Investigating the cooling rate of cane molasses as quenching medium for 0.61% C high carbon steels

The effect of cooling rate of cane molasses as quenching medium for 0.61% C high carbon steels was investigated. Samples of high carbon steel were spheroidized annealed and then machined prior to the hardening process. Molasses solution of viscosity equals to that of engine oil was prepared by adding water. The samples were normalized and then austenitised at 800oC and soaked for 40 minutes and then quenched in water, engine oil, raw molasses and the prepared molasses solution. Cooling rate curves of all the quenching media used were developed. The highest cooling rate of 60oC/s was attained by the prepared molasses solution. Hardness of the test samples was evaluated. The test results obtained show that the highest hardness value (525 HVN) was obtained from the sample quenched in the prepared molasses solution. Microstructures of the various samples were analyzed using OM and SEM. In all the tests samples martensite structure was observed. It was observed that the prepared molasses solution has higher severity of quenching than that of engine oil but lower than that of water. The research showed that cane molasses can harden high carbon steel without cracking the component in the same way as engine oil, hence, molasses could be a very good alternative to engine oil for use as quenching medium

Influence of Culture Water Draw-off on Growth of the African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus, Burchell 1822) cultured under Integrated System

An experiment was carried out over a period of 10 weeks to investigate the influence of culture water draw-­‐off on growth and feed utilization of the African catfish. Two similar fish culture tanks (designated A and B) were stocked with juveniles of African catfish at 43 fish per m3. The fish were fed twice daily at 3 % body weight. 0.06 m3of culture water was removed at 3-­‐day intervals from tank B to irrigate Okra plot and the tank was replenished with an equal amount of freshwater. Culture water was not removed from tank A till both tanks were replenished with freshwater at 14-­‐day intervals. Selected water quality, growth and feed utilization parameters were measured just before replenishing. The selected water quality parameters were within the recommended range for fish culture except for nitrite and dissolved oxygen. The water quality, growth performance and feed utilization parameters were better in tank B, with periodic culture water removal than in tank A, without water draw-­‐off. Average final weight, weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate, percentage survival and feed conversion ratio were; 165.06 g, 95.07 g, 1.36 g/day, 0.01 %/day, 95.30 % and 2.40 in tank A and 238.22 g, 171.62 g, 2.45 g/day, 0.02 %/day, 94.87 % and 1.82 in tank B respectively. Periodic draw-­‐off of culture water had positive effect on the cultured fish as evident in better performance indices recorded in this study

Determination of interferon gamma associated with malaria parasitaemia among patients attending selected hospitals in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

BackgroundMalaria has been recognized as a severe and life- threatening illness for thousands of years. It is still one of the most common diseases affecting humans worldwide. Results gathered in primates challenged by Plasmodium falciparum and, to some extent, in humans, point to interferon gamma as a possible immune mediator or at least a surrogate marker significantly associated with protection against Plasmodium falciparum and actually, the only surrogate available to-date.AimThis study was aimed at determining malaria parasitaemia and interferon gamma concentration among patients attending selected hospitals in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.MethodsFour hundred blood samples were collected from four hospitals in Zaria, Kaduna State.The samples were microscopically screened for malaria parasites. The concentrations of interferon gamma were determined using ELISA, and the results obtained were analysed using Chi square.ResultsOnly the ring trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum were observed in the infected samples. In the whole study population, males had a higher parasitaemia than females.The individuals with Plasmodium falciparum infection had the highest mean concentrations of interferon gamma with 121.32pg/ml than those in the negative control group, that is, those without the infection (75.69pg/ml). There was no statistically significant difference (p=0.079).ConclusionThis study shows a higher Plasmodium falciparumparasitaemia in males than females, with a relatively higher concentration of interferon gamma in the group with parasitamia than the control group

Medicine use among HIV/Aids patients in public hospitals, Kwara State

Background: The prognosis of HIV/AIDS and HIV-related comorbidities has been revolutionized by the use of medicines. However, World Health Organization reported that 50% of patients do not use their medicines as prescribed.Objective: To assess HIV/AIDS patients’ knowledge of the use of medicines dispensed to them.Method: This study was conducted in seven public hospitals in six local government areas, Kwara State. Exit interviews of 780 eligible HIV/AIDS patients were conducted through use of structured questionnaire. Additionally, there were exit observational checks of medicines dispensed to these patients. Descriptive statistics and Fisher Exact test were used for data analyses.Results: Of the 780 study participants, 36.1% had no formal education, 99.9% knew the ‘quantity’ of medicines to be administered, while 99.2% knew the frequency of administration. All the patients knew the route of administration, 96.7% and 94.3% knew the general precautions to avoid concomitant use of dispensed medicines with alcohol or herbal products respectively, while 93.7% of those who received co-trimoxazole knew of the precaution to use “plenty of water” as the vehicle for its administration. There were no significant associations between the patients’ knowledge of these precautions and duration of antiretroviral therapy (P>0.05). However, the patients lacked knowledge of specific precautions of some dispensed medicines.Conclusion: Most of the patients knew of the administration and the general precautions of dispensed medicines. However, lack of knowledge of specific precautions of some dispensed medicines calls for intervention.Keywords: HIV/AIDS patients, Medicine use, Duration of antiretroviral therapy, Public hospitals, Kwara Stat

Influence of Sulphuric Acid on the Compressive Strength of Ternary Blended Geopolymer Mortar

The deteriorating effect of acid media on cement based constructions has become a worrying problem all over the world. These media generally occur as solutions in various branches of the industry, acid rains and mists, and acid ground-waters. A very popular form of acid attack on concrete that is usually referred to as biogenic sulphuric acid attack also occurs in both industrial and urban sewer systems. The emergence of new cementitious materials, like geopolymer cements, during the past decades necessitates detailed experimental work and research activities to investigate their durability in aggressive acid environments. The study therefore explored the development of alkali-activated CPA-SHA-MK ternary blended geopolymer mortar (GPM) using sodium silicate (Na2Si3) and sodium hydroxide (NAOH) solutions with 9M constant concentration as alkaline activators under both the aggressive and ambient-temperature curing media. The mass ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide (NS: NH) and as well as the binder to fine aggregate were fixed at 2.5 and 0.8 respectively. The durability of the ternary blended geopolymer mortar was examined through acid resistance test using 50 mm cubes after 28, 56 and 90 days of curing. The results revealed that the setting time prolonged as the replacement levels of RHA-MK increased at a decrease in the replacement levels of CPA. The results also showed that both the PCM and GPM samples studied suffered mass and strength losses in the acid solution and the loss increases at an increase in the hydration periods. The strength losses were observed to be higher in PCM mix (12.19 N/mm2 at 90 days) as compared to the GPMs (6.67 N/mm2 at 90 days) while the mix incorporated 50% CPA, 33% MK and 17% RHA (C50M33R17) was observed to be better compared to other mixes in durability behaviour. The study therefore recommends C50M33R17 mix proportion for good durability performance.&nbsp

ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES OF FERMENTED AND UNFERMENTED SEED OF CISSUS POPULNAE FROM NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

The assessment of nutritional properties of fermented (for 24 and 48 h) and unfermented seeds of Cissus populnae from Niger State, Nigeria were determined using standard analytical methods. The proximate parameters determined were moisture, protein, ash, fat, fiber and carbohydrate.  The ranges of these values were from 12.44±0.03 (unfermented) to 15.21±0.51 (fermented for 48 h), 4.23±0.16 (unfermented) to 5.04±0.15% (fermentation at 48 h), 2.00±0.05 (unfermented) to 3.10±0.45 (fermented for 48 h), 7.20±0.60 (unfermented) to 9.01±0.11), 4.02±0.23% (fermentation for 48 h) to 7.00±0.06 (unfermented) and 63.62±0.46 (fermented at 48 h) to 67.13±0.53 (unfermented) % for the moisture, crude fiber, ash, crude protein, crude fat and crude carbohydrate contents respectively. The energy values obtained were 1522.61±0.21, 1446.82±0.33 and 1383.45±0.50 Kcal/100g for the unfermented, fermentation for 24 and 48 h respectively. From the results of this study, fermentation generally improved the mineral contents of the samples and decreased their anti-nutrient contents. Thus, large-scale production of fermented Cissus populnae seeds will be a valuable source of nutrition to man and his animals

Pattern of Cancer in Bauchi: Report from a Departmental Cancer Registry

Context: Cancer ranks second among the major causes of death globally. A projection by 2020 indicated that developing countries wouldaccount for about 70% of total cancer‑related death worldwide. Despite the great threat posed by cancer to this region of the world,  reliable statistics on the trends and patterns of cancer are rare. Aims: The aim of the study is to review the cases of cancer recorded in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019 Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study. Nine years records of all pathologically diagnosed cancer cases in the ATBUTH, Bauchi were retrieved, reviewed, and grouped in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology. The results were presented as simple frequency tables and charts. Results: A total of 1284 cancer cases were diagnosed during the period, an average of 142.7 cases per annum. There was a female predominance of cancer cases (male: female ratio ‑ 1:1.53. The age range was from seven months to 95 years, with mean and medianages of 49.6 and 50 years, respectively. More than half of the cases were reported in the fifth to seventh decades of life. Prostate (14.6%)and non melanoma skin cancer (11.2%) were the most common cancers seen in males. In females, cancers of the cervix (37.9%) and thebreast (22.9%) were the most common. Conclusions: Breast cancer and cancer of the uterine cervix were the most common cancers in women in this review while prostate cancer was the most common cancer in men. The need to establish a hospital‑based and/or population‑based cancer registry that will generate reliable cancer data in our environment cannot be overemphasized. Keywords: Bauchi, breast, cancer, cervix, prostate, registr

Polymer impregnated concrete and polymer concrete overlays

The feasibility of impregnating bridge decks with methylmethacrylate for protection against freeze-thaw deteriorization and corrosion of the reinforcing steel is reported. Parameters such as monomer system, monomer loading, drying temperature and time, curing temperature and time, soak time and equipment were investigated and dicussed. A nondestructive method for the determination of the polymer depth in a polymer impregnated concrete was investigated and reported. The three methods that are presently used to place polymer concrete overlay on bridge decks were tested and compared with each other.Final ReportN