City By The Sea

This thesis investigates the current state of slums globally. The thesis argues that many of the hazardous environments of slums established is a product of the negative output devised by the current housing situation in said slum. The living quarters of residents within most slums exemplify how much the citizens are not able/willing to treat the area as a home. The lack of care and devices to help reduce the amount of pollution, resource scarcity, and overall damage to the environment can arguably be solved simply by redesigning the residential units within the region. By designing a new living unit for a particular slum, the goal is to demonstrate how the new implemented stratagem will not only provide better conditions for the residents of a household, but to also have the maximum impact on the environment that give the slum its notoriety. With the new design, I would devise a methodology in which to first actually produce the design, and implement it into the area that would seem most beneficial at the time to benefit the region in some way. This may include being able to raise funds within the area, provide jobs, etc. Then, provided it succeeds, use the test scenario as a showcase to everywhere alike

Studies on the Microbiology of Fish and Shellfish with Emphasis on Bacteriocin-like Substances to control Listeria monocytogenes

Seafood permits the transmission of many bacterial pathogens. In order to reconcile consumer demands with important safety standards, traditional means of regulating microbial spoilage and safety hazards in foods are combined with novel technologies. These include biological antimicrobial systems, such as the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and/or their bacteriocins, such as Carnobacterium maltaromaticum CS526 and its bacteriocin piscicocin CS526. The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in temperate seafood, namely fresh and smoked salmon, fresh and smoked haddock, and fresh mussels and oysters. Additionally, there was an aim to recover, characterise and use bacteriocin-like-substance to control Listeria monocytogenes in cold smoked haddock. Vibrio spp., Enterobacteriaceae representatives, total aerobic heterotrophic counts and Listeria monocytogenes were isolated from commercially prepared smoked and fresh Atlantic salmon, smoked and fresh haddock, live mussels and oysters using selective media and tryptone soya agar (TSA). Vibrio spp. occurred in high densities (>106 CFU gˉ1) in mussels and Enterobacteriaceae representatives were recorded at >106 CFU gˉ1 in fresh salmon. Total aerobic heterotrophic counts in fresh salmon, live mussels and oysters reached 107, > 107, and > 106 CFU gˉ1, respectively. Listeria monocytogenes was recorded at 5.0 x 104 CFU gˉ1 in mussels. In total sixty one bacterial isolates were recovered from the seafood examined. The results revealed 19 genera of bacteria, i.e. Acinetobacter, Aerococcus, Aeromonas, Bacillus, Brochothrix, Carnobacterium, Citrobacter, Corynebacterium, Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Moraxella, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Psychrobacter, Serratia, Shewanella, Staphylococcus, Vibrio and Listeria. The prominent characteristics of fish spoilage isolates were demonstrated by the ability of the isolates to reduce trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) to trimethylamine, and to produce H₂S. Sh. baltica OS185, Aeromonas spp. HB-6, Sh. baltica, Sh. putrefaciens, A. hydrophila HX201006-3, A. salmonicida subsp. achromogenes, A. hydrophila, C. freundii, Enterobacter cloacae were strong producers of TMA and H₂S. The spoilage microorganisms were tested for potential pathogenicity. The result revealed that 6/15 of the spoilage microorganisms produced proteolytic, lecithinase, blood (β and α haemolysin) and elastinase activity, respectively, whereas 7/15 of the spoilage microorganisms showed lipolytic activity. Cell free supernatants, ammonium sulphate precipitated supernatants and semi-purified bacteriocin-like substances of Carnobacterium maltaromaticum MMF-32 and KOPRI 25789 producing strains isolated from commercially prepared smoked salmon were investigated for their potential antimicrobial activity against potentially pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms. Generally, a broad spectrum of activity was revealed against potentially pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms in vitro. Cold-smoked haddock treated with bacteriocin producing C. maltaromaticum MMF-32, C. piscicola A9b bacˉ phenotype nonbacteriocin producing strain a mutant of C. piscicola A9b bac+, cell free supernatants, ammonium sulphate precipitated supernatants and semi-purified bacteriocin-like substances was challenged with L. monocytogenes ATCC 19114 up to 103 CFU gˉ1, respectively. Samples were stored at 4 °C for 10 days. L. monocytogenes and total bacterial counts were determined along with changes in total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) and biogenic amines production as well as texture, colour and odour. Although the study on anti-listerial effects of C. maltaromaticum MMF-32 was not successful, this organism did have a positive effect on retention of firmness and sensory perception in cold smoked haddock

The role of the academic library in providing outreach services to prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies

This study investigated the role of academic library in providing outreach services to prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies in Nsukka prison library. The research adopted qualitative inquiry approach for the processes and procedures of the research. It was guided by five objectives which includes – the outreach services provided by the academic library to the prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies, the mobile tools and technologies used for the provision of outreach services to the prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies, the benefits of outreach services as provided by prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies, problems encountered in the provision of outreach services to prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies and strategies for enhancing the provision of outreach services to prison inmates by means of mobile tools and technologies. Data obtained from the questionnaire was analysed using mean and percentages while the ones obtained from focus group discussion was analysed in prose narrative. Among other things, the findings revealed that outreach services are provided to the prison inmates by the academic library. Other findings from the research revealed that mobile tools and technologies are being introduced to the delivery of outreach services in the prison library, the prison inmates support the delivery of outreach services to them by means of mobile tools and technologies, the prsion authority/administration permits the academic librarian’s provision of outreach services to the prison inmates. However, inadequate fund, personnel and mobile tools forms the major part of the problems encountered in the delivery of outreach servises to the inmates. Based on the findings, it was recommended among other things that there should be provision of adequate mobile tools and technologies for the delivery of outreach services, there should be integration of outreach services with other educational programmes, there should be training and retraining of both the prison inmates and the academic library on the use of mobile devices among others. More importantly, there should be provision of a functional prison library to accommodate resources – tool, technologies, personnel for the provision of library services to the inmates

A decade study of the incidence and clinical analysis of ectopic pregnancy at a tertiary hospital in Eastern Nigeria

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP), a condition where a fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, is a fertility- and life-threatening gynecological condition. This study aimed at determining the incidence of EP, clinical presentation, gestational age at presentation, risk factors and treatment modalities.Methods: This study was conducted at St. Charles Borromeo specialist hospital, Onitsha, Nigeria (January 2009 to December 2018). Information were obtained from the hospital’s medical records as retrieved from various wards. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, version 23, then presented as percentage in tables and figure.Results: Out of 13,402 pregnancies recorded in this study, 119 were EPs giving an incidence of 0.89%. 105 case notes were included in this study since they met the inclusion criteria. Majority of the women belonged to the age group of 26-30 years. Patients with EP presented more between 7-8 weeks of gestational age (40%), though 7.6% were unsure of their last menstrual period. 80 EP cases (76.2%) were ruptured while 25 (23.8%) were unruptured. The ectopic gestation occurred most at the ampulla (51.4%) and more at the right side (66.6%) than the left (33.4%). Pelvic inflammatory disease (30.4%) followed by prior abortion (20.0%) were major predisposing risk factors. The most common clinical presentations were abdominal pain (92.38%), amenorrhea (57.14%) and vaginal bleeding (51.42%). 85.7% had salpingectomy, 9.5% were medically managed.Conclusions: EP remains a major gynecological emergency. Diagnosis before rupture could offer an opportunity for a successful medical management, thereby; minimizing morbidity and mortality

A viscosity iterative technique for equilibrium and fixed point problems in a Hadamard space

[EN] The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a viscosity-type proximal point algorithm, comprising of a nonexpansive mapping and a finite sum of resolvent operators associated with monotone bifunctions. A strong convergence of the proposed algorithm to a common solution of a finite family of equilibrium problems and fixed point problem for a nonexpansive mapping is established in a Hadamard space. We further applied our results to solve some optimization problems in Hadamard spaces.Izuchukwu, C.; Aremu, KO.; Mebawondu, AA.; Mewomo, OT. (2019). A viscosity iterative technique for equilibrium and fixed point problems in a Hadamard space. Applied General Topology. 20(1):193-210. https://doi.org/10.4995/agt.2019.10635SWORD193210201K. O. Aremu, C. Izuchukwu, G. C. Ugwunnadi and O. T. Mewomo, On the proximal point algorithm and demimetric mappings in CAT(0) spaces, Demonstr. Math. 51 (2018), 277-294. https://doi.org/10.1515/dema-2018-0022M. 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Učinak invazije vrstom Trypanosoma brucei na involuciju maternice nakon partusa.

This study investigated the effects of Trypanosoma brucei infection on post-partum (PP) uterine involution in the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus). Ninety-six rats (80 females and 16 males) were used for the study. The females were divided into 2 equal groups of 40 infected and 40 uninfected. The males which were uninfected were used for mating with the females. From each of the 2 female groups, 5 were humanely sacrifi ced daily from day 0 to day 7 PP. Body mass (BM), uterine mass (UM), uterine mass as a percentage of body mass (UMPBM), uterine histomorphology, packed cell volume (PCV), level of parasitaemia (LOP) and rectal temperature (RT) were evaluated in the females. Results showed that both the UM and the UMPBM of the infected rats were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of the uninfected between days 1 and 7 PP. Uterine histomorphology showed that between days 3 and 7 PP, involution was more advanced in the uninfected group. Uterine sections of the infected rats had more glands, which were also larger in size. Endometrial stroma was less cellular in the uninfected rats and the myometrium showed higher nuclei density for myofi brils, which suggests some loss of cytoplasm. The PCV of the infected rats was significantly lower than that of the uninfected (P<0.01) between days 9 and 14 post-infection (PI), while the RT of the infected rats was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the uninfected between days 5 and 14 PI. It was therefore concluded that T. brucei infection led to a significant delay in PP uterine involution, as evidenced by the higher UM and UMPBM, and the uterine histomorphological findings in the infected rats.Istraživanje je provedeno s ciljem određivanja učinka protozoona Trypanosoma brucei na postpartalnu involuciju maternice u albino štakora (Rattus norvegicus). Za istraživanje je rabljeno 96 štakora (80 ženki i 16 mužjaka). Ženke su bile podijeljene u dvije jednake skupine tako da je 40 ženki pripadalo kontrolnoj, a 40 invadiranoj skupini. Neinvadirani mužjaci su poslužili za parenje. Iz svake skupine bilo je eutanazirano pet ženki i to svaki dan (od nultog do sedmog dana). Za svaku ženku bila je određena tjelesna masa, masa maternice, odnos mase maternice i tjelesne mase, histološki nalaz maternice, ukupan broj krvnih stanica, razina parazitemije i rektalna temperatura. Rezultati su pokazali da je u invadiranih štakorica maternica bila značajno teža kao što je bila i značajno veća masa maternice u odnosu na tjelesnu masu ženke (P<0,01) u razdoblju od prvog do sedmog dana nakon partusa. Histološkom pretragom dokazano je da je involucija maternice u razdoblju od trećeg do sedmog dana bila izraženija u neinvadiranih ženki što je dokazano i većim brojem povećanih žlijezdi. Stroma endometrija neinvadiranih životinja sadržavala je manje stanica. U miometriju je dokazana veća gustoća jezgara u miofibrilima što govori u prilog gubitku citoplazme. Ukupan broj krvnih stanica u invadiranih štakorica bio je značajno manji u odnosu na neinvadirane (P<0,01) u razdoblju od devetog do četrnaestog dana nakon invazije. Invadirane štakorice imali su višu tjelesnu temperaturu (P<0,01) u razdoblju od petoga do četrnaestoga dana. Na temelju postignutih rezultata zaključuje se da invazija vrstom Trypanosoma brucei dovodi do značajnog kašnjenja involucije što je potvrđeno većom masom maternice, većom masom u odnosu na tjelesnu masu te histomorfološkim nalazom u invadiranih ženki

Dynamic interaction in tropical Africa: IGCP-616Y and IGCP 646 projects and events

The scientific objectives and research program of the IGCP-646 project (2015–2018) cuts across many disciplines and includes various aspects of continental basement geology, resource exploration (mineral, water and hydrocarbons), geohazard mitigation, and climate change, all of which are of critical importance to developing countries, particularly in parts of West Africa where population pressures are on the rise. Considerable emphasis was placed on capacity building, creation of opportunities for young scientists to undertake higher degrees programs, knowledge transfer and training. The SIDA-funded “pilot project” IGCP-616Y (started in 2012), focused on three objects (i) crustal architecture, tectonic evolution and regional geology of Central Africa and the connection with NE Brazil; (ii) the Mesozoic continental rifting and breakup leading to a better integration of the onshore and offshore geology; (iii) clarification and quantification of the links between basement structures, neotectonics, climate change and landscape evolution. The IGCP-616Y and IGCP-646 projects consisted of over 250 researchers, from different countries. In the course of the projects, six annual meetings, four field trips/workshops, as well as several training sessions were organized. Here we provide a summary of the scientific targets of the projects and a summary of the organized activities

Učinak invazije vrstom Trypanosoma brucei na involuciju maternice nakon partusa.

This study investigated the effects of Trypanosoma brucei infection on post-partum (PP) uterine involution in the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus). Ninety-six rats (80 females and 16 males) were used for the study. The females were divided into 2 equal groups of 40 infected and 40 uninfected. The males which were uninfected were used for mating with the females. From each of the 2 female groups, 5 were humanely sacrifi ced daily from day 0 to day 7 PP. Body mass (BM), uterine mass (UM), uterine mass as a percentage of body mass (UMPBM), uterine histomorphology, packed cell volume (PCV), level of parasitaemia (LOP) and rectal temperature (RT) were evaluated in the females. Results showed that both the UM and the UMPBM of the infected rats were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of the uninfected between days 1 and 7 PP. Uterine histomorphology showed that between days 3 and 7 PP, involution was more advanced in the uninfected group. Uterine sections of the infected rats had more glands, which were also larger in size. Endometrial stroma was less cellular in the uninfected rats and the myometrium showed higher nuclei density for myofi brils, which suggests some loss of cytoplasm. The PCV of the infected rats was significantly lower than that of the uninfected (P<0.01) between days 9 and 14 post-infection (PI), while the RT of the infected rats was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the uninfected between days 5 and 14 PI. It was therefore concluded that T. brucei infection led to a significant delay in PP uterine involution, as evidenced by the higher UM and UMPBM, and the uterine histomorphological findings in the infected rats.Istraživanje je provedeno s ciljem određivanja učinka protozoona Trypanosoma brucei na postpartalnu involuciju maternice u albino štakora (Rattus norvegicus). Za istraživanje je rabljeno 96 štakora (80 ženki i 16 mužjaka). Ženke su bile podijeljene u dvije jednake skupine tako da je 40 ženki pripadalo kontrolnoj, a 40 invadiranoj skupini. Neinvadirani mužjaci su poslužili za parenje. Iz svake skupine bilo je eutanazirano pet ženki i to svaki dan (od nultog do sedmog dana). Za svaku ženku bila je određena tjelesna masa, masa maternice, odnos mase maternice i tjelesne mase, histološki nalaz maternice, ukupan broj krvnih stanica, razina parazitemije i rektalna temperatura. Rezultati su pokazali da je u invadiranih štakorica maternica bila značajno teža kao što je bila i značajno veća masa maternice u odnosu na tjelesnu masu ženke (P<0,01) u razdoblju od prvog do sedmog dana nakon partusa. Histološkom pretragom dokazano je da je involucija maternice u razdoblju od trećeg do sedmog dana bila izraženija u neinvadiranih ženki što je dokazano i većim brojem povećanih žlijezdi. Stroma endometrija neinvadiranih životinja sadržavala je manje stanica. U miometriju je dokazana veća gustoća jezgara u miofibrilima što govori u prilog gubitku citoplazme. Ukupan broj krvnih stanica u invadiranih štakorica bio je značajno manji u odnosu na neinvadirane (P<0,01) u razdoblju od devetog do četrnaestog dana nakon invazije. Invadirane štakorice imali su višu tjelesnu temperaturu (P<0,01) u razdoblju od petoga do četrnaestoga dana. Na temelju postignutih rezultata zaključuje se da invazija vrstom Trypanosoma brucei dovodi do značajnog kašnjenja involucije što je potvrđeno većom masom maternice, većom masom u odnosu na tjelesnu masu te histomorfološkim nalazom u invadiranih ženki

Multitasking, but for what benefit? The dilemma facing Nigerian university students regarding part-time working.

Students working part-time while studying for a full-time university degree are commonplace in many Western countries. This paper however, examines the historically uncommon part-time working activities and career aspirations among Nigerian university students. In particular, how working is perceived to contribute to developing employability skills, and whether it is influenced by their self-efficacy. Survey data from 324 questionnaires was collected from a federal university, although the data analysis used a mixed-method. The findings indicate that despite low levels of part-time working generally among students, older, more experienced, higher level and female students, place a premium on the skills that part-time work can develop. Moreover, self-efficacy and being female, is a significant predictor in understanding part-time work and career aspirations. This study offers originality by focusing on students’ part-time work, the value working provides, and its link with career aspirations, within a relatively unexplored context of Nigeria

Effects of monosodium-L-glutamate administration on serum levels of reproductive hormones and cholesterol, epididymal sperm reserves and testicular histomorphology of male albino rats

This study investigated the effects of administration of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) on serum gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinising hormone (LH), testosterone and total cholesterol (TC), cauda epididymal sperm reserves (CESR) and testicular histomorphology of adult male albino rats. Eighty-four rats, randomly assigned to 7 groups of 12 rats each, were used for the study. Varying low doses (0.25, 0.50 or 1.00 g/kg body weight) of MSG were administered orally or subcutaneously at 48-h intervals for six weeks. Serum GnRH, LH, testosterone and TC, and CESR were evaluated on days 14, 28 and 42 of MSG administration. Testicular histomorphology was evaluated on day 42. The results showed that the mean serum GnRH, LH and testosterone levels, and the CESR of all the treated groups were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the untreated control on days 14, 28 and 42 of MSG administration. The mean serum TC levels of all the treated groups were also significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the control group on days 14 and 28. No lesions were observed on sections of the testes. It was concluded that MSG administration for 14, 28 and 42 days led to significantly lower serum levels of GnRH, LH, testosterone and TC, and significantly lower CESR