α-Amylases by strains of Candida albicans and Fusarium sp.: Expression and characterization

In this investigation, a defined medium was inoculated with Candida albicans and Fusarium sp. Incubation was at 28oC. The composition of the medium was potassium dihydrogen sulphate, magnesium sulphate, calcium sulphate, hydrated iron sulphate, manganese sulphate, copper sulphate, zinc sulphate, thiamine, biotin, sodium nitrate (nitrogen source) and galactose (carbon source). Proteins which exhibite

Partial Purification ofPolygalacturonase from Tomato Fruits Infected by Rhizopus arrhizus Fisher

The production of polygalacturonase during the deterioration of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) by Rhizopus arrhizus Fisher was investigated. The enzyme was partially purified by a combination of ammonium sulphate precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Two peaks of absorption, with molecular weight estimates of approximately 166 000 Daltons and 60 260 Daltons were obtained

Effect of some nitrogen sources of growth medium on

Penicillium solitum and Aspergillus rubrum isolated from deteriorated yam (Dioscorea alata) using potato dextrose agar grew and sporulated at 25oC. They expresse

Health Workers’ Commitment in Delta State: Influence of Personality and Workplace Experiences

Aim: Health workers’ commitment is very important in the effective discharge of their duties but this may be compromised when challenged by workplace experiences. Research is therefore required to provide data base to inform policy decision on health workers’ commitment to their work. This research therefore investigated personality ( emotional intelligence and fortitude) and workplace experiences (job-characteristics and perceived alternative employment opportunities) as predictors of commitment among health workers. Method: The study utilized cross - sectional design. The participants were two hundred and twenty-three (223), randomly selected from Federal Medical Center, Delta State- 90(40.4%) males and 133(59.6%) females with the mean age of 34.3 and standard deviation of 8.07. The participants completed a structured questionnaire that measures the dependent and independent variables of the study. Inferential statistics were used to test the hypotheses stated. Result: The independent variables significantly and jointly predicted 12% of the variance in career commitment among the health workers. Specifically, emotional intelligence independently influenced career commitment. Job status and year of experience jointly and significantly interacted to influence career commitment. However, only job status had significant main influence of on career commitment. Married respondents reported higher level of career commitment than those who were single. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence, job status and being married were associated with the career commitment of the health workers in this study. It is recommended that policy makers should incorporate these factors into capacity building programmes to enhance health workers’ commitment

STUDIES ON PECTINOLYTIC AND PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES FROM DETERIORATED GRAPES (Vitis vinifera)

The ability of microorganisms to cause grape (Vitis vinifera) fruit deterioration by production of pectinolytic and proteolytic enzymes to degrade the plant cell was carried out in the Microbiology laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. A bunch of grape fruit was purchased from a local market in Ikeja, Lagos, South West, Nigeria. These samples were allowed to rot for five days in a clear packaging bag. The grape samples were disinfected and cultured on nutrient agar and potato dextrose agar for bacterial and fungal isolates respectively. The morphological and microscopic characteristics of the isolates in combination with a series of biochemical tests were used to identify them. The isolates were tested for their ability to produce pectinolytic and proteolytic enzymes. Aspergillus sp, Mucor sp, Rhizopus sp., Micrococcus sp., and Bacillus sp. were the organisms isolated from this study. The results of this investigation revealed appreciable pectinolytic, and proteolytic enzymes by Aspergillus niger and Bacillus sp. These organisms can be utilized as good sources of industrial enzymes

The Effect of Temperature on the Clarification of Apple (MALUS DOMESTICA) Juice with Pecinase obtained from ASPERGILLUS NIGER

Aspergillus niger is a saprophytic fungus existing ubiquitously in the soil and on decaying vegetation. Various researchers have reported Aspergillus niger as frequently responsible for postharvest decay of fresh fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, melons, onions and some vegetables. The fungus has been implicated in the deterioration of apple fruits with the production of Pectinolytic enzymes during the breakdown of the plant cell wall by microbial attack. The three varieties of apple (Malus domestica) fruits used for this work are commonly referred to as Red, Green and Yellow varieties from their physical appearance. The fruits were obtained from a grocery store along Idiroko road, Ota, Ogun State in Nigeria. The fruits were disinfected and inoculated with a 72-h-old culture of A. niger. Control fruits were inoculated with sterile inoculum. The fruits were incubated at room temperature of 27oC for twelve days. Extracts from the inoculated fruits exhibited appreciable polygalacturonase activity while those from the uninoculated fruits possessed only traces of the enzyme activity. The enzyme obtained from the deteriorated fruits and commercially produced pectinase were applied for the clarification of freshly ripe apple fruits under controlled experimental conditions at different temperatures (20oC, 25oC, 30oC, 35oC, 40oC and 45oC) to investigate the role of pectinase in the clarification of apple juice. The temperature of incubation had different effects on the three varieties of apple fruits studied. The volume of juice was more in the cylinders with the enzyme clarification at all temperatures than that with water. The optimum temperature was at 25oC for the three varieties green and red apples. The commercial pectinase produced more juice than the crude pectinase

Influence of Personality Traits, Peer Group Pressure and Parental Monitoring on Alcohol use among In-School Secondary Students in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Objective: Alcohol consumption has been found to be common among adolescents in various studies globally. It has been associated with public health problems, high risk lifestyles, mental disorders, eating disorders, risk taking attitudes, failure in school and increased drop-out rate. This study therefore, investigated the influence of personality traits, peer group pressure and parental monitoring on alcohol use among in-school secondary students in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Method: Survey design was adopted for the study. The researchers randomly selected Ibadan South - East Local Government Area out of eleven (11) Local Government Areas in Ibadan, for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select three (3) public secondary schools out of nineteen (19) secondary schools in Ibadan South-East Local Government Area while accidental sampling technique was used to select (298) in-school secondary students. Four research instruments were used to collect data. Analysis of data was carried out using mean and percentage while the hypotheses were tested using simple multiple regression and t-test statistics

Antibiotics resistance of a strain of Escherichia coli isolated from bore hole in Ile Ife, Osun state, Nigeria

Abstract:Escherichia coli were isolated from water from two boreholes in Ile Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. This was an indication of faecal contamination. These strains of Escherichia coli were Gram negative short rods, Catalase positive, Methyl red positive, Voges Proskaeur negative. The strains could ferment glucose galactose, sucrose, lactose, mannitol and maltose with the production of acid and gas but could not hydrolyze starch. A particular strain was resistant to sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, cephaloridine, streptomycin, carbenicillin, sulfafurazole and tetracycline but sensitive to gentamicin, colistin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin and colistin sulphat

SPIRIT AND MEANING OF SPACE IN BENIN DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE NIGERIA

The domestic architecture of a place describes the people culture, religion and beliefs while the meaning of domestic space reveals the spirit of domestic architectural. Consequently, the difference in houses size, height and ornamentation across Benin City is dependent on some dynamics. Benin domestic architecture across the city showing modifications along timeline/periods, as houses were identified cross sectionally from 40BC – 2100A.D. The paper examined meaning of domestic spaces in Benin house-types collected across the city. The study used triangulation method (i.e. questionnaire, space syntax and interview guide) to describe meaning of spaces. The finding was discussed along activities spaces (like cooking and eating, household storage, sleeping arrangement, personal hygiene, outdoor, receiving guest, worship socialization, ceremonies and festival). The research result revealed that meaning of domestic spaces in domestic architecture can explain the spirit of the space, the people’s culture and social ideology

Extraction of lycopene with cell wall degrading enzymes from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) fruits deteriorated by Aspergillus niger

Lycopene is the carotenoid which gives tomatoes and other red fruits their characteristic colour. It is one of the most powerful antioxidants and singlet oxygen quenching agents. It has been found to be of great medical importance with various anticancer effects and its ability to ameliorate several other medical conditions. Freshly ripe tomato fruits of the Roma vf variety and the Ibadan local variety were allowed to deteriorate after infection with a 96-hr-old culture of Aspergillus niger. Extraction of cell wall degrading enzymes produced during the deterioration process was carried out ten days after inoculation of the tomato fruits. The crude enzymes were precipitated using ammonium sulphate precipitation technique and employed in the extraction of lycopene from tomato peels. The yield of lycopene was 45.25mg/kg and 45.86mg/kg for enzymes extracted from the Roma vf and the Ibadan local varieties of tomato fruits respectively. This study established an improvement in lycopene extraction with crude preparation of cell wall degrading enzymes and compared the yield from the two enzymes obtained from the two most commonly available varieties of tomato fruits in Nigerian markets