PRODUCTION OF PAVING BLOCK FROM RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE

The production of paving block from sand and cement is becoming of immense and popular in Nigeria and is being used as finishing material in landscaping. Presently the cost of cement is becoming high and polythene waste is increasing daily causing pollution all over the land. This project researched into recycling of the polyethene and using it as binding agent in the production of paving blocks. The pure water sachet nylon was collected, washed and dried. It was cut and melted in a machine fabricated to recycled the sachet water nylon. The recyclate was collected and mixed with sand at different temperature range of 200 – 300 OC. The condensate was mixed with sand poured in a mould and allowed to cool. Compression and hardness test were performed on the paving block produced. The result shows that increase in temperature increases the compressive test of pave block and the more the content of the sand the higher the compressive strength of the paving block. The hardness test revealed that the pave block produced at 300 OC has a higher value than that at 200 OC while the pave block with higher sand content has greater hardness value

Assessment of some mechanical properties and microstructure of particulate periwinkle shell-aluminium 6063 metal matrix composite (PPS-ALMMC) produced by two-step casting

This work investigates some mechanical properties and microstructures of PPS-AlMMC and compares the properties of the composites and those of the aluminium 6063 (AA6063) alloy. Periwinkle shells were milled to particle sizes of 75μm and 150μm and used to produce PPS-AlMMC at 1,5,10 and 15wt% filler loadings using two-step casting technique. The mechanical properties and microstructures of the composite materials were compared with those of the AA6063 alloy. It was observed that the filler distributes uniformly in the matrix due to the two-step casting technique. Improved strength, ductility, hardness and modulus were obtained when the filler was used to reinforce the alloy. However, using a filler of bigger particle size resulted to reduced tensile strength, ductility and toughness of composites.Key words: Composites, Periwinkle shell, Aluminum, Mechanical properties, Microstructur

Effect of Reactor Temperature on Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Medical Waste in a Fixed Bed Reactor

The lethargic modes of medical waste disposal in many developing countries have been a cause of concern to many regulatory agencies. In this study, effect of reactor temperature on pyrolysis of lignocellulosic medical waste in a fixed bed reactor was investigated. Gauze bandage was procured from AKOL Pharmacy, Ogbomoso, South-Western Nigeria. Samples of the gauze bandage, 40 g each at a time, were fed into a retort and the retort inserted into a developed fixed bed reactor for pyrolysis at different temperatures (300, 400, 500 and 600 oC) with a residence time of 15 minutes. Tar, gas and char yields were weighed using an electronic balance (WT20002T, RS232C) and were further expressed in percentage of the initial weight of the sample. Results showed that tar and gas yields increased with increasing reactor temperature while char yield decreased with it. Both intraand extra-particle secondary reactions were insignificant and therefore could not influence the yield spectra of products. The highest yield of tar, gas and char were 52.08, 28.42 and 52.7%, respectively while the lowest yield were respectively 30.50, 16.80 and 19.50%. Lignocellulosic medical waste can be a viable source of biofuels and raw materials respectively for sustainable development and for chemical industries

Serum testosterone levels of HbSS (sickle cell disease) male subjects in Lagos, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infertility is a major problem in sickle cell disease patients, especially in males. In addition to low serum testosterone, other abnormalities involving the accessory sex organs, such as the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland, as well as marked decrease in ejaculate volume may be observed in male HbSS patients. Hence, the need to study the role of sex hormones as a cause of infertility in male HbSS patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An unmatched case-control study was performed using seventy-five consenting subjects from Lagos University Teaching Hospital. These included 47 patients with haemoglobin phenotype SS from the Sickle cell clinic and 28 volunteered medical students and members of staff with haemoglobin phenotype AA. Demographic data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 5 mls of blood was collected from each subject between 9.00 am & 11.am, and assayed for serum testosterone concentration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The concentrations of serum testosterone in HbSS patients ranged from 0.2 to 4.3 ng/ml with a mean of 1.28 ± 0.72 ng/ml whilst the values in HbAA controls ranged from 1.2 to 6.9 ng/ml with a mean of 2.63 ± 1.04 ng/ml. Seven (25.0%) of the 28 controls had serum testosterone concentration lower than the quoted reference (normal) range whereas 44 (93.6%) of the 47 HbSS subjects had serum testosterone concentration lower than the reference range.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, subjects with HbSS have significantly lower mean serum testosterone than HbAA controls.</p

Dataset on cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilesha road

This dataset contains cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilsha road in Ondo state, Nigeria. The data was acquired using a designed data acquisition system which was kept inside golf3 vehicle interfaced with Acer laptop, the data was acquired as the vehicle moves from the reference point (7.39919, 5.05944 ) to its destination point (7.32818, 5.10836), it harvests GSM signal Strengths from a base station in intervals with its time, latitude and longitude simultaneously as the vehicle moves along the travelled rout; the data acquired shows the var- iation of signal strength against distance along the road from one base station to another in the travelled path. The raw data of this work is hosted in the Mendeley repository DOI:10.17632/ tmksc8mkt8.

Dataset on cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilesha road

This dataset contains cellular and geo-spatial information of a 10 km distance along Akure-Ilsha road in Ondo state, Nigeria. The data was acquired using a designed data acquisition system which was kept inside golf3 vehicle interfaced with Acer laptop, the data was acquired as the vehicle moves from the reference point (7.39919, 5.05944 ) to its destination point (7.32818, 5.10836), it harvests GSM signal Strengths from a base station in intervals with its time, latitude and longitude simultaneously as the vehicle moves along the travelled rout; the data acquired shows the variation of signal strength against distance along the road from one base station to another in the travelled path. The raw data of this work is hosted in the Mendeley repositor

VEHICULAR SPEED DETERMINATION USING CELLULAR AND GEO-SPATIAL INFORMATION

The rapid increase in the occurrence of road accidents in Nigeria requires the deployment of real time techniques that is equipped to reduce one of the critical factor that have been identified by the Federal Road Safety cooperation of Nigeria (FRSC) that constitute the major cause of road accidents which is over speeding. This was achieved through the design and implementation of real time vehicle speed monitoring system using cellular signal along the travelled path. A data acquisition device was developed to capture in real time the signal strength and geospatial data (longitude and latitude) along the travel path which is used in determining the speed of the moving vehicle. The acquired data was correlated with data obtained from standardize equipment to establish the integrity of the data, the data was then used to develop the algorithm by obtaining equation for the path-loss gain in terms of signal strength against distance. Equation for the base stations covering a distance of 10km were obtained for analysis. Consequently from the equation, the distance from two locations along the route can be determined from corresponding signal strength values, the average speed results for the drive test, new Model and using Latitude and Longitude are compared as followed 88.05km/hr, 75.67km/hr and 88.2km/hr respectively. With this a new paradigm shift in vehicular speed management is developed based on Cellular signals for real time vehicular speed determination. Keywords: Base station, Cellular, Geospatial data, Signal Strength, Vehicular speed

QTL mapping in three rice populations uncovers major genomic regions associated with African rice gall midge resistance

African rice gall midge (AfRGM) is one of the most destructive pests of irrigated and lowland African ecologies. This study aimed to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with AfRGM pest incidence and resistance in three independent bi-parental rice populations (ITA306xBW348-1, ITA306xTOG7106 and ITA306xTOS14519), and to conduct meta QTL (mQTL) analysis to explore whether any genomic regions are conserved across different genetic backgrounds. Composite interval mapping (CIM) conducted on the three populations independently uncovered a total of 28 QTLs associated with pest incidence (12) and pest severity (16). The number of QTLs per population associated with AfRGM resistance varied from three in the ITA306xBW348-1 population to eight in the ITA306xTOG7106 population. Each QTL individually explained 1.3 to 34.1% of the phenotypic variance. The major genomic region for AfRGM resistance had a LOD score and R2 of 60.0 and 34.1% respectively, and mapped at 111 cM on chromosome 4 (qAfrGM4) in the ITA306xTOS14519 population. The meta-analysis reduced the number of QTLs from 28 to 17 mQTLs, each explaining 1.3 to 24.5% of phenotypic variance, and narrowed the confidence intervals by 2.2 cM. There was only one minor effect mQTL on chromosome 1 that was common in the TOS14519 and TOG7106 genetic backgrounds; all other mQTLs were background specific. We are currently fine-mapping and validating the major effect genomic region on chromosome 4 (qAfRGM4). This is the first report in mapping the genomic regions associated with the AfRGM resistance, and will be highly useful for rice breeders

Response of Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius L.) Grown in an Alfisol and Inceptisol to Different Organic Fertilizers and Mycorrhizal Inoculation in Nigeria

Background and Objective: The use of organic fertilizers in soil usually upsurge the infection rate of mycorrhizal in a plant, thereby increases the nutrients content, uptake and promotes the vegetative growth of&nbsp; the host plant. This experiment was conducted to assess the influence of different organic fertilizers and mycorrhizal inoculation on Corchorus olitorius growth and yield in an Alfisol and Inceptisol in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The experiment was set up at the screenhouse of the Department of Agronomy, Ibadan. 2 x 2 x 5 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design was conducted with two levels of soil (Alfisol and Inceptisol); two levels of mycorrhizal inoculation (with and without) and five levels of organic fertilizers (organic fertilizers; poultry manure, cattle manure, Moringa, Tithonia and control) in two-kilogram soil under three replications. Results: Soil supplemented with organic fertilizers significantly (p &lt; 0.05) influenced the growth and yield of Corchorus olitorius. The height, leaf area and number of leaves of Corchorus olitorius in soil supplemented with organic fertilizers were significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher than control. Higher leaf area and number of leaves were obtained in C. olitorius influenced by mycorrhizal (+AM) than without mycorrhizal (-AM) under poultry manure application in Alfisol. Inceptisol without fertilizers and mycorrhizal inoculation was also high in the leaf area of C. olitorius compared to Alfisol corresponding treatment with about 31.1%. Number of leaves of C. olitorius without mycorrhizal (-AM) inoculation and Tithonia can be compared with mycorrhizal (+AM) inoculation and cattle manure at 7 weeks after transplanting in both soils. Plants height obtained was highest in C. olitorius grown in Alfisol without mycorrhizal and cattle manure with about 12.2% higher over Inceptisol. Shoots and roots observed under mycorrhizal inoculation were also significantly different from those observed without mycorrhizal inoculation in both soils under different fertilizers application. Conclusion: Integration of different fertilizer types (organic fertilizers and mycorrhizal inoculation) can be efficiently used as a suitable nutrient management system due to positive responses observed in this investigation