Effect of Processing Parameters on Solvent Oil Expression from Loofah Seeds (Luffa cylindrica L.) using Response Surface Methodology

Luffah cylindrica plant grows in the wild, around uncompleted buildings and fenced walls. The percentage oil composition of its seeds is about 30% oil. The research focused was the extraction oil from loofah seed using a solvent extraction methodology. Optimum conditions for oil extraction were determined using Response Surface Methodology of Central Composite Rotatable Design. A total of 20 experimental runs were used to investigate the optimum condition considering three independent variables at five levels each: extraction temperature (55, 60, 65, 60, 75ºC), seed/solvent ratio (0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08 g/ml) and extraction time (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 hr.). An empirical model equation that could be used to forecast oil yield as a function of the independent variables was developed. The optimum oil yield obtained was 27.43% at the extraction temperature (74.05ºC), seed/solvent ratio (0.05 g/ml) and extraction time (5.35hr). The analysis of variance showed that extraction temperature and time had significant effect on oil yield (p = 0.05). The interaction of the independent variables with oil yield gave R2 and R2 adj. values of 0.98 and 0.93, respectively. The result showed that the selected independent variables had a significant effect on oil yield, thus an optimum condition was established

Third World Firms in Third World Countries

The emergence of trans-national firms based in third world countries operating in other developing countries is a growing phenomenon of late. The literature on multinationals which usually focuses on investment from the developed countries, is yet to catch up on this new trend. The few studies to date indicate that this new category of multinationals has several distinct characteristics which distinguish them from the trans-national firms based in developed countrie

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Identification of Antiangiogenic Phytochemicals in Aframomum danielli K. Schum: An In silico Study

Aframomum danielli is one of the African spices used in folklore medicine for the management of several diseases. This study identified the phytochemical components present in the n-hexane seed extract of the A. danielli by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and also evaluated the antiangiogenic potential of the identified phytochemicals by performing molecular docking against human Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) using Molegro Virtual Docker. The GC-MS analysis identified the presence of phytochemical components β-Caryophyllene (RT: 18.479), α-Caryophyllene (RT: 19.189), (4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl methyl ketone (RT: 22.976), N-Acetyl-m-aminobenzoic acid (RT: 31.651) and 3-Pyridineacetic acid (RT: 32.446). (4-Hydroxy- 3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl methyl ketone were the strongest binding ligand (-65.744 kcal/mol for VEGF) and (- 99.7836kcal/mol for MMP) while β-Caryophyllene was the weakest binding ligand. These compounds showed relative strong docking to VEGF with docking energies comparable to an anticancer drug, bevacizumab (-77.883kcal/mol for VEGF) and (-109.021kcal/mol for MMP). This in silico molecular docking study has shown that these phytochemical components could be responsible for antiangiogenic properties of A. danielli

Determination of Some Mechanical Properties of Almond Seed Related to Design of Food Processing Machines

In this study, some selected mechanical properties of red and white varieties of Almond seeds grown in Nigeria were determined using Testometric M500 – 100AT machine. The fracture force, compressive strength, deformation at yield for red varieties were 2679.40 ± 580.29 N, 408.70 ± 41.90 N/mm2 and 7.03 ± 0.65 mm respectively. The values obtained for the white varieties were 2843.90 ± 330.22 N, 396.20 ± 49.40 N/mm2, and 7.27 ± 0.46 mm. The determined engineering properties are vital for the design of postharvest handling and processing systems for Almond seeds as statistical test showed that there are significant differences (at 5% level) between the engineering properties of the two seeds studied

Determination of Some Mechanical Properties of Almond Seed Related to Design of Food Processing Machines

In this study, some selected mechanical properties of red and white varieties of Almond seeds grown in Nigeria were determined using Testometric M500 – 100AT machine. The fracture force, compressive strength, deformation at yield for red varieties were 2679.40 ± 580.29 N, 408.70 ± 41.90 N/mm2 and 7.03 ± 0.65 mm respectively. The values obtained for the white varieties were 2843.90 ± 330.22 N, 396.20 ± 49.40 N/mm2, and 7.27 ± 0.46 mm. The determined engineering properties are vital for the design of postharvest handling and processing systems for Almond seeds as statistical test showed that there are significant differences (at 5% level) between the engineering properties of the two seeds studied.&nbsp

Urban crime prevention and adaptation measures in Ilorin, Nigeria

The current high rate of crime in Nigeria, which is attributed largely to high population growth, rapid rate of urbanization and a correspondingly high rate of impoverishment among the population owing to the disproportionate growth of the national economy, is fast making urban centers in Nigeria unsafe. With a police force that is short in capacity, urban residents have adopted safety measures to prevent and adapt to the increase in crimes in their residential neighbourhoods. Using a combination of primary and secondary data from a medium-sized city that reflects the attributes of the typical Nigerian urban centers, this study appraised the effectiveness of these prevention and adaptation measures. Among several identified measures, the use of fences and gates around buildings proved to be the most effective measure against the eight commonly identified crimes in the study area. The study concludes that the usage of this measure should form part of the building approval process by the relevant physical planning authorities in Nigeria.Keywords: Crime, Residential Neighbourhoods, Spatial Pattern, Crime Prevention, Nigeri

Changes in Testes Lipid Profile in Rats Fed on Thermally-Oxidized Soya bean Oil-Based Diets

The effect of thermally–oxidized soyabean oil–based diets on the lipid profile of the testes of rats was studied. For 35 days, two groups of male weanling rats were fed a basal diet containing unoxidised and oxidized soyabean oil. Rats fed the thermally oxidized soyabean oil diets displayed typical signs of essential fatty acids (EFA) deficiency and had their testes weights reduced to about 81% of fats fed unoxidised soyabean oil diets. There was a significant decrease (

Effects of Stevioside on oxidative DNA damage in liver and kidney of High Fat Diet Induced type 2 diabetes in Rats

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most prevalent form of diabetes and it has been reported to be associated with oxidative stress-induced cellular dysfunction including diabetic nephropathy. Stevioside (STV), a natural non-caloric sweetener refined from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, has been reported for its insulinotropic and antihyperlipemic effects. In order to investigate the influence of STV on oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage, high fat-low streptozocin rat model of T2DM were treated orally with 0.125mg/Kg, 0.25mg/Kg and 0.50mg/Kg body weight of STV for 21days. The levels of plasma insulin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP IV) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay while other biomarkers of T2DM, organ function, oxidative stress and lipid profile were assayed spectrophotometrically. DNA damage in the liver and kidney was determined by assessing the internucleosomal DNA fragmentation pattern on agarose gel electrophoresis. STV treatment resulted in decrease in the levels of fasting plasma glucose, insulin and DPP IV as well as in the activities of plasma amylase and kidney angiotensin-converting enzyme. STV also significantly (p<0.05) improved plasma lipid profile and oxidative stress in the liver and kidney of the diabetic rats, with rats treated with 0.50mg/kg STV having the lowest levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in liver and kidney. There was also a concomitant decrease in the fragmentation of genomic DNA in the liver and kidney of the diabetic rats. This ability of STV, administered orally, to prevent oxidative DNA damage in the liver and kidney of type 2 diabetic rats should contribute to its use in the management of T2DM