Theses and Dissertations

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    ItemOpen Access
    An efficient predictive model for choosing mobile cellular service provider in Nigeria
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2015-07) Ohuabunwa, Augustine Ebere
    Free competition and new network technology have increased competition and widened the range of network service available throughout the world. However, for cellular network service providers, loyalty is a rare trait among customers when it comes to choosing a particular mobile cellular system provider. Despite the huge financial commitment by companies into their respective communication technologies, users ultimately make decisions based on their perceived quality of service (QoS). This thesis attempts to identify the factors affecting the Quality of Service of cellular mobile network providers in Nigeria and put their effect in quantifiable terms using four leading telecommunication firms viz. MTN-Nigeria, Globacom, Etisalat and Airtel. With a clear choice of information sources, regressional analysis and SPSS was utilized. It was discovered that six factors affect the quality of service of cellular mobile network: Network coverage/ Availability of service(X5), Call quality(X3), Price of service (X4) , Customer care(X2), Diversity of bundle option of service (X1) and Promotion/Offering of Incentive(X6). A predictive model was derived as : Y = 3.731+0.565X5 + 0.440X3 + 0.221X2+ 0.189X4 + 0.165X1 + 0.097X6.The significance of the factors X4, X1 , X2 and X6 depend on X5 and X3, hence Y = 3.731(1+0.1514 X5+0.1179 X3).
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    ItemOpen Access
    Assessment of x-ray radiation on x-ray workers and associated potential health problems in Owerri
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2013-06) Onyekaokwu, Okeke Cyriacus
    A study on assessment of X-ray radiation among X-ray workers and associated potential health problems in Owerri was carried out with the thermolumolunescent dosimeter between 12th April to 30th December 2011. A total of 50 workers were used for the study. Comprising 24 male X-ray workers and 26 female X-ray workers. The mean X-ray dose below permissible doses is 9.4.7 the T-test is -4.29; the P-value is 0.000. The mean exposure factor is <100 is 88.52 and the standard deviation is 15.88, the standard error mean is 2.25, T-test is -5.11, P-value is 10.000 There is high doses above >20msv upto six test which involve 3 male x-ray workers and 3 female x-ray workers. The result of the study show high rate of hair loss, cancer, cataract, erthyma and sterility, each provide evidence of excess exposure of X-rays. Therefore it is recommended that workers should wear protective device e.g lead aprons, gonads cover during exposure to X-ray and also limit their exposure time
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    ItemOpen Access
    Biochemical analysis of Justicia carnea leaves used as a hematinic
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2024-05) Andrew, Andrew Chimezie
    Justicia carnea is the largest genus of Acanthaceae and is a medicinal plant used widely in Nigeria which is reported to have diverse functions, including blood-boosting potential. The phytochemical, vitamin, mineral, amino acid and roximate compositions, and antioxidant effects of the leaf extract of Justicia carnea were determined using standard methods was the goal of this study. Results of the quantitative phytochemical analyses carried out on the leaves of Justicia carnea recorded appreciable presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, cyanogenic glycosides, oxalate, and phytate using GC-FID. Ribalinidine with 42.08±0.03 mg/kg was the highest alkaloid, Flavan -3-ol was 21.18±0.02 mg/kg, presented the highest amount of flavonoids, and phytate with 25.69±0.07 mg/kg as the highest antinutrient. Analysis of Justicia carnea leaves recorded iron (8.61 mg/kg) as the major element followed by potassium (5.29±0.11 mg/kg). The concentration of vitamins in Justicia carnea leaves shows vitamin C with the highest value of 232.32±12.26 mg/100g followed by Vitamin A (22.16±2.12 mg/kg. The results of proximate composition on Justicia carnea leaves showed a high concentration of carbohydrate (60.35±3.05 %) and appreciable amounts of ash (15.02±1.01 %), fibre (9.29±0.93 %),protein (8.40±0.41), and low amount of lipid (1.50±0.09 %). The amino acid results showed the presence of both essential and non-essential amino acids with their concentrations in increasing and decreasing order. The results of antioxidant activities assay of the Justicia leaf extract showed that the leaves had better ability to scavenge free radicals at a concentration of 5mg/ml and 10mg/ml but had a drop at 50mg/ml; the standard antioxidant was slightly higher than all the activities of the different concentrations of the extracts. The results of inhibition of lipid peroxidation of the leaf of J. carnea showed that the leaf extracts had a better ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation at a concentration of 5mg/ml and 10mg/ml but had drop at concentrations of 50mg/ml and 100mg/ml. The results of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of the leaf of J. carnea Showed that the leaf extracts promoted inhibition of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity with increasing concentrations. These results obtained showed that leaves of Justicia carnea may serve as rich sources of natural antioxidants, free radical scavengers and should be recommended as a potential source of useful bioactive constituents as vegetable supplement and has no toxic effect and serve as an effective hematinic.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Effects of energy efficiency design index on resistance, hydrostatics and ship design using Hughes-Prohaska method
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri., 2024-02) Chuku, Azubuike John
    In this study, the investigation of the effects of energy efficiency design index on resistance, hydrostatics and ship design was successfully carried out. The aim is to determine how much the current Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) formulations improve or conflict with ship design, vessel resistance, and hydrostatic laws. Parametric case studies of a Roll-on Passenger (Ro-Pax), Tugoat, and Reefer vessel are conducted for this reason. This group of vessels was picked because of how much energy they use naturally. To determine the impact of EEDI law on these three types of boats, Ship speed, Water Line Length (LWL), Beam (B), Draft (T), L/B ratio, B/T ratio, and Prismatic Coefficient (Cp) were examined. The results of the towing tank-model resistance tests were extrapolated to the three big ships, after the Hughes-Prohaska technique was used to evaluate the overall ship resistances and effective power of each of the models. In order to calculate the effective power, permissible power, and EEDI achieved, the resistance values previously extrapolated for the big ships were used. Based on correlation analysis of the data, the results indicate that there was an almost 89% agreement between the EEDI referenced and the EEDI attained. When the Hughes-Prohaska method's resistance data was verified against test data from an existing vessel model, an average error of 2% and a maximum error of 4% were discovered. It was deemed permissible to make this mistake. Effective power per unit displacement was plotted against each relevant parameter to examine the implications of EEDI on ship design, resistance, and hydrostatics. This is being done to ascertain the behavior of the EEDI attained. Additional findings showed that, with constant specific fuel consumption (SFC) and altering speed from 12 knots to 24 knots, the attained EEDI is proportional to the power (kW)/dead weight (tonne) ratio. It has been shown that at low speed, longer ships perform better on EEDI. However at higher speed, longer ships modify the L/B ratio, B/T ratio, draft, hydrostatic coefficients, increase resistance, and ultimately increase the ship's energy consumption. Further evidence suggest that in order to lower the EEDI, it is necessary to lower the pragmatic coefficient, optimize the hull, and decrease ship speed. In this instance, the 14% decrease in EEDI would be caused by the 13% sacrifice made to ship speed at the design stage. The graphs that were produced show that a ship may operate more efficiently and have a less environmental effect when the EEDI decreases.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Empirical evaluation of road rehabilitation projects on Aba–Owerri Road (A case study of Aba-Owerri Road)
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2023-08) Ebenuwa, John Ifeanyi
    The study examines the Empirical evaluation of Road Rehabilitation Projects (RRP) of Aba Owerri Road in Eastern part of Nigeria. The motivation for the study was due to deficiencies and inability of conventional Gantt chart scheduling techniques in addressing problems of time and cost overruns in road rehabilitation projects. Gantt chart failed to identify, isolate and exercise tight control on critical road rehabilitation activities that control the project duration. A total of four RRP identified to have suffered time overrun when scheduled and executed with Gantt chart were used for the study through experimental research design. The work breakdown structures of the RRP depicted in their respective Gantt charts were reschedule with an analytical tool of Critical Path Method (CPM). By inferential network analysis and results, the CPM easily displayed, effectively identified and isolated critical path activities which influenced and increased the project duration by seventeen months (15- 32) thus representing one hundred and thirteen percent (113%) upward review in project cost and time management. As part of effort to further confirm the results above, a more scientific approach was applied with the use of a micro software which also confirm the realistic project durations to be 32 months The conclusion is that it was obvious that work programme-chart (Gannt Chart) is reasonably effective only when applied to uncomplicated tasks, especially those involving a limited number of activity dependency, which means it cannot effectively handle the complexity inherent in most projects with a large number of activity. The study therefore recommends the adoption and institution of network scheduling technique (CPM) for scheduling of large scale RRP so as to complete the projects on schedule and contain cost and time overrun.
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    Hybrid deep learning-based model for covid-19 prediction and interpretation using multiple data modalities
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2024-05) Dokun, Oyewole
    This research addresses the critical need for accurate and timely COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis by developing a hybrid deep learning model that integrates multiple data modalities, including chest X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT) scans, blood smears, and clinical data. The model employs specialized architectures such as Residual Network with 50 Layers (ResNet50) for Chest X-ray, InceptionV3 for CT scans, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for blood smears, and a Random Forest classifier for clinical data analysis. The results demonstrate high accuracy rates: 96.7% for ResNet50, 97.58% for InceptionV3, 96.12% for CNN, and 98.30% for the Random Forest classifier. Grad-CAM enhances transparency by visualizing critical regions in the images, aiding healthcare professionals in understanding the model's decisions. This hybrid model offers improved accuracy and reliability for COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis, making it a valuable tool for clinical settings and resource allocation. The research underscores the potential of multi-modal data integration in medical AI and suggests further exploration and refinement of such models for broader healthcare applications.
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    Impact of oil spillage on physicochemical quality parameters of Abonema creek water
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2014-11) Onwuagba, Chinwe Grace
    The current study investigated the impact of oil spillage on Physicochemical Quality parameters of Abonema creek water. Water sample was collected with a container from 3 different locations which included the control site. The samples were subjected to standard physicochemical analysis. Among other parameters analysed, conductivity(µs/cm2) (22000 – 29600),TDS (mg/L) (15400 – 20720), total petroleum hydrocarbon (mg/L) (0.001-1246.6) SO4-2(mg/L) (350 –510),Cl-(mg/L) (6900-8900), Pb2+(0.014 – 0.266 ), and alkalinity (mg/L) (65 – 75), where all above recommended WHO standard. This implies that the river is polluted by the discharge of effluent from petroleum exploration activities. Water sample from the affected site was more higher than that of the control. Companies should not wait until a spill is out of hand before a cleanup intervention; timely cleanup exercise should be encouraged.
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    Intelligent evaluation system for software quality measurement
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri., 2022-12) Nwandu, Ikenna Caeser
    The concern about the large-scale and complexity of contemporary software cannot be over-emphasized. This is inclined to the assurance of standardized software quality which is essential for preventing disastrous effects of releasing fault-prone systems. This thesis designed an intelligent model that uses various metrics corresponding to six quality attributes (namely Reliability, Usability, Efficiency, Functionality, Maintainability and Portability) to measure the quality of software. This agreed to the assertion that software quality evaluation process is an instrument that observes the characteristics of a software product. In software engineering, the primary quality evaluation and assurance technique that establishes confidence over successful execution of software is termed software testing. Software testing usually identifies and applies metrics to software products in order to promote and assess their quality. This thesis designed an intelligent evaluation model in conformance with software testing principles. The objective of the model is to apply reinforcement learning in its software evaluation process to measure six software attributes in terms of speed of execution and to ensure optimal decision-making in the evaluation process, such that the model returns a reliable outcome. The model utilized a formulated model equation, whose input are the measured attributes, to achieve the evaluation. The model is developed using extreme programming principles, an agile framework whose operation is based on simplicity. It also adopted object-oriented analysis and design methodology which allowed the utilization of various artifacts including use cases, data flow, sequence, flowchart, entity-relationship and class diagrams to describe the architecture and functionality of the system. The model was implemented using Python programming language with the database design on MySQL platform. The model is further validated by comparing its performance measures on test data gotten from the functional information of Oil-palm Management Program and Estate CanePro. These tests data produced quality values of 0.9 and 1.0 respectively via the model equation. These results gave the indication that the resource software perform efficiently owing to the fact that the model’s value benchmark is best as it approaches unity. The result of comparing the outcomes showed that reinforcement learning makes software evaluation dynamic and precise. The results indicated that the model independently determines the strategies to follow during evaluations and the same set of data consistently gives the same outcome. The result also showed that the reliability of a software is directly proportional to its usability and maintainability. However, the result also showed that having a high portability value does not guarantee the reliability and/or maintainability of a given software.
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    Modelling of Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas Shipping Trade
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri., 2022-12) Igboanisi, Chinaemerem C.
    Nigeria has the largest proven natural gas reserves in Africa and its reserves ranked as ninth (9th) largest in the World- accounting for 188.8tcf (trillion cubic feet) of proven reserves as at the year 2019. However, Nigeria’s capacity to participate in the global natural gas shipping trade and earn freight revenue has been constrained by shipping tonnage market domination by other nations. Thus, as the nation strives to improve her revenue earnings through robust visible and invisible trade policy; it has become imperative to investigate empirically the determinants of Nigeria’s international shipping trade in Natural gas. This research developed the gravity model of Nigeria’s natural gas (NLNG) shipping trade to determine the factors affecting NLNG international freight market. The secondary data for the study comprised of volume of natural gas production (in billion cubic meters) shipped between Nigeria and other trading partner countries, geographical distance data between trading partner countries, population mass of trading partners, price of natural gas and bilateral trade agreements. Others include: logistics performance indices and shipping freight rates. These were sourced from global databases, Nigeria LNG limited, the Nigerian Ports Authority and covered the periods between years 2003 to 2020. To address the hypotheses governing this research, we developed an augmented gravity model of natural gas shipping trade in Nigeria’s international freight market and examined trends in demand. The following variables were found statistically significant in explaining NLNG trade namely: quality of transport infrastructure (-225.448), geographical distance (-232.721), trade agreement (42.534) and population mass (0.955). These coefficients are in their natural logs and can therefore be interpreted as elasticities. In terms of most important trading blocs or shipping routes, the most important shipping routes (which are dummy variables) are namely: The United States of America (3,360.056), EuroAsia (3,090.082), Europe (904.810) and South America (786.413). These findings indicate that robust policy interventions are needed to promote trade with our trading partners. Robust investments are also needed in our transport infrastructure quality (especially that of bunkering facilities for LNG vessels) in order to reduce impediments to trade. From the positive trend analysis results, demand for natural gas is positive and the federal government should encourage more private sector investment in LNG shipping fleet to increase Nigeria’s participation in LNG international freight market. As recommendation for further studies, modelling of constraints of natural gas trade involving gasification and re-gasification stations should be explored in order to expand the scope of the present work.
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    Patterns of diarrhoeal diseases in under-five children in Emekuku: A hospital-based study
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2014-04) Njoku, Chinonyerem John
    This study was undertaken to determine the patterns of diarrhoeal diseases in under-5 children and the associated risk factors in Emekuku, Imo State, Nigeria. A matched pair case control study design with strict inclusion and exclusion criteria was adopted. Cases were children with loose watery feces, pathologically diagnosed with diarrhoea by the physician. Each case was captured immediately after diagnosis by the physician and administered with the questionnaire. Controls were children diagnosed of any other disease other than diarrhoea. Both cases and controls were appropriately matched in terms of age, sex, and other determinants and enrolled from the outpatient and children’s wards of the Hospital. A total of 176 under-5 children were enrolled with 88 cases and 88 controls. The results showed that most cases of diarrhoea observed were acute (93.2%), while persistent diarrhoea accounted for 6.8%. Ninety five percent (95%) of diarrhoeal cases were watery, with mean number of stools/child/day being 4.3 times (SD 1.92). Of the 17 exposure variables analyzed, only age (6-11 month); breast feeding (complementary feeding) (P<0.001); birth weight, maternal employment (unemployed women); toilet type (pit toilet); hand washing with water only (P<0.001); use of rain water and crowding index were significantly associated with diarrhoeal disease occurrence observed in this studied. The study shows that diarrhoeal diseases are still prevalent in this area. Interventions on exclusive breast feeding, provision of improved toilet type, and education on appropriate hand washing methods and improved sanitation should be intensified.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Sequence stratigraphic interpretation of wells 1,2,3 & 4 in the "GERA" field, Greater Ughelli Depobelt, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2014-02) Onwualu, Nneka Emelda
    A sequence stratigraphic approach was employed to understand sediments penetrated in Gera Field situated in the Greater Ughelli Depobelt, Central Niger Delta Basin. The technique incorporates biostratigraphic and well log data in constructing a high resolution sequence stratigraphic framework for the field. The analysis of the above data sets enabled the subdivision of the transverse part of the stratigraphic column within the field into sequences and system tracts. Four 3rd order Maximum Flooding Surfaces (MFS) and their intervening sequence boundaries (SB) were interpreted in the area. Three depositional sequences were interpreted within the field and were subdivided into transgressive systems tract and highstand systems tract. Four maximum flooding surfaces correlate with the 28.1Ma, 31.3Ma, 33.0Ma and 34.0Ma of the transgressive marker shales of the Niger Delta Chronostratigraphic Chart. The 28.1 million years (Ma) MFS (G. Opima Opima) with its distinct log signature, constitutes the regional seal rock while the different sequence boundaries act as excellent reservoirs of the field. Of the four sequence boundaries, only one was found to be truly Type-1 sequence boundary, while the other three could not be convincingly attributed to a Type-1 sequence boundary, since a lowstand systems tract does not overlie them. The age of sediments penetrated in Gera field is found to range from Early – Late Oligocene as deduced from the foram zonations of wells in the field.