Exploration of hydro-geomorphological indices for coastal floodplain characterization in Rivers State, Nigeria

Flood is a reoccurring natural hazard in many parts of Nigeria, and is likely to increase in severity and frequency. Characterization of recently flooded areas was carried out using hydro-morphological indices to identify flood prone areas. In flood risk quantification and identification, hydrodynamic models require vast amounts of data, while contour delineation fails to account for the upstream contribution and accumulation at downstream locations. Data on recently flooded areas and elevation data were collated. Hydro-geomorphometric indices were computed and compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Across the indices, the terrain roughness indices – vertical roughness measure (VRM) and topographic roughness index (TRI) were found to be significant but weakly correlated (r = 0.455, P<0.05). There was a significantly positive but moderate correlation between topographic wetness index (TWI) and VRM (r=-0.673) and TWI vs TRI (r=0.572). Topographic position index (TPI) displayed a weak but significant relation to VRM, TWI and TRI. Of these four indices, TWI and TRI have standardized test statistics of -6.11 and 10.00 respectively and a significant test value < 0.05. Results show that flooded and non-flooded areas can be distinguished for the study area using these indices. It is recommended that hydro-geomorphometric indices should be used, adding another layer of confidence in the identification of flood prone areas for disaster risk management in data poor environments

Effect of Spirulina platensis supplementation on performance, haematological and serum biochemical profiles of broiler chickens reared under tropical environment

The ban on feed grade antibiotic growth promoters and increasing demand for human protein food sources have resulted in a need for new feed materials which provide a safe source of nutrients for poultry. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of spirulina on performance, haematological and serum profiles on broiler chickens. A total of 120 day old mixed sex broiler chicks were randomly assigned into 4 treatments with 3 replicate pens per treatment (10 birds/replicate pen) for 0-3 weeks and 4-7 weeks respectively. A reputable commercial diet was used as a basal diet (Treatment 1 without spirulina), while treatments 2, 3 and 4 had 6.00, 12.00, and 18.00 g/kg of spirulina supplemented in the commercial diet. The final weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in spirulina-supplemented groups compared with the control group for both the starter and finisher phases. For the starter phase it was observed that chicks fed 12.00g/kg spirulina diet performed better in terms of body weight gain while chickens fed 6.00g/kg spirulina diet had the best performance in terms of body weight gain at the finisher phase. Dietary treatment had significant (P < 0.05) effects on packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin count, red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC). The values for total protein (TP), globulin, Aspartate Amino-Transferase (AST), Alanine Amino-Transferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for chickens fed diets containing spirulina compared to the chickens fed diet without spirulina. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of spirulina improves body weight gain, haematological parameters and blood serum biochemistry of broiler chickens. Keywords: poultry; algae; bloo

Towards Achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Nigeria: Prospect and Challenges

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) according to analysts is the world biggest promise to mankind. It is a global mission with eight (8) vocal points of:  Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and women empowerment; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development. In order to achieve these objectives, MDGs goals are sub-divided into eighteen (18) clear cut targets and forty-eight (48) indicators believed to be necessary as acid-test facilitator for the achievements of these laudable goals. These laudable goals are expected to be achieved between the years 1990-2015. Nigeria being a member of global committee of nations in the time past and recent adopts various developmental plans such as  VISION 2010,NEEDS,7-Points Agenda, VISION 20:2020, SURE etc within the framework of MDG to serve as driving force to achieve these laudable projects. Achieving these goals involves a lot of commitments. The essence of this paper is to examine through the use of non-parametric statistical test, the extent to which these goals (MDG) have been achieved and make relevant suggestions to aid speedy achievement of these goals. Keywords: Enrolment Rate, Gender Equality, Millennium Development Goals, Poverty Reduction, Targets and Indicator

Petro Chemistry of Major and Trace Elements Concentrations in the Stream Sediments of Awo Area and its Environs, Southwestern Nigeria.

Stream sediments are believed to record the environmental impact on fluvial system overtime and are often study to determine the overall pollution of an environment. This research work is aimed at mineralogical appraisal of various rock types through petro logical study, also to estimate the degree of enrichment of the element in the stream sediments and to determine if such enrichment has led to any form of pollution and also to produce a baseline geochemical data base for further geochemical investigation of the area under investigation. Ten soil samples were collected randomly within the study area and were analyzed for major and trace elements concentration using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrumentation techniques, while five rock types were selected for petro graphic studies. Thin section study shows that muscovite, biotite, microcline, and quartz are the main mineral assemblages present in the rocks of the study area. The result of the geochemical analysis were thereafter subjected to multivariate statistical analysis, the statistical plot from the result of major elements shows that Iron oxide (Fe2O3)  range from 9.30% - 1.60 %, with a mean value of 4.6865%. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) range from 2.63% - 0.55% with a mean value of 1.6802%, Fe2O3 and Al2O3 are dominant major oxides within the study area and they show moderate enrichment in the environment under investigation.  From the result of the trace elements, Manganese [ Mn] with mean value of 3996.00 ppm, Zinc [Zn] with mean value of 272.40 ppm,  Copper [Cu]  with mean value of 628.10 ppm, Lead [Pb] with a mean value of 61.22 ppm, Nickel [Ni] with a mean value of 109.40 ppm and Cobalt [Co] with  mean value of  89.0 ppm have high concentration within the area of study, with Copper [Cu] having the highest degree of contamination factor 33%. The enrichment of Lead [ Pb] in the study area has been linked to anthropogenic  input of exhaust from motor bikes that ply the area, very strong positive correlation exist between V and Cr  (0.737), Co and Ni (0.648) while a positive strong correlation exist between Co and Cr (0.550), Mo and Ga  (0.535) indicating that they are from the same source. The conclusion drawn from the box plot study show that V, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, As,  Rb,  Pb, Mo, Ga and Cd have values that are greater than zero, while Sr and  Zr have values that are less than zero. Copper [Cu] is the highest contaminating element within the study area, the presence of high amount of cupper in the study area may be probably due to geogenic factor, and in addition the  weathering of the associated rocks and precipitation of same within the environment and it can also be attributed to the mining operations going on in the study area; from this it can therefore  be deduced  that the study area range in the category of practically contaminated to moderately contaminated. Keywords: Sediment, Biotite, Enrichment, weathering, Geogeni

Other Mechanical Methods for Pre-Induction Cervical Ripening.

Pre-induction cervical ripening is an important part of the labor induction process in women with an unfavorable cervix. This can be achieved either by pharmacologic or mechanical methods of cervical ripening. While the Foley catheter is the most commomly used mechanical method for labor induction, other mechanical methods are also available. This article reviews the safety profiles of osmotic dilators, extra-amniotic saline infusion, double-balloon catheters, and also compares their efficacy to that of other mechanical and pharmacologic cervical ripening methods. While mechanical methods have been shown to be safe and effective for cervical ripening, none of these alternatives has been shown to be superior to the Foley catheter

Assessment of Nutritional and Microbiological Properties of Biscuit Supplemented With Moringa Oleifera Seed Protein Concentrate

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of Moringa oleifera seed protein concentrate supplementation on the nutritional composition of biscuit. Biscuit was supplemented with M. oleifera seed protein concentrate at 2, 4 and 6% and evaluated for the proximate composition, amino acid profile, mineral element composition, microbiological properties and sensory qualities. The proximate composition result showed that the biscuits contained: 8%, 58.92%, 6.45%, 0.32%, 0.97% and 26.32% moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ash and carbohydrate, respectively. The essential amino acids were lysine (6.57%), leucine (6.02%), tryptophan (5.23%), valine (5.20%), phenylalanine (4.25%), threonine (4.10%), histidine (4.03%), isoleucine (3.34%) and methionine (2.94%). The proximate composition results showed a slight but progressive increase in crude protein content due to the supplementation while the overall quality acceptability did not show any statistically significant difference among the biscuit samples. The microbiological result also revealed that the biscuits were safe and the level of detection were within the safe range for baked products. It was concluded that supplementation of biscuit with M. oleifera seed protein concentrate is safe and the consumption of the biscuits may support growth and development of children who are the major consumers

Salivary Secretion and Composition in Malaria: A Case-control Study

Summary: No previous studies have documented changes in salivary secretion in patients with malaria. This study aimed to compare salivary secretion and composition in malaria positive and malaria negative individuals. Ninety participants composed of 40 malaria parasite positive and 50 malaria parasite negative individuals (age and gender matched) were included. Malaria diagnosis was achieved by microscopic examination of Giemsa stained thick and thin film of blood smears. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess presence or absence of oral symptoms in the malaria parasite positive individuals. Whole saliva samples were collected and analyzed for flow rate, pH, total protein and concentrations of electrolytes (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, PO42- and HCO32-). Data were analysed using Independent-Samples t-test and Spearman’s correlation test. The salivary flow rate was significantly reduced in malaria parasite positive individuals (P = 0.001). Oral symptoms were present in 82.5% of the malaria parasite positive individuals. There was no significant difference in the salivary pH, total protein and electrolyte ion concentrations between the two groups. Also, Spearman’s correlation test showed no significant relationship between the presence of oral symptom and the salivary parameters. Salivary flow rates are reduced in the individuals with malaria. However, presence of oral symptoms in these individuals may not be attributed to the reduced salivary flow rate. Further studies are needed to validate our findings and elucidate mechanisms involved.Keywords: Saliva, Malaria, Salivary flow rate, Salivary electrolytes, Salivary pH, Salivary total protein

A Tracking Review on Non Arc Melting Processes for Improved Surface Properties in Metallic Materials

Most metallic materials lack the adequate surface characteristics to satisfactorily perform intended service functions. In such instance, the surface properties are modified by altering the chemistry, structure and/topology of the top surface of the surface via modification techniques. There exists wide options of techniques for modifying the surface properties and these are well documented in the literature. However, these techniques have different scientific underpinnings controlling them such that it is difficult to use a single mechanism to characterize the techniques. Arising from this, it is imperative that a holistic understanding of the various processes is provided. Therefore, in this paper, research status on the wide range of non-melting technique for surface modification is presented. The presentation discusses the investigation conducted on the various non-surface melting techniques and provides a comparison across the techniques. Recent developments in these techniques are equally presented. Existing challenges and emerging trends in the field are also highlighted.  . Keywords: coating composition, coating techniques, metallic materials, substrate, surface properties DOI: 10.7176/CMR/13-2-01 Publication date:May 31st 202