Laser Power Meter

LASER- Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation - can produce a very intense and powerful beam of light that is useful in many scientific and technological fields as well as in everyday life. Laser beams can be focused to a spot a few wavelengths in diameter. In this research project, a laser power meter that measures the amount of light coming from any laser was built using a thermopile. A thermopile is alight detector which uses the effect that the absorption of light by the material causes a change in the detector material\u27s temperature, resulting in a voltage difference across the ends of the detector material. The voltage generated across the thermopile is then used to determine the power of the incident light. The thermopile detector used in this research was studied and calibrated with a thermal source as well as with a Spectra-Physics Millennia V frequency double laser at 532nm with a 5W output. As the field of optics is expanding and being applied to different fields of research, the finished power meter will be an asset to the physics and other natural science departments at USD, as it would be a useful tool for future laboratory and research work in optics in these departments

Investigating the Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy on Agricultural Production and its Implication on Food Security in Nigeria (1981-2012)

The study examines the impact of government funded fertilizer subsidies on agricultural production in Nigeria. The data for this study are primarily time series data at macro level spanning from 1981 to 2012. Data on agricultural gross domestic product, exchange rate, crude oil price, capital, agricultural land, foreign direct investment into the agricultural sector and data on fertilizer subsidy costs were sourced from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) online Statistical data base of the United Nations, Penn world data of the University of Pennsylvania and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin and the National Bureau of Statistics, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), Federal Fertilizer Department (FFD), Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) and Farm management survey and advisory services. The Johansen approach to cointegration and error correction modeling was used in analyzing the data. The results show that capital, foreign direct investment into the Nigeria agricultural sector and fertilizer subsidy cost all have positive and significant effects on agricultural production in Nigeria. The coefficient for the error correction mechanism (ECM) is -1.234 which indicates that the deviation of agricultural production, proxy as gross domestic product (LAGDP) from the long-run equilibrium level is corrected by about 123% in the current period. This shows that the speed of adjustment of the Nigerian agricultural production to the state of equilibrium is very high (all things being equal). Keywords: Fertilizer, Subsidy, Cointegration, Nigeria, Agriculture

Mycological, toxigenic and nutritional characteristics of some vended groundnut and groundnut products from three Northern Nigerian ecological zones

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and groundnut products are important, street-vended, energy-rich sources of protein and oils useful in human and animal diets although fraught with microbial contaminations. Fungi associated with vended samples of roasted groundnut, Kulikuli, Donkwa, peanut butter and Yaji obtained from Kano, Kaduna, Minna and Ibadan were isolated using pour-plate method. These were qualitatively screened for presence of mycotoxin on palm kernel agar medium and the concentrations of aflatoxin and deoxynivalenol content in the samples quantified through immunoassay. The fungal load of the samples was highest between 1.3X103 and 1.6X104 TFU/g while the frequency of occurrence of Aspergillus, Fusarium, Rhizopus and Penicillium species in the samples were 36%, 33%, 20% and 11%, respectively. Qualitatively, the highest aflatoxin intensity producers were two strains of Aspergillus flavus from a Yaji and Kulikuli sample. The highest aflatoxin concentration (115ppb) was recorded in the Kaduna Yaji sample and 65% of the samples had aflatoxin concentration above the FDA-prescribed 20ppb. The highest deoxynivalenol concentration (0.7ppm) was recorded in Kaduna Donkwa sample which was still lower than the 1.0ppb prescribed recommendation. Kano Yaji and Kaduna Kulilkuli had the highest protein content (60% and 44% respectively) while all samples were high in calcium and potassium (725.16-1292.75 and 325-1280mg/100g) respectively. There was fungal contamination of vended groundnut product samples and the detection of mycotoxins in all the samples. Regulatory bodies, especially in developing countries, need to set quality standards and ensure compliance of the same in street vended food products for product and consumer safety.Keywords: Groundnut products, Mycotoxigenic properties, Deoxynivalenol, Aflatoxin, Nutritional compositionAfr. J. Biomed. Res. Vol. 22 (January, 2019); 65- 7

Effect of Market Reforms on Cotton Agriculture in Nigeria (1960-2010)

This study examined the effect of market reform on cotton agriculture in Nigeria using time series data on cotton production from a period of 1960 to 2010.The Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) modeling approach to co-integration analysis was employed to analyze the data. Results based on co-integration and error correction specification indicated that the exchange rate, import price, external reserve and SAP are the major determinants of cotton production in the long-run while exchange rate and SAP are the major determinant in the short-run. Findings indicated that market reform has a positive and significant effect on Nigeria’s cotton production both in short-run and long-run. KEYWORDS: Cotton, SAP, ARDL, Co-integration

Effect of Foreign Agricultural Aid and Corruption on Agricultural Growth in Nigeria (2002-2013).

This study examines the effect of Foreign Agricultural Aid and Governance on Agricultural Growth in Nigeria between 2002 and 2013. Agricultural growth (proxied as agricultural GDP) was specified as a function of factors such as Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Agricultural Aid, Land, Real Exchange rate, Control of corruption, Rule of Law, Governance, Population, Government Expenditure, Human capital and Inflation. Augmented-Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test was used to check the unit root properties of the variables, while quantitative estimates were based on Ordinary Least Square (OLS) modeling. The study finds that, after controlling for other factors, foreign Agricultural aid and Government Expenditure significantly affect agricultural growth while Corruption has a negative and significant effect on Agricultural growth in Nigeria. These findings suggest that while foreign agricultural aid could be a driver of growth in the Nigerian agricultural sector if well managed, Corruption will continue to hinder the goal of sustainable agricultural growth if not addressed. Keywords: Agricultural Aid, Corruption, Agricultural Growth, Nigeri

Compression, Mechanical and Release Properties of Chloroquine Phosphate Tablets containing corn and Trifoliate Yam Starches as Binders

Purpose: A study was made of the binding properties of trifoliate yam starch, obtained from Dioscorea dumetorum (Pax), in chloroquine phosphate tablet formulations in comparison with official corn starch. Method: Compressional properties were analyzed using density measurements and compression equations of Heckel and Kawakita. The mechanical properties of the tablets were assessed using the crushing strength and friability of the tablets, while drug release properties of the tablets were assessed using disintegration and dissolution times. Results: Tablet formulations containing trifoliate yam starch exhibited faster onset and higher amount of plastic deformation during compression than those containing corn starch. The crushing strength, disintegration and dissolution times of the tablets increased with binder concentration while friability values decreased. Trifoliate yam starch produced tablets with stronger mechanical properties and longer disintegration and dissolution times than those containing corn starch. Conclusion: Trifoliate yam starch would be a better alternative to corn starch in producing uncoated tablets for which high bond strength is essential . Keywords: Trifoliate yam starch, corn starch, binding agent, compression, Heckel equation, Kawakita equation, mechanical properties, drug release> Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 5 (2) 2006: pp. 589-59

Investigation of Some Factors Influencing Corrosion on Refrigerator

The corrosion of steel reinforcing bar can proceed out of sight and eventually result in failure of a section of the highway. The collapse of electrical towers, damage to building, leakages in refrigerator all these result in significant repair cost, endangering public safety and health. This paper presents investigation of some factors influencing corrosion on refrigerator, such as presence of dissolved mineral, organic impurities and dissolved gasses in the water. The survey results are presented using graphs. T-test and Anova were used to ascertain the significance of the factors. The result of alternative Hypothesis and null Hypothesis on the T-test and Anova test were carried out on the factors causing corrosion and responsible for the corrosion were able to be identified. The results revealed that the corrosive effect of fresh water varies from locality to locality due to the wide variety of dissolved impurities, the organism causing the greatest corrosion problems are bacteria and fungi, time of exposure to a corrosive environment influences metal corrosion, most salt solution is good electrolyte and can promote corrosive attack and corrosion effects reduce the life span of refrigerator. The result of this research would guide environmental and material engineers in better planning to minimize corrosion

Phytochemical Composition and Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activities of the Juice Extract of Citrus Aurantifolia and its Silver Nanoparticles

Background: Citrus aurantifolia juice has been useful for the treatment of various infections and green synthesis of silver nanoparticle using lime juice may offer added advantages.Objective: The phytochemical composition and comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activities of the crude juice extract and biosynthesized Silver nanoparticle (SNPs) from Citrus aurantifolia juice was investigated.Materials and methods: Phytochemical, antimicrobial evaluation (agar well diffusion) and biosynthesis of SNPs was done using Crude extract of Citrus aurantifolia. The SNPs were characterized by colour changes, spectroscopy and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy.Results: The juice extract contained bioactive compounds such as flavonoids (710mg/100g), tannins (525mg/100g), phenols (65mg/100g) and terpenes (56mg/100g). Changes in colour, UV-Vis Spectroscopy at 300-550nm ranges and FTIR revealed the functional groups present in the biosynthesized SNPs. The crude extract and SNPs exhibited varying antimicrobial activities against some selected pathogens including Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 10031, Bacillus sp, Actinobacillus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The crude extract has more antibacterial potential against the tested pathogens than the biosynthesized SNPs. The crude extract also had higher antimicrobial activities against Streptococcus pyogenes which were resistant to ciprofloxacin. The result revealed that the crude extract was more effective than the SNPs produced and the Minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC) also showed increasing activities with an increase in the concentration of the juice extract and SNPs.Conclusion: Crude extract of Citrus aurantifolia contain bioactive compound with potent antimicrobial potential and the extract was more effective than the biosythesized SNPs.Keywords: Citrus aurantifolia juice, Silver nanoparticle, phytochemical, antimicrobial activities, minimum inhibitory concentration

HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF TRECULIA AFRICANA DECNE ROOT BARK IN NORMAL AND ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS.

The solvent partitioned purified fractions of the hydro-acetone root bark extract of the African breadfruit (Treculia africana Decne) were evaluated for hypoglycemic activities in normal and diabetic albino rats. Fasting blood glucose levels were estimated by the use of a glucometer at pre-determined intervals after oral administration of the test extracts/fractions. Results revealed that the test fractions have only a slight effect on blood sugar level of normal rats. On short term and chronic administration in diabetic rats however, diethyl ether-soluble (DEF) and the water-soluble (WSF) fractions significantly reduced the fasting blood sugar levels (

Solid state characterization and rheological properties of native and modified Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean) starches

This study was designed to determine the suitability of native, pregelatinized and carboxymethylated Vigna subterranean (Bambara nut) starches for pharmaceutical applications, through their characterization by means of physicochemical, rheological, thermal, morphological and instrumental spectroscopic methods. The native starch was extracted from Bambara nut, after which it was used to prepare both pregelatinized and carboxymethylated forms. Microscopy revealed increased in granular size on modification. Both pregelatinized and carboxymethylated Bambara starches had better flow properties and swellability compared to the native starch. Native Bambara starch had greater tendency to retrogradation, was more sensitive to heat and heat change, these were alleviated by both pregelatinization and carboxymethylation. DSC confirmed that carboxymethylated Bambara starch was the most thermally stable starch. Presence of functional groups and crystallinity were established by FTIR and XRD, respectively. Native and modified Bambara starches can be used as locally and readily available alternative excipients in pharmaceutical formulations