Comparative Analysis of the Thermal Efficiencies of a Three-Compartment Solar Dryer

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the thermal efficiencies of a three-compartment solar dryer constructed with acrylic, glass, and polycarbonate materials. The research aimed to investigate the drying characteristics of yam, tomatoes, and plantain slices at varying thicknesses (5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm), the effect of pre-treatment on drying time, and the thermal efficiencies of the three different collector materials. A total of 27 drying experiments were conducted, with three replications for each combination of food sample, thickness, and compartment material. The results indicated that the polycarbonate compartment exhibited the highest average thermal efficiency (61.3%), followed by the acrylic (56.7%) and glass compartments (49.2%). Furthermore, the 5 mm thick slices demonstrated the shortest average drying time across all food samples, with a reduction of 38.5% compared to the 15 mm thick slices. Pre-treatment was found to decrease the drying time by an average of 21.2%. This study provides valuable insights for the development of efficient and cost-effective solar dryers, contributing to the broader context of sustainable agriculture and food processing practices. Keywords:Acrylic, Glass, Polycarbonate, Thermal Efficiencies, Three-Compartment Solar Dryer DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/14-8-02 Publication date:May 31st 202

Dynamic spillovers between stock and money markets in Nigeria: A VARMA-GARCH approach

This study examines probable dynamic spillover transmissions between the Nigerian stock and money markets using the multivariate volatility framework that simultaneously accounts for both returns and shock spillovers. Based on relevant pre-tests, the VARMA-CCC-GARCH framework is selected and consequently employed to model the spillovers. The study finds significant cross-market return and shock spillovers between the two markets. Thus, a shock to one market is more likely to spill over to the other market. It is also observed that shocks have persistent effects on stock market volatility but transitory effects on money market volatility. In other words, shocks to the money market die out over time while shocks to stock market tend to persist over time. In addition, including lagged own shocks and lagged own conditional variance when forecasting the future volatility of both return series may enhance their forecast performance. An alternative approach proposed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) is also employed for robustness and the results are consistent with those obtained from the VARMA-CCC-GARCH model

EFFECT OF ANTI-NUTRITIONAL FACTORS ON RUMEN BACTERIA OF WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOATS FED TROPICAL BROWSE SPECIES AND CROP BY-PRODUCTS

In this study, the effects of anti-nutritional factors on rumen bacteria of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats fed tropical browse species and crop by-products were investigated. In a completely randomized design, 36 WAD goats were allotted to six (6) supplemental diets (Gmelina arborea, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Albizia saman, Maize offal, Cassava peels and Palm kernel cake), with six replicates per treatment.  Animals were fed for 84 days with Panicum maximum as basal diet. Results revealed the presence of anti-nutritional components in supplemental browse species and crop residues.  Hydrocyanide was highest (P<0.05) in cassava peels while tannin content was highest (P<0.05) in the browse species relative to the crop residues.  Results also showed reduction in microbial population in goats fed Gmelina arborea, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Albizia saman, Cassava peels and Palm kernel cake.  Goats on maize offal supplemented diet showed increases in microbial population.  Adverse effects of anti-nutritional content in feeds fed to animals were not detected in terms of intake and weight gain performances.  The reduction in microbial population in the rumen, however, indicates possibilities of bactericidal effect with feeding diets containing anti-nutritional components. Â

An Assessment of ICT Literacy Among Secondary School Students in a Rural Area of Kwara State, Nigeria: A Community Advocacy Approach

In recent times, public schools in Nigeria have enjoyed some benefits in terms of deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but no constant attention and continuous interest is paid to fill the digital gap between schools in the rural and urban areas. The contribution of private sectors in the education system has elevated the use of ICT in both private and public schools especially in the urban areas of Nigeria. However, schools in rural areas have not benefitted much in this area. This research used community advocacy program referred to as COBES (Community Based Experience Scheme) to assess ICT literacy of secondary school students in a rural area of Kwara State, Nigeria. The study employed mixed research approach that combined both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies. The initial findings of the study revealed low level of ICT skills among secondary school students in the rural area. Although, majority of the students who served as the respondents claimed they have computer teacher and can operate computer systems, yet, the study showed that there is dearth of ICT facilities for hands-on training. Nevertheless, through the one week long COBES program, the findings from three focus group discussion conducted at the end of the COBES program showed that students‟ interest to use ICT increased and majority of them expressed their willingness to continue interacting with computer and internet facilities. Findings further revealed that the main reason for low ICT skills is the lack of ICT facilities for teaching and learning. The study recommended that ICT project implementation should be uniform in all public schools in Nigeria, irrespective of whether it is located in the urban or rural area, adequate and skilled computer studies teachers should be made available and government should put in place mechanisms that will ensure proper maintenance of the ICT facilitie

Pregnancy outcome in elderly primigravidae at a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital: a five-year review

Background: Pregnancy though a physiologic process also comes with its complications. This has been found to be related to factors associated with the mother and fetus. Maternal age at first pregnancy is a determining factor which could affect pregnancy outcome. Objective of present study was to determine the effect of maternal age on obstetric outcome.Methods: A five-year retrospective case control study involving primigravid women aged 35years and above (elderly primigravidae) and the younger primigravidae aged below 35 years who delivered at the University of Abuja Teaching hospital (UATH) between 2012 and 2016. Data were collected from their case notes, antenatal and delivery registers. For comparative purposes, obstetric and perinatal parameters including antenatal, labour, delivery, postpartum factors were collected for both the elderly primigravidae and younger primigravidae. A total of 6,052 deliveries, of which 2,456 were primigravidae and 42 of them were ≥35years of age. Out of 42 cases, only 30 folders were found and analyzed. The matched controls were selected consecutively after each elderly primigravidae in the register without prior knowledge of their pregnancy outcome. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Chi square test X2 and student T test were used for comparison of the two groups. Statistical significance was set at P values of ≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval.Results: The incidence of elderly primigravidae was found to be 1.2% in this study. There was increased risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, caesarean delivery and low APGAR scores in the elderly primigravidae group but these were not statistically significant. No other differences in obstetrics and neonatal outcome were found between the two groups.Conclusions: Elderly primigravidae are at increased risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and caesarean delivery than in younger primigravidae. On the other hand, neonatal outcome of the two groups were comparable.

Outcome of intrauterine adhesion management at a Nigerian tertiary hospital: a five-year review

Background: Intrauterine adhesion is a cause of menstrual abnormalities and infertility, which are leading complaints in gynaecological practice in Nigeria. Determining the aetiology and management option would help reduce this problem. The objective of this study was to determine the aetiology, mode of presentation, management option and outcome of intrauterine adhesionsMethods: A retrospective analysis of intrauterine adhesions at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital over a five-year period from 2012 to 2016 was carried out. The case notes of the patients were retrieved from the records department and information extracted from these case notes using a questionnaire included the age, level of education, marital status, parity, complaints, predisposing factors, method of diagnosis, treatment method and outcome. Additional information was obtained from the theatre registered. The least follow up period was one year.Results: There were 82 patients diagnosed with Intrauterine Adhesion over the study period giving an incidence of 1.6%. Fifty-nine case notes were available for analysis. The case note retrieval rate was 72%. Majority of the patients were between the age range of 30-34 years (21, 35.6%). Those with tertiary level of education constituted the majority (34, 57%). Nullipara constituted 54.2% (32) of the total population. Menstrual abnormalities were the most common complaint with 93.2% and this includes those with menstrual abnormalities and other complaints. The commonest predisposing factor identified was a history of dilatation and curettage or uterine evacuation (28, 47.5%). Majority of the patients had partial intrauterine adhesions (51, 86.4%). All patients were treated with adhesiolysis, Foleys catheter insertion and hormonal therapy for 3 cycles. There was not statistical significance between those who had blind adhesiolysis and hysteroscopic adhesiolysis in terms of outcome. Restoration of menstrual flow was in 25, (42.4%) while 3, (5.1%) had miscarriges and an equal no of patients had term delivery.Conclusions: Dilatation and curettage is still a major predisposing factor in the development of intrauterine Adhesions. Blind adhesiolysis still has its place in the management of intrauterine adhesion in developing countries

Practice of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy (HSTP), experience from a low resource setting

Context: Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy (HTSP) refers to the optimal time that a woman should conceive for the healthiest outcomes for the mother and the baby.Objective: This study assessed the adherence by Nigerian women of childbearing age to the WHO recommendations of optimal time to be observed by women before embarking on another pregnancy after child birth or a miscarriage.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 400 consecutive women attending the antenatal clinic of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information relating to healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy. The data was analyzed using SPSS windows version 20. Chi square test was used to test for associations between categorical variables with the level of significance set at p<0.05.Results: Two hundred respondents (50%) had birth to pregnancy interval of less than 24 months, while 14(3.5%) had birth to pregnancy interval of greater than 60 months. Overall, 249(62.2%) of women had an unhealthy timing or spacing of their pregnancies. Three hundred and forty (85%) were aware of at least a modern method of contraception but only 42(10.5%) had used contraceptives in the past. Awareness of normal inter-pregnancy interval of at least 24 months was seen in 271 (67.8%) women.Conclusion: Non-adherence to WHO's concept of HTSP is high in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory. Awareness of the benefits of contraceptive use and HTSP amongst women of child bearing age needs to be stressed.Keywords: Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy, Antenatal Clinic, Abuja

Ther Adv Drug Saf

Background: Our aim in this study was to evaluate the effect of a combined educational intervention and year-long monthly text message reinforcements via the Short Messaging System (SMS) on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards pharmacovigilance. Methods: Six randomly selected teaching hospitals in the South-South zone of Nigeria were randomized in 1:1 ratio into intervention and control groups. The educational intervention consisted of delivering a seminar followed by sending monthly texts message reinforcements via SMS over 12 months. Then a semi-structured questionnaire regarding the KAP of pharmacovigilance was completed by HCPs working in the hospitals after the intervention. Data was analysed descriptively and inferentially. Results: A total of 931 HCPs participated in the post intervention study (596 in the intervention and 335 in the control). The M:F ratio was 1:1.5. According to the KAP questionnaire, a significant difference was observed between the intervention and control groups, regarding knowledge of the types of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADR resulting from pharmacological action of the drug (85.6% versus 77%, p = 0.001), the fact that ADRs can persist for a long time; (60.1% versus 53.4%, p = 0.024) and a higher awareness of the ADR reporting form (48.7% versus 18.8%, p < 0.001). Most respondents in the intervention group (68.5% versus 60.6%, p = 0.001) believed they should report ADRs even if they were unsure an ADR has occurred, a greater proportion of HCPs from the intervention group had significantly observed an ADR (82% versus 73.4%, p = 0.001). Furthermore, of the 188 who had ever reported an ADR, 41% from the intervention group used the national ADR reporting form compared with 19.8% from the controls (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This educational intervention and the use of SMS as a reinforcement tool appeared to have positively impacted on the knowledge and practice of pharmacovigilance in South-South Nigeria with a less-than-impressive change in attitude. Continuous medical education may be required to effect long-lasting changes

EVALUATION OF OPEN POLLINATED MAIZE VARIETIES FOR RESISTANCE/TOLERANCE TO Striga hermonthica Del. Benth AT MOKWA SOUTHERN GUINEA SAVANNAH OF NIGERIA

Three trials were conducted on the College of Agriculture experimental field which was highly anduniformly infested by Striga at Mokwa (latitude 09o 18'N and longitude 05o 04'E) in the SouthernGuinea Savanna agro- ecological zone of Nigeria during 2004, 2005 and 2006 wet seasons. The studywas conducted to evaluate fifteen maize genotypes consisting of eleven improved, open- pollinatedStriga tolerant varieties, a susceptible 8338-1 and tolerant hybrids 9022-13, an improved recommendedopen pollinated variety and a local selection (Mokwa Dzurugi) for their reaction to Striga hermonthica.The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated fourtimes. Among the varieties tested, TZL Comp.1Syn Y-1F2, Cam, 1 STR &ndash; 1 and hybrid 9022-13 consistentlyresulted in significantly lower Striga emergence and crop syndrome reaction to Striga parasitismcompared to all the other varieties including STR genotypes in 2004 and 2005 and of very lowvalues of the parameters in 2006. The varieties also gave higher grain yield comparable to most oftolerant varieties evaluated. Under Striga infestation, maize grain yields of var. TZL Comp. 1 Syn Y-1F2 were 2.94, 3.04 and 2.93 times than those of the recommended TZB- STR (1015kg/ha, 989kg/haand 993kg/ha) in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. The corresponding values for the other promisingvariety, Cam- 1STR-1 were 2.93, 3.05 and 2.89 times higher than TZB STR in 2004, 2005 and 2006respectively. The local selection, Mokwa Dzurugi also exhibited good performance with respect toStriga and maize parameters and could therefore be used in the breeding programme for Striga resistance

Anaemia in HIV positive mothers on antiretroviral therapy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission HIV in a tertiary health institution in North Central Nigeria

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy and HIV infection are two common public health issues in sub-Saharan African with Nigeria bearing the greatest burden. The duo occurring together poses a higher risk of morbidity and mortality for both the foetus and the mother. We therefore conducted this study to determine the burden of anaemia and other haematological abnormalities among HIV positive pregnant mothers on antiretroviral therapy who attended antenatal clinical services in our health institution.Methods: A 10-year retrospective review from January 2010 to December 2019 of medical records of HIV positive mothers on highly anti-retroviral therapy in attendance for antenatal clinical services in our health institution was carried out for the above objectives. Information extracted were, age, HIV status, gestational age at delivery, type of antiretroviral drugs used, duration of use, haemoglobin level, platelet, and complete blood count at booking of the positive mothers.Results: Of a total of 330 HIV positive mothers seen during the review period, 82.7% were from rural communities, 88.8% were from middle socio-economic class, 80.0% were Christians, and 80.3% started their highly active antiretroviral therapy before their index pregnancy. Most, 51.5% and 42.7% were on zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine, and tenofovir with lamivudine and lopinavir boasted ritonavir combinations, while 94.2% were on 1st line antiretroviral medication. Their mean age, gestational age at delivery, and parity were 31.11±4.7 years, 38.57±3.1 weeks, and 2.0±1.6 respectively. The prevalence of anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leucopoenia were 36.1%, 4.8%, and 6.7% respectively while their mean CD4 cell count and viral loads at the point of booking were 543.63±283.7 cells/μl, and 2953.02±1619.9 copies/ml. The two maternal variables that showed significant relationship with haemoglobin concentration of <10 gm/dl was mother’s level of education x2=6.29, p=0.043, and her socio=economic class, x2=10.162, p=0.006.Conclusions: There is high burden of anaemia among HIV positive mothers on antiretroviral therapy in our environment. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia and leucopoenia was much lower. The burden of maternal anaemia was associated with maternal level of education and her socio-economic class