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This study adopted a correlational investigation to examine the relationship between Cost Management and Supply Chain Performance of food and Beverages firms in Port Harcourt. The population for this study consists of seventeen (17) food and beverages firms in Port Harcourt. The researcher conducted a census study due to the small size of the population. However, a total of Eighty Five (85) top managerial staff of the firms constituted the respondents for the study. Furthermore, Eighty five (85) copies of the questionnaire were administered to the top managers of each of the 17 food and beverages companies while seventy (70) copies were retrieved and used for the study. The respondent’s demographics were analyzed by employing the measures of central tendencies and measures of dispersions. Correspondingly, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used in testing the study hypotheses in other to ascertain the relationship between the predictor variable (Cost Management) and the criterion variable (Supply Chain Performance).The result of the analysis revealed that Cost Management significantly influenced Supply Chain Performance of food and Beverages firms in Port Harcourt. Hence, the authors concluded that Cost Management significantly affect Supply Chain Performance and therefore recommended that the management of food and Beverages firms in Port Harcourt should adopt appropriate cost management strategies in other to increase their level of supply chain performance.

Port Harcourt municipality as a developing city has over the years been inundated with rapid urbanisation and continuous city expansion. This development has led to an increasing demand for more land to cope with such pace of transformation. Land as a natural resource is finite, yet the demand for more land is unlimited. Based on this increasing demand for land for infrastructural, commercial, residential, institutional and industrial services, government, individuals and communities alike have resort to the reclamation and conversion of available wetlands within the Port Harcourt municipality. This study sets out to identify the boom, the blunder and the brunt of wetlands reclamation and conversion within Port Harcourt Municipality; with specific objectives to ascertain the nature of spatial expansion within the wetland areas in Port Harcourt municipality; identify the extent to which urban growth has affected land use in the wetland areas within Port Harcourt municipality; and to establish the boom, blunder and the brunt of wetland depletion and conversion for urban land uses within the Port Harcourt municipality. The study adopts a quasi-experimental research design, it involves the gathering of retrospective data from various sources without the manipulation of the data sources. Sampling technique was multi-stage; listing of all forty-one wetland settlements; three settlements were purposively selected for ease of access and growing insecurity. Satellite images of the study sites were obtained from Google earth, delineated and gridlines were superimposed on the images. A time series analysis using ERDAS imagine 2014 version, was used to show spatial changes between the years 1986 to 2000, and 2000 to 2016, a time period spanning thirty years. The study indicates that from 1986 to 2000, Port Harcourt municipality lost a total of 1,255,500 m2, this translates to a 5% loss. This loss occurs at an average rate of 89,678.57m2 per annum. From 2000 to 2016, the rate of loss was 108,956.25m2 per annum, and approximately 7.69% of wetlands totalling 1,743,300m2 was lost to urbanisation. Improved urban services, economic prosperity, increased revenue represents some of the boom. Unnecessary incursion into the wetlands by groups, depletion of habitat for flora and fauna species, development of unplanned settlements is some of the blunders and declining urban quality of life, massive urban flooding, pressure on existing urban services, depletion of the already lean state resources are the brunt. Some recommendations include; conduct periodic geospatial mapping of wetlands to enable the listing of identified wetlands and identify existing species of flora and fauna for conservation, tourism development and preservation; there should be a strengthened development control framework to guide and encourage professionally trained and equipped manpower to manage wetlands and ensure acceptable best practices.

Port Harcourt municipality has a variety of wetlands that contribute valuable ecosystem services to people, the natural species habitat, and tourist attraction. Wetlands are nourishing and important breeding zones for wildlife and provide protection and safe spaces for sea creatures. Typical of any natural habitat, wetlands are significant in supporting species diversity in addition to providing some climate restraining component. This study aimed at highlighting the price residents and government alike pay for the reclamation and conversion of wetlands. Achieving this was to ascertain the physical environmental challenges experienced by wetland dwellers within Port Harcourt municipality and proffer appropriate mitigation measures associated with the challenges of urbanization and wetland conversion. Three (3) settlements were purposively chosen out of the 41 identified wetland settlements in Port Harcourt municipality. A total of 293 questionnaires were distributed and SPSS was used to analyze the data. Also, satellite imageries of the study areas were obtained from Google earth, delineated. ERDAS imagine 2014 version was used to show spatial changes between the years 1986 to 2000, and 2000 to 2016. The study shows that from 1986 to 2000, Port Harcourt municipality lost a total of 1,255,500m2. This translates to a 5% loss with an average rate of 89,678.57m2 per annum. Between 2000 and 2016, the rate of loss was 108,956.25m2 per annum, and approximately 7.69% of wetlands totaling 1,743,300m2 were lost to urbanization. The result indicates that some of the prices associated with physical environmental challenges include flooding, poor sanitary condition; poor refuse disposal system, and unplanned settlements leading to a decline in the urban quality of life. Also, some mitigation measures include the provision of affordable land, rehabilitation of failed drainage system. The study recommends periodic mapping of all wetlands and an effective development control framework to monitor incursions into existing wetlands.

In this study, the concentrations of urea were assayed in both blood and saliva of 130 haemodialysis patients; before haemodialyis(pre-haemodialysis) and after haemodialysis (post haemodialysis); and 60 healthy individuals who made up the control group. The method used for urea assay was urease method. The mean±SD concentrations of salivary urea in pre and post haemodialysis patients, as well as control group, were 17±0.6 mmol/l, 9.1±0.5 mmol/l and 4.0±0.3 mmol/l respectively. The mean±SD concentrations of blood urea in pre and post haemodialysis patients, as well as control group, were 21.6±0.5 mmol/l, 9.1±0.4 mmol/l and 4.2±0.2 mmol/l respectively. The correlation coefficient between blood and salivary urea in pre-haemodialysis patients is 78.8% while that for post haemodialysis patients is 60.6% and for the control group is 90%. The ANOVA results of salivary urea in the three groups (pre, post and control) showed a significant difference with P-value ˂0.05. The ANOVA results of blood urea in the three groups (pre, post and control) showed a significant difference with P-value ˂0.05. From the various results obtained, saliva can serve as a diagnostic biofluid for renal disease especially with the salivary urea as the biomarker. Also, the salivary renal biomarker (urea) responds to changes in concentrations after therapeutic consideration. This study is in consonance with other literature that saliva is a diagnostic fluid for kidney disease; however, there is a need to carry out more research works to continually unveil the diagnostic potential of saliva in kidney disease.

Rivers generally have been source of livelihood for several persons in both developed and developing countries, and the rivers have been exploited without recourse to the consequences of this action by those involved. The aim of this research is to assess the social and economic consequences of sand mining on communities along the Victory River. The objectives are to: examine residents’ perception, identify the impacts of sand mining in their domain and propose mitigation measures for moderate and major negative impacts and enhancement measures for positive impacts of sand mining. Hazards and effects management process (HEMP) was used identify the impacts of sand mining on the communities and propose mitigation measures for moderate and major negative impacts and enhancement measures for positive ones. The study adopted multistage sampling technique by identifying all the communities along the Victory River and purposively four (4) communities were selected for the study. Mixed methods were used to collect data with one-hundred and twenty-three (123) structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. The study found that continuous river sand mining had altered the river courses and increased the width and depth of the Victory River. Livelihood chain of the people have been distorted leading to diminished purchasing power, increased poverty level and other associated social vices. There were also identified socio-economic benefits like employment and revenue generation for the communities. The study recommends that: river channel cross sections should be benchmarked using aerial photographs and periodic hydrographic survey, effective social management plan and enhancement measures be taken, enforcement of relevant laws to control the activities of sand miners and their host communities alike.