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Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentration in Soil, Plants and Grains in Nasarawa North
Get PDFIn this study, heavy metals concentration in soil, plants and grains were determined for Chromium, Lead, copper, Zinc and Nickel from some selected areas in Kokona and Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state, Nigeria. Twelve samples (soil, plants and grain) were collected were prepared. The x-ray fluorescence spectrometry analysis result revealed the mean concentration of Cr (0.075, 0.075 and 0.046 mg/kg), Pb (0.026, 0.026 and 0.052 mg/kg), Cu (0.199, 0.199 and 0.252 mg/kg), Zn (0.079, 0.079 and 0.252 mg/kg) and Ni (0.014, 0.014 and 0.032 mg/kg) in soil, plants and grain respectively. The values of heavy metal concentration in soil, plant and grain are found to be below the world average. Thus, the public are free from significant health risk due to consumption of heavy metals in plants and grains from Nasarawa West, Nigeria.
Comparative Assessment on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Lafia Metropolis Residents on the use of Dichlorvos in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
Get PDFThe widespread use and misuse of dichlorvos, an organophosphate insecticide presents an important environmental and ecological problem in Nigeria. The use in both urban and rural areas against insects in residences, farms and storage facilities takes place within Lafia metropolis affecting both target and non-target insect species, and other animals including humans. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of residents of Lafia metropolis on the use of dichlorvos which is one among the numerous pesticides available in the open market. Data collection was achieved using a validated questionnaire distributed in four selected locations within Lafia metropolis in May 2021 and June 2023. Results showed that out of a total of 2,857 respondents, 1,392 (97.62%) had known dichlorvos in 2021 out of which 1,094 (78.59%) had used it themselves, while 1,422 (99.37%) had known dichlorvos in 2023 out of which 1,217 (85.58%) had used it indicating a significant increase in the period of study (p<0.05). Results also indicated that respondents learned to use dichlorvos majorly from family and friends in 2021 and 2023 (p<0.05; p=0.0014), while they applied it to farms, storage facilities and homes (p<0.05; p=0.0063) without protective clothing (p>0.05; p=0.219). Though the respondents indicated willingness to be trained on the proper use of dichlorvos (p<0.05; p=0.0397), the study further recommends constant monitoring of the distribution and sale to minimize any increase in dichlorvos misuse, which can impact negatively on the human health and environment
Single Oscillator Analysis, Electronic Polarizability and Optoelectronic Properties of Spin Coated Cobalt Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films
Get PDFThe structural, optical, single oscillator analysis, electronic polarizability, and optoelectronic properties of Co:ZnO thin films prepared via sol-gel spin coating are reported. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure, with crystallite size increasing from15.9 (0 mol%) to 16.37 nm at 4 mol.% then decreased to 14.86 nm at 8 mol%, attributed to lattice distortion and micro-strain. Strain energy density increased with Co doping, reflecting enhanced lattice distortions. UV-vis spectroscopy reveals a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.72 eV for 0 mol% to 2.76 eV for 8 mol%, while the refractive index increased from 2.23 to 2.47 . The oscillator energy in the single oscillator analysis through the Wemple-DiDomenico model increases from 4.091 eV (0 mol%) to 6.909 eV (8 mol%), the dispersive energy rises from 1.156 to 38.154 eV, and the oscillator strength increases from 0.36 × 10⁻⁵ to 29.8 × 10⁻⁵. Electronic polarizability also increased from 2.26 × 10⁻²⁵ to 2.45 × 10⁻²⁵ cm³, thus reflecting increased polarization arising from structural and electronic changes. Optoelectronic properties like the charge carrier, concentration plasma frequency, relaxation time and optical mobility were also maximized at 6 mol% cobalt doping and decreased at 8 mol%. On the other hand, the optical resistivity decreased from 9.49 × 10⁻²¹ to 2.29 × 10⁻²² Ωm. These findings therefore reveal that Co doping enhances the optical and electronic properties of ZnO thin films, hence making them suitable for optoelectronic applications, including sensors, solar cells, and nonlinear optical devices
Cultivation Yield and Nutritional Value of Oyster Mushroom Cultivated on Two Lignocellulosic Wastes
Get PDFABSTRACT
The yield and proximate composition of Pleurotus ostreatus were evaluated using corncob and sawdust substrates to determine the yield and nutritional status of the mushroom as affected by the varying substrates. Pleurotus ostreatus was cultivated following sequential steps of substrates composting, bagging, sterilization of bagged compost, spawning, incubation, and cropping. Results indicated that P. ostreatus cultivated on corncob substrate had the highest value for stipe length and diameter, pileus thickness, fresh weight and biological efficiency. However, P. ostreatus harvested on sawdust substrate had the highest pileus diameter (P<0.05). Additionally, the highest amount (P<0.05) of crude fat (2.22%), protein (28.40%), crude fibre (8.69), carbohydrates (46.38%) were recorded on fruiting bodies harvested from corncob substrate while higher ash (3.12%) and moisture contents (8.50%) were found in fruit bodies harvested from sawdust substrate. Consequently, the corncob substrate produced fruiting bodies with better yield and nutritional value ompared to the sawdust substrate. Therefore, corncob substrate could be exploited as alternative substrate to wood sawdust for more sustainable production of oyster mushroom (P. ostreatus)
Influence Of Laterite Soil On The Growth And Yield Of Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L.) Accessions In Nasarawa State
Get PDFThis study was conducted to determine the influence of laterite soil on the growth and yield of cowpea accessions. Five different cowpea accessions (TVU-1335, TVU-11530, TVU-997, TVU-10778 and TVU-4593) were sourced from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo State. Three different layer of Laterite soil, Organic layer (LI), Upper mineral horizon (L2), Leached horizon (L3) and Loamy soil (L0) as control were collected from Akurba, Lafia, Nasarawa State. These treatments were measured into 60 bags of 20kg each and were laid out in a (RCBD) with three replications in the Department of (PSB), Fulafia. Seed rate was 3 seeds per planting bag at a depth of 2.5 to 3cm. Data were collected for some growth and yield parameters such as Number of days to seed germination (NDSG), % Seeds Germination (%SG), Plant height at maturity (PHATM), Number of days to flower formation (NDFF), Number of days to pod formation (NDPF), Number of days to pod maturity (NDPM), Number of pods per plant (NPP), Number of seeds per pod (NSPP), Number of leaves per plant (NOLPP), Leaf area per plant (LAPP) and Stem girth (S.G). TVU-1335 (L3) was observed to have the highest (NDSG) of 6.13. %SG was observed highest in (L1) with 97.78%, PHATM was highest at (L0) with 18.64cm, NDFF was observed highest at (L2) with 48.47DAP, NDPF was registered highest at (L2) with 51.80DAP, NDPM was observed highest at (L2) with 61.93DAP, NPP was observed highest at (L0) with 34.12DAP, LAPP was also observed highest at (L1) with 63.17DAP, NOLPP was noticed to be highest in (L3) with 55.87DAP, at (L2) NSPP was higher with 12.42 and S.G was observed highest at (L0) with 3.02cm. Data collected were subjected to a two-way (ANOVA) and LSD was used to separate mean difference at p ≤ 0.05 level of significant. The result indicates that, none of the cowpea accession is significantly superior in terms of growth and yield performance on lateritic soils experiment
NUTRITIONAL, MICROBIAL, SENSORY AND COST ATTRIBUTES OF WARA, WAGASHI,CHEDDAR AND MOZZARELLA CHEESE TYPES
Get PDFThere is a need to compare the quality-cum-cost of cheese types available to consumers, and studying their nutritional value can enhance food security. This research compared the nutritional composition, microbial count, sensory properties, and cost attributes of Wara, Wagashi, Cheddar, and Mozzarella cheeses in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Cheese samples were randomly collected from local markets and retail stores in February 2024 and studied using a completely randomised design. Parameters evaluated included proximate composition, microbial count, sensory analysis, and cost implications. Results showed that Wara and Wagashi cheeses had higher moisture content but lower protein and fat compared to Cheddar and Mozzarella. Microbial counts increased for all cheese types over a 3-day storage period, with Cheddar exhibiting the highest total viable count on day 3. Prominent bacteria identified were Staphylococcus aureus and Lactobacillus plantarum, while key fungi included Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Sensory evaluation revealed a preference for Mozzarella over Wara and Wagashi. Cost analysis indicated that Wara and Wagashi were significantly cheaper than Cheddar and Mozzarella. The study concluded that local cheeses, though more affordable, are less nutritious than imported varieties, but they have potential for improvement. Recommendations made from this study include enhancing production methods, hygiene practices, and quality control for Wara and Wagashi to improve their nutritional content, microbial safety, and market competitiveness
Accurate Spectroscopic Characterization and Formation Pathways of Ethane 1, 1 diol: A Potential Interstellar Molecule
Get PDFWith exceptions, the correlation between relative energies of isomers and their relative abundances in the interstellar medium (ISM) holds to an extent. Among the C2H6O2 isomers, ethylene glycol is the only known interstellar isomer but there is no report regarding the astronomical searches for ethane 1,1-ethanediol (the most stable isomer of the group) due to lack of spectroscopic and other parameters that would have warranted the search. In this article, the most energetically stable conformer of 1,1-ethanediol was investigated, its spectroscopic, and other parameters are obtained from high level ab initio quantum chemical methods. Accurate spectroscopic parameters are obtained at the CCSD(T) level. The proposed formation route of ethane 1,1-diol has a surmountable barrier considering the nature/abundance of the participating species and the energy sources in ISM. The astrophysical implications of these results are discussed and the astronomical searches of ethene 1, 1 diol are proposed
Comparative Assessment of Oxalate Content in Selected Locally Most Consumed Vegetables and Foods in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
Get PDFIn recent times, researchers are hard-pressed to determine which chemical substances present in an individual’s diet and internal body system are working together to promote good health or are conspiring to create illnesses. The persistently increasing cases of hyperoxaluria-linked illnesses like kidney stones, bone deformations, and arthritis have led to strident and persistent research reports on oxalates in vegetables and foods. Thus, assessment of total oxalate contents of highly consumed vegetables and foods in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State has been carried out. Hot extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography methodology were used for the investigation. The total oxalate contents of the samples in milligrams were: 5.40±0.01634; 6.80±0.08185; 50.20±0.16432; 8.60±0.24495; 80.40±0.16432 for Bitter Leaf, Pumpkin Leaf, Okra, Yam and Cassava respectively and for White Maize, Brown Maize, White Rice, and Brown Pepper were 5.40±0.16432; 4.73±0.12490; 38.00±0.08185; 26.57±0.10114, 38.80±0.08185 respectively. From the results obtained, all the samples investigated showed low oxalate content and the dried samples have higher electrical conductivity but lower amount of oxalate compared to the fresh samples. Also, fresh cassava has a high oxalate content, followed by fresh okra and the order is: Cassava > Okra > Brown Pepper > White rice > Sweet Potato > Yam > Pumpkin > Bitter Leaf/White Maize > Brown Maize. The determination of oxalate contents of the samples to create awareness of health risks associated with the consumption of vegetables and foods with high oxalates is the aim of this investigatio
Application of the Fractional Reduced Differential Transform Method to aTime-Fractional Heat Equation
Get PDFThis work deals with the numerical solution of a time-fractional heat equation where a Caputo fractional derivative of order 0 is used in place of the traditional first-order time derivative. This change improves the model\u27s capacity to represent anomalous diffusion behavior and memory effects, which are frequently seen in intricate engineering and physical systems. Applying and evaluating the Fractional Reduced Differential Transform Method (FRDTM) to solve this fractional-order partial differential equation is the aim of this work. The Fractional Variational Iteration Method (FVIM) was used to validate the findings. For different fractional orders, namely, and the classical case where with a known exact solution, two numerical examples were performed. The findings demonstrate that FRDTM offers extremely stable and accurate solutions that closely match the exact solution in the classical case. When it comes to capturing the change from rapid decay at lower fractional orders to more sustained solution profiles as the order increases, the FRDTM performs better than the FVIM. The differences between the two methods demonstrate FRDTM\u27s superior convergence and accuracy across all cases considered. Finally, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of FRDTM as a reliable semi-analytical tool for solving fractional heat problems, and it contributes to advancing computational approaches for solving partial differential equations in science and engineering
Approximate Solution of the Nonlinear Buckmaster Partial Differential Equation using Exponential Fourth-order Differentiable Functions
Get PDFIn this paper, the nonlinear partial differential equation, Buckmaster equation is solved using the exponential cubic B-spline collocation method (ECBSM) and the approximate solutions from this method are compared with those of the hybrid cubic B-spline collocation method (HCBSM). In order to solve the equation, linearization technique is needed to linearize the nonlinear terms of the equation. This is done by the Taylor’s expansion approach. Further, the linearized equation is discretized into the fully implicit scheme and the Crank-Nicolson scheme. Three examples are used to test the proposed schemes by the fully implicit and Crank-Nicolson methods. The absolute errors of the methods are calculated and the comparison between the results of the ECBSM and the HCBSM is carried out. This is to analyze the accuracy of the methods of approximation. Both the ECBSM and HCBSM possess a free parameter which aids in determining accurate results. In general, the methods proved reliable with accuracy in approximating solutions of the equation