Treated plantain peels in diet of broiler chickens

Three hundred (300) one day old Arbor Acre broiler chicks were used in an 8-week study to determine the growth response and nutrient utilization of birds fed varied inclusion of differently treated plantain peel meals (PPM). The birds were randomly assigned to the 10 dietary treatments with three replicates of 10 birds each and arranged in 3x3 factorial layout plus a control. Treatment 1 is the control, diet without inclusion of PPM, Treatment 2, 3, 4 were sundried PPM at 25, 50 and 75% (replacement for maize) respectively; while treatments 5,6,7 and 8,9,10 were sun dried-lye treated and sundried plus phytase supplementation (1g/kg diet). Data were collected on some chemical profile of treated PPM, performance characteristics of broilers and nutrient digestibility of the diet. The results showed that nutrient composition of plantain peel appeared adequate to serve as a feed ingredient in poultry. Increased level of PPM in the diets however, lowered (P<0.05) all the performance traits and digestibility coefficients. Lye treatment and phytase supplementation had most profound effect on repressing the toxic component in PPM. Lye treatment also influenced fibre digestibility positively but depressed (P<0.05) ether extract digestibility. It was concluded that the use of treated PPM in broiler diet did not represent a perfect replacement for maize. However, 25% of lye and enzyme supplemented PPM replacement for maize proved adequate in broilers’ diet.Keywords: plantain peels, anti-metabolic compounds, digestibility, performanc

Assessment of heavy metal levels of Agodi Reservoir in Ibadan, Nigeria

The quality of water discharged into Agodi Reservoir was determined by the levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Water samples were collected from the inlet, centre and outlet locations of the reservoir and their heavy metal contents were determined by standard methods using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) over a period of twelve (12) months covering both rainy and dry seasons. Test location differences and seasonal variations were examined using ANOVA at P<0.05 to establish any gradient effect associated with pollution dynamics. Results showed no seasonal variations in all the heavy metals except for Co. Also, there is no significant variation in heavy metal concentration between the test locations. The heavy metal profile in Agodi Reservoir, measured in mg/L, was as follows: Mn (64.81) > Fe (43.75) > Zn (23.13) > Cu (12.44) > Co (0.19) > Ni (0.17) > Cd (0.12). Concentrations of Cr and Pb were below detectable level. Compared to WHO recommended limits, Co fell below while others were higher than thresholds. It is concluded that Agodi Reservoir water has a potential environmental hazard unless treated before use.Keywords: Agodi Reservoir, heavy metals, pollution, seasonal variatio

An assessment of referral letters to a specialist diabetes outpatient service in Ibadan

Background: Diabetes is a complex, chronic illness which requires continuous medical care. Requests for specialist consultation is a regular occurrence, and the referral process is most commonly initiated by a referral letter. The ability to effectively formulate an appropriate management plan for a patient at the time of specialist consultation largely depends on the quality of clinical information provided in the referral letter.Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the information provided in referral letters to the specialist diabetes clinic in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between August and December 2017. All referral letters presented to the diabetes clinic on selected clinic days were evaluated using a data extraction tool designed by the investigators.Results: The majority of referral letters provided information on patient identifiers. However, the provision of clinical information deemed vital for effective patient triage and good quality review in the specialist diabetes clinic was generally unsatisfactory. Less than a quarter of the referral letters provided information on key parameters such as physical examination findings, patients medication and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. Short term measures of glycemic control, blood pressure status, serum creatinine and serum lipid profiles were reported in just 51.3%, 35%, 6.7% and 2.5% of referral letters respectively.Conclusion: We have observed that referral letters to our specialist diabetes clinic often do not contain adequate information considered essential for a good quality consultation. Identifying the root causes of the inadequacies observed and the institution of intervention measures to address the problems identified could help improve the delivery of specialist review services for patients with diabetes. Interventions such as the use of standardized formats for referral letters, provision of referral guidelines and physician education programmes might help improve the quality of information provided at the time of referral.Keywords: Assessment, Referral Letters, Diabetes, Specialis

Sustainability and resilience of Aiba Dam in Iwo, Nigeria

Aiba dam was created to supply pipe-borne water to the Iwo community and environ. This paper highlighted challenges to the dam survival and recommended opportunities for improvement in the light of deterring sociological and cultural barriers to its sustainability. The challenges facing the dam include natural viz:- climate change, sedimentation, senesce (ageing trees) and anthropogenic challenges which include management-related problems, urban sprawl, farming practices in the dam area and refuse dump. The paper suggested that relevant government agencies needs to be proactive on ensuring the sustainability of the dam especially in the areas of public enlightenment, reforestation, dredging of the dam, institution and implementation of relevant legal instruments; also, putting in place appropriate measures towards mitigating climate change impact to ensure the survival of the dam and to ascertain that it performs the purpose for which it was created. Further investigation to determine the status of the dam through the use of satellite imageries and geographic information system are suggested.Keywords: Aiba Reservoir; Dam management and resilience; Sustainability; Iwo; Environmental challeng

Haematological and Serum Characteristics of Broiler Birds Fed Diets Supplemented with Varying Levels of Selenium Powder

The haematology and serum components of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with selenium powder was investigated. A total of one hundred and fifty day old broilers were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments with ten birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Treatment 1 was control with no Selenium supplementation, Treatments 2 and 3 had 0.3mg/kg 0.5mg/kg Selenium supplementation respectively.  Birds were vaccinated as schedule and acclimatized to rearing and feeding regime before data collection commenced. Result indicated differences (P<0.05) in the final bodyweight and total weight gain of the experimental birds. Feed  conversion ratio of birds on high selenium (0.5mg) was superior that its counterparts in control and 0.3mg supplementation. The heamatological and serum characteristics were not significantly affected (P<0.05) across the treatments except the differential count of the blood. The activity of the blood enzymes measured increase with selenium supplementation whereas the cholesterol level fall significantly in birds fed selenium supplemented diets. The study showed that all the dietary inclusion satisfactory as feed for broiler chicken without any deleterious effect on performance and blood profile.  Inclusion level of 0.5mm/kg of selenium appeared to have better overall performance when fed to broiler chicken. Keywords: selenium, broilers, haematology, seru

Surface Protection of Carbon Steel with ZrO2 Composite Induced Zinc Based Electrolytic cell via Electrodeposition Technique

The effect of Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) as additive to Zn-MgO electrolytic chemical bath coating by co-deposition on carbon steel was investigated. Weight loss was conducted on the electrodeposited mild steel and it was inspected. The anti corrosion properties were assessed by linear polarization procedure in 1 mole of HCl medium. From the results gotten, all deposited coatings displayed significant improvement. An amazing improvement was accomplished in every one of the coatings as against the as-received sample. Zn-MgO-ZrO2 (0.8V) with the best performing coating showing an upgrade indicates enhanced anti-wear and friction qualities displaying wear resistance improvement

Efficacy and safety of low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy for treatment of vascular erectile dysfunction in Nigerian men: Report of a study in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria

Background: Low Intensity Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (LI-SWT) has been found to be effective in men with vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) but its efficacy and safety has not been investigated in a  predominantly black population so we sought to study this. Materials and Methods: Men with vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) were assessed using the five-item  International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score after which they were treated with 12 sessions of LI-  SWT. Treatment efficacy was evaluated immediately after treatment, at 1 month and 6 months after using  the IIEF questionnaire. 30 persons were recruited out of which 22 completed the study. Results: Mean IIEF score improved from 8.27+2.741 at baseline (pre-treatment) to 10.43 ± 8.43 one  month post treatment and was sustained six months post treatment at mean IIEF score of 10.70 + 8.84. A larger no (86.4%) had an improvement of at least 5 in the IIEF score from baseline to 6 months -post  treatment. None of the participants reported any adverse effects of treatment. Conclusion: Low intensity shock wave treatment is a useful addition to the medical armamentarium for the treatment of vascular ED

COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF APPEARANCE-BASED TECHNIQUES FOR PALMPRINT FEATURES EXTRACTION USING PROBABILISTIC NEURAL NETWORK, COSINE MEASURES AND EUCLIDEAN DISTANCE CLASSIFIERS

Most biometric systems work by comparing features extracted from a query biometric trait with those extracted from a stored biometric trait. Therefore, to a great extent, the accuracy of any biometric system is dependent on the effectiveness of its features extraction stage. With an intention to establish a suitable appearance based features extraction technique, an independent comparative study of Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithms for palmprint features extraction is reported in this article. Euclidean distance, Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) and cosine measures were used as classifiers. Results obtained revealed that cosine metrics is preferable for ICA features extraction while PNN is preferable for LDA features extraction. Both PNN and Euclidean distance yielded a better recognition rate for PCA. However, ICA yielded the best recognition rate in terms of FAR and FRR followed by LDA then PCA

Effects of graded levels of Tetracin® on physico-chemical and sensory properties of broiler meat

Tetracin® (a feed grade veterinary antibiotic) was administered at 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200mg/kg to conventional starter and finisher feed for broilers for a period of six weeks before the breast meat were analyzed for physical, chemical and organoleptic properties. One hundred and fifty (2 weeks old) broiler chicks were randomly divided into 10 birds per replicate with 3 replicates per treatment. At the end of the feeding trial, 6 birds per treatment were slaughtered, defeathered, eviscerated and dressed. The breasts cuts were however subjected to laboratory analyses. No statistically significant (P>0.05) differences were observed in drip loss, chilling loss, shear force, ash and moisture contents of broiler meat across the treatment groups. However, the cooking loss and thermal loss progressively increased (P<0.05) with the corresponding increase in Tetracin®. Similarly, WHC was also significantly (P<0.05) influenced with increased inclusion of Tetracin®. Crude protein increased (P<0.05) but ether extract was reduced with inclusion of Tetracin®. Meat without antibiotics was highly rated (P<0.05) for flavour, juiciness and tenderness while colour and general acceptability were not significantly (P>0.05) influenced with or without Tetracin®. Conclusively, the inclusion of Tetracin® improved the chemical properties of broiler meat but the physical properties (cooking loss and WHC), flavour, juiciness and tenderness of the meat were compromised especially when administered above 100mg/kg feed.Keywords: Tetracin®; antibiotics; Physical; chemical; sensory properties; broiler