Preparation of activated carbon from tamarind seeds and Methylene blue (MB) removal

In this study, thedye treatment which is methylene blue (MB)  as water pollutants was ascertained with the activated carbon that prepared from the tamarind seed(Tamarindusindica). The conditions used to prepare activated carbon, (TSC) were activated using phosphoric acid as an activating agent at temperature 500 oC for four hours. These conditions may be attributed to enhance the surface area and pores development of TSC. Single point BET surface area (SBET) analysis gave the surface area of TSC was and FESEM analysis showed that the pores development and formation were mostly in circle and oval pattern. The best conditions for TSC sample to adsorb MB effectively were at 50 mL of MB with concentration 120 ppm at temperature, 323 K by using 0.04 g of TSC. The maximum adsorption capacity for MB dye solution was 102.77 mg g-1Keywords: Tamarind seed; dyes; methylene blue; adsorption; phosphoric acid

Urban growth assessment and its impact on deforestation in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Urban areas are rapidly expanding due to population growth and development, leading to deforestation and land degradation. This study employed remote sensing and GIS techniques to assess urban growth and its impact on deforestation in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria within the last three decades (1986-2016). The study made use of Land sat images of four epochs; Thematic Mapper (TM) of 1986 and 1996, Enhanced Thematic Mapper of 2006, and Operational Land Imager (OLI) of 2016. Color compositions were made after which the images were geometrically and radio metrically restituted. The images were classified using maximum likelihood algorithm and the accuracy of the classification was assessed by cross-validation using confusion matrices and ground truthing by the use of a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS). The classified images with their kappa indexes were TM of 1986 (0.83%) and 1996 (0.87%), ETM+ of 2006 (0.90%) and OLI of 2016 (0.92%), respectively. Post-classification comparisons and analyses were performed and the results revealed that changes have taken place in bare surface (+32.43%), built-up area (+565.24%), farm land (+66.42%), forest (-91.80%) and rock outcrop (-49.21%) in the metropolis between 1986 and 2016. The land cover features of the metropolis were reclassified into forest and non-forest for cross-tabulation analysis and the result of the analysis indicates a change-over of 14965.97Ha (39.68%) form forest to non-forest (deforestation) and that of 467.69Ha (1.24%) form non-forest to forest (afforestation) between 1986 and 2016. This shows a rapid increase in built-up area (urban growth) and rapid decrease in forest (deforestation), which may be attributed to lack of improper environmental protection strategy in place in the metropolis. The study demonstrates the potentialities of remote sensing and GIS in assessing urban growth and its impacts on deforestation. The outcome of the study can serve as input into a relationship model for predicting the impact of urban growth on deforestation

Body fat and risk of cardiovascular diseases among the Tamil school teachers in Kuala Selangor, Selangor

This quantitative survey aims to measure the overall body fat, BMI, abdominal fat and the risk of cardiovascular diseases among 60 Tamil school teachers from Kuala Selangor District, Selangor. The subjects voluntarily participated in this study. The total body fat, Body Mass Index (BMI) and abdominal fat were measured using Omron Karada Scanner, meanwhile PACER test was used to measure cardiovascular endurance. The descriptive analysis showed, 71.67% Tamil school teachers from Kuala Selangor were found to be in the category of excessive body fat and obese. BMI levels, showed that 26.68% were overweight, 48.33% teachers were in level pre-obese till to obese stage III. Abdominal fat levels showed that 70% teachers were at risk. While only 20% of them having good cardiovascular fitness. The inferential analysis showed that there were significant differences in overall body fat and cardiovascular endurance between male and female subjects but BMI and abdominal fat levels showed no significant difference between male and female subjects. The findings indicated that most of the Tamil school teachers in Kuala Selangor District having high risk of cardiovascular diseases. They should do regular physical activity and consume balanced diet to reduce the risk of body fat and obesity which cause the cardiovascular diseases.Keywords: Obesity, abdominal fat, total body fat, cardiovascular endurance & physical activit

Gamification Can Help Consumers Reach Their Saving Goals

Individuals often have difficulty saving money because they discount the long-term benefits of saving. Thus, they prefer the immediate pleasure of spending over the delayed reward of having savings. We hypothesize that the use of gamification can increase one’s propensity to save by adding immediate psychological rewards to an otherwise unpleasant behavior such as saving. In a field study, we tested whether a gamified version of a web app to track savings enhanced participants’ likelihood to achieve their saving goal compared to a control (non-gamified) version of the same web app. In the study, participants initially set a saving goal to be achieved in four weeks. They were then randomly assigned to either the gamified or the control version of a web app on which they logged any savings toward their goal over the four-week period. Our results showed that participants in the gamified condition were more likely to achieve their saving goal than participants in the control condition

Workplace assessment of naphtha exposure in a tire manufacturing industry.

A qualitative and quantitative workplace assessment was carried out to determine naphtha exposure in a tyre manufacturing industry. A qualitative chemical health risk assessment was conducted to identify naphtha hazard at the workplace. Quantitative assessment using Portable VOC Monitor, Automatic Sampling Pump and personal air sampling pump was used to determine VOC concentrations, organic solvents, and individual air naphtha respectively. The risk rating of naphtha was estimated to be 5. The mean VOC concentration was in the range of 2.43 to 92.93 ppm. Repair area had the highest VOC concentration while the lowest was in the moulding area. Each work station had significant differences for VOC concentrations (p < 0.001). Laboratory analysis found various solvents including 2-methyl pentane, hexane, methyl cyclopentane, heptane, cyclohexane and toluene which were present in the liquid naphtha. Only xylene has been detected in the making and moulding areas with a range of 2 to 5 ppm. Meanwhile, the air naphtha concentrations of the exposed workers were significantly higher than those unexposed. The risk of naphtha exposure was qualitatively significant and not adequately controlled. Naphtha was detected in all work stations since it is the main solvent used. The “Repair Area” was significantly more contaminated than the other area

Neither predator nor prey:What trafficking discourses miss about masculinities, mobility and work

Within trafficking discourses, men appear as predatory and exploitative, while boys appear as victims. This flattens the complexities of social life and obscures the ways that constructs of masculinity frame the trajectories of labour migrants and their brokers. This article challenges those discourses, drawing on research with two groups of labour migrants characterized as ‘victims of trafficking’, as well as with ‘traffickers’ who help them to move and work. The first are adolescents moving from Benin to the gravel quarries of Abeokuta, Nigeria. The second are adults from across West Africa who have made the illegal journey to Italy, where they live in ‘ghettos’ and work as gang labourers on harvests. In each case, migrants and their brokers come from the same or similar communities; (shared) ideals of masculinity structure their mobility and labour. Gendered transitions towards adulthood, the pressure to attain riches and status and a duty of responsibility to those younger and less successful are important. A focus on their masculinities takes us beyond ‘victim-perpetrator’ dyads.</p

Effects of feedback control on chaotic convection in fluid-saturated porous media

Thermal convective instability in a fluid-saturated porous layer heated from below and cooled from above is investigated theoretically using dynamical systems approach. A feedback control strategy with an array of sensors situated at the top plate of the fluid layer is adopted. The Galerkin truncated approx�imation is employed to derive a low dimensional Lorenz-like model. It is shown that suppression or enhancement of chaotic convection is possible via feedback control

Effect of Interphase Region and Neighboring Particles on Electric Field Intensity within Nanocomposite Systems

Recent works show that the presence of the interphase surrounding nanoparticles can improve the dielectric properties of nanocomposites. Also, neighboring particles in the nanocomposites affect the electric field distribution. Therefore, the objective of this paper to model and analyze the effect of onedimensional (1D) nanofillers towards the electric field distribution when the interphase and neighboring are taken into account inside the nanocomposite system. By using Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM) 4.2 software, a model of nanocomposites system consists of polymer matrix, nanoparticle filler with interphase and neighboring particles is modeled under the electrostatic problem module. Electric field intensity is observed with different distance between adjacent nanoparticles and interphase region permittivity values. The result obtained show that the presence of the interphase with various permittivity value will result in distorted electric field intensity surrounding a nanoparticle. Furthermore, the electric field intensity also affected when adjacent nanoparticles displaced between each other within nanocomposites

CD19 Deficient B Cell Abnormality and Selective IgM Deficiency in a Malay Child. A Case Report.

Cases of CD 19 deficiency from South East Asia has rarely been reported. A, 1l yr Malay boy was referred with recurrent infections with 2 episodes of'chickenpox at age 2 years. He had repeated episodes of pneumoniae and bronchiectasis by age 6 years. Physical examination revealed gross clubbing with crepitations at both lung bases. IV lg administration was instituted with clinical improvementlaboratory data: Serum Ig (g/l )IgG 8.37[n 4.95- 16.56 ], IgA 0.92[n 0.30-2.35 7, lgM 0.21 [0.32-1.4}]Lymphocyte subset (age 1l) CD19 Q o , CD20 11.26% (12-22)CD3 83.64% (n 66-76) ,CD4 36.25 ( 33-41),CD8 41.55 (27- 35), CDl6+56 I1.6 %. (9-16),Specific antibody response to polysaccharide antigen was impaired ; whileNBT , lymphocyte proliferation to (PHA ) were normal, Btk protein 18% (control 87.8 %). Our finding conforms with a diagnosis of CD19 deficiency with selective IgM deficiency and partial defective Btk protein expression

Suitable satellite sensor for elephant grass above-ground biomass estimation from field spectro-radiometry data

A satellite sensor is a key instrument that remotely collects data about an object or scene. However, since different sensors have varying spatial, temporal, spectral and radiometric properties, it is very necessary for vegetation cover mapping to identify and select suitable sensor for specific purposes. This study analyses seven of the most widely used satellite sensors for vegetation mapping; and evaluate their performance on elephant grass Above-Ground Biomass (AGB) estimation