Assessment of Index Properties and Bearing Capacities of Soils for Infrastructure Foundations in Malete, Northcentral Nigeria

Malete is a fast growing suburb with new buildings springing up daily. There has been no documented research on the physical properties and foundation bearing capacity of the soil in this area. This research aimed at determining the suitability of this soil as infrastructure foundation. Bulk samples taken from two selected locations at varrying depths of trial pits were tested for their index and shear strength properties using standard methods. Cone penetration resistance, California bearing ratio, compaction, consolidation and permeability characteristics were also assessed. The geotechnical properties determined varied significantly with depth except for specific gravity which did not vary significantly at α 0.05 with depth. Soil samples from all pits consist mostly of poorly graded gravely sands with little fines. They contain medium to coarse grained sand fraction averagely above 85%. Penetration resistance obtained from cone pentration test ranged from 700 kN/m2 to 950 kN/m2 . The average safe bearing capacity estimated for strip footing using a factor of safety of 3 at depth of 1 m was not less than 473 kN/m2 anywhere in the study area. Samples from the two locations generally have good compaction parameters, medium to high permeability and low compressibilty. The highest bearing capacities were associated with the lateritized basement top. This implies that the safest depth to place infrastracture foundations in the area is the depth where lateritized basement rock is encountered

Forest Product Industry and Engineered Wood Products: The Nigerian Experience

The forest product industry in Nigeria is barely surviving rather than thriving. Faced with a lot of challenges, the industry has witnessed the closure of many wood processing industries while a few are operating at low capacity. This paper examines engineered wood products and the outlook on wood and wood products in Nigeria. It discusses some of the challenges that have inhibited the growth of the industry and provides recommendations for reinventing the industry through development of modern value-added wood products for sustainable building construction. Keywords: Collaboration; Engineered wood products; Forestry product industry; Glulam; Sustainability

Reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe vera plant

The reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe vera plant was studied using twelve male fish weighing 500-560g.The fish were divided into 3 groups; A, B and C with four fish in each group. Group A was treated with 2% Aloe vera gel while group B was treated with 3% and Group C the control was treated with distil water. Blood and semen samples were collected for analysis and histology of the testis was done. Spermiogram revealed that as the concentration of the gel increased, the motility and sperm count decreased. Although the decrease in sperm motility was significant (p<0.05), the decrease in the sperm count was not significant (p>0.05) across the groups. Percentage liveability of sperm cells was significantly lower (p<0.05) in treated groups than control. The control group had higher semen volume, this volume was however not significantly different (p>0.05) from other treatments. Morphological studies showed that group B (3% group) had a significantly higher value (p<0.05) of total sperm abnormalities than the other groups. The best histological integrity of the testes was observed in group C (control).This study concludes that exposure of male C. gariepinus to all treatment levels of Aloe vera gel is detrimental to the reproductive potential of the catfish and could be a cause of infertility in the catfish.Keywords: Clarias gariepinus, Aloe vera, spermiogram and histolog

Lactobacillus sp and some fungi from termite nests on kolanut trees had mild antagonistic effects against pathogens isolated from paediatric patients

Background: Residents in a rural suburb of Akure jettisoned antibiotic treatment; sought alternative cure to rising incidence of paediatric infections in 2017 from local herbal dealers, with many residents claiming of better treatment response. We investigated these claims since the local herbal formula included kola nut barks and ground termites.Methodology: Microorganisms associated with termite nests on kola nut trees in the affected community were characterized and identified using standard techniques. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the bacterial isolates to selected antibiotics. Plasmid profile of multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolates (MDRIs) was determined by the Birnboim and Doly method while post plasmid curing antibiotic susceptibility was performed on the MDRIs against the same selected antibiotics. The microorganisms were also evaluated for possible antagonistic effects against Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients during the period of study using previously described methods.Results: Bacteria (Corynebacterium sp, Streptococcus sp, Acinetobacter sp and Lactobacillus sp) and fungal (Geotrichum condidum, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi) were isolated from the termite nests. The antibiotic susceptibility revealed that Corynebacterium sp and Streptococcus sp were multiply antibiotic resistant, and this was confirmed to be plasmid mediated based on plasmid analysis and curing. The Lactobacillus sp, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium fujikuroi and Geotrichum condidum exhibited mild antagonisms against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients.Conclusion: This study suggests that termite nests on kola nut trees contain microbes that possess antagonistic actions against pathogens from paediatric patients and that some bacteria associated with termite guts may pose significant risk of increased antibiotic resistance if implicated in human infections.Keywords: Termite nests, Resistance, Antagonistic microbes, Termites, Plasmid, Kola nut tre