International Journal of Science for Global Sustainability
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The Effects of Temperature and Catalyst Concentration on Transesterification of Oil Extracted from Ceiba Pentandra (Silk Cotton) Seed Oil
Get PDFThe effect of temperature and catalyst concentration on transesterification of Ceiba pentandra (Silk cotton) seed oil was studies using two step, acid esterification and alkali-catalyzed transesterification process with varying catalyst concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0. 1.25, and1.50 % w/v) and methanol/oil ratio of 3:1, 6:1, 9:1and 12:1 at temperatures 50, 55, 60 and 65 oC for 1 hour. The results obtained showed optimal percentage oil yield of 92.9 % at 65 OC after 1 hour. The results also indicate that properties of the biodiesel: specific gravity (0.88±0.01 g/cm3), carbon residue (0.02±0.01 %), acid value (0.10±0.01 mgKOHg-1), sulphur content (0.02±0.03 %), flash point (170±1.00 oC), pour point (25.00±0.50 oC) and viscosity (4.70±0.14 cSt) were within ranges of ASTM biodiesel standard specification. Maximum yield of biodiesel was obtained at 1.0 % catalyst concentration, hence it is recommended that 1.0 % of the catalyst be used for transesterification of Ceiba pentandra seed oil
Pharmacognostic and Antioxidant activity of Bryophyllum pinnatum Leaves
Get PDFBryophyllum pinnatum is used in ethno medicine for treatment of earache, burns, abscesses, ulcer, insect bites, and diarrhoea. In Nigeria, this herb is used to facilitate the dropping of the placenta of a newly born baby. To search for new sources of safe and inexpensive antioxidants, the leaf of Bryophyllum pinnatum was screened for its antioxidant activity. Sample of leaf from B. pinnatum was tested for organoleptic, phytochemical, thin layer chromatography and antioxidant activity using standard procedure. The leaf was found to be simple, petiolated 6.8cm in size. Microscopically, the leaf had irregularly shaped epidermal cells with numerous anisocytic stomata on the lower surface. Chemomicroscopical evaluation revealed the presence of cellulose, tannins, starch, lignin, calcium oxalate, suberin, aleurone grain and mucilage with the exception of calcium carbonate. Phytochemicals which include alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates and triterpenes were detected in both aqueous and methanolic extracts while anthraquinones was absent. Methanol extract when developed in Chloroform: Methanol (9:1) and virtualized with p-Anisaldehyde/H2SO4, it gave six spots. The DPPH radical scavenging ability of the extract showed the following trend Ascorbic acid > extract. These results suggested that B. pinnatum leaves have moderate antioxidant potentials. Further study is necessary for isolation and characterization of active antioxidant agents which can be used to treat various oxidative stress related diseases
International Journal of Science for Global Sustainability (IJSGS): A Bibliometric Analysis: 2015-2019
Get PDFBibliometric analysis method was used in this study. Observation and physical counting method was adopted to examine the bibliographic characteristics and development of the assembled issues/volumes which were available in the Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) library and confirmed by the past and present Editors-in-Chief of the Journal. The study covered 8 volumes of the IJSGS from the period 2015 to 2019. The bibliometric characteristics examined in this study are (i) Number of issues published per year, (ii) Distribution of articles published per volume, (iii) Authorship pattern (single & multiple), (iv) Authorship affiliation (Universities, Research/special organizations-NAFDAC, Private, MDAs etc, Polytechnics, and Colleges), (v) FUGUS authorship; (vi) Most cited source of information which for convenience sake were divided into six, namely; books (including chapter contributions), journals, proceedings (conferences, workshops, seminars, symposiums and technical/scientific reports), Thesis/Dissertations/Projects, (Internet resources and Others (Bulletin, Newsletter, Guides, newspapers, magazines, maps/atlases, unidentifiable sources etc). (vii) Most cited journal title and ranking of the journal titles. A benchmark of 5 reference listing was set to select a Journal title as most cited/referenced/listed. Findings include the journal’s inconsistency in the number of issues published per year from 2015-2019; FUGUS staff authorship pattern shows that the department of Chemistry contributed more papers to the journal than other departments. It was also revealed that African Journal of Biotechnology was the most cited journal title and as such ranked first. The study recommended that urgent efforts should be made to make the journal more visible by hosting it on the FUGUS website as well getting it indexed
On the Application of Geometric Brownian Motion Model to Stock Price Process on the Nigerian Stock Market
Get PDFThis Study presents the application of Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) model for the prediction of stock prices in the Nigeria Stock Market. We analyzed and examined the appropriateness of the GBM model in predicting stock prices on the Nigeria Stock market. Fluctuations of stock prices on daily basis make them more volatile and difficult for financial managers and investors to predict future stock prices. This paper, therefore, aims to give the importance of the application of GBM to stock prices and help financial managers and investors in forecasting future stock prices for a short-term investment. The sample for this study was based on listed stock quoted on the Nigerian stock exchange (NSE). Daily stock prices data of Nestle Foods, First Bank, Associated Bus Company, MRS Oil, Dangote Cement and Transnational Corporation were obtained from updates of the official website of the NSE over a period of one month. It was observed that within a short period of time, the GBM is effective in precisely predicting the daily stock prices of stocks analyzed and examined
In Vitro Antibacterial Activity and Phytochemical Evaluation of Acanthospermum hispidum (Asteraceae) Root Extracts
Get PDFAcanthuspermum hispidum (Astereceae) is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of microbial infections. This research was designed to investigate the phytochemicals and antibacterial potentials of the root extract of A. hispidum. The powdered root was sequentially extracted by soxhlet extractor using n-hexane, chloroform and methanol. Antibacterial profile of the crude extracts were examined against clinical isolates of the following bacterial; Escherichia coli 0:157:H7, Streptococcus Pneumonia, Methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mannheim species using standard procedures. The chloroform crude extract show higher activity against all tested organisms with zone of inhibition ranging from 13-30mm at 12.5-100mg/mL concentration. The activity demonstrated can be compared with that of ciprofloxacin at 20 mg/mL with the zone of inhibition ranging between 30-35mm on the organism tested. The phytochemical evaluation reveals the present of the following metabolites; steroids, tannins, flavonoid, alkaloid, cardiac glycoside and saponins. Acanthospermum hispidum possessed antibacterial activity which resided in the chloroform extract of the root
Intestinal Parasitic Infection Among Cattle Slaughtered in Some Abbatoirs in Katsina State, Nigera
Get PDFCattle is one of the most domesticated livestock in Nigeria which provides a wide range of products and services to man but may be infected with pathogens that are harmful to itself, other animals and can possibly transfer the pathogens to man. Faecal samples were obtained directly from the rectum of 600 cattle slaughtered in some abattoirs in six Local Government Areas using disposable hand gloves, transferred into universal specimen bottles and preserved in 10% formalin solution for microscopic examination of intestinal parasites. A structured questionnaire was administered to determine some of the factors that enhance the prevalence of infection. Samples were examined using formol-ether concentration technique and stained with Lugol’s iodine. The overall prevalence was 173(28.8%). The cestode identified was Moniezia sp. 4(0.6%). Nematodes identified were Strongyle sp 55(9.2%), Trichuris trichura 1(0.2%). The trematodes identified were Dicrocoelium sp. 1(0.2%), Fasciola sp. 35(5.8%), Paramphistomum sp. 14(2.3%) and Schistosoma sp. 1(0.2%). The coccidian oocyts had a prevalence of 62(10.3%). Prevalence was higher in females (33.5%) than males (25.9%) (P>0.05). Cattle between the ages of 0-1 years had the highest prevalence of infection (39.2%) compared to 2-3 years (24.2%) and 4 years and above age groups (20.4%). The breed of cattle did not influence the prevalence of infection (P>0.05). Factors such as vegetation zone and season were found to significantly influence the prevalence of infection (P<0.05). Cattle owners should be enlightened relevant agencies on the use of chemotherapy as well as the importance of ranching so as to improve health of these cattle and to also reduce the prevalence of zoonotic infections among human population
Fungi Species Associated with Spoilage of Some Edible Fruits Sold in Kebbi State, Nigeria
Get PDFSpoilage of orange, mango and banana fruits sold in Aliero Local Government Area, Kebbi State, Nigeria, was conducted using random sampling methods and fungi were identify using standard chart. The spoilt samples of Orange (Citrus sinensis), Mango (Mangifera indica) and Banana (Musa sapientum) were collected within Aliero L.G.A and cut into pieces with a sterile razor blade. A total of Seventy-five (75) spoilt fruits were obtained and Potatoes Dextrose Agar (PDA) was used as media. From the results obtained, five fungal contaminants were found to be associated with orange fruits where Aspergillus niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (33.33 %,) while Rhizofers stolonifer and Aspergillus flavus were recorded with lowest percentage (11.11%). With respect to mango, Aspergillus niger also had the highest frequency of occurrence (25 %,) while Penicilllium notatum had the lowest (8.33%). Four fungal isolates were found to be associated with contamination of banana fruits with Aspergillus fumigatus having highest percentage of occurrence (40%) while Mucor heimalts had the lowest (10%). Based on these findings, it was observed that perishable food such as orange, mango and banana are susceptible to spoilage by fungi probably because the spores of these organisms are easily transmitted via the air, during transportation, handling and preservations of this product which could lead to spoilage of these fruits. Therefore, care should be taken during handling and transportation of these fruits and improved technology based preservation methods are suggested to increase the shelf life of the fruits
Numerical Solutions of Elliptic Partial Differential Equations
Get PDFNumerical techniques for the solution of two dimensional Elliptic partial differential equations such as Laplace and Poison equations were investigated. These types of differential equations have specific applications in physical and engineering models. The discrete approximation of both equations is based on finite difference method. In this article, five points finite difference approximation was used for two dimensional Laplace’s and Poisson’s equations. To solve the resulting finite difference approximation, basic iterative methods; Jacobi, GaussSeidel and Successive over Relaxation (SOR) have been used. Two model problems were solved and concluding remarks are presented
Isolation and Identification of Mycotoxigenic Fungi Associated with Dried Tomato Chips from Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria
Get PDFChipping and sun drying is the most popular and traditional method of tomato preservation in major tomato producing areas in northern Nigeria. The drying is done in open and on a mat or at times on bare floor including shoulder of roads or any surface that is unhygienic. Tomato is an important vegetable crop that is consumed worldwide. It has numerous vital vitamins and other nutrients that promote health and well being of humans. Tomato has been found to be beneficial in the management of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and so on. The improper drying of tomato and poor storage has in many reports been found to be more suitable for pathogenic fungi to grow and produce their secondary metabolites which may be poisonous to humans. A total of fifty (50) dried tomato samples were obtained from nine (9) different markets in Gusau, Zamfara state, Nigeria and screened for the presence of fungi. Isolation and identification was done using cultural and cellular examinations. Fungi Isolation was carried out on potato dextrose agar and malt extract agar, samples were inoculated and incubated for at 5 days at 25oC. Identification of the fungi was based on colonial morphology on the plates and microscopic observation in comparison with mycological key. Fungi isolated are mostly of Aspergillus and Penicillium genera. Aspergillus niger was found to be the highest occurring fungi with 52.3%, other fungi isolated were Penicillium oxalicum, Aspergillus flavus each accounting for 6.8% of isolated and identified fungi. Penicillium chermesium, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Curvularia americana with 4.5% each and Rhodotorula glutinins, Fomitopsis meliae, Penicillium vericussum, Chaetominum, Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus sydowii with 2.3% each. Some of these fungi species are known to produce toxins which could be harmful to both humans and livestock
Heat Absorption Effect on Free Convection Flow Past a Vertical Porous Pipe with Mass Transfer
Get PDFThis study investigates heat absorption on free convection flow past a vertical porous pipe with mass transfer. The governing equations are the continuity, momentum, energy and diffusion equations. The equations in dimensionless form were transformed into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and solved analytically using perturbation method. Approximate solutions for the velocity, temperature and concentration were determined. Results are presented graphically showing the effects of various parameters on the fluid flow. It is observed that the velocity becomes higher when thermal Grashof number and sustentions paramètre are increased. Also, increase in magnetic parameter, Schmidt number and Prandtl number lead to fall in the velocity of the fluid. The temperature of the fluid rises also with increase in heat generation but reduces for increased values of Prandtl number. Consequently, the concentration boundary layer decreases with increasing values of Schmidt number. Furthermore, increase in suction/injection has a retarding and accelerating effect on the velocity, temperature and concentration of the fluid respectively