Investigating the Significance of a Correlation Coefficient using Jackknife Estimates

Often in Applied statistics, population parameters are not known and could be inferred using the available sample data and this is the underpinning of statistical inference. Resampling technique such as jackknife offers effective estimates of parameters and its asymptotic distribution. In this paper, we present the jackknife estimate of the parameters of a simple linear regression model with particular interest on the correlation coefficient. This procedure provides an effective alternative test statistic for testing the null hypothesis of no association between the explanatory variables and a response variable

On the Multivariate Analysis of the level of Use of Modern Methods of Family Planning between Northern and Southern Nigeria

The recently published 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) results show a great apathy in the use of modern family planning methods, despite the whooping financial and material resources being plunged into it. Worried by this insignificant level of use, the need to discern where more of the apathy is (North or South) becomes inevitable. This paper, therefore, stratified the NDHS data on the level of use of the modern methods of Family Planning into two, adopted the Hotellin

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of ethanol extract of Annona senegalensis leaves in experimental animal models

Background: This study was carried out to establish the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of the ethanol extract of Anonna senegalensis leaves in experimental animals.Methods: The analgesic activity was measured using the abdominal constriction and tail flick tests. The anti-inflammatory activity was performed using xylene and egg-albumen paw induced tests, while the antipyretic activity was measured using brewer’s yeast and 2, 4 dinitrophenol induced pyrexia tests, respectively.Results: The leaf extract at all doses used exhibited significant (p<0.05) analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities.Conclusions: Results show that ethanol leaf extract of Anonna senegalensis possess therapeutic potential against pains and feverish conditions, supporting the claims of its this plant as remedy for similar ailments

TP53 Gene Status in the Presence of Allicin in NNK Induced Pancreatic Cancer Albino Rats

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth most lethal form of cancer in Western society, with mortalities closely mirroring incidence and an overall 5-year survival of less than 7%. Traditional medicine which involves the use of herbs has been used to treat various types of cancer and this has been found to be effective with minimal or no side effects. This ressearch was aimed at evaluating the chemo preventive effect of extract of the active ingredients of garlic (Allicine)on Nitrosamines induced pancreatic cancer in rat. Allicine was extracted from garlic by crushing the garlic in an ethanol and inject  into the HPLC column. Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to analyze deoxyribonuleic acid (DNAs) extracted from the pancreatic tissue of the experimental mice while haematoxylin and eosin staining was used for histological assay.There was a significant reduction in the weight of the experimental animals that were administered with NNK. The animals administered with extract (allicin) also show a reduction in weight. Normal control animals were seen to have gained weight. DNA bands obtained from agarose gel electrophoresis suggested a possible NNK induced damage which was prevented to a certain degree owing to the effect of the allicin. Histological assay revealed the presence of neoplastic hyperplasia which is more prominent in the histological sections of the pancreatic tissue of the rats which were not treated with allicin. This study has shown that allicin could be used as a treatment against NNK induced pancreatic cancer in white albino rats at the right concentration

The practice of hepatocellular cancer surveillance in Nigeria

Background: Hepatocellular cancer is a disease of global and public health importance due to the widespread distribution of risk factors and associated high case fatality. Hepatocellular Cancer (HCC) in Sub-Saharan Africa is commonly seen among the younger age groups (&lt;45 years) who present mostly in the terminal stage, when the disease is not amenable to any curative therapy. Hepatocellular Carcinoma surveillance employs the use of simple, cheap and readily available investigations, to detect early curable cancer in individuals with risk factors for HCC.Objectives:The aim of this study is to assess the practice of hepatocellular cancer screening among physicians.Methodolgy:This is a nationwide online survey carried out among physicians who care for patients with HCC. A questionnaire was sent out via a web link to all consenting doctors in Nigeria. The responses were collated in a cloud-based application and data was analysed using Epi-info version 20.Results:Atotal of 218 respondents, 142 were males (65.1 %) with a mean age of 37.6 ± 5.7 years. The modal age group was 31-40 years 153 (69.5%). The main factors considered as a hindrance to surveillance were; the cost of the tests (57.7%), failure of return of patients (50.5%) and not being aware of a surveillance program (45.2 %). The majority of the respondents were Gastroenterologists and Family Physicians. 54% of the gastroenterologists and 64% of the family physicians have never offered HCC surveillance to their patients.Conclusion:This survey highlights a knowledge gap in HCC surveillance among physicians. There is a need to make HCCsurveillance a daily routine among patients at risk by all physicians. Keywords: Surveillance, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, HBV, HCV, Cancer screening

When Beauty Brings Out The Beast: Female Comparisons And The Feminine Rivalry

Research on competition amongst women has largely focused on relational aggression amongst adolescents, but less explored are women’s understandings of the origins of competition as it relates to comparisons amongst women and feminine ideals. Drawing on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 30 collegiate women, we find young women’s stories constructed comparisons and competition amongst women as never-ending and seemingly natural, although they point to restricted societal expectations of femininity as its origin. Women drew from the interrelated topics of perfection-seeking, media portrayals, relationships, and consumerism to explain how they and other women negotiated feminine ideals. Even if participants understood these actions as ultimately undermining their self-image, they still perceived achieving goals of femininity as connected with perfection and happiness. We define such ongoing comparisons and competition as a feminine rivalry, as women perceived other women as direct competitors and thus understanding of the nature of the competition. We conclude by considering how college-aged women’s negotiations of feminine ideals to seemingly bolster or secure their social positioning in a hierarchy of femininity, at times in contradictory ways, offers additional insight into connections between interpersonal dynamics, expectations, and stereotypes of women

Choice of location for Foreign Direct Investment by multinational corporations: Do tax burden matter?

Purpose: This paper investigated the effect of the tax burden on the inflow of FDI into the continent. The study employed a panel data set of 48 SSA countries covering a period of 2009 to 2018. Research methodology: In other to account for the endogeneity problems associated with most financial data, we employed a dynamic panel two-step-system-GMM. Results: The result indicates that tax burden is a negative determinant of the inflow of FDI. In other words, multinational corporations attach a significant premium to countries with low tax burdens than those with a high tax burden. Similarly, an increase in the mobility of labour is a negative determinant of the inflow of FDI into the continent. All the economic and financial freedom indices included in the model have a positive and significant influence on the inflow of FDI into the continent. A sustainable tax policy that will lessen the tax burden on foreign investors should be formulated to enhance the inflow of FDI into the continent. Limitations: This study employed Dynamic System GMM which can produce variant results depending on the choice of instrument. Contribution: This study provides insight on the role of fiscal policy particularly taxation in explaining the inflow of FDI. Policymakers, multinational corporations, and other players in the global FDI market will appreciate the influence that tax exerts on FDI inflow

The Relationship between Spousal Age Difference and Violence against Wife in Nigeria: A Generalized Linear Modelling Approach

The act of violence against wife is condemnable and attracts various legal penalties, globally. This article attempts to find a link between spousal age difference and violence (Emotional, Physical and Sexual) against wives in Nigeria. The result show that wives who are older than their partners are more likely to experience sexual and emotional violence; also, wives who are same age as their husbands are more likely to experience sexual violence; whereas wives who are 1-4 years younger than their husbands are more likely to experience physical violence; while wives 5 years or more younger than their husbands are generally less likely to experience any form of violence

Marshall-Olkin generalized Erlang-truncated exponential distribution: Properties and applications

This article introduces the Marshall–Olkin generalized Erlang-truncated exponential (MOGETE) distribution as a generalization of the Erlang-truncated exponential (ETE) distribution. The hazard rate of the new distribution could be increasing, decreasing or constant. Explicit-closed form mathematical expressions of some of the statistical and reliability properties of the new distribution were given and the method of maximum likelihood estimation was used to estimate the model parameters. The usefulness and flexibility of the new distribution was illustrated with two real and uncensored lifetime data-sets. The MOGETE distribution with a smaller goodness of fit statistics always emerged as a better candidate for the data-sets than the ETE, Exp Fréchet and Exp Burr XII distributions

Effect of pH and ionic strength on the bioadhesive properties of Prosopis africana gum

Prosopis gum (PG) extracted from Prosopis africana was investigated for bioadhesive properties as affected by pH and ionic strength. The bioadhesive properties were evaluated using the adhesion of gum dispersion-coated glass beads on the antrum region of the porcine gastrointestinal tract and Lecomte Du Nouy tensiometer. Results obtained indicated that prosopis gum is highly bioadhesive and that increase in both ionic strength and pH favour bioadhesion. By implication, PG can be used to target drugs intended to release in the small intestine and that way drugs sensitive to acidic pH, enzymatic attacks in the stomach or those that cause unbearable gastric irritation may be good candidates for bioadhesive drug delivery using Prosopis africana as the bioadhesive material. Keywords: bioadhesion, ionic strength, pH, Prosopis africana gum Journal of Pharmacy & Bioresources Vol. 2(2) 2005: 141-14