Influence of Varietal Difference on Qualities of Osmosized Tomato in the South Western Nigeria

Mechanism of mass transfer phenomena of three major varieties available in the South-western Nigeria market are Roma-VF Koledowo and Ibadan-Local variety. Tomato varieties pre-treated in a binary (sugar and salt) osmotic solution of three solution concentration; three temperature; five osmotic time and fruit to solution ratio 1:10 was studied by developing a conceptual model to describe the Water Loss and Solid Gains. Initial moisture content was determined using the AOAC standards. Statistical analyses of the data within and across varieties were carried out. This study therefore investigated the effect of varietal difference on the qualities of osmosized tomato i.e. the highest water loss and least solid gain. Effect of pretreatment varies with variety with a mean water loss range value of 0.2615-0.3031. Water-loss and Solid gain were significant (p?0.05) for all variables considered. Koledowo with the thickest skin had the least owing to its ability to allow moisture migration Keywords: Water loss, Solid gain, Osmotic time, Varietal difference, Pretreatmen

The subcellular distribution of myeloid-related protein 8 (MRP8) and MRP14 in human neutrophils

BACKGROUND: Myeloid-related protein 8 (MRP8) and MRP14 are S100 family calcium binding proteins that form a heterodimer known as calprotectin or MRP8/14 that is present in the cytosol of neutrophils and monocytes. MRP8/14 becomes associated with endothelium at sites of monocyte and neutrophil adhesion and transmigration and induces a thrombogenic and inflammatory response by increasing the endothelial transcription of proinflamatory chemokines and adhesion molecules. The distribution of MRP8/MRP14 among neutrophil granules and plasma membranes is unclear and was investigated to better understand the role of this molecule in acute inflammation. STUDY DESIGN: Three monoclonal antibodies specific for MRP8 and MRP14 were characterized and used in immunoblotting assays of neutrophil whole cell extracts, and isolated plasma membranes, primary granules, secondary granules and cytosol. RESULTS: MRP8 and MRP14 were detected in neutrophil cytosol, plasma membrane, primary granule and secondary granule fractions. MRP8/14 demonstrated a calcium-dependent adherence to plasma membranes and primary granules and could be removed by washing with EGTA in a high ionic strength buffer. In contrast, MRP8/14 was found within the contents of the secondary granules. Activated neutrophils released secondary granules and MRP8/14. CONCLUSION: MRP8/14 is located in neutrophil cytosol and secondary granule fractions and is loosely associated with plasma membranes. MRP8/14 released with secondary granules by activated neutrophils likely binds to endothelium and plays an important role in acute inflammation

Experimental maternal treatment with dexamethasone during lactation induces neonatal testicular and epididymal oxidative stress; Implications for early postnatal exposure

Maternal treatment with dexamethasone during lactation alters reproductive functions and increases serum corticosterone in the male offspring. Excess corticosterone may induce oxidative stress. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of maternal treatment with dexamethasone during lactation on oxidative stress indices in the testis and epididymis of a male offspring. Twenty lactating dams were divided into 4 groups (n = 5). Group 1 was administered 0.02 ml/100 g/day normal saline subcutaneously at lactation days 1–21. Groups 2, 3, and 4 were administered 100 μg/kg/day dexamethasone (Dex) subcutaneously at lactation days (LD) 1–7, 1–14, and 1–21 respectively. Testis and epididymis malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were measured as markers of oxidative stress. The mean testis and epididymis MDA were significantly raised (p < 0.05) in the dexamethasone-treated groups when compared with control. This was accompanied with a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in SOD and catalase activities in these tissues in the DexLD 1–21, when compared with control. The mean total protein level of the epididymis was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in all the dexamethasone treated groups when compared with control. In conclusion, maternal treatment with dexamethasone during the first two weeks of lactation and throughout lactation may lead to increase in oxidative stress in the testis and epididymis of the male offspring of Wistar rats

Epidemiological and pathological screening of suspected cases of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Yola Modern Abattoir, Adamawa State Nigeria

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia is an important infectious disease of cattle caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides and a major constraint to cattle production in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was aimed to identify pathological and histopathological lesions identified in cattle tentatively diagnosed with CBPP at Yola Modern Abattoir, Adamawa State. A total of 9,750 cattle were examined at post-mortem for a period of six months, 110 (1.13%) had lesions suggestive of CBPP out of which seventeen (17) were randomly selected and processed for histopathology based on standard laboratory protocols. Based on sex, CBPP lesion was observed more in female 63 (1.06%) than in the male 47 (1.24%). Whereas, CBPP lesions was observed highest in White Fulani breed 68 (1.14%) followed by Cross breeds 23 (91.16%) and Sokoto Gudali 19 (1.74%) and lowest in Red Bororo 10 (1.36%). There was insignificant statistical association (P&gt;0.05) between CBPP lesions and sex and breed of cattle sampled. Age distribution of CBPP lesion was observed higher in cattle between ages of 4-7 years 79 (1.16%), followed by cattle of 1-3 years 28 (1.15%) and least in cattle less than 1 year 3 (0.60%) with significant statistical difference (P&lt;0.05) between the age groups. Histopathology lesions observed include severe congestion of pulmonary blood vessel in all the lung tissues and fibrin exudation into inter-alveolar spaces with almost all the alveoli collapsed. The bronchiolar epithelium was observed to be thickened, hyperplastic and folded, with a considerable quantity of edematous fluid and numerous inflammatory cells seen in the lumen. In conclusion, this study had demonstrated the presence of CBPP lesions in cattle in the study area. Therefore, serological screening of all cattle, stamping out policies and aggressive annual vaccination campaigns are thus recommended in the study area

Performance Comparison Between HMLP, MLP And Recurrent Networks With Applications To Carbon Monoxide Concentrations Forecasting.

This paper compares the performance of Hybrid Multilayered Perceptron (HMLP) network, Multilayered Perceptron (MLP) network and Recurrent network. These networks are used to model and forecast carbon monoxide (CO) concentration

Systematic review and meta-analysis of tuberculosis in animals in Nigeria

Animal tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious and chronic disease caused by mycobacteria belonging to theMycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in domestic and wild animals. MTBC strains infection has been confirmed in many animal species in Nigeria, including captive wildlife, cattle, dromedary camels, goats, and pigs. Despite widespread infection and the potential impact of the disease on public health, active surveillance and control strategies are absent in Nigeria. This study aimed to conduct the first comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the distribution of tuberculosis and analyze the potential moderators of infection in animals in Nigeria. Eligible studies (sixty-one (Cadmus et al., 2014) [61] prevalence and seven (Menzies and Neill, 2000) [7] case reports) were retrieved and included in the analysis. The analyses showed an overall pooled TB prevalence of 7.0% (95% CI: 6.0-8.0) comprising of infection distributed in cattle (8.0%, 95% CI: 7.0-8.0), goats (0.47%, 95% CI: 0-1.2), sheep (0.27%, 95% CI: 0.14-0.46), camels (13.0%, 95% CI: 0-47), and wildlife (13.0%, 95% CI: 9-16) respectively. The occurrence of infection was significantly moderated by the publication periods, geographical location, sample size, and detection methods. TB prevalence was heterogeneous across several predictors, with the year of publication exhibiting a higher rate (46%) of the detected heterogeneity. These findings should provide policy-relevant information to guide the design and establishment of prevention and control measures amenable to the local situations in Nigeria. © 2023 The Author(s

NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF VOLTERRA INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS BY AKBARI-GANJI’S METHOD

In this study, Akbari-Ganji’s Method (AGM) was applied to solve Volterra Integro-Differential Difference Equations (VIDDE) using Legendre polynomials as basis functions. Here, a trial solution function of unknown constants that conform with the differential equations together with the initial conditions were assumed and substituted into the equations under consideration. The unknown coefficients are solved for using the new proposed approach, AGM which principally involves the application of the boundary conditions on successive derivatives and integrals of the problem to obtain a system of equations. The system of equation is solved using any appropriate computer software, Maple 18. Some examples were solved and the results compared to the exact solutions