Isolation and Identification of Microorganisms from Domestic Effluent in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria

The isolation and identification of the microorganisms from domestic effluent in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike were carried out. The mean total aerobic heterotrophic plate count ranged from 6.10 ± 0.01Log10cfu/mL to 6.29 ± 0.09Log10cfu/mL, Salmonella count ranged from 2.63 ± 0.14Log10cfu/mL to 2.93 ± 0.16Log10cfu/mL, Escherichia coli count ranged from 3.63 ± 0.14Log10cfu/mL to 3.93 ± 0.20Log10cfu/mL, Vibrio cholerae ranged from 1.54 ± 0.10Log10cfu/mL to 1.87 ± 0.20Log10cfu/mL and fungal count ranged from 3.48 ± 0.33Log10cfu/mL to 3.88 ± 0.07Log10cfu/mL while the coliform count ranged from 35 ± 2.0MPN/100mL to 160 ± 5.0MPN/100mL. The microorganisms isolated and their percentage occurrence were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter species, Klebsiella species, Vibrio cholerae Aspergillus species, Rhizopus species, Penicillium species, and Trichoderma species. The results showed that the effluent samples were heavily contaminated with known pathogenic microorganisms and should therefore be treated before discharge. Keywords: contaminated, pathogenic, heterotrophic, effluents, domestic, identification, microorganisms, Umudike

Value Addition to Plantain by Women Entrepreneurs in Imo State, Nigeria

The study examined value addition to plantain by women who process it into plantain chips in southeast Nigeria. A three stage sampling technique was used to select the entrepreneurs in the area. The objectives of the study described the motivating factors of the entrepreneurs, identified and described the processes the plantain undergo to produce chips, determined the sources of startup capital, ascertained the level of net profit made at the end of production of plantain chips and   sales of the product, determined the staff strength of the entrepreneurs,  isolated the  factors that influenced net profit and identified the constraints faced by these entrepreneurs. Eighty (80) plantain chip entrepreneurs were randomly selected from major selling points in the city. A well structured questionnaire was used to elicit information for this study. Entrepreneurs motivating factors, profit and source of startup capital were measured, using frequency counts, percentages, net profit analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings showed that the motivation factors were more of antecedent variables such as education, mentors, past experience and creativity than triggering variables such as unemployment, loss of jobs and loss of one’s spouse. The enterprise employed an average of 4 workers for production and 6 sellers for distribution. The source of startup capital was from personal savings and loan from informal credit sources such as “isusu” clubs with a mean of N 86,600.50 ($687.3) as startup capital.  The business was profitable at net profit of N388, 173 ($2,488) per annum. Household size, cost of inputs such as cost of labor and packaging cost had a negative influence on the entrepreneurs’ net profit. The venture created an average of four employment opportunities in the business.  The constraints faced by the entrepreneurs were scarcity and high cost of raw materials, lack of training on budgeting, epileptic power supply, and unavailability of modern technology to enjoy economies of scale.  This study recommends that soft loans, training in business (budgeting and planning) be given to the entrepreneurs as this will help them remain in business, expand and be employers of labor which will enhance economic development of the nation. Keywords: women, entrepreneurs, processing, plantain, plantain chip

Community informatics for sustainable management of pandemics in developing countries: a case study of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Although a significant number of the human population in developing countries live in urban communities, majority of the population lives in rural areas. Developing countries, especially in their rural areas, suffer from a lack of healthcare facilities, poverty and high rate of illiteracy. Motivated by the huge socio-economic gap between the developed and the developing worlds, there have been several studies into the COVID-19 pandemic management in developing countries. However, none of these research works emphasised the health cultural beliefs of any developing economy as a basis for their recommendations. Specifically, this paper discusses the pandemic situation in Nigeria with emphasis on the prevalent health cultural beliefs of the citizens of the country, especially those living in rural communities. This is important because each local community defines a socio-ecological cluster of people who are more tightly knitted together in terms of language, relationship, culture, religion, social amenities, business, leadership and so on. As such, there is a need to prepare the socio-ecological units to be more resistant to the spread of the virus; a weaker social-ecological unit will entail a higher risk of community transmissions. With respect to the peculiarity of each local community, this paper recommends strategies for controlling and managing the pandemic in Nigeria using community informatics or grass-root computing. We argue that community informatics can empower and support policy makers and governments of developing countries such as Nigeria in combating and effectively managing a pandemic

Investigation of shear strength parameters and effect of different compactive effort on lateritic soil stabilized with coconut husk ash and lime

This paper presented the results of the shear strength parameters and compaction characteristics of lateritic soil stabilized with a combination of Lime and Coconut husk ash (CHA) in various percentages using two compaction methods namely; British standard heavy (BSH) and British standard light (BSL). Undrained triaxial test was conducted to determine shear strength parameters of the stabilized soil with confining pressures of 69kN/m2, 138kN/m2 and 276kN/m2, after preliminary tests had been carried out to determine index properties of the soil. The test was conducted on a mixture of natural soil with 4%lime, which gave least plasticity index and percentages of CHA from 0-12% by dry weight of soil. The BSL and BSH were applied on mixture of soil + 4% lime + percentages of CHA ranging from 4-20% by dry weight of soil. The most plausible improvement in maximum dry density was obtained by adding 4% lime + 12% CHA and 4% lime + 16% CHA using BSH and BSL respectively. The results also show significant improvement in angle of internal friction and cohesion of the soil at 6% and 8%CHA addition respectively.Keywords: Coconut husk ash; Compaction; Lateritic soil; Lime; Shear strength; Stabilizatio

Proximate qualities and lycopene contents of three watermelon (citrullus lanatus) fruit varieties grown with climate-smart integrated fertilizer management in sandy loam soil

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of climate-smart integrated fertilizer management on proximate qualities and lycopene contents of three watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) varieties grown in sandy loam soil. The experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka between the months of August to October 2017 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design, with three replications, three main plots (Citrullus lanatus varieties (Sugar baby, Koalack and Charleston grey)) and six sub-plots (fertilization treatments). Climate-smart integrated fertilizer considered was combination of Goat manure (GM) and Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium NPK 15: 15: 15 fertilizer which is regarded as most nutrient-rich fertilizer with climate change mitigation and adaptation potential. The study found that the pH of the watermelon varieties were statistically similar and that Charleston grey treated with 50 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 GM had the highest interactive effect on pH value which was statistically similar with 100 kg ha-1 NPK + 10 t ha-1 GM treatment. It was discovered that Koalack variety had the highest moisture contents when treated with 100 kg ha-1 NPK + 10 t ha-1 GM, crude protein content when treated with 150 kg ha-1 NPK + 5 t ha-1 GM, crude fibre content when treated with 20 t ha-1 GM, ether extract and total soluble solid contents when treated with 50 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 GM. For the lycopene content, it was found that Sugar baby variety had the highest mean value (0.61g/100g) when compared with Charleston grey and Koalack varieties. Sugar baby variety treated with 20t/ha-1 GM had highest (0.89g/100g) interactive effect when compared with other varieties and fertilizer treatments. In conclusion, the proximate qualities and lycopene contents of the three varieties increased with the increase in the amount of GM contents of the fertilizer combinations in sandy loam soil. Climate-smart integrated fertilizer improves the proximate qualities of Koalack variety and the lycopene contents of Sugar baby variety more than in other varieties grown in the same sandy loam soil. Therefore, climate-smart integrated fertilizer is recommended for the production of the identified Citrullus lanatus varieties as a nutrition sensitive production strategy in sandy loam soils by farmers in study area

Faith-based approach to improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM): challenges and successes

This paper examines faith-based organisations’ (FBOs) essential and effective approach to breaking the myths and silence surrounding menstruation, the provision of comprehensive menstrual information, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and the assessment of an initiative integrating FBOs into the structure for shattering taboos around menstruation. Whereas substantial progress has been made to evolve more decent and socially acceptable approaches to MHM in recent times, the active role of FBOs in accelerating and enhancing better MHM has not been properly appraised or harnessed in Nigeria. As an integral part of the nascent collaboration between Daniel Iroegbu Global Health Foundation and Second Chance Initiative this synergic thrust is reaching FBOs to discuss this gap in MHM programming and seek newer realities in MHM. Addressing taboos and silence around menstruation requires a multi-sect oral collaboration and response similar to the approach currently in use for HIV/AIDS and Malaria morbidity response and control in Nigeria

Nasal carriage of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among medical students of a private institution in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Nasal carriage of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major factor for its transmission especially from the health workers and medical students to their patients. There are a number of published data on the prevalence of MRSA among health workers but data on nasal colonization of medical students by MRSA are sparse in Nigeria. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA among medical students of the Ben Carson School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria, and identify risk factors associated with this nasal carriage. Methodology: A case control study involving 100 clinical (study group) and 100 pre- clinical (control group) medical students was undertaken between March 2018 and October 2019. Structured questionnaire was administered to obtain socio-demographic information and potential risk factors. Nasal swab was collected from each student and cultured for isolation of S. aureus by standard microbiology techniques. Phenotypic MRSA was detected by the cefoxitin 30μg disk diffusion method according to the guideline of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The mecA gene was detected by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Results: The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage among the study group was 14% (14/100) while the prevalence among the control group was 6% (6/100) (p=0.097). The prevalence of phenotypic MRSA among the study group was 4% (4/100) and 1% (1/100) among the control group (p=0.3687) while mecA gene was detected in 3 of the 4 (75%) phenotypic MRSA positive study participants and in the only (100%) phenotypic MRSA positive (1%) control group. Antibiotics usage without prescription, antibiotic treatment of common cold, and use of antibiotics in the previous one year, were significantly associated with MRSA carriage among the study group. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA among clinical and pre-clinical medical students was not statistically significant, the risk factors identified with carriage of MRSA among the study group indicates the need for antimicrobial stewardship program to reduce carriage and transmission of MRSA by medical students. Keywords: methicillin resistant, Staphylococcus aureus, mecA gene, nasal carriage, medical student

Multivariate Analysis of Non-Biodegradable Waste Disposal in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria.

Multivariate analysis of Non-Biodegradable Waste Disposal was conducted in Imo state, Southeast Nigeria. Data were sourced primarily through the administration of questionnaire to 180 sampled urban and rural farming households. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics as well as logit regression model. Open dumping as well as dumping in open sites were the commonest methods of disposing non-biodegradable waste in the study area. The mean size of farmlands dumped with non-biodegradable wastes was 1.08 hectares. The results of the logit regression analysis showed that residential area, manufacturing firms, nearness to road, nearness to public place, fallow length, income level, dump site and awareness should be adequately considered by farmers in locating their farmlands in the study area

Studies on the fungal flora of Garri, processed cassava (Manihot esculentus crantz) in Nsukka area of southeastern Nigeria

In Nsukka area of southeastern Nigeria, garri is usually displayed in the open market for sale which no doubt exposes the food stuff to dust particles from moving vehicles, wind and other sources. Thus, fungal spores from the air and soil environment could serve as major sources of fungal contamination of this product. Two garri types (white and yellow) were therefore sampled from six popular markets in the area which included Ogige, Nkwo-Ibagwa, Orie-Orba, Orie-Igboeze, Eke- Ozzi and Obollo-Afor markets. These samples were investigated for the presence of various species of fungi. Fungal isolates observed were: Aspergillus foetidus Thom and Raper, Aspergillus niger van Tiegh, Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Rhizopus sp. and Candida sp. The fungal isolates occurred at varying frequencies, with A. foetidus being the most frequently isolated in both white and yellow garri while A. niger had the least occurrence in both white and yellow garri. Comparatively, white garri had higher frequency of occurrence of fungal organisms than yellow garri. Food processors are therefore, advised to always clean and sanitize equipment coming in contact with food to reduce microbial contamination and also to avoid other unhygienic handling of locally marketed foods.Key words: Garri, Processed Cassava, Fungal Flora, Marihot esculemt