Indication of pollution in a teaching and research farm reservoir

The production and productivity of a water body is largely dependent on its quality. One major source of water pollution is from the agrochemicals from nearby farmlands. The quality of water in the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching and Research Farm Reservoir (Ile-Ife, Nigeria) was monitored between October, 1993 and March, 1994. Structured questionnaires were administered to obtain information on the types of agrochemicals in use on the farm. Water samples were collected fortnightly for analyses of the physico-chemical parameters and ionic content of the water. Investigation revealed that 21 agrochemicals had been in use on the farm. The physico-chemical parameters of the water showed that the water was very poor in nutrient. The high concentration of ammonium ion contents of the water shows an indication that the residues of certain agrochemicals got into the water to pollute it. Agrochemicals should be used with great caution on farmlands especially in areas close to water bodies from which man obtains fish and other proteinous foods. This paper also suggests a regular monitoring of water quality of reservoirs in order to pick the earliest signs of pollutio

Strategic marketing management of oil and gas industry: A review of literature

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on strategic marketing management. This study adopted an expost facto research methodology to examine the strategic marketing management literature in an attempt to attain their desired level of performance. The overall findings suggest that strategic marketing is a driver of organizational positioning in a dynamic environment, and that it helps to enhance the development of new products/services for existing markets. These findings, along with other interesting findings of the study, are discussed. From the empirical and anecdotal managerial evidence as well as from the literature, implications are drawn for the efficient and effective strategic marketing practices in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Based on the findings of the study, the concepts and principles of total quality management within a holistic framework it is recommended that (i) efforts should be made by organizational marketers towards understanding the relevant economic factors that affect both clients’ behaviour and the strategic options that may be adopted to cope with such behaviours; (ii) in a constantly changing business environment, firms can adopt different strategic marketing practices since the yardstick is the enhancement of business performance.Strategic Marketing, Strategies, Dynamic environment, Deployment, Resources, Management

Heavy Metal Analysis of Industrial Discharges in Lagos, Nigeria

Waste water samples from three different industrial areas in Lagos state (Ikeja, Apapa and Victoria Island) spanning the dry and wet seasons, were analyzed for Pb, Cu, Cd, Mn and Fe using the atomic absorption spectroscopic method. The mean values of Fe were within the FMEnV and WHO limits used as standard while the mean values of Cd, Cu, Pb and Mn exceeded these limits indicating that these industries constitute source of pollution to the human lives and ecosystem in the areas involved. Utilization of improved method of treatment and frequent awareness to the compliance of the industries were recommended

Survivorship Of Anopheles gambiae In Relation To Malaria Transmission In Ilorin, Nigeria

For the first time in Africa, an entomological study went beyond the conventional practice of determining parity and survival rates of field-collected adult anopheline mosquitoes but also related these variables to duration of Plasmodium sporogony and estimated the expectation of infective life. Blood-seeking female mosquitoes were collected in Ilorin, Nigeria, from January 2005 to December 2006, and dissected for ovarian tracheations following WHO recommended techniques. The results indicated an annual mean parous rate of 70.92%, and significantly higher parous rates in the rainy than dry season, which also had very low densities. Mean probability of daily survival of the mosquitoes was 0.80, with annual mean life expectancy of 12.24 days. The probability of surviving the sporogonic cycle was low (< 0.4) but the expectation of infective life was long, especially in the rainy season (mean = 8.31 days). The epidemiological implications of these results were discussed. The An. gambiae population in Ilorin is dominated by older mosquitoes with high survival rates thus, suggesting a high vector potential for the species in the area. These information on the survival rates of An. gambiae in relation to malaria transmission would enhance the development of a more focused and informed vector control interventions

Evaluation of Some Power Sources and Performance Parameters of a Continuous-Flow Rotary Cassava Chipper

This study investigated the differences in key performance parameters and total cost of using a Nigerian-built continuous flow rotary cassava chipper to chip fresh peeled and unpeeled cassava root tubers when powered by Diesel engine and when powered by an electric motor. The machine was found to be  most efficient and cost effective when powered by an electric motor and used to chip fresh unpeeled cassava tubers.  This was when it exhibited the highest chipping efficiency of  86.67% and the least total cost of (or US$4.35 per tonne as opposed to the lowest efficiency of 85.17$ 9.65/tonne when powered by a Diesel engine and used to chip fresh peeled cassava tubers. With these results, chipping fresh unpeeled cassava tubers with the machine when powered by an electric motor costs almost only 50% of what it costs to chip peeled fresh cassava tubers when powered by a Diesel engine.  The study has clearly shown that the campaign to ensure regular supply of electricity in Nigerian rural communities (where most of the Nation’s resource poor cassava processors, who constitute majority of the Nation’s cassava growers and processors, are based) must be intensified if Nigeria is to be an active participant in the  highly competitive but profitable world cassava market . KEY WORDS: Cassava Chipper, Chipping Chamber, Chipping Efficiency, Throughput capacity, Fossil fueled engine

Five-parameter potential box with inverse square singular boundaries

Using the Tridiagonal Representation Approach, we obtain solutions (energy spectrum and corresponding wavefunctions) for a new five-parameter potential box with inverse square singularity at the boundaries.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl