Heavy Metals Pollution Status of Sediments of Ahmadu Bello University Dam, Zaria-Nigeria

Pollution status of the sediments of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) dam, Zaria-Nigeria, was assessed. Twenty-four samples were collected from specified stations and analyzed for the concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cd, Co, and Cr, using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals ranged between 1.162±0.006(A) and 49.878±0.685(K); 53.262±0.075(H) and 105.546±0.842(I); 2.427±0.001(F) and 3.343±0.002 (J); 1.083±0.006(A) and 0.100±0.002(H); 7.572±0.042(E)) and 27.222±0.053 mg/kg (K), respectively. All values were below the permissible limits declared by World Health Organization (WHO) (2006). Pollution load index (PLI) and geo-accumulation index (I-geo) were employed to assess the pollution status of the dam across the sampling stations. The PLI values obtained across the sampling stations ranged between 5.94×10-7 (A)and8.19×10-5 (K).The I-geo found for the concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cd, Co and Cr in the sediments ranged between -6.597(A) and -1.173(K); -3.564(H) and -2.2.577(I); -5.715(F) and -5.297(L); -5.893(D & E) and - 4.047(J) respectively. Results obtained indicate that none of the sampling stations was polluted. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis (ANOVA) and P values > 0.05 obtained for the analyzed metals indicate that there were no significant differences in the concentrations of the analyzed metals across the sampling pointsKeywords: ABU dam, Sediments, Heavy metals, Pollution index (PLI), Geo-accumulation index (I-geo

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Analysis of socio-economic factors influencing farmers’ adoption of improved maize production practices in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to analyze the socio-economic determinants of adoption of improved maize production practices (IMPPs) in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 120  respondents for the study. The data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, mean and inferential statistics (logit regression). Result of analysis revealed that most (42.5%) of the farmers were between 25 and 34 years of age, male (94.2%), married (58.3%) and had secondary education (65.8%). About 32% of the farmers had between 20 and 29 years of farming experience. Majority  (91.67%) of the maize farmers had farm size of 1-3ha. Land preparation (97.5%), manual weeding (89.2%) and seed dressing (75.8%) recorded the highest level of awareness among the IMPPs. Furthermore high cost of input (96.7%), inadequate capital (95.0%) and high cost of labour (88.3%) were the major constraints to adoption of IMPPs. Farm size was found to be significantly related to adoption of IMPPs at 1% level of probability with positive coefficient (0.620). It was therefore recommended that extension should assist to form farmers into functional  cooperatives, link them to available sources of credits so as to enable them take advantage of the available loan facilities.Key words: Improved maize production practices, adoption, socio-economic, Kaduna Stat

Entrepreneurship management skills needed by self-employed motor vehicle mechanics in the North Central States of Nigeria

This study identified the entrepreneurship management skills needed by self-employed motor vehicle mechanics in the North-Central States of Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. The study was carried out in the North-Central States of Nigeria. The targeted population for this study was 22,523 respondents. The sample for the study was 2,019 respondents comprising of 1,435 registered self-employed motor vehicle mechanics, drawn through the use of Taro Yamane formula for finite population, 475 managers of micro firms in motor vehicle mechanics and 109 entrepreneurship lecturers. A structured questionnaire titled: Self-Employed Motor Vehicle Mechanics Entrepreneurship Management Skills Needed Questionnaire (SEMVMEMSNQ) developed by the researchers and validated by five Lecturers in the Department of Industrial and Technology Education, Federal University of Technology, Minna was used for the data collected for the study. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.84 established through Cronbach Alpha Statistic techniques. Mean and standard deviation were the statistical tools used to analyze the data for answering the research question; While One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistics was employed to test the null hypotheses for the study at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that all the 13 items entrepreneurial accounting skills and public relations skills are highly needed by motor vehicle mechanics in the North Central States of Nigeria. Based on the findings it was recommended among others that: The National Council on Automotive (NCA) should in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity incorporate the identified entrepreneurial skills into their training and re-training programmes so that motor vehicle mechanics can be made to acquire the needed entrepreneurship management skills that will assist them to sustain and secure their employment

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species