43 research outputs found
Mapping the activities of faith-based organizations in development in Nigeria
No full textThe nature, scale and activities of faith-based organizations (FBOs) remain poorly understood and documented in African countries. This paper reports on a preliminary 'mapping' of FBOs in development in Nigeria carried out as part of a larger research programme on Religions and Development
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL SOCIAL CAPITAL ON PERFORMANCE OF HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN MINNA METROPOLIS
No full textHospitality industry, especially hotel business is declining in Nigeria due to their inability to infusethe culture of social relationship among network members during operation. Hence, this studyinvestigates the impact of internal social capital on performance of hospitality industry in MinnaMetropolis, Niger State. Using data generated from structured questionnaire from 68 respondentsof Two-stars and Three- stars hotels in Minna, Niger state. Descriptive and inferential statisticswere employed for data analysis. The result showed R2 of 71.8% at 0.000 significant for Two- starshotels, 46.3% at 0.0140 significant for Three- stars hotels and 57.3% at 0.0011 significant forpooled data. The study revealed that information sharing has a significant and positive impact onperformance of Two- Stars, Three- Star’s hotels and Pooled data in the study area. The result alsorevealed that trust has a positive impact on performance of Two- Star’s hotels and pooled data aswell as positive and insignificant impact on performance of Three- stars hotels. The result furtherrevealed that shared vision has a negative but insignificant impact on performance of Two- Star’shotels and pooled data as well as significant and positive impact on performance of Three- starshotels. The study concluded that information sharing has the strongest impact on performance ofhotels in the study area which means that sharing vital information among network membersenhances effective and efficient services delivery. It is recommended that management of hotelsshould imbibe the culture of internal social capital as catalyst that influence employees’ behaviorto achieved sustained performance. Government should ensure strict compliance of internal socialcapital dimensions in developing local content policies by institutional body as well as exploreinternal social capital as critical tool for business success
Reasons for Integrated Library Systems (ILS) switching in Nigerian University Libraries
No full textThis study sought to determine the reasons for switching ILS among Nigerian university libraries. A qualitative research approach using multiple case study design was used to gain a better understanding of the problem; purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Interview was the instrument used for data collection, and the researcher conducted five interviews with five (5) participants from university libraries across the geo-political zones of Nigeria. Data were collected from June 2016 through July 2016. The analysis of data was done using themes derived from the objectives of the study. Findings revealed that delay in getting vendors support to fix ILS problems, some ILS have limited storage space to accommodate large data, crashing and data loss, and political considerations, were some of the reasons given by Nigerian University Libraries for switching ILS. The study, therefore, recommended among others that Nigerian university libraries should conduct adequate and thorough feasibility study based on the peculiar needs of their libraries before selecting the appropriate library software, libraries should adoptand deploy open source ILS which are more cost effective and easier to maintain rather than buying proprietary ILS which were developed based on US and UK standards and which might not fit their needs. The study concluded that the switching over from one ILS to another by NUL studied is too frequent. The frequency of change is associated with lack of proper feasibility study and knowledge involved in determining the implications of frequent switching on the libraries.
Keywords: Reasons, Integrated Library Systems (ILS), Switching, Nigerian University Librarie
Optimizing the Student Application Process with a Laravel-based System of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi: A Case Study
No full text<p>The student application process plays a crucial role in the efficient functioning of educational institutions. However, manual and outdated systems often result in delays, errors, and inefficiencies, leading to a poor experience for both applicants and administrators. This case study aims to explore the optimization of the student application process at Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi using a Laravel-based system. Application data and users feedback were collected to evaluate the system's performance. Based on the findings, a Laravel-based system was developed and implemented to streamline the student application process. The system offers a user- friendly interface for applicants and also provides an automated workflows, real-time notifications, and centralized data management, enabling efficient application processing and decision-making. The results of the case study indicate significant improvements in the student application process at Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi following the implementation of the Laravel-based system. The average increase in applicant satisfaction.</p><p>Keywords:- Laravel, Optimization, PHP Framework, Student Application Process.</p>
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
Evaluating the Potency of Selected Antibiotic Medications Dispensed in Community Pharmacies in Gwale, Kano, Nigeria
No full textThe worsening of antibiotic resistance is a multifactorial process. One aspect of this is the counterfeiting of antibiotic medications. This is supposed to be particularly high in developing countries, including Nigeria. Therefore, the potency of some antibiotic drugs dispensed in community pharmacies in Gwale, Kano, Nigeria, was investigated in this case study. Three products, each from different manufacturers, with the active ingredients of ceftriaxone, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole, respectively, were included in this study. By means of a disc-diffusion assay, the effect against the typed strains Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) as well as Clostridium tetani isolated from soil was tested. Clinical isolates of S. aureus and E. coli were also used. While antibiotics, with the exception of ciprofloxacin-containing preparations against C. tetani, showed acceptable efficacy against the typed strains by comparison with the clinical science laboratory references, a predominant failure was observed with the clinical isolates. Thus, the investigated drug preparations can be considered of acceptable quality for the treatment of susceptible bacterial infections. This excludes counterfeits in the sampled preparations. However, the insufficient efficacy against clinical isolates further documents the severity of nosocomial bacteria
Rice husk ash (RHA) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) and soaking times: analysis of compressive strength of porcelain ceramics
No full textRice husk ash (RHA) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is a by-product from agricultural waste produced thousand tonnes every year. This paper presents the use of RHA and POFA as a substitute material for quartz in fabricating an improved porcelain ceramic. The RH was thoroughly washed with distilled water in order to remove adhering soil and dust. After that it was dried in an oven at 100 ºC for 24 hours. Then the dried husk was subjected to the chemical treatment; 2M HCL, 5% solid at 25 ºC before calcinations to increase silica content. Untreated POFA was dried in an oven at 100 ºC for 24 h. It was ground in a ball mill for 1.5 h with the revolution rate of 200 rev/min to reduce the particle size. Untreated POFA was sieved to remove the particles coarser than 50 μm. The POFA was treated by heating it at a temperature of 600 ºC for 1.5 h. The mixed powder was then pressed into pellets at mould pressure (MP) 91 MPa. All the pellets were sintered at the temperature of 1100 ºC for 1 h hour, 2 h hour s and 3 h hours soaking times. It was found that the highest compressive strength occurred at 20 wt% RHA and POFA and a soaking time of 2 h. The increment in the strength could be attributed to the changes in the increase in mullite and critobalite
Epidemiology of gastrointestinal helminths among chickens (<em>Gallus domesticus</em>) from Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria: prevalence, helminth burden and associated risk factors
No full textThe aim of this study was to analyse the epidemiology of gastrointestinal helminths among local and exotic breeds of chickens in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria. Fresh faecal samples (n=800) were collected from birds at live poultry markets (Maiduguri metropolis, Jere and Bama Local Government Areas) and Veterinary Hospitals. They were processed according to standard parasitological techniques. A total of 438 samples had one or more helminths, giving an overall prevalence of 54.8% (95%CI: 51.3 – 58.2). These included five nematodes, Ascaridia galli (14.6%), Heterakis gallinarum (9.8%), Capillaria spp. (5.5%), Strongyloides avium (4.1%), Subulura brumpti and three cestodes, Raillietina tetragona (6.6%), Raillietina echinobothrida (3.5%), Davainea proglottina (2.1%). Ascaridia galli were the most common helminths and Davainea proglottina were the least common. Epidemiological variables, such as sex (female), age (adults > 5mo), season (rainy), health status (clinically sick birds), breed (local birds) and study location (Veterinary Hospitals) had a significantly high impact (p<0.0001) on the prevalence of helminths. Single and mixed helminth infections were observed. Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum co-infection was frequently encountered, while Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum and Capillaria spp. infections were less common. In order to improve parasite control in poultry management systems and produce healthy chickens for human consumption, a long-term control plan for gastrointestinal helminth infections in the poultry production system is recommended
Optimal strain-deflection analyses of a wedge edged beam for enhanced vibration energy scavenging in patch-like harvester
No full textSimulation and Construction of a Solar Powered Smart Irrigation System Using Internet of Things (IoT), Blynk Mobile App
No full textAims: To simulate and construct a solar powered smart irrigation system using Blynk Mobile App.
Study Design: Experimental design through simulation studies and internet of things.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University Keffi, Nigeria, between July 2021 and March 2022.
Methodology: The system was simulated using Proteus ISIS Version 8.6. It consists of two main units that is transmitter and receiver. The transmitter consists of a sensor circuit that senses the soil moisture, humidity and temperature. Then the Node MCU microcontroller collects the data and sent to the Blynk Mobile App (Receiver). The circuit was tested at two different conditions of the soil; Wet soil and Dry soil.
Results: Output performance analysis when the water level in soil (Moisture) was high, indicated Temperature value 28.3°C, Humidity 72%, and the Pump was OFF. When the water level in soil was mild, temperature was 60°C, Humidity 68%, and pump was turned ON. The pump is activated to switch ON as far as the water reservoir is having enough water and will switch OFF when the required level of moisture in the soil is achieved. The solar power ensured constant power supply, while the Blynk Mobile App ensured real time data monitoring by the Farmer even when he is far away from the farm.
Conclusion: This system is an improve irrigation system that supports low water and electricity consumption as well as efficient monitoring for increase farmers’ output
