PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF FORMULATED AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DE-EMULSIFIERS

The de-emulsification of water-in-oil emulsion of Ogharefe crude oil samples was studied by using formulated polyester based de-emulsifier sample A and a commercially available de-emulsifier sample C. The bottle test method was used to screen the de-emulsifier samples. The performance of the de-emulsifiers was expressed in terms of percentage of water separated from 100 ml samples of emulsions. For both the formulated and commercial de-emulsifiers, the performance increased with increased concentration of the de-emulsifiers, separation time and operating temperature. The effect of the operating temperature was much higher and there was a linear between performance and temperature. The performance of the best of the formulated de-emulsifiers, sample A, was better than that of the commercial de-emulsifier under all the conditions of this study- the volume of water expelled by sample A was 5 times that of the commercial one at 30oC. At 70oC, this ratio increased to 14

A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems

Indigenous and traditional foods crops (ITFCs) have multiple uses within society, and most notably have an important role to play in the attempt to diversify the food in order to enhance food and nutrition security. However, research suggests that the benefits and value of indigenous foods within the South African and the African context have not been fully understood and synthesized. Their potential value to the African food system could be enhanced if their benefits were explored more comprehensively. This synthesis presents a literature review relating to underutilized indigenous crop species and foods in Africa. It organizes the findings into four main contributions, nutritional, environmental, economic, and social-cultural, in line with key themes of a sustainable food system framework. It also goes on to unpack the benefits and challenges associated with ITFCs under these themes. A major obstacle is that people are not valuing indigenous foods and the potential benefit that can be derived from using them is thus neglected. Furthermore, knowledge is being lost from one generation to the next, with potentially dire implications for long-term sustainable food security. The results show the need to recognize and enable indigenous foods as a key resource in ensuring healthy food systems in the African continent

Analysis of the Shelf Life of Soya Bean (Glycine max) Flour

Aim: This work was to investigate the shelf life of fresh and stored soybean flour by isolating resident bacteria and carrying out their proximate analyses. Place and Duration of study: Samples were bought from Roundabout market at Iwo, Osun state, Nigeria. An analysis was carried out within 8 month. Methodology: The bacteria were isolated and identified using standard morphological and biochemical tests. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated bacteria was also carried out using standard methods. Results: Isolated bacteria belonged to genera Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Escherichia and Enterobacter. The number of isolated organisms was higher in all cases in the stored flour sample. The results showed that the percentage of crude protein (37.0 ± 0.12), crude fat (16.4 ± 0.04) and dry matter (91.1 ± 0.06), was highest in the freshly purchased soybean flour. The moisture content of the stored flour was (9.1 0. ± 06), while carbohydrate (35.2%), ash (3.9 ± 0.04) and crude fibre (4.2 ± 0.02) were also higher. Resistance to antibiotics was highest to cloxacillin (100%), amoxicillin (75%) and augmentin (75%). Conclusion: The result of this work showed that long term storage is detrimental to the soybean flour and the presences of antibiotic resistant bacteria have serious public health implications

Vertical Architecture Construction: Prospects and Barriers in solving Lagos’ Housing Deficit

The population of Lagos State is projected to double by 2050 to 32.6 million people. This is estimated to be the 6th largest city in the world. However, the land mass area of the state remains relatively constant at 3,577 Km2. There is need to identify sustainable housing solutions to reduce the level of homelessness within the megacity. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the prospects and barriers in the use of vertical architecture construction in solving Lagos city’s housing deficit. The study utilized content analysis of literature on the subject matter which were obtained from major online databases. The study identified the prospects in the use of vertical architecture construction such as reducing housing deficit, adequate land management, engender sustainable practices, improved innovation and proper planning within the state. Nevertheless, some barriers are encountered in the actualization of a comprehensive vertical architecture in Lagos megacity. The barriers include cultural bias to high rise, lack of technology, epileptic power supply, poor maintenance culture, poor fire service delivery, inadequate policies and investment funding. In conclusion, preparedness towards a sustainable housing solution of vertical architecture construction requires a public-private partnership approach in public housing delivery

Anatomical sites of colorectal cancer in a Semi-Urban Nigerian Hospital: Is there a true rightward shift

Background: Recent report on colorectal tumours in Nigeria and Africa sub-region from big urban cities have shown that the incidence of colorectal cancer is rising and with a proportionate right-ward shift.Objective: To assess the sub-site distribution and surgical treatment patterns of colorectal cancer in a semi-urban tertiary Nigerian hospital.Design: A retrospective descriptive study.Setting: Tertiary health institution in a semi-urban (rural) community.Subjects: All consecutive in-patients, admitted and managed for acute intestinal obstruction due to colorectal cancer.Main outcome: The right colon was the site of predilection (60.6%) while the left colon was only (6.06%). Young adults were mostly affected.Result: A total of thirty three (33) cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) were seen during the study period. There were 20(60.6%) males and 13(39.4%) females. The male:female ratio was 1.5:1. The age range was between 22 – 87 years (mean 57.09years). The peak age of occurrence was the 6th decade. All patients’ were symptomatic at presentation. The caccum (36.365) was the predominant site affected; followed by the rectum (24.24%) and the hepatic flexure (21.21%). Of the colonic tumours, 60.6% were on the right colon while only 6.06% were on the left colon. Tumours of the descending and sigmoid colon were conspicuously absent. Fifteen patients (45.5%) had curative resection and 33.3% had palliative surgery. Twenty one point two percent mortality was recorded, while 21.2% refused surgery and opted for alternative care.Conclusion: Colorectal cancers are seen among rural dwellers in Nigeria. Presentations are often late. The right colon is the dominant site affected; this calls for a change in strategy for formulating a preventive policy for the country

The prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and its relationship with diet and obesity among public school teachers in Abeokuta, south-west Nigeria

Background: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common chronic disorder in the high-income countries; and thought to be rare in low- and middle-income-countries. Lifestyle and diets have been suggested among others, as risk factors contributing to the development and severity of GORD. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of GORD and its association with dietary items and obesity among public school teachers in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria.Methods: School teachers from 24 randomly selected public schools in Abeokuta were involved in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents’ bio data, food frequency and Carlson-Dent scores were calculated for each respondent. A score of 4 and above on the Carlsson-Dent questionnaire was considered diagnostic of GORD. Each respondent had his or her weight, height, waist circumference and hip circumference measured. Body mass index and waist-hip ratio were calculated for each respondent.Results: A total of 550 teachers participated in the study. The prevalence of GORD was found to be 13.8% among the teachers. There was a significant association between chocolate consumption and frequency of GORD (p=0.01). There was no association between consumption of soft drinks (p=0.673), kola nut (P=0.451), beer (p=0.674), bitter kola (0.425), groundnut (0.442), cowpeas (p=0.442), walnut (p=0.905), gari (p=0.931), fufu (p= 0.249) and lafun (p=0.480) and the frequency of GORD. Similarly, no association was found between obesity (BMI, p=0.738), waist-hip ratio (p=0.56) and the frequency of GORD.Conclusion: GORD is common among public school teachers in Abeokuta with a prevalence of 13.8%. Except for consumption of chocolate, no association was found between frequency of GORD and consumption of majority of the dietary items considered in this study

Growth Performance, Haematological Indices and Cost Benefits of Growing Pigs Fed Cassava Peel Meal Diets Supplemented With Allzyme® SSF

Effect of replacing dietary maize with cassava peel meal (CPM) supplemented with Allzyme® SSF (SSF) on the growth performance, haematological indices and cost benefits of growing pigs was investigated. Chemical composition of CPM and diets used were determined using standard procedures. Twenty-four growing pigs with average weight of 14.0+0.25kg were allotted to 6 dietary treatments whereby CPM replaced maize at 0, 50 and 100% levels with SSF supplementation at 0g/100kg and 20g/100kg of diet. Each treatment was replicated 4 times while the experiment lasted 8 weeks. Data were collected on daily feed intake (DFI), daily weight gain (DWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR); feed cost/weight gain and feed cost/day were calculated. Blood samples collected through jugular vein puncture were analyzed for haematological indices such as white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell and platelet count. The CPM diets with or without SSF gave comparable (P>0.05) pigs’ growth performance to what was obtained for pigs on the maize based diets in terms of DFI (1.26 – 1.33kg), DWG (0.32 – 0.40kg) and FCR (3.13 – 4.03). Values for WBC were within normal range, though they had significant (p<0.05) variations. Other haematological parameters were not influenced (p>0.05) by CPM inclusion. Feed cost/kg diet (N54.11 – N74.39) and feed cost/weight gain (N195.33 – N244.65) reduced insignificantly (P>0.05) with CPM inclusion in the diets of pigs. It was concluded that cassava peel meal can totally replace maize with or without enzyme supplementation in the diets of growing pigs for optimal performance at reduced cost

Catechol-O-Methyltransferase moderates effect of stress mindset on affect and cognition

There is evidence that altering stress mindset—the belief that stress is enhancing vs. debilitating—can change cognitive, affective and physiological responses to stress. However individual differences in responsiveness to stress mindset manipulations have not been explored. Given the previously established role of catecholamines in both placebo effects and stress, we hypothesized that genetic variation in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines, would moderate responses to an intervention intended to alter participants’ mindsets about stress. Participants (N = 107) were exposed to a stress mindset manipulation (videos highlighting either the enhancing or debilitating effects of stress) prior to engaging in a Trier Social Stress task and subsequent cognitive tasks. The associations of the COMT rs4680 polymorphism with the effect of stress mindset video manipulations on cognitive and affective responses were examined. Genetic variation at rs4680 modified the effects of stress mindset on affective and cognitive responses to stress. Individuals homozygous for rs4680 low-activity allele (met/met) were responsive to the stress-is-enhancing mindset manipulation as indicated by greater increases in positive affect, improved cognitive functioning, and happiness bias in response to stress. Conversely, individuals homozygous for the high-activity allele (val/val) were not as responsive to the stress mindset manipulation. These results suggest that responses to stress mindset intervention may vary with COMT genotype. These findings contribute to the understanding of gene by environment interactions for mindset interventions and stress reactivity and therefore warrant further investigations