Open interlocked nailing without a targeting device or X-ray guidance for non-union of the femur: a case series

From October 2005 to August 2007, we operated on six patients who had femoral non-unions and performed interlocked intramedullary nailing without X-ray guidance or a targeting device. There were three fractures of the distal femur, two fractures of the mid-shaft and one of the proximal femur. Fatigue failure of a non-interlocked Kuntscher nail and one nail migration were the presenting features in two patients. The presence of sclerosis of the bone ends in four cases and a need for cancellous bone grafts at the site of non-union in all patients made wide dissection and open reduction unavoidable. There was a limb length discrepancy in all patients before surgical intervention. Partial weight bearing was commenced at 6 weeks post-operation. There was no case of wound infection. There was no misplaced screw. Minimum range of knee flexion was 105° at 2 months post-operation. These early results call for a closer look at this cheap, safe and effective means of handling femoral non-union in third world societies where there is paucity of instrumentation and implants for interlocked nailing

Soil chemical properties and heterotrophic bacterial population in the rhizosphere of oil palm plantations under different ages

This study was carried out to determine the soil chemical properties and heterotrophic bacterial population and species that are predominant in the rhizosphere of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis. jack) and to compare the bacteria population in the rhizosphere of matured (10 years and above) fruit bearing palms with those present in young (3 – 6 years) palms that are just bearing fruits for the first few years. Four plantations of different ages were sampled at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) main station located in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State at soil depth of; 0 – 15 cm, 15 – 30 cm, 30 – 45 cm and 45 – 60 cm. The soil samples obtained were analyzed for their physical, chemical and microbial compositions and the bacteria counts found in the various oil palm plantations were tested for significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) using Duncan multiple range test in a Completely Randomized Design. The soil texture of Field 52 (3 – 6 years) was sandy in both top and sub soil (0 – 60 cm) while the older plantations had sandy-loam and loamy-sand at some depth. The nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon content of the soil were also observed to increase with age. The investigation further showed a high presence of bacteria at the top soil (0 – 15 cm and 15 – 30 cm) than in the sub soils (30 – 45 cm and 45 – 60 cm). This was in close relationship with the high presence of carbon and other primary nutrients that were also more at the top soils. On the basis of plant age, the heterotrophic bacteria populations were greater in the older plantations than found in the young (3 - 6 years) plantations. The specific bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere soils were Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Micrococcus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Coryrubacteria spp. &nbsp

Confronting Discrimination and Structural Inequalities: Professional Nigerian Women’s Experiences of Negotiating the UK Labour Market

The line between hypervisibility and invisibility appears to be blurred for Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women in the workplace due to their race and gendered status (Lander and Santoro 2017). The intersection of race and gender exposes many BAME women to discrimination, structural inequalities, and the dynamics of tokenism, which can be a cause of intense job dissatisfaction (Stroshine and Brandl 2011). It is often the case that discussions on the economic integration of immigrants focus mainly on how the socio-economic dynamics of the host country can limit them to certain labour market sectors. While this is a key area that must be discussed, “the interaction between the internal cultural and social differences and the wider structural and ideological processes of the country of residence” must also be interrogated (Anthias 1992: viii). Such deep exploration contributes to the examination of migrant women’s experiences of the intersection of gender, identity, and social mobility within the labour market and their personal lives. In this paper, based on individual accounts and drawing on intersectionality as an analytical framework (Crenshaw 1989; Bowleg 2012; Collins and Bilge 2020), I examine the multiple and complex interlocking structural inequalities suffered by immigrant women. This paper also presents how personal narratives can illuminate often hidden complexities in the workplace and labour market at large. Based on three main themes, deskilling and downward mobility, settling for BBC2 jobs, and confronting discrimination in skilled employment, I examine the different ways migrant women engage with their stories about negotiating the labour market, which lay bare some of the limits and gaps between policies and practices in the post-industrial labour market. I present how the different ways they engage with narratives of their experiences in the workplace is very telling of the far-reaching impact their experiences have on their self-identity and well-being. As a feminist researcher, and one whose life is also marked by migration experiences, I go beyond examining the process of deskilling to exploring how participants make sense of their experiences, the impact on their lives, and their present sense of identit

Endogenous growth model and the human capital development: Evidence from the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ)

Abstract. This study examined the effect of human capital development on economic growth in the context of West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ) countries for the period 2001 – 2019. The data for the study were sourced from World Development Indicators of the World Bank for the six (6) ECOWAS countries. The panel least squares (random effects and fixed effects modeling) were embraced as the estimation techniques. The empirical result of the study reveals a positive coefficient and statistically significant at 1% significance level in the fixed – effects model of the following macro economic variables government expenditure on education, Labour force and Population growth rate suggesting that they significantly stimulate economic growth in WAMZ countries. On the other hand government expenditure on health and investment income ratio had negative co-efficient with only investment income ratio statistically significant at 1% significance level. This indicates that urgent government action is required to reverse these negative trends in order to encourage health and investment contribution to economic growths in WAMZ countries. The study recommended among others that government of WAMZ countries should increase budget allocation to the education and health sectors for infrastructure and personnel development to foster a healthy work force that will promote economic growth.Keywords. West Africa Monetary Zone; Secondary school enrolment; Government expenditure on education; Total labour force.JEL. F43; J24; O11

Influence of ‘Lactobacillus serum’ on the growth of Amaranthus hybridus and some soil chemical properties under screen house conditions

The potentials of lactic acid bacteria serum, termed as ‘Lactobacillus (LB) serum’, in enhancing soil nutrient availability and supplies for the growth of Amaranthus hybridus and some chemical properties of soil were investigated at the screen house of the Department of Soil Science, University of Benin. Three application rates of the serum were adopted, consisting of 3 mL (3,000 L.ha-1), 5 mL (5,000 L.ha-1), and 0 ml (0 L.ha-1), and represented as treatment. Amaranthus hybridus was transplanted into pots containing 2 kg of 2 mm sieved air-dried soil. Each treatment was replicated seven times to give a total of 21 pots that were laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments were applied twice a week starting from the 2nd week after transplanting. The plant growth indices measured were number of leaves, plant height and plant biomass. The results showed that serum positively influenced the number of leaves and plant biomass (4.333 kg to 4.830 kg) compared to the control (3.901 kg). However, the highest value of the plant biomass was found in the 3 mL (3,000 L.ha-1) treated pots, while the microbial colonies of bacteria in soil after serum application were sustained when compared with the control but at a reduced population for Bacillus subtilis. The application of LB. serum slightly improved the soil total organic carbon (320.0 g.kg-1 to 352.0 g.kg-1) and nitrogen (3.102 g.kg-1 to 3.325 g.kg-1) as against, 64.00 g.kg-1, and 0.639 g.kg-1 in the control respectively.

Improving Mobile Telephone Helplines for Effective Emergency Responses in Nigeria

Communication technologies have in reality reshaped and redefined how things are done in the contemporary world On daily basis technologies are made easier to access and use especially in times of emergencies This study examines how mobile phones can be used to quickly obtain assistance for people in times of emergencies like accidents natural disasters as well as terrorist attacks In advance countries where these technologies are in use they adopt cheaper and easy to operate special phone numbers are reserved for quick responses by care-givers to address sudden emergency occurrences This study extensively examined the operations of National Emergency Management Agency NEMA and all its subsidiaries and provide practical suggestions on how these emergency care-givers can adopt the use of mobile phone based technologies for more improved and quicker emergency response time These include among others provision of special code number ensuring lines are accessible anytime for 24 hour and must be toll free acces

Prevalence of Pin Tract Infection: The Role of Combined Silver Sulphadiazine and Chlorhexidine Dressing

Infection at the pin tract is a common complication of external fixation. This study was done to compare the rate of pin site infection following combined 1 % silver sulphadiazine and 5 % chlorhexidine dressing with 5%chlorhexidine dressing alone. This was a prospective controlled study which compared the results of pin site dressing using a combination of chlorhexidine and silver sulphadiazine cream(Study group)with dressing using chlorhexidine alone. Eligible patients had external fixation in the treatment of open fractures or orthopaedic conditions. Pintract infectionwas deemed to be present if erythema, cellulitis or purulent discharge occurred around a pin site. We did not distinguish between deep and superficial infection. The study group had one hundred and seventy pin sites while the control group had one hundred and sixty-four pin sites. Thirty-eight patients, in whom thirty-seven uniplanar external fixators and one Ilizarov ring fixator were used, made up both groups. Three patients (7.9%) had pin tract infection in the study group while nine patients (23.7%) had pin tract infection in the control group. Therewas a significantly lower prevalence of pin-tract infection amongst patientswhose external fixation pins were dressed with 1 % silver sulphadiazine and 5 % chlorhexidine than in those dressed with chlorhexidine alone (P=0.03). Therefore, we advocate the use of a combination of silver sulphadiazine and chlorhexidine for pin site dressing.Keywords: External fixation, Prevalence, Pin-tract Infection,Dressings

Relationship Marketing in Service Organizations: A Review of the Dynamics of Agency-client Relationships

Ongoing relationships between businesses and their customers are receiving renewed interest in marketing as increasing number of firms are shifting their attention from transactional to relationship marketing (Sheth and Parvatiyar 1995). Companies are increasingly realising the importance of customer loyalty and at such prioritising customer retention. Their attention is now focused on retaining satisfied customers, as the costs of acquiring new customers largely outweigh that of retaining existing ones. Developing and maintaining a loyal customer base is viewed as the single most important driver of long-term financial performance (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). As a result relationship building also sometimes referred to as relationship marketing has become a new area of research for authors. The building of strong customer relationships has been recognised as a means for gaining a competitive advantage (Reichheld 1993). For service businesses, strong customer relationship is particularly important because of the high level of interpersonal contact which constitutes the main source of evaluating service quality as there is relatively a lack of objective measures for service evaluation. This report critically reviews the relevance of relationship marketing in a service organization with particular emphasis on agency-client relationships which ties in with Jupiter's nature of business. The aim is to evaluate relationship marketing techniques obtained from relevant literature and to contrast these with the relationship management strategies in Jupiter. The report concludes with recommendations on ways to enhance relationship building skills

Open Inter Locked Nailing Without Targeting Device or X-Ray Guide in Revision Surgery for Non-Union of the Femur: A Case Report

We present a patient with non-union of the femur and fracture of the nail after Kuntscher nailing who went on to have union after interlocked nailing with a modified Kuntscher nail (K-nail). The interlocked intramedullary nailing was done without X-ray guide or targeting device. The essence of this report is to highlight the possibilities inherent in modification of devices and established procedures. The early result calls for a closer look at this cheap, safe and effective means of handling femoral non-union in third world societies where instrumentation and implants for interlocked nailing may not be readily available. Key Words: Interlocked-Intramedullary nail, Femur, Cortical window

Jolly phonics: effective strategy for enhancing children english literacy

Having strong foundation in English literacy nowadays is believed to be a very crucial requirement for the children to survive and success both in educational and social lives. One of the most effective strategies for enhancing children’s early reading and literacy skill is through Jolly Phonics. Despite the popularity and its effectiveness, there is still factor to the absence of the strategy, namely lack of teacher knowledge. This paper is intended to share the techniques of how to implement Jolly Phonics strategy for teaching and developing children’s English literacy. This study was conducted in one of innovative bilingual schools in Denpasar, Bali. The study employed descriptive qualitative method as a research design and used observation, documentation and interview to collect the data from the teacher. The findings showed that the teacher had successfully implement the 5 skills in Jolly Phonics, namely (1) learning the letter sounds, (2) learning letter formation, (3) blending-for reading, (4) identifying sounds in words-for writing and (5) tricky words, through variety of enjoyable techniques involving children’s sight, sound and kinesthetic means. Thus, implementing Jolly Phonics through techniques explained will improve children’s overall English literacy skill