Profitability Analysis of Three Methods of Suya Production and Marketing in Maiduguri metropolitan Council, Borno State, Nigeria

The study determined the economics of alternative methods of Suya production and marketing in Maiduguri Metropolitan Area in Borno State of Nigeria. Data were obtained from 108 respondents using questionnaire and oral interview schedule. Descriptive statistics, the gross margin, Ginni coefficient, market margin and average cost function were used as analytical tools. The findings of the study indicate that the three major types of Suya in the study area were Tsire, Balangu and Kilishi. Estimated gross margin per kilogram of meat used in preparation of Kilishi, Balangu and Tsire were N150, N 32 and N 114, respectively. The returns to labour were N 3.13, N 1.95, N 2.2 for Kilishi, Balangu and Tsire producers, respectively. The returns to other variable costs were 29 kobo for Kilishi and Tsire producers and 1 kobo for Balangu producers. The benefit-cost ratios were estimated as N 1:27:1. N 1.25:1 and N 1.1:1 for Kilishi, Tsire and Balangu production and marketing enterprises, respectively. The marketing margins for Kilishi, Tsire and Balangu were estimated as37.45%, 43.39% and 21.56%, respectively. Analysis of the market structures shows that all the Suya types were differentiated and market knowledge imperfect. The Ginni coefficients for Tsire and Balangu Suya types were similar (0.5), with many producers and buyers and relatively free entry into the market, depicting monopolistic competitive structure. In addition to differentiated products and imperfect market knowledge, Kilishi market had a Ginni Coefficient of 0.2, few producers and buyerswith restricted freedom of entry, typical of oligopolistic competition. There is absence of scale economics in the three types of Suya study. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that all Suya products should be registered with National Agency for Food and Drug AdministrativeControl (NAFDAC) for quality programme to ensure good sanitation of the meat products.Keywords: Suya, marketing, Maiduguri, Borno Stat

Profitability Analysis of Groundnuts Processing in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State, Nigeria

This paper examines the profitability of groundnuts processing in  Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the socioeconomic characteristics of groundnut processors, estimate the costs and returns in groundnut processing and determine the return on investment in groundnut processing in the study area. Structured questionnaires were administered to the sixty respondents and the data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, gross margin and return on investment analysis. The results indicated that majority (90%) of the respondents were married while 30% were in the age group 31-40 years. About 40% of the respondents’ had informal  education. Profitability analysis showed that groundnut processing was profitable business with gross margin of N43.34 per kg. The return on investment was estimated as 40%. It was recommended that large scale groundnut production should be encouraged by government through provision of farm inputs to farmers at very subsidized rate.Key words: Profitability, groundnut, processing, Maiduguri, Borno state

Evaluation of Hot Mix Asphalt Properties with Solid Waste Incinerator Ash as Fine Aggregate

It is imperative to develop a means of utilizing municipal solid waste incinerator ash (MSWIA) for a proper environmental protection. Hence, this research is to evaluate the influence of municipal solid waste incinerator ash (MSWIA) as a substitute for fine aggregate in hot-mix asphalt concrete. The physical properties and chemical oxide composition tests were carried on MSWI ash with the view of evaluating its suitability for used as fine aggregate. Marshall mix design method was adopted for sample preparation. Preliminary samples were prepared to determine the optimum bitumen content (OBC). The OBC was determined as 5.5% and was used for the preparation of samples with varying proportion of MSWIA (10%, 20%, 30% and 40 by total weight of the fine aggregate). The samples were subjected to mechanical and volumetric evaluations, which include stability, flow, bulk specific gravity, void in mineral Aggregate (VMA) void filled with bitumen (VFB) and Voids in the mix (VIM). The results revealed that the flow, void in mix (VIM), void in mineral aggregate (VMA) increased, while bulk specific density (BSD) and void filled with bitumen (VFB) became less as the percentage of MSWI ash raised. However, the use MSWI ash in the preparation of hot mix asphalt as a substitute for fine aggregate should not be beyond 20 % MSWIA. Moreover, the results fulfilled the Standard Specification and requirements specified by Nigerian Standard Specification for Roads and Bridges

16S rDNA Sequencing analysis in identification of some multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial isolates from clinical specimens

Accurate identification of bacterial pathogens from clinical specimens and Multidrug Resistant (MDR) characterization is a key to empirical therapy.  Twelve (12) bacteria isolates from blood, urine and faecal samples were selected based on the ability to grow on Luria Bertani (LB) agar medium containing 100μg/ml ampicillin, identified by 16S rDNA PCR and sequencing. Identified isolates tagged; U01, U02, U03, U04, S08, U10 and U11 were  from urine specimens, S05, S06, S07 and S12 from stool, while B09 was from blood. The isolates were screened for MDR pattern according to Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Conventional biochemical tests revealed that all the isolates are Escherichia coli. The 16S gene sequencing results confirmed that, ten (10) isolates had high similar sequence alignment with identified E. coli strains, while two are Enterobacter cloacae and P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern shows that, most of the isolates (83.3%) were MDR. All the 12 isolates (100%) are resistant to Ampicillin, Cephalothin, Erythromycin, Fusidic acid, Novobiocin and Oxacillin, but sensitive to Colistin sulphate and Imipenem. Eleven isolates (91.7%) are resistant to Chloramphenicol, Cotrimoxazole, Streptomycin, Sulphatriad and Tetracycline. Eight of the 12 isolates (66.7%) are resistant to Ciprofloxacin and Ceftriaxone. Seven (58.3%) are resistant to Cefotaxime, Cefuroxime and Gentamycin. Nine (75%) are sensitive and three isolates (25%) are resistant to Augmentin. The high resistance to these antibacterial agents in this study was due to the indiscriminate use of first-line  common antibiotics like ampicillin in the study area, which is now substituted with Augmentin. Routine biochemical identification tests should always be confirmed with genotypic methods such as 16S gene sequencing, to avoid misdiagnosis, as variations do exist among some bacterial strains. Keywords: Multidrug resistance, sequencing, 16S rDNA, E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae, P. aeruginosa

Geopolitical risks and price exuberance in European natural gas market

This study examines the impact of geopolitical risks on price exuberance within the European natural gas market. The analysis identifies several instances of price exuberance and demonstrates that increased geopolitical risk in Ukraine and the UK significantly increases price exuberance while that of Russia, mitigates the occurrence. This study finds that although geopolitical risks could significantly influence price exuberance in the European natural gas market, the effect differs across countries

Effects of vaccination on the prevalence of Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in small ruminants in Taraba State, Nigeria

An investigation was conducted in order to determine the distribution of Peste Des Petits Ru'minants (PPR) and vaccination efforts in Taraba State of Nigeria using data collected from the Veterinary Services Department of the State's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development between 1992 and 1998. The results showed that the disease is most prevalent during the cold months of the year (Hamattan) and beginning of the rainy season. Similarly, outbreaks increased with the relaxation of vaccination campaign programmes. It was observed that the number of outbreak was low when a vaccination using Tissue-Culture-Rinderpest Vaccine (TCRV) was intensified and it increases when the vaccination was relaxed. It was concluded from this study that intensive vaccination campaign of small ruminants against the PPR through provision of adequate facilities, TCRV vaccines, training offield workers and mass enlightenment campaign in the villages are paramount to control menace of the disease in Nigeria

Evaluation of antiulcer activity of aqueous ethanol extract of Thesium viride on ethanol and aspirin induced models in rats

Thesiumviride Hill (Santalaceae) is a sub-shrub hemiparasite that grows up to 45cm tall and widely distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is used in treatment of ulcer and jaundice. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the aqueous ethanol extract of the whole plant by using standard phytochemical methods. Acute oral toxicity test was carried out and antiulcer activity was conducted using absolute ethanol and aspirin as the ulcerogenic agents on rats where the ulcer index was the parameter and percentage preventive index was determined. The aqueous ethanol extract of the plant was found to contain flavonoids,  anthraquinones, glycosidesand alkaloids. Acute toxicity test showed an oral LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg. In ethanol model, aqueous ethanol extract at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg exhibited significant (P<0.0001) protection against ulcer with mean ulcer indices of 4.40 ± 0.60 and 1.80 ± 0.37 respectively as compared with negative (12.80 ± 0.97) and positive (4.00 ± 0.71)control mean ulcer indices. In aspirin model, aqueous ethanol extract at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg demonstrated  significant (P<0.05) protection against ulcer with mean ulcer indices of 3.20 ± 0.80 and 2.60 ± 0.24 respectively ascompared with negative (5.60 ± 0.97) and positive (1.00 ± 0.44) controlmean ulcer indices. The higher dose of the extract demonstrated greater protective ability with percentage preventive index 85.94% in ethanol induced model and 53.57% in aspirin induced model. The aqueous ethanol extract of the plant was found to be non-toxic and contains some phytochemicals that could be responsible for its antiulcer activity.Keywords: Thesiumviride, Phytochemical, LD50, Ulcer index, Aqueous ethanol extrac

A Multitier Deep Learning Model for Arrhythmia Detection

Electrocardiograph (ECG) is employed as a primary tool for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the hospital, which often helps in the early detection of such ailments. ECG signals provide a framework to probe the underlying properties and enhance the initial diagnosis obtained via traditional tools and patient-doctor dialogues. It provides cardiologists with inferences regarding more serious cases. Notwithstanding its proven utility, deciphering large datasets to determine appropriate information remains a challenge in ECG-based CVD diagnosis and treatment. Our study presents a deep neural network (DNN) strategy to ameliorate the aforementioned difficulties. Our strategy consists of a learning stage where classification accuracy is improved via a robust feature extraction. This is followed using a genetic algorithm (GA) process to aggregate the best combination of feature extraction and classification. The MIT-BIH Arrhythmia was employed in the validation to identify five arrhythmia categories based on the association for the advancement of medical instrumentation (AAMI) standard. The performance of the proposed technique alongside state-of-the-art in the area shows an increase of 0.94 and 0.953 in terms of average accuracy and F1 score, respectively. The proposed model could serve as an analytic module to alert users and/or medical experts when anomalies are detected in the acquired ECG data in a smart healthcare framework

Effect of Gross Alpha and Beta in Groundwater Intake and Estimation of Groundwater Table in Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil

Groundwater levels in Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil were measured in hand-dug wells and boreholes. Water samples were collected in both hand-dug wells and boreholes in the study area, and their radiological quality was measured using an internal proportion counter (model EURISYS MEASURE IN 20) instrument, Results of the measurements shows the gross alpha and beta particles presence. The average depth to water table was 419 m, while the gross alpha activity ranging between 0.022 Bq/l to 0.0005 Bq/l, with an average (mean) of 0.0062 Bq/l, and that of beta activity ranges between 0.345 Bq/l to 0.0080 Bq/l, with an average (mean) of 0.0478 Bq/l. These results reveals that; the groundwater in the study area, is not radioactively contaminated, as the values obtained were all below the World Health Organization (WHO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Australian Laboratory Services (ALS) drinking water guideline values of 1.0 Bq/l for the gross beta radioactivity, and value of 0.5 Bq/l for gross alpha activity, values of 0.1 Bq/l for both the gross alpha and beta and values of 0.5 Bq/l for both gross alpha and beta activities respectively. Hence, the groundwater of the study area (KUST, Wudil.) is radioactively safe to use