Analysis of high resolution satellite digital data for land use studies in the derived savanna ecosystem of Nigeria

High-resolution satellite data can give vital information about land cover, which can lead to better interpretation and classification of land resources. This study examined the relationship between Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) digital data and land use types in the derived savanna ecosystem of Nigeria. The digital data of arable land, tree crops, burnt surface, riparian and settlements were analysed to establish relationships and potential of SPOT for resource discrimination and mapping. The results show that SPOT digital data are significantly different for the different land use types identified, spectral behaviour bears strong relationships with land features, and digital data are not significantly different (P < 0.01) within the ecosystem. Hence, the spectral behaviour from one area can be used to characterize the other within this and similar ecosystems.Les données de satellite de haute résolution pourraient donner d'information vitale au sujet de la couverture de la terre, qui pourraient mener à une meilleure interprétation et classification des resources de la terre. Cette recherche était conduite pour étudier le rapport entre les données numériques du Système Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) et les types d'emploi de terre dans la savane dérivée de l'écosystème du Nigéria. Les données numériques de terre arable, de cultures d'arbres, de surface brûlée, de riveraine et de habitations étaient analysées pour établir les rapports et le potentiel de SPOT pour la distinction de resource et le mappage. Les résultats montrent que les données numériques de SPOT sont considérablement différentes pour les différents types d'emploi de terre identifiés, le comportement spectral a un rapport solide avec les caractéristiques de la terre et les données numériques ne sont pas considérablement différentes (

Assessment of heavy metal contents of Lycopersicum esculentum mill. (tomato) and Capsicum chinense l. (pepper) irrigated with treated and untreated detergent and soap wastewaters

Tomato and pepper are staple and common vegetables consumed by all classes of Nigerian populace. Due to high consumption rate of these vegetables, they are cultivated all year round in many localities including the peri-urban cities. The problem of freshwater scarcity in peri-urbancities and the northern part of Nigeria has made peasant farmers in these areas to resolve to the use of wastewaters for irrigation with no knowledge of their status and safety. Therefore, the level of heavy metal contents in Lycopersicum esculentum and Capsicum chinense grown in the Screen House of the University of Ilorin, North-central Nigeria were studied using treated and untreated detergent and soap wastewaters. Fallowed soils collected from the University Botanical Garden, homogenized and packed into planting bags were used for the experiment. Viable seeds of Lycopersicum esculentum and Capsicum chinense were sown in 10 planting bags for each crop and irrigated with 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 40% Treated and Untreated wastewaters. After 12WAP, leaf samples of Lycopersicum esculentum and Capsicum chinense were collected, air-dried, digested and the digests were analyzed for Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) by Atomic Absorption&#160; Spectrophotometry. It was evident that there was prevalence of heavy metals in the wastewaters particularly the untreated wastewater and the content of the heavy metals were concentration-dependent in theleaves of the test crops. It is therefore imperative to inform and enlighten the local farmers and the consumers on the danger of using such water for irrigation of agricultural crops in order to ensure safety

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A METALLIC BIO-DIGESTER FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM COW DUNG

Biogas production has contributed greatly as an alternative source of fuel power to solving various developing nations’ problems including high dependency on petroleum products. This gives a clear objective why its production is seriously needed, as it plays a significant role in destroying and converting municipal and agricultural wastes into a useful fuel which can be used in homes and on farms for lighting, heating and moving equipment by supplying the fuel power needed This work focused on design and construction of a metallic bio digester for the production of biogas. Cow dung was mixed with water in ratio 1:2 of particulate mass. The experiment was carried out in a metallic digester under mesophilic temperature. The average retention time for the experiment was 30days. The average internal temperature of the biogas digester was 32.3oC. The total volume of biogas produced was 5.208 m3. The concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in the biogas produced were found to be 59% and 40% respectively. The developed metallic bio-digester has been found to be appropriate for the production of biogas from cow dung at mesophilic temperature

Evaluation of the comparative efficacy and safety of artemether-lumefantrine, artesunate-amodiaquine and artesunate-amodiaquine-chlorpheniramine (Artemoclo™) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria in Nigerian children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of artemether-lumefantrine (AL), artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artesunate-amodiaquine-chlorpheniramine (AQC) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria among Southwest Nigerian children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and sixty children aged 6 months to 14 years with acute uncomplicated malaria were randomized to AL (n = 53), ASAQ (n = 53), or AQC (n = 54). Enrollees were seen daily on days 0-3 and then on days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 for clinical and parasitological evaluations. Paired samples of genomic DNA at enrolment and at the time of recurrent parasitaemia were genotyped using nested PCR to distinguish between reinfection and recrudescence. Detailed haematological and biochemical evaluations were carried out in a subset of enrollees on days 0, 7 and 28 as part of a safety evaluation. RESULTS: Of the 160 children, 144 (90%) completed the study. The mean fever clearance times and parasite clearance times for AL, ASAQ and AQC were comparable (p = 0.94 and p = 0.122, respectively). On day 14, the adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) for AL and AQC was 100% and for ASAQ it was 90% (p = 0.39). The PCR-uncorrected results on days 28 and 42 and the ACPR-corrected results on day 42 were similar for all drugs (p = 0.62 and p = 0.56, respectively). AQC resulted in the best parasite clearance and haematological recovery on day 2 (p = 0.022 and p = 0.018, respectively). Biochemical parameters were not adversely affected by the three artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and these were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: The three ACTs were efficacious and safe, but AQC resulted in a better haematological recovery on day 2 and higher cure rates throughout the study period

Pediatric Blood Culture Isolates and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: There is a significant variation in the bacterial pathogens implicated in childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity patternfrom place to place. Sustained monitoring of this dynamics is therefore critical to rational antibiotic use. Materials and Methods: This study was thus conducted to determine the etiology of childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Blood culture results (contaminants excluded), age, and sex of all pediatric patients with suspected septicemia between January 2013 and December 2014 were retrieved. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Over a 2‑year period, a total of 3680 blood samples were processed. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated in 701 samples (19%).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate (41.4%) and was most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam (89%). Klebsiella species (21.7%),&nbsp; coagulase‑negative Staphylococcus (14.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11%) were other common organisms isolated. Virtually, all the isolates demonstrated a reliable susceptibility to ciprofloxacin except for S. aureus and Klebsiella species which were most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam and imipenem, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusions, S. aureus is the leading cause of childhood septicemia in this locale. The significant rate of isolation of the supposedly less virulent organisms calls for an urgent review of potential risk factors and an appraisal of the hospital infection control policies and structures. Keywords: Antibiotics, isolates, paediatri

PROCJENA DEGRADACIJE TLA RAZLIČITO KORIŠTENA: DJELOVANJE NA PROIZVODNOST TLA I SIGURNOST HRANE

Land use type is one of the critical factors affecting land degradation and soil productivity. The extent to which it influences land degradation and productivity has not been fully ascertained. This has been necessary for this study with the aim of assessing the extent to which land use influences crop productivity. Soil degradation levels were assessed using direct observation. The land use types studied were arable cropping (land use 1), oil palm (land use 2), and building sites (land use 3). Rank ordered correlation was used for the data analyses. Direct observation showed that physical and biological degradations were more severe than chemical degradation in all the land uses. Degradation processes were more prominent in land uses 1 and 3 than 2. Land use was found to be significantly (P< 0.01) correlated with land degradation (r = 0.47) at all sites. The degradation level ranked from moderate to high due to inappropriate land uses and soil types. However, since degradation processes were very high in all land uses, there must be careful choice of appropriate use of land in order to reduce degradation and enhance soil productivity.Način korištenja tla jedan je od kritičnih faktora što djeluje na degradaciju i proizvodnost tla. Razmjeri na koji oni utječu na degradaciju i proizvodnost tla nisu u potpunosti ustanovljeni. To nas je potaklo za procjenjivanje razmjera u kojem korištenje tla utječe na proizvodnost usjeva. Razine degradacije tla procijenjene su izravnim motrenjem. Promatrani načini korištenja tla bili su: obradivo tlo za usjeve (korištenje tla 1), uljana palma (korištenje tla 2) i gradilišta (korištenje tla 3). Za analizu podataka primijenjena je korelacija za određivanje namjene (rank order correlation). Izravno motrenje je pokazalo da su fizička i biološka degradacija bile jače od kemijske, kod svih korištenja tla. Procesi degradacije bili su jače izraženi kod korištenja tla 1 i 3 nego kod 2. Prema nalazu korištenje tla bilo je značajno (P<0.01) povezano s degradacijom tla (r=9.47) na svim položajima. Razina degradacije kretala se od umjerene do velike zbog neodgovarajućeg korištenja zemljišta i tipova tla. Međutim, budući da su procesi degradacije bili vrlo izraženi kod svih korištenja zemljišta potrebno je pažljivo izabrati odgovarajuće korištenje kako bi se smanjila degradacija i potakla produktivnost tla

Comparative analysis of the performance of hydrophobically associating polymer, xanthan and guar gum as mobility control agent, in enhanced oil recovery application.

This study aimed at evaluating the performance of hydrophobically associating polymer (HAPAM), xanthan gum, and guar gum in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes. Their performances in terms of oil recovery applications were investigated through rheological behavior analysis and core flooding experiments. Rheological studies reveal shear thinning characteristics with HAPAM showing superior rheological behavior at elevated shear rates for all concentrations tested. Core flooding tests were conducted on different sandstone core samples with similar petrophysical properties to evaluate the EOR performance using the three polymers. Cumulative oil recovered after waterflood implies that HAPAM shows better oil recovery capability with 41.1, 62.4, and 63.5% oil recovery compared to xanthan achieving 32.8, 33.7, and 56.2% and guar gum achieving 41.8, 57.1, and 61.2% oil recovery using the three concentrations; concentration 1, 2 and 3 (1,000, 4,000 and 6,000 ppm), respectively. The superior performance by HAPAM was also evident in its lesser amount of permeability damage after flooding with 28.3% concentration

Uncertainty assessment of onset sand prediction model for reservoir applications

Modeling physical systems in engineering always comes with uncertainties in terms of the model’s input parameters. These uncertainties are also present in modeling the onset of sand production, even though considerable effort may be required in incorporating uncertainties into the process of modeling, because getting it right will definitely provide important knowledge about the input parameters for predicting the onset of sanding which provides useful hints that inform apt decision-making for sand control. In this study, a Monte Carlo simulation of some parametric input variables alongside the incorporation of the Hoek–Brown material constants was investigated using a predictive model for sand production anchored on Hoek–Brown failure criterion, so as to rank some key input uncertainties in order of the effect their magnitudinal disparities on the model output. The key inputs in the model are reservoir pressure, rock strength (uniaxial compressive strength, UCS), minimum horizontal stress, Poisson’s ratio and Hoek–Brown material constants M and S. Different diagnostic Tornado and spider plots were generated and interpreted for two wells and it was observed that the predicted well pressure is most sensitive to rock strength and generally has an inverse relationship with the rock strength

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF BROWSE LEAVES (SPONDIAS MOMBIN AND (ALBIZIA SAMAN) AND TUBER PEELS (YAM AND CASSAVA) USED AS RUMINANT FEEDS

The proximate and mineral analyses of two browse leaves (Spondias mombin and Albizia saman) and two tuber peels (yam (Dioscorea rotundata) and cassava (Manihot esculentum)) were carried out in order to justify their use as feedstuff for ruminant animals and then compare the nutritional parameters of the browse leaves with that of the tuber peels. The proximate composition (moisture content, ash, crude fibre, crude protein, etc) of the samples were determined using standard procedure by AOAC, while the mineral contents were determined with the aid of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results of the proximate analyses showed that the browse leaves have 24.42% and 15.98% protein for Albizia saman and Spondias mombin respectively, while the tuber peels are 7.66% and 3.72% for yam and cassava peels respectively. However, the tuber peels are better dietary sources of energy as they have higher Nitrogen Free Extract (Carbohydrate) values (81.67% and 78.97% for yam and cassava peels respectively) as compared to the browse leaves (39.37% and 51.95% for Albizia saman and Spondias mombin respectively). The Fe content of the browse leaves was 23.95 and 12.80 mg/100g for Albizia saman and Spondias mombin respectively, while the tuber peels had 12.30 and 9.00 mg/100g Fe content for cassava and yam peels respectively. The browse leaves had higher Ca contents of 780 and 1798 mg/100g for Albizia saman and Spondias mombin respectively, while that of the tuber peels was significantly lower with 712 and 63 mg/100g for cassava and yam peels respectively. Also yam peels had the highest K concentration (1548 mg/100g). This analysis showed that the browse leaves (Albizia saman and Spondias mombin) and tuber peels when combined (by mixing the dried tuber peels and browse leaves at different ratios) in the diet of ruminant animals will meet their nutritional needs, but it is inadequate if any of them is used as a single diet

Suitability Evaluation of Selected Wetland Soils in Nigeria for Rainfed Rice Cultivation

Thirty-eight wetland soils in four agro-ecological zones were evaluated for their suitability for rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation. The results indicated that climatic characteristics are near optimum. Currently, by non-parametric method, most (≥ 97%) of the pedons were found to be marginally suitable (S3). With the parametric method about 3% were highly suitable (S1), 74% marginally suitable (S3) and 23% not suitable (NS). Potentially by non-parametric method, 18% were of high (S1) and moderate (S2) suitabilities respectively, 58% were marginally suitable (S3) and 6% not suitable (NS). With parametric method, 24% were highly suitable (S1), 45 and 31% were of moderate (S2) and marginal (S3) suitabilities. The major limitations to rice cultivation on these soils are low CEC, organic carbon, exchangeable cations and available P, which may predispose rice plants to excessive Fe2+ uptake visually expressed as «bronzing » or «yellowing» symptoms. In this and similar environments in the region, good soil management is required before substantial improvement in rice production can be achieved