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.

Impact of fertilizer plant effluent on water quality

Abstract: The impact of National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria outfall effluent on the physicochemistry and bacteriology of Okrika creek was investigated during the sampling period from May to December, 1998. The National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria outfall effluent, the Okrika creek water and the Ikpukulubie creek (control) water samples were collected. The physico-chemical parameters analyzed for all the samples included temperature, pH, total chloride, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, free ammonia, total phosphate, urea, zinc and iron, while the bacteriological determinations were total culturable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria count and identification of representative isolates. The Okrika creek recorded higher concentrations for all the physico-chemical parameters and bacteria load than the control creek. The higher values of pH, Free NH3, urea, TDS and the conductivity of the National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria outfall effluent above the FEPA standards reflect the poor effluent quality generated by National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria. The bacteria species isolated from the samples include Aerococcus viridans, Alcaligenes faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus. In general, the investigation revealed that there was an extremely adverse impact on the physico-chemical and bacteriological water quality characteristics of the Okrika creek as a result of the discharge of poor quality effluent from National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria operations.

Comparison of simple sequence repeat (SSR) and diversity array technology (DArT) markers for assessing genetic diversity in cassava Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Abstract: Several molecular marker systems have been developed for assessing genetic diversity in crop germplasm collections. A trade-off often exists between the number of loci that can feasibly be sampled by a marker system and the amount of information provided by each locus. We com­ pared the usefulness of two marker systems for revealing genetic diversity and population structure in cassava (~fanihot esculenta Crantz): simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and diversity array technology (DArT) markers. DArTs survey many more loci per reaction than do SSRs; however, as bi-allelic, dominant markers, DArTs provide less polymorphism information per locus. Genetic differentiation was assessed in a randomly selected set of 436 cassava acces­ sions, consisting of 155 African and 281 Latin American accessions. A genome-wide set of 36 SSR markers and a DArT array of approximately 1000 polymorphic clones were used to assess genetic diversity and differentiation. Cluster analyses were performed using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Results were compared with a priori expectations of genetic differentiation based on previous genetic analyses. Analyses of the two datasets generated broadly similar clustering patterns. However, SSRs revealed greater differentiation than DArTs, and more effectively recovered patterns of genetic differentiation observed in previous analyses (differentiation between Latin American and African accessions, and some geogra­ phical differentiation within each of these groups). These results suggest that SSR markers, while low throughput in comparison with DArTs, are relatively better at detecting genetic differentiation in cassava germ plasm collections. Nonetheless, DArTs will likely prove useful in 'orphan crop' species, where alternative molecular markers have not been developed.

Compositional, functional and storage properties of flours from raw and heat processed African breadfruit (Treculia africana Decne) seeds.

Abstract: African breadfruit (Treculia africana Decne) seeds were either boiled or roasted and then milled into flour. Chemical composition, functional properties and storage characteristics of raw and treated flours and the effect of partial proteolysis on selected functional properties of the raw flour were determined. Raw flour contained 20.1% crude protein, 2.5% total ash and 13.7% fat. Heat processing significantly (p < 0.05) improved in vitro protein digestibility, and water and fat absorption capacities but decreased bulk density, nitrogen solubility, emulsion and foaming properties, trypsin inhibitor, and phytic acid and polyphenol contents of the samples. Boiling proved more effective than roasting for improving protein digestibility, emulsion capacity and foam stability and reducing antinutritional factor levels. Partial proteolysis increased nitrogen solubility, bulk density and water and fat absorption capacities but decreased foam capacity at hydrolysis levels greater than 35%. Fatty acid and peroxide values of the samples increased during storage. Compared to raw samples, heat processed samples had significantly (p < 0.05) lower and more acceptable peroxide values and free fatty acid contents and higher and more stable water (3.0 g/g sample) and fat (2.4 g/g sample) absorption capacities.

Large elapids and arboreality: the ecology of Jameson's green mamba (Dendroaspis jamesoni) in an Afrotropical forested region

Abstract: Several aspects of the ecology of Jameson’s green mamba Dendroaspis jamesoni jamesoni (Traill, 1843), a large-sized arboreal elapid snake, are studied in southern Nigeria. This species 18 common and widespread in the region studied. On the basis of the analysis of both the habitats of capture of the various specimens and the results of a logistical regression model, it seems that this species inhabits a wide variety of habitats (including secondary forest patches and the plantation-forest mosaic), and that its local distribution is not influencedby the Presence of any macrohabitat parameter. Green mambas were observed both in the dry and in the wet season, without any statistical bias toward a particular season. Adult sex-ratio was a Pproximately 1 : 1. Maleswere significantly longer than females. All adult mamba dietary records involved warm-blooded prey (mainly birds), whereas young mambas fed also upon lizards and toads. Nearly all the prey eaten by adult mambas were arboreal, and thus there was no support for the recent hypothesis that adult mambas develop anorientationto forageon terrestrial rodents. Male-male combats and matings were observed in December, January, and February (dry season), and gravid females were collected in April, May, and June (wet season). Females produced 7-16 eggs (mean 10.9), and litter size was Positively correlated with maternal length.