Assessment of long-term production traits of three breeds of exotic commercial layers in the derived Savannah zone of Nigeria

This study was carried out to compare production traits of three breeds of exotic commercial layers for a production period of 15 months. The breeds are Isa Brown (IB), Bovan Nera (BN) and Dominant Black (DB) and the traits considered are hen-day egg production, feed efficiency and mortality rate. The general means are 5.24eggs/ bird/week, 0.006/bird/week and 0.16/breed/week for egg production, feed efficiency and mortality rate, respectively. There was highly significant (P<0.01) effect of breed on egg production and feed efficiency but the reverse was the case for mortality rate. On egg production, IB genotype recorded 5.37+0.07 eggs/bird/week while BN breed had 5.41+0.08 eggs/bird/week and the values were similar but superior to DB genotype with 4.94eggs/bird/week. For feed efficiency, IB and BN breeds recorded higher mean values and were similar but superior to DB genotype. The mean values are: IB=0.006+9.05x10-5, BN=0.006+8.53x10-5 and DB=0.005/bird/week. Breed’s effect on mortality rate showed that the three genotypes had similar values, that is, breed has no significant (P>0.05) effect on this trait. There was highly significant (P<0.01) effect of age of birds on egg production. Age 2 (2nd month) recorded the highest mean values while age 14 (14th month) was the lowest. The values respectively, are 6.04+0.16 eggs/bird/week and 4.18+0.16 eggs/bird/week. In addition, there was highly significant (P<0.01) effect of age of birds on feedefficiency regardless of the breed of birds. Age 2 (2nd month) recorded the highest mean values and age 14 (14th month) the lowest. There was also highly significant (P<0.01) effect of age on mortality rate of commercial layers. The long-term production analyses showed that IB and BN genotypes are more productive, feed efficient and could be recommended to farmers as commercially viable breeds of layers

VARIABILITY AND CO-RELATIONSHIP OF BODY TRAITS IN WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOATS IN A TROPICAL HUMID ENVIRONMENT

To understand variability and phenotypic association among body traits in West African Dwarf goats, morphological traits were examined based on location and sex. Two hundred and twenty-seven (227) goats in two Nigerian states were surveyed. Randomized complete block with Factorial treatment design, GLM, Pearson’s phenotypic correlation procedures of SAS® was employed. Morphological and index traits examined were body weight (BWT), hearth girth (HGH), diagonal trunk length (DTL), height at the withers (HWT), height at the rump (HRP); and Trunk length index (TLI), over-building index (OBI), body depth index (BDI), body breath index (BBI), withers-girth index (WGI), body-length index (BLI)and Weight-height index (WHI). BWT, DTL, TLI, OBI, BLI and WHI were influenced (P<0.05) by location, while DTL, TLI, OBI, BDI, BBI and BLI were influenced (P<0.05) by interaction of Location and Sex. Does recorded higher (P<0.05) BWT, TLI and BLI (27.75, 183.62 and 156.33), while Bucks had higher (P<0.05) DTL, HGH, HWT, HRP, OBI, BDI, BBI, WGI and WHI (80.57, 58.78, 46.89, 46.36, 99.29, 126.01, 127.01, -26.02 and 45.83). Ekiti goats recorded higher OBI, while Osun goats were higher on DTL, TLI, BLI and WHI (P<0.05). Highest correlation for females and males were between BWT/WHI (r =0.952/0.967, P<0.0001); for BWT/WHI were (r =0.969/0.972, 0.0001); and between HRP/HWT (r =0.953/0.929, P<0.0001) on Ekiti and Osun goats respectively. Between Ekiti and Osun goats BWT/WHI (r =0.969/0.972, P<0.0001) and HRP/HWT (r =0.953/0.929, P<0.0001) were obtained. CVs were highest on WGI (-69.65/-45.16); BWT (31.89/43.79), and WHI (29.25/35.54) for Does and Bucks; while WGI (-56.72/57.42), BWT (53.51/46.78) and WHI (42.09/36.76) were higher for Ekiti and Osun goats. Significant (P<0.0001) phenotypic correlation were obtained between BWT, DTL, HWT, HGH individually, and many other traits (r =0.336-0.957)

Adsorptive removal of BTEX compounds from wastewater using activated carbon derived from macadamia nut shells

In this study, adsorptive removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) from synthetic water using activated carbon adsorbent derived from macadamia nut shells was investigated. The surface&nbsp; functional groups of the synthesized adsorbents were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectra. The specific surface area, pore size and pore volume at 77 K nitrogen adsorption, surface morphology, and the crystalline structure of the adsorbents were determined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. Batch adsorption mode was used to evaluate the performance of the activated carbon. The stock solutions of synthetic wastewater were prepared by dissolving 100 mg/L of each of the BTEX compound into distilled water in a 250 mL volumetric flask. Effect of initial concentration of BTEX compounds, contact time, and mass of adsorbent on the removal of BTEX compounds from the synthetic wastewater was investigated. The macadamia nut shell–derived activated carbon (MAC) proved to be an effective adsorbent for BTEX compounds, with a large surface area of 405.56 m2/g. The exposure time to reach equilibrium for maximum removal of BTEX was observed to be 20 min. The adsorption capacity of the BTEX compounds by MAC followed the following adsorption order: benzene &gt; toluene &gt; ethylbenzene &gt; xylene.&nbsp

Autologous blood donations and transfusions among patients undergoing elective orthopaedic, gynaecologic and elective caesarean section at a Tertiary Hospital in North Central Nigeria

Introduction: Allogeneic donor blood is becoming increasingly costly, scarce and associated with multiple risks; there is need for more conservative transfusion strategies, one of which may be adoption of Autologous Blood Donation and Transfusions (ABDT). Despite increased acceptance of ABDT by clinicians and patients in most developed world, awareness in this part of the world is still low.Materials and methods: this is a cross sectional survey of knowledge and acceptance of ABDT by patients scheduled for elective orthopaedic, gynaecologic and elective caesarean section surgeries using structured interviewer administered questionnaire on socio-demographics, clinical presentations, knowledge of blood donations and transfusions, and acceptance of ABDT. The study population comprised of 171 subjects.Results: Gynaecologic/obstetric patients were 120 (70.2%) while 51 (29.8%) of the subjects were Orthopaedic patients. Majority (43.95%) were within the age range 31-45 years, 38.6% were less than 31 years while 17.5% were older than 45 years. Females constituted the larger proportion (77.2%). Twenty one (12.3%) subjects had donated blood in the past, 45 (26.3%) had previous blood transfusions and 30 (17.5%) had knowledge of ABDT. Eight one (47.4%) of all subjects accepted ABDT for the scheduled surgeries while 123 (71.9%) subjects accepted to be voluntary blood donors after surgery. Pre-deposit is the commonest form of ABDT preferred by the subjects (66%), followed by Haemodilution (28%) and Cell salvage (6%). A significant number of the subjects who accepted ABDT were ready to become voluntary blood donors after surgery (90.1%).Conclusion: Acceptance rate as high as 47.4% was recorded in this study despite low awareness. This is higher than what was reported by most authors’ locally but similar to the findings from Europe and Asia. Pre-deposit form was the commonest ABDT acceptable to these patients.  Improving awareness on ABDT will boost voluntary blood donations and improve blood transfusion safety

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT WOOD SPECIES IN MAJOR SAWMILLS IN ABEOKUTA OGUN STATE NIGERIA

This study involved the economic analysis of different wood species in major sawmills in Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria. Two stage design sampling techniques were employed for this study. Descriptive statistics and Cost and Returns were used in the data analysis. Result showed that 62.5% engaged in the business were males, 81.7% were in age group between 31-50years, 48.3% had no formal education, and 88.3% entered into the business through apprenticeship and are mostly full-time. The result also revealed that 95.83% of the saw millers or plank sellers obtain their timber from the private forest and they mostly buy per species i.e. per tree. Moreover, among the timber species that were common in the saw mills include, Albizia coriaria (ayinre) has the highest percentage frequency of 66.7%, Anogeissus leiocarpus (orin dudu) has 44.2%, Cleistopholis sp. (okedo) 32.5% and Musanga cecropioides (aga) 1.7% with the least percentage frequency. Average girth sizes of timber species in sawmill, ranged from 3.00cm- 5.60cm and the average number of plank ranged from 6-29. The business could be seen as profitable, as the cost analysis revealed the average profit for each sawmill per month&nbsp; in Abeokuta North, Odeda and Abeokuta South Local Governments’ Areas to have these profits (₦982,893.75, ₦790,083.524 and ₦790,083.524) respectively. It was recommended that government policy should be reviewed against illegal felling and over-exploitation of timber by imposing/enacting stiffer penalty or law to illegal feller. Government policy should also encourage individual plantation establishment to ensure continuity of forest products for posterity. &nbsp

Carcass characteristics and cost benefits of two broiler strains as affected by duration of feed withdrawal at finisher phase

The present study was undertaken to examine the before and post-slaughter characteristics of two broiler strains under feed withdrawal regime during the hot weather conditions. 180 day-old broiler chicks comprising 90 chicks each of Arbor Acre and Ross 308 were procured from reputable hatchery, and were raised for four weeks before being distributed randomly to three groups of feed withdrawal regime. The treatments are: T1= ad libitum (control), T2= 8-12noon feeding (morning) and T3= 12noon-4pm feeding (afternoon). Each treatment was replicated thrice with 10 birds per replicate. At 49th day, three birds per treatment were randomly taken after starving them overnight for carcass evaluation. Analysed data showed that there was no significant effect of strain on live weight, carcass and non-carcass traits regardless of feed restriction employed. But Arbor Acre recorded higher net profit than Ross308 in terms of cost of production on strain basis. With regard to duration of feed withdrawal, dressed weight, eviscerated weight, carcass weight and back weight were significantly affected by the feeding regime imposed on the birds. Birds on ad libitum and afternoon feeding groups had higher and superior mean values to morning group. This implies that feeding birds in the afternoon under favourable conditions and improved management practices is beneficial and economically viable and profitable

The Iron Status of Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria

Objectives. Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is one of the commonest genetic disorders in the world. It is characterized by anaemia, periodic attacks of thrombotic pain, and chronic systemic organ damage. Recent studies have suggested that individuals with SCA especially from developing countries are more likely to be iron deficient rather than have iron overload. The study aims to determine the iron status of SCA patients in Ilorin, Nigeria. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 45 SCA patients in steady state and 45 non-SCA controls was undertaken. FBC, blood film, sFC, sTfR, and sTfR/log sFC index were done on all subjects. Results. The mean patients’ serum ferritin (589.33 ± 427.61 ng/mL) was significantly higher than the mean serum ferritin of the controls (184.53 ± 119.74 ng/mL). The mean serum transferrin receptor of the patients (4.24 ± 0.17 μg/mL) was higher than that of the controls (3.96 ± 0.17 μg/mL) (p=0.290). The mean serum transferrin receptor (sTfR)/log serum ferritin index of the patients (1.65 ± 0.27 μg/mL) was significantly lower than that of the control (1.82 ± 0.18 μg/mL) (p=0.031). Conclusion. Iron deficiency is uncommon in SCA patients and periodic monitoring of the haematological, biochemical, and clinical features for iron status in SCA patients is advised

Removal of Pb2+ ions from synthetic wastewater using functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with green synthesized iron oxide–gold nanocomposite

Purification of wastewater before it is discharged into the aquatic environment is important in order to prevent pollution of clean water. This study investigated the applicability of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with gold-iron oxide nanoparticles for the adsorptive removal of Pb2+ from synthetic wastewater. CNTs were commercially obtained and functionalized with a mixture of H2SO4/HNO3 acids. The CNTs were coated with gold-iron oxide nanoparticles, to enhance the adsorption of heavy metals. The gold-iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by reacting green tea leaf extract with iron chloride (FeCl2) and gold (III) chloride (HAuCl4) precursors. The composite was cross-linked using N, N-dimethylformadide (DMF). The adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to assess their surface morphology, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to identify the functional groups present, X-ray diffraction (XRD) to ascertain the crystallographic structure of the green adsorbent and Raman spectroscopy to&nbsp; determine the sample purity. SEM results showed highly agglomerated and polydispersed nanoparticles, owing to the presence of phytochemicals in the tea extract and magnetic interaction between the individual particles indicating the successful synthesis of Au/Fe3O4 adsorbent. Furthermore, an increase in the amount of Pb2+ removed per unit mass (qe) of adsorbent from 1.233 to 7.266 mg‧g-1 at 298 K was observed. A high sorption capacity was noticed for MWCNT-Au/Fe3O4 as compared to the MWCNT-COOH. The Pb2+ removal percentage increased from 50% to 78% with an increase in MWCNT-Au/Fe3O4 dosage from 0.02 g to 0.1 g. Adsorption isotherm data fitted well to the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models for MWCNT-COOH and MWCNT-Au/Fe3O4 adsorbents and the rate of Pb(II) adsorption by MWCNT-Au/Fe3O4 encountered an increase with increasing solution temperature and followed the pseudo-second-order model. The synthesized MWCNT-Au/Fe3O4 has good potential in removing heavy metals from wastewater

Adsorptive removal of BTEX compounds from wastewater using activated carbon derived from macadamia nut shells

In this study, adsorptive removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) from synthetic water using activated carbon adsorbent derived from macadamia nut shells was investigated. The surface functional groups of the synthesized adsorbents were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectra. The specific surface area, pore size and pore volume at 77 K nitrogen adsorption, surface morphology, and the crystalline structure of the adsorbents were determined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. Batch adsorption mode was used to evaluate the performance of the activated carbon.&nbsp; The stock solutions of synthetic wastewater were prepared by dissolving 100 mg/L of each of the BTEX compound into distilled water in a 250 mL volumetric flask. Effect of initial concentration of BTEX compounds, contact time, and mass of adsorbent on the removal of BTEX compounds from the synthetic wastewater was investigated. The macadamia nut shell–derived activated carbon (MAC) proved to be an effective adsorbent for BTEX compounds, with a large surface area of 405.56 m2/g. The exposure time to reach equilibrium for maximum removal of BTEX was observed to be 20 min.&nbsp; The adsorption capacity of the BTEX compounds by MAC followed the following adsorption order: benzene &gt; toluene &gt; ethylbenzene ˃ xylene