International Journal of Science for Global Sustainability
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Antifungal Activities of Senna Occidentalis and Boswellia Dalzieli Against Candida and Aspergillus Species in Sokoto State, Nigeria
Get PDFDue to the rising costs, accessibility of conventional medication and traditional beliefs, a good number of the populace, especially in the third world tend to rely on traditional herbs as a preferred form of medication. The scientific backing for the wide use of these herbs needs to be established. In this study, the leaves of two plants used as herbs, Senna occidentalis and Boswellia Dalziel, were extracted using methanol and n-hexane. The antifungal activities of the crude extracts were then tested against C. Albicans, C. pseudotropicalis, A. niger, and A. flavus using the agar incorporation method. At 10, 20, and 30 mg/ml concentrations, Senna occidentalis and Boswellia dalzielii suppressed the growth of Candida albicans, Candida pseudotropicalis, and Aspergillus niger, but had minimal effect on Aspergillus flavus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the various species was found to be between 3.75 and 30 mg/ml, whereas the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) was found to be between 3.75 mg/ml and 30 mg/ml. The minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) was 3.75-30 mg/ml, whereas the maximum fungicidal concentration (MFC) was in the range of 3.75-30 mg/ml. The ability of the two herbs, tested, to suppress fungal isolates revealed their wide usage in the treatment of fungal infections and diseases
Analysis Of Socio-Economic Benefits of Solid Wastes Scavenging In Rigasa, Kaduna Metropolis Nigeria
Get PDFThe main aim of this study is to analyze the socio-economic benefits of solid wastes scavenging in Rigasa, Kaduna Metropolis Nigeria. Five locations were sampled for the study. Interview, focus group discussions and field observation were the methods used in collecting the data. Data from both primary and secondary sources were obtained. The study used 40 solid wastes scavengers from the five different locations. Thus, 8 wastes scavengers were drawn from each of the five locations. Purposive and simple random sampling were the techniques employed in the collection of samples of the solid wastes scavengers. Descriptive statistics, percentages, table ad charts were used in analyzing the data. The result of the study revealed that those whose ages are below 15years and those from 16 – 25 years are the dominants in solid wastes scavenging (37.5%). It is also revealed that scrap metals are the main materials scavenged (75%). The study further revealed that the wastes scavengers were able to own motor cycles (62.5%). Similarly, it is also discovered that many of the wastes scavengers were able to build or purchase their houses (75%). The study therefore, recommends that sensitization and awareness should be given to wastes scavengers pertaining their health condition, authorities concerned should assist the scavengers with some materials like hand globes and rain boots, and scavengers should be encouraged financially as wastes scavenging is one of the ways of livelihood improvement and environmental management
Investigation of Layer Thickness and Groundwater Potentials in Federal University Gusau and Its Environs, Zamfara State, Nigeria
Get PDFThe groundwater potential and layer thickness were investigated using vertical electrical sounding (VES) method. A total number of 40 vertical electrical sounding VES points were used for the investigation using Schlumberger array and data obtained were analyzed using curve matching and computer iteration techniques. The data revealed a 3-layer (A, KA and H Curve type) and 4-layer (A and H-curve type). In the 3-layer system, the apparent resistivity of the first layer ranged from 18.90 Ωm to 183.20 Ωm with a corresponding thickness of 0.7 m to 14.8 m. The second layer has apparent resistivity value ranged from 13.50 Ωm to 423.80 Ωm with a corresponding thickness in the range of 4.5 m to 14.7 m while the third layer has resistivity values ranging from 1156.40Ωm to 3732.70 Ωm with an infinite depth. For the four (4) layered model curves, first layer’s resistivity ranged from 29.50 Ωm to 244.70 Ωm, with a corresponding thickness ranging from 0.8 m to 13.0 m. The resistivity of the second layers ranged between 25.2 Ωm to 183.4 Ωm with a corresponding thickness ranging from 8.0 m to 14.2 m. The third layer resistivity ranged from 119.4 Ωm to 586.7 Ωm with a corresponding thickness ranging from 8.1 m to 20.4 m. The forth layer has a resistivity value ranging from 1318.3 Ωm to 3240.9 Ωm with an infinite depth. An integration of both isopach and iso-resistivity maps for both the 3- layer model curves and 4- layer model curves indicates that most of the northwest parts of the study area have low apparent resistivity values and thick overburden while, the southern portion has a little higher resistivity values and shallow overburden, an indication of poor groundwater potential. Future boreholes in the area should reached an expected depth of 50 m to 70 m dept
Phytochemical Constituents and Antifungal Studies of Methanol Leaf Extract and It’s Fractions of Isoberlinia Doka
Get PDFIsoberlinia doka is a plant species belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is used in traditional medicine for treatment of muscular skeletal system disorders, Jaundice scorpion bites, Convulsion, diabetes, ulcer, wounds and cough. The aim of the study was to conduct phytochemical and antifungal studies of methanol leaf extract and its fractions of Isoberlinia doka. The plant material was collected identified and air dried. Powdered plant material was subjected to maceration using methanol to obtained crude methanol leaf extract which was partitioned using n-hexane, chloroform ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The extract and fractions obtained were subjected to phytochemical screening using standard procedure, the antifungal studies of the methanol extract and its fractions against Candida albican, Candida crusie, Trychophytom rubrum and Trychophyton mentagrophyte were investigated using agar well diffusion method at different concentration (100 – 12.5 mg/mL). The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various secondary metabolites which varies in the extract and fractions. The methanol extract and its fractions showed significant (p< 0.05) antifungal activity against all the fungal isolates with the ethylacetate fraction having the highest mean zone of inhibition ranging from 8-23 mm followed by the n-butanol fraction with the mean zone of inhibitions from 6-21 mm the methanol extract and the n-hexane fraction had the mean zone from 5-17 mm and 6-19 mm respectively while chloroform recorded lower mean zone of inhibition from 6-14. The standard drug fluconazole had the mean zone of inhibition from 6-20 mm. The most sensitive organism was Candida albican, while the least sensitive organisms were T. mentagraphyte and T. rubrum for the ethyl acetate fraction. The study has validated the ethnomedicinal claim for the use of this plant in treatment of the fungal infections
Synthesis And Characterization of Cellulose-Poly (Acrylamide-Co-Acrylic Acid) Graft Copolymer Hydrogel from Rice Straw
Get PDFIn this work, cellulose-poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) graft copolymer hydrogels were prepared by free radical copolymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid onto cellulose that had been extracted from rice straw, using Potassium persulphate as initiator and N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinker. The extracted cellulose and synthesized graft copolymer hydrogel were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The FT-IR spectrum of the graft copolymer shows a band at 1048cm-1 which correspond to C-O-C linkage confirming the successful grafting of the polymer on to the cellulose fibre. The diffraction pattern of raw rice straw obtained from XRD has an amorphous pattern and extracted cellulose obtained from XRD shows that, it has an amorphous pattern in raw rice straw and the extracted cellulose has a crystalline pattern. Morphologies of raw rice straw, extracted cellulose and that of synthesized hydrogel obtained shows that, the raw rice straw has a rough surface, the extracted cellulose has a smooth surface, and the hydrogel has a triangular shape with smooth surface. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and the melting temperature (Tm) of the hydrogel were found to be 31.43oC and 92.44oC respectively. (EDX) analysis shows a decrease in weight concentration of Silicon from 77.59 to 23.90, while that of Carbon increased from 22.41 to 57.03 after bleaching treatments. The hydrogel shows high water absorbency of 1141.28% at pH = 7. The synthesized hydrogel has the potential to be applied in waste water treatment, metal-ion removal, drug carrier and other fields where effective water utilization is essential
Advances in Biofuels Production Technologies: A review
Get PDFThe increasing research and development of biofuels production has dominated spectrum of science and engineering in recent years. In this paper, a review of literature on recent advances in this area of biofuels production technologies, including green diesel synthesis, and other technologies namely; advance biofuels production, process intensification, biorefinery concept and integrated energy system approach are reviewed. The choice of technology largely depends on feedstock nature and composition, targeted biofuels and economics of the production technology. Therefore, challenges associated with feedstock availability has been intensively compiled providing alternative sources like waste, biomass and oils. Challenges associated with technology, profitability and energy density of biofuels and products are highlighted. The conclusion is that, these recent advances provide wider view into production of biofuels and its flexibility in both science and engineering would ensure marketability of biofuels
Variable Selection with Convex and Non-Convex Penalized Likelihood Models Using Rainfall Data
Get PDFAccurate estimate of rainfall is very important for effective use of water resources and optimal planning of water structure in a day-to-day activity of life. Variable selection is an important aspect in penalization for the estimation of accurate outcome. Traditional variable selection such as stepwise and subset selections are usually used which can be computationally expensive and ignore stochastic errors in the variable selection process. Penalized likelihood methods are applied to select the important variables which can be used for accurate predictions. In this study, penalized likelihood approach is applied to select variables and estimate coefficients simultaneously. Some of penalized penalty functions were used to produce sparse solutions. From the results obtained the penalty functions produce the important variables that influence the total rainfall. Lasso model produces Four (4) important variables, Elastic net produces Two (2) important variables while SCAD produces only One (1) variable as important. This indicates that Lasso model is more complex than SCAD model. The results also show that SCAD penalty function out performed Ridge, Lasso and Elastic net. Based on the RMSE criteria, Ridge regression performed less compared to the other models
Abundant Catalyst Resources for Applications in the Nigerian Energy Sector: A Research Perspective
Get PDFEfficient energy supply represents one of the important indicators of a country’s readiness to provide fundamental amenities for its citizens. It similarly indicates the possibility of industrial growth associated with a nation of interest. In Nigeria today, energy supply is greatly insufficient and the government’s approach for handling the situation remained inefficient. Therefore, both scientific and policy based researches with focus on enhanced energy production are desirable for national interest. This specific manuscript targeted a discussion on how the abundant natural resources in Nigeria could be transformed into industry based catalysts and successfully applied for both biomass and fossil fuels valorization. It was successfully demonstrated herein that fly ash from coal processing, waste materials from cement manufacture, rock-based natural zeolites and many other industrial wastes could be converted into affordable catalysts for utilization in energy production via catalysis. Emphasis was also placed on the need for research intensification on catalyst development, characterization with advanced methods and evaluation at laboratory and industrial scales. This way, the challenges of energy production in Nigeria would be reduced effectively
Numerical Solution for mixed linear Volterra-Fredholm integral and Integro-differential equations using Monic Chebyshev Polynomial
Get PDFIn this paper, a numerical approach is developed for solving mixed linear Voltera-Fredholm integral and Integrodifferential equations of the second kind. The approximate solution is substituted into the model equation and then collocated using Monic Chebyshev polynomial and Standard collocation points to obtain a system of linear algebraic equations, which is then solved by conjugate gradient method. Several numerical examples were solved to demonstrate the accuracy, reliability and efficiency of the method. The results obtained give an exact solution and were found to be accurat
Development of Automated Agricultural Information System
Get PDFInformation giving out in the area of Agriculture is usually through the use of broadcast media, newspapers, magazines, pamphlet, individuals, gatherings, and seminars. Also records of farmer are collected manually using printable forms and complaints are tabled through extension workers. The challenges with these systems are unrelated of information deliver, the system does not capture all farmers, and communication is one way. The main objective of this paper is to implement the Algorithms for Agricultural Automated Information System for Computer Based Information system in Agricultural sector in Nigeria. The system was developed using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Hypertext Preprocessor (PhP), Java scripting Language, My SQL Server, WAMP server, cascading sheet, notepad and web browser. These results show that the problem of a lack of appropriate and easily accessible agricultural information can be solved using a system. After the development of the system, information about farmers profile who had registered, farm inputs as well as other information can be view and their locations easily identified. The portal is distributed system which various Ministries of agricultural and rural development in the country can adopt so as to have a database that contains all farmers’ information and provide a platform that would provide seamless access to improved information and communication dissemination system in order to take advantage of IC