Social Media Use And Real-life Social Relationships: (A Study of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Undergraduates)

This qualitative survey was conducted to ascertain whether social media use by undergraduate students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigerian have in anyway influenced their real-life social relationships and interaction, as well as identify the social and psychological consequences of social media use on social interaction of these young students. Merton's Functionalist theory and Symbolic Interactionism theory underpinned this study. The two basic questions asked in this study were;1 Whether social media use has influenced real-life social relationships of these undergraduate students?2 What are the social and psychological consequences of social media use on the social interaction of these youths?Questionnaire schedule, FGDs and interviews were used to generate data which were qualitatively analyzed. Study result shows that there are more negative influences associated with social media use as a means of social interaction and relationships than with real-life social interaction and relationships. The study recommends that government and policy makers should set up machinery that will encourage and supervise social media network service providers to monitor the adequacy of content generated and shared on their social media networking sites.Key Words: Social Media, Real-Life Social Relationships, Social Interaction, Relationships and Influence

Surgical Indications for Eye Removal in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria

Objective: To determine the surgical indications for removal of the eye in Enugu in south eastern Nigeria. Method: Retrospective case series review. Results: At the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, between 1st January 1994 and 31st December 2003, 106 eyes of 106 patients, comprising 71 (67.0%) males and 35 (33.0%) females, aged 6-72 years (mean 31.8), were removed by evisceration (59; 55.7%), enucleation (35; 33.0%), and exenteration (12; 11.3%). Severe open globe injury (49; 46.2%), infection (29; 27.4%), malignant tumour (15; 14.2%) and blind painful eye (14; 13.2%) were the indications for eye removal. Eye removal was more frequent in males (67.0%), among farmers (21.7%), and among the 21-40 year age group (41.5%). Patients who had their eyes removed constituted 0.42% of new outpatients, 4.63% of inpatients and 7.83% of patients who had eye operations during the study period. Conclusion: The indications for eye removal were mainly for preventable/curable causes. There is, therefore, a need to improve promotive, preventive and curative eye care delivery to reverse this trend. Keywords:eye, removal, indications, Enugu, NigeriaNigerian Journal of Opthalmology Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 44-4

Audit of Referrals to an Ophthalmic Outpatient Clinic of a Tertiary Eye Care Centre in a Developing Country

Objectives: To determine the referral pattern and assess the quality and accuracy of referral letters to the ophthalmic outpatient clinic of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.Methods: This study is a prospective cross-sectional survey of all new ophthalmic referrals to the ophthalmic outpatient clinic at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu between 1st July 2006 and 31st December 2006. Patients’ referral letters and clinical case notesprovided information on demography, referral source, referral diagnosis, definitive diagnosis and quality of referral letter. The number of ophthalmic outpatient consultations during the study period was obtained fromclinic records. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to generate frequency and percentage distributions. The chi-square test was used for inter-group comparison at p 16 years) than children (< 16 years) were referred (

Reducing the Flammability of Gmelina arborea Wood Using Flame Retardants

The purpose of this study is to reduce the flammability of Gmelina arborea using fire retardants. This becomes necessary because fire has caused a lot of devastating effect to mankind since its discovery. Gmelina arborea splints were immersed in different concentrations of antimony trichloride, ammonium sulphamate and mixture of the antimony trichloride and ammonium sulphamate to determine the ignition time (IT), flame propagation rate (FPR) and after-glow time (AGT). The results indicated reduction in flame propagation rate and after-glow time for the three flame retardants while ignition time was increased with increase in concentration for the retardants. It was also observed that the combined flame retardants gave the highest ignition time and least flame propagation rate and after-glow time among the three flame retardants used. These flame retardants can be used especially the mixture of antimony trichloride and ammonium sulphamate to hinder/slow the ignitability of Gmelina arborea

Estimation of global solar radiation using empirical models

The dearth of solar radiation data availability has necessitated the development of several mathematical models for estimating global solar radiation (GSR) of regions using the readily available meteorological data of the region. This study was centered on estimating the GSR of the Ihiala region in Sub-Saharan Africa using empirical models. For the last ten years, meteorological data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were used. The sunshine-based equation, temperature-based equation, and multivariate polynomial equations were the empirical models employed to estimate the GSR of the region. The performance of the seven models was determined using statistical measures. From the results obtained, the seven models had their respective P-values all less than 5 % significant level for a confidence interval of 95 %. Thereby attesting their suitability for GSR estimation of the region is needed. Also, from the other statistical tools employed, the considered multivariate model had better estimation performance than the other models. Therefore, the considered multivariate model is suitable for estimating the GSR of the Ihiala region in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mechanical impact evaluation of natural fibres with LDPE plastic composites : waste management in perspective

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.There is increased enthusiasm towards the use of natural hair fibers for plastic reinforcement due to their toughness and light weight. In this research, low density polyethylene (LDPE) was reinforced using 0.25 ​M NaOH treated cow tail, human and sheep hair fibers at 2, 4, 6 and 8% concentration respectively prior to injection moulding. The average densities, diameters and lengths of hair fibres were assessed The results obtained from the analysis of reinforced LDPE composites indicated that cow tail hair gave the highest average density and diameter. Sheep hair had the highest length after grinding. The study also analyzed the ultimate tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, elongation, impact and hardness test on the polymer and their composites as well as the morphology and statistical analysis of the composite. This study indicated that human hair LDPE composites achieved highest flexural strength, flexural modulus, ultimate tensile strength and tensile modulus at 8% fibre loading whereas elongation at break and hardness were at 4% fibre loading while impact strength was at 2%. The cow tail hair LDPE composite gave the best impact strength at 8% fibre loading and sheep hair at 6%. The SEM results showed no serious manufacturing defects on the composites. The analysis of variance indicated that only the means of the composites’ flexural properties were statistically significant. This study shows that short animal hair fibres could be effectively used to reinforced LDPE, and therefore suggest an alternative waste management strategy of these natural fibres that are currently viewed as environmental nuisance in the study area.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/current-research-in-green-and-sustainable-chemistryhj2023Future Afric

Eye health myths, misconceptions and facts: results of a cross-sectional survey among Nigerian school children

Background. Vision is critical in the development and performance of children. Factual knowledge of eye health is important for preventive and promotive eye health. Objectives. To identify eye health myths and misconceptions that are considered true in a population of Nigerian school children, with the aim of prioritizing eye health messages. Material and methods. In a cross-sectional survey, self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain pupils’ views, which were elicited using statements presented as 22 ocular health myths/misconceptions and three facts in two selected secondary schools in Enugu state, Nigeria in October 2014. Frequency counts and percentages were generated using SPSS v18. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The sample comprised 404 males (48.5%) and 429 females (51.5%), age range 10–17 years, median 13–14 years; IQR –6). More pupils in the senior classes had previously listened to eye health talks. The most common beliefs concerned the statements “staying close to the television set will damage vision” 782 (93.9%), and “reading in dim light will damage vision” 758 (90.8%). The least commonly-held misconception was “children do not need regular eye checks” 119 (14.3%). The greatest amount of uncertainty concerned the statements “short-sightedness is worse than long-sightedness” 421 (51%), and “crossed-eye disorders cannot be corrected in children” 383 (46%). Conclusions. The majority of the children do not have information on eye health. Despite the persistence of these myths and misconceptions, this study has demonstrated that the children had a reasonable level of knowledge in terms of safe eye care practices. However, appropriate eye health messages still need to be provided

Impact of Production Sharing Contract Price Sliding Royalty: The case of Nigeria’s Deepwater Operation

Petroleum fiscal regime has been a controversial issue in Nigerian economy. The basic issue is which regime will lead to the greatest benefit to the government without negatively affecting the performance of the international oil companies. Nigeria has in the past used different regime and had adopted the current price sliding royalty regime in 1996. The aim of this study is to examine how the new price sliding royalty affects the stake of government and contractors. This study adopts ex-post research design approach using data from various sources between 1980 and 2019. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) regression approach was adopted for the data analysis. The unit root results reveal that the time series data consists of a mix of I(1) and I(0) variables. The ARDL bound cointegration test shows that all the variables specified in the models have long run relationship. Estimates from the models indicate that the royalty regime in the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract has positive and significant impact on the stake of government in the long and short runs, but negative impact on the stake of contractors. Furthermore, the royalty regime has negative impact on contractors’ performance in the long run. However, the impact on the three fiscal indicators (oil revenue, government expenditure, and deficit-GDP ratio) is positive. The study therefore recommends the repeal of the Nigerian petroleum fiscal policy with the new price sliding royalty to encourage investment and development of the petroleum sector

Reinforcement of polypropylene with natural fibers : mitigation of environmental pollution

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.Recently, natural fibers have gained research attention in reinforcing polymers due to their availability and unique properties in polymer applications. Preliminary studies indicate indiscriminate disposal of human hair (HH) and the burning of cow hair (CH) and sheep hair (SH) by abattoir operators in Nigeria; this has become a source of concern owing to the hazardous nature of these activities to human health and the environment. This study is, therefore, essential and seeks to utilize these waste materials in an environmentally sustainable way, as the hair fibers used in this work are renewable and will enhance the economy of any country if adequately utilized. The composites of Polypropylene (PP), human, sheep, and cow tail hair fibers were prepared at different weight percentage concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 w% using an injection molding machine. Untreated and treated PP composites were analyzed for average diameter, length, and density; the composites were also characterized for ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness, and impact strength. The average diameter assessment indicates viz: Cow tail hair > Human hair > Sheep hair. The sequence for hair fiber lengths shows that Sheep hair > Human hair > Cow hair, and the order for average density is Cow tail hair > Human hair > Sheep hair. The analysis of the mechanical properties of the reinforced and unreinforced PP composite showed that the Human hair/PP composite gave the best enhancement for ultimate tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength, and modulus at 8% fiber loading. Cow tail hair/PP composite yielded the best elongation at break at 2% fiber loading. Human hair/PP composite showed the best yield for impact strength at 4% fiber loading, while the Cow tail hair composite performed best for the hardness test at 2% fiber loading. The surface scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images showed no significant manufacturing defect on composites except for the air entrapment in the image of cow tail hair. The study also observed that there is no fiber breakage or void observed in the images. SEM images of the PP-composites interface at 8% maximum loading showed reasonably good fiber adhesion to the polymer matrix. This study is recommended for environmental sustainability and to improve material properties for various applications.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/envcam202

H2.0-like Homeobox Regulates Early Hematopoiesis and Promotes Acute Myeloid Leukemia

SummaryHomeobox domain-containing transcription factors are important regulators of hematopoiesis. Here, we report that increased levels of nonclustered H2.0-like homeobox (HLX) lead to loss of functional hematopoietic stem cells and formation of aberrant progenitors with unlimited serial clonogenicity and blocked differentiation. Inhibition of HLX reduces proliferation and clonogenicity of leukemia cells, overcomes the differentiation block, and leads to prolonged survival. HLX regulates a transcriptional program, including PAK1 and BTG1, that controls cellular differentiation and proliferation. HLX is overexpressed in 87% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and independently correlates with inferior overall survival (n = 601, p = 2.3 × 10−6). Our study identifies HLX as a key regulator in immature hematopoietic and leukemia cells and as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in AML