Geophysical Investigation of Some Flood Prone Areas in Ota, Southwestern Nigeria

Thirteen shallow vertical electrical resistivity soundings using Schlumberger array were conducted within the study area. The aim of the study was to investigate the nature of the subsurface in some flood prone areas within the study area by determining the lithology and the corresponding inverse model resistivities at the depths investigated and hence the cause of flooding in the area during the wet season. The resistivity sounding data were collected along seven traverses using a Campus Tigre terrameter. The observed data were interpreted quantitatively using curve matching and computer assisted iteration method. The results of the inversion show a lithology that comprises of the top soil and a paralic sequence of sand and lateritic clay at the depth investigated with varied resistivity and thickness. The flooding is thought to be due to the shallow lateritic clay layer at an average depth of 5.2 m with thickness ranging from 14.5m to 31.8m at the various points of investigation and the shallow depth of the water tabl

Effects of moisture barrier and initial moisture content on the storage life of some horticultural produce in evaporative coolant

Shelf-life of five horticultural produce were studied. These include three leafy vegetables: Telfairia occidentalis, Celosia argentea and Amaranthus cruentus and two fruit vegetables: Lycopersicum esculentum and Abelmuschus esculentus. The layout plan of the experiment was a 3x2 factorial in a completely randomized design and each treatment replicated three times. The two factors examined were moisture barrier at three levels namely: thick lining, thin lining and non-lining. The other factor included initial moisture content of the produce, namely, turgid and partially wilted. Partial wilting of the produce was achieved by exposing freshly harvested materials at ambient temperature to dry for 45 min. During this period, about 20% of the moisture content was lost. Eighteen (18) vegetable baskets which work on the principle of evaporative cooling system were used. Each type of produce was stored at a time inside the vegetable basket. Some quantity of each produce were kept on the laboratory benches to serve as controls. Data recorded includes length of storage of produce, severity of disease infection, visual quality, disease incidence, ambient temperature and relative humidity of the storage baskets. The result indicates that there was a significantly higher relative humidity (P< 0.05) in the lined baskets than in the non-lined baskets. Consequently, the shelf-life of produce in lined basket was prolonged. Turgid produce had better quality retention and stored much longer than partially wilted produce. Generally, the evaporative coolant baskets provided an average temperature of 3°C lower than the ambient condition. The shelf-life of leaf vegetables T. occidentalis, C. argentea and A. cruentus was extended appreciably for 78 days compared to the controls.Keywords: Evaporative coolant, moisture barrier, shelf-life of horticultural produce

Evaluation of 2d Electrical Resistivity Imaging and Self- Potential Anomalies over Agbani Sandstone, Southern Benue Trough: Implication for Sulphide Ore Enrichment

The evaluation of 2D electrical resistivity imaging and self potential anomalies over Agbani Sandstone has been carried out. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible/lateral extent of rock types, mineralization potential and their implication for sulphide ore enrichment. Data was acquired using the versatile ohmega resistivity meter, employing wenner configuration and the direct measurement method. Data set were analysed using the Res2dinv and Excel tool kits. Interpretation was basically qualitative. Based on the 2D electrical resistivity interpretation, Agbani sandstone is laterally limited in extent with fractures/joints, while the mineralization potential is high as the result of the high negative sp anomalies. The negative sp value range is -100mV to -500mV. This is practically indicative of a sulphide ore bodies- possibly Pyrite (FeS2). Possible sulphide ore enrichment model is by gravity flow. The fractures/joints are possible ore enrichment zones. However, stream sediments analysis and rock geochemical studies are recommended. Keywords:2D resistivity, Self potential, Mineralization potential, Pyrite, enrichment zone, Agbani sandstone

Paleoenvironmental Analysis of Sandstone Deposits within ESUT Agbani Campus, Enugu State, Nigeria, using Pebble Morphometry and Textural Analysis

Pebble morphometric and textural analysis were carried out on the sandstone deposits within the Agbani Campus of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) in an attempt to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of deposition. The area has four major lithological units which include: Coarse Sandstone, Medium Sandstone, Clayey Shale and Very Fine to Fine Sandstone. A total of ninety fresh Quartz pebbles (fifteen each from six locations) were collected for Pebble analysis and five sandstone samples were collected for sieve analysis. Morphometric parameters such as size, flatness ratio, elongation ratio, maximum projection sphericity, form geometry and oblate index were computed. Bivariate scattergrams of roundness versus oblate-prolate index were also plotted.Results show that the coefficient of flatness for the area range from 45.76 to 226.6    while mean values of sphericity and oblate prolate index ranges from 0.061 to 7.615 and 0.746 to 18.872 respectively. These values suggest fluvial origin for the pebbles. Scatter plots of coefficient of flatness versus sphericity and sphericity versus oblate-prolate index suggests that the pebbles were formed in a fluvial environment. Bivariate plots of sand-textural parameters such as simple skewness against simple standard deviation also suggest that the sediments are more of a fluvial and partly shallow marine environment. The widespread of Orphiomopha, Skolitus and Rhizocolarium in the area supports the idea of a near shore depositional environment. Keywords: Pebble Morphometry, Paleoenvironment, Coefficient of Flatness, Oblate-prolate Index, Roundnes

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Pilot Study of Intravenous Glyburide in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Pre-clinical studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) show that glyburide reduces edema and hemorrhagic progression of contusions. We conducted a small Phase II, three-institution, randomized placebo-controlled trial of subjects with TBI to assess the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) glyburide. Twenty-eight subjects were randomized and underwent a 72-h infusion of IV glyburide or placebo, beginning within 10 h of trauma. Of the 28 subjects, 25 had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 6-10, and 14 had contusions. There were no differences in adverse events (AEs) or severe adverse events (ASEs) between groups. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) percent change at 72-168 h from screening/baseline was compared between the glyburide and placebo groups. Analysis of contusions (7 per group) showed that lesion volumes (hemorrhage plus edema) increased 1036% with placebo versus 136% with glyburide (p = 0.15), and that hemorrhage volumes increased 11.6% with placebo but decreased 29.6% with glyburide (p = 0.62). Three diffusion MRI measures of edema were quantified: mean diffusivity (MD), free water (FW), and tissue MD (MDt), corresponding to overall, extracellular, and intracellular water, respectively. The percent change with time for each measure was compared in lesions (n = 14) versus uninjured white matter (n = 24) in subjects receiving placebo (n = 20) or glyburide (n = 18). For placebo, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was significantly different compared with uninjured white matter (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p < 0.02), consistent with worsening of edema in untreated contusions. In contrast, for glyburide, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was not significantly different compared with uninjured white matter. Further study of IV glyburide in contusion TBI is warranted

Pre-concentration of toxic metals using electrospun amino-functionalized nylon-6 nanofibre sorbent

This paper presents a new approach for pre-concentrating toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni and Pb) in aqueous environments using an amino-functionalized electrospun nanofibre sorbent. The sorbent, composed of nanofibres of average diameter 80 ± 10 nm and specific surface area of 58m2 g–1, exhibited fast adsorption kinetics ( adsorption (0.34)>HNO3+H2O2 (0.23) digestion.Asimilar trend was observed for Ni in river water as well as Ni andCdin tap water samples. Pb ions in the river water samples were pre-concentrated slightly better using the two digestion methods pre-concentration factors ~22) compared to adsorption method (pre-concentration factor ~21). The use of the electrospun amino-functionalized nanofibre sorbent presentsanefficientand cost-effective alternative for pre-concentration of toxic metals inaqueousenvironments

Pre-concentration of Toxic Metals using Electrospun Amino-functionalized Nylon-6 Nanofibre Sorbent

This paper presents a new approach for pre-concentrating toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni and Pb) in aqueous environments using an amino-functionalized electrospun nanofibre sorbent. The sorbent, composed of nanofibres of average diameter 80 ± 10 nm and specific surface area of 58 m2 g–1, exhibited fast adsorption kinetics (<20 min) for As, Cd, Ni and Pb. The optimal pH for the uptake of As, Cd, Ni and Pb were 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 11, respectively. The adsorption process best fitted the Freundlich isothermand followed the first-order kinetics. The highest pre-concentration achieved using the sorbent was 41.99 (Ni in treated wastewater). The capacity of the sorbent to pre-concentrate the toxic metals was compared with those of aqua regia and HNO3 + H2O2 digestions. The pre-concentration factors achieved for Cd in river water samples can be ranked as aqua regia digestion (0.73) > adsorption(0.34) > HNO3 + H2O2 (0.23) digestion. A similar trend was observed for Ni in river water as well as Ni and Cd in tap water samples. Pb ions in the river water samples were pre-concentrated slightly better using the two digestion methods (pre-concentration factors ~22) compared to adsorption method (pre-concentration factor ~21). The use of the electrospun amino-functionalized nanofibre sorbent presents an efficient and cost-effective alternative for pre-concentration of toxic metals in aqueous environments.Keywords: Electrospinning, pre-concentration, heavy metals, nylon-

Label-free quantitative comparison of cerebrospinal fluid glycoproteins and endogenous peptides in subjects with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy individuals

PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to investigate putative molecular dynamic changes in cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) collected from individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as compared to healthy controls. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The CSF samples from 12 subjects comprised of four cognitively normal individuals and eight patients with MCI and AD, respectively. Two aliquots of each CSF samples (total 1 mL) of each participant are used for this study. Endogenous peptide separations are performed using 10 000 molecular weight cut-off filters followed by LC-MS/MS identification and quantitation while lectin-enrichment chromatography is used to enrich glycoproteins in CSF followed by trypsin digestion and subsequent LC-MS/MS for shotgun identification and label-free quantitation. RESULTS: Using an optimized submicrogram peptide separation with molecular weight cut-off filtration and an in house-constructed database, 645 peptides are identified. Glycoproteins are enriched by lectin affinity chromatography, resulting in 795 identified proteins. The discovery and alterations of proSAAS-derived peptides and transthyretin are described and their roles in AD are discussed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Comprehensive identification of endogenous CSF peptidome is achieved. Fifteen proteins are found to be differentially expressed among the three groups. The dynamic changes of transthyretin are reported for the first time