CONSTRUCTED WETLAND SYSTEMS VEGETATED WITH DIFFERENT MACROPHYTES IN THE TREATMENT OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE WATER EFFLUENT

Wastewater effluents generated from the soft drink industry contain pollutants which are higher than what is acceptable for the  discharge in the water bodies in Nigeria. This result in environmental unbalance which causes adverse health issues. In this study, the performance of two macrophytes (Phragmites karkaa and Typha domingensis) in a sub-surface vertical flow constructed wetland was investigated. One hundred litres of wastewater effluent obtained from an Industry (Seven Up Bottling company in Ibadan, Nigeria) was appliedto the systems and the properties of the waste water effluent as well as the performance of the treatment tankswith respect to parameters such as; pH; TDS; TSS; DO; BOD5; turbidity; nitrate and phosphate were evaluated.The treatment performance of the systems was evaluated for a retention period of 6, 12 and 18 days. It wasobserved that parameters such as pH, BOD5; and TSS did not conform to the acceptable limits; they had valuesgreater than those prescribed in the standards for discharge. The value for BOD5 was 652 mg/l and after sixdays retention in the vegetated tanks had reduced by at least 98%. The unvegetated control setup only reducedthe BOD5 by 40.18% after the first six days of treatment. The performance of the Phragmites karka and theTypha domingensis in the removal of organic substances and solid pollutants were similar with both plantseffectively removing the pollutants. However, Typha domingensis performed better than Phragmites karakain removing organic pollutants and Phragmites karka gives clearer water than Typha domingensis in terms ofturbidity

Edwardsiella ictaluri, an unusual cause of bacteraemia in a Nigerian child with acute bloody diarrhoea

Enteric septicaemia of catfish was first detected in 1976 as an economically significant disease associated with commercial catfish production. Initially, Edwardsiella ictaluri was a host specific pathogen of catfish species but has also been reported from other hosts other than the catfish such as the zebrafish. E. ictaluri has not been isolated in humans hence it is not a zoonotic infection. There has been no previous report of isolation of this organism in humans. This was a case report of a 5 year old boy who presented with fever, vomiting, passage of bloody stool of 6 days and abdominal pain of a day duration. In the case of this 5 year old boy who presented with features of dysentery, blood culture using BACTEC™ grew E. ictaluri. E. ictaluri may be a pathogen which can infect humans just like another closely related species, Edwardsiella tarda. Although, E. ictaluri has not been reported in humans, could this be the first case? Non availability of diagnostic technique appropriate for its diagnosis may explain the rare incidence of the organism in humans, hence many cases would have been treated without isolating the organism

Natural Convection Heat Transfer and Entropy Generation Analysis in Saltbox Roof under Summer Conditions

This study investigates numerically the 2D laminar natural convection in a Saltbox roof type geometry under summer climate conditions as obtained in Africa, particularly Nigeria using ANSYS FLUENT to model the boundary conditions. The effects of Rayleigh number (Ra) within the range of 103-107 and pitch angles (top and base) on heat transfer, the flow structure, temperature distribution and entropy generation within the geometry were analysed. Results show that the flow is nearly symmetric at lower Ra, while for higher Ra, the flow becomes asymmetric. The Nusselt number (Nu) has a proportional relationship with the top pitch angle and an inverse relationship with the base pitch angle when the Rayleigh number is fixed. The effect of the Ra on the Nu is insignificant at lower Ra, but becomes noticeable at higher Ra. The total entropy generation increases with an increase in top pitch angle and a decrease in base pitch angles, at fixed Rayleigh numbers. The physical implication is that, for a Saltbox roof type geometry, at fixed Ra, the best convective heat transfer process is achieved by lowering the base pitch angle and increasing the top pitch angle

Species Composition and Plasmodium falciparum Infection Rates of Anopheles gambiae s.l. Mosquitoes in Six Localities of Kwara State, North Central, Nigeria

Entomological data gathering is essential for monitoring malaria vector disease risks and selection of appropriate interventions for the protection of exposed human populations. This study assessed the relative abundance, species composition, and sporozoite infection rates of indoor resting An. gambiae s.l. malaria vectors in six communities across 3 Local Government Areas in Kwara State, Nigeria. Total number of mosquitoes collected by Pyrethrum Spray Catch method over a period of eighth months were correlated with rainfall values in the area. Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite infection rates and sibling species identification of collected An. gambiae s.l. mosquito samples were determined by ELISA and PCR respectively. Results showed a positive correlation (r = 0.639, p = 0.08) between rainfall and numbers of Anopheles mosquitoes in the study areas. The overall composition of the An. gambiae s.l sibling species in the collected samples from all the six communities showed the predominance of An. gambiae s.s 298 (75.3%) compared to An. coluzzii 94(23.7%) and An. arabiensis 4(1.0%). However, the sporozoite infection rate of An. coluzzii (22.3%) was higher compared to An. gambiae s.s (12.8%) and An. arabiensis (0%). Mean numbers of An. gambiae s.l mosquitoes were significantly higher in Ilorin west LGA compared to Asa (F = 17.81, P < 0.001) and Ilorin East LGAs (F = 22.81, P < 0.001). Sporozoite rates of both An. gambiae s.s and An. coluzzii sibling species were higher in Ilorin West communities (Aiyede 21%, Ogundele 32%) compared to Asa (Idi Emi 11.1%, Lasoju 5.1%) and Ilorin East (Oke Oyi 2.4%, Ote-efan 0%) communities. Prevalence of sporozoite-infected An. gambiae s.s and An. coluzzii indoors highlight the need for effective insecticide treated bed-nets interventions to protect the residents from malaria risks. Higher numbers of An. coluzzii in the swampy rice marshed Ilorin West LGA communities require larval source management as an additional strategy for effective malaria vector control

DNA barcoding of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from selected states in Nigeria based on mitochondrial DNA sequences

Tribolium castaneum also known as red flour beetle is one of the most important pests of stored grain product with a cosmopolitan distribution in Nigeria and all over the world contributing to food spoilage. The aim of this study was to characterize the T. castaneum by morphometric and molecular analyses. Samples of yam flour with evidence of the red flour beetles present inside were obtained from four locations in Kwara, Kogi, Oyo and Ekiti states in Nigeria. Morphological and molecular identifications of T. castaneum were carried out using standard methods. A dissecting microscope was used to identify the beetles and measurements were taken using ImageJ. Genomic DNA was extracted and checked on 1.5% agarose gel to confirm the presence of DNA. Species-specific primers were used to amplify mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of T. castaneum and the PCR amplicon size was also checked on 1.5% agarose. Morphometric measurements showed that the highest mean number (33.00±4.24 mm) of T. castaneum larvae observed was recorded on day 61 in Ilorin and the lowest was in Iwo, Osun state (4.00±0.00 mm) on the same day. The mean of the total body length of larvae from sampling sites was (1.31±0.37 mm) with minimum and (1.63±1.14 mm) maximum lengths respectively. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the mean length of the larvae collected from the study locations. Aligned cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences of 313bp were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis inferred by maximum likelihood method showed that the T. castaneum sequences analyzed for this study and sequences obtained from GenBank formed a monophyletic group. The molecular and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of a single species of T. castaneum. The results from this study showed low levels of genetic diversity and variability in the studied T. castaneum populations. The observed genetic similarity in T. castaneum could be due to the fact that they were probably from similar origin when compared with those in the GenBank database. However, further studies are needed with more samples to characterize T. castaneum species from stored food grains across Nigeria

Genetic Diversity of West African Honey Bee (Apis ‎mellifera adansonii Latreille, 1804) from Rural and Urban ‎Areas of ‎Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria

Over one third of the world’s crops– including fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, and oilseed–‎require insect pollination, and human reliance on ‎pollination services by honey bees (Apis ‎mellifera) to promote these crops continues to rise due to increasing demands from growing ‎human ‎populations. Identifying the effects of urbanization on genetic diversity on this ‎pollinating insect is important in the field of bioscience. This study aimed to investigate genetic diversity of A. mellifera in Kwara State, Nigeria, using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. ‎Thirty honey bees ‎were simultaneously collected from both rural and urban regions in ‎Kwara state, Nigeria. Samples were morphologically identified using ‎standard methods, ‎genomic DNA isolated and amplified using five RAPD primers. Data collected were ‎analysed using PyElph, ‎ARLEQUIN, and GeneAlEx version 6.501 software. The results ‎showed that the DNA fragment sizes produced per primer varied from 200 to ‎‎3000 bp. Percentages of polymorphic loci amplified by each primer varied from 17.33 to 33.33%. ‎Analysis of unbiased Nei genetic ‎distance values showed that Agbede (rural) and Adewole ‎‎(urban) showed the highest value of unbiased genetic distance (0.073), while ‎Amoyo ‎‎(rural) to Idofian (urban) exhibited the lowest value (0.027). Dendrogram analysis revealed ‎genetically close relationships among the sampled ‎A. mellifera‎ populations. The low level of genetic ‎polymorphisms observed among the honey bee populations in the two ‎regions ‎indicated that there is genetic relatedness among them. This study concluded that RAPD ‎marker is a useful method for ‎understanding population genetic structure of the African honey ‎bees. These results can be used as baseline information for future genetic ‎diversity ‎assessment of honey bees in Nigeria with larger samples. It is therefore recommended that ‎there is a need to safeguard the genetic ‎diversity of A. mellifera‎ to prevent extinction or ‎gradual loss of diversity‎‎‎.    

The first-line antituberculosis drugs, and their fixed-dose combination induced abnormal sperm morphology and histological lesions in the testicular cells of male mice

Rifampicin (RIF), Isoniazid (INH), Ethambutol (EMB), Pyrazinamide (PZA), and/or their fixed-dose combination (FDC) are extensively prescribed in the cure of Tuberculosis (TB) globally. In spite of the beneficial effect, these drugs are capable of inducing cellular toxicity. Existing information on the genotoxic effects of the first-line anti-TB drugs is limited and contentious. Herein, we evaluated the reproductive genotoxicity of RIF, INH, EMB, PZA, and their FDC utilizing the mouse sperm morphology assay. Histological examination of the testes of exposed mice was also performed. Male Swiss albino mice (11–13 weeks old) were intraperitoneally exposed for 5 consecutive days to each of the anti-TB drugs at four different doses of 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg bw of PZA; 2.5, 5.0, 10, and 20 mg/kg bw of RIF; 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 mg/kg bw of INH; 3.75, 7.5, 15 and 30 mg/kg bw of EMB; and 7, 14, 28 and 56 mg/kg bw of FDC corresponding respectively to ×0.25, ×0.5, ×1 and ×2.0 of the standard daily dose. In comparison with the negative control (normal saline), there was no significant difference in the testicular weight and organo-somatic index of exposed mice. There was an increase (p > 0.05) in the frequency of abnormal spermatozoa at most of the tested doses of each drug and a dose-dependent decrease with the FDC. Each of the anti-TB drugs except the FDC induced pathological lesions in the testes. These findings suggest that the individual first-line anti-TB drug unlike the FDC has the potential to provoke testicular anomalies in male mice

Thermal energy processes in direct steam generation solar systems : boiling, condensation and energy storage

Direct steam generation coupled is a promising solar-energy technology, which can reduce the growing dependency on fossil fuels. It has the potential to impact the power-generation sector as well as industrial sectors where significant quantities of process steam are required. Compared to conventional concentrated solar power systems, which use synthetic oils or molten salts as the heat transfer fluid, direct steam generation offers an opportunity to achieve higher steam temperatures in the Rankine power cycle and to reduce parasitic losses, thereby enabling improved thermal efficiencies. However, its practical implementation is associated with non-trivial challenges, which need to be addressed before such systems can become more economically competitive. Specifically, important thermal-energy processes take place during flow boiling, flow condensation and thermal-energy storage, which are highly complex, multi-scale and multi-physics in nature, and which involve phase-change, unsteady and turbulent multiphase flows in the presence of conjugate heat transfer. This paper reviews our current understanding and ability to predict these processes, and the knowledge that has been gained from experimental and computational efforts in the literature. In addition to conventional steam-Rankine cycles, the possibility of implementing organic Rankine cycle power blocks, which are relevant to lower operating temperature conditions, are also considered. This expands the focus beyond water as the working fluid, to include refrigerants also. In general, significant progress has been achieved in this space, yet there remain challenges in our capability to design and to operate high-performance and low-cost systems effectively and with confidence. Of interest are the flow regimes, heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops that are experienced during the thermal processes present in direct steam generation systems, including those occurring in the solar collectors, evaporators, condensers and relevant energy storage schemes during thermal charging and discharging. A brief overview of some energy storage options are also presented to motivate the inclusion of thermal energy storage into direct steam generation systems

Self-medication for infants with colic in Lagos, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infantile colic is a self-limiting condition that is distributed worldwide. It is often misdiagnosed as an organic disease for which an infant is admitted to the hospital. Many studies have described the aetiopathogenesis, pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic management of colic but none has evaluated self-medication for infants with colic. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the knowledge of Nigerian mothers about colic, their home-based management, extent of self-medication for the infants with colic and the types of medicines involved.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>It is a prospective study conducted at the vaccination clinics of 20 primary health care centres, each from different Local Government Areas in Lagos, Nigeria. Eight hundred mothers that brought their infants for vaccination between April and September, 2006 were interviewed with open-and close-ended questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six hundred and eighty three (85.4%) mothers claimed they had a good knowledge of colic. Incessant and excessive cry was the main clinical feature of colic identified by 430(62.9%) mothers. Three hundred and seventy eight (67.7%) infants were treated by self-medication, 157 (28.1%) sought medical intervention and 17 (3.1%) were treated at a traditional birth attendant home. Herbal medicines constituted 51.8% of the self-medicated medicines, of which 48 (26.2%) were "Ororo Ogiri". Nospamin^®(49.5%) and Gripe water^®(43.0%) were the two frequently prescribed and self-medicated medicines for infants with colic.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Nigerian mothers are deficient in their knowledge of colic. Self-medication was the most frequently used home-based intervention. Health education would appear necessary to improve parental management of this self-limiting condition.</p