ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF MODAL SOIL IN RELATION TO POND CONSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGERIA

A study was carried out for five weeks to examine physical and chemical parameters of modal soil in selected areas in relation to pond setting and productivity in Lagos State, Nigeria. Physical (water temperature, soil permeability, bulk density and textural) and chemical parameters (pH, nitrogen and phosphorus) were determined according to standard. Results showed that the soil of the study area belongs to four different textural classes: sandy, sandy clay, clay loam and sandy clay loam. The sandy clay was dominant with 38 % proportion, sandy (28 %), sandy loam (28 %) and sandy clay loam was least with 6 % proportion of the prevalent soil textural class in the study area. Soil permeability (6.2 – 24.9 mm/hr) exceeded the permissible value 4mm/hr, Soil bulk density and pH (1.20 – 1.57g/cm3) and (5.3 – 7.3) were within acceptable limits of 1,4g/cm3 and 7.5 respectively. Nitrogen (20.20 – 29.30 ppm) and phosphorus (1.93 – 6.57 ppm) contents for different soil locations were less than the recommended values of 50.0 and 9.0ppm respectively. These results revealed that the soil locations were not suitable for pond construction and productivity. Pond to be built in these areas requires special techniques such as building of clay core, puddle and compaction and application of lime and fertilizer

OPTIMIZATION OF CHAR IN THE PYROLYSIS OF PALM KERNEL SHELL USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Palm oil production yields a considerable quantity of palm kernel shell (PKS). This is locally burnt as fuel for domestic cooking as well as in blacksmith and goldsmith operations. Medium-grade fuel such as char can be derived from PKS through pyrolysis. The optimization of the char yield was investigated using a central composite design of the response surface methodology in a batch reactor. A three -factor three-level design comprising the reaction temperature and provenance were taken as quantitative variables, while varieties a qualitative variable and yield was taken as the response. This study optimized char yield from palm kernel shell (PKS)through pyrolysis. Increasing reaction temperature generally decreased char yields. Variety type, reaction temperature, and provenance all significantly (p < 0.05) affected char yields for both Dura and Tenera varieties studied. The char yield obtained from Tenera variety was greater than Dura variety.  The optimized temperature for both Tenera and Dura varieties was 400oC with yield of 46.85 and 42.68 % respectively, while Odeda provenance representing derived savannah provenance was the best location producing the optimal yield

a-Amylase inhibition, anti-glycation property and characterization of the binding interaction of citric acid with a-amylase using multiple spectroscopic, kinetics and molecular docking approaches

The quest to suppress complications associated with diabetes mellitus is ever increasing, while food additives and preservatives are currently being considered to play additional roles besides their uses in food enhancement and preservation. In the present study, the protective prowess of a common food preservative (citric acid, CA) against advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation and its binding interaction mechanism with a-amylase (AMY), an enzyme linked with hyperglycemia management, were examined. Enzyme inhibition kinetics, intrinsic fluorescence, synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectroscopies, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermodynamics, and molecular docking analyses were employed. Results obtained showed that citric acid decreased a-amylase activity via mixed inhibition (IC50 = 5.01 ± 0.87 mM, Kic = 2.42 mM, Kiu = 160.34 mM) and suppressed AGEs formation (IC50 = 0.795 ± 0.001 mM). The intrinsic fluorescence of free a-amylase was quenched via static mechanism with high bimolecular quenching constant (Kq) and binding constant (Ka) values. Analysis of thermodynamic properties revealed that AMY-CA complex was spontaneously formed (DG DH), with involvement of electrostatic forces. UV–Vis, FT-IR and 3D fluorescence spectroscopies affirmed alterations in aamylase native conformation due to CA binding interaction. CA interacted with His-101, Asp-197, His- 299, and Glu-233 within AMY active site. Our findings indicated that CA could impair formation of AGEs and interact with a-amylase to slow down starch hydrolysis; vital properties in management of type 2 diabetes complications

Professional development in teaching and learning for early career academic geographers: Contexts, practices and tensions

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Geography in Higher Education on 16th May 2011, available online: doi: 10.1080/03098265.2011.563380This paper provides a review of the practices and tensions informing approaches to professional development for early career academic geographers who are teaching in higher education. We offer examples from Britain, Canada, Nigeria and the USA. The tensions include: institutional and departmental cultures; models that offer generic and discipline-specific approaches; the credibility of alternative settings for professional development in teaching and learning; the valuing of professional development and of teaching in academic systems of reward and recognition; and the challenges of balancing professional and personal life. We summarize concepts of good practice and suggest opportunities for future research

The effects of pre-treatments, wood-cement ratios and partial cement substitution by gypsum on Prosopis chilensis wood composites

The aim of this work was to study the effects of pre-treatments, wood-cement ratios and partial cement substitution by gypsum on Prosopis chilensis wood composites. Using ASTM D1037-7, the study reveals that the mechanical properties of the composites are improved by the addition of gypsum treatment, and the lower substitution percentages (10, 20 %) are found to improve the compressive strength. Increasing the substitution percentages by more than 20 % causes a reduction in the density of the aggregates, which negatively affects the compressive strength of the cement composites