Metal tolerant species distribution and richness in and around the metal based industries: Possible candidates for phytoremediation

Plant species growing in and around 38 metal welding workshops in Benin City, Nigeria, were surveyed. Eragrostis tenella occurred most frequently in all the sites, followed by Amaranthus spinosus, Eleusine indica, while Cucurbita pepo occurred least. The family Poaceae, was identified in all the sites visited. The frequency of occurrence of any particular plant species was used as an indicator of tolerance to heavy metals. Margalef index (R1) showed the richest locations in the study to be workshops at Ekenwan Road Quarters with a value of 2.87, followed by those at Ikpoba Hill (2.75). Shannon-Weiner’s diversity index (H) which reveals the location with the most species diversity, showed that Ekenwan Road gave the most diverse with a value of 2.43, followed by Ikpoba Hill (2.17). Wire Road was least diverse in plant species (1.33). Ugbowo quarters had the highest evenness index of 0.96, followed by Sapele Road (0.95), with Wire Road being the location with least evenness (0.82). Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) occurred in soil samples obtained from the sites. Six of the ten locations (Ekenwan, Plymouth, Siluko, Sapele, Sakponba and Ikpoba Hill Road Quarters) had elevated cadmium in soil samples obtained outside the workshops, with the highest concentration of 1.2 mg/kg detected at Ikpoba. Lead concentration was highest at Ugbowo (53 mg/kg). Metal- tolerant plants obtained in the present study are suggested as possible phytoremediating agents.Key words: Welding workshops, metal tolerant plants, cadmium, lead, phytoremediation

Development of a diagnostic schedule for a defective LC-195V5 CNC Milling machine using PERT

Computer Numerical Control CNC machine tools usage are more and more extensive, its fault diagnosis research is becoming more essential. Failure forms accorded these machines are diversified, and fault reasons are very complicated. It should not be left unattended to, because this could lead to further deterioration. One of the parameters used in determining the efficiency of a technician (who repairs machine tools) is the time saved in locating faults, hence the development of a diagnostic schedule which shows the sequential means of troubleshooting within a possible shortest time. In this research two approaches were used to diagnose a defective LC-195V5 CNC milling machine. Forward Pass (FP), which involves the diagnosis from electrical parts through Computer (CNC) to mechanical component and Backward Pass (BP) which involves the diagnosis from computer component through electrical parts to mechanical parts. Three different trials were conducted for each of the mode of diagnosis and the time to diagnose each component part was recorded. Based on the interrelationship of the component parts, two separate PERT (Project Evaluation & Review Techniques) network diagrams were drawn and their Critical Paths were determined. The study reveals that Foward Pass method was able to save more time

Evaluation of Newcastle Disease Vaccination Regime for Commercial Guinea Fowls Production in Kumasi, Ghana

Newcastle disease vaccination regimes commonly used in the control of the disease in chicken abound in literature in most endemic countries however such in guinea fowl has not being previously reported especially in Ghana. This study was conducted to evaluate waning of maternal antibodies and Newcastle disease vaccination regime in keets at a private Farm in Kumasi, Ghana. 3000 keets (1000 per group) were used for the study. Group A keets were vaccinated with Hitchner B1 strain (HB 1) on day 1, Group B keets on day 7 and Group C keets were not vaccinated and served as the control group for maternal antibody waning. The antibody titres of the birds were determined from day 1 to day 28 using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test and the mean titres were calculated. The maternal antibodies waned to a very low level at day 14 while at day 28, keets in Group A produced the highest average titre of 5067.3 compared to Group B and Group C (p<0.05). In conclusion, vaccination of keets at day 1 seems to produce better immune response even with the presence of maternal antibodies

Protein-mediated dethreading of a biotin-functionalised pseudorotaxane

In this article, we describe the synthesis of new biotin-functionalised naphthalene derivatives 3 and 4 and their complexation behaviour with avidin and neutravidin using a range of analytical techniques. We have shown using 2-(4prime or minute-hydroxyazobenzene)benzoic acid displacement and ITC experiments{,} that compounds 3 and 4 have the propensity to form reasonably high-affinity bioconjugates with avidin and neutravidin. We have also demonstrated using 1H NMR{,} UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy that the naphthalene moiety of 3 and 4 facilitates the formation of pseudorotaxane-like structures with 1 in water. We have then investigated the ability of avidin and neutravidin to modulate the complexation between 1 and 3 or 4. UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy has shown that in both cases the addition of the protein disrupts complexation between the naphthalene moieties of 3 and 4 with 1

EFFECTS OF SEASON ON AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF SOME MUTANT COWPEA LINES

A field experiment aimed at determination of influence of season on the yield potential of some cowpeas lines was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria located on Latitude 7012' N and longitude 3020' E during the late rain season (August- November 2013) and early rain season (April- July, 2014). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Qualitative and quantitative data such as stem petiole pigmentation, leaf colour, flower form and colour, dry pod colour, seed coat texture, plant height, number of days to flower and first ripe pod, pod length , total number of pods/plant , total number of seeds/plant, 100-seeds weight were taken. Combined analysis of variance to determine line x season interaction, while SASTM 9.1, (2000) version statistical package was used to separate the means, Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the inter-character relationships among the traits. Major characters causing variation within the population was calculated using Principal component analysis (PCA). Most of the cowpea lines were non-pigmented and papillinaeous, except Rosa-1 and 2 that showed rosaceous flower form. Cowpea lines such as Rosa-2, IF-Br-Y-2 and IB-Cyt.Y had yellow foliage, while the flower colour ranged from solid purple and white to white petal with purple wings. Line x season interaction revealed a high level of significance for most of the traits studied. Means of the cowpea lines’ traits were significantly different from one another. Pod length was highly correlated with number of seed per pod, pod per plant and 100 seed weight (r = 0.63, 0.45 and 0.66) respectively, while plant height had a negative and highly significant correlation with days to flowering (r = -0.58) and days to fruiting (r = -0.60)

The effect of time of day on unscheduled caeserian sections on perinatal and maternal outcomes in Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

Objectives: To compare the 72 hour post delivery maternal and neonatal outcomes among patients undergoing unscheduled Caesarean section during the night and day.Design: Prospective cohort study.Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi, Kenya.Subjects: Two hundred and forty Post-natal mothers who had undergone unscheduled Caesarean section.Results: Between the months of February 26th and April 2nd 2015, a total of two hundred and forty patients undergoing unscheduled Caesarean sections at the KNH were recruited into the study including 120(50%) patients who had an operation performed during the night shift and 120(50%) during the day shift. Data were collected prospectively. There was no significant difference in the socio-demographic characteristics of patients according to shifts. Most procedures were conducted under regional anaesthesia with no significant differences between day and night surgeries. The leading indications for unscheduled CS during the day and night were: Non Reassuring Foetal Status (NRFS), obstructed Labour and elective CS converted to emergency CS in that order. Conversion of Elective Caesarean section to Emergency CS was significantly more common during the night compared to during daytime. Poor maternal and neonatal outcomes did not show a significant difference depending on time of surgery.Conclusion: The study showed that there was no significant difference in pregnancy outcomes between unscheduled Caesarean section done during the day compared to those done during the night

Carcass yield and haematological indices of broiler chickens fed diets containing varying levels of dried watermelon rind (DWMR)

150 day old unsex broiler chicks were used for the experiment to determine the effect of replacement of wheat offal with dried  watermelon rind on the carcass yield and haematological indices of broiler birds. The chicks were randomly distributed into five treatments with each treatment having three replicates with ten chicks per replicate. Carcass yield and haematological indices were conducted in a completely randomized design comprising five dietary treatments such that T1 was served as the control, T2 were fed 25% DWMR replacement, T3 had 50 % DWMR, T4 had 75 % DWMR and T5 were given 100 % DWMR. At the end of the eight weeks, three birds from each dietary group were sacrificed to estimate the dressing yield and relative weight of organs (liver, heart and gizzard) while blood was collected for haematology and serum biochemistry analysis. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Replacement of wheat offal with DWMR significantly (p<0.05) improved the thigh, back, heart and lungs characteristics whereas it did not significantly (p>0.05) influenced the live weight, slaughter weight, eviscerated weight and other primal cut parts. RBC and MCHC were significantly (p<0.05) affected. It can be concluded from this study that DWMR can be included in broiler chickens diet with no negative effect on the carcass characteristics and serum indices

mVOC 2.0: a database of microbial volatiles

Metabolic capabilities of microorganisms include the production of secondary metabolites (e.g. antibiotics). The analysis of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) is an emerging research field with huge impact on medical, agricultural and biotechnical applied and basic science. The mVOC database (v1) has grown with microbiome research and integrated species information with data on emitted volatiles. Here, we present the mVOC 2.0 database with about 2000 compounds from almost 1000 species and new features to work with the database. The extended collection of compounds was augmented with data regarding mVOC-mediated effects on plants, fungi, bacteria and (in-)vertebrates. The mVOC database 2.0 now features a mass spectrum finder, which allows a quick mass spectrum comparison for compound identification and the generation of species-specific VOC signatures. Automatic updates, useful links and search for mVOC literature are also included. The mVOC database aggregates and refines available information regarding microbial volatiles, with the ultimate aim to provide a comprehensive and informative platform for scientists working in this research field. To address this need, we maintain a publicly available mVOC database at: http://bioinformatics.charite.de/mvoc

Interface protocol design: a communication guide for indoor FANET

The present and the future routing protocols in relation to the high throughput requirement, adaptivity to fast-changing link topology and speed makes the choice of routing protocol for unmanned aerial vehicle communication important. Due to this fact, an efficient routing protocol is highly dependent on the nature of the communication link. A flexible solution that presents these features is the use of light fidelity as a communication medium. Therefore, this paper presents the design of an interface protocol for indoor Flying Ad-hoc Network specific routing protocol using light fidelity as a communication link. The interface protocol governs communication when UAV move in a swarm. The architecture, the state machine model is discussed in this paper. Results of the design are validated via simulation using the NS3 in terms of packet delivery ratio and throughput

Molecular basis for the sensitivity of TRP channels to polyunsaturated fatty acids

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels represent a superfamily of unselective cation channels that are subdivided into seven subfamilies based on their sequence homology and differences in gating and functional properties. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of TRP channel regulation, particularly of the "canonical" TRP (TRPC) subfamily and their activation by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Here, we analyzed the structure-function relationship of Drosophila fruit fly TRPC channels. The primary aim was to uncover the molecular basis of PUFA sensitivity of Drosophila TRP-like (TRPL) and TRPgamma channels. Amino acid (aa) sequence alignment of the three Drosophila TRPC channels revealed 50 aa residues highly conserved in PUFA-sensitive TRPL and TRPgamma channels but not in the PUFA-insensitive TRP channel. Substitution of respective aa in TRPL by corresponding aa of TRP identified 18 residues that are necessary for PUFA-mediated activation of TRPL. Most aa positions are located within a stretch comprising transmembrane domains S2-S4, whereas six aa positions have been assigned to the proximal cytosolic C-terminus. Interestingly, residues I465 and S471 are required for activation by 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) but not 5,8,11-eicosatriynoic acid (ETI). As proof of concept, we generated a PUFA-sensitive TRP channel by exchanging the corresponding aa from TRPL to TRP. Our study demonstrates a specific aa pattern in the transmembrane domains S2-S4 and the proximal C-terminus essential for TRP channel activation by PUFAs