57 research outputs found
Plant and Equipment Procurement in Selected Tertiary Institutions in North Western Nigeria: An Analysis of Lean and Agile Process
No full textThe intense global competitive environment seeking efficient and effective operations has pushed management practices to be driven generally by economies of scale principles. In this regard, lean and agile methods are increasingly being adopted by both private sector practitioners as well as public institutions. The main objective of this study is to determine the applicability of lean and agile strategies in enhancing risk-reduced plant and equipment procurement in tertiary institutions in North Western Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive case study design and three research questions were formulated to identify the efficient metrics that affect procurement performance, through the implementation of lean and agile strategies designs.The study found that the diversity of the work involved in public procurement necessitates that procurement stakeholders need to be competent in generic procurement skills. The findings further support the fact that a lean and agile system will provide an efficient procurement of plant and equipment through the better supply chain, elimination of waste, minimising cost, increasing value for money and fitness for purpose which work toward a just-in-time process. It is recommended that there isthe need to identify, assess and develop the competencies of procurement stakeholders in public procurement to ensure that procurement activities are efficient, compliant with regulations and obtaining value for money. Further recommendations are there is need to review Government policies on plants and equipment procurements in Nigeria with regard to direct procurements to improve value for money; Professional engineers should be involved in plant and equipment procurement as consultants to reduce cost and delay in completion, as well as to increase quality, improve risk control and management; creation of new procurement models that will enhance just-in-time delivery of projects and improve procurement process timelines; and in a situation where companies are faced with longer lead times, and demand is predictable, a lean strategy should strictly be applied
NON-LINEAR FINITE ELEMENT MODELING OF MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF SINGLE-WALLED CUBIC ZIRCONIA NANOTUBES.
No full textDue to some unique properties, zirconia nanotube is one of the inorganic nanotubes
that are attracting interest because of its structural capabilities with wide scale
potential applications. However information on some mechanical properties of
zirconia nanotubes is not readily available and difficult to determine due to several
constraints. In this study, first principles calculations based on molecular dynamics
was used to predict the bulk mechanical properties of Zr02 which were later utilized
as input data for continuum analysis. Multilinear Isotropic Hardening model was used
to develop the 3D structures of zirconia nanotubes having different chirality and were
exposed to different boundary conditions for non-linear finite element analysis. The
simulated results vary with the zigzag nanotubes having the optimum properties and
were inversely proportional to the diameter, length and thickness
Curtailed Worship, Conspiracy Theories, and Hollywood Dystopias: Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Reformist Muslims and Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria
No full textCOVID-19 has affected all spheres of human activities, including religion, in Nigeria. Due to its devastating effect, the state was compelled to introduce precautionary and preventive measures to reduce its spread in the country, including lockdown, ban on gatherings, and social distancing. This extraordinary situation caused different reactions among Muslim and Christian religious leaders, with some accepting COVID-19 and the restrictions and others rejecting them. This work focuses on the response to the pandemic by prominent reformist Muslim groups (the Izala and NASFAT) and two major Pentecostal Churches (Christ Embassy and Living Faith). As we show, despite many differences and even hostility between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, Muslim and Christian leaders formulated similar responses to COVID-19. Namely, they either interpreted the pandemic in spiritual rather medical terms (as God’s punishment or the work of the devil) or rejected the very existence of the coronavirus and presented the pandemic as a Western conspiracy designed to stop Muslim and Christian religious activities in Nigeria
A Computational Study to Identify Potential Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) from Eucalyptus Active Compounds
No full textSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was found to be a severe threat to global public health in late 2019. Nevertheless, no approved medicines have been found to inhibit the virus effectively. Anti-malarial and antiviral medicines have been reported to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This paper chose eight natural eucalyptus compounds to study their binding interactions with the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) to assess their potential for becoming herbal drugs for the new SARS-CoV-2 infection virus. In-silico methods such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) analysis were used to examine interactions at the atomistic level. The results of molecular docking indicate that Mpro has good binding energy for all compounds studied. Three docked compounds, α-gurjunene, aromadendrene, and allo-aromadendrene, with highest binding energies of −7.34 kcal/mol (−30.75 kJ/mol), −7.23 kcal/mol (−30.25 kJ/mol), and −7.17 kcal/mol (−29.99 kJ/mol) respectively, were simulated with GROningen MAchine for Chemical Simulations (GROMACS) to measure the molecular interactions between Mpro and inhibitors in detail. Our MD simulation results show that α-gurjunene has the strongest binding energy of −20.37 kcal/mol (−85.21 kJ/mol), followed by aromadendrene with −18.99 kcal/mol (−79.45 kJ/mol), and finally allo-aromadendrene with −17.91 kcal/mol (−74.95 kJ/mol). The findings indicate that eucalyptus may be used to inhibit the Mpro enzyme as a drug candidate. This is the first computational analysis that gives an insight into the potential role of structural flexibility during interactions with eucalyptus compounds. It also sheds light on the structural design of new herbal medicinal products against Mpro
INTEGRATION OF INDUSTRY 4.0 TO THE NIGERIAN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
No full textAs the global population surges, the demand for food increases and meeting these demands requires new approach as traditional practices cannot be sustainable and efficient. Nigeria also faces these challenges, with a population of 180 million people making available and cost effective food is never and easy task. The evolution of digital technologies and their integration to Agriculture will give way for increased economic growth and development to the Agricultural sector in Nigeria. Industry 4.0 is a new approach to digitalization and developing intelligent manufacturing processes over and entire value chain of products with increased customization and individualization. This study reviewed some of the key challenges the Nigerian Agricultural sector faces along the agricultural value/supply chains to pave way for the successful implementation of industry 4.0 to some key areas of the secto
Optimizing the Impact and Yield Strengths of Cattle Horn for Engineering Applications
No full textCattle horns are one of wastes materials littering our environment, yet they have potential value in engineering. The work examined the engineering application of cow horn’s impact and yield strength. The physical and mechanical properties were examined to determine their levels of impacts and yield strengths. The horn structure contains keratin with lamellae tubules lapping over each other along the growing direction. The horn microstructures, density, water absorption, compression, flexural, hardness and impact test were examined. The samples have density of 1.303 g/cm3 to 1.376 g/cm3 along the body parts. The cow horns impact resiliencies vary along the parts due to animal maturity and ages. Cow horn withstands compressive stress and bending stress of 1,018.96 MPa and 981.4MPa respectively. The average values of hardness property for longitudinal and transverse are 51.735 N/mm2 and 41.795 N/mm2. The sustainability of the samples was analyzed using L25 Taguchi orthogonal array by examining chemical compatibility, temperature and pressure as variable factors. The properties variations of the horns are attributed to the concentration of keratin substance along the body parts. The work identified an appropriates applications area using an impact and fatigue analysis which provided opportunities to use the material to produce sustainable engineering applications
Finite element modeling of nanotube structures: linear and non-linear models
No full textThis book presents a new approach to modeling carbon structures such as graphene and carbon nanotubes using finite element methods, and addresses the latest advances in numerical studies for these materials. Based on the available findings, the book develops an effective finite element approach for modeling the structure and the deformation of grapheme-based materials. Further, modeling processing for single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes is demonstrated in detail
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