In vitro antimicrobial and radical scavenging activities of Adenanthera pavonina stem bark fractions

The present investigation deals with the in vitro antimicrobial and radical scavenging activities of four different fractions obtained from the stem bark of Adenanthera pavonina. Phytochemical screening of the fractions revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenol, protein, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. Evaluation of the extracts against three different bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus) showed that the ethyl acetate fraction (F4) possess the best antimicrobial activity with good zones of inhibition. While antifungal activity against (Aspagillus flavus, Candida albican and Mucor) further indicate F4 has the best activity. Lastly, the radical scavenging activity revealed that the F1 (ethanol extract) and F4 (ethyl acetate fraction) demonstrated promising antiradical power on diphenylpicrylhydraxyl (DPPH) with an excellent percentage scavenging effect. At 1000 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL the DPPH activity of the ethyl acetate fraction was 97.9 and 71.3% respectively. While it was observed to be 94.9 and 69.6% for ethanol at 1000 and 10 μg/mL respectively. These values are found to be higher than that of the standard reference (ascorbic acid) which was 96.4 and 58.4 % at 1000 and 10 μg/mL respectively. This shows that the assay for DPPH free radical scavenging activity is concentration dependent. This strengthens part of the ethnomedicinal claims on the plant, Adenanthera Pavonina as a curative agent of different diseases of clinical concern.Keywords: Adenanthera pavonina, Alkaloid, Antimicrobial, Ethyl acetate, Phytochemical, Radica

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHANGES IN SOIL FERTILITY UNDER TWO FARMING PRACTICES IN THE KANO CLOSE-SETTLED ZONE

The influence of two farming systems (sole and mixed cropping) on soil properties was investigated in the Wudil area of the Kano Close-Settled Zone. Soil samples collected from plots under the two practices were subjected to physico-chemical analyses. The results indicate that soil under mixed cropping have higher levels of organic carbon, total nitrogen, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), exchangeable bases and available phosphorus than sole cropped plots. Mixed cropping is beneficial in enhancing soil fertility through reduction in soil erosion and higher organic matter build-up

Spatial Profit Differential of Yam Marketing in Gombe Metropolis, Gombe State, Nigeria.

The study examines the spatial profit differentials of yam marketing in Gombe metropolis. Primary data were collected using questionnaires which were administered to 40 randomly selected respondents, 10 from each selected markets. Farm budget model was used to analyse the data. The result indicated that 60% of the respondents were within the age bracket of 21 to 40 years and the literacy level of the respondents was moderate, where those with primary and secondary education constituted 25% each  out of the total respondent. The highest profit was realised in Pantami market with N19.2/tube and the lowest was in Gombe Old market with N32.5/tube. The major constraints to yam marketing were insufficient capital with 32.5 percent while high cost of transportation and poor storage facilities constituted 25% each. It was therefore recommended that appropriate means of products  preservation and famers should form associations in order to  have access to loans which  would boast yam marketing. Keywords: Spatial, Differential, Marketing, Ya

Determination of the Influence of Texture and Organic Matter on Soil Water Holding Capacity in and Around Tomas Irrigation Scheme, Dambatta Local Government Kano State

Abstract: This research was conducted in Dambatta local government with aim of determining the influence of texture and organic matter content on soil water holding capacity. Three sites were chosen based on land usescultivated area (Jama'a village), uncultivated site (shantake) and Tomas irrigation site. Fifteen composite samples were randomly collected from the top (0-15 cm) in the sites. The samples were analyzed for some soil parameters such as particle size distribution, organic carbon and water holding capacity using standard routine laboratory tests. In addition, statistical graphs and tables were employed to analyze the data. Mean values of soil organic carbon was computed to compare the results with the previous findings. The mean soil organic carbon of shantake, Tomas and Jama'a fields were found to be 2.57, 1.37 and 1.27%, respectively. The textures of the soil samples were found to be Sand and Loamy sand. The soil water holding capacity ranged from 5 to 25%. The results showed that soil organic matter was found to be higher in uncultivated fields than in irrigation fields and continuous cultivation fields. It was concluded that soil organic matter and texture had influence on water holding capacity and the effect was more pronounced when fine texture was coupled with appreciable amount of soil organic matter. It was recommended that higher levels of organic matter should be incorporated to the soils with aim of improving soil water holding capacity and further research should be done in order to fully understand the moisture characteristics of different soil samples in the study area and sudano-sahelian zone at large

PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY OF FALSE SESAME (CERATOTHECA SESAMOIDES ENDL.) TREATED WITH SODIUM AZIDE

The mutagenic efficiency and effectiveness of sodium azide to induce genetic variability in false sesame (Ceratotheca sesamoides) was evaluated with the aim of obtaining beneficial mutants. The seeds of false sesame were subjected to four concentrations (0.5mM, 1.0mM, 1.5mM and 2.0mM) of sodium azide. Treated and untreated seeds were sown on the field. Harvested M1 false sesame seeds were sown to raise the M2 seedlings. The sodium azide concentration of 1.0mM significantly (p<0.05) induced benefitial variabilities on the agronomic traitsevaluated at M1 and M2 generation of false sesame. The mutagenic effectiveness, efficiency and mutation frequency of sodium azide were not obtained due to the absence of chlorophyll-deficient mutants. Lethality due to mutagen was observed not to be dose dependent. Broad sense heritability estimates for the agronomic traits evaluated ranged from 2.14% to 92.01%. High heritability values recorded for and days to flowering (92.10%), thousand seed weight (75.00%), height at maturity (63.84%) and leaf area (60.35%) broadens the scope for improving false sesame via selection. Results are further discussed to validate the potential of this mutagenic treatment on false sesame breeding and selectio

Developing a methodological framework of adopting digital twin for deconstruction planning

Wastes generated from construction and demolition (C&D) activities account for a major proportion of urban solid wastes. The large amount of C&D waste gen-erated are still being largely landfilled or downcycled worldwide. Aging built as-sets without proper C&D planning is a major cause of wastes not being efficient-ly diverted for circular use. How waste sorting could be properly planned in the early stages, not only for new construction, but also deconstruction projects is critical to minimizing C&D wastes. As there is a large amount of aging assets without digital files or even no drawings, developing a digital-driven approach to effectively estimate and categorize C&D wastes would be essential for, not just early-stage deconstruction planning, but also the development of a circular econ-omy on C&D wastes. This study is first based on a thorough literature review of existing studies of applications of digital technologies to C&D waste diversion (WD). Limitations of existing studies are evaluated, such as the lack of digital twin approach for deconstruction. Then a methodological framework is estab-lished aiming to adopt digitalization for C&D WD, specifically for existing facili-ties under deconstruction planning. Based on the current work, future study would ap-ply the methodological framework with real-world case studies to vali-date and test its effectiveness with initiated prototypes. Longer-term work can ex-tend from the current framework to Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence

Developing a methodological framework for adopting digitalization for deconstruction planning

Wastes generated from construction and demolition (C&D) activities account for a major proportion of urban solid wastes. The large amount of C&D waste generated are still being largely landfilled or downcycled worldwide. Aging built assets without proper C&D planning is a major cause of wastes not being efficiently diverted for circular use. How waste sorting could be properly planned in the early stages, not only for new construction, but also deconstruction projects is critical to minimizing C&D wastes. As there is a large amount of aging assets without digital files or even no drawings, developing a digital-driven approach to effectively estimate and categorize C&D wastes would be essential for, not just early-stage deconstruction planning, but also the development of a circular economy on C&D wastes. This study is first based on a thorough literature review of existing studies of applications of digital technologies to C&D waste diversion (WD). Limitations of existing studies are evaluated, such as the lack of digital twin approach for deconstruction. Then a methodological framework is established aiming to adopt digitalization for C&D WD, specifically for existing facilities under deconstruction planning. Based on the current work, future study would apply the methodological framework with real-world case studies to validate and test its effectiveness with initiated prototypes. Longer-term work can extend from the current framework to Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence. REFERENCE

Meteorological Influence on eLoran Accuracy

Stringent accuracy requirements need to be met for eLoran deployment in marine navigation and harbour entrance and approach. A good accuracy model is therefore required to predict the positioning accuracy at the user’s receiver locations. Accuracy depends on the variations of additional secondary factors (ASFs) and the primary factor delay. The changes in the air refractive index caused variations in the primary factor (PF) delay of the eLoran signal, and current eLoran accuracy models do not take this into account. This paper proposes an improved empirical accuracy model that considers the contributions of changes in the refractive index of the air, often classified as a short term effect. The changes in weather parameters such as atmospheric pressure and temperature increase the time of arrival variance. The developed accuracy model is used to predict the eLoran positioning error in the European maritime region. The results show that the short term ASF variations significantly contribute to the positioning error and must be included in the accuracy model. The results also demonstrate that a 20 m accuracy or better would be achieved in the North Sea, while a 10 m accuracy would be achievable at the SOLAS ports if eLoran was reintroduced in Europe. Nevertheless, the repeatable accuracy around the Irish sea exceeds 80 m and does not meet marine navigation requirements compared to GPS. Coverage can be enhanced by including at least two eLoran transmitters in Ireland

The Impact of New Media Literacy and Supply Chain Knowledge Management on Community Economy in Indonesia

This study aims to examine the impact of new media and supply chain knowledge management on community economy in Indonesia. This quantitative research method is distributed questionnaires to 157 respondents from retail sector in Indonesian. Based on dimensions of new media literacy, the strongest dimension is visualization with the highest average value of 3.40. Visualization enhances entrepreneur innovation in supply chain knowledge management. The results of this study indicate that new media literacy helps consumers on community economy in Indonesia

Antifungal Activity of Hyptis spicigera Methanol Leaf Extract and Flavonoid Fraction

Control of plant fungal diseases using synthetic fungicides continue to cause major problems to human health and the entire ecosystem. The aim of this research was to investigate the phytochemical and antifungal properties of Hyptis spicigera methanol leaf extract and flavonoid fraction on Aspergillus and Fusarium species, with a view to uncovering effective bio-fungicides for development as substitutes to chemical fungicides. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of sterols and triterpenes, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. The quantitative analysis showed that saponin (690 mg/g GAE), phenolics (220 mg/g GAE) and flavonoids (140 mg/g GAE) were found to be in high concentration. The antifungal effects of H. spicigera methanol extract on F. graminearum (21 mm) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the control fungicide (Mancozeb). Similarly, the flavonoid fraction was more effective on A. parasitic (18 mm) than the control fungicide used. The extract and fraction exhibited MIC with range 3.13-12.5 mg/mL and MFC 6.25-12.5 mg/mL, indicating promising antifungal efficacies against A. flavus and F. graminearum. Our findings have revealed that H. spicigera flavonoid rich fraction has potential for development as effective bio-fungicide to control plant fungal diseases of the Aspergillus and Fusarium species