Effects of different types of fertilizers on plankton productivity in earthen ponds

Three fertilizer types (NPK, Super-phosphate and cow dung) were applied at two levels (Low, 0.3 kg/25m super(2)/2weeks and High, 0.7kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks) to 12 ponds with two ponds serving as control. Each pond had an area of 25 m super(2). Application of fertilizers and monitoring of plankton productivity and water quality parameters continued fortnightly for 52 days. Results obtained were subjected to Statistical Variance Analysis. The abundance of phytoplankton was in the order: Chlorophyceae > Bacillariophyceae > Cyanophyceae > Desmideaceae. While that of zooplankton followed the order: Crustacean > Rotifer > Protozoan. Primary productivity showed a variation between treatments with lowest value of 5592 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day obtained in the control and cow dung low application rates (1.5 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks). The highest value for primary productivity was obtained at M sub(2) (0.7 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks, N.P.K) with primary productivity value of 7200 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day, closely followed by M sub(4) (0.7 kg/25 m super(2)/2weeks, super phosphate) with 6792 mg/O sub(2)/m super(3)/day

Isolation and identification of E-coli 0157:H7 amongst Sudanese patients with bloody diarrhea and in animals

E.coli 0157:H7 is present as a commensal in the intestine of animals and as a pathogen in human beings. It causes bloody diarrhoea due to the secretion of a verotoxin which may lead to lethal complications.Objective: This study is aimed at determining the presence of this organism in animals and patients. Methods: Rectal swabs were collected from 250 cows. Stool specimens were obtained from 200patients presenting with macroscopically or microscopically bloody diarrhoea. All specimens were cultured on sorbitol MacConkey agar and incubated at 37°C overnight. Non-sorbitol fermenting colonies were identified by different biochemical and serological tests as E.coli 0157:H7. Antibiotic sensitivity was done for the isolates using ampicillin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, and tetracycline. Results: Patients (n = 10, 5%) with bloody diarrhoea were found to harbour E.coli 0157:H7 in their stools. All isolates (in humans) were resistant to ampicillin. Eight (80%) were resistant to tetracycline and cephalexin, six (60%) to co-trimoxazole, and four (40%) to gentamicin. All isolates were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. Sixty percent of the human isolates were resistant to three antibiotics and 40% to four antibiotics. Twenty of the cows (8%) were found to be carriers of E.coli0157:H7. All isolates (in animals) were resistant to ampicillin, five (25%) to tetracycline and cephalexin and four (20%) to co-trimoxazole. All animal isolates were sensitive to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. Thirty five percent of the animal isolates were resistant to two antibiotics and 25% to three antibiotics. Conclusion: The isolation of E.coli 0157:H7 from animals and patients should direct the attentionof physicians and paediatricians to consider the possibility of infection and complications by this organism.Key words: Antibiotic sensitivity, sorbitol MacConkey agar, serological tests

Molecular Identification of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Khartoum Teaching Hospital

Antimicrobial resistance has become a great public health problem worldwide and multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been widely reported.Methods: The presence or absence of methicillin resistance gene (mecA) in 48 clinical wound isolates of S. aureus was examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results were analyzed in parallel to the disk diffusion method by oxacillin (1 μg). Polymerase chain reaction was amplified at a sequence of mecA gene at 1319 bp.Results: Nine (18.75%) out of the 48 isolates and were found to be identical to those of disk diffusion test. All strains were studied for their susceptibility to traditionally used antibiotics. The results revealed that multi-drug resistance was common among MRSA strains. The drug of choice for the treatment of MRSA and MSSA was vancomycin.Conclusion: The study concluded that multiple antibiotic resistance was common, and the PCR assay can be used to confirm MRSA infection.Key words: MRSA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Antibiotic Susceptibility and Plasmid Profiles of Shigella species in Sudan.

This study was carried out to determine the antibiotic susceptibility, plasmid profile and conjugative abilities of Shigella species isolated from different towns in Sudan during 2005-2007.Methods: Stool specimens were collected in Carry Blair transport medium from patients presenting with diarrhea from different sites in Sudan between the years 2005-2007. All specimens were inoculated on Mac Conkey’s agar and Xylose Lysine Dioxycholate (XLD) (Mast group Ltd.Merseyside U.K.). Bacteria was isolated and subjected to different antibiotics to detect sensitivity and transference of resistance.Results: One hundred and fourteen Shigella isolates were included in the study. Eighty (70.1%) were Shigella flexeneri representing the dominant isolate, followed by 20 (17.5%) isolates of Shigella dysenteriae, 9 (7.9%) Shigella sonnei and 5 (4.5%) Shigella boydii. Most of the isolates showed resistance to streptomycin (70%), tetracycline (52%) and co-trimoxazole (43%). They were highly sensitive to norfloxacin (97%), nalidixic acid (95%), gentamicin (89%) and chloramphenicol (77%). Multi-drug resistance to two or more antibiotics was apparent in most of the isolates (64, 56.1%). Fifty nine of the resistant Shigella isolates were studied for their ability to transfer resistance to the donor E. coli K12 by conjugation. Of these, six were able to transfer resistance to streptomycin, tetracycline and co-trimoxazole. Extraction of the plasmid DNA from both donorsand trans-conjugants showed a single type of plasmid with a molecular weight of 4.6 Kb. Conclusion: The transfer of multi-drug resistant plasmids and the emergence of antibiotic Shigella and other bacterial species should raise the awareness and the seriousness of the uncontrolled (unsupervised)use of antibiotics in the medical practice.Key words: Shigella E. coli, Plasmid, conjugant, resistance transfer

Comparative Study on the Natural and Synthetic Hormones ofClarias gariepinus Broodstock

The study was carried out for six (6) weeks at the Department of Fisheries Teaching and Research farm, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, to compare the reproductive performance of Clarias gariepinus using synthetic (ovaprim) and natural (C. gariepinus pituitary extract) hormones . At the end of the feeding trial, the fecundity, percentage fertilization, hatchability, and survival rates of the hatchlings were estimated using standard procedure. The hatchlings were further raised for six weeks and the increase in weight was determined. The results showed that female broodstock injected with C. gariepinus pituitary extract (CgPE) had a higher fecundity (124,000) while the female injected with Ovaprim had 65,000 eggs. The weight of the testes significantly differed (p<0.05) across the treatments, the right lobe weighed 1.63g while the left lobe weighed 1.98g . Subsequently, a higher fertilization rate was recorded in CgPE (91.1%) while Ovaprim had 85.55% . However, Ovaprim had a higher percentage hatchability of 82.93% while CgPE had 82.73% . At the end of the six (6) weeks feeding period, the survival rate was higher in the fish treated with CgPE (82.31%) while the fish injected with Ovaprim had 79.68% . The research exposed the efficacy of using CgPE in the absence of synthetic hormone, CgPE is a preferred substitute that Hatchery managers can utilize for fingerlings production

Predictors of vaccine management practices among primary healthcare workers (PHCWs) in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria

Objective: Worldwide, vaccines are becoming more expensive as new ones are being introduced to the immunization schedule. Inspite of this, researches have revealed poor vaccine management practices among health workers. This study aimed to determine the predictors of vaccine management practices among PHCWs providing routine immunization services in static health facilities in Ilorin, north central Nigeria.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 216 intervention and 241 control groups of PHCWs using multi stage sampling technique; pretested questionnaire and an observational checklist. Data were analyzed using EPI-INFO software package. Level of significance was predetermined at a p-value of less than 0.05.Results: The mean age of study respondents was 38.5 ± 9.5 years. Factors having positive influence on vaccine management practices include prior training exposure (p = 0.001), years of experience in immunization (p = 0.012) and baseline knowledge of vaccine management (p = 0.015). In addition, regularity of supervisory visit (0.008), adequacy/regularity of vaccine supply (p = 0.001), vaccine 'bundling' (p = 0.013) and type of health facility (p = 0.005) positively influenced respondents' vaccine management practices. However, basic qualification of health workers (p = 0.096) and availability of data tools (p = 0.628) had no significant influence on respondents' vaccine management practices.Conclusion: Training exposure and years of experience in routine immunization have positive influence on vaccine management practices of PHCWs. On-the-job supervision of health workers should be conducted at least bi-annually.Keywords: Predictors, Vaccine management practices, PHCW

Hydrogeomorphic Characteristics of Urban Flood Triggers in Gombe Town, Nigeria as Monitored in 2014

Urban flooding has become a monumental yearly disaster in many of the world’s cities and Gombe town in particular. This paper focused on some hydro-geomorphological characteristics that influence flooding in Gombe town. Statistical methods and geographic information techniques were used for the assessment. The result revealed that the highest API of 166.62 mm occurred on the 5/9/2014. The rainfall amount was 92.5mm for a duration 48 minutes, average rainfall intensity was 115.63, stage height (1.42m), average flow velocity (0.98m/s), and instantaneous discharge of 9.47m3 /s. This corresponds with the flood disaster that occurred in Gombe town on the same date (5/9/2014). On the other hand, the least API of 18.12 mm occurred on the 18/6/2014. The rainfall amount was 1.2mm for 62 minutes, average rainfall intensity was 1.16, stage height (0.30m), average flow velocity (0.24m/s), and instantaneous discharge of 0.49m3 /s. findings also showed that very steep slope covered 2.4537km2 (1.78%), steep slope covered 3.60235km2 (2.61%), moderate slope (0.735574km2 or 0.53%), gentle slope (131.106km2 or 94.89%) and flat areas (0.259854km2 or 0.19%). The study recommended flood resilience technology, provision of adequate urban drainages and proper storm water management.Keywords: Drainage density, flow accumulation, rainfall, urban floodin

Establishment and Early Regeneration of Stem Cuttings from Chicken Weed (Portulaca quadrifida L.) as Influenced by Soil Types

Differences in the ability of soil are a requirement for early regeneration of a plant. It was a pot experiment carried out at Sokoto in the Sudano Sahelian agro-ecological Zone of Nigeria. The objective was to investigate the regenerative ability of stem cuttings of Chicken weed on different soil type as a strategy for the weed control. The experimental set up was 3 × 7 factorial arrangement in a Completely Randomized Design. The treatments consisted of seven stem cuttings types namely (NLA-D - node leaf attached at distal stem location, NLR-D - node leaf removed from distal stem location, NLA-P- node leaf attached at proximal stem location, NLR-P- node leaf removed from proximal stem location, IN-D - internodes at distal stem location, IN-P- internodes from proximal stem location and SRA- stem roots attached) and three soil textural class (Sandy, Silty clay and Loamy sand). Result revealed that Silty clay recorded highest number of survived plants. Plant height, number of leaves, nodes, internodes and internodes length were greatly favoured by sandy soil. Loamy sand supported the earliness to leaf emergence and flowering. NLA-D supported the early regeneration of the plant in all stem cuttings tested, but earliness to leaf emergence and flowering was better with NLAP. This finding gave information that Chicken weed regenerate profusely and control measures should be administers to save target crop from yield losses. Keywords: distal, proximal, stem cuttings, soil textural class, regeneratio

Learning approaches as predictors of academic performance of undergraduate students in Ahmadu Bello Universiy, Zaria

Background: The research was conducted to investigate learning approaches as predictors of academic performance of undergraduate students in Ahmad Bello University, Zaria. The aim was to assess the learning approach of undergraduate students in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The objectives are to determine the predominant learning approach, identify factors that influence the students learning approach and explore the relationship between approaches to studying and academic achievement of undergraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Materials and methods: A non-experimental descriptive survey method was employed and analysis was done using SPSS version 21. The sample technique was probability (simple random) type of sample technique base on faculty. The sample size was calculated to 395 using Yamane formula. 395 questionnaires were administered out of which 375 were retrieved. Results: The study shows that 81.1% of the students were aware of learning approach and the predominant learning approach mostly used by Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria undergraduate students is surface approach (M=14.88,SD=2.64). The study identified personal factors, family factors, school factors and peer factors and social factor as factors that influence the students learning approach. It also shows that there is a significant relationship between learning approach and academic achievement (R=0.205,p=0.005)

The PreAmplifier ShAper for the ALICE TPC-Detector

In this paper the PreAmplifier ShAper (PASA) for the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of the ALICE experiment at LHC is presented. The ALICE TPC PASA is an ASIC that integrates 16 identical channels, each consisting of Charge Sensitive Amplifiers (CSA) followed by a Pole-Zero network, self-adaptive bias network, two second-order bridged-T filters, two non-inverting level shifters and a start-up circuit. The circuit is optimized for a detector capacitance of 18-25 pF. For an input capacitance of 25 pF, the PASA features a conversion gain of 12.74 mV/fC, a peaking time of 160 ns, a FWHM of 190 ns, a power consumption of 11.65 mW/ch and an equivalent noise charge of 244e + 17e/pF. The circuit recovers smoothly to the baseline in about 600 ns. An integral non-linearity of 0.19% with an output swing of about 2.1 V is also achieved. The total area of the chip is 18 mm$^2$ and is implemented in AMS's C35B3C1 0.35 micron CMOS technology. Detailed characterization test were performed on about 48000 PASA circuits before mounting them on the ALICE TPC front-end cards. After more than two years of operation of the ALICE TPC with p-p and Pb-Pb collisions, the PASA has demonstrated to fulfill all requirements