Effective Communication: A Tool for Improvement of Secondary School Management

Communication remains a unique instrument that integrates management functions in an organization. This explains why communication is inevitable and indispensable in the school system for effective management. This paper examined how communication aids managers of secondary schools in carrying out their duties effectively. Meaning and avenues of communication as well as communication flow were discussed. Road blocks to communication and active listening as a means of promoting a closer, more meaningful relationship between the staff and students towards school improvement were considered. It was concluded that communication is an important ingredient and vital instrument in any given organization and a good school principal should bear in mind that the success of the school is determined by his effective management of the school. It was also recommended, among others, that the channel of communication needs to be modern, effective and as personal as possible if management of large organizations such as the school is to maintain close ties with teachers and encourage maximum performance. Keywords: Effective Communication, Improvement of Secondary School, Managemen

Chemical and biological significance of naturally occurring additives on African black soap and its performance

The potassium ester (C11H23COO-K+) commonly known as African black soap was prepared by the action of palm kernel oil on cocoa pods. This was divided into four portions. Sample A contained the African Black soap without any modification, sample B was black soap modified with honey, sample C and sample D were modified with shear butter and coconut oil respectively. The pH, FTIR and phytochemical analyses of the samples were carried out. They were also screened for in-vitro antibacterial activities against two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli). The pH determinations showed that all the samples were alkaline in nature with sample A having the lowest pH of 8.90, while sample B had the highest pH of 9.58. FTIR analyses of sample A revealed strong bands assigned to the υ (C=O) frequency of a keto group at 1668 and 1560 cm-1 and a strong band at 1379 cm-1 assigned to the υ (C-O) frequency of the ester oxygen. The spectra of samples B, C and D showed no complexation through these oxygen donor atoms, but rather some interactions with other present molecules. Phytochemical analyses showed that samples A and D were rich in saponin, all the samples were rich in both flavonoids and terpenoids, while tannins and steroids were absent in all the samples. Antimicrobial studies showed that only sample B was active against Staphylococcus aureus, while samples A, C and D were inactive against all tested microorganisms.Keywords: Additives, African Black Soap, Phytochemical and Antimicrobia

Problems and Prospects of Forward Sale in the Nigerian Housing Market: A Critique of Policy and Modus Operandi

One way of dealing with the challenge of demand uncertainty in property market is the use of forward sale. However, despite the huge demand for housing in Nigerian urban centre, it appears that the strategy is not popular with the demand base as expected. This study therefore examined the challenges of forward sale in the Nigerian housing market. This was achieved by reviewing the institutional policy provisions and operational guidelines within which forward sale transaction is conducted in Nigeria. Existing studies in this regards were reviewed while the opinion of three categories of respondents, the developers, buyers and estate surveyors and valuers in the Metropolitan Lagos State were obtained with the use of structured questionnaire. The percentages of options of responses were ranked. The study found that while developers prefer to harness the benefits of forward sale optimally, buyers are reluctant to use the method. Different challenges were responsible for this situation amongst which is the lack of policy protection for the buyer’s thereby exposing them to developer’s default, poor construction quality or delayed implementation. It was suggested that government regulate forward sale market to improve buyer’s confidence thereby providing developers with unhindered access to development fund at no cost

Synthesis, Characterization, Theoretical Treatment and Antitubercular activity Evaluation of (E)-N’- (2,5-dimethoxylbenzylidene)nicotinohydrazide and some of its Transition Metal Complexes against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv

(E)-N’-(2,5-dimethoxylbenzylidene)nicotinohydrazide) (HL) was synthesized by condensing nicotinic acid hydrazide and 2,5-dimethoxylbenzaldehyde with ONO coordination pattern. The structure of the hydrazone was elucidated by using CHN analyzer, ESI mass spectrometry, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 2D NMR (COSY and HSQC). The hydrazone was used to synthesized five metal complexes [Mo(V), VO(II), Mn(II) Ni(II) and Cu(II)] which were characterized by several physicochemical methods, namely elemental analysis, electronic spectra, infrared, EPR, molar conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. An octahedral geometry was suggested for Mo(V), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes while tetrahedral was proposed for Mn(II) complex. VO(II) complex conformed with tetrahedral pyramidal. Structural geometries of these compounds were also suggested in gas phase by using Hyper Chem-8 program for the molecular mechanics and semi-empirical calculations. The energy (E) and eV for homo and lumo state for the prepared compounds were calculated by using PM3 method. In vitro antimycobacterial activity study of the compounds was evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv, by using micro-diluted method. Some of the metal complexes displayed higher activity than the ligand (HL) and isoniazid (INH).Also some of the complexes showed moderate activity when compared to isoniazid. Generally, the results obtained revealed that the compounds exhibited promising antitubercular activity. However, the metal complexes were found to be more toxic than isoniazid drug

Pattern of prostate cancer among a Nigerian population: A study in a single tertiary care centre

Background: Prostate cancer has become a global health challenge because of its rising morbidity and mortality in males.It is the second cause of cancer death following lung cancer in men.It is rare under the age of 40 and its incidence has been shown to increase exponentially with age. Previously, Prostate cancer was thought to be a disease rare in blacks owing to the fact that not so much was known of the disease.Aim and objectives: The objective of the study was to review the prevalence, pattern of presentation and clinic-pathologic findings of prostate cancer in the Department of Radiotherapy,Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH),between January 2001 to December 2010 in comparison to previous and recent studies globally.Methodology: Data collection for all patients histologically diagnosed with Prostate cancer at the Department of Radiotherapy,LUTH,from 1st of January 2001 to 31st of December 2010 was done.Results: A total of 144 cases with histologically confirmed Prostate cancer seen during the ten year study were analysed.The highest frequency was seen in the year 2010 with 34 cases.The age range was 41 to 81years with a mean of 66.19 ±7.30years.Adenocarcinoma was the commonest histological type with 98.6%.9(6.3%) patients had a positive family history of prostate cancer out of which 3(33.3%) had their brother affected the malignancy. 51(35.4%) patients presented with stage IV disease.18(12.5%) patients had a Gleason's score of 6,10(6.9%) patients had a Gleason's score of 7 and 2(1.4%) patients had a Gleason's score of 10. The most common presenting complaints were bone pains seen in 51(35.4%) patients, frequent night urine and difficulty with micturition seen in 50(34.7%) and 42(29.2%) patients respectively.Conclusion: This study showed that prostate cancer is not as rare as it used to be.Reasons attributed to its rarity then were lack of awareness,poor screening facilities and poor diagnosing technique.Keywords: prostate cancer,presentation,tumour characteristics,Nigeri

Suitability of using borrow pit soils collected from Southwestern Nigeria as landfill liners

Effective waste disposal system is essential in preventing the infiltration of leachate into the groundwater and in achieving the sustainable development goal of ensuring clean water. One of the ways to provide an adequate disposal system is through the provision and use of engineered landfills for waste containment instead of open dumps. Consequently, this study evaluates the suitability of using soils from six borrow pits collected from six states in Southwestern, Nigeria. To assess the suitability of the soils, laboratory tests were carried out to determine the index properties, mechanical and hydraulic properties of the collected soil samples. The results showed that the soil samples collected from the selected borrow pits in Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti States could be effectively employed for the containment of inert waste. In contrast, the soil samples collected from the selected borrow pits in Osun, Lagos and Ondo States needs to be improved such that their unconfined compressive strengths satisfy the standard requirement (≥200 kN/m2). This study provides readily accessible soil data for use by engineering professionals involved in selecting suitable soil for use as landfill liners in Southwestern, Nigeria

Antimicrobial and GC-MS Analyses of Stem and Root Extracts of Bidens Pilosa Linn

This study describes the qualitative phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and GC-MS analyses of the crude methanol extract of the stem and roots parts of Bidens pilosa partitioned between methanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and hexane solvents. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids. Saponins were not found in any of the fractions of stem and root of B. pilosa. Antibacterial studies indicated that the lowest concentration (6.25 mg/mL) was achieved for Candida subtilis for the ethyl acetate fraction of the stem extract and hexane fraction of the root extract. Antimycobacterial test activity of these solvent fractions revealed that the hexane fraction of the root extract was susceptible to the bacterium isolate. Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometric study revealed the presence of the following compounds-cis-9-Hexadecenal, 2-hydroxyl ethyl (Z)-9-Octadecenoate, Octadecanal, Oleic acid, 4-(dimethylamino)-Benzaldehyde, 4,6,7-Trimethoxy-2,3-dihydrofuro(2,3-b)quinolon

Biochemical and microbiological quality of honey from mangrove agro-ecological zone of Nigeria

In the present study, the biochemical and microbiological quality of honey from mangrove agro-ecological zone of Nigeria were investigated. There is paucity of information on the biochemical characteristics of honey produced from the mangrove zone of Nigeria, hence the need to provide a database on the characterization of honey produced in this zone. A total of eighteen honey samples collected from this zone were analyzed for their chemical properties including moisture, ash, pH, glucose and fructose content, while the microbial population including total plate count (TPC), total coliform and the levels of spore-forming bacteria and fungi were determined. Dat

Clients' reasons for prenatal ultrasonography in Ibadan, South West of Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prenatal ultrasonography has remained a universal tool but little is known especially from developing countries on clients' reasons for desiring it. Then aim was to determine the reasons why pregnant women will desire a prenatal ultrasound.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>It was a cross-sectional survey of consecutive 222 women at 2 different ultrasonography facilities in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of the respondents was 30.1 ± 4.5 years. The commonest reason for requesting for prenatal ultrasound scans was to check for fetal viability in 144 women (64.7%) of the respondents, followed by fetal gender determination in 50 women (22.6%. Other reasons were to check for number of fetuses, fetal age and placental location. Factors such as younger age, artisans profession and low level of education significantly influenced the decision to check for fetal viability on bivariate analysis but all were not significant on multivariate analysis. Concerning fetal gender determination, older age, Christianity, occupation and gravidity were significant on bivariate analysis, however, only gravidity and occupation remained significant independent predictor on logistic regression model. Women with less than 3 previous pregnancies were about 4 times more likely to request for fetal sex determination than women with more than 3 previous pregnancies, (OR 3.8 95%CI 1.52 – 9.44). The professionals were 7 times more likely than the artisans to request to find out about their fetal sex, (OR 7.0 95%CI 1.47 – 333.20).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that Nigerian pregnant women desired prenatal ultrasonography mostly for fetal viability, followed by fetal gender determination. These preferences were influenced by their biosocial variables.</p

A population-based cross-sectional study of age-specific risk factors for high risk human papillomavirus prevalence in rural Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cervical cancer, caused by persistent infection with carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HR-HPV), is particularly prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and is associated with a high mortality rate. Some studies in West Africa, including our own, have found unusually high HR-HPV across all ages with a slight peak in older women. This increased prevalence at older ages may complicate screen-and-treat programs, which are implemented in regions where HPV prevalence declines with age and typically target women between 30-49 years. A better understanding of the determinants of high HR-HPV prevalence at older ages is needed. The goal of this study is to explore risk factors for HR-HPV prevalence by age among women in our population-based study in Irun, a rural town in southwestern Nigeria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>1,420 women were administered a clinic-based questionnaire regarding sexual and reproductive behavior, marital status (including co-wives), and malaria exposure. Logistic regression compared questionnaire responses and PCR positivity for a set of 13 carcinogenic HR-HPV types. Results were stratified by age (15-29, 30-45, 46-55, and 56+ years).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Birth control use and age at first pregnancy were associated with HR-HPV (<it>p-value </it>= 0.03 and 0.05, respectively). Early age at sexual debut and multiple sex partners were risks for HR-HPV, but did not reach significance (<it>p-value </it>= 0.1 and 0.07, respectively). Neither self-reported malaria nor presence of co-wives in the household was associated with HR-HPV (<it>p-value </it>= 0.85 and 0.24, respectively). In age sub-categories, early age at sexual debut was a significant risk factor for HR-HPV among women 35-45 years (<it>p-value = 0.02</it>). Early age at first pregnancy remained a significant risk factor for women aged 56+ years (<it>p-value </it>= 0.04). Greater than 2 sex partners and use of birth control were associated (though not significantly) with HR-HPV in women aged 30-45 (<it>p-value </it>= 0.08, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this high-risk region with elevated HR-HPV prevalence at older ages, we confirmed previously described, behavioral determinants of HR-HPV. There was no association with self-reported malaria or co-wives, which we had hypothesized might correlate with HR-HPV at older ages.</p