An overview of soil erosion modelling

Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental issues in natural and synthetic territories. It can lead to loss of fertility, slope instability, soil truncation; etc. which causes irreversible effects on the poorly renewable soil resource. Therefore, understanding the key parameters and factors to model soil erosion will enable the conservation of soil system goods, services and resources, and will avoid the damage outside of fields caused by transported and accumulated sediments and water. In view of this, a review was carried out on previous studies to examine the concept of soil erosion and review various soil models widely used in literature. It was found that several models are used for soil assessment and prediction and these models are classified into physical (e.g. WEPP), conceptual (SEDNET) and empirical (USLE). The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and its modifications were found to be the most commonly used soil erosion models due to its simplicity, ease of use and the ability to integrate the various ecosystem parameters successfully. Furthermore, it was found that one of the major limitations associated with the use of models is lack of data for validation especially in large areas where obtaining ground data is not feasible. Although some researchers have suggested the use of correlation between modeled erosion results with factors such as land cover and management factor and soil erodibility factor as well as results of land use change analyses as alternatives for validation purpose. Others correlate the predicted soil erosion results with that of sediment yield. Some validated their soil erosion data with results of land use change analyses, slope length and slope steepness factor, land cover and management factor and soil erodibility factor. However, there is still ambiguity in the knowledge of our understanding as to which soil erosion prediction model to use. Keywords: soil erosion, model, validation, USLE, RUSL

Pattern of serum zinc level, peripheral blood lymphocyte and neutrophil counts among patients with sickle cell disease

Background: Zinc is an important mineral element serving as a cofactor in a number of cellular pathways including those involved in cell growth and proliferation. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with excessive haemolysis and defective kidney function with consequential decrease in body’s pool of vital micronutrients. The abnormal loss of zinc in SCD may affect leucopoiesis. Aim: This study was aimed to determine the relationship between serum zinc and leukocyte subsets (Lymphocyte, neutrophil) in adult patients with SCD in steady state together with their counterpart apparently healthy controls. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 33 adult participants with SCD and 33 apparently healthy controls. Lymphocytes and Neutrophils counts were performed using automated haematology analyser (Sysmex KX21N) and serum Zinc level was determined spectrophometrically using the Br-PADAP method. Results: The results shows statistically significant difference in absolute lymphocyte and neutrophil counts for the two groups were P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively. The serum zinc level was also statistically significant between the groups: P<0.0002. However, serum zinc level of subjects with SCD showed no correlation with lymphocyte and neutrophil counts p<0.0610 and <0.6775, respectively. Conclusions: Significant statistical difference was observed, indicating SCD patients have higher WBC count and neutrophil counts and reduced serum zinc and lymphocyte counts. There was no significant correlation between the leucocyte subset counts and serum zinc levels in both the SCD patients and the normal healthy controls. Keywords: Sickle Cell Disease; Lymphocytes; Neutrophils and Zinc

Knowledge of School Health Programme among Public Primary School Teachers in Sokoto Metropolis, Northwestern Nigeria

Background: School health program takes care of the health needs of a significant proportion of the population, especially in the third world countries, by ensuring that children of school age remain healthy and benefit maximally from their education. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of School Health Programme (SHP) among primary school teachers in Sokoto metropolis, northwestern, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 382 public primary school teachers that were selected by multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Proportions and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a binary logistic regression model. All levels of significance were set at p < 0.05.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 34.8 ± 8.6 years. More than half of the respondents were Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) holders 245 (64.1%). Knowledge of SHP was good in 198 (51.8%) of the respondents. The predictors of good knowledge were belonging to other ethnicity (aOR: 3.70; 95% CI=1.11–12.50, p=0.034), having degree or postgraduate qualification in education (aOR: 4.55; 95% CI=2.63–7.69, p<0.001) and having worked for two or more decades (aOR: 4.15; 95% CI=1.34–12.78, p=0.011)Conclusion: Nearly half of the respondents had poor knowledge of SHP and this is likely to deny a large number of school children of being healthy and benefitting from th eir education. Awareness campaigns and trainings on SHP to fill in the knowledge gap is highly recommended

The effects of temperature and relative humidity on the growth of three isolated fungi from rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings in Dadin Kowa Irrigation Scheme, Dadin Kowa, Gombe

The effects of temperature and relative humidity on the growth of three isolated fungi (Aspergillus parasiticus, Altenaria alternata and Thielavia terricola) associated with rice seedlings rot in Dadin Kowa Irrigation Scheme, Gombe, Nigeria were investigated. Temperature in the ranges of 10oC, 15oC, 25oC, 30oC, 35oC and 40oC were used to determine the temperature effect on the growth of these fungi. These fungi were also cultured on 100, 91, 80, 59.5, 47 and 32.5 % relative humidity. Highest growth of these fungi was obtained at 25oC and 30oC temperatures. The fungi showed highest growth at 80 and 91% relative humidity. The growth of these fungi was observed to increase with increase in relative humidity and vice versa. Statistical application for Sciences (SAS) was used to analyze the data generated and the least significant difference, was used to separate the means. There were significant differences (P≤0.05) in the growth of these fungi at different temperature and relative humidity regimes.Keywords: Temperature, Relative Humidity, Growth, Rice, Fungi, Dadin Kow

Prevalence Of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs)-Producing Escherichia Coli Isolated From UTI Patients Attending some Selected Hospitals In Minna, Nigeria

Globally, urinary tract infections are one of the most common infections in need of urgent clinical attention. The prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)- producing Escherichia coli isolated from urine samples of some UTI patients and s of apparently healthy individuals in Minna, Nigeria, is investigated. Standard microbiological techniques were used to conduct this study. A total of 170 catch midstream urine samples submitted to the Medical Microbiology Laboratories of 4 different hospitals (and samples from healthy individuals) were randomly collected for 5 months and examined for microbial growths. Female patients (65.9%) submitted more urine samples for UTI test than their male counterpart (34.1%). The age ranges of 21 -30 (26.5%) and 31 - 40 (25.3%) had the highest percentages of infection rate while those within the ages 1- 10 (3.5%) and ≥ 71 (2.3%) were the least infected. This study observed a prevalence of 23.5% of E. coli in Minna metropolis and a significant number (30%) of healthy individuals (HI) was observed to harbor the E. coli in their urine. The isolates were highly susceptible to Gentamicin (65%), Ofloxacin (65%), Tetracycline (62.5%), Cotrimoxazole (62.5%), and Streptomycin (57.5%). Mildly susceptible to Pefloxacin (37.5%), Chloramphenicol (37.5%), and Ciprofloxacin (35%). There were significant resistance to most of the beta-lactames tested [Cefuroxime (80%), Amoxicillin (42.5%), Augmentin (40), Cefotaxime (20%) and Ceftaxidime (7.5%)]. Two of the isolates were resistant to all the 13 antibiotics tested; 70% (28) of the isolates had multiple antibiotics resistance index (MARI) ≥0.3. Multidrug resistance was expressed in 37.5% of the isolates tested. The study showed a vast resistant pool in the environment. Only 25% of the E. coli isolated from the urine samples produced beta-lactamases phenotypically, most of which expressed resistance to more than 5 of the antibiotics tested and had MARI of ≥ 0.5. Further evaluation showed that 25% (10/40) of the E. coli isolated from the UTI patients in Minna, Nigeria, were ESBL- producers and could harbor one or two of the genes. TEM gene was expressed in 70% (7) of the isolates that produced ESBL phenotypically, 60% 6) harbored CTXM gene, 20% (2) had the OXA gene while none of the bacteria harbored the SHV gene. The study established a 5.9% ESBL prevalence among the E. coli isolated from UTI in the environment studied. This study established that E. coli is one of the prevalent bacteri urea majorly isolated from UTI patients in Minna. The prevalent E. coli are multidrug resistant and could harbor more than one ESBL gene . keywords: Escherichia coli, Minna, UTI, ESBL, Multidrug resistanc

Isolation of Epicatechin from the Stem Bark of Neocarya macrophylla (Sabine) Prance (Chrysobalanaceae)

Neocarya macrophylla has a wide range of medicinal uses in traditional medicine. The aim of the study was to isolate and characterize compound from the stem bark of the plant. (-)-Epicatechin (a flavan-3-ol) was isolated from the ethylacetate soluble fraction of the methanol stem bark extract of the plant using a combination of silica gel and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The structure of the compound as (-)-epicatechin was confirmed on the basis of chemical test, 1D- & 2D-NMR spectroscopy and comparison with existing data in literature. This is the first report of isolation of epicatechin from the stem bark of the plant. Keywords: Neocarya macrophylla, stem bark, (-)-Epicatechin, NMR analysi

Rainfall Trend Detection in Northern Nigeria over the Period of 1970-2012

This study examined the trends in variability and spatial distribution of annual rainfall over northern Nigeria during the period 1970-2012 with a view to understand the pattern of rainfall trend (significance and magnitude), by applying various statistical tools on the data obtained from 11 weather stations. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test was used to determine the statistical signi?cance of trends while the magnitude of trends was derived from the Sen slope estimator of the linear trends using Kendall robust line ?tting. Map of rainfall trends was generated by applying a geo-statistical interpolation technique to visualize the detected tendencies. The findings revealed that a significant positive increase of 2.16mm in rainfall was recorded in the entire northern Nigeria within the period of 1970 to 2012. It further indicated that majority of the stations revealed an upward trend, with Bauchi, Borno, Kebbi and Sokoto stations showing significant positive trends of 8.13mm, 4.30mm, 4.76mm and 4.42mm respectively. It is concluded that there is high variability in rainfall in the northern Nigeria which signifies a clear evidence of climate change in the region. Keywords: Rainfall trend, Man-Kendall test, Northern Nigeria, Climate chang

Chemical composition and phyto-chemical factors of sorrel seeds (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) boiled at varying durations

This study was carried out to determine the chemical composition of sorrel seeds boiled at varying durations. Cleaned sorrel seeds were poured into three (3) litres of boiled water (at 100 C) per batch of 1kg (i.e. in ratio of 3:1) at different boiling durations of 0, 15, 30 and 45 minutes, respectively. The boiled sorrel seeds were sun dried by spreading on trays until well dried. Samples of the boiled sorrel seeds were analysed for chemical composition and phyto-chemical factors. The results showed that the duration of boiling significantly (p< 0.05) affected the crude protein, crude fibre and ether extract contents. Crude protein and ether extract values increased as the duration of boiling increased from 0 to 45 minutes. The lowest crude protein (28.00%) and crude fibre (12.80%) was obtained at 30 minutes duration of boiling while their respective values 29.22% and 14.50% were obtained from 45 minutes duration. Ether extract decreased with increased boiling duration. The values of anti – nutritional factor declined with increase in the duration boiling. There was also significant differences (p<0.05) in phytic acid and tannin levels. The 45 minutes duration of boiling had the lowest value for phytic acid (0.19%), tannin (1.1%) and saponin (7.65%). It is concluded that processing of sorrel seed by boiling enhanced nutrient availability of crude protein, crude fibre and ether extract, and reduced anti-nutrients (phytic acid, tannin and saponin) to a tolerable level. Keywords: Phyto-chemical factors; Boiling durations; Chemical composition; Sorrel seed

Isolation of Quarcetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside from the ethanol leaf extract of Ficus sycomorous L. (Moracaea)

Ficus sycomorous (Sycamore fig.) Family Moraceae is a plant used in African traditional medicine to treat mental illness, dysentery, cough, diarrhea, tuberculosis and Cancer. In this research work the leaf of the plant was subjected to cold maceration using 75% ethanol. The extract was fractionated using n- hexane, chloroform ethylacetate and n-butanol. The ethylacetate fraction was subjected to column chromatographic separation and purification. Quarcetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was isolated and the structure of the compound was elucidated by various spectral techniques such as1 and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. Keyword: Ficus sycomorous, Moraceae, NMR, Quarcetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosid

Normal electrocardiographic parameters of Auraki donkeys in Sokoto, Nigeria: baseline for adaptation

Donkey is becoming an endangered species regionally in northwestern Nigeria and nationally. Indigenous species have suffered a sharp decline in population from hunting, diseases and slaughter as food animals by different tribes in Nigeria. Very little information on their cardiac excitability is available, owing to negligence and lack of comprehensive and coherent national program on donkeys’ conservation and preservation, hence the need to carry out the study. The study was carried out using 22 apparently healthy Jacks (male donkeys) with a mean age of 8 ± 0.7 years and an average weight of 135kg ± 0.5. The donkeys were manually restrained on standing position on an insulated ground surface using a rubber mat; Electrocardiogram was conducted using single lead channel ECG recorder (EDAN VE-100). The durations of P, R, T, QRS, P-R interval and Q-T interval were recorded as well as the amplitudes of P, R and T. The highest amplitude of P- wave was obtained in lead II while the highest R-wave amplitude was obtained in lead aVR. P and T wave’s durations were highest in lead aVR while higher R-wave and QRS complex durations were obtained in leads aVL and aVF, respectively. The P-R and Q-T intervals (duration) were highest in lead I. Positive P-wave, Negative T-wave and Negative deflection of QRS complex were predominant. Variable QRS-complexes were recorded with predominant QS deflection. The mean heart rate was 52.8±1.8 and ranged between 30-142beats/minute. ECG parameters of donkeys in Sokoto differ from that of other breeds. Data generated will serve as baseline references for quick detection of deviations and early diagnosis and management of potential cardiovascular conditions in studied breed. Key Words: Arrhythmias, Electrocardiogram, Tropics, Auraki Donkeys, Extinction, Sokot