Biochemical Potential of Vitamin C as the Free Radical Scavenger and Increase Reduced Glutathione (GSH) in Brain of Female Rat Administered Combined Oral Contraceptives.

Background Several millions of women in reproductive age all over the world make  use of combined oral contraceptive to prevent  unwanted pregnancy and treat  menstrual   abnormalities.Most combined oral contraceptives has been  shown to induce oxidative stress  in tissues such as brain. Since vitamin c has been shown with high antioxidant probabilities in many studies. The present study was undertaken to assess the potential of vitamin c as the free radical scavenger and increase reduced glutathione (GSH) in  brain of female rat  administered  combined oral contraceptives. Method The experiment was performed in 24 female Wistar rats weighing  180g - 250 g. The animals were divided into 4 groups: Group 1(control), group 2(Vitamin C only ) (150mg/kg body weight). group 3(Combined Oral Contraceptive only) (0.667mg/kg body weight)and group 4(Combined Oral Contraceptive and vitamin C only) . After completing the experiments, the brains of all animals were collected and homogenized for further biochemical determination of antioxidant enzyme activities and vitamin C level.Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA test followed by the Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test for analysis of biochemical data using SPSS version 10.0 . Results It was observed that group 3 treated with combined oral contraceptives only showed decreased GSH activity accompanying with oxidative stress, indicating by, the increased MDA activity and The beneficial effects of vitamin C  treatment were shown in group 4 treated with  combined oral contraceptives and vitamin C  only accompanying with reduced oxidative stress. The effects are likely in dose-dependent manner. Conclusion This study indicates that vitamin c is effective in decreasing oxidative stress in the brain and help recovery of damages in cognitive function caused by combined oral contraceptives Keywords: Combined Oral Contraceptive,Vitamin C,Brain  and antioxidant enzyme

Volar Digital Transverse Creases of the Nigerians

The volar transverse creases of the second to fifth fingers have been shown to be genetically influenced and not caused primarily by embryonic flexion movements.  The presence of extra, displaced and missing volar digital transverse creases in individuals with normal joint anatomy may reveal abnormalities. This study aims at documenting the prevalence patterns of volar digital transverse creases of digits II-V in the normal Nigerian hands. Volar digital transverse creases of the digits II-V of 303 male and 168 female Nigerians were studied using palm prints obtained by ink method. Single crease (M) had highest frequency in the distal crease, followed by proximal crease and then middle crease. Double crease (D) frequency was highest in the middle phalanx, followed by proximal crease and then distal crease. Triple (T) frequency was highest in the middle phalanx; it was not common in the proximal and distal phalanx. Frequency of E and E+ creases were common in the middle phalanx, followed by distal phalanx and less common in the proximal phalanx. No differences exist between male and female digital creases of Nigerians, there is reduced frequency of the crease types T, E and E+ in all the fingers of male and female, and the male fingers II-IV showed absent E and E+ in the proximal phalanx. Keywords: Digital, Transverse, Creases, Nigerians

Resolving the gully erosion problem in Southeastern Nigeria: Innovation through public awareness and community-based approaches

The formation of gullies is one of the greatest environmental disasters in Southeastern Nigeria. Large areas of agricultural lands are lost or have become unsuitable for cultivation due to gully erosion. There have been numerous attempts to curb gully erosion in the region; especially through large-scale engineering projects, however, little has been discussed about ways to prevent their onset or the use of community-based low-technology approaches to mitigate their development. We reviewed pertinent literature, interviewed key stakeholders, observed gully erosion sites and had informal discussions with key experts in the field on the causes of gully erosion and community-based approaches in tackling the problem. Based on these discussions, interviews and observations, we showed that many eroding gullies in the region are human-induced and therefore can be prevented. The results also reveal that many of the causes of gully erosion can be traced to poor land management practices and to a lack of innovation and awareness measures. We conclude that community-based, low-technology land management practices and public awareness programs through workshops could halt the development of many gullies in the Southeastern region of Nigeria

Student and Teacher Factors as Predictors of Statistics Achievement in Federal School of Statistics Ibadan

The study aimed at assessing how students and teachers factor taken together influence students’ achievement in Statistics as well as their relative contribution to the prediction. Two research questions were raised and purposive sampling was adopted to select national diploma year 2 students since they are already in their final level in the school. Intact number of lecturers of Statistics department and year 2 Statistics students were used for the study. Students Questionnaire (SQ), Teaching Staff Scale (TSS), and Statistics Achievement Test (SAT) were used for data collection and analyzed using descriptive and multiple regression. The results showed that the 6 variables taken together had significant contribution to students’ achievement in Statistics and accounted for 80.82% of the variation in students’ achievement in Statistics. It was recommended that stakeholders in provision of Statistics education at the monotechnic institutions level must consider the four variables that contributed significantly to achievement seriously during planning for the Statistics education programmes for optimum achievement of students in Statistics

A study of the misuse of Sūratu Yāsīn among Yoruba Muslims

The Glorious Qur'ān apart from serving the purpose of guidance also serves many other purposes to the Muslims, two of which are supplication and healing. Evidences of this assertion abound in both the Qur'ān and the Sunnah. Muslim scholars across the world have explored the Qur'ān with the aim of proffering solutions to all problems ranging from spiritual, physical and psychological. They have always believed that the Qur'ānic passages are quite potent and efficacious. One of such passages of the Qur'an is Sūratu Yāsīn. This study therefore takes a look at the hidden spiritual properties of the sūrah namely its merits, benefits and virtues. The various ways by which contemporary Yoruba Muslims put it to use are equally examined. The study reveals out that while righteous Muslims have always employed it for good ends, the fickle and vicious ones employ it for diabolical ends.Keywords: Qur'ān, Spirituality, Sūratu Yāsīn, Yoruba Muslims, Misus

Multiple hand anomalies with unusual dermatoglyphic pattern in a Nigerian female

Congenital hand anomalies of the hand is a myriad of deformities resulting from gene mutation and intrauterine environmental insult occurring during the period of limb embryogenesis. Each entity may exhibit a peculiar dermatoglyphic pattern which is genetically predetermined. During routine embryology practical demonstration, we came across a 20 year old female medical student with bilateral post axial polydactyly, bilateral incomplete simple syndactyly between the middle, ring and little fingers and non aligned ulnar border of the hand. Dermatoglyphic studies revealed abnormally high Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC), abnormally high atd angle, occurrence of whorl & twin whorl patterns in all but one fingers and palmar crease lines on the thenar eminence, longitudinal to the thumb. Knowledge of anomalies of the hand, their combination and genetic basis is important for improving the outcome of surgical correction and genetic counseling. Keywords: Multiply hand anomalies, Dermatoglyphic patterns, Syndactyly, Polydactyly

An Assessment of Internet Use and Cyber-risk Prevalence among Students in Selected Nigerian Secondary Schools

The use of the Internet has become highly pervasive among adolescents. While these people derive numerous benefits from their use of this technology, they are also faced with a challenge of being exposed to many cyber risks. Nigeria is a developing country with a teeming population of adolescents who are regular users of the Internet, but with inadequate research on adolescent Internet safety. There is therefore, a need to conduct studies on child online risks in Nigeria, to help evaluate the enormity of child online abuses. The present study investigated Internet use and cyber-risk prevalence among four hundred secondary school students from a Nigerian state capital. This study employed a survey research method. The findings reveal that students in selected secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis are regular users of the Internet with considerable exposure to different cyber-risk behaviours. Male students are significantly more susceptible to cyberbullying than female students while public school students are more susceptible to cyberbullying and sexual solicitation risks than private school students. The study amongst others, recommends that Information Technology professionals and educators should intentionally get involved in enlightening students on the importance and means of ensuring safety while they use the Internet

Design and implementation of a low cost experimental testbed for wireless sensor networks

As wireless sensor networks (WSNs) become essential part of modern day infrastructure, researchers have presented loads of algorithms and models aimed at optimizing several aspects of the technology. These models are often developed and analyzed in simulated environments. The obvious need to experiment and confirm the actual performance of these algorithms and models on the field or in a more realistic environment is hampered in many cases by the high cost of advanced sensor node available in the market. Th is study therefore presents an inexpensive WSN test bed designed and constructed from an ESP8266EX Wi - Fi module. An experiment was conducted and results revealed that ESP8266EX based sensor nodes have a wider network coverage compared to the Arduino sensor s based test bed. The proposed test bed was used to compare the performances in terms of power management of two WSN routing algorithms; normal Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) and Cluster Head Assisted Routing (CHAR). Results show that the rate at which batteries depleted in LEACH and CHAR are 50% and 10% respectively; and this indicate s that batteries depleted faster in LEACH than CHAR; therefore it can be stated that there is an improvement in energy conservation in CHAR over LEAC H. It was also observed that CHAR produced a more even and gradual battery depletion rate leading to a longer network life of 20 rounds more than normal LEACH. Keywords: Wireless Sensor Network, Routing Protocols, Algorithms, Sensor nodes, and Power Manag eme

Standalone General Purpose Data Logger Design and Implementation

This paper describes the design of a general purpose data logger that is compatible with a variety of transducers, potentially permitting the measurement and recording of a wide range of phenomena. The recorded data can be retrieved to a PC via an RS-232 serial port. The standalone general purpose data logger centered on a single microcontroller unit (MCU) the PIC18F4520. The circuit takes an input range of 15 – 30V DC in addition; an in-built 9V rechargeable battery provides backup power in the absence of an external source.  The microcontroller input form the Transduceroutput was conditioned within the allowable voltage range, the ADC calculates a binary value that is equivalent to its input (analog) voltage.  The in-built 10-bit ADC of the PIC18F4520 converts the analog input to a digital output by successive approximation, the 8 MSBs of the ADC are stored whereas the 2 LSBs are discarded which makes the output of the ADC varies from 0 to 255. Although the PIC18F4520 features 256 bytes of non-volatile EEPROM data memory, four AT24C256 2-wire serial EEPROM chips were used for data storage. The four chips were cascaded to form a memory bank that connects to the MCU via a common single 2-wire bus.The hardware employed to achieve the RS-232 serial interface was a 9-pin D-shell serial connector and a voltage level translator chip (Maxim’s MAX232). The connector simply allows the device to be coupled to a serial port of a PC using a standard serial cable. The TIMER1 module of the PIC18F4520 was configured such that its 16-bit register is incremented on the rising edge of the external clock signal applied to its input pin (pin 16). The input pins of the MCU that are dedicated to the switches are pulled up by resistors R11, R12, R13, R14, R15 and R16.  The push buttons temporarily pull down the input signal when depressed. The output devices consist of a “Liquid Crystal Display” (LCD) device, four general purpose LEDs, and a buzzer. The LCD displays the momentary status of the data-logger in terms of date, time, sampling rate and nature of logged data.  The LEDs are used to display the four MSBs of the measured data and the buzzer is used to raise an alarm if and when necessary but may be disabled in hardware by opening jumper J4. The design was implemented and simulated on Labcenterproteus and the components were mounted on a double layered PCB (Printed Circuit Board) that provides the tracks that make up the circuit.The prototype design realized was found to work satisfactorily.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i2.18

Seismic stratigraphic analysis for hydrocarbon exploration in the Beta Field, Coastal Swamp Depobelt, Niger Delta

Hydrocarbon exploration analysis from a seismic stratigraphic approach was carried out within the Beta Field, Coastal Swamp Depobelt, Niger Delta, to identify system tracts and sequence boundaries that could be associated with potential hydrocarbon accumulation. 3D seismic volume and data from four wells were analyzed. Depositional sequences, system tracts, sequence boundaries, and candidate maximum flooding surfaces were picked from logs, while reflection patterns and terminations were interpreted from seismic sections. Log shapes from gamma rays in combination with seismic facies analysis were interpreted in order to delineate lithology, depositional environments and depositional sequences. Seismic attributes were extracted and were draped on gridded surfaces from the interpreted seismic horizons. These were integrated with structure maps to obtain structural and stratigraphic trends, and the possible presence of reservoir sand. Five depositional sequences and nine seismic facies were identified within the field. The depositional sequences were designated Sequences S1 to S5 based on the depth of the occurrences and stacking patterns. This study reveals a progression from fluvial depositional settings to the shelf. The main reservoirs identified are the sand units of the highstand and lowstand within three depositional sequences (S1, S4 and S5) although interbedded sands within the TST of S4 and S5 are also suspected of being potential reservoirs. The channel sand deposits within the study area are suspected to be hydrocarbon bearing as they occurred within the complex fault trapping system popular in the Niger Delta. The application of seismic stratigraphy, as shown in this study, serves to encourage exploration in the Niger Delta where it could be effectively employed for reducing risk in hydrocarbon exploration