Archives-December 

The present study was undertaken to assess the nutritional status of HIV subjects in Dindigul District, Tamilnadu, India. Samples for the study comprised 100 subjects in the age group of 20 to 55 years. The nutritional status of the selected subjects was assessed by anthropometric measurements, biochemical, clinical examination and diet survey. The results revealed that fifty three percent of the subjects had low level of CD 4 cell count and all the subjects had below the normal levels of hemoglobin and their dietary intake was very low in micronutrients.

A series of novel Schiff’s bases of 2-Quinolones have been synthesized using Coumarin 4 aldehydes and different substituted amines as starting materials under conventional heating method and were obtained in good yields. The synthesized compounds were screened for their anti-oxidant activity by DPPH method and were also tested for their antiproliferative activity against Lung cancer cell lines by MTT assay method. The details of the present work is presented here.

The rapidly depleting fossil fuels have simulated the worldwide search for the renewable alternative fuels. Our country is an agriculture based one and the production of sugar cane is more. In the production of sugar from sugar cane, alcohol will be produced as a byproduct. This made alcohol as a perfect replacement because these are derived from indigenous sources and are renewable. But with the low cetane number and high self ignition temperatures, the burning of alcohols in the existing diesel engines is difficult because for the vaporization it absorbs more heat from the engine and makes the engine cool and further more ignition delays. This made the ignition of alcohol in the high temperature combustion chambers. So in our work an insulated diesel engine is developed which retains higher temperatures in the combustion chambers and aids for the combustion. This reduces the ignition delays and leads for the complete combustion and further improves the thermal efficiency and reduces the emissions. The complete experimentation has done on a single cylinder 4-stroke water cooled 3.68 KW Kirloskar diesel engine with alcohol as a fuel. Due to lower viscosity of alcohol the fuel injection pressure is reduced to165 bar for the experimentation. In the experimentation it is observed that maximum heat lost through the piston. So three different piston crowns made up of Nimonic alloy, Copper and Brass are tried on the test engine with an objective to find the best one in terms of performance and emissions with alcohol as fuel and the same is compared with aluminum piston. Among all the pistons the brass piston performed well. Further the efficiency of the engine can be improved by providing turbulence in the combustion chamber. So for the experimentation maximum number of nine grooves is made on the brass piston and is tested. For the comparison the engine is also operated with aluminum piston. Out of all these pistons tested, brass Piston with nine grooves is found to be the best in terms of efficiency and emissions.

The functional responses of Hippodamia (Adonia) variegata, one of the species of coccinellids found in association with aphids in cotton, were investigated by exposing it to increasing densities of cotton aphids in the laboratory. The aim was to determine how Hippodamia variegata’s feeding rate changes with increasing prey density and therefore to evaluate its potential as a biological control agent for Aphis gossypii. Leaves infested with of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 individuals of A. gossypii were placed in pillboxes measuring 2cm high and 5cm in diameter. A single adult of H. variegata was placed into each pillbox and the treatments were replicated four times. These treatments were repeated using the third instar larvae of H. variegata instead of the adults. Observations were made after 3 and 6 hours of feeding. A plot of the numbers of aphids consumed against the initial numbers of aphids placed in the pillboxes showed that an increase in aphid population resulted in an exponential increase in the feeding rate of coccinellids, before the prey density of 35 aphids was reached. Above 35 aphids, further increases in prey density did not result in further increases in the number of aphids consumed by H. variegata. H. variegata therefore displayed a Type 3 functional response and this implies that this coccinellid has potential as a biological control agent for Aphis gossypii.

The impacts of waste-stream from aluminium plant on the Inyishi River was investigated by analyzing the physical and chemical contents of the river using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and digital meters. The results shows that the pH of the river varies from 5.80 to 6.10 while the total dissolved solids (TDS) varies from 13.50 to 20.50mg/l. The electrical conductivity varies from 22.50 to 34.17µS/cm while total alkalinity range from 9.80 to 12.50mg/l. The concentrations of Ca2+ varies from 2.80 to 3.10mg/l while Mg2+ range from 2.60 to 2.86mg/l. Na+ concentrations varies from 5.85 to 7.10mg/l while K+ varies from 9.00 to 11.00mg/l. The concentrations of HCO3- varies from 20.50 to 21.90mg/l while that of SO42- range from 3.29 to 4.90mg/l. Al3+ concentrations varies from 0.22 to 0.29mg/l while total iron concentrations range from 0.50 to 0.64mg/l. F- concentrations varies from 0.30 to 0.80mg/l while that of BOD range from 3.60 to 5.40mg/l. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations varies from 6.50 to 7.10mg/l while the total coli form range from 50 to 80 cfu/100ml. The results also show that the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) of the river varies from 0.58 to 0.74 while the Pollution Index (PI) varies from 0.68 to 0.72. Except for the pH, total coli form and Al3+ , the concentrations of other measured parameters conformed to World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 and Nigerian Water (2008) safe standards f0r drinking water. The acidic nature of the river, high concentrations of Al3+ and significant concentrations of total iron, F- and BOD are attributed to the waste-stream which is discharged into it from the Aluminium Extrusion plants in the study area. The impacts of the waste-stream on the river and its watershed include damage of coconut (cocos nucifera) trees and raffia palms (raphia ruffia) resulting in the decline of coconut, rope, local gin and palm wine production as well as decline in the cultivation of certain varieties of vegetables such as fluted pumpkin (telfairia occidentalis), water leaf (talonum tiangulare), garden eggs (salomum macrocarpum) and green (amarantus hybridias) near the river; it has also resulted in the decline in fishing activities and use of the water for drinking purposes. About 1,000 persons who live at a distance of 0.5km away from the river were observed to be at very high risk to the impacts of the waste-stream on the river. Pre-disposal treatment of the waste-stream and well programmed monitoring of the physical and bio-chemical characteristics of the Inyishi River is the best approach to maintain is resource status and usefulness.

Nanocrystalline zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films have been successfully deposited on silica glass substrates from acidic chemical baths containing tartaric acid and hydrazine as complexing agents, thioacetamide as a sulphur source and zinc acetate as the source of zinc ions. The influence of temperature on the structural-, optical-, morphological properties and elemental composition of the films were investigated by a variety of techniques. Powder x-ray diffraction patterns of the films exhibited the cubic structure. The deposition temperature had a significant influence on the lattice parameter and crystallite size. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray investigations have shown an improvement in morphology and stoichiometry of the films with increasing deposition temperature. The band gap of the thin films obtained by optical absorption spectroscopy showed a decrease from 3.88 eV to 3.75 eV as the deposition temperature increased. Transmittance of the films increased with decreasing deposition temperature.

In this paper we have studied the range of Hankel type and extended Hankel type transforms on some spaces of functions. Further the Paley-Wiener type theorem for the Hankel type transforms is also established.

There exist a linkage between poverty- corruption – and insecurity in Nigeria and these vices affect the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria. The objective of this work therefore, is to underscore the vices of corruption and insecurity as banes to the socio- economic development of Nigeria, and consider the powers of the economic and financial crime commission in curbing these vices. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, data were drawn from 100 members of staff of the EFCC. he work adopted the Yaro Yameni formula in order to determine its sample size and a simple random sampling technique to give each element of the population an equal chance of being selected. Findings revealed that the EFCC is incapacitated in the performance of its duties especially when offenders are high profiled elites/members of the ruling party, leading to delays in court trials, unsubstantiated judgment, or outright dismissal of cases. The work recommends that considering the linkage between poverty, corruption and insecurity in Nigeria, public funds should be utilized to create more job opportunities and sincere or transparent empowerment programmes should be created to engage the youth thereby distracting them from being used to perpetrate violence. Again, a prerequisite for holding political or public office should be the prospective holder’s reputation in previous workplace, fear of God, corruption history, and love for humanity.

Ten years after ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Nigeria (Africa’s most populous country and largest tobacco market) in 2015 enacted a legislation to domesticate the Convention. This article examines the concordance of the new tobacco control legislation with the Convention and its implementation after two years of its enactment. It highlights the challenges the Nigerian government faces in implementing the new legislation. It advocates for synergy among all arms of the government in the country to ensure that the new tobacco control law will not remain a “toothless bulldog” like its predecessor.

The urachal cyst result of the persistence of the middle part of the urachus and obliteration of the cephalic and caudal ends. Its diagnosis is often difficult because of the variability of the clinical signs. Ultrasound and computed tomography scan can establish the diagnosis in the majority of the cases. The objective of our work is to develop this disease, rare in adults, focusing on its epidemiology, diagnostic and therapeutic.