Bridge Collapse in Nigeria: A Case Study of Tatabu Bridge in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State

Large parts of Niger State are located in low terrain and have proximity to River Niger: the largest river in Nigeria; coupled with the presence of three hydro Electric power stations in the state. Niger State has been confronted annually by flood disaster that has destroyed many lives and properties. The focus of this paper is to investigate the causes behind Tatabu bridge collapse. In this investigation, soil strength and index test, hydrological data, nature of the terrain, concrete strength test and evaluation of flood impact on the bridge and its embankments using ANSYS Finite Element Method were conducted. The results of the investigations revealed that the collapsed bridge was positioned within a valley as well as steady increase in precipitation from 2015 to 2017 which directly increased the stream flow rate and also runoff.  It was also observed that the debris settlement within the cell of the collapsed bridge contributed to reduction of the cross sectional area of single cell. The compressive strength test of the bridge members revealed that the strength are within acceptable limit. The authors recommended that there is the need for embankment protection either covers vegetation, stone pitch, slope stabilizer, or concrete interlocking is required for future consideration. Due to increase in water balance, the new bridge capacity should be increased to accommodate the high volume of water.  The new bridge should be reconstructed above the valley or repositioned away from the valley. it is also recommended that a complete replacement of the underlain material forming the adjacent slope to the bridge retain wall with a better compacted engineering soil to avoid future pavement failure of the kind. Keywords: Bridge, Flood, ANSYS, Collapse, Terrai

Efficiency Analysis on Small Sized Generators in Nigeria

In this paper, efficiency analysis of small sized generators in Nigeria was considered. Experimental analyses were carried out on two (2) different samples of generators tagged “S” and “T” at different loading conditions (20%, 40%, 60% etc. of ratings) to ascertain the generators’ efficiencies as well as the maximum true power that could be drawn out from the generators. The experimental results are compared with the manufacturers ratings specified on the name plate of the generators. The results indicated an average efficiency of 44.9% and 55.7% for “T” and “S” respectively an indication that generator “S” is more efficient that “T”. The results also showed that the values of the power factor indicated on the generators are inaccurate as none of the generators could give the maximum power as indicated on their name plates based on the experimental analysis carried out. The generators selected were able to provide adequate power to the selected loads with efficiencies not up to 100% of the expected rated value of the generators. For generator “S” it was observed that the efficiency decreases from the highest rating to the lowest rating. Conclusively, this result suggests that portable generators dealers are taking advantage of the energy crises to importing generators not up to specifications to the Nigerian market at the expense of naïve customers. This paper recommends that proper standards and measures be put in place and enforced by the relevant authority for conformity of standards to all imported generators to save guard and protect the interest of potential customers and Nigerians

Science-based decision support for formulating crop fertilizer recommendations in sub-Saharan Africa

Open Access Article; Published online: 31 Jan 2020In sub-Saharan Africa, there is considerable spatial and temporal variability in relations between nutrient application and crop yield, due to varying inherent soil nutrients supply, soil moisture, crop management and germplasm. This variability affects fertilizer use efficiency and crop productivity. Therefore, development of decision systems that support formulation and delivery of site-specific fertilizer recommendations is important for increased crop yield and environmental protection. Nutrient Expert (NE) is a computer-based decision support system, which enables extension advisers to generate field- or area-specific fertilizer recommendations based on yield response to fertilizer and nutrient use efficiency. We calibrated NE for major maize agroecological zones in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania, with data generated from 735 on-farm nutrient omission trials conducted between 2015 and 2017. Between 2016 and 2018, 368 NE performance trials were conducted across the three countries in which recommendations generated with NE were evaluated relative to soil-test based recommendations, the current blanket fertilizer recommendations and a control with no fertilizer applied. Although maize yield response to fertilizer differed with geographic location; on average, maize yield response to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were respectively 2.4, 1.6 and 0.2 t ha−1 in Nigeria, 2.3, 0.9 and 0.2 t ha−1 in Ethiopia, and 1.5, 0.8 and 0.2 t ha−1 in Tanzania. Secondary and micronutrients increased maize yield only in specific areas in each country. Agronomic use efficiencies of N were 18, 22 and 13 kg grain kg−1 N, on average, in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania, respectively. In Nigeria, NE recommended lower amounts of P by 9 and 11 kg ha−1 and K by 24 and 38 kg ha−1 than soil-test based and regional fertilizer recommendations, respectively. Yet maize yield (4 t ha−1) was similar among the three methods. Agronomic use efficiencies of P and K (300 and 250 kg kg−1, respectively) were higher with NE than with the blanket recommendation (150 and 70 kg kg−1). In Ethiopia, NE and soil-test based respectively recommended lower amounts of P by 8 and 19 kg ha−1 than the blanket recommendations, but maize yield (6 t ha−1) was similar among the three methods. Overall, fertilizer recommendations generated with NE maintained high maize yield, but at a lower fertilizer input cost than conventional methods. NE was effective as a simple and cost-effective decision support tool for fine-tuning fertilizer recommendations to farm-specific conditions and offers an alternative to soil testing, which is hardly available to most smallholder farmers

Performance evaluation of wet scrubber system for industrial air pollution control

The concentration of pollutants emitted from industrial production are generally toxic and hazardous, which can be a serious health risk to humans not limited to respiratory ailments (asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, etc) but also to the photosynthesis in plants. In this study, a pilot scrubber system for PM10 control has been designed using data obtained from cement industry. A model for the overall collection efficiency of counter current scrubber system and Langmuir’s approximations were used to predict the performance of the system by considering droplet sizes of 500µm, 1000µm, 1500µm and 2000µm. The range of liquid to gas ratio recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been used to investigate the appropriate ratio for optimum performance of the system. Due to reversed flow in the Langmuir’s approximation, negative collection efficiencies for the 1µm dust particle were obtained. For 5µm and 10µm dust particles, the maximum collection efficiencies were determined to be 99.988% and 100.000% at 500µm droplet size and 2.7 l/m3 while the minimum was obtained to be 43.808% and 58.728% at 2000µm droplet size and 0.7 l/m3. The predicted performance of the scrubber system was then validated using the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standard for PM10

Gender Analysis on Food Consumption Patterns for Enhancing Food Security in Nigeria

Traditionally, there has been a strict division of labor by gender in agriculture in Africa. Men and women participate in agriculture, the task may be gender specific but they are complementary and reciprocal. This article analyses different roles performed by men and women in food conservation strategies for enhancing food security in Nigeria. The study was conducted in two villages each in Kano and Katsina States of Nigeria. A total number of households interviewed in this survey was 282. Food Security Index (Zi) was used to measure the food security status of farming households. Harvard Analysis Framework was used to assess the distinctive gender roles in these communities. The result shows that male farmers were responsible for conducting most of the farming related activities in the study areas, women farmers were responsible for harvesting, pounding and threshing in addition to selecting the varieties. An interesting aspect of the study was the ability of the households to conserve the staple foods throughout the year, which was useful towards enhancing food security and periods of food availability and shortage were also assessed to find out the extent of food security among the household members. Staple foods that are the main sources of carbohydrates were readily available and consumed every day. Protein sources among the foods vary between plant and animal sources. Plant source was consumed every day, while the animal source was consumed occasionally, mostly once or twice a week. Any interventions that focus on promoting access and control of resources in these communities would be instrumental in increasing level of women’s productivity in agricultural and related activities

Availability and Co-Substrate Potential of Typha latifolia for Biogas Production in Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria

In order to reduce global warming through fossil fuel utilization, biogas production from biodegradable biomass seems a sustainable alternative. This study evaluated the availability and co-substrate potential of T. latifolia for biogas production in Funtua, Katsina State Nigeria. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the wards that were used for this study. A 1204 metres transect was used for 32 quadrats; 19 of these were laid on the 953m contiguous land area at intervals of 50m; 9 quadrats covered 450m, 5 quadrats were on 250m, 3 on 153m, and 2 on 100m. The remaining 13 transects were laid on the 251m un-contiguous patches. Coordinates of various potentials sites were recorded using Global positioning system. There were an average of 27 T. latifolia stands per m2. A total of 32,388 of T. latifolia stands were recorded in the study area; Dukke ward (23,968), Makera (8,205) and Maska 216. T. latifolia is available in lqrge quantities, and a potential co substrate in anaerobic digestion for biogas production in Funtua. It is recommended that the study should be replicated in time later to establish a trend of the T. latifolia species in terms of population

Severe gastric impaction in an 8-Year-old Nigerian local dog

An 8-year old male, neutered Nigerian indigenous dog was presented to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Sokoto because of chronic intermittent vomiting, off feed and progressive wasting. Physical examination of the abdomen revealed hard mass in the abdominal cavity. Survey abdominal radiography (lateral view) revealed impacted material along with electrical wire in the stomach. Standard gastrotomy was successfully performed to evacuate the gastric foreign body.Keywords: Dog, Foreign Body, Gastrotomy, Pica, Radiograph

Intraocular Pressure Changes During Ramadan Fasting: Effect of Change in Weight and Review of Available Reports

Background: Ramadan fasting (RF) alters many systemic milieus. Dehydration from fasting may cause weight loss, while sedentary lifestyle of some Muslims during fasting results in weight gain. RF is associated with low intraocular pressure (IOP). We aim to find out changes in IOP and its relationship to weight changes during and after Ramadan fasting.Materials and Methods: IOP of eligible males was measured at 0900, 1200 and 1500 hours (hrs). Mean fasting IOP (FIOP) and non-fasting IOP (NFIOP) of both eyes at each period were calculated. Weights were also taken during fasting and after fasting. FIOP and NFIOP were compared using paired t-test for all participants category (1) and participants in different categories of weight changes found during fasting: Those who lost weight during fasting, category (2). Those whose weights were unchanged, category (3), and those who gained weight category (4)Results: There were 51eligible males, category (1) consisting 38, 5 and 8 participants in categories 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Mean weight (Kg) of participants were: fasting 64.000, and non-fasting 65.853, P < .001. At 0900hrs, FIOP was higher than NFIOP but not reaching significant level in all categories. At 1500 hrs however, FIOP was significantly lower than NFIOP for categories 1 and 2 but not significantly for categories 3 and 4.Conclusion: Findings of the few previous works are conflicting. IOP changes during Ramadan may be a manifestation of changes in weight only. We suggest further works should categorize participants according to weight changes during fasting before analysing IOP.Keywords: Ramadan Fasting, Intraocular Pressure, Weight Effec

Drought tolerance mechanisms for responses to pre and post flowering drought stress of groundnut in a dryland ecology

Understanding the mechanisms of groundnut tolerance to pre and post flowering drought stress is important for improving its yield and phenological development in the drylands. The mechanisms of drought tolerance are known to be under variable genetic control. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of drought tolerance of various groundnut genotypes to pre and post flowering drought stress. Screen house trials were undertaken between March and June 2014. Three moisture management treatments were imposed on 10 groundnut cultivars. Three cultivars (Ex-Oakar, Samnut 23 and Samnut 24) are known to have some drought tolerance characteristics; two cultivars (Samnut 21 and Samnut 22) do not tolerate drought, while the drought response ofthe remaining five cultivars (Samnut 25, Samnut 26, Sabiya, Kwankwaso and Yar Oigir) is not known. The water managements were: Field Capacity throughout the period of experimentation (FCT), Imposition of PreFlowering Moisture Stress (PrFS) and Imposition of Post Flowering Stress (PoFS). Stomatal conductance and relative water content (RWC) were recorded at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35,40 and 45 days after emergence. Total dry matter samples (shoots and pods) were collected at 15 and 25 days after emergence, R5 and R7. From these samples, shoot and pod growth rates were calculated. Two ofthe drought tolerant cultivars were found to tolerate only pre-flowering drought and only Ex-Oakar tolerate both pre and post flowering drought stress. Among the two susceptible cultivars, Samnut 22 was found to tolerate post-flowering stress, but was susceptible to pre flowering stress. Samnut 26 and Kwankwaso tolerated both pre and post flowering stress, while Sabiya and Yar Oigir were susceptible to both stresses. Most of the cultivars adopted the mechanism of conserving water by reducing transpiration to maintain high RWC. Only Samnut 24 showed the mechanism of improving assimilate partitioning to the pods at grain filling phase. The knowledge gathered could be used for breeding groundnut that will be suited to the drylands in order to escape periods of intermittent drought

Immunomodulatory Effects of Neem (Azadirachta indica) Leaf Aqueous Extracts in Cockerels Vaccinated and Experimentally Infected with Infectious Bursal Disease Virus

The aim of the present work was to study the immunomodulatory potentials of aqueous extract of Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf in cockerels vaccinated and/ or infected with infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Four hundred and eighty (480) day old cockerels were used and allocated into 8 groups. The birds were grouped as vaccinated/ unvaccinated, challenged/ unchallenged, neem leaf treated/ untreated groups. The IBD vaccines (intermediate plus strain) were given at 14 and 28 days of age while the experimental infection using very virulent IBD virus (vvIBDV) was inoculated at 35 days of age and the extracts were given from day old to 6 week old.Serum samples were collected on first day and on weekly intervals while post challenge, onset of the disease, clinical signs and mortality rate were recorded. The results obtained showed higher antibody titre, faster seroconversion, mild clinical sign and very low mortality in the neem leaf treated groups. These results indicated that the neem leaf aqueous extract has immunomodulatory potentials by increasing the antibody titre post vaccination and the ability to prevent mortality