Federal University of Technology Akure

Ewemooje O.S., Adaraniwon O.E., Molefe W.B., Adebola F.B.

In sample survey research when sensitive information such as illegal drug usage, rape, examination malpractices among students, induced abortion and the likes are to be obtained from individuals or respondents, false or no response is imminent. To correct this bias, this paper proposes a new randomized response model by incorporating the unrelated question in force-response technique. The unbiased estimate and variance of the proposed model were also obtained. The proposed randomized response model is then compared with the Alternative Unbiased Estimator in Unrelated Dichotomous Randomized Response Model, (AEUDRRT) and Alternative Unbiased Estimator in Dichotomous Randomized Response Model, (AEDRRT). The numerical investigation shows that the variance of the proposed model reduces while the V(AEUDRRT) and V(AEDRRT) increases as the sensitive issues increases. Hence, the proposed model has percentage relative efficiency (PRE) as high as 1195.45% and 1977.20% over AEUDRRT and AEDRRT, respectively. Also, the application of the proposed method revealed that it is practically more efficient in estimating the proportion of people involved in sensitive character (cyber threat) than the direct method of data collection. Therefore, the proposed technique is shown to be more efficient than conventional ones.

Akinladejo A., Owolabi A.O., Adesida P.A., Ifelola E.O.

Adewole M.A.

Lawal Y.B., Owolawi P.A., Tu C., Van Wyk E., Ojo J.S.

This study investigates the impact of rain-induced attenuation on cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) in Earth–space satellite links operating at millimeter-wave frequencies in Pretoria, South Africa. The traditional method of computing XPD employs a constant annual mean rain height and annual mean co-polar attenuation (CPA) over a certain location. This research utilized seasonal rain height data obtained from a recent study and the latest ITU-R P.618-14 guidelines, to compute and analyze XPD variations across six selected frequencies (11.7 GHz to 35 GHz) for different percentages of time exceedance in Pretoria. The study reveals significant seasonal dependencies of rain heights, with XPD reaching its maximum during winter due to lower rain height, and lower rain-induced attenuation and its minimum during summer, characterized by intense convective rainfall and maximum rain height. For instance, the estimated XPD for a 35 GHz signal at 0.01% of the time in the summer, spring, winter, and autumn are 13, 14, 15, and 14 dB, respectively. This implies that radio signals suffer severe attenuation caused by low XPD in the summer. The relationship between CPA and XPD highlights the need for increased XPD margins at higher frequencies to mitigate signal degradation caused by rain depolarization. Practical recommendations include the adoption of adaptive modulation and coding schemes to maintain link reliability during adverse weather conditions, particularly in summer. This research highlights the significance of incorporating frequency-dependent parameters and rain height variability in XPD estimation to enhance the design of satellite communication systems, ensuring optimized performance and reliable operation in a tropical climate.

Ogunjobi J.K., Omoruyi O.E.

AbstractThis study investigated the properties, namely: surface tension, foam, emulsion, and cloud point of a library of bio‐based surfactants (represented as CnEOm where C is hydrophobic carbon chain and EO is ethylene oxide). The surfactants were derived from ring‐opening alkyl oleate epoxides with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and monomethyl polyethylene glycol (MPEG) of varying chain lengths. Surfactants demonstrated good surface properties having surface tension at critical micelle concentration (CMC) between 35 and 38 mN/m, and recorded CMC values far lower than what was reported for most commercial ethoxylated surfactants. Foamability increased with over 30% foam increase upon increasing agitation speed from 6000 to 11,000 rpm. Branching, hydrophobic carbon chain length, and PEG chain length were seen to impact foamability and foam stability. Foam properties exhibited by the surfactants were found to be superior to those demonstrated by some known commercial nonionic surfactants. Emulsions formed by the oleate ester surfactants were stable over several weeks after formation. Surfactants showed high cloud points, which increased with increasing number of ethylene oxide units. However, the addition of co‐solutes depressed the cloud point in the order Na2SO4 > NaCl > NaNO2.

Onifade I.A., Umar H.I., Aborode A.T., Awaji A.A., Jegede I.D., Adeleye B.H., Fatoba D.O., Bello R.O., Fakorede S., Idowu N.

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become common as the number of aged people increases making it as a socioeconomic problem lately. To date, no success is recorded for disease-modifying therapies for AD but only drugs for symptomatic relief exist. Research has been centered on the role of amyloid-β on the pathogenesis of AD, which has led to the development of drugs that target Aβ (β- and γ-secretase inhibitors) to reduce the amount of Aβ formed. However, the existing β and γ-secretase inhibitors were associated with harmful side effects, low efficacy, and inability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Objective This study therefore used in silico approach to predict the inhibitory properties of alkaloids as potential drug targets against AD. Methods Thus, in this current study, 54 alkaloids from the PhytoHub server (phytohub.eu), and two approved drugs were docked against β-secretases. Additionally, galantamine and 5 alkaloids with the utmost binding potential with β-secretase were subjected to pharmacokinetics evaluation and docked against γ-secretase. Results From the result, 5 compounds displayed for both docking periods, with demissidine, solasodine, tomatidine, and solanidine having better BE than the control drugs. Based on the pharmacokinetics evaluation, 4 compounds possessed good pharmacokinetic evaluation and biological activities than galantamine. Conclusions This study suggests that demissidine, solasodine, tomatidine, and solanidine are promising dual inhibitors against β- and γ-secretase proteins in silico. However, there is an urgent need to carry out in vitro and in vivo experiments on these new leads to validate the findings of this study.

Wahab F.K., Akintade E.A.

This chapter explores the impact of e-marketing strategies on overtourism in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. While digital platforms have boosted tourism by increasing visibility and attracting visitors, they also risk leading to overtourism, where visitor numbers overwhelm a destination's capacity. Focusing on Akure's hospitality and tourism sectors, the study analyzes how e-marketing drives tourism demand, sometimes causing environmental strain, cultural degradation, and diminished local quality of life. It also highlights the potential for e-marketing to promote sustainable tourism by encouraging responsible travel and distributing tourist traffic. Challenges such as technical constraints, regulatory issues, and ethical considerations are addressed. The chapter offers recommendations for balancing tourism growth with sustainability, ensuring Akure remains an attractive destination for future generations.

Okewale I.A., Olagbaju O.A., Olaleye M.B.

Decomposed geomaterials are widespread globally and understanding their characteristics is very crucial due to their numerous applicability and workability in and/or on them. The heterogeneous nature and complexity in analyzing the behaviour of materials obtained from decomposed rocks have been studied. This was achieved by conducting laboratory tests on specimen from Nigeria and analyzing studies on materials of different origins and from different regions of the world. The material tested is well-graded and coarse-grained similar to related geomaterials. The fabric is homogeneous and isotropic and the elemental compositions comprise silicon, aluminium and iron in significant percentages. The mineralogy is predominantly quartz with other minerals like albite, muscovite, orthoclase and heamatite in lesser proportions. Convergent behaviour with low compressibility is observed and the effect of structure in compression is positive. The correlations between the compressibility and the engineering grading descriptors commonly used by practitioners and mineralogy are variable due to the heterogeneous nature of these materials. The heterogeneity is pronounced in the relationships between mechanical property and mean particle size and fines content and less pronounced with coefficient of uniformity. Coefficient of uniformity could be used to characterize decomposed materials. The heterogeneous and complex nature of the materials could be linked to different parent geological signatures. It is advised that geological, geochemical and geotechnical attributes of these materials should be assessed exclusively by the practitioners working on them and before they could be used for diverse applications.

Oke O.S., Aliu J.O., Oke A.E., Ekundayo D., Duduyegbe O.M.

Since 1990, approximately 420 million hectares of forest have been lost worldwide due to land conversion for various uses, including agriculture, infrastructure development, urbanization, and other human activities. This study aims to investigate the critical drivers contributing to deforestation and forest degradation (DFD) in Ondo State, Nigeria, thereby identifying areas where REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) interventions could be most effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released through forest loss and degradation. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain data from construction professionals such as architects, engineers, builders, quantity surveyors, and project managers. Collected data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages to report the background information of professionals, Mean Item Scores (MIS) to rank critical drivers of DFD, and Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) to identify the most critical drivers. FSE analysis revealed that DFD is primarily motivated by agricultural expansion (including cattle ranching and shifting cultivation) and infrastructure extension (particularly transportation networks and market and service infrastructure) among the proximate drivers. The analysis also identified demographic, economic, and policy and institutional factors as the most significant underlying drivers. The emphasis on agricultural expansion and infrastructure extension suggests that targeted interventions in these areas could significantly mitigate DFD in the study site under consideration. This may involve implementing stricter regulations and incentives to promote sustainable land use practices among farmers and landowners. Additionally, integrating environmental impact assessments into infrastructure projects can help minimize forest loss associated with road construction and urban expansion. This study introduces an innovative approach by applying the Geist and Lambin conceptual framework of ‘proximate causes and underlying driving forces’. It is among the pioneering studies conducted in the study area to comprehensively analyze the drivers contributing to DFD using these frameworks. Although conducted in Ondo State, Nigeria, the findings can be extrapolated to similar regions facing similar challenges of DFD worldwide.

Chinma C.E., Ezeocha V.C., Adedeji O.E., Jolayemi O.S., Onwuka Q.I., Ilowefah M.A., Adebo J.A., Rosell C.M., Bamidele O.P., Adebo O.A.

AbstractRefined wheat breads are consumed throughout the world as an energy‐dense staple food. The consumption of refined wheat bread has raised concerns among health‐conscious consumers. This has partly stimulated research interest in the inclusion of functional ingredients such as germinated/fermented legume flour in the development of nutritious and healthy breads to drive innovations in the bakery industry and overcome sustainability problems. Nevertheless, the inclusion of germinated/fermented legume flours cannot be a direct replacement of refined wheat, because processing requirements must be met. This critical review analyzes the impact of germinated/fermented legume flour on the rheological characteristics, nutritional quality, health‐promoting, and technological properties of wheat‐based bread for improved nutrition and health, identifying current challenges. The macroconstituent changes and the increasing enzyme activity produced during germination/fermentation influence the functionality of wheat dough and the resultant bread quality. Substitution of up to 20% germinated legume flour caused detrimental effects on technological properties of the bread, whereas better technological properties were recorded with up to 20% fermented legume flour. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to provide detailed insight on this observation. Germinated/fermented legume flour could serve as a functional ingredient for the development of nutritious and healthy breads. In fact, breads containing germinated/legume flour are rich in quality protein, dietary fiber, micronutrients, phytochemicals, and bioactive constituents and low in glycemic index with improved sensory properties compared to 100% wheat bread. Nonetheless, information on the bioavailability of nutrients in breads containing germinated/fermented legumes using in vivo studies and profiling the metabolites therein are scarce in the literature.

Akinde M., Olapeju O., Olaiju O., Ogunseye T., Emmanuel A., Olagoke-Salami S., Oduwole F., Olapeju I., Ibikunle D., Aladelusi K.

This study developed and evaluated machine learning models (MLMs) for predicting the drivers of green sukuk investment interest (GSII) in Nigeria, adopting the planks of hypothesised determinants adapted from variants of the planned behavioural model and behavioural finance theory. Of the seven models leveraged in the prediction, random forest, which had the highest level of accuracy (82.35% for testing and 90.37% for training datasets), with a good R2 value (0.774), afforded the optimal choice for prediction. The random forest model ultimately classified 10 of the hypothesised predictors of GSII, which underpinned constructs such as risk, perceived behavioural control, information availability, and growth, as highly important; 21, which were inclusive of all of the hypothesised constructs in measurement, as moderately important; and the remaining 15 as low in importance. The feature importance determined by the random forest model afforded an indicator-specific value, which can help green sukuk (GS) issuers to prioritise the most important drivers of investment interest, suggest important contexts for ethical investment policy enhancement, and inform insights about optimal resource allocation and pragmatic recommendations for stakeholders with respect to the funding of climate change mitigation projects in Nigeria.

Akindele E.O., Adedapo A.M., Akinpelu O.T., Kowobari E.D., Folorunso O.C., Fagbohun I.R., Oladeji T.A., Aliu O.O., Adenola O.S., Adu B.W., Arimoro F.O., Ogbogu S.S., Domisch S.

Abstract The Guineo-Congolian region, extending from Guinea in West Africa to the central part of Africa, is considered an important biodiversity hotspot in the Afrotropics. Aside from the underreporting and underestimation of freshwater ecosystems, the challenges regarding incorrect coordinates and taxonomical inaccuracies in freshwater species occurrence data pose another major hurdle that may hinder freshwater conservation efforts in the hotspot. Hence, for any biogeographic analysis, species distribution modelling or conservation initiative, it is crucial to use datasets that are, to the largest possible extent, free of spatial and taxonomic errors. We present the final output of 8,809 occurrences consisting of 4 phyla, eight classes, 32 orders, and 1,104 species. We also added the Hydrography90m stream network attributes to the macroinvertebrate occurrence records, such that the data spans across 2,890 sub-catchments and Strahler stream orders 1–12. These records are considered valid and can be used for biogeographic analysis of freshwater macroinvertebrates in this important yet understudied freshwater biodiversity hotspot.

Dissanayake M.A., Karunaratne A.K., Senadeera G.K., Bandara T.M., Kumara G.R., Medagedara A.D., Kumari J.M., Albinsson I., Mellander B.-., Furlani M., Chaure N.B., Olusola O.I.

The use of activated coconut shell charcoal (ACSC) was explored as a cost-effective and viable alternative to platinum (Pt) counter electrodes (CE) in CdS quantum dot–sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). The photovoltaic performances of QDSSCs with newly fabricated ACSC CEs by spraying method and Pt CEs were evaluated using current density–voltage measurements under 100 mWcm−2 light illumination. While the QDSSC with a Pt CE showed an efficiency of 1.26%, the QDSSC with an ACSC CE, with an optimal thickness of 25 μm, corresponding to a spray time of 60 s, showed an efficiency of 2.93%, demonstrating a more than two-fold increase in the efficiency. The physicochemical parameters of ACSC CEs were analyzed using FTIR, Raman, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Tafel characterization. CV, Tafel, and electrochemical impedance (EIS) analysis confirmed the superior electrocatalytic activity of the ACSC CE compared to the Pt CE for QDSSCs. The efficiency enhancement can be attributed to the increased photocurrent density due to the superior electrocatalytic activity of ACSC, which promotes efficient polysulfide reduction at the electrolyte/counter electrode interface. The porous nature of ACSC provides an increased specific surface area, facilitating redox reactions and improving the interaction between the electrolyte and the counter electrode. Additionally, the enhanced charge transfer capabilities of the ACSC-based counter electrode contribute to efficient electron transport and reduced recombination losses. These properties collectively optimize the cell’s performance by ensuring effective energy conversion. Consequently, ACSC is emerging as a promising novel material for counter electrodes in QDSSCs.

Ademola A.O., Oladele I.O., Oluyemi D.O., Oke S.R., Akinbamiyorin I., Taiwo A.S.

Abstract The integration of ceramic particles into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites offers a promising approach and has garnered significant attention due to their potential for enhancing mechanical properties. This work investigated the development and characterization of PVC composites enhanced with modified ceramic particles. Ceramic particulates, clays, and other mineral rock materials (non-plastics) with activators were processed and incorporated into the PVC matrix at varying weight percentages (5–30 wt%) and particle sizes (40–80 µm). The ceramic–PVC mixtures were synthesized using hot compression molding under specific conditions of 75 MPa pressure and 160 °C temperature. Mechanical properties’ testing was conducted using ASTM D3039 standards, covering flexural, tensile, hardness, and impact tests for comprehensive characterization. Microstructural analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results indicated that ceramic reinforcement significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of PVC composites, with notable improvements in flexural strength, tensile strength, hardness, and impact resistance. Moreover, the impact of particle size was crucial, as microstructural analysis revealed improved interfacial bonding between ceramic particles and PVC matrix, particularly with finer particle sizes (40 µm), suggesting better stress transfer. The findings demonstrated that including modified ceramic particles can substantially improve the performance of PVC composites, making them suitable as high-strength construction tiles and impact-resistant flooring. Graphical abstract

Alese M.O., Bamisi O.D., Ibitoye B.O., Oladokun A.O., Oluwadiya K.S.

A large amount of anatomy teaching is based on practical sessions.This could be a challenge with online learning which has become inevitable in the COVID-19 era as the practicality of teaching could be limited. This study sought to analyze the perception of students to the online learning of anatomy in a low-resource setting. Previously validated questionnaires were used to assess the availability, feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, and receptiveness to different teaching modalities in Anatomy in public and private universities in Nigeria. Our results show that there was a significant increase in the availability of resources in the private institution compared to the public. In our study, genetics, embryology, and surface anatomy were considered most feasible to learn by the students. Genetics, embryology, and histology were perceived as absolutely effective in the virtual learning of anatomy, while gross anatomy, clinical anatomy, and radiological anatomy were perceived as not effective. The result showed a generally low receptiveness to learning all branches of anatomy online, with 243 (44.7%) students not being receptive, while 177 (32.5%) students were receptive. Also, 232 (42.6%) felt they were not equipped with the technological skills to learn all branches of anatomy online as against 185 (34.0%) who said they were technologically equipped. The study showed a variation in the perception and attitude of students in public and private schools towards the online learning of anatomy. Of great importance is the availability of infrastructure. Overall, in a low-resourced setting, traditional teaching of anatomy is more widely accepted compared to online learning due to many factors. The availability of facilities for virtual learning is important for students to keep up with global standards.