Ismaila Emahi

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an incurable, progressive pneumonia-like illness characterized by fever, dry cough, fatigue, and headache during its early stages. COVID-19 has ultimately resulted in mortality in at least 2 million people worldwide. Millions of people globally have already been affected by this disease, and the numbers are expected to increase, perhaps until an effective cure or vaccine is identified.Although Africa was initially purported by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be severely hit by the pandemic, Africa recorded the least number of cases during the first wave, with lowest rates of infections, compared to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This statistic might be attributed to the low testing capacity, existing public health awareness and lessons learnt during Ebola epidemic. Nonetheless, the relatively low rate of infection should be an opportunity for Africa to be better prepared to overcome this and future epidemics.In this paper, the aut...

Water pollution remains a problem not only in developing countries but industrialized ones as well. And sewage constitutes one of such major pollutants and continues to attract attention worldwide. Several studies have attempted to identify and evaluate the impacts of water pollution, but are often faced with the problem of isolating and attributing a particular effect to a particular cause due to the spatial and temporal variability of the contaminants. This study examines broadly the problems of water quality monitoring and critically evaluates the strengths and limitations of some of the commonly used methodologies for water quality assessments. Using Ruscombe Brook (a reported sewage-polluted stream in the UK) as a case study, it suggests practicable approaches to investigating sewage and other major pollution events and proposes management strategies for improving the water quality. The author is of the view that, when used in conjunction with the recommended textbooks, this bo...

Heavy metal pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems globally. The removal of heavy metals from the environment is of special concern due to their persistence in the environment. Yet conventional techniques for removing these metals are very expensive and impractical for use in many parts of the developing world. Researchers therefore continue to explore cheaper, but effective techniques. The research presented in this book explores the use of raw coconut shell powder in removing heavy metals via biofiltration, and compares its effectiveness to that of activated coconut shell powder. Simple charring and activation procedures were followed to produce calcium chloride activated charcoal from dried coconut shells. Both the activated and raw coconut shell powder were effective in the removal of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper(Cu), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) from contaminated water. The results suggest that coconut shell powder could be used as relatively inexp...

Heavy metal persistence in the environment is a global threat and researchers continue to explore low-cost effective technologies for removing these contaminants from the environment. In this study, the ability of Caladium bicolor (biosorbent) to remove lead, zinc, copper and mercury ions from the contaminated water was explored. At 2 ppm metal ion concentration, the biosorbent was able to remove all four metal ions with a low removal efficiency of 79.5% for Hg2+ and a high of 99.5% for Pb2+. The effectiveness of the biosorbent, however, decreased when the metal ion concentration was increased beyond 2 ppm. Specifically, the biosorbent’s effectiveness was studied at 5, 10, 25, and 50 ppm metal ion concentrations. Interestingly, the decrease in effectiveness with regards to Pb2+ was relatively marginal, suggesting a stronger preference of Caladium bicolor for lead. In order to determine optimal conditions required for effective adsorption or high metal removal efficiencies, the effec...

Relatively inexpensive biosorbents, made from coconut shell, were explored as alternatives to high-quality activated carbon for use in small-scale, wastewater treatment in developing economies. Simple charring and activation procedures were followed to produce CaCl2-activated coconut shell charcoal and its effectiveness was compared with raw coconut shell powder for removal of mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) from contaminated water. From atomic absorption spectroscopy analyses, the removal efficiency of As and Hg with the use of activated charcoal were 67% (vs 65% for the raw form), and 53% (vs 49% for the raw form), respectively, from their corresponding “artificially”-contaminated wastewater. These results suggest that despite the slightly improved removal efficiencies recorded for activated coconut shells, the raw version could equally be used in treating wastewater towards the removal of the toxic metals- As and Hg. In order to understand the chemistry of the adsorption processes,...

In vitro selection or SELEX has allowed for the identification of functional nucleic acids (FNAs) that can potentially mimic and replace protein enzymes. These FNAs likely interact with cofactors, just like enzymes bind cofactors in their active sites. Investigating how FNA binding affects cofactor properties is important for understanding how an active site is formed and for developing useful enzyme mimics. Oxidoreductase enzymes contain cofactors in their active sites that allow the enzymes to do redox chemistry. In certain applications, these redox cofactors act as electron-transfer shuttles that transport electrons between the enzymes’ active sites and electrode surfaces. Three redox cofactors commonly found in oxidoreductases are flavin adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). We are interested in investigating how DNA aptamers that bind these cofactors influence the cofactors’ redox abilities and if these aptamer-cofactor complexes could serve as redox catalysts. We employed cyclic voltammetry and amperometry to study the electrochemical properties of NAD+ and PQQ when bound to DNA aptamers. Our results suggest that the aptamers provide a stable environment for the cofactor to participate in redox reactions, although enhanced redox activity was not observed. This work provides a foundation for the development of new FNAs capable of redox activity.

Aptamers are single-stranded RNA or DNA sequences that can bind to a target with affinity and specificity. Deoxyribozymes or DNA enzymes represent another type of functional, single-stranded DNA that can catalyze chemical reactions. Both aptamers and deoxyribozymes could find potential use in a number of applications, including biofuel cells. These functional DNAs are identified through an iterative process termed in vitro selection. This process allows one to develop customized catalysts made of DNA that can function under the desired application conditions. Compared to proteins, DNA is cheaper to synthesize, easily modified for attachment to surfaces such as electrodes, and stable under various conditions. It is therefore desirable to exploit these properties of DNA for use in various applications. For example, a deoxyribozyme capable of peroxidase activity has been identified, and our lab has demonstrated the ability of this deoxyribozyme to function in a biofuel cell. As a long ...

Deoxyribozymes, or DNAzymes, are a relatively new class of biocatalysts1 that are potentially useful in a variety of applications, including biofuel cells. DNA is a desirable component for devices because it is more stable than RNA and proteins under a variety of conditions, is readily modified so it can be attached to surfaces like electrodes, and costs less to produce by solid-phase synthesis. These catalytic single-stranded DNA sequences are identified in the lab using a combinatorial process called in vitro selection.

A pre drilling Geophysical investigation involving the use of Electomagnetics (Geonics EM34-3) and Electrical Resistivity Methods (Vertical Electrical Sounding) was carried out to determine the groundwater potential of the studied area. The Electromagnetics Method (Em34-3) was used for horizontal profiling in other to unleash the conductive region within the studied area. Meanwhile the Vertical Electrical Sounding characterized the geological layers base on their depth, thickness and resistivity values. The data obtained are interpreted both quantitatively and qualitatively; Qualitative interpretation involves evaluation of curves for hydro-geological characterization of the study area while the Quantitative interpretation of curves involves partial curve matching and modelling using computer iterations “DC interpretation software” Similarly, the interpretation of VES 1 data showed that the resistivity of the topsoil ranges from 172-191ohm-m with 0.7-1.6m thickness, the lateric laye...