A study of the physico-chemistry and mineralogy of Agbaja clay for its industrial application

Agbaja clay was analyzed for its physico-chemical and x-ray properties to ascertain its suitability for ceramic, refractory and other industrial applications. The clay was found to be predominantly composed of Al2O3 (38.68%), SiO2 (39.47%) alkali oxides (0.61%). It had a pH value of 6.61, an Atterberg Plasticity Index of 15.45%. X – ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis showed kaolinite as the main mineral phase while Halloysite and Illite were the accessory minerals present. Agbaja clay is suitable for use in the production of super-heat duty refractory materials and vitreous ceramic wares. It is also suitable for use in the paper, rubber, plastic and pharmaceutical industries. The clay color changed from milk white to light grey upon firing.Keywords: Agbaja Clay, Atterberg Plasticity Index, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffractio

Thermogravimetric and kinetic study of methylolmelamine phosphate treated – cotton fabric

Some salient properties of cotton cellulose which requires it to be treated with additives to improve its versatility were examined taken into consideration, the molecular structure. Thermogravimetric analysis of the cotton fabric and the treated cotton fabric were carried out in an improvised muffled furnace. The result was in accordance with the previous study carried out on cellulose showing two stages of thermal degradation with first degradation between 2500C – 3000C and estimated 75% weight loss. The treated fabrics show degradation at 2000C – 2500C with an estimated 10% - 25% weight loss and more stages of thermal degradation. This may be attributed to the structuralmodification of the cotton cellulose upon resination with methylolmelamine phosphate.Keywords: Cotton Fabric, Degradation, Resination, Thermogravimetri

Effect of water harvesting methods, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on leaf length of different date palm (phoenix d-) varieties

field experiment was conducted to study the effects of water harvesting methods, NP - fertilizer rate and variety on leaf length of date palm plants over a period of 32 months (May 2004- December 2006). The trial was sited at the Date palm Research Sub-station of the Nigerian Institute for Oil palm Research (NIFOR) Dutse (11o 50’N, 09o 25’E) in the Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria. The treatments consisted of six water harvesting methods (standard 30cm radius basin, single side pit, double side pits, perimeter square basin, side square basin and double square basin). Six NP-fertilizer rates (control, which is zero fertilizer level, 20g N + 10g P, 40g N + 20g P, 60g N + 30g P, 80g N + 40g P and 100g N + 50g P) and six date palm varieties (Palm 300, Tirgal, Dan Mali, Deglet Noor, Shuwarin C and Shuwarin B) arranged in a Latin square design. Two plants per experimental plot were sampled for the measurement of leaf length, given a total of 72 plants. Results from this study revealed that double square basin, the control, the perimeter square basin and side square basin methods proved more effective in enhancing more soil moisture and produced longer leaves. The application of NP- fertilizer at the rates of 80- 100g N and 40- 50g P/ plant to young date plant of about three years significantly enhanced leaf length. Deglet Noor and Dan Mali produced longer leaves and are likely to be more productive. The combination of either double square basin or the control or the perimeter square basin or side square basin water harvesting method treatments, with 80- 100g N and 40- 50g P/ plant and either Deglet Noor or Dan Mali may be recommended for better date palm production within the Sudan ecological zone of Nigeria where this experiment was conducted, following further studies

Evaluation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Drinking Water Collected from Local Wells and Boreholes of Dutse Town, North West, Nigeria

Water samples collected from Dutse Town, Jigawa State, were studied and analyzed for heavy metals. A total of 48 samples were collected from 24 different sampling sites in Dutse town namely: FUD, Gidan Dubu Yadi, Bakwato 1, Bakwato 2, Tashar Danwake, Fatara, Kargo, Garu/Emir palace, Fagoji 1, Fagoji 2, Zai, Jigawa Sarki, Kachi, Limawa, Galamawa, Dasina, Takur Adua, Jigawar Tsada, Takur Site, Dan Masara, Mopol Base, G-9 Site and Aminu Kano Way/Cikin Gari. The samples were studied and analyzed for eight (8) heavy metals namely; Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) and Nickel (Ni). The results obtained were compared with the international standards. The samples were analyzed at the Central Laboratory, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) was used in this study and the average concentration of these heavy metals  are 0.0034, 0.0409, 0.0151, 1.8241, 0.01471, 0.2731, 2.2829 and 0.0433 mg/l for Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Hg and Ni respectively. Among the analyzed heavy metals, Cd, Co, Cu and Ni were below the recommended level set by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) while Fe, Pb, Mn and Hg were higher than the recommended level set by USEPA and WHO for safe drinking water. This imply that the water collected from these sampling areas were contaminated with heavy metals which may have serious health hazard to the people using such water for drinking and other domestic activities. Keywords: Heavy metals, Wells, Boreholes, Drinking Water, Dutse Tow

Facile synthesis and dyeing performance of some disperse monomeric and polymeric dyes on nylon and polyester fabrics

ABSTRACT. Monoazo disperse polymeric dyes consisting of polyarylazocarboxybenzene-formaldehyde (PACB-F) and polyarylazohydroxynaphthalene-formaldehyde (PAHN-F) were synthesized through diazotisation, coupling and polycondensation reactions in the presence of formaldehyde and aqueous oxalic acid. The structure of the as synthesised dyes was acquired using UV-visible absorption maxima and FT-IR spectroscopy and their color, yield, melting point, solubility, and viscosity determined via standard methods. UV-visible and FTIR results showed successful formation of the polymeric dyes due to shift of wavelength of maximum absorption (λmax) (420-470 nm, 460-510 nm) and new absorption peak at around (2800-2995 cm-1) for methylene bridge, respectively. The yield of the monomeric dyes was 67.1-85.7% and polymeric 45.1-59.3%, melting point was 104.1-131.2 oC, and 136.0-143.5 oC, respectively. They are soluble in acetone, ethanol, and methanol and insoluble in n-hexane and water. The dyeing process was achieved via high temperature and carrier dyeing techniques on nylon and polyester fibers. The dyeing characteristics of the synthesised dyes were analyzed in comparison with commercial disperse dyes (terasil brilliant violet and terasil scarlet brown). The dyeing produced a very attractive hue brown shades with good to excellent washing, light, hot pressing, and rubbing fastness.                     KEY WORDS: Carbocyclic, Dyeing activity, Monoazo, Monomeric, Polymeric   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(3), 485-497. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i3.

Congenital chylous as cites in a 3-month-old infant in Zaria: A case report

Congenital chylous ascites (CCA) is a rare disease that results from the maldevelopment of the intra-abdominal lymphatic system. Due to the rarity of congenital chylous ascites and the lack of standards in diagnosis and therapy, this disease constitutes a medical challenge and individual therapy seems to be extremely important. A 3-month-old girl diagnosed with congenital chylous ascites. She was managed initially with nil per oral, parenteral nutrition, medium chain triglyceride (MCT) containing oil and abdominal paracentesis, followed by octreotide. Medium chain triglyceride formula, the main stay of management was discontinued with gradual reintroduction of breast feeds. This case was selected due to the rarity of CCA and the lack of standards in the diagnosis and therapy

Exploiting IoT and LoRaWAN Technologies for Effective Livestock Monitoring in Nigeria

With global population predicted to rise continuously (from 7.2 billion to between 9~10 billion people by the year 2050), the world would need to produce almost twice the amount of food as it does today to sustain such human needs. This coupled with recent environmental/climatic changes and urbanization would continue to place enormous burden on the available land, water and energy resources required for both crop and animal farming which is even more critical for developing regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa due to arid lands, poverty, extreme hunger and endemic diseases. Hence, there is an urgent need for more effective, intensification and industrialization of the region’s agricultural sector to improve food supply. Internet-of-things (IoT) is a new and attractive family of technologies capable of modernizing Africa’s agricultural sector in line with best practices to improve productivity and minimize cost with reduced energy consumption. This paper intends to kick-start discussions around IoT-based solutions in livestock farming in Nigeria, with a view to addressing issues of cattle rustling as well as improved livestock health-care and better herd management through real-time monitoring. The proposed solution leverages LoRaWAN (Long-range Wireless Access Network) technology, whereby very low-power sensors with extremely long-range are attached to the cattle, and communicate with a gateway for linking to the cloud/satellite network to the internet for data processing and analytics. Such a system is also ideal for rural/remote areas where there is limited or no cellular network and internet coverage, which is where most Nigerian farms/ranches may be located.  The paper sheds some light on some real-life use cases, benefits and challenges of deploying such smart systems and provides some recommendations/action points for all relevant stake-holders towards a sustainable implementation in Nigerian agricultural secto

Identification of Radar Signals Based on Time-Frequency Agility using Short-Time Fourier Transform

With modern advances in radar technologies and increased complexity in aerial battle, there is need for knowledge acquisition on the abilities and operating characteristics of intercepted hostile systems. The required knowledge obtained through advanced signal processing is necessary for either real time-warning or in order to determine Electronic Order of Battle (EOB) of these systems. An algorithm was therefore developed in this paper based on a joint Time-Frequency Distribution (TFD) in order to identify the time-frequency agility of radar signals based on its changing pulse characteristics. The joint TFD used in this paper was the square magnitude of the Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT), where power and frequency obtained at instants of time from its Time-Frequency Representation (TFR) was used to estimate the time and frequency parameters of the radar signals respectively. Identification was thereafter done through classification of the signals using a rule-based classifier formed from the estimated time and frequency parameters. The signals considered in this paper were the simple pulsed, pulse repetition interval modulated, frequency hopping and the agile pulsed radar signals, which represent cases of various forms of agility associated with modern radar technologies. Classification accuracy was verified using the Monte Carlo simulation performed at various ranges of Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs) in the presence of noise modelled by the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN). Results obtained showed identification accuracy of 99% irrespective of the signal at a minimum SNR of 0dB where signal and noise power were the same. The obtained minimum SNR at this classification accuracy showed that the developed algorithm can be deployed practically in the electronic warfare field for accurate agility classification of airborne radar signals

Prevalence of malaria infection among patients attending Murtala Muhammed specialist hospital Kano, Nigeria

Malaria is one of the most common diseased conditions in Nigeria and  across most developing countries triggered by one of four species of Plasmodium. The objective of this study was to screen and detect for the presence of Plasmodium species via microscopic analysis on Malaria patients attending a healthcare facility Northern Nigeria and present the epidemiological data of malaria.Finger prick blood samples, Thick and Thin Giemsa-stained blood smears, were collected from 350 malaria-suspected individuals representing all age groups. The Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined microscopically. Demographic information on rural and urban dwellings, use of  insecticides and mosquito nets were collected using structured questionnaires. Malaria cases were detected in in 227 (64.9%) of the participants with a higher infection rate amongst the males (147) than the females (80). The  predominant specie found was Plasmodium  falciparum. All age groups in this study were vulnerable in the order of 61-above>31-40>51-60>41-50>1-10>21-30> 11-20 years of age.A large number of participants dwelling in urban area (219) were tested positive for malaria in contrast to eight(8) from the rural area. Not using insecticides and mosquito treated nets were significantly associated with the prevalence of malaria as 59.4% of participants who were tested positive for  Plasmodium falciparum infection utilized insecticides, while 66.9% of those who did not were also tested positive. Individuals residing close to gutters and bushes were the most susceptible (85.6%) to Plasmodium infection.Keywords: Prevalence, Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Kano

Occurrence of hypocortisolism in HIV patients: Is the picture changing?

Background: The occurrence of endocrine diseases in people who are infected with HIV is traditionally thought to occur in the setting of AIDS with opportunistic infections and malignancies. However, recent studies find the correlation between hypocortisolism and stage of HIV (CD4 count and WHO clinical stage) inconsistent.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included three hundred and fifty (350) consecutive patients with HIV infection. They were interviewed, and subsequently underwent laboratory evaluation for the detection of hypocortisolism. Blood samples for serum cortisol estimation were taken at baseline and at 30 minutes following the administration of 1μg of tetracosactrin (Synacthen). In addition, the patients had blood samples taken at 0 minutes (baseline) for CD4+ lymphocyte cell counts.Results: At baseline, 108 (30.9%) participants had serum cortisol levels below 100 μg/L with a median value of 55.48 μg/L (11.36-99.96 μg/L), but only 57 (16.3%) study participants had stimulated serum cortisol levels below 180 μg/L with median of 118 μg/L (19.43-179.62). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of clinical features between participants with low and normal serum cortisol, nor WHO clinical stage, CD4 count and ART regimen. The occurrence of hypocortisolism was higher among participants who had been on ART for a longer period of time.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypocortisolism among HIV patients by biochemical testing, especially those who have been on ARVs for a longer duration. Hypocortisolism cannot be predicted based on the participants’ WHO clinical stage of disease, CD4 cell count, or the treatment regimen.  Funding: Personal FundsKeywords: HIV, Adrenocortical insufficiency, CD4 cell count, Tetracosactri