Impact of Processing on Physical, Chemical and Pasting Properties of Tamarind (T. indica) Seed Flour

Tamarind seed is a discarded waste material from the tamarind pulp industry. The seed contains plethora of nutrients, however its application as food ingredient in Nigeria is limited. This study investigated the impact of processing techniques on physical (colour), proximate, mineral, anti-nutrient and pasting properties of tamarind seed flour using standard methods. Unprocessed seeds (sample A) served as the control, soaked seeds (sample B), roasted seeds (sample C) and autoclaved seeds (sample D). The obtained flour samples were analysed for the physical (colour), proximate, mineral, anti-nutrient and pasting properties using standard methods. Colour values (L*) of seed flour decreased whereas a* and b* values increased in processed flours compared to the control. Raw and processed tamarind seed flours are composed mainly of carbohydrate (65.0-75.2%) and protein (2.3-12.7%) with minuscule quantities of dietary fibre (3.50-7.10%), fat (5.4-6.8%) and ash (1.25-2.08%). The results revealed the following ranges in mineral concentrations: calcium (11.72-18.76mg/100g), magnesium (125.48-152.55mg/100g), potassium (224.49-487.37mg/100g) and iron (22.34-31.04mg/100g). Boiling, autoclaving and roasting significantly (p≤0.05) altered the anti-nutritional contents of tamarind seeds. There exist variation in the pasting viscosities with the control and processed tamarind flours being significantly different (p≤0.05).  The study highlighted that roasting of the seeds could eliminate the anti-nutrients and improved the quality of seeds compared to soaking and autoclaving processes. Exploring the potential of tamarind seeds for human consumption will clearly reduce the over-dependence on common legumes as protein source in marginalised communities

Digital Currencies and the Nigerian Economy: Evidence from Selected Coins

This study emphasizes the implication of dynamic connection between digital currency and Nigerian economic growth rate by focusing attention on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Lite coin with respect to their returns and volatility from 2010Q4 to 2022Q3. As a way to have a robust estimation, we model our analysis using ARDL model and granger causality test. This model is rather useful to have both short and long run estimations. Importantly the study’s outcome conforms with the fundamentals. The trend analysis suggest that the country’s exchange rate move in line with digital currency activities while at the same time signifies some implication on the growth rate of the Nigerian economy. While lower returns for Bitcoin and Litecoin increase growth rate, the return for Ethereum rather move in the same direction as the growth rate. This indeed suggests that most Nigerians into digital currency activities often engage in portfolio diversification among available coins. The study further found that low volatility in the market will raise (significantly especially for Ethereum) growth rate of the economy while causal implication run from returns and volatilities of these coins to growth and exchange rates. Indeed, the findings have important policy implication for the Nigerian economy

Pediatric Diarrhea Patients Living in Urban Areas Have a Higher Incidence of Clostridioides difficile Infection

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and an unappreciated contributor to child mortality in low- and middle-income countries where the diagnosis may be difficult. There is little information about the prevalence of CDI among infants, children, and adolescents in Africa. Using a cross-sectional design, seventy-six samples were collected from pediatric patients presenting with diarrhea, including infants (≤ 2 years old), children (2-12 years), and adolescents (13 ≤17 years) from three hospitals between January and December 2019. Demographic data, medical history, and prior antibiotic use were recorded. Toxigenic culture and PCR were used to detect and validate the presence of C. difficile in the samples. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 29 (38.7%), 39 (52.0%) and 7 (9.3%) samples were from infants, children, and adolescents, respectively. The average age of the patients was 4.4 years. Of these samples, 31 (41%) were positive for C. difficile by culture and were verified by PCR amplification of C. difficile-specific genes (tcdA and tcdB). The most positive cases were children (53.3%) and infants (40.0%) with the majority of them residing in urban areas. Forty-nine (66.2%) of the patients had no known antibiotics exposure, whereas 29.0% and 29.7% reported the use of over-the-counter antibiotics at 14 and 90 days, prior to the hospital visit, respectively. CDI is relatively common among children with diarrhea in Northern Nigeria. Therefore, for effective management and treatment, more attention should be given to testing for C. difficile as one of the causative agents of diarrhea

Levels of some physiochemical parameters in leachates from open dumpsites in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Leachates from selected dumpsites and control site in Lokoja municipal were analyzed for physiochemical properties. These parameters were compared with control samples and established international standards FEPA and WHO. Dumpsite leachates contained very high concentration of TDS which ranges between 5180.60±46.51mg/L - 3071.80±38.96mg/L, BOD 1085.60±7.44mg/L - 885.80±5.41mg/L, Alkalinity  2396.20±10.35mg/L - 1271.00±14.61mg/L. COD 4062.04±32.81mg/L - 2926.80±15.65mg/L, Chloride 1912.42±6.32mg/L - 1071.70±16.10mg/L while Ammonia ranges between 711.33±12.15 - 633.00±5.80mg/L. The study revealed that the dumpsite is a major polluting source in the surrounding environment. This underlines the need for appropriate government agency of Kogi State, Nigeria to initiate active remediation process such as phytoremediation in combination with physiochemical methods to recover the dumpsite from contaminants and reduce the level of pollution in the surrounding environment.Keywords: Dumpsite, Leachates, Physicochemical parameters, Phytoremediation

Pollen morphological studies in the family Sapindaceae from parts of Ibadan in Oyo State and Moro in Osun Sate in Southwestern Nigeria

Pollen grains of nine (9) species of Sapindaceae randomly collected from parts of Oyo and Osun States of Nigeria were prepared using the acetolysis method and studied with the aim of identifying characters of taxonomic relevance in the family. Results showed that the pollen grains were either triporate or tricolporate. Pore or aperture was found to be a homologous character and the presence or absence of Os and/or their ornamentations can be reliably used to delimit the species. The largest pollen (46.94 x 51.7 μm) was observed in Cardiospermum halicacabum L. while the smallest pollen was observed in Blighia sapida K.D Koenig (16.80 x 15.84 μm). The exine pattern may be reticulate (Paullinia pinnata L), striate (Allophylus africanus P. Beauv, Blighia sapida, B. unijugata Baker, Deinbolia pinnata Schumach & Thonn. and Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch ex Benth) or reticulofoveolate in Cardiospermum grandiflorum Swartz and C. Halicacabum

GENDER DIFFERENTIALS IN THE PERCEPTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG THE YORUBA OF OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Mental illness presents lots of challenges especially in Nigeria. There are various cultural factors that influence perceptions of people about mental illness. Although studies exist on perceptions of mental illness, little attention has been paid to gender differences. This study therefore examined gender differentials in the perception of mental illness among the Yoruba people of Ogun State, Nigeria. Labelling theory provided the theoretical framework. Nine hundred and sixty seven adults were randomly selected. Five In-depth Interviews were conducted among caregivers of people living with mental illness (those who are receiving treatment and those who have recovered) and nineteen Key Informant Interviews were conducted among orthodox practitioners and traditional healers. The study revealed that there were significant differences between men and women in the perception of mental illness. Stigmatisation and gender discrimination among People Living with Mental Illness (PLWMI) should be eradicated through government actions, advocacy and education

Electrochemical and thermodynamic investigation of benzenamine as corrosion inhibitor of austenitic stainless steel (type 304) in hydrochloric acid solution

The inhibiting action of benzenamine (BEZ) on the corrosion of type 304 stainless steel in 3M hydrochloric acid was investigated through electrochemical tests. Results show BEZ to be an excellent inhibitor. The compound was observed to be of mixed type in action. Inhibition efficiency increased with increase in BEZ concentration giving an optimal value of 96.14% at 6.25% BEZ concentration from weight loss and 88.7% at 5% BEZ concentration from polarization tests. X-Ray diffractometry revealed the absence of corrosion products. Statistical analysis using ANOVA showed the statistical significance of BEZ concentration on its inhibition efficiency performance. The compound obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF LEACHATE CONTAMINATION ON GROUNDWATER EXPLORATION IN BASEMENT COMPLEX AREA

A total of ten groundwater samples were collected from wells around the site of Orita Aperin refuse        dump, Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria, to determine the extent of groundwater contamination. The results        of   the  hydro-chemical   analysis   show  that   groundwater   samples   collected  from wells   away from the        leachate revealed comparable W.H.O. standard values for groundwater consumption. Most obvious        parameters   are:  increase   in   total  hardness   (between   184.8   and   239.6mg/l   for   samples   near   the        leachate;   74   and   102mg/l   for   samples   far   from   the   leachate),   low   calcium   (ranged   from   46.2   to        78.7mg/l for samples near the leachate; 3.7 to 32.8mg/l for samples far from the leachate), magne-        sium (ranged from 5.1 to 30.3mg/l for samples near the leachate; 3.4 to 21.5mg/l for samples far from        the leachate), chloride (between 20 and 224mg/l for samples near the leachate, 32 and 174mg/l), and        sulphate content (ranged from 9 to 76mg/l for samples near the leachate; 25 to 38mg/l for samples far        from the leachate); while high values of TDS (in samples A and C and I), nitrate (in samples A and C)        and chloride (in samples A and I) which were due to the effect of leachate on the water quality result-        ing to contamination of these wells. Thus, adequate treatment should be carried out on wells located        close to the leachate before consumption.&nbsp

Foliar Epidermal Morphology and Anti-diabetic Property of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall ex. Nees

The leaf epidermal features and anti diabetic property of Androgragphis paniculata were investigated. The epidermal cells are polygonal to irregular with curved to undulate anticlinal walls on both surfaces of the leaf. The leaf is hypostomatic with stomata restricted to the abaxial surface. Stomata type is axillocytic. The epidermal cells contain deposits of crystal oxalates while cystoliths are found in a few cells. The leaf extract was evaluated for hypoglycemic effects. There was significant hypoglycemic effect in alloxan induced diabetic rats following administration of the leaf aqueous extract. The result shows that the level of fasting blood sugar was dependent on the previous level of basal blood sugar in the four groups of rats used for this study. Treatment of the rats with A. paniculata showed a dose dependent relationship with the time it took for the blood of the rats to return to the basal blood sugar levels. The study supports the use of the plant in the management and treatment of diabetes