CHARACTERISATION OF THE ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF SOILS IN SOME PARTS OF LAGOS WETLANDS FOR ENGINEERING PURPOSES

The results obtained from the evaluation of elastic properties of some part of Lagos Wetlands were presented for the determination of the competent soil for engineering structures. The study area falls within the reclaimed part of the Lagos wetlands signifying the presence of unstable geological materials. The study area is characterized with alluvium sediments which comprises of materials of low shear strength. Five (5) seismic profile lines were established via the ground rolling technique of Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW). The data acquisition was carried out with twenty-four (24) channels 4.5Hz vertical geophones connected to the ABEM Mark 6 Terraloc Seismograph. The acquired MASW data were processed using SeisImager to obtain the two-dimensional (2-D) shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles which gives the contrast in the distribution of the velocity along each profile. In addition, dynamic parameters such as rigidity modulus, poisson ratio were estimated for further classification of the geo-earth materials in the study area. In the study area, the shear wave velocity (Vs) values obtained ranged between 94 – 1320 m/s representing different sediments such as saturated loose sand (163 – 204 m/s), loose silty sand (165- 225 m/s), medium – dense sand (220 – 350 m/s), medium dense sand (400 – 700 m/s) and dense-coarse sand (900 - 1380 m/s). However, based on these classification, it is found that saturated loose sand and loose silty sand are not competent for founding layer of engineering structures. Therefore, deep foundation inform of piling system is recommended for engineering structure that will devoid unexpected collapse and partial and differential settlement. The study has revealed that the area is generally comprise of problematic soil(s) that are inimical to construction of engineering structures

COMPARISON BETWEEN KAOLIN AND QUARTZITIC CLAY PERFORMANCE IN THE EFFECT OF WOOD ASH ADDITION ON THE MECHANICAL AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF PORCELAINISED STONEWARE TILES

Porcelain represents the foundation of the ceramic discipline and one of the most complex ceramic materials. Composed primarily of clay, feldspar and quartz, porcelains are heat treated to form a mixture of glass and crystalline phases. This focuses on raw materials with the addition of wood ash processing and mechanical behaviors. The use of wood ash as in manufacturing ceramic tiles can increase the utilization, as well as reduce the cost of raw materials in the tile industry and provide a competitive edge to Nigerian tile Manufactures against foreign competitions. Ring was taken ensured completion of the pozzolainic reactions instituted by the wood ash and the production of dense compounds acting as filler within the pores of the porcelain mass. It was also found that the higher the wood ash content in the porcelainª¤? the lower their strength and density, the permeability 5-10 % cow dung un clays is the best ratio that gives the desired combination of opposing qualities and density, thus the ratio that gives the optimum mechanical and other properties. It was noticed from this research work, clay with kaolinitic content is better used than clay with quartzitic content in formulating porcelainised stoneware tile specimenª¤? consisting of the mixture of both quartizitic and kaolinitic clay has better performance than ordinary quartzitic clay sample.ª¤

PRICE TREND ANALYSIS OF SELECTED FOOD GRAINS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA (1988-2012)

The study examined the price trend of some selected food grains in Ogun State, Nigeria, using descriptive statistics, graphical representation and growth model to analyze its dynamic behaviour over the period of 1988-2012. The study was based on secondary data obtained from Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme for the period (1988-2012) and it covered the rural and urban monthly retail prices of three (3) food grains viz: maize (white and yellow), rice and cowpea (white and brown). Results of analysis revealed a consistent long-term movement or change in the prices of the food grains for both markets.  While price fluctuation was observed more with maize and cowpea, minimal adjustments were observed in rice. Exponential regression analysis showed a positive significant coefficient i.e. an upward trend in prices of both rural and urban markets with a significant F-statistics (p<0.01). The highest growth rate was seen in white cowpea in the urban market (i.e. 4.78%) while the least growth rate was in white maize in the rural market (i.e. 3.50%).Â

FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF SOME FISH SPECIES IN OGUN STATE COASTAL ESTUARY, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The food and feeding habits of eight (8) fish species Elops lacerta, Chrysichthys auratus, Schilbe mys-tus, Sardinella maderensis, Synodontis schall, Hepsetus odoe, Tilapia zillii and Mugil cephalus in Ogun estuary, Ogun State, Nigeria were studied and estimated for six months, between February and July, 2014. A total of 470 fishes were randomly collected from the commercial fishermen during the study. Results from the stomach contents analysed using frequency of occurrence and numerical methods showed that S. mystus, E. lacerta, S. maderensis, H. odoe, S. schall, T. zillii, M. cephalus and C. auratus were predators, piscivores, herbivores, piscivores, omnivores, herbivores, herbivores and omnivores respectively while H. odoe and S.mystus partly fed on E. lacerta and T. zillii respec-tively. The Diet Breadth (D) ranged from 0.76 to 0.88 and the percentage Gut Repletion Index (GRI), a reflection of frequency of feeding, ranged between 60-100%

How fearful are Commodities and US stocks in response to Global fear? Persistence and Cointegration analyses

This paper deals with the analysis of long-run relationships of fear indices for US stocks, commodities, and the energy sector with global fear indices for stocks and oil. Departing from the classical literature, fractional integration, and cointegration techniques are used to determine the degree of persistence in the long-run relationship of the indices. Our results are threefold. We first established a fractional cointegrating relationship between each of the global and oil fear indices and other fear indices. However, the long-run relationship tends to be weak for the technology stocks. In addition, the cointegrating framework reveals a nonstationary mean-reverting behaviour in the long-run relationship, implying that the effect of shocks from financial, economic, or other exogenous sources will be temporary though with long-lasting effects. These findings have crucial policy inferences for portfolio managers concerning investment decisions

Thermogravimetric Analysis of Modified Montmorillonite Clay for Mycotoxin Decontamination in Cereal Grains

-ermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to study the stability of nanoformulations used for the decontamination of mycotoxins. -e TGA patterns of the nanoformulations from montmorillonite clay and Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) extracts were assessed with temperature ranging from ambient (20°C) to 1000°C. -e various nanoformulations studied included unmodified montmorillonite clay (Mont), montmorillonite washed with sodium chloride (Mont-Na), montmorillonite mixed with lemongrass essential oil (Mont-LGEO), and montmorillonite mixed with an equal quantity of lemongrass powder (Mont- LGP). -ere was no significant difference in the median of the various nanoformulations within 4 weeks at p < 0.05 using the Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric test. For the TGA, the first degradation for montmorillonite clay and the nanoformulations occurred at a temperature between 80 and 101°C and was attributed to the loss of lattice water outside the coordination sphere with a range of 3.5–6.5% weight loss. -e second degradation occurred within the temperature of 338 to 344°C, and the third, at a temperature between 640 and 668°C for Mont and the formulations of Mont-Na, Mont-LGEO, and Mont-LGP. -ere were strong similarities in the degradation patterns of Mont and Mont-Na with the minimum difference being the relatively higher weight loss of the sodium-exchanged cation for Mont-Na at the third degradation step. Hence, the order of stability from the most resistant to the least resistant to degradation is as follows: Mont-LGEO ≥ Mont-Na ≥ Mont ≥ Mont-LGP