JOURNAL OF SCIENCE RESEARCH

Insecticidal Potential of Citrus sinensis (L.), Citrus limon (L.) and Piper guineense (Schumach. & Thonn.) against Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch ) Infection in Zea mays (L.) (Maize)

Adeola Ala — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Stored product insect pests are largely responsible for post-harvest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chemical insecticides are usually used for control but are hazardous to health and the environment. One of such destructive pests is the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais. The use of botanicals in pest management against weevils are safe alternatives. This study investigated the insecticidal properties of powders of Citrus sinensis (orange) peel CSP, Citrus limon (lemon) peel, CLP and Piper guineense (black pepper) seed, PGSP applied singly, and in 1:1 combinations. These were evaluated for the control of S. zeamais in stored maize grains under ambient temperature and relative humidity of 29.77oC±0.38 and 55%±1.80, respectively, in the laboratory at the Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. There were 6 treatments groups, each with ten unsexed adults of S. zeamais which were introduced into 50 g of maize, 3 groups were treated with CSP, CLP and PGSP and 3 groups with the combinations: CSP and CLP,1:1; CSP and PGSP, 1:1; CLP and PGSP, 1:1 at 0.5g, 1.0g and 1.5g per 50g of maize grains respectively. The period of exposure was 90 days. Permethrin was used as control. At 1.5/50g concentration, numbers of live insects present in all treatments were evaluated. Single applications of CSP and CLP, had no significant difference p≥ 0.05 compared with the untreated group. However, the single application of PGSP and all three combined applications had significantly fewer insects p≤ 0.05. This confirms that PGSP and the treatment combinations have insecticidal properties.

Antihypertensive and Cardioprotective Effects of Ficus Exasperata Leaf Extract in L-NAME- Induced Hypertensive Rats

A. Z. Lawal — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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Antipsychotic Activity of Methanol Crude Extracts of Massularia acuminata (G. Don ) Bullock Ex. Hoyle (Rubiaceae) Leaves and Stem Bark in Mice

M. A. Sonibare — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Massularia acuminata (Rubiaceae) is a plant native to Western Africa's tropical regions that has been documented in ethnobotanical surveys as a herbal treatment for psychosis. However, no reports on its antipsychotic activity have been found. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the antipsychotic activity of M. acuminata leaves and stem bark. Graded doses of methanol extract of M. acuminata leaves and stem bark (125, 250, 500 mg/kg), and 0.2 mg/kg Haloperidol were administered to different groups of male Swiss albino mice orally an hour prior to intraperitoneal administration of Ketamine (30 mg/kg), for 10 days. A negative control group received only Ketamine (30 mg/kg) daily. The animals observed for hyperlocomotion activity in an open field chamber, stereotype behaviour in a transparent chamber, and subjected to a Forced Swim Test to detect the effects of the extracts on positive and negative psychotic symptoms. The statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA, followed by the Dunnett's Post hoc test at p < 0.05. Massularia acuminata leaves and stem bark extracts gave a dose-dependent decrease in the number of lines crossed compared to Haloperidol. The stem bark and leaf extracts gave a calming effect at different doses, by reducing repetitive behaviours in the mice. Also, both extracts reduced the immobility time in the Forced Swim test. The leaves and stem bark extracts of M. acuminata were found to be effective against the positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, hence justifying the traditional usage of the plant in treating mental illness.

Dual Effects of Curcuma longa Rhizome Powder Supplemented Diet on Lipid Profile of Indomethacin-Treated Albino Rats

A. G. Oluwafemi — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The effect of different percentages of Curcuma longa (C. longa) rhizome supplemented diet on lipid profile of indomethacin-induce ulcerated Wistar rat were investigated in this study. Thirty five (35) adult male Wistar rats of different weights 110 to 160g were randomly distributed into seven (7) Groups of five (5) rats each. Groups A-D (1- 5% groups) rats were placed on turmeric- supplemented diet of 1%, 2%, 5% and 10% respectively. Groups E, F and G (STD, NC and CTL group) were placed on basal diet and fed for 28 days. Thereafter, animals in all groups were fasted overnight and induced (except group G) with a single oral dose of indomethacin (60 mg/kg b.w.) and left for six (6) hours before sacrifice. Serum lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) were determined. A significant (P<0.05) increased serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C levels was observed in groups D and F animals when compared with group G. In addition, a significant diminution in HDL-C levels of animals in F and D groups in comparison with A-C groups were observed. However, there was a significant increased serum levels of HDL with a significant (P<0.05) decrease in serum total cholesterol, TG, LDL in groups A-C, E and G compared to groups D and E. This might be an indication that turmeric powder could mitigate the damaging effect of indomethacin and exhibit antihyperlipidemic potentials though in concentration dependent manner. Therefore, it could be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Nonetheless, the increase in the serum levels of total cholesterol, TG, LDL and decrease in HDL could indicate that consumption of turmeric powder supplemented diet at 10% could enhance the damaging effects of indomethacin and that it could have hyperlipiemic properties. Therefore, it could be very detrimental to health at 10% concentration.

Knowledge Discovery from Hospital Outpatient Medical Database

S. A. Alausa — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Knowledge discovery from hospital outpatient medical databases is a health information analytics research area where data MEKA and WEKA are employed as important tools to analyze medical databases. Recently, researchers have been interested in applying data mining tools in the field of medical sciences for decision support to discover new sets of information. As clinical medical records become more popular, the quantity of data collected increases, with most of it unanalyzed. A reasonable 300 outpatient medical records were collected manually from the hospital with eighteen (18) attributes. The processed data was fed into MEKA/WEKA for data analysis using Microsoft Excel. The classification techniques used are J48, Random Tree, and Random Forest, while the clustering technique uses a simple k-mean algorithm. The performance evaluations for classification were hamming score, exact match, hamming loss, zero-on loss, and accuracy, while the clustering technique used confidence, lift, leverage, and conviction as metrics.The experiments conducted showed that the random tree performed better with a hamming score of 0.108, an accuracy of 0.144, and a total time taken to run the classifier was 0.05 seconds. This work establishes decision rules that would be helpful for medical practitioners in predicting prescriptions and categorizing patient medical databases for management planning. These research findings prove that the random tree algorithm has the potential to be the most effective and efficient technique for medical data mining. It will be of great benefit to the medical sector and further research.

Spatial and Temporal variations in Water Quality of River Ogun, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

A. O. Adeyefa — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Rivers have always served as a source(s) of domestic water as well as dumping sites for many households in communities. The water quality of River Ogun is contaminated largely through the activities of the population by the latter purpose. Several studies have been carried out on water quality assessment with little or no information on the River Ogun portion of Abeokuta, a fundamental water source for densely populated area. Thus, the need for this study. Water samples were obtained four times from all sampling sites (7) by field survey for four (4) months (September 2019 - December 2019), resulting in a total of 28 samples. Standard analytical methods were undertaken to determine the physical (salinity, temperature, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)), and the chemical parameters (pH, hardness, ammonia, chloride, nitrate, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and biochemical oxygen demand). Graphs, tables, T-test, and ANOVA, were employed for the statistical analyses. Analysis of variance [Fcalculated (0.25) < F-tabulated (2.22)] at α showed no significant variations in the water quality parameters of the 0.05 river across the sampling sites. The T-test [T-tabulated (2.57) > T-calculated (1.36)], also showed no significant variations in the mean values of the water quality parameters and WHO-recommended standards. The study though, showed that the values of most of the physiochemical parameters meet the WHO-recommended standards. However, the water quality index calculated showed the River Ogun poor water quality status, and thereby, making it unsuitable for domestic consumption despite meeting the WHO recommended limits. The study therefore, suggested continuous water quality monitoring to keep track of the quality status of the river.

Geochemical Comparison of Two Wetlands in the Eastern Dahomey Basin, Southwestern Nigeria

F. F. Ajayi — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The southern end of southwestern Nigeria is bounded by the Recent alluvium of eastern Dahomey basin, within which is a rich network of wetlands. The uniform geology of these wetlands notwithstanding, they are continually impacted by the level of human activities and processes going on around them. This study therefore was designed to assess and compare the heavy metal impact on the wetlands of Ikorodu and Ikeja, located within the freshwater watersheds on the northern part of Lagos lagoon and explore causes of degradation while suggesting the best mode of wetland conservation and restoration. Topographic maps (Lagos SE sheet 279 and Ijebu-ode SW sheet 280), 18 core samples of wetland sediment in cylindrical PVC core barrel of 30cm length and 10cm diameter were obtained and utilized in this study. The determined pH, TDS (mg/L) and EC (μS/cm) were 2.4-8.0, 21-184 and 31.3-274.6; 4.1-7.6,13-56 and 19.4-83.6; while concentrations (mg/kg) of Pb, Zn, Cu, As, and Cd were; 9.0-614.0, 36.0-1205.0, 22.0-241.0, 6.0-16.0 and 0.6- 100.0; 10.0-61.0, 4.0-350.0, 2.0-35.0 and below detection limit (<0.5), for Ikeja and Ikorodu wetlands respectively. Other environmental-quality indices revealed high to extreme contamination of urban wetlands (Ikeja) while periurban wetlands (Ikorodu) had moderate to low contamination. The evaluated metal concentrations of the two wetlands revealed that the Ikeja wetland sediments have been more impacted, despite the fact that the two wetlands are within the same geological formation. These are indications that local activities such as industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural practices within catchments area have significantly contributed to degradation of Ikeja wetland sediments, compared to that of Ikorodu.

Geology and Structural Analysis of Oke-Ogun Pegmatite Field Aided By ASTER Data Imagery

S. O. Olayemi — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The growing demand for lithium ion and lithium alloy batteries, due to the worldwide adoption of alternative energies and electric vehicles, has intensified exploration for lithium deposits especially in lithium bearing pegmatites. Low cost remote sensing techniques were used for lithium exploration through lithological discrimination to spectral mineral mapping methods. Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) IT data were used for litho-structural mapping of the east of Saki and North of Komu, Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, South West of Nigeria. Lithological mapping was achieved in two ways; preliminary mapping using False Colour Composite (FCC) of decorrelation stretch of thermal bands 13, 12 and 10 of ASTER in RGB order, plus spectral reflectance and absorption of Biotite and Hornblende, Enstatite and Hypersthene, Kaolin and Orthoclase. The extracted lithologies were validated using Kappa coefficient by comparing field observation with the lithologies. Band ratios B7/B6 and B2/B4, from spectral reflectance curve of spodumene, were used for Li prospect mapping. Only B7/B6 mapped out pegmatites hosting spodumene. However, B2/B4 gave a better result for Li ore. XRF analysis of pegmatite samples from areas with high prospect for lithium gave lithium oxide (Li O) concentration of 2 7.20%.

Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Silver Nanoparticle from Methanolic Extract of Wild Lettuce -Lactuca taraxacifolia

C. B. Ofoegbunam — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Studies in nanotechnology field have been improved throughout the world rapidly. The phytochemical and antimicrobial evaluation of wild lettuce methanolic extract was carried out and silver nanoparticle was investigated. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening was carried out on the methanolic plant extract after extraction using standard methods and the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticle was done using wild lettuce methanolic extract. The phytochemical analysis of Lactuca taraxacifolia leaves showed that saponins were highly present (7.55%w/w) followed in order by alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins and flavonoids which was the least (0.37%w/w). Cardiac glycosides, phenols and anthraquinones were detected. The extract had antioxidant scavenging activity in dose dependent manner in which the highest DPPH and FRAP scavenging activity (58.31 and 7.58) was recorded at 1000 μg/L. The extract was able to bio-reduced silver nitrate for silver nanoparticle production. The agar-well diffusion bioassay was used to test the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts and AgNPs. The antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles ranged from 4.0 – 16.0 mm in which Escherichia coli had the highest susceptibility to the nanoparticle. It was also observed that the test pathogens used were all susceptible to both the plant extract and the nanoparticles. The anatogonistic potential of the nanoparticles was higher than that of the plant extract. The research proved that African wild lettuce leaf vegetables have significant amounts of important phytochemicals, antioxidant properties and can bio-reduce silver for the production of silver nanoparticles. The methanolic extract of the wild lettuce and the nanoparticle have varied antibacterial potential. Hence, regular consumption of this leafy vegetable should be considered due to its several compositions.

The Effects of Processing Methods on the Nutritional Properties of Ori-Ese

O. T. Durojaye — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The effect of processing methods on the nutritional properties of this food was investigated using a combined starter culture of yeast and Lactic acid bacteria (S. cerevisiae + L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae + L. fermentum). Both drymilling and wet-milling methods were employed for the production using two varieties of sorghum (white and red). Each processing method was used in conjunction with starter fermentation. During steeping the highest pH (6.5) and lactic acid production (1.045mg/l) were recorded in brown sorghum steeped with a mixed culture of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum. The highest diacetyl production was recorded in white sorghum steeped with S. cerevisiae and L. fermentum (1.976 mg/l). The protein content of the dry and wet milling of the food samples ranged from 7.14d - 9.26a% and 11-73g-15.31a%. There was a significant increase in the protein content of all the samples produced and a reduction in crude ash content using the wet milling method of processing. The crude fat and crude ash content of the samples produced using the drying milling method exceeded that of wet milling. The crude fibre content of the samples produced using the wet milling method exceeded that of the dry milling method. The mineral composition (Na, K, P, and Fe) of the food samples produced using the dry milling method far exceeded that of the wet milling method except for the Ca content of the wet milling method which is higher than that of samples produced using the dry milling method. In conclusion, the Ori-ese produced using brown sorghum, wet milling method with combined starter cultures had better nutritional quality.

An Ab initio Investigation of the Structural, Electronic, and Magnetic Properties of Nickel-based Chloride Simple Perovskite

T. Atsue — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Materials for spintronics applications are required to be half-metals and magnetic. In this study, the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of C NiCl simple perovskite material were investigated. The spin-polarised S 3 density functional theory approach was utilised for the calculation of electronic and magnetic properties using a hybrid functional. Investigation revealed from its formation energy that the material is thermodynamically stable. The electronic band structure revealed that the material is half-metal having no gap in the spin-up channel and a wide gap in the spin-down channel. The magnetic moment of magnitude 2.0 μ /fu realised suggested that the material is B magnetic. These suggest that C NiCl simple perovskite material may be viable for spintronics application.

Estimating the Disparity and Variability of the Seasonal Precipitations of two Regions in Nigeria

O. E. Ogunsola — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change and its impact on extreme precipitation is a major concern for the global community, including Nigeria. Despite this, there is limited research on the estimation of the variability of seasonal precipitation specifically in the coastal and Sahel regions of Nigeria including their disparity. To address this gap, the disparity between the variability of June-July-August-September (JJAS) seasonal precipitation was analysed in these two regions using data from six stations in each region spanning 36 years (1979-2014). The seasonal precipitation difference between the two regions was then obtained to estimate their disparity. The Mann-Kendall test was used to determine the variability of precipitation in each region, while the Welch two-sample t-test was used to estimate the differences between them. The results showed that while the Sahel region experienced a significant increasing trend in precipitation over time, the coastal region did not show any significant change. Moreover, there was evidence of a strong decreasing trend in the difference in precipitation between the two regions. The correlation test further confirmed the disparity between the precipitations of the two regions. This finding suggests that climate change is having a significant impact on precipitation patterns in Nigeria, especially the Sahel region. Therefore, there are important regional differences that must be taken into account when planning for future climatic change impact in the country. Overall, this study highlights the need for further research on climate change and its impact on JJAS precipitation patterns particularly the causes of the alteration in Nigeria.

Molecular Diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni Infections in a Predominantly Schistosoma haematobium Prevalent Community in Ijoun, Ogun State

C. Anumudu — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Knowledge of the contribution of the intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis to morbidity in endemic areas is helpful for the proper control of schistosomiasis. The use of conventional diagnostic tools for schistosomiasis surveillance could be time-consuming and impractical, given the constraints of the infrastructure. Thus, it was suggested that genomic surveillance of the disease be carried out and incorporated into control programs. In this paper, PCR was evaluated for its ability to establish Schistosoma mansoni prevalence in a cross-sectional survey. Faecal samples were obtained from 100 participants aged 5 to 16 years in Ijoun, Ogun State, a Schistosoma haematobium prevalent community. A combined diagnostic reference of microscopy detection techniques (single Kato-Katz, Formol-ether solution, and Sucrose floatation) and PCR were used to test faecal samples for S. mansoni. Overall prevalence was 6%, with a frequency of 1% for microscopy and 5% for PCR, respectively. S. mansoni was uncommon among school children in this sample population. The PCR had a sensitivity of 83.3% in detecting Schistosoma mansoni parasites compared to microscopy. Therefore, the use of PCR for Schistosoma mansoni surveillance in schistosomiasis endemic areas could be recommended.

Stomach Content Analyses of Cassava Croaker Pseudotolithus senegalensis (Valenciennes, 1833) in Forcados River Estuary, Delta State, Nigeria

E. Ogidìaka-Obende — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Pseudotolithus senegalensis is one fish species caught in large numbers in Forcados river estuary. Regardless of it's abundance, published information about the biology of this unique species in this water body is scare. This research study would fill the knowledge gaps by providing information for further studies. A total of 1120 samples of P. senegalensis were collected from artisanal fishermen from Forcados river estuary from April 2017 to March 2019. The stomachs of the fish were slit opened and food content were identified and analysed using the frequency of occurrence and volumetric methods. Ivlev index was used to estimate food selectivity. About 96.66% of the stomachs studied had food items. Small fish species recorded 30.39% (highest percentage) by frequency of occurrence analysis and 41.22 % volumetric analysis method. The order of preponderance index from the most important food item revealed the following trend - small fish (56.15 %); shrimps (24.05 %); snails (gastropod) (13.66%), fish scales (4.66 %) and fish bone (1.48 %). The Ivlev index indicated that shrimps were positively selected by the fish. This study provides baseline information on an aspect of biology of cassava croaker. However, more studies on this species are recommended for better understanding of its ecology and possible data comparisons in the future.

Elucidation of Antiplasmodial Activity of Phytocompounds in Nauclea latifolia: In silico Approach

F. I. D. Afolayan — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Nauclea latifolia is commonly used for treating malaria in Nigeria. Several studies on N. latifolia have shown its antimalarial activities; however, the mechanisms of the plant action against the malaria parasite remain unknown. Hence, this study elucidated the potential targets and pathways involved in the antimalarial activity of the phytocompounds in DCM-methanol (1:1) stem bark extract of N. latifolia. The phytocompounds were identified using the Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. The Target proteins were obtained from Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Ch-European Molecular Biology Laboratory, National Center for Biotechnology Information, and Gene Cards databases. Using the network pharmacology approach, the proteinprotein interaction and compound-target-pathway network were constructed with the STRING algorithm and Cytoscape, respectively. Thereafter, phytocompounds were subjected to molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) screening of the phytocompounds were performed using Admetlab 2.0, Protox II, and Admetsar 2.0. The Network Pharmacology results showed that most phytocompounds interact with key therapeutic genes involved in inflammatory responses and proteolysis pathways. Notable among the pathways are PI3K-Akt signalling, IL-17 signalling and HIF-1 signalling pathways. The key identified therapeutic targets of P. falciparum which the phytocompounds interacted with are MAPK1, HMOX1, MMP9, GSK3β, and IDO1. Molecular docking revealed that MMP9 and Furazano[3,4- b]cyclopentano[e][1,4]-diazepin-5(4H)-one,6,7,8,9-tetrahydro is the most favourable complex for drug development. The molecular dynamics simulation further validates the complex as the most stable. The ADMET analysis also shows that the compound has drug-likeness properties. This finding predicted the targets and pathways involved in the antimalarial effects of Nauclea latifola, and revealed Furazano[3,4-b]cyclopentano[e][1,4]-diazepin- 5(4H)-one,6,7,8,9-tetrahydro as a potential antimalarial drug candidate.

Screening of Cowpea Lines for Drought Tolerance

K. A. Bolarinwa — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Drought is a major abiotic factor that reduces cowpea yield significantly. There is need to identify true drought tolerant cowpea genotypes to aid the breeding process. The aim of the study was to screen and identify drought tolerance genotypes of cowpea. A total of 39 cowpea lines were planted in triplicates and the seedlings were watered daily for two weeks until partial emergence of the first trifoliate leaves of all varieties was observed. Thereafter, watering was stopped for 35 days and wilted plants in each variety were scored. Watering was then resumed for another 14 days to ascertain regeneration potentials of each variety. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among the cowpea lines for drought tolerance. Stress effect was first observed on the unifoliate leaves 12 days after watering was stopped, followed by the emerging trifoliates as well as the drying of the growing tip. Wilting percentage at different days indicated TVx 3236 (92%), NG/SA/07/132 (100%) and IT95K-193-12 (83%) to be the most susceptible to drought. The recovery percentage after watering ranged from 0% for NG/SA/01/09/004 to 100 % for IT81D-994 and Oloyin. Based on the findings from this study, group 1 comprising three lines (TVx 3236, NG/SA/07/130 and NG/SA/01/09/004) were found to be highly drought susceptible while Group 2 and 3 comprising of 14 and 22 lines respectively were tolerant at varying degrees. The current study provides information on cowpea lines that can be recommended in breeding for drought tolerant varieties.

Heath Jarrow Morton Model for Option Pricing with Discrete Investment Strategy

A. O. Akeju — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A portfolio with discrete investment strategy on a discrete time underlying security was described and the closed form formulas for the pricing of Call and Put options were determined using the Heath Jarrow Morton (HJM) model. The model was tested with data generated from Nigeria stock exchange market. The results gotten from the model used shows that the pricing formula that we derived is efficient and reliable for mitigating risk and for predicting the market behavior.

Assessment of Mineral Composition and Health Status of Honeys from Selected States in Southern Nigeria

S. O. Obigba — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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Predictive Performance of Cross-Validation Techniques in Classification Models

O. F. Adedeji — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Machine learning algorithms have proven to be breakthroughs in scientific research and other dynamic research areas. One attribute of machine learning process is data splitting to measure the generalization ability of the learning algorithm. However, due to the nature of sample size attribute (often small sample size) in many clinical and biological studies, data splitting may suffer relevance due to limited samples. This study investigates the learning generalization potential on small sample sizes and ascertains the most appropriate split ratio. Consequently, the study considers a family of Cross Validation (CV) techniques, namely K-fold, Nested and Repeated CV, given different split ratios and sample sizes. The study considers Naïve Bayes and Logistic Regression algorithms over simulation experiments and finds that when the sample size is small, the best split ratio is either 50:50 or 60:40.

Risk Assessment of Toxic Trace Metals and Nicotine Concentrations in Cigarettes Associated with Inhalation Exposure

E. U. Etim — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cigarettes are the most consumed tobacco products associated with severe health conditions like cancer. Regulations such as high taxes, health branded packs and zero-advertisement concepts have been adopted to discourage smoking of cigarettes in many countries. However, cigarette smoking is still a very common practice, irrespective of income and status among citizens. This study assesses the human health risk associated with inhalation exposure of toxic metals and nicotine in eight locally manufactured cigarette brands in Ibadan, Nigeria. Toxic metals [Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni] were determined in the tobacco, unsmoked butt, ash and smoked butt of the cigarette brands along with the nicotine content of the tobacco. Results of the study showed high Pb and Cr levels in order of ash>tobacco>smoked butt>unsmoked butt with no significant difference (p=0.05) between toxic metals in smoked and unsmoked butt of the cigarettes. Nicotine content ranges between 0.782 to 1.158 μg/g. The hazard index of Cd, Cr and Ni were greater than one, which indicates significant non-carcinogenic health risk in all the brands of cigarette. The potential carcinogenic health risk of Cr was higher than the acceptable limits of 1.00E-04 by the USEPA, suggesting that developing cancer during the lifetime of an active smoker through inhalation exposure is significantly high with an estimated likelihood of 341 cases in 10,000. These findings have shown that cigarette smoking poses potential noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to active smokers. Therefore, more proactive steps are needed to combat or reduce these associated risks.

Assessment of Potentially Harmful Elements in Roadside Soils and Dusts of Offa, Northcentral Nigeria and their Ecological Implications

F. F. Ajayi — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Urbanisation has been identified as a major trigger in the quality deterioration of environmental media, necessitating regular monitoring and assessments in various locations in industrialized countries. To this end, a study was conducted to examine concentrations of selected potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in soils and road dusts of Offa, as well as the ecological consequences of these elements in the media. Fifty samples (30 soils and 20 road dusts) were collected. The sieved samples were digested with aqua regia, followed by determination of the elemental constituents using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. The pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), were determined using standard methods. Microsoft Excel and IBM-SPSS (version 20.0) were used to analyze the results to ascertain the elemental relationships and quality of the media. The pH ranged from 6.6-7.1, and 6.3-7.5, indicating acidic to slightly alkaline media; EC ranged from 42.4-3130.2 μS/cm, and 34-1254 μS/cm, and TDS ranged from 0.4-89.0 mg/l, and 13-248.0 mg/l, for soils and road dusts respectively. The following concentrations (in mg/Kg) ranges were measured for the PHEs in the soils and road dusts; Cu, 17.0-654.0; Pb, below detection limit (bdl)-1151.0; Zn, 22.0-2129.0; Ni, 7.0-97.0; Mn, 422.0-1396.0 and; Cr, 30.0-266.0. The study revealed that a combination of anthropogenic and lithogenic factors contributed to the elemental constituents of the samples. The samples were moderately contaminated with Cu, Pb, and Zn, but uncontaminated with Ni, Mn, and Cr. Pb poses a moderate ecological risk relative to other elements which are of low risk.

Evaluation of Varying Inclusion Levels of Toasted and Fermented Cucurbita maxima (Pumpkin) Seed Meal in Diet of Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia) Fingerlings

K. M. Usman — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A 70-day (10 weeks) feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the varying inclusion levels of toasted and fermented Cucurbita maxima seed meal as a protein source in the diet of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings. Diets were formulated containing 0, 20 and 40 % C. maxima seed meal and designated as D1 (0 %: Control), D2 (20 % fermented C. maxima seed meal), D3(40 % fermented C. maxima seed meal), D4(20 % toasted C. maxima seed meal) and D5(40 % toasted C. maxima seed meal). The feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio including protein retention were not significantly different (P>0.05) amongst the fish fed D2, D3 and D4 but differs significantly (P<0.05) from D1 and D5. Fish fed with a formulated diet of D2 had a better growth performance in terms of final body weight gain and differs significantly from D1 and D5, but was not different significantly from D3 and D4. Therefore, fermented and toasted C. maxima seed meal is suitable and can be included in the diets of O. niloticus fingerlings without negatively affecting their growth performance, which also may ultimately result in the reductions of over-dependence on fishmeal in aqua feed production.

Effects of Malting on the Proximate Composition of Acha (Digitaria exilis and D. iburua (Kippist) Stapf) Flours and Sensory Evaluation of the Gruels Fermented with Starters

E. M. Olorode — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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Rapid Estimation of the Concentration of Primordial Radionuclides in Granitic Rocks from Mineral Composition

H. O. Efunwole — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A reliable knowledge of the activity concentrations of the three primordial radionuclides 40K, 238U and 232Th in an environment is crucial to the assessment of both external and internal human exposure to ionizing radiation in the environment. Acquiring activity concentration data on radionuclides in environmental samples can be quite daunting, especially in developing countries, where the cost of gamma spectrometric analysis can be prohibitive. This paper investigated the possibility of estimating activity concentration of granitic rocks from their mineralogical data. A total of 213 granitic rock samples were collected from 71 quarry sites in SW Nigeria for petrographic analysis, using a petrological microscope to view thin sections of the rocks and gamma spectrometric analysis, using a calibrated NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer to count the samples. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the strength and usability of the correlation between mineral composition and activity concentration in the rocks. Significant relationships were observed between Microcline and 40K (R = 0.92), Biotite and 226Ra (R = 0.86); and Biotite and 232Th (R = 0.87), indicating their good potential for use for the rapid evaluation of natural radionuclides in granitic rock.

Forest Loss and Fragmentation Irregularity in Wara Forest Reserve, Ilorin, Nigeria: Impacts on Biodiversity Protection

A. O. Areola — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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An Iterative Regression Model For Predicting The Likelihood of Accident Occurrence in Roads Network

I. O. Adeyemi — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today, there is an earnest need for a communication network in road system management to improve traffic control and road management to solve the increasing problem of urban traffic accidents. Road accidents have been a concern worldwide; there is a prediction that there will be an astronomical increase in incidents by 2030. Researchers have attempted to predict and stress that the compulsion of legislation and promotion of road safety awareness help reduce road gridlock accidents. The objectives are to present an iterative regression model for foretelling road traffic accidents and assess the confusion matrix to model the performance using accuracy, precision, and recall metrics. The model developed increases the forecast accuracy of road gridlock accidents compared to the existing model and classifies binary datasets. The model also helps people to better understand road networks and the results of floating traffics on roads.

Author’s Index to Volume 20, 2023

admin admin — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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