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Composition and Acetyl Cholinesterase Inhibitory Properties of the Essential Oil of Xylopia Aethiopica (Dun) A. Rich (Annonaceae) Stem Bark from South East Nigeria
Get PDFThe chemical composition of the essential oil of Xylopia aethiopica stem bark from Nigeria was investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. A total of 57 compounds were identified in the oil, thus representing 94.6% of the total oil and the major constituents include ?-terpineol (4.9%), benzaldehyde (4.9%), cyperene epoxide (5.8%), camphene (6.3%), ?-guaiol (6.6%), ?-thujene (9.5%) and tricyclene (16.5%). The monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpene formed the main portion in the oil with 42.5% and 28.9% respectively. The acetyl cholinesterase inhibitory property of the essential oil was investigated comparing it with the standard drug Huperzine A. The oil recorded a significant inhibitory concentration against the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase at the minimum concentration of 5 ppm; an indication that the essential oil can be explored in treatment of cases related to memory improvement
Palyno-environmental study of the Araromi-1 Well, eastern Dahomey Basin, south-west Nigeria
Get PDFThe exploration of many inland basins in Nigeria for their hydrocarbon potential is important to maintain her position inthe global world oil market. A total of 23 core samples extracted from Araromi-1 Well, Eastern Dahomey Basin, south-westNigeria, were carefully studied through lithostratigraphy and palynology with a view to determining the lithologicalsequence, relative age, palynological zone and paleo-environments of deposition. The lithological characterisation revealeda wholly shale unit with thin layer of clay towards the top of the well. A total of 58 palynomorphs were recovered and thisindicates well preserved samples with abundant and highly diverse pollen, spores and dinoflagellate cysts. The microfloralassemblages include abundant zonocostites ramonae, monoporites annulatus, retitricolporites irregularis, monocolpitesmarginatus, acrostichum aureum, cyathidites minor, cyathidites sp, laevigatosporites sp and proxapertites cursus.Abundant quantities of dinoflagellate cysts particularly palaeocystodinium australinium, cerodinium diebeli,leiosphaeridia sp, palaeocystodinium sp, seleiropemphix homotryblium oceaniclum, odontochitina operculata,achromorphaera ramulifera and spiniferites sp. were recovered. Common deep water indicator, microforaminiferal walllinings was also recorded. The well falls within just a zone, P100 to P200, characterized by the occurrence of paleocystodiumaustralinium, cerodinium diebeli and odontochitina operculata dated Late Maastrichtian to Late Paleocene.Paleoenvironmental deductions were based on the relative abundance of freshwater swamps pollen and spores, diagnosticdinoflagellate cysts and deep marine indicator inferring brackish to deep marine setting
Biodesulphurization Potentials of Microorganisms isolated from Coal, spent Refinery Catalyst and Hydrocarbon-contaminated Soil and Water Samples in a Tropical Ecosystem
Get PDFThe biodesulphurization (BDS) potentials of bacteria and yeasts isolated by enrichment in sulfur-free mineral salts medium (SFMSM) supplemented with 0.2 mM dibenzothiophene (DBT) from different samples in Nigeria were investigated. The rate of growth on DBT and conversion of the sulfite released from DBT to sulfate for growth was determined by measuring the optical density at 600 nm (OD600) and 420 nm (OD420) respectively, and the concentration of residual DBT in the culture medium after 72hrs determined by HPLC. All the isolates showed no appreciable increase in OD600 within the first 6 hrs; Corynebacterium jeikeium EMB112 and EMB111 have the highest and lowest OD600 of 1.3 and 0.39 respectively. Except for C. jeikeium EMB112 and Candida valida EMB911, sulfate production peaked at 72 hrs for all the isolates. However, there was a slight increase in sulfate concentration form 72 hrs (1.03 mM) to 144 hrs (1.08 mM) for strain EMB 112 while there is no change within the same time period for strain EMB911. Rate of DBT utilization (mM/day) ranged between 0.1035 (82.2%) and 0.1259 (100%). The utilization of DBT as a growth substrate by the organisms of the present study showed that they are potential candidates for BDS applications
Biosorption of cadmium (II), copper (II) and lead (II) ions by citric acid modified and unmodified cocoa pod shell: Equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics
Get PDFChemical modification of biosorbent is a common practice in wastewater treatment when using adsorption technology.Thioglycollic acid has been used for the modification of cocoa pod without any significant improvement in its adsorptioncapacity for lead, cadmium and copper. This study is aimed at improving the sorption of these metal ions from aqueoussolution using citric acid as the modifying agent for cocoa pod shell. The dried cocoa pod shell was ground and reactedwith citric acid according to the method in the literature. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to examine theinfluence of pH, temperature, initial metal ion concentration; sorbent dose and contact time on the biosorption of Pb2+,Cu2+and Cd2+ions by modified and unmodified cocoa pod shell. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevichmodels were used for fitting the equilibrium data. The amount of metal ion sorbed was determined using flame atomicabsorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). The result for the adsorption of the metal ions under varying pH showed thatsorption was pH dependent. The trend in biosorption was in the order of Cd2+> Cu2+> Pb2+ on unmodified cocoa pod shell(UCPS); while the trend in biosorption of the ions onto modified cocoa pod shell (MCPS) was in the order ofPb2+ > Cu2+> Cd2+. The amount of Pb2+ adsorbed increased from 4.62-33.56 mg/g after modification as shown by valuesobtained using the Langmuir equation to fit the biosorption data. Langmuir isotherm gave R2 values which shows that itsatisfactorily describe the biosorption process for Pb2+, Cu2+and Cd2+ ions on UCPS and MCPS. The kinetics of thesorption process was best described by the pseudo-second order kinetic model (R2>0.9922). Thermodynamic parametersshowed that biosorption process was feasible and spontaneous for Pb2+, Cu2+and Cd2+ions onto UCPS and MCPS. Theprocess is exothermic for Cu2+ and Cd2+ ions; but endothermic for Pb2+. This study has shown that citric acid modifiedcocoa pod shell is a good biosorbent especially for Pb2+ ion
Factors Influencing Gender Differentials in Involvement in Urban Informal Housing Development Process in South-Western Nigeria
Get PDFHousing development is a complex system involving series of linked stages(preparation, production and servicing) and a number of key actors(public, private formal and informal sectors). Existing researches aremostly on housing demand and supply to the neglect of gender differentialsin housing development process even when women constitute over 50 percent of the entire population and dominate the urban informal sector. Thisstudy, therefore, examined the underlying factors that enhanceparticipation in housing development processes among the two gendergroups (male and female) during such development processes in SouthWest Nigeria. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted while multistage sampling technique was adopted. A structured questionnaire wasrandomly administered to 1,090 respondents comprising 794 males and296 females. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, factoranalysis and t-test to show the factors that influence both male and femalein participating in housing development process and possible significantdifference between male and female involvement in housing developmentprocesses. Males constituted 72.8% of respondents; 84% earned aboveN18, 000.00 per month. The results also revealed that ‘Cultural andReligious factors (26.072%, Family Obligations and Responsibilities(22.678%), and Economic factors (21.362%) among others are the majorfactors influencing the involvement of both male and female in urbaninformal housing development. There is significant difference betweenmale and female involvement in housing development process as menparticipated more in South-western Nigeria. Strategies were proposed toenhance participation of both males and females in informal housingdevelopment process in the region
Evaluation of the Contents, Implementation and Success of Urban Renewal Projects in Abeokuta, Nigeria
Get PDFThe study examined the contents, implementation and success of urbanrenewal projects in Abeokuta, Nigeria, with a view to providing guidelinesthat could enhance public participation in urban renewal projects.Primary data were collected from residents in urban renewal project areasin Abeokuta, Nigeria. Systematic sampling technique was used in selectingresidents to be sampled. All wards in which urban renewal projects existedwere purposively selected. All 11,352 residential buildings in the selectedwards were enumerated and systematic random sampling technique wasused in selecting 568 (5%) of these buildings from each of which the oldestresident was purposively selected for sampling with a set of pre-testedquestionnaire. 509 copies of the questionnaire were correctly filled andused for analyses, using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Thestudy revealed that majority (67.3%) of the respondents earned monthlyincome higher than 20,000 naira; 24.1% earned between 10,001 and15,000 naira; and just 3.0% earned monthly income of less than 5,000naira. Investigations further revealed that respondents rated provision ofmore hospitals (FSI = 3.20) higher than provision of waste collectiontrucks (FSI = 2.26). Significant difference was, however, found inrespondents’ satisfaction with these renewal projects, confirmed byAnalysis of variance (ANOVA) computed (F = .859; p = .001). The studyconcluded that effects of socio-economic characteristics on generalperception of urban renewal projects will remain significant so long asissues surrounding residents’ involvement in the planning andimplementation are not adequately addresse
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIBRARY USERS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF LIBRARIES IN MEETING THEIR INFORMATION NEEDS IN SPECIAL LIBRARIES
Get PDFThe study investigated the characteristics of special libraries in meeting their information needs in selected institution in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. It was conducted ex post facto using the descriptive survey research design. The purposive sampling techniques were adopted for the selection of two libraries in the state. These are Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) and Institute of French Research in Africa. One hundred and fifty questionnaires were administered to users using the availability sampling techniques. Frequency and percentages were the main statistics used for the analysis of the data. The study established that effectiveness of library services constitutes an important aspect of librarianship and the library staff performed their duties effectively.
 
TRIPLE MISSION OF THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA: A LENS ON DECADE OF STAFF CAPACITY BUILDING AND PRODUCTION OF GRADUATES
Get PDFTeaching, research and community engagement constitute the triple mission of a University. This paper interrogates academic units in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria from 1998 to 2007 with a view to stimulating academia on achieving the goal of the University towards the production of graduates whose training in theory and practice will enable them to deal with the increasingly specialised problems of agricultural production and natural resources. The study was conducted to review and examine the status of academic staff; trends in production of graduates from 1998 to 2007; investigate capacity building and determine activity level of academic staff on board; and identify challenges facing the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The results showed that academic staff disposition is grossly inadequate. There was an upward and downward trend in graduates’ production with a corresponding decline in the number of academic staff. Capacity building for human resources was inadequate. The activity level of academic staff showed that Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development was academically efficient with activity level of 1.0, followed by Departments of Agronomy, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Animal Science and Crop Protection, and Environmental Biology with 0.76, 0.71, 0.65 and 0.63 activity levels respectively while the least activity level of 0.48 was obtained in the Departments of Forest Resources Management and Agricultural Economics. Funding, logistics, infrastructural facilities, laboratories, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and power supply were identified as challenges facing the Faculty. It is recommended that holistic developmental phases in short, medium and long terms should be charted for Triple Mission of the University so that the university does not simply end up creating new problems
A SURVEY OF LIBRARY SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR PRE-PRIMARY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN LAGOS STATE
Get PDFThe study investigated the library services available for pre-primary and primary school children in Lagos State. The study employed the descriptive survey design. The sample consisted of 240 primary school pupils and 120 primary school teachers randomly selected from 12 primary schools in four Local Government Areas of Lagos State. The instrument used for data collection were the pupils questionnaire which is made up of 15 items and the teachers questionnaire which is made up of 20 items. The questionnaires were designed to find out the availability and use of library facilities and personnel in pre-primary and primary schools in Lagos State. Frequency counts, mean, standard deviation and percentage were used for data analysis.
The findings of this study indicated that:
- Some primary schools in Lagos state have library facilities.
- There are teacher librarians in some of the schools.
- There are library periods on the school time-table.
Recommendations were made on the effective use of the library facilities available by both the pupils and their teachers
PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS INFLUENCING THE USE AND ABUSE OF DRUGS AMONG ADOLESCENTS OF ABUSED PARENTS FROM SELECTED HOUSEHOLDS IN IBADAN METROPOLIS, NIGERIA
Get PDFThis study examined the psychosocial risk factors influencing the use and abuse of drugs among adolescents of abused parents from selected households in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey, using 281 adolescents randomly selected from selected households in five local government areas of Ibadan metropolis. The two instruments used were author-constructed questionnaires with 0.78 and 0.74 reliability coefficients respectively. The data obtained were analyzed using chi-square (X2) analysis. Results obtained from this study showed that there are significant relationships between psychological risk factors (X2 = 121.5, df = 8, P <.05), social risk factors (X2 = 40.7, df = 6, P <.05) and the use and abuse of drugs among adolescents of abused parents. Based on these findings, it was recommended that: mental health centres and social agencies be established exclusively for drug abusers, where they may offer short or long term therapy, or offer group sessions for counselling the drug abusers