Farmers’ Perception of Factors Affecting Productivity in Yau Irrigation Scheme, Nigeria.

A survey of the farmers in the Yau irrigation scheme, Borno State, Nigeria was conducted in the 2005/2006 irrigation season on their views concerning the factors contributing to the declining productivity of the scheme. A structured questionnaire was used to interview 256 randomly selected farmers to obtain information on demography, cropping and farmers’ scoring of six categories of factors on a 0 to 3 Likert-type scale denoting no effect, small, big, and very big effect respectively. The factors were grouped into climatic/ecological, sociocultural, economic, competition, management/administrative and technological categories. The frequencies of the scores were subjected to chi-square analysis. The factors in the management/administrative category; high price of inputs in the economic category; unexpected drying up of the river water in the climatological/ecological category, and damming of the river upstream in the competition category were the most adversely rated by the farmers with over 80% of the respondents in each case considering them as having big to very big effects. They expressed willingness to pay economic rates for services if provided in a timely manner. Despite their low level of formal education the farmers demonstrated good understanding of their operation environment and most possess considerable experience on the scheme. Their views should therefore form valuable input into formulation and implementation of any irrigation-agency-farmer joint management programme. Such management option which includes farmer-participation is suggested in this study as an improved and sustainable management option to meet the expectation of the farmers and encourage their commitment

Growth components and Yield of \u3cem\u3eBrachiaria ruziziensis\u3c/em\u3e (Congo grass) and \u3cem\u3eCentrosema pascuorum\u3c/em\u3e (Centro) Mixtures as Influenced by Mixture Ratios, Phosphorus Levels and Stage of Harvest

This study was conducted during the 2017 and 2018 rainy season at the Crop Production Research farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi to determine the effects of plant mixture ratios in Brachiaria ruziziensis and Centrosema pascuorum (100% Sole B. ruziziensis, 75% B.R: 25% C.P, 50% B.R: 50% C.P, 25% B.R: 75% C.P and 100% Sole C. pascuorum) and phosphorus fertilizer (SSP) levels (0, 100 and 150kg/ha). The experiment was in a split-plot design with 5x3 factorial arrangement in which the mixture ratios constituted the main plots while phosphorus (SSP) levels constituted the sub treatments. Number of plants per stand ranged from 6.11 in 25% B.R: 75% C.P to 9.56 in 100% B. ruziziensis and 2.89 in 75% B.R: 25% C.P to 11.11 in 50% B.R: 50% C.P. The highest plant height for B. ruziziensis was obtained in 25% B.R: 75% C.P (38.0). Similarly, 25% B.R: 75% C.P mixture had highest plant height for C. pascuorum (45.11). However, tiller per branch per m2 ranged from 57.60 in 25% B.R: 75% C.P to 190.9 in 100 B. ruziziensis and 32.9 in 75% B.R: 25% C.P to 257.90 in 100 C. pascuorum. The mean values indicated that mixture ratios and phosphorus (SSP) levels significantly (P \u3c 0.05) increased plant height and tiller numbers in B. ruziziensis and C. pascuorum mixtures and 75% B.R: 25% C.P mixture, 150kg/ha Single Super Phosphate fertilization and sampling period at week 8 had the best plant height and tiller per branch

Focused antenatal care acceptance in northeastern region of Nigeria: clients' perspective.

Antenatal care is the medical care of the woman during pregnancy to ensure healthy outcomes for both mother and the baby. World Health Organization (WHO) recommended adoption of a new model of ANC known as Focused Ante-Natal Care (FANC), with four clinic visits during pregnancy for all the women in low risk category. Pregnant women who are at low risk of complication form about 75% of all pregnant women Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine acceptance of Focused Antenatal Care among antenatal clinic attendees in health institutions in northeastern Nigeria. Materials And Method: Focused group discussion was used as a qualitative method of data collection in 6 different health facilities. Results: Majority of the clients preferred the FANC to the old method of ANC. Some clients had already started cutting the number of ANC visits in their own way by late presentation during pregnancy. Such practices may contribute negatively to early detection and prevention of diseases during pregnancies. Conclusion: It is therefore highly recommended to fast track governments efforts towards commencement of FANC as recommended by the WHO in all the health facilities in the region in particular and the whole Nigerian nation in general

Exploring <em>Musa paradisiaca</em> Peel Extract as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel Using Factorial Design Method

The suitability ofMusa paradisiaca (banana) peel extract as a green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acidic medium (1 M HCl) was investigated using factorial method of the design of experiment. The effects of two independent variables (concentration of banana peel extract and temperature) on the corrosion inhibition efficiency were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the extract such as surface tension, viscosity, flash point, and specific gravity were determined using standardized methods provided by the American System of Testing Materials (D-971). The relationship between the independent variables and the inhibitor efficiency was modeled by gasometric and thermometric methods. The statistical analysis of the inhibition efficiency was carried out using the “Fit Regression Model” of Minitab® 17.0, while the fitness of the models was assessed by the coefficient of determination (R2) and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the results obtained, gasometric method achieved a maximum inhibition efficiency of 66.83%, with an R2 of 90.76%, whereas thermometric method gave a maximum inhibition efficiency of 65.70%, with an R2 of 95.56%. This study shows that banana peel extract has the capacity to prevent the corrosion of mild steel in acidic medium

EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS OF FACTORS REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN OGUN STATE NIGERIA

The study aimed at educational awareness of non–medical factors associated with maternal mortality reduction and to proffer policy guidelines for informed policy intervention. We analyzed secondary data from the 2010 Covenant University project on non-medical determinants of maternal mortality in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State. The study employed an informant approach questionnaire design, and information on maternal mortality was recorded from 360 eligible respondents which constituted the sample size and descriptive statistics and regression analysis were further applied. The study shows among others that majority of the respondents married between the ages of 25 and 44 with a proportion of 64.2 percent. As for the deceased spouse, an overwhelming proportion of the deceased spouses got married below 30 years (64.2%). Employment status of respondents showed that those not working registered 22.5 percent and their deceased counter parts in the same working status accounts for higher proportion (39.9). The highest level of education attained by majority of the respondents interviewed was secondary education (48.1%), followed by primary education (28.6%). For the education of their deceased spouses, it was observed that 50% of them had only primary education followed by those who attained secondary school (26.7%) and those who never went to school (19.7%). The educational attainment of the deceased was very poor when compared to their husbands in all categories. Distance is a very important factor in the utilization of health facility. Slightly above three-fourths of respondents (75.2%) have to travel 6 km and beyond to access or avail themselves this facility. Treatment costs was mainly born by the respondents (49.7%) and spouse’s relatives and friends (36.7%) Regression analysis results showed that ‘person who pays the treatment costs’ (p=0.003) and ‘place of consultation’ (p=0.000) were non-medical significant factors influencing maternal mortality reduction. The study recommends empowering and improving the status of women through better education and paid out of home employment in order to reduce maternal mortality and prompt better Safe Motherhood Initiative, Also providing educational awareness of non–medical factors associated with maternal mortality to men is likely to herald positive decision and better treatment to women from men especially during the journey of pregnancy and child birth

Prevalence and clinical forms of malaria among febrile HIV-infected children seen at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Malaria and HIV infections are major health problems facing the world today. Sub-Saharan Africa with 10 percent of world’s population harbors more than half the burden of the scourge. The present study determined the prevalence and clinical forms of malaria among febrile HIV-infected children aged 3months to 15years, seen in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study among febrile HIV-infected children and their control cohort were carried out between May and October 2016. The participants had the following investigations: malarial parasite, packed cell volume, random blood sugar, retroviral test.Results: A total of 140 febrile HIV-infected children aged 3 months to 15 years and 140 febrile HIV-negative age- and gender-matched children were recruited; 100 of the HIV-infected children were on ART and cotrimoxazole. The prevalence of malaria among the febrile HIV-infected children was 71.4% (100/140) which was significantly lower than the prevalence of 94.3% (132/140) among the control group (χ2 27.72, p=0.001). Among the febrile HIV-infected children that had malaria, 54(54.0%) had uncomplicated malaria while 46(46.0%) had severe malaria. Of the 132 controls that had malaria, 48(36.4%) had uncomplicated malaria and 84(63.6%) had severe malaria (χ2 =7.184, p=0.007).Conclusion: Malaria is a problem in HIV-infected children. Since nearly half of the febrile HIV-infected children had severe form of malaria, it is recommended that health promotion, intermittent malaria prophylaxis, early diagnosis and prompt effective treatment should be instituted for HIV-infected children. This may prevent severe form of malaria and its attendant mortality. Key words: Malaria; Prevalence and clinical forms of malaria; Febrile, HIV-infected, Sokoto state

Evaluation of Antibiotic Prescription and Utilization amongst Hospitalized Children in a Tertiary Facility in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria

Background: Antibiotics are the most widely utilized therapeutic agents. Inappropriate use causes increase cost and antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization recommends assessment of antibiotics use to guide prescribing practices. Objective: To describe the pattern of antibiotic usage among paediatric inpatients aged &gt; 1 month to 15 years in a tertiary hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria. Methods: Febrile children were recruited prospectively by systematic random sampling from January to October 2018. Socio-demographics, diagnosis, antibiotics administered were obtained from case notes. The WHO indicators of use of antibiotics were employed for evaluation. Data was analysed with SPSS version 23. Results: Out of 352 children, 318 (90.3%) received antibiotics; commonest being Ceftriaxone in 155/318 (48.7%), Cefuroxime in 74 (23.2%), and Metronidazole in 29 (9.1%). Average number of antibiotics per patient was 2.3±1.1 with treatment duration of 4.3±1.4days. Antibiotic consumption was 937.2 days of antibiotic therapy/1000 patient days (DOT/PD). Generic name was used in 92.3% while 100% of the drugs were on the essential medicine list. Frequent diagnoses were severe malaria 98/352 (27.8%), respiratory infections 39 (11.1%) and severe malnutrition in 38 (10.8%). Only 6 (1.7%) patients had microbiologic evidence of infection. Conclusion: Utilization of antibiotics is higher than recommended. There is need for improved diagnostic facilities to avoid antibiotic overuse and its consequences. Keywords: antibiotics, prescription, utilization, children, inpatients, DO

Methyl orange, an organic dye: its health impact and sorptive removal from waste water

AbstractMethyl Orange (MO) a member of Azo dyes are commonly used as synthetic dyes in textile, food, paper and cosmetics. Their use is easy and cost-effective, compared with natural dyes. However, azo bonds are hardly removed because of their high water solubility as well as low exhaustion with the potential for persistence and accumulation in the environment, therefore aqueous solution of MO is toxic and irritating. Thus, the removal of them from industrial wastewaters is capital with regard to protect public health, environment, and aquatic life