Effect of using vegetable oils as quenching media for pure commercial aluminium

This paper presents the effects of rate of heat extraction by groundnut, melon, palm kernel, shea butter and palm oils on the mechanical properties of various samples of pure commercial aluminium heat treated at 200°C, 250°C, 300°C and 350°C. Muffle furnace equipped with digital thermometer and thermocouple was used for the heat treatment. Tensile strength and hardness tests were carried out using Instron Universal Tester and Vickers hardness methods, respectively. Results obtained from the experiment were presented graphically. The results showed that palm kernel oil cools faster at 200°C and 250°C, while palm oil and shea butter oil quench faster at 300°C and 350°C, respectively. Palm kernel oil offers the highest elongation at 200°C, while at 350°C shea butter oil gave the best result. The best among the bio-quenching oils in providing good ductility is shea butter oil at 200°C, while at 300°C and 350°C groundnut oil give the best result. Highest hardness values were obtained from samples quenched in melon oil between 200°C-300°C. However, these values decreased with increased heating temperature probably due to density and viscosity variation with temperature rise. Similar observations were made on most of other samples quenched in other bio-quenching oils used in this experiment. This study shows that these locally available vegetable oils have promising potentials to serve as a possible replacement for non-biodegradable mineral oils in many applications

Prevalencija invazije vrstama roda Cryptosporidium u goveda na području Jugozapadne Nigerije

This study investigates the prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp. infection in Oyo state, south western Nigeria. Fecal specimens from 406 cattle were randomly collected and examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts using the formol ethyl ether concentration and the modified Kinyoun acid-fast staining method. The results showed that the overall prevalence of infection was 23.4% (95/406), with an infection rate of 27.4%, 28.1% and 19.9% in cattle less than 6 months, 7-12 months and over 12 months respectively. Although no significant difference (P>0.05) exists between the age groups, calves less than 6 months of age are more likely to be infected than adults (OR: 1.512; 95%CI: 0.849-2.709). A significant difference (P0,05) među skupinama različite dobi, smatra se da je telad mlađa od šest mjeseci primljivija na invaziju od odraslih. Značajna je razlika (P<0,0001) dokazana između prevalencije u goveda različitoga spola. U krava je dokazana dvostruko veća mogućnost invazije. Stopa invadiranosti iznosila je 84,2% (80/95) u goveda bez proljeva, a 15,8% (15/95) u goveda s proljevom. Nije ustanovljena povezanost između pojave proljeva i prisutnosti oocista kriptosporidija (P = 0,9468; OR: 0,979; 95%CI: 0,522-1,636). Rezultati pokazuju da je invazija protozoima Cryptosporidium sp. česta u Nigeriji, osobito u goveda koja ne pokazuju kliničke znakove bolesti, a mogu biti znatan izvor invazije za ljude

An appraisal of the Nigeria economic recovery and growth plan, 2017-2020

Since Independence and especially since the return to democratic governance in 1999, successive governments have made concerted efforts in economic and development planning. In a bid to revamp the economy already battered by mal-administration, the Buhari’s administration recently launched the Nigerian Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP) with the broad objectives of restoring growth, building a globally competitive economy and accelerating inclusive growth by investing in the Nigerian people from 2017 – 2021. Against the backdrop of the failures of the previous plans, this study assessed the level of performance in the implementation of the economic plan, with a view to identifying the areas of success or otherwise and made recommendations for the future. The study relied on content analysis with secondary sources of data collection. The paper recommended that the Federal Government through the National Assembly should pass an Act on the NERGP, because one cannot build something on nothing. Also, there is need to expedite actions in passing the Petroleum Industry bill, since one of the key deliverables of the Plan is to reduce petroleum product imports by 60 per cent in 2018.Keywords: Economic, Development, Planning, Development Plan, Implementatio

Prevalencija invazije vrstama roda Cryptosporidium u goveda na području Jugozapadne Nigerije

This study investigates the prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp. infection in Oyo state, south western Nigeria. Fecal specimens from 406 cattle were randomly collected and examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts using the formol ethyl ether concentration and the modified Kinyoun acid-fast staining method. The results showed that the overall prevalence of infection was 23.4% (95/406), with an infection rate of 27.4%, 28.1% and 19.9% in cattle less than 6 months, 7-12 months and over 12 months respectively. Although no significant difference (P>0.05) exists between the age groups, calves less than 6 months of age are more likely to be infected than adults (OR: 1.512; 95%CI: 0.849-2.709). A significant difference (P0,05) među skupinama različite dobi, smatra se da je telad mlađa od šest mjeseci primljivija na invaziju od odraslih. Značajna je razlika (P<0,0001) dokazana između prevalencije u goveda različitoga spola. U krava je dokazana dvostruko veća mogućnost invazije. Stopa invadiranosti iznosila je 84,2% (80/95) u goveda bez proljeva, a 15,8% (15/95) u goveda s proljevom. Nije ustanovljena povezanost između pojave proljeva i prisutnosti oocista kriptosporidija (P = 0,9468; OR: 0,979; 95%CI: 0,522-1,636). Rezultati pokazuju da je invazija protozoima Cryptosporidium sp. česta u Nigeriji, osobito u goveda koja ne pokazuju kliničke znakove bolesti, a mogu biti znatan izvor invazije za ljude

Corruption and public governance: implication for customer due diligence in Africa

Certainly, corruption is not a new thing in human societies. It is an age-old menace which can cause tremendous harm to society. Corruption has attained the state of pervasive and phenomenal social behaviors in public service, which has not only eaten deep into the fabrics of African society, but also soiled the character of its people and is hampering the effective delivery of public governance in the continent. In this paper, corruption is principally examined as a governance issue, a challenge to African democratic functioning. It is a failure of both institutions and the larger framework of  social, judicial, political and economic checks and balances needed to govern effectively. Therefore, the paper sought to determine the causes and effects of corruption on service delivery in Africa. It is within this context that this paper explored Principal Agent Theory to explain the relationship between corruption, public governance, customer due diligence and the various aspects of development including economic growth and sustainable development. The paper recommended that the way and manner to encourage and assist individuals and financial institutions which work to promote and protect customer due diligence in Africa is to engage them with corruption issues and collaborate more closely with anti-corruption organizations. The paper also concluded that public-private technical assistance is needed for Africa to effectively implement anti-corruption interventions to reduce menace of corruption and recognize the value of good governance as roadmap to sustainable development.Keywords: Corruption, Public Governance, Customer Due Diligenc

Protective Roles of Adansonia digitata (African Baobab), Cucumeropsis mannii (Melon), and Abelmoschus esculentus (Okro) Supplemented Diets against Cadmium-Induced Lipotoxicity, Bone Demineralization, and Cytotoxicity in Rabbits

The present study was undertaken to investigate the protective roles of Adansonia digitata (African baobab) Cucumeropsis mannii (Melon), Abelmoschus esculentus (Okro), &nbsp;on lipid profile, bone health, and selected organs (liver, kidney, brain, and testis) against cadmium-induced toxicity in rabbits. Twenty male rabbits were grouped into five with four rabbits in each group. Group 1 served as positive control and received standard feed and 1.5 mg/kg body weight normal saline, group 2 served as negative control and were exposed to 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride, group 3 received 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium Adansonia digitata supplemented feed, group 4 received 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride and Citrullus lanatus supplemented feed, while group 5 were given 1.5 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride and Abelmoschus esculentus supplemented feed. All administrations were orally and lasted for 28 days. At the end of the administration, blood, liver, kidney, brain, and testes were harvested from the rabbits for biochemical and histological analysis. One-way analysis of variance followed by Turkey’s test was used to analyze the results with p &lt; 0.05 considered significant. The results revealed that cadmium exposure caused a significant increase in serum total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and atherogenic index in rabbits exposed to cadmium. Cadmium exposure also reduced bone calcium concentration. Adansonia digitata maintained the atherogenic index of plasma at 2.67 compared with the positive control group (2.66). The three vegetables reversed the cadmium-induced up-regulation of total cholesterol and triacylglycerol in the liver, kidney, and brain but not in the testis. All the vegetables also restored bone calcium. Citrullus lanatus and Abelmoschus esculentus prevented organ damage induced by cadmium exposure. These vegetables however play different protective roles against cadmium exposed rabbits

Prevalence of potentially zoonotic gastrointestinal parasites in canine faeces in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Humans can get infected through direct or indirect contact with infective stages of zoonotic parasites shed to the environment through dog faeces.Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the presence of gastrointestinal parasites present in dog faeces shed on the street of Ibadan metropolis, one of the largest cities in Africa.Methods: Twenty-three locations were randomly selected using grid-sampling method. A total of 203 faecal samples collected from the streets of selected areas were processed for detection of helminth eggs and protozoan oocysts using flotation technique. Eggs/oocysts per gram of faeces was counted using modified McMaster technique.Results: The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 43.3% (88/203). Single and multiple infections were 69 (78.4%) and 19 (21.6%) respectively. The parasites detected were Ancylostoma sp. 24.6% (50/88) Isospora sp. 14.2% (29/88), Toxocara sp. 9.8% (20/88), Uncinaria sp. 2.5% (5/88) and Strongyloides sp, 3.9% (8/88). Ancylostoma sp. (320 x 102 epg) and Uncinaria sp. (5 x 102 epg) had the highest and least intensity respectively. Streets within residential areas having markets had the highest number of positive samples. All the genera of parasites detected in this study have zoonotic potential.Conclusion: The high prevalence of zoonotic parasites detected in dog faeces from Ibadan metropolis showed that infected stray dogs roam the streets and constitute potential risk to human health. This study suggests the need for enforcement of laws restraining roaming or straying dogs and proper veterinary care of dogs.Funding: None declaredKeywords: Dog, Faeces, Gastrointestinal Parasites, Nigeria, Zoonose

Promoting production and marketing of root crops in Southern Africa in a changing climate using integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4d) pathway

Climate change is expected to have adverse impacts on smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on rain-fed agriculture. In fact, climate change is expected to continue to pose a serious threat to agriculture in southern Africa as annual rainfall amounts are expected to decline and temperatures are expected to increase. Studies show that the impacts will depend on the extent of smallholder farmers’ adaptation in response to climate change and variability. However, despite numerous extension efforts and repeated past maize crop failures, smallholder farmers in southern Africa continue to show preference to maize over other drought resistant crops. The low rate of adoption of drought resistant crops in response to the changing climate has been blamed on the linear non-participatory manner in which agricultural research and development efforts are organised. The present study seeks to establish whether reorganising research and development in an integrated manner known as Integrated Agricultural Research for Development – (IAR4D) would contribute towards the adoption of drought resistant crops and also improve household incomes. The study used cross-sectional household survey data collected from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi to determine the local average treatment effect of adopting drought resistant crops (in this case root and tuber crops) on household income. A multistage sampling technique was used to sample 600 households from the three countries. The data was collected as part of an end-line survey in the proof of IAR4D concept from conventional, treatment and control sites in each of the three countries. Results from the analysis show that smallholders in IAR4D villages which produced and sold root and tuber crops had higher household incomes than farmers who did not produce and sell these crops. The results also show that smallholder farmers who participated in IAR4D activities adopted roots and tuber crops to militate against the effects of climate change and variability. The study concluded that IAR4D could effectively deal with institutional and technical issues that constrain smallholders from adapting to climate change and variability. Furthermore, climate change adaptation strategies could be easily promoted using an integrated agricultural research for development approach.Key words: Climate, adaptation, marketing, agriculture, innovations Roots and tubers, Southern Africa, IAR4

An Appraisal of the Contributions of Herbalism to Primary Health Care Delivery in South West Nigeria

Herbalism contributes significantly to the primary health care delivery system in the southwest Nigeria through sale and administration of different herbal medicinal preparations which are available in a number of ways like tinctures, herbal wine and elixirs, tisanes, decoctions, macerates, topical, poultices, whole herb consumption, syrup, extracts, inhalation, local rings, incision and rubbing, charm belt, and other charm apparels. Medicines may be hawked by the ambulatory vendors (apothecary) or patients consulting practitioners. Charges are relatively cheap, consultation is prompt and the medicines are reportedly efficacious. Non-exclusion of anybody from patronizing and being organized around people’s needs and expectations, which are two of the key elements of WHO to achieve the ultimate goal of primary health care of better health for all are affectively entrenched in the practice. We adopted and employed basic scientific method, anthropological training skills and study approaches in Humanities to elicit our findings. Government support is highly solicite

Phase synchronization between tropospheric radio refractivity and rainfall amount in a tropical region

This study investigated linear and nonlinear relationship between the amount of rainfall and radio refractivity in a tropical country, Nigeria using forty seven locations scattered across the country. Correlation and Phase synchronization measures were used for the linear and nonlinear relationship respectively. Weak correlation and phase synchronization was observed between seasonal mean rainfall amount and radio refractivity while strong phase synchronization was found for the detrended data suggesting similar underlying dynamics between rainfall amount and radio refractivity. Causation between rainfall and radio refractivity in a tropical location was studied using Granger causality test. In most of the Southern locations, rainfall was found to Granger cause radio refractivity. Furthermore, it was observed that there is strong correlation between mean rainfall amount and the phase synchronization index over Nigeria. Coupling between rainfall and radio refractivity has been found to be due to water vapour in the atmosphere. Frequency planning and budgeting for microwave propagation during periods of high rainfall should take into consideration this nonlinear relationship