The most potent actinomycete isolates which was previously identified as Streptomyces sp. MS-266 Dm4 was selected for the biosynthesis of the active metabolite having biodiversal activities. The active metabolite was extracted by diethyl ether at pH 7.0. The organic phase was collected and evaporated under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator. The extract was concentrated and treated with petroleum ether (b.p. 60-80ºC) for precipitation process, where only one fraction was obtained in the form of yellowish brown viscous texture. The purification process was performed using both thin layer (TLC) and column chromatography (CC) techniques. The active compound under study was tested for its physicochemical characteristics, where the results revealed that the compound melting point is 155oC; and soluble in chloroform, n-butanol, methanol, acetone, ethanol, ethyl acetate and isopropyl alcohol but insoluble in petroleum ether, hexane and water. The elemental analysis of the active compound suggested the empirical formula of: (C10 H20 N2 O16). The spectroscopic characteristics of active compound revealed the presence of the maximum absorption peak in UV at 269 nm, infrared absorption spectrum represented by nine peaks in addition to Mass- spectrum suggests the molecular weight of the active compound as 447 Dalton. The purified antimicrobial agent was suggestive of being belonging to Lincomycin antibiotic. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the antimicrobial agent was also determined which was found to have a bacteriostatic activity.

In the present study, the effects of environmental pollution on aquatic vertebrate biodiversity were studied and inventory of vertebrate fauna of Hub Dam was prepared. The water samples taken from four sampling sites from the study areas viz. Main Dam, Spill way, Hub Canal and shallow water area were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters viz temperature in air, temperature in water, color, pH, TDS, COD, BOD, alkalinity, salinity, conductivity, hardness, Phosphate, Nitrate, Bicarbonates, Sulphate, Chloride, Carbon dioxide, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity and Fluoride, Cations (Ca+, Na+, Mg+, K+ ) and some selected heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg). The seasonal and yearly variations in selected physico chemical parameters and trace metals were determined with respect to the amount of annual rainfall and contamination factors involved. During the study, no adverse effects of environmental pollution were found on the aquatic biodiversity except for some minor toxic effects due to trace metals in water. All the physico – chemical parameters’ values were observed as per limits of World Health Organization standard. Microbial analysis was carried out and water samples of Hub Dam did not meet the microbiological standard set by WHO. After suitable treatment the water may be supplied for domestic use. As many as 16 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 23 species of reptiles, 03 species of amphibians, 29 species of fishes, and 25 species of plants were recorded from the Hub Dam area. There are no serious effects of pollution on the vertebrate biodiversity of the wetland. The population of the waterbirds has declined significantly in recent years mainly due to disturbances and commercial fishing activities in the reservoir area.

Eurotium repens (Anamorph Aspergillus repens) was isolated from spoiled fruit. It reproduced sexually at different sucrose concentrations up to 50% (w/v); water activity, 0.79. It reproduced asexually at high sucrose concentration 60% (w/v) water activity, 0.75. The concentrations of all detected amino acids were higher in the teleomorph than the anamorph stage except that of glycine, while ?-aminoadipic acid and alanine were detected in teleomorph only. The extracellular secondary metabolites produced by the teleomorph and anamorph stages were variable and different except epoxysuccinic acid and 2-pyruvylamino benzamide which were produced by both stages. Glycine, arginine and calcium chloride unlike glutamic acid, aspartic acid and alanine, are important in the induction of teleomorph stage formation at high sucrose concentration 60 % (w/v).

Temperature development during composting was studied in Turned windrow and Dome Aerated Technology composting systems to ascertain their effectiveness in the reduction or elimination of pathogens in the final product. Also, an assessment of potential health hazard was investigated. Temperature, moisture and pH development in the two composting systems were monitored for thirteen weeks to assess their effects on total viable count, total coliform count, total fungi count and helminth eggs count. The Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and moisture measured in both systems gave a p-values of 0.25 and 0.68 respectively at ? = 5%, indicating existence of no significant difference between these parameters in both systems. Generally, the total viable count reduced while total fungi increased at the end of week 12 in all the systems. However, total coliform reduced to 0 during week 4. Microorganisms such as Listeria spp., Penicillium spp. and Mucor spp. survived the process in the Dome Aerated Technology system.

The chemical composition of volatile compounds from seeds of Irvingia gabonensis and Irvingia wombolu (Irvingiaceae) grown in Southern Nigeria has been studied. Essential oils from two species of the plant were obtained by solvent extraction in conventional Clavenger- like apparatus. The major compounds in these essential oils were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry GC and GC/MS. Twelve and ten components were identified in I. gabonensis and I. wombolu , respectively, of which carboxylic acids and esters were the major components in both species. The oils obtained from the two species have been profiled by GC/MS to obtain data and they showed similarities but also differences in their composition. Fatty acids and esters compounds were the most abundant components in the oils. The present study may represent the first of its kind on the characterization of the volatile constituents in Irvingia species and useful contribution to the better understanding of interspecies relationships in this genus.

The anatomy of the wood of Gliricidia sepium has been studied for suitability as pulpwood. Dimensions of the wood fibre were measured microscopically to determine Runkel ratio and the Flexibility coefficient. The fibre morphology ratios inform preliminary decisions on the suitability of the species as pulpwood. Slides of microtome sections were made of the wood for microscopic study of the cell and tissue types and their relative proportions that constitute the wood. Low Runkel and high Flexibility ratios and a preponderance of fibres relative to other cells are desirable and would normally encourage the pulping and paper-making trials. The wood was pulped and hand-made paper sheets were tested for physical strength properties. The studies were duplicated for Gmelina arborea, which is already in use as pulp and paper-making hardwood, for comparison. Gliricidia sepium has Runkel ratio of 1.22 and coefficient of flexibility of 0.45 compared with Gmelina’s 0.19 and 0.88 respectively. The relative fibre volume for Gliricidia is 58.9% and about 41% other cells combined, while Gmelina has 72% fibres and 28% all other cells together. Pulp yields in Gliricidia and Gmelina are 46.5% and 49.2% respectively, while both species showed some good physical properties in the paper sheets: Gliricidia produced Burst property of 3.75kg cm-2 and Tear of 155g at pulp freeness of 510 SR, while Gmelina recorded 3.98kgcm-2 and Tear of 165g at freeness 360 SR. These values of physical strength properties combined with the reported features of the wood anatomy and the vegetative growth characteristics reported from the literature support the conclusion that Gliricidia sepium has great potential as a good pulpwood.

In the present work, two plants Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera were studied to identify their toxic and antifeeding effects on cowpea weevils (Callosobruchus maculatus F.). Active ingredients of both plant samples were separately extracted and partitioned using ethanol, chloroform and distilled water solvents. Extracts and fractions obtained were tested on cowpea weevils for toxic and anti-feeding effects using cowpea seeds by two-choices bioassay technique. Results indicated that extracts and fractions from the plant samples were effective in restricting cowpea weevils from feeding on cowpea seeds. Also, extracts and fractions from the plant samples demonstrated cowpea weevil mortalities. These were indications that the plant samples contained toxicants and anti-feedants which prevented the weevils from feeding on the cowpea seeds. Thus, ingredients from Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera should be used to protect cowpea seeds and other grains from infestations by Callosobrucus maculatus and other grain infesting insects. Chloroform soluble fraction of the two plants recorded the least percentage consumption index of cowpea seeds and the highest percentage mortality of cowpea weevils which confirmed that it contained the most active ingredients. Hence, chloroform solvent should be used to isolate anti-feedants and pesticide compounds from Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera by column chromatographic method.

Effects of tobacco (Nicotiana) and Kola tree (Cola acuminata) extracts on the corrosion inhibition of an aluminium alloy 2S (1200) grade specimens immersed in 0.5M sulphuric acid was investigated at ambient temperature by gravimetric and metallographic methods. Extracts of kola plant and tobacco in different concentrations were used as ‘green’ inhibitors. This paper reports the results obtained from the weight loss method, calculated corrosion rates, inhibitor efficiencies and the optical microscopy metallographic observations. Addition of different concentrations of the plants extracts gave clear reduction in weight loss and in the corrosion rate of the test samples. This apparent corrosion inhibition was associated with the protective film provided on the aluminium alloy’s surface by the complex chemical constituents of the plants extracts.

In this study, we analyzed 3-D seismic and well-log data from the Blackfoot Field, Strathmore, Alberta, Canada, using seismic inversion and spectral decomposition to resolve the channel-fill Glauconitic sand. The Glauconitic sand is of Early Cretaceous age and forms the oil-bearing reservoir in this field. The sandy channel fill basically is characterized by low acoustic impedance whereas shale plugged channels are characterized by high acoustic impedance. However, the presence of non producing shale zones with low impedance similar to that of the oil sand made the acoustic impedance not an unambiguous diagnostic of hydrocarbon bearing sand. Additionally, regional geology wells producing from shallower zone show also a similar response to that of the sandy channel, thus, the need for another indicator to remove this ambiguity became a necessity. Spectral decomposition has been selected to play this role. To achieve this objective we relied on the fact that this attribute has proven to have the potential to selectively illuminate formations at their tuning frequency which can be different for hydrocarbon and non hydrocarbon saturated rocks. Interestingly, Short Window Fourier Transform workflow could successfully image the channel\'s stratigraphic features and differentiate shale from sand. Furthermore, the attribute could discriminate the regional geology from oil sand-fill channel in dry wells located in relatively low impedance area where the differentiation using P-impedance was ambiguous.

The movement of liquid water droplets against the gravitational field has been shown. This was observed when projecting condensed steam droplets downwards. The observations show that the droplets decelerated and turned around at a point with their velocity becoming zero and begin moving upwards against the earth’s gravitational attraction. Further to the above observation, condensed steam droplets kept in an inverted container were examined. Some of these droplets showed upward drift while others drifted downward. The higher density of water droplets relative to surrounding air doesn’t satisfy the condition for the buoyancy to be responsible for the upward movement. The conditions required to create convection current were also not present at the region where droplets begin their upward movement. Therefore, no adequate explanation of this droplet movement against gravity can be given with conventional laws and hence a novel way of thinking is needed to explicate the behavior.

The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of the specimen inclination on Vickers hardness measurements. A primary Vickers hardness testing machine (PVHM), and hardness reference test blocks with different hardness levels are used a different values of inclination angles for the tested specimens are obtained through a calibrated test rig. Theoretical and experimental analyses were conducted to evaluate the hardness tested samples tilting effects. The tests results were validated by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results show that there is significant effect due to specimen inclination where the surface area of contact was found to be higher for tilted indentation and hence underestimates of hardness. Inclination is partially depending on the hardness level where the effects of inclination angle are reduced at higher levels of hardness values. Empirical formula was obtained to correlate between inclination angle and Vickers hardness error.

Breakthrough curve studies for the removal of heavy metals using activated carbon derived from palmyra palm nut (PPN) was carried out in a fixed bed column. The effects of important parameters such as inlet ion concentration, flow rate and bed height on the breakthrough curve were studied. Breakthrough time increased with increase in bed height, inlet ion concentration and flow rates. Increasing the flow rate gave rise to a shorter time for saturation. Breakthrough was achieved in lesser time for Cu2+ adsorption than Pb2+ adsorption. As flow rate increased from 5 to 10ml/min breakthrough was achieved between 1200 to 1500 min for Pb2+ adsorption while breakthrough was reached between 220 and 350 min for adsorption of Cu2+. The experimental breakthrough data correlated well with the breakthrough profile calculated by Yoon and Nelson method for activated carbon. Palmyra palm nut was found to be an efficient adsorbent for the removal of lead (11) and Copper (11) in a continuous mode using fixed bed column.

The present study introduces measurements of natural radiation doses due to gamma radio-nuclides in the Dead Sea, Jordan. This exploration implemented in the famous natural curative resource in Jordan, the Dead Sea. Our measurements show that this region has a proper level of external radiation due to gamma radionuclides, it lies within the normal levels of worldwide. The average registered gamma absorbed dose rates along the Dead Sea region is 75 nSvh-1. The range is between 16 to 260 nSvh-1.

In this study, natural resin from dry, ground peels of unripe plantain were extracted with benzene/ethanol (2:1). This was employed as binder as well as co-binder with cement in the production of particleboards. Boards C (ratio 3:2:0 of sawdust:resin:cement by weight), A (ratio 3:1:1 of sawdust:resin: cement by weight) and B (ratio 3:0:2 of sawdust:resin:cement by weight) were all produced, while B serve as control. Board C exhibited least density (0.38 gcm- 3), while B had highest (1.05 gcm-3). There appeared better physical properties for board A (water absorption - WA, thickness swelling - TS, linear expansion - LE and abrasion – ABS - values of 15.51%, 3.82%, 4.42% and 0.79% respectively) than B and C. However, the mechanical properties of board B appeared better than that of A as its modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were higher, though board A still had significant MOR and MOE values of 2.02 Nmm-2 and 2131.40 Nmm-2 respectively. The MOR and MOE tests on board C failed due to its lack of load-bearing capacity, though with least value of LE. The reduced density and improved physical qualities of board A exposed the extracted resin as a good potential binder if more research is geared towards developing its binding capacity. Infrared spectroscopy showed O-H and C=O bonds on the resin, while its chemical interaction with the cement reduced the functional group to C=O bond.

In this paper we will generalize theorem 9 of Hahn and Mitchell (1969) in bounded symmetric domain on Hardy Space to Bergman Space. 1. Definition and Preliminary Results. Let D be a bounded symmetric domain in the complex vector space CN(N>1) in the cananical Harisch Chandra realization. It is known that D is circular and star-shaped with respect to 0?D and has a Bergman- Silov boundary b, which is circular and measurable. Let ? be the group of holomorphic automorphisms of D and 0 ? its isotropy subgroup with respect to 0. The group ? is transitive on D and the holomorphic automorphisms extend continuous to the topological boundary of D. The group 0 ? is transitive on b and b has a unique normalization 0 ? invariant measure ? which is given by 1 t t d? =V?ds, V the Euclidean volume of b and t ds the Euclidean volume element at t (Koranyi and Wolf, 1965). et H(D) denotes the class of holomorphic functions on as Ap(0 Full text  PDF

In this paper, we use the upper record range statistic to draw inferences from the scale parameter of the exponential distribution. These inferences are point estimation and interval estimation. We obtained MRE estimations under three different loss functions: Quadratic, Squared error and Absolute error loss function. Moreover, we derive the shortest interval and interval estimation with equal tails. Finally, we present some practical examples and simulations by using the method of inverse distribution transformation.

A sample of twenty anorexia nervosa patients on admission at Government Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu, Benin City were placed on antidepressant, vitamin and mineral supplements. After they were discharged from the hospital, an investigation was carried out to ascertain treatment effect of the drugs on the patients. On the assumption of normality of gain or loss in the body mass indices (BMI) of the patients, the null hypothesis of no treatment effect was rejected. The statistical results showed that the drugs yielded a significant treatment effect on the patients.

In this paper we characterize a dependent element of a derivation on a semiprime ?-ring M. It is shown that the dependent elements of a derivation d of a semiprime ?-rings M are central, and it is proved that if a is a dependent element of a derivation d of M, then there exist ideals U and V of the semiprime ?-ring M such that (i)U????V is an essential ideal of M. (ii) d =0 on U, and d(V) ?V and (iii) the derivation d of the semiprime ?- ring M is free action on V. Furthermore, some of results of free action for several mappings in prime and semiprime ?-rings are given. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 16W25, 16W10. 16N16.

Geoelectrical resistivity soundings employing Schlumberger electrodes array was used to measure resistivity distributions of geomaterials in four fuel stations located in coastal environment within the Nigerian sector of the Niger Delta basin. The aim is to find alternative solution for the mitigation of external corrosion of buried storage fuel tanks. A maximum current electrodes spacing of 40m was used for the investigations. An average depth of 10m was penetrated by the current. Analyses of results show that the storage tank (station A) is within non–corrosive environment. The tank may eventually suffer corrosion attack due to the 132kV electrical power lines which is in close proximity to the fuel station. The other tanks (B, C, and D) are within corrosive environments but the tank at station C is at a higher corrosion risk. This is because of the presence of conductive clay in the area. Based on the low resistivity, sites for planting of protective anodes have been delineated to protect the storage tanks from external corrosion.