Women Farmers’ Contributions to Maize Production in Afijio Local Government of Oyo State

The study investigated the contributions of women farmers to maize production in Afijio Local Government area, Oyo state. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 128 women farmers as sample size for the study. Data collected through interview schedule were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and mean while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Chi-square were used to test the relationships that exist between selected socioeconomic characteristics and contributions of women farmers to maize production. Results revealed the mean age of respondents was 45years, 83.5% of respondents were married and 41.4% of the respondents had no formal education. High percentage of the respondents (82.5%) engaged in farming for both commercial and subsistence purposes, and activities such as, planting, fertilizer application, harvesting, processing, storage and marketing were performed by women farmers whereas ridging, land clearing and weeding were considered laborious and were usually contracted to hired labour. The results of Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis showed that age (r = 0.950, P<0.05), farm size (r = 0.174, P<0.05), household size (r = 0.354, P<0.05) while the results of Chi-square analysis revealed that educational status (ᵡ2 =36.864 P<0.05), marital status (ᵡ2 =19.615, P<0.05) have significant association with contributions of women farmers to maize production in the study area. Hence, the study recommended that female education (through adult literacy) be intensified, young women be encouraged to be more involved in maize production, women should form themselves into group to learn techniques of trapping farm pests and in time of surplus, women maize farmers should form supply cooperatives to transport their produce to areas where it commands higher prices

Geoelectric Survey of Foundation Beds of the Proposed Faculty of Engineering Building, OSUTECH Permanent Site, Okitipupa, Nigeria

Geoelectric resistivity method was employed to characterize the geo-materials at Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH) Okitipupa, Dahomey Basin, Nigeria, for suitability for foundation purposes. The methods involved Constant Separation Traversing (CST) using Wenner array and Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) using Schlumberger array. The data obtained were processed with Ipi2win and excel software. The results showed that the subsurface structures were made up of lateritic topsoil with resistivity varying from 85 Ohm-m to 612 Ohm-m and thickness varying from 0.5 to 2.14 m; clayed sand with resistivity varying from 295 to 2,587 ohm-m and thickness vary from 0.67 to 3.4; clay with resistivity varying from 10 to 350 ohm-m and thickness varying from 3.8 to 26 m; and sand with resistivity ranging from 383 ohm-m to 59,707ohm-m. The clayed sand would have been the best layer to host the foundation because of its depth to the surface but it is generally less than 1.5 m and underlay by thick column of clay. The only competent layer that can host the foundation of high-rise building is the sand layer, therefore, the building foundation should be piled to the sand layer or pilling should be suspended within the thick column of clay

Functional analysis of four LDLR 5'UTR and promoter variants in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease characterised by increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The functionality of four novel variants within the LDLR 5'UTR and promoter located at c.-13A>G, c.-101T>C, c.-121T>C and c.-215A>G was investigated using in silico and in vitro assays, and a systemic bioinformatics analysis of all 36 reported promoter variants are presented. Bioinformatic tools predicted that all four variants occurred in sites likely to bind transcription factors and that binding was altered by the variant allele. Luciferase assay was performed for all the variants. Compared with wild type, the c.-101T>C and c.-121T>C variants showed significantly lower mean (±SD) luciferase activity (64±8 and 72±8%, all PG or c.-215A>G variants (96±15 and 100±12%), suggesting these variants are not FH causing. Similar results were seen for the c.-101T>C and c.-121T>C variants in lipid-depleted serum. However, a significant reduction in luciferase activity was seen in the c.-215A>G variant in lipid-depleted serum. Electrophoretic-mobility shift assays identified allele-specific binding of liver (hepatoma) nuclear proteins to c.-121T>C and suggestive differential binding to c.-101T>C but no binding to c.-215A>G. These data highlight the importance of in vitro testing of reported LDLR promoter variants to establish their role in FH. The functional assays performed suggest that the c.-101T>C and c.-121T>C variants are pathogenic, whereas c.-13A>G variant is benign, and the status of c.-215A>G remains unclear.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 24 September 2014; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2014.199

ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATION OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES FOR CHALLENGED CHILDREN IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Lagos state Nigeria is one of the metropolitan and educationally advanced cities in Nigeria. Over the years the number of children with disabilities has been on the increase. Many of these challenged children are either denied the benefit of education or are constrained to attend schools which have not been designed to take care of their disabilities. Often times, such children are frustrated and their educational abilities are also negatively impacted. This has given use to schools which are now dedicated to challenged children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the design of these educational facilities in order to determine their application of universal design principles. The study is based on case study of schools for the challenged in Lagos state. Results indicate that many of the facilities did not conform to the universal design principles and consequently have affected learning of the children. The recommendation are made to enhance learning of challenged children through proper adoption of universal principals in planning of educational facilities. This is a novel study in Nigeria and its outcome will influence policy direction in the planning of educational facilities for challenged children in Nigeria and other developing countrie

Climate Change: Implication on Aquatic Resources, Food Security and Livelihoods

Climate changes are growing environmental concerns which are much in the scientific government and public eye at present. The potential impact on aquatic resources and livelihood are immense. From local to global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles for food supply, food security and income generation. Some 43.5 million people work directly in the sector, with the great majority in developing countries. Adding those who work in associated processing, marketing, distribution and supply industries, and the sector supports nearly 200 million livelihoods. Aquatic foods have high nutritional quality, contributing 20 percent or more of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 1.5 billion people, mostly from developing countries. They are also the most widely traded foodstuffs and are essential components of export earnings for many poorer countries. Extreme events will also impact on infrastructure, ranging from landing and farming sites to post-harvest facilities and transport routes. They will also affect safety at sea and settlements, with communities living in low-lying areas at particular risk. Livelihood diversification is an established means of risk transfer and reduction in the face of shocks, but reduced options for diversification will negatively affect livelihood outcomes

Delivering safe and effective test-result communication, management and follow-up : a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction: The failure to follow-up pathology and medical imaging test results poses patient-safety risks which threaten the effectiveness, quality and safety of patient care. The objective of this project is to: (1) improve the effectiveness and safety of test-result management through the establishment of clear governance processes of communication, responsibility and accountability; (2) harness health information technology (IT) to inform and monitor test-result management; (3) enhance the contribution of consumers to the establishment of safe and effective test-result management systems. Methods and analysis: This convergent mixed-methods project triangulates three multistage studies at seven adult hospitals and one paediatric hospital in Australia. Study 1 adopts qualitative research approaches including semistructured interviews, focus groups and ethnographic observations to gain a better understanding of test-result communication and management practices in hospitals, and to identify patient-safety risks which require quality-improvement interventions. Study 2 analyses linked sets of routinely collected healthcare data to examine critical test-result thresholds and test-result notification processes. A controlled before-and-after study across three emergency departments will measure the impact of interventions (including the use of IT) developed to improve the safety and quality of test-result communication and management processes. Study 3 adopts a consumer-driven approach, including semistructured interviews, and the convening of consumer-reference groups and community forums. The qualitative data will identify mechanisms to enhance the role of consumers in test-management governance processes, and inform the direction of the research and the interpretation of findings. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been granted by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee and Macquarie University. Findings will be disseminated in academic, industry and consumer journals, newsletters and conferences

An Estimate of the Incidence of Prostate Cancer in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is rated the second most common cancer and sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among men globally. Reports show that African men suffer disproportionately from PCa compared to men from other parts of the world. It is still quite difficult to accurately describe the burden of PCa in Africa due to poor cancer registration systems.We systematically reviewed the literature on prostate cancer in Africa and provided a continentwide incidence rate of PCa based on available data in the regio

Treatment of persistent organic pollutants in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation in synergy with advanced oxidation process

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are very tenacious wastewater contaminants. The consequences of their existence have been acknowledged for negatively affecting the ecosystem with specific impact upon endocrine disruption and hormonal diseases in humans. Their recalcitrance and circumvention of nearly all the known wastewater treatment procedures are also well documented. The reported successes of POPs treatment using various advanced technologies are not without setbacks such as low degradation efficiency, generation of toxic intermediates, massive sludge production, and high energy expenditure and operational cost. However, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have recently recorded successes in the treatment of POPs in wastewater. AOPs are technologies which involve the generation of OH radicals for the purpose of oxidising recalcitrant organic contaminants to their inert end products. This review provides information on the existence of POPs and their effects on humans. Besides, the merits and demerits of various advanced treatment technologies as well as the synergistic efficiency of combined AOPs in the treatment of wastewater containing POPs was reported. A concise review of recently published studies on successful treatment of POPs in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation technology in combination with other advanced oxidation processes is presented with the highlight of direction for future research focus