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Contribution to the investigation of the artisanal fish oil (Sardine pilchardus. Walb.) Sector in the Far-North Region-Cameroon
Full text linkSardina pilchardus commonly known as sardine is a fish species abundantly fished for in the Far-North Region of Cameroon mostly from September to November each year. In this Region, the main fishing points are the Logone and Chari rivers and the Maga Lake. This study was initiated with the aim to analyze the fishing sector and the different oil production steps from sardine and its co-products. A survey involving 295 persons was carried-out between the months of September and November 2021 at several production points. During the survey, samples of S. pilchardus oil were collected from producers in order to evaluate the impact of processing methods on oil quality. The results of the survey revealed that oil extraction from co-products (viscera) is a traditional activity which has long been practiced by women in the localities of Pouss, Mourla, Tekele, Gazama and Areinaba. Fishers are men (50%) and women involved in oil production (90%). The extraction by cooking after fermentation, the extraction by cooking without fermentation and the extraction after direct drying without fermentation were the three production methods identified. More than 80% of the viscera oil was found to be used for culinary purposes. In the traditional pharmacopoeia, these oils are employed at 61.9 % in the treatment of stomach pains. The chemical characterization of the produced oils showed a significant difference (p<0.05) with respect to the production zones. Irrespective of the localities, the water contents (0.15 to 0.38%), acid values (5 to 6.93 mg KOH/g oil), saponification values (214 to 255 mg KOH/g oil) and iodine values (100 to 115 g I2/100 g of oils) were not in accordance with the Codex standards. The results obtained indicated that a particular attention should be given to the extraction conditions of fish oil with the aim to improve its quality.  
Foreign funded poverty reduction programmes in rural areas: local alternatives for Murewa district, ward 10, Zimbabwe
Full text linkZimbabwe has in the past implemented multiple foreign funded poverty reduction programmes in a bid to reduce poverty in rural areas. Despite the positives recorded, these programmes have not done much to increase the growth of locally designed and driven interventions in these areas. Not much is known in terms of local opportunities that can be pursued in these rural areas despite the urgent need to explore local resource endowments to empower local communities. This study therefore sought to establish other alternatives that can be employed to reduce poverty in rural communities through qualitative research. The study utilised a case study design guided by a semi-structured interview schedule to generate data through indepth interviews with participants purposively selected. The data was thematically analysed through deductive identification of themes emerging from the data. Alternatives identified by the study participants include irrigation schemes, devolution, value addition and strengthening inside-out rural development approaches. Informed by these observations, the study concluded that development actors must promote joint efforts with local communities to identify development goals, pathways to achieve them and empower indigents to champion their own progression. A paradigm shift is recommended to help local communities to help themselves and avoid over-reliance on external help
Effect of structured and guided investigation techniques on the interest of college students in mathematics in Nigeria
Full text linkThe main concern of the study is the attractiveness of the students to mathematics. The population for the study consisted of NCE students at teacher training colleges in Oyo State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses, tested at a significance level of 0.05, guided the study. The Mathematics Interest Inventory (MII) served as an instrument for data collection. The experiment to determine the coefficient of internal consistency of the MII items was performed using Cronbach Alpha. The reliability coefficient calculated for MII was 0.91. ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses. The study found that both guided and structured interviews arouse students' interest, but that the guided interview teaching method arouses students' interest more effectively than the structured interview technique in mathematics. The study also found that there was an influence of gender on students' interest in mathematics, with boys being favoured. There were no interaction effects of treatment and gender on the interest of college students in mathematics. Therefore, the effectiveness of the guided inquiry technique on students' interest in mathematics was independent of gender. It was therefore recommended that the Ministries of Education, and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) should regularly organize workshops, seminars and conferences for Mathematics teachers to deepen and improve their knowledge and skills in using the teaching techniques with guided inquiry improvement, among other recommendations. 
Objective Assessment of Students’ Cognitive Learning Outcomes: A Plea for Quality Science Education Instrument
Full text linkScience education instrument is one of the determinants of quality output in the production of scientists for technological emancipation of a nation. It provides feedback on learning for knowledge and skills acquisition towards award of a certificate of proficiency and competence. However, the rate of graduate unemployment had been on a steady increase over the last two decades. As a result of low quality of certificated outputs. Therefore, the paper examines processes of constructing and validating a reliable instrument for measuring cognitive learning outcomes in science education in colleges of education in Nigeria. Also, it identifies features of a good question paper and marking guide/scheme as complementary components in the assessment of students’ academic growth. Recommendations were made towards ensuring a valid and reliable quantification of students’ cognitive achievement in science education.  
Relevance of adult education enlightenment campaign in road safety among interstate commercial mini-bus drivers in Nigeria
Full text linkRoad Traffic Accident (RTA) is a worldwide problem which has recorded with millions of injuries and death Morbidity. Death from RTA in African continent is on the increase with overwhelming economic and social consequences. In Nigeria, for instance, 3 billion naira is lost to RTA every year. Besides, 13% of the country's Gross National Product (GNP) is spent on this problem. This loss undoubtedly is a causal factor for the socioeconomic underdevelopment of the country. Nonetheless, people affected by RTA suffer neglect. The causes of (RTA) in Nigeria are multi-factorial, including driver-related factors These factors that have to do with drivers put in about 57% of RTA, hence the focus of the paper. They relate to drivers and other road users the factors include over-speeding, drunken driving, distraction, driver's fatigue and disobeying traffic rules. Previous studies have focused more on publicity campaign for causes, consequences and avoidance with little emphasis on road safety education that are grounded on the principle of behavioral change. This paper therefore examines the relevance of Adult Education Enlightenment campaign in road safety education, in reducing risky driving behavior among interstate minibus drivers in Nigeria. It is recommended that the intervention could be used to improve risky driving behavior among inter minibus drivers in Nigeria. 
Comparative Study of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)
No full textWind energy is one of the free and clean renewable energy resources that is playing a gigantic role towards a reduction in the use of fossil fuel that harms our environment. This paper presents a comparative study of the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) which are used for generating electrical power from the wind. The two types of wind turbines were compared based on their configurations, advantages, disadvantages, and application areas as well as the swept area. The horizontal axis wind turbine was found to be more effective than the vertical axis wind turbine because its efficiency is greater than 70% compared to the vertical axis wind turbine's efficiency of between 50% and 60%. While vertical axis wind turbines are used in urban areas at locations like the tops of tall buildings, roadside dividers, railway tracks, and other similar locations because they operate at low wind speeds and accept wind from all directions, horizontal axis wind turbines are used in many countries for small and large power projects. The results of this research will help users choose and install the right wind turbine in the right place.
Keywords: - Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine, Renewable Energy, Vertical Axis Wind Turbin
Assessing the adequacy of contingency sum provided bypracticing quantity surveyors: A study of Kaduna state, Nigeria
No full textContingency sum is usually provided in the project budget to cater for unforeseen events during project execution. This paper assessed the adequacy of contingency sum provided by practicing quantity surveyors in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Studies have shown that contingency provision hasbeen seen to be an inadequate mechanism with which to protect clients against risk. This study utilizes a qualitative approach through the review of existing literature and semi-structured interviews to collect data. Data obtained, were analyzed using constant comparative analysis method. The research found that, the use of percentage is the most common method in determining contingency allowance which is largely based on the practitioners’ intuition and past experience, and has been considered inadequate. The study therefore recommended the application of formal risks analysis techniques in the calculation of contingency sum in order to improve its adequacy.
Keywords: Adequacy, Contingency Sum, Practicing Quantity Surveyor
Optimizing Rates of Blended Fertilizer for High Yield and Agronomic Use Efficiency of Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) at Central Ethiopia
Full text linkAn experiment was conducted during two consecutive cropping seasons to optimize rates of blended fertilizer for high yield and N use efficiency of tef varieties at Chefe Donsa and Alem Tena. The treatments consisted of a factorial combination of two tef varieties (recently released for the areas) and five fertilizer rates (0, 100 kg ha-1 Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), 50 kg ha-1, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 NPSB. Varieties, such as Dagim and Tesfa were used for Chefe Donsa, whereas Boset and Tsedey were used for Alem Tena. The treatments were arranged following randomized complete block design in triplicate. The result showed that phenology, growth and yield parameters were highly significantly (P<0.01) influenced by the main effect of blended fertilizer rates. Higher grain yield was obtained from application of 150 kg NPSB ha-1 fertilizer rate at both locations, but was not significantly different from the application of NPSB at rates of 100 kg ha-1 at Chefe Donsa, and from 100 kg ha-1 NPSB and 100 kg ha-1 DAP at Alem Tena. Economic analysis showed that application of 100 kg ha-1 NPSB gave the highest net benefit and acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR). Therefore, application of 100 kg NPSB ha-1 fertilizer could be recommended for production of tef in the study areas and other areas with similar agro-ecological and soil conditions
Development of multi seeds oil expeller
No full textMulti seeds oil expeller was designed fabricated and evaluated using screw press principle. It was designed and fabricated based on the data obtained on the properties of the oilseeds. The performance of the machine was carried out using a 3 x 3 x 3 factorial experimental design with the following type of seeds (palm kernel, soya bean and groundnut seed), worm shaft speed of 47.6, 87and 92 rpm, and moisture content of 5, 10, and 15 % w.b as factors. Data collected include oil yield, volumetric flow rate of oil, throughput capacity and efficiency of the machine. The results showed that increase in moisture content as stated has direct effect on oil yield and efficiency of the expeller, but has an inverse effect on volumetric flow rate for the three oil seeds. Increase in worm shaft speed as stated increased oil recovery for palm kernel from 19.1 to 23.0%, soya beans from 0.0 to 16.0% and groundnut from 7.3 to 31.7%. Increase in worm shaft speed as stated increased the oil yield, throughput capacity as well as the efficiency of the machine for all the oil seeds. The efficiency increased from 39.4 to 52.1%; 0.0 to 82.1% and 53.1 to 72.0% for palm kernel; soya bean and groundnut, respectively. These results were found to be significant (p<0.05) when tested using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s multiple range test. The study concluded that, the developed multi-seed expeller performed well within the conditions of operation and could have a potential for improving the production of vegetable oil if adopted by small and medium scale processors
Corrosion inhibition of Polyalthia longifolia leaves extract in 1m HCL solution on mild steel
No full textCorrosion is a very common phenomena in the manufacturing as well as chemical process industries. Corrosion has generated wide amount of interest worldwide because of its potential hazards to process equipment and machineries; which often leads to associated downtimes as well as adverse economic and safety consequences. The use of inhibitors is one of the most practical and efficient technique of protection against corrosion. In this work, the corrosion inhibition efficiency of polyalthia longifolia leaves extract in 1M HCl solution on mild steel surface was investigated using the standard gravimetric (weight loss) method. The results indicate that the extract could serve as a good green inhibitor. The inhibition efficiency increases with increase in the inhibitor concentrations. For the mild steel samples investigated in this work, about 70% inhibition efficiency was achieved with only 1.0 ml extract solution per 40 ml of 1.0 M HCl solution after five (5) days; and under same conditions, increasing the amount of extract by fivefold yielded only 10% increase in the inhibition efficiency for the same test period. The inhibition efficiency was also found to significantly increase with time of exposure for the first 48 hours of the experiment, but the increase was rather gradual at later times for all levels of extract concentrations