Effect of Radiative Heat Transfer on Cosmic-Ray Transport in a Rotating Cloudy Interstellar Medium

Radiative heat transfer on cosmic rays (cr) in a rotating cloudy interstellar medium is modelled by imposingnbsp a time dependent perturbation on the cosmic transport in the interstellar medium containing randomly distributed giant diffused molecular clouds the temperature involved are assumed to be large so that radiative heat transfer is significant. This renders the problem very nonlinear even on the assumptions of a differential approximation for the radiative flux in a adiabatic concentration and zero activated energy. When the perturbation is small, the transient flow is tackled by the laplace transform technique, giving solution, for steady state spectrum of cosmic ray in the galaxy temperature up and down stream concentration, also velocity analytical and numerical solutions were obtained for temperature. Velocity of the down and upstream concentration in cases where radiative heat transfer through the rotating medium are taken into account. The incorporation of radiative heat transfer is of particular relevance to cosmic ray transport whose temperature is usually very high which radiate a lot of heat through the media which surround them

Community-Based Integrated Natural Resource Management in Okyeman Traditional Area of the Eastern Region, Ghana: Socio-Economic Profile of the Okyeman Traditional Area

The Akyem Abuakwa State, otherwise referred to as the Okyeman traditional area, in historic times, struggled against dominant groups like the Ashantis to gain self recognition. In present times, the state has remained resolute and constitutes a strong and influential traditional authority in Ghana. The Okyeman traditional area is located in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is endowed with rich natural resources including forest, mineral and water resources. In a survey to examine the socio-economic profile of the area and how traditional practices and taboos affect natural resource use, 426 respondents from 33 communities were randomly sampled and interviewed through questionnaire administration. The results of the analysis indicated that about 72% of the population was engaged in farming. The results also showed that traditional practices and taboos had played significant roles in natural resource management in the past, but being abandoned presently because of divergent beliefs. It was further revealed that rapid population growth from the 1960s to date and its associated production pressures was a major underlying factor in resource exploitation in the area. The activities of small-scale miners in particular were observed to be the major source of stream pollution and flow regime disturbance. The hitherto rich biodiversity of the area is at risk of being eroded if urgent steps are not taken to stop illegal activities in surrounding forest reserves. The study recommended the provision of alternative livelihood opportunities to the farming population to safeguard the rich forest resources and water bodies from further degradation

Bronchial foreign body misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis

Retained and neglected foreign bodies in the respiratory tract in children are a common occurrence. Undiagnosed foreign bodies can cause  mechanical effects or chemical reactions and may present as chronic pulmonary infection, bronchiectasis, asthma, and lung collapse or lung abscess. Delay in diagnosis, appears to result from a failure to give  serious consideration to the diagnosis, normal chest roentgenographic findings, and negative bronchoscopic findings. A case of left bronchial foreign body aspiration is herein reported to illustrate the causes and complications of the delayed diagnosis. It is hoped that  this will help sensitize the medical practitioner of the need for a high index of suspicion in children presenting with symptoms suggestive of foreign body aspiration. This study will also serve as advocacy  for the provision of adequate bronchoscopic equipments for paediatric practice in our health facilities

The Role of Ministry of Rural Development in the Promotion of Community Development in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Community development issue has taken centre stage in the developmental needs of rural communities in the third world countries especially in Africa. The establishment of community development association has made it easier for people to participate in the development of their communities. In Nigeria, and Akwa Ibom State in particular this need is not new as it has existed as far back as 1928 with the formation of Ibibio union before it was formalized in 1948. However, it was observed that at a certain point, the issue of community development was relegated to the background as people focus was shifted from that of the good of the community to themselves, waiting for government to provide the needed social and economic infrastructure. In 1999, the government of Akwa Ibom State saw the need to rekindle the spirit of community participation in development via Community Development Associations thus established Ministry of Rural Development. The study therefore examined the role of the Ministry of Rural Development in promoting community development in the State. The study adopted a historical as well as descriptive approach in data collection. The study therefore revealed that, community development has contributed tremendously to the developmental stride in the state. Also, that the ministry serves as a clearing house to these associations thereby instilling confidence in their members. The study further revealed that the ministry has not only streamlined these associations, but has also repositioned them for effective performance.  Based on these, the study recommended that any project embarked upon by these associations should impact positively on the entire community’s, economic and social wellbeing. Also, community’s development projects should be directed toward the development of individuals and groups of individuals for wealth creation and economic empowerment. Keywords: Rural Development, community development, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Investigation of anti-diabetic potential of Diodia sarmentosa in alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats

Purpose: Natural remedies from medicinal plants are considered to be effective and safe alternative treatments for diabetes mellitus. Diodia sarmentosa (Rubiaceae) commonly called tropical button weed, has been used locally in the treatment of diabetes. This study demonstrates the hypoglycaemic and anti-diabetic activity of the aqueous ethanol extract and ethylacetate fractions of Diodia sarmentosa in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods: 1000g of the leaves (air dried at 250C for 7days) was subjected to extraction using 80% aqueous ethanol and then fractionated with ethylacetate. This gave a percentage yield of 13.299%w/w, 28.30%w/w, and 11.62%w/w for aqueous ethanol extract, ethylacetate soluble and insoluble fraction respectively. Three doses (1000mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 250mg/kg body weight) of the three samples were administered to the test groups while Glibenclamide at dose of 2.5mg/kg body weight was administered to the control group. Comparing the activity of the plant to the standard drug, the activity of all the doses of the aqueous ethanol extract and ethylacetate insoluble fraction was comparable with that of the standard drug (Glibenclamide). Result: As regard to the dose response, the highest activity resides in the highest dose of sample administered (i.e 1000mg/kg body weight) followed by the 500mg/kg and the 250mg/kg body weight (1000mg/kg>500mg/kg>250mg/kg). The aqueous ethanol and ethylacetate soluble fractions caused a significant (p>0.05) reduction in blood glucose of the diabetic rats. Conclusion: Thus, this present study validates the medicinal potential of Diodia sarmentosa in diabetes treatmen

Inhibition effect of Vernonia amygdalina extract on the corrosion of mild steel reinforcement in concrete in 0.2 M H2SO4 Environment

Inhibition effect of Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) extract on the corrosion behaviour of embedded mild steel rebar in concrete immersed in 0.2% H2SO4 solution was investigated by potential measurement, pH and gravimetric methods using the extracts concentrations of 25, 50, 75, and 100%. The results were further analysed using the two-factor ANOVA test. Potential measurement was performed using a digital voltmeter and a copper/copper sulphate reference electrode. Compressive strength of each block sample was determined after the experiments. Weight loss values were obtained from the gravimetric method, and the inhibitor efficiency was computed from the corrosion rate of each of the tested samples. Results showed that varied concentration of V. amygdalina and the test exposure time significantly affect both the corrosion potential of embedded steel rebar in concrete and the pH of the medium. The extracts gave appreciable corrosion inhibition performance of the embedded steel rebar at 25 and 50% concentrations with the weight loss of 500 (0.5 g) and 400 mg (0.4 g) and corrosion rates values of 0.000240 and 0.000180 mm/ yr, respectively. The highest inhibition efficiency (60.68%) was achieved at 50 and 39.94% at 25% concentrations, respectively. The 100 and 75% concentrations gave negative inhibitor values of �51.52 and �20.11%. The ANOVA test confirmed the results at 95% confidence, and further showed that concentration of V. amygdalina had greater effect on potential and pH measurement

Use and effectiveness of Pioneer Re-entry device for subintimal true lumen re-entry: single-centre data and a review of the literature.

Introduction During subintimal angioplasty (SIA), it is not always possible to re-enter the vessel lumen due to a variety of factors. Recanalization using hydrophilic wires and catheters alone, apart from its potential technical failure, is also limited by minimal control over the re-entry point. This is frequently well beyond the point of occlusion, thus often compromising important collaterals. In order to bypass the obstruction and attain controlled re-entry into the lumen of the diseased vessel, a re-entry device (RED) may be required. This paper assesses our centre’s experience with the safety and efficacy of the Pioneer re-entry system and systematically reviews the pertinent literature. Method A single centre retrospective study of subintimal angioplasty involving the use of the Pioneer Plus intravascular guided reentry catheter was performed. Patient demographics including age, gender, risk factors, comorbidities clinical indication and complications were recorded. Lesion characteristics, including location and severity of calcification were also assessed. A systematic literature review of all reported studies where the Pioneer RED was used for iliac and lower limb revascularization was conducted by 2 of the authors using the PubMed (MEDLINE) and EMBASE databases. Results The study comprised 30 cases. Technical success was 97%. A small, quickly resolved extravasation was the only device related complication. These results are in line with the systematic review which identified 16 studies using the Pioneer RED, reporting a technical success rate of 87.4–100% (median = 100%) and complication rate of 0–25.8% (median = 0%). However, due to heterogeneity in definitions of technical success, data was not pooled

Synthesis of zeolite-A using kaolin samples from Darazo, Bauchi state and Ajebo, Ogun state in Nigeria

Kaolin samples from Ajebo and Darazo in Nigeria were characterized and used to produce zeolite - A crystals. The thermal analysis indicates that both samples under gode-hydroxylation from 450oC to about 700oC and are converted to metakaolin with a weight lo ss of about 11.39 and 10.43% for the Ajebo and Darazo samples respectively. Characteristic OH, Al-OH, Si-OH and Si-O-Albands were confirmed in both samples with Infra-red spectroscopy studies. The X - ray diffraction patterns clearly show the presence of the characteristic peaks (12.35 and 24.88o ) of kaolinite with little quartz impurities. X - ray diffraction measurements (2Ɵ peaks at 7 – 18o and 21 – 35o ) and scanning electron micro graphs clearly show that zeolite - A crystals are produced. The microstructures of kaolin, metakaolin and zeolite - A crystals reveal the presence of platy crystals, amorphous spherical aggregates and cubic - shaped crystals with some amorphous gel respectively . The results show that both Ajebo and Darazo kaolin are suitable for zeolite - A synthesis. Keywords: Kaolin, Metakaolin, Thermal analysis, X - ray Diffraction, Zeolite -

ESTIMATION OF GLOBAL SOLAR RADIATION AT CALABAR USING TWO MODELS

In this study, the estimation of global solar radiation with Meteorological parameters at Calabar- Nigeria latitude 40N and longitude 80 E were carried out. The daily mean temperature and relative humidity for seventeen years (1991 to 2007) from Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Oshodi, Lagos were used. The global solar radiation data were collected courtesy of Renewable Energy for Rural Industrialization and Development in Nigeria. Two models (multiple regression and artificial neural network) were used for the estimation. Comparing the graphs of correlation equation 4 and 5, and equation 6 and 7 of the first model, it is obvious that the first order correlation has better estimation power. Looking at the overview of all the Figures (1 -5A), is it is clear that the two models used in this study has estimation capacity, but Figure 5A shows better correlation with the measured values, which indicates that artificial neural network model is a better model for estimation. Therefore has been recommended for global solar radiation estimation at Calabar and its environs with similar weather condition. Alternatively, first order regression should be use for estimation in the absent of artificial neural network. Keywords: artificial neural network, regression, model, global solar radiatio

Farming Systems in Southeastern Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Agricultural Production

This study examines the farming systems in southeastern Nigeria. Using a structured questionnaire, 300 farmers were selected through multistage random sampling techniques. The data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis of simple proportions and percentages. Findings from the study revealed that 72% of the respondents engaged in both crop and livestock production. Intercropping was the dominant cropping system with cassava, yam, and maize as the principal arable crops, while cocoa, kolanut, oil palm, rubber, cashew, banana/plantain and citrus were the main permanent crops. The dominant fallow period was found to be three to four years and most farm sizes were less than 2 hectares. The study also showed that 88% of the respondents knew of fertilizer, 61% knew of other agrochemicals, while 56% and 16% utilized them, respectively. Findings generally point to inefficiencies in some of the existing farming practices. Addressing the constraints identified in this study may improve the farming systems in the study area and thus increase agricultural production on a sustainable basis