.77%) while the glycoside content of C. acuminatawas (0.53%) and that of C. nitida was (0.43%). The results as indicated above disclose the scientific basis for the traditional uses of cola nut. Finally, the study  recommend the isolation of these metabolites using highly purify methods in other  to obtain their maximum therapeutic potentials. Keywords:Colanitida, Cola acuminate,Qualitative and Quantitative PhytochemicalScreening

Relationship between Serum Heat-Stable Alkaline Phosphatase Activity and Blood Pressure in Patients with Pre-Eclampsia and Eclampsia

Background: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship, if any, between theserum heat-stable alkaline phosphatase (HS-ALP) activity and the blood pressure (BP) of patients with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Method: The activity of HS-ALP was measured using the 4 - nitrophenyl phosphate (4 - NPP) method after incubation at a high temperature of 65\ub0C for exactly 30 minutes in one hundred normal pregnant women and in another one hundred with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. The normal pregnant women were used as controls. The blood pressure (BP), systolic as well as diastolic was measured in each of the studied patient using desktop mercury sphygmomanometer. Results: In the patients with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, it was found that the higher the systolic and diastolic BP, the higher is the activity of the HS-ALP. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the HS-ALP activity in patients with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia is positively related to the severity of the hypertension and therefore this could help in detecting early complication.Fond : L'objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d'explorer le rapport, s'il y en a, entre l'activit\ue9 thermostable de la phosphatase alkaline de s\ue9rum (TS-PAL) et la tension art\ue9rielle (TA) des malades avec la pr\ue9-\ue9clampsie et l'\ue9clampsie. M\ue9thode : L'activit\ue9 de TS-PAL a \ue9t\ue9 mesur\ue9e en utilisant La m\ue9thode de 4-phosphate nitroph\ue9nylique (4-PPN) apr\ue8s l'incubation \ue0 temp\ue9rature \ue9lev\ue9e de 65 0C pendant exactement 30 minutes dans cent femmes enceintes normales et dans encore cent avec l' pre-\ue9clampsie/\ue9clampsie. Les femmes normalement enceintes ont \ue9t\ue9 employ\ue9es comme commandes. La tension art\ue9rielle (TA), systolique aussi bien que diastolique a \ue9t\ue9 mesur\ue9e dans chaque malade \ue9tudi\ue9 en employant le sphygmomanom\ue8tre mecure de bureau intelligent. R\ue9sultats: Dans les malades avec la pre-\ue9clampsie et \ue9clampsie, on a constat\ue9 que plus la TA systolique et diastolique est haute, plus est haute l'activit\ue9 du TS-PAL . Conclusion: On peut conclure que l'activit\ue9 de TS-PAL dans les patients avec la pre-\ue9clampsie/\ue9clampsie est franchement li\ue9 \ue0 la s\ue9v\ue9rit\ue9 de l'hypertension et donc ceci pourrait aider pour d\ue9tecter la toute promi\ue9re complication

Evaluation of Serum Lipid Profile of Under-Five Nigerian Children

Background: Serum lipid profile assay forms one of the special investigations in most chemical pathology laboratories worldwide. Several studies in children from different countries have shown that serum lipids exhibit age and geographical pattern of variation prior to puberty. This study was conducted to evaluate serum lipid profile in Nigerian children aged 6 to 36 months. Methods: A total of 115 randomly selected apparently healthy children were studied. These consisted of 38, 40 and 37 children in groups I (6 to 12 months), II (13 to 24 months) and III (25 to 36 months) respectively. There were 60 male and 55 female children. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG) were measured by enzymatic colorimetric method using reagent kits supplied by Human, Gesel F\ufcr Biochemica Und Diagnostica mbH (Wiesbaden, Germany). Serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) were subsequently estimated using Friedewald formula. Results: The reference ranges and (Mean \ub1 SEM) of serum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, VLDL-C and TC/HDL-C for the total group of children were 1.55-5.42(2.89\ub10.12),0.50-3.29(1.28 \ub1 0.15), 0.45-2.77(1.12 \ub1 0.14), 0.93-3.43(0.79 \ub1 0.14), 0.17-0.72(0.35 \ub1 0.14) mmol/L and 1.01-4.74(2.19 \ub1 0.13) respectively. There were no sex differences in all these parameters. Serum levels of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TC/HDL-C in the 3 age groups were also statistically similar (p>0.05). Concentrations of TG and VLDL-C were lower (p<0.001) in group II than in I. These values were also significantly lower (p<0.02) in group III than in I. Serum TG and VLDL-C in groups II and III were statistically comparable (p>0.05). Conclusion:Serum concentrations of TC, TG and VLDL-C decrease with advancing age, with more marked decrease between first and second years of life. We hereby recommend that the reference values established in this study be utilized for the interpretation of serum lipid results in pre-school children in Nigerian hospitals and possibly elsewhere in Africa.Introduction: Essai sur le profil des lipides du s\ue9rum constitue une des enqu\ueates sp\ue9ciales dans la plupart des laboratoires de la pathologie chimique dans le monde entire. Des \ue9tudes diverses sur plusieurs pays ont indiqu\ue9 que les lipides du s\ue9rum montre une tendance d'\ue2ge et g\ue9ographique des variation avant la pubert\ue9. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 effectu\ue9e afin d'\ue9valuer le profil de lipide s\ue9rum chez des enfants nig\ue9rians \ue2ges de 6 \ue0 36 mois. M\ue9thodes: Un total de 15 enfants choisis au hasard apparemment d'une tr\ue8s bonne sant\ue9 ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9tudi\ue9. Ils se composent de 38,40 et 37 enfants du pr\ue9mier groupe (6 au 12 mois), deuzi\ue8m groupe (13 au 24 mois) et troisi\ue8m groupe (25 au 36 mois) respectivement. Il y avait 60 enfants du sexe masculin et 55 enfants du sexe f\ue9minin. Concentration du s\ue9rum du cholest\ue9rol total (TC), la densit\ue9 \ue9lev\ue9e cholest\ue9rol lipoprotein (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG) ont \ue9t\ue9 m\ue9sur\ue9s \ue0 travers la m\ue9thode colorim\ue9trique enzymatique \ue0 travers l'utilisation des \ue9quipements r\ue9actifs fournis par Huam, Gesel Fur Biochemical Und Diagnostica mbH (Wiebaven, Germany). Lipoprotein cholest\ue9rol du s\ue9rum avec une densit\ue9 inf\ue9rieure (LDL-C) et lipoprotein cholest\ue9rol d'une densit\ue9 tr\ue8s inf\ue9rieure (VLDL-C) ont \ue9t\ue9 par la suite calcul\ue9 avec l'utilisation de formule de FriedeWald. R\ue9sultats: La r\ue9f\ue9rence de l'ordre et (moyen +-SEM) du s\ue9rum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, VLDL-C et TC/HDL-C pour le groupe total des enfants \ue9taient 1,55-5, 42(2,89+-0,12), 050-3,29 (1,28+-0,15), 0,45-2,77 (1,12+-0,14), 0,93-,43 (0,79+-0,14), 0,17-0. 72(0,35+-0,14) mmol/L et 0,01-4,74(2,19+-0,13) respectivement. Il n'y avait aucune diff\ue9rence du sexe dans tous les param\ue8tres. Niveaux du s\ue9rum de TC, LDL-C HDL-C et TC/HDL-C dans les trois groupes d'age \ue9taient \ue9galement statistiquement semblable (p>0,05). Concentrations du TG et VLDL-C \ue9taient moins (p<0 ,001) dans le deuxiem groupe plus que dans le pr\ue9mier groupe. Ces valeurs \ue9taient remarquablement inf\ue9rieur (p<0,02) dans le troisiem plus que dans le pr\ue9mier groupe. S\ue9rum TG et VLDL-C dans le deuxi\ue8m et troisi\ue8m groupe \ue9tait statistiquement comparable (p>0,05) Conclusion: Concentrations du s\ue9rum de TC, TG et VLDL-C diminue avec l'\ue2ge qui s'avance, avec une diminution plus remarquable entre le pr\ue9mier et deuxi\ue8m an de la vie. Donc, nous proposons que des valeurs de r\ue9f\ue9rence soulign\ue9es dans cette \ue9tude peuvent \ueatre utlis\ue9es pour l'intepr\ue9tation des r\ue9sultats du lipide du s\ue9rum chez des enfants pr\ue9scolaires dans des h\uf4pitaux nig\ue9rians et peut \ueatre ailleurs en Afrique

Uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives in north central Nigeria: a five-year review

Background: Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) are methods used in the prevention of pregnancy that are long lasting. They are effective and efficacious methods of contraception and return to fertility after removal is prompt. Objectives was to determine the uptake of long-acting reversible contraception and assess the characteristics of acceptors of these methods in the area.Methods: This was a retrospective study of clients’ who visited the family planning unit of the University of Abuja teaching hospital over a 5-year period, from 01 January 2015 to 31 December 2019. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and specific methods selected were extracted from their records and represented on simple tables, graphs, and charts.Results: A total of one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one (1,891) clients accepted available methods of contraceptives during the five-year study period. One thousand seven hundred and twenty-four (1,724) accepted LARC (91.1%) while only one hundred and sixty-seven (167) accepted non-LARC (8.9%). Majority 946 (54.9%) of the clients that accepted LARC were aged between 30-39 years and clients less than 20 years were 22 (1.3%). Clients with parity 3 and above were 1162 (67.7%), and majority of LARC acceptors wanted more children 1145 (66.4%). Amongst the LARC acceptors, most of the clients opted for subdermal implant either Jadelle or Implanon 940(49.7%). Three hundred and ninety-eight (23.1%) discontinued a form of LARC during the study period while 1127 (65.4%) continued with one form of LARC or another.Conclusions: The uptake of LARC in this region is very high. Teenagers and low parity rarely attended the family planning clinic