Metal analyses of ash derived alkalis from banana and plantain peels (Musa spp.) in soap making

The objective of this work was to determine the metal content of plantain and banana peels ash derived alkali and the possibility of using it as alternate and cheap source of alkali in soap industry. This was done by ashing the peels and dissolving it in de-ionised water to achieve the corresponding hydroxides with pH above 12. The solution was then analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The analytical measurements were carried out in triplicate and the multi elemental solution was used for calibration of equipment. The abundance of essential metals was in these orders in both the banana and plantain alkalis: K > Fe > Ca > Mg > Mn > Zn > Na and Fe > K > Ca > Mg > Zn > Mn > Na, respectively. The presence of other metals besides K and Na at higher concentrations limits the foamability of the soaps but could be adapted as thickeners and emulsifiers in greases. The concentrations of elements with health risk in the ash derived alkalis are within the allowable range of the Commission of European Communities (2008) limit.Key words: Banana, plantain, ash derived alkali, major elements, minor elements

Efeito do método de controle de ervas daninhas e taxas insecticidas (Lambda cyhalothrin) sobre a produtividade de feijão-caupi (Vigna unguiculata (L.) walp) em uma Savanna Guinea do Sul em Nigéria

Field trials were conducted in two locations, at the Teaching and Research (T&R) Farm of the College of Agriculture, Kwara State University and Ga-Alanu Village, Malete, in the 2015 cropping season. The objective this work was to evaluate the effect of herbicide application associated to the insecticide Lambda cyhalothrin on weed control, and yield of cowpea. The experiment consisted of 18 treatments arranged in a factorial scheme. The first factor was three insecticide rates (0 ml ha-1, 8.75ga.i.ha-1 and 17.5ga.i. ha-1). The second factor was the six methods of weed control (pendimethalin at 1.5kg a.i ha-1, pendimethalin at 2.0kg a.i ha-1, pendimethalin at 1.5 kg a.i. ha-1 plus one supplementary hoe weeding (SHW), metholachlor + diuron at 1.5 + 0.6 kg a.i ha-1, hoe weeding at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) and a weedy check). The treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design arranged factorially with 3 repetitions . Variables measured were weed density, weed dry matter, relative importance value of weed species, plant height, crop vigour, number of pods/plot and grain yield. Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance and means were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5% level of probability. Results showed that insecticide rates at 8.75ga.i.ha-1 and 17.5ga.i.ha-1, and pendimethalin at 2.0kg a.i.ha-1 or pendimethialin at 1.5kg a.iha-1 plus one SHW promoted good growth and higher yield of cowpea.Experimentos de campo foram realizados em dois locais, na Fazenda de Ensino e Pesquisa (E & P) da Faculdade de Agricultura, Universidade Estadual de Kwara, e na vila de Ga-Alanu, Malete, na temporada de cultivo de 2015. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação de herbicidas associada ao inseticida Lambda cyhalothrin no controle de ervas daninhas e na produção de feijão-caupi. O experimento consistiu em 18 tratamentos dispostos em um esquema fatorial. O primeiro fator foi a taxa de inseticida, em três níveis (0 ml ha-1, 8,75 ga.i.ha-1 and 17,5 ga.i. ha-1). O segundo fator foi o método de controle de ervas daninhas, em seis categorias (1,5 kg a.i. ha-1 de pendimetalina, 2,0 kg a.i. ha-1 de pendimetalina, 1,5 kg a.i. ha-1 de pendimetalina associado a uma monda suplementar (MS) para eliminar as ervas daninhas, 1,5 + 0,6 kg a.i. ha-1 de metolacloro + diurão, monda suplementar para eliminar as ervas daninhas na 3ª e 6ª semanas após a semeadura (SAS) e uma checagem de ervas daninhas). Os tratamentos foram distribuídos em delineamento de blocos completos aleatorizados fatorialmente organizados com 3 repetições. As variáveis medidas foram a densidade da erva daninhas, a matéria seca das ervas daninhas, o valor de importância relativa das espécies de ervas daninhas, a altura da plantas, o vigor da cultura, o número de vagens/parcela e o rendimento de grãos. Os dados coletados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias foram separadas com base na menor diferença significativa (MDS) ao nível de probabilidade de 5%. Os resultados mostraram que as taxas de 8,75 ga.i.ha-1 e 17.5 ga.i.ha-1 de inseticidas, e 2,0 kg a.i. ha-1 de pendimetalina, ou 1,5 kg a.i. ha-1 de pendimetalina associado a uma MS, promoveram um bom crescimento e maior rendimento de feijão-caupi

Efficacy of Agricultural Wastes in the Control of Rice Cyst Nematode (Heterodera sacchari)

Rice cultivation is endangered by plant parasitic nematodes. Rice cyst nematode (Heterodera sacchari Luc & Merni, 1963) is one of the nematode pests which affect the quantity and quality of rice. The use of synthetic nematicide has reduced considerably yield losses incurred by H. sacchari infestation; this achievement is associated with environmental damage and occurrence of pesticide residue in food. In an effort to redeem the environment, development of alternatives to conventional nematicide is imperative. Agricultural wastes are renewable source of bio-pesticides if properly processed. The objectives of this research were: to hydrolyze pentoses and convert it to furfural in agricultural wastes; to determine the amount of furfural in 100, 150 and 200 g of agricultural waste; to incorporate the agricultural waste material into the soil as soil amendment; to determine how much furfural was released in the process of acidic/enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomaterial, and to determine the nematicidal effect of furfural in control of rice cyst nematode. Corn cobs (CNCB), rice husks (RCEH) and sorghum husks (SGMH) were digested for furfural production in place of synthetic nematicide carbofuran (CBFN) options in the management of rice cyst nematode. The quantity of furfural in 100, 150 and 200 g of each waste was determined, and the agricultural wastes were applied as soil admixes. The sorghum husk (SGMH) produced the highest furfural amount (0.796). At quantity of 200 g SGMH was significantly (p=0.05) better than all other treatments on plant height, number of tillers and rice yield. There was no significant difference of the effect of rate of application (level) on final cyst count in soil and root. Agricultural wastes, especially sorghum husks, can serve as an alternative to the use of synthetic nematicide. Residual furfural was absent in the agricultural waste after harvest. Furfural is quickly broken down by soil microorganisms under aerobic conditions; hence, it is not toxic to the environment

Efficacy of Agricultural Wastes in the Control of Rice Cyst Nematode (Heterodera sacchari)

Rice cultivation is endangered by plant parasitic nematodes. Rice cyst nematode (Heterodera sacchari Luc & Merni, 1963) is one of the nematode pests which affect the quantity and quality of rice. The use of synthetic nematicide has reduced considerably yield losses incurred by H. sacchari infestation; this achievement is associated with environmental damage and occurrence of pesticide residue in food. In an effort to redeem the environment, development of alternatives to conventional nematicide is imperative. Agricultural wastes are renewable source of bio-pesticides if properly processed. The objectives of this research were: to hydrolyze pentoses and convert it to furfural in agricultural wastes; to determine the amount of furfural in 100, 150 and 200 g of agricultural waste; to incorporate the agricultural waste material into the soil as soil amendment; to determine how much furfural was released in the process of acidic/enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomaterial, and to determine the nematicidal effect of furfural in control of rice cyst nematode. Corn cobs (CNCB), rice husks (RCEH) and sorghum husks (SGMH) were digested for furfural production in place of synthetic nematicide carbofuran (CBFN) options in the management of rice cyst nematode. The quantity of furfural in 100, 150 and 200 g of each waste was determined, and the agricultural wastes were applied as soil admixes. The sorghum husk (SGMH) produced the highest furfural amount (0.796). At quantity of 200 g SGMH was significantly (p=0.05) better than all other treatments on plant height, number of tillers and rice yield. There was no significant difference of the effect of rate of application (level) on final cyst count in soil and root. Agricultural wastes, especially sorghum husks, can serve as an alternative to the use of synthetic nematicide. Residual furfural was absent in the agricultural waste after harvest. Furfural is quickly broken down by soil microorganisms under aerobic conditions; hence, it is not toxic to the environment

SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF STEEL SLAG CONCRETE PRODUCED WITH VARYING WATER CEMENT RATIOS

This study investigated the significance of steel slag concrete created with varying water cement ratios. Steel slag from Prism Nigeria Limited was used to replace granite (at 0, 40, 50 and 60 %) in concrete. Properties of this modified concrete were examined and its results were exposed to measurable test utilizing Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The outcome indicated that the compressive and flexural qualities of the concrete increased with increased in slag content but consistently decreased as the water-cement ratios increased. The p-values of the ANOVA test for the models term are significant because they are less than 0.05

Determinants of Low Back Pain among Health‑care Providers in a Federal Tertiary Hospital in Ekiti State, SouthWestern Nigeria

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is a usual musculoskeletal system disorder among the working population, especially among health‑care providers (HCPs). It is a significant contributor to work disability, work absenteeism, and lost hours globally. The study objectives are to find the prevalence and determinants of LBP among HCPs in a Federal Tertiary Hospital in Ido‑Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A cross‑sectional study was done among HCPs in a Federal Tertiary Hospital, Ido‑Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study included 336 participants working in the hospital. The respondents were selected using stratified sampling. Data were collected through an adapted questionnaire, which was pretested, semi‑structured, and self‑administered. The data were analyzed using STATA  version 12. Univariate, bivariate, and binary logistic analysis was used to find the prevalence and determinants of LBP. The significance level was set at 95% confidence interval and P ≤ 0.05. Results: The point prevalence, period prevalence, and lifetime prevalence were 39.9%, 44.6%, and 67.6%, respectively. The findings showed that the prevalence of LBP was higher among respondents who turn patient on the bed regularly (>3 times weekly) (odds ratio [OR] =18.46, 95% CL [6.84–49.81], P < 0.0001); and pulls and pushes object or people (more than 10 kg thrice a week) (OR = 8.22, 95% CL  [3.46–19.56], P < 0.0001) were statistically significant. Conclusion: The study revealed that HCPs suffered from a high prevalence of LBP, and the identified risk factors (turning of the patient and pulling and pushing of an object or  people) can be modified using an informed health intervention program (health education and ergonomics)

EVALUATION OF THE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPACTIVE EFFORTS, SLAG AND CEMENT ON THE GEOTECHNICAL FEATURES OF LATERITE SOIL

This study investigated the statistical significance of compactive efforts, steel slag and cement on the geotechnical features of the laterite soil. Steel slag and cement were incorporated into the soil. Some geotechnical tests were performed on slag-cement-soil samples. Findings showed that the liquid limit (LL) and plasticity index (PI) decreased with increasing slag content, while cement addition increased LL and PI. As compactive efforts increased, MDD and CBR increased with a corresponding decrease in OMC. A more significant influence of the compactive effort and steel slag on the geotechnical features of the laterite than that of cement was observed

EVALUATION OF THE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPACTIVE EFFORTS, SLAG AND CEMENT ON THE GEOTECHNICAL FEATURES OF LATERITE SOIL

This study investigated the statistical significance of compactive efforts, steel slag and cement on the geotechnical features of the laterite soil. Steel slag and cement were incorporated into the soil. Some geotechnical tests were performed on slag-cement-soil samples. Findings showed that the liquid limit (LL) and plasticity index (PI) decreased with increasing slag content, while cement addition increased LL and PI. As compactive efforts increased, MDD and CBR increased with a corresponding decrease in OMC. A more significant influence of the compactive effort and steel slag on the geotechnical features of the laterite than that of cement was observed

Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe