Archives-December 

A methodology based on flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was developed and validated to quantify lithium in spodumene mineral sample. Validation parameters, including linearity and range, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), were evaluated. The method is linear over 1.0 – 9.0 µg mL-1, with a coefficient of correlation (r) > 0.999. The LOD and LOQ were 0.2 ?g mL-1 and 0.7 ?g mL-1. This method is very precise; intraday precision measurements had a relative standard deviation (RSD) value of 4.00 %. This RSD value was lower than that required by Horwitz. The mean recovery percentage was 99.06 %, indicating that this method could accurately quantify the lithium in the studied mineral. The percentage of lithium oxide in the spodumene mineral sample was 0.33 –0.39%.

Altogether 272 species and infraspecific taxa of algae and cyanobacteria were identified in the Enguri River habitats during 1974-1977, and 2014 field trips. Total list of algal flora including our findings and reference lists is represented by 339 taxa (excluding diatoms) and most of them were bio-indicators. Charophyta, Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta species were dominated in communities. Altitude play the major role in distribution patterns of algal diversity and ecological groups of water quality indicators.

E-Banking (also known as On-line banking or Internet banking) refers to doing the financial transactions using the banks website from anywhere in the world. Just by having a computer/laptop with Internet connection the customer can do their financial transactions like transferring money from one account to another account, paying bills like EB Bill, telephone bill, mobile recharge, online purchase etc., Even though the e-banking offers lot of facilities to customers, still customers are facing some of the problems like security issues, loss of password, misuse of funds etc., There were lot of studies conducted to identify the customer perception and satisfaction on e-banking services. The objective of this article is to identify the various empirical studies conducted on customer perception on e-banking by using the literature survey. The outcome of this literature survey is to analyze the areas in which the empirical studies are carried out on customer perception on e-banking and to identify the research gap where the research is not covered so far.

Capital structure plays acritical role in determining the performance of a firm. The study investigated the effect between capital structure and financial performance of SMEs in hotel sector in Mombasa County and environs in Kenya. The study used profitability and liquidity as a measure of performance. SPSS software was used to analyze and generate reports for the study. Regression analysis, correlation coefficient, ANOVA, Chi-square tools and instruments were used. Regression coefficient showed B-0.021, beta -0.017n, t- 0.289 p- value 0.773. Therefore capital structure negatively and significantly affects the financial performance of SMES

This work focused on the effect of groundnut paste fineness modulus on the quantity of oil extractable. Three samples of peeled roasted groundnut seeds A, B, and C weighing 14kg each were ground at different machine speeds of 310rpm, 250rpm, and 230rpm respectively. The energy expended in the extraction process using the IAR kneader was found to be 923J, 1043J, and 203J for samples A, B,and C respectively. Results revealed that the extraction efficiency increases as the value of fineness modulus decreases. The results also revealed that the energy requirement decreases as the fineness modulus value decreases.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of antioxidant additives (hypotaurine and cysteine) in different concentrations to the cryopreserving media on the semen cytological parameters pre freezing and post thawing (motility, membrane integrity, morphology, acrosome integrity and viability).The experiment was done on 30 ejaculates collected by artificial vagina method from 5 boer goat bucks during April to May 2011. After collection, ejaculates qualifying standard criteria were pooled. Pooled ejaculates were washed for seminal plasma removal and then diluted in medium based on Tris in which antioxidants were added in various concentrations (hypotaurine 5, 10 and 20mM; cysteine 5, 10 and 20mM) or without antioxidants (control). The diluted semen was cooled at 4ºC, filled in 0.25ml French straws and then stored in liquid nitrogen. The results showed that semen quality did not differ (P < 0.05) in terms of morphology and acrosome integrity with antioxidants supplementation after cooling. Hypotaurine and cysteine significantly improved the characteristics of boer goat semen motility, membrane integrity, morphology, acrosome integrity and viability after cryopreservation. Addition of hypotaurine at 10mM and cysteine at 5mM concentration leads maximum improvement in liquid and frozen boer goat sperm cytological characteristics.

The study investigates the effect of Staff Socio-Mobility skills on Library Staff Productivity in seven Academic Libraries in South West, Nigeria. The focus of the study is to identify socio-mobility skills of staff, determine the effect of staff socio-mobility skills on staff productivity in these libraries. The sample population consisted of 150 librarians, and a descriptive survey was adopted for the study with the questionnaire used as the main instrument of data collection. However, a total number of 113 copies of the questionnaire were returned, thus giving a response rate of 75%. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents agreed that library resources management has positive effect on their productivity. Librarians at Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAB) have higher productivity than those in each of the other academic libraries. In order to determine the effect of socio-mobility skills on library staff productivity, an hypothesis was formulated and tested and it shows there is no significant effect of staff socio-mobility skills on staff productivity in the selected academic libraries. The study concluded that library staff should be encouraged to attend seminars, trainings, and workshops in order to improve their socio-mobility skills, and librarians should ensure they publish regularly in learned journals to enhance their productivity.

Eutrophication is a worldwide environmental problem attributed to direct or indirect discharge of untreated or partially treated effluents from a variety of industries including slaughter-houses. Nutrient-rich water compromises its suitability for various uses and threatens human and environmental health. A study was carried out to assess the impact of effluents from Dagoreti slaughter-houses on the water quality of Kavuthi stream, one of the tributaries of Nairobi River. Samples of effluent effluents from the slaughter-houses and water from Kavuthi stream were collected in 2010 for the determination of both temporal and spatial variation of various eutrophication parameters: total phosphates (TP), soluble reactive phosphates (SRP), ammonium (NH4), nitrate (NO3) and nitrite (NO2). A mean concentration of 5.14± 0.30 mgL-1 for TP, 2.80±0.37mgL-1 for SRP, 18.27± 0.93 mgL-1 for NH4-N, 8.88±0.25 mgL-1 for NO3-N and 1.63±0.22 mgL-1 for NO2-N were recorded for the effluent from the slaughter-house. Significant differences were observed between sampling occasions and sites (p<0.05) along the stream. On average, 1.52±0.08 mgL-1 for TP, 0.68±0.05 mgL-1 for SRP, 5.34± 0.41 mgL-1 for NH4-N, 4.36±0.20 mgL-1 for NO3-N and 0.46±0.05 mgL-1 for NO2-N for the water samples along Kavuthi stream were recorded. Despite the significantly high concentrations of these nutrients in sites downstream of the effluent discharge point as compared to upstream sites, their levels were within the limits stipulated by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) - Water Quality Regulation for effluent discharge into the environment and source of water for domestic purpose. The study recommends that the slaughter-house operators adopt appropriate effluents treatment interventions and effluent discharge guidelines in order to safeguard human and environmental health.

In present paper, we investigated the water samples taken from sewage treatment plant (STP) at Habak of famous Dal lake Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir). Comparative analysis was carried out for inlet of the STP and outlet discharged into the Dal Lake. Some essential physico-chemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD),chemical oxygen demand (COD),dissolved oxygen (DO),chloride (Cl-),total alkalinity (TA),total hardness (TH),total solids (TS), total dissolved solids (TDS),total suspended solids (TSS) were studied. TS,TDS and TSS were determined by oven dry method, COD was determined by reflux digestion method, BOD was estimated by Azide modification of Winkler method, TA as HCO3-,TH (Calcium, Ca2+, Magnesium,Mg2+) and Chloride (Cl-), were estimated by standard titrimetry. For major and minor trace element (TE) determination, energy dispersive x-ray (EDAX) facilities attached to Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were employed. It was observed that the concentration of TS, TSS, TE, BOD and COD reduces but the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) increases after treatment at STP. It was found that the contents or proportions of most of the parameters (TS, TSS, TE, BOD and COD) decrease whereas the dissolved oxygen was found to increase after treatment. Various possibilities are explored vis a vis the current observed data.

Quantum chemical calculations of energies, geometrical structures and electronic absorption spectra of 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole (DAT) were carried out by ab initio HF/6-311+G(d,p), DFT (B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)). The optimized geometric bond lengths and bond angles obtained by HF method show best agreement with the experimental values. Comparison of the observed fundamental vibrational frequencies of DAT with calculated results by HF and density functional methods indicates that B3LYP is superior to the scaled Hartree-Fock approach for molecular vibrational problems. The difference between the observed and scaled wave number values of most of the fundamentals is very small. A detailed interpretation of the FT-IR and FT- Raman, NMR spectra of DAT was also reported. Thermodynamic properties were also calculated and discussed. UV–vis spectrum of the compound was recorded and the electronic properties, such as HOMO and LUMO energies, were performed by time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) approach. Finally the calculations results were applied to simulated infrared and Raman spectra of the title compound which show good agreement with observed spectra. The Mulliken charge analysis indicates that the nitrogen atoms of the triazole ring and the amino group attached to the ring are the main reactive centers of 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole. And the temperature dependence of the thermodynamic properties of constant pressure (Cp), entropy (S) and enthalpy change (?H0?T) for DAT were also determined.