Risk Assessment Process for Construction Projects in Afghanistan

The construction industry in Afghanistan faces challenges such as cost overruns and delays. To overcome these problems, nowadays, implementing risk management in construction field has shown improvements in the mitigation of risks which have adverse impacts on project objects such as time, cost and quality. Risk assessment process is executed as part of risk management for uncertainties that construction sector confronts in Afghanistan.21 most significant risks were identified, analyzed and evaluated using 5x5 probability matrix method. It was found that 20 out of 21 risks fell into the unacceptable and unwanted category. These risks require mitigation measures by executing risk treatment policy and need be to registered, monitored and reviewed before and during the construction phase. The findings call for necessary awareness in developing the Afghanistan construction industry's capability and performance to execute risk management for mitigating against further project failure

The Establishment and Development of the Institute for Agricultural Research (I.A.R) in Zaria, 1922-1945

The study examines the evolution and achievements of agricultural research in Zaria, with a particular focus on IAR, from 1922-1945. It explains the nature and character of food crop agricultural in pre-colonial Zaria that gave way to colonial export crop production in colonial Nigeria. The study adopted the political economy method and the underdevelopment/dependency theory, and argued that the primary motive behind British interests in colonizing Nigeria was to exploit its perceived enormous natural resources. Consequently, within the first three decade of the 20th century, the economic growth of the Nigerian colony was primarily stimulated by agricultural exports. As a result, distinct regions became noticeable in the production areas of agricultural exports: groundnut and cotton in the North; cocoa and palm kernel in the West; and palm oil and palm kernel in the East. The study argues that in line with the colonial objective of exploiting the rich agricultural resources of Nigeria, research centers were thought out as very critical in the improvement of seeds, quality of yield, and training of manpower in the practice of colonial agriculture. It is against this background that the British started the establishment of research centers in Nigeria since the last decade of the 19th century that culminated in the establishment of the Institute For Agricultural Research (IAR) in 1922. Keywords: Establishment, Development, IA

The Royal Niger Company (RNC) and the Making of Modern Nigeria, 1879-1899

The paper examines the complex historical processes that culminated in the founding of modern Nigeria since the 19th century on the backdrop of primary and secondary data of historical research. These events were the abolition of the slave trade and the introduction and promotion of legitimate trade and commerce by Christian missionaries and imperial companies. This was in the era of the new imperialism, which was characterised by trade monopoly and imperial contestations amongst European trading companies and merchants. The competing commercial companies were later chattered to act on behalf of their imperial governments in acquired territories and to acquire more territories for them where possible. It was primarily due to the industrial revolution which started in Britain and created the need for raw materials, which were considered readily available in Africa to feed their home industries. It argues that the resultant enhanced contacts between the British and the peoples of the Nigerian area, facilitated by these consequential historical developments, holds the key to understanding the formation of Nigeria in 1914. The reason being that the British utilised the agency of the Royal Niger Company (RNC) to establish her influence and conditions necessary for the eventual colonisation of Nigeria. The study contends that, Goldie’s chattered RNC not only acquired and rule territories on behalf of the Crown and secured British imperial interest in the area now called Nigeria, but also made it possible for the British to shrug off intense rivalry from their arch rivals, the French and Germans. To this end, it argued that Fredrick Lord Lugard’s amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914, only built on the foundation which Goldie and his company, the RNC, had already laid

Interactive Effect of Air-Water Ratio and Temperature on the Air Stripping of Benzene

High cost of pilot scale studies has led engineers to use simulation to study the factors that affect process performance. This study focuses on the interactive effect of air-water ratio and temperature on the removal of volatile organic compounds from polluted water using packed column air stripper taking benzene as a case study. The process governing equations developed based on two-film model of mass transfer were solved using MATLAB and a surface response plot was done. The mass transfer coefficient increased from 0.1237x10-5 to 0.1932x10-5 s-1 as the temperature was raised from 293 to 323 K. Also, the Henry’s constant increased from 228.59 to 883.36 K as the temperature was raised from 293 to 323 K. Benzene removal efficiencies of over 99% were obtained for all combinations of temperature and air-water ratio. The result also indicated that air stripping of benzene from wastewater is most dependent on temperature and moderately on air-water ratio.KEYWORDS: Interactive effect, air-water ratio, temperature, volatile organic compounds, removal efficienc

Actions paysannes et développement rural dans les régions cacaoyères ivoiriennes : le cas des espaces ruraux du département de Méagui, Sud-Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire

Considéré comme l’épine dorsale de l’actuelle boucle de cacao, le département de Méagui détient à lui seul environ 36 % de la production nationale (396 000 tonnes), soit 15 % de l’offre mondiale de cacao (Tano, 2012, p 88). Malgré cette performance économique, les villages, unités de résidence des producteurs, sont en proie d’une pauvreté persistante. De 41,3 % en 2002, le niveau de pauvreté passe à 45,5 % en 2008 (Tano, op cit, p 105). Cependant, les actions des populations semblent anodines pour renverser la tendance. Cette étude se propose alors d’analyser les initiatives locales, principalement les actions des populations, en faveur du développement des espaces ruraux. L’exploitation documentaire et l’enquête de terrain (l’observation directe, l’entretien et l’enquête par questionnaire) sont les méthodes ayant servi à la collecte des données dans cette étude. L’étude montre que la population rurale caractérisée par sa grande diversité ethnique est à près de 98 % dominée par les communautés migrantes. L’intérêt de cette importante communauté de migrants pour les régions d’origine, auquel s’ajoute la baisse des revenus des paysans, réduisent les possibilités d’investissements locaux. Ainsi, en dehors des équipements collectifs notamment les secteurs de l’hydraulique villageoise et de l’éducation qui ont enregistré les taux de participations les plus élevés, soit respectivement 96,63 % et 89,88 %, les investissements privés suscitent peu d’intérêt au sein de la communauté rurale. Seulement 22,22% des paysans ont investi dans la construction d’habitats modernes dans les villages. Quant à la création d’activités économiques non agricoles, elle n’a concerné que 25,1% de la population rurale. Considered as the backbone of the current cocoa loop, the department of Méagui alone holds around 36% of national production (396,000 tonnes), or 15% of the world's cocoa supply (Tano, 2012, p 88). Despite this economic performance, villages, producer residences, are plagued by persistent poverty. From 41.3% in 2002, the poverty level rose to 45.5% in 2008 (Tano, op cit, p 105). However, the actions of the populations seem trivial to reverse the trend. This study then proposes to analyze local initiatives, mainly the actions of the populations, in favor of the development of rural areas. Document processing, direct observation, interview and questionnaire survey are the methods used to collect data in this study. The study shows that the rural population, characterized by its great ethnic diversity, is almost 98% dominated by migrant communities. The interest of this large migrant community in the regions of origin, coupled with the decline in peasant incomes, reduces the possibilities for local investment. Thus, apart from collective facilities, in particular the village water supply and education sectors, which recorded the highest participation rates, at 96.63% and 89.88% respectively, private investment generates little interest in the rural community. Only 22.22% of the peasants invested in the construction of modern housing in the villages. As for the creation of non-agricultural economic activities, it concerned only 25.1% of the rural population

Profil Socio-Économique Et Démographique Des Populations Issues De La Migration Sur Le Littoral Ôdjoukrou. (Sud De La Côte d’Ivoire)

The rural country of ôdjoukrou, or lôdjoukrou, is part of the Ivorian coastline. It is a space with enormous economic potential. Agricultural space, the boom in the plantation economy, will mobilize a large foreign workforce. This paper focuses on analyzing the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of populations resulting from migration. To meet the objective of this study, the methodological approach used is based on a literature search. We also used a field survey motivated by a questionnaire administered to 1000 migrants. An interview was also conducted with the chieftaincies of the various localities. The study reveals that the majority of migrants are West African immigrants with 79.8%. The majority of migrants, estimated at 38%, work in agriculture. In addition, the study allows us to relate the type of activity carried out in relation to the migrant's geographical origin. Most unhealthy incomes are considered satisfactory, to the point of encouraging regular monthly transfers to other family members of the starting spaces

LA COMMERCIALISATION INFORMELLE DU RIZ LOCAL À GAGNOA

Informal marketing of local rice in Gagnoa (Côte d’Ivoire) with the increase of rice demand and an insufficient domestic production to cover the needs of Ivoirians, Ivoirian authorities are deploying many efforts in rice cultivation, especially in the exploitation of lowlands, in order to increase productivity. The present study aims to analyze the efficiency of domestic rice’s marketing chain. Although overall, the market is competitive. We can however note a predominance of informal system. In addition, rice price is not uniform, change over time and depending on the trader

Solving Continuous and Weakly Singular Linear Volterra Integral Equations of the second kind by Laplace Transform Method

This work provides solutions to some continuous and weakly singular linear Volterra integral equations of the second kind by Laplace transform method. With the basic definition of convolution integral of two functions and Volterra fundamental theorems, the Laplace transform method gives an efficient and remarkable performance. Test problems are presented to show the efficiency and reliability of the method. Keywords: Volterra Integral equations, continuous and weakly singular Kernels , Laplace metho

DYNAMIQUE DÉMOGRAPHIQUE ET ÉCONOMIQUE, FACTEURS DÉTERMINANTS DE LA CROISSANCE SPATIALE DES VILLES DU DÉPARTEMENT DE SOUBRÉ (CÔTE D’IVOIRE)

The department of Soubré was struck by a sub settlement observed over a long period in the history of Côte d'Ivoire. The immense natural potential, the decline of the "cocoa Loop" in the regions of Eastern and Central East and the start of the South West Development Project (ARSO) initiated by the State ended up upsetting the departmental space. Indeed, the department of Soubré has become a reception area where the plantation economy takes a boom since the 1975/1980 year. The study shows that immigration that was particularly intensified in the department of Soubré is the origin of socio-demographic change and urban socio-economic department. However, it retains the light of the above that the farmers through their major agricultural income from the plantation economy have a real grip on the urban extension

Physicochemical properties and lubricant potentials of Blighia sapida Sapindaceaeae seed oil in solid dosage formulations

Purpose: To investigate and compare the physicochemical properties and lubricant potentials of Blighia sapida seed oil (BSSO) with those of magnesium stearate, a commercial lubricant.Methods: The dried seeds of Blighia sapida (BS) powder were macerated with n-hexane for five days to separate the oil. The physicochemical properties; solubility profile, acid value, saponification value, iodine value of the oil were determined using standard methods. Batches of ascorbic acid tablets compressed at same compression settings using different concentrations of BSSO as lubricant were evaluated for their friability, weight uniformity, tablet hardness, disintegration and dissolution.Results: BSSO had a density of 0.9 g/ml, acid value of 2.65 ± 0.20 mg KOH/g, saponification value of 141.65 ± 0.75 mg KOH/g, iodine value of 62.50 ±3.71 mg I2/g among other parameters. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis (FAME) revealed 96.89 % of monounsaturated fatty acids and esters in the range of C15-C23; a C23 compound, 22-tricosenoic acid was the dominant compound (46.82 %). The oil showed excellent lubrication properties in ascorbic acid tablets at a low  concentration (0.5 %), similar to 2 % magnesium stearate. However, higher  concentration (5 %) of BSSO resulted in granules that could not be compressed into tablets. Tablets containing BSSO demonstrated satisfactory friability, weight uniformity, hardness, disintegration and dissolution characteristics.Conclusion: Blighia sapida seed oil is a potentially useful low-cost tablet lubricant. However, further investigations on the excipient, including stability, toxicity, etc, are required to ascertain its suitability.Keywords: Blighia sapida, Lubricants, Seed oil, Excipients, Ascorbic acid, Tablet properties, 22- Tricosenoic aci