Medicobotanical Studies in Relation to Veterinary Medicine in Ekiti State, Nigeria: (2) Conservation of Botanicals Species Used for the Treatment of Poultry Diseases

The rare veterinary botanicals in Ekiti State were identified using semi-structured questionnaire matrix. The traditional ecological knowledge defined by the respondents was used to identify the relevant conservation strategies that could guaranteed the continuous supply of the species in the study area

Medicobotanical Studies in Relation to Veterinary Medicine in Ekiti State, Nigeria: Conservation of Botanical Species Used for the Treatment of Poultry Diseases

The rare veterinary botanicals in Ekiti State were identified using semi-structured questionnaire matrix. The traditional ecological knowledge defined by the respondents was used to identify the relevant conservation strategies that could guaranteed the continuous supply of the species in the study area

Conservation and Biodiversity Erosion in Ondo State, Nigeria: (2). Assessing Botanicals Used in the Storage of Farm Produce in Akure region

Semi-structured questionnaire matrix was used to identify plant species used for storage purposes in five communities situated within 5kilometre radius from Akure, the Ondo State capital, south-western Nigeria. A total of 32 botanical species were found to be commonly used in the preservation of farm produce in the study area. The leaves constituted the major part of the botanical that were widely utilised while the major farm produce common in the study area were kola nuts and bitter kola The descriptions of the indigenous knowledge of the various methods of application of the botanicals were identified and documented. Only nine of the botanicals were cultivated abundantly in the study area. The household farm, forest and common area constituted the major primary sources of the storage botanicals. Strategies that could ensure the continuous supply of the storage botanicals were proposed

EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS COMPETENCIES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA

Abstract' This study examines the relationship between business competencies and entrepreneurial performance among the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owners in Lagos State, Nigeria. Thus, to achieve the research objectives this study employed cross-sectional research. design with the adoption of survey method. The collected data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to show the degree of correlation between the multiple variables under study. The structural path reveals statistical insignificant of human resource competency on entrepreneurial performance at (p=.049, .CR = . 741, p = .459). The financial competency on entrepreneurial performance is insignificant (p = -.023, CR · = -.356. p = . 722) while operational competency did not contributed significantly to entrepreneurial performance (p = .008, CR = .122, p = .903). However, the structural model further indicated that marketing competencies has contributed significantly to entrepreneurial performance (p = .148, CR = 2.181, p = .029). The researcher concludes that there is a partial significant relationship between business competencies and entrepreneurial performance. The study recommended that the individual-organisation characteristics such as knowledge, skills, and abilities are required to perform a specific job perfectly at the organisational level (e.g. human resource competency, marketing competency, financial management competency, and operational management competency). Therefore, the entrepreneurial training agencies ·can take a clue from this study finding when designing entrepreneurial training curriculum with effective state-of-the-art facilities by taking into consideration functional business competencies

Adequacy of Technical Facilities for Maternal Health Care Delivery in Public Secondary and Tertiary Facilities in Osun State, Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortalities and morbidities in the world, and the need to address these challenges continues to engage the attention of relevant stakeholders but very little attention has focused on technological resources within the maternal health research agenda. This study aims to identify and determine the adequacy of the key equipment for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services in public-sector secondary and tertiary health facilities in Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria. Using a two-stage probability sampling procedure, 7 health facilities based in 6 randomly selected Local government areas (LGAs) were involved in the study. Data were obtained through the use of primary and secondary sources. For primary sources, a questionnaire was administered to 112 health workers and the study also utilized a checklist for equipment inventory. For secondary sources we reviewed existing hospital records on technology acquisition and maintenance. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. Almost three-fifths (58.1%) of the health workers considered the technical facilities for the delivery of EmOC in their facilities as inadequate, the proportion of health workers with such opinion was significantly higher in secondary compare to tertiary facilities (60.0% vs 40.0%, p=0.003). The inventory review and use of the checklist also showed varying degree of inadequate technical facilities; none of the facilities had all the 26 equipment considered as essential for comprehensive EmOC in functional state. We concluded that the public sector facilities in Osun State have inadequate technical facilities for EmOC; addressing this technological challenge will be critical to improving maternal health outcomes and statistics in Nigeria

Water Supply and Sanitation Challenges in an Urban Setting: A Case Study

Access to clean water, good sanitation services and improved hygiene practices enhance sound health, boost socio-cultural development, and promote economic balance. This study is focused on investigating and identifying the state of water, sanitation and hygiene practices in an urban setting, and proffer solutions to the probable challenges associated with it. Five Local Government areas (LGAs) of Lagos State were selected for this study. The survey involved the use of structured questionnaires administered to randomly selected residents from the LGAs. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software application and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The study reveals that access to water and proper sanitation is insufficient and its services is at high cost to many of the residents who live below the poverty line of less than $2 per day. The supply of water from the water corporation to the local government is not sufficient thereby making many to rely on commercial and private boreholes which often time is expensive. The result also shows that indifferent attitude characterizes poor sanitation which is basically associated with poor maintenance, indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drains and ineffective drainage systems. It is therefore important that sustained cooperation be developed among key actors in order to reduce cost of gaining access to potable water. There should also be continuous sensitization and enlightenment campaigns to the public on the dangers of environmental neglect

Genotoxicity Evaluation of Landfill Solid Waste Leachates from a Waste Dumpsite in Lagos State, Nigeria using the Allium cepa Assay

The management of municipal landfill’s leachate is considered one of the most significant environmental issues. Potential mutagenic and genotoxic effects of solid waste leachates (SWL) were investigated using the Allium cepa root meristematic cells assay technique. In Allium root growth inhibition test, experimental onion bulbs were cultivated in various concentrations of the SWL and distilled water was used as a negative control. The root tips from the treated bulb were processedby orcein squash technique after 72 h. The mean lengths of root bundles were obtained andeffective concentration (EC) values calculated. Some of the physicochemical properties of the WL were also determined. The A. cepa assay was carried out at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 2.0, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100% of the WL. There was a statistically different (p < 0.05), concentrationdependent inhibition of onion root growth and mitotic index, and induction of chromosomal aberrations in the onion test. The results of the physicochemical analysis revealed that the concentrations of some parameters were above the maximum permissible limit set by the world health organization (WHO) and could partly be correlated with the toxicity of wastewater. The landfill leachates pose a risk to human health and the environment in general. Hence, ecotoxicity/genotoxicity assays would be useful in leachate risk assessment when coupled with physicochemical analysis

STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF RHEOLOGICAL MODELS USING CASSAVA STARCH

Models are sometimes employed to determine some parameters that can be used to distinguish between different types of food samples. Rheological models can be used to predict flow for severe conditions where it is difficult to determine the nature of the fluid flow, consequently it is essential to select the appropriate rheological models. This study aims to propose a rheological model that describes an ideal cassava starch rheological behavior and its influence on state variables such as concentration and temperature in order to validate the rheological models. In this study, five rheological models (namely; Power-law model, Robertson-stiff model, Herschel-Bulkey model, Prandtl-Eyring model and Bigham plastic model) were amended into various statistical model by adding the error variance (e). This study concludes that Herschel-Bulkley model and Robertson-stiff model closely explain the rheological patterns occurring during the production of cassava starch. The sensitivity evaluation of other rheological models demonstrate that the validity of Power-law model, Herschel-Bulkley model and Robertson stiff model is not notably influenced by changes in concentration and temperature of the cassava starch. Nevertheless, the Prandtl-Eyring and Bingham plastic models are noted to have less reliable prediction at lower temperature and higher concentration respectively

Ongoing large randomized clinical trials on complex percutaneous coronary interventions:Intravascular imaging-guided trials

.tabletop{ vertical-align: top; } ABSTRACT Percutaneous coronary intervention of complex coronary artery disease remains challenging and is still associated with suboptimal cardiovascular outcomes. Over the years, different strategies and technologies have been developed to improve these results. Particularly, the development and evolution of intravascular imaging modalities to guide the procedure have improved lesion assessment and preparation, and stent optimization. However, whether these advantages are beneficial in this particular setting is still under discussion. In this article we intend to briefly summarize previous imaging-guided trials and give an outline on the ongoing large trials that are being conducted on imaging-guided interventions in complex coronary disease

Shape memory polymer review for flexible artificial intelligence materials of biomedical

The self-healing and biocompatibility of polymer composites for biomedicine have made them a preferred approach for small-scale tissue engineering elements. By moving from static to dynamic pressure, 4D printing simulates the natural physical-mechanical changes of living tissue over time. A promising new platform with excellent controllability actuation is required to enhance the significance of 4D printing for biological applications. This study systematically analyses current 4D printing technologies for the flexible fabrication of artificial intelligence (AIM) materials. In addition, many potential applications of flexible 4D printing in composite biological engineering are thoroughly investigated. We found that knowledge about this new category of flexible AIM composites is relatively limited, and the potential for practical applications has not yet been demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the problems and limitations of flexible 4D printing technology, AIM, and future approaches and applications.</p