Optimization of Transesterification Parameters of Biodiesel Produced from Sword Bean (Cavalia gladiate) Seed Oil

The subject of this study was to optimize the transesterification parameters of biodiesel produced from sword bean (C. gladiate) using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Four transesterification parameters (Reaction temperature 55 0C, Catalyst concentration 0.4 wt%, Methanol to oil ratio 4:1 and reaction time 60 min) were optimized. Data obtained revealed that the optimum reaction conditions for the transesterification of C. gladiata seed oil resulted in 92.88% biodiesel yield. Multiple regression analysis produced a quadratic polynomial equation for methylester and a linear relationship was recorded between the observed and predicted value (R2 = 0.9647) with a significant molar ratio and temperature.  The interaction terms of methanol to oil, molar ratio and temperature with reaction time exhibited a positive effect on the methylester yield. The response surface methodology was found to be a suitable technique for optimizing transesterification process and producing biodiesel that meets the ASTM standard

Determination of Selected Heavy Metals In Seasonal River In Maru Town, Zamfara State, Nigeria.

The presence of heavy metals in our environment has been of great concern because of their toxicity when their concentration is more than the permissible level. The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to Lead and Cadmium. These metals have been extensively studied and their effect on human health regularly monitored and reviewed by international bodies such as the WHO and USEPA. Total levels of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cr were determined in seasonal river in the eastern part of Maru using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The results of total metals concentration (ppm) in the river were 0.0211±0.0014, 0.177±0.0004, 0.0201±0.0031, 1.1367±0.0493 and 0.0058±0.0003 for Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cr respectively. The study showed that the sample was contaminated with Zn when compared to others. The level of Cd and Pb were high when compared to their safety limit (0.01 and 0.10) by U.S.E.P.A. Keywords: Maru, Heavy Metals, Seasonal Rivers, Contamination

OPTIMIZATION PRINCIPLE AND ITS’ APPLICATION IN OPTIMIZINGLANDMARK UNIVERSITY BAKERY PRODUCTION USING LINEAR PROGRAMMING

This paper deals with the applications ofoptimization principle in optimizing profits of a production industry using linear programming to examine the production cost and determine its optimal profit. Linear programming is an operation research technique which is widely used in finding solutionsto managerial decision problems. However, many enterprises make more use of the trial-and-error method. As such, firms have been finding it difficult in allocating scarce resources in a manner that will ensure profit maximization and/or cost minimization.This paper makse use of secondary data collected from the records of the Landmark University Bakery on five types of bread produced in the firm which include Family loaf, sliced family bread, Chocolate loaf, medium size bread, small size bread. A problemof this nature was identified as a linear programming problem, formulated in Mathematical terms and solved using AMPL software. The solution obtained revealed that Landmark bakery unit should concentrate much more in production of 14,000 loaves of Family loaf and 10,571 loaves of Chocolate bread while others type should be less produced since their value is turning to zero in order to achieve a maximum monthly profit ofN1,860,000. From the analysis, it was observed that Family loaf and the Chocolate breadcontributed objectively to the profit. Hence, more of Family loaf and Chocolate bread are needed to be produced and sold in order to maximize the profi

Postharvest Losses of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) in the Open Markets in Ibadan Metropolis

Postharvest losses of tomato pose serious threat on the economic viability of actors in the tomato production chain in Nigeria. Therefore, postharvest losses of tomato among marketers in Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State Nigeria were investigated by the researchers. One hundred and twenty tomato marketers were chosen from the five food markets in Ibadan metropolis through a simple random sampling technique. The study adopted linear regression and descriptive statistics to analyze data. The outcomes of the investigation show that females were 92.5% and 88.3% were married. Capital is primarily raised through cooperative societies (57.5%). Postharvest losses of tomato accounted for 18.9% of purchase which represents ₦124,800/day. The major causes of PHLs are poor packaging (100%) and poor storage (100%) by the tomato marketers. Meanwhile, all the respondents (100%) adopted sorting to reduce PHLs of tomato. The regression analysis showed that education has a significant effect to reduce PHLs of tomato. The study concluded that huge postharvest and monetary losses of tomato are experienced by the tomato marketers. The study recommends provision of quality postharvest handling education to tomato marketers as a way of reducing PHLs of tomato in Ibadan

Farm Practical Training and Job Aspiration of Undergraduates of Agriculture in Universities in Kwara State Nigeria

The study investigated whether Farm Practical Training (FPT) is significantly associated with job aspiration of Undergraduate students comparing results of empirical evidence between two Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. Specifically, students preferred courses of study were identified, and their attitude towards FPT and job aspiration were determined. 120 final year students who recently completed the FPT were selected from the two Universities through multistage sampling. Average age of student was 23.5 years with standard deviation of 2.4. Less than half (40%) preferred agriculture as course of study, while 38% preferred science and 5% medicine. About 32% decided to stay on in agriculture after admission because it is deemed prestigious, 13% due to being last available opportunity to gain admission and 17% because of its entrepreneurial potentials. Many (69.8%) aspired for agriculture/farming related job, while 12% aspired to work in agro-allied industries. While many (45.8%) had favorable attitude towards the FPT, comprising 35.0% UNILORIN and 10.8% KWASU students, more (23.3%) of KWASU students had unfavorable attitude towards the FPT compared to 5% UNILORIN students in this category. There was no significant association between students’ attitude towards FPT and their job aspiration in both institutions (UNILORIN χ2=8.07, p=0.62; KWASU χ2=8.60 p=0.38). Although, most of the students aspired to work in agriculture/agro-allied industry, it could not be concluded from the findings of the studies that FPT did significantly influence their job aspiration. 

Farm Practical Training and Job Aspiration of Undergraduates of Agriculture in Universities in Kwara State Nigeria

The study investigated whether Farm Practical Training (FPT) is significantly associated with job aspiration of Undergraduate students comparing results of empirical evidence between two Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. Specifically, students preferred courses of study were identified, and their attitude towards FPT and job aspiration were determined. 120 final year students who recently completed the FPT were selected from the two Universities through multistage sampling. Average age of student was 23.5 years with standard deviation of 2.4. Less than half (40%) preferred agriculture as course of study, while 38% preferred science and 5% medicine. About 32% decided to stay on in agriculture after admission because it is deemed prestigious, 13% due to being last available opportunity to gain admission and 17% because of its entrepreneurial potentials. Many (69.8%) aspired for agriculture/farming related job, while 12% aspired to work in agro-allied industries. While many (45.8%) had favorable attitude towards the FPT, comprising 35.0% UNILORIN and 10.8% KWASU students, more (23.3%) of KWASU students had unfavorable attitude towards the FPT compared to 5% UNILORIN students in this category. There was no significant association between students’ attitude towards FPT and their job aspiration in both institutions (UNILORIN χ2=8.07, p=0.62; KWASU χ2=8.60 p=0.38). Although, most of the students aspired to work in agriculture/agro-allied industry, it could not be concluded from the findings of the studies that FPT did significantly influence their job aspiration. 

Hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT It has been reported from several Caucasian studies that there is an epidemiological association between hepatitis c virus infection and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine whether any such relationship exists in a black African population. To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with diabetes mellitus in North-Eastern Nigeria. Hospital -based cross-sectional study. Medical out-patient clinic and the Blood bank of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola. Nigeria. From June, 2008 to December 2009, Two hundred and eighty consecutively recruited diabetes mellitus patients comprising 108 males and 172 females were screened for HCV infection. These were compared with five hundred and ninetyfive voluntary blood donors who were screened during the same period. Serological testing for HCV infection was carried out with anti-HCV using Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The bio-data of the patients, history and duration of diabetes mellitus, history of jaundice, blood transfusion were recorded on a proforma. Out of the 280 diabetes mellitus patients tested, twenty-six were positive for anti-HCV antibodies giving an infection rate of 9.3% compared with fourteen subjects out of 595 voluntary blood donors 2.4% (p=0.0000105). History of blood transfusion, and jaundice was positively correlated with presence of HCV infection in diabetic patients. Hepatitis C virus is more common in Nigerian patients with diabetes mellitus than in non-diabetic control subjects. It may be necessary to screen patients with diabetes mellitus for hepatitis c virus infection particularly those with history of blood transfusion and jaundice

STEPFORWARD study: a randomised controlled feasibility trial of a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot for older patients with vascular-related amputations

Objectives To determine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot compared with a standard prosthetic ankle-foot. Design Multicentre parallel group feasibility RCT. Setting Five prosthetics centres in England recruiting from July 2018 to August 2019. Participants Adults aged ≥50 years with a vascular-related or non-traumatic transtibial amputation for 1 year or longer, categorised as having 'limited community mobility' and using a non-self-aligning ankle-foot. Intervention Participants were randomised into one of two groups for 12 weeks: self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot or existing non-self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot. Outcomes Feasibility measures: recruitment, consent and retention rates; and completeness of questionnaire and clinical assessment datasets across multiple time points. Feasibility of collecting daily activity data with wearable technology and health resource use data with a bespoke questionnaire. Results Fifty-five participants were randomised (61% of the target 90 participants): n=27 self-aligning ankle-foot group, n=28 non-self-aligning ankle-foot group. Fifty-one participants were included in the final analysis (71% of the target number of participants). The consent rate and retention at final follow-up were 86% and 93%, respectively. The average recruitment rate was 1.25 participants/site/month (95% CI 0.39 to 2.1). Completeness of questionnaires ranged from 89%–94%, and clinical assessments were 92%–95%, including the activity monitor data. The average completion rates for the EQ-5D-5L and bespoke resource use questionnaire were 93% and 63%, respectively. Conclusions This feasibility trial recruited and retained participants who were categorised as having 'limited community mobility' following a transtibial amputation. The high retention rate of 93% indicated the trial was acceptable to participants and feasible to deliver as a full-scale RCT. The findings support a future, fully powered evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot compared with a standard non-self-aligning version with some adjustments to the trial design and delivery

Self-aligning prosthetic device for older patients with vascular-related amputations: protocol for a randomised feasibility study (the STEPFORWARD study)

Introduction: The majority of older patients with a transtibial amputation are prescribed a standard (more rigid, not self-aligning) prosthesis. These are mostly suitable for level walking, and cannot adjust to different sloped surfaces. This makes walking more difficult and less energy efficient, possibly leading to longer term disuse. A Cochrane Review concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend any individual type of prosthetic ankle-foot mechanism. This trial will establish the feasibility of conducting a large-scale trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a self-aligning prosthesis for older patients with vascular-related amputations and other health issues compared with a standard prosthesis. Methods and analysis: This feasibility trial is a pragmatic, parallel group, randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing standard treatment with a more rigid prosthesis versus a self-aligning prosthesis. The target sample size is 90 patients, who are aged 50 years and over, and have a transtibial amputation, where amputation aetiology is mostly vascular-related or non-traumatic. Feasibility will be measured by consent and retention rates, a plausible future sample size over a 24-month recruitment period and completeness of outcome measures. Qualitative interviews will be carried out with trial participants to explore issues around study processes and acceptability of the intervention. Focus groups with staff at prosthetics centres will explore barriers to successful delivery of the trial. Findings from the qualitative work will be integrated with the feasibility trial outcomes in order to inform the design of a full-scale RCT. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was granted by Yorkshire and the Humber—Leeds West Research Ethics Committee on 4 May 2018. The findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed research publications, articles in relevant newsletters, presentations at relevant conferences and the patient advisory group

Investigation of livestock for presence of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria

The study investigated the presence of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in livestock to ascertain their reservoir role and also screened for other pathogenic trypanosomes of animals in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger state, Nigeria. A total of 460 livestock comprising (cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs) selected at random were bled, examined using the buffy coat and Giemsa stained thin film and packed cell volume estimated. Questionnaire was filled for each animal on demography, awareness and management practices. An overall prevalence of 2.17% with Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, T. vivax and a mixed infection of T. brucei and T. congolense observed microscopically awaiting characterization. Interviews revealed high awareness (82.8%) of tsetse and trypanosomiasis described as bush disease and abortion in four cows. The PCV values were within the normal range, however, a significant decrease (P<0.05) was observed in sheep aged 7months to 4years in two communities. Therefore, the study indicated the presence of T. brucei and other trypanosomes suggesting that animal trypanosomiasis is still a problem to animal health and wellbeing in the study area. The study recommends effective integrated chemotherapy and vector control including livestock rearing under intensive management system to boost livestock production and productivity