ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBIOGRAM OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS ISOLATED FROM MILK OF COW, GOAT AND SHEEP

Bacteriological analyses of the milks of cow, sheep and goat were conducted in Keffi, North-Central Nigeria. The bacteriological analyses revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella spp. This study also revealed a total heterotrophic count, total faecal count and coliform count (×104cfu/ml) in the cow, sheep and goats milk to be 4.8, 1.0 and 2.9; 4.5, 0.6 and 2.5; 3.6, 0.4 and1.6 respectively. However, rate of occurrences of the respective isolates indicate varying degree of occurrences. E. coli and Salmonella spp. had the highest occurrences of 86.7% each. Percentage occurrence in descending order is in the order: Staphylococcus aureus (80.0%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (73.3%), P. aeruginosa (66.7%), then Proteus vulgaris (33.3%)&nbsp

Effects of salinity on the onset of elastic turbulence in swirling flow and curvilinear microchannels

Elastic turbulence, which is sensitive to geometry and polymer rheology, has shown great potential for improving the performance of mixing, heat transfer, and even oil recovery. Recent studies showed the importance of the rheological properties of polymer solutions on the onset of elastic turbulence. However, variations of rheological properties based on polymer sensitivities such as salinity and its corresponding effects on the elastic turbulence have not been revealed. This work investigated systematically the effects of salinity on the onset of elastic turbulence in both swirling flow and curvilinear microchannels. The variations of statistical properties, such as probability distribution functions (PDFs) and power spectral density of injected power (PSD), were analyzed for characterization. The onset conditions of elastic turbulence are postponed by high salinity, which is consistent with the mixing performance in a curvilinear microchannel. A salinity independent power-law exponent at a value of −4.3 is observed in a fully developed elastic regime for all polymer solutions. Particularly, the diffusion of fluorescein at a low flow rate in the microchannel is possible due to the existence of a steady secondary flow before the onset of elastic instability

Prevalence of HIV-infection among under-5 children with protein energy malnutrition presenting at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: HIV infection is a major health problem worldwide. It is  associated with Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM) among under-5 childrenwith attendant high morbidity and mortality.Objective: To determine the prevalence of HIV-infection among children presenting withvarious subtypes of PEM.Methodology: Children suffering from PEM aged below 5 years admitted into the Paediatric units of UDUTH, Sokoto between October 1st, 2010 and April 30th, 2011 were tested for HIV infection using ELISA tests and HIVDNAPCR. Nutritional status was determined using the modified Wellcome Classification and socioeconomic classification was by the scheme developed by Oyedeji,s. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 statistical package. P-value . 0.05 was considered significant.Results: One-hundred under-5 children (64 males, 36 females) with PEM were studied. The mean (±SD) age was 19.8&#177 9.2 months and the majority were aged 12.0-23.9 months. Twentyseven of the 100 children withPEM had HIV-infection giving a prevalence rate of 27%: 59.3% in males and 40.7% in females. Among the HIV-infected children, the 24.0 . 35.9 months age group was the most affected (53.8%). Infected and non-infected children were comparable in terms of age (χ2=7.35, p=0.12) , gender (χ2=0.36, p=0.55) and socioeconomic (χ2=3.01, p=0.25). Themode of transmission was maternal to child transmission in all cases. The highest prevalence of HIV infection was found among marasmus subgroup (65%). Twenty-two (81.5%) of the 27 cases were discharged home, whilefive patients died giving a case fatality rate of 18.5%.Conclusion: HIV infection is common among under-5 children with PEM with no age, gender or socioeconomic predilection. The clinical type of PEM most often affected is marasmus.Key words: Protein-energy malnutrition, HIV-infection, Under-

Mineralogical and Geochemical Assessment of Clay Properties of Edda, Afikpo Sub Basin Nigeria for Possible Use in the Ceramics Industry

Clay samples from selected part of Edda were analyzed to identify the clay mineral types present, their chemical and physical properties with a view to appraising their industrial suitability as ceramic materials. The mineralogical and geochemical analyses were done using the principles of X-Ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence respectively. A total of seven clay samples were used for the study, other tests such as plasticity, bulk density, shrinkage, loss on ignition (LOI) and water absorption capacity was carried out to determine the amount of water absorbed under specified conditions. The basic industrial properties assessment showed that more than 70% of the clays are fine-grained. The clays exhibited low to moderate plasticity, moderate shrinkage and bulk density, low to moderate values of both loss on ignition and water absorption capacity. The clays are buff to yellowish in colour. The results of x-ray fluorescence revealed that the mean concentration of major oxide in the clays is shown as follows: SiO2 (62.78%), Al2O3 (20.25%), total Fe (6.09%), CaO (0.56%), MgO (3.21%),Na2O (0.47%), K2O, (1.44%) and TiO2 (0.52%).The samples have high silica content, low alumina and low oxide content. The results of x-ray diffraction revealed that kaolinite is the dominant clay mineral with illite and montmorillonite occurring in subordinate amounts, while quartz and feldspar are the non-clay components present. The characteristics of the clays for each parameter were compared with industrial standards.These properties are appropriate for the Afikpo clays to be useful in the manufacturing of ceramics. However, since the silica content of the clays is high further beneficiation is recommended

Onfarm evaluation of maize varieties in the transitional and savannah zones of Ghana: determinants of farmer preferences

Maize is one of the most important food crops in Ghana even though its production has not reached self sufficiency levels. Drought and striga infestation are among the most important production constraints of maize in Ghana. Promising high yielding, drought and striga tolerant maize varieties are being evaluated by CSIR and IITA in participatory on-farm trials and demonstrations. These varieties however need to meet farmers’ varietal preferences in order for them to adopt. This study therefore sought to assess farmers’ preference for the different drought tolerant maize varieties, and determine factors that influence their choices. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to test the level of agreement between farmers on their preferences. The ordered logistic regression was used to estimate the determinants of farmer’s preference using cross-sectional observations from 120 maize farmers in the Transitional and Savannah zones of Ghana. Results indicate that maize varieties that are early maturing (2.38) and drought tolerant (2.45) were most preferred by farmers. Area under maize cultivation, fertilizer usage and family size are the factors that were found to influence farmers’ preference for improved maize varieties. These factors should therefore be considered in varietal promotion

On-site underground background measurements for the KASKA reactor-neutrino experiment

On-site underground background measurements were performed for the planned reactor-neutrino oscillation experiment KASKA at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata, Japan. A small-diameter boring hole was excavated down to 70m underground level, and a detector unit for $\gamma$-ray and cosmic-muon measurements was placed at various depths to take data. The data were analyzed to obtain abundance of natural radioactive elements in the surrounding soil and rates of cosmic muons that penetrate the overburden. The results will be reflected in the design of the KASKA experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, final version for publication. Table 1 and Fig.5 have change

Statistical Modeling and Optimization of Biodiesel Production from Azadirachta Indica (Neem) Using Co-Solvent Technique

In this work, statistical modeling and optimization of biodiesel production from Azadirachta Indica(neem) using co-solvent technique via a two-step transesterification process was carried out. Neem oil was extracted from neem seeds and properties such as moisture content, specific gravity, acid value, saponification value and iodine value were determined. The experimental design used was Central Composite Design. The range of factor levels used for the Central Composite Design were reaction temperature (30°C to 46°C), catalyst amount (0.8% to 1.2%, w/w), reaction time (20 to 40min) and methanol-to-oil molar ratio (5:1 to 9:1). The co-solvents used were methanol and diethyl ether. The co-solvent-to-methanol volume ratio for all the experimental runs was kept constant at 1:1. Also the biodiesel produced was characterized for some important properties including acid value, specific gravity, saponification value, iodine value, cetane number, ester value, kinematic viscosity, flash point, pour point and cloud point. Optimized biodiesel yield of 84.77% was obtained for reaction time of 35 min, catalyst amount of 1.10g, reaction temperature of 34°C, and oil-to-methanol molar ratio of 6:1. The cetane number (51.733), specific gravity (0.8881g/cm3), flash point (134oC) and kinematic viscosity (5.86mm2/s) of the produced biodiesel met the ASTM specifications. The results of characterization of the biodiesel revealed that biodiesel can be produced at lower reaction conditions and with comparable fuel property with biodiesel produced using conventional methods