Strength, Sorption and Chemical Properties of Ceiba Pentandra and Tectona Grandis Wood Composite

The enormous quantities of wood wastes in Nigerian sawmills and disused polystyrene from packaging can be converted to value added composite products thus curtailing their indiscriminate disposal; enhancing greener environment. This work examined the strength, sorption and chemical properties of wood composites made from Ceiba pentandra and Tectona grandis. Ceiba pentandra (Araba) and Tectona grandis (Teak) composite boards were made from polystyrene glue and a conventional water-based adhesive used in the wood industries. The fabricated boards were tested for strength and sorption properties while the functional groups of the composites were determined using the Fourier Transformed Infrared Radioscopy technique. The results obtained revealed that the composites had low strength, poor sorption properties and can only be utilized as insulating components in building construction. Polystyrene based composites possessed higher strength  (Modulus of Rupture: 2.2 – 4.9 N/mm2) and enhanced sorption properties (Water Absorption: 14.2 - 98.5 %; Thickness Swelling: 0.61 - 3.45%) in comparison with those of the water-based adhesives (Modulus of Rupture: 1.6 – 2.8 N/mm2; Water Absorption: 33.4 – 158.4 % and Thickness Swelling: 1.80 – 7.41%) possibly due to preponderance of aromatic compounds which enhanced interfacial bonding. Increase in glue content significantly enhanced the strength and sorption properties of the wood composite

The Efficacy of using Gravity Concentration Methods in Value Addition to Ajabanoko Iron Ore for use in Nigerian Smelting Plants towards Metallurgical Purposes

This research work x - rays the use of gravity separation methods – Wifely shaking tabling and Air flotation (Kip Kelly air floating machine) to produce a high iron ore concentrate that could be used in both Blast furnace and Direct Reduced Induction (DRI) operation as a feed towards the production of Nigerian iron and steel. Crude iron ore assaying 40.72%Fe was beneficiated by using dry air floating processing method and wet wilfley shaking tabling process after characterization and the determination of liberation size of the iron ore and grinding of the crude iron ore to this liberation size of -500 + 355µm.The result revealed that the use of Air floating method gave 67.95%Fe, low acid oxide gangue of 7.3%, while Wilfley shaking tabling gave 51.16%Fe, low acid oxide gangue of 18.6%. It does shows that Air float tabling machine met the required standard grade of iron (≥ 65%Fe) content needed as a charge for the furnace operation, while, the assay and recovery obtain of wilfley shaking tabling could not meet the standard requirement for iron and steel production in the country, Nigeria

Achieving Excellence in the Operations of Entrepreneurship Development Centres in Nigeria Higher Institutions

There have been several policy interventions in Nigeria that were aimed at stimulating enterprise development. In line with this effort, entrepreneurship syllabus was embedded in the higher institutions curriculum to stimulate entrepreneurship mind-set among Nigeria graduates. And Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs) sprang up in various institutions with varying approaches to the challenges posted to them.  With almost a decade experience in entrepreneurship educational development in our higher institutions, a stock-taking of their activities and way to achieve the aims and objectives is urgently needed. It was discovered that these centres, which most institution have established have not reach their potential capacity. So, the paper takes a look the current mode of operation of the some of the centres and their impacts on their graduates. In conclusion, the paper recommend ways and manners the centres can meet the contemporary challenges and their roles in enterprise development, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship education. Key words: Entrepreneurship Development Centres, Entrepreneurship education and Enterprise development

HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF TRECULIA AFRICANA DECNE ROOT BARK IN NORMAL AND ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS.

The solvent partitioned purified fractions of the hydro-acetone root bark extract of the African breadfruit (Treculia africana Decne) were evaluated for hypoglycemic activities in normal and diabetic albino rats. Fasting blood glucose levels were estimated by the use of a glucometer at pre-determined intervals after oral administration of the test extracts/fractions. Results revealed that the test fractions have only a slight effect on blood sugar level of normal rats. On short term and chronic administration in diabetic rats however, diethyl ether-soluble (DEF) and the water-soluble (WSF) fractions significantly reduced the fasting blood sugar levels (

Assessment of Zn, Cu and Pb Contamination in Soils and Vegetables from Some Farmlands in Lagos Metropolis, Lagos, Nigeria

The contamination of leafy vegetables with heavy metals poses a serious threat to humans but little attention has been given to such studies in Nigeria. Investigated in this study are the levels of concentration of three heavy metals;  Zn, Cu and Pb in some leafy vegetables viz., cockscomb (Celosia argentea), african spinach  (Amarathus viridis), , jute plant (Corchorus olitorus) and lettuce (Lactuca capensis) from four  farmlands designated as Idi - araba, Isolo, Owode - Onirin and Badore in Lagos Metropolis. The concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb in the leaves, stems and roots of cockscomb, african spinach,  jute plant and lettuce were found to be 1.542 "“ 0.125, 88.417 "“ 17.700, 7.568 "“ 0.028; 1.633 "“ 0.125, 82.417 "“ 18.250, 16.334 "“ 0.083; 1.583 "“ 0.028, 17.542 "“ 8.243, 10.833 "“ 0.167; 0.046 "“ 0.235, 0.00, 0.456 "“ 0.342 mg kg-1 respectively. The concentrations of Pb of the leaves of vegetables at Isolo,  Corchorus olitorus at Idi "“ araba, Celosia argentea and Lactuca capensis at Badore were above the recommended maximum acceptable limits by WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The Zn and Cu contents of leaves of all vegetables are below the recommended limits in the four farmlands. The estimated daily intake of Cu, Zn and Pb through the consumption of Celosia argentea, Amarathus viridis and Corchorus olitorus are below the provisional tolerable daily intake of heavy metals established by FAO/WHO. This study shows that the vegetables obtained directly from the study sites may not constitute a health hazard for consumers

Editorial: Environmental stressors, multi-hazards and their impact on health

[Extract] nvironmental stressors, such as air pollution, noise pollution, and chemical exposure, can adversely affect human health by increasing the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. The sixth assessment report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that the global temperature is projected to reach or exceed 1.5◦C of warming over the next 20 years, exacerbating exposure to environmental stressors. Air pollution alone is estimated to cause 4.2 million deaths annually, and most of the world’s population (99%) is exposed to air quality levels that exceed the WHO Air Quality Guidelines

Changing Ecotypes of Dengue Virus 2 Serotype in Nigeria and the Emergence of Cosmopolitan and Asian I Lineages, 1966–2019

Dengue virus (DENV) is a leading mosquito-borne virus with a wide geographical spread and a major public health concern. DENV serotype 1 (DENV-1) and serotype 2 (DENV-2) were first reported in Africa in 1964 in Ibadan, Nigeria. Although the burden of dengue is unknown in many African countries, DENV-2 is responsible for major epidemics. In this study, we investigated the activities of DENV-2 to determine the circulating strains and to appraise the changing dynamics in the epidemiology of the virus in Nigeria. Nineteen DENV-2 sequences from 1966–2019 in Nigeria were retrieved from the GenBank of the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A DENV genotyping tool was used to identify the specific genotypes. The evolutionary history procedure was performed on 54 DENV-2 sequences using MEGA 7. There is a deviation from Sylvatic DENV-2 to other genotypes in Nigeria. In 2019, the Asian I genotype of DENV-2 was predominant in southern Edo State, located in the tropical rainforest region, with the first report of the DENV-2 Cosmopolitan strain. We confirmed the circulation of other non-assigned genotypes of DENV-2 in Nigeria. Collectively, this shows that DENV-2 dynamics have changed from Sylvatic transmission reported in the 1960s with the identification of the Cosmopolitan strain and Asian lineages. Sustained surveillance, including vectorial studies, is required to fully establish the trend and determine the role of these vectors

Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economic Growth in Nigeria

This paper underscores the importance of entrepreneurship as a realistic mechanism for sustainable economic growth in Nigeria considering the experiences of developed nations like the United States and vibrant economies like China and India. The paper discusses that entrepreneurship has been instrumental in economic growth, balanced regional development and job creation in most dynamic economies, where technology is changing at a faster rate and the product lifetime cycle is shrinking. The methodology adopted in this paper is the narrative-textual case study (NTCS); it is a social science research method that relies on the information and data from several sources for problem-solving or problem-identification. The paper reveals that the right business environment for entrepreneurship is lacking in Nigeria on account of the challenges of frequent power outages, bad roads, multiple taxes extortion of money from SMEs by government officials, lack of genuine support service for SMEs and expensive transportation/telecommunications costs have all combined to inhibit entrepreneurship and economic growth. The paper therefore concludes that government should focus on capacity building, improving infrastructure, judicious utilisation of the oil wealth and enabling environment thereby leading to sustainable economic growth