The prevalence, pathogenesis and control of canine and human toxocariosis in Ibadan, Nigeria

Five hundred and sixty four dogs of under 3 years of age from a total of 1,620 that were presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Clinic at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan between April and August 2003 were screened for Toxocara canis. Also a total of 128 children of below 11 years of age from some schools at the immediate vicinities of 5 playgrounds in Ibadan, from a total of 1,012 volunteers were clinically examined and scored on given guidelines for the diagnosis of Viscera Larva Migrans (VLM). They were again screened by the Toxocara-Elisa assay for VLM, while their area playgrounds were evaluated for T. canis eggs. Group prevalence for canine Toxocariosis was 64.9% by the flotation method, while VLM was 87.5% by the ELISA. Mean T. canis egg counts were significantly higher( p<0.05) than the 2.1 eggs/5.0 grams of soil recommended for human safety from ascariosis in the two unfenced playgrounds at Bodija and Ijokodo areas than in the other three that are fenced. The most susceptible group (2 – 5 yrs) had the highest titre for T. canis(1.62 – 3.10E) and also came from these high “risk” playgrounds at Bodija and Ijokodo. Dog faecal contamination of soils was observed to be higher in the same unfenced playgrounds than in the fenced. While all playgrounds are recommended for fencing, veterinarians are also challenged to intensify control efforts on dogs by using larvicidal anthelminthics to reduce environmental contamination. Children should be treated periodically,and also educated formally on the need to develop a good personal hygiene habits in order to avoid the dangers of both the VLM and the more serious OLM.Keywords: Faeces, Ibadan, Nigeria, Prevalence, Ibadan, Soil, Toxocariosi

Effect of some operating parameters on the performance of a pelleting press

One of the major challenges of fish pellets production at the micro and small scale level is the principal complement of equipment necessary for the local manufacture of the same. Imported fish pellets are quite expensive and unaffordable for the average fish farmer. Hence, the need to be able to produce fish feed at a lower cost yet achieving the objective of quantity and quality expected of pelleted feeds are paramount to the viability of the enterprise.The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of some operating parameters (moisture content of the compounded feed, die speed of the press, and the feed rate) on the pelleting efficiency, throughput capacity, pellet durability and pellet bulk density and to optimise the conditions. Three moisture content levels (M1= 13, M2= 20 and M3 = 25% wet basis) of the compounded feed were used. For each of the moisture contents, two feed rates (Q1= 500, Q2= 350 kg/hr); and two die speeds (V1=200, and V2=250 r/min) were used for a die hole size of 4 mm. The effect of the independent parameters was significant for pellet efficiency, throughput capacity, pellet durability and pellet bulk density with R2 values of 0.9399, 0.9612, 0.8806 and 0.8977 respectively. This shows that the coefficient of determination is of positive correlation as determined from the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and the model equation. ANOVA was performed to check the adequacy of the fitted models. The response surface plots showing the interaction of variables were developed in Design-Expert 6.0.6 for every response, linear variables were found more significant than quadratic variables. Optimum conditions for maximum pellet efficiency, throughput capacity, pellet durability and bulk density corresponds to moisture content 25%, feed rate 499.99 kg/hr, speed 250 r/min with the desirability of 0.986. At this condition, pellet efficiency, throughput capacity, pellet durability and pellet bulk density were recorded as 95.7893%, 166.276 kg/hr, 98.0435% 0.846702 g/cm3 respectively

Effect of Advance Organizers Strategy on Learning Civic Education in Lower Primary Schools

The importance of effective learning to learners especially the children cannot be exaggerated. Effective learning for children will go a long way in their future endeavours. To this end, the examination of the Advance Organizers Learning Strategy on effective acquisition of knowledge/skills for primary education pupils is a direct way of making children to learn directly to achieving goals. Advance Organizers Learning Strategy has been found effective in the teaching of some school subjects. It is against this background that the study establishes if the strategy will enhance knowledge in Civic Education among lower primary schools pupils. Seventy five pupils were chosen out of a population of primary three pupils in primary schools in Ile-Ife. The schools were purposively chosen because it’s good academic status. The pupils in primary three were randomized to classes of A, B, and C. A is the Advance Organizers Group while class B is the Verbal Instruction Group and C is the Control Group. Group A was taught with Advance Organizers plus Verbal Instruction, Group B was taught with Verbal Instruction only, while Group C was not taught at all. Tests were given to the pupils which included the pre-test and the post-test.  Results show that the Advance Organizers Learning Strategy aided learning and the male pupils performed academically better than the female pupils. The strategy was recommended for teaching Civic Education in Primary schools and it was recommended that females should be assisted to meet up their male counterpart’s academic status. Keywords:-  Advance  Organizers., Learning  Strategy, Civic  Education, Lower  Primary Schoo

Characterisation of Small Scale Feed Mills in a Developing Country

There are many cottage scale animal farms in Nigeria that are sustained by the existence of small scale feed mills. The growth of these small scale feed mills is affected by some problems. A study to investigate some of the technical problems in small scale feed mills was conducted using Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria as a case study. Ten feed mills were randomly selected and investigated while thirty workers were assessed. The characteristics of the feed mills were investigated in terms of capacity, number of workers, mill operations and equipment used and the problems were investigated by studying four different areas which include; power source; unit operations/equipment; energy utilization pattern and workplace safety/hygiene. A questionnaire was designed to elicit their operations and activities and to gather the necessary data required to ascertain problems being encountered while empirical formulas were used in energy analysis. The average capacity of the small scale feed mills is 2.87 tonnes/day with an average of 6 workers of which 4 are male. 12.3 litres of diesel, 120.19kWh of electricity from the national grid and 92.64 MJ of manual energy is consumed daily. The maximum amount of energy available is approximately 1620MJ/day. 80% of the workers questioned have suffered from some minor respiratory problems. Other problems identified include; high cost of power, high rodent infestation, dirty and dusty mill environs, etc. Good management and good equipment design are some of the specific interventions suggested to solve the problems identifie

Effects of Literature Circles, Dialogic Reading and Vocabulary Self-Selection Strategies on the Reading Comprehension Skill of Lower Primary School in Osun State, Nigeria

Acquisition of early reading skills is of immense significance to the growth and development of children’s academic pursuit as virtually all subjects require reading at all levels of education. It has however been observed that children and students at primary and post primary institutions have poor reading habit that has been affecting them in their academic performances both at the internal and external examinations. It is on this premise that these researchers employed literature circles, dialogic reading and vocabulary self-selection strategies with a view to improving the children’s reading comprehension of pupils at the early childhood stage. Pretest-posttest control quasi experimental design was used. Multistage sampling technique was used in selecting eight schools from the three senatorial districts of Osun State. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that reading comprehension of the pupils were positively significantly improved. Keywords:Literature Circles, Dialogic Reading, Vocabulary Self-selection, Reading skill, Reading Comprehension

The micro-minerals composition in serum of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) infected with Trypanosoma congolense

Sixteen (16) rabbits aged between 6 to 12 months were infected with fresh stock of Trypanosoma congolense (Gboko strain) intravenously at the rate of 1.0 × 106ml. Animals were classified into two groups; groups A were infected, while group B served as uninfected controls. Samples from the infected and the uninfected controls showed a significant increase in the levels of sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), phosphate (PO4 2-) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (P < 0.05) and a significant decline in the levels of potassium (K+) and bicarbonate (HCO3 2-) (P < 0.05). Therefore, the alterations in the compositions of these micro-minerals in the serum of rabbits may suggest that, they could have a role in the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis due to T. congolense infection.Key words: Rabbits, micro-minerals, Trypanosoma congolense, pathogenesis

Application of bidentate N,N'-donor extractants in the hydrometallurgical separation of base metals from an acidic sulphate medium

Bidentate imidazole-based extractants, 1-octylimidazole-2-aldoxime (OIMOX) and 1-octyl-2-(2′-pyridyl)imidazole (OPIM), along with dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid (DNNSA) as a synergist, were investigated as potential selective extractants for Cu²⁺and Ni²⁺ respectively from base metals in a solvent extraction system. The study was extended to evaluate the sorption and separation of Ni²⁺ from other base metals in a solid-solution system using microspherical Merrifield resins and nanofibers functionalized with 2,2′-pyridylimidazole. Copper was effectively separated with OIMOX and DNNSA as extractants from nickel with ΔpH½ ≈1.05 and the extraction order of Cu²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Cd²⁺> Co²⁺ was achieved as a function of pH. At pH 1.65 the extracted copper, from a synthetic mixture of the base metals reached 90.13(±0.90)%, and through a two-step extraction process 98.22(±0.29)% copper was recovered with negligible nickel and cobalt impurities. Stripping of the copper from the loaded organic phase using TraceSelect sulphuric acid at pH 0.35 yielded 96.60(±0.44)% of the loaded quantity after the second stage of stripping. The separation of Ni²⁺ from the borderline and hard acids; Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe2²⁺, Fe²⁺, Mn²⁺, Mg2²⁺ and Ca²⁺ at a pH range of 0.5-3.5 with OPIM and DNNSA was acvieved to the tune of a ΔpH½≈ 1.6 with respect to cobalt from a sulfate and sulfate/chloride media. A three-stage counter-current extraction of Ni²⁺, at the optimized pH of 1.89, from a synthetic mixture of Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Cu²⁺, yielded 99.01(±1.79)%. The total co-extracted Cu²⁺ was 48.72(±0.24)% of the original quantity in the mixture, and it was 19.85(±0.28%) for Co²⁺. The co-extracted Cu²⁺ was scrubbed off from the loaded organic phase at pH≈8.5 by using an ammonium buffer, while co-extracted Co²⁺ was selectively and quantitatively stripped with H₂SO₄ at pH 1.64. The total recovery of Ni²⁺ by stripping at pH 0.32 was 94.05(±1.70)%. In the solid-liquid system, Ni²⁺ was separated from Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Fe²⁺ with the microspherical resins funtionalised with 2,2′-pyridylimidazole by a separation factor (β) in the range 22-45. Electrospun nanofibers as sorbents yielded high sorption capacity in the range of 0.97 - 1.45 mmol.g⁻¹ for the same metals ions. Thus, 1-octylimidazole-2-aldoxime (OIMOX), and1-octyl-2-(2′-pyridyl)imidazole (OPIM) can be effectively utilized alongside DNNSA as a co-extractant in the separation of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ respectively from base metals in acidic sulfate medium in a solvent extraction process, and the latter as a selective ligand in the solid-liquid separation of Ni²⁺ from Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Fe²⁺

On the Quasi-Moment-Method as a Rain Attenuation Prediction Modeling Algorithm

A computationally inexpensive, analytically simple, and remarkably efficient rain attenuation prediction algorithm is presented in this paper. The algorithm, here referred to as the Quasi-Moment-Method, has only two main requirements for its implementation. First, rain attenuation measurement data for bit terrestrial or slant paths for the site of interest must be available; and second, a model referred to as the base model, known to have predicted attenuation for any site to a reasonable level of accuracy and whose analytical format can be expressed as a linear combination of its parameters, is also required. An important novelty introduced by the QMM algorithm is a normalization scheme, through which a modelling difficulty concerning exceedance probabilities outside a 1 percent and 100 percent is eliminated. Model validation and performance evaluation using a comprehensive set of data available from the literature clearly demonstrated that the QMM models consistently improved base model performance by more than 90 percent and outperformed all published best fit models with which they were compared.Comment: 12 pages, 36 references, 5 figures, Journal Publicatio