The Mambaka watershed is extends between latitudes 1 3°45'E and 14°15'E and longitudes 7°16'N and 6°45'N. The geology, various tectonic and structural events that have affected the Adamawa Plateau in Cameroon make it rich in multi-substance mining. The objective of this study is to map rare earth (REE) geochemical anomalies in the sediments of the watershed streams west of Mambaka, and to trace their origins and geochemical processes. Predictive maps from inverse distance interpolations (IDW), factor analysis (F1) or principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical bottom-up classification maps provided a better understanding of the central tendency, distribution and dispersion of REE in the samples and in the study area, based on standard deviation and variance values that generated two factors F1 (Ho-Tm-Er-Yb-Lu-Dy-Tb-Gd-Eu-Sm) and F2 (Pr-Nd-Ce-La-Sm) representing 92.44% of the total cumulative variance. The ratios Ce/Ce* > 0.78 and Eu/Eu* > 1 demonstrate positive anomalies in Ce and Eu, and clear differentiation. The normalized concentrations used to calculate fractionation ratios show that the values for LaN/YbN (0.58 to 1.34), LaN/SmN (0.61 to 0.88) and LaN/LuN (0.62 to 1.43) suggest higher fractionation in SS09 and lower fractionation in SS01. Similarly, the ratios La/Lu (61.71 to 143.46), La/Yb (9.00 to 20.72), La/Sm (4.02 to 5.83) and La/ Lu (61.71 to 143.46) confirm these higher ratios in SS09 and lower in SS01. The REE in the study area comes from hydrothermal processes based on high lineament densities at sampling points in igneous rocks with a mean ∑REE value of between 174-219 ppm.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge level of street food vendors on hygiene in the Tamale metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study employed the health belief model as the theoretical basis. Quantitatively, the study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design to examine the microbial load of street-cut fruits and assess the knowledge and practice of vendors of cut fruits on personal and food hygiene in the study setting. The population consists of cut and vented pawpaw, watermelon, and street fruit vendors registered with the health directorate in the Tamale Metropolis. A convenient sampling technique was used to select 113 respondents for the study. The Yamane formula was used to determine the sample size to select one hundred and thirteen participants (113) out of one hundred and fifty-eight street fruit vendors in the Tamale Metropolis. The main instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. A questionnaire had close-ended questions which were developed using a 'Yes' and 'No' response, and a four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree (SD), 2=Disagree (D), 3=Agree (A) and 4= Strongly Agree (SA). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, means and standard deviation). The findings revealed that the overall knowledge level of respondents is low. The findings also indicate that vendors do not control the rate at which their customers touch their vended fruits. It is recommended that Street fruit vendors and handlers be educated on fruit hygiene practices through engagement by the Health Directorate Unit of Tamale Metropolis and the Ministry of Health. To keep consumers safe, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly must strictly enforce compliance with regulations on operation permits and health clearance certificates. Metropolitan sanitation officers must regularly monitor fruit vendors to ensure compliance with goods.

Risks in Public Private Procurement mass housing project (PPP-MHP) initiatives are emerging and this requires early risk identification and allocation to achieve the goal and sustenance of the scheme. The study, being a follow-up of a Delphi survey, elicits the opinion of respondents on the probability of occurrence and severity of identified risks in PPP-MHPs in Nigeria. The study adopts a quantitative research design approach by administering structure questionnaire survey on identified PPP-MHPs partners in Abuja, Nigeria. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as Mean item score (MIS), standard deviation, and Kruskal Wallis analytical techniques with the aid of SPSS software packages. The findings show that all the listed risk factors were found to be extremely high, very high, high, or moderate in terms of occurrence while all the listed risk factors recorded a very high level of severity on the delivery of PPP-MHPs. The top ten (10) risk factors frequently associated with PPP-MHPs are non-availability of finance, high finance cost, non-involvement of the host community, poor execution of housing policies, corruption and lack of respect for law, wrong perception of housing need by low-income earners, Illegal title to land, land acquisition and site availability, level of demand for the mass housing projects and unstable value of local currency. The respondents differs significantly on 29 risk factors in terms of occurrence and 40 risk factors in term of severity. The study, therefore, recommends that risk management culture should be highly encouraged among the PPP Partners in the sector. The study intends to enumerate the rate of occurrence of some itemized risk factors and their severities on the delivery of PPP – procured mass housing projects in Nigeria and the need to bookmark these risk factors in ensuring the sustainability of the PPP mass housing scheme.

A new parameter was proposed, with the help of which a specific disperse system was characterized. In addition, a regularity was found showing the relationship between the structural characteristics of structural units (particle size distribution, standard deviation, intensity and average diameter). Various highly dispersed systems have been investigated, including polystyrene latex, Sucrose and latex.