564 research outputs found

    Dealing With A Controllable Risk Factor Like Diet In The Management Of Cardiovascular Disease

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    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a silent killer in Nigeria and many parts of the world. Certain factors increase the risk of CVD. While there are controllable factors that contribute and predispose to the development of CVD like diet, exercise, tobacco use, high blood pressure andobesity, there are uncontrollable factors like age, sex and heredity, which are out of the control of the individual. Freedom from CVD is an intricate interaction of many factors. Diet is one strong means of staying free of CVD. This paper posits that rather than calling for a complete boycott of red meat and poultry eggs, thereby throwing those involved in this line of business out of work, professionals involved in animal production, can resort to genetic, dietary, non-dietary, and pharmacological means of controlling cholesterol in meat and eggs. Even though CVD is more common among the aged, artherogenesis (the beginning of artery plaque formation) starts in early childhood. Education is a very important factor in our search for freedom from CVD. Medical personnel, human nutritionists, veterinarians and animal scientists should form a strong synergy in the fight against this scourge

    Influence of firm related factors and industrial policy regime on technology based capacity utilization in sugar industry in Nigeria

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    The study analyzed the technology based capacity utilization rate in sugar industry in Nigeria in the period 1970 to 2010. Data used in the study were obtained from the sugar firms, publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria and National Bureau of Statistics. Augmented Dicker Fuller unit root test was conducted on the specified data to ascertain their stationarity and order of integration. The result reveals that some variables were stationary at level while some were stationary at first difference. The diagnostic statistics from the multiple log linear regression on the specified variables confirmed the reliability of the model. The empirical result reveals that sugar cane price and sugar industry’s real energy consumption have significant negative relationship with the technology based capacity utilization in the sugar industry in Nigeria. On the other hand, the wage rate of skill workers, industry’s, real research expenditure, human capital and period of import substitution have significant positive influenced on the technology based capacity utilization rate in the industry. Our findings suggest that policy measures aim at expanding the hectares of industrial sugarcane and increase production of refined petroleum fuel in the country will promote capacity utilization in the industry. Also policies targeted on the intensification of research and improved worker’s remuneration in the sub-sector is strongly advocated.Sugar, firm, capacity, utilization, industry, technology, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, GA, IN,

    The Phytoplankton Community Structure of a Tropical River in Niger Delta, Nigeria

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    The phytoplankton community structure in Mbo Rver, Akwa ibom State was studied for a period of one year (December 2009-November 2010) using standard analytical methods. The aim was to study the algal structure as reference point for the sustainable management of the river in view of the proposed development plans for the river basin. The result showed that station 1 had the highest value of species richness making up 42.16% with 43 species. Station II recorded 30 species making up to 29.41% and Station III contributed to 28.43% of the sample with 29 species. A total of 102 species of phytoplankton in general and five taxonomic groups were collected. Of this total, the diatoms had the highest number of species (45 species), followed by chlorophyceae with 25 species. The highest diversity of 3.23 was recorded in Station I in march and the lowest of 2.96 in February also in Station 1. Keywords: Phytoplankton, community structure, Mbo Rive

    Urban poverty and residential environment degradation in Calabar Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

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    In recent times the problem of environmental degradation of urban areas in Nigeria has reached an unprecedented proportion This phenomenon which is prevalent in both residential and industrial areas is caused by increased population growth unsustainable use of resources rapid industrialization unemployment income inadequacies as well as inefficient or non-existing waste management strategies This study examines the contributions of poverty as a reflection of income inadequacies and disparity to the availability of waste disposal facilities and its role in environmental degradation in Calabar urban area The research objectives are achieved though the identification of the disparity in household income distribution An assessment of the quality and quantity of waste disposal facilities available to housing units is made using primary and secondary data The findings reveal a wide pattern of disparity in household income and waste disposal facilities It is observed that the high density residential areas of Calabar South Local Government are not well served in waste management facilities resulting in environment degradation The medium and low density residential areas within the municipality are better served resulting in proper waste management The opinion of residents within the urban area is that government should be solely responsible for waste managemen

    Determining the Efficiency of the Government of Ghana’s Network of Grain Storage Facilities

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    Governments in developing countries design networks of grain storage facilities to help farmers store excess agricultural produce to prepare for climate induced crop failures. The efficiency of such networks has serious economic and food security implications on respective countries. Periodic review of the efficiency of such networks is necessary to identify lapses and opportunities for optimization. Past studies on efficiency of networksof facilities, which usually assume scenarios peculiar to the developed world used data that are usually unavailable or unreliable in developing countries. This work therefore developed an integrated approach that relies solely on readily available and reliable governmental and open source data to compute the short and long-term efficiencies of networks of grain storage facilities. This approach was used to analyze the efficiency of the government of Ghana’s network of forty-eight grain storage facilities. A transportation model was used to compute the total transportation cost within the existing network. A P-median model was then used to develop and compute the transportation cost of a theoretically optimal network. Outputs from a forecasting model were used with the transportation andP-median models to study the short and long-term efficiencies of the existing and optimal networks. The average short and long term efficiencies of the existing network were 66% and 26% respectively. The study also investigated the efficiencies of a rank network which is created by siting GSF’s in only high grain production districts. The short and long-term efficiencies of this network were 87% and 72% respectively. The study showed that Ghana’s GSFs were sub-optimally sited hence farmers would have to travel excessively longer distances than necessary to use it. This offers some explanation for its low patronage. Furthermore, the study shows that a rank network was not as efficient as the optimal network. This study therefore demonstrates the use of this integrated approach coupledwith readily available data to analyze networks of grain storage facilities in developing countries

    Background Ionising Radiation and Estimated Health Risk in Cereal Farmland in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

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    Radionuclides are found in soils, plants, vegetables, fruits and in farmlands. These radionuclides contaminate the farmland, environment, the cereal, food products and could cause deleterious effect on both animals and human beings when ingested or inhaled. The farmland is owned by a government research institute with a mandate to develop improved varieties of some cereal plants. In situ measurement of the background ionising radiation was conducted with a radiation survey meter which measured the exposures in micro Seviert per hour and the expected health indicators risk on the workers evaluated.The mean BIR measured was obtained as 0.097µSv/hr. The annual equivalent dose rate of radiation obtained in the farm was range between 0.1033 to 0.3328 mSv/yr with a mean value of 0.1699 mSv/yr. The mean annual effective dose rate of 0.1190 mSv/yr was obtained while the mean calculated ECLR is 0.416 X 10-3. The AEDR obtained in this study is lower than the international commission on radiation protection recommended safety limit for the public but higher than values from many works in dumpsites. The ECLR value for this work is higher than the recommended safe value, an indication of potential health risk for the workers and inhabitant of the farmland. Therefore regulatory controls are necessary which include workers spending fewer periods in the farmland and decontamination of the farm. Keywords: Gamma radiation, occupational risk, Annual effective dose rate, National Cereal Institute, Uyo

    Performance, Carcass and Organ Weights Characteristics of Finishing Broiler Chickens Fed Pro-Vitamin A ( UMUCASS 36) Cassava Meal

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    A 4-week study was conducted using 120 unsexed Anak strain broilers to determine the performance, carcass and internal organs characteristics of finishing broilers fed unpeeled and  peeled fermented pro-vitamin A cassava meal as total replacement for maize. Fresh bio-fortified pro-vitamin A cassava was harvested and divided into two batches. The first batch was peeled and the second batch was unpeeled. Both were soaked separately in a plastic vat containing clean water and allowed to ferment for 72 hours. Thereafter, they were washed with clean water, sundried and milled to produce i. peeled fermented pro-vitamin A cassava tuber meal (PFPC). ii. Unpeeled fermented pro-vitamin A cassava tuber meal (UFPC). The broilers were divided into three groups and fed diets containing 100% maize T1 (control) as the source of energy, while T2 and T3 contained 100% unpeeled and peeled fermented pro-vitamin A cassava as the source of energy respectively. Each group was replicated four times with 10 birds per replicate in a completely Randomized Design (CRD). Feed and water were provided ad libitum for the period. Result showed that final body weight, daily weight gain and breast weight of the control were significantly (p 0.05) higher than UFPC and PFPC groups. The treatment had no significant (p 0.05) effect on the internal organs of the birds. Abdominal fat of the PFPC group was significantly (p 0.05) higher than the control and UFPC. The results of this study revealed that unpeeled and peeled fermented pro-vitamin A cassava meal can completely replaced maize in the diets of finishing broilers. Keywords: Broiler, performance, pro-vitamin A cassav

    The Specialty of General Medical Practice/family Medicine: The need for Development in Nigeria

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    Effect of storage management on free fatty acid content in dry cocoa beans

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    Though not a quality parameter, it is expected that the free fatty acids (FFA) content must be less than 1.0% to meet the acceptable level of 1.75% in cocoa butter extracted from the dry cocoa beans. This study therefore investigates the FFA content of stored dry cocoa beans from Ghana that was generally low compared to that of Côte d’Ivoire. The FFA content of dry cocoa beans increases with storage time and this was evident for both countries. The mean FFA of Ghana’s cocoa beans was 2.03% in 1999 and 0.90% in 2008 while that of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa beans was 2.57% in 2002 and 1.43% in 2008. The low mean moisture content of 6.5% of Ghana cocoa beans and the mean moisture content 8.0% of Côte d’Ivoire cocoa beans might have influenced the differences in mean FFA levels. To evaluate the effect of insect infestation on increase of FFA, dry cocoa beans were infested with ten young adults of Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricus), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) and stored for 9 mo under dry condition at 30±2°C. The mean FFA of the insect-infested dry cocoa beans increased from 0.76% at the time of storage to 1.81% after 9 mo of storage. However, the mean FFA of the control dry cocoa beans increased from 0.79% at the time of storage to 0.93% after 9 mo of storage. It could therefore be inferred conclusively that FFA content in dry cocoa beans increases with insect infestation.Keywords: Cocoa beans, Free fatty acids, Storage management, Quality preservation, Insect infestation
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