Consumers’ safety of some selected ready to eat and street vended foods in Wudil, Kano state as determined by microbial content

Because of their cost, affordability, availability and simplicity to prepare, ready-to-eat foods are highly consumed in all over Nigeria, therefore critical to Nigerians’ health. This research aimed at ascertaining the consumers’ safety in terms of microbial load in ready-to-eat sell on the street Awara (Steamed Cowpea Beans Slurry) and Moin-moin (Bean pie) sold in three different vending locations retailed to the students of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology Wudil, Kano state Nigeria. Total of 24 samples consisting of equal quantity of Awara (Bean pie) and Moin-moin (Steamed Cowpea Bean Slurry) were collected from three different location in Wudil town and analyzed for total aerobic bacteria, fungi and Staphyococcus count. Seven different species of microorganism of health concern were identified to include Micrococcus spp, Staphylococcus aureous, Bacillus spp., Klebsiella spp., Mucor, Rhizophus stoonifer and Aspergillus flavus. The total mean of the aerobic bacteria, fungi and Staphylococcus count across all the location in all the samples were found to be withing the tolerable range with the standard set by the International Commission for Microbial Specification for Foods (ICMSF) and Food and Environmental Hygiene Standard (FEHD) as well as the South Wales Food Authority Standards for ready-to-eat foods. Higher microbial counts were founds on Moin-moin sample and this may be attributed to its high moisture content which is found to range from 64.2 to 70.0 %. The comparison of this research finding with international standard justified the safety of consumers and concludes the acceptability of these foods as safe to eat even though the presence of microorganisms such as Aspergilus spp. has been found to pose serious public health issue such as aflatoxin intoxicatio

The impact of policy process, economic growth, scheme design and mobilization on health care services among the rural dwellers of Sokoto State, Nigeria

This study examines the relationship between policy process, economic growth, scheme design and mobilization, and heathcare services among the rural dwellers of Sokoto state, Nigeria. This is done with the aim of providing the dwellers with healthcare services that are lacking in the countryside of Sokoto state. There are many factors which hinder the provision of these healthcare services to the delivery which include insufficient funds, lack of good governance, poor policies on healthcare services, poverty, poor scheme design, poor community mobilization and sensitization and corruption. Of these several problems, this research focuses on four major factors, namely policy process, economic growth, scheme design and mobilization as independent variables and healthcare services as the dependent variable. The study uses convenience sampling in which samples were drawn from the 23 local governments of the state that comprise 3,000,000 rural dwellers. Data was collected through the self-administered method by sending questionnaires to 800 rural dwellers in the state. A total of 54 items were captured in the questionnaire. The studyevaluates the relationship between healthcare services and these variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the significant contribution of the four variables. All the instruments were adapted from the past studies. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 was used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. The findings of the study show that a positive relationship between healthcare services and the four variables. The correlation coefficient between policy process and healthcare servicesas 0.251 while economic growth and healthcare services it was 0.166. For scheme design and healthcare services,it was 0.260, while formobilization and healthcare services, it was0.119. The Multiple regression analysis shows that the variables are correlated and have a uniquely significant role in providing healthcare services. This shows that the result of this study can be used to address the problems facing the rural dwellers in their demand for quality and affordable healthcare services in their areas

The mediating effect of organizational commitment and moderating role of strategic implementation in the relationship between high performance work practices and organizational performance

Many studies on strategy and strategic human resource management have utilized resource-based view to explain the process through which organizations can gain sustainable competitive advantage and improve their performance. This viewpoint has overlooked the important role of managers in structuring, bundling and leveraging organizational resources to create superior value for owners and customers. However, there is still limited attention to how such role can be utilized to determine the performance of banks in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the mediating role of organizational commitment and the moderating role of strategic implementation on the effect of high-performance work practices on the performance of Nigerian banks. The study employed a cross-sectional design to collect data from 400 participants using mail and personally administered questionnaires. A total of 258 usable questionnaires were retrieved to test five hypotheses. The results of Partial least square structural equation modelling analysis revealed that extensive training and development, recruitment and selection, organizational commitment, and strategic implementation had a direct and significant effect on bank performance in Nigeria. The study did not show a direct effect of job security, empowerment, compensation, and performance appraisal. Furthermore, the study demonstrated an indirect effect of extensive training and development, compensation, recruitment and selection and performance appraisal through the mediating role of organizational commitment. In line with scholarly suggestion for incorporating a moderator in the organizational level relationship between organizational commitment and organizational performance, this study confirmed the moderating role of strategic implementation. The study also contributes to the literature on how resource management model contributes to resource-based view by integrating the role of managers. Finally, the study addresses a call for a reflective-formative assessment of organizational performance as a multifaceted construct, discusses the implications and limitations, and suggests areas for future research

Blowouts and Increase of Plasma Electrons in Beam-Driven Plasma Wakefield Accelerators

The nonlinear blowout regime of the plasma Wakefield acceleration has been the subject of considerable interest due to its potential use as a next accelerator generation in high energy Physics. Much of the analytical work and simulations in this regime has been restricted to scenarios of cold background plasma in one dimension. This paper addresses the phenomenon of hot Plasma in two dimensions. We simulate beam-driven plasma Wakefield using object oriented particle-in-cell (OOPIC) code. The number density of the electron bunch was considered to be greater than the plasma density and so all of the Plasma electrons were expelled from the axis, which causes blowout of the plasma electrons. It is found that at a position where the blown out electrons return to the axis, the electron Plasma density was increased by almost 2 orders of magnitude, which further creates a strong spike in the electric field component Ez within the tail of the electron beam. These blowouts remain static throughout the simulation period. Key Words: Beam-driven plasma wave, OOPIC and Plasma Wakefield Accelerators

Oxidative stress in Primigravida attending an antenatal clinic in Northern Nigeria

The demand for oxygen increases during pregnancy, and this may lead to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the oxidative stress level in Primigravida attending antenatal clinic at Gombe town Gidan Magani Maternity, Gombe State, North-eastern Nigeria. The concentration of plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured as biomarker of oxidative stress. The concentrations of Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Lead, Nickel and Cadmium in relation to oxidative stress were measured. Thirty primigravida and ten aged-matched non-pregnant women who served as control were involved in the study. The result of this research shows that the level of Malondialdehyde significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, with the increase being higher in the 2nd trimester. The levels of Cu and Zn increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the three trimesters, while the level of Mn significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in all the three trimesters. There was no reading detected for Ni, Cd and Pb in both primigravida and control subjects under this study, indicating that neither the primigravida nor the control were exposed to them. All these are proves that oxidative stress occurs in Primigravida These findings emphasized the need for increased awareness among Primigravida on the existence of oxidative stress during pregnancy and also points to the need for measures to be taken against oxidative stress in Primigravida, so as to reduce the complications that arise during pregnancy, and ensure the safety of both mother and fetus during pregnancy and after delivery

Globalization and Indigenous Public Policies in Nigeria

This research attempts a critical examination of the impact of globalization on indigenous public policy in Nigeria.Globalization demands that countries must obviously open their borders to allow easy flow and movement of goods and services. This condition, therefore, demands that Nigeria must adjust her indigenous public policy mechanism and apparatus to accommodate the movement of these goods and services. With effect of globalization on Nigeria in both political, economical and technological aspects etc the research findings conclude that globalization itself is not a strong predictor of indigenous public policies in Nigeria.  The research employed the use of questionnaire to collect primary data and documentary research method was utilized to collect secondary data

Civil Service and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

The aim of this research work is to critically examine the two concepts the Civil Service and Sustainable Development in Nigeria.  Civil Service performed services such implementation of government policies and programmes, promoting unity, sustainable and equitable economic growth among others.  Sustainable Development demands that quality of human life, availability of resources for current and future generations be sustained.  The methodology employed by the research work is questionnaire survey design to collect primary data.  The research study found that there is no significant relationship between civil service and sustainable development in Nigeria.  Some of the recommendations of the research work include need for the government to give more training, motivation and so on to win the confidence of the civil service

Investigating the Impact of Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme among the Rural Dwellers of Sokoto State, Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to examine a few sample data on the investigation into the impact of community-based health insurance scheme among the rural dwellers of Sokoto state. Thus instrument such as content and face validity, reliability and data normality were also examined based on the revised version by expert, a few data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS version 18. The result reveals that the instruments are reliable and the data for pilot study show evidence of rational normality. Keywords: Policy Process, Economic Growth, Health Financing, Health Care Delivery, Scheme Design, Scheme Mobilization, Institutional design, Communication, Pilot Test, Sokoto, Nigeria

Challenges in disclosure of adverse events and errors in surgery; perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa

Surgery in sub-Saharan Africa is widely known to be done against a background of poverty and illiteracy, late presentation with complicatedpathologies, and a desperate lack of infrastructure. In addition, patient autonomy and self determination are highly flavored by cultural practicesand religious beliefs. Any of these factors can influence the pattern and disclosure of adverse events and errors. The impact of these in therelationships between surgeons and patients, and between health institutions and patients must be considered as it may affect disclosure andresponse to errors. This article identifies the peculiar socioeconomic and cultural challenges that may hinder disclosure and proposes strategies forinstituting disclosure of errors and adverse events services in Sub-Saharan Africa.Key words: Challenges, errors, adverse events, surgery, sub-Saharan Afric