REVIEW ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND VALOURIZATION OF WASTE COOKING OIL

 There is a large volume of waste cooking oil (WCO) in the world, which has made waste management extremely difficult. The main purpose of the large-scale organized collection of WCO is the synthesis of biodiesel. Although alternative applications are equally important and necessitate attention, the majority of studies focus primarily on the synthesis of biodiesel from WCO. The major objective of this review paper is to draw attention to the potential environmental implications of used cooking oil as well as its potential for reuse in products other than biodiesel. It can be transformed into direct-burn energy, biodiesel, hydrogen gas, pyrolytic oil, or hydrogen. Applications like combined heat and power generation (CHP) are where WCO is most useful. Additionally, it can be chemically processed to create biodegradable polyurethane sheets, soaps, alkyd resins, greases, and lubricants. WCO is a carbon source that can be used in fermentation processes to create polyhydroxybutyrate and rhamnolipid biosurfactant after being completely cleaned and sterilized. Therefore, waste cooking oil can be viewed as a waste that can be converted into energy or used as a catalyst for biological or chemical processes

In vitro culture of Telfairia occidentalis under different cytokinins and auxin combination

Telfairia occidentalis is a tropical vine and has been a good source of iron rich vegetable to man. It is normally propagated through seeds but the seeds are recalcitrant in nature. The vegetative propagation of T. occidentalis has been difficult hence there is a need to develop an in vitro method. Nodal cuttings of T. occidentalis was cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS; 1962) basal media supplemented with IBA, IAA, NAA, BAP, and kinetin at different concentrations. Among all the growth hormones used, IBA and BAP combination gave the best result for both rooting and shooting while BAP in combination with NAA showed the highest number of nodes. The result showed that in vitro growth of T. occidentalis is hormone specific

A Generalized Triangular Intuitionistic Fuzzy Geometric Averaging Operator for Decision-Making in Engineering and Management

Triangular intuitionistic fuzzy number (TIFN) is a more generalized platform for expressing imprecise, incomplete, and inconsistent information when solving multi-criteria decision-making problems, as well as for expressing and reflecting the evaluation information in several dimensions. In this paper, the TIFN has been applied for solving multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems, first, by defining some existing triangular intuitionistic fuzzy geometric aggregation operators, and then developing a new triangular intuitionistic fuzzy geometric aggregation operator, which is the generalized triangular intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted geometric averaging (GTIFOWGA) operator. Based on these operators, a new approach for solving multicriteria decision-making problems when the weight information is fixed is proposed. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the applicability and rationality of the presented method, followed by a comparative analysis using similar existing computational approaches

Alloxan-induced and Insulin-resistant Diabetes Mellitus affect Semen Parameters and Impair Spermatogenesis in Male Rats

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance on semen parameters, histology of reproductive organs and serum concentrations of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH). Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180 - 200g were made diabetic by intravenous injection of alloxan (40 mg/kg) and insulin resistant by chronic fructose feeding (25% fructose) for 12 weeks. Rats were anaesthetized, followed by laparatomy. Blood was obtained by cardiac puncture for measurement of testosterone and LH concentrations by radioimmunoassay. Semen analysis was carried out; reproductive organs were isolated, fixed in Bouin's fluid and processed for histological studies. All semen parameters analyzed were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in the diabetic and insulin resistant rats compared to control rats. Body weight and weight of reproductive organs were also significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Furthermore, tissue fixation studies revealed changes in the cytoarchitecture of reproductive organs in the diabetic and insulin resistant rats compared to control rats. However, serum concentrations of testosterone and LH were not significantly different in all the groups. We conclude that diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance affect semen parameters and impair distinct phases of spermatogenesis in male rats. Some mechanisms responsible for this impairment are suggested. African Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 10 (2) 2006: pp. 106-11

In vitro culture of Telfairia occidentalis under different cytokinins and auxin combination

Telfairia occidentalis is a tropical vine and has been a good source of iron rich vegetable to man. It is normally propagated through seeds but the seeds are recalcitrant in nature. The vegetative propagationof T. occidentalis has been difficult hence there is a need to develop an in vitro method. Nodal cuttings of T. occidentalis was cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS; 1962) basal media supplemented with IBA, IAA, NAA, BAP, and kinetin at different concentrations. Among all the growth hormones used, IBA and BAP combination gave the best result for both rooting and shooting while BAP in combination with NAA showed the highest number of nodes. The result showed that in vitro growth of T. occidentalis is hormone specific

Tumour grade on core biopsy and evidence of axillary involvement on ultrasound predicts response in elderly co-morbid patients treated with primary hormone therapy for oestrogen receptor positive breast carcinoma

A high proportion of elderly and comorbid patients die with breast cancer rather than from breast cancer. Elderly comorbid patients who initially respond to primary hormone therapy have a less than 30% incidence of delayed treatment failure during their life time; however patients with grade III disease or an abnormal axillary ultrasound are twice as likely to fail first choice PHT

A preliminary study on natural regeneration of savanna tree species

Forest reserve areas can sustain themselves of their valuable species through an effective regeneration system. At present, most of the preserved woodland areas are being vandalized and valuable species illegally removed. Based on the desertification problem, which leads to the extinction of important plant species, it became necessary to study natural regeneration potential in Ribako Woodland Reserve of Kaduna State.An inventory of natural regeneration was conducted on Savanna tree species available in Ribako Woodland Reserve of Kaduna State. The survey indicated that 31 savanna parent trees, Isolberlina doka 159, Danielia oliveri 26, Hymenocardia acida and Lannea acida having 19 stands each, formed most abundant tree species in the reserve. Both Danielia oliveri and Hymenocardia acida accounted for 46% and 23% of the seedlings respectively and these formed the largest amount of seedlings encountered. Generally, the natural regeneration of all tree species in the woodland is low. Application of good management and adoption of in-situ and ex-situ conservation will ensure successful natural regeneration of woodland areas of Ribako. Keywords: Woodland, In-situ, ex-situ, Inventory, natural regenerationJOAFSS Vol. 4 (1) 2006: pp. 143-14

Effect of Chemical Fertilizers on Groundwater Quality in an Unconfined Aquifer

The use of fertilizer on soil to improve agricultural yield has been practiced for years. While fertilizers and manures greatly improve crop yield, it is also important to consider their corresponding and devastating effects. In this study, the fertilizers application rate was varied and their effects on groundwater quality with soil depths of 30 cm and 60 cm were observed. Two fabricated lysimeters were used to collect soil samples undisturbed and taken to the laboratory for analyses. The samples in the lysimeters were made saturated and varying quantities of fertilizers from 87.37 g, 100 g. and 120 g were applied. The saturation of the samples was done through an improvised rainfall simulator which was set up in such a way that a constant discharge was adopted. Water samples were collected at 30 cm and 60 cm depths and analyzed for fertilizer residues and physico-chemical characteristics such as temperature, pH, total chloride, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, free ammonia, total phosphate, urea, zinc and iron were also analysed. The results showed that the more the quantities of fertilizers applied on the soil, the more it affects the physico-chemical properties of the water and renders it toxic and unsuitable for drinking purposes except treated. The results, however revealed that the concentrations of the fertilizers in the groundwater decreases with soil depths. It is therefore recommended that any groundwater being explored for domestic use close to soil surface in areas prone to fertilizer pollution should be well treated before consumption, most especially for people using shallow wells. &nbsp