ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC FLOW ON ENUGU HIGHWAYS USING SPEED DENSITY REGRESSION COEFFICIENT

In an attempt to estimate the operating speeds and volume of traffic on highway lanes as a function of predicted demands, speed-density models were estimated using data from highway sites. Speed, flow and volume are the most important elements of the traffic flow. In this study, the speed-density regression models are compared using five highways in relation to their correlation coefficient based on the daily traffic flow data obtained from the roads. The traffic flow data were collected by hourly traffic count on each road. The coefficient of correlation (R) proved to have the best fit with a higher confidence and less variation for a two-lane highway than a one-lane highway. The space-mean speed (u) and density (k) relationship for the two-lane highways are; u,  and u whereas the space-mean speed (u) and density (k) relationship for the one-lane highways are; u =  respectively. This research provides practical application for speed estimation, construction, maintenance and optimization of the highways using the speed-density models which will enhance traffic monitoring, traffic control management, traffic forecasting and model calibration. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i3.1

Evaluation of herbal ointment formulation of Milicia excelsa (Welw) C.C berg for wound healing

The wound healing effect of Milicia excelsa ointment was evaluated in three groups of rats using the excision wound model. Also the antibacterial effect of M. excelsa extract on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated. The result of the study showed that the ointment of M. excelsa significantly enhanced wound contraction and epithelialization. The epithelialization time in the M. excelsa ointment treated group was significantly shorter than time of epithelialization in the base treated group. On day 7, wound sections of rats treated with M. excelsa ointment showed abundant neutrophils, few macrophages and few fibroblasts while in the base treated rats, abundant neutrophils, few macrophages and few fibroblasts were seen. By day 14, wound sections of M. excelsa ointment treated rats showed abundant fibroblasts, mild collagenization, moderate macrophages and vascularization whereas moderate neutrophils, few macrophages and few fibroblasts were seen in the sections of base treated rats. M. excelsa extract at 100, 50, 25 and 12.5 mg/ml inhibited the growth of S. aureus but not P. aeruginosa. In this study, daily application of M. excelsa ointment enhanced wound contraction, epithelialization and fibroplasia. These results provide scientific evidence showing the efficacy of M. excelsa leaves in wound healing.Keywords: Milicia excelsa, ointment, excision wounds, contraction, epithelializationAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(21), pp. 3351-335

Characterization of Genome-Wide Association-Identified Variants for Atrial Fibrillation in African Americans

Despite a greater burden of risk factors, atrial fibrillation (AF) is less common among African Americans than European-descent populations. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for AF in European-descent populations have identified three predominant genomic regions associated with increased risk (1q21, 4q25, and 16q22). The contribution of these loci to AF risk in African American is unknown.We studied 73 African Americans with AF from the Vanderbilt-Meharry AF registry and 71 African American controls, with no history of AF including after cardiac surgery. Tests of association were performed for 148 SNPs across the three regions associated with AF, and 22 SNPs were significantly associated with AF (P<0.05). The SNPs with the strongest associations in African Americans were both different from the index SNPs identified in European-descent populations and independent from the index European-descent population SNPs (r(2)<0.40 in HapMap CEU): 1q21 rs4845396 (odds ratio [OR] 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.67, P = 0.003), 4q25 rs4631108 (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.59-7.42, P = 0.002), and 16q22 rs16971547 (OR 8.1, 95% CI 1.46-45.4, P = 0.016). Estimates of European ancestry were similar among cases (23.6%) and controls (23.8%). Accordingly, the probability of having two copies of the European derived chromosomes at each region did not differ between cases and controls.Variable European admixture at known AF loci does not explain decreased AF susceptibility in African Americans. These data support the role of 1q21, 4q25, and 16q22 variants in AF risk for African Americans, although the index SNPs differ from those identified in European-descent populations

Maternal and child health interventions in Nigeria: a systematic review of published studies from 1990 to 2014

BACKGROUND: Poor maternal and child health indicators have been reported in Nigeria since the 1990s. Many interventions have been instituted to reverse the trend and ensure that Nigeria is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This systematic review aims at describing and indirectly measuring the effect of the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) interventions implemented in Nigeria from 1990 to 2014. METHODS: PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched from 1990 to April 2014 whereas POPLINE® was searched until 16 February 2015 to identify reports of interventions targeting Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Nigeria. Narrative and graphical synthesis was done by integrating the results of extracted studies with trends of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and under five mortality (U5MR) derived from a joint point regression analysis using Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data (1990-2013). This was supplemented by document analysis of policies, guidelines and strategies of the Federal Ministry of Health developed for Nigeria during the same period. RESULTS: We identified 66 eligible studies from 2,662 studies. Three interventions were deployed nationwide and the remainder at the regional level. Multiple study designs were employed in the enrolled studies: pre- and post-intervention or quasi-experimental (n = 40; 61%); clinical trials (n = 6;9%); cohort study or longitudinal evaluation (n = 3;5%); process/output/outcome evaluation (n = 17;26%). The national MMR shows a consistent reduction (Annual Percentage Change (APC) = -3.10%, 95% CI: -5.20 to -1.00 %) with marked decrease in the slope observed in the period with a cluster of published studies (2004-2014). Fifteen intervention studies specifically targeting under-five children were published during the 24 years of observation. A statistically insignificant downward trend in the U5MR was observed (APC = -1.25%, 95% CI: -4.70 to 2.40%) coinciding with publication of most of the studies and development of MNCH policies. CONCLUSIONS: The development of MNCH policies, implementation and publication of interventions corresponds with the downward trend of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria. This systematic review has also shown that more MNCH intervention research and publications of findings is required to generate local and relevant evidence

Queuing Models: A Tool For Assessing The Profitability Of Barbing Salon Business In Agbor Town Of Delta State, Nigeria.

The study considered small scale business as an option in reducing the unemployment rate in our society. The study uses queuing models to assess the profitability of barbing salon business in Agbor town of Delta State. The result of the study indicates that the distribution of inter-arrival times, service times, and waiting times are invariant with respect to the time of the day. It was observed that the barbers are idle for 40 percent of the total time. The customer was expected to spend 30 minutes in the system with waiting time and service time of 18 minutes and 12 minutes respectively. The shop opens for 12 hours daily for business with 36 and 10,368 customers demanding for services daily and annually respectively. The business made an annual net profit of N837, 881 with opening capital of N15,100. This indicates 555% rate of return on the capital employed. It was concluded that the business is very profitable and has a solvency/liquidity ratio of 7:1. It was therefore recommended that unemployed youths should avail themselves of the opportunity of low capital requirement to get something doing.Keywords: queuing model, arrival time, service time, unemployment, barbing salon queuing behaviour, profitability, customer