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Among the major factors that determine the success of cattle production in Nigeria is the availability of palatable weed species. Hence the need to conduct research on the availability of palatable, edible and non-edible weed species for cattle production in the selected two agro-ecological zones (Derived savannah and rainforest) of North center and Southwest in Nigeria becomes imperative. The study involved three parallel transects, each of 12.5 m x 12.5 m and ten evenly spaced different weed species sampled quadrats (1 m x1 m) were taken and replicated three times. The results showed that non-edible Hyptis suaveolens (94.2%) dominated the derived savannah and palatable Pennisetum species (36.8%) dominated the rainforest. The analysis of variance and New Duncan Multiple Range Tests (p = 0.05) revealed that there was a statistically significant (p \(\le\) 0.01) difference within the agro-ecological zones and availability of palatable, edible and non-edible weed species. However, in the derived savannah agro-ecological zone, the non-edible weed species had pronounced significant (p \(\le\) 0.01) availability, while in the rainforest agro-ecological zone, the palatable weeds had pronounced significant (p \(\le\) 0.01) availability. It could be concluded therefore, that if urgent steps are not taken, cattle will continue to move from the derived savannah (more non-edible weeds) to rainforest (more palatable weeds) and this will cause farmers-herders’ conflict. In addition, there would be more propagation of these non-edible weeds especially H. suaveolens as a result of cattle movement to the rainforest, an act that could cause more weeds imbalance in the rainforest.

The rule of thumb dictates that for any country to have a stable and sufficient power supply, there must be at least a thousand Megawatts of electricity for every one million population. However, many developing countries generate far less than the population demand. Despite not generating enough, enormous electrical power loss, energy theft, and unpaid bills are major problems bedeviling the power distribution companies. A fundamental process in the electricity cycle is energy metering from power generation to distribution and consumption. For decades now, manual (or conventional) energy meters are used to estimate every end-user's energy consumption. But there are lots of setbacks to these meters. These meters were unable to solve the problems of power loss and theft, giving necessity to developing a metering system that will serve as a solution to all issues emanating from the consumer end. The past decade saw many developments of such meters, where all are based on the internet of things (IoT) technology. Such meters are called – by the early developers – a smart energy metering system (SEMS), or simply, a Smart Meter. While there have been several reviews on SEMS, most were found to be based on the instant billing capabilities of SEMS, system development, and the wireless communication protocols of the systems. This review focuses on individual components of SEMS with particular attention to the different types and modes of sensors used for other applications. It analyzes various SEMS designs, microcontrollers, sensors, modules, transducers, communication protocols, data storage accuracy, and maximum power capability. Also discussed are the achievements and weaknesses of the designs, some future research challenges, and open issues in the implementation of SEMS.

Goat meat has a number of nutritional benefits compared to other meats. It is preferred by those who know it value. Studies on marketing of goat meat (chevon) is important to provide vital information on its availability, profitability and the contsraints encoutered by the marketers for effective research, pricing, planning and policy fomulation. In the study, the marketing of chevon in selected markets in Ibadan, was examined. Well-structured questionnaires were purposively administered to 60 respondents from four markets (Bodija, Akinyele, Oritamerin, Aleshinloye) in different Local Government Areas within Ibadan, using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgetary analysis. The results showed that 55% male respondents were chevon marketers in which 70% were married within the age range of 40-49 years. About 31.7% had no formal education while 30.0% had secondary education. In terms of religion, 46.7% were Muslims, 40.0% were Christians and 13.3% were traditional believers. The budgetary analysis revealed that the total revenue (TR) was < 3,970,030.00, total variable cost (TVC) was < 2,125,150.00 and total fixed cost (TFC) was

High prevalence of ectoparasites in the tropics and lack of access to veterinary services necessitated the use of indigenous practices in controlling ectoparasites among small ruminant farmers. This study was carried out to assess the utilization of indigenous practices in controlling ectoparasites among small ruminant farmers in Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State. A multi stage sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for the study. One hundred and fifteen well- questionnaires administered to the farmers and 112 were recovered from the field. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequency distribution and charts were used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. The results showed that the age 49-60 had the highest respondents (42.2%) followed by the age group of 36-48 years (28.4%). It also showed that majority of the respondents were female (66.7%). Some indigenous practices highly utilized in the study area included; the application of wild lettuce (ewe yanrin) on the affected parts of the animal (97%), Nuclea latifolin (ewe egbesi) 97% rubbing of liquid lime (osanwewe) on the affected part (93%). Chi Square was used to measure the relationship between respondents' selected socio-economic characteristics and their utilization. The Pearson product moment correlation (PPMC) was used to measure the relationship between respondents, constraints (r=0.194, p=0.050), benefit (r=0.201, p0.043). Some of the constraints identified in the study area included inadequate useful information from extension agents, extinction of materials used and non-documentation of the leaves used while some of the benefits of the leaves includes ease of administration of the leaves, low cost of the leave, and accessibility were some of the benefit derive.

Aims: The study discussed some basic participatory tools using a contemporary issue of the perceived environmental and health effects of charcoal production on the studied groups. Study Design: The study made use of survey. Methodology: The use of quantitative tools in analyzing social problems has been creating imbalance and arguments in some quarters of knowledge. Results: The study find out that charcoal production was a major livelihood activity of respondents in the study area since high income were generated from the activities as a result of low level of education. Data on various issues of involvement, production, quantity, environmental and health effects, flow and distribution of charcoal in Nigeria are not sufficiently available and these have had adverse effects on the various development plans for the energy sector in particular and the country in general. Ranking can be undertaken with the key informants or groups of villages that represent a good mixture of interest. It can also be conducted based on gender to determine different preferences between men and women.

The gravity of the impending threats posed by microplastics (MPs) pollution in the environment cannot be over-emphasized. Several research studies continue to stress how important it is to curb the proliferation of these small plastic particles with different physical and chemical properties, especially in aquatic environments. While several works on how to monitor, detect and remove MPs from the aquatic environment have been published, there is still a lack of explicit regulatory framework for mitigation of MPs globally. A critical review that summarizes recent advances in MPs research and emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks devoted to MPs is presented in this paper. These frameworks suggested in this paper may be useful for reducing the proliferation of MPs in the environment. Based on all reviewed studies related to MPs research, we discussed the occurrence of MPs by identifying the major types and sources of MPs in water bodies; examined the recent ways of detecting, monitoring, and measuring MPs routinely to minimize projected risks; and proposed recommendations for consensus regulatory actions that will be effective for MPs mitigation.

A 90-day study was conducted to determine the response of semi intensively managed West African dwarf sheep to concentrate supplement containing varying levels of neem leaf meal (NLM). Twenty (20) West African Dwarf sheep aged 5 to 6 months with an average weight of 10kg were used in a Completely Randomized Design with animals grouped into four treatments of five replicates each balanced for weight. The animals were allowed to graze on natural pastures predominantly made up of Panicum maximum in the morning with a daily supplementation of 100g concentrate diet containing varying levels of neem leaf meal at 0, 5, 10 and 15%. Blood samples were taken from the animals before the commencement of the experiment and at the end of the experiment. At the start of the experiment, faecal samples were collected from each animal to determine the faecal egg count and this was repeated once in three weeks for the 90 day experimental period. There was significant (P < 0.05) difference in the haematology indices studied with no definate pattern. The inclusion of NLM in the diets of West African Dwarf sheep significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the faecal egg counts across the treatments with a percentage reduction range of 33.38 to 88.00% for sheep on 0% and 5% NLM, respectively. This study, however, concluded that neem leaf inclusion at 5% in West African dwarf sheep’s diet had effects on the overall performance of the animals with a potential improvement in drastic reduction in faecal egg counts.

Aims: The aim of this study is to access the health effects of charcoal production (CP) as perceived by the rural dwellers in the study area. Study Design: Survey study. Relevant quantitative data on charcoal production were used. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Rainforest (RF) and Guinea savannah (GS) zones of Nigeria between 14th February 2012 and 1st November 2013. Methodology: Multiple stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 83 and 85 charcoal producers in the Rainforest and Guinea savannah zones respectively. Structured interview schedule data collected and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study noted that the modal ages of respondents were within the same age-range of between 35 and 44 years. Male respondents were 88.0% and 90.5% from RF and GS respectively. Respondents (59.0%) in RF zone had primary school leaving certificate, while, about 30.6% in the GS attended Koranic School. Eleven was the mean years of experience for CP in the RF zone and 14 years for the GS zones. Hundred percent of the respondents used ancient earth mound method of CP and the respondents (36.1%.) from the RF zone had annual output of more than 128,000kg. Respondents perceived that CP may lead to skin and respiratory tract irritation/infection (72.3%, 57.6%.); CP may cause cut, crush and laceration of hand (78.3%, 69.4%.); burns (90.0%, 49.4%.); back and muscle pains (73.5, 70.6%.) and CP may lead to body wounds (73.5%, 58.5%.) in RF and GS zones respectively. Majority (84.7%) in GS and 84.3%. in RF perceived that CP had negative effects on the health status of rural dwellers. Significant difference was predicted in the health status of charcoal producers between the agro-ecological zones (F=3.124). There is the need for awareness campaign on health consequences of CP.

The contamination of water resources has become a global problem. Advanced oxidation process (AOP) is one of the most applied technology for the degradation and decontamination of wastewater and potable water. The use of powdered nanomaterials in photocatalysis is very common in AOP for the mineralization of organic contaminants in the water systems. However, the AOP has shown excellent results, handling of powdered catalysts, and its separation from the aquatic system poses a challenge to the scientific community. Moreover, the complete recovery of powdered catalysts is a big issue that leads to nano-toxicity. In the last decade, monolith aerogel based semiconductor photocatalysts have been developed and investigated for the decontamination of the wastewater. The aerogels based semiconductor photocatalysts possess excellent features such as high stability, large surface area, high porosity, mechanical strength, easy separation, and visible light active, making it materials for the next generation. In this chapter, the photocatalytic properties of various kinds of aerogels based semiconductor photocatalysts have been summarized. The role of aerogel’s support on the photocatalytic properties also has been discussed.

Adsorption and interaction of pollutant species on surface of the catalyst materials play an important role on the photocatalysis process. Herein, experimental data on the adsorption behavior of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) onto graphitic pure carbon nitride (C3N4), titania nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) and carbon nitride/titania nanotubes nanocomposite (C3N4/TiO2 NTs) from synthetic wastewater has been summarized. The data on photocatalytic degradation of the 2-CP under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiation is also presented. This work also evaluates the 2-CP scavenging efficiency of C3N4/TiO2 NTs nanocomposite prepared by calcination of 2 wt.% melamine with TiO2 NTs at 450 °C. The adsorption and photocatalysis experiments were conducted for 180 min at pH 7 with 100 mL solution of 2-CP (40 mg/L) and 0.05 g catalyst material. The acquired data can be valuable to identify the equilibrium time for 2-CP adsorption onto C3N4, TiO2 NTs, and C3N4/TiO2 NTs nanocomposite. Moreover, the obtained data can be useful to identify the suitable light source for the decomposition of 2-CP in the aquatic environment. The evaluated kinetic data might be significant for identifying the adsorption and photocatalysis reaction rate onto the applied catalyst materials. The obtained adsorption and photocatalysis data have been compared with that in literature to identify the adsorption and photocatalysis behavior of 2-CP on numerous catalysts at different experimental conditions.

The global rise in food demand requires urgent attention in the aspect of crop production. The microclimate of a greenhouse is a critical issue in agricultural practice, due to the variations of the external climatic conditions and their negative effect on crop production. In this work, a dynamic model of the internal air temperature of a Chinese solar greenhouse was designed in Matlab/Simulink environment. The dynamic model was designed with the use of energy balance equations. The weather data consisting of solar radiation, relative humidity, ambient temperature, and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) were acquired from meteorological stations. The results of the simulations show that the temperature of the internal air varies with weather conditions, location, number of covers, and the structure of the solar greenhouse.

The study was designed to investigate the involvement of the rural dwellers in livestock farming as a means of livelihood in Afijio Local Government area of Oyo State. Data were collected with the aid of well constructed questionnaire distributed to respondents selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis; Chi-square was used to determine the relationship between socio-economic factors and their level of involvement in livestock farming as a means of livelihood. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to examine the relationship between constraints and benefits of livestock farming to the livelihood of the respondents. The result of the study shows that majority of the respondents (59.8%) were male, Married (63.2%) with minimal of primary school education (35.9%). The analysis of the data reveals that most of the respondents in the study area are involved in livestock farming (60.7%) and mixed farming (85.5%) in most of the time. On the types of livestock, majority of them are into goat and poultry production. This study concludes that most of the respondents in the study area are already into livestock farming but at backyard small holder levels. It is therefore recommended that the rural dwellers should improved in their level of involvement in livestock farming through education and provision of necessary input by the concerned stakeholders.Keywords: Livelihood, livestock, rural dwellers, income

Sustainable technology needs to be developed for tackling the critical environmental issues for viable development. The utilization of the natural visible light mediated photocatalysis for the decontamination of noxious chlorophenols could be an alternate method for wastewater purification. This work is focused on the fabrication of tungsten oxide (WO3)/disulfide (WS2) coupled polyaniline (PANI) (WO3/WS2/PANI) heterojunction nanohybrid photocatalyst for 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) decomposition in water. WO3/WS2/PANI nanohybrid photocatalyst was prepared via hydrothermal method using the L-Cysteine as a sulfurization agent. The bare WO3 and WO3/WS2 hybrid, WO3/WS2/PANI nanohybrid were characterized via UV–visible, photoluminescence, SEM, XRD, and XPS analysis methods. The coupling of PANI with WO3/WS2 created a synergistic effect on photocatalytic properties due to its better light-harvesting properties, and band gap energy suppression. Results discovered that the photocatalysis of 2-CP by the WO3/WS2/PANI is dependent on irradiation time, pH, and 2-CP concentration. The photocatalytic degradation increased from 83% to 100% with the decrease in initial 2-CP conc. from 50 mg/L to 10 mg/L. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism revealed that •O2−, •OH, and h+ reactive species are accountable for the decomposition of 2-CP by WO3/WS2/PANI nanohybrid and kinetic data was better fitted with the first-order kinetic model. The fabricated WO3/WS2/PANI catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity and reusability after five cycles, offering an active process for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants under visible light and sustainable technology for water remediation.

Enriched weaning food was produced from co-fermentation of sorghum and pigeon pea in the ratio 90:10.80:20 and 70:30 sorghum and pigeon pea, respectively. Sorghum was soaked in water and fermented ...

Various adsorbents including agricultural waste–based adsorbents, nanomaterials and layered double hydroxides have been reviewed for removal of antibiotics from water due to their unique properties. The adsorption mechanism is governed mostly by the affinity of a pollutant to adsorbent materials. However, the main adsorption mechanisms defined in this study for removal of antibiotics are the electrostatic attraction, π–π interaction and hydrogen bonding. The study highlighted the contribution of modification in the adsorption capacity of antibiotics. Some of the most important adsorbents discussed in this review are graphene-based adsorbents, binary layered double hydroxides and magnetic nanoparticles as well as the antibiotics sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and metronidazole. The key factors for the selection of the suitable materials are the structure, characteristics and other physicochemical parameters such as pH and temperature. However, the most crucial factor is the adsorption capacity. Some of the adsorption kinetics models and isotherms for antibiotic sorption are also highlighted in this study. In addition, the review summarizes the future prospects and recent challenges faced with the adsorption techniques for removal of antibiotics from wastewater. This review will help readers understand the current trend in the adsorptive removal of antibiotics from water.

Pharmaceuticals are emerging pollutants present mainly in industrial and municipal wastewater. Herein, structurally variable binary and ternary metal hydroxides based on copper, manganese, and aluminum were used for the adsorptive scavenging of the oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic. A facile hydrothermal method was used for the synthesis of binary CuAl-hydroxide, MnAl-hydroxide, and ternary CuMnAl-hydroxide. Structural and morphological characteristics of the metal hydroxides (MHs) were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectrum (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The adsorptive removal for OTC was found in the order CuMnAl-hydroxide > CuAl-hydroxide > MnAl-hydroxide. The highest removal of OTC by CuMnAl-hydroxide and CuAl-hydroxide was observed at pH 7 while MnAl-hydroxide showed the optimum adsorption at pH 9. All three materials showed different saturation time and equilibrium concentration for OTC adsorption. The mechanism investigation found that strong electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and anion exchange were mainly responsible for the removal of the OTC and adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and equilibrium data was best fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption of OTC was influenced by the presence of Cu (II) and Cr (VI) ions in the aqueous solution due to the competitive adsorption of co-ions. Moreover, the adsorption of OTC was endothermic in nature, and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 250.07 mg/g at 50 °C.

The presence of the antibiotics in wastewater and drinking water is of growing concern worldwide, thereby an advanced sustainable technology needs to be developed to decontaminate the antibiotics from water resources. Herein, a series of novel boron nitrile/cadmium aluminate (BN/CdAl2O4) composites photocatalysts were synthesized by using hydrothermal methodology. Thus synthesized BN/CdAl2O4 composites were tested for the photocatalytic degradation of cefoxitin sodium (CFT) antibiotic in aqueous solution. The spectroscopic analysis confirmed that the morphology, N2 adsorption-desorption, and optical properties of the composites changes as the amount of the BN varies in BN/CdAl2O4 composite. The resulting BN/CdAl2O4 composite with a fraction of 0.2 g BN showed most efficient photocatalytic properties than the pure BN, CdAl2O4 and other BN/CdAl2O4 composites owing to its better light-harvesting properties, higher surface area, and better charge separation properties. The results revealed that the solution pH, irradiation times, and initial CFT concentration in solution controls the photocatalytic process and almost 100% CFT degradation was observed at 15 mg/L concentration within 240 min at pH 7. The results of free radicals scavenging experiments demonstrated that both positive hole and •OH free radical play dominant roles in CFT degradation. The kinetic modeling of CFT photocatalysis process showed better fitting with the first-order kinetic model as compared to the zero-order and second-order kinetic models. This study revealed that BN-0.2/CdAl2O4 composite has better CFT degradation efficiency and excellent recyclability.

The rain forest belt in Southern Nigeria is potentially susceptible to problems related to acid rain because of the increase in the consumption of petroleum oil products, such as diesel, gasoline and coal, used to produce energy for different sectors of the economy. The effect of simulated acid rain on the plant growth component of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata was studied. A greenhouse experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. Simulated acid rain was prepared with a mixed concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and concentrated nitric acid (HNO 3) in a ratio 2:1 to get the desired pH using a Deluxe pH meter. The plant was exposed to simulated acid rain of pH 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 which was the control. Simulated acid rain induced morphological changes including chlorosis, early leaf senescence, necrosis, leaf abscission, leaf folding and death. Plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, relative growth rate, chlorophyll content of the leaf and harvest index were highest at 7.0 (control) but significantly (p

Selectins are suitable biological molecules for target delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs due to their site-specific expression on endothelial cells during inflammation. A target drug delivery system using porous, biodegradable, poly-lactic-co-glycolic-acid (PLGA) microspheres coated with leukocyte functional ligand, Sialyl Lewis/sup x/, has been developed. We attached biotinylated-Sialyl-Lewis/sup x/ to avidin-linked PLGA microspheres via carbodiiamide chemistry, and our in vitro assays showed that they display rolling adhesion to selectin-coated surfaces under hydrodynamic flow. The rolling velocity of these artificial leukocytes is similar to that displayed by leukocytes rolling on P- or E-selectin coated surfaces. We can tune rolling velocity, and hence residence time of capsules on surfaces, by changing the density of Sialyl Lewis/sup x/ on the microsphere surfaces.

Objective : To determine the risk factors for placenta praevia in Ile-Ife, southern Nigeria. Design : A prospective case control study. Setting : A tertiary center - Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, southern Nigeria. Subjects : One hundred and thirty six patients with confirmed placenta praevia constituted the cases. Controls consisted of one hundred and thirty six patients who delivered at term immediately after each indexed case and did not have placenta praevia. Results : Cases and controls were similar in terms of twin deliveries (P=0.72) and past history of uterine surgery (P=0.47). After adjusting for confounders, factors associated with risk of placenta praevia were history of retained placenta [OR=6.7(95% CI 1.2- 36.6)], previous caesarean section [OR=4.7, (95% CI 1.9-11.4)], previous abortion [OR=2.9 (95% CI 1.1-5.1)], grand multiparity [OR=2.1 (95% CI 1.6-7.1)] and age over 35 years [OR=1.4 (95% CI 1.2-6.6)]. Conclusions : From our study, the risk factors for placenta praevia are a history of retained placenta, previous caesarean section, previous abortion, grand multiparity and maternal age over 35 years. (East African Medical Journal: 2002 79(10): 536-538)

Background Trauma affects 7% of all pregnancies and requires admission in 4 out of 1000 pregnancies. This audit was conducted in order to review the management of abdominal trauma in pregnancy at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough. Method A retrospective review of the management of abdominal trauma in pregnancy for a period of one year, between May 2008 and April 2009. This was undertaken using a proforma based on the trust guideline. Results A total of 75 patients were admitted with abdominal trauma in pregnancy of which 48 case notes were available for review. Majority of patients (85%; 41/48) presented with history of fall, of which 75% (36/48) had no significant complications following such trauma. Only 11 of 48 cases reviewed had significant complications, of which abdominal pain was the commonest, occurring in 6/11 (55%). Most patients (40/48; 83%) had no documentation about inspection for bruising, kleihaur-betke9s test was only performed in 33 % (16/48). 75% (36/48) were discharged home same day without meeting our minimum requirement of at least 4hours of continuous CTG. Conclusion This audit demonstrated that majority of the patients admitted with trauma had no significant adverse outcome; however there was still a lack of consistency and standardisation in their management. We recommend that all pregnant women admitted with trauma have a kleihaur-betke9s test and have at least a minimum of 4hours of continuous CTG as per guideline. This can be improved with perhaps a standardised proforma which could demonstrate a pictorial evidence of bruising and actions undertaken.