Food Security in Nigeria: The Role of Peasant Farmers in Nigeria

Food security has become an issue of global concern in the recent time. Nigeria, with her huge endowed natural and human resources is not spared. Nigerian food crisis is a product of colonial disorientation that has led to neglect of the peasant agriculture and food crops sub-sector as well as over reliance on cash crops production and the oil sector. Nigeria still has the potentials to be food-secure if the following strategies are adopted and implemented: rural development, provision of easy access to basic farm inputs, adequate budgetary allocations to agriculture particularly to the food crop sub-sector, enunciation of appropriate policies for food crop sub-sector, political stability, reduction in rural poverty, and peasant farmers‟ education.Key Words: Food security, Disorientation, Peasant farmers, Role, Strategie

An analysis of the propulsion and powering options for LNG carriers

The work presented in this thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the propulsion and powering options for future LNGCs (Liquid Natural Gas Carriers) using academic methods and operational measurements. An analytical study of the LNGC fleet using the EEDI methodology was used initially from which it was concluded that the legislated performance requirements of the current EEDI protocol is insufficient to stimulate the design improvements needed to reduce the CO2 footprint of the LNGC fleet. The research further demonstrated that multiple baselines for different LNGC propulsion technologies would yield improved reductions of CO2 more compatible with the long term IMO (International Maritime Organisation) goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 50%. The issue of methane slip was also considered in the analysis because it has an impact on propulsion efficiency and the knowledge that methane is also a greenhouse gas. A method of calculating methane slip was developed to be included in proposed modified EEDI calculations revealing the need to ensure a holistic approach to atmospheric emissions impact is needed. Using modelling and simulation methods, case studies were undertaken to explore improvements to the current designs. Furthermore, when a comparative analysis of the different modern designs and upgraded options were carried out, it was seen that modern DFDE (dual fuel diesel engine) designs showed the highest efficiency and operational flexibility of the various options, due to its flexibility in the use of multiple prime movers which increases the reliability of these engines. By analysing the operational data carried out during practical case studies on-board LNGCs, it was determined that the operational profile differs markedly from the design profiles often presented in the literature. Sea trials conditions were found to be non-representative of realistic operational conditions hence the research focused on identifying methods where trial profiling could be better used to predict actual performance. Finally, the research also highlighted the specific operational safety practices carried out by ship operators which reduce the efficiency of the vessel below the design point and identified tested methods to reduce inefficiencies in these practices

Highly selective second order derivative spectrophotometry for simultaneous determination of nickel (ii) and cobalt (ii) using 2-ketobutyric acid thiosemicarbazone

A simple and highly selective second order derivative spectrophotometric method is proposed for the simultaneous determination of Ni(II) and Co(II) using 2-ketobutyric acid thiosemicarbazone (KBAT) as a sensitive complexing reagent. KBAT forms green and pink color complexes with nickel and cobalt at pH range of 8-11 and 5-10 respectively. Molar absorptivities of Ni-KBAT (1.55 × 104 L cm-1 mol-1 ) and Co-KBAT (1.03 × 104 L cm-1 mol-1 ) were obtained at 330 nm, under optimum pH of 9.5. Calibration graphs for the individual determination by second order derivative spectrophotometry were obtained. Beer’s law was obeyed at 369.8 nm for Ni(II) and 410 nm for Co (II) in the concentration ranges 0.30-2.34 μg mL-1 Ni and 0.33-2.65 μg mL-1. The zero crossing point at 369.8 nm for nickel and the amplitude measurement at 410 nm for cobalt were employed in the simultaneous determinations. A large number of foreign ions do not interfere in the present method. The present simultaneous method is used for the determination of micro amounts of nickel and cobalt in various steel alloys and biological sample

Body composition measurement in African and Caribbean children and its relationship with morbidity

The global increase in obesity prevalence has led to a surge in metabolic disease in both adults and children. Furthermore, the burden of obesity and its related morbidities is not equally distributed across the UK population, with those from minority ethnic groups particularly affected. Effective paediatric epidemiological monitoring and clinical referral requires improved tools for assessing body fatness, and other body composition measures related to metabolic disease are needed. Presently the body mass index (BMI) used to identify overweight and obesity suffers from poor sensitivity and specificity, leading to misclassification of children, especially those from minority ethnic groups. Additionally BMI gives no indication of body fat distribution. Assessment tools specifically for African and Caribbean childhood populations are lacking and the aim of this thesis was to develop a range of assessment tools specifically for this population group. This thesis comprised four studies. In the first study the equations in the Tanita BC-418 bioimpedance (BIA) system used to predict fat mass (FM) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (SMMa) were re-validated using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the criterion method in a sample of 44 African and Caribbean children aged 5-18 years. FM (kg) and SMMa (kg) were quantified by DXA and linear regression analysis used to produce new equations based on height2 /impedance. The key findings from this study were that BIA generally under-estimated FM and over-estimated SMMa in this population group, irrespective of age and gender. In the second study, the corrected measures of FM and SMMa were applied to an existing dataset of 1,336 African/Caribbean children aged between 5-16y whose body composition had been measured using the Tanita BC418 system. Percentile charts for %FM, %FFM, SMMa (kg), %SMMa and SMMa/FMM x 100 were generated using the software LMS Chartmaker. In the third study, blood pressure percentile charts and tables were developed based on data (n, 900) extracted for African and Caribbean children aged 5-18 years from the Health Survey for England data archives, 1991-2008. The centile curves for the anthropometric measures revealed gender and age-related patterns which compared closely to equivalent charts for Caucasian children. Finally in the fourth study, percentile charts and tables for waist circumference (cm) were developed using the same sample population. The findings from these studies provide the tools and preliminary evidence to support the use of African-Caribbean specific references for body composition and blood pressure measures in children and youths in the UK. The overall conclusion from this thesis indicates that paediatric overweight and obesity varies across different ethnic groups and this variation needs to be considered in the context of obesity surveillance and clinical assessment which themselves are determined by national obesity policy formulation and implementation. These are the first body composition percentile charts for African and Caribbean children living in the UK. These charts should replace BMI charts used for obesity assessment in paediatric and epidemiological settings as they are better tools for assessing overweight, obesity and sarcopenia

BINDING ENERGIES AND SOLVATION OF ORGANIC MOLECULAR IONS, REACTIONS OF TRANSITION METAL IONS WITH, AND PLASMA DISCHARGE IONIZATION OF MOLECULAR CLUSTERS

In this dissertation, different approaches have been employed to address the quest of understanding the formation and growth mechanisms of carbon-containing molecular ions with relevance to astrochemistry. Ion mobility mass spectrometry and DFT computations were used to investigate how a second nitrogen in the pyrimidine ring will affect the formation of a covalent bond between the benzene radical cation and the neutral pyrimidine molecule, after it was shown that a stable covalent adduct can be formed between benzene radical cation and the neutral pyridine. Evidence for the formation of a more stable covalent adduct between the benzene radical cation and the pyrimidine is reported here. The effect of substituents on substituted-benzene cations on their solvation by an HCN solvent was also investigated using ion mobility mass spectrometry and DFT computations were also investigated. We looked at the effect of the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents in fluorobenzene, 1,4 di- fluorobenzene, and benzonitrile on their solvation by up to four HCN ligands, and compared it to previous work done to determine the solvation chemistry of benzene and phenylacetylene by HCN. We report here the observed increase in the binding of the HCN molecule to the aromatic ring as the electronegativity of the substituent increased. We also show in this dissertation, DFT calculations that reveal the formation of both hydrogen-bonded and electrostatic isomers, of similar energies for each addition to the ions respectively. The catalytic activity of the 1st and 2nd row TM ions towards the polymerization of acetylene done using the reflectron time of flight mass spectrometry and DFT calculations is also reported in this dissertation. We explain the variation in the observed trend in C-H/C-C activity of these ions. We also report the formation of carbide complexes by Zr+, Nb+, and Mo+, with the acetylene ligands, and show the thermodynamic considerations that influence the formation of these dehydrogenated ion-ligand complexes. Finally, we show in this dissertation, a novel ionization technique that we employed to generate ions that could be relevant to the interstellar and circumstellar media using the reflectron time of flight mass spectrometry

Incidence of uterine perforation during hysteroscopy in a teaching hospital, in north western Nigeria.

Background: Uterine perforation during diagnostic hysteroscopy is relatively rare event in an experience hand. They however occur more frequently with operative hysteroscopy than with diagnostic hysteroscopy. The exact incidence differ from centre to centre depending on the indication for the procedure and the experience of the surgeon. This centre has a five year experience in diagnostic hysteroscopy, and occasionally therapeutic hysteroscopy in adhesiolysis and retrieval of missing intrauterine contraceptive device.Objective: To evaluate the rate of uterine perforation during different hysteroscopic procedures, whether it can be predicted by specific patient characteristics or the indication for the hysteroscopic procedure.Study design, settings and subjects: This is a retrospective analytical study, conducted at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which involved all the patients that had hysteroscopy from 2009 – 2012.Method: Case files of all patients that had diagnostic hysteroscopy in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, within a three year period(from 5th January, 2009 – 5th of January, 2012), were reviewed.Results: A total of 36 patients had hysteroscopy for various indications within the 3 yr study period.4 patients had uterine perforation. All the 4 patients, had hysteroscopy for Asherman's syndrome.Conclusion: The risk of uterine perforation was higher during hysteroscopy for patients with Asherman's sydrome than during other procedures. Special precaution should therefore be taken in this group of patients during hysteroscopy to avoid uterine perforation.Keywords: Incidence, uterine perforation, hysteroscopy, Asherman's syndrome