bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flaviviruses at the territory of Serbia – present situation and challenges
Authors: Petrović Tamaš , Šekler Milanko , Petrić Dušan , Vidanović Dejan , Potkonjak Aleksandar , Hrnjaković Cvjetković Ivana , Savić Sara , Debeljak Zoran , Lazić Gospava , Ignjatović Ćupina Aleksandra , Lupulović Diana , Samojlović Milena , Jurišić Aleksandar , Petrović Aleksandra , Ivanović Ivana , Milošević Vesna , Lazić Sava 
Published: June 2020

The aim of this study is to summarize the data on the occurrence, presence and prevalence of some zoonotic flaviviruses, which have been actively circulating in the territory of the Republic of Serbia during past decade. The genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae,encompasses vector-transmitted viruses with zoonotic potential. The genus is comprised of more than 70 viruses transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and ticks. Some of those are associated only with human diseases (such as yellow fever and dengue fever), whereas others can cause diseases in both humans and animals. Animals are major reservoirs and primary hosts for the latter group. The virus transmission to other animal species or humans occurs via diverse vectors – mostly mosquitoes and ticks. A range of these virus species is widely distributed worldwide, especially in tropical and sub-tropical climatic zones. Some representatives of these species have only recently been identified at the territory of Republic of Serbia. This paper gives an evidence on the presence and distribution of West-Nile virus, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and Usutu virus that were conducted within the study in Serbia. The research pointed out the presence of recently detected West-Nile virus and Usutu virus as well as the current circulation of tick-borne encephalitis virus, for which only limited serological evidence on the presence of virus-specific antibodies in humans was available so far. In the aspect of public health, the full understanding of the importance of identification and prevalence of different flaviviruses still require further comprehensive entomologicalacarological, seroepidemiological, clinical and virological research.
Design of Fuzzy Logic Based Relay for Distance Protection
Authors: Babarinde Adedayo K , Adewuyi Philip A , Adekunle Adefemi A 
Published: June 2020

The safe generation and distribution of power is the most desirable factor targeted by utility companies. Therefore, there is a serious concern for protection of the transmission line as well as the equipment involved. Several works have been carried out on protection to protect mostly human lives while some aimed at the use of microcontrollers to optimize the performance of a relay. Part of the conventional relay operation works was the work by IEEE Working Group I17 Incorrect Operation Reporting in which for 20 total events, for voltage above 400V, unnecessary trips during fault is 30%, unnecessary trip other than fault is 5%, and total misoperation is 35%. These results could be improved upon. As new technology surfaces more application areas also evolve such as the use of artificial intelligence tool like fuzzy logic to enhance the performance of a relay which is the key element in the switching operation of a power network. This fuzzy logic based relay shows considerable improvement on false trip phenomenon usually associated with the operations of a relay in which a total of 25 events were used to form the rule base for voltage ranging from 480V to 15kV, unnecessary trip fault is 2%, and total misoperation is less than 10%. In this work, the protection scheme proposed is for transmission line's distance protections relay whose operation is adaptive and directly controlled using fuzzy logic controller which is fault tolerant, directional, and least affected by power swing.
Empirical Studies into Demand Based Reactor Sizing in Low-Cost Biogas Production for Domestic Utilization
Authors: Omotosho Olayinka , Oke Adebayo 
Published: June 2020

A low-cost biogas reactor incorporating a hydro-pressurizing and gas dispensing unit which was able to deliver biogas at a rate of 6.25 x 10-5m3/s and calculated pressure of 58.7N/m2 was designed and fabricated for the purpose of this study. The substrate loading intervals for the reactor were varied at 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17 and 33 days interval to determine which of the intervals gave the optimum yield in gas production. The fabricated unit had the highest average daily biogas production level and optimum total yield to substrate ratio at substrate feed interval of 13 days. Results obtained from the study were used to propose a biogas reactor sizing guideline for the low-cost biogas reactor design for domestic use. The proposed guideline would help in adequate deployment and management of resources for waste conversion and renewable energy production in rural areas.
Oral Administration of Escherichia coli Endotoxin Caused Liver - Kidney Dysfunction and Death in Rabbits
Authors: Salawu Musa O , Abdulrahman Kafayat , Oloyede Hussein OB 
Published: June 2020

This study was carried out to determine the effects of ingested endotoxin on cellular and histological parameters in European albino rabbits - Oryctolagus cuniculus. Twenty-four (24) rabbits of either sexes weighing 1.5-1.8 kg each were randomly grouped into four of six (6) rabbits per group. The control group, A was orally administered with 5 % w/v dextrose containing 0 EU/ml and hence received 0 EU/kg body weight; groups B, C and D received 50, 500 and 1000 EU/kg body weight respectively, once daily by 10 am prior feeding for a total of 21 days. On a daily basis, blood samples were taken from each animal and serum levels of alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and catalase activities; bilirubin, malondialdehyde, total protein, albumin (ALB), urea, uric acid and creatinine levels were assayed for. At the end of the 21 days a mortality of 20.83 % was recorded in the groups administered with endotoxin (500 and 1000 EU/kg bw). Also, there was significant increase (p <0.05) in the serum activities of ALT, AST and ALP; significantly reduced total protein and ALB levels with significant (p<0.05) increase in endotoxin doses and duration of the administration. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in bilirubin, urea and creatinine levels in the serum. Histopathology examinations show tissue degeneration in the liver, heart, kidney and lung related to increased dosages and durations of the orally administered endotoxin. We therefore conclude that oral ingestion of endotoxin causes damage to the liver, kidney, heart and the lungs in rabbits, especially when prolonged.
Water Pollution Assessment of Selected Valuable Rivers in Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State
Authors: Adewumi James R 
Published: June 2020

Pollution in relation to river water is the term used to express the level of contamination and the suitability of such river water to sustain various usage. In many developing countries, the main issue, however, is not the physical scarcity of water but poor management which results in the continuous deterioration of water quality. This study conducted an onsite measurement of seasonal stream flow and quality variation of major valuable streams use for non-potable domestic purposes in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti state. Stream flow data was obtained using volumetric method and the quality analysis was carried out in accordance with Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater. The result shows that the average stream flow ranges from 0.120 m3/s to 1.04 m3/s. The physicochemical parameters measured fall short of the national and international standards, which indicates that the water is not fit for human consumption. It was also observed that the self-cleansing of the studied rivers is sufficient to meet the quality requirement for non-potable domestic use. It is recommended that all human activities that could lead to further pollution should be avoided around the river catchment while period public enlightenment should be carried out to sensitize the community on the best hygienic practice within the river catchment to promote good water quality. Keywords: Water quality, water pollution, stream flow, water management.
Review of Method Study Approach to Productivity Gain: A Multi-case Study of Portable Water Producing Factory
Authors: Adeyemi Hezekiah O , Babalola Ayoola A. , Olatunji Amos O. , Akinyemi Olasunkanmi O. , Akinosho Raheem T. 
Published: June 2020

This study evaluated level of work-study approach (wsa) to productivity advancement in Southwest-Nigeria Portable Water Producing Factories (PWPF). Objectives were to, measure productivity trend (PT) and, evaluate managers’ recognition and contribution(s) of wsa to productivity growth. PT was measured from 4 years records provided by 50 employers in 50 PWPF. Questionnaires were used on the employers and 120 employees to measure adopted wsa and impacts with responses reported on the scale of 1 to 5. Data was analyzed using t-test statistical analysis. The best performed PWPF was rated 43.75%. Disloyalty, low remuneration, lack of trainings and unsafe workplace were the major factors reported to have influenced the PT. Machinery Utilization (MeU) maximization was the commonly adopted approach. The employers’ ratings of MeU statistically significantly lower (mean=3.6364, SEM= 0.06913) to that of employees (mean=3.7333 SEM=0.6645) t(169) =0.641, p=0.522. Human resources management (p=0.235) and workers’ performance evaluation (p=0.906) were also significant and rated above average. However, work-method, safe work-practices and work-demands reviews, which were key attributes of ergonomic techniques and workers-related factors (wrf), were not significant, rated below average. The author concluded that neglects of wrf in wsa, must have greatly contributed to the weak PT of the industry and should be properly addressed to enhance productivity growth. Keywords— ergonomic, industry, productivity, water, work-study
Towards Development of an Indigenous African Language-based Programming Language
Authors: Olatunji Ezekiel K , Oladosu John B , Odejobi Odetunji A , Olabiyisi Stephen O 
Published: June 2020

Programming languages based on the lexicons of indigenous African languages are rare to come by unlike those based on Asian and / or European languages. It is opined that an African native language-based programming language would enhance comprehension of computer-based problem solving processes by indigenous students and teachers. This study intends to attempt a design and implementation of an African native language-based programming language using Yoruba as case study. Yoruba is the first language of over 30 million people in the south-west of Nigeria, Africa; and is spoken by over one hundred million people world-wide. In preparation towards actual implementation of a prototype of the intended programming language, a mini token recognizer has been developed in QBasic. Keywords— Native language-based programming languages, Yoruba language, Digital divide, Information and communication technology, prototype implementation.
Corrosion Behaviours of Aged Haynes 282 and Inconel 718 in Acidic and Alkaline Environments
Authors: Bodude Muideen A , Ayoola Wasiu A , Onovo Harrinson O 
Published: June 2020

Haynes 282 and Inconel 718 are superalloy materials originally designed and used in aero- and land-based gas turbine engines. However, they are being considered and used in challenging environments such as nuclear power plants, chemical, and petrochemical plants due largely to their high creep strength and corrosion resistance at low and high temperatures. Recently, there is quest for their uses in the oil and gas refineries. This work examines the corrosion behaviour of these two materials in acidic and alkaline environments; similar to that in the petroleum refinery. The samples were cut, aged, and electrochemically characterized using VersaSTAT 3 model potentiostat with graphite counter electrode and Ag-AgCl SCE. The Linear polarization corrosion test conducted revealed that the corrosion rate, break down potential(Ecorr) and the corrosion current(Icorr) of the aged Haynes 218 are 0.05mmpy, 0.198V, 5.032µA in dilute HNO3 ; 0.145mmpy,16.23V,13.48 µA in dilute NaOH while those of aged Inconel 718 are 0.068mmpy,96.5V,63.56 µA in the dilute HNO3 and 0.026mmpy,0.41V,2.478 µA in the dilute NaOH respectively. These results showed that aged Haynes 282 has a higher corrosion resistance than aged Inconel 718 in the acidic medium ,but, the reverse in the alkaline medium .However better corrosion passivation was obtained in HNO3 for the two materials than in NaOH.Keywords- Superalloys, Haynes 282, Inconel 718, Tafel Extrapolation Method.
Properties Characterization of Vulcanized Natural Rubber Filled with Uncarbonized Particulate Cow Bone
Authors: Oyetunji Akinlabi , Bakare Isiaka O , Umunakwe Reginald , Adeyemo Adetola O 
Published: June 2020

This work investigates the effects of addition of 63 µm uncarbonized particulate cow bone as fillers in vulcanized natural rubber on the tensile properties, hardness and abrasion resistance of the composites. Cow bones were procured from an abattoir, cleaned, crushed, pulverized, ball milled and sieved to obtain the particles that passed through the 63 µm mesh size. Natural rubber composites materials were prepared varying the filler loading as 5, 10, 15 and 20 pphr respectively. The compounded rubber samples were cured in a hot press using compression moulding technique. The control sample was produced using 20 pphr of carbon black. The cured rubber samples were conditioned at room temperature for two weeks before they were characterized. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the samples filled with cow bone increased with filler loading up to 15 pphr before they started decreasing. Carbon black reinforced sample possessed higher tensile strength, modulus and hardness than the samples filled with uncarbonized particulate cow bone. The hardness for all samples maintained an increasing trend with increase in the filler loadings. Particulate cow bone reinforced natural rubber offered higher elongation than carbon black reinforced samples. At 10, 15 and 20 pphr, cow bone reinforced composites exhibited higher abrasion resistance than carbon black filled sample. The optimal filler loading of uncarbonized particulate cow bone reinforced natural rubber was 15 pphr. Cow bone reinforced natural rubber can find applications in areas where moderate strength, hardness, elongation and wear resistance are required such as in protective footwear, bouncing balls and cases of children toys.Keywords— carbon black, cow bone, fillers, natural rubber, composites.
Natural Frequencies of Pressurized Hot Fluid Conveying Pipes
Authors: Adelaja Adekunle O 
Published: June 2020

In this study, the transverse natural frequencies of a pressurized hot fluid conveying pipe is investigated using complex mode function. Employing the dispersive relations and the non-trivial solution of the coefficient matrix obtained from the boundary equations, the eigenvalues and the linear natural frequencies are obtained numerically. The parametric study is conducted to highlight the effects of variation in operating pressure and pressure drop on the first two modes of the natural frequency of the system. The natural frequency was found to increase nonlinearly with the increase in the operating pressure and pressures drop but decreases with flow velocity. Keywords— Fluid-conveying pipe, natural frequency, pressure variation, transverse vibrations
Dehydration Kinetics of Cassava, Yam and Potato Slices Using a Refractance WindowTM Dryer
Authors: Akinola Akinjide A , Ezeorah Stanley N. 
Published: June 2020

This study aims to investigate the drying characteristics of cassava, yam, and potato slices using a laboratory scale batch Refractance Window™ (RW) dryer. The experimental dryer was constructed by modifying a laboratory water bath. The bath was covered with a transparent Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic film held in-place with angled edges. The cassava, yam, and potato slices were dried on the Refractance WindowTM dryer, and the variation of the moisture content of the slices during the drying process was measured. The water temperature beneath the plastic film was maintained at 60oC. The dehydration data were fitted to thin-layer drying models. Regression analysis suggested that the Haghi and Ghanadzadeh model best describes the dehydration behaviour for the 3 mm thick slices for the cassava, yam, and potato tubers. The coefficient of determination (R2) values of 0.999, 0.998, and 0.998 for the cassava, yam, and potato slices respectively were reported in all the models studied. The drying curves, the drying rate curves, and the Krischer curves, from the experimental drying data, was plotted. Observations indicate that the cassava, yams, and potatoes slices dried to below 0.11 g water/g-solid moisture content in about 150 min. This study was performed to facilitate the understanding of the design, modelling, and operations of a continuously operating RW dryer. Keywords: Refractance Window Drying, Thin Layer Drying Models, Yams, Cassava, Potatoes.
Prototyping of a Robotic Fire Vehicle Using Radio Frequency Technology
Authors: Olugboji Oluwafemi A , Jiya Jonathan Y , Ogwuche Destiny I 
Published: June 2020

Fighting a raging fire is one of the toughest uphill battles in the public – safety world. Fire fighters try to put off fires with very little information, having no idea of the size and scope of the fire nor how many potential victims may be cut off from rescue. Fire losses throughout the world remain too high and firefighting too hazardous. This work aims to mitigate these losses via the prototyping of a robotic fire vehicle using radio frequency technology. The primary research method for this study is the literature review of the various types of limitation in existing firefighting systems and models, from the review carried out an improved firefighting robotic system was designed and built. The vehicle is loaded with a water carrying bottle. Two DC motors alongside a castor wheel are used for the locomotion and drive system of the robot, a DC water pump is used to spray jets of water through its suction action. These motors are controlled from a distance over a wireless communication between the Bluetooth HC-06 and a motor control app installed on an android phone. The Robot is programmed to stop and release sprinkles of water before the robot hits the target. An Arduino microcontroller is used for the overall desired operation. The entire system is powered by a 12V Lead – acid rechargeable battery. The robot has a dimension of 0.37 m by 0.28 m by 0.12 m and navigates through a modeled floor plan with an average velocity of 0.05 m/s to extinguish a simulated fire in 5 to 10 seconds. Experimental work has been carried out carefully and successfully, the proposed technique is confirmed to be very useful for engineering, research and safety purposes.Key Words: Arduino microcontroller, chassis, robotics, actuator
Performance Evaluation of Kernel-Based Feature Extraction Techniques for Face Recognition System
Authors: Makinde Bukola O , Fenwa Olusayo D , Falohun Adeleye S , Odeniyi Olufemi A 
Published: June 2020

Face recognition is considered to be one of the most reliable biometrics where security issues are of concerned. Feature extraction which is a functional block of a face recognition system becomes a critical problem when there is need to obtain the best feature with minimum classification error and low running time. Most existing face recognition systems have adopted different non-linear feature extraction techniques for face recognition but identification of the most suitable non-linear kernel variants for these systems remain an open problem. Hence, this research work analyzed the performance of three kernel feature extraction technique (Kernel Principal Component Analysis, Kernel Linear Discriminant Analysis and Kernel Independent Component Analysis) for face recognition system. A database of 360 face images was created by obtaining facial images from LAUTECH Biometric Research Group consisting of six facial expressions of 60 persons. Images were preprocessed (gray scaling, cropping and histogram equalization) and the kernel variants were used to extract distinctive features and reduce the dimensionality of each of the images from 600x800 pixels to four smaller dimensions: 50x50, 100x100, 150x150 and 200x200 pixels. Euclidean Distance similarity measure was used for classification. The performance of the three kernel variants was evaluated for face recognition system using 180 images for training and 180 images for testing using the following metrics: Recognition Accuracy (RA) and Recognition Time (RT). Empirical result indicate that KLDA performs best for face recognition system with an average accuracy of 94.52%. The larger image dimension also results in better recognition performance. We intend to experiment on other classifiers for face recognition system in our future work. Keywords— Biometrics, Face, Feature extraction, Kernel, KICA, KPCA, KLDA, Linear, Non-linear;
Studies on the Residual Stress and Strain Gradients in Poly-SiGe Nanocantilevers
Authors: Asafa Tesleem B 
Published: June 2020

One of the fundamental structural requirements for Micro/Nano-ElectroMechanical (M/NEM) devices is low strain gradient. Measurement of strain gradients is time consuming, therefore finding a simple and fast method is necessary. In this paper, a comparative study of the strain gradients in poly-SiGe nanocantilevers measured experimentally and obtained using finite element modelling (FEM) approach is reported. Arrays of nanocantilevers were fabricated from 100 nm thick poly-SiGe films via lithography. Then, strain gradients were calculated from the tip deflections and cantilevers’ lengths. In the modelling study, similar cantilevers were modelled with COMSOL Multiphysics as superposition of smaller layers in which each layer sustained local stress obtained from stress evolution study. Results showed that the average strain gradients obtained from the experimental and FEM studies differ by ~5% and ~6% for film A and B, respectively with standard deviations lying between ±0.004 and ±0.009/µm. While this study established that stress gradient is responsible for the calculated strain gradient, it also emphasises that both parameters are proportional. Key words: Poly-SiGe, Strain gradient, FEM, COMSOL.
Comparative Analysis of Illumination Normalizations on Principal Component Analysis Based Feature Extraction for Face Recognition
Authors: Abikoye Oluwakemi C , Shoyemi Iyabo F , Aro Taye O 
Published: June 2020

Principle Component Analysis (PCA) is an appearance-based technique for extraction of feature extraction that is commonly used in computer vision and image processing. This technique suffers from illumination variations, thus knowing which illumination control method to be used in PCA-based face recognition system is very important. This paper applies three selected normalization techniques; Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), Adaptive Histogram Equalization (AHE) and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) to normalize face images. PCA was further used to extract features from the normalized face images. Euclidean distance was used to classify extracted features. The best recognition accuracy of 91.84% was obtained in DCT for ORL Database, while the best accuracy of 76% was achieved in DCT for FERET Database. The highest FAR of 0.9 was achieved in DCT for ORL Database, while the highest FAR of 0.5 was obtained in DCT and AHE for FERET Database. The highest FRR of 0.2821 was achieved in CLAHE for ORL Database, while 0.3000 was obtained in AHE for FERET Database. It was concluded that illumination control approaches have predominant effect on PCA–based facial recognition system. Keywords— Adaptive Histogram Equalization, Contrast Adaptive Histogram Equalization, Discrete Cosine Transform Illumination Normalization, Principal Component Analysis