Trade and market in conflict development and conflict resolution in Nigeria: scoping study report to the UK department for International Development.

This study of trade related conflict and its resolution in Nigeria’s was prompted by the needs of policy makers concerned with improving market access for the poor. There is a lack of published material analysing links between trade/markets and conflict development/conflict resolution. The study is based on a literature review, a small number of interviews in Nigeria and UK and a one-day workshop:it was conceived as a pilot to identify areas for future research. The informality of Nigeria’s agricultural produce trade has the potential to promote both cooperation and conflict. The food marketing chains are complex networks extending across the country, and often involve diverse ethnic, religious and social groups. For the most part these linkages work extremely effectively, drawing on substantial inter-gender, inter-ethnic and inter-religious cooperation,often built up over generations.Nonetheless, there is potential for

Microstructure characterization of onion (A.cepa) peels and thin films for dye sensitized solar cells

A.cepa peels are obtained from mature onion bulbs. Because of the continuous need for energy, alternative avenues for producing energy are gaining importance. The motivation for this work is based on an urgent need to source energy from readily available waste materials like domestic onion peels. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fabricated via doctor blade method and high temperature sintering from waste (onion peels) are investigated for their ability to convert solar to electrical energy. The charge carriers were revealed under phytochemical screening. Functional groups of compounds present in A.cepa peel were analyzed with Fourier transform in infrared (FTIR). The influence of different electrolyte sensitizer is observed on the DSSCs under standard air mass conditions of 1.5 AM. The microstructure properties of these A.cepa DSSCs were explored using scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), x-ray diffraction and Fluorecence spectroscopy (XRF). The interfacial boundary between A.cepa dye, TiO2 framework of TiO2 and indium doped tin oxide (ITO) reveals several prominent anatase and rutile peaks. Photoelectric results, revealed dye-sensitized solar cells with a maximum power output of 126 W and incident photon to conversion energy (IPCE) of 0.13%.This work has established that A.cepa peels can be used as a source of micro-energy generatio

Construction of an in-situ smart device that measures some basic environmental factors for agricultural monitoring

Most of the rural agricultural and extension officers have no access to the daily variations in meteorological data that affect the growth and yield of crops. This is as a result of little or no access to the data that could be used to predict the best agricultural practices for optimum output in the rural environments. In this work, a portable and user friendly smart Automated Weather Station (AWS) was constructed. The device that is programmed with Arduino UNO is capable of measuring the temperature, relative humidity and moisture content of the soil. The performance evaluation of the device was observed in the laboratory and onsite (Covenant University farm) both on the sunny and rainy days respectively. It was revealed that there is positive linear relationship between the volume of water added to the soil sample and the soil moisture content in the laboratory measurements. The on-site measurements showed that the temperature is inversely proportional to the relative humidity and soil moisture content. This device is efficient in taking the short-term essential parameters that could improve the yield of agricultural products in the rural environments if properly utilized

Design and Construction of a Pure Sine Wave Inverter

This research is a design and implementation of a sine wave inverter circuit developed to run AC appliances at a low cost which high efficiency. The design consists of two stages i.e. the DC-DC step up stage and a DC-AC Inverter stage. The DC-DC step up converter is based on a push-pull design to step 24VDC to 300VDC. Pulse width modulation was used i.e. the SG3525 pulse width Modulator. The DC-AC inverter stage comprised of four power mosfets in an H-bridge configuration, driven by a 40 kHz square wave encoded/modulated by a 50Hz sine wave that was derived from a TL084 quad op amp sine wave oscillator. An output voltage range of about 240-260VAC from 300VDC input was obtained. A low pass filter was used to filter out the high frequencies and thus isolate the harmonics so a 50 Hz fundamental frequency was retained

Design and implementation of a smart watch

Human connectivity is one of the major factors for productivity, especially in a school environment. The development of this watch is aimed at enhancing productivity by increasing the communication of both staff and students in the community. The watch is centred at creating a connected school community that will provide real-time communication to enhance the educational experience for students, staff and management regardless of their location within the school premises. This will enable members of the community to share information in realtime. The watch was designed with the Arduino pro-micro as the main processor. The watch leveraged WI-FI technology using the ESP8266-01 WI-FI module for connecting to a network and receiving of messages. The watch was connected to a secured intranet network. The watch has an average response time of approximately twenty-five (25) seconds to filter the data sent by the server and extract the message. Upon testing the design, the overall current draw of the watch was found to be approximately 78 mA. A lithium battery with a current capacity of 750 mAH was used for this project, which means that the battery will last for approximately nine hours. This kind of project is recommended for school communities so as to increase connectivity and enhance productivity

The Prospect of Micro-Energy Generation from Almond (Prunus Dulcis) Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The generation of environmentally and sustainable energy is a basic need towards proffering a solution to the climatic and scientific challenges confronting twenty-first century human race. This quest has led to the discovery of diverse unconventional energy resources existing presently. Amongst all these viable options, solar energy is considered to have the best prospect in view of its all-year availability, no geographical restriction and the 3.8£1026 Joule of energy it gives off per second. This energy can be tapped either using direct or indirect means; the use of natural dyes to mimic photosynthesis in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) device is a response to provide an economical and technical substitute to traditional p-n junction photovoltaic devices. DSC is a systematic device that uses disorderly technology to produce electricity in diverse light conditions such as outdoors, in poor lightning conditions. The devices are also able to convert both natural and man-made light into energy to power technology through a broad range of electronic devices. In this paper, we present almond dye-sensitized cells spectral responses with four different electrolyte sensitizers. The result is DSCs with a comparative output efficiency of 3.24%, Voc of 306mV with KBr; the least efficient DSC was HgCl2 electrolyte sensitized with an output efficiency of 0.09% under same standard atmospheric conditions of 1.5 A.M and temperature of 27.1 ±C and pH of 5.49

Pi-pi⃰ orbital transitions and photo-degeneracy of C.acuminata sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have acquired great prominence as favourable low-cost photovoltaics due to their ease of fabrication, all- year -availability, ease of obtaining raw materials and adjustable optical properties like transparency and colour. These advantages coupled with the ability to work under poor lighting makes them a suitable candidate for next generation of research. In this research, C.acuminata-sensitized photo anodes play an important role for achieving high performance since the porous metal oxide films provide a large specific surface area for dye loading and the possibility to extend the absorption threshold of past studies of sensitizers. The doctor blade method and high-temperature sintering were some of the methods used in the fabrication of the photo anode. A study of the performance of the C.acuminata-DSSCs with four different electrolyte sensitizers based on iodide redox mediator is determined. The result is DSSCs that exhibit a maximum power output of 39.37 W, fill factor of 0.7 and a power conversion efficiency of 0.6% under unfavourable sunlight intensity conditions and photo-degradation of about 37.5 % in absorbance after 425 suns

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century