A comparative study of selected engineering properties of cashew kernels grown in Nigeria

Engineering properties aid in the design and construction of equipment for post processing of cashew kernels. In this study, the engineering properties of cashew kernels from different locations were evaluated. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the kernels at a moisture content of 5% (wet basis) were investigated. The samples used for the study were randomly selected from four different plantation locations across two basic agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. The experiments were carried out in three replicates for each of the properties examined in any location in order to get average values. The physical properties considered were length, width, sphericity, bulk density, true density and specific gravity while the mechanical properties evaluated were porosity, angle of repose, terminal velocity, coefficient of friction, compression force, stress and deformation. The thermal properties examined were specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity. The results showed no significant difference (p <0.05) in the physical and thermal properties. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p <0.05) on porosity, angle of repose and deformation while terminal velocity, coefficient of friction, compressive force and stress were significantly different (p <0.05). It can be concluded that a processing system developed using the property values of a particular variety of cashew kernel can be conveniently used with any other variety of the kernel. It is, however, recommended that varying force applications are to be used depending on variety of kernel. This is because there were significant differences (p<0.05) in the values of the mechanical properties examined and the end-product of the processing operationwill be the same due to the fact that deformation in all cases was significantly the same. Equally, the thermal response of the cashew kernel from different plantation locations will be the same since the thermal properties of the cashew kernels were significantly the same

Evaluation of the engineering properties of cashew kernel obtained from different plantations in Nsukka

In this study, the engineering properties of cashew kernels grown in Nsukka were evaluated. The experiments were carried out in replicates from different plantations in order to achieve near accurate average values. The results showed no significant difference in the physical and thermal properties while terminal velocity, coefficient of friction, compressive force and stress were significantly different. Thus, since the physical properties were significantly the same then a processing system developed using the property values of a particular batch of kernel can be conveniently used with any other batch of the kernel. However varying force applications are to be used depending on the batch due to significant differences in the values of the mechanical properties and end-product of operation the same due to the fact that deformation was significantly the same. The thermal response of any batch will be the same since the thermal properties were significantly the same.Keywords: thermal, mechanical, physical, cashew, kernel, processin

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A MULTIPOINT TEMPERATURE DATALOGGER

 In this work, a low cost six- multipoint temperature data logger was developed. It was designed using LM35 as the sensor, and arduino Uno as the data processing element. The response time of the sensor was observed to be between three and four minutes. The comparative evaluation of the system with other established thermometers show that no two temperature meters gave the same values. However the most important thing is that all the systems recorded the same temperature flow pattern. This indicates that the systems actually senses change in the surrounding effectively. In relation to the alcohol thermometer, the designed system shows an accuracy of +0.4oC at temperatures below 300C and +1.850C at temperatures above 300C. The system gives room for effective and adjustable temperature data logging procedure. Hence, the system is recommended for use in monitoring low temperature systems. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i2.3

Synthesis and in vitro Bioactivity of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Conjugates of Combretastatin A-4

Combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) (1) is a plant-derived anticancer agent binding to the tubulin colchicine site. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are readily taken up by cancer cells and have been used to improve cell targeting. In the present study, four CA-4-PUFA conjugates were synthesized by coupling combretastatin A-4 (1) with several polyunsaturated fatty acids. The conjugates (2a-d) were characterized using spectroscopic methods. Their cytotoxicity was evaluated against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and the inhibition of tubulin polymerization was determined in vitro. All conjugates influenced tubulin polymerization with the arachidonic acid conjugate (2c) displaying cytotoxicity similar in potency to the natural product CA-4 (1)

Fixed-bed adsorptive removal of metanil yellow from simulated wastewater in a fixed-bed column by nitric acid-treated-H3PO4-activated carbon (NATPAAC) from oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre

We carried out fixed-bed column adsorption of metanil yellow from simulated wastewater on NATPAAC derived from oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre so as to determine the adsorption capacity, qe, of the carbon under the effects of inlet concentration, Co, carbon bed height, H and dye solution flow rate, Q. Our results indicate that the optimum qe was 15.982 mg/g by Co 25 mg/L, H 4.1cm and Q 8 mL/min. In the study, qe was observed to decrease with increase in Co and Q. The optimum bed height was 4.1cm. Our experimental data were modelled by applying Thomas and Yoon-Nelson kinetic models. Correlation coefficient, R2 values (generally above 0.85) show that the two kinetic approaches provide an effective model of the experimental data. We conclude that oil palm fruit mesocarpfibre has potential as a precursor for production of carbon for acid-dye removal from wastewater

Synthesis and in vitro Bioactivity of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Conjugates of Combretastatin A-4

Combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) (1) is a plant-derived anticancer agent binding to the tubulin colchicine site. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are readily taken up by cancer cells and have been used to improve cell targeting. In the present study, four CA-4-PUFA conjugates were synthesized by coupling combretastatin A-4 (1) with several polyunsaturated fatty acids. The conjugates (2a-d) were characterized using spectroscopic methods. Their cytotoxicity was evaluated against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and the inhibition of tubulin polymerization was determined in vitro. All conjugates influenced tubulin polymerization with the arachidonic acid conjugate (2c) displaying cytotoxicity similar in potency to the natural product CA-4 (1)

Performance evaluation of mixed mode passive solar stock fish dryer

The performance evaluation of Mixed-Mode Passive Solar Dryer for drying codfish (Gadusmorhua) was conducted. The dryer is comprised of among other things, materials for sensible heat storage to discharge heat during the off-sunshine period. The drying chamber is integrated with a suction device to aid the convective airflow to avoid reversible reaction during the discharge of accumulated moisture. The solar dryer was evaluated with fresh codfish samples at the initial moisture content of 79% (wet basis). The samples were divided into sets. A set was treated with Moringa Oleifera and the second set with salt solution. The results showed that, for Moringa and salt treatments, the moisture content of the codfish was reduced to 16.03% and 13.33% (wet basis) respectively using the solar dryer while 19.55% and 13.46% respectively under ambient condition in six days. Laboratory tests showed that bacteria and fungi count for Moringa and salt treated codfish under solar dryer were below consumable limits

DO EDUCATION OUTCOMES ENHANCE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA?

The study assessed the effect of education outcomes on sustainable development in Nigeria for the period 1990q1–2018q4. An Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) bounds test technique was used for the analysis. Adjusted net savings (ANS) were utilized as a measure of sustainable development. The adult literacy rate, primary school enrolment, and secondary school enrolment were used as proxies for educational outcomes. The research found that adult literacy rates had a strong favourable effect on sustainable development in both the short-run and long-run. Secondary school enrolment exhibited a positive, significant impact on sustainable development only in the long run, while primary school enrolment had an insignificant effect on sustainable development in both the short-run and long-run. Based on the findings, the study recommends increased budgetary allocation and subsidies for Nigerian education