Utilisation of rice husk ash for improvement of deficient soils in Nigeria: a review

Review of studies, mostly carried out at laboratory scale, on the utilisation of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) for improvement of deficient soils in Nigeria is presented. Although, few studies have focused on using the RHA as soil improving additive alone, most of the studies have been on its usage as additive to the conventional soil stabilizers (cement and lime). The studies generally showed improvement in the geotechnical properties of soils, either modified or stabilised with the ash, thus indicating the potentials of using this agricultural waste for improvement of geotechnical properties of deficient soils. This suggest that using this material at large scale level in geotechnical engineering practice will help in the provision of stable and durable geotechnical structures, reduce cost of soil improvement and the environmental nuisance caused by the unused waste. This will considerably add to the economic value chain of rice farmers/producers in Nigeria.Keywords: Black cotton soil, Deficient soil, Laterite, Rice husk ash, Soil improvemen

Path Coefficient Analysis of Growth and Yield Traits of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) at Bokolori, Talata Mafara, Sudan Savanna Ecological Zone, Nigeria

In order to determine the direct and indirect effects of yield and yield components of rice, a field experiment was conducted in each of the wet seasons of 2016 and 2017 at Irrigation Research Stations of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Bokolori, Talata Mafara, in the Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria (12° 34’ N; 06° 04’E). The treatment consisted of four (4) weed management practice (Oxadiazon at 1.0 kg a.i ha-1 [pre-emergence], Orizo-plus [proponil 360 g/l + 2,4-D 200 g/l] at 2.8 kg a.i ha-1[post emergence at 3 WAS], manual weeding [at 3 and 6 WAS] and weedy check [control]); three (3) each of seeding method (Drilling, Dibbling and Broadcast) and seed rate (40 kg ha-1; 70 kg ha-1; 100 kg ha-1). The experiment was laid in a split plot design replicated three times. Weed management practice was assigned to the main plots while the combination of seeding method and seed rate to the subplots. Data were collected on plant height, leaf area, crop dry matter, tillering ability, crop growth rate, harvest index (HI), panicle length, number of grains per panicle, 1000-grain weight and paddy yield. The result indicated that, the highest individual contribution of 25.04% to paddy yield was made by dry matter followed by 1000-grain weight (8.74%), tillering ability (8.46%), leaf area (3.13%), number of grains per panicle (1.03%) and the least was from panicle length (0.83%). The contribution of these growth and yield attributes to yield suggests that, priority be given to these traits when making selection for improvement

Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities and Female School Attendance: A study of Savelugu Municipality of Ghana

The study investigates the extent to which access to adequate and improved sanitation influence school attendance of female students in public senior high schools in the Savelugu municipality of Ghana. A cross sectional survey design using both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to collect data in Savelugu Senior High School and Pong-Tamale Senior High School, all in the Savelugu Municipality. A total of 345 female students and two headmasters and six assistant headmasters from the two senior high schools were interviewed. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The study established that the availability of improved and adequate sanitation facilities was significant in determining the extent of use, and school attendance of females in such schools. The study established that lack of privacy and insecurity caused by substandard sanitation facilities contributed to female student absenteeism. The study further revealed that the availability of improved sanitation facilities could account for 38.3% percent of the change in the level of sanitation use and its impact on female school attendance. We recommend that school management teams should ensure adequate provision of improved sanitation facilities in every public senior high school as part of efforts to improve female students school attendance

Analysis of sildenafil citrate in herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis and its public health implications

Aphrodisiacs are among the most widely marketed and consumed herbal products in North-Western Nigeria. There are speculations that these products are being adulterated with orthodox medicines in order to boost their effects and sales. The objective of current research was to analyse the presence of adulterated sildenafil citrate in some herbal aphrodisiacs commonly sold and consumed in Sokoto metropolis. Ten different liquid herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis were collected from different areas of the city. Each of the preparation was analysed for adulteration with sildenafil citrate using thin layer chromatography and UV spectroscopy. Five of the preparations were found to contain sildenafil citrate in the range of 34 – 291 mg per daily dose. The findings from this study indicate that some of the herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis are being adulterated with substantial amount of undeclared sildenafil citrate, a practice that poses serious public health hazard to its consumers. Consequences of which ranges from nausea, dyspepsia, pain, dizziness, abnormal vision, and headache and potentially heart attack especially among adults with underlying chronic diseases such as hypertension among others

Assessment of indoor and outdoor background radiation levels at school of technology, Kano State Polytechnic, Kano State-Nigeria

A Survey taken by the world health organization (WHO) and the international commission on radiation protection (ICRP) shows that residents of temperate climate spends only about 20% of their time outdoor and about 80% indoors and certain materials use for the construction of such buildings (rocks, soils, tiles etc) are known to be radioactive, and exposure to such radiation results in critical health challenges. Assessment of indoor and outdoor background ionizing radiation level at School of Technology, Kano State Polytechnic, Nigeria was carried out using a digital radiation meter (Radiation Alert Inspector). A total of 49 areas were surveyed and the results obtained showed that the annual indoor reading were highest at Compounding Lab. (2.368±0.35 mSv/yr) and Old Chemistry Lab. (2.169±0.35 mSv/yr), and lowest at New Biology Lab. (1.219±0.21 mSv/yr) and Press Workshop (1.303±0.35 mSv/yr). For the outdoor areas, SOT ring road was found to have the highest value of 0.557±0.17 mSv/yr, while Zoological Garden has the lowest effective value of 0.280±0.05 mSv/yr. For the lecture venues, Auditorium has the highest indoor annual equivalent dose of 2.060±0.49 mSv/yr, while H-Block ND I Textile Class recorded the lowest values of 1.275±0.27 mSv/yr. Base on the aforementioned findings, it was deduced that radiation levels are within the permissible radiation limit as stipulated by the ICRP and UNSCEAR of 2.4 mSv/yr and thus, SOT Kano is radiologically safe.Keywords: Indoor and outdoor, background radiation, equivalent dose, Digital Radiation mete

A framework for higher education and industry linkage in the Ghanaian built environment

Abstract: One of the challenges we face as a nation is the absence of relevance or responsiveness of the polytechnic training efforts to the changing needs of industry and society. The overall purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of industrial attachment collaboration between higher institutions and the industry. The objectives are to identify the relevance of the polytechnic curricula to industry and the world of work. To find how Polytechnics are actively involved in the monitoring and assessment of students’ industrial attachment. To determine the capacity of the polytechnics in the delivery of both theory and practical lessons. To identify major constraints faced by polytechnics and the Industry during attachment. To find out how mutual benefits between polytechnics and Industry are likely to strengthen collaborations. Existing research works were conducted in the research area. The industrial attachment is expected to give students the requisite practical skill and for that matter the needed manpower necessary for national development

Detoxification enzymes activities in deltamethrin and bendiocarb resistant and susceptible malarial vectors (Anopheles gambiae) breeding in Bichi agricultural and residential sites, Kano state, Nigeria

Insecticide resistance is an important impediment to malaria control effort. Knowledge of insecticides resistance status is an essential tools to governmental, nongovernmental and insecticides producing industries whose daily challenge is minimization of malaria burden across the globe. Larvae of Anopheles gambiae collected from residential and agricultural areas of Bichi LGA, Kano States, North west Nigeria were reared to adults. Resistance and susceptibility status in the adults mosquitoes were studied by WHO paper bioassay impregnated with diagnostic dose of Deltamethrin and Bendiocarb. The insecticides resistance and susceptible adult mosquitoes of Bichi; residential areas (BR) and agricultural areas (BA) were respectively designated as BRr, BRs, BAr and BAs. Specific activities of insecticides detoxifying enzymes glutathione S transferase (GST), esterase and monooxygenase in resistant and susceptible vectors were measured using standard WHO methods. Although the levels of resistance varied with the insecticides and breeding site, high resistance status of malaria vectors to deltamethrin was recorded in both study sites (> 80% mortality) and incipient resistance (Tolerance) to bendiocarb (>97% mortality) based on WHO results interpretation. Significantly elevated (P<0.05) activities of GST, esterase and monooxygenase were recorded in deltamethrin and bendiocarb resistant strains compared to susceptible species in both BA and BR. The finding of the study established high resistance status to deltamethrin and incipient resistance to bendiocarb in all the study sites which could be linked to indiscriminate use of insecticides in residential sites against malarial vector and other flying insects and agrochemicals for pest control in the agricultural sites. Based on this finding, it may be concluded that insecticides resistance to malaria vector exists in both residential and agricultural areas and measures should be taken to curtail it.Keywords: insecticides (deltamethrin and bendiocarb) resistance, Bioassay, Malarial vector, detoxification enzymes

Evaluation of 1.5mm Lead Shield for Radiological Protection and Comparison of Calculated and Measured Results of Equivalent Dose

Evaluation of radiation protective devices in radiology departments is one of the practices that ensure radiation protection and staff and patients safety in hospitals. A research work to evaluate 1.5mm lead shield used for radiological protection was carried out in Radiological Unit of Sharda  Hospital, of Sharda University, India, using 300mA fixed x-ray machine room. The evaluation was done in the x-ray energy (kVp) range between 52- 81 and by using calculative procedure and by direct measurement of the radiation dose rates. The two results were compared. The resultsshows that, in the absence of the shield, only 11.82% of the radiation exposure was attenuated by the air space before reaching the  radiographer’s stand, while in the presence of the shield, 96.50% was attenuated, whereas, for the measured result only 10.17% was attenuated in the absence of the shield and 89.83% was attenuated in the presence of the shield before reaching the radiographer’s stand. The unit of radiation exposure was converted to that of equivalent dose and that of effective dose in order to assess the radiographer’s safety level behind the shield. It was found that, the equivalent/effective dose is as low as to be accepted according to the policy of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), and within the NCRP recommended limit. This guaranteed the effectiveness of the lead shield of 1.5mm thickness in the x-ray energy range used in this study.Keywords: Lead shield, radiological protection, effectiveness of 1.5mm leadshield, presence of shield, absence of shield, radiographer’s safety.

Assessment of Newspaper Circulation and Readership in Northern Ghana

There is a widespread concern that the print newspaper industry across the world and in Ghana particularly faces an uncertain future and a long-term decline in readership and circulation due to the prevalence of internet mediated News websites, making print newspapers obsolete in their present format. This paper is an assessment of the circulation and readership of printed newspapers in the northern regional capital, Tamale. It investigates preferred News sources among newsreaders and examines consumption pattern of newspapers in the metropolis. It discussed the challenges the print media industry faces in the wake of News websites’ proliferation in the Ghanaian media landscape. The paper is based on exploratory research design. It sampled four leading print newspapers in Ghana (Daily Graphic, Daily Guide, Ghanaian Times and Business and Financial Times) as reference points for data collection. Four newspaper vendors who vend these newspapers in the metropolis were sampled through simple random sampling. The paper finds a sharp decline in circulation and readership of printed newspaper in the metropolis in favour of internet powered News websites. The paper concludes that although newsreaders prefer sourcing News online, they still find the traditional printed media as the most credible and reliable sources for News. The paper recommends that the traditional print media take advantage of the reach of internet powered platforms to create online presence and ensure that they innovate to get newsreaders subscribe to their brands since print newspaper readership is gradually declining in the metropolis

Assessment of Radiological Hazards Indices in Vegetables Grown Around Ririwai Tin Mines, Kano State, North Western Nigeria

Mining industry in Nigeria provides economic benefits of wealth creation and employment opportunities. Presently there are numbers of artisanal and large scale mining activities going on across Nigeria and most of these artisanal miners currently under take only surface mining. The process produced large volumes of tailings and waste that may contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs). Some of the NORMs are soluble in water and have the tendency to leach into water bodies and farm lands.    This work assessed the radiological hazard indices in vegetable grown around Ririwai Tin Mine Kano State North Western Nigeria using Direct Gamma Spectroscopy (NaI (Tl)), The results shows that the mean activity concentration in vegetable samples were 259.25±4.77, 28.05±4.97 and 54.56±2.58Bq/kg respectively for 40K, 226Ra and 232Th, the mean absorbed dose rate was 45.043±1.98nGyh-1 the mean committed effective dose for 40K is 0.091±0.002mSv/year, 226Ra has a mean committed effective dose of 0.471±0.083mSv/year while 232Th has a mean committed effective dose of 0.753±0.036mSv/year. The total committed effective dose in vegetable has a mean value of 1.320±0.125mSv/year. The risk estimated for fatality cancer, lifetime  fatality cancer risk, severe hereditary effect and life time hereditary effect in vegetable were 7.26 x 10-5, 5.29 x 10-3, 2.60 x 10-6 and 1.84 x 10-4 respectively. The values obtained in this study are relatively high such that consumption of vegetable grown in the area could pose  radiological health hazards. Keywords: Activity Concentrations, Absorbed dose, Committed effective dose, Risk