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The study was conducted at the Ruminants section of the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan to evaluate the effects of slaughtering weights on the meat yield and other chevon characteristics of West African Dwarf bucks (WAD). Fifteen WAD bucks were fed similar diets before sacrificing nine at three pre-determined weights of 15, 20 and 25kg to evaluate relative percentage proportions of Eviscerated Weight-EW, Hot Carcass Weight-HCW, Dressing percentage-DP, Rib Eye Area-REA, Meat to Bone Ratio-MBR and Total Fat Deposit-TFD in a Completely Randomised Design (CRD). Also evaluated were the physicochemical characteristics of each of the carcasses relative to the pre-determined weights. The results showed that the EW ranged from 62.0% in 15kg-bucks to 71.8% in 25kg-bucks, while HCW ranged from 52.1% in 15kg-bucks to 55.3% in 25kg-bucks. The 25kg-bucks had the highest TFD of 4.7±0.3% compared with 3.1±0.1% and 4.4±0.4% in 15 and 20kg-bucks, respectively. Bucks with higher weights elicited more REA as compared with those with lower weights. However, there was an inverse relationship between ether extract and the crude protein as the weights of the bucks increased. The DP was not significantly different among the treatments. In conclusion, the higher weights observed in the bucks were not necessarily in terms of meat value but only in terms of fat. This goes to show that when an animal has reached its full maturity, it doesn’t add more meat but rather it accumulates fat.

A study was conducted to evaluate the percentage yield (%), proximate composition and organoleptic evaluation of the freshly prepared Suya product from indigenous goat (buck) breeds in Nigeria .Thigh muscle with average weights of 3.1±0.2 kg was excised from the carcasses of 9 fully matured bucks managed intensively for 90 days. The Chevon were dissected into smaller pieces of 10 cm long. The meat samples were thereafter trimmed of visible fats. They were also finely trimmed to very thin sheets of meat about 0.22 - 0.32 mm in thickness and with a length of about 4.5 cm - 9.3 cm. A total of 99 Suya sticks was prepared with 11 from each buck weighing approximately 88.50 g per stick. Suya ingredients used for the experiment were sourced from Bodija Market, Ibadan. The results showed that weight losses were considerable in all the treatments but the yield was not significantly different (P>0.05) among the breeds. There was also no significant difference in moisture contents among the treatment groups while the protein, ether extract and crude fibre differed significantly across the treatments. Texture of Suya from Sahel bucks with 6.81±0.3 was significantly higher than 5.4±0.3 and 5.5±0.4 for WAD and Red Sokoto bucks respectively. The overall acceptability of Suya from Sahel bucks with 6.24 and Red Sokoto bucks with (6.9±0.1) were similar and most accepted than 5.10 of that from West African dwarf bucks.

Globally, the majority of individuals spend 90 percent of their daily routine time indoors. Outside air pollution adds to the toxins created in interior spaces owing to heating and cooling, which has a substantial impact on person healthiness (illness that results in mortality and morbidity) and productiveness. This study investigates the implications of air pollution on interior air quality in commercial buildings such as event centres in Kogi State, Nigeria. Descriptive research approach was used with a questionnaire administered to 120 participants chosen through a random sampling procedure in business buildings. Findings indicated that inadequate window and tiny door size, including absence of mechanical cooling devices linked favourably with higher temperature in the interior but negatively with its moistness. The results show that indoor air quality has negatively impacted on the workforce performance and productivity of the customers, and also on the efficiency of their activities in the event centres. Implication for practice is that designs of apertures should be large enough to allow for cross ventilation while mechanical cooling systems should be included in the design for optimal interior air quality. The study recommends synergistic interventions from academics, policymakers, and occupational practitioners to improve national standard and its implementation for the management and regulation of indoor air quality in inside settings in Nigeria

This study aims at highlighting environmental accounting as a catalyst for improving the operational performance of Oil and Gas Conglomerates in Nigeria. Environmental accounting is becoming increasingly relevant for organizations worldwide as they seek to integrate environmental concerns into their decision-making processes. The research was ex post facto research which made use of secondary data obtained from the annual reports and accounts of the oil and gas firms under study covering the period which spanned from 2008 to 2022. The main theory that underpinned the research was the stakeholder theory. The study firstly employed descriptive statistics and graphical representation using E-Views software to check for the trends, linearity or otherwise of the data. Regression model was applied in determining the extent of the effect exerted on corporate performance by environmental losses and environmental liabilities. The result of the analysis showed that environmental losses have significant negative effect on return on assets the sampled oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The study concluded that management, accountants and other stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas firms should take proactive role in the environmental protection process so as to minimize costs and enhance corporate performance. The study therefore recommends that management of oil and gas firms should endeavor to increase the level of awareness of environmental cost and comply with environmental laws so as to curtail environmental charges. This study recommends that environmental losses should be charged separately of other losses, this will give room for more accountability on its effect on the companies' corporate performance.

The build-up of heavy metals in agricultural soils is a growing source of worry due to issues with food safety, potential health risks, and negative effects on the environment of the soil. This development required investigation into the relationship between the quality of the dumpsite-soil metal and the rate of plant bioaccumulation. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 -45cm from four municipal solid waste dumpsites and farmland within Delta State, Nigeria. The municipal solid waste dumpsite selected are the area with heavy domestic and industrial waste which were overpopulated. Physico-chemical properties of the soil samples were analyzed using standard procedures. The study examined at the levels of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Fe, Mn, and Zn) in the soil and sweet corn that was wildly growing on farmland that also had soil from a dumpsite. The statistical analysis of variance software SPSS 17 for Windows (SPSS Inc., USA) was used to evaluate the data gathered (ANOVA). The results of the soil samples' physicochemical analysis showed that the soils from municipal solid waste dumpsites were moderately acidic, had sizable amounts of organic matter, and contained some ionisable inorganic compounds. The mean concentration of heavy metals found in the dumpsite was higher than the metals in the control site. Sweet corn is an excluder plant, a prospective accumulator plant, and can make an excellent slope remediation plant, according to the results of translocation factors (TF) and bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for heavy metals. According to the findings, different heavy metals may be categorized as mild contaminants (Fe, Cd, and Mn), moderate contaminants (Zn and Pb), and severe contaminants (Cu). Except for the sweet corn grown in the control site, the levels of heavy metals in the sweet corn grown in the plot with amended dumpsite soils above the WHO/FAO permissible limits. The results of the t-test showed values of p < 0.05, indicating that there were significant differences in the content of heavy metals in the soil and the sweet corn. The study made several recommendations, including the creation and enforcement of a rule barring any type of farming on the dumpsites, moving the dumpsites outside of the city, and enforcing other environmental protection laws to prevent the continued accumulation of these metals there. The findings of this study will be very helpful to academics and environmental regulators in developing nations.

Air pollution is a major global public health issue causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Measuring levels of air pollutants and facilitating access to the data has been identified as a pathway to raise awareness and initiate dialogue between relevant stakeholders. Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) urgently need simple, low-cost approaches to generate such data, especially in settings with no or unreliable data. We established a network of easy-to-use low-cost air quality sensors (PurpleAir-II-SD) to monitor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at 15 sites, in 11 cities across eight sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) countries between February 2020 and January 2021. Annual PM2.5 concentrations, seasonal and temporal variability were determined. Time trends were modelled using harmonic regression. Annual PM2.5 concentrations ranged between 10 and 116 µg/m3 across study sites, exceeding the current WHO annual mean guideline level of 5 µg/m3. The largest degree of seasonal variation was seen in Nigeria, where seven sites showed higher PM2.5 levels during the dry than during the wet season. Other countries with less pronounced dry/wet season variations were Benin (20 µg/m3 versus 5 µg/m3), Uganda (50 µg/m3 versus 45 µg/m3), Sukuta (Gambia) (20 µg/m3 versus 15 µg/m3) and Kenya (30 µg/m3 versus 25 µg/m3). Diurnal variation was observed across all sites, with two daily PM2.5 peaks at about 06:00 and 18:00 local time. We identified high levels of air pollution in the 11 African cities included in this study. This calls for effective control measures to protect the health of African urban populations. The PM2.5 peaks around ‘rush hour’ suggest traffic-related emissions should be a particular area for attention.

Introduction: Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare clinical condition where both intrauterine and extra uterine pregnancy coexists. In a spontaneous conception, the diagnosis is difficult to make, but an important one to consider in the presence of acute abdominal pain, hemorrhagic shock, and intrauterine pregnancy. Case Report: A 28-year-old G4P0+4 with a family history of multiple gestation who presented with acute abdomen and haemorrhagic shock at a gestational age of nine weeks and five days. The diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy coexisting with viable intrauterine gestation was made with ultrasound findings as well as clinical features necessitating emergency exploratory laparotomy. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics and research committee of Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki. Successful treatment of ectopic pregnancy with uneventful convalescence and viable intrauterine pregnancy delivered at term. Conclusion: Obstetricians should keep a high index of suspicion of heterotopic pregnancy among women of reproductive age, especially for pregnant women presenting with abdominal pain and hemoperitoneum.

Background Wildlife can be important sources and reservoirs for pathogens. Trypanosome infections are common in many mammalian species, and are pathogenic in some. Molecular detection tools were used to measure trypanosome prevalence in a well-studied population of wild European badgers (Meles meles). Findings A nested ITS-PCR system, that targeted the ribosomal RNA gene locus, has been widely used to detect pathogenic human and animal trypanosomes in domestic animals in Africa and some wildlife hosts. Samples from a long-term DEFRA funded capture-mark-recapture study of wild badgers at Woodchester Park (Gloucestershire, SW England) were investigated for trypanosome prevalence. A total of 82 badger blood samples were examined by nested ITS-PCR. Twenty-nine of the samples were found to be positive for trypanosomes giving a prevalence of 35.4 % (25.9 % - 46.2 %; 95 % CI). Infection was not found to be linked to badger condition, sex or age. Analysis of DNA sequence data showed the badgers to be infected with Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) pestanai and phylogenetic analysis showed the Woodchester badger trypanosomes and T. pestanai to cluster in the Megatrypanum clade. Conclusions The results show that the ITS Nested PCR is an effective tool for diagnosing trypanosome infection in badgers and suggests that it could be widely used in wildlife species with unknown trypanosomes or mixed infections. The relatively high prevalence observed in these badgers raises the possibility that a significant proportion of UK badgers are naturally infected with trypanosomes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1088-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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