Length-weight relationship and condition factor of clarias gariepinus and tilapia zillii in lake alau and monguno hatchery,

Length-Weight relationship and condition factor of Clarias gariepinus and Tilapia Zillii were studiedin lake Alau and Monguno hatchery, both in Borno State of Nigeria, for a period of two weeks. A total of 98 C. gariepinus and 140. T. zillii were measured. The length-weight regression coefficient (b) for both fishes in lake Alau were not significantly different from the hypothesized value 3, but for both fishes in Monguno hatchery (b) differed signifcantly from the hypotheszed value. Isometric growth of both fshes was recorded in lake Alau while a comparative decline in weight in relation to specific length of fishes was recordedin Monguno hatchery. Furthermore, condition of C.gareipinus in lake Alau revealed that all size groups of the fsh grew better than those in Monguno hatchery, while the condiion of T. zillii in Monguno hatchery was better than that in lake Alau. Although our results suggest that C. gariepinus in lake Alau grew faster than that cultured in Monguno hatchery, the study is not conclusive as abiotic, biotic, and sampling error might have interplayed. The reverse is also true for the growthpotentials of T. zillii in Monguno hatchery whencompared to that in lake Aau. Keywords: Clarias gariepinus, Tilapia zillii, lake, Hatchery pond Animal Research International Vol. 4 (1) 2007 pp. 635-63

Qualitative Study Of Anopheles Species In Konduga Lake Area Of Borno State, Nigeria

The investigation on Anopheles species in Konduga lake area, Borno State of Nigeria, was carried out to identify various Anopheles species prevalent in the area and to determine their relative population densities. Six Anopheles species were recorded, namely, A. gambiae, A. funestus, A. ziemanni, A. squamosus, A. pharoensis, and A. maculipalpis. The relative population densities o various species were higher during rainy season than during the dry season. The population densities of female Anopheles were higher than those of the males. With the exemption of A. maculipalps, all the other Anopheles species recorded during the study are known transmitters of human malaria. A. gambiae of the A. gambiae complex was dominant in the study area. The periodic occurrence of Anopheles explains periodicity of malaria epidemiology in the study area. The high population of the female Anopheles predisposes inhabitants of the study area to incessant contact with the malaria vectors. Lake Konduga and its environments seem to satisfy the basic requirements of Anopheles mosquitoes growth and survival. Keywords: Tropical lake, Anopheles species, Malaria vectorsAnimal Research International Vol. 4 (2) 2007 pp. 673-67

Financial Intermediation and Private Sector Investment in Nigeria

The symbiotic relationship between adequate funds to real sector and speed of economic growth is not in contention. Consequently, the successive Nigerian governments have made several policy attempts in the last three decades at ensuring that funds are channeled to savings deficits. These efforts notwithstanding, the economy at a glance, seems not to have made remarkable progress. What is more, there is dearth of empirical studies specifically targeted at assessing the specific contribution of financial intermediation to economic growth in Nigeria. It is this gap that this study sought to fill.  To realize the goal of this study, we adopted Private Investment (PRIVET) as the regressand and Financial Savings as a ratio of Real Gross Domestic Product (FS/RGDP), Credit Extended to Private Sector by deposit money banks (CEPS), Prime Lending Rate (PLR) & Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) as the regressors. The study employed econometric method to construct a multiple regression model to analyze the long-run relationships among variables. The results showed that three out of the five coefficients are statistically significant at 5% level. CEPS and PLR conformed to the theoretically expected signs, while FS/RGDP, RGDP and DUM did not. Hetroscedasticity test carried out suggests that OLS assumption of constant variances over time was not violated. Ramsey Reset test indicates that the model is well specified. The findings indicate that although some progress is noted, much is remained to be done to ensure enabling environment conducive for investment growth and expansion of domestic capacity Keywords: Private Sector Investment, Prime Lending Rate, Financial Intermediation, financial system, financial institutions, multiple regression model

Impact of Talent Management Strategies on Organizational Performance in Selected Deposit Money Banks in Lagos State, Nigeria

This study critically examined the Impact of Talent Management Strategies on Organizational Performance in Selected Deposit Money Banks (DMB) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to; (i) determine the extent succession planning relates to sustainability; (ii) ascertain to what extent human capital development impacts on innovative capabilities of employees; and, (iii) examine the degree compensation impacts on employee engagement, in selected DMBs under study. The study adopted the survey design. The population of the study was 3126 comprising management and junior staff drawn from the selected DMBs in Lagos state, Nigeria. These include First Bank of Nigeria Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, and Ecobank Plc. The sample size of 359 was obtained from the population using Bill Godden\u27s formula at 5% error margin and 90% level of confidence. Data were collected using the questionnaire research instrument and interview guide which was designed in a 5-point Likert Scale and was manually administered to the respondents. The validity of the instrument was measured using content validity, and this was done by three management experts from both the industry and the academia

Infant feeding choices practiced among HIV positive mothers attending a prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV Program in Nnewi, Nigeria

Background: The HIV epidemic has significantly altered the context within which women make decisions about how they will feed their infants. This study examined the antenatal infant feeding choices and actual infant feeding practices of HIV-positive mothers in order to assess adherence to the 2010 WHO national infant feeding guidelines in Nnewi, Nigeria. Methods: The study was conducted between January 2012 and February 2013 at Nnamdi-Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) in Nnewi-Anambra State, Nigeria. It was a prospective cohort study of HIV positive women attending the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinic in NAUTH. Women received HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) from trained HIV positive women working in the hospital and from members of HIV support groups. The women made an informed decision on their infant feeding choice and received antiretroviral (ARV) treatment or prophylaxis (WHO option B) following WHO 2010 guidelines. Each mother-baby pair was followed up until the HIV sero-status of the baby was determined by DNA PCR (6-8weeks after cessation of breastfeeding). Results: The overall HIV MTCT rate was 19 of 583 (3.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.0 - 5.0). Only 94 (16.1%; 95% CI: 13.2 - 19.4) mothers complied with the WHO 2010 recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and ARV treatment or prophylaxis. Overall, 431 (73.9%) mother-baby pairs received prophylactic ARV intervention; in 88 (15.1%) pairs, the baby or the mother received ARV; while in 64 (11.0%) pairs, neither mother nor baby received ARV. When the mother-baby pair received ARV, MTCT was 0.8%, 1.7% and 5.9% for Exclusive Formular Feeding (EFF), EBF and Mixed Feeding (MF), respectively. When either mother or baby received intervention, MTCT rates increased to 3.3%, 4.8% and 7.7% for EFF, EBF and MF, respectively. The rate of MTCT was further increased to 5.1%, 6.7% and 23.5% when neither mother nor baby received intervention for EFF, EBF and MF respectively. Conclusion: EFF is still the infant feeding option preferred and practiced by majority of our HIV positive mothers despite the promotion of the safety of EBF with ARV interventions according to WHO 2010 guideline. It will take some time to change existing belief in EFF for us to achieve the required shift to EBF in our practice area. We also demonstrated that ARV treatment/chemoprophylaxis for both mother and baby is an important measure for achieving the reduction of MTCT of HIV in breastfeeding setting mixed feeding practice is associated with an increased rate of MTCT and should be strongly discouraged. Increasing the uptake of ARV treatment/ chemoprophylaxis and ensuring appropriate counseling about infant feeding practices have the potential to markedly decrease the rate of MTCT of HIV in developing countries

Effect of synbiotic therapy on cytokines concentrations in pre-preschool children with community-acquired pneumonia

The diseases of the respiratory system occupy the first position which constitutes nearly 62-65 % in the structure of child morbidity. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common diseases of modern society. Cytokines play a central role in inflammatory response that is a basis for further immune response. Our aim was to study the effect of synbiotics on pro- and anti-inflammatory serum cytokines (IL-8 and IL-4) concentrations in pre-preschool children with CAP