Evaluation of heavy metals in the soils of urban and peri-urban irrigated land in Kano, Northern Nigieria

Smallholder irrigation for the production of market gardening is important in urban and peri-uban Kano in northern Nigeria. This involves the use of polluted stream water flowing along the major streams in the city. Three streams were selected based on their source of pollutions: Domestic and industrial sources and an ideally non-polluted stream was used as Control. Soil samples were collected from these irrigated sites and analysed for some selected heavy metals including cadmium, chromium, zinc manganese, iron, copper and nickel. The results were compared with the control site and the European Regulatory Standard (EURS). It was found that all the seven heavy metals are higher in the Domestic source pollution (DSP) than in the Industrial source pollution (ISP), prominent among them are Zn, Cu, Fe and Ni, of which their main source is domestic sewage sludge. The high concentration of Cd, Ni and Zn could be associated with tyre wear and combustion of petroleum from the heavy traffic prevalent in this part of the city. The Industrial source pollution stream was found to be less polluted in Mn and Fe which are even less than the control site. There is also continuous accumulation of Fe, Mn and Zn in the DSP sites, this is possibly due to heavy disposal of domestic sewages along the stream. However, the mean concentration of all the heavy metals with the exception of Cd were found to be lower then the European Regulatory Standard, thus there is urgent concern for the authority to look into the continuous accumulation of Cd in especially DSP sites, where the values were above the European Regulatory Standard. Cd can reach human body through crop uptake to the people that consume the crop, this may cause heart and kidney disease. Keywords: Heavy Metals, Domestic Source Pollution (DSP), Irrigated Land, Industrial Source Pollution (ISP) European Regulatory Standard (EURS

The Role of Head Teacher in Improvisation and Maintenance of School Plants

The conditions and situation of the physical and infrastructural facilities in the primary schools had marred the attainment of the goal of education for all. The present Primary Education Commission (UPEC) 1999/91 survey indicated that approximately 4.9% of Nigerian primary school have no building, while the survey equally shows that the is a short fall of 64.2% in pupils furniture and 62.5% in teachers' and non teaching furniture, nationwide. It also stressed further that equipment for teaching sciences, sports, Home Economics creative Arts were lacking in majority of the Primary Schools. Moreover, the above situations seem not to have improved in the recent times. Many of the primary school buildings are dilapidated, displaying no window panes or Shutters, no ceilings, plaster peel offs, broken floors and leaking roofs. Poor as these structures are, they are not even adequate and thus two or more streams have to use the same dilapidated class in many cases. This has resulted into overcrowded classrooms with serious implications for teaching and learning in the primary schools in Nigeria. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the role of head teacher in improvisation and maintenance of school plants in primary schools.Keywords: Primary Education, Head Teacher, School Plants, Physical facilities and infrastructural facilitie

The Potential of Some Plant Powders as Biopesticides against Sitophilus Zeamais (Motsch.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) On Stored Grains: A Review

Powders prepared from parts of different plant species indigenous to Nigeria were tested by various Nigerian scientists under laboratory conditions for their insecticidal activities against the common insect pests of maize and cowpea, i.e. Sitophilus zeamais and Callosobruchus maculatus during storage. Results showed that at certain concentrations, the plant materials had both ovicidal and larvicidal effects. They also reduced adult emergence, progeny development and increased mortality of the adults. Some have anti-feedant effects on the insect pests. Looking into the side effects of synthetic pesticides, the studies demonstrated that these plant parts can play an important role in protection of stored grains from insect invasion during storage.Key words: Biopesticides, Callosobruchus maculatus, Plant powders, Sitophilus zeamais Stored grain

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals pollution on irrigated soil along Salanta River Valley, Kano State Nigeria

This paper assessed the heavy metals pollution in irrigated soil of salanta river valley of Sharada industrial area with aim of assessing the potential ecological risk of Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn. Soil samples were collected from five plots randomly selected along the stream and heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn) and pH were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and pH meter respectively. The mean values and standard deviation of heavy metals in the study area shows that there is variation in the mean values among the heavy metal in the study area in which Cr recorded mean values of 2.30mg/kg ± 0.45, Cu 1.01 mg/kg ±0.78, Cd 3.02 mg/kg ± 0.66, Zn 26.4 mg/kg± 5.45 and mean pH 6.8 ± 0.51. The Cd, Cu and Zn were found below European regulatory values, the mean value of Cd (3.02mg/kg) is found above EU regulatory values (3.0mg/kg) and the pH value of the study area shows that the soil is slightly acidic and can influence the availability and solubility of the heavy metals in the area. The assessment also show that Cd (Pij,= 1.0), Cu (Pij,= 0.007) and Zn (Pij,= 0.088) are heavily polluted the soil of the area, and also slightly polluted with Cr (Pij,= 0.025). However, the potential ecological risk assessment show that Cr (Eri = 0.005) and Cu (Eri = 0.003) have low potential ecological risk in the area; Zn (Eri = 0.04) has moderate potential ecological risk while Cd (Eri = 0.088) is considerable potential ecological risk in the soil of study area. It was recommended that the industries should treat their waste water before  discharge and farmers should avoid using waste water directly, sewage sludge and effluent for watering and manure respectively.Key words: Heavy metals, pollution, soil, ecological ris

Use of stone powder in concrete and mortar as an alternative of sand

Stone powder produced from stone crushing zones appears as a problem for effective disposal. Sand is a common fine aggregate used in construction work as a fine aggregate. In this study, the main concern is to find an alternative of sand. Substitution of normal sand by stone powder will serve both solid waste minimization and waste recovery. The study focuses to determine the relative performance of concrete by using powder sand. From laboratory experiments, it was revealed that concrete made of stone powder and stone chip gained about 15% higher strength than that of the concrete made of normal sand and brick chip. Concrete of stone powder and brick chip gained about 10% higher strength than that of the concrete normal sand and stone chip concrete. The highest compressive strength of mortar found from stone powder which is 33.02 Mpa, shows that better mortar can be prepared by the stone powder. The compressive strength of concrete from stone powder shows 14.76% higher value than that of the concrete made of normal sand. On the other hand, concrete from brick chip and stone powder produce higher compressive value from that of brick chip and normal sand concrete.Key words: Stone powder, concrete, mortar, concrete, compressive strength

Sikap Keberagamaan Siswa di Sekolah Islam Terpadu

Sekolah Islam Terpadu (SIT) menganut prinsip muwasafat yang merupakan corak gerakan militan Tarbiyatul al-Islamiah. Corak keagamaan ini nampak tidak terlalu berpengaruh, bila dilihat bagaimana besarnya minat masyarakat pada SIT, meskipun sebagian besar siswa berasal dari latar belakang ideologi keagamaan berbeda. Perbedaan ini melahirkan kemungkinan khusus bagi tumbuhnya sikap keberagamaan siswa. Penerimaan terhadap SIT dapat terbentuk karena SIT mampu menguasai faktor-faktor pemasaran jasa pendidikan, atau SIT memang terbuka terhadap keragaman. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana keberagamaan dipraktikkan di SIT dan pengaruhnya bagi sikap keberagamaan siswa. Penelitian menggunakan metode silang antara wawancara, observasi dan dokumentasi untuk memotret praktik keberagamaan SIT, dan metode angket untuk mengukur sikap siswa. Sikap keberagamaan siswa dianalisa menggunakan skala Gutaman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan prinsip keagamaan di SIT dipraktikkan secara terbuka. Keterbukaan keberagamaan diterapkan melalui penamaan, manajerial dan kurikulum. Sikap keberagaamaan siswa di SIT menunjukkan cenderung terbuka 50,54% lebih banyak, dibadingkan dengan sikap siswa yang tertutup sebanyak 49,46%. Penelitian ini berkontribusi dalam mengembangkan teori sikap keberagamaan siswa dalam dunia pendidikan Islam

Seroprevalence of Varicella Zoster Virus Infection among Primary school Children In Northern Nigeria

Background: Varicella Zoster infection occurs exclusively in man and commonly affects children with predilection for school age children. Following infection the course of the disease in immunocompetent children is often mild and self limited but in older age groups infection may be severe with poor outcomes ranging from complicating bacterial morbidities to death. In Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria the seroprevalence ofVaricella - zoster virus (VZV) infection is unknown The current cross - sectional study was conducted to assess the seroprevalence of VZV infection among nursery and primary school pupils in Kaduna State. Mathods: Nursery and primary school pupils between the ages 4 and 15 years were randomly selected from the three geopolitical zones of Kaduna State . Demographic data on each subject  were obtained by administration of a questionnaire and blood samples were collected for serum analysis of Varicella - zoster virus immunoglobulin G (IgG) using the Automat ion ELISA IgG Kit manufactured by Automation INC. USA. Data obtained were summarized using percentages and frequency tables. Results were analyzed using Epi- info version 3.0. Results: Three hundred and fifty three pupils were recruited for the study. The overall prevalence rate for VZV infection was 66.3% with the value in males being 68.5% and in females 63.9%. The prevalence of VZV infection increased with age in both sexes. A high percentage of children (60%) were seropositive at 4-6 years. Conclusion: The study shows a 66.3% prevalence of VZV infection among children in Kaduna State. Thi s high pr eva l enc e r a t e necessitates further studies to establish the burden of the problem in Nigeria and rationalize the institution of preventive measures against the infection, particularly immunocompromi sed young children

Adsorption of lead from aqueous solution by a novel carbon based adsorbent

Lead (Pb), due to its bioaccumulation ability, has been noted to have detrimental effects on the human body affecting the metabolism, blood and kidneys (Bansal and Goyal, 2005; Bowen, 1996). It is, therefore, imperative that lead be removed from water and wastewater to protect public health and aquatic lives. Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were reported by Li et al. (2003) to have metal sorption capacity of 3–4 times higher than those of powder and granular activated carbon. However, membrane clogging and separation of the nanomaterials from the filtrate pose a challenge. In this work, a novel composite material consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and granular activated carbon (GAC) was synthesised to solve the filtration problem in a static filter. Various percentages of nickel (1%, 3%, 5 and 7%) were used as substrate catalyst during production of the adsorbent and these were linked to the morphology and adsorption capacity of the novel material in lead adsorption. Analyses showed that increased nickel content in the substrate from 1% to 7%, during adsorbent production, resulted in a rough surface of the CNT and increased lead removal from 24% to 89%. Equilibrium concentrations of lead for the adsorbents were achieved at about 60 minutes of contact time. The novel composite material has the potential to remove toxic materials from water and bring benefit to the society

CD4+ T-lymphopenia in HIV negative tuberculous patients at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Tuberculosis (Tb) is a chronic infectious disease in which the cellular immunity (specifically CD4+ and CD8 lymphocytes) provides the most important defense in controlling infection. CD4 lymphopenia is a well-defined risk factor for the development of active tuberculosis in patients infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. In HIV - negative patients, CD4 and CD8 cell count suppression has been associated with Tb infection. Our study was designed to deter mine the baseline and post-treatment values of CD4 and CD8 in HIV negative patients diagnosed with active Tb in Saudi Arabian patients. We recruited twentyeight, non-HIV patients with tuberculosis for the study group comprising 16 males and 12 females with either disseminated or localized active Tb infection. Two control groups were selected - one of twenty one matched healthy controls and the second of fortytwo subjects from pool of controls of an ongoing study in same population for normal CD4 and CD8 counts. The baseline pre-treatment CD4 and CD8 counts in the study group were significantly lower than either control group. Specifically the mean ± SD of CD4 counts were 556.79 ± 298.81 in the study group vs 1,132.38 ± 259.90 in control group 1 and 1,424.38 ± 870.98 in control group 2 (p 0.000). Likewise the CD8 counts in the study group were 1,136.00 ± 512.06 vs. 1,461.90 ± 367.02 in control group 1 and 1,495.90 ± 565.32 in control group 2 (p 0.000) respectively. After treatment of tuberculosis, the study patients experienced a significant increase in their mean ± SD CD4 and CD8 cell counts, from 556.79 ± 297.81 to 954.29 ± 210.90 for CD4 cells (p 0.005) and 1136.00 ± 512.06 to 1,316.54 ± 286.17 for CD8 cells (p 0.002). Analysis of study patients with disseminated disease found significantly lower CD4 cells (but not lower CD8 cells) compared to study patients with localized disease, both at baseline and after treatment. The mean ± SD baseline CD4 cells were 247.60 ± 187.80 with disseminated vs 728.56 ± 186.32 for localized disease (p = 0.000) which rose to 842.30 ± 93.55 vs 1016.50 ± 233.51 (p = 0.033) respectively. We conclude that tuberculosis may be associated with CD4 and CD8 lymphopenia even in patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection, there was the tendency of recovery towards normality especially of the CD4 and CD8 counts after treatment, and that disseminated disease is associated specifically with profound CD4 lymphopenia

Massive subgaleal haematoma in a 5 year old child – A case report

Subgaleal haematoma (SH) is a collection of blood between the bony skull and the loose connective tissue. It is almost a diagnosis confined to the neonatal age group with very few occurring beyond the age. Presentation could be sudden or chronic as deterioration in the cardio pulmonary status,shock, skin changes, airway obstruction and neurological sequealae.While assisted delivery with birth trauma are recognized causal factorsin the neonate, trauma to the head and blood related disorders have been reported to be major causes in older children and adults. Usually, the Small SH resolves spontaneously while the massive ones require active management; often with neuro surgical intervention. It also needs identifying the cause so as to treat and prevent a recurrence. We present a case of massive SH in a 5 year old mentally subnormal child with seizure disorder with a favourable outcome