Evaluation of the Impacts of Flooding On Socio-Economic Activities in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State

The study aimed at evaluating the impacts of flooding on socio-economic activities in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. The study employed questionnaires, oral interviews, and personal observations. The data obtained from questionnaires and oral interviews were presented and interpreted using percentages, averages, bar graphs and pie charts. The hypothesis was formulated and tested. The statistical technique used in testing the hypothesis was Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Thus, the hypothesis reveals that flooding has significant relationship with socio-economic activities in Oleh. In addition, loss of portable water and agricultural products were revealed as some of the negative impacts of flooding in the study area. Furthermore, the researcher recommends provision of improved varieties of crops that are highly water resistant to farmers. Also, individual, corporate bodies and government should allocate adequate fund to disaster management bodies for proper planning of the area. In addition, community-based flood warning system should be developed. This will go a long way in creating awareness and preparedness of the inhabitants of Oleh against severe flooding. Keywords: Evaluation, impacts, flooding, socio-economic, activitie

Effect of carbon sources on cellulase (EC 3. 2. 1. 4) production by Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501

The effects of glucose, crystalline cellulose and sawdust of Mitragyna cilata on the growth and cellulase production, inferred from cellulase (EC 3. 2. 1. 4) activity, of Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501 was determined. Glucose-containing media gave the highest mycelia weight of 1.78 mg mL-1 in 120 h of incubation. This is about 3.5 – 4.5 times the maximum weights of 0.51 and 0.40 mg mL-1 respectively obtained from the cultures containing cellulose and sawdust. The cultures containing crystalline cellulose and sawdust produced extracellular protein with cellulase (EC 3. 2. 1. 4) activity whereas glucose-containing cultures yielded very low protein and no significant cellulase activity. Maximum protein content of 0.02, 0.13 and 0.46 mg mL-1 respectively were obtained from the cultures containing glucose, cellulose and sawdust. Peak cellulase activity values of 100.0 and 92.2 Units L-1 respectively were obtained for the cultures containing cellulose and sawdust. There is a correlation between the protein released and cellulase activity of the culture filtrates. P. chrysogenum PCL501 produces extracellular proteins with significant cellulase activity in media containing cellulose and sawdust but not in glucose-containing medium. Sawdust is indicated as a good inducer of cellulase activity in the organism. The waste cellulosic material can be used as low-cost carbon source for commercial cellulase production

Isolation, Purification and Characterization of Flavor Compounds in the Fruit Pulp of Sysepalum dulcificum

Flavour is an organoleptic responds to parameter commonly described as taste which can be classified as natural, nature-identical or artificial flavouring substances. In this study, cold and hot ethanolic extracts , were obtained from Synepalum  dulcificum ((Daniell) known locally as ntum in Akaeze dialect of Igbo language of Nigeria and traditionally used as sweetener were evaluated for its flavourant principles. The presence of bioactive components was detected and the result revealed that hot ethanol gave the highest percent extract recoveries of  3.33%  while the cold extraction technique yielded 1.81 %. The result of sensory evaluation of purified extract showed that  no significant difference was observed between these values except for sample 760 (p<0.05). Chromatographic analysis of  cold ethanol extract revealed that component E-1 has a melting point of 66-68oC while the GC analysis of  E-1showed the eluate of two compounds at different retention times of 12.692 and 15.133 minutes respectively. Spectral Analysis of compounds in E-1(a, b)  revealed that they are possible isomers and based on spectral data the structure of compound E-1a was established as 2, 5-dimethyl-2, 4-dihydroxy-3(2H)-furanone while E-1b was established as 3, 5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-2, 3-dihydro-4H-pyranone Keywords: Flavour, purification, Syepalum dulcificum, bioactive, characterization

Anti-inflammatory activity and accelerated stability studies of crude extract syrup of Cannabis sativa

Purpose: To formulate Cannabis sativa-based syrup and investigate its anti-inflammatory potential and the stability of the formulation under stress conditions.Methods: The syrup was prepared using different combinations of crude C. sativa resin, propylene glycol, aspartame, sucrose, sodium metabisulphite (SMBs) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The stability of the formulations was determined under accelerated temperature conditions. The anti-inflammatory activity of the resin and different formulations were evaluated by the egg albumin induced paw edema model in rats. Biochemical assay was determined by Reitman and Frankel colorimetric assay method while hematological assay was evaluated by standard protocols.Results: EDTA-containing syrup (CE) was the most stable with estimated shelf-life of 2204 days (K25ºC, 4.78 x 10-5/day). Higher propylene glycol levels significantly improved anti-inflammatory activity compared to those containing a lower amount. All the formulations showed anti-inflammatory activity higher than the crude resin with a dose-dependent inhibition of paw edema compared with the control. There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the serum glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT, 13.821 ± 0.190 - 16.008 ± 1.012), serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT, 19.241 ± 1.027 - 22.901 ± 1.093) and urea (9.812 ± 0.252 - 10.054 ± 0.252) levels of the treated and 16.856 ± 1.053, 24.960 ± 0.101 and 10.654 ± 0.925 units/L of the control animals respectively. With the exception of eosinophil that disappeared from the blood in the third week, all the hematological parameters showed a gradual increase in lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, packed cell volume (PCV), white and red blood cell counts in the third week compared to control.Conclusion: Formulation of C. sativa as syrup using efficient carriers improves the pharmacological activity of the crude extract. SMBs and EDTA significantly enhance the stability of the syrup with no observable biochemical and hematological changes in treated animalsKeywords: Cannabis sativa, Syrup, Anti-inflammatory, Stability, Hematologica

Degradation of Phenol in Aqueous System by Solar Photocatalysis, Photolysis and Adsorption Processes

Phenol degradation in aqueous solutions using chitosan prepared from Crassostrea gigas (Sea oyster) shells as adsorbent was investigated using photocatalysis and adsorption processes at ambient temperature. Photolysis was carried out to study the effect of light on the degradation of phenol at ambient temperature while adsorption process was carried out without utilizing solar illumination. Effect of initial concentrations of phenol (50, 75, 100 and 150 mg/l), TiO2 loading (4, 8, 16 and 20 %), and composite mass (adsorbent + TiO2) (1, 3, 5 and 8 g) were investigated using UV-Visible spectrophotometric technique. The results obtained indicate that phenol removal increases with time and concentration of the catalyst (TiO2) and decreases with increase in initial concentration of phenol and composite mass. Combination of UV irradiation with TiO2 loading gave a degradation efficiency ranging from 98.13 - 98.92 % while UV irradiation with composite mass gave a degradation efficiency ranging from 84.80 - 98.51 %. The efficiency of the processes of degradation of phenol followed the trend: photocatalysis>photolysis> adsorption. The kinetics of the degradation fitted the Langmuir and pseudo-second–order models. Keywords: Adsorption, Crassostrea gigas, Photocatalysis, Photolysis, Titanium dioxid

In-vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 3-methoxy quercetin isolated from Nigerian mistletoe parasitic on Garcinia kola Heckel, Clusiaceae

Purpose: To evaluate the in vitro anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of the most potent and abundant metabolite, 3-methoxy quercetin (3-MQ), from extract fractions of mistletoe, Loranthus micranthus Linn (Loranthaceae) parasitic on Kola acuminata Schott & Endl, (Malvaceae), also known as Garcinia kola Heckel, (Clusiaceae).Methods: Compounds isolated through a combination of chromatographic techniques were screened for in vitro antioxidant potential using the diphenyl picrazyl hydrazine (DPPH) radical-based model. Cell viability at 1–1000 μM 3-MQ in 24 h was evaluated by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (n = 5) five (5) replicates.Results: Ten (10) known compounds including 3-MQ (1) were isolated and characterized. 3-MQ exhibited highly significant (p < 0.05) antioxidant activity with 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 15.0 μM; concentrations ≤ 100 μM did not exert cytotoxic effect. 3-MQ, at 25 and 125 μM concentrations, significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the production of TNF-α by 82 and 100 %, respectively, compared to controls.Conclusion: The results demonstrate the potent anti-inflammatory activity of 3-MQ and suggests its use as a potential alternative therapy for inflammation and related diseases.Keywords: Loranthus micranthus, Kola acuminata, Garcinia kola, Anti-inflammatory, Cytotoxicity, Chemiluminescence, Antioxidant, TNF-

Improving Agricultural Education Curriculum Through Sea Food Resources at the Tertiary Institutions

This work centered on improving Agricultural Education curriculum through sea food resources at the tertiary institutions. The research was conducted in Ebonyi state of Nigeria. The design used for this research was a survey research design. The research had five specific purposes and five research questions. The collection of data used for the study was done using questionnaire as the instrument. The   questionnaire contained 50 items.  The questionnaire was validated by experts in agricultural Education, measurement and evaluation and curriculum. The reliability of the instrument was determined by carrying out a pilot test. The data collected from the pilot test was analyzed using cronbach alpha which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.812. The data collected were subjected to analysis using statistical mean and standard deviation. The outcome of the analysis of the data revealed that the concepts of the sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions, the management skills in sea food resources, the harvesting techniques of sea food resources, the processing, preservation and storage techniques of sea food resources and the distribution and marketing of sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions. On the basis of the findings, the researchers recommended that the ministry of education, the institutions offering agricultural education and the national university commission (NUC) should include the findings of this research in the curriculum of agricultural education. Keywords: Agriculture; Education; Curriculum; food;resources;tertiary;institutions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-35-04 Publication date: December 31st 202

Nanostructured Clay (NC) and the Stabilization of Lateritic Soil for Construction Purposes

The use of Nanostructured Clay additive in lateritic soil stabilization and their effect at different percentages on the natural soil was investigated. The preliminary tests on the soil showed it was an A-2-7 soil, according to AASHTO classification. The soil sample was also observed to be silty clayey sand and the general rating as a sub-grade material was ‘GOOD’. The consistency limits result shows that the value of the LL for the natural soil is 47% and 25.15% was recorded for the plastic limit (PL) and finally the PI was 21.85% i.e. highly plastic soil. Further, the effect of the addition of NC in the proportions of 3%, 6%, 9%, 12% and 15% by weight of the stabilized Umuntu Olokoro lateritic soil was investigated. The consistency limits results showed that the addition of variable proportions of NC considerably improved the plasticity of the stabilized soil which gave 13.8%; a medium plastic material at 15% NC addition, compared to the preliminary result of 0% by weight additive which gave 21.85%; a highly plastic material. The strength properties’ test showed significant improvements with the addition of NC; CBR test result recorded 29% at 15% by weight proportion of NC which satisfies the material condition for use as sub-base material and the UCS test results similarly improved consistently and recorded a maximum UCS of 340.18kN/m2 at 15% by weight proportion of NC addition which satisfies “very stiff” material consistency for use as sub-base material. With the foregoing, the addition of various proportions of NC to the stabilized lateritic soil has presented to be a Geotechnical solution to the varied environmental failures on the road pavements. Hence NC satisfies all the material conditions for use as a sub-base material for the stabilization and improvement of the strength characteristics of lateritic soils. Finally, we call on the relevant agencies to use NC as an additive in stabilizing weak lateritic soils for use as either sub-grade or sub-base materials to save both cost and the structural failures on the roads in south eastern Nigeria. Keywords: Environmental Geotechnics; Pavement Geotechnics; Soil Stabilization; Weak Lateritic Soil; South Eastern Nigeria

Pectinolytic activity of wild-type filamentous fungi fermented on agro-wastes

Five filamentous fungi (Aspergillus clavatus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp., Penicillum chrysogenum and Trichoderma sp.) isolated from agrowaste samples in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria, depolymerized citrus pectin. Best pectolytic activity, as indicated by the diameter of clear, hydrolyzed zones on the medium plates containing commercial citrus pectin as sole carbon source, was obtained with A. niger, closely followed by P. chrysogenum. The two fungi also produced pectinases with different agrowastes (pineapple peel, orange peels, sawdust, sugarcane pulps and wheat bran) as the sole carbon source. The highest pectinase activity by both fungi was produce with wheat bran as the sole carbon source. Peak pectinase activity of 350.28 ± 2.82 and 478.25 ± 3.04 IU mg-1 protein was respectively obtained by submerged fermentation (SmF) at 48 h for A. niger and P.chrysogenum in media containing wheat bran as the sole carbon source. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) yielded higher levels of pectinase activity than the SmF. The strains of A. niger and P. chrysogenum have good prospect for pectinase production. Wheat bran is a good low-cost fermentation substrate for pectinase production by the investigated fungi