Computation of River Discharge from Formulated Rating Equation in Hydrological Catchments with Inadequate Data: River Omi, South Western Nigeria, as Case Study

River discharge is an important hydrological parameter in any water resources management. Most rivers in Nigeria, with sizeable catchment areas, are poorly gauged and are noted to have histories of frequent flooding experience. Since Stage or Gauge, which is the height of water surface at a relative datum, can be easily measured, it is possible to formulate a rating equation which can predict discharge with a known gauge-depth. This Paper develops a mathematical relationship between gauge heights and discharge, using River Omi, South Western Nigeria, as a case study. Series of gauge-discharge relationships were established on River Omi from measured values and past records. The water velocities were measured using ultrasonic current meter and geometrical parameters were measured at the gauging station. The stage-discharge relationship, over a period of time, was plotted and a rating equation generated. The generated rating equation: Q = 0.1828*(G-0.14)0.78, has a coefficient of regression of 97%. The formulated equation was calibrated and validated with discharge data obtained from 2007 to 2012. The rating equation performed better at depth below 0.6 m with less than 1% variation between the simulated and measured discharge. This formulated equation can be adapted to other river catchments with similar hydrological characteristics. It should be noted that below gauging depth of 0.14 m, the rating equation cannot be used. Keywords: River Discharge, Rating Equation, Gauge Depth, River Omi, Regression

Performance Review of Selected Topology-Aware Routing Strategies for Clustering Sensor Networks

In this paper, cluster-based routing (CBR) protocols for addressing issues pertinent to energy consumption, network lifespan, resource allocation and network coverage are reviewed. The paper presents an indepth  performance analysis and critical review of selected CBR algorithms. The study is domain-specific and simulation-based with emphasis on the tripartite trade-off between coverage, connectivity and lifespan. The rigorous statistical analysis of selected CBR schemes was also presented. Network simulation was conducted with Java-based Atarraya discrete-event simulation toolkit while statistical analysis was carried out using MATLAB. It was observed that the Periodic, Event-Driven and Query-Based Routing (PEQ) schemes performs better than Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH), Threshold-Sensitive Energy-Efficient Sensor Network (TEEN) and Geographic Adaptive Fidelity (GAF) in terms of network lifespan, energy consumption and network throughput.Keywords: Wireless sensor network, Hierarchical topologies, Cluster-based routing, Statistical analysis, Network simulatio

An Evaluation of the Relationship Between Integrated Rural Development Scheme, Livelihood Assets and Housing Condition in Nigeria

The paper examined the relationship among integrated rural development scheme, livelihood assets and housing condition in selected rural areas in Osun state. This is necessitated by the need to look at an alternative ways of financing rural housing through self-help project. It is also inspired by the need for sustainability in better housing condition in the rural communities.The paper carried out a survey of participants of an existing integrated scheme that was established with the objective of improving farmers’ welfare through improved productivity in 28 rural communities under the jurisdiction of Justice Development and Peace Makers’ Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo, Osun state.  Data was obtained from 344 respondents selected through a multi-staged sampling across 28 rural communities in Osun state. The data obtained was analysed with the use of frequency distribution, correlation, regression and chi-square analysis.The results of the study in this paper reveals, among others, that the mode of operation and housing condition has positive relationship and are not independent of each other. Similarly, there is significant relationship between household size (r = 0.327) and housing condition, livelihood assets (r = 0.451) and housing condition at P ≤ 0.01. Based on these findings, integrated scheme has positive relationship with housing condition because the more the livelihood assets through integrated scheme, the better the rural housing condition in Nigeria.The paper therefore suggests consideration of integrated scheme as an effective strategy for rural housing improvement. The study is a pioneering attempt at establishing whether increase in participants’ assets such as physical, financial, natural, human and social capital due to the integrated scheme will lead to significant improvement in housing condition. Keywords: relationship, integrated, rural development scheme, livelihood assets, housing condition, and rural areas. DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-5-06 Publication date:May 31st 202

Assessment of selected liver enzyme activity in patients with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis receiving treatment at a tertiary healthcare facility, southwest Nigeria

Background: Several anti-tuberculous drugs have been effective in the treatment and management of drugsensitive and -resistant tuberculosis (TB). While these drug combinations have proven to be highly active against tubercle bacilli, side effects and toxicity may occur with tendency to interrupt or discontinue therapy, resulting in poor compliance. The objective of this study is to assess hepatotoxic potentials of anti-TB drugs among patients with rifampicin-resistant TB (RRTB) undergoing treatment at the directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) clinic of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a prospective study of 40 patients with RRTB on second-line anti-TB therapy including bedaquiline, moxifloxacin, prothionamide, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, isoniazid and clofazimine. RRTB was diagnosed by sputum smear AFB microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF assay at the TB laboratory of Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Forty gender and age-matched apparently healthy persons were used as control. Venous samples (~5ml) were collected from each participant at baseline (prior to commencement of anti-TB therapy) and after completion of 9-11 months therapy, as well as from the controls. Plasma was separated by centrifugation and the activity of ALT, AST and ALP was measured by spectrophotometric analysis, while total protein and albumin levels were determined using routine methods. Data were presented as mean±SD and analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Comparison of the mean enzyme activity at baseline and after completion of therapy as well as with the control was done with unpaired ‘t’ test, and ‘p’ (two tail) value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The age range of the 40 RRTB patients is 20-67 years (mean age 45.50±10.1 years) while the age range of the 40 controls is 21-65 years (mean age 45.70±12.10 years). The male to female ratio is 1.2:1 for the patients and 1:1 for the control. There is statistically significant increase in post-therapy plasma activity of ALT (p<0.0001), AST (p<0.0001), ALP (p<0.0001), and total protein level (p=0.0086) compared to the baseline, while plasma albumin level decreased significantly post-therapy (p=0.007). Although there is no significant difference in the baseline activity of ALT (p=0.4936) and AST (p=0.2539) for the RRTB patients compared to the control, post-treatment activity of ALT (p<0.0001) and AST (p<0.0001) in RRTB patients were significantly higher than in apparently heathy controls. Conclusion: The activity of the liver enzymes (AST and ALT) reported among RRTB patients in our study are within the normal reference range for persons above 18 years of age, indicating a non-hepatotoxic effect of the anti-TB drugs. However, statistically significant increase in these enzyme activities in the patients’ posttreatment compared to the baseline, and to apparently healthy controls, indicates that the drugs may be potentially hepatotoxic on prolonged usage.   French title: Évaluation de l'activité des enzymes hépatiques sélectionnées chez les patients atteints de tuberculose résistante à la rifampicine recevant un traitement dans un établissement de soins de santé tertiaires, dans le sud-ouest du Nigeria Contexte: Plusieurs médicaments antituberculeux se sont révélés efficaces dans le traitement et la prise en charge de la tuberculose pharmacosensible et résistante. Bien que ces combinaisons de médicaments se soient avérées très actives contre les bacilles tuberculeux, des effets secondaires et une toxicité peuvent survenir avec une tendance à interrompre ou à interrompre le traitement, entraînant une mauvaise observance. L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer les potentiels hépatotoxiques des médicaments antituberculeux chez les patients atteints de tuberculose résistante à la rifampicine (RRTB) qui suivent un traitement à la clinique DOTS (Traitement de courte durée directement observé) de l'Université de technologie de Ladoke Akintola (LAUTECH), Hôpital, Ogbomoso, Nigéria Méthodologie: Il s'agissait d'une étude prospective de 40 patients atteints de RRTB sous traitement antituberculeux de deuxième ligne comprenant la bédaquiline, la moxifloxacine, le prothionamide, l'éthambutol, le pyrazinamide, l'isoniazide et la clofazimine. La RRTB a été diagnostiquée par microscopie AFB des frottis d'expectoration et test Xpert MTB/RIF au laboratoire de la tuberculose de l'hôpital universitaire de Bowen, à Ogbomoso, au Nigeria. Quarante personnes apparemment en bonne santé appariées selon le sexe et l'âge ont été utilisées comme contrôle. Des échantillons veineux (~5ml) ont été prélevés sur chaque participant au départ (avant le début du traitement antituberculeux) et après la fin du traitement de 9 à 11 mois, ainsi que sur les témoins. Le plasma a été séparé par centrifugation et l'activité de l'ALT, de l'AST et de l'ALP a été mesurée par analyse spectrophotométrique, tandis que les taux de protéines totales et d'albumine ont été déterminés à l'aide de méthodes de routine. Les données ont été présentées sous forme de moyenne ± ET et analysées à l'aide de SPSS version 21.0. La comparaison de l'activité enzymatique moyenne au départ et après la fin du traitement ainsi qu'avec le contrôle a été effectuée avec un test «t» non apparié, et une valeur «p» (deux queues) inférieure à 0,05 a été considérée comme statistiquement significative. Résultats: La tranche d'âge des 40 patients RRTB est de 20 à 67 ans (âge moyen 45,50±10,1 ans) tandis que la tranche d'âge des 40 témoins est de 21 à 65 ans (âge moyen 45,70±12,10 ans). Le ratio hommes/femmes est 1.2:1 pour les patients et 1:1 pour le contrôle. Il y a une augmentation statistiquement significative de l'activité plasmatique post-thérapie de l'ALT (p<0,0001), de l'AST (p<0,0001), de l'ALP (p<0,0001) et du taux de protéines totales (p=0,0086) par rapport à la ligne de base, tandis que l'albumine plasmatique le niveau a diminué significativement après le traitement (p=0,007). Bien qu'il n'y ait pas de différence significative dans l'activité de base de l'ALT (p=0,4936) et de l'AST (p=0,2539) pour les patients atteints de RRTB par rapport au groupe témoin, l'activité post-traitement de l'ALT (p<0,0001) et de l'AST (p<0,0001) chez les patients RRTB étaient significativement plus élevés que chez les témoins apparemment en bonne santé. Conclusion: L'activité des enzymes hépatiques (AST et ALT) rapportée chez les patients atteints de RRTB dans notre étude se situe dans la plage de référence normale pour les personnes de plus de 18 ans, indiquant un effet non hépatotoxique des médicaments antituberculeux. Cependant, une augmentation statistiquement significative de ces activités enzymatiques chez les patients après le traitement par rapport à la ligne de base et à des témoins apparemment sains, indique que les médicaments peuvent être potentiellement hépatotoxiques en cas d'utilisation prolongée

Productivity Responses of Spice and Vegetable Crops in Citrus Juvenile Orchard

Citrus is an economy crop usually grown at wide spacings into which staple food can be grown before the canopy closes up. Therefore, field experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2011 at the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan to evaluate the response of three spices and one vegetable crop as intercrops with juvenile citrus at different spacing regimes.  Citrus was intercropped with pepper, turmeric, ginger and basil at three inter spacing regimes of 1 m, 2 m and 3 m from the juvenile citrus trees with sole citrus and the sole crop of each of the components as control. The experiment was laid in randomized complete block design in three replication.  Results showed that growth and yield of the juvenile citrus trees were not significantly affected by the component crops except in citrus/turmeric intercrop where significant decrease in plant height was observed in 2010. Basil plant height in the intercrop was significantly higher at 1m and 3m than other intercrops at 10WAP in both years, while pepper and turmeric heights were significantly higher at 3m spacing from the juvenile citrus trees than that of ginger at 20 WAP in 2010. Pepper produced higher number of fruits at 3m in 2010 and 2m in 2011 while that of turmeric was higher at 1m in 2010 and 2m in 2011 than the other corresponding spacing regimes which in turn were higher than the yields under their corresponding sole crops.  Yields of ginger under the spacing regimes were significantly lower than what was obtained in the other intercrops and sole ginger in both years while basil produced higher leaf yield at 2m (269 g/plant) than at 1m and 3m. Pepper, turmeric and basil responded positively in the intercrop with juvenile citrus trees than ginger and can be adopted by farmers. Keywords: Citrus, intercrop, juvenile, spices, vegetable, alley

Knowledge, attitude and practice of safety measures among cooking gas refill attendants in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Cooking gas refill attendants play important role in the use of gas in Zaria. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and safety measure practices among cooking gas refill attendants in Zaria metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was conducted in January, 2019 among cooking gas refill attendants using structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist. It was a whole-population study of 121 participants. The data was collected using Open Data Kit (ODK) software version 1.21.1 installed in an android device and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The results were summarized and presented in tables and charts; p value was set at < 0.05 for statistical significance. Majority (79.6%) of the respondents were within the productive age group of 25 to 44 years with median age 36 years, married (57.9%) and more than half (52.1%) of the respondents had secondary education and all respondents were males. The overall scores for knowledge, attitudes and safety practices were 81.0%, 90.1% and 75.2% respectively but with various deficiencies. Those that attended training were 78.0%. Finding from the checklist showed that 5.8% of the inspected fire extinguishers were expired. The respondents’ knowledge, attitude and safety measures practices were associated with level of education, age and ethnicity. Majority of the gas refill attendants had good knowledge, attitude and safety measure practice, however, with some deficiencies. There is need for training and supervision to ensure use of personal protective equipment and replacement of the expired fire extinguishers

Exploring the stability and electronic structure of beryllium and sulphur co-doped graphene : a first principles study

First principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to explore the stability, structural and electronic properties of Be and S codoped graphene sheets. The band-gap of graphene has been tuned by co-doping with beryllium and sulphur at different sites. The results show that by codoping graphene with Be and S, the band-gap increases from zero up to 0.58 eV depending on the doping sites. The cohesive and the formation energies of the systems were also determined. All the isomers formed by exploring different doping sites differ notably in stability, bond length and band-gap. Nevertheless, the planar structure of all the systems investigated was preserved even after geometry optimisation. Majority of the isomers that correspond to co-doping at non-equivalent sites favour higher band-gap opening, but lesser stability, than the other set of isomers with equivalent doping sites. Bader charge analysis was adopted to account for charges distribution in the systems. As a result of the difference in electronegativity among carbon atoms and the impurities, it was observed that electrons accumulation occurred more on the carbon atoms in the proximity of Be and S than at any other position in the graphitic systems investigated.The South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant No. 97994). O. Okikiola acknowledges the financial support from NRF and the University of Pretoria for his PhD studies. Remove selectedhttp://www.rsc.org/journals-books-databases/about-journals/rsc-advances2017-09-30hb2017Physic

Effect of activated carbon on the enhancement of CO sensing performance of NiO

NiO/activated carbon (AC) composites were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal reflux process as an electrode material for carbon monoxide (CO) gas sensor application. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to investigate the crystallinity of the samples while gas sorption analysis was used to probe the specific surface area of both the pristine NiO and NiO/AC composite. The sensors were subjected to continuous cycles of different CO concentrations and were purged with air after each cycle, followed by variations in a normalized resistance study. The results obtained from the gas sensing analysis disclose that the incorporation of AC into NiO increased the conductivity and surface area of NiO/ AC composite and subsequently enhancing the CO sensing performance of NiO/AC based sensor. These results imply that the NiO/AC composite could be an excellent nanomaterial for CO gas sensors.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jalcom2018-02-28hb2017Physic

Dual Band Fractal Antenna Design for Wireless Application

The objective of this paper was to design and analyze a dual wide band compact antenna for wireless application. Microstrip patch antenna limitation was overcome by using fractal geometry. The proposed antenna was designed with a radius of 15mm on a FR4 lossy substrate with relative permittivity of 4.4 and loss factor of 0.025. Measurement result showed that the antenna has a dual band of operation with bandwidth for return loss below -10dB of 1.84GHz (2.2GHz-4.07GHz) and 2GHz (6GHz-8GHz) which can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) and Ultra wide band applications