PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF FINISHING BROILERS FED DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH COMBINATION OF PROBIOTICS (B. cereus) AND PREBIOTICS (MANNOSE [MOS])

The experiment aimed to investigate effect of combination of probiotics and prebiotics on the performance and carcass characteristics of broilers at finishing phase. A total number of 300 day-old Anak broiler chicks were used to determine the response of broiler chicks to diets supplemented with probiotics (Bacillus cereus) and prebiotics (Mannose). The chicks were randomly allotted to four treatment groups of 75 birds with 25 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. The four dietary treatments comprised 500ppm MOS; 250ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS; 500ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS and 750ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS, respectively. Results showed that feed conversion ratio decreased significantly (P< 0.05) from 1.21 for groups fed det supplemented with 250ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS to 1.05 for groups fed with 750ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS  as more prebiotics were added to the probiotics. Final live weight, eviscerated weight and dressing percentage were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by combination of probiotics and prebiotics in finishing broilers. Final live weight values ranged from 2453.30g in birds fed 250ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS  to 2488.30g in birds fed 750ppm B. cereus  + 500ppm MOS, while eviscerated weight ranged from 1063.30g at 500ppm MOS to 1396.70g  at 750ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS. The same trend was observed for dressing percentage, neck, whole gizzard and liver. It was concluded that combination of probitics and prebiotics at 750ppm B. cereus + 500ppm MOS had positive effect on growth performance and carcass qualities of broilers at finishing phase. &nbsp

REVALIDATION OF SOME MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING USING A CROSS-SECTION OF NIGERIAN ADULTS

This study was conducted to establish initial validity and reliability of some measures of psychological wellbeing for use in Nigeria. Two hundred and five adult Nigerians were randomly selected from a community in Ota, Ogun State using a multi stage sampling method which culminated in odd and even number method of simple random sampling for participants’ selection. The participants were aged between 17 and 80 years ( X =29.22, SD=11.93). A battery of the short forms of six psychological wellbeing instruments in a paper was administers, viz: Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS), Gratitude Questionnaire – 6 (GQ-6), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MILQ), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), and Worry Domain Questionnaire Short Form (WDQ-SF). A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted with adequate measures of Kaiser-Meyer-Okin and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity for each of the instrument and results showed factorial validity of each instrument based on its factor loadings and consistent with literature. A correlation coefficient revealed the Cronbach alpha to be as follows for the instruments: PGIS = .840; GQ- 6 = .316; MILQ = .825; SWLS = .718; LOT-R = .391; WDQ =.815. Each instrument showed initial validity for possible - use in Nigeria

Identification of women at low risk for early severe postpartum anaemia

Full Length Research Article This study was carried out to identify risk factors for early severe postpartum anaemia (ESPA) and also subgroup of patients at low risk for whom interventions such as routine haemoglobin concentration (Hb) estimation may not be necessary. All women with pre-delivery Hb ≥10 g/dl who underwent vaginal delivery at 28 weeks or greater; from January 2007 through December 2012 at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria, were included. Cases were women with ESPA, defined as Hb <8 g/dl within 1-3 days postpartum; and control group with Hb ≥ 8 g/dl. With univariate analysis, risk factors associated with ESPA were identified and the effects of confounding factors were eliminated on multivariate analysis. Independent risk factors from the analysis were then used to eliminate high risk groups. Estimated blood loss (EBL) >500 ml was the most significant risk factor [odds ratio (OR) 5.10, 95% CI 3.54, 7.35] for ESPA. Abruptio placenta, instrumental vaginal delivery, preeclampsia, perineal and cervical lacerations and active phase arrest were also found to be significant, with associated OR greater than 2.0. If Hb is obtained only in response to EBL >500 ml, only 2.5% of the remaining population will have ESPA. If all risk factors found to be significant are eliminated, only 0.8% of the population will have ESPA. Interventions such as delaying discharge because haemoglobin estimation is being awaited; will be unnecessary in 99.2% of low risk cases (that is, women without the above risk factors); and in 97.5% of women who did not suffer postpartum haemorrhage

High Energy Physics Opportunities Using Reactor Antineutrinos

Nuclear reactors are uniquely powerful, abundant, and flavor-pure sources ofantineutrinos that continue to play a vital role in the US neutrino physicsprogram. The US reactor antineutrino physics community is a diverse interestgroup encompassing many detection technologies and many particle physicstopics, including Standard Model and short-baseline oscillations, BSM physicssearches, and reactor flux and spectrum modeling. The community's aims offerstrong complimentary with numerous aspects of the wider US neutrino program andhave direct relevance to most of the topical sub-groups composing the Snowmass2021 Neutrino Frontier. Reactor neutrino experiments also have a directsocietal impact and have become a strong workforce and technology developmentpipeline for DOE National Laboratories and universities. This white paper,prepared as a submission to the Snowmass 2021 community organizing exercise,will survey the state of the reactor antineutrino physics field and summarizethe ways in which current and future reactor antineutrino experiments can playa critical role in advancing the field of particle physics in the next decade.<br

General anaesthetic and airway management practice for obstetric surgery in England: a prospective, multicentre observational study

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients’ (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16–22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169–667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%)

Fiscal federalism and economic development in Nigeria: An auto-regressive distributed lag approach

This study examines the impact of fiscal federalism on economic development in Nigeria for the period 1981–2017 using the auto-regressive distributed lag approach. The data for the study were sourced from various issues of Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and International Country Risk Guide. It was found that revenue decentralization with a coefficient of −2.15 significantly retarded economic development at 5%, while expenditure decentralization with a coefficient of 2.935 significantly increased economic development at 5%. The overall decentralization indicator, captured as simultaneity measure with a coefficient of 4.264 significantly increased economic development at 1%. From the empirical evidence, fiscal federalism will encourage economic development in Nigeria. These findings support and reinforce the need for greater decentralization of fiscal responsibilities to sub-national government. Also, government should enact legislations to improve bureaucratic quality, and implement appropriate security reforms to further strengthen law and order to ensure economic development in Nigeria

Acceptance tests of Hamamatsu R7081 photomultiplier tubes

Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) are traditionally an integral part of large underground experiments as they measure the light emission from particle interactions within the enclosed detection media. The BUTTON experiment will utilise around 100 PMTs to measure the response of different media suitable for rare event searches. A subset of low-radioactivity 10-inch Hamamatsu R7081 PMTs were tested, characterised, and compared to manufacture certification. This manuscript describes the laboratory tests and analysis of gain, peak-to-valley ratio and dark rate of the PMTs to give an understanding of the charge response, signal-to-noise ratio and dark noise background as an acceptance test of the suitability of these PMTs for water-based detectors. Following the evaluation of these tests, the PMT performance agreed with the manufacturer specifications. These results are imperative for modeling the PMT response in detector simulations and providing confidence in the performance of the devices once installed in the detector underground

Organisational Branding, A Strategic Tool for Engineering Customer Satisfaction in Service Industry: A Study of Selected Banks

Effective brand strategies cannot be developed without the customers in mind, hence the need to examine how brand strategies affect the behaviours of these customers to yield a good result. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of organisational branding on the levels of customer patronage. A descriptive and survey design was adopted for the study. The population for this study consist of customers from Wema and Zenith bank within Lagos metropolis. The questionnaire was used in eliciting information from respondents, which contained two sections. Two research questions and hypotheses were raised and tested. The data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0), for frequency distribution. Further analysis was carried out using linear regression and correlation analysis. From the findings made in the study, there is a significant role played by brand identity in meeting customer expectation and there is a significant effect of brand culture on customer satisfaction. It was recommended that management should be conscious of their peculiar corporate identity once established in order to capitalize on their strengths and opportunities, as well as improve on their weaknesses and address their threats in good time and Managers should strive to create a peculiar brand culture in line with their given brand identity, as the creation of a strong brand culture will enable the staff of the organisation to deliver quality service for good customer satisfaction