Assessing the performance of global solar radiation empirical equations in Sokoto, Nigeria using meteorological parameters

In this study, the meteorological parameters measured in Sokoto (12.55o N, 5.15o E) for a period of 10 years (2005- 2014) were obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto state. The data used include Gunn-Bellani solar radiation, sunshine hour duration, maximum and minimum temperatures, which were analyzed using modified Angstrom models to estimate the monthly mean global solar radiation in Sokoto. Four statistical methods have been used in order to evaluate the results namely; Mean Bias Error (MBE), Mean Percentage Error (MPE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and T-statistic. The standard error (SE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were also obtained for each model. Based on the result obtained models 4 & 5 gave a lower RMSE, and R2 approaches unity, which indicates that there is a good agreement between measured and estimated global solar radiation.Keywords: coefficient of determination, solar radiation, sunshine hours, meteorological parameters, temperatur

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigenaemia among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at General Hospital Aliero, Kebbi State, Northern-Nigeria

No Abstract

Phytoremediation of Lead and Chromium using Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in Contaminated Soils of IBB University, Lapai, Nigeria

Heavy metals are known to have adverse effect on ecosystem and human health when ingested beyondtolerant limit as such phytoremediation utilizes plants to remediate metal polluted areas. The objectives of this study is to evaluate the potentials of sunflower in phytoremediation of chromium and lead from contaminated soil and to examine the rate of accumulation in roots, stems and leaves of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Results showed that the plant has high concentration of Pb (1.77 mg/kg) at 10 and 12 (WAP) and there was no significant difference in the absorption rate throughoutthe experimental period, while at 2 WAP low concentration of Pb (1.52 mg/kg) was observed. The accumulation rate in the plant parts shows significant difference (p<0.05) at 2 and 6 WAP. The roots recorded the highest accumulation rate of both Pb and Cr 2.04 mg/kg and 1.60 mg/kg respectively, while the leaves recorded the least values 1.12 mg/kg and 0.09 mg/kg of Pb and Cr respectively. From results obtained heavy metal accumulation in sunflower was observed to be in the form leaves<stems<roots. Finally, sunflower has demonstrated to be a good absorber of Pb and Cr. Hence, it can be used in the phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils

Petroleum Product as Substrate for the Production of Biosurfactive Amphiphlies by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa by utilizing diesel as the source of energy and carbon was studied in this research. Biosurfactant-producing strain of the organism was isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated water and grown in a mineral medium supplemented with diesel. Production of biosurfactant was assayed by monitoring the increase in cell concentration, biosurfactant concentration, emulsification index and decrease in surface tension. Highest level of cell concentration and biosurfactant concentration (3.3^108CFU/ml and 0.0108mg/ml respectively) were obtained at 132hrs. Emulsification index reached its maximum with 33.3% at 108hrs. Surface tension reached its minimum at 120hrs with a value of 1.1^10-6N/m. The results showed that diesel can be utilized by P. aeruginosa to produce biosurfactant and early stationary phase isolates can be used to obtain higher yield. It also revealed the increasing potentiality of microorganisms in the aspect of oil spill cleanup and rapid reclamation of contaminated lands and water bodies.Keywords: Biosurfactant, diesel, surface tension, emulsification index, cell biomass, Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Comparative Studies on the Biosurfactant Production Capacity of Bacillus Subtilis and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Using Engine Oil and Diesel Respectively as Substrate

The study was carried out to compare the the production capabilities and the biosurfactant activity of the bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using engine oil and diesel as the substrates respectively. The test organisms were isolated from engine oil contaminated soil as in the case of the Bacillus subtilis, which was collected from an automobile workshop in Samaru, Zaria and hydrocarboncontaminated water in the case of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The medium used for the experiment was a mineral medium supplemented with 2% engine oil and 2% diesel as the sole source of carbon and energy for Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. Production of biosurfactant was assayed by monitoring the increase in cell concentration, biosurfactant concentration, emulsification index and decrease in surface tension. Highest level of cell concentration and biosurfactant concentration (3.3 x 108 CFU/ml and 0.0106mg/ml respectively) were obtained at 144 h for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa using diesel as source of carbon and energy while the highest level of cell concentration and biosurfactant concentration (3.2 x 108 CFU/ml and 0.0096mg/ml respectively) were obtained at 120hrs for the Bacillus subtilis using engine oil as source of carbon and energy. The research show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa using diesel as the sole source of carbon and energy is better for the production of biosurfactant than Bacillus subtilis using engine oil as the sole source of carbon and energy.Key words: Biosurfactant, engine oil, diesel, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Molecular characterization and species differentiation of Fasciola parasite isolated from cattle slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir, Nigeria

Fascioliasis is an important zoonotic disease endemic in many African countries, causing significant financial losses due to reduced productivity and visceral condemnation at slaughter. Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are the main causative agents of fascioliasis in domestic animals and humans. Traditional species differentiation based on their morphometric characteristics is subjective and can be challenging. This study was undertaken to identify the Fasciola species associated with cattle infection using a molecular approach. Thirty-eight Fasciola parasite samples collected from cattle slaughtered at the Sokoto modern abattoir were characterised by PCR-RFLP analysis of ITS1 and ITS2 genes using RsaI restriction enzyme, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. The results revealed that the isolates belonged to the F. gigantica species based on RFLP patterns. Similarly, phylogenetic results showed clustering with F. gigantica when compared with sequences from neighbouring African countries obtained from the GenBank. This study affirmed that F. gigantica is the predominant Fasciola species affecting cattle in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The results also demonstrate the discriminatory potentials of RFLP and its ability to determine genetic variability among Fasciola Parasites

Prevalence and molecular identification of Mycobacteria isolated from animals slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir, Sokoto State, Nigeria

This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacteria isolated from animals slaughtered at Sokoto modern abattoir. During meat inspection, 104 suspected tuberculosis lesions were sampled from a total of 102,681 animals slaughtered between November 2016 and January 2018. These samples were subjected to Ziehl Neelsen staining, followed by culture on Lowenstein-Jensen media. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the 65KDa heat shock protein (hsp65) gene were performed to identify and phylogenetically characterize the cultured organisms. Because sequencing of the hsp65 gene was unable to distinguish between Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and M. tuberculosis, PCR was performed to amplify a genomic region-specific to M. bovis in order to differentiate them from M. tuberculosis. Results showed that, 14 samples yielded growth after culture. Furthermore, hsp65 was detected in 9 out of the 14 isolates screened, 5 of the amplicons were successfully sequenced. Similarity search using NCBI BLAST tool showed the five sequences to share highest identities with Mycobacterium novocastrense (95.99%), M. canettii (94.54%), and M. tuberculosis/M. bovis (100%). Two out of the 5 isolates were confirmed to be M. bovis after PCR amplification using M. bovis specific primers. Phylogenetic tree further confirmed the identity of these isolates by placing them close to species of their kind. Further studies should be conducted to establish the transmission dynamics of the zoonotic Mycobacteria between animals and their owners, to facilitate control and eradication of tuberculosis

Indigenous Peoples and research: self-determination in research governance

Indigenous Peoples are reimagining their relationship with research and researchers through greater self-determination and involvement in research governance. The emerging discourse around Indigenous Data Sovereignty has provoked discussions about decolonizing data practices and highlighted the importance of Indigenous Data Governance to support Indigenous decision-making and control of data. Given that much data are generated from research, Indigenous research governance and Indigenous Data Governance overlap. In this paper, we broaden the concept of Indigenous Data Sovereignty by using the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance to discuss how research legislation and policy adopted by Indigenous Peoples in the US set expectations around recognizing sovereign relationships, acknowledging rights and interests in data, and enabling Indigenous Peoples' participation in research governance. Copyright © 2023 Garba, Sterling, Plevel, Carson, Cordova-Marks, Cummins, Curley, David-Chavez, Fernandez, Hiraldo, Hiratsuka, Hudson, Jäger, Jennings, Martinez, Yracheta, Garrison and Carroll.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]