RHETORIC AND THE FEMININE CHARACTER: CICERO’S PORTRAYAL OF SASSIA , CLODIA AND FULVIA

The role of women in the ancient world has been extensively debated and a significant amount of work has been done in this area. Included in the texts that have received attention are Cicero’s speeches which refer to women. All the women who feature in Cicero’s speeches were those who have been acknowledged to have made their presence felt in the Roman public domain. Although Roman society regulated its socio-political activities around masculine values, it is nevertheless difficult to explain why so few women appear in such a voluminous corpus like Cicero’s.1 What is certain is that Ciceronian rhetoric is characterised by the use of invective and vituperation.2 In this article, I shall argue that the women who were negatively portrayed in Cicero’s speeches were victims of an already standardised form of communication within the hegemonic male order that dominated the Roman public domain in first century BC

On Some Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Household Sanitation in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Different sanitation programmes introduced by government at various levels are ill-conceived and are abandoned prematurely due to numerous attitudinal, institutional and economic factors. This study examines the relationship of some socio-economic factors and house sanitation in Ado-Ekiti. Using simple bar chat and Chi-Square test of independence, the research reveals that though there seems to be variations among various socio-economic classes in relation to waste household sanitation technique, the relationship is found not to be statistically significant. It is therefore concluded that the general attitude of resident of Ado-Ekiti towards household sanitation and waste disposal is indifferent. Hence, the government and various non-governmental organizations involved in environmental sanitation and its impact should not relent in their effort in sensitizing the general public irrespective of their social and economic status.   Key words: household sanitation, social status, chi-squar

An Examination of Relevant Issues in Nigeria’s Fiscal Federalism

Nigeria’s fiscal arrangement accommodates the interaction between the federal government and the federating units in addressing critical issues of revenue assignment from natural resources, expenditure assignment, regional disparities, and national unity. Fiscal federalism in Nigeria is characterized by extensive vertical and horizontal intergovernmental relations which have become very contentious and volatile because subnational governments lack financial autonomy in the current fiscal architecture. This paper examines such issues as principles of fiscal federalism, decentralization and assignment of revenue from natural resources, decentralization and corruption, decentralization, regional disparities and national unity. The practice of fiscal federalism has been contentious in Nigeria due to overbearing influence of the federal government, unevenly distribution of endowment of natural resources, the sharing of which often puts considerable strains on national unity, and also tends to generate rivalries between the constituent units of the Nigerian state. The paper concludes that if the country can establish the institutions that will make decentralization work with a reasonable degree of efficiency, then decentralization can be a good policy

Nutritional status and morbidity in children 0-5years seen in Jos University Teaching Hospital

Malnutrition underlies more than 50% of childhood mortality in Nigeria. It contributes significantly to mortality rates in children less than 5years of age. Prevalent childhood illnesses beyond the neonatal period are acute respiratory infections amongst other and outcome of treatment is invariably related to nutritional status. We sought to  determine the morbidity pattern and nutritional status of children 5 years and below admitted into the children emergency unit without primary diagnosis of malnutrition. Consenting subjects over a one year period between  0-5years were recruited into the study. Data retrieved included age, sex, weight, length/height and mid-upper arm circumference, clinical diagnosis amongst others. Seventy three subjects 5years and below were recruited out of 113 patients seen during the period. Mean age 21.518.5months. Most (43.8%) were infants. Acute respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchiolitis and pharyngotonsillitis) accounted for 51.4% of admission, malaria 22.3% sickle cell  anaemia 8.3% and UTI 6.1% amongst others. Malnutrition was seen in 48.9% using WHZ, 15.1% had severe acute malnutrition, 10.9% were overweight while 9.6% had severe stunting. Most cases of SAM were seen in patients with pneumonia (35.7%). Malaria had mainly subjects with MAM (60%). Over-nutrition was seen more in subjects with UTI (50%), pneumonia (28.4%), bronchiolitis (33.3%) and malaria (20%). Severe stunted was noted among  subjects with pneumonia (21.4%), UTI (25%) and bronchiolitis (33.3%). Malnutrition remains an underlying  co-morbidity in children 5years and below. Intensified efforts at community and clinical management of  malnutrition in all children is needed

In-vitro antibacterial effect of Ocimum gratissimum on Broiler gut microflora

Ocimum gratissimum  Linn is a medicine herb that is used in tropical world particularly in Asia, Africa and South America. Because of the restrictions in the use of antibiotics in animal health, alternative drugs are being considered. This study was designed to assess the antibiotic activity of O. gratissimum for the control of gut microorganisms. Proximate and phytochemical analysis of the herb was carried. To 100 day old chicks, aqueous extract of the herb was administered to a set of 50 chicks (Ocimum treatment) but was not given to the second set (control). Antibiotic sensitivity testing of gut microbes (Salmonella and E. coli) isolated from the chicks was tested using 0.11 g/l dried O. gratissimum extract. In the control , the zone of inhibition (ZOI) of Salmonella was 13.2, 11.8 and 14.8mm at the crop, ileum and caecum respectively whereas in the Ocimum treatment, the ZOI were significantly higher (P<0.05)  being 15.0, 15.6 and 15.6 mm respectively. The pattern of sensitivity of Salmonella and E.coli was similar. The zone of inhibition was significantly wider in the chicks administered with Ocimum gratissimum extract compared to the control. Antibiotic activity of the herb may be due to the presence of phytochemicals particularly sapronins, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. We conclude by recommending the use of the plant for the control of pathogenic microbes of broilers

Effect of milling parameters on the dispersion characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in transition metal oxides

Abstract: In this research investigation on milling parameters to achieve uniform dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was conducted. High-energy ball milling (HEBM) technique was adopted to disperse 1 wt. % MWCNTs in titanium and manganese oxides with ball to powder ratio (BPR) of 10:1 at 6 and 9 hours milling times. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the as-received MWCNTs and admixed composite powders. The results indicated that HEBM was an effective route to disperse MWCNTs in transition metal oxides. In addition, the characteristics of admixed powders evidently showed that the increase of milling time effectively dispersed the MWCNTs in titanium and manganese oxide respectively, however deformation of sidewalls of MWCNTs was observed due to harsh milling conditions that resulted on non-sp2 defects in the MWCNTs

An appraisal of blood pressure control and its determinants among patients with primary hypertension seen in a primary care setting in Western Nigeria

Background: Achieving guideline-recommended blood pressure is imperative in reducing the rising tide of uncontrolled hypertension and its attendant sequelae, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The aim of the study was to describe the pattern of blood pressure control and identify the factors influencing blood pressure control among patients with primary hypertension seen at family medicine clinics of FMC, Abeokuta.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. A systematic random sampling technique was used in selecting 360 hypertensive respondents over four months. Data were collected through a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used to analyse data.Results: Blood pressure was controlled in 167 (46.4%) of the respondents. The independent predictors of blood pressure control were female gender (p = 0.001, OR = 2.494, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.477–4.214), regular use of medication (p = 0.001, OR = 2.900, 95% CI = 1.508–5.577), regular clinic attendance (p < 0.001, OR = 3.512, 95% CI = 1.772–6.960), and absence of diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001, OR = 7.357, 95% CI = 3.190–16.966).Conclusions: The rate of blood pressure control among the hypertensive respondents was low. Multiple independent predictors of controlled blood pressure call for a team-based approach as well as multiple approaches including education of patients, expansion of a community-based health insurance programme and intensification of treatment efforts when managing hypertensive patients.Keywords: blood pressure control, family medicine clinics, primary hypertensio