Knowledge and Attitudes towards Sickle Cell Disease Screening: A Study of Members of the UK Sickle Cell Society

Over the past fifty years there has been an increase in the number of people in the UK who have a Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) or are carriers. This increase has led to an expansion in research in this area; however one particular area that has not been researched rigorously is people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards SCD and genetic screening. Members of the Sickle Cell Society provided an ideal population for this exploratory study looking at people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards the SCD and genetic screening. This paper reports on the process and findings of this postal study

Points of convergence between Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the quest for metaphilosophy of universalism

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Effect of oral health education on mothers' knowledge for oral health care of children in Enugu, Nigeria

Aim: The study identified the effect of oral health education on mothers' knowledge for oral health care for children.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 408 mothers who brought their children for immunization at a tertiary health care centre in Enugu, Nigeria. The association between the mother's age, level of education, and good knowledge of oral health care for children was assessed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) and the effect of all significant factors was inferred at p< 0.05.Results: Only 167(36.0%) mothers had good knowledge on oral health care for children prior to oral health education. There was significant association between level of education (p=0.01) and mothers' knowledge of oral health care for children. Mothers with secondary level of education had good knowledge of oral health care for children. After the study intervention, the proportion of mothers with good knowledge of oral health care for children increased by 40.8% when compared with the baseline (p<0.001).Conclusion: Oral health education significantly improved mothers' knowledge of oral health care for children.Keywords: oral health, children, knowledge, mother

Local Governments in Nigeria: Relevance and Effectiveness in Poverty Reduction and Economic Development

This paper examines the local government system in Nigeria, its relevance and impact in poverty reduction, economic growth and sustainable development. After a review of the local government system in Nigeria as an example of political, fiscal and economic decentralization, it examines the nature and evolution of local government in Nigeria as well as the roles and responsibilities of the local governments in the Nigerian context. In examining the deficiencies of the local government system in Nigeria one of the major issues seem to be a problem of accountability of local governments along with serious capacity issues. The paper concludes with a treatment of the imperatives for optimising the effectiveness of local governments in Nigeria. Keywords: Local Government, Effectiveness, Poverty Alleviatio

Inhibition Studies of Rosmarinus Officinalis on the Pitting Corrosion Resistance 439LL Ferritic Stainless Steel in Dilute Sulphuric Acid

The electrochemical effect of NaCl concentrations (1-5 wt.%) on the corrosion, pitting potential and passivation characteristics of type 439LL ferritic stainless steels was studied in 1 M and 3 M H2SO4 solutions under the inhibiting action of Rosmarinus officinalis through potentiodynamic polarization resistance technique and IR spectroscopy. Results showed that the pitting potential decreased with significant increase in corrosion rates as the concentration of NaCl increased in the absence of Rosmarinus officinalis. Increase in pitting potential, passivation characteristics with significant decrease in corrosion rate was observed with increase in Rosmarinus officinalis concentrations. The average inhibition efficiency of 85 % was obtained. IR spectroscopy showed the presence of alkenes, amines, carboxylic acids, aromatics, alkanes, alkynes and alkyl halides functional groups responsible for the formation of stable complex with the iron constituents. The results obtained establish the dynamic relationship between Rosmarinus officinalis concentrations and the corrosion behavior of the ferritic stainless stee

Agroforestry Potential for Combating Forest and Environmental Degradation: Reflections on Southeastern Nigeria

Growing deforestation and environmental degradation in parts of Southeastern Nigeria have shifted attention to agricultural production systems that are environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable and economically appropriate. Agroforestry is one major sustainable farming system that has been the centre of theoretical and empirical attention, over the recent years. This paper examines the potential of agroforestry system to promote sustainable land use and ameliorate risks from deforestation, forest degradation and environmental damage. The paper is divided into sections. Section one is the introduction and background of the analysis. Section two reviews the various agroforestry systems and practices that hold potential for promoting sustainable land use and alleviating environmental risks. Section three expounds these potentials which cut across the social, economic, ecological, religious and cultural aspects of rural life. Section four highlights and discusses the imperatives for realizing agroforestry potential in the sustainable development of natural resources in rural Southeastern Nigeria. Section five contains the conclusion and policy agenda for action in order to enhance forest conservation and environmental sustainability.Key Words: Agro forestry, Environmental damage, Sustainability, Conservatio

Environmental risk management strategies: household response to rice yield variability in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

The environmental risk management strategies used by farmers in response to rice yield variability in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was examined. A total of 108 rice farmers were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data analysis shows that the mean age of the farmers was 45.9 years and majority (63%) had only primary school education. Rice production was at the peasant level with majority of the respondents cultivating between 0.6 and 1.0 hectare. The results show that farmers use mostly ex ante strategies, involving diversification and flexibility to manage environmental risk. The major constraints facing environmental risk management in the area include nonaccessibility of fund to purchase inputs at the appropriate time, (X = 3.69), inadequate information on weather situation (X = 3.36), inadequate extension services (X = 3.07), lack of irrigation facilities (X = 3.01), and non-availability of improved rice varieties (X = 3.00). The research suggests, among others, the provision of irrigation facilities and adequate extension services to farmers to enable them effectively manage the environmental risks affecting rice farming in the area

Nutritional and industrial applications of broiler chickens feather – a review

Broiler chicken feather is one of the greatest protein-containing poultry by-products that has been scantily reused. Nigeria is reported to have the largest population of chickens in Africa. Consequently, enormous quantities of feathers are generated as by-products of the processing of these chickens. These feathers are often dumped at dump sites where they constitute environmental nuisance and thus pollute underground water. Broiler chickens feather has been reported to contain crude protein content of between 82-87% that could be incorporated into diets of broiler chickens as feather meal after subjecting them to appropriate processing procedures such as boiling at high temperature or enzymatic treatment in order to denature its anti-nutrient called keratins. The use of broiler chickens feather as organic fertilizer in crop production and as raw material in the textile industry has also gained relevance, especially in the developed world. This paper, therefore, reviews the nutritional potentials of broiler chickens feather in promoting better meat quality as well as other useful industrial applications that could enhance effective recycling of this major by-product of the poultry industry towards reducing or eliminating environmental pollution with the broiler chicken feathers

Organization management today: setting the human resource agenda in the globalized competition

The paper‘s discussion focuses on the way the world we live in is being transformed under our own very eyes by factors and forces which are so compelling and overwhelming, in their ramifications. The environment in which business and management are carried on today is becoming more and more complex by the day. Things are unfolding faster and are being transmitted to all corners of the globe at such an alarming speed that no nation, no organization and no individual is insulated. The paper theoretically examined why organization(s) should fit -in into the environmentin order to compete with the rest of the world.Keywords: Organization, Management, Human resources agenda, Globalization, Competitio

Thermal Analysis of a Small-Scale Municipal Solid Waste-Fired Steam Generator: Case Study of Enugu State, Nigeria

Thermal analysis of a small-scale municipal solid waste-fired steam generator has been presented in this work. The analysis was based on the selected design parameters: operating steam pressure of 10 bar, with fuel consumption rate of 500 Kg/h and combustion chamber which utilizes mass burn incineration using water wall furnace. The plant is designed as a possible option for thermal utilization of rural and urban wastes in Nigeria. The average daily generation of MSW was considered in order to assess the availability of the material. The data were collected from Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ENSWAMA).This was calculated based on the state population, urbanization and industrialization strengths. Calculation of calorific value of the waste to determine the heat contents was carried out using two methods: Bomb calorimeter and Dulong’s formula. Some samples of the garbage were analyzed with bomb calorimeter in the National Centre For Energy Research & Development Laboratory, University of Nigeria Nsukka. This is important because it a direct measure of the temperature requirements that the specific waste will place on the system. The calorific values obtained from this analysis were 12572.308 KJ/kg, 14012.05 KJ/kg, 21833.26 KJ/kg and 20551.01 KJ/kg for paper products, woods, plastics and textiles waste respectively, while the energy content obtained from the elemental composition of waste using Dulong’s formula was 15,101 KJ/kg .The maximum temperature of the furnace attained from the energy balance based on this value around the combustion chamber was 833.7 K and the amount of air required per kg of MSW was 8.66kg   Keywords: Solid-Waste, Steam, Temperature, Pressure, Moisture Content, Calorific Valu