Optimised Condition Catalytic Upgrading of Agbabu Bitumen in the Presence of Rice Husks

In this study, the optimisation of bitumen collected from Agbabu Ondo State, Nigeria, was upgraded in the presence of rice husks in a nitrogen environment using a 100 ml autoclave batch reactor with the aid of the design expert software. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum conditions for the bitumen upgrading in the presence of rice husks using the Box-Behnken Designed Experiment (BBD). Three mesoporous aluminosilicate catalysts (NiMo/ZSM-5, CoMo/HZSM-5 and Mo/HZSM-5) were used to upgrade the bitumen at the obtained optimised point. The bitumen sample was characterised by saturates (53.48 wt.%), aromatics (12.84 wt.%), resins (15.37 wt.%), asphaltenes (8.86 wt.%) and an initial viscosity of 86.78 Pa.s, API gravity of 7.87 o and density of 1.0153 kg/l. The GC-MS result revealed that there were 42 chemical compounds present in the raw bitumen. The XRF result for the rice husks revealed that the silica to Alumina (SiO2/Al2O3) ratio was 11.89:1. RSM optimisation of the experimental runs with the autoclave reactor gave an optimum condition (Temperature of 345.716 oC, Reaction time of 30 min, and Rice husks of 1.0 wt.%) without employing any of the three mesoporous aluminosilicate catalysts. The responses obtained for the upgraded oil were viscosity 8.34 Pa.s, API gravity 24.520 o, residue yield 22.39 w/w% and light oil yield 50.064 w/w%. The experimental run with NiMo/ZSM-5 catalyst at the optimum conditions was observed to be more effective in the catalytic thermal cracking of the bitumen upgrading process, as the light oil yield was 70.42 w/w%, viscosity of 2.060 Pa.s, API gravity of 29.826o and residue yield of 10.66 w/w% compared to what was obtained from CoMo/HZSM-5 and Mo/HZSM-5 mesoporous aluminosilicate catalysts. The FT-IR and GC-MS of the upgraded Agbabu bitumen testified that the level of upgrade of the bituminous oil was satisfactory as the raw Agbabu bitumen had an initial viscosity of 86.780 Pa.s, API gravity of 7.87 o and density of 1.0153 kg/l in which all the initial core properties of the bitumen have shifted satisfactorily after the bitumen upgrade to produce light oil that fell within the acceptable range of refinery feedstock specifications for refining processes in the vacuum distillation unit (VDU)

Umbilical and ovarian endometriosis coexisting with multiple uterine myomas: A rare case report

Endometriosis and uterine fibroids are both independently associated with infertility/subfertility among women of reproductive age. Primary umbilical endometriosis is very rare and usually does not coexist with ovarian endometriomas. Endometriosis coexisting with uterine myomas has only been reported in few publications. Herein, we presented a patient with primary umbilical endometriosis with no previous history of surgery, with left ovarian endometriomas coexisting with multiple uterine fibroids. The diagnosis of umbilical endometriosis should be kept in mind while evaluating an umbilical mass. The ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging features of endometriosis and uterine myomas have been presented. To the best of our knowledge, a similar case has not been reported before

Dynamic elastic modulus of modified cotton fibres

405-410The dynamic elastic modulus of three cultivated varieties of G. hirsutum Linn, namely Samaru 26J Nigeria, Samaru 26J Glasgow and an unspecified American upland has been studied at different stages of fibre maturity using visco-elastomer. The dynamic modulus is found to be strongly dependent on both the maturity and the optical orientation angle. To eliminate the effect of convolutions on both the dynamic modulus and the helix angle, fibres are treated in liquid ammonia to get Cellulose III lattice structure and revert back to Cellulose I lattice structure using distilled water. Both the X- ray diffractograms and the scanning electron micrographs also confirm this finding. Maturity ratio is shown to have a very strong effect on the dynamic elastic modulus and not the age of the fibre. Fibres of similar maturity ratio show similar dynamic modulus, irrespective of the environmental conditions. Cellulose III and Cellulose I regenerated fibres have about the same dynamic modulus values. This shows that treatment does produce profound changes in the gross structure and calls for a fresh look at the swelling mechanism in both structures, a possible disruption of the H- bonding systems of cellulose by both treatments

CHALLENGES AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON CONSTRUCTION SITES TOWARDS EFFECTIVE SITE MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

The major purpose of this study is to determine the effects of climate change on construction site, the challenges to overcome, and the effective skills needed to overcome the challenges. The design of the study is descriptive survey. The populations for the study are civil engineers, Structural engineers, Professional and nonprofessional experienced builders (the Sites managers and lecturers). The population were grouped into two groups; i. the civil engineers, Structural engineers and professional builders. and nonprofessional site Managers. ii, lecturers in building related trades such as  architecture, structural engineers builders and quantity surveyors formed the second group. The total number of the population is 135. 135 questionnaires were distributed and collect back immediately after responded to, representing hundred percent. Two Lecturers from Adamawa State Polytechnic and two experience site managers validated the instrument. The data collected was analyzed using Mean, Standard deviation.  The finding of the study revealed that climate change post challenges to the site managers, affects site management activities such as focusing, designs implementation and schedules of material supply there for affect the cost, time and the quality of the final product (building)

Compatibility and formulation of diesel degrading consortia using bacteria isolated from contaminated soil

Soil contamination with diesel spillage is an increasing environmental challenge that damages living ecosystems. Efficiency of single bacterium in degrading diesel oil pollutants is faced with slow performance limitation. Therefore, the use of consortia is shown to be better, due to synergism, multi-enzymatic activity and potential for diversified catabolic functionalities. This study is aimed at formulating effective bacterial consortia that can degrade diesel in polluted environments. Four diesel degrading bacteria as Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus roseus and Rhodococcus specie were isolated and used for consortia formulation. Purity testing was performed on the isolates prior to consortia formulation, before their compatibility was tested by cross-spreading them on nutrient agar. Consortia formulation was made using Bacteria resting cells in Phosphate Buffer Saline based on compatibility testing and mathematical permutations. For on their ability to survive diesel on Bushnell-Haas Agar (BHA), consortia 2, 9 and 11 showed the best results among which consortium 11 was chosen as the best, considering growths on the medium within a 72 hrs period. The growth of the organisms before consortia formulation and after was also evaluated, which suggest that the consortium perform better than individual strains. Analysis of Variance showed significant statistical differences (p<0.05) between constituents of consortia, and diesel degradation on 2% (v/v) BHA. The degradation performances of the various consortia on BHA were furthermore separated by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. The colony counts obtained indicate that degradation was performed better by the consortia than individual strains. The findings of the study contribute towards illuminating inter-microbial relationships and microbial ecology especially within groups of diesel degrading bacteria. Further studies are imperative, to maximally harness the potentials of these bacteria for applications in large scale diesel biodegradation.     Key Words: Consortia, Diesel, Bacterial Biodegradation, Haemocytometry.  &nbsp

Challenges Associated with Midwifery Practice and Education in Northern Nigeria:Way Forward

Midwifery practice has continued to gain recognition as a result of its influence on the health of mothers and newborns. However, the practice of midwifery in Nigeria is associated with numerous challenges leading to negative health indicators in the region. This paper examined the challenges associated with midwifery practice and education in Northern Nigeria with a view of exploring the way forward. Relevant literatures of stakeholders ’ reports and studies conducted globally and locally were searched and reviewed. Findings from the reviewed literatures showed that midwifery workforce is short of the ideal number required globally and specifically in Northern Nigeria. This shortage of midwives could be linked to the poor performance of Nigeria in achieving MDGs and now SDGs leading to outrageous Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Northern Nigeria. Other highlighted challenges affecting midwifery practice and education in the region include; usurping of midwives’ roles/duties by doctors lack of comprehensive data on midwives, poor attitude of midwives, poor remuneration, negative patient’ s perception of midwives, feminization of midwifery profession and lack of resources and equipment. The paper therefore recommends that there should be continuous training of midwives as well as a need to review of the curriculum, code of ethics, scheme of service and entry qualification for midwives

Utilization of information and communication technology among undergraduate nursing students in Tanta university, Egypt

The use of ICT to enhance learning and teaching has become increasingly important. Information and communication technology in education is a modern, efficient and cost effective process which has created a need to transform how students and teachers from higher institutions learn and teach respectively. This study was conducted to assess the pattern and utilization of Information and Communication Technology among undergraduate Nursing students in Tanta University, Egypt. A descriptive cross sectional design was used for the study where 504 fourth year students enrolled in the 2015/2016 session participated in the study. A validated structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. The results indicated that 80% of the surveyed students utilized ICT in performing their study assignments and research. Majority of the female students (79.0%) self reported themselves as good in computer skills while only one fifth (21.0%) of the male students rated themselves as good in computer skills. Students whose parents had secondary education and above had their total score in self-rating of computer operation skills as significantly higher than those whose parents had below secondary education. The study concluded that majority of the students had good ICT utilization with variation to residence and family income. It is therefore recommended that the university should ensure strict compliance with the rules of e-learning courses for the students and ensure proper application by each student

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Landscape: A Bibliometric Review

In this study, we examined articles focused on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) implemented in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) Higher Education context that describes the different models of MOOCs enacted as an initiative to provide access and opportunity to acquire quality higher education across different disciplines within the sub-region. In addition, the review aims to identify those factors that facilitate or inhibit the success and growth of MOOCs in the SSA context to understand how MOOCs has fared between the time 2012 to 2021. Based on this premise, 30 articles were included in the review in accordance with the authors’ set criteria. Results revealed that there are very few collaborations, linkages, and relations between MOOCs researchers in SSA, similarly there is a slow growth of MOOCs production, Narrative, Conceptual and Discourse analysis are the dominant analytical methods, while the perennial challenges of poor internet connectivity, lack of policy framework, poor bandwidth and electricity and lack of personnel with the requisite competences were the major hinderances to MOOCs growth in SSA. The inferences, implications and future directions were discussed

An incidental finding of a unicornuate uterus with non-communicating rudimentary horn in a 30-year-old female with recurrent abortion

Unicornuate uterus is a form of uterine anomalies which arise from failure of development and fusion of the Mullerian ducts, and accounts for about 2.4-13% of all Mullerian anomalies. This is a 30-year-old housewife referred for hysterosalpingography (HSG) on account of secondary infertility. The patient also had history of recurrent abortion in the first trimester. The HSG showed an ellipsoidal or Banana shaped uterus in the left lateral pelvic cavity with prominent left fallopian tube that showed peri-fimbrial spillage of contrast medium with non-demonstration of a communicating rudimentary horn. She also had a pelvic ultrasound that showed an empty uterus with a right hypoechoic solid area most likely the right rudimentary horn. We report the radiologic features of Unicornuate uterus due to its rare nature and peculiar presentation

Electrical Properties of Different Polymeric Materials and their Applications: The Influence of Electric Field

In this chapter, a comprehensive study on the general structure of polymers, their properties and applications has been carried out. In particular, the application of polymers for insulating high‐voltage (HV) equipment has been reported, together with the effect of electric field when they are subjected to HV stress. Experimental results related to the effect of partial discharge (PD) on polymeric insulations have been reported and discussed. Practical implications of the results have been discussed, and recommendations are made for future improvement. It is important to obtain new information regarding novel polymeric materials such as nano‐polymers that can possibly outperform the currently used ones. It is also vital to investigate the right information for electrical equipment, i.e. by using the appropriate polymer as solid insulation, minimizing the presence of any metallic sharp object and any other conducting path during manufacture in order to avoid any type of internal or external PD