Analysis of Nutrient Content of Some Organic Materials for Soil Amendment in Sokoto Metroplis, Nigeria

A study was undertaken to examine the nutrient contents of some selected organic materials within Sokoto metropolis. The organic materials sampled included; neem leaves, neem seeds, poultry manure, sheep dung, cow dung, refuse dump, millet husk, wood ash and rice husk. The samples were collected in three replicates from different locations, making a total of 27 samples. These samples were air-dried, gentle crushed and sieved through 2mm sieve mesh. The following chemical properties of the samples were analyzed using standard methods; pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable bases (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) and percentage base saturation (PBS) was also calculated. The result showed that the pH value ranged from 5.4 (neem seeds) to 7.54 (sheep dung). The organic matter content ranged from 2.03% in neem leaves to 22.05% in sheep dung, sodium ranged from 0.39 cmol/kg in millet husk to 7.10 cmol/kg in refuse dump, total nitrogen values ranged from 0.30% in wood ash to 1.42% in poultry manure. The available phosphorus showed values ranging from 0.31mg/kg (rice husk) to 3.29 mg/kg (refuse dump), the percentage base saturation was highest in wood ash, showing a value of 95.72% and lowest in rice husk; 82.81%. The organic materials evaluated showed moderate values in all the nutrients tested and therefore could be effectively used for soil fertility amendments. Keywords: Nutrient, Organic material, Chemical property, Fertility amendmen

Influence of Organomineral Fertilizer on Some Chemical Properties of Soil and Growth Performance of Rice (Oryza sativa l.) in Sokoto, Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of industrially formulated organomineral fertilizer (OMF) on some chemical properties of soil and growth performance of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Sokoto, Sudan Savanna zone of Nigeria. The experiment was carried out at the screen house of the Department of Biological Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The organomineral fertilizer used in this experiment was formulated with a grade of 9:3:3 N:P:K using the following materials: urea, rock phosphate, wood ash, neem seed, blood meal, cotton seed cake, cow dung and poultry droppings.  The experiment consisted of four levels of organomineral fertilizer (130, 170, 210, 250kg/ha) and control (without fertilizer) as treatments which were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD). The growth parameters considered for rice performance were plant height, number of leaves and tillers per plant and total dry matter yield. Soil samples were collected from each experimental pot before planting and at harvest for physical and chemical properties determination.  The result shows that treatment had significant (p<0.05) influence on soil pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and rice growth performance. Application of 250 kilogram per hectare (OMF) gave the highest increase in pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, number of leaves and tillers per plant, the least values on all the parameters considered were recorded in the control pots. From the findings of this research, it was concluded that application of OMF at 130, 170, 210 and 250kg/ha improved the soil nutrient status and growth and yield of rice. Thus, organic residues fortified with mineral fertilizers have great potential in improving soil fertility status and for high production of rice in Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Keywords: Organomineral Fertilizer, Levels, Soil, Rice and Sudan savann

Knowledge, attitude and practice of injection safety among Benue State University Teaching Hospital healthcare professionals

Background: Globally about 16 billion injections are given in a year, 40% of which involves reuse of needles and syringes without sterilization. This predisposes both the recipient and the health worker to blood borne infections like Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Hepatitis etc. States like Benue, which has HIV prevalence above the national average, probably have higher risk of these infections. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of injection safety among the healthcare professionals of Benue State University Teaching Hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study using stratified sampling technique was carried out on 141 health professionals of the institution between January to March 2014, using structuredself-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 with statistical significance set at p-value of p <0.05.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 35.42 (SD±8.72) years. The respondents were predominantly males (56.7%) and nurses dominated the cadre. Overall, the respondents had good (70.2%)knowledge, positive (87.2%) attitude and appropriate (79.8%) practice scores respectively, but there were some misconceptions about the diseases transmissible by unsafe injection. The commonest unsafe injection practice among the respondents was recap of needles (19.1%). The relationship between the nature of injury and the cadre of health care professionals was statistically significant (P=0.004).Conclusion: There is disproportionate gap between the level of knowledge and the practice of injection safety, hence continuing medical education among health professionals is recommended to reduce the rate of needle stick injuries.Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Injection safety, Benue, health worker

Tensile Strength Characteristics of Fanpalm under Various Exposure Conditions

Fanpalm is a prospective reinforcing material in structural elements. Fanpalm is locally available and has been studied as a suitable alternative to steel reinforcement which is usually imported and expensive. The need for durability of the fanpalm under varying exposure conditions is the concern of this study. The ultimate tensile strength of fanpalm was determined under various exposure conditions to evaluate its possible usage, both on short term and long term basis. Fanpalm specimens were cut, shaped and coated with various protective agents (sodium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, hydroxylamine, epoxy, and sulphur ) then cured in alkaline media(0.1N sodium hydroxide solution) for 3, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days. A set of uncoated Fanpalm were subjected to the same curing conditions as the coated specimens to serve as the control. Tensile strength tests were carried out to evaluate the ultimate tensile stress at various ages for each of the exposure conditions. The results showed that epoxy coated fanpalm specimens recorded the highest strength at 56 days of 80.83N/mm2 while magnesium sulphate coated specimens had the lowest strength of 66.25N/mm2 during the same period. The uncoated specimens had average strength of 65.00N/mm2 at 56 days in alkaline media. It could be said that the coating improves the tensile strength of fanpalm in alkaline media. It was concluded that fanpalm coated with epoxy could be used as a reinforcing material in concrete structures for short term usage. Further evaluation of the strength of epoxy coated specimens over longer duration (say one year) should be carried out to determine its usage as reinforcements on long term basis. Keywords: Fanpalm, tensile strength, reinforcing material, exposure conditions

Effect of Domestic Processing on the Levels of Some Functional Parameters in Black Turtle Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

There are useful constituents that are present in legume seeds but their utilization has been ignored because it has been established that there are compounds or substances which act to reduce nutrient intake, digestion and absorption. It was on these premises that effect of domestic processing methods (boiling, cooking, roasting, sprouting and fermenting) were investigated on some functional parameters for black turtle bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) flour. The functional parameters (oil absorption, oil emulsion, water and foaming capacities: OAC, OEC, WAC, FC; foaming and oil emulsion stabilities: FS, OES; bulk density: BD; least gelation capacity: LGC; protein solubility: PS) of raw and processed black turtle bean flour were all determined using standard analytical techniques. The results showed that WAC, OAC, FC, LGC and BD were all enhanced by different processing methods while FS was reduced by the same methods. Emulsion capacity and stability were either enhanced or reduced by these methods. Processing significantly (p?0.05) affected the content of some functional parameters in black turtle bean flour. The protein solubility studies of the raw and processed samples were found to have minimum solubility at pH 4.0 which corresponds to the isoelectric point where protein isolates might be recovered from the samples. The food properties of WAC, OAC, FC, FS, EC, ES, LGC and BD in the raw and processed black turtle bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are much better than most literature samples thereby making black turtle bean potentially useful in some food formulations. Keywords: Food properties, processing methods, black turtle bea

Flexural Strength Characteristics of Beams Reinforced with Fan Palm under Various Exposure Conditions

The relative high cost of man-made imported fibres like, glass, steel and plastics used in cement based composites as reinforcement calls for investigation into the use of locally available natural fibre as a substitute. Fan palm is locally available and has been studied as a suitable alternative to steel reinforcement. The need for durability of the fan palm under varying exposure conditions is the concern of this study. The ultimate flexural strength of beams reinforced with fan palm under diverse exposure conditions was determined to evaluate its possible usage, both on short and long term basis. Fan palm specimens were cut, shaped to desired flexural reinforcements sizes and coated with water repellants (epoxy, sulphur and bitumen) and  blocking agents (hydroxylamine, sodium sulphate magnesium sulphate) for 24 hours. They were then used as reinforcements for concrete beams (75 x 100 x 500 mm) of 1:2:4 mix ratio and cured in alkaline media (0.1N sodium hydroxide solution). Two sets of uncoated fan palm reinforced beams (in alkaline solution and in water) were used as control experiments. Flexural strength test was carried out on the specimen beams at ages 7, 14, 28, 56, 90, 180, 270, and 365 days. The results were subjected to ANOVA analysis using STATA soft ware. The results at 365 days indicated that out of the beams reinforced with water repellant agents, those reinforced with bitumen retained the ultimate flexural stress of 36.98N/mm2. For the beams reinforced with fan palm coated with blocking agents, those reinforced with hydroxylamine recorded the ultimate flexural stress of 25.59N/mm2. The ultimate flexural stress of beams reinforced with uncoated fan palm is 4.69N/mm2 and 18.07N/mm2 in alkaline and water media respectively. It was concluded that coating fan palm reinforcements with bitumen (a water repellant agent) improved the durability of fan palm reinforced concrete beams in alkaline media. Keywords: Fan palm, Flexural strength, Exposure conditions, Water repellant agents, Blocking agents

Comparative Assessment of the Environmental Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen (DON) and Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) from Three Wetlands in Northern Nigeria

This study assessed comparatively the environmental dynamics of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) in water samples obtained from three locations (Lokoja, Jebba and Hadejia-Nguru) with five sampling sites in Northern Nigeria. These sites include Jebba, Matara-Uku, Lokoja, Baturiya and Nguru. Samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons of the year 2015 and levels of nitrogen and phosphorus determined using the persulphate wet-oxidation method. The average values for DON and DOP obtained ranged from 9.49±1.83 mg/l to 21.8±14.7 mg/l and 1.65±0.38 mg/l to 6.11±0.58 mg/l respectively. The values obtained for DON during the dry and wet seasons were Jebba (14.1±3.92), Matara-Uku (13.7±3.43), Lokoja (21.0±5.04), Baturiya (21.8±14.7), Nguru (7.14±2.40) and Jebba (13.9±1.97), Matara-Uku (11.3±2.62), Lokoja (9.59±1.46), Baturiya (9.49±1.83), Nguru (11.1±1.78) mg/l respectively. The mean values for DOP were Jebba (1.85±0.07), Matara-Uku (2.60±0.55), Lokoja (2.65±0.31), Baturiya (2.52±0.46), Nguru (1.65±0.38) and Jebba (3.70±0.16), Matara-Uku (5.55±0.24), Lokoja (6.11±0.58), Baturiya (4.93±0.90), Nguru (3.65±0.37) mg/l in the dry and wet seasons respectively. The DON concentrations were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the dry season when compared with the wet season while the DOP concentrations were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the wet season when compared with the dry season. This dynamics was attributed to run off from agricultural farm lands, hydrology and the rate of utilization of these nutrients by water plants. High concentrations of DOP and DON supportgood yield of agricultural produce of the farmlands around the wetlands.Keywords: Dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic phosphorus, dissolved organic matter, wetland

Seasonal Variability of Rainfall and its Decadal Anomaly over Nigeria: Possible Role of Solar and Geomagnetic Activities

This study investigates seasonal variations of rainfall and its decadal anomaly over Nigeria and the possible role of solar and geomagnetic activities. Sunspot number and geomagnetic aa index were used as solar indices. Monthly mean rainfall data from Nigeria Meteorological Agency was used in this study. Bivariate and power spectral density analyses were employed in analyzing the data. Rainfall anomaly was calculated using the mean of the base period, 1981 – 2010. Seasonally, rainfall varies from the coastal areas to the hinterland from January to December during rainy and dry seasons. On the decadal rainfall anomaly, positive anomalies increases steadily towards the coastal regions; indicating an increase in rainfall characteristic, whereas negative anomalies increases towards the northern regions; depicting decrease in rainfall characteristic. This was confirmed from the Mann-Kendall trend test. These variations are evidence of climate change. Correlation analysis revealed that the correlation of rainfall with sunspot and aa index were statistically insignificant. The spectral analysis revealed signatures of solar and geomagnetic activities on the rainfall spectrum. We therefore infer that, in addition to anthropogenic activities, solar and geomagnetic activities might play important role in the observed climate change in Nigeria; since rainfall is used as climate change indicator

Oral health practices among pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria

Objective: The objective of this study was to document oral health practices of pregnant women in two tertiary institutions in North-eastern Nigeria.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of pregnant women seen at the antenatal clinics of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre Yola from May 1, 2009 to July 1, 2009.Results: A total of 294 women were interviewed. They were aged 15-46 with a mean of 27.42 ± 5.97 years. The parity ranged from 1 to 9 with a mean of 2.23 ± 1.65. Twelve (4.1%) women gave a history of symptomatic oral lesion in index pregnancy. Forty-four (15%) had had previous encounter with a dentist, while the highest frequency of oral care was twice a day in 164 (55.8%) of respondents. The majority, 264 (89.9%), used toothbrush/toothpaste as a form of oral care while 2 (0.7%) used charcoal. Women of low parity tended to have better oral care than those of high parity (P = 0.002). Women who are employed had better oral care than housewives (x2 = 27.749, P = 0.001). There was no significant relationship between oral complaints and trimester of pregnancy (x2 = 4.271, P = 0.118).Conclusion: Oral healthcare among the respondents was encouraging but involvement of the dental surgeon in preventive oral care in pregnancy is rather dismal

A Case Report of Systemic Sclerosis Complicated by Biventricular Heart Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension and Review of Literature

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder whose aetiology is not fully understood. Skin fibrosis and visceral organs involvement are the hallmarks, and the heart could be disproportionately or subtly involved. Cardiovascular manifestations could include arrhythmias, pericarditis, myocardial fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure. Pulmonary involvement could cause lung fibrosis, arteriolar thickening, and pulmonary hypertension. The presence of these manifestations confers a poor prognosis. Case Report: The case report presents a 50-year-old male patient with generalized skin sclerosis, hypo and hyperpigmented skin lesions, dyspnoea at rest, displaced apical impulse, tachycardia and pan-systolic murmur at the apex radiating to the axilla. Echo cardiography features showed ejection fraction of 33.3% with dilated atrial and ventricular chambers. Conclusions: We present a case systemic sclerosis complicated by biventricular heart failure and pulmonary hypertension