Occurrence and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons in soils within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt plants in Obigbo and Igwuruta Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria

This study investigated the occurrence and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) in soils within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants. Soil samples were collected from two HMA plants and analysed with gas chromatography - flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Sample collection was from both surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) soils at an increasing distance of 10 m from the HMA plants while the control samples at both depths were collected at 1 km away from the plants. The AHCs concentration (nC9-nC38) in soils from both HMA Plants ranged from 8.16 - 433.04 mg/kg and 5.91-177.83 mg/kg for surface and  subsurface soils respectively while the concentration in the control samples ranged from 5.97 - 23.95 mg/kg and 2.52 - 13.31 for surface and subsurface soil respectively. The sources of the AHCs were determined using isoprenoid ratios, carbon preference index (CPI) and maximum carbon chain (Cmax). The isoprenoid ratios and CPI values of the samples closer (< 20 m) to the HMA plants were < 1 and < 2 respectively indicating anthropogenic inputs. Samples > 20 m from the HMA plants showed mixture of both anthropogenic and biogenic sources.Keywords: Asphalt Plants; Soil; Aliphatic hydrocarbons; Pristane; Phytane

Studies on the Mechanical and Sorption Properties of Anacardium Occidentale L. Exudate and Polypropylene Blends

This research work employed the use of purified cashew gum (PCG) as a blender for polypropylene (PP). The blended samples were subjected to tensile, hardness, impact and sorption tests. There was a general decrease in tensile strength and percentage elongation with increasing PCG composition. An improvement in Young's Modulus was recorded at PCG concentration of 10%. Also, the hardness properties of the samples increased to a maximum value of 61 HRF corresponding to PCG concentration of 40%. A general decrease in impact strength with increasing PCG concentration was observed. Sorption test results indicate that blended samples with PCG compositions in the range of 50% and above gave very high values of degree of swelling (DS). Thus blended samples in this composition range are more prone to hydrolytic degradation as a result of swelling behaviour in aqueous media.  The blending of PP with PCG has resulted in lowering the production cost of the blended samples. It also induced biodegradation in these plastics thus serving as a means of controlling environmental pollution. Keywords: Purified Cashew Gum, Polypropylene, Blended sample

Microplastics in silver catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) from new Calabar River in Niger Delta, Nigeria

This study investigated the ingestion of microplastics by silver catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) from New Calabar River in Niger Delta, Nigeria. Microplastics from the guts of 45 fish were examined with microscope after dissolution with potassium hydroxide. Microplastics, mostly fragments were found in about 56% of the samples at an average of 3.87±5.97 particles per fish. This study highlights the consequences of plastic pollution in freshwater environment and the potential risk to aquatic and human life. This also shows a potential threat to public health and therefore needs attention from health and environmental policy makers

Clinicopathological analysis of histological variants of ameloblastoma in a suburban Nigerian population

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to establish the relative incidence and provide clinico-pathologic information on the various histological types of ameloblastoma seen at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital complex, Ile-Ife in order to provide a baseline data which will be of significance to the pathologist and clinician. METHODS: Clinico-pathologic data on a total of 77 histologically diagnosed cases of ameloblastoma archieved at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife over a 15 year period were obtained and analysed descriptively. RESULTS: Follicular ameloblastoma was the most common histological type (50 cases, 64.9%), followed by plexiform ameloblastoma (10 cases, 13.0%). 4 (5.2%) cases of desmoplastic and 3 (3.9%) cases of acanthomatous ameloblastoma were seen while the basal cell variant accounted for 2 (2.6%) cases. Only 1 case of the unicystic type was seen. Some of the 77 cases presented as a mixture of two or more histological types. Ameloblastoma occurred over an age range of 11 to 70 years with a peak age incidence in the 3(rd )decade. CONCLUSION: This study provides a baseline data on variants of ameloblastoma as obtained in a suburban Nigerian population. Since variants of ameloblastoma differ in biologic behaviour, the data collected in this study provides clinicopathologic information which is of significance to the pathologist and clinician

Rapid and safe ASAP acquisition with EXACT NMR

EXACT acquisition allows the fast and safer acquisition of ASAP 2D NMR experiments in just a few seconds.</p

Physicochemical Assessment of Ground Water Quality from Borehole and Hand Dug Wells around Obajana Community, Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

The groundwater qualities of Obajana in Kogi State were determined. The study consisted of the determination of some heavy metals and physicochemical properties of drinking water samples. The samples were analyzed for the following parameters iron, copper, manganese, zinc, lead,using AAS Varian AA240FS. Nitrates, sulphate, phosphate, colour, dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), temperature, turbidity, total hardness and total alkalinity using standard method. The data showed the variation of the investigated parameters in samples as follows: temperature 26-30oC,&nbsp; pH 5.53-7.89, electrical conductivity (EC) 6.210-339.670 μS/cm, total hardness 50.00- 424.20 mg/l, alkalinity 1.10-145.67mg/l, turbidity 0.00-34 FTU, colour 5-15TCU, phosphate 0.02-0.760 mg/l, nitrate 10.24-48.20mg/l, sulphate&nbsp; 24.70-222.13mg/l, dissolved oxygen 0.2-1.8 mg/l,&nbsp; BOD 0.2-1.0mg/l, COD 1.1-3.2mg/l, Cu 0.00.1-0.10mg/l , Fe 0.01-0.060mg/l, Zn 0.029-5.046mg/l, Mn&nbsp; 0.0-0.44mg/l and Pb 0.0348-1.046mg/l. The concentrations of some of the investigated parameters in the drinking water samples from the research region were above the permissible limits of the World Health Organization standard for drinking water quality guidelines. lead was found to exceed 0.01mg/l which is the WHO maximum limit, also zinc and manganese were found to exceed the WHO maximum limit of 3.0mg/l and 0.1mg/l

Effects of deposition time and post-deposition annealing on the physical and chemical properties of electrodeposited CdS thin films for solar cell application

CdS thin films were cathodically electrodeposited by means of a two-electrode deposition system for different durations. The films were characterised for their structural, optical, morphological and compositional properties using x-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) respectively. The results obtained show that the physical and chemical properties of these films are significantly influenced by the deposition time and post-deposition annealing. This influence manifests more in the as-deposited materials than in the annealed ones. XRD results show that the crystallite sizes of the different films are in the range (9.4 – 65.8) nm and (16.4 – 66.0) nm in the as-deposited and annealed forms respectively. Optical measurements show that the absorption coefficients are in the range (2.7×104 – 6.7×104) cm-1 and (4.3×104 – 7.2×104) cm-1 respectively for as-deposited and annealed films. The refractive index is in the range (2.40 – 2.60) for as-deposited films and come to the value of 2.37 after annealing. The extinction coefficient varies in the range (0.1 – 0.3) in asdeposited films and becomes 0.1 in annealed films. The estimated energy bandgap of the films is in the range (2.48 – 2.50) eV for as-deposited films and becomes 2.42 eV for all annealed films. EDX results show that all the films are S-rich in chemical composition with fairly uniform Cd/S ratio after annealing. The results show that annealing improves the qualities of the films and deposition time can be used to control the film thickness. Keywords: Electrodeposition; two-electrode system; CdS; annealing; deposition time; thin-film

Blinding for precision scattering experiments: The MUSE approach as a case study

Human bias is capable of changing the analysis of measured data sufficiently to alter the results of an experiment. It is incumbent upon modern experiments, especially those investigating quantities considered contentious in the broader community, to blind their analysis in an effort to minimize bias. The choice of a blinding model is experiment specific, but should also aim to prevent accidental release of results before an analysis is finalized. In this paper, we discuss common threats to an unbiased analysis, as well as common quantities that can be blinded in different types of nuclear physics experiments. We use the Muon Scattering Experiment as an example, and detail the blinding scheme used therein.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure