Antimicrobial properties of three spices used in the preparation of suya condiment against organisms isolated from formulated samples and individual ingredients

The effects of Eugenia aromatica (clove), Allium sativum (garlic) and Piper guineense (brown pepper), three spices commonly used in south-western Nigeria, added to growth media at different concentrations were studied with respect to their inhibitory activity against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus enterobacter sp., Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer isolated from already formulated and individual  spices/ingredients used in the preparation of suya pepper. The sensitivity of isolated organisms revealed that clove is outstanding compared to the much worked on garlic and that gram positive bacteria showed higher sensitivity to spices than gram negative bacteria. R. stolonifer showed a higher sensitivity to brown pepper than it did to garlic. The growth of A. niger was not completely inhibited by brown pepper or a combination of both. The percentage composition of these three spices affected their inhibitory effects on microorganisms in suya condiment

Illegality Of Income Tax Evasion In Edo State: Adopting An Automated Income Tax System As A Panacea

In Nigeria, the governments are mandated to collect income tax from companies and individuals respectively. However, in Edo State, it has been observed that taxpayers often tend to evade their tax liability. Although, there are several provisions of the Personal Income Tax Act and judicial pronouncement prohibiting income tax evasion, however, income tax evasion in Edo State seem to be on the increase. It is in this regard, that this study tends to embark on a hybrid method of study concerning the causes of the current increase of income tax evasion in Edo State and proposing an automated income tax as a panacea. In this regard, 304 questionnaires were distributed to respondents resident in Edo State. Descriptive and analytical methods were adopted in analyzing the data obtained. The study, therefore, found that there are several causes of income tax evasion which include; inefficient and ineffective tax administration systems, corruption and inadequate information on the assets and income of the taxpayer. Furthermore, the study also found that the adoption of an automated income tax system could serve as a major solution to rectify the above identified challenges given its relevance and prospect, although, there are some challenges concerning an automated income tax system. It is, therefore, concluded and recommended that for there to be a level playing ground in further curtailing the incidence of income tax evasion in Edo State, there is a need to intensify the automated income tax system in curing some of the defects inherent in the system

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Listeria Species from Abattoir Effluent in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Untreated abattoir effluent constitutes a reservoir for the spread of important pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes, the etiologic agent of listeriosis. This study investigated the presence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Listeria species from abattoir effluent in some Port Harcourt communities using standard conventional and molecular methods. Listeria were detected in 26% of the samples examined. The resulting isolates were identified as L. grayi (53.85%), L. welshimeri (38.46%) and L. innocua (7.69%). The Listeria isolates showed varying resistance to cotrimoxazole (44.2%), chloramphenicol (34.6%), tetracycline (46.2%), streptomycin (75%), augmentin (94.2%), gentamycin (19.2%), erythromycin (34.6%) and cloxacillin (100%). All three disinfectants were not effective against Listeria species at concentrations of 12% and 25%. At 50% and 100% disinfectant concentration, dettol was the most effective followed by JIK and lastly, izal. The presence of Listeria species in abattoir effluent and levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotic and disinfectants portends danger to animals and human population hence the need for adequate treatment of effluent before discharged into the environment

Memristive Bauelemente für neuronale Schaltungen

The present post-doctoral thesis covers 14 original publications, which result from my work as research assistant between 2011 and 2015 at the Institute of electrical engineering at the technical faculty of the Christian-Albrecht university at Kiel. During this time my research work was strongly guided by the question how to understand memory and learning in brains and how we can build up non-biological systems, which function similar to those. In particular, I focused on the usage of new non-volatile memory technologies and electronic circuits for neuromorphic systems. Thus, the development of non-volatile devices and electronic circuits as well as biological models based on those devices is at the heart of this post-doctoral thesis

Three-dimensional (3-D) seismic imaging of conduits and radial faults associated with hydrothermal vent complexes (Vøring Basin, Offshore Norway)

Here, we document a suite of radial faults associated with hydrothermal vent complexes in the Vøring Basin, offshore Norway. These complexes have pyramid-shaped, cylindrical- and conical-shaped conduits, with a dome-, or eye-shaped morphology at their summit, intruding on Paleogene sedimentary rocks. Hydrothermal vents are intimate with the tips of magmatic sills that were emplaced at depths ranging between 1800 and 5800 ms Two Way Travel Time (TWTT). At shallower depths of 1800 to 3000 ms TWTT and intermediate depths of 3000 to 5000 ms TWWT, magmatic sills regularly intersect the lower parts of the vent conduits, which are characterized here as pipes. An important parameter that is used to characterize the morphology of a hydrothermal vent conduit is the width of the conduit, which is defined as the longest axis marking the extent of the vents' conduit within the surrounding host-rock strata. Our findings reveal that radial faults are commonly associated with the summits of hydrothermal vents, implying the existence of local stress fields around the vents, where the maximum compressive stress is radial and minimum stress is circumferential, which overrides the regional stress field and indicate variable stress regimes as opposed to tectonic faults. Importantly, circumferential stretching due to catastrophic plumbing of hydrothermal fluids, differential compaction and intensive fracturing enabled the polygonal faults to realign in a radial pattern resulting in the formation of radial faults at the vent summit. As a corollary of this work, we hypothesize that pyramid-shaped hydrothermal conduits are possibly markers of protracted sill emplacement in sedimentary basins

Comparative study of different manufactuers with respect to their supply chain management

Supply Chain Management is the networking and supervision of business practices across the various organizational structures that form the supply chain. It is presumed that different manufacturing industries have individualized ways of measuring their supply chain key performance indicators, and these KPIs differ based on the types of industries, the product and services they offer, supply chain structure and supply chain challenges. The areas of interest in data collection are how their key performance indicators are evaluated, their supply chain operation processes, strategies and how the key variables influence the supply chain performance. By comparative analysis, the results indicated similarities between the supply chain management processes, strategies and KPIs evaluation method between the furniture manufacturing industry and automotive engine industry. Employing various tables, charts, and ordinary least square regression model, with the aid of IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), this research shows that the two key variables, Lead time and Inventory level affect the supply chain system’s performance

Integrated Multi-Elemental Soil Geochemical Survey as a Tool in Geological Mapping in the Tropics: A Case Study of Songbe Area of Osun State, West Africa

Soil geochemical survey of Songbe area, a typical tropical environment of Nigeria was carried out to determine the concentrations and distribution patterns of trace elements in order to decipher the underlying geology in the area, as a complimentary tool to geological mapping, especially in areas with little or no rock exposure. The soil samples were collected by driving a 1-meter auger down to a depth of 50 - 80 cm into the ground after removing the top soil, to ensure adequate penetration into the “B-horizon”. The samples were air-dried at room temperature for four weeks. Each sample was disaggregated gently with porcelain mortar and pestle. The pestle and mortar were washed and dried after each sample is processed to avoid inter-sample contamination. The samples were subjected to standard preparation and treatment prior to geochemical analyses determined by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) method on a PANalytical Axios Wavelength Dispersive spectrometer and LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablaser Inductively coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) method  at the Central Analytical Facility (CAF) of Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The point location maps were plotted using ArcView-Gis.The location point symbol map of each of the elements analysed revealed diverse patterns of distribution and showed considerable variations from one area to the other. Some of these distribution patterns did not perfectly correspond with the inferred geological boundaries, especially in areas with thick overburden. The point symbol maps of magnesium, iron, nickel and chromium (Mg, Fe, Ni and Cr) revealed anomalous and relatively high values in some areas underlain by quartzite, whereas anomalous and relatively high values of these ferromagnesian minerals are expected dominantly in areas underlain by mafic or ultramafic rocks. The symbol maps of tantalum and thorium showed dominantly low values for areas deduced to be underlain by charnockite with relatively high concentrations for pegmatitic bodies.The integration of the interpreted soil data with the point symbol maps of element concentrations superimposed on the produced geological map showed that most of the inferred rock boundaries were overestimated or underestimated and some mineral occurrences were yet to be accounted for. Hence, it was concluded that multielemental chemical analyses using soil as sampling media is a vital tool to delineate underlying geology in the tropics and is also an aid to geological mapping DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-5-03 Publication date:July 31st 2023