Correlation between faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and hospital wastewaters: Implication on public health

Background: Hospital wastewaters contain blends of inorganic, natural constituents and contaminants that carry significant health risk when released directly into the environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and wastewaters generated in University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital complex, Akure, Nigeria.Methodology: Quantification of faecal indicator bacteria was carried out on diarrheagenic faecal samples collected from 55 hospitalized patients and 68 wastewater samples from the medical laboratory science and laundry units of the hospital over of period of 12 weeks. Standard membrane filtration technique was performed using membrane intestinal enterococcus (m-ENT), membrane faecal coliform (m-FC), membrane lauryl sulphate (MLSA), eosin methylene blue (EMB) and Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar plates, which were incubated at 37ºC for 24 hours (MLSA, EMB and SSA), 44ºC for 24 hours (m-FC); and 37ºC for 48 hours (m-ENT). Bacterial colonies on agar plates were counted and expressed as colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of diarrheagenic stool and wastewater. Pearson’scorrelation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the level of faecal indicator bacteria in diarrheagenic stools and wastewaters at p<0.05 level of significance (and 95% confidence interval).Results: The faecal coliform counts (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 1.18 to 1.54 in diarrheagenic stools, 1.32 to1.64 in laboratory wastewater and 1.08 to 2.19 in laundry wastewater. Escherichia coli count (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 1.08 to 1.40 in diarrheagenic stools, 1.20 to 1.86 in laboratory wastewater and 0.30 to 1.81 in laundry wastewater. Intestinal enterococci count (log 10 CFU/100ml) ranged from 0 to 0.30 in diarrheagenic stools, 0.78 to 0.90 in laboratory wastewaters and 0.48 to 1.11 in laundry wastewaters. Pearson’s correlation co-efficient showed that all the faecal indicator bacteria count in diarrheagenic faecal samples exhibited positive correlation with those in laboratory wastewaters, but not with those from laundry wastewaters.Conclusion: The findings suggest that diarrheagenic stools should be properly disinfected after the performance of laboratory tests to prevent transmission of potential pathogens, and wastewater generated from hospitals should be treated prior to discharge into the environment, to prevent possible infections in the community. Keywords: Correlation, faecal indicator bacteria, public health, transmission, wastewate

Assessment of faecal contamination in selected concrete and earthen ponds stocked with African catfish, Clarias gariepinus

Background: Microorganisms constitute significant fraction of the aquatic ecosystem and have been reported to be the cause of emerging novel infectious diseases in aquacultural practices. The prevalence of infectious diseases has been observed to depend on the interaction between fish pathogens and the aquatic environment. This study was conducted to assess the levels of faecal pollution markers in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and their growing waters in selected earthen and concrete ponds in the teaching and research fish farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nigeria in the dry (February-April) and wet seasons (May-July) of the year. Methodology: Two earthen and 2 concrete ponds were randomly selected as sampling sites due to their frequent usage. A total of 120 grabs of catfishes from the earthen (n=60) and concrete (n=60) ponds, and 84 pond water samples from earthen (n=42) and concrete (n=42) ponds, were randomly collected over a 6-month period of study. Enteric bacteria count in the water and catfish samples were determined using membrane filtration and pour plate methods respectively. The physiochemical characteristics of the water samples were determined using standard methods. The rate of bioaccumulation of faecal indicator bacteria was obtained by dividing the log count of each organism in the catfish by the corresponding log count in the growing waters. Results: Faecal coliforms count (log10 CFU/100ml) in the catfish from concrete and earthen ponds ranged from 1.41 to 2.28 and 1.3 to 2.47, and in the growing waters; 1.43 to 2.41 and 1.50 to 2.80 respectively. There was positive correlation of faecal coliforms with alkalinity of water samples from the earthen (r=0.61) and concrete ponds (r=0.62). Salmonella and faecal coliforms had the highest and least bioaccumulation in catfish raised in earthen pond while Salmonella and enterococci had the highest and least bioaccumulation in catfish raised in concrete pond respectively. Faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli had the highest and least counts in water samples from the earthen pond during the dry and wet months while Salmonella and E. coli had the highest and least counts in water samples from the concrete pond during the dry and wet months. Conclusion: High levels of bacterial faecal pollution markers in water samples and catfishes from the earthen and concrete ponds are reported in this study. Physicochemical characteristics and seasonality played major roles in the rate of bioaccumulation of the faecal pollution markers in catfishes raised in both earthen and concrete ponds

Adaptation to Heat Stress within Housing Estates in Akure, Nigeria

Adaptation to heat stress, human behavior and heat resistant characteristics of the residential environment are critical to achieving resilient human settlements. Through a survey of households in mass-developed housing in Akure (Nigeria), complemented by semi-structured interviews, this study identifies behavioural responses to heat and housing adaptations made to deal with heat stress. Top behavioural responses by the residents include using fans, keeping themselves hydrated, changing to lighter clothes and relocating to shaded space. The common post-occupancy adaptation measures include installing cooling devices, using light curtains and installing nets for windows and entrance doors. Heat resistant features that residents would want to be part of future housing development also came to the fore. These findings show that mass housing development should consciously incorporate heat resistance features while also promoting lifestyle approaches in adapting to heat.     

Examining the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between corporate social responsibility and turnover intention: Evidence from Nigeria

The subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has drawn the attention of many scholars and practitioners in the administrative sciences field. However, few studies have been carried out on Nigerian employees’ perspectives on CSR and on how CSR affects their attitudes and behaviors at work. The present study sought to contribute to narrowing this gap by examining how CSR perceptions, work engagement, and turnover intention are related in a sample of Nigerian workers. More specifically, this study had triple aims: first, describe employees’ perceptions of their employers’ involvement in different CSR domains; second, examine how CSR perceptions were related to employees’ levels of work engagement and turnover intention; third, analyze work engagement intervention as a mediator in the relationship between CSR perceptions and turnover intention. The sample included 118 employees from different organizations who voluntarily participated in an online survey. The findings revealed that respondents consider that their employer organizations have relatively high involvement in CSR activities, especially activities towards customers, employees, and stockholders. Findings also revealed that employees’ perceptions of CSR are related to diminishing levels of turnover intention, via increased work engagement. Therefore, organizations can invest in CSR activities to foster positive employee outcomes in Nigeria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment and Comparative Study of Radon Level in Water Samples Collected within Ogbomoso Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria

In the recent time, due to the unavailability of public pipe borne water which the government provides for use, the alternative uncased and cased water became the popular means of water supply, both in rural and urban areas, not minding the likely health effect that may arise due to high level of concentration of radon and its progeny in drinking water from the aforementioned sources. Hence, this study focuses on the radon concentration in underground water samples collected across Ogbomoso land. A total of 300 water samples were collected, comprising of 160 water samples from uncased and 140 samples from cased well. The samples were analysed using a well calibrated active electronic radon detector RAD7 (DURRIDGE Company Inc., USA). The results obtained revealed that the radon concentration of the uncased well is in the range of 3.30 kBqm-3 to 33.95 kBqm-3, while the radon concentration for the cased well fell in the range 30.39 kBqm-3 to 65.98 kBqm-3. The results obtained from the two categories of water samples analyzed showed that the cased well sources had the highest concentration of radon compared with the limit set by local and international bodies. Hence, appropriate measures should be taken to mitigate the level of concentration of radon in the water within the study area before consumption. Concerted effort should also be made by the health workers to enlighten the residence on the potential harmful effect of radon to human health

Innovation Management and Organization Development in the Nigerian Banking System

Abstract Innovation management is a new concept that is given priority by all companies and countries nowadays. However, it took longer than expected for the developing countries, especially in Africa, to acknowledge the importance of innovation to the growth of a company and to the development of an economy. It has been argued that innovation is the engine room of all economies, and this has propelled the researcher to look at the importance of innovation by conducting a research study on "innovation management and organizational development", using Guarantee Trus

Comparative Study on the Contribution of Asbestos and Gypsum Building Materials to Environmental Radioactivity and Its Radiological Implications

Building materials have been studied and found to contain trace amount of natural radionuclides. In order to estimate the radiological impact to the dweller, the level of radionuclides present in asbestos and gypsum building materials available in Nigeria market were carried out using a well shielded and calibrated gamma spectrometry. The results obtained shown that the natural radionuclides of 238U, 232Th, and 40K are present in the building materials assayed, with activity concentration of 141.76 to 526.29 Bqkg-1, 2.14 to 7.94 Bqkg-1 and 9.89 to 14.23 Bqkg-1 for the gypsum samples and 221.64 to 513.38 Bqkg-1, 15.99 to 34.68 Bqkg-1 and 9.10 to 18.93 Bqkg-1 for the asbestos samples respectively. The average concentration obtained for samples are relatively lower than the worldwide average. The radiation hazard indices estimated are also lower than the international recommended values. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of these materials in construction of dwellings may be considered safe for inhabitants and that the dwellers inside the buildings are not supposed to acquire any radiological complication in terms of radiation hazard. &nbsp

Applicability of single-step genomic evaluation with a random regression model for reproductive traits in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

Fertility and hatchability are economically important traits due to their effect on poult output coming from the turkey hatchery. Traditionally, fertility is recorded as the number of fertile eggs set in the incubator (FERT), defined at a time point during incubation by the identification of a developing embryo. Hatchability is recorded as either the number of fertile eggs that hatched (hatch of fertile, HOF) or the number hatched from all the eggs set (hatch of set, HOS). These traits are collected throughout the productive life of the bird and are conventionally cumulated, resulting in each bird having a single record per trait. Genetic evaluations of these traits have been estimated using pedigree relationships. However, the longitudinal nature of the traits and the availability of genomic information have renewed interest in using random regression (RR) to capture the differences in repeatedly recorded traits, as well as in the incorporation of genomic relationships. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to compare the applicability of a RR model with a cumulative model (CUM) using both pedigree and genomic information for genetic evaluation of FERT, HOF, and HOS and 2) to estimate and compare predictability from the models. For this study, a total of 63,935 biweekly FERT, HOF, and HOS records from 7,211 hens mated to 1,524 toms were available for a maternal turkey line. In total, 4,832 animals had genotypic records, and pedigree information on 11,191 animals was available. Estimated heritability from the CUM model using pedigree information was 0.11 0.02, 0.24 0.02, and 0.24 0.02 for FERT, HOF, and HOS, respectively. With random regression using pedigree relationships, heritability estimates were in the range of 0.04-0.09, 0.11-0.17, and 0.09-0.18 for FERT, HOF, and HOS, respectively. The incorporation of genomic information increased the heritability by an average of 28 and 23% for CUM and RR models, respectively. In addition, the incorporation of genomic information caused predictability to increase by approximately 11 and 7% for HOF and HOS, respectively; however, a decrease in predictability of about 12% was observed for FERT. Our findings suggest that RR models using pedigree and genomic relationships simultaneously will achieve a higher predictability than the traditional CUM model

Genome-wide association study reveals candidate genes relevant to body weight in female turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

The underlying genetic mechanisms affecting turkey growth traits have not been widely investigated. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is a powerful approach to identify candidate regions associated with complex phenotypes and diseases in livestock. In the present study, we performed GWAS to identify regions associated with 18-week body weight in a turkey population. The data included body weight observations for 24,989 female turkeys genotyped based on a 65K SNP panel. The analysis was carried out using a univariate mixed linear model with hatch-week-year and the 2 top principal components fitted as fixed effects and the accumulated polygenic effect of all markers captured by the genomic relationship matrix as random. Thirty-three significant markers were observed on 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 12 chromosomes, while 26 showed strong linkage disequilibrium extending up to 410 kb. These significant markers were mapped to 37 genes, of which 13 were novel. Interestingly, many of the investigated genes are known to be involved in growth and body weight. For instance, genes AKR1D1, PARP12, BOC, NCOA1, ADCY3 and CHCHD7 regulate growth, body weight, metabolism, digestion, bile acid biosynthetic and development of muscle cells. In summary, the results of our study revealed novel candidate genomic regions and candidate genes that could be managed within a turkey breeding program and adapted in fine mapping of quantitative trait loci to enhance genetic improvement in this species

Casting and Performance Evaluation of Pump Impeller and Housing using Local Raw Materials

Casting of pump impeller and its housing was carried out using locally available materials. Performance evaluation was conducted to show if the locally produced pump impeller and its housing could be compared favourably in terms of performances with the imported ones. The sand used for the moulding of the pump housing and impeller was blended in the sand mixer with bentonite, wood dust, water and others as desired in their correct proportions (Bentonite-3.5%, Water 3.5%; Wood dust 4.2%). Pouring of the molten metal unto the assembled mould was done at a temperature of about 1380oC.  Portable optical pyrometer was used to measure the temperatures.  The charge make ups was 135kg of cast iron scraps, 0.58% FeSi, 0.035% Femn and 0.0045% Inoculants.   Replica of the two components were carefully produced in wooden patterns to make the sand mould easy, while the casting was made using grey cast iron because of the need to machine it to its final dimensions with ease. The results obtained from the various test carried out shows no significant difference from the standard result of the imported ones