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Identification and predictive control of spray tower system using artificial neural network and differential evolution algorithm
Get PDFIncreasing demands for high precision environmental protection measures regarding
particulate matter (PM) emission from industrial productions and non-linear
characteristics of spray tower system lead to the application of an intelligent control
technique to adequately deal with these complexities. This includes the use of an artificial
neural network (ANN) based predictive control strategy and differential evolution (DE)
optimization algorithm to determines the optimal control signal, uk (liquid droplet size,
d D ) by minimizing the cost function such that the output is set below the allowable PM
concentration. A recurrent neural network (RNN) based on non-linear autoregressive with
exogenous inputs (NARX) model has been used to develop the dynamic model of the
system. The data for the training was obtained from empirical model of a spray tower
system which involved 500 data sets representing the process input and the output PM
concentration. The control process was implemented using MATLAB code by considering
two DE optimization strategies; DE/best/1/bin and DE/rand/1/bin. The effectiveness of the
controllers was demonstrated for different iterations by tuning the control parameters such
as the prediction horizon, weight factor and control horizon. From the control response, it
can be seen that the controller for the DE/rand/1/bin does a very good job of controlling
the PM below the WHO allowable emission rate of 20g/μ
Dynamic approach for real-time skin detection
Get PDFHuman face and hand detection, recognition
and tracking are important research areas for many computer interaction applications. Face and hand are considered as human skin blobs, which fall in a compact region of
colour spaces. Limitations arise from the fact that human
skin has common properties and can be defined in various
colour spaces after applying colour normalization. The
model therefore, has to accept a wide range of colours,
making it more susceptible to noise. We have addressed
this problem and propose that the skin colour could be
defined separately for every person. This is expected to
reduce the errors. To detect human skin colour pixels and
to decrease the number of false alarms, a prior face or hand
detection model has been developed using Haar-like and
AdaBoost technique. To decrease the cost of computational
time, a fast search algorithm for skin detection is proposed.
The level of performance reached in terms of detection
accuracy and processing time allows this approach to be an
adequate choice for real-time skin blob tracking
Library Consortia in Nigeria and the Place of ICT
Get PDFLibrary Consortia implies the coming together of two or more libraries in a formal agreement to share their resources. The essence is that no library can boast of acquiring all the published literature in the world to render effective and efficient services for their users. Islam (2013) cited Manan (1998) and explained that libraries have been cooperating and collaborating on collection building for many years, he further stressed that the aim of library consortia is to maximize the availability of and access to information and service at a minimum cost, consortia enables the participating libraries to leverage shrinking budget, learn from each others, build better tools together and serve their users better by taking advantage of one another’s collection (Borek, 2006). Obaro (2013) opines that resources sharing or Library consortia is a vital practice in every library especially academic libraries, this is as a result of the fact that no library can boast of self sufficiency; also knowledge has continued to grow over the years due to the high rate at which researches are conducted and their findings published for the purpose of educating people. Knowledge is growing at a geometric progression. The need for access to information to support academic activities in institution is so high that a single library cannot afford it due to finance, manpower, and space. As a consequence of the perception of this situation, libraries started organizing networks and consortia with the aim of resource sharing. Collaborative efforts among and between libraries have been documented as far back as the late 19th century
Assessing E-Learning Tools in an Academic Environment: A Study of Availability and Use among Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian University
Get PDFThis study investigated the availability and use of e-learning tools as emerging paradigms in
Covenant University, Nigeria. The study population comprise of 7000 undergraduate students,
out of which 1000 was used as sample. Questionnaire was used as data collecting tool for the
study. A total of five hundred and eleven questionnaires were filled and returned. The study
revealed that an appreciable number of e-learning tools were available and in use in the
University. Notable among them is an electronic learning management system - Moodle. Most
of the respondents (61.8%) indicated that they used the e-learning tools mostly for downloading
lecture notes. The study further revealed that there was no significant relationship between
students' level of study (class) and their use of elearning tools. Also, no significant relationship
between use of e-learning tools and academic performance was established. Majority of the
respondents (54%) identified inadequate internet access as the biggest challenge to students'
use of e-learning platforms. The study was concluded with recommendations that could enhance
the use of e-learning platforms in Universities in Nigeria.
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Journal of Progressive Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites
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may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No
warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published
version of the material for the full abstract
Modulatory Effects of Ferulic Acid on Cadmium-Induced Brain Damage
Get PDFStaff PublicationStudies have shown the pharmacological relevance of phenolics like ferulic acid (FA) in promoting health. This study sought to
investigate the modulatory effects of FA on cadmium-induced brain damage in rats. Brain damage was induced in Wistar strain rats
by oral administration of cadmium (5 mg/kg body weight) for 21 days. Assays for malondialdehyde (MDA) content, acetylcholinesterase
(AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), monoamine oxidase (MAO), and Naþ/Kþ-ATPase activities were carried
out. The study revealed significant (P < .05) increases in the MDA content and all enzymes’ (AChE, BChE, MAO, and Naþ/Kþ-
ATPase) activity investigated following cadmium administration. However, rats administered FA (10 and 20 mg/kg body weight)
alongside cadmium significantly (P < .05) protected the brain by reversing the level of lipid peroxidation as measured by the MDA
content as well as the enzymes’ activity. This study, therefore, substantiates the neuroprotective potentials of FA especially in the
management of cadmium-induced toxicity
Investigation of the Inhibitive Properties of Alchornea laxiflora leaves on the Corrosion of Mild Steel in HCl: Thermodynamics and Kinetic Study
Get PDFStaff PublicationThe use of naturally occurring compounds as corrosion inhibitors is of potential interest because of their
cost effectiveness, abundant availability and environmental acceptability. Therefore, the study investigates the
inhibition efficacy of acid extract of Alchornea laxiflora leaves on mild steel in acidic medium using gravimetric
method. Experiments were performed by varying the immersion time, concentration of extract and the temperature.
The results showed that acid extract of Alchornea laxiflora leaves is a potential inhibitor for the corrosion of mild
steel in acidic medium. The corrosion rate of mild steel in 1M HCl decreases with increase in the concentration of
the extract. The inhibition efficiency increases progressively as the concentration of the extract increases but
decreases with rise in temperature and the exposure time. The highest inhibition efficiency observed in the presence
of the extract was 96 %. Activation energy was found to be 21.81 kJ mol-1 for the blank and increases to 82.57 kJ
mol-1 in the presence of the extract. Thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy change, entropy change and
Gibb’s free energy were evaluated. Kinetics of the reaction in the presence of the extracts revealed that it follows a
first order reaction and the half-lives increase as the concentration of the extract increases. Adsorption studies
revealed that Langmuir adsorption isotherm is the best adsorption model applicable to the adsorption of the extract
on mild steel surface. Preliminary investigation of the phytochemical con
Blood chemistry, haematological indices and nutrient digestibility of starter turkeys fed macaroni waste meal as a replacement for maize.
Get PDFA 56-days experiment was carried out to study the effect of replacing macaroni waste meal (MWM) with maize on nutrient digestibility and blood chemistry of indigenous turkey starter. Ninety-six indigenous turkey poults with an average weight of 52 g were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments containing macaroni waste meal at 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% level as replacement for maize. Each treatment consist of 24 turkey poults replicated thrice with 8 turkeys per replicate. A three day metabolic study trial was carried out for nutrient digestibility determination. Blood samples were also collected for serum and haematological indices. Data collected were subjected to one way analysis of variance. Result showed that MWM at 15% had the highest values for packed cell volume, red blood cell, white blood cell while values recorded for serum uric acid and creatinine were significantly lower (P0.05). However, the packed cell volume, red blood cell count, albumin, hemoglobin, total serum protein and serum glucose. It can be concluded that MWM could be incorporated into the diet of indigenous turkey starter at 15% level without any deleterious effect on nutrient digestibility and blood chemistry
Conflict Resolution Through Knowledge: The Library Perspective
Get PDFIn every human interaction
either at the level of individuals,
organizations, national, regional or international, there are usually
competitive interests and varying perspectives to every issue at stake.
It is dogged pursuance of antagonistic, incompatible and antithetical
goals that inevitably result in conflict. The phenomenon is multi-faceted
and widespread in society, having destructive tendencies if consensus
is not achieved. Obachi (2008) contended that forging diverse
relationships and attempts at continuously perfecting same have the
propensity to always precipitate conflict.
Conflict resolution is the process of defusing antagonism and reaching
agreement bet
ween conflicting parties especially through some form of
negotiation. It can also be conceptualized as a study and practice
of
solving interpersonal, intergroup and inter-national, conflicts. lfidon and
Ahiazu (2005) noted that the potential for conflict is an everyday
occurrence which exists virtually everywhere. According to them.
interpersonal conflict is caused by personality clashes and failure to
communicate effectively as well as distrust between parties with
differing perspectives
In vivo Effect of Cassava Flakes Mixed with Euphorbia heterophylla against Salmonella typhi
No full textAims: The therapeutic effect of Euphorbia heterophylla and cassava flakes mixture in treatment of
Salmonellosis was studied in vivo.
Methodology: Antibacterial activity of aqueous extract of Euphorbia heterophylla was first
evaluated using agar well diffusion method by measuring the diameters of zones of inhibition on
Salmonella typhi in vitro. The test organism was susceptible to Euphorbia heterophylla extract.
Albino rats were infected with Salmonella typhi and confirmed using WIDAL test.
Results: The result showed that the infectivity dose was 2.0×102 cfu/ml for an albino rat of average
weight 110 g. The qualitative analysis of the phytochemical of the plant showed that anthraquinone,
glycosides and alkaloid are present. The analysis of the pH of the white cassava flakes used was
3.83 while that of the red cassava flakes was 5.62. The titre value of the infected rats increased
significantly from 1:20 to 1:160 three days after infection. Administration of Euphorbia heterophylla
with cassava flakes mixture was found to effectively treat and reduce the titre value to 1:20 after
treating for 7 days. The infection caused a decreasing effect on the haematological parameters such as PCV and WBC. The histopathological analyses of the organs of the infected rats caused
mild to severe pathological changes varying from widespread vascular damage, haemorrhage,
vasculitis, cellular degeneration and necrosis of the organs. The therapeutic effect of the treatment
administered using the Euphorbia heterophylla – cassava flakes mixture showed recuperating cells
of the organs analysed histopathologically.
Conclusion: The results obtained in this work showed that Euphorbia heterophylla mixed with
cassava flakes is an effective therapeutic agent for Salmonellosis and that the Euphorbia
heterophylla with white cassava flakes mixture is more effective in the treatment of Salmonellosis
Modulatory effect of protocatechuic acid on cadmium induced nephrotoxicity and hepatoxicity in rats in vivo
Get PDFIntroduction: This study sought to investigate the effect of protocatechuic acid (PCA); a phenolic compound readily available in most plant foods on cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity and hepatoxicity in rats.
Case description: Thirty six adult male rats weighing about 150–160 g were acclimatized for 2 weeks and subsequently divided into six groups: Group 1 rats received normal saline (control group), group 2 rats were administered 5 mg Cd/kg body weight in form of solution orally (induced group), groups 3 and 4 received cadmium solution and different doses of PCA (10 and 20 mg/kg body weight) respectively, while groups 5 and 6 were the normal rats administered different doses of PCA (10 and 20 mg/kg) respectively in an experiment that lasted for twenty one days. The animals were sacrificed, the blood was collected and the serum was subsequently prepared. Furthermore, the liver was excised, homogenized and centrifuged to obtain the tissue homogenate used for the analyses. The serum was used for the determination of the total protein, urea, creatinine and uric acid levels while the liver homogenate was used for the estimation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase
(ALP).
Discussion and evaluation: The result revealed that total protein level was reduced in cadmium induced toxicity rat group which was elevated upon treatment with PCA. Conversely, the elevated levels of urea, uric acid and creatinine in cadmium induced toxicity kidney rats were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in PCA treated groups. Similarly, marked elevation in the ALT, AST and ALP activity were observed in cadmium induced toxicity rat group when compared with the control group. However, significant (p < 0.05) decrease in ALT, AST and ALP activity were noticed in groups administered different doses of PCA.
Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that PCA may protect against cadmium-induced toxicity in the
kidney and liver