Earth Observation System-Based Impact Assessment of 2012 Flood in Delta State Nigeria

Flooding is one of the most serious natural hazards in the world. It has become a common natural disaster which has claimed many lives, displaced millions and resulted to the destruction of properties and degradation of contiguous farmland.  Though over the decades the people of Delta state have had to contend with sporadic overflows from the river but not in the scale of 2012 flood event. Flood in 2012, submerged coastal villages, displaced millions of people, submerged several square kilometers of land,  disrupt economic activities and properties worth of millions of naira was lost. This study was provoked based on the fact that since the disaster, no reliable investigation and inventory has been made as a guide for mitigation for future occurrence. Currently Earth observing system (EOS) is gaining popularity in solving many environmental problems due to its accurate and timely delivery of information required for decision making. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the impact of 2012 flood in delta state.  Pre-flood and flood imageries captured by and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometre (MODIS), Land sat imagery with resolution 30m, SRTM with resolution 30 arc second, questionnaire, interview, Global positioning system (GPS)  and geographic information system (GIS) was used for data collection and analysis. The map generated from the non-flood image captured on 20th October 2010 was used as a reference to determine the extent of flooding from the disaster image. Spatial impact was determined based on the extent of the submerged land territory while physical economic impact was measured based on property damages. This study revealed that a total landed area of 2185Sq.kms was covered by flood excluding the original extent of the river. Further assessment  revealed that 785000 people were affected, crops worth’s 3.1 billion naira were destroyed, 231 communities in 12 local government of the 25 local government areas were adversely affected these include 118 communities market, 743 market stalls, 220 primary schools, 84 secondary schools, 435 fish farms, 526 poultry farms, 58 piggeries and 5099 houses. Keywords: key words, MODIS, SRTM, Flood,  Hazard, Imagery DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-9-08 Publication date:September 30th 202

Insecticidal Effect of African Nutmeg (Monodora myristica) Oil on Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum in African Breadfruit

This study investigated insecticidal effect of African nutmeg (Monodora myristica Gaertn) oil against Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch) and Tribolium castaneun (Herbst) in African breadfruit during storage. Fruits (400g) of African nutmeg were milled into flour. Two hundred grams (200g) of flour was extracted for oil using 500ml of n-hexane. The fruit oil at 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00ml per 1ml ethanol was dosed against 10 adults of either insects infested on 15-20g African breadfruit seeds during post-exposure (24h), contact (7-12 days) and fumigant (72h) toxicity tests at ambient conditions (33-39oC; 42-59% RH) in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The oil caused dose-dependent mortality (%) which increased with exposure time of the insects. Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch) had higher mortality than Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) within the same oil concentration and exposure time. In a glass vial filled to 70% column with African breadfruit, 1ml oil concentration caused 63% kill of T. Castaneum (Herbst), but 90% kill of S. zeamais (Motsch) in 7days exposure. The 1ml oil concentration on 72hour fumigation test killed 95% of S. zeamais (Motsch) and 62% of T. castaneum (Herbst). Monodora myristica (Gaertn) oil could replace synthetic insecticides to preserve this grain against the two insect pests under storage

Effect of Social Class and Area of Domicile on the Prevalence of Intestinal Helminthiasis in Nursery and Primary School Children in Enugu

Objective: The primary objective of the study was to determine the effect of social class and area of domicile on the prevalence of helminthiasis in nursery and primary school children in Enugu.Subjects and method: This was a cross-sectional study in which stool samples were obtained from 460 nursery and primary school children from different social classes and different areas of domicile and analysed for intestinal helminthiasis using the Kato Katz method.Results: One hundred and sixty-six (36.1%) of the 460 children studied lived in the urban area; 215 (46.7%) lived in the semi-urban area and 79 (17.2%) lived in the urban slum area. The prevalence of intestinal helminthic infection was lowest in children living in urban areas (10.2%) and highest in those in urban slums (48.4%). There was a significant relationship between residential abode or area of domicile and prevalence of helminthic infection (χ2 = 59.54; df = 2; p = 0.001).The prevalence of intestinal helminthic infection was highest in the lower class (50.9%), lowest in the upper class (9.7%) and intermediate in the middle class (21.7%). This trend was statistically significant (χ2 = 65.06; df = 2; p = 0.001). Conclusion: It is concluded that the prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis is affected by both areas of domicile and social class of children. Hence, intervention by the government to create better areas of domicile and to improve the social class of its populace will reduce the prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis.Keywords: Intestinal helminthiasis, children, area of domicile, social clas

Burden of obesity in the rural adult population of America

There is an epidemic of obesity in adults in rural America. It is estimated that about 19% of the population resides in rural areas, which encompasses 97% of America\u27s total landmass. Although rural America makes up a fraction of America\u27s total population, it has been estimated that the prevalence of obesity is approximately 6.2 times higher than in urban America. This illustrates an apparent disparity that exists between the rural population and urban populations that needs to be examined. The prevalence of obesity, especially in rural America, is a growing concern in the medical community in recent years. Obesity has been identified as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the US. To better understand the disparity in the prevalence of adult obesity between rural and urban America, researchers have identified risk factors that are associated with the high incidence and prevalence of obesity in the rural American adult population. Low income and lack of physical activity have been identified as factors that predispose rural Americans to increased risk of obesity, arguing that low-income Americans may not have access to the resources available to assist them in weight reduction. With rural Americans being at an income disadvantage, it creates a risk for obesity, which further predisposes them to chronic diseases such as hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes, and coronary artery disease. As obesity continues to rise among the American population, the burden on the rural population is incredibly evident. Despite ongoing efforts by the US government and strategies implemented by the Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention, there is still much to be done to tackle the epidemic. With an existing strategy in place, such as the 12 Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention (COCOMO) strategies to fight obesity with physical activity, Americans are a step closer to conquering this epidemic. However, until other disparities such as income are addressed, rural Americans may continue to be severely impacted by the rising incidence of obesity and subsequent higher mortality rates from associated diseases