Sensor Intelligence for Tackling Energy-Drain Attacks on Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper we propose a model for intelligent agents (sensors) on a Wireless Sensor Network to guard against energy-drain attacks in an energy-efficient and autonomous manner. This is intended to be achieved via an energy-harvested Wireless Sensor Network using a novel architecture to propagate knowledge to other sensors based on automated reasoning from an attacked sensor

Effect of Flange Width on Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete T-Beam

Reinforced concrete T-section beam is widely used in building and bridge construction. In most cases, the reinforced concrete T-section may be monolithic which implies that part of the slab close to the beam section help in resisting the flexural load. Understanding the effect of flange width of beam in such monolithic section is very crucial in designing effective and efficient structure. This study presents a numerical study of the effect of flange width on the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete T-section beam. Three different flange width which include 200, 400 and 600mm were considered in this study. The result shows that stiffness of the beam increases with increase in flange width. The initial cracking load is influence by the flange width. The wider the flange width, the higher the cracking load. The result in terms of mid-span deflection and cracking shows no appreciable difference in the different flange width considered in this study. Finally, the findings show that behavior of reinforced concrete T-section beam in terms of cracking and failure load, deflection, reinforcement strain and crack pattern can be accurately simulated using LS DYNA. Keywords: Reinforced Concrete T-section beam, Flange width, Cracking load, LS DYN

Analysis of Empirical Relationship among Agricultural Lending, Agricultural Growth and Non-Performing Loans in Nigerian Banking System

Increasing levels in Non-Performing loans (NPLs) which has remained an area of great concern contributed to issue of declining agribusiness activities in Nigeria in the 1990s and thereafter. The study examined non-performing loans relationship with agricultural lending and agricultural productivity from 1980 to 2015 in Nigeria. Time series data obtained from CBN were analyzed using, Granger causality test, Pearson correlation, and co-integration as well as error correction models. The empirical analyses revealed that, bilateral Granger causality existed between loans and advances granted to agricultural sector and non-performing loans in Nigeria. Also, growth in GDP has a positive and significant correlation with NPL in Nigeria. In the long run, NPL is positively related to agricultural productivity, growth in the GDP and value of loans and advances offered to agricultural sector. Whereas, in the short run, NPL reacted significantly to the negative influence of interest rate and positive impact of GDP growth rate. The adjustment coefficient of 52% was discovered for the NPL long run equation in Nigeria. It is recommended that short and long- term banking reform policies be adopted to reduce fluctuations in NPLs in the banking system and efforts should be geared towards increased participation of specialized financial institutions as to accelerate investments in agriculture sector

Subconjunctival Wuchereria bancrofti in Calabar: A case report

Subconjunctival worm is a manifestation of ocular filariasis, one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) which constitute an important public health problem in Nigeria.The most commonly reported subconjunctival worm is loaloa which in some occasions is associated with the so called 'Calabar swelling'. However there exist few reports of ocular filariasis caused by Wuchereriabancrofti involving the eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, and uvea with variable presentations. We report a case of a 31-year-old female, constitutionally asymptomatic patient who presented with Wuchereriabancrofti filarial worm encysted in the subconjunctival space

SEEDLINGS PRODUCTION IN Gnetum africanum AS INFLUENCED BY PROPAGATORY ORGANS

This study was conducted at the experimental site of Akwa Ibom Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP), Uyo Zone.  The rate of germination of Gnetum africanum as influenced by different planting materials – treated seeds, root cuttings and vine cuttings was on trial.  Sixty of each set of planting materials were used for the experiment.  Sixty seeds were given germination pre-treatment.  Each set of treatment was raised in the nursery with the polythene pots, using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD).  Twenty Gnetum pre-treated seeds germinated within 75 days out of 60 seeds planted, giving a 20 emergence percentage within 115 days, root cutting had 1 emergence percentage, while the untreated seeds never germinated throughout the experimental period that lasted for 115 days.  The result however showed that the treated seeds germinated earlier (75 days) and more vigorously than the untreated seeds and root cuttings.  The result suggests that Gnetum africanum may be raised through pre-germination treatment for fast development.

Appraisal of the magnetic and geothermal anomalies of bornu basin northeast nigeria involving aero-magnetic data

The Bornu Basin in northeast Nigeria was studied using high-resolution airborne magnetic data with the objective of improving the reliability of mapped magnetic and geothermal anomalies, and depth solutions. Necessary enhancement operations like analytic signal (ASIG), upward continuation, depth assessment methods involving standard Euler deconvolution (SED) and source parameter imaging (SPI) as well as spectral analysis applying the centroid technique were applied. The middle and southern parts are dominated by high frequency anomalies as revealed by the ASIG map. Furthermore, the magnetic data, when upward continued to 5 km, revealed avalanche of deeply buried igneous intrusions that created near-surface magnetic sources and geologic structures. Maximum thicknesses of sedimentary series estimated from SED and SPI, are respectively ~5974.7 and ~5885.3 m. These values correlate correlated relatively well with depth to the top boundary (Zt) of ~6550 m obtained from the centroid technique. These depth estimates reveal sequence of thick sediments overlying igneous intrusions and falls under the prospective geothermal anomaly zones characterised by high geothermal gradient (GG) (>55 °C/km) and heat flow (HF) (>130 mW/m2) values. Areas characterised by high geothermal anomalies correspond to igneous intrusion-dominated shallow Curie point depths (CPD or Zb)

Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer using Soft Computing Paradigms

The process of diagnosing of prostate cancer using traditional methods is cumbersome because of the similarity of symptoms that are present in other diseases. Soft Computing (SC) paradigms which mimic human imprecise data manipulation and learning capabilities have been reviewed and harnessed for diagnosis and classification of prostate cancer. SC technique based on Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) facilitated symptoms analysis, diagnosis and prostate cancer classification. Age of Patient (AP), Pains in Urination (PU), Frequent Urination (FU), Blood in Semen (BS) and Pains in Pelvic (PP) served as input attributes while Prostate Risk (PR) served as output. Matrix laboratory provided the programming tools for system implementation. The practical function of the system was assessed using prostate cancer data collected from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. A 95% harmony observed between the computed and the expected output in the ANFIS model, showed the superiority of the ANFIS model over the fuzzy model. The system is poised to assist medical professionals in the domain of diagnosis and classification of prostate cancer for the promotion of management and treatment decisions

Analysis of Domestic Water Consumption Pattern by Farming Households in Itu, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study analyzed the domestic water consumption pattern of farming households through the use of cross-sectional data collected from 100 households in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study utilized both exploratory statistical techniques and econometric procedure in data analysis. Findings revealed that though, the number of commercial borehole subscribers outnumber that of Akwa Ibom Water Company (AKWC), households still have high preference for water from AKWC. Result further revealed that household size, household income, storage facility, multiple usage and body mass index are major domestic potable water consumption shifters and were fairly inelastic. Findings also revealed a low per caput of 0.03399 cubic meters (33.99 liters) of water per person per day, which showed deficit of about 16 litres of water per day when compared with the WHO standard

Hypoglycemic Effect of Gongronema latifolia Extracts in Rats

Phytochemistry and hypoglycemic effect of the water and Ethanolic Extracts of the leaves of Gongronema latifolium were screened for. The extracts were Soxhlet extracted and phytochemically screened. Three tolerated doses were estimated from acute toxicity studies and orally administered to three groups of 10 rats per group, daily for 21 days. After treatments, rats of groups 1 to 3 were sacrificed and blood samples collected for glucose analysis and was compared to control group 4. Phytochemistry reveals that, both extracts of the plant contain predominant amount of Saponins and Polyphenols among other phytochemicals. Glucose analysis shows dose related reduction in the blood glucose levels compared to control. The polyphenols content of the plant extracts could cause the hypoglycemic effect observed, suggesting insulin-like activity which justifies the use of the plant leaf in the management of diabetic Mellitus in Nigeria herbal medicine. Keywords: Phytochemistry, phytopharmacology, hypoglycemia, extracts, Gongronema latifoliu

Identifying sources of efficiency among resource poor indigenous vegetable farmers in Uyo, Nigeria

Indigenous vegetables have historically played an important role in farming and consumption systems in Nigeria. Vegetable production like any other farming activity requires the use of inputs as efficiently as possible to optimize production. To identify the sources of efficiency among indigenous vegetable farmers, the stochastic frontier production function which incorporates a model for the technical efficiency effect was employed. Data from 100 indigenous vegetable (waterleaf) producers were obtained through two-stage sampling procedure with the aid of questionnaire. Using the maximum likelihood estimation analysis, asymptotic parameter estimates were evaluated to describe efficiency sources. Results revealed that the average resource use efficiency is 0.81 (81%) leaving an inefficiency gap of 0.19 (19%), indicating that about 19% higher production could be achieved using the same input mix. Land, labour, waterleaf cuttings were evaluated and identified as the most critical efficiency sources. Age, access to credit facilities, and market were identified as the most important explainers of inefficiency. To derive the benefits of economies of scale, indigenous waterleaf producers should increase their farm sizes devoted to waterleaf cultivation either by land consolidation or acquiring new farm plots. Keywords: Sources, efficiency, indigenous, waterleaf, Nigeria