Rural Women Education in Rivers State: Challenges and Prospects

The rural milieu could be described, in economic and social terms, as a rustic and unsophisticated locale lacking in urban features. Literacy, leading to education, on the other hand, is a sophisticated activity that acts as the gateway to modern living and makes way for economic and social enhancement. Women, considered the weaker sex in many parts of the world, including Rivers State, are usually not exposed to such sophisticated activities as literacy and education, more especially those living in the rural areas. Yet, they are caught up in an era that requires the sophistication of modernity in order to survive economically, socially and otherwise. This article seeks to examine the challenges confronting the education of women in the rural areas of Rivers State, and to point out the prospects for educating the rural womenfolk in the state. It also proffers suggestions that can accomplish the goal of an educated female citizenry, keeping well in mind that, women, whether rural or urban, are the procreators and purveyors of any generation at any point in history

Physicochemical characterisation of butternut (Jugulans cinerea) oil

Some physical and chemical properties of butternut (jugulans cinerea) oil were investigated. The oil was found to be deep amber in color and slightly thick. The oil melts at 260c, has specific gravity of 0.99 and a refractive index of1.44 at 400c. The chemical characteristics showed the total oil content to be 46.15%. Unsaponifiable matter was 0.69%, saponification value was 248.02mg/KOH/g oil. The iodine value was 40.45 while the acid and peroxide values were 3.96mg/KOH/g oil and 7.2Meq/100g oil respectively. The free fatty acid content of the oil was 3.16%. The oil was thus observed to have some advantageous physicochemical properties and could be regarded as seed oil due its high fat content

Studies on the Antimicrobial Properties and Phytochemical Screening of Garlic (Allium sativum) Extracts

This study evaluates the antimicrobial properties of garlic (Allium sativum) extracts on three fungi namely Aspergillus flavus, Curvularia lunata and Fusarium moniliforme using the pour plate method. A phytochemical screening of the extracts was also carried out to determine the constituents of garlic. Water, ethanol and acetone were the extractants used. Results showed that radial growth in all the three test organisms was impaired by the addition of the extracts in the culture medium used. The test organisms differed in their reaction to the different extracts but on the whole, growth inhibition increased with the concentration of each extract. Phytochemical screening of the different extracts showed that garlic contains important compounds such as carbohydrates, reducing sugars, lipids, flavonoids, ketones, alkaloids, steroids and triterpenes. Tannins were, however, not detected in any of the extracts under the conditions of this study. The significance of these results is discussed

Molecular detection of mobilized colistin resistance (mcr-1) gene in Escherichia coli isolates from Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The emergence of plasmid borne colistin resistance in recent years has been problematic as a result of the potential for rapid dissemination through bacterial populations. This mcr-1 mediated resistance has been reported from around the globe and active surveillance is essential to monitor the developing issue. This study set out to determine the occurrence of such strains in a group of 60 Escherichia coli isolates using DNA extraction and amplification techniques. Following molecular confirmation of the identities of the E. coli isolates based on the detection of E. coli specific 16sRNA gene fragments, phenotypic colistin resistance of isolates was determined and isolates were screened for the mcr-1 gene using standard procedures. Of the 35 confirmed E. coli isolates, 60% were found to be colistin resistant, with a higher level of resistance noted among the non-clinical isolates. Plasmid mediated mcr-1 resistance was however found to be present in only 8.6% of total isolates, making up 14.3% of the colistin resistant strains. This mcr-1 mediated resistance was only noted in clinical isolates however. This detection of mcr-1 mediated colistin resistance in E. coli isolates from Port Harcourt, Nigeria is worrisome as it could point at a looming epidemic of colistin resistance and hence the development of untreatable bacterial isolates. Further studies are essential to properly assess the scope and spread of this situation.Keywords: Colistin resistance, mcr-1, Escherichia coli, Nigeri

A low-cost oxygen-air mixer device extends accessibility of safer neonatal respiratory support in a resource-poor setting

Background information: High cost of commercial-grade bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine has led to its limited availability for respiratory support of neonates in resource poor facilities. Most Nigeria facilities resorted to an improvised setup which supplies oxygen at 100% concentration exposing neonates to hyperoxia with possible ROP. PoliteO2blend® is a cheaper device that mixes supplied oxygen with atmospheric air, delivering variable fractions of inspired oxygen (FiO2) to neonates via tracheal tube or nasal prongs extended into a disposable PEEP water bottle as used in the improvised setup. The system microfilters and humidifies the blended gas unlike conventional improvised application. This study evaluated the PoliteO2blend as a standalone device as well as an upgraded version of improvised-CPAP. Methods: Four units of the politeO2blend were installed at the University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki for trialling and were operated by four designated staff after prior training on the modes of application of the device. Forty-five neonates, birthweight ≥1500g were treated following parental consents. The systems were operated as improved improvised-CPAP in 16 neonates of which 18.8% (3/16) were delivered preterm. All patients initially experienced respiratory distress with 75% (12/16) having pre-treatment respiratory rate >60c/m and SPO2 as low as 43% in some. The neonatal impact analyses of continuing usage of the devices at the hospital was evaluated based on the fraction of the total number of needy neonates at the centre who necessarily got treated using the device. Results: The target SPO2 of 90-95% was achieved in all neonates using FiO2 that ranged from 0.21 to 0.6. Duration of improvised setup with PoliteO2blend before successful discharge ranged from 5hrs to 7days. Conclusion: Our target SPO2 was rapidly achieved at a safer FiO2 in most neonates that received respiratory support. Improvised-CPAP application via PoliteO2blend may reduce the incidence of oxygen toxicity owing to conventional use of improvised setup. PoliteO2blend is recommended as safer alternative for facilities lacking sufficient funds

Examining the Integration of Landsat Operational Land Imager with Sentinel-1 and Vegetation Indices in Mapping Southern Yellow Pines (Loblolly, Shortleaf, and Virginia Pines)

The mapping of southern yellow pines (loblolly, shortleaf, and Virginia pines) is important to supporting forest inventory and the management of forest resources. The overall aim of this study was to examine the integration of Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI ) optical data with Sentinel-1 microwave C-band satellite data and vegetation indices in mapping the canopy cover of southern yellow pines. Specifically, this study assessed the overall mapping accuracies of the canopy cover classification of southern yellow pines derived using four data-integration scenarios: Landsat OLI alone; Landsat OLI and Sentinel-1; Landsat OLI with vegetation indices derived from satellite data—normalized difference vegetation index, soil-adjusted vegetation index, modified soil-adjusted vegetation index, transformed soil-adjusted vegetation index, and infrared percentage vegetation index; and 4) Landsat OLI with Sentinel-1 and vegetation indices. The results showed that the integration of Landsat OLI reflectance bands with Sentinel-1 backscattering coefficients and vegetation indices yielded the best overall classification accuracy, about 77%, and standalone Landsat OLI the weakest accuracy, approximately 67%. The findings in this study demonstrate that the addition of backscattering coefficients from Sentinel-1 and vegetation indices positively contributed to the mapping of southern yellow pines

Teachers’ Knowledge and Application of Classroom Management Techniques in Business Education

The study investigated teachers’ knowledge and application of classroom management techniques in business education.  Two research questions were posed to guide the study while one hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance.  A total of 86 teachers were studied, purposive sampling was employed for the study.  The instrument for the study was named Teachers’ Knowledge and Application of Classroom Management Techniques in Business Education Questionnaire (TKACMTBEQ), with a four point modified Likert scale of highly extent to no extent. 6 teachers validated the instrument and a reliability coefficient test using test-retest method yielded a correlation of 0.89.  Mean rating was used to answer the research questions while T-test for large group mean was used to test the hypothesis.  Findings revealed that teachers’ knowledge in classroom management and the application of classroom management techniques is not significantly different from each other and that most teachers are yet to be knowledgeable on issues relating to classroom management techniques.  Conclusion drawn from the study is that where teachers manage their classrooms effectively, students will certainly gain from every lecture and will be happy to find themselves in such teachers’ class and also be proud of such teachers wherever they may be found.  Based on the findings and conclusion drawn from the study, recommendations made amongst others were that teachers should be well equipped and knowledgeable on classroom management and ensure that techniques such as counselling approach, rote discipline, addressing the needs of students both in terms of what they teach and how they teach, facial expressions and gestures, and devoting time to each individual learner are employed in the classrooms. Keywords: Teachers Knowledge, Application, Classroom Management, Techniques, Business Education

Adsorption of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions from aqueous solutions by mango tree (Mangifera indica) saw dust

The removal of heavy metal ions Cu2+ and Pb2+ from aqueous solution using mango tree (Mangifera indica) saw dust as adsorbent under different experimental conditions was investigated. The effects of pH,contact time, temperature, adsorbent dosage and initial metal ion concentrations for the removal of Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions were studied using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed that increasing the amount of adsorbent led to an increase in the percent removal of lead and copper. The optimum pH obtained was pH 6 for copper and pH 8 for lead, with percentage removal of 99.9% Pb2+ ions and 70.1% Cu2+ ions. It was observed that Mangifera indica saw dust removed more of Pb2+ than Cu2+ ion in all the adsorption experiments

Effects of Graphene Oxide in vitro on DNA Damage in Human Whole Blood and Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from Healthy individuals and Pulmonary Disease Patients: Asthma, COPD, and Lung Cancer

For the past few decades, the popularity of graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials (NMs) has increased exceedingly due to their biomedical applications in drug delivery of anti-cancer drugs. Their unique physicochemical properties such as high surface area and good surface chemistry with unbound surface functional groups (e.g. hydroxyl - OH, carboxyl /ketone C=O, epoxy/alkoxy C-O, aromatic group C=C, etc) which enable covalent bonding with organic molecules (e.g. RNA, DNA) make GO NMs as excellent candidates in drug delivery nanocarriers. Despite the overwhelming biomedical applications, there are concerns about their genotoxicity on human DNA. Published genotoxicity studies on GO NMs were performed using non-commercial GO with 2-3 layers of GO sheets, synthesized in various laboratories with the potential for inter-laboratory variabilities. However, what has not been studied before is the effects of the commercial GO (15-20 sheets; 4-10% edge-oxidized; 1 mg/mL) in vitro on DNA damage in human whole blood and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from real-life patients diagnosed with chronic pulmonary diseases [asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer], and genotoxic endpoints compared with those from healthy control individuals to determine whether there are any differences in GO sensitivity. Thus, in the present study, we had characterized GO NMs using Zetasizer Nano for Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and zeta potential (ZP) in the aqueous solution, and electron microscopy using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) in the dry state, respectively. Cytotoxicity studies were conducted on human PBL from healthy individuals and patients (asthma, COPD, and lung cancer) using the Methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Neutral Red Uptake (NRU) assays, respectively. The genotoxicity (DNA damage) and cytogenetic effects (chromosome aberration parameters) induced by GO NMs on human whole blood from healthy individuals and patients were studied using the Alkaline Comet Assay and Cytokinesis-blocked Micronucleus (CBMN) assay, respectively. Our results showed concentration-dependent increases in cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and chromosome aberrations, with blood samples from COPD and lung cancer patients being more sensitive to DNA damage insults compared with asthma patients and healthy control individuals. Furthermore, the relative gene and protein expressions of TP53, CDKN1A/p21, and BCL-2 relative to GAPDH on human PBL were studied using the Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western Blot techniques, respectively. Our results have shown altered gene and protein expression levels. Specifically, GO-induced cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and micronuclei aberrations were associated with TP53 upregulation - a biomarker of DNA damage - in both patients and healthy individuals. These effects show that GO NMs have promising roles in drug delivery applications when formulated to deliver drug payload to COPD and cancer cells. However, the fact that cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, chromosome instability, and gene/protein expressions - biomarkers of cancer risk - were observed in healthy individuals are of concern to public health, especially in occupational exposures at micro levels at the workplace

Humoral Activities of Autogenous Bacterin against Colonization of Internal Organs of Broiler Chicks by Salmonella Enterica Serovar Pullorum

This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of autogenous bacterin against Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum isolated from different poultry feeds in Ihiala local Government Area in Anambra state. Different types of feeds were cultured and screened for the presence of Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum using pour plate method. The colonies generated from the primary isolation were sub-cultured, characterized and identified using their colony description, morphological and biochemical characteristics. The pathogenic potentials of the organism on broiler chicks were investigated by challenging the chick orally using 0.5ml of the inoculum (108cells/ml). The infected chicks were kept under observation 14 days for pathological signs, mortalities, and gross lesions. The protective effect of autogenous bacterin was investigated using in vivo method. The study revealed that Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum was significantly (P≥0.05) seen more in feed type A 4(40%) compared to feed B 1(10%), feed C 2(20%) and feed D 3(30%). There was pathological lesion like perihepatitis, pericarditis, haemorrhage, congestion, spleenomegaly and entercolitis. The serological investigation revealed an improvement in the titer of antibodies after vaccination treatment. The in vivo activity showed that the locally prepared autogenous bacterin was effective in reducing the pathological changes observed from infected non-protected chicks. Thus this study showed that a dose of locally prepared autogenous bacterin is effective and safe method of preventing Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum infection in broiler chicks. Keywords: Salmonella, Pullorum, autogenous, bacteri