Inhibition of Germination and Growth Behavior of Some Cowpea Varieties Using Neem (Azadiracta Indica) Leaf Water Extracts

The experiment was conducted to observe the inhibitory effects of the leaf extract derived from neem (Azadiracta indica) on germination and growth behavior of some cowpea varieties (receptor). Experiments were set on sterilized petridishes with a photoperiod of 24 hours at room temperature of 27-30oC. The effects of the different concentrations of aqueous extracts were compared with distilled water (control). The aqueous extracts of leaf caused significant inhibitory effects on germination, root and shoot elongation and development of lateral roots of treated plants. Bioassays indicated that the inhibitory effect was proportional to the concentrations of the extract, as concentration increased the extent of inhibition also increased. The study also revealed that inhibitory effect was much pronounced in root and lateral root development rather than germination and shoot growth.Keywords: Neem, Allelopathic effect, Leaf extract, Germination, Growth behavio

Effects of ground granulated blast furnace slag and pulverized fuel ash on rheology of concrete

The rheology of concrete containing Pulverized Fuel Ash (PFA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) has been scarcely studied and reported, despite their increase application as Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) that drives improvement of sustainability of the construction industry. This work studied the effect of these SCMs and Superplasticizer proportions on rheological properties of concrete using rate controlled concrete rheometer. Two groups of mixes containing replacement or addition on mass basis using either PFA or GGBS or their combinations were derived from the control mix. The dynamic yield stress, plastic viscosity and 28 day compressive strength of the control mix are 1258 Pa, 6 PaS, and 40.5 MPa respectively. The results of the rheology tests of the various binary mixes (PFA and Portland cement) and ternary mixes (Portland cement, PFA and GGBS) structural concrete shows wide disparity in the measured rheological parameters. The results show that the decrease in dynamic yield stress of the ternary mix containing 20% GGBS is 4.1%, whereas the decrease in dynamic stress of the ternary mix containing 20% PFA is 35.9% compared to the control ternary mix. The high volume Portland cement replaced ternary concrete can therefore be effectively characterized as a workable and pumpable concrete. Keywords: Rheology, PFA, GGBS, superplasticizer, concrete

Effects of time of meat purchase on the level of microbial contamination of beef from retail points in Samaru market, Zaria-Nigeria

The meat retail selling points are the major places where people usually purchase meat from morning through to evening at retail points in Samaru, Zaria. A total of 100 meat samples were collected from five different retail meat selling points in Samaru market Zaria, Kaduna state. Twenty samples were obtained from each retail point (10 samples in the morning and 10 in the evening). The meat samples were tested for total aerobic and coliform plate counts to determine the effect of time on the level of microbial contamination. The result of the study shows that there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between the aerobic plate counts of samples obtained in the morning and those of samples obtained in the evening. Similarly, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between the total coliform counts of the morning and evening samples. This suggests that there were increases in both total aerobic and coliform plates counts from the morning samples compared to evening samples. The minimum aerobic plate counts (6.0 log10 CFU/g) obtained exceeded the permissible value of (5.7log10 CFU/g) while minimum coliform counts (4.7 log10 CFU/g) exceeded the permissible value of (2.7 log10 CFU/g). This is of serious public health concern. It was concluded that there were increases in level of total aerobic and coliform counts in the meat samples obtained in the evening compared to those obtained in the morning and the minimum counts of both aerobic and coliform counts in morning and evening samples exceeded the minimum acceptable level in all the five retail points. The study demonstrated that it is better to purchase meat from retail points in the morning than evening because of the observed increase in microbial loads in the evening samples which increases the chances of meat-borne infection to consumers.Keywords: Aerobic, coliform counts, meat, retail points

Effect of Nanosilica on Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Cement Mortar

Recently, nanomaterials (such as nanosilica) are receiving special attention because of their ability to improve the performance of concrete compared with traditional mineral admixtures. In this work, a number of specimens were prepared to study the behavior of cement mortar containing nanosilica. The cement replacement by nanosilica of 3% and 5% by weight of cement was used. The mechanical and microstructural properties of the specimens were investigated. An experimental result from literature was utilized to predict the transport of chloride into reinforced concrete structures modified with nanosilica using COMSOL multiphysics commercial package. The experimental results show that cement mortars containing nanosilica have higher strength than ordinary portland cement mortars. Also, the SEM images confirmed the improvement in the microstructure of mortar with nanosilica

Serological Screening for Ante-Natal Toxoplasmosis in Maiduguri Municipal Council, Borno State, Nigeria

Toxoplasma gondii infection causes devastating defects including,  blindness, neurological impairment and mental retardation in congenitally infected children. Congenital infection occurs when a woman becomes infected during pregnancy; and the severity of the illness is related to the trimester period. This research was designed to evaluate the  seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis amongst pregnant women (n=90) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (Cortez Diagnostics Inc. USA). A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data. A significant (x2 Cal 233.0/ x2 tab 124.1, p=0.01) overall prevalence of 22.2% (20/90) was obtained. Pregnant women within 25-29years had the highest prevalence of 33.3% (3/9); this was significant (x2 Cal 35.85/ x2 tab 9.21, p=0.01). An association between high levels of toxoplasma IgG and miscarriage was established in four of twenty five women who had suffered miscarriage (t cal 5.3/t tab 2.81, p=0.01). The results presented indicate that toxoplasmosis is a significant public health burden in the area of study, which requires drastic remedial measures.Key words: Toxoplasmosis, pregnant women, miscarriage, Nigeria L’infection de Toxoplasma gondii provoque des malformations dévastatrices, y compris, la cécité, des troubles neurologiques et un retard mental chez les enfants infectés congénitalement. L'infection congénitale se produit quand une femme est infectée au cours de la grossesse, et la gravité de la maladie est liée à la période de trimestre. Cette recherche a été conçue pour évaluer la séroprévalence de la toxoplasmose chez les femmes enceintes (n = 90) à l'aide de dosage immunoenzymatique (ELISA) (Cortez Diagnostics Inc. USA). Un questionnaire structuré a été utilisé pourrecueillir des données socio- démographiques. Une prévalence importante globale de 22,2 % (20/ 90) a été obtenu (p =0,01). Les femmes  enceintes dans les tranche d’âge25- 29 ans ont eu la plus forte prévalence de 33,3 % (3/9)qui était significative (p = 0,01). Une association entre des niveaux élevés de Toxoplasme IgG et fausse couche a été établie dans quatre des vingt-cinq femmes qui avaient subi une fausse couche (p = 0,01). Les résultats présentés indiquent que la toxoplasmose est un problème de santé publique dans cette localité, ce qui nécessite des mesures correctives drastiques.Mots clés: Toxoplasmose, femmes enceintes, fausses couches, Nigeria

Risk factors of prelabor rupture of membranes at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri: A cross‑sectional study

Background: Prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) is a common obstetrics problem associated with maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.Patients and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study to determine the risk factors for PROM among women presenting to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri. It was conducted between 1st May 2016 and 28th February 2017. Sociodemographic and obstetrics variables were obtained from the patients, and risk factors such as previous preterm delivery, previous PROM, miscarriages, fever, abnormal vaginal discharge, urinary tract infection, abdominal distension, trauma, and coitus were sought. For each patient, an endocervical swab, high vaginal swab, and urine samples were taken for microbacteriologic studies. The next patient without PROM is used as control. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. A total of 258 (129 with PROM and another 129 without PROM) were analyzed.Results: The mean age, gestational age, and parity were 27 ± 6 years, 33 ± 0.3 weeks, and 1 ± 0.92, respectively. A majority of the women (55%) had parity between 1 and 4. Term PROM recorded the highest frequency [49 (37.9%)]. Previous history of PROM [odds ratio (OR) 5.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.31–11.62], history of Preterm Delivery (OR 3.26, 95% CI: 1.16– 9.19), low socioeconomic status (OR 1.95 95%, CI: 1.15–3.31), and genitourinary infection are highly predictive of PROM.Conclusion: The modifiable or treatable risk factors should be addressed during the antenatal care to reduce the risk of PROM. High-risk patients should be counseled and monitored closely to optimize pregnancy outcomes.Keywords: Maiduguri; morbidity; mortality; prelabor rupture of membranes; risk factor

Kaposi sarcoma coexisting with new onset diabetes mellitus in a 42-year old KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT: A CASE REPORT

Renal allograft recipients develop several complications such as infections and neoplasms. New onset diabetes mellitus is a common transplant complication but rarely coexist with Kaposi sarcoma. Case report: We report the case of a 42-year-old banker who presented with polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, weight loss and dark spots in the lower limbs 8 months after he had received a live-related kidney transplant in India. He is not a known diabetic and had no family history of diabetes mellitus. His post-transplant immunosuppressive drugs included Myfortic® (mycophenolate), tacrolimus and prednisolone. At presentation he was wasted, dehydrated and afebrile, with multiple hyperpigmented nodules and plaques in both his lower limbs. Random blood glucose was 38mmol/l, had 2+ glucosuria and no ketones. Biopsy of skin lesions showed features of Kaposi sarcoma. A diagnosis of post-transplant diabetes mellitus and Kaposi sarcoma was made. His treatment included soluble insulin and antibiotics. Tacrolimus was changed to sirolimus and mycophenolate was reduced to 360mg twice daily. Conclusion: Coexistence of diabetes mellitus and karposi sarcoma occurs rarely among kidney transplant recipients. Evaluation of transplant recipient who developed diabetes for malignancies such as karposi sarcoma will improve patient and graft survival

ANN and GIS-assisted methodology for wind resource assessment (WRA) in Sarawak

Wind energy is a reliable, clean source and has emerged as one of the dependable, and the best performing developing renewable energy around the world. It has insignificant environmental impacts, compared to other energy sources. In Sarawak, Malaysia, wind resource varies depending on the location. An inadequate number of wind stations are the major obstacles that slow down the growing of green energy in the region. Site selection is a crucial issue for potential investors and policy makers. This paper examines the spatial distribution and the amount of potential wind power and energy densities for wind energy production and suitable locations in Sarawak. A geographical Information System (GIS) assisted methodology, which includes wind speed, power and energy densities using the existing wind station and based on the newly developed prediction model called topographical neural network (TNN) were used. Kriging interpolation was employed for a simple interpolation of data between locations. The results show that the northeast, northwest and coastal regions have better prospects of wind energy. The studied GIS methodology can be applied for identification of the most suitable locations for wind energy harvesting. The developed maps can further be used in micro-siting and economic evaluation analys

Effects of Sesame Straw Ash as a Substitute for Cement on Strength Characteristics of Concrete

Concrete is broadly used as a building material across the globe, and its use is raising the need of cement in the construction industries. High price of cement and environmental debasement are the driving problems forcing the researchers to come up with alternative materials from large volumes of agricultural wastes as a partial replacement for cement. This study aims at recycling agricultural waste ash (i.e.  Sesame straw ash) as a substitute for cement in the production of sustainable and environmentally friendly greener concrete. Preliminary tests on constituent materials were conducted in order to find out their physical properties. Influences of sesame straw ash (SSA) on cement paste were looked into for addition of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 % by weight of cement. The Compressive and flexural strengths as well as the slump of concrete made with different portions of SSA (i.e. 0 – 25 %) were investigated. A 100 mm cubes and 100 mm X 100 mm X 450 mm beams of SSA-concrete were tested for compressive and flexural strengths at 3, 7, 28, 56 and 90 days of curing in line with procedure outlined in BS 1881-116: (1983) and BS 1881-118: (1983) respectively. The outcomes of the workability test show that as the portion of SSA increases the workability a fresh concrete decreases, but consistency, setting times, and soundness of SSA-cement paste increase as the portion of SSA increases. However, the strengths of SSA-concrete increase as the duration of curing increases, and decrease as the portion of SSA increases. It was detected that the strength of concrete produced with 10 % SSA content was beyond the designed strength of 20 N/mm2 at 28 days of curing. In addition, the densities of SSA-concrete samples fall within the limits of 2200 kg/m3 to 2600 kg/m3. Finally, it was concluded that the maximum amount of SSA to be used should not exceed 10 % replacement in concrete production

Hybrid Wind Speed Prediction Model Using Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) and Gradient Boosted Machine (GBM)

Before sitting a wind turbine, reliable wind speed prediction is prerequisite requirements that must be performed in order to get optimum energy yield. Single model has a lot of constraints in terms of prediction accuracy, to solve this persistent problem, this paper presents the application of hybrid model based on IMF and GBM so as to predict the wind speed in the areas with limited or absent of data. In the first place, the observed wind speed was decomposed into six using IMF in order to reduce ill-define stochastic nature of wind speed. The decomposed wind speed was used to train, test and validate the model developed GMB model which was developed in a Matlab environment. The final predicted values are obtained by summing all the individual prediction sub models. Wind speed data observed in the existing wind stations in Sarawak for a period of 1 year from 2017 to 2018 were used for the simulation. The model implementation confirmed that the proposed model is robust and capable to predict wind speed in remote and rural areas. A comparison with conventional method (ARIMA) was further investigated, the results showed the superiority of the new hybrid model over ARIMA