A Regular Perturbation Analysis Of The Non-Linear Contaminant Transport Equation with An Initial And Instantaneous Point Source.

In this research work, we provide a regular perturbation analysis of a non – linear equation arising in contaminant transport. The equation is characterised by advection, diffusion and absorption. Assuming the adsorption term is modelled by a Freundlich isotherm it can be non-linear in concentration and non-differentiable as the concentration approaches zero. We consider the approximation of this equation using a regular perturbation and thereby solving the resulting linear equations analytically

Viscous Dissipation Effect on Flow through a Horizontal Porous Channel with Constant Wall Temperature and a Periodic Pressure Gradient

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of viscous dissipation, constant wall temperature and a periodic pressure field on unsteady flow through a horizontal channel filled with porous material. The coupled nonlinear differential equations governing the flow were solved analytically using the usual method of separation variables and simple perturbation techniques. Effects of various parameters such as the Darcy, Reynolds, prandtl and Eckert numbers were also studied and visualized

Innovation in Construction Materials-A Review

This study was carried out to review different types of available innovative construction materials. It was found that advancement in nanotechnology, use of mineral admixture, glass and plastic, biological materials, wood and other construction materials have contributed significantly to the growth of discovery and production of innovative construction materials. The implementation of some innovative construction materials, meets the requirements for sustainability, durability, reliability, safety, cost reduction, increasing quality, better mechanical and physical characteristics, flexibility in extreme conditions and locations, simple assembly and environmentally friendly. Construction materials used to carry out project consumed about 40% of the entire cost of the project in the construction industry. The success stories were recorded in the area of turning industrial and agricultural wastes to wealth. This reviewed paper will enrich the database for innovative materials entering the construction industry

Geography of Udi Cuesta Contribution to Hydro- Meteorological Pattern of the South Eastern Nigeria

The presence of cuesta with escarpment plays an important role in the distribution of rainfall. Its role was studied and was put together in this work. Various parameters were studied and they include: amount of rainfall, elevation, latitude and the distance from the sea. In this research, frequency analysis was performed on the parameters and the log-pearson type III was considered the most suitable distribution method. Also, principal component analysis was used to determine that two components best estimates the variables with close correlation to be rainfall, elevation, latitude and distance from the sea as component 1 and distance to nearest neighbour and longitude as component 2. With regional coefficient of variation of 22%, the area has low variability which is an indication of high rainfall values with good consistency. Annual average rainfall of South Eastern Nigeria is at 1744 mm with bi-modal double peaks in July and September as in most parts of Southern Nigeria. High rain bearing wind speed of the area with escarpment obviously affect the rainfall pattern. From the determination of the difference in mean of rainfall, it is again obvious that areas close to Udi escarpment of the cuesta have difference in mean below or slightly above mean, hence indicating the effect on rainfall

Estimation of aquifer hydraulic parameters from surficial geophysical methods: a case study of Ota, Southwestern Nigeria

Geoelectrical resistivity surveys have been carried out using Schlumberger configuration within the Iyana Iyesi area of Ota, Ogun state. The aim of this research was to experimentally estimate the hydrogeophysical parameters of an aquifer (porosity, transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity and permeability) which have been completed successfully. Since drilling of boreholes specifically to compute the hydraulic parameters is relatively expensive, estimation of the parameters from vertical electrical soundings is considered a reliable alternative. The results showed that the study area has majorly low value of overburden materials serving as the protective capacity to the aquifers that are characteristically high in porosities and transmissivities. This low protective capacity denote the high vulnerability of the aquifer system to the influx of surface-based contaminants. The aquifer systems within the study area possess significantly high storativity property based on their high porosity and transmissivit

Mechanical and durability assessment of concrete containing seashells: A review

This study reviews recent literature on the mechanical and durability properties of concrete incorporating seashells as partial or full substitutes for conventional materials. The study summarizes various contributions elucidating the various waste seashells utilized, the growing worldwide aquaculture production, seashell material preparation and treatment, chemical composition, physical properties, and different mechanical and durability test methods adopted by previous studies such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, freeze-thaw resistance, water permeability, air content, chemical attack, carbonation, and weight loss. The study showed that mechanical properties indicate reductions of different percentages with increases in substitution ratio at 5% to 75%, compared to control mixes. However, relative increases in mechanical strength were recorded with the increase in curing age up to 90 days. Influence of seashells on durability properties varied across various durability tests at different seashell percentages. In a nutshell, the use of seashells in concreteproduction has a good effect, and further innovative research can solidify its utilization in the drive towards sustainable development

A Tool for Biotechnological Advancement 1

Bioinformatics has been a useful tool for the advancement and enhancement of biotechnology in recent times with its application in various fields. Bioinformatics has thereby helped invent useful products and create solutions to problems in aspects including utilization of the genome attributes of various living organisms to acquire a better understanding of their biology. It has been used to understand the biology of pathogenic microorganism’s product developments such as reverse vaccinology, drug discovery, personalized medicine, waste clean-up, climate change, and crop improvement. We highlight, in the section, some of the bioinformatics components of biotechnology that are used for translational research in the life sciences

Waste materials in highway applications: An overview on generation and utilization implications on sustainability

The rate at which the construction industry explores and consumes non-renewable natural aggregates and other industrial products such as bitumen, lime, and cement during construction and rehabilitation of road pavements has over time proven to be environmentally degrading and non-sustainable. This, alongside the issues of high solid waste generation and inadequate disposal, has led to series of studies by various researchers to find methods to integrate these solid wastes as alternative materials in road construction and maintenance. This paper provides a simple yet detailed review of recent relevant studies conducted to understand the alarming rate of generation and the effects of reusing these waste materials in both flexible and rigid pavements. The review further outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the selected waste materials and compare the results with that of conventional materials in accordance with relevant standards while highlighting the performance, and life cycle environmental and economic sustainability implications. The study shows that the adoption of these materials offers efficiency in waste disposal while reducing the demand for natural aggregates and consequently, significantly reducing life cycle impacts and costs. The challenges limiting the effective practical implementation of these waste recycling techniques in the construction industry were discussed and possible solutions were suggested to encourage and ensure its utilization in road construction

The coordination of cell growth during fission yeast mating requires Ras1-GTP hydrolysis

The spatial and temporal control of polarity is fundamental to the survival of all organisms. Cells define their polarity using highly conserved mechanisms that frequently rely upon the action of small GTPases, such as Ras and Cdc42. Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an ideal system with which to study the control of cell polarity since it grows from defined tips using Cdc42-mediated actin remodeling. Here we have investigated the importance of Ras1-GTPase activity for the coordination of polarized cell growth during fission yeast mating. Following pheromone stimulation, Ras1 regulates both a MAPK cascade and the activity of Cdc42 to enable uni-directional cell growth towards a potential mating partner. Like all GTPases, when bound to GTP, Ras1 adopts an active conformation returning to an inactive state upon GTP-hydrolysis, a process accelerated through interaction with negative regulators such as GAPs. Here we show that, at low levels of pheromone stimulation, loss of negative regulation of Ras1 increases signal transduction via the MAPK cascade. However, at the higher concentrations observed during mating, hyperactive Ras1 mutations promote cell death. We demonstrate that these cells die due to their failure to coordinate active Cdc42 into a single growth zone resulting in disorganized actin deposition and unsustainable elongation from multiple tips. These results provide a striking demonstration that the deactivation stage of Ras signaling is fundamentally important in modulating cell polarity