Biodegrading effects of some rot fungi on Pinus caribaea wood

Wood samples were collected from a ten-year old plantation of Pinus caribaea (morelet) in Ijaiye Forest Reserve, 38 km northwest of Ibadan, Nigeria. The wood samples were inoculated separately with twospecies of white-rot fungi; Corioliopsis polyzona and Pleurotus squarrosulus, and two species of brownrot fungi; Lentinus lepideus and Gleophyllum, striatum. Wood weight loss due to biodegradation variedfrom 1.5 – 48.1% for Corioliopsis polyzona, 9.6 – 58.0% for Pleurotus squarrosulus, 40.4 – 78.1% for Lentinus lepideus and 6.8 – 49.2% for Gleophyllum striatum degrading activities. The mode of wooddegradation was peculiar with each fungus. Wood decay varied along the tree bole but was not related to height above the ground. The results indicated that biodegradation by rot fungi differs in intensityaccording to the fungus species and this suggested that preservative impregnation and retention may be the best way to control the rots to make P. caribaea a utility wood

Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses.

BackgroundKlebsiella spp. are implicated as a common cause of bacterial pneumonia in horses, but few reports describe clinical presentation and disease progression.Hypothesis/objectivesTo describe the signalment, clinicopathologic data, radiographic and ultrasonographic findings, antimicrobial susceptibility, outcome, and pathologic lesions associated with Klebsiella spp. pneumonia in horses.AnimalsForty-six horses from which Klebsiella spp. was isolated from the lower respiratory tract.MethodsRetrospective study. Medical records from 1993 to 2013 at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis were reviewed. Exact logistic regression was performed to determine if any variables were associated with survival to hospital discharge.ResultsSurvival in horses <1 year old was 73%. Overall survival in adults was 63%. For adults in which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the primary isolate, survival was 52%. Mechanical ventilation preceded development of pneumonia in 11 horses. Complications occurred in 25/46 horses, with thrombophlebitis and laminitis occurring most frequently. Multi-drug resistance was found in 47% of bacterial isolates. Variables that significantly impacted survival included hemorrhagic nasal discharge, laminitis, and thoracic radiographs with a sharp demarcation between marked caudal pulmonary alveolar infiltration and more normal-appearing caudodorsal lung.Conclusions and clinical importanceKlebsiella spp. should be considered as a differential diagnosis for horses presenting with hemorrhagic pneumonia and for horses developing pneumonia after mechanical ventilation. Multi-drug resistance is common. Prognosis for survival generally is fair, but is guarded for adult horses in which K. pneumoniae is isolated as the primary organism

Effect of Fuel wood on the Quality of Smoked Freshwater Fish Species Sold in Tamale Central Market, Northern Region, Ghana

The study was conducted in Tamale and three villages around it. The method involved processing and smoking some raw freshwater fish species with different fuel wood species to ascertain the quality of the smokedproducts. A market survey was conducted to match the quality of the smoked products with those sold on the market and determine consumer preference on the Tamale Central Market (TCM). The results indicate thateight locally available fuel wood species produced preferred colours in the smoked fish; and have been classified as good fuel wood; while two imparted least preferred colours, and are considered bad fuel wood. All the fuelwood species had high relative efficiency (>5.5%). Thirty-one smoked freshwater fish species, belonging to 21 families were sold on the TCM. These come from 9 sources. Yeji supplied the highest quantity. Smoked freshwater fish species make a significant contribution to the economy of the Tamale Metropolis

Teachers’ Assessment Patterns and their Effect on Senior Secondary Students’ Achievement and Retention in English Grammar

This study investigated teachers’ assessment patterns and their effect on senior secondary II students’ achievement and retention in English grammar. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A quasi experimental design was used. The instruments used for data collection were English Grammar Achievement Test (EGAT) and Teachers’ Assessment Patterns Questionnaire (TAPQ). The sample size was 78 SS2 students of both sexes drawn from two secondary schools within Makurdi Metropolis. Data collected were analyzed using means and t-test statistics. The results showed that students benefitted from assessment patterns that included assessment for learning and assessment as learning more than those assessed solely by assessment of learning. The results also indicated that both male and female students benefitted equally from assessment patterns that included assessment for and as learning. It was recommended that teachers should employ assessment approaches that involve assessment as and for learning and should not use assessment of learning only. It was further suggested that Educational administrators/implementers, publishers and policy makers, should endeavour to incorporate assessment for learning and assessment as learning into the nation’s education policy and ensure their implementation.Key words: assessment patterns, grammar, achievement, retentio

A Technique to Avoid the Marginal Artery During Divided Colostomy in Neonates

Colostomy is a frequently performed procedure in neonates presenting with anorectal malformation and Hirschsprungs disease. A divided colostomy is more commonly performed but has a definite risk of injury to the marginal artery during the procedure, leading to stoma necrosis. This is a description of a technique which identifies, displaces and preserves the marginal artery during colostomy construction and therefore ensures a safer colostomy in neonates without the danger of necrosis. Key words: Technique. Marginal artery, Colostom

Antibacterial Activities of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Selected Vegetables Grown in Nigeria: A Preliminary Report

Members of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known probiotics and have been reported to have antimicrobial properties. Although various researchers have documented the isolation of these bacteria from fruits and vegetables, studies on LAB associated with lettuce, cucumber and cabbage are limited and non-existing in Nigeria. This study was designed to assess lettuce, cucumber and cabbage as potential sources of LAB and investigate the actions of their bacterial cell supernatants (BCS) on some pathogenic bacteria. Using standard microbiological methods, isolated LAB were identified to species level with API 50 CH kits (Biomerieux, France). Cell free supernatants (CFS) from de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) broth cultures of the LAB strains were used to challenge Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 12900 and Proteus penneri ATCC 13315 by agar well diffusion method. The control consisted of the sterile MRS broth subjected to the same growth conditions as LAB broth cultures. A total of four lactic acid bacteria were isolated as follows: Pediococcus pentosaceus 2 from cucumber, Lactobacillus cellobiosus from cabbage, Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus plantarum 1 from lettuce. Pediococcus pentosaceus 2 and L. salivarius showed inhibitory effects on all the standard strains tested while L. plantarum 1 showed no inhibitory activity against E. faecalis and E. coli. Lactobacillus cellobiosus showed inhibition against all except P. penneri. Although, the molecular characterisation and probiotic potentials of these LAB strains are being investigated in an on-going study, we presumed these vegetables are prospective sources of the bacteria in Nigeria and therefore the need to extensively investigate the vegetables and other related vegetables becomes imperative

Phytoplankton diversity and abundance in Ndop wetland plain, Cameroon

Phytoplankton is very sensitive to nutrient changes. Very little work has been carried out on the effect of these changes on the phytoplankton community in the Ndop wetland. Four paddy-field sites were studied to evaluate the effect of some abiotic factors on their occurrence and abundance of phytoplankton. Water samples were collected from the paddy-fields sites following age gradient 34, 32, 22 and 5 years old fields. Potassium, sodium, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate-phosphorus, conductivity and pH were the factors that contributed to phytoplankton diversity and density. There was a positive significant correlation between pH and potassium (r = 0.99, P ≤ 0.01), and pH and sodium (r = 0.977, P ≤ 0.05). A negative correlation (r = -0.992, P ≤ 0.01) was observed between pH and evenness. Eight divisions of phytoplankton were  recorded: Chlorophyta (26.42%), Bacillariophyta (20.76%), Pyrrhophyta (20.76%), Cyanophyta  (15.09%), Chrysophyta (1.87%), Xanthophyta (3.77%), Rhodophyta (1.87%), and Euglenophyta (7.55%). The most abundant species included Microcystis aeruginosa, Anacystis sp., Chlorococcus disperses and Peridinum sp. These may be used as bioindicator of the water quality. Diversity index increased with increase in the age of paddy-fields sites. 43% of the species indicated eutrophic status, 16.9%  mesotrophic, and 20.8% oligotrophic. Eutrophic species were more in the older paddy sites while the young paddy sites had more oligotrophic species.Key words: Phytoplankton, diversity, abundance, pollution, Ndop wetland

The absorption spectrum of short-lived isotopic variant of water, H₂¹⁵O: Tentative detection at the Earth's atmosphere

A calculated infrared vibration–rotation spectrum of isotopically modified water, H215O, is presented. Oxygen-15 has a half-life of about 2 minutes and H215O may be formed in the atmosphere during thunderstorms as a result of photonuclear processes or when the atmosphere is irradiated by cosmic γ-rays. Variational nuclear motion calculations of vibrational and vibrational-rotational levels up to 25000 cm−1 and up to J = 10 in angular momentum are performed within the framework of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation using an accurate water potential function. The line shape parameters for H215O are estimated. Spectral ranges that are promising for the detection of H215O in the atmosphere are identified and a search for spectral signatures conducted. A spectral feature is tentatively assigned to the 752 (0 1 0) - 643 (0 0 0) line of H215O

Altered Ratios of Beta-Endorphin : Beta-Lipotropin Released from Anterior Lobe Corticotropes with Increased Secretory Drive. I. Effects of Diminished Glucocorticoid Secretion

Previous studies have demonstrated that acute stress or ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (oCRH) in vivo , or oCRH in vitro , stimulates release of Β-endorphin over Β-lipotropin from anterior pituitary corticotropes. This occurs despite the predominance of Β-lipotropin in corticotrope peptide stores. In vitro studies with primary anterior pituitary cultures suggested that chronic exposure to oCRH results in a shift towards more Β-lipotropin secretion into the media than with short-term exposure. The current studies explored whether increased secretory drive in vivo results in a similar shift towards more Β-lipotropin. We used removal of glucocorticoids by adrenalectomy or metyrapone blockade of corticosterone synthesis, to stimulate endogenous secretion of CRH and vasopressin. Both treatments resulted in shifts of the ratio of Β-endorphin: Β-lipotropin in plasma of experimental animals in comparison to the sham-treated control rats. In vitro testing with oCRH of anterior lobe cultures from adrenalectomized or metyrapone-treated rats demonstrated similar effects of these treatments on the ratio of Β-endorphin : Β-lipotropin. These changes occurred despite similar ratios of Β-endorphin : Β-lipotropin in anterior pituitary peptide stores.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75388/1/j.1365-2826.1993.tb00370.x.pd

Health outcomes of iron supplementation and/or food fortification in iron-replete children aged 4-24 months: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Direct supplementation or food fortification with iron are two public health initiatives intended to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in 4-24-month-old infants. In most high-income countries where IDA prevalence is 40%. Emerging concerns about delayed neurological effects of early-life iron overexposure have raised questions as to whether recommended guidelines in high-income countries are unnecessarily excessive. This systematic review will gather evidence from supplementation/fortification trials, comparing health outcomes in studies where iron-replete children did or did not receive additional dietary iron; and determine if replete children at study outset were not receiving additional iron show changes in haematological indices of ID/IDA over the trial duration. Methods: We will perform a systematic review of the literature, including all studies of iron supplementation and/or fortification, including study arms with confirmed iron-replete infants at the commencement of the trial. This includes both dietary iron intervention or placebo/average dietary intakes. One reviewer will conduct searches in electronic databases of published and ongoing trials (Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CENTRAL, EBSCO [e.g. CINAHL Complete, Food Science and Technology Abstracts], Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, ClinicalTrialsRegister.eu and who.it/trialsearch), digital theses and dissertations (WorldCat, Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, DART-Europe E-theses Portal, Australasian Digital Theses Program, Theses Canada Portal and ProQuest). For eligible studies, one reviewer will use a data extraction form, and a second reviewing entered data for accuracy. Both reviewers will independently perform quality assessments before qualitative and, if appropriate, quantitative synthesis as a meta-analysis. We will resolve any discrepancies through discussion or consult a third author to resolve discrepancies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement will be used as the basis for reporting. Discussion: Recommended iron supplementation and food fortification practices in high-income countries have been criticised for being both excessive and based on outdated or underpowered studies. This systematic review will build a case for revisiting iron intake guidelines for infants through the design of new trials where health effects of additional iron intake in iron-replete infants are the primary outcome. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42018093744