POTENTIALS AND CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY BANKS IN AGRIBUSINESS FINANCING FOR SMALL FARMERS IN JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE

Capital is regarded as a major factor for expanding production and modernizing Agriculture. The need to provide it to farmers is inevitable because it is an instrument in fostering Agricultural development and for improving efficiency in the production process. The contemporary practice of agriculture requires capital support, which is a handicap to small farmers. A research was conducted in Jos South L.G.A to assess the effectiveness of rural credit delivery system of community banks to provide resources to poor farmers. A set of 65 data collection instruments was administered to farmers and bank officials in a multi-stage random selection technique. Descriptive statistics was adopted to analyse socio-economic characteristics of the farmers while inferential statistics was adopted to test the hypotheses of the study. Findings revealed that majority of the farmers are yet to benefit from community banks (88%). The result of the hypotheses test indicates that information gap, inadequate and timely supply of inputs of production, time of loan disbursement, value of loan package are all statistically significant to sourcing of credit from the bank by farmers. It is recommended that farmer friendly banking policy be adopted to encourage farmers to patronize community banks.Agricultural Finance,

Intravascular lymphoma presenting as a specific pulmonary embolism and acute respiratory failure: a case report

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A Theoretical Analysis of the Feasibility of a Singularity-Induced Micro-Electroporation System

Electroporation, the permeabilization of the cell membrane lipid bilayer due to a pulsed electric field, has important implications in the biotechnology, medicine, and food industries. Traditional macro and micro-electroporation devices have facing electrodes, and require significant potential differences to induce electroporation. The goal of this theoretical study is to investigate the feasibility of singularity-induced micro-electroporation; an electroporation configuration aimed at minimizing the potential differences required to induce electroporation by separating adjacent electrodes with a nanometer-scale insulator. In particular, this study aims to understand the effect of (1) insulator thickness and (2) electrode kinetics on electric field distributions in the singularity-induced micro-electroporation configuration. A non-dimensional primary current distribution model of the micro-electroporation channel shows that while increasing insulator thickness results in smaller electric field magnitudes, electroporation can still be performed with insulators thick enough to be made with microfabrication techniques. Furthermore, a secondary current distribution model of the singularity-induced micro-electroporation configuration with inert platinum electrodes and water electrolyte indicates that electrode kinetics do not inhibit charge transfer to the extent that prohibitively large potential differences are required to perform electroporation. These results indicate that singularity-induced micro-electroporation could be used to develop an electroporation system that consumes minimal power, making it suitable for remote applications such as the sterilization of water and other liquids

A dose-escalation study of indisulam in combination with capecitabine (Xeloda) in patients with solid tumours

This dose escalation study was designed to determine the recommended dose of the multi-targeted cell cycle inhibitor indisulam in combination with capecitabine in patients with solid tumours and to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of the combination. Thirty-five patients were treated with indisulam on day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Capecitabine was administered two times daily (BID) on days 1–14. Plasma concentrations of indisulam, capecitabine and its three metabolites were determined for pharmacokinetic analysis. The main dose-limiting toxicity was myelosuppression. Hand/foot syndrome and stomatitis were the major non-haematological toxicities. The recommended dose was initially established at indisulam 700 mg m−2 and capecitabine 1250 mg m−2 BID. However, during cycle 2 the recommended dose was poorly tolerated in three patients. A dose of indisulam 500 mg m−2 and capecitabine 1250 mg m−2 BID proved to be safe at cycle 1 and 2 in nine additional patients. Indisulam pharmacokinetics during cycle 1 were consistent with pharmacokinetic data from phase I mono-therapy studies. However, exposure to indisulam was remarkably increased at cycle 2 due to a drug–drug interaction between capecitabine and indisulam. Partial response was confirmed in two patients, one with colon carcinoma and the other with pancreatic carcinoma. Seventeen patients had stable disease. Indisulam (700 mg m−2) in combination with capecitabine (1250 mg m−2 BID) was well tolerated during the first cycle. A dose of indisulam 500 mg m−2 and capecitabine 1250 mg m−2 BID was considered safe in multiple treatment cycles. The higher incidence of toxicities observed during cycle 2 can be explained by a time-dependent pharmacokinetic drug–drug interaction

A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of indisulam in combination with carboplatin

Indisulam (E7070) is an anticancer agent that is currently being evaluated in phase II clinical studies. A significant reduction in glutathione synthetase and glutathione reductase transcripts by indisulam provided a molecular basis for its combination with platinum agents. Indisulam demonstrated high anti-tumour activity in various preclinical cancer models. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the recommended dose of indisulam in combination with carboplatin in patients with solid tumours and (2) to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of the combination. Patients with solid tumours were treated with indisulam in combination with carboplatin. Indisulam (350, 500, or 600 mg m−2) was given as a 1-hour intravenous infusion on day 1 and carboplatin (5 or 6 mg min ml−1) as an intravenous infusion over 30 min on day 2 of a three-weekly cycle. Sixteen patients received study treatment and were eligible. Thrombocytopenia was the major dose limiting toxicity followed by neutropenia. Both drugs contributed to the myelosuppressive effect of the combination. Indisulam 500 mg m−2 in combination with carboplatin 6 mg min ml−1 was identified not to cause dose limiting toxicity, but a delay of re-treatment by 1 week was required regularly to allow recovery from myelosuppression. The recommended dose and schedule for an envisaged phase II study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer is indisulam 500 mg m−2 in combination with carboplatin 6 mg min ml−1 repeated four-weekly. Patients who do not experience severe thrombocytopenia at cycle 1 will be permitted to receive an escalated dose of indisulam of 600 mg m−2 from cycle 2 onwards

Polyamide-Scorpion Cyclam Lexitropsins Selectively Bind AT-Rich DNA Independently of the Nature of the Coordinated Metal

Cyclam was attached to 1-, 2- and 3-pyrrole lexitropsins for the first time through a synthetically facile copper-catalyzed “click” reaction. The corresponding copper and zinc complexes were synthesized and characterized. The ligand and its complexes bound AT-rich DNA selectively over GC-rich DNA, and the thermodynamic profile of the binding was evaluated by isothermal titration calorimetry. The metal, encapsulated in a scorpion azamacrocyclic complex, did not affect the binding, which was dominated by the organic tail

Revisiting the Paris Declaration agenda : an inclusive, realistic orientation for aid effectiveness

The progress in endeavours to achieve the commitments of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness has been slow. This paper explains the challenges faced by the aid effectiveness agenda and discusses why and how it needs to be revisited. In order to elucidate the differences in donors’ approaches to aid effectiveness, a comparison is made between the United Kingdom and Japan, which leads to two suggestions. The main messages are that it is important to be inclusive of different donors, and to link the policy dialogue and reality on the ground