Estimation of proximate composition and biogas production from in vitro gas fermentation of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) and wild cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) peels

The proximate composition in terms of percentage dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), ether-extract (EE), ash, nitrogen free extract (NFE) and carbohydrate of sweet potato peel (SPP) and wild cocoyam peel (WCP) were determined. Buffered and sieved goat’s rumen liquor was added to 200mg of dried and milled SPP and WCP in 100 ml syringes supplied with C02 under anaerobic condition and incubated for 24 h. Total biogas produced was measured at 3 h intervals till the 24th h when the fermentation was terminated. The inoculum was also incubated separately. All treatments were replicated three times and readings were taken in duplicates. The proximate composition of SPP and WCP were similar except for the higher EE content (12%) of SPP. The SPP and WCP used contained 26.81 and 26.97% DM, 3.06 and 3.83% CP, and 78.94 and 79.17% carbohydrate respectively. Both samples had the same crude fibre (7.00%) content. Total biogas produced from SPP, WCP and the inoculum varied from 13.0, 11.0 and 5.0 ml respectively at the 3rd h through 66.5, 61.5 and 18.0 ml at the 18th h to 77.5, 72.0 and 30.0 ml at the 24th h respectively. The differences in biogas production across the treatments were significant (p 0.05) in the volumes of methane produced from SPP (42.5 ml) and WCP (39.5 ml) which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 20.0 ml produced by the inoculum. Fermentation is a cheap method to produce methane gas as fuel for domestic and industrial use, which may sanitize the environment from pollution. The remaining residue can be used as livestock feed

Profit Maximization In A Product Mix Company Using Linear Programming

This paper demonstrates the use of linear programming methods as applicable in the manufacturing industry. Data were collected as extracts from the records of KASMO Industry Limited, Osogbo, Nigeria, on four types of sales packages adopted for selling her medicated soap product which include 1 tablet per pack, 3 tablets per pack, 12 tablets per pack and 120 tablets per pack. Information on selling price per pack and on the cost of five basic raw materials used as well as the quantity of each of the raw material held in stock per month for the production of soap tablets were available in the records of the company. Based on the costs of raw materials, the maximum profit that would accrue to the company given the product mix was determined. The results showed that the company would attain optimal monthly profit level of about N271,296 if she concentrates mainly on the unit sales (one tablet per pack) of her medicated soap product, ignoring other forms of sales packages. By this, her sales turn-over per month would be about 18,900 soap tablets. The analysis was carried out with R statistical package (www.cran.org) using the library “lpSolve”. Key Words: Linear programming, Simplex Method, Objective function, Product mix, R software

Modelling Coastal Externalities Effects on Residential Housing Values

Design/methodology/approach A survey approach was adopted for the data collection process. For both models, property values were measured in proximity to coastline using 0–250m, 251-500m and 0-500m. Purpose This paper examines the impact of coastline on the rental value of residential property in proximity to the coastline, using the hedonic pricing model from two perspectives. First, model 1A-C accounted for estimating the influence of coastal amenities while controlling for other housing attributes influencing rent. Second, model 2A-C accounted for the interaction between coastal amenities/disamenities and other housing attributes influencing rent. Findings Findings revealed that property rental value increases as we move away from the coastline when disamenities are not controlled. The results suggested that for a mean-priced home (N2,941,029 or $8,170) at the mean distance from the coastline (301.83m), a 1$0.03) increase in rental value. Practical implications The implication to real estate valuers is that varying premiums should be considered when valuing a property depending on the distance to the coastline while considering other housing attributes. Originality/value This research introduces a novel approach to the hedonic model for determining property values in proximity to coastal environment by estimating the influence of coastal amenities while controlling for other housing attributes influencing rent, on one hand, and accounting for the interaction between coastal amenities/disamenities and other housing attributes influencing rent on the other

Isolated from Selected Nigerian Breeds of Cattle

Abstract The kinetics of fermentative activities in the rumen justified the need for microbial assessment of autochthonous members of rumen community before prolonged fermentation in the selected breeds of cattle commonly adapted to Nigerian environment. A total of four breeds of cattle were selected for this study comprising of both male and female sexes of Bunaji (White Fulani), Futumi (Keteku), Bokolo (N&apos;dama) and Djeli (Sokoto Gudali) respectively. Total heterophilic bacteria (THB) on Nutrient agar (NA) ranged between 9.1×10 8 cfu/g -125×10 11 cfu/g with the highest count recorded for male Djeli (Dm) and the least count for female Djeli (Df) respectively. Total heterophilic fungi (THF) on Malt Extract (ME) agar recorded the highest count (6.0×105 spores/g) for female Bunaji (Bf) and no growth was observed for female Bokolo (Bkf). The rumen pH ranged between 5.65 and 6.90 for female Futumi (Ff) and male Bunaji (Bm) respectively. Significant differences (p&lt;0.05) were observed for pH and total microbial counts based on sex. Standard methods of Colonial and biochemical assessments led to the isolation, characterization and identification of bacterial species of the genera; Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas and Shigella. Klebsiella edwardsii occured highest (24.24%) while Proteus morganella, Shigella dysentariae and Shigella sonnei occurred least (3.03%). Fungal species of the group; Aspergillus, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Cephalosporium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Pullularia, Rhizoctonia and Trichophyton were also isolated and identified. Aspergillus glaucus and Pullularia pullulans both occurred highest (17%) while A. fumigatus, A. niger, Botrytis spp., Cladosporium herbarium, Penicillium camemberti, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum and Rhizoctonia solani occurred least at the level of 5%. In conclusion, breed as a factor had significant effects on the type, population and percentage occurrence of rumen bacteria and fungi studied in this work. The use of fistulated animals is recommended for microbial screening at different stages of fermentation without the need to sacrifice the animals

Residential Property Location Choice of Tenants in Bosso Local Municipality of Minna, Nigeria

Residential location choice (RLC) is key to the pattern of urban development in any city. This paper investigates factors influencing the choice of residential location by tenants in&nbsp;Bosso Local Government Area (LGA),&nbsp;Minna.&nbsp;The objective of the paper is to establish the roles played by a variety of housing attributes, and thus the design is an analytical survey. Data was collected from 277 structured questionnaires completed by household heads who are tenants in Bosso&nbsp;LGA neighbourhoods.&nbsp;This data was further investigated through factor analysis to reduce the variety of housing variables to a smaller set of influential components. The results reveal that the principal component in the determination of residential location of tenants is dwelling attributes comprising of the number of bathrooms, number of toilets and number of bedrooms. In addition, the second principal component, named accessibility attributes, plays a modest role with proximity to a secondary school and/or primary school loading very high. The study recommends that property owners should respond to the desires of tenants by paying attention to the provision of the right ratio of bathrooms and toilets to the number of bedrooms. Also,&nbsp;urban planners and policymakers should efficiently allocate educational properties like secondary and primary schools across all the neighbourhoods in the study area. With these recommendations, it is hoped that residential locations across Bosso LGA will be equally attractive to tenants

Factors Influencing Stakeholders’ Decision to Invest in Residential Properties: A Perceptual Analysis of Flood-Risk Areas

The ground can become saturated during prolonged downpours. If sewers and drains are unable to cope, overflows will be inevitable. This situation could affect properties that are not designed to cope with flood hazards. It is pertinent that property investors should consider flooding and the likelihood of its occurrence when making investment decisions. The question is, “do they?” This study investigates the factors that influence residential property investment decisions in flood-risk areas of the Lagos metropolis. This is achieved by evaluating a range of locational, neighbourhood, structural, market/economic, behavioural, and risk characteristics in the determination of residential property investment choices in areas that are susceptible to flood risk. The data were sourced from private investors and registered real estate agents in the risk areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection purposes, and only valid responses were used for the data analysis. The results show that the availability of infrastructural supply, the crime rate in the neighbourhood, and the property location could significantly motivate investors’ decisions with respect to property investment in flood-risk areas. The perception plot shows that behavioural factors have the highest bearing on the investment decisions for private investors, at 4.4, followed by economic factors at 4.0 and locational factors at 3.6. The plot also shows that neighbourhood factors have the highest bearing on the investment decisions for estate agents, at 4.6, followed by economic factors at 4.0 and locational factors at 3.6. This implies that there are various degrees of correlation between the factors examined in this study. It is important to highlight the relevance of the findings for the field and pave the way for future scientific development in flood-risk management