Ergonomic Consideration of the Effect of Flour Dust on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate of Bakers in Abeokuta, Ogun State

Flour dusts are one of the most harmful chemicals in the bakery industries which could lead to serious heart and lung diseases. This study investigated the effect of flour dust on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate of male bakers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria with the relationship to the anthropometrical parameters. A total of One hundred Eighty (180) male participants were investigated, where ninety (90) participants were bakers and ninety (90) individuals as control group. The Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and anthropometrical parameters of the participant were measured using mini-Wright peak flow meter (PFM 20, OMRON) and Detecto PD300MDHR (Cardinal Scale manufacturing company, USA) column scale with digital height rod was used to measure body mass [kg] and height (cm) respectively. The PEFR and anthropometrical parameters of the bakers and control groups were analysed using descriptive statistics and T-test with SPSS. The results showed that lower PEFR, 182.67 ± 16.34 L/min existed in bakers compared to 287.67 ± 17.02 L/min in the control study. The result also showed that a significant correlation exist between body mass, height and age (P < 0.01), PEFR, height (P < 0.05) and years of exposure (P < 0.01) of the bakers respectively. Furthermore, the results also showed that workers in the dusting and mixing of flour are at a risk of developing related pulmonary function impairment such as asthma. The study concluded that there is need to develop an effective intervention strategy, treatment seeking behaviour through awareness programs to prevent lung impairment diseases among the bakery workers

Antifungal Activities of Ethanol and Aqueous Crude Extracts of Four Nigerian Chewing Sticks

The antifungal activities of the ethanol and aqueous crude extracts of four Nigerian chewing sticks were investigated. Also a preliminary phytochemical analysis of the plants was done. The chewing sticks include Anogeissus schimperi, Distemonanthus benthmianus, Vernonia amagdalina and Xanthoxylum zanthoxyloides. All the plants tested, except Anogeissus Schimperi, displayed antifungal activities, zone of inhibition above the 10 mm standard mark. The ethanol crude extracts of the chewing sticks had a greater zone of inhibition in comparison with the aqueous extract. Among the individual plant extracts, D. benthmianus had the highest antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Microsporium gypseum and Trichophyton metagrophytes. The chewing sticks contain antifungal agents, though the concentration and composition of the bioactive substances may differ amongst the plants. Distemonath benthmianus exhibited a better antifungal activity and thus made it more suitable for better dental care. Flavonoid was present in all the plant extracts. Tannin was present in all the plant extract, except that of Anogeissus schimperi. Alkaloids were absent in all the plant extract. The ethanolic extracts had more phytochemical compounds than the aqueous extracts

Comparative Study of Training Needs of Forestry Workers in Oyo and Osun States, Nigeria

The forest industry in the study area is in the verge of collapse due to the increasing scarcity of the major wood forest products. Rural societies in the states also depend on varied non timber forest products and services that are currently being jeopardised due to diminishing forest. Therefore, forestry workers in the study area need to possess the skills, knowledge, and adequate resources to help farmers within the forest area. The specific objectives are to:(a) ascertain the personal characteristics (sex, age, marital status, number of children) of respondents involved in forestry  activities in the study area.(b) examine training needs of forestry workers involved in forestry activities in the study area. The hypotheses to be tested is There is no significant relationship between the selected personal characteristics (sex, age, marital status, number of children) of respondents and their training needs in the study area. 50% of forestry workers were randomly selected from each state selected for the study. Major findings from the study revealed that: forestry workers were generally male across the states and categories. 50.0%, and 66.7% had spent 6-10 years in the service of Osun and Oyo States respectively; medium level (  = 3.0 – 3.99) in Osun and Oyo States, Vocational staff perceived they need training in most area. Professional needs training in problem solving approach (WMDS= 10) in Oyo State, and Tree/Shrub establishment (WMDS= 9.0) in Osun State. The implication of this study is that professionals and vocational staff need to improve their knowledge, skills and attitude in forestry activities. It is therefore recommended that Staffs should be given constant retraining to improve their performance and sustain forest benefits coordinated and funded by the governments

CORRELATION BETWEEN OPEN REPORTING SYSTEM OF PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND TEACHERS PERCEIVED PRODUCTIVITY IN LAGOS STATE

The study examined the relationship between open reporting system of performance evaluation and teachers’ perceived productivity in Lagos State. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The sample comprises of three hundred teachers randomly selected from five secondary schools in each of the six Education Districts of Lagos State. A modified Likert type questionnaire was prepared and used to collect data for the study. Pearson product moment correlation co-efficient was used for data analysis. The result of the analysis shows that there existed a significant relationship (P =0.05) between the open reporting system of performance appraisal, on the one hand, perceived teachers’ productivity and teachers’ potential for advancement on the other. Consequently, it was suggested among other things, that teachers performance appraisal system should be based on objectivity and be devoid of prejudices and biases

Concept difficulty in secondary school chemistry: an intra-play of gender, school location and school type

This study focused on addressing underperformance in chemistry in Anglophone West African countries. The main purpose of the study was to determine if factors such as gender, school location and ownership impact students’ perception of the difficulty of chemistry concepts and to suggest how these difficult concepts can be made easy to learn from the perspectives of the students. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Participants were 1,292 chemistry students from nine public and 12 private secondary schools in Nigeria and Ghana with about three-quarters of the schools from urban areas. About 51% of the participants were females. Twenty-four students were interviewed to gather qualitative data. The Difficult Concept in Chemistry Questionnaire (DCCQ) and the Difficult Concepts in Chemistry Interview Guide (DCCIG) were used for data collection. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the DCCQ was 0.88. We found a slight difference in the perception of male and female students while school type came as a major determinant factor on students’ perception of difficult concepts in chemistry, just as school location. Phobia for calculations came out as a major cause of difficulty in the top five perceived difficult concepts. Findings on causes of learning difficulties were reported as well as suggestions for improvement as viewed by the students. Recommendations were made for improving the teaching and learning of chemistry in Anglophone West African schools.Peer Reviewe

Laboratory scale bioremediation of crude oil impacted soil using animal waste compost

This study investigated various ways by which the rate of biodegradation of hydrocarbons {ex-situ treatment} can be enhanced in an efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly manner. To achieve this, bioremediation processes were applied to a crude oil impacted soil. Tests were conducted to evaluate the biodegradation effect of the oil on the soil e.g. effect on density, electrical conductivity, etc. The percentage of organic matter and carbon was evaluated in order to determine the organic carbon interaction with the contaminated soil sample. The effect of contamination on the geotechnical properties of the contaminated soil was also evaluated using compaction test. Two types of compost - sheep waste compost and crude oil (SCRO), and goat waste compost and crude oil (GCRO) - with an application rate of {0g, 350g and 550g} were applied in the treatment. The results showed that all bioremediation agents applied enhanced the natural bioremediation of the contaminated soil and the most preferred results were obtained when treatments were done using SCRO compost. This study revealed that the remediation process was influenced by application period, type of oil, and compost rate