Archives-April 2023

The low soil fertility of the Kisangani region and the cost of chemical fertilisers on the market mean that farmers can only resort to palliative and sustainable fertilisation (organic manure). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil preparation and organic amendments on the growth and yield of yam (Dioscorea cayenensis). A split splot design was set up with two factors, soil preparation mode with three modalities and organic amendment as a second factor, also three modalities. The combination of these factors resulted in 9 treatments repeated three times. Vegetative parameters and yield components were measured. The results obtained showed that: ? Soil preparation and organic manures affected yam growth and yield; ? Pig dung was the best organic manure for most of the parameters studied.

Yam cultivation requires loose soil, and tillage is essential for better production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil preparation on the number and yield of yam tuber (Dioscorea cayenensis). A randomized full-block system with three treatments (mound, ridge and no tillage) and repeated three was implemented. Vegetative parameters and performance components were measured. The results obtained showed that: ? The method of soil preparation had definite effects on the growth and number of tubers; ? An increase in the number of tubers was observed for mounded plots compared to those with ridges and no tillage ; ? The mound increased tuber yield compared to the ridge and control.

Blue rubber nevus syndrome also known as Bean syndrome, is a rare vascular congenital condition responsible for multiple venous malformations that usually concern the skin and the gastrointestinal tract, rarely reported affecting the central nervous system, lung or the thyroid gland. We herein present a case of an 80-year-old male, diagnosed with Biermer’s disease since 2006, he latter on was subject to an aggravation of his anemia leading the investigations to discover multiple gastrointestinal (GI) ‘blebs’ causing recurrent haemorrhages.

Education is one of the strongest predictors of health. Early termination of education can negatively impact health, shorten life span, and increase stress on the healthcare system. Although improving overall high school graduation rates have been debated and discussed by the Toronto District School Board and the Ministry of Education, there is a paucity of research studies on increased graduation rates as they relate to public health in a Canadian context. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of liaison public health nurses, who worked directly with the Toronto District School Board, regarding influencing students in Toronto, Ontario to complete high school. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model was the underlying conceptual framework for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 public health nurses who were interviewed regarding their role and involvement in high schools. Data were subjected to triangulation and were analyzed to identify commonalities and trends and patterns. The findings from this study indicated that liaison public health nurses believe that high school dropout out is a public health issue and that collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Public Health is needed to address the issue. The emergent recommendations from the analysis of data indicate the potential for greater to explore the connection between health and school achievements and the expanded role of public health nurses in Canadian high schools. With increased research and resources, improving graduation rates students may be expected.

This research investigates and reports the mineralogy, geochemistry, industrial implications and protolith of a marble deposit in the basement complex of Owan-East, Edo-State, Southwestern Nigeria. Field geology revealed the marble is interbedded with calc-silicate gneiss, quartz-biotite schist, polygenetic metaconglomerate, mica schist and quartzite. The marble occurs as lenses within the gneiss and overlain by a thin gritty tropical soil. The fine-grained marble occurs in three colour varieties (white, grey, and banded). The banded type exhibits strong axial foliation which is concordant with NNE-SSW regional strike with westerly dip ranging between 68° and 82°. Petrographic investigation revealed that calcite and dolomite account for over 85% of the marble. X-ray diffraction showed the marble is composed of calcite (52%), dolomite (35%), accessory quartz (6%), biotite (4%) and feldspar (2%). Optical and X-ray results indicate the bands in the banded variety represents clay impurities in the original limestone protolith.The marble is calcitic (CaO, 51.7-60.76%; MgO, 1.42 – 2.57%) with average Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of 3:100. Average alkali (Na2O + K2O) contents (1.13%) suggest deep water, low saline (estuarine, brackish to paralic) environment of deposition for the ancient limestone. Alumina content of the marble (white, 0.5 %; grey 0.35 % and foliated 3.49 %) (total average: 1.45 %) and that of Fe2O3 (white, 0.19 %; grey 0.5 % and foliated 1.78) (total average: 0.82 %) exceed those of other marble deposits in southwestern Nigeria. Silica Ratio (SR) (1.28), Alumina Ratio (AR) (3.54), and Lime Saturation Factor (LSF) (537.75) suggest the marble is useful in the manufacture of cement. The marble also meets industrial specifications for fertilizer production and as refractory lime.

In the present study, we tested the possibility of developing an appropriate technical itinerary for the green carpet crop system (ATV) involving pruning of grass hedges, composting of their clippings, direct seeding and fertiliser application that would ensure high overall productivity and major agroecological benefits. Compost with NPK 17- 17- 17 was applied to some plots of degraded soil in the ATV production system, while other plots were either treated with pig manure with NPK 17- 17- 17 on the side of the Slash and Burn production system. All treated plots are then used for maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation. A split-plot design was used with five replications per treatment. The study showed that the large amount of both forage and soil biomass was observed on the plots that received composts and chemical fertilizers in the ATV production system. These different results show that the ATV production system combined with organo-mineral fertilisation is a good source of mineral elements and make it possible to envisage its use in programmes to restore degraded soils.

Faced with soil impoverishment due to the population explosion, a study was undertaken on maize cultivation at kilometer point 12 in the hinterlands of the city of Kisangani. The objective was to test, on degraded soil, the effect of a small amount of pig manure, integrated with the compost of hedge trimmings from the green carpet and enriched with increasing microdoses of NPK, on the growth and yield of maize grown in the Plates under Green Carpet (ATV) system. The experimental design was a split-plot, with the first factor being the production systems (ATV and CIB) and the second, the fertilisers. The results showed that organo-mineral fertilisation under ATV influenced the duration of the vegetative and reproductive phases in addition to yield. The organo-mineral fertilisers under ATV with composts resulted in a yield that was 1.2 times higher than that obtained with the control and the CIB. Also, the organo-mineral manures under ATV tended to shorten the crop cycle and promote better plant growth and development. The use of these fertilizers in maize cultivation could constitute an alternative to the drastic consequences of soil degradation.

Simple Lattice Design (SLD) was used to study the effect of level of inclusion of Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) on some physical parameters of bread made from composite flour while the whole wheat flour bread (sample A) served as control. The proximate composition of the various flour blends used for the preparation of the breads were determined using standard methods. The bread loaves were evaluated for their physico-chemical analyses, nutritional composition and sensory attributes. The physico-chemical analyses results obtained showed an increase in the range of 0.72 g/cm3 for BD, 0.97 g/g for WAC, 465.67 cP for trough, 1329.33 cP, 863.67 cP and decrease of 416.67 cP in setback values respectively. The chemical analyses results obtained showed an increase in the range of 32.72% for moisture, 15.63% for protein, 0.30% for crude fibre, 1.25% for ash, 72.73 g/100g for starch 0.95 mg/100g for Beta carotene, respectively. There was also a decrease in Crumb Hydration Capacity (CHC) and bread volume by 47.51 and 38.03%, respectively, with inclusion of the OFSP flour. It was concluded that a substitution of 79.75g of wheat flour and 20.25 g of flour gave the optimal mixture for the productions of enriched the bread

This work focused onan integrated approach of solutions to improve the combustion of Jatropha oil in an indirect injection Diesel engine (Lister type). The improvements were assessed using combustion parameters, especially cyclic dispersion.The Jatropha oil was preheated to 100°C and the Diesel engine has receivedchanges in fuel injection timing and injection pressure variation. The overall engine performance (specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency and exhaust gas temperatures), cyclic dispersion, ignition delays obtained with Jatropha oil and Diesel fuel were compared. The results show that for the performance, the injection timing of 20 Crank Angle (CA) Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) and the injection pressure of 170 bars are the settings adapted for both fuels to the different engine loads. The results also show that cyclic dispersion could be used as a very good tool for assessment of adequateoperating conditions of this type of engine, even at low loads. The cyclic dispersion is low with coefficients of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure (COVIMEP) whose values are less than 10%. The lowest values of the COVIMEP are obtained when the injection settings are 20 CA BTDC and 170 bars.

Baobab Multi-nutrient Block Concentrate (BMBC) as dietary supplement for enhancing milk production and quality in Red Sokoto goats (RSG) was evaluated. The formulation consists of Baobab pulp and seed 25%, wheat offal 25% palm kernel cake (PKC) 20%, Urea 5 %; salt 5%; molasses 10% and cement 10%, respectively, Sixteen (16) lactating RSG previously crossed with South Africa Boer bucks were randomly selected, balanced for weight and grouped into 2 comprising of Eight (8) animals each. Group A were allowed access to BMBC (- BMBC), while Group B were allowed access to BMBC (+BMBC). Panicum maximum was fed on zero grazing at 4% of individual animals’ body weight. Daily milk yield and samples were taken to analyze for Total solids, Crude protein, Fat and Ash and selected minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na and P). The results were significantly affected (P<0.05). Milk yield for RSG +BMBC ranged from 398.75 – 428.50g/day with mean average of 412.69g/day ahead of RSG – BMBC with value range of 312.75 – 335g/day; with mean average of 324.12g/day. Milk composition (%) values for RSG +BMBC were 18.50, 6.05, 5.75, 0.98 and 5.72, RSG – BMBC 12.05, 3.58, 3.30, 0.82 and 4.35 for total solids, protein, fat, ash and lactose, respectively. Mineral values(mg/g) recorded for Ca, K, Mg, Na and P in RSG+BMBC were 250.00, 342.50, 88.45, 92.86 and 96.95, compared to RSG – BMBC with 231.00, 330.00, 75.53, 84.13 and 91.10, respectively. This results showed that BMBC enhanced the yield and composition and mineral values of lactating RSG.