Search

Abstract Plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles is a sustainable approach that has gained widespread scientific acceptance due to its numerous benefits and applications. In this study, a zinc oxide-doped activated carbon (ZAC) derived from palm kernel shells (PKS) was synthesized via a bioreduction route using a water-based extract of Nymphaea lotus leaves as a reducing agent. The synthesized ZAC nanocomposites were characterized using microscopic (TEM, SEM) and spectroscopic (FTIR, EDS, XRD, and UV–Vis) analyses. The adsorptive properties of ZAC and efficiency in scavenging a phenothiazine derivative (methylene blue) from an aqueous solution were investigated. Results reveal that nano-scale ZAC particles were crystalline, exhibited irregular shapes, with an average size of 45 nm, and were highly dispersed. The optimum quantity adsorbed was 248 mg/g at a methylene blue concentration of 140 mg/L for 60 min using 0.02 g/100 mL of ZAC. Adsorption and kinetics data closely aligned with the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order model, respectively indicating heterogeneous surface adsorption and chemisorption as the dominant mechanisms. The regeneration study of ZAC shows that over five cycles, thermal regeneration maintained high adsorption capacity with minimal decline and chemical regeneration significantly led to reduction in the adsorption capacity but solvent washing offered a balance between efficacy and structural preservation.

Abstract While soft drinks stand out as a major cause of obesity and overweight worldwide, the USA is the country most concerned with this problem. To reverse the situation, experts have agreed that labels and taxes represent promising policy tools. Focusing on the soda market, this paper investigates how consumer demand for nutrient contents responds to the US revised nutrition facts label policy implemented in 2020. Relying on retail scanner data, the study finds after estimation of a discrete choice logit demand model that the change in nutrition labels caused consumers to modify their purchasing behavior. However, they did not systematically switch from unhealthy beverages to healthy ones. The analysis finds evidence that the label revision policy was mostly impactful in decreasing consumers’ preference for soda with superhigh calories and high sugar content. Surprisingly, the joint effect of label and tax did not decrease the sampled consumers’ preference for unhealthy nutrient contents. They still preferred buying soft drinks superhigh in calorie content inside US cities with a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), despite the revision of the facts label. Finally, the new nutrition label has improved the average surplus of consumers and total welfare. However, the gain is lower within the cities implementing the sugar tax.

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in sediment can be highly hazardous to the environment and public health. This study aimed to assess the human and ecological risks of PTEs in sediments around a pharmaceutical industry in Ilorin, Nigeria. Physicochemical parameters and the concentrations of lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), and nickel (Ni) were analyzed in sediment samples collected from seven locations in the wet and dry seasons. Standard two-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) and risk assessments were also conducted. The concentrations of Pb, Co, Ni, Cr, Cd, and As in the sediments ranged from 0.001 to 0.031 mg/kg, 0–0.005 mg/kg, 0.005–0.012 mg/kg, 0.001–0.014 mg/kg, 0.005–0.024 mg/kg, and 0.001–0.012 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentrations of the total PTEs content were found in decreasing order of concentration: Pb > Cd > Ni > Cr > As > Co. PCA showed that some of the PTEs were highly concentrated in samples obtained at other locations as well as at the discharge point. The Hazard Index was mostly

Abstract Food safety has become a serious global concern because of the accumulation of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in crops cultivated on contaminated agricultural soils. Amongst these toxic elements, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) receive worldwide attention because of their ability to cause deleterious health effects. Thus, an assessment of these toxic metals in the soils, irrigation waters, and the most widely consumed vegetables in Nigeria; Spinach (Amaranthushybridus), and Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) was evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The mean concentration (measured in mg kg−1) of the PTMs in the soils was in the sequence Cr (81.77) > Pb(19.91) > As(13.23) > Cd(3.25), exceeding the WHO recommended values in all cases. This contamination was corroborated by the pollution evaluation indices. The concentrations (measured in mg l−1) of the PTMs in the irrigation water followed a similar pattern i.e. Cr(1.87) > Pb(1.65) > As(0.85) > Cd(0.20). All the PTMs being studied, were found in the vegetables with Cr (5.37 and 5.88) having the highest concentration, followed by Pb (3.57 and 4.33), and As (1.09 and 1.67), while Cd (0.48 and 1.04) had the lowest concentration (all measured in mg kg−1) for cabbage and spinach, respectively. The concentration of the toxic metals was higher in spinach than in cabbage, which may be due to the redistribution of the greater proportion of the metals above the ground tissue, caused by the bioavailability of metals in the aqueous phase. Expectedly, the hazard index (HI),and carcinogenic risk values of spinach were higher than that of cabbage. This implies that spinach poses potentially higher health risks. Similarly, the Monte Carlo simulation results reveal that the 5th percentile, 95th percentile, and 50th percentile of the cumulative probability of cancer risks due to the consumption of these vegetables exceeds the acceptable range of 1.00E−6 and 1.00E−4. Thus, the probable risk of a cancerous effect is high, and necessary remedial actions are recommended.

ABSTRACTAnnona muricata L. (soursop fruit) is a seasonal plant with bio-geographical distribution in tropical and subtropical climates. This study evaluated the proximate, phenolic, and antioxidant properties of different parts of soursop fruit. The influence of oven and solar drying on phenolic and antioxidant activities of extracts (pulp, seed, and peel) were assessed. Proximate analysis on different parts of the soursop fruit showed the pulp to have high carbohydrate (32.9% ± 0.3) and moisture (19.1% ± 1.0). The seeds however contained higher crude fat (37.5% ± 1.2) and protein (25.0% ± 0.1) contents. Total phenolic content of the seeds (8.7 mgGAE g−1 ± 0.1) was higher than that of the pulp and the peel (8.6 mgGAE g−1 ± 0.1). The solar-dried fruit parts demonstrated superior antioxidant activity to the oven-dried parts. Extracts from the solar-dried soursop fruit samples, especially the seed, can serve as useful therapeutic ingredient for diet supplementation and could also be exploited for its high oil and protein contents.

Abstract Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening is an important component of antenatal care for pregnant women in Nigeria. However, the screening rates remain low, particularly at primary healthcare centers (PHCs). The objective of this study was to identify the barriers affecting antenatal HBV screening in PHCs in Nigeria from the perspective of health workers. Methods We conducted a survey among 30 health workers from 30 PHCs (one per PHC) across three states (Akwa Ibom, Anambra, and Kaduna) in Nigeria. An open-ended questionnaire was used to obtain written responses on the perceived barriers limiting antenatal HBV screening in PHCs and their recommended solutions to the identified barriers. The data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Results The perceived barriers exist at patient, provider and health system levels. They included: lack of test kits, unaffordability of HBV test, shortage of trained personnel, poor awareness among pregnant women, knowledge of HBV among health workers, high cost of antiviral treatment, and unavailability of HBV vaccine. The recommended solutions to the identified barriers were: making test kits and vaccines available and free, creating awareness about HBV, and capacity-building interventions for health workers. Conclusions HBV screening of pregnant women attending PHCs in Nigeria appears to be affected by multilevel barriers. As the country continues to work towards eliminating HBV, these highlighted barriers at the patient, provider and health system levels must be addressed through effective and sustainable interventions.

Adequate and quality higher education is important for enhancing peace in most countries as well as among neighbouring communities. However, financial barriers deny Kenyan ASAL communities from accessing higher levels of education, limiting their access to the education necessary for enjoy benefits associated with education such as; employment, adequate incomes and earnings, respectable social status and assured economic security. Limited access to education instead escalates the poverty levels and encourages competition for scarce resources across the vulnerable communities. Prolonged competition for rare resources fuels disputes and conflicts between these communities, threatening peaceful coexistence amongst communities in these area. There is therefore the need for adoption of immediate financial strategies to bridge the gap between basic education and access to higher education for peace to prevail. The present study was, as a result, conducted to provide recommendations for ameliorating the persistent conflicts and disputes and consequently provide a platform for peace enhancement in the areas. The study used correlational analysis and purposively sampled 108 parents from Kajiado Central Sub County with children in secondary schools. The data was collected from primary sources using a structured questionnaire and analysed using; quantitative analysis to produce descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis for estimating a study model. The study findings reveals that at 5% (0.05) significance level; each of; diversified sources of funds, resource investment strategy, proficiency of financial knowledge, and financial endowment has positive significant impact on proliferation of access to higher education in Kenya's ASAL regions. The study recommends that the communities in the Kenya's ASAL regions should adopt the community based financial practices through setting common financial pool. The main goals of the pool should investing the funds to generate sufficient income for support school operations and paying for educational services of all the learners fin that community. The community based financial practices should; identify diversified strategies for sourcing funds to support access to education, adopt effective resource investment strategies, employ competent staff to manage their funds, and nurture financial endowment approach. The study suggests that empowering the Kenya's ASAL regions academically would nurture a dependable and sustainable workforce as well as empower the community to create employment, alleviating persistent clashes and eventually enhancing peace.

Abstract As significant threats to global citrus production, Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama; Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio; Hemiptera: Triozidae) have caused considerable losses to citrus trees globally. Diaphorina citri vectors “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” and “Ca. L. americanus”, whereas T. erytreae transmits “Ca. L. africanus” and “Ca. L. asiaticus”, the pathogens responsible for citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB). Though HLB is a destructive disease of citrus wherever it occurs, information on the occurrence and geographical distribution of its vectors in Africa is limited. In recent surveys to determine if HLB vectors are present in Ghana, we observed eggs, nymphs, and adults of insects suspected to be D. citri and T. erytreae. Using morphological traits and DNA analyses, the identity of the suspected insects was confirmed to be D. citri and T. erytreae. Individuals of D. citri and T. erytreae were examined using qPCR for CLaf, CLam, and CLas, but none of them tested positive for any of the Liberibacter species. Herein we report, for the first time, the presence of D. citri and T. erytreae in Ghana (West Africa). We discuss the implications of this new threat to the citrus industry to formulate appropriate management strategies.

Abstract Introduction This study was motivated by the increasing global incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and the promising potential of nutraceuticals as complementary therapies in ameliorating its burden. We report the safety profile of C. esculenta tuber extracts, a novel nutraceutical in benign prostate hyperplasia in a rat model. Methods In this study, forty-five male albino rats were randomly assigned to 9 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 (normal control) received olive oil and normal saline. Group 2 (BPH untreated group) received 3 mg/kg of testosterone propionate (TP) and normal saline, and group 3 (positive control) received 3 mg/kg of TP and 5 mg/kg of finasteride. Treatment groups 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 received 3 mg/kg of TP and a middle dose (200 mg/kg) of LD50 of ethanol crude tuber extract of C. esculenta (ECTECE) or hexane, dichloromethane, butanone, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions of ECTECE respectively for a period of 28 days. Results The negative controls showed a significant (p 0.05) difference in the mean relative weights of most vital organs: liver, kidneys, and heart. This was also observed in hematological parameters: RBC, hemoglobin, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and platelets counts. In general, we note that the effects of the well-established drug finasteride on the biochemical parameters and histology of selected organs are comparable to those of C. esculenta fractions. Conclusion This study demonstrates that C. esculenta tuber extracts provide potentially safe nutraceutical if applied in the management of benign prostate hyperplasia based on a rat model.

The study ascertained the production practices of small-scale broiler farmers in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted for the random selection of 80 farmers using a structured interview schedule. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result reveals that 87.5% of the farmers adopted a deep litter housing system, and 98.75% ensured their poultry houses were sited in well-drained soil and properly ventilated pens. About 93% and 98% of the farmers had brooding and finishing houses separately on their farms and ensured adequate lighting and heat in their brooding houses, respectively. The result shows that 100% and 93.75% of the respondents administered antibiotics and multivitamins at the early stage of day-old chicks and adhered to the Gumboro and Lasota vaccine schedules, respectively, while only 1.25% of the farmers provided a footbath at the entry of their poultry house. All the farmers used broiler starters and finishers in feeding their birds, and the mean weekly duration of broiler starter and finisher feeding was 4.09 and 4.28 weeks, respectively, while 98.75% ensured to always provide water for their birds. The study concluded that the use of recommended production practices was high to some extent among farmers. Hence, the level of information on broiler production practices should be increased by the government extension service unit to enable farmers to keep abreast of current and necessary information on broiler production. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2023-05-01-03 Full Text: PDF

One of the important factors of improving productivity in agricultural production is efficient utilization of inputs and having knowledge of production input elasticity and any socioeconomic characteristics of farmers that may be associated with production efficiency. This study assessed the status of Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) adoption and the link to efficiency in production of maize among farmers in Ogun and Oyo States, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 370 maize farmers across Local Governments Areas and communities in the two States. Primary data were obtained from the farmers through questionnaire administration on their socio-economic characteristics, sustainable practices adopted, maize production resource use, and costs during farm season by the farmers. Analysis of data were carried out using descriptive statistics Stochastic Frontier Production and Stochastic Cost Function. The study showed that adoption of SAPs among farmers was generally low except for the use of improved seed that was adopted by more than 50% of the farmers. The parameter estimates of the production function showed that farm size ([beta] = 0.4318, p JEL Classifications: Q01, Q12, Q16 Keywords: Sustainable, Agricultural Practices, Production efficiency, Maize Farmers, Nigeria, INTRODUCTION There is a great concern of increasing vulnerability of food production to increasing environmental problems and climatic variability, resulting in unpredictable and devastation shocks to farm output in most [...]

The present study investigated the environmental impacts of cement production on surface water quality and vegetation in the vicinity of the industry. A 2-year study was conducted, covering both wet and dry seasons. Water samples were collected from the Akinbo River, where the cement industry discharges its liquid waste and effluents, and analysed for physical and chemical parameters using standard procedures. The vegetation around the factory was analysed for chlorophyll, plant density, basal areas, and heights of woody species. The study also assessed the health impacts of cement production on the factory employees and the residents living in the vicinity of the factory. The health assessment was based on hospital information obtained from two clinics in the villages near the factory. The water quality results revealed elevated concentrations of Ca and Fe. All the trees sampled around the study area had small basal areas and short heights. There was also a significant reduction in the chlorophyll contents of the vegetation. The health study showed a high incidence of upper-respiratory tract infections, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and dermatitis among factory workers. This study suggests a review of the existing dust-suppressing system put in place by the industry, to protect public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of the environment by organic pollutants is a major risk factor, particularly for developing countries. Selected organic pollutants (SOPs) like the phenolic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and herbicides pose serious environmental and health issues owing to their toxic characteristics and poor degradability. Apart from their potential mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, tetragenicity and high body accumulation, these pollutants have become an increase concern worldwide. Biosorption is a promising alternative strategy for removing organic pollutants during water purification processes. Biosorbents have several advantages such as simplicity of operation, good sorption capacity, high recoverability and modifiability. As a result, the focus and novelty of this review is on recent trends in the use of biosorbents, with a particular emphasis on the removal of SOPs from wastewater. It also cover use of bacteria biosorbents, fungal, algae and chitosan/chitin biosorbents. Apart from that, we have also reviewed various classes of SOPs, their levels in the environment, classification and available characteristics techniques suitable for the adsorption experiments of these nanocomposites materials. In addition, we have provided comprehensive explanations and conclusions on possible future application of biosorbents and the mechanism of adsorption of these materials for removal of these SOPs from wastewater during water purification processes.

Reading comprehension skill is an important aspect of language acquisition that has far-reaching implications on the life of any student. Weak comprehension ability invariably affects not only students' performance in English language, but it hinders competence in other critical fields. Reading comprehension skills are not being taught in ways to promote students' acquisition of the required skills. This study reveals the extent to which teachers impart comprehension skills to students by focusing on the teachers' practices during comprehension lessons. From the study, the majority of the teachers, rather than teach during comprehension lessons, test the students; thereby, depriving the students of having basic comprehension abilities. This study reveals that for teachers who lack the knowledge of comprehension skills to facilitate the acquisition of such to students is akin to making omelette without eggs. The study shows the need for the teacher training curriculum to be reviewed as the teachers' inability is traceable to their teacher training foundation. The study further remarks that there is the need to review teacher training curriculum so that emphasis can be laid on how to teach reading comprehension skills to students.

Coating porosity is an important property that supports solid-gas and solid-liquid exchange that can either enhance various science and technological applications or promote damage if not properly controlled. However, non-destructive instrumental techniques for the measurement of porosity on coated walls or surfaces can be quite challenging. Here, a seamless capillary rise technique has been used to determine both the thickness and porosity of a thin silica coating. Uniform coatings were prepared from 5 wt% hydrophobic fumed silica in absolute ethanol and spin-coated at 500–8000 rpm on glass slides. Capillary imbibition of squalane was then controlled into known areas of the resulted hydrophobic nano-porous coatings. The mass of the solid (silica) and the infiltrated oil (squalane) were gravimetrically measured. The porosity of the material was calculated as the percentage fraction of the pore volume while the film thickness was determined as the ratio of the total volume to the area of coverage. Mean values of the porosity and coating thickness calculated from capillary impregnation technique were 86 ± 2% and 3.7 ± 0.2 μm, respectively. The coating thickness obtained was comparable with those revealed by SEM and Dektak profiler measurements. This study highlights the effectiveness of capillary rise as a simple and cost-effective non-destructive technique for assessment of coating thickness and porosity.

Abstract Background Malaria causes anemia by destruction of red blood cells and inhibition of erythropoiesis. Objective We assessed whether the magnitude of the malaria‐specific effect on anemia differs by age, during low and high malaria seasons. Method In rural Zambian children participating in a pro‐vitamin A efficacy trial, we estimated differences in the prevalence of anemia (defined as hemoglobin

This paper examines the symmetric and asymmetric causal relationships between tourism and inclusive growth in Turkey and Nigeria over the period 1995Q1-2018Q4. The study employs a bootstrap simulation method with leverage adjustments to achieve the objective of the study. The method is used to see whether positive or negative tourism shocks cause inclusive growth and whether positive or negative inclusive growth shocks cause tourism activity. The results show no evidence of asymmetric causality between tourism and inclusive growth, while there is evidence of symmetric causality running from tourism to inclusive growth in Turkey. On the other hand, there is neither symmetric nor asymmetric causal relationship between tourism and inclusive growth in Nigeria. In sum, both neutrality and tourism-led growth hypothesis hold in Turkey, while Nigeria gives credence to neutrality hypothesis. The recommendations coming from the findings are that the tourism sector in both countries, Nigeria in particular, should be repositioned for better performance and effectiveness in stimulating inclusive growth. Rather than focusing on pro-poor and micro-based tourism policies that favour selected communities and localities, tourism should be included in development plans nationally, in order to ensure wider participation and more encompassing trickle-down effects on the citizenry. Furthermore, both countries should implement policies that will stimulate their tourism sectors for a larger and more significant contribution to real GDP.

Abstract Radon, the heaviest among the noble gases in the periodic table of element is a radioactive nuclide that is naturally available in rocks, soil and water. It has become the subject of many research efforts in recent years due to its leading role in causing cancer. In this study, a total of 68 groundwater samples were collected and assayed using alpha spectrometry with RAD7 radon detector with RAD-H2O accessories manufactured by Durridge CO (USA). The 222Rn concentration measured were in the range of 0.6–36.2 Bq L−1 with an average of 13.33 Bq L−1, 7.0–41.5 Bq L−1 with mean value 23.3 Bq L−1 and 0.6–27.4 Bq L−1 with an average value of 7.4 Bq L−1 for hand dug wells (HDW), hand pumped boreholes (HPB) and motorized boreholes (MBH), respectively. About 54, 86 and 15% of samples from the HDW, HPB and MBH, respectively, exceeded the parametric reference level of 11.1 Bq L−1 suggested by United State of America Environmental Protection Agency but lower than the permissible limit of 100 Bq L−1 by World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union. The average annual effective doses resulting from inhalation and ingestion of radon in water obtained for the three groundwater sources are less than recommended limits by WHO and ICRP. The data obtained from this study are comparable with similar studies conducted in Nigeria and other parts of the world as reported in literature. Continuous radon monitoring in drinking water and indoor environment is however recommended for the study area.

Background: Kidneys exposure to toxins can cause injuries, leading to their functional impairments. Traditionally, plants have been used for the treatment of renal disorders and numerous medicinal plants have been tested for their nephroprotective effects, in such cases as gentamicin (GM) and cisplatin (Cisp)-induced nephrotoxicity. This study assessed the ability of Acalypha wilkesiana’s extract to counteract its toxic effect based on the biochemical, histological and proinflammatory cytokines components in rats. Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups (n=4 each) and administered the following treatments: a) normal control (1 mL/kg body weight normal saline from days 1-10); b) nephrotoxin (GM 120 mg/kg, days 2-7; or Cisp 7 mg/kg on day 3); c) standard drug (120 mg/kg Silymarin plus GM or Cisp, days 1-10); and, d) extract groups (100 or 250 mg/kg, days 1-10 plus GM). Blood samples were collected and subjected to hematological and biochemical evaluations while kidney tissue samples were examined for histopathological alterations, pro- and antioxidants, and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results: Treatment of the rats pre-exposed to GM or Cisp with the extract decreased the serum creatinine, urea and MDA levels. The GST and GPx levels were also restored in rats. Glomerular atrophy with tubular epithelial necrosis induced by either nephrotoxin was restored to near normal. The expression of COX-2 following the administration of either nephrotoxin was reversed after treatment with the extract. Conclusion: The A. wilkesiana extract exhibited significant nephroprotective property, which could potentially be regarded as a promising alternative to the management of renal diseases.

BackgroundIndividuals with a psychotic disorder are at an increased risk of victimization, but evidenced-based interventions are lacking.AimsA body-oriented resilience therapy ('BEATVIC') aimed at preventing victimization was developed and its effectiveness was assessed in a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Methods105 people with a psychotic disorder were recruited from six mental health centers. Participants were randomly allocated to 20 BEATVIC group sessions (n = 53) or befriending group sessions (n = 52). Short term effects on risk factors for victimization (e.g. social cognitive deficits, inadequate interpersonal behavior, low self-esteem, internalized stigma, aggression regulation problems), physical fitness and secondary outcomes were expected. At six-month follow-up, the effect on victimization (either a 50% reduction or an absence of victimization incidents) was examined.ResultsIntervention-dropout was 28.30% for BEATVIC and 39.62% for befriending. In both conditions the majority of participants (60.5% BEATVIC vs 62.9% befriending) showed a reduction or absence of victimization incidents at six months follow-up, which was not significantly different according to condition. Multilevel analyses revealed no main effect of time and no significant time x group interaction on other outcome measures. Per protocol analyses (participants attending ≥ 75% of the sessions) did not change these results.ConclusionsAlthough a reduction or absence of victimization was found at short term follow-up for the majority of participants, BEATVIC was not more effective than the active control condition. No short-term additional effects on risk factors of victimization were found. Analysis of the data at 2-year follow-up is warranted to investigate possible effects in the long-term.Trial registration numberCurrent Controlled Trials: ISRCTN21423535.

Aflatoxins have gained so much reputation among all mycotoxins due to their notoriety in causing countless adverse health effects on humans as well as animals. It continues to be a major concern in food safety globally. In this study, total and constitutive aflatoxins levels as well as the carcinogenic risks posed by 110 food and feed samples (55 cereals, 20 nuts and oils, 18 animal feed, and 18 fruits and vegetables) collected from the Ho Central market in the Volta region, Ghana, were assessed. Using high-performance liquid chromatography connected to a fluorescent detector (HPLC-FLD), levels of total aflatoxins (AFtotal) and aflatoxins constituents, namely, AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2, were analyzed. By using the model prescribed by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the risks posed by the food and feed samples were determined. The degrees of toxicity were in the ranges of 0.78–234.73 μg/kg, 0.47–21.6 μg/kg, 1.01–13.75 μg/kg, and 0.66–5.51 μg/kg, respectively, for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. Out of the samples analyzed for AFtotal, about 51 (46.4%) exceeded the limits of GSA and were in the range 10.63 ± 1.20–236.28 ± 4.2 μg/kg. While for EFSA, 71 (64.54%) exceeded and ranged between 4.72 ± 0.28 and 236.28 ± 4.2 μg/kg. Furthermore, estimated daily intake (EDI) of 27.10–283.70 ng/kg·bw/day, margin of exposure (MOE) of 1.409–14.76, average potency of 0–0.00396 ng aflatoxins/kg·bw/day, and cancer risks with a range of 0.107–1.122 cases/100,000 person/yr were observed. Taken together, it could be concluded that consuming cereals pose adverse effects on human health regardless of the age of the consumer.

The monocomponent adsorption process of Cu(II) ions in synthesized industrial wastewater were investigated using activated carbons (BACs) derived from sugarcane bagasse as the precursor. Batch adsorption studies were done by treating the precursor with H3PO4 (BAC-P) and ZnCl2 (BAC-Zn) in order to observe the effects of experimental variables such as contact time, pH of the solution, and adsorbent dose. The Langmuir isotherm model excellently described the adsorption data for both the derived BACs, indicating monolayer coverage on the BACs with the determination coefficients close to the value of one. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacities of 589 and 225 mg g−1 at 30°C were obtained for BAC-P and BAC-Zn adsorbents, respectively. The modeling of kinetic data of Cu(II) ions adsorption onto BAC-P and BAC-Zn adsorbents illustrated that the Elovich kinetic model fitted well. Here, the adsorption process was film-diffusion controlling, while being principally governed by external mass transport where the slowest step is the diffusion of the particles through the film layer. The mechanism of the adsorption process was proposed taking into cognizance of the ion exchange and surface complexation on active sites between the negatively charged surface of the BACs and the positively charged Cu(II) ions. The BACs were characterized using analytical methods such as SEM, FTIR, EDX, XRD, BET surface area, and zeta potential measurements. Both BACs mainly composed of mesopores and bonds of O-H, C-O, C=O, and C-O-C. The BET surface area of BAC-P and BAC-Zn was 427.5 and 282 m2/g before adsorption, and their isoelectric point (pHIEP) 3.70 and 5.26, respectively.

Abstract Background People with a psychotic disorder have an increased risk of becoming the victim of a crime. To prevent victimization a body-oriented resilience therapy using kickboxing exercises was developed. This study aims to explore the feasibility of the therapy, to improve the therapy protocol and to explore suitable outcomes for a RCT. Methods Twenty-four adults with a psychotic disorder received 20 weekly group sessions in which potential risk factors for victimization and strategies for dealing with them were addressed. Sessions were evaluated weekly. During pre and post assessment participants completed questionnaires on, among other, victimization, aggression regulation and social functioning. Results The short recruitment period indicates the interest in such an intervention and the willingness of clients to participate. Mean attendance was 85.3 and 88% of the participants completed fifteen or more sessions. The therapy protocol was assessed as adequate and exercises as relevant with some small improvements to be made. The victimization and aggression regulation questionnaires were found to be suitable outcome measurements for a subsequent RCT. Conclusion The results support the feasibility of the BEATVIC therapy. Participants subjectively evaluated the intervention as helpful in their attempt to gain more self-esteem and assertiveness. With some minor changes in the protocol the effects of BEATVIC can be tested in a RCT. Trial registration The trial registration number (TRN) is 35949 (date submitted 09/11/2018). Retrospectively registered.

The study assessed urban farmers' knowledge of health hazards associated with Urban Livestock Farming (ULF) in Southeast Nigeria. Multistage and random sampling techniques were used to select 210 respondents. Structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Major type of animals reared was broiler. A good proportion of the respondents had a high knowledge of hazards associated with livestock keeping. However, some farmers did not know that animal products from intensive system can be contaminated with heavy metals and that animal dung should be treated before use for crop cultivation. There was a significant influence of socio-economic characteristics of farmers on knowledge of hazards posed by livestock keeping. Farmers' knowledge of hazards varied significantly between the three states studied. Farmers therefore need technical advice to fully understand the hazards associated with urban livestock farming and their consequences as well as on pre-treatment of dung to reduce transfer of pathogens.

Liver diseases have now become a global canker due to increasing drug abuse and several viral infections. The current medicines on the market are woefully inadequate and limited in the application against these diseases. Fortunately, medicinal plants continue to serve as a potential source of drug discovery that could be explored to improve the situation. The present study, therefore, evaluated the hepatoprotective activities of the aqueous extract of various parts (leaves, flower and stem) of Ocimum americanum L on carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )- and acetaminophen-induced toxicity in rats. The protective effect of the plant was assessed using biochemical parameters, histology, levels of liver antioxidants, and expression of some pro-inflammatory cytokines (NF-κβ and IL-1) in the liver. The leaves and stem extracts, orally administered for 7 days at 250 mg/kg, effectively prevented CCl 4 -induced elevation of serum biochemical parameters, prooxidants, as well as the expression of NFk-B and IL-1, which were comparable to Silymarin (standard drug). A comparative histopathological analyses of the liver exhibited virtually normal architecture compared with CCl 4 -treated group. The findings showed that the hepatoprotective effect of Ocimum americanum was probably due to the inhibition of oxidative stress and downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines by the effective parts of the medicinal plant.

The success of deep machine learning (DML) models in gaming and robotics has increased its trial in clinical and public healthcare solutions. In applying DML to healthcare problems, a special challenge of inadequate electrical energy and computing resources exists in regional and developing areas of the world. In this paper, we evaluate and report the computational and predictive performance design trade-offs for four candidate deep learning models that can be deployed for rapid malaria case finding. The goal is to maximise malaria detection accuracy while reducing computing resource and energy consumption. Based on our experimental results using a blood smear malaria test data set, the quantised versions of Basic Convolutional Neural Network (B-CNN) and MobileNetV2 have better malaria detection performance (up to 99% recall), lower memory usage (2MB 8-bit quantised model) and shorter inference time (33–95 microseconds on mobile phones) than VGG-19 fine-tuned and quantised models. Hence, we have implemented MobileNetV2 in our mobile application as it has even a lower memory requirement than B-CNN. This work will help to counter the negative effects of COVID-19 on the previous successes towards global malaria elimination.

Sickle cell disease is a red blood cells disorder, which affects millions of people in the world. One of its clinical manifestations is cation fluxes. Although the antisickling potentials of hydroxyurea (HU), Cajanus cajan seed (CCS) and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (ZZL) have been reported, their interactions with human erythrocytes calcium pump have not been elucidated. The calcium pumps catalyses the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate and transport calcium out of the cell thereby maintaining low calcium concentration required by the cells. Investigation of the interaction of HU, CCS and ZZL with calcium adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+-ATPase) in human sickle (HbSS) and normal (HbAA) erythrocyte membranes was carried out using in vitro approach. The results indicated that the catalytic efficiency of Ca2+-ATPase in the absence of antisickling agents in HbAA (36.34 mM-1) was higher than in HbSS (33.23 mM-1). Thus, in the presence of HU, the catalytic efficiency in HbAA and HbSS was 51.59 (mM-1) and 41.14 (mM-1) respectively. In the presence of C. cajan seed in HbAA and HbSS, the efficiency of the enzyme was 5098.33 (mM-1) and 537.083 (mM-1) respectively. However, there were no changes in the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme in the presence of Z. zanthoxyloides leaf in both genotypes. The interaction of the antisickling agents with Ca2+-ATPase indicates a mechanism of antisickling of the agents. This suggests that the agents prevent the red blood cells dehydration by increasing the efficiency of the pump. The plants could be explored in the development of antisickling drugs.