AN EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIATIONS IN PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND PAYMENT OF PROPERTY TAX IN IBADAN NORTH-EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NIGERIA

The provision of Infrastructural facilities is the reponsibilty of any governemnt within any jurisdiction. The use of property tax to finance the provisions of infrastructure has been globally accepted. However, the problem is that where there is no known form of property taxation to apply, residents cannot determine the benefit derivable from the infrastructure provided. The research methodology therefore adopted System random sampling in  Ibadan North East Local Government to examine the 0.0035% of the resident population. Thus the occupier of the residential property within location formed the sample frame. The result presented in Tabular form indicated that while  about 58.6% of the population  reside in areas with low infrastructure , the existing form of property taxation has created social injustice  since similar amount is being paid across the locations inrespective of the level of infrastructure provided. The use of Improvement of land was therefore recommended as the basis for determining property tax.Keywords:  Property tax, Local Government, taxation, Infrastructure, System random sampling

Lithofacies and Pebble Morphogenesis: Keys to Paleoenvironmental Interpretation of the Nkporo Formation, Afikpo Sub-Basin, Nigeria

The Nkporo Formation in the Afikpo Subbasin, Nigeria, is dominantly shaly but contains two sandstone members within it. These sandstones host vein quartz pebble beds and dispersed clasts which have been used for pebble morphometric analysis. As independent functions and dependent variables, pebble morphometric indices of Coefficient of Flatness, Elongation Ratio, Maximum Projection Sphericity, Oblate-Prolate Index, Roundness and Form suggest deposition of the sandstones in fluvio-deltaic to littoral settings. Lithofacies analysis identified six lithofacies, grouped into estuarine delta and marine offshore lithofacies associations. These include trough cross-bedded sandstone, ophiomorpha burrowed, wave/rippled and planar cross-bedded lithofacies, Inclined heterolithic lithofacies, fine grained, silty sandstone, lignite/coals, shales/mudstone, interbedded with limestones and oolitic ironstones lithofacies. The estuarine lithofacies association shows a tripartite subdivision into meandering estuarine and tidal point bars overlain by estuary funnel tidal creek sandstones, carbonaceous beds; and estuary mouth tidal and barriers bars and shallow marine shales in a drowned incised valley. The fining upwards lithofacies pattern suggests deepening and transgression of the sea in a tidal estuarine setting. Keywords: Lithofacies, Lithofacies association, Pebble morphogenesis, Paleoenvironments, Tidal estuar

Choice of Behaviour Management Techniques amongst Primary School Teachers: Implications for Counselling and Teacher Preparation

The study investigated the choice of behaviour management techniques amongst primary school teachers. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study.  A structured questionnaire was developed and used to elicit information from 163 primary school teachers in the Obollo-Afor Education zone of Enugu State.  Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions.  t-test  statistics was used to test the first hypothesis while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the second and third hypotheses. Findings of the study revealed the behaviour management techniques used by practicing teachers in the zone and showed that there is a significant difference in the teacher’s choice of these techniques due to teachers gender, educational qualification and age. Based on the findings, recommendations, conclusions and counselling implications were highlighted. Key words: Behaviour, Management, Techniques, Teachers, Primary School, Counsellin

Soil Erosion: A Review of Models and Applications

Soil erosion is a global environmental problem influenced by both natural and human factors. Modeling provides a quantitative and consistent approach to estimate soil erosion and sediment yield under a wide range of conditions, and is needed to guide the comprehensive control of soil erosion. Over the years various soil erosion models have been developed. The application of these models is dependent on the soil type and climate of the given area because models differ in complexity and input requirements. This paper reviews various soil erosion models and their applications, focusing more on the most widely applied models which are: Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). The method used for this research is a review of academic articles, bulletins, conference papers, textbooks, research reports and publicly available materials on soil erosion models and their applications. The results of this study revealed that most soil erosion models have been developed for the assessment of rill and interill erosion at plot or catchment scale on agricultural lands and watersheds in terms of estimating mostly soil loss, sediment yield, erodibility (K) values, rainfall factor (R) factors, runoff rates and forecasts of likely impacts. Again, the study indicated that most previous authors on soil erosion assessment used the empirical models due to their limited data and parameter inputs. Recommendations of this study include: (1) expansion of the USLE and RUSLE models for the simulation of gully erosion and sediment processes; (2) researchers should be encouraged through grants to develop empirical models (that make use of limited data) based on rainfall (R) factor and erodibility (K) factor that provide two opposing forces in soil erosion processes; and (3) management of soil erosion based on the indigenous knowledge of the affected people and land holders

Tide-generated Sedimentary Structures, Lithofacies and Particle Size Distribution: Proxies to the depositional setting of the Ajali Sandstone in the Anambra Basin, Southeastern Nigeria.

Herringbone cross stratification, mud draped foresets, reactivation surfaces, tidal bundles, flaser beddings, ripple and horizontal laminations were identified on the Ajali Sandstone studied. The biogenic structures occur as dominantly vertical to sub-vertical and u -tubed burrows of the Skolithos ichnofacies commonly Skolithos verticalis and Ophiomorpha nodosa. Occasional Thalassinoides and Teichichnus isp burrows of the Cruziana Ichnofacies also occur. Three lithofacies were identified and these include; the medium to coarse grained cross bedded sandstone lithofacies, Fine grained cross bedded sandstone lithofacies and the mudstone lithofacies. The paleocurrent pattern from cross bed azimuths shows a bimodal – bipolar pattern indicative of tidal process. The grain size frequency histograms indicate both unimodal and bimodal asymmetrical patterns with shifting modes. The cumulative frequency curves suggest traction, saltation and suspension as the mechanisms of the sediment transport. The bivariate plots of the discriminant functions (Y1, Y2 and Y3) for the sands suggest deposition in a shallow agitated marine environment. Intertidal to subtidal shallow marine depositional setting is proposed for the Ajali Sandstone. Key word: Tide, Sedimentary structures, Particle size, Lithofacies, Subtidal, Depositional settin

Language and scientific communication: The case of the reprint request

This paper reports on a study of Reprint Requests (RRs). It is estimated that tens of millions of RRs are mailed each year, most being triggered by Current Contents . A sample of RRs generated by three papers, plus a questionnaire-survey of the requesters for one paper, form the basis of this study into language use patterns in the RR genre. English is ubiquitous, German and French infrequent, Russian and Spanish rare. This language data is significant because it provides unit-level language decision making (as opposed to that at other levels). Various applications of RR research are discussed, including its relevance to the issue of “Third World Science”.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43668/1/11192_2005_Article_BF02017177.pd

Acute kidney disease and renal recovery : consensus report of the Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) 16 Workgroup

Consensus definitions have been reached for both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) and these definitions are now routinely used in research and clinical practice. The KDIGO guideline defines AKI as an abrupt decrease in kidney function occurring over 7 days or less, whereas CKD is defined by the persistence of kidney disease for a period of > 90 days. AKI and CKD are increasingly recognized as related entities and in some instances probably represent a continuum of the disease process. For patients in whom pathophysiologic processes are ongoing, the term acute kidney disease (AKD) has been proposed to define the course of disease after AKI; however, definitions of AKD and strategies for the management of patients with AKD are not currently available. In this consensus statement, the Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) proposes definitions, staging criteria for AKD, and strategies for the management of affected patients. We also make recommendations for areas of future research, which aim to improve understanding of the underlying processes and improve outcomes for patients with AKD

The Tumor Microenvironment: The Making of a Paradigm

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the su