Geoelectrical Subsurface Characterization for Foundation Purposes in the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) Campus, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Southeastern Nigeria

The study area is underlain by shales and volcanoclastics with subordinate lenses of sandstones and sandy limestone (Abakaliki Formation) of the Albian Asu River Group, southeastern Nigeria. Geophysical investigation was carried out at the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) Campus, Ebonyi State University (EBSU) to determine the structural competence of the subsurface geological strata for building construction and other foundation purposes, using vertical electrical sounding (VES) survey technique of the electrical resistivity method. From the result of the survey, two major zones have been established within the study area for building construction purposes. Zone A comprises of areas around the catholic church building, EBSU primary school up to the school of post graduate studies, while zone B  is made up of areas around the EBSU secondary school, proposed student centre up to the main entrance gate which led to the Ogoja road. Zone A has been recommended for bungalows and other forms of low rising buildings, while zone B has been recommended for storey buildings and other heavy engineering structures. Overburden thickness for the two zones ranges from 1.3 m to 2.7 m, and 0.6 m to 2.7 m for zones A and B respectively. The cracks on walls of the buildings within the campus have been attributed to either the inability of the engineers to dig the foundation to the required depth or the construction of heavier structures on very weak subsurface layers which triggered off movement. Keywords: Geoelectrical, Characterization, Foundation, Ebonyi State University, Nigeria

Geochemistry and Petrographic Analysis of Sandstone Facies of Eze-Aku Formation in Amasiri Area, Lower Benue through Nigeria: Implications for Provenance and Tectonic Setting.

This study was undertaken to determine the provenance and tectonic setting for the sandstones of Eze-Aku Formation in Amasiri area through evaluation and re-appraisal of the petrography and geochemistry of sandstones. Local stratigraphy and field relationship show that the lithologic succession consists of thick sequence of shale alternating with sandstone ridges trending NE-SW direction. Two units were delineated namely: Unit I which is composed of calcareous/ siliceous sandstone and dark grey shale, and Unit II which consists of friable and slightly consolidated pebbly sandstone belonging to Turonian sediments. Analysis and interpretation of the sedimentary structures, mostly cross-beds and structures of quartz grains indicates that the sandstones were derived primarily from granitic Basement complex rocks from the Oban Massif in a humid paleoclimate. Petrographic analysis show that the sandstones essentially contain quartz, feldspar and few rock fragment and are classified as subarkosic sandstone using calculated framework grains. The application of Q-F-RF diagram, suggest plutonic igneous and metamorphic rocks, from the Craton interior, recycled Orogen and transitional continental field as the provenance for the sandstones. The geochemistry of the major element oxides (SiO2, Fe2O3, Na2O, Al2O3, K2O, MgO, MnO, TiO2 and SO3) suggests the Active Continental Margin as the tectonic setting of the area. Keywords: Amasiri area, Benue Trough, sandstones, geochemistry, petrograph

Diffusion Characteristics of Toluene into Natural Rubber/Linear Low Density Polyethylene Blends

The sorption and diffusion of toluene through blends of natural rubber (NR) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) of varying compositions were studied at 35, 55, and 65°C by conventional weight-gain experiments. The effects of blend ratio on the diffusion, sorption, and permeation coefficients were determined. The sorption data were used to estimate the activation energies of diffusion and permeation, parameters which were found to show a decrease when the amount of NR or LLDPE was increased. The transport of toluene through most of the blends was anomalous, althouh at 35°C, the transport of toluene through the 60/40 blend was Fickian and at 35°C, pseudo-Fickian. The enthalpy of sorption of toluene obtained is positive and suggests a Henry's type sorption

Keeping up with changing technologies: The nexus between architecture and engineering

Advancements in technology are fundamentally transforming architectural and engineering domains within the building and construction sector. This study investigates the intersection of both fields in assimilating emerging innovations by eliciting empirical perspectives from practitioners. Embracing a quantitative approach, a survey was conducted among 203 architects and 392 engineers within Enugu metropolis, Nigeria using proportionate random sampling. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, revealing insights into awareness, perception, and collaboration concerning emerging technologies. Findings revealed high awareness but uneven adoption of building information modeling tools, with 97.3% of architects employing them versus only 25.4% of engineers. Although virtual reality and cloud-based platforms showed promise for enhancing project coordination, actual usage lagged significantly, likely owing to systemic and attitudinal barriers. However, respondents strongly endorsed tighter, technologically unified partnerships to smooth industry transformation, necessitating digital literacy interventions, supportive policy and binding protocols bridging persistent digital divides stalling seamless innovation diffusion along construction value chains

Immunological insights into COVID-19 in Southern Nigeria

Introduction: One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic was the relatively low levels of morbidity and mortality in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, accounted for less than 0.01% of the global COVID-19 fatalities. The factors responsible for Nigeria's relatively low loss of life due to COVID-19 are unknown. Also, the correlates of protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and the impact of pre-existing immunity on the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa are yet to be elucidated. Here, we evaluated the natural and vaccine-induced immune responses from vaccinated, non-vaccinated and convalescent individuals in Southern Nigeria throughout the three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. We also examined the pre-existing immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 from samples collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used spike RBD and N- IgG antibody ELISA to measure binding antibody responses, SARS-CoV-2 pseudotype assay protocol expressing the spike protein of different variants (D614G, Delta, Beta, Omicron BA1) to measure neutralizing antibody responses and nucleoprotein (N) and spike (S1, S2) direct ex vivo interferon gamma (IFNγ) T cell ELISpot to measure T cell responses. Result: Our study demonstrated a similar magnitude of both binding (N-IgG (74% and 62%), S-RBD IgG (70% and 53%) and neutralizing (D614G (49% and 29%), Delta (56% and 47%), Beta (48% and 24%), Omicron BA1 (41% and 21%)) antibody responses from symptomatic and asymptomatic survivors in Nigeria. A similar magnitude was also seen among vaccinated participants. Interestingly, we revealed the presence of preexisting binding antibodies (N-IgG (60%) and S-RBD IgG (44%)) but no neutralizing antibodies from samples collected prior to the pandemic. Discussion: These findings revealed that both vaccinated, non-vaccinated and convalescent individuals in Southern Nigeria make similar magnitude of both binding and cross-reactive neutralizing antibody responses. It supported the presence of preexisting binding antibody responses among some Nigerians prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, hybrid immunity and heterologous vaccine boosting induced the strongest binding and broadly neutralizing antibody responses compared to vaccine or infection-acquired immunity alone

Impacts of macro-economic and goverment policies on Nigeria's agricultural sector

This study examined the impacts of macro-economic and government expenditure policies on Nigeria's agriculture sector for the period, 1983-1996. Time-series data were used for the study. The period of review constituted the sample size. Data were collected on aggregate agricultural output, past real government expenditures on agriculture, economically active population in agriculture, area under agricultural activities, labour productivity in agriculture, and weather indices. Data were analyzed by applying the ordinary least squares multiple regression analysis technique to an agricultural output function. The result of the analysis showed that the intercept term, the coefficients of capital, rainfall and trend variable are statistically significant at 1% level, while the coefficient for area of land is statistically significant at 5% level. Aggregate agricultural output was found to be directly related to labour, capital and weather index and inversely related to area of land. The estimated policy impact elasticity indicates that public expenditures on agriculture during the period 1983-1996 have impacted positively on agricultural production in the country.Keywords: Macroeconomic, government policies, agricultural sectorJournal of Agriculture, Forestry and the Social Sciences Vol 3(1) 2005: 97-10

Effect of Soil Burial on Tensile Properties of Polypropylene/Plasticized Cassava Starch Blends

Polypropylene (PP)/plasticized cassava starch (PCS) blended with and without compatibilizer (polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA)) via melt blending were prepared for soil burial which lasted for 90 days. Plasticized starch loadings of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt.% were used, while pp-g-ma was used at 10 wt.% based on starch weight. The PP/PCS and PP/PCS/PP-G-MA blends were evaluated for their tensile properties. It was observed that the tensile strength, elongation at break, and young’s modulus decreased with increases in soil burial time as well as starch content for PP/PCS blends. Similar treads for the tensile properties were observed for PP/PCS/PP-g-MA, but with higher properties as compared to uncompatibilized blends. However, the tensile properties for both PP/PCS and PP/PCS/PP-g-Ma decrease with increases in starch loading and also as the burial period progressed

Attitude to and cultural determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among childbearing mothers in Nsukka urban area of Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding has been found to be effective in reducing infant mortality and morbidity in the contemporary world. This study explored attitude and cultural determinants of EBF among childbearing mothers in Nsukka urban.Data Source and Method: Data from 592 childbearing mothers were collected and analyzed using questionnaire, (SPSS), Chi-square and multiple linear regression.Results: Attitude such as infant’s inability to eat other food after EBF and that male infant should not be exclusively breastfed as well as cultural determinants such as the use of coconut water to loosen intestine and after-birth care were significant with EBF practice. The infant’s inability to eat other food after EBF and after-birth care were predictors of EBF on binary logistic regression.Conclusion: Findings suggest the need for government, healthcare and social workers to raise awareness on the risks of complementary feeding and the importance of EBF for the reduction of infant mortality and the achievement of related sustainable goals.

Predictors of Loneliness among Older Adults in South-Eastern Nigeria : Implications for Social Workers

Old-age loneliness is a crucial public health issue with mortality consequences as well as other negative health conditions and lifestyles including depression, substance abuse, sedentary lifestyles, and suicide ideation. This study investigated the predictors of loneliness among older adults in Nigeria’s southeast in order to articulate some interventions that will plummet the issue. A structured questionnaire (N = 516), in-depth interviews (N = 8), and focus group discussion (N = 16) were used to collect data from respondents aged 60 years or older. The quantitative data sets were subjected to chi-square and binary regression analysis, while a thematic analysis was adopted for the qualitative data. The study’s findings show that some demographic factors such as the number of children (p<.002), health status (p<.023), and social support (p<.014), among others, were statistically significant in predicting loneliness among older adults. The study, therefore, recommends the consideration of community-based services to enable elderly adults to buffer the experience of loneliness. Social workers should also influence the various organs responsible for social policies to formulate and promote policies that address the well-being of older adults