Preventing occupational ailments and disorders associated with cassava mash dewatering techniques

Open Access JournalMethods in use to reduce the cyanide level in cassava were found to be dangerous to the processors. To reduce occupational hazards, cassava processors sometimes wear protective coverings such as hand gloves, overall, mouth/nose hood, eye goggles which are not comfortable. Each of the steps in cassava processing stages exposes workers to various occupationally related ailments and disorders of ergonomic origin. The operators of dewatering tools are at the risks of suffering from different ailments.The traditional processors still depend on the old technique and resources. Workers are often exposed to cyanide and many are scared of the toxic effect of cassava juice. To prevent the occupational related ailment, mash process handling machine was developed and evaluated. The obtained result by use of the machine confirms the operators’ protection. The obtained mash cake was found to meet the stake holders’ requirement of 47-50% moisture content wet bases without human contact

Determination of juice removal difficulty from mash cake in cassava mash dewatering operation

Open Access JournalCassava processing equipment operators have limited knowledge; this militates against the success recorded in the research so far in cassava mash dewatering. New dewatering schemes to make food processing economical to handle are in progress. Common dewatering processes use a variety of mechanical means such as screw presses and belt presses. Experiments were conducted using three samples of TMS 4(2) 1425 variety while evaluating the difficulty of separating juice from mash cake. Average specific cake resistance (α) of 5×1011 m/kg was obtained confirming that it is moderately easy to dewatering

Assessment of Automobiles and Pedestrians Control Techniques Within Markets in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The Assessment of automobile and pedestrian control techniques within the market environment cannot be overemphasized as it is one of the most important ways in curtailing poor market environment in terms of traffic congestion. Automobile and pedestrian congestion is a situation that arises when the road networks are incapable of accommodating the traffic generated. Automobile and pedestrians control techniques in market refers to regulation, adoption, or maintenance of automobile and pedestrian functions or feature either by design or new construction within the market. The sustainable design encompasses standard layout, adequate parking, standard road network system, provision of signs and markings, proper zoning etc. This research aimed at assessing pedestrian and automobile control technique adopted within markets in Kaduna with the view of designing a more improved circulation pattern and sustainable markets in terms of automobile and pedestrian control within the study area. With this regard, an observation method of research was adopted. The daily markets were randomly selected out of the numerous markets within Kaduna metropolis and its environs. The result shows that the proper automobiles and pedestrians control techniques was not properly observed or  adopted in over 90% of the market. The study further revealed that the selected markets within Kaduna share similar features and characteristics. Therefore to curtail these, recommendations were made on various practical methods for integration/adoption in market design so as to archive an effective automobile control within the markets in Kaduna metropolis. Keywords: Automobiles, Control Techniques, Market Congestion, Pedestria

Genetic Variation for Striga hermonthica Resistance and Yield Among Sorghum Accessions in Nigeria

Striga hermonthica (Delile) Benth., commonly referred to as witch weed, is a major constraint to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) production in the Northern region of Nigeria because of high yield losses due to infestation. To identify parental lines useful in breeding for S. hermonthica resistant sorghum genotypes adapted to Nigeria, twenty-five sorghum accessions were evaluated in Nigeria across three test environments. Both phenotypic and genetic components influenced the variation observed in the sorghum accessions. The estimates for the genetic coefficient of variation, heritability and genetic advance for the area under Striga number progress curve (ASUNPC), Striga emergence counts, yield and other agronomic traits, obtained in this study revealed that genetic gain for resistance to S. hermonthica could be realized through selection. Based on the performance of the 25 sorghum accessions SRN39, Danyana, Sepon82, and SAMSORG40 were the top four accessions found to be most resistant to S. hermonthica. Assessment of resistance was based on the low Striga emergence counts and the ASUNPC values. These accessions can be used as donor sources of S. hermonthica resistant genes for introgression into cultivars adapted to Nigeria, followed by recombination breeding for pyramiding the different resistance mechanisms

Genetic diversity assessment of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) accessions using single nucleotide polymorphism markers

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important resource to the national economy and it is essential to assess the genetic diversity in existing sorghum germplasm for better conservation, utilization and crop improvement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of genetic diversity within and among sorghum germplasms collected from diverse institutes in Nigeria and Mali using Single Nucleotide Polymorphic markers. Genetic diversity among the germplasm was low with an average polymorphism information content value of 0.24. Analysis of Molecular Variation revealed 6%variation amonggermplasmand 94%withingermplasms.Dendrogramrevealed threegroupsof clusteringwhich indicatevariationswithinthegermplasms. Privatealleles identified inthesorghum accessions from National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Ibadan, Nigeria and International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Kano, Nigeria shows their prospect for sorghum improvement and discovery of new agronomic traits. The presence of private alleles and genetic variation within the germplasms indicates that the accessions are valuable resources for future breeding programs

Artificial Intelligence and Endo-Histo-OMICs: New Dimensions of Precision Endoscopy and Histology in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Integrating artificial intelligence into inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has the potential to revolutionise clinical practice and research. Artificial intelligence harnesses advanced algorithms to deliver accurate assessments of IBD endoscopy and histology, offering precise evaluations of disease activity, standardised scoring, and outcome prediction. Furthermore, artificial intelligence offers the potential for a holistic endo-histo-omics approach by interlacing and harmonising endoscopy, histology, and omics data towards precision medicine. The emerging applications of artificial intelligence could pave the way for personalised medicine in IBD, offering patient stratification for the most beneficial therapy with minimal risk. Although artificial intelligence holds promise, challenges remain, including data quality, standardisation, reproducibility, scarcity of randomised controlled trials, clinical implementation, ethical concerns, legal liability, and regulatory issues. The development of standardised guidelines and interdisciplinary collaboration, including policy makers and regulatory agencies, is crucial for addressing these challenges and advancing artificial intelligence in IBD clinical practice and trials

Engineering performance of metakaolin based concrete

The sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims at protection, conservation, and management of coastal ecosystems and resources, including by strengthening their resilience, to avoid significant adverse impacts. Coastal/marine structures are exposed to aggressive environmental con- ditions, such as chloride laden environment. Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures located in a coastal/ marine setting can influence the safety, economic and sustainability aspects of the society. Hence, there is an increased need for sustainable materials with the ability to reduce the effects of chloride attack in concrete. This experimental study aims to investigate the engineering properties of metakaolin (MK) based concrete exposed to chloride attack. The investigation was conducted for different w/b ratios of 0.54–0.61. The MK, utilised as cementitious material, was varied from 0 to 20% with an increment of 5% and ages of concrete from 7 to 56 days were considered. The effects of the above-mentioned parameters on the various properties of concrete such as workability, compressive and flexural strength, durability, resistance to chloride attack and microstructure properties of the concrete samples were investigated. From the favourable strength and durability results that were observed during the experimental study (optimum compressive strength of 49.8 MPa for 10% MK and optimum flexural strength of 8.35 MPa for 5% MK), it can be concluded that MK is a feasible supplementary cementitious material for combatting chloride attack in coastal/marine concrete structures. The obtained results, in combination with the lack of carbon dioxide CO2 released during the MK manufacturing process, further highlights the positive influence of MK on improving the serviceability and sustainability states of coastal/marine structures