Nutrient Intakes and Nutritional Status of Mothers and their Under-Five Children in a Rural Community of Oyo State, Nigeria

Malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to high rates of childhood morbidity and mortality which make it a public health concern in Africa. This study assessed the nutrient intakes and nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children in a rural community of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 500 households with a mother and child pair were sampled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Information on household socio-economic status, hygiene practices, breastfeeding practices and clinical observation for signs of malnutrition were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires by trained interviewers. Weight for age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) for underweight, wasting and stunting, respectively were calculated and assessed by Epi Info software using the NCHS/WHO international reference values. BMI (weight/height2) of mothers were also constructed from the measurements of mothers’ weights and heights. The waist/hip ratio of mothers was also determined. An interactive 24 h recall repeated for three days was used to obtain data on food and nutrient intakes of the women. Information on foods consumed was converted into quantitative data of nutrients using Food Composition Table. The result showed a high proportion (81%) of mothers ate three times daily while 14% ate twice and 5% ate more than thrice daily. The mean daily intakes of calcium, vitamins A, B6, B12, niacin, and folate were found to be inadequate compared with the Recommended Intakes. The WHR of the mothers indicated that majority had low risk. Most of the mothers (69.2%) were normal, underweight 9.6%, overweight 15.8% and obese 5.4%. About 37% of the children were stunted, 18% were underweight and 14.3% were wasted. BMI correlated negatively with age (r = -0.41; p <0.05), and positively with education (r = 0.22; p<0.05) and income (r = 0.45; p <0.05). Clinical observation revealed PEM prevalence in 12% children while eyes pallor and palm pallor were present in 15% and 20% respectively. The nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children is poor with respect to the overall food consumption and micronutrient intake. Consequently, nutrition programmes in this area should include effective measures to promote nutritional status of mothers and children

Transformative Potentials of E-governance: The intrinsic role of Information and Communication Technology in Reinvigorating Public Service Delivery in Nigeria

Proffering solutions to developmental issues such as poverty, unemployment, high costs of governance and poor service delivery among others require changes to government processes through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper examines the transformative potentials of e- governance vis-à-vis the intrinsic role of information and communication technology (ICT) in reinvigorating public service delivery in Nigeria. To accomplish the objective of this paper, systematic review of literature on these issues was presented and discussed. The paper deliberated that e-governance is more than just the visibility of government website on the internet. In other words, e-governance relates to restructuring the state’s administrative procedure and in ensuring that the government is more transparent, and service-oriented. Remarkably, public service delivery in Nigeria has been adjudged to be poor, and fall short of expectations of citizen. As a result it has become a theme of mockery because of its rigidity and after many years of effort in implementing reforms in public service, it costs too much to delivers very little, and the level of achievement is not sufficiently responsive and accountable. The paper concludes that public services reinforce the social contract between states and citizens and, as such, serve as indicator of wellbeing of the society. Therefore, for Nigeria to make progress; there is need to strengthening public service delivery via ICT. The paper recommends that effort should be intensified to ensure that e-governance bridge the digital divide through training and by adapting technologies that is accessible to all user groups

STUDIES ON THE ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTICORROSIVE PROPERTIES OF SYNTHESIZED HYBRID POLYURETHANE COMPOSITES FROM CASTOR SEED OIL

Castor seed oil (Ricinus communis) is a prominent feed stock towards the generation of renewable materials for industrial production. The reach presence of ricinoleic fatty acid at 87.5% provides pendant hydroxyl functional groups, which is an essential site for chemical formulations. This paper presents the synthesis, characterization, and evaluations on antibacterial and anticorrosive activities of synthesized hybrid composites from Ricinus communis seed oil. N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy ethyl)-12-hydroxy Ricinus communis oil fatty amide (HERCA) was synthesized via aminolysis polyol formation route. Upon reacting HERCA with succinic acid at a high temperature of about 145 ºC, a polyesteramide (RCPEA) was formed. This ester product undergoes urethanation and subsequently interfaced with modified hybrid material. The synthesized composites were characterized using spectroscopic methods such as FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Selected physicochemical parameters were also carried out on the products. Coating performance on cured resins was examined

EFFECTS OF SUBSTITUTION OF FAT WITH MELON SEED MEAL ON QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF PORK SAUSAGES

A study was conducted in which melon seed meal (MSM) replaced fat at 0, 33, 66, and 100% levels in four batches of pork sausages. The chemical and storage properties, cooking weight losses, and sensory properties, of the sausages were determined in the meat processing laboratory. The results showed that MSM increased both ash and crude protein contents. The highest ether extract (36%) was obtained for batch 1 (control) while the lowest value (25.50%) was recorded for batch 4. The values obtained for refrigeration weight losses increased with increase in MSM while the results for dry matter were statistically insignificant. Batch 3 had the highest cooking weight loss of 0.83% whilebatch one had the lowest value of 0.30%. The values obtained for sensory properties increased with increase in the level of MSM up to 66%. It was concluded that pork back fat can be replaced with MSM in pork sausage without adverse effect on processing yield

Mathematical Research in Digital Age

The time when someone can do real, publishable mathematics completely without the aid of a computer is coming to a close; the use of computers in mathematical research is both widespread and under-acknowledged. Mathematicians use computers in a number of ways. This paper highlights the importance of mathematics and digital age in today2019;s technological advancement; it also explains the influence of digital age on Mathematics research. Key areas where Information and Communication Technology can be applied to Mathematical research are discussed. To demonstrate the use of computer program on Mathematical analysis, some problems were solved analytically and were also solved using computer programs (Mathlab and Python). These two procedures are compared and it is clearly shown that using computer packages to solve Mathematical problems are more efficient, easier and accurate

Studies on the Antibacterial and Anticorrosive Properties of Synthesized Hybrid Polyurethane composites from Castor Seed Oil

Castor seed oil (Ricinus communis) is a prominent feed stock towards the generation of renewable materials for industrial production. The reach presence of ricinoleic fatty acid at 87.5% provides pendant hydroxyl functional groups, which is an essential site for chemical formulations. This paper presents the synthesis, characterization, and evaluations on antibacterial and anticorrosive activities of synthesized hybrid composites from Ricinus communis seed oil. N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy ethyl)-12-hydroxy Ricinus communis oil fatty amide (HERCA) was synthesized via aminolysis polyol formation route. Upon reacting HERCA with succinic acid at a high temperature of about 145 oC, a polyesteramide (RCPEA) was formed. This ester product undergoes urethanation and subsequently interfaced with modified hybrid material. The synthesized composites were characterized using spectroscopic methods such as FT- IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Selected physicochemical parameters were also carried out on the products. Coating performance on cured resins was examined

Preliminary Assessment on the Effect of Bentonite and Ibeshe Clay on Bleaching of Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) Seed Oil

Rubber seed though not common known is very rich in its oil yield and over time its importance is becoming more prominent. Bleaching in the natural sense is relative to the removal of impurities from the oil or material. In this research work, Rubber seed oil was bleached using bentonite clay and Ibeshe clay at 0.5M, 1M and 2M concentrations of Hydrochloric acid. Physiochemical properties as well as spectroscopic analysis such as FT-IR and XRD analysis were carried out and aided in obtaining the bleaching efficiency of both clays. The FT-IR results displayed a visible change in the oil after it was bleached with Ibeshe clay but still retained most its functional group when bleached with bentonite clay. At 2M concentration of the acid, the oil bleached with bentonite showed 53% while with Ibeshe clay it remained at 16%. This summarizes that Ibeshe clay has little to no effect on bleaching performanc

Biodegradation of Waste Papers: A Sustainable Technology for a Clean Environment

Solid wastes have posed problems of pollution in both developed and developing countries where they are found in large quantities due to domestic and industrial utilization of such materials, the inability to recycle all wastes has provided the nudging to delve into alternative method of waste management. This project aims at analyzing the effect of fungi metabolites (Enzyme); (Rhizopus) in the bioconversion of waste papers (Foolscap, Newspaper and Brown envelop) into fermentable or reducing sugars. Proximate analysis, alkaline pretreatment with sodium hydroxide and process of deinking for the removal of inks for higher susceptibility of the substrate were carried out on paper samples. Hydrolysis using enzyme was carried out for 7 days. Concentration of reducing sugar present in the samples was done using the Dinitrosalicylic acid test method. Effects of Temperature on the waste sample were analyzed at 37, 40 and 45°C

Design and construction of fruit solar drier for rural settlements

This research focuses on the need for preserving fruits in rural areas to prevent waste. The solar drier is made of vital chambers i.e. the concentrator chamber (that harvests the solar irradiance), the transport pipe (that transports the heat generated by convection) and hanger chamber (where the fruits are placed). The temperature within the concentrator chamber and hanger chamber was monitored. The design allowed heat transfer by convection from the collector to the chamber at an efficiency of 92 %. The design allowed the temperature build up in the solar collector to be transported faster through hanger chamber with the help of incorporated detachable low power dc fan. This arrangement makes the dryer to either operate in the natural convection dryer mode (without the fan) or as a forced convection dryer (with the fan attached). It is observed that the forced convection provided higher air in-flow and hence greater drying capability. However, regions with moderate precipitation may have challenges of delayed fruit drying and growth of microorganism over the surfaces of the dried fruit

Oxirane Ring Opening of Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) Seed Oil by Perfomic Acid

Studies on the epoxidation of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed oil, a renewable source with formic acid was performed in the presence of 30% hydrogen peroxide at a of temperature 40, 50,60,70 oC. The process is favoured by an increase in temperature forming a product with high oxirane content which is as a result of mole ratios of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Products of high oxirane content are commercialy viable in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Natural rubber and other products can be obtained from this in- situ technique. Studies in this research shows that the rate of epoxidation increases with an increase in temperature.Oxirane values of 2.30, 3.62 and 4.73 for the various temperature. However high oxirane content of 6.22 was obtained at 70 oC which is in line with literature. FTIR analysis was also carried out on the epoxidized rubber seed oil which shows the peaks of oxirane cleavage