Economic Analysis of Cane Furniture Production in Rivers State, Nigeria

Cane furniture business has provided support for households for decades in the tropical rainforest regions due to the utilization, aesthetic and durability of its products. This study evaluates the viability of the enterprise among cane furniture producers in Eleme, Obio Akpor, Oyigbo and Port Harcourt city Local Government Areas (LGA) of Rivers State, Nigeria. Data obtained from the randomly administered questionnaires were analyzed using net income to assess the profitability of the enterprise. Benefit cost analysis was used to determine the viability of the enterprise while Rate of Returns on Investment (RORI) was calculated to determine the rate at which the money invested on the enterprise could be realized. Results revealed that cane furniture production is profitable in all the four (4) LGAs assessed. Mean profit margins over three years were lower in Eleme (N225,933.00) and Port Harcourt (N170,334.00) LGAs because the entrepreneurs were mainly on part time production, while producers in Obio Akpor (N1,621,386.00) and Oyigbo (N1,061,219.00) LGAs had higher profits because they operate on full time basis. Computed RORI showed that the enterprise is worthwhile in the area, with 210.72%, 182.72%, 66.32% and 29.82% in Obio Akpor, Oyigbo, Eleme and Port Harcourt city respectively. Also benefit cost analysis showed viability of the business. Majority of cane furniture producers were males (98.75%) and mostly middle-aged individuals between 20 and 49 years old. Awareness of the prospects in the business will create job opportunities for the teeming population; investment in cane furniture production is capable of generating good income for households. Incentives in form of improved and affordable tools from poverty alleviation agencies are recommended as panacea for higher profits in cane furniture production. Keywords: Cane furniture, profitability, RORI, Rattan, Nigeria

Water quality assessment of Owiwi River for potential irrigation of vegetables

Understanding water quality used for irrigation and its potential negative impacts on crop growth are important for optimization of crop production. The study involved the assessment of hydro-chemical properties and chemical indices of Owiwi river for irrigation of vegetables from the measured quality parameters and analyzed for important quality indices following standard test procedures. The study revealed that pH of water was acidic in nature resulting in low residual sodium carbonate (RSC) values showing dominance of dissolved CO3, attributed to dissolution of limestone dominant in the study area. The water was regarded as permissible water based on electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS), implying non detrimental salinity hazard in the soils. Excessive Na content (> 250 MMg/L) in water reduces the permeability thereby influencing availability of water for the plant usage, obviously associated with low EC and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) observed in the river water. The excess hardness resulting from high content of calcium and magnesium ions derived from limestone and chalk is undesirable mostly for esthetic reasons like plumbing of irrigation systems. Generally, the water can be classified as good for irrigation of vegetable on the bases of PI, MAR, % Na, SAR and % yield. Keywords: Hydro-chemical, permeability, soil, limestone, yield

Hepatotoxic and Nephrotoxic Effects of Moringa Oleifera Leaves Extract in Adult Wistar Rats

The tree, M. oleifera (Moringaceae), is cultivated widely around the world and used for various purposes one of which is as a feed supplement to livestock The aim of this project is to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleiera on the liver and kidney. Twenty (20)  adult wistar rats were used sand were divided into four groups. Group I which is control received only feed and water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were administered with 400mg/kg 600mg/kg and 800mg/kg Moringa oleifera respectively. The rats were sacrificed by chloroform anaesthesia . An abdominal dissection was carried out to expose the major blood vessels and internal organs and blood was collected with the aid of a needle and syringe by cardiac puncture. Biochemical analysis; Alkaline phosphate and creatinine; haematological analysis and tissue processing was carried liver and kidney. The result showed there was a significant increase in haematological indices, significant decrease in serum creatinine level, no significant effect on alkaline phosphate. This study suggests that Moringa oleifera is useful in maintaining the haematological indices and has no untowards effect on the kidney and liver. Keywords: Alkaline Phosphate, Creatinine, Haematology, M. oleifera (Moringaceae) and histopathology

Treatment with methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum (Linn.) leaf reversibly normalizes urine protein-creatinine ratio in Wistar rat model of gentamicin-induced kidney injury

Background: Due to its rapid onset of action, high antibacterial efficacy and low cost, gentamicin (GEN) is still been used (particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries) despite its nephrotoxic antibiotic effects. Experimental ethno-botanical evaluations are imperative in a world with increasing incidence of kidney injury; a condition that is expensive to treat or manage.Aim: Effects of methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum (Linn.) leaf (MOGL) on urine proteincreatinine ratio (UPC) was determined in rats with GEN-induced kidney injury. Methods: This study involved the use of 50 rats such that graded doses of MOGL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o.) were administered following 8 days exposure to GEN (100 mg/kg i.p) and comparison were made against the control, toxic, 2 weeks and 4 weeks MOGL treatment groups at p <0.05. Results: GEN induced nephrotoxicity as depicted by significant perturbations in plasma and urine levels of creatinine and total protein (p <0.05); significantly lowered creatinine clearance and abnormal elevations of UPC as well as deleterious alterations of the kidney antioxidant system (GSH and TBARS) (p <0.05). Histopathological examination showed glomerular atrophy, formation of densely eosinophilic/ colloid cast within the tubules and severe loss of cellular constituents in the medullary interstitium. When compared with the control, these conditions were significantly normalized after 2 week MOGL treatment (p <0.05) with a deleterious reversal from normalcy at 4 week MOGL treatment (p <0.05).Conclusion: This study substantiated that MOGL has therapeutic potentials that becomes deleterious after sub-chronic administration in rat model of GEN-induced kidney injury.Key words: Gentamicin, renal function test, Ocimum gratissimum, urine protein-creatinine ratio, creatinine clearance, antioxidant syste

Crepe bandage in the management of soft tissue limb abscesses

Objective: To determine the necessity of continuous gauze packing of abscess cavities following incision and drainage of limb abscesses.Methods: Limb abscesses managed between January, 2001 and December, 2005 were prospectively studied. The wounds were packed for the first 24hrs for heamostasis after which the limbs were randomized into two groups. The first group had daily wound dressing with packing of the abscess cavity while the second group had daily dressing of the stoma only with external crape bandaging of the abscess cavity. The wounds were inspected weekly for healing and complications. Analysis was done using SPSS 13.0. The level of significance was put at p < 0.05Results: Eighty-seven limbs were studied in 33 patients, 19 were in the right upper limb, 16 in the left upper limb, 23 in the left lower limb and 29 in the right lower limb. The mean duration for the gauze packed wounds to heal was 7.0 ±1.08 weeks while the bandaged wound took 5.2 ± 1.71 weeks to heal. This was statistically significant (p < 0.000).Conclusion: Continuous wound packing in limb abscesses after the first 24hrs should be avoided. External crepe bandaging of the abscess cavity achieve faster healing

Hepatotoxic and Nephrotoxic Effects of Moringa Oleifera Leaves Extract in Adult Wistar Rats

The tree, M. oleifera(Moringaceae),is cultivated widely around the world and used forvarious purposes one of which is as a feed supplement to livestock The aim of this project is to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleieraon the liver and kidney. Twenty (20) adult wistar rats were used sand were divided into four groups. Group I which is control received only feed and water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were administered with 400mg/kg 600mg/kg and 800mg/kg Moringa oleifera respectively. The rats were sacrificed by chloroform anaesthesia .An abdominal dissection was carried out to expose the major blood vessels and internal organs and blood was collected with the aid of a needle and syringe by cardiac puncture. Biochemical analysis; Alkaline phosphate and creatinine; haematological analysis and tissue processing was carried liver and kidney. The result showed there was a significant increase in haematological indices, significant decrease in serum creatinine level, no significant effect on alkaline phosphate. This study suggests that Moringa oleifera is useful in maintaining the haematological indices and has no untowards effect on the kidney and liver

INCAP ABILITY OF FORMALIN BASED FIXA TIVE T O KILL MAGGOT IN MUTILA TED HUMAN CARRION

Background: Embalming is a process used to temporarily preserve a human cadaver to forestall decomposi tion and make it suitable for di splay at funerals; thus, are agents that prevent autolysis and putrefaction. The outbreak of maggots from a heap of inadequately embalmed bodi es due to deep cuts and bodies involved in inferno, necessitated the need to re-investigate the efficacy of formalin based embalmi ng fl uid and i ts inabil ity to kill maggots. Methodology: Various strength of Formaldehyde, Xyl ene, Kerosene, and, Lime flui d, Isopropanol , Gamalin 20, Potassi um ferrocyanide, and Physiol ogical saline as control were used i n the investigation. In the present investigation, Two maggots under the same atmospheric conditi on were put in each of the ten selected chemical reagents/solutions, including Li me, Kerosene, and the Gamalin 20 that are naturally available were ini tiall y di spensed into ten glass universal containers. Maggot movements in each reagent solution were criti cal ly observed. Result: Maggots death occurred within the fi rst ten mi nutes in test number three groups III that contains Concentrated Formalin and Xylene and Maggots died after fifteen minute of the experiment, but maggots did not died until about eight hours after the test in two of the experiment. Discussion: Results of this investigation showed cl early that Maggots were not killed as soon as expected by the embalmer when ordinary ten percent alcoholic formalin embalming fluid is used. Equal volume of concentrated formalin plus Xylene was found out to be effective at ki l ling maggot instantly . Conclusion: It is therefore advisable to use Xylene plus Conc. Formalin when preserving cadaver i nfested with Maggot and this could at the same time prevent the occurrence of Maggots Infestation and better preservation of mass of burnt muti lated corpses in our Mortuary

Cloud model construct for transaction-based cooperative systems

Plethora of cooperative enterprise models exist in practice. Inherent complex and tasking operations and lack of financial strength to procure cutting edge Information Technology infrastructure are some of the problems faced by these cooperative enterprises. In this paper, a cloud model is constructed for transaction-based cooperative systems with a view to mitigating these problems. The model is implemented using a server script language (PHP) and Mysql database engine. Test results show that while database security issues can be intuitively tackled by using Mersenne Twister random number algorithm, server scripts are secured through simple abstraction. Results also reveal that credit cooperatives will benefit from the model by taking advantage of its low initial investment feature to make them part owner of the cloud software. It is therefore safe to conclude that while cooperative accounting is a new area for research attention, this model can solve the problems associated with cooperative administration.Keywords: Cloud, Cooperative Enterprise, Database Engine, Transaction, Algorithm, Mode

A note on the computational completeness of generalized forbidding grammars

This paper demonstrates that a generalized forbidding grammars of degree 3, index 5, with no more than 7 conditional productions and 9 non-terminals is computationally complete This result is based on the common idea of using Geffert normal forms for type-0 grammars

Wood of Gliricidia sepium as a potential source of dietary fiber

In recent years it has been established that several health problems common in developed societies are connected to a lack of dietary fiber content in the daily meal. Among such health hazards are excessive body weight and its secondary implications, such as atherosclerosis, cancers of the colon, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, colitis and diverticulosis. Therefore, due to the indispensable benefits of dietary fibers intake and the health hazards resulting from their deficiency, nutritional experts have come up with a number of new ideas for food recipes. One of these ideas is related to wood anatomy, i.e. addition of wood fiber to wheat flour to produce or bake breads of low caloric value and a high dietary fiber content. Intake by experimental rats of a feed-supplemented with insoluble wood fiber of Gliricidia sepium during four weeks revealed that wood fiber supplements were acceptable to the rats. There was no significant difference in the blood packed cell volume (PCV) between experimental and control animals. This result indicates that fiber intake did not have any side effect on the blood of experimental animals. Furthermore, incorporation of wood fibers into wheat flour did not adversely affect the physical and baking properties of bread. This study recommends use of the wood of G. sepium as a potential source of dietary fibers