"We have made you nations and tribes...": A Quranically Based Vision of Multiculturalism and Inter-Religious Relations

This article looks at Quranic verses dealing with different religions and cultures

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF ANNONA MURICATA L. LEAVES

The plant Annona muricata (soursop)is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many disease conditions such as diabetes, dysentery and malaria. Hence, the need for a scientific study to justify some of the curative claims associated with its use by local healers. To achieve this, we carried out cold maceration extraction on the leaves using methanol as extracting solvent. Phytochemical analysis of the crude extract shows that flavonoids, saponins, and tannins were present, while alkaloids and anthraquinones were absent. The extract was tested for anti-microbial activities on both bacterial and fungal isolates using ciprofloxacin and econazole as positive controls respectively. The isolates used in this study were Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Results show that the extract was active on Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa but inactive on Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, an indication that the plant extract possessed only antibacterial, and no antifungal, activities. The zone of growth inhibition ranged from 12 to 20 mm with variable MIC and MBC values. These results support the use of the soursop leaf concoction as herbal medication for the treatment of various bacterial diseases

Assessment on Radiation Hazard Indices from Selected Dumpsites in Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This research reports an assessment of ionizing radiation in some chosen Dumpsites in Lafia Local government area of Nasarawa State. Ionizing radiation measurement was conducted at four Dump sites. The survey was done using a radiation survey meter (Radex one Outdoor 55130719 NA). Radiation exposure rate in micro sievert per hour (μSvhr-1) was measured. Readings were taken by placing the detector at gonad level about 1 meter above the ground. Result showed that the average annual effective dose rate in the selected dumpsites were 0.22 mSv/yr for Lafia modern market, 0.17 mSv/yr for dumpsite opposite governor Isa house, 0.15 mSv/yr for Timber shade Lafia and 0.20 mSv/yrfor Science School Lafia respectively with a mean value of 0.19 mSv/yr for all location, while the mean calculated excess life cancer risk (ELCR) is 0.65 x 10-3.Dumpsites yearly absorbed dose rate and their corresponding ELCR values did not exceed the 1.0 mSv/y Basic Safety Standard set for the masses by International Council on Radiation Protection (ICRP, 1999) and mean world average ECLR value of 1.16 x 10-3. Based on these results there are no radiation consequence to the scavengers, dumpsite workers and residents living around the dumpsites

Peningkatan Peran Serta Masyarakat dalam Pengembangan Desa Wisata di Desa Seloharjo, Pundong, Bantul

Penelitian berbasis komunitas yang berlokasi di Seloharjo ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan gambaran yang komprehensif tentang peran serta masyarakat dalam kegiatan pengembangan desa menjadi daerah tujuan wisata. Potensi wisata alam maupun wisata budaya/sejarah yang ada di Seloharjo menjadi aset berharga yang memberi nilai tambah bagi desa yang terletak di Kecamatan Pundong, Kabupaten Bantul ini. Yang dimaksud peran serta masyarakat adalah keikutsertaan seseorang atau kelompok masyarakat dalam suatu kegiatan. Gagasan peran serta muncul dalam diskursus keilmuan didasari asumsi bahwa masyarakat mengetahui permasalahan, tantangan, dan keistimewaan yang ada di lingkungan hidup mereka, Untuk itu masyarakat perlu terlibat dalam kegiatan tata wisata melalui keikutsertaan mereka sejak dari pengambilan keputusan, pelaksanaan di lapangan, pemerolehan manfaat, dan evaluasi pekerjaan. Dengan menggunakan metode observasi, dokumentasi, dan wawancara, didapat fakta bahwa peran serta masyarakat Seloharjo selama ini telah berjalan cukup baik, dengan kesempatan yang selalu terbuka bagi warga untuk meningkatkan kontribusi dan partisipasi pada berbagai lini usaha pariwisata yang ada. Walaupun pandemi Covid-19 telah menginterupsi prospek perkembangan wisata, namun optimisme untuk meningkatkan peran serta masyarakat terus berlanjut seiring dengan tanda-tanda membaiknya iklim industri pariwisata pasca pandemi Covid-19. Dalam hal ini selain memokuskan perhatian ke agenda pengembangan lokasi tujuan wisata, perlu diperhatikan bila proyek pengembangan itu melibatkan peran serta masyarakat yang berada di sekitarnya. Hal itu dimaksudkan agar masyarakat memperoleh manfaat yang optimal (ekonomi maupun sosial) seiring dengan berkembang dan majunya daerah tujuan wisata

Antifungal Activity of Garlic (Allium sativum) Extract on Some Selected Fungi

The study was aimed to determine the antifungal activity of garlic on some selected fungi.  Garlic samples were purchased from Dutsinma central market, Katsina state. The samples were washed, separated and peeled to obtain the edible portion. The fungi were isolated using the culture method and identified based on morphological characteristics. The extract was prepared using two solvents (aqueous and ethanol) by soaking method. The antifungal activity of aqueous and ethanolic garlic extract was determined on some selected fungi namely, Fusarium spp and Rhizopus spp. From the results it is clear that, ethanol extract showed more activity when compare to aqueous extract. The diameter of zones of inhibition for the ethanolic extract ranged between 4.1-14.3mm, while that of aqueous extract ranged between 2.4-10.4mm. The MIC for the ethanolic extract was 2.5mg/ml and 5.0mg/ml for Fusarium spp and Rhizopus spp respectively. While for aqueous extract there was no effect on both tested organisms. It can be concluded from this study that garlic extract showed antifungal activity against the test organism. Moreover, the ethanolic extract showed inhibitory activity among the tested fungi

Screening of kojic acid producing fungi from Unimas fungal collection and production of kojic acid

Kojic acid is a secondary metabolite produced mainly by Aspergillus species. Due to high demand and wide applications of this product, many research has been done in order to produce higher yield of this product. In this present work, via submerged fermentation, the result of screening process showed only one strain out of eight strains being tested produced kojic acid which is Aspergillus flavus NSH9. Kojic acid production by A. favus NSH9 was optimized under glucose concentration which is 110 g/L, pH 4 and 107 spore concentration and the highest kojic acid yield obtained are 15.38 g/L, 30.44 g/L, and 34.06 g/L respectively. Other than that, the incubation time for the kojic acid production at inoculums size namely 105 and 107 spores/mL were at day 22 and 26 respectively were also determined in this study. This result indicates the potential of A. flavus NSH9 as one of the producing fungi in this field

Some Aspects of the Geology and Environmental Impact Assessment of a Proposed Gold Mining Site X in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria

Proposed Gold mining Site X is located on Nigerian basement rocks in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. The geology and geochemistry of the rock formations in a mining site contribute significantly to understanding the economics of the mineral deposits and the impacts on the environment, particularly the surface and groundwater viz-a-viz the health of the community inhabitants, soil, vegetation and other salient parameters, including weather conditions and socio-economy of the people. The geology and geochemistry of rock units, soils, stream sediments and water of Site X indicate rich deposits of Gold attractive for exploitation, concentrated in three delineated portions of the site as “Concentrates” A, B, C. With these results and impending mining of the gold deposits, some aspects of the environmental impact of mining the gold resources have been studied and reported herein. This is to ensure successful mining operations with minimum negative impacts on the surrounding environment when the applicant mining company obtains a mining lease from the Mining Cadastre Office. The lessons to learn are that a successful economic development depends on rational use of natural resources and on reducing as far as possible the adverse environmental and social impacts of developmental projects

Acceptance and usage of webcasting among users of selected cyber cafes in Klang Valley

The Malaysian public now has access to the Internet not only at home and the workplace, but also at cyber cafés. This study aims to examine the level of acceptance of webcasting among users of selected cyber cafés in the Klang Valley. The specific objectives of the study are: to determine the profile of webcasting users and its usage; to determine the types of webcasting technology most frequently used, level of knowledge of webcasting and the main source of knowledge in becoming aware of webcasting; to determine the acceptance of webcasting among non-users of webcasting; and to determine the relationship between behavioral intention to use and the actual usage of webcasting among users of webcasting. This study used the survey design, using purposive sampling to select the cyber cafés and visitors of these cafés. The findings indicate that usage of webcasting is still relatively low among users of selected cyber cafés in the Klang Valley. Users of webcasting were found to be mostly male, young and relatively well educated with at least a diploma as the highest level of education obtained

Heavy metals biosorption by urease producing Lysinibacillus fusiformis 5B

Biosorption is the ability of biological materials to accumulate heavy metals from wastewater through mediated or physico-chemical pathways of uptake. Urease producing bacteria have been hypothesized to have inherent bioremediation abilities. The aim of this research was to determine the potential of Lysinibacillus fusiformis 5B to biosorp Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni. The stock solution of Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni was prepared by dissolving 0.0157 g of Pb(C2H3O2)2, 0.057 g of K2Cr2O7, 0.018 g of CdSO4 and 0.026 g of NiSO4 in 100 mL of dH2O respectively. Lysinibacillus fusiformis 5B was screened for the potential to utilise 5 ppm of the heavy metals using agar dilution method. Broth of L. fusiformis 5B was inoculated to 10, 15, 20 and 50 ppm of the heavy metals. The rate of biosorption was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) after 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days. The biosorption % was determined by Beer Lambart’s equation. Lysinibacillus fusiformis 5B was able to tolerate 5 ppm concentration of all the heavy metals by showing visible growth on surfaces of nutrient agar Petri plates. Generally, there was an increase in biosorption rate as the days progress. After 35 days of incubation, the highest biosorption rate of 99.96%, 99.97%, and 99.94% were recorded for Pb, Cr, and Cd respectively at 10 ppm and 99.33% of Ni at 15 ppm. The results of this study showed that L. fusiformis 5B possess the capacity to biosorp Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni and can be developed as biosorption agent for these heavy metals. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.402316