Screening of Bi-parental and Mutant Clones of Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum L. for Resistance to Smut Disease

Six newly developed clones of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) clones obtained from gamma irradiated progenies (KRS/96/007, KRS/96/002, KRS/96/001) and from bi-parental crosses (SRS/96/305, SRS/96/210 and SRS/96/004) were used in the study of their level of smut disease resistance. The results of the application of the standard smut disease scale of sugarcane showed that all the clones from bi-parental crosses and only one clone (KRS/96/002) from gamma irradiated progenies were highly resistant to smut disease of sugarcane with zero incidence of the disease. Diseased plants were observed on the remaining two clones from gamma irradiated progenies (KRS/96/007 and KRS/96/001), but the percentage of infection was very low (1.1%) and they were therefore also rated as resistant clones

Gynaecological malignancies in Azare, North-East Nigeria: an assessment of types, stage at presentation and treatment affordability

Background: In many parts of the world, presentations for most gynecological cancers are late; this makes treatment difficult due to the cost of chemotherapy or radiotherapy which form the bedrock for cure or palliation. Objective of this study was to determine the types, stage at diagnosis, affordability of care and outcome of treatment of gynaecological cancers in Federal Medical Centre Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria.Methods: All cases of gynaecological cancers seen over a ten-year period, from 1st January, 2003 to 31st December, 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. The number of all gynaecological cases seen during the period was also extracted.Results: Gynaecological cancer cases accounted for 11.84 % of 8,642 gynaecological cases seen during the period of study.  The mean age and parity of the women were 42±5 SD years and 5±1 SD respectively. Cervical cancer accounted for 55 %, ovarian cancer 30%, endometrial cancer 6%, choriocarcinoma 5%, secondaries/ cancers of undetermined origin were 4%.  Ninety-two percent presented with advanced stage of diseases. Only 25.3% could afford the cost of full treatment, and 8.4% attained cure of their disease. The modalities of treatment available were surgery and chemotherapy.Conclusions: Cervical and Ovarian Cancers remain the leading types of gynaecological cancers in our environment and late presentations are frequent occurrence. Late presentation and unaffordability of treatments are major challenges associated with the management of these patients. Early presentation and funding mechanisms for gynaecological cancers are keys to improved cure rate and reduced mortality

Investigation on the Effects of Addition of Binder and Particle Size on the High Calorific Value of Solid Biofuel Briquettes

The effects of biomass particle size and addition of binder on the high calorific values (HCVs) of five (5) selected biomass briquettes is studied. Analyses of the experimental results show that finely grinded particles (about 1.75mm and 2.00mm) had low calorific values as the grinding resulted in a loss of some heat and made the sample vulnerable to air oxidation.Addition of gum Arabic binder greatly inceases the high calorific value of all samples followed by starch and top-glue binder tend to decerease the HCVs for the range of biomass tested in the order 25.3201> 23.2985>20.0023 respectively.Thus indicating gum Arabic and starch improves the caloric value while top glue and polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) decreases the calorific value of the samples. An extensive investigation on the PVC dissolved in Toluene compound(organic) as chemical binder was observed to decrease the calorific values of all the briquette samples except those made of coconut shell and rice husk. Keywords: Biomass, Biofuel, Binder, Briquette, High heating valu

Haematological and serum biochemical indices of finisher broiler chickens fed four differently processed Roselle seed meals (Hibiscus sabdariffa) as partial replacement for soybean meal

The frequent changes in the prices of conventional protein feed sources have prompted the search for alternative locally feed resources with minimal competition between man and livestock without any deleterious effect on health of the animal this necessitated a 56-day feeding trial to determine the effect of feeding four differently processed Roselle seed meals as partial replacement for soybean meal on haematological and serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens. One hundred and fifty (150) one -day old Arbor acre (+AA) Broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five (5) dietary treatments comprising three replicates and ten chicks per replicate. The experimental diets were formulated with supplementation of differently processed Roselle seed Meal [DPRSM] in the diets of broilers at 15% inclusion levels regardless of the processing methods. The treatments were designated as T1, T2 T3, T4 & T5 as control diet (no Roselle seed meal), fermented Roselle seed meal (FRSM), boiled Roselle seed meal (BRSM), lye Roselle seed meal (LRSM) and enzyme Roselle seed meal i.e. (enzyme + raw Roselle seed) (ERSM) respectively. Data obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance [ANOVA] using (22) and significant means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test of same statistical package at 5% level of probability. The result revealed significant (P<0.05) differences in the heamatological parameters measured except for packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC) and mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV). Birds fed fermented, boiled, lye and enzyme Roselle seed meal had the highest (P<0.05) mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cells, neutrophils and eosinophil. Furthermore, the serum biochemical indices showed no difference (P>0.05) in all measured parameters except for alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate serum transaminase (AST) & alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Birds fed enzyme Roselle seed meal had the highest ALT while the least value were observed in T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. In conclusion, the four differently processed Roselle seed meal could be used to partially substitute soybean meal in broilers diet without posing any treat to health of the birds

Structure and conduct of risk returns-characteristics of residential property investment in Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria

Residential property investment is one of the most subscribed investments in the world. However, its risk-return characteristics is least understood especially in the Nigeria context. Though past studies have critically established the performance of mostly isolated  residential and commercial properties in southern regions of Nigeria. Disentangling and identifying empirically risk-return characteristic of residential property in Kaduna metropolis Northwest Nigeria is an unresolved challenge. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the performance of residential properties to gain a better understanding of the property market dynamics in Nigeria, survey research approach was employed to collect quantitative data required for the study. To determine residential property returns and asset risk, descriptive (weighted means, standard deviation and percentages) and inferential statistics were utilised. The outcome demonstrated that residential properties have diverse total returns and riskreturn characteristic. Furthermore, this study  established that total returns from residential properties ranged between 7.93% to 12.68 % and the risk features ranged from 2.37% to6.81% among the classes of properties. The result demonstrates a direct positive relationship between total returns and risk profile. Hence, recommends that Malali market is the most desirable location for risk-averse investors. Keywords: Risk- return analysis, residential investment, total return, portfolio, propert

Measurement of Radon Concentration in Water Sources around Ririwai Artisanal Tin Mine Kano State, Nigeria

In this work liquid scintillation analysis was used to measure the concentration of 222Rn in three sources of water around Ririwai Artisanal Tin mine. The annual effective dose due to 222Rn concentration in surface water source and Domestic water were also determined. The result shows that the tailing bearing water has the highest 222Rn concentration of 3.04±0.14 Bq/L followed by surface water source with 222Rn concentration of 2.51±0.13 Bq/L while the Domestic water has the lowest 222Rn concentration of 2.23±0.11 Bq/L. The results also indicated that the annual effective dose due to the 222Rn concentration is higher in surface water with 13.05±0.55 mSv/year than in Domestic water with 11.11 ± 0.44mSv/year. The mean 222Rn concentration obtained in this work is lower than 10.00Bq/L recommended by WHO and UNSCEAR. Also in this study the annual effective dose obtained is lower than the maximum permissible of 0.1mSv/year recommended by UNSCEAR. Keywords: Radionuclide, activity concentration and annual effective dos

DETERMINATION OF NEUTRON-INDUCED ACTIVATION CROSS SECTIONS USING NIRR-1

ABSTRACT Thermal Activation cross-sections for the (n, γ) reaction were experimentally measured using NIRR-1 facilities

Isolation and Identification of Bacteria Associated with Pre and Post Processing of Groundnut Cake in Sokoto State, North-Western Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the bacterial contamination between the groundnut cakes and paste obtained from Rural areas (Bodinga, kware) and that obtained within the metropolis at Urban areas (Arkilla and ‘Yargoriba) of Sokoto metropolis. A total of 8 samples of ready to eat groundnut cake and pastes were purchased, 4 of which were cake packaged in polythene and 4 paste packaged in plastic rubbers. The samples were analyzed microbiologically using standard procedures. Bacteria species associated with the samples collected from the rural areas were identified as Bacillus lentus, B. megaterium, B. licheniformis, Listeria monocytogene, Staphylococcus aureus while those associated with samples collected from the urban areas were identified as Bacillus lentus, B. megaterium, B. licheniformis, Listeria monocytogene, Staphylococcus aureus and S. hominis. There was higher bacteria count on samples from rural areas compared to those from urban areas. This might be as a result of unhygienic practices during the processing of the product which may range from methods of obtaining and quality of raw materials including sources of water, packaging, handling and distribution of the finished product to the final consumers. Based on these, it is recommended that Producers of groundnut cake should use good hygienic places, raw material and equipment to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. Keywords: Isolation, Identification, Bacteria, Processing, Groundnut DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-12-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

Whole-genome analysis of Nigerian patients with breast cancer reveals ethnic-driven somatic evolution and distinct genomic subtypes

Black women across the African diaspora experience more aggressive breast cancer with higher mortality rates than white women of European ancestry. Although inter-ethnic germline variation is known, differential somatic evolution has not been investigated in detail. Analysis of deep whole genomes of 97 breast cancers, with RNA-seq in a subset, from women in Nigeria in comparison with The Cancer Genome Atlas (n = 76) reveal a higher rate of genomic instability and increased intra-tumoral heterogeneity as well as a unique genomic subtype defined by early clonal GATA3 mutations with a 10.5-year younger age at diagnosis. We also find non-coding mutations in bona fide drivers (ZNF217 and SYPL1) and a previously unreported INDEL signature strongly associated with African ancestry proportion, underscoring the need to expand inclusion of diverse populations in biomedical research. Finally, we demonstrate that characterizing tumors for homologous recombination deficiency has significant clinical relevance in stratifying patients for potentially life-saving therapies