RADIOMETRIC ASSESSMENT OF THE RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXPLOITATION OF MAJOR NIGERIAN FOSSIL FUELS

Mokobia, C. E.

Department of Physics , Delta State University Abraka, Nigeria

E-mail: mokobia_c@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Gamma spectroscopic technique was used to determine qualitatively and quantitatively the natural radionuclides present in the prominent fossil fuels found in Nigeria (bitumen, coal and crude oil). The radiological health indexes emanating from these radionuclides were then estimated with a view to ascertaining the radiological health consequences associated with the exploitation of these fuels. The results show that the total radioactivity contents are 61.5  8.2 in bitumen, 32.5  1.5 in coal and 0.04  0.01 in crude oil. The mean radium equivalent values are (30.81, 28.22 and 0.06) Bqkg^-1 respectively while the respective external and internal hazard indexes are (0.083, 0.076 and 1.51 x 10^-5) Bqkg^-1 and (0.159, 0.123 and 3.03 x 10^-5) Bqkg^-1. The mean annual dose equivalent values are (0.017, 0.016 and 3.06 x 10^-5) mSvyr^-1 respectively. These values are below those stipulated in radiation protection. The radiological health consequences associated with the exploitation of the three major Nigerian fossil fuels therefore is insignificant. Keywords: Radiometric assessment, Exploitation, Nigeria fossil fuels, insignificant radiological health

Table of Contents

Comparative Assessment of Limestone Resources of Guyuk and Ashaka

Areas for Industrial Utilization

Samuel T. Magili; Maina.H.M and Matera,O.N…………………………………………………………. 1-8

Mathematical Model for Chemotherapy of Poliomyelitis in a Varying

Population

Nathan N. and Nathan C…………………………………………………………………………………….  9-17

Investigating the Dosimetric Potentials of Natural Marble

C. E.  Mokobia…………………………………………………………………………………………………  18-25

Formulation and Production of Crude Oil Demulsifiers from Locally

 Sourced Materials

Odisu, Teddy and Salami, Deborah .O……………………………………………………………      26-37

Determination of Optimal Methanol: Oil Volume Ratio for Maximum

Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil

Richard C. Ehiri…………………………………………………………………………………………………   38-43

A  Study of Mixed Convection Flow in Vertical Annulus Filled With

Porous Material Having Constant Porosity

M.L. Kaurangini and Basant K. Jha…………………………………………………………………       44-57

Capturing Customer Evolving Buying-Behaviour in Consumer Packaged

Goods Data

Akomolafe Abayomi A., Amahia G.N. and Chuckwu A.U……………………………………..    58-73

Absolute Adsorption of Particulate Matters on Bio-Sorbent

(With specific focus on Chicken Feather)

Offurum, J.C., ¹Iheme, C. and Chikaire, A.J………………………………………………………     74-81

Particulate Air Contamination in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Udeajah, Victoria N. and Obini  E. Ekpe………………………………………………………………  82-89

Production of Medicated Soap from Butyrospermum Paradoxum

Plant

M. Hassan, D. Kubmarawa, U.U. Modibbo and A. D. Tunde………………………………….   90-96

Digital Convergence Technology in an Audio Chat System

Japheth B. R…………………………………………………………………………………………………    97-108

The Role of Statistical Series and Indicators in the Alleviation

of Poverty

S. A. Abdulazeez and Lasisi A.R……………………………………………………………………..    109-113

THE ROLE OF STATISTICAL SERIES AND INDICATORS IN THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY

S. A. Abdulazeez* and Lasisi A.R**

*Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna

**Department of Physics, Federal College of Education, Kontagora

yinkasikiruabdul@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Poverty is one of the major problems hindering the growth and development of small and medium scale industries today. Despite the various efforts of Government over the years in alleviating poverty, there seems to be no significant improvement in the standard of living of the people. Data series and indicators that would provide a direction and extent of poverty in the country are being highlighted. Such data series are classified into social, economic and demographic characteristics. It is hoped that such indicators will provide essential ingredients for the formulation of sound and effective policies for alleviating poverty in the Country.

DIGITAL CONVERGENCE TECHNOLOGY IN AN AUDIO CHAT SYSTEM

Japheth B. R

Department of Mathematics/Computer Science,

Niger Delta University, Yenagoa, Nigeria

jbunakiye@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a chat-system as a modern communication system taking advantage of digital convergence that addresses the problems of delays, time and materials wastage, and structures that characterize meetings, personal conversations, group conversation, and advert placements in our society. Communication can be realized through any activity and through specialized forms, such as audio conferencing. The specific task defined here is modern communication enhanced and powered by digital convergence aimed at making easier the communication of multiple users of a chat-system, in a local area network. It allows for simple scripting for devices recognition interactions at the ports and implementation in a Client/Server program platform through multithreading but did not cover bandwidth management and how the network synchronizes various media platforms to create new experiences.

Keywords: Chat-System, communication, digital convergence, Client/Server, platform, multithreading

PRODUCTION OF MEDICATED SOAP FROM BUTYROSPERMUM PARADOXUM PLANT

M. Hassan*, D. Kubmarawa, U.U. Modibbo and A. D. Tunde

Department of Chemistry

Federal University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria

 email: shagal2006@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The potential of Butyrospermum paradoxum plant in the production of medicated soap was investigated. The oily extract from Butyrospermum paradoxum plant was extracted using soxhlet extraction method. The soap produced gave a pH of 7.9, foam height (14.2 cm), alcohol insoluble (8.0%), moisture content (19.33%), total fatty matter (84%), and free acidity of 0.41. The antifulgal activity of Butyrospermum paradoxum soap and the Butyrospermum paradoxum plant extract on Trichophyton rubrum shows a verygood sensitivity of 54.6 mm and 28.6 mm respectively. From the analysis of the Butyrospermum paradoxum soap produced, it can be concluded that a highly effective medicated soap can be produced from Butyrospermum paradoxum plant.

Keyword: medicated soap, Trichophyton rubrum, extract, Skin diseases, and saponification

PARTICULATE AIR CONTAMINATION IN ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

Udeajah, Victoria N. and Obini  E. Ekpe

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki

Email: Vakadujah45 @yahoo.com, Obiniekpe@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This work is both a review of existing knowledge as well as a Ph.D experimental project carried out between July 2007 and July 2008 to ascertain whether the air inhaled in Abakaliki is fit for consumption.  It has been observed that there have not been any air quality monitoring around Abakaliki with the presence of expressways and resident quarries. The study has been repeated between March and April 2011 with the replacement of quarries by construction companies.   It has been observed that the number of people complaining of eye and respiratory complications increase with the number of quarries, etc.  Users of Biomedical engineering equipment report of frequent breakdown when they site them close to the areas with abundant particulate matter(dust).  See EBSUTHAI record of Biomedical Engineering repair from 2004 to 2005(included ).The need for this repeat study arose when The Ebonyi State Government decided to remove all quarries to Ezza North to see whether any improvement will be shown from the readings gotten by an experiment personally carried out by me on the instruction of my Supervisor.  Out of coincidence, new double lane roads took over from where the quarries stopped as shown from the readings gotten using the chemical balance. This study  was initially carried out as a project in the Catholic University of Puerto Rico by Richard R. Eckert between 1976 and 1977. In the initial research, they were able ableto verify that the results of the monitoring were correct and the particulate pollution determinations were along  with the Federal standards specified by the 1970 “Clean Air Act”.  This specifies too that the particulate contamination should not be greater than 260/ug/m3 on  one day during a given year.  It also specifies that the long term average should not exceed 75/ug/m3.  The study recommend ways of compating and cushioning  the effects of  Particulate air Contamination.

Absolute Adsorption of Particulate Matters on Bio-sorbent

(With specific focus on Chicken Feather)

¹Offurum, J.C., ¹Iheme, C. and ²Chikaire, A.J.

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo-Ohaji

²Department of Chemistry, Model Comprehensive Academy, Mgbirichi-Ohaji

E-mail: jullyengine@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Adsorption of particulate matter on chicken feather was studied. Coal effluent was examined in the study. Batch adsorption was used to evaluate adsorption capacity of the feather-derived adsorbent. Highest removal of particles was recorded at maximum time of 60minutes. Also, increase in mass of adsorbent increases the rate of adsorption. Thus, the highest concentration of particles removed from the coal effluent was recorded at the maximum adsorbent mass (0.5g) under study. Adsorption was, also, undertaken at various constant temperatures (35, 40 and 45^oC), in which the rate of adsorption was found to be highest at the maximum temperature (45^oC), showing that adsorption capacity increases with rise in temperature. The correlation coefficient was determined using computer software (MS-Excel) and the experimental data were found to be well correlated (with high R² values). Adsorption isotherms (Freundlich and Langmuir models) employed in the indicated that the experimental data fitted well in the process.

Key words: Adsorption, Particulate Matter, Bio-sorbent}, Chicken Feather

CAPTURING CUSTOMER EVOLVING BUYING-BEHAVIOUR IN CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS DATA

Akomolafe Abayomi A*., Amahia G.N.**, and Chuckwu A.U.***

* Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ilesa, Osun State

** Department of Statistics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

e-mail: akomolafea@yahoo.com

Abstract

Many retailers monitor customer buying-behaviour as a measure of their stores’ success. However, summary measures such as the total buying-behaviour per month provide little insight about individual-level shopping behaviour. Additionally, behaviour may evolve over time, especially in a changing environment like the Internet. Understanding the nature of this evolution provides valuable knowledge that can influence how a retail store is managed and marketed. This paper develops an individual-level model for store visiting behaviour based on juice drink and packed chicken buying-behaviour data. We capture cross-sectional variation in store-visit behaviour as well as changes over time as visitors gain experience with the store. That is, as someone makes more visits to an outlet, her latent rate of buying may increase, decrease, or remain unchanged as in the case of static, mature markets. So as the composition of the customer population changes (e.g., as customers mature or as large numbers of new and inexperienced Internet shoppers enter the market), the overall degree of buyer heterogeneity that each store faces may change. We also examine the relationship between visiting frequency and purchasing pro pensity.  Previous studies suggest that customers who shop frequently may be more likely to make a purchase on any given shopping occasion. As a result, frequent shoppers often comprise the preferred target segment. We find evidence supporting the fact that people who visit a store more frequently are more likely to buy. However, we also show that changes (i.e., evolution) in an individual’s visit frequency over time provides further information regarding which customer segments are more likely to buy. Rather than simply targeting all frequent shoppers, our results suggest that a more refined segmentation approach that incorporates how much an individual’s behaviour is changing could more efficiently identify a profitable target segment.

Keywords: Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) data, Buying Behaviour, Duration models, Heterogeneity, Nonstationarity

DETERMINATION OF OPTIMAL METHANOL: OIL VOLUME RATIO FOR MAXIMUM BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM WASTE COOKING OIL

Richard C. Ehiri

Department of Industrial Chemistry

 Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria

E-mail: richcee2003@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

In this work, biodiesel was produced via base-catalyzed transesterification reaction of waste cooking oil (WCO) with methanol so as to determine optimal alcohol: oil volume ratio for maximum biodiesel production. The catalyst used was2.0% sodium hydroxide. The methanol: oil volume ratio fed into the batch-process reactor were taken at 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, … 10:1 in order to produce biodiesel while keeping other variable factors constant.  Results show that the optimal methyl ester yield of 95.0% occurred at methanol: oil volume ratio of 8:1. Seven fatty acids were identified in the WCO sample while nine fatty acid methyl esters were found in the biodiesel product. Furthermore, the product met the ASTM fuel standards for relative density, refractive index, viscosity, flash point and cetane index.

Keywords: Biodiesel; Methanol: Oil Volume Ratio; Waste Cooking Oil.