Microplastics(MPs)are ubiquitous and pose an environmental risk.This review examined MP pollution in terrestrial ecosystems from a myriad of poorly understood sources.Knowledge regarding the occurrence sources,migrati...Microplastics(MPs)are ubiquitous and pose an environmental risk.This review examined MP pollution in terrestrial ecosystems from a myriad of poorly understood sources.Knowledge regarding the occurrence sources,migration behaviors,ecotoxicology,absorption mechanisms,and effects of MPs has also been fully summarized.Microplastics interact with contaminants,such as antibiotics,pesticides,heavy metals,etc.,and may act as vectors for contaminant transfer in terrestrial ecosystems.The transportation and retention of MPs in soil are governed by interactions among their inherent properties,such as size,shape,surface charge,and density.Interestingly,MP migration into soil is lacking research.The MPs and nanoplastics were also found in edible fruits and vegetables.The MP contamination in soil affects ecosystems,causing soil structure changes,fertility reduction,and pollutant leaching into groundwater.The MP concentration lies in the range of 43-2443 and 40-43000 items kg-1in agricultural and urban soils,respectively.This review provides a comprehensive roadmap for future research and a framework for soil MP risk assessment.Future studies on the uptake,accumulation,and translocation of MPs and their associated toxins by plants are essential for evaluating their risks to food security and human health.Research on MPs in terrestrial habitats lacks comprehensive data on their long-term persistence,degradation pathways,and interactions with soil components under varying environmental conditions.Additionally,limited understanding exists regarding MP impacts on soil biodiversity,pollutant mobility,and plant uptake,highlighting the need for innovative detection methods and effective pollution abatement strategies.展开更多
Nigeria today faces serious challenge in providing adequate energy to meet the needs of her citizenry. Efforts are currently geared towards generation of more energy to ease the problem. While these efforts are commen...Nigeria today faces serious challenge in providing adequate energy to meet the needs of her citizenry. Efforts are currently geared towards generation of more energy to ease the problem. While these efforts are commendable, it is equally desirable to explore ways to minimize consumption of generated energy. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of building orientation on energy demand in buildings. This paper considered the use of standard design considerations, fundamental cooling load equations and the guidelines stipulated by the American Society of Heating, Cooling and Air conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The study takes the designs of three buildings within the University of Ibadan, Nigeria into consideration with the view to harness the energy saving potentials through building orientation and selection of efficient cooling equipment. The results obtained were 155.34, 224.75, 86.35 kW and 163.60, 232.04 and 90.64 kW for the three lecture envelopes including the Faculty of Science, CBN and the Department of Chemistry lecture theatres using the North-South and East-West building orientations respectively. Increase in energy demand of 7.96, 7.29 and 4.29 kW was thus obtained with the East-West building orientation over North-South. Energy efficiency is thus guaranteed with North-South building orientation.展开更多
Transportation issue is one of the significant zones of utilization of Linear Programming Model. In this paper, transportation model is utilized to decide an ideal answer for the transportation issue in a run of the m...Transportation issue is one of the significant zones of utilization of Linear Programming Model. In this paper, transportation model is utilized to decide an ideal answer for the transportation issue in a run of the mill world class university utilizing Covenant University as a contextual analysis. Covenant University is a potential world class University. The quick development of Covenant University Campus over the most recent fourteen years affects its transportation framework. This paper particularly takes a gander at streamlining the time spent by the students moving from their lodgings to lecture rooms. Google guide was utilized to figure the separation and time between every cause and every goal. North-west corner technique, Least Cost strategy and Vogel’s estimation technique were utilized to decide the underlying fundamental plausible arrangement (initial feasible solution) and MODI strategy was utilized to locate the ideal arrangement (optimal solution). The last outcome demonstrates that the development of understudies from hostel to lecture rooms can be streamlined if the total time spent is decreased.展开更多
Nowadays, the development of “smart cities” with a high level of quality of life is becoming a prior challenge to be addressed. In this paper, promoting the model shift in railway transportation using tram network t...Nowadays, the development of “smart cities” with a high level of quality of life is becoming a prior challenge to be addressed. In this paper, promoting the model shift in railway transportation using tram network towards more reliable, greener and in general more sustainable transportation modes in a potential world class university is proposed. “Smart mobility” in a smart city will significantly contribute to achieving the goal of a university becoming a world class university. In order to have a regular and reliable rail system on campus, we optimize the route among major stations on campus, using shortest path problem Dijkstra algorithm in conjunction with a computer software called LINDO to arrive at the optimal route. In particular, it is observed that the shortest path from the main entrance gate (Canaan land entrance gate) to the Electrical Engineering Department is of distance 0.805 km.展开更多
Magnesium and its alloys have gained relevance for their light-weight combined with a high value of strength-to-weight ratio,which makes them useful in fields such as aerospace,automotive as well as biomedical enginee...Magnesium and its alloys have gained relevance for their light-weight combined with a high value of strength-to-weight ratio,which makes them useful in fields such as aerospace,automotive as well as biomedical engineering.Unfortunately,the poor corrosion resistance of Mg-alloys limits their wide acceptance.Advanced composite coatings which are self-healing,superhydrophobic anti corrosive,and wear resistant are new synthetic materials for abating these challenges.The superimposed superhydrophobic surfaces help in minimizing their water contact,thus slowing down the electrochemical reactions on the surface of the alloys,while their self-healing characteristics autonomously aid in the repair of any induced micro-crack,defect or damage towards ensuring the metal's long-term protection.In addition,the integration of wear-resistant materials further improves the durability of coatings under mechanical stress.The most recent research efforts have been directed towards the preparation of multifunctional composites,with an emphasis on nanomaterials,functional polymers,and state-of-the-art fabrication techniques in order to take advantage of their synergistic effects.Some of the methods that have so far exhibited promising potentials in fabricating these materials include the sol-gel method,layer-by-layer assembly,and plasma treatments.However,most of the fabricated products are still faced with significant challenges ranging from long-term stability to homogeneous adhesion of the coatings and their scalability for industrial applications.This review discusses the recent progress and the relationship between corrosion inhibition and self-healing efficiencies of wear resistant polymer nanocomposite coatings.Some challenges related to optimizing coating performance were also discussed.In addition,future directions ranging from the consideration of bioinspired designs,novel hybrid nanocomposite materials,and environmentally sustainable solutions integrated with smart protective coatings were also proposed as new wave technologies that can potentially revolutionize the corrosion protection offered by Mg alloys while opening up prospects for improved performance and sustainability.展开更多
Two novel 4,5-secoeudesmane sesquiterpenoids, oxyphyllones A （1） and B （2） were isolated from the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 21） NMR s...Two novel 4,5-secoeudesmane sesquiterpenoids, oxyphyllones A （1） and B （2） were isolated from the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 21） NMR spectra. These two compounds are the first example of naturally occurring sesquiterpenoids with a 4,5-secoeudesmane skeleton in the family of Zingiberaceae and oxyphyllone A （1） is the first 4,5-secoeudesmane type of 13-norsesquiterpenoid. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited no cytotoxicities against three cancer cell lines at 10 μg/mL. ？ 2009 Ning Hua Tan. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.展开更多
In this study, for marine application purposes, we evaluated the effect of process parameter and particle loading on the microstructure, mechanical reinforcement and corrosion resistance properties of a Zn-TiO2-WO3 na...In this study, for marine application purposes, we evaluated the effect of process parameter and particle loading on the microstructure, mechanical reinforcement and corrosion resistance properties of a Zn-TiO2-WO3 nanocomposite produced via electrodeposition. We characterized the morphological properties of the composite coatings with a Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM） equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer （EDS）. We carried out mechanical examination using a Dura Scan hardness tester and a CERT UMT-2 multi-functional tribological tester. We evaluated the corrosion properties by linear polarization in 3.5% NaCl. The results show that the coatings exhibited good stability and the quantitative particle loading greatly enhanced the structural and morphological properties, hardness behavior and corrosion resistance of the coatings. We observed the precipitation of this alloy on steel is greatly influenced by the composite characteristics.展开更多
This work considered the influence of Cr3 C2 particle loading on microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn-SiC-Cr3 C2 nanocomposite produced via electrocodeposition are investigated. The surface nature of the nan...This work considered the influence of Cr3 C2 particle loading on microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn-SiC-Cr3 C2 nanocomposite produced via electrocodeposition are investigated. The surface nature of the nanocomposite coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscope(SEM)coupled with the energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). Abrasive wear behaviour and hardness property of Zn-SiC-Cr3 C2 nanocomposite produced were investigated using CERT UMT-2 multi-functional tribological tester and Dura Scan hardness tester. The corrosion property was evaluated through linear polarization approach. The result showed that the coatings exhibited good stability and Cr_3 C_2 nanocomposite loading significantly improved the micro structural performance, hardness property,wear resistance as well as corrosion resistance of the coatings.展开更多
Ti-6 Al-4 V-Si3 N4 composites were effectively fabricated by spark plasma sintering(SPS) technique. The addition of Si_3 N_4 on Ti-6 AI-4 V was varied from 5% to 15%(wt fraction). The effect of Si_3 N_4 addition on th...Ti-6 Al-4 V-Si3 N4 composites were effectively fabricated by spark plasma sintering(SPS) technique. The addition of Si_3 N_4 on Ti-6 AI-4 V was varied from 5% to 15%(wt fraction). The effect of Si_3 N_4 addition on the densification, microstructure, and microhardness and corrosion behaviour of Ti-6 Al-4 V was investigated.An increase in microhardness value was recorded from 325.46 HV_(0.1) to 585.73 HV_(0.1). X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis showed that the intensity of diffraction peaks of Si3 N4 phase in the composites increased.The sintered Ti-6 Al-4 V reinforced with Si_3 N_4 compacts revealed the non-existence of intermediate phases, such as TiSi_2(titanium silicide) which was expected. SEM analysis of the spark plasma sintered composites revealed a and β phase microstructures in Ti-6 Al-4 V with uniform distribution of Si3 N4 particulates in the matrix. The corrosion resistance property of the material was improved by the addition of Si_3 N_4 from 0.986629 mm/year to 0.030547 mm/year.展开更多
Objective: This study investigated the ameliorative potential of Zingiber officinale Roscoe extract against lead-induced brain damage in rats.Methods: Thirty male rats were divided into 5 groups of 6 rats each. Lead-a...Objective: This study investigated the ameliorative potential of Zingiber officinale Roscoe extract against lead-induced brain damage in rats.Methods: Thirty male rats were divided into 5 groups of 6 rats each. Lead-acetate toxicity was induced by intraperitoneal injection(10 mg/kg body weight(b.w.)) in Groups B–E. Group A(control) and Group B(lead-acetate) were left untreated; vitamin C(200 mg/kg b.w.) was administered to Group C; ethyl acetate fraction from Z. officinale extract(200 and 100 mg/kg b.w.) was administered to Group D and E by oral gavage once daily for 7 days. Changes in the content of some key marker enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase(AChE), butyrylcholinesterase(BChE), monoamine oxidase(MAO), epinephrine, dopamine,Na^+/K^+-ATPase, catalase(CAT), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) as well as malonaldehyde(MDA) levels were determined in serum.Results: Exposure to lead acetate resulted in a significant decrease(P < 0.05) in the activities of BChE,AChE, Na^+/K^+-ATPase, SOD, CAT and GPx with a corresponding increase in the levels of MDA, xanthine oxidase, epinephrine, dopamine and MAO relative to the control group. Levels of all disrupted parameters were alleviated by co-administration of Z. officinale fraction and by the standard drug, vitamin C.Conclusion: These results suggest that ethyl acetate fraction of Z. officinale extract attenuates leadinduced brain damage and might have therapeutic potential as a supplement that can be applied in lead poisoning.展开更多
The basic goal of accounting is to provide quality accounting information that will aid reliable decision-making. The quality level of this accounting information comes from the company＇s governance practices, thereb...The basic goal of accounting is to provide quality accounting information that will aid reliable decision-making. The quality level of this accounting information comes from the company＇s governance practices, thereby emphasizing the importance of corporate governance in companies. Recently, following the financial crises resulting in accounting scandals, attention has been moving towards internal audit function as an important factor in the structure of corporate governance. This paper therefore examined the extent of the relationship between internal audit function and the quality of accounting information of companies. The study adopted the survey research design. The research instrument employed was questionnaire which was administered to internal auditors of the ＂Big Four＂. Linear regression analysis was employed in the analysis of the data collected with the use of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences （SPSS）. The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the internal audit characteristics and the quality of accounting information. It was recommended that in order to provide credibility to the financial statement, there should be a law in place mandating attachment of internal auditors report to the financial statement.展开更多
The study evaluates the energy consumption of both wet and dry processes cement manufacturing plant in Nigeria. Enrgy consumption data collected for the period 2003 to 2011 were used to estimate the energy consumption...The study evaluates the energy consumption of both wet and dry processes cement manufacturing plant in Nigeria. Enrgy consumption data collected for the period 2003 to 2011 were used to estimate the energy consumption of the crushing, milling, agitation, burning, grinding and bagging operations. The total energy evaluation was based on the three primary energy sources which include electrical, combustion and human. The total estimated energy intensities were 6545 MJ/ton and 4197 MJ/ton for wet and dry processes respectively. The percentage consumption of energy in each operation is 93.68 and 90.34% (burning), 2.11 and 4.33% (milling), 0.43 and 0.67% (crushing), 1.39 and 0% (agitation), 2.12 and 3.90% (grinding), and 0.27 and 0.75% (bagging) of the total energy inputs for the wet and dry processes respectively. Furthermore, the average total energy cost of production showed that wet process is approximately 40% more cost intensive in cement production than the dry process while at the same time it is cost effective to run production on energy through gas powered plant than the national grid.展开更多
There is a growing body of evidence that interest rate spreads in Africa are higher for big banks compared to small banks.One concern is that big banks might be using their market power to charge higher lending rates ...There is a growing body of evidence that interest rate spreads in Africa are higher for big banks compared to small banks.One concern is that big banks might be using their market power to charge higher lending rates as they become larger,more efficient,and unchallenged.In contrast,several studies found that when bank size increases beyond certain thresholds,diseconomies of scale are introduced that lead to inefficiency.In that case,we also would expect to see widened interest margins.This study examines the connection between bank size and efficiency to understand whether that relationship is influenced by exploitation of market power or economies of scale.Using a panel of 162 African banks for 2001–2011,we analyzed the empirical data using instrumental variables and fixed effects regressions,with overlapping and non-overlapping thresholds for bank size.We found two key results.First,bank size increases bank interest rate margins with an inverted U-shaped nexus.Second,market power and economies of scale do not increase or decrease the interest rate margins significantly.The main policy implication is that interest rate margins cannot be elucidated by either market power or economies of scale.Other implications are discussed.展开更多
The major engineering challenge of materials in defence technologies is the vulnerability of based metals to structural and wears deformation in service. In this paper, structural formation, mechanical and thermal sta...The major engineering challenge of materials in defence technologies is the vulnerability of based metals to structural and wears deformation in service. In this paper, structural formation, mechanical and thermal stability behavior of developed composite coating of Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride bath and Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate bath was investigated and compared to provide mitigation against failure. The thermal ageing property was done for 2 h at 600C via isothermal furnace. The structural, interfacial effect and stability behaviors of the co-deposited alloys were evaluated using scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer(SEM/EDS), atomic force microscope(AFM) and Xray diffractometer(XRD). The hardness and wear properties of the deposited coatings were examined with diamond base micro-hardness tester and reciprocating sliding tester respectively. The result shows that Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate co-deposition contributed to increase hardness and wear resistance than Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride bath alloy. The stable crystal growth and significant performance of Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate are link to the intermetallic phase hybrid of Zn Al, Zn4 Ti Al2, Zn3 Al Ti. Besides, it was observed that Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate has excellent thermomechanical stability at harsh temperature,due to the deposition of Sn/Ti on steel; leading to formation of super-hard interface. However, it was established that co-deposition of mild steel with Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn in sulphate bath significantly improved the structural and wear performance. It was shown that the hardness and wear of the developed composite Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn is increased by about 80% compared to as received sample and about 25% compared with Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride coating developed. The improvement was proved to be an interference of zinc-composite growth. Thus, this work shows that sulphate induced Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn via generation of controllable process parameter can provide significant improvements in thin film coating for wear mitigation and structural improvement in defence application.展开更多
Titanium has found extensive use in various engineering applications due to its attractive physical,mechanical, and chemical characteristics. However, titanium has relatively low hardness for use as an armour material...Titanium has found extensive use in various engineering applications due to its attractive physical,mechanical, and chemical characteristics. However, titanium has relatively low hardness for use as an armour material. ZrB2 was incorporated to the Ti matrix to form a Ti-based binary composites. In this study, powder metallurgy techniques were employed to disperse the ceramic particulates throughout the matrix material then consolidated through spark plasma sintering. The composites were densified at1300 ℃, pressure of 50 MPa, and holding time of 5 min. The microstructure and phase analysis of the sintered composites was carried out using SEM and XRD, while the hardness was determined using Vickers' microhardness tester. The SEM and XRD results confirmed the presence of the TiB whiskers which renowned with the improving the hardness of titanium. The hardness of the composite with 10 wt% ZrB_2 showed the highest hardness compared to that obtained for the 5 and 15 wt% ZrB_2 composites which was 495 and 571 Hv respectively.展开更多
Corrosion test data were measured using non-destructive electrochemical techniques and analysed for studying inhibition effectiveness by different concentrations of NazCr207 on the corrosion of concrete steel-rehar in...Corrosion test data were measured using non-destructive electrochemical techniques and analysed for studying inhibition effectiveness by different concentrations of NazCr207 on the corrosion of concrete steel-rehar in NaC1 and in H2SO4 media. For these, specifications of ASTM G16-95 R04 were combined with the normal and the Gumbel probability density functions as model analytical methods for addressing issues of conflicting reports of inhibitor effectiveness that had generated concerns. Results show that reinforced concrete samples admixed with concentrations having 4 g （0.012 7 tool）, 8 g （0.025 4 mol） and 6 g （0.019 l tool） NaaCr207 exhibited, in that order, high inhibition effectiveness, with respective efficiency, r/, of （90.46±1.30）%, （88.41＋2.24）% and （84.87±4.74）%, in the NaC1 medium. These exhibit good agreements within replicates and statistical methods for the samples. Also, optimal inhibition effectiveness model in the H2SO4 medium was exhibited by 8 g （0.025 4 mol） Na2Cr207 concentration having r/=（78.44±1.10）%. These bear implications for addressing conflicting test data in the study of effective inhibitors for mitigating steel-rebar corrosion in aggressive environments.展开更多
Multifunctional nano composite coatings of Zn-TiO_2-WO_3 were deposited electrolytically on mild steel(MS) from Zn bath, having Zn^(2+) ions and uniform dispersion of TiO_2 and WO_3 nano particulates. The electrical, ...Multifunctional nano composite coatings of Zn-TiO_2-WO_3 were deposited electrolytically on mild steel(MS) from Zn bath, having Zn^(2+) ions and uniform dispersion of TiO_2 and WO_3 nano particulates. The electrical, optical and corrosion resistance characteristics of the electrocodeposited coatings were assessed by Keithley 2400 Series Source meter with Multimeters, Newport Solar Simulator and a PGSTAT30 Autolab potentiostat respectively. The morphological characteristics of the composite coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). The result revealed that the electrocodeposits showed good stability and Zn-TiO_2-WO_3 nanocomposite deposits displayed enhanced microstructural qualities, good electrical conductivity and exhibited enriched corrosion resistance.展开更多
Zn-SnO2 composite coatings were prepared by direct potential using electrolytic co-deposition technique from sulfate solution. The effect of Zn2＋ and SnO2 concentrations in deposited bath on the mechanical properties...Zn-SnO2 composite coatings were prepared by direct potential using electrolytic co-deposition technique from sulfate solution. The effect of Zn2＋ and SnO2 concentrations in deposited bath on the mechanical properties and mor- phological characteristics of the composite coatings were examined. The characterizations of the sample were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy couple with energy dispersive spectroscopy （SEM/EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. The electrochemical degradation behavior of the samples in 3.65 wt.% NaCl solution was studied using potentiodynamic polarization technique and characterized by high-resolution optical microscope. From all the fabricated composite coatings, obvious diffraction peaks were observed with Zn-7Sn-S-0.3V film with Zn2Sn7, Sn, Zn2Sn5 and Zn phases, confirming the presence and formation of Zn-SnO2 coating. The XRD pattern shows that the presences of SnO2 particle remarkably play a major role in the precipitation and orientation of the alloy matrix. From the SEM/EDS and AFM results, the deposits show that composite particle and proper bath composition have strong influence on the microstructure. An enhanced corrosion resistance was attained as a result of the induced particles.展开更多
The present work focused on corrosion inhibition of AA6063 type Al-Mg-Si alloy in sodium chloride （NaCI） solution with a silicon carbide inhibitor, using the potentiodynamic electrochemical method. The aluminium all...The present work focused on corrosion inhibition of AA6063 type Al-Mg-Si alloy in sodium chloride （NaCI） solution with a silicon carbide inhibitor, using the potentiodynamic electrochemical method. The aluminium alloy surface morphology was examined, in the as-received and as-corroded in the un-inhibited state, with scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy （SEM-EDS）. The results obtained via linear polarization indicated a high corrosion potential for the unprotected as-received alloy. Equally, inhibition efficiency as high as 98.82% at 10.0 g/v silicon carbide addition was obtained with increased polarization resistance fRy）, while the current density reduced significantly for inhibited samples compared to the un-inhibited aluminium alloy. The adsorption mechanism of the inhibitor aluminium alloy follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. This shows that the corrosion rate of aluminium alloy with silicon carbide in NaCI environment decreased significantly with addition of the inhibitor.展开更多
The suitability of using precipitated silica(PS) from the burning of rice husk was investigated to improve the geotechnical engineering properties of a black cotton soil. A laboratory experimental program consisting o...The suitability of using precipitated silica(PS) from the burning of rice husk was investigated to improve the geotechnical engineering properties of a black cotton soil. A laboratory experimental program consisting of series of specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, California bearing ratio(CBR), unconfined compression and consolidation tests was conducted on the untreated and PS treated soil samples. The application of PS to the soil significantly changed its properties by reducing its plasticity and making it more workable, improving its soaked strength, and increasing its permeability and the rate at which the soil gets consolidated. An optimal PS content of 50%, which provided the highest soaked strength, is recommended for the improvement of the subgrade characteristics of the BC soil for use as a pavement layer material.展开更多
文摘Microplastics(MPs)are ubiquitous and pose an environmental risk.This review examined MP pollution in terrestrial ecosystems from a myriad of poorly understood sources.Knowledge regarding the occurrence sources,migration behaviors,ecotoxicology,absorption mechanisms,and effects of MPs has also been fully summarized.Microplastics interact with contaminants,such as antibiotics,pesticides,heavy metals,etc.,and may act as vectors for contaminant transfer in terrestrial ecosystems.The transportation and retention of MPs in soil are governed by interactions among their inherent properties,such as size,shape,surface charge,and density.Interestingly,MP migration into soil is lacking research.The MPs and nanoplastics were also found in edible fruits and vegetables.The MP contamination in soil affects ecosystems,causing soil structure changes,fertility reduction,and pollutant leaching into groundwater.The MP concentration lies in the range of 43-2443 and 40-43000 items kg-1in agricultural and urban soils,respectively.This review provides a comprehensive roadmap for future research and a framework for soil MP risk assessment.Future studies on the uptake,accumulation,and translocation of MPs and their associated toxins by plants are essential for evaluating their risks to food security and human health.Research on MPs in terrestrial habitats lacks comprehensive data on their long-term persistence,degradation pathways,and interactions with soil components under varying environmental conditions.Additionally,limited understanding exists regarding MP impacts on soil biodiversity,pollutant mobility,and plant uptake,highlighting the need for innovative detection methods and effective pollution abatement strategies.
文摘Nigeria today faces serious challenge in providing adequate energy to meet the needs of her citizenry. Efforts are currently geared towards generation of more energy to ease the problem. While these efforts are commendable, it is equally desirable to explore ways to minimize consumption of generated energy. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of building orientation on energy demand in buildings. This paper considered the use of standard design considerations, fundamental cooling load equations and the guidelines stipulated by the American Society of Heating, Cooling and Air conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The study takes the designs of three buildings within the University of Ibadan, Nigeria into consideration with the view to harness the energy saving potentials through building orientation and selection of efficient cooling equipment. The results obtained were 155.34, 224.75, 86.35 kW and 163.60, 232.04 and 90.64 kW for the three lecture envelopes including the Faculty of Science, CBN and the Department of Chemistry lecture theatres using the North-South and East-West building orientations respectively. Increase in energy demand of 7.96, 7.29 and 4.29 kW was thus obtained with the East-West building orientation over North-South. Energy efficiency is thus guaranteed with North-South building orientation.
文摘Transportation issue is one of the significant zones of utilization of Linear Programming Model. In this paper, transportation model is utilized to decide an ideal answer for the transportation issue in a run of the mill world class university utilizing Covenant University as a contextual analysis. Covenant University is a potential world class University. The quick development of Covenant University Campus over the most recent fourteen years affects its transportation framework. This paper particularly takes a gander at streamlining the time spent by the students moving from their lodgings to lecture rooms. Google guide was utilized to figure the separation and time between every cause and every goal. North-west corner technique, Least Cost strategy and Vogel’s estimation technique were utilized to decide the underlying fundamental plausible arrangement (initial feasible solution) and MODI strategy was utilized to locate the ideal arrangement (optimal solution). The last outcome demonstrates that the development of understudies from hostel to lecture rooms can be streamlined if the total time spent is decreased.
文摘Nowadays, the development of “smart cities” with a high level of quality of life is becoming a prior challenge to be addressed. In this paper, promoting the model shift in railway transportation using tram network towards more reliable, greener and in general more sustainable transportation modes in a potential world class university is proposed. “Smart mobility” in a smart city will significantly contribute to achieving the goal of a university becoming a world class university. In order to have a regular and reliable rail system on campus, we optimize the route among major stations on campus, using shortest path problem Dijkstra algorithm in conjunction with a computer software called LINDO to arrive at the optimal route. In particular, it is observed that the shortest path from the main entrance gate (Canaan land entrance gate) to the Electrical Engineering Department is of distance 0.805 km.
文摘Magnesium and its alloys have gained relevance for their light-weight combined with a high value of strength-to-weight ratio,which makes them useful in fields such as aerospace,automotive as well as biomedical engineering.Unfortunately,the poor corrosion resistance of Mg-alloys limits their wide acceptance.Advanced composite coatings which are self-healing,superhydrophobic anti corrosive,and wear resistant are new synthetic materials for abating these challenges.The superimposed superhydrophobic surfaces help in minimizing their water contact,thus slowing down the electrochemical reactions on the surface of the alloys,while their self-healing characteristics autonomously aid in the repair of any induced micro-crack,defect or damage towards ensuring the metal's long-term protection.In addition,the integration of wear-resistant materials further improves the durability of coatings under mechanical stress.The most recent research efforts have been directed towards the preparation of multifunctional composites,with an emphasis on nanomaterials,functional polymers,and state-of-the-art fabrication techniques in order to take advantage of their synergistic effects.Some of the methods that have so far exhibited promising potentials in fabricating these materials include the sol-gel method,layer-by-layer assembly,and plasma treatments.However,most of the fabricated products are still faced with significant challenges ranging from long-term stability to homogeneous adhesion of the coatings and their scalability for industrial applications.This review discusses the recent progress and the relationship between corrosion inhibition and self-healing efficiencies of wear resistant polymer nanocomposite coatings.Some challenges related to optimizing coating performance were also discussed.In addition,future directions ranging from the consideration of bioinspired designs,novel hybrid nanocomposite materials,and environmentally sustainable solutions integrated with smart protective coatings were also proposed as new wave technologies that can potentially revolutionize the corrosion protection offered by Mg alloys while opening up prospects for improved performance and sustainability.
基金supported by the grant from The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30725048)National Basic Research Program of China(No.2009CB522303)the Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences(West Light Program).
文摘Two novel 4,5-secoeudesmane sesquiterpenoids, oxyphyllones A （1） and B （2） were isolated from the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 21） NMR spectra. These two compounds are the first example of naturally occurring sesquiterpenoids with a 4,5-secoeudesmane skeleton in the family of Zingiberaceae and oxyphyllone A （1） is the first 4,5-secoeudesmane type of 13-norsesquiterpenoid. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited no cytotoxicities against three cancer cell lines at 10 μg/mL. ？ 2009 Ning Hua Tan. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
基金financial support of National Research Foundation and effort by the Surface Engineering Research Centre (SERC)
文摘In this study, for marine application purposes, we evaluated the effect of process parameter and particle loading on the microstructure, mechanical reinforcement and corrosion resistance properties of a Zn-TiO2-WO3 nanocomposite produced via electrodeposition. We characterized the morphological properties of the composite coatings with a Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM） equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer （EDS）. We carried out mechanical examination using a Dura Scan hardness tester and a CERT UMT-2 multi-functional tribological tester. We evaluated the corrosion properties by linear polarization in 3.5% NaCl. The results show that the coatings exhibited good stability and the quantitative particle loading greatly enhanced the structural and morphological properties, hardness behavior and corrosion resistance of the coatings. We observed the precipitation of this alloy on steel is greatly influenced by the composite characteristics.
基金National Research FoundationSurface Engineering Research Centre (SERC)+1 种基金Tshwane University of Technology,Pretoria,South Africa were acknowledge for their supportCovenant University Centre for Research Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID) Ota, Nigeria for the provision of financial support
文摘This work considered the influence of Cr3 C2 particle loading on microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn-SiC-Cr3 C2 nanocomposite produced via electrocodeposition are investigated. The surface nature of the nanocomposite coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscope(SEM)coupled with the energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). Abrasive wear behaviour and hardness property of Zn-SiC-Cr3 C2 nanocomposite produced were investigated using CERT UMT-2 multi-functional tribological tester and Dura Scan hardness tester. The corrosion property was evaluated through linear polarization approach. The result showed that the coatings exhibited good stability and Cr_3 C_2 nanocomposite loading significantly improved the micro structural performance, hardness property,wear resistance as well as corrosion resistance of the coatings.
基金financial support from National Research Foundation(NRF), Pretoria, South Africa
文摘Ti-6 Al-4 V-Si3 N4 composites were effectively fabricated by spark plasma sintering(SPS) technique. The addition of Si_3 N_4 on Ti-6 AI-4 V was varied from 5% to 15%(wt fraction). The effect of Si_3 N_4 addition on the densification, microstructure, and microhardness and corrosion behaviour of Ti-6 Al-4 V was investigated.An increase in microhardness value was recorded from 325.46 HV_(0.1) to 585.73 HV_(0.1). X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis showed that the intensity of diffraction peaks of Si3 N4 phase in the composites increased.The sintered Ti-6 Al-4 V reinforced with Si_3 N_4 compacts revealed the non-existence of intermediate phases, such as TiSi_2(titanium silicide) which was expected. SEM analysis of the spark plasma sintered composites revealed a and β phase microstructures in Ti-6 Al-4 V with uniform distribution of Si3 N4 particulates in the matrix. The corrosion resistance property of the material was improved by the addition of Si_3 N_4 from 0.986629 mm/year to 0.030547 mm/year.
文摘Objective: This study investigated the ameliorative potential of Zingiber officinale Roscoe extract against lead-induced brain damage in rats.Methods: Thirty male rats were divided into 5 groups of 6 rats each. Lead-acetate toxicity was induced by intraperitoneal injection(10 mg/kg body weight(b.w.)) in Groups B–E. Group A(control) and Group B(lead-acetate) were left untreated; vitamin C(200 mg/kg b.w.) was administered to Group C; ethyl acetate fraction from Z. officinale extract(200 and 100 mg/kg b.w.) was administered to Group D and E by oral gavage once daily for 7 days. Changes in the content of some key marker enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase(AChE), butyrylcholinesterase(BChE), monoamine oxidase(MAO), epinephrine, dopamine,Na^+/K^+-ATPase, catalase(CAT), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) as well as malonaldehyde(MDA) levels were determined in serum.Results: Exposure to lead acetate resulted in a significant decrease(P < 0.05) in the activities of BChE,AChE, Na^+/K^+-ATPase, SOD, CAT and GPx with a corresponding increase in the levels of MDA, xanthine oxidase, epinephrine, dopamine and MAO relative to the control group. Levels of all disrupted parameters were alleviated by co-administration of Z. officinale fraction and by the standard drug, vitamin C.Conclusion: These results suggest that ethyl acetate fraction of Z. officinale extract attenuates leadinduced brain damage and might have therapeutic potential as a supplement that can be applied in lead poisoning.
文摘The basic goal of accounting is to provide quality accounting information that will aid reliable decision-making. The quality level of this accounting information comes from the company＇s governance practices, thereby emphasizing the importance of corporate governance in companies. Recently, following the financial crises resulting in accounting scandals, attention has been moving towards internal audit function as an important factor in the structure of corporate governance. This paper therefore examined the extent of the relationship between internal audit function and the quality of accounting information of companies. The study adopted the survey research design. The research instrument employed was questionnaire which was administered to internal auditors of the ＂Big Four＂. Linear regression analysis was employed in the analysis of the data collected with the use of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences （SPSS）. The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the internal audit characteristics and the quality of accounting information. It was recommended that in order to provide credibility to the financial statement, there should be a law in place mandating attachment of internal auditors report to the financial statement.
文摘The study evaluates the energy consumption of both wet and dry processes cement manufacturing plant in Nigeria. Enrgy consumption data collected for the period 2003 to 2011 were used to estimate the energy consumption of the crushing, milling, agitation, burning, grinding and bagging operations. The total energy evaluation was based on the three primary energy sources which include electrical, combustion and human. The total estimated energy intensities were 6545 MJ/ton and 4197 MJ/ton for wet and dry processes respectively. The percentage consumption of energy in each operation is 93.68 and 90.34% (burning), 2.11 and 4.33% (milling), 0.43 and 0.67% (crushing), 1.39 and 0% (agitation), 2.12 and 3.90% (grinding), and 0.27 and 0.75% (bagging) of the total energy inputs for the wet and dry processes respectively. Furthermore, the average total energy cost of production showed that wet process is approximately 40% more cost intensive in cement production than the dry process while at the same time it is cost effective to run production on energy through gas powered plant than the national grid.
文摘There is a growing body of evidence that interest rate spreads in Africa are higher for big banks compared to small banks.One concern is that big banks might be using their market power to charge higher lending rates as they become larger,more efficient,and unchallenged.In contrast,several studies found that when bank size increases beyond certain thresholds,diseconomies of scale are introduced that lead to inefficiency.In that case,we also would expect to see widened interest margins.This study examines the connection between bank size and efficiency to understand whether that relationship is influenced by exploitation of market power or economies of scale.Using a panel of 162 African banks for 2001–2011,we analyzed the empirical data using instrumental variables and fixed effects regressions,with overlapping and non-overlapping thresholds for bank size.We found two key results.First,bank size increases bank interest rate margins with an inverted U-shaped nexus.Second,market power and economies of scale do not increase or decrease the interest rate margins significantly.The main policy implication is that interest rate margins cannot be elucidated by either market power or economies of scale.Other implications are discussed.
基金supported financially by the National Research Foundationsupport by Surface Engineering Research Centre (SERC) Tshwane University of Technology,PretoriaThe funding received from Covenant University for open access publication
文摘The major engineering challenge of materials in defence technologies is the vulnerability of based metals to structural and wears deformation in service. In this paper, structural formation, mechanical and thermal stability behavior of developed composite coating of Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride bath and Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate bath was investigated and compared to provide mitigation against failure. The thermal ageing property was done for 2 h at 600C via isothermal furnace. The structural, interfacial effect and stability behaviors of the co-deposited alloys were evaluated using scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer(SEM/EDS), atomic force microscope(AFM) and Xray diffractometer(XRD). The hardness and wear properties of the deposited coatings were examined with diamond base micro-hardness tester and reciprocating sliding tester respectively. The result shows that Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate co-deposition contributed to increase hardness and wear resistance than Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride bath alloy. The stable crystal growth and significant performance of Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate are link to the intermetallic phase hybrid of Zn Al, Zn4 Ti Al2, Zn3 Al Ti. Besides, it was observed that Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn sulphate has excellent thermomechanical stability at harsh temperature,due to the deposition of Sn/Ti on steel; leading to formation of super-hard interface. However, it was established that co-deposition of mild steel with Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn in sulphate bath significantly improved the structural and wear performance. It was shown that the hardness and wear of the developed composite Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn is increased by about 80% compared to as received sample and about 25% compared with Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn chloride coating developed. The improvement was proved to be an interference of zinc-composite growth. Thus, this work shows that sulphate induced Zn-30 Al-7%Ti/Sn via generation of controllable process parameter can provide significant improvements in thin film coating for wear mitigation and structural improvement in defence application.
基金supported financially by the National Research Foundationthe support from the the Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa which helped to accomplish this work
文摘Titanium has found extensive use in various engineering applications due to its attractive physical,mechanical, and chemical characteristics. However, titanium has relatively low hardness for use as an armour material. ZrB2 was incorporated to the Ti matrix to form a Ti-based binary composites. In this study, powder metallurgy techniques were employed to disperse the ceramic particulates throughout the matrix material then consolidated through spark plasma sintering. The composites were densified at1300 ℃, pressure of 50 MPa, and holding time of 5 min. The microstructure and phase analysis of the sintered composites was carried out using SEM and XRD, while the hardness was determined using Vickers' microhardness tester. The SEM and XRD results confirmed the presence of the TiB whiskers which renowned with the improving the hardness of titanium. The hardness of the composite with 10 wt% ZrB_2 showed the highest hardness compared to that obtained for the 5 and 15 wt% ZrB_2 composites which was 495 and 571 Hv respectively.
文摘Corrosion test data were measured using non-destructive electrochemical techniques and analysed for studying inhibition effectiveness by different concentrations of NazCr207 on the corrosion of concrete steel-rehar in NaC1 and in H2SO4 media. For these, specifications of ASTM G16-95 R04 were combined with the normal and the Gumbel probability density functions as model analytical methods for addressing issues of conflicting reports of inhibitor effectiveness that had generated concerns. Results show that reinforced concrete samples admixed with concentrations having 4 g （0.012 7 tool）, 8 g （0.025 4 mol） and 6 g （0.019 l tool） NaaCr207 exhibited, in that order, high inhibition effectiveness, with respective efficiency, r/, of （90.46±1.30）%, （88.41＋2.24）% and （84.87±4.74）%, in the NaC1 medium. These exhibit good agreements within replicates and statistical methods for the samples. Also, optimal inhibition effectiveness model in the H2SO4 medium was exhibited by 8 g （0.025 4 mol） Na2Cr207 concentration having r/=（78.44±1.10）%. These bear implications for addressing conflicting test data in the study of effective inhibitors for mitigating steel-rebar corrosion in aggressive environments.
基金financial support by National Research Foundation
文摘Multifunctional nano composite coatings of Zn-TiO_2-WO_3 were deposited electrolytically on mild steel(MS) from Zn bath, having Zn^(2+) ions and uniform dispersion of TiO_2 and WO_3 nano particulates. The electrical, optical and corrosion resistance characteristics of the electrocodeposited coatings were assessed by Keithley 2400 Series Source meter with Multimeters, Newport Solar Simulator and a PGSTAT30 Autolab potentiostat respectively. The morphological characteristics of the composite coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). The result revealed that the electrocodeposits showed good stability and Zn-TiO_2-WO_3 nanocomposite deposits displayed enhanced microstructural qualities, good electrical conductivity and exhibited enriched corrosion resistance.
基金supported financially by National Research Foundation and Surface Engineering Research Centre,Tshwane University of Technology,Pretoria,South Africa
文摘Zn-SnO2 composite coatings were prepared by direct potential using electrolytic co-deposition technique from sulfate solution. The effect of Zn2＋ and SnO2 concentrations in deposited bath on the mechanical properties and mor- phological characteristics of the composite coatings were examined. The characterizations of the sample were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy couple with energy dispersive spectroscopy （SEM/EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. The electrochemical degradation behavior of the samples in 3.65 wt.% NaCl solution was studied using potentiodynamic polarization technique and characterized by high-resolution optical microscope. From all the fabricated composite coatings, obvious diffraction peaks were observed with Zn-7Sn-S-0.3V film with Zn2Sn7, Sn, Zn2Sn5 and Zn phases, confirming the presence and formation of Zn-SnO2 coating. The XRD pattern shows that the presences of SnO2 particle remarkably play a major role in the precipitation and orientation of the alloy matrix. From the SEM/EDS and AFM results, the deposits show that composite particle and proper bath composition have strong influence on the microstructure. An enhanced corrosion resistance was attained as a result of the induced particles.
基金Supported by the National Research Foundation for the Department of Chemical,Metallurgical and Materials Engineering,Tshwane University of Technology,Pretoria with respect to equipment and funding
文摘The present work focused on corrosion inhibition of AA6063 type Al-Mg-Si alloy in sodium chloride （NaCI） solution with a silicon carbide inhibitor, using the potentiodynamic electrochemical method. The aluminium alloy surface morphology was examined, in the as-received and as-corroded in the un-inhibited state, with scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy （SEM-EDS）. The results obtained via linear polarization indicated a high corrosion potential for the unprotected as-received alloy. Equally, inhibition efficiency as high as 98.82% at 10.0 g/v silicon carbide addition was obtained with increased polarization resistance fRy）, while the current density reduced significantly for inhibited samples compared to the un-inhibited aluminium alloy. The adsorption mechanism of the inhibitor aluminium alloy follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. This shows that the corrosion rate of aluminium alloy with silicon carbide in NaCI environment decreased significantly with addition of the inhibitor.
文摘The suitability of using precipitated silica(PS) from the burning of rice husk was investigated to improve the geotechnical engineering properties of a black cotton soil. A laboratory experimental program consisting of series of specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, California bearing ratio(CBR), unconfined compression and consolidation tests was conducted on the untreated and PS treated soil samples. The application of PS to the soil significantly changed its properties by reducing its plasticity and making it more workable, improving its soaked strength, and increasing its permeability and the rate at which the soil gets consolidated. An optimal PS content of 50%, which provided the highest soaked strength, is recommended for the improvement of the subgrade characteristics of the BC soil for use as a pavement layer material.
