Public-Private Partnership and Tourism Development in the Niger Delta Region

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are usually adopted in most countries for developmental purposes and not on ideological ground. PPPs have been adopted in several sectors in Nigeria. This paper is an attempt to examine PPP and tuorism development in the Niger Delta region. The paper examines the conceptual and theoretical issues surrounding PPP and tourism development. Also, factors that militate against successful implementation and execution of PPP in Nigeria have been appraised in the paper. Keywords: Public-private partnership, tourism development, Niger Delta, multinational oil companies (MNCs

The Necessity of Hope: A Philosophical and Theological Appraisal

The world today is full of innumerable uncertainties plaguing humanity. There seem to be a growing concern for the future of the world as various natural phenomena such as earthquake, tsunami, flood, draught, famine and war takes its toll on humankind. Suffering is now on the increase even among the redeemed of the Lord. Many scientists and environmentalists are advocating for the reduction of carbon emission as solution to the perceived climate change. In the midst of these uncertainties hope in the Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Immutable God become the only sine-qua-non and the panacea for survival and continued existence. Being a literary research, the paper adopted the qualitative analytical research methodology in its approach and examined the necessity of hope as it pertained to mankind in the midst of suffering. In recommendation, it among others, advocated that a life without hope will eventually fall into despair or retires into status quo of the society. The paper explained that the Christian hope goes beyond the contemplation of philosophy and hinges on the truth as revealed by Christ and the Scripture

Adaptive Cooperative Learning Methodology for Oil Spillage Pattern Clustering and Prediction

The serious environmental, economic and social consequences of oil spillages could devastate any nation of the world. Notable aftermath of this effect include loss of (or serious threat to) lives, huge financial losses, and colossal damage to the ecosystem. Hence, understanding the pattern and  making precise predictions in real time is required (as opposed to existing rough and discrete prediction) to give decision makers a more realistic picture of environment. This paper seeks to address this problem by exploiting oil spillage features with sets of collected data of oil spillage scenarios. The proposed system integrates three state-of-the-art tools: self organizing maps, (SOM), ensembles of deep neural network (k-DNN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). It begins with unsupervised learning using SOM, where four natural clusters were discovered and used in making the data suitable for classification and prediction (supervised learning) by ensembles of k-DNN and ANFIS. Results obtained showed the significant classification and prediction improvements, which is largely attributed to the hybrid learning approach, ensemble learning and cognitive reasoning capabilities. However, optimization of k-DNN structure and weights would be needed for speed enhancement. The system would provide a means of understanding the nature, type and severity of oil spillages thereby facilitating a rapid response to impending oils spillages. Keywords: SOM, ANFIS, Fuzzy Logic, Neural Network, Oil Spillage, Ensemble Learnin

Incentive Structure and Work Attitude among Junior Staff in Cross River State Civil Service

This study investigates whether incentive structure plays a significant role in the work attitude of junior civil servants in Nigeria. Five different incentive items were tested by data collected. These include monetary, job security, promotion, good work environment, and social/official recognition. These five sub-variables were ranked in their order of importance. Frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and T-test statistical techniques were used to analyze data obtained. It was found that junior civil servants considered monetary incentives highest on their ranking, and that incentive structure as a whole significantly affected work attitude among junior staff in the Civil Service

The Nature and Weighting of Major Determinants of Women Participation in Policy Process in Nigeria: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State

This study investigates the factors responsible for the very low number of women participating in policy process in Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was used in this study for the purpose of separating the respondents into educated (HND/B.Sc. and above) and less educated. Responses from educated respondents were used in this study. Data were collected by distributing and retrieving 900 questionnaires across the three senatorial districts of the state (300 in each senatorial district). The various factors tested were economic, cultural, physical, mental, psychological, religion and ideology. Frequency distribution statistics is used to analyze data obtained. It was found that 66% of respondents considered economic factor as most responsible for the low number of women participating in policy processes in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

Modeling Inflation Rates using Periodogram and Fourier Series Analysis Methods: The Nigerian Case

This work considers the application of Periodogram and Fourier Series Analysis to model all-items monthly inflation rates in Nigeria from 2003 to 2011. The main objectives are to identify inflation cycles, fit a suitable model to the data and make forecasts of future values. To achieve these objectives, monthly all-items inflation rates for the period were obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) website. Periodogram and Fourier Series methods of analysis are used to analyze the data. Based on the analysis, it was found out that inflation cycle within the period was fifty one (51) months, which relates to the two government administrations within the period. Further, appropriate significant Fourier series model comprising the trend, seasonal and error components is fitted to the data and this model is further used to make a forecast of the inflation rates for thirteen months and this forecast compares favourably with the actual values for the thirteen months. Keywords: Fourier Series analysis, periodogram, frequency domain, time series, forecasting

Effect of ethanolic extract of leaf of azadirachta indica on some hematological parameters in albino Wister rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ethanolic extract of the leaf of Azadirachta indica on haematological indices of rats. Twenty four adult male rats (weighing between 100 and 120g) were randomly but equally divided into four groups of six rats per group. Rats in group I (control) were administered with 10ml/kg of distilled water while rats in groups2 to 4 were respectively administered with the extract of A. indica orally at the dose levels of 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg, once daily for 14 days. On the 15th day post administration, rats of all the groups were sacrificed and their blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture into EDTA sample bottles for haematological analysis.The results showed that PCV, Hb, RBC counts were non-significantly increased in all the experimental groups compared to control, indicating that extract of A. Indica caused non-significant increase in thePCV, Hb and RBC counts. The mean white blood cell and platelet counts were significantly decreased in group3 compared to control. The mean lymphocyte values increased while the mean neutrophil values decreased in all the experimental groups compared to control. The mean values of MCH, MCHC and MCV were similar between experimental groups and the control. Therefore, in conclusion low dose of ethanolic Azadirachta indica causes increase in the cellular components of blood but higher dosesmay result in decrease of some or all of these blood parameters

Viscoelastic properties of differentiating blood cells are fate- and function-dependent

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Although cellular mechanical properties are known to alter during stem cell differentiation, understanding of the functional relevance of such alterations is incomplete. Here, we show that during the course of differentiation of human myeloid precursor cells into three different lineages, the cells alter their viscoelastic properties, measured using an optical stretcher, to suit their ultimate fate and function. Myeloid cells circulating in blood have to be advected through constrictions in blood vessels, engendering the need for compliance at short time-scales (minutes), compared to undifferentiated cells. These findings suggest that reduction in steady-state viscosity is a physiological adaptation for enhanced migration through tissues. Our results indicate that the material properties of cells define their function, can be used as a cell differentiation marker and could serve as target for novel therapies.Funding: The authors acknowledge financial support by the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (to AEE; http://www.cambridgetrusts.org), the Medical Research Council (to KC and JG; grant number: 94185; http://www.mrc.ac.uk), the Human Frontier Science Program (to GW and JG; grant number: RGP0015/2009-C; http:// www.hfsp.org) and the European Research Council (to JG; grant number: 282060; http://erc.europa.eu)

Effect of ethanolic extract of leaf of azadirachta indica on some hematological parameters in albino wister rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ethanolic extract of the leaf of Azadirachta indica on haematological indices of rats. Twenty four adult male rats (weighing between 100 and 120g) were randomly but equally divided into four groups of six rats per group. Rats in group I (control) were administered with 10ml/kg of distilled water while rats in groups2 to 4 were respectively administered with the extract of A. indica orally at the dose levels of 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg, once daily for 14 days. On the 15th day post administration, rats of all the groups were sacrificed and their blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture into EDTA sample bottles for haematological analysis. The results showed that PCV, Hb, RBC counts were non-significantly increased in all the experimental groups compared to control, indicating that extract of A. Indica caused non-significant increase in the PCV, Hb and RBC counts. The mean white blood cell and platelet counts were significantly decreased in group3 compared to control. The mean lymphocyte values increased while the mean neutrophil values decreased in all the experimental groups compared to control. The mean values of MCH, MCHC and MCV were similar between experimental groups and the control. Therefore, in conclusion low dose of ethanolic Azadirachta indica causes increase in the cellular components of blood but higher doses may result in decrease of some or all of these blood parameters. Keywords: Azadirachta indica, extract, white blood cell, platelet, lymphocyte

Assessment of knowledge, practice and guidelines towards the novel COVID-19 among eye care practitioners in Nigeria : a survey-based study

The aim of this study was to explore knowledge, practice of risk and guidelines of the novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) infection among the eye care practitioners and the potential associated factors. A cross-sectional self-administered online survey was distributed via emails and social media networks between 2nd and 18th May 2020 corresponding to the week of the lockdown in Nigeria to eye care practitioners (ECPs). Data for 823 respondents were analyzed. Knowledge and risk practice were categorized as binary outcome and univariate and multivariate linear regression were used to examine the associated factors. The mean score for COVID-19-related knowledge of public health guidelines was high and varied across the ECPs. Ophthalmic Nurses, Ophthalmologists and Optometrists showed higher COVID-19-related knowledge than other ECPs (p < 0.001), particularly those working in the private sector. More than 50% of ECPs stated they provided essential services during the COVID-19 lockdown via physical consultation, particularly the Ophthalmologists. Most respondents reported that the guidelines provided by their Association were useful but expressed their lack of confidence in attending to patients during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Compared to other ECPs in Nigeria, more Ophthalmic Nurses received training in the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This survey is the first to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. ECPs in Nigeria displayed good knowledge about COVID-19 and provided eye care services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, despite the majority not receiving any training on the use of PPEs with concerns over attending to patients. There is need for the government to strengthen health systems by improving and extending training on standard infection prevention and control measures to ECPs for effective control of the pandemic and in the future as essential health workers