Social and environmental justice for a sustainable future

In October 2022, Canterbury Christ Church University invited staff, students and the wider community to explore the connections between environmental and social justice, to promote inclusive learning environments and celebrate the contribution of diverse voices to building a sustainable future for all. The presentation discusses the experiences of an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental organising committee in embracing the inherent ‘messy complexity’ of both the topic itself and the practical delivery of the conference. By sharing the triumphs, challenges and ‘lessons learned’ we hope to encourage others to explore collaborative and innovative ways to promote environmental and social justice

Comparative assessment of brain and circulating oxidative stress biomarkers in weaned New Zealand White rabbits supplemented with microalga Chlorella vulgaris biomass

The brain is central to human and animal well-being but it requires a high amount of oxygen for its normal functioning and this makes it an organ highly vulnerable to oxidative stress damage. Therefore, for the promotion of normal physiological and cellular functions of the brain, antioxidant intake is very critical. This study investigated the antioxidant enzymatic activities in the brain by measuring activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and reduced glutathione (GSH) in connection with the circulating oxidative stress biomarkers of the serum and liver of New Zealand White rabbits supplemented with microalga Chlorella vulgaris biomass in addition to regular basal diets. The study involved a random distribution of 40 rabbits of eight weeks old into five experimental group using completely randomized design. The rabbits were observed for a period of 120 when they are being supplemented after which their blood, brain, and liver were collected for analyses. The results show that the total antioxidant capacity was higher in the brain of the supplemented rabbits (P<0.05). Although, there was no significant difference in the brain malondialdehyde concentrations, there were higher activities of antioxidant enzymes in the brain of the supplemented rabbits (P< 0.05). There was a lower concentration of the circulating malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and liver of the supplemented rabbits. The study concluded that Chlorella vulgaris intake led to reduced circulating malondialdehyde and increased activities of the brain antioxidant enzymes in the rabbits. The study indicated that the microalga Chlorella vulgaris contains antioxidant compounds that can cross the blood-brain barrier, which could be a very important therapeutic agent against oxidative stress-induced brain complications in animals and humans

Grazing Behavior of the Endemic Lagune Cattle in the Sub-Humid Savannahs of Benin

The indigenous Lagune, a breed tolerant to trypanosomiasis, is an excellent candidate to meet the ongoing environmental changes sustainably. This cattle breed could be kept like small ruminants, tethered in grasslands, or free grazing. A study was conducted to assess the grazing behavior of Lagune cattle under the two grazing systems to identify the best systems for sustainable production and conservation of the breed. For this study, four Lagune cattle farms, 02 under free-roaming and 02 others in the tethered system, were selected in the original belt of the Lagune cattle, the agro-ecological (AEZ) zones of Valley and Pobe. The step-point method was used to assess plant species diversity in grazing lands. Three (03) cows per farm were monitored while grazing for 03 consecutive days. The grazing itinerary and grazing activities were registered to allow the calculation of grazing length and duration. The most consumed plant species were identified. Results showed that 133 plant species belonging to 27 families were recorded in the grazing lands in both studied AEZs. Animals walked longer per day (p \u3c 0.0001) in the free grazing system (7.07±1.26 km) than in the tethered system (1.77±0.59 km). On the contrary, grazing duration was higher (p\u3c0.0001) in the tethered system (7.88±1.31h). The Lagune diet consisted mainly of herbs; 23 forage species from 14 families were grazed. Most of the species belong to the families of Poaceaes (34.78%), Convolvulaceaes (8.7%), and Euphorbiaceaes (8.7%). The study suggests free grazing allows better utilization of the forage species available in grasslands. Further studies could investigate diet selection by the indigenous Lagune cattle and the nutritional balance of the animals

Development and feasibility testing of a remote support application for adherence to home exercise programs: a randomized pilot study

Objectives: Poor adherence to home exercise programs (HEPs) is a significant barrier to continuity of care and eventual outcomes, thus requiring innovative mitigating approaches. This study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of a remote support application (RSA) designed to encourage adherence to HEPs. Methods: Using standard computer programing, an RSA with administrator and user interfaces was developed for mobile phone or tablet. Consenting patients receiving physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions (n=19) were randomly assigned into the experimental group (n=10) or the control group (n=9). The experimental group received their customized HEP reminders via the RSA, whereas the control group used conventional paper handouts for HEPs. Adherence to HEPs was assessed over 4 weeks. The feasibility of the RSA was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires. Data were summarized using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The adherence rate of patients in experimental group was significantly higher than that of patients in the control group after 2 weeks [median diff.=−6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): −8.0 to −5.0; U=5.00; Z=−3.304; P=0.001; r=0.75] and 4 weeks (median diff.=−7.0, 95% CI: −8.0 to −5.0; U=0; Z=−3.695; P<0.001; r=0.84) of intervention. The RSA had a mean SUS score of 82.53±9.04 (out of 100) and a mean app quality rating score of 75.95±4.98 (out of 95). Conclusions: The use of an RSA to improve adherence to HEPs is feasible for patients with musculoskeletal conditions

Utilization of Kola Pod Husk for Telfaria Occidentalis, Corchorus Olitorius and Amaranthus Cruentus Production in Ikorodu, Lagos State

ABSTRACT Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Kola Pad Husk, urea and their combinations on three leafy vegetables (Telfaria, Corchorus olitorius and Amaranthus cruentus) in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria. The treatments consisted of kola pod husk (KPH) + Urea (ratio 4: 1 N content) and kola pod husk (KPH) alone to supply 0 (control), 80 (KPH1), 120 (KPH2) and 160kg N/ha (KPH3). The treatments were arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications. Application of the varying rate of the fertilizers on the vegetables showed that the use of KPH + Urea at 80kg N/ha (KPH1+urea) was optimum for Telfaria and C. olitorius, while A.cruentus production was optimum at 160kg N/ha (KPH3 + Urea) addition. This indicates that all the vegetables at all the levels of treatments significantly (p&lt; 0.05) gave optimal yields performances compared with control, the supplementation of KPH with external N source to lower the C: N ratio was the best. The yield values at the optimal rates were 14.8, 17.4 and I 1.5 t ha -1 for Telfaria, C.olitorius and A.cruentus respectively

Barriers to contraceptive uptake among women of reproductive age in a semi-urban community of Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria

Background: Globally, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) persist as a significant threat to women’s reproductive health. In Nigeria, despite huge resources committed to family planning programs by stakeholders, contraceptive use has been very low. This study aimed at unraveling the barriers to the use of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Ise-Ekiti community, Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.Methods: This study was a cross sectional study among women aged 15-49 years. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in the recruitment of respondents from the community. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.Results: Although contraceptive awareness among respondents was high 496(98.6%), only 254 of the 503 respondents were using modern contraceptive methods giving a Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 50.5%. Among those not using any form of contraceptives, some identifiable barriers to contraceptive use includes desire for more children, 62(39.5%), partner disapproval, 40(25.5%), and fear of side-effects, 23(14.6%). Factors associated with contraceptive uptake include marital status (p=0.028), educational level (p=0.041) and religion (p=0.043) with traditional worshippers having the least uptake.Conclusion: This study showed that awareness to modern forms of contraceptives does translate into use. The identified barriers to contraceptive uptake suggest the need to improve uptake of contraceptives through a community-based and culturally acceptable intervention as doing this will go a long way in addressing some of these barriers.Keywords: Contraceptives uptake, barriers, women of reproductive ag

Investigation and Comparison of Heat Generated by Coloured Metallic Plates in Response to the Emissive and Absobtion Power of the Surfaces of the Coloured Plate

A colour test was carried out to determine the rates of absorption and emission of infrared radiation by coloured hollowed metallic plates which result in increase in temprature of the holllowed plates at maximum radiation of 750 Wm-2 at Abeokuta 7.198305 and Longitude 3.439533 during the month of March 2013. Five hollow metallic plates of different paint colours (black, green, red, blue and white) were exposed to sunlight simultaneously and the temperature generated in each plate was recorded using a data logger. A wooden box that was divided into five cavities was constructed and lagged with wood shavings to provide insulation and the five coloured hollowed metallic plates of dimension d=4h were inserted in it. The choice dimension d=4h is to minimise shading of the inside of the plate (d is the diameter of each of the plates and h is the height) the top of the plates were covered with a 5 mm thick glass. The top cover plates were securely laid tightly to both the wooden box and the tip of the plates to prevent heat loss to the surrounding and also from crossing from one plate to another.  This arraignment is similar to that of a flat plate collector and calorimeter experiment. The centre of each of the plate was connected to five probes of a data logger and the temperature of changes inside the plates are logged and recorded

EVALUATION OF ANALGESIC, ANTICONVULSANT AND HYPNOTIC ACTIVITIES OF PYRENACANTHIA STAUNDTII

An Aqueous leaf extract of Pyrenacanthia Staundtii (AqPs) was studied for central nervous activities. The extract (100.0 – 400.0 mg/kg i. p). significantly (

Identification of human viral protein-derived ligands recognized by individual MHCI-restricted T-cell receptors

Evidence indicates that autoimmunity can be triggered by virus-specific CD8+ T cells that crossreact with self-derived peptide epitopes presented on the cell surface by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules. Identification of the associated viral pathogens is challenging because individual T-cell receptors can potentially recognize up to a million different peptides. Here, we generate peptide length-matched combinatorial peptide library (CPL) scan data for a panel of virus-specific CD8+ T-cell clones spanning different restriction elements and a range of epitope lengths. CPL scan data drove a protein database search limited to viruses that infect humans. Peptide sequences were ranked in order of likelihood of recognition. For all anti-viral CD8+ T-cell clones examined in this study, the index peptide was either the top-ranked sequence or ranked as one of the most likely sequences to be recognized. Thus, we demonstrate that anti-viral CD8+ T-cell clones are highly focused on their index peptide sequence and that ‘CPL-driven database searching’ can be used to identify the inciting virus-derived epitope for a given CD8+ T-cell clone. Moreover, to augment access to CPL-driven database searching, we have created a publicly accessible webtool. Application of these methodologies in the clinical setting may clarify the role of viral pathogens in the etiology of autoimmune diseases