Effects of pharmaceutical effluents on germination, growth and development of Amaranthus hybridus L

The growth and development of Amaranthus hybridus polluted with pharmaceutical effluents were studied. Preliminary experiments were carried out in the Laboratory and Screen house with Paracetamol (P) and Amoxicillin (B) effluents. Distilled water served as the control. Media utilized for the main experiment was remediated with poultry manure and compost from Delonix regia leaves. Results from the preliminary experiments in the laboratory showed that seedlings germinated on effluent P had significantly (p < 0.05) higher shoot length, root length and percentage germination. Results from screen house experiments showed yellowed, stunted seedlings for the polluted treatments at week 3; control had significantly (p < 0.05) the highest leaf area, shoot and root lengths. Seedlings grown on effluent P had the lowest growth parameters. In the experiment with remediated soil, both polluted and unpolluted plants showed morphological similarities. T3 (Soil + Poultry manure + effluent B) recorded the highest mean fresh weight of leaves, stem and root at week 7. T2 (Soil + Poultry + effluent P) recorded the highest mean leaf area, plant height, stem girth and root circumference at week 10. A. hybridus adapted to and utilized pharmaceutical pollutants better while under natural attenuation (outdoor, with access to unsterilized soil and direct sunlight). These findings suggest caution in the use of effluents in agricultural practices

The effect of spent engine oil on some vegetative parameters of Eichhornia crassipes

The effect of spent engine oil pollution on some vegetative parameters of Eichhornia crassipes was studied in a greenhouse for eight (8) weeks to evaluate the level of tolerance of E. crassipes to spent engine oil pollution, and to make recommendations on the use of E. crassipes for phytoremediation of spilled engine oil. Three levels of spent engine oil: 5 ml, 15 ml and 45 ml were applied to pollute the water culture container. A plant grown in an unpolluted medium served as the control. Results showed that there were significant (p<0.05) reductions in plant height, width of lamina, leaf area and petiole length of all the plants in polluted media compared with the control. Among the treatments, 15 ml treatment had minimal pollution effect on plant growth and produced the highest percentage flowering whereas 45 ml treatment gave the highest pollution effect on the plant, resulting in low percentage flowering. The growth of the vegetative parameters of plants cultured in both polluted and unpolluted water was enhanced by the application of fertilizer. It is recommended that E. crassipes be employed in phytoremediation trial experiments since the vegetative parameters studied were not adversely affected by spent engine oil when supplied with nutrients like NPK fertilizer

Evaluation of Fuel Properties from Free Fatty Acid Compositions of Methyl Esters Obtained from Four Tropical Virgin Oils

Four feedstocks comprising two non-edible oils (Telfairia occidentals Hook F, (TVO) and Hura crepitians L (HVO)) and two edible oils (Cucumeropsis manii Naud(CSVO) and Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. (CVO) were studied for production of methyl esters (biodiesel) because they are abundant in large quantities in the locality. Base catalysis was used for the transesterification reaction with methanol at different oil/alcohol molar ratios (4:1, 6:1 and 9:1). Two catalyst types; KOH and NaOH were used. Reaction times of 5 and 30 min; temperatures of 38 and 55°C and a constant catalyst concentration of 1%wt/wt were employed. The free fatty acid composition of these oils and their methyl esters were obtained using a GCMS. The results indicate that these oils/methyl esters contain mostly polyunsaturated free fatty acid. The properties of biodiesel that were determined by the structure of component fatty esters include ignition quality (cetane number CN), heat of combustion (gross calorific value H), oxidation stability, viscosity, cold flow which indicates that these oils can be used for biodiesel production

Early outcome after the use of the triceps fascia flap in interposition elbow arthroplasty: a novel method in the treatment of post-traumatic elbow stiffness

Background: Post-traumatic elbow stiffness (PTES) results in severe interference with the activities of daily living (ADL), affecting mainly young people. Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is relatively contraindicated in the young patient and arthrodesis is poorly tolerated. Interposition elbow arthroplasty (IEA) improves the range of motion (ROM) buying time for future reconstructive surgery. While the fascia lata remains the most common material used in IEA, the triceps fascia is a native vascularized tissue, and it does not require a separate incision to harvest. To our knowledge, there are no published studies on the use of this technique of IEA. Method: Sixteen patients with post-traumatic elbow stiffness had IEA with the triceps fascia between January 2009 and January 2017. The ROM was assessed pre-operatively and post-operatively at the 6th and the 24th week. The researchers also evaluated the functional outcome with the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) at the 24th week. The data were analysed with the software IBM SPSS Version 20. Results: Nine males and seven females had IEA with the triceps fascia. The mean age of the subjects was 22.8 years (SD = 6.39). The median duration of the stiffness was eight months (range: 2–168 months). Fall was the most frequent cause of post-traumatic elbow stiffness, and the non-dominant side was more frequently involved. Fourteen patients had an intervention at the native bone setters before presentation to the hospital. The mean elbow ROM increased from 16.4° pre-operatively to 97.2° at the 24th week (p < 0.001), while the mean MEPS improved from 42.5° pre-operatively to 81.2° post-operatively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The triceps fascia flap provides an excellent alternative to the fascia lata for IEA without the complications of the donor site morbidity