Performance Optimizing of a Sanitary Towel Production Plant Using Reliability Model

The study was conducted in a rm that manufactures sanitary pads and babies disposable towels which production is below the installed capacity as a result of high production downtime that resulted from incessant breakdown of the subsystems of the production system. The aim of the study was to reduce the production downtime signi cantly, thereby optimizing the machine time, and consequently, raising the reliability of the production system. The research work obtained machine breakdown records from the production unit and used the data to estimate the reliability of the production system to be 0.708. This showed that the production system was idle for about 30% of the total machine time, thereby incurring a huge production loss. The hazard rates of vital subsystems obtained, as well as the provision of redundancy for some subsystem as appropriate helped to determine the improved reliability of the production system to be 0.862. The study concludes that reliability model could be an e ective tool in performance optimization of a production system.Keywords: production system, downtime, reliability, maintenance, redundancy, hazard rat

Implications of middlemen in the supply chain of agricultural products

This paper appraised the roles of middlemen in the distribution of agricultural products and the inherent implications to food security. The results showed that climate and weather are known limiting factors of production in agriculture. Also, middlemen intervention raise price for consumers. The result showed that farmers encounter high production costs in their efforts to boost production but hardly get fair pricing of their products from the middlemen, the bulk farm gate buyers. The real profit goes to the middlemen who buy up the farm products at almost give away prices and sell at outrageous prices to the consumers. This attitude of middle men have discouraged genuine investors getting into agriculture because of the marginal profit associated with it as the middle men cart away the bulk of the profits. Thus, the activities of middlemen seem to be a threat to food security

Analysis and procedures for design of diaphragm chucks

In modern automated manufacturing systems, there is a need for work-holding devices that provide for precision, accuracy, reliability, flexibility and remoteness of control. One of such devices is the diaphragm chuck which utilizes the strain energy of its varying thickness diaphragm plate for gripping action. The jaw-carrying diaphragm plate is deflected by a thrust load, and the jaws are bored or ground to the nominal diameter of the workpiece. Gripping action occurs when the workpiece is inserted into the jaws and the thrust is relieved. Designers and manufacturers of diaphragm chucks have in the past been limited to the use of empirical data for diaphragm chuck design. This design limitation has been caused by complex problems due to factors such as the varying thickness encastre diaphragm plate, the gripping couples and the stiffening effects of the jaw slides. This work involved the establishment, by theory and experimental verification, of the design and performance parameters of a diaphragm chuck, and the provision of diaphragm chuck design methodology. The designer is therefore able to achieve the a priori design of the diaphragm chuck. In addition, the user is able to adapt existing diaphragm plates to achieve required gripping forces within existing constraints. The scope of this research is the static gripping action for any number of symmetric jaws. The design method is for diaphragm plates with small thickness taper, and carry detachable jaw slides. The concept of the equivalent constant thickness is applied to the diaphragm plate. Gripping action is divided into two major phases - the separate deflections of the diaphragm plate by a thrust load and symmetric couples. These deflections are equated to obtain the gripping force. This research concludes that the gripping force of a diaphragm chuck is closely predicted by the equivalent constant thickness method. Design data and methodology are provided for diaphragm chuck design. Thus, a designer can now design a diaphragm chuck based on a desired and pre-specified gripping force requirement

Design and Fabrication of a Dual Power Water Pump

The work is designed to alleviate the challenges inherent in pumping water from one particular place to another in the rural areas. It has great applicability in water borehole systems, irrigation, building and bricklaying activities, palm oil and groundnut oil industries and other industries that deal with fluid. The power for the pump can either come from manual pedaling or the dc motor. It incorporated a manual gear assembly which disengages from the pump by means of a clutch when the pump is powered by the dc motor.The major components of the machine include; centrifugal pump, dc motor, sprockets, chain drive, spur gears and angle bar. Testing the pump showed that it has a flow rate of 14litres per minute during manual operation and 24litres per minute during operation with the dc motor. Keywords: Pump; Water-borehole; Manual-pedaling; dc-motor; sprocket; spur gear; chain-drive

Design and Fabrication of a Hydraulic Disc Brake Demonstration Apparatus

This paper presents a detailed and fabrication of a low cost hydraulic disc brake demonstration apparatus. The paper shows the relevance of the apparatus for teaching in both schools and skill acquisition institutes on the working principles of a common hydraulic brake system. This was achieved by designing for the chain and gear drive, failure of the bolted and welded joints as well as the structural analysis. A simple hydraulic brake faults and diagnosis was presented. More than 85% of the materials used in the fabrication were locally sourced. Key words: Hydraulic, Disc, Brake, Gear, Chain, Fabrication

Antibiotic resistance pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from children under the age of five Years in Anambra State

Neonates are exposed to Staphylococcus aureus shortly after birth and can become colonized quickly after contact with adult skin or the environment. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) constitutes part of the growing global health problem associated with an increasing number of infections and often multidrug resistant in nature which now poses serious therapeutic problems to clinicians. Eighty-three (83) samples were collected which were cultured on appropriate bacteriological media. Bacterial isolates (S. aureus) were identified by standard biochemical tests and confirmed using PCR targeting the 16S rRNA. The MRSA was determined using Oxacillin antibiotic disk and confirmed by the presence of MecA gene. Antibiotic susceptibility of the MRSA isolates to eleven antibiotics was performed according to Clinical Laboratory Standard testing Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Out of the 83 individuals tested, 25 yielded S. aureus of which 22 (88.0%) of them were MRSA positive, 10 (45.5%) females and 12 (54.5%) males. The antibiotic resistant pattern of the 22 MRSA isolates showed Quinupristin/Dalfopristin 13 (59.1%), Fusidic acid 6 (27.3%), Linezolid 8 (36.4%), Clindamycin 10 (45.5%), Vancomycin 5(22.7%), Cefepime 3(13.6%), Doxycycline 4(18.2%), Sulphamethoxazole 22(100%), Fosfomycin 7(31.8%), Cephalexin 7(31.8%), Trimethoprim 19(86.4%). The MIC determination for vancomycin from MRSA isolates showed antibiotic concentration of 4.9 μg/ml and 8.7 μg/ml. This work showed that there is high prevalence rate of resistance to many classes of antibiotic warranting continued surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship. Therefore effective antibiotic susceptibility test should be conducted before prescribing an antibiotic to patients, in as much as patients should strictly adhere to antibiotic prescription to mitigate abuse of drugs.Keywords: Methicillin-resistance, antibiotics, prevalence, S. aureus, susceptibilit

Antifungal properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Ricinus communis, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Yoghurts

The antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates from Ricinus communis (Ogiri), Pentaclethra macrophylla (Ugba) and Yoghurt samples against moulds associated with food spoilage Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Mucor, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Aspergillus nidulans was investigated using agar diffusion technique. Aspergillus fumigatus was the most susceptible with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 8mm for Lactococcus lactis to 20mm for positive control fluconazole. Pediococcus spp had no antifungal effect on any of the test fungi. None of the LAB isolates had good activity against Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus spp. Aspergillus niger was inhibited only by Lactococcus lactis. The present study indicates that the LAB isolates if optimized and improved could be used as a natural, food-grade biopreservative agent for management of fungal contamination and food spoilage, thus preventing problems associated with mycotoxins in food and feed products. It is suggested that effective GMP and HACCP application in handling the affairs of food and feed storage/production will no doubt make the use of LAB as preservative a lot easier

Microbiological quality assessment of foods sold in student’s cafeterias

The microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food (Street foods (SFs) products sold in a University Campus was assessed. A total of forty eight RTE food samples, including coleslaw, fried rice, jollof rice and moi-moi were collected from two food vending sites which serves as the major ready to eat food vending centres to the student community. A total of nine species (spp) of microorganisms including Bacillus spp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp, Proteus spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium spp and Mucor spp were isolated from the food samples. The mean total aerobic plate count, coliform count and fungal count from SITE I range from 2.5 × 103 to 9.1 × 106, 3.2 × 103 to 3.4 × 104, and 6.0 × 102 to 7.3 × 104 respectively. SITE II had aerobic plate count, coliform count and fungal plate count ranging from 2.7 × 103 to 9.8 × 106, 5.2× 103 to 7.8 × 104, and 9.0 × 103 to 9.3 × 106 respectively. Based on the specifications by International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods (ICMSF), the level of contaminations was within acceptable microbiological limits except for coleslaw; this could be attributed to extensive handling, mixing and to the fact that it is consumed as raw food. It is recommended that a closer and stringent supervision of ready-to-eat foods sold to students in the University should be carried out by relevant authorities to prevent possible outbreak food borne illness

Cardiovascular disease risk prevention: preliminary survey of baseline knowledge, attitude and practices of a Nigerian rural community

Background:Knowledge and attitude are significant factors impinging on whether individuals seek healthcare service. This flows on to impact public health knowledge of prevalence of diseases, and in turn, the practice of preventive medicine. As part of the international research collaboration agenda for Prediabetes and Cardiovascular Complications Study, a preliminary survey of one of the Ndokwa communities of Nigeria has been carried out. Aim: This study was to understand the baseline knowledge, attitudes and practices of a rural community in regards to cardiovascular diseases, and behavior toward risk management. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four volunteer participants were recruited, after public lectures, through secondary school and churches in the community. The survey was done using questionnaire. The knowledge component comprised questions about educational and personal health opinion. The attitude and practice components comprised questions about exercises and visiting healthcare facilities. Occupational backgrounds were also asked. Results: It is observed that majority of the community dwellers have (1) completed at least secondary education, (2) never attended a health check-up; and (3) do not engage in physical activity in the context of exercise. Twenty of the participants indicated not being in good health, of which only 35% have attended medical check-up for their ailment. Many of those who are yet to seek healthcare service cite affordability as their reason. With specific regards to diabetes and cardiovascular risk, over 71% of the survey participants are yet to do any blood sugar and/or lipid profile tests. Conclusion: This preliminary survey indicates that although the majority of respondents have secondary education and therefore are relatively literate, there is a gap between their knowledge of ill-health versus attitude and practice toward prevention; especially cardiovascular and diabetes diseases

Investigation on the safety and probiotic potentials of yoghurts sold in Owerri metropolis in Imo State Nigeria

Investigation on the microbial safety and probiotic potentials of different yoghurt brands sold in Owerri, Imo State Nigeria, was carried out using standard microbiological procedures. Ten each, of five different brands of commercially available yoghurt packaged in plastic containers were purchased from the street vendors and shopping malls in Owerri metropolis. The mean total count of samples on Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) and De Mann Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar media ranged from 2.0×107 to 6.0×108 and 1.0×108 to 5.4 × 108 cfu/ml respectively. The yoghurt isolates were identified as Streptococcus and Lactobacillus species; these isolates were resistant to commonly used antibiotics and inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from clinical samples. No viable growth of isolates was observed in simulated gastric fluid of pH 1.5 to 2.5. Slight decrease in viable count of Lactobacillus spp. from 4.0×107 to 3.0×107 cfu/ml and Streptococcus spp. from 3.0×108 to 2.0×108 cfu/ml was observed in bile of pH 8.28 to 8.30. The isolates were recovered from faecal samples two weeks after ingestion with mean count ranging from no growth (zero) to 5.8×108 cfu/ml on MRS agar media. The isolates were found to exhibit some probiotic potentials and no pathogen was isolated from samples. It is recommended that strains of microorganisms that can deliver full probiotic potentials to consumers be used in commercial yoghurt productio