Archives-September 2012

Chairman’s Statement plays a significant role in communicating the corporate affair to the stakeholders and subsequently serves one of the tools to the stakeholders in making their economic decision. However, the usefulness of which will depends upon their readability and understandability (Courtis, 2004). Therefore, this study examines the readability of Chairman’s Statement for companies under Main Board of Bursa Malaysia, starting from 2004 until 2006. The study employs Readability formula developed by Rudolf Flesch in 1949, Microsoft Word’s Flesh Reading Ease (FRE) Score. The results show that all the chairman’s statements in Malaysia are difficult to read.

Hydrostratigraphic mapping and results of pumping test analysis were used to investigate groundwater occurrence and the hydraulic properties of the aquifer systems in the Wuro Juli well field, near Gombe Metropolis, Gombe Sub Basin. The well field is comprised of a set of 13 deep boreholes developed to improve public water supply to Gombe Township. The delineated aquifers have several formation boundaries that inhibited lateral continuity of groundwater flow. At a discharge rate of between 43.20 m3/day and 613.44m3/day, the specific discharge (q) and Hydraulic Conductivity (K) values varied in the range of 1.17-2.03m3/day and 2.75 x 10-2 - 2.06 x 100 m2/day, respectively. The Application of both Chow’s method of Drawdown Analysis and Jacob’s Residual Drawdown Method to drawdown measured during multiple pumping tests in the well field yielded very low Transmissivity (T) and Storativity (S) values. T and S varied in the range of 3.13 x 10-5 - 3.50 x 10-4 m2/sec and 4.40 x 10-8 - 4.00 x 10-7, respectively. The analysis of the distance-drawdown data indicated that a resultant drawdown due to simultaneous pumping of two wells for about 200 minutes ranged from about 30m near the pumping wells to 0.50m over the more distant segments of the radius of influence. The low Transmissivity (T) and Storativity (S) values of the water supply aquifers in the well field caused very low range of cone of depression, culminating in huge drawdown values within some of the pumped wells. This tight cone of depression would limit the actualization of the projected abstraction rate of 4492.80m3/day (187.20m3/hr) required to temporary solve water supply problems in Gombe Town. Structural discontinuities and in particular very low aquifer recharge through rainfall were other important parameters that contributed to the limitation of the groundwater potentials of Wuro Juli well field.

The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves and the roots of Flabellaria paniculata Cav. (Malpighiaceae) were studied using GC and GC-MS. The leaves oil contains twenty-four compounds which constituted about 91.2% of the oil. This was dominated by sesquiterpenoids (69.9%). The roots oil contains fourteen compounds which constituted about 96.2% of the oil. The roots oil was also dominated by diterpenes (84.1%). The topical anti-inflammatory effects of the two oils were assayed as inhibition of the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorobol-13 acetate (TPA) induced ear edema in mice. The oils at 5.0 and 2.5 mg dose levels exhibited more effect than indomethacin (0.25 mg) in reducing edema. The results demonstrated the leaves oil of Flabellaria paniculata has an anti-inflammatory agent, supporting the use of this plant in folk medicine. Aside these, other compounds were reported along with the anti-inflammatory activity and these seemed to receive no mention in any previous literature known to us and hence novel.

As mercury (Hg) amalgamation is an inexpensive, quick and simple way to extract gold, it is currently the method most commonly used in Artisanal gold mining in Ghana and most developing countries. However, the activities of these Artisanal miners result in the release of Hg into the environment by amalgamation tailings and amalgam burning. These amalgamation tailings often left behind forms Hg “hotspots” in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, forming the main source of Hg dispersion. An investigation was conducted in the Asutifi district, hosts for several artisanal gold mining centres to ascertain the levels and the degree of mercury contamination in amalgamation tailings. The degree of contamination were assessed using mathematical model index approach, geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factors (EF). The average Igeo for Hg in tailings (0.5) denoted uncontaminated to moderately contaminated, whilst the EF indicated very high to extremely high enrichment.

Major ion geochemistry was used to characterize the chemical composition of the groundwater in the Accra Plains and to understand its geochemical evolution. Sodium and chloride were the dominant ions in the groundwater. The TDS values increase south eastwards through the central part of the Plains towards the coast. Three hydrochemicsl facies which evolves from Na-Mg-Ca-Cl-HCO3 to Na-Ca-Cl was identified using the Piper diagram and Chadha proposed rectangular plot. The R-mode factor analysis result show that three factors account for 83.65% of the total variance in the hydrochemistry. Interpretation of the hydrochemical data suggested that mineral (silicate) weathering, cation-exchange and reverse ion–exchange control the chemical composition of the groundwater. The thermodynamic plots indicate that the groundwater is in equilibrium with kaolinite and montmorillonite minerals. The saturation index also indicated that about 47% of the groundwater samples were oversaturated with respect to calcite and dolomite.

Since the inception of knowledge research has been playing a pivotal role in the discovery of new vistas of knowledge. Therefore, the teachers, researchers, and theorists staunchly believe that educational research and teaching is essentially interlinked. Research is systematic and within a broad framework follows the steps known as scientific method. However, across different types of studies there is extensive flexibility in how the steps are implemented. a research should be systematic , empirical valid and reliable in its nature. Various kinds of research are used by researchers by the researchers in accordance to their needs of specific research design. The review of the literature revealed that research has played an important role in the development of theory, learning theories and curriculum. The use of these theories and curriculum helped the theorists to design teaching models which are now used by the teachers to impart knowledge effectively. The historical research method was used for this study because this study aimed at having a review of literature related to research-based teaching learning process. The study has revealed that effective teaching is possible only when teachers possess ample knowledge of philosophy, learning theories, curriculum and strategies of teaching. Having been acquainted with these fundamentals of research and knowledge a teacher would be professional and effective teacher who would disseminate knowledge in a professional manner.

The feasibility of activated carbon prepared from Moringa Oleifera fruit shell waste to remove Reactive Red 2 from aqueous solutions was investigated through batch mode contact time process. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as initial concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage and temperature were investigated in a batch-adsorption technique. The optimum conditions for removal of the basic dye were found to be pH 6.5. The equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximum mono layer adsorption capacity. The kinetic data were fitted to pseudo first order, pseudo second order and intra particle diffusion models and it was found to follow closely the pseudo first order kinetic model.

The present study aims at examining the influence of receptive (reading three glossed sentences) and productive (completing a cloze task) tasks on retrieving the knowledge of English verb-noun collocations in an Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learning context. To do so, ninety four EFL university learners were divided into two experimental (reading and cloze) groups and one control group. To examine the effects of the tasks, the students in all three groups were given receptive and productive collocation pretests aiming at measuring their existing knowledge of collocation and posttests to measure the learners' gained knowledge of collocation after being exposed to the treatments. Two weeks after completing the treatments, the students were given delayed posttests examining the participants’ ability to retrieve the receptive and productive gained of the collocations. The results of Paired Sample t-tests revealed that the tasks were highly effective in helping the students retrieve the already gained knowledge of verb-noun collocations.

This study assesses the impact of urbanization on the Jakara stream channel - a semi arid area that has received little attention. The proportion of the catchment under impervious cover was determined along the Jakara catchment using black and white air photographs taken in 1961and 1981 satellite imagery of 1987, 1995 and 2006. These were used together with land use maps, road maps and layout plans and ground truthing. Consistent and significant differences in the sites were demonstrated in bankfull width, depth, cross section and wetted perimeter. Channel density increased by 28.6% due to storm sewers, culverts and other runoff removal. About 99 percent of the Jakara channel banks in the urban reach and 30 percent n the semi urban reach are artificially reinforced to prevent channel widening by bank erosion. In addition, residential and commercial landowners filled the channel margins to increase property acreage. Physical channel structure has changed from a pool/riffle sequence to a uniform pattern. Results obtained here show that there are major alterations to the morphology of drainage systems. They need to be taken into account to better understand the hydrologic response of anthropogenic basins, and to improve the modeling, planning and design of sub-urban and urban areas. Finally, a series of advantages of this approach are also discussed.

This paper examines agroforestry as a panacea to food insecurity in Nigeria. Agroforestry is defined as a combination of agriculture and forestry, resulting in better management of natural resources and sustainable use of land. It is the planting of trees among crops so as to help sustain environments and livelihoods. The practice of agroforestry is a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resources management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels. It has some characteristic features which could either be intentional or interactive. Intentional agroforestry is designing and managing combinations for a planned result. Intentional agroforestry can be intensive or integrated. In practice of intensive agroforestry, components are managed to maintain production and environmental benefits. Integrated agroforestry is a blend of agriculture, forestry and environmental science. Interactive agroforestry is designed to minimize negative and maximize positive interactions between trees, other crops, livestock and humans. The goal is to enhance the production of more than one component at a time while providing for environmental benefits. The paper discusses some characteristic features of agroforestry as either intentional or interactive. Silvopastoral, agrisilviculture and agrisilvopastoral are discussed as types of agroforestry systems while alley cropping, forest farming, riparian buffer strips and windbreaks or shelterbelts are described as the most common or popular agroforestry practices. Some limitations to agroforestry practices are also mentioned in the paper.