Ecotourism in Nigeria: The Okomu National Park Context

Nigeria is a country rich in biodiversity and natural landscapes hence making her an ideal destination for ecotourism especially in the national parks.There is a death of information with respect to ecotourism in Nigerian National Parks despite Several studies having addressedecotourism dynamics in national parks round the world. This study thus assessed the status and significance of ecotourism in Okomu National Park. Semi-structured questionnaire distributed using the simple random sampling techniquewere used: fifty (50) and one hundred and twenty (120) for visitors and residents respectively totaling one hundred and seventy (170) as well as in-depth interviews.Visitors travel motive were mostly for the purpose of education/research (56%). Visitors’ primary attractions to the park were Forest elephants Loxodontaafricanacyclotis; white throated monkey Cercopi the cuserythrogasterand the 140 feet high tree house. The ecotourism management strategies in the park include the use of code of conduct, conservation education, tour guides and eco-lodges. Tourist influx do not influence trade and businesses in any way as acclaimed by 47.1% of the community respondents.Ecotourism in Okomu National Park is still at an infant stage with respect to visitors’ influx, attractions and socio-economic contribution. Keywords: visitor experience, community-based tourism, management

Knowledge and Practice of Environmental Management at Selected Ecotourism Destinations in Edo State

The purposeful activity goaled to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities is environmental management (EM). EM in ecotourism destinations is essential not only for the conservation of the environmental resources therein but also to maintain a long term environmental quality that aids sustained ecotourists interests/satisfaction; surrounding local communities involvement as well as the environmental image of the destination. This research assessed the view of employees and visitors about EM of Okomu National Park (OKNP) and Ogba Zoo and Nature Park (OZNP) in Edo State; identified the waste disposal and treatment methods as well as the EM standards/tools employed. The primary survey instrument was questionnaire {two hundred and thirty six (236): fifty (50) and one hundred and thirty eight (138) for visitors and forty two (42) and six (6) for employees in OKNP and OZNP respectively}. Questionnaires to the visitors were distributed using the simple random sampling technique while employees were purposively selected. Data analysis includes the use of descriptive (frequency and percentage tables; bar charts) and Chi Square analyses. Most of the respondents have heard about EM at one time or the other – the dominant medium of awareness being radio/television. Majority asserted that every employee (95.2% and 100%) and visitor (96% and 81.9%) should be aware of EM in OKNP and OZNP respectively. Waste generated onsite is disposed by landfill/land treatment (48.5% and 33.3%), incineration/burning (30.3% and 50%), chemical treatment (9.1% and 16.7%) and biological method (6.1% and 0%) in OKNP and OZNP respectively. Waste is not recycled neither is the hazardousness determined at both sites. OKNP employed EM standard/tools as reported by employees include environmental monitoring (54.8%), public environmental report (40.5%), Environmental Management System (35.7%); written environmental policy (31%), eco-labelling (26.2%) while OZNP has not fully delved into the use of any defined standard/tool. The concept of EM is not strange to the respondents as they understand what it means, recognise its need in the sites and admit that it is imperative for all staff and visitors likewise to be conversant with it. It is recommended that an extensive waste management plan should be put in place which focuses on reduce, reuse, recover and recycle. Also, the Zoo should employ the use of EM standards/tools which can aid in identifying, quantifying and evaluating defined impacts of actions taken at the site. Keywords: Environmental Management, Ecotourism, Waste Management Pla

Designing out construction waste using BIM technology:Stakeholders’ expectations for industry deployment

The need to use Building Information Modelling (BIM) for Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) minimisation is well documented but most of the existing CDW management tools still lack BIM functionality. This study therefore assesses the expectations of stakeholders on how BIM could be employed for CDW management. After a review of extant literature to assess the limitations of existing CDW management tools, qualitative Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) were conducted with professionals who are familiar with the use of BIM to understand their expectations on the use of BIM for CDW management. The 22 factors identified from the qualitative data analyses were then developed into a questionnaire survey. The exploratory factor analysis of the responses reveals five major groups of BIM expectations for CDW management, which are: (i) BIM-based collaboration for waste management, (ii) waste-driven design process and solutions, (iii) waste analysis throughout building lifecycle, (iv) innovative technologies for waste intelligence and analytics, and (v) improved documentation for waste management. Considering these groups of factors is key to meeting the needs of the stakeholders regarding the use of BIM for CDW management. These groups of factors are important considerations for the implementation and acceptance of BIM-based tools and practices for CDW management within the construction industry.<br/

A Perfusion Bioreactor for Longitudinal Monitoring of Bioengineered Liver Constructs

In the field of in vitro liver disease models, decellularised organ scaffolds maintain the original biomechanical and biological properties of the extracellular matrix and are established supports for in vitro cell culture. However, tissue engineering approaches based on whole organ decellularized scaffolds are hampered by the scarcity of appropriate bioreactors that provide controlled 3D culture conditions. Novel specific bioreactors are needed to support long-term culture of bioengineered constructs allowing non-invasive longitudinal monitoring. Here, we designed and validated a specific bioreactor for long-term 3D culture of whole liver constructs. Whole liver scaffolds were generated by perfusion decellularisation of rat livers. Scaffolds were seeded with Luc(+)HepG2 and primary human hepatocytes and cultured in static or dynamic conditions using the custom-made bioreactor. The bioreactor included a syringe pump, for continuous unidirectional flow, and a circuit built to allow non-invasive monitoring of culture parameters and media sampling. The bioreactor allowed non-invasive analysis of cell viability, distribution, and function of Luc(+)HepG2-bioengineered livers cultured for up to 11 days. Constructs cultured in dynamic conditions in the bioreactor showed significantly higher cell viability, measured with bioluminescence, distribution, and functionality (determined by albumin production and expression of CYP enzymes) in comparison to static culture conditions. Finally, our bioreactor supports primary human hepatocyte viability and function for up to 30 days, when seeded in the whole liver scaffolds. Overall, our novel bioreactor is capable of supporting cell survival and metabolism and is suitable for liver tissue engineering for the development of 3D liver disease models

Environmental Attitude, Motivation, and Place Attachment in a Wildlife Park

Despite the significance of motivation in understanding the behavior of tourists, its interconnectedness to environmental attitude and place attachment has been scarcely studied in nature-based tourism destinations, especially outside the western and Anglo western context. This study examined these constructs as individual variables as well as the inter-relationships that exist between them in the context of a wildlife park. Using a convenience sampling technique, 372 visitors were surveyed. It was revealed that visitors displayed more anthropocentric beliefs than ecologically favorable concerns. Their motivations centered on experiencing and appreciating nature, recreation, relaxation, and education which are some of the core goals of the establishment of such areas as wildlife parks. The levels of attachment to the destination were however mild. The results further revealed significant associations between the constructs. The partial mediating role of motivation in the relationship between environmental attitude and place attachment was also reported. Appropriate conclusions were drawn, and managerial implications were discussed

Potentially toxic elements concentration and distribution in soils around artisan workshops in Ago-Iwoye, Southwestern Nigeria

Background/Introduction: Anthropogenic activities, including those carried out by artisans, have been confirmed to be one of the various means by which potentially toxic elements (PTE) are introduced into the soil. This study aims to determine the PTE concentration and distribution in soils around artisans workshops in Ago-Iwoye, southwestern Nigeria. Methods: Twenty (20) soil samples comprising ten (10) samples from soil around auto-mechanic workshops, six (6) from soils around vulcanizer workshops and four (4) from soils around welder workshops were collected and analyzed for elemental concentration using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: Elemental analysis revealed the following trend for selected metals in auto-mechanic, vulcanizing and welding workshops, respectively: Ba (60–100, 100–200 and 130–590 mg.kg−1); Co (10–47, 8–19 and 15–37 mg.kg−1); Cr (29–161, 22–95 and 57–272 mg.kg−1); Cu (28–123, 16–100 and 88–486 mg.kg−1); Ni (11–33, 7–29 and 34–112 mg.kg−1); Pb (17–75, 12–77 and 36–677 mg.kg−1); Sc (2–16, 1–7 and 2–8 mg.kg−1); Sr (13–55, 17–72 and 33–91 mg.kg−1); V (35–212, 20–117 and 40–103 mg.kg−1) and Zn (82–684, 70–548 and 314–3240 mg.kg−1). Geochemical assessment using contamination factor, and geo-accumulation index showed that the artisanal workshops exhibited significant contamination levels for metals such as Ba, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn and the contamination level varied across the artisan workshops with soils around welders workshops showing highest contamination. Conclusion: Contamination indices revealed the artisan workshops have varying contribution to the metal load in the area and Pollution Load Index (PLI) indicated a decline in soil quality across all artisanal workshops with welding workshops revealing the highest anthropogenic contribution of PTE to the soil

Clinical and Echocardiographic Predictors of Arrhythmias Detected With 24-Hour Holter Electrocardiography Among Hypertensive Heart Failure Patients in Nigeria

Background: Hypertensive heart failure (HHF) is the commonest form of heart failure in Nigeria. There is paucity of data in Nigeria on 24-hour Holter electrocardiography (24-HHECG) and important predictors of arrhythmias among HHF patients. Objectives: To determine the 24-HHECG characteristics among HHF patients. To determine the clinical and echocardiographic predictors of arrhythmias detected using 24-HHECG among HHF patients. Methods: A total of 100 HHF patients as well as 50 age-matched and sex-matched apparently healthy controls were prospectively recruited over a period of 1 year. They all had baseline laboratory tests, echocardiography, and 24-HHECG. Results: Hypertensive heart failure patients had significantly higher counts of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) than the controls ( P  ≤ .001). Ventricular tachycardia (VT) was recorded in 29% of HHF patients as compared with controls who had no VT on 24-HHECG. The standard deviation of all normal to normal sinus RR intervals over 24 hours (SDNN) was abnormally reduced among HHF patients when compared with controls ( P  = .046). There was positive correlation between atrial fibrillation (AF) and the following parameters: PVCs ( r  = .229, P  = .015), New York Heart Association (NYHA) ( r  = .196, P  = .033), and VT ( r  = .223, P  = .018). Following multiple linear regression, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ( P  ≤ .001) and serum urea ( P  = .037) were predictors of PVCs among HHF patients. Serum creatinine ( P  ≤ .001), elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) ( P  = .005), and PVCs ( P  ≤ .001) were important predictors of VT among HHF patients. Conclusions: Renal dysfunction and reduced LVEF were important predictors of ventricular arrhythmias. High counts of PVCs and elevated SBP were predictive of the occurrence of VT among HHF patients. The NYHA class and ventricular arrhythmias have a significant positive correlation with AF. The SDNN is reduced in HHF patients

Spilanthes filicaulis (Schumach. & Thonn.) C.D. Adams leaves protects against streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy.

Background and objectiveDiabetic neuropathy (DN) is a complex type of diabetes. The underlying cause of diabetic nephropathy remains unclear and may be due to a variety of pathological conditions resulting in kidney failure. This study examines the protective effect of the methanolic extract of Spilanthes filicaulis leaves (MESFL) in fructose-fed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy and the associated pathway.MethodsTwenty-five rats were equally divided randomly into five categories: Control (C), diabetic control, diabetic + metformin (100 mg/kg), diabetic + MESFL 150 mg/kg bw, and diabetic + MESFL 300 mg/kg bw. After 15 days, the rats were evaluated for fasting blood glucose (FBG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea, uric acid, serum creatinine, reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and lipid peroxidation (MDA). Gene expression levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), protein kinase A (PKA), cAMP response element-binding (CREB), cFOS and the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 were examined.ResultsWe observed that MESFL at 150 and 300 mg/kg bw significantly downregulated the protein expression of cAMP, PKA, CREB, and cFOS and upregulated the Bcl-2 gene, suggesting that the nephroprotective action of MESFL is due to the suppression of the cAMP/PKA/CREB/cFOS signaling pathway. In addition, MESFL increases SOD and CAT activities and GSH levels, reduces MDA levels, and reduces renal functional indices (ALP, urea, uric acid, and creatinine).ConclusionTherefore, our results indicate that MESFL alleviates the development of diabetic nephropathy via suppression of the cAMP/PKA/CREB/cFOS pathways