Disposition of Secondary Students towards Charcoal Production in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State

The study assessed the disposition of secondary school student towards charcoal production. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 225 respondents from six secondary schools in the area. Information was elicited from the respondents with the aid of a questionnaire, information collected was analyzed using descriptive (Frequency, percentages, tables and mean) and inferential (chi-square and T-test) statistical tool. The result of the study shows that there is no gender bias in the involvement in the charcoal activities as 50.7% are males, with mean age of 17 years and household size of 8. The result also revealed that 68% of the students are involved with an average period of 4 years while 35% reported their parents are also involved and make an average of N8, 754 on monthly basis. On the activities they are involved in the findings revealed that they are involved in different activities with transportation being the major one while the need to make more money (49.4%), being common occupation in the community (48%) and the prestige associated with it (41.3%) as the major influencing factors of their involvement. Their disposition was largely indifferent (88%) as revealed by the study as many of them are involved just to get the benefit without considering the effect on them. The result of the T-test (t-value 4.117, p=0.000 at P< 0.005) reveals significant difference in the disposition of those involved and those not involved while the chi-square analysis also showed significant relationship between sex(χ2 = 29.874, p = 0.000), household size(χ2 = 17.472, p = 0.002) and parental involvement (χ2 = 8.855, p = 0.012) at p < 0.05. The study therefore concluded that the students are involved and are indifferent in their disposition to charcoal production and recommend that there is a need for proper orientation of the student in relationship to their involvement while inculcating teaching on environmental sustainability. Keywords: Charcoal, Youth, Disposition, Oyo state, Ibarapa and Involvement

An Investigation of Dynamic Influence to Doctors’ Stress in Government Hospitals in Nigeria Using Logistic Regression Approach

This study examined some dynamic factors related to doctors’ stress in government hospitals in Nigeria using Lagos State as case study. The working hours and the number of patients the professionals attended to showed that they are likely to be stressed. A model was developed to predict the dynamic influence to doctors’ stress using logistic regression model. It was discovered that illness, environmental factors, profession and workloads and hours are the variables that highly influenced Doctors’ stress

Geoelectric Delineation of Aquifer Pattern in Crystalline Bedrock

Groundwater is ubiquitous and immensely important for human uses but there is inadequate supply especially in the basement complex terrain as most boreholes are either abortive or can’t yield sustainable water to wells. This research tends to delineate into the subsurface in order to understand the aquifer pattern in Ogbagba area. A geophysical survey involving twelve vertical electrical sounding (VES) was carried out at some selected locations in Ogbagba. Resistivity meter was used to acquire the geophysical field data. Conventional partial curve matching and WinResist software was used for the data processing. 75% of the aquifers in the study area are confined aquifers while the remaining 25% are unconfined aquifers. Also, three probable aquifer units were delineated where clayey sand has 75%, sandy clay constitutes 16.7% and fractured bedrock shares the remaining 8.3%. The study revealed that insufficiency of groundwater exploitation in the study area is due to the geologic formation of the aquifers and the depth to which groundwater is been abstracted. If these mistakes are corrected, Ogbagba will henceforth start to enjoy groundwater exploitation adequatel

Methyl orange, an organic dye: its health impact and sorptive removal from waste water

AbstractMethyl Orange (MO) a member of Azo dyes are commonly used as synthetic dyes in textile, food, paper and cosmetics. Their use is easy and cost-effective, compared with natural dyes. However, azo bonds are hardly removed because of their high water solubility as well as low exhaustion with the potential for persistence and accumulation in the environment, therefore aqueous solution of MO is toxic and irritating. Thus, the removal of them from industrial wastewaters is capital with regard to protect public health, environment, and aquatic life

Distribution of radionuclides and assessment of risk exposure to the miners on a kaolin field

Mining of kaolin deposits are common in Nigeria without considering the background radiation in such environment and the health risks it might pose on the miners. In this study, in-situ measurements of the naturally occurring radionuclides were carried out with the aim of determining the distribution of these radionuclides on the mining field and estimation of the hazard indices exposure risks (γ- and α-radiation risks) to the miners. The study was achieved with the aid of gamma ray detector Super-Spec (RS-125) and global positioning system. The detector used has ability to measure activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K and gamma doses. For the purpose of this study, only the concentrations of the three radionuclides were considered. For each location, measurements were taken four times, while its mean value was estimated for better accuracy. In all, nineteen locations were occupied in order to cover the study area. Basic kriging method was adopted for the production of spatial distribution of these radionuclides and their corresponding γ- and α-radiation hazard indices. The mean values of 238U, 232Th and 40K are 46.7, 71.8 and 108.7 Bq kg-1 , respectively. When compared to the global standard, it was revealed that 238U and 232Th are greater than the global standard, while 40K fall below the permissible limit. The γ- and α-radiation exposure risks estimated revealed that the mean values of Iγ and Iα are 0.6 and 0.2 respectively. Though the estimated γ- and α-radiation indices showed that the kaolin field is safe for the miners, periodic check is required in order to monitor the rate at which these natural primordial radionuclides (238U and 232Th and their progenies) are being enhanced

Mangroves in peril: unprecedented degradation rates of peri-urban mangroves in Kenya

Marine ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented degradation rates higher than any other ecosystem on the planet, which in some instances are up to 4 times those of rainforests. Mangrove ecosystems have especially been impacted by compounded anthropogenic pressures leading to significant cover reductions of between 35 and 50% (equivalent to 1–2% loss pa) for the last half century. The main objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that peri-urban mangroves suffering from compounded and intense pressures may be experiencing higher degradation rates than the global mean (and/or national mean for Kenya) using Mombasa mangroves (comprising Tudor and Mwache creeks) as a case study. Stratified sampling was used to sample along 22 and 10 belt transects in Mwache and Tudor respectively, set to capture stand heterogeneity in terms of species composition and structure in addition to perceived human pressure gradients using proximity to human habitations as a proxy. We acquired SPOT (HRV/ HRVIR/ HRS) images of April 1994, May 2000 and January 2009 and a vector mangrove map of 1992 at a scale of 1:50 000 for cover change and species composition analysis. Results from image classification of the 2009 image had 80.23% overall accuracy and Cohen's kappa of 0.77, thus proving satisfactory for use in this context. Structural data indicate that complexity index (CI) which captures stand structural development was higher in Mwache at 1.80 compared to Tudor at 1.71. From cover change data, Tudor lost 86.9% of the forest between 1992 and 2009, compared to Mwache at 45.4%, representing very high hitherto undocumented degradation rates of 5.1 and 2.7% pa, respectively. These unprecedentedly high degradation rates, which far exceed not only the national mean (for Kenya of 0.7% pa) but the global mean as well, strongly suggest that these mangroves are highly threatened due to compounded pressures. Strengthening of governance regimes through enforcement and compliance to halt illegal wood extraction, improvement of land-use practices upstream to reduce soil erosion, restoration in areas where natural regeneration has been impaired, provision of alternative energy sources/building materials and a complete moratorium on wood extraction especially in Tudor Creek to allow recovery are some of the suggested management interventions

Effective Moisture Diffusivity and Mathematical Modeling of the Drying Process for Cassava Stalk Biomass

The thermal transformation of lignocelluloses is important because energy is required. The drying process is unique during this transformation. In this study, gravimetric analysis was applied in determining the effective moisture diffusivity and the kinetic parameters for the drying process of cassava stalk lignocellulosic biomass. The drying process was evaluated on the biomass at temperatures 80, 100, and 120 °C from 0 to 8 h using time interval of 0.5 h. The effective moisture diffusivities, Deff, varied from 1.63 × 10−11 m2/s (80 °C) to 2.56 × 10−11 m2/s (120 °C). The activation energy (Ea) during the drying process estimated at the three chosen temperatures was calculated to be 12.93 kJ/mole with a pre-exponential factor, Do, of 1.30 × 10−9 m2/s. Based on statistical analysis (coefficient of determination and average absolute error), the experimental data best fit was provided by the Midilli-Kucuk mathematical model when compared with the other two drying models (Page and Newton)

A Short Overview on the Role of Nanotechnology in Different Sectors of Energy System

Globally, with respect to the advancement in technologies developed in the energy sector, a good comprehension of the economic situation is the real challenge to having sustainable energy. Though technologies are available, they are usually very expensive or not adequately recognized by the industrial players. Sustainability of the advancement in energy development has globally gained great attention. Nanotechnologies make available a very good prospect of improving the efficiency of energy across all sectors of industry in a sustainable way. These technologies economically influence renewable energy production by using novel technological approaches and enhanced production technologies. The advances of nanotechnology may perhaps influence every part of the value-added chain in the energy sector. Therefore, employing nanomaterials in technologies for energy system sustainability will remain a significant field of academic and researcher, even at the commercial level. In this review, the role of nanotechnology for four sustainable sources of energy together with energy distribution and also for different energy usage was discussed. Hence, this review looked at the possible prospect of utilizing nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles and nanofluids, to stimulate sustainable developments and practices for energy systems

Inactivation kinetics and thermodynamics assessments of Geobacillus stearothermophilus during thermal sterilization for products safety

Chemical kinetics and thermodynamics provide modes and mechanisms for the thermal death of microbial spores. In this study, the effect of thermal inactivation on Geobacillus stearothermophilus, a highly heat-resistant bacterial species, was studied over the temperature range of 95, 100, 105, and 110 ◦C and holding sterilization periods of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 45 min by the application of mathematical analysis of kinetic and thermo�dynamic properties. Thermal death rate constant, k, for the best kinetic order of sterilization ranged between 0.0431 to 0.1581 min− 1 with the energy of activation, Ea, estimated to be 115.96 kJ/mol. Two primary thermal death kinetic models were applied (log-linear first order and the nonlinear Weibull). Weibull’s model provided more reliable kinetic parameters to predict the effect of thermal treatments. Concave curves (α >1) were pre�dicted with the Weibull’s model for 100, 105, and 110 ◦C (1.57, 1.26, and 1.22 respectively), indicating the susceptibility of spores to lethal treatment. The rate parameter, ɸ (first reduction time) decreased with increasing thermal heating (28.80 min (95 ◦C), 21.08 min (100 ◦C), 14.61 min (105 ◦C), and 9.65 min (110 ◦C)) following the paths of the D-values (about 7 min to attain 88% spores’ destruction after 110 ◦C heating) of the log-linear kinetic model. Thermal death time (TDT) for the complete destruction of spores was predicted to be after 40 min at 110 ◦C. The z-value was 23.31 ◦C, indicating the sterilization temperature that must be attained for one log destruction of spores. The heat of activation showed endothermic reactions for all temperatures (ΔH ranged 112.90 – 112.78 kJ/mol), Gibb’s free energy of activation, ΔG, ranged from 325 – 333.74 kJ/mol (indicating a non-spontaneous reaction), and the entropy of activation (ΔS) showed reversibility of reaction (ΔS < 1) for all the thermal temperatures