Adsorption of Lead (II) and Copper (II) ions Onalginate and Kaolinite Activated Charcoal Composite Beads

Heavy metals pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems today. Biobased adsorbent have attracted the attention of many researchers due to their availability, recyclability, simple modification and cost effectiveness. In this study, alginate composite beads were prepared using kaolinite clay and activated charcoal by simple dripping methods. The prepared beads were tested for the removal of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption parameters such as initial pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration and amount of the adsorbent were investigated. The experimental result showed that the adsorption of copper and lead ions followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model when compared to firstorder model. Langmuir isotherm model fitted better than Freundlich model based on the correlation coefficient greater than 0.99for both Pb2+ and Cu2+with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 73 mg/g and 35mg/g respectively. The results indicate that the composite beads adsorbed Pb2+ ions more effectively when compared with Cu2+ ions and therefore could be employed as a low-cost alternative adsorbent for Pb2+ in waste water treatment.Keywords: Activated charcoal; alginate; kaolinite; composite; Isotherm; Kinetic

Institutions, Telecommunications and Economic Performance in Nigeria

One of the views that is fast and widespread across countries is the view that telecommunications plays a pivotal role in economic development. This has led to massive reformation of institutions in the sector. The reformation of the institutions is contingent on the theoretical underpinnings that good institutions enhance the efficiency of the telecommunications sector. This in turn, directly and through other sectors improves economic performance. This paper sets out to examine the separate effects of the reform and the reformed telecommunications on the various measures of economic performance. We estimated the Modified Engle-Granger cointegration test that allows for structural break using Nigeria’s data for the period 1984-2011. A step dummy variable is used to measure the effects of the reform on the various indicators of economic performance, while a slope dummy is used to measure the effects of the reformed telecommunications sector on economic performance. The results of this model show that the reform and the reformed telecommunications have significant effects on economic performance. Their effects on growth are found to be statistically significant both in the short-run and in the long-run. The effects, however, on unemployment and Poverty are found to be significant only in the long-run. In addition, we found the effects of the reform to be the most important. This, we recommend that the regulatory body should concentrate more effort in designing and improving good institutions that will enable the maximum benefits from telecommunications to be derived. Keywords: Institutions, Telecommunications, Economic Performance and MEG JEL Classification Codes: E02, O43, O1

Synthesis, characterization and sorption potentials of dialdehyde starch aminophenol Schiff’s base

Extraction of native cassava starch, its oxidation, modification and chelation of the products were achieved. Schiff’s base type Dialdehyde aminophenol was prepared by the reaction of orthoaminophenol and dialdehyde starch from periodate oxidized cassava starch. The modified starch aminophenols with different aldehyde content were tested for their adsorptive affinity for Cu(II), Cr(II) and Mn(II) ions. The modified starch was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis, solubility test, Magnetic susceptibility and magnetic moment and, melting/decomposition temperature. The modified starches and the polymeric complexes have been found to have an improved physicochemical properties and the polymeric chelating ligand could be used to remove Cu(II), Cr(II)and Mn(II)ions from aqueous solution. Also the polymeric complex was found to have good cross linking ability when reacted with the metal salt.Keywords: Dialdehyde starch, Native Starch, Orthoaminophenol, Polymeric Chelating ligand, Sorptio

Prediction of Compressive Strength in High Performance Concrete with Hooked-End Steel Fiber using K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm

In this study, the predictive capability for compressive strength of IBK a K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm was put to test in High Performance Concrete (HPC) with steel fiber addition. To achieve this objective, 150 x 300 mm cylindrical specimens were casted at least three for each batch and steel fibers were added from 0.50% - 2.00% at 0.25% interval. The mean and standard deviation were determined, and these were used to generate 100 compressive strength values within this range for each proportion. IBK classifier with K =1 nearest neighbors and 3 split percentages for training and testing were utilized. Results indicate that it is possible to generate good compressive strength results from good mean and standard deviation values. The prediction capability was very high using this algorithm with small amount of associated errors. Validation of the model using predicted versus actual results shows a very high correlation coefficient. This result indicates the efficiency of the model and its predictive capacity. It also indicates that this can improve the optimization capacity of HPC mixtures with steel fiber addition

Sentiment Analysis in the Era of Web 2.0: Applications, Implementation Tools and Approaches for the Novice Researcher

Nowadays, people find it easier to express opinions via social media-formally known as Web 2.0. Sentiment analysis is an essential field under natural language processing in Computer Science that deals with analyzing people's opinions on the subject matter and discovering the polarity they contain. These opinions could be processed in collective form (as a document) or segments or units as sentences or phrases. Sentiment analysis can be applied in education, research optimization, politics, business, education, health, science and so on, thus forming massive data that requires efficient tools and techniques for analysis. Furthermore, the standard tools currently used for data collection, such as online surveys, interviews, and student evaluation of teachers, limit respondents in expressing opinions to the researcher's surveys and could not generate huge data as Web 2.0 becomes bigger. Sentiment analysis techniques are classified into three (3): Machine learning algorithms, lexicon and hybrid. This study explores sentiment analysis of Web 2.0 for novice researchers to promote collaboration and suggest the best tools for sentiment data analysis and result efficiency. Studies show that machine learning approaches result in large data sets on document-level sentiment classification. In some studies, hybrid techniques that combine machine learning and lexicon-based performance are better than lexicon. Python and R programming are commonly used tools for sentiment analysis implementation, but SentimentAnalyzer and SentiWordnet are recommended for the novice. Keywords:   Sentiment Analysis; Web 2.0; Applications; Tools; Novic

State of transport administrative structure in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, Nigeria

A well-organised transport administrative structure serves as a necessary tonic for transport system development of any society. This study identifies existing state of transport administration and major challenges facing transport administrative structure in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States, Nigeria. It adopted cross-sectional research design and anchored on both primary and secondary sources of data. Transport administrative structure (consolidation and unbundling designs) were used to show state of transport administration operating in the selected States, while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to prove statistical variation among problems associated with transport administrative structure. Findings revealed that the transport administrative structure in the selected States is not uniform as Lagos State operates consolidation design; Ogun State follows unbundling design; while Oyo State operates on neither consolidation nor unbundling designs. Findings further revealed that fragmented administrative bodies with overlapping responsibilities; incomplete supervision mechanisms; corruption and mismanagement of funds are major challenges affecting existing transport administrative structure. ANOVA result shows significant variation among the observed problems. Thus, study recommends that Ministry and Agencies in charge of transport systems should run on consolidated structure that allows for easy day-to-day planning, monitoring and coordination of various transport modes under one administrative body

Electricity Supply and Manufacturing Output in Nigeria: Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bound Testing Approach

Electricity has been identified as primary and independent factor of production in modern production process. Hence, this study explore the relationship between electricity supply and manufacturing sector’s output in Nigeria using time series data from 1971 to 2010. It adopts Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration. Our findings reveal long run relationship between the variables, and shows significant and negative error correction term. Manufacturing output is found to be positively dependent on electricity in both short run and long run, but only significant in the long run.The policy implication of these findings is that electricity supply must be increased if the productive capacity of the manufacturing sector is to be improved. More importantly, this is a prove that if the country is to achieve its economic vision of being among the 20 World industrialized economies in the year 2020, adequate and stable increase in electricity supply, particularly to the manufacturing sector, must remain an uncompromising policy. Keywords: Electricity Supply, Manufacturing Sector, Factors of Production, Outpu

Conjoined Twins in Red Sokoto Goat

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗA case of female conjoined twins was found in Red Sokoto goat, delivered alive along with a free male kid without obstetrical assistance. The abnormal twins were examined clinically and at postmortem. Based on morphological features, they could be classified as thoraco-omphalopagus symmetrical conjoined twins. Autopsy showed that fusion occurred at ventral-midline from the cranial region of the thorax to abdomen caudal to the umbilicus; thus, only head, neck and pelvis were separated. Genetic factors could be suspected in this case. This is the first report of thoraco-omphalopagus symmetrical twinned goat in Nigeria

Mitigation Strategies to Environmental Degradation in Nigeria

Our environment is naturally blessed with dynamic resources to include vegetation, waters, soils and animals etc. Naturally, vegetation change, rivers are polluted, soil erodes and species are depleted all courtesy of human activities. While this is on the increase, some potentially more potent and dynamic activities on top of these already dynamic natural processes are surging up. Man who is at the center has dramatically altered much of nature and its natural environment through a process which is not new because it has been on for very long. One significant dilemma in that transformation is that nature has been destroyed sharply over the last two centuries. Today, the natural environment is being progressively destroyed with bulldozers and forests (species) felled by machine or handheld saws and reduced to small remnants of its original extent. To substantiate this, by mid-1970s (after the drought that caused serious degradation in Africa), humans had drastically increased the rate at which world?s forest cover and soils are destroyed. Over the last century development has claimed almost all fringes of major towns. If we have observed one thing common between the human interaction and the nature, it is that our inability to sustainably manage the natural environment is often quite clear. On the notion that efforts to stop further deterioration are never late, Myers (1992) noted ?we still have half of all tropical forests that ever existed?. Although this paper is theoretically sounded, its aim is to propose sustainable mitigation strategies to Nigeria?s rising environmental degradation. Considering this all, it is recommended that hybrid options combining indigenous and current externally developed approaches (which are mostly incompatible with the environment and cultures of Nigeria) should be produced and utilized to combat degradation in the country.   Key words: environmental degradation, mitigation, natural resources, Nigeri