The Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) is a federal government university in Owerri West, the capital of Imo State, Nigeria. The university is bounded by the communities of Eziobodo, Umuchima, Ihiagwa and Obinze. It is the premier federal university of technology in the South-East and South-South parts of Nigeria.The university is the oldest university of technology in Nigeria and was established in 1980 by executive fiat with the composition and appointment of the first provisional council by Nigeria's first Executive President, Shehu Shagari. It became the first of three such universities set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria which sought to establish a University of Technology in each geo-political region and particularly in a state which did not have a conventional university.FUTO began with 225 students and 60 staff (28 academic and 32 non-academic). Like other federal universities in Nigeria, FUTO is headed by a Chancellor who is usually a royal father, and followed by a Vice Chancellor who oversees the daily activities of the university.The University Senate is the highest decision making arm of the university. FUTO students are fondly called Futoites and currently has over 25,000 students. FUTO has over 50 professors. The current vice-chancellor is Professor Nnenna Nnannaya Oti.
The economic and environmental problems linked with cement manufacture are critical challenges faced by the construction industry. Therefore, there is a need to develop and apply approaches that will promote the sustainability of cement-based materials. This study evaluated the partial substitution of ordinary Portland cement with blended corn cob ash (CCA) and coconut shell ash (CSA) for sandcrete block production. Cement replacement levels of 0
Abstract As competition in the business world is getting tougher, many businesses are confronted with the need to effectively manage increasingly large-scale datasets for predictive decision making for enterprise systems. With the increased sophistication in data variation, collection and analysis due to the emergence of new technologies, there is need for a hybrid predictive decision-making model that will handle the massive amounts of large-scale data from enterprise information systems and applications across various industries to guarantee better decision-making. This research work is aimed at developing a hybrid predictive decision-making model for enterprise data analytics, leveraging on the synergies of Prophet, ARIMA, and Random Forest to improve the prediction accuracy of seasonal and non-linear data in enterprise systems. Decision-making processes could be enhanced via the provision of more reliable forecasts. Obviously, single model predictive approaches lack the robustness and flexibility needed to capture patterns accurately; hence it has become crucial to implement a hybrid model that will leverage the synergies of different forecasting techniques to provide accurate and actionable insights, as well as empower organizations to make informed decisions based on comprehensive data analytics. For this study, a historical supply chain dataset of a retail outlet was used for data analysis. The data was split using the train_test_split while RandomizedSearchCV was used for hyperparameter tuning. Also, the Apache Spark open-source technology was adopted to assess the feasibility of our model for real-time enterprise application, with the Star schema adopted to organize data into measurable facts and descriptive dimensions to simplify data analysis and optimized for SQL data querying. To capture seasonality and linear components of data, the Prophet and ARIMA time series models were used while Random Forest was used for non-linear relationships. The models were trained and evaluated individually after which they were combined and blended using an ensemble approach of a weighted mean average. Evaluation of the hybrid predictive decision-making model was made by comparing the model’s predictions against actual values using RMSE, MAE, MAPE and R2 evaluation metrics. The result revealed that combining the forecasting models gave a lower error RMSE value of 4.83, MAE value of 3.32, lower MAPE of 1.92% and, R2 of 99.2% as against the individual model evaluation result of Prophet (high error RMSE value of 43991.04, MAE value of 38754.39, MAPE of 27.4%, and R2 of − 6.5); ARIMA (RMSE value of 68.35, MAE value of 60.36, MAPE of 49.0%, and R2 of − 0.54), Random Forest (RMSE value of 3.66, MAE value of 1.90, MAPE of 1.54, and R2 of 0.99). Our hybrid model was also compared with other state-of-the-art ensemble models which equally showed improve sales forecasting performance with a prediction accuracy of 0.40% more than the second-best performing model.
A binder-free composite hybrid electrode material was deposited through electrodeposition by combining carbon-based materials (graphene oxide) and battery like materials (NiO, ZnO and Al2O3) in a single electrode. The structural, morphological and electrochemical properties of CaAl2O4–ZnO/rGO composite thin film were studied to characterize the hybrid composites. The average crystallite size D of the hybrid composites is 23 nm with an average inter planar spacing of 1.90 Å and lattice constants (a = b = c = 1.456 Å) that reveal a rhombohedral structure. The introduction of Ni increases the cracks and nullifies the rod-like morphology of the undoped thin film while the presence of Ag reveals the nonexistence of cracks at lower concentrations of Ag dopant but densely packed homogenous noodle-like grains with cracks can be seen at a 0.03 M sample. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of deposited elements with the exception of Ag, and this could possibly be due to the low intensity of the Ag dopant or the low deposition voltage. Cyclic voltammetry curves show typical electrochemical behavior with clear oxidation and reduction peaks for most samples. The Nix = 0.06 doped CaAl2O4–ZnO/rGO composite thin films have the maximum specific capacitance of 673 F/g at a scan rate of 100 mV/s, while the Agx = 0.03 doped thin film has the minimum specific capacitance of 205 F/g at the same scan rate. indicating that NCZr3 has a good electrochemical behavior at 0.1 mA/g with an energy density and a power density of 59.83 W · h/Kg and 26.926 W · h/Kg, respectively. These results reveal the suitability of the Ni doped material as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications and confirm the model of roughening. Further studies should be explored by lowering scan rates (5–50 mV/s), adding binder materials, and properly varying Ag concentration and deposition time in order to explore more desirable properties for advanced applications.
This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of five spices, Cloves (Syzygiumaromaticum), Rosemary (Rosmarinusofficinalis), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Cinnamon (Cinnamomumverum), and Bay Leaves (Laurusnobilis)against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Using disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods, the spices’ aqueous extracts were tested, and inhibition zones were measured in millimeters (mean ± SD).Cinnamon demonstrated the strongest antibacterial activity against E. coli (30.16 ± 1.30 mm), S. saprophyticus (24.43 ± 1.07 mm), and S. aureus (16.31 ± 0.46 mm), but was ineffective against Klebsiella spp. Cloves showed significant activity against S. saprophyticus (25 ± 1.2 mm), E. coli (24 ± 0.87 mm), and S. aureus (14 ± 0.63 mm), but was not effective against Klebsiella spp. Rosemary inhibited S. saprophyticus (26.51 ± 1.26 mm), S. aureus (22.16 ± 0.12 mm), and Klebsiella spp. (20.14 ± 0.11 mm). Black Pepper was effective against E. coli (21.65 ± 0.87 mm), Klebsiella spp. (19.16 ± 0.19 mm), and S. saprophyticus (18.32 ± 0.68 mm). Bay Leaves inhibited Klebsiella spp. (25.26 ± 1.28 mm), S. aureus (22.53 ± 1.04 mm), and S. saprophyticus (18.47 ± 0.88 mm).The study suggests that these spices possess varying antibacterial properties, potentially valuable for therapeutic applications and food preservation. These findings emphasize the importance of natural antimicrobial agents as alternatives to synthetic options.
Unsafe abortion remains a leading cause of maternal mortality globally, disproportionately affecting women in conflict zones where health systems are fractured, legal protections are weakened, and access to reproductive care is severely limited. Armed conflict increases the incidence of unwanted pregnancy through sexual violence, displacement, and disruption of contraceptive services, while also heightening barriers to timely, comprehensive abortion care. Despite growing international recognition of abortion as a life-saving intervention, humanitarian agencies often face legal, cultural, and operational barriers that hinder service provision. From an ethical standpoint, obligations grounded in humanity, beneficence, respect for autonomy, impartiality, and the right to health support the inclusion of safe abortion as an essential, reproductive health service. International practice shows that agencies can deliver services through adaptable modalities such as mobile clinics, trained local providers, telemedicine guidance, and integration of the minimum initial service package at onset of crises; but legal variability and criminalization complicate implementation and expose both patients and providers to risk. Operational challenges include disrupted supply chains for medical abortion drugs and equipment, workforce shortages and ethical tensions among staff, monitoring and accountability constraints, and community resistance shaped by cultural and religious norms. The analysis highlights pragmatic strategies that preserve rights while navigating constraints: prioritizing clinical training and values-based preparation for personnel, ensuring availability of evidence-based supplies, embedding timely abortion care within emergency service packages, engaging communities to reduce stigma, and strengthening monitoring systems to protect patients and providers. Safe abortion services in humanitarian settings are not optional adjuncts but moral imperatives. Humanitarian agencies must move beyond rhetorical support to operationalize rights-centred, evidence-based abortion care despite legal and logistical challenges. Upholding reproductive dignity and preventing avoidable harm in conflict zones requires decisive action: sustained commitment to service delivery, workforce capacity, supply security, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms that together translate ethical obligation into lifesaving practice.
