Phytochemical Screening and in vivo antioxidant activity of Ethanolic extract of caesalpinia bondus (L.) Roxb

Phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity in vivo and lipid peroxidation of 75 % ethanolic extract of young twigs and leaves of Caesalpinia bonduc were carried out by chemical test, and assessment of catalase and peroxidase activities and lipid peroxidation in Wistar rats after oral administration of different concentrations of the plant extract for ten days. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of all major classes of phytochemicals: tannins, flavonoids, saponin, steroids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, glycosides, except phlobatannins. There were significant (p<0.05) graded increase in catalase and peroxidase activities and decrease in TBARS concentrations in the extract tested rats in comparison with normal control, Vitamin C and amodiaquine tested rats. The various pharmacological activities of C. bonduc may be due to its antioxidant activity

Antiplasmodial activity of quinine-zinc complex and chloroquine: A comparative in vitro assessment

The evolving and complicating drug resistance exhibited by strains of Plasmodium falciparum to existing antimalarials like chloroquine and quinine (which are relatively more affordable than recent drugs) and advances in metal-drug complex research instigated this work. The antiplasmodial activity of the Quinine-Zinc complex (QZ) synthesized by a modification of the method of Singla and Wadhwa was assessed relative to that of Chloroquine diphosphate (C) in vitro. Measurement of antiplasmodial activity was carried out based on the inhibition of parasite growth measured by the inhibition of schizont formation in freshly collected infected blood samples from malaria patients. A comparative analysis of the antiplasmodial activity of QZ against C showed that its antiplasmodial activity was significantly better than that of C (p < 0.05). The result of this study suggests that the QZ could have a better therapeutic activity against malaria than C

Antiplasmodial flavonoid from young twigs and leaves of Caesalpinia bonduc (Linn) Roxb

Young twigs and leaves of Caesalpinia bonduc (Linn) Roxb is used in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, as an antimalarial medicinal decoction together with other medicinal plant. In order to discover new antimalaria drug or drug lead and also to verify the traditional use of C. bonduc in this area, the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of crude extract, solvent fractions and compounds isolated from C. bonduc were investigated. In vitro antiplasmodial evaluation was carried out using chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum FCR-3 and selective toxicity determination was investigated using sensitivity study on Mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells as a host model. Ethyl acetate and petroleum ether soluble solvent fractions of C. bonduc showed antiplasmodial activity with EC50 values of 16 and 18 μg/mL and selectivity index (SI) of 0.69 and 0.29 respectively. Bioassay guided fractionation of C. bonduc led to the isolation of seven flavonoids, 7-hydroxy-4'-methoxy-3,11- dehydrohomoisoflavanone (1), 4,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-chalcone (2), 7,3'-dihydroxy-3,11-dehydrohomoisoflavanone (3), Luteolin (4), quercetin-3-methyl ether (5), Kaempferol-3-O-b-D-xylopyranoside (6)and Kaempferol-3-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1®2)-B-D-xylopyranoside (7). Structures of compounds 1 to 7 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compound 2 exhibited moderate antiplasmodial activity with EC50 and SI values of 33 μM and 0.33 respectively while compounds 1, 3 to 7 showed insignificant antiplasmodial activity. The investigation revealed that the moderate antiplasmodial activity exhibited by the solvent fractions of C. bonduc might be mediated by 4,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-chalcone

Design and Implementation of a Mobile Express Delivery System

Express delivery services in the world today have advanced greatly in developed countries with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) product and services. Meanwhile, most courier companies particularly the indigenous ones in the developing countries including Nigeria still have many problems in the delivery chain of courier services operations. The existing express delivery system lack mobile facilities for customers to lodge complains and track shipment on the move and courier agents are not able to access courier information while on the field. This paper presents the design and implementation of a Mobile Express Delivery System (EDS) on a WAP-enabled platform to enable courier customers perform various operations via mobile device such as tracking of shipment, checking account statement and lodging complaints. The Mobile EDS provides the courier customers a means of tracing/tracking shipment, lodging of complaints and making financial transactions on shipment. It also assists the courier staff to effectively manage courier related data with a mobile phone. The system is therefore able to enhance time, efficiency and documentation management for the customer and courier staff

Use of Diverse Extraction Protocols to Decide the Integrity of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Samples Extracted from Bovine Bone Samples of Different Ages obtained from an Abattoir in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria

Techniques for the identification human and non-human biological samples are developing at very high rates with the advent of different DNA extraction methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays. This study aimed at using different extraction protocols to determine the integrity of DNA samples extracted from bovine bone samples of different ages collected from abattoir in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. The DNA was extracted using CTAB, PCI protocols and a DNA kit (Quick DNA MiniPrep Plus Kit). Bovine mtDNA fragment containing the gene encoding ATPase 8 was amplified via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR products were analysed on 1.8% agarose gel. It was observed that the DNA samples extracted using the PCI method at 48 h incubation time had the highest purity (1.68) and concentration (336 ng/µl) compared to other extraction methods employed in the study. However, DNA kit extracted samples had mean ± SE purity (1.52 ± 0-05) and concentration (192.25 ± 31.41 ng/µl) values that were higher than CTAB protocol values but lower than PCI protocol values.&nbsp; All isolated DNA samples were PCR-worthy and thus yielded PCR products which were within the expected amplicon size of 126-bp. All DNA extraction protocols employed in this study are stable and efficient for use in the identification of aged non- human bones. This study also revealed that these protocols can be used to isolate PCR amplifiable DNA from old bones

Competitive Aggressiveness of Contractors: A Study of Indonesia

AbstractHigh level of competition are consideredto be a major challenge for contractors. As such, ‘winning the competition’ is an important goal for contractors in running their businesses. Contractors need to be aggressive in competition to respond to their competitors’ actions and gain competitive advantage against their business rivals for survival and growth. This study aims to clarify the issue of competitive aggressiveness of contractors by identifyingits key factors. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 19 top managers of contracting companies in Indonesia, in order to explore the concept of contractors’ competitive aggressiveness. The qualitative data collected during the interviews were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis method. The analysis resulted in identifying five key factors of contractors’competitive aggressiveness: 1) acting as a problem solver for clients; 2) being different compared to competitors; 3) building and maintaining clients’ confidence in the company's trustworthiness and reliability; 4) maintaining good relationships with clients; and 5) positioning on markets that are concerned about quality. Based on these findings, contractors will be able to establish an appropriate strategy to allow them to be aggressive in competition

A dynamic framework for managing the complexities of risks in megaprojects

The future of mega infrastructure projects is certain - there will be more risks to manage. The challenge is being met through research and innovation combining current approaches with new. This research adopted a dynamic approach through the combination of Analytical Network Process (ANP) and system dynamics (SD) as an innovative methodology known as SDANP to model complexity in megaprojects design and construction. We communicate how the SDANP model could explore problems caused by Social, Technical, Economic, Environmental and Political (STEEP) risks to construction cost, time and performance and provide insights that lead to organizational learning. We proceed to exemplify by means of a real-life case project in the City of Edinburgh and offer suggestions on what front-ended stakeholders could do to improve the management of risks in megaprojects. The results of the application showed that, when compared to traditional risks assessment methods, this SD model with integrated ANP revealed improvements in managing risks according to STEEP risks criteria. The new framework appears to be a superior solution for solving the dynamic complexities of risks during megaproject design and construction. The findings of the study contribute to the project management theoretical development within the field of megaproject management

Students’ Perception, Attitude and Experience as Factors Influencing Learning of Information Literacy Skills in Public Universities in Ogun State, Nigeria

In research and learning, information literacy is a necessary skill for both the students and the researchers to recognise when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.  This study focuses on information literacy within the context of these associated variables perception, attitude and experience. Data were collected through self-constructed questionnaire with Cronbatch’s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.7812. A spectrum of 3000 students from three universities constituted the sample. Three factors namely perception, attitude, and experience for which mean scores, alpha coefficients and correlations were calculated. One-sample t-test, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were employed for significance and variance analysis. The study established the fact that students’ perception, students’ attitude and student’ experience are significantly related to information literacy skills. The results of this study should be utilized in providing guidelines for designing the new information literacy skills programme. Students regard information literacy as a valuable skill, and believe that a certain level of information literacy skill should be attained. More work must be done to define what constitutes information literacy skills and universities are advised to embark on programme on information literacy initiatives to fully satisfy their students. Keywords: Information literacy skill, Students’ perception, Students’ attitude, Students’ experience, Library literacy, Literacy skil

Potential Anti-Cancer Flavonoids Isolated From Caesalpinia bonduc Young Twigs and Leaves: Molecular Docking and In Silico Studies

Tyrosine kinase (TK), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important cancer therapeutic target proteins. Based on reported anti-cancer and cytotoxic activities of Caesalpinia bonduc, this study isolated phytochemicals from young twigs and leaves of C bonduc and identified the interaction between them and cancer target proteins (TK, VEGF, and MMP) in silico. AutoDock Vina, iGEMDOCK, and analysis of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the isolated bioactives as therapeutic molecules were performed. Seven phytochemicals (7-hydroxy-4′-methoxy-3,11-dehydrohomoisoflavanone, 4,4′-dihydroxy-2’-methoxychalcone, 7,4′-dihydroxy-3,11-dehydrohomoisoflavanone, luteolin, quercetin-3-methyl, kaempferol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside and kaempferol- 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-xylopyranoside) were isolated. Molecular docking analysis showed that the phytochemicals displayed strong interactions with the proteins compared with their respective drug inhibitors. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the compounds were promising suggesting that they can be developed as putative lead compounds for developing new anti-cancer drugs