Comparative analysis of selected facial recognition algorithms

Systems and applications embedded with facial detection and recognition capabilities are founded on the notion that there are differences in face structures among individuals, and as such, we can perform face-matching using the facial symmetry. A widely used application of facial detection and recognition is in security. It is important that the images be processed correctly for computer-based facial recognition, hence, the usage of efficient, cost-effective algorithms and a robust database. This research work puts these measures into consideration and attempts to determine a cost-effective and reliable algorithm out of three algorithms examined. Keywords: Haar-Cascade, PCA, Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces, LBPH, Face Recognition

Drying Characteristics and Mathematical Modelling of Cassava Chips

Cassava chips with dimension 5x2x0.4cm were dried at 600C, 700C and 800C in a laboratory tunnel dryer. Kinetics of drying was investigated using Fick’s second law. Drying pattern was observed to be in the falling rate period. Non linear regression analysis was used to fit in the experimental data and the coefficient of determination was found to be greater than 0.97 for all the models. The values of R2, RMSE, MBE and reduced chi square showed that Logarithm model best described the drying behaviour of the samples. The value of activation energy was found to be 30kJ/mol Key word: cassava chips, tunnel dryer, drying, modellin

Structure of Plants across Habitat Types in Amurum Forest Reserve, Plateau State Nigeria

The Amurum Forest Reserve is one of the nature reserves in Plateau State North central Nigeria. Strict Nature reserve is prominent among the methods for in situ conservation of biodiversity in Nigeria and also the world at large. A study was conducted in the Forest across three habitat types in order to measure tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) of trees. 50m x 50m plots were marked across the habitat types by simple random sampling technique. Trees and shrubs were identified to species level. Measurement were limited to all woody plants with diameter at breast height (dbh) of ≥ 10cm. Data collected was analyzed in excel. A total of 397 woody species were identified during the study period. 87.7 of the plants were shrubs while 12.3% were trees. The gallery forest had the highest diameter class(30-35cm) followed by the savanna(25-30cm) and lastly the rocky outcrop with the diameter class of 20-25cm.The rocky outcrop had the highest number of trees with the lowest dbh (10-15cm) while the gallery forest had more trees in the highest diameter class (30-35) (Figure 2). The highest mean height distribution in the Gallery forest shows that the plant communities in this habitat type has grown over the years without disturbance since the place is a protected site. Therefore, other surrounding bushes should be protected in order to preserve species from local extinction

Effect of iodine biofortification on incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Tomato is often attacked by wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporium. Iodine is known to have fungistatic effect in pathogen control. The present experiment was aimed at determining the effect of iodine compounds (potassium iodide, KI and potassium iodate, KIO3) on incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt and yield of two tomato accessions, FUNAABTO/106 and FUNAABTO/123. The experiment was conducted in the screenhouse and on the field. KI was applied at concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 5 mM while KIO3 was applied at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 mM. The untreated plots served as control. Results showed that FUNAABTO/106 treated with 0.5 mM KIO3 in the screenhouse and on the field had the least (0.00%) disease incidence. Disease severity was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower (1.00) in the screenhouse in pots containing FUNAABTO/106 treated with 1 mM KIO3. On the field, FUNAABTO/106 treated with 0.5 mM KIO3 had the least (1.17) disease severity. FUNAABTO/106 treated with 0.5 mM KIO3 in the screenhouse and on the field were significantly higher (1.65t/ha and 18.54t/ha respectively) in yield. The study concluded that application of iodine compounds at lower concentrations reduced the incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt and increased the yield of tomato.Keywords: Potassium iodate (KIO3), Potassium iodide (KI), Fusarium oxysporiu

Changes in mediators of inflammation and pro-thrombosis after 12 months of dietary modification in adults with metabolic syndrome

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a 12-month dietary modification on indices of inflammation and pro-thrombosis in adults with metabolic syndrome (MS).Materials and methods: This longitudinal study involved 252 adults with MS recruited from the Bodija market, Ibadan and its environs. Participants were placed on 20%, 30% and 50% calories obtained from protein, total fat and carbohydrate respectively and were followed up monthly for 12 months. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured using standard methods. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)], interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured using spectrophotometric methods and ELISA as appropriate. Data was analysed using ANCOVA, Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: After 6 months of dietary modification, there was a significant reduction in waist circumference (WC), while the levels of HDL-C, fibrinogen and PAI-1 were significantly increased when compared with the corresponding baseline values. However, WC and fibrinogen reduced significantly, while HDL-C and IL-10 significantly increased after 12 months of dietary modification as compared with the respective baseline values.Conclusion: Long-term regular dietary modification may be beneficial in ameliorating inflammation and pro-thrombosis in metabolic syndrome.Keywords: Dietary modification, fibrinogen, interleukins, metabolic syndrome, plasminogen activator inhibito

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 84.7%) were from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 62.8%), followed by strabismus (n = 429 10.2%) and proptosis (n = 309 7.4%). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 95% CI, 12.94-24.80, and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 95% CI, 4.30-7.68). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs. © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved

NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF BREAD WASTE AS A REPLACEMENT FOR MAIZE IN THE DIET OF GROWING SNAILS

The effect of replacing maize fraction of the diet of growing snails partially or wholly with bread waste (BW) on performance characteristics and cost benefits was studied for 12 weeks. A total of 120 growing snails (Archachatina marginata) of mean weight 83.67 ± 3.5g of about 3 months of age were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments, BW1, BW2, BW3 and BW4 in which maize fraction of the diet was replaced at 0, 50, 75 and 100% with BW respectively, in a completely randomized design replicated 3 times. The parameters measured were feed intake, weight gain, shell length, width and thickness. Feed conversion ratio and cost/weight gain were calculated. The results showed that significant differences were not observed in the mean total feed intake, weight gain and shell increment (P>0.05). The results also revealed that dietary treatments had no significant influence on the dressing percentage (P>0.05) which varied between 41.25 and 41.28%. The total feed cost and cost per weight reduced as the level of BW in the diet increased from 0 to 100%. The highest cost/ weight gain (CW) of N223.2 was recorded in diet containing 0% BW while the lowest CW was recorded in diet containing 100%BW. Based on the present results maize fraction of snail’s diet could be replaced with bread waste up to 100% at reduced cost without any adverse effect on performance of growing snails

Datasets on demographic trends in enrollment into undergraduate engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria

In this data article, we present and analyze the demographic data of undergraduates admitted into engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria. The population distribution of 2649 candidates admitted into Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering programs between 2002 and 2009 are analyzed by gender, age, and state of origin. The data provided in this data article were retrieved from the student bio-data submitted to the Department of Admissions and Student Records (DASR) and Center for Systems and Information Services (CSIS) by the candidates during the application process into the various engineering undergraduate programs. These vital information is made publicly available, after proper data anonymization, to facilitate empirical research in the emerging field of demographics analytics in higher education. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file is attached to this data article and the data is thoroughly described for easy reuse. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions of the demographic data are presented in tables, plots, graphs, and charts. Unrestricted access to these demographic data will facilitate reliable and evidence-based research findings for sustainable education in developing countries. © 2018 The Author

Datasets linking ethnic perceptions to undergraduate students learning outcomes in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

This data article represents academic performances of undergraduate students in a select Nigerian Private Tertiary institution from 2008 to 2013. The 2413 dataset categorizes students with respect to their origins (ethnicity), pre-university admission scores and Cumulative Grade Point Averages earned at the end of their study at the university. We present a descriptive statistics showing mean, median, mode, maximum, minimum, range, standard deviation and variance in the performances of these students and a boxplot representation of the performances of these students with respect to their origins. © 2018 The Author