An Investigation into Traffic Turning Movement at Jibowu

This paper aims at understanding the behavioral pattern of traffic at Jibowu intersection with a view of using the results obtained as a model for understudying traffic movement at similar intersections in the Lagos metropolis. Consequently, an evaluation of the sampled intersections was carried out by employing a physical measurement of the layout, traffic volume at each turning point, and evaluating it against the back drop of traffic delays at the intersections. The paper reviews the traffic flow situation within the context of increasing motorization, poor infrastructural facilities and a continuous stream of traffic inflow. It highlights the problems with emphasis on the importance of signalization, land use, intersection design and traffic systems management. The paper concludes that most of the bottlenecks experienced at the intersection are man-induced. Rather than obeying traffic regulations, people act otherwise either out of ignorance or gross indiscipline. Secondly the paper posits that the land use allocation in the area should be reviewed especially with emphasis on discouraging the luxury bus operators from using the area as their base or Main Park. Although the paper did not fully measure the delay at the intersection, it has however set the stage for further investigations.Turning Movement, Junction, Traffic Jam, Survey, Delays, Lagos, Turning Points, Signalization

Modelling the Transmission Dynamics of HIV and HBV Co-epidemics: Analysis and Simulation.

The prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection have been on the increase. Moreover, none of these two diseases has a cure for now while both diseases are very deadly. However, the mode of transmission of these diseases are closely related and this highly predisposes individuals to co-infection. There is, therefore, the need to initiate effective control measures that would forestall the co-epidemic of the two diseases in our society, considering the grave implications of such situation. Consequently, a deterministic model for HIV and HBV co-epidemic which unveils measures that should be implemented to avoid the menace associated with the co-epidemic is considered. The model is qualitatively analyzed and the model basic reproduction number is derived. The criteria for the stability of each of the model equilibria are established. The model is numerically solved and simulated for the different scenarios of the co-epidemic. The findings from the simulations are discussed. Keywords: Hepatitis B Virus, Human immunodeficiency virus, Co-epidemic, Disease prevalence, Equilibrium solution, Stability analysi

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHER MENTORING IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated the strategies adopted for mentoring in public universities in Rivers state. one (1) research question and one (1) hypothesis guided the study. The design adopted for the study was the descriptive survey. The population of the study was two thousand two hundred and twenty-two (2,222) university lecturers in the three public universities in Rivers state, out of which a sample size of six hundred (600) lecturers were drawn using stratified random sampling technique. An 8-item instrument titled Strategies for Mentoring Questionnaire (SFMQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisors as well as three (2) experts in the same Department. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha with an index of 0.71. The research questions of the study were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using z-test at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that the strategies adopted for Mentoring were not effective and efficient. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that university administrators should adopt effective strategies like collaboration and documentation. This according to the study can be achieved by adequate planning and funding of mentoring programme. Article visualizations

Prevalence of tuberculosis among symptomatic individuals and the risk areas in Ondo State, Nigeria

Tuberculosis (TB) has been one of the diseases that are of public health problem globally. Nigeria was one out of eight countries accounting for two-thirds of people who developed TB. Of the global gap in TB case detection and notification, Ondo State reportedly has a notification gap of almost 11,100 TB cases in the year 2019 out of which only 1,891 cases were detected. The research was carried out in the three geopolitical zones of Ondo State: North, South and Central. Ondo State has 18 LGAs and an area of 14,788.7 km² with a population of 3,460,877. Participants were recruited through outreaches for the selected communities in each of the zones. The only inclusion criterion for participation in the study was those have been coughing consistently for more than two weeks. The participants were screened for HIV seropositivity by standard protocols, while screening for TB was conducted by a combination Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) microscopy and Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (Gene Xpert MTB/RIF®). Over 10,000 participants were screened, of which 3200 subjects were found having symptoms related to TB. 513 were HIV patients and 41% were TB positive. Overall TB prevalence was found to be 623(19.5%). Akure South LGA recorded the highest overall prevalence of 39.0%. In the North district, Owo LGA recorded the highest prevalence (18.0%) while the least prevalence of (3.5%) was obtained in Ose LGA. The males were more infected (26.5%) than the females (15.3%). According to age groups, age group above 55 recorded the highest prevalence of 26.8% while the least prevalence of 15.3% was obtained in the age group 16-25. Dry season recorded higher prevalence of TB than the rainy season. Patients with low microbial load recorded the highest percentage of 45% while those with low intensities recorded the lowest percentage. Ondo State, Nigeria, has a high prevalence of TB disease, therefore there is need to increase public awareness and monitoring of individuals resident in the State. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1037091

(Non)Parallel Evolution

Parallel evolution across replicate populations has provided evolutionary biologists with iconic examples of adaptation. When multiple populations colonize seemingly similar habitats, they may evolve similar genes, traits, or functions. Yet, replicated evolution in nature or in the laboratory often yields inconsistent outcomes: Some replicate populations evolve along highly similar trajectories, whereas other replicate populations evolve to different extents or in distinct directions. To understand these heterogeneous outcomes, biologists are increasingly treating parallel evolution not as a binary phenomenon but rather as a quantitative continuum ranging from parallel to nonparallel. By measuring replicate populations’ positions along this (non)parallel continuum, we can test hypotheses about evolutionary and ecological factors that influence the extent of repeatable evolution. We review evidence regarding the manifestation of (non)parallel evolution in the laboratory, in natural populations, and in applied contexts such as cancer. We enumerate the many genetic, ecological, and evolutionary processes that contribute to variation in the extent of parallel evolution

Fertility Parameters in Crossbred Sows Treated with Cloprostenol Sodium (Synchromate®) in Zaria, Nigeria

This study was carried out to evaluate fertility parameters in crossbred sows in Zaria, following treatment with Cloprostenol sodium (Synchromate®). Ten (n = 10) apparently healthy crossbred sows were randomly assigned to two equal treatment groups based on number of injections of 500μg Synchromate®. Group 1 received two injections on days 0 and 13, while Group 2 received three injections on days 0, 7 and 13. Oestrus was monitored visually for signs of oestrus twice daily from 0700 – 1000h and 1500 – 1800h. The fertility parameters evaluated were: oestrus response rate (ORR), time to onset of oestrus (TOO), duration of oestrus (DOO), conception rate (CR), pregnancy rate (PR), farrowing rate (FR) and litter size (LS). Data on ORR, CR, PR and FR were expressed in percentages while TOO, DOO and LS were expressed as mean ± SEM. Student t-test and Tukey’s post-hoc test were used to compare the percentages and mean values between the groups. The Graphpad Prism® data package was used for statistical analysis and values of P<0.05 were considered significant. Fertility parameters TOO, DOO, LS, ORR, CR, PR, FR for Group 1 (187.20 ± 8.98h, 87.60 ± 4.49h, 7.25 ± 1.44, 100 %, 60 %, 80 % and 100 % respectively) and Group 2 (176.00 ± 40.00h, 86.60 ± 13.36h, 7.50 ± 1.50, 60 %, 100 %, 80 % and 66.67 % respectively). The differences in fertility parameters between the groups were not statistically significant. It is recommended therefore that double injections of cloprostenol sodium (Synchromate®) should be used for oestrus synchronization as it increases fertility parameters in cross bred sows at 13 days apart.Key words: Fertility parameters, crossbred sows, cloprostenol sodium, Zaria

The reaction of Amaranthus hybridus to infection by Amaranthus mosaic virus

This study investigated the effect of inoculating three Amaranthus hybridus cultivars: NHAM/114, NH84/457-IL and LOCAL GREEN cultivar with Amaranthus mosaic virus (AMV) consecutively for four weeks. Results indicated significant differences between the control and virus inoculated plants. Severity of infection by the virus was more pronounced in plants inoculated at early ages while the effect was very mild on plants inoculated at later stage of growth. Reduced weight values were recorded in plants with early infection compared to plants inoculated at later stages of growth. Mean values of 0.190, 0.250 and 0.218 g were obtained for fresh weights of leaves of NHAM/114, NH84/457-IL and LOCAL GREEN respectively at 2 weeks after planting (WAP) while plants that were inoculated at 5 WAP had average values of 0.516, 0.392 and 0.397 g fresh weights of leaves for the three cultivars respectively. The percentage decrease in fresh weight of stem of the LOCAL GREEN cultivar was above average (56%) and higher than those of NHAM/114 and NH84/457- IL. NHAM/114 produced the least dry weights in stem while the highest dry weights were recorded for NH84/457-IL at all the stages of inoculations. These results indicated that infection at an early age resulted in greater reduction of the parameters assessed

Multilevel Regression Analysis of Age at First Birth

Knowledge about the factors associated with age at first birth plays a major role in controlling the rate of population growth. This paper presents Hierarchical Linear Modeling known for its robustness not only in dealing with hierarchical data structure but also in its ability to explain the effects of the shared variances present in the study on the variable of interest.  Data from 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), collected via a hierarchically clustered sampling scheme were used. It investigated the factors that were thought to be associated with variation in age at first birth among Nigerian women were investigated. The model provided parameter estimates as well as estimates of the random effects variances at all the levels. It was observed that the average age at which a Nigerian woman gives birth to her first child without considering any factor effect is 19 years which is a teenage year. 22% and 18% in the variation of ages at first birth resides in the differences in the states and zones in the country

Preliminary experience in the management of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in Lagos, Nigeria

Aspiration of tracheobronchial foreign bodies commonly affects young children, is potentially life threatening and requires early intervention for extraction. Access to facilities and skill manpower for bronchoscopic extraction is however limited in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to describe the experience in our institution with bronchoscopic removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies and highlight the challenges encountered. This is a retrospective study of all patients referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital with a diagnosis of tracheobronchial foreign body within the period of February 2008 and February 2013. Data extracted from the medical records were age, sex, time interval between aspiration and presentation, location of tracheobronchial foreign body, bronchoscopic technique, complications and outcome. A total of 24 patients were referred and confirmed at bronchoscopy to have tracheobronchial foreign bodies. Mean age was 6.6 + 5 years. Male to female ratio was 1:1. Delayed presentation was common with 22 patients (91.7%) presenting more than 24 hours after aspiration. Aspirated material was inorganic in 17 patients (70.8%) and organic in 7 patients (29.2%). Location of tracheobronchial foreign bodies was right main bronchus in 16 patients (66.7%), left main bronchus in 6 patients (25%) and the trachea in 2 patients (8.3%). Challenges to speedy and safe removal of the foreign bodies were delayed presentation and a limited range of bronchoscopic equipment early in the series which caused prolonged procedures and increased complications. Two mortalities occurred early in the series; one from airway obstruction and the other from respiratory failure caused by tracheobronchial oedema. Extraction of tracheobronchial foreign bodies was faster, more complete and safer later in the series due to a wider range of bronchoscopy equipment which included both flexible and rigid videobronchoscopy with the use of optical forceps. This preliminary experience suggests that an adequate armamentarium of bronchoscopy equipment is required to increase the chances of complete extraction, speed up the procedure and reduce the risk of complications of Tracheobronchial Foreign Bodies in our environment. Delayed presentation increases the difficulty of the procedure so earlier referral of these patients would help reduce the risk involved in  their management.Key words: Bronchoscopy, Tracheobronchial Foreign Bodies, Lagos, Nigeri

A New Formula for Groundwater Recharge Estimation in Yola, Nigeria

In this paper,relationship between rainfall and groundwater recharge estimation was evaluated. A standard numerical formula that relates rainfall to groundwater recharge estimation was proposed with the aim of providing error-free groundwater estimate from rainfall. Rainfalls measured in a selected location in Yola, Nigeria and standard formula were used to fix the constants (A,B and c) in the new numerical formula using Microsoft Excel Solver. The constants were used to establish new numerical formula. The new numerical formula was used to estimate groundwater recharge from the rainfall. The accuracy of the new numerical formula was evaluated statistically using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), relative error; the degree of accuracy, numerical reliability, Model of Selection Criterion (MSC) and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and compared with the previous formulae in use for field groundwater recharge estimation with Uttar Pradesh (UP) as the reference value of groundwater recharge. The study revealed that groundwater recharge estimated using the formula was similar to groundwater recharge estimated using standard formulae (UP, Modified Chaturvedi, Kumar and Seethapathi and Rao). In all cases there were significant differences between the groundwater recharge estimated using all the formulae. The new formula provided the lowest relative error of 0.887%, the highest MSC of 4.911; the degree of accuracy of 99.113 % and the lowest AIC of 436.306.  The accuracy of the formulae was in the order of new formula greater than Chaturvedi formula greater than Kumar and Seethapathi formula greater than Rao formula. It was concluded that modelling of groundwater recharge using the numerical formula is a promising tool for estimating groundwater recharge with minimum error in water resources management