Rheological characteristics of aluminium oxide (AL2O3) based nanolubricant

This paper presents the rheological measurement of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) nanolubricant. The nanolubricant was prepared using the two-step method from dry Al2O3 nanoparticles and Capella D lubricant as base fluid. The dynamic viscosity of the Al2O3 nanolubricant at constant shear rate was measured at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range of 278 K to 323 K for pure based lubricant along with nanolubricant mass concentration of 1%, 2% and 4% with nanoparticle size of 10 nm, 20-30 nm and 80 nm. The measured data was analysed using the linear fit and exponential function fit. The result showed that at constant particle size and concentration, the dynamic viscosity reduces with increase in temperature while at constant temperature, the viscosity increased with nanoparticle concentration. The exponential function fit regression best describe the relationship between the viscosity and temperature when compared with the linear fit regression while the polynomial function fit best describe the relationship between the viscosity and mass concentration. Keywords: Dynamic viscosity, nanolubricant, shear rate, regression, concentration, temperatur

Anti – inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Tetrapleura Tetraptera (Schumach & Thonn.) taub. fruit extract in Carrageenan/Kaolin-induced acute monoarthritis in rats

Background: Tetrapleura tetraptera has been reported traditionally for the treatments of various ailments, which include convulsion, leprosy, inflammation and rheumatic pains, schistosomiasis, asthma and hypertension. The antiinflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of T. tetraptera fruit in egg albumin-induced paw oedema as well as in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity had been documented. However, there had been no studies on the antiarthritic properties of the plant.Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate in vivo anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities of the methanol extract Tetrapleura tetraptera in carrageenan/kaolin-induced acute monoarthritis in rat.Materials and methods: The acute toxicity of the methanol plant extract was determined using Lorke’s method. In vivo carrageenan/kaolin induced arthritis assay was performed on Tetrapleura tetraptera (TtME) extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) using albino rats. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg) and normal saline were employed as positive and negative controls, respectively. Histological study was performed on the knee joint of the animals after collection of blood for antioxidants analysis.Results: Acute toxicity study showed that TtME is safe by oral administration up to 5000 mg/kg body weight. Oral administration of TtME and indomethacin (10 mg/kg) produced a significant (p < 0.05) time and dose-dependent decrease in joint diameter. There was a decrease in malondialdehyde and increase in glutathione and superoxide dismutase. The histological assessment revealed no major adverse effects on the animals.Conclusion: Tetrapleura tetraptera fruit extract possesses anti-arthritic activity, which may be attributed to its antiinflammatory and antioxidant activity.Keywords: Tetrapleura tetraptera, Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-arthritic activity, Histopatholog

Organisational Support, Knowledge Sharing and Utilisation as Correlates of Social Capital of Insurance Managers in Lagos Metropolis

Managers in insurance companies in Nigeria went through a difficult period after the recapitalization which was aimed at achieving a consolidation that will produce companies capable of meeting claims obligations, compete at the continental and global levels, increase the industry’s low retention capacity which had stunted its growth among others. This study therefore examined the organisational support, knowledge sharing and utilisation as correlates of social capital of insurance managers in Lagos metropolis. This research adopted the correlation type of descriptive survey design to determine the direction and degree of the relationship or association between variables. Total enumeration technique called census coupled with a self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data on a population size of 280 managers in 23 insurance companies in Lagos metropolis, out of which 211 responded giving a response rate of 75.4 percent.The study found out that organisational support, knowledge sharing and utilisation had significant multiple effect on social capital of the respondent (R = 0.656, p < 0.05). In addition, each of the independent variables, namely, organisational support, knowledge sharing and utilisation significantly predicts the social capital of the respondents respectively.The study recommends among others that knowledge utilisation and information literacy education should be inculcated in the training of managers since they are the critical decision makers in the firm. This may improve the managers’ ability to exploit the sum of the actual and potential resources embedded within, available through, and derived from the their network of relationships. This may also encourage the managers to freely exchange ideas, insight, information and knowledge.. Keywords: Organisational support, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilisation, Insurance companies, Nigeria

Intestinal intussusception due to concurrent infections with Hymenolepis nana and Dentostomella translucida in an African giant rat (cricetomys gambianus). A case report

A rare case of intestinal intussusception due to multiple worm infections (Hymenolepis nana and Dentostomella translucida) was observed in an African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840). The condition was observed as an incidental finding before an experimental dissection of the animals in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. The rat was anorexic and depressed with rough hair coat, and died before the commencement of the experiment. Grossly, the intussusception was 7 cm in length and 27 cm caudal to the stomach and 81cm to the ileo-caecal junction. The affected part of the small intestine was moderately distended with worms and the associated mesenteric blood vessels were engorged. Microscopically, worms (H. nana and D. translucida) were observed in the lumen of the intestine with severe cellular infiltration mostly eosinophils, neutrophils and macrophages. Eggs of both worms, at different stages of development and a focus of attachment of the worms were observed on the intestinal mucosa. The zoonotic implications of these worms were discussed especially H. nana. This report appears to be the first reported case of intestinal intussusception due to multiple helminth infections in an African giant rat. KEYWORDS: Hymenolepis nana, Dentostomella translucida, Intestinal intussusception, African giant rat

Disaster preparedness level in hazard laden environment: A case study of tertiary institution students in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Objective: The aim was to assess disaster preparedness of tertiary institution students in Osogbo, Osun State.Materials and methods: A cross sectional study carried out among 360 tertiary institution students using a semi structured self-administered  questionnaire.Results: Extreme heat, extreme cold and overcrowding are the hazards commonly exposed to by the students. While some respondents reported  availability of safety equipment in their school, majority do not either have access to it or know how to operate these equipment. About two thirds  (62.5%) are aware of disaster impact while only about one third (33.3%) are highly prepared for it. Bivariate analysis shows that religion (p=0.032), marital  status (p=0.027) and family type (P=0.008) were significantly associated with their awareness level while only program of study (P=0.013) was significantly  associated with preparedness level.Conclusion: Tertiary institution students in Osogbo are exposed to various hazards and majority are not well prepared for it

The role of Islamic social finance towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria

This paper seeks to examine the role of Islamic social finance towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis in North East Nigeria. The paper revealed the various conceptual definitions of Islamic social finance, its various instruments, update on humanitarian situation. A modified revenue function model was adopted. The study revealed that zakat potentials in Nigeria is estimated to be between USD 8,776.5-USD 21,160.99 million which is alone adequate to fill the humanitarian funding gap. More so, Sadaqah and Waqf was analyzed based on the number of active Telecoms line subscribers and the population statistics of citizens within the ages of 15-69yrs and that If N20 is paid weekly at a 5% level of cash collection error rate, a total amount of about N162b and N106b could be realized yearly respectively which can be used to bridge certain sectors of humanitarian needs in areas of housing, primary health care centres, water, food, empowerment etc. Likewise, the said funds can still be used for investment purposes in areas like mudaraba term deposit, sukuk, stock etc most especially funds realized from cash waqf. The study concluded that by adequately combining the Islamic social finance tools while adopting technology in its collection process & monitoring, it will effectively bridge the humanitarian funding gap as well as resettling and empowering the IDPs. The study recommends legislation of act setting up zakat/waqf, public awareness should be properly done, use of crowd funding approac

Exchange rate policy regimes, private investment behaviour and economic growth in Nigeria (1960 -2020)

To improve economic growth acceleration, the Nigerian government should continue to formulate and implement several policies including exchange rate policy regimes. Exchange rate policy regime of any government could be a fixed exchange rate regime when the price of a country’s currency in terms of another country’s currency is fixed to a value by the monetary authority; it could be a floating regime when the price of a country’s currency in terms of another country’s currency is left to be determined by the forces of demand and supply, while a managed-floating regime is undertaken when there is an element of both fixed and floating regimes. Following the Barro (1990) theoretical framework, this study attempted to assess the effects each exchange rate regime has on the economy through the mechanism of private investment spending. The researcher carefully selected macroeconomic variables that have been considered in the econometric models for empirical analysis of the research study in this dissertation through statistical estimation techniques as guided by Barro (1990) and international studies, specifically that of Sahoo et al., (2012), in this area of study. These variables include GDP as an indicator for economic growth, Private capital, private sector credit, real exchange rate, interest rate, government capital expenditure, trade openness, exchange rate regimes dummies, total employment, and spending on health and education. Specifically, the study set out to empirically quantify the impact of both fixed and floating regimes on private investment spending and in turn, on economic growth in Nigeria.Through this study, the key determinants of private investment spending and economic growth in Nigeria. To achieve the study’s objectives and address the respective research questions, preliminary examinations of the data were conducted through the use of visual and unit root tests and some of the variables were found to be stationary at levels (i.e., (0)) while some are stationary in their first differences (i.e., (1)). The study proceeded to estimate both private investment and economic growth models simultaneously using Two-Stage Least Squares (TSLS) method

Influence of plant population on fruit and seed yield characters of cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) genotypes

This study assessed the influence of three plant populations (18518, 27777 and 40000 plants ha-1) on fruit and seed yield characters in 16 genotypes of Capsicum frutescens in 2010 and 2011 cropping years using a 3 x 16 split plot arrangement fitted into a randomized complete block design. Plant population and genotype formed main and sub-plots, respectively. Data collected on fruit and seed yield characters were subjected to analysis of variance after which means were separated using Fisher’s Least Significant Difference. Correlation analysis was also carried out among the characters. Significant and highest (P < 0.01) number of fruits per plant, single fruit weight, fruit weight per plant, number of seeds per fruit, 100 seed weight, seed weight per plant and seed weight per fruit were obtained under 18518 plants ha-1 while highest (P < 0.05) fruit yield ha-1 (11.3 tons) and seed yield ha-1 (698.7 kg) were obtained under 40000 plants ha-1. Top fruit and seed yielding genotypes across the three plant population were PP9955-15 and Chilli 14, respectively. Number of fruits per plant showed negative and highly significant correlation with single fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, number of seeds per fruit, 100-seed weight and seed weight per fruit. Significant positive or negative correlations were also observed among other characters. Plant population of 40,000 ha-1 using 50 x 50 cm spacing is recommended for high fruit and seed yield in C. frutescens production.Key words: Cayenne pepper, plant population, seed production efficiency, seed yiel

Prevalence of clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia amongst community-dwelling men in a South-Western Nigerian rural setting: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and correlates International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), peak/maximum flow rate (Qmax), quality of life (QoL) score and prostate volume (PV) amongst male adults in a rural setting in Nigeria.Subjects and methods: This is a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted amongst 615 men. Subjects selected using multi-staged sampling technique were interviewed for presence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in their houses. Severity of symptoms was assessed using International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire. Digital rectal examination (DRE), uroflowmetry and prostate scan were carried out in nearby primary health centres. Criteria for diagnosis of BPH were prostatic volume ≥ 30 cm3 with moderate/severe LUTS and/or Qmax < 15 mL. Relationships between variables were determined using Pearson’s Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: The overall prevalence of LUTS was 57.4% while 28.5% had moderate-to-severe IPSS with averagescore of 12.3 ± 5.2. More than half (56.1%) reported impaired QoL with average score of 3.4 ± 1.3. TheDRE and ultrasound prevalences of enlarged prostate were 68.3% and 64.9% respectively. About 29% hadabnormal Qmax. Both QoL and Qmax had significant relationship with IPSS (p < 0.001) while none existsbetween prostate size and IPSS (p = 0.339). The overall prevalence of BPH was 237 per 1000 men (23.7%).The age-specific prevalence rates increased from 104 per 1000 men in the fifth decade to 429 per 1000 in men >90 years.Conclusion: The burden of clinical BPH is very high amongst Nigerian men and the prevalence increaseswith age. There is need for more public awareness because of the significant impairment in the QoLassociated with BPH symptoms.Keywords: BPH; Community-dwelling men; IPSS; LUTS; Prevalenc