Implementation of Wi-Ap; An IEEE 802.11b/g Based Electrical Switch Module With Web Enabled Interface for Electrical Appliances Control

The aim of this research study is to design and implement a Wi-Fi-based control panel for remote control of lights and electrical appliances with a web functionality that allows for wide area control via the intranet or Internet. This eliminates the inconvenience of moving from one switch to another for analog operation of light fixtures and appliance in home, office and campus environment. The wireless technology we adopted is IEEE 802.11 (2008) b/g, also called Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) which operates in free band and is easily accessible. Wi-Ap (Wi-Fi Automated Appliance) control system contains a web portal which allows for management and control purposes via the intranet or Internet. We built a standalone Wi-Ap console that allows the wireless switching on and off of any appliance(s) that is(are) ) plugged into it. The prototype we built was tested within the Electrical and Information Engineering department, Covenant University, Nigeria intranet and the test achieved our aim of remote appliances control from a web portal vial the intranet

Classification of Product Images in Different Color Models with Customized Kernel for Support Vector Machine

Support Vector Machine (SVM) is widely recognized as a potent data mining technique for solving supervised learning problems. The technique has practical applications in many domains such as e-commerce product classification. However, data sets of large sizes in this application domain often present a negative repercussion for SVM coverage because its training complexity is highly dependent on input size. Moreover, a single kernel may not adequately produce an optimal division between product classes, thereby inhibiting its performance. The literature recommends using multiple kernels to achieve flexibility in the applications of SVM. In addition, color features of product images have been found to improve classification performance of a learning technique, but choosing the right color model is particularly challenging because different color models have varying properties. In this paper, we propose color image classification framework that integrates linear and radial basis function (LaRBF) kernels for SVM. Experiments were performed in five different color models to validate the performance of SVM based LaRBF in classifying 100 classes of e-commerce product images obtained from the PI 100 Microsoft corpus. Classification accuracy of 83.5% was realized with the LaRBF in RGB color model, which is an improvement over an existing method

The Role of Multinational Oil Companies (MNOCs) and Militancy in Niger Delta

The discovery and exploration of oil in Nigeria seems to have come with good tidings and hope for a better development but today the reverse is the case. Oil has brought agony and insecurity in the country, particularly the oil communities of the Niger Delta region. The high level of marginalization and negligence on the part of the government, the elite and the MNOCs has resulted in militancy, which has consequently inflicted the economic growth of Nigeria. Resource curse is used to examine how the perceive petro dollar turns out to bring curse on the country. Despite different response by the government to address the unrest in the oil rich Niger Delta,yet the insurgency persist. This has been attributed to a commandist and lack of proper consultation with people of the region. This paper therefore, calls for a meaningfulcorroboration between the major actors in the exploration of oil and the people in order to have lasting solution to the prevailing problem and as a consequence a meaningful ataraxia. Keywords: MNOCs, militancy, politics, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Curative Effect of Aqueous Seed Extract of Citrus paradisi against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Wistar Rats

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a possible nephrotoxin that leads to grievous and harmful chemical toxicity. C.paradisi contains phytochemicals,vitamins and flavonoids which possesses strong anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This study investigated the serum electrolytes levels and the efficacy of C. paradisi to ameliorate the effect of carbon tetrachloride-induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats. The aqueous seed extract of C. paradisi was administered at a dose of 125-500 mg/kg body weight. Thirty albino rats were assigned into 6 groups of 5 rats in each. Group I was the 1ml/kg normal saline while group II was intraperitoneally treated with 3 mL/kg of CCl4 1 hour before oral treatment (p.o.) with 10 mL/kg of normal saline while groups III-VI rats were intraperitoneally treated with 3 mL/kg 30% CCl4 1 hour before oral treatment with 10 mg/kg of ascorbic acid. Groups III-VI were administered with 125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg of aqueous seed extract of C.paradisi. Results shows an increase in all the serum electrolytes except in serum phosphate as a result of contamination. The result insinuated that kidney damage was induced in the rats with ascorbic acid attenuating the effect of carbon tetrachloride at each dose. The treatment showed that aqueous seed extract of C. paradisi controls an increase in serum electrolyte

Molecular Toxicity of Popular Toothpaste Formulations on Post-Juveniles of Clarias gariepinus

The widespread use of toothpaste containing various chemical formulations has raised concern regarding their potential impact on aquatic ecosystems. This research examines the molecular toxicity of popular toothpaste brands on post-juveniles of Clarias gariepinus from a commercial fish farm in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Specifically assessing the impact of these toothpaste brands on the mRNA expression levels of the heat shock protein (HSP70), interleukin (IL-1β), melatonin receptors (MEL1C), and growth hormone in comparison to a control group. The results revealed a significant upregulation of HSP70, IL-1β, and MEL1C genes in the exposed group, indicating a potential stress response and immune system activation. Intriguingly, the growth hormone mRNA expression remained unaffected in the treated group compared to the control. These findings underscore the need for further exploration into the potential molecular consequences of common toothpaste ingredients on aquatic organisms, raising important questions about environmental safety and consumer product development

Factors Associated with Treatment Success among Pulmonary Tuberculosis and HIV Co-infected Patients in Oyo State, South West-Nigeria

Background The co-existence of Tuberculosis (TB) and Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is  known to increase morbidity and mortality in patients. The determinants of treatment success in TBHIV co-infection are not yet well studied. Such information can help optimise treatment and reduce morbidity and mortality.Objective To determine factors associated with antitubercular treatment success among TB I HIV coinfected patients.Methods A cross sectional study was carried out in fifty  three DOT clinics and treatment centres  using tuberculosis patient's records from January 2009 to December 2010 in Oyo state, Nigeria. The study population consisted of 7905 tuberculosis patients. Information on variables of interest were obtained with the use of data extraction forms. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to test the relationship between TB I HIV coinfection and socio-demographic variables, clinical characteristics and treatment success.Results Prevalence ofTB I HIV co-infection was found to be 14.2%. Patients with TB-HIV co-infection  were younger and more likely to be females. There were statistically significant association between treatment success and gender, marital status and patient point of care. After adjusting for other variables, it was found that patients receiving treatment in private facilities were independently less likely to be successfully treated compared with those receiving care in Public facilities. Female patients were also independently more likely to have better treatment outcome than male.Conclusion In addition to patients' point of care, gender of the patients can adversely impact on their treatment success. Efforts from the government to strengthening the private public mix, health education and media awareness on adherence to treatment to improve treatment success should be intensified in the country.Keywords: Tube rc ulosis; Human immunodeficiency virus, Directly observe therapy short-course;  Treatment success, Coinfection

Influence of well-being and quality of work-life on quality of care among healthcare professionals in southwest, Nigeria

The Nigerian healthcare industry is bedevilled with infrastructural dilapidations and a dysfunctional healthcare system. This study investigated the influence of healthcare professionals' well-being and quality of work-life (QoWL) on the quality of care (QoC) of patients in Nigeria. A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted at four tertiary healthcare institutions in southwest, Nigeria. Participants' demographic information, well-being, quality of life (QoL), QoWL, and QoC were obtained using four standardised questionnaires. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics included Chi-square, Pearson's correlation, independent samples t-test, confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation model. Medical practitioners (n = 609) and nurses (n = 570) constituted 74.6% of all the healthcare professionals with physiotherapists, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists constituting 25.4%. The mean (SD) participants' well-being = 71.65% (14.65), QoL = 61.8% (21.31), QoWL = 65.73% (10.52) and QoC = 70.14% (12.77). Participants' QoL had a significant negative correlation with QoC while well-being and quality of work-life had a significant positive correlation with QoC. We concluded that healthcare professionals' well-being and QoWL are important factors that influence the QoC rendered to patients. Healthcare policymakers in Nigeria should ensure improved work-related factors and the well-being of healthcare professionals to ensure good QoC for patients