Showing papers by "University of Nigeria, Nsukka published in 1991"
TL;DR: The distribution of marine pollen in marine sediments, reflecting the position of major climatic zones (desert, dry tropics, humid tropics) can be used in tracing climatic changes in the past as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The areas of marine pollen deposition are related to the pollen source areas by aeolian and fluvial transport regimes, whereas wind transport is much more important than river transport. Pollen distribution patterns ofPinus, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, and Asteraceae Tubuliflorae trace atmospheric transport by the northeast trades. Pollen transport by the African Easterly Jet is reflected in the pollen distribution patterns of Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae Tubuliflorae, andMitracarpus. Grass pollen distribution registers the latitudinal extension of Sahel, savannas and dry open forests. Marine pollen distribution patterns of Combretaceae-Melastomataceae,Alchornea, andElaeis reflect the extension of wooded grasslands and transitional forests. Pollen from the Guinean-Congolian/Zambezian forest and from the Sudanian/Guinean vegetation zones mark the northernmost extension of the tropical rain forest.Rhizophora pollen in marine sediments traces the distribution of mangrove swamps. Only near the continent, pollen ofRhizophora, Mitracarpus, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, and pollen from the Sudanian and Guinean vegetation zones are transported by the Upwelling Under Current and the Equatorial Under Current, where those currents act as bottom currents. The distribution of pollen in marine sediments, reflecting the position of major climatic zones (desert, dry tropics, humid tropics), can be used in tracing climatic changes in the past.
90 citations
TL;DR: Combination of cooking and fermentation improved the nutrient quality and drastically reduced the antinutritional factors to safe levels much greater than any of the other processing methods tested.
Abstract: This study was designed to determine the effect of soaking, sprouting, fermentation and cooking on nutrient composition and some antinutritional factors of sorghum seeds (guineesia). Standard assay procedures were adopted to resolve both the nutrients and the antinutritional factors content of the products. Combination of cooking and fermentation improved the nutrient quality and drastically reduced the antinutritional factors to safe levels much greater than any of the other processing methods tested.
89 citations
TL;DR: The crude aqueous extracts of the stembark of Kigelia pinnata showed significant antimicrobial activity which could be partially explained by the activity of the iridoids present.
76 citations
66 citations
TL;DR: In this article, two-dimensional spectral analysis of aeromagnetic data was used to determine the mean depths to buried magnetic basement rocks in the Abakaliki Anticlinorium of the Lower Benue Trough in Nigeria.
64 citations
TL;DR: Field studies carried out in a forest transition site on a tropical Alfisol in southwestern Nigeria, show that shading by gliricidia and leucaena hedgerow species reduced density of speargrass by 67% and 51%, respectively.
Abstract: Field studies carried out in a forest transition site on a tropical Alfisol in southwestern Nigeria, show that shading by gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Steud) and leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit) hedgerow species reduced density of speargrass (Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel) by 67% and 51%, respectively. Shoot biomass of speargrass decreased by 81% and 78% in gliricidia and leucaena hedgerows, respectively. Reduction in speargrass rhizome biomass in gliricidia plots was 96% while rhizome reduction in the leucaena plots was nearly 90%. Rhizome mortality was significantly higher in gliricidia plots than in leucaena and control plots. The bulk of rhizomes was found between 10 cm and 20 cm of soil depth but rhizome did not penetrate further than 30 cm depth in the Alfisol in which this study was carried out. Gliricidia was better than leucaena hedgerow species in suppressing speargrass.
49 citations
TL;DR: A Science/Technology Park will gradually be formed as a functional part of PIAS, and it will be a joint-stock corporation with a sphere of interest compatible with PIAS activities.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented high-resolution observations of steep-spectrum radio sources made with MERLIN at 5 GHz and found that the majority of the quasars have complex structures, while galaxies tend to have double or triple structures.
Abstract: We present high-resolution observations of steep-spectrum radio sources made with MERLIN at 5 GHz. Thirty-one objects, comprising 11 quasars and 20 galaxies, most of them being Compact Steep-Spectrum sources (CSSs), have been mapped with resolutions from 80 to 150 mas. This completes the current series of observations of CSS sources made with MERLIN at 5 GHz. We find that the majority of the quasars have complex structures, while galaxies tend to have double or triple structures, consistent with other recent studies of CSSs
47 citations
TL;DR: Eighty‐four cases of illegally induced abortion presented at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (1982‐1986), or 4 per 1000 deliveries, were presented, and Fifteen women died.
43 citations
TL;DR: It is indicated that a hypoinsulinaemia developed which was more severe in the animals fed on gari than in the dogs fed on the rice+cyanide diet and that the condition was not related to the level of plasma thiocyanate or the histopathology observed.
Abstract: Growing dogs were divided into three groups and were fed on a control (rice) diet, a diet in which cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz; gari) was used as the carbohydrate source, and the rice diet to which cyanide (equivalent to that present in gari) was added. Each group consumed its diet for 14 weeks, during which plasma thiocyanate concentration and plasma lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) activity were monitored. Plasma free amino acids were determined from pooled samples taken at the end of the experimental period, and the insulin status of the dogs was evaluated using the gluconeogenic index. The dogs were killed and the pancreas examined for histopathology. Dogs fed on both gari diet and the rice+cyanide diet generated significant amounts of thiocyanate when compared with the controls, with the rice+cyanide group having higher plasma thiocyanate than the gari group (P < 0.01). Plasma lipase activity rose significantly at the end of the experimental period in the dogs fed on gari (P < 0.05). Gluconeogenesis from protein was greatest in the dogs fed on gari, five times greater than that in the control dogs, while gluconeogenesis from protein in the dogs fed on rice+cyanide was approximately twice as high as that of the control dogs. Histopathological examination of the pancreas showed haemorrhage, necrosis, fibrosis and atrophy of the acinar tissue and fibrosis of the islets of Langerhans in the dogs fed on gari. The pancreas of the dogs fed on rice+cyanide showed similar lesions but haemorrhage was not prominent and fibrosis was more marked. The present study indicated that a hypoinsulinaemia developed which was more severe in the animals fed on gari than in the dogs fed on the rice+cyanide diet and that the condition was not related to the level of plasma thiocyanate or the histopathology observed.
42 citations
TL;DR: Partial correlational analysis showed that education was probably the most important socio‐economic variable associated with age of introduction of solid food and also accounted for the significantly earlier introduction ofSolid food by the better educated Yoruba and Ibo mothers.
Abstract: The weaning practices and weaning foods of 120 Hausa, 116 Yoruba and 124 Ibo mothers were compared. Yoruba and Ibo mothers introduced solid foods to infants at significantly (P < 0.05) earlier ages than Hausa mothers. All groups used cereals, legumes, roots and tubers as weaning foods but the Hausas used more cereal products. The cereal paps offered to children by Hausa mothers had higher protein values than those given by Yoruba and Ibo mothers, probably because of better processing procedures. There was a negative but significant correlation (P<0.05) between income, educational status and age at introduction of solid food. Partial correlational analysis showed that education was probably the most important socio‐economic variable associated with age of introduction of solid food and also accounted for the significantly earlier introduction of solid food by the better educated Yoruba and Ibo mothers.
TL;DR: The origins of Nigeria's federalism lie not in the pluralities of economic and geographic regions or of ethnic nationalities, but in the plurality of colonial administrative traditions imposed by the British as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The origins of Nigeria 's federalism lie not in the pluralities of economic and geographic regions or of ethnic nationalities, but in the plurality of colonial administrative traditions imposed by the British. Diferent administrative traditions were especially evident in the Northern and Southern Regions of Nigeria. These traditions produced regional rivalry and conflict that were entrenched in the Nigerian polity by the processes of consolidation and nation-building. After independence, this regional rivalry became the basis for triggering the conflicts between economic and ethnic areas present in Nigeria 's federal system and for creating more states in attempts to accommodate various group interests.
TL;DR: The test diagnosed positive cases of the peste des petits ruminants disease and offers a quick, accurate technique for less sophisticated laboratories as in many West African countries where the disease is endemic.
TL;DR: In this article, the minimum rate of straw mulch for optimising the physical conditions of the topsoil (0-20 cm depth) of a fragile ultisol and maize (Zea mays L) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L Walp) yields was determined.
Abstract: A study carried out for two cropping seasons at Nsukka, southeastern Nigeria, to determine the minimum rate of straw mulch for optimising the physical conditions of the topsoil (0–20 cm depth) of a fragile ultisol and maize (Zea mays L) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L Walp) yields, found that soil water sorptivity, transmissivity, steady state infiltration rate, cumulative infiltration after 90 min and time to attain steady state infiltration were optimal at the 2.0 t ha−1 mulch rate. Also, at this rate of mulching, water retention and per cent water-stable aggregates > 0.5 mm were maximal whereas soil compaction (measured by dry bulk density) was minimal. Between 2 and 10 days after saturation the surface soil had reductions of 11, 6, 6 and 6% in volumetric water content, respectively, on the control (0), 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 t ha−1 mulched plots, mainly due to evaporation. Supra-optimal soil temperatures (> 30°) were observed only on the bare plots whereas no significant differences in maximum soil temperature among the mulched plots were noticed. Maize and cowpea yields were optimal at the 4.0 t ha−1 rate with respective increases over the bare plots of 80 and 67% at this rate.
TL;DR: Higher drug levels were obtained in the tissues of healthy dogs compared with trypanosome infected animals except in the brain, while the levels of residues in the healthy animals were significantly different from those of the infected dogs.
TL;DR: The discussion provides a rare insight into the difficulties which occur in obstetric practice in other lands; even booked patients may refuse to go into hospital until it is too late to deliver them safely.
Abstract: Over a five year period (1985-1989) 527 cases of obstructed labour were recorded while 11,299 deliveries were conducted giving an incidence of 4.7%. The majority of the patients (59%) were primigravidae. The incidence of obstructed labour was much higher for the unbooked patients (33%) than for the booked patients (1.7%). Cephalopelvic disproportion was the greatest cause of obstructed labour (67%), while Caesarean section was the main method of delivery (85%). The leading complications of obstructed labour were puerperal sepsis (57%), post partum haemorrhage (15%), uterine rupture (14%), and genital tract laceration (14%). A maternal mortality rate of 32 per 1000 and a perinatal mortality rate of 294 per 1000 were recorded. Education of primary health providers and traditional birth attendants on the dangers of obstructed labour and the need for early referral is suggested to reduce the incidence of this condition. Governmental assistance is also required to improve existing health facilities so that antenatal and delivery services will be affordable to all pregnant women in the society.
TL;DR: In this paper, principal component analysis was used to reduce eleven soil properties which affect micro aggregate stability to five orthogonal components, which together explained 99% of the total variance.
TL;DR: It would appear that in Nigeria, the canine filarial species of importance is Dirofilaria repens, which appears to produce toxic and immunologic actions which are responsible for many pathological lesions.
TL;DR: The pharmacological effects of Scopoletin are probably the underlying factors in the slowly developing tropical neuropathy characterised by optic atrophy, nerve deafness and ataxia endemic among populations subsisting on cassava diets such as gari.
Abstract: Scopoletin has been isolated and identified in gari, a cassava food consumed in Nigeria (West Africa). Its levels in gari and cassava flour is not altered by post processing treatments such as sundrying, refrigeration and storage. Scopoletin has also been identified as an active principle in the traditional herbal infusion of the fruit ofTetrapleura tetraptera TAUB used in the ethnopharmacology of West Africa. It is a potent hypotensive and non-specific spasmolytic agent. These pharmacological effects of Scopoletin are probably the underlying factors in the slowly developing tropical neuropathy characterised by optic atrophy, nerve deafness and ataxia endemic among populations subsisting on cassava diets such as gari. Hitherto, these toxicities were attributed to cyanogenic glucosides (cyanide) present in cassava.
TL;DR: In this article, new VLA, MERLIN, and VLBI observations are presented for 3C380, a powerful compact steep-spectrum radio source with complex extended structure.
Abstract: New VLA, MERLIN, and VLBI observations are presented for 3C380, a powerful compact steep-spectrum radio source with complex extended structure, and an attempt is made to clarify whether it is a larger source seen end-on or whether it is intrinsically of galactic dimensions and distorted.
TL;DR: A year-long study of the vector and the clinical manifestations of the disease in a forest-savannah mosaic area on the Oji river found microfilaraemia was found in 76% of the population, and nodules in 62%; there were no significant differences between male and female prevalence rates.
Abstract: Reports on onchocerciasis in Nigeria have been scanty, despite the size of the country and of the problem. A survey of the prevalence and transmission of the disease in the south-eastern communities of Nigeria was commenced, with a year-long study of the vector and the clinical manifestations of the disease in a forest-savannah mosaic area on the Oji river. Microfilaraemia was found in 76% of the population, and nodules in 62%; there were no significant differences between male and female prevalence rates. Skin and ocular lesions of onchocerciasis, including 'Sowda', were common. Flies of the Simulium damnosum complex were found breeding along the entire length of the Oji river and tributaries. Biting occurred all the year round, but peaked in the months of March, April and May.
TL;DR: The flow behavior of a 25% cowpea slurry with 8% oil held at 70°C showed shear-thinning behavior and an Arrhenius temperature relationship as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The flow behavior of a 25% cowpea slurry with 8% oil held at 70°C showed shear-thinning behavior and an Arrhenius temperature relationship. Cowpea flour (8%) and starch (2.5%) slurries heated for less than 1 min at 70–87°C exhibited shear-thickening while those heated longer times exhibited shear-thinning behavior. Maximum viscosities attained due to heat-induced gelatinization showed a power relationship with temperature of heating. Starch gelatinization kinetics followed a first-order equation and the temperature dependence of the rate constant followed the Arrhenius relationship with an activation energy of about 47.4 kcal/mol. Heating the slurries for >200 min above 80°C resulted in loss of viscosity.
TL;DR: A prospective study of 320 Nigerian children to determine their pattern of motor development by recording the age at attainment of 12 gross-motor milestones, which has been incorporated into a chart which can be used in well-baby clinics to detect children with motor delay.
Abstract: A prospective study of 320 Nigerian children was undertaken to determine their pattern of motor development by recording the age at attainment of 12 gross-motor milestones. The children were all born full term and were neurologically normal at birth. They were recruited in the first week of life and seen at regular intervals in a well-baby clinic, where their parents were questioned about the ages at attainment of milestones. Results show that most gross-motor milestones were attained at earlier ages by these children than by children studied to establish norms for the traditional tests of motor development that have long been in use. Our findings confirm several previous reports which emphasize the more rapid attainment of motor milestones such as 'sit without support', 'crawl', 'stand well alone' and 'walk well alone' by black as compared with white children. But, conversely, a number of transitional milestones such as 'roll over', 'pull self to stand' and 'stand holding on' were achieved later by children in this study than by their non-African counterparts. Girls in this study were slightly advanced, relative to boys, in their attainment of most milestones. The results of this study have been incorporated into a chart which can be used in well-baby clinics to detect children with motor delay.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Better supervision of antenatal care in the community studied, improved blood transfusion facilities in the Teaching Hospital and adequate prophylaxis with antibiotics are recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality in operated cases.
Abstract: This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of morbidity and mortality of emergency obstetric hysterectomy at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, and also the modalities for reducing these complications. Of the 84 cases of emergency obstetric hysterectomy carried out at the Teaching Hospital between January 1979 and December 1988, 43 had antenatal care at the Teaching Hospital while the remaining 41 were referred cases. Sixty patients were operated upon for ruptured uterus while the remaining 24 were as a result of post partum causes such as uterine atony, adherent placenta, lacerated cervix and sepsis. The leading post-operative complications were fever, haemorrhagic shock and sepsis. A maternal mortality rate of 29.8% was recorded, with the referred patients contributing 68% of the mortality. Better supervision of antenatal care in the community studied, improved blood transfusion facilities in the Teaching Hospital and adequate prophylaxis with antibiotics are recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality in operated cases.
TL;DR: Sprouting for 48 h offers greater advantage over 96 h and after 48 and 96h of sprouting, there were increases in % moisture, crude protein, ash, total nitrogen, total non-protein nitrogen, protein nitrogen, and true protein nitrogen.
Abstract: The study was aimed at evaluating the effect of sprouting on nitrogenous constituents and mineral composition of cream pigeon pea seeds. After 48 and 96h of sprouting, there were increases in % moisture, crude protein, ash except during the 96 h; total nitrogen (TN), total non-protein nitrogen (TNPN); protein nitrogen (PN) and true protein nitrogen (TP). Sprouting caused increases in mineral levels except for phosphorus (P). Sprouting for 48 h offers greater advantage over 96 h.
TL;DR: In this article, changes in some chemical, rheological and structural properties of five important agricultural soils in north central Italy following amendments with either pig slurry (PS), aerobically digested sewage sludge (SS), or cattle slurry(CS) are reported in this study.
TL;DR: In a study with three cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars (Local, TMS4(2)1425 and TMS30572) grown under straw, black polythene and white polythenea mulches the fresh tuber yield and yield components were greater than for those grown on bare (control) plots, although the magnitude of increase was cultivar dependent as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In a study with three cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars (Local, TMS4(2)1425 and TMS30572) grown under straw, black polythene and white polythene mulches the fresh tuber yield and yield components were greater than for those grown on bare (control) plots, although the magnitude of increase was cultivar dependent. The order of response was white polythene > straw > black polythene > bare (control). The yield differences were caused by the effects of the mulches on the temperature and water content of the soil surface. Maximum daily soil temperature was lowest on the straw plots (32·5°C), about equal on the bare and white polythene treatments (38·6°C vs 39·8°C) and highest on the black polythene plots (45·0°C). In 1986 the soil moisture reserve was depleted by 84%, 46%, 29% and 24% on the bare, straw, black polythene and white polythene plots within a 60-day period following the last rain, suggesting that it was soil temperature rather than soil moisture which accounted for the large yield differences under black and white polythene.
TL;DR: In this paper, the performance of a superplasticizing admixture in concrete made from palm kernel shell aggregate was investigated and three concrete mixes of widely differing water/cement ratios were made and each of the mix contained three different dosage levels of the super-plasticizer.
TL;DR: Black plastic mulch was most effective in weed control and resulted in more crop growth and higher fruit yield than giant star grass and guinea grass straw soil mulches compared for field-grown vegetables under varying rates of nitrogen fertilization.
TL;DR: A recent cross-sectional survey of bovine trypanosomiasis at the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Nigeria is presented, finding that one of the ranch's cattle in August and Febraury had trypanomome infections.