Traumatic brain injury screening and neuropsychological functioning in women who experience intimate partner violence

Objective: The potential for traumatic brain injury (TBI) to occur as the result of intimate partner violence (IPV) has received increased interest in recent years. This study sought to investigate the possible occurrence of TBI in a group of women who survived IPV and to measure the specific profile of cognitive deficits using standardized neuropsychological measures. Method: A comprehensive questionnaire about abuse history; neuropsychological measures of attention, memory and executive functioning; and measures of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder were given to women who were IPV survivors, women who were sexual assault (SA) survivors, and a comparison group of women who did not experience IPV or SA. Results: Overall, rates of potential TBI, as measured by the HELPS brain injury screening tool, were high and consistent with previous studies. Consistent with potential TBI, lower scores were demonstrated on measures of memory and executive functioning compared to survivors of SA or those not exposed to violence. Importantly, significant differences on measures of memory and executive functioning remained, after controlling for measures of emotion. Of note, cognitive changes were highest among women who experienced non-fatal strangulation (NFS) compared to IPV survivors who did not. Conclusions: Rates of TBI may be high in women who survive IPV, especially those who survive strangulation. Better screening measures and appropriate interventions are needed as well as larger studies that look at social factors associated with IPV

Membership Participation and Sustainability of Government-Driven Rural Development Projects in Abia State of Nigeria

Membership participation has become a veritable strategy for empowerment in the development scene. The participation of community members in development activities enhances capacity building. Sustainable development has to do with participatory development, human development and environmental protection. This study examines participation of community members and sustainability of government-driven rural development projects in Abia State of Nigeria. The purposive sampling technique was adopted in the study. The sample comprised of 6 communities from 6 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. The focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were the instruments for data collection. The sample size used in the study was 72 FGD participants and 6 IDI respondents. Data generated for the study were analyzed in quotes. The study revealed that all the rural communities under study have benefitted from government projects. It also shows that the executed projects have impacted on the quality of lives of the people. Furthermore, the study revealed that membership participation in the execution of projects is low and this has implications in project sustainability.</p

Sustainability and Determinate of Farmers’ Mitigation Strategies to Greenhouse Gases Emission: A Case in Rice Agric-Food System of Nigeria

Sustainable production refers to the production that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At global level and mainly across Nigeria, rice fields are considered as one of the most important sources of atmospheric concentration of two greenhouse gases, mainly anthropogenic methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. These greenhouse gases (GHGs) are produced under anaerobic conditions, and their production has negative environmental and health implications. Additionally, the growing demand for rice across Nigeria exceeds supply, resulting in a rice deficit. To overcome this challenge, rice production should be increased, with so much regard to less GHG emission. Moving forward, understanding the determinate of farmers’ mitigation strategies to GHGs will definitely enhance effort made for farmers to continue to mitigate easily over-time. Incidentally, empirical study on the present discourse is relatively scanty, isolated, and devoid of in-depth and quantitative analyses. Most empirical studies did not pay close attention to the determinants of rice farmers’ decisions to mitigation options to GHGs. Studies on mitigation of GHGs at a farm or household level should rigorously examine the socioeconomic characteristics that influence farmers’ decisions to practice GHG mitigation or not. These create a gap in research and make it extremely difficult if not impossible for the governments/interest groups to know the method they can adopt in helping farmers mitigate the negative impact of GHG emission in rice production. It was against this backdrop that this study was systematically undertaken

Effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: A case of the faculty of law library, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of user education on the law students’ use of the library : A case study of the faculty law library Imo State University Owerri. The survey research design was used for the study while questionnaire instrument was used for data collection. The population of the study consists of all the registered users of faculty of law library. Six research questions were answered and the analysis was done using mean scores. The findings of the study reveal that Imo State University law students have understanding of the concept of user education. The study also finds out that user education programme has positively affected the law students use of the library and their academic performance. The study identified some problems that hinder effective user education as over population, lack of infrastructure, inadequate and trained personnel, lack of instructional materials,, limited time allocated to the programme, unconducive environment and inadequate space. The study concludes that since the library occupies a central place in the achievement of educational objectives of law students, and this has made user education indispensible in the library, adequate resources should be committed to the programme to ensure that its objectives are realized Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made on how to remedy the problems

Quality attributes of fufu in South-East Nigeria: Guide for cassava breeders

Fufu is a popular traditional fermented wet paste food product from cassava. We examined consumer preferences and quality attributes of fufu in Abia and Imo States of South‐East Nigeria, with special attention to gender differences, for the purpose of providing guidance to breeders. Data were analysed by the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Participants for the interview were randomly selected from a list of farmers in the study area. Individual (II) interviews were conducted among 80 participants comprising 26 males (32.5%) and 54 females (67.5%). Preferences along the food chain from raw roots to final product were also obtained. Major traits influencing gender‐specific consumer preferences are related to appearance, texture and smell. Smoothness, not sticky, easy to swallow and drawability of fufu appear to be major traits that drive acceptance by both men and women. Big roots and smooth skin are prioritized for raw material. Some quality characteristics are conditioned largely by variety traits, while others can be modified by adjusting the processing methods. The complexity of producing high quality fufu makes it imperative to introduce a multi‐disciplinary approach into breeding programmes