Post-harvest technology change in cassava processing: a choice paradigm

Open Access Article; Available online: 27 Jan 2020This study employed a choice model to examine the factors influencing the choice of post-harvest technologies in cassava starch processing, using a sample of five hundred and seventy (570) processors in the forest and guinea savanna zones of Nigeria. In addition, the profitability of various post-harvest technologies in the study area was assessed using the budgetary technique while the impact of improved post-harvest technology on processors’ revenue and output was analysed using the average treatment effect model. Sex of the processor, processing experience, income, and cost of post-harvest technology, the capacity of post-harvest technology and access to credit amongst others significantly influence the choice of post-harvest technologies. Although the use of improved post-harvest technology comes with a high cost, the net income from its use was higher than the other types of post-harvest technologies, suggesting that the use of improved techniques was more beneficial and profitable. In addition, using improved post-harvest technology had a positive and significant effect on output and income. These findings shows that investment in improved post-harvest technologies by cassava starch processors and other stakeholders would increase income, thus, improving welfare

Some Quality Indices of Gnetum Africanum (Afang) Leaves as Affected by Drying Methods

Gnetum africanum is a tropical plant with origin in the rain forest of Nigeria and contains valuable nutrients but susceptible to speedy spoilage due to its high moisture content. This necessitates its preservation, through drying, as it is not readily available for consumers in parts of Nigeria where it is not grown. This research, therefore, was carried out to evaluate the effect of three drying methods (solar drying, sun drying and oven drying) on some quality indices of Gnetum africanum leaves with a view to determine the most appropriate drying method for maximum nutrient retention. Fresh Gnetum africanum leaves were obtained from the local market, defoliated, washed, drained and sliced. The sliced vegetable was divided to four portions of 200g each. With the initial properties of the fresh vegetable (sample A) determined, samples B, C and, D were subjected to solar, sun and oven drying respectively. The properties evaluated were analyzed and the results showed that sun dried vegetable (sample C) had the least overall quality retention. Moreover, solar dried vegetable (sample B) had the highest quality retention in terms of protein (3.92%), fat content (6.67%) and carotene (6.10IU) while oven dried one (sample D) had the highest quality retention of crude fiber (0.63%), ash content (7.87%), carbohydrate (72.49%) and sensory properties (taste, colour, aroma and texture). These results indicated that drying, especially solar and oven drying can be used to preserve Gnetum africanum leaves with considerable retention in its nutritional and sensory properties

Some extended Pareto Type I distributions

Probability distributions are essential in data modeling. Introduction of parameter(s) into existing probability distributions is a method of extending or generalizing distributions to produce more flexible distributions and for better fit to data. The Pareto type 1 distribution (PT1) is a right skewed continuous distribution originally used in description of wealth and income but also used for modeling other right skewed data. To add flexibility, Pareto type 1 distribution was extended by introducing parameter(s) into its probability distribution to accommodate more types of data. Some functions of the extended Pareto type 1 distributions were derived using five parameter induction methods. Flexibility of extended distributions was demonstrated through comparisons of density and hazard function shapes of some of the extended distributions with those of the PT1. Further study on properties of non-existing extended Pareto Type I distributions and real-life applications are recommended

Growth response and nutrient digestibility of pre-pubertal rabbit bucks fed cottonseed cake-based diets supplemented with vitamin E

A study was conducted to investigate the growth response and nutrient digestibility in rabbit bucks fed cottonseed cake (CSC)-based diets supplemented with vitamin E. 64 weanling rabbit bucks, aged five to six weeks and weighing averagely 511.28 g were involved in the study. The bucks were randomly allocated to eight treatment combinations comprising four levels (0, 5, 10 and 15%) of CSC and two levels (0 and 30 mg/kg diet) of vitamin E in a 2 × 4 factorial experiment. Eight (8) bucks were assigned to each dietary treatment and fed the experimental diets for eight weeks. The CSC level had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on feed intake, final body weight, weekly weight gain and feed efficiency. Also, vitamin E supplementation did not affect (p > 0.05) the growth parameters. All the growth parameters measured were not affected (p > 0.05) by the interaction between CSC and vitamin E supplementation. Digestibility of nutrients-dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract and ash was not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by CSC level, vitamin E supplementation and their interaction. Mortality was high for the bucks that were fed CSC irrespective of vitamin E supplementation. It was concluded that, although rabbit bucks may be fed CSC up to 15% inclusion level in diet for meat production, it is deleterious for young bucks whose digestive tract is not mature enough to handle gossypol in the CSC.Key words: Growth, digestibility, pre-pubertal bucks, cottonseed cake, vitamin E

Tuberculosis: A Study of Patients in Nigeria Using Binary Logit Models

Purpose: This study aims to examine the influence of age, state, and year on gender of Tuberculosis patients using binary logit modeling. Design/Methodology/Approach: Binary logit models were computed using data sets of registered Tuberculosis patients from 2006 to 2009. Research Findings: Results suggest that males face higher risks for Tuberculosis as compared to females in all age groups, states, and years. In addition, risk variation was observed in age groups, states, and years. Research Limitations/Implications: This study is limited in its analysis to only data sets of registered Tuberculosis patients from 2006 to 2009. Originality/Value: This study contributes to a better understanding of Tuberculosis patients in Nigeria in terms of age, state, year, and gender

Screening of sweet potato ((Ipomea batatas [L.] Lam.)cultivars for drought tolerance

The effect of drought on most agricultural crops results inmany problems for the producers in Nigeria and even other parts of the world. These problems include reduced vegetative parameters and yield loss which consequently lead to reduced income for the growers of the crops. The most direct way of avoiding drought is to discover or create drought tolerant varieties of sweet potato. Sweet potato is a crop which is part of the Nigerian diet due to its perceived nutritive values. A field experiment was carried out in Bowen University, Iwo to evaluate different cultivars of sweet potato for drought tolerance. The experimental design was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates and three treatments including the mild water stress (32 days of drought), severe water stress (from the day of drought till harvest) and nowater stress (control). Results showed that under the control treatment, the highest yield was from the Local variety 1 with 127.63 g while the lowest yield under control was from Local variety 2 with 39.20 g. Under the mild water stress, the highest yield was from Introduced variety 1 with 272.46 g while the lowest yield was from Local variety 2 with 59.66 g. Under the severe water stress, the highest yield was from Local variety 1 with 41.15 g while the lowest yield was from Introduced variety 1 with 0 g. The highest yield among the three treatment methods was under the mild water stress treatment from Introduced variety 1 with 272.46 g.Therefore, variety 3, the local variety, is recommended under severe drought based on the above reason but under moderate drought,the Introduced variety i.e. variety 1 (orange fleshed sweet potato) is preferred because it had the highest yield and is also of high nutrient content compared to the other varieties

In vitro Anticancer Screening of 24 Locally Used Nigerian Medicinal Plants

Background: Plants that are used as traditional medicine represent a relevant pool for selecting plant candidates that may have anticancer properties. In this study, the ethnomedicinal approach was used to select several medicinal plants native to Nigeria, on the basis of their local or traditional uses. The collected plants were then evaluated for cytoxicity. Methods: The antitumor activity of methanolic extracts obtained from 24 of the selected plants, were evaluated in vitro on five human cancer cell lines. Results: Results obtained from the plants screened indicate that 18 plant extracts of folk medicine exhibited promising cytotoxic activity against human carcinoma cell lines. Erythrophleum suaveolens (Guill. & Perr.) Brenan was found to demonstrate potent anti-cancer activity in this study exhibiting IC50 = 0.2-1.3 $\mu$g/ml. Conclusions: Based on the significantly potent activity of some plants extracts reported here, further studies aimed at mechanism elucidation and bio-guided isolation of active anticancer compounds is currently underway.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

The critical need for pooled data on coronavirus disease 2019 in African children : an AFREhealth call for action through multicountry research collaboration

Globally, there are prevailing knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among children and adolescents; and these gaps are especially wide in African countries. The availability of robust age-disaggregated data is a critical first step in improving knowledge on disease burden and manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among children. Furthermore, it is essential to improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with comorbidities and coinfections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, malaria, sickle cell disease, and malnutrition, which are highly prevalent among children in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) COVID-19 Research Collaboration on Children and Adolescents is conducting studies across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa to address existing knowledge gaps. This consortium is expected to generate key evidence to inform clinical practice and public health policy-making for COVID-19 while concurrently addressing other major diseases affecting children in African countries.The US National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ Fogarty International Centre (FIC) to the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth).https://academic.oup.com/cidam2022Paediatrics and Child Healt