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

Emotional Labour and Burnout as Predictors of Customer Service Employees Interpersonal Relationships in Ogun State, Nigeria

This paper examined Emotional-Labour and Burn out as Predictors of Customer Service Employee’s Interpersonal Relationship in Ogun State.  Three instruments were administered to two (200) hundred workers that were randomly selected from some customer service industries in the four geo-political zones in Ogun States.  Multiple Regression Analysis method was used to test the research questions raised.  Two hypotheses were tested at 0.5 level of significance and it was found that emotional labour and born-out would not have effect on the interpersonal relationship among customers and no relative contribution of emotional labour and burnout in the prediction of interpersonal relationship among customer service employees, even though, burnout was a more potent factor.  It was therefore recommended that organizational managers must ensure good interpersonal relationship in the workplace, as this will enhance customer’s service and employees productivity

(R1523) Abundant Natural Resources, Ethnic Diversity and Inclusive Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mathematical Approach

The sub-Saharan African region is blessed with abundant natural resources and diverse ethnic groups, yet the region is dominated by the largest number of poor people worldwide due to inequitable distribution of national income. Existing statistics forecast decay in the quality of lives over the years compared to the continent of Asia that shares similar history with the region. In this paper, a-five dimensional first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations was formulated to give insight into various factors that shaped dynamics of inclusive growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The validity test was performed based on ample mathematical theorems and the model was found to be valid. The model was then studied qualitatively and quantitatively via stability theory of nonlinear differential equations which depended on the policy success ratio and classical fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme implemented in maple respectively. The results from the analysis showed that inclusive growth from abundant natural resources and ethnic diversity in sub-Saharan Africa was a function of policy reform whereby an increase in both equitable distribution of national income and accessibility of common man to the goods and services provided by the state to narrow inequality gap was accompanied with a low level of nepotism

Integrated geophysical assessment of a municipal waste disposal site for its geological suitability in terms of the underlain material

Dumpsites are major sources of groundwater pollution as a result of leachates that drain out of the decomposed waste. If there are no underlain materials that could serve as a seal to stop the percolation of leachate, it finds its way to the groundwater. A properly designed landfill is expected to have a high leachate curtailment capacity to limit groundwater pollution. A suitable landfill is expected to have a specific thickness of clay which acts as a natural filter. This study aims to determine the subsurface material and the leachate curtailment of Oke–Diya dumpsites. Very low frequency-electromagnetic method was adopted as a reconnaissance survey, after which electrical resistivity and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) methods were carried out. The resistivity values obtained were used to determine the lithological units of the study area while the MASW was employed to determine the seismic wave arrival times which was processed to obtain the shear wave velocities of the subsurface. The rigidity moduli were also obtained from the shear wave velocities, from which the lithological units of the subsurface were inferred. The integrated method appeared to be the ideal tool to characterize the dumpsite and adjudge the leachate curtailment capacity. The methods corroborated each other. Oke-Diya dumpsite, from the results, revealed the study area had low leachate curtailment capacity and should be evacuated

The Cashless Policy in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract In Nigeria as it is in many developin

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Świadomość dotycząca prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz popyt na nie wśród właścicieli małych gospodarstw rolnych w Nigerii

This study investigated the awareness of and demand for private agricultural extension services among smallscale farmers in Nigeria, using farmers in Oyo state as a case study. Specifically, the study examined the availability and operations of private agricultural extension services and factors that determine farmers’ willingness to pay for such services. The results showed that a considerable number of farmers are willing to pay for private agricultural extension services. The number of plots cultivated by the farmers was found to influence farmers’ willingness to pay for private agricultural extension services at one percent level of significance. Income, awareness, family size and total number of plots were identified as the major factors influencing the use of private agricultural extension services in the study area. The study recommended the need for the government to mobilize farm households to avail themselves of benefits of private extension services. Efforts should also be stepped up by all development stake-holders to provide additional sources of income for farm households, in order to raise their income and demand capabilities.W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono badanie poziomu świadomości dotyczącej prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz popytu na nie wśród właścicieli małych gospodarstw rolnych w Nigerii. Badaną grupę stanowili rolnicy zamieszkujący stan Oyo. Szczególnie skupiono się na dostępności i funkcjonowaniu prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz na czynnikach, które wpływają na skłonność rolników do zapłaty za tego typu usługi. Wykazano, że znaczna liczba rolników jest skłonna zapłacić za prywatne usługi z zakresu doradztwa rolniczego. Okazało się, że na skłonność rolników do zapłaty wpływała liczba uprawianych działek ziemi, przy istotności na poziomie 1%. Dochód, poziom świadomości, wielkość rodziny i całkowitą liczbę działek uznano za główne ograniczenia w korzystaniu z prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego na badanym obszarze. W artykule wskazano na konieczność zachęcenia gospodarstw rolnych przez rząd do skorzystania z prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego. Także udziałowcy powinni podjąć kroki w celu zapewnienia dodatkowych źródeł utrzymania gospodarstwom, by zwiększyć ich dochód oraz popyt na usługi