Ocean energy : Ocean Thermal Energy Conservation (OTEC) as additional electricity source for Nigeria

Oceans cover more than 70% of the total surface of the earth and are vast resources of energy. Ocean energy can be retrieved by using adequate ocean energy systems that work on either temperature gradients, salinity gradients, density gradients, the flow of ocean winds, currents, waves, or tidal energy, all of which are renewable. They are never exhausted. The further the ocean energy systems are tested the more prosperous ocean energy becomes. It is certainly the energy for the future, especially when man finishes all the reserves of fossil fuels. Nigeria being the leading African nation, endowed with resources and at a vantage location should set the pace in trying ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) to boost her energy needs now or in the near future

Medication knowledge and beliefs in patients with major depressive disorder at a tertiary health facility in north east Nigeria

Background: Achieving positive clinical outcomes with antidepressant drug therapy depends on patients having adequate knowledge and positive beliefs about their prescribed medication.Objectives: To assess medication related knowledge and beliefs about medicines in patients with major depressive disorder.Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out from December 2018 to March 2019 at Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Patients who agreed to participate in the study (n=151) were interviewed with patient knowledge about medication and belief about medicine questionnaires.Results: About 82.8 % of the patients had suboptimal knowledge of their medications. Over half (60.3%) of them had strong beliefs regarding the necessity of their prescribed medications. Almost half (47.7%) of them also had strong concerns about the potential harm and adverse effects of their medications. The odds for strong beliefs regarding the necessity of their prescribed medication were about 8 times greater in patients with primary level of education than those with no formal education (p=0.026, OR=8.00) and 4 times in married people (p=0.024, OR=4.77).Conclusion: Patients with major depressive disorder in this study had suboptimal knowledge of their medication and an appreciable number of them had strong beliefs regarding the need for their medications. However, about half of the patients also had strong beliefs about the potentials of their medications to cause harm. The odds to have strong beliefs on the need for medication were positively associated with disease severity, being married and increasing level of education. Interventions aimed at improving medication knowledge and addressing negative beliefs about medications are therefore recommended.Keywords: Medication knowledge, Medication beliefs, Major depressive disorder, Nigeri

Fungal Contamination of Some Poultry Houses in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to assess the level of fungal contamination of poultry houses with emphasis on Aspergillus species contamination of litter, feeders, drinkers and the housing materials. Ten swabs each from ten locations and materials (100) of the 10 poultry houses were collected for fungal isolation. A total of 126 fungi belonging to 5 genera were isolated from the different parts of the poultry environment viz; Aspergillus, Mucor, Candida, Rhizopusand Penecillium species with Aspergillus and Candida species having the highest frequency of isolation, 69 (54.76%) and 27 (20.93%) respectively. Three species of Aspergillus were isolated A. fumigatus (22), A. flavus (22) and A. niger (18). Fungi were isolated from all parts of the poultry sampled with a higher rate of isolation from the doors, window nets, roof and feeders. The presence of Aspergillus and Candida species which are important poultry pathogens i.e causing Aspergillosis, mycotoxicosis and Candidaisis indicates an economic threat the farmers as well as to the health of the bird

Sustainable Development Planning: Examining the Mismatch of Urban Solid Waste Management Services in Bauchi Metropolis

Municipal solid waste systems are essential components of environmental infrastructure in human settlements. This system comprises all the activities undertaken from the point of waste generation to the final phase of disposal. It is an important environmental health service and an integral part of basic urban services. In most cities of developing world, waste service provision is a responsibility of municipal authorities. However, solid waste generation out-weighed the collection capacities of these municipalities and agencies responsible for waste collection and its management. The problem of solid waste generation and management is also compounded, and increasingly becoming difficult for these agencies due to lack of availability of reliable data on existing waste streams within the metropolis. This study compared the solid waste management service provided by Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) and the result of a study on waste characteristics and management streams in Bauchi Metropolis. The methodology of the study used waste characterization,, physical interviews, focus group discussion and observations; the results finally established the lacuna between the current situation and the unsustainable waste management services rendered by the municipality which became a bottleneck in achieving a sustainable urban solid waste management services in Bauchi metropolis respectively.. Keywords; Solid Waste, Solid Waste Management, Urban Areas, Environmental Agencies, Bauchi Metropolis DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-3-06 Publication date:March 31st 202

The Impact of Coporate Website on Dissemination of Research Information Among Stakeholders in Nigeria

This study accesses the influence of an official website as one that has been licensed by using an authority to signify itself or its houses online. Individuals, companies, governments, and different organizations can be such an authority. An internet portal is a web-based platform that gives employees, clients and suppliers with a single get right of entry to factor to information.8 A web portal can be used to supply the consumer with customized data such as employee training, protection manuals or a customer profile. A web portal can additionally be used to beautify the collaboration of information and improve the way employees, customers and suppliers interact with your commercial enterprise [7]. There are couple of reasons why an MSMEs will seem toward net portal development. This study was once made in two classes of lookup institutes: Health institutes and economic/social institutes. Comparison figures point out that there is no sizable difference in phrases of presence of a respectable website of Health Institutes and Economic/social institutes. Health Institutes have extra capability to diffuse their improvements to public than Economic/social institutes, using their website as a verbal exchange device of lookup findings dissemination. The comparisons of use of professional website, goal audiences were carried out as well as reliability check in percentages to allow conclusive results

Acute mesenteric ischemia and duodenal ulcer perforation: a unique double pathology

Background: Acute mesenteric ischaemia and duodenal perforation are surgical emergencies with serious consequences. Patients presenting with acute mesenteric ischaemia alone face a high mortality rate as high as 60% whereas those presenting with peptic ulcer perforation the mortality rates range from 6-14%. There are very few reported cases of patients presenting with this dual pathology. Case presentation: We report a unique case of a 53 year old Italian lady who presented with acute mesenteric ischaemia and duodenal perforation. This is the first report of massive bowel ischaemia and duodenal perforation with no apparent underlying common pathophysiology leading to this presentation. Conclusion: Early management in the intensive care unit and appropriate surgical intervention maximised the patient’s chances of survival despite the poor prognosis associated with her dual pathology. The rare pathology of the patient described can be explained by two possible hypotheses: peptic ulcer disease causing duodenal ulceration, which precipitated ischaemic infarction of the small bowel. The second hypothesis is the patient developed a stress related ulcer following ischaemic bowel infarction secondary to arterial thrombosis

Chemical and biological characteristics of organic amendments produced from selected agro-wastes with potential for sustaining soil health: a laboratory assessment

Sustaining soil health cannot be divorced from sustainable crop production. Organic, or natural, farming is being promoted as a good sustainable agriculture practice. One aspect of organic farming that could significantly enhance and sustain soil health, soil quality, and crop productivity is the use of high-quality soil conditioners or organic amendments produced from agro-wastes. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the chemical and biological properties of selected agrowastes with potential for use as organic amendments in sustaining soil health. Standard procedures were used to produce and characterize the soil conditioners, namely fermented plant juice (FPJ), fermented fruit juice (FFJ), palm kernel shell (PKS) biochar, and kitchen waste (KW) compost. The fermented juices (FPJ and FFJ), PKS biochar, and KW compost exhibited chemical and biological properties with good potential as soil conditioners or organic amendments to sustain soil health. The fermented juices contained important microbes that can solubilize P and K in soil for crop use. The high pH and C content of the biochar and compost and the high cation exchange capacity of the biochar are good indicators of the potential of these materials to sustain soil health in terms of the liming effect of acid soils, nutrient and water retention, nutrient reserves, and a suitable habitat for microbial life. Moreover, the organic amendments contain reasonable amounts of macro- and micro-nutrients, which could be released to increase soil fertility. Despite these potential benefits, field application of these organic amendments is necessary to evaluate their effects on soil health and crop production in both the short and long ter

Water Table Fluctuation and Methane Emission in Pineapples (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) Cultivated on a Tropical Peatland

Inappropriate drainage and agricultural development on tropical peatland may lead to an increase in methane (CH₄) emission, thus expediting the rate of global warming and climate change. It was hypothesized that water table fluctuation affects CH₄ emission in pineapple cultivation on tropical peat soils. The objectives of this study were to: (i) quantify CH₄ emission from a tropical peat soil cultivated with pineapple and (ii) determine the effects of water table depth on CH₄ emission from a peat soil under simulated water table fluctuation. Soil CH₄ emissions from an open field pineapple cultivation system and field lysimeters were determined using the closed chamber method. High-density polyethylene field lysimeters were set up to simulate the natural condition of cultivated drained peat soils under different water table fluctuations. The soil CH₄ flux was measured at five-time intervals to obtain a 24 h CH₄ emission in the dry and wet seasons during low- and high-water tables. Soil CH₄ emissions from open field pineapple cultivation were significantly lower compared with field lysimeters under simulated water table fluctuation. Soil CH₄ emissions throughout the dry and wet seasons irrespective of water table fluctuation were not affected by soil temperature but emissions were influenced by the balance between methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms controlling CH₄ production and consumption, CH₄ transportation through molecular diffusion via peat pore spaces, and non-microbial CH₄ production in peat soils. Findings from the study suggest that water table fluctuation at the soil–water interface relatively controls the soil CH₄ emission from lysimeters under simulated low- and high-water table fluctuation. The findings of this study provide an understanding of the effects of water table fluctuation on CH₄ emission in a tropical peatland cultivated with pineapple

Effects of Organic Amendments Produced from Agro-Wastes on Sandy Soil Properties and Black Pepper Morpho-Physiology and Yield

Sandy textured soil infertility poses a problem for sustainable crop cultivation. This problem is usually dealt with by the addition of chemical fertilizers, which are expensive and can cause serious environmental issues if not managed well. A better alternative to improve and manage sandy soil infertility is the use of organic amendments produced from agro-wastes. This two (2)- year field study was conducted in a sandy-textured soil grown with black pepper to evaluate mainly the effects of chemical fertilizer, fermented plant and fruit juices, compost, and biochar on soil properties and morpho-physiological characteristics and yield of black pepper. Generally, the results indicated that the combination of fermented fruit juice, compost, and biochar was comparable to and in some cases better than chemical fertilizer in terms of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as well as crop performance. These findings were even more pronounced in the second year of measurements. There were strong positive relationships between soil N and pepper leaf chlorophyll content and between soil microbes and soil respiration. The findings showed that these soil amendments produced from agro-wastes are a good alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers on sandy soils to improve soil fertility and productivity and the yield of black pepper sustainably