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Comparative Study on Nutritive Composition of Pawpaw (Carica papaya) and Black Plum (Syzygium cumini) Seed Flours
Get PDFThis study investigated the chemical, minerals and nutritional composition of Pawpaw (C. Papaya) and black plum (S. Cumini) seed flours. The proximate composition was evaluated according to AOA C. The C. Papaya and S. Cumini seed flours were found to have moisture contents of 7.333±1.155, 6.666±2.309, Ash, 5.593±0.095, 5.717±0.126 Protein, 24.600±0.100, 22.36±0.493, Fat, 30.000±2.600, 26.233±0.451, Crude fibre 0.312±0.002, 0.031±0.001 and carbohydrates 32.590±1.155, 39.167±1.40%. Carbohydrates were the major nutrients found in C.Papaya 32.590±1.155% and S.Cumini seed 39.167±1.40. The minor components were crude fibre for both flours. The mineral composition was K, 0.022±0.001, 0.090±0.010, Ca, 0.046±0.006, 0.089±0.011, Zn, 0.078±0.002, 1.198±0.005, Fe, 0.435±0.325, 0.090±0.010, P, 0.116±0001, 0.067±0.007, 0.787±0.001, Mg, 2.322±0.077, 0.093±0.005 and Cu, 0.127±0.0255, 0.076±0.010 for C. Papaya and S. Cumini seed. C. Papaya seed contained a higher amount of Fe, P, Mg and Cu than S. Cumini seed .S. cumin seed flour was found to have a considerable amount of K, Zn and Ca than C, Papaya seed. The Amino acid profile for C.Papaya and S.Cumini were: Threonine, 1.134±0.002, 0.138±0.002, Histidine, 0.157±0.002, 0.257±0.002, Leucine, 0.416±0.002, 0.476±0.002, Isoleucine, 0.541±0.001, 0.641±0.001, Arginine, 0.887±0.001, 0.787±0.001, Methionine, 862±0.001, 0.181±0.001, Tryptophan, 0.013±0.001, 0.313±0.001, Tyrosine, 0.013±0.001, 1.113±0.001 and Aspartic acid, 0.731±0.002, 0.422±0.002 etc. Methionine was the most abundant acid in C. Papaya, while tyrosine was found in S. cumin seed. The least abundant acids were tryptophan and threonine for C. Papaya and S. Cumini seed. This suggested that the flour might serve as a rich source of essential protein. The flours possessed good functional properties and could serve as additives in baby food.
Keywords: proximate composition, amino acid, vitamins content, minerals, functional properties
Extension of Short Rate Model Under a Lévy Process
Get PDFA lot of abnormalities occur in real-life scenarios, thus leading to some difficulties in modelling such scenarios without a deeper understanding of certain aspects of Lévy processes. In this paper, the short rate model of Hull-White (1990) is extended to a model for capturing possibilities of jumps in real-life situations using a class of Lévy processes called a variance gamma process.
Mathematics Subject Classification (2020). 91G30, 62P05
Keywords: Lévy processes, Brownian motion, Hull-White model, Variance gamma proces
Discordant Beliefs and Conflict Avoidance among Islamic Sects in North-Western Nigeria
Get PDFThis article examined the discordant beliefs among Islamic sects in Northwest Nigeria on the second coming of Prophet ‘Iisa (Jesus), within the context of Hadeeth as a primary source of Islamic law; respecting the companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW); abiding by the governance of secular political rulers and using Shaykhs (past pious spiritual leaders) as intermediaries to attain spirituality from Allah. It then investigated how each sect reacts when confronted with rivalry or aggression fromanother sect(s). Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) was used to collect data from male and female members of four purposively selected sects in Katsina, Kaduna and Kano States. Findings were analysed using thematic, narrative and textual explication approaches. Findings indicate that discordant beliefs within the context of believing in the second coming of Prophet ‘Iisa (Jesus), using Hadeeth as an Islamic source of legislation, respecting the Prophet’s companions, and abiding by secular leaders’ rules exist among the sects. While some of the discordant beliefs among them led to verbal insults and confrontations, some were managed and handled with calmness, wisdom and avoidance of potential conflicts, thereby averting any potential combative/physical intra-religious and inter-sectarian violent conflicts that may arise from discordant beliefs among the sects. The study concludes that although there were discordant beliefs among the four Islamic sects, they were able to manage their discordance through strategic conflict avoidance techniques. Therefore, we recommend that members of different Islamic sects in Northwest Nigeria find time to enroll themselves in formal education where they can seek knowledge for self-development and intellectual growth instead of relying only on the interpretations of their leaders on religious matters
Substrate Concentration and Thermal Effects During Polyhydroxyalkanoate Bioproduction
Get PDFPolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have long been thought to have the potential to replace petrochemical-based polymers because their production cost has been a challenging factor hindering their production processes. Previously characterized quantities of Micrococcus flavus SS21B screened for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) were utilized. PHAs were then synthesized using corn cobs as a carbon source. Proximate analysis of corn cobs undertaken during this research reveals the presence of moisture and ash contents, crude fibre and protein, and carbohydrates. Optimization studies reveal an optimal PHA production at 8% substrate concentration and 37°C. This study shows that the carbon source has a more significant effect on the production of PHAs; i.e., the higher the carbon source in the production, the higher the PHAs synthesized, and the thermal effect required is average and not in excess.
Cytotoxic effects of Curcuma longa leaves on MCF-7 and HepG2 cells
Get PDFCurcuma longa (tumeric) is listed in several therapeutic regimens used in the management of cancer. The present study investigated the potential cytotoxic effects of ethanol extract of Curcuma longa (turmeric) leaves on HepG2 (a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line), and MCF-7 (a human mammary gland adenocarcinoma cell line) cells. The HepG2 and MCF-7 cells were exposed to different concentrations; 2, 0.2, 0.02, 0.002, 0.0002, 0.00002, 0.000002 μg/ml, of the ethanol extract of C. longa leaves. The Water-Soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay was used to estimate the cell viability of the cells after which the percentage proliferation was computed. The results of this study indicated that C. longa had cytotoxic effect on the different cell lines, caused a decrease in proliferation and it is more selective to breast cancer cell lines based on the results of WST-1 analysis on the HepG2 and MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that C. longa leaf possesses cytotoxic properties, which can be exploited to develop novel cytotoxic drugs for cancer management.
Keywords: Curcuma longa, turmeric, HepG2, MCF-7, WST-1, proliferation, cytotoxic, cance
First Language Egocentricism and Learning English: Finding the Balance
Get PDFStudents face the English language shock in an attempt to learn it. This is due to first language egocentrism. First language egocentrism makes it difficult for foreign students to find balance between first language and English. Previous studies have provided solutions to this problem but not having access to an aggregate of these solutions seems to be a problem confronting foreign students. This paper, therefore, aggregates the solutions for the benefits of the students. The paper uses secondary data, adopts qualitative research method and random, purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Among the available studies on this topic available to the researcher, the most relevant ones are selected and reviewed. The finding reveals that the aggregate of the solutions is cosmopolitan outlook which can be achieved through these adjustment strategies: utilization of school resources, participation in dormitory and campus activities, language support, campus counseling service, students’ organisations, pre-acculturation, social identification and intercultural adaptation, bilingual programme, motivation, favourable educational context, errors and feedback.
Keywords
First language egocentricism, cosmopolitan outlook, adjustment strategies
 
Poverty, Unemployment and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFThe study examines the effect of poverty and unemployment on economic growth in selected sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) covering the period 1991 to 2018. The study employs Panel OLS regression analysis technique using the fixed effect model to establish the impact of poverty and unemployment on the economic growth in SSA. The study also examines long-run relationship among the variables using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) framework. The study finds that poverty (measured as per capita income) had a positive and significant effect on economic growth in the region while unemployment had a negative and insignificant effect on economic growth within the study period. The study also finds that there exists a long-run relationship among poverty, unemployment and economic growth in SSA. The study concludes that an increase in per capita income (i.e. reduction in poverty level) enhances economic growth in the region. The study recommends that there should be further improvement in per capita income (as a measure of poverty) in order to transform economic activities in the countries. Also, the government should fully engage unemployed people in productive activities which in turn accelerate the economic growth of the selected countries.
Keywords: Poverty; Unemployment; Economic Growth; sub-Saharan Afric
Molecular Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Among HBsAg Non-Reactive Blood of Donors
Get PDFDespite all blood donations being tested routinely for HBsAg as a clinical marker of transmissible HBV, cases of post-transfusion hepatitis B virus infection are still being reported because molecular studies using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are not routinely available for Transfusion Transmissible Infection (TTIs) testing. In this study, we sought to use the PCR technique to re-screen donated blood that had already been proven to be HBsAg non-reactive with rapid diagnostic testing and ELISA. One hundred and eighty-five samples were obtained from a proportion of the blood deposited at the blood bank of the Federal Medical Center, Birnin-Kebbi, Nigeria. Socio-demographic parameters such as age group, status, ethnicity, occupation, and group PCV were obtained from donors\u27 records. Nested PCR was employed to detect HBV DNA. Furthermore, genotyping was performed to determine HBV genotypes in the positive samples using PCR with genotype-specific primers. Of the 185 donors, it was observed that five (2.7%) of the population were positive for HBV. HBV is more common among people aged 18–30, singles, Hausa, and self-employed. In addition, the five positive samples were of genotype E. This study suggests the need to complement antibody-based tests with DNA testing for effective HBV screening and consequent safe transfusion.
Keywords: Hepatitis B Virus; HBsAg; PCR; DNA testin
In-Vitro Cytotoxic and Proliferative Activity of Three Plant Extract on Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs)
No full textPlant products provide a vast source of therapeutics, but not without toxicity. This study evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic and proliferative activity of selected plant extracts on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The PBMCs from healthy donors were exposed to varying concentrations (25 µg/ml, 50 µg/ml, 100 µg/ml and 200 µg/ml) of aqueous extracts of young leaves of Mangifera indica (MI) and stem barks of Commiphora kerstingii (CK), and Lannea acida and Acacia sieberiana formulation (LAASF). Trypan blue assay was used to determine the viability of human PBMCs after isolation. Cytotoxicity and proliferation of PBMCs were determined using WST-8 assay. The total viable cell count of the isolated PBMCs in this study was 8000 x 104 cells/ml while viability was 96.15%. The extract of LAASF showed the lowest percentage cytotoxicity (2.63%) at 25 µg/ml concentration, followed by CK (2.70%), then MI (7.71%). There was significant decrease in PBMCs mean absorbance scores across the different concentrations of MI (p=0.008), CK (p<0.0001) and LAASF (p=0.01). There was statistically significant proliferation of PBMCs for MI (p=0.003) and CK (p=0.005) compared to control. However, no significant difference was observed in LAASF on proliferation. Mean absorbance scores significantly decreased with an increase in the concentration of the extracts. The extracts have potential cytotoxicity on the PBMCs at higher concentrations. The extract of MI and CK exhibited higher cytotoxic and proliferative activity on the PBMCs than LAASF. An in-depth study to identify specific immune cells proliferated by the extracts will improve the credence of this study’s findings.
Keywords: Herbal medicine, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, humans, mononuclear leukocyte
Oil Trading Products and Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Disaggregated Case
Get PDFThe impact of crude oil trade on economic growth has sustained a lasting debate on the Nigerian economic stage given the relevance of oil in the revenue generation capacity of the country since the advent of oil. This study examines the impact of crude oil traded goods on economic growth using annual data from 1986-2019. The study adopts the Error correction model (ECM) technique and the empirical findings from the ECM indicate that importation of automotive gas oil was significant and negatively related to economic growth in Nigeria. On the contrary, premium motor spirit import impacts economic growth positively and quite significantly in the period under review. Other variables-dual purpose kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas are also revealed to have negative and positive relationship on economic growth in Nigeria respectively, though not significant at 5% significant level. Similarly, the study further finds that oil export exhibits a hugely significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria in the period under study. Based on these findings, we recommend among others that: the Nigerian government should revamp the existing refineries to encourage domestic production to meet up with the domestic demand for petroleum products, especially for PMS. We also recommend the diversification of the economy into other oil products as well as addressing the twin issues of oil theft and insecurity in the oil-producing delta region of the Nigerian federation.
Keywords: Economic growth, import, export, oil trading products, premium motor spirit