Direct assay of monosodium glutamatein multi-sourced bouillon cubes by first derivative potentiometric titration

In this study, a simple, cheap and accurate analytical method was developed for the direct assay of monosodium glutamate (MSG). First derivative potentiometric assay was adopted in the determination of MSG content in ten brands of Bouillon cubes (coded P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9 and P10) sourced from different local markets.Formic acid extract of MSG was used for the determination. The result obtained for MSG standard using this method gave 99.40% which agrees with 99.94% also obtained for the non-extracted method. Results for all the coded samples show that sample P8 (75.14%) gave the highest value of MSG content while sample P6 (55.96%) gave the lowest value. Though, the World Health Organization (WHO) requirement for MSG consumption per day is 0.12g, the values obtained in this study cannot be related to daily consumption because the amounts of bouillon cubes and consequently the amount of MSG used by consumers differ from one individual to another. However, the result obtained for the estimation of MSG in bouillons cubes can be adoptedby regulatory agencies such as National Agency for Food, Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC) and International Standard Organization (ISO).Keywords: Derivative, Extract, Potentiometric, Bouillon, Consumer

Evaluation of the OSHA Local Emphasis Program (LEP) for Logging in West Virginia

This research aimed at an improved method for evaluating the West Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration\u27s Local Emphasis Program (WV OSHA LEP) for Logging in West Virginia. The LEP currently uses for assessment: loggers\u27 training, inspections at logging sites, number of fatalities and 75% of loggers\u27 participation to determine the program\u27s effectiveness annually. The research here proposes the use of a larger data capture to evaluate the impact of the LEP on loggers\u27 safety.;A heuristic method using the Iceberg model of safety was applied to assess loggers\u27 safety based on the desired safety outcome measures outlined in the OSHA directive 2012-11(CPL 04). In this context, loggers\u27 safety is understood and better assessed when fatalities and other safety related incidents or costs such as injuries, near misses, unsafe acts and conditions, days lost or transferred from job, healthcare costs and workers\u27 compensation claims are tracked and monitored. This new predictive model identifies that minor and non-fatal incidents play a role in predicting major incidents and fatalities thus allowing the use of more appropriate safety indicators to determine the success of the program.;A quantitative research method was used to accumulate and sort data relating to loggers\u27 training, operations, inspections, fatalities, violations and loss data in West Virginia. Based on ten years of records kept by WV OSHA, West Virginia Division of Forestry (WV DOF) and West Virginia Insurance Commission (WV IC), a bi-variate regression analysis was used to determine the best fit model that predicted an association between the program\u27s inputs (independent variables X: Training and Inspections) and any combination of expected or desired safety outcomes (dependent variables Y: fatality rates, violations and medical costs) with the aid of Microsoft Excel, Minitab and SAS computer programs.;The resulting statistics and fit charts revealed that, the model of association between the rates of planned inspections and rates of medical costs of logging injuries has the best fit with correlation \u27r\u27 = -0.88, R 2(adj) =78.9% and P value =0.044 indicating significance. Other good fit models of association with the rate of inspections were rates of violations, cost of violations and rates of unplanned inspections (due to complaints and accidents). Therefore, the research suggests that the rates of medical costs of logging injuries, serious and repeat violations, cost of violations and unplanned inspections be considered as better measures of severity and unsafe acts/conditions to track the success of the LEP during its evaluation.;Based on research findings, it was concluded that though the current evaluation method helps WV OSHA to meet the guidelines of the Federal OSHA strategic goal for LEPs, it does little to measure the impact of the program on the safety of workers in the West Virginia logging industry

A geochemical appraisal of some marble physiques in Ubo area and environs, southwestern Nigeria

Twenty (20) marble samples from Ubo and environs were analyzed both geochemically and statistically with the aim of determining their industrial applicability. The samples were subjected to AAS analysis. Findings revealed a fairly high - very high values of CaO (52.98wt% - 82.18wt %) and low values of MgO (1.64wt%–6.95wt %). Other major oxide such as SiO2, FeO/Fe2O3, Na2O, K2O, Al2O3 and MnO2 had values below 2wt%. The multivariate analysis employed revealed a high correlation between CaO/Fe2O3, MgO/Al2O3 and FeO/CaO which is an indication of their fairly similar valencies and ionic values. The high lime content is connected to the shallow marine environment during deposition prior to metamorphism. The marbles are classified as the high calcite group and their industrial use range from the production of Portland cement to their use for ceramics.Keywords: Marble, Chemical-composition, Metamorphism, Correlatio

Effective University Leadership as Predictor of Academic Excellence in Southern Nigerian Universities

The University is an educational system where high level manpower is trained for socio-economic and political growth of any nation. The leadership of a University plays invaluable roles in achieving academic excellence in dissemination and acquisition of universal knowledge, values; functional, technical and scientific skills and competencies critical to global growth and development. The study therefore investigated the relationship between effective University leadership and academic excellence in Southern Nigerian Universities. The population of the study was made up of all the Vice chancellors from the seventeen federal Universities in Southern Nigeria. A random sampling technique was used to select nine (09) Universities and their Vice chancellors representing 52% of the studied population. 135 academic staff were also randomly selected from the sampled Universities as respondents. Questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data collected for the study. The analysis revealed that Vice chancellors from Southern Nigerian Universities were moderately effective in their leadership roles but the level of academic excellence in Southern Nigerian Universities was generally low. A further analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between leadership effectiveness and academic excellence in Southern Nigerian Universities. It was therefore recommended among others that highly competent, effective and transformative University administrators should be selected for Vice chancellorship position in Southern Nigerian Universities. Federal Universities in Southern Nigeria should be resourceful in generating revenue to end the seemingly unending lamentation of poor funding

Optimization Study on Carbonization of Palm Kernel Shell Using Response Surface Method

The carbonization of Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) was carried out in a constant volume reactor and the optimization of the important factors (Temperature, Particle Size, and Residence time) that affect the quality of the biochar product was investigated using Response Surface Method (RSM-CCD). The characterization results before carbonization show that PKS is a potential biomass to be considered as an alternative for fossil fuel. Center Composite Design (CCD) was employed in the carbonization process to investigate the effect of process parameters on the quality of bio-char formed. The optimized conditions obtained for fixed carbon yield were temperature of 469.16oC, the particle size of mm, the residence time of 17.68 min, and these optimized conditions gave a fixed carbon of 79.65 % with a corresponding yield of 34.00 % while the temperature was observed to be the most influential factor. The optimized conditions were validated and the predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental results, as the relative error between the predicted and experimental values for the fixed carbon and corresponding percentage yield were -1.26 and 0.36 %, respectively. The study revealed the potential of PKS at different particle sizes considered, to be used as solid fuel

Optimization Study on Carbonization of Palm Kernel Shell Using Response Surface Method

The carbonization of Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) was carried out in a constant volume reactor and the optimization of the important factors (Temperature, Particle Size, and Residence time) that affect the quality of the biochar product was investigated using Response Surface Method (RSM-CCD). The characterization results before carbonization show that PKS is a potential biomass to be considered as an alternative for fossil fuel. Center Composite Design (CCD) was employed in the carbonization process to investigate the effect of process parameters on the quality of bio-char formed. The optimized conditions obtained for fixed carbon yield were temperature of 469.16oC, the particle size of mm, the residence time of 17.68 min, and these optimized conditions gave a fixed carbon of 79.65 % with a corresponding yield of 34.00 % while the temperature was observed to be the most influential factor. The optimized conditions were validated and the predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental results, as the relative error between the predicted and experimental values for the fixed carbon and corresponding percentage yield were -1.26 and 0.36 %, respectively. The study revealed the potential of PKS at different particle sizes considered, to be used as solid fuel

Fertility Behaviour and Women's Empowerment in Oyo State

This paper examines the relationship between women’s empowerment and fertility behaviour in Ibadan Metropolis.  Data for this paper was collected using systematic random sampling technique; the respondents were women aged 15-49years.  The data included descriptive information on the characteristics of husbands and wives.  Ordinal and Logistic regression were used as statistical tools.  The paper found that women’s empowerment affects their fertility. Fifty-one per cent of the respondents are not using any family planning method, while majority of them have formal education of at least primary school education.  It was also found that the discussion of the number of children to have significantly affects women’s fertility.  From the findings, encouraging both sexes to have more education will be important and necessary to increase the chances of women’s empowerment.  Furthermore, encouraging women to make use of family planning methods will be important and necessary to reduce women’s fertility. Keywords: Fertility, Empowerment, Family Planning, Reproductive rights, Autonom

Social Contract: The Case of Maternal Health in Nigeria 1999 – 2008

The state of maternal and child health is both an indicator of a society’s level of development and the performance of the health care delivery system.  Many complications and subsequent poor outcomes for women are lessened by providing good quality care, including early detection of problems and appropriate and timely interventions.  The paper used three rounds of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data in comparing women’s access and utilization of antenatal, delivery and postnatal care.  The trend was examined in the light of the urgency of attaining the MDGs.  The results show a worsening situation for safe motherhood. The social contract need be strengthened by the state intensifying its policies and programmes towards ensuring that the health and welfare of all persons are safeguarded and not endangered or abused; there are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons. Keywords: Social Contract, Maternal Health, Antenatal, Contraceptives, Postnata

Development and Quality Analysis of a Direct Solar Dryer for Fish

The study investigates drying characteristics of common species of fish in the tropics, catfish (Clarias gariepinus ) and tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus ) using a direct solar dryer. The drying process was carried out during the dry and wet season under natural (0 m/s) and forced convective drying (1.5 m/s, 2.5 m/s, 3.5 m/s fan speed). Results obtained showed that the drying air attained by the dryer was satisfactory and the maximum temperature difference between the dryer and the ambient temperatures was 35˚C. The moisture content of the dried samples was 13.97% for catfish and 13.35% for tilapia fish during dry season and during the wet season it was 15.68% for catfish and 14.9% for tilapia fish while for the open sun dried samples it was 21.7% for catfish and 17.0% for tilapia fish. Maximum drying efficiency of 74.3% was recorded for the dryer during dry season and the dried samples at 3.5 m/s fan speed were better in drying rates. The proximate compositions of the fish before and after drying were determined. There was significant difference in proximate composition before and after drying (P < 0.05) and no significant difference in proximate composition at fan speeds considered for both fish species (P < 0.05)

Geochemical Approach and Industrial Utilization of Some Marble Bodies from Ubo River Area and Environs, Southwestern Nigeria

Marble bodies occur in Ubo River Area as lenses of rocks. Seven (07) marble samples were obtained, analyzed and subjected to X-Ray Flourescence (XRF) analysis to determine both the major and trace elemental composition of the samples. The analysis revealed high CaO values (52.23-58.10 wt. %) and moderate values for SiO2 (7.50-10.43wt. %), fairly low values for Al2O3 (2.30 – 4.21 wt. %), Fe2O3 (2.62 – 5.15 wt. %), MgO (0.42 – 0.7 wt. %), MnO (0.01 – 0.06 wt. %), K2O (0.32 – 1.55 wt. %) and Na2O (0.01 – 0.03 wt. %), respectively. Variation plots involving Na2O/Al2O3 vs K2O/Al2O3 reveal sedimentary progenitors for the rocks. The fairly high SiO2 and low K2O content is an indication of the environment of deposition and may have been in a shallow marine environment with fair input of classic sediments into the system. The relatively high CaO content, moderate SiO2content and fairly low Al2O3 and Fe2O3 values indicates a fair degree of purity of the parent rock, hence its suitability as a raw material in the industrial sector. Keywords: Clastic, Deposition, Environment, Progenitor, Marble, Chemica