Degradation of cyclohexane and cyclohexanone by Bacillus lentus strain LP32

A Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus lentus LP32, originally isolated on the basis of its ability to utilise pyrene as sole source of carbon was found to be able to grow luxuriantly on alicyclic compounds as sole substrates. It showed poor growth on anthracene, naphthalene, 1-naphthol and phenanthrene. Growth rate on cyclohexane was 1.32 d-1, while doubling time was 0.76 d. The corresponding values for growth on cyclohexanone were 0.77 d-1 and 1.29 d, respectively. Within 10 days, the amount of cyclohexane in culture reduced from 317.62 to 102.55 mgl-1, then to 23.04 mgl-1 on day 18. On cyclohexanone, substrate concentration decreased from 287.56 mgl-1 to 101.66 mgl-1 in 10 days before declining to 24.21 mgl-1 on day 18. The rate of degradation when growing on cyclohexane was 23.50 mgl-1d-1 in the first 10 days and 9.93 mgl-1d-1 between day 10 and day 18, with 67.71% degradation in 10 days and overall percentage degradation of 92.43%. On cyclohexanone, the corresponding values were 18.59 and 9.68 mg l-1d-1 as well as 64.65 and 91.58%, respectively. This organism is a potential candidate for bioremediation purpose.Keywords: Degradation, cyclohexane, cyclohexanone, alicyclic compounds

Microbial Content of Abattoir Wastewater and Its Contaminated Soil in Lagos, Nigeria

Microbial content of wastewater in two abattoirs and the impact on microbial population of receiving soil was studied in Agege and Ojo Local Government Areas in Lagos State, Nigeria. Wastewater samples were collected from each of the abattoirs over three months period and examined for microbial content. Soil samples contaminated with the wastewaters were also collected and analyzed for microbial content as compared to soil without wastewater contamination in the neighborhood (control). Some physico-chemical parameters of the samples such as total dissolved solid, chemical oxygen demand, etc., were examined. The wastewater samples from both abattoirs were highly contaminated; Agege abattoir showed mean bacterial count of 3.32 × 107 cfu/ml and Odo abattoir showed mean count of 2.7 × 107 cfu/ml. The mean fungal populations were 1.6 × 105 and 1.2 × 105 cfu/ml for Agege and Odo abattoirs respectively. In the contaminated soil sample, mean bacterial count was 3.36 × 107 cfu/ml compared to the 1.74 × 106 cfu/ml of the control sample. High microbial load in abattoir wastewater with negative effects on microbial population in soil, in this study, further confirmed the need to treat wastewater rather than discharging it to the environment

Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Staphylococcus Aureus in Clinical Specimens

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in clinical samples and their susceptibility pattern to antibiotics. Standard microbiological and biochemical methods were used to screen 155 clinical specimens comprising of sputum, wound, urine and high vaginal swabs for S .aureus. Twenty eight (28) isolates was obtained from these samples. Antibiotic susceptibility results shows high percentage of sensitivity to gentamicin (89%,) azithromycin (89%), pefloxacin (79%)  followed by erythromycin (68%) ciprofloxacin (61%) streptomycin (61%)and sparfloxacin (54%). A high resistance was recorded for cotrimaxazole (90%), amoxycillin (88%), ampicillin (73%), tetracycline (65%), cefuroxime and cephalexin (40%) each. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic susceptibility, prevalence, resistance

Hydrological response and complex impact pathways of the 2015/2016 El Niño in Eastern and Southern Africa

The 2015/2016 El Niño has been classified as one of the three most severe on record. El Niño teleconnections are commonly associated with droughts in southern Africa and high precipitation in eastern Africa. Despite their relatively frequent occurrence, evidence for their hydrological effects and impacts beyond agriculture is limited. We examine the hydrological response and impact pathways of the 2015/2016 El Niño in eastern and southern Africa, focusing on Botswana, Kenya, and Zambia. We use in situ and remotely sensed time series of precipitation, river flow, and lake levels complemented by qualitative insights from interviews with key organizations in each country about awareness, impacts, and responses. Our results show that drought conditions prevailed in large parts of southern Africa, reducing runoff and contributing to unusually low lake levels in Botswana and Zambia. Key informants characterized this El Niño through record high temperatures and water supply disruption in Botswana and through hydroelectric load shedding in Zambia. Warnings of flood risk in Kenya were pronounced, but the El Niño teleconnection did not materialize as expected in 2015/2016. Extreme precipitation was limited and caused localized impacts. The hydrological impacts in southern Africa were severe and complex, strongly exacerbated by dry antecedent conditions, recent changes in exposure and sensitivity and management decisions. Improved understanding of hydrological responses and the complexity of differing impact pathways can support design of more adaptive, region-specific management strategies

I will not go, I cannot go: cultural and social limitations of disaster preparedness in Asia, Africa, and Oceania

While much work has been invested in addressing the economic and technical basis of disaster preparedness, less effort has been directed towards understanding the cultural and social obstacles to and opportunities for disaster risk reduction. This paper presents local insights from five different national settings into the cultural and social contexts of disaster preparedness. In most cases, an early warning system was in place, but it failed to alert people to diverse environmental shocks. The research findings show that despite geographical and typological differences in these locations, the limitations of the systems were fairly similar. In Kenya, people received warnings, but from contradictory systems, whereas in the Philippines and on the island of Saipan, people did not understand the messages or take them seriously. In Bangladesh and Nepal, however, a deeper cultural and religious reasoning serves to explain disasters, and how to prevent them or find safety when they strike

Suono e Spettacolo. Athanasius Kircher, un percorso nelle Immagini sonore.

The Society of Jesus made great propaganda efforts throughout the seventeenth century and chose the images and the play as a privileged means to communicate and persuade. Athanasius Kircher, a key figure of the seventeenth century, he decided to dominate the wild nature of sound through Phonurgia Nova, which includes a gallery of powerful symbolic images for Baroque aesthetics. The essay, through the grant of the images from the Library of the Department of Mathematics "Guido Castelnuovo" Sapienza University of Rome, aims to understand, through the pictures offered by Kircher, the sound phenomenon and the spectacle that this produces. In Phonurgia Nova a process of dramatization sound effects takes place, often through machines and "visions" applied to the theatrical reality, as experimental and astonishing environment beloved in baroque. Kircher illustrates the sound through explanatory figures, so to dominate the sound through the eyes. Sound is seen, admired and represented: its spectacle not only takes place through the implementation of sound machines or the "wonders" applied to the theater, but even through images, creating create a sense of wonder in in the erudite person of the seventeenth century

Microbial Content of Abattoir Wastewater and Its Contaminated Soil in Lagos, Nigeria

Microbial content of wastewater in two abattoirs and the impact on microbial population of receiving soil was studied in Agege and Ojo Local Government Areas in Lagos State, Nigeria. Wastewater samples were collected from each of the abattoirs over three months period and examined for microbial content. Soil samples contaminated with the wastewaters were also collected and analyzed for microbial content as compared to soil without wastewater contamination in the neighborhood (control). Some physico-chemical parameters of the samples such as total dissolved solid, chemical oxygen demand, etc., were examined. The wastewater samples from both abattoirs were highly contaminated; Agege abattoir showed mean bacterial count of 3.32 × 107 cfu/ml and Odo abattoir showed mean count of 2.7 × 107 cfu/ml. The mean fungal populations were 1.6 × 105 and 1.2 × 105 cfu/ml for Agege and Odo abattoirs respectively. In the contaminated soil sample, mean bacterial count was 3.36 × 107 cfu/ml compared to the 1.74 × 106 cfu/ml of the control sample. High microbial load in abattoir wastewater with negative effects on microbial population in soil, in this study, further confirmed the need to treat wastewater rather than discharging it to the environment

Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change in the Tana River Basin, Kenya

In the Tana River Basin in Kenya, six Regional Circulation Models (RCMs) simulating two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) (i.e., 4.5 and 8.5) were used as input to the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to determine the possible implications for the hydrology and water resources of the basin. Four hydrological characteristics – water yield, groundwater recharge, base flow and flow regulation – were determined and mapped throughout the basin for three 30-year time periods: 2020–2049, 2040–2069 and 2070–2099. Results were compared with a baseline period, 1983–2011. All four hydrological characteristics show steady increases under both RCPs for the entire basin but with considerable spatial heterogeneity and greater increases under RCP 8.5 than RCP 4.5. The results have important implications for the way water resources in the basin are managed. It is imperative that water managers and policy makers take into account the additional challenges imposed by climate change in operating built infrastructure

THE EFFECT OF SOME NIGERIAN LOCAL HERBS ON HELICOBACTER PYLORI

Four Nigerian medicinal plants commonly used in the treatment of bacterial infections were tested for antimicrobial activity against twenty local strains of Helicobacter pylori recovered from patients with gastro-duodenal ulcers and gastritis. In vitro agar diffusion assay revealed anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of ethanolic extracts of C. papaya and M. lucida to 80% (16/20) of the isolates tested, while the ethanolic extracts of O. gratissimum and P. amarus inhibited the colonial growth of 35% (7/20) of these strains. The zones of inhibition ranged from 5 – 20 mm in diameter. Contrastingly, the aqueous extracts of these plants appeared to lack anti-Helicobacter pylori activity except in M. lucida and O. gratissimum where inhibition of a total of three isolates was observed. The present results suggest the presence of anti-Helicobacter pylori principles in ethanolic extracts of C. papaya and M. lucida and support their future use in the treatment of ulcers and gastritis in Nigeria. (Af J Clinical & Exp Microbiology: 2003 4(2): 29-35