Commonwealth Professional Fellowship: the wealth of experience and lessons learned.

The Commonwealth Professional Fellowship (CPF) is a programme of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in association with the British Council. The Fellowship is aimed at providing a professional development opportunity for mid-career professionals from Commonwealth developing countries in diverse disciplines. Fellows who take part in this programme spend a period of one to three months in the United Kingdom to keep abreast of current trends and developments, and receive training in appropriate fields

Chemical constituents from the stem bark of Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth (Fabaceae)

Background: Plants have served as source of lead discovery in drug development; there is the need to look into our ethnomedicinal plants for the purpose of identifying bioactive antibacterial agents to combat the growing antibacterial resistance to current drugs.Objective: The present study investigated the antibacterial activity of the extract and soluble fractions of Pentaclethra macrophylla against some selected pathogens and isolation of active constituents using chromatography and spectroscopic techniques.Materials and methods: The pulverized stem bark of P. macrophylla was extracted to exhaustion with 70% methanol and the combined crude methanol extract after removal of solvent was partitioned with ethyl acetate and n-butanol to give ethyl acetate and n-butanol soluble fractions. Antibacterial activity was evaluated on the crude methanol extract,ethylacetate and n-butanol fractions against five pathogenic bacteria using agar diffusion assay method. The active ethylacetate and n-butanol fractions were subjected to Column chromatography and subsequent purification over sephadex LH-20 afforded compounds I, II and III. The structures of these compounds were elucidated using NMR and MS and are reported in this plant for the first time.Results: Antibacterial activity showed that the extract and fractions at 10mg/mL showed activity against B. subtilis with zones of inhibition of 8.0 ± 2.89, 16.0 ±1.73 and 9.5 ± 1.78 respectively for 70% methanol extract, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol fractions. Ethyl acetate soluble fraction at (10mg/mL) had a good activity against B. subtilis and S. aureus with inhibition zones of 16.0 and13.5mm compared with Levofloxacin (1.5μg/mL) having zones diameter of 21.1 and 16.6mm, however, none of the extract or fractions showed activity against K. pneumonae. Compound I was identified as methyl gallate, compound II: Bergenin and compound III: 11-O-galloylbergenin. The structures of these compounds were elucidated using NMR and ESI-MS and compared with literature.Conclusion: Finding from this work showed that the ethylacetate fraction is the most active and compounds I, II were isolated from the fraction, while the n-butanol furnished compound III. These compounds are being reported for the first time in this plant and have been known to possess antibacterial activity, thereby given credence to the ethnomedicinal use of this plant against infections.Keywords: Pentaclethra macrophylla, Antibacterial, Methyl gallate, Bergenin, 11-O-galloylbergeni

Transparency in Nigeria's public pharmaceutical sector: perceptions from policy makers

Abstract Background Pharmaceuticals are an integral component of health care systems worldwide, thus, regulatory weaknesses in governance of the pharmaceutical system negatively impact health outcomes especially in developing countries [1]. Nigeria is one of a number of countries whose pharmaceutical system has been impacted by corruption and has struggled to curtail the production and trafficking of substandard drugs. In 2001, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) underwent an organizational restructuring resulting in reforms to reduce counterfeit drugs and better regulate pharmaceuticals [2]. Despite these changes, there is still room for improvement. This study assessed the perceived level of transparency and potential vulnerability to corruption that exists in four essential areas of Nigeria's pharmaceutical sector: registration, procurement, inspection (divided into inspection of ports and of establishments), and distribution. Methods Standardized questionnaires were adapted from the World Health Organization assessment tool and used in semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the public and private pharmaceutical system. The responses to the questions were tallied and converted to scores on a numerical scale where lower scores suggested greater vulnerability to corruption and higher scores suggested lower vulnerability. Results The overall score for Nigeria's pharmaceutical system was 7.4 out of 10, indicating a system that is marginally vulnerable to corruption. The weakest links were the areas of drug registration and inspection of ports. Analysis of the qualitative results revealed that the perceived level of corruption did not always match the qualitative evidence. Conclusion Despite the many reported reforms instituted by NAFDAC, the study findings suggest that facets of the pharmaceutical system in Nigeria remain fairly vulnerable to corruption. The most glaring deficiency seems to be the absence of conflict of interest guidelines which, if present and consistently administered, limit the promulgation of corrupt practices. Other major contributing factors are the inconsistency in documentation of procedures, lack of public availability of such documentation, and inadequacies in monitoring and evaluation. What is most critical from this study is the identification of areas that still remain permeable to corruption and, perhaps, where more appropriate checks and balances are needed from the Nigerian government and the international community

The Contribution of Science and Technology Education to National Development: The Nigerian Experience

In order to enhance Science and Technology Education, it is necessary to understand the contribution of Science and Technology Education to national development. This paper examines the contribution of Science and Technology Education to national development: The Nigerian experience with a view of making it a tool for national development worthwhile. Since societies that discriminate technical education among its counterpart pays a high price in their ability to reduce poverty and develop. Enhancing national development depends on improving the situation of technical education. Reducing the gap in education reduces individual poverty and encourages economic growth and enhances national development. Problems and Challenges to National Education Policies were also discussed as they relate to difficulty in finding, training and retraining of well qualified science teachers, difficulty in keeping up with emerging science and changing teaching practice, public perceptions related to science, difficulty in maintaining a relevant science curriculum at all levels, funding and lack of information. In order to overcome the challenges of science and Technology education, the paper offers recommendations with a view to enhancing the contribution of Science and Technology Education to national development. Key words: National Development, Poverty, Technical Education, Science & Technology

Factors Affecting Academic Performance of First-Year Business Education Students in Ekiti State College of Education

The study examined factors affecting the academic performance of first-year Business Education students in the College of Education Ikere Ekiti. The study adopted the descriptive research design of a survey type. The population of the study consists of 374 Business Education students. Sample of 150 students was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the study. The validity and reliability of the instrument were ensured. The reliability coefficient of 0.90 was obtained using the Cronbach alpha coefficient which indicated that the instrument was reliable to collect the necessary data for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. The study concluded that various factors are causing poor academic performance of first-year Business Education students in the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. These include course structure, poor students academic background, inadequate teaching and learning resources, lack of reading habit and reading plan of students, a bridge between theory and practical, lecturers' pedagogical knowledge and skills, lecturers' professional knowledge, quality of available lecturers, boring lectures presentations method among others. Therefore, to reduce poor students’ academic performance, the study recommends that all the measures revealed in the study should be implemented in order to ensure better students' academic performance. Also, the Business Education syllabus should be re-designed and implemented to meet today’s needs. Finally, lecturers should be given proper guide and encouragement to students to make them happy for them not to lose hope towards the study of Business Education in Tertiary institutions Keywords: Tertiary Institutions, Business Education, Students, Academic Performance DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-35-07 Publication date: December 31st 202

Aeropalynological Investigation of the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Hay fever allergy could either be from pollen or fungi spores. Using theHirst model of pollen trap, pollen buckets were constructed; with pollen trap solutions inside them, they were placed in specific locations in the  University of Ilorin for four months (December 2012/January 2013 to  March/April 2013). Using acetolysis reaction, pollens and spores were  recovered from the trap solution and were analyzed and identified in the microscope. Pollen/spore were counted and compared with meteorologicalparameters i.e. rainfall, sunshine, wind speed, humidity, and temperature. It was observed that pollen/spore concentrations were influenced by these meteorological factors. Hence there is need for us to always determine the amount of these pollen/spore concentrations all year round as it will help to predict the vegetation of a given area as well as helping hay fever sufferers manage their allergies effectively. ©JASEMKEYWORDS: Hey fever, meteorological parameters, pollens, spores, climate, University of Ilorin

Microbiological assessment of indoor air quality of science laboratories in Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria

Laboratories are rooms equipped for performing scientific researches. Monitoring of bio-aerosols in laboratories will help to estimate the health hazards posed by airborne microorganisms and create standards for air quality control. This study was aimed at assessing the airborne bacteria present in the indoor environment of science laboratories in Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. Air samples were taken twice a day: in the morning and evening using the settle plate technique. Mean bacterial counts ranged from 236.6 CFU/m3 to 1530.0 CFU/m3. The highest mean bacterial count (1530.0 CFU/m3) was obtained at the Microbiology laboratory while the least count (236.6 CFU/m3) was obtained at the Physics laboratory. The bacterial count in the Microbiology laboratory was significantly higher than those obtained in the other labs ( p< 0.05) There was no significant difference in the bacterial counts obtained in the morning and the evening (p>0.05). The levels of pollution with bacterial aerosols in the laboratories ranged from intermediate to high. Four bacterial species were identified, with Bacillus species (33%) being the most frequently isolated followed by Staphylococcus aureus (27%), Micrococcus spp (23%) while the least isolated organism was Pseudomonas spp (17%). The level of bacterial contamination observed in these  laboratories calls for adequate sanitary measures to be put in place to control airborne bio-aerosols to safeguard the health of the users

Molecular Characterization of Potential Crop Pathogens Associated with Weeds as Endophytes in Uniilorin Plantations, Nigeria

عادة ما تحدث أمراض المحاصيل عن طريق لقاح من مسببات الأمراض التي قد توجد على عوائل بديلة أو حشائش مثل عائل نباتي داخلي. عادة ما تمنح هذه العوائل النباتية الداخلية ، مسببات الأمراض ، بعض السمات المفيدة لهذه الأعشاب أو المضيفات البديلة من الحماية ضد العواشب ، ومقاومة الأمراض ، وتحمل الإجهاد لإنتاج مركبات الايض الثانوية. لذلك أجريت هذه الدراسة لعزل مسببات الأمراض المحتملة التي توجد كعوائل نباتية داخلية في أنواع الادغال في مزارع جامعة إيلورين. جمعت الأوراق الخضراء عديمة الأعراض من 10 أنواع من الادغال عبر المزارع ، وتم معالجتها لعزل الفطريات من العائل النباتي الداخلي. تم تنقية العزلات إلى مستنبتات نقية واستخدمت في التعريف الجزيئي باستخدام منطقة المباعد المنسوخة الداخلية (ITS) للحمض النووي الريبوسومي. كشف التحليل الوراثي للتسلسل الفطري باستخدام برنامج MEGA عن 9 أجناس فطرية تنتمي إلى 13 نوعًا ، مع وجود أنواع في الأجناس Curvularia و Epicoccum و Daldinia في أكثر من نوع واحد من الادغال ، بينما توجد أجناس أخرى مثل Alternaria و Fusarium و Chaetomium و Macrophomina و Arthrinium و Phomopsis في نوع واحد فقط من الادغال لكل منهما. تم عزل Daldinia eschscholtzii في هذه الدراسة باعتباره عائل نباتي داخلي من Loudetia arundinacea لأول مرة. هذا النبات متوفر بكثرة في نيجيريا وإفريقيا حيث يتم استخدامه بشكل رئيسي بتغطية السقوف بالقش وتغذية المواشي. يمثل هذا أيضًا أول فطريات في عائل نباتي داخلي من جنس Loudetia.. تمت مناقشة العلاقة المحتملة بين حدوث هذه الفطريات باعتبارها عائل نباتي داخلي ومسببات الأمراض. تمثل هذه الاكتشافات أول تحديد جزيئي واسع النطاق والعديد من التقارير الأولية عن عوائل نباتات داخلية من هذه الأنواع من الادغال. تمثل هذه النتائج أيضًا التسجيل الأولي لبعض هذه الفطريات في نيجيريا.Crop diseases are usually caused by inoculum of pathogens which might exist on alternate hosts or weeds as endophytes. These endophytes, cum pathogens, usually confer some beneficial attributes to these weeds or alternate hosts from protection against herbivores, disease resistance, stress tolerance to secondary metabolites production. This study was therefore carried out to isolate potential crop pathogens which exist as endophytes on weed species in the University of Ilorin plantations. Green asymptomatic leaves were collected from 10 weed species across the plantations, and processed for their endophytic fungi isolation. Isolates were purified into pure cultures and used for molecular identification using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the fungal sequences using MEGA software revealed 9 fungal genera belonging to 13 species, with species in the genera Curvularia, Epicoccum and Daldinia occurring in more than one weed species, while other genera such as Alternaria, Fusarium, Chaetomium, Macrophomina, Arthrinium and Phomopsis occurred in just one weed species each. Daldinia eschscholtzii was isolated in this study as an endophyte from Loudetia arundinacea for the first time. This plant is very abundant in Nigeria and Africa where it is used majorly for thatching and feeding livestocks. This also represents the first endophytic fungi from the genus Loudetia. Potential relationship between the occurrences of these fungi as endophytes and as pathogens are discussed. These discoveries represent the first large-scale molecular identification and several first reports of endophytes from these weed species. These results also represent the first records of some of these fungi in Nigeria

Comparative Biodiversity Assessment of Weed Species in Monocropping Plantations of University of Ilorin, Nigeria

The present study investigates the weed species diversity in four plantations of university of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria using quadrat method. The survey revealed two major life cycles (annual and perennial) and recorded a total of 88 weed species belonging to 32 families. Four species (Azadirachta indica, Daniellia oliveri, Desmodium tortuosum, and Tridax procumbens) were common in all the surveyed plantations while the family Fabaceae was the most dominant. The abundant weed species analysis showed a high importance value index and were more adapted to the plantations. Diversity analysis revealed high species richness in the sugarcane plantation. The non-canopy nature of the plantation, soil structure as well as ability to coexist with many other species may underscore the reasons for this pattern of diversity. The evenness and similarity indices between and across the plantations were generally low, thus, indicating varying diversity. As a result of the recorded variation in weed composition between and across the plantations, the study has provided an insight on the pattern of weed diversity in the studied plantations. The study recommended that the most abundant weed species populations be checked for the plantations to thrive. Finally, there is an urgent need to conserve weed species that are not only rare in abundance but also showed great social and economic values

Effects of Deep-Fat Frying using Canola Oil, Soya Oil and Vegetable Oil on the Proximate, Vitamins and Mineral Contents of Unripe Plantain (Musa x paradisiaca)

Musa x paradisiaca (plantain) isamong the major tropical staple foods. This study was designed to determine the proximate, mineral and fat soluble vitamins constituents of unripe plantain fried with three different oils (canola oil, soya oil and vegetable oil) and unripe plantain oven dried sample was used as the control. The vitamins were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The result of the proximate analysis showed that the dried samples had higher levels of protein (25.2%), carbohydrate (50.1%), moisture content (13.3%), ash content (2.02%), crude fibre (7.73%) but low level of crude fat in comparison with the fried samples. Plantain fried with vegetable oil had the lowest levels of protein (20.84%), carbohydrate (26.93%), moisture content (13.1%), ash content (1.72%) and crude fibre (6.57%) but the highest level of crude fat (30.84%). Plantain fried with vegetable oil had the highest level of calcium (211.80±0.1 mg gG1) while the dried plantain samples had high level of sodium (233.80±0.07 mg gG1). Lead (Pb) was absent in the dried plantain samples. Dried plantain samples gave a higher value of vitamins A (0.08±0.01 mg gG1), D (0.02±0.01 mg gG1), E (0.01±0.00 mg gG1), K (0.05±0.00 mg gG1) compared to plantain sample fried with canola oil which gave low level of vitamin D (0.03±0.00 mg gG1), E (0.25±0.00 mg gG1) and K (0.03±0.00 mg gG1). However, there was a very high level in vitamin A (0.72±0.02 mg gG1). The result showed that drying in oven retains the nutritional contents of plantain compared to deep-fat frying. Canola oil is recommended for frying although soya oil is also good