Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Oil Extracted from Amaranth

This chapter deals with the kinetics of solvent extraction of oil from Amaranth, as well as the thermodynamics of the extraction process. Brief introduction of Amaranth and Amaranth oil yields and compositions were given. The justifications of the choice of extraction method, as well as the solvent used in the kinetics and thermodynamic studies, were discussed. Known kinetic models used to model vegetable oils extraction process, were discussed, with the view of evaluating the feasibility of fitting the obtained experimental data into the models. The extraction kinetic models considered are the parabolic diffusion, power law, hyperbolic, Elovich’s and pseudo second order models. The thermodynamics of oil extraction process were also considered. Hence, the thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy, entropy and Gibb’s free energy change of the process were also discussed

A decade study of the incidence and clinical analysis of ectopic pregnancy at a tertiary hospital in Eastern Nigeria

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP), a condition where a fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, is a fertility- and life-threatening gynecological condition. This study aimed at determining the incidence of EP, clinical presentation, gestational age at presentation, risk factors and treatment modalities.Methods: This study was conducted at St. Charles Borromeo specialist hospital, Onitsha, Nigeria (January 2009 to December 2018). Information were obtained from the hospital’s medical records as retrieved from various wards. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, version 23, then presented as percentage in tables and figure.Results: Out of 13,402 pregnancies recorded in this study, 119 were EPs giving an incidence of 0.89%. 105 case notes were included in this study since they met the inclusion criteria. Majority of the women belonged to the age group of 26-30 years. Patients with EP presented more between 7-8 weeks of gestational age (40%), though 7.6% were unsure of their last menstrual period. 80 EP cases (76.2%) were ruptured while 25 (23.8%) were unruptured. The ectopic gestation occurred most at the ampulla (51.4%) and more at the right side (66.6%) than the left (33.4%). Pelvic inflammatory disease (30.4%) followed by prior abortion (20.0%) were major predisposing risk factors. The most common clinical presentations were abdominal pain (92.38%), amenorrhea (57.14%) and vaginal bleeding (51.42%). 85.7% had salpingectomy, 9.5% were medically managed.Conclusions: EP remains a major gynecological emergency. Diagnosis before rupture could offer an opportunity for a successful medical management, thereby; minimizing morbidity and mortality

The imperative of moral and political education as foundation for a reasonable social order in Africa

Education is a veritable tool for human and social engineering. It is inevitable therefore, that, for a reasonable and virile social order to be instituted, political and moral education which are transformative of the social system and the social capital ought to be vigorously pursued and sustained. This work is an audacious attempt in illuminating how a reasonable social order could be achieved in Africa through the machinery of moral cum political education

Abortion and human rights: Towards an ethics of compassion

Abortion simply refers to a situation where the foetus is killed and forcefully removed from the womb. Owing to its effects, it constitutes primarily an ethical or moral problem, and secondarily, a legal problem. For the anti-abortionists the effect of abortion is emotionally and physically traumatising, though pro-abortionists may think otherwise. Given this picture there are debates or arguments for abortion and there are, of course,, arguments against it. This paper contends that abortion is not easy nor safe as the pro-abortionists and medical experts woul want us believe. Given the natue of this work, we employed the analytic and existential method of philosophizing to draw a conclusion that, as humans we should always have compassion for the weakest member of the society – the helpless and innocent unborn human infant; hence, our call for an ethics of compassion

Ezigbo Mmadu: An Exploration of the Igbo Concept of a Good Person

The Igbo term for a good person is ezigbo mmadu. It is a term that is descriptive of good character or positive moral conduct in a person or group of persons. Among the Igbo, a person is designated as ezigbo mmadu, who possesses good conduct or moral fibre – qualities that are worthy of emulation by others. But ezigbo mmadu is not merely  descriptive of a person‟s character or conduct; it is also expressive of a person who is equable, unflappable, even-tempered and level-headed. Ezigbo mmadu has as its converse, the phrase ajo mmadu. Ajo mmadu is a term used to describe a bad man or woman, where the word ajo means „bad‟, that is, the opposite of „good‟. A person is ajo mmadu who is flawed or defective in character. With particular focus on ezigbo mmadu, the Igbo identify some special qualities of life a person must possess before he or she can be so described. In the pre-colonial setting, for example, apart from the possession of good moral conduct, a person was considered ezigbo mmadu who respected the customary laws of community and was loyal to the preternatural forces that ruled in the cosmic order. In this paper, however, it is discovered that the challenges of modernity and the harsh social environment in which the modern Igbo have found themselves seem to greatly tint their conceptualisation of who an ezigbo mmadu is. The paper does not only identify reasons for the devaluation of this once venerated concept or positive social attribute; it also proffers possible remedies to overcoming this social dilemma

Eschatological thinking and the notion of the afterlife in African thought system

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