Comparative Costs and Returns Pattern of Small-scale Groundnut Milling of RMP-12 and Ex-dakar Varieties in Gombe Metropolis, Gombe State Nigeria

The study determined the costs and returns involved in small-scale groundnut oil processing of two varieties in Gombe metropolis. Twelve markets were purposively selected for their popularity in groundnut oil processing, where 90 processors were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and were analysed using farm budget model, profitability index and t-test analysis. The results revealed that Cost of shelled groundnut constituted the major (92.3% and 91.6%) components of processing costs (P<0.01) for RMP-12 and Ex-dakar respectively. The  gross ratios, fixed ratios and operating ratios of the two groundnut varieties were < 1, meaning that the business was profitable. Also, the returns per naira invested of the respective groundnut varieties was ₦ 0.17 ($0.0006) and ₦ 0.25 ($ 0.0009) significant (P<0.01). Although, the RMP-12 variety gave higher gross income, but the Ex-dakar variety gave higher profit of ₦ 7,428.80 ($ 26.20) per tonne per week (P<0.01). To achieve higher profit, the traders should embark on Ex-dakar variety as the main resource input. They should also have access to formal loans so as to improve productivity and efficiency. Keywords: Comparative costs, Groundnut, Small-scaleJEL Classification: D24; D6

Assessment of cotton-seed (Gossypium species) meal as ingredient in the diet of Clarias gariepinus juveniles

The effect of feeding graded levels of cotton GossypiumSpp. seed meal as an inclusion in the diet of Clariasgariepinus juveniles for growth performance was analysed in comparison with the conventional commercial fish feed. Six experimental rations formulated were cotton-seed Gossypium spp. meal replaced fish meal at graded levels of 20%, 30%, 40% 50%, and 100% and were fed to Clarias gariepinus juveniles for 56 days. The experiment was conducted in six outdoor concrete tanks in the Department of Biological Sciences Garden, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Data for each parameter were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the means for various experimental diets were compared for significant differences at 0.05% level of inclusion. The results showed that fish fed with diet contained 20% cottonseed meal (D1) gave the best Body Weight Gain (81.28g), Specific Growth Rate (2.23), and Condition Factor (1.49), while diet contained 30% cottonseed meal (D2) gave the least Weight Gain (49.67g), Specific Growth Rate (1.58) Conversion Ratio (3.64) and Condition factor (0.79). The results were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) for both growth and feed utilization parameters. Therefore, cotton-seed meal can be used as a replacement for fish meal at 20% level of inclusion. The results established significant reduction in production cost while optimal production is achieved.Keywords: Cotton-seed (Gossypium species), Diet, Growth performance, Clariasgariepinus juvenile

Cytotoxic activities of fractionated ethanol extract of the root bark of terminalia catappa and isolation of eriodictyol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction

The crushed root bark of terminalia catappa Linn was extracted using aqueous ethanol. The crude extract was suspended in water and successively partition into n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol soluble fractions. The fractions i.e.; n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water were subjected to cytotoxic activity using brine shrimp lethality bioassay and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) analyses. The cytotoxicity of the isolates were evaluated in terms of lethality concentration (LC50). Comparing the result obtained to vincristine sulphate with LC50 of 0.61 μg/ml, ethyl acetate and n-hexane fractions demonstrated a significant cytotoxic activity having LC50 value of 0.82 μg/ml and 1.21 μg/ml. The LC50 values of the water, dichloromethane and n-butanol fractions were 11.90 μg/ml, 13.25 μg/ml and 17.10 μg/ml respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction with significant activity in in-vitro cytotoxic activity and a good proton NMR profiles, was further fractionated and purified using column chromatography, preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) and the isolate obtained were characterized using spectroscopic techniques (MS, IR, 1H and 13C NMR, 1H-1H COSY and 1H-13C HSQC). We concluded that the compound isolated was eriodictyol-7- O-β-D-glucopyranoside

Quantitative determination of water soluble vitamins, minerals and proximate compositions of three varieties of beans in Bauchi State Nigeria

The quantitative determination of water soluble vitamins, minerals and proximate compositions of three varieties of beans in Bauchi State, Nigeria, was carried out in this study. Three varieties of beans which includes one of the most commonly consumed species of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) locally called Kanannade, the least consumed (most rare) specie of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) locally called gayan-gayan and soybean (Glycine max) locally called waken soya found in Bauchi State, Nigeria were analysed. Results for the determination of the proximate composition shows that soybean (Glycine max) among three different samples had the highest protein content (34.21 %), ash content (3.11 %), Crude fat (25.30 %). While Cowpea (kanannade) has the highest Carbohydrate content (58.04 %) and Cowpea (gayan-gayan) has the highest Moisture contents (12.43 %) respectively. Soya bean has the highest contents of vitamin (B1, B3, and B6) for the three water soluble vitamins analysed although the values obtained were less than the recommended dietary allowance recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the Mineral composition of the two species of cowpea beans (Vigna unguiculata), and soybean analysed, soybean had the highest content of most of the mineral elements. The concentration of potassium was found to be very much higher than all the other mineral elements that were determined in all the samples. The results from this analysis shows that the three varieties of beans analyzed were found to be rich in minerals and highly nutritious.Keywords: Vigna unguiculata, Glycine max, vitamins, minerals and proximate compositio

Solar energy potentials and benefits in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A review of substantial issues

It is a well-known fact that the fossil fuel industry has dominated the economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries during the last few decades. However, recent developments show that most of the GCC countries plan to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) in their future electrical power production. To ensure realistic increase in the share of RE in the production of electricity in the future, firm policies must be laid down with the objective to promote and market the benefit of RE to their citizens. Due to the high-solar radiation in the GCC region, the focus is now on solar energy development. This paper presents an up-to-date review of the progress made on solar energy in the GCC together with the challenges and the way forward. Some of the challenges and barriers hindering the development of RE in the GCC are in the area of technological know-how, policy development, and insufficient application of RE technology integrated in the buildings among others. Areas of improvement include promoting research and development, public/private initiatives, legislation and regulatory framework, solutions to technical issues and exchange of knowledge, scientific advice, and last but not the least is the issue of building integration with RE

Global impacts of scientific publications by academic staff: a case study of College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria

The impacts of scientific research by an individual or institution are measured using various bibliometric indices such as the h-index and citations index among others. Objective: The present study assessed the global impacts of scientific publications by academic staff of the College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri (CMS-UNIMAID) using selected bibliometric indices. Methodology: The data (demographic data, research experience, and the number of publications) of the 202 academic staff of College of Medical Sciences CMS-UNIMAID were obtained from the records submitted for the 2019/2020 annual appraisal. The h-index, citations index (CI), number of documents (ND), RG score, research interest (RI), citation/item, and citation/year of the staff were extracted from Google Scholar, Publons, ResearchGate, and Scopus using th authors search until 25 December 2020. Staff and publication online visibilities were determined. Descriptive statistics were prepared for all records obtained and subjected to appropriate inferential statistics. Results: The mean age and research experience of the staff were 45.4±9.2 and 13.9±9.6 years, respectively. The majority (p&lt;0.05) of the staff were male (85.1%), had a PhD/Professional Fellowship (61.4%), and were senior academic staff (53.5%). Atotal of 4940 publication entries were submitted for the appraisal. Only 2.5% of the staff were visible on all platforms with staff online visibility of 63.9, 55.5, 15.8, and 5.0% (p&lt;0.05) on Scopus, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and Publons, respectively. Male staff (68.0%) were more visible (p&lt;0.05) than their female counterparts (40.0%) on Scopus while senior academic staff were more visible (p&lt;0.05) than junior academic staff on all platforms except Publons. Publication online visibility was highest (p&lt;0.05) in Google Scholar (78.4%) and ResearchGate (65.9%) than Publons (28.0%) and Scopus (25.1%). The mean h-index, CI, and ND were 8.3±1.1, 401.8±97.8, and 36.2±4.9, respectively on Google Scholar and 5.0±0.4, 166.4±25.6 and 9.0±0.9, on ResearchGate. Publons showed means h-index, CI, and ND of 5.0±0.3, 77.2±13.7, and 25.6±2.1, respectively while Scopus showed 4.0±1.6, 144.4±95.3, and 14.5±6.2, respectively. In addition, the means RG score and RI were 10.0±0.7 and 113.1±15.4, respectively while the means citation/item and citation/year were 3.9±1.7 and 10.7±6.8, respectively. Conclusions: Low bibliometric indices indicate poor global impact of scientific publications from CMS-UNIMAID. Concerted efforts are required to improve the quality of research and publication through adequate funding, infrastructure, and mentorship among others

A synopsis on the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases emissions from power generation and energy consumption

Despite the looming difficult energy context in the majority of countries in the world, global change in environmental dignity resulting from power generation and energy consumption scenario is rapidly becoming a globally disturbing phenomenon. Stakeholders and environmental activists alike have been clamouring for adoption of reduction procedures using sustainable means because ignominious environmental practices have associated disastrous consequences. Increasing essential strategies are needed to fortify the pursuit for the reduction in the emissions from power generation and energy consumption. Therefore, this article presents an overview of the effects of anthropogenic energy generation and consumption practices capable of ejecting emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It also endeavors to identify some greenhouse gas emission reduction and control measures

The Midwives Service Scheme in Nigeria

Seye Abimbola and colleagues describe and evaluate their programme in Nigeria of recruiting midwives to rural areas to provide skilled attendance at birth, which is much poorer than in urban areas

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation