Analysis and modeling of impact of flood on a dam using Midas software (a case study of university of Ilorin)

This project examined the computer aided modelling, analysis, and design, of a concrete gravity dam using MIDAS GTS software. A manual design based on stability analysis against sliding, overturning and shear friction of the dam due to a flood level of 7.6 m (same as the height of the dam) and a flood level of 10.5 m were included. Data used was collected from project planning unit (PPU) of the University of Ilorin for the analysis. Based on the manual design of the typical concrete gravity dam analysis carried out, the factors of safety against, Overturning, Sliding and Shear Friction Factor were 2.5, 2.3, and 47 (for the flood level of 7.6 m) and 1.5, 1.2, and 26 (for the flood level of 10.5 m) which are all greater than the allowable factors. . The principal stresses at the toe of the dam using manual and MIDAS software are 2.5 X 105 kN/????2 and 2.43 X 105 kN/????2 respectively and the shear stresses using manual and MIDAS software are 1.1 X 105 kN/????2 and 1.6 X 105 kN/????2 respectively (for the flood level at 7.6 m

Carcass Characteristics and Internal Organs of Broilers Fed Roasted Pride of Barbados Seedmeal

A feeding experiment was conducted at the poultry unit of the Teaching and Research Farm of the Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora located on latitude 71340 and longitude 31280E to evaluate the effects of dietary roasted pride of barbados seed meal on carcass characteristics and internal organ weights of broiler chickens. Seventy-two day old Marshal broiler chicks obtained from Obasanjo Farms, Igboora, Nigeria were divided into four treatments and each treatment was replicated three times with a total of six birds per replicate. The ripened seeds of pride of barbados obtained within Igboora metropolis were roasted at 100-1100C using open flame for seventeen minutes in an open pan. The seeds were considered roasted when about 75-80% of the seed cracked. The roasted pride of barbados seedmeal was included at different levels 5,10 and 15 percent respectively in broiler rations. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. There were significant variations (P<0.5) in the value of all the parameters except in the mean values recorded for lung and empty gizzards in some treatments. Higher values were recorded in 10% inclusion level of roasted pride of barbados seedmeal than all other treatments, while the least values were recorded in 0% inclusion level of roasted pride of barbados seedmeal. From this seedmeal in broiler ration was found to be beneficial at 10%. Keywords: Anti-nutritional factors; Broiler; Carcass; Internal organs; Proximate analysis, Roasted pride of barbados seedmeal.

Agronomic traits and tuber quality attributes of farmer grown cassava landraces in Nigeria

Article purchasedEleven Nigerian cassava landraces with desirable pest and disease resistance were evaluated for 18 agronomic and tuber quality traits along with two popularly grown cultivars including an improved genotype. The improved cultivar TMS 30572 gave the highest yield, but had certain undesirable quality attributes such as high cyanogenic potential (12.86 mg HCN equivalent/100g fresh tuber weight) and low mealiness (non-poundable). Conversely, the landraces had lower cyanogenic potential (1 to 5 mg HCN equivalent/100g fresh tuber weight, considered non-toxic) and high mealiness (2.0 to 2.5 scored on a scale of 0 to 3) of boiled tubers. All cultivars exhibited relatively high dry matter percentage (33.2 to 39.2%). Taste, colour, and fibre content of boiled tubers were generally sweet to bland, white to cream, and low to moderate respectively for all cultivars. Although the landraces gave less yield than the elite cultivars, they carried genes for adaptation to local conditions, and have preferred tuber quality attributes that can be introgressed into elite germplasm development

Regeneration efficiency of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] via embryonic axes explants

Open Access JournalThe experiment was conducted to test the in vitro regeneration efficiency of cowpea shoots via embryonic axes explants and the effect of benzyl amino purine (BAP) concentration on shoot formation. A total of 600 explants (embryonic axes) were plated from which 237 shoots were regenerated. The average regeneration ratio was 39% and the number of shoot per explant obtained stood at an average of 6.0. This indicates likelihood that higher regeneration percent and number of shoots per explant could be possible as more proficiency is attained in the use of the protocol. The role of the growth regulator, benzyl amino purine (BAP), as a shoot growth inducing factor and modifier in cowpea in vitro regeneration was demonstrated in the experiment. The protocol used in the experiment gave promising results for the efficient regeneration and subsequent genetic transformation of cowpea

Obstructive urolithiasis in a 11/2 – year old Ouda–Yankasa ram: case report

Obstructive urolithiasis is the retention of urine subsequent to the lodgement of calculi in the urinary tract from the kidney up to the urethral orifice. This report describes the post-mortem and chemical analysis findings of the calculi in an 18-month old Ouda-Yankasa cross ram presented at the Large Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The patient was presented on 20th of March, 2013 with reports of anorexia, disinclination to drink water and anuria that developed four days before presentation at the clinic. On clinical examination, urethral blockage and mild ascites were observed. Cystocentesis was performed to relieve the patient and plain radiograph taken but was not diagnostic. The patient died before definitive diagnosis was made for rational treatment. The post - mortem findings include frothy exudate in the trachea and bronchial airways, congestion of the lungs, hydroperitoneum with recovered fluid measuring 2,350 ml, splenomegaly, hydronephrosis, distended urinary bladder, severe haemorrhagic cystitis, urinary calculi in the bladder and throughout the urethral length and urethral stricture. The urinary calculi recovered were white, friable and amorphous, ranging from small particles to 5mm in diameter. Histopathologic section of the kidney showed atrophied glomeruli. It can thus be concluded that the atrophied glomeruli in turn impaired glomerular filtration which invariably pre-disposed the patient to uraemia leading to its death. The chemical analysis of the calculi showed that the calculi was either oxalate, phosphate or silicate, or any of these mixtures.Keywords: calculi, obstruction, phosphate, uraemi

Knowledge of Factors Contributing to Child Malnutrition among Mothers of Under-five Children in Sokoto Metropolis, North-West Nigeria

Background: Malnutrition remains a killer of children, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, malnutrition is among the top five killers of children under five years of age. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of factors contributing to child malnutrition among mothers of under-fives.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 347 mothers of under-five children who were selected using a multistage sampling technique from January to March 2018. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS® version 20.0. Descriptive statistics, crude and adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) in cross-tabulation and binary logistic regression analysis, respectively, were estimated.Results: More than half, 198 (57.0%) were aged 40 years and below. Most, 324 (93.4%) of the respondents were Hausas, with only 45 (13.0%) having tertiary education. Majority of the respondents, 326 (93.9%) knew that diarrhoea-causing diseases could lead to malnutrition. About two-thirds, 222 (64.0%) knew that deworming could protect a child from malnutrition. Less than half, 169 (48.7%) did not know that overeating starchy food can cause malnutrition. Overall, majority 216 [62.2% (95% CI = 56.9% - 67.4%)] of the respondents had good knowledge of factors associated with malnutrition. There were no statistically significant predictors of knowledge of factors contributing to malnutrition.Conclusion: Mothers of under-five children in Sokoto metropolis had a high level of knowledge of the factors contributing to child malnutrition. However, there is still a need to continue educating mothers of under-five children on the importance of maintaining proper nutrition for their children. Keywords: Awareness; Factors; Knowledge; Malnutrition; Mothers; Under-fiv

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

Aflatoxin biocontrol effectiveness in the real world-Private sector-led efforts to manage aflatoxins in Nigeria through biocontrol-centered strategies

Open Access Journal; Published online: 02 Sep 2022Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by several Aspergillus species that contaminate various crops. The impact of aflatoxin on the health of humans and livestock is a concern across the globe. Income, trade, and development sectors are affected as well. There are several technologies to prevent aflatoxin contamination but there are difficulties in having farmers use them. In Nigeria, an aflatoxin biocontrol product containing atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus has been registered with regulatory authorities and is now being produced at scale by the private company Harvestfield Industries Limited (HIL). The current study reports results of biocontrol effectiveness trials in maize conducted by HIL during 2020 in several locations across Nigeria and compared to untreated maize from nearby locations. Also, maize was collected from open markets to assess levels of contamination. All treated maize met tolerance thresholds (i.e., <4 ppb total aflatoxin). In contrast, most maize from untreated fields had a higher risk of aflatoxin contamination, with some areas averaging 38.5 ppb total aflatoxin. Maize from open markets had aflatoxin above tolerance thresholds with even an average of up to 90.3 ppb. Results from the trials were presented in a National Workshop attended by key officers of Government agencies, farmer organizations, the private sector, NGOs, and donors. Overall, we report (i) efforts spearheaded by the private sector to have aflatoxin management strategies used at scale in Nigeria, and (ii) deliberations of key stakeholders to ensure the safety of crops produced in Nigeria for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and industries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries