Preliminary Assessment of the Trace Element Composition of Dust from Two Granite Quarries from Jos Plateau and Their Possible Health Implications.

Quarrying of rocks has contributed to the development of many developed and developing nations. However, the entire process generates particulate pollution in the environment. The high level of particulates generated at the drilling and crushing areas depicts them as hazard zones. Moreover, quarry workers and communities living in proximity to these hazard zones are exposed to various health risks. In view of this fact, this research was carried out to determine the trace element concentration in the dust from Ric Rock and Satzen quarries, to establish their extent of contamination and deduce their possible human health implications. The results of As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu Ni, Pb, Zn and Mo were interpreted based on their Pollution index (anthropogenic factor), enrichment index and index of geo-accumulation. The interpretation revealed that the Rick Rock dust is practically unpolluted with As, Cr, Co Cu, and Ni with deficiency to minimal enrichment, unpolluted to moderately polluted and enriched with Zn. The dust is also extremely polluted and severely enriched by Mo. On the other hand, Satzen dust is practically unpolluted by As, Cd Cr, Co, Cu , Ni, Pb and Zn with  deficiency to minimal enrichment. It is practically unpolluted to moderately polluted and enriched by Mo. With respect to the selected elements and their contamination status, Rick rock dust has been contaminated with Cd, Pb, Mo, and Zn and Satzen dust has been contaminated with Mo. The elemental enrichment in the dust samples collected from Rick Rock quarry is higher than those from Satzen quarry and can be attributed to oil spillage and emission from trucks and diesel powered generator which is the only source of power supply to the quarry and work throughout the period of quarry operations. This enriched the elemental concentration in the dust. Satzen quarry, on the other hand, uses electricity from Power Generation Company which eliminated such enrichment contribution in the dust. However the enrichment of Mo in the dust may be attributed to oil spillage and combustion of fossil fuel from heavy duty trucks used for the quarry operation. Geochemical analysis of quarry dust from Ric Rock and Satzen quarries showed that the concentration of trace elements in the dust exceeds the permissible limit set by WHO. Some of which are very harmful to human health even at very low concentration exposure. It is certain that long exposure of quarry workers and those living in close proximity via Inhalation, ingestion and percutaneous absorption can result to various health challenges. The release of these trace elements in high concentration by quarry companies enriching their concentration in the environment, polluting air, soil and both surface and ground water which variably affects human, animal and plants through the chain causes diseases and eventual death of man. Key words: Quarry Dust, Trace Elements, Pollution index, enrichment Factor and index of geo-accumulation

Climate Change: Implication on Aquatic Resources, Food Security and Livelihoods

Climate changes are growing environmental concerns which are much in the scientific government and public eye at present. The potential impact on aquatic resources and livelihood are immense. From local to global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles for food supply, food security and income generation. Some 43.5 million people work directly in the sector, with the great majority in developing countries. Adding those who work in associated processing, marketing, distribution and supply industries, and the sector supports nearly 200 million livelihoods. Aquatic foods have high nutritional quality, contributing 20 percent or more of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 1.5 billion people, mostly from developing countries. They are also the most widely traded foodstuffs and are essential components of export earnings for many poorer countries. Extreme events will also impact on infrastructure, ranging from landing and farming sites to post-harvest facilities and transport routes. They will also affect safety at sea and settlements, with communities living in low-lying areas at particular risk. Livelihood diversification is an established means of risk transfer and reduction in the face of shocks, but reduced options for diversification will negatively affect livelihood outcomes

D1 Dopamine Receptor Signaling Is Modulated by the R7 RGS Protein EAT-16 and the R7 Binding Protein RSBP-1 in Caenoerhabditis elegans Motor Neurons

Dopamine signaling modulates voluntary movement and reward-driven behaviors by acting through G protein-coupled receptors in striatal neurons, and defects in dopamine signaling underlie Parkinson's disease and drug addiction. Despite the importance of understanding how dopamine modifies the activity of striatal neurons to control basal ganglia output, the molecular mechanisms that control dopamine signaling remain largely unclear. Dopamine signaling also controls locomotion behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. To better understand how dopamine acts in the brain we performed a large-scale dsRNA interference screen in C. elegans for genes required for endogenous dopamine signaling and identified six genes (eat-16, rsbp-1, unc-43, flp-1, grk-1, and cat-1) required for dopamine-mediated behavior. We then used a combination of mutant analysis and cell-specific transgenic rescue experiments to investigate the functional interaction between the proteins encoded by two of these genes, eat-16 and rsbp-1, within single cell types and to examine their role in the modulation of dopamine receptor signaling. We found that EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to modulate dopamine signaling and that while they are coexpressed with both D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors, they do not modulate D2 receptor signaling. Instead, EAT-16 and RSBP-1 act together to selectively inhibit D1 dopamine receptor signaling in cholinergic motor neurons to modulate locomotion behavior

Mg-Al hydrotalcite as solid base catalyst for biodiesel production from pongamia oil

131-137This study presents preparation, characterization and use of Mg-Al hydrotalcite as a catalyst for transesterification of pongamia oil and optimization of transesterification conditions. Mg-Al hydrotalcite was characterized by powder X–ray diffraction (XRD), infra red spectroscopy (FT–IR), thermal studies (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microcopy (SEM) techniques. Methanol and catalyst (6:1) and 65°C temperature gave a maximum biodiesel conversion (90.8%). Transesterification of pongamia oil using Mg-Al hydrotalcite was compared with conventional base catalyst

Compact MIMO antenna for indoor UWB applications

A compact coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for indoor ultrawideband (UWB) applications is presented. The overall size of the antenna is 31 × 43 mm2. To increase the isolation factor, the common ground plane (CGP) is reinforced with a set of corrugations and frills and the outer ground plane of the first port is self-coupled. The radiators are designed perpendicular to each other in order to improve the pattern diversity. The measured results show the antenna operates at frequency range 3.9–8.1 GHz. The mutual coupling of less than −15 dB in almost all over the bandwidth, achieving a −31 dB at 5.4 GHz, proposes it as a good candidate for UWB applications in indoor systems

Consulting the stakeholders on pro-poor market segmentation of maize seed in Africa

Market segmentation, while popular in the pharmaceutical industry, is rarely used in agricultural technology dissemination, where beneficiary targeting is preferred. Market segmentation, while easy and cheap, tends to generate leakages, while beneficiary targeting, is typically associated with high administrative costs and distortionary effects. To achieve a better understanding of the potential for using market segmentation to improve the adoption of agricultural technology, a consultation was organized in Kenya in May and June 2008 with stakeholders from the seed sector, NGOs, Ministry of Agriculture, agro-dealers and researchers. The consultation included individual visits to 9 stakeholders, a formal meeting with 39 stakeholders, and a formal questionnaire filled in by 18 respondents. Results indicate that indirect identification of the poor is difficult, since poor and non-poor live in the same areas and use the same technologies. The consultations show that several organizations in Kenya, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and seed companies, supply reduced-cost inputs to the poor, and they commonly use direct identification of the poor. The costs of such exercises seem to be high, but no data are available on costs or the accuracy of the identification. There seems is no experience with tiered pricing, although stakeholders generally find it interesting. Most stakeholders showed an interest in experimenting with pro-poor market segmentation for maize seed. The two main market segmentation strategies that are viable are direct targeting, which is likely to be expensive but with limited leakage, and tiered pricing, which is likely to be a lot cheaper but with higher leakage, and which would need a control mechanism to avoid beneficiaries coming back for a second tier. To compare the costs and the benefits of both methods, as well as of different implementation options, a pilot study is needed. The main product of such a study should be maize seed at reduced prices (between 20% and 50%), up to a given quantity per farmer, provided at a discount (between 2 and 15 kg/household). The main tool would be cash vouchers, to be distributed by an independent agency based on direct identification of the target group, or the tiered pricing system, where each farmer receives vouchers for a specified amount. The agro-dealers will redeem their vouchers at an independent financial institution

The effect of health education and antibiotic use on the prevalence of Trachoma in school children in Borno State of Northern Nigeria

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Comparative Treatments of Waste Municipal Surface Water with Moringa Oleifera Seed and Activated Carbon in Zaria Metropolis, Northern Nigeria

This work evaluated Moringa oleifera seed as a bio-coagulant and antimicrobial organic agent for the wholesome purification offive polluted municipal surface water comparatively with activated carbon within Zaria metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Thephysicochemical parameters and coliform activities of the raw water samples in contrast to moringa treated and activated carbontreated water samples were established. The water samples were designated as raw water sample (RW), moringa treated watersample (MT) and activated carbon treated water sample (AT). The pH of the acidic RW was shifted towards neutrality by 6.2% with AT; Colour and odor were significantly treated with moringa seed and activated carbon; Total dissolved solids were treated by 5.5% between the RW and MT; Turbidity was reduced between RW and MT by 98%; Conductivity was controlled by 8.21% between the RW and AT; DO was restored by 77% between the RW and MT. BOD was controlled by 85% within the RW and AT; COD was controlled by 0.67% between RW and AT. The total coliform reduction was very effective with MT to AT. Wastewater treatment combining activated carbon and moringa seed is a promising, effective, cheap, environmentally benign, healthy and sustainable method of water purification that will, directly and indirectly, improve the quality of life, particularly in the rural environments.&nbsp