Growth response of Heterobranchus longifilis fingerlings fed with varying levels of dietary freshwater mussel (Aspatharia sinuata)

A common bivalve: Freshwater mussel, Aspatharia sinuate was evaluated as a dietary protein supplement in the production diet for Heterobranchus longifilis fingerlings with mean body weight 8.34 plus or minus 10g reared in aquaria tanks. Four diets containing fishmeal protein at a rate of 25%, 50% and 75% along with the freshwater mussel flesh were formulated. The diet without the freshwater mussel served as the control. The fish fingerlings were fed at 5% body weight per day for 56 days. It was revealed at the end of the experiment that freshwater mussel was most suitable as a protein supplement when incorporated at 25% replacement. The body weight gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion ration values of 6.83g, 1.06% day and 0.62 respectively were highest in diet with 25% replacement closely followed by diet with 50% replacement. Beyond 75% inclusion level there was no significant growth (P>0.05). However, complete replacement of fishmeal by freshwater mussel decreases growth rates and should not be used in Heterobranchus longifilis diet

Antidote for emerging neopaganism : developing a discipleship strategy that calls for faith in God in a growing congregation

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/2267/thumbnail.jp

Repositioning French Language Education for National Integration and Development

Nigeria's linguistic diversity rather than being a blessing as it was at Pentecost has been a bane of national development and integration as it was at Babel.  Nigeria parades over four hundred indigenous languages (Crozier and Blench, 1992) and two official foreign languages (English and French).  Of these various local languages, three stand out for national prominence.  While most developed countries are monolingual with the significant exception of Canada that is bilingual, with English and French spoken with equal degree of proficiency, most developing countries are bilingual or multilingual.  This is to say that monolingualism is not the only yardstick for development.  Therefore, if the French language is well repositioned and restrategised, it may definitely take Nigeria to an enviable height.  This paper therefore defines the concepts of language, national integration and development.  It highlights the apparatus on ground to make the French Language more functional in an Anglophone Nigeria.  The relevance of French to National Development is discussed, and strategies towards making it more functional for national development are pointed out in concrete terms. Keywords: Language, national integration, national development

Prevalence of stroke in three semi-urban communities in middle-belt region of Nigeria: A door to door survey

Introduction: the burden of stroke has been projected to increase for developing countries, but data are limited, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.This necessitated this study to determine the stroke prevalence in a semi urban community in middle-belt region of Nigeria. Methods: a twophasedoor-to-door study was performed in three semi-urban communities of  Kwara state; in the first phase 12,992 residents were screened andprobable stroke cases were identified by trained health care workers. In the second phase individuals adjudged to be positive for stroke were screened with a stroke-specific questionnaire and made to undergo a complete  neurological examination by a neurologist. Stroke diagnosis was based on clinical evaluation using WHO criteria. Results: out of the numbers that were screened, 18 probable stroke cases were identified in the first stage, and of these, 17 fulfilled WHO criteria for stroke, giving a crude prevalence rate of 1.31/1000 population. The prevalence of stroke was higher among the males than the females (1.54/1000 vs. 1.08/1000) with a ratio 1.4: 1. Sixteen subjects (94.1%) had one or more risk factors for stroke.  Uncontrolled systemic hypertension (82.4%) was the commonest risk  factors for stroke followed by transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (41.2%). Conclusion: stroke is a condition that is prevalent in our environment; especially in older adults and men. Uncontrolled systemic hypertension and previous transient ischaemic attacks were the commonest risk factors for stroke in our community

Pediatric Blood Culture Isolates and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: There is a significant variation in the bacterial pathogens implicated in childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity patternfrom place to place. Sustained monitoring of this dynamics is therefore critical to rational antibiotic use. Materials and Methods: This study was thus conducted to determine the etiology of childhood septicemia and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Blood culture results (contaminants excluded), age, and sex of all pediatric patients with suspected septicemia between January 2013 and December 2014 were retrieved. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Over a 2‑year period, a total of 3680 blood samples were processed. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated in 701 samples (19%).    Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate (41.4%) and was most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam (89%). Klebsiella species (21.7%),  coagulase‑negative Staphylococcus (14.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11%) were other common organisms isolated. Virtually, all the isolates demonstrated a reliable susceptibility to ciprofloxacin except for S. aureus and Klebsiella species which were most sensitive to ampicillin‑sulbactam and imipenem, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusions, S. aureus is the leading cause of childhood septicemia in this locale. The significant rate of isolation of the supposedly less virulent organisms calls for an urgent review of potential risk factors and an appraisal of the hospital infection control policies and structures. Keywords: Antibiotics, isolates, paediatri

STOCHASTIC MODEL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF MEDIA CAMPAIGN ON TRANSMISSION OF COVID – 19 EPIDEMIC.

The COVID - 19 pandemic is currently causing authorities and public health officials more concern. The goal of the project is to convert a deterministic model for COVID-19 transmissions to a stochastic model, and then analyze the results to see how media-driven awareness campaigns have an impact on the disease's spread. The dynamic COVID-19 model was converted to a stochastic model, which was then examined. The model includes the following categories: Susceptible (S), Exposed (E), Infected class (I),  Isolated class ( ), Aware class  and Recovered class (R), as well as the Cumulative density of awareness programs by media denoted by   . With the help of MATLAB, the converted model is then numerically solved using the Eula Maruyama approach, allowing the existence and uniqueness of the model to be examined. The implementation of awareness programs has been found to have a significant positive impact on the spread of COVID-19. As the rate of implementation of these programs rises, the population that is exposed to the virus and those who are infected with it declines, and it has been hypothesized that this will eventually cause COVID-19 to become extinct. According to the report, putting awareness campaigns into place can help stop the COVID-19 epidemic from spreading

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THREE SELECTED TIMBER SPECIES IN ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

This study was conducted to determine the physical and mechanical properties of some common Nigerian timber species in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria.. The timber species considered are: Ayinre (Albizia coriaria), Aga (Musanga cecropioides) and Orin dudu (Anogeissus leiocarpus). The physical properties of the selected timber species including moisture content and density were determined in accordance with timber design codes {EN 13183-1 and EN 408}. Mechanical properties of the timber species were determined using both four and three point bending tests based on standards such as EN 408 and ASTM D193. Characteristic values of the material properties were determined in accordance with EN 384. Mechanical properties and density of the selected timber species were modified to the equivalent moisture content of 18% in accordance to the standard code for Timber design in Nigeria (NCP). The least values of the mechanical properties obtained from the two standards mentioned above were considered