Assessment of the Efficiency of Disinfection Methods for Improving Water Quality

The efficiencies of three disinfection methods namely boiling, water guard and pur purifier were assessed. The micro-organisms isolated from the groundwater samples were Escherichia coli and E. aerogenes. The major components of Water Guard and Pur Purifier were found to be NaNO2,SO4, Cl2; and NaNO2, Ca, CaCO3, SO4, Mg and ClO2 respectively. Pur purifier was most effective for removal of electrical conductivity, nitrate, total coliform and yeast while Water Guard was most effective for removal of phosphate, potassium, E-Coli and Fungi. In addition, boiling and water guard were most effective for removal of turbidity while boiling was most effective for removal of chlorine. Furthermore, Water Guard was found to be the cheapest with an estimated monthly household cost of N240. Use of Water Guard for disinfecting household groundwater sources utilized for drinking and cooking is highly encouraged among the rural populace to safeguard their health against waterborne diseases.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i4.33

Active Tactile Sensing for Texture Perception in Robotic Systems

This thesis presents a comprehensive study of tactile sensing, particularly on the prob- lem of active texture perception. It includes a brief introduction to tactile sensing technology and the neural basis for tactile perception. It follows the literature review of textural percep- tion with tactile sensing. I propose a decoding and perception pipeline to tackle fine-texture classification/identification problems via active touching. Experiments are conducted using a 7DOF robotic arm with a finger-shaped tactile sensor mounted on the end-effector to per- form sliding/rubbing movements on multiple fabrics. Low-dimensional frequency features are extracted from the raw signals to form a perceptive feature space, where tactile signals are mapped and segregated into fabric classes. Fabric classes can be parameterized and sim- plified in the feature space using elliptical equations. Results from experiments of varied control parameters are compared and visualized to show that different exploratory move- ments have an apparent impact on the perceived tactile information. It implies the possibil- ity of optimising the robotic movements to improve the textural classification/identification performance

Agricultural productivity under taungya and non-taungya land-use options: A case study of Vandeikya Local Government area, Benue State, Nigeria

Taungya farming is a special arrangement between the forestry department and farmers, which combines the production of both arable and forest tree crops simultaneously on a piece of land. The practice was adopted in Vandeikya Local Government area of Benue State Nigeria, in mid 1950s up to 2000. This study evaluated the method as an option for food and fiber production compared to the traditional farming and forest management practices. Using Stratified random sampling, two sets of questionnaire were used to appraise the productivity of some arable crops and forest regeneration under taungya and non-taungya cultural practices. The yields of arable crops were significantly higher under taungya farming that in non-taungya plots in the study area. There was however no significant difference in the total forest area regenerated under the two landuse systems. The apparent land hunger among farmers is a favourable factor for adoption of taungya as a land use option in the study area. There is need to adopt multi-species planting approach in future programmes. Also, the land tenure system which limits access to land by strangers needs to be reviewed and greater awareness on the programme needs to be generated among the farmers and forestry staff alike.Keywords: Taungya, agroforestry, arable crop, productivity, fores

Structural changes of the homologues as a possible cause of abnormal disjunction in female mice heterozygous for Robertsonian translocations

International audienc

Novel applications of locally sourced montmorillonite (MMT) clay as a disintegrant in the formulation of pharmaceutical product

This work explores the application of a locally sourced raw material, montmorillonite (MMT) clay, as a disintegrant in the formulation of an analgesic pharmaceutical product - paracetamol. The raw MMT was refined and treated with 0.IM NaCl to yield sodium montmorillonite (NaMMT) and the powder properties established in this work were compared with those of purified kaolinite (KO) clay and a reference standard disintegrant – maize starch (MS). Separately, the NaMMT, KO and MS powders were employed as  disintegrants to compound paracetamol tablets. Some of the physical properties of the tablets were determined. Results of some powder properties showed that NaMMT and KO had superior angles of repose (40.20º and 34.40º, respectively) compared with the reference standard disintegrant MS  (56.00%). Sodium montmorillonite (NaMMT) showed better swelling capacity (1.81) than both KO and MS (1.40 and 1.56, respectively), while MS and NaMMT exhibited comparable water retention capacity  (3.04% and 2.90%, respectively). The porosity of MS (31.94%) was only slightly better than that of  NaMMT (30.00%). For the physical properties of the tablets, the dissolution characteristic of NaMMT was  slightly better than that of MS: for example, the percentage amount of 15% NaMMT and MS dissolved in 0.1M HCl solution at 30minutes duration were 75.40% and 74.10%, respectively; and at 50 minutes  duration, it was 85.10% and 82.10%, respectively. On the other hand, the disintegration property of MS (1.54min) was slightly better than that of NaMMT (2.10min). Kaolinite (KO) failed both the dissolution and integration tests, with only 0.31% dissolving even after 1hr and requiring more than 30min to disintegrate. The friability and hardness tests showed that NaMMT was superior to both MS and KO. Overall, the sodium montmorillonite (NaMMT) was found to hold strong prospect as a disintegrant in the formulation and compounding of certain solid, compact pharmaceutical dosages.Keywords: Compact dosages, disintegrants, local raw material, montmorillonite clay, pharmaceutics

An assessment of the effect of industrial pollution on Ibese River, Lagos, Nigeria

This paper deals with pollution aspect of environmental management and monitoring of the river for its sustainable development. The water quality assessment of Ibese River, which is the principal river of the Igbogbo Abayeku Areas of Ikorodu in Lagos, was performed. Assessment was undertaken according to different physical and chemical parameters including biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), electric conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, acidity, total hardness (TH), grease content, major cation and anion, and some heavy metals. Results showed that the river, which was of good water quality at its upstream, in terms of the aforementioned parameters, becomes progressively polluted by the waste materials discharged along its course. A general downstream trend of increase in organic and inorganic pollution was declared. Thus, Ibese River currently faces a number of serious environmental and ecological challenges. Urbanization and industrialization of the watershed at Ibese area in Ikorodu contributed to the water quality deterioration with regional consequences on the aquatic ecosystem and on the health of the downstream’s user groups. This synergetic effect is of concern for the sustainable use of the resources.Key words: Nigeria, Ibese River, water pollution, major cation and anion, heavy metals, water quality deterioration

Effects of Nigeria Ekete light crude oil on plasma electrolytes, packed cell volume (PCV) and lipids profile in wistar (Rattus norvegicus) rats

Hydrocarbon is known to alter blood parameters; some of these blood parameters may affect the activities of certain systems like cardiovascular system. Hydrocarbon gets into man and animal either through ingestion of contaminated food and water, bio-concentration through food chain, occupational exposure or by using hydrocarbon products. Effects of crude oil on plasma electrolytes, packed cell volume (PCV) and plasma lipid profile were examined in male Rattus norvegicus in this study. Crude oil was administered orally at dosages of 5 ml/kg (group I), 10 ml/kg (group II) and 20 ml/kg (group III) for two weeks while the control group received drinking water only. The result shows a reduction in packed cell volume in all treated groups compared to control (37.14±0.85, P < 0.05) and a significant (P < 0.05) increase in plasma sodium level in treated groups compared to control (22.486±2.983 mg/L) while there was no significant alteration in plasma lipids profile of the treated groups relative to the control. Oral administration of crude oil significantly altered the plasma levels of electrolytes and PCV.Keywords: Electrolytes, crude oil, plasma lipids profile, packed cell volume

Prevalence and Correlates of Missed First Appointments among Outpatients at a Psychiatric Hospital in Nigeria

Background: Missed appointments are common in psychiatric practice. It compromises quality of care, results in poor treatment outcomes and drains financial resources. In Nigeria, where mental health services are poorly organized, missed appointments and its resultant consequences may be burdensome.Aim: This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors (sociodemographic and clinical) associated with missed clinic appointments at a regional psychiatric hospital. Subjects and Methods: A study on a cohort of patients attending the Outpatient Clinics for the first time between June and September 2011 was conducted. We interviewed each participant at their first presentation then tracked through case records to determine adherence to scheduled first clinic appointments after 4 weeks. A questionnaire was used in eliciting sociodemographic characteristics, clinical variables, and patient/caregiversatisfaction with treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data and inferential statistics to test associations using the SPSS 16. Results: Three hundred and ten patients were recruited over the study period. The prevalence of missed first appointment was 32.6% (101/310). Participants who were single (P = 0.04), living alone (P < 0.01) or aggressive (P < 0.01) were more likely to miss their first appointment. However, having received previous treatment for a psychiatric illness (P = 0.02) and having comorbidity (P = 0.05) was associated with less likelihood to miss a first appointment. A binary logistic regression analysis showed that having received previous treatment independently predicted a less likelihood to miss first appointment (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Quite a proportion (32.6%) of patients attending outpatient clinics miss scheduled clinic appointments. Receiving previous psychiatriccare predicted adherence to scheduled appointment.Keywords: Missed appointments, Nigeria, Patients, Psychiatr