Rivers State University of Science and Technology

About: Rivers State University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Threatened species. The organization has 1826 authors who have published 1833 publications receiving 15183 citations.

On the integral equation method for radiative transfer past a rotating plate in unsteady flow

Abstract: The transient effect on the flow of a thermally-radiating and electrically-conducting compressible gas in a rotating medium bounded by a vertical flat plate, is studied when the radiative flux satisfies the exact integral expression. The transience is provoked by a time-dependent perturbation on a constant plate temperature. The solution is constructed for the flow near and away from the plate by the Laplace transform method. The results are compared with the recent work of Bestman and Adjepong (1988).

Immunodominant Nocardia asteroides antigens: isolation and characterisation by enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blotting, and the value of immunoblot strips.

Abstract: Concentrated cell-free filtrates (nocardins) were prepared from Nocardia asteroides cultures grown on Sauton's synthetic broth. Nocardins from 10 strains of six N. asteroides serotypes were produced and the proteins separated by isoelectric focusing. N. asteroides antigens among these proteins were tested for specificity using rabbit antisera and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against N. asteroides and Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot test. At least 15 protein antigens were identified from each of the 10 nocardins. The immunodominant antigens were one serotype-specific N. asteroides protein with an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.0 (factor 1) and two group antigens with pIs of 4.43 (factor 6) and 4.68 (factor 8). The nitrocellulose strips prepared with these antigens did not react with antibodies to M. tuberculosis, nor with normal sera from humans, rabbits, or mice, but reacted specifically with anti-N. asteroides MAbs and polyclonal antibodies. Four purified protein derivatives of tuberculin were tested and did not cross-react with the three anti-N. asteroides MAbs. These reactions suggest that the antigens identified as factors 1, 6 and 7 are specific to N. asteroides and that factor 1 is specific for serotype 2, while factors 6 and 8 are species-specific.

Alternations in Enzyme Activities of Clarias gariepinus Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract: Clarias gariepinus were infected with Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and blood samples were collected weekly for biochemical analysis to analyse their enzyme activities and pathogenesis for four weeks. The enzymes includes: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphastase (ALP), acid phosphastase (ACP) and lactate – dehydrogenase (LDH). The fish were distributed in three different groups in triplicates as: control (C1 C2 C3), A. hydrophila (A1, A2, A3) and P. aeruginosa (P1, P2, P3). After two weeks of acclimatization, A1 – A3 were injected with 1.5 ml of 106 cfu/ml of A. hydrophila, P1-P3 were injected with 1.5 ml of 106 cfu/ml of P. aeruginosa, while C1-C3 were pathogen free. At the end of the experiment, it was observed that there was a constant increase, in the enzyme activities of the infected fish, indicating increase in virulence with respect to weeks of exposure but P. aeruginosa had higher pathogenicity compared to A. hydrophila.

Planning for coastal zone management programme in Nigeria

Abstract: The coastal zone in Nigeria has some problems and if both the Federal and the State Governments continue their movements away from viewing the coastal zone as an important and ecologically unique and fragile environment, the problem will retard the resources of the area. Developing countries like Nigeria lag behind the developed world in the provision of legislations to protect their citizens, coastal environment, and companies and firms. Presently, the development of Nigeria strictly comes from the coastal zone, therefore Government at all levels must be brought to see the coastal zones as a district and important region, and to provide a CZMP network capable of successfully resolving the issues particular to it.

Hydrocarbon Degradation Potential of Heterotrophic Bacteria Isolated from Oil Polluted Sites in Sakpenwa Community in Rivers State

Abstract: In this study, hydrocarbon degradation potentials of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from oil-polluted soil were examined. Samples were collected from Sakpenwa, an oil producing community in Tai LGA of Rivers State, Nigeria and analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological properties using standard techniques. Hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (HUB) were isolated by vapour phase transfer method using mineral salt medium. The biodegradation study was carried out on a standard laboratory shaker for 30 days in Bushnell -Haas agar supplemented with 5% of crude oil. Fifteen (15) bacterial isolates were screened for hydrocarbon degradation potentials of which five isolates exhibited high hydrocarbon degradability. The following parameters were monitored using each of the five isolates and a consortium during the biodegradation study: Colour change, Optical density (OD), pH, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), Total Hydrocarbon Contents (THC) and Total Cuturable Heterotrophic Bacterial Counts (TCHBC). The mean TCHBC ranged from 1.65×107 to 2.27×108cfu/ml while the mean Total Culturable Hydrocarbon Utilizing Bacterial Counts ranged from 1.09×104 to 3.9×105. The optical density varied from 0.09±0.02 - 2.57±0.00 and pH ranged from 2.98±0.09 - 6.98±0.09. The optical density varied to .09±0.02 - 2.57±0.00 and pH ranged from 2.98±0.09 -0.98±0.09. The gravimetric analysis showed that Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp. Alcaligenes sp. and Acinetobacter sp. were able to degrade 96.90%, 99.60%, 99.20% and 99.70% of the hydrocarbons respectively. This study demonstrated that indigenous bacterial species were highly efficient in the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.