Information and Communication Technology Skills as Determinants of Utilizations of Institutional Repositories by Lecturers in two Universities in Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information and communication technology (ICT) skills as determinants of utilization of Institutional Repositories (IRs) by lecturers in Covenant University (CU) and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Nigeria. The research method employed stratified random sampling and the sample size was 94 lecturers from the Covenant University and 285 lecturers from University of Ilorin. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The results from the paper revealed that there is higher utilization of institutional repository provisions among lecturers in CU and this is because many of them possess ICT skills. However, there is low utilization of IR resources in UNILORIN because ICT skills among their lecturers are low. The study concludes that lecturers in universities should acquire adequate ICT skills because ICT skills can facilitate the utilization of IR provisions. The paper will encourage Academic Libraries to step up their efforts in sensitizing and enlightening university lecturers on the need to acquire ICT skills. Academic Libraries, in addition to the other services they provide, will organize regular training for lecturers through seminars, workshops, conferences, refresher courses on ICT skills’ acquisitio

Morphometric Analysis of the Fibres in the Trunk of Alstonia boonei

The morphometric analysis of fibres in the trunk of Alstonia boonei was carried out in both the axial and radial directions by following standard procedures. Microscopic examinations of the fibres showed medium-sized, thick-walled and aseptate librifom fibres with living protoplasm. The mean lengths (µm), mean diameters (µm), lumen widths (µm) and mean cell wall thickness (µm) of the entire fibres in the trunk of the species were 1025.50 ± 0.24, 27.85 ± 8.13, 19.49 ± 8.26 and 4181.20 ± 2.17 respectively. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analyses such as ANOVA and Duncan Multiple Range Test (D.M.R.T). As a result, the mean fibre lengths and diameters decreased significantly at P≤0.05 from base to top of the trunk. However, they increased from core-wood to outer-woods but the increment was only significant at (P≤0.05) in the lengths of fibres along the radial plane of the trunk. In the same vein, the mean cell wall thickness of the fibres along the axial plain of the trunk were 3560.30 ± 1.15, 3896 ± 1.21 and 5086.30 ± 3.19 for the base, middle and top positions respectively. On the other hand, it increased inconsistently from core-wood to outer-wood with the values of 4216.70 ± 1.55, 3762.30 ± 1.34 and 4564.50 ± 3.12 respectively. Statistics showed that the increase was significant (P≤0.05) along the axial axes but insignificant along the radial axes.Conclusive recommendations of the species as shelterbelts for inhabitants of areas disturbed by wind and windstorms as well as constructions of yam and animal barns for subsistent and commercial agriculturists were made. Keywords: Morphometric, Alstonia boonei, libriform fibres, medium-sized, trunk

Understanding Online and offline Sex Seeking Behavior Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men: Implications For HIV/AIDS Interventions

Men who have sex with men (MSM), especially in the southeastern US are disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Young MSM and African American MSM are particularly burdened accounting for a greater proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Factors such as risky sexual behavior, perception of sexual risk, ignorance about HIV sero-status, internalized homonegativity/homophobia (IH), stigma, and alcohol and illegal drug use have been advanced as reasons for this disproportionate burden. HIV/AIDS prevention efforts aimed at stemming the epidemic among MSM have focused on locations where MSM meet other men for sex such as parks, beaches, bathhouses, adult book stores, clubs, and bars. However, in recent years, the Internet has emerged as a venue where MSM also meet other men for sex. This has prompted research studies examining the correlates of Internet sex seeking behavior among MSM. A review of these research studies show that most of them were conducted in regions other than the southeastern US, and on predominantly homogenous samples of MSM, usually older, White MSM. Furthermore, these studies have produced contradictory findings and focused almost exclusively on sexual risk. The paucity of studies conducted in the southeastern US focusing on a diverse sample of young MSM (18-29 years) provided the basis for the current research study. The overall goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between IH, risky sexual behavior, health protective sexual communication, perception of partners\u27 sexual risk, and Internet sex seeking behavior among young MSM. Additionally this study examined the influence of race on these relationships. The study design was cross-sectional recruiting MSM from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee. Participants were recruited online and offline. Online participants completed an electronic survey while offline participants completed a pencil and paper survey. Two hundred and sixty seven participants were recruited but four participants were dropped because they failed to meet the study\u27s inclusion criteria, resulting in a sample size of 263. Analysis was done using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and Mplus version 7. Descriptive statistics and a path analysis were conducted. Results of the analyses showed a high prevalence of Internet sex seeking behavior and risky sexual behavior respondents. Also, IH was not associated with Internet sex seeking behavior though African American MSM reported significantly higher levels of IH than White MSM. African American MSM who sought sex online reported a greater perception of partners\u27 sexual risk than White MSM who sought sex online but were less likely to engage in health protective sexual communication relative to White MSM. Per sexual risk, African American MSM who sought sex online were more likely to engage in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) than White MSM and MSM who sought sex online were more likely to engage in casual sex and report a history of sexually transmitted infection (STI) than MSM who sought sex offline. These findings support the need for more aggressive sexual health interventions that include equipping MSM with the tools and self-efficacy to navigate these virtual communities and understand the sexual risk associated with it. They also lend support to the use of the Internet and other mobile platforms as a tool for HIV/AIDS prevention interventions while presenting a new focus for interventions that target African American MSM

Information Repackaging for People with Special Needs in Edo State Library, Nigeria: A Case Report

Introduction: information Repackaging is a service that is barely available in the library especially for special needs people. The study assessed the availability and forms of information repackaging for special needs people, also the problems associated with information for special needs people. Methods: open-ended survey was used to collect data, the data collected from each respondent was availability of information repackaging, forms information is repackaged and problem associated with repackaging information for special need people. Responses were analyzed and coded using thematic analysis procedure by Braun and Clarke. Data was summarized into categories and Frequency which was represented in figures using column Charts. Results: study revealed information repackaging is partially available for special needs people (50%), the major forms which information is repackaged for special needs people were audio-visuals, charts, posters (100%) and the major problem associated with information repackaging for special needs people was funds (100%). Conclusion: the study discovered information repackaging is partially available for special needs people indicating that special needs people are not full considered as regards to their needs for information. Thus recommended inclusion for special needs people as regards to information

Solutions of the Schrödinger equation with inversely quadratic Hellmann plus inversely quadratic potential using Nikiforov-Uvarov method

By using the Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method, the Schrödinger equation has been solved for the interaction of inversely quadratic Hellmann (IQHP) and inversely quadratic potential (IQP) for any angular momentum quantum number, l. The energy eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenfunctions have been obtained in terms of Laguerre polynomials. Special cases of the sum of these potentials have been considered and their energy eigenvalues also obtained

PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF SOME VEGETABLE OILS FROM OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The study was carried out to assess the physicochemical properties, phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activities of twenty five different edible vegetable oil samples collected from Ota, Ogun state in Nigeria for their domestic and commercial applications. The moisture contents (0.02 – 0.13%), acid values (0.46 – 1.73 mg KOH/g), saponification values (226.19 – 310.19 mg KOH/g), iodine values (0.06 – 1.17 mg I2/g) and the low pH values (0.0 – 2.49) generally make these vegetable oils to be more useful in industrial applications than consumed directly or indirectly as ingredients in food. The results of the phytochemical screening of these oil samples indicated the presence of terpenoids, deoxysugar, steroids and cardenolides. The microbial sensitivity tests showed that most of the vegetable oil samples exhibited no inhibitory power against candida, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli but only sample 25 (soya bean oil) was sensitive to these three microbes and its inhibition of these microbes was concentration dependent. The mineral contents of these oils showed detectable levels of Zn (2.57 –21.43 ppm), Mn (0.12 – 0.98 ppm), Fe (2.21 – 97.41 ppm), Cu (0.49 – 61.70 ppm), Cd (0.42 – 0.74 ppm) and Pb (0.14 – 31.09 ppm) which were found to be above the WHO permissible limits for these metals in drinking water

Evaluatig the diesel biodegradatin potentil of wild microfungi isolated from decaying wood in Nigeria

We evaluated the potentils of pure wild microfungi isolated from decaying wood in utiizing diesel as source of carbon/energy and monitoring of their physiological responses via OD and pH gradient flxes. The fungi diversity was obtained by conventinal enrichment culture methods. Pure cultures of tentatie fungal species namely: SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were tested for their ability to utiize diesel oil as carbon and energy source. From the cultural, morphological and biochemical characterizatin and comparison with respect to the standard reference of fungi, the wild microfungi tentatiely named as SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were seemingly the members of Penicillum, Aspergillus, Mucor, Candida and Cryptococcus species. The diesel dependent growth of the pure microfungi was assessed by monitoring the flxes in the pH and Optial density OD of the minimal media slurry for 288 hours. There were flctuatins in OD as well as pH values for the diffrent microfungi. The mean pH data 5.90 ± 0.01-7.01± 0.01 and the OD 0.349±0.001 -1.232 ± 0.002 were obtained. The ability of our fungal isolates to tolerate diesel and grow in it, suggests that the isolates can be employed as bioremediatin agent

Comparative evaluation of biochemical effects of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit extracts on paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats

The therapeutic activity of date palm extracts (Phoenix dactylifera) against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity was studied in rats of the Wistar strain. Forty-eight (48) Wistar rats were assigned into 8 groups equally. Group I (normal control) were given distilled water for 14 consecutive days. Group II (negative control) received paracetamol (2 g/kg). Group III were pretreated with aqueous extract (400 mg/kg) for 7 days before receiving paracetamol (2 g/kg) for 7 additional days. Group IV were pretreated with aqueous extract (400 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days and paracetamol (2 g/kg) for 7 additional days. Group V– received 2 g/kg of paracetamol for 7days and given 400 mg/kg aqueous extract for additional 7 days. Group VI received paracetamol (2 g/kg) for 7days followed by ethanolic extract (400 mg/kg) for 7 additional days. Group VII were co-administered paracetamol (2 g/kg) and the aqueous extract (400mg/kg) for 7 days. Group VIII were co-administered paracetamol (2 g/kg) and ethanolic extract (400 mg/kg) for 7 days. To evaluate the efficacy of the extracts on paracetamol-compromised liver in Wistar rats, the enzyme activities of ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin concentration in serum were investigated. Treatment with aqueous and ethanolic extracts at different timing significantly (p<0.05) decreased paracetamol-induced elevation of serum concentrations of ALT, AST and bilirubin. Concurrent administration of the extracts with paracetamol conferred better hepatoprotection compared to the prophylactic and curative treatments. The present findings suggest a potential therapeutic use of Phoenix dactyliferia in treatment of liver diseases.Keywords: Phoenix dactylifera, hepatoxicity, extract, paracetamo