AN ANALYSIS OF THE GROWTH OF ROAD CONNECTIVITY IN KADUNA STATE

Network is the interconnectivity, or linkage of a set of components of a system into a complete whole to produce a spatial and structured pattern.  A network may be either a static feature at a point in time or a dynamic phenomenon, it grows with time or as such, it is subjected to change through time. In the course of making the nodes and linkages easily identifiable, a network is transformed into a topological graph. This is a representation of the geometry of a network showing the relationship between nodes and linkages without considering the scale of the map and morphology of the actual route. The nodes refer to the settlements while the edge refers to the roads. This study attempts to determine the degree of road network connectivity over three time periods and how such growth has led to an improvement in the economy of the people of Kaduna State. To determine the  degree of road network connectivity in the study area, the road network structures were converted into topological graphs. From the graphs, the following three graphic theoretic indices (alpha, beta and gamma ) were measured. Twenty-five (25) main settlements in Kaduna State were used as nodes on the topological map. The indices of the three periods were then pooled together to show the trend in the growth in road connectivity in the state. The study revealed  that the calculated values of  alpha increased from 17.8% to 51% , beta from 1.36 to 1.96 and gamma from 49% to 71% between 1957 and 2009. While the number of nodes on the road network in the state remains constant at 25, the number of roads, increased from 34 in 1957 – 1989 period, to 49 in the 1999 - 2009 period. The study has been able to determine that road connectivity indices increased over the three time periods. This is an indication that there has been an increase in road network from one period to another, and that the economic activities of the people of Kaduna State has improved thereby. Keywords: Network, Growth, Interconnectivity, Topological Graph, Nodes, Econom

Organic Matter and Heavy Metals Leachate Effect on Soils of Selected Dumpsites in Selected North Central States of Nigeria

This research was conducted to assess the presence  of some heavy metals Chromium (Cr), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn) and Aluminum (Al) in municipal solid waste dumps. Heavy metals in the soils were determined at varying depths of 0-5cm, 5-15cm and 15-30cm to assess the extent of pollution and the effects of pH and organic matter in the soil. Heavy metals concentrations were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the concentrations of heavy metals across varying depth at the dumpsites when compared with control points in the same location. Mn had the highest mean 131.22 ± 25.98 mgkg-1 followed by Fe, which is 69 ± 11.02 mgkg-1 at the dumpsites. Mean concentration of all the Heavy metals investigated at the various dumpsites studied were significantly higher than at the control point and below the maximum standard levels set by FAO and WHO for agricultural soils. Result of particle distribution indicated higher sand content (> 80.0%) and lower clay and silt contents in both dumpsite and control site which implies the ease of movement of dissolved metals in the soil environment. Organic Matter (OM) content at dumpsites was observed to be slightly higher than at the control sites. The data also signifies that as pH decreases and %OM decreases the concentration of these heavy metals decreases down the soil profile. It is, therefore, concluded that accumulation of heavy metals in depth was highly correlated with pH and organic matter content

Secondary School Students’ Text Possession, Attitude to English Language Learning and Home Background as Factors Affecting Their Learning of English Language

The English language enjoys a high status in Nigeria. In the school system, English is a compulsory subject from the upper primary school level onwards. However, it has been observed that students perform poorly in the subject. Several reasons have been adduced for this. While previous studies have focused on several learner factors, a few empirical studies exist on students’ attitude to learning English Language, students’ home background and students’ possession of recommended English Language textbooks. Against this background, this study investigated students’ text possession, attitude to English Language learning and home background as factors affecting the learning of English Language. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The sample comprised 333 senior secondary school students in Benin City. Three research questions were raised. Data were collected using an instrument titled ‘Text Possession, Attitude and Home Background Questionnaire’ (TPAHQ, r= .74). Results revealed that students have positive attitudes toward the learning of English Language and an enabling home background for the effective learning of English Language. In addition, students do not possess the recommended English Language textbooks. It is recommended that teachers should use engaging teaching methods to sustain the positive attitudes students have towards learning English Language. Similarly, parents should continue to ensure that their homes are conducive to effective learning. Finally, textbooks should be made available for students. Keywords: Text possession, Attitude to English Language, Home background, English Language learning DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-24-11 Publication date:August 31st 202

Expectancy Beliefs and English Language Performance of Secondary Schools Students in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria

The study determined Relationship between Students’ Expectancy Beliefs and English Language Performance of Students in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria.  Correlation design was adopted for the study.  Four hypotheses which determined the relationships between the components of expectancy beliefs: ability, tasks difficulty, and past experience beliefs, and performance in English Language and the difference among these components in explaining the variance of English Language performance were tested.  A sample of 400 (192 males and 208 females) SS II students from 8 secondary schools, participated in the study. The sample was selected through stratified random sampling. Ability Self-Perceptions Instrument (ASPI), with a Cronbach Alpha Coefficient reliability of .96, and students’ end of session results in English Language were used to collect the data.  Multiple regressions were used to analyse the data. The results revealed significant relationship between ability, task difficulty and past experience beliefs and academic performance in English Language respectively. Task difficulty and past experience beliefs contributed significantly to the variance of performance in English Language whereas ability belief does not make a significant contribution. Recommendations were highlight for teachers and school counsellors. Keywords: Expectancy Beliefs, English Language, Performance, Students, Secondary Schools, Nigeria

PERFORMANCE OF MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION AND AUTOREGRESSIVE INTEGRATED MOVING AVERAGE MODELS IN PREDICTING ANNUAL TEMPERATURES OF OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The performance of Autoregressive Moving Average and Multiple Linear Regression Models in predicting minimum and maximum temperatures of Ogun State is herein reported. Maximum and Minimum temperatures data covering a period of 29 years (1982 -2009) obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Abeokuta office, Nigeria, were used for the analyses. The data were first processed and aggregated into annual time series. Mann-Kendal non-parametric test and spectral analysis were carried out to detect whether there is trend, seasonal pattern, and either short or long memory in the time series. Mann-Kendal Z-values obtained are –0.47 and –2.03 for minimum and maximum temperatures respectively, indicating no trend, though the plot shows a slight change. The Lo’s R/S Q(N,q) values for minimum and maximum temperatures are 3.67 and 4.43, which are not within the range 0.809 and 1.862, thus signifying presence of long memory. The data was divided into two and the first 20 years data was used for model development, while the remaining was used for validation. Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) model of order (5, 3) and Autoregressive (AR) model of order 2 are found best for predicting minimum and maximum temperatures respectively. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model with 4 features (moving average, exponential moving average, rate of change and oscillator) were fitted for both temperatures. The ARMA and AR models were found to perform better with Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) values of -2.89 and -1.37 for minimum and maximum temperatures, compared with the Multiple Linear Regression Models with MAPE values of 141 and 876 respectively. Results of ARMA model can be relied on in generating forecast of temperature of the study area because of their minimal error values. However, it is recommended other climatic elements that were not captured in this paper due to unavailability of information be considered too in order to see which model is best for them. &nbsp

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MODEL FOR FLOOD VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT IN MOKWA: A CASE OF DOWNSTREAM COMMUNITIES OF KAINJI DAM, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

One of the most devastating and expensive natural hazards in the world today is flooding. Hence, several attempts have been made by different scholars and researchers across the globe and in Nigeria to study flood vulnerability. These studies focused on assessing either the physical or social components of vulnerability without a holistic assessment of all vulnerability components. A multi-dimensional approach to flood risk assessment is required to provide a holistic view of residents’ degree of vulnerability to flooding. However, where the multidimensional approach was adopted the result were aggregated and not localized to specific areas. Therefore, this study attempts to quantify the vulnerability indicators using the participatory approach and develop a multi-dimensionalapproach for flood vulnerability assessment in Mokwa, Nigeria. Vulnerability was explored through the lens of four dimensions (economic, environmental, physical, and social) and eighteen indicators. The indicators were scrutinized and standardized for easy aggregation and comparability. The indicators were weighted unequally using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). Nine communities and 382 households were selected purposively from the downstreamarea of the Kainji dam for sampling. The data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using XLSTAT (2014) and spatial analysis in ARCGIS 10.7 environment. The flood vulnerability index revealed that the communities experienced high flood vulnerability from all dimensions; economic (0.71), physical (0.66), social (0.62), and environmental (0.57). The study reported a multi-dimensional flood vulnerability index of 0.65, which implies a high level of vulnerability to flooding. This study has found significant variations in all dimensions of vulnerability among the communities. The study concludes that the multi-dimensional approach to flood vulnerability provides information on the vulnerable population as well as the factors driving vulnerability in the area. The study recommends the use of a multi-dimensional approach, sophisticated models, site-specific indicators, and fine-resolution satellite data for future vulnerability assessment

Optimization of Process Parameters Influencing Biogas Production from Rumen and municipal waste: Analytical Approach

 Rumen waste with high carbohydrate, protein, and lipid content is considered as a suitable substrate for fermentation for methane gas. In this study, direct substrate and co-digestion of rumen waste (RW) and municipal waste (MW) were used. Samples (fresh cow rumen and food waste) were dried, grinded, and blended with water into a semi-solid to facilitate digestion. Central composite design (CCD) was applied to optimize parameters of co-digestion of RW and MW at a different temperature (29 – 33oC), initial pH values, agitation time (AGT), and carbon-nitrogen ratio (C/N). A comparative analysis was done using RSM in a predictive model of the experimental data obtained in accordance with the CCD. The combined effects of temperature, pH, AGT, and C/N as methane production by fermentation of RW and MW were investigated. Optimization using RSM showed a good fit between the experimental and the predicted data as elucidated by the coefficient of determination with R2 values of 0.9214. Quadratic RSM predicted the maximum yield to be 7764 mL CH4/g volatile solid (VS) at optimal conditions of 31°C; pH 7.05; 6s and C/N ratio 20.33. The maximum methane yield was 8550 mL CH4/g VS, at the optimal conditions for the experimental response obtained. The verification experiment successfully produced 8550 mL CH4/g VS within 30 days of incubation. This experiment indicated that the developed model was successfully and can be used for methane production from animal and municipal waste

Design and fabrication of a cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) peeling machine

The processing of cocoyam tubers for industrial or human use involves different operations of which peeling is the major problem. This study was aimed at designing, fabricating and carrying out performance evaluation of a cocoyam peeling machine, taking into consideration some physical and mechanical properties of the cocoyam tubers. The machine was evaluated based on the following parameters which includes; throughput capacity and peeling efficiency at the speeds of 400 rpm, 700 rpm and 933 rpm. Results revealed that, for all the speeds tested in the experiment, the corresponding peeling efficiencies of the machine were 50%, 64% and 68% respectively while that of the throughput capacities were 63.20 kg/hr, 84.90 kg/hr and 112.92 kg/hr respectively. It was observed that 933 rpm speed was the most suitable speed for the operation of this machine, as it had higher peeling efficiency of 68% with a throughput capacity of 112.92 kg/hr. These results showed appreciable improvement over manual method which is 20 – 35 kg/hr

The CAST Time Projection Chamber

One of the three X-ray detectors of the CAST experiment searching for solar axions is a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with a multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) as a readout structure. Its design has been optimized to provide high sensitivity to the detection of the low intensity X-ray signal expected in the CAST experiment. A low hardware threshold of 0.8 keV is safely set during normal data taking periods, and the overall efficiency for the detection of photons coming from conversion of solar axions is 62 %. Shielding has been installed around the detector, lowering the background level to 4.10 x 10^-5 counts/cm^2/s/keV between 1 and 10 keV. During phase I of the CAST experiment the TPC has provided robust and stable operation, thus contributing with a competitive result to the overall CAST limit on axion-photon coupling and mass.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and images, submitted to New Journal of Physic