Productive Vocabulary Knowledge of ESL Learners

The paper seeks to investigate the level of productive knowledge of ESL learners, the writing quality and the relationship between the vocabulary knowledge and the writing quality. 150 final year students of English language in a university in Nigeria were randomly selected as respondents. The respondents were asked to write an essay of 300 words within one hour. The essays were typed into Vocab Profiler of Cobb (2002) and analyzed the Lexical Frequency Profile of the respondents. The essays were also assessed by independent examiners using a standard rubric. The findings reveal that the level of productive vocabulary knowledge of the respondents is limited. The writing quality of the majority of the respondent is fair and there is a significant correlation between vocabulary and the witting quality of the subjects. The researchers posit that productive vocabulary is the predictor of writing quality and recommend various techniques through which teaching and learning of vocabulary can be improved

Granunolocytic responses to Parasitaemia of Plasmodium Falciparum Species in children (6-59 months) attending bulumktu comprehensive health center, Maiduguri, Borno State – Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the influence of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia on eosinophil and neutrophil in children (6-59months), at BulumkutuComprehensive Health Centre, Maiduguri, Bono State, between August to December 2018. A total of 210 children were enrolled in the study which consisted of 88 (41.90%) patients with positive P. falciparum malaria and 122 (58.10%) negative malaria. Hematological parameters were analyzed using sysmexhaematology auto-analyzer (2011), while the Giemsa stained slides thick and thin blood films were prepared from the stock solution, and tested for Plasmodium falciparum malaria and count of malaria parasite density. This study indicated that there was a positive correlation between parasite densities and granulocytes (neutrophil and eosinophil) of the malaria-infected subjects, as well as malaria infected males and females subjects respectively. (r2 = 0.63 5, p = 0.005), (r2 = 0.5 10, p = 0.005), (r2 = 0.602, p = 0.005), (r2 = 0.504, p 0.005), and (r2 = 0.890, p = 0.001), (r2 = 0.623, p = 0.005)

Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance of Quoted Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This paper is aimed at investigating the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria for the period of 6 years from 2008 to 2013. The data was obtained from the sample size of twelve banks through their annual reports and accounts. Corporate social responsibility as the independent variable was proxy by natural logarithm of the total amount spent on corporate social responsibility by banks, while return on equity and return on assets was used to proxy financial performance as dependent variables. The study adopts multiple regression technique in analyzing the data with the aid of SPSS techniques. The findings reveal that corporate social responsibility has a positive and significant impact on return on equity and return on assets as financial performance proxies of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria. It is recommended that Nigerian deposit money banks should keep on providing corporate social responsibility services to their host community. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Financial Performanc

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of Heavy metals in water at Daura Gypsum Mining Site, Yobe State, Nigeria

This study was designed to detect heavy metals level in water collected from Daura gypsum mining site, Yobe State, Nigeria. Samples were collected and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The level of Pb, Ni, Cd, As, Cu and Zn, were assessed. Also the conductivity of the water samples detected using Conductivity meter. The result shows significant level of As at 0.0382 mg/l, Cd at 0.06-0.18 mg/l and 0.9852 mg/l for Ni which exceeded the WHO limit (0.01 mg/l). Cu, Zn, and Pb were detected at 0.95mg/l, 1.77 mg/l and 0.244 mg/l respectively. Cu, Pb, and Zn were found below the WHO, USEPA limits. This may bring kidney related risk to the people over a long period of time, Therefore , incorporation of ion exchange, reverse osmosis or adsorption in water sources will help reduce the heavy metals burden of the public in the area

Bioconcentration of Heavy Metals by Wild Plants Along Holomorphic Soils in Sule-Tankarkar Local Government Area, Jigawa State, Nigeria

This study aims at assessing the heavy metals concentration levels in wild plants along the holomorphic soil in Suletankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria. Soil and Plant samples were collected from 7 different locations. Two (2) locations each from Danaldi and Danzomo districts while a location each from Dangwanki, Jeke and Suletankarkar districts. A 20cm2 quadrant was thrown at random. At each location, soil sample was collected from 0 – 10cm depth and mixed to obtain one composite sample. Samples of all plant species found growing within 1 m radius of each sampling point were collected and preserved in pressed paper. Both Soil and Plant samples were analyzed for heavy metals concentration using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results show that; Cd with 3.6 ppm has the highest while Zn with 0.28 ppm has the least concentration in the soil at Danzomo I. The plants have varying concentrations ranging from Pd with 0.04 ppm to Zn with 5.42 ppm in Mitracarpus hirtus; Cr with 0.07 ppm to Zn with 6.42 ppm in Spermacoce radita; Co and Cr both with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 1.47 ppm in Corchonis olitorius. The elemental concentration in the soil at Danzomo II ranges from Co with 0.4 ppm to Cd with 2.75 ppm. In plants, the concentration ranges from Cr with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 1.87 ppm in Cenchrus biflorus; Cr with 0.04 to Mn with 11.8 ppm in Commelina erecta; Cr with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 21.5 ppm in Guiera senegalensis; again Cr with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 3.1 ppm in Cassia singueana. Zn with 0.28 ppm has the least while Mn with 4.0 has the highest elemental concentration value in the soil at Danladi I. The mineral concentration ranges from Cr with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 2.54 ppm in Philliostigma thonningii; Co with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 16.8 ppm in Sida cordifolia; Co and Cr both with 0.04 ppm to Mn with 5.15 ppm in Alysicarpus vaginalis. These results support the conclusion that the heavy metal concentration in all the sampled plants exceeded the WHO standard limit for consumption. Therefore, the authors recommended that the heavy metal concentrations in plants, soils, water and air should be frequently monitored by the appropriate authority in the State. Keywords: Heavy metals, Concentration, Plants, Soil

Effect of Osmopriming Duration on Germination, Emergence, and Early

Seed osmopriming could be a sustainable method to increase crop establishment, uniform emergence, and growth of plant on the field. Laboratory and field studies were carried out in 2010 cropping season at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, to study the effect of seed osmopriming duration on the germination, emergence, and growth of cowpea seeds. Treatments consisted of three osmopriming duration (soaking in 1% KNO 3 salt for 6, 8, and 10 hrs), one hydroprimed control (10 hr), and an unprimed control. These five treatments were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) replicated four times. The results showed that osmopriming with KNO 3 for different durations was at par but was superior to unprimed treatments in terms of seed germination, emergence, plant height, and dry matter accumulation at 3 weeks after sowing. From this study, it can therefore be concluded that seeds of cowpea could be primed (both hydro and osmopriming) for increased performance. However, osmopriming with KNO 3 salt (soaked in 1% KNO 3 salt solution and dried before sowing) for 6 hours could result in greater seed germination and seedling height than hydropriming

Is There Sexual Activity After Low Back Pain? A Clinical Commentary

No Abstract

Prevalence of low back pain and associated factors among office workers in Kano city, Nigeria

Background: Many studies across the globe have reported the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among office workers. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of LBP and associated factors among office workers in Kano city, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional type of study was conducted among the office workers in Kano metropolitan from September to December 2019. A total of 300 office workers were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The data was collected from the respondents by face-to-face interview technique using a semi-structured questionnaire and all the data collected were analyzed using statistical software (SPSS version 22.0).Results: In this study, the mean age of the respondents was 38.6±9.6 years and 72.7% of them were male. More than half (54.7%) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree and above. About 71.3% of the respondents had a familial history of LBP. About 68.0% of the respondents had suffered musculoskeletal disorder in the past and the majority (54.4%) mentioned they suffered hip pain. Only 33.7% of the respondents were maintaining the proper posture and 37.7% of the respondents were using an ergonomic chair.Conclusions: The findings of this study found a 65.3% prevalence of low back pain among the office workers in Kano metropolitan. Office workers should be encouraged to maintain proper postures at work and there is a need for more educational programs regarding the prevention measures of low back pain

Comparative Analysis of Haemolysin Production and Complement Levels in Indigenous Rabbits (Oryclolagus cunicali) and Other Animal Species

The complement system is an essential part of the immune response, defending against infections and contributing to inflammation. This studyfocuses on haemolysin production and complement levels in local rabbits, using subcutaneous and intravenous inoculation. It also evaluatedcomplement levels in various animal species and healthy humans for comparison. Serum samples were collected, and the complement fixationtest was performed using sheep red blood cells as markers. The findings revealed changes in red blood cell lysis with different haemolysin dilutions over time. The study also provides information on complement minimum haemolytic dose concentrations in various animal species. A graph illustrates the antibody levels in response to different inoculation routes. This research enhances our understanding of haemolysin and complement levels, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols and larger population studies to explore clinical implications to benefit immunological studies

Humoral immunological kinetics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and diagnostic performance of serological assays for coronavirus disease 2019: an analysis of global reports

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rise and second waves are reported in some countries, serological test kits and strips are being considered to scale up an adequate laboratory response. This study provides an update on the kinetics of humoral immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and performance characteristics of serological protocols (lateral flow assay [LFA], chemiluminescence immunoassay [CLIA] and ELISA) used for evaluations of recent and past SARS-CoV-2 infection. A thorough and comprehensive review of suitable and eligible full-text articles was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Wordometer and medRxiv from 10 January to 16 July 2020. These articles were searched using the Medical Subject Headings terms 'COVID-19', 'Serological assay', 'Laboratory Diagnosis', 'Performance characteristics', 'POCT', 'LFA', 'CLIA', 'ELISA' and 'SARS-CoV-2'. Data from original research articles on SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection >= second day postinfection were included in this study. In total, there were 7938 published articles on humoral immune response and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. Of these, 74 were included in this study. The detection, peak and decline period of blood anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM, IgG and total antibodies for point-of-care testing (POCT), ELISA and CLIA vary widely. The most promising of these assays for POCT detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 at day 3 postinfection and peaked on the 15th day; ELISA products detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG at days 2 and 6 then peaked on the eighth day; and the most promising CLIA product detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 at day 1 and peaked on the 30th day. The most promising LFA, ELISA and CLIA that had the best performance characteristics were those targeting total SARS-CoV-2 antibodies followed by those targeting anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG then IgM. Essentially, the CLIA-based SARS-CoV-2 tests had the best performance characteristics, followed by ELISA then POCT. Given the varied performance characteristics of all the serological assays, there is a need to continuously improve their detection thresholds, as well as to monitor and re-evaluate their performances to assure their significance and applicability for COVID-19 clinical and epidemiological purposes