Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Listeria monocytogenes contamination of chicken flocks and meat in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria: Public health implications

Introduction: Food contamination with Listeria monocytogenes is on the increase posing threats to public health with growing trends in food products recalls due to suspected Listeria contamination.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) among 71 randomly selected poultry farms in Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 450 samples comprising cloacal swabs (426) and randomly selected dressed chicken meat (24) were cultured for Lm isolation using BrillianceTM Selective Listeria Agar with antibiotics and microbial load count with Nutrient Agar. Further identification was done using microscopic, biochemical characterization and antibiotic sensitivity tests. Data were analysed using bivariate analysis and student t-test.Results: An overall prevalence of 91.8% Lm contamination was obtained comprising 91.5% (390/426) in cloacal swabs and 95.8% (23/24) in meat. The prevalence of Lm in cloacal samples was significantly associated with poultry type (p =0.008) and breed (p=0.000.  In addition, all the flocks had at least one positive sample yielding 100% flock prevalence. Antibiotic sensitivity test revealed that most of the isolates were resistant to common antibiotics like Ampiclox and Zinnacef.Discussion: The results revealed a high level of contamination with Lm in the poultry flock and meat and the observed resistance to most common antibiotics has implications for future disease control as well as public health. There is need to step up routine screening of food animal products for Listeria contamination as well as measures towards reducing such contaminations

Investigation of Distribution System Stability with Incorporation of Capacitor Switching: A Case Study of Monatan 11 Kv Distribution System

Effectiveness of an electrical distribution system depends on the stability of its voltage profile. Several methods such as Static Compensator (SC), Thyristor Controlled Series Compensation (TCSC) and Series Capacitor have been applied for the stability of the system. However, these methods have been characterized by harmonic variation and low efficiency. Therefore, this research paper applied Shunt Switching Capacitor (SSC) on 11 kV distribution system located at Monatan, Ibadan, Oyo State in order to investigate the stability of the system during outages. Hourly data on bus voltage of the system were collected to determine the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system for stability evaluation using IEEE statutory limits method. Load Flow Model (LFM) of the distribution system was developed with incorporation of Capacitor Switching Compensation (CSC). This was solved using Kirchoff’s Current Law( KCL) analysis to improve the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system while simulation was done using MATLAB R2015a. The results of the average bus voltage and voltage drop of the distribution system were 10.5  and 4.2 , respectively. The CSC model improved the average bus voltage and voltage drop by 6 % and 33 % respectively. The research showed that incorporating capacitor switching as a compensation technique enhanced the stability of the distribution systems. The research is useful in the planning and optimization of electrical distribution systems. Keywords: Electrical Distribution System, Voltage, Capacitor Switching Compensation, Load Flow Models, Monatan 11 kV Distribution System, Voltage Drop, MATLAB. DOI: 10.7176/NCS/14-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Succinct Review on State-of-art Carbon-based Phase Change Material for Solar Thermal Storage Applications

Radiation from the sun continually generates enormous solar energy reaching the atmosphere and then radiates back into the outer space over a while. The energy source is considered to be potential renewable thermal energies if effectively harnessed and stored. Thermal energy storage could be in either cold or heat form for later use for either cooling and heating purposes respectively; it can also be utilized for electricity production. The development of highly efficient and cost-effective heat storage materials has been an emerging school of thought for researches into smart methods of heat storage. The authors briefly review the state-of-art carbon-based composite phase change materials (PCM) that have been employed in applications that are related to thermal storage. Various types of recently developed carbon composites with improved thermal storage properties have been succinctly discussed. The technological implications of employing the identified materials in the thermal storage applications were also highlighted and discussed

Competitive advantage of carbon efficient supply chain in manufacturing industry

The competitiveness of the manufacturing industry is fundamentally intertwined between sustainable production and carbon efficiency in the supply chain. There is a growing level of alertness to environmental protection vis-a-vis emission control and the climate change. Apart from the cost reduction, network optimization, profit maximization, risk mitigation, and value-added services, the modern manufacturing has added carbon footprint reduction to their performance indices. Therefore, the focus is changing to green manufacturing and carbon efficient supply chain, which is intended to improve their production and product consumption as a result of competitive advantage. However, mitigating the climate change demands a more fundamental shift in the way the manufacturing industry delivers products and services to the end users. This research investigates how the competitive advantage of a carbon efficient supply chain can be sustained. Some automobile manufacturing company in the United Kingdom were considered as the case study. Data were sourced through interview, survey questions and from the existing literature. The cross-case synthesis was applied to draw comparison among different companies used as the case study. Influencing drivers and barriers associated with the automobile manufacturing supply chain were identified. The investigation revealed that consumers are the major driver of competitive advantage in manufacturing, with the competition now moved to supply chain which is associated with a different level of product consumption. The impact of other existing strategic factors was also identified. A flow chart for the strategic implementation of carbon efficiency practices along the supply chain was developed. In overall, the study revealed the need for the implementation of carbon reduction strategies in business development

Users’ Perception for Quality Service Delivery in Albert Ilesanmi Ilemobode Library, Federal University Of Technology Akure (FUTA)

Abstract The study investigated Users’ perception for quality service delivery in Albert Ilesanmi Ilemobode Library, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA). The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study; the major instrument for generating data collection was the questionnaires. In carrying out the research, a case study research method was adopted while the researchers made use of random sampling techniques. The Sampling size for this research consists of 10% of registered post graduate students of Albert Ilesanmi Ilemobode Library; hence 200 respondents were selected for the study. However, only 192 respondents completed and returned the questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using frequency tables, and percentages. The findings of the study showed that the library was used more frequently by students. The perceptions of the quality of library services were found to be satisfactory in the library. The library environment and information resources were considered adequate by Albert Ilesanmi Ilemobode Library users, the most valued aspects of the library were the library collections, and the friendliness and willingness of library staff to assist users. It was also found that users derived a number of benefits from using the library. In the view of above findings the research recommended that the academic library should have a specific guideline for measuring their value. The research work considers the nature of library value and made recommendations for improving library services. Keywords: Academic libraries; User Satisfaction, Library Services, Service Quality, Valu

A model for efficient consumption of electricity in residential buildings

Abstract : This paper reviews various applications of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and proposes electricity-saving power switch enhancements model to control the operation of electrical appliances in residential buildings using RFID system. Estimation was made on the consumption of electricity in a private apartment in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa and compared with when the RFID card-reader system is deployed. The percentage energy saving in a year was calculated to be approximately 29 %. The possible energy savings for a period of 30years is estimated and the return on investment (ROI) determined. The authors concluded by making a case for a state policy on RFID energy efficiency technology

Solar powered vaccine refrigerator for rural off-grid areas in Nigeria

More than a billion people around the world have no access to electricity and about 85% of them residing in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa. The electricity supply in Nigeria right now is atrocious, and the dependence of hospitals on the on-grid supply is unadvisable, hence the need for a suitable alternative. Solar cell refrigerators for vaccine storage are offered as a viable solution to replace the noisy and eco-unfriendly gasoline and diesel generators that are currently used in many hospitals in Nigeria. The main objective of this work is to select affordable and portable components of the photovoltaic system with solar panels, charge controllers and deep cycle battery, inverter and refrigerator to store about 50 litres vaccine in rural hospitals and primary health centres. A 75W refrigerator with 100W solar panel, 20A charge controller, 100AH deep cycle battery and 1000W inverter was arrived upon at a total cost of N135,000 per health centre. This will invariably make the vaccine available, thereby reducing infant and maternal mortality rate in Nigeria