Current Status of Alkaline Fermented Foods and Seasoning Agents of Africa

Fermented foods and seasoning agents play central roles in the food and nutrition security of nations across the world, but particularly so in Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. As several people across the world gravitate back to “eating natural,” there is a new emphasis on these fermented foods and seasoning agents which are also critical cultural foods in countries and societies where they are important. The result is the growth in demand for these products beyond what the traditional kitchen technologies is able to cope with. In Africa, many of the seasoning agents are products of alkaline fermentation of legume seeds, pulses and in some cases animal proteins and sea foods. There is an upswing in the popularity of these seasoning agents and around them, new cottage industries are growing, as against the kitchen technology that sustained them through the ages. This chapter will explore the state of biotechnological developments around these foods and seasoning agents and point the way to good manufacturing practice and industrial development and the need to grow this value chain that has helped to sustain societies through ages

Effect of Political Advertising on Voters’ Choice of Candidate: Emphasis on the 2015 Governorship Election in Imo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effect of political advertising on voters’ choice of candidate during the 2015 Governorship Election in Imo State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by the tense political atmosphere that pervaded the political landscape in the state prior to the gubernatorial election due to the incumbent governor’s defection to an opposition party and the resolve of other candidates in that election to take over the reins of power from the incumbent governor. To solicit votes or win the support of the electorate, candidates used political advertising among other strategies to sell their personality and party manifestoes. Political advertising of two notable candidates in that election (Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress, and Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party) were studied. Key results showed that: there was significant relationship between voters’ exposure to political advertising and voters’ choice of candidate; voters’ choice of candidate in the 2015 guber election in Imo State was significantly influenced by unique selling propositions of candidates’ political advertising. Voters’ informed voting decision was significantly attributed to different message delivery patterns used. Also, the difference in message content of some of political advertising and the way  they were relayed in different advertising media did not significantly affect voters’ choice of candidate in that election, meanwhile  voters’ choice of candidate for an election significantly changed when presented with more believable facts by opponent’s advertising message. Based on these results, the study recommends that voters should always evaluate the content of candidates’ political advertisements and match the results with the observable character of candidates to ascertain if a candidate’s personality profile and party programmes fit into their choice criteria. Political marketing practitioners should see political advertising as a potent tool for candidate marketing and a vehicle to drive behaviour and attitude change. Keywords: Political Advertising, Voters’ Choice, Candidate, Political Marketing, Unique Selling Propositio

Effect of Planting Date on Growth, Carotene and Root Yield of three Sweetpotato Varieties [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] in South-East Nigeria

There is paucity of information on the effect of time of planting on sweetpotato in South-East Nigeria and hence the need for this study; where four planting dates were assessed under field conditions for their comparative effects on growth, carotene, and root yield of orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons. The experiment was a split-plot laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plot treatments were three sweetpotato varieties (Umuspo 1, Umuspo 3, and Ex-Igbariam), while the sub-plot treatments were four planting dates (April, May, June, and July). Results indicated that delayed planting from April to other planting dates significantly reduced orange-fleshed sweetpotato fresh shoot biomass and dry matter. Similarly, planting in April, 2013 produced significantly (p<0.05) higher storage root yield than planting later in May, June, and July by 75%, 92%, and 149%, respectively. In contrast, delayed planting up to June produced a carotene yield of 1267.7µg/g, which was higher than those of April and May by 180% and 82%, respectively. On average, Umuspo 1 produced significantly greater biomass of shoot and root. In 2013, Umuspo 1 also produced higher storage root yield than Umuspo 3 and Ex-Igbariam by 61% and 46%, respectively. However, Umuspo 3 produced significantly highest carotene yield (1918.0µg/g), followed by Umuspo 1 (582.0µg/g), while Ex-Igbariam had the lowest value (296.5µg/g). There were no significant interaction effects on root yield in both years, but there was a significant interaction on carotene yield, which was highest in Umuspo 3 in July, followed by the June planting date. For high fresh shoot and storage root yields, planting Umuspo 1 in April is recommended, while for high carotene yield, planting Umuspo 3 in June or July is recommended

Improving Agricultural Education Curriculum Through Sea Food Resources at the Tertiary Institutions

This work centered on improving Agricultural Education curriculum through sea food resources at the tertiary institutions. The research was conducted in Ebonyi state of Nigeria. The design used for this research was a survey research design. The research had five specific purposes and five research questions. The collection of data used for the study was done using questionnaire as the instrument. The   questionnaire contained 50 items.  The questionnaire was validated by experts in agricultural Education, measurement and evaluation and curriculum. The reliability of the instrument was determined by carrying out a pilot test. The data collected from the pilot test was analyzed using cronbach alpha which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.812. The data collected were subjected to analysis using statistical mean and standard deviation. The outcome of the analysis of the data revealed that the concepts of the sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions, the management skills in sea food resources, the harvesting techniques of sea food resources, the processing, preservation and storage techniques of sea food resources and the distribution and marketing of sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions. On the basis of the findings, the researchers recommended that the ministry of education, the institutions offering agricultural education and the national university commission (NUC) should include the findings of this research in the curriculum of agricultural education. Keywords: Agriculture; Education; Curriculum; food;resources;tertiary;institutions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-35-04 Publication date: December 31st 202

Quantum flux effects on the energy spectra and thermo-magnetic properties in 2D Schrodinger equation with Mobius square potential

A 2D Schrodinger equation with interacting Mobius square potential model is solved using Nikiforov-Uvarov Functional Analysis (NUFA) formalism. The energy spectra and the corresponding wave function for the linearly and exponentially varying quantum magnetic flux are obtained analytically in a closed form. The evaluated energy spectra are used to obtain an expression for the partition functions for the two cases comprises of the linearly and exponentially varying quantum magnetic flux and vis-a-vis is use to evaluate other thermodynamic and magnetic properties for the system. The results are used to study the free energy, mean energy, the entropy, specific heat, magnetization, magnetic susceptibility and the persistent current of the system. The numerical bound state energies are computed.Comment: 39 Pages, 64 figure

Understanding Customer Complaint Behaviour for Sustainable Business Development

This study investigates the nature and strength of key factors influencing customer complaint behavior (CCB) in the organized road transport industry in Imo State, Nigeria. Using questionnaire in a survey, 348 respondents drawn from the customers of seven organized road transport firms. The study reveals, principally, that all the six hypothetical constructs (situational, demographic, psychological, service-provider, purchased-service factors, and industry condition) have a significant impact on customer complaint behavior. Further, among the twenty-three antecedents evaluated, a gender of respondents and the size of the company are not significant predictors of customer complaint behavior. A new model of customer complaint behavior for sustainable business development in capacity building is proposed with critical attention to the customers’ identified critical areas of service failure while consolidating on the identified factors influencing patronage of the organized road transporters. The role of government in providing and enforcing effective regulation is also emphasized

Lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide in patients with refractory or relapsed osteosarcoma (ITCC-050): a multicentre, open-label, multicohort, phase 1/2 study

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown activity in osteosarcoma and might enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy. We aimed to determine the recommended phase 2 dose and antitumour activity of lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide in patients with refractory or relapsed osteosarcoma. // Methods: This multicentre, open-label, multicohort, phase 1/2 trial was done at 17 hospitals in six countries. Eligible patients were aged 2–25 years, had relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, measurable or evaluable disease per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1, Lansky play–performance score or Karnofsky performance score of 50% or higher, up to one previous VEGF or VEGF receptor-targeted therapy, and a life expectancy of at least 3 months. This study includes a combination dose-finding phase 1 part (cohort 3A) and a phase 2 combination expansion in patients with osteosarcoma (cohort 3B). Lenvatinib was administered orally at a starting dose of 11 mg/m2 per day, capped at 24 mg per day, and etoposide (100 mg/m2 per day) plus ifosfamide (3000 mg/m2 per day) were administered intravenously on days 1–3 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of five cycles. Lenvatinib monotherapy continued after these five cycles until disease progression, toxic effects, or patient choice to discontinue. The phase 1 primary endpoint was to determine the recommended phase 2 dose by evaluating dose-limiting toxicity and the phase 2 primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 4 months. Progression-free survival was measured in the full analysis set, which included all patients enrolled for efficacy outcomes; safety was assessed in all patients who received any study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02432274. // Findings: 30 patients were screened for enrolment into cohort 3A between May 9, 2016, and June 3, 2019, and 22 patients for enrolment into cohort 3B between Sept 13, 2018, and July 18, 2019. Eight patients from cohort 3A and two from cohort 3B were ineligible for enrolment in the study. In phase 1, dose-limiting toxicities were observed in three patients (one in the lenvatinib 11 mg/m2 combination group and two in the 14 mg/m2 combination group) and the recommended phase 2 dose was determined as lenvatinib 14 mg/m2 per day (with daily dose cap of 24 mg) and etoposide 100 mg/m2 per day plus ifosfamide 3000 mg/m2 per day administered intravenously on days 1–3 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of five cycles. 35 patients from phase 1 (cohort 3A; n=15) and phase 2 (cohort 3B; n=20) were treated at the recommended phase 2 dose and their results were pooled. Progression-free survival at 4 months was 51% (95% CI 34–69) in 18 of 35 patients per the binomial estimate. The most common grade 3–4 treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia (27 [77%] of 35), thrombocytopenia (25 [71%]), anaemia (19 [54%]), and decreased white blood cell count (19 [54%]). 26 [74%] of 35 patients had serious treatment-emergent adverse events and no treatment-related deaths occurred. // Interpretation: Lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide shows promising antitumour activity with no new safety signals in patients with refractory and relapsed osteosarcoma. These findings warrant further investigation in an ongoing randomised phase 2 study (NCT04154189)

Phase I/II study of single-agent lenvatinib in children and adolescents with refractory or relapsed solid malignancies and young adults with osteosarcoma (ITCC-050)

Background: We report results from the phase I dose-finding and phase II expansion part of a multicenter, open-label study of single-agent lenvatinib in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed/refractory solid tumors, including osteosarcoma and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) (NCT02432274). // Patients and methods: The primary endpoint of phase I was to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of lenvatinib in children with relapsed/refractory solid malignant tumors. Phase II primary endpoints were progression-free survival rate at 4 months (PFS-4) for patients with relapsed/refractory osteosarcoma; and objective response rate/best overall response for patients with RR-DTC at the RP2D. // Results: In phase I, 23 patients (median age, 12 years) were enrolled. With lenvatinib 14 mg/m2, three dose-limiting toxicities (hypertension, n = 2; increased alanine aminotransferase, n = 1) were reported, establishing 14 mg/m2 as the RP2D. In phase II, 31 patients with osteosarcoma (median age, 15 years) and 1 patient with RR-DTC (age 17 years) were enrolled. For the osteosarcoma cohort, PFS-4 (binomial estimate) was 29.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 14.2% to 48.0%; full analysis set: n = 31], PFS-4 by Kaplan–Meier estimate was 37.8% (95% CI 20.0% to 55.4%; full analysis set) and median PFS was 3.0 months (95% CI 1.8-5.4 months). The objective response rate was 6.7% (95% CI 0.8% to 22.1%). The patient with RR-DTC had a best overall response of partial response. Some 60.8% of patients in phase I and 22.6% of patients in phase II (with osteosarcoma) had treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events of grade ≥3. // Conclusions: The lenvatinib RP2D was 14 mg/m2. Single-agent lenvatinib showed activity in osteosarcoma; however, the null hypothesis could not be rejected. The safety profile was consistent with previous tyrosine kinase inhibitor studies. Lenvatinib is currently being investigated in osteosarcoma in combination with chemotherapy as part of a randomized, controlled trial (NCT04154189), in pediatric solid tumors in combination with everolimus (NCT03245151), and as a single agent in a basket study with enrollment ongoing (NCT04447755)