Lunar and seasonal variations in the catches of Macrobrachium fisheries of the Cross River Estuary, SE Nigeria

Monthly catches of the Macrobrachium fisheries were recorded at a commercial shrimp landing site on the coasts of Calabar (Nigeria), from April 1997 to August 1998. Catches fluctuated over an annual cycle, with two peaks occurring from May-July and November-December. These peaks represented periods of major activities, reproduction, recruitment or migration. Also, mean catches decreased in the months of February and August, corresponding to the peak of dry season and the so-called 'August break', respectively. Catches from active gears (seine, push net) varied among the moon phases too, with a main peak during full moon, and the minimum catch was recorded during the first moon quarter. However, the catch from passive gear (trap) depicted an inverse relationship, showing a peak during the first moon quarter. Variation in catches at different months and moon phases were significant at P:0.05. Recognize these variations and trends would help in management decisions such as defining closed seasons without adversely affecting the economy of the fisher

Quality assurance in the creative enterprise: an appraisal of select plays of Emeka Nwabueze

Live performances on live stage, the mother medium are no longer common sights in Nigeria. Thus, the waning influence of the live stage in the nation’s contemporary theatre practice is becoming a newly found but embarrassing tradition among young and even some old theatre practitioners. Hence, the problem of this study is the lull in different stages and sectors of the creative industry that led to the decline in live performance. Poor creativity is one of the cancerous worms that is eating deep into the fabrics of the vibrancy of contemporary African theatre practice. Commercial interest, sexploitation and peripheral creativity are now the order of the day. Thus, the aim of this study is how to assure quality in the creative process through adherence to theoretical provisions, professionalism and finesse in the creative process; reinforced with indebt knowledge of the practitioner’s worldview. Objectives include drawing the practitioners’ attention to existing theories and aspiration towards a robust, vibrant and entertaining live theatre. To achieve this creative process based on a marriage of theory and practice; two of Emeka Nwabueze’s plays, Guardian of the Cosmos and A Parliament of Vultures are examined in this article using case study and content analysis research approaches of the qualitative research method. The researchers concluded that adherence to theory can build and sustain quality assurance mechanism and vibrancy into the postmodern African theatre practice

Longitudinal bioimpedance assessments to evaluate hydration in POEMS syndrome

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic disorder associated with an underlying plasma cell dyscrasia and multiorgan failure. POEMS syndrome is potentially fatal and adversely affects quality of life. Oedema is common with many patients affected by pleural effusions, ascites and lower limb oedema. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) is a non-invasive assessment tool, which enables rapid bedside assessments of nutrition and hydration. This paper describes the use of sequential BIVA assessments to evaluate the response to diuretic therapy in a woman aged 52 years with POEMS syndrome. This case illustrates the potential to use BIVA to conduct longitudinal assessments of hydration status. This provides opportunities for further research using BIVA to monitor hydration and response to interventions. This may be useful in specific situations, for example at the end of life

Assessment of Mosquito Diversity and Evaluation of Impact of House Treatment with DDT on Their Population in Amauro, Okigwe Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria.

Malaria, a disease that has increasingly been ravaging human population still has no sustainable remedy. Therefore, mosquito diversity and impact of house treatment with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on their population were investigated by the use of miniature Centre for Disease Control light trap (model 512) and WHO – approved compression sprayer in Amauro, Okigwe Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria. A total of 9,114 adult mosquitoes belonging to Anopheles, Aedes and Culex genera were captured and identified in this study prior to the DDT indoor residual spray. Virtually all the living houses (93) in the area were treated with a total of 25kg of DDT active ingredient (concentration of DDT active ingredient: 10%). Mosquito populations reduced significantly (P<0.05) by 89.82% six months after house treatment with DDT. This shows that DDT insecticide is highly effective in controlling mosquito vectors. Mosquito species incriminated by this study suggest serious public health implications in the area.Key words: Mosquito, diversity, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, indoor residual spray, public health

Knowledge and practices related to diabetes mellitus among adults with diabetes in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) among Nigerians and the world is on the increase because of lifestyles, diet, population ageing, unhealthy and obesity. Knowledge about DM and appropriate practices related to DM are vital in its proper management. This work is carried out to assess the knowledge and practices related to DM among adults with diabetes in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise   aged 40 years and older with DM. The research was carried out in four government health care facilities in Ahiara Ahiazu Mbaise. This was a health facility-based cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: Structured interviews were used to obtain information which included socio-demographic profiles as well as knowledge about diabetes mellitus (DM). The total number of the participants was 200 which comprises 150 (75.0%) women and 50 (25.0%)  Men aged 40–90 years (mean and standard deviation of 61.5 ± 10.49 years). Many (67.5%) were not aware of the types of DM and only 32.4% knew the type of DM they had. Many knew about the importance of special diet (65.5%) and physical activity (42.5%) in DM management; however, only 38.0% knew about the importance of losing weight. Many (79.0%) followed a special diet as advised, only 38.0% always tried to lose weight, and 48.3% engaged in physical activity. Conclusion:  The knowledge and practices related to DM among the participants were fair hence, suggesting the need for programmes on diabetes mellitus (DM) awareness in this population

Aspects of reproductive biology of three West African prawns in the mangrove creeks of the Cross River Estuary, Nigeria

Some aspects of the reproductive biology of the three dominant species in the Macrobrachium, fishery of the Cross River Estuary namely M. macrobrachion, M. vollenhovenii and M. equidens, were studied. Due to the difficulties associated with identifing the onset of maturity of Macrobrachium males, only the females were used in the study. The size massive maturation (TLm in mm) for M. macrobrachion was 68.83 (CI: 66.63-71.10 mm) at corresponding age of 6.61 (CI: 6.28-6.96) months. TLm for M. vollenhovenii was 106.74 (CI: 102.81. 110.81), at a corresponding age of 7.42 (CI: 7.01-7.82) months, while TLm for M. equidens was 59.09 (CI: 57.50-60.72), at the age of 7.70 (CI: 7.39-8.03) months. Average fecundity for M macrobrachion, M. vollenhovenii and M. equidens were 2490 (range 270-4710), 23,943 (range 1744-46,141), and 2359 (range 400-4318) eggs per female, respectively. The larger females had more eggs than the smaller ones. Understanding of the reproductive biology of these biological species is indispensable for efficient management of their resources

Studies on the ecology, behaviour and physiology of the infective larvae of Ancylostoma tubaeforme (Zeder 1800)

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Pattern and Risk Factors for Retinal Vein Occlusion in Onitsha, Nigeria

Objectives: To determine the pattern and risk factors for retinal vein occlusion at the Guinness Eye Center, Onitsha, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Case files of all patients with retinal vein occlusion between May 1997 and April 2004 were reviewed. Information on age, sex, visual acuity, ocular complications and associated risk factors were abstracted into a standard proforma and analysed. Results: 45 patients (48 eyes) were seen with a mean age of 58 years; range - 41-77 years. There were 16 (35.6%) male patients and 29(64.4%) female patients. Thirty-eight (84.4%) patients (40 eyes) had central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), 7 (15.6%) patients (8 eyes) had branch vein occlusion (BRVO), and 29 (60.4%) eyes (all CRVO) had ischaemic vein occlusion. Twenty-eight (58.3%) eyes were blind, while 18 (37.5%) had visual impairment. Twenty-five (55.6%) patients had hypertension, 10 (22.2%) were diabetic and 10 (22.2%) had glaucoma. Conclusions: Retinal vein occlusion is an important retinal vascular disease that causes visual loss. The incidence of the disease could be reduced if the associated risk factors were detected and treated early. A prospective study was carried out to clearly identify the modifiable risk factors for the disease in our environment. Keywords: retinal vein occlusion, incidence, pattern, risk factors, NigeriaNigerian Journal of Ophthalmology Vol. 16 (1) 2008: pp. 30-3

Network Diversity Value and Local South African Entrepreneurial Development in a Globalizing Economy: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Studies of African development convey both the triumphs and struggles in achieving the viability of local, small economic actors within a heightened era of global integration. Theoretical studies examining the role of social capital in economic development suggest that understanding the broader context of social relationships within which the market operates is vital in understanding market behavior. Hence, this perspective presents a distinct approach by which to grasp how small business men and women in globalizing African economies socially position themselves to manage and thrive under market pressures on all spatial levels. Drawing from this literature, this investigation explores how the social structure - specifically, the diversity of relationships in the social networks -of local South African entrepreneurs contributes to the development of their small businesses. Employing the qualitative analytical methodology of grounded theory, data is generated via in-depth interviews of twenty-four entrepreneurs from the clothing manufacturing and service industries in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. Empirical research in this regard is growing but is still limited. Hence, grounded theory- as other qualitative methodologies - captures the nuances and cultural interpretations vital to comprehending the social structure of the local economy. Distinct from other qualitative methodologies, however, grounded theory derives relationships between prevailing conceptual themes so as to form a testable framework for an emerging theory drawn directly from the data. The findings reveal, and form the first two hypotheses, that the structure and value of social network diversity vary across entrepreneurs of different economic sectors. To gain more empirical insight regarding network diversity variation, the study presents the analysis of particular variables - highlighted by the data and literature - in relation to entrepreneurs' social networks. Clothing manufacturers' emphasis of international trade as a threat forms the third hypothesis that their vulnerability to cheaper garment imports may be an explanatory factor for the structural and value differences of their network's diversity from those of service entrepreneurs. Recognizing that vulnerability to global imports does not fully account for the variation of network diversity among entrepreneurs within the same sector, however, continued analysis focused on the potential explanatory value of an entrepreneur's business phase and firm size. Findings supported the formation of the fourth and fifth hypotheses, which state that network diversity varies across entrepreneurs within different business phases in both sectors, and inconclusively across small firms of different sizes. The analysis notes that variation across firm size may be a function of business phase. At the end, the study lays out an emerging theoretical framework for the central concept of network diversity value, presenting the prevailing hypotheses and conceptual relationships to be tested in further studies

Indigenous communication as an enabling factor for rural development in Nigeria

Most development programmes end up as mere growth and not sustainable development. As a result, it becomes essential to examine indigenous communication systems that are supposed to aid development efforts. This is because development is multifaceted, multi-sectorial and widely a participatory process in which the intended beneficiaries are actively involved in every phase. It is also pertinent to assess the effect of exogenous media on the indigenous media with regards to rural development efforts. To achieve these, an in-depth anthropological fieldwork was conducted to examine rural development efforts with regards to their utilization of indigenous media in Mbano, South-east Nigeria. The study also adopted modernization and social change theories as well as impact assessment model. Sampling was by multi-stage and purposivesampling methods. Research methods used were both qualitative and quantitative. It was found that a lot of factors have prevented full achievement of development in rural areas of Nigeria. It has alsobeen discovered that the best form of development is participatorydevelopment in which the actual beneficiaries actively participatefrom the inception of the programme up to the evaluation stage. Asa result, indigenous communication is relevant to socio-economicdevelopment of the rural communities. So, participatory development is the ideal and it must involve a good knowledge of the people’s culture, which has indigenous communication at its centre. The study therefore, recommends the full utilization of indigenous media in sensitizing and mobilizing the rural people for participation in development programmes.Keywords: Indigenous Communication, Rural Community, Development