Thermophilic Campylobacters are zoonotic bacteria which are universally famous for causing enteritis in humans. They are normally found as commensals in the digestive tract of food animals with poultry being a major reservoir of the pathogenic species. This study highlighted the presence of Campylobacter in poultry (commercial and domestic) and humans (patients and asymptomatic individuals) and characterized strains by biotyping and susceptibility test in the Northern region of Ghana where an...
Abstract A SSU rRNA gene clone library was constructed to establish the diversity of eukaryotic plankton in the African soda lake Nakuru during a phase of low salinity (9.7 ppt = hyposaline). Normally, the lake is mesosaline (up to 50 ppt) and its phytoplankton is dominated by few species of cyanobacteria, in particular Arthrospira fusiformis, which is the main food resource of Lesser Flamingos. Our study recovered a unique phytoplankton species composition characterized by a high diversity ...
Abstract: The effect of salt treatment on Brassica carinata (BC) microgreens grown under different light wavelengths on glucosinolates (GLs) and phenolic compounds were evaluated. Quantifiable GLs were identified using ultra-high performance-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. Extracts’ ability to activate antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) was evaluated on human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116). Furthermore, BC compounds’ ability to activate ...
Abstract: Monitoring of destructive invasive weeds such as those from the genus Striga requires accurate, near real-time predictions and integrated assessment techniques to enable better surveillance and consistent assessment initiatives. Thus, in this study, we predicted the potential ecological niche of Striga (Striga asiatica) weed in Zimbabwe, to identify and understand its propagation and map potentially vulnerable cropping areas. Vegetation phenology from remote sensing, bioclimatic an...
An open microfluidic system has been developed to dispense and manipulate individual droplets on plastic sheets. Superhydrophobic material is applied to the surface of obtainable plastic sheets by spraying, then hydrophilic symbols are printed with an inkjet printer. The plastic sheets are connected to a two-axis tilting platform driven by stepper motors, which produces mechanical agitation enabling droplet transport. The system has been demonstrated to carry out various droplet operations, s...
Abstract The antimicrobial resistance or otherwise of Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) isolates from medical students of some South Eastern Nigerian Universities were determined. Swab samples were obtained from the students and were cultured for CoNS using standard microbiological methods. Isolates obtained were assayed for antibiotic resistance using disc diffusion method. MecA and blaZ genes on 533bp and 510bp respectively, of the isolates were amplify using the Polymerase Chain Reac...
ABSTRACTNigeria has energy crisis, hence, there is urgent need to diversify the country’s energy resources towards renewable alternatives for economic and social transformation. Biogas generated from the anaerobic digestion of local biomass resources, will increase national energy security as well as reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Optimization of methane production by codigestion of poultry feather and sawdust using microbial consortia were investigated. The results of the molecular ide...
Abstract: The negative impacts of hydrocarbon pollutants on our environments and economic resources cannot be overemphasized. The need to harness the bioremediation potentials of microorganisms associated with hydrocarbon pollution becomes very imperative in order to mitigate the environmental impacts of petroleum hydrocarbons in our environments. The molecular identification of the microorganisms isolated from four automobile workshops at Ugbene 2 Abakpa Nike, Enugu, Nigeria based on 1...
ABSTRACTThe need to improve our vegetable protein consumption in order to reduce the incidence of protein deficiency diseases cannot be over-emphasized. This research was premised on evaluating the appropriate levels of substitution of cow milk with soya milk to produce composite yoghurt. Eight hundred (800) grams of soya bean seeds after sorting out foreign materials and washing were usedto produce 4.0 liters of soya milk (20% total solids). Cow milk (20% TS) was blended with soya milk in th...
The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly one of the biggest global crisis of this generation – a constantly evolving one, with new norms, regulations and updates to counter the disease. This article specifically talks on the introduction to COVID-19, its causes and effects and how we adapt to a new way of living. Keywords: Environment, Annual rate, Global crisis, Foreign investors, Epidemiology, Psychology. Introduction The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has been declared a Publi...
This study discovered that infiltration rate, bulk density, pH and available phosphorous were the most sensitive soil properties for use as MDS indicators for vegetable fields at south western of Nigeria. The study also revealed that both the MDS indicators and SQI value obtained were influenced by biofertilzer-fortified compost application and would serve as vital instrument for evaluating soil fe...
This study discovered indigenous rhizobacteria (A. brasiliense, A. chrocoocum, P. stutzeri and P. putida) from the rhizosphere of vegetable crops in semi-arid agro-zone of Rajasthan desert capable of synthesizing phytohormone. This study will provide baseline information on the phytohormone biosynthesis profile of t he isolates and the phytohormone produced can be transformed into commercial bio-formulations f...
This study provides knowledge on the diversity and drivers of AMF in the ecologically stressed ecosystem of arid and semi-arid regions of Indian desert and reveals promising findings that would provide baseline information for a better understanding of more important roles that AMF plays in enhancing resource allocation and increasing tolerance of tomato plant to the various environmental stresse...
The study justifies potentials of fungalbacterial biofilm bio-fertilizers (FBBs) and organic manure application as sustainable means of improving growth and yield of okra, optimizing economics of production by reducing amount of chemical fertilizer application and minimizing its deleterious effects on environment, soil and human health. Appropriate adoption of these findings by farmers and researchers would go a...
Abstract The role of enzyme engineering in biotechnol- ogy, biological and pharmaceutical process cannot be over emphasized. This study compared the adsorption of digestives enzymes; amylase, protease and lipase on to Zn- ferrite (ZnFe2O4). The metal ferrite was synthesized via a sol–gel technique and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption was stu...