Altered protein and iron levels of patients with active tuberculosis in a Nigerian reference health facility

Backgound: Tuberculosis as a state of chronic inflammation impacts on haematologic functions of the body.Objectives: This study aimed at assessing iron parameters and serum protein levels of ninety tuberculosis patients aged fifteen to sixty years, enrolled from Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Ninety apparently healthy individuals age and gendermatched served as control subjects.Methods: Packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, total protein, albumin and serum ferritin were determined using standard methods. Transferrin saturation, globulin concentration and albumin-globulin ratio were derived by calculation. Data were analysed using student T-test on SPSS version 20 software. Statistical significance was set at P-value less than 0.05.Results: Packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, albumin levels and albumin-globulin ratio of tuberculosis patients were found to be significantly lower while serum ferritin and globulin were significantly increased (p<0.05) as compared with control values. Serum ferritin improved towards control values as anti-tuberculosis therapy progressed.Conclusion: A reduction in haemoglobin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation and increase in serum ferritin as well as altered serum protein levels, occur in tuberculosis infection.Keywords: Tuberculosis, iron, serum protei

Iron status of pregnant women in rural and urban communities of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria

Anaemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem in Nigeria. Iron deficiency is one of the major causes of anaemia in pregnancy. Inadequate iron intake during pregnancy can be dangerous to both baby and mother. Iron status of pregnant women was assessed in two rural and one urban communities in Cross River State Nigeria. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, red cell count, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor and soluble transferrin receptor/ferritin ratio were measured in plasma/serum of 170 pregnant women within the age range of 15-45 years. Seventy participants were from antenatal clinic of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Calabar (urban community), 50 from St Joseph Hospital Ikot Ene (rural community) in Akpabuyo Local Government Area and the remaining 50 from University of Calabar Teaching Hospital extension clinic in Okoyong (rural community), Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River state. The prevalence of anaemia, iron deficiency, iron depletion and iron deficiency anaemia were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) among pregnant women from the two rural communities when compared to the urban community. it was also observed that the prevalence of anaemia, iron deficiency, iron depletion and iron deficiency anaemia were significantly higher (p<0.05) among pregnant women from Akpabuyo 38(76.00%), 20(40.00%), 23(46.0%) , 16(32.00%) respectively followed by Okoyong 24(48.0%), 20(40.0%), 16(32.0%), 6(12.0) and then those from Calabar 14(20%),  12(17.90%) , 14(20.0%). The mean haemoglobin and haematocrit were  significantly reduced (p<0.01) in pregnant women from the two rural communities. Serum iron, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation showed no significant difference while total iron binding capacity and soluble transferrin receptor significantly (p<0.01) increased among pregnant women from Okoyong when compared to those from Calabar. It was also shown that pregnant women in their third trimesters and multigravidae had the highest prevalence of iron depletion and iron deficiency anaemia while prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia were higher in  primigravidae and the pregnant women in their second trimester. In conclusion, this study has shown that the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia are higher among pregnant women in the rural communities when compared to those in the urban areas.Keywords: Anaemia, Iron deficiency, Iron status, Okoyong, Akpabuyo, Calaba

AN EVALUATION OF LEGACY 3-TIER DATACENTER NETWORKS FOR ENTERPRISE COMPUTING USING MATHEMATICAL INDUCTION ALGORITHM

In today’s internet computing, regardless of the scale of infrastructural integrations, the design Cost, QoS, powermanagement etc, largely plays a role in the choice of design. In this paper, we present the limitations of traditional DataCenter Networks (DCN) for efficient web application integration in enterprise organisations. We carried out an in-depthstudy on typical enterprise DCNs viz: University of Nigeria DCN and Swift Network DCN Lagos state, seeking to ascertainthe limitations of the traditional DCN with respect to throughput, latency, scalability, efficiency in web applicationintegration, etc in QoS context. Microtic Server and Ethereal Wireshack were employed for traffic trend observation andpacket captures on a monitoring Dell Inspiron laptop connected to the UNN DCN. The traffic graphs were captured,computed and analysed. From the results obtained, deductions were derived while articulating on the limitations of thesenetworks. Using mathematical induction theorem, we show that for any introduced network enhancer, this will enable sucha network to scale optimally. In this regard, this work opines that for large scale enterprise computing, collapsing a three tiernetwork models into a low cost two-tier model using virtualization and consolidation will be widely celebrated. These formsthe basis for our future work on a re-engineered DCN for enterprise web application integrations.Keywords: Internet, Computing, Efficiency, Application, Ethereal, Wireshack, Enterpris

Using Software Engineering Approach in Mitigating QoS Challenges in Mobile Communication Networks in Nigeria

As a result of telecommunication poor Quality of Service (QoS) in Nigeria with respect to voice ,data and video services, several works have been carried out using approaches such as drive test, survey design with statistical computation techniques, modeling simulation, etc. These have been employed to carry out comprehensive evaluation and optimization of Quality of Service (QoS) of Mobile Cellular Networks in Nigeria. In this context, there are five major Key Performance Indices (KPIs) which are usually considered for the evaluation, viz: Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Call Completion Rate (CCR), Call Drop Rate (CDR), Call Handover Success Rate (CHSR) and Standalone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH). In this paper, following data collated from a recently conducted drive test KPIs, we leveraged software engineering SDLC concepts, particularly using JAVA programming language to develop an optimization drive test plant for improving QoS thresholds by service providers. A test dataset for the months of April and March 2012 was used in the drive test plant design. In this regard, the raw data set, the optimized dataset and the normalized data sets were shown in the drive test plant. Relevant flowcharts were developed and discussed in the context of the drive test plant. This work argued that with the drive test plant properly integrated into the vendors Mobile Switching Centers (MSC), the QoS thresholds by NCC will be satisfied. Consequently, this work calls for a mobile community driven responses while future work will focus on integration validations necessary to boost the performance of the KPIs in order to guarantee a better Quality of Service.Keywords: Quality of Service, Cellular, Networks, Software Engineering, Thresholds, Validations, Optimization

CHARACTERIZATION OF HOTSPOT COVERAGE PLAN IN 2.4/ 5GHZ FREQUENCY BAND (NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, NIGERIA, AS A CASE STUDY)

Research and tertiary institutions today uses wireless connectivity owing to the benefits of mobility flow-awarecommunication and flexibility advantages generally. In this case, mobility computing involving the use of smartdevices, laptops, wifi-desktops, etc, largely depends on a deployed hotspot infrastructure. In particular, the physicalposition of the mobile system (and hence of the user) and the hotspot infrastructure design layout are fundamentalconsiderations for service efficiency. While previous works have focused on user position estimation, signal strengthquality and network QoS, this work leverages the contemporary challenges of network connectivity in tertiaryinstitutions in Nigeria with respect to optimal coverage and cost minimization. Using Nnamdi Azikiwe University-Unizik, Awka as testbed, we carried out a study on hotspot/WLAN IEEE 802.11 deployments while devising a costeffective coverage plan in 2,4/5GHz frequency band. A mathematical model on cost optimization for WLANHotpot project processes was developed using Linear programming, the installation procedure, coverage plan basedon specifications of the deployment hardware, and data security were covered in this work. Consequently, from themodel, we argue that with careful selection of optimization criteria in the deployment, an efficient design cost plan,and QoS, could eliminate possible trade-offs in the deployment contexts by over 95%.Keywords: Mobility, Flow-aware, Hotspot, Infrastructure, Optimization, Design, Minimizatio

Sugar Spectra of Syrups Produced from Different Tuber Starches via Crude Enzymes and Amyloglucosidase Sources

Syrup production was done via enzyme hydrolysis. Enzymes used were crude enzymes from malted sorghum, wheat and millet and exogenous enzyme by name amyloglucosidase (AMG) which hydrolyzed Cassava (Manihot esculenta,), water yam (Dioscorea alata) and potato white (Ipomoea batatas L) starches. Syrup sugars were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the sugar profile found are fructose; glucose, sucrose, maltose, D-xylose, and D-Raffinose which manifested as a result of the interaction between starches and enzymes. The sugar Fructose was in the range of 17.34 ± 0.651 g/l to 28.16 ± 0.982 g/l, Glucose sugar was in the range of 6.09 ± 0.165 g/l to 177.04 ± 1.229 g/l. The highest glucose yield (177.04 ± 1.229 g/l) was observed in Cassava starch reaction with the commercial enzyme –AMG. Sucrose content was in the range of 5.78 ± 0.180 g/l to 21.59 ± 0.536 g/l, Maltose (23.71 ± 0.125 g/l to 48.04 ± 0.125 g/l) was the most predominant sugar in all syrups gotten from the starch and crude enzymes interaction. The hydrolysis of starches using different enzyme sources yielded sugar spectra of different sugars concentrations with each starch source predisposed to the natural activity of the enzyme peculiar to their variety or cell structure. D-xylose and D-Raffinose were in the range of 0.004-0.225 g/l which is very small in quantity compared to other sugars seen while no D-stachyose was detected

Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Flexible Polyether Foam Filled with Eggshell and Groundnut Husk Powder

The study investigated the effect of eggshell and groundnut husk as fillers on flexible polyether foam. The fillers with the mesh sizes of 50µm respectively were mixed in the ratio of 50-50. Varying percentages of the mixed fillers ranging from 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% were incorporated into the polyether recipes in the appropriate foam formulations and foam samples were produced. The unfilled foam (0%filler) served as the standard control sample. The physico-mechanical test carried out on the foam showed increase in the properties such as density, compression set test, indentation hardness test, tensile strength test and decrease for elongation at break test as compared to the unfilled foam. The scanning electron microscopy result showed the cell sizes became smaller and concentrated with an irregular shape as the filler load increased, thereby making it denser and thicker. Eggshell and groundnut husk can be used in the production of flexible polyether foam since they are organic materials. They can enhance the mechanical properties and biodegradability of polyurethane product. The use of fillers in polymer composite will help in sanitizing the environment by reducing landfills and producing eco-friendly waste and also it influences cost positively.

Proximate and Sensory Evaluation of Different Zobo-Moringa Blends Packaged in Tea Bags

Different blends of Roselle calyx and Moringa leaves (90:10%. 80:20%, 70:30%, and 50:50% respectively) were used in processing the novel instant “Zobo-moringa mix” by drying, grinding and mixing of Zobo calyx, moringa leaves, ginger, cloves and orange flavour. Various recipes were formulated using linear programming, after which sensory evaluation was carried out to obtain an acceptable formula. Dried Moringa leaves were added at different proportion by varying the amount of Zobo calyx used. All samples were packaged in teabags. Proximate analysis was carried out on the samples. The results of the proximate analysis showed that the proximate composition of the samples was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in protein and it increases as the proportion of Moringa increases from 2.325% to 28.05%. For the crude fiber, there was a decrease in its composition from 14.00% to 5.70% as the proportion of Moringa increases. It is significantly low in carbohydrate from 59.98% to 29.62% as the proportion of Moringa increases. The results of the sensory evaluation of the samples showed that the samples into which Moringa were incorporated were generally more accepted than the conventional Zobo sample (control)

Functional Properties of Sausage Rolls Made from Cocoyam and Wheat Flour Enriched with Soybean Flour

Functional properties of sausage rolls made from cocoyam and wheat flour enriched with soybean flour was studied. Cocoyam cormels and soybean were processed into flour, which were later used to formulate composite flour blends, with wheat flour in the ratio of: 90:10:0 (control 1), 80:10:10, 70:10:20, 60:10:40, 50:10:30, respectively, while 0:10:90 served as control 2. The result of the functional properties showed variation in behavior. There were no significant difference (p?0.05) in pH, bulk density, swelling index, foam capacity and emulsion capacity of the flour samples while significant difference (p?0.05) existed in water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity and wettability

Evaluation of some important physicochemical properties of starch free grewia gum

Gums obtained by extraction from the inner bark of stems can be found in association with starch, which must be digested in order to obtain a refined polysaccharide isolate. In the present study, grewia gum obtained from the inner bark of the stems of Grewia mollis was shown to co-exist with starch and the effect of starch digestion on the physicochemical properties of the resultant polysaccharide was evaluated. The gum was extracted by maceration of the inner bark in deionized water and isolated by a combination of filtration, centrifugation and finally precipitation with absolute ethanol to produce the crude grewia gum extract (GG). The presence and content of starch in the gum sample was determined followed by enzymatic digestion of the starch using α-amylase (Termamyl 120L) to give a starch-free extract (GGDS). Physicochemical properties of the extracts such as total carbohydrates, total protein, differential sugar composition, NMR, intrinsic viscosity and rheological behaviour of the samples were evaluated. The GG extract had total carbohydrate content of ∼ 60 % out of which 11.8 % was starch, and a protein content of 2.3 %. Samples also contained galacturonic and glucuronic acid which were highly acetylated. Both samples had a higher proportion of galacturonic acid than glucuronic acid and contained rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose and xylose as neutral sugars in varying proportions. Rheological measurements on 2 %w/w dispersions of the extracts show minor differences between both the original extract and the de-starched material but were influenced by changes in pH