Ekiti State University Ado Ekitiwas established as Obafemi Awolowo University, Ado-Ekiti on 30 March 1982 by the administration of Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, the first civilian governor of Ondo State. The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. It is located about 12 minutes drive from the center of the city of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State in Western Nigeria.Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, as it is known today, is the only university in Nigeria that has within a quarter of a century had its name changed four times. The name was changed to Ondo State University in 1985, University of Ado-Ekiti in November 1999, and to its present name Ekiti State University of Ado Ekiti in September 2011.In 2021 it has also been ranked 3rd best state university in Nigeria according to webometrics.
Aggregate stability and near-surface shear resistance represent complementary expressions of soil structural condition, yet it remains unclear whether they respond similarly to land use and tillage or are associated with different soil properties across heterogeneous headwater catchments. We evaluated 69 georeferenced surface-soil locations (0–0.05 m) under natural forest (NF), grassland forage (GF), conventional tillage (CCT), no-tillage (CNT), and minimum tillage (CMT) in southern Brazil. Soil organic carbon in the selected 1–2 mm aggregate fraction (SOC1–2), clay flocculation in the 1–2 mm fraction (FD1–2), aggregate stability (AS), particle-size fractions, gravimetric soil water content (GSWC), and a Torvane index of near-surface field shear resistance were evaluated using a priori contrasts, Spearman correlations, and principal component analysis (PCA). Relative to the mean of permanent-vegetation land uses, cultivated land had 49% lower SOC1–2, 27% lower FD1–2, 8% lower AS, and 70% lower shear-resistance. SOC1–2 was strongly associated with AS (Spearman r = 0.73) but was essentially unrelated to the Torvane index (r = 0.04). In contrast, the shear-resistance index was more closely associated with GSWC (r = 0.48) and silt in the 1–2 mm fraction (r = 0.34). Differences among tillage systems within cultivated land were generally small, except for greater AS under CNT than CMT. The first two principal components explained 53.7% of the standardized multivariate variation. Overall, land use was more strongly associated with near-surface soil structural condition than tillage system, while AS and field shear resistance captured complementary, non-interchangeable aspects of soil structural organization. AS was more closely related to SOC1–2 and FD1–2, whereas near-surface shear resistance was more closely associated with contemporaneous GSWC and particle-size and soil-class conditions. These findings show that land use is a stronger determinant of near-surface soil structural condition than tillage system, and that aggregate stability and field shear resistance provide complementary, non-interchangeable information for assessing soil structural organization and supporting land-management decisions in heterogeneous headwater catchments.
Soil pore architecture and hydraulic functioning strongly regulate water flow and retention. However, despite the growing application of X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) in soil science, its application in characterizing the pore system and hydraulic functioning of native forest soils converted to sugarcane production systems in northeast Brazil is still poorly known. This study therefore quantified the soil structure, pore system, and hydraulic functioning of a native forest (NF) and an adjacent sugarcane field receiving vinasse and managed without intercropping (sole sugarcane (SG)) and with Brachiaria ruziziensis intercropping (SG + Bra intercrop) in northeastern Brazil, using conventional soil physical measurements and X-ray CT, in three soil layers (0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm). Soil physical and hydraulic properties, as well as soil water retention, were quantified. The native forest soil exhibited a uniformly sandy texture across all depths, whereas sugarcane systems ranged from loam to sandy textures in surface layers due to long-term management. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen in the 0-10 cm layer were approximately 75 and 65% higher, respectively, in sole Sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop than in NF. Soil bulk density increased with depth under sugarcane, reaching values about 10%-13% higher than NF in the 20-40 cm layer. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the surface layer was higher in the NF, approximately five to nine times greater than in sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop, respectively. Conventional water retention analysis showed that sole SG and SG + Bra intercrop had greater total porosity (0.49-0.55 m(3) m(-3)), microporosity (0.26-0.36 m(3) m(-3)), field capacity (0.19-0.33 m(3) m(-3)), and plant available water (0.09-0.15 m(3) m(-3)) in the upper 20 cm compared with the NF (<= 0.10 m(3) m(-3) available water). In contrast, X-ray CT revealed higher macroporosity (0.20-0.23 mm(3) mm(-3)) and pore connectivity in the NF across all depths, with predominantly complex, inclined to near-horizontal pores and low anisotropy. Intercropping sugarcane with Brachiaria did not significantly alter (p > 0.05) bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, or CT-derived pore connectivity relative to sole sugarcane. The degree of anisotropy and fractal dimension derived from X-ray CT were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with conventionally measured hydraulic properties. The X-ray computed tomography proved effective in linking pore-scale architecture to soil hydraulic functioning, providing insights beyond conventional measurements. The short-term inclusion of Brachiaria as a cover crop at 10 kg seed ha(-1) did not result in significant improvements in soil pore structure, indicating that longer-term adoption and/or higher planting densities may be required to induce measurable changes in pore system architecture and soil hydraulic functioning.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), a β-haemoglobinopathy, is a neglected multi-system disorder caused by inherited abnormal haemoglobin structure or production and leads to catastrophic economic burden on affected households and societies. We assessed the predictors of both SCD severity and SCD care costs. This is a retrospective chart review of eligible children with SCD in a developing setting. Their sociodemographic, clinical and costs data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 with p ≤ 0.05 considered significant. Overall 2503 children with SCD (female: 1053 [51.3
In southwestern Nigeria, the increase in informal mining activities has raised environmental and public health concerns due to the potential mobilization of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) into surrounding ecosystems. In this study, 30 soil samples and 60 mine tailings were collected and analyzed to determine the activity concentrations of NORMs (40K, 238U, and 232Th). Gamma spectrometry with a well-calibrated CsI(Tl) detector was used. Spatial distribution maps were generated via geostatistical interpolation techniques. The radiological health risks associated with NORMs in the study area were assessed. The mean activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, and 232Th were 465.9 ± 267.5 Bq kq−1, 30.3 ± 9.1 Bq kg−1, and 48.7 ± 13.2 Bq kg−1, respectively, in the soil samples, whereas the values were 607.3 ± 651.8 Bq kg−1 for 40K, 29.5 ± 24.6 Bq kg−1 for 238U, and 53.0 ± 34.5 Bq kg−1 for 232Th in the mine tailings. Compared with soil, mine tailings present slightly higher activity concentrations of radionuclides. Geospatial maps of the study area reveal distinct hotspots with elevated activity concentrations of radionuclides, particularly in areas in close proximity to mining sites. The results of the radiological health risk parameters evaluated in this study show that while most locations fall within internationally recommended safety limits, certain areas (with high activity concentrations of NORMs) can pose potential radiological health risks to local populations through prolonged exposure. There is a need for continuous environmental monitoring and the implementation of safety guidelines in the study area to mitigate radiological hazards associated with artisanal mining.
A series of eight spirocyclic oxindole derivatives 1a-1d, 2a-2d was synthesized according to established methods; this included the previously unreported compound, 2c. The structures of all compounds were unequivocally characterised by spectroscopic analysis (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The in vitro antibacterial activity was assessed against representative Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus anthracis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The compounds exhibited a range of bactericidal effects. Notably, derivative 2c demonstrated potent, broadspectrum activity against B. subtilis, B. anthracis, and E. coli. Furthermore, both 2b and 2c exhibited significant efficacy against a clinically resistant strain of P. aeruginosa. In contrast, compounds 1a and 1d showed negligible antibacterial activity. These results underscore the potential of the spirocyclic oxindole scaffold in the development of novel antibacterial agents. This study provides a foundation for future work to optimize the structure-activity relationship and elucidate the precise mechanism of action of these compounds.
